In a major move in the music agency world, Don Muller has moved to WMA from CAA, taking with him such acts as Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Beastie Boys, Weezer, Tenacious D and Mars Volta.
Muller will be reunited with his pal Marc Geiger, who heads up WMA's contemporary music division and with whom Muller co-founded Lollapalooza in 1992, along with Perry Farrell. The two left WMA in 1997 to co-found the musical digital company Artist Direct. Muller had been at CAA since 2002.
Muller, who is bringing Scars on Broadway and Maxwell with him, also worked with the Red Hot Chili Peppers while at CAA. It is unclear at this time if that band will be joining him.
Muller's joining strengthens WMA's already muscular music division. The department is coming off its strongest showing at the Grammies ever, with acts Kanye West, Prince, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, Eagles among the winners.
Muller will be reunited with his pal Marc Geiger, who heads up WMA's contemporary music division and with whom Muller co-founded Lollapalooza in 1992, along with Perry Farrell. The two left WMA in 1997 to co-found the musical digital company Artist Direct. Muller had been at CAA since 2002.
Muller, who is bringing Scars on Broadway and Maxwell with him, also worked with the Red Hot Chili Peppers while at CAA. It is unclear at this time if that band will be joining him.
Muller's joining strengthens WMA's already muscular music division. The department is coming off its strongest showing at the Grammies ever, with acts Kanye West, Prince, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, Eagles among the winners.
NBC will have a Barry Sonnenfeld-directed drama pilot after all.
After losing out on the Sonnenfeld-directed medieval fantasy "Kingdom" to CBS last month, NBC has lured the director to helm a legal thriller penned by Luke Reiter.
Sonnenfeld was approached by NBC shortly after the pitch for "Kingdom", to be written by Chad Hodge and directed by Sonnenfeld, landed at CBS with a rich put pilot commitment July 17. Sonnenfeld read Reiter's script and committed to the project, which is produced by Universal Media Studios. With Sonnenfeld on board, NBC picked up the drama to pilot.
Set at a prestigious New York civil firm, the untitled drama revolves around unapologetic lawyers who will do whatever it takes to win their high-profile cases and outmaneuver one another.
For Sonnenfeld, who is exec producing the pilot with Reiter, the project is in second position to "Kingdom".
Sonnenfeld is Red Hot off directing one of the most buzzworthy pilots for upcoming series, ABC's "Pushing Daisies".
Sonnenfeld, who has a first-look deal at Sony Pictures TV, the studio behind "Kingdom", also is attached to direct SPT's single-camera comedy pilot "Hackett" for Fox.
After losing out on the Sonnenfeld-directed medieval fantasy "Kingdom" to CBS last month, NBC has lured the director to helm a legal thriller penned by Luke Reiter.
Sonnenfeld was approached by NBC shortly after the pitch for "Kingdom", to be written by Chad Hodge and directed by Sonnenfeld, landed at CBS with a rich put pilot commitment July 17. Sonnenfeld read Reiter's script and committed to the project, which is produced by Universal Media Studios. With Sonnenfeld on board, NBC picked up the drama to pilot.
Set at a prestigious New York civil firm, the untitled drama revolves around unapologetic lawyers who will do whatever it takes to win their high-profile cases and outmaneuver one another.
For Sonnenfeld, who is exec producing the pilot with Reiter, the project is in second position to "Kingdom".
Sonnenfeld is Red Hot off directing one of the most buzzworthy pilots for upcoming series, ABC's "Pushing Daisies".
Sonnenfeld, who has a first-look deal at Sony Pictures TV, the studio behind "Kingdom", also is attached to direct SPT's single-camera comedy pilot "Hackett" for Fox.
Live Earth: The Concerts for a Climate Crisis, a 24-hour worldwide live music event to increase environmental awareness and reduce global warming, will be broadcast July 7 on six of NBC Universal's networks.
The "Live Earth" concerts, produced by Control Room and CEO Kevin Wall -- who won an Emmy for "Live 8" as worldwide executive producer -- will take place in New York, London, Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai as well as Johannesburg, South Africa; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Hamburg, Germany; and Istanbul, Turkey. Among the scheduled performances are Madonna, Bon Jovi, the Police, Sheryl Crow, Kelly Clarkson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West, Melissa Etheridge, John Mayer, Faith Hill, Shakira, Black Eyed Peas and Duran Duran. Ann Curry and Carson Daly will host.
"Live Earth is about engaging a critical mass of people to tackle the climate crisis," Wall said. "NBC Universal's sweeping coverage of Live Earth ensures that Americans from coast to coast will be able to tune in to the concerts and take action against the climate crisis."
The event, which kicks off the Alliance for Climate Protection's campaign, led by chair and Al Gore, will be broadcast in high definition exclusively by Universal HD.
The "Live Earth" concerts, produced by Control Room and CEO Kevin Wall -- who won an Emmy for "Live 8" as worldwide executive producer -- will take place in New York, London, Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai as well as Johannesburg, South Africa; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Hamburg, Germany; and Istanbul, Turkey. Among the scheduled performances are Madonna, Bon Jovi, the Police, Sheryl Crow, Kelly Clarkson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West, Melissa Etheridge, John Mayer, Faith Hill, Shakira, Black Eyed Peas and Duran Duran. Ann Curry and Carson Daly will host.
"Live Earth is about engaging a critical mass of people to tackle the climate crisis," Wall said. "NBC Universal's sweeping coverage of Live Earth ensures that Americans from coast to coast will be able to tune in to the concerts and take action against the climate crisis."
The event, which kicks off the Alliance for Climate Protection's campaign, led by chair and Al Gore, will be broadcast in high definition exclusively by Universal HD.
NEW YORK -- NBC News established a full-time beat on the environment, and named Anne Thompson to lead the coverage as the network's chief environmental affairs correspondent.
Thompson will cover a beat that has become Red Hot in recent years with the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth becoming a hit at the boxoffice and more attention being paid to the environment. Her new beat will have her report on the environment for NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams, Today, MSNBC and online platforms.
"One of the things that we're increasingly taking about is what is our impact on Planet Earth, how can we reduce any kind of negative impact we have," Thompson said. "It's everything from what kind of light bulbs you buy to bigger issues."
Thompson had been NBC's chief financial correspondent since March 2005; she worked as a national correspondent and political correspondent since she joined NBC News in 1997. She also was diagnosed in March 2006 with breast cancer, and had been working while undergoing treatment.
Thompson will cover a beat that has become Red Hot in recent years with the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth becoming a hit at the boxoffice and more attention being paid to the environment. Her new beat will have her report on the environment for NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams, Today, MSNBC and online platforms.
