Moviefone Editorial

Tag: black-mass

  • Johnny Depp Doesn’t Want to Win an Oscar

    "Black Mass" - Virgin Atlantic Gala - BFI London Film FestivalWe’ve heard it before from celebrated actors in Hollywood: Everyone from Bradley Cooper to Joaquin Phoenix has declared in recent years that they don’t want to win an Oscar. Now, a high-profile awards season favorite is also adding his name to that “no thanks” list.

    In an interview with BBC Newsbeat, Johnny Depp said he doesn’t care if he gets an Oscar nomination for his chilling portrayal of mobster Whitey Bulger in the flick “Black Mass.” In fact, Depp told the site, he doesn’t even want the award itself.

    “I don’t want to win one of those things ever, you know,” Depp explained of the Academy Awards, adding, “I don’t want to have to talk” if he wins.

    “They gave me one of those things, like a nomination, two or three times,” the actor told Newsbeat. “A nomination is plenty.”

    For the record, Depp has received three nominations of the years, each for a Best Actor statuette. Those nods came for 2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl,” 2004’s “Finding Neverland,” and 2007’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

    According to the actor, in addition to stage fright over delivering an acceptance speech, he has another, commonly-cited reason for not wanting to participate in cutthroat Oscar season.

    “The idea of winning means that you’re in competition with someone and I’m not in competition with anybody,” Depp said.

    Sounds pretty reasonable to us, though we can’t help but wonder how awesome a Depp Academy Award acceptance speech would be. We can always dream.

    [via: BBC Newsbeat]

    Photo credit: Getty Images for BFI

    %Slideshow-793%

  • Joel Edgerton on Johnny Depp’s ‘Weird’ Transformation in ‘Black Mass’

    The critics aren’t the only ones impressed by Johnny Depp’s performance in “Black Mass.” His costars were in awe of the Oscar-nominated star’s dramatic physical and emotional shift as gangster Whitey Bulger too.

    “Johnny was transformed into Jimmy and then he brought the transformation from the inside,” Joel Edgerton tells Made in Hollywood about starring opposite Depp in the biopic. Describing Depp as his childhood idol, Edgerton adds that it “was kind of like a weird thing” to see such a departure from his usual self.

    Dakota Johnson, who plays Bulger’s girlfriend, agrees. “He’s such a magnetic person anyway that when we’re filming he sort of does morph into a different person. It’s remarkable.”

    20067735

  • ‘Maze Runner’ Sequel Tops Johnny Depp’s ‘Black Mass’

    Jacob Lofland, Alex Flores and Dylan O'Brien in "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials"
    Jacob Lofland, Alex Flores and Dylan O’Brien in “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials”

    “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” found its way to the top of the box office, collecting $30 million to finish ahead of the Johnny Depp mob drama “Black Mass,” according to weekend estimates.

     

    The sequel to last year’s post-apocalyptic kids-in-peril tale “Maze Runner” likely will fall short of the $32.5 million the first movie generated but still scored a respectable haul for a youth-centered film opening in September after school started.

    “Black Mass,” based on the real story of Boston mobster Whitey Bulger, attracted rave reviews and heralded the comeback of Depp after several lackluster films, picking up a solid $23 million for second place.

    “Johnny Depp always swings for the fences, and sometimes he strikes out, but this was a grand slam,” Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. distribution executive vice president, tells Variety. “He’s the face of evil.”

    “The Perfect Guy” and “The Visit” were neck-and-neck for third place in their second week with about $10 million each, while “Everest” notched a surprise fifth-place finish on 3D IMAX and Premium Large Format screens with $7 million.

    20066817 20067735

     

     

  • Box Office: Did Moviegoers Get Lost on the Way to ‘Maze Runner’?

    This was supposed to be the big fall kickoff weekend at the multiplex. There was the sequel in a successful young-adult fantasy/sci-fi franchise and an A-lister starring in the first major Oscar hopeful of the season.

    But two surprising things happened: “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” opened with $30.3 million, less than its predecessor, and Johnny Depp‘s “Black Mass” did slightly better than expected — despite a “B” CinemaScore from audiences.

    Was everyone too busy watching football this weekend, or arguing in coffee shops about Thursday’s Republican presidential debate, or planning the last blowout barbecue before autumn officially arrives this week? Or was it just that, despite the hype, the studios by and large failed to make a compelling case for why people should come back to the theaters this weekend?

    Jake Gyllenhaal‘s “Everest” premiered in fifth place with an estimated $7.6 million, but that’s actually pretty good for a limited release that opened only on fewer than 550 screens and only in IMAX. Similarly, “Captive” opened down in tenth place with just an estimated $1.4 million, but that’s still decent for Christian-themed drama in wide release.

