Twins: Iceman is a Multiple Man

While we're in Gemini, we're celebrating twins each day at 2:22 pm

Whatever happened to the X-Men franchise's young Shawn Ashmore? He played Iceman in three X-Films from 2000 through 2006 though the character essentially peaked in 2003 in the franchise's single best film (Bryan Singer's X2: X-Men United) where he proved a key player. About four years ago he and his twin brother Aaron Ashmore (also an actor, most famous for playing Smallville's Jimmy Olsen) were still getting press but you don't hear much about either of them these days.

They're both still acting, Shawn still (mostly) in the movies though its low budget horror instead of big budget Hollywood franchises and Aaron (one minute older) still in television where he hops from shortlived series regular gig to series regular gig post Smallville. At 31 years of age neither are as famous as they once were. Those superhero franchises help, whether they're part of the Marvel or DC universes. Hollywood's a difficult place to maintain a career, let alone grow one. More after the jump...

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Pfeiffer Pfridays. Should We Salivate Over "Malavita"?

It was recently announced that the one and only Michelle Pfeiffer is considering a substantial role in the new crime drama Malavita as the matriarch of a mafia family (Robert DeNiro plays the patriach) under witness protection who begin to act out in old violent ways. The film is based on the book "Badfellas" and it leans toward black comedy. The last time Pfeiffer was Married to the Mob, she was brilliant (and Golden Globe nom'ed) and the movie was delightful even in the non-Pfeiffer scenes. Is it wrong that I started to hyperventilate at the notion of Malavita, despite "Robert DeNiro" not doing anything at all for me onscreen since 1997?

Malavita will be directed by Luc Besson and while his films aren't exactly "performance showcases" in the 'actors' movie' sense nor particularly skilled with their comedy elements, he has delivered movies with memorably dangerous female star turns (think Natalie Portman in The Professional, Anne Parillaud in La Femme Nikita, and Milla Jovovich in The Fifth Element). So sign on the dotted line, diva. Make that movie!

Bruce Wayne: You've got a bit of a dark side, don't you?
Selina Kyle: No darker than yours, Bruce.  

If the sight of Pfeiffer blowing enchanted attackers to smithereens with a shotgun in Dark Shadows didn't make you smile a little than we can't be friends; Pfeiffer is always most thrilling when she plays a bad girl.

<-- Just after reading the news I was catching up with Mad Men --holy smokes that episode! -- and while scrolling through the commercials this very welcome image appeared (courtesy of People Like Us).

Everytime La Pfeiffer threatens to return to us I remember that she's very skittish about her fame and you never know if she'll vanish again for another 3-5 years. But does this recent burst of activity (New Year's Eve, People Like Us, and Dark Shadows all in a seven month stretch!) suggest that she wants it again? You have to want it and I always hope she'll get hungry again. The internet has been tossing around her name around (along with dozens of other under-employed mature actresses) as ideal casting to play the crazy long-missing mother of Emily Van Camp on Revenge which is a great great soap --holy smokes that finale! --  populated by chilly bad girls. Pfeiffer herself has expressed a love for the quality television of this era but despite the multi-orgasmic notion of watching Pfeiffer throw down with the resurgent delicious Madeleine Stowe, I'm hoping she doesn't actually do any TV. She's one of the great female movie stars who hasn't really gone there post fame. If she ever decides to act full time again, the big screen totally deserves and needs her.

• would you like to see Pfeiffer married to the mob again?
• did she thrill you in Dark Shadows?
• and, sort of Off Topic, who would you die to see as Emily's insane (we hope) mother on Revenge?

Beauty Break: The Best of Colin Farrell

Colin Farrell turned 36 years hot today and after a tumultuous career that saw him win major celebrity status well in advance of anyong seeing his actual Acting, he finally seems to have settled into life as a reasonably famous, reasonably scandal-free (unlike before), well employed and consistently delivering screen presence in films both big and small.

Photographed by Tom Munro

The two things he doesn't totally have yet are a reputation as a great actor (though he's certainly a good one) or a bankable star. He'll take another shot at both of those missing ingredients this year with Seven Psychopaths (which reunites him with writer/director Martin McDonagh who yanked an Oscar-nom worthy performance out of him in In Bruges) and the sci-fi remake Total Recall (in the Arnold Schwarzenegger role).

Regarding the latter, the last time the Irish actor headlined an 80s remake audiences ignored him. Will he fare better this time? We'll find out in August almost exactly a year after Fright Night bowed and was promptly staked.

Five Favorite Farrells and Five Favorite Fotos after the jump...

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May. It's a Wrap

For reasons beyond my control, May was a tremendously difficult month and the least active in The Film Experience's long history of daily postings. But it wasn't without highlights. If you've been drifting away, [cue Keira's chokey Atonement voice] "come back..." because June will be hopping.

Ten Highlights from the Month... 

Cast out your inner monster!

Annette Bening as Myra Langtry Still on the Grift
Tilda, Candied still the most peerlessly iconoclastic actress
Thoughts I Had... while staring at Tom Cruise's W Cover
The Exorcist and Nothingness Beau's fascinating guest post

Maleficent Now with more... Mike Leigh?
Tennis in the Movies - a top ten list 
Raise the Red Lantern - my favorite installment of this month's "Best Shots" 
Smash - that "bombshell" finale 

Most Eyeballs: The Avengers Reviewed.
Most Discussed: "Goodbye Dad." Thanks for all your support out there in the dark. 

COMING IN JUNE: Witches of Eastwick week for its 25th anniversary, the completion of the 2011 Film Bitch Awards (I know I know), Updated Oscar Predictions (very soon), Gina Gershon, Beasts of the Southern Wild, The next Reader Ranking project, Pixar's Brave, The Parent Trap and Dead Ringers and other twin movies, Prometheus, Snow White and the Hunstman, Ally Sheedy, True Blood Season 5, and the premiere of something I've been cooking up forever called "Actressland".

And finally, I'll take it all off for Male Strippers Magic Mike week (Kidding! This isn't horror month.) 

What are your plans for June? Other than visiting The Film Experience thrice a day. That goes without saying, duh.

Twins: Isabella & Isotta Ingrid

We're celebrating twins while we're in Gemini

Did you know that Isabella Rossellini had a twin sister? They aren't identical but she does. The legendary screen goddess Ingrid Bergman had four children, the first Pia arrived with her first marriage to Peter Lindstrom. After her scandalous affair with Italian director Roberto Rossellini (which sank her career in the US for a good long while -- her third Oscar was seen, to some extent, as Hollywood's forgiveness) she moved to Italy, and had son Roberto Rossellini folllowed by daughters Isabella and Isotta Ingrid.

The Rossellini kids in 1959: Isabella, Roberto and Isotta Ingrid

Do you think Isotta Ingrid is as fascinated by animal sex* (Green Porno forever!) as her sister Isabella? Well, Isotta is in Academia, so... maybe.  

a more recent picture of the twins and more after the jump.

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