10 Actresses to Watch & Why 2012: Part Two

#5.

Name: Ashley Greene

Born: February 21, 1987 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA

Credits: LOL / Butter / Skateland / The Twilight Saga

Interest: Ashley is the only member of the Twilight gang that makes my list. Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattison, Anna Kendrick, Taylor Lautner and Kellan Lutz have all branched out from the Twilight mega-franchise and had moderate success. Ashley has really been kept kind of in the backseat focusing on the red carpet glamour and dating co-star Kellan Lutz. Ashley is the only reason I endure the Twilight movies because if you sit back and watch them she is the only actor
who is really having fun. Why isn’t she being pushed for romantic comedies or some solo projects?

Future projects: In 2012, she’ll co-star in the all-star ensemble farce Butter starring Jennifer Garner and then she’ll back up Miley Cyrus in LOL. Then she will close out the year with the last Twilight film based on the novels. Lionsgate who just bought Twilight studio Summit announced that they are wanting to continue the Twilight franchise after the final film based on the books. Well here is an idea how about a spinoff focused on Ashley Greene’s Alice!

What she needs to succeed: She’s amazing but she needs to branch out quick or miss the window. She needs to find an agent who is going to push her for more projects.  She should be on the lips of every casting agent in town but instead she is barely mentioned. Why is that? She really needs to work with the same people representing Olivia Wilde.

#4.

Name: Rooney Mara

Born: April 17, 1985 in Bedford, New York, USA

Credits: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo / The Social Network / Youth in Revolt / Dare

Interest: We can all talk about Rooney’s transformation from a very mousy actress into David Fincher’s version of Lisbeth Sallander for the remake of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Yes it was a powerful transformation for a very flawed film. Rooney’s work with Fincher has pushed her into the limelight and other directors are starting to take notice of her. It is doubtful that Fincher will return if the sequel to Dragon Tattoo is greenlit. The sequel is being debated by the studio
after the lukewarm reception of the first film over the holidays. The second film was my favorite of the original trilogy but a sequel to the new film seems  unlikely at this point.

Future projects: She has moved onto Terence Malick’s Lawless where she will star opposite Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett. This will be her kind reckoning when it comes to what she can do and can she stand up to the heavyweights in this film.

What she needs to succeed: She needs to start booking projects and soon before the shock of her transformation for Dragon Tattoo wears off. With no sequel assured she needs to either work with Fincher on his next film or branch into more indie fair just to keep her name out there. If she doesn’t soon she could become yesterday’s news quicker than her older sister Kate Mara did two years ago.

Must Watch: Star Wars: Uncut!!

This could be the greatest fan film ever made!

In 2009, thousands of Internet users were asked to remake “Star Wars: A New Hope” into a fan film, 15 seconds at a time. Contributors were allowed to recreate scenes from Star Wars however they wanted.

Within just a few months SWU grew into a wild success. The creativity that poured into the project was unimaginable.

Finally, the crowd-sourced project has been stitched together and put online for your streaming pleasure. The “Director’s Cut” is a feature-length film that contains hand-picked scenes from the entire StarWarsUncut.com collection.

WE’RE AWAY

We’re on hiatus… we’ll be back shortly

10 Actresses to Watch & Why 2012: Part One

#10

Name: Alison Brie Schermerhorn

Born: December 29, 1982 in Los Angeles County, California, USA

Credits: Community / Scream 4 / Mad Men

Interest: I first noticed Brie on the show Mad Men as Vincent Kartheiser’s ambitious and supportive wife. She is definitely the woman behind her man as her father got Kartheiser’s character his job at the agency.

I think what made her stand-out for me was that she was probably the second strongest female character on the show behind lead Elisabeth Moss. She could act circles around January Jones and well seemed to embrace her 50′s styled character.

When Community debuted I was pleasantly surprised to see her comedic timing as Annie and how well she could adapt to the consistant wackiness the series would bring forth.

Her perky beautiful brainiac on the show seemed to be the moral centre of the hodge-podge that is the ensemble cast. So if you haven’t sacrificed that live chicken to keep Community on the air, you might want to now.

