list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Confessions of a Dangerous Mind on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Confessions_of_a_Dangerous_Mind/215789/default.aspx Title: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Year: 2002
Director: George Clooney
Plot: Chuck Barris is best known to most Americans as the guy who used to host The Gong Show. He was also the creator and producer of The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and a handful of other successful game shows in the 1960s and 1970s. But was he also a hired killer working with the CIA? That's the take-it-or-leave-it premise of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, based on the memoir of the same name by Chuck Barris. Barris (Sam Rockwell) grows up dreaming of success in show biz and winning the hearts of beautiful women, but early on, he meets with plenty of resistance from both women and the television industry, despite writing the hit tune "Palisades Park" and scoring a job with Dick Clark on American Bandstand. The 1960s proves more fortunate for Barris; he meets the love of his life, Penny (Drew Barrymore), and sells ABC on the idea of The Dating Game. However, after the show has made him wealthy and successful, Barris is approached by the mysterious Jim Byrd (George Clooney), a CIA agent who wants to recruit Barris as a covert operative. Barris finds the notion of playing spy games intriguing and agrees, but soon discovers what Byrd and his partners really want is for Barris to assassinate uncooperative figures around the world. Soon, Barris finds that his life has been all but taken over by Byrd and another CIA agent, the mysterious and sexy Patricia (Julia Roberts). As he hops the globe killing people in the name of American security (using his status as a Dating Game chaperone as a cover), Barris learns that the KGB has discovered his not-so-little secret and that his own life is in great danger. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind marked the directorial debut of actor George Clooney, working from a screenplay adapted by Charlie Kaufman from Barris' book. Dick Clark, Dating Game host Jim Lange, frequent Gong Show panelist Jaye P. Morgan, and Gene Patton (aka Gene Gene the Dancing Machine) appear as themselves. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 26
Number of Lists: 43
Number of blog posts: 10
Number of discussion threads: 4
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:04:43 GMTConfessions of a Dangerous Mind2002George ClooneyChuck Barris is best known to most Americans as the guy who used to host <a href=/films/59294/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>The Gong Show</a>. He was also the creator and producer of <a href=/films/226857/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>The Dating Game</a>, <a href=/films/226858/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>The Newlywed Game</a>, and a handful of other successful game shows in the 1960s and 1970s. But was he also a hired killer working with the CIA? That's the take-it-or-leave-it premise of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, based on the memoir of the same name by Chuck Barris. Barris (<a href="/players/P____60946/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Sam Rockwell</a>) grows up dreaming of success in show biz and winning the hearts of beautiful women, but early on, he meets with plenty of resistance from both women and the television industry, despite writing the hit tune "Palisades Park" and scoring a job with <a href="/players/P____13358/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Dick Clark</a> on <a href=/films/224869/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>American Bandstand</a>. The 1960s proves more fortunate for Barris; he meets the love of his life, Penny (<a href="/players/P_____4289/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Drew Barrymore</a>), and sells ABC on the idea of <a href=/films/226857/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>The Dating Game</a>. However, after the show has made him wealthy and successful, Barris is approached by the mysterious Jim Byrd (<a href="/players/P____13722/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>George Clooney</a>), a CIA agent who wants to recruit Barris as a covert operative. Barris finds the notion of playing spy games intriguing and agrees, but soon discovers what Byrd and his partners really want is for Barris to assassinate uncooperative figures around the world. Soon, Barris finds that his life has been all but taken over by Byrd and another CIA agent, the mysterious and sexy Patricia (<a href="/players/P____60634/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Julia Roberts</a>). As he hops the globe killing people in the name of American security (using his status as a <a href=/films/272823/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Dating Game</a> chaperone as a cover), Barris learns that the KGB has discovered his not-so-little secret and that his own life is in great danger. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind marked the directorial debut of actor <a href="/players/P____13722/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>George Clooney</a>, working from a screenplay adapted by <a href="/players/P___271315/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Charlie Kaufman</a> from Barris' book. <a href="/players/P____13358/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Dick Clark</a>, <a href=/films/272823/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Dating Game</a> host Jim Lange, frequent <a href=/films/305645/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Gong Show</a> panelist Jaye P. Morgan, and Gene Patton (aka Gene Gene the Dancing Machine) appear as themselves. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide26Tag Target (>10)431043http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t33239fs2p3.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Confessions_of_a_Dangerous_Mind/215789/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_July_20_Television/625/43200/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 7/20/2009 2:04:43 PM
Body: [quote user="leeroy711"]Quiz Show - I like to mention this film about as much as I can. I think it's Redford's most underrated film and it's my personal favorite. It's about a scandal involving a game show but it was all of the intellectual banter scenes between Ralph Fiennes and Rob Morrow made this film so memorable. Also, John Turturro's performance was brilliant.[/quote] [quote user="mciocco"]Network - At the time, Paddy Chayefsky tried to imagine the most ridiculous and absurd things that could happen on TV news... Frighteningly, it doesn't seem as ridiculous or absurd these days.[/quote] These are two I would defintely mention as favorites. Network however is probably the quintessential film about television and what it has become from my viewpoint though. The most hilarious movie about television though - "Weird Al" Yankovic's UHF. It even has a little spoof of Network. Although Death to Smoochy is a hilarious film about children's television which I think features Robin Williams' greatest performance of his carreer. [quote user="leeroy711"]Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - George Clooney directed Charlie Kaufman's adaptation of Chuck Barris' (ehem) autobiography.... How could you go wrong? I remember when the book came out. I read some excerpts from it and thought how crazy it could be if the right people got involved to make the film. [/quote] I also just realized that this is only one of two movies that George Clooney has directed about television. The other one being Good Night, and Good Luck.
