ScreenCrave.com » Woody Harrelson

Friends with Benefits: Movie Review

Damon Houx — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 22:00:32 +0000

It seems the idea of relationship-free sex between two consenting and non-paying adults is too ripe a premise for just one movie. And Will Gluck’s Friends with Benefits hits theaters six months after Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher tried the exact same thing in No Strings Attached. But for Benefits, he’s assembled a dream team of actors, including Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, along with supporting players Richard Jenkins Patricia Clarkson and Woody Harrelson. No Strings set the bar low, can Friends with Benefits jump it? Alas, no…

The Players:

Director: Will Gluck
Screenplay: Keith Merryman (story and screenplay), David A. Newman (story and screenplay), Will Gluck (screenplay), Harley Peyton (story)
Actors: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Richard Jenkins, Patricia Clarkson, Woody Harrelson, Jenna Elfman
Cinematography by: Michael Grady

The Plot:

Dylan (Timberlake) is a successful webmaster, Jamie (Kunis) is a successful headhunter. Jamie brings Dylan to New York to work for GQ magazine, and though he’s a west coaster, he accepts the job. Since she’s the only person he knows in New York, they become friends, and after hanging out and drinking, both talk about how their last relationships ended terribly, and how they’d just like someone to have sex with, but without the relationship. They enter an arrangement for this, but then feelings get in the way.

The Good

Chemistry: There is nothing worse than watching a film where the two leads are supposed to want to have sex, but have no connection or spark. Timberlake and Kunis have great banter, and you buy that they’re attracted to each other. That’s sadly something that is often lacking from romantic comedies, where people are often packaged more for their fame than their chemistry together.
Charm: Though Timberlake may be a less than exciting interview subject, he’s clearly got it. And Kunis has a great comic persona. She’s not ditzy, but she’s got some goofball in her, and she’s fun to hear get cranky.

The Bad

Maudlin: Timberlake’s father (Jenkins) has Alzheimer’s in the film, which the film doesn’t earn having. That sort of weight would sink the film if it didn’t already have problems. And (on a personal note) having lived through it, its usage offended me.
Jokes That Don’t Hit: The film opens with two break-up scenes with cameos by Andy Samberg and Emma Stone. You can see how many takes they went through to get there, but there’s a lot of throwing things at the wall and sometimes they don’t stick. It’s nice to see Woody Harrelson playing a gay guy who isn’t lisping, but his character is still close to one dimensional. the actor makes some of it work, but the cameo by non-actor Shaun White takes a one-note joke and then mercilessly pounds it into the ground. There’s also bits revolving around a flash mob – which the film has to painfully explain what they are – that remind of films from the 1990′s that used the internet as if no one involved had ever used a computer before.
Having Your Cake and Eating it Too: The movie mocks the conventions of the genre, but then uses some of the hoariest cliches of the genre, including the “overheard conversation that leads to a break up” and then the “you got to have righteous anger at me, so now I get to show how I’m just as hurt as you.” Though No Strings Attached is not a very good movie, you can see how it tried to avoid the obvious cliches. This goes full bore ahead with them, and – though Gluck would argue that it’s in a post-modern way – it seems silly to try and suggest that cliched romantic comedies are bad, and then being one.

Overall:

Star power is star power- Timberlake and Kunis have it, and for those who want to enjoy watching people they like for two hours, this fits that bill. But the film around them is not particularly good, even if there are moments here and there where you could see a good movie made out of this material.

Rating: 4.5/10

Gallery:

Trailer:

Friends with Benefits opens July 22.

Woody Harrelson Not Sure About Zombieland Sequel

Krystal Clark — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 22:11:45 +0000

If you thought everything was going great on the Zombieland 2 front you were wrong. The follow up to Ruben Fleischer’s 2009 horror comedy has been in development for the past year, and everything seemed to be going according to plan, until now. Casting may become an issue. Originally, all of the stars from the first film were set to reprise their roles in the sequel but now that’s uncertain. Woody Harrelson doesn’t feel %100 comfortable with doing another movie.

When talking to Total Film, Harrelson spoke about the uncertainty surrounding Zombieland 2′s future. He’s never pegged himself as a sequel guy. He doesn’t want to ruin a good thing by beating it into the ground.

