Tag: Selma Blair

MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS – Review

MAD_SharonStone, Alexandra Daniels

If you are looking for a movie to celebrate with Mom this Mother’s Day, the warm-hearted MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS offers a better option that the Garry Marshall comedy named for the holiday. Both films feature a star-studded ensemble cast but MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS features stories that actually deal with motherhood, unlike Marshall’s unfunny comedy.

While it is the better movie, MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS is not without flaws. It has so many characters that is hard to keep them all straight, much less get to know them, and the dramatic, heart-tugging stories also could have benefited from a little sprinkling of humor.

The film stars Susan Sarandon, Sharon Stone, Christina Ricci, Courteney Cox, Selma Blair and Mira Sorvino, among others, in a series of stories that overlap or connect in various ways. The interlocking stories are generally built around a photographer named Rigby Gray (Selma Blair).

The indie film opens May 6 in theaters in select cities but is also available on video-on-demand. Paul Duddridge directs and provides the idea on which Paige Cameron’s script is based. As the title suggests, the film’s stories generally follow pairs of mothers and daughters coping with various relationship challenges. Mother-daughter conflict, separation and establishing identity, and career pressures are themes that run throughout the stories.

MAD_SusanSarandon

Mikael Levin’s photography well-done and often pretty, but director Duddridge really keeps the focus on the acting and multiple plot lines. In one story, Susan Sarandon plays the estranged mother of her real daughter, Eva Amurri Martino, who is struggling to establish herself after marrying against her mother’s wishes. The real connection adds a little special touch for the audience, enhancing the efforts of the pair. Overall, the acting is good but the excessive number of story lines does not leave the performers much room for character development. Pairing the stories down would have left more room to develop character depth and maybe add more backstory for them. As is, the actors bring as much as they can to the touching scenes and situations but there is a sense of rushing off to the next story-line to make sure everything is wrapped up by the film’s end. Scenes that could have had more emotional depth are reduced to sentiment, although several still succeed purely on the strength of performances.

While not perfect, MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS does deliver a warm meditation on some themes of motherhood that mothers and daughters can enjoy together, a pretty enjoyable “chick flick” for their special day.

“PG-13” by the MPAA for some mature thematic elements and brief drug use.

MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS opens on May 6th, 2016

OVERALL RATING:  3 1/2 OUT OF 5 STARS

Mothers and Daughters Poster

IFC Midnight Snags U.S. rights To REPLICAS; Theatrical/VOD Release Planned For 2013

IFC Midnight is acquiring all US rights to REPLICAS, the acclaimed thriller from director Jeremy Power Regimbal, which had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. Starring Selma Blair (HELLBOY), Joshua Close (THE PACIFIC), James D’Arcy (W.E.), and Rachel Miner (BULLY), the film was produced by Regimbal and Justin Tyler Close, and was executive produced by Tina Pehme, Kim C. Roberts and Susan Jackson. Celluloid Nightmares has all foreign rights.

Following a tragic incident, the Hughes family escapes their busy, upscale suburban life in order to spend some quality time at their isolated country home. An evening with friendly neighbors is suddenly interrupted when one man’s obsession with perfection escalates into a violent struggle, forcing all to go beyond anything they ever thought they were capable of in order to survive.

Jackson, of North American sales agent Turtles Crossing LLC, negotiated the sale with Jeff Deutchman, Director, Acquisitions & Productions, Sundance Selects/IFC Films.

REPLICAS is Jeremy Power Regimbal’s first feature after helming numerous commercials and music videos through his company The Lab Media Group. The script, co-written by cast member Joshua Close, was based on a story from Regimbal and producer Justin Tyler Close, the creators of The Lab Magazine.

A theatrical and VOD release is planned for 2013.

IFC Midnight is a sister label to IFC Films and Sundance Selects, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.

Win COLUMBUS CIRCLE On DVD From Universal Studios Home Entertainment!

