minnie driver Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Death is the ultimate dramatic device, but great art doesn't emerge from strong devices alone. In Take, the directorial debut of Charles Oliver, the impact of a single, startling tragic death immediately conveys the sense of watching a gravely serious movie, which is definitely the case. However, having immediately provided a tone, Oliver fails to follow up with a story powerful enough to justify it. That's not to say that the experience Ana (Minnie Driver) goes through after her son dies in a freak accident before the start of the film isn't relentlessly bleak, but there's hardly anything distinctive about the circumstances to make viewers care any more than they would if they were glancing at it in the morning headlines.

Still, Olilver has made a quietly observant work solely driven by the specific needs of two downtrodden protagonists with completely believable motives. In flashback, we learn that Ana struggled with her son's elementary school, which wants to put him in a special needs program. Meanwhile, she has a hard time communicating with her husband and finding decent work to get by. Elsewhere, reckless gambling addict Saul (Jeremy Renner) destroys his life in a whirlwind of debt. His misfortune, as it's shown in early scenes at a prison where Saul awaits execution, will lead him to accidentally murder Ana's innocent child, Jesse (Bobby Coleman).

Back in February, Uma Thurman surprisingly signed on to play Nanny in the upcoming film, Eloise in Paris, which is set to begin production this June in London, Paris, and New York. But before she begins filming that, Variety reports that the actress is quickly slipping another caregiver role into the mix -- a comedy by writer/director Katherine Dieckmann called Motherhood.

At least this flick will have her playing someone her age. (I still can't get over the fact that adapting Eloise's Nanny brought to mind thoughts of Uma.) She will star as "a harried mother of two prepping for her daughter's sixth birthday party as myriad urban challenges confront her," while Minnie Driver and Anthony Edwards will play her best friend and husband.

There's nothing like those pesky "urban challenges." Does someone steal the last package of fancy streamers or something? The shoot is scheduled to last 25 days, which gives her just enough time to wrap up before Eloise, and the film is said to be taking advantage of new Gotham tax incentives. While a fan of Thurman, I'm still wary of her comedic roles, so if you're like me, there's always The Life Before Her Eyes, which heads into limited release this week.

Ed note: Cinematical would just like to point out that it's awesome to have Goose back on the big screen. "More Goose!" we shall always shout from whichever rooftop will allow it.

Just when you thought you'd seen it all, the writers are getting creative (who would expect anything less) and they've literally brought in the hounds. Now in its second week, the 2007 writer's strike is still going strong. In fact, so many celebrities are showing up, I wouldn't be surprised if a network decided to air a live protest during primetime. Wait ... strike that -- nevermind. Apparently today was Bring A Star To Picket With You Day, which saw folks like Ben Stiller, Seth Green, Minnie Driver and Doug Savant (you know it's nuts when Savant shows up!) walking the picket lines alongside writers. Additionally -- and I personally found this to be hysterical -- a bunch of dudes are also walking the picket lines, only they're not protesting -- they're selling bootleg strike t-shirts! Yeah, the same kind you'd find on the side of a road while leaving a rock concert (check out pics over at Nina Bargiel's blog) . So for those of you traveling in Los Angeles, you can stop by the picket line, buy a bootleg t-shirt, then run home and play WGA make believe. It's a fun game, I've played it several times. You?

[Dog photo courtesy of Deadline Hollywood]

One of these days we may end up suffering the existence of another Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie. It may even have Angelina Jolie reprising the title role. Unfortunately for the few who actually like the video game adaptation and its sequel, this isn't yet the day. But it is a day to celebrate if you're a Lara Croft fan in general. The character is now getting her own online animated series. The show is called Re\Visioned: Tomb Raider and it will 'air' on Turner Broadcasting's GameTap broadband channel. Also, each episode will be written and drawn by a different big-name talent, like Jim Lee, Warren Ellis and Aeon Flux's Peter Chung. I don't know if the series' creators attempted to snag Angelina Jolie for the gig, but instead of her Minnie Driver will be voicing the character.

Yeah, poor Minnie Driver. To think ten years ago she was my ideal girlfriend thanks to Grosse Pointe Blank and Good Will Hunting. Nowadays it isn't easy to find her in any movie role, let alone an ideal girlfriend role. But taking a part in an internet cartoon is pretty low. Can't John Cusack make a sequel to Grosse Pointe Blank already? Or couldn't Matt Damon and Ben Affleck write a part for her in that new script they may be working on? I will admit that I love Driver's voice, which can also be heard in the English-language version of Princess Mononoke, as Brooke Shields in South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut and in the upcoming Simpsons: The Movie. So, I'll probably check out the series, at least for a listen. The first episode premieres on Tuesday with subsequent episodes premiering in the days following.

Has there ever been such a case of 'too little, too late' as The Simpsons Movie? Don't get me started. Anyway, a number of photos from the film have been turning up at various places, some of which appear taken from previously avaliable clips, some not. In this latest batch, we see Homer mushing some huskies up a vertical incline, Ned Flanders being watched by Bart Simpson in a tree outside of his house, an angry mob of torch burners assembled for some purpose, and the baby Simpson confronting a monkey with what looks like a broken baby bottle.

Little is known about the official plot, but the numerous celebrity voices will include Minnie Driver, Erin Brockovich and regular guest stars Kelsey Grammer and Joe Mantegna. In other sort-of Simpsons news, testy actor Harry Shearer, who voices Simpsons characters including Montgomery Burns and Ned Flanders, recently performed a theater piece called 'This Is So Not About The Simpsons' as part of the annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters Members Conference.

Minnie Driver isn't just an actress - she can sing, too! Oh, yes she can. Perez Hilton says so.

Al Gore isn't into politics anymore? Yeah, right.

Wait, they're letting women direct movies now?

What Not to Wear does an intervention at Sundance with the Sundance Institute's Vandy Chisholm.

Sick to death of seeing movies at Sundance? Check out the Mormon Tabernacle Choir!

Directors posturing and acting important at a Sundance party? Say it ain't so!