Coming To America, Eddie Murphy's first foray into playing multiple characters on film, is one of our favorite movies of all time. When we heard about a real life taxi fleet owner who happens to be an African Chief, we were screaming "Good morning, my neighbors!" to everyone we came across for a week. So you can imagine our glee when Vulture pointed us to a Yelp review of McDowell's: "Yeah, that place is a dump. Stopped going there 'cause some mutherfucker that looked like Samuel Jackson kept on robbing the place. WTF?"
Coming To America Restaurant Gets The Yelp Review It Deserves
Eddie Murphy Says He's Over His SNL Grudge, Is Only Doing "Edgy" Stuff Now
Eddie Murphy, who you've been desperately trying to avoid in theaters for the past few years, is really pushing hard to keep some of the positive momentum he has going from that whole "I'm hosting the Oscars" thing from a few weeks back. This week, he landed a sweet spot on the cover of Rolling Stone, where he drops some amazing tidbits on an unsuspecting public.
The Cinecultist's Weekly Movie Pick: Competition Casualties Edition
(directed by Jeffrey Blitz)
Oscar, Oscar: Liveblogging the Academy Awards 2007
7:06PM First thoughts: Gael Garcia Bernal is so cute. Ryan Seacrest is an idiot, as are Joan and Melissa Rivers. But we want to know what Jennifer Lopez is wearing! (It turns out to be Marchesa.)
Noteworthy Television This Week: Oscar at the Head End
A look at some noteworthy televison shows this week:
The Cinecultist's Weekly Movie Picks: Listening In Edition
There's two majorly horrific films coming out this weekend, though only some of the frights are intentional. Gaspard Ulliel seemed like such a nice boy in . Personally the "Jack Sprat" jokes seems a little tired but maybe seeing the comedian act with himself and poor Thandie Newton in various, vaguely offensive stereotypes is your thing.
Is Good! Best Golden Globes Speech Ever
Yes, yes, last night was the Golden Globes. And boy, that Warren Beatty NEVER SHUTS UP.
SNL: Alive and Kicking or Dead
With just two new episodes so far this season, the NY Post wonders if Saturday Night Live is really dead. It's a good, if evergreen question. Horatio Sanz is certainly no Tina Fey during Weekend Update, though Gothamist has been impressed he's been able to hold it together this long. With Maya Rudoph's pregnancy, it seems like most sketches with a female character involve Amy Poehler (who rules, but maybe she needs a break). There are always dark periods of SNL (the years after the original cast left and before Eddie Murphy arrived; after Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and David Spade left), but it's still TiVo worthy, if not stay-at-home on a Saturday night. There's always a chance there's a watercooler moment in a broadcast, and that's what keeps people watching. Gothamist hopes there will be a sketch with this week's host, Catherine Zeta-Jones, that either involves overeating or being married to a jowly old man.
When the Wind Blows...
The New York Post is reporting that the devastation caused by Hurricaines Charley and Frances is about to hit home ... in the produce section. This season's hurricaines have devastated the Florida grapefruit crop and severely damaged the orange crop. Prices are skyrocketing in the orange juice futures market, although the real spike will be in the prices of whole fruit (orange juice is typically stored in reserve at super-frozen temperatures for up to three years to hedge against interruptions in supply).
Presidents on SNL
There's a video compilation of SNL's Clinton-Lewinsky scandal sketches, with Hammond as Clinton, Molly Shannon as Monica, Ana Gasteyer as Hillary, and in a brilliant stroke of casting, John Goodman as Linda Tripp. Other SNL takes on presidental types (and wannabes): Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford, Dana Carvey as George Bush, Darrell Hammond as Al Gore, Norm MacDonald as Bob Dole, and Dan Ackroyd as Nixon and Jimmy Carter, not to mention The X-Presidents. Also, there's the book Live From New York, the extremely comprehensive (just no Eddie Murphy) look at SNL.
Shrek 2, Sort of Reviewed
Blah blah blah, Shrek 2 made over $100 million over a five day period, which is a record for any film except Spiderman 2 and a record for an animated film with the voices of a Canadian, former model, one of the greatest comics, a Spaniard who stars in some great Almodovar films, a member of Monty Python, and Mary Poppins (while Shrek 2's record breaking is legit, if we had a buck for everytime Hollywood makes up these so-called records..."record for a film starring Brad Pitt in a toga directed by Wolfgang Petersen after The Perfest Storm" - Jesus, Gothamist would like to write the press release for New York Minute: "Record opening for twins of any kind in a film co-starring someone from SCTV"). Whatever. Gothamist went to see Shrek 2 and while it's entertaining and all, it's not that great. There are a number of fun in-jokes, you know, clever jokes that will appeal to adults only while kids laugh at the incongruities of a donkey becoming a horse, but overall, it lacked whimsy and heart that makes other animated films transcend their format and be remember as movies (think Spirited Away, Iron Giant, and yes, Disney films like Dumbo and Toy Story). Shrek 2 seemed to be more about being a great DVD later on, so you can stop and pause to admire the cleverness of the writers and animators, but as a film, it's pretty shallow. There are some structural issues as well (splitting up the two ostensible leads, Shrek and Fiona, being the main one, making it seem like a bad romantic comedy) that don't benefit the film. But, if you really want to go, the animation is dazzling and while Jennifer Saunders as Fairy Godmother is delicious and Eddie Murphy/Donkey is a scene stealer as ever, however the best thing about the movie is Puss...in Boots. In the name of disclosure, we didn't much care for the first Shrek, but at least that one seemed new to us. And, yes, Gothamist is a curmudgeon.
So Bad It's Good (the reviews, at least)
From the eviscerating reviews newsdesk, Gothamist likes these two.