]]>Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:04:43 GMTRisseladaWeekly Theme7/20/2009 2:04:43 PM[quote user="leeroy711"]Quiz Show - I like to mention this film about as much as I can. I think it's Redford's most underrated film and it's my personal favorite. It's about a scandal involving a game show but it was all of the intellectual banter scenes between Ralph Fiennes and Rob Morrow made this film so memorable. Also, John Turturro's performance was brilliant.[/quote] [quote user="mciocco"]Network - At the time, Paddy Chayefsky tried to imagine the most ridiculous and absurd things that could happen on TV news... Frighteningly, it doesn't seem as ridiculous or absurd these days.[/quote] These are two I would defintely mention as favorites. Network however is probably the quintessential film about television and what it has become from my viewpoint though. The most hilarious movie about television though - "Weird Al" Yankovic's UHF. It even has a little spoof of Network. Although Death to Smoochy is a hilarious film about children's television which I think features Robin Williams' greatest performance of his carreer. [quote user="leeroy711"]Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - George Clooney directed Charlie Kaufman's adaptation of Chuck Barris' (ehem) autobiography.... How could you go wrong? I remember when the book came out. I read some excerpts from it and thought how crazy it could be if the right people got involved to make the film. [/quote] I also just realized that this is only one of two movies that George Clooney has directed about television. The other one being Good Night, and Good Luck. http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Weekly_Theme_for_July_20_Television/625/43195/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: leeroy711
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 7/20/2009 12:52:07 PM
Body: "I like thinking about the red dress and the television and you and your father. Now when I get the sun, I smile." - Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) from Requiem for a Dream. So, this week I'd like to talk about television in the movies. There is actually a lot to choose from. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - George Clooney directed Charlie Kaufman's adaptation of Chuck Barris' (ehem) autobiography.... How could you go wrong? I remember when the book came out. I read some excerpts from it and thought how crazy it could be if the right people got involved to make the film. Audition - Lest we forget, the central plot of this film is about an audition for a television show. I think I would have completely fallen in love with this Takashi Miike film had I come into it knowing a lot less about it and Miike's reputation. Quiz Show - I like to mention this film about as much as I can. I think it's Redford's most underrated film and it's my personal favorite. It's about a scandal involving a game show but it was all of the intellectual banter scenes between Ralph Fiennes and Rob Morrow made this film so memorable. Also, John Turturro's performance was brilliant. Well folks, that's all I got for the moment. As I said before, there are a ton of films about television. So let's here about them.
]]>Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:52:07 GMTleeroy711Weekly Theme7/20/2009 12:52:07 PM"I like thinking about the red dress and the television and you and your father. Now when I get the sun, I smile." - Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) from Requiem for a Dream. So, this week I'd like to talk about television in the movies. There is actually a lot to choose from. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - George Clooney directed Charlie Kaufman's adaptation of Chuck Barris' (ehem) autobiography.... How could you go wrong? I remember when the book came out. I read some excerpts from it and thought how crazy it could be if the right people got involved to make the film. Audition - Lest we forget, the central plot of this film is about an audition for a television show. I think I would have completely fallen in love with this Takashi Miike film had I come into it knowing a lot less about it and Miike's reputation. Quiz Show - I like to mention this film about as much as I can. I think it's Redford's most underrated film and it's my personal favorite. It's about a scandal involving a game show but it was all of the intellectual banter scenes between Ralph Fiennes and Rob Morrow made this film so memorable. Also, John Turturro's performance was brilliant. Well folks, that's all I got for the moment. As I said before, there are a ton of films about television. So let's here about them. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/12/17/38505.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 12/17/2008 6:00:27 PM
Body: One of the many things Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich did this week — instead of resigning from his position, as many people desired — was sign into law an increase on tax credits for films produced in his state. So, it should be only appropriate, and somewhat bittersweet, for the inevitable movie about his life and corruption hearings to be shot there. Now that we’ve got a location for the film, it’s time to cast the players in Blogojevich’s scandalous tale. The Washington Post has already published a list of possible actors to portray the lead (John Travolta, Sean Astin, Gary Cole, Stephen Baldwin, Tom Cruise, Ray Liotta, Charlie Sheen, Mike Myers and Steve Carrell), but more difficult than casting Blogojevich (see our pick below) is determining what other significant figures should be prominently featured. A straight biopic calls for way too many characters, so we’ve narrowed the film down to focus on just Blagojevich’s arrest and subsequent (forthcoming) trial. As always, if there’s another character to be included or another thespian suited to a role we’ve cast, chime in with a comment. Also, due to the fact that we’ve previously done posts about Barack Obama casting, let’s just assume that he’ll only be portrayed by a voice on the phone, a la Al Gore in Recount. Sam Rockwell as Governor Rod Blogojevich The perfect look-a-like casting choice would be former Attorney General Janet Reno, but Sam Rockwell (Frost/Nixon) is also a pretty close match. The actor has already played a lot of sleazy characters, including the lead role in Choke, for which he was recently named one of the “most offensive male characters” of 2008 by the Women Film Critics Circle. Rockwell also has experience portraying a conceited and delusional celebrity in George Clooney’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. If that actor-director pair could link up again for this movie, Rockwell could certainly be looking at his first well-deserved Oscar nomination. Mary Lynn Rajskub as Patti Blogojevich Rockwell is a tad young for the role of Blogojevich, so it’s fair that we also aim younger in casting the actress to play Illinois’ First Lady. Few women are more perfect for the part than Mary Lynn Rajskub (TV’s 24), who is about 8 years Blogojevich’s junior, anyway. Talented for playing cranky and/or two-faced women (mainly we’re thinking of her character in Punch-Drunk Love), she would be excellent as the allegedly foul-mouthed wife of the Governor. Mario Van Peebles as U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. Fittingly the son of an important African American leader (though being an icon of black cinema is admittedly not quite the same as being an icon of the civil rights movement), Mario Van Peebles (Ali) is conversely too old to play this part, especially since Jackson looks a lot younger than he is. But he’s a great, underrated actor (too good for All My Children, that’s for sure) and he could easily pull off a portrayal of the congressman, who was one of the contenders for Barack Obama’s now-vacant Senate seat, and who has apparently been a longtime informant to feds regarding Blagojevich’s shady dealings. Martin Donovan as U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald One idea for the part of the federal prosecutor in this case is Richard “John Boy” Thomas. He does look a little more like Fitzgerald, but Martin Donovan (Saved!)  