martin sheen Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Love Happens isn't just an unfortunate title because of the obvious pun I'm biting my metaphorical tongue over (okay... sh*t happens! I said it!), but because it's boring and lazy, and that pretty much sums up the movie itself.

Aaron Eckhart is as bland as pudding as Burke Ryan, a psychologist who lost his wife in a tragic accident, and for some reason turned his grief into a cottage industry for other people in mourning. Even with an incredibly successful book and seminars across the country that teach people how to be "A-OK!" instead of, say, dealing with their grief Elisabeth Kübler-Ross-style, Burke is miserable. Small details that are meant to humanize him and illustrate the grief and anxiety that is inevitable after a life-changing loss feel small and clichéd. He always takes the stairs instead of the elevator. And those lemons he tells his readers to make into lemonade? He pours a little Grey Goose into his glass when no one else is around. One of the other characters even makes a point of mentioning what a teetotaler he is.

Tonight (we hope), the longest and hardest-fought Presidential campaign in recent memory finally comes to a close. To celebrate, we've assembled a list of the seven most memorable political campaign workers in the past 50 years of movies. We've got office staff members, campaign managers, and the candidates themselves, each one giving their all in the most important campaign of their lives.

1. Robert Redford, The Candidate

Redford plays activist and staunch idealist Bill McKay, son of the former governor of California, who reluctantly enters the race for Senator with little chance of winning, all so he can speak out honestly on "the issues." As his popularity and support grows, so do the temptations and pressures to compromise his beliefs. My favorite scene comes deep in the campaign when McKay goes a little nuts in the back seat of a car speeding to a TV station. Repeating his slogan over and over, he's so exhausted that all he can do is laugh hysterically. Peter Boyle and Allan Garfield play his equally memorable political operatives.

2. Warren Beatty, Bulworth

What is it about California that makes Senators go nuts? Up for re-election, California Senator Jay Bulworth (Beatty), no longer wishing to live, decides he can finally speak the truth instead of campaign rhetoric, making for a racous series of politically incorrect adventures. Beatty, of course, had previously made Shampoo, in which he spent Election Day in 1968 running around Los Angeles putting out romantic and business fires, but he outdid himself with Bulworth.

"Well, this is the biggest depression since The Notebook." -- Paris Hilton

I'll be the first to bash Paris Hilton on any given day of the week, but I must admit these fake presidential videos starring Hilton have brought us one or three actual laughs. In her latest video, just posted over at Funny or Die (watch it after the jump), Paris Hilton is joined by one of our greatest fake presidents, Martin Sheen, as the two discuss what it takes to become the nation's next fake president. Both take on such issues as the economy, foreign policy (which Hilton calls FoPo) and Iraq. Toward the end even Charlie Sheen makes an appearance, but then bails to take in a jacuzzi. While I'm not so keen on the word 'president' being associated with Hilton in any way, shape or form, part of me wouldn't mind watching her host a debate. The girl has a larger fanbase than either candidate, and I'm sure she'll choose questions that keep them on their toes. "Prada or Gucci ... and why? Senator Obama, we'll start with you." What say you?

When word first came up about Traveling, I was all sorts of excited. In a moment of spot-on casting, Aaron Eckhart was picked to play a widower who writes a book about grieving, becomes a self-help guru, and then falls for another woman and realizes that he's not over his loss. Hearing that Jennifer Aniston was going to play that new woman -- well, I wasn't excited, or disappointed. Just meh. Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, we've got five more cast members who should perk things up a bit.

Dan Fogler (Balls of Fury) will play, surprisingly enough, "the guru's overzealous manager." This is just about the last thing I would've imagined, but I'm game to see it. Judy Greer (27 Dresses) will play an employee and friend of Aniston's at the florist, which isn't surprising at all. And Martin Sheen, well, he's going to play Eckhart's father, who has a strained relationship with his offspring. Thinking about it, it seems strange, but there's just something in Sheen's face that makes it feel right. And besides, who couldn't do with more Martin Sheen? Rounding out the cast, there's Joe Anderson (Across the Universe) as Aniston's musician boyfriend, and John Carroll Lynch (Zodiac) as a "reluctant seminar attendee."

