Summary: The Mayans predict the world is ending on December 21st, 2012. The government hides the end of days and once the secret is out, it’s a mad race to survival headquarters.

Review: I had no idea 2012 included an all-star cast: Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover and Chiwetel Ejiofor.  Newton, Glover and Ejiofor are missing from the trailers and seem to be doing no press.  I thought John Cusack was the only headliner.

It’s clear, 2012 is no Independence Day or The Day After Tomorrow, two films that were directed by Roland Emmerich, who also directed this film. 2012 is another tale of global destruction that we have all witnessed before, but this time it’s padded with Sony PSP-like special effects, not-even-bad-enough-to-be-camp dialogue and a nap-inducing running time of 158 minutes.  2012 is a gargantuan mess.

The Bad  -  2012’s desire to inject poorly written emotionality into a typical disaster flick is the mostly costly error. There are too many random characters for you to care: a scientist, a jazz musician, the president, a novelist, a radio host, a rich Russian and the list goes on. Their high school drama monologues matched with fantastical scenarios detonates the possibility of a fun popcorn flick. With each minute, 2012’s script crumbles right at the core.

The Almost Good  -  There are some suspensions of disbelief that you must take in a disaster movie. Characters always have perfect timing — in 2012 they expertly dodge falling buildings, escape the ground vanishing beneath them and learn how to fly a plane as easily as riding a bike. Regardless, there are some suspenseful scenes and the film succeeds when it focuses solely on the action. It’s a hoot to watch the Eiffel Tower, Washington Monument and Vatican City get destroyed (New York was left alone this time around!). In moments, there is a decent plot under the rubble of melodrama — 2012 just never quite gets to it.

2012 is in theaters this Friday, November 13th.

Jimi Hendrix is one of the greatest rock artists of all time and considered one of the best guitarists to have ever lived. With biopics about Jim Morrison, Ray Charles and  — it seems strange that the Jimi Hendrix biopic has never made it to the big screen.

Hendrix was born Johnny Allen Hendrix in Seattle, Washington November 27, 1942. Hendrix performed with artists like Tina Turner and Little Richard. He achieved success in Europe but it was his performance at the 1967 Montrey Pop Festival that gave him success in the United States. Struggling with drugs, Hendrix died of an overdose on September 18, 1970. Now Variety is reporting the biopic might actually come to life:

With the Woodstock 40th anni in the spotlight this year, Legendary Pictures is mounting a feature film about Jimi Hendrix, whose perf of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was a seminal moment of the original 1969 fest.

Legendary hopes to crack the rights issues that have prevented previous Hendrix projects from getting out of the gate. The company’s plan is to develop the project first, then try to win the cooperation of the estate.

There have been numerous attempts to develop a Hendrix film in recent years, with such musician-actors as Lenny Kravitz and Outkast’s Andre Benjamin floated as possible stars. But no one has locked down rights with Experience Hendrix, the gatekeeper to the musician’s estate, which is run by his stepsister, Janie Hendrix.

Legendary has been in loose discussions with the estate, but there is as yet no firm rights deal, which would be needed to access Hendrix’s singular sound and guitar wizardry.

I hope the biopic gets locked down.  I could easily see Chiwetel Ejiofor in this role!

SOURCE

The same screenwriter for Notorious, Cheo Hodari Coker, is currently in the works to adapt Bill Adler’s “Tougher Than Leather: The Rise of Run-DMC – The Authorized Biography” for the big screen.

According to the Hollywoowd Reporter:

“DJ Classicz president Dallas Jackson optioned the book recently and will produce with production partner John Davis.

Adler, the group’s former publicist, will executive produce.

While Fox Searchlight’s ‘Notorious,’ released two weeks ago, outlines the life and premature death of Christopher Wallace, aka the Notorious B.I.G., ‘Tougher’ will explore the history of hip-hop’s first superstars: Joseph ‘Run’ Simmons, Darryl ‘DMC’ McDaniels and Jason ‘Jam Master Jay’ Mizell, who was shot to death in his Queens studio in 2002.

With such hits as ‘It’s Like That,’ ‘It’s Tricky,’ ‘My Adidas’ and ‘Walk This Way,’ Run-DMC exploded from the Queens neighborhood of Hollis onto the international stage with the help of future mogul Russell Simmons. An early MTV staple and platinum-selling act, the group influenced much of rap’s future royalty. Retired since Mizell’s death, Run-DMC will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 4.

‘It’s an extraordinary rags-to-riches journey that I’m eager to bring to the screen,” Jackson said. ‘And I’m hoping to have Run, DMC and Russell Simmons‘ involvement. This will be a big movie about the 1980s hip-hop movement that took over the world.’”

While there is no word on casting choice, I hope they focus more on actors versus rappers. I can see Laz Alonso, Pooch Hall from The Game and especially the highly underrated Chiwetel Ejiofor as good options for the leads.