got the Irish-American thing going for him, and it would be more interesting to see if he can do the Brooklyn accent. Plus, Donovan often works with Mary-Louise Parker, who would be perfect for the part of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan if she were an included character in the film. Brian Cox (or Albert Finney) as Defense Attorney Ed Genson An immediate idea following a Google image search was to jokingly cast actor Kevin Scannell, who played wheelchair-bound lawyer “Gar Girard” in The Player. But as it turns out, contrary to most photos available on the web, Genson no longer has such a handicap. So, a more appropriate suggestion for the famously tough lawyer (often called “the bulldog of the court room”), who formerly won R. Kelly’s child-pornography trial and who will now defend Blagojevich, is The Bourne Identy’s Brian Cox (not ever called “the bulldog of cinema,” though he should be). Or, in the event that you too think he’s easily interchangeable with Cox, Albert Finney (The Bourne Ultimatum) would also be suitable. Whichever of the two is cast, he’ll have to either get Genson’s accent down or have his dialogue overdubbed by William Hurt. James Woods as Lt. Governor Pat Quinn He may not really look like Quinn, but James Woods (Ghosts of Mississippi) is terrific at changing his appearance for Oscar-worthy supporting roles. This might not be a big enough part for an actor of his stature, but he’d be great at aping the wide-eyed expressions Quinn does when speaking publicly. Stanley Tucci as Antoin “Tony” Rezko It’s not certain yet if convicted fundraiser Tony Rezko will be involved in Blagojevich’s trial, though his testimonial would serve the prosecution well. If he is a major player, then Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada), with a puffy makeup job and fake mustache, should fill the role. Although Tucci is not Syrian like Rezko, he did once play a Middle Eastern assassin in The Pelican Brief. William Petersen as John Harris As Blagojevich’s former Chief of Staff, who resigned from his position after his joint arrest with the governor last week, William Petersen (TV’s CSI) would callback to his similar role as a political scandal figure in The Contender. “The Football” as Itself One of the harshest punishments for Blagojevich would be for the feds to deny the Governor his beloved hairbrush, which is nicknamed “The Football” (after a term used for the president’s possession of bomb codes). Then, producers of the Blagojevich film should purchase the item for a cameo appearance. Because, as the Governor would declare, there’s no substitute for it. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:00:27 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com12/17/2008 6:00:27 PMOne of the many things Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich did this week — instead of resigning from his position, as many people desired — was sign into law an increase on tax credits for films produced in his state. So, it should be only appropriate, and somewhat bittersweet, for the inevitable movie about his life and corruption hearings to be shot there. Now that we’ve got a location for the film, it’s time to cast the players in Blogojevich’s scandalous tale. The Washington Post has already published a list of possible actors to portray the lead (John Travolta, Sean Astin, Gary Cole, Stephen Baldwin, Tom Cruise, Ray Liotta, Charlie Sheen, Mike Myers and Steve Carrell), but more difficult than casting Blogojevich (see our pick below) is determining what other significant figures should be prominently featured. A straight biopic calls for way too many characters, so we’ve narrowed the film down to focus on just Blagojevich’s arrest and subsequent (forthcoming) trial. As always, if there’s another character to be included or another thespian suited to a role we’ve cast, chime in with a comment. Also, due to the fact that we’ve previously done posts about Barack Obama casting, let’s just assume that he’ll only be portrayed by a voice on the phone, a la Al Gore in Recount. Sam Rockwell as Governor Rod Blogojevich The perfect look-a-like casting choice would be former Attorney General Janet Reno, but Sam Rockwell (Frost/Nixon) is also a pretty close match. The actor has already played a lot of sleazy characters, including the lead role in Choke, for which he was recently named one of the “most offensive male characters” of 2008 by the Women Film Critics Circle. Rockwell also has experience portraying a conceited and delusional celebrity in George Clooney’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. If that actor-director pair could link up again for this movie, Rockwell could certainly be looking at his first well-deserved Oscar nomination. Mary Lynn Rajskub as Patti Blogojevich Rockwell is a tad young for the role of Blogojevich, so it’s fair that we also aim younger in casting the actress to play Illinois’ First Lady. Few women are more perfect for the part than Mary Lynn Rajskub (TV’s 24), who is about 8 years Blogojevich’s junior, anyway. Talented for playing cranky and/or two-faced women (mainly we’re thinking of her character in Punch-Drunk Love), she would be excellent as the allegedly foul-mouthed wife of the Governor. Mario Van Peebles as U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. Fittingly the son of an important African American leader (though being an icon of black cinema is admittedly not quite the same as being an icon of the civil rights movement), Mario Van Peebles (Ali) is conversely too old to play this part, especially since Jackson looks a lot younger than he is. But he’s a great, underrated actor (too good for All My Children, that’s for sure) and he could easily pull off a portrayal of the congressman, who was one of the contenders for Barack Obama’s now-vacant Senate seat, and who has apparently been a longtime informant to feds regarding Blagojevich’s shady dealings. Martin Donovan as U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald One idea for the part of the federal prosecutor in this case is Richard “John Boy” Thomas. He does look a little more like Fitzgerald, but Martin Donovan (Saved!)  got the Irish-American thing going for him, and it would be more interesting to see if he can do the Brooklyn accent. Plus, Donovan often works with Mary-Louise Parker, who would be perfect for the part of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan if she were an included character in the film. Brian Cox (or Albert Finney) as Defense Attorney Ed Genson An immediate idea following a Google image search was to jokingly cast actor Kevin Scannell, who played wheelchair-bound lawyer “Gar Girard” in The Player. But as it turns out, contrary to most photos available on the web, Genson no longer has such a handicap. So, a more appropriate suggestion for the famously tough lawyer (often called “the bulldog of the court room”), who formerly won R. Kelly’s child-pornography trial and who will now defend Blagojevich, is The Bourne Identy’s Brian Cox (not ever called “the bulldog of cinema,” though he should be). Or, in the event that you too think he’s easily interchangeable with Cox, Albert Finney (The Bourne Ultimatum) would also be suitable. Whichever of the two is cast, he’ll have to either get Genson’s accent down or have his dialogue overdubbed by William Hurt. James Woods as Lt. Governor Pat Quinn He may not really look like Quinn, but James Woods (Ghosts of Mississippi) is terrific at changing his appearance for Oscar-worthy supporting roles. This might not be a big enough part for an actor of his stature, but he’d be great at aping the wide-eyed expressions Quinn does when speaking publicly. Stanley Tucci as Antoin “Tony” Rezko It’s not certain yet if convicted fundraiser Tony Rezko will be involved in Blagojevich’s trial, though his testimonial would serve the prosecution well. If he is a major player, then Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada), with a puffy makeup job and fake mustache, should fill the role. Although Tucci is not Syrian like Rezko, he did once play a Middle Eastern assassin in The Pelican Brief. William Petersen as John Harris As Blagojevich’s former Chief of Staff, who resigned from his position after his joint arrest with the governor last week, William Petersen (TV’s CSI) would callback to his similar role as a political scandal figure in The Contender. “The Football” as Itself One of the harshest punishments for Blagojevich would be for the feds to deny the Governor his beloved hairbrush, which is nicknamed “The Football” (after a term used for the president’s possession of bomb codes). Then, producers of the Blagojevich film should purchase the item for a cameo appearance. Because, as the Governor would declare, there’s no substitute for it. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/joem18b/archive/2008/11/23/37569.aspx Post By: joem18b
Post To: joem18b Blog
Post Date: 11/23/2008 10:04:39 PM
Body: I was jogging the other day, listening to Filmcouch #97, and the boys on the program asked whether there are any movies being made in the old spy genre anymore. Pure spy movies, as I think they put it. Or are we now left with, through evolutionary Hollywood transmogrification, only action spies (Bourne), humorous spoofy spies (Powers), and a few self-referential takes on the old genre, viz., The Constant Gardener.So for a few blocks I mentally recapitulated the efflorescence of the spy genre in the Sixties, as I remember it. Fleming, who started it all when JFK told an interviewer that he read the Bond books before bed at night, Len Deighton (Michael Caine as Quiller), the Flint movies. Richard Burton in the first La Carre effort.Then I spent a couple of blocks coming up with the following list:Spy Kids (2001, 2002)Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)The Tailor of Panama (2001)Spy Game (2001)Breach (2007)Later I did a power search of 2000-2008 in IMDB for "spy" and "spies." Didn't see much.My conclusion: There was a period, beginning with Dr. No and ending, perhaps, with Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, (1979) and Smiley's People (1982), when a true (Bond-inspired) spy genre existed. Since then, from time to time, a movie involving spies appears, but only conforming to the conventions of the old genre, if at all, by accident. This is similar to comparing Hollywood genre romantic comedies (which conform to a strict set of rules) to French romantic comedies (which don't).
