curb your enthusiasm Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Whatever Works' title is the mantra of inveterate curmudgeon Boris Yellnikoff (Larry David), as well as that of Woody Allen, whose latest – and first to be set in his beloved Manhattan since 2004's Melinda and Melinda – hews as tightly to his trademark preoccupations as Of Mice and Men's Lenny clung to his rabbit. Casting David makes sense, as the Curb Your Enthusiasm star's crotchety on-screen persona more than slightly recalls that of Allen's. Yet rather than an inspired meeting of kindred minds, their collaboration does little except reinforce the notion that Allen's creative well has long since run dry, his films now split into either inert, heavy-handed, detached spectacles of pretty people doing naughty things in foreign locales (Match Point, Vicky Cristina Barcelona), or leaden comedic larks in which notable names embody Allen's archetypal kvetching role.

An erudite string-theory professor and all-around misanthrope with suicidal tendencies and an extensive vocabulary, David's Boris grumps and grouches like countless other Allen protagonists, right down to his guiding philosophy that the world is a cold, random place full of regret and misery, and that any rare chances at happiness should be seized.

I just came across the new poster for Whatever Works on IMP Awards (check it by clicking the image below), and beyond the too-perfect Larry David pose, I'm struck by the utter lack of Woody Allen on the thing. Beyond the billing block and maybe an especially sharp sense of font, how would anyone know that this was the latest film from the guy who made Annie Hall and Manhattan?

It was the same thing with Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and I'm wondering if potentially interested people would find themselves turned off upon finding out just whose movie they've been lured into. It's the same sense of un-branding (non-branding? anti-branding?) that kept most passersby from realizing that Zack and Miri Make a Porno was a Kevin Smith joint, and really, if you're already past that title, is his presence in the trailers and posters going to keep you away?

If anything, might the name recognition lure a couple of more people to either film (not that Larry David fans probably aren't already fans of Woody Allen, and not that Kevin Smith films probably already know which new movie is his)? Have you ever been sold on a movie until you got a glimpse of the name at the helm? When? Where? Why?

Growing up in a family full of neurotic Jews, I always ever heard three names when it came to entertainment: Woody Allen, Jackie Mason and Seinfeld. My earliest memories of film revolve around Annie Hall, because my parents were literally addicted to it. During my teen years, their addiction moved over to the TV show Seinfeld ... where it still remains till this day (I guarantee you my parents have watched more Seinfeld than anyone on this planet). Needless to say, if Woody Allen and Seinfeld were somehow able to merge, I imagine my parents would explode. Too ... much ... Jewish ... shtick. Well, Mom, Dad, Entertainment Weekly reports that none other than Seinfeld co-creator and Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David will head up Woody Allen's next film, which shall mark the writer-directors return home to New York City following a brief stint romancing Scarlett Johansson overseas.

Additionally, Evan Rachel Wood (who's kind of like a mini Johansson if you think about it) will co-star opposite David. The title and plot are still unknown, but the film will apparently begin production this spring. Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood? Now there's an on-screen duo I never thought we'd see. What do you think the plot for this one will be? Older neurotic Jewish man falls for hot, young sexy girl? I can't even begin to imagine how strange it will sound to hear Woody Allen's dialogue coming from Larry David. I can't even wrap my head around it -- you?

Toby Young's book "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People" is one of the most annoying memoirs of all time. It makes sense, of course. If Young could lose friends and alienate people so easily, he'd have to lose and alienate his readers. A paradox sure, but appropriate. Just as fitting would be a movie adaptation that isn't enjoyable to watch. The guy playing Young should be so despicable that he's not even worth watching. He couldn't be like Billy Bob Thornton's amusing curmudgeon type of character. He'd have to be annoying enough to want to throw things at the screen and walk out. At least the movie version, which doesn't come out until next fall, co-stars one of the most irritating actresses, Kirsten Dunst.

Otherwise, though, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People looks too funny. Just look at this new trailer, courtesy of The Sun. First of all, it's impossible for me to hate Simon Pegg. Even less hate-worthy than Billy Bob Thornton's curmudgeons, Pegg is actually one of the most lovable annoying guys ever to grace the screen. He's an enjoyable bad boyfriend, an enjoyable bride-ditcher, an enjoyable pretentious co-worker, etc. Even though the trailer makes How to Lose look like a Ben Stiller comedy, Pegg still makes it seem funnier than that somehow. In addition to starring Pegg, it probably helps the movie's appeal that it's directed by Robert B. Weide, who has a lot of experience with uncomfortably (yet hilariously) offensive people from directing multiple episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and the Oscar-nominated documentary Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth. It also helps that the trailer doesn't show much of Dunst.

