Costume Designer Daniel Orlandi concludes his guest-blogging day with our favourite of his pictures. You should follow him on Instagram for more fun set photos & costume sketches....
by Daniel Orlandi
The Doris Day / Rock Hudson sex comedy romps were among the first movies I saw as a kid. I was so enamored of the look. So when I read the script to Down with Love (2003), I had to do it. I owe a lot to Producer Paddy Cullen for helping me get the job. She slipped me that script early and got me in to meet the director and producers first.
There was one problem, though...
by Daniel Orlandi
The Doris Day / Rock Hudson sex comedy romps were among the first movies I saw as a kid. I was so enamored of the look. So when I read the script to Down with Love (2003), I had to do it. I owe a lot to Producer Paddy Cullen for helping me get the job. She slipped me that script early and got me in to meet the director and producers first.
There was one problem, though...
- 5/19/2020
- by GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
- FilmExperience
Stuart Ford’s Im Global has started production on Marlon Wayans’ spoof 50 Shades Of Black. The film is financed by Im Global's Octane division. Wayans, who stars as mysterious entrepreneur Christian Black, is a producer and writer on the project, alongside regular partner Rick Alvarez. Mike Tiddes is directing, and Ford exec produces along with Im Global’s Matt Jackson, Glendon Palmer, and Paddy Cullen. Open Road, which released Wayans’ two A Haunted House films, will…...
- 8/14/2015
- Deadline
Stuart Ford’s Im Global has started production on Marlon Wayans’ spoof 50 Shades Of Black. The film is financed by Im Global's Octane division. Wayans, who stars as mysterious entrepreneur Christian Black, is a producer and writer on the project, alongside regular partner Rick Alvarez. Mike Tiddes is directing, and Ford exec produces along with Im Global’s Matt Jackson, Glendon Palmer, and Paddy Cullen. Open Road, which released Wayans’ two A Haunted House films, will…...
- 8/14/2015
- Deadline TV
Marlon Wayans’ spoof has started shooting in Los Angeles, financier and international sales agent Im Global announced on Tuesday.
Wayans stars alongside Kali Hawk, Affion Crockett, Mike Epps, Jane Seymour, Florence Henderson and Fred Willard.
Open Road will distribute in the Us on January 29 2016. The distributor previously partnered with Wayans and Im Global on the A Haunted House series.
Im Global’s Octane division finances Fifty Shades Of Black, about a mysterious entrepreneur and his love interest.
Wayans is producer and writer on the project, alongside regular writing and producing partner Rick Alvarez.
Mike Tiddes directs and Im Global CEO Stuart Ford serves as executive producer with Im Global president of production Matt Jackson, svp of production Glendon Palmer and Paddy Cullen.
Wayans stars alongside Kali Hawk, Affion Crockett, Mike Epps, Jane Seymour, Florence Henderson and Fred Willard.
Open Road will distribute in the Us on January 29 2016. The distributor previously partnered with Wayans and Im Global on the A Haunted House series.
Im Global’s Octane division finances Fifty Shades Of Black, about a mysterious entrepreneur and his love interest.
Wayans is producer and writer on the project, alongside regular writing and producing partner Rick Alvarez.
Mike Tiddes directs and Im Global CEO Stuart Ford serves as executive producer with Im Global president of production Matt Jackson, svp of production Glendon Palmer and Paddy Cullen.
- 8/11/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Clarius Entertainment has acquired Us rights to Benaroya Pictures and The Genre Company’s thriller Cell starring John Cusack (upcoming Love & Mercy, Lee Daniels’ The Butler) and Oscar-nominated Samuel L. Jackson (upcoming Kingsman: The Secret Service, Django Unchained).
The film is based on the best-selling apocalyptic novel by Stephen King.
When a powerful signal is broadcast across mobile networks worldwide, cell phone users’ minds are instantly and dangerously re-programmed. Heading north through New England in search of his wife and son, Clay Riddell (Cusack) is joined by a group of survivors hoping to fend off the bloodthirsty and hyper-connected “phoners.”
Set to be a wide theatrical release later this year, Cell also stars Isabelle Fuhrman (The Hunger Games) and Golden Globe winner Stacy Keach (Nebraska, The Bourne Legacy).
The film is directed by Tod “Kip” Williams (Paranormal Activity 2). The announcement was made today by the film’s producers Michael Benaroya and Richard Saperstein.
The film is based on the best-selling apocalyptic novel by Stephen King.
