Even Murphy Brown has Trump fatigue. In last week’s episode, she threw down her remote and said, “I’m not watching anymore!” Ironic, of course, since millions of viewers stopped, or didn’t start, watching the new edition of CBS’ “Murphy Brown.” Conservatives figured, correctly, that she’d be trashing their leader weekly, and it seems liberals would rather watch Rachel Maddow.
Creative folks are learning they need to tread carefully doing anything dealing with politics these days, even if only tangentially winking at the chaos in the current White House. Despite possible resonance with the Stormy Daniels brouhaha, “The Front Runner,” a movie about the sex scandal that brought down Sen. Gary Hart, was a quick bust at the box office. Despite constant Nixon-Trump comparisons, Charles Ferguson’s documentary “Watergate” made little noise. “The Parisian Woman,” a Broadway show from the man who gave us Netflix’s “House of Cards,...
Creative folks are learning they need to tread carefully doing anything dealing with politics these days, even if only tangentially winking at the chaos in the current White House. Despite possible resonance with the Stormy Daniels brouhaha, “The Front Runner,” a movie about the sex scandal that brought down Sen. Gary Hart, was a quick bust at the box office. Despite constant Nixon-Trump comparisons, Charles Ferguson’s documentary “Watergate” made little noise. “The Parisian Woman,” a Broadway show from the man who gave us Netflix’s “House of Cards,...
- 12/7/2018
- by Mary Murphy and Michele Willens
- The Wrap
The Gill-Man has been lurking in the depths of the black lagoon for decades, and his return to the big screen has been in development hell with Universal since the 1980s. Now, it looks like traction on a remake of Creature From The Black Lagoon is finally taking place.
Dave Kajganich, writer of The Invasion (not the most…critically beloved film ever) and the upcoming It remake, has been hired to write the film. He also worked on the Pet Sematary remake. In fact, Kajganich only writes remakes. The film is being produced by Eric Newman and Marc Abraham of Strike Entertainment (Dawn Of The Dead remake), and Gary Ross and Allison Thomas of Larger Than Life Productions.
The Creature joins Frankenstein and The Mummy as classic Universal monsters to perhaps haunt the big screen once again. Guillermo Del Toro is working on Frankenstein, and Len Wiseman is primed to ruin resurrect The Mummy.
Dave Kajganich, writer of The Invasion (not the most…critically beloved film ever) and the upcoming It remake, has been hired to write the film. He also worked on the Pet Sematary remake. In fact, Kajganich only writes remakes. The film is being produced by Eric Newman and Marc Abraham of Strike Entertainment (Dawn Of The Dead remake), and Gary Ross and Allison Thomas of Larger Than Life Productions.
The Creature joins Frankenstein and The Mummy as classic Universal monsters to perhaps haunt the big screen once again. Guillermo Del Toro is working on Frankenstein, and Len Wiseman is primed to ruin resurrect The Mummy.
- 10/15/2012
- by Andy Greene
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Universal has been wanting to get a remake of Creature From the Black Lagoon off the ground for a while, but it’s the one Universal monster project that never really seems to move forward. That may change, as a new writer has been hired to work on the remake.
THR reports that Dave Kajganich is the writer brought on board and he has a number of genre scripts under his belt. Previously, he worked on The Invasion and Blood Creek, and he’s writing remakes of Stephen King’s It and Pet Sematary. It is said that he’ll be working on a brand new take on the material, as opposed to working on any previously commissioned scripts.
Strike Entertainment’s Eric Newman and Marc Abraham are producing, along with Gary Ross and Allison Thomas of Larger Than Life Productions. This project is at the very early development stages,...
THR reports that Dave Kajganich is the writer brought on board and he has a number of genre scripts under his belt. Previously, he worked on The Invasion and Blood Creek, and he’s writing remakes of Stephen King’s It and Pet Sematary. It is said that he’ll be working on a brand new take on the material, as opposed to working on any previously commissioned scripts.
Strike Entertainment’s Eric Newman and Marc Abraham are producing, along with Gary Ross and Allison Thomas of Larger Than Life Productions. This project is at the very early development stages,...
