Eddie Murphy

Spike Lee to Direct Eddie Murphy in HBO Film About Former Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: December 9th, 2011 at 11:51 am

With a whole slew of comedies both spectacular and downright terrible in his past, Eddie Murphy is looking to take on the most serious role of his career. The Washington Post reports Murphy is slated to star in a biopic of former Washington D.C. mayor Marion Barry for HBO Films. Even more interesting is that Spike Lee is also attached to direct the film which looks to use various sources (like the 1994 book Dream City) to tell the life story of Barry, the first prominent civil-rights activist to become chief executive of a major American city and a man who has endured various political and legal controversies and has somehow maintained his popularity and influence on the nation’s capitol. This just might be a film that paints Murphy in a new light and could open the door for more dramatic roles in his future. The actor received an Oscar nomination for Dreamgirls previously, but his role was still pretty comedic, so this will certainly be a big change of pace. Stay tuned.

TOP 5: SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, IMMORTALS, CARS 2, THE EXPENDABLES 2, Billy Crystal and Brian Grazer Take on 2012 Oscars

by Jason Barr    Posted: November 12th, 2011 at 12:49 pm

I’m going to bypass my usual opening paragraph musings this week and simply wish everyone a Happy Veterans Day weekend. Given that I don’t have any immediate family or friends who serve, I won’t claim to know the first thing about the sacrifices that each serviceman/woman and their respective families and friends are continually asked to make. I reap all of the benefits of their service without any of the concessions. As a result, I owe a debt of gratitude to each and every one of them.

In this week’s “Top 5″ installment you can find the first trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman, a cornucopia of interviews for Immortals and Cars 2, new set images from the set of The Expendables 2 featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, and a look at the road that led Billy Crystal and Brian Grazer to the top of the 2012 Oscars. Hit the jump for a brief recap and link to each.

Painful Trailer for A THOUSAND WORDS Starring Eddie Murphy

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 10th, 2011 at 8:30 am

Remember that brief moment where it looked like Eddie Murphy was going to turn his career around and go back to being that guy we all liked in the 80s?  Then he dropped hosting the Oscars after his moron Tower Heist director Brett Ratner resigned, and now there’s a new trailer for another one Murphy’s high-concept “comedies”, A Thousand Words.  In all fairness, Murphy made this movie almost a year ago, but it’s a strong reminder of why we all want to forget about him. The movie is about a guy who only has a thousand words left before he dies, which seems like a strong premise for a drama, but instead it looks like everyone involved said, “Let’s make Liar, Liar 2“.  At least it’s a nice reminder that we should all heed the warnings of Cliff Curtis.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars Kerry Washington, Clark Duke, and Allison Janney.  A Thousand Words opens March 23, 2012.

Eddie Murphy Drops out as Oscar Host Following Brett Ratner’s Resignation

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 9th, 2011 at 11:17 am

Yesterday, Brett Ratner resigned as the producer of the 84th Academy Awards after he made homophobic remarks to the surprise of no one. Now host Eddie Murphy has followed his Tower Heist director’s lead and exited the awards ceremony.  Academy president Tom Sherak released a statement about Murphy’s departure, saying: ” I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well.”  The Academy usually hires its producer and host well in advance in order to build buzz and provide plenty of lead time on the ceremony.  Now there will be a bit of a scramble to bring on a new producer and host with only three months to go until the 84th Academy Awards.  Maybe this time the Academy will hire a producer who is unlikely to say something like “Rehearsal is for fags.”

Hit the jump for the press release, which includes a statement from Murphy.  The 84th Academy Awards will take place on February 26, 2012.  Someone place a call to Neil Patrick Harris right now.

TOWER HEIST Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 4th, 2011 at 6:02 am

I was trying to figure out a way to find a more backhanded compliment than Brett Ratner‘s “Tower Heist is surprisingly not terrible,” but I came up empty.  At first glance, it should be the poster child for everything that’s wrong with mainstream American cinema.  Ben Stiller has been playing the same character, his co-star Eddie Murphy doesn’t seem to care about acting anymore, and Ratner is an unimpressive journeyman director.  And yet Tower Heist is kind of an entertaining movie.  Stiller plays against type, Eddie Murphy shows he can deliver when he’s not phoning it in, and Ratner keeps the film upbeat.  There are a mind-blowing number of obvious plot-holes, and the crappy screenplay relies heavily on coincidence, but the movie never comes off as insulting or offensive.  Tower Heist is like a sweet child who draws a terrible picture of your house, but he doesn’t know any better and just wants you to be impressed.

