Razzie Awards: 'After Earth', 'Movie 43' Dishonored with 3 "Wins" Each

Many call the day of the Academy Awards the Super Bowl for movie fans, but for others it's like cinematic tax day. And those who are paying the price for their filmic indiscretions in 2013 are those responsible for inflicting After Earth and Movie 43 on us.

The Razzie Awards came out with their awards for the worst movies and performances of 2013, and *shocker* there's not an Adam Sandler sighting to be found. Instead, their wrath is aimed at another soft target: Will and Jaden Smith. Will took home Worst Actor for his performance in After Earth, with Jaden taking Worst Supporting Actor, and the pair dishonored with Worst Screen Ensemble.It's worth noting that the Razzies, which have become more pointless than ever as they aim for easy comedy targets that will gain them media attention, didn't recognize that Jaden was the lead actor in After Earth but it doesn't really matter.

If there's such a thing as the top Razzie awards, then Movie 43 took them all. The sketch comedy, which features an Oscar-worthy cast in a seemingly endless series of unfunny gross-out gags, earned Worst Movie, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Director awarded to all 13 directors who took part in making it happen. Other easy targets for the Razzies were the box office bomb, The Lone Ranger, and Kim Kardashian for her supporting appearance in Tyler Perry's Temptation. Full announcement is below, and I think this article in The Telegraph encapsulates why I think the Razzies are worthy of ridicule.

The results are in, the envelopes have been opened, and the "winners" of the 34th Awards have been unveiled in ceremonies held at Hollywood's coolest new venue — just down the street from Sunday night's Oscars — IgnitedSpaces. The hour long show handed out at least one statuette to four of the five Worst Picture nominees, but Adam Sandler and his unfunny follow up Grown Ups 2 went home empty-handed.

Taking three of the top awards was the star-studded, snicker-free sketch comedy Movie 43, which "won" for Worst Screenplay (written by at least 19 people), Worst Director ("credited" to 13 people), and Worst Picture. Tying with 43, and also "winning" 3 gold spray-painted trophies, was the Will and Jaden Smith sci-fi fiasco After Earth. Dad Will Smith took Worst Supporting Actor, son Jaden was named Worst Lead Actor, and the combination of father & son, described in the ceremony as being "stranded on Planet Nepotism", took the award for Worst Screen Combo.

Rounding out the names read when the envelopes were torn were: Tyler Perry (in drag) as Worst Actress for his 8th time playing the cross-dressing character in A Madea Christmas; Kim Kardashian in Tyler Perry's Temptation as Worst Supporting Actress; and the year's biggest box office bomb, a $250 million "reboot" of The Lone Ranger (on which Disney took a $200 million tax write off) which was chosen as Worst Remake/Rip-Off or Sequel.

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Review: 'After Earth', starring Will and Jaden Smith

Nepotism is hardly a new thing in Hollywood, which may be why nobody cares that Jaden Smith has been handed a golden ticket into the big leagues thanks to his daddy. Will Smith came up with the idea for After Earth himself, as a means of offering up another easy role for Jaden, who has already been given a generous familial boost with The Pursuit of Happyness and The Karate Kid. Whether or not Jaden could make it on his own is an answer we may never know, but his lack of presence and overacting in After Earth suggest that perhaps Will needs to hold off on passing any torches.

Unfortunately, Jaden's lack of charisma is only one of many problems, as the droll, humorless sci-fi flick hits the ground running in mud and never fully escapes. Well, let's take that back, because there's a significant amount of laughs to be found trying to decipher the corny accents Will and Jaden are trying to put on. It's kind of like they were extras on the set of Downton Abbey, while other times it's like they're re-enacting scenes from The Help. Whatever those accents were, they're a distraction. The oddly-paced story opens with a brief flash of the coming disaster, when a space ship holding famous military leader Cypher Raige (Will Smith) and his son Kitai (Jaden), breaks to pieces upon entry into Earth. A flashback sets up that son is desperately walking in the father's shadow, unable to meet his high expectations. Cypher helped stop an alien incursion by the Ursa, creatures who feed off fear, so immediately we know to be prepared for plenty of Yoda-like Zen philosophy.

