This Sunday, May 8, is Mother’s Day. Mums over in the UK celebrated the annual holiday earlier this year on March 6th. In England its better known as “Mothering Sunday.”
WAMG wishes all the moms out there (including our own) a Happy Mother’s Day!
In the 3D animated comedy, THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE, we’ll finally find out why the birds are so angry.
The movie takes us to an island populated entirely by happy, flightless birds – or almost entirely. In this paradise, Red (Jason Sudeikis, We’re the Millers, Horrible Bosses), a bird with a temper problem, speedy Chuck (Josh Gad in his first animated role since Frozen), and the volatile Bomb (Danny McBride, This is the End, Eastbound and Down) have always been outsiders. But when the island is visited by mysterious green piggies, it’s up to these unlikely outcasts to figure out what the pigs are up to.
Round up all your hatchlings and watch this sweet video below.
Featuring a hilarious, all-star voice cast that includes Bill Hader (Trainwreck, Inside Out), Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids, Sisters), and Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), as well as Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live, Ghostbusters), Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele), Tony Hale (Veep, Arrested Development), Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Ike Barinholtz (Neighbors, Sisters), Hannibal Buress (Daddy’s Home, Broad City), Jillian Bell (22 Jump Street), Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black), Latin music sensation Romeo Santos, YouTube stars Smosh (Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla), and country music superstar Blake Shelton, who writes and preforms the original song “Friends,” the Columbia Pictures/Rovio Entertainment film is directed by Fergal Reilly and Clay Kaytis and produced by John Cohen and Catherine Winder. The screenplay is by Jon Vitti, and the film is executive produced by Mikael Hed and David Maisel.
THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE opens in theaters on May 20.
Sappiness overflows in MOTHER’S DAY, an assembly-line rom-com with little on its mind beyond clichés and predictable formula. 81-year old director Garry Marshall, still mining the calendar after the similar NEW YEAR’S EVE and VALENTINE’S DAY, has gathered a bouquet of celebrity movie stars including Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, and Kate Hudson, and shuffled them into tiresome skits about motherhood gone right and wrong. MOTHER’S DAY is a shallow and sickly-sweet offering best avoided.
Jennifer Aniston has the largest role in MOTHER’S DAY as Sandy, a divorced mother of two sons whose ex-husband Henry (Timothy OIyphant) has married the much younger Tina (Shay Mitchell), who tries too hard to be a cool stepmom. The story jumps between Sandy’s dilemma and those of a dozen others, such as childless Miranda (Julia Roberts), an uptight QVC superstar who has motherhood forced on her by the sudden appearance of Kristin (Britt Robertson), the daughter she gave up for adoption as a teen. Kristin is a mom herself, yet has commitment issues with her Brit boyfriend Zack (Jake Whitehall), a bartender who aspires to be a stand-up comic. Gabi and Jesse (Sarah Chalke and Kate Hudson) are sisters who live next door to each other and who have for years hidden their respective mates from their narrow-minded parents (Margo Martindale and Robert Pine) who unexpectedly show up at their door (Gabi is married to another woman and Jesse to an Indian doctor). Then there’s gym owner Bradley (Jason Sudeikis), struggling to move on with his love life a year after the death of his wife (Jennifer Garner in a bizarre cameo) while trying to figure the best way to celebrate Mother’s Day with his two young daughters, the older of which (Jessi Case) is having her own first go at romance. There are other characters on hand including John Lovitz as a sad sack comedy club owner, Loni Love as Bradley’s sassy black friend (‘cuz every lame comedy must have one) and, since this is a Gerry Marshall film, 80-year old Hector Elizondo as Lance, Miranda’s sage personal assistant who doles out the expected platitudes about motherly love.
