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: Sabotage, Dead Man Down, Winnie Mandela, Movie 43, Red Tails, The Ledge, Fighting, The Perfect Holiday, Awake, August Rush, The Salon, Get Rich or Die Tryin', Glitter, Angel Eyes, Big Momma's House
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, several Oscar nominated actors have been considered for Movie Jail in the past, however the prosecution would argue very few of them have as much straight-up garbage on their filmography as Terrence Howard. While the actor will occasionally appear in something decent, Mr. Howard has starred in some really awful films during his career.
Even before Hustle & Flow, Mr. Howard had a habit of showing up in dreadful films, and I'm not talking about movies with "mixed reviews" either. The prosecution doesn't know anyone who likes (or willing to admit they like) Big Momma's House, and Angel Eyes is just another forgettable J-Lo flick. But neither film is as bad as Glitter, which many consider to be one of the worst movies of all time.
One would think with all the award nominations Mr. Howard received for Hustle & Flow and Crash his filmography would improve, however most of his recent films are almost just as unpleasant as his older ones. The Salon and The Perfect Holiday are pretty much unwatchable, and Movie 43 was an unfunny train wreck. Mr. Howard may have had good intentions with Red Tails and Winnie Mandela, but they're just not good movies.
Mr. Howard is a decent enough actor, and some of his performances have been solid, but the prosecution feels many times he's wasted in films like The Ledge, Dead Man Down, and Sabotage. His parts in all three movies could have been played by almost any other actor, and while Mr. Howard's involvement didn't hurt those flicks, he didn't make them better either.
If Mr. Howard only had a few bad movies on his filmography he probably wouldn't be up for Movie Jail. But since the actor has appeared in so many atrocious films during his career, the prosecution strongly believes Mr. Howard needs to spend some time in the slammer.
The Defense: The Butler, The Company You Keep, Prisoners, The Best Man Holiday, Iron Man, Pride, The Hunting Party, The Brave One, Idlewild, Four Brothers, Crash, Ray, Hustle & Flow, Hart's War, The Best Man
Ladies and gentlemen, there's no denying my client has appeared in some less than awesome movies during his career, however Mr. Howard is a very busy dude. In 2013 alone, nine different movies were released starring my client. Some may say he's just picking crappy projects because of the paychecks, but the defense believes Mr. Howard isn't a huge star, and still needs to work to live, unlike some of the other Oscar nominated actors who have been considered for Movie Jail.
And when my client is good, he's really good. Hustle & Flow, Crash, and Prisoners all feature excellent work from Mr. Howard, and the defense knows many people who prefer his Rhodey from the first Iron Man over Don Cheadle's in the sequels. My client also has starred in multiple films with ensemble casts (The Best Man and its sequel, The Butler), and the defense feels he doesn't always get enough credit for his work. My client has also appeared in several different types of movies. From action flicks and sports dramas to comedies and musicals, there are very few genres my client hasn't explored with his films.
The prosecution even admits Mr. Howard isn't a bad actor, so why is he up for Movie Jail? For a few critically panned films? Every actor has something their not proud of on their filmography, and while most critics and movie buffs hate Glitter and Movie 43, the defense believes those films' failures weren't Mr. Howard's fault.
Yes, my client doesn't have the greatest filmography, but does that mean he should be locked up? The defense doesn't think so, and is fairly confident the jury will feel the same way.
IN CLOSING…
Does the good really outweigh the bad with Mr. Howard, or should he be sent to jail for appearing in so many terrible movies? How will the jury view the actor's filmography? What's it going to be jury: is Terrence Howard 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 jury was not pleased Clive Owen was on trial last week, and they've declared the actor NOT GUILTY of all charges. Most were shocked and outraged Mr. Owen was even up for Movie Jail, and they let the prosecution know he made a big mistake trying to send the actor to prison.
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
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