Gerard Butler

This Scottish almost-lawyer traded in his higher education to pursue acting, little did he know that he would fall into some plum roles and STILL not be recognized.

Leading off with small roles in British TV and stage productions, Gerard Butler found himself playing one of the most feared warriors in history for the USA Network production of Attila and then followed up with donning black to play the seductive, yet dialogue challenged, Count Dracula in Wes Craven’s Dracula 2000 (or Dracula 2001 depending on where you live). Read more

Caramel

Western audiences are indeed fortunate to have two films releasing (if only limited) that bring a long overdue fresh perspective about life in the Middle East. The first was the Oscar nominated animated feature Persepolis and the second is a film from Beirut opening February 1st.

Caramel is a story about 5 Lebanese women who work and let loose in a neighborhood beauty salon. Layale the owner (first-time Writer/Director Nadine Labaki) is having an affair with a married man. Nisrine (Yasmin Al Masri), a Muslim is engaged to be married but worried about her fiancée finding out that she’s no longer a virgin. Rima (Joanna Moukarzel) is coming to terms with her feelings for other women, especially her attraction for a beautiful client. Jamale (Gisèle Aouad) is an actress and frequent customer, trying to fight the inevitability of getting older. Rose (Siham Haddad) is an unmarried seamstress who has devoted her life to caring for her older sister. They all use the salon as a haven where they can be women, friends and sisters. Read more

Fool’s Gold

All you fans of the 2003 film How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days can look forward to a re-teaming of the adorable actors in this Friday’s release Fool’s Gold. This time the locale has taken on a decidedly tropical feel to it and director Andy Tennant (Hitch) has added some action and adventure to the mix.

Fool’s Gold: that’s what treasure hunter Ben “Finn” Finnegan (Matthew McConaughey) is ever in pursuit of. Specifically he’s hot on the trial of The Queen’s Dowry – a fabled treasure of 40 chests of unimaginable wealth. His relentless quest has claimed his reputation, his boat and his marriage to Tess (Kate Hudson). Literally on the day of his divorce Finn stumbles onto a significant clue but understandably has trouble convincing his former partner/now ex-wife to throw away her plans for a normal life and help them complete their years-long obsession. Read more