- 10/12/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Looks like The Creature From The Black Lagoon will still rise from the water soon, even if it's not under the director we thought it'd be.
THR is reporting that the remake of the famous monster movie has just acquired Dave Kajganich to write the screenplay, but the rumor that up-and-coming director and Ridley Scott protoge Carl Erik Rinsch would direct is apparently untrue. There's no director currently listed, but The Hunger Games director Gary Ross is producing along with his partner Allison Thomas, which is cool considering Ross' father was one of the writers on the original 1954 classic.
I hate to be negative here, but hiring Kajganich doesn't exactly inspire confidence. The guy wrote The Invasion, the 2007 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which ended up with a 20% on Rotten Tomatoes. He's also been working on remakes of It, The Stand, and Pet Semetary, all Stephen King properties that,...
THR is reporting that the remake of the famous monster movie has just acquired Dave Kajganich to write the screenplay, but the rumor that up-and-coming director and Ridley Scott protoge Carl Erik Rinsch would direct is apparently untrue. There's no director currently listed, but The Hunger Games director Gary Ross is producing along with his partner Allison Thomas, which is cool considering Ross' father was one of the writers on the original 1954 classic.
I hate to be negative here, but hiring Kajganich doesn't exactly inspire confidence. The guy wrote The Invasion, the 2007 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which ended up with a 20% on Rotten Tomatoes. He's also been working on remakes of It, The Stand, and Pet Semetary, all Stephen King properties that,...
- 10/12/2012
- by Ben Pearson
- GeekTyrant
Dave Kajganich, who wrote the Daniel Craig-Nicole Kidman thriller The Invasion several years ago, has been tapped to pen Universal’s remake of Creature From the Black Lagoon
Eric Newman and Marc Abraham of Strike Entertainment are producing as well as Gary Ross and Allison Thomas via their Larger Than Life Productions. (Ross’s father was one of the writers on the original.) Despite earlier reports, Carl Rinsch is not attached to direct. The 1954 movie centered on a prehistoric water-breathing humanoid monster that lived in a remote Amazonian river and a group of scientists that
read more...
Eric Newman and Marc Abraham of Strike Entertainment are producing as well as Gary Ross and Allison Thomas via their Larger Than Life Productions. (Ross’s father was one of the writers on the original.) Despite earlier reports, Carl Rinsch is not attached to direct. The 1954 movie centered on a prehistoric water-breathing humanoid monster that lived in a remote Amazonian river and a group of scientists that
read more...
- 10/12/2012
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
THR has an interesting article that reveals nine untold secrets surrounding the highly anticipated movie, The Hunger Games. There's no doubt that this movie is going to do very well when it's released on March 23rd. Everything I've seen so far looks great, and I think its going to end up being a huge franchise for Lionsgate.
Like every movie, there's a behind the scenes story. This new report gives us information on how the movie came to be, the budget, how much actors are making, Jennifer Lawrence's fear of taking the role of Katniss, the accident that sent her to the hospital, and a bunch of other stuff you might be interested in knowing.
These are some of the details they listed, but to read the full detailed article packed with all kinds of goodieson how this movie came together, click here.
1. Jennifer Lawrence Took Three Days To...
Like every movie, there's a behind the scenes story. This new report gives us information on how the movie came to be, the budget, how much actors are making, Jennifer Lawrence's fear of taking the role of Katniss, the accident that sent her to the hospital, and a bunch of other stuff you might be interested in knowing.
These are some of the details they listed, but to read the full detailed article packed with all kinds of goodieson how this movie came together, click here.
1. Jennifer Lawrence Took Three Days To...
- 2/1/2012
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
As Summer is coming to an end and Fall is fast approaching, Universal Pictures have let out their complete Fall Preview Line Up. The list contains a diverse selection of movies from based-on-true story drama "Flash of Genius" to children fantasy book adaptation "The Tale of Despereaux".
All of the information of those six films can be viewed below.
