The Quarantine Stream: ‘The Devil’s Advocate’ Has Al Pacino Chewing Scenery and Keanu Reeves Using a Questionable Accent – /Film

Posted on Sunday, July 12th, 2020 by Chris Evangelista

(Welcome to The Quarantine Stream, a new series where the /Film team shares what they’ve been watching while social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.)

The Movie: The Devil’s Advocate

Where You Can Stream It: Netflix

The Pitch: Hot-shot Southern lawyer Keanu Reeves gets recruited to join a big New York City law firm, but there’s a catch: his new boss, Al Pacino, is the devil!!!!!!!!!!

Why It’s Essential Quarantine Viewing: It’s okay to have fun with dumb movies. And The Devil’s Advocate is pretty damn dumb. Keanu Reeves uses a questionable Southern accent, Al Pacino chews the scenery so hard he’s in danger of breaking some teeth, and a pre-fame Charlize Theron is stuck in a mini Rosemary’s Baby remake, and all of this happens in the same movie. Clocking-in at an overwhelming 144 minutes, and featuring scenes where Pacino dips his fingers in holy water and causes the water to boil, The Devil’s Advocate is a blend of legal drama and horror melodrama, and it’s a hoot.

Before Keanu Reeves did The Matrix, he starred in The Devil’s Advocate, Taylor Hackford‘s epic-length horror drama about a lawyer in danger of losing his soul. Reeves is a hot-shot young attorney from Gainesville, Florida (even though his accent suggests he’s from somewhere in Alabama), who is willing to emotionally destroy a sexual assault victim on the witness stand in order to win a case. Reeves’ lapse of moral compass gets him noticed by a huge New York City law firm, and as we all know, law firms, in general, are evil, but New York City law firms are the evilest.

Soon, Reeves meets his new boss, John Milton, played by Al Pacino. Even though it’s abundantly clear that Milton is the devil incarnate, Reeves’ character remains oblivious and is easily wooed by the prospect of money and power. The same can’t be said of Reeves’ sweet-natured wife, played by Charlize Theron, who does much better with her accent. Theron’s character notices almost immediately that something is up with not just Milton but also everyone in Milton’s circle, including some of her new neighbors. She begins to have a complete breakdown, but Reeves is once again oblivious. Not only is he focused on his work, he’s also focused on one of his new coworkers, a sexy lawyer played by Connie Nielsen.

Full of sex, violence, and big special effects, The Devil’s Advocate feels like the type of movie that would never get made today, at least not by a big Hollywood studio for $57 million. Yet in 1997, the movie was a hit, raking in $153 million. Imagine that happening today. You can’t.

As much as I love Reeves, it’s fair to say he’s not very good in this movie. I don’t mean to keep harping on his accent, but it’s so distractingly bad (even worse than his infamous Dracula accent) that it almost completely sinks his performance. That’s okay, though, because the real draw here is Pacino. The Devil’s Advocate arrived in the midst of Pacino’s shouty phase. After the actor scored an Oscar for his loud performance in Scent of a Woman, Pacino seemed to believe that every performance going forward required him to YELL AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS. While some may take issue with that, it works perfectly here. Pacino’s Satanic lawyer is all about excess – he loves to talk about fucking, and he loves to laugh his ass off at stuff that really isn’t funny. And when someone dares challenge him, he sends demonic homeless people to beat that person to death.

It all culminates in a big, loud, special effects-heavy conclusion that feels like a huge cheat. But by then it’s okay, you’ve already had your fun with The Devil’s Advocate. And it’s had its fun with you.

This content was originally published here.

John Wick Stuntman Says All The Good Things You Hear About Keanu Reeves Are 110% True – UNILAD

John Wick Stuntman Says All The Good Things You Hear About Keanu Reeves Are 110% True

by : Emily Brown on : 16 Jun 2020 17:34

John Wick Stuntman Says All The Good Things You Hear About Keanu Reeves Are 110% True

John Wick Stuntman Says All The Good Things You Hear About Keanu Reeves Are 110% TrueLionsgate/PA

I don’t know what the world was like before Keanu Reeves came along, but I know that it’s better now that he’s in it because his stunt double has confirmed the stories about how great he is are ‘110% true’.

Over the years we’ve seen Keanu Reeves play a number of iconic characters, such as Neo in The Matrix, Ted in Bill & Ted and of course John Wick in John Wick, but I don’t think any of those personalities even comes close to being as awesome as the man portraying them.

Known for his epic action scenes, love of dogs and all-around charm, Keanu Reeves is often considered one of the best things to come out of Hollywood, and his John Wick stunt double, Jeremy Fry, has made it clear why.

Keanu Reeves Has Been Casually Crashing Weddings For Ages

Keanu Reeves Has Been Casually Crashing Weddings For AgesPA

During an interview with Metro, Fry, who has also worked on Black Panther, Batman v Superman and Baby Driver, described Reeves as a ‘giver’ who is ‘selfless’ and ‘works tirelessly’.

Every good thing you’ve heard about him is 110% true.

Keanu Reeves in Bill & Ted

Keanu Reeves in Bill & TedOrion Pictures

Fry and Reeves bonded over a love of motorcycles, and the stunt double recalled an occasion on which the actor invited him to the popular Laguna Seca racetrack in California.

He said:

He goes, ‘Hey, how would you like to go to Laguna Seca?’ and when Keanu Reeves asks you if you wanna go pretty much anywhere, you say yes.

Turns out he had rented Laguna Seca… for two days, private rental, there were about eighty of his friends and people he knew. There were celebrities there, people from different industries there, a huge cross-section of people. He put us up in local hotels, he catered breakfast, lunch, dinners.

