As sweet, sticky and snappy as a candy cane, “Christmas with You” provides a refreshing, sugary boost to any Netflix subscriber’s cinematic diet. This holiday offering, centered on a burnt-out pop star searching for creative inspiration and finding love, welcomes its co-star Freddie Prinze Jr. back to rom-coms, a genre from which he’s been absent for the past two decades. It also delivers unexpected seasonal delights with authentic, universal appeal. The ease with which it packages comedic hijinks and poignancy allows specifics of Latin American culture to shape and broaden its genuine emotional impact. And what a lovely gift that turns out to be.
Recording artist Angelina (Aimee Garcia) has been conquering the pop charts for decades, but finds herself stuck at a creative crossroads. The industry at large and her record producer Barry (Lawrence J. Hughes) are determined to pit her against label-mate/ingénue Cheri (Nicolette Stephanie Templier), who has stronger songs,...
Recording artist Angelina (Aimee Garcia) has been conquering the pop charts for decades, but finds herself stuck at a creative crossroads. The industry at large and her record producer Barry (Lawrence J. Hughes) are determined to pit her against label-mate/ingénue Cheri (Nicolette Stephanie Templier), who has stronger songs,...
- 11/17/2022
- by Courtney Howard
- Variety Film + TV
When appraised in the cold light of day, The Wild Life (1984) stands as a fairly minor ’80s teen comedy, lacking the flash of broader, more risqué fare like Porky’s (1982) or the great characters that populated instant classics of the genre like 1982’s Fast Times At Ridgemont High (more on that in a second), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), or one of this critic’s personal favorites, Real Genius (1985). So why are we talking about the film’s recent Kino Lorber Blu-ray release at all?
In part, because of the rising talent behind and in front of the camera. The film’s cast includes Chris Penn, Eric Stoltz, Lea Thompson, Jenny Wright, Rick Moranis, Hart Bochner and Randy Quaid (and Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson in a fun cameo). The film was penned by a young writer/producer named Cameron Crowe, hot off the success of penning Fast Times, and helmed...
In part, because of the rising talent behind and in front of the camera. The film’s cast includes Chris Penn, Eric Stoltz, Lea Thompson, Jenny Wright, Rick Moranis, Hart Bochner and Randy Quaid (and Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson in a fun cameo). The film was penned by a young writer/producer named Cameron Crowe, hot off the success of penning Fast Times, and helmed...
- 8/19/2021
- by Alex Kirschenbaum
- Trailers from Hell
The list of candidates for the 2020 Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors election is now out, with the winner in each branch being chosen directly from these entries rather than whittling it down to four finalists in each, as has been done previously. The list of candidates is made up of qualified AMPAS members who actually submit themselves.
Also new this year in the streamlined timetable, as Deadline exclusively reported May 16. The winners for the 17 open slots on the 54-member board will be chosen by preferential balloting, just like Best Picture race at the Oscars. Voting begins Monday and ballots are due back June 5.
The actors branch is the largest in the Academy and it also has drawn the biggest field of contenders for the one spot that is up. Incumbent governor Whoopi Goldberg is running for re-election against past governor Ed Begley Jr. vying to return to the board.
Also new this year in the streamlined timetable, as Deadline exclusively reported May 16. The winners for the 17 open slots on the 54-member board will be chosen by preferential balloting, just like Best Picture race at the Oscars. Voting begins Monday and ballots are due back June 5.
The actors branch is the largest in the Academy and it also has drawn the biggest field of contenders for the one spot that is up. Incumbent governor Whoopi Goldberg is running for re-election against past governor Ed Begley Jr. vying to return to the board.
- 5/29/2020
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Whoopi Goldberg will be facing 18 other actors who want her seat on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors, the Academy revealed to its members on Friday.
The Academy posted the list of candidates for the board from all 17 of its branches, with incumbent Actors Branch governor Goldberg going up against a slate of challengers that includes past governor Ed Begley Jr., as well as Richard Dreyfuss, James and Stacy Keach, Tim Matheson, Joe Pantoliano, Lou Diamond Phillips and Rita Wilson, whose husband, Tom Hanks, served on the board for many years.
