chris noth Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Let me make this clear: when I say that I'm compiling a list of the most contrived rom-com scenarios, I'm not saying that they're automatically the worst -- although a glance at the titles doesn't exactly stray far from that correlation. Tomorrow's The Proposal finds Sandra Bullock forcing Ryan Reynolds into marriage for the sake of holding off immigration authorities and keeping her/their jobs (I guess it's not too soon to remake Green Card and Picture Perfect after all), so we're talking about seven plot points along those lines of high-concept, close-quarters thinking, with some (dis)honorable mentions along the way...

Fie Louis Leterrier, and all of the people behind the Clash of the Titans remake! I have to admit, Liam Neeson as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes as Hades tempted my curiosity, and now I can't help but see it. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Danny Huston is the next man of the Titans, and he will play Poseidon -- God of the Sea. Leterrier only knows how much this will mean for the actor, since this so-called remake is switching up the story left, right, and center. Maybe this time around, we'll see the old guy get sexy with Medusa. Whatever the case, this is one more big flick for Huston, and maybe one day we'll get some solid starring work, and a North American release for Fade to Black while we're at it. (What's Fade to Black? Why, it's the film where he stars as Orson Welles. A project that also boasts Paz Vega, Christopher Walken, and Diego Luna.)

Meanwhile, Mr. Big isn't ready to say no to more Sex. Variety reports that Chris Noth has finally committed to Sex and the City 2. He might have taken a while to agree, but this news isn't exactly surprising. You might, however, be surprised by this little nibblet: The deal was for SEVEN figures. Talk about being a lucrative co-star. The sequel starts production in September, and is set for a May 28, 2010 release.

I was, admittedly, a bit of a latecomer to the Sex and the City craze. For years, I staunchly refused to watch the show, convinced from what I knew of it that it wasn't for me. It struck me as self-absorbed and superficial, episode after episode of successful, independent women who should have been perfectly content with their lives, endlessly bemoaning what they didn't have -- Prince Charming and "happily-ever-after" -- over endless rounds of Cosmos. Who wants to listen to four women talking about nothing but fashion and men? Not me, said I. I didn't even drink Cosmos for the longest time, just because I associated them with the show.

And then, one day a few years ago I was going nuts being confined to bed rest with my last child. I'd watched everything on Court TV and more sappy Lifetime movies than any one person should ever have to stomach, I was desperate for something else to watch to pass the time. And there, right by the DVD player, was my oldest daughter's most prized possession: Season One of Sex and the City. What the hell, it couldn't be any worse than re-watching Tori Spelling in Mother, May I Sleep With Danger, right? I slipped the first disc into the DVD player ... and didn't stop watching until I'd watched every episode of the first season. And then I was hooked on the adventures of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte.

Sometimes I feel like my cultural literacy is shamefully limited. I watch a lot of movies but somehow I rarely watch many television shows. I only have the most basic cable, so I could tell you all about the most fascinating shows on Austin community access but nothing about, say, Sex and the City. I saw the movie Sex and the City without ever having watched an episode, with an unfortunate tendency to refer to it as Sex in the City, and with such an ignorance of pop culture that I kept mixing up Carrie Bradshaw with Carrie Underwood. I brought a friend to the screening who was well acquainted with the TV show, in case I needed help, and whispered things like "Is that the theme song?" and "What's the joke?"

Fortunately, for those of us who are encountering Sex and the City for the first time, the movie's opening sequence provides compressed backstories about the four characters so we don't feel lost and confused. But even if we didn't know who had done what and whom and where, the storyline -- set five years after the TV show's end -- is not difficult to follow.

Because of Hollywood Squares, the perma-tanned George Hamilton is one of those guys that is burned into my brain, even though I usually forget what else I've seen him in. (The same goes for ol' Jim J.) Still, he's a face of the '80s and the thought of a dramedy about a childhood adventure he had sounds all sorts of cool. In February, Jessica posted that Renee Zellweger was joining My One and Only, and now Variety reports that Chris Noth, the infamous Mr. Big, will co-star.

The film is based on a story that Hamilton once told Merv Griffin -- about traveling on the road with his mother and brother. (As a child, George lived in Memphis, Arkansas, LA, Boston, New York, and Palm Beach.) Zellweger will play Anne Deveraux -- a woman roaming from city to city to find a wealthy man to become husband and father. Noth will play "a retired military doctor who might just fit the bill." It could be a pretty funky tale, especially since it will jump back in time, based in the '50s.

However, Charlie Peters wrote the script, which has me a little apprehensive; his resume includes Blame it on Rio, Her Alibi, 3 Men and a Little Lady, and Krippendorf's Tribe -- not exactly the best collection of films. Richard Loncraine (Band of Brothers), meanwhile, will direct the film, which heads into production next month.

If you are, in any way, wary of possible spoilers, even if they might be vague tidbits that just lead to speculation, stop reading now!

On May 30, we're finally getting the big-screen version of Sex and the City. Over the last year, we've gotten all sorts of tidbits about the film. The main players are there, Carrie looks to be finally getting married to Big and gains an Oscar-winning assistant, Steve becomes a jerky cheater, Samantha's eye continues to roam, and Charlotte finally gets noticeably pregnant.

