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Tag: Michelle Monaghan

  • Michelle Monaghan To Team Up With “Breaking Bad” Star

    Michelle Monaghan will reportedly team up with Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul for a new Hulu show called The Way.

    Monaghan will play Paul’s wife on the series, which will premiere this winter. According to ComingSoon, the show focuses on “Eddie Cleary, a convert to a controversial movement with a wayward past. He’s a husband and father who suffers a crisis of faith when all that he’s come to accept as truth in his life is fundamentally challenged.” Paul will also executive produce.

    The Way is the first television project for Paul since his career-changing role on Breaking Bad; film actress Michelle Monaghan played a part in the hugely successful HBO series True Detective. For fans of either, there’s no doubt that the new series will be highly entertaining.

    Monaghan was in the headlines last year after the Nicholas Sparks film she starred in with James Marsden was slammed by critics. The Best Of Me didn’t sit well with Good Morning America’s David Blaustein, who couldn’t find many good things to say about it at all.

    “The Best of Me, the latest film to be based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, is so embarrassingly bad, it hurts to write about it. If you consider the bad casting, ham-handed dialogue, obvious digital manipulation of the film, sloppy sound mixing and far-fetched plot points, then you just might be able to enjoy what I believe to be one of the worst movies of the year,” Blaustein said.

    Michelle Monaghan shrugged off the bad review, however, and went on to star in the upcoming film Pixels, which will likely be a huge hit for Adam Sandler. The film also stars Ashley Benson, Josh Gad, and Peter Dinklage and will be in theaters everywhere in July.

  • Rachel McAdams Featured in New ‘Halo’ Trailer, Loves New Role in ‘True Detective’

    Rachel McAdams stars in the new season of True Detective, which is set to premiere on June 21st. It’s important for fans, however, not to expect to see her play one of her typical roles.

    “I love that she’s not the girlfriend or the wife,” Rachel McAdams explains in the June issue of Marie Claire about her character.

    McAdams will play a Ventura, California police officer named Ani Bezzerides.

    “She doesn’t really care what everyone thinks; she feels no responsibility for other people’s feelings. She’s not trying to be charming, which isn’t always the case with a leading lady,” Rachel McAdams says.

    McAdams is known for playing characters with an abundance of charm.

    The first season of True Detective was actually criticized for not featuring more complex female characters. Michelle Monaghan played the most prominent female character–Detective Mary Hart. She was Woody Harrelson’s wife.

    Rachel McAdams’s character investigates a murder in the new season of the show.

    Known for films including The Time Traveler’s Wife, The Vow, and A Most Wanted Man, Rachel McAdams will once again grace the big screen in Aloha later in May.

    Will fans find it difficult to take McAdams seriously in this complex role in True Detective after seeing her in films like these?

    Will you be tuning in to catch Rachel McAdams as Officer Ani Bezzerides on True Detective beginning on June 21st?

  • Michelle Monaghan’s Film, ‘The Best of Me,’ Slammed in ‘Good Morning America’ Review

    Michelle Monaghan’s new film, The Best of Me, has been slammed by Good Morning America‘s movie critic David Blaustein.

    Blaustein didn’t seem to have too much to say about Monaghan’s performance, but he had plenty to say about casting and the plot of the Nicholas Sparks’ tearjerker.

    “The Best of Me, the latest film to be based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, is so embarrassingly bad, it hurts to write about it,” wrote Blaustein. “If you consider the bad casting, ham-handed dialogue, obvious digital manipulation of the film, sloppy sound mixing and far-fetched plot points, then you just might be able to enjoy what I believe to be one of the worst movies of the year.”

    The movie tells the story of high school sweethearts Dawson (James Marsden) and Amanda (Monaghan), who are reunited after a 21-year separation when their mutual friend, Tuck (Gerald McRaney), dies.

    Dawson has become a man who mostly keeps to himself and works on an oil rig, while Amanda, for her part, is now married to a jerk and spends her days as a dutiful wife and stay-at-home mom to her teenage son.

    Blaustein’s biggest beef with the acting seems to be with Luke Bracey, who plays the young Dawson alongside Liana Liberato, who plays young Amanda, in the film’s depiction of flashbacks to the characters’ younger days.

    “And here’s where the movie implodes,” said Blaustein. “There’s nothing wrong with Bracey as an actor, but this has to be one of the worst pieces of casting I’ve ever seen. He’s supposed to be the high school version of Dawson, but have you ever met a high school student with crow’s feet?”

    “In real life, Bracey couldn’t pass for an undercover cop in high school, never mind the fact there’s virtually no resemblance between him and Marsden. Bracey’s casting is such a distraction, it’s a cinematic disaster. Liberato is much more convincing as a young Monaghan,” Blaustein continues.

    “As for the plot: Dawson’s crazy, drug-running father and brothers, his relationship with Tuck, and his star-crossed relationship with Amanda past and present — it hardly matters. Other than the actors’ efforts to try to overcome this flaw-laden film, The Best of Me’s only other redeeming quality is that it finally ends.”

    Blaustein gave the film one out of five stars.

    What did you all think of the movie? Did Blaustein call it?

  • Michelle Monaghan, James Marsden: ABC Gives ‘Best of Me’ Poor Review

    Michelle Monaghan might be the best part of The Best of Me–at least according to a review published by ABC News earlier this weekend. The latest of a few films based on books by Nicholas Sparks, the review calls the casting ‘bad,’ the dialogue ‘ham-handed,’ and the digital manipulation of the film ‘obvious.’

