xzibit Tagged Articles at Cinematical

American Violet opens in the kitchen of a Texas housing project, as a mother makes breakfast for her children. She pours water into a tea kettle; serves eggs; hurries the kids along – a lovely, peaceful scene. Then the film cuts abruptly to police preparing for a raid: they load their weapons (I believe the first shot is of a gun), put on armor, and pile en masse into trucks. The moment we move from the kitchen table to the police staging area, the soundtrack changes too, from a languid, piano-tinged theme to a percussive arrangement that screams evil.

This approach is representative of much of the movie, which is a strident, aggressive polemic against racism in the justice system, as well as the story of a courageous woman who risked much to sue an all-powerful District Attorney. It is straightforward, unambiguous, and often frankly partisan, hitting its talking points hard without ever really peering under the surface. The tale it tells is reasonably compelling, and as a legal thriller the film more or less works. But much of it is obvious and ham-fisted – the sort of Serious Drama you might expect to see on basic cable. Adventurous moviegoers won't find much of interest here.

Six years have passed since "The X-Files" went off the air after nine seasons; fans agree that it left with a whimper rather than a bang, and ten years have passed since the first and only feature film. So the question of the day is: why a sequel? Why now? But perhaps a better question is "why not?" The fact is that FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) always had vats of chemistry; they arguably outstripped and outranked any other male-female couple in the history of television. Their pairing was perfect: Mulder believed -- or wanted to believe -- in the supernatural while Scully was a scientist, a doctor and a Catholic who believed in God but looked for reasonable, logical explanations in everything. In each episode, the team was called in to investigate some kind of paranormal activity, and they debated and discussed the various possibilities behind each. In the end, hardly anything was ever proved or disproved.

Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant cast just became a whole lot crazier. Variety is reporting that Val Kilmer and Xzibit are joining Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes in the much-maligned remake / re-imagining / re-something of Abel Ferrara's cult classic.

Kilmer will be playing Cage's police partner, presumably the straight arrow to complement Cage's cop-on-the-edge. This comes right on the heels of Kilmer being cast in Silver Cord, so I think it's safe to say someone's trying to make a comeback. (Am I the only one who laments the passing of years, and what it has done to one of my biggest crushes? Has it really been so long since The Saint?)

Xzibit, fresh off The X-Files: I Want to Believe, will be playing their nemesis, Big Fade.
Remember, folks, it's a re-imagining, which is why you don't remember any of these characters from the original.

If there aren't shockingly hilarious tales of egos and fistfights from the Lieutenant set, I'll be among the bitterly disappointed. While I suspect Kilmer has chilled with the passing of years, I'm thinking that combining him with Herzog is bound to be tempestuous. Is it too much to ask that Herzog just goes even further, and hires Sean Young and Gary Busey? Perhaps even Mike Myers? Throw the script out the window, and just film the production. I think it would be far more fun than any re-imagining.

When you think Chris Carter, you think spooky, right? Well, don't feel bad, most of us do. But as it turns out, Carter very well might have pulled a fast one and is already directing another film right under our noses -- and no, it's not X-Files 3. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Carter is already hard at work on a dark coming-of-age drama called Fencewalker, starring Natalie Dormer (The Tudors), Katie Cassidy (daughter to David), Xzibit (fresh from the set X-Files), Derek Magyar and Meckah Brooks.

So far there are very few details about the project, and reps for the actors and Carter have not confirmed whether or not the production was even underway (seems like an awful lot of effort for an indie drama, but who am I to judge?). Little is known about the story as well, but THR did say that it's "essentially a coming-of-age semiautobiographical character piece with no supernatural elements" -- well, you can't blame a guy for wanting to fight against type. Fencewalker was described as a "passion project" for Carter, who also wrote the script and independently financed the flick.

If you're familiar with Carter's M.O. when it comes to keeping secrets, then a covert project isn't exactly outside the realm of possibility. (Besides, if he's making a film about himself, why wouldn't he keep it secret -- he's a hush hush kind of guy!) Think about it, the man already managed to shock us once already this year -- what's one more surprise?

I'll just come right out and say it: I think werewolves are dumb. They could be interesting, and I'm sure they once were, but for me they're typically a let down, whether they be the lame werewolves in Wes Craven's Cursed or the badly generated werewolf transformation in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban or even the blood-splattering werewolves of a well-written horror film like Dog Soldiers. Maybe it's because the first werewolves I was familiar with growing up were Michael Jackson in the "Thriller" video and Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf, but whatever the reason, the fact remains that I don't think they're scary and I don't think they're cool.

