Who Said That About…Tina Fey?
May 1, 2010
From our archives (yeah, I wrote it. Shut up.)
NBC’s fall schedule: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. The premise: a creative team is hired to save a live sketch-comedy show that just happens to resemble NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
Tina Fey, co-head writer for SNL, is working on a similar project starring her and Alec Baldwin, but I give Studio 60 better odds of sticking.
I’ll have you know that half of Studio 60′s 22 episodes were watchable. I’m also a big Aaron Sorkin fanboy, and while I still have a Tinacrush, I was betting on the money of Matthew Perry coming off of Friends and a rotating cast of guest stars.
Oops. Below, Tina Fey receives an award while she and New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg laugh at this prediction.
Knight and Day Trailer Release Sparks Interest – HSX Today
April 17, 2010
Nice start to the day. Up big on the portfolio and a perfect score through the questions. That’s Mercedes Reuhl, not Robin Williams, who won an Oscar for The Fisher King.
Yesterday’s IPOs were Farris-centric. Anna’s Private Benjamin remake soared more than 11% and her romantic comedy, What’s Your Number?, went up 5%. Chris Evans’ legal thriller Puncture took a beating, but I’m staying long with the stock until I see some more definitive news.
I’m still happy with my short positions. Something called The Courier with Jeffrey Dean Morgan has been floating around for years and continues to slide down. It’s now under $7 and worth a slide down to pick up a solid $200K plus. The Witchblade remake, with still no cast or director attached, is in the same boat, but at $4.77, the upside isn’t as large.
The new trailer for Knight and Day seems to be stirring the most interest. Male star Tom Cruise has a lot to prove after a misstep with Valkyrie. Costar Cameron Diaz has a lot to prove after The Box flopped, showing an unsuccessful attempt to break from the Shrek and Charlies Angels franchises. And director James Mangold is a long way from being the indie darling who won Sundance and then directed Kate and Leopold. He did an adequate job in 3:10 to Yuma, but observers expecting a stronger followup to Walk The Line were undoubtedly disappointed. We’re showing the trailer below.
What do you think? Does this have summer blockbuster written on it or is Knight and Day destined to be another True Lies? Can Tom Cruise pull on this side of 50 pull off one more action flick or is he liable to limp through them like a latter-day Harrison Ford?
For those of you following the IPOs, Anne Hathaway is up in One Day with Jim Sturgess. The plot, a direct lift seemingly without credit, is straight from Alan Alda’s Same Time Next Year. I’ll go long because of Hathaway’s track record, but I’m going to pass on Sturgess starring with Colin Firth in a period piece about Palestine set just after World War II ends.
So how is Knight and Day looking now?
Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island Takes Me Out of my Comfort Zone
March 2, 2010
Is book adaptation worth my theater cash?
So I’m going to see a movie in an actual theater. I know, I’m proud of myself, too. It’s not a likely candidate for me to loosen my wallet on, either. Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Shutter Island seems on paper like something I would avoid like the plague.
Why? Because I don’t like Scorsese. I don’t have anything in particular against the man, but his movies tend to be far outside my preferred genres. I don’t actively avoid him, but I certainly don’t seek out his films simply because he directed. I’m also not a huge fan of Leonardo DiCaprio. The faint whiff of Titanic is still enough to taint him in my mind. He also doesn’t quite fit the mold of the main character. Third, and most damning, is that Shutter Island is an adaptation of a Dennis Lehane book that I adored. Not only do I usually avoid those on the big screen – I often avoid them entirely.
But this is different. I’ve seen a couple of trailers and I like them. A lot of the book is about atmosphere and it looks like Scorsese may just manage to capture that essence. I love a good thriller even if I do already know the end and I’m always, always hoping for another Shawshank Redemption - a movie that is so good that I am actively jealous of those who have not read the book so the ending can be that much better.
