Skip to main content

In Defense of Ashton Kutcher

By Chip Carter (Subscribe to Chip Carter's posts), Posted Jan 21st 2011 10:00AM
Filed under: Hot Topic, New Releases

Until the assignment of defending Ashton Kutcher fell to me, my fellow Moviefone writers were passing it around like a brown paper bag at a hobo convention. In the end, I was pressed into duty because I had the least unfavorable opinions about the man.

Apparently, people hate the guy -- who knew? I was surprised by that, so I decided to dig around a little. A quick web search for the words "hate ashton kutcher" churned up a tidy 667,000 results, including dozens of profanity-laced blog entries, the Facebook page "For everyone who just hates Ashton Kutcher," a poem by Dave Chappelle with a title that's unprintable here, and -- my personal favorite -- an article bearing the headline "Ashton Kutcher likes to pee outside everywhere & has webbed feet."

Backlash much?

Come on, folks. Hate people who hurt puppies. Hate the politician of your choosing. Hate Osama bin Laden. But Ashton Kutcher? What has he ever done to you? Besides inflicting 'Punk'd' on you, I mean?
Continue Reading

The Man Who Licked Princess Leia: An Interview With Jabba the Hutt Puppeteer Toby Philpott

By Chip Carter (Subscribe to Chip Carter's posts), Posted Sep 2nd 2010 2:25PM
Filed under: Celebrity Interviews, Features

It's one of the most iconic scenes in movie history: Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in a metal bikini, held hostage by a huge, hideous slug -- Jabba the Hutt -- in 'Return of the Jedi.'. But as horrible as Jabba may have been on the outside, being inside the Hutt was even worse.

Most people assume the pre-CGI Jabba was animatronic; actually, a team of puppeteers, led by Dave Barclay and Toby Philpott, operated the beast from within. The pair worked on a host of other films, starting with 'Dark Crystal' and including ''Labyrinth', 'Little Shop of Horrors' and 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit.' But it was the lecherous Jabba the Hutt from 'Jedi' that guaranteed their place in film history.
Continue Reading

Edward Norton Won't Play the Hulk in 'The Avengers' -- So Who Will?

By Chip Carter (Subscribe to Chip Carter's posts), Posted Jul 11th 2010 4:03PM
Filed under: Movie News
Edward NortonFans of Marvel movies in general, and Edward Norton in particular, will no doubt Hulk out over the news that there will be a new Bruce Banner in the upcoming 'Avengers' movie.

Though Marvel says money is not the reason for the Ed-less Avengers, the Norton camp has indicated that there simply was not enough green thrown around to make Ed, uh, go green again.

In response to the story, which broke yesterday on HitFix, Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige forwarded to that site the following statement:

"We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in the Avengers. Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members ... We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfills these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks."
Continue Reading

Reverse-Typecasting: Top 15 'What?!?' Movie Casting Moments

By Chip Carter (Subscribe to Chip Carter's posts), Posted Jul 9th 2010 2:30PM
Filed under: Features, Summer Movies
Adrien BrodyWe now know that ersatz 'Prince of Persia' Jake Gyllenhaal can play a lot of film roles -- but convincing action hero ain't one of 'em. And Adrien Brody might have been the youngest man ever to win a Best Actor Oscar (for 'The Pianist' in 2002) -- but that didn't save 'Splice', and we must admit we've raised an eyebrow or two over his playing the lead mercenary in 'Predators.'
So why do casting agents and directors put stars in roles that go against the grain? We don't know. We're just glad they do. Reverse-typecasting has provided us with some of moviedom's most memorable moments -- intentional and not.

Here's our list of the best examples of reverse-typecasting in Hollywood history.

SIR ALEC GUINNESS IN 'STAR WARS' -- An Academy and Tony Award winner and renowned star of stage and screen, Guiness shocked his peers when he took the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in some weird little sci-fi film by an unknown director. But Guinness was shrewd enough to negotiate a piece of the action -- two-percent of the take from Star Wars, which made him filthy rich. He hated the character, and in fact, persuaded George Lucas to kill him off because he "just couldn't go on speaking those bloody awful, banal lines. I'd had enough of the mumbo jumbo." Sir Alec later said he "shriveled up" every time anyone mentioned Star Wars.

CHARLIZE THERON IN 'MONSTER' -- Yuck! Yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck! But she was amazingly good as the last female serial killer executed in the United States.
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Hot Topics

From Our Partners