"One of the things that we're increasingly taking about is what is our impact on Planet Earth, how can we reduce any kind of negative impact we have," Thompson said. "It's everything from what kind of light bulbs you buy to bigger issues."
Thompson had been NBC's chief financial correspondent since March 2005; she worked as a national correspondent and political correspondent since she joined NBC News in 1997. She also was diagnosed in March 2006 with breast cancer, and had been working while undergoing treatment.
- 4/12/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dixie Chicks triumphed over their critics, Mary J. Blige played comeback queen and Red Hot Chili Peppers reasserted their rock dominance Sunday at the 49th annual Grammy Awards, held at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Chicks won five awards, including record and song of the year for "Not Ready to Make Nice" and album of the year for "Taking the Long Way". Blige won best R&B song and best female R&B vocal performance for "Be Without You" and best R&B album for "The Breakthrough".
"Make Nice", which the Chicks performed live during the show, references the fallout the group endured after singer Natalie Maines spoke out against President Bush at a 2003 concert in England. The song, which trumped hits from Blige, Gnarls Barkley, Corinne Bailey Rae and James Blunt to win record of the year, was shunned by country radio but set the tone for the hit album "Long Way".
"For the first time in my life, I'm speechless," Maines said with a laugh while accepting song of the year. The Chicks got the last laugh later in the evening, when "Long Way" won best country album. "A lot of people just turned their TVs off right now," she said.
Chicks went a perfect 5-for-5 on the night and bring their Grammy total to 13. Chicks' record, song and album of the year trifecta is the first time since Norah Jones in 2002 that anyone has swept the categories.
Blige went in as the leading nominee with eight but was shut out of the major categories; her wins Sunday doubled her Grammy total to six. "This is the first time I've ever been up here to receive anything," she said onstage, holding back tears. "For so many years I had been talked about negatively, but this time, I've been talked about positively by so many people." Later, she added, "Success exposes who you really are.
"Make Nice", which the Chicks performed live during the show, references the fallout the group endured after singer Natalie Maines spoke out against President Bush at a 2003 concert in England. The song, which trumped hits from Blige, Gnarls Barkley, Corinne Bailey Rae and James Blunt to win record of the year, was shunned by country radio but set the tone for the hit album "Long Way".
"For the first time in my life, I'm speechless," Maines said with a laugh while accepting song of the year. The Chicks got the last laugh later in the evening, when "Long Way" won best country album. "A lot of people just turned their TVs off right now," she said.
Chicks went a perfect 5-for-5 on the night and bring their Grammy total to 13. Chicks' record, song and album of the year trifecta is the first time since Norah Jones in 2002 that anyone has swept the categories.
Blige went in as the leading nominee with eight but was shut out of the major categories; her wins Sunday doubled her Grammy total to six. "This is the first time I've ever been up here to receive anything," she said onstage, holding back tears. "For so many years I had been talked about negatively, but this time, I've been talked about positively by so many people." Later, she added, "Success exposes who you really are.
- 2/12/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TORONTO -- Canadian recording artists Billy Talent, k-os and Nelly Furtado on Tuesday led the field with five nominations each for the Junos, Canada's music awards.
Furtado, who will host the Junos on April 1 from Saskatoon, was nominated for best single and best album and in the Fan Choice Award category, where she will compete against fellow Canadian artists Gregory Charles, Michael Buble, Nickelback and Sarah McLachlan.
Canadian rock band Billy Talent also earned a best single nomination for "Devil in a Midnight Mass" from their sophomore album Billy Talent II, as well as best album, best group and best rock album.
Hip-hop artist k-os also earned a best single nomination for "Sunday Morning", from his latest album "Atlantis: Hymns for Disco". k-os also will compete in the best single, best songwriter and best pop album competition.
The nominations were announced in Toronto by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), organizers of the 2007 Juno Awards.
With such veteran Canadian divas as Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne and Alanis Morissette sitting out this year's Junos competition, the way is open for emerging artists to grab the spotlight in Saskatoon.
The best new artist field includes two "Canadian Idol" winners -- Eva Avila and Melissa O'Neil -- while the best new group category features Evans Blue, Idle Sons, Jets Overhead, Mobile and Stabilo.
Competing in the best international album competition, based on retail record sales in Canada, is Dixie Chicks, Il Divo, Justin Timberlake, Madonna and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The Junos will be handed out during a live telecast on the CTV network.
A complete list of 2007 Juno award nominees follows:
1. Juno Fan Choice Award: Gregory Charles, Michael Buble, Nelly Furtado, Nickelback, Sarah McLachlan
2. Single of the Year: "Devil In A Midnight Mass", Billy Talent; " All I Can Do," Chantal Kreviazuk; "Pull Me Through", Jim Cuddy; "Sunday Morning", k-os, "Promiscuous", Nelly Furtado
3. International Album of the Year: "Taking The Long Way", Dixie Chicks; "Ancora", Il Divo; "FutureSex/LoveSounds," Justin Timberlake; "Confessions On A Dance Floor", Madonna; "Arcadium", Red Hot Chili Peppers.
4. Album of the Year: "Billy Talent II", Billy Talent; "I Think of You", Gregory Charles; "Hedley", Hedley; "Loose", Nelly Furtado; "One-X", Three Days Grace.
5. Artist of the Year: Diana Krall, Gregory Charles, Loreena McKennitt, Nelly Furtado, Pierre Lapointe.
6. Group of the Year: Alexisonfire, Billy Talent, Hedley, The Tragically Hip, Three Days Grace
7. New Artist of the Year: Eva Avila, Melissa O'Neil, Neverending White Lights, Patrick Watson, Tomi Swick
8. New Group of the Year: Evans Blue, Idle Sons, Jets Overhead, Mobile, Stabilo.
Furtado, who will host the Junos on April 1 from Saskatoon, was nominated for best single and best album and in the Fan Choice Award category, where she will compete against fellow Canadian artists Gregory Charles, Michael Buble, Nickelback and Sarah McLachlan.
Canadian rock band Billy Talent also earned a best single nomination for "Devil in a Midnight Mass" from their sophomore album Billy Talent II, as well as best album, best group and best rock album.
Hip-hop artist k-os also earned a best single nomination for "Sunday Morning", from his latest album "Atlantis: Hymns for Disco". k-os also will compete in the best single, best songwriter and best pop album competition.
The nominations were announced in Toronto by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), organizers of the 2007 Juno Awards.
With such veteran Canadian divas as Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne and Alanis Morissette sitting out this year's Junos competition, the way is open for emerging artists to grab the spotlight in Saskatoon.