Other branches whose contenders hit double digits included Cinematographers (12), Directors (13), Executives (12), Producers (16), Sound (10) and Visual Effects (10).
But the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch, in which incumbent Kathryn Blondell was ineligible to run again, has only a single candidate, Linda Flowers.
Also Read: Oscars Board Election Has New Rules - But Expect the Same Old Results
Blondell,...
The Academy posted the list of candidates for the board from all 17 of its branches, with incumbent Actors Branch governor Goldberg going up against a slate of challengers that includes past governor Ed Begley Jr., as well as Richard Dreyfuss, James and Stacy Keach, Tim Matheson, Joe Pantoliano, Lou Diamond Phillips and Rita Wilson, whose husband, Tom Hanks, served on the board for many years.
Other branches whose contenders hit double digits included Cinematographers (12), Directors (13), Executives (12), Producers (16), Sound (10) and Visual Effects (10).
But the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch, in which incumbent Kathryn Blondell was ineligible to run again, has only a single candidate, Linda Flowers.
Also Read: Oscars Board Election Has New Rules - But Expect the Same Old Results
Blondell,...
- 5/29/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The list of candidates for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 2020-2021 Board of Governors has been unveiled to members.
Voting begins on June 1 and ends on June 5.
Candidates run for three-year terms with a maximum of three terms. Each branch has three seats on the board. Only one of those seats is open each year because terms are staggered.
The candidates were posted on the Academy members’ portal on Friday afternoon. Below is the complete list (divided by branch) of those running for spots on the board.
Actors
Michael Lee Aday
Ed Begley, Jr.
Robert Carradine
Nicolas Coster
Colman Domingo
Richard Dreyfuss
Spencer Garrett
Bruce Glover
Whoopi Goldberg (incumbent)
James Keach
Stacy Keach
Peter Wong
Jodi Long
Tim Matheson
Joe Pantoliano
Lou Diamond Phillips
Andrea Riseborough
Andrew Stevens
Rita Wilson
Casting Directors
Kerry Barden
Richard Hicks
Margery Simkin
Debra Zane
Cinematographers
Andrzej Bartkowiak
Richard P. Crudo
Svetlana Cvetko...
Voting begins on June 1 and ends on June 5.
Candidates run for three-year terms with a maximum of three terms. Each branch has three seats on the board. Only one of those seats is open each year because terms are staggered.
The candidates were posted on the Academy members’ portal on Friday afternoon. Below is the complete list (divided by branch) of those running for spots on the board.
Actors
Michael Lee Aday
Ed Begley, Jr.
Robert Carradine
Nicolas Coster
Colman Domingo
Richard Dreyfuss
Spencer Garrett
Bruce Glover
Whoopi Goldberg (incumbent)
James Keach
Stacy Keach
Peter Wong
Jodi Long
Tim Matheson
Joe Pantoliano
Lou Diamond Phillips
Andrea Riseborough
Andrew Stevens
Rita Wilson
Casting Directors
Kerry Barden
Richard Hicks
Margery Simkin
Debra Zane
Cinematographers
Andrzej Bartkowiak
Richard P. Crudo
Svetlana Cvetko...
- 5/29/2020
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Coming off one of its most contentious years in history, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences has sent out its list of candidates for its Board of Governors elections late this month.
The Board of Governors directs the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health, and assures the fulfillment of its mission.
Governors attend 6-8 board meetings annually (in person or by video conference when out of town). Each Governor also serves on one board oversight committee and their branch’s executive committee, and they are expected to represent their branch at numerous Academy events through the year.
Governors have fiduciary responsibilities imposed by state law to serve the Academy’s best interests, by acting with responsibility and care when approving annual goals presented by management, as well as major policies concerning governance.
CEO Dawn Hudson oversees a staff of more than 300 who conduct the Academy’s day-to-day business.
The Board of Governors directs the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health, and assures the fulfillment of its mission.