Keanu Reeves

Keanu ReevesPA Images

It seems Keanu Reeves can do no wrong, and I refuse to believe he ever really could. Tom Hanks may have to make room on his ‘nicest guy in Hollywood’ pedestal.

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]

Emily Brown

Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.

This content was originally published here.

Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter Return in First ‘Bill and Ted 3’ Trailer – Rolling Stone

Bill and Ted set out to finally write the song that will unite the world in the first trailer for Bill and Ted 3: Face the Music, which is set to open in theaters August 21st.

The long-awaited film finds Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves reprising their roles as the titular time travelers, although now they’re stuck in the doldrums of middle age, and their band, Wyld Stallyns, is playing $2 taco night showcases instead of bringing the world together in rock & roll harmony.

In the trailer, a visitor from the future warns Bill and Ted that the stakes are now higher than ever, so — after a brief discussion on the nature of copyright law when it comes to time-traveling and stealing from one’s self — the duo jump back in their trusty phone booth and set out to track down their future selves and their life-altering song.

The trailer doesn’t offer too much in the way of plot points, but it does find Bill and Ted encountering some very muscular versions of themselves, and reuniting with their old foe and bandmate from Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, Death (played by William Sadler). Bill and Ted 3 will also feature Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine as Bill and Ted’s respective daughters, Thea and Billie, who join their dads on their journey.

The cast for Bill and Ted 3 also features Kid Cudi (playing himself), Kristen Schaal, Anthony Carrigan, Erinn Hayes, Jayma Mays, Jillian Bell, Holland Taylor and Beck Bennett. Franchise creators Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon wrote the script, while Dean Parisot directed.

This content was originally published here.

Keanu Reeves Walks Red Carpet with Mom Patricia Taylor at 2020 Oscars

Mother-son bonding!

On Sunday, Keanu Reeves brought his mom, costume designer Patricia Taylor, along as his date to the 2020 Oscars in Los Angeles.

Reeves, 55, is slated to present at the awards show and Toy Story 4, in which he voiced Duke Kaboom, earned a nomination in the Best Animated Feature category.

Ryan Seacrest chatted with the actor on the E! red carpet preshow about Toy Story 4 and then asked Taylor for details on The Matrix 4, which Reeves started filming.

“Nothing,” Taylor told Seacrest, 45, of what she could say about the upcoming installment. Taylor added that she “only about Matrix 1, 2 and 3.”

Many fans expected the Matrix star to bring his girlfriend, artist Alexandra Grant, with him to the Academy Awards. Reeves started publicly stepping out with Grant, 47, last fall. They were photographed holding hands in November while attending the LACMA Art + Film Gala, and a source told PEOPLE at the time that they have known each other and worked together for years.

“Keanu wants to openly share his life with her,” the source said. “He is extremely happy and grateful to have Alex in his life.”

According to the insider, the two started dating earlier last year but had “wanted to keep it quiet” at first.

The couple first collaborated in 2011 on Reeves’ book Ode to Happiness, with Grant providing the illustrations. The project was Reeves’ first book as a writer. They worked together again on the actor’s 2016 book, Shadows, in which Grant again provided the illustrations.

The following year, the duo co-founded X Artists’ Books, a publishing house that focuses on publishing “thoughtful, high-quality, artist-centered books that fit within and between genres,” according to its website.

The 92nd Annual Academy Awards are airing live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

This content was originally published here.

Keanu Reeves begins filming for The Matrix 4 in San Francisco as he reprises his role of Neo

Keanue Reeves The Matrix — Keanu looks completely different in new scenes from The Matrix 4 (Picture: Twitter/Rex)

Fans have had the first glimpse of Keanu Reeves filming for The Matrix 4, as the actor reprises his legendary role of Neo.

In footage filmed by fans, Keanu could be seen wearing a beanie with long hair and a beard, as well as a casual pair of jeans – quite a far cry from what the character previously looked like.

Filming in the street in San Francisco, Keanu was seen surrounded by extras as they filmed some outdoor shots for the movie.

Neo’s unusual attire has led fans to believe that it means he will end up being plugged back into the Matrix as another unsuspecting human whose body is being used as an energy source for intelligent machines.

It’s the first time Keanu has been seen in character as Neo since 2003’s The Matrix: Revolutions, and fans were happy to catch a glimpse of the actor in action.

According to ABC7 News, filming has been taking place in Chinatown in San Francisco, with Lana Wachowski at the helm.

Lana said of the fourth Matrix movie last year: ‘Many of the ideas Lilly [Wachowski, Lana’s sister] and I explored 20 years ago about our reality are even more relevant now.

‘I’m very happy to have these characters back in my life and grateful for another chance to work with my brilliant friends.’

Warner Bros’s chairman Toby Emmerich added: ‘We could not be more excited to be re-entering The Matrix with Lana.

Film: The Matrix Revolutions (2003). Pictured: KEANU REEVEs — Neo used to rock all black clothing, sleek hair and shades… (Picture: WARNER BROS)

Keanu Reeves starts filming The Matrix 4 — The new Neo is a tad more low-key in appearance (Picture: Instagram/@dougdalton)

‘Lana is a true visionary – a singular and original creative filmmaker and we are thrilled that she is writing, directing and producing this new chapter in The Matrix universe.’

As well as Keanu returning for the new flick, Jada Pinkett Smith and Carrie-Anne Moss will also be reprising their roles as Niobe and Trinity.

While the storyline is still a closely-guarded secret, there will be some new faces joining the cast, including Jessica Henwick, Neil Patrick Harris and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

The Matrix 4 is slated for release in cinemas from 21 May, 2021.

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