When a powerful signal is broadcast across mobile networks worldwide, cell phone users’ minds are instantly and dangerously re-programmed. Heading north through New England in search of his wife and son, Clay Riddell (Cusack) is joined by a group of survivors hoping to fend off the bloodthirsty and hyper-connected “phoners.”
Set to be a wide theatrical release later this year, Cell also stars Isabelle Fuhrman (The Hunger Games) and Golden Globe winner Stacy Keach (Nebraska, The Bourne Legacy).
The film is directed by Tod “Kip” Williams (Paranormal Activity 2). The announcement was made today by the film’s producers Michael Benaroya and Richard Saperstein.
- 2/5/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Get ready stateside filmgoers, because the “phoners” (aka “crazies”) are coming to the Us. Stephen King fans know that the master of macabre doesn’t like using cell phones. His 2006 novel, Cell, is a cautionary tale about what can go wrong by pressing portable phones to our ears and keeping them close at hand in our pockets, and its unflinching subject matter contains flocks of murderous lunatics that would be right at home in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, George A. Romero’s The Crazies, or Simon Clark’s Blood Crazy.
We knew this unique King novel was getting the adaptation treatment, with King co-writing the screenplay and John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson in the lead roles, but we’re now one big step closer to seeing it on the silver screen, as Clarius Entertainment has acquired the Us rights to the movie.
Slated to hit theaters this year,...
We knew this unique King novel was getting the adaptation treatment, with King co-writing the screenplay and John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson in the lead roles, but we’re now one big step closer to seeing it on the silver screen, as Clarius Entertainment has acquired the Us rights to the movie.
Slated to hit theaters this year,...
- 2/5/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Exclusive: Cinema Management Group has licensed the Rufus Sewell horror-thriller from Mickey Liddell’s Ld Entertainment in a slew of markets.
Roadside Attractions has earmarked an October 10 Us release for The Devil’s Hand, formerly Where The Devil Hides, about six girls in a small village who were born on the same day nearly 18 years ago and start to disappear.
While village edlers claim a hellish prophecy may be about to come true, some suspect other forces may be at work.
Edward Noeltner’s Cinema Management Group has closed deals in the UK (Kaleidoscope), Canada (Mongrel Media), Scandinavia (Another World), the Middle East (Front Row) and Turkey (Sinema).
Rights also went in the Philippines (Pioneer Films), Vietnam (Bhd Distribution), Mexico and pan-Latin American pay-tv (Alebrije) and Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador (Bf Distribution).
Sewell (pictured) stars alongside Alycia Debnam Carey, Adelaide Kane, Leah Pipes, Thomas McDonell and Jennifer Carpenter. Lionsgate will release...
Roadside Attractions has earmarked an October 10 Us release for The Devil’s Hand, formerly Where The Devil Hides, about six girls in a small village who were born on the same day nearly 18 years ago and start to disappear.
While village edlers claim a hellish prophecy may be about to come true, some suspect other forces may be at work.
Edward Noeltner’s Cinema Management Group has closed deals in the UK (Kaleidoscope), Canada (Mongrel Media), Scandinavia (Another World), the Middle East (Front Row) and Turkey (Sinema).
Rights also went in the Philippines (Pioneer Films), Vietnam (Bhd Distribution), Mexico and pan-Latin American pay-tv (Alebrije) and Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador (Bf Distribution).
Sewell (pictured) stars alongside Alycia Debnam Carey, Adelaide Kane, Leah Pipes, Thomas McDonell and Jennifer Carpenter. Lionsgate will release...
- 7/28/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Cinema Management Group has licensed the Rufus Sewell horror-thriller from Mickey Liddell’s Ld Entertainment in a slew of markets.
Roadside Attractions has earmarked an October 10 Us release for The Devil’s Hand, formerly Where The Devil Hides, about six girls in a small village who were born on the same day nearly 18 years ago and start to disappear.
While village edlers claim a hellish prophecy may be about to come true, some suspect other forces may be at work.
Edward Noeltner’s Cinema Management Group has closed deals in the UK (Kaleidoscope), Canada (Mongrel Media), Scandinavia (Another World), the Middle East (Front Row) and Turkey (Sinema).
Rights also went in the Philippines (Pioneer Films), Vietnam (Bhd Distribution), Mexico and pan-Latin American pay-tv (Alebrije) and Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador (Bf Distribution).
Sewell (pictured) stars alongside Alycia Debnam Carey, Adelaide Kane, Leah Pipes, Thomas McDonell and Jennifer Carpenter. Lionsgate will release...
