News

It's been quite a ride for Cuba Gooding Jr. When we first saw him, he was just a goofy-looking 20-year-old kid trying to keep a straight face as Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall yukked it up as heavily made-up (by the great Rick Baker) old-timers at a Queens barbershop in "Coming to America." Three years later, he was the lead of John Singleton's groundbreaking drama "Boyz n the Hood," which launched him to big-screen stardom. Or should have, anyway. Instead, Hollywood relegated him to thankless supporting roles in crap like "Lightning Jack" and "Outbreak" until he finally got another role worthy of his talent in Cameron Crowe's "Jerry Maguire." As Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rod Tidwell, Gooding did the sports world a service by demonstrating that uniquely talented individuals fighting to maximize their earnings before said talent fades are not the enemy; it's the business that fights hard...

It’s been over half a century since gun-slinging, hi-de-ho westerns dominated the box office, when names like John Wayne, Roy Rogers and Clint Eastwood rolled off the tongue. In 2018, tumbleweeds slowly crawling across a deserted street are few and far between. Don’t get it twisted, though, westerns are no where near extinct. Some of your favorite stars have been recently seen polishing their revolvers in hot pursuit of money, power and revenge, including in this weekend’s “Ballad of Buster Scuggs” and next month’s “The Sisters Brothers.”

In honor of the 21st century takes on a classic genre, TheWrap takes a look at 10 stars you may be surprised dawned the proverbial ten-gallon hat.

Brad Pitt

In between Pitt’s performances in “Interview with a Vampire” and “Seven” was 1994’s western drama “Legends of the Fall.” The film saw Pitt play a World War I soldier who returns...

facebook

twitter

google+

Adam Sandler's comedy western lands on Netflix. So: any good?

The comedy western movie is super hard to nail. For every Blazing Saddles, there’s a Wild Wild West. For every Rango, there’s a Shanghai Noon and for every The Good, The Bad, The Weird, there’s a Lightning Jack.

For The Ridiculous 6 – the first of four Netflix productions he’s signed on to make with the streaming provider – Adam Sandler has gone where (the relatively popular in comparison) Seth MacFarlane crashed and burned just last year with A Million Ways To Die In The West.

In this satire of The Magnificent Seven, Sandler stars as a man who is raised by Native Americans after his mother is killed walking him to school. After his estranged father (Nick Nolte) suddenly shows up to reconcile with him and is subsequently kidnapped, Sandler takes it upon...

"In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes," it's claimed Andy Warhol once said. Some stars shine much brighter than others, though, and in the case of Hollywood we often see actors hit big early before disappearing without trace.

Brandon Routh, who delivered a sensitive and assured turn as the Man of Steel in 2006's Superman Returns, is one such example. Routh never quite got the breaks he deserved after landing that life-changing role, so it's nice to see him back in the superhero game with an upcoming role as Atom in Arrow.

Digital Spy takes a look back at a handful of stars who couldn't escape their one big role.

Brandon Routh

Plucked from relative obscurity to lead Bryan Singer's lavish Superman sequel, Routh impressively channelled Christopher Reeve on his big screen debut but found leading man roles difficult to come by in the aftermath.

Parts in...

Seth MacFarlane's mock-Western movie A Million Ways to Die in the West has received dire reviews from disappointed critics ahead of its release today (May 30).

Not even Neil Patrick Harris's comically camp performance (or his pooing twice inside a hat) could salvage the film, which was summed up by Digital Spy as "a giant tumbleweed of a comedy drifting aimlessly through a laugh-free desert".

From Jonah Hex and Wild Wild West - we name eight other modern Westerns firing blanks below

1. Jonah Hex (2010)

This fantasy Western blockbuster derived from a DC Comics character fell flat on its (criminally disfigured) face upon its release, making a measly $10 million at the box office before sinking without trace. Despite Josh Brolin's best efforts as the lead and Michael Fassbender's brilliantly terrifying bowler-hat-wearing brute Burke, the movie was criticised for being edited within an inch of its short life, so...

The 26 Australian films and documentaries released theatrically in 2013 collectively grossed $38,543,000.

That equates to a box-office share of 3.51%, the lowest since 2005.s 2.8%, and below the 10-year average of 3.8%.

If had estimated the total at $38.8 million but has revised that due to an overstated gross for The Great Gatsby,. which amassed $27.4 million to rank as the sixth-highest Oz grosser of all time.

Last year only five titles cracked $1 million: Gatsby, The. Railway Man (which opened on Boxing Day and earned more in one week than every other Oz title), Goddess, Tim Winton's The Turning and Return to Nim's Island..

In 2012 Aussie films and documentaries earned $47.9 million, a 4.3% share.

The nadir was 2004.s 1.3%. The record since statistics were first collected in 1977 is 23.5% in 1986, the year of Crocodile Dundee and Malcolm.

The best result in the past 20 years is 1994.s 9.8%, buoyed by The Adventures of Priscila, Queen of the Desert, Muriel.s Wedding and Lightning Jack.

Here's a story about Cuba Gooding Jr.: Less than two years after winning Best Supporting Actor for the 1996 film "Jerry Maguire," Gooding was supposed to play Special Agent John Royce in 1998's "U.S. Marshals," the fairly forgettable sequel to "The Fugitive." The role would eventually go to Robert Downey Jr., and -- according to Gooding -- it was only then that Wesley Spines was cast as Mark Sheridan, the film's co-lead.