NBC chopped the allotment of episodes this season and hasn’t given the show a return date. If Community goes belly up in 2012 then I am sure we will see Alison Brie pop up somewhere.

Why I know she will survive because in her memorable role in Scream 4 she once again played a different type character. This time a real nasty one. There was not an ounce of Annie in that performance.

Future projects: Hopefully more seasons of Community if the writing staff can find the right tone for the show. This season was all over the place and it wasn’t until the last couple that Community found its groove again. If NBC shelves it I would love to see creator Dan Harmon bring it to a cable network for no-holds-barred wackiness.

Besides Community, Brie will be co-starring in another season of Mad Men this fall. And in-between these two lucrative gigs Brie will also be starring with in Save the Date with always-interesting actress Lizzy Caplan. And then she will star opposite Jason Segal and Emily Blunt in The Five Year Engagement.

What she needs to succeed: Brie has to hang on as Mad Men comes back from a long hiatus and hopefully Community will find a spot on the NBC schedule. This keeps Brie in the eyes of casting agents. Her next big move is to land a rom-com starring her opposite someone like say a John Krasinski or take a chance and cast Max Silvestri. Make it say Roman Holiday for geeks. Yes, there are sheikh geek girls out there too!

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#9

Name: Jane Colburn Levy

Born: December 29, 1989 in Los Angeles County, California, USA

Credits: Suburgatory / Shameless

Interest: 2011 changed the face of Jane Levy’s life. Suddenly this 22-year-old was on the covers of magazines, idolized by millions and her little show have established a beachhead on the ABC schedule.

If you don’t know the show Suburgatory, I’d find a way to catch it. Levy plays a New York City teen who is forced to move to the suburbs with her contractor/single father (Jeremy Sisto).

This version is kind of a practical version of the Stepford Wives except there are no robots.

The in-jokes and tone of this series is priceless and cutie Levy is there to react to all the sights. She is kind of a breath of fresh air like the series is.

I quickly got sick of Modern Family but this family comedy is starting to find a home on my must watch list.

Levy seems like the second coming of young Lindsay Lohan or an Emma Stone. Her character in Suburgatory does remind me quite a bit of Emma Stone in Easy A.  But her charisma doesn’t stop there.

Levy began her career in Showtime’s hit series Shameless with William H Macy and Emmy Rossum. On the show she had a five episode run before she was cast in Suburgatory. Her character on the show was supposed to return but was recast instead of bringing Levy back.

Future projects: She needs to finish off this season of Suburgatory and wait for the pickup. She is co-starring in Nobody Walks with Olivia Thirlby (Lost) and John Krasinski. Then she will also star opposite Victoria Justice, Johnny Knoxville and Chelsea Handler in Fun Size.  These projects might be good icebreakers but playing second fiddle to tween-queen Justice is gonna painful for Levy.  Justice will basically be playing Levy’s character from Suburgatory in the movie so that’s gotta hurt.

What she needs to succeed: Levy has Hollywood buzzing about this new phenom who launched a new hit comedy on NBC. She is the new ‘it’ girl. Unfortunately it girls come and go in Hollywood quicker than hookers coming and leaving Charlie Sheen’s house. Levy just needs to ride the tidal wave for now. Keep doing Suburgatory and if she continues there could be an Emmy in her future. Just saying she is that good. Then I would try to get into an ensemble movie like a Love Actually or Valentine’s Day so she can rub shoulders with the big wigs. Paging Garry Marshall! We have the next Anne Hathaway here!

TRAILER: COMIC BOOK MEN

Ever wondered why comic book fans are so creepy? Is the hot chick in a comic store an urban legend? Director Kevin Smith pulls back the curtain this February!

HOT TRAILER: OSCARS 2012

HOT CLIP: UNDERWORLD: LEGACY

UNDERWORLD VS. HAYWIRE

BECKINSALE VS. CARANO

ONE WEEKEND, ONE WINNER!

BOTH OPEN JANUARY 20

ONLY YOU CAN PICK A WINNER!

