Robert Downey Jr. | The New York Observer

Hollywood or Bust: Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin to Co-Host the Oscars!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:21:04 -0500

Don't look now, but the Oscars just got interesting. No, not because of the ten potential Best Picture nominees—as we've already discussed , this has a chance to be the worst field of Best Picture candidates since ... well, last year—but rather because of the actual telecast. The improvements started with the news that so-boring-paint-drying-itself-would-flip-the-channel honorary awards would be given out on a separate night; continued when the rules for Best Original Song were adjusted...

Five More Oscar Hopefuls You Shouldn’t Count Out!

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:12:32 -0400

There are just too many promising-looking films vying for Academy voters this year—don’t forget to factor in some of these pics:

Broken Embraces (Los Abrazos Rotos): This film pairs the great Pedro Almódovar with his favorite leading lady–muse Penélope Cruz in a thriller about a blind writer (Lluís Homar) who must heal his wounds from the past. (Dec. 11, Sony Pictures Classic)

White Ribbon (Das weiße Band): Michael Haneke rebounds from the...

Geeks of the World Unite: Comic-Con Has Arrived!

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:31:17 -0400

Now that the geeks have really inherited the earth, Comic-Con has become this weird amalgam of legitimacy (say hello to James Cameron’s long-awaited Avatar!) and, well, lameness (watch the cast of the now-canceled ABC Family series Middleman read through a lost script!). Since this horse-and-buggy show gets under way in San Diego tomorrow, chances are you won’t be making a trek to the festivities. Not to worry! Here are...

Box Office Breakdown: Beyonce Goes Wild, The Soloist Falls Flat

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:51:56 -0400

That glow you see at the top of the box office probably has something to do with Beyoncé’s halo. The recording star scored her biggest non-Austin Powers opening yet, helping the ridiculous Obsessed bring in $28.5 million to top a crowded field that included three other newcomers. Considering the film was only expected to bring in half that number, this qualifies as one of the more shocking debuts in a year that has been...

Opening this Weekend: A Former Oscar Contender, Fatal Attraction Part 13, Fighting, A Pair of Documentaries and ... the Worst Movie of the Year?

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:47:07 -0400

It’s quite possible that the only geek sacred cow more overrated than Boba Fett is director Robert Rodriguez. So forgive us if we aren’t tossing bouquets at the news that Mr. Rodriguez plans on reigniting the Predator franchise for 20th Century Fox. Don’t get us wrong: We happen to love the original Predator, but we can only imagine how campy and low-rent another sequel will feel with Austin’s favorite son behind the camera. Despite...

Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx Make Beautiful Music Together

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:21:21 -0400

The Soloist
Running time 109 minutes
Written by Susannah Grant
Directed by Joe Wright
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx

Robert Downey Jr. was once described by a reviewer as “cinema’s veritable lost puppy.” Pretty good, yes? He is certainly always vulnerable, ready to lick your hand to be liked, slightly off the radar, stardom just out of reach, close but no cigar. He’s impressive all over again in The Soloist, giving...

Play It Again, Jamie! Foxx Soars as Schizo Virtuoso

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:34:07 -0400

The Soloist
Running Time 109 minutes
Written by Susannah Grant
Directed by Joe Wright
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx, Catherine Keener, Lisagay Hamilton

Joe Wright’s The Soloist, from the screenplay by Susannah Grant, is based on the book The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music, by Steve Lopez. The subtitle of the book says virtually everything about this film, about a Los Angeles Times columnist, Steve Lopez,...

Another Awards-Seeker Gets Bumped To 2009

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:55:54 -0400

It looks like The Road might be getting a little crowded. According to Nikki Finke over at Deadline Hollywood (and corroborated by Dave Karger at Entertainment Weekly), Paramount has moved the Robert Downey Jr.-Jamie Foxx prestige film The Soloist out of its November 21st release date and pushed it all the way back to March 13th, 2009. Additionally, Ed Zwick's Defiance, which had its kick-ass trailer released just a week ago, will...

Cheadle Replaces Howard in Iron Man 2

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:50:32 -0400

We're probably in the minority here, but we weren't the biggest fans of Iron Man. Not that we were immune to the charms of Robert Downey Jr., flying robot suits and plucky sexual tension, but something about the entire film just felt slightly... off. To us, Iron Man played like a studio executive's idea of dumb summer fun and not real dumb summer fun. However! We're already extremely excited with the direction...

Parmount, Marvel Team Up, But Do We Need Thor?

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:54:18 -0400

This is a busy week for Marvel Comics. Today, their $318 million dollar smash hit Iron Man gets released on DVD, just in time for the holidays! Well, the High Holidays that is. In even bigger news, Marvel announced a massive releasing partnership with Paramount, the studio that shepherded the aforementioned Iron Man into theaters. Over the next eight years, Marvel could deliver ten movies to the studio, including the previously announced Iron Man...

Law Fills Crowe Role in Sherlock Holmes Flick

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:31:28 -0400

Perhaps Guy Ritchie should have heeded the words of Chris Rock at the 2005 Academy Awards: "If you want Tom Cruise and all you can get is Jude Law. Wait! You want Russell Crowe and all you can get is Colin Farrell? Wait!"

After being spurned by Mr. Crowe for the part of Dr. Watson opposite Robert Downey Jr.'s titular detective in Sherlock Holmes, Warner Brothers is close to...

Another Oscar Possibility? The Soloist

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:30:06 -0400

Can we add another movie to the possible list of incredibly too early Oscar prognostication? Good! We submit for your viewing pleasure the new trailer for The Soloist, which has just been released over at Yahoo! Movies. After watching it twice in rapid succession we just want to know: can we give this the all the statues right now?

