Cinema Buzz by Seymore Flix - 6/26/2015

Where Are They Now?

Actors, who had stellar careers, seemingly vanish from the Hollywood radar screen - after huge early success - Poof!  'A'-listers down the scale to 'B' and 'C' listers or off the charts completely. Here are a few that come to mind:

Gooding

- Cuba Gooding Jr. - a lead-man who has become, at best, a supporting actor. Great early success but nothing since.

- Adam Sandler - Great start after SNL with a lot of very funny films but a total bust as of late. He's attempting to get back on course with a new deal with Netflix.

- Eddie Murphy - one of the funniest people ever - hilarious.  Bev Hills Cops franchise, 'Coming to America', et.al.  Lately his best effort is voice-over for donkey in 'Shrek'.  Eddie we need you.

Carrey

- Jim Carrey - another very funny guy who starred in huge films in the late '90s - 'Batman', 'Pet Detective', 'Liar, Liar', 'The Mask'.  Not only funny but very, very creative.  Carrey has hit the wall and hasn't made anything really good since 'Bruce Almighty' in 2003.

- Meg Ryan - the darling of the rom-com - 'When Harry Met Sally', 'Sleepless In Seattle', 'You've Got Mail'.  Now 53 Ryan hasn't made any films since 2010 "Lives of the Saints'

- Catherine Zeta-Jones - What happened? The Douglas marriage busted but Catherine was huge in the late '90s early 2000s with a slew of very good and high grossing movies. Hasn't made any significant movies since 2007's 'No Reservations'.

Calkin

- Hilary Swank - Oscars beside, Hilary is off the casting charts.  Nothing of any note in the last 8 years. Swank needs to re-group.

- Macaulay Calkin - Child star that couldn't make it to adult stardom.  Personal life went sour and he didn't age very well.


Oops!

Mothers report 'terrified' children after viewing 'Insidious 3', which was mistakenly screened instead of 'Inside Out'.

Terrified Tot ?

A projectionist error was responsible for the mix-up which led to an auditorium of awe-struck preschoolers.  All admission monies were returned but the 'damage' was already done.  Although the staff at The Danbarry Cinema in Middletown, Ohio caught the mistake within the first few minutes of the screening.

Other patrons reported that it was the parents who freaked-out and not the children who were 'calm and fine'.  I tend to believe this. It's all in a day's TV or cable viewing for a child. What's a bit more carnage. No harm - no foul, I say.  When's the last time these tots witnessed a good, old parental donnybrook?  Now that's horror.

Furious 8

It didn't take long for the announcement of the next installment of the Fast & Furious saga. 'Furious 7', was (to say the least) a HUGE box office success, and Universal is not about to stop the inertia of this (its most lucrative) franchise.

F&F Actors - Rodriquez and Diesel

All of the old F & F family members will be recast along Jason Stratham and Kurt Russell (both   returning from their Furious 7 roles).  Eva Mendes is rumored to be returning in her previous role as a U.S. government agent.  No sense changing a good thing.

Biggest problem is topping 'Furious 7's' high-impact action scenes which will be hard to accomplish, but Universal is going to take its best shot - with an undisclosed but rumored gigantic budget.  The movie has a scheduled release date of April 2017.

Also, there is no doubt that there will be a 'Furious 9'.  In fact, it's already in early development.

Oscar Gets Museum

Artist's rendering of Academy Museum

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will begin construction of a movie museum - to be dubbed (what else) 'The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures'.

To be constructed in the heart of Los Angeles within the Wilshire May Company building complex and next door to the LA County Museum of Art, the project will get its official groundbreaking this fall.

The facility will include galleries, exhibit and event spaces, movie theaters, and educational areas.
Academy sources informed me that the organization has been collecting pieces and memorabilia of movie history since the 1930s.  Rare footage and behind-the-scenes photos, costumes, film take-outs, historic movie props and full sets.  A spherical dome will act as the Museum's main theater and be the focal point of the facility.

A $30 million fund raising campaign to help pay for expenditures is being spearheaded by Bob Iger, Disney Head, and actors, Tom Hanks and Annette Bening.


Just saying,
Seymore