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I Melt With You: Movie Review

Angel Baker — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:30:03 +0000

Not since Leaving Las Vegas has a film about death-by-consumption hit so hard. Mark Pellington’s I Melt With You mimics the debauchery of Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas and The Hangover so it’s not for the faint of heart. There is vomiting. There are massive amounts of pills and booze, foul sexual jokes and enough cocaine to make Charlie Sheen blush. But behind the suitcases of numbing agents, I Melt With You is a poignant study of what it means to be a man in his forties, looking at his life through the naive eyes of his college self. Each of the main players give brilliant performances in this vivid avalanche of despair, loyalty, friendship, and hopelessness.

The Players:

Director: Mark Pellington
Writer: Glenn Porter
Starring: Thomas Jane, Rob Lowe, Jeremy Piven, Christian McKay
Cinematography: Eric Schmidt

The Plot:

Four college friends reunite for a vacation in Big Sur. The trip takes a dark turn after they discover a pact they made over two decades ago that forces them to take stock of their lives and face their failures.

The Good:

The Brotherhood: I Melt With You works because the cast is so believable as a tight posse that would do anything and everything for each other. Their loyalty is inspirational – deeply co-dependent and dysfunctional – but inspirational nonetheless. But don’t expect a slap-stick bromance. Theirs is a friendship that thrives on the fractured souls of its members. If one of them is lost, chaos will and does ensue. The depth of their friendship is also a testament to writer Porter and director Pellington who say and show little about the characters’ lives before this ill-conceived adventure. While the vacation is mostly devoted to re-hashing the past, the film is very much focused on the present, offering brief clues into the characters’ identities in their lives outside of the vacation.
The Lord of the Flies: I like films that explore humans at their most basic and depraved. I Melt With You, set in the naturally exquisite Big Sur, takes Richard (Pane), Jonathon (Lowe), Ron (Piven), and Tim (McKay) to the lowest possible place. They shed themselves at the door and get primal. Of course, you have to accept that going primal in this context means ingesting obscene amounts of drugs, but for this film, that is their means of letting the demons out. This is their island. There’s even a Jesus allegory.
The Soundtrack: Nearly without exception, the film pulls songs from the youth of its main characters. Its fitting nostalgia for this reclaim-our-college-years getaway. The songs help send the audience back to the idealist days when the foursome were still full of hope and vigor.

The Bad:

The Lady Cop: No film is perfect and this one is no exception. The beautiful Carla Gugino character, Laura, feels like she was written in just so the film could have a female perspective — which it doesn’t need. She snoops around the vacation house with no real purpose other than observing that the four guys are a bit rough around the edges. What she does observe wouldn’t create the type of side-eyed curiosity she devotes to the house where they are staying. In fact, if she were paying attention she would have seen multiple clues to the dark goings on inside. Instead, she checks license plates and leaves. A little additional exposition giving her a reason to be so nosy at the beginning of the film could’ve cleaned up this problem.

Overall:

I Melt With You is no light film. It might take a night of watching old episodes of “Sesame Street” to set your head straight but the experience is well worth it. Pellington, Porter, and the cast deliver a thought provoking piece that speaks to an obsession with youth, the beauty and complications of friendship, and the choice to face or run from becoming a man.

Rating: 8.5/10

See I Melt With You in theaters on December 9, 2011. Watch I Melt With You on demand now.

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Trailer:

Are you interested in seeing I Melt With You?

The Cast and Director of I Melt With You Talk Middle Age and Allegories

Angel Baker — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:30:10 +0000

When Thomas Jane, Mark Pellington, Rob Lowe, and Jeremy Piven made the junket rounds to promote their new film, I Melt With You, the conversation took an interesting turn. It quickly went from exchanging pleasantries to the exploration of what it means to be a man in America. It was fitting because for the actors to slip into character, and for Pellington to direct, they had to do some serious self-examination to translate the heady script. I Melt With You is no ordinary tale of four men on a vacation from their lives. It’s a bold look at topics that generally go unnoticed in mainstream film. The cast and director spoke openly about the brave screenplay and what drew them to it.