Roadside Attractions has earmarked an October 10 Us release for The Devil’s Hand, formerly Where The Devil Hides, about six girls in a small village who were born on the same day nearly 18 years ago and start to disappear.
While village edlers claim a hellish prophecy may be about to come true, some suspect other forces may be at work.
Edward Noeltner’s Cinema Management Group has closed deals in the UK (Kaleidoscope), Canada (Mongrel Media), Scandinavia (Another World), the Middle East (Front Row) and Turkey (Sinema).
Rights also went in the Philippines (Pioneer Films), Vietnam (Bhd Distribution), Mexico and pan-Latin American pay-tv (Alebrije) and Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador (Bf Distribution).
Sewell (pictured) stars alongside Alycia Debnam Carey, Adelaide Kane, Leah Pipes, Thomas McDonell and Jennifer Carpenter. Lionsgate will release...
- 7/28/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
International Film Trust (Ift) has licensed Japanese rights to the Stephen King adaptation Cell to Presidio at the Efm.
President Christian de Gallegos and his team have also closed a deal with Shoval for Israel.
Cell is shooting in the Us state of Georgia. John Cusack stars in the story of a deadly pulse that affects mobile phone users. The cast includes Samuel L Jackson, Isabelle Fuhrman and Stacy Keach.
Tod Williams directs and Stephen King wrote the screenplay with revisions by Adam Alleca and Mark Leyner.
Former Dimension Films president Richard Saperstein, Michael Benaroya, Brian Witten and Shara Kay are producing.
The executive producers roster incudes Cusack, Paddy Cullen, Edward Mokhtarian, Armen Aghaeian, Xavier Gens and Laurence Freed.
President Christian de Gallegos and his team have also closed a deal with Shoval for Israel.
Cell is shooting in the Us state of Georgia. John Cusack stars in the story of a deadly pulse that affects mobile phone users. The cast includes Samuel L Jackson, Isabelle Fuhrman and Stacy Keach.
Tod Williams directs and Stephen King wrote the screenplay with revisions by Adam Alleca and Mark Leyner.
Former Dimension Films president Richard Saperstein, Michael Benaroya, Brian Witten and Shara Kay are producing.
The executive producers roster incudes Cusack, Paddy Cullen, Edward Mokhtarian, Armen Aghaeian, Xavier Gens and Laurence Freed.
- 2/10/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: International Film Trust (Ift) has announced a slew of deals on its Stephen King adaptation Cell, shooting now in Georgia with John Cusack.
President Christian de Gallegos and his team have licensed rights to Telemunchen for Germany and Notorious for Italy on the thriller from Benaroya Pictures and The Genre Company.
Deals also closed in Greece (Hollywood), Switzerland (Praesens), Bulgaria (Bulgaria Film), former Yugoslavia (Blitz), Poland (Monolith), Latin America (Leda), China (Hgc), Hong Kong (Deltamac), India (Pictureworks), Indonesia (Pt Amero), Malaysia and Thailand (Sahamongkol), Middle East (Shooting Stars), Philippines (Pioneer), Singapore (Cathay), Taiwan (Deepjoy) and Star TV for pan-Asian pay-tv.
Tod Williams directs and Samuel L Jackson, Isabelle Fuhrman and Stacy Keach also star in the story of a deadly pulse that affects mobile phone users.
Stephen King wrote the screenplay with revisions by Adam Alleca and Mark Leyner.
“We have relished the opportunity to reunite John and Sam and with production currently underway we couldn...
President Christian de Gallegos and his team have licensed rights to Telemunchen for Germany and Notorious for Italy on the thriller from Benaroya Pictures and The Genre Company.
Deals also closed in Greece (Hollywood), Switzerland (Praesens), Bulgaria (Bulgaria Film), former Yugoslavia (Blitz), Poland (Monolith), Latin America (Leda), China (Hgc), Hong Kong (Deltamac), India (Pictureworks), Indonesia (Pt Amero), Malaysia and Thailand (Sahamongkol), Middle East (Shooting Stars), Philippines (Pioneer), Singapore (Cathay), Taiwan (Deepjoy) and Star TV for pan-Asian pay-tv.
Tod Williams directs and Samuel L Jackson, Isabelle Fuhrman and Stacy Keach also star in the story of a deadly pulse that affects mobile phone users.
Stephen King wrote the screenplay with revisions by Adam Alleca and Mark Leyner.
