Written by Bill Bodkin & Daniel Cohen
Matt Smith in an unspecified role (Terminator: Genesis)
Thumbs Undecided: I’m not a Whovian, so I can’t say I’m familiar with Matt Smith’s work. I’ll let the Doctor Who fans flip out about this. I guess being familiar with the crazy side of sci-fi can’t hurt though, right? –DC
Thumbs Up: Audiences might not accept him outside of the Dr. Who universe, but I’m a fan of his and I think whatever the former Time Lord does, he’s going to kill it. It’ll be interesting to see the role he has in the new Terminator film –BB
Rebel Wilson as Judy Benjamin (Private Benjamin Remake)
Thumbs WAY Down: I’d rather watch back-to-back showings of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Paranormal Activity 4 than this movie. This is the one film where I would say, “Sorry. I can’t review this.” –DC
Thumbs Down: The original film received rave reviews, particularly for Goldie Hawn’s performance. Can’t see that happening with Rebel Wilson. In fact, there will be nothing intelligent about this movie just a whole bunch of Wilson’s trademark silent asides, her gross out antics and at this point in her career, her flat out unfunniness. –BB
Reg E. Cathy as Dr. Franklin Storm, Sue & Johnny Storm’s father (The Fantastic Four)
Thumbs Up: Cathy has certainly been around for a long time with bit roles in several movies and television shows. Many probably know him from The Wire, which I have not watched yet. Yeah, I haven’t seen The Wire. Get over it. I’m always happy for a veteran guy like this to get a bit role in a superhero flick though.
Thumbs Up: Reg E. Cathy is a great character actor and I absolutely love the gentle authoritativeness in his voice. I think he’ll make an awesome addition to the film. The guy can act his ass off, so he definitely adds credibility to the film. –BB
Transformers: Age of Extinction Round-Up:
John Goodman as Hound (voice)
Ken Watanabe as Drift (voice)
Thumbs Up: Kind of late in the game to be hearing about this, as the release of the film is imminent. While I’m no fan of the Transformers movies, I’d see these actors in anything, and doing voiceovers suits them pretty well, especially for Watanabe. –DC
Thumbs Up: John Goodman is the man. Flat out, he’s the absolute best and he will be an awesome Transformer voice. Same goes for Ken Watanabe. Kinda wish they were acting in this. –BB
Channing Tatum as Gambit (X-Men Films)
Thumbs WAY Up: I’ve been a Channing Tatum defender for a long time. The guy is excellent at comedy, and while his dramatic work isn’t stellar, he’s extremely charismatic and likable. That is exactly what is needed for Gambit. Speaking of Gambit, I’m over the moon that this character is finally getting his due. While I’ve loved the X-Men franchise since the beginning, it’s criminal how Gambit has been given the shaft. By the time the third X-Men movie came out, and we still didn’t get him, I was shocked. He’s one of my favorite characters! Taylor Kitsch in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine honored the character fine, but he was severely underutilized and tossed aside. It made me want to puke up kinetically charged playing cards. Now it appears Gambit will not only show up in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), but he’ll get a stand alone movie as well. Good. I cannot wait to see Channing Tatum’s Gambit interact with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.
Thumbs Cautiously Up: Like Dan, I have a special place in my heart of Channing Tatum and I mean that in a non-romantic way. The one thing about the Gambit character that’s had me worried for years is the Cajun accent. It can be the kiss of death for whomever is playing the role. I mean Channing Tatum with that accent? That could be a disaster. But, X-Men has been really smart for the past 14 years with its casting, so I have faith they can make this work. Tatum himself is a capable actor and he does better when surrounded by talented people. Right now, X-Men is teeming with talent. –BB
Edgar Ramirez replacing Gerard Butler as Bodhi (Point Break Remake)
Thumbs Down: The only reason I was sort of interested in this remake was Gerard Butler. With him gone, and replaced by an actor who’s barely done anything, I could give two shits about this movie. –DC
Thumbs in the Middle: Ramirez is a fine choice, but for me, the ultimate Point Break fan, the lose of Gerard Butler and the fact there’s conflicting reports that Ramirez is on board or not, makes me think this female is getting scrapped. AND IT SHOULD. Don’t remake this amazing movie, ever. –BB
Anthony Mackie as Jimi Hendrix (Jimi)
Thumbs Down: I know many will disagree with me, but I’m sorry, Anthony Mackie is overrated. And while it’s probably more Michael Bay’s fault, his performance in Pain & Gain was so obnoxious and disgusting, it’s really hard for me to get on board with this guy. He’s a solid actor, but for Jimi Hendrix, we can definitely do better. –DC
Thumbs Down: It really sucks that Hendrix’s estate cannot get behind the Hendrix movie with Andre 3000 that’s being released soon. It’s got a great cast including Captain America alum Hayley Atwell, but no music from Hendrix’s catalog can be used. So, you’re going to get a really weird and probably subpar biopic. This Hendrix film has a rather subpar cast (Mackie is fine, but I can’t see him as Hendrix) including Thandie Newton, who might be my least favorite actress of all-time. If only these two camps could get a long and give us one great Hendrix movie. –BB
Rhys Ifans as Zanik Hightopp, Mad Hatter’s father (Through the Looking Glass)
Thumbs Down: This is sort of a running theme for me with this film. This is a thumbs down because of how much I like the actor. It’s the same reason I gave Helena Bonham Carter a thumbs down when she signed on. Ifans is a great actor, and there’s a better studio movie out there for him. I don’t want to see him in stupid make-up running around with crazy Johnny Depp. Ugh. –DC
Thumbs Down: Ugh. Just ugh. –BB
Josh Brolin as Thanos (voice) (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Thumbs Up: I can see this. If Thanos is supposed to be the super duper big boss of the Marvel universe, than Brolin’s voice makes sense. He’s a great actor, and I’m sure he’ll provide the menace that is needed for the character. –DC
Thumbs Up: This was definitely not the way I thought Marvel would go with this character, but I love the choice. Brolin has such a great voice that I think he’ll really add that element to this soon-to-be-developed onscreen big bad that Marvel needs. Brolin’s growly voice will give Thanos this evil, angry, bad ass feel (like he should) and I think he’ll be a great new villain for the MCU. –BB
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