DianeKeaton Tagged Articles at Cinematical
The Basics: Expanding the Conversation and 'Manhattan'
Filed under: Classics », Comedy », Drama », Romance », Fandom », Columns »
For those of you just joining us, this is The Basics. In short: Drew McWeeny of HitFix and AICN fame tried to kick off a series of columns with a fellow blogger all about the essential films that any film writer or fan ought to be familiar with. When that blogger flaked out on him, I approached some time later to get it back off the ground, and here we are with our second installment...From Drew's first post back in May 2009 to my first response earlier this month, we've both made mention of hoping that these posts would help promote a greater conversation about movies, particularly on those that we'd chosen to discuss. Then a funny thing happened: producer of films and Tweets alike Keith Calder wondered aloud if anyone could throw their hat into our shared ring.
No, we decided. They can't.
Just kidding. The idea is that once Drew throws down his gauntlet (as he had last week with Woody Allen's Manhattan, which I'll get to in a minute), any of you can feel free to write up your own response and e-mail a link to either of us, so we can share the links in future posts. And hell, if you guys decide to flake out on us, at least we can't say we didn't try.
Now, about this week's title...
Cinematical Seven: Great Modern Comedy Teams
Filed under: Brad Pitt », Cinematical Seven », George Clooney »
So many comedians don't really play well with others. They're mostly scene-stealers with little regard for anyone who gets in their way. So it's always a treat to find some that click together. If they click, their connection usually passes on to the audience. Two mega-comedians, Adam Sandler & Seth Rogen, team up for the first time in this week's Funny People. It remains to be seen just what kind of chemistry they'll have, or if it deserves to be repeated, but in any case, it's a good time to revisit some of cinema's greatest comedy team-ups. [Note: I thought I would stay modern and therefore exclude Martin & Lewis, Laurel & Hardy, Fields & West, Abbott & Costello, Hepburn & Grant, Hepburn & Tracy, etc. Just because it goes without saying.]
1. Simon Pegg & Nick Frost
They're friends in real life and it shows in their films Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007). Pegg gets to do all the heroic stuff, and the romantic stuff, and he's great at it; his character arc and his performance in Shaun of the Dead are remarkably rich and subtle. But Frost has the hard job. He must balance his persona of annoying slacker with lovable sidekick, throwing in just a tiny hint of homoerotic attachment to his friend. This is an A+ in chemistry.
Patrick Wilson Laughs With 'Morning Glory'
Filed under: Comedy », Casting », Paramount », Newsstand »
The cast for the cheekily titled Morning Glory (aka "that film where Harrison Ford is going to try and be funny!") really is shaping up nicely. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they've nabbed themselves the second Nite Owl, Patrick Wilson. "The film that Ford is going to try and by funny in" centers on an up-and-coming news producer played by Rachel McAdams. She has to save a struggling morning show, and get its antagonistic anchors (Ford and Diane Keaton) under control.
Trying to save McAdams from losing the will to live is Wilson, who will play her boyfriend. While Wilson is clearly trying to earn some comedy cred (Morning Glory is the third comedy he's signed for, he's also got The Baster and Barry Munday in the works),
I sincerely hope there's a little more to his part than just "the boyfriend." Wilson is quite talented, and playing a boyfriend, even to McAdams, seems like a waste of his charm. Then again, how many actresses have been stuck in such a thankless part? Maybe the tide is turning.
There really is a lot of talent here on both sides of the camera: Roger Michell is directing from a script by Aline Brosh McKenna, and J.J. Abrams is producing with his Bad Robot banner. Let's hope they can bring us a film of the witty, fun Ford (yes, he does exist) and not another Hollywood Homicide.
Can Harrison Ford Pull Diane Keaton Out of Her Rut?
Filed under: Comedy », Casting »
If there is one career trajectory that really pains me, it's Diane Keaton's. Annie Hall has fizzled over the years, moving from excellent Woody Allen fare, to cute wedding-themed work with Steve Martin, to comedies that barely break 5/10 (Because I Said So, Mad Money). She's got a whole lot more in her than 50% flicks, but it's become easy to forget these days. We've wondered what would happen if she re-teamed with Martin for not one, but two new films, and now there's another name being thrown into the mix -- Indiana Jones.One of the latest deviously brief Twitter clips coming from Production Weekly says: "Diane Keaton will join Harrison Ford & Rachel McAdams in the comedy Morning Glory, Roger Michell will begin filming in New York this May." This is that TV Talk show project I mentioned last year, which focuses on a "Ted Koppel mold" anchor (Ford) who gets fed up with the rampant gossip on the newscast and quits, only to be lured back by a new producer (McAdams), who pits him against his rival on a morning talk show.