Read more below…

For Mark Pellington, I Melt With You came out of nowhere. He revealed how the film was an unexpected but wanted labor of love.

Mark Pellington: My friend Glenn Porter wrote the script about four years ago and I was really getting frustrated by waiting for a movie to get green lit. It’s really frustrating getting movies made. I said, ‘How do I increase my odds of getting a movie made?’ The answer is, by doing something really cheap and doing something that was contained. I remembered the script. [Porter] came out and we spent about two weeks adjusting it. He had watched a French film called La Grand Bouffe about four men that eat themselves to death – a farse – and he was going through a divorce and a lot of issues [which became] the core issues of the film. Two weeks after we finished, CAA helped us out, and I met Tom [Jane] and Jeremy Piven, all these actors who all wanted to do it. We said, ‘OK,’ picked a start date and said, ‘Let’s go.’ We didn’t even have the money. I started bankrolling it and we went up to Big Sur to scout.

When it came to the setting, finding a house for the character’s ill-fated vacation was much like buying a real home.

MP: There’s tons of beautiful houses [in Big Sur]. That was a house for sale and you walked in and it was empty enough to be the kind of house that someone would rent out.

Thomas Jane: We actually had to get the house ready a few times for people to view it. So we had to clean all the sh*t out.

MP: [After filming] I had to spend $15,000.00 to fix that house up. It was trashed. (hinting to Jane) Mr. Cigars there.

When asked, Rob Lowe tried to keep the culprit’s identity hidden, but both he and Jeremy Piven spilled the beans.

Rob Lowe: He’s an actor who shall remain nameless but let’s just say he doesn’t wear shoes [again hinting at Jane].

Jeremy Piven: Shoeless Joe Jackson [laughing].

RL: He literally at one point, head-butted a chandelier and was bleeding profusely all over the set and we were just continuing to shoot. He’s the man. We can’t complete.

Despite the wild antics on and off screen, the film doesn’t try to hook viewers with drugs and partying.

TJ: This movie’s not for them. The movie’s not for everybody, that’s for damn sure. And also I think the movie is for people who are at a point in their life when they’re ready to ask hard questions about their own life. This movie will exist for those people for years to come. Just because you’re not ready to see the movie today, just wait til tomorrow. You’ll be ready at some point.

MP: It’s not a pro-drug movie. It’s these characters who remember their past and in your past you get together with your friends and part of it is you get back to that experience. Part of that experience is doing drugs and listening to music and getting f*cked up and telling inappropriate stories and dancing around a fire. It’s just part of that primal male camaraderie that is part of their joy. It is also part of their disillusionment and fragile bonds.

Adult men often have difficulties being intimate or sensitive. The characters in I Melt With You are close but still stunted in their ability to communicate. The cast and director were sympathetic to that plight.

TJ: For a lot of men, especially American men, we’re conditioned in a number of different ways. America’s a very youth-oriented culture where it’s appropriate to bond with other men in your 20s by doing drugs and getting f*cked up and listening to loud music and partying. That’s acceptable. But it’s not an acceptable way to bond when you’re older and yet we don’t have the tools as 40-year-old men. There’s no social guidepost to allow us to be able to experience some of the deeper questions and thoughts and insecurities about getting older. In this youth oriented culture, a man over 40 is a man alone.

JP: That’s basically what’s happening in this movie. It’s guys that are reliving their youth, and dumbing down all their senses so that they can’t feel. And then suddenly this turn of events happen and they have to face themselves and face each other. It’s shocking to all of them. My character in particular is so sidetracked. He’s so distracted with being the provider and being the man that it drives him to do all the wrong things and being immoral. In this particular weekend, he has to face his friends. All these feelings they have towards each other that have been laying dormant all these years are unleashed on each other. That’s what you live for as an actor, is to play those types of scenarios and stakes.