MOTHER’S DAY, one of those bland Hollywood star machines that bears no resemblance to the real world, feels like it’s been cynically conceived by a studio marketing brain trust. Director Marshall seems to hope that with all the sugary distractions you won’t notice that every skit is lame, every line of dialogue is stale, and every joke falls flat – even the ones at the comedy club (heck, especially the ones at the comedy club!). Although the cast manages to inject some personality from time to time, each plot strand is so constrained by the rom-com structure that it has nowhere to go. There’s no real conflict or edge. The film’s sole serious crisis involves a missing inhaler for an asthmatic kid who’s endangered for about 30 seconds. This is lazy screenwriting by the numbers. Is it really still funny to mock old people’s lack of computer savvy? We get the scene where Bradley’s at the store buying his teen girl’s tampons and the checkout girl has to compound his embarrassment by getting a price check over the P.A. (Michael Keaton did this exact gag better in MR. MOM in 1983 but at least this time they’re eco-friendly organic cotton tampons – how progressive!). MOTHER’S DAY is so desperate for laughs that it runs outtakes/bloopers during the closing credits, a device that hasn’t been funny since Burt Reynolds stopped doing it in the late ‘70s. Margo Martindale and Robert Pine have some funny moments as Gabi and Jesse’s bigoted parents (they’re from Texas of course), but they seem like they’ve dropped in from a different, broader comedy. “You’ve got a towel-head for a husband!?!” shouts dad, but I guess since he’s referring to an Indian, that is considered (by the screenwriters) loveable racism (good thing they didn’t make Jesse’s husband a black guy!). Pine is introduced sucking on a fried chicken leg and Martindale has a cute scene with her half-Indian grandson (“I see why they call you Tanner”). They spend most of the film parked in front of their daughter’s homes in a massive RV which leads to a unique chase through an Atlanta suburb involving that vehicle and a parade float built by the lesbian couple that’s a giant pink birth canal.
It’s easy to be cynical about a movie like MOTHER’S DAY, one that I’m sure a lot of women will end up enjoying. There are some tart lines mixed with the schmaltz, and it’s certainly easy on the eyes, with a supersized collection of pretty stars (though Ms Roberts looks clownish in that weird red wig). Ultra-sweet, safe and sporadically heartwarming, MOTHER’S DAY will no doubt be bulletproof at the box office.
MOTHER’S DAY is the latest star studded ensemble comedy from director Garry Marshall (“Pretty Woman,” “Valentine’s Day”). Bringing together Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts, Jason Sudeikis, Shay Mitchell, Britt Robertson & Timothy Olyphant, it’s a celebration of mothers everywhere.
This big-hearted comedy invites us all to enjoy the laughter, tears and love as three generations come together in the week leading up to Mother’s Day.
MOTHER‘S DAY opens in theaters April 29th.
WAMG invites you to enter for a chance to win a pass (Good for 2) to the advance screening of MOTHER’S DAY on Tuesday, April 26 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.
We will contact the winners by email.
Answer the following:
There’s a long list of Mother’s Day movies. From TERMS OF ENDEARMENT to STEEL MAGNOLIAS,Hollywood has consistently offered great films with strong maternal figures.
Tell us your favorite Mother’s Day-themed movie and why.
TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.
TUMBLEDOWN is available now on Blu-ray and DVD on April 5th from Anchor Bay Entertainment. The movie stars Rebecca Hall and Jason Sudeikis.
In his review, Michael Haffner says Sudeikis “really earns his romantic-lead stripes here.”
Pop culture scholar Andrew (Jason Sudeikis) comes to Maine to interview Hannah (Rebecca Hall), the protective widow of an acclaimed singer. When the unlikely pair strike a deal to co-write a biography, Andrew finds himself clashing with a cast of locals, including Hannah’s hunky suitor (Joe Manganiello), and her loving but defensive parents (Blythe Danner, Richard Masur). When Hannah and Andrew’s stormy partnership blossoms into an unexpected connection, they face the possibility that the next chapter in their lives may involve each other. Dianna Argon and Griffin Dunne costar in this startlingly funny and sweetly romantic tale of moving on and finding love in the unlikeliest of places.