]]>Mon, 24 Nov 2008 03:04:39 GMTjoem18bjoem18b Blog11/23/2008 10:04:39 PMI was jogging the other day, listening to Filmcouch #97, and the boys on the program asked whether there are any movies being made in the old spy genre anymore. Pure spy movies, as I think they put it. Or are we now left with, through evolutionary Hollywood transmogrification, only action spies (Bourne), humorous spoofy spies (Powers), and a few self-referential takes on the old genre, viz., The Constant Gardener.So for a few blocks I mentally recapitulated the efflorescence of the spy genre in the Sixties, as I remember it. Fleming, who started it all when JFK told an interviewer that he read the Bond books before bed at night, Len Deighton (Michael Caine as Quiller), the Flint movies. Richard Burton in the first La Carre effort.Then I spent a couple of blocks coming up with the following list:Spy Kids (2001, 2002)Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)The Tailor of Panama (2001)Spy Game (2001)Breach (2007)Later I did a power search of 2000-2008 in IMDB for "spy" and "spies." Didn't see much.My conclusion: There was a period, beginning with Dr. No and ending, perhaps, with Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, (1979) and Smiley's People (1982), when a true (Bond-inspired) spy genre existed. Since then, from time to time, a movie involving spies appears, but only conforming to the conventions of the old genre, if at all, by accident. This is similar to comparing Hollywood genre romantic comedies (which conform to a strict set of rules) to French romantic comedies (which don't). http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/My_favorite_ideas/563/33892/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Cammmalot
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 8/12/2008 3:01:34 AM
Body: I'm coming to the table late and my ignorance of the Batman universe would truly astound so I'll spare you any false insights. I came up with the same idea as Tanski's suggestion of Michael Keaton's return to the series as the next villian. I think this would be fantastic on so many levels. Of course there are obvious ties such as his over the top performances in the likes of Beetlejuice but I'm thinking a darker more omnious psycho along the lines of Pacific Heights. Or the gum chewing bravado of Jackie Brown & Out of Sight . As for the best description of this character I loved Sammyjankis' summary: The main plot (and villain) is, of course, the Riddler. I'm imagining an older man, a former game show host who has a massive chip on his shoulder because he is the smartest man in Gotham but no one notices or acknowledges it. Thus, it isn't enough to simply pull off crimes, he must do it in a way that proves how much smarter he is than his opponents. Where the Joker saw matching Batman's theatrics as a way to cause chaos, the Riddler sees it as a means to achieve glory. Unlike the Joker's games which were all about misdirection and illusion, the Riddler's puzzles are overt. He is more than happy to tell you exactly what the rules and stakes are, because he is supremely confident that his puzzles cannot he solved. This will be the thematic crux of the film. Impotence. Whereas the Batman has found new strength through deeper brutality, this is an opponent who cannot be beaten through force. 'The Dark Knight' showed us the detective side of Batman onscreen for the first time (in any real way) and that can be deepened here. The Riddler can only be defeated with reason. In this post-Saw world, the character could do more than just give out riddles to solve, he can be obsessed with all sorts of puzzles and design all manner of Rube Goldberg devices to trip up our hero. I could even envision a final action sequence where an entire portion of the city has become a Goldberg device through explosives and physics. (By the way Sammyjankis is a great name.) Finally the idea I most wish I had come up with had to be iantx2000's suggestion of Sam Rockwell! What a brillant idea. He is so prime for a turn as the ultimate super villian. I'm thinking full on Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Box of Moonlight, Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy mode. "
]]>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:01:34 GMTCammmalotFilmgaming8/12/2008 3:01:34 AMI'm coming to the table late and my ignorance of the Batman universe would truly astound so I'll spare you any false insights. I came up with the same idea as Tanski's suggestion of Michael Keaton's return to the series as the next villian. I think this would be fantastic on so many levels. Of course there are obvious ties such as his over the top performances in the likes of Beetlejuice but I'm thinking a darker more omnious psycho along the lines of Pacific Heights. Or the gum chewing bravado of Jackie Brown &amp; Out of Sight . As for the best description of this character I loved Sammyjankis' summary: The main plot (and villain) is, of course, the Riddler. I'm imagining an older man, a former game show host who has a massive chip on his shoulder because he is the smartest man in Gotham but no one notices or acknowledges it. Thus, it isn't enough to simply pull off crimes, he must do it in a way that proves how much smarter he is than his opponents. Where the Joker saw matching Batman's theatrics as a way to cause chaos, the Riddler sees it as a means to achieve glory. Unlike the Joker's games which were all about misdirection and illusion, the Riddler's puzzles are overt. He is more than happy to tell you exactly what the rules and stakes are, because he is supremely confident that his puzzles cannot he solved. This will be the thematic crux of the film. Impotence. Whereas the Batman has found new strength through deeper brutality, this is an opponent who cannot be beaten through force. 'The Dark Knight' showed us the detective side of Batman onscreen for the first time (in any real way) and that can be deepened here. The Riddler can only be defeated with reason. In this post-Saw world, the character could do more than just give out riddles to solve, he can be obsessed with all sorts of puzzles and design all manner of Rube Goldberg devices to trip up our hero. I could even envision a final action sequence where an entire portion of the city has become a Goldberg device through explosives and physics. (By the way Sammyjankis is a great name.) Finally the idea I most wish I had come up with had to be iantx2000's suggestion of Sam Rockwell! What a brillant idea. He is so prime for a turn as the ultimate super villian. I'm thinking full on Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Box of Moonlight, Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy mode. " http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/8/7/33699.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 8/7/2008 2:00:31 PM
Body: We’re less than a week away from the release of Tropic Thunder, and as the reviews and puff pieces make their way onto the web, there’s one thing clearly uniting the media’s coverage: talk of Tom Cruise’s appearance in a small role as a Hollywood studio boss. Everyone seems to agree that he steals the show and that his performance — or the joke surrounding it — is one of the comedy’s major highlights, if not the actual best part. Of course, we can expect a good cameo from Cruise every now and then. He showed up for a bit part in Young Guns and played himself as playing “Austin Powers” in Austin Powers in Goldmember. But from what it sounds like, his role in Tropic Thunder is featured for longer than might qualify as a cameo. Some are regardless referring to the performance as an “extended cameo”, and in theory it certainly fits in with the huge crop of so-called “ironic cameos” that have become popular in movies and TV in the last ten years. Still, despite my not having yet seen the movie, I’m thinking that Tom Cruise’s involvement in Tropic Thunder is more like the following list, which consists of merely small roles filled by big stars. You might consider some of them to be technically cameos, especially the ones that aren’t integral to the plot and/or call attention to themselves. But with each of the roles I’ve included, I consider them to be either the best part of their respective movies or at least a major highlight, which is how Cruise’s appearance is being touted. Anyway, forgive me for trying to come up with something different than simply a best cameo list, even if the focus here seems less than clear. 