MP: [The four characters] get together every year to relive their youth. These are not guys that see each other every weekend. They’re trying to relive their youth. It’s pathetic. It’s sad. Anybody that’s 44-years-old that’s still doing blow is an idiot. They’re endangering themselves. They are numbing themselves because of the very thing they can’t confront within themselves. When I rewrote [the script] with Glenn I said, ‘This is a horror film.’ It’s an allegory about male failure, greed, shame, addiction, [and] the shadow side.

Unlike their characters, this cast of actors have embraced their forties head-on.

RL: While I related to the characters in the film, I’ve never felt more on top of my game than I have in my forties. I wouldn’t trade my 40s for 20s for anything. We’ve reached the nexus of having learned enough and still having literally all of our power. Eventually that will shift. I think right now is the sweet spot for men and women.

The bond between the characters is extremely strong. In order to create that, the actors used their real-life friendships as models.

TJ: [Jokes] Well, we all met for dinner. Mark got us all together. As an actor you bring to it your own personal experience. And the relationships that I have with my friends in real-life are so much richer than anything I can create in a couple of days with a couple other actors. So when I’m looking at Rob or Jeremy I’m seeing my friends. I’m seeing my peers. They are doing the same with me. They’re not seeing me, Thomas Jane. They’re seeing their peers.

MP: They were given a little back story and a little history that wasn’t in the script.

Much of the film consists of excessive drug consumption but off-camera, the actors kept it clean.

TJ: You know as an actor you don’t have to be a drug addict or have done a lot of drugs to play a guy who’s strung out on blow. I don’t have to have MS if I want to play a guy who’s got multiple sclerosis. You do the research what’s required and then you make that real for you. It’s part of the beauty of what we do. I liked it when all that was secret stuff. Movie making was meant to be magical. It was meant to be a magic trick. But now movies, TV shows, and magazines all want to expose the tricks, and for some reason that’s interesting to people. That’s a bummer.

At first glance, Lowe loved the film’s script and was attracted to its raw and provocative story.

RL: For me, we all read so many scripts, and to read something where you truly say, ‘Whoa I’ve never read anything like this before,’ is pretty extraordinary. I was actually kind of surprised that anyone was going to make it. I wanted to be a part of a movie that was going to be as provocative as this movie was. But it’s not provocative in the ways movies are today when they’re trying to be provocative, which is sexually provocative. This is dealing with what it’s really like to be a man. That was really, really interesting to me.

Watching I Melt With You is an exercise in patience, empathy, and some sadism. But at the same time, the dark tone breeds a positive message.

JP: There’s a pretty easy way to not go down this particular slippery slope. And that’s to take inventory with yourself, loved ones, and family. For me, there’s something exhilarating about seeing a movie that’s true to itself. Knowing that you don’t have to live that life [of the four main characters], knowing that you didn’t, and that if something is done with passion and clarity, and hopefully at a high level, it’s inspiring. I’ve seen incredibly depressing movies that I was inspired by. It sounds pretentious but that’s art and it’s inspiring. Sure [the film] is really dark but you don’t have to live in that darkness because you were witness to it.

RL: To use a cliché, it can be seen as a cautionary tale. These are guys who didn’t do the work, didn’t do the self-assessment. They didn’t make the hard choices and this is what they have to show for it. You can only put off paying for so long. This is what happens in this world.

Despite the men’s avoidance of reality, Lowe claims the film doesn’t celebrate their immature behavior.

RL: Being vaguely immature is indicative of the modern man because what was culturally accepted of modern men is now reviled. In the place of what men were for hundreds of years, all of a sudden fashion turned and it wasn’t fashionable to be that guy anymore. So what you’re left with are overgrown kids. You see that in this movie. Kids take the selfish way out. And there’s nothing more selfish than what these guys do. It’s not the kind of movie where you go, ‘Yah I would’ve done the same thing.’ It’s meant to provoke conversation.

With so much talent and an amazing story, it’s hard to believe that I Melt With You was produced on a shoe-string budget. It’s a fact that the cast enjoyed and somewhat revelled in.