So, you can imagine how disappointed I was to see JoBlo's new spy shots from the set of "X-Files: Done One" (aka X-Files 2), which feature what looks to be a werewolf mask. I guess there's a chance that thing in the photos could simply be a wolf -- not of the 'were' variety -- and that would be OK. But seeing as this is the paranormal world of X-Files, I'm betting on my first thought being correct.

For other fans of the show, these photos are probably pretty exciting. They're certainly a lot more interesting than that first pic we saw last month, and more intriguing than these simple photos and video of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson from FlynetOnline or these more official shots from ComingSoon.net. Also, with all the secrecy surrounding the plot of the sequel, these photos allow us to speculate a great many things while we wait to hear about the actual plot synopsis. Perhaps one of those new cast members, say Xzibit or Billy Connolly or Amanda Peet turns into a werewolf. Wouldn't that be super neat? Yeah, well you already know I think it would be boring, but I'm trying to be excited for the rest of you.

The Hollywood Reporter announced that Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, and Xzibit have all joined the cast of X-Files 2. Details are pretty sketchy as to who Scottish comedian Connolly will play, but THR did confirm that Xzibit (the 'Pimper of Rides') and Peet would be playing fellow FBI agents alongside our friends Mulder and Scully (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson). Peet has just signed to star in the drama, Real Men Cry with Mark Ruffalo, but it looks like X-Files might come first now that the production looks to be ready to go. Xzibit had also originally been signed to star in Oliver Stone's Pinkville, but when that film was stalled because of the writer's strike, I guess it freed up some time in the rapper/actor/TV host's schedule.

I'd be willing to guess that most fans of the show were pretty surprised when word of a sequel started making the rounds again. When official word finally hit, the fan in me was thrilled and a little curious as to how they were going to make a stand-alone story. Luckily, Chris Carter and series vet Frank Spotnitz wrote the screenplay. Filming is set to begin in Vancouver later this month, and the production is also currently casting in Canada. Although, there is still no confirmation on whether Lance Henriksen (Frank Black in Carter's other series; Millenium) will be making an appearance.

Just last week, Christopher brought us some script details that had been leaked. But, some of the details were later discounted by Carter, who said that he was using old character and plot to try and keep his casting process as secret as possible up until the last minute. I hope all the secrecy is worth it, because I can't see the addition of Xzibit and Billy Connolly as something worth this much security. X-Files 2 is set for release on July 25th, 2008.

So much for all those casting updates for (and comments asking about how to get cast in) Pinkville, Oliver Stone's latest Vietnam war movie. Thanks to the writer's strike, the movie is now delayed indefinitely, according to Variety. United Artists put the stop on the production because both Stone and Pinkville screenwriter Mikko Alanne are members of the WGA, and more script-tuning is needed. Apparently the film is fully written, but there were expectations that things would be changed while filming is taking place -- something Stone is known for -- and that's not allowed to happen during the strike. The movie now joins Angels & Demons (aka The Da Vinci Code 2), which was the first major feature to be delayed because of the strike. Yet unlike that higher-profile film, Pinkville may not be easily started when the strike is over. There are now possibilities the cast will change or that United Artists will be less interested in doing such a serious picture right off the disappointment of Lions for Lambs.

It will be a shame if Pinkville is on hold for too long. And it will be too bad if the ensemble cast is broken up. Just last week I was getting all excited for Michael Pitt. Before that, I was already into the group of actors brought together: Bruce Willis, Woody Harrelson, Channing Tatum, Michael Peña and Xzibit (plus Toby Jones, who was announced with Pitt). However, with rescheduling now there may be a chance that Sean Penn could come back to the film, as he was originally reported to be attached.

The cast and crew was set to begin shooting in a few weeks in Thailand, so now obviously there are a lot of people out of work who are likely praying for the strike to end asap. Once given a new greenlight, Pinkville will be Stone's fourth feature film to deal directly with the Vietnam war, following Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July and Heaven and Earth (unless he somehow squeezes another in before this one -- who knows how long UA will keep this on hiatus?). This time Stone is focusing on the terrible My Lai Massacre and the trial of the U.S. soldiers involved.

Oddly enough, The Hollywood Reporter has two new casting announcements today, despite Friday's announcement from UA. Jason Behr (The Grudge) is set to play Lt. Stephen Brooks, commanding officer at My Lai, and Cam Gigandet (Who's Your Caddy?) is cast as guilt-ridden soldier Fred Widmar.