Hallucinations clue us in to just how deep the resentment is between Cypher and Kitai, with a past death in the family causing a rift. In a last ditch effort to reconnect, they go out on a journey together, leading to the crash-landing vessel. They land on Earth, 1000 years after the humans left it behind for a new home called Nova Prime. In that time the planet has become overrun with wild animals, flourishing without humans around to hunt them to extinction. But they are still dangerous, and the air unbreathable, making it a dangerous place to be trapped. With Cypher's legs shattered, it's up to Kitai to make the distant hike to retrieve a rescue beacon, and along the way learn how to stop being a wimp and learn to kick butt like dad. He'll also have to deal with a loose Ursa, waiting out in the wilds for an inevitable showdown.

Perennial punching bag M. Night Shyamalan is behind the camera for this one, but it remains free from his trademark twists and turns. While he does receiving a co-writing credit, the story belongs to Will Smith, so they perhaps share equally in its general lousiness. Shyamalan, whose recent ineptitude has been overstated by those who like to kick a director when he's down, actually puts out a solid, technical spectacle with grand imagery of raging waterfalls, vast jungles, and other imposing natural barriers. The creatures, most of which are digitally-recreated wild animals, are frequently threatening and occasionally majestic. The film looks good, but technical acumen have never been Shyamalan's weakness. Narrative momentum, on the other hand, has been an issue, and the film just feels flat from start to finish.

A major drawback is that the guy we really want to see is laid up in a space shuttle looking like someone just ran over his dog....or crushed his legs. It's just not all that exciting to watch Will talking to Jaden over a monitor screen for two excruciating hours; dispensing incomprehensible pearls of wisdom like "Recognize your power. This will be your creation". Yeah, what?  Jaden, who has had his father or the irresistible Jackie Chan to lean on in the past, is essentially on his own here. He's expected to carry most of the emotional and physical load, and while he handles himself capably when it comes to smacking down the feral creatures, he's not good for much else. There are flashes of his father's boundless charm and talent that peek through every now and then, especially during the rare occasions he cracks that famous Smith smile.

The stakes may be life-or-death, but the threat never rises above the level of the bullies in The Karate Kid. There's never any doubt of the outcome, and the simplified story leaves little room to make Kitai or Cypher compelling characters. Shyamalan emerges from this the best of all, although to say After Earth is more enjoyable than The Last Airbender is probably damning with faint praise.

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Jaden Smith battles monkeys and tigers in two 'After Earth' clips

One of the big questions surrounding the success of M. Night Shymalan's After Earth was whether audiences would be willing to show up for a film that seems to focus less on Will Smith and more on his son, Jaden. As the release date rapidly approaches, Sony has released a pair of clips that show how Will is going to be very much a part of the story, even as it's Jaden's character who undertakes the perilous journey at the heart of it.

Jaden is Kitai Raige, who must trek miles of treacherous territory to signal a rescue beacon and save his father Cypher Raige after their ship crash lands on a ruined, evacuated Earth. The first clip features Kitai in a fierce standoff against a bunch of angry monkeys, but we see that he's in close communication with Cypher, who can see everything that's going on and dispense information. There's an interesting dynamic at play in that Kitai may be trying to live up to his father's expectations, and that could get him in even greater trouble. The second clip appears to take place immediately after and involves a prowling tiger.

Frankly, these clips don't impress me much, and the idea of watching Jaden climb trees and run from zoo animals sounds incredibly dull. After Earth opens on May 31st.


After Earth Clip by Teaser-Trailer.com

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Will Smith eyes two new projects as 'After Earth' moves up a week

It's not often that news of three potential Will Smith films emerges in the span of a few days. The box office juggernaut is usually good for about one film a year, and often goes a few years without stepping in front of the camera. But he seems to be picking up the pace, as he recently agreed to star in the crime caper, Focus, and now has added two more potential projects to his slate. But first, there's been a little movement on his next film, the sci-fi flick After Earth.

Columbia Pictures has chosen to bump the M. Night Shyamalan-directed film up from June 7th to May 31st, where it will face stiff competition from illusionist thriller Now You See Me. After Earth pairs Will with his son Jaden in the story of a military commander and his kid who crash land on an Earth abandoned by humanity after an alien attack. It's up to the son to make a dangerous journey to signal a rescue beacon and save his father's life.

Where that film is the sort of popcorn flick Smith used to churn out on a regular basis, the next two projects are something else entirely. The first is The American Can, which Smith has been circling for more than four years. His Overbrook Productions shingle picked up the rights back in 2009 with plans for Smith to star, with John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) co-writing the script and directing. Hancock has since departed, although his draft remains, and for awhile Smith backed out with hopes of landing Denzel Washington for the lead. Now Smith is starring again, and reaching out to Ed Zwick (Love and Other Drugs) to direct.

