Middle-aged watch salesmen Billy and Nick (Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson) lose their jobs and take a chance applying for internships at Google even though they don’t know the first thing about coding. A comedy that may look like mere paid advertising for Google. But on the other hand, the intrigues at the company’s famed campus are straight out of any college movie and the story is overlong (albeit likable) and short on laughs. So, is this positive advertising for them? Maybe Google needs a new motto – “Don’t be bland”.
2013-U.S. 119 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Shawn Levy. Screenplay: Vince Vaughn, Jared Stern. Cast: Vince Vaughn (Billy McMahon), Owen Wilson (Nick Campbell), Rose Byrne (Dana), Aasif Mandvi, Max Minghella, Josh Brener. Cameos: Will Ferrell, John Goodman.
A foray into the mainstream for Harmony Korine who takes us and four college-age girls on a spring break trip to Florida where all bodily juices are guaranteed to flow freely, especially when we hook up with a drug dealer (James Franco, who has to be seen to be believed). Things go as you expect, but that’s not the point. The filmmakers prepare a visual feast, perfectly set to music by electronic dance star Skrillex; it’s like the ultimate spring break party, taken beyond reason. Hypnotic, up to a point; the film suffers a bit once Selena Gomez is gone since she’s the only one we can really empathize with.
2013-U.S. 94 min. Color. Widescreen. Written and directed by Harmony Korine. Music: Cliff Martinez, Skrillex. Cast: James Franco (Alien), Selena Gomez (Faith), Vanessa Hudgens (Candy), Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, Gucci Mane.
Trivia: Emma Roberts was originally cast. Rachel Korine is the director’s wife.
THE SCREEN’S TOP ROMANTIC STARS IN A MELODRAMATIC MASTERPIECE!
In the mid-40s, the legendary Hollywood producer David O. Selznick had plenty of opinions about the casting of Alfred Hitchcock’s upcoming thriller Notorious. He preferred Joseph Cotten over Cary Grant in the lead role, especially since he owned Cotten’s contract. In the end, he lost the argument. But Hitchcock himself was also close to making wrong decisions, hoping for Clifton Webb to play the villain. In the end, Claude Rains was chosen – thanks to Selznick’s lobbying. The success of a movie rarely depends on just one creative force.
Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman) has just seen her father go to prison as a convicted Nazi spy, when she’s approached by T.R. Devlin (Grant). It takes a while before he tells her what his real job is – as a government agent, he’s been investigating an organization of Nazis who fled to Brazil after World War II, and he’s now recruiting Alicia. At first, she’s horrified but comes to accept Devlin’s reasoning; after all, she detests her father’s treason. She agrees to work with him and they both go to Rio de Janeiro where she is to catch the attention of Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains), a wealthy businessman who is one of her father’s old friends and also a member of the Nazi ring. In Rio, Alicia and Devlin fall in love but remain focused on the job at hand. She introduces herself to Sebastian while out riding and the businessman is immediately smitten by his old friend’s beautiful daughter…
Breathlessly exciting One of Hitchcock’s most successful and fondly remembered 1940s thrillers reunited him with Bergman from the previous year’s Spellbound, another film where screenwriter Ben Hecht took an interest in psychology. This time it’s evident in the emotional drama between Alicia and Devlin as she learns to trust this man of mystery, and Alicia and Sebastian where her life depends on him truly believing that she loves him. Breathlessly exciting is one way of describing this film that moves fast, through several intriguing facets of the spy game, right up to the unforgettable climax where Devlin tries to rescue Alicia. The final scene is just perfect in all its tragicomedy (“Alex, will you come in, please?”) – and shot to great effect, which goes for many other memorable scenes in the film. Along with cinematographer Ted Tetzlaff, Hitchcock has us by the balls in a great tracking shot that leads us to the all-important wine-cellar key in Bergman’s hands, as well as that fantastic kissing scene between her and Grant that is sexy, sweet and seems to go on forever – even though it does follow the Production Code. Sometimes, true creativity is born out of oppressive rules and restrictions. I also love the way Hitchcock introduces Grant in the beginning, using shadows and shots of his back, as if to indicate that this may be the hero but he’s also a dangerous man. The casting is extraordinary; Grant downplaying his sense of humor, Bergman making it easy for us to identify with her, and Rains coming across as a complex villain, likable but contemptible for his Nazi sympathies (which are never directly expressed) and weakness.