I've been waiting for Michael Pitt to break out big for years now -- ever since Murder By Numbers, I think (he was noteworthy a year earlier in both Bully and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, but not quite as promising). He still has a chance, especially if he takes the part of Lt. William Calley in Oliver Stone's Pinkville. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he's currently in talks for the role, and if he's smart he'll just go ahead and grab it. Calley is the central figure in the Vietnam war film, which deals with the investigation into the 1968 Mai Lai Massacre; the Army officer was the one found guilty of giving the orders that sparked the incident. Pitt would join an ensemble cast that already includes Bruce Willis (or as I like to call him, Bruce Billis), Channing Tatum (another young actor continually teetering on the verge of stardom), Michael Peña (previously seen in Stone's World Trade Center), Woody Harrelson and Xzibit, who just joined on this week. Also joining the film is Toby Jones (Infamous), who will portray Lt. Andre Feher, the chief warrant officer who tries to convince Willis' character, Gen. William Peers, that the U.S. Army is responsible for the massacre.

With Pinkville, Pitt would be sure to make up for the mediocre year he's had. Between starring in Tom DiCillo's embarrassingly awful Delirious and the apparently abysmal Silk (it has an astonishingly sad 8% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes), the actor has been really struggling to get his due notice. He does have other intriguing projects in the pipeline, however; next year he can be seen co-starring in Michael Haneke's Funny Games U.S., a remake of the filmmaker's own earlier work, and he's set to star as a young Christopher Walken (sorta) in Abel Ferrara's King of New York prequel, Pericle il Nero. It seems that Pitt might prefer working outside of Hollywood, but the guy should at least do a good ensemble piece every now and then, and there's not many better Hollywood directors he could work with than Stone.

Every hardcore war movie these days needs at least one rapper-turned-actor, and The Hollywood Reporter tells us Oliver Stone's Pinkville has chosen to go with Xzibit, who, contrary to what you may or may not think, was actually born with the name Alvin Nathaniel Joiner. Since the name Alvin is most closely associated with a certain signing chipmunk, I don't blame the guy for going with Xzibit. He'll join a cast that already includes Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, Michael Pena and Woody Harrelson. Stone, whose last film was World Trade Center, returns to Vietnam for his fourth (and last, we think?) time with Pinkville, which will be based off a script written by Mikko Alanne, and revolve around the very real and tragic Mai Lai Massacre that found several hundred Vietnamese civilians -- mostly women, children and the elderly -- killed by U.S. soldiers.

For those who aren't huge rap fans, you might know Xzibit from his hit MTV show Pimp My Ride, in which he helps transform a teenager's sorry excuse for an automobile into a piece of art that couldn't be left alone on the street for more than three seconds before getting snatched. In addition to that, he's also nabbed roles in Gridiron Gang, Derailed and XXX: State of the Union. He's currently shooting the flick American Inquisition. In Pinkville, he'll play an American solider "who is convinced he carried out his orders in a moral way." Ah, so he'll be playing that guy. Pinkville is in pre-production now and is hoping for a release at some point in 2008.

There's no stopping Justin Timberlake these days, even though I feel the man is destined to star in one bad film after another. Some might call it a curse, while others feel it's more along the lines of "take what you can get." Kind of like back in the day when you were younger and really wanted a brand new bike. You looked forward to that bike. Dreamt about it, drew pictures of it in your school notebook. And, even though you were fourteen, a letter to Santa couldn't hurt. However, since your family hated you and never wanted to see you happy, I had to settle for some piece of crap the neighbor left on the curb when they skipped town. Damn you mom and dad! But, anyway ... Alpha Dog is supposed to come out sometime in the next four years. So there's that.

And Moviehole reports that Timberlake has landed yet another role, this time he will star alongside folks like Dennis Quaid, James Caan and that dude from Pimp My Ride -- I think his name is Prohibit or Xzibit ... something like that. The name of the film is True Players, and unfortunately I couldn't find any other details on it. I assume it will be some sort of con-artist flick judging by the title and the actors involved. If that's the case, it will be nice to see Quaid jump back into a more exciting role after watching him play schlub after schlub in films like Yours, Mine and Ours, In Good Company and Far from Heaven. Granted, there's the obligatory action film thrown in from time to time, but don't you wanna see the guy play a real slickster? Remember Innerspace and Great Balls of Fire? Yeah, give us another one of those performances, Quaid. As far as Timberlake goes, he's got Alpha Dog coming out on January 27 followed by Black Snake Moan on February 23. My fingers are triple crossed, as I imagine yours are too.