kristin davis Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Sometimes it feels good to get your buttons pushed. Couples Retreat shamelessly trots out a stable of tired old nags and magically transforms them into shining young thoroughbreds by the time they reach the finish line. To stir more creaky metaphors into the mix, Couples Retreat reminds me of an Old World grandmother, happily offering up the same old recipe with gentle but insistent persuasion, urging you to "eat, eat!" And you end up eating far more than you ever thought you would, because old recipes taste really good when fresh ingredients are used.

With Couples Retreat, the filmmakers gently but persistently prod, saying "Laugh, laugh!" and you end up laughing far more than expected. The set-up feels familiar: four couples, all at different stages of their relationships, go on an island retreat intending to have fun in the sun, but instead are forced to undergo counseling. In the process, they discover new truths about themselves, everyone laughs, everyone has "a moment." The End. Roll credits. Except that this time, the premise doesn't give away the major pleasures of the movie.

That's because longtime friends Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau collaborated on the sly, brutally frank, and funny script with Dana Fox, creating a solid framework that allows the performers breathing space to do their thing. Vaughn, Favreau, Jason Bateman, and Faizon Love play the men; Malin Akerman (in her best performance to date), Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell, and Kali Hawk are their romantic partners. Jean Reno is a mystical "couples whisperer." Old Vaughn / Favreau accomplice Peter Billingsley makes his feature directorial debut. What really ties everything together is crack comic timing, and a willingness to embrace warmly some of the colder, less pleasant truths about relationships.

The title may be generic, but the cast is not. Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, and Faizon Love accompany their significant others -- Malin Akerman, Kristen Davis, Kristen Bell, and Tasha Smith -- on a vacation to paradise in Couples Retreat. There is a catch, however: intensive sessions of relationship therapy are mandatory and counselor Jean Reno doesn't take "no" for an answer. The first trailer is up at the Fruit Factory (AKA Apple.)

While there's a degree of over-familiarity with the basic premise, the trailer is very promising, edging into the naughty side of PG-13. (According to Erik Davis' post on the movie last year, that's the rating they're aiming for.) Bateman and Bell make for a good, edgy couple of Type A-personalities on the brink on break-up who ask three other couples to come along on their retreat to save money. Old friends Vaughn and Favreau have great chemistry, of course, and have worked with Bateman before. I'm not a huge fan of Akerman or Davis -- they're both lovely and have bright personalities but not a lot of comic snap. Seeing Reno as a buff instructor makes me giggle. Favreau wrote the script, based on an idea by Vaughn, and another old pal, Peter Billingsley, makes his directorial debut.

Couples Retreat is heading for release on October 9, a crowded date on the release schedule: The Informant (drama), Night of the Demons (horror), Whip It (comedy), and Zombieland (horror comedy) are also due out that day. Does the concept or the cast -- or the trailer -- grab you?

If you want to broaden the appeal of a romantic comedy, it helps to grab an array of actresses -- like say, a girl who is not only known as a modern Nancy Drew, but also a hot-tempered Hero, a woman who starred in one of the hot rom-coms of 2008 (Sex and the City), and a girl who can smack down baddies in an alternate time of superheroes and impending doom.

The Hollywood Reporter posts that Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis, and Malin Akerman have signed on for a new film called Couples Retreat. Now Akerman, at least, has had some iffy luck with this genre, so here's what ups the ante -- it's written by Iron Man Jon Favreau, and will be directed by collaborator Peter Billingsley (better known as the Christmas Story kid). So, it's not your everyday comedy. In fact, "rom" has been completely left off the genre placement of this project so far, but it is a comedy about romance. (Is there a difference?!)

The story involves four couples working on their relationships at a tropical island resort, so who are the men in romantic peril? Jason Bateman gets to be married to Bell, Favreau is also co-starring as Davis' husband, and Vince Vaughn gets to canoodle Malin. As for the fourth, Faizon Love is attached, but there's no word on his leading lady.

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.

Why would you hold the splashy world premiere of a movie that celebrates Manhattan on a different freakin' continent? A few weeks ago, Eric Kohn reported on the rumor that Sex and the City would premiere in London; as he wrote, SatC is "automatically a quintessential New York film ... Considering all that Sex and the City owes to New York -- its entire legacy, really -- the idea of fleeing to Europe first sounds a little confused."

The rumor was true; the premiere was held in London last night, and now Sarah Jessica Parker finds herself defending a decision she did not make. The Telegraph describes her as being "diplomatic," stating simply: "This is where New Line Cinema decided to do it, so we started here. We are thrilled to be in London and we will be thrilled to take it to America." Cynthia Nixon downplayed the event, calling it "kind of [a] smallish premiere," and said that last night's show and another in Berlin on Thursday are "building" to the New York premiere, which will be held in two weeks, three days before the film opens on Friday, May 30. Kristin Davis told the Los Angeles Times: "Everyone is upset about it and I just don't understand why ... It's saving the best for last. No offense to London."

