lauren graham Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Telluride Review: Flash of Genius
Filed under: New Releases », Telluride », Universal », Theatrical Reviews », Festival Reports », Cinematical Indie »
Flash of Genius is a conventional crowdpleaser but not, I'm pleased to report, a shameless one. Chronicling the true story of a college professor's fight to reclaim his invention – the intermittent windshield wiper – from the car company that stole it, the film does many of the things you'd expect, but it may also surprise you. Don't let its Telluride placement fool you: this is a staunchly mainstream, unchallenging film, the sort of underdog-vs.-corporate-behemoth story you've seen time and again. But it's a decent rendition, hitting the right notes without insulting our intelligence.
Now, the intermittent windshield wiper is not exactly the light bulb. If you're not familiar with the term, the wiper is "intermittent" in the sense that it can pause between wipes – a problem that apparently puzzled engineers at all the major car companies until Kearns cracked it the late 60s. But part of what's nifty about the film is its ability to create suspense and curiosity around something so seemingly mundane. Kearns' first demo of his device to Ford is exciting in a very goofy way, but exciting nonetheless.
'Roman'tic Comedy to Shoot in Philly
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Casting »
Sometimes when I see a bit of casting news, I imagine a film not with the cast of actors, but with their previous roles. So, imagine what kind of ensemble can be put together with the upcoming romcom The Dream of the Romans. Variety reports that Jeff Daniels, Lauren Graham, Lou Taylor Pucci, Olivia Thirlby, and Kat Dennings have signed on for roles in the film, which will be the feature debut of writer/director John Hindman.Romans stars Daniels as some sort of Rhonda Byrne -- a reclusive author who penned a book that "redefined spirituality for a generation." Unfortunately, his writing interferes with his desire to be left alone as many of his fans hunt him down, convinced that "he has all the answers." Two of them are Graham, who plays a struggling single mum, and Pucci, who plays a guy straight out of rehab. This is a romantic comedy, so most likely Ms. Gilmore will get to fall for Mr. Berkman. Or, maybe the backbone-lacking jerk from Chumscrubber will get some romance with Juno's friend or the 40-year-old virgin's stepdaughter.
iDeal's (the film's financer) Jana Edelbaum says: "This is a sparking piece of writing with vivid, wonderful characters." At the very least, it looks like a fresh jump into romcom territory, rather than the usual retread. The project just kicked off production in Philly.
Discuss: What TV Show(s) Will Hit the Big Screen Next?
Filed under: RumorMonger », Fandom »
We're only a few months away from Sex and the City's big movie release. Of course, that leads to the question: What television show will get made into a movie next? We usually get geek and retro fare making the jump, but since this is a romantic comedy, the door will be open for a whole bunch of recently-wrapped series. Arrested Development is getting yet another stab at life, but what else could make it?MTV recently talked with Birds of America co-stars Lauren Graham and Matthew Perry about the possibility of their super-popular shows becoming feature films. Graham, well, she says she doesn't know, no matter how many times people keep asking her -- and she has no idea what it would be about: "Nothing much happened; we just talked a lot." That's true, but a feature film could allow Amy Sherman-Palladino to finally give us that ending she referenced for so long, but that we never got, leaving us in an unfulfilled, post-Gilmore disappointment. Perry, meanwhile, says: "everyone's running around doing different things. I think we're trying to organize a thing soon." However, by "thing" he means a dinner with the Friends cast. Sneaky bugger.
Should SatC end up being a big money maker, methinks we'll at least hear a bunch of possible plans for these old shows. It's just too bad that it's too late for more My So-Called Life.
Which wrapped television series would you like to see on the big screen?
Sundance Review: Birds of America
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Sundance », Theatrical Reviews », Cinematical Indie »
Dysfunctional families and indie films go together like peanut butter and chocolate, and Birds of America, directed by playwright Craig Lucas, has dysfunction in abundance. Morrie (Matthew Perry), who raised his younger siblings Jay (Ben Foster) and Ida (Ginnifer Goodwin) after their father's death, now lives in the family home with his wife, Betty (Lauren Graham). Morrie is a college prof desperately seeking tenure, and the person who is most in a position to make that happen for Morrie is his friend Paul (Gary Wilmes), who lives right next door with his wife, Laura (Hilary Swank), in their perfect house, with their perfectly maintained flower bed, with their perfectly adorable infant.
Morrie is one of those guys who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he represses his emotions so tightly that the stress of it all has manifested itself in a case of constipation so extreme he has a home office set-up in his bathroom so he can work while trying to ... work all that out. Betty, meanwhile, wants desperately to have a perfect life and a child like Laura, but Morrie won't consider parenthood until he makes tenure. Since their whole future happiness is dependent upon whether Paul recommends Morrie for tenure, both Morrie and Betty go overboard in trying not to offend Paul and Laura -- even to the extent of not complaining that Laura's dog does his business in Morrie and Betty's yard. Unlike Morrie, the dog does not have a constipation issue, so they are constantly cleaning up after it.
Review: The Amateurs
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Casting », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews », Scripts », Distribution », Exhibition », New in Theaters »
Filmed in the summer of 2004, The Amateurs has been in the can for over three years. The movie's title has gone through several changes, and imdb still lists it as The Moguls. The film has had a whopping six release dates going back to 2005, but it finally sputters into theaters today -- in Los Angeles and Dallas, anyway. Movies often have distribution trouble (you can read more about the problems this one faced in the Los Angeles Times), but the struggle of The Amateurs surprised me because it had all the makings of a sleeper hit. It's got a killer premise (think The Full Monty with porno) and an amazing cast. The film's struggle surprised me...until I saw it.