10. Marlon Brando as “Jor-El” in Superman - He was probably paid too much for the part, especially if all the trivia surrounding his involvement (reading his lines off baby Superman’s diaper; desiring that only his voice be used; demanding to be paid double if any footage was to be used in the sequel) is true, but it’s pretty cool having Brando appear at the beginning of what I still consider to be the best superhero comic book adaptation of all time (sorry Dark Knight fans). He’s not the best thing about the movie, but he’s an immediate highlight. As for his payment (reportedly $3.7 million), Warner Bros. has leveled out his worth a little by featuring him in the Donner cut of Superman II and in Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns — a movie that also creatively employs Brando’s On the Waterfront costar Eva Marie Saint appropriately as Superman’s adopted mother. 9. Drew Barrymore as “Casey Becker” in Scream - Having your biggest star killed in the opening scene is kinda like having your best action sequence at the head of the movie (a la Bad Boys II), but fortunately the rest of the first Scream is pretty good, and Barrymore’s (don’t call it a cameo) part doesn’t overshadow the movie too much. In a way, since this wasn’t a sequel yet the movie was a bit of a parody of all slasher movies, the familiarity of Becker’s face could be taken to be akin to how, often, horror sequels begin by killing off the heroine of the previous installment in the first few minutes. 8. Arnold Schwarzenegger as “Prince Hapi” in Around the World in 80 Days - There isn’t much to enjoy about Frank Coraci’s 2004 version of the Jules Verne tale, especially since there appears to be a lot of missed opportunities in terms of guest appearances (Wikipedia counts 45 “cameos” in the 1956 version; I count maybe 10 that could be considered “cameos” in the newer movie). Therefore, Schwarzenegger’s hilarious appearance as a lecherous Turkish prince — one of his last roles filmed before becoming Governor of California — is one of the few highlights, if not the sole highlight (personally, I enjoy Jackie Chan in anything, and I liked more of this movie than most people did). The role is especially funny and creepy if you’ve ever seen that old footage of Schwarzenegger being sleazy at Carnival in Rio. 7. Orson Welles as “Unicron” in Transformers: The Movie - Welles’ voice had been overpowering in films before — he had a good side career going throughout his life as a narrator — but considering this was ridiculously his final performance and considering he easily overshadowed his fellow celebrity voice lenders (including otherwise commanding vocal talents Leonard Nimoy, Robert Stack and Casey Kasem), his part completely dominates the movie, both diegetically and extradiegetically. 6. Bruce Willis as “Harry Rydell” in Fast Food Nation - Far and away the only good part of Richard Linklater’s botched attempt to dramatize Eric Schlosser’s non-fiction classic (I consider the book a kind of bible since it inspired me to give up fast food and subsequently lose 60lbs., so it pains me even more to think about Schlosser being a co-writer and producer of the movie), and not just because of his oft-quoted line about how we all have to eat a little shit from time to time. His whole characterization of the cynical meat supplier is brilliant, enough that he unfortunately makes the rest of the movie play even less interesting that it already is. 5. Charlie Sheen as “Charlie” in Being John Malkovich - I wanted to stay away from roles in which actors play themselves, mainly because that’s a big percentage of the ironic cameo stuff that’s so overused these days. However, Sheen’s part here is a little more than a mere cameo. And it’s kind of an ironic parody of the ironic cameo, even as it predates a lot of these cameos in Entourage and Extras and the like (by crediting the role as “Charlie” rather than “as himself”, it’s also a precursor to the more exaggerated than exaggerated “Neil Patrick Harris” character of the Harold and Kumar films). Perhaps intended to redirect the audience’s perspective on John Malkovich’s titular character, which is up until Sheen’s entrance possibly accepted as an authentic self-portrayal, the overstatement of the role raises the already ingeniously funny film up another notch to put it at the level of best comedies ever made. 4. Matt Damon as “Donny” in Eurotrip - I’ve actually never seen Eurotrip, but I hear there’s no reason to watch it other than to see Damon’s bit role as the singer of a pop punk band (the otherwise real Lustra). And I’ve seen that on YouTube, so I’m good. Even more than Cruise and some of the others, Damon seems to love doing guest stints in movies and on TV (he’s also given us the only reasons to ever watch Jimmy Kimmel). Some of his other small roles and cameos can be found in Youth Without Youth, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Finding Forrester, Jersey Girl and The Majestic (the last in voice only). 3. Sean Connery as “King Richard” in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - After making us suffer through Kevin Costner’s terrible performance in the lead role, the producers of this disappointing version of the classic legend actually rub it in how bad their casting choice was by sneaking Connery in at the last minute. Of course, despite the way his appearance increases our dissatisfaction with the rest of the movie, he’s still the highlight. Especially since he’s immediately followed by that awful Bryan Adams song playing over the credits. 2. Alec Baldwin as “Blake” in Glengarry Glen Ross - Sure, the rest of the film is really good, mostly because of the stellar cast filling out the rest of the ensemble, but the first thing you remember about this David Mamet adaptation is Baldwin’s monologue. It’s good enough that I almost also included on this list the Blake-inspired character from Boiler Room as played by Ben Affleck. But it’s also too good to actually accept Affleck’s ripoff as being in the same league. 1. Gene Hackman as “Blindman” in Young Frankenstein - I’m in the minority as far as my appreciation of Mel Brooks’ parody of James Whale’s Frankenstein films. I think it’s really funny, but I don’t think it’s one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. Yet the few minutes that Hackman is on screen always leave me in tears, enough that I wholeheartedly accept the movie’s status as one of the greatest comedies ever made. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:00:31 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com8/7/2008 2:00:31 PMWe’re less than a week away from the release of Tropic Thunder, and as the reviews and puff pieces make their way onto the web, there’s one thing clearly uniting the media’s coverage: talk of Tom Cruise’s appearance in a small role as a Hollywood studio boss. Everyone seems to agree that he steals the show and that his performance — or the joke surrounding it — is one of the comedy’s major highlights, if not the actual best part. Of course, we can expect a good cameo from Cruise every now and then. He showed up for a bit part in Young Guns and played himself as playing “Austin Powers” in Austin Powers in Goldmember. But from what it sounds like, his role in Tropic Thunder is featured for longer than might qualify as a cameo. Some are regardless referring to the performance as an “extended cameo”, and in theory it certainly fits in with the huge crop of so-called “ironic cameos” that have become popular in movies and TV in the last ten years. Still, despite my not having yet seen the movie, I’m thinking that Tom Cruise’s involvement in Tropic Thunder is more like the following list, which consists of merely small roles filled by big stars. You might consider some of them to be technically cameos, especially the ones that aren’t integral to the plot and/or call attention to themselves. But with each of the roles I’ve included, I consider them to be either the best part of their respective movies or at least a major highlight, which is how Cruise’s appearance is being touted. Anyway, forgive me for trying to come up with something different than simply a best cameo list, even if the focus here seems less than clear. 10. Marlon Brando as “Jor-El” in Superman - He was probably paid too much for the part, especially if all the trivia surrounding his involvement (reading his lines off baby Superman’s diaper; desiring that only his voice be used; demanding to be paid double if any footage was to be used in the sequel) is true, but it’s pretty cool having Brando appear at the beginning of what I still consider to be the best superhero comic book adaptation of all time (sorry Dark Knight fans). He’s not the best thing about the movie, but he’s an immediate highlight. As for his payment (reportedly $3.7 million), Warner Bros. has leveled out his worth a little by featuring him in the Donner cut of Superman II and in Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns — a movie that also creatively employs Brando’s On the Waterfront costar Eva Marie Saint appropriately as Superman’s adopted mother. 