Viewers will probably know whether “I’ll Find You” is of interest just from hearing one typical line of dialogue: “No matter what happens,” our handsome Catholic hero promises his beloved Jewish girlfriend when the Nazis invade Poland, ‘We’ll always be together.’”
It’s not much of a spoiler to say that this World War II drama is also an unabashedly old-fashioned romance. But it’s nice to be able to add that — thanks to the expertise of director Martha Coolidge — it’s a particularly polished one.
Violinists Rachel Rubin and Robert Pulaski meet as children, while attending a prestigious music school in Lodz run by Lena (Connie Nielsen).
In time-honored tradition, they see each other as competitors and spend all their time sparring until they finally realize how much they have in common. They are inseparable for years, until Robert leaves to study opera in Italy, and Rachel is pushed,...
It’s not much of a spoiler to say that this World War II drama is also an unabashedly old-fashioned romance. But it’s nice to be able to add that — thanks to the expertise of director Martha Coolidge — it’s a particularly polished one.
Violinists Rachel Rubin and Robert Pulaski meet as children, while attending a prestigious music school in Lodz run by Lena (Connie Nielsen).
In time-honored tradition, they see each other as competitors and spend all their time sparring until they finally realize how much they have in common. They are inseparable for years, until Robert leaves to study opera in Italy, and Rachel is pushed,...
- 2/24/2022
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
This 1990 monster romp still feels bright, smart & fresh, a mix of light comedy and old-fashioned scares. The entire show is one long battle against smelly burrowing beasts called ‘Graboids.’ Desert handymen Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward must work hard to avoid taking their place in the Graboid Food Chain. Ambitious it ain’t, but it delivers what monster fans want — gross-out thrills, excellent effects and solid laughs. Arrow’s 4K Ultra HD disc is as sharp as a tack, and a second Blu-ray disc contains an unprecedented volume of featurettes, interviews and production documentation.
Tremors 4K
4K Ultra HD
Arrow Academy
1990 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 96 min. / Street Date December 15, 2021 / 59.95
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, Reba McEntire, Robert Jayne, Bobby Jacoby, Charlotte Stewart, Tony Genaro, Ariana Richards, Richard Marcus, Victor Wong, Bibi Besch
Sunshine Parker Sunshine Parke.
Cinematography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production Designer: Ivo Cristante
Special Effects: Robert Skotak,...
Tremors 4K
4K Ultra HD
Arrow Academy
1990 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 96 min. / Street Date December 15, 2021 / 59.95
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, Reba McEntire, Robert Jayne, Bobby Jacoby, Charlotte Stewart, Tony Genaro, Ariana Richards, Richard Marcus, Victor Wong, Bibi Besch
Sunshine Parker Sunshine Parke.
Cinematography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production Designer: Ivo Cristante
Special Effects: Robert Skotak,...
- 1/19/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Hello again, dear readers! We’re back for another look at this week’s horror and sci-fi home media releases, and there are quite a few titles headed home tomorrow. So, if you have any last-minute shopping you need to get done, there might be something listed here that could be helpful in that regard.
Probably the biggest release of this week is Arrow’s brand new 4K 2-Disc Limited Edition set celebrating one of the best monster movies ever, Tremors, and Warner is showing some love to The Curse of Frankenstein as well. In terms of recent horror, we have a ton of brilliant genre fare to pick from on Tuesday, including The Wolf of Snow Hollow, The Beach House, Don’t Look Back, and The Call, and Full Moon has resurrected Orgy of the Dead as well.
Suffice to say, there’s a little bit of something for everyone this week,...
Probably the biggest release of this week is Arrow’s brand new 4K 2-Disc Limited Edition set celebrating one of the best monster movies ever, Tremors, and Warner is showing some love to The Curse of Frankenstein as well. In terms of recent horror, we have a ton of brilliant genre fare to pick from on Tuesday, including The Wolf of Snow Hollow, The Beach House, Don’t Look Back, and The Call, and Full Moon has resurrected Orgy of the Dead as well.
Suffice to say, there’s a little bit of something for everyone this week,...
- 12/14/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
In addition to the new movie Tremors: Shrieker Island coming out this fall, Graboid fans can also look forward to 1990's Tremors coming out on a new limited edition Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD this December.