I assume that means Keaton will be the rival. Now this ... this has some promise. Since this is coming from Aline Brosh McKenna, I assume that there will be romance, but the fact that it isn't being mentioned has me more than excited. Can you imagine Keaton and Ford facing off in the morning show format? Keaton excels in the brainy, down-to-earth sexiness, and she needs a gig that can show it off well. Will this be it? It sounds too good to be true.
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More On-Set Photos from Woody Allen's New Comedy
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Images »
Is it just me, or has famed director Woody Allen hit a rough patch with comedy over the last few years? Sure, his dramas are still bringing in good reviews, but it seems like his recent comedies just haven't worked with audiences like they used to -- and believe me, it pains me to say this considering I think he's one of the funniest people on the planet. The Bad and Ugly has posted some new on-set photos from Allen's latest (and yet to be titled) comedy starring Evan Rachel Wood and Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm). In the photos, everyone looks to be enjoying themselves, and while there is nothing earth shattering going on, it's nice to see Allen back at work in New York, after working the crowds at Cannes for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.Like most of Allen's projects, not much is known about the story. Judging from what we've seen so far, it looks like Allen is going back to May-December romances and all the complications they can entail -- something the writer-director has plenty of real life experience with. But as much as I love the man, it has always been a bit of a struggle to overlook his somewhat 'lecherous leanings'. I know he has always had a thing for 'ingénues', but back in the day it was actresses like Diane Keaton and Dianne Wiest. These days, however, it's Scarlett Johansson and Evan Rachel Wood, and I'm not convinced that they even belong in the same category. Are you?
Steve Martin and Diane Keaton to Re-Team in Another Comedy
Filed under: Comedy », Casting », Deals », Paramount », Scripts »
A comfortable and charming cinematic couple will reunite in two forthcoming comedies, but which will come first? At the end of March, Monika Bartyzel passed on the news that Steve Martin and Diane Keaton would re-team for the first time in more than a decade for the family comedy One Big Happy. Martin and Keaton were attached to the pitch from Party of Five creators Chris Keyser and Amy Lippman, which Paramount Pictures bought. Keyser and Lippman have other projects in various stages of development and no production timeline was mentioned.Now, according to Variety, Paramount has bought another comedy pitch, this time from Steve Martin. Producer Robert Simonds presented Martin's idea for a comedy entitled From Zero to Sixty to all the major studios last week and Paramount was the "most aggresive in taking it off the table." Martin and Keaton would play a couple, but no other plot details emerged. Variety says production could start in the fall, but that's assuming a writer can be signed and the script completed very quickly. It may be that Paramount wants to fast track From Zero to Sixty because the script for One Big Happy will take a while to complete because of the writers' other projects.
Martin and Keaton starred together in Father of the Bride in 1991 and then followed that up with the sequel in 1995. Those films were very silly and forgettable, and I imagine these two new comedies will follow a similar path to box office success.
Diane Keaton Gets Happy With Steve Martin
Filed under: Comedy », Casting », Paramount »
It has been over ten years since Diane Keaton and Steve Martin last starred in a film together -- Father of the Bride Part II. Now Variety reports that they're getting back into the family way for Paramount Pictures' comedy called One Big Happy. The pitch is the brainchild of Party of Five creators Chris Keyser and Amy Lippman, and while they are being tight-lipped about the premise, Variety sources say that it's "a family comedy about a couple and a family reconnecting amid various obstacles."The question is: can this possible live up to hopes? A handful of years ago, I might have said yes, but in the wave of crappy films from Diane Keaton, it's hard not to worry that this will just be another one. Then again, maybe this will mark a turning point for the actress. Perhaps she can reinvigorate her career with the help of a little white-haired Martin. She has to have it in there somewhere, buried deep below Mad Money, Because I Said So, and some of her other recent films... To be fair, Martin has had some questionable flicks in there as well, but since I really enjoyed both Novocaine and Shopgirl, he gets some slack.