    Twenty-one years after going their separate ways, former high school sweethearts Dawson–played by James Marsden–and Amanda–played by Michelle Monaghan–are reunited after the death of an older mutual friend named Tuck. Dawson is a loner who works on an oil rig. He reads books about philosophy when time allows. Amanda lives an existence akin to that of one of the Stepford Wives characters, playing the part of the dutiful, beautiful, stay-at-home mom to a teen son. She, of course, lives in a loveless marriage.

    The ABC review seriously disses actor Luke Bracey, who plays Dawson in his teen years.

    “There’s nothing wrong with Bracey as an actor, but this has to be one of the worst pieces of casting I’ve ever seen. He’s supposed to be the high school version of Dawson, but have you ever met a high school student with crow’s feet?” they write.

    The review goes on to call Bracey a ‘distraction,’ because he in no way resembles the grown Dawson.

    “…it’s a cinematic disaster,” the review reads.

    Michelle Monaghan is pretty much the only actor in The Best of Me that isn’t shredded to pieces in this review.

    The Guardian isn’t quite as harsh in its review of the acting in The Best of Me. With regard to the film’s plot, it doesn’t come up with anything more encouraging than saying it is ‘universally panned,’ and that it is a ‘predictable, weepy romance.’ With regard to the actors, their review reads as follows:

    “This negative reaction is really unfair to James Marsden, Luke Bracey, Michelle Monaghan, and Liana Liberato, not to mention Gerald McRaney who should get some sort of gong for his work in this film, all these actors brought much to this predictable weepy romance.”

    What more can people honestly expect from a Nicholas Sparks film? His books are love stories, and love stories more often than not translate on to the big screen as weepy and predictable.

    If you think Michelle Monaghan is gorgeous (she is) and James Marsden is sexy (he is), then by all means check out The Best of Me. If you’re looking for Academy Award-winning performances and cinematic brilliance–wait until it’s available ‘On-Demand.’

  • Michelle Monaghan On “Romantic” Nicholas Sparks Role

    Michelle Monaghan has several successful credits under her belt, including Source Code and The Bourne Supremacy, but after her intriguing star-turn on the HBO megahit True Detective earlier this year, her name is everywhere. And now that she’s starring in a Nicholas Sparks adaptation, her talent is about to reach a huge audience who likely have their tissues at the ready.

    The actress sat down for an interview with Refinery29.com recently and spoke a bit about the role, saying she’s not sure where The Best Of Me stacks up against hits like The Notebook, but that it’s definitely one that will tug at the emotions.

    “It is Nicholas Sparks, so he definitely has that formula of knowing how to tap into people’s hearts. I would agree that it’s a tearjerker, but I don’t know how it sizes up to The Notebook. It’s definitely emotional, beautiful, passionate, and heartrending. If you’re a fan of The Notebook, then you’re going to love this movie,” she said.

    Monaghan also talked about how different the role was for her, considering so many of the characters she’s played have been restrained, in a way. As Maggie Hart on True Detective, she was a woman caught between her love for her two daughters and her troubled marriage to a man who grew more distant with each passing day. Here, she’s able to tap into a softer side.

    “For me, this film allowed me to tap into my romantic side, which is something I haven’t been able to do in previous roles. I’ve never been able to do a love story, and this is such a timeless love story. Several of the characters that I’ve played have had a lot of restraint or have been very stoic. I love that this character feels and is expressive. It’s really nice to play that side of myself,” she said.

    While The Best Of Me has gotten mixed reviews–as many adaptations of Sparks’ work does–the performance that Monaghan and co-star James Marsden give has consistently been praised, with their chemistry mentioned in several reviews.

  • How Source Code Applies Tech, Gaming, & Social to Film

    Anytime technological elements are integrated into conventional culture, it’s exciting for those of us in the tech industry. It’s even more thrilling when technology is applied to the entertainment industry, such as the case of the new film Source Code that opens in theaters today.

    Can you name any examples in which technology was applied to entertainment? Let us know.

    The sci-fi thriller is about an American soldier named Captain Colter Stevens that wakes up in the body of a stranger. Played by popular star Jake Gyllenhaal, Capt. Stevens finds himself involved with a government program called “source code” and is tasked with finding the bomber on a Chicago commuter train.

    Through his mission, he meets Christina Warren, played by the lovely Michelle Monaghan, and the two fall in love. As if casting Jake Gyllenhaal as the lead role in the film wasn’t enough to draw the ladies, this love story is also intertwined into the action.

    In terms of technology, the title alone suggests a digital element. The film also includes a social gaming aspect that is based off the “source code” computer game in the movie.

    “The idea of the source code in the movie is that it’s a computer game, and that off that computer game, different tangents are created. And, you affect the world as a result of that game… the computer game that’s actually in reality… on the Internet, is the same sort of idea,” said Gyllenhaal.

    Powered by Microsoft Tag technology, the game allows users to become part of the mission and connect to the film in a socially interactive way. As Monaghan explained to us, the users that play the game become part of the website, which, she believes, creates a real connection with the audience.

    Gyllenhaal also told us that the game gives users a valuable opportunity to create their own story on top of the one told in the movie.

    “If we can get people on the Internet involved in the story… there are so many possibilities in even telling other stories… creating even another movie based on the ideas that were created from the game,” he said.

    Another element that further linked Source Code to the tech industry was the fact that it premiered at SXSW. Director Duncan Jones said he loves the show because it attracts people that genuinely love film (not to mention a whole bunch of techies that love movies too). He also premiered his film Moon at the show in 2009.

    Would you like to see more films that integrate technology?