RL: It’s funny. I always wanted to star in a music video. [laughs] That first half, I was like, ‘Damn we look cool.’… There was no money. We shared a room smaller than this.

JP: Yah, [to Rob Lowe], you were saying in another interview, ‘We came out of the makeup trailer,’ and I’m going, ‘There was no makeup trailer.’ There was no any kind of trailer. We were all huddled on the floor together and brought our own wardrobe and you work for $11 and that’s how this movie got made.

RL: With Mark Pellington, you knew going in it was going to be this mad, passionate, guerrilla intense filmmaking. And I think the movie represents that. That’s what it feels like. I had no surprise when I saw the movie. It’s exactly what I thought it would be. Exhilarating, maddening, depressing, all of these different things, where it kind of blows you over.

See I Melt With You in theaters December 9, 2011 or On Demand.

Entourage: Season 8, Episode 1 – TV Review

Scott Schachter — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:23:27 +0000

After seven years, seven seasons and becoming one of the most influential TV shows in the past decade, “Entourage” finally enters its eighth and final season. When we last saw Vince & Co, Vince was arrested for cocaine. Meanwhile his brother Johnny Drama signed a TV deal, Turtle was on the verge of losing his tequila company, and both E’s and Ari’s relationship had ended.

The Players:

Director: Doug Ellin
Writer: Doug Ellin
Cast: Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Jeremy Piven, Scott Cann, Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Dillon

Episode Title:” Home Sweet Home”

Vince, fresh out of rehab with a new lease on life, tries to convince Ari & Co that he wants to make a new movie about a Romanian mining disaster to the reluctance of everyone around him. Meanwhile, E and Ari deal with relationship problems.

The Good:

Adrian Grenier: Grenier finally gets a chance to shine and showcase his acting chops as he portrays Vince as a vulnerable recovering drug addict.
The Cast: Turtle, E, And Drama have always been solid side characters, but judging from the first episode they are taking their characters new directions and we can’t wait to see what happens.
Jeremy Piven: Like Grenier, Piven is able to get out of his safe zone and show another side of Ari that we have never seen before, but is certainly welcomed.

The So-So:

Redundant Story line: As much we love “Entourage,” there isn’t much steam left in the story department. Vince and the boys have pretty much followed the arc of every major Hollywood star, start as an unknown, becoming massively famous over night, mess up your career and have a major comeback. This arc has been repeated a few times throughout the show and has finally run its course.

Overall:

While the story line may be redundant, the focus on the characters and acting is certainly refreshing and welcomed, and will add an exciting element to the finale season of “Entourage.”

Rating: 8/10

“Entourage,” airs every Sunday at 10PM on HBO!

Spy Kids 4 Trailer threatens Fourth Dimension

Damon Houx — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:59:10 +0000

At the end of the new Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World trailer, it says the film will be in 4-D. What does this mean for audiences? Often considered spacetime by nerds, it can also be odors in the theatrical business. Does that mean we will be able to smell Jessica Alba and Joel McHale‘s cooking, or Jeremy Piven‘s bad guy cologne? Likely it’s just a marketing gimmick, as the film is in 3-D, so perhaps the film will not open a wormhole for every screening. Robert Rodriguez returns for the fourth entry in this decade-old franchise, and now there’s a trailer. Check it out.

In the intervening years, Robert Rodriguez went through a very public separation from his wife, and the film is about kids embracing their step-mom. Interesting. But other than that subtext, this looks to be more of the same sort of heightened kids film anarchy that’s part and parcel with Rodriguez’s children-centric filmmaking. The original kids are now too old to be called kids, so this functions as a sequel and reboot at the same time, as with so many sequels these days.

The franchise has always been successful, but this will probably be the last entry… unless audiences really wanted this. But that’s hard to believe with a franchise that hasn’t had a sequel in eight years. Perhaps this was contractual obligation. The film hits theaters August 19th.

Are you a fan of the Spy Kids Franchise?

