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RZA To Join The Cast Of ‘G.I. Joe 2′

traviswoods — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:32:52 +0000

Today in Random Collision Of Disparate Pop Cultural Elements That Have Absolutely Nothing To Do With One Another And Yet Are Sharing Space Nonetheless news, it was announced that Wu Tang Clan rapper RZA will be joining the cast of G.I. Joe 2, the most clamored for and desired sequel in the history of cinema, ever (just doing that to see if you’re still paying attention).

The AV Club has the scoop on RZA’s joining of the G.I. Joe 2 cast, which also includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, so you just know that it’s not going to suck:

“In keeping with his kung-fu obsession, RZA will play the martial-arts expert Blind Master, who trained past Joe commandoes such as Snake Eyes and Jinx in the ancient art of protecting their neck. The character appeared only once in the comics, and was mentioned a single time but never seen in the cartoon, making him an odd choice for inclusion.”

So there you go—if you weren’t considering catching G.I. Joe 2 in theaters on the opening weekend, perhaps the addition of these two stars will lure your particular demographic into the seats on opening night. If not, maybe the studio could release it in 3-D for you? Maybe with all the dialogue Auto-Tune’d? Would that help?

What do you think of the G.I. Joe 2 casting news?

The Next Three Days: Movie Review

Krystal Clark — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 01:30:49 +0000

Oscar winning screenwriter and director Paul Haggis returns to theaters this weekend with his latest film, The Next Three Days. It stars Russell Crowe as a desperate man who’s willing to do whatever it takes to reunite his wife with their family, the only problem is — she’s in prison. From that premise alone you can imagine all the craziness that will ensue. Is The Next Three Days a worthy follow up to Haggis’ previous works? Find out in our review…

The Players:

Director: Paul Haggis:
Screenwriter: Paul Haggis, Fred Cavayé and Guillaume Lemans (Pour Elle)
Cast: Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Ty Simpkins, Lennie James, Olivia Wilde, Helen Carey, Brian Dennehy, Aisha Hinds, Jason Beghe, Allan Steele, RZA, Liam Neeson, Jonathan Tucker, Kevin Corrigan
Cinematography By: Stéphane Fontaine
Original Music By: Danny Elfman, Alberto Iglesias

The Plot:

The Next Three Days centers on John (Crowe) and Lara Brennan (Banks) and his undeniable quest for her freedom. After having an argument with her employer, Lara is arrested the day after her boss’s dead body is found in a parking lot. All of the evidence points to her as the killer and she’s sentenced to serve some serious time in prison. Her husband John feels as if the system has given up on finding the real murderer so he decides to take matters into his own hands. After extensive research, interviews, and hours of strategizing, John sets out to do the unthinkable — break his wife out of prison.

The Good:

Elizabeth Banks: Banks is mostly known for her comedic roles in films like The 40 Year Old Virgin, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and Role Models. She barely dips into other genres but when she does she’s amazing as proven by her performance in this film. She does a great job of making you feel the frustration that her character is going through with her heartbreaking performance.
Trial and Error: The one great thing about the story is how it shows one man’s journey through trial and error. John is trying to break his wife out of prison and that’s no easy feat. You see him going on YouTube and asking around to see how he can get fake passports, how he can make a “bump” key, and how he can safely get out of the country within a certain amount of time. He visibly works for the knowledge. It doesn’t come to him overnight. It’s realistic.

The Bad:

The Tone: It’s hard to tell if this is a hardcore drama, a thriller, or a subtle action film. The movie starts off with a comedic scene, and throughout jokes continue to appear when they’re really not needed. Most of the material came from the cops who were investigating John. Instead of working they were busting each other’s balls and saying snarky comments. We thought this was a murder investigation?
The Pace: The film seemed a bit long in the tooth. It runs at about 122 minutes and a good 20 of those could have been cut out.
The Supporting Characters: The supporting characters are not developed well. All of the cops blended in to one. They all seemed like extras from “NYPD Blue,” with the main offender being the lead investigator (Lennie James) who was pulling off his best James McDaniel impersonation. Also, there’s a storyline with John’s dad, played by the great Brian Dennehy that they don’t really explore.