    Many experts expected all these movies to do a lot better. That they were disappointed may speak as much to faulty punditry — which has been giving wildly off-the-mark predictions for months now — as it does to audience apathy. Still, there are some lessons here regarding why these movies didn’t do better.

    Reviews Matter More to Younger Viewers Than You Think

    And that may have been “Scorch Trials’” big problem. Critics didn’t think much of the second installment, judging by a 49 percent fresh score at Rotten Tomatoes. Those weak reviews are not a knee-jerk response to the genre, since critics have been fairly kind to the “Hunger Games” movies, as well as the first “Maze Runner” last fall. So even though young viewers supposedly don’t pay attention to reviews, they didn’t seem to ignore them this time. Conversely…
    Word-of-mouth May Matter More to Older viewers Than You Think

    “Black Mass” actually got strong-ish reviews (76 percent fresh at Rotten Tomatoes), with many critics expressing admiration for Johnny Depp’s performance as real-life Boston mob boss Whitey Bulger, seeing it as a return to form after a number of flops. Normally, that would have been enough to persuade the older ticketbuyers who come out for Oscar-hopeful movies in the fall, and who still take reviews seriously.

    But viewers didn’t like the movie as much as critics did, giving it a so-so B grade (Anecdotal chatter suggests that some viewers were put off by Depp’s old-age make-up and his effort at a Boston accent.) By the way, “Scorch Trials” got a slightly higher B+ grade, but that word-of-mouth wasn’t enough to keep it from premiering with about $2 million less than last year’s initial installment.

    Do Religious Movies Have a Saturation Point?

    If so, then apparently three such films in the multiplex at once is one too many. Maybe that’s why “Captive” hasn’t been the hit that “War Room” has (in its fourth weekend, “War Room” was still earning an estimated $6.3 million, good for sixth place and a total of $49.1 million to date) or even that “90 Minutes in Heaven” has (it’s No. 12 this weekend, with an estimated $1.0 million and a two-week total of $3.7 million).

    Pundits were expecting “Captive” to open at $3 to $7 million — it has two fairly recognizable stars (David Oyelowo and Kate Mara), it has a plot centering on a true story based on Rick Warren’s spiritual bestseller “The Purpose-Driven Life,” and Paramount marketed it by staging “Purpose”-themed screenings for church groups. Then again, “90 Minutes” also has two fairly recognizable stars (Kate Bosworth and Hayden Christensen) and still hasn’t done as well as “War Room,” which doesn’t have any. Either the Christian moviegoing audience isn’t big enough (or free-spending enough) to support three such movies at once, or else it will only support those movies it finds most compelling, star power or no star power.

    People Will Come See Spectacle, if It’s Well-Executed
    That seems to be the case with “Everest,” the true story of the 1996 Himalayan mountaineering disaster. The movie, which had a successful limited release this weekend, features a cast that includes Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley, Robin Wright, Josh Brolin, and Jason Clarke. But it’s the awe-inspiring visuals, rather than the acting, that have been the focus of buzz surrounding the film.

    No wonder Universal chose to release it at first only on 545 screens, all of them IMAX and large format 3D. The result, thanks to smart marketing and the surcharges, was a $13,872 average per screen, nearly twice what “Scorch Trials” and “Black Mass” averaged. No doubt the word-of-mouth from those awed viewers will help sell the movie when it opens wide next week on standard screens.

    It’s a clever strategy, one pioneered successfully by “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” in 2011. And we’ll be seeing more of it soon, when TriStar debuts aerialist spectacle “The Walk” on specialty formats at the end of September, before expanding wide a week later. It’s a nice reminder that people can still be lured away from their living rooms and smartphone screens to see something novel that they can only experience in a theater.

  • Quiz: Which Johnny Depp Character Are You?

    Is there anything Johnny Depp can’t do? (Other than get people to see “Mortdecai?”)

    For the better part of three decades, Depp has made a career out of playing a crazy-wide range of engaging characters. He’s done everything from a ’50s greaser prone to breaking out into song, to a pale-faced man with scissorhands and a knack for grooming.

    When he’s not making every other Tim Burton movie, he tries his hand at more “Serious” fare — think “Donnie Brasco,” “Finding Neverland” or his latest film, the crime bio-pic “Black Mass.” Oh, and don’t forget Captain Jack.

    Depp’s bench of memorable characters is crazy deep — so which one best suits you? That’s your cue to take our quiz and find out.

  • The Real Whitey Bulger Disses Johnny Depp in ‘Black Mass’

    James “Whitey” Bulger is a notorious South Boston mobster, but he sounds like a high-maintenance diva when it comes to his own portrayal in “Black Mass.” You’d think having Johnny Depp play you in a movie would be flattering, especially when you’re a criminal who doesn’t really deserve to be embodied by an A-list heartthrob.