“We have relished the opportunity to reunite John and Sam and with production currently underway we couldn...
- 2/9/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Efm: Edward Noeltner’s Cinema Management Group (Cmg) has picked up sales rights from Ld Entertainment to Where The Devil Hides.
Rufus Sewell stars in the story of a small village under the shadow of a demonic prophecy where young girls have begun to disappear.
Alycia Debnam Carey, Adelaide Kane, Leah Pipes, Thomas McDonell and Jennifer Carpenter round out the key cast.
Christian E Christiansen directed from Karl Mueller’s screenplay. Jennifer Monroe and Pete Shilaimon produced while Paddy Cullen and Scott Holroyd served as executive producers.
Cmg and Mickey Liddell’s Ld Entertainment previously collaborated on The Collector and The Collection.
Rufus Sewell stars in the story of a small village under the shadow of a demonic prophecy where young girls have begun to disappear.
Alycia Debnam Carey, Adelaide Kane, Leah Pipes, Thomas McDonell and Jennifer Carpenter round out the key cast.
Christian E Christiansen directed from Karl Mueller’s screenplay. Jennifer Monroe and Pete Shilaimon produced while Paddy Cullen and Scott Holroyd served as executive producers.
Cmg and Mickey Liddell’s Ld Entertainment previously collaborated on The Collector and The Collection.
- 2/7/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
London, May 2: Singer Peter Andre turned into a barman on a night out in Dublin after he got behind the bar and started serving customers.
The "Behind Closed Doors" singer was in the Irish capital for a talk show and after filming he went to a local pub, where he got behind the bar and started serving customers.
"I went out in Dublin until 3am after filming 'The Saturday Night Show' over there. It was honestly the funniest night ever. We went to a pub called Paddy Cullen's and I bought a round for about 20 people. I even got behind the bar at one point to serve people," femalefirst.co.uk.
The "Behind Closed Doors" singer was in the Irish capital for a talk show and after filming he went to a local pub, where he got behind the bar and started serving customers.
"I went out in Dublin until 3am after filming 'The Saturday Night Show' over there. It was honestly the funniest night ever. We went to a pub called Paddy Cullen's and I bought a round for about 20 people. I even got behind the bar at one point to serve people," femalefirst.co.uk.
- 5/2/2012
- by Machan Kumar
- RealBollywood.com
Peter Andre became a barman on a recent night out in Dublin. The 'Behind Closed Doors' singer was in the Irish capital to appear on a talk show and after filming her went to a local pub, where he got behind the bar and started serving customers. He recalled: ''I went out in Dublin until 3am after filming 'The Saturday Night Show' over there. It was honestly the funniest night ever. We went to a pub called Paddy Cullen's and I bought a round for about 20 people. I even got behind the bar at one point to serve people. Then they...
- 5/1/2012
- Virgin Media - Celebrity
Peter Andre became a barman on a recent night out in Dublin. The 'Behind Closed Doors' singer was in the Irish capital to appear on a talk show and after filming her went to a local pub, where he got behind the bar and started serving customers. He recalled: 'I went out in Dublin until 3am after filming 'The Saturday Night Show' over there. It was honestly the funniest night ever. We went to a pub called Paddy Cullen's and I bought a round for about 20 people. I even got behind the bar at one point to serve people. Then they had a live musician and, when he started singing 'Blue Suede Shoes', I got up and joined in.
- 5/1/2012
- Monsters and Critics
We first heard about Mickey Liddell's newest horror film, The Occult, earlier this month. Today the full cast has been announced, and filming is underway on the Ld Entertainment Production. Christian E. Christiansen (The Roommate) is directing the movie based on a script by Karl Mueller. The horror-thriller is being produced by Pete Shilaimon, Mickey Liddell and Jennifer Hilton Monroe, with Scott Holroyd, Michael Zelman and Paddy Cullen serving as exec producers.
Here is the full cast:
Alycia Debnam-Carey (Dream Life), Rufus Sewell (The Illusionist, The Tourist), Thomas McDonell (Prom), Adelaide Kane (Secrets of the Mountain), Leah Pipes (Sorority Row), Colm Meaney (Law Abiding Citizen, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter, The Exorcism of Emily Rose), Stacey Edwards (In the Company of Men) and Ric Reitz (Remember the Titans).
Official Synopsis:
Something very strange happened in the small village of New Bethlehem, a devout community kept under...