When a murder mystery next door forces agoraphobic heiress Abigail Clayton (Selma Blair – Hellboy,“Kath and Kim”) to face her terrifying new neighbors, the safe and solitary world she created for herself violently unravels…  and Universal Studios Home Entertainment is offering you a chance to come along for the ride by giving away copies of their new release COLUMBUS CIRCLE on DVD to WAMG readers!

A dark and suspenseful thriller, Columbus Circle, debuts on Blu-ray™, DVD, Digital Download and On Demand on March 6, 2012, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Three (3) winners will receive:
A Copy of Columbus Circle on DVD

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES.

2. FILL OUT YOUR REAL NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW.

3. COLUMBUS CIRCLE is a film about facing your neighbors. Have you ever had a difficult neighbor? Briefly tell us what you did to make the situation better. 

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.

CONTEST WILL END ON MONDAY, March 12, 11:59pm CST.

In order to escape the hounding public and press, Abigail, the famous daughter of a wealthy industrialist, secluded herself in her Manhattan loft on the day she received her enormous inheritance – her eighteenth birthday.  Sequestered at the top of the Columbus Circle luxury apartment high-rise, Abigail remained seemingly secure for nearly 20 years until the day her elderly neighbor was suddenly slain.  Abigail’s world is now disrupted by strange new neighbors and a police investigation that brings the inquisitive and intrusive NYPD Homicide Detective Frank Giardello (Giovanni Ribisi – Contraband, Saving Private Ryan) to her door.  Peering anxiously through her peephole each day, Abigail soon learns that the dangerous new tenants, Lillian Hart (Amy Smart – The Butterfly Effect, Varsity Blues) and Charles Stratford (Jason Lee “My Name is Earl”), may threaten more than just her privacy.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:  www.columbuscirclemovie.com

Starring Selma Blair, Amy Smart, Kevin Pollack, Jason Antoon with Giovanni Ribisi, Beau Bridges and Jason Lee COLUMBUS CIRCLE debuts on Blu-ray™, DVD, Digital Download and On Demand on March 6, 2012, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

 

Amy Smart And Selma Blair In New COLUMBUS CIRCLE Photo

Check out the new photo from the thriller COLUMBUS CIRCLE, co-written and directed by George Gallo. Starring Selma Blair, Amy Smart, Giovanni Ribisi, Jason Lee and Kevin Pollak, the film will makes its WORLD premiere debut at the American Film Market where Lightning Entertainment will be handling international sales.

Directed by George Gallo (MIDDLE MEN), and starring Selma Blair (HELLBOY), Amy Smart (CRANK), Giovanni Ribisi (AVATAR), Jason Lee (NBC’s “My Name is Earl”), and Kevin Pollak (MIDDLE MEN) who also co-wrote the film, COLUMBUS CIRCLE is a stylish and riveting thriller about a reclusive young heiress, Abigail, (Blair) who lives a guarded and sheltered life in a luxurious New York penthouse. But when she is befriended by Lillian and Charlie (Smart and Lee), the glamorous new owners of the apartment next door, Abigail’s safe and secure existence is suddenly threatened.

Review: ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’

Ram Man:

Big Red , Selma Blair, Guillermo Del Toro and the B.P.R.D. (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense) gang are back in the second installment of the Hellboy franchise… Hellboy II:The Golden Army. Guillermo del Toro is back at the helm to tell the continuing story of these people that make humanity safe from creatures they don’t even know exist.Ron Perlman is back as the title character with Selma Blair at his side as Liz Sherman (Pyro-kenetic chic) .Doug Jones is back as Abe Sapien (fishman) and new comer Johann Krauss, a ectoplasmic mystic from Germany. A German leading Hellboy, can you see the fight coming?

