I have had a strong appreciation for the 1990 sci-fi action thriller I Come in Peace, which is also known by the title Dark Angel in some territories, ever since it first came out when I was a kid, and several of my cohorts here on JoBlo are fans of the film as well – with John “The Arrow” Fallon recommending it and Chris Bumbray calling it “The Best Christmas Action Movie You Never Saw.” So we’re excited to hear that Shout Factory will be giving the film a 4K release on July 9th – and if you’re also a fan of this movie and want to add the 4K release to your collection, it’s available for pre-order at This Link!
Directed by Craig R. Baxley from a screenplay by Jonathan Tydor and David Koepp (under the name Leonard Maas Jr.), I Come in Peace has the following synopsis: Renegade...
Directed by Craig R. Baxley from a screenplay by Jonathan Tydor and David Koepp (under the name Leonard Maas Jr.), I Come in Peace has the following synopsis: Renegade...
- 4/30/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The American Cinema Editors (Ace) has announced its new board. Current president Kevin Tent will serve another two-year term.
Lillian Benson will continue to serve alongside him as will vice president Sabrina Plisco and treasurer Andrew Seklir. Former associate board members Dana Glauberman and Nancy Richardson have been bumped up to the board, replacing outgoing members Anita Brandt-Burgoyne and Michael Ornstein.
“On behalf of American Cinema Editors, we are proud to welcome our newly elected Board Members to the Ace leadership team,” stated Tent.
Tent is best known for his collaboration with filmmaker Alexander Payne. They first worked together on the 1996 film “Citizen Ruth.” He was elected to the board in 2020 and was nominated for both an Ace Eddie and an Academy Award for editing Payne’s film “The Descendants,” starring George Clooney. He won the Ace Eddie Award for best edited drama film that year.
Says Tent, “As Ace...
Lillian Benson will continue to serve alongside him as will vice president Sabrina Plisco and treasurer Andrew Seklir. Former associate board members Dana Glauberman and Nancy Richardson have been bumped up to the board, replacing outgoing members Anita Brandt-Burgoyne and Michael Ornstein.
“On behalf of American Cinema Editors, we are proud to welcome our newly elected Board Members to the Ace leadership team,” stated Tent.
Tent is best known for his collaboration with filmmaker Alexander Payne. They first worked together on the 1996 film “Citizen Ruth.” He was elected to the board in 2020 and was nominated for both an Ace Eddie and an Academy Award for editing Payne’s film “The Descendants,” starring George Clooney. He won the Ace Eddie Award for best edited drama film that year.
Says Tent, “As Ace...
- 11/23/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
The nominees list for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Board of Governors has been revealed before its June 6-10 balloting.
The candidates are hoping to fill the open seats on the 54-member board. Up to four candidates are set for the open seat at each each branch, which carries three governors with staggered terms per branch.
Board members who have termed out include Academy president David Rubin (from the casting directors branch), Jan Pascale (production designers), Mark Johnson (producers) and Nancy Utley (PR).
Candidates vying for a seat include actress Marlee Matlin, composer Hans Zimmer, and executive Toby Emmerich.
The slate faces some crucial tests once installed, including selecting a new Academy president and new CEO to replace outgoing Dawn Hudson. The Academy also must overcome perceptions created in a rocky year, with its Will Smith Oscars slap incident and the uproar over what categories would make it into the Oscars broadcast.
The candidates are hoping to fill the open seats on the 54-member board. Up to four candidates are set for the open seat at each each branch, which carries three governors with staggered terms per branch.
Board members who have termed out include Academy president David Rubin (from the casting directors branch), Jan Pascale (production designers), Mark Johnson (producers) and Nancy Utley (PR).
Candidates vying for a seat include actress Marlee Matlin, composer Hans Zimmer, and executive Toby Emmerich.
The slate faces some crucial tests once installed, including selecting a new Academy president and new CEO to replace outgoing Dawn Hudson. The Academy also must overcome perceptions created in a rocky year, with its Will Smith Oscars slap incident and the uproar over what categories would make it into the Oscars broadcast.
- 6/2/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmmakers Albert Birney and Kentucker Audley discuss the movies that inspired their latest film, Strawberry Mansion.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Strawberry Mansion (2022)
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Neverending Story (1984)
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Pretty Woman (1990) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Barton Fink (1991)
Being There (1979) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
Salesman (1969)
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
Eraserhead (1977) – Karyn Kusama’s trailer commentary
The Shining (1980) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary
The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Bottle Rocket (1996)
Rushmore (1998)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Beetlejuice (1988) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – Axelle Carolyn’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s trailer commentary
Honey I Shrunk The Kids (1989)
Re-Animator (1985) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Strawberry Mansion (2022)
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Neverending Story (1984)
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Pretty Woman (1990) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Barton Fink (1991)
Being There (1979) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
Salesman (1969)
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
Eraserhead (1977) – Karyn Kusama’s trailer commentary
The Shining (1980) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary
The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Bottle Rocket (1996)
Rushmore (1998)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Beetlejuice (1988) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – Axelle Carolyn’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s trailer commentary
Honey I Shrunk The Kids (1989)
Re-Animator (1985) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review...
- 3/1/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Monday, Dec. 8 Ryan Phillippe, Tom Pelphrey to Lead ‘American Murderer’
The Traveling Picture Show Company and GiGi Films have cast Tom Pelphrey as con man Jason Derek Brown in “American Murderer,” alongside Ryan Phillippe playing the FBI agent tasked to hunt him down.
Idina Menzel and Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver have also been cast. AFI alumnus Matthew Gentile wrote the script and will direct, with principal photography commencing in Salt Lake City. Kevin Matusow and Carissa Buffel will produce for Tpsc alongside Gia Walsh and Kara Baker under the GiGi Films banner, in line with Utah state and SAG-AFTRA Covid-19 protocols.
“American Murderer” is based on the true story of Brown – a charismatic conman who bankrolls his luxurious lifestyle through a series of scams. When his funds run low and his past catches up with him, he plots his most elaborate scheme yet and, in the process, becomes the...
The Traveling Picture Show Company and GiGi Films have cast Tom Pelphrey as con man Jason Derek Brown in “American Murderer,” alongside Ryan Phillippe playing the FBI agent tasked to hunt him down.
Idina Menzel and Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver have also been cast. AFI alumnus Matthew Gentile wrote the script and will direct, with principal photography commencing in Salt Lake City. Kevin Matusow and Carissa Buffel will produce for Tpsc alongside Gia Walsh and Kara Baker under the GiGi Films banner, in line with Utah state and SAG-AFTRA Covid-19 protocols.
“American Murderer” is based on the true story of Brown – a charismatic conman who bankrolls his luxurious lifestyle through a series of scams. When his funds run low and his past catches up with him, he plots his most elaborate scheme yet and, in the process, becomes the...
- 12/7/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The list of candidates for the 2020 Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors election is now out, with the winner in each branch being chosen directly from these entries rather than whittling it down to four finalists in each, as has been done previously. The list of candidates is made up of qualified AMPAS members who actually submit themselves.
Also new this year in the streamlined timetable, as Deadline exclusively reported May 16. The winners for the 17 open slots on the 54-member board will be chosen by preferential balloting, just like Best Picture race at the Oscars. Voting begins Monday and ballots are due back June 5.
The actors branch is the largest in the Academy and it also has drawn the biggest field of contenders for the one spot that is up. Incumbent governor Whoopi Goldberg is running for re-election against past governor Ed Begley Jr. vying to return to the board.
Also new this year in the streamlined timetable, as Deadline exclusively reported May 16. The winners for the 17 open slots on the 54-member board will be chosen by preferential balloting, just like Best Picture race at the Oscars. Voting begins Monday and ballots are due back June 5.
The actors branch is the largest in the Academy and it also has drawn the biggest field of contenders for the one spot that is up. Incumbent governor Whoopi Goldberg is running for re-election against past governor Ed Begley Jr. vying to return to the board.
- 5/29/2020
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Whoopi Goldberg will be facing 18 other actors who want her seat on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors, the Academy revealed to its members on Friday.
The Academy posted the list of candidates for the board from all 17 of its branches, with incumbent Actors Branch governor Goldberg going up against a slate of challengers that includes past governor Ed Begley Jr., as well as Richard Dreyfuss, James and Stacy Keach, Tim Matheson, Joe Pantoliano, Lou Diamond Phillips and Rita Wilson, whose husband, Tom Hanks, served on the board for many years.
Other branches whose contenders hit double digits included Cinematographers (12), Directors (13), Executives (12), Producers (16), Sound (10) and Visual Effects (10).
But the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch, in which incumbent Kathryn Blondell was ineligible to run again, has only a single candidate, Linda Flowers.
Also Read: Oscars Board Election Has New Rules - But Expect the Same Old Results
Blondell,...
The Academy posted the list of candidates for the board from all 17 of its branches, with incumbent Actors Branch governor Goldberg going up against a slate of challengers that includes past governor Ed Begley Jr., as well as Richard Dreyfuss, James and Stacy Keach, Tim Matheson, Joe Pantoliano, Lou Diamond Phillips and Rita Wilson, whose husband, Tom Hanks, served on the board for many years.
Other branches whose contenders hit double digits included Cinematographers (12), Directors (13), Executives (12), Producers (16), Sound (10) and Visual Effects (10).
But the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch, in which incumbent Kathryn Blondell was ineligible to run again, has only a single candidate, Linda Flowers.
Also Read: Oscars Board Election Has New Rules - But Expect the Same Old Results
Blondell,...
- 5/29/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The list of candidates for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 2020-2021 Board of Governors has been unveiled to members.
Voting begins on June 1 and ends on June 5.
Candidates run for three-year terms with a maximum of three terms. Each branch has three seats on the board. Only one of those seats is open each year because terms are staggered.
The candidates were posted on the Academy members’ portal on Friday afternoon. Below is the complete list (divided by branch) of those running for spots on the board.
Actors
Michael Lee Aday
Ed Begley, Jr.
Robert Carradine
Nicolas Coster
Colman Domingo
Richard Dreyfuss
Spencer Garrett
Bruce Glover
Whoopi Goldberg (incumbent)
James Keach
Stacy Keach
Peter Wong
Jodi Long
Tim Matheson
Joe Pantoliano
Lou Diamond Phillips
Andrea Riseborough
Andrew Stevens
Rita Wilson
Casting Directors
Kerry Barden
Richard Hicks
Margery Simkin
Debra Zane
Cinematographers
Andrzej Bartkowiak
Richard P. Crudo
Svetlana Cvetko...
Voting begins on June 1 and ends on June 5.
Candidates run for three-year terms with a maximum of three terms. Each branch has three seats on the board. Only one of those seats is open each year because terms are staggered.
The candidates were posted on the Academy members’ portal on Friday afternoon. Below is the complete list (divided by branch) of those running for spots on the board.
Actors
Michael Lee Aday
Ed Begley, Jr.
Robert Carradine
Nicolas Coster
Colman Domingo
Richard Dreyfuss
Spencer Garrett
Bruce Glover
Whoopi Goldberg (incumbent)
James Keach
Stacy Keach
Peter Wong
Jodi Long
Tim Matheson
Joe Pantoliano
Lou Diamond Phillips
Andrea Riseborough
Andrew Stevens
Rita Wilson
Casting Directors
Kerry Barden
Richard Hicks
Margery Simkin
Debra Zane
Cinematographers
Andrzej Bartkowiak
Richard P. Crudo
Svetlana Cvetko...
- 5/29/2020
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Coming off one of its most contentious years in history, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences has sent out its list of candidates for its Board of Governors elections late this month.
The Board of Governors directs the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health, and assures the fulfillment of its mission.
Governors attend 6-8 board meetings annually (in person or by video conference when out of town). Each Governor also serves on one board oversight committee and their branch’s executive committee, and they are expected to represent their branch at numerous Academy events through the year.
Governors have fiduciary responsibilities imposed by state law to serve the Academy’s best interests, by acting with responsibility and care when approving annual goals presented by management, as well as major policies concerning governance.
CEO Dawn Hudson oversees a staff of more than 300 who conduct the Academy’s day-to-day business.
The Board of Governors directs the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health, and assures the fulfillment of its mission.
Governors attend 6-8 board meetings annually (in person or by video conference when out of town). Each Governor also serves on one board oversight committee and their branch’s executive committee, and they are expected to represent their branch at numerous Academy events through the year.
Governors have fiduciary responsibilities imposed by state law to serve the Academy’s best interests, by acting with responsibility and care when approving annual goals presented by management, as well as major policies concerning governance.
CEO Dawn Hudson oversees a staff of more than 300 who conduct the Academy’s day-to-day business.
- 5/10/2019
- by Michael Cieply and Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Director and documentarian Mark Hartley scores both a film history and comedy success with this ‘wild, untold’ account of the 1980s film studio that was both revered and despised by everyone who had contact with it. The ‘cast list’ of interviewees is encyclopedic, everybody has a strong opinion, and some of them don’t need four-letter words to describe their experience!
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
On a double bill with
Machete Maidens Unleashed!
Blu-ray
Umbrella Entertainment (Au, all-region
2014 / Color / 1:77 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date April 4, 2017 / Available from Umbrella Entertainment / 34.99
Starring: Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus, Al Ruban, Alain Jakubowicz, Albert Pyun, Alex Winter, Allen DeBevoise, Avi Lerner, Barbet Schroeder, Bo Derek, Boaz Davidson, Cassandra Peterson, Catherine Mary Stewart, Charles Matthau, Christopher C. Dewey, Christopher Pearce, Cynthia Hargrave, Dan Wolman, Daniel Loewenthal, David Del Valle, David Paulsen, David Sheehan, David Womark, Diane Franklin, Dolph Lundgren, Edward R. Pressman,...
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
On a double bill with
Machete Maidens Unleashed!
Blu-ray
Umbrella Entertainment (Au, all-region
2014 / Color / 1:77 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date April 4, 2017 / Available from Umbrella Entertainment / 34.99
Starring: Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus, Al Ruban, Alain Jakubowicz, Albert Pyun, Alex Winter, Allen DeBevoise, Avi Lerner, Barbet Schroeder, Bo Derek, Boaz Davidson, Cassandra Peterson, Catherine Mary Stewart, Charles Matthau, Christopher C. Dewey, Christopher Pearce, Cynthia Hargrave, Dan Wolman, Daniel Loewenthal, David Del Valle, David Paulsen, David Sheehan, David Womark, Diane Franklin, Dolph Lundgren, Edward R. Pressman,...