9. Drew Barrymore as “Casey Becker” in Scream - Having your biggest star killed in the opening scene is kinda like having your best action sequence at the head of the movie (a la Bad Boys II), but fortunately the rest of the first Scream is pretty good, and Barrymore’s (don’t call it a cameo) part doesn’t overshadow the movie too much. In a way, since this wasn’t a sequel yet the movie was a bit of a parody of all slasher movies, the familiarity of Becker’s face could be taken to be akin to how, often, horror sequels begin by killing off the heroine of the previous installment in the first few minutes. 8. Arnold Schwarzenegger as “Prince Hapi” in Around the World in 80 Days - There isn’t much to enjoy about Frank Coraci’s 2004 version of the Jules Verne tale, especially since there appears to be a lot of missed opportunities in terms of guest appearances (Wikipedia counts 45 “cameos” in the 1956 version; I count maybe 10 that could be considered “cameos” in the newer movie). Therefore, Schwarzenegger’s hilarious appearance as a lecherous Turkish prince — one of his last roles filmed before becoming Governor of California — is one of the few highlights, if not the sole highlight (personally, I enjoy Jackie Chan in anything, and I liked more of this movie than most people did). The role is especially funny and creepy if you’ve ever seen that old footage of Schwarzenegger being sleazy at Carnival in Rio. 7. Orson Welles as “Unicron” in Transformers: The Movie - Welles’ voice had been overpowering in films before — he had a good side career going throughout his life as a narrator — but considering this was ridiculously his final performance and considering he easily overshadowed his fellow celebrity voice lenders (including otherwise commanding vocal talents Leonard Nimoy, Robert Stack and Casey Kasem), his part completely dominates the movie, both diegetically and extradiegetically. 6. Bruce Willis as “Harry Rydell” in Fast Food Nation - Far and away the only good part of Richard Linklater’s botched attempt to dramatize Eric Schlosser’s non-fiction classic (I consider the book a kind of bible since it inspired me to give up fast food and subsequently lose 60lbs., so it pains me even more to think about Schlosser being a co-writer and producer of the movie), and not just because of his oft-quoted line about how we all have to eat a little shit from time to time. His whole characterization of the cynical meat supplier is brilliant, enough that he unfortunately makes the rest of the movie play even less interesting that it already is. 5. Charlie Sheen as “Charlie” in Being John Malkovich - I wanted to stay away from roles in which actors play themselves, mainly because that’s a big percentage of the ironic cameo stuff that’s so overused these days. However, Sheen’s part here is a little more than a mere cameo. And it’s kind of an ironic parody of the ironic cameo, even as it predates a lot of these cameos in Entourage and Extras and the like (by crediting the role as “Charlie” rather than “as himself”, it’s also a precursor to the more exaggerated than exaggerated “Neil Patrick Harris” character of the Harold and Kumar films). Perhaps intended to redirect the audience’s perspective on John Malkovich’s titular character, which is up until Sheen’s entrance possibly accepted as an authentic self-portrayal, the overstatement of the role raises the already ingeniously funny film up another notch to put it at the level of best comedies ever made. 4. Matt Damon as “Donny” in Eurotrip - I’ve actually never seen Eurotrip, but I hear there’s no reason to watch it other than to see Damon’s bit role as the singer of a pop punk band (the otherwise real Lustra). And I’ve seen that on YouTube, so I’m good. Even more than Cruise and some of the others, Damon seems to love doing guest stints in movies and on TV (he’s also given us the only reasons to ever watch Jimmy Kimmel). Some of his other small roles and cameos can be found in Youth Without Youth, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Finding Forrester, Jersey Girl and The Majestic (the last in voice only). 3. Sean Connery as “King Richard” in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - After making us suffer through Kevin Costner’s terrible performance in the lead role, the producers of this disappointing version of the classic legend actually rub it in how bad their casting choice was by sneaking Connery in at the last minute. Of course, despite the way his appearance increases our dissatisfaction with the rest of the movie, he’s still the highlight. Especially since he’s immediately followed by that awful Bryan Adams song playing over the credits. 2. Alec Baldwin as “Blake” in Glengarry Glen Ross - Sure, the rest of the film is really good, mostly because of the stellar cast filling out the rest of the ensemble, but the first thing you remember about this David Mamet adaptation is Baldwin’s monologue. It’s good enough that I almost also included on this list the Blake-inspired character from Boiler Room as played by Ben Affleck. But it’s also too good to actually accept Affleck’s ripoff as being in the same league. 1. Gene Hackman as “Blindman” in Young Frankenstein - I’m in the minority as far as my appreciation of Mel Brooks’ parody of James Whale’s Frankenstein films. I think it’s really funny, but I don’t think it’s one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. Yet the few minutes that Hackman is on screen always leave me in tears, enough that I wholeheartedly accept the movie’s status as one of the greatest comedies ever made. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/kristen/archive/2008/5/16/29330.aspx Post By: kristen
Post To: kristen Blog
Post Date: 5/16/2008 8:16:22 PM
Body: Chuck Barris, played by Sam Rockwell, lusts for sexual encounters since roughly age eleven. The movie, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, chronicles Barris' sexual affairs along with his dreams, his game shows, and his licentious murders. This movie is based on Chuck Barris' autobiography. The premise of the movie can be funny. In real life, it is hard to believe that this game show creator murdered many people for the CIA (for why would the CIA let him release such information to the public in an autobiography?). But we are not concerned with real life. In the movie, Chuck Barris does kill people for the CIA. The movie explains his motivations. Barris murders because he gets pleasure from it. He may get pleasure from the murder, but I like to think that his real motivation in killing people is to make the prizes for his game show better. I will say that his motivations for killing are sheer pleasure in the act, a selfish attempt to improve his game show by raising the prizes, and a chance to vacation himself. Ok, we have a shameless man who delights in murder and finally he gets a conscious, has a mental breakdown over existential issues, and decides to "fix" his life. But the movie does not offer any real revelation. Barris is an interesting case study, and it makes for an entertaining movie, but there is no sincere contemplation of life. What is most interesting about this movie is that there is not much honesty. We do not know what is true to life. We see that when Barris tries to tell Penny (Drew Barrymore) about his life, she takes it as a joke. Honesty does not work. There is some issue with honesty at least. I cannot find much in the movie to latch on to. It is fun to watch (though too showy at times) and not much else. ~Kristen Gorlitz
