Review: ‘Cedar Rapids’ (B)

Cedar Rapids was just plain old fun and I highly recommend this very simply, straight forward, and quirky comedy. 

The screenplay, by first timer Phil Johnston, was featured on the 2009 installment of the ‘Hollywood Blacklist’ honoring the best unproduced screenplays circulating Hollywood, and finally brought to the big screen by underrated director Miguel Arteta (Chuck & Buck, The Good Girl, and Youth in Revolt).  Together, along with a terrific cast, they have put together a film that doesn’t disappoint.

The Positive

This ensemble comedy is pretty remarkable and very balanced.  Everyone it perfectly cast, incredibly talented, and each individual compliments the rest of their team perfectly.  There isn’t a week leak among them.

Ed Helms (The Office) proves, once again, that he is the king of playing the nice guy.  Anne Heche, whose Television work I adore (Men in Trees and Hung) is as delightful as always.  Sigourney Weaver brings this amazing edge to the movie… and at times reason and much needed stability.  And John C. Reilly?  Well… John does what he does best: steal scenes. 

If you are a fan of John C. Reilly’s body of work, his performance in Cedar Rapids is a must see because he’s giving everything he’s got. In this movie John channels the comic brilliance we’ve seen in Talladega Nights and Dewy Cox, and harnesses it with the kind of sincerity we’ve seen in Magnolia and Boogie Nights.

And the same accolades goes to the stacked supporting cast as well:  Stephen Root (News Radio and Office Space), Kurtwood Smith (That 70s Show), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), Rob Corddry (The Daily Show and Hot Tube Time Machine), Mike O’Malley (Yes, Dear and Glee), Thomas Patrick Lennon (The State and Reno 911!), and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. (The Wire).

Isiah in particular has a couple scene stealing moments as a mild mannered insurance agent who is an enthusiast of the HBO Series ‘The Wire’… a show he, in real life, starred in… and in one scene in particular he channels his character from ‘The Wire’ who is neither mild, nor mannered, culminating into a hysterically funny moment.

The Negative

There is a reason why Cedar Rapids was on the 2009 Hollywood Blacklist.  It’s great!  And this is the kind of comedy you would normally find vying for awards… however… it will go unnoticed, not due to the faults of anyone involved.  As a whole, the writing, direction, and performances were spot on.  However, sadly to say, the problem is that no one associated with this film is high profile enough to attract the kind of attention needed for a successful awards run. 

And I hate to say it, but if Ryan Gosling and Kate Winslet had starred in this movie, rather than Helms and Heche, I think Cedar Rapids would end up being the toast of the town come awards season.  And as a result, I actually think John C. Reilly would have ended up with an Oscar Nomination.

And that said, I’m not sure if Gosling and Winslet would have done a better job than Helms and Heche… and that is what makes EGOTing so frustrating.

The Golden Globes Honors Morgan Freeman

This year’s Cecil B. DeMille award goes to the VERY deserving Morgan Freeman.  Freeman is the 59^th recipient of this award honoring “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment” and it really goes without saying why he deserves such an honor.

Morgan Freeman has received numerous awards for his acting; including an Oscar and a Golden Globe… he has a star on the Walk of Fame… and he has received awards from International Film Festivals around the world.

However, when looking at the true meaning and significance of an award like the ‘Cecil B. DeMille’ I don’t think you can simply focus on the recipient’s body of work.  I think these lifetime achievement awards are much bigger than just giving some old guy a trophy and letting him give a speech.  The award is nice, I’m sure… but really it’s about placing the honoree in the company of the awards previous recipients.

Quite frankly, the ‘Cecil B. DeMille’ honor roll includes the likes of Bob Hope, Alfred Hitchcock, Walt Disney, Fred Astaire, Joan Crawford, Charlton Heston, John Wayne, Bettie Davis, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Lucille Ball, Laurence Olivier… and the list of legendary Hollywood elite goes on and on… all the way to 59, where Morgan Freedman’s name will accompany the rest for all time. 