As announced on Facebook, the Tremors 4K Ultra HD and limited edition Blu-ray releases will be available in the US, UK, and Canada, and you can check out the full release details and a look at the cover art and box set goodies below:
Tremors 4K Ultra HD: "A pulse-pounding love letter to 1950s creature features that delivers horror and humor in equal measure, Tremors is a bonafide cult classic that has grabbed audiences’ affections ever since its release and spawned a successful franchise that continues to this day.
Good-ol’-boy handymen Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) are sick of their dead-end jobs in one-horse desert town Perfection, Nevada (population: 14). Just as...
As announced on Facebook, the Tremors 4K Ultra HD and limited edition Blu-ray releases will be available in the US, UK, and Canada, and you can check out the full release details and a look at the cover art and box set goodies below:
Tremors 4K Ultra HD: "A pulse-pounding love letter to 1950s creature features that delivers horror and humor in equal measure, Tremors is a bonafide cult classic that has grabbed audiences’ affections ever since its release and spawned a successful franchise that continues to this day.
Good-ol’-boy handymen Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) are sick of their dead-end jobs in one-horse desert town Perfection, Nevada (population: 14). Just as...
- 9/25/2020
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Undoubtedly Tyler Perry’s best work thus far; although the themes explored are definitely Tyler Perry faves. It’s a coincidence that I asked a few days ago whether or not Tyler had done his homework – essentially, whether he’s taken the time to learn the craft, if not formally, then at least, by watching a wide variety of films, past and present. I’d say the work he does here indicates that he just may have – certainly visually. I thought maybe it was that he’d hired a cinematographer he’d never used before, but, actually, Alexander Gruszynski shot 2 previous Tyler Perry films – I Can Do Bad All by Myself and Madea Goes to Jail.
The film has an attractive surface – the cast certainly assists, but there’s more to take note of here. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it stylized (although maybe by Tyler Perry...
The film has an attractive surface – the cast certainly assists, but there’s more to take note of here. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it stylized (although maybe by Tyler Perry...
- 10/30/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
This review was written for the theatrical release of "Nancy Drew".River Heights meets Mulholland Drive, to lackluster effect, in "Nancy Drew". The beloved amateur sleuth's first big-screen appearance in nearly 70 years is not devoid of affection for the mystery books that have engaged generations of young girls, but the culture-clash procedural, which brings the small-town teen to big bad Hollywood, feels more perfunctory than inspired. If the feature sparks a run on the books, it will be the result of tween-targeted marketing centering on Nickelodeon star Emma Roberts; word-of-mouth among young moviegoers, their mothers and grandmothers isn't likely to solve this case at the boxoffice.
Conceived, written and edited by committee under the pseudonymous authorship of Carolyn Keene, the book series has undergone its fair share of revisions and facelifts since first publication in 1930. It's hardly sacred literature that shouldn't be messed with, yet the source material's particular resonance remains elusive in this 21st century update.
Director Andrew Fleming and co-scripter Tiffany Paulsen have set up a familiar new-girl-in-school scenario for Nancy, overshadowing the mystery that should be the story's engine. Their screenplay isn't quite parody, but it's larded with enough self-conscious deadpan nods to the genre to make it something less than sincere. They've put Nancy (a perennial 18-year-old for decades) back in high school at 16 -- all the better for setting her in contrived opposition to fashion-slave Los Angeles mean girls (Daniella Monet, Kelly Vitz), while best friends George and Bess are reduced to bit parts back in stateless River Heights. Vague business has brought her widowed attorney father (Tate Donovan) to Los Angeles, where Nancy gets busy suggesting improvements to the principal of Hollywood High and delving into a movieland mystery.
The unsolved case from the annals of Hollywood dates way back to the glamorous days of 1981, when actress Dehlia Draycott (Laura Elena Harring) died after a five-month disappearance. Having rented the decrepit mansion where Dehlia lived (nice work by production designer Tony Fanning), Nancy can avail herself of an attic full of memorabilia, not to mention film footage and a projector, all under the disquieting eye of "strange caretaker" Leshing (Marshall Bell). Smitten 12-year-old Corky (Josh Flitter) lends his help, as does Ned Nickerson (Max Thieriot), who arrives from back home to deliver Nancy's nifty blue convertible and -- in the film's only emotionally convincing performance -- to confront his feelings for his favorite sleuth.
