Saturday Night Live Tagged Articles at Cinematical
SXSW Review: Saturday Night
Filed under: Documentary », Theatrical Reviews »
With Saturday Night, James Franco the actor becomes James Franco the filmmaker, as he sets the camera loose inside the very closed and somewhat private world of Saturday Night Live. From that first team pitch meeting with that week's celebrity guest to a full, live show one week later, Franco's doc takes us through every step of the process with a cast and crew who truly appreciate the art of the joke, and are relentlessly committed to the long, arduous journey it takes to put just one episode of Saturday Night Live out on the air.
Franco never shifts and shapes his documentary by fitting it into some corny mold with voiceovers, music or excessive talking-head interviews. Instead, it's as if he just tosses the camera into the air and lets it float – capturing the SNL creative process from a fly-on-the-wall perspective, allowing the audience to mix and melt with castmembers and writers so they, too, become a part of the madness. Saturday Night doesn't reinvent the wheel and it won't reveal any shocking truths (except maybe that Bill Hader deserves way more credit than we give him), but you'll definitely walk away with a lot more respect for not only the show itself and what it manages to produce with only one week of prep time, but also the people who make it all happen.
SXSW 2010 is Going to 'Kick-Ass'
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Documentary », Drama », Independent », Music & Musicals », Sports », SXSW », Lionsgate Films », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
After wowing the crowd at December's Butt-Numb-A-Thon (including our own John Gholson), the ultra-violent smart-ass superhero flick Kick-Ass is coming back to Austin for a more formal bow as the Opening Night Film of SXSW 2010 in mid-March.The hype's only been exceedingly positive for Matthew Vaughn's comic-book adaptation, and Lionsgate was probably only willing to shell out a reported $50 million to distribute it if they thought they'd be making that much back and then some. Aaron Johnson (pictured), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad), Chloë Grace Moretz (500 Days of Summer) and Nicolas Cage (The Wicker Man) star; the film opens proper on April 16th.
SXSW won't reveal its complete program for a few weeks yet, not until early February, but they did reveal a couple of additional titles:
Brittany Murphy Dies At 32
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy », Obits »
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According to sources over at TMZ.com and the New York Daily News, actress Brittany Murphy has died at the age of 32. Reports are that a 911 call was made early this morning from her husband, Simon Monjack. Murphy was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and pronounced dead on arrival after going into full cardiac arrest and could not be revived.
Probably best known for her work as the made-over Tai in Amy Heckerling's Clueless, Murphy was recently replaced on the set of her latest starring vehicle, The Caller, for being a disruption and hindering production. Her replacement, Rachelle Lefevre, herself was recently replaced in the Twilight series by Bryce Dallas Howard. Murphy's rep stated "creative differences" as the reason for the split. Murphy was also written out of the upcoming Sylvester Stallone actioner, The Expendables, after being cast.
News of The Caller's exit was made light of on the Dec. 5 episode of Saturday Night Live. After Seth Meyers reported Murphy's "detriment to production", cast member Abby Elliott came out to the Weekend Update set as Murphy, parodying her as a ditzy airhead who believed she was actually hosting that evening's episode before leaving with her infamous line reading from Don't Say a Word, "I'll never tell."
Her other credits include Girl Interrupted, Drop Dead Gorgeous, 8 Mile, Just Married, Spun,Uptown Girls, Little Black Book, The Dead Girl, Summer Catch, Riding in Cars with Boys, and Sin City. Of course the entire Cinematical team would like to share our condolences with Ms. Murphy's friends and family.
Can Joseph Gordon-Levitt Bring Showmanship Back to Hollywood?
Filed under: Trailers and Clips »
If you didn't catch it over the weekend, Joseph Gordon-Levitt hosted Saturday Night Live, and kicked things off with a huge recreation of Donald O'Connor's slapstick performance of "Make 'Em Laugh" in Singin' in the Rain. He didn't just sing the song, thank everyone, and let it go to commercial. He performed many of the moves from the film himself, and if you're at all familiar with the scene, you know it's not just simple jive. For a live performance that has no benefit of retakes, it's darned impressive. Of course, it's yet another example of the actor's impressive talents; that man's got mad skills. It's not too often these days that we get an actor who can be funny, serious, and an impressive live showman all in one package. Heck, the most we can usually get is a funny singer who dances, a mediocre hottie who dances, a funny man who can deliver some drama, or something similar. All of the above? Not these days.
Yet here Gordon-Levitt is, with one of my favorite SNL introductions ever. Movieline described Joseph as having "showman skills so hyperkinetic and gooey that Marc Summers might've Febrezed his screen." But what I want to know is: Could he help revive the idea of multi-talented show-people in Hollywood? Even if you don't like song and dance numbers (which, I admit, I usually don't), it can't hurt for Hollywood to start pressing the importance of a wide skill set. These days most actors are a one-note wonder, and here is JGL tackling every genre with ease while making this girl mourn a cinematic style she's never missed.
Does JGL make you miss the days of that flamboyant business we call show? Check out the original performance and the SNL stint after the jump and weigh in below.
You Say 'Twilight,' Taylor Swift Says 'Firelight'
Filed under: Drama », Romance », Trailers and Clips »
They're hit and miss, but I always try and catch any new digital short from Saturday Night Live. * Pop / country singer Taylor Swift hosted last night's show, and the 19-year-old star really surprised me, and I'm sure a lot of other people who don't necessarily follow young pop / country singers. Her song during the opening monologue (pictured) got in digs at her ex-boyfriend, made clear her feelings on Kanye West and his MTV Video Music Awards disruption, and commented amusingly on her supposed romance with Taylor Lautner, one of the stars of the upcoming The Twilight Saga: New Moon.
