Entertainment and Media

A lot of my longtime readers know that I'm a huge fan of Stephen Chow, the lead actor in Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer. I heard a while back that he was putting Kung Fu Hustle 2 on hold to film a movie. The rumors about this other movie were ridiculous. I heard about aliens, dinosaurs, outer space, etc. Now, combine all those words, and it's about an alien dinosaur in space -obviously, a very crappy movie. Well, I finally saw the movie. It's called CJ7, and it is NOT a crappy movie. As with the rest of Stephen Chow's movies, it's delightful.

Now, this is a kid's movie. Well, sorta. I wouldn't show it to very small kids. And I should warn you that there's some sappiness in it. Still, it's a far cry from tripe like Homeward Bound. It's actually very enjoyable, and I'm willing to forgive any sappiness that it has.

Reports are that George Clooney and Brad Pitt are fighting. Over what?? A movie role. Reports say that both want to play Professor Henry Higgins in a remake of "My Fair Lady".

Okay, 1) You guys are buddies. Knock it off.
2) Seriously think about this. Do you really want to be the one that stars in a remake of a movie that nobody wants to see remade?? There is an extremely high chance that the film will spectacularly flop, because it's such a beloved film, and there's nothing that anyone could possibly add to it that would make it worth seeing.
3) Pitt wants Angelina Jolie as Eliza Doolittle. Oh. Dear. God. No. She's just not right for the role.
4) Quit fighting. You're both pretty. :)

Back to Robert De Niro, I thought Heat was one of his best films. He got a lot more attention that year for Casino, and sure, it's an excellent movie. But Heat was right on par with Casino (and you didn't have to suffer through watching Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci make out).

This is one of those movies where you're treated to De Niro and Pacino in the same flick. In this, Pacino is the cop, and De Niro is the bad guy. And to be honest, it's one of his most chilling performances, as far as I'm concerned (naturally, Taxi Driver is the exception).

I think that Analyze This was one of De Niro's worst missteps. I mean, he's exceptionally good when he's in your face and trying to kill you. lol But mocking that??? It kind of turns everyone of his good roles on its ear, and makes it seem a little less cool. It's like him standing there saying, "You talkin' to me??" and right in the heat of the moment, he just kind of drops it and says, "Nah, I'm just messin' with ya." lol Not to mention, we had just been introduced to Tony Soprano as a mobster in therapy. So why go there?

And then the fact that they made a sequel to a fairly lame movie?? Ugh!

Robert De Niro has been a fixture for a very long time. And he shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. But there have been a few missteps along the way, as there often are when you've got such a long filmography.

Recently, he quit a movie due to creative differences. And this, and other films of his will be examined this week.