The best new artist field includes two "Canadian Idol" winners -- Eva Avila and Melissa O'Neil -- while the best new group category features Evans Blue, Idle Sons, Jets Overhead, Mobile and Stabilo.
Competing in the best international album competition, based on retail record sales in Canada, is Dixie Chicks, Il Divo, Justin Timberlake, Madonna and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The Junos will be handed out during a live telecast on the CTV network.
A complete list of 2007 Juno award nominees follows:
1. Juno Fan Choice Award: Gregory Charles, Michael Buble, Nelly Furtado, Nickelback, Sarah McLachlan
2. Single of the Year: "Devil In A Midnight Mass", Billy Talent; " All I Can Do," Chantal Kreviazuk; "Pull Me Through", Jim Cuddy; "Sunday Morning", k-os, "Promiscuous", Nelly Furtado
3. International Album of the Year: "Taking The Long Way", Dixie Chicks; "Ancora", Il Divo; "FutureSex/LoveSounds," Justin Timberlake; "Confessions On A Dance Floor", Madonna; "Arcadium", Red Hot Chili Peppers.
4. Album of the Year: "Billy Talent II", Billy Talent; "I Think of You", Gregory Charles; "Hedley", Hedley; "Loose", Nelly Furtado; "One-X", Three Days Grace.
5. Artist of the Year: Diana Krall, Gregory Charles, Loreena McKennitt, Nelly Furtado, Pierre Lapointe.
6. Group of the Year: Alexisonfire, Billy Talent, Hedley, The Tragically Hip, Three Days Grace
7. New Artist of the Year: Eva Avila, Melissa O'Neil, Neverending White Lights, Patrick Watson, Tomi Swick
8. New Group of the Year: Evans Blue, Idle Sons, Jets Overhead, Mobile, Stabilo.
TORONTO -- Canadian recording artists Billy Talent, k-os and Nelly Furtado on Tuesday led the field with five nominations each for the Junos, Canada's music awards.
Furtado, who will host the Junos on April 1 from Saskatoon, was nominated for best single and best album and in the Fan Choice Award category, where she will compete against fellow Canadian artists Gregory Charles, Michael Buble, Nickelback and Sarah McLachlan.
Canadian rock band Billy Talent also earned a best single nomination for "Devil in a Midnight Mass" from their sophomore album Billy Talent II, as well as best album, best group and best rock album.
Hip-hop artist k-os also earned a best single nomination for "Sunday Morning", from his latest album "Atlantis: Hymns for Disco". k-os also will compete in the best single, best songwriter and best pop album competition.
The nominations were announced in Toronto by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), organizers of the 2007 Juno Awards.
With such veteran Canadian divas as Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne and Alanis Morissette sitting out this year's Junos competition, the way is open for emerging artists to grab the spotlight in Saskatoon.
The best new artist field includes two "Canadian Idol" winners -- Eva Avila and Melissa O'Neil -- while the best new group category features Evans Blue, Idle Sons, Jets Overhead, Mobile and Stabilo.
Competing in the best international album competition, based on retail record sales in Canada, is Dixie Chicks, Il Divo, Justin Timberlake, Madonna and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The Junos will be handed out during a live telecast on the CTV network.
A complete list of 2007 Juno award nominees follows:
1. Juno Fan Choice Award: Gregory Charles, Michael Buble, Nelly Furtado, Nickelback, Sarah McLachlan
2. Single of the Year: "Devil In A Midnight Mass", Billy Talent; " All I Can Do," Chantal Kreviazuk; "Pull Me Through", Jim Cuddy; "Sunday Morning", k-os, "Promiscuous", Nelly Furtado
3. International Album of the Year: "Taking The Long Way", Dixie Chicks; "Ancora", Il Divo; "FutureSex/LoveSounds," Justin Timberlake; "Confessions On A Dance Floor", Madonna; "Arcadium", Red Hot Chili Peppers.
4. Album of the Year: "Billy Talent II", Billy Talent; "I Think of You", Gregory Charles; "Hedley", Hedley; "Loose", Nelly Furtado; "One-X", Three Days Grace.
5. Artist of the Year: Diana Krall, Gregory Charles, Loreena McKennitt, Nelly Furtado, Pierre Lapointe.
6. Group of the Year: Alexisonfire, Billy Talent, Hedley, The Tragically Hip, Three Days Grace
7. New Artist of the Year: Eva Avila, Melissa O'Neil, Neverending White Lights, Patrick Watson, Tomi Swick
8. New Group of the Year: Evans Blue, Idle Sons, Jets Overhead, Mobile, Stabilo.
Furtado, who will host the Junos on April 1 from Saskatoon, was nominated for best single and best album and in the Fan Choice Award category, where she will compete against fellow Canadian artists Gregory Charles, Michael Buble, Nickelback and Sarah McLachlan.
Canadian rock band Billy Talent also earned a best single nomination for "Devil in a Midnight Mass" from their sophomore album Billy Talent II, as well as best album, best group and best rock album.
Hip-hop artist k-os also earned a best single nomination for "Sunday Morning", from his latest album "Atlantis: Hymns for Disco". k-os also will compete in the best single, best songwriter and best pop album competition.
The nominations were announced in Toronto by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), organizers of the 2007 Juno Awards.
With such veteran Canadian divas as Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne and Alanis Morissette sitting out this year's Junos competition, the way is open for emerging artists to grab the spotlight in Saskatoon.
The best new artist field includes two "Canadian Idol" winners -- Eva Avila and Melissa O'Neil -- while the best new group category features Evans Blue, Idle Sons, Jets Overhead, Mobile and Stabilo.
Competing in the best international album competition, based on retail record sales in Canada, is Dixie Chicks, Il Divo, Justin Timberlake, Madonna and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The Junos will be handed out during a live telecast on the CTV network.
A complete list of 2007 Juno award nominees follows:
1. Juno Fan Choice Award: Gregory Charles, Michael Buble, Nelly Furtado, Nickelback, Sarah McLachlan
2. Single of the Year: "Devil In A Midnight Mass", Billy Talent; " All I Can Do," Chantal Kreviazuk; "Pull Me Through", Jim Cuddy; "Sunday Morning", k-os, "Promiscuous", Nelly Furtado
3. International Album of the Year: "Taking The Long Way", Dixie Chicks; "Ancora", Il Divo; "FutureSex/LoveSounds," Justin Timberlake; "Confessions On A Dance Floor", Madonna; "Arcadium", Red Hot Chili Peppers.
4. Album of the Year: "Billy Talent II", Billy Talent; "I Think of You", Gregory Charles; "Hedley", Hedley; "Loose", Nelly Furtado; "One-X", Three Days Grace.
