justin timberlake Tagged Articles at Cinematical

A week ago, I finally tore through Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' acclaimed graphic novel, Watchmen, which I'd only recently prompted myself to make the time for after years of recommendations (the recurring threat of ending spoilers for a movie that I'd inevitably see was a catalyst unto itself).

It really is a tremendous work, and I'm as curious as anyone else to see how Zack Snyder's film turns out, but the one comparison that I kept coming back to was how much Watchmen reminded me of Richard Kelly's much-maligned Southland Tales, with each being a sprawling tale of an alternate reality in which several narrative threads are building towards the threat of a looming apocalypse.

Between that and the news of Kelly's latest being pushed back, I find myself tempted to give it another look-see -- especially since my first viewing wasn't exactly held in the most proper of environments. I'm sure that there's a method to Kelly's madness, but it's an indulgent, unpredictable film whose very story density I enjoyed more in and of itself. I doubt that I'd share those sentiments if instead first subjected to the three-hour Cannes cut, but if that version were ever released, I wouldn't be against giving it a spin. (My overall sentiments fall closer to Jette's.)

So, what say you, the readers? Did you see it? Did you finish it? Love it? Hate it? Or maybe, just maybe, did some of you land somewhere in between? (And for bonus points, what don't pimps do?)

If you don't count his vocal work in the Shrek films, The Love Guru marks the return of Mike Myers to the big screen after a five-year absence. Last seen in 2003's The Cat in the Hat, Myers is now unveiling -- or is that unleashing? -- a new character, Guru Pitka, a self-help maven who brings the spiritual teachings he learned from Guru Tugginmypudha (Ben Kingsley) in India to America. Much like Austin Powers, Guru Pitka gives Myers an opportunity to play to what he thinks of as his strengths, giving us an outlandish-looking character with a thick accent and a fish-out-of-water back story. The problem is that Pitka's entirely too much like Austin Powers -- not a character, but instead a series of catchphrases, makeup appliances and goofy mannerisms that lets Meyers indulge in his penchant for sex gags, bodily-function gags and constant, self-satisfied glances at the camera.

Any time you review a film like this negatively, people ask "Why can't you just enjoy a few laughs?" And I can't give a simple answer to that, but I think it comes down to the fact that I can't just enjoy a few laughs if they're surrounded by a much larger chaotic mass of things that aren't funny. So it is with The Love Guru, as Pitka's brought to Toronto to help Jane Bullard (Jessica Alba), the owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, get her broken-hearted star player Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco) over his girlfriend Prudence (Megan Good) leaving him for L.A. Kings goalie Jacques "Le Coq" Grande (Justin Timberlake) so that the Leafs might win the Stanley Cup. The occasional funny bit is drowned out by the mass and might of Meyers's self-indulgent eagerness to wallow in his obsessions -- poop, accents, naughty talk, makeup and innuendo.

With every piece of marketing that comes out for Mike Myer's The Love Guru, I am less sure about whether or not this movie is going to work. The new trailer for the self-help comedy is now up on The Guru Pitka's MySpace page (that's right, he has his very own page), and after watching it I just don't know what to think. The first trailer wasn't so great, but then there were those hilarious You Tube messages. The latest trailer, though, puts the film back in the 'meh' category -- talk about confusing.

Guru is the story of an American-born guru who is hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs to provide counseling to their star player (played by Romany Malco). Joining in on the hilarity are Justin Timberlake (as a French Canadian player), The Daily Show's John Oliver as Pitka's assistant, and Jessica Alba as the love interest.

The movie might not be popular with religious leaders, but I am happy to report that there is a still a really good chance that The Love Guru could be funny after all. Mike Myers, in the form of Pitka the Love Guru, has been posting what he calls 'Mini-Sutras' in anticipation of the release of Guru this summer. There are seven videos in total, and promises of more to come with Pitka's musings on love, parenthood, and the importance of a good mantra.

Can I just say how nice it is to have Mike Myers back on the big screen in, ya know, human form. The first trailer for The Love Guru has just arrived online over at Moviefone. Here, Myers takes on his first original character since Austin Powers for a comedy about an American who was left at the gates of ashram in India as a child and raised by gurus. He then moves back to the U.S. to seek fame and fortune in the world of self-help and spirituality. There, he's asked to settle a rift between Toronto Maple Leafs star hockey player Darren Roanoke (the excellent Romany Malco) and his estranged wife. That's not all, though, because this one also features Jessica Alba, Vern "Mini Me" Troyer and Justin Timberlake (in an afro!). Check out the trailer above, or head on over to Moviefone to see it in glorious HD.

