El Cant dels Ocells
Cannes Film Festvial, Directors Fortnight
Translated into English, "El Cant dels Ocells" means "Song of the Birds". Apt, since this movie is for the birds.
A pretentious piffle, this Directors Fortnight entrant centers on three crowned-heads who waddle across daunting terrain to pay homage to the Messiah. Resplendent in costumes up to the level of most community theater, or, at the very least, bathrobes purloined from a chain motel, the three not-so-wise men are neither smart nor interesting. They bumble along and spout absurdist observations. Unfortunately, these illuminations are faux “Godot” at best.
Similarly, the dim dialogue is complemented by dim visualizations. Often, you can barely see the three old coots, either obscured by rocks or the film’s fuzzy cinematography.
There are intermittent attempts at slapstick and forced mirth, but these three clods, are not, alas, even The Three Stooges. Although nothing of interest, either intellectually or emotionally, happens in this tedious journey, filmmaker Albert Serra prolongs his shots for abnormal amounts of time. Verily, this must instill significance. The aesthetic equivalent of raising the price on junk to make it seem worthwhile to the buyer.
Ultimately, our three robed men come upon Joseph, Mary, a lamb and a baby in a stone hut way. They prostrate themselves, take a slow bath and head out over the hills. Stay tuned.
Translated into English, "El Cant dels Ocells" means "Song of the Birds". Apt, since this movie is for the birds.
A pretentious piffle, this Directors Fortnight entrant centers on three crowned-heads who waddle across daunting terrain to pay homage to the Messiah. Resplendent in costumes up to the level of most community theater, or, at the very least, bathrobes purloined from a chain motel, the three not-so-wise men are neither smart nor interesting. They bumble along and spout absurdist observations. Unfortunately, these illuminations are faux “Godot” at best.
Similarly, the dim dialogue is complemented by dim visualizations. Often, you can barely see the three old coots, either obscured by rocks or the film’s fuzzy cinematography.
There are intermittent attempts at slapstick and forced mirth, but these three clods, are not, alas, even The Three Stooges. Although nothing of interest, either intellectually or emotionally, happens in this tedious journey, filmmaker Albert Serra prolongs his shots for abnormal amounts of time. Verily, this must instill significance. The aesthetic equivalent of raising the price on junk to make it seem worthwhile to the buyer.
Ultimately, our three robed men come upon Joseph, Mary, a lamb and a baby in a stone hut way. They prostrate themselves, take a slow bath and head out over the hills. Stay tuned.
- 5/23/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bridges to 'Practice'; Allen 'Held'
Emmy winner Beau Bridges has been tapped to star in Lifetime's drama pilot Family Practice.
Meanwhile, Krista Allen is set to co-star opposite Jack Carpenter in Comedy Central's half-hour pilot Held Up.
Practice, from Sony Pictures TV and Lost co-creator Jeffrey Lieber, centers on a South Philly girl who becomes entangled personally and professionally with the affluent, Kennedyesque family members of one of the city's most prestigious law firms.
Bridges will play the family's patriarch, a brilliant, radical, Machiavellian lawyer who once defended the most controversial clients he could find. He is a peerless legal mind but not so successful as a father and a husband.
Bridges won Emmys for his roles in the telefilms The Second Civil War, Without Warning: The James Brady Story and The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom.
He earned his 11th Emmy nomination this year for his guest-starring role on NBC's My Name Is Earl.
Bridges is repped by CAA.
Held Up, also from Sony Pictures TV, centers on Ray (Carpenter), a bored bank teller whose life changes dramatically when two teams of crazy robbers -- disguised as James Bond, Spider-Man, Batman and The Three Stooges -- hold up his branch.
Meanwhile, Krista Allen is set to co-star opposite Jack Carpenter in Comedy Central's half-hour pilot Held Up.
Practice, from Sony Pictures TV and Lost co-creator Jeffrey Lieber, centers on a South Philly girl who becomes entangled personally and professionally with the affluent, Kennedyesque family members of one of the city's most prestigious law firms.
Bridges will play the family's patriarch, a brilliant, radical, Machiavellian lawyer who once defended the most controversial clients he could find. He is a peerless legal mind but not so successful as a father and a husband.
