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Big Miracle: Movie Review

Laura Aguirre — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:50:56 +0000

It’s unusual for one event to make the whole world blink at the same time, but in Ken Kwapis‘ latest that’s exactly what happens. Big Miracle, starring Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski, tells the fascinating true story of three grey whales who captured the world’s attention when it was discovered that they were trapped in ice near Point Barrow, Alaska. It’s hard to go wrong with a story about whales, just like it’s hard not to smile at a YouTube video of a kitten. But this story is about more than cute whales, it’s about real people and real lives. Let’s review Big Miracle, but beware, some of these stories will shock you.

The Players:

Director:Ken Kwapis
Writer: Jack Amiel & Michael Begler (screenplay), Thomas Rose (book “Freeing the Whales”)
Starring: Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Ted Danson, Kristen Bell
Cinematography: John Bailey

The Plot:

Based on real life events, Big Miracle tells the story of a family of grey whales stuck underneath the ice in a small Alaskan town. News reporter Adam Carlson (John Krasinski) and Greenpeace advocate Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) work with the Inupiat community and big time oil tycoon J.W. McGraw (Ted Danson) to rescue the whales, and in the process manage to get the whole world’s attention.

The Good:

The Performances: John Krasinski has got to be one of the most charming and likeable people in the biz, both onscreen and in real-life. Yes, he seems to only play one character (Jim from The Office), but he’s great at it. In Big Miracle, his character, Adam Carlson is a Jim-type – hardworking, honest and witty. Krasinski possesses this strange power where anything he’s in automatically feels right, and that’s the deal here. He’s also got awesome people around him, like Drew Barrymore who’s almost as charming as he is. She plays Rachel Kramer, an outspoken animal lover who will die fighting for what she believes in. Barrymore plays her character with passion and delivers a touching performance. Also worth noting is the awesome Ted Danson, who plays an oil tycoon. Danson couldn’t be more different than his character, but in the film you wouldn’t be able to tell. One could say he’s the “villain” of the story, but it’s hard to hate him because he’s just so damn hilarious.
A Strong Message With No Agenda: Big Miracle could have been a preachy film, telling us to save the earth and its wild life, but Kwapis chose to focus the attention on the people rather than their cause (hey, this isn’t a documentary). Plain and simple, this is a story about people coming together and doing what is right, despite their own personal agendas. The film shows that people can be good and selfless when it comes to something bigger than themselves. In this story, an oil tycoon, a Greenpeace advocate, Alaskan natives and even the Soviet Union come together to rescue three whales. Yes, they all have different point of views, but at the end of the day, they realize that saving these whales is what’s most important.
Real Footage: One of the most outrageous stories in the film is a love story between a Colonel and a government worker. The film shows how these two people came together because of the whales, meeting over the phones and later falling in love. As ridiculous as this story sounds, it’s 100% real. They actually met and married. At the end of the film, Kwapis chose to include actual footage of broadcasts that aired during the rescue in’89. He also included home videos of some of the real life characters that the actors portrayed, and there’s even a short clip of a young Sarah Palin! It was quite enjoyable.
Collective Experience: Big Miracle offers a collective experience. It’s not quite a comedy, not quite a love story, and not quite a drama, but it does offer a lot of laughs, a lot of cute moments and maybe, if you’re sensitive enough, a few sobbing moments. It’s a roller-coaster ride!

The Bad:

A Fictional Love Story (SPOILERS!): One story that wasn’t actually true was the love connection between Adam (Krasinski) and Rachel (Barrymore). The two shared a past and throughout the story we learn that Rachel still has feelings for Adam. In the end, the two rekindle their love and get back together. Their love story just didn’t feel right. There was other great material that it just felt unnecessary. Also, they share more of a brother/sister bond, so it was awkward to see them kiss.

Overall:

Big Miracle is a cute movie with great performances and a humble message. Definitely worth checking out.

Rating: 7.5/10

Big Miracle opens February 3, 2011.

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Will you watch Big Miracle?

Interview: Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski Save The Whales

Laura Aguirre — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:24:18 +0000

John Krasinski and Drew Barrymore are two of the most charming people in Hollywood, and to top it off, they star in a new film about whales. Who doesn’t love whales? In Ken Kwapis‘ Big Miracle, Krasinski plays Adam Carlson, a small town news reporter, and Barrymore plays Rachel Kramer, an outspoken Animal lover based on real life Greenpeace advocate Cindy Lowry. In the film, Adam and Rachel work together to help a family of gray whales trapped underneath the Alaskan ice.

Recently, we got the chance to talk to the two stars about this based on real events movie. John Krasinski told us that he was skeptical at first about the film’s authenticity, only to be reassured that the most outrageous things in the film had actually happened. He also let us in on a new project he’s been working on with director Gus van Sant. And Drew Barrymore, well, she had nothing but nice things to say about her co-star and director. Check out the complete interview.

Were you guys aware of the story the film is based on before the script came together? Was it news to you or do you remember hearing it?

John Krasinski: I remember hearing about it. I remember definitely knowing something about it, probably was too young to be at all involved in it and wasn’t necessarily the most current events guy at age whatever-I-was…uh nine, I guess? Ten? But no, I mean, when you read the script I remember I read the script and I thought it was really great, I thought it was really sweet. My concern was that it was like – I said to Ken [Kwapis], “Yeah, it’s really good, but we have to cut back a little bit of this stuff. Some of this stuff is a little unbelievable.” And he’s like, “Nah, it’s all true.” And I was like, “Alright, Ken. I don’t know how long you’ve been in Hollywood, but none of this is real.” And he was like, “No, these people got married and…

What part seemed the most unbelievable to you?