I just can't quite decide if Mike Myers looks comedic or downright creepy in the new poster for his romantic comedy, The Love Guru. Although, I guess it is pretty weak to be creeped out by a guy in a handlebar mustache holding a flower. IMPA Awards has just released the first poster, and the words mustache and flower pretty much sum up the one sheet. Well, that, and a fairly corny tag-line -- but I'll let you find that out on your own.

Myers stars as Pitka, an American raised by gurus who returns to the states to start up his own self-help business. His first project is to solve the professional and personal problems of a hockey player who has hit the skids (well, it is a Mike Myers movie after all, so hockey was bound to show up somewhere). Joining Myers in the cast are Jessica Alba as Myers' love interest, Justin Timberlake as a rival skater, Verne Troyer as the team coach, and Ben Kingsley as Guru Tugginmypudha. Also included in the cast are Romany Malco as the troubled player and The Daily Show's Jon Oliver as Dick Pants (is it just me, or do some of these names look like something you would see on a substitute teachers attendance sheet?).

The flick shot on location in Toronto over the summer, and so far we have only gotten a few sneak peeks of Alba and Myers on set. I can't put my finger on it, but there is just something about this movie that has me very nervous. So as much as I might like Myers, I don't think even he is going to be able to make Alba funny -- just ask Dane Cook. Personally, I think I'll just hold out for Myer's Keith Moon biopic instead. The Love Guru opens in theaters on June 20th, 2008.

When 'N Sync was prancing around the stage in the late '90s, did anyone imagine that one of the dudes would become a pretty successful actor in less than 10 years? I mean, I'm sure Jeff Bridges didn't see Justin Timberlake on the boob tube and say: Gee, that kid should play my son in something! It's as weird as watching Ronnie Regan in his movies and imagining that he'd become President. NOTE: I am, in no way, suggesting Justin will turn to politics -- I'm just noting surprising career moves.

Anyway, Variety reports that Timberlake is about to head on The Open Road with Bridges, the comedy drama that Christopher Campbell first blogged about almost a year ago. Under filmmaker Wim Wenders' watchful eye, writer Michael Meredith will direct his own script. This was going to be a reunion for the Land of Plenty crew, but unfortunately, it seems that cinematographer Franz Lustig has been replaced by Yaron Orbach.

Road is a reconciliation tale about a young man who reconnects with his dad, "a legendary athlete, as he struggles to get him home to his ailing mother's bedside." While the parts aren't specifically laid out, I imagine Bridges is the dad, Timberlake the son, and Mary Steenburgen is the mom. Initial reports also described a girlfriend on the trip, but there is no word about that role in this latest bit of news. This could be at least partly autobiographical, as Meredith's dad is ex Cowboys QB Don Meredith, but for this film, the sports figure is a baseball legend. Personally, I'm interested in seeing how Meredith handles the comedic aspects since Land of Plenty was all sorts of somber -- good, but somber. The film is scheduled to slip into production in Louisiana later this month.

I always get a tad excited when it comes time for a Disney kid to leave the nest. Over the years, we've watched some Disney kids grow up to have tremendous careers (Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell). Then there are those who, well, are about one nut away from the loony bin (Britney Spears). Now a new crop of the Mouse crew are growing up and getting ready to branch out into various big-screen areas. We're talking kids like Zac Efron, Ashley Tisdale and, of course, Vanessa "Take My Picture" Hudgens. Recently, the drama hit Hudgens a few years early when nude photos of the gal were leaked online, prompting everyone to wonder whether Disney would cut ties with her prior to completing their High School Musical franchise. So far they haven't done that, and Hudgens is currently expected to appear in High School Musical 3, but other offers are starting to trickle in and she's jumping on them.

