Posts with tag Tate Donovan
Julia Roberts' Niece Signs For 'Nancy Drew 2' -- First One Not Out Yet
Filed under: Deals », Mystery & Suspense », Warner Brothers », Family Films », Remakes and Sequels »
This upcoming Nancy Drew movie must be off the chain, y'all! Generally, you don't hear about a sequel until ... the first movie has come out. And even then, it helps that the movie is a success. Well, Warner Brothers must have complete and total faith in this project, because they've announced Part 2 before Part 1 has even hit theaters. Emma Roberts (niece of Julia, daughter of direct-to-video staple Eric) is playing Nancy Drew, and it looks like she's got a franchise on her hands. Producer Jerry Weintraub and director Andrew Fleming are doing both Drew films with Roberts, as well as something called Rodeo Girl, another family film, with Roberts portraying a "debutante equestrian" (can you put that on a resume?) who tries to win over a cowboy by entering a rodeo competition. Fleming did the excellent political comedy Dick and the not-so-excellent remake of The In-Laws.
The character of Nancy Drew has been around in book form since the 30s, and she has made it to the big and small screen many times before. For those of you concerned that Nancy '07 will be modernized into a Paris Hilton clone, Weintraub offers this reassurance: "She's not a hip kid. She's right out of a Norman Rockwell painting." The plot of the new Drew has Nancy joining her father (played by Tate Donovan) on a business trip to Los Angeles, "where she happens upon clues to a murder mystery involving a movie star." Rachael Leigh Cook (of the criminally underrated -- seriously -- Josie and the Pussycats) will also appear. Nancy Drew wasn't really on my radar when I was a kid, but I know there's enough material to keep this series going for a long, long time. My question is, when are we going to see The Boxcar Children up on the big screen! I used to love those wacky orphans!
SXSW Review: The Lather Effect
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Independent », SXSW », Theatrical Reviews »
We were bound to come across something like this eventually: a movie best described as "The Big Chill for Generation X." Yep, if you grew up during the early to mid-'80s, you'll probably find a whole lot to like in Sarah Kelly's The Lather Effect -- and I'm not just talking about the funky soundtrack so overstuffed with '80s classics that it'd make John Hughes green with envy. Equal parts witty, warm and almost painfully nostalgic, The Lather Effect might not be as professionally-crafted as is The Big Chill, but the sentiments are the same -- and the cast, while not as flashy, is just as strong.
The plot's as simple as the one found in Kasdan's film (or perhaps even The Breakfast Club): A gang of old high school pals, the members of which are all firmly stuck in their mid-30s, get together for one (probably final) night of drunken debauchery, salacious sexiness, and good old fashioned mayhem. The music, the fashions and the memories are yanked from two decades worth of mothballs, and of course a lot of old "personal" issues are coming home to roost. But Kelly's not all that interested in the actual party. The Lather Effect actually opens on the morning after a certifiably insane shin-dig, which starts the flick off on the right foot: We're not here to revel with the friends as they have a ball; we're there to watch them clean up the mess, get things organized, and reminisce over all the good times.
Nancy Drew: it's on
Filed under: Drama », Casting », Mystery & Suspense », Family Films », Newsstand »
Starring Eric
Roberts-spawn (and Aquamarine's
girl-who-finds-the-mermaid) Emma Roberts, the Nancy Drew movie has
had a lot of people (many of whom totally won't admit it) in a nostalgic frenzy since news of its existence was
announced way too long ago. Now, finally, there's some good news: production has begun. Woo hoo! Not only that, but
we've got a plot (the news of which is possibly slightly less good).In order to get her somewhere with lots of pretty people and parties (and, of course, because the title is Nancy Drew: The Mystery in Hollywood Hills), Tiffany Paulsen and Andrew Fleming's script has Nancy traveling to Hollywood with her dad (Tate Donovan) on what is apparently a very, very long "business trip," since Nancy ends up enrolling in Hollywood Hills High School and meeting a boy (Josh Flitter). Because she is a girl detective, Nancy inevitably "stumbles across evidence about a long-unsolved crime involving the mysterious death of a beautiful movie star." However, in addition to wearing her play dress and solving the mystery, innocent little Nancy also finds herself temped by the "fast-living, self-indulgent world of Hollywood." Now, I don't know anything for sure, but knowing our girl, I'm pretty sure she'll come out of it ok.
While the relocation to Hollywood is a little scary, the fact that Fleming, who co-wrote and directed Dick, is also writing and directing here is just awesome news. If anyone can effectively balance sweetness with the smart sense of humor that's going to be required to deal with this whole Hollywood thing, it's him. The movie's not slated for release until 2007, though, so we've plenty of time to sit and worry.
Discuss: Do Sacha Baron Cohen's Antics Bother You?
Interview: Kimberly Peirce, Director of 'Stop Loss'
Discuss: Movie Songs Stuck in Your Head_thumbnail.jpg){kind=logo}
SD Comic Con: Thursday Schedule Online Now!
The Geek Beat: Solo Supervillains
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg){kind=spacer}
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