- 4/8/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
[[tmz:video id="0_j2zjn511"]] Chip Kelly claims he's not interested in returning to Oregon ... but that's not keeping Walter Thurmond from hoping his old coach returns to Eugene ... 'cause the ex-Ducks star says "he's the best candidate." Thurmond -- a member of Oregon's 2009 Pac 10 champion team -- disagrees with the decision to fire Mark Helfrich after a 4-8 season, but says Kelly would be the best fit to come back to Oregon's sidelines. "I think knowing the coach, knowing the atmosphere,...
- 12/3/2016
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Subtitled The Wild Untold Story of Cannon Films, director Mark Hartley’s 2014 documentary is a treasure trove for 80’s movie nostalgists. Hartley puts together a remarkable band of over 80 Cannon vets (including Bo Derek, Elliott Gould and Dolph Lundgren) to tell their own stories while further embellishing the already outrageous legends of Cannon founders Menahem Golan and his cousin Yoram Globus. Guru Mark Helfrich even chimes in with his own experiences working at Cannon. Though given a very limited theatrical release, the film was well received and can be found on dvd and streaming services.
- 12/7/2015
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
It's our guilty pleasure!Jimmy Kimmel rolled out his latest edition of "Celebrities Read Mean Tweets," but this time, he delivered a "College Football Playoff Edition."The late night host's latest targets included Tim Tebow, Jesse Palmer, Florida State University head coach Jimbo Fisher, University of Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich and more!Desmond Howard, a college football analyst for Espn, started out the segment reading, "Desmond Howard’s mustache looks like the starting point of a maze." He reads the Tweet with a straight face but breaks into a slight smile at the end. Tebow almost lost it while reading the nasty message about him. "Tim Tebow is not cute, sexy, or hot. He ugly. Sorry bout it." And then there's this one: "Lou Holtz looks like a creepy ventriloquist puppet and sounds like daffy duck."After reading it, Lou couldn't help but agree! We never get tired of...
- 1/13/2015
- by tooFab Staff
- TooFab
The worst people on the internet were featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live! once again. The ABC late-night program aired its popular "Mean Tweets" segment Monday, but this time, there were no actors or musicians involved. Instead, Jimmy Kimmel delivered a "College Football Playoff Edition." The latest group of Twitter victims included Florida State University head coach Jimbo Fisher, University of Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich, Former Michigan Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke and University of Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, plus Espn's Lee Corso, Heather Cox, Rece Davis, Chris Fowler, Lou Holtz, Desmond Howard, Mark May, Jesse Palmer, Tim Tebow and Scott Van Pelt. So, just how does Jimmy Kimmel...
- 1/13/2015
- E! Online
"Modern Family" star Ty Burrell isn't just a Huuge Oregon fan -- he's also personal friends with Uo head coach Mark Helfrich ... and the two bro'd out moments after the Ducks won the Rose Bowl. TMZ Sports has the footage showing Ty congratulating Mark while the victory fireworks were still going off in the background ... with Ty promising to head to Texas next week to support the team in the National Championship game. Ty and...
- 1/3/2015
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
10:25 Pm Pt -- Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich issued a statement saying he will punish the players who participated in the chant."We are aware of the inappropriate behavior in the postgame," Helfrich said ... "This is not what our program stands for, and the student-athletes will be disciplined internally." As if beating the living crap out of him wasn't enough, a bunch of Oregon football players taunted Jameis Winston after the Rose Bowl ... by...
- 1/2/2015
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Today on Trailers from Hell, film editor Mark Helfrich talks French director Jean Becker's 1983 thriller "One Deadly Summer," starring Isabelle Adjani as a woman on the verge. Several years after her remarkable performance as the star-crossed Adele Hugo in Truffaut's "The Story of Adele H.," Isabelle Adjani essayed yet another young woman gripped by obsession in 1983's "One Deadly Summer." The story, about an unstable femme fatale's revenge against her mother's attackers has a definite exploitation bent but the presence of Adjani and the score by Georges Delerue elevate the proceedings. Adjani won a Cesar for her trouble and the film was France's second highest grossing film of the year. Nsfw.
- 6/2/2014
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
Today on Trailers from Hell, Mark Helfrich takes on John Waters' filthy 1972 cult classic "Pink Flamingos." A movie likely to provoke as much controversy (and occasional retching) today as it did in 1972, "Pink Flamingos" is, in its own way, a seminal independent film; made in a Baltimore suburb for $10,000 by a 26 year-old John Waters and starring a home grown band of outsiders (featuring the alarming 370 lb. drag queen, Divine), the movie led a charmed life, gaining popularity at universities and eventually being picked up by New Line. The film, about Divine’s struggle to guard her crown as “the filthiest person alive” against her equally repellant rivals, Raymond and Connie Marble, is a virtual laundry list of preposterous perversities. You may hate yourself in the morning but the experience is undeniably hilarious.
- 4/21/2014
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ film Hercules, starring Dwayne Johnson, hits theaters July 25th. Check out the teaser poster for director Brett Ratner’s film and come back tomorrow to see the first trailer.
Based on Radical Comics’ Hercules by Steve Moore, this ensemble-action film is a revisionist take on the classic myth, Hercules. The epic action film also stars Golden Globe Winner Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Joseph Fiennes, Peter Mullan and Academy Award®-nominee John Hurt.
The screenplay is by Ryan Condal and Evan Spiliotopoulos.
Everyone knows the legend of Hercules and his twelve labors. Our story begins after the labors, and after the legend…
Haunted by a sin from his past, Hercules has become a mercenary. Along with five faithful companions, he travels ancient Greece selling his services for gold and using his legendary reputation to intimidate enemies. But when the benevolent ruler of Thrace and his daughter...
Based on Radical Comics’ Hercules by Steve Moore, this ensemble-action film is a revisionist take on the classic myth, Hercules. The epic action film also stars Golden Globe Winner Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Joseph Fiennes, Peter Mullan and Academy Award®-nominee John Hurt.
The screenplay is by Ryan Condal and Evan Spiliotopoulos.
Everyone knows the legend of Hercules and his twelve labors. Our story begins after the labors, and after the legend…
Haunted by a sin from his past, Hercules has become a mercenary. Along with five faithful companions, he travels ancient Greece selling his services for gold and using his legendary reputation to intimidate enemies. But when the benevolent ruler of Thrace and his daughter...
- 3/25/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Founded in 2007, Radical Studios is a multimedia company that incubated comic books for exploitation in other forms. Among their earliest releases was Hercules, boasting a Steranko cover, and it came with high production values and a bit of a buzz., The character returned for a second miniseries in and this interpretation captured Hollywood’s fancy. After years in development, production on the movie adaptation began today. Thew film enters a crowded summer 2014, especially for super-hero films, coming after Captain America: The Winter Solider and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and just before X-Men: Days of Future Past and Guardians of the Galaxy (raising the question whether or not four Marvel Universe films in five months will reach the saturation point).
Here’s the formal release:
Hollywood, CA (June 10, 2013) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, a division of MGM Holdings, Inc., and Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc., announced principal photography began today on “Hercules,...
Here’s the formal release:
Hollywood, CA (June 10, 2013) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, a division of MGM Holdings, Inc., and Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc., announced principal photography began today on “Hercules,...
- 6/10/2013
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, a division of MGM Holdings, Inc., and Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc., announced principal photography began today on “Hercules,” starring Dwayne Johnson (“G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” “Fast And Furious” franchise) and directed and produced by Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour” franchise, “X-men: The Last Stand”). Filming takes place in Budapest, Hungary.
“Hercules” will be distributed worldwide by Paramount Pictures on July 25, 2014 with select international territories as well as all television distribution being handled by MGM.
“Hercules” also stars Golden Globe-winner Ian McShane (“Deadwood,” “Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”), Rufus Sewell (“Legend Of Zorro”), Joseph Fiennes (“Shakespeare In Love,” “American Horror Story”), Peter Mullan (“War Horse,” “Top of the Lake”) and Academy Award®-nominee John Hurt (“Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows”). Rounding out the main cast is Rebecca Ferguson (The BBC’s “The White Queen”), Ingrid Bolsø Berdal (“Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters”), Aksel Hennie (“Headhunters”) and...
“Hercules” will be distributed worldwide by Paramount Pictures on July 25, 2014 with select international territories as well as all television distribution being handled by MGM.
“Hercules” also stars Golden Globe-winner Ian McShane (“Deadwood,” “Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”), Rufus Sewell (“Legend Of Zorro”), Joseph Fiennes (“Shakespeare In Love,” “American Horror Story”), Peter Mullan (“War Horse,” “Top of the Lake”) and Academy Award®-nominee John Hurt (“Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows”). Rounding out the main cast is Rebecca Ferguson (The BBC’s “The White Queen”), Ingrid Bolsø Berdal (“Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters”), Aksel Hennie (“Headhunters”) and...
- 6/10/2013
- by Press Release (MGM)
- Dark Horizons
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, a division of MGM Holdings, Inc., and Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc., announced principal photography began today on “Hercules,” starring Dwayne Johnson (“G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” “Fast And Furious” franchise) and directed and produced by Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour” franchise, “X-men: The Last Stand”). Filming takes place in Budapest, Hungary.
“Hercules” will be distributed worldwide by Paramount Pictures on July 25, 2014 with select international territories as well as all television distribution being handled by MGM.
“Hercules” also stars Golden Globe-winner Ian McShane (“Deadwood,” “Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”), Rufus Sewell (“Legend Of Zorro”), Joseph Fiennes (“Shakespeare In Love,” “American Horror Story”), Peter Mullan (“War Horse,” “Top of the Lake”) and Academy Award®-nominee John Hurt (“Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows”). Rounding out the main cast is Rebecca Ferguson (The BBC’s “The White Queen”), Ingrid Bolsø Berdal (“Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters”), Aksel Hennie (“Headhunters”) and...
“Hercules” will be distributed worldwide by Paramount Pictures on July 25, 2014 with select international territories as well as all television distribution being handled by MGM.
“Hercules” also stars Golden Globe-winner Ian McShane (“Deadwood,” “Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”), Rufus Sewell (“Legend Of Zorro”), Joseph Fiennes (“Shakespeare In Love,” “American Horror Story”), Peter Mullan (“War Horse,” “Top of the Lake”) and Academy Award®-nominee John Hurt (“Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows”). Rounding out the main cast is Rebecca Ferguson (The BBC’s “The White Queen”), Ingrid Bolsø Berdal (“Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters”), Aksel Hennie (“Headhunters”) and...
- 6/10/2013
- by Kellvin Chavez
- LRMonline.com
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, a division of MGM Holdings, Inc., and Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc., announced principal photography began today on “Hercules,” starring Dwayne Johnson (“G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” “Fast And Furious” franchise) and directed and produced by Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour” franchise, “X-men: The Last Stand”). Filming takes place in Budapest, Hungary.
“Hercules” will be distributed worldwide by Paramount Pictures on July 25, 2014 with select international territories as well as all television distribution being handled by MGM.
“Hercules” also stars Golden Globe-winner Ian McShane (“Deadwood,” “Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”), Rufus Sewell (“Legend Of Zorro”), Joseph Fiennes (“Shakespeare In Love,” “American Horror Story”), Peter Mullan (“War Horse,” “Top of the Lake”) and Academy Award®-nominee John Hurt (“Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows”). Rounding out the main cast is Rebecca Ferguson (The BBC’s “The White Queen”), Ingrid Bolsø Berdal (“Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters”), Aksel Hennie (“Headhunters”) and...
“Hercules” will be distributed worldwide by Paramount Pictures on July 25, 2014 with select international territories as well as all television distribution being handled by MGM.
“Hercules” also stars Golden Globe-winner Ian McShane (“Deadwood,” “Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”), Rufus Sewell (“Legend Of Zorro”), Joseph Fiennes (“Shakespeare In Love,” “American Horror Story”), Peter Mullan (“War Horse,” “Top of the Lake”) and Academy Award®-nominee John Hurt (“Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows”). Rounding out the main cast is Rebecca Ferguson (The BBC’s “The White Queen”), Ingrid Bolsø Berdal (“Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters”), Aksel Hennie (“Headhunters”) and...
- 6/10/2013
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Love them or hate them, it’s undeniable that Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy have had their moments of comedy gold. Whilst Tower Heist is not up there with their greatest, it’s not actually too far behind. Available now on DVD and Blu-ray our review follows…
Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) has managed one of the most luxurious and well-secured residences in New York City for more than a decade. Under his watchful eye, nothing goes undetected. Wall Street titan Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) lives in the tower’s penthouse apartment, but finds himself under house arrest after being caught stealing from his investors. Arthur becomes enemy number one for the workers in the block when they discover that they are amongst the hardest hit by Arthur’s dodgy dealings, as he’s managed to make their pension pot disappear… Kovacs assembles a motley crew of workers and, under the...
Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) has managed one of the most luxurious and well-secured residences in New York City for more than a decade. Under his watchful eye, nothing goes undetected. Wall Street titan Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) lives in the tower’s penthouse apartment, but finds himself under house arrest after being caught stealing from his investors. Arthur becomes enemy number one for the workers in the block when they discover that they are amongst the hardest hit by Arthur’s dodgy dealings, as he’s managed to make their pension pot disappear… Kovacs assembles a motley crew of workers and, under the...
- 3/19/2012
- by Stuart Cummins
- Obsessed with Film
Tower Heist
Stars: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, Michael Peña, Alan Alda, Tea Leoni, Gabourey Sidibe | Written by Ted Griffin, Jeff Nathanson | Directed by Brett Ratner
Let’s be honest, seeing the names Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy and Brett Ratner all attached to the same movie, especially an action comedy, doesn’t really instil confidence in any but the most undiscerning of movie lover. So imagine my surprise when I found myself really rather enjoying Tower Heist – laughing in all the right places, feeling emotion for the characters, and really rooting for the good guys when they mount their heist on Arthur Shaw’s apartment.
Ben Stiller gives a surprisingly fantastic central performance as Josh Kovacs, the mild-mannered hotel manager who, despite trying to do right by his employees, loses their money to Alda’s sleaze bag of a money man Shaw, and it was great to...
Stars: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, Michael Peña, Alan Alda, Tea Leoni, Gabourey Sidibe | Written by Ted Griffin, Jeff Nathanson | Directed by Brett Ratner
Let’s be honest, seeing the names Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy and Brett Ratner all attached to the same movie, especially an action comedy, doesn’t really instil confidence in any but the most undiscerning of movie lover. So imagine my surprise when I found myself really rather enjoying Tower Heist – laughing in all the right places, feeling emotion for the characters, and really rooting for the good guys when they mount their heist on Arthur Shaw’s apartment.