TUMBLEDOWN Blu-ray bonus features:
The Making of Tumbledown : A look at the film’s accurate portrayal of small town life, real-life inspirations for the film, core story details and themes, casting and performances, character details, Director Sean Mewshaw’s work, and the movie’s photography.
The Music Behind Tumbledown : A look at Damien Jurado’s work as the voice of Hunter Miles, the music’s emotional resonance and place in the movie, and more.
WAMG brings you this exclusive clip from the film’s Bonus Features section below.
A rock journalist (Jason Sudeikis) obsessed with the death of musical idols and their legacy – a compelling argument could be made that Chuck Klosterman served as inspiration for the character – discovers that there is more to life than extending adoration long after death. Hannah (played in a strong and stern manner by Rebecca Hall) is the widow of the popular folk hero. Now with his passing, she has more time to focus on herself and her own writing without having to be in the shadow of her great singer-songwriter husband. When Andrew approaches Hannah about writing a biography about her late husband, she’s initially reluctant, but the two eventually agree and take a stroll down memory lane.
Desiree and Desi Van Til along with director Sean Mewshaw have written a tender story that occasionally waxes philosophical about the artistic process and life after death through two different viewpoints looking at the same person – Hannah who views him as a friend and partner and Andrew who sees a fallen musical idol. It’s a role that could have come across as too slimy and manipulative if it weren’t played delicately by Sudekis. He comes across as genuine and affable, thanks to him toning down his typically boisterous personality. I never really saw Sudeikis as a leading man type before – he always seemed more like the crude and obnoxious best friend in a sex comedy – but he really earns his romantic-lead stripes here.
Even though TUMBLEDOWN avoids some of the romantic pitfalls in lieu of a more thoughtful display of a woman coping with a terrible loss while attempting to find her own path, the film finally succumbs to a quintessential trope in the end. Sure, the path that the characters eventually go down was hinted at, but it would have been a far more compelling finale (not to mention, one that would be better fitted to Hannah’s personality) if she would have took the road less traveled.
The quaint Maine town creates a lovely backdrop for a story that mainly focuses on where to go next when you’re seemingly lost in the woods. Hannah’s strong survival instinct masks the vulnerable side that she hides away in her cabin isolated in the woods. Sean Mewshaw’s modest picture isn’t afraid to deal with real emotions and conflicting feelings about love, loss, and moving on. For the majority of its breezy duration, TUMBLEDOWN sidesteps being the type of book you read on an airplane to pass the time. To put it in musical terms given the subject, it would be like going to a concert and witnessing a carefully staged and crafted performance, and then the band ending on the greatest hits song that everyone knows and can sing along with that you have heard so many times before.
TUMBLEDOWN Blu-ray bonus features:
The Making of Tumbledown : A look at the film’s accurate portrayal of small town life, real-life inspirations for the film, core story details and themes, casting and performances, character details, Director Sean Mewshaw’s work, and the movie’s photography.
The Music Behind Tumbledown : A look at Damien Jurado’s work as the voice of Hunter Miles, the music’s emotional resonance and place in the movie, and more.
Hollywood knows that one genre is almost certain to get the audience’s blood pumping and pulse racing: the sports story. CREED certainly proved that a few months ago (you’d think audiences were watching a real live boxing match, judging from the all the cheering at the multiplex). Couple that on-screen excitement with a dramatic true story, and you’ve hopefully got a critical and box office hit. And while professional sports may be tainted and tarnished thanks to bad behavior and big bucks, the amateur athletes still have a purity and nobility about them. There have been plenty of college (WE ARE MARSHALL), high school (HOOSIERS), and even grade school (THE BAD NEWS BEARS) team tales, but for individual triumphs, the four-year spectacle, the Olympics, abound in stories of glory and drama. Well 2016 just so happens to be an olympic year, so the studios are launching the first of several such true tales of courage today. Next week I’ll be back with a charming, funny film fable from the 1988 Winter games, and in March we’ll get a raunchy fictional comedy set in that competitive backdrop. But for now, we travel all the way back to 1936, eighty years,for a film whose title has a double meaning: RACE.