JK: I think that the press secretary and the national guard pilot falling in love and getting married after being so adversarial on the phone was insane. That was insane! And then when you see the picture at the end of the movie it’s so moving. I think it’s just a great, great movie, especially at this point in time to believe in the power of unity and getting together for a cause or really for anything, especially with social media. I think this is the time where not only can you have a voice, but your voice can be the catalyst for something massive.

Both of you have had previous experience working with Ken Kwapis, but this movie is obviously very different from anything you’ve done previously. From your perspective, how did his approach change for this project?

JK: He was, in a good way, very stressed, and I say in a good way because I think he understood the difference in the level he was trying to achieve in this movie versus the movie that I did with him and the movie you [Drew] did with him and certainly The Office. That’s a little more low-rent than this movie. So I think he wanted to make it really, really fantastic and I think he knew immediately that the visual spectacle would be an essential part of the movie. I think, he’s very aware that he, at this point, wasn’t necessarily known as the visual spectacle guy and he knew he could do it and he wanted to do it right. And I remember his shot selection and his preparation and going over the script, he was so dedicated and it was amazing to see him do it because the movie I had done and especially on The Office, he’s so performance-based, and he still was on this movie, but to see him be able to be performance-based and do these incredible crane shots, I was just so incredibly proud of him.

Ted Danson was saying that while you were shooting Shell was trying to drill, did you get at all involved with that? He went…

JK: Yeah, I remember that night when he went. He was nervous. He said, “Those guys are real.”

Drew Barrymore: I think it was great for him because he was playing J.W. who is this oil man, but no, that was really his cause.

The way he explained it was that night it almost seemed like your character, Drew, in the beginning of the movie. There’s like a correlation between the two.

DB: I just think that sort of seeing this story and living in it, you just appreciate that everybody kind of put their agendas aside for a second to work on the same thing and sort of peeling away the layers of maybe… I liked when I got to say to his character in the film, “You’re not as hard to hate as I thought.” I always just liked that moment and thought what it would actually be like if you were stuck and got to know the people that you thought you were so different from or really had fundamentally different morals and beliefs. And yeah, I think galvanizing or trying to fight for something that you believe in is always inspiring. So I’m glad it inspired him. He’s the best.

Did you work with or speak with people at Greenpeace at all?

DB: I did! I met with the head of Greenpeace and spent some time with him. They’re actually coming in DC to the screening. And I went and studied whales up in Seattle with Paul Watson, who did Whale Wars. And then I spent a lot of time with Cindy Lowry, who is the woman that I play in the film. And she’s just rad and a total badass and super cool and fun. We actually connected, which is the way you hope it will be, but maybe it will, maybe it won’t. But we were like two peas in a pod, it was great.

The two of you share a great scene when you, John, are recording her in the studio, and you’re like, “Stop being so formal and rigid.” Can you talk about filming that scene?

DB: I think it’s also making it very personal rather than just soapbox-y, which I think this film is, I hope it achieves or is as good at in that way. It’s amazing how it touches on so many things that could be different today if they were different back then, but it doesn’t do it in a preachy, in your face kind of way. So I think the more you do speak from the heart, rather than thumping the agenda, I just think that’s what people listen or relate or open themselves up to more. That’s one of the things I really loved about that scene.

JK: Yeah, and I think that you did such a great job in that scene too, because I think that agenda-based movements in any sort of way, though incredibly powerful and worthy, I think that sometimes you get lost in the white noise of people’s anger and being super adamant on one side or the other and what fails to happen is that you actually aren’t disseminating the information that you want to get across to these people, which is whether it be any sort of major issue, what you fail to do is tell them the basics and the details of how long these whales need to live and how this is scary and all that very human, emotional stuff that will connect with people rather than having them at home feeling like, “Oh, this is too big an issue, I can’t get involved, I don’t know how to get involved, there’s no way to get involved, someone else will take care of this…” And when you bring it to a small level and sort of make it easy to access, which you did, I think it’s the most powerful part of the movie.

Your character, John, stands in for the regular person because everybody still does have a lot of agendas going on throughout the movie, but you’re the kind of person that’s allowed to be…

JK: I get stepped on early on in the movie [laughs]. No, no I totally agree as far as the media thing. His whole thing is that he wanted the glamour of being in the national news spotlight and as soon as people came they sort of pushed him aside so he had to become, really, an assistant to get his voice back with these people. I also love the idea that, I’ve always loved those movies where somebody thinks they want something and then they realize that the thing they really want is right in front of them, and that glamorous life of what it is to be a news man or be in the lower 48 or in New York or whatever it is, I love that he discovers the real truth of life, which is as long as you’re doing what you love and you’re around people that you love you’re doing something right. So I think that was sort of the undertone of my character was kind of keeping that thing in check versus all of the other people who had a specific political agenda.

What did each of you appreciate about working with the other?

JK: I really appreciated – and she’s going to say “No” and blush and all that stuff – but I really appreciated how professional she was. I don’t think anybody really fully understands what it’s like to be at the level that she’s at and the amount of responsibility that it is, and I think that I’m one of the people that feels really, really lucky to be there, but I’ve only been doing it for a certain amount of time, she’s been doing it for longer and achieving so much more than any of us could even hope to do and to stay so incredibly positive and so incredibly normal. You’d be surprised how much the sway of the day really wants to go to the negative, whether it’s too cold or lunch wasn’t good or whatever it is, there’s always a reason to be grumpy, and the entire crew will go with whatever the vibe is. And they all look to one person and usually it’s the biggest head-honcho on set and that was usually her and she was always so positive and it set the tone for the whole rest of the shoot.