The story of Notorious may be simple at its core, but the film’s release was certainly timely considering its themes and both critics and audiences recognized it for what it was (and still is) – a supremely crafted thriller. At a time when it seems like all I do is watch mediocre films, both at press screenings and at home, this classic (that I first saw as a kid) comes as a reminder of better times.
Notorious 1946-U.S. 101 min. B/W. Produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Screenplay: Ben Hecht. Cinematography: Ted Tetzlaff. Cast: Cary Grant (T.R. Devlin), Ingrid Bergman (Alicia Huberman), Claude Rains (Alexander Sebastian), Louis Calhern, Leopoldine Konstantin, Reinhold Schunzel.
Trivia: Remade as a TV movie, Notorious (1992).
Last word: “The story of ‘Notorious’ is the old conflict between love and duty. Cary Grant’s job – and it’s rather an ironic situation – is to push Ingrid Bergman into Claude Rains’s bed. One can hardly blame him for seeming bitter throughout the story, whereas Claude Rains is a rather appealing figure, both because his confidence is being betrayed and because his love for Ingrid Bergman is probably deeper than Cary Grant’s. All of these elements of psychological drama have been woven into the spy story.” (Hitchcock, “Hitchcock by Truffaut”)
Helen Hunt turns 50 today and my birthday cake is in the shape of a blog post. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Hunt is Mad About You, the sitcom that was part of NBC’s Must See TV franchise in the 1990s. Warren Littlefield’s book “Top of the Rock” describes how she and Paul Reiser were perfect for each other right from the start; that show is still her greatest achievement, even though she’s won an Oscar since. I tend to think that she might take my side; in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, she agreed with the interviewer that it’s a shame that Mad About You isn’t shown as frequently on TV in repeats as Seinfeld and Friends.
Helen Hunt’s career is indeed special. Born in California, she started out as a child actress in the 1970s and eventually landed a role in Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985) as a teenage girl. She wasn’t properly noticed though until Mad About You (for which she won three Golden Globes and four Emmys) and then As Good As it Gets (1997), for which she won an Oscar. Her life after that has consisted of combining big movie roles with creating a production company and appearing in a few Broadway plays – as well as starting a family with House of Lies creator Matthew Carnahan.
I have full confidence in Hunt’s career. She was Oscar-nominated this year for The Sessions (2012). Her next movie is Decoding Annie Parker, a drama that portrays the discovery of the BRCA1 gene. One way or the other, Hunt will remain relevant in our moviegoing experiences.
Fox News’s The Five has the power to get people talking, at least whenever Greg Gutfeld gets to talk about one of his favorite subjects, Hollywood liberals. After all, it was he who went after Jim Carrey a few months ago for his anti-gun video on “Funny or Die”. This time, Gutfeld targets The Newsroom, Aaron Sorkin’s drama series about a cable-news show, that sees its second season bow on HBO on July 14. He’s riled up after watching a trailer where the Tea Party are portrayed as villains and Occupy Wall Street as heroes. What follows is a dumb discussion where Jeff Daniels’s past in Dumb & Dumber (1994) is brought up and the panel agreeing that The Social Network(2010) is a good movie, as if that’s the only decent thing Sorkin ever made.