5. Artist of the Year: Diana Krall, Gregory Charles, Loreena McKennitt, Nelly Furtado, Pierre Lapointe.
6. Group of the Year: Alexisonfire, Billy Talent, Hedley, The Tragically Hip, Three Days Grace
7. New Artist of the Year: Eva Avila, Melissa O'Neil, Neverending White Lights, Patrick Watson, Tomi Swick
8. New Group of the Year: Evans Blue, Idle Sons, Jets Overhead, Mobile, Stabilo.
NEW YORK -- Warner Music Group posted a narrowed fiscal third-quarter loss on reduced costs and better-than-expected revenue gains thanks to digital growth and hot titles from such acts as Gnarls Barkley and Red Hot Chili Peppers. However, shares of WMG declined 0.4% on Thursday to $23.23 as some on Wall Street expressed disappointment that chairman and CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. said that any deal talks with EMI Group are off the table until European regulators' sentiments become clear. Any further discussions wouldn't happen "until matters become clearer," he said. He added later that the EMI talks did not distract his management team. In trading Friday, shares closed at $23.12.
NEW YORK -- Warner Music Group posted a narrowed fiscal third-quarter loss on reduced costs and better-than-expected revenue gains thanks to digital growth and hot titles from such acts as Gnarls Barkley and Red Hot Chili Peppers. However, shares of WMG declined 0.4% on Thursday to $23.23 as some on Wall Street expressed disappointment that chairman and CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. said that any deal talks with EMI Group are off the table until European regulators' sentiments become clear. Any further discussions wouldn't happen "until matters become clearer," he said. He added later that the EMI talks did not distract his management team.
NEW YORK -- The Internet Advertising Bureau reported Monday that Web advertising revenues surpassed $3 billion for the third quarter, a quarterly record and a boon for new-media firms. Based on the data, which multinational accountant firm PricewaterhouseCoopers compiles, the IAB said that Internet advertising spending is on track to hit $12 billion-plus for full-year 2005. These figures include Web search engine or keyword advertising, as well as traditional banner ads and rich-media ads. The IAB survey showed third-quarter Web ads up 33.9% year-over-year at $3.1 billion -- the latest proof that the Internet ad market continues to be Red Hot.
- 11/21/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Former Warner Music Group chairman and CEO Roger Ames has been appointed senior adviser for EMI Music, the company said Wednesday. Ames, who ran Time Warner's music operations from August 1999-March 2004, was named a consultant by EMI chairman and CEO Alain Levy and vp David Munns. As chairman of Warner Music -- where he oversaw a roster that included Green Day, Linkin Park, Madonna and Red Hot Chili Peppers -- Ames sought to merge Warner Music with EMI in 2000. That deal fell apart in late 2003, shortly before a partnership led by former Universal Music chief Edgar Bronfman Jr. agreed to buy Warner Music Group. By becoming an adviser for EMI, Ames will be working again with Levy after several years together as executives at PolyGram Music Group in the 1990s. EMI, the largest independent music company, is home to artists including the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Norah Jones, Radiohead and Robbie Williams.
- 3/17/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Opens
Friday, April 30
Taking in "Envy", the new Barry Levinson comedy starring the ubiquitous Ben Stiller and manic Jack Black (and featuring a scene-stealing Christopher Walken) is sort of like watching a TV talk show with a particularly strong guest lineup.
The banter is sufficiently witty and engaging for the duration of the broadcast, but any lingering effects are permanently banished with a casual flick of the remote control.
Hanging at times precariously by the thread of Steve Adams' seriously under-plotted script, the low-key picture gets by on the genial charisma of its cast, but it fails to rise to the occasion when it comes to building to a necessary comic pitch.
With Stiller on a roll after "Starsky & Hutch" and "Along Came Polly", and Black Red Hot on the heels of "School of Rock", the DreamWorks release (Columbia is handling international distribution) could initially draw fans, but ultimately DreamWorks will have to wait for "Shrek 2" because their coffers probably won't be turning green with "Envy".
Stiller's Tim Dingman and Black's Nick Vanderpark are best friends, next-door neighbors and co-workers whose relationship is seriously put to the test when one of them becomes ridiculously successful.
That would be Vanderpark. After driving his buddy crazy with his harebrained ideas for wild inventions without a shred of scientific data to back them up, Vanderpark manages to hit one out of the ballpark after his notion of making dog poop evaporate into thin air with a single spray of Vapoorizer becomes a multimillion-dollar industry.
Dubious from the start, Dingman passed on the opportunity to invest a couple thousand dollars in the pie-in-the-sky enterprise, and now he's literally living in the shadow of Vanderpark's triumph -- cast by a sprawling new mansion complete with vintage merry-go-round, bowling alley, archery range and imported Roman fountains.
Consumed with envy, much to the growing frustration of his wife (Rachel Weisz), Dingman strikes up a relationship with a nutty drifter (paging Mr. Walken), and that's when things really start spiraling out of control.
Levinson, as always, creates a comfortable working environment for his comic ensemble to strut its stuff, but this time out there just isn't very much to work with, thanks to a warmed-over plot that's all setup with insufficient payoff.
As a result, the laughs tend to come in fits and starts, built around individual set pieces rather than being generated organically out of the storytelling.
That may be why the Stiller-Black matchup doesn't generate the anticipated comic sparks, leaving Walken to effectively walk away with the picture. As the off-kilter and opportunistic J-Man, he manages to spin the most mundane of lines into comic gold with the mere accentuation of a single preposition.
Behind-the-scenes contributions are generally on the money, especially the wardrobe selected by Levinson's longtime costume designer Gloria Gresham, while Dan Navarro does his best Leon Redbone as the film's off-camera troubadour.
Envy
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures and Columbia Pictures present in association with Castle Rock Entertainment a Baltimore/Spring Creek Pictures production
A Barry Levinson film
Credits:
Director: Barry Levinson
Producers: Barry Levinson, Paula Weinstein
Screenwriter: Steve Adams
Executive producer: Mary McLaglen
Director of photography: Tim Maurice-Jones
Production designer: Victor Kempster
Editors: Stu Linder, Blair Daily
Costume designer: Gloria Gresham
Composer: Mark Mothersbaugh
Cast:
Tim Dingman: Ben Stiller
Nick Vanderpark: Jack Black
Debbie Dingman: Rachel Weisz
Natalie Vanderpark: Amy Poehler
J-Man: Christopher Walken
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Friday, April 30
Taking in "Envy", the new Barry Levinson comedy starring the ubiquitous Ben Stiller and manic Jack Black (and featuring a scene-stealing Christopher Walken) is sort of like watching a TV talk show with a particularly strong guest lineup.
