The

Hot List 2013

This month we reveal our list of the hottest Male and Female actors working right now!

April 2013
Pacific Rim Oblivion

We discuss why we expect We take a look at the new Guillermo Del Toros sci-fi drama starring Tom massive monsters vs Cruise, from the director of robots film to be a flop TRON: Legacy

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Reviews
The reviews section is back this month, with Oz, Robot and Frank and Identity Thief!

The first edition of our new feature Reasons to be Cheerful focuses on the upcoming action sequel.

Welcome to Movie Taco!

What is the Movie Taco Hot List? Well, we realised that the cover stars weve had recently were all male (Martin Freeman, Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr) and were all from major blockbusters. So, we decided to dedicate a whole issue to, not a film, but people. Very attractive people. On the cover this month is Kristen Stewart, Anne Hathaway, Emma Stone and Chris Hemsworth. The reason for the 3:1 ratio is the lack of females on the cover lately. Inside the issue is a bunch of other hot people, such as Amanda Seyfried, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. Also in this months Taco is exclusive features on Pacific Rim, Oblivion and GI Joe 2

G.I. JOE: RETALIATION- REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

Welcome to the first in a new series of features where we take a reasonably daunting upcoming event (a new film, show, book, album) and give you some reasons to not be so worried about it! This time, we look at all the positive things about the much-delayed G.I. Joe: Retaliation , which opens on March 27. This film was originally supposed to be released on June 29 last year. When it was delayed for 3D remastering (we all know it was to add more Channing Tatum), Universals fantastic comedy Ted was pulled forward from its mid-July date to fill the spot. Due to this, Ted was able to avoid the mad July traffic and made hundreds of millions of dollars. Woo-Hoo!

The Rock is in it, and who doesnt love him? When he started acting in films, back with The Mummy 3, he was pretty awful, and everyone expected that he wouldnt continue for very long, but over the years hes worked his way up, and stuck with his acting through good times (Fast Five, Race to Witch Mountain) and bad (Doom, Tooth Fairy, Be Cool). His character in Retaliation looks almost identical to his character in the Fast films, which he will of course be reprising to fans delight in the upcoming sixth installment of that endlessly improving franchise Bruce Willis is in it, and for once, we wont get annoyed when he does his stupid shtick of shooting foreigners, swearing and twitching his eyebrows, which weve had to tolerate through recent projects Looper, Fire With Fire and A Good Day to Die Hard. As we saw in Wes Andersons spectacular Moonrise Kingdom, the man can still act really well in dramatic and comedic roles, so well forgive whatever else he does.

I have a small set of core, cinema-related values, and one of them is that if Christopher Eccleston is in a film, I wont like it. He was by far the worst Doctor Who ever, and is probably the single most uncharismatic, uninteresting, annoying and boring actor working

in Hollywood today (that is, when he can get work). His presence in the first GI Joe film caused me to hate it desperately, and so his absence from this one is welcomed with open arms! However, he is in the upcoming Thor 2, which I am highly anticipating, and im praying that my rule will be broken just one time!

Another terrible actor who appeared in the first GI Joe film is Sienna Miller, who also doesnt appear here. What was she filming instead? Oh yeah, nothing!