DB: Thank you, thank you. I was so excited because Ken told me that maybe this could happen, there was a schedule conflict with The Office, which was a little bit terrifying, it may or may not happen. He called me in the San Francisco airport and I started running up and down the halls I was so happy and so excited, because I really…

JK: She was like, “Steve Carell’s going to be in our movie!?” [laughs]

DB: I do love him, but I was so excited about you! I was! And I was like, “Oh good, I just think that Adam and Rachel…” I just hoped that they would be just these certain kinds of people while he was struggling with where he wanted to his life to and she was doing the things that she wanted to do, I just wanted them to be good people and exude a good energy. And so I was so excited about doing this with John because I love his acting and I just think that he’s a good person, and you believe in that. And it’s true. So I was like, “Oh please, this is ideal. This is how this film would be, that this story could get told.”

JK: I just have to get over that kicking puppies habit and I’d be…

DB: Oh no! [laughs] We both had our dogs up there too, and our dogs love each other, it’s so cute.

Drew, John mentioned your positivity on set, can you talk about not getting jaded with this whole Hollywood system?

JK: Yeah, how do you not do that? I’m already jaded [laughs].

DB: I mean, it’s just a choice, I suppose. I don’t know. I think that if you feel lucky all the time and you don’t take things for granted – and I’ve also experienced in life that it really can all go away, so that was a really wonderful thing to experience, because then you really do appreciate what you have and so I’ve experienced a bit of both, which is really such a blessing and it always confirms to you that you really are lucky to have what you have and you have to work to keep it going, but you really need to appreciate it as much as work for it. The two work hand in hand. So I feel really lucky, I genuinely do. It’s no B.S.

Did you bond with the young actor, Ahmaogak Sweeney, as well?

JK: He’s so good though, isn’t he? He’s so good. Mal is definitely one of the coolest kids. If they ever did like an MTV or something on him they would be like, “Oh my god, this is like the coolest kid ever.” He’s like this handsome, cool, fun, really funny kid. He brought a couple of his friends from school and they were blown away, more blown away that he got to miss school for this [laughs]. But it was really, really fun and he’s so good and it’s one of those things that it’s frustrating to see how natural it was to him. He wasn’t sitting in his trailer really figuring out the scene. He was like, “Yeah, I get it,” and he just understood the whole thing, it was pretty amazing.

Did the Walkman freak him out? Was he like, this is a weird iPod?

JK: “What’s that, grandpa?” [laughs] It was pretty wild, that whole thing with batteries, and he played that so well! Especially a kid who I think had a Wii and an Xbox and all that stuff. And he was like, “Wow, a Walkman!” And I was like, “That’s pretty good acting, because these things are ancient.”

Did you have to explain the bands to him or did he know Guns ‘N Roses and all of them?

JK: He did know Guns ‘N Roses and he really liked Guns ‘N Roses. I think when we got into Def Leppard and stuff he was like, “All right there.” He was really fantastic and a great energy to have on set. He was always really excited to be there and, you know, those scenes where I am alone with him are really amazing. I feel like one of the great relationships in the movie is mine and his relationship only because it bonds the Iñupiat tribe with the outside world and to be the only guy that understands his grandfather when even he is like, “My grandfather doesn’t understand anything that’s going on.” It was just really nice to be the character that sort of pulled everybody together and sort of really fun because I got to work with everybody, which was fun. I got to be in a scene with everybody.

John, can you talk about the project that you were working on with Matt Damon and now Gus Van Sant is going to direct it.

JK: Absolutely, as far as my brain has been able to process it. It’s a pretty incredibly exciting thing. Yeah, I had this idea for a script and I worked on it with David Eggers, who came up with the story and actually came up with a first draft of a script with me, and I brought it to Matt who wanted to direct immediately. The script sort of fell apart because of an issue that was happening at the time, which wasn’t sort of going to be a strong enough issue later on. So we had to rewrite the script and he’s been an incredible friend and collaborator on the whole thing, and then, just before Christmas, he realized that it’s very similar to doing three or four movies over five years and then having them all come out in the same year. Everyone believes that you shot them all last year, and it’s the same thing with booking movies. I would assume that I’ve never been that in demand, but with Matt Damon it’s like a lot of things that he had agreed to all of a sudden everybody was calling him and saying, “The only time we can do it is here and the only time we can do this…” and all of a sudden he looked at his schedule and there was just no way to do everything. And he’s a very, very talented guy and incredibly smart guy, and he didn’t want his first opportunity to direct, he takes it very seriously, and he didn’t want to be hindered in any way, shape or form, and so it really was purely scheduling. He’s doing Liberace in June so he would have had to shoot our movie, go shoot another movie, and then go back and edit, and that’s just not the way you want to do your first movie. And so I was incredibly bummed, to say the least. It was a very hard night, he called me around 7:30 and I remember at 1:30 the next day he called again and said, “So, Gus Van Sant’s doing your movie?” And I flipped out. I think that Gus is one of the most talented directors there is or ever has been. He’s an incredible storyteller and for our movie in particular he’s going to be unbelievable. So I’m thrilled. I’m really, really thrilled and to be able to, you know, it’s my first script – my first original script, I adapted a screenplay, which is very, very different because that was all David Foster Wallace – but this is the first script, so to have this experience, I should just call it quits after this.

How soon will that go?

JK: It’s going to go in April.

DB: I’m so happy for you! It’s exciting.

John, would you be interested in directing again?