The banter is sufficiently witty and engaging for the duration of the broadcast, but any lingering effects are permanently banished with a casual flick of the remote control.
Hanging at times precariously by the thread of Steve Adams' seriously under-plotted script, the low-key picture gets by on the genial charisma of its cast, but it fails to rise to the occasion when it comes to building to a necessary comic pitch.
With Stiller on a roll after "Starsky & Hutch" and "Along Came Polly", and Black Red Hot on the heels of "School of Rock", the DreamWorks release (Columbia is handling international distribution) could initially draw fans, but ultimately DreamWorks will have to wait for "Shrek 2" because their coffers probably won't be turning green with "Envy".
Stiller's Tim Dingman and Black's Nick Vanderpark are best friends, next-door neighbors and co-workers whose relationship is seriously put to the test when one of them becomes ridiculously successful.
That would be Vanderpark. After driving his buddy crazy with his harebrained ideas for wild inventions without a shred of scientific data to back them up, Vanderpark manages to hit one out of the ballpark after his notion of making dog poop evaporate into thin air with a single spray of Vapoorizer becomes a multimillion-dollar industry.
Dubious from the start, Dingman passed on the opportunity to invest a couple thousand dollars in the pie-in-the-sky enterprise, and now he's literally living in the shadow of Vanderpark's triumph -- cast by a sprawling new mansion complete with vintage merry-go-round, bowling alley, archery range and imported Roman fountains.
Consumed with envy, much to the growing frustration of his wife (Rachel Weisz), Dingman strikes up a relationship with a nutty drifter (paging Mr. Walken), and that's when things really start spiraling out of control.
Levinson, as always, creates a comfortable working environment for his comic ensemble to strut its stuff, but this time out there just isn't very much to work with, thanks to a warmed-over plot that's all setup with insufficient payoff.
As a result, the laughs tend to come in fits and starts, built around individual set pieces rather than being generated organically out of the storytelling.
That may be why the Stiller-Black matchup doesn't generate the anticipated comic sparks, leaving Walken to effectively walk away with the picture. As the off-kilter and opportunistic J-Man, he manages to spin the most mundane of lines into comic gold with the mere accentuation of a single preposition.
Behind-the-scenes contributions are generally on the money, especially the wardrobe selected by Levinson's longtime costume designer Gloria Gresham, while Dan Navarro does his best Leon Redbone as the film's off-camera troubadour.
Envy
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures and Columbia Pictures present in association with Castle Rock Entertainment a Baltimore/Spring Creek Pictures production
A Barry Levinson film
Credits:
Director: Barry Levinson
Producers: Barry Levinson, Paula Weinstein
Screenwriter: Steve Adams
Executive producer: Mary McLaglen
Director of photography: Tim Maurice-Jones
Production designer: Victor Kempster
Editors: Stu Linder, Blair Daily
Costume designer: Gloria Gresham
Composer: Mark Mothersbaugh
Cast:
Tim Dingman: Ben Stiller
Nick Vanderpark: Jack Black
Debbie Dingman: Rachel Weisz
Natalie Vanderpark: Amy Poehler
J-Man: Christopher Walken
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Toronto International Film Festival
Having already tackled such wide-ranging topics as comic books, poetry, dance crazes and marijuana, Canada's leading counterculture chronicler, Ron Mann, decided to tag along with actor, eco-activist and professed hemp-o-phile Woody Harrelson on his awareness-building Simple Organic Living Tour.
The resulting "Go Further" is an agreeably goofy road movie of a documentary that chronicles the exploits of Harrelson (who narrated Mann's "Grass") and his similarly enlightened cohorts as they make their way down the Pacific Coast on a bio-fueled bus spreading the eco-gospel.
Aside from preaching the joys of a sustainable lifestyle and the dangers of processed foods -- Harrelson warns of the blood and pus that can be found in the milk of hormonally altered cows -- "Go Further" generally eschews the scare tactics of a Michael Moore documentary.
Instead, the film takes a mellower route, with Woody and his colorful band of Merry Hempsters stopping along the way to visit with a guy who sells worm tea (a chemical-free fertilizer) and hear a band that recruits members of the audience to power their instruments by riding stationary bicycles.
They also pay a visit to the late Ken Kesey, whose rusting psychedelic Merry Pranksters bus provided the inspiration for the trek, while the likes of Natalie Merchant, The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir, Red Hot Chili Pepper Anthony Kiedis and Dave Matthews are among those who pop by to perform some environmentally friendly tunes.
Having already tackled such wide-ranging topics as comic books, poetry, dance crazes and marijuana, Canada's leading counterculture chronicler, Ron Mann, decided to tag along with actor, eco-activist and professed hemp-o-phile Woody Harrelson on his awareness-building Simple Organic Living Tour.
The resulting "Go Further" is an agreeably goofy road movie of a documentary that chronicles the exploits of Harrelson (who narrated Mann's "Grass") and his similarly enlightened cohorts as they make their way down the Pacific Coast on a bio-fueled bus spreading the eco-gospel.
Aside from preaching the joys of a sustainable lifestyle and the dangers of processed foods -- Harrelson warns of the blood and pus that can be found in the milk of hormonally altered cows -- "Go Further" generally eschews the scare tactics of a Michael Moore documentary.
Instead, the film takes a mellower route, with Woody and his colorful band of Merry Hempsters stopping along the way to visit with a guy who sells worm tea (a chemical-free fertilizer) and hear a band that recruits members of the audience to power their instruments by riding stationary bicycles.
They also pay a visit to the late Ken Kesey, whose rusting psychedelic Merry Pranksters bus provided the inspiration for the trek, while the likes of Natalie Merchant, The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir, Red Hot Chili Pepper Anthony Kiedis and Dave Matthews are among those who pop by to perform some environmentally friendly tunes.
Opens
Friday, April 30
Taking in "Envy", the new Barry Levinson comedy starring the ubiquitous Ben Stiller and manic Jack Black (and featuring a scene-stealing Christopher Walken) is sort of like watching a TV talk show with a particularly strong guest lineup.
The banter is sufficiently witty and engaging for the duration of the broadcast, but any lingering effects are permanently banished with a casual flick of the remote control.
Hanging at times precariously by the thread of Steve Adams' seriously under-plotted script, the low-key picture gets by on the genial charisma of its cast, but it fails to rise to the occasion when it comes to building to a necessary comic pitch.