Sarah Jessica asked the audience to keep the plot secret; The Telegraph promptly posted a teasing "review." I'll let you decide if you want to click through and read it.

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.

Flashbacks are tricky. Unless you show the really young version and the much, much older version, it's just way too easy to spot how dissimilar two people are, rather than how they resemble each other. From the realms of Facebook, AICN nabbed a scoop about the upcoming Sex and the City: The Movie (I know, I know, what else is there to say!?) -- they're filming a flashback of the girls in the '80s, before love hardened them, and time wrinkled them. But here's the thing -- they're showing young women, not young girls, and they don't look like Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall, or Kristin Davis.

Honestly, they're all attractive women, and I'm sure they will all do great jobs, but the only way I could tell who was supposed to be who were the outfits, and the fact that Miranda has red hair. (See the pics at AICN.) Yeah, it's tough since three of the four ladies have been recognizable since their youth, but come on! Six and the City pulled it off in their short spoof because, well, it was a spoof and the kids were teeny, tiny tots. I would much rather see no flashback, or maybe an animated one, or even one where makeup tried to make them all look young, rather than new actresses who bear little resemblance to the women they're supposed to become. (And this is ignoring any continuity clashes with the show's flashbacks.)

But at least there is still the present day, and what's that on the upper right? When I just went to link to IMDb, I got faced with one rather spastic looking bride. That's right, Carrie is getting hitched. Or, she's just having one hell of an elaborate wedding dream. I really like Carrie and Big together, but come on! (Yet again.) She's no classic bride, but huge feathers and pointy straplessness? Aiden is probably thanking the lord that he didn't succeed when he tried to force her down the aisle. Oy vey!

Then again, there's rumors going around that the production is filming false scenes to throw the masses off. Which are real? Which are fake? If I had my say, both of these suckers would be, but what would Sex and the City be without some tackiness?

If you are extremely bored today, and are an extreme Sex and the City fan, then this video from MTV Movies Blog may be of interest to you. It's the first footage from the set of the highly anticipated Sex and the City: The Movie, and ... it's rather lackluster. Actually, it may even disappoint die-hard SATC fans since it doesn't feature Carrie, Samantha, Miranda or Charlotte (aka Sarah Jessica, Kim, Cynthia or Kristin). Nor does it feature any of the male actors who will be returning from the hit TV show. But it does showcase one of the movie's big stars: Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson. And she's really showing us the Academy was right, because the way she walks into that doorway is brilliant! Yeah, that's all we get to see. Nothing special.

Here's a reason you may want to watch: you want to check out the outfit that Hudson is wearing. Feel free to comment below, because I'm no fashion expert and I can't describe it (I like those boots, though). Another reason: you love New York locations and want to see where this shot is being filmed. First person to chime in with the correct spot wins ... the honor of knowing the city pretty well. I'll give you a hint: pay attention to the upper left corner of the screen for a distinct landmark. Also, I have to point out that the building Hudson is entering has been used in countless movies in the past -- though usually from the inside, and upstairs.

If you want more goods on the filming of SATC:TM, we shared a few location photos recently (care of AICN), and there's a few group shots that are currently up on the IMDb for your enjoyment. Also, if you don't mind spoilers, Monika revealed some plot points (again care of AICN) a week ago. Otherwise, feel free to wait until next May, when Sex and the City: The Movie hits theaters.

Finally, we get to see what the whole clan is looking like for the big-screen adaptation of Sex and the City, courtesy of the peeps over at Coming Soon. Of course, they wouldn't look extremely different -- over the years the friends have polished up a little, but generally kept their usual look -- based on each of their characters. Charlotte is the simple lady in white -- classy, a little retro, and symbolically virginal. Carrie is the funky, wild, and sort of spastic fashion gal who follows the trends, no matter how questionable they might be. Miranda is the natural-tones, down-to-earth gal, who slips into dresses just as easily as jeans. And finally, saucy, minxy Samantha is once again sporting the deep, fiery red.

None of them seem to have developed back problems yet, from their rampant use of stilettos, and their day look is still a heck of a lot fancier than most of my friends dress for special occasions. However, while the picture doesn't say much, it does hint at the time line of the feature. You might remember the picture spoilers I shared recently -- they are not at all present this time around. So, unless normal body science doesn't apply, this is either well before the other picture, or well after it.