So Shutter Island it is, and for full price on the big screen. Wish me luck – you know I’ll be back here bitching if Scorsese doesn’t do Lehane justice…
Johnny Depp and the new Alice in Wonderland
February 25, 2010
Mad Hatter makes Willy Wonka look bland and sane
I adore Johnny Depp. He’s never taken the easy way out and let his pretty boy looks dictate his career choices. From What’s Eating Gilbert Grape to Ed Wood to Cap’n Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, he’s taken on the unusual, the wacky and the drunkards. Sure, the fact that he’s the poster child for being beautiful doesn’t hurt, but it doesn’t define him as an actor.
When I heard Depp was to be the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s version of the acid trip that is Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland I was terribly torn. I can’t stand this story – the continuous idiotic nonsense plays less as whimsical and more as lunatic for me. I’ve never read or seen a version that didn’t turn me off. But Depp is a draw, even for haters like me. Now that I’ve had my first glimpse of the trailer I’m whole again. I’ve seen all I need to of the character and the movie.
Now all I saw was a bit of the tea party scene. Cutie Mia Wasikowska, who turned in a terrific performance opposite Jamie Bell in Defiance is Alice and Depp is decked out in Burton-esque splendor as the Mad Hatter. I hated it. Don’t get me wrong – it looks great. The visuals have Burton’s signature weird-ass, over the top flair and Depp definitely knows how use make-up and special effects to make an engaging (yet creepy) lunatic. But even that small snippet was sensory overload.
Burton’s visual style and Carroll’s fantastical story would seem like a perfect match. But for me they’re far more like the perfect storm – way too much weirdness all in one place, all at one time. It looks like this one is going to appeal to hardcore fans of the story or Burton but not those whose tastes run more toward films with oddities like “plot”. It also, like so many Alice remakes before it, looks too scary for young kids. I think I’ll skip this one – I’m not in the mood for either hallucinogenic stories or the freakish Depp nightmares that would surely follow.
Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are gay? Did I miss something in Sherlock Holmes?
January 3, 2010
I’m confuzzled. I’ve seen Sherlock Holmes and it appears that others are seeing a different movie, one which is replete with homosexual nuance between Holmes and Watson. Huh? I didn’t see a whole lot of sexual overtones (or undertones) period. There was definitely chemistry between Holmes and his nemesis/girlfriend Irene Adler, but the movie was overall rather chaste.
The arguments I’ve seen for the sublimated homosexuality include the duo bickering like an old married couple and Holmes being jealous of Watson’s fiancee. Those things are certainly in the movie – but why are they by necessity an indication of sexual orientation? Many long-time friends bicker in that same needling way – they know each other so well that they can push all the right buttons to annoy each other. The same is true for siblings and parents and children.
And yes, Holmes is jealous. Watson is his anchor and he’s being “stolen” by someone else. Look around you – or in the mirror. Have you never felt or known someone who felt jealousy when a third party entered a close friendship? I’ve certainly felt it and seen it in others – it’s a natural human emotion and, again, in no way indicative of sexual orientation.
Of course, Downey’s Holmes takes everything to an inappropriate level – that’s who he is. He does the same with investigations, brawling and incessantly annoying the police. And Law’s Watson is a little stuffy and prissy – who wouldn’t be in the face of such an outrageous friend? Perhaps it’s in this broadness of character that either others are reading too much or I am reading too little.
So the question becomes this: am I missing something or are others over-interpreting? It’s possible that there is material in the original stories that makes this inference more likely. I haven’t read the stories so would have no background to overlay the current movie with such supposition.
It’s times like this when I wish the director (in this case Guy Ritchie) would just call me up and tell me what he intended with his version of the characters. Is that really asking so much from the man? One phone call? Come on, Mr. Ritchie, help me out, here!
I just didn’t get any gay vibe from Holmes and Watson – the examples I’ve seen that supposedly prove it’s there don’t convince me, even a little. I don’t care if they’re gay, I just didn’t see it. Maybe I’m hopelessly hetero-centric, maybe other people are chasing shadows. What do you think?
TV picks for July 20-26, 2008
July 20, 2008
My picks for this week’s TV viewing:
Sunday, July 20: Start off the week with The Simpsons Movie (HBO, 10:15 p.m.). It’s only an hour and a half — you’ll be in bed by 12.