Tribeca 2011: Angels Crest Movie Review

Brendan Walsh — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:21:51 +0000

Yesterday was Easter, the sun was shining, families were dressed up and out having fun together, and everything was downright pleasant…but not for this writer. I spent that morning watching a film about the death of a child, and the ripple of the tragedy through a small, Montana town. I guess I’m just a masochist. Or an atheist. That’s the same thing, right? Anyway, check out the review for this indie ensemble drama after the jump…

Gabby Dellal’s Angel’s Crest is a film that is heavy with emotion from start to finish. Adapted from Leslie Schwartz’ novel of the same name, it is the story of the accidental death of 3 year-old Nate Denton, and the effect of the loss on the tightly knit Montana community. When Nate’s father, Ethan (Thomas Dekker), takes him to the woods to play in the snow, he takes his eyes off him for a few minutes to follow a pair of deer. When he returns to his truck, Nate is gone. In spite of the efforts of a search team, they do not find him in time, and little Nate dies of exposure. Among those thrown into turmoil from the loss are Ethan’s alcoholic ex-wife Cindy (Lynn Collins), his best friend Rusty (Joseph Morgan), Jane and Roxy (Elizabeth McGovern and Kate Walsh), a lesbian couple close with the Dentons, Angela (Mira Sorvino) the owner of a local diner, and Jack (Jeremy Piven), a local prosecutor who must pursue a criminal negligence charge against Ethan. As the investigation goes on, citizens of the town become increasingly divided as they decide where to lay blame.

The biggest strength of Angel’s Crest is its cast. The tragedy at hand occurs in the film’s first reel, so from the very beginning, all the actors have to dig deep and bring big, relentless emotions to their characters, as well as establish a strong sense of community to begin with before it starts to get torn apart. Jeremy Piven gives a particularly strong performance in his supporting role, because he is more subdued and understated than he usually is in other roles. For the first time in a long time, it doesn’t feel as if Piven is giving us an outrageous caricature, but really inhabiting a role of some one who is deeply involved in such an alienating and sensitive endeavor.

But Mr. Piven’s is not the only standout performance. Thomas Dekker and Lynn Collins, whose conflicts are the most prevalent in the film, are given the most intense and wrenching scenes, but deliver them without chewing up the scenery. Dekker’s utter devastation at the loss of his son makes any additional insults or even suspicion sent in his direction that much more hurtful. Collins’ abject submission to her alcoholism makes her both pitiable and loathsome at the same time. Sorvino, McGovern, and Walsh round out the cast having created unique individuals highly pertinent to the story, but without drawing too much of the audience’s affections away from the principal characters.

Angel’s Crest is well crafted beyond its performances, although it relies heavily on its locations. Grand, sweeping shots of the rocky mountains convey the isolation and stoic sadness that these characters experience in the aftermath of the tragedy. During the search for Nate, the editing becomes highly stylized, using whip pans through blizzards and jump cuts to wild animals to create fear and uncertainty. This all serves to establish a specific tone and set emotion as the story begins, but becomes less prevalent as the movie goes on and relies more on the performances to advance the story.

While this is a richly atmospheric film, and seems to share similar aesthetic sensibilities with last year’s Winter’s Bone, it seems to lack the almost exotic look into another side of America (although frankly, that wouldn’t service this story). It may, however, end up costing Angel’s Crest academy attention that the former received, since they aren’t tackling say, the issue of poverty. This is not a movie with any grand implications on society or any particular culture, but it is a well delivered exploration of sadness invading the lives of a whole community.

Overall: 7/10

Jeremy Piven Joins Spy Kids 4: All The Time in the World

Krystal Clark — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:13:10 +0000

The official plot synopsis has been released for Robert Rodriguez‘ latest installment of the Spy Kids franchise. The full title for the film is Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World, and it features Jessica Alba and Joel McHale in the lead roles. According to a press release sent out by the studio they’ll get a little help from Jeremy Piven, who’s also joined the cast.

