lily tomlin Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Terrific Trailers: 9 to 5
Filed under: Comedy », Fandom », Trailers and Clips », Scenes We Love »

If you are a regular around these parts, then you have probably noticed that I have a streak of feminism in me a mile wide, and while I've read all the great tomes on equality, most, if not all of my 'girl-power' tendencies can be traced back to Dolly Parton. So for today's installment of Terrific Trailers, I went back all the way to 1980 to bring you the trailer for the greatest feminist film ever made, 9 to 5. Colin Higgins' comedy was the story of three working women (played by Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda) as they banded together to bring down their pig of a boss, and was the first time the idea of a 'gender divide' made it's way into my kiddie consciousness...and I've been a card-carrying little feminist ever since.
It's strange to see a trailer that looks nothing like what passes for a quality trailer or teaser these days. There is no star power, no "In a world without...", in fact, we don't even glimpse the principal players until the end of the clip. But what is truly funny is that considering the huge social and political point the film is trying to make about women in the workplace, the trailer seems content to treat it all as a silly joke -- "Oh that wacky boss who steals your ideas and grabs your ass..." But, I'm realistic enough to know that if you aren't trying to scare people off, you have to make sure you don't use the dreaded "F" word -- which I guess means not much has changed since 1980, after all.
After the jump; the personal gets political...
Trailer for Paul Schrader's 'The Walker' Online
Filed under: Drama », Trailer Trash »
Writer and director Paul Schrader doesn't have too many screenplay credits under his belt, but most of the ones that do reside on the list are beyond impressive. The man is responsible for Taxi Driver, American Gigolo, Raging Bull, The Mosquito Coast and The Last Temptation of Christ. Then the 90's came, and he traveled around the ratings map for a bit, and heck, he is even responsible for bringing Touch to the big screen. (If you don't remember it, that might not be a bad thing.) Now, it looks like he might have re-discovered his earlier success with his upcoming film -- The Walker, a movie that Cinematical first posted about last year.The film stars Woody Harrelson as a gay, social escort to a number of Washington DC wives in the 50's. When one of his closer lady friends (Kristin Scott Thomas) finds herself on the edge of a scandal abyss, he helps by covering for her -- thereby turning the heat on himself, and forcing him to find the true culprit. Coming Soon now has linked to the film's website, which has a trailer for the film, as well as to YouTube, which is actually showing the first seven minutes of it. Between the trailer and the clip, it looks like Harrelson has successfully wiped away the granola and yoga to portray the "gay weather vane," as his character calls himself. All of the other performances look great as well, at least those by the main ladies -- Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily Tomlin and Lauren Bacall, as the trailer and clip focus on them. But we can't forget that Willem Dafoe (who we see only briefly in the trailer) and Ned Beatty also star, along with Mary Beth Hurt and 2006 Silver Bear winner and old Run Lola Run co-star Moritz Bleibtreu. The film is currently traveling through the festival circuit with some great reviews, and will head into limited release this December.
Hilarious 'Knocked Up' Promo: Judd Apatow Pulls a David O. Russell
Filed under: Comedy », Fandom », Home Entertainment », Movie Marketing »
You have to give the folks from Knocked Up credit for this one; it's truly one of the funniest (and smartest) pieces of viral marketing I have ever seen. You might remember back in March when a certain video featuring director David O. Russell going ballistic on Lily Tomlin while trying to direct a scene in I Heart Huckabees surfaced online. In said video (which was actually two different scenes), Russell could be seen screaming at Tomlin while trashing the set. In the other clip, it appears the roles are reversed -- this time Tomlin loses her cool and goes off on Russell while the cast is attempting to shoot a car scene. If you haven't yet had a chance to watch it, go do so now (if you can find it; seems it has since been removed from YouTube) -- it will make this video that much funnier.
If you've watched any of the trailers for Knocked Up, you'll know that one of them features Seth Rogan and Katherine Heigl sitting down for dinner at a restaurant. Apparently, this is their second date and she decides to tell him that she's pregnant with his child. Well, this new video would like you to believe that, originally, Arrested Development's Michael Cera was tapped to play the Rogan character, but was fired after losing his cool with director Judd Apatow. So, what we see is Cera trying to get through his lines only to be interrupted by Apatow time and time again ("Can you give us a little more energy"). Eventually, both Cera and Apatow lose it; the former tries to rope Heigl into the madness (who just sits there, trying to keep out of it), while the latter screams at Cera, tells him to direct the scene and storms off set cursing and knocking over water glasses. Of course they want you to think this really happened, but it's obviously a piece of viral marketing for the film -- and an extremely smart piece if I may say so myself (because not only does it promote Knocked Up, but Cera stars in the Apatow-produced Superbad later this summer, so it helps circulate his name as well). Check out the video here and let us know what you think. Knocked Up arrives in theaters on June 1.