Flash of Genius
Based on The New Yorker Article Flash of Genius by: John Seabrook
Release date: October 3, 2008
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Cast: Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham, Dermot Mulroney, Alan Alda
Directed by: Marc Abraham
Written by: Philip Railsback
Produced by: Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Michael Lieber
Executive Producers: Jon Glickman, J. Miles Dale, Eric Newman, Tom Bliss
Official Site: www.flashofgenius.net
Synopsis:
Based on the true story of college professor and part-time inventor Robert Kearns' (Greg Kinnear) long battle with the U.S. automobile industry, Flash of Genius...
All of the information of those six films can be viewed below.
Flash of Genius
Based on The New Yorker Article Flash of Genius by: John Seabrook
Release date: October 3, 2008
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Cast: Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham, Dermot Mulroney, Alan Alda
Directed by: Marc Abraham
Written by: Philip Railsback
Produced by: Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Michael Lieber
Executive Producers: Jon Glickman, J. Miles Dale, Eric Newman, Tom Bliss
Official Site: www.flashofgenius.net
Synopsis:
Based on the true story of college professor and part-time inventor Robert Kearns' (Greg Kinnear) long battle with the U.S. automobile industry, Flash of Genius...
- 8/29/2008
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Universal Pictures has emerged victorious in another bidding war, this time snapping up the rights to a children's fantasy manuscript titled "Simon Bloom, the Gravity Keeper" as a possible directing vehicle for Gary Ross. Ross and his Larger Than Life partner Allison Thomas will produce the live-action adaptation along with Ellen Goldsmith-Vein of the Gotham Group.
Written by first-time novelist Michael Reisman, the young-adult novel, the first in an intended series, follows an 11-year-old boy and his two friends who get possession of a physics book that enables them to alter the physical properties of the world, including gravity. The book describes a magical world based on physical laws of science, and future installments will incorporate other sciences, such as biology and chemistry. The book will be published in August by Penguin.
Sources said the deal is in the seven figures.
Reisman is a longtime reader of scripts and books for Nickelodeon. He became inspired to write his own book when he read the first two Lemony Snicket books.
Written by first-time novelist Michael Reisman, the young-adult novel, the first in an intended series, follows an 11-year-old boy and his two friends who get possession of a physics book that enables them to alter the physical properties of the world, including gravity. The book describes a magical world based on physical laws of science, and future installments will incorporate other sciences, such as biology and chemistry. The book will be published in August by Penguin.
Sources said the deal is in the seven figures.
Reisman is a longtime reader of scripts and books for Nickelodeon. He became inspired to write his own book when he read the first two Lemony Snicket books.
Universal Pictures has emerged victorious in another bidding war, this time snapping up the rights to a children's fantasy manuscript titled Simon Bloom, the Gravity Keeper as a possible directing vehicle for Gary Ross. Ross and his Larger Than Life partner Allison Thomas will produce the live-action adaptation along with Ellen Goldsmith-Vein of the Gotham Group.
Written by first-time novelist Michael Reisman, the young-adult novel, the first in an intended series, follows an 11-year-old boy and his two friends who get possession of a physics book that enables them to alter the physical properties of the world, including gravity. The book describes a magical world based on physical laws of science, and future installments will incorporate other sciences, such as biology and chemistry. The book will be published in August by Penguin.
Sources said the deal is in the seven figures.
Reisman is a longtime reader of scripts and books for Nickelodeon. He became inspired to write his own book when he read the first two Lemony Snicket books.
Written by first-time novelist Michael Reisman, the young-adult novel, the first in an intended series, follows an 11-year-old boy and his two friends who get possession of a physics book that enables them to alter the physical properties of the world, including gravity. The book describes a magical world based on physical laws of science, and future installments will incorporate other sciences, such as biology and chemistry. The book will be published in August by Penguin.
Sources said the deal is in the seven figures.
Reisman is a longtime reader of scripts and books for Nickelodeon. He became inspired to write his own book when he read the first two Lemony Snicket books.