"That's how things go down," Gooding said in an interview with me last week, noting that, at the time, studios were loathe to cast two African-American actors in leading roles. It was this type of behavior that led the 45-year-old New York native to disengage with Hollywood. Then Hollywood disengaged with Cuba Gooding Jr.

In person, Gooding certainly has a presence. I met the Oscar winner at a hotel restaurant to discuss his latest project, "Lee Daniels' The Butler...

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert has had the greatest cultural impact of any local film released between 1993-1997, according to a new analysis by Screen Australia.

The report, Staying Power: The enduring footprint of Australian film, ranked almost 100 films' longevity by assessing their: primary release, revenues, ongoing access by audiences, acclaim and wider impact.

The report highlighted 20 films that had a domestic box office greater than $2.5 million and/or achieved an international release in 10 countries or more. Aside from Priscilla, the other films assessed were: Angel Baby, Babe, Bad Boy Bubby, The Castle, Children of the Revolution, Cosi, Country Life, Dating the Enemy, Kiss or Kill, Lightning Jack, Muriel's Wedding, Napolean, Paradise Road, The Piano, Reckless Kelly, Shine, Sirens, The Sum of Us, and The Wiggles Movie.

Screen Australia chief executive Ruth Harley, speaking at the Canberra International Film Festival, said feature films have the powerful ability...

Summer TV shows usually don’t get me very excited. Some of them are okay, some of them are great, and some of them just annoy me. If I’ve got nothing better to do, there are a few of those summer shows that I end up watching fairly regularly. That’s changed this year, mostly because of A&E and their addition Longmire.

I like westerns and have for a long time. I can remember watching Terence Hill movies when I was just a tiny little starry-eyed sprocket. I used to laugh at how lazy Trinity was and marvel at how adept he was at talking himself out of the trouble that he would get into. They Call Me Trinity was a perennial favorite around my house.

I’ve seen Clint Eastwood westerns and Charles Bronson westerns and, of course, Robert Redford westerns. All of the greats have graced...

Rubber Records has released a soundtrack album for the Australian drama The Cup. The album includes the original score from the movie by composer Bruce Rowland (The Man from Snowy River, Lightning Jack). The soundtrack is available as a digital release on Amazon. Audio clips can be checked out after the jump. The Cup is directed by Simon Wincer (Quigley Down Under, Free Willy) and stars Brendan Gleeson, Stephen Curry, Daniel MacPherson and Tom Berlinson. The movie about the running of the 2002 Melbourne Cup opened last week in Australia and is currently awaiting a domestic release. To learn more about the film, visit the official movie website.

Amazon.com WidgetsHere’s the album track list:

1. Opening Titles

2. A Day In Damien’s Life

3. Dermot Weld

4. Indecision

5. What’s Wrong With You?

6. Godolphin Stables

7. A Package From Perth

8. I Know What You Mean

9. Anything Could Happen

10. Damien’s Dilemma

11. He’s...

"Strictly Ballroom" star Paul Mercurio has led tributes to his actor father Gus who died on Tuesday, December 7. The 82 year old passed away in Melbourne, Australia after suffering complications during an operation to treat a chest aneurysm.

Mercurio confirmed the sad news and remembered his father in a statement, which reads, "He was a larger-than-life bloke. He was passionate. He was driven. He had a great, a wonderful confidence... he was a pain in the a**e quite often because of that and yet he lived with such fervor that he was magnetic."

American-born Gus Mercurio rose to fame after moving Down Under and swapping his job as a professional boxer for a role on camera. He starred in many Australian TV shows and a number of movies throughout his long-running career, including "Crocodile Dundee II" and "Lightning Jack" with Paul Hogan.

Mercurio is survived by his partner and six children.

Strictly Ballroom star Paul Mercurio has led tributes to his actor father Gus who died on Tuesday.

The 82 year old passed away in Melbourne, Australia after suffering complications during an operation to treat a chest aneurysm.

Mercurio confirmed the sad news and remembered his father in a statement, which reads, "He was a larger-than-life bloke. He was passionate. He was driven. He had a great, a wonderful confidence... he was a pain in the a**e quite often because of that and yet he lived with such fervour that he was magnetic."

American-born Gus Mercurio rose to fame after moving Down Under and swapping his job as a professional boxer for a role on camera. He starred in many Australian TV shows and a number of movies throughout his long-running career, including Crocodile Dundee II and Lightning Jack with Paul Hogan.

Mercurio is survived by his partner and six children.

They say in every successful relationship, there's a flower and a gardener -- a star and an extra -- and that people gravitate toward those who'll let them inhabit their instinctive roles. A similarly symbiotic dynamic is often set up, in film and comedy, between a main character and his or her silent sidekick. The silent sidekick is a somewhat exotic species, but there are enough of them and enough similarities in the function they have played in some famous films and infamous comic pairings, that we decided to take a closer look on the eve of "The Brothers Bloom," which opens on the 15th, and which features Rinko Kikuchi as a bomb-making expert named Bang Bang who speaks, literally, three words of English (or any other language). Below are some of our favorites.

Ben Doyle in "Lightning Jack"

Ben Doyle (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is mute, but he's not deaf,...