In the right hands, they can be very entertaining, providing compelling back stories for characters we thought we knew well. It can be said that some of the more compelling aspects of the first Godfather film were those scenes with Robert DeNiro playing a younger Vito Corleone.

Casting and pre-production is finally underway for a “prequel” to  Tarantino gem, “Jackie Brown”. The movie will be “Switch”, the same name as the Elmore Leonard novel upon which it’s based.

John Hawkes and Mos Def will play Louis Gara and Ordell Robbie,  infamous criminal types made famous by De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson. “Switch” takes places 15 years before the Tarantino film (itself an adaptation of Leonard’s novel “Rum Punch”) and finds Louis and Ordell  kidnapping the wife of a slimey real estate broker.

We’ll likely meet the boys in prison where they first become buddies.  They plan their big score once they’re on the outside, snatching a wealthy Detroit developer’s wife for ransom. Much to their surprise, the husband isn’t all that upset nor does he want her back.   Plan B in Elmore Leonard novels tend to be outrageous and particularly violent.

The story sounds interesting, but also a bit familiar. There was a terrible comedy in the mid-80′s starring Danny DeVito and Bette Midler that had the same premise. “Ruthless People“.

De Niro and Jackson were fantastic together and compelling enough to warrant a prequel. Here’s hoping the new cast and script enhances their infamy.

what is it ? from ant1mat3rie on Vimeo.

Written by adult star Lorelei Lee and edgy author Stephen Elliot, (who also directs)”Cherry” is thick with gritty realism, insights and experiences of real people from within the adult industry.

What also makes this movie about porn worth a close look is that it has some genuine star power too. Heather Graham (“Boogie Nights”, “The Hangover”), James Franco (“Milk”, “127 Hours”), Lili Taylor (“Mystic Pizza“, “High Fidelity” and Dev Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire“) all have credited, legitimate roles. This means that as the release date approaches, you’re going to hear a lot about “Cherry”.

The story isn’t the most original, but still interesting. Angelina, (played by Ashley Hinshaw), is an 18-year-old girl with a dysfunctional family looking for a way out. One morning her boyfriend (Jonny Weston) suggests she model nude for money. After a bit of coaxing she eventually does the photo shoot, using the money to run-off with her best friend (Dev Patel) to San Francisco.

In San Francisco, while a waitress in a strip club, Angelina meets Frances (James Franco), a charismatic lawyer-type who offers to introduce her to a few friends…open up a few doors. Despite the glitz, the debauchery isn’t as ideal as it seemed and Frances the Lawyer proves to be damaged as well.

Angelina, now known as “Cherry”, and delves deeper into the San Francisco porn industry under the wing of Margaret (Heather Graham) a former performer who is now on the other side of the camera. Hard to tell if this one is a cautionary tale. The trailer certainly looks promising.

*It’s interesting to note that this isn’t Franco’s only adult film foray. He’s currently filming, “Lovelace“, playing Hugh Hefner in the story of “Deep Throat”. He and Lorelei Lee are also students at NYU’s grad school.

Here’s a taste of Cherry…

Take one part Coen Bros’ re-boot of  “True Grit”,  add the eloquent vulgarity of   the prematurely departed, “Deadwood”, then a dash of backwoods alchemy and you have “The Sisters Brothers” by James DeWitt.

Eli and Charles Sisters are a notorious pair of sibling assassins making their way along the West Coast in 1851.  The Gold Rush is in full bloom, having turned “thousands of previously intelligent men and women to abandon their families and homes forever.” Eli and Charles are the muscle for ‘The Commodore’, an ornery megalomaniac ruling the territory from up in Oregon City.

At the beginning of the novel, ‘The Commodore’ assigns the boys some nasty business down in Sacramento. They’re to kill a gold prospector named Herman Kermit Warm.  The brothers have no idea why this man has earned the wrath of their employer, but it’s not really their business to worry about such things.

The novel is their vivid and remarkable, pistol-whipped journey.  They engage with the insane, wicked, ruthless and starving. From saloon to whorehouse, deep woods to the wicked streets of the Barbary Coast, the Sisters brothers proceed with deadly determination.

Seen through the eyes of Eli Sisters, who narrates with a mixture of melancholy and laconic repose. He’s a reluctant murderer — preferring to be a shopkeeper — rather than a killer, but it’s the only work he knows and it keeps him close to his brother, which he enjoys. Eli describes their ride toward Sacramento with a deadpan accounting that is at times both humorous and horrifying.

For those who like their fiction soaked in whiskey and blood , this is something you should start reading tonight.  Check out this “book trailer” put out by Harper Collins.

