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Margaret: Movie Review

Damon Houx — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:00:18 +0000

The story of how 2011′s Margaret was made and eventually released may make a more compelling tale than the theatrical version. The film was shot in 2005 (as evinced by the theater marquees), but then entered into a lengthy editing process to which director Kenneth Lonergan found it nearly impossible to get the film into manageable shape. He could have his cut up to 150 minutes, but reports have the film running as long as (and possibly over) four hours. In the process, two of the film’s producers (Sydney Pollack, Anthony Minghella) passed away, and film has been stamped with a 2008 copyright, and it now runs a choppy 149 minutes. In this version it’s a mess, but a fascinating one. Perhaps if the longer cut emerges we’ll know for sure if it just needed to be long, or if the film got away from Lonergan in a classic example of a “sophomore slump.”

The Players:

Writer and Director:Kenneth Lonergan
Starring: Anna Paquin, Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo, Jeannie Berlin, J. Smith-Cameron, Jean Reno
Original Music by: Nico Muhly
Cinematography by: Ryszard Lenczewski

The Plot:

Paquin stars as Lisa Cohen, a young girl whose distracting behavior unintentionally kills a passerby (Alison Janney). Her mother (Smith-Cameron) is divorced and a successful stage actress, her father (Lonergan) lives in Santa Monica with his new wife. After the accident the film is divided by Lisa’s involvement with the dead woman’s best friend Emily (Berlin), and her growing pains as an adolescent. She looks to lose her virginity with playboy Paul (Kieran Culkin) and eventually targets a young teacher (Damon) with her affections. But her guilt about the incident forces her to try to punish the bus driver (Ruffalo).

The Bad:

The Editing: It’s hard to say if whole scenes are lifted or if the film was shortened by a thousand little cuts. In its current form, Margaret features the sort of editing choices that are usually the results of poor film-making. From sequences that end abruptly to non-existent transitions into the next scene to cutaways to exteriors that are usually done to bridge takes (with no coverage), it’s hard to watch some sections and not feel like the pacing is askew, and these choices reflect poorly on the filmmaker. Whether they were done to get the film to manageable length or because of poor execution it’s hard to say, but in the released cut it looks like amateur hour.
The Pacing: The film is divided into two narratives as it goes further, Lisa’s home and sex life, and her inserting herself into the life of Emily as she tries to revise the story she told to the cops at the time of the accident. Both narratives are compelling and both have great scenes – Berlin gets a great moment to dress down Lisa for her childish poetic reading of a death – but the connective tissue between the two seems non-existent. It’s like flipping between two TV shows and trying to watch both at the same time. Perhaps that’s why when the film wraps up it feels like there’s no energy to that conclusion. You can see how the pieces are there to make some of those moments powerful or meaningful, but when Lisa finally explodes it doesn’t seem to have the weight of its intentions. Margaret is filled with highs, but the air is missing to make it whole.
Anna Paquin: The actress has a number of great moments, but in the current version, she misses her mark every once in a while.

The Good:

What Lonergan’s After: At the time, writer/director Kenneth Lonergan was making a film about New York, and obviously a post-9/11 New York. From classroom discussion (all great scenes) to the themes of the film, it’s definitely about denial and wrongheadedness in the face of great tragedy, along with a youth’s desire to insert themselves into a drama to feel. On top of that Lonergan is one of the great writers of dialogue, and so sequence after sequence has great moments and writing (even for the director himself). And he gets the fractured nature of Margaret herself, drawn to do bad things, not turned on by the nice guy, hating her mother for a myriad of reasons, and oh does he nail the sort of pretentious intellectualism of a young well educated person.
When the film digresses: J. Smith-Cameron’s character Joan is romanced by Jean Reno’s Ramon, and she gets a great moment in the bathroom, and there’s a great scene where Ramon has dinner with a table full of women and gets into a huge fight about Palestine. There are lots of great character moments, but often they feel isolated. All of the classroom scenes are also excellent, and Lonergan gets the voices of the children and their verbal fights pitch perfect.

Overall:

It’s hard to hurdle some of the faults of the movie, and it’s hard to know if the film never came together, or if it was ruined by the need to get the film down to a manageable length. Regardless, Margaret is a fascinating experience filled with great scenes next to bad ones, and great moments that are sometimes hurt by horrible editing decisions. That may not be satisfying for the casual filmgoer, but for the cineaste it’s a must-see. The film is hitting two screens in New York and Los Angeles September 29, and it’s unknown if it will expand after that.