With an iBook and a vintage roadster at her disposal, Nancy would seem to have the best of both worlds. But the movie suffers from a split personality that proves enervating. The idea of playing up Nancy's retro qualities goes only so far, and reimagining her as a square do-gooder feels forced -- and misses the point about the unfussy intelligence that has made the character a keeper for most of a century.
As the quick-thinking, fearless title character, Roberts ("Unfabulous") conveys the required poise and self-confidence but never overcomes a certain blankness. Helmer Fleming ("Dick") struggles to generate human chemistry within the tween-movie formula. Often the most expressive onscreen elements are the costumes by Jeffrey Kurland, who dressed Roberts' Aunt Julia in "Erin Brockovich" and "Ocean's Eleven," and who has a good deal of character-defining fun here.
The Hollywood-lore angle is more intriguing than the high-school scenario, and older viewers might enjoy the film references, if only because they're diversions from the listless action. Harring's presence pays homage to David Lynch's brilliant R-rated twist on Nancy Drew in "Mulholland Drive"; there are broad allusions to "Chinatown"; and when Nancy tracks down a crucial figure Rachael Leigh Cook) in the Draycott mystery, she visits an apartment building that will recall last year's "Hollywoodland". Adam Goldberg and an uncredited Bruce Willis provide all-too-fleeting film-within-the-film cameos, while Barry Bostwick delivers a tasty turn as a super-lawyer to the stars.
Late-in-the-proceedings tension does materialize, but under the helm of Fleming and DP Alexander Gruszynski, most of the action sequences unfold with numbing indifference, while Ralph Sall's original score is far more interesting than his soundtrack of perkily predictable pop songs.
NANCY DREW
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Virtual Studios a Jerry Weintraub production
Credits:
Director: Andrew Fleming
Screenwriters: Andrew Fleming, Tiffany Paulsen
Story: Tiffany Paulsen
Based on characters created by: Carolyn Keene
Producer: Jerry Weintraub
Executive producers: Susan Ekins, Mark Vahradian, Benjamin Waisbren
Director of photography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production designer: Tony Fanning
Music: Ralph Sall
Co-producer: Cherylanne Martin
Costume designer: Jeffrey Kurland
Editor: Jeff Freeman
Cast:
Nancy Drew: Emma Roberts
Corky: Josh Flitter
Ned Nickerson: Max Thieriot
Jane Brighton: Rachael Leigh Cook
Carson Drew: Tate Donovan
Dashiel Biedermeyer: Barry Bostwick
Inga: Daniella Monet
Barbara Barbara: Caroline Aaron
Leshing: Marshall Bell
Dehlia Draycott: Laura Elena Harring
Trish: Kelly Vitz
Landlady: Pat Carroll
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Conceived, written and edited by committee under the pseudonymous authorship of Carolyn Keene, the book series has undergone its fair share of revisions and facelifts since first publication in 1930. It's hardly sacred literature that shouldn't be messed with, yet the source material's particular resonance remains elusive in this 21st century update.
Director Andrew Fleming and co-scripter Tiffany Paulsen have set up a familiar new-girl-in-school scenario for Nancy, overshadowing the mystery that should be the story's engine. Their screenplay isn't quite parody, but it's larded with enough self-conscious deadpan nods to the genre to make it something less than sincere. They've put Nancy (a perennial 18-year-old for decades) back in high school at 16 -- all the better for setting her in contrived opposition to fashion-slave Los Angeles mean girls (Daniella Monet, Kelly Vitz), while best friends George and Bess are reduced to bit parts back in stateless River Heights. Vague business has brought her widowed attorney father (Tate Donovan) to Los Angeles, where Nancy gets busy suggesting improvements to the principal of Hollywood High and delving into a movieland mystery.
The unsolved case from the annals of Hollywood dates way back to the glamorous days of 1981, when actress Dehlia Draycott (Laura Elena Harring) died after a five-month disappearance. Having rented the decrepit mansion where Dehlia lived (nice work by production designer Tony Fanning), Nancy can avail herself of an attic full of memorabilia, not to mention film footage and a projector, all under the disquieting eye of "strange caretaker" Leshing (Marshall Bell). Smitten 12-year-old Corky (Josh Flitter) lends his help, as does Ned Nickerson (Max Thieriot), who arrives from back home to deliver Nancy's nifty blue convertible and -- in the film's only emotionally convincing performance -- to confront his feelings for his favorite sleuth.