[via Empire]

To be honest, I can probably count the amount of romantic comedies I've enjoyed on one hand, so, I am probably not the best audience for news on the latest in a what seems like a long line of romcoms starring Luke Wilson. Variety reports that Cheryl Hines -- famous for her turn as the wife of the neurotic Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm -- has joined Wilson for Henry Poole is Here. Directed by Mark Pellington, the story centers on "a man who retreats into a life of debauchery, feasting on liquor and fast food, after learning he has only six weeks to live. But his plans go awry thanks to his oddball neighbors." I'll take a wild guess and presume that Hines is on board for a wacky neighbor role -- especially in the wake of positive reviews for her work as a supportive sidekick in the indie film Waitress.

For the most part, Henry Poole sounds like a dark comedy, which is not that far off from Pellington's other upcoming projects; a war drama with Chris Evans, and a story about a violent misanthrope starring Nicholas Cage. The script for Poole was written by Albert Torres, a first time writer, and the cast also includes Radha Mitchell (Melinda and Melinda), which will probably be where the romance comes in, and Adriana Barraza (Babel). Despite Hines' skill with comedy, she has had more than her share of roles in films that really didn't do her justice. I hope Poole, and the upcoming Zak Penn mockumentary The Grand are going to be a better use of her talents.

I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With is the directorial debut of Jeff Garlin. Known to many as Larry David's manager/sidekick on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Garlin also wrote and starred in the film, which takes a bittersweet, episodic stroll through the work, woman and weight problems of a Chicago-based 30-something comedian (guess who). Cheese, which flirts with being a meta-remake of Paddy Chayefsky's Marty, is full of references to film, but in the hands of Garlin, a self-professed "fan of the classics," the pop culture allusions are sharp but never snarky. I sat down with Jeff at the Tribeca Grand this week -- here's the video evidence.

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I've seen way too many movies over the past five days. Here's a few mini-reviews, in the interest of sanity, time and space.

Motorcycle

Here's a case of transparency doing more harm than good. After the premiere of this, his debut feature, Paul Gordon gave away a little too much information about its development. The filmmaker explained that his triptych treatment of a motorcycle's journey through three owners took him three years to complete – partially, because an actress dropped out, forcing him to re-conceptualize the third act entirely, and partially because he shot each segment separately as end-of-the-year projects whilst in film school at UT. The methodology explains a little too much. Motorcycle starts strong, as we follow Chris, a recently dumped 20-something professional, through a few sulky days of newfound singledom. Once it's clear that the girlfriend won't be back for the bra and panties that Chris has carefully tacked on the wall (at anatomically correct intervals) under her picture, Chris channels his post-breakup ennui into remaking himself as some kind of motorcycle-riding mercenary, on the hunt for the perfect jelly donut. It's a great concept and character, and actor Chris Pratt brings enough genuine pathos to the role to inject some kind of integrity onto his absurd plight, making his loopy desperation recognizable to anyone familiar with sudden singleness. Unfortunately, the second and third segments drift away from Chris, toward new characters and into the realm of the so-what, For a student film, Motorcycle's black and white cinematography looks great, and there are occasional bright spots even when it's really, really dull, but one wonders why Gordon felt the need to stretch the concept into a messy, ultimately unsatisfying feature when he could have stopped at a near-brilliant short.

Fired!

Beware: D-listers now have access to the tools of production, and the result is not so much ugly as really, really silly.  In this "documentary", Annabelle Gurwitch, the former star of Dinner and a Movie (yes, that show that used to be on basic cable where they'd cook meals vaguely related to films like Weird Science) hangs out with superstar friends like Illeana Douglas and the guy who plays Jeff on Curb Your Enthusiasm, does her best (still bad) Mary Tyler Moore impersonation, and tells us 497 times that she got fired by Woody Allen. Even better, after she's spent something like 45 minutes convincing us of how cute and bubbly and superficial she can be, she flies to Michigan to do a 10-minute remake of Roger and Me. Such a stunt could have been offensive, if it wasn't so boring. Does Gurwitch really think she's Making a Difference? And if so, why is she hanging out on a roach coach with Andy Dick? The film's tagline? "Rejection has never been this funny!" That says more than I ever could.