The Hollywood Reporter tells us Hudgens has signed on to co-star in a new coming-of-age dramedy called Will. Calm down there boys, she's not going hardcore just yet; it seems the gal will remain in the friendly teen world for now. The film tells of a "high school outcast and a popular girl who form an unlikely bond through their shared love of music. They assemble a like-minded crew of misfits and form a rock group to perform in a battle of the bands competition at their school." HR says Hudgens will play "Sam, a 15-year-old former stutterer now speaking slowly and deliberately, who becomes romantically entangled with the lead outcast." So it sounds like she's playing the popular girl, though they emphasize this stuttering issue, so I don't know. The film was written by Todd Graff and Josh Cagan, with Graff (Camp) taking on directorial duties. Will is scheduled to begin shooting next month in Austin.

Ocean's Thirteen
George Clooney and pals caught a lot of flack for faltering (somewhat) in the second installment of this crime caper trilogy. Critics berated Hollywood's finest for enjoying themselves off set so pointedly you'd think dead hookers were popping up left and right. Excuse the guy if he needs a break from trying to save Darfur and prepping pensive, top-notch fare like Syriana, Good Night, And Good Luck, Michael Clayton and so on. And for all its faults (I'm looking at you, Julia Roberts cameo), Twelve was still as entertaining as a popcorn movie needs to be. There seemed to be a "you owe us" attitude among some critics, and Thirteen for the most part put the carping to rest. Its biggest strength? It becomes personal for Ocean's crew, once Reuben (Elliott Gould) is royally screwed over (nearly keeling over as a result) by Al Pacino's SOB casino mogul. Not only is our faith fully restored in Ocean et al here, but suddenly we're rooting for them harder than ever. As nice as it is to see Pacino hooting and hollering again (mostly hollering), the real treat in terms of new blood is Ellen Barkin as his empowered assistant/ the "cougar" Linus (Matt Damon) attempts to seduce in the movie's funniest sequence. Who'd think Barkin could be still be so sexy 16 years after Switch?

Shrek the Third
Speaking of critical lashings, Shrek's third outing was a popular target for ire this past summer. Not so much in terms of popular opinion, though. Mylesomaticx, for one, declared it "THE BEST MOVIE EVER MADE" in his/her user review on Moviefone. Whoa there, Mylesomaticx. I'll play the diplomat and say it falls somewhere smack dab in the middle of the critiques of the Rotten Tomatoes majority ("flat and pointless," says one) and the Caps Locked Mylesomaticx. I didn't find Shrek the Third any less enjoyable than Shrek 2 (which got glorious reviews), that's for sure. There are more storylines here (they could've done without those creepy dronkeys) and the humor, seemingly skewed even further for adults, is still funnier and smarter than the vast majority of animated rip-offs we see nowadays. The suddenly ubiquitous actor Justin Timberlake (when in the world does he find time to practice the Moonwalk?) joins the fun as Artie, the rightful heir to the throne of Far Far Away, and is surprisingly adept at voicing a whiny teen. But Mike Myers needs to hurry up and play someone/something else. Is it just me or is he becoming increasingly interchangeable with the character Shrek? Luckily, The Love Guru, his first non-Shrek film in five years, opens next June. JT co-stars.

I don't know what I miss more -- good comedy by actors like Mike Myers and Jim Carrey, or that time in the late '90s when their names were synonymous with morphing into almost-unrecognizable characters. Or, maybe I just miss comedies that refer to the Alan Parsons Project. Whatever the case, we're finally getting another Mike Myers-created comedy with The Love Guru, and USA Today has the first look at the guru Pitka and Jessica Alba. Myers looks pretty unrecognizable, sporting a curling 'stache, beard, and long hair, and Alba, well, she looks like herself -- the cute smiling girl in a tank top. The comedian and filmmaker normally stays away from transforming the lead women in his films, but it would've been nice to change that this time around. Still, I wish this was a video, so we could see Myers in action.

The story focuses on Pitka (Myers) an American left at the gates of an Indian ashram, who is raised by gurus, and then comes back to the US to focus on issues of intimacy between couples. Adding in a little of Myers' Canadian verve, he meets his match when he has to fix the relationship between a star hockey player (Romany Malco), and his estranged wife, who is bonking the star of his rival team (Justin Timberlake as a French hockey player named Jacques). He's got to fix things and get the player back on track so that his team, owned by Jane Bullard (Alba) and coached by Verne Troyer, can break their 40-year-old "Bullard Curse" and win the Stanley Cup. For hockey fans, you'll probably notice the similarities to the Maple Leafs.