This is Movie Jail, a unique maximum security prison that houses some of the worst writers, directors, actors and producers from Hollywood and beyond. Their crimes? The offenses vary from convict to convict but most of these inmates have contributed negatively to the film world to some capacity and his or her misdeeds have covered a long enough period of time that the authorities had to intervene. In each column a defendant is put on trial, arguments are made, and then it is up to YOU, the jury, to decide if the person is guilty or not guilty of crimes against cinema. Their lives are in your hands, dude.
The Defendant
The Case
The Prosecution: Divergent, Olympus Has Fallen, The Identical, Flypaper, The Tooth Fairy, Crossing Over, Twisted, High Crimes, Someone Like You, Where the Heart Is, Eye of the Beholder, The Passion of Darkly Noon
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, while the prosecution believes Ashley Judd is a talented actress, we also think her recent films and roles have been unimpressive. Miss Judd appeared in several critically panned films in the late 1990s/early 2000s (although several did well at the box office), but 2004's Twisted was the one that really hurt her career. Since then, Miss Judd has appeared in bombs like Flypaper, Crossing Over, and (most recently) The Identical. Miss Judd has also starred in a few family friendly movies, and the prosecution believes appearing in The Tooth Fairy and the Dolphin Tale flicks was a complete waste of her talents as an actress.
Speaking of wasting her talents, what is Miss Judd doing with small roles in films like Olympus Has Fallen and Divergent? The prosecution understands Miss Judd is heavily involved with politics and humanitarian work, but is she really so busy she can't find better/bigger parts? The prosecution thought Miss Judd was going to make a comeback after her performance in Bug, but she hasn't really had a great role since the William Friedkin film, and her only fresh movies over at Rotten Tomatoes are Dolphin Tale and its sequel.
Miss Judd should be appearing in higher quality films, but it's just not happening, and the prosecution isn't sure why. We know it can be harder for an actress to find strong roles in solid films as they get older, and perhaps her agent isn't helping things, however we still expect more from Miss Judd. Maybe being locked up for a few months in Movie Jail will help the actress, and she will return to form after being released.
The Defense: Dolphin Tale 1 & 2, Helen, Bug, Come Early Morning, De-Lovely, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Double Jeopardy, Simon Birch, The Locusts, Kiss the Girls, Normal Life, A Time To Kill, Smoke, Heat, Ruby in Paradise
Ladies and gentlemen, the prosecution is right about one thing: Miss Judd is a great actress. In fact, the defense believes she's actually very underrated. Even in bad movies, Miss Judd has been quite good. Critics didn't care for her De-Lovely or High Crimes, but her performances in those movies made them tolerable. Same goes for her older films, like Double Jeopardy or Kiss the Girls.
The prosecution doesn't like many of my client's recent films, but it's not as if she has only appeared in generic romantic comedies or bland family movies. Besides the previously mentioned Bug, Miss Judd was absolutely fantastic in both Helen and Come Early Morning, and it's a shame more people haven't seen them. It's performances and movies like those that will help Miss Jude in the long run, and not her small parts in Olympus Has Fallen or Divergent.
Miss Judd is quite active outside of movies, but the defense doesn't think it has had a negative impact on her acting career like the prosecution claims. My client was also treated for depression, codependency and insomnia in 2006, and while it probably didn't hurt her career, she obviously has had to deal with a few personal issues.
Miss Judd may not be as big of a star as she was in the 1990s, but that doesn't mean we should toss her in prison. She's still doing great work, and the defense believes the jury will agree she doesn't belong in Movie Jail.
IN CLOSING…
What are your thoughts on Miss Judd and her movies as of late? Do you think she needs to spend some time behind bars, or do you believe the prosecution doesn't have a case? Is Ashley Judd GUILTY or NOT GUILTY?
COMMENT BELOW WITH YOUR VERDICT!
*The cases for and against a defendant going to Movie Jail by the author are not necessarily his views and opinions but they are some of the beliefs that one would use to effectively make an argument for both sides. Not quite a devil's advocate but you get the point. Anyways, this is all in fun so don't take it too seriously. We have a separate jail for those people called "Troll Tower" and believe me you do NOT want to go there.
WHAT SAY YOU, GUILTY OR NOT?
LAST WEEK'S VERDICT
The prosecution managed to royally piss off the jury (again) with last week's trial. Pierce Brosnan has been found NOT GUILTY of all charges, with almost every jury member saying there's no way he deserves to go to Movie Jail. The jury also said they've always liked the actor as a person, and have enjoyed many of his post-007 movies.
PREVIOUS VERDICTS
GUILTY Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, Vince Vaughn, Tim Burton, The Farrelly Brothers, Michael Bay, Jessica Alba, Ice Cube, Gerard Butler, Halle Berry, Marlon Wayans, Julia Roberts, M. Night Shyamalan , Katherine Heigl , Cuba Gooding, Jr., Tyler Perry, Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson, Ashton Kutcher, Happy Madison Productions, Jennifer Lopez, Bruce Willis, Paul W.S. Anderson, Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, Brett Ratner, Rob Cohen, Renee Zellweger, Shia LaBeouf, Renny Harlin, Diane Keaton, McG, Demi Moore, King Joffrey (Game of Thrones Special), David Spade, Spike Lee, Kevin James, Joel Schumacher, Ehren Kruger, Chris Rock, Mark Steven Johnson, Mickey Rourke
NOT GUILTY Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Nic Cage, John Travolta, Oliver Stone, Ben Stiller, Jim Carrey, Wes Craven, Matthew McConaughey, Robert Rodriguez, Kristen Stewart, Roland Emmerich, Kevin Costner, Sandra Bullock, Hilary Swank, Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves, Kevin Smith, Channing Tatum, Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson, Anna Faris, Robin Williams, Charlize Theron, Ray Liotta, Jason Statham, Paul Walker, Will Smith, Salma Hayek, Michael Cera, Johnny Depp, Ryan Reynolds, Milla Jovovich, John Singleton, Jon Voight, Jack Black, Brian De Palma, Jerry Bruckheimer, Nicole Kidman, Justin Timberlake, Freddy Krueger (Halloween Special), Johnny Knoxville, Orlando Bloom, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dan Aykroyd, Sylvester Stallone, Gavin Hood, Jason Lee, Jennifer Garner, Carrie-Anne Moss, Kate Beckinsale, John Cusack, Chris Columbus, Clive Owen, Terrence Howard, Andrew Niccol, Drew Barrymore, Steve Martin, Joel Silver, Michelle Rodriguez, Kiefer Sutherland, Dario Argento, Susan Sarandon, Dennis Quaid, Rob Reiner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mel Gibson, Pierce Brosnan