These lifetime achievement awards aren’t merely an award… they are a Hall of Fame… this is where careers are immortalized for the next generations. 

And to truly appreciate this feeling it is important to put a perspective on it.  50 years from now, movie loving kids will look back to Morgan Freeman with the same kind of majestic wonder as I look back on Bob Hope.  And that… that alone… is amazing.

Congratulation Morgan!  You rocked in ‘Dolphin Tale’!

‘The Artist’ - Trailer

I can’t help but get chills.

There is something mesmerizing about the silent film era unto itself… but to see a film about that era, shot in the same style (black and white AND silent) is fantastically daring.  And apparently it works.

The star, Jean Dujardin, won best actor at the Cannes Film Festival, and the film won the Audience Award at the Leeds International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Film at the European Film Awards.

Judging by its American Release date (November 25^th) The Weinstein Company thinks they might have a winner on their hands… we’ll see… we still have a month and a half before the Golden Globe and Oscar nominations!

‘Steve Jobs’ – Book Review

Being functionally illiterate, myself, I can’t really give an adequate review of Walter Isaacson’s haphazard writing style… which certainly isn’t meant to be an insult in any way.  I haven’t read any of Isaacson’s other biographies, but from what I hear, he’s supposed to be a badass in his field.  Furthermore, what I am calling a ‘haphazard writing style’ was probably a specific choice Isaacson made to compliment Steve Jobs’ life.

Honestly, I do not envy what Isaacson, presumably, had to go through to write this biography and I salute his finished product... although at times it reads like it was rushed, premature, to the printers soon after Steve’s passing so people would buy it before interest faded.

Then again… that unfinished, unpolished feel of the book also compliments Steve Jobs’ life.

Even the exorbitant page count seems to compliment his life as well.

You see, Jobs had his hands in so many projects in such a short period of time that it was almost impossible for Isaacson to tackle the biography in a linier manner.  Instead, the book jumps a round focusing more of specific projects and relationships rather than timelines… which can be confusing at first, at least until you just let go and enjoy the ride.

In short… my take away from the book was that Steve Jobs was an unsympathetic wack-o.  He was cold, narcissistic, opinionated, and uncaring of anything he didn’t consider masterful, or anyone who wasn’t creating anything masterful.

However, Isaacson paints another picture of Steve Jobs; that of a man of great brilliance, passion, confidence, and innovation.  Steve Jobs’ story is also one of great inspiration.  His take no prisoners’ attitude towards business, although detrimental at times, was refreshing… and almost heroic.  Steve Jobs was the quintessential antihero of our times.

One quote from Jobs, in the book, has really stuck with me, and I am paraphrasing:  “I have little respect for person who has thousands of ideas but never gets beyond dreaming about them, however, a person who has one idea and can make something truly great out of it is worthy of my respect.”

Beyond the wacky story of an eccentric billionaire, there is a significant amount of the book dedicated to the creation of Pixar… which I found complete fascinating. 

I had known that Steve Jobs was involved with Pixar, however for some reason, I had always assumed he just sat on the company’s board.  The business world is pretty incestuous that way and all these rich guys sit on each other’s boards.   Well, I was wrong.  Steve Jobs actually bought Pixar from LucasArts and was its primary owner. 

In addition, Steve Jobs was the guy who negotiating Pixar’s dual branding deal with Disney to differentiate the movies Pixar made from other companies contracting with Disney (including Disney themselves).  Steve felt the separate branding of Pixar was important to differentiate their level of quality from the rest of the Disney library; a decision that has proved highly successful for Pixar.

Furthermore, at one time, Disney actually cancelled the production of Toy Story.  Mainly because they didn’t like the rewrites they forces Pixar to use.  So, in an act of defiance towards Disney and of support for his team at Pixar, Steve Jobs continued to finance the movie himself, ultimately allowing John Lassiter to make the film he had been trying to make before Disney started meddling.  And well… the rest is history.