REVIEWS

Oz The Great and Powerful

It says an awful lot about todays cinemagoing audiences that when Sam Raimi, director of the Spider-Man trilogy- three of the highest-grossing films of the 2000s, has a new, family-oriented film out, his name isnt even on the poster! Instead is the sentence- From the creators of Alice in Wonderland. Firstly, Lewis Carroll created Alice, not Disney, Secondly, as you will know if you read my reviews regularly, I despise Tim Burtons 2010 adaptation of Carrolls book. It is clichridden, boring, ugly, unfunny and completely studio-controlled. Therefore, I was worried that this new prequel to The Wizard of Oz would fall into the same hole. I am delighted to report that this is not the case. Oz takes everything that was wrong with Alice and makes it OK. For example, the cute little creatures that appear for two minutes and then become irrelevant are actually cute and fun to watch, unlike in Alice, when they were loud and irritating. This film knows who its lead is, unlike Alice, which switched between treating Mia Waschiowskas Alice and Johnny Depps Mad Hatter as the main character. This films lead, James Franco, looks pretty inexperienced in this sort of film, despite his large role in the Spider-Man films. At the start of the film, his character Oscar is a selfish, scheming fair magician who fails to explain to a child in a wheelchair why he cant magically make her walk. In true Wizard fashion, this girl is portrayed as a delicate china doll once Oscar reaches Oz. His assistant in Kansas, played by Zach Braff, turns up as Finley, an adorable and witty flying monkey (not one of the evil ones, mind you, although we really never get an explanation as to why he isnt evil). Another charming homage to the original film you will have seen in the trailer, as the film begins in 4:3, black and white, stereo sound. Once Oscar reaches Oz, the screen stretches out (the most beautiful cinema effect of 2013, I will say) to widescreen, colour arrives, the sound becomes mono and the 3D is amped up (the modern day equivalent of colour, as a cinematic gimmick). Im not a very big fan of 3D in general, and in recent years I have been disappointment by the underwhelming use of it in The Amazing Spider-Man and Men in Black 3, but I can safely say, having experienced the full-throttle version of Oz, that Disney have the best 3D. From Alice to Toy Story 3 to Tron: Legacy, I always get a pleasant surprise with the mousehouses use of the effect, and im pretty sad that it wont be used in the upcoming Lone Ranger. The scene when Oscar is caught in a storm identical to the one in Wizard, and little particles are floating around him, moving outside the 4:3 perimeter is one of the best uses of 3D I have ever seen. The first 2/3 of the film are incredibly enjoyable, and its only when the witches start to play a more prominent role that it gets a bit tedious. The secondary plot involving one of the three witches (Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams) transformation into the green skinned Wicked we know and love is uninteresting and purely in the film to fill out the ridiculous 130minute running time! At least Alice was short! The concluding face-off between the witch and Oscar pays beautiful homage to the original film, as does the whole experience. The story is very oldfashioned, but sometimes its nice to see a good, old-fashioned blockbuster. The visuals are stunning and the actors all do their best. Oz The Great and Powerful is flawed, but its still an extremely fun film for the family!

Identity Thief

Jason Bateman has, for many years, been cast in leading roles in unsuccessful, fairly mediocre comedy films. Its unfortunate, as the Arrested Development star is a very charming, and very funny man, and if he had a sitcom to himself, he would have a much larger fanbase. Identity Thief sees him reunite with his Horrible Bosses (an underrated gem with hilarious performances from Colin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston) director Seth Gordon, and face off against Oscar-nominee Melissa McCarthy, as a mastermind criminal who steals his name (Sandy Bigelow Patterson) and information, spending the money from his credit-cards and committing felonies under his name. At time of writing (March 3), this is the highest grossing film of 2013 in the US, and the first to cross $100m. This is clearly due to McCarthys unpredictably large breakout in 2011, when she stole the show from Kristen Wiig in the hugely successful comedy Bridesmaids, a role that gave her that aforementioned Oscar nomination, and an absolutely massive fanbase. The word of mouth on her performance in Identity Thief has not been one tenth as strong as that for Bridesmaids, but for once, that has worked in the films favour. After critic Rex Reed called her tractor-sized, a screeching, humongous creep and a female hippo, the world responded by going out in droves to support McCarthy and the film. I think Reeds comments were hateful and disgusting, and are purely coming from the mouth of a miserable, attention-seeking old fool. I kept these thoughts in mind as I watched Identity Thief, and they did make me warm towards McCarthys character slightly more, even when she is acting horribly and violently towards the instantly likeable Bateman. The film is filled with more cameos than the Oscars, from Modern Familys Eric Stonestreet, brilliant as always as a homophobic whipwielding Southerner, to Robert Patrick, Genesis Rodriguez and T.I as the films true villains. Unfortunately, these familiar faces dont help the incredibly weak script, which lets down all the actors involved. There are few jokes to be had, and the scenes of McCarthy singing along to driving songs are so unfunny its painful to watch. The films few moments of humor come from the physical comedy, such as when a snake attacks Bateman around the neck and McCarthy starts hitting him with a flaming stick. The main source of entertainment in the film comes from the action, and there are more car chases than in a Batman film! Identity Thief is an ambitious and, at times, very entertaining road-trip comedy, but fails to be funny and is let down by a weak script.