The focus of RACE is the incredible story of that track and field wonder, African-American icon Jesse Owens (Stephan James). We meet him as he prepares to enroll at Ohio State University. Jesse packs his suitcase, dresses in his best (and only) suit, and says his goodbye to his family in their crowded rundown apartment in the slums of Cleveland. Ohio. And he also bids adieu to his longtime gal, beautician Ruth (Shanice Banton) and their two-year old (out-of-wedlock) daughter Gloria. Arriving on campus, he heads to the office of track and field coach Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis) to become part of the college team. Despite their awkward first meeting, Snyder is impressed by Owens’s school records and helps him land a part-time job as he trains him for the upcoming Big Ten meet in Ann Arbor (all while dealing with the rampant racism in the sports department). When Jesse breaks three world records(within an hour), his dreams of Olympic gold begin. Meanwhile in New York City, the United States Olympic Committee is engaged in a heated debate about the upcoming Summer games in Berlin, Germany. Jeremiah Mahoney (William Hurt) is horrified at the actions of Chancellor Adolf Hitler and believes the US should boycott the games, while Avery Brundage (Jeremy Irons) believes that the Olympics should put politics aside. It is decided that Avery will travel to Berlin and check out the atmosphere there. Meanwhile Jesse begins a fling with a nightclub regular, Quincella (Chantel Riley), that threatens to end his relationship to Ruth and derail his sports career. Luckily he gets his priorities straight while German officials assure Avery that all will be in order (this after he observes their brutal treatment of the Jewish community), and is introduced to the film maker that will chronicle the games, Leni Riefenstahl (Carice van Houten) for the feature film OLYMPIA. But will the local organizers keep their promises of “fair play” when Jesse and the rest of the American team arrive in Berlin?
As Owens, Stephan James projects strength and determination helping us comprehend the real man’s incredible achievements. Through his eyes and body language we see how this gifted man had to temper himself while navigating through a society that embraced his accomplishments while denigrating him for his color. Even as he takes a walk on the wild side with his “jazz baby” temptress, James still goes us a hero that we can applaud (the dalliance makes him more human) despite his foibles. Sudeikis breaks free of his motor-mouthed, wise guy comic persona as Coach Snyder. He’s a man of deep regret (we learn during a terrific monologue) who vows to guide Owens to fulfill the promise that Snyder himself squandered. All the while he becomes a surrogate father to Owens, one who bristles and barks back at the ignorant while Owens must remain silent. Irons as Brundage is all businessman as the sight of Nazi brutality disgusts him. His admiration for the Olympic ideals too often blinds him to the injustices behind the scenes. Ultimately, he submits too easily. Hurt shines in a role that is basically a cameo (despite the billing in the ads), his Mahoney knows that Hitler only wishes to use the games to glorify and promote his own agenda. Ms. van Houten, like James, is determined not to let her hard work and talents be exploited. Though Goebbels and his goons try to thwart her, Leni wants to tell the whole story with no filters.
Director Stephens Hopkins does a good job at keeping the story coherent while maintaining a steady pace. Unfortunately the script from Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel attempts to tell too many tales at once, any of which could have been made into separate movies. There’s the whole debate within the committee, the wheeling and dealing between Germany and Brundage, and certainly the making of OLYMPIA could make for interesting films. The constant interruptions detract from the Owens story. It doesn’t help that we only meet him after his teenage years, which doesn’t tell us just how his running and jumping prowess began (plus there’s the whole romance with Ruth plus their then scandalous behavior) . And aside from a brief mid credit scene, we don’t see Owens’s life after the gold medals (we know he’s part of a great joke in BLAZING SADDLES, but …). The 1930’s are expertly recreated with vintage fashions and autos, while CGI convincingly places us next to Jesse inside that massive studium with thousands looking down. Plus those track performances (especially the long jump) are inspiring in their visual power. Fewer subplot negotiations and more athletics would have made RACE as light on its feet as the miraculous Mr. Owens himself.