JK: Yeah, at some point. I had the best time, but I was also surrounded by the most amazing people. John Bailey, who actually shot this movie, shot my movie. He did a couple tiny movies like Ordinary People and he won the Oscar for As Good As It Gets. So when you have a great team around you to make you look really, really good, if I could ever assemble that group of people and harness that sort of courage that would be fantastic, but it’s a little like walking down a street with landmines and then at the end of it people are like, “You know there are landmines all down that,” and you’re like “What?!” And now that I’ve seen it I’ll be looking out for them and that’s a lot more difficult than just blindly running down the street thinking that it’s really, really…not easy in any way, but it was really, really fun. I had a blast directing…

You might have scared off Damon.

JK: Yeah, exactly. I told him it was the worst decision of his career. Ha, no. But I want this one [points to Drew] to direct really soon. Whip It was amazing.

DB: Thank you!

JK: I hope she does it again soon.

That’s out interview. Big Miracle opens Friday.

Will you be watching Big Miracle this weekend?

News Roundup: The Voice, Drew Barrymore, Francis Ford Coppola

Laura Aguirre — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 22:05:50 +0000

There’s no business like show biz! This week was a big week for TV and film starting with the premiere of Showtime’s hit show “Weeds” and the release of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. While those two topics made the ScreenCrave scroll-page, the ones that follow did not (for whatever reason). We’ve got updates on “The Voice,” Comic-Con and a Barrymore. Also, today someone/something celebrates a big birthday, so check out who you’ll be singing Happy Birthday to below.

NBC’s “The Voice” came to an end Wednesday night, after naming their first winner, Javier Colon. According to Variety, all four “Voice” judges are set to return for a second season. The singing-talent show is set to return in January.
Seeing as Comic-Con is just a few weeks away, it’s a perfect time to announce that Francis Ford Coppola is joining the party in San Diego. Firstshowing reports that the legendary filmmaker will be presenting portions of his new horror film Twixt at a panel on Saturday, July 23 in Hall H.
THR has announced Drew Barrymore‘s third directorial project, Heist Society. She will be rejoined with Whip It! screenwriter Shauna Cross. Heist Society is a young adult thriller about a girl who leaves her own criminal life behind only to be forced back to hep her family of burglars and master thieves. Honestly, the plot sounds intriguing and with Barrymore at the helm, it might just work out really well. Whip It! was a good ‘girl power’ chick flick.
July really is an all-American month. I’m not referring to independence but good old television. 70 years ago today, commercial television was launched in the U.S. Happy Birthday TV and keep making us happy! [via Variety]

What did we miss?

Drew Barrymore to Direct How to Be Single

Damon Houx — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:34:34 +0000

After her directorial debut with Whip It in 2009, it was hard to tell if Drew Barrymore would continue to work behind the camera, or if the film was just a one-off. Some actors merely dabble. But Barrymore is returning to the director’s chair for How to Be Single, according to The Hollywood Reporter.The film is based on the book by Liz Tuccillo of the same name that follows an ensemble of players who go through relationship drama over the course of ten years. This looks to be a go project as the script is ready, which was written by Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn.

The film that THR compares this most to is He’s Just Not That Into You, which was also produced by Barrymore and her producing partner Nancy Juvonen, and written by the same scribes, and also released by New Line. New Line also handled the Barrymore-starring Going the Distance – which underperformed last September – but they also handled Valentine’s Day, which THR also points out. Valentine’s Day came out in early February and made $110 domestic, Not That Into You came out in the same period and made over $90.

An ensemble romantic dramedy following those footsteps tends to do in the number of a hundred million with a February release date, so expect this to get fast-tracked, and feature a number of famous faces and some TV stars to give it the above-the-title interest for both men and women. These casts come across as a hodge-podge partly by design (wider net appeal) and partly because of scheduling. If the script is done, it’s likely this will be a 2012 February release.

Do you like watching Romantic Comedies on Valentine’s Day?

Going The Distance: Movie Review

JC — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:52 +0000

Those who’ve fallen victim to the L.A. media craze should certainly have a field day with this one. Hollywood’s favorite on again/ off again couple, Justin Long and Drew Barrymore team up for Fall’s most anticipated rom-com, Going The Distance. The Warner Bros. release is directed by Nanette Burstein and also stars Christina Applegate, Charlie Day, Ron Livingston, Jason Sudeikis, and Oliver Jackson-Cohen.

Check out the review below…

The Players:

Director: Nanette Burstein
Screenwriter: Geoff LaTulippe
Cast: Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Christina Applegate, Charlie Day, Ron Livingston, Jason Sudeikis, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Cinematography: Eric Steelberg
Original Music By: Mychael Danna

The Plot:

Garrett (Long) is a typical dude in his 20′s: turned off by the idea of commitment and clueless when it comes to the female playing field. The film opens with him mid-break up, and his roommates (obviously) dragging him to a bar. Here, he meets Erin (Barrymore) while she’s dominating his favorite arcade game. They hit it off immediately, and after a great first date, Erin reveals that she’s only in town for the summer and will be returning to grad school in San Francisco in six weeks (aka, she doesn’t want anything serious). Naturally, it gets serious, and they give a long distance relationship a shot. Will it succeed?