Mike Johnson, who shared a best animated film Oscar nomination with Tim Burton for Corpse Bride, has stepped in to replace Sylvain Chomet on Universal Pictures' animated feature The Tale of Despereaux. Early work on the animation was done by Chomet, who had hoped to work on an animated film based on an unproduced screenplay by the late Jacques Tati while simultaneously working on Despereaux. When that proved unfeasible, Johnson was hired to direct. Gary Ross and Allison Thomas are producing via their Larger Than Life Prods. banner. Ross optioned Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal-winning kid-lit novel The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread at Universal two years ago (HR 3/8/04).
- 5/18/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Writers Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi have been brought on board to pen the feature adaptation of The Tale of Despereaux for Universal Pictures. Sylvain Chomet is directing, while Gary Ross is producing through his Larger Than Life Prods. with shingle partner Allison Thomas. The book The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread, by Kate DiCamillo, spent 38 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list and has sold more than 1 million copies. It won the 2004 Newbery Medal for children's literature. DiCamillo's novel Because of Winn-Dixie is the basis for an upcoming release from 20th Century Fox.
French director Sylvain Chomet, whose The Triplets of Belleville was nominated for an Oscar for best animated film this year, has signed on to direct The Tale of Despereaux for Universal Pictures. Gary Ross is producing through his Larger Than Prods. with shingle partner Allison Thomas. The script for the film will be based on the book The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread, written by Kate DiCamillo. It has been on the New York Times best-seller list for 25 weeks since September, has sold more than 1 million copies and won the 2004 Newbery Medal for children's literature.
- 7/20/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
French director Sylvain Chomet, whose The Triplets of Belleville was nominated for an Oscar for best animated film this year, has signed on to direct The Tale of Despereaux for Universal Pictures. Gary Ross is producing through his Larger Than Prods. with shingle partner Allison Thomas. The script for the film will be based on the book The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread, written by Kate DiCamillo. It has been on the New York Times best-seller list for 25 weeks since September, has sold more than 1 million copies and won the 2004 Newbery Medal for children's literature.
- 7/20/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Having had success with one best-selling book, Seabiscuit filmmaker Gary Ross is moving on to his next bestseller, this one a children's book. Universal Pictures has optioned Kate DiCamillo's Newberry Medal-winning kidlit novel The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread for Ross and his Larger Than Prods. Despereaux, which stands near the top of the New York Times' children's books bestseller list, is the tale of three misfits -- a banished mouse, a rat who likes the light and a young servant girl with cauliflower ears -- whose fates are intertwined with that of a princess. Ross will develop the project as an animated feature with partner Allison Thomas.
"Seabiscuit" aims to be a crowd pleaser, and for the most part it is. It's David vs. Goliath, only some competitors have two legs and others four. If you don't know by now -- and Universal's marketing mavens would be shocked if you really did not -- Seabiscuit is the name of a great thoroughbred racer in the 1930s. As the movie would have it, Seabiscuit was the magic bullet for the Great Depression blues -- a game, undersized bay from the Golden State, who when given "a second chance" because "you don't throw a whole life away just because it's banged up a little," raced his heart out, exemplifying the American spirit of the gutsy "little guy," the "underdog" who overcomes insurmountable odds. This is a movie that comes at you with those quotation marks all but visible onscreen.
Thanks to smart performances by Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper and numerous exciting racing sequences, "Seabiscuit", written and directed by Gary Ross, has the legs of a boxoffice champ. Given that Hollywood is mired in a summer league of extraordinary visual effects and very ordinary sequels, this sentimental flag-waving feels like welcome relief.
The film derives from Laura Hillenbrand's best seller, which forces Ross into quite a juggling act to create and sustain many historical plot lines. This is not only the story of a horse who's too small, a jockey who's too tall, an unorthodox trainer and a maverick owner, but also of a society in ferment, suffering political, economic and social upheaval while in the midst of a technological revolution that allows the broadcast of sporting events into its cars and homes.
Most of the first hour is spent following three men, each damaged by life-shattering loss, and one discarded horse. Johnny "Red" Pollard (Maguire) is a kid who in better times learns how to ride horses very well. When his Irish immigrant family loses everything, they are only too willing to abandon their son to the vagabond life of a jockey and later a prizefighter. He isn't too good at either.