Eddie Murphy Writing Alien Comedy as Starring Vehicle; Wants Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle and Other Black Comics to Co-Star

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: October 30th, 2011 at 6:42 pm

The level of optimism for Eddie Murphy’s career is high right now—the highest since at least since Dreamgirls, maybe in over a decade.  Tower Heist doesn’t look god-awful.  The live Oscar stage could reinvigorate the former stand-up.  And recently, Murphy denounced his recent work in family films.  (Notwithstanding A Thousand Words, finally coming out in March after years on the shelf.)  That leaves the question of what he would like to pursue going forward.

It’s worth noting that Tower Heist was originally conceived for a cast of black comedians such as Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle, Tracy Morgan, and Martin Lawrence.  The development process whitewashed the project (Ben Stiller and Matthew Broderick seem absurdly white in this context), but Murphy hasn’t abandoned the central idea.  Murphy says he is writing an alien abduction comedy he whimsically refers to as Jamal and Tyrell and Omar and Brick and Michael’s Wack-Ass Weekend.  More after the jump.

8 Clips from TOWER HEIST

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 27th, 2011 at 11:33 am

We’ve been provided with eight clips from director Brett Ratner’s upcoming comedy Tower Heist. The film centers on a group of disgruntled employees who decide to rob a white-collar criminal living under house arrest in their high-rise after he scams them all out of their savings. The all-star cast includes Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, Gabourey Sidibe, Téa Leoni, Stephen Henderson, Judd Hirsch, Michael Peña, and Alan Alda. Tower Heist opens November 4th.

Eddie Murphy Quitting Family Movies; Turning BEVERLY HILLS COP into TV Series; May Return to Stand-Up

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 26th, 2011 at 8:49 am

It’s been easy to write off Eddie Murphy for about a decade.  There was a moment of hope when he turned in a strong dramatic performance in Dreamgirls, but then he went right back to making crappy family comedies.  Murphy now tells Rolling Stone that he’s done with family films, Beverly Hills Cop IV (which he might turn into a TV series), and his stand-up hiatus.

If you want to rekindle your hope that Murphy may return to form, hit the jump for some encouraging quotes.  Murphy will next be seen in Tower Heist (which looks less-than-encouraging) and he’ll be hosting the Oscars next year.

Brett Ratner Talks Eddie Murphy, the Oscars, a Woody Allen Documentary, BEVERLY HILLS COP 4, Tarsem’s SNOW WHITE, and More

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 24th, 2011 at 5:37 pm

Brett Ratner is a very busy guy at the moment.  He’s currently preparing for the release of his latest directorial effort Tower Heist, which features an all-star cast that includes Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, and Alan Alda, and he’s also gearing up to produce the Academy Awards.  In addition, Ratner is juggling a number of other projects.  Steve recently got the chance to talk to Ratner and the conversation covered a wide range of topics.  In addition to talking about his plan for the Oscars and getting Eddie Murphy as a host, Ratner also spoke about Tarsem Singh’s Untitled Snow White Project which he’s producing, a comprehensive documentary about Woody Allen (which sounds awesome) that he’s also producing, a miniseries on Sidney Korshak, and much more including updates on Beverly Hills Cop 4 and Hong Kong Phooey.  Hit the jump to check out the full conversation.

Character Posters for TOWER HEIST Starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 18th, 2011 at 10:08 am

Universal has released six bland character posters for Brett Ratner’s Tower Heist.  Each poster features a main character standing on top of a building, we get the actor’s name and their character’s profession, and I guess this sells a movie.  I suppose having an adorable dog on Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy’s posters doesn’t hurt.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  The film also stars Tea Leoni, Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, and Gabourey Sidibe.  Tower Heist opens November 4th.