Governors attend 6-8 board meetings annually (in person or by video conference when out of town). Each Governor also serves on one board oversight committee and their branch’s executive committee, and they are expected to represent their branch at numerous Academy events through the year.
Governors have fiduciary responsibilities imposed by state law to serve the Academy’s best interests, by acting with responsibility and care when approving annual goals presented by management, as well as major policies concerning governance.
CEO Dawn Hudson oversees a staff of more than 300 who conduct the Academy’s day-to-day business.
- 5/10/2019
- by Michael Cieply and Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
At this point, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ governors election looks more like a round-up than a race; more than 180 members have declared their interest in filling 17 contested spots on the 54-member Board of Governors.
Voting in the run-off round starts on Monday and ends May 18. That will narrow the present field to a maximum of four nominees per branch in the final round, which follows.
For now, there are on average about 11 candidates in the running for each slot. In the casting directors and costume design branches, only three members have declared for each slot. But not so in the actors branch, where 17 members — including Brie Larson, Jacki Weaver and Meg Ryan — are vying for the spot being vacated by termed-out Tom Hanks; or the producers, executives, and public relations branches, all of which have a bumper crop of candidates. Marvin Levy, currently a governor in the public relations branch,...
Voting in the run-off round starts on Monday and ends May 18. That will narrow the present field to a maximum of four nominees per branch in the final round, which follows.
For now, there are on average about 11 candidates in the running for each slot. In the casting directors and costume design branches, only three members have declared for each slot. But not so in the actors branch, where 17 members — including Brie Larson, Jacki Weaver and Meg Ryan — are vying for the spot being vacated by termed-out Tom Hanks; or the producers, executives, and public relations branches, all of which have a bumper crop of candidates. Marvin Levy, currently a governor in the public relations branch,...
- 5/11/2018
- by Michael Cieply
- Deadline Film + TV
First of, have I told you how much I love this film? It's Super-funny! But, the greatest comedies have underlying tones of despair, and the characters in "The Goods" certainly have lots of those, hence, the funnies :happy
Make it the super funnies!
From the folks who gave us "Talladega Nights" and "Stepbrothers," "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard" is one of the best comedies of the summer, perhaps the year!
Directed by Neil Brennan from the script by Andy Stock and Rick Stempson, this film ain't a clunker! Paramount has great timing with the whole Cash for Clunkers program.
You'll find a new, perhaps, respect for used car salesman! "The Goods" opens this Friday, Aug. 14th, so don't miss it!
So I attended the press junket for "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard" and sat down with the cast. Here they are (click on pictures to see video):...
Make it the super funnies!
From the folks who gave us "Talladega Nights" and "Stepbrothers," "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard" is one of the best comedies of the summer, perhaps the year!
Directed by Neil Brennan from the script by Andy Stock and Rick Stempson, this film ain't a clunker! Paramount has great timing with the whole Cash for Clunkers program.
You'll find a new, perhaps, respect for used car salesman! "The Goods" opens this Friday, Aug. 14th, so don't miss it!
So I attended the press junket for "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard" and sat down with the cast. Here they are (click on pictures to see video):...
- 8/12/2009
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Those pesky no good aliens are at it again folks. No wonder nobody ever visits earth...Still, here we have the trailer for Roadside Attractions' "Alien Trespass" starring Eric McCormack, Jenni Baird, Robert Patrick, Dan Lauria and Jody Thompson. See the trailer here. What's it about? Coming soon to a theater and drive-in near you: Alien Trespass, a thrilling sci-fi adventure from three-time Golden Globe winner and five time Emmy Award-nominated director/producer R.W. Goodwin ("The X-Files") and brought to you in glorious color! Alien Trespass is an exciting and entertaining homage to the great science-fiction movies of the 1950s, the post-war boom period when the country was filled with great hope and prosperity and, at the same time, lived under the threat of nuclear annihilation. The story begins in 1957 in the star-filled skies above California's Mojave Desert. It is a special night for noted astronomer Ted Lewis (Eric McCormack...