“It’s one thing to do it when it came out real good and it made a lot of people laugh, but then to do a sequel… 99 out of 100 are worse by a lot. So I don’t know. I don’t feel like a sequels guy.”

We have to admit that he has a point. Some films scream for a sequel, while others are fine as stand alone entities. Which one do you think Zombieland is?

What do you think of Harrelson’s outlook on sequels? Is he right?

Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster Reunite with Oren Moverman for Rampart

Krystal Clark — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:12:31 +0000

The Messenger trio is at it again with Oren Moverman’s latest feature Rampart. The director of the post-war drama that earned both Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson critical acclaim has once again enlisted their talents. According to Variety, they’ll join the cast of his new film that also features Anne Heche, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, Steve Buscemi, and Cynthia Nixon. Everyone wants to work with this guy.

The trade states that Rampart is “set against the backdrop of the scandal within the L.A.P.D. Rampart Division in the late 1990s and is the fictional account of a veteran police officer (Harrelson) caught up in the scandal, and his search for redemption.” As someone who lives in Los Angeles, I can tell you from personal experience that the Rampart area looks shady, but who knew it was shady enough to spawn a movie?

Rampart is fully financed and scheduled to begin production on October 25th in (of course) Los Angeles. It will be interesting to see the interaction between all these actors considering the caliber of talent. I don’t know about you but I’m ready to see Sigourney Weaver tackle some material good enough to finally get her an Oscar. Maybe this will be it?

What do you think of the cast of Rampart? Are you excited to see Foster and Harrelson together again?

First Photos: Demi Moore, Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson in Bunraku

Krystal Clark — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 00:47:10 +0000

At first glance the title Bunraku might sound like the latest Japanese anime to hit the streets but it’s not. It’s a live action film from writer-director Guy Moshe that stars Josh Hartnett, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, and Ron Perlman. Bunraku is one of the many films that will be screened at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, which is why the first official photos from the movie have been released. To say that these images are visually interesting would be an understatement…

In a world with no guns, a mysterious drifter (Josh Hartnett), a young samurai and a bartender (Woody Harrelson) plot revenge against a ruthless leader (Ron Perlman) and his army of thugs, headed by nine diverse and deadly assassins. This visually stunning film is filled with uniquely choreographed action sequences of a new style that melds east with west and old school with new.

Granted, Hartnett looks like a purple version of Dick Tracy in some of these photos, you can’t knock the overall appeal of the film. This can turn out to be something really amazing that blows people away — we hope. When was the last time we saw Hartnett in anything awesome? It’s been a while and it’s time for a come up.

What do you think of the photos from Bunraku? Does the film look interesting to you?

Source: Collider

Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson Reunite With Oren Moverman

Anet Hovhanesian — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 02:57:31 +0000

Director Oren Moverman is reuniting his dream team of Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster from last year’s The Messenger for writer James Ellroy’s new project. Although Moverman was previously in talks to helm a biopic based on the life of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, he’s moved on to Rampart, a cop drama based on a script by Ellroy.

According to Cinematical, the film will be inspired by the LAPD Rampart Scandal that took place in the late 90′s. Back in the day it was a huge farce that got plenty of media coverage. Not only did the story document one of the largest cases of police corruption but it was also the source material for the hit FX series “The Shield.” Ellroy had the following to say about his newest creation:

“Rampart is another of these misperceived criminal conspiracies. It’s really the story of a handful of rogue, criminal cops who ratted out a wider number of untainted cops to save their own skins.”

Ellroy has a serious background writing crime dramas having worked on LA Confidential and The Black Dahlia. We can’t wait to see how his newest project compares to the rest of the films on his resume.

Are you anxious to see Rampart? Who else should star in this film?

Defendor: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:00:34 +0000

It’s time for the little guy to stand up for what’s right! This week in theaters Woody Harrelson appears on the big screen as Defendor, a guy willing to risk his own life, takeshis marbles and lime juice to the streets and attempt to defend the city from evil in the ultimate battles of Defendor vs. Captain Industry. Much like the lead character, this film has a lot of heart and isn’t afraid to take risks.