The Good:

Realistic: Most romantic comedies like, say, Barrymore and Long’s He’s Just Not That Into You really push the realistic envelope. Yes, the genre allows for heightened dramatics, romantic gestures, gut-wrenching break ups, etc – but what’s pleasantly surprising about Going The Distance is its relatively normal story line with its relatively normal characters. Two people meet, they like each other, they date, they struggle with distance…roll credits. Unlike the standard rom-com, this movie won’t pollute the already questionable mindsets of young girls – it’t making a realistic commentary on relationships.
Dialogue: Though a large portion of this was most likely improvised, the dialogue is hysterical. I’m talking laugh out loud/holding back tears hysterical. LaTulippe has done an excellent job capturing not only contemporary “lingo” but his portrayal of modern relationships (romantic and otherwise) is impressively spot on. The supporting roles weren’t just peripherally featured as the voices on the other end of the telephone or the goofy colleagues – they were involved in the story, impacting – and impacted by – the Garrett and Erin’s relationship.
Barrymore/Long: These love birds have been on and off for years so the flawless on-screen chemistry in no surprise. Regardless, it’s worth noting. Both have sharp comedic timing and emotional capacity. Their performances were very genuine: they seemed like they were legitimately having a blast, legitimately in love, and during the not so pleasant scenes, they seemed legitimately heart broken.

The Bad:

Victim of the Genre: I often find that it’s difficult to point out the bad sides of rom-com’s because clearly these movies should be taken for what they are: mindless, entertaining chick flicks. There was no particularly earth-shattering message or Oscar-worthy performance, but this is all genre appropriate in my book.

Overall:

Again, if you know what you’re getting into, you’ll probably enjoy this.

Rating: 5/10

Going the Distance opens in theaters everywhere September 3, 2010.

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Do you plan on seeing Going The Distance this Labor Day weekend?

Interview: Drew Barrymore and Justin Long Talk Going the Distance

Mali Elfman — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:30:29 +0000

This week in theaters Drew Barrymore and Justin Long star in a modern day romantic comedy (which seems almost biographical) about a couple torn apart by dueling coasts in Going the Distance. The couple managed to somehow pull off a relationship on and off screen despite all the nasty rumors circling around them. Not too long ago we got a chance to sit down with both of them at a press conference and talk a little bit about making the film.

Barrymore seems so at ease in front of a group of people and Long was cracking a number of jokes which kept it entertaining. They swapped a number of cute comments to one another, calling the other person a good kisser and what not. It, like the movie, was somehow managed to avoid being cheesy and was actually rather charming.

Check out the cute couple talking about Going the Distance below…

Drew, Erin is more modern, sassy, and outspoken than some of the rom-com characters you’ve played. I wonder if the fact that she was a more maybe a modern woman attracted you to the part?

DB: Yeah, I definitely was excited to play — I just wasn’t in that place in my life where I wanted to play a cuckoo, wacky role-reversal sort of scenario. I wanted to play someone — you’re all travelers, and you try to make distance work with relationships, and someone who can hang out with guys, and loves women, but isn’t like, has spine and is funny and I feel like I relate to that kind of person right now in my life, so it was a pleasure for me to get to improv and work on a much more free-flowing way where you could play around and you don’t have to be so censored, because you had an R-rating. That, to me, was just an absolute pleasure.

What was the most challenging scene?

DB: My most challenging, well, one of the challenges I was most excited about was doing the drunk scene. Me and Nanette (Burstein) really focused on what type of drunk is she, and what can we ad-lib, and what can be spontaneous, like, if you were really angry, how would you just let loose? It was the most fun day at work ever, because I just really just let loose.

JL: I would say some of the naked stuff was a little uncomfortable, but I think the most challenging was trying to keep a straight face around these two clowns (referring to Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day). A lot of this intimate, sexual stuff around a room full of 30, 40 grown men, that was a challenge.

I thought the casting of Christina Applegate and Drew as sisters was genius. Both of both started in this business when you were kids, and you’ve lived your whole life in the public eye. When did you realize that you were going to have this relationship of your personal life with the rest of the world, and how has it affected you?

DB: I thought it was interesting. I felt like we started to really look alike, which I thought was cool. I love when people cast siblings that actually feasibly could have come from the same womb, so I felt like we started to morph. We used to be in a dance class together when we were kids, but she looked really good in spandex, and I did not. I was horrified, in the corner, but I’ve known her forever! We have a lot of parallels; it worked for us.

The key moment in any romantic comedy is that first kiss. When you see something like that in a script, is it something you think about, or is it just part of the role, and you just think of it as one more part of the role?

JL: (Jokingly) Yeah, I was like, “necessary evil.” Okay. Here we go. No, the first kiss for us, in the movie, was very sloppy, we were drunk….

DB: Stoned!

JL: We were stoned! Sorry. We were stoned and it was just so easy to do, we’re so comfortable. I like to think about my grandmother. Just because she’s always been an inspiration to me, in my life. (Laughs) No, I think you just hope that you’re invested in the scene, hopefully, and sometimes it can be a surprise when you’ve never kissed anyone before you’ve just met recently, and people have different ways with kissing, and sometimes it can be very jarringly uncomfortable. There can be very little movement involved, and then a quick, sudden movement from the tongue that you don’t expect.

DB: I just was lucky, for me, because he’s a good kisser. So I was like, Phew! Thank God. It’s the worst when you’re kissing someone who’s not a good kisser, and you’re trying to make it look good, and you feel like you’re just working on your own. At least it was a real team effort.

JL: She’s a great kisser too, I just want to reiterate. Right back at you.

Was the phone sex scene scripted or off the cuff?

DB: I think the Marky Mark was written, for sure and I was so excited to hit that. I really wanted to hit hard.

JL: I think you told him that and he got. remember that?

DB: I did tell him that. I ran into him at an award show and I was like, “I just talked about how hot you are in your underwear and you’re sexy.”

JL: It didn’t go over great. I think in his defense, it is a strange thing to just come up and say. I don’t think he was prepared for it but I think he was flattered.