Tom Smith (Cooper), a cowboy who sees civilization gobbling up the range, finds work in Wild West shows, then winds up hanging around racetracks as he can gentle a riled horse like no one else. Charles Howard (Bridges), a wealthy car dealer, takes a major hit with the stock market crash, but it's the death of his son -- ironically, in an auto accident -- that crushes him. His wife files for divorce, but in time he marries Marcela (Elizabeth Banks) and decides to buy a horse.
Seabiscuit, played by about 10 horses, is the ultimate reject. Despite a lineage going back to the great Man-O-War, the bay is used to train others, meaning Seabiscuit must "lose" to build the confidence of other Thoroughbreds.
When the three men and horse do get together, the movie enters the fairly conventional terrain of a horse-race movie. Perhaps sensing the need for a second-half pick-me-up, Ross creates the character of Tick Tock McGlaughlin (William H. Macy), a radio track reporter with a sound studio filled with sound effects, booze and a patter Walter Winchell would have envied. Macy provides comic relief, but it is in the nexus of Maguire, Cooper and Bridges' characters that the movie comes alive.
This true story is overloaded with melodrama: There's the discovery that Pollard is blind in one eye, and serious injuries to both him and Seabiscuit require dual comebacks. Then there is a match race against Triple Crown winner War Admiral, the champion of snotty East Coast money, in which another rider (Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens in his film debut) climbs aboard Seabiscuit. Finally, the tenor of the time is supplied in a narration delivered by historian David McCullough, giving the film its "little guy" subtext but making "Seabiscuit" sound like a PBS docu.
Trying to cram so much into the 140-minute movie causes Ross to skimp on each plot line. What did happen to Red's family and why does he have no romantic life save for a brief scene with a prostitute? How does a horse substitute for a son and where does Howard's money come from once he goes bust? What more is there to Smith other than a soft-spoken horse whisperer?
Randy Newman's score is a plus, a tad sentimental but rousing in those moments when Seabiscuit sprints for the finish line. Cinematography, the horse action and period details are top drawer. Mostly though, actors dominate with finely nuanced performances where every scene feels dramatically right.
SEABISCUIT
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment present a Larger Than Life and Kennedy/Marshall production
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Gary Ross
Based on the book by: Laura Hillenbrand
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Gary Ross, Jane Sindell
Executive producers: Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Tobey Maguire, Allison Thomas, Robin Bissell
Director of photography: John Schwartzman
Production designer: Jeannine Claudia Oppewall
Music: Randy Newman
Co-producer: Patricia Churchill
Costume designer: Judianna Makovsky
Editor: William Goldenberg
Cast:
Red Pollard: Tobey Maguire
Charles Howard: Jeff Bridges
Tom Smith: Chris Cooper
Marcela Howard: Elizabeth Banks
Tick Tock McGlaughlin: William H. Macy
George Woolf: Gary Stevens
Running time -- 140 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Thanks to smart performances by Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper and numerous exciting racing sequences, "Seabiscuit", written and directed by Gary Ross, has the legs of a boxoffice champ. Given that Hollywood is mired in a summer league of extraordinary visual effects and very ordinary sequels, this sentimental flag-waving feels like welcome relief.
The film derives from Laura Hillenbrand's best seller, which forces Ross into quite a juggling act to create and sustain many historical plot lines. This is not only the story of a horse who's too small, a jockey who's too tall, an unorthodox trainer and a maverick owner, but also of a society in ferment, suffering political, economic and social upheaval while in the midst of a technological revolution that allows the broadcast of sporting events into its cars and homes.
Most of the first hour is spent following three men, each damaged by life-shattering loss, and one discarded horse. Johnny "Red" Pollard (Maguire) is a kid who in better times learns how to ride horses very well. When his Irish immigrant family loses everything, they are only too willing to abandon their son to the vagabond life of a jockey and later a prizefighter. He isn't too good at either.