Here is the full cast:
Alycia Debnam-Carey (Dream Life), Rufus Sewell (The Illusionist, The Tourist), Thomas McDonell (Prom), Adelaide Kane (Secrets of the Mountain), Leah Pipes (Sorority Row), Colm Meaney (Law Abiding Citizen, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter, The Exorcism of Emily Rose), Stacey Edwards (In the Company of Men) and Ric Reitz (Remember the Titans).
Official Synopsis:
Something very strange happened in the small village of New Bethlehem, a devout community kept under...
- 3/29/2012
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
Some quick casting news coming in for The Occult along with an official announcement for you cats. Read on for all the latest straight from the cultist's mouth!
From the Press Release
"The Occult," an Ld Entertainment Production directed by Christian E. Christiansen ("The Roommate”) and produced by Pete Shilaimon, Mickey Liddell and Jennifer Hilton Monroe, is shooting principal photography at the Screen Gems Studios and on locations around Wilmington, North Carolina.
Written by Karl Mueller, the horror-thriller film is executive produced by Scott Holroyd, Michael Zelman and Paddy Cullen.
Starring In "The Occult" are Alycia Debnam-Carey ("Dream Life"), Rufus Sewell ("The Illiusionist," "The Tourist"), Thomas McDonell (“Prom"), Adelaide Kane ("Secrets of the Mountain"), Leah Pipes ("Sorority Row"), and Colm Meaney ("Law Abiding Citizen," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"), Jennifer Carpenter ("Dexter," "The Exorcism of Emily Rose"), Stacey Edwards ("In the Company of Men") and Ric Reitz ("Remember the Titans...
From the Press Release
"The Occult," an Ld Entertainment Production directed by Christian E. Christiansen ("The Roommate”) and produced by Pete Shilaimon, Mickey Liddell and Jennifer Hilton Monroe, is shooting principal photography at the Screen Gems Studios and on locations around Wilmington, North Carolina.
Written by Karl Mueller, the horror-thriller film is executive produced by Scott Holroyd, Michael Zelman and Paddy Cullen.
Starring In "The Occult" are Alycia Debnam-Carey ("Dream Life"), Rufus Sewell ("The Illiusionist," "The Tourist"), Thomas McDonell (“Prom"), Adelaide Kane ("Secrets of the Mountain"), Leah Pipes ("Sorority Row"), and Colm Meaney ("Law Abiding Citizen," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"), Jennifer Carpenter ("Dexter," "The Exorcism of Emily Rose"), Stacey Edwards ("In the Company of Men") and Ric Reitz ("Remember the Titans...
- 3/28/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Ld Entertainment has officially announced The Occult, a film we've been keeping our eye on that is directed by Christian E. Christiansen.
Produced by Pete Shilaimon, Mickey Liddell and Jennifer Hilton Monroe, principal photography is underway at the Screen Gems Studios and on locations around Wilmington, North Carolina.
Written by Karl Mueller, the horror-thriller film is executive produced by Scott Holroyd, Michael Zelman and Paddy Cullen.
Alycia Debnam-Carey (Dream Life), Rufus Sewell (The Illusionist), Thomas McDonell (Prom), Adelaide Kane (Secrets of the Mountain), Leah Pipes (Sorority Row), and Colm Meaney (Law Abiding Citizen), Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter), Stacey Edwards (In the Company of Men) and Ric Reitz (Remember the Titans).
Head inside for a plot synopsis!
Read more...
Produced by Pete Shilaimon, Mickey Liddell and Jennifer Hilton Monroe, principal photography is underway at the Screen Gems Studios and on locations around Wilmington, North Carolina.
Written by Karl Mueller, the horror-thriller film is executive produced by Scott Holroyd, Michael Zelman and Paddy Cullen.
Alycia Debnam-Carey (Dream Life), Rufus Sewell (The Illusionist), Thomas McDonell (Prom), Adelaide Kane (Secrets of the Mountain), Leah Pipes (Sorority Row), and Colm Meaney (Law Abiding Citizen), Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter), Stacey Edwards (In the Company of Men) and Ric Reitz (Remember the Titans).
Head inside for a plot synopsis!
Read more...
- 3/28/2012
- by ryanrotten@shocktillyoudrop.com (Ryan Turek)
- shocktillyoudrop.com
It's a busy holiday This Christmas as the Whitfield clan gathers at the matriarch's house. For those keeping score during the three-day gathering, there is one divorce filed, one secret marriage and pregnancy revealed, two guns pulled, one whipping, two beatings, a catfight, one arrest, a destroyed SUV and one very badly cooked meal. Good thing the Whitfields don't extend the holidays to New Year's.