I guess that there’s plenty of negative and positive things to say about the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street, depending on your point of view. The panel is right about the fact that Hollywood is not likely to produce a movie with a positive message about the Tea Party. Strangling the government only makes for good drama if the government is headed by a tyrant. As for my views on The Newsroom, I certainly agree with almost every political view on the show. Why shouldn’t I? As a critic though, I have to say that Sorkin’s idea of painting Daniels’s character as a Republican is not one of his best. Interestingly, this harks back to when Alan Alda was introduced on The West Wingas a Republican presidential contender, even though his character was far too liberal to be a Republican. Sorkin was no longer in charge of the show at the time, but the idea was perfectly in his spirit. Having Daniels’s character on The Newsroom constantly reminding viewers that he’s a Republican although everything he says and does is what a Democrat would do, is problematic. If he’s to be believed he needs to challenge more of his staff’s liberal status quo.
We’ll simply have to wait and see if Sorkin finally acknowledges this in season two.
In the clip above, John Ratzenberger introduces Allen West to the Faith and Freedom crowd at this week’s big conference in Washington. Just to recap: West is a former Republican Congressman, closely aligned with the Tea Party movement, who lost his seat last November. His military accomplishments are far greater than his political ones; he’s best known for being supported by notorious figures like Sarah Palin, Ted Nugent and Glenn Beck, and for calling Democrats “chicken men”, referring to drivers with Obama bumper stickers as a “threat to the gene pool” and for, generally speaking, hating Islam. In other words, he has a knack for providing entertainment but this is not a man you want to see in charge of government functions.
In his introduction yesterday, Ratzenberger said that West ought to take “something from his gene pool” and “put it everywhere across this great country”. Let’s ignore the sexual implications and focus on Ratzenberger. I love the guy. He was Cliff Clavin on Cheersand has become almost a symbol of Pixar’s voice talents as he has provided his voice to a character in every animated Pixar film since Toy Story (1995).
But every time Ratzenberger opens his mouth in favor of another idiotic conservative, I feel like turning into Carla (Rhea Perlman) on Cheersand repeating one of her lines from the show:
This year’s Faith and Freedom Conference is under way in Washington, D.C. The coverage of this event is interesting to those of us who can’t help but observe the GOP crisis with bemusement. First of all, a reminder of what this is. The Faith and Freedom Coalition is a relatively new thing, founded in 2009 by Ralph Reed, Jr.. The fact that it has quickly become somewhat of a powerhouse can be attributed to its founder’s success as a political activist; the conference attracts big names and the media pays attention to it. Its purpose is to wed the beliefs of the Tea Party and the evangelical movements. In other words, this is a crowd that doesn’t want immigration reform, refuses gays the right to marry and hates everything the government does except when it goes to war. It is generally speaking the hardline, anti-intellectual base of the modern Republican Party.
These are the folks that former Florida Governor Jeb Bush faced yesterday. Media ended up covering only his major misstep, which was calling immigrants “more fertile” than “native-born Americans”. The remark prompted much ridicule from his liberal foes… but to me, the more interesting aspect of the speech is that it was a bold one to give in front of this crowd. The point of the speech was to boost the standing of immigrants among conservative grassroots, and Bush went so far as to say that “immigrants create an engine of economic prosperity.” According to reports, he was largely met by silence afterwards, unlike Representative Michele Bachmann who spoke earlier that day and attacked immigration reform, which she was cheered for. So, pandering to racists delivered by a clown who could never be president is taken more seriously by these people than the thoughtful message from a conservative who actually could be president. That’s more interesting to me than a rhetorical misstep.
At the same time, another 2016 hopeful, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, rejected the conference in favor of a sit-down with former President Bill Clinton at his Global Initiative in Chicago. It was obviously the right thing to do since Christie is running for reelection in a blue state, and Clinton lauded the governor’s leadership. Still, Christie’s tendency to appear with liberal Democrats that are like a red flag to right-wingers is something that he’s going to have to address if he intends to run for president. We don’t know yet if he or Bush intend to do so… but if they do, they’re going to face a very rocky primary season where they have to suck up to a gun-clinging, Bible-thumping, racist, gay-bashing base. In a general election they can work their charm on independents… but it’s a steep uphill climb before that. It’s only 2013, but the Democrats look better in comparison, especially if Hillary is ready to play.