Tom Smith (Cooper), a cowboy who sees civilization gobbling up the range, finds work in Wild West shows, then winds up hanging around racetracks as he can gentle a riled horse like no one else. Charles Howard (Bridges), a wealthy car dealer, takes a major hit with the stock market crash, but it's the death of his son -- ironically, in an auto accident -- that crushes him. His wife files for divorce, but in time he marries Marcela (Elizabeth Banks) and decides to buy a horse.
Seabiscuit, played by about 10 horses, is the ultimate reject. Despite a lineage going back to the great Man-O-War, the bay is used to train others, meaning Seabiscuit must "lose" to build the confidence of other Thoroughbreds.
When the three men and horse do get together, the movie enters the fairly conventional terrain of a horse-race movie. Perhaps sensing the need for a second-half pick-me-up, Ross creates the character of Tick Tock McGlaughlin (William H. Macy), a radio track reporter with a sound studio filled with sound effects, booze and a patter Walter Winchell would have envied. Macy provides comic relief, but it is in the nexus of Maguire, Cooper and Bridges' characters that the movie comes alive.
This true story is overloaded with melodrama: There's the discovery that Pollard is blind in one eye, and serious injuries to both him and Seabiscuit require dual comebacks. Then there is a match race against Triple Crown winner War Admiral, the champion of snotty East Coast money, in which another rider (Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens in his film debut) climbs aboard Seabiscuit. Finally, the tenor of the time is supplied in a narration delivered by historian David McCullough, giving the film its "little guy" subtext but making "Seabiscuit" sound like a PBS docu.
Trying to cram so much into the 140-minute movie causes Ross to skimp on each plot line. What did happen to Red's family and why does he have no romantic life save for a brief scene with a prostitute? How does a horse substitute for a son and where does Howard's money come from once he goes bust? What more is there to Smith other than a soft-spoken horse whisperer?
Randy Newman's score is a plus, a tad sentimental but rousing in those moments when Seabiscuit sprints for the finish line. Cinematography, the horse action and period details are top drawer. Mostly though, actors dominate with finely nuanced performances where every scene feels dramatically right.
SEABISCUIT
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment present a Larger Than Life and Kennedy/Marshall production
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Gary Ross
Based on the book by: Laura Hillenbrand
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Gary Ross, Jane Sindell
Executive producers: Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Tobey Maguire, Allison Thomas, Robin Bissell
Director of photography: John Schwartzman
Production designer: Jeannine Claudia Oppewall
Music: Randy Newman
Co-producer: Patricia Churchill
Costume designer: Judianna Makovsky
Editor: William Goldenberg
Cast:
Red Pollard: Tobey Maguire
Charles Howard: Jeff Bridges
Tom Smith: Chris Cooper
Marcela Howard: Elizabeth Banks
Tick Tock McGlaughlin: William H. Macy
George Woolf: Gary Stevens
Running time -- 140 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 9/16/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The black-and-white world of the 1950s is not so rosy in "Pleasantville", a brainy, inventive comedy about a couple of '90s kids who get transported back to the comfy world of '50s TV.
New Line Cinema should pull terrific ratings for the movie, a big hit recently at the Toronto International Film Festival. Not only us old codgers who hearken to the comforting days of "Ozzie and Harriett"/"Father Knows Best"/"The Donna Reed Show", but today's channel-surfing vid-kids also will be charmed by the amusing cultural comedy.
In the appealing yet sobering film, the spotlight is on '90s brother and sister David (Tobey Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) who, thanks to some hocus-pocus by a squirrelly TV repairman (Don Knotts), find themselves zapped to the nuclear-family world of a prototypical '50s TV sitcom, residing in a white-picket-fenced town named Pleasantville.
Of course, everything there is in black-and-white, and all is always swell: Dad (William H. Macy) cheerily comes home for dinner at the same time every night, and his supportive wife (Joan Allen) not only has his martini chilled but his favorite dish prepared as well. There are no rain clouds, from the malt shop to the high school gym, where the basketball team has never lost a game.