With Stiller on a roll after "Starsky & Hutch" and "Along Came Polly", and Black Red Hot on the heels of "School of Rock", the DreamWorks release (Columbia is handling international distribution) could initially draw fans, but ultimately DreamWorks will have to wait for "Shrek 2" because their coffers probably won't be turning green with "Envy".
Stiller's Tim Dingman and Black's Nick Vanderpark are best friends, next-door neighbors and co-workers whose relationship is seriously put to the test when one of them becomes ridiculously successful.
That would be Vanderpark. After driving his buddy crazy with his harebrained ideas for wild inventions without a shred of scientific data to back them up, Vanderpark manages to hit one out of the ballpark after his notion of making dog poop evaporate into thin air with a single spray of Vapoorizer becomes a multimillion-dollar industry.
Dubious from the start, Dingman passed on the opportunity to invest a couple thousand dollars in the pie-in-the-sky enterprise, and now he's literally living in the shadow of Vanderpark's triumph -- cast by a sprawling new mansion complete with vintage merry-go-round, bowling alley, archery range and imported Roman fountains.
Consumed with envy, much to the growing frustration of his wife (Rachel Weisz), Dingman strikes up a relationship with a nutty drifter (paging Mr. Walken), and that's when things really start spiraling out of control.
Levinson, as always, creates a comfortable working environment for his comic ensemble to strut its stuff, but this time out there just isn't very much to work with, thanks to a warmed-over plot that's all setup with insufficient payoff.
As a result, the laughs tend to come in fits and starts, built around individual set pieces rather than being generated organically out of the storytelling.
That may be why the Stiller-Black matchup doesn't generate the anticipated comic sparks, leaving Walken to effectively walk away with the picture. As the off-kilter and opportunistic J-Man, he manages to spin the most mundane of lines into comic gold with the mere accentuation of a single preposition.
Behind-the-scenes contributions are generally on the money, especially the wardrobe selected by Levinson's longtime costume designer Gloria Gresham, while Dan Navarro does his best Leon Redbone as the film's off-camera troubadour.
Envy
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures and Columbia Pictures present in association with Castle Rock Entertainment a Baltimore/Spring Creek Pictures production
A Barry Levinson film
Credits:
Director: Barry Levinson
Producers: Barry Levinson, Paula Weinstein
Screenwriter: Steve Adams
Executive producer: Mary McLaglen
Director of photography: Tim Maurice-Jones
Production designer: Victor Kempster
Editors: Stu Linder, Blair Daily
Costume designer: Gloria Gresham
Composer: Mark Mothersbaugh
Cast:
Tim Dingman: Ben Stiller
Nick Vanderpark: Jack Black
Debbie Dingman: Rachel Weisz
Natalie Vanderpark: Amy Poehler
J-Man: Christopher Walken
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Friday, April 30
Taking in "Envy", the new Barry Levinson comedy starring the ubiquitous Ben Stiller and manic Jack Black (and featuring a scene-stealing Christopher Walken) is sort of like watching a TV talk show with a particularly strong guest lineup.
The banter is sufficiently witty and engaging for the duration of the broadcast, but any lingering effects are permanently banished with a casual flick of the remote control.
Hanging at times precariously by the thread of Steve Adams' seriously under-plotted script, the low-key picture gets by on the genial charisma of its cast, but it fails to rise to the occasion when it comes to building to a necessary comic pitch.
With Stiller on a roll after "Starsky & Hutch" and "Along Came Polly", and Black Red Hot on the heels of "School of Rock", the DreamWorks release (Columbia is handling international distribution) could initially draw fans, but ultimately DreamWorks will have to wait for "Shrek 2" because their coffers probably won't be turning green with "Envy".
Stiller's Tim Dingman and Black's Nick Vanderpark are best friends, next-door neighbors and co-workers whose relationship is seriously put to the test when one of them becomes ridiculously successful.
That would be Vanderpark. After driving his buddy crazy with his harebrained ideas for wild inventions without a shred of scientific data to back them up, Vanderpark manages to hit one out of the ballpark after his notion of making dog poop evaporate into thin air with a single spray of Vapoorizer becomes a multimillion-dollar industry.
Dubious from the start, Dingman passed on the opportunity to invest a couple thousand dollars in the pie-in-the-sky enterprise, and now he's literally living in the shadow of Vanderpark's triumph -- cast by a sprawling new mansion complete with vintage merry-go-round, bowling alley, archery range and imported Roman fountains.
Consumed with envy, much to the growing frustration of his wife (Rachel Weisz), Dingman strikes up a relationship with a nutty drifter (paging Mr. Walken), and that's when things really start spiraling out of control.
Levinson, as always, creates a comfortable working environment for his comic ensemble to strut its stuff, but this time out there just isn't very much to work with, thanks to a warmed-over plot that's all setup with insufficient payoff.
As a result, the laughs tend to come in fits and starts, built around individual set pieces rather than being generated organically out of the storytelling.
That may be why the Stiller-Black matchup doesn't generate the anticipated comic sparks, leaving Walken to effectively walk away with the picture. As the off-kilter and opportunistic J-Man, he manages to spin the most mundane of lines into comic gold with the mere accentuation of a single preposition.
Behind-the-scenes contributions are generally on the money, especially the wardrobe selected by Levinson's longtime costume designer Gloria Gresham, while Dan Navarro does his best Leon Redbone as the film's off-camera troubadour.
Envy
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures and Columbia Pictures present in association with Castle Rock Entertainment a Baltimore/Spring Creek Pictures production
A Barry Levinson film
Credits:
Director: Barry Levinson
Producers: Barry Levinson, Paula Weinstein
Screenwriter: Steve Adams
Executive producer: Mary McLaglen
Director of photography: Tim Maurice-Jones
Production designer: Victor Kempster
Editors: Stu Linder, Blair Daily
Costume designer: Gloria Gresham
Composer: Mark Mothersbaugh
Cast:
Tim Dingman: Ben Stiller
Nick Vanderpark: Jack Black
Debbie Dingman: Rachel Weisz
Natalie Vanderpark: Amy Poehler
J-Man: Christopher Walken
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 4/30/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Toronto International Film Festival
Having already tackled such wide-ranging topics as comic books, poetry, dance crazes and marijuana, Canada's leading counterculture chronicler, Ron Mann, decided to tag along with actor, eco-activist and professed hemp-o-phile Woody Harrelson on his awareness-building Simple Organic Living Tour.
The resulting "Go Further" is an agreeably goofy road movie of a documentary that chronicles the exploits of Harrelson (who narrated Mann's "Grass") and his similarly enlightened cohorts as they make their way down the Pacific Coast on a bio-fueled bus spreading the eco-gospel.