DB: Who would not be excited about that? And he’s a very nice guy. I’ve had other conversations with him that went much better than that. Nothing against him for sure. That was a great scene written and I was really excited to go out there and try it because I just thought this is one of those things that’s going to fail miserably and be a really gross, upsetting moment or it could be fun and exciting. It was just one of those scenes you just have to kind of go for it not knowing if it’s going to work or not but don’t compromise along the way because you’re afraid of it.

And you were on the phone with each other?

DB: We shot it simultaneously.

JL: We were comparing who had a more awkward experience, me as a guy in front of a room full of men simulating masturbation, or Drew. I said, All the guys in my room, all the crew guys were trying to make jokes to keep it light. They were making sex jokes. So it made it kind of more awkward. I’d have to laugh and then get into this weird sexual mode. But I think Drew had it more awkward because she said everyone in the room was being stone cold silent and respectful and it made it that much weirder for her. They were tiptoeing around and like, whispering. But then Nanette kept coming over to me and she kept describing cinematically how to masturbate, how it would look better if I (he demonstrated different ways of masterbating with his hand)… She’s like, “You know, try kinda up like this. You can kind of go in like this.” I was like, Nanette, “I think I know how to do it. I’ve had a lot of experience.”

How did it feel to have a real ensemble in the group of actors you guys assembled for this movie?

DB: I find that films for me watching them work best when you’re kind of really invested in the whole group of people. I love films, whether it’s like a Judd Apatow or Christopher Guest, they have this great sort of alumni quality and you’re just really into all the people in it. You really like the people’s world so when you cut back and forth between a couple and it’s like their friends or family or it’s just this group of people interacting, I love when the chemistry goes far beyond just the couple. This movie stands on that and Jim Gaffigan who’s not in this room right now, I almost sabotaged every single one of his takes because he’s so funny. I think this movie, if you like it, at least one of the reasons I like it best is because of all everybody in it.

JL: I pride myself on being able to hold it together and being stable and keep it together. I’ve never had a harder time keeping a straight face than working with these guys. Rob Riggle and Kristen Schall, we were so lucky to be surrounded by all these people.

DB: I ruined most of her takes. I felt terrible.

Do you see this as a recession romance?

DB: I just feel like I personally want something that I can escape into and sort of forget what’s going on around me, but I don’t want to lose sight of being able to relate to something. So for me, I just want that beautiful striking balance. I feel like this film has that. I’m laughing, but I’m crying and relating and emotional about it. I feel like it gets surprisingly real, but then it does come and save you and make you laugh. I think the question is more eloquent than the answer actually.

JL: I disagree. I was indifferent about the question and I loved the answer. I also think the fiscal realities of both the characters play a large part and it was nice to see that played out, something that a lot of people, especially now can relate to and just the things that you take for granted when you enter into a long distance relationship, chief among them the logistics. Just getting from point A to B and what is involved with that.

DB: You’re like I can’t. You want to see each other but you can’t because of money or schedule.

JL: I ran out of fuel for my hot air balloon.

DB: Exactly. Obligation, absolutely.

Check out Barrymore and Long in Going the Distance September 3rd!

The film also has a brilliant supporting cast which including Christina Applegate, Jason Sudeikis, and my favorite “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s,” Charlie Day. Watch the trailer below….

Trailer: Going to Distance – The Longing Text Message

Mali Elfman — Fri, 21 May 2010 20:17:55 +0000

Damn! And here I thought this film had promise. I really hope that this is just a bad trailer and not a real representation of the film that was supposed to be a realistic romantic comedy. Going the Distance stars the on-again-off-again-real-life couple Drew Barrymore and Justin Long and is by first time feature film director Nanette Burstein and was written by first time/Black List writer Geoff LaTulippe.

They do have quite a promising supporting cast, aside from our two lead characters the film co-stars Christina Applegate, Jason Sudeikis, Ron Livingston, Kelli Garner (who was so adorable in Lars and a Real Girl) and my favorite “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s,” Charlie Day.

Check out the trailer below…

I preferred it when people had to look longingly out of a window instead of texting someone. Seems like a lot of actors, acting with their phones, which is really not very fun to watch.

The film was is supposed to be an honest “look at the trials and tribulations of a long-distance relationship,” but from the trailer, all I see is another, new wave, cheesy romantic comedy without much substance. That being said, there’s enough backing it for me to reserve judgment until I get to see a bit more.

What do you think? Cheesy rom-com or romantic genius?

Drew Barrymore to Direct Wizard of Oz Sequel?

Krystal Clark — Tue, 18 May 2010 18:13:13 +0000

L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz has been adapted so many time we’ve lost count. There have been several remakes, prequels, and sequels all tackling the story of Dorothy, her misfit crew, and those sparkling ruby slippers. According to Pajiba, Drew Barrymore will direct another installment entitled, Surrender Dorothy which she was originally attached to star. Oh how the tables have turned.

Surrender Dorothy first popped up in 2002 and was based on a script by Zach Helm. Eight years later it’s resurfaced as a follow up to Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It. The film is currently set up at Warner Bros and Flower Films (Barrymore’s production company) and supposedly centers on “the great, great granddaughter of Dorothy who has to learn how to use the power of those ruby red slippers to keep the Wicked Witch of the West from taking control of the kingdoms of Earth and Oz.”

There are already a few Oz films currently in the works including one that takes the focus off Dorothy and puts it on the title character. The film is called Oz The Great And Powerful and will center on the Wizard and his life way before Dorothy came into the picture. There were rumors that Sam Mendes would direct and Robert Downey Jr. would star. Not to be rude, but we’re a lot more interested in the latter than Barrymore’s incarnation of the story.

What do you think of the premise for Surrender Dorothy?

