BUTLER IN LINE FOR BIG RAZZIE

http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/138619116

BUTLER IN LINE FOR BIG RAZZIE ; Scots star set to join roll of shame
By Paul O'Hare

SCOTS star Gerald Butler is among the favourites to pick up a Hollywood award - for film flops.

The Paisley-born star could be set to join Madonna and Sylvester Stallone as a winner of a Golden Raspberry, thanks to three films which received poor reviews.

Butler, 40, played a sexist TV presenter in the romantic comedy The Ugly Truth, a killer trapped inside an online computer game in Gamer and a vigilante dad in Law Abiding Citizen.

Razzies organiser John Wilson said: "I would say he has at least a 50-50 chance.

"We list however many crappy movies they make in one year and Gerard Butler has three titles."

Wilson said ballot papers for the ceremony, which is held before the Oscars, will be sent out next month.

He added: "We have throughout the year compiled a list of what is likely and he will be listed as a possible worst actor. Multiple titles do catch the attention of our voters."

As a producer on Law Abiding Citizen, Butler could be in line for worst film while he could also be in contention for the worst couple for The Ugly Truth alongside Katherine Heigl.

One reviewer said his vigilante dad in Law Abiding Citizen was "as threatening as a plate of sprouts".

Another said the lame sex jokes inThe UglyTruth were"the comedic equivalent of erectile dysfunction". And in Game, Butler was said to "exude less charisma than porridge".

Wilson hopes Butler will follow in the footsteps of stars such as Halle Berry and attend the awards.

He said: "He certainly seems to have a sense of humour about himself.

"He hosted Saturday Night Live here in America. He seemed to have a lot of fun."

A similar article from The Sun.


http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/2760553/Gerard-Butler-receives-three-nominations-for-The-Golden-Raspberries.html


MOVIE hunk Gerard Butler is a front-runner for a top Hollywood award... for BAD acting.
The 40-year-old Scot is being tipped to bag a gong at the The Golden Raspberries after critics panned his last three movies.

The awards, also known as the Razzies, single out the worst films and performances of the year.

And Gerard could join a host of other big names on Hollywood's roll of shame including Madonna, Sylvester Stallone and Paris Hilton.

John Wilson, organiser of the Razzies, which are decided on the votes of hundreds of showbiz insiders, critics and ordinary film fans in 20 countries, said: "I would say he has at least a 50-50 chance.

"We list however many crappy movies they made in one year and Gerard Butler has three titles.

"We are sending out our ballots in early January.

"We have, throughout the year, compiled a list of what is likely, and he will be listed on the nominating ballot as a possible worst actor.

"Multiple titles do catch the attention of our voters."

First up is THE UGLY TRUTH, where Gerard played a sexist morning TV presenter who thinks he knows what makes men and women tick.

He starred alongside Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl and admitted he was distracted by his co-star.

He said: "I kept forgetting my lines. Katie is such a charismatic woman.

"Every time I had to play with her hair for a shot, I got so nervous. Once I grabbed her breast by accident."

Critics picked up on the couple's lack of on-screen chemistry and slated the movie as a romantic comedy - without the romance or the comedy.

Butler then swapped swords for machine guns in GAMER where he played Kable, a man forced to fight in a real-life online game.


It's been branded a "dire sci-fi action flick" in which prisoners try to win their freedom by becoming characters in a computer game.

Gerard, from Paisley, starred alongside supermodel Amber Valletta but the glam pairing wasn't enough to save this dire movie.

It took £642,000 when it opened at the box office in September and critics trashed it labelling it a poor imitation of a computer game.

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN is Gerard's latest movie, which he also produced.

It took almost £1.5million when it opened.

Gerard plays a family man in the vigilante flick - which also stars Jamie Foxx - whose wife and daughter are butchered, forcing him to take the law into his own hands.

Despite its success at the box office, the movie was panned for its gory scenes, "laughable content" and silly ending.

But it's not just 2009's offerings that have offended critics.

Guy Ritchie's gangster caper ROCKnROLLA was packed with Hollywood talent.

Gerard starred alongside Oscar-nominated Tom Wilkinson, Bafta-winner Thandie Newton, The Wire hunk Idris Elba and Bond girl Gemma Arterton - but the 2008 flick still flopped.

Gerard played the title role in the film adaptation of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA after being chosen for his rugged good looks by director Joel Schumacher - but again he failed to impress the critics.

One blasted: "I could probably spend the rest of my life attempting to figure out why Gerard Butler got cast in this film.

"It was rumoured that Antonio Banderas was considered to play the Phantom. I dreaded that rumour. Now I wish they'd used him."

And Butler was panned for his dodgy Irish accent in tear-jerker chick flick PS I LOVE YOU.

One reviewer blasted: "PS I Love You is set to get them cringing in the aisles.