Aside from preaching the joys of a sustainable lifestyle and the dangers of processed foods -- Harrelson warns of the blood and pus that can be found in the milk of hormonally altered cows -- "Go Further" generally eschews the scare tactics of a Michael Moore documentary.
Instead, the film takes a mellower route, with Woody and his colorful band of Merry Hempsters stopping along the way to visit with a guy who sells worm tea (a chemical-free fertilizer) and hear a band that recruits members of the audience to power their instruments by riding stationary bicycles.
They also pay a visit to the late Ken Kesey, whose rusting psychedelic Merry Pranksters bus provided the inspiration for the trek, while the likes of Natalie Merchant, The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir, Red Hot Chili Pepper Anthony Kiedis and Dave Matthews are among those who pop by to perform some environmentally friendly tunes.
Having already tackled such wide-ranging topics as comic books, poetry, dance crazes and marijuana, Canada's leading counterculture chronicler, Ron Mann, decided to tag along with actor, eco-activist and professed hemp-o-phile Woody Harrelson on his awareness-building Simple Organic Living Tour.
The resulting "Go Further" is an agreeably goofy road movie of a documentary that chronicles the exploits of Harrelson (who narrated Mann's "Grass") and his similarly enlightened cohorts as they make their way down the Pacific Coast on a bio-fueled bus spreading the eco-gospel.
Aside from preaching the joys of a sustainable lifestyle and the dangers of processed foods -- Harrelson warns of the blood and pus that can be found in the milk of hormonally altered cows -- "Go Further" generally eschews the scare tactics of a Michael Moore documentary.
Instead, the film takes a mellower route, with Woody and his colorful band of Merry Hempsters stopping along the way to visit with a guy who sells worm tea (a chemical-free fertilizer) and hear a band that recruits members of the audience to power their instruments by riding stationary bicycles.
They also pay a visit to the late Ken Kesey, whose rusting psychedelic Merry Pranksters bus provided the inspiration for the trek, while the likes of Natalie Merchant, The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir, Red Hot Chili Pepper Anthony Kiedis and Dave Matthews are among those who pop by to perform some environmentally friendly tunes.
- 9/29/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If someone created a Macho Film Festival devoted to cinematic curios suffering from testosterone overload, "Liar's Poker" would win major awards. Such a festival would, however, constitute the only potential venue for this silly, swaggering film. Even the most macho male is likely to giggle at all the absurd posturing and menacing glances that proliferate in this negligible film.
"Liar's Poker" played this year at the Nortel Palm Springs Film Festival before finding its way into a few Los Angeles and Orange County theaters this weekend via self-distribution. The Chicago commodities traders-turned-film producers who backed this venture will soon learn the harsh truth: This is a film without a market. And its sole hook is that this marks the "biggest film role to date" for Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
It's hard to say what the film is about. At the beginning, four men take a solemn and mostly silent car ride into the countryside for a "fishing trip." It's clear that not everyone is going to survive this particular fishing expedition.
Flashbacks reveal duplicitious action and double-crosses among these smarmy characters, whose real business is hard to decipher. They appear to deal in cars and a nightclub. Everyone grunts cryptic, mostly monosyllabic dialogue while staring at one another with hard eyes.
Richard Tyson spends the movie puffing on stogies and issuing arrogant orders. Jimmy Blondell sullenly takes those orders between repeated trips to the bathroom. (He has a nervous bladder.) Caesar Luisi uses his beefed-up bulk to loom menacing while saying little. And Flea mostly looks like an anxious rabbit.
Debuting writer-director Jeff Santo films all this in tight shots within sterile environments that reveal actors with few resources beyond squints, stares and sneers.
The film ends in a bloodbath that is as predictable as it is ludicrous.
LIAR'S POKER
North Branch Entertainment
A Savino Brothers production
Producers Carlos H. Sanchez, Billy Savino, Jeff Santo
Writer-director Jeff Santo
Executive producer Billy Savino
Co-executive producers Johnny Savino, Patrick Savino, Paul Savino
Director of photography Giles M. I. Dunning
Production designer William Peretti
Music Peter Himmelman
Costume designer Diah Wymont
Editor Kathryn Himoff
Color/stereo
Cast:
Jack Richard Tyson
Niko Caesar Luisi
Vic Jimmy Blondell
Freddy Flea
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
"Liar's Poker" played this year at the Nortel Palm Springs Film Festival before finding its way into a few Los Angeles and Orange County theaters this weekend via self-distribution. The Chicago commodities traders-turned-film producers who backed this venture will soon learn the harsh truth: This is a film without a market. And its sole hook is that this marks the "biggest film role to date" for Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
It's hard to say what the film is about. At the beginning, four men take a solemn and mostly silent car ride into the countryside for a "fishing trip." It's clear that not everyone is going to survive this particular fishing expedition.
Flashbacks reveal duplicitious action and double-crosses among these smarmy characters, whose real business is hard to decipher. They appear to deal in cars and a nightclub. Everyone grunts cryptic, mostly monosyllabic dialogue while staring at one another with hard eyes.
Richard Tyson spends the movie puffing on stogies and issuing arrogant orders. Jimmy Blondell sullenly takes those orders between repeated trips to the bathroom. (He has a nervous bladder.) Caesar Luisi uses his beefed-up bulk to loom menacing while saying little. And Flea mostly looks like an anxious rabbit.
Debuting writer-director Jeff Santo films all this in tight shots within sterile environments that reveal actors with few resources beyond squints, stares and sneers.
The film ends in a bloodbath that is as predictable as it is ludicrous.
LIAR'S POKER
North Branch Entertainment
A Savino Brothers production
Producers Carlos H. Sanchez, Billy Savino, Jeff Santo
Writer-director Jeff Santo
Executive producer Billy Savino
Co-executive producers Johnny Savino, Patrick Savino, Paul Savino
Director of photography Giles M. I. Dunning
Production designer William Peretti
Music Peter Himmelman
Costume designer Diah Wymont
Editor Kathryn Himoff
Color/stereo
Cast:
Jack Richard Tyson
Niko Caesar Luisi
Vic Jimmy Blondell
Freddy Flea
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 10/28/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Less than four years after their historic MTV debut, those perpetually pubescent dweebs Beavis and Butt-head have made it to the big screen with their trademark moronics frighteningly intact.
For "Beavis and Butt-head Do America," creator Mike Judge has done the unthinkable -- moved the stupid twosome away from their beloved TV set and out into The Great Outdoors. While the shift provides them with a whole new treasure trove of sophomoric sexual innuendo to unearth and snicker at -- from the Washington Monument to the mighty redwoods -- the still-limited repertoire gets spread mighty thin in the 90-minute format.