Opening in theaters nationwide this Friday, February 19th, is the new film, RACE.
Based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens, the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy. Race is an enthralling film about courage, determination, tolerance, and friendship, and an inspiring drama about one man’s fight to become an Olympic legend.
RACE tracks the journey of James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens (portrayed by Stephan James of Selma). As a student and athlete in Depression-era America, Jesse bears the weight of family expectations, racial tension at his college Ohio State University, and his own high standards for competition.
At Ohio State University, Jesse finds a savvy coach and stalwart friend in Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis) – who is unafraid to push the young man to his limits. Bolstered by the love and support of Ruth Solomon (Shanice Banton), with whom he has a young daughter, Jesse’s winning ways in intercollegiate competitions earn him a place on the U.S. Olympics team…
…if there is to be a team going to the 1936 Olympics at all; the American Olympic committee weighs a boycott in protest against Hitler with committee president Jeremiah Mahoney (Academy Award winner William Hurt) and millionaire industrialist Avery Brundage (Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons) debating the issue. Once Brundage prevails with the committee and U.S. participation is confirmed, Jesse enters a new racial and political minefield after he arrives in Berlin with his fellow athletes.
As filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl (Carice van Houten of Game of Thrones) readies her cameras to record the Games under the steely gaze of Nazi officials, Jesse reaffirms his determination to compete with excellence and honor. With the world watching, he will place in sharp relief his own country’s history of racism as well as the Hitler regime’s oppressiveness. Forever defining what an athlete can accomplish, Jesse Owens races into history as an inspiration to millions, then and now.
The director, Stephen Hopkins and the stars of the film, Stephan James and Jason Sudeikis gave thoughtful and thought-provoking answers at the press junket:
Hopkins felt the story had a Forrest Gump quality because Owens just wants to run but he ends up turning the Nazi Olympics into the Jesse Owens Olympics. He said track is ideal for a film because it’s an explosive sport and a race takes only ten seconds. He also addressed the question of “What is he running for?” For himself? Or his country with its institutional racism that forced him to sail to Germany in steerage while white athletes traveled in first class?
Hopkins also talked about how the 1936 Olympics were the first corporate branding of a sporting event that originated the modern games we know today. The Nazis invented the opening ceremony with a torch relay and release of doves. They filmed everything with the intention of proving the Aryan race was superior and instead turned a black athlete into the world’s first worldwide superstar.
During breaks while filming Selma, Stephan trained extensively to learn Owen’s running style and spent a lot of time with Owens’ daughters who were instrumental in getting the film made. Although he felt a little intimidated playing an iconic, larger-than-life figure, he wanted to help them carry on their father’s legacy as a man, a father and a humanitarian whose love of his sport made a huge impact on the world.
Jason said the best information he had about Larry Snyder was a quote from Jesse Owens in which he said Snyder was an “accidental non-racist” who believed athletic performance and hard work were the only things that mattered. Snyder’s refusal to judge people based on the color of their skin was his way of dealing with societal pressure and that indirectly sparked a new dialogue about segregation in America.
The connection between Owens and Snyder is a crucial part of the story and Jason said drama and comedy are the same because regardless of the situation, you have to make it feel real and honest. He knew he was involved in telling this “amazing…hopeful…international human story” because the film was independently financed. The major studios were not interested in a complicated period piece about sports featuring a young, unknown actor. He also shared a fun fact: He had his first experience in a period film when his family played extras in the Paul Newman-Joanne Woodward film Mr. and Mrs. Bridge.