In the Golden Army, Del Toro tells the story of an ancient truce between Humans and the Woodland Realm of creatures. Whomever is King of the Woodlands (New Jersey) and has the 3 pieces of the crown controls and unbeatable army of 5000 soldiers..The Golden Army. Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), an elf that makes Legolas from LOTR look like the Keebler elf, has had enough of exile and the Human race destroying his lands. Nuada breaks the truce and begins to assemble the crown in order to control the Golden Army and wage war against humanity. He didn’t take into account the defender of humanity Hellboy! Princess Nuada (Anna Walton), the prince’s twin sister, understanding her brother has gone off the deep end and wanting to continue the peace between the two worlds..takes the final piece of the crown and goes into hiding to prevent the resurrection of the Golden Army. Princess Nuada runs into Abe and is brought to BPRD headquarters and Hellboy is brought into the fight.

Del Toro has packed Hellboy II: The Golden Army with plenty of fascinating creatures, knock down slobber knocking battles, and some great comedic moments. One of the highlights is a Barry Manilow sing-a-long with Red and Abe…yes I said Barry Manilow and highlight in the same sentence. The Golden Army is the second story of a trilogy, to give you a clue on the story line of the follow-up, Guillermo has my permission to use “Three Demons and a Little Lady” as the title! Go check out Hellboy2: The Golden Army and see what a “real” hero is suppose to be!

4 1/2 out of 5

Michelle:

Our red-horned, rosary-carrying, wisecracking, cat-lover, Hellboy, is back for another round with the paranormal world. A misanthropic Prince Nuada (reminiscent of Jeremy Irons’, pasty faced Uber-Morlock from 2002’s ‘The Time Machine’) sets out to unleash hell on Earth. By committing patricide on his father, King Balor, Nuada ends the centuries old truce between humans and magical creatures with the rebirth of the Golden Army. An unfortunate event introduces the public to the secret agents of The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.) comprised of Hellboy’s girlfriend, Liz (Selma Blair), empathic Abe (Doug Jones), and their new leader, Johann Krauss (Seth MacFarlane) who comes with troll seeing glasses. We find Hellboy torn between his destiny to destroy the Earth and fighting on the side of the humans. His relationship with Liz is rocky, at best, and she has a certain “something” hidden from him throughout most of the film.

Oscar winning director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) acquaints us with the mystical world of the Troll Market where, in the search for Nuada’s twin-sister Princess Nuala, the B.P.R.D. agents blend right in. What Del Toro does with the elaborate mythical sets and creatures far surpasses anything we’ve ever seen from Star Wars – the granite and floral behemoths are truly astonishing. With Del Toro’s evenly paced screenplay having Hellboy spewing “You woke up the baby” one-liners, his final act brings about the awakening of the “70 times 70 soldiers” Golden Army. We’re witness to a battle akin to ‘Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em Robots’ along with a fight-to-the-death finale between Hellboy and Prince Nuada. The hilarious “it” scene of the film has to be Hellboy & Abe commiserating over the dealings with the women in their lives with a Barry Manilow sing-a-long moment.

Not quite as funny as the first and certainly missing David Hyde Pierce’s unmistakable voice, Guillermo del Toro gives us another fun adventure… can’t wait to see what he does with “The Hobbit.” It should be one Hell-uva fight between Hellboy and Hancock this weekend.

4 out of 5

Travis:

First, the short version … I have been waiting eagerly for the sequel from the moment I left the theater after watching the first ‘Hellboy’ movie. I have anticipated great things, followed the sequel’s development but managed to avoid becoming too much of a fan-boy as I didn’t want to ruin anything for myself. (Charles?) Overall, the sequel was great! It satisfied all of my waiting and pondering and, while I don’t think it quite meets up to the level of success of the first movie, its pretty darn close and I’m cool with that.

Guillermo del Toro returns to direct ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’ and does so brilliantly and clearly with more greenbacks stuffed in his pocket to do so. It was very clear that del Toro was given mush more freedom to explore his dark, creative side for visual effects and creature design in this sequel. With the development of the back story done and behind us with the original, the sequel is much more free to delve into a completely new story … and that it does.