Queen Latifah to Star in 'All of Me' Remake
Filed under: Comedy », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », New Line », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels »
I always thought of All of Me as a tragically forgotten classic from the 1980s -- that is until I forgot all about it myself. Now I can't really make a good case for its worth, as I apparently didn't do a good job of keeping conscious of it, but I still have a hard time digesting the fact that in addition to being left behind, it is also about to be made somewhat obsolete. New Line has announced it is remaking the comedy, which starred Steve Martin as a man accidentally forced to share his body with the soul of Lily Tomlin, and that the new version will star Queen Latifah. Though it hasn't been revealed if Latifah will play the body or the soul, I have a good guess she'll be taking on the part originally played by Martin. The interesting thing is that Adam Shankman is producing (and maybe directing?). In case you aren't familiar with Shankman's work, well, incidentally he made two movies starring Martin, Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and Bringing Down the House, the latter which also starred Latifah. Wait, I think I figured out the idea: the new All of Me will turn the old one on its head by having Martin play the character co-inhabiting Latifah's body. Of course! If there's anything that could be worse than a man having to share his body with the mind of a woman it is an African American diva having to share her body with the mind of a white guy.
In case you have never seen the original All of Me, you should probably check it out before the remake comes around and lowers its value. It came out in 1984 and was the fourth consecutive collaboration between Martin and director Carl Reiner (the first, The Jerk being the best one, of course). It was also the last decent movie made by Reiner as well as Tomlin's last decent starring role in a comedy (sure, I have soft spots in my heart for both Reiner's Summer School and Tomlin in Big Business, but there's no point in defending them). My favorite part of the whole movie, though, involves the great character actor Richard Libertini, a ringing telephone and a toilet bowl.
George Clooney: 'Huckabees' YouTube Tirade Vindicates Me
Filed under: Comedy », RumorMonger », Celebrities and Controversy »
The hissy-fit-filled David O. Russell clip from I Heart Huckabees is still managing to get some play. First, Scott Weinberg posted word of the clip when it started making the rounds, nabbing tons of visitors on YouTube. Then, I shared the big rumor that George Clooney, who had an altercation with the director during the filming of Three Kings, could be the man behind the Internet link. Well, since then, he's obviously denied any involvement in the leak, and he's even offering a $1 million reward to anyone who proves that it wasn't him. Either that's a brilliant way to cover up your own tracks, or he's one lucky bugger. Imagine throwing seven figures down just to quash a rumor that isn't that big a deal anyway! (At least, not a big deal for him.)While talking with Entertainment Weekly about his upcoming Ocean's Thirteen, Clooney chatted some more about the now-infamous leak. While the clip was news to most of us, Clooney says that it's been circulating for over two years and everyone (who's anyone that's not us apparently) had seen it. The actor says that he saw it during the filming of Ocean's Twelve, and: "I felt bad for Lily, but I also felt a little vindicated for anyone that thought that that had anything to do with me on [Three Kings]." That being said, he still maintains that he had nothing to do with the leak and re-asserts that he's clueless about YouTube -- as if actors can't have tech-savvy assistants and friends! The noble Clooney draws his prank-line at career interference: "There are pranks I like to play [but] that falls into the world of screwing with people's careers. I'm up for a good fight, but not sneaky. I like 'em face-to-face." The grey-haired actor seems much more worried about paparazzi-like stunts where films capture people with "Spanktro-vision" on. Is he worried about other people, or will the actor start chaining the door when he turns on his saucy pay-per-view?
David O. Russell Finds Next Directing Project -- You Got A Problem With That!?
Filed under: Comedy », Deals », Newsstand »
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in front of the camera, David O. Russell (Three Kings, Outrageous YouTube Video) strikes again -- this time, by attaching himself to the Columbia Pictures comedy Sammy's Hill. Pic will be based on Kristin Gore's novel ... and if that name sounds familiar, it's because she's Al Gore's daughter. Screw Washington, this family belongs in Hollywood baby! Russell will pen the screenplay, as well as direct; currently, there's no word on whether anger management classes were part of the deal.
Book tells the story of a girl desperately trying to balance her career as a congressional aide on Capitol Hill, while at the same time attempting to find love in the seedy, depressing, money-hungry town. Doug Wick, who's producing along with Lucy Fisher and Red Wagon, says the film "will do for Washington D.C. what Talladega Nights did for race car driving." Wait, so audiences will feel the urge to camp outside the next congressional meeting with a few kegs of Budweiser? I don't get it. However, the book is then compared to Thank You for Smoking and Election -- two of my favorite dark comedies in recent years -- and so if Russell can somehow manage to churn out a smart, successful comedy without accidentally killing one of the cast members, Sammy's Hill could be a film to watch out for.
Want To See David O. Russell Go Completely Ballistic on Lily Tomlin?
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy »
Holy moley. I've no idea why it took this long for this piece of video to hit los intranettos, but now that it has, I can think of one Hollywood honcho who's probably feeling a little bit embarrassed about his behavior right now. Picture this: Lily Tomlin is reciting some lines on the set of David O. Russell's I Heart Huckabees, and she's having some problems with the directions she's being given. She states her problem to the director and then tries to get back to work. Seems like a perfectly normal, if perhaps a bit icy piece of on-set collaboration. A few minutes later, all holy hell breaks loose.