Narratively, writer-director Gary Ross serves up an entertaining fish-out-of-water story as the '90s kids bring their values, outlooks and experiences to an earlier, far more innocent time. David, a '50s junkie from watching old episodes of "Pleasantville" on cable, knows what to expect, but Jennifer, utterly of the Spice Girl Age, is appalled. She thinks everyone is a bunch of nerds and hopelessly repressed. Outfitted in a long skirt, thick brassiere and curly-cue hairdo, she's about to change that.
For Jennifer, social change starts with, well, the cutest guy in school, who, of course, is captain of the basketball team. Impatient with the bashful boy's moves to pin her at the malt shop, she pins him quickly at lovers' lane. "Pleasantville" is a hoot as Jennifer assaults the town's expectations and behavior with her foxy wiles and '90s approach. Gentler Dave, who has an appreciation for the kinder-and-gentler times, also comes to see that the lives of these happy, pleasant people are only covers for inner paralysis and torment.
While terrifically entertaining, "Pleasantville" has much beneath its surface. Ross has, in the broadest, brainiest sense, created a philosophical think-piece. Beneath the droll humor, there's a countercultural broadside levied at both the '90s and their return-to-family-values posture and the '50s with their smothering, philistine-like mentality. "Pleasantville" might be described as having a '60s mentality, questioning the values, aspirations and lifestyle of the age of Ozzie Nelson/Ward Cleaver/Jim Anderson.
Thankfully, Ross never lets the philosophizing capsize the comedy. "Pleasantville" is a terrifically engaging entertainment highlighted by the cast's deft performances. As the sweet, sensitive touchstone character David, Maguire is aptly sympathetic, while Witherspoon's feisty turn as girl-in-a-whirl Jennifer is beguiling and hilarious. As the Harriet Nelson/June Cleaver-ish wife and mother, Allen is perfect in her erect domesticity, while Macy's calm but befuddled fatherly manner is perfectly Ozzie.
Knotts' performance as the cantankerous TV repairman is a treat; his Barney-like hysterics are a hoot, and his presence is a great bridge between the decades. As a white-bread soda jerk, Jeff Daniels taps into the frustrations of a man who has a lot more in him than society allows, while J.T. Walsh, with his buzz-cut demeanor, personifies the era's most alarming storm trooper-like sensibility.
Technically, "Pleasantville" is excellent, beginning with its creative use of color. As David and Jennifer open up the thinking of the '50s world, objects turn to color from black-and-white. It's a gradual process, of course, and visual effects supervisor Chris Watts and color effects designer Michael Southard create a wonderfully appropriate visualization for the story and theme. Indeed, the overall look is, well, swell: Costume designer Judianna Makovsky's skirts and sweaters are a perfect fit for the times, while production designer Jeannine Oppewall has filled "Pleasantville" with all the right chromey products.
PLEASANTVILLE
New Line Cinema
Producers: Jon Kilik, Robert Degus, Steven Soderbergh, Gary Ross
Screenwriter-director: Gary Ross
Executive producers: Michael De Luca, Mary Parent
Director of photography: John Lindley
Production designer: Jeannine Oppewall
Costume designer: Judianna Makovsky
Editor: William Goldenberg
Visual effects supervisor: Chris Watts
Color effects designer: Michael Southard
Music: Randy Newman
Co-producers: Allen Alsobrook, Allison Thomas, Edward Lynn
Color and black-and-white/stereo
Cast:
David: Tobey Maguire
Jennifer: Reese Witherspoon
Betty Parker: Joan Allen
George Parker: William H. Macy
Mr. Johnson: Jeff Daniels
TV repairman: Don Knotts
Mayor: J.T. Walsh
Running time -- 118 minutes
No MPAA rating...
New Line Cinema should pull terrific ratings for the movie, a big hit recently at the Toronto International Film Festival. Not only us old codgers who hearken to the comforting days of "Ozzie and Harriett"/"Father Knows Best"/"The Donna Reed Show", but today's channel-surfing vid-kids also will be charmed by the amusing cultural comedy.
In the appealing yet sobering film, the spotlight is on '90s brother and sister David (Tobey Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) who, thanks to some hocus-pocus by a squirrelly TV repairman (Don Knotts), find themselves zapped to the nuclear-family world of a prototypical '50s TV sitcom, residing in a white-picket-fenced town named Pleasantville.
