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, I, Frankenstein, A Good Day to Die Hard
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, with the lukewarm response to Jai Courtney being cast as Captain Boomerang in David Ayer's Suicide Squad, the prosecution figured now would be a good time to put the actor up for Movie Jail.
But why do so many people dislike Mr. Courtney? Perhaps it's because it seems like Hollywood is trying to shove him down our throats (despite having little range as an actor), or maybe it has something to do with him starring in widely panned films like I, Frankenstein and A Good Day to Die Hard.
However, the prosecution believes the main reason why people have a problem with Mr. Courtney is because he just isn't a great actor, and he doesn't bring much to his roles. Like many, the prosecution has been unimpressed with his performances, and it's no wonder most people aren't too high on him playing Kyle Reese in Terminator: Genisys.
Although Mr. Courtney is still quite young (he's only 28), in the prosecution's opinion the actor needs to spend some time behind bars. If he does a solid job in his new projects maybe we'll think about releasing, but right now we believe the actor deserves to go to prison.
The Defense: Felony, Jack Reacher, Spartacus
Ladies and gentlemen, it can be hard to properly judge an actor's talents if they haven't had the opportunity to show us what they've got, and that's exactly what's going on with Mr. Courtney. Maybe my client will never be a fantastic actor, but the defense doesn't think he's a terrible one, and we also don't believe he needs to be tossed in the slammer.
In the defense's opinion Mr. Courtney was great in Felony and Jack Reacher, as well as the Starz series Spartacus. Again, was he brilliant in them? No, but we thought he did just fine in those projects. And who knows, maybe he'll surprise us with a fantastic performance in Angelina Jolie's Unbroken or the upcoming post-apocalyptic thriller Man Down.
As previously mentioned by the prosecution, my client is still very young, and because of that the defense believes we shouldn't give up on Mr. Courtney. Let's actually give him a chance to prove he's more than just Hollywood's latest go-to guy for their action flicks before sending him to Movie Jail.
IN CLOSING…
What do you think we should do with the Aussie actor? Do you think he's an attractive, but wooden actor who belongs in Movie Jail, or do you believe Mr. Courtney is more than just a good looking dude? Is Jai Courtney GUILTY or NOT GUILTY?
*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. Anyway, 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
While Jessica Alba, Julia Roberts and the Farrelly Brothers had their supporters in last week's Movie Jail Updates, most jury members said they deserve to stay in prison. But because of their performances in Stretch and August: Osage County, we will be moving Alba and Roberts from maximum security to medium security. As for the Farrelly Brothers, we're going to stick them in the solitary confinement wing of Movie Jail for the next few weeks for their very disappointing Dumb and Dumber sequel.
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, Ashley Judd, Uma Thurman, Josh Duhamel, Saw Franchise (Halloween Edition), Zach Braff, Sam Worthington
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 Edition), 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, Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman, Ivan Reitman, Stephen Sommers, Shawn Levy
UPDATES: Robert De Niro, Nicolas Cage and Roland Emmerich, Jim Carrey, Robert Rodriguez and Gerard Butler, Jessica Alba, Julia Roberts and The Farrelly Brothers