"I need to try to write this post without pissing off a whole mess of people," Erik said to himself as he read an article on the top 10 most powerful Christians in Hollywood. Yes, such a list does exist, and unfortunately this Jew is nowhere to be found on it. Let it be known that I have nothing against Christians, or any religion for that matter, but this list just cracked me up. Over on Hollywood.com, they've posted a list (compiled on BeliefNet.com) of the 10 most powerful Christians in Hollywood (however the original list contains 12). First off, I'd love to know their definition of 'powerful.' Powerful how? Like, the number one person on the list can talk to Jesus whenever he wants, however he wants -- and, like, the number four person on the list can only communicate with Jesus through text messaging? I don't get it. But do we really need to get it?

Why don't you go ahead and take a wild guess as to who the number one most powerful Christian in Hollywood is. Yup, Mel Gibson. He likes to drink, he likes to drive, and he likes to spit out Anti-Semitic remarks at the police officers who pull him over whilst drinking and driving (hey, why not combine two lovable past times into one -- it saves time!). Here are the other nine most powerful Christians in Hollywood: 2. Denzel Washington. 3. Patricia Heaton. 4. Tyler Perry. 5. Ralph Winter. 6. Angela Bassett. 7. Martin Sheen. 8. Martha Williamson. 8. Kristin Chenoweth. 10. Philip Anschutz. Okay, I can understand how Anschutz, the 31st richest person in America, might make the list, but how does Chenoweth (who's about to star in the upcoming Space Chimps) rank higher than him? How is she a more powerful Christian?

I'd still like to know how they define 'powerful?' Over on BeliefNet, here's their reasoning behind the list: "We chose them from dozens of candidates, in consultation with insiders and observers who are part of the Christian-Hollywood scene. Those who made the Beliefnet Power Dozen are here because they have the clout to choose their career direction, while keeping their faith and even injecting it into their work in subtle or not-so-subtle ways." So, then, why not say most influential? Most spiritual? Most loved? Why use powerful? What do you make of the list? Is Mel Gibson really the most powerful Christian in Hollywood?

Consummate pro Don Cheadle is an actor who seems like he should be getting leading roles in huge Hollywood blockbusters. But instead, he often gets second, third or, in the case of Ocean's Thirteen, fifth billing in the credits. Well, no matter his position on the poster, he's always been tops with me as an actor to watch. And even if he hasn't quite achieved "household name" status, he's still managed to become one of the most successful and well-regarded actors working today with several projects in the works including the previously mentioned Oceans' Thirteen, a Miles Davis biopic and the soon-to-be-released Talk to Me -- the comedic yet uplifting and poignant story of ex-con turned radio personality Ralph "Petey" Greene.

Previously on Cinematical, we brought you word of the film and included some background on the story and other details like who are the film's co-stars and director (Martin Sheen, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Kasi Lemmons, in case you don't want to click). There was also a trailer at that time as well. And now, thanks to Rope of Silicon, we can bring you a new trailer for the film to help encourage you to go out and see it. Its a good story featuring an interesting and compelling character portrayed by an actor who deserves attention and respect. It's ok to watch something else besides movies like Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean: AWE sometimes. It won't hurt you, I promise. So, do yourself and Mr. Cheadle a favor: watch the Talk to Me trailer, get interested in the movie and then go see it when it opens in July.

Twenty years have passed since 1987's Wall Street taught America that "Greed is good." The film won Michael Douglas a Best Actor Academy Award for his blistering performance as Gordon Gekko, a high-powered corporate raider. I re-watched Wall Street recently. It is definitely a product of the 1980's (ginormous cell phones, etc.) but still holds up, and has spawned a lot of imitators, like the very good Boiler Room. And now a sequel is on the way -- 20th Century Fox has just sealed a deal to bring the character of Gekko back to the big screen. At the end of Wall Street, Gordon Gekko had been busted with the help of his protege, played by Charlie Sheen. His fate was left up in the air, but the sequel confirms that he went to jail. The new film will take off with Gekko out of jail and "resuming his machinations on a global scale in the hedge-fund era." The title will be Money Never Sleeps -- which is one of Gekko's mottos.

Douglas is returning to the role and as for Gekko, he says "I don't think he's much different. He's just had more time to think about what to do." The new film's writer, Stephen Schiff (The Deep End of the Ocean, True Crime), says Gekko will be restyled and might just have an influence on big business fashion all over again -- "If you weren't wearing suspenders before Wall Street, you were certainly wearing them after." (I hate to contradict the man, but I've never worn suspenders in my life). Master of machismo Oliver Stone co-wrote and directed the original Wall Street, but will not be back for the sequel, despite having been begged for months by Douglas and Schiff. Schiff doesn't think Bud Fox, Charlie Sheen's character, will return either, and that surely rules out Martin Sheen as well. Remember that scene in Hot Shots! Part Deux where Martin and Charlie Sheen pass each other on the river, point, and yell "I loved you in Wall Street!" That was hilarious.