]]>Sat, 17 May 2008 00:16:22 GMTkristenkristen Blog5/16/2008 8:16:22 PM Chuck Barris, played by Sam Rockwell, lusts for sexual encounters since roughly age eleven. The movie, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, chronicles Barris' sexual affairs along with his dreams, his game shows, and his licentious murders. This movie is based on Chuck Barris' autobiography. The premise of the movie can be funny. In real life, it is hard to believe that this game show creator murdered many people for the CIA (for why would the CIA let him release such information to the public in an autobiography?). But we are not concerned with real life. In the movie, Chuck Barris does kill people for the CIA. The movie explains his motivations. Barris murders because he gets pleasure from it. He may get pleasure from the murder, but I like to think that his real motivation in killing people is to make the prizes for his game show better. I will say that his motivations for killing are sheer pleasure in the act, a selfish attempt to improve his game show by raising the prizes, and a chance to vacation himself. Ok, we have a shameless man who delights in murder and finally he gets a conscious, has a mental breakdown over existential issues, and decides to "fix" his life. But the movie does not offer any real revelation. Barris is an interesting case study, and it makes for an entertaining movie, but there is no sincere contemplation of life. What is most interesting about this movie is that there is not much honesty. We do not know what is true to life. We see that when Barris tries to tell Penny (Drew Barrymore) about his life, she takes it as a joke. Honesty does not work. There is some issue with honesty at least. I cannot find much in the movie to latch on to. It is fun to watch (though too showy at times) and not much else. ~Kristen Gorlitz http://www.spout.com/blogs/cinemarian/archive/2008/5/14/29140.aspx Post By: CinemaRian
Post To: CinemaRian Blog
Post Date: 5/14/2008 1:27:14 AM
Body: I didn't see this movie when it came out because it didn't sound particurly interesting. I saw it now because I loved Clooney's second film as a director, Good Night, and Good Luck. In a way this is a test run for that film as it also deals with TV and the cold war. It's good, but nowehere near as sucessful. Indie film star Sam Rockwell stars as Chuck Barris, creator of such television achievements as The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game and The Gong Show, which he also hosted. The movie is based on Barris's autobiography in which he claims that he also worked as an assassin for the CIA, although he always TV producing as his real job. Go figure. Despite the fact that I find his claims rather difficult to beleive, the movie is enertaiing and occasoinly funny, particulaly an awful performance of Elvis's "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" by a Gong Show contestant. Once the movie gets going, however, the spy plot is only moderatly interesting, partially because there's no suspense. We know Barris lived to write his book, so there is no suspense. I never really beleived that he was a CIA killer either, although I think the movie wants us to. The movie is uniformally well acted, particularly by Clooney, as an overly seriously CIA agent, and by Drew Barrymore as Barris's sex buddy and then his girlfriend. This is the kind of role that Barrymore should be getting, where her cuteness is not hampered by stupid movie. Although I was entertained, I have to say that I don't have much desire to see the film again, and I think most other people will have the same reaction. It's a fun movie to watch with friends, but you'll forget about it the next day. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
]]>Wed, 14 May 2008 05:27:14 GMTCinemaRianCinemaRian Blog5/14/2008 1:27:14 AMI didn't see this movie when it came out because it didn't sound particurly interesting. I saw it now because I loved Clooney's second film as a director, Good Night, and Good Luck. In a way this is a test run for that film as it also deals with TV and the cold war. It's good, but nowehere near as sucessful. Indie film star Sam Rockwell stars as Chuck Barris, creator of such television achievements as The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game and The Gong Show, which he also hosted. The movie is based on Barris's autobiography in which he claims that he also worked as an assassin for the CIA, although he always TV producing as his real job. Go figure. Despite the fact that I find his claims rather difficult to beleive, the movie is enertaiing and occasoinly funny, particulaly an awful performance of Elvis's "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" by a Gong Show contestant. Once the movie gets going, however, the spy plot is only moderatly interesting, partially because there's no suspense. We know Barris lived to write his book, so there is no suspense. I never really beleived that he was a CIA killer either, although I think the movie wants us to. The movie is uniformally well acted, particularly by Clooney, as an overly seriously CIA agent, and by Drew Barrymore as Barris's sex buddy and then his girlfriend. This is the kind of role that Barrymore should be getting, where her cuteness is not hampered by stupid movie. Although I was entertained, I have to say that I don't have much desire to see the film again, and I think most other people will have the same reaction. It's a fun movie to watch with friends, but you'll forget about it the next day. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) http://www.spout.com/blogs/usesoap/archive/2008/4/7/27033.aspx Post By: usesoap
Post To: usesoap Blog
Post Date: 4/7/2008 10:47:59 AM
Body: “Leatherheads” has had a long a storied journey to the big screen, and has mutated into several incarnations in the process.It was once envisioned to be a historically accurate account of football’s earliest innovators, a blood-and-mud saga of gridiron gladiators, and a comedic take on colorful pigskin pioneers.It arrives in theaters as a screwball comedy throwback – cobbled together with romantic subplots, early growing pains of the game, and fictional glimpses into the lives of the sport’s bruising brotherhood.The result is a curious mix that is overstuffed with half-planned protractions of what might have been if director/star George Clooney had remained focused not on merely gaining yardage with small hand-offs of laughter, but on just where the goal line of his film was.Not screwy enough for screwball, not hard-hitting enough for a sports picture, and far-too-slight as a commentary on the souring of the game with all its “rules” and “regulations,” “Leatherheads merely scrambles in scene after scene, wearily winding down the clock.Clooney plays Dodge Connelly, the aging coach and player of the amateur Duluth Bulldogs, one of the last holdouts in a rapidly diminishing field of football teams in 1925.In order to boost sales and escape working in “the real world,” Connelly concocts a plan to enlist a star athlete who has returned from World War I a hero and whose ubiquitous visage is pimped out on more products than Michael Jordan is his prime.But there is a cloud that follows this young hero, Carter “The Bullet” Rutherford (played by “The Office’s” John Krasinski), as his military heroics might not be all that it appears.Enter Lexie Littleton (played by perma-puckering Renee Zellweger), a hard-edged moll who’s the ace reporter for the local paper intent on cracking the shell of this “Bullet.” Her presence sets up a rather static love triangle between her, the young rising star and the aging Donnelly. While there are moments of back-and-forth banter, a la “Philadelphia Story,” little of it lands with the impact Grant and Hepburn so successfully accomplished decades ago.The chemistry between its romantic leads is so week and predictable, it would be eclipsed by a grade school science fair.After veering from ensemble action comedy to bickering romance, the film takes yet another curious detour in its final act to comment on American values, the country’s need for heroes and how the formality of regulated sports drains the fun out of the game.Clooney has proven himself sure-footed when he’s behind the camera in his two previous outings, “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” and “Good Night, and Good Luck.” But here, he feels completely off balance. It has moments of artistic flourish, but it gets dogpiled under the heft of so many extra slender subplots. In front of the lens, he’s as easygoing as ever, slightly summoning a variation on his deft comedic work in “O Brother, Where Art Thou,” and he takes more than a few good-natured jabs at his age, but he can do little to extract much from co-stars Zellweger and Krazinski, who seem unable to establish their footing from one scene to the next.“Leatherheads,” though infinitely more competent a film, shares much with Will Ferrell’s latest amateur-to-pro sports comedy, “Semi-Pro,” in which it suffers from jarring tonal shifts that ultimately hobble it at its knees. It’s light enough to keep audiences occupied with slight smirks, but like the players on the soggy field in the film’s final game, “Leatherheads” becomes too muddied with plot that we are really unable to distinguish just who these people are.
