comment #1

Ronald McFirbank says ...

What killed Murphy was that he did so many paycheck movies so indiscriminately, and a particularly egregious one popped up to remind voters of the fact. I think Bullock's rep is for decent middlebrow movies and smart management of her career which has kept her a star when her contemporaries are moving to TV, supporting roles, etc.

comment #2

MilkMan says ...

I can't believe that Sandra Bullock is going to get an Oscar. I can't believe that her peers would reward her for 16 years of hyper-mediocrity. If she does win, will she be the worst actress to have ever won the award? I think so. The last movie I paid to sit through that had her as one of the leads was Two if By Sea.

comment #3

TulseLuper says ...

But it wasn't just that Norbit was a bad film, it was a hateful and reprehensible piece of dung on par with Little Man for its attitudes towards women and fat people. All About Steve was just stupid.

comment #4

MichaelJC says ...

I think Sharon Stone was the first to snag both noms for Casino and The Specialist. Bullock can still be the first to win both in one year.

comment #5

Phreaker says ...

It wasn't even that - it was that Murphy just wasn't that good in that part -- it wasn't strong enough. And Alan Arkin is "one of them." Nice try, Wells. Bullock is a done deal. She is also "one of them."

comment #6

JChasse says ...

James Coco was nominated for an Oscar and a Razzie for the same perfomance (Supporting Actor, "Only When I Laugh")

comment #7

dinovelvet says ...

If Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, and Halle Berry can all win Best Actress Oscars, I see no reason why Sandra Bullock can't.

comment #8

Bilge says ...

Amy Irving was nominated for both an Oscar and a Razzie, for YENTL.

Also, Jack Nicholson, Christopher Walken, and Alec Baldwin were all nominated for Razzies the same year they were nommed for Oscars (for different films, though).

comment #9

markj says ...

The Oscars are a joke. Of course Sandra Bullock will win.

comment #10

Mike says ...

I don't care if Eddie Murphy somehow comes up with the best performance of all time, he should have a lifetime ban from winning an Oscar for all the shit movies he has made over the last 20 years. The guy has never had an issue taking a lousy part for a big check. One good performance will never erase that for me.

comment #11

Deathtongue_Groupie says ...

Phreaker has the score - Arkin had one of those "lifetime" nominations and the rest of the field was not too impressive, except for Jackie Earl Haley.

Here's a depressing thought - the list price (looks like a Borders tag, they're always overpriced) on that DVD is $40 and there are people who will actually pay it for even dreck like this.

comment #12

Barracuda says ...

The White Horse rocks.

comment #13

Gordon27 says ...

"If she does win, will she be the worst actress to have ever won the award? I think so."

In the last decade, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry, and Julia Roberts all won Oscars.

If that's not bad enough, we're still barely more than a decade from Helen Hunt winning. Also, Cher and Liza Minelli both have Oscars.

I think she's in the right company.

comment #14

Gordon27 says ...

And, regarding 'Steve', let's not forget:
1 - this movie completely tanked and disappeared. Nobody remembers it or has heard of it. 'Norbit' was #1 the weekend it came out.
2 - she can't possibly win the Razzie over Megan Fox, unless they give it to her strictly for the publicity (which is possible).

comment #15

Eloi Manning says ...

$40 to own All About Steve. No wonder DVD stores are closing down. That's four months of Netflix.

comment #16

Gordon27 says ...

Eloi - being fair, I'm pretty sure Jeff took that picture at a Barnes and Noble or B.Dalton. Even for a Blu-Ray, it ain't gonna be $40 in a real DVD store and, in a month or two, it'll be $10.

comment #17

LexG says ...

Random tangential thoughts inspired by this thread:

1) Did anyone else here used to watch ALIAS? If so, think back to, say, 2001 or 2002 and watching Bradley Cooper on that show as Garner's nice but sort of douchey platonic pal. In a million years, who would've put their money on Cooper eight years on being some leading-man, above the title A-list MOVIE STAR, while perfectly his smoother co-star Michael Vartan has been relegated to obscurity?