That was followed up by Firelight, the SNL parody of the first Twilight flick, with Swift taking on Kristen Stewart's role of Bella Swan, complete with hair fixing, downward-cast eyes, and lip-biting. The new boy who catches her eye at school is not, however, pasty-skinned Edward Cullen but green-skinned Phillip Frank of the Frank clan. The short captures the key moments from the first film, provides a different excuse for the "good / bad boy" not to kiss the "good / good" girl, and includes a cameo from a very concerned mummy. All in all, a solid little short.
I thought Swift was pretty hilarious throughout the show. I'm not sure if that's because of lowered expectations on my part or because of better than average writing from the staff, but, in any event, Swift displayed a flair for comedy. Check out the video to get a taste.
Watch 'Firelight' after the jump!
'MacGruber' May Be Next SNL Film
Filed under: Comedy », Deals », RumorMonger »
The season might be over after Will Ferrell wrapped it up in a nice bow, but the Saturday Night Live train keeps truckin'. When the George Foster Peabody Awards were held the other day in New York City, it became an SNL news releasing zone. Besides talking about their hunt for new writers and stars, Lorne Michaels talked about movies. Specifically, he told The Hollywood Reporter that a big feature film for MacGruber is being considered, and that "it would have to be in the summer because we are back in production in the fall." Not this summer, I'd imagine, since they're "still in discussions."
Hello timely spoofs and product placement! You might remember that New Line started the quest for a new MacGyver back in March, so naturally it'd make sense to match that with Will Forte's MacGyver spoof. And oh, the product placement that's possible! If you Google "MacGruber," you'll be greeted by a sea of blog posts and clips of the SNL/Pepsi commercials where the hero hands in his mixed drink for an obsession with Pepsi products.
But could this be anything other than a short skit stretched way too long? The skits are a silly laugh, but I fear a feature might send it into eye-rolling Rob Schneider territory.
Are you primed for an hour and a half of supreme MacGruber action?
Watch This: Kirk, Spock, and Spock on 'Weekend Update'
Filed under: Fandom »
This week's very solid edition of Saturday Night Live, starring Justin Timberlake (now officially one of the show's greatest all-time hosts), featured a few special guests during the "Weekend Update" segment. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto arrived first to assuage long-time Star Trek fans' fears about the new film, and then Leonard Nimoy came out to give his authoritative seal of approval (which, if you think about it, is why he's in the movie, too).
The segment is only mildly funny, but it does lead up to a classic closing line, one that's right up there with Shatner's "Get a life!" routine back in 1986. (If you're wondering, Shatner and Patrick Stewart have each hosted SNL once, but Nimoy never has, and neither have any of the various Star Treks' other stars.) The version on Hulu must be taken from the dress rehearsal (they do that sometimes), as it's ever-so-slightly different from the one that aired live on Saturday night. Enjoy.
Watch This: Seth Rogen and Andy Samberg Spoof 'Fast and Furious'
Filed under: Fandom », Home Entertainment », Trailers and Clips »
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While I still try to process the fact that Fast and Furious took home over $70 freakin' million at the box office this weekend (really? You all still dig Vin Diesel that much?), Saturday Night Live came through with a pretty funny sketch featuring Seth Rogen and Andy Samberg doing their best fast and furious imitations for a new film called The Fast and Bi-Curious. Their angle, in case you haven't figured it out yet, was to go the bromance route ... and then some ... and then some more. As one commenter on the SNL site pointed out, this ain't Fast and Furious ... it's more like Hot and Hilarious. Zing! Oh, and am I the only one who wonders whether these guys overdose on breath mints before performing this scene? Check it out below ...
Watch This: SNL's Party Guys
Filed under: Comedy », Fandom », Trailers and Clips »
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It's been a pretty good year for Saturday Night Live, in my opinion. For the first time in awhile, I'm making sure each new episode is DVR'd (because I'm, like, way too important to be sitting home on a Saturday night ... not), and I'm enjoying what I see. Granted, it's not all good, but every week we get at least one gem. Take, for example, this past week's digital short called Party Guys. Starring Bill Hader and Andy Samberg, the short follows two jaded dudes who show up to a party and decide to stand around making fun of everyone else. You know, those guys. They might be you, they might be me ... um, okay, confession: I'm one of those guys who stands around at parties making fun of everyone. That's just what I do. I'm not proud of it, and I probably won't be invited to anymore parties once all of my two friends read this post -- but I had to get it off my chest. It's an addiction ... an a**hole addiction. (And I love Bill Hader.) Help?
Check it out below ...
Cinematical Seven: Favorite Will Ferrell Man-Children
Filed under: Comedy », New Line », Sony », Dreamworks », Cinematical Seven »
At some point this past summer, between all but consecutive viewings of The Dark Knight, I slipped into a screening of Step Brothers with the same tempered expectations with which I had greeted Blades of Glory and Semi-Pro -- and found myself equally surprised in the coming days and weeks and months by just how admittedly tickled I was by any of them (quoting lines was moderate on all counts). Mind you, I'm saying this as the guy who chuckled during Anchorman, sure, but not really enough to keep it on my shelf or call myself thankful for it.
That's nothing against our Eric D. Snider, and nothing against the star of each film mentioned, Will Ferrell (yes, he was actually Batman). In fact, with Step Brothers hitting shelves today (with reports of a wholly sung commentary track), it only seemed fitting that we go over his most amusing roles as overgrown man-children (Ferrell's, not Snider's). Because they're there, and they always will be, and the sooner that I admit to being vulnerable to his shtick, a better world this very well may be.
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