Hot Trailer: Haywire

OPENS JANUARY 20

10 Actors to Watch & Why 2012: Part Two

#5

Name: Luke Evans

Born: April 1979 in Pontypool, Wales, UK

Credits: Immortals / The Three Musketeers / Robin Hood / Clash of the Titans

Interest: I first noticed Luke Evans when he was cast as the god Apollo in the remake of Clash of the Titans. Here was an unknown actor who had to stand toe-to-toe against Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes. His name really didn’t register when he was cast and after the film hardly was ever mentioned. He then played a thug in Ridley Scott’s extremely painful Robin Hood.

Then there was Luc Besson’s Three Musketeers and Tarsem Singh’s Immortals. But really Hollywood never mentioned the man’s name unless they were talking about loincloths and togas. Evans is going to be the next Viggo Mortensen mark my words.

Future projects:  In 2012, Evans will guide John Cusack’s Edgar Allan Poe on a hunt for a serial killer in this March’s The Raven. There is no mention if Evans will be in the Clash of the Titans sequel. I am guessing he does uncredited.

After that next Christmas, Evans will become the iconic Tolkien hero Bard the Bowman in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit films. Bard is as important to that story as Aragorn was important to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I think he’s Jackson’s best kept secret when casting the Rings films. Evans will be huge after The Hobbit and we are gonna see a lot of this actor.

What he needs to succeed: He’s doing it. He is poised to take Hollywood by storm and really he’s got the potential for blue chip stock possibility. When Jackson cast him he probably said here’s Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortensen all rolled into one. Evans has got the looks and the talent for the long haul.

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#4

Name: Taylor Kitsch

Born: April 8, 1981 in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

Credits:  Bang Bang Club / X-Men Origins: Wolverine / The Covenant / Friday Night Lights

Interest: I first noticed Taylor Kitsch in The Covenant. He was probably one of the best reasons to see the movie if you have to. He made an impact. But it was Friday Night Lights that really proved he was an actor.

Kitsch for me was one of the biggest reasons why I enjoyed Friday Night Lights so much week to week. He surprised me. When he is the huge football star and the attitude to match, you really hated the guy. Then slowly the writers ripped apart his character bit by bit starting with his family. The longer the series went on the more we were concerned if Kitsch would find his way. Friday Night Lights was one of those series that was just too good for TV. It is one that I hope even more viewers find on DVD or in reruns. It was magical. I wish I could go back and rediscover the show all over again because it was such a strong ride.

Friday Night Lights lasted from 2006 to 2011 but fell to satellite TV for its last three season. While Kitsch was waiting for the series to end he starred in some forgettable films like Gospel Hill with Danny Glover and Bang, Bang Club with Ryan Phillippe. The only movie he did away from FNL that put him on the Hollywood radar was X-Men Origins: Wolverine where he played the Marvel Comics hero Gambit.

Future projects: 2012 is the year of the Kitsch. This year will either make or break the star. He is front in centre in two of the year’s potentially biggest films. First up is the reimagining of Edgar Rice Burroughs John Carter of Mars epic, John Carter, directed by Andrew Stanton (Wall-E). Kitsch plays the titular hero who is accidentally transported to Mars and becomes involved in a civil war. The book was written in 1917, almost a century ago, which means that it has influenced almost all sci-fi up to this point in pop culture including the heavily inspired AVATAR. After that Kitsch will star alongside Liam Neeson and Rihanna as they battle aliens in the Hasbro game adaptation, Battleship, directed by Peter Berg. If these two movies are the hits Hollywood hopes (at least they aren’t sequels or remakes) then Kitsch will suddenly become a Hollywood A-lister.

What he needs to succeed: There is one thing Kitsch could work on to better prepare him to branch out his career and that’s working on accents. The two times he has needed an accent he kind of crumbled. His accent was atrocious in Wolverine and even worse in Bang, Bang Club. Invest, Mr Kitsch in your career long term. You are pushing 40 those good guy looks can only take you so far. This year is going to a testing ground for Kitsch. If the Hollywood system works then he’s poised to explode. But for every Jeremy Renner there is a Gerard Butler.

10 Actors to Watch & Why 2012: Part One

#10.