A rock journalist (Jason Sudeikis) obsessed with the death of musical idols and their legacy – a compelling argument could be made that Chuck Klosterman served as inspiration for the character – discovers that there is more to life than extending adoration long after death. Hannah (played in a strong and stern manner by Rebecca Hall) is the widow of the popular folk hero. Now with his passing, she has more time to focus on herself and her own writing without having to be in the shadow of her great singer-songwriter husband. When Andrew approaches Hannah about writing a biography about her late husband, she’s initially reluctant, but the two eventually agree and take a stroll down memory lane.
Desiree and Desi Van Til along with director Sean Mewshaw have written a tender story that occasionally waxes philosophical about the artistic process and life after death through two different viewpoints looking at the same person – Hannah who views him as a friend and partner and Andrew who sees a fallen musical idol. It’s a role that could have come across as too slimy and manipulative if it weren’t played delicately by Sudekis. He comes across as genuine and affable, thanks to him toning down his typically boisterous personality. I never really saw Sudeikis as a leading man type before – he always seemed more like the crude and obnoxious best friend in a sex comedy – but he really earns his romantic-lead stripes here.
Even though TUMBLEDOWN avoids some of the romantic pitfalls in lieu of a more thoughtful display of a woman coping with a terrible loss while attempting to find her own path, the film finally succumbs to a quintessential trope in the end. Sure, the path that the characters eventually go down was hinted at, but it would have been a far more compelling finale (not to mention, one that would be better fitted to Hannah’s personality) if she would have took the road less traveled.
The quaint Maine town creates a lovely backdrop for a story that mainly focuses on where to go next when you’re seemingly lost in the woods. Hannah’s strong survival instinct masks the vulnerable side that she hides away in her cabin isolated in the woods. Sean Mewshaw’s modest picture isn’t afraid to deal with real emotions and conflicting feelings about love, loss, and moving on. For the majority of its breezy duration, TUMBLEDOWN sidesteps being the type of book you read on an airplane to pass the time. To put it in musical terms given the subject, it would be like going to a concert and witnessing a carefully staged and crafted performance, and then the band ending on the greatest hits song that everyone knows and can sing along with that you have heard so many times before.
Celebrate the one day that connects us all with a new trailer from Open Road Films’ MOTHER’S DAY.
This big-hearted comedy invites us all to enjoy the laughter, tears and love as three generations come together in the week leading up to Mother’s Day.
MOTHER’S DAY is the latest star studded ensemble comedy from director Garry Marshall (“Pretty Woman,” “Valentine’s Day”). Bringing together Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson and Julia Roberts along with Jason Sudeikis, it’s a celebration of mothers everywhere.
The film, out April 29th, follows in the footsteps of other traditional Marshall ensemble rom-coms like Valentine’s Day (in which Roberts also starred) and New Year’s Eve. Mother’s Day weaves together multiple storylines with Roberts playing Miranda, a television host; Aniston portrays Sandy, a recent divorcée looking for love; and Hudson is Jesse, a mom who seeks to strengthen her relationship with her own mother. Motherhood of many forms is celebrated in the new footage, including Jason Sudeikis as a Mr. Mom-type who connects with Sandy.
Timothy Olyphant, Sarah Chalke, Jon Lovitz, and Britt Robertson also make appearances.
Jesse Owens’ quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy.
Watch Jesse Owens make his record-breaking run for the Gold in new clips from Focus Features’ RACE.
Starring Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons, Carice van Houten, Shanice Banton, and William Hurt, the incredible true story of Gold Medal Champion Jesse Owens opens in theaters nationwide Friday, February 19.
WAMG invites you to enter for a chance to win a pass (Good for 2) to the advance screening of RACE on Tuesday, February 16 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.
We will contact the winners by email.
Answer the following:
How many medals have US athletes won during the Olympic Summer Games ?
2508
2399
2267
TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.