- 2/26/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Movie Jungle has images in from the sci-fi horror comedy "Alien Trespass," helmed by R.W. Goodwin ("The X:Files: Revelations," "The Fugitive" TV Series). James Swift and Steven P. Fisher make their writing debut on the film. See all of the images from the gallery including the poster. Coming soon to a theater and drive-in near you: Alien Trespass, a thrilling sci-fi adventure from three-time Golden Globe winner and five time Emmy Award-nominated director/producer R.W. Goodwin ("The X-Files") and brought to you in glorious color! Alien Trespass is an exciting and entertaining homage to the great science-fiction movies of the 1950s, the post-war boom period when the country was filled with great hope and prosperity and, at the same time, lived under the threat of nuclear annihilation. The story begins in 1957 in the star-filled skies above California's Mojave Desert. It is a special night for noted astronomer Ted Lewis (Eric McCormack...
- 2/6/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
The Olsen twins, Ashley and Mary-Kate, are growing up. In their new movie, New York Minute, they have turned 17, are kissing boys and are even playing scenes wearing no more than a robe and a towel. For all the peekaboo provided by their constant wardrobe changes, males of any age will only come to this chick flick kicking and screaming. Nevertheless, the Olsens' core female following, adolescent and teenage girls, will enjoy the innocuous tale of estranged sisters pulling together against comical adversity during one wild day in Manhattan. Prospects are even brighter in ancillary markets.
This tailor-made project, which the twins co-produced with Denise Di Novi and Robert Thorne, the head of their own company, is cheerfully disconnected from the real world, bearing a great resemblance to screwball comedies of old. With Eugene Levy and Andy Richter contributing inspired clowning and TV veteran Dennie Gordon moving the story along at a merry pace, this harmless concoction should help the Olsens plug into a new generation of viewers.
The script by Emily Fox, Adam Cooper and Bill Collage is designed to maximize comic predicaments for the twins. The Ryan sisters, as they are know here, live on Long Island with their widowed physician dad (radio personality Dr. Drew Pinsky). They may be twins, but they are not identical: Overachiever Jane Ashley Olsen) is due to deliver a speech at Columbia University in a competition to win a scholarship to Oxford University. Rock rebel Roxy (Mary-Kate Olsen) plans to ditch school for the umpteenth time to sneak into a rock video shoot in Manhattan to slip her band's demo into the hands of the A&R guys. (Amusing side note: Jack Osbourne of The Osbournes makes his feature debut as Roxy's band manager.)
Things go awry immediately. Both get booted off a commuter train. Then a sinister guy slips a microchip into Roxy's purse. Bennie Bang (Richter), the hapless gangster who is desperate to get his hands on that chip, offers the two a ride into the city. Before he can retrieve his precious chip, they escape his clutches. Unfortunately, Jane leaves her all-important dayplanner in the back seat of his limo.
So the chase is on. The girls are pursued not only by the woefully inept Benny -- who as No. 1 adopted son of his Chinese gangster mom must effect a bad Chinese accent -- but by Max Lomax (Levy), an obsessed truancy officer determined to nab Roxy, his No. 1 violator.
(It's interesting to track what constitutes villainy in Hollywood movies today. Whereas once villains were bank robbers, drug dealers, white-slave traders, psychotic losers and abusive husbands, this movie's villains are intellectual property thieves as the microchip contains pirated music and movies.)
The girls acquire love interests in Jared Padalecki, playing a senator's son who is drawn to Roxy, and Riley Smith, a bicycle messenger who runs into Jane at opportune moments during the day. Neither romance gives off any sparks as the guys are barely onscreen long enough to register. The senator's lap dog, a Chinese Crested, has more screen time.
At one point, the girls stumble into a Harlem beauty parlor for an interlude in which Mary Bond Davis (star of Broadway's Hairspray) gives them a huge makeover. This has little to do with the story, but does allow the twins to perform a fashion show.
The movie flows nicely from one wacky episode to the next, and the Olsen girls make pleasant company. Cinematographer Greg Gardiner's high-key lighting and George S. Clinton's bright music keep things perky. Costume designer Christopher Hargadon has fun by emphasizing the extremes between the sisters and, of course, goes wild during their beauty parlor makeover.