With an iBook and a vintage roadster at her disposal, Nancy would seem to have the best of both worlds. But the movie suffers from a split personality that proves enervating. The idea of playing up Nancy's retro qualities goes only so far, and reimagining her as a square do-gooder feels forced -- and misses the point about the unfussy intelligence that has made the character a keeper for most of a century.
As the quick-thinking, fearless title character, Roberts ("Unfabulous") conveys the required poise and self-confidence but never overcomes a certain blankness. Helmer Fleming ("Dick") struggles to generate human chemistry within the tween-movie formula. Often the most expressive onscreen elements are the costumes by Jeffrey Kurland, who dressed Roberts' Aunt Julia in "Erin Brockovich" and "Ocean's Eleven," and who has a good deal of character-defining fun here.
The Hollywood-lore angle is more intriguing than the high-school scenario, and older viewers might enjoy the film references, if only because they're diversions from the listless action. Harring's presence pays homage to David Lynch's brilliant R-rated twist on Nancy Drew in "Mulholland Drive"; there are broad allusions to "Chinatown"; and when Nancy tracks down a crucial figure Rachael Leigh Cook) in the Draycott mystery, she visits an apartment building that will recall last year's "Hollywoodland". Adam Goldberg and an uncredited Bruce Willis provide all-too-fleeting film-within-the-film cameos, while Barry Bostwick delivers a tasty turn as a super-lawyer to the stars.
Late-in-the-proceedings tension does materialize, but under the helm of Fleming and DP Alexander Gruszynski, most of the action sequences unfold with numbing indifference, while Ralph Sall's original score is far more interesting than his soundtrack of perkily predictable pop songs.
NANCY DREW
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Virtual Studios a Jerry Weintraub production
Credits:
Director: Andrew Fleming
Screenwriters: Andrew Fleming, Tiffany Paulsen
Story: Tiffany Paulsen
Based on characters created by: Carolyn Keene
Producer: Jerry Weintraub
Executive producers: Susan Ekins, Mark Vahradian, Benjamin Waisbren
Director of photography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production designer: Tony Fanning
Music: Ralph Sall
Co-producer: Cherylanne Martin
Costume designer: Jeffrey Kurland
Editor: Jeff Freeman
Cast:
Nancy Drew: Emma Roberts
Corky: Josh Flitter
Ned Nickerson: Max Thieriot
Jane Brighton: Rachael Leigh Cook
Carson Drew: Tate Donovan
Dashiel Biedermeyer: Barry Bostwick
Inga: Daniella Monet
Barbara Barbara: Caroline Aaron
Leshing: Marshall Bell
Dehlia Draycott: Laura Elena Harring
Trish: Kelly Vitz
Landlady: Pat Carroll
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 6/11/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
River Heights meets Mulholland Drive, to lackluster effect, in "Nancy Drew". The beloved amateur sleuth's first big-screen appearance in nearly 70 years is not devoid of affection for the mystery books that have engaged generations of young girls, but the culture-clash procedural, which brings the small-town teen to big bad Hollywood, feels more perfunctory than inspired. If the feature sparks a run on the books, it will be the result of tween-targeted marketing centering on Nickelodeon star Emma Roberts; word-of-mouth among young moviegoers, their mothers and grandmothers isn't likely to solve this case at the boxoffice.
Conceived, written and edited by committee under the pseudonymous authorship of Carolyn Keene, the book series has undergone its fair share of revisions and facelifts since first publication in 1930. It's hardly sacred literature that shouldn't be messed with, yet the source material's particular resonance remains elusive in this 21st century update.
Director Andrew Fleming and co-scripter Tiffany Paulsen have set up a familiar new-girl-in-school scenario for Nancy, overshadowing the mystery that should be the story's engine. Their screenplay isn't quite parody, but it's larded with enough self-conscious deadpan nods to the genre to make it something less than sincere. They've put Nancy (a perennial 18-year-old for decades) back in high school at 16 -- all the better for setting her in contrived opposition to fashion-slave Los Angeles mean girls (Daniella Monet, Kelly Vitz), while best friends George and Bess are reduced to bit parts back in stateless River Heights. Vague business has brought her widowed attorney father (Tate Donovan) to Los Angeles, where Nancy gets busy suggesting improvements to the principal of Hollywood High and delving into a movieland mystery.