]]>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:47:59 GMTusesoapusesoap Blog4/7/2008 10:47:59 AM&ldquo;Leatherheads&rdquo; has had a long a storied journey to the big screen, and has mutated into several incarnations in the process.It was once envisioned to be a historically accurate account of football&rsquo;s earliest innovators, a blood-and-mud saga of gridiron gladiators, and a comedic take on colorful pigskin pioneers.It arrives in theaters as a screwball comedy throwback &ndash; cobbled together with romantic subplots, early growing pains of the game, and fictional glimpses into the lives of the sport&rsquo;s bruising brotherhood.The result is a curious mix that is overstuffed with half-planned protractions of what might have been if director/star George Clooney had remained focused not on merely gaining yardage with small hand-offs of laughter, but on just where the goal line of his film was.Not screwy enough for screwball, not hard-hitting enough for a sports picture, and far-too-slight as a commentary on the souring of the game with all its &ldquo;rules&rdquo; and &ldquo;regulations,&rdquo; &ldquo;Leatherheads merely scrambles in scene after scene, wearily winding down the clock.Clooney plays Dodge Connelly, the aging coach and player of the amateur Duluth Bulldogs, one of the last holdouts in a rapidly diminishing field of football teams in 1925.In order to boost sales and escape working in &ldquo;the real world,&rdquo; Connelly concocts a plan to enlist a star athlete who has returned from World War I a hero and whose ubiquitous visage is pimped out on more products than Michael Jordan is his prime.But there is a cloud that follows this young hero, Carter &ldquo;The Bullet&rdquo; Rutherford (played by &ldquo;The Office&rsquo;s&rdquo; John Krasinski), as his military heroics might not be all that it appears.Enter Lexie Littleton (played by perma-puckering Renee Zellweger), a hard-edged moll who&rsquo;s the ace reporter for the local paper intent on cracking the shell of this &ldquo;Bullet.&rdquo; Her presence sets up a rather static love triangle between her, the young rising star and the aging Donnelly. While there are moments of back-and-forth banter, a la &ldquo;Philadelphia Story,&rdquo; little of it lands with the impact Grant and Hepburn so successfully accomplished decades ago.The chemistry between its romantic leads is so week and predictable, it would be eclipsed by a grade school science fair.After veering from ensemble action comedy to bickering romance, the film takes yet another curious detour in its final act to comment on American values, the country&rsquo;s need for heroes and how the formality of regulated sports drains the fun out of the game.Clooney has proven himself sure-footed when he&rsquo;s behind the camera in his two previous outings, &ldquo;Confessions of a Dangerous Mind&rdquo; and &ldquo;Good Night, and Good Luck.&rdquo; But here, he feels completely off balance. It has moments of artistic flourish, but it gets dogpiled under the heft of so many extra slender subplots. In front of the lens, he&rsquo;s as easygoing as ever, slightly summoning a variation on his deft comedic work in &ldquo;O Brother, Where Art Thou,&rdquo; and he takes more than a few good-natured jabs at his age, but he can do little to extract much from co-stars Zellweger and Krazinski, who seem unable to establish their footing from one scene to the next.&ldquo;Leatherheads,&rdquo; though infinitely more competent a film, shares much with Will Ferrell&rsquo;s latest amateur-to-pro sports comedy, &ldquo;Semi-Pro,&rdquo; in which it suffers from jarring tonal shifts that ultimately hobble it at its knees. It&rsquo;s light enough to keep audiences occupied with slight smirks, but like the players on the soggy field in the film&rsquo;s final game, &ldquo;Leatherheads&rdquo; becomes too muddied with plot that we are really unable to distinguish just who these people are. http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Top_5_movies_directed_by_an_actor_or_actress/190/26401/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: leeroy711
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 3/19/2008 3:04:20 PM
Body: Honorable mention to George Clooney for Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
]]>Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:04:20 GMTleeroy711Top 53/19/2008 3:04:20 PMHonorable mention to George Clooney for Confessions of a Dangerous Mind http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/funny/MemberTagFilms.aspxfunny
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]]>Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:46:10 GMT607316940Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Crazy/MemberTagFilms.aspxCrazy
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]]>Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:44:43 GMT272834Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/kaufman/MemberTagFilms.aspxkaufman
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]]>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:55:55 GMT321139Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/gameshow/MemberTagFilms.aspxgameshow
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]]>Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:11:41 GMT941011Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/cia-centralintelligence/MemberTagFilms.aspxcia-centralintelligence
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]]>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:07:18 GMT277915Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/games/MemberTagFilms.aspxgames
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]]>Tue, 07 Apr 2009 01:41:26 GMT187911Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/doublelife/MemberTagFilms.aspxdoublelife
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]]>Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:12:44 GMT110810Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/uneven/MemberTagFilms.aspxuneven
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]]>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:30:02 GMT879Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/governmentagent/MemberTagFilms.aspxgovernmentagent
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]]>Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:02:38 GMT8555Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/impressive/MemberTagFilms.aspximpressive
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]]>Tue, 07 Aug 2007 03:44:47 GMT656Tag