NEW YORK MINUTE
Warner Bros. Pictures
A Dualstar Prods./Di Novi Pictures production
Credits:
Director: Dennie Gordon
Screenwriters: Emily Fox, Adam Cooper, Bill Collage
Story by: Emily Fox
Producers: Denise Di Novi, Robert Thorne, Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen
Executive producer: Alison Greenspan
Director of photography: Greg Gardiner
Production designer: Michael Carlin
Music: George S. Clinton
Co-producers: Christine Sacani, Jill Zimmerman
Costume designer: Christopher Hargadon
Editors: Michael Jablow, Roderick Davis
Cast:
Jane Ryan: Ashley Olsen
Roxy Ryan: Mary-Kate Olsen
Max Lomax: Eugene Levy
Bennie Bang: Andy Richter
Jim: Riley Smith
Trey: Jared Padalecki
Sen. Lipton: Andrea Martin
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
This tailor-made project, which the twins co-produced with Denise Di Novi and Robert Thorne, the head of their own company, is cheerfully disconnected from the real world, bearing a great resemblance to screwball comedies of old. With Eugene Levy and Andy Richter contributing inspired clowning and TV veteran Dennie Gordon moving the story along at a merry pace, this harmless concoction should help the Olsens plug into a new generation of viewers.
The script by Emily Fox, Adam Cooper and Bill Collage is designed to maximize comic predicaments for the twins. The Ryan sisters, as they are know here, live on Long Island with their widowed physician dad (radio personality Dr. Drew Pinsky). They may be twins, but they are not identical: Overachiever Jane Ashley Olsen) is due to deliver a speech at Columbia University in a competition to win a scholarship to Oxford University. Rock rebel Roxy (Mary-Kate Olsen) plans to ditch school for the umpteenth time to sneak into a rock video shoot in Manhattan to slip her band's demo into the hands of the A&R guys. (Amusing side note: Jack Osbourne of The Osbournes makes his feature debut as Roxy's band manager.)
Things go awry immediately. Both get booted off a commuter train. Then a sinister guy slips a microchip into Roxy's purse. Bennie Bang (Richter), the hapless gangster who is desperate to get his hands on that chip, offers the two a ride into the city. Before he can retrieve his precious chip, they escape his clutches. Unfortunately, Jane leaves her all-important dayplanner in the back seat of his limo.
So the chase is on. The girls are pursued not only by the woefully inept Benny -- who as No. 1 adopted son of his Chinese gangster mom must effect a bad Chinese accent -- but by Max Lomax (Levy), an obsessed truancy officer determined to nab Roxy, his No. 1 violator.
(It's interesting to track what constitutes villainy in Hollywood movies today. Whereas once villains were bank robbers, drug dealers, white-slave traders, psychotic losers and abusive husbands, this movie's villains are intellectual property thieves as the microchip contains pirated music and movies.)
The girls acquire love interests in Jared Padalecki, playing a senator's son who is drawn to Roxy, and Riley Smith, a bicycle messenger who runs into Jane at opportune moments during the day. Neither romance gives off any sparks as the guys are barely onscreen long enough to register. The senator's lap dog, a Chinese Crested, has more screen time.
At one point, the girls stumble into a Harlem beauty parlor for an interlude in which Mary Bond Davis (star of Broadway's Hairspray) gives them a huge makeover. This has little to do with the story, but does allow the twins to perform a fashion show.
The movie flows nicely from one wacky episode to the next, and the Olsen girls make pleasant company. Cinematographer Greg Gardiner's high-key lighting and George S. Clinton's bright music keep things perky. Costume designer Christopher Hargadon has fun by emphasizing the extremes between the sisters and, of course, goes wild during their beauty parlor makeover.