Official Synopsis:

On the surface, Marissa Cortez Wilson (Alba) has it all…married to a famous spy hunting television reporter, a new baby and intelligent twin step kids. But in reality, trying to mother Rebecca (Rowan Blanchard) and Cecil (Mason Cook), who clearly don’t want her around, is her toughest challenge yet. Also, her husband, Wilbur (McHale), wouldn’t know a spy if he lived with one which is exactly the case – Marissa’s a retired secret agent.

Marissa’s world is turned upside down when the maniacal Timekeeper (Piven) threatens to take over the planet and she’s called back into action by the head of OSS, home of the greatest spies and where the now-defunct Spy Kids division was created. With Armageddon quickly approaching, Rebecca and Cecil are thrust into action when they learn their boring stepmom was once a top agent and now the world’s most competitive ten year olds are forced to put their bickering aside and rely on their wits. With a little help from a couple of very familiar Spy Kids, Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara), and some mind-blowing gadgets, they just may be able to save the world and possibly bring their family together while they’re at it.

Antonio Banderes and Danny Trejo are also expected to make an appearance in the sequel. This makes us feel unbelievably old. This is where the old meets new. We’re assuming that Alba’s character is a cousin or an aunt to the original spies because her maiden name is the same as Carmen and Juni’s.

Spy Kids 4 is currently in production and will be released in 3D on August 19, 2011.

What do you think of the plot and title for Spy Kids 4?

Marmaduke Voice Cast Announced

Krystal Clark — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:24:33 +0000

I vaguely remember reading an article about the upcoming animated feature Marmaduke. The film is based on the popular comic strip character of the same name that was originally created by Brad Anderson. The film will be a mix of CGI and live action following in the footsteps of Alvin and the Chipmunks and Garfield. The newly announced cast features everyone from a British comedian to a Black Eye Pea, find out who’ll be behind the scenes of Marmaduke.

Amanda Seyfried – “Mazie,”
Jeremy Piven -”Bosco,”
Ron Perlman -”Chupadogra,”
Christopher Mintz-Plasse -”Guiseppe,”
Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson -”Jezebel.”
Steve Coogan – “Raisin,”
George Lopez - “Carlos”
Damon Wayans Jr. – “Thunder.”
Judy Greer – “Debbie Winslow”
Lee Pace – “Phil Winslow”

I’m not really surprised by Fergie’s casting in this film because she has a history of voice work as a child actor. She used to do one of the voices on Charlie Brown. I think the one thing we want to know is, who’s going to play Marmaduke? The character isn’t even mentioned.

“The original comic strip for the character was about a family and their Great Dane has been published fairly regularly since 1954, and it spawned a series of cartoons in 1980.”

What do you think about the voice cast of Marmaduke?

Source: ComingSoon

Ken Jeong’s The Goods Poster

Krystal Clark — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:40:36 +0000

Another character poster has been released for the upcoming car comedy, The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. The film stars Jeremy Piven, James Brolin, Kathryn Hahn, and Ken Jeong. Jeong is featured in the newest one sheet that highlights his character, Teddy Dang. The Goods centers on Don Ready (Piven) and his group of quirky car salesman as they try to save their ailing dealership. The film is directed by Chappelle Show co-creator Neal Brennan and hits theaters on August 14th.

View the full poster after the jump…

Image courtesy of Cinematical.

What do you think of the latest character poster from The Goods?

The Goods Teaser Movie Poster

Krystal Clark — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:25:20 +0000

A new poster has been released for the upcoming car comedy, The Goods. The film stars Jeremy Piven, James Brolin, Ken Jeong, and Kathryn Hahn. Hahn is the featured in the newest one sheet that highlights her character, Babs Merrick. The Goods centers on Don Ready (Piven) and his group of quirky car salesman as they try to save their ailing dealership. The film is directed by Chappelle Show co-creator Neal Brennan and hits theaters on August 14.

Check out the full poster after the jump.

Image courtesy of ComingSoon.

What do you think of this teaser poster from The Goods?

ScreenCrave.com » jeremy piven

I Melt With You: Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 8.5/10

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

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Episode Title:” Home Sweet Home”

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