The Last Action Zero
They say the movie star is dying. Good, cuz Street Kings’ Keanu Reeves never much fit the mold anyway
by DeMarco Williams

There are many ways to define success. Some do it in raw numbers. And man, does Keanu Reeves have raw numbers. The veteran actor has been in eight pictures - Speed, Something’s Gotta Give, Constantine, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Parenthood and The Matrix trilogy - that earned over $75 million each at the box office. Of course, when numbers aren’t enough, some turn to popularity. Reeves, a Lebanon native with a demeanor as impassive as you’ll find in Hollywood, has a star on the Walk of Fame and one of the most recognizable faces in the industry. [ more ... ]

Kevin Spacey
Master Thespian
by Alex S. Morrison

It’s not a story you hear every day: Two-time Academy Award-winning actor abandons Hollywood fame and fortune in favor of returning to his theatre roots. Then again, the Juilliard-trained Kevin Spacey is not your everyday actor, nor is London’s Old Vic your everyday theatre. [ more ... ]

On Common Ground
First a movie. Then an album. Now another movie.
Common finally makes sense of it all
by DeMarco Williams

Common lives a double life. For the past 10 years in the recording studio, the conscious Chicago MC has gushed about black love and an inner-city resurgence on superb albums like One Day It’ll All Make Sense, Be and Finding Forever. For the past few years on the big screen, however, the artisan has walked in the shoes of hitmen (Smokin’ Aces) and hustlers-in-training (American Gangster). Keeping the theme of uplifting musician by day and down low parasite at night, Common is back in theatres this month as a crocked cop in the violent L.A.P.D. drama Street Kings. But rest easy, hip hop fans. Rashied “Common” Lynn hasn’t altogether abandoned the cause. As he’ll detail in just a bit, a new album is on the way and it promises to be a fun, uplifting summer number— perfect to balance out things for when he starts shooting up the projector again in the June blockbuster Wanted. [ more ... ]

Secret Agent Man
After the overwhelming success of The Station Agent,
writer-director-actor Tom McCarthy gets ready to
release another surefire indie hit
by Chelsea Bain

Take one look at Tom McCarthy, and somewhere in between a glance at his inviting smile and horn-rimmed eyeglasses, you’re bound to think, “I know this guy.” Well, with shows like Boston Public and The Wire or even the award-winning gems Good Night, and Good Luck and Syriana under his belt, chances are you do. Over the past sixteen years the versatile actor has racked up one fantastic body of work after another, churning out great performances and lending his thespian talents to some of the most respectable projects to grace the pages of IMDB. [ more ... ]