Writer-director Preston A. Whitmore II throws enough soap opera for an entire TV season into a story that nearly -- but not quite -- sinks from the weight of all these implausible events. Animated acting and the sheer chaos of this squabbling family give the film a comic buoyancy.
While the events are too absurd to apply to any ethnicity, the filmmaker and cast are black, so that's the demographic to which this Screen Gems release will be marketed. How much crossover the film will attract depends on marketing, but in any event the film might play more widely on cable and video.
Nearly every family member who enters the splendid old Craftsman house of Ma Dear (Loretta Devine) in Los Angeles' West Adams district has at least one secret. Because Whitmore's theme is that blood is thicker than water, strange indeed is his portrayal of family life as riven by secrecy, petty jealousies, distrust and outright animosity. Oh well, everything will be just fine by the time Christmas dinner gets served.
Ma Dear has divorced her husband, Quentin Sr., who long ago "moved on," yet she tries to keep this and her live-in relationship with Joe Brown (Delroy Lindo) a secret. The only one who is clueless, though, is Quentin Jr. (Idris Elba), a jazz musician who's been on the road for four years, so he has an excuse.
Daughter Lisa (Regina King) brings her blatantly philandering, control-freak husband, Malcome (Laz Alonso), and all that baggage. Son Claude (Columbus Short) shows up with his Marine uniform but not his secret (and white) wife, Sandy (Jessica Stroup). College girl Mel brings along her latest beau, Devean (Keith Robinson), while Kelli (Sharon Leal) brings a lot of attitude that comes with a big ad agency job.
Quentin Jr. surprises everyone by actually showing up, though he neglects to tell anyone that two thugs are on his trail. And the baby brother, Baby Chris Brown), still lives at home, afraid to leave or tell his mom about his singing ambitions. Then the hoods show up, and they get invited to stay.
Amid the constant tiffs, everything gets revealed and put right. Every actor gets several big moments on camera. Baby gets to sing not once but twice. And Christmas dinner looks scrumptious.
Not a single moment feels even slightly real, but then, Kaufman and Hart's chaotic family comedy "You Can't Take It With You" never felt real, either. Whitmore is more of a stage manager than director as he executes the entrances and exits with tongue-in-cheek deftness. His eye is not always on the ball, though, as characters are sometimes inconsistent, as are the actors.
Tech credits are solid in all areas.
THIS CHRISTMAS
Screen Gems
Rainforest Films
Credits: Screenwriter-director: Preston A. Whitmore II
Producers: William Packer, Preston A. Whitmore II
Executive producers: Paddy Cullen, Damon Lee, Ronnie Warner, Mekhi Phifer
Director of photography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production designer: Dawn Snyder
Music: Marcus Miller
Costume designer: Francine Jamison-Tanchuck
Editor: Paul Seydor
Cast:
Ma Dear: Loretta Devine
Baby: Chris Brown
Quentin: Idris Elba
Lisa: Regina King
Joe: Delroy Lindo
Gerald: Mekhi Phifer
Devean: Keith Robinson
Claude: Columbus Short
Kelli: Sharon Leal
Mel: Lauren London
Running time -- 118 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Writer-director Preston A. Whitmore II throws enough soap opera for an entire TV season into a story that nearly -- but not quite -- sinks from the weight of all these implausible events. Animated acting and the sheer chaos of this squabbling family give the film a comic buoyancy.
While the events are too absurd to apply to any ethnicity, the filmmaker and cast are black, so that's the demographic to which this Screen Gems release will be marketed. How much crossover the film will attract depends on marketing, but in any event the film might play more widely on cable and video.
Nearly every family member who enters the splendid old Craftsman house of Ma Dear (Loretta Devine) in Los Angeles' West Adams district has at least one secret. Because Whitmore's theme is that blood is thicker than water, strange indeed is his portrayal of family life as riven by secrecy, petty jealousies, distrust and outright animosity. Oh well, everything will be just fine by the time Christmas dinner gets served.
Ma Dear has divorced her husband, Quentin Sr., who long ago "moved on," yet she tries to keep this and her live-in relationship with Joe Brown (Delroy Lindo) a secret. The only one who is clueless, though, is Quentin Jr. (Idris Elba), a jazz musician who's been on the road for four years, so he has an excuse.