Being the movie buff that I am, the story behind Pixar and Steve Jobs involvement with the company was amazing and those sections alone were worth reading the whole book. 

Billy Crystal Returns to the Oscars, Good and Bad

SWEET!

While many bloggers seem to be poo-pooing the Academy for wooing Billy Crystal out of retirement to host the Oscars for the ninth time, I love the idea! 

Like I said in my previous post about Ricky Gervais being tapped, yet again, to host the Golden Globes, it is very important to have a consistent host to help brand an awards show.  Sure, Crystal hasn’t hosted the Academy Awards since 2004… and no one has hosted in concurrent years since Crystal in 1997 and 1998… so you can’t really call him consistent, however Billy Crystal is an Oscar icon, second only to Bob Hope for the most number of hosting gigs.

In many ways, Billy Crystal is the face of the modern Oscars and he brings the kind of familiarity the floundering telecast needs… plus he is the perfect choice to pick-up the pieces and bring respect back to the award after the humiliating loss of Eddie Murphy due to the Brett Ratner debacle. 

However… my fellow bloggers are right.  Billy Crystal, as amazing as he is, at 63 years old, is an outdated choice.  And I fear that the Academy (and Brian Grazar) may be overlooking an opportunity to improve the reputation of the Oscars, not just for this year, but for years to come.

What am I driving at?

Well… I think Billy Crystal needs a co-host.

Over the years, the Oscar telecast has had a harder and hard time attracting younger views, not that they haven’t been trying.  In the last 10+ years they have taped the likes of Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, Ellen DeGeneres, Hugh Jackman, James Franco, and Ann Hathaway as hosts.  And every time they just can’t harness that younger demographic and at times, they have come dangerously close to alienating their loyal (older) demographic.

The choice of Billy Crystal alone almost feels like the Academy has conceded the fight.  And that worries me.

If I were producing the Oscars I would do things very different.  I would approach a young actor with similar song and dance talents to Billy Crystal and who has experience hosting live awards shows … like Neil Patrick Harris. 

I would then offer him a four year hosting contract, with the first year co-hosting with Billy, as a sort of a ‘passing the torch’ year.

I think an actor like Neil Partick Harris would generate a lot of interest with younger demographics and I think having him host alongside an Oscar legend like Billy Crystal for the first year would help the loyal Oscar viewing demographics to not only accept a younger host, but also embrace him, almost like he had been handpicked by Crystal himself.

This is what the Oscars needs: a new face that we can count on year after year.  Like we used to count on Billy.  It’s time… but a successful transition is going to take some finesse.   

Billy Crystal is exactly what the Oscars need this year and he will do a fantastic job.

Upcoming Projects from 6 Great Directors

Today curiosity got the better of me and became obsessed with finding out what projects some of my favorite directors are currently working on… here is what I found out (in no particular order):

Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Bastards):  Django Unchained (2012) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gorden-Levitt, Samual L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, Kurt Russell, Sacha Baron Cohen, Kevin Costner and Jamie Foxx.  “With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from the brutal Calvin Candie, a Mississippi plantation owner” (IMBD).  This movie is loosely based on the 1966 Italian spaghetti western Django, which at the time was considered the most violent movie ever made.  This should be great inspiration for Tarantino since Inglorious Bastards was also inspired by an Italian film of the same name.  Also, if that’s not exciting enough, Tarantino has also announces Kill Bill, Volume 3 (2014)!

Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia and There Will Be Blood):  The Master (2012) starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Laura Dern.  “A 1950s-set drama centered on the relationship between a charismatic intellectual known as "the Master" whose faith-based organization begins to catch on in America, and a young drifter who becomes his right-hand man,” (IMDB).  P.T. Anderson directs some of the most amazing character driven epics… I’m really excited!