The unsolved case from the annals of Hollywood dates way back to the glamorous days of 1981, when actress Dehlia Draycott (Laura Elena Harring) died after a five-month disappearance. Having rented the decrepit mansion where Dehlia lived (nice work by production designer Tony Fanning), Nancy can avail herself of an attic full of memorabilia, not to mention film footage and a projector, all under the disquieting eye of "strange caretaker" Leshing (Marshall Bell). Smitten 12-year-old Corky (Josh Flitter) lends his help, as does Ned Nickerson (Max Thieriot), who arrives from back home to deliver Nancy's nifty blue convertible and -- in the film's only emotionally convincing performance -- to confront his feelings for his favorite sleuth.
With an iBook and a vintage roadster at her disposal, Nancy would seem to have the best of both worlds. But the movie suffers from a split personality that proves enervating. The idea of playing up Nancy's retro qualities goes only so far, and reimagining her as a square do-gooder feels forced -- and misses the point about the unfussy intelligence that has made the character a keeper for most of a century.
As the quick-thinking, fearless title character, Roberts ("Unfabulous") conveys the required poise and self-confidence but never overcomes a certain blankness. Helmer Fleming ("Dick") struggles to generate human chemistry within the tween-movie formula. Often the most expressive onscreen elements are the costumes by Jeffrey Kurland, who dressed Roberts' Aunt Julia in "Erin Brockovich" and "Ocean's Eleven," and who has a good deal of character-defining fun here.
The Hollywood-lore angle is more intriguing than the high-school scenario, and older viewers might enjoy the film references, if only because they're diversions from the listless action. Harring's presence pays homage to David Lynch's brilliant R-rated twist on Nancy Drew in "Mulholland Drive"; there are broad allusions to "Chinatown"; and when Nancy tracks down a crucial figure Rachael Leigh Cook) in the Draycott mystery, she visits an apartment building that will recall last year's "Hollywoodland". Adam Goldberg and an uncredited Bruce Willis provide all-too-fleeting film-within-the-film cameos, while Barry Bostwick delivers a tasty turn as a super-lawyer to the stars.
Late-in-the-proceedings tension does materialize, but under the helm of Fleming and DP Alexander Gruszynski, most of the action sequences unfold with numbing indifference, while Ralph Sall's original score is far more interesting than his soundtrack of perkily predictable pop songs.
NANCY DREW
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Virtual Studios a Jerry Weintraub production
Credits:
Director: Andrew Fleming
Screenwriters: Andrew Fleming, Tiffany Paulsen
Story: Tiffany Paulsen
Based on characters created by: Carolyn Keene
Producer: Jerry Weintraub
Executive producers: Susan Ekins, Mark Vahradian, Benjamin Waisbren
Director of photography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production designer: Tony Fanning
Music: Ralph Sall
Co-producer: Cherylanne Martin
Costume designer: Jeffrey Kurland
Editor: Jeff Freeman
Cast:
Nancy Drew: Emma Roberts
Corky: Josh Flitter
Ned Nickerson: Max Thieriot
Jane Brighton: Rachael Leigh Cook
Carson Drew: Tate Donovan
Dashiel Biedermeyer: Barry Bostwick
Inga: Daniella Monet
Barbara Barbara: Caroline Aaron
Leshing: Marshall Bell
Dehlia Draycott: Laura Elena Harring
Trish: Kelly Vitz
Landlady: Pat Carroll
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Conceived, written and edited by committee under the pseudonymous authorship of Carolyn Keene, the book series has undergone its fair share of revisions and facelifts since first publication in 1930. It's hardly sacred literature that shouldn't be messed with, yet the source material's particular resonance remains elusive in this 21st century update.
Director Andrew Fleming and co-scripter Tiffany Paulsen have set up a familiar new-girl-in-school scenario for Nancy, overshadowing the mystery that should be the story's engine. Their screenplay isn't quite parody, but it's larded with enough self-conscious deadpan nods to the genre to make it something less than sincere. They've put Nancy (a perennial 18-year-old for decades) back in high school at 16 -- all the better for setting her in contrived opposition to fashion-slave Los Angeles mean girls (Daniella Monet, Kelly Vitz), while best friends George and Bess are reduced to bit parts back in stateless River Heights. Vague business has brought her widowed attorney father (Tate Donovan) to Los Angeles, where Nancy gets busy suggesting improvements to the principal of Hollywood High and delving into a movieland mystery.