I wouldn't necessarily call Joe Queenan a film critic. He's more of a humorist, though one that has devoted much of his writings to the subject of movies. I've followed his work for many years and think his book Confessions of a Cineplex Heckler: Celluloid Tirades and Escapades is only topped by Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese (by, of course, MST3K's Michael J. Nelson) where funny film writing is concerned. Lately Queenan has been writing about movies for UK's The Guardian, and so far, from the way our readers have commented on stories about his pieces, he's being taken too seriously over there. But then, Queenan is also seemingly guilty of trying to be taken more seriously as a film journalist.

Queenan's latest bit of internal musing disguised as a film feature is on the subject of The Departed, written in anticipation of the UK DVD release of the Martin Scorsese film. Queenan writes that Scorsese is trying to tell him something with the Oscar-nominated film because of the fate of a character in the film named Queenan (played by Martin Sheen). Apparently the name Queenan isn't very common, and Joe Queenan thinks the choosing of this name is a sort of payback -- or threat, maybe -- for unfavorable things he's written about the filmmaker, mainly that he has in the past addressed Scorsese's potentially misogynistic personal touches. In the end Queenan apologizes for making assumptions about Scorsese's real-life relationships with women.

The L.A. Film Critics Association and AFI just released their lists of best films of 2006, and I have to say, you disappoint me, L.A. Film Critics Ass. and AFI. No 'Departed'? Oh, come on. Martin Scorsese's blockbuster crime drama is the most exciting movie to hit the big screen since ... Martin Scorsese's crime drama 'GoodFellas.'

And AFI, please. 'The Inside Man' made your list of Top 10, but NOT 'The Departed'? Sure, it's well acted, well directed, taut-ly suspenseful. But 'The Departed' is all that and so much more. Career-best performances by Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio. Jack Nicholson unglued in a really interesting, crazy-crime-boss kinda way. Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg fully investing themselves in solid, award-worthy supporting roles. Scorsese masterfully bringing out the best in everyone on the screen (and there are a lot of people on that screen).

This early best-of listing is worrying me. When I saw 'The Departed' the first time, I just knew that this was the year Marty was gonna be awarded his long-overdue Oscar, that this movie couldn't lose. And then when I saw it the second time, I thought that maybe Leo would win his first Oscar; the biggest problem I envisioned was how would the Academy decide if it was a lead or supporting role? And then, when the box office kept growing ($116 mil to date), I was reassured that there was no way 'Departed' could lose, since the Academy likes its artistic achievement to be accompanied by a big slice of financial pie.

But now, I have to admit, I'm scared. What if 'Departed' peaked too early, and it loses momemtum before Oscar can show its love? What if Clint Eastwood, with his freakin' TWO big '06 serious, dramatic war movies, wins Best Director AGAIN?!?! Come on, Academy -- isn't Marty slaving away to save old film from disappearing? He's working his butt off for you people. Plus, hasn't he been snubbed enough? This is the year. Don't forget him. And don't make me beg. Because I will, and nobody wants that. It's just demeaning.

Regardless of how you want to classify the next few months (Fall? Autumn? That time when the kids finally go back to school?), this year's Best Picture (candidates/winners) will most likely debut in theaters between now and Christmas. For those of you looking for some sort of intelligence boost after a summer full of dumb, dumber and dumbest, fear not -- Hollywood is sending a slew of wonderful-looking flicks our way.

In order to celebrate this joyous time of year, we here at Cinematical have decided to share with you the films we're most looking forward to. What films do our writers want to see make a big splash in theaters this fall? Stay tuned all this week to find out. In the meantime, how about I kick things off with ...

The Departed -- Director Martin Scorsese teams up once again with Leonardo DiCaprio (his newest muse) in this remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. Add to that a cast that includes Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin and, well, I'm totally sold. Pic tells of the battle between Massachusetts police and an Irish-American gang. When each plants a mole on the other's turf, things become hairy and worlds are sure to collide. Seeing as I'm a Scorsese nut, The Departed marks my most anticipated film of the fall. This cops and robbers tale hits theaters on October 6 and currently has a trailer online for you to watch.