"Thanks to Butler it's the most appalling accent ever."

You know, just because a movie doesn't make a lot of money, doesn't always mean it's a flop. How many independent movies make no money at all, and yet no one really says they are flops. Some of the most critically acclaimed movies don't make a lot of money, and all those big summer blockbusters make loads of money, yet some aren't really that good. But they get away with it because they make money.

I get the rant about the PSILY accent, because I cringed too. Just let the poor guy be Scottish, for heaven's sake.

Did Rocknrolla really flop? I thought it was really good, saw it a few times. It got good reviews and seemed to do well, despite the time it was released.

LAC did well. Mixed reviews, but it made money.

I know I'm going to get knifed for this, but G isn't a great actor, or the things he's had to do, haven't showed the best he can do. He's an entertaining & sexy actor, and can draw an audience and fans through emotions, sexy scenes, and his accent.

Sorry, if POTO was made with Antonio, I probably never would have watched it. I know he can sing, and act sexy, but it wouldn't have worked for me. There's too much Spanish dialect in his singing. It would have sounded even weirder.

He's been winning all these celeb awards, but none for his acting. It worries me.

He's got a long way to go, and hopefully, Ralph Fiennes can pull the talent out of G.

At least he's in good company with Madonna and Sly Stallone. I just hope his work isn't going to be ragged on, just because he's in it.

And the other question would be, are those movies bad because he's in them? Or can we blame the writing, editing, directing, etc?

Not all bad movies are to blame because of the actors. I've seen some bad movies, but the acting was really good.

I was just watching Alice on Syfy, and I'm still trying to figure out if it's good or not, but there have been some really good performances.

Obviously Critics and fans don't agree:

http://movietrender.tweetleads.us/69kQd7i1/?utm_source=Twitter.com&utm_medium=links&utm_campaign=movietrender

Gerard Butler voted ‘Best British Actor in Hollywood’

Gerard Butler has topped a new list of the ‘Best British Actors in Hollywood’.

The 40-year-old Scottish actor beat Christian Bale and Daniel Day-Lewis to the title in a poll of more than 1,000 British films fans by online DVD and games rental service Lovefilm.

Oscar winner Kate Winslet, one of only two women to feature in the top ten, landed the fourth spot.

James McAvoy came fifth while Twilight star Robert Pattinson stood seventh.

Jason Statham landed the eight spot and Ewan McGregor came ninth.

Emily Blunt completed the top ten.

"The poll shows that Butler and Bale have got some real bite in Hollywood,” the Scotsman quoted Helen Cowley, editor at Lovefilm as saying.

"And even though Robert Pattinson is getting some deserved attention, it's the older generation of actors that still have sway in Hollywood," she added.

I saw Timeline. Good movie. Good story. Good acting by GB. Of course they wouldn't mention that.

I didn't want to watch a movie version of PotO. My sister was watching and I caught a bit of it and thought the guy playing the Phantom was pretty good, so I watched it. I don't understand what problems the critics have about GB, other than he's not American. Maybe he didn't send the critics expensive gifts.

As far as his work this year, I think those 3 movies are cheesy regardless of his acting. I have no intentions of seeing Gamer or LAC because of the violence and gore, but I'll watch tUT when it comes on HBO etc. for the comedy and bad accent.

I have a feeling he'll be a Razzie contender again when that Bounty movie with the blue plaid shirt and woman with hideous hands come out. Her hands scare and revolt me.

Nay wrote:

I'm torn between

a) "Congrats on arriving at this level of notice"
b) "Oh dear, this isn't good" and
c) "Who really cares? Doesn't everyone make flops/poor chocies?"

Wow, Nay, you managed to sum up my thoughts pretty well! Though I will never concede some of the movies they mentioned were poor choices. (I can't fathom anyone else playing the Phatom after seeing Gerry do that, for instance.) I'm leaning more towards the theory that this is one of those situations where an actor has reached a high profile this year, and the Razzies are more interested in taking him down a notch for that, rather than there being any real beef with his acting or movies.

There's at least some of that. Otherwise the Razzies would all go to unknown actors and unknown movies.

Can I ask something? If he partakes in this, is he admitting that LAC was a bad movie? Or is it all about poking fun at himself?

And Em, I couldn't agree more that some of the movies they speak of ARE gems. My two favorite movies of Mr. B.'s will always be Phantom of the Opera and Dear Frankie.

pamelajane wrote:

Can I ask something? If he partakes in this, is he admitting that LAC was a bad movie? Or is it all about poking fun at himself?

It's both. So what? The Twilight Saga: New Moon is a Razzie conterder, so is Angels & Demons.

Surprisingly, he came out clean...

http://www.fandango.com/movieblog/new-moon-transformers-2-top-razzies-worstof-nominations-588638.html

Well, I have to say that I'm glad, after seeing the final nominations.