The unsolved case from the annals of Hollywood dates way back to the glamorous days of 1981, when actress Dehlia Draycott (Laura Elena Harring) died after a five-month disappearance. Having rented the decrepit mansion where Dehlia lived (nice work by production designer Tony Fanning), Nancy can avail herself of an attic full of memorabilia, not to mention film footage and a projector, all under the disquieting eye of "strange caretaker" Leshing (Marshall Bell). Smitten 12-year-old Corky (Josh Flitter) lends his help, as does Ned Nickerson (Max Thieriot), who arrives from back home to deliver Nancy's nifty blue convertible and -- in the film's only emotionally convincing performance -- to confront his feelings for his favorite sleuth.
With an iBook and a vintage roadster at her disposal, Nancy would seem to have the best of both worlds. But the movie suffers from a split personality that proves enervating. The idea of playing up Nancy's retro qualities goes only so far, and reimagining her as a square do-gooder feels forced -- and misses the point about the unfussy intelligence that has made the character a keeper for most of a century.
As the quick-thinking, fearless title character, Roberts ("Unfabulous") conveys the required poise and self-confidence but never overcomes a certain blankness. Helmer Fleming ("Dick") struggles to generate human chemistry within the tween-movie formula. Often the most expressive onscreen elements are the costumes by Jeffrey Kurland, who dressed Roberts' Aunt Julia in "Erin Brockovich" and "Ocean's Eleven," and who has a good deal of character-defining fun here.
The Hollywood-lore angle is more intriguing than the high-school scenario, and older viewers might enjoy the film references, if only because they're diversions from the listless action. Harring's presence pays homage to David Lynch's brilliant R-rated twist on Nancy Drew in "Mulholland Drive"; there are broad allusions to "Chinatown"; and when Nancy tracks down a crucial figure Rachael Leigh Cook) in the Draycott mystery, she visits an apartment building that will recall last year's "Hollywoodland". Adam Goldberg and an uncredited Bruce Willis provide all-too-fleeting film-within-the-film cameos, while Barry Bostwick delivers a tasty turn as a super-lawyer to the stars.
Late-in-the-proceedings tension does materialize, but under the helm of Fleming and DP Alexander Gruszynski, most of the action sequences unfold with numbing indifference, while Ralph Sall's original score is far more interesting than his soundtrack of perkily predictable pop songs.
NANCY DREW
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Virtual Studios a Jerry Weintraub production
Credits:
Director: Andrew Fleming
Screenwriters: Andrew Fleming, Tiffany Paulsen
Story: Tiffany Paulsen
Based on characters created by: Carolyn Keene
Producer: Jerry Weintraub
Executive producers: Susan Ekins, Mark Vahradian, Benjamin Waisbren
Director of photography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production designer: Tony Fanning
Music: Ralph Sall
Co-producer: Cherylanne Martin
Costume designer: Jeffrey Kurland
Editor: Jeff Freeman
Cast:
Nancy Drew: Emma Roberts
Corky: Josh Flitter
Ned Nickerson: Max Thieriot
Jane Brighton: Rachael Leigh Cook
Carson Drew: Tate Donovan
Dashiel Biedermeyer: Barry Bostwick
Inga: Daniella Monet
Barbara Barbara: Caroline Aaron
Leshing: Marshall Bell
Dehlia Draycott: Laura Elena Harring
Trish: Kelly Vitz
Landlady: Pat Carroll
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 6/11/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
River Heights meets Mulholland Drive, to lackluster effect, in Nancy Drew. The beloved amateur sleuth's first big-screen appearance in nearly 70 years is not devoid of affection for the mystery books that have engaged generations of young girls, but the culture-clash procedural, which brings the small-town teen to big bad Hollywood, feels more perfunctory than inspired. If the feature sparks a run on the books, it will be the result of tween-targeted marketing centering on Nickelodeon star Emma Roberts; word-of-mouth among young moviegoers, their mothers and grandmothers isn't likely to solve this case at the boxoffice.
Conceived, written and edited by committee under the pseudonymous authorship of Carolyn Keene, the book series has undergone its fair share of revisions and facelifts since first publication in 1930. It's hardly sacred literature that shouldn't be messed with, yet the source material's particular resonance remains elusive in this 21st century update.