And although the boys certainly have their following, they are, like Howard Stern, an acquired (dis)taste. The adolescent and nostalgic postadolescent males who make up the vast majority of the B&B demographic will no doubt turn out early to cheer on their animated role models. However, it's unlikely the picture will enjoy much of an extended (huh-huh-huh, heh-heh) run beyond the holidays. Paramount should see brisk business when Beavis and Butt-head do videotape.
For the uninitiated, Beavis (the blond one with the Metallica T-shirt) and his buddy Butt-head (dark hair, braces and an AC/DC T-shirt) represent every imbecilic, pimply-faced loser geek in your junior high school whom you didn't dare sit too close to in the lunchroom lest you be taken for one of them. Usually, they're found positioned in front of the TV set analyzing music videos with a hormonally charged bias. But when their set is stolen from right under their nerdy noses, the two (both voiced by Judge) embark on a cross-country quest after meeting up with a rough redneck named Muddy (unbilled but sounding suspiciously like Bruce Willis) who offers them $10,000 to fly to Vegas to "do" his ex-wife Dallas (unbilled but sounding suspiciously like Demi Moore).
Misinterpreting the verb "do," Beavis and Butt-head jump at the offer and find themselves crossing paths with a pill-popping old lady (Cloris Leachman) and full-cavity-search-obsessed federal agent (Robert Stack) along the way.
The picture admittedly has its goofy, guilty pleasures, particularly at the beginning with Isaac Hayes providing a "Shaft"-injected opening theme and B&B's first plane trip. There's also Butt-head's surprise visit to Chelsea Clinton in her White House bedroom. But after an hour, when some of the same gags are being repeated for the sixth and seventh times, even gross stupidity has its self-imposed limits. Judge and co-screenwriter Joe Stillman just haven't provided their nose-picking protagonists with enough fodder to fill a feature slot.
While the deliberately crude animation has been fleshed out somewhat for the big-screen debut, it's still not exactly going to have the guys at Disney shaking in their boots. Musically, the picture hits the appropriate notes with energetic covers from Red Hot Chili Peppers ("Love Rollercoaster") and LL Cool J ("Ain't Nobody") as well as some lounge credibility courtesy of Engelbert Humperdinck's soaring closing credit reprise of "Lesbian Seagull".
Huh-huh-huh. Heh-heh.
BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD DO AMERICA
Paramount
In association with Geffen Pictures
An MTV production
A Mike Judge film
Director:Mike Judge
Screenwriters:Mike Judge and Joe Stillman
Based on "MTV's Beavis and Butt-head" Created by Mike Judge
Producer:Abby Terkuhle
Executive producers:David Gale and Van Toffler
Animation director:Yvette Kaplan
Music:John Frizzell
Color/stereo
Voices:
Beavis:Mike Judge
Butt-head:Mike Judge
Agent Flemming:Robert Stack
Old Woman:Cloris Leachman
Old Guy With Camper/Hippie/Teacher/Principal McVicker:Mike Judge
Flight Attendant:Pamela Blair
Ranger/Press Secretary/Lieutenant:Eric Bogosian
Running time -- 89 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
For "Beavis and Butt-head Do America," creator Mike Judge has done the unthinkable -- moved the stupid twosome away from their beloved TV set and out into The Great Outdoors. While the shift provides them with a whole new treasure trove of sophomoric sexual innuendo to unearth and snicker at -- from the Washington Monument to the mighty redwoods -- the still-limited repertoire gets spread mighty thin in the 90-minute format.
And although the boys certainly have their following, they are, like Howard Stern, an acquired (dis)taste. The adolescent and nostalgic postadolescent males who make up the vast majority of the B&B demographic will no doubt turn out early to cheer on their animated role models. However, it's unlikely the picture will enjoy much of an extended (huh-huh-huh, heh-heh) run beyond the holidays. Paramount should see brisk business when Beavis and Butt-head do videotape.
For the uninitiated, Beavis (the blond one with the Metallica T-shirt) and his buddy Butt-head (dark hair, braces and an AC/DC T-shirt) represent every imbecilic, pimply-faced loser geek in your junior high school whom you didn't dare sit too close to in the lunchroom lest you be taken for one of them. Usually, they're found positioned in front of the TV set analyzing music videos with a hormonally charged bias. But when their set is stolen from right under their nerdy noses, the two (both voiced by Judge) embark on a cross-country quest after meeting up with a rough redneck named Muddy (unbilled but sounding suspiciously like Bruce Willis) who offers them $10,000 to fly to Vegas to "do" his ex-wife Dallas (unbilled but sounding suspiciously like Demi Moore).
Misinterpreting the verb "do," Beavis and Butt-head jump at the offer and find themselves crossing paths with a pill-popping old lady (Cloris Leachman) and full-cavity-search-obsessed federal agent (Robert Stack) along the way.
The picture admittedly has its goofy, guilty pleasures, particularly at the beginning with Isaac Hayes providing a "Shaft"-injected opening theme and B&B's first plane trip. There's also Butt-head's surprise visit to Chelsea Clinton in her White House bedroom. But after an hour, when some of the same gags are being repeated for the sixth and seventh times, even gross stupidity has its self-imposed limits. Judge and co-screenwriter Joe Stillman just haven't provided their nose-picking protagonists with enough fodder to fill a feature slot.
While the deliberately crude animation has been fleshed out somewhat for the big-screen debut, it's still not exactly going to have the guys at Disney shaking in their boots. Musically, the picture hits the appropriate notes with energetic covers from Red Hot Chili Peppers ("Love Rollercoaster") and LL Cool J ("Ain't Nobody") as well as some lounge credibility courtesy of Engelbert Humperdinck's soaring closing credit reprise of "Lesbian Seagull".
Huh-huh-huh. Heh-heh.
BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD DO AMERICA
Paramount
In association with Geffen Pictures
An MTV production
A Mike Judge film
Director:Mike Judge
Screenwriters:Mike Judge and Joe Stillman
Based on "MTV's Beavis and Butt-head" Created by Mike Judge
Producer:Abby Terkuhle
Executive producers:David Gale and Van Toffler
Animation director:Yvette Kaplan
Music:John Frizzell
Color/stereo
Voices:
Beavis:Mike Judge
Butt-head:Mike Judge
Agent Flemming:Robert Stack
Old Woman:Cloris Leachman
Old Guy With Camper/Hippie/Teacher/Principal McVicker:Mike Judge
Flight Attendant:Pamela Blair
Ranger/Press Secretary/Lieutenant:Eric Bogosian
Running time -- 89 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 12/16/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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