Of course, everything there is in black-and-white, and all is always swell: Dad (William H. Macy) cheerily comes home for dinner at the same time every night, and his supportive wife (Joan Allen) not only has his martini chilled but his favorite dish prepared as well. There are no rain clouds, from the malt shop to the high school gym, where the basketball team has never lost a game.
Narratively, writer-director Gary Ross serves up an entertaining fish-out-of-water story as the '90s kids bring their values, outlooks and experiences to an earlier, far more innocent time. David, a '50s junkie from watching old episodes of "Pleasantville" on cable, knows what to expect, but Jennifer, utterly of the Spice Girl Age, is appalled. She thinks everyone is a bunch of nerds and hopelessly repressed. Outfitted in a long skirt, thick brassiere and curly-cue hairdo, she's about to change that.
For Jennifer, social change starts with, well, the cutest guy in school, who, of course, is captain of the basketball team. Impatient with the bashful boy's moves to pin her at the malt shop, she pins him quickly at lovers' lane. "Pleasantville" is a hoot as Jennifer assaults the town's expectations and behavior with her foxy wiles and '90s approach. Gentler Dave, who has an appreciation for the kinder-and-gentler times, also comes to see that the lives of these happy, pleasant people are only covers for inner paralysis and torment.
While terrifically entertaining, "Pleasantville" has much beneath its surface. Ross has, in the broadest, brainiest sense, created a philosophical think-piece. Beneath the droll humor, there's a countercultural broadside levied at both the '90s and their return-to-family-values posture and the '50s with their smothering, philistine-like mentality. "Pleasantville" might be described as having a '60s mentality, questioning the values, aspirations and lifestyle of the age of Ozzie Nelson/Ward Cleaver/Jim Anderson.
Thankfully, Ross never lets the philosophizing capsize the comedy. "Pleasantville" is a terrifically engaging entertainment highlighted by the cast's deft performances. As the sweet, sensitive touchstone character David, Maguire is aptly sympathetic, while Witherspoon's feisty turn as girl-in-a-whirl Jennifer is beguiling and hilarious. As the Harriet Nelson/June Cleaver-ish wife and mother, Allen is perfect in her erect domesticity, while Macy's calm but befuddled fatherly manner is perfectly Ozzie.
Knotts' performance as the cantankerous TV repairman is a treat; his Barney-like hysterics are a hoot, and his presence is a great bridge between the decades. As a white-bread soda jerk, Jeff Daniels taps into the frustrations of a man who has a lot more in him than society allows, while J.T. Walsh, with his buzz-cut demeanor, personifies the era's most alarming storm trooper-like sensibility.
Technically, "Pleasantville" is excellent, beginning with its creative use of color. As David and Jennifer open up the thinking of the '50s world, objects turn to color from black-and-white. It's a gradual process, of course, and visual effects supervisor Chris Watts and color effects designer Michael Southard create a wonderfully appropriate visualization for the story and theme. Indeed, the overall look is, well, swell: Costume designer Judianna Makovsky's skirts and sweaters are a perfect fit for the times, while production designer Jeannine Oppewall has filled "Pleasantville" with all the right chromey products.
PLEASANTVILLE
New Line Cinema
Producers: Jon Kilik, Robert Degus, Steven Soderbergh, Gary Ross
Screenwriter-director: Gary Ross
Executive producers: Michael De Luca, Mary Parent
Director of photography: John Lindley
Production designer: Jeannine Oppewall
Costume designer: Judianna Makovsky
Editor: William Goldenberg
Visual effects supervisor: Chris Watts
Color effects designer: Michael Southard
Music: Randy Newman
Co-producers: Allen Alsobrook, Allison Thomas, Edward Lynn
Color and black-and-white/stereo
Cast:
David: Tobey Maguire
Jennifer: Reese Witherspoon
Betty Parker: Joan Allen
George Parker: William H. Macy
Mr. Johnson: Jeff Daniels
TV repairman: Don Knotts
Mayor: J.T. Walsh
Running time -- 118 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 9/21/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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