Armchair Commentary

Trailer Park: "Carnage" and "The Ides of March"

Roman Polanski's Carnage, opening later this year, is an adaptation of the Broadway play God of Carnage, which is about two sets of parents squabbling over their sons, who have gotten in a school yard fight. The teaser trailer (not an official green band release, so there is profanity for those who want to be properly warned) is like a mash-up of Oscar Gold, and for that alone it's a must-see. Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly play one set of parents, while Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz play the other set. Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet in the same frame? My mind is going to explode.

 

 

 

I had a similar experience watching the trailer for The Ides of March a few weeks ago, directed by and starring George Clooney as a rising Presidential candidate whose press secretary (Ryan Gosling) knows something that could shatter his career. My head-exploding moment? Realizing that on top of the two mildly handsome and talented actors listed above, this also contains both Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman in the same movie (if this has happened before, and I feel like it should have, please let me know cause it's really bugging me). This is on my must-see list for fall. --Ellen

 

 

Director Blake Edwards, Master of Modern Screwball Comedy, Dies at 88

Writer-director Blake Edwards, whose body of work spanned the genres from the downright slapsticky (The Pink Panther, The Party) to thoughtful drama (Breakfast at Tiffany's, Days of Wine and Roses), has died at age 88.

Edwards, who had been married to actress Julie Andrews since 1969, began his career as an actor, but quickly became a successful writer in the 1950s in Hollywood. He was known mostly for his comedic work, especially films with Peter Sellers including the Pink Panther movies (with A Shot in the Dark possibly the funniest of the lot), as well as later comedies like 10, which made a star of Bo Derek.

Edwards also collaborated with Andrews on several films, including Darling Lili, Victor Victoria, and S.O.B.

And his dramas, though few, were affecting. Days of Wine and Roses shows in torturous detail the lives of an alcoholic married couple (Edwards publicly announced he quit drinking in the early '60s, after the release of the film). And Breakfast at Tiffany's, though it made a star of the sprightly Audrey Hepburn, was actually a rather dark drama about a conflicted young woman without much of a moral compass.

Still, it was for his comedies that Edwards was largely known. He was awarded an honorary lifetime achievement Oscar in 2004 for his work, which spanned more than four decades. Farewell, our huckleberry friend.

Read more about Blake Edwards' essential films.

-- A.T. Hurley

 

 

 

"Burlesque": The International Trailer

The first trailer Burlesque, the upcoming Christina Aguilera/Cher non-Showgirls movie didn't do much for my interest, but this international version adds what every trailer should to generate buzz: More Stanley Tucci!

 

Also starring Kristen Bell as a rival dancer, Cam Gigandet as bartender/love interest, and Eric Dane as--well, we can't really tell, but he gets to be shirtless as usual. That redhead you see is Dancing With the Stars pro-turned-country singer Julianne Hough. Opens November 24. --Ellen

Mel Brooks honored at the Kennedy Center

I missed the recent telecast of the Kennedy Center honors, but I just watched two Mel Brooks segments on YouTube. First is a retrospective of his television and movie career introduced by Carl Reiner. The second is on-stage performances of numbers from The Producers (that's Glee's Matthew Morrison singing and dancing in "Springtime for Hitler"). --David Horiuchi

Watch This: Brian Cox Coaches Two-Year-Old to Recite "Hamlet"

Cutest. Thing. Ever. British actor Brian Cox coaching a 30-month-old toddler to recite Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy. That the toddler also has a British accent clinches the deal. --Ellen

Trailer Park: 'Nine'

Check out the newest exhilarating trailer for Nine, based on the Broadway show based on Fellini's 8 1/2. Kate Hudson is front and center showing off her vocal chops, but this is an ensemble film with Daniel Day-Lewis, maxing out its quota for Most Gorgeous Women in One Movie: Sophia Loren, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Hudson, and the Black Eyed Peas' Fergie. Opens wide Christmas day. --Ellen

Get "Glee"-full on December 29

The most talked-about new show of the season, Glee, is coming out on DVD on December 29. The first 13 episodes will be released as Glee, Vol. 1: Road to Sectionals, and it will have all those great songs we get every week, including "Don't Stop Believing" and "Somebody to Love," plus Acafellas, Kristin Chenoweth's guest appearance as McKinley alum April Rhodes, and more. --David

Armchair Daily: News From the World of Movies & TV

SOUPY SALES DIES: Comedian Soupy Sales, famous for throwing pies at everyone--including himself--died Thursday at the age of 83. Other deaths this week: Actor Joseph Wiseman, who played Dr. No in the first James Bond film, at age 91; Vic Mizzy, who composed the "Addams Family" theme song, at age 93.

MOVING OUT OF 'MELROSE': Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Colin Egglesfield have been let go from the Melrose Place reboot, due to renovations producers are making to the show. (EW.com)  

HEY, WHAT ABOUT 'CATS'?: A film adaptation of Broadway smash Miss Saigon is in the works, to be directed by Lee Daniels (Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire) for a 2011 release. (Variety) --Ellen

Watching "John Adams" but thinking about "1776"

By coincidence, today, Independence Day, I'm midway through HBO's John Adams. But I'm unable to watch scenes of the Congressional Congress without expecting them to break into song. That's because my introduction to the signing of the Declaration of Independence was watching 1776 as a kid many years ago, and back in the days of limited network channels somehow this movie and The Music Man would always be broadcast on July 4.  (Where is either movie on Blu-ray, or 1776's soundtrack CD?) 1776 can feel like a history lesson at times, but I like it a lot: it's funny, William Daniels gives a tour-de-force performance as John Adams, and as an American I find it quite moving. Watch a clip of the opening number below or on YouTube. Happy Fourth of July! --David

Harve Presnell, 1933-2009

Actor Harve Presnell died at the age of 75 yesterday, June 30, in California. Presnell was best known for starring on the Broadway stage in The Unsinkable Molly Brown opposite Tammy Grimes, then taking the same role in the 1964 film with Debbie Reynolds in the lead. Presnell also sang "They Call the Wind Maria" in the film version of Paint Your Wagon (and is often called the best thing about that movie). Presnell made a late-career resurgence with roles in Fargo (as William H. Macy's father-in-law), Saving Private Ryan, and other movies, and numerous appearances on television. Read the AP story --David