Whip It: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:00:04 +0000

Are you ready for some real girl power!?! Based off all those hard-ass, sexy chicks out there who dress in fish-nets, give themselves bad-ass names like “Babe Ruthless” and beat each other up, comes Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It! If you’re one of those girls out there who never could relate to the Sex in the City gang because instead of shoe shopping you’d rather be playing capture the flag, hiking, or wrestling the boys, than this is the film for you. Packed with estrogen, it’s the most bad-ass chick-flick you’ll see all year.

Check out the review below…

The Players:

Director: Drew Barrymore
Writer: Shauna Cross (Book and Screenplay)
Cast: Ellen Page, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, Alia Shawkat, Marcia Gay Harden, Landon Pigg, Daniel Stern and Drew Barrymore

The Plot:

What is an indie-rocker whose parents are obsessed with beauty pageants supposed to do in Bodeen, Texas? Join a roller derby league in Austin and make your dreams come true!

The Good:

Ellen Page: So much more kick-ass than I ever expected. After the trailer, I thought that this role was similar enough that she was going to go back to her Juno personality (which everyone was just saying was her), but she created an entirely new character and yet again comes across completely naturally. She’s a very different character from the film before and it appears as if she’s just being her. See’s able to bring her characters to life so effortlessly that I think that only now people can really appreciate what she did with “Juno.”
Alia Shawkat: While everyone is yet again kneeling before Page, Shawkat stole the show for me. She was hilarious, absolutely charming and every single time she was on screen I was interested in seeing where her story was going next. She might not have been one of the hot babes in fish-nets but she definitely gave meaning to the phrase “girl power.” Someone cast her in some more stuff! I want to see more of her!
The Score: The use of music really helped keep the energy up in a film that needed it in order to keep the ball rolling. Without so many energizing songs, the film could have lost it’s edge.
Drew Barrymore (director): All the amazing performances all come back to a good actress behind the camera. She obviously knew from experience how to give a helping hand. Although the film is not without it’s faults, she does a great job for her first time BEHIND the camera. The story had depth, the characters were layered, I was entertained throughout the whole movie, the action scenes were fun, the shots were simple but well put together, and overall the story had a fun narrative. It made me interested to see what she will do next. Sadly, we’re getting into a some of the films faults as well..

The Bad:

Drew Barrymore (Actress): She’s a solid actress, but maybe it wasn’t a good call for her to act in the first movie she directed. She had one of the weakest performances of the bunch, which was a real let down knowing what she’s capable of.
The Script: Not as bad as some, in fact, some of it was quite good, but it just wasn’t as tight as it needed to be. There were just little things here and there which were hard to ignore.
The Last Action Sequence: The build up was exciting but didn’t necessarily make sense. I appreciate that she broke the mold in a lot of ways, but at times I was confused about who was leading and what was going on.

Overall:

The film does have a few problems, but overall it was a fun ride with a lot of great performances. Well worth a trip to the theaters (possibly with a double feature including Zombieland).

Rating: 7.5/10

Gallery:

Interview: Drew Barrymore For Whip It

Mali Elfman — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:45:35 +0000

Drew Barrymore jumps in front and behind the camera for her directorial debut highlighting the true essence of girl power, bruises and all, in her film Whip It starring Ellen Page, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, Alia Shawkat, Marcia Gay Harden and Barrymore herself.

One thing we know about Barrymore is that she has been in the business her entire life and has a true passion for films. With all of her experience, it is about time that she finally made a film the way that she wanted to, without any cheesy love scenes and that deals with real issues in a real way. One thing is for she, she has created a film that beautifully and gracefully kicks ass.

Check out what she had to say about making her first film below…

Who took you to a Derby for the first time?

Drew Barrymore: I went there with Shauna [Cross] for the time after I’d gotten heavily, emotionally invested in the project and then seeing the world of roller derby just changed everything.

I think you’re going to have a lot of little girls wearing those skates.

Barrymore: I can only hope.

It’s an interesting time for you. You’ve got this movie which I think most people agree you did a great job directing. You got an Emmy Nomination for ‘Grey Gardens’. It feels like your pushing yourselves in ways and it’s kind of working out for you.

Barrymore: I’m trying to. I just want to not be comfortable and say, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s easy because I know how to do that.’ I want to do things where I say, ‘I really don’t know if I can pull this off or not.’ Living in that fear is very motivating. It’s very unsettling but it’s very motivating.

I chose for my twenties to be about different types of storytelling and starting my production company. This is the tenth film we’ve produced and it was just really a matter of me sitting around drinking wine, watching the Food channel, turning thirty and going, ‘I don’t really want my carbon copy aspect of life, I don’t want my thirties to emulate my twenties. How do I get into the fire?’ The way that I felt when I started Flower Films which was just terrifying. ‘Can I do this? Will I be able to?’ The definition of success to me is employment. If you get another chance to do something that you love again, that is heavy, heavy success. You can’t measure that numerically or anything. But by someone giving you another opportunity means that you didn’t screw it up too bad the last time. So you’re getting another shot.

I wanted to see if I would be able to get opportunities and doors opened up to me that I had not yet opened up for myself which was dramatic characters or directing. The jury is out and we’ve yet to see if I get a chance to do this again but it was an important first step that I took to really just feel like I was completely out of my element in every way possible. That said, all of this has been a lead up and an education and gathering and putting it all into this piggybank. So everything that I’ve seen and heard and learned and felt and experienced personally and professionally and culturally has all been wanting to be collected for something. my first film as a director or doing a dramatic part felt like the perfect places to put those into, a cathartic, healthy channel.

The underwater love scene is improbable but so wonderful. I think everyone wants to know where you got that idea and how do you decide to develop it?

