Chevy Chase Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Ron Howard's SNL President's Reunion Skit Misses the Mark
Filed under: Fandom », Trailers and Clips »
One of the more popular viral videos that's beginning to spread around the web today features Ron Howard directing a skit for Funny or Die that features a whole bunch of comic actors (most of which are former or current SNL players) all decked out as different Presidents. Returning to the fold are folks like Will Ferrell (as George Bush Jr.), Chevy Chase (as Gerald Ford), Dana Carvey (as George Bush Sr.), Jim Carrey (replacing the late Phil Hartman with his best Ronald Reagan), Dan Aykroyd (as an extremely bloated Jimmy Carter), Darrell Hammond (as Bill Clinton), Fred Armison (as Barack Obama) and Maya Rudolph (as Michelle Obama).
Obviously, on paper, this sounds like the must-see video of the month, though it unfortunately lacks a whole lotta funny. Don't get me wrong, Will Ferrell will always crack me up with his ridiculous over-the-top Bush impersonation, and it was awesome to see Carvey back at it again. Jim Carrey and Chevy Chase serve up at least one chuckle each, too, and Hammond gets by with his usual perverted Clinton shtick. Meanwhile, Aykroyd is just kinda embarrassing as a barely recognizable Jimmy Carter, and Armison never really did do the best Obama, though unfortunately that's all they got.
The primary focus of the sketch was to call more attention to the credit crisis and government regulation, but after a decent start it definitely loses its way -- partly because there's too many cooks in the kitchen, but also because it seemed kinda written on the fly to spread an agenda that gets old real fast. But maybe I'm missing something. Watch it after the jump and let us know what you think.
Early Buzz: Does the 'Hot Tub Time Machine' Work?
One of the great things about living in Austin, in addition to the fact that everyone is impossibly nice and the Alamo Drafthouse is a mecca for film geeks, is that Ain't it Cool News is headquartered here. And as anyone who reads AICN will know, Harry Knowles is regularly bringing promo screenings of films to share with his fellow Austinites.These screenings aren't for press, they're for film junkies who are perfectly happy to wait in line an hour or two ahead of time to get a good seat to something they're looking forward to. And this past Monday, Harry held such a screening for MGM's R-rated comedy Hot Tub Time Machine starring John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke. And if you're anything like me, you were a little excited about seeing four guys time-travel back to the 1980s, but you weren't sure if it'd be a solid R-rated romp or another Dude, Where's My Car comedy gimmick.
So what's the verdict?
Better than expected, at least on this end. The trailers looked a little one note to me, as though the only comedy mineral it could mine was how wacky it was for four dudes from the present to loop back to their youthful prime and collide with a host of obvious '80s pop staples like leg warmers and apocalyptic levels of hairspray. And sure, when they first make their trip across the space-time continuum, there's a good deal of "Remember this?" chuckling going on, but it quickly moves past such base humor and into a surprisingly hearty comedy.
'Vacation' Reboot Heading Back to Wally World
Filed under: Classics », Comedy », New Line », Family Films », Remakes and Sequels »
Fans seem to be disappointed with HomeAway's Vacation-themed Super Bowl spot (the TV version or 14-minute version), for which Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo returned as Clark and Ellen Griswold. But will this disappointment affect their interest in the next film installment of the Vacation franchise, announced as a semi-reboot divorced from the National Lampoon name last fall? Variety has an update on the torch-passing sequel, and so far it sounds like it could be a worthwhile resurrection of the series.What we previously learned was that this still-untitled film will focus on Clark and Ellen's son, Rusty, who is now all grown-up and vacationing with his own family. Specifically, he'll be taking the kids across America to show them Wally World before the amusement park closes forever. Ten bucks says they get there too late and repeat the original film's climax of hijacking the place. Hey, as long as it's written well, I don't mind a recycled plot. It's still better than a complete remake.