Overall:

The Next Three Days isn’t a horrible movie, but its definitely not one of Paul Haggis’ best. As a whole it doesn’t keep you on the edge of your seat but the final act delivers some good action and decent suspense. This is a definite hit or miss.

Rating: 6/10

The Next Three Days opens on November 19.

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Will you be going to see The Next Three Days this weekend?

Russell Crowe Joins The RZA in Man With the Iron Fist

Krystal Clark — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 18:45:37 +0000

The RZA is really stepping up his Hollywood game with his latest film The Man With the Iron Fist. The rapper turned actor is one of the founding members of The Wu-Tang Clan, a legendary rap group that was highly influenced by Asian culture, and 70s martial arts films, hence their name. RZA has been working on The Man with The Iron Fist for years and according to EOnline, he’s made a major casting coup by landing Oscar winner Russell Crowe.

In the film RZA will play “a weapons-making village blacksmith in feudal China,” and as for Crowe he says “I won’t spoil it for you, but Russell’s gonna be the baddest man alive. That man is in fighting shape. That man will knock you out.” The film is scheduled to begin production in Shanghai this December.

Not only will RZA star in the film but he’ll also direct from a script that he’s co-written with Eli Roth who’s been working as a producer on the project for the past 5 years. It might seem odd to see Crowe acting opposite RZA but it shouldn’t. They’ve worked on two films together already, American Gangster and the upcoming Paul Haggis flick The Next Three Days.

This movie sounds like Black Samurai, Afro Samurai and The Last Samurai mixed in with a bunch of other vintage martial arts titles. Do you think Crowe can pull this off? If Tom Cruise can, we should give him a shot.

What do you think of Crowe joining The Man With the Iron Fist?

RZA Joins Downey in Due Date

Krystal Clark — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:43:06 +0000

How many roles can rapper-turned-actor the RZA be cast in? He appeared in this summer’s Funny People, signed on to star in the upcoming Paul Haggis drama The Next Three Days, and now he’s set to star opposite Robert Downey, Jr.? According to Variety, the RZA has joined Todd Phillips latest comedy, Due Date.

Due Date is a road trip movie that centers on a father (Downey) to be as he anxiously tries to venture cross country to make it in time for his child’s birth. Unfortunately, he has to hitch a ride with an annoying slacker (Zach Galifianakis) in order to make that happen. Michelle Monaghan has been cast as the pregnant wife, and Jamie Foxx will star as her ex-boyfriend, who also happens to be one of Downey’s best buds.

No description has been given as to what RZA’s role will entail, but I have a few guesses. He might be one of the many characters Downey comes in contact with while trekking across country. The up and coming actor has been landing gigs left and right in front and behind the camera. RZA’s trying to step up his game, and I’m not mad at him for it. He’s staying relevant in the entertainment field by expanding into various outlets. I’m interested in seeing more from his acting career in the near future.

What do you think of RZA being cast in Due Date?

Brian Dennehy Joins The Next Three Days

craigsternberg — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:52:55 +0000

The Paul Haggis directed thriller The Next Three Days just got three big additions to its cast. Tony award winner Brian Dennehy, eight year-old Ty Simpkins and recording artist the RZA are in negotiations to co-star in the already star studded cast led by Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks. The film is a remake of the French thriller Pour Elle and is scheduled to start shooting in Pittsburgh next week.

Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks are featured in the film as a couple whose marriage is tested when the wife is imprisoned for a crime she did not commit and the husband devises a plan out of desperation to free her. Dennehy who hasn’t actually signed on yet is in negotiations to play Crowe’s father. Ty Simpkins is set to play the son of Crowe and Banks while RZA’s role is unknown.

The movie reunites Paul Haggis with Lionsgate, whom he collaborated with on his Oscar winning feature, Crash.

Are you impressed by the cast so far? Will the Haggis and Lionsgate reunion earn the same success as Crash?

ScreenCrave.com » RZA

RZA To Join The Cast Of ‘G.I. Joe 2′

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The Next Three Days: Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 6/10

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

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