New Trailer for TOWER HEIST Starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 6th, 2011 at 1:13 pm

A new trailer for Brett Ratner’s Tower Heist has gone online.  The film centers on a group of employees working in a high-rise who decide to rob a white-collar criminal after he fleeces them out of their savings. After viewing both trailers, I stick by my conclusion that it will be a popular movie featuring the kind of safe humor that makes a crummy show like Two and a Half Men the #1 show on comedy.  However, it looks like we might finally get another funny performance from Eddie Murphy.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer. The film also stars Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, Téa Leoni, Gabourey Sidibe, Casey Affleck, Stephen Henderson, Judd Hirsch, Michael Peña, and Alan Alda.  Tower Heist opens November 4th and hits VOD in select markets three weeks later.

BEVERLY HILLS COP and LE MANS Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: September 22nd, 2011 at 3:18 am

Paramount Catalog Titles! Beverly Hills Cop was the film that cemented Eddie Murphy’s status as a film star, and Le Mans put Steve McQueen in a car for much of its running time. These films have little in common, other than being very manly movies at the end of the day. Both are now on Blu-ray in the best transfers of their home video lives. Check our reviews of both after the jump.

Steve Martin Has a Few Tips for Eddie Murphy on Hosting the Oscars

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: September 20th, 2011 at 8:19 pm

I am one of those naive suckers who hopes for great things from Eddie Murphy when he hosts the Oscars—I pray the live stage will revive the Funniest Man Alive in him.  I am in good company among the believers now that Bowfinger co-star and three-time Oscar host Steve Martin penned an open letter to Murphy with advice on how to handle the ceremony.  This is my favorite line:

“If you feel tired midway through, give Neil Patrick Harris a Red Bull and throw some sheet music at him.”

The full letter—including a dig at Norbit and a dick joke—is up at Martin’s official site.  It’s hilarious, as you would expect from a fellow perennial Funniest Man Alive contender.  Given Martin’s past history with the Academy, it’s a safe bet he will be involved in the telecast in some form.  It would be great to see Martin and Murphy work together again, especially since 1999′s Bowfinger is often cited as Murphy’s last solid comedic performance.  I’ll try to keep my expectations in check for now, but at the very least, Murphy should be able clear the low bar set by Sunday’s Emmy telecast. Right? … Right? … Guys?

Paramount Moves Release Dates for Eddie Murphy’s A THOUSAND WORDS and Horror Thriller THE DEVIL INSIDE

by Jason Barr    Posted: September 16th, 2011 at 3:22 pm

Paramount has changed up the release dates on a couple of its upcoming films: the Eddie Murphy dramedy A Thousand Words and the Italian-set, horror/thriller The Devil Inside. Here are the details of the changes:

• A Thousand Words moves from January 13th to March 23rd, 2012. The change now pits the film against Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games
• The Devil Inside moves up from February 24th to January 6th, 2012. The film will now go head-to-head with the Sam Raimi-produced horror/thriller The Possession starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick

News of the release date changes come courtesy of THR whose report astutely points out that Paramount’s reasoning for moving A Thousand Words most likely stems from Murphy’s gig hosting the 2012 Oscars on February 27th and the near guaranteed publicity it will bring to the pic. A Thousand Words is directed by Brian Robbins (Norbit) and sees Murphy play a man who learns that he only has 1,000 more words to speak prior to his demise. As for The Devil Inside, the documentary-style film from writer/director William Brent Bell was made on a six-figure budget and follows a woman who becomes involved in a series of unauthorized exorcisms.

Eddie Murphy Confirmed to Host the Oscars

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 6th, 2011 at 11:42 am

It seems like the Academy is making a serious effort to makes the 2012 Oscars somehow worse than last year’s clusterfuck.  First, they hired Brett Ratner whose name inspires confidence in no one except for Brett Ratner.  Then last week we learned that Ratner wanted his Tower Heist star Eddie Murphy to host the ceremony.  Now Deadline is confirming that Murphy will MC next year’s show and I am confirming that I have somehow found a way to be even less interested in the Oscar telecast.

I have multiple problems with Murphy.  First off, he hasn’t top-lined a good film since Bowfinger.  Second, he hasn’t taken a chance since his dramatic supporting role in Dreamgirls didn’t win him an Oscar.   He doesn’t really try to give comic performances any more and phones in awful family comedies.  Finally, and this one is just a personal preference, I think an Oscar host should have the ability to do self-deprecating humor to balance the jokes he or she is going to make at the audience’s expense.  That’s never been Murphy’s style.  The only upside to this news is that we get to see how Murphy does stand-up on a big stage a scant 24 years after Raw.

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