Director Andrew Fleming and co-scripter Tiffany Paulsen have set up a familiar new-girl-in-school scenario for Nancy, overshadowing the mystery that should be the story's engine. Their screenplay isn't quite parody, but it's larded with enough self-conscious deadpan nods to the genre to make it something less than sincere. They've put Nancy (a perennial 18-year-old for decades) back in high school at 16 -- all the better for setting her in contrived opposition to fashion-slave Los Angeles mean girls (Daniella Monet, Kelly Vitz), while best friends George and Bess are reduced to bit parts back in stateless River Heights. Vague business has brought her widowed attorney father (Tate Donovan) to Los Angeles, where Nancy gets busy suggesting improvements to the principal of Hollywood High and delving into a movieland mystery.
The unsolved case from the annals of Hollywood dates way back to the glamorous days of 1981, when actress Dehlia Draycott (Laura Elena Harring) died after a five-month disappearance. Having rented the decrepit mansion where Dehlia lived (nice work by production designer Tony Fanning), Nancy can avail herself of an attic full of memorabilia, not to mention film footage and a projector, all under the disquieting eye of "strange caretaker" Leshing (Marshall Bell). Smitten 12-year-old Corky (Josh Flitter) lends his help, as does Ned Nickerson (Max Thieriot), who arrives from back home to deliver Nancy's nifty blue convertible and -- in the film's only emotionally convincing performance -- to confront his feelings for his favorite sleuth.
With an iBook and a vintage roadster at her disposal, Nancy would seem to have the best of both worlds. But the movie suffers from a split personality that proves enervating. The idea of playing up Nancy's retro qualities goes only so far, and reimagining her as a square do-gooder feels forced -- and misses the point about the unfussy intelligence that has made the character a keeper for most of a century.
As the quick-thinking, fearless title character, Roberts (Unfabulous) conveys the required poise and self-confidence but never overcomes a certain blankness. Helmer Fleming (Dick) struggles to generate human chemistry within the tween-movie formula. Often the most expressive onscreen elements are the costumes by Jeffrey Kurland, who dressed Roberts' Aunt Julia in Erin Brockovich and "Ocean's Eleven," and who has a good deal of character-defining fun here.
The Hollywood-lore angle is more intriguing than the high-school scenario, and older viewers might enjoy the film references, if only because they're diversions from the listless action. Harring's presence pays homage to David Lynch's brilliant R-rated twist on Nancy Drew in Mulholland Drive; there are broad allusions to Chinatown; and when Nancy tracks down a crucial figure Rachael Leigh Cook) in the Draycott mystery, she visits an apartment building that will recall last year's Hollywoodland. Adam Goldberg and an uncredited Bruce Willis provide all-too-fleeting film-within-the-film cameos, while Barry Bostwick delivers a tasty turn as a super-lawyer to the stars.
Late-in-the-proceedings tension does materialize, but under the helm of Fleming and DP Alexander Gruszynski, most of the action sequences unfold with numbing indifference, while Ralph Sall's original score is far more interesting than his soundtrack of perkily predictable pop songs.
NANCY DREW
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Virtual Studios a Jerry Weintraub production
Credits:
Director: Andrew Fleming
Screenwriters: Andrew Fleming, Tiffany Paulsen
Story: Tiffany Paulsen
Based on characters created by: Carolyn Keene
Producer: Jerry Weintraub
Executive producers: Susan Ekins, Mark Vahradian, Benjamin Waisbren
Director of photography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production designer: Tony Fanning
Music: Ralph Sall
Co-producer: Cherylanne Martin
Costume designer: Jeffrey Kurland
Editor: Jeff Freeman
Cast:
Nancy Drew: Emma Roberts
Corky: Josh Flitter
Ned Nickerson: Max Thieriot
Jane Brighton: Rachael Leigh Cook
Carson Drew: Tate Donovan
Dashiel Biedermeyer: Barry Bostwick
Inga: Daniella Monet
Barbara Barbara: Caroline Aaron
Leshing: Marshall Bell
Dehlia Draycott: Laura Elena Harring
Trish: Kelly Vitz
Landlady: Pat Carroll
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Conceived, written and edited by committee under the pseudonymous authorship of Carolyn Keene, the book series has undergone its fair share of revisions and facelifts since first publication in 1930. It's hardly sacred literature that shouldn't be messed with, yet the source material's particular resonance remains elusive in this 21st century update.