2) Eddie Murphy. Has anybody seen HARLEM NIGHTS lately? It's making the rounds on Cinemax, and hadn't seen it in ages. What a weird, arid, nailed-to-the-ground, unpleasant movie. Murphy's direction consists mostly of aping John Landis' staging, compositions and gags, but some credit is due for the sheer misanthropic mean-spiritedness of it all. You've got Danny Aiello onboard giving a real performance as a racist corrupt cop, you've got reels that go by where they take the boring crime plotting seriously... then fucking Arsenio blows in, bugging his eyes and buffooning it up like you wouldn't believe, then it's back to Murphy fucking chicks and shooting them in the head right after. Strange movie.... good to see Foxx and Pryor though.

3) The Wolfman; This drops in nine days, and I swear I've still only seen the trailer once, before "Fourth Kind." If "Shutter Island" has papered the universe with marketing awareness, how come the Wolfman campaign isn't more aggressive?

comment #18

Mark says ...

"That's four months of Netflix."

Yes, why pay $40 to own, when you can continuously pay $10/month to have it sit in your Netflix queue marked 'long wait'? Sorry; i'm a little bitter w/ that Co. I've had two open slots, and seven movies, all marked long wait, in the queue for over two weeks now. With Blu Ray, that's $17/mo for them not to provide a movie.

Back to topic, Bullock is connected. Murphy really isn't. Anyone who has played the Kevin Bacon game knows that Eddie is way more difficult than expected for a big star. He's his own realm, similar to why Burt Reynolds lost in 97 as well.

comment #19

LexG says ...

Eddie was in MEET DAVE with Elizabeth Banks, who's been in every movie of the last five years.

Just a helpful hint if you get stuck in the Bacon game again on Eddie. Go Eddie to Banks and you can get to anyone in showbiz just via "W." alone.

comment #20

Joshua Mooney says ...

McFirbank is essentially correct about Bullock never offending to the degree Murphy did. "The Golden Child." He made this one when he was on top and could have done anything. He made "The Golden Child." And, as LexG notes, "Harlem Nights." Same deal. Bullock was never that sociopathalogically confident about the status of her star in the firmament -- and for good reason. She's a journeyman actor. Every dog has his day.

comment #21

BanksAreForRivers says ...

Eddie Murphy is also really upfront about only doing movies if they pay him a lot of money. He talked about it on Inside The Actors Studio. He said he didn't want to do Dreamgirls because the check wasn't big enough, but his people kept insisting so he finally relented. I don't know how he manages to get anyone to pay him money for anything.

comment #22

Gordon27 says ...

"This drops in nine days, and I swear I've still only seen the trailer once, before "Fourth Kind.""

It definitely played in front of 'Holmes', but I'm not sure what else.

comment #23

dinovelvet says ...

Lex - I had a similar conversation about Alias the other day, I remarked how Michael Vartan seemed like a breakout star, yet since the show ended, it seems like everyone BUT him went on to bigger and better things - Jennifer Garner, JJ Abrams, Bradley Cooper, Greg Grunberg was on Heroes,Victor Garber was in Milk and some other shows, etc. Now Vartan is playing third banana on a little-seen Jada Pinkett cable medical show. I wonder if he's looking at Cooper's career and thinking WTF?

comment #24

LexG says ...

He should be; Vartan RULES.

No offense to Cooper, who's a likable actor and very funny, but it's weird and random how some guys lately are just being pushed out of nowhere; Like, someone apparently has a vested interest in making ALEX O'LOUGHLIN, of all no-name TV second stringers, into a legitimate movie star, but Vartan's left sweeping the floor on cable somewhere?

comment #25

scooterzz says ...

i'm not really a conspiracy theorist but when vartan got dumped by garner, he lost his job on 'alias' and didn't get a lot more work....

comment #26

EdHavens says ...

The problem with the Norbit analogy is that Murphy made Norbit right after Dreamgirls, while All About Steve sat on the shelf for two years before it was released. Making a piece of shit right after you made a career high is much different than making a career high two years after making a piece of shit.

comment #27

DeeZee says ...

Milkman: "If she does win, will she be the worst actress to have ever won the award?"

Paltrow would be a close second.

dino: Outside of Mary Reilly and that ant cartoon, Roberts has a better record than those other actresses. And Halle was doing alright until Catwoman, and Reese until Just Like Heaven. Yeah, she's credited with Little Nicky, but that's a Sandler vehicle, so...

comment #28

Gordon27 says ...