But there's more to it than that. In a discussion with MTV, Sarah Jessica Parker reveals that Carrie deals with a big "loss." They immediately muse about Samantha's cancer, Charlotte's miscarriage, and Big biting the dust. However, only one possibility fits what she says, and that's the last. It is something that affects Carrie, and her friends are an "enormous help."

Somehow I doubt that Carrie's friends would be focused on her if they were the ones struggling too, so that leaves Big. Granted, this could be another thing to throw us off the tracks, like the early pictures, or it could just be some sort of foot diagnosis that doesn't allow her to wear Manolos anymore. But Parker is really trying to be ominous, and says enough that I can't imagine what it could possibly be but Mr. Big's demise. The trailer insinuates that they break up, but it would also fit that Big has heart issue #2. This would also explain why Parker's lawyer advised her not to answer questions about her and Big.

I can't decide whether SJP is stupidly revealing a big plot point, or if they're just messing with our minds now. Thoughts?

Yes, the day you've all been waiting for is here. We've finally got an exclusive Sex and the City trailer full of Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie, and a little side serving of Samantha, Charlotte, Miranda, and of course, Mr. Big. It's one of those montage trailers, so you won't get all of your plot questions answered, but there are a few things to note. There's scenes of Carrie in a wedding dress that doesn't look like a hideous nightmare, plus more runways, shots of New York, and the ladies strutting their stuff. However, we're going to have to wait a little bit longer to see a certain almost-American Idol, Stanford, and the rest of the crew. That being said, we should get more soon enough -- the film will hit screens on May 30, 2008. Check out the trailer above, or head over to Moviefone to see it in glorious HD.

Having been named the resident Sex and the City expert for Cinematical, Erik just asked me to write up this news biggie -- the first big plot point about the story! Yes, as it says above, someone is pregnant in the Big Apple, and no, it's none of the men, although that would've been a great fantastical spin on things. Now, I won't say who it is until I get to the next paragraph, but if you're ticked that we've already said someone is pregnant, well -- you will find out before the movie comes out because you're going to see it in images, trailers, and every other bit of buzz that comes well before the movie ever gets released. Yes, they tried in vain to hide Sarah Jessica Parker's pregnancy for that half year, but anyone who has seen the show knows that was a disaster -- putting a tiny pregnant woman in a pink, sheer negligee doesn't hide anything.

(Mild Spoilers Ahead -- if you couldn't already tell...) So, who is this lucky lady? A reader named Jessica over at AICN happened to spot a scene involving two of the movie's stars, and even got a cell phone picture as proof. The captured scene features Big, but no, the other isn't Carrie -- we saw a set picture the other day that had her as thin as can be. Is Miranda having another kid and giving herself yet another thing to rip her out of her metropolitan world and make her a soccer mom? Naw. Would Samantha actually dare ruin her great figure, especially after she just got over cancer? Naw. Yes, that leaves Kristin Davis, who is going to add a little brother or sister to their family (which first saw an adopted child from overseas at the end of the series). There goes my wishes to have Charlotte go nuts about more than just babies. For the specifics of the scene, and a peek at the picture, head over to AICN. (And yes, that's another picture from the set up there. Click the picture to go to the full shot.)

Big has moved back from Napa, Carrie's got a new assistant, pretty much everyone has signed on (except Stanford!?), and production has begun on Sex and the City: The Movie. I know, I know -- for some this is dance-worthy information, but for others, try not to knock yourself out from banging your head against the wall. Be patient -- the whirlwind of sexy info will die at some point. While we still don't have word on plot or other characters, AICN has posted the first still for the production, which is, of course, Big (Chris Noth) and Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker).

It looks like just about everything is the same. Big still looks dapper, they're in front of what looks to be his chauffeur's car, and Carrie is way too in love with fashion. My biggest complaint about the show has always been the heights of insanity they reached with her wardrobe. This time around, she's wearing a poofy dress, a black studded belt, and a '50s retro jacket-like thing over it. However, I will give her props on the shoes -- much better than her usual footwear. Topping off the outfit -- an Eiffel Tower purse. I guess some parts of Paris did stick on the fashion-crazed writer. But at the same time, how is that cool when the studded animal purse was not? I'll never understand her world of fashion.

Seeing as our resident Sex and the City expert (ahem, Monika) is off covering the Toronto International Film Festival, it's now my job to bring you the news that Oscar-winner (and former American Idol contestant) Jennifer Hudson has signed on to co-star in Sex and the City: The Movie. Can I get a "Hell Yeah!" on that one? According to Variety, Hudson will take on the role of Carrie Bradshaw's (Sarah Jessica Parker) assistant. And, to add to that, TV Squad managed to get hold of some spoilers, one of which describes Hudson's role as a "fashionable and sharp African-American woman in her early 20s, who moved from St. Louis to NYC in order to find love. The movie will also feature her ex-boyfriend Will." TV Squad also mentions that Hudson's name in the film will be Louise.

The film will pick up four years after the final episode on HBO, and once again revolve around the sexy lives of Carrie (Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon). Chris Noth will reprise his role as Mr. Big, while Mario Cantone will also be back as Anthony Marantino. One of the things I'm most interested in is how well this film does in theaters -- considering it's based on a cable TV series. I imagine the fanbase has grown larger over the years due to DVDs and syndication plays, but I bet a lot of folks will be watching Sex and the City: The Movie to see whether a move from pay cable to movie theater was a smart choice, or one that should have been reserved for an HBO two-hour special. How well do you think the movie will do?