Daughter Lisa (Regina King) brings her blatantly philandering, control-freak husband, Malcome (Laz Alonso), and all that baggage. Son Claude (Columbus Short) shows up with his Marine uniform but not his secret (and white) wife, Sandy (Jessica Stroup). College girl Mel brings along her latest beau, Devean (Keith Robinson), while Kelli (Sharon Leal) brings a lot of attitude that comes with a big ad agency job.
Quentin Jr. surprises everyone by actually showing up, though he neglects to tell anyone that two thugs are on his trail. And the baby brother, Baby Chris Brown), still lives at home, afraid to leave or tell his mom about his singing ambitions. Then the hoods show up, and they get invited to stay.
Amid the constant tiffs, everything gets revealed and put right. Every actor gets several big moments on camera. Baby gets to sing not once but twice. And Christmas dinner looks scrumptious.
Not a single moment feels even slightly real, but then, Kaufman and Hart's chaotic family comedy "You Can't Take It With You" never felt real, either. Whitmore is more of a stage manager than director as he executes the entrances and exits with tongue-in-cheek deftness. His eye is not always on the ball, though, as characters are sometimes inconsistent, as are the actors.
Tech credits are solid in all areas.
THIS CHRISTMAS
Screen Gems
Rainforest Films
Credits: Screenwriter-director: Preston A. Whitmore II
Producers: William Packer, Preston A. Whitmore II
Executive producers: Paddy Cullen, Damon Lee, Ronnie Warner, Mekhi Phifer
Director of photography: Alexander Gruszynski
Production designer: Dawn Snyder
Music: Marcus Miller
Costume designer: Francine Jamison-Tanchuck
Editor: Paul Seydor
Cast:
Ma Dear: Loretta Devine
Baby: Chris Brown
Quentin: Idris Elba
Lisa: Regina King
Joe: Delroy Lindo
Gerald: Mekhi Phifer
Devean: Keith Robinson
Claude: Columbus Short
Kelli: Sharon Leal
Mel: Lauren London
Running time -- 118 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 10/26/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Opened
Friday, Aug. 22
"My Boss's Daughter", the latest wannabe Farrelly brothers movie, starts with only a marginally credible premise, then wants to escalate the comedy with increasingly zany mishaps and frantic situations. Only the mishaps are mostly misfires, and the situations all feel contrived. Written by David Dorfman ("Anger Management") and directed by David Zucker, the movie stars hot coverboy Ashton Kutcher, which is probably the reason Miramax took this film off the shelf, where it has languished for a halfhearted release. His presence and the fact that Zucker was once part of a moviemaking team that made solid comedies -- the kind where audiences laugh out loud -- may mean a decent week or so at the boxoffice.
Kutcher plays an innocent who only wants to date the daughter (Tara Reid) of his tyrannical boss (Terence Stamp). Through a misunderstanding, what he thinks is a date turns out to be an invitation to house-sit for his boss. The minute we see the palatial home's precious antiques, prized owl and impeccable furnishings, we can pretty much guess the antiques will be destroyed, the owl will fly away and some goofball will desecrate the premises with bodily fluids. Actually, several people do the latter, including a neighbor with blood perennially leaking from her head.
The Farrellys get away with similar pranks onscreen by building gags through a mysterious combination of charm and logic. Here the jokes are charm-free, and there is little logic to most of the chaos. Why the hell does Kutcher let so many people into his prissy boss' home?
Okay, his boss' drug-dealing slob of a son (Andy Richter) does have a key. And the thug (Michael Madsen) comes with an ax, which can be persuasive. But why even open the door to a fired co-worker (Molly Shannon), her maniac boyfriend (Tyler Labine), her other friends (David Koechner, Carmen Electra, Ronald Selmour, among others), the woman (Ever Carradine) with the leaky head and other characters the movie never even introduces?
Illogic wouldn't matter, of course, if any of this were funny. A few moments are, thanks to a cast adept at playing up the absurdist nature of the script. But if "My Boss's Daughter" is going for farce, as Dorfman's writing seems to indicate, then Zucker's matter-of-fact sitcom direction is all wrong.
Kutcher may be at the center of all the frantic activity, but the role is so reactive it's akin to playing straight man for a room full of comics. We only notice him when he recoils from a fresh catastrophe. Otherwise, the owl has a better role.
Reid plays a character oblivious to 90% of the turmoil going on around her, which makes her seem fairly dumb -- if not deaf. Shannon and Stamp have the best idea how to get something out of their roles. Both seem to exist within their own little worlds, untroubled how their behavior affects others.