Director Andrew Fleming and co-scripter Tiffany Paulsen have set up a familiar new-girl-in-school scenario for Nancy, overshadowing the mystery that should be the story's engine. Their screenplay isn't quite parody, but it's larded with enough self-conscious deadpan nods to the genre to make it something less than sincere. They've put Nancy (a perennial 18-year-old for decades) back in high school at 16 -- all the better for setting her in contrived opposition to fashion-slave Los Angeles mean girls (Daniella Monet, Kelly Vitz), while best friends George and Bess are reduced to bit parts back in stateless River Heights. Vague business has brought her widowed attorney father (Tate Donovan) to Los Angeles, where Nancy gets busy suggesting improvements to the principal of Hollywood High and delving into a movieland mystery.
The unsolved case from the annals of Hollywood dates way back to the glamorous days of 1981, when actress Dehlia Draycott (Laura Elena Harring) died after a five-month disappearance. Having rented the decrepit mansion where Dehlia lived (nice work by production designer Tony Fanning), Nancy can avail herself of an attic full of memorabilia, not to mention film footage and a projector, all under the disquieting eye of "strange caretaker" Leshing (Marshall Bell). Smitten 12-year-old Corky (Josh Flitter) lends his help, as does Ned Nickerson (Max Thieriot), who arrives from back home to deliver Nancy's nifty blue convertible and -- in the film's only emotionally convincing performance -- to confront his feelings for his favorite sleuth.
With an iBook and a vintage roadster at her disposal, Nancy would seem to have the best of both worlds. But the movie suffers from a split personality that proves enervating. The idea of playing up Nancy's retro qualities goes only so far, and reimagining her as a square do-gooder feels forced -- and misses the point about the unfussy intelligence that has made the character a keeper for most of a century.
As the quick-thinking, fearless title character, Roberts (Unfabulous) conveys the required poise and self-confidence but never overcomes a certain blankness. Helmer Fleming (Dick) struggles to generate human chemistry within the tween-movie formula. Often the most expressive onscreen elements are the costumes by Jeffrey Kurland, who dressed Roberts' Aunt Julia in Erin Brockovich and "Ocean's Eleven," and who has a good deal of character-defining fun here.
The Hollywood-lore angle is more intriguing than the high-school scenario, and older viewers might enjoy the film references, if only because they're diversions from the listless action. Harring's presence pays homage to David Lynch's brilliant R-rated twist on Nancy Drew in Mulholland Drive; there are broad allusions to Chinatown; and when Nancy tracks down a crucial figure Rachael Leigh Cook) in the Draycott mystery, she visits an apartment building that will recall last year's Hollywoodland. Adam Goldberg and an uncredited Bruce Willis provide all-too-fleeting film-within-the-film cameos, while Barry Bostwick delivers a tasty turn as a super-lawyer to the stars.
Late-in-the-proceedings tension does materialize, but under the helm of Fleming and DP Alexander Gruszynski, most of the action sequences unfold with numbing indifference, while Ralph Sall's original score is far more interesting than his soundtrack of perkily predictable pop songs.
NANCY DREW
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Virtual Studios a Jerry Weintraub production
Credits:
Director: Andrew Fleming
Screenwriters: Andrew Fleming, Tiffany Paulsen
Story: Tiffany Paulsen
Based on characters created by: Carolyn Keene
Producer: Jerry Weintraub
Executive producers: Susan Ekins, Mark Vahradian, Benjamin Waisbren
Director of photography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production designer: Tony Fanning
Music: Ralph Sall
Co-producer: Cherylanne Martin
Costume designer: Jeffrey Kurland
Editor: Jeff Freeman
Cast:
Nancy Drew: Emma Roberts
Corky: Josh Flitter
Ned Nickerson: Max Thieriot
Jane Brighton: Rachael Leigh Cook
Carson Drew: Tate Donovan
Dashiel Biedermeyer: Barry Bostwick
Inga: Daniella Monet
Barbara Barbara: Caroline Aaron
Leshing: Marshall Bell
Dehlia Draycott: Laura Elena Harring
Trish: Kelly Vitz
Landlady: Pat Carroll
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 6/11/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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