Ben Stiller gives a surprisingly fantastic central performance as Josh Kovacs, the mild-mannered hotel manager who, despite trying to do right by his employees, loses their money to Alda’s sleaze bag of a money man Shaw, and it was great to...
- 3/18/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Chicago – Brett Ratner’s “Tower Heist” features a Lot of actors who have proven talents but haven’t made the best career decisions of late. The number of disappointing films that star Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, and Tea Leoni could fill a film festival in Hell. And Ratner has committed his own crimes against celluloid. So, I was dreading “Tower Heist.” There’s nothing to dread here. It’s a mediocre comedy that sometimes even rises above that by virtue of its strong pacing and game ensemble. It’s no classic but it’s surprisingly enjoyable at times, only really falling apart in the final, ludicrous act.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Trying to make a star-studded ensemble heist comedy a la “Ocean’s 11” that uses the current financial crisis as its background was actually a pretty clever idea. What if Danny Ocean’s team could take down Bernie Madoff? Or, even better,...
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Trying to make a star-studded ensemble heist comedy a la “Ocean’s 11” that uses the current financial crisis as its background was actually a pretty clever idea. What if Danny Ocean’s team could take down Bernie Madoff? Or, even better,...
- 2/29/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Tower Heist was a lot of fun in theaters, and based on the Blu-ray specs it looks as though it will be a fun watch at home. I definitley think this film is one of the best action comedies of the year.
Here is the official press release:
Universal City, Calif., January 3, 2012—A wealthy Wall Street swindler gets his just desserts at the hands of the employees he stiffed in the year’s most uproarious action comedy, Tower Heist,coming to Blu-ray™ Combo-Pack with UltraVioletTM, as well as DVD, Digital Download and On Demand February 21, 2012 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy lead an all-star comedy cast in this hilarious tale of sweet, sweet revenge. The film’s stellar ensemble cast includes Casey Affleck (Ocean’s Eleven trilogy), Alan Alda (The Aviator), Matthew Broderick (The Producers), Stephen McKinley Henderson (“Law and Order”), Judd Hirsch (A Beautiful Mind...
Here is the official press release:
Universal City, Calif., January 3, 2012—A wealthy Wall Street swindler gets his just desserts at the hands of the employees he stiffed in the year’s most uproarious action comedy, Tower Heist,coming to Blu-ray™ Combo-Pack with UltraVioletTM, as well as DVD, Digital Download and On Demand February 21, 2012 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy lead an all-star comedy cast in this hilarious tale of sweet, sweet revenge. The film’s stellar ensemble cast includes Casey Affleck (Ocean’s Eleven trilogy), Alan Alda (The Aviator), Matthew Broderick (The Producers), Stephen McKinley Henderson (“Law and Order”), Judd Hirsch (A Beautiful Mind...
- 1/4/2012
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
We'd all like actors and actresses to be held accountable when they turn in a crummy performance, but Jessica Alba -- who, let's face it, ain't no Meryl Streep -- wants you to know that all of her awful performances were due to shoddy directors, most notably first-timers. In a new interview with Elle Magazine, Alba admits to starring in a host of craptacular movies from Good Luck Chuck to The Love Guru, blaming the fact that both films make us want to gauge our eyes out with a plastic spoon on first-time directors Mark Helfrich (Good Luck Chuck) and Marco Schnabel (The Love Guru). Oh, but her blame game doesn't stop there. Alba then moves on to Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer director Tim Story, whom she said made her want to "stop acting" after he told her that her...
Read More...
Read More...
- 11/19/2010
- by Movies.com
- Movies.com - Celebrity Gossip
Finally, we know why Kites is called Kites! Producer Rakesh Roshan & director Anurag Basu, makers of Kites (www.kites-thefilm.com), one of the most eagerly awaited romantic films of this summer disclose the inspiration behind their film.s title.The title and story of Kites is the brainchild of Rakesh Roshan, the man behind some of Bollywood.s most creative blockbusters..The idea for Kites came to me when I was gazing at the sky and saw two kites flying,. notes Rakesh Roshan. .It looked very romantic. It was very intriguing--the way they came close, played, almost embraced each other and then drew apart. Unaware that someone else was pulling the strings and could cut them loose. I sat down and penned a story around this idea...Kites is the metaphor of the film. Kites fly against the wind and not with it, stronger the wind blows, higher the kites fly,...
- 3/15/2010
- Filmicafe
Nevada (Us), Feb 23 – Famous Hollywood editor Mark Helfrich (X-Men: The Last Stand) now has “re-edited” the English version of blockbuster “Kites” after it was “re-worked” by well known American filmmaker Brett Ratner (Red Dragon).
Satellite Award winner editor-director-actor Helfrich is member of prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who has edited 35 movies. Aiming at Western audiences, Ratner was reportedly asked to re-format “Kites” to fit in the.
Satellite Award winner editor-director-actor Helfrich is member of prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who has edited 35 movies. Aiming at Western audiences, Ratner was reportedly asked to re-format “Kites” to fit in the.
- 2/23/2010
- by News
- RealBollywood.com
IFC.com presents the world premiere of the music video for the Dandy Warhols' "And Then I Dreamt of Yes," from the album "Earth To The Dandy Warhols," directed by Mark Helfrich (check out an interview with him below).
Director Mark Helfrich is a romantic. He's nostalgic about his beginnings as an editor, back when editors actually had to cut reels of 35mm film by hand. He used to be a DJ too, and for him, movies and music go hand in hand like vinyl and a good pair of headphones. A longtime Dandy Warhols fan, he shot this video for their song, "And Then I Dreamt of Yes," off of "Earth To The Dandy Warhols." The "Dr. Caligari" couple are so convincing that you may assume they're projections of original 1919 footage, unless you've happened to have seen it recently, but they're actors in old-timey makeup jobs shot simultaneously...
Director Mark Helfrich is a romantic. He's nostalgic about his beginnings as an editor, back when editors actually had to cut reels of 35mm film by hand. He used to be a DJ too, and for him, movies and music go hand in hand like vinyl and a good pair of headphones. A longtime Dandy Warhols fan, he shot this video for their song, "And Then I Dreamt of Yes," off of "Earth To The Dandy Warhols." The "Dr. Caligari" couple are so convincing that you may assume they're projections of original 1919 footage, unless you've happened to have seen it recently, but they're actors in old-timey makeup jobs shot simultaneously...
- 8/10/2009
- by Brandon Kim
- ifc.com
A sequel is looming around "Good Luck Chuck". The possibility of a follow-up movie to the 2007 romantic comedy starring Dane Cook has been disclosed by the original film's leading lady, Jessica Alba via her Twitter page.
"I have good news," the 28-year-old actress began her message which was posted on Sunday, April 26. She furthermore wrote of the potentiality of a sequel being developed, "Before I go, this is for the good luck chuck fans :) Just recieved word that Good luck 2 may Get the greenlight!"
The original "Good Luck Chuck" was released in the U.S. on September 21, 2007. Directed by Mark Helfrich, it centers its story on Charlie Kagan, a successful dentist who is known among the women he once dated as a "good luck charm" due to a curse placed upon him years back. One day, he meets an accident-prone penguin specialist Cam and develops a genuine romance with her.
"I have good news," the 28-year-old actress began her message which was posted on Sunday, April 26. She furthermore wrote of the potentiality of a sequel being developed, "Before I go, this is for the good luck chuck fans :) Just recieved word that Good luck 2 may Get the greenlight!"
The original "Good Luck Chuck" was released in the U.S. on September 21, 2007. Directed by Mark Helfrich, it centers its story on Charlie Kagan, a successful dentist who is known among the women he once dated as a "good luck charm" due to a curse placed upon him years back. One day, he meets an accident-prone penguin specialist Cam and develops a genuine romance with her.
- 4/28/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Film editors discussed the impact of firm release dates and tight production schedules on the creative filmmaking process this weekend during the American Cinema Editors' sold-out Edit Fest.
The debut event, held Friday and Saturday at multiple Los Angeles-area locations, informed attendees about the art and business of editing, focusing on the special challenges of editing blockbusters, comedy, animation and TV. It also offered career advice.
During the session on blockbusters, editor Mark Helfrich ("X-Men: The Last Stand") addressed schedules, saying, "It seems that they give you less time to hone and really edit the movie.
"Usually they set a release date, and that is in stone," he said. "You have to make that release date. It's a race against the clock to get all the visual effects done by that date."
Multiple speakers commented that because of this situation, films go out before they are really "finished."
Said editor Mark Goldblatt ("True Lies"), "It's an unfortunate thing, but it's driven by economic realities, and I doubt that is going to change."...
The debut event, held Friday and Saturday at multiple Los Angeles-area locations, informed attendees about the art and business of editing, focusing on the special challenges of editing blockbusters, comedy, animation and TV. It also offered career advice.
During the session on blockbusters, editor Mark Helfrich ("X-Men: The Last Stand") addressed schedules, saying, "It seems that they give you less time to hone and really edit the movie.
"Usually they set a release date, and that is in stone," he said. "You have to make that release date. It's a race against the clock to get all the visual effects done by that date."
Multiple speakers commented that because of this situation, films go out before they are really "finished."
Said editor Mark Goldblatt ("True Lies"), "It's an unfortunate thing, but it's driven by economic realities, and I doubt that is going to change."...
- 8/10/2008
- by By Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Summer might be over, but the threequels keep coming, and this past weekend Sony's Screen Gems unit racked up another sequel success as its Resident Evil: Extinction opened in the top spot.
The third film starring Milla Jovovich and based on the video game franchise about viral zombies, the R-rated Extinction, directed by Russell Mulcahy, bowed to $23.7 million in 2,828 theaters for a bloody good per-theater average of $8,380.
In doing so, it vaulted ahead of the original Resident Evil, which grossed $17.7 million during its opening weekend in March 2002, and squeezed ahead of Resident Evil: Apocalypse, which grabbed $23 million (on a wider count of 3,284 theaters) when it made its appearance in September 2004.
Predictably, the movie drew a crowd of rabid, younger males. According to CinemaScore's polling of the opening-weekend audience, 55% were younger than 25 and 65% were males. The audience was a tough sell, though, and awarded the movie a grade of B-minus.
Pulling into the No. 2 spot for the weekend was Lionsgate's comedy of dating errors, Good Luck Chuck, directed by Mark Helfrich and starring Dane Cook and Jessica Alba.
The third film starring Milla Jovovich and based on the video game franchise about viral zombies, the R-rated Extinction, directed by Russell Mulcahy, bowed to $23.7 million in 2,828 theaters for a bloody good per-theater average of $8,380.
In doing so, it vaulted ahead of the original Resident Evil, which grossed $17.7 million during its opening weekend in March 2002, and squeezed ahead of Resident Evil: Apocalypse, which grabbed $23 million (on a wider count of 3,284 theaters) when it made its appearance in September 2004.
Predictably, the movie drew a crowd of rabid, younger males. According to CinemaScore's polling of the opening-weekend audience, 55% were younger than 25 and 65% were males. The audience was a tough sell, though, and awarded the movie a grade of B-minus.
Pulling into the No. 2 spot for the weekend was Lionsgate's comedy of dating errors, Good Luck Chuck, directed by Mark Helfrich and starring Dane Cook and Jessica Alba.
- 9/25/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This review was written for the theatrical review of "Good Luck Chuck".Trash-talking fat guys seem to be all the rage this year, as the success of "Knocked Up" and "Superbad" demonstrates.
Viewers' response to "Good Luck Chuck" might depend on how much enthusiasm they have for the raunchy rantings of another overweight man-boy, played by Dan Fogler, who won a Tony for his more nuanced turn in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." Fogler's Stu, a lecherous plastic surgeon, is not the main character in "Chuck". But he's the hero's horny best friend, and you have to spend an awful lot of time in his company, which will probably tickle dirty-minded teens and drive everyone else up the wall.
"Chuck" is a high-concept hard-R comedy that will delight its core audience, but it seems unlikely to match the (somewhat undeserved) critical acclaim and boxoffice success of "Superbad". The gimmick here is that Charlie (Dane Cook), a dentist who had a curse placed on him when he was a kid, is destined for sex but not love. It seems that every woman who sleeps with him will marry the next man she meets, making him the good-luck charm for all kinds of women desperate to tie the knot. At first, Charlie enjoys all the casual sex that comes his way, but he begins to resent the fact that he's not a keeper. Matters get even more complicated when he meets an accident-prone young woman, Cam (Jessica Alba), who seems to be a perfect match, but he worries that if they sleep together, she's sure to marry someone else -- unless he can break the curse.
The premise allows for lots of sex play, lots of crude encouragement on the part of Stu and some tiresome sight gags depicting Cam's pratfalls and mishaps. The script by Josh Stolberg has no fizz. It's possible to sit for half an hour without cracking a smile. Part of the problem is sheer repetitiveness; another problem is that Stu's leering remarks are repulsive rather than endearing. Yet this juvenile comedy directed by Mark Helfrich turns out to be easier to take than it has any right to be, largely because of the presence of Cook. He's co-starred in dumb comedies like "Employee of the Month", and he made a rather convincing psycho in "Mr. Brooks", but here he's playing romantic comedy, and he turns out to be surprisingly skillful at it. He might have the potential to be a latter-day Chevy Chase, who managed to navigate farce as well as romance with panache. Because of Cook's performance, we end up feeling sympathy for Charlie and rooting for him to get lucky in love.
Alba also gives an appealing performance, and she displays the right chemistry with Cook. Other cast members are merely adequate. Technical credits and music are solid, but they can't rescue the witless script.
GOOD LUCK CHUCK
Lionsgate
Karz Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Mark Helfrich
Screenwriter: Josh Stolberg
Producers: Mike Karz, Barry Katz, Brian Volk-Weiss
Executive producers: Tracey Edmonds, Russell Hollander, Ogden Gavanski, Michael Paseornek
Director of photography: Anthony B. Richmond
Production designer: Mark Freeborn
Music: Aaron Zigman
Co-producers: Cece Karz, Karen Russell
Costume designer: Trish Keating
Editor: Julia Wong
Cast:
Charlie: Dane Cook
Cam: Jessica Alba
Stu: Dan Fogler
Joe: Lonny Ross
Jennifer: Caroline Ford
Carol: Chelan Simmons
Natalie: Natalie Morris
Reba: Ellia English
Young Charlie: Connor Price
Young Stu: Troy Gentile
Eleanor Skepple: Jodie Stewart
Running time -- 96 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Viewers' response to "Good Luck Chuck" might depend on how much enthusiasm they have for the raunchy rantings of another overweight man-boy, played by Dan Fogler, who won a Tony for his more nuanced turn in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." Fogler's Stu, a lecherous plastic surgeon, is not the main character in "Chuck". But he's the hero's horny best friend, and you have to spend an awful lot of time in his company, which will probably tickle dirty-minded teens and drive everyone else up the wall.
"Chuck" is a high-concept hard-R comedy that will delight its core audience, but it seems unlikely to match the (somewhat undeserved) critical acclaim and boxoffice success of "Superbad". The gimmick here is that Charlie (Dane Cook), a dentist who had a curse placed on him when he was a kid, is destined for sex but not love. It seems that every woman who sleeps with him will marry the next man she meets, making him the good-luck charm for all kinds of women desperate to tie the knot. At first, Charlie enjoys all the casual sex that comes his way, but he begins to resent the fact that he's not a keeper. Matters get even more complicated when he meets an accident-prone young woman, Cam (Jessica Alba), who seems to be a perfect match, but he worries that if they sleep together, she's sure to marry someone else -- unless he can break the curse.
The premise allows for lots of sex play, lots of crude encouragement on the part of Stu and some tiresome sight gags depicting Cam's pratfalls and mishaps. The script by Josh Stolberg has no fizz. It's possible to sit for half an hour without cracking a smile. Part of the problem is sheer repetitiveness; another problem is that Stu's leering remarks are repulsive rather than endearing. Yet this juvenile comedy directed by Mark Helfrich turns out to be easier to take than it has any right to be, largely because of the presence of Cook. He's co-starred in dumb comedies like "Employee of the Month", and he made a rather convincing psycho in "Mr. Brooks", but here he's playing romantic comedy, and he turns out to be surprisingly skillful at it. He might have the potential to be a latter-day Chevy Chase, who managed to navigate farce as well as romance with panache. Because of Cook's performance, we end up feeling sympathy for Charlie and rooting for him to get lucky in love.
Alba also gives an appealing performance, and she displays the right chemistry with Cook. Other cast members are merely adequate. Technical credits and music are solid, but they can't rescue the witless script.
GOOD LUCK CHUCK
Lionsgate
Karz Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Mark Helfrich
Screenwriter: Josh Stolberg
Producers: Mike Karz, Barry Katz, Brian Volk-Weiss
Executive producers: Tracey Edmonds, Russell Hollander, Ogden Gavanski, Michael Paseornek
Director of photography: Anthony B. Richmond
Production designer: Mark Freeborn
Music: Aaron Zigman
Co-producers: Cece Karz, Karen Russell
Costume designer: Trish Keating
Editor: Julia Wong
Cast:
Charlie: Dane Cook
Cam: Jessica Alba
Stu: Dan Fogler
Joe: Lonny Ross
Jennifer: Caroline Ford
Carol: Chelan Simmons
Natalie: Natalie Morris
Reba: Ellia English
Young Charlie: Connor Price
Young Stu: Troy Gentile
Eleanor Skepple: Jodie Stewart
Running time -- 96 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 9/21/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LAS VEGAS -- Dane Cook will be honored Wednesday with a special Breakout Performance of the Year Award at ShoWest.
Cook, who starred last year in Lionsgate's Employee of the Month, will next be seen in MGM's Mr. Brooks, set for release June 1, followed by the romantic comedy Good Luck Chuck, which Lionsgate will release Aug. 24.
"Dane Cook is an innovative performer, gifted actor and a very funny and creative comedic talent," said Mitch Neuhauser, co-managing director of the annual exhibitors convention, which runs through Thursday. "He is well on his way to establishing himself as a leading man in Hollywood."
Cook will be presented with the award at the Lionsgate Luncheon.
In Chuck, directed by Mark Helfrich, Cook plays a dentist, who at the age of 10 was cursed by a girl he spurned during a game of spin the bottle. As an adult, he can't find the right woman.
The performer also recently wrapped production on Touchstone's Dan in Real Life, with Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche.
Cook, who starred last year in Lionsgate's Employee of the Month, will next be seen in MGM's Mr. Brooks, set for release June 1, followed by the romantic comedy Good Luck Chuck, which Lionsgate will release Aug. 24.
"Dane Cook is an innovative performer, gifted actor and a very funny and creative comedic talent," said Mitch Neuhauser, co-managing director of the annual exhibitors convention, which runs through Thursday. "He is well on his way to establishing himself as a leading man in Hollywood."
Cook will be presented with the award at the Lionsgate Luncheon.
In Chuck, directed by Mark Helfrich, Cook plays a dentist, who at the age of 10 was cursed by a girl he spurned during a game of spin the bottle. As an adult, he can't find the right woman.
The performer also recently wrapped production on Touchstone's Dan in Real Life, with Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche.
- 3/13/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Not exactly going out with a whimper, "X-Men: The Last Stand", the closing installment of the commercially and critically successful Marvel movie franchise, still fails to generate the satisfying bang created by the first and, particularly, the second edition.
With creative force Bryan Singer having vacated the X-Men universe for the highly anticipated "Superman Returns", Brett Ratner has taken the reins, and though the picture is not without its wow-inducing, SFX-driven moments, that potent X-factor is considerably diminished in Singer's absence.
Arriving Friday on the heels of tonight's splashy Cannes premiere, the film should still enjoy an X-cellent opening weekend, but less assured is its ability to scale the $214.8 million-grossing heights of 2003's "X2: X-Men United".
The gang's pretty much all here for the purported final go-round, which sees the makings of a virtual mutant civil war ignited by the introduction of a pharmaceutical cure for their afflictions/attributes.
That promise of conformity offered by the crusading Warren Worthington Sr. (Michael Murphy) further alienates the mutant society with its double-edged ramifications.
Unsurprisingly, the "cure" triggers a sociological showdown between the ever-tolerant Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and the mercurial Magneto (Ian McKellen), who vows to obliterate both the remedy and its adherents, human and mutant alike.
Meanwhile, on a more local level, Logan, aka Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), is thrown for an emotional loop when the extremely telepathic Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) emerges from what was believed to have been her watery grave with her powers notably undiluted.
But while the setup, with its underlying themes of sexual identity and alienation more pronounced than ever, is intriguing enough, "Last Stand" is more concerned about getting to the next special effects sequence than it is about tapping into those relevant undercurrents.
Sticking mainly to the surface, Ratner, who came on board after the hasty departure of "Layer Cake" director Matthew Vaughn, keeps things moving swiftly enough, but his writing team (Singer took previous "X-Men" scribes Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris to the "Superman" movie) -- including Simon Kinberg ("Mr. & Mrs. Smith") and Zak Penn -- fails to nail the requisite tone.
So while Jackman, Janssen, McKellen, Stewart, Halle Berry's Storm, Rebecca Romijn's Mystique, as well as newcomer Kelsey Grammer's hairy, blue-tinged Dr. Henry McCoy/Beast are all in fine fighting form, their superpowers ultimately are rendered useless in the face of some ultradumb dialogue that truly misses the "X-Men" mark.
Visual effects supervisor John Bruno, meanwhile, doesn't disappoint with some franchise-worthy set pieces -- among them a dramatic repositioning of the Golden Gate Bridge and a rather extreme makeover of Grey's suburban home -- that are worthy of the Marvel moniker.
X-Men: The Last Stand
20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox presents in association with Marvel Entertainment a Donners Co. production of a Brett Ratner film
Credits:
Director: Brett Ratner
Screenwriters: Simon Kinberg & Zak Penn
Producers: Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter, Avi Arad
Executive producers: Stan Lee, Kevin Feige, John Palermo
Director of photography: Dante Spinotti
Production designer: Edward Verreaux
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Mark Goldblatt, Julia Wong
Costume designer: Judianna Makovsky
Music: John Powell
Visual effects supervisor: John Bruno
Cast:
Logan/Wolverine: Hugh Jackman
Storm: Halle Berry
Professor Charles Xavier: Patrick Stewart
Magneto: Ian McKellen
Jean Grey: Famke Janssen
Rogue: Anna Paquin
Dr. Henry McCoy/Beast: Kelsey Grammer
Cyclops: James Marsden
Mystique: Rebecca Romijn
Bobby Drake/Iceman: Shawn Ashmore
Pyro: Aaron Stanford
Juggernaut: Vinnie Jones
Warren Worthington III/Angel: Ben Foster
Kitty Pryde: Ellen Page
Callisto: Dania Ramirez
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 104 minutes...
With creative force Bryan Singer having vacated the X-Men universe for the highly anticipated "Superman Returns", Brett Ratner has taken the reins, and though the picture is not without its wow-inducing, SFX-driven moments, that potent X-factor is considerably diminished in Singer's absence.
Arriving Friday on the heels of tonight's splashy Cannes premiere, the film should still enjoy an X-cellent opening weekend, but less assured is its ability to scale the $214.8 million-grossing heights of 2003's "X2: X-Men United".
The gang's pretty much all here for the purported final go-round, which sees the makings of a virtual mutant civil war ignited by the introduction of a pharmaceutical cure for their afflictions/attributes.
That promise of conformity offered by the crusading Warren Worthington Sr. (Michael Murphy) further alienates the mutant society with its double-edged ramifications.
Unsurprisingly, the "cure" triggers a sociological showdown between the ever-tolerant Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and the mercurial Magneto (Ian McKellen), who vows to obliterate both the remedy and its adherents, human and mutant alike.
Meanwhile, on a more local level, Logan, aka Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), is thrown for an emotional loop when the extremely telepathic Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) emerges from what was believed to have been her watery grave with her powers notably undiluted.
But while the setup, with its underlying themes of sexual identity and alienation more pronounced than ever, is intriguing enough, "Last Stand" is more concerned about getting to the next special effects sequence than it is about tapping into those relevant undercurrents.
Sticking mainly to the surface, Ratner, who came on board after the hasty departure of "Layer Cake" director Matthew Vaughn, keeps things moving swiftly enough, but his writing team (Singer took previous "X-Men" scribes Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris to the "Superman" movie) -- including Simon Kinberg ("Mr. & Mrs. Smith") and Zak Penn -- fails to nail the requisite tone.
So while Jackman, Janssen, McKellen, Stewart, Halle Berry's Storm, Rebecca Romijn's Mystique, as well as newcomer Kelsey Grammer's hairy, blue-tinged Dr. Henry McCoy/Beast are all in fine fighting form, their superpowers ultimately are rendered useless in the face of some ultradumb dialogue that truly misses the "X-Men" mark.
Visual effects supervisor John Bruno, meanwhile, doesn't disappoint with some franchise-worthy set pieces -- among them a dramatic repositioning of the Golden Gate Bridge and a rather extreme makeover of Grey's suburban home -- that are worthy of the Marvel moniker.
X-Men: The Last Stand
20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox presents in association with Marvel Entertainment a Donners Co. production of a Brett Ratner film
Credits:
Director: Brett Ratner
Screenwriters: Simon Kinberg & Zak Penn
Producers: Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter, Avi Arad
Executive producers: Stan Lee, Kevin Feige, John Palermo
Director of photography: Dante Spinotti
Production designer: Edward Verreaux
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Mark Goldblatt, Julia Wong
Costume designer: Judianna Makovsky
Music: John Powell
Visual effects supervisor: John Bruno
Cast:
Logan/Wolverine: Hugh Jackman
Storm: Halle Berry
Professor Charles Xavier: Patrick Stewart
Magneto: Ian McKellen
Jean Grey: Famke Janssen
Rogue: Anna Paquin
Dr. Henry McCoy/Beast: Kelsey Grammer
Cyclops: James Marsden
Mystique: Rebecca Romijn
Bobby Drake/Iceman: Shawn Ashmore
Pyro: Aaron Stanford
Juggernaut: Vinnie Jones
Warren Worthington III/Angel: Ben Foster
Kitty Pryde: Ellen Page
Callisto: Dania Ramirez
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 104 minutes...
- 5/22/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Longtime editor Mark Helfrich has signed on to direct his first feature, Good Luck Chuck, for New Line Cinema. The romantic comedy is about a man who breaks up with his longtime girlfriend only to see her get engaged to the next guy she dates. The same pattern occurs with his next girlfriend and continues to repeat. He finds himself becoming a lucky charm for women who all want to date him, and a comedy of errors ensues. Mike Karz, Russell Hollander and Tracey Edmonds are producing the Josh Stolberg script. New Line executive Mark Kaufman is overseeing the project. Helfrich is best known as Brett Ratner's editor, having worked on the helmer's Money Talks, Rush Hour, The Family Man, Rush Hour 2, Red Dragon and After the Sunset. Other credits include Scary Movie, The Last Boy Scout and Rambo: First Blood Part II. Helfrich is repped by CAA.
- 3/23/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Opened
Dec. 3 (France)
PARIS -- Following in the footsteps of his huge hit "On connait la chanson" (Same Old Song), veteran film director Alain Resnais once again indulges his passion for musical comedies with "Pas sur la bouche" (Not on the Mouth). Resnais delights in a journey back in time to a glamorous Paris of 1925 to revive a distinctly unfashionable style of theater -- the music hall. The movie oozes kitsch but is not without class. Resnais alternates dialogue with songs from an original score of the 1920s, and audiences will either let themselves go and enjoy the ride or want to get off at the first stop.
The story line is light opera with a splash of farce. Gilberte Valandray (Sabine Azema) is married to Georges (Pierre Arditi), a successful businessman who is unaware that his wife was previously married. Years before in America, she married Eric Thomson (Lambert Wilson). The two have since divorced, but Georges is a puritan who firmly believes that true happiness only exists between two people who have never before made a marital commitment. When Georges announces to Gilberte that he is about to sign a lucrative contract with an American counterpart, Gilberte is horrified to see Eric arrive at her house to finalize the deal. Around the central intrigue are a series of interwoven subplots. The young Huguette (Audrey Tautou) is trying desperately to seduce bohemian artist Charley (Jalil Lespert), who is in turn madly in love with Gilberte. Arlette (Isabelle Nanty), Gilberte's unmarried sister, acts as a Greek chorus, keeping the audience up to speed with events.
The film harks back to a simpler time when form outweighed content. Or does it? "Pas sur la bouche" could read "Pas sur la bush". There is a whiff of the age-old rivalry between the two countries. Eric is a highly unflattering portrait of Europe's trans-Atlantic cousins. He is arrogant, boorish, culturally moribund. The film's title stems from his dislike of being kissed on the mouth because he finds it unhygienic. The French Kiss is not for him. At 81, Resnais still knows how to throw a barb or two.
Wilson does a superb job of playing the sinister Eric. But he is just one in a supremely entertaining cast of characters. Tautou shows her versatility as the scheming Huguette, equally matched by Lespert as Charley.
PAS SUR LA BOUCHE
Arena Films
Credits:
Director: Alain Resnais
Screenwriter: Andre Barde
Producer: Bruno Pesary
Director of photography: Renato Berta
Production designer: Jacques Saulnier
Music: Maurice Yvain
Costume designer: Jackie Budin
Editor: Herve de Luze
Cast:
Gilberte: Sabine Azema
Georges: Pierre Arditi
Arlette: Isabelle Nanty
Eric Thomson: Lambert Wilson
Huguette: Audrey Tautou
Charley: Jalil Lespert
Running time -- 115 minutesr="none" />Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Dec. 3 (France)
PARIS -- Following in the footsteps of his huge hit "On connait la chanson" (Same Old Song), veteran film director Alain Resnais once again indulges his passion for musical comedies with "Pas sur la bouche" (Not on the Mouth). Resnais delights in a journey back in time to a glamorous Paris of 1925 to revive a distinctly unfashionable style of theater -- the music hall. The movie oozes kitsch but is not without class. Resnais alternates dialogue with songs from an original score of the 1920s, and audiences will either let themselves go and enjoy the ride or want to get off at the first stop.
The story line is light opera with a splash of farce. Gilberte Valandray (Sabine Azema) is married to Georges (Pierre Arditi), a successful businessman who is unaware that his wife was previously married. Years before in America, she married Eric Thomson (Lambert Wilson). The two have since divorced, but Georges is a puritan who firmly believes that true happiness only exists between two people who have never before made a marital commitment. When Georges announces to Gilberte that he is about to sign a lucrative contract with an American counterpart, Gilberte is horrified to see Eric arrive at her house to finalize the deal. Around the central intrigue are a series of interwoven subplots. The young Huguette (Audrey Tautou) is trying desperately to seduce bohemian artist Charley (Jalil Lespert), who is in turn madly in love with Gilberte. Arlette (Isabelle Nanty), Gilberte's unmarried sister, acts as a Greek chorus, keeping the audience up to speed with events.
The film harks back to a simpler time when form outweighed content. Or does it? "Pas sur la bouche" could read "Pas sur la bush". There is a whiff of the age-old rivalry between the two countries. Eric is a highly unflattering portrait of Europe's trans-Atlantic cousins. He is arrogant, boorish, culturally moribund. The film's title stems from his dislike of being kissed on the mouth because he finds it unhygienic. The French Kiss is not for him. At 81, Resnais still knows how to throw a barb or two.
Wilson does a superb job of playing the sinister Eric. But he is just one in a supremely entertaining cast of characters. Tautou shows her versatility as the scheming Huguette, equally matched by Lespert as Charley.
PAS SUR LA BOUCHE
Arena Films
Credits:
Director: Alain Resnais
Screenwriter: Andre Barde
Producer: Bruno Pesary
Director of photography: Renato Berta
Production designer: Jacques Saulnier
Music: Maurice Yvain
Costume designer: Jackie Budin
Editor: Herve de Luze
Cast:
Gilberte: Sabine Azema
Georges: Pierre Arditi
Arlette: Isabelle Nanty
Eric Thomson: Lambert Wilson
Huguette: Audrey Tautou
Charley: Jalil Lespert
Running time -- 115 minutesr="none" />Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
First Run Features
NEW YORK -- Formulaic plot elements don't greatly hamper the impact of this French charmer about the relationship that develops between an elderly widower and the 8-year-old neighbor girl whose mother neglects her. Michel Serrault's typically expert performance and writer-director Philippe Muyl's ability to avoid the usual cliches in his execution of the tale give "The Butterfly" an undeniable appeal. Perfect holiday entertainment, albeit for those Small Fry who can read English subtitles, the film opened Friday at New York's Cinema Village.
Julien (Serrault) is an elderly entomologist living alone in his spacious apartment with only his cat and extensive butterfly collection for company. His next door neighbors are 8-year-old Elsa (Claire Bouanich) and her mother, Isabelle (Nade Dieu), the latter a single working mom who has little time for her little girl. When Julien sets out on a country excursion in search of an elusive butterfly whose life span is only a few days and who appears only one week out of the year, Elsa, as children in these sorts of movies are likely to do, hides out in his car. By the time the flustered Julien realizes that he has a stowaway, he's too far away to turn around and so reluctantly agrees to let her tag along. With Julien's cell phone not working, the inevitable complications ensue, with the police searching for the missing girl even as she learns life lessons from her gruff companion.
While it seems reminiscent of countless earlier efforts featuring the same themes, "Butterfly" manages to find fresh dimensions thanks to its smart and frequently amusing screenplay, its multidimensional characterizations and its refreshing lack of sentimentality. Julien is not the standard grumpy senior, Elsa is far less cutesy than the usual movie moppet, and the relationship that develops between the two has a genuineness of feeling that is ultimately quite moving. chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
NEW YORK -- Formulaic plot elements don't greatly hamper the impact of this French charmer about the relationship that develops between an elderly widower and the 8-year-old neighbor girl whose mother neglects her. Michel Serrault's typically expert performance and writer-director Philippe Muyl's ability to avoid the usual cliches in his execution of the tale give "The Butterfly" an undeniable appeal. Perfect holiday entertainment, albeit for those Small Fry who can read English subtitles, the film opened Friday at New York's Cinema Village.
Julien (Serrault) is an elderly entomologist living alone in his spacious apartment with only his cat and extensive butterfly collection for company. His next door neighbors are 8-year-old Elsa (Claire Bouanich) and her mother, Isabelle (Nade Dieu), the latter a single working mom who has little time for her little girl. When Julien sets out on a country excursion in search of an elusive butterfly whose life span is only a few days and who appears only one week out of the year, Elsa, as children in these sorts of movies are likely to do, hides out in his car. By the time the flustered Julien realizes that he has a stowaway, he's too far away to turn around and so reluctantly agrees to let her tag along. With Julien's cell phone not working, the inevitable complications ensue, with the police searching for the missing girl even as she learns life lessons from her gruff companion.
While it seems reminiscent of countless earlier efforts featuring the same themes, "Butterfly" manages to find fresh dimensions thanks to its smart and frequently amusing screenplay, its multidimensional characterizations and its refreshing lack of sentimentality. Julien is not the standard grumpy senior, Elsa is far less cutesy than the usual movie moppet, and the relationship that develops between the two has a genuineness of feeling that is ultimately quite moving. chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Opens
Friday, Dec. 19 (New York and Los Angeles)
"The Hebrew Hammer" is a crass, sophomoric and, more to the point, offensively unfunny parody that sets out to remake Shaft and his blaxploitation ilk as a Jewish action hero.
Clearly influenced by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy cannon, not to mention early Mel Brooks, writer-director Jonathan Kesselman has stretched his original film school short into a very thin feature following the exploits of Mordechai Jefferson Carver, "the baddest hebe this side of Tel Aviv" who must prevent Santa's evil son from destroying Hanukkah.
Strand Releasing, which obviously sees some kind of "Bad Santa"-style counter-programming potential ("Hammer" has already aired on Comedy Central), is opening the film this weekend in Los Angeles and New York, but you don't have to be Jewish to be put off by Kesselman's relentless milking of tired Borscht Belt-era stereotypes.
Distilling his performance into a fine whine, Adam Goldberg is the Hebrew Hammer in question -- an erstwhile private investigator or, as his office door reads, "Certified Circumcised Dick", who has been recruited by Jewish Justice League chief Bloomenbergansteinthal (Peter Coyote struggling with a painful Yiddish accent) to prevent the sinister Damian Claus (Andy Dick) from destroying Hanukkah by any means necessary.
Assisted by Bloomenbergansteinthal's daughter Esther (Judy Greer) and the head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front Mario Van Peebles), the Hebrew Hammer ultimately gets the job done, no thanks to his guilt-dispensing mother (Nora Dunn).
Kesselman probably bust a gut writing this stuff, but more than a few minutes of the one-gag material quickly begins to grate.
By the time former New York mayor Ed Koch shows up, bound helplessly in a chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Friday, Dec. 19 (New York and Los Angeles)
"The Hebrew Hammer" is a crass, sophomoric and, more to the point, offensively unfunny parody that sets out to remake Shaft and his blaxploitation ilk as a Jewish action hero.
Clearly influenced by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy cannon, not to mention early Mel Brooks, writer-director Jonathan Kesselman has stretched his original film school short into a very thin feature following the exploits of Mordechai Jefferson Carver, "the baddest hebe this side of Tel Aviv" who must prevent Santa's evil son from destroying Hanukkah.
Strand Releasing, which obviously sees some kind of "Bad Santa"-style counter-programming potential ("Hammer" has already aired on Comedy Central), is opening the film this weekend in Los Angeles and New York, but you don't have to be Jewish to be put off by Kesselman's relentless milking of tired Borscht Belt-era stereotypes.
Distilling his performance into a fine whine, Adam Goldberg is the Hebrew Hammer in question -- an erstwhile private investigator or, as his office door reads, "Certified Circumcised Dick", who has been recruited by Jewish Justice League chief Bloomenbergansteinthal (Peter Coyote struggling with a painful Yiddish accent) to prevent the sinister Damian Claus (Andy Dick) from destroying Hanukkah by any means necessary.
Assisted by Bloomenbergansteinthal's daughter Esther (Judy Greer) and the head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front Mario Van Peebles), the Hebrew Hammer ultimately gets the job done, no thanks to his guilt-dispensing mother (Nora Dunn).
Kesselman probably bust a gut writing this stuff, but more than a few minutes of the one-gag material quickly begins to grate.
By the time former New York mayor Ed Koch shows up, bound helplessly in a chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Shadow Distribution
NEW YORK -- Gyorgy Palfi's debut feature, this year's Hungarian entry for the Academy Awards, is a nearly wordless but far from silent impressionistic film depicting the comings and goings in a small Hungarian village. Subtly transforming from a bucolic portrait to one tinged with menace, "Hukkle" is at once impressive and indulgent, hypnotic and patience-inducing with its languorous rhythms. It is, in other words, decidedly not for everyone. Previously showcased at many festivals, the film is playing a theatrical engagement at Chicago's Music Box and New York's Cinema Village theaters.
The film is bookended by shots of an elderly man sitting on a bench, his loud and constant hiccuping (hukkle is the Hungarian word) providing a comical commentary on the proceedings. Most of the running time is occupied depicting the human and animal denizens of the village engaging in a variety of innocuous activities: women working at sewing machines and preparing meals for their families, men playing bowling games and tending to chores on a farm, insects and animals doing what they do, etc. This collage of bland moments, resembling one of those film portraits of various aspects of Americana shown on public television, is accompanied not by dialogue but rather by the accompanying natural and mechanical sounds, often amplified on the soundtrack.
Things eventually take a darker, if unclear, tone with such visuals as a cat, previously seen lunching on some prepared meat, suddenly keeling over, and a decomposing human body at the bottom of a lake. We also see a puzzled, ponytailed policeman investigating the mysterious events.
The film eventually doesn't manage to sustain its thin premise over its 75-minute length, and one ultimately wishes that director-screenwriter Palfi had been less oblique in his storytelling style. But it must also be admitted that "Hukkle", stylistically audacious and visually accomplished, does provide a singular and original cinematic experience.ards has attracted the interest of the local police.
Telling his tale at a sluggish, attenuated pace, the director-screenwriter doesn't help matters with his screenplay's often artificial-sounding dialogue and stereotypical characterizations. Also problematic are the shifts in tone -- from realistic drama to comedy of manners to would-be thriller -- and the highly uneven performances. Although Leitch is quite convincing as the duplicitous Dean, several of the supporting players are allowed to indulge their character's more exaggerated traits too often.
But most deleterious is the split-screen approach, which reduces the widescreen image to three small boxes. Inconsistently shifting from framing the action from a variety of angles to simply repeating certain images to presenting other visuals entirely, the technique adds little in the way of illumination and a lot in terms of inducing a migraine. the film suffers from an overeagerness to make the action compelling, with uncertain camera placement and frantic editing at times serving to distract rather than enhance. The choreography by Laurie Ann Gibson (who has a small part as Honey's evil rival) ranges from a baffling and lifeless Tweet video, with its robotic moves and incongruous Flying by Foy, to the exuberant freestyling of the kids in Honey's class. The highlight is the kids' rehearsal for a Ginuwine video: Shot simply, the scene boasts terrific dancing and the story's most powerful dramatic moment.
HONEY
Universal Pictures
A Marc Platt/Nuamerica production
Credits:
Director: Bille Woodruff
Screenwriters: Alonzo Brown, Kim Watson
Producers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
NEW YORK -- Gyorgy Palfi's debut feature, this year's Hungarian entry for the Academy Awards, is a nearly wordless but far from silent impressionistic film depicting the comings and goings in a small Hungarian village. Subtly transforming from a bucolic portrait to one tinged with menace, "Hukkle" is at once impressive and indulgent, hypnotic and patience-inducing with its languorous rhythms. It is, in other words, decidedly not for everyone. Previously showcased at many festivals, the film is playing a theatrical engagement at Chicago's Music Box and New York's Cinema Village theaters.
The film is bookended by shots of an elderly man sitting on a bench, his loud and constant hiccuping (hukkle is the Hungarian word) providing a comical commentary on the proceedings. Most of the running time is occupied depicting the human and animal denizens of the village engaging in a variety of innocuous activities: women working at sewing machines and preparing meals for their families, men playing bowling games and tending to chores on a farm, insects and animals doing what they do, etc. This collage of bland moments, resembling one of those film portraits of various aspects of Americana shown on public television, is accompanied not by dialogue but rather by the accompanying natural and mechanical sounds, often amplified on the soundtrack.
Things eventually take a darker, if unclear, tone with such visuals as a cat, previously seen lunching on some prepared meat, suddenly keeling over, and a decomposing human body at the bottom of a lake. We also see a puzzled, ponytailed policeman investigating the mysterious events.
The film eventually doesn't manage to sustain its thin premise over its 75-minute length, and one ultimately wishes that director-screenwriter Palfi had been less oblique in his storytelling style. But it must also be admitted that "Hukkle", stylistically audacious and visually accomplished, does provide a singular and original cinematic experience.ards has attracted the interest of the local police.
Telling his tale at a sluggish, attenuated pace, the director-screenwriter doesn't help matters with his screenplay's often artificial-sounding dialogue and stereotypical characterizations. Also problematic are the shifts in tone -- from realistic drama to comedy of manners to would-be thriller -- and the highly uneven performances. Although Leitch is quite convincing as the duplicitous Dean, several of the supporting players are allowed to indulge their character's more exaggerated traits too often.
But most deleterious is the split-screen approach, which reduces the widescreen image to three small boxes. Inconsistently shifting from framing the action from a variety of angles to simply repeating certain images to presenting other visuals entirely, the technique adds little in the way of illumination and a lot in terms of inducing a migraine. the film suffers from an overeagerness to make the action compelling, with uncertain camera placement and frantic editing at times serving to distract rather than enhance. The choreography by Laurie Ann Gibson (who has a small part as Honey's evil rival) ranges from a baffling and lifeless Tweet video, with its robotic moves and incongruous Flying by Foy, to the exuberant freestyling of the kids in Honey's class. The highlight is the kids' rehearsal for a Ginuwine video: Shot simply, the scene boasts terrific dancing and the story's most powerful dramatic moment.
HONEY
Universal Pictures
A Marc Platt/Nuamerica production
Credits:
Director: Bille Woodruff
Screenwriters: Alonzo Brown, Kim Watson
Producers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Seventh Art Releasing
NEW YORK -- Filmmaker Hart Perry, who among his voluminous credits served as the cameraman for Barbara Kopple's award-winning labor documentaries "Harlan County, U.S.A". and "American Dream", puts his experience to good use with this engrossing portrait of the plight of Mexican-American migrant workers in Texas. Although a bit scattered in focus and occasionally lacking needed narrative punch, "Valley of Tears" is an ultimately moving effort that well illustrates the often hopeless situation faced by the people whose lives it depicts. The film is receiving its theatrical premiere at New York's Two Boots Pioneer Theater.
The film actually takes place over a more than 20-year period, beginning with footage shot in 1979 by Perry when he was commissioned by the Texas Farm Workers Union to document a strike by Mexican-American onion pickers in the town of Raymondville. Frustrated by low pay and harsh conditions, the workers struck against the area's largest farmer, but their efforts eventually came to naught.
Perry returned to the area years later, for a second chapter illustrating the efforts of Latino parents to improve education conditions for their children, with the focus being a contentious school board election in which their candidate finally lost. In the final chapter, the filmmaker concentrates on Juan Gerra, the area's ambitious and socially conscious Mexican-American district attorney.
Including numerous interviews with both Latinos and the town's often hostile Anglos, the film strikes a considerable balance even while clearly delineating where its sympathies are. At times, the episodic approach is counterproductive, but the portrait of the town over a considerable amount of time well illustrates both the positive changes that have occurred and the many areas in which things have deteriorated. Ultimately, "Valley of Tears" leaves one both saddened and cautiously optimistic.ections and home. Meanwhile, his audacious spending on stolen credit cards has attracted the interest of the local police.
Telling his tale at a sluggish, attenuated pace, the director-screenwriter doesn't help matters with his screenplay's often artificial-sounding dialogue and stereotypical characterizations. Also problematic are the shifts in tone -- from realistic drama to comedy of manners to would-be thriller -- and the highly uneven performances. Although Leitch is quite convincing as the duplicitous Dean, several of the supporting players are allowed to indulge their character's more exaggerated traits too often.
But most deleterious is the split-screen approach, which reduces the widescreen image to three small boxes. Inconsistently shifting from framing the action from a variety of angles to simply repeating certain images to presenting other visuals entirely, the technique adds little in the way of illumination and a lot in terms of inducing a migraine. the film suffers from an overeagerness to make the action compelling, with uncertain camera placement and frantic editing at times serving to distract rather than enhance. The choreography by Laurie Ann Gibson (who has a small part as Honey's evil rival) ranges from a baffling and lifeless Tweet video, with its robotic moves and incongruous Flying by Foy, to the exuberant freestyling of the kids in Honey's class. The highlight is the kids' rehearsal for a Ginuwine video: Shot simply, the scene boasts terrific dancing and the story's most powerful dramatic moment.
HONEY
Universal Pictures
A Marc Platt/Nuamerica production
Credits:
Director: Bille Woodruff
Screenwriters: Alonzo Brown, Kim Watson
Producers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
NEW YORK -- Filmmaker Hart Perry, who among his voluminous credits served as the cameraman for Barbara Kopple's award-winning labor documentaries "Harlan County, U.S.A". and "American Dream", puts his experience to good use with this engrossing portrait of the plight of Mexican-American migrant workers in Texas. Although a bit scattered in focus and occasionally lacking needed narrative punch, "Valley of Tears" is an ultimately moving effort that well illustrates the often hopeless situation faced by the people whose lives it depicts. The film is receiving its theatrical premiere at New York's Two Boots Pioneer Theater.
The film actually takes place over a more than 20-year period, beginning with footage shot in 1979 by Perry when he was commissioned by the Texas Farm Workers Union to document a strike by Mexican-American onion pickers in the town of Raymondville. Frustrated by low pay and harsh conditions, the workers struck against the area's largest farmer, but their efforts eventually came to naught.
Perry returned to the area years later, for a second chapter illustrating the efforts of Latino parents to improve education conditions for their children, with the focus being a contentious school board election in which their candidate finally lost. In the final chapter, the filmmaker concentrates on Juan Gerra, the area's ambitious and socially conscious Mexican-American district attorney.
Including numerous interviews with both Latinos and the town's often hostile Anglos, the film strikes a considerable balance even while clearly delineating where its sympathies are. At times, the episodic approach is counterproductive, but the portrait of the town over a considerable amount of time well illustrates both the positive changes that have occurred and the many areas in which things have deteriorated. Ultimately, "Valley of Tears" leaves one both saddened and cautiously optimistic.ections and home. Meanwhile, his audacious spending on stolen credit cards has attracted the interest of the local police.
Telling his tale at a sluggish, attenuated pace, the director-screenwriter doesn't help matters with his screenplay's often artificial-sounding dialogue and stereotypical characterizations. Also problematic are the shifts in tone -- from realistic drama to comedy of manners to would-be thriller -- and the highly uneven performances. Although Leitch is quite convincing as the duplicitous Dean, several of the supporting players are allowed to indulge their character's more exaggerated traits too often.
But most deleterious is the split-screen approach, which reduces the widescreen image to three small boxes. Inconsistently shifting from framing the action from a variety of angles to simply repeating certain images to presenting other visuals entirely, the technique adds little in the way of illumination and a lot in terms of inducing a migraine. the film suffers from an overeagerness to make the action compelling, with uncertain camera placement and frantic editing at times serving to distract rather than enhance. The choreography by Laurie Ann Gibson (who has a small part as Honey's evil rival) ranges from a baffling and lifeless Tweet video, with its robotic moves and incongruous Flying by Foy, to the exuberant freestyling of the kids in Honey's class. The highlight is the kids' rehearsal for a Ginuwine video: Shot simply, the scene boasts terrific dancing and the story's most powerful dramatic moment.
HONEY
Universal Pictures
A Marc Platt/Nuamerica production
Credits:
Director: Bille Woodruff
Screenwriters: Alonzo Brown, Kim Watson
Producers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Empire Pictures
NEW YORK -- There's a certain authenticity of feeling in this film, written and directed by Duncan Roy, about a young man who insinuates himself into the world of the upper class by posing as one of their own. That's because Roy performed a similar stunt between the ages of 17 and 22 and went to prison for his troubles.
Unfortunately, this film based on his experiences is not quite as compelling as the filmmaker's own story might have been, due somewhat to its lackadaisical pacing and jarring shifts of tone but mainly because of the unfortunate decision to present the entire film in a triptych format, with three separate images onscreen at the same time. As it was in recent similar efforts like Mike Figgis' "Timecode", the technique is needlessly distracting and off-putting, and this intimate story is hardly in need of such a device.
Set in the late 1970s, "AKA" presents the misadventures of Dean Page (Matthew Leitch), a handsome and articulate 18-year-old from a lower-middle-class family who has long suffered both the constraints of his upbringing and the often violent abuse of his stepfather. Inspired by his mother's rather deluded notion of being friends with the upper-class customers she waits on at the restaurant at which she works, Dean approaches one of the haughtier ones, Lady Gryffoyn (Diana Quick), and snags a job as an assistant at her gallery.
Soon, Lady Gryffoyn has taken the personable young man under her wing, even inviting him to live temporarily in her house because he has nowhere else to go. But things don't go quite as well with her jealous son, Alex (Blake Ritson), and Dean, taking the advice of his American friend Benjamin (Peter Youngblood Hills), hightails it to Paris, where he, a la "The Talented Mr. Ripley", assumes Alex's identity. He finds himself living with Benjamin and his rich lover (George Asprey), eventually taking Benjamin's place in the older man's affections and home. Meanwhile, his audacious spending on stolen credit cards has attracted the interest of the local police.
Telling his tale at a sluggish, attenuated pace, the director-screenwriter doesn't help matters with his screenplay's often artificial-sounding dialogue and stereotypical characterizations. Also problematic are the shifts in tone -- from realistic drama to comedy of manners to would-be thriller -- and the highly uneven performances. Although Leitch is quite convincing as the duplicitous Dean, several of the supporting players are allowed to indulge their character's more exaggerated traits too often.
But most deleterious is the split-screen approach, which reduces the widescreen image to three small boxes. Inconsistently shifting from framing the action from a variety of angles to simply repeating certain images to presenting other visuals entirely, the technique adds little in the way of illumination and a lot in terms of inducing a migraine. the film suffers from an overeagerness to make the action compelling, with uncertain camera placement and frantic editing at times serving to distract rather than enhance. The choreography by Laurie Ann Gibson (who has a small part as Honey's evil rival) ranges from a baffling and lifeless Tweet video, with its robotic moves and incongruous Flying by Foy, to the exuberant freestyling of the kids in Honey's class. The highlight is the kids' rehearsal for a Ginuwine video: Shot simply, the scene boasts terrific dancing and the story's most powerful dramatic moment.
HONEY
Universal Pictures
A Marc Platt/Nuamerica production
Credits:
Director: Bille Woodruff
Screenwriters: Alonzo Brown, Kim Watson
Producers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
NEW YORK -- There's a certain authenticity of feeling in this film, written and directed by Duncan Roy, about a young man who insinuates himself into the world of the upper class by posing as one of their own. That's because Roy performed a similar stunt between the ages of 17 and 22 and went to prison for his troubles.
Unfortunately, this film based on his experiences is not quite as compelling as the filmmaker's own story might have been, due somewhat to its lackadaisical pacing and jarring shifts of tone but mainly because of the unfortunate decision to present the entire film in a triptych format, with three separate images onscreen at the same time. As it was in recent similar efforts like Mike Figgis' "Timecode", the technique is needlessly distracting and off-putting, and this intimate story is hardly in need of such a device.
Set in the late 1970s, "AKA" presents the misadventures of Dean Page (Matthew Leitch), a handsome and articulate 18-year-old from a lower-middle-class family who has long suffered both the constraints of his upbringing and the often violent abuse of his stepfather. Inspired by his mother's rather deluded notion of being friends with the upper-class customers she waits on at the restaurant at which she works, Dean approaches one of the haughtier ones, Lady Gryffoyn (Diana Quick), and snags a job as an assistant at her gallery.
Soon, Lady Gryffoyn has taken the personable young man under her wing, even inviting him to live temporarily in her house because he has nowhere else to go. But things don't go quite as well with her jealous son, Alex (Blake Ritson), and Dean, taking the advice of his American friend Benjamin (Peter Youngblood Hills), hightails it to Paris, where he, a la "The Talented Mr. Ripley", assumes Alex's identity. He finds himself living with Benjamin and his rich lover (George Asprey), eventually taking Benjamin's place in the older man's affections and home. Meanwhile, his audacious spending on stolen credit cards has attracted the interest of the local police.
Telling his tale at a sluggish, attenuated pace, the director-screenwriter doesn't help matters with his screenplay's often artificial-sounding dialogue and stereotypical characterizations. Also problematic are the shifts in tone -- from realistic drama to comedy of manners to would-be thriller -- and the highly uneven performances. Although Leitch is quite convincing as the duplicitous Dean, several of the supporting players are allowed to indulge their character's more exaggerated traits too often.
But most deleterious is the split-screen approach, which reduces the widescreen image to three small boxes. Inconsistently shifting from framing the action from a variety of angles to simply repeating certain images to presenting other visuals entirely, the technique adds little in the way of illumination and a lot in terms of inducing a migraine. the film suffers from an overeagerness to make the action compelling, with uncertain camera placement and frantic editing at times serving to distract rather than enhance. The choreography by Laurie Ann Gibson (who has a small part as Honey's evil rival) ranges from a baffling and lifeless Tweet video, with its robotic moves and incongruous Flying by Foy, to the exuberant freestyling of the kids in Honey's class. The highlight is the kids' rehearsal for a Ginuwine video: Shot simply, the scene boasts terrific dancing and the story's most powerful dramatic moment.
HONEY
Universal Pictures
A Marc Platt/Nuamerica production
Credits:
Director: Bille Woodruff
Screenwriters: Alonzo Brown, Kim Watson
Producers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Opens
Friday, Dec. 5
The girl's gotta dance -- and meets little resistance -- in this hip-hop take on an age-old theme. With its (Toronto-shot) New York flavor and echoes of "Flashdance", "Fame" and "Saturday Night Fever", "Honey" flirts with the shadows but is a decidedly upbeat number, centered on a good-hearted character determined to realize her dreams without selling her soul. As counterprogramming to the season's more serious fare, the film could find a niche with younger audiences who haven't seen the birth-of-a-star scenario countless times. Its fashion parade and lessons in self-esteem should click especially with teenage girls.
Jessica Alba of the series "Dark Angel" stars as 22-year-old Honey, who is juggling jobs and dreaming of dance glory when she's discovered by a smarmy music-video producer, Michael (David Moscow). She breathes new life into the hip-hop moves on a Jadakiss & Sheek video, and in no time Michael has promoted her to choreographer to the stars -- among them Tweet, Ginuwine and a comically mouthy Missy Elliott.
Honey leaves behind not only her bartending and record-store gigs but also the hip-hop dance class she taught at a Bronx youth center run by her mother (Lonette McKee). Although Mom would rather she teach ballet and see the world, Honey's heart is with the neighborhood kids, whose dancing provides joyful release from daily disappointment. When the center's future looks uncertain, the suddenly well-paid Honey embarks on a plan to buy a building and create a new place for the kids.
The film moves through its formula paces with energy, seldom stopping long enough to let dramatic complexities interfere with the spirited music. Scripters Alonzo Brown and Kim Watson find a poetic charge in flavorful slang, but that doesn't disguise the dialogue's clunky exposition. More problematic is that every conflict or setback is resolved with a minimum of friction, whether it's Honey's inevitable clash with Michael or a young boy's stint in juvie.
Alba is a personable performer with good-natured appeal. It's largely a reflection of the script and direction that her performance, along with that of most of the cast, is only CD-deep; the writers and first-time feature director Bille Woodruff, a music-video vet, aim not to stir the soul but to give it a pep talk.
As Honey's wisecracking best friend, Joy Bryant ("Antwone Fisher") makes an impression delivering most of the good lines, and Mekhi Phifer does what he can with the role of Honey's ultrasupportive, platitude-spouting boyfriend. The most riveting performances are those of 14-year-old recording star Lil' Romeo, making his big-screen debut, and 8-year-old Zachary Isaiah Williams. As brothers who inspire Honey's big-sisterly instincts, they own every scene they're in.
For all its reveling in dance -- there are more than 90 credited dancers -- the film suffers from an overeagerness to make the action compelling, with uncertain camera placement and frantic editing at times serving to distract rather than enhance. The choreography by Laurie Ann Gibson (who has a small part as Honey's evil rival) ranges from a baffling and lifeless Tweet video, with its robotic moves and incongruous Flying by Foy, to the exuberant freestyling of the kids in Honey's class. The highlight is the kids' rehearsal for a Ginuwine video: Shot simply, the scene boasts terrific dancing and the story's most powerful dramatic moment.
HONEY
Universal Pictures
A Marc Platt/Nuamerica production
Credits:
Director: Bille Woodruff
Screenwriters: Alonzo Brown, Kim Watson
Producers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Friday, Dec. 5
The girl's gotta dance -- and meets little resistance -- in this hip-hop take on an age-old theme. With its (Toronto-shot) New York flavor and echoes of "Flashdance", "Fame" and "Saturday Night Fever", "Honey" flirts with the shadows but is a decidedly upbeat number, centered on a good-hearted character determined to realize her dreams without selling her soul. As counterprogramming to the season's more serious fare, the film could find a niche with younger audiences who haven't seen the birth-of-a-star scenario countless times. Its fashion parade and lessons in self-esteem should click especially with teenage girls.
Jessica Alba of the series "Dark Angel" stars as 22-year-old Honey, who is juggling jobs and dreaming of dance glory when she's discovered by a smarmy music-video producer, Michael (David Moscow). She breathes new life into the hip-hop moves on a Jadakiss & Sheek video, and in no time Michael has promoted her to choreographer to the stars -- among them Tweet, Ginuwine and a comically mouthy Missy Elliott.
Honey leaves behind not only her bartending and record-store gigs but also the hip-hop dance class she taught at a Bronx youth center run by her mother (Lonette McKee). Although Mom would rather she teach ballet and see the world, Honey's heart is with the neighborhood kids, whose dancing provides joyful release from daily disappointment. When the center's future looks uncertain, the suddenly well-paid Honey embarks on a plan to buy a building and create a new place for the kids.
The film moves through its formula paces with energy, seldom stopping long enough to let dramatic complexities interfere with the spirited music. Scripters Alonzo Brown and Kim Watson find a poetic charge in flavorful slang, but that doesn't disguise the dialogue's clunky exposition. More problematic is that every conflict or setback is resolved with a minimum of friction, whether it's Honey's inevitable clash with Michael or a young boy's stint in juvie.
Alba is a personable performer with good-natured appeal. It's largely a reflection of the script and direction that her performance, along with that of most of the cast, is only CD-deep; the writers and first-time feature director Bille Woodruff, a music-video vet, aim not to stir the soul but to give it a pep talk.
As Honey's wisecracking best friend, Joy Bryant ("Antwone Fisher") makes an impression delivering most of the good lines, and Mekhi Phifer does what he can with the role of Honey's ultrasupportive, platitude-spouting boyfriend. The most riveting performances are those of 14-year-old recording star Lil' Romeo, making his big-screen debut, and 8-year-old Zachary Isaiah Williams. As brothers who inspire Honey's big-sisterly instincts, they own every scene they're in.
For all its reveling in dance -- there are more than 90 credited dancers -- the film suffers from an overeagerness to make the action compelling, with uncertain camera placement and frantic editing at times serving to distract rather than enhance. The choreography by Laurie Ann Gibson (who has a small part as Honey's evil rival) ranges from a baffling and lifeless Tweet video, with its robotic moves and incongruous Flying by Foy, to the exuberant freestyling of the kids in Honey's class. The highlight is the kids' rehearsal for a Ginuwine video: Shot simply, the scene boasts terrific dancing and the story's most powerful dramatic moment.
HONEY
Universal Pictures
A Marc Platt/Nuamerica production
Credits:
Director: Bille Woodruff
Screenwriters: Alonzo Brown, Kim Watson
Producers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Opened
Dec. 3 (France)
PARIS -- Following in the footsteps of his huge hit "On connait la chanson" (Same Old Song), veteran film director Alain Resnais once again indulges his passion for musical comedies with "Pas sur la bouche" (Not on the Mouth). Resnais delights in a journey back in time to a glamorous Paris of 1925 to revive a distinctly unfashionable style of theater -- the music hall. The movie oozes kitsch but is not without class. Resnais alternates dialogue with songs from an original score of the 1920s, and audiences will either let themselves go and enjoy the ride or want to get off at the first stop.
The story line is light opera with a splash of farce. Gilberte Valandray (Sabine Azema) is married to Georges (Pierre Arditi), a successful businessman who is unaware that his wife was previously married. Years before in America, she married Eric Thomson (Lambert Wilson). The two have since divorced, but Georges is a puritan who firmly believes that true happiness only exists between two people who have never before made a marital commitment. When Georges announces to Gilberte that he is about to sign a lucrative contract with an American counterpart, Gilberte is horrified to see Eric arrive at her house to finalize the deal. Around the central intrigue are a series of interwoven subplots. The young Huguette (Audrey Tautou) is trying desperately to seduce bohemian artist Charley (Jalil Lespert), who is in turn madly in love with Gilberte. Arlette (Isabelle Nanty), Gilberte's unmarried sister, acts as a Greek chorus, keeping the audience up to speed with events.
The film harks back to a simpler time when form outweighed content. Or does it? "Pas sur la bouche" could read "Pas sur la bush". There is a whiff of the age-old rivalry between the two countries. Eric is a highly unflattering portrait of Europe's trans-Atlantic cousins. He is arrogant, boorish, culturally moribund. The film's title stems from his dislike of being kissed on the mouth because he finds it unhygienic. The French Kiss is not for him. At 81, Resnais still knows how to throw a barb or two.
Wilson does a superb job of playing the sinister Eric. But he is just one in a supremely entertaining cast of characters. Tautou shows her versatility as the scheming Huguette, equally matched by Lespert as Charley.
PAS SUR LA BOUCHE
Arena Films
Credits:
Director: Alain Resnais
Screenwriter: Andre Barde
Producer: Bruno Pesary
Director of photography: Renato Berta
Production designer: Jacques Saulnier
Music: Maurice Yvain
Costume designer: Jackie Budin
Editor: Herve de Luze
Cast:
Gilberte: Sabine Azema
Georges: Pierre Arditi
Arlette: Isabelle Nanty
Eric Thomson: Lambert Wilson
Huguette: Audrey Tautou
Charley: Jalil Lespert
Running time -- 115 minutesr="none" />Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Dec. 3 (France)
PARIS -- Following in the footsteps of his huge hit "On connait la chanson" (Same Old Song), veteran film director Alain Resnais once again indulges his passion for musical comedies with "Pas sur la bouche" (Not on the Mouth). Resnais delights in a journey back in time to a glamorous Paris of 1925 to revive a distinctly unfashionable style of theater -- the music hall. The movie oozes kitsch but is not without class. Resnais alternates dialogue with songs from an original score of the 1920s, and audiences will either let themselves go and enjoy the ride or want to get off at the first stop.
The story line is light opera with a splash of farce. Gilberte Valandray (Sabine Azema) is married to Georges (Pierre Arditi), a successful businessman who is unaware that his wife was previously married. Years before in America, she married Eric Thomson (Lambert Wilson). The two have since divorced, but Georges is a puritan who firmly believes that true happiness only exists between two people who have never before made a marital commitment. When Georges announces to Gilberte that he is about to sign a lucrative contract with an American counterpart, Gilberte is horrified to see Eric arrive at her house to finalize the deal. Around the central intrigue are a series of interwoven subplots. The young Huguette (Audrey Tautou) is trying desperately to seduce bohemian artist Charley (Jalil Lespert), who is in turn madly in love with Gilberte. Arlette (Isabelle Nanty), Gilberte's unmarried sister, acts as a Greek chorus, keeping the audience up to speed with events.
The film harks back to a simpler time when form outweighed content. Or does it? "Pas sur la bouche" could read "Pas sur la bush". There is a whiff of the age-old rivalry between the two countries. Eric is a highly unflattering portrait of Europe's trans-Atlantic cousins. He is arrogant, boorish, culturally moribund. The film's title stems from his dislike of being kissed on the mouth because he finds it unhygienic. The French Kiss is not for him. At 81, Resnais still knows how to throw a barb or two.
Wilson does a superb job of playing the sinister Eric. But he is just one in a supremely entertaining cast of characters. Tautou shows her versatility as the scheming Huguette, equally matched by Lespert as Charley.
PAS SUR LA BOUCHE
Arena Films
Credits:
Director: Alain Resnais
Screenwriter: Andre Barde
Producer: Bruno Pesary
Director of photography: Renato Berta
Production designer: Jacques Saulnier
Music: Maurice Yvain
Costume designer: Jackie Budin
Editor: Herve de Luze
Cast:
Gilberte: Sabine Azema
Georges: Pierre Arditi
Arlette: Isabelle Nanty
Eric Thomson: Lambert Wilson
Huguette: Audrey Tautou
Charley: Jalil Lespert
Running time -- 115 minutesr="none" />Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 12/23/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
First Run Features
NEW YORK -- Formulaic plot elements don't greatly hamper the impact of this French charmer about the relationship that develops between an elderly widower and the 8-year-old neighbor girl whose mother neglects her. Michel Serrault's typically expert performance and writer-director Philippe Muyl's ability to avoid the usual cliches in his execution of the tale give "The Butterfly" an undeniable appeal. Perfect holiday entertainment, albeit for those Small Fry who can read English subtitles, the film opened Friday at New York's Cinema Village.
Julien (Serrault) is an elderly entomologist living alone in his spacious apartment with only his cat and extensive butterfly collection for company. His next door neighbors are 8-year-old Elsa (Claire Bouanich) and her mother, Isabelle (Nade Dieu), the latter a single working mom who has little time for her little girl. When Julien sets out on a country excursion in search of an elusive butterfly whose life span is only a few days and who appears only one week out of the year, Elsa, as children in these sorts of movies are likely to do, hides out in his car. By the time the flustered Julien realizes that he has a stowaway, he's too far away to turn around and so reluctantly agrees to let her tag along. With Julien's cell phone not working, the inevitable complications ensue, with the police searching for the missing girl even as she learns life lessons from her gruff companion.
While it seems reminiscent of countless earlier efforts featuring the same themes, "Butterfly" manages to find fresh dimensions thanks to its smart and frequently amusing screenplay, its multidimensional characterizations and its refreshing lack of sentimentality. Julien is not the standard grumpy senior, Elsa is far less cutesy than the usual movie moppet, and the relationship that develops between the two has a genuineness of feeling that is ultimately quite moving. chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
NEW YORK -- Formulaic plot elements don't greatly hamper the impact of this French charmer about the relationship that develops between an elderly widower and the 8-year-old neighbor girl whose mother neglects her. Michel Serrault's typically expert performance and writer-director Philippe Muyl's ability to avoid the usual cliches in his execution of the tale give "The Butterfly" an undeniable appeal. Perfect holiday entertainment, albeit for those Small Fry who can read English subtitles, the film opened Friday at New York's Cinema Village.
Julien (Serrault) is an elderly entomologist living alone in his spacious apartment with only his cat and extensive butterfly collection for company. His next door neighbors are 8-year-old Elsa (Claire Bouanich) and her mother, Isabelle (Nade Dieu), the latter a single working mom who has little time for her little girl. When Julien sets out on a country excursion in search of an elusive butterfly whose life span is only a few days and who appears only one week out of the year, Elsa, as children in these sorts of movies are likely to do, hides out in his car. By the time the flustered Julien realizes that he has a stowaway, he's too far away to turn around and so reluctantly agrees to let her tag along. With Julien's cell phone not working, the inevitable complications ensue, with the police searching for the missing girl even as she learns life lessons from her gruff companion.
While it seems reminiscent of countless earlier efforts featuring the same themes, "Butterfly" manages to find fresh dimensions thanks to its smart and frequently amusing screenplay, its multidimensional characterizations and its refreshing lack of sentimentality. Julien is not the standard grumpy senior, Elsa is far less cutesy than the usual movie moppet, and the relationship that develops between the two has a genuineness of feeling that is ultimately quite moving. chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 12/23/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Opens
Friday, Dec. 19 (New York and Los Angeles)
"The Hebrew Hammer" is a crass, sophomoric and, more to the point, offensively unfunny parody that sets out to remake Shaft and his blaxploitation ilk as a Jewish action hero.
Clearly influenced by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy cannon, not to mention early Mel Brooks, writer-director Jonathan Kesselman has stretched his original film school short into a very thin feature following the exploits of Mordechai Jefferson Carver, "the baddest hebe this side of Tel Aviv" who must prevent Santa's evil son from destroying Hanukkah.
Strand Releasing, which obviously sees some kind of "Bad Santa"-style counter-programming potential ("Hammer" has already aired on Comedy Central), is opening the film this weekend in Los Angeles and New York, but you don't have to be Jewish to be put off by Kesselman's relentless milking of tired Borscht Belt-era stereotypes.
Distilling his performance into a fine whine, Adam Goldberg is the Hebrew Hammer in question -- an erstwhile private investigator or, as his office door reads, "Certified Circumcised Dick", who has been recruited by Jewish Justice League chief Bloomenbergansteinthal (Peter Coyote struggling with a painful Yiddish accent) to prevent the sinister Damian Claus (Andy Dick) from destroying Hanukkah by any means necessary.
Assisted by Bloomenbergansteinthal's daughter Esther (Judy Greer) and the head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front Mario Van Peebles), the Hebrew Hammer ultimately gets the job done, no thanks to his guilt-dispensing mother (Nora Dunn).
Kesselman probably bust a gut writing this stuff, but more than a few minutes of the one-gag material quickly begins to grate.
By the time former New York mayor Ed Koch shows up, bound helplessly in a chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Friday, Dec. 19 (New York and Los Angeles)
"The Hebrew Hammer" is a crass, sophomoric and, more to the point, offensively unfunny parody that sets out to remake Shaft and his blaxploitation ilk as a Jewish action hero.
Clearly influenced by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy cannon, not to mention early Mel Brooks, writer-director Jonathan Kesselman has stretched his original film school short into a very thin feature following the exploits of Mordechai Jefferson Carver, "the baddest hebe this side of Tel Aviv" who must prevent Santa's evil son from destroying Hanukkah.
Strand Releasing, which obviously sees some kind of "Bad Santa"-style counter-programming potential ("Hammer" has already aired on Comedy Central), is opening the film this weekend in Los Angeles and New York, but you don't have to be Jewish to be put off by Kesselman's relentless milking of tired Borscht Belt-era stereotypes.
Distilling his performance into a fine whine, Adam Goldberg is the Hebrew Hammer in question -- an erstwhile private investigator or, as his office door reads, "Certified Circumcised Dick", who has been recruited by Jewish Justice League chief Bloomenbergansteinthal (Peter Coyote struggling with a painful Yiddish accent) to prevent the sinister Damian Claus (Andy Dick) from destroying Hanukkah by any means necessary.
Assisted by Bloomenbergansteinthal's daughter Esther (Judy Greer) and the head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front Mario Van Peebles), the Hebrew Hammer ultimately gets the job done, no thanks to his guilt-dispensing mother (Nora Dunn).
Kesselman probably bust a gut writing this stuff, but more than a few minutes of the one-gag material quickly begins to grate.
By the time former New York mayor Ed Koch shows up, bound helplessly in a chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 12/19/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Shadow Distribution
NEW YORK -- Gyorgy Palfi's debut feature, this year's Hungarian entry for the Academy Awards, is a nearly wordless but far from silent impressionistic film depicting the comings and goings in a small Hungarian village. Subtly transforming from a bucolic portrait to one tinged with menace, "Hukkle" is at once impressive and indulgent, hypnotic and patience-inducing with its languorous rhythms. It is, in other words, decidedly not for everyone. Previously showcased at many festivals, the film is playing a theatrical engagement at Chicago's Music Box and New York's Cinema Village theaters.
The film is bookended by shots of an elderly man sitting on a bench, his loud and constant hiccuping (hukkle is the Hungarian word) providing a comical commentary on the proceedings. Most of the running time is occupied depicting the human and animal denizens of the village engaging in a variety of innocuous activities: women working at sewing machines and preparing meals for their families, men playing bowling games and tending to chores on a farm, insects and animals doing what they do, etc. This collage of bland moments, resembling one of those film portraits of various aspects of Americana shown on public television, is accompanied not by dialogue but rather by the accompanying natural and mechanical sounds, often amplified on the soundtrack.
Things eventually take a darker, if unclear, tone with such visuals as a cat, previously seen lunching on some prepared meat, suddenly keeling over, and a decomposing human body at the bottom of a lake. We also see a puzzled, ponytailed policeman investigating the mysterious events.
The film eventually doesn't manage to sustain its thin premise over its 75-minute length, and one ultimately wishes that director-screenwriter Palfi had been less oblique in his storytelling style. But it must also be admitted that "Hukkle", stylistically audacious and visually accomplished, does provide a singular and original cinematic experience.ards has attracted the interest of the local police.
Telling his tale at a sluggish, attenuated pace, the director-screenwriter doesn't help matters with his screenplay's often artificial-sounding dialogue and stereotypical characterizations. Also problematic are the shifts in tone -- from realistic drama to comedy of manners to would-be thriller -- and the highly uneven performances. Although Leitch is quite convincing as the duplicitous Dean, several of the supporting players are allowed to indulge their character's more exaggerated traits too often.
But most deleterious is the split-screen approach, which reduces the widescreen image to three small boxes. Inconsistently shifting from framing the action from a variety of angles to simply repeating certain images to presenting other visuals entirely, the technique adds little in the way of illumination and a lot in terms of inducing a migraine. the film suffers from an overeagerness to make the action compelling, with uncertain camera placement and frantic editing at times serving to distract rather than enhance. The choreography by Laurie Ann Gibson (who has a small part as Honey's evil rival) ranges from a baffling and lifeless Tweet video, with its robotic moves and incongruous Flying by Foy, to the exuberant freestyling of the kids in Honey's class. The highlight is the kids' rehearsal for a Ginuwine video: Shot simply, the scene boasts terrific dancing and the story's most powerful dramatic moment.
HONEY
Universal Pictures
A Marc Platt/Nuamerica production
Credits:
Director: Bille Woodruff
Screenwriters: Alonzo Brown, Kim Watson
Producers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
NEW YORK -- Gyorgy Palfi's debut feature, this year's Hungarian entry for the Academy Awards, is a nearly wordless but far from silent impressionistic film depicting the comings and goings in a small Hungarian village. Subtly transforming from a bucolic portrait to one tinged with menace, "Hukkle" is at once impressive and indulgent, hypnotic and patience-inducing with its languorous rhythms. It is, in other words, decidedly not for everyone. Previously showcased at many festivals, the film is playing a theatrical engagement at Chicago's Music Box and New York's Cinema Village theaters.
The film is bookended by shots of an elderly man sitting on a bench, his loud and constant hiccuping (hukkle is the Hungarian word) providing a comical commentary on the proceedings. Most of the running time is occupied depicting the human and animal denizens of the village engaging in a variety of innocuous activities: women working at sewing machines and preparing meals for their families, men playing bowling games and tending to chores on a farm, insects and animals doing what they do, etc. This collage of bland moments, resembling one of those film portraits of various aspects of Americana shown on public television, is accompanied not by dialogue but rather by the accompanying natural and mechanical sounds, often amplified on the soundtrack.
Things eventually take a darker, if unclear, tone with such visuals as a cat, previously seen lunching on some prepared meat, suddenly keeling over, and a decomposing human body at the bottom of a lake. We also see a puzzled, ponytailed policeman investigating the mysterious events.
The film eventually doesn't manage to sustain its thin premise over its 75-minute length, and one ultimately wishes that director-screenwriter Palfi had been less oblique in his storytelling style. But it must also be admitted that "Hukkle", stylistically audacious and visually accomplished, does provide a singular and original cinematic experience.ards has attracted the interest of the local police.
Telling his tale at a sluggish, attenuated pace, the director-screenwriter doesn't help matters with his screenplay's often artificial-sounding dialogue and stereotypical characterizations. Also problematic are the shifts in tone -- from realistic drama to comedy of manners to would-be thriller -- and the highly uneven performances. Although Leitch is quite convincing as the duplicitous Dean, several of the supporting players are allowed to indulge their character's more exaggerated traits too often.
But most deleterious is the split-screen approach, which reduces the widescreen image to three small boxes. Inconsistently shifting from framing the action from a variety of angles to simply repeating certain images to presenting other visuals entirely, the technique adds little in the way of illumination and a lot in terms of inducing a migraine. the film suffers from an overeagerness to make the action compelling, with uncertain camera placement and frantic editing at times serving to distract rather than enhance. The choreography by Laurie Ann Gibson (who has a small part as Honey's evil rival) ranges from a baffling and lifeless Tweet video, with its robotic moves and incongruous Flying by Foy, to the exuberant freestyling of the kids in Honey's class. The highlight is the kids' rehearsal for a Ginuwine video: Shot simply, the scene boasts terrific dancing and the story's most powerful dramatic moment.
HONEY
Universal Pictures
A Marc Platt/Nuamerica production
Credits:
Director: Bille Woodruff
Screenwriters: Alonzo Brown, Kim Watson
Producers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 12/18/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Seventh Art Releasing
NEW YORK -- Filmmaker Hart Perry, who among his voluminous credits served as the cameraman for Barbara Kopple's award-winning labor documentaries "Harlan County, U.S.A". and "American Dream", puts his experience to good use with this engrossing portrait of the plight of Mexican-American migrant workers in Texas. Although a bit scattered in focus and occasionally lacking needed narrative punch, "Valley of Tears" is an ultimately moving effort that well illustrates the often hopeless situation faced by the people whose lives it depicts. The film is receiving its theatrical premiere at New York's Two Boots Pioneer Theater.
The film actually takes place over a more than 20-year period, beginning with footage shot in 1979 by Perry when he was commissioned by the Texas Farm Workers Union to document a strike by Mexican-American onion pickers in the town of Raymondville. Frustrated by low pay and harsh conditions, the workers struck against the area's largest farmer, but their efforts eventually came to naught.
Perry returned to the area years later, for a second chapter illustrating the efforts of Latino parents to improve education conditions for their children, with the focus being a contentious school board election in which their candidate finally lost. In the final chapter, the filmmaker concentrates on Juan Gerra, the area's ambitious and socially conscious Mexican-American district attorney.
Including numerous interviews with both Latinos and the town's often hostile Anglos, the film strikes a considerable balance even while clearly delineating where its sympathies are. At times, the episodic approach is counterproductive, but the portrait of the town over a considerable amount of time well illustrates both the positive changes that have occurred and the many areas in which things have deteriorated. Ultimately, "Valley of Tears" leaves one both saddened and cautiously optimistic.ections and home. Meanwhile, his audacious spending on stolen credit cards has attracted the interest of the local police.
Telling his tale at a sluggish, attenuated pace, the director-screenwriter doesn't help matters with his screenplay's often artificial-sounding dialogue and stereotypical characterizations. Also problematic are the shifts in tone -- from realistic drama to comedy of manners to would-be thriller -- and the highly uneven performances. Although Leitch is quite convincing as the duplicitous Dean, several of the supporting players are allowed to indulge their character's more exaggerated traits too often.
But most deleterious is the split-screen approach, which reduces the widescreen image to three small boxes. Inconsistently shifting from framing the action from a variety of angles to simply repeating certain images to presenting other visuals entirely, the technique adds little in the way of illumination and a lot in terms of inducing a migraine. the film suffers from an overeagerness to make the action compelling, with uncertain camera placement and frantic editing at times serving to distract rather than enhance. The choreography by Laurie Ann Gibson (who has a small part as Honey's evil rival) ranges from a baffling and lifeless Tweet video, with its robotic moves and incongruous Flying by Foy, to the exuberant freestyling of the kids in Honey's class. The highlight is the kids' rehearsal for a Ginuwine video: Shot simply, the scene boasts terrific dancing and the story's most powerful dramatic moment.
HONEY
Universal Pictures
A Marc Platt/Nuamerica production
Credits:
Director: Bille Woodruff
Screenwriters: Alonzo Brown, Kim Watson
Producers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
NEW YORK -- Filmmaker Hart Perry, who among his voluminous credits served as the cameraman for Barbara Kopple's award-winning labor documentaries "Harlan County, U.S.A". and "American Dream", puts his experience to good use with this engrossing portrait of the plight of Mexican-American migrant workers in Texas. Although a bit scattered in focus and occasionally lacking needed narrative punch, "Valley of Tears" is an ultimately moving effort that well illustrates the often hopeless situation faced by the people whose lives it depicts. The film is receiving its theatrical premiere at New York's Two Boots Pioneer Theater.
The film actually takes place over a more than 20-year period, beginning with footage shot in 1979 by Perry when he was commissioned by the Texas Farm Workers Union to document a strike by Mexican-American onion pickers in the town of Raymondville. Frustrated by low pay and harsh conditions, the workers struck against the area's largest farmer, but their efforts eventually came to naught.
Perry returned to the area years later, for a second chapter illustrating the efforts of Latino parents to improve education conditions for their children, with the focus being a contentious school board election in which their candidate finally lost. In the final chapter, the filmmaker concentrates on Juan Gerra, the area's ambitious and socially conscious Mexican-American district attorney.
Including numerous interviews with both Latinos and the town's often hostile Anglos, the film strikes a considerable balance even while clearly delineating where its sympathies are. At times, the episodic approach is counterproductive, but the portrait of the town over a considerable amount of time well illustrates both the positive changes that have occurred and the many areas in which things have deteriorated. Ultimately, "Valley of Tears" leaves one both saddened and cautiously optimistic.ections and home. Meanwhile, his audacious spending on stolen credit cards has attracted the interest of the local police.
Telling his tale at a sluggish, attenuated pace, the director-screenwriter doesn't help matters with his screenplay's often artificial-sounding dialogue and stereotypical characterizations. Also problematic are the shifts in tone -- from realistic drama to comedy of manners to would-be thriller -- and the highly uneven performances. Although Leitch is quite convincing as the duplicitous Dean, several of the supporting players are allowed to indulge their character's more exaggerated traits too often.
But most deleterious is the split-screen approach, which reduces the widescreen image to three small boxes. Inconsistently shifting from framing the action from a variety of angles to simply repeating certain images to presenting other visuals entirely, the technique adds little in the way of illumination and a lot in terms of inducing a migraine. the film suffers from an overeagerness to make the action compelling, with uncertain camera placement and frantic editing at times serving to distract rather than enhance. The choreography by Laurie Ann Gibson (who has a small part as Honey's evil rival) ranges from a baffling and lifeless Tweet video, with its robotic moves and incongruous Flying by Foy, to the exuberant freestyling of the kids in Honey's class. The highlight is the kids' rehearsal for a Ginuwine video: Shot simply, the scene boasts terrific dancing and the story's most powerful dramatic moment.
HONEY
Universal Pictures
A Marc Platt/Nuamerica production
Credits:
Director: Bille Woodruff
Screenwriters: Alonzo Brown, Kim Watson
Producers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 12/18/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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