Johnny in Wonderland
Depp reunites with Tim Burton for his maddest role to date
by Alex S. Morrison

It’s become a cliché in recent years to suggest that Hollywood lacks originality. But in an economy where innovation is less important than the bottom line, it seems as if creativity has become something of a liability. As a result, it’s increasingly rare to find actors and filmmakers who achieve commercial success on their own terms, swimming directly against the mainstream.            These days, Johnny Depp is about as huge as movie stars get: His last five live-action films (Public Enemies, Sweeney Todd, two Pirates of the Caribbean sequels and the Charlie & the Chocolate Factory remake) have made over $1 billion at the U.S. box office alone, earning an average of $217 million each, and he was recently named People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2009. With his role as the Mad Hatter in this month’s Alice in Wonderland, that hot streak doesn’t appear likely to end any time soon. But throughout his career, the unconventional actor has opted to take the road less traveled more often than not, riding a rebellious reputation and engendering an enigmatic image that has made his career arc both impossible to predict and fascinating to watch...
[ more ... ]

Mr. Congeniality
Matt Damon proves that sometimes nice guys finish first
by Demarco Williams

It has become something of a cliché to suggest that fame changes people, but if you spend enough time around celebrities you’ll begin to understand the root of the stereotype.     

Of course, when Matt Damon emerged from relative obscurity with his Oscar-winning breakthrough as co-writer and star of 1997’s Good Will Hunting, he seemed like the kind of guy you hate to see falling prey to the Hollywood hype machine. While longtime BFF Ben Affleck already exhibited flashes of the smarmy charm that would come to define him for the next decade, Damon came across as the shy, unassuming Boston boy next door, with a broad grin and an aw-shucks demeanor that said loud and clear, “I’m just happy to be here.” He seemed like the kind of guy who’d be more comfortable mowing the neighbor’s lawn than getting all gussied up for a red carpet premiere, and talking about himself seemed to rank somewhere just above having a root canal on his list of enjoyable activities...
[ more ... ]