Barrymore: Well, originally Shauna’s script, which she and I sat diligently with and rewrote for a year because there were some really wonderful aspects to it but there was some moments that were too easily resolved in my opinion. I don’t think that people come around as easily. I didn’t want to mock pageants and I really wanted to deepen the mother/daughter relationship and there was a loss of virginity scene. I asked Ellen [Page] to do the film before she did ‘Juno’. So once she did ‘Juno’ the loss of the virginity scene seemed improbable.

Then I was faced with, ‘Okay, what do I do with the love scene as a filmmaker?’ I just thought that as an actor having to do love scenes, they’re always rather uncomfortable and not as much fun to film and I think there’s a great shot in ‘Vicki Cristina Barcelona’ where Javier Bardem and Scarlet Johanssen are just captured making out in this beautiful way. It’s handheld and one shot. It’s just very, very cinematic and gorgeous and intimate. But they’re not always portrayed that way. Or you see some French new wave and it’s just so delicate or cinematic or interesting.

So I was just trying to think of, like, I didn’t want to show them having sex and I thought as an actor I would love to have something be unorthodox and more fun and more playful and then cinematically I just didn’t want to see two people in bed making out. So I just thought, ‘You know what, this is how I’m going to interpret the responsibility of having a love scene on my hands.’

What was the challenge of capturing the derby so effectively like you did?

Barrymore: I was much more drawn to a lower light sort of boxing style arena of lighting and crowd scenes. Derby has such an eclectic crowd that I really wanted to show the diversity of the people in the bleachers. I really wanted to do a lot of ATB and techno-crane and doggy-cam so that you were right there in the middle of all the action but I also wanted to do a lot of handheld and in field shots and three camera angles so you could cut it in a very traditional way, sort of more like a hockey movie.

That said, it’s hard and it was a great challenge for me to choose a sport where it’s not like put the ball over there or put the ball through the hoop or pass the goal line and you kind of know what’s going on. It’s a difficult sport to follow visually and to try and have the responsibility of keeping it fun and there’s all these things going on but trying to tell a little story that furthers the movie along with each game. So I just tried in the writing and the choreography and the jams to really combine all the elements and yet keep moving it forward and maintain action and comedy.

Some of the best action scenes of the year, but it was the mother/daughter scenes that I loved the most.

Barrymore: Thank you so much. That’s really what I wanted to make the film about because that’s something that I personally relate to. It’s so emotional to me because I know what we go through to try and get our parents acceptance especially when we don’t see eye to eye on our futures. So for me roller derby was a wonderful backdrop in an irreverent sports comedy but really the central reason that I wanted to make the movie was because I understand the emotions that come with trying to figure it out with your parents. So to me it’s a real balance and it’s a real family film. I hope that comes across.

Has that helped you in your relationship at all?

Barrymore: Not yet [laughs].

Sadly, due to her being quite sick and needing to leave early, that’s all the time we had with her. The beauty of her film is that it stands for itself and you can see it in theaters October 2nd!

Check out the Whip It featurette to hear more from Barrymore about her film and watch the trailer below…

Robert De Niro in Everybody’s Fine Trailer

Krystal Clark — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:20:32 +0000

It’s been a long time since the movie going public has seen Robert De Niro in a role that didn’t capitalize off of his gangster movie past. A trailer has been released for the actor’s latest film entitled, Everybody’s Fine. De Niro takes on the role of a patriarch who’s trying to reconnect with his adult children after the death of their mother. The movie is a remake of Cinema Paradiso director Giuseppe Tornatore’s film Stanno Tutti Bene.

Take a look at De Niro, the family man…

A lot of Oscar buzz is being generated over De Niro’s performance in this film. Perhaps it’s because he’s stepping outside the box that so many critics have put him in. The trailer looks like a refreshing departure from what we’re used to seeing from the actor, and I hope similar roles follow.

While looking at this I’m not sure that it screams Oscar caliber, but it does look touching as well as entertaining. Everybody’s Fine co-stars Drew Barrymore, Sam Rockwell, and Kate Beckinsale. The film is directed by Kirk Jones and will debut in theaters on December 4, 2009.

What do you think about the trailer for Everybody’s Fine?

Megan Fox, Ryan Reynolds, Gerard Butler to Host SNL

Krystal Clark — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:40:23 +0000

A staple of the long running sketch series Saturday Night Live, involves each episode being hosted by a major film or TV star. This fall SNL will return to NBC for its 35th season, and the first four hosts of the show have already been announced. Transformers star Megan Fox, Ryan Reynolds, Drew Barrymore, and Gerard Butler have all been confirmed to appear on the New York stage opposite some of today’s top musical acts.

According to Hitfix, Megan Fox will kick off this year’s season by appearing on the September 26th premiere episode with U2 serving as the musical guest. Ryan Reynolds will host on October 3rd, with a performance by Lady Gaga, followed by Drew Barrymore on October 10th, and Gerard Butler on October 17th. As you can see the musical acts haven’t been confirmed for Barrymore or Butler.

This will be the sixth time that Barymore has hosted the show, the first being back in 1982 when she was just seven years old. She’ll be promoting her film Whip It, which co-stars SNL alum, Kristen Wiig. Butler will be on hand to promote his film Law Abiding Citizen, which will be opening that same weekend.

It’s been hard for me to consistently watch SNL due to their lack of original hosts, and the lagging material. I stopped being a dedicated viewer after the Tina Fey – Tracy Morgan era.

What do you think of the first four hosts of this season of SNL?

ScreenCrave.com » Drew Barrymore

Big Miracle: Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 7.5/10

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

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