Robert Rodriguez (Desperado and Sin City):  Who doesn’t love Robert Rodriguez?  Besides the Directors guild?  As it stands now, nothing has been announced for Robert… looks like his Sin City sequels have been tabled.

Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore):  Moonrise Kingdom (2012) starring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Frances McDonrmand, and Harvey Keitel.  “A pair of lovers flee their New England town, which causes a local search party to fan out and find them.”  Amazing cast, amazing writer, amazing director… it’s going to be great!

The Coen Brothers (The Big Lebowski and No County for Old Men): Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) starring Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan and John Goodman.  “A singer-songwriter navigates New York's folk music scene during the 1960s.”  With the way things are going with the Coen Brothers, this film could potentially cement Timberlake’s acting career big time!

Stephen Spielberg (E.T. and Empire of the Sun):  Spielberg is the man who never quits!  The man has three projects in the works.  War Horse (2011) stars no one of consequence, but likely to launch some careers.  Lincoln (2012) starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sally Field, Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader and Tim Blake Nelson.  Finally, Robopocalypse (2013) doesn’t have a cast yet, but sci-fi is Spielberg’s strong suit.  Say what you will about Spielberg, he makes great movies.

'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' - TRAILER

 

‘Win Win’ (A)

Okay, up front I’m going to admit that my review for ‘Win Win’ will be a bit biased.  This film is totally my style.  I love contemporary slice-of-life dramatic comedies.  ‘Win Win’ is one of those  gut-wrenching films with a lot of heart in the style of ‘Juno’, ‘Sideways’, ‘Little Miss Sunshine, ‘Dan in Real Life’, ‘The Kids are All Right’, ‘Up in the Air’, ‘About Schmidt’, ‘Lost in Translation’… seriously… I could go on and on.  These are the movies I love.

On paper, ‘Win Win’ has everything going for it:

1. Paul Giamatti:  This is what Paul does best.  As a small town lawyer and volunteer high school wrestling coach, Paul, like in ‘Sideways’, straddles the fine line between being sympathetic, morally reprehensible, and a loveable teddy bear.  There is just something about Paul Giamatti, in roles like this that draws the audience in and gets them to root for him even when the audience knows he’s not making good decisions.  In short, this is the kinds of role Paul was born to play.

2.  Amy Ryan: Every actress in Hollywood should hate Amy Ryan.  She is just too dang good.  So good that she makes everything she does look easy.  Whether it’s playing a junkie mom in ‘Gone, Baby Gone’ or portraying the perfect foil to Steve Carell on ‘The Office’ Amy Ryan is just so darn good it hurts.  And her work in ‘Win Win’ is no different.  She is so natural as Paul’s wife that you feel like you’re watching a REAL couple.  Their talents together create this really amazing portrait of a modern American couple trying to scrap by in a failing economy while raising their kids.  Brilliant!

3.  Alex Shaffer:  Simply amazing.  This kid was spot on and it is probably one of the best first performances I’ve ever seen by an actor his age; reminiscent of Christian Bale (Empire of the Sun) and Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People).  If you see a picture of Alex in real life, you’ll see a normal clean-cut awkward looking teenager.  And if I were to judge a book by its cover I would probably assume he’s pretty good in school but not overly athletic, and I would assume he has a group of very close friends but not overly popular.  Just a normal kid.  Well… his transformation into Kyle Timmons, the bleached hair, tattooed, cigarette smoking, wrestling prodigy is astounding.  This normal looking kid channeled what I can only assume is raw, natural acting chops.  Although, in real life Alex was actually a New Jersey State wrestling champion… this is probably where his similarity to Kyle ends… but what do I know.  All I can say is that LOVED Alex’s performance I would really like to see the Academy give him a nod for his work... but that is another issue entirely.

