management Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Away We Go
John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph star as a couple about to have a child and who journey across the country to find the perfect spot to settle down. In his review, William Goss said: "It's easily the most tender film that Sam Mendes has done to date, and it's easily among the very best films that the year has offered so far." Buy it. Also on Blu-ray.

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Monsters vs. Aliens
Monsters, aliens, superheroes -- it's the sort of fare that's perfect for animation. For the most part, critics and fans seem to agree, although our Scott Weinberg says the film "is NOT one of those transcendent animated features, the sort that bridges the gap between kid stuff and grown-up art with no discernible effort whatsoever. No, Monsters vs. Aliens is a loud, rushed, choppy, silly, colorful Nintendo game of a movie." See for yourself and Rent it. Also on Blu-ray.

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Management
The latest Jennifer Aniston romcom to hit the shelves, this flick watches her get followed around the country by a motel manager (Steve Zahn) eager for her affections. In his review, Nick Schager said that the film's conventions are "delivered with a straightforward sappiness that seems all the more disingenuous in light of the film's variety of off-kilter trappings." Skip it. Also on Blu-ray.

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The Girlfriend Experience
One of Steven Soderbergh's less mainstream films, porn star Sasha Grey stars as a high-priced escort trying to balance her work and personal life. In his Sundance review, James Rocchi wrote: "Sex is everywhere in The Girlfriend Experience, except there's no sex," and instigates a crowd that walks "into the cold night more thoughtful than titillated." Rent it. Also on Blu-ray.

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Also out: Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, Mickey's Christmas Carol, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Lies and Illusions, Stepfather II, The Hills Run Red, The Hanging Woman, The Shortcut, Fermat's Room, Secrecy, Farmhouse, The Storm Riders, Bloodwine, Dinner with a Vampire, Nightmare, Flesh, TX.

In a very minor way, Management attempts to freshen up the moribund romantic comedy genre, toning down the gleeful bounciness and upping the wry strangeness. Unfortunately, the weirdness employed by Stephen Belber's amorous fairy tale is of a decidedly limp, half-hearted sort, as the writer/director seems torn between wanting to make his film legitimately idiosyncratic, and fearing that going too far out on a limb will interfere with his rather traditional meet-cute tale – and alienate said material's formula-craving target audience. The result is a very mildly peculiar take on a stale opposites-attract premise, which in this case centers on Mike (Steve Zahn), a schlub who works as night manager at his parents' Arizona motel, and Sue (Jennifer Aniston), a chilly traveling saleswoman of corporate artwork who stays two nights at Mike's establishment and quickly catches his eye. Though Mike is a loser, he's an adorably earnest one, and though Sue is a cold fish, she's actually a caring, understanding one, and thus when Mike begins his courtship, it's already been made patently clear by Belber's contrived script that the two are destined to make googly-eyes at each other.

Cinematical has just received this exclusive clip from the new film Management, starring Jennifer Aniston, Steve Zahn and Woody Harrelson. Written and directed by Stephen Belber (this is his feature debut), Management follows the quirky relationship between a traveling art saleswoman (Aniston) and the motel worker (Zahn) who crushes on her. In the clip below, watch as Aniston asks Zahn whether he'd like to touch her butt (that should be enough to tease you in). I actually really enjoy Aniston when she lets her hair down and takes on a quieter indie, and, well, who doesn't love the antics of Steve Zahn? Together this duo should certainly do a good job of managing our attention for a coupla hours on the big screen. Don't ya think?

Management is set to premiere during the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival this month, and you bet we'll be back here with an early review real soon. Additionally, check out another photo and the film's official synopsis after the jump.

Just this morning our wonderful Editor-in-Chief Erik Davis blogged about Woody Harrelson joining that upcoming fantasy adventure called The Other Side. He's going to play both the father and son who fund a scholarship for the character that Katie Holmes is in talks to play. (I imagine she'll take it -- with the Jason Lee Scientology camaraderie and all, Cruise has got to approve!) But that's not the only role(s) that Woody is adding to his diverse repertoire. Variety reports that he's joined Tape scribe Stephen Belber's upcoming romcom Management, which Steve Zahn and Jennifer Aniston already joined this past summer.

The pic is about a traveling art saleswoman (Aniston), who has a brief fling with an assistant motel manager (Zahn). This romantic interlude inspires the guy to follow her on her travels across the US. Now, if you're like me, you were thinking that the movie needed a yogurt mogul, right? Well have no fear -- Woody has signed on to make that happen. He's going to play Aniston's ex boyfriend, who is also, as I stated above, a yogurt mogul. How Belber came up with that profession, above all others, is beyond me, but I have this feeling Harrelson can pull it off. How he fits into the story, well, that's what confuses me. I could see if she was a traveling yogurt saleswoman, but she deals in art. I guess every great stalker just needs to be balanced by the man who gives you yogurt.

I'm a complete fence-sitter when it comes to Jennifer Aniston. I'm no big fan of her mainstream films, and could do without them, but I happen to like some of her indie work, like Mike White's dysfunctional flick, The Good Girl. (Although man, I know I'm not the only one who thinks we could do without Derailed...what were they thinking!?) Now she's got a new romcom on the way called Management. She will play a traveling saleswoman who sells cheap art to small companies and motels. When she has a fling with an assistant motel manager (played by Steve Zahn), things get tricky because he starts to follow her around the U.S. (What's with the stalking-across-the-country films lately?) Now, before you groan -- this might, just might, actually be good. Or, at least, decent.

The film will be playwright/screenwriter Stephen Belber's directorial debut, and he wrote the script. He has not only worked on The Laramie Project, but he's the pen behind Tape. Did you ever catch that flick? It is a simple, and intriguing Richard Linklater indie movie starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Robert Sean Leonard as three old friends in a motel room who rehash past traumas. It's got a hell of a lot more depth than a romcom, so I can only hope that some of it will carry over, making this more than just the next kiss-kiss, laugh-laugh movie.