Rating: 7/10

Trailer:

Matt Damon in the We Bought a Zoo Trailer

Damon Houx — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:01:47 +0000

Getting Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson for his follow up to Elizabethtown was not a bad idea for Cameron Crowe. We Bought a Zoo is his first feature since that 2005 fiasco, and it’s coming just in time for award season. Damon plays a widower who buys a zoo, and probably figures out how to deal with grief and new love in this Dramedy. Check out the trailer…

Okay, comedy, pathos. Having seen Cameron Crowe’s last movie, this trailer bothers me because he seems to be in the same sort of movie – albeit now with a much stronger leading man, and children who need his support. But from the familiarity of the quitting scene to some of the advice as therapy buzz words talk, this trailer makes me a little worried.

Crowe’s highpoint as a filmmaker still seems to be Say Anything, though everything else has its moments and charms. Here, he seems to be going after the same things that made Elizabethtown such a slog to sit through. This is based on a true story, but reality has never gotten in the way of cinematic saccharine. Of course, the film could work like gangbusters, and maybe this is a subject matter and a theme that Crowe is trying to work through. Or it could be someone trying to recapture the highs of the greatest successes using the cheapest device possible (death) to create empathy.

For better or worse, this is going to be a very important film for Crowe and his legacy. Almost Famous was his autobiography, and perhaps he’s said everything he ever wanted to in cinema. Perhaps now – like Tim Burton - he’s drawn to certain subject matter, but no longer has the same creative drive. We Bought a Zoo opens December 23.

Does this trailer get you excited?

Interview: Steven Soderbergh, Matt Damon and Laurence Fishburne on Contagion

Damon Houx — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:19:10 +0000

Contagion, the new disease thriller from Steven Soderbergh is a rare smart and entertaing disaster movie. So it’s no surprise that it attracted performers like Matt Damon and Laurence Fishburne. We were at the junket, and they were obviously happy with the movie they made, but the material, it’s easy to see how they got such a great cast. Check it out…

Disease Control

Why was the timing for this type of outbreak movie perfect for Contagion?

Steven Soderbergh: I guess we’re going to see if the timing is perfect or not. The only thing that would indicate that the timing might be good is my reaction to Scott (Z. Burns) purposing this, the reaction on the part of the participants when we went to them to float the idea of developing it, and the reaction from Warner Brothers when we presented them the script. Everyone felt there was a place for an ultra-realistic film about this subject. Nobody hesitated. It all happened very quickly — uncharacteristically quickly, actually — considering what the business is right now for adult dramas. So that made me feel like maybe we’re on to something.

Did doing this movie change your behavior?

SS: I don’t know if my behavior has changed. I’m just really aware of it now. I’m aware of the fact that all of you have touched all of these recorders that are in front of us, somebody set up this microphone, I was handed some lip balm by one of the makeup people, which I took a Kleenex and cleaned off, but who knows if that worked. So don’t get near my mouth. Having gone through it, I’m always going to be conscious of it now. It was fun, during the preview, to watch the lights come up and 400 people realize that they’re next to a bunch of strangers and that they’ve touched everything. You could tell they weren’t happy.

Would you be the guy who is extra prepared and overprotective, or let loose, in terms of an outbreak like in the movie?

Matt Damon: I think, with kids, I’m probably more protective than I’ve ever been now that I have children. I try not to be. My wife’s name for me is “Red Alert.” I sometimes just check to see if the kids are breathing, but no. I think it’s a probably tendency to be a little overprotective without trying to be a helicopter parent.

Do you have a stock pile of supplies?

MD: No. After the Northridge quake, I had. I put the flashlight by my bed for like two weeks and then forgot about it.

Where was your germ paranoia before the movie and then after working on the movie?

Laurence Fishburne: I ain’t afraid of germs. And I ain’t afraid of getting sick. Dying — that’s some other sh*t.

Filming

Was there a list of things that you were definitely not going to do in this film?

SS: The one rule that we had was: we can’t go anywhere where one of our characters hasn’t been. We can’t cut to a city or a group of extras that we’ve never been to that we don’t know personally. That was our rule. And that’s a pretty significant rule to adhere to in a movie in which you’re trying to give a sense of something that’s happening on a large scale, but we felt that all of the elements that we had issues with prior, when we see any kind of disaster film, we’re centered around that idea. That suddenly you cut to Paris where you’ve never been, and something happens and it’s a bunch of people you have no emotional engagement with. We were trying to have it be epic and also intimate at the same time. So that was rule number one.