Lets take a look at why this film rises above the rest…

The Players:

Director/Writer: Peter Stebbings
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Kat Dennings, Elias Koteas, Sandra Oh, Elias Koteas
Music: John Rowley
Cinematography: David Greene

The Plot:

The film is a dramedy about a man named Arthur Poppington (Harrelson) who decides to become a superhero to help those in need. He fights against Captain Industry who he blames for the death of his mother and while on his journey for revenge, he meets and befriends a young prostitute (Dennings) who helps him along the way for crack.

The Good:

The Idea: Every film starts with an idea and grows from there. There was something about this film, its characters and the way that it was put together that feel very genuine. From the heart of the story about a struggling man who by all means should want to hate the world, but instead simply wants to make the world a better place to the way that it’s presented, there is something very simple and endearing about this film that makes you appreciate it and look past some minor faux pas.
The Dark Tone: Yes it’s a comedy (or dramaedy), but unlike some films of this genre which like to walk the line and never go too deep into either side, it’s not afraid to be brutally honest and go to really dark when needed. Even when a scene is humorous there is always a dark underlying current that can always be felt and rises up whenever needed. It’s a brave choice but well pulled off.
Woody Harrelson: There are very few actors that can act as crazy as him and yet come off as relate-able. Adding to the genuine quality that I mentioned earlier is a beautiful performance by Harrelson who is able to show both the humor and the depth of his character without ever looking like he’s trying.

The Bad:

Pacing: The film did have some moments that dragged a bit. While playing with the dark tone, sometimes is would become a bit too dreary and had trouble regaining its comedic momentum. That being said, this was only the case for a few moments and for the most part is balanced both sides very nicely.
Too Much Crack: It’s great that Kat Dennings went full crack-whore on us and she does a great job in the film, but (someone please correct me if I’m wrong) she’s ALWAYS sucking on her pipe. Doesn’t one normally take a few hits and then enjoy the high? And if a crackhead really takes that many hits wouldn’t that take a LOT of crack? Because she wasn’t supposed to have that much. Although I can’t really fault her on this, because I don’t really know the answer… I need some help, can anyone give me some insight on how much crack-heads sucks on their crack pipes? (I feel like I just wrote the start of a knock, knock joke)

Overall:

The film was an enjoyable twist from the norm and well put together. It’s not a film that will change your life, but it definitely will leave you with a sense of fulfillment walking out of the theater.

Rating: 7.5/10

Defendor will be in theaters February 26th.

Second Defendor Movie Trailer

Anet Hovhanesian — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:39:48 +0000

Peter Stebbings‘ newest creation, Defendor, starring Woody Harrelson and Kat Dennings has a new trailer for your viewing pleasure. As we’ve seen before, the fun part of this film is that the superhero film about a man who has no super powers and unlike Batman, no money to afford any cool gadgets, he has to reply on lime juice and marbles. The film centers around three characters: an everyday guy, Arthur Poppington, who comes to believe he’s a superhero, his psychiatrist, and the teenager prostitute he befriends.

In a world without hope, Poppington changes into a vigilante super-hero of his own making, “Defendor” in order to save the day. The only problem is that the Defendor only has courage to work with while trying to protect the city’s innocents and he might be insane. Sounds like the perfect role for Harrelson! Check out the trailer below…

The film will be released in a few theaters beginning February 26th before being released on DVD on April 30th.

What do you think of the trailer?

VOTD: Woody Harrelson Goes Bald for The Troops

Krystal Clark — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:39:24 +0000

Woody Harrelson is taking his role as a soldier in this week’s The Messenger very seriously. The actor recently appeared on the hit Comedy Central show, The Colbert Report to promote the movie and support the troops. To show his patriotism, he allowed host Stephen Colbert to shave his head, while they both performed a unique rendition of the National Anthem.

Check out the video below…

There are a few things that can be said about this video. One of them is the surprising harmony that these two have going on. Stephen carries the higher notes quite well, which is very unexpected. Secondly, Harrelson has been known to have short hair, or a shaved head in the past so is this really a stretch? He’s not treading any unknown territory with this “new” do.

To be fair, the fact that he willingly got in a chair with Colbert and some clippers shows his dedication to a good cause. The actor appears in the indie drama The Messenger, about two soldiers who are the bearer’s of bad news to countless families by informing them of a loved one’s death. The film’s directed by Oren Moverman and is scheduled to hit theaters today.