    Bulger, 86, didn’t communicate with Depp, and apparently he has no plans to see the film, even if they show it in his Florida prison. But he’s still bashing “Black Mass” and its star, via his defense lawyer, with a bizarre amount of self-righteous indignation. And even though Johnny Depp said he aimed to portray White Bulger “as a human being” with “a kind heart” in addition to a cold one, he’s not going to get any thank you cards from the real-life subject.

    Bulger’s defense attorney spoke for the gangster, telling People:

    Johnny Depp might as well have been playing the Mad Hatter all over again as far as James Bulger is concerned. Hollywood greed is behind the rush to portray my client, and the movie missed the real scourge created in my client’s case, the real menace to Boston during that time and in other mob cases around the country – the federal government’s complicity in each and every one of those murders with the top echelon informant program.”

    Yes, poor Whitey Bulger was just a victim and greedy Hollywood and government officials are the real villains. (Maybe Whitey was just hoping that Leonardo DiCaprio would play him.)

    “Black Mass” opens today, September 18.

    Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.
    %Slideshow-320526%

  • Peter Sarsgaard on ‘Icy’ Gangster Whitey Bulger

    Ruthless gangster Whitey Bulger’s icy blue eyes aren’t the only things that are haunting about the notorious murderer—he’s got a stone cold presence too.

    “You get to see this guy—he has this ice going,” Peter Sarsgaard tells Made in Hollywood of the gangster played by his costar Johnny Depp in “Black Mass.” “I really think it’s the only way he could’ve gotten away with doing it so long.”

    Sarsgaard portrays Brian Halloran, who was murdered in 1982 by Bulger.

    “People had to be afraid— even people who turned him in had to be afraid,” Sarsgaard adds. “Fear is the operating principle.”

    In the biopic, Depp makes a transformative appearance as Bulger, a balding, mobster who is now incarcerated for life on charges connected to 19 murders, among other crimes.

    20067735

  • How Dakota Johnson Pulled Off that Baaahhston Accent

    Dakota Johnson was under a lot of pressure to nail a convincingly wicked kewl Boston accent.

    To pull off Beantown’s authentic sound for her role as Whitey Bulger’s girlfriend in “Black Mass” – playing opposite Johnny Depp – the Austin, Texas native tells Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” Wednesday that it was a matter of life or death.

    “If you mess it up, [Boston natives] might kill ya,” the “Fifty Shades of Grey” star jokingly admits.

    Not keen on upsetting Bostonians, Johnson says she practiced with a dialect couch and mingled with the locals. “I have a thing with eavesdropping,” she tells Fallon. “If I was at a restaurant or places, I would just listen to the accent and practice.”

    Naturally, the game-loving late-night host puts her ear and tongue to the test with a challenge on worldwide accents, from French to Australian – and she hits the accents out of the pawk.

    In the biopic, hunky Depp makes a transformative appearance as Whitey Bulger, a balding, blue-eyed mobster turned FBI informant. Presently Bulger is now incarcerated for life on charges connected to 19 murders, among other crimes.

    “It’s about Whitey Bulger,” she explains, “who made an alliance with the FBI to bring down the Italians in Boston and also he did a lot of terrible things.”

    “Black Mass” opens Friday.

    20067735

  • 12 Actors Who Look So Much Like Their Biopic Characters It’s Scary

    %Slideshow-320526%
    “Black Mass” is the latest true crime story to get the biopic treatment.

    Johnny Depp plays the infamous Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger, and in doing so, goes full Method for the part. Depp joins Hollywood’s long list of actors who physically transformed themselves to mirror the real-life subject as much as possible. Some more so than others. (And we’re loving Depp rocking contact lenses so blue that they make the Lycans from “Underworld” blush.)

    In honor of “Black Mass” hitting theaters this weekend, here are 12 actors who look so much like their biopic counterparts it’s kinda scary.

  • The 16 Best True-Crime Movies, Ranked

    %Slideshow-319062%
    Sure, they may be a bunch of lowlifes, thieves, and murderers, but we owe the criminals who inspired our favorite true-crime movies a twisted debt of gratitude. After all, it was the true-crime genre that kicked off a revolution in American filmmaking half a century ago that continues to this day.

    And now the genre is giving us Johnny Depp, after several years of silly and bizarre performances, in a real acting workout as the terrifying Whitey Bulger, the real-life Boston mob boss he plays in the new “Black Mass” (opening September 18). In honor of that thriller’s release, here are 16 of the best feature films that have turned real-life crimes into grand, exhilarating dramas.