The film begins with a flashback of The Professor (John Hurt) reading a pre-teen aged Hellboy a story just before bed, sending him into a grinning dreamland of a fantastical ancient time on Earth that has long past … or has it? From here, we’re thrown into modern times. Led by the big red guy, the Bureau heads out to investigate an eerie and violent encounter at an auction house. Soon after arriving, the team discover they’re up against an entirely new force that far outnumbers their own. After the team’s “secrecy” is again compromised, Agent Manning (Jeffrey Tambor) is forced to bring in a mysterious new agent to lead the team in place of Hellboy (Ron Perlman). Special Agent Johann Kraus (physically performed by James Dodd and voiced by Seth MacFarlane) immediately rubs Hellboy and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) the wrong way as Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) takes quickly to his keen intellect. Doug Jones once more gets kudos for carrying the load of three roles in the film.

As it turns out, the stories The Professor read to Hellboy as a child were based in reality. The team discovers that the Elven Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) has plans to steal a magical crown that will allow him to bring the indestructible Golden Army out of dormancy and command them into war with the humans. This basically sets up the premise for this film, but there’s romance as well. We’re already familiar with the love interest between Hellboy and Liz … the sequel takes it further and expands on their relationship. In addition, we find another member of the team falling head over heals for the twin sister of Nuada, Princess Nuala (Anna Walton) and ultimately causes a unique series of leverages and consequences in their mission to keep Nuada from succeeding in his diabolical plans.

Personally, I wasn’t really put off by the approach to the love stories being told in this film, but I can see where others have waned in favor of lesser opinions. Much of the story gets engulfed in the romance of the film and, while it does play an integral role in the story, it can at times be distracting from the action/adventure element … that is, of course, if you’re not a Hellboy fan-boy that’s interested in seeing the whole package and not just the masculinated Hollywood action-fest that other films become. It virtually goes without saying that the visual FX were outstanding. It should get no less than an Oscar nod for this category, and if not … heads will roll! I’m recommending this film to everyone based solely on the special effects. This way, once you see the movie … everything else is pure cinematic viewing profit!

4 out of 5

ZAC:

Guillermo del Toro returns to the comic franchise Hellboy and he has crafted a fantastical, action packed, and hilarious film that is the best live action entry of the Summer and possibly the year.
I can not sing the praises of this film enough. This film opens with a young Hellboy being read a bedtime story to him by Prof. Broom about the indestructible Golden Army built by the elves of ancient earth to help fight the humans during their ancient wars. After their original and only use, the Golden Army massacred the humans and the Elvin King who controlled them deemed them too powerful, splitting the crown which controls them into three pieces; much to the chagrin of his son Prince Nuada (Luke Goss). The King gives one piece to the humans as a truce and the elves move to the forests of the world, not to interact with the humans way of life, Nuada retreats into exile in protest, vowing to return when his people needs him most.
Flash forward a few millennium to present day, Nuada has returned, reclaiming the lost piece of the Golden Crown hostilely at an auction and drawing the attention of Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and the rest of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. The team is roughly the same, minus Myers thankfully, plus one new member, Johann Krauss, an ectoplasmic disembodied spirit that embodies a suit when he is a tangible person instead of a floating mist. Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) is back, and has a crush on Nuada’s sister Nuala, while Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and Hellboy seem to be having relationship issues the can be a bit “explosive.” Manning (Jeffery Tambor) has more of an active role in setting up campaigns for the team while still trying to cover up the exploits of Hellboy on YouTube.
I won’t really go much more into the plot as this film pretty much hits the ground running as soon as the team investigates the auction house Nuada massacred. The film is full of life though, del Toro has greatly expanded on the fantasy of the Hellboy universe and the world is just endlessly populated with cool monsters and wonderful creatures that give the series a new depth and imagination that it is capable of. You can tell Universal gave del Toro free range and put their confidence behind him as he has crafted one of the better fantasy film worlds in recent memory which has allowed him to craft one of the finest comic book adaptations to date.
Del Toro’s look to this film is also just beautiful, there is always something imaginative and creative happening on screen and it just leaves one awed on a number of occasions. The opening bed time story is told through an awesome animation that looks like a mix of stop motion and puppeteering that really stands out and helps you look past the only hiccup in the movie; which is the actor’s portrayal of young Hellboy, it just didn’t feel right for whatever reason. The Golden Army is just awesome, and when it comes to the big fight with them the effects work is just amazing. Speaking of fights, the film is full of them, they just keep coming one after another with a total of 6 major fight scenes (and that’s not counting the times Hellboy just punches the shit out of a few characters) sprinkled throughout if my memory serves me correctly, with each getting better as you go. The effects work is also top notch like I previously mentioned, with the CGI and the animatronics work (which there is a ton of) just looking grade A almost all the time. It is also a breath of fresh air to see so much practical effects work in this film, and it goes to show that it is possible to awesome effects work with out having to do everything on a computer.
The acting in the film is also great across the board. Rob Perlman expands upon Hellboy and makes him even more sarcastic and likable while also taking on even more physical duties on the film. Doug Jones takes over voice and acting duties for Abe Sapien and he does an excellent job as well. Abe has a far meatier role and is consistently funny in his back and forth’s with Hellboy and Manning. The two above mentioned also deserve special props for everything involved in the scene where they bond over there love for women; priceless and hilarious. Selma Blair takes it up a notch as well and remembers how to act at a high caliber. The filmmakers also decide to ramp up the sexy factor on her to bring in the horny boys as well. Luke Goss is an excellent villain in Prince Nuada handling the fighting and acting very well all around. The voice and physical work for Krauss is also very funny as they are able to create such an interesting character that is technically nothing but a white mist. Finally, Jeffery Tambor also improves upon his Manning in an even meatier role providing a fun authority figure for Hellboy to disregard.
But enough rambling praise, in the end, Hellboy II: The Golden Army is an excellent sequel in that it expands on the world while providing a more compelling story now that the origins are out of the way. Hellboy II is hilarious, action packed, and full of endless creativity. Guillermo del Toro has given us an amazing fantasy world to enjoy and one that I hope he gets to come back to after he is done with The Hobbit. Comic book and fantasy fans should not miss, as this is probably going to end up as being one of the best films of the year when it is all said and done.

(4.5 out of 5)

[Rating: 4.25/5]

DVD Review: ‘Hellboy – Directors Cut’

Zac:

Hellboy is an excellent comic adaptation for Guillermo del Toro, with Hellboy being one the funniest and most original superheroes ever created.

Professor Broom (John Hurt) is a paranormal adviser to FDR during WWII and leads the investigation of the Nazi’s pursuits into obtaining paranormal weapons and exploits. Upon coming across an experiment of the Nazi’s attempting to bring the seven gods of chaos to our dimension, lead by Grigori Rasputin an immortal sorcerer, a small red demon was able to come through the dimensional portal before the U.S. Army stopped the Nazi experiment. Broom takes him under his wings and the soldiers named him Hellboy. Flash forward 60 years, Broom leads the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, full of paranormal creatures ala Hellboy (Ron Perlman) that fight the mythic evils that lurk in the night, but has been recently diagnosed with cancer and finds that he is dying soon. Broom recruits the fresh graduate John Myers (Rupert Evans) who he hopes to be his replacement.

Coincidentally, Rasputin’s disciples have resurrected him and they begin on a path to re-attempt to open the dimensions and call upon the chaos gods to destroy earth. Hellboy in the mean time has bigger problems to quell in getting back in favor with his “father” Broom as he repeatedly breaks out to visit Liz Sherman (Selma Blair). Liz is an on again off again member of the team, along with Hellboy and the water dwelling humanoid Abe Sapien, she is a fire-starter and the love of Hellboy’s life. Upon the investigation of a museum incident and the battle with the ancient beast Sammael, Rasputin’s return becomes clear to the team as they begin their quest to stop him and discover his plan.

Hellboy, the film, is full of interesting characters and a lