The 1999 movie, The Sixth Sense, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, revolves around a young boy, Cole Sear, played by the talented Haley Joel Osment, who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. Dr. Malcolm Crowe, portrayed by Bruce Willis, seeks to help Cole and in the process comes to terms with his own personal demons. The film cleverly builds suspense and culminates in a shocking twist ending that left audiences stunned. The Sixth Sense not only captivated audiences worldwide but also introduced the world to the incredible talents of M. Night Shyamalan and young actor Haley Joel
The post The Sixth Sense: Does M. Night Shyamalan’s Movie Still Hold Up? first appeared on TVovermind.
The post The Sixth Sense: Does M. Night Shyamalan’s Movie Still Hold Up? first appeared on TVovermind.
- 4/27/2024
- by Matthew C. F
- TVovermind.com
It’s nearly impossible to become a household name faster than Haley Joel Osment did in the late ’90s. The critical and commercial success of The Sixth Sense catapulted him into the limelight as a child actor worthy of being considered alongside adult peers in major award categories.
Osment seemingly managed to avoid the dark side of young stardom despite his entrance into the entertainment industry coming in a way that can only be described as creepy Af.
Haley Joel Osment | Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images Osment’s career started after strangers took pictures of him at an Ikea
When Osment was four years old, he went to an Ikea in Burbank, California, with his mother, Theresa. That shopping trip would change the course of his and his family’s life. When the Osments went passed the child’s play area, two women took pictures of Haley Joel, something they did...
Osment seemingly managed to avoid the dark side of young stardom despite his entrance into the entertainment industry coming in a way that can only be described as creepy Af.
Haley Joel Osment | Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images Osment’s career started after strangers took pictures of him at an Ikea
When Osment was four years old, he went to an Ikea in Burbank, California, with his mother, Theresa. That shopping trip would change the course of his and his family’s life. When the Osments went passed the child’s play area, two women took pictures of Haley Joel, something they did...
- 1/30/2023
- by Produced by Digital Editors
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
It seems the truth may lie behind the scenes. Fox has released a new behind-the-scenes promo for the 11th season of The X-Files. The new video features stars Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, as well as creator Chris Carter. The trio sets up the coming installment, as they address the massive cliffhanger that was the season 10 finale. The X-Files season 11 premieres on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 at 8:00pm Et/Pt. A sci-fi mystery thriller which originally ran on Fox between 1993 and 2002, The X-Files stars Duchovny as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder and Anderson as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully. Returning in season 11 are Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis, Annabeth Gish, Lauren Ambrose, Robbie Amell, Veronica Cartwright, Chris Owens, and Dean Haglund. New players include Barbara Hershey and Haley Joel Osement. Read More…...
- 11/30/2017
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
The Napa Valley Film Festival (Nvff) is pleased to announce its collaboration with Napa based non-profit, Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch (Jarr), a new partner of the upcoming 7th annual event, taking place November 8-12.
Jarr is giving the Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch Humanitarian Award to Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed at the Celebrity Tributes on Thursday, November 9, at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville.
The Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch Humanitarian Award celebrates those individuals who have shown outstanding compassion, advocacy and dedication to animal protection issues. The recipients, actors Ian Somerhalder (Vampire Diaries, Lost) and Nikki Reed (The Twilight Saga, Twilight, Thirteen), exemplify Jarr’s mission to show compassion to all animals in need and by using their unique platform to bring a spotlight to animal welfare issues help further the work to end animal cruelty in all it’s forms.
“I am delighted to dedicate the 2017 Jarr Humanitarian Award to...
Jarr is giving the Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch Humanitarian Award to Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed at the Celebrity Tributes on Thursday, November 9, at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville.
The Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch Humanitarian Award celebrates those individuals who have shown outstanding compassion, advocacy and dedication to animal protection issues. The recipients, actors Ian Somerhalder (Vampire Diaries, Lost) and Nikki Reed (The Twilight Saga, Twilight, Thirteen), exemplify Jarr’s mission to show compassion to all animals in need and by using their unique platform to bring a spotlight to animal welfare issues help further the work to end animal cruelty in all it’s forms.
“I am delighted to dedicate the 2017 Jarr Humanitarian Award to...
- 10/12/2017
- Look to the Stars
Stephen Harber Jul 14, 2016
Low on nightmare fuel? Fill up your tank by reliving your scariest memories from The Real Ghostbusters, a truly twisted 80s cartoon...
The Real Ghostbusters was a pretty messed-up cartoon sometimes. I think that’s one of life’s universal truths. I’m not quite sure why the world needed an unholy amalgam of anime, cheesy 80s synth music, and mind-bending eldritch horror with a chiselled version of Bill Murray on top. But it did, and it still feels so right to this day.
Video of The Real Ghostbusters: Intro and Closing (without credits) [HD]
Ah, Dic Enterprises. What would my childhood have been without you? Well, for starters, I suppose I wouldn't have been terrified of the cartoon demons you dreamt up in your Real Ghostbusters cartoon, you sadistic monsters!
Ahem. Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. It’s just… Rgb (as the hardcore fans...
Low on nightmare fuel? Fill up your tank by reliving your scariest memories from The Real Ghostbusters, a truly twisted 80s cartoon...
The Real Ghostbusters was a pretty messed-up cartoon sometimes. I think that’s one of life’s universal truths. I’m not quite sure why the world needed an unholy amalgam of anime, cheesy 80s synth music, and mind-bending eldritch horror with a chiselled version of Bill Murray on top. But it did, and it still feels so right to this day.
Video of The Real Ghostbusters: Intro and Closing (without credits) [HD]
Ah, Dic Enterprises. What would my childhood have been without you? Well, for starters, I suppose I wouldn't have been terrified of the cartoon demons you dreamt up in your Real Ghostbusters cartoon, you sadistic monsters!
Ahem. Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. It’s just… Rgb (as the hardcore fans...
- 7/13/2016
- Den of Geek
It’s been a long time coming, but the Entourage movie is finally here. Well, not actually. But it’s almost here, as evidenced by the first official trailer for the long-awaited film.
The footage kicks off with a faux trailer for Vinnie’s new movie, which is apparently titled Hyde and co-stars Calvin Harris. Eventually, someone hits the pause button and it’s revealed that the gang is watching the trailer with Ari, who isn’t too happy about how the film has turned out. As you may or may not know, Mr. Gold now has his own studio and his first big project looks like it’s Hyde.
From there, the trailer is a barrage of celebrity cameos, Ari being Ari (which is always a treat to watch), partying, scantily clad women, fast cars, oversized yachts, a couple throwbacks to the original series….pretty much everything you’d want from an Entourage movie.
The footage kicks off with a faux trailer for Vinnie’s new movie, which is apparently titled Hyde and co-stars Calvin Harris. Eventually, someone hits the pause button and it’s revealed that the gang is watching the trailer with Ari, who isn’t too happy about how the film has turned out. As you may or may not know, Mr. Gold now has his own studio and his first big project looks like it’s Hyde.
From there, the trailer is a barrage of celebrity cameos, Ari being Ari (which is always a treat to watch), partying, scantily clad women, fast cars, oversized yachts, a couple throwbacks to the original series….pretty much everything you’d want from an Entourage movie.
- 12/23/2014
- by Matt Joseph
- We Got This Covered
The first trailer for the long-gestating "Entourage" movie has arrived, and it's full of what you'd expect from the HBO series's leap to the big screen: scantily-clad women, lavish parties, wisecracking, and...an evil robot DJ?
That last item comes courtesy of Vince Chase's (Adrian Grenier) foray into directing, just one of the new developments for the titular gang, which also includes a recently slimmed-down Turtle (Jerry Ferrara). But before you go thinking that everything's changed, there's Drama (Kevin Dillon) making a boneheaded comment, Ari (Jeremy Piven) getting angry, E (Kevin Connolly) looking exasperated, and celebrity cameos (hey there, Mark Wahlberg!) to remind us that these guys are still the same deep down.
There's not too much of a plot to follow in this trailer -- Vince and Ari argue over the budget for Vince's directorial effort, Turtle gets beaten up by a girl -- but fans of the HBO...
That last item comes courtesy of Vince Chase's (Adrian Grenier) foray into directing, just one of the new developments for the titular gang, which also includes a recently slimmed-down Turtle (Jerry Ferrara). But before you go thinking that everything's changed, there's Drama (Kevin Dillon) making a boneheaded comment, Ari (Jeremy Piven) getting angry, E (Kevin Connolly) looking exasperated, and celebrity cameos (hey there, Mark Wahlberg!) to remind us that these guys are still the same deep down.
There's not too much of a plot to follow in this trailer -- Vince and Ari argue over the budget for Vince's directorial effort, Turtle gets beaten up by a girl -- but fans of the HBO...
- 12/23/2014
- by Katie Roberts
- Moviefone
While Tusk didn't light up the U.S. box office (it still has to see the light of day on this side of the pond), Kevin smith's True North trilogy of Canadian set horror movies continues with Yoga Hosers, and THR has the first image from the movie with the focus squarely on the two leads, Smith's own daughter Harley Quinn and Johnny Depp's daughter Lily Rose. Reprising their roles from Tusk, the two play high schoolers, working part time in a convenience store, who team up with Depp's legendary hunter Guy Lapointe (who played a big part in Tusk) to fight an ancient evil threatening to destroy the world (namely an army of FX monsters played by Smith himself). Most of the cast of Tusk, including Michael Parks, Justin Long, Haley Joel Osmet, and Genesis Rodriguez return, and they are joined by Adam Brody, Stan Lee, Tony Hale,...
- 11/4/2014
- by noreply@blogger.com (Tom White)
- www.themoviebit.com
Chicago – The headline is a quote (“Don’t say that you love me!”) from Fleetwood Mac’s song “Tusk,” which Kevin Smith gratefully includes in his film of the same name. The movie is either the most outrageous audacity of the year or a blatant middle finger from Smith to the audience. You decide.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
I liked it, I hated it, I was mesmerized by some of the lengths the story took to stay on track. There were times during the proceedings where it seemed like the whole thing was a fraud, in the sense that Wizard-of-Oz like, Smith was going to walk on camera and say, “ha, dopes, you fell for it” (but he would have said something more piquant than “dopes”). The film defies logic, definition or a basis in dreamland, but it makes up in chutzpah, which has never been lacking in Smith. Whatever the final analysis will be,...
Rating: 3.5/5.0
I liked it, I hated it, I was mesmerized by some of the lengths the story took to stay on track. There were times during the proceedings where it seemed like the whole thing was a fraud, in the sense that Wizard-of-Oz like, Smith was going to walk on camera and say, “ha, dopes, you fell for it” (but he would have said something more piquant than “dopes”). The film defies logic, definition or a basis in dreamland, but it makes up in chutzpah, which has never been lacking in Smith. Whatever the final analysis will be,...
- 9/20/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Step aside, Haley Joel Osmont (and no, we're not talking about the recent pics of the former child star dressed as a Nazi, we're referencing his Sixth Sense days). Kate Hudson, along with her Wish I Was Here costar Zach Braff, stopped by Alan Carr's Chatty Man Show on Friday where the 35-year-old stunner shared a surprising confession about herself and mother Goldie Hawn: the two "can see dead people." Well, sort of. The Wish I Was Here star clarified that, "'It is not really seeing, it is feeling a spirit. A fifth energy. I believe in energy. I believe our brains can manifest into visual things." And while we're not really sure what...
- 9/19/2014
- E! Online
Kevin Smith's Tusk will hit theaters next week, but the director has already started production on his next film Yoga Hosers, a project we first learned about last month. Most of the cast from Tusk will be back for Yoga Hosers, including Haley Joel Osment. The actor was recently spotted while filming scenes for the upcoming film, and it appears he'll be playing some sort of Nazi politician in the Kevin Smith movie. Heil Haley! Several sites are reporting Haley Joel...
- 9/11/2014
- by Jesse Giroux
- JoBlo.com
It's been 15 years since Haley Joel Osment starred in "The Sixth Sense" -- and these days, he's looking very different.The actor started trending on Twitter on Wednesday after new photos of him from the set of Kevin Smith's upcoming film, "Yoga Hosers," dropped online.Sporting a business suit, Nazi stache and slicked back hair, the 26-year-old former child star was barely recognizable as he worked. It's unclear who he'll be playing in the film, but he was surrounded by Nazi propaganda on set.While it's a pretty shocking transformation for the young star, keep in mind this is still a set -- and he looks pretty different in real life.Osment hit the red carpet just last week at the Toronto Film Festival, where he was promoting another Smith film, and looked more like the Haley Joel we've come to know in the past couple years (right).It's...
- 9/10/2014
- by tooFab Staff
- TooFab
Twenty years ago, Tom Hanks inspired movie audiences around the world to reflect on the parallels between life and chocolate in the Oscar-winning Forrest Gump. In honor of its anniversary, the film is screening in IMAX theaters for one week, starting Sept. 5. For Gump superfans out there, it's a chance to relive some movie magic - just think how intense that floating feather will look on an IMAX screen! To some observers, since its 1994 theatrical run, Forrest Gump has permeated pop culture, leaving a legacy that has inspired further creative efforts and manages to still make news today. 1. Tom Hanks...
- 9/5/2014
- by Drew Mackie
- PEOPLE.com
Tusk, Kevin Smith's dark horror movie born from a discussion on one of his weekly podcasts, makes it debut this weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival, and the festival's website has shared with us new images from the movie, featuring Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osmet, and Genesis Rodriguez. The first trailer was insanely creepy, and the main plot of a young man (Long) turned into a walrus by a crazy recluse (Parks) is so unique and crazy, that I can't wait to see how it turns out. Tusk is released in the U.S. on September 19th. No word on a European release date, but hopefully we won't have to wait too long.
- 9/4/2014
- by noreply@blogger.com (Tom White)
- www.themoviebit.com
It may not be released yet, but Kevin Smith is already planning a reunion with the cast of his upcoming micro budget horror movie Tusk with the Christmas themed horror movie Anti-Claus. Michael Parks, Justin Long, Haley Joel Osmet, and Genesis Rodriguez will reunite with the director for a fright filled anthology movie focusing on the Krampus, an evil version of Santa Claus in Alpine folklore who eats naughty children during the holiday season. Much like Tusk, Anti-Claus comes from a story told on a show, this time Edumacation, from his podcast network. Production begins on the project in September, and Xyz Films, who have picked up the international rights to both this and Tusk, will shop around the film to buyers at this years Cannes Film Festival.
- 4/28/2014
- by noreply@blogger.com (Tom White)
- www.themoviebit.com
Universal Pictures
You could say that the star of a movie puts butts in seats. Their name shines above the posters and on trailers, establishing a connection with a larger pre-existing fan base. But how does one reach such heights? Nobody is an A-Lister straight off the bat. It can take years of slogging away to acquire the appeal of someone like Brad Pitt or Tom Hanks as they’re can be the driving force behind a picture; the person the whole film and advertising campaign revolves around.
However, once in a while an actor will rise up and quite literally steal the show. They’ll put in a performance so inspired and well-crafted, the ‘intended star’ will cease to shine so brightly in comparison. All of a sudden, the public will take a vested interest in a new talent. All it takes is one performance; an opportunity only a...
You could say that the star of a movie puts butts in seats. Their name shines above the posters and on trailers, establishing a connection with a larger pre-existing fan base. But how does one reach such heights? Nobody is an A-Lister straight off the bat. It can take years of slogging away to acquire the appeal of someone like Brad Pitt or Tom Hanks as they’re can be the driving force behind a picture; the person the whole film and advertising campaign revolves around.
However, once in a while an actor will rise up and quite literally steal the show. They’ll put in a performance so inspired and well-crafted, the ‘intended star’ will cease to shine so brightly in comparison. All of a sudden, the public will take a vested interest in a new talent. All it takes is one performance; an opportunity only a...
- 3/4/2014
- by Dale Barham
- Obsessed with Film
Haley Joel Osment said, "I see dead people," 15 years ago in his Oscar-nominated role in "The Sixth Sense," a sentence whose longevity still amazes the actor.
"I will not stop being surprised by how much of a catchphrase that became," Haley Joel told Billy Bush and Kit Hoover on Thursday's Access Hollywood Live.
"Looking back, it makes sense now, but when we shot the movie nobody was thinking... that it was going to be the hit that was and established that sort of call sign," he continued.
Photos: Former Child Stars Then & Now
After ...
Copyright 2014 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
"I will not stop being surprised by how much of a catchphrase that became," Haley Joel told Billy Bush and Kit Hoover on Thursday's Access Hollywood Live.
"Looking back, it makes sense now, but when we shot the movie nobody was thinking... that it was going to be the hit that was and established that sort of call sign," he continued.
Photos: Former Child Stars Then & Now
After ...
Copyright 2014 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
- 1/9/2014
- by access.hollywood@nbcuni.com (AccessHollywood.com Editorial Staff)
- Access Hollywood
Better-known for romantic comedies and drama, Emily Blunt certainly stepped out of her established comfort zone by accepting the role in "Looper." Drawn in by the unique storyline and original screenplay, Blunt plays Sara, a mysterious, isolated country woman whose motives are murky and unclear -- at least until the very end.
Moviefone got the chance to chat with Blunt at the Toronto Film Festival, where she spoke in detail about why, despite her opinion of sci-fi films, she chose to star in "Looper," the ridiculously good child actor in the movie and hanging out in rural Louisiana.
You've said before that you're not a fan of sci-fi movies. What made you want to be a part of this particular film?
Maybe I'm not a fan of the more generic idea of what a sci-fi film is, that might be a better way to put it. I'm not very interested...
Moviefone got the chance to chat with Blunt at the Toronto Film Festival, where she spoke in detail about why, despite her opinion of sci-fi films, she chose to star in "Looper," the ridiculously good child actor in the movie and hanging out in rural Louisiana.
You've said before that you're not a fan of sci-fi movies. What made you want to be a part of this particular film?
Maybe I'm not a fan of the more generic idea of what a sci-fi film is, that might be a better way to put it. I'm not very interested...
- 9/25/2012
- by Chris Jancelewicz
- Huffington Post
Now in its 30th year, Outfest is not only Los Angeles’ premier gay-and-lesbian film festival, but the city’s longest-running film festival, period. Taking place in a variety of L.A. venues and theaters, Outfest promotes equality, spotlights new talent and celebrates artistry within the Lgbt community.
The fun begins on July 12 opening with the Outfest Achievement Award. This year the award will be presented to national treasure and pencil-mustached raconteur, director John Waters. Waters is famed for bridging the gap between the underground gonzo movie scene and mainstream Hollywood fare without ever compromising his trash aesthetic, eventually working with Johnny Depp,...
The fun begins on July 12 opening with the Outfest Achievement Award. This year the award will be presented to national treasure and pencil-mustached raconteur, director John Waters. Waters is famed for bridging the gap between the underground gonzo movie scene and mainstream Hollywood fare without ever compromising his trash aesthetic, eventually working with Johnny Depp,...
- 7/9/2012
- by EW staff
- EW - Inside Movies
With the Sundance Film Festival drawing to a close, it's time to reflect on the best movies that your friendly Moviefone staffers saw at the very-crowded film fest. Of the seven films that we were looking forward to seeing, we did get to watch five. Of those five, three are on this list. (Sorry, Red Lights and John Dies at the End.) Ahead, the best of the fest. Mike Ryan 5. The End of Love What a pleasant surprise this turned out to be. Mark Webber plays a fictionalized version of himself in a life that toes the line between absurd -- mainly Michael Cera and, briefly, Amanda Seyfried playing caricatures of themselves -- to heartbreaking: Webber raising his 2-year-old son (played by his actual son) on his own after the death of his wife. Worth viewing just to watch Cera brandishing a pistol at his own party. 4. The Surrogate My...
- 1/27/2012
- by Mike Ryan
- Moviefone
Hugo
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen
Running Time: 2 hours and 7 mins
Rating: PG
Release Date: November 23, 2011
Plot: A historical fiction, set in 1930s Paris, about a young orphan boy (Butterfield) who lives in the walls of a train station. He believes that if he can fix an automaton, left behind from his father, his life will make sense.
Who’S It For? If your child has a short attention span, this might be a tough one to sit through. So, you’ve been warned. For everyone else, it’s a 3D must-see family adventure film.
Expectations: I worship at the Scorsese-alter. I was curious, not nervous, about what he could do with a family film. In an interview he said something about his 11-year-old wanting a 3D movie. That motivation made me hope he knew what he was doing.
Scorecard...
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen
Running Time: 2 hours and 7 mins
Rating: PG
Release Date: November 23, 2011
Plot: A historical fiction, set in 1930s Paris, about a young orphan boy (Butterfield) who lives in the walls of a train station. He believes that if he can fix an automaton, left behind from his father, his life will make sense.
Who’S It For? If your child has a short attention span, this might be a tough one to sit through. So, you’ve been warned. For everyone else, it’s a 3D must-see family adventure film.
Expectations: I worship at the Scorsese-alter. I was curious, not nervous, about what he could do with a family film. In an interview he said something about his 11-year-old wanting a 3D movie. That motivation made me hope he knew what he was doing.
Scorecard...
- 11/24/2011
- by Jeff Bayer
- The Scorecard Review
So, you just woke up the baddest vampire in the history of all vampires. What now?
For "The Vampire Diaries" resident Haley Joel, Jeremy, the answer is simple: you get your butt home in time for your sophomore history class.
"You know what, at the beginning of this episode, it's the first day of school! He can't miss that," Steven R. McQueen told us. Jeremy is done cavorting with Katherine in Charlotte. "Jeremy's back at school, dealing with his relationship and how the ghosts are going to affect it."
With all the chemistry between Jeremy and ghostly Anna, we had to ask: Can a ghost and human hook up? And, more importantly, where does that leave Bonnie? "I don't know," McQueen laughs. "We'll see. Anna was really important to Jeremy and it definitely causes some friction with Bonnie. There are definitely going to be some conversations about that. At the end of the day,...
For "The Vampire Diaries" resident Haley Joel, Jeremy, the answer is simple: you get your butt home in time for your sophomore history class.
"You know what, at the beginning of this episode, it's the first day of school! He can't miss that," Steven R. McQueen told us. Jeremy is done cavorting with Katherine in Charlotte. "Jeremy's back at school, dealing with his relationship and how the ghosts are going to affect it."
With all the chemistry between Jeremy and ghostly Anna, we had to ask: Can a ghost and human hook up? And, more importantly, where does that leave Bonnie? "I don't know," McQueen laughs. "We'll see. Anna was really important to Jeremy and it definitely causes some friction with Bonnie. There are definitely going to be some conversations about that. At the end of the day,...
- 10/20/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
When does a child actor stop being merely precocious and enter the pantheon of acting gods? You know the gods of which we speak; they look down from their mighty pedestals as we shower them with tributes year after year… The Oscar Nominees.
Well, in order to walk through that threshold into Hollywood’s elite circle, these young folks have to have chops, serious chops. Or be really, really cute. Either way, it takes sacrifice, hard work and possibly some crazy-ass stage parents.
In honor of this year’s youthful nominees Hailee Steinfeld (“True Grit”) and Jennifer Lawrence (“Winter’s Bone”), and for your continued cinematified education, we present the youngest ever Academy Award nominees and winners from throughout the history of the awards.
Justin Henry, ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ (1979)
Age: 8
Nomination: Best Supporting Actor (Youngest Nominee)
A troubled family is at the center of 1979′s “Kramer Vs. Kramer,” where Henry...
Well, in order to walk through that threshold into Hollywood’s elite circle, these young folks have to have chops, serious chops. Or be really, really cute. Either way, it takes sacrifice, hard work and possibly some crazy-ass stage parents.
In honor of this year’s youthful nominees Hailee Steinfeld (“True Grit”) and Jennifer Lawrence (“Winter’s Bone”), and for your continued cinematified education, we present the youngest ever Academy Award nominees and winners from throughout the history of the awards.
Justin Henry, ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ (1979)
Age: 8
Nomination: Best Supporting Actor (Youngest Nominee)
A troubled family is at the center of 1979′s “Kramer Vs. Kramer,” where Henry...
- 2/10/2011
- by Max Evry
- NextMovie
This Friday (January 28th) sees the release of the new supernatural drama Hereafter. Oscar winner Matt Damon teams up with Academy Award winner Clint Eastwood and two time Oscar nominated screenwriter Peter Morgan to make this supernatural drama that:
…tells the story of three people who are haunted by mortality in different ways. Matt Damon stars as George, a blue-collar American who has a special connection to the afterlife. On the other side of the world, Marie (Cécile de France), a French journalist, has a near-death experience that shakes her reality. And when Marcus (Frankie/George McLaren), a London schoolboy, loses the person closest to him, he desperately needs answers. Each on a path in search of the truth, their lives will intersect, forever changed by what they believe might-or must-exist in the hereafter.
To celebrate the release of Hereafter we are taking a look at the 5 of the best supernatural flicks in cinema.
…tells the story of three people who are haunted by mortality in different ways. Matt Damon stars as George, a blue-collar American who has a special connection to the afterlife. On the other side of the world, Marie (Cécile de France), a French journalist, has a near-death experience that shakes her reality. And when Marcus (Frankie/George McLaren), a London schoolboy, loses the person closest to him, he desperately needs answers. Each on a path in search of the truth, their lives will intersect, forever changed by what they believe might-or must-exist in the hereafter.
To celebrate the release of Hereafter we are taking a look at the 5 of the best supernatural flicks in cinema.
- 1/26/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
1 year ago I attended the best festival I have ever been to as a filmmaker. All the movies were free. The location was beautiful. The people were amazing. And apparently I inspired them to create an Independent Spirit Award just to give to me.
Well the Orlando Film Festival is back and it kicks off Wednesday November 3rd at the Plaza Cinema Café in Downtown Orlando. While I won.t be screening anything at the festival, I will still be on hand checking out some films and promoting my own. I will also be handing out the Independent Spirit Award, which has been named after me this year.
The festival runs from Wednesday November 3rd through Sunday November 7th. All the film screenings are free but you must get a ticket for each at the booth in front of the theater. The Plaza Cinema Café is located at 155 South Orange...
Well the Orlando Film Festival is back and it kicks off Wednesday November 3rd at the Plaza Cinema Café in Downtown Orlando. While I won.t be screening anything at the festival, I will still be on hand checking out some films and promoting my own. I will also be handing out the Independent Spirit Award, which has been named after me this year.
The festival runs from Wednesday November 3rd through Sunday November 7th. All the film screenings are free but you must get a ticket for each at the booth in front of the theater. The Plaza Cinema Café is located at 155 South Orange...
- 10/31/2010
- by Jerry Cavallaro
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Leonardo DiCaprio, Christina Ricci, Toby Maguire, Scarlett Johansson -- they all started out as child actors. And while, sometimes, an early beginning in the biz can morph into an adult-size career, often being a child star can be the kiss of death. Time will tell what will become of the Dakota Fannings and Haley Joel Osments of the world. Perhaps they can learn something from the fates of these actors. 10. Anna Chlumsky, My GirlA whole generation cried its eyes out at the romantic tragedy occasioned by a mere bee sting. (Don't know what I'm talking about? Just watch the movie: My Girl is a tween Crying Game.) Chlumsky turned in a lovely performance as a tomboy in this bittersweet coming-of-age story but getting roles in later years has proven difficult for her. Although she recently landed a part on 30 Rock -- as Tina Fey's doppelgänger, Liz Lemler -- for...
- 7/18/2010
- AMC Filmcritic's Top Ten
It is fast approaching that unique portion of the year when all true matters arcane and diabolical are given the festive treatment, as Halloween prompts folks to deploy their broomsticks for something other than sweeping up after the household pet. Although we have recently seen cinematic quotas of the supernatural gobbled up by vampire and zombie flicks, it would be remiss to overlook the genuine chills instilled by the most successful exponents of the ghost movie genre. So here are ten of the scariest ghost movies to put the frighteners on us poor, trembling cinema-goers.
10. Dark Water (2002)
Leaky plumbing becomes an unlikely source of spine-tingling terror in this J-Horror offering from director Hideo Nakata, the man who had previously attached creepy connotations onto video cassettes and cold-calling in the first two Ringu films. Sharing some narrative ground with his earlier horror hits, Dark Water finds Nakata once again casting a...
10. Dark Water (2002)
Leaky plumbing becomes an unlikely source of spine-tingling terror in this J-Horror offering from director Hideo Nakata, the man who had previously attached creepy connotations onto video cassettes and cold-calling in the first two Ringu films. Sharing some narrative ground with his earlier horror hits, Dark Water finds Nakata once again casting a...
- 10/12/2009
- by Paul Martin
- Movie-moron.com
As far as upcoming family movies go, Astro Boy looks like a lot of fun. I caught the original on Adult Swim, but was too tired to follow. The clip is kinda funny at moments but really good. It definitely peaked my interest. I also really like the messages on the robot soldier helmets. Freddie Highmore voices Astro, and he's actually been a really great child actor. He kinda reminds me of Haley Joel Osmet, except for the whole getting busted for marijuana thing. Included are some photos...
- 9/18/2009
- by Niki Stephens
- JoBlo.com
Photo: Touchstone Home Entertainment Ten years ago I went to see The Sixth Sense at a midnight showing in Mizner Park. I heard it was a solid, creepy horror film with a "cool" ending. I remember the experience of watching it and leaving the theater with a Whoa, I just saw something feeling. It's the type of movie you can't wait to tell everyone else about. And the best thing: you could recommend it to virtually anyone. When I left, for example, Fight Club, I had a great movie high, but I knew I couldn't talk excitedly to everyone about it. Fight Club just isn't for everybody. The Sixth Sense was a completely different situation. I couldn't think of a single soul who wouldn't like it, and it was clear to me M. Night Shyamalan had tapped into something cosmic.
There's a scene a little more than halfway through the...
There's a scene a little more than halfway through the...
- 8/6/2009
- by Andre Rivas
- Rope of Silicon
Entertainment Weekly is running a poll to see who should star opposite of Dakota Fannings Jane as her brother AlecnbspNow that Dakota Fannings casting as vampire Jane in the Twilight sequel New Moon is official we can resume our discussion about who should be cast as her bloodsucker brother Alec in a manner so serious that the PopWatcher who posts as Sgt. Hatred will be forced to once again comment This article fans of this series and any others involved in it are the cancer that is killing worthwhile entertainment. Keep in mind that actors can play younger than their age dye their hair and survive a Disney career and vote in our readergenerated poll below.Who should play the Alec to Dakota Fannings Jane?High School Musicals Lucas GrabeelRace to Witch Mountains Alexander LudwigHarry Potters Tom FeltonHannibal Risings Gaspard UllielAugust Rushs Freddie HighmoreBirths Cameron BrightJumpers Max ThieriotGossip Girls Connor...
- 3/10/2009
- twilightersanonymous.com
Chicago International Film Festival
CHICAGO -- March Madness shows its sinister side in Home of the Giants, a saga about Indiana state-championship basketball. The main rivalry is not on the court, but off the hardwood, as two brothers go one-on-one in a good-vs.-evil showdown. This appealing, heady independent film won audience fans here at the Chicago International Film Festival.
Starring Ryan Merriman as Matt, a high-school basketball star, and Haley Joel Osment as Gar, his loyal, brainy sidekick, Home of the Giants is funny and gritty. With sly digs at high-school culture, filmmaker Rusty Gorman spins a sharp morality story centered on the tribal insanity of Indiana high-school basketball.
In this sharp depiction of middle-American life, Matt is reveling in his "glory days": He's the high-school star who realizes that he'll never play at the next level. He's got a one-man entourage in his brainy friend Gar (Osment), who, both realize, will someday far outpace Matt in the game of life.
Filmmaker Rusty Gorman puts a shrewd trajectory on this jock yarn, layering the drive to the championship with some unsettling human issues. At its core, Home of the Giants is played out on a much larger court, and Matt's greatest challenge is to overcome the dark legacy of his older brother.
Giants is smartly shot with just the right character rotation between its two leads: As the sharp-shooting star, Merriman struts with high-school star cockiness and self-absorption, while Osment is winning as the sidekick who must assume leadership.
Other players deliver solid turns: Kenneth Mitchell is riveting as Matt's bad-apple brother. Danielle Panabaker's new-girl-in-school freshness adds a perky dimension to the storyline. Writer-director Gorman shows a talent for credible character creations and a deft control of the story, no mean feat since Giants blends multiple narrative styles of drama, romance and comedy.
Technical contributions are A-game, most prominently editor Dan Schalk's up-tempo pacing and cinematographer Rodney Taylor's on-target framings of the heartland.
HOME OF THE GIANTS
SymPics International and Blue Rider Pictures present
a Rusty Gorman Film
Credits:
Director/writer: Rusty Gorman
Producers: William R. Greenblatt, L. Charles Grimes, Dan Schalk, Eugene Osment
Director of photography: Rodney Taylor
Production designer: Jennifer O'Kelly
Music: Michael Suby
Costume designer: Lisa Norcia
Editor: Dan Schalk
Cast:
Gar: Haley Joel Osment
Matt: Ryan Merriman
Keith: Kenneth Mitchell
Bridgette: Danielle Panabaker
Prock: Brent Briscoe
Mrs. Gartland: Kathleen LaGue
Running time -- 101 minutes
No MPAA rating...
CHICAGO -- March Madness shows its sinister side in Home of the Giants, a saga about Indiana state-championship basketball. The main rivalry is not on the court, but off the hardwood, as two brothers go one-on-one in a good-vs.-evil showdown. This appealing, heady independent film won audience fans here at the Chicago International Film Festival.
Starring Ryan Merriman as Matt, a high-school basketball star, and Haley Joel Osment as Gar, his loyal, brainy sidekick, Home of the Giants is funny and gritty. With sly digs at high-school culture, filmmaker Rusty Gorman spins a sharp morality story centered on the tribal insanity of Indiana high-school basketball.
In this sharp depiction of middle-American life, Matt is reveling in his "glory days": He's the high-school star who realizes that he'll never play at the next level. He's got a one-man entourage in his brainy friend Gar (Osment), who, both realize, will someday far outpace Matt in the game of life.
Filmmaker Rusty Gorman puts a shrewd trajectory on this jock yarn, layering the drive to the championship with some unsettling human issues. At its core, Home of the Giants is played out on a much larger court, and Matt's greatest challenge is to overcome the dark legacy of his older brother.
Giants is smartly shot with just the right character rotation between its two leads: As the sharp-shooting star, Merriman struts with high-school star cockiness and self-absorption, while Osment is winning as the sidekick who must assume leadership.
Other players deliver solid turns: Kenneth Mitchell is riveting as Matt's bad-apple brother. Danielle Panabaker's new-girl-in-school freshness adds a perky dimension to the storyline. Writer-director Gorman shows a talent for credible character creations and a deft control of the story, no mean feat since Giants blends multiple narrative styles of drama, romance and comedy.
Technical contributions are A-game, most prominently editor Dan Schalk's up-tempo pacing and cinematographer Rodney Taylor's on-target framings of the heartland.
HOME OF THE GIANTS
SymPics International and Blue Rider Pictures present
a Rusty Gorman Film
Credits:
Director/writer: Rusty Gorman
Producers: William R. Greenblatt, L. Charles Grimes, Dan Schalk, Eugene Osment
Director of photography: Rodney Taylor
Production designer: Jennifer O'Kelly
Music: Michael Suby
Costume designer: Lisa Norcia
Editor: Dan Schalk
Cast:
Gar: Haley Joel Osment
Matt: Ryan Merriman
Keith: Kenneth Mitchell
Bridgette: Danielle Panabaker
Prock: Brent Briscoe
Mrs. Gartland: Kathleen LaGue
Running time -- 101 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 10/23/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Great movie teams have always added spice to moviegoing. Think of a romantic team like Tracy and Hepburn or the comic pairing of Lemmon with Matthau. It's too early to add Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara to this honor scroll, but there's no doubt the young actors hold together the pleasantly anarchic "Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams." Plot and characters are even more unhinged than the original film, released more than 16 months ago, as filmmaker Robert Rodriguez has let his boyhood imagination run cheerfully amok. So the byplay and bickering between the now spy-savvy siblings, Carmen Vega) and Juni (Sabara) Cortez, anchor the film in a very real and amusing give-and-take.
This playful family film with a hipster's attitude should be every bit as successful as the first installment. Add to this the sheer pleasure, for adults at least, of seeing Ricardo Montalban back onscreen, and you have a welcome diversion for all.
Rodriguez succinctly sums up the process in this film when he says, "I took every dream or imaginative thought I ever had as a kid -- the gadgets I wished I could have, the fantastic places I wished I could travel -- and threw them all into this movie." So along with high-tech gadgets, you get a lost island run by a Dr. Moreau-inspired mad scientist, such exotic hybrid animals as a flying pig and a lizard with a snake's head and a pirates' cave filled with glittery loot and buccaneer skeletons.
Since the previous film, Carmen and Juni have joined the family spy business. The story opens with the spy kids saving the daughter of the U.S. president, with Juni developing a crush on the willful girl (Taylor Momsen). But political maneuvers have reduced the role of their father, Gregorio (Antonio Banderas), at the agency. This results in a rival pair of kids, Gary (Matt O'Leary) and Gerti (Emily Osment, Haley Joel's sister) Giggles, getting the plum assignments from their spymaster father, Donnagan ("Beavis and Butt-Head" creator Mike Judge).
When the Giggleses are sent to recapture the transmooker device, which can shut down electricity on Earth, Carmen reroutes them to the Gobi Desert. Then she and Juni take off in their underwater spy ship for a mysterious island where the device disappeared.
They arrive with a new crop of gadgets designed by Machete (Danny Trejo), the family's inventor. But the transmooker shuts down all their gear, forcing them to use their ingenuity and disprove Gary's theory that "an agent is only as good as his gadgets." They encounter the island's eccentric scientist, Romero (who else but Steve Buscemi). He has engineered a host of exotic creatures but is now too terrified to venture from his lab to confront his monsters.
In the midst of these adventures, their rivals arrive, and the kids suffer the embarrassment of having the whole family come to the rescue, meaning not only Dad and Mom (Carla Gugino) but also their grandfather (Montalban) and grandmother (Holland Taylor).
This second installment does suffer from gigantism, where the need to top oneself is misconstrued as a need to grow bigger instead of better. There are too many ideas rattling around inside this movie that are never fully developed. A couple of characters turn up from the first movie, Alan Cumming's Fegal Floop and Tony Shalhoub's Minion, who are not really needed.
Nevertheless, it's still refreshing to experience a family film outfitted with both wit and action. This time Rodriguez functions as a multihyphenate, taking on or sharing chores in writing, producing, directing, production design, editing, photography, rerecording and composing. Using customized high-definition digital cameras and wild, colorful designs, Rodriguez manages to turn a West Texas wilderness into an exotic isle that feels like a theme park gone wacky.
SPY KIDS 2: THE ISLAND OF LOST DREAMS
Miramax Films
Dimension Films presents a Troublemaker Studios production
Credits:
Screenwriter/director/production designer/editor/director of photography: Robert Rodriguez
Producers: Elizabeth Avellan, Robert Rodriguez
Executive producers: Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein
Music: Robert Rodriguez, John Debney
Costume designer: Garciela Mazon
Visual effects supervisors: Robert Rodriguez, Daniel Leduc
Cast:
Gregorio Cortez: Antonio Banderas
Ingrid Cortez: Carla Gugino
Carmen Cortez: Alexa Vega
Juni Cortez: Daryl Sabara
Romero: Steve Buscemi
Donnagan: Mike Judge
Machjete: Danny Trejo
Felix Gumm: Cheech Marin
Gary Giggles: Matt O'Leary
Gerti Giggles: Emily Osment
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
This playful family film with a hipster's attitude should be every bit as successful as the first installment. Add to this the sheer pleasure, for adults at least, of seeing Ricardo Montalban back onscreen, and you have a welcome diversion for all.
Rodriguez succinctly sums up the process in this film when he says, "I took every dream or imaginative thought I ever had as a kid -- the gadgets I wished I could have, the fantastic places I wished I could travel -- and threw them all into this movie." So along with high-tech gadgets, you get a lost island run by a Dr. Moreau-inspired mad scientist, such exotic hybrid animals as a flying pig and a lizard with a snake's head and a pirates' cave filled with glittery loot and buccaneer skeletons.
Since the previous film, Carmen and Juni have joined the family spy business. The story opens with the spy kids saving the daughter of the U.S. president, with Juni developing a crush on the willful girl (Taylor Momsen). But political maneuvers have reduced the role of their father, Gregorio (Antonio Banderas), at the agency. This results in a rival pair of kids, Gary (Matt O'Leary) and Gerti (Emily Osment, Haley Joel's sister) Giggles, getting the plum assignments from their spymaster father, Donnagan ("Beavis and Butt-Head" creator Mike Judge).
When the Giggleses are sent to recapture the transmooker device, which can shut down electricity on Earth, Carmen reroutes them to the Gobi Desert. Then she and Juni take off in their underwater spy ship for a mysterious island where the device disappeared.
They arrive with a new crop of gadgets designed by Machete (Danny Trejo), the family's inventor. But the transmooker shuts down all their gear, forcing them to use their ingenuity and disprove Gary's theory that "an agent is only as good as his gadgets." They encounter the island's eccentric scientist, Romero (who else but Steve Buscemi). He has engineered a host of exotic creatures but is now too terrified to venture from his lab to confront his monsters.
In the midst of these adventures, their rivals arrive, and the kids suffer the embarrassment of having the whole family come to the rescue, meaning not only Dad and Mom (Carla Gugino) but also their grandfather (Montalban) and grandmother (Holland Taylor).
This second installment does suffer from gigantism, where the need to top oneself is misconstrued as a need to grow bigger instead of better. There are too many ideas rattling around inside this movie that are never fully developed. A couple of characters turn up from the first movie, Alan Cumming's Fegal Floop and Tony Shalhoub's Minion, who are not really needed.
Nevertheless, it's still refreshing to experience a family film outfitted with both wit and action. This time Rodriguez functions as a multihyphenate, taking on or sharing chores in writing, producing, directing, production design, editing, photography, rerecording and composing. Using customized high-definition digital cameras and wild, colorful designs, Rodriguez manages to turn a West Texas wilderness into an exotic isle that feels like a theme park gone wacky.
SPY KIDS 2: THE ISLAND OF LOST DREAMS
Miramax Films
Dimension Films presents a Troublemaker Studios production
Credits:
Screenwriter/director/production designer/editor/director of photography: Robert Rodriguez
Producers: Elizabeth Avellan, Robert Rodriguez
Executive producers: Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein
Music: Robert Rodriguez, John Debney
Costume designer: Garciela Mazon
Visual effects supervisors: Robert Rodriguez, Daniel Leduc
Cast:
Gregorio Cortez: Antonio Banderas
Ingrid Cortez: Carla Gugino
Carmen Cortez: Alexa Vega
Juni Cortez: Daryl Sabara
Romero: Steve Buscemi
Donnagan: Mike Judge
Machjete: Danny Trejo
Felix Gumm: Cheech Marin
Gary Giggles: Matt O'Leary
Gerti Giggles: Emily Osment
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
For years, the Walt Disney Co. has recycled its cartoon and live-action characters into TV shows, video releases, theme park rides, action figures, T-shirts -- you name it. Now Disney is reversing the flow with theme park attractions heading for the big screen. Later this year, a movie based on the fabled Pirates of the Caribbean ride goes into production. Even before that film, though, the company is releasing "The Country Bears", a family film based on its audio-animatronics novelty show "The Country Bears Jamboree".
Like that show, in which animatronic bear characters put on a hootenanny, the film confines itself to entertaining small children and perhaps a few adolescents. Anyone older will find himself glancing at his watch more than once. Theatrical prospects appear modest, but there may be gold in that ancillary mother lode.
The Mark Perez script lacks the clever humor and odd twists that can help a family film transcend age. Peter Hastings directs competently but without much visual style or playfulness.
While the movie is derived from the park attraction, its inspiration comes from the original "The Blues Brothers", with a group of characters hitting the road to get a legendary band back together. The Country Bears was a country group in which every musician other than the drummer was, yes, a bear.
The driving force behind the reunion is Beary Barrington (voiced by Haley Joel Osment), an 11-year-old cub who acts as if he were human because he has been adopted by a human family. Beary can't seem to take a hint about his "difference" from his older, disgusted brother Dex (Eli Marienthal). Beary, a huge Country Bears fan, wants to reunite the group for a benefit concert to help save Country Bear Hall, the venue where the band got its start.
Each bear character is a collaboration among four people: the suit performer, the puppeteer, the voice actor and the musician doing the singing. The characters are fun but a little dorky because bears are not the easiest animals to animate. The music is the best thing the film has to offer. John Hiatt has written six original songs, and such talents as Don Henley, Willie Nelson, Brian Setzer, Bonnie Raitt and Krystal Marie Harris mix it up with rock, country and blues music.
A guitar duel in the Honey Bar (where Queen Latifah turns up as the bartender) between a bear fiddle player and Setzer is fun. A retro coffee shop comes alive with "Kick It Into Gear", thanks to Jennifer Paige's singing waitress. The latter won't make you forget Aretha Franklin's memorable "Think" in "Blues Brothers", but it does give the movie a momentary charge.
Daryl "Chill" Mitchell and Diedrich Bader provide slapstick comedy as a pair of bumbling cops sent to look for the family's runaway son. Their chase of the Country Bears' tour bus through a car wash should have children squealing with delight.
Seeing Christopher Walken essay the film's twisted villain is strange, to say the least, but he plays it straight without any camp. Veteran actors Stephen Tobolowsky, Meagan Fay and Alex Rocco -- the latter not given nearly enough to do -- slip comfortably into the human roles.
THE COUNTRY BEARS
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Credits:
Director: Peter Hastings
Screenwriter: Mark Perez
Producers: Andre Gunn, Jeffrey Chernov
Director of photography: C. Mitchell Amundsen
Production designer: Dan Bishop
Music: Christopher Young
Songs by: John Hiatt
Costume designer: Genevieve Tyrrell
Editors: George Bowers, Seth Flaum
Cast:
Reed Thimple: Christopher Walken
Norbert Barrington: Stephen Tobolowsky
Officer Hamm: Daryl "Chill" Mitchell
Raodie: MC Gainey
Officer Cheets/voice of Ted: Dietrich Bader
Rip Holland: Alex Rocco
Mrs Marrington: Meagen Fay
Dex: Eli Marienthal
Voices:
Beary: Haley Joel Osment
Trixie: Candy Ford
Big Al: James Gammon
Fred: Brad Garrett
Tennessee: Toby Huss
Henry: Kevin Michael Richardson
Zeb: Stephen Root
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
Like that show, in which animatronic bear characters put on a hootenanny, the film confines itself to entertaining small children and perhaps a few adolescents. Anyone older will find himself glancing at his watch more than once. Theatrical prospects appear modest, but there may be gold in that ancillary mother lode.
The Mark Perez script lacks the clever humor and odd twists that can help a family film transcend age. Peter Hastings directs competently but without much visual style or playfulness.
While the movie is derived from the park attraction, its inspiration comes from the original "The Blues Brothers", with a group of characters hitting the road to get a legendary band back together. The Country Bears was a country group in which every musician other than the drummer was, yes, a bear.
The driving force behind the reunion is Beary Barrington (voiced by Haley Joel Osment), an 11-year-old cub who acts as if he were human because he has been adopted by a human family. Beary can't seem to take a hint about his "difference" from his older, disgusted brother Dex (Eli Marienthal). Beary, a huge Country Bears fan, wants to reunite the group for a benefit concert to help save Country Bear Hall, the venue where the band got its start.
Each bear character is a collaboration among four people: the suit performer, the puppeteer, the voice actor and the musician doing the singing. The characters are fun but a little dorky because bears are not the easiest animals to animate. The music is the best thing the film has to offer. John Hiatt has written six original songs, and such talents as Don Henley, Willie Nelson, Brian Setzer, Bonnie Raitt and Krystal Marie Harris mix it up with rock, country and blues music.
A guitar duel in the Honey Bar (where Queen Latifah turns up as the bartender) between a bear fiddle player and Setzer is fun. A retro coffee shop comes alive with "Kick It Into Gear", thanks to Jennifer Paige's singing waitress. The latter won't make you forget Aretha Franklin's memorable "Think" in "Blues Brothers", but it does give the movie a momentary charge.
Daryl "Chill" Mitchell and Diedrich Bader provide slapstick comedy as a pair of bumbling cops sent to look for the family's runaway son. Their chase of the Country Bears' tour bus through a car wash should have children squealing with delight.
Seeing Christopher Walken essay the film's twisted villain is strange, to say the least, but he plays it straight without any camp. Veteran actors Stephen Tobolowsky, Meagan Fay and Alex Rocco -- the latter not given nearly enough to do -- slip comfortably into the human roles.
THE COUNTRY BEARS
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Credits:
Director: Peter Hastings
Screenwriter: Mark Perez
Producers: Andre Gunn, Jeffrey Chernov
Director of photography: C. Mitchell Amundsen
Production designer: Dan Bishop
Music: Christopher Young
Songs by: John Hiatt
Costume designer: Genevieve Tyrrell
Editors: George Bowers, Seth Flaum
Cast:
Reed Thimple: Christopher Walken
Norbert Barrington: Stephen Tobolowsky
Officer Hamm: Daryl "Chill" Mitchell
Raodie: MC Gainey
Officer Cheets/voice of Ted: Dietrich Bader
Rip Holland: Alex Rocco
Mrs Marrington: Meagen Fay
Dex: Eli Marienthal
Voices:
Beary: Haley Joel Osment
Trixie: Candy Ford
Big Al: James Gammon
Fred: Brad Garrett
Tennessee: Toby Huss
Henry: Kevin Michael Richardson
Zeb: Stephen Root
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
- 7/26/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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