Check out Woody and Colbert in action:

What do you think about about Woody’s patriotic gesture?

The Messenger: Movie Review

Kara — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:34:18 +0000

This is it, with The Messenger in theaters, the time for possible Oscar films has begun! First time director and co-writer Oren Moverman shows us how to make a movie with his debut film, which is as subtle and beautiful as it is poignant and dramatic. From an amazing script, to beautiful performances he has unknowingly made himself Oscar-bait.

Check out our interview below…

The Players

Director: Oren Moverman
Writer: Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon
Cast: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone

The Plot

“You always shoot the messenger.” When someone dies fighting in combat today they no longer send a message but a messenger to deliver the news. In the film one solider (Foster), who was recently been pulled from battle, is paired up with seasoned officer (Harrelson) to do possibly the hardest job in the army, inform people that their loved have been killed. The young solider gets in trouble when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer (Morton).

The Good

The Script: One of the best scripts I’ve seen all year. Every moment has a reason, each scene pushes another plot point in the story, and they never rely on cliches to get where they’re going. Every moment feels organic and makes for a series of dramatic and yet nuanced performances
Simple Shots: As the director told us in our interview with him, often it would just be him and a cameraman in the room recording the performance. As a result, nothing felt staged, it felt like you were a part of the drama taking place. His choice to have all the message delivery scenes done in one shot again make you feel like what you’re watching is honest and real, and adds to the emotions of the scene.
Ben Foster: Finally he gets the chance to lead a great film. His portrayal of his characters is the perfect mix of intensity and yet vulnerability. You understand where he’s been and the pain of trying to adapt to his new laugh without him ever trying to show it.
Whole Cast: Woody Harrelson gave a serious and heartfelt performance that we’ve never truly seen from him before. He was even quoted saying that this first film where he truly cried on camera. Samantha Morton was gracious and beautiful, gave the story heart with what looked like no effort at all.
The Music: Completely understated, as it needed to be to match the performances and the style of filmmaking.
Directing: Honestly, everything that I’ve mentioned comes down to good directing. There are a million things that can go wrong with a movie, but this is one of the few times when everything went right.

The Bad:

I got nothing.

Overall

From start to finish this is a great film and I can only hope it receives the recognition it deserves come Oscar time. I highly recommend it for the holiday season, it has enough humor to keep you from feeling like it’s a “downer” and leaves you appreciating what you have in front of you.

Rating: 9.7/10

Photo Gallery

The Messenger will be released in a limited amount of theaters on November 13

Watch the trailer below…

The Messenger Official Trailer

Krystal Clark — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:09:04 +0000

The first official trailer for the Sundance hit, The Messenger has been released by Oscilloscope Laboratories. The film stars Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster, Samantha Morton, and Jena Malone as a group of people dealing with the after effects of the Iraq war. A couple of weeks ago we brought you the first poster for the film, which was just as depressing as its subject matter, and the following trailer magnifies that tenfold.

Take a look at the first trailer for The Messenger…

Here are some of the plot details…

In his most powerful performance to date, Ben Foster stars as Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq and is assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification service. Partnered with fellow officer Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) to bear the bad news to the loved ones of fallen soldiers, Will faces the challenge of completing his mission while seeking to find comfort and healing back on the home front. When he finds himself drawn to Olivia (Samantha Morton), to whom he has just delivered the news of her husband’s death, Will’s emotional detachment begins to dissolve and the film reveals itself as a surprising, humorous, moving and very human portrait of grief, friendship and survival.

The Messenger marks the directorial debut of Oren Moverman, and will be released on November 13th.

What do you think of the trailer for The Messenger?

Zombieland Sequel in the Future?

Krystal Clark — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:38:03 +0000

This past weekend the Ruben Fleischer horror-comedy Zombieland dominated the box office with a cool 25 million dollar opening, which isn’t bad for an R-rated movie. Many positive reviews have come in from both fans and critics, so it’s no surprise that sequel rumors are starting to circulate. Over at MTV, they spoke to the film’s screenwriter Paul Wernick who seems to be more than happy to work on a follow up.