A queasy mixture of Boogie Nights sleaze and Patch Adams sentimentality, The Amateurs takes place in the small town of Butterface Fields (ho-HO!). That's where you'll find Andy Sargentee (Jeff Bridges, in shaggy dog Lebowski mode), a divorced dad who is down on his luck. His son (Alex D. Linz) is now living with a wealthy stepfather (the typically solid Steven Weber), and this makes Sargentee insecure. He's got to make some money, and fast. So, naturally, he decides to enlist the help of his friends and make an amateur porno flick.
Review: Evan Almighty -- Jette's Review
Filed under: Comedy », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews », Religious »
"Lighten up." That's what people say when you dare to criticize a big dopey comedy, especially a potential summer blockbuster. Didn't think the Shrek movies were that funny? Were you annoyed by the sexism in one of the guy-centric comedies that seem to be taking over the genre? Didn't crack a smile during Napoleon Dynamite? Then you need to lighten up, obviously, and stop complaining just because the comedy film wasn't very funny to you. And I predict that by the end of this review of Evan Almighty, people are going to tell me to lighten up, and will probably accuse me of having no sense of humor, because I didn't love the film unquestionably.
Evan Almighty, the sequel to the 2003 Jim Carrey vehicle Bruce Almighty, is in fact funny at times, because a cast like this with such superb comic timing and such charismatic screen appeal cannot help but entertain you. You're aware that the dialogue is dumb and the situation is lame and yet, thanks to the actors, you laugh anyway. And after the movie is over you feel almost like you've been conned, and you're not entirely sure what was so funny in the first place.
Greg Kinnear Will Lead 'Flash of Genius'
Filed under: Drama », Casting », Universal »
If you asked me to cast a 'David vs. Goliath'-type biopic, I'd immediately think of Greg Kinnear to star. The actor has played a number of desperate dreamers, including his recent characters in Little Miss Sunshine and The Matador, and he's shown that he can go the emotional distance as a tormented, heartbroken soul (like with his Oscar-nominated role in As Good as It Gets). So Kinnear has been perfectly cast as Robert Kearns in Universal's Flash of Genius. Kearns was the real-life inventor who came up with the idea for the intermittent windshield wiper, a staple on automobiles since 1969. When American automakers went ahead and used the idea without paying him, despite his holding the patent for the invention, he sued them. But the legal battle went on for many years, finally ending in a $30 million settlement after going all the way to the Supreme Court.Playing Kearns' wife, Phyllis, is Lauren Graham. Her character will likely be the typical, frustrated wife of an obsessed man we've seen in countless films of this kind (for the most recent, see Chloë Sevigny in Zodiac). Graham has similar duty, though less seriously, in Evan Almighty, which bows next week. Flash of Genius will be the first film directed by producer Marc Abraham (Children of Men), who also co-wrote the script with Phillip Railsback (The Stars Fell on Henrietta) and Scott Frank (Minority Report). It is based on a 1993 New Yorker article by John Seabrook, which Abraham bought the rights to eight years ago. The problem with waiting so long to get the film into production is that now Kearns has passed away and won't get to see how well Kinnear portrays him. Flash of Genius begins shooting next month in Toronto.
Universal Has A New Web Site For Because I Said So
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Site Announcements », Universal », Movie Marketing »
Even though Annie Hall is * Universal Pictures has launched the website for the comedy Because I Said So, starring Keaton, Mandy Moore, and Lauren Graham from TV's Gilmore Girls. The site includes photos, the trailer, and for some reason wallpaper and AIM icons for download -- so you can be the first kid on your block with a Lauren Graham icon. Because I Said So looks like your typical mother-daughter feel-good comedy with some romance thrown in for good measure. Keaton plays the single mom of three adult daughters who is a little too involved in their love lives and not enough in her own. Luckily Keaton has enough charm to improve any movie, otherwise I could have never made it through The First Wives Club. So, while it may not be the most original plot, if you like your comedy warm and fuzzy, Because I Said So opens February 2nd.
* Correction: My math skills obviously aren't what they used to be, Annie Hall was released in 1977 so that makes it 30 years old.
[via JoBlo.com]
(Gil)More for Evan Almighty
Evan Almighty,
about which I am irrationally excited (Never saw the original. Never interested in it. Not a huge Steve Carell fan. And yet? Woo hoo,
Evan Almighty! Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with me either.), has finally found Carell's leading lady.
Which is good, since the movie is already shooting. Evan's wife will be played by poker goddess and Gilmore
Girl Lauren Graham, an
actress who definitely deserves this sort of exposure. To this point, most of her movie work has been in independent
and smaller projects, so this will be a way for those among you who foolishly refuse to watch The WB to see how
fantastic she really is. Also just added to the cast was John Goodman, who will be play "a
congressman who mentors [Evan]."Apparently in the sequel, Evan has made the thankfully rather unusual transition from TV anchorman to politician, and somehow earns an audience with Morgan Freeman/God. As you may recall from earlier discussions of the film here, God tells Evan to built an ark, and hilarity ensues. Said hilarity is due to hit screens in June of 2007.
Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams Reunite for 'Mission Impossible 4'
'Big Top Pee-Wee': The Original Benicio Del Toro Wolfman
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 2/9
Watch This: Brilliant Oscar-Nominated Short 'Logorama'
Chris Nolan to Lead 'Superman' Reboot!?
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