So, basically, DZ is such a contrarian by nature that he's prepared to argue pro-Halle Berry and Reese Witherspoon.

comment #29

Terry McCarty says ...

Ronald McFirbank wrote:
What killed Murphy was that he did so many paycheck movies so indiscriminately, and a particularly egregious one popped up to remind voters of the fact.

Another way that Eddie imitated Elvis Presley.

comment #30

Noah Cross says ...

Reese Witherspoon will always have credit for "Election" in my book. Tracy Flick was an iconic creation.

comment #31

Chicago48 says ...

Ditto Ronald McFirbank.
Sandra is a better actress than people give her credit. She's the best RomCom actress for sure. I've seen more Sandra movies than Julia movies, because to me, she's more genuine, more down to earth, and oozes charm.
And she's smart.
Did you know she produces TV shows?

comment #32

Floyd Thursby says ...

Bullock is surprisingly good as Harper Lee in INFAMOUS. Otherwise, she tries too hard to be cute and lovable. Reminds me of Rosalind Russell: not quite feminine enough.

comment #33

juligenb says ...

LEX, I actullay liked Bradley Cooper better than VARTAN, I mean both are hot, but because Brad played the loser friend who neber gto the girl I liked his characther more. Maybe I have a thing for underdogs. But the problem with Vartan is that he is quite bland as an actor. Once you get used with his looks you lose interest. Brad can be very charming.

comment #34

Eloi Manning says ...

Vartan is a genuine block of wood. He has next to no charisma. Cooper is quite a likable chap; you certainly couldn't imagine Vartan in Cooper's Hangover role. I remember seeing Vartan in Never Been Kissed, which was gash, and then some kind of weird film with Matthew Lillard that was very '90s. I can't remember what it was. Anyway, it was clear he was never going to make it as a big star.

Dead Man's Curve, that's what it was.

On a similar note, after my Van Der Beek musings of the other day, guess who shows up as a guest star in NBC's Mercy? That's right. He was his usual self. Maybe Van Der Beek and Vartan should combine on some TNT show about two brothers that solve crimes or something.

comment #35

MJB says ...

Yes, Cooper is likable, but he also loves attention and he's willing to play the game. And he likes to be pretty for the camera.
I've seen and observed (albeit briefly) Vartan in person. Although seemingly a gentleman, he is somewhat standoffish and not to comfortable with the glare. The opposite of Cooper.
Who is going to have the bigger career? The one who commands and demands attention.

comment #36

Eloi Manning says ...

I couldn't understand why Cooper was being so aggressively pushed into moviestardom at first, but after seeing The Hangover last night again it kind of makes sense. He has a sort of easy charm that a lot of the other 30-something actors don't. He's funny but not a one-note schtick type of guy, and he could pass for an action star too. He's alright.

comment #37

Eloi Manning says ...

Also, he has that crucial appeal of being a guy who men could see getting along with, as well as being a guy that women want to bang. So many young actors these days are like kryptonite to male audiences. Zac Efron, for example, looks like such a weedy little douche that I can never see him passing for a major star. Just look at how Orlando Bloom's career has hit the skids now he's got no franchise to fall back on. He's a wet fart, and you couldn't imagine having a beer with him.

comment #38

Snoop Marlo says ...

Vartan has ZERO screen presence. He did an ABC show called 'Big Shots' (after Alias) where he dulled up every scene he was in. What a big bore.

Cooper has mostly done middling stuff, but he was very good in the short lived series 'Kitchen Confidential' (worth a rental) and did show a lot of comedic chops in The Hangover'.

comment #39

kamichojin says ...

I never really noticed Cooper before Kitchen Confidential and Wedding Crashers. Became sold on him after his very amusing turn as Aidan Stone, the vacuous star of Hearts & Scalpels on Nip/Tuck a couple years ago. Great stuff

comment #40

raygo says ...

Bullock was great in Infamous, as was everyone else. I prefer it to Capote, but hate to choose between PSH and Toby Jones. Although Jones, because he was less well-known, disappeared completely into the role, while Hoffman you were always aware of. Sad fate for a very good film.