Directed by Joe Wright (Atonement and Pride and Prejudice) and...

Terrence Howard on Men's Fashion: Zipper Cuffs, Custom-Made Suits, and More Color, Please!

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:34:56 -0400

When Terrence Howard, the brown-eyed actor with the pencil mustache, arrived Wednesday evening at the subterranean level of Bloomingdale’s for the “Beat of Chic” party thrown by Vanity Fair, he was positively giddy. Thrilled, actually. Tonight he would perform songs from his debut album, Shine Through It, a combination of jazz and soft rock that he recorded with a group of musicians (subtly) called The Band of Kings.

"They greeted me as...

Robert Downey Jr. Says His Sherlock Holmes Will Kick Ass

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:19:14 -0400

Literally! Robert Downey Jr. told movie news site IESB.net that preparing for his upcoming role as Sherlock Holmes will include some martial arts training.

“The cool thing about Sherlock Holmes was he’s actually a very skilled martial artist," he told the movie news site. "So it’s going to have elements of that…it’s not just his deduction and all that stuff. It’s going to be a very action-packed version of that. To me...

Iron Man Downey Jr. to Play Sherlock Holmes

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:35:44 -0400

It was an elementary decision, dear readers! Robert Downey Jr. has been chosen to trade the gigantic steel suit from Iron Man for a tweed coat in director Guy Ritchie's version of Sherlock Holmes. It probably helped the hiring process that Mr. Downey Jr.'s wife Susan is on the production team (she's credited for getting the bad boy back on the acting track), as well as Joel Silver. Filming is set to begin in...

Morning Memo: Onassis' Jewels; Downey's Burger; Dupre's Tattoo

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:05:03 -0400

The jewelry collection belonging to Christina Onassis, daughter of shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, will be auctioned off at Christie's in London. It's expected to bring in about $5.8 million. [WWD]

Brandon Davis stopped into Lily Pond and Dune in the Hamptons over the weekend, but didn't pay for the bottle service. [P6]

Robert Downey Jr. thanked Burger King for helping him ditch his drug addiction. The fast food he purchased there while...

Sara Vilkomerson's Guide to This Week's Movies: Downey Dons Robot Suit!

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:32:00 -0400

All hail Tina Fey! The lady we are forever indebted to for making smarts, sass and eyeglasses sexy propelled Baby Mama to the No. 1 spot last weekend with over 18 million smackeroos, beating the stoner set who chose Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. What does this mean for you? That between this and last year’s Knocked Up and Juno, expect Hollywood to start spawning (hee!) tons of pregnant-y flicks, which will...

Manhattan Weekend Box Office: Be Kind, Fast-Forward! Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and the Reality of Diminishing Returns

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:22:31 -0500

It’s a touch ironic that the one weekend when everyone is thinking and talking about movies, no one is actually seeing them. The Academy Awards hoopla has come and gone leaving in its wake a depressed box office with only one true stand out. Vantage Point (No. 1), the Rashomon-like action movie starring Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker and Matthew Fox, easily doubled the box office of its closest competitor, Jumper (no. 2), grossing $24...

H.S. Ecstasy: Anton Yelchin and Robert Downey Jr. Graduate With Uppers

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:50:32 -0500

CHARLIE BARTLETT
Running Time 97 minutes
Written by Gustin Nash
Directed by Jon Poll
Starring Anton Yelchin, Hope Davis, Robert Downey Jr.

One positive note about the movie business: As reliable as it is at guaranteeing a surfeit of crap, it still promises an occasional pleasant surprise. Gratefully, I salute the inventiveness, imagination and cockeyed teenage humor in a delightful new movie called Charlie Bartlett. It picks...

Rupert Everett: 'Hollywood is Like Al Qaeda'

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:29:14 -0500

Rupert Everett isn't too happy with his treatment as an actor in Hollywood.

In an interview with Britain’s The Times, the 48-year-old actor compared Tinseltown to Al Qaeda.

“Hollywood is a place that pretends it’s very liberal but it’s not remotely,” he told the paper.

Mr. Everett told the interviewer that being an openly gay actor has cost him “tons” of starring roles over the years. He also believes that the only...

An Expert Opinion: The Hamptons Prick Quotient

Tue, 05 Jul 2005 20:37:00 -0400

The Blue Train Tobacco Company in East Hampton. Oliver Peterson, a big guy with tattoos on both arms wearing a black T-shirt ("Live and Let Live") stepped out from behind the register. He said The Transom had just missed actor Robert Downey Jr. He'd come in for—what else?—a pack of smokes. Mr. Peterson, 28, is a columnist for the local Dan's Papers and an aspiring novelist—he's 200 pages into his first attempt, a "fictional" account...

Her Own Funeral

Sun, 15 Dec 2002 19:00:00 -0500

Near the end of Haywire , Brooke Hayward's 1977 memoir of her charmed and troubled life as the daughter of theatrical agent Leland Hayward and actress Margaret Sullavan, the author confesses: "I had begun to have the disquieting concept of myself as a spectator, not a participant, in my own life. I saw myself as the audience, leaning back to watch my future unfold like Greek tragedy. I already had presentiments of the ending."

Ms....

Grisham Gets Coppola-ed for The Rainmaker ; Figgis' Take on the Original Sin

Sun, 23 Nov 1997 19:00:00 -0500

Grisham Inc.

Gets Coppola-ed The one-man cottage industry known as John Grisham gets its first artistic upgrade from beach reading to classy, first-cabin filmmaking with The Rainmaker . With Francis Ford Coppola as director and a marvelous cast of dedicated and seasoned actors on board, this is the best Grisham yet. I've never liked any of his books or the contrived movies made from them, but this one is riveting, believable and well written enough to...