The true story is actually pretty incredible, and puts Smith back in the familiar "hero" position. He'd play John Keller, an ex-Marine who, during the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans, manned a boat and rescued more than two hundred residents in the American Can building. Using his military training and resourcefulness, Keller was able to find food and help fend off looters until help arrived a few days later. Smith would like this to be his next film after Focus, but there is one more possibility on the table.

Smith is also considering The Accountant, which features a Black List script by Bill Dubuque about a government accountant who moonlights as an assassin. He had been interested in it before back when it was at Warner Bros. with Mel Gibson circling the director's chair, but now Sony has taken over and Smith is suddenly mulling it over again.

With a small role in Akiva Goldsman's Winter's Tale coming up, Smith could be on the verge of a prolific streak the likes of which we haven't seen since very early in his career.

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Two 'After Earth' international posters with Will and Jaden Smith

Seven years after Will Smith introduced us to his son Jaden in the $300M-grosing hit, The Pursuit of Happyness, the two are back at it again in a very different sort of film. After Earth has the father and son duo in the far-flung future, with Will as an injured military commander and Jaden as his son who must make a dangerous journey to save his life.  Two new international posters have been released for the film, which is directed by M. Night Shyamalan and hits theaters on June 7th.

The film largely deals with the son emerging out of his father's shadow and becoming his own man, a theme which has some resonance in the career of Jaden Smith, as well. With his father's help, he led The Karate Kid to whopping box office success, but are audiences ready to see him take the lead with Will as more of a background player? [Cine1]

PLOT: A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.

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Will and Jaden Smith are lost in space in first 'After Earth' trailer

Short of a small appearance at Comic-Con and an informative promo video, we haven't seen a lot from After Earth, the upcoming sci-fi film that sees Will and Jaden Smith teaming up with M. Night Shymalan. An intriguing combination, to be sure, as the director has hooked up with perhaps the one actor who can put him back in the public's good graces.

The first trailer for After Earth has been released, and the jury may still be out on this one. Set in the distant future where the planet has been devastated and the people escaped to Nova Prime, Will Smith plays legendary General Cypher Raige, who returns home from an extended tour of duty and ready to be a father to his estranged son, Kitai. An asteroid destroys their ship, forcing a crash landing on a dangerous and unfamiliar Earth, and with Cypher dying it's up to Kitai to make the dangerous journey to signal a rescue beacon.

The opening sequence, where Cypher and Kitai attempt to survive the brutal crash, is certainly riveting, but the somber tone that follows doesn't do much to inspire a lot of excitement.  Shymalan's strength has always been in visual effects, it's his scripts that always do him in, and he certainly seems to be in top form here as it looks absolutely stunning, especially during the flying sequences. There's a certain "passing the torch" element here as Jaden is going to be the focal point more than Will. Whether he can handle that in a picture this massive remains to be seen.

After Earth opens on June 7th 2013. Check out the trailer below....

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Promo video for Will Smith and M. Night Shyamalan's 'After Earth'

Sony didn't bother to have too much of a presence for After Earth at Comic-Con, but they didn't shut us out completely. I skipped their meager panel, but from what I heard it was a pretty good introduction to the alternate history timeline dreamed up by M. Night Shymalan, co-writer Gary Whitta(The Book of Eli), and star Will Smith. They then followed that up with this nifty little promo video, that walks us through a Facebook timeline leading up the heavy sci-fi story's events. Yes, in the future, Facebook still rules. And they apparently don't care we all think "timeline" sucks ass....



So basically everything revolves around the Raige clan, who are this influential family of soldiers. The film is set 1000 years after cataclysmic events have forced humanity off-planet and to Nova Prime. Will Smith plays the legendary General Cypher Raige, who returns home from an extended tour of duty and back with his estranged family. In particular he wants to be a father to his 13-year old son, Kitai, played by Jaden Smith.  When an asteroid storm destroys their craft, they crash land on an Earth that is now dangerous and unfamiliar. With Cypher dying, Kitai must trek the hostile terrain to recover their rescue beacon, and prove he can be a soldier just like his father.

Ok, so their names sound like something out of Dragonball Z, but this still seems like a pretty cool flick. The Last Airbender and The Happening not withstanding, he's a better director than many give him credit for. He's basically a victim of his own success, and people couldn't wait to jump on him once he stumbled. Making a surefire blockbuster with Will Smith is a good way to win people over again. After Earth opens on June 7th 2013. [Bleeding Cool]

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