Bridges won Emmys for his roles in the telefilms The Second Civil War, Without Warning: The James Brady Story and The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom.
He earned his 11th Emmy nomination this year for his guest-starring role on NBC's My Name Is Earl.
Bridges is repped by CAA.
Held Up, also from Sony Pictures TV, centers on Ray (Carpenter), a bored bank teller whose life changes dramatically when two teams of crazy robbers -- disguised as James Bond, Spider-Man, Batman and The Three Stooges -- hold up his branch.
- 8/28/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Three at fest headed to IFC
Related story: U.S. fare speaks to Toronto in fest lineup
Related story: Christie's digital gets screen billing
NEW YORK -- IFC Films has nabbed three features that have North American premieres at next month's Toronto International Film Festival: Harmony Korine's pop-culture fantasia "Mister Lonely", starring Diego Luna and Samantha Morton; Jacques Rivette's French period romance "The Duchess of Langeais", starring Guillaume Depardieu; and, in partnership with Netflix's Red Envelope Entertainment, Christophe Honore's French musical drama "Love Songs".
The art house trio rounds out an impressive seven IFC features on the Toronto slate, including Gus Van Sant's teen drama "Paranoid Park", Cristian Mungiu's Romanian abortion drama "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days", Hou Hsiao-hsien's fantasy "The Flight of the Red Balloon" and Catherine Breillat's erotic period romance "The Last Mistress".
"Mister Lonely" marks the return of enfant terrible director Korine ("Gummo", "Julien Donkey Boy"). With brother Avi, he wrote the story of a Parisian Michael Jackson impersonator (Luna), guided by a faux Marilyn Monroe (Morton) to an impersonator commune in the Scottish Highlands, where Abe Lincoln, The Three Stooges, the queen, the pope, Madonna and other impostors stage a gala performance.
Related story: Christie's digital gets screen billing
NEW YORK -- IFC Films has nabbed three features that have North American premieres at next month's Toronto International Film Festival: Harmony Korine's pop-culture fantasia "Mister Lonely", starring Diego Luna and Samantha Morton; Jacques Rivette's French period romance "The Duchess of Langeais", starring Guillaume Depardieu; and, in partnership with Netflix's Red Envelope Entertainment, Christophe Honore's French musical drama "Love Songs".
The art house trio rounds out an impressive seven IFC features on the Toronto slate, including Gus Van Sant's teen drama "Paranoid Park", Cristian Mungiu's Romanian abortion drama "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days", Hou Hsiao-hsien's fantasy "The Flight of the Red Balloon" and Catherine Breillat's erotic period romance "The Last Mistress".
"Mister Lonely" marks the return of enfant terrible director Korine ("Gummo", "Julien Donkey Boy"). With brother Avi, he wrote the story of a Parisian Michael Jackson impersonator (Luna), guided by a faux Marilyn Monroe (Morton) to an impersonator commune in the Scottish Highlands, where Abe Lincoln, The Three Stooges, the queen, the pope, Madonna and other impostors stage a gala performance.
- 8/23/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Benchwarmers
Opened Friday, April 7
They hide these things for a reason, folks.
Apparently sensing that the nation's film critics would collectively not appreciate the subtle, understated humor of this latest Adam Sandler-produced effort, the aptly titled "The Benchwarmers" opened Friday without press screenings.
Clearly hoping for some "Dodgeball"-level boxoffice, this gross-out comedy is about a trio of losers inspiring some young tykes on the baseball field to beat their bullying competition.
Unfortunately, Rob Schneider, David Spade and Jon Heder aren't exactly The Three Stooges. Heck, they aren't even the "Three Amigos".
You can practically set your watch by the obligatory trotting out of the vulgar gags. Within the first minute, nose picking; by the third minute, farting, etc. Rest assured that every bodily function is covered by the film's conclusion, within the limits of the PG-13 rating.
This is not to say that there isn't some genuine humor on display. Perhaps the funniest gag stems from the casting of Molly Sims as Schneider's eager-to-be-pregnant wife.
Schneider actually plays it relatively straight as Gus, the only one of the three losers to actually have had sex, let alone kissed a girl. Heder's mentally challenged delivery boy and Spade's lesbian-loving video store clerk are far broader, if no more funny, characterizations.
