Random Movie Stuff - 11/1/13

- In light of the Ender's Game movie opening, and the publicity against its author Orson Scott Card, I present two great reads. One is a Grantland land piece by a Muslim sci-fi fan who resolves his feelings about loving Card's book with loathing his political views. The other is a Wired interview with Card himself.

- Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) will be starring in an updated remake of the musical Annie. Jamie Foxx will play Daddy Warbucks (renamed Benjamin Stacks) and Cameron Diaz will play Miss Hannigan.  It also co-stars Rose Byrne, Bobby Canavale, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and David Zayas. It's directed by Will Gluck (Friends with Benefits) and will open December 19, 2014.  Wallis can currently be seen in a small role in 12 Years A Slave.

- Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass, Savages) will play Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Meanwhile Evan Peters (American Horror Story) will play Quicksilver in X-Men: Days of Future Past.

- Patrick Hughes (Red Hill) is directing The Expendables 3. It opens August 15, 2014, and will star Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, and newbies Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Kelsey Grammer, Kellen Lutz, and UFC's Ronda Rousey.

- Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher) will direct a live-action Star Blazers movie. He will also be directing Mission Impossible 5 starring Tom Cruise.

- A few months ago it was announced that Gina Carano (Haywire) and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica, Riddick) would star in an Expendables spinoff. Tentatively titled ExpendaBelles, the producers are also pursuing Meryl Streep, Cameron Diaz, Milla Jovovich, Linda Hamilton, Sharni Vinson and Pam Grier. They're looking for a female director as well.

- Mark Bomback (The Wolverine) has been hired to do some polishing to the Fifty Shades of Grey screenplay by Kelly Marcel (Saving Mr. Banks). It'll star Dakota Johnson (21 Jump Street) and Jamie Dornan (ABC's Once Upon A Time).

Bad Teacher - DVD Review

***

Starring Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel, Lucy Punch, John Michael Higgins, Phyllis Smith, Thomas Lennon, Molly Shannon and Eric Stonestreet.
Directed by Jake Kasdan.

"IT'S THE ONLY ARGUMENT I NEED, SEAN!"

I enjoy the popularity of that line from the trailer. It doesn't have much to do with anything else in the movie, except reveal a little of the character of the gym teacher (Jason Segel), who seems to be the only person in the movie who sees Elizabeth (Cameron Diaz) for what she really is. A spoiled, selfish, shallow woman who deep-down inside might have a little soul if the right guy came along.

She's not looking for the right guy; she's looking for the rich guy. Some man she can sink her hooks into so she can be one of those Hollywood wives who wear big hats and sunglasses and have her servants follow her with her shopping bags.

But Elizabeth can't seem to land that man. They tend to see through her before she's able to get to the wedding altar. She managed to smile and coast through her first year of teaching and had every intention of getting married and leaving, but when her fiance dumps her, she goes back to her old job, and she has no regard for her students.

But hey, the new substitute teacher (Justin Timberlake) happens to be the heir of an expensive-watch empire. Elizabeth lays forth her plans - raise money to get breast enhancement surgery in order to land him.

This movie owes a lot to Bad Santa, but what's really interesting about this movie is the bad guy is the protagonist. Were this movie from the peppy good teacher's point of view, we'd see how evil Elizabeth is.

Diaz is great in the role, and Segel and Lucy Punch (as the good teacher) are solid as well. It's a pitch-black comedy that never goes the sentimental route. Maybe she'll grow up. No. No, she won't.