The director just flips the **** out on the respected actress/comedienne, behaving like an infantile bully in front of dozens of crew members. You really have to see this behavior to believe it. (I guess this partially explains why George Clooney is not a big fan of Mr. Russell's. Their battles are well-documented.) Obviously I don't want to vilify Davey too much. This is, after all, the guy who gave us the hilarious Flirting with Disaster and the really brilliant Three Kings. And I'm sure we all have our little "flipouts" every once in a while, emotional snaps that we'd hate to see broadcast on a global arena, but ... yowch. This clip's just too juicy to dismiss. It also looks like Ms. Tomlin can dish it out just as much as she can take it. Here's another clip, in which she sits alongside Dustin Hoffman and Isabelle Huppert, and pretty much loses her you-know-what with her Huckabees director. I know I probably shouldn't enjoy this stuff so much ... but I do.
A Confederacy Of Dunces Might Be The Best Movie Never Made
Filed under: Comedy », Paramount », RumorMonger »
The struggle to bring John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces to the screen began over 25 years ago. Scott Kramer picked up the rights to the novel in 1980, and he has been trying to get a film made ever since. Toole's novel (published 11 years after the author had committed suicide) about an overweight and socially maladjusted philosopher on the streets of New Orleans won the Pulitzer Prize in 1981. In 2005, Steven Soderbergh had been working on an adaptation with Will Ferrell as the lead of an all-star cast including Lily Tomlin, Mos Def, and Olympia Dukakis, but it all fell apart. How that happened depends on which story you believe: problems with publishing rights, no one in Hollywood was willing to finance it, or maybe the whole production was cursed -- those rumors were fueled not only by the author's suicide, but by the deaths of so many of the actors associated with the part in the past (John Belushi, Chris Farley, and John Candy had each been attached at one point). Not to mention the murder of Louisiana's Film Commissioner and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina ground pre-production to a halt.
A recent article in Slate reports that the cast and crew are still willing to go ahead with the project, pay cuts and all. Paramount has yet to officially commit, so when it comes to this movie, I'll believe it when I see it.
Caption This: A Prairie Home Companion DVD Giveaway
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Music & Musicals », Home Entertainment », Movie Marketing », Contests »

Okay, you know the drill. We show you a photo from a movie -- in this case, Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion -- you provide us with a brilliantly witty caption for the pic, and we shower you with prizes. Well, maybe not shower, exactly, but in this case we actually have five -- that's right, FIVE -- DVDs to give away, in honor of the release of the A Prairie Home Companion DVD tomorrow. The DVD features special audio commentary with Robert Altman and star Kevin Kline, deleted scenes, and a behind-the-scenes "featurette."
The best five caption entries, as judged by our crack Cinematical caption contest staff, will win. So take a good, hard look at the still from A Prairie Home Companion above and get those brain cells working, Cinematical readers! You have until Thursday, October 12 at 5PM EDT to submit your entry in the comments.
Review: A Prairie Home Companion
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews »

In the best of Robert Altman's ensemble pictures, his sprawling casts fall into a sort of miraculous rhythm. No matter how divergent their storylines might be, there's never a sense that actors aren't on the same page. In MASH, for example, not only are Donald Sutherland's Hawkeye and Elliot Gould's Trapper John completely in sync, but they also share a clear understanding with Sally Kellerman (Hot Lips) and Robert Duvall (Frank Burns). And in The Player, no matter how reptilian and icy Tim Robbins' Griffin Mill gets, he never fails to share convincing connections with every other major actor in the film -- despite its rangy story, never once does the movie feel like anything less than a coherent whole. By the same token, however, when things go wrong for Altman they go very, very wrong. Despite its world-class cast, Prêt-à-Porter is a sprawling mess, full of characters and performances that have nothing to do with one another, and a story that exists simply to give them all an excuse to be in the same movie.
While Altman's latest feature, A Prairie Home Companion, is by no means the aggressive disaster Prêt-à-Porter was, there nevertheless is something off about. Stocked with an all-star cast that includes Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, John C. Reilly, Lily Tomlin, Lindsay Lohan, and Tommy Lee Jones, the movie never congeals into a coherent whole, despite a handful of heart-felt performances. Set backstage at an old-time-style radio show called A Prairie Home Companion (also the name of screenwriter-star Garrison Keillor's long-running show on NPR), the movie takes place during the show's final performance: The Fitzgerald Theater in which it is based has been bought out, and the new owners have no interest in hosting a radio show. As Altman is wont to do, he jumps back and forth among stories that include a pregnant stage manager (Maya Rudolph), lovers planning a tryst (L.Q. Jones and Marylouise Burke), an angel (Virginia Madsen) in search of a soul, singing sisters reminiscing about their careers (Streep and Tomlin), and a star uncomfortable with saying goodbye (Keillor).