Teaser for 'Vacation' Reunion Superbowl Commercial
Filed under: Trailers and Clips »
Remember how we told you that Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo would be reprising their characters from the Vacation movies for a Superbowl commercial for HomeAway.com? Well, in advance of the actual Superbowl spot, the vacation rental website has put out a teaser that they're trying to pass off as some new, secret Vacation movie, though we know better than that. In reality, it's a short, sweet teaser that totally has me wanting to watch these characters up on the big screen again. Yeah, I know Vegas Vacation wasn't exactly one the franchise's most spirited efforts, but I definitely do feel there's life left in this series so long as it's placed in the right hands.
And guess who else makes a return in this teaser? Oh, just an exact replica of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster, as featured in the original Vacation! Oh yes, it may just be some stupid Superbowl ad, but it's already won me over with plenty of nostalgia points. Though this isn't some kind of official movie announcement, word has it a new movie is still in the planning stages with the Griswold's son Rusty taking over the reigns as family leader. One imagines if Chase and D'Angelo would reprise their roles for this, they'd also do so in some capacity for a reboot of the franchise ... and, probably somewhat reluctantly, I'll be there on opening day with open arms.
Watch the teaser after the jump. Good, nostalgic fun, or corporate whoring at its worst?
If More Funny Men Took a Cue from Bill Murray...
Filed under: Casting », Fandom »
On Friday, word hit The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision Blog that Bill Murray was joining the little love fest of Megan Fox and Mickey Rourke in Passion Play. No, he wouldn't add an additional May-December element to the story of a "winged beauty" who forms a bond with a "down-on-his-luck jazz trumpet player." Instead, Murray will play the villain -- a gangster named Happy who wants to keep the two apart.Thinking of this gig brought to mind the last two films I saw him in -- Get Low and The Limits of Control -- and ultimately led me to the question: What sort of careers would Murray's comedy co-stars have if they'd taken a cue from ol' Bill? For Murray, nothing really has changed over the years -- the actor has always used his humor to grace both large and small productions, mainstream and quirk fare. This is the man who followed up Meatballs with a turn as Hunter S. Thompson in Where the Buffalo Roam ... Who intermingled big comedy like Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, and Groundhog Day with The Razor's Edge and Ed Wood, before finding Wes Anderson with Rushmore and balancing a few high-profile roles with Anderson and Jarmusch gigs, plus gems like Lost in Translation.
Shelf Life: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Filed under: Fandom », Home Entertainment », Shelf Life »
On Thanksgiving Day this year, I sat with my girlfriend's lovely family eating turkey and watching Home Alone, and it occurred to me that in the hustle and bustle of reviewing new movies, I seldom take the time to go back and revisit the holiday movies that I remember from my childhood. Even among the titles I've viewed for this "Shelf Life" series, few of them were seminal kids movies, whether they were from my own childhood, or from those of previous or subsequent generations, and none of them have been traditional holiday or holiday-themed films.
Home Alone was a film I saw at a formative time in my young life – I was 14 or so – but National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation was probably more important to me, since it balanced gingerly on the line between family entertainment and more grown-up fare. In hindsight, it's probably more oriented for teenagers and kids than anyone, even with (or maybe because of) its abundance of potty humor, but it seemed like 20 years was about the right amount of time to take between viewings. Which is why Christmas Vacation is this week's "Shelf Life" subject. (Well, that and Warner Home Video recently released a deluxe box set including one of those moose-shaped eggnog glasses.)
Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo Set for Another 'Vacation'
Filed under: Comedy », Fandom », Home Entertainment »
While the wheels on the Wagon Queen Family Truckster are still in motion with regards to a brand new Vacation film as told through the eyes of Clark Griswold's son Rusty and his family (which New Line is currently working on alongside David Dobkin), the original Clark and Ellen Griswold (Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo, respectively) will be making a return appearance this February on the small screen as part of a Superbowl commercial for HomeAway vacation rentals.