NEW YORK MINUTE
Warner Bros. Pictures
A Dualstar Prods./Di Novi Pictures production
Credits:
Director: Dennie Gordon
Screenwriters: Emily Fox, Adam Cooper, Bill Collage
Story by: Emily Fox
Producers: Denise Di Novi, Robert Thorne, Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen
Executive producer: Alison Greenspan
Director of photography: Greg Gardiner
Production designer: Michael Carlin
Music: George S. Clinton
Co-producers: Christine Sacani, Jill Zimmerman
Costume designer: Christopher Hargadon
Editors: Michael Jablow, Roderick Davis
Cast:
Jane Ryan: Ashley Olsen
Roxy Ryan: Mary-Kate Olsen
Max Lomax: Eugene Levy
Bennie Bang: Andy Richter
Jim: Riley Smith
Trey: Jared Padalecki
Sen. Lipton: Andrea Martin
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 6/10/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Add the words "Till It's Over" to the title of this stale house party celebrating high school graduation, and you'll get a gauge of audience reaction to this dumb and dull comedy.
Decked out as a wild-and-crazy, end-of-school-year party-rama, "Can't Hardly Wait" has many of the same decorations and trappings as "American Graffitti" and "House Party", but it's one dreary carbon of a celluloid.
Luckily, its target teen audience may be too wet behind the ears to have ever viewed this Sony release's wilder, woolier and funnier antecedents. Factor in a so-so opening weekend at the boxoffice, but word-of-mouth will be failing. Still, based on the recognition value of its youthful cast, this comic cut-out may chalk up some decent grades as a video rental, perfect as background noise at slumber and pizza parties but not distracting enough to intrude on more adventuresome late-night activities.
In this hodgepodge of party hijinks, writer-directors Harry Elftont and Deborah Kaplan have crammed together a cluster of kids -- all stereotypes -- and jammed them into, basically, a single-set situation. Unfortunately, this class is not nearly as edgy and charismatic as those at Ridgemont High. They are, left to right in the yearbook: Mike, a callous, handsome jock (Peter Facinelli), Amanda, the class beauty and Mike's porcelain girlfriend (Jennifer Love Hewitt); William, a National Merit Scholar geek (Charlie Korsmo); Kenny, a kooky shortboy who thinks he's a homeboy (Seth Green); Preston (Ethan Embry), a moony nondescript who pines for Amanda, and Denise, a sullen outsider (Lauren Ambrose). It all swirls around the fact that Mike and Amanda have broken up. Oh, there's other people too: a pair of nerds on the roof and a gushy girl who wants everyone to sign her yearbook. Interesting? Not even.
Unfortunately, Elfton and Kaplan, while stringing out predictable plot dots for these character cliches, have not even connected the basic linear points with any verve or originality. The narrative is merely a scattergun smear of lame sight gags and disjointed, dimwitted vignettes, camouflaged shrewdly by some quick-cut edits and jumpy swerves.
Overall, "Can't Hardly Wait" is about as much fun as listening to a valedictorian drone on about the future, all puff and predictability. It's an underachiever on all comic fronts -- poorly structured gags, underdeveloped plotting, dropped comic opportunities, witless dialogue, a band that doesn't play, etc.
Yet, amid its overall sloppiness, there is some merriment, supplied largely by Green for his wonderfully goofy performance as a nerd who tries to overcompensate for his lack of cool by affecting black, homey behavior.
In addition, Ambrose brings a vital sense of alienation to her role as class cynic. They are the only two characters who muster any empathy or interest.
CAN'T HARDLY WAIT
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures
A Tall Trees production
A Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont film
Producers: Jenno Topping, Betty Thomas
Screenwriters, directors: Harry Elfont,
Deborah Kaplan
Director of photography: Lloyd Ahern
Editor: Michael Jablow
Production designer: Marcia Hinds-Johnson
Music: David Kitay,
Matthew Sweet
Executive music producer: Ralph Sall
Costume designer: Mark Bridges
Co-producer: Karen Koch
Casting: Mary Vernieu,
Anne McCarthy
Color/stereo
Cast:
Amanda: Jennifer Love Hewitt
Preston: Ethan Embry
William: Charlie Korsmo
Denise: Lauren Ambrose
Mike: Peter Facinelli
Kenny: Seth Green
Girl Whose Party It Is: Michelle Brookhurst
Running time -- 96 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Decked out as a wild-and-crazy, end-of-school-year party-rama, "Can't Hardly Wait" has many of the same decorations and trappings as "American Graffitti" and "House Party", but it's one dreary carbon of a celluloid.