Technical credits on the Canadian-based production are pro.
MY BOSS'S DAUGHTER
Dimension Films
A Gil Netter/John Jacobs production
Credits: Director: David Zucker
Screenwriter: David Dorfman
Producer: Gil Netter, John Jacobs
Executive producers: Paddy Cullen, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Andrew Rona, Brad Weston
Director of photography: Martin McGrath
Production designer: Andrew Laws
Music: Teddy Castellucci
Co-producer: Ashton Kutcher
Costume designer: Daniel Orlandi
Editors: Patrick Lussier, Sam Craven
Cast:
Tom Stansfield: Ashton Kutcher
Lisa Taylor: Tara Reid
Ken: Jeffrey Tambor
Red Taylor: Andy Richter
Spike: Michael Madsen
Paul: Jon Abrahams
Tina: Carmen Electra
Audrey Bennett: Molly Shannon
Jack Taylor: Terence Stamp
Running time -- 86 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Friday, Aug. 22
"My Boss's Daughter", the latest wannabe Farrelly brothers movie, starts with only a marginally credible premise, then wants to escalate the comedy with increasingly zany mishaps and frantic situations. Only the mishaps are mostly misfires, and the situations all feel contrived. Written by David Dorfman ("Anger Management") and directed by David Zucker, the movie stars hot coverboy Ashton Kutcher, which is probably the reason Miramax took this film off the shelf, where it has languished for a halfhearted release. His presence and the fact that Zucker was once part of a moviemaking team that made solid comedies -- the kind where audiences laugh out loud -- may mean a decent week or so at the boxoffice.
Kutcher plays an innocent who only wants to date the daughter (Tara Reid) of his tyrannical boss (Terence Stamp). Through a misunderstanding, what he thinks is a date turns out to be an invitation to house-sit for his boss. The minute we see the palatial home's precious antiques, prized owl and impeccable furnishings, we can pretty much guess the antiques will be destroyed, the owl will fly away and some goofball will desecrate the premises with bodily fluids. Actually, several people do the latter, including a neighbor with blood perennially leaking from her head.
The Farrellys get away with similar pranks onscreen by building gags through a mysterious combination of charm and logic. Here the jokes are charm-free, and there is little logic to most of the chaos. Why the hell does Kutcher let so many people into his prissy boss' home?
Okay, his boss' drug-dealing slob of a son (Andy Richter) does have a key. And the thug (Michael Madsen) comes with an ax, which can be persuasive. But why even open the door to a fired co-worker (Molly Shannon), her maniac boyfriend (Tyler Labine), her other friends (David Koechner, Carmen Electra, Ronald Selmour, among others), the woman (Ever Carradine) with the leaky head and other characters the movie never even introduces?
Illogic wouldn't matter, of course, if any of this were funny. A few moments are, thanks to a cast adept at playing up the absurdist nature of the script. But if "My Boss's Daughter" is going for farce, as Dorfman's writing seems to indicate, then Zucker's matter-of-fact sitcom direction is all wrong.
Kutcher may be at the center of all the frantic activity, but the role is so reactive it's akin to playing straight man for a room full of comics. We only notice him when he recoils from a fresh catastrophe. Otherwise, the owl has a better role.
Reid plays a character oblivious to 90% of the turmoil going on around her, which makes her seem fairly dumb -- if not deaf. Shannon and Stamp have the best idea how to get something out of their roles. Both seem to exist within their own little worlds, untroubled how their behavior affects others.
Technical credits on the Canadian-based production are pro.
MY BOSS'S DAUGHTER
Dimension Films
A Gil Netter/John Jacobs production
Credits: Director: David Zucker
Screenwriter: David Dorfman
Producer: Gil Netter, John Jacobs
Executive producers: Paddy Cullen, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Andrew Rona, Brad Weston
Director of photography: Martin McGrath
Production designer: Andrew Laws
Music: Teddy Castellucci
Co-producer: Ashton Kutcher
Costume designer: Daniel Orlandi
Editors: Patrick Lussier, Sam Craven
Cast:
Tom Stansfield: Ashton Kutcher
Lisa Taylor: Tara Reid
Ken: Jeffrey Tambor
Red Taylor: Andy Richter
Spike: Michael Madsen
Paul: Jon Abrahams
Tina: Carmen Electra
Audrey Bennett: Molly Shannon
Jack Taylor: Terence Stamp
Running time -- 86 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 9/15/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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