Yup, Chase and D'Angelo will be reprising their characters for a commercial that US Weekly says will pay homage to the 1983 original film, National Lampoon's Vacation. Says Chase, "To this day, people ask me, 'When is the next Vacation movie?" So I'm sure everyone will get a kick out of seeing the Griswolds and their misadventures once again." D'Angelo adds, "Clark and Ellen have one of the most enduring marriages ever to come out of Hollywood. I am thrilled that HomeAway is reuniting Chevy and me." Aside from Chase and D'Angelo, the TV spot will also reportedly feature an exact replica of the iconic station wagon featured in first film.
Though it's not exactly a big-screen reunion for the original Griswold parents, it'll be fun to see them back together again for what I hope will be an entertaining Superbowl spot. And, hey, I guess after watching that we'll know whether or not we want them back for cameo appearances in the next Vacation movie, too.
Chevy Chase and Burt Reynolds to Spoof Spoof Movies?
Filed under: Comedy », Casting », Scripts »
Could this be the spoof savior? The one that makes us forget about the wretched influx of crappily made spoofs?The Hollywood Reporter posts that Chevy Chase, Burt Reynolds, Vinnie Jones, Michael Madsen, and "Stuttering" John Melendez have signed on to spoof spoofs with Not Another Not Another Movie. The brainchild of David Murphy, the comedy will star Chase as the head of struggling studio who leaves the gig to his ex-con brother (Madsen). Then, "their equally inept gangster friend (Jones) takes over and assigns a production assistant (David Leo Schultz) to direct a spoof of spoof movies." Burt comes in as "an actor playing the director of the chaotic film within the film."
Oh, but there's more -- the film will be full of cameos that have actors playing themselves spoofing previous roles like Richard Tyson as the villain in Kindergarten Cop and Wolfgang Bodison as the marine on trial in A Few Good Men. James Duval also stars, so maybe we'll see him spoofing Frank the Bunny.
The optimist in me is thinking about all the comic possibilities with Chase, Reynolds, and the rest. But the cynic in me, bred through years of utterly disappointing spoofs, isn't holding her breath. How about you?
Polish Brothers Start Production Company, Prep Two More Films
Filed under: Independent », Casting », Deals », Scripts », Cinematical Indie »
Mark and Michael Polish may not be as well-known a fraternal filmmaking pair as Joel and Ethan Coen, but they could out-weird the Coens any day of the week. Their films range from virtually inscrutable (Northfork) to very strange (Twin Falls Idaho) to merely offbeat (The Astronaut Farmer), but it's clear they won't be getting hired to direct the sequel to Alvin and the Chipmunks. So instead, they've formed their own production company, Prohibition Films, and are shooting two new projects back-to-back. The first is entitled Manure, a title they should reconsider if only to make lazy film critics' jobs a little harder. Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Tea Leoni, and my man Kyle MacLachlan, the movie will explore the world of manure salesmen in 1960's heartland America. Upon reading that I frowned for a moment, but then realized that had you asked me who would be most likely to write and direct a movie about manure salesmen in 1960's heartland America, I would unhesitatingly have said the Polish Brothers.
Stars in Rewind: For Love of the Real Fletch
Filed under: Comedy », Remakes and Sequels », Trailers and Clips », Stars in Rewind »
For a while there, it looked like we would soon be seeing a new Fletch on the big screen, whether we liked the idea or not. However, soon enough, it looked like an all-out mess, with names popping up and disappearing over and over again, from Kevin Smith to John Krasinski. Back in June of last year, word had it that the role would be taken over by Joshua Jackson.
Surprise, surprise, the project has changed hands yet again, and Pacey is out, according to an interview with MTV. "In the way that rights are assigned in this business, when it didn't happen last summer, I think the rights went back to a different person," he said. "So the guy that offered me the job, I don't think owns it anymore, which is unfortunate."
Now, well, it could stay in development hell, or one day shock us all by finally coming together. But who needs a new Fletch when you can have a nice dose of Chevy Chase? However...
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