4.  Director/Writer Thomas McCarthy:  I for one have a man-crush on Thomas McCarthy.  I am a big fan of his previous movies: ‘The Station Agent’ and ‘The Visitor’… both are fantastic and if you haven’t seen them… you need to.  Also, it is worth noting that Thomas helped write Pixar’s ‘Up’.  In short, he is a force with an amazing track record for making excellent movies.  And you might even remember Thomas from his acting work on ‘Boston Public’ and ‘The Wire’… they guy has serious talent.

5.  The supporting cast: Leading performances can only take you so far… and the strength of Win Win’s supporting cast articulates one of the films on going themes:  Although wrestling (much like life) is an individual struggle… it is also a team sport and success can only be achieved by trusting and supporting your team (and them trusting and supporting you).  ‘Win Win’ has an arsenal of very talented and somewhat high profile supporting actors who compliment the story perfectly:  Bobby Cannavale (Third Watch, The Station Agent), Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development), Burt Young (Rocky), Melanie Lynskey (Heavenly Creatures, Informant!, Up in the Air), and Margo Martindale (Justified).

Ultimately I think ‘Win Win’ is a MUST see.  And I really think it should be an Oscar contender… however it probably won’t.  ‘Win Win’ premiered at Sundance in January and was released in theatres last March, which is way too early in the year.  By the time Oscar voters start narrowing the field, they will have, more than likely, forgotten about ‘Win Win’. 

As a point of reference ‘Sideways’ and ‘Lost in Translation’ were released in October, while ‘June’ and ‘Up in the Air’ were released in December.  ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ (released in July) is one of very few movies of this style that have been able to maintain enough momentum to get Oscar nominations. 

That said, I think ‘Win Win’ has a chance for Best Original Screenplay and of course, I hope the stars align and Alex Shaffer scores a Best Supporting Actor nod, but it’s a long shot.

‘Tabloid’ – Trailer

Holy shitake mushrooms.  The story behind this documentary is crazy… literally.  And the documentary itself looks great!  It’s directed by Errol Morris who also directed ‘Thin Blue Line’ and won the Oscar for ‘The Fog of War’.  Both are excellent documentaries and this one should be hilariously awesome.

 

Rick Gervais to Host the Golden Globes AGAIN!

In a hilarious turn of events controversial and unapologetic Golden Globe host Ricky Gervais will be returning to the stage as master of ceremonies yet again!  That’s right!  After all the hubbub last year about Gervais’ “rude and mean spirited” attitude towards the actors and actresses being honor, (which he also did the first time he hosted in 2010) the Hollywood Foreign Press has invited him back.  I wonder why?

Hmmm…

Could it be because of ratings?

OF COURSE IT IS!

The ratings for the Golden Globes have improved each year Ricky Gervais has hosted and, frankly, we live in a society of rubberneckers who love to see controversy in action.  The Hollywood Foreign Press isn’t stupid… they know exactly what they are doing.  Announcing Ricky’s third year as host has already ignited a firestorm of free publicity for the telecast.  And as a result, I think the Golden Globes’ rating will be up again with very little effort… this is a great example of a successful cost/benefit analysis.     

To be completely honest, I also think Ricky has done a great job with the Golden Globes.  Prior to Gervais, the Golden Globes had been a host-less telecast… and I think it suffered for that.  I don’t think the Golden Globes offered anything new, inviting, or familiar… at least in comparison to the Emmys and Oscars.  For better or worse, Gervais has given the Golden Globes a face and a voice.   

The Golden Globes has always tried to dub themselves as the ‘informal and laidback’ awards show where anything can happen… and Gervais has helped them achieve that. 

And it is also worth noting that there is something to be said about host consistency.  Investing and nurturing a host that can been counted on year after year really gives an awards show a bump above the rest.  This is why the Academy Awards had always been so darn successful… at least until Billy Crystal stopped hosting each year.

Now… I’m not saying the Golden Globes will ever overtake the Academy Awards… however, right now, the Hollywood Foreign Press are making very smart decisions and they are successfully creating a brand we, the view, can count on.

Here are some bits from Gervais’ previous hosting gigs:

2010

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2011

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