When a newspaper tycoon (Tom Wilkinson) dies, his slacker son (Seth Rogen) rises to the occasion… and accidentally becomes a masked crimefighter. Michel Gondry’s foray into comedic superhero movies was heavily panned by critics; it doesn’t live up to its promise as a visually playful romp (not even in 3D). Far too drawn-out, but the blend of action and humor is fun to watch in fits and starts, especially if you have a soft spot for Rogen’s childish brand of comedy. Unfortunately, neither Christoph Waltz nor Cameron Diaz add much to it.
2011-U.S. 119 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Michel Gondry. Screenplay: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg. Cast: Seth Rogen (Britt Reid), Jay Chou (Kato), Cameron Diaz (Lenore Case), Tom Wilkinson, Christoph Waltz, David Harbour… Edward James Olmos, Edward Furlong. Cameo: James Franco.
Trivia:Nicolas Cage was allegedly considered for a part. At one point, Kevin Smith was supposed to direct the film with Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead.
What Steven Soderbergh announced as his “final” film is a straightforward HBO biopic detailing the love affair between flamboyant Vegas entertainer Liberace and the decades-younger lover he took in the late 1970s. Seen from Scott Thorson’s perspective, it was a relationship begun with open eyes but turned into a bizarre rollercoaster of kitsch, drugs, jealousy and plastic surgery. Captured with a sense of humor and plenty of flair, the film is arresting from the start, has a sparkling look and great makeup. Tremendous performances from Michael Douglas (in his first major role after battling cancer) and Matt Damon, as well as a hilarious one by Rob Lowe.
2013-U.S. Made for TV. 118 min. Color. Produced by Susan Ekins, Gregory Jacobs, Michael Polaire. Directed, photographed and edited by Steven Soderbergh. Teleplay: Richard LaGravenese. Book: Alex Thorleifson, Scott Thorson. Music: Marvin Hamlisch. Cast: Michael Douglas (Liberace), Matt Damon (Scott Thorson), Dan Aykroyd (Seymour Heller), Rob Lowe, Debbie Reynolds, Scott Bakula… Paul Reiser.
Trivia: Hamlisch’s last film. Released theatrically in many countries outside the U.S. At one point, Robin Williams was allegedly considered for the part of Liberace, with Philip Kaufman directing.
Last word:“The consensus [at Warner] was that there would be no audience for the movie outside of a gay audience, and that given the costs — not necessarily the money we needed from them for the rights, which was in the $5-million range, but the cost of putting a movie out, which is in the $25-million range, they’ve got to do 60-plus to get out — they just felt like, ‘We are not convinced, even with these elements involved, that there’s an audience for this outside of gay people.’ None of us thought that was true; we thought there was a much broader audience for it, but that was what was coming back to us pretty consistently: ‘This seems so gay that only gay people will like it.’ There’s not a lot you can say to that. They’re just looking at the economics of it.” (Soderbergh, The Los Angeles Times)
Following themes from her earlier films Marie Antoinette (2006) and Somewhere (2010), director Sofia Coppola was inspired by the 2008-2009 “Bling Ring” burglaries where Hollywood homes of the rich and famous, including Paris Hilton, were targeted by starstruck teenagers. While just as shallow in its depiction of emptiness in a world of celebrity idolatry as those movies, this one is more fun to watch thanks to a sense of humor, a very effective soundtrack and game performances by the young cast. Still, we’re not exactly encouraged to understand the mindset of these kids.
2013-U.S. 90 min. Color. Written and directed by Sofia Coppola. Cast: Katie Chang (Rebecca), Israel Broussard (Marc), Emma Watson (Nicki), Taissa Farmiga, Claire Julien, Carlos Miranda… Leslie Mann. Cameos: Paris Hilton, Kirsten Dunst.