Robot and Frank is the kind of small, charming comedy-drama that only comes around once every few months (or sometimes years). The most recent example of this type of film was the Duplass brothers extremely quirky Jeff Who Lives At Home, which, like Frank, also featured Susan Sarandon in a minor role! This film sees retired jewel thief Frank (played beautifully and subtly by Frank Langella) given a helpful robot assistant by his son Hunter (James Marsden), who is worried about his fathers signs of memory loss. At first, Frank hates the robot, but soon they become close friends and partners in crime, committing a robbery on the house of a smarmy libraryrenovator. There are small but pleasant appearances from Sarandon and Liv Tyler as Franks ex-wife (he only realises that she is towards the end) and daughter. The plot goes a bit clichd and boring about 3/4 of the way through, and the ending lets down the film a small bit, but it is a small and engaging cinematic experience that will open your mind in more ways than one!

Robot and Frank

WAR OF THE WORLD

Guillermo Del Toro has made a name for himself producing low-budget, high-grossing horror movies directed at scare-seeking teenagers. He has, of course, also directed some excellent films, including the critically acclaimed Pans Labyrinth and the Hellboy films. His new film as a director is both an inspired and a surprising choice for the Spaniard who was formerly attached to direct The Hobbit: a massive robots vs monsters sci-fi spectacular, and the only blockbuster hitting theatres on the Big Mid-July weekend that Warner Brothers has occupied with Potter and Batman films for the past decade or so. It has no major stars, unless you count SNLs Charlie Day or Prometheus Idris Elba, and basically looks to be a massive flop. Why? Because, as has been proven by such recent disasters as John Carter, for a non-sequel film to be a success, it must

have at least two of three components: A major star (Depp, Smith, Cruise, Sandler), a major director (Nolan, Spielberg, Cameron, Bay) or a built-in fanbase from a book or comic franchise. Pacific Rim has none of these three things. Sure, you could argue for Del Toro, but ranks behind Gus Van Sant on the highest grossing directors list: not a good sign for the man put in charge of Warners biggest summer tentpole!

HE IS LEGEND
Tom Cruise has had more attempted comebacks in recent years than any other actor in history. After a few years off the big screen, and a number of personal life controversies, he returned in 2010 with the extremely mediocre thriller Knight and Day, co-starring Cameron Diaz. That film flopped terribly, and he had no choice but to return to the franchise that has treated him the best: Mission Impossible. Brad Bird (The Incredibles) directed Ghost Protocol, released in 2011, which was absolutely excellent, and one of the best action films of the 21st century so far. Cruise followed that up with the terrible Jack Reacher this past December, which also flopped at the box office, so Oblivion is his last chance at a proper box office comeback with an original film. The film is directed by Joseph Kosinski, who helmed the disappointing Tron: Legacy, an attempt at cashing in on effects that could make Jeff Bridges look like he did in the 80s. The film was reasonably successful, and a sequel is being planned by Disney, but left fans looking for a story with more depth, and a film with better actors. Oblivion is a similar film to that in the sense that they are both semi-dystopian sci-fi films, Oblivion being 100% dystopian, and following the same format as The Road, The Book of Eli and, of course, I Am Legend, Francis Lawrences 2007 hit starring Will Smith as the last man on Earth. In Oblivion, Cruises character Jack thinks hes the last man on earth, but is very wrong indeed. He discovers very dark secrets about whats left of the planet, and bumps into Morgan Freeman and Olga Kurylenko along the way. Will Oblivion be the film to bring Tom Cruise back into the fold? Well have to wait to find out. OBLIVION IS IN CINEMAS FROM MID-APRIL AND WILL BE REVIEWED IN A FUTURE ISSUE OF MOVIE TACO MAGAZINE.