According to Wernick, “We would love it, and everyone involved creatively wants to do another one. Woody came up to us after the final cut of the last scene and gave us a hug and said, ‘I’ve never wanted to do a sequel in the previous movies I’ve done until this one.’ “

That’s a huge vote of confidence coming from someone like Harrelson, who’s been in the acting game for almost 30 years. The entire Zombieland creation process started years ago as a failed TV spec, but ended up transforming into a feature film phenomenon.

“It has lived in our heads for four-and-a-half years,” Wernick said. “We developed it and wrote it as a spec TV pilot in the summer of 2005. We’ve got a long brainstorming document that still to this day gets updated on a near-weekly basis with ideas. We’ve got tons of new ideas swimming in our head.”

Since the history of the film is so rich, there are plenty of new stories to tell, so a sequel isn’t a far-fetched idea. If and when it happens, the returning crew would include Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin and Fleischer. I for one enjoy watching films that feature speeding zombies, as opposed to the old school slow motion versions. When you take that element and add a dose of comedy, what’s not to love?

Do you want to see a Zombieland sequel?

Zombieland: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:00:18 +0000

Grab the nearest thing to you that could be considered a weapon and come on down to Zombieland, where you get points for the most creative way to kill a zombie! Actually, leave the weapons at home, Ruben Fleischer’s film will supply you with all the comedic violence you’ll need. If you loved Drag Me to Hell you’ll be glad to see that there is another movie out there for you to laugh at cringe all at the same time.

Check out the review below…

The Players:

Directed by: Ruben Fleischer
Written by: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Abigail Breslin, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg

The Plot:

In a world overrun by zombie, few remain. In order to survive the zombie-apocolypse you must have a special trait. Columbus (Eisenberg) is scared of everything, and his shut in behavior has allowed him to avoid zombies much like he used to avoid humans. Thanks to his list of rules, he’s managed to stay alive and keep a normal regime. Tallahassee (Harrelson) has survived by simply being the best damn, gun-totting, banjo wheeling, zombie-killer alive who is on a mission for a Twinkie. On their way to find Columbus’ family, they are joined by two sneaky sisters, Wichita and Little Rock, who have their own ways of getting that they want.

The Good:

The Rules: Finally, they come up with an idea that makes sense and use it to their advantage throughout the entire film. Columbus’ rules start off the film, and set the tone for what we’re about to see, and then every time they pop up in the film, it’s like a cherry on top of a perfect sundae.
Fresh Take on an Old Idea: Everyone seems to be coming out with a vampire, zombie, or apocalyptic movie, and somehow they all seem to mush together in your head to form one pointless vampire-ridden-zombie-wave that crashes over the earth. Nothing about this film felt forced or recycled. Everything from the way the film was shot to their jovial tone gave the film a much needed edge that allows it stand out in a the sea of post-apocalyptic nonsense.
The Comedic Violence: I can’t watch violent slasher films, but I love some good good ol’ fashioned violence that makes you laugh and this film capitalizes on that. Not only did they come up with a new way to show the violence (super slow-mo, with voice-over) but it’s done in a way that is absolutely hilarious so that you will be laughing and repulsed all at the same time
Acting: Although I don’t think any of the actors had to push themselves too far, every single one of them put in a great performance. All four seemed to have different approaches to comedy and yet they all worked together brilliantly.
The References: From Russel Crowe to Twinkies, every time they throw out a reference it lands hard. Which leads me to…
The SECRET CAMEO: No I won’t reveal it. They’ve kept it hidden and for good reason, it’s amazing and if you’re not laughing your ass off your heart must me made of stone.
FUN: The bottom line is that this film is a blast to watch. Much like how I felt after Drag Me to Hell, this is a film that was made for an audience to enjoy.

The Bad:

Honestly I got nothing… This is not the type of movie you pick apart, it’s the type where you buy yourself some popcorn, lean back and enjoy the ride.

Overall:

Great film! Fun to watch, well put together, overall one of the best comedies I’ve seen all year.

Rating: 9.5/10

Check out the film in theaters October 2nd!

Gallery:

Check out more Zombieland photos from on and off the set of the film.

ScreenCrave.com » Woody Harrelson

Friends with Benefits: Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Good

The Bad

Overall:

Rating: 4.5/10

Gallery:

Trailer:

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Defendor: Movie Review

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The Good:

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Rating: 7.5/10

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