Trivia: Inspired by a Vanity Fair article. The story was also told in a TV movie, The Bling Ring (2011). Some of the scenes in this film were shot in Hilton’s actual home.
Lightning McQueen returns to Radiator Springs to see his friends, but is soon drawn into another race… and Mater is hired by British spies who think that he’s also a spy. The first film is not one of Pixar’s strongest assets creatively, but turned into an extraordinary hit among kids. Unfortunately, the sequel became the studio’s first to draw bad reviews. As handsomely designed (in 3D this time) as expected, but unnecessarily drawn out and overplotted, with not enough humor, charm or suspense to sustain it.
2011-U.S. Animated. 113 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by John Lasseter. Voices of Owen Wilson (Lightning McQueen), Larry the Cable Guy (Mater), Michael Caine (Finn McMissile), Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard, John Turturro… Joe Mantegna, Bonnie Hunt, Franco Nero, Vanessa Redgrave, Tony Shalhoub, Jason Isaacs, Cheech Marin.
In the distant future a spacecraft crashes on Earth, which was abandoned by humans a long time ago; in order to be saved, the two survivors (who are father and son) need to find a beacon. M. Night Shyamalan returns to sci-fi after the dreadful Last Airbender (2010) for something that is very much a Smith family affair, with a story originally conceived by Will (who also lets his son have more screen time). Labeled as Scientology propaganda by some, this humdrum adventure has a few OK thrills but takes itself too seriously.
2013-U.S. 100 min. Color. Widescreen. Produced by Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Caleeb Pinkett, James Lassiter. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Music: James Newton Howard. Cast: Will Smith (Cypher Raige), Jaden Smith (Kitai Raige), Sophie Okonedo (Faia Raige), Zoë Isabella Kravitz.
AND SO WITH ALL ITS BREAKOUT JOY, “CACTUS FLOWER” COMES FULL BLOOM TO THE SCREEN.
When dentist Julian Winston (Walter Matthau) finds out that his mistress (Goldie Hawn) tried to kill herself, he promises to marry her… but first he’ll have to take care of a fake divorce. One of the most popular films of that year is a Broadway adaptation helmed by a man who had worked closely with Neil Simon. Gene Saks was the right man for the job, but not even he can turn this overly complicated and unbelievable story into gold. Entertaining all the same, with Hawn (in her breakthrough) and Ingrid Bergman (as Matthau’s buttoned-up nurse) standouts among the cast.
1969-U.S. 103 min. Color. Directed by Gene Saks. Play: Pierre Barillet, Jean-Pierre Grédy, Abe Burrows. Music: Quincy Jones. Song: “The Time for Love is Any Time” (Quincy Jones, Cynthia Weil). Cast: Walter Matthau (Julian Winston), Ingrid Bergman (Stephanie Dickinson), Goldie Hawn (Toni Simmons), Jack Weston, Rick Lenz, Vito Scotti.
Trivia: Tuesday Weld was allegedly considered for a part. Remade in India in 2005 and as Just Go With It (2011).
Oscar: Best Supporting Actress (Hawn). Golden Globe: Best Supporting Actress (Hawn).
Quote:“I’m having a rough time. As long as I was lying to her, everything was fine. The minute I decided to do the right thing and marry her, I’ve had troubles. You wouldn’t believe the complications. It’s like waltzing in wet cement.” (Matthau)
Middle-aged watch salesmen Billy and Nick (Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson) lose their jobs and take a chance applying for internships at Google even though they don’t know the first thing about coding. A comedy that may look like mere paid advertising for Google. But on the other hand, the intrigues at the company’s famed campus are straight out of any college movie and the story is overlong (albeit likable) and short on laughs. So, is this positive advertising for them? Maybe Google needs a new motto – “Don’t be bland”.