Luckily, its target teen audience may be too wet behind the ears to have ever viewed this Sony release's wilder, woolier and funnier antecedents. Factor in a so-so opening weekend at the boxoffice, but word-of-mouth will be failing. Still, based on the recognition value of its youthful cast, this comic cut-out may chalk up some decent grades as a video rental, perfect as background noise at slumber and pizza parties but not distracting enough to intrude on more adventuresome late-night activities.
In this hodgepodge of party hijinks, writer-directors Harry Elftont and Deborah Kaplan have crammed together a cluster of kids -- all stereotypes -- and jammed them into, basically, a single-set situation. Unfortunately, this class is not nearly as edgy and charismatic as those at Ridgemont High. They are, left to right in the yearbook: Mike, a callous, handsome jock (Peter Facinelli), Amanda, the class beauty and Mike's porcelain girlfriend (Jennifer Love Hewitt); William, a National Merit Scholar geek (Charlie Korsmo); Kenny, a kooky shortboy who thinks he's a homeboy (Seth Green); Preston (Ethan Embry), a moony nondescript who pines for Amanda, and Denise, a sullen outsider (Lauren Ambrose). It all swirls around the fact that Mike and Amanda have broken up. Oh, there's other people too: a pair of nerds on the roof and a gushy girl who wants everyone to sign her yearbook. Interesting? Not even.
Unfortunately, Elfton and Kaplan, while stringing out predictable plot dots for these character cliches, have not even connected the basic linear points with any verve or originality. The narrative is merely a scattergun smear of lame sight gags and disjointed, dimwitted vignettes, camouflaged shrewdly by some quick-cut edits and jumpy swerves.
Overall, "Can't Hardly Wait" is about as much fun as listening to a valedictorian drone on about the future, all puff and predictability. It's an underachiever on all comic fronts -- poorly structured gags, underdeveloped plotting, dropped comic opportunities, witless dialogue, a band that doesn't play, etc.
Yet, amid its overall sloppiness, there is some merriment, supplied largely by Green for his wonderfully goofy performance as a nerd who tries to overcompensate for his lack of cool by affecting black, homey behavior.
In addition, Ambrose brings a vital sense of alienation to her role as class cynic. They are the only two characters who muster any empathy or interest.
CAN'T HARDLY WAIT
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures
A Tall Trees production
A Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont film
Producers: Jenno Topping, Betty Thomas
Screenwriters, directors: Harry Elfont,
Deborah Kaplan
Director of photography: Lloyd Ahern
Editor: Michael Jablow
Production designer: Marcia Hinds-Johnson
Music: David Kitay,
Matthew Sweet
Executive music producer: Ralph Sall
Costume designer: Mark Bridges
Co-producer: Karen Koch
Casting: Mary Vernieu,
Anne McCarthy
Color/stereo
Cast:
Amanda: Jennifer Love Hewitt
Preston: Ethan Embry
William: Charlie Korsmo
Denise: Lauren Ambrose
Mike: Peter Facinelli
Kenny: Seth Green
Girl Whose Party It Is: Michelle Brookhurst
Running time -- 96 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
In ''The Muppet Christmas Carol, '' Michael Caine and a few other humans join the cast of TV's ''The Muppet Show, '' as well as some new fabric-and-foam creations, for a half-serious, half-joking musical adaptation of Dickens' seasonal warhorse.
The fit between sentiment and satire is not always a comfortable one and the more dedicated fans of either the story or the Muppets may leave theaters dissatisfied. However, the film's overt appeal to both the season and the furry creatures' adult and juvenile fans should make this a steady performer at least for December. Its real fortunes, however, probably lie ahead in video.