Is it a crime to like Sandra Bullock and wish her well? I don't think so. She's like Sally Field in that regard.

comment #41

raygo says ...

When Drew Barrymore scores her first Oscar nomination, then the boards will be hummin'. Too bad Grey Gardens went to cable.

comment #42

Rich S. says ...

Anyone else see Bradley Cooper in the direct-to-video Midnight Meat Train? The next step after that is usually Skinimax obscurity. In Cooper's case, it was The Hangover. It's all about timing.

comment #43

Gordon27 says ...

Midnight Meat Train wasn't direct to video... It played theaters in NY for at least *two* weeks, and I think it clung on to a few late night showings for a month or two after that.

comment #44

dinovelvet says ...

Oh yeah that arc Cooper did on Nip/Tuck as a spoiled TV star was hilarious. "Let me put my mouth on it. Wait, is that gay?"

I agree that he has that likeability that you can't fake. Too bad he gets stuck with Julia Roberts in Valentine's Day. I bet he was looking at the cast list...Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway, etc, and then his agent calls him up : "Yeah your part is with Julia Roberts". LOL.

So is he going to be playing Matt Helm, or what? There was some buzz about that a while ago, and he's still attached according to the imdb (which I know means nothing).

comment #45

ryanatwood27 says ...

I think the major difference is that there are a lot of people who don't like Eddie murphy and when he accepted the SAG award, he even mocked the british and even went on to say that he doesn't know what to say at these things -- rather than being so grateful, he didn't come off as good.

comment #46

Eloi Manning says ...

I think Cooper plays a gay man in Valentine's Day. He gets together with that chap from Grey's Anatomy.

comment #47

DeeZee says ...

Gordon: If Roberts can get a pass for America's Sweethearts and Something to Talk About, Berry can get a pass for Catwoman. And Meat Train was definitely DTV with a couple of reprieves in certain cities to boost WOM and sales, much like Trick R Treat.

comment #48

Gordon27 says ...

"If Roberts can get a pass for America's Sweethearts and Something to Talk About"

Who's giving Julia Roberts a pass for anything? I lumped her in with Berry.

"Berry can get a pass for Catwoman."

That's fine, but she still needs a pass for the three X-Men movies, Swordfish, Gothika, Perfect Stranger and Die Another Day. And I'll assume she gets a pass for 'The Flintstones' just 'cause, you know, she wasn't really known yet then.

"And Meat Train was definitely DTV with a couple of reprieves in certain cities "

So it was definitely direct to video except for the theaters it played in? Interesting point.

comment #49

Eloi Manning says ...

The last two posts were classic DeeZee/Gordon banter. I hope Jeff never bans DeeZee because I enjoy this sparring.

comment #50

DeeZee says ...

Gordon: The three X-men movies had to do with white screen-writers who can't come up with good material for black talent; you can't blame Berry for a remake of Hackers sucking; you don't really expect much from Bond girls anyway; and Gothika and Perfect Stranger are probably no worse than Murder by Numbers and Premonition.

comment #51

Gordon27 says ...

Wow, I've never seen you this positive about any performer ever, and it's Halle Berry of all people! I guess we know somebody's been masturbating to 'Monster's Ball' for ten years...

(And, PS, yes, 'Perfect Stranger' is absolutely worse than 'Murder By Numbers'; 'Perfect Stranger' is one of those movies that would be a candidate for worst movie of the decade if anybody had actually seen it.)

comment #52

EdHavens says ...

For the record... while Midnight Meat Train didn't do shit in its two week theatrical release, it did open on 102 screens on August 1, 2008, which is hardly "direct-to-video."

comment #53

MJB says ...

Ok, I just saw Cooper in The Hangover for the first time...maybe Cooper is likable as himself, however, as the character in the film, he most certainly was not.

comment #54

Colin says ...

Murder by Numbers was eons better than Perfect Stranger(got tricked into seeing that one by a girlfriend). Gosling, & Pitt are good in their roles and Bullock took off the rom-com costume for a few hours. It was entertaining.

comment #55

Gordon27 says ...

'Perfect Stranger' could serve as the basis for an entire class on how to make a terrible movie. It's hard to say, it's difficult to measure at this level, but it's probably worse than 'Catwoman'.