Best Picture

“The Artist” (It’s hard to understand why this is so popular!)
“Bridesmaids”
“The Descendants”
“The Help”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris” (Loved this!)
“Moneyball”
“War Horse” (This was a parody of Spielberg, by Spielberg)

This year the list of nominees could balloon to ten movies, but that doesn’t matter this year. “Ides of March” and “Drive” could also end up here but the winner is likely to be the unbelievably dull silent movie. In a perfect world, Brad Bird would get some recognition for raising the “Mission Impossible” franchise from the dead.

Best Actor
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “J. Edgar”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Ryan Gosling, “The Ides of March”
Brad Pitt, “Moneybal”l

Anyone who saw “The Descendants” knows that Clooney phoned this one in. DiCaprio is burdened by bad make up despite the fact the Academy loves biographies. Moneyball was enjoyable, but Pitt is not going to win. Ryan Gosling could actually get a nomination for “Drive”, though he shows more range in “Ides”. Personally, we’d have prefer seeing Gary Oldman here from “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”.

Best Actress
Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Meryl Streep,” The Iron Lady” (Even if Ms Streep didn’t have a movie out, you would still have to expect her to garner a nomination)
Charlize Theron, “Young Adult”
Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”

Glen Close has been working at getting this movie made for more than ten years. That guarantees a nomination. Michelle Williams is very hot these days and so she could be considered a lock for a nomination and a wild-card among winners. The DailyHelping would love to see Charlize Theron nominated for her incredibly unpleasant character in “Young Adult”. Her performance was pitch perfect and nasty enough that she may actually turn off voters. That’s saying something for a woman who actually won an Oscar for portraying a monstrous serial killer a good number of years ago.

Best Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh, “My Week with Marilyn”
Albert Brooks, “Drive” (It’s great to see this!)
Patton Oswald, “Young Adult”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Viggo Mortensen, “A Dangerous Method” (A DailyHelping favorite!)

Christopher Plummer is a slam dunk to win this category. Jonah Hill may slip in here as a nominee for “Moneyball” and Viggo makes our list because he was the best part of a dreary film. Patton Oswald deserves to be nominated for a heartfelt performance that has not gotten the acclaim that it was due.

Best Supporting Actress

Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

This is the same list of nominees that you saw at the Golden Globe.
Berenice Bejo could make a case for getting a Best Actress nomination, but DailyHelping believes she belongs here. “The Help” will suck the air out of the room and Octavia Spencer is a slam dunk winner.

Best Director

Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
David Fincher, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist “(He’ll be there, and probably win if his movie doesn’t take best picture).
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants” (The Academy loves this guy!)
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo” (Don’t reward the man for making a 3D movie)

Terrance Malick could get a nomination for “Tree of Life” but the fact no one  understand what his movie was about, may prove his undoing. Clooney could get a nomination for “Ides of March” and DailyHelping favorite, Woody Allen is a dark horse but more likely to get the screenplay award.

Best Screenplay, Adapted

Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, Nat Faxon – “The Descendants”
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon – “The Ides of March”
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian – “Moneyball” (DailyHelping loves Aaron Sorkin!)
Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan – “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
(A smarter script you will not find)

The Tinker Tailor script challenged some viewers, but hopefully that won’t be a problem. There are other nominees for this category, but we can’t imagine what they’ll be.

Best Screenplay, Original

Michel Hazanavicius – “The Artist” (This nomination should be a joke, but it isn’t).
Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig – “Bridesmaids” (Wouldn’t you love to see Wiig up there getting an Oscar?)
Woody Allen – “Midnight in Paris”
Thomas McCarthy – “Win Win”
Diablo Cody – “Young Adult”

About 20 people saw “Win Win” and that’s a crime. It was wonderful and hopefully it sneaks a win here. Woody or Diablo (sounds like a pair of wranglers, doesn’t it?) both deserve some recognition for two of the smartest scripts on screen all year.

His reputation as an actor appears to be burdened by the roles he chooses, but he will generally be the best thing on the screen, even making middle of the road vehicles like “The Lincoln Lawyer” or “We Are Marshall”  modest box office successes.

McConaughey first made his mark with a small but highly memorable performance in Richard Linkletter’s cult hit,”Dazed and Confused”. It’s a Texas high school saga of the mid- 70′s. He plays the kinda- sleazy older guy who still has an appetite for the high school gals. His character proved more iconic amidst other young stars in the cast, yet to be discovered. Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Parker Posey and Adam Goldberg to name a few.

McConaughey seems to appreciate and understand the appeal of his politically incorrect character and seems quite amused by the opportunity to reprise the role 20 years later in this music video by Butch Walker and the Black Widows.  The song is “Synthesizers” and we think you’re going to enjoy this….

Lost in Tokyo from Mark Bramley on Vimeo.