Now if they can get Martin Short for an even bigger Father of the Bride reunion, I'll definitely check it out.
Review: Mad Money
Filed under: Comedy », New Releases », MGM », Theatrical Reviews », New in Theaters »
I have this theory that on the set of 1991's Father of the Bride, Steve Martin and Diane Keaton turned to each other and said, "You know what? From here on out, let's just keep doing this. Let's just play cute, cuddly versions of our formerly edgy and interesting selves -- slightly goofy mothers and fathers, that kind of thing -- and watch the cash roll in!" Then they high-fived and fell into an awkward, melancholy silence.
Through one unchallenging project after another, Keaton has served up the same old eye rolls, squeals, and stutters until you can't really tell one role from another. And what's really frustrating about watching her squander her talents is that -- as with Martin -- no matter how embarrassing the performance, you can't help but love her anyway. She's at her most unhinged in Mad Money, and painful as it is to watch at times, she does -- just barely -- manage to keep the film afloat.
Katie Holmes, Queen Latifah and Diane Keaton: Ask 'Mad Money' Stars a Question
Filed under: Comedy », Fandom », Interviews », Unscripted »
Keaton's the nominal lead as a middle-class housewife who, when her husband (Ted Danson) gets laid off, is forced to take a job as a janitor at the Federal Reserve Bank. And what do you do when you're working as a janitor at the Federal Reserve? Why, try to rob it, of course! Latifah and Holmes play her fellow employees and partners in crime -- and if you think it sounds like Thelma and Louise meets, uh, Quick Change, that's no surprise; it's directed by Callie Khouri, who won an Oscar for her very first screenplay: Thelma and Louise.
The movie opens on January 18, but on January 12, Holmes, Keaton and Latifah will be gracing the Moviefone studios for a mad, mad, Mad Money Unscripted interview -- and they'll need your questions to do it. So hit us (them) up with whatever you want to ask them ... though I can tell you right now, any questions containing a word that starts with "S" and ends in "ology" ain't gonna be making the cut. That's right, no sociology questions, you hear?
To submit a question for Katie Holmes, Queen Latifah or Diane Keaton, leave it here in the comments and please provide your first name and your city and state. If you're looking for inspiration, then take a look at some of our past Unscripted interviews here. Good luck.
'Mad Money' Site and Trailer Arrive
Filed under: Comedy », Site Announcements », Tom Cruise », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
The new website for the heist comedy Mad Money has gone live with its first full-length trailer. It is pretty much what you would expect from a harmless little comedy, so if you are looking for a hard-edged crime flick, you are definitely in the wrong place. Along with the trailer, the website has the usual photo galleries and downloads (you can check out Cinematical's exclusive gallery here). There is even the chance to win a little of your own 'mad money' in a sweepstakes. Directed by Callie Khouri, the film stars Katie (or Kate; I can never keep it straight) Holmes, Queen Latifah, Diane Keaton, and Ted Danson. The story centers on three employees of the Federal Reserve who pull together for a plot to steal the money that is going to be taken out of circulation.Khouri is probably best known as the writer for another famous female 'buddy film'; Thelma and Louise. Money is a pretty light-hearted flick so I doubt we'll be seeing Keaton, Holmes, and Latifah going over a cliff in a protest of patriarchal control. Mad Money will be Holmes' first big-screen role since Batman Begins and Thank You for Smoking back in 2005. As we all know, Holmes wasn't invited back for The Dark Knight and there were even a few thinly veiled shots directed towards her in the press over the whole matter. Since all that Wonder Woman talk never panned out either, for the sake of her career I only hope that comedy vets like Keaton and Danson can help keep Mad Money afloat at the box-office. Maybe then, Holmes will get credit for being something other than Mrs Tom Cruise. Mad Money hits theaters on January 18th.
The Geek Beat: These Too Shall Cast
Insert Caption: The Runaways
Sofia Coppola or Gus Van Sant to Direct 'Breaking Dawn'?
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 3/16
Chloe Moretz Leads a Kick-Ass Cast for Scorsese's 'Hugo Cabret'
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