Monday, July 21: If you want to know whether any of the gadgets in The Dark Knight could actually work, check out Batman Tech (History Channel, 9 p.m.)
Tuesday, July 22: Superspy Mike Myers faces off against evil genius Mike Myers in spy spoof Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (FX, 8 p.m.). Groovy, baby!
Wednesday, July 23: The top eight perform on So You Think You Can Dance (FOX, 8 p.m.).
Thursday, July 24: Robert De Niro fights other boxers and his own demons in Raging Bull (IFC, 9 p.m.)
Friday, July 25: Heath Ledger’s breakthrough role as a gay ranch hand came in Brokeback Mountain (Bravo, 9 p.m.).
Saturday, July 26: The Red Sox and the Yankees continue their three-game series at Fenway Park (FOX, 3:55 p.m.).
TV picks for July 13-19, 2008
July 13, 2008
My picks for this week’s TV schedule:
Sunday, July 13: A double feature (with an intermission for dinner) of Some Like It Hot (TCM, 4 p.m.), with the late and great Jack Lemmon, and Meet Me in St. Louis (TCM, 8 p.m.), with the incomparable Judy Garland.
Monday, July 14: Mystic River, Clint Eastwood’s adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s novel, which won Academy Awards for stars Sean Penn and Tim Robbins.
Tuesday, July 15: The MLB All-Star Game, the last one to be held in Yankee Stadium (aka the house that Babe Ruth built).
Wednesday: July 16: More baseball, in the form of the classic Kevin Costner flick Bull Durham (Encore, 8 p.m.)
Thursday, July 17: As a warm-up for this week’s Dark Knight premiere, 2005′s Batman Begins (FX, 8 p.m.)
Friday, July 18: The season premieres of my two favorite detective comedies, Monk (USA, 9 p.m.) and Psych (USA, 10 p.m.)
Saturday, July 19: Closing out the week with another comedy, the Star Trek spoof Galaxy Quest (HBO, 6 p.m.)
Four films for the Fourth of July
July 4, 2008
Tomorrow is Independence Day in the U.S., which means ballgames, fireworks, and (for movie fans) July 4th films. Here are four movie picks for your holiday viewing pleasure — two musicals, one action flick and one drama:
The Music Man — Features the show-stopper 76 Trombones and a pair of wonderful actors in Robert Preston and Shirley Jones (yes, the future mom on The Partridge Family). Watch for Ron Howard as Jones’ much younger brother … so young he’s credited as Ronny Howard.
Independence Day — Aliens attack the White House, then get creamed by Will Smith, Bill Pullman, and Jeff Goldblum’s computer virus.
Born on the Fourth of July — Based on the autobiography by Vietnam Vet-turned antiwar protester Ron Kovic. Tom Cruise got his first Academy Award nomination for playing Kovic.
1776 — If you’ve ever wanted to see the Founding Fathers sing and dance, this is your chance.
Have a happy Fourth!
Cyd Charisse dies at 86
June 19, 2008
I’m sad to report that the dancer and actress Cyd Charisse passed away in Los Angeles yesterday of an apparent heart attack. Though her performing career spanned several decades, she’s best known for her appearances with the two great stars of Hollywood musicals, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. The clip below, from Singin’ in the Rain’s “Broadway Melody” sequence, is vintage Charisse:
American Idol, Top Three: Been There, Heard That
May 14, 2008
Nothing much exciting out of last night’s American Idol episode. All three contestants — David Archuleta, David Cook and Syesha Mercado, for those of you who don’t tune into Idol until summer reruns — did variants on what they’ve been doing all along. (If Cook doesn’t win the prize, he could front a Bryan Adams cover band.) And the song choices were surprisingly blah for this late in the season. I would almost rather have had another theme night than allow the producers to pick again. Maybe Billy Joel, just like in Season 2 … there are surely nine songs from his catalog that would’ve been more challenging and/or enjoyable.
Hopefully next week’s finale will be better. And if Syesha gets a spot in the top two, that would be more surprising than anything that happened this week.