Name: Christopher Chace Crawford

Born: July 18, 1985 in Lubbock, Texas, USA

Credits: Gossip Girl / Twelve / The Covenant.

Interest: Number ten is always a tough choice on these lists. Most of the time I try to pick an actor who is oozing with potential but seems to be stuck in the Hollywood saw mill. That is about 80% of the actors working on the CW.

Crawford has been kicking around since 2002. He made his debut alongside Gabrielle Anwar and Craig Sheffer in the TV movie Long Lost Son where he played a son who has been raised by kidnappers. Crawford was the best thing about this very C-rated feel good film. He then starred in the supernatural thriller The Covenant with another hunk on this list Taylor Kitsch. What is kind of funny is the last time I did this list Kitsch was my #10 choice.

I first noticed Crawford in The Covenant and then started following his career as he became a regular on Gossip Girl. I always liked Crawford because he was always so subtle, restrained and not trying to prove anything even though his character probably got the shaft the most of any male in the series. Sure there are the obvious choices from the series like Ed Westwick and Penn Badgley. I believe Westwick could be a good actor but has become lazy with his characters mannerisms and low voice tactics. Badgley I have never liked so smug and boring as sin and his brief appearances in movies proves my theory. If you watch the series Crawford is more reactionary until the whole mess with his father unraveled and then something awoke in the actor.

That awakening carried into Joel Schumacher’s very under-appreciated Twelve, where Crawford played a tormented drug dealer who faces many, many moral questions. This was a different Crawford that we had seen on Gossip Girl. And working with a veteran director like Schumacher proved he does have range.

Future projects: Crawford is in the twilight of his time on Gossip Girl. The show has become more of a joke than must see programming. But the question that remains for me with the show is can some of the pretty decent actors on it (who suffer through miserable scripts every week) continue on with it. Blake Lively seems to be making the jump after her critically acclaimed performance in The Town. Leighton Meester is branching out with movies like Country Strong and The Roommate. But the question is which of the male leads will make the jump. My money is on Crawford. He’s got the Sundance darling Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding with Jane Fonda and Elizabeth Olsen coming out. He’s got the future rom-com blockbuster What to Expect When You’re Expecting with Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez. And he just signed to star opposite Pierce Brosnan in The House Gun.

What he needs to succeed: Crawford needs to get serious about leaving Gossip Girl. Be the first to get a foothold in movies because that show is on its last legs and killing off his character before the finale could drum up his price in Hollywood. Other than that seek out risky projects with established directors.

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#9

Name: Idrissa Akuna Elba

Born: September 6, 1972 in Hackney, London, England, UK

Credits: Thor / The Losers / Rocknrolla / 28 Weeks Later / The Wire

Interest: Elba is starting to become known as the actor you call if you want a menacing presence on screen. But Elba is no thug. With each performance the man seems to keep getting more credibility.

I have to say I missed the boat when recognizing the brilliance of Idris Elba earlier. I first got familiar with him in Guy Ritchie’s Rocknrolla.

I wondered where he came from and what else he had done. I found that he had got his start in British TV and had an extensive career there. They he really impressed me in The Losers as part of a very underrated ensemble cast.

Thanks to the success of the Marvel Comics Thor, Elba should be popping up in a lot more movies very soon. But Hollywood don’t forget this actor has more going for him than his ungodly physique.

Future projects: What a lot of people don’t know is that Elba is quite a star in England. His series Luther, where he plays a hard-boiled British detective was a hit.

The series will debut it’s third season in 2012. Along with that he will star opposite Nicolas Cage in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance in February.

Then he will star in two potential Hollywood blockbusters with Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, co-starring Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender as will as Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim with Ron Perlman. Not to mention it should be pretty soon that we hear Elba has signed on to Thor 2.

What he needs to succeed: Elba has to decide what side of the Atlantic he wants to make his playground. After Season 3 of Luther is that all? With him starring in four potential Hollywood blockbusters, he really has options. I really think he can do these blockbusters but just don’t let Hollywood forget you are a strong thespian too. I’d really love to see him get some more emotional characters as well as the popcorn movies.