The few laughs in the film stem from Jon Lovitz's amusing turn as a nerdy billionaire who bankrolls the three in order to help his young son get off the bench. Living in a mansion filled with "Star Wars" memorabilia and driving around in the Batmobile, the character is a hoot, and the underplaying Lovitz makes the most of it.
Otherwise, Dennis Dugan's film is strictly by the numbers, featuring the obligatory self-deprecating cameo by a real-life sports hero (Reggie Jackson), an overload of blatant product placement (Pizza Hut) and an utterly manufactured happy ending.
You have to credit the filmmakers for at least acknowledging their level of dreck during the final credits, when Lovitz rhetorically asks, "This was a complete waste of time, wasn't it?"
THE BENCHWARMERS
Columbia Pictures
A Revolution Studios presentation of a Happy Madison production
Credits: Director: Dennis Dugan
Screenwriters: Allen Covert, Nick Swardson
Producers: Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo
Executive producers: Barry Bernardi, Allegra Clegg
Director of photography: Thomas Ackerman
Production designer: Perry Andelin Blake
Editors: Peck Prior, Sandy Solowitz
Music: Waddy Wachtel
Costume designer: Mary Jane Fort
Cast:
Gus: Rob Schneider
Richie: David Spade
Clark: Jon Heder
Mel: Jon Lovitz
Jerry: Craig Kilborn
Liz: Molly Sims
Wayne: Tim Meadows
Howie: Nick Swardson
Running time -- 80 minutes
MPAA rating PG-13...
They hide these things for a reason, folks.
Apparently sensing that the nation's film critics would collectively not appreciate the subtle, understated humor of this latest Adam Sandler-produced effort, the aptly titled "The Benchwarmers" opened Friday without press screenings.
Clearly hoping for some "Dodgeball"-level boxoffice, this gross-out comedy is about a trio of losers inspiring some young tykes on the baseball field to beat their bullying competition.
Unfortunately, Rob Schneider, David Spade and Jon Heder aren't exactly The Three Stooges. Heck, they aren't even the "Three Amigos".
You can practically set your watch by the obligatory trotting out of the vulgar gags. Within the first minute, nose picking; by the third minute, farting, etc. Rest assured that every bodily function is covered by the film's conclusion, within the limits of the PG-13 rating.
This is not to say that there isn't some genuine humor on display. Perhaps the funniest gag stems from the casting of Molly Sims as Schneider's eager-to-be-pregnant wife.
Schneider actually plays it relatively straight as Gus, the only one of the three losers to actually have had sex, let alone kissed a girl. Heder's mentally challenged delivery boy and Spade's lesbian-loving video store clerk are far broader, if no more funny, characterizations.
The few laughs in the film stem from Jon Lovitz's amusing turn as a nerdy billionaire who bankrolls the three in order to help his young son get off the bench. Living in a mansion filled with "Star Wars" memorabilia and driving around in the Batmobile, the character is a hoot, and the underplaying Lovitz makes the most of it.
Otherwise, Dennis Dugan's film is strictly by the numbers, featuring the obligatory self-deprecating cameo by a real-life sports hero (Reggie Jackson), an overload of blatant product placement (Pizza Hut) and an utterly manufactured happy ending.
You have to credit the filmmakers for at least acknowledging their level of dreck during the final credits, when Lovitz rhetorically asks, "This was a complete waste of time, wasn't it?"
THE BENCHWARMERS
Columbia Pictures
A Revolution Studios presentation of a Happy Madison production
Credits: Director: Dennis Dugan
Screenwriters: Allen Covert, Nick Swardson
Producers: Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo
Executive producers: Barry Bernardi, Allegra Clegg
Director of photography: Thomas Ackerman
Production designer: Perry Andelin Blake
Editors: Peck Prior, Sandy Solowitz
Music: Waddy Wachtel
Costume designer: Mary Jane Fort
Cast:
Gus: Rob Schneider
Richie: David Spade
Clark: Jon Heder
Mel: Jon Lovitz
Jerry: Craig Kilborn
Liz: Molly Sims
Wayne: Tim Meadows
Howie: Nick Swardson
Running time -- 80 minutes
MPAA rating PG-13...
- 4/10/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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