THE HOT LIST 2013

THE HUNGER GAMERS

JENNIFER LAWRENCE is one of the biggest stars in the world right now, with a major franchise in her hands, and an Oscar win under her belt, she has both a large fan-base and acting credibility! LIAM HEMSWORTH hasnt been as successful post-HG as Lawrence, but his brother is Thor and he married Miley Cyrus!

 CHRIS HEMSWORTH: KIRK SENIOR

THE TREKKIES

CHRIS PINE: JAMES T KIRK

ZACHARY QUINTO: SPOCK

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH: JOHN HARRISON

Yes, EMMA WATSON isnt one of our favourite actors, but she is a charming young lady who can pull off a great smile! EMILY BLUNT, meanwhile, is a fabulous actress, who showed off her skills, both comic and dramatic, in 2012, with roles in Looper, The Five Year Engagement and the low- budget Your Sisters Sister

Before ZOOEY DESCHANNEL joined the awful sitcom New Girl, she was one of the funniest comedy actresses working. She hasnt lost her charm, but needs to return to making good indie rom- coms like (500) Days of Summer.

Over the past few years, AMANDA SEYFRIED has proven herself as one of Hollywoods most worthy stars, and has given brilliant performances in a wide variety of films. She wrapped up 2012 with an appearance in Les Mis, and this year will see her play Linda Lovelace!

TOM HIDDLESTON AND RYAN REYNOLDS

MILA KUNIS

RACHEL WEISZ

JAMES FRANCO & MICHELLE WILLIAMS

COBIE SMULDERS
The Canadian star of How I Met Your Mother had a brilliant year, appearing in The Avengers as Maria Hill, and as HIMYM draws to a close, she should be getting much more calls for film auditions! FOR MORE ON HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, CHECK OUT THE JUNE 2013 ISSUE OF MOVIE TACO- COMING SOON!

Without ANNE HATHAWAY, this list might as well not exist. She won an Oscar this year for her work in Les Misrables. She should have won another for her incredible performance in The Dark Knight Rises.

TWILIGHTERS
Yes, we know Robsten had a turbulent year in their relationship, but their acting year was wonderful, and theyre both so pretty!

Yes, we know TAYLOR SWIFT isnt much of an actress, but she is so hot, we had to include her just for her voice work in The Lorax!

EMMA STONE
Stone has undoubtedly been the biggest breakout film star of the 2010s, with brilliant performances in a wide variety of films, including Easy A, The Help, The Amazing Spider-Man and Gangster Squad. She looks amazing whether shes got red or blonde hair, and is always hilarious and charming.

NEXT MONTH THE MUST-HAVE ISSUE OF 2013

For those of you who were wondering when Zack Snyders upcoming Man of Steel would make it onto our cover, we can safely tell you that that time is NEXT MONTH! Yes, we have this beautiful image of Henry Cavill as Superman on the cover (which folds out really big, see!), as well as massive exclusives on wait for it. Star Trek Into Darkness, Fast and Furious Six, Despicable Me 2, The Smurfs 2, The Hangover Part III, The Lone Ranger, This is the End, Kick-Ass 2, The Worlds End and much more! Also, youll be able to read our review of Iron Man 3, and, oh yeah, theres going to be a very special, once off Man of Steel-related thing which we cant even mention! Movie Taco: May is out in April.