Familiar Muppets ''play'' various characters, starting with the long-nosed Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens. Joined by wisecracking Rizzo the Rat, Gonzo's Dickens offers an explanatory narrative as he skulks around and about the story proper. The tale itself is centered around Caine's straightforward depiction of miserly Scrooge, a solid performance that is at its best during the more poignant moments with the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Yet to Come.
Those two spirits, along with their mate, Present, are the highpoint of the new creations. Past is a floating mass of veils headed by a porcelain face; Present an otherwise unexceptional rotund fellow who, delightfully, shrinks or grows to fit the available space; while Yet to Come is a statuesque, cowled fright.
Other characterizations by familiar Muppet personalities are more problematic: Kermit the Frog merges pretty well into Bob Cratchit, but Miss Piggy as Mrs. Cratchit is weirdly show biz.
All the Muppets, however, are very well-animated, and the sense of individualized personality extends through a large cast of supporting ''players'' and ''extras.'' The picturesque production design by Val Strazovec is extremely evocative and does an excellent job of accommodating both human and Muppet proportions, often simultaneously. The time travel effects are also top-notch.
The musical sequences are not standouts, what with the obvious limitations on dancing, but songs by Paul Williams do the trick of emphasizing mood.
THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL
Buena Vista
Walt Disney Pictures presents from Jim Henson Prods.
Director Brian Henson
Producer Brian Henson, Martin G. Baker
Screenplay Jerry Juhl
Based on ''A Christmas Carol'' by Charles Dickens
Executive producer Frank Oz
Co-producer Jerry Juhl
Editor Michael Jablow, A.C.E.
Director of photography John Fenner
Production designer Val Strazovec
Score Miles Goodman
Songs Paul Williams
Color/Dolby
Cast:
Scrooge ... Michael Caine
Muppet Cast ... Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, David Rudman, Donald Austen, Rob Tygner, Karen Prell, William Todd Jones, Jessica Fox
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
The fit between sentiment and satire is not always a comfortable one and the more dedicated fans of either the story or the Muppets may leave theaters dissatisfied. However, the film's overt appeal to both the season and the furry creatures' adult and juvenile fans should make this a steady performer at least for December. Its real fortunes, however, probably lie ahead in video.
Familiar Muppets ''play'' various characters, starting with the long-nosed Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens. Joined by wisecracking Rizzo the Rat, Gonzo's Dickens offers an explanatory narrative as he skulks around and about the story proper. The tale itself is centered around Caine's straightforward depiction of miserly Scrooge, a solid performance that is at its best during the more poignant moments with the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Yet to Come.
Those two spirits, along with their mate, Present, are the highpoint of the new creations. Past is a floating mass of veils headed by a porcelain face; Present an otherwise unexceptional rotund fellow who, delightfully, shrinks or grows to fit the available space; while Yet to Come is a statuesque, cowled fright.
Other characterizations by familiar Muppet personalities are more problematic: Kermit the Frog merges pretty well into Bob Cratchit, but Miss Piggy as Mrs. Cratchit is weirdly show biz.
All the Muppets, however, are very well-animated, and the sense of individualized personality extends through a large cast of supporting ''players'' and ''extras.'' The picturesque production design by Val Strazovec is extremely evocative and does an excellent job of accommodating both human and Muppet proportions, often simultaneously. The time travel effects are also top-notch.
The musical sequences are not standouts, what with the obvious limitations on dancing, but songs by Paul Williams do the trick of emphasizing mood.
THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL
Buena Vista
Walt Disney Pictures presents from Jim Henson Prods.
Director Brian Henson
Producer Brian Henson, Martin G. Baker
Screenplay Jerry Juhl
Based on ''A Christmas Carol'' by Charles Dickens
Executive producer Frank Oz
Co-producer Jerry Juhl
Editor Michael Jablow, A.C.E.
Director of photography John Fenner
Production designer Val Strazovec
Score Miles Goodman
Songs Paul Williams
Color/Dolby
Cast:
Scrooge ... Michael Caine
Muppet Cast ... Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, David Rudman, Donald Austen, Rob Tygner, Karen Prell, William Todd Jones, Jessica Fox
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 12/11/1992
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.