What did you think of the script?

LF: I was blown away by how smart it was, because a lot of what is being made now is stupid. So I was honored to be asked to be a part of it, because it’s a really smart movie.

MD: I had a similar reaction. Actually, we were getting ready to do something else — another project that we are still going to do — and Steven (Soderbergh) called and said, “I’ve got this other thing and we’ve really got to make it now because it’s really timely.” And he said, “I think it’s the best thing Scott (Z. Burns) has written.” Which is saying quite a bit, and I obviously think a lot of Scott. So he sent it over to me with a note saying, “Read this and then wash your hands.” And I read it and I had the same reaction that Laurence did. I just really want to be in this movie. It’s a terrific, riveting, really fast read, and really exciting, and really horrifying, but it managed to be touching to.

Can you tell us how you managed the epic and intimate scenes of the movie?

SS: Honestly, I was just trying to keep it very simple. And that meant the entire film is shot with two lenses, basically, and when I would look at a scene, I would try to figure out how few shots I needed as opposed to how many. I really wanted it to be in terms of style — one of the simplest movies I have ever made. Often, that can require more thought than just walking in saying, “I’m just going to cover the hell out of this and figure it out later.” When you’re going in saying, “I really want to keep this simple and I want every shot to have a purpose, and I want every cut to have a purpose; I don’t want any waste. I don’t want any shot… If you pulled one shot out, it meant something would be diminished.” That was my approach. So that was really it — eye level, no crane shots, no throwing the camera around; just keep it simple so that all that you were paying attention to were the performances.

I understand that Jennifer Ehle was cast because you saw her performance in Michael Clayton, which was cut out of the finished film. What did you see in that which made you want to cast her?

SS: That was an amazing performance, and so…that sounds horrible. I had known who Jennifer was for a long time, and this didn’t take a lot of thought, honestly, I have a somewhat long list of people that I’ve seen in the course of my career and thought, “Wow they would be great to work with.” And I did know from Tony (Gilroy) that they had really good experience and I wasn’t in any danger. So I’m just glad that worked out and of course now she’s reteamed with George (Clooney) in Ides of March. So it’s all happening this year.

Character Work

Matt, you’ve played both family man and action hero characters. Which type of character comes more natural to you?

MD: Obviously the action guys come way more natural. No, if the director is good and the script is good, it all comes pretty naturally, and if those things aren’t in place, it’s impossible no matter what the role is.

Laurence, can you talk about the complexities of your character, who is somebody of authority in the film?

LF: It wasn’t really that complex for me, once I talked to Dr. Lipkin, who had really strong opinions about how all this should play out. He was with us every day, and he is really committed to what he does. He loves what he does. So we’d be working, and he’d be on his phone and he’ll go, “Let me show you this.” And it would be something that could potentially be an outbreak almost every day. He has some new disease that the CDC is tracking and keeping an eye on. So it became really easy to go, “Oh right, so the stakes for this thing that you do are always here.” The personal stuff that I have as Ellis Cheever was telling my fiancé, soon-to-be wife, Sanaa Lathan, to get out of town, to leave, to pack up, to not talk. That’s really easy. Any human being in that situation is going to do that, I think.

How important was it to use the right equipment and terminology in this film?

MD: Would you believe it if I was like, “Pass me the thingy.” It might take you out of the movie. “We’ve got an outbreak of some hush-mish-a-ma.” I don’t know. Fishburne lost me with that performance.

LF: I did that for a long time, but I think that’s how I got this job. So it wasn’t all bad.

Dealing With Death (Scenes)

Matt, how did you relate to your character?

MD: I thought a lot was easy to relate to. It was just on the page. Working with Steven is very different from working with anybody else. To give you an example of a day, we go and we shoot. We’d talk about what we were going to do, we’d figure it out, we’d execute the plan, and then we’d go back to the hotel and go to the bar. And in the back room of the bar, they’d deliver the footage, and Steven, Scott, and I, and Greg Jacobs, our other producer, and A.D., and Michael and Stacey (Sher)…we’d sit there and talk while Steven put on headphones and opened up his laptop and sat in the corner for 45 minutes or an hour. And then, at the end, he’d take his headphones off and he’d turn the computer around, and he’d show us what we shot that day, cut.

So when you’re working that way, it’s like making a movie in your backyard with your friends. It’s like the body is out on the operating table and wide open, and you talk about it. “All right, what else do we need?” It’s very different from going off on my own and doing three months of research… It feels more like the hocus pocus is taken out of the experience.

One of my favorite scenes that we did was this scene that I find out my wife is dead. You know very early on in the movie. And I went to Steven and I said, “Look, I don’t know what to do.” How do you do this scene? It’s five minutes into the movie. We’re not invested in me or her, we don’t care. And Steven goes, “the slump?” Everybody knows the slump. You’re down in the hall and just see that guy slump down. And I’m like, sh*t, I don’t know. What do you do? We’ve got to find some shorthand to do. You can’t dwell on this thing. We’re five minutes into the movie.

We had a guy there who had done this a lot, and we talked to him, and this doctor who delivered this news, and we asked for certain trends, like what happens? And he said, “Sometimes people fall apart, but there is this other reaction that we get just as much.” And I said, “What is it?” He said, “Well, it depends on what kind of death it is. Is it the kind of death where you’re not expecting somebody to be dead?” And I said, “Right, exactly,” and he goes, “Oh, what you get a lot is absolute…it just doesn’t…it’s just too much.” So they have this specific way that they put it, and Scott had written it. It was close. He just intuited it and it was close, but he had written words like, “She had passed away,” and the guy says, “No no no. She didn’t die.” You have to be completely specific and look at the person, and you have the social worker with you. There’s a whole script that they go on, and they expect you to not even get it. They expect you to go like, “Okay, can I go talk to her?” because that’s the reaction that people have.

So working with these guys, I get up in the morning and I’m freaking out about how the hell I’m going to do this scene, and I end up going to work and getting this scene that’s really interesting, and I’ve never seen it done that way, and I totally believe that’s the way. And these doctors who actually do it say, “Yeah, that’s actually how it goes down a lot of the time.” It’s a very long-winded answer to a very short question.

How was filming Gwyneth Paltrow’s autopsy scene?

SS: Gwyneth is a trooper, we got into that room and we had an actual medical examiner there who does that sort of thing all the time. We asked them to walk us through the steps in which someone has died under these circumstances. And when they got to the part where they said, ‘Well, we cut here and we peel the skin over the front of the face,’ I immediately turned to Greg and said, ‘Okay, we need to find a flap of something that looks like pizza up on one end without the sauce, that we could attach some wig hair to so that we could do this.’ And so we scrambled around and we found we were able to do that.

And while it took about forty minutes of having Gwyneth in that position, Greg actually ended up being the person who put the skin flap over. And she was stalk still and didn’t say a word. She asked the medical examiner, ‘Talk to me about the rest of my face. What about my mouth?’ And the examiner said, ‘Okay, your tongue would be extruded just a little bit. You’ll have some sort of yellowish fluid coming out of your nose.’ And she wanted it to be exactly right. I think she had a feeling this was going to be some sort of weird iconic image somehow. There were no tricks there, no freeze frame, no high speed frame rate. That was just her being stalk still with some really good effects.

Contagion opens September 9. Check it out.

Contagion: Movie Review

Damon Houx — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 21:00:14 +0000

Fall is off to a great start with Steven Soderbergh‘s Contagion kicking off the September releases. With an all star cast – including Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet and Jude Law among others – the film follows a new disease from Day 2 on as it infects the population, and scientists and doctors attempt to control and cure it. Soderbergh deftly avoids most of the genre’s pitfalls by keeping the film in a “you are there” approach that grounds the material, and will have most audiences reaching for the Purell when the film ends.

The Players:

Directed By: Steven Soderbergh
Written By: Scott Z. Burns
Starring: Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Ehle
Original Music by: Cliff Martinez
Cinematography by: Peter Andrews (aka Steven Soderbergh)

The Plot:

Beth Emhoff (Paltrow) returns to Minnesota from a trip abroad with what appears to be a slight cold, though possibly just jet lag. The next day she’s having seizures and is hospitalized. It’s a huge shock to her husband Mitch (Damon), especially when she dies shortly thereafter. He’s immune, but his son and daughter are not. As the disease spreads the CDC reacts by sending in Dr. Erin Mears (Winslet) to investigate Beth’s death and they try to contain the outbreak, but between Beth’s stop in Chicago (to visit an old lover) to the others in Hong Kong who were around her, the disease quickly goes global. The government tries to both solve it – with the lead doctor being Dr. Ally Hextall (Ehle) – and contain it. But in the 21st century word can’t be contained, especially when people like Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law) write about it on the internet and hope to profit from it.

The Good:

Ensemble: One of the things that old school filmmakers knew about using a lot of stars in their films was that having familiar faces grounds you immediately in which location you’re at, regardless of where the last scene took place. Marion Cotillard’s character is in Asia, Jude Law’s in San Fransisco, Matt Damon’s in Minnesota – the film darts around the globe, but because the plot follows the disease you never feel lost, and all of the actors get a moment to shine. With all the heavy hitters in the cast, it’s surprising that Jennifer Ehle walks away with the movie. As one of the key doctors trying to figure out a cure, Ehle manages to be smart, confident and surprisingly sexy (especially for someone wearing a Tyvek suit for much of the film). Though Ehle’s been acting for a while now, this is that role. She’s going to be in a lot more shortly.
Follow the Disease: Though the film does develop its characters well enough, the film never tries to drum up too much added melodrama for the situation. There is some melodrama – especially with Damon’s Emhoff character, who has a family that isn’t safe and as the disease progresses has to worry about his daughter not only staying safe, but also the fact that she’s a tween girl who wants to live a normal life. That works – it humanizes the consequences – but often these films pile incident on incident (often there’s a couple about to get divorced, a love triangle, etc.). As such the film work like gangbusters because it functions more as a procedural.
Getting Under Your Skin: The film opens with a sequence where it shows people touching things, be it public locations, their faces, or a glass handed to them. Soderbergh does a brilliant job of setting the viewer on edge on how easy we treat most of the world, and how often people expose themselves to the possibility of germs. There’s just enough of that to make anyone freaked out.

The Bad:

Cleanliness: Though never as terrible as Traffic at its worst, there are some plot points that either go nowhere (the Cotillard section feels like a throwaway, though that’s the point), or goes for the hammer of obviousness. This may be a byproduct of this sort of storytelling, and for the most part the film does a good job of avoiding being cloying. Thankfully such intrusions are kept to a minimum, but they’re also the things that stick out later as why the film isn’t a masterpiece. But, hey, settling for being a really good film is good enough.

Overall:

This is Soderbergh at his best; Contagion is fascinating to watch. Though some might prefer a more horrific “what if” situation, the film communicates great ideas about how our society functions, and where it breaks down. And more than any recent picture, Contagion really captures the internet era (arguably the film is more about that than the disease), where people are texting their reactions to tragedy, and someone leaking word about a possible shutdown or blockade goes as viral as the virus itself.

Rating: 8.5/10

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Matt Damon’s Latest Film is Also One of His Oldest

Damon Houx — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 17:58:16 +0000

Matt Damon and Anna Paquin are as hot as they’ve ever been, and Mark Ruffalo (now an Avenger) is coming close to being a full blown star. So what’s so fascinating about Kenneth Lonergan’s Margaret is that the film has been mired in controversy for six years. They finished shooting in 2005. Supposedly the hold up was that Lonergran had final cut but he couldn’t get it down to a manageable shape (it was declared a masterpiece by Martin Scorsese in one of those longer cuts), which led to two lengthy lawsuits. During this prolonged post-production two of its producers (Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack) have passed away. And now, finally, there’s a trailer. Check it out….

Thematically the script was about New York and September 11, though it’s hard to say what the movie is now. There was some hope the film would hit the festival circuit, and though this could be a two screen “get it off the books” release – there doesn’t seem to be a lot of confidence if you’re releasing a trailer four weeks before your film comes out – perhaps Fox Searchlight is going to see if critics love it before going for any academy attention.

Lonergan’s last film – You Can Count On Me – was hailed as a masterpiece, and made many best of lists for the last decade. Lonergan cut his teeth in theater, and was plucked to help work in Hollywood on such diverse projects as The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Gangs of New York, so he covers the spectrum. Just from the production history alone, this is one of most fascinating releases of 2011.

Had you heard of Margaret before this?

The Adjustment Bureau: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 01:00:05 +0000

The Adjustment Bureau, AKA a little something for everyone. Much like what I predicted when they released some clips for this film, this is very much a story with a lot of running around, a lot of “I love you, come back!”, and some cool special effects. It’s kind of like the Bourne films mixed with some Romeo and Juliet, with a sprinkle of Inception and a pinch of religion — like I said a little something for everyone. But, the real reason to see this film for more than that, check out why below…

The Players:

Director: George Nolfi
Screenplay: George Nolfi
Based on a Short Story By: Philip K. Dick – “Adjustment Team”
Actors: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, John Slattery, Anthony Mackie
Original Music by: Thomas Newman
Cinematography by: John Toll

The Plot:

A politician and a modern dancer, fall in love — could it be destiny? But what if someone has decided that destiny isn’t a good enough reason for these two to be together? What if that someone has a different plan and a way to implement it? Will they be willing to risk everything and stay together, or will they be parted forever?

The Good:

The SFX: There are a lot of subtle, almost old school door swapping methods in this film that are a lot of fun. I have no doubt it was all done with CGI, but sometimes simple is better.
Matt Damon and Emily Blunt: Women want him; men want to be him AND men want her; women want to be her… I don’t think you could have found a better and more equal duo. Their chemistry is great, they’re both exceptionally easy to watch, they’re both able to do the action scenes and yet act when necessary — overall if these two are the main reason to see this film.
Blunt’s Dress: I don’t know if that was double stick tape or the best dress ever built, but how the hell did she run in that thing and it her boobs stay in exactly the same place and look that good? Well done dress, you deserve a round of applause.
Supporting Cast: The leads are great, but they’re enhanced by a wonderful supporting cast which includes two of the best looking men in suites: Slattery and Mackie — just a little something extra for the ladies. The rest of the cast is equally impressive and really helps make this a well rounded film.
The Idea: The idea behind what drives the film is actually pretty interesting, the problem is, because it’s so complex they have to over-explain it at times and almost make it too easy to grasp — but that’s not to say that there is nothing to it all!

The Bad:

Not That Complex: There are a couple of fun twists and turns in the story but I really wanted something that would blow be away and make me think. Again, there’s a lot of great ideas, that are at times well pulled off (John Slattery gets some of the best moments), but there just isn’t enough of them to walk away fully satisfied. The biggest problem with this film is that they do a lot of great build up but when it comes time for the ending…
The Ending Feels Like an After Thought: This film was pushed back several months and there were rumors of re-shoots, I don’t know if the ending was the reason why, but it felt like the film actually had another 20-30 minutes and a different ending. Though this one is satisfying enough, something tells me we’re not getting all of what Nolfi had in mind — something about it was just a little too easy.

Overall:

This film is much better than the average action, romance and really goes for everything 100%. There’s enough cool concept and chemistry between the two actors to keep you entertained but at the end of the day it’s not that great of a reveal and there’s nothing mind-blowing about it. It’s a simple, easy to watch action movie with a lot of romance — you can tell this one was screen tested for both sexes.

Rating: 6.5/10

The Adjustment Bureau hits theaters March 4th!

Trailer:

Photo Gallery:

Clips: The Adjustment Bureau – Lots of Love and Mind Reading

Mali Elfman — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:06:26 +0000

Some new clips from George Nolfi‘s upcoming thriller, The Adjustment Bureau have just been released and have confirmed that Matt Damon’s character is in fact in love. Just to prove it, EVERY scene seems to be about his character being in love, with a bit of mind-reading and world-swapping in the midst of his love story. My fear, too much pining and not enough psychedelic mind-blowing.

The film has an all-star cast led by one of my favorite non-movie stars who happens to be a movie star, Matt Damon whose character is be chasing after the lovely Emily Blunt — who is hot enough that she can throw your phone in a cup of coffee and apparently you just don’t care! I wish I knew what that was like. And then there is the impressive supporting cast Anthony Mackie, John Slaterry (who just can’t seem to get out of his 60′s suit and is always “a professional that fucks with you”), Daniel Dae Kim, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Michael Kelly and Terence Stamp. All of whom are featured in the new clips below…

True Love:

See, when you’re that pretty you can get away with JUST about anything… The question is, why the third perspective from behind? Who’s watching them?

The Plan (more of this please!):

I love Slaterry — he’s always so damn cool. And the man knows how to rock a suit and hat.

In Your MIND — just remember he’s in love:

Sill for Love:

And still…:

Can get away with anything AND they’re in love…

No Matter What:

And of course… RUN!!!!:

The Adjustment Bureau debuts in theaters nationwide on its new release date March 4th, 2011.

Are you enticed? Is it the romance or the idea that gets you?

30 Rock: Season 5 Episode 14: Double-Edged Sword – TV Review

Joseph Oliveto — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:46:17 +0000

“30 Rock” may not be as consistently entertaining as “Arrested Development” was, but it fills the gap that show left by providing viewers with a source of strong comedic writing. While this season has been somewhat uneven, last night’s episode was a well-rounded example of high-quality humor that did what it is meant to do: keep us interested for half an hour.

Read our review to get our full thoughts…

The Players:

Director: Don Scardino
Writer: Kay Cannon, Tom Ceraulo
Cast: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Matt Damon, Elizabeth Banks, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, John Cho

Episode Title: “Double-Edged Sword”

Liz’s doomed relationship (aren’t they all?) with Carol comes to a head this week when she challenges his authority as a pilot. Jack and Avery go to Canada together to attend the G8 conference, but they try desperately to make it back to the United States when Avery begins to go into early labor. In the meantime, Tracy learns that winning an EGOT isn’t easy.

The Good:

Matt Damon: Gotta hand it to him; the man can do comedy fantastically, and whenever he’s on this show, he is a genuine scene-stealer. Sadly, with this episode ending as it did, we’ve probably seen the last of him.
Conservative Couple: Jack and Avery’s conservative politics could have become an old joke long ago, but the writers are clever enough to continue finding humor in this topic. Their reaction to learning that Americans aren’t making their own meth anymore: “What is happening to American manufacturing?” Their response to realizing that if their daughter is born in Canada, she won’t be able to be President: “Well, if we were in Kenya we’d be ok.”
In-flight movie: Sometimes the smallest jokes are the funniest. For example, when Liz and her fellow passengers are stuck on a plane, the situation only gets worse when they learn that their in-flight movie is Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’hoole. The writers could not have picked a better bad movie.
Potato chips: While we’re on the topic of minor but effective jokes, when Liz confronts Carol and asks why the passengers can’t at least be treated to some potato chips while they wait for the plane to take off, he responds by telling her, “Those bags are designed to be opened while in the air. If I open them here someone could die!”

The So-So:

Elizabeth Banks: It is great that the writers are finally giving her some comedy, but they don’t give her quite enough. As usual, she does a great job with what she has to work with, but even the best actor can’t rewrite the script.
John Cho: You don’t throw Harold into an episode if you’re only going to give him one funny line. You don’t.

The Bad:

Tracy: He’s usually the best part of any “30 Rock” episode, but this time around he just doesn’t have enough to do. Hopefully he’ll take center stage again. His character seems to work best when he’s the focus of an episode.

Overall:

A very effective episode that gets the laughs and does a decent job of balancing the various plotlines it handles. We turn to “30 Rock” for witty comedy writing, and this week delivered.

Rating: 8/10

“30 Rock” airs every Thursday night on NBC!

Photo Gallery:

What did you think of last night’s episode? Tell us in the comments!

Matt Damon in The Adjustment Bureau Featurette

Krystal Clark — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 01:09:44 +0000

Matt Damon is on the run again and this time it has nothing to do with Jason Bourne. The actor’s next film The Adjustment Bureau will have him fighting for his destiny thanks to a group of “adjusters” and their pre-determined mumbo jumbo. Universal has just released a behind the scenes featurette with the stars of the movie, and it’s a little eerie. Check it out…

Synopsis:

Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us? Matt Damon stars in the thriller The Adjustment Bureau as a man who glimpses the future Fate has planned for him and realizes he wants something else. To get it, he must pursue the only woman he’s ever loved across, under and through the streets of modern-day New York.

On the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate, ambitious politician David Norris (Damon) meets beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt)—a woman like none he’s ever known. But just as he realizes he’s falling for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart.

David learns he is up against the agents of Fate itself—the men of The Adjustment Bureau—who will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together. In the face of overwhelming odds, he must either let her go and accept a predetermined path…or risk everything to defy Fate and be with her.

The Adjustment Bureau opens in theaters everywhere on March 4, 2011.

What do you think of the behind the scenes video? Are you interested in seeing the film?

Leighton Meester, Robert Pattinson, Matt Damon to Present at Golden Globes

Krystal Clark — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 19:27:46 +0000

The Golden Globe Awards are about two weeks away and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association are in the process of finalizing their list of presenters. Instead of releasing a press announcement like any normal group would, they’ve been unveiling the names of attendees via Twitter. Yep, the HFPA are hip with the times. Check out the presenters below…

In a bid to promote their latest film Country Strong (opens January 7), Sony announced that co-stars Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester will be on hand to present during the telecast along with Twilight‘s Robert Pattinson. And the newest “American Idol” judge Jennifer Lopez will also take the stage on the big night.

In an interesting twist, Matt Damon has been named as one of the people who’ll introduce Robert De Niro, when he receives his Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award. We know De Niro directed him in The Good Shephard but we thought that Martin Scorsese or Harvey Keitel would have that honor? Maybe they’ll all be a part of it, who knows?

The Golden Globes will air on NBC Sunday, January 16.

Will you be watching this year’s Golden Globe Awards? What do you think about the presenters?

True Grit: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:21:02 +0000

It’s time for some horseback riding, gun shootin’, mumbling bad-asses in the Coen Brothers most un-Coen Brothers-like film True Grit starring Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and Barry Pepper. One thing is for sure, if you can understand what they’re saying in this film, you’ll be a fan — but that won’t be easy for ya now, ya hear? Check out our review…

The Players:

Directors/Writers: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Novel By: Charles Portis
Actors: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper
Score By: Carter Burwell
Cinematography by: Roger Deakins

The Plot:

Based on the Charles Portis novel of the same name, True Grit follows a tough U.S. Marshal as he helps a stubborn young girl track down her father’s murderer.

The Good:

The Writing: Even though this is not one of my favorite scripts from the Coens, it’s still miles beyond the majority of screenplays today. Not only are they good at writing amazing one liners, but they’re also able to apply them to the screen extremely well. It’s a good thing they direct their own screenplays because it takes a very interesting mind to understand the complexities and depths of their writing.
Moments of Quiet: The Coen’s biggest strength lies is in what they let go unsaid. This film is extremely sparse, and aside from a few drunken rants and a sassy young girl, the only time the characters really talk is when they have something to say. Though this sounds like an obvious thing, a lot of films have so much unneeded dialogue, it’s nice to see one where every line has its place.
The Writing AGAIN: What is also amazing about their writing is how they create a new language for every film they make. Whether it’s Fargo, No Country for Old Men, Burn After Reading or True Grit, all their characters have a very distinct way of speaking which transports you into a different world and forces you to pay attention so you can be a part of it.
The Acting: Another reason why the dialogue sounds so good is because of the performances in this film. Though Jeff and Hailee are the stars of the show and rightly so, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper and the rest of the cast all put in amazing performances. There literally are no small parts in a Coen Brothers movie and much like their text, every actor has a right to be there.
The Mumbling: You won’t be able to understand every line in this film, so don’t bother leaning over to your significant other and ruining the movie with “what did he just say?” The mumbling is part of it and you’ll come around to it and their way of speaking in time.
The Richness/The Silence: This is not a cliched Hollywood film in ANY way. They’re going to make you wait for the pay off and then change it up on you. They’re going to leave you in silence and they’re going to force you to watch a film that though it is entertaining was not created for entertainment’s sake. It’s a bold move, but well executed.
The Humor: You have many directors trying to make comedies, but despite what genre the Coen’s play in, their films always have a sense of humor that is undeniably funny and more realistic than any comedy routine. This film is no exception, and despite it’s serious tone it will most definitely have you laughing — and sometimes you won’t even know why. They don’t even need a punch line, their timing is so good that it does the work for them.

The Bad:

Horse Violence: I get that it goes with the story, it’s accurate to the character, but damn is it hard to watch.
The Snakes: Though I loved the scene and how it began, without giving anything away, the truth of the matter is that it was a rather inaccurate way for snakes to behave.

Overall:

Not necessarily the brother’s finest work, but for me they always deliver something far superior than almost everything else in theaters. Don’t miss this bad boy.

Rating: 8.5/10

True Grit hits theaters December 22nd.

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Will you be seeing True Grit over the holiday weekend?

Matt Damon in Talks to Join Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium

Krystal Clark — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:36:31 +0000

Neill Blomkamp is on a roll! The up and coming director has finally buckled down and begun work on his sophomore feature Elysium. Earlier this week we learned that his District 9 star Sharlto Copley became the first to sign on for a part in the film and now according to Deadline, the South African actor may be joined by Boston native Matt Damon.

The site claims that Damon is in early negotiations to co-star in Elysium for Media Rights Capital. The film has been described as being “set in the far future on another planet and is filled with many sociopolitical ideas wrapped up inside a Hollywood action film.” Any and all other details regarding the plot are being kept under lock and key.

If the deal goes through this will mark the second film for Media Rights Capital that Damon has worked on. The first being the upcoming release The Adjustment Bureau, which is based on a short story by Philip K. Dick.

We’re interested to see how Copley and Damon would mesh when working side by side. They’re different actors in every sense of the word. That oranges and apples type of thing, plus a solid screenplay might be what makes Elysium another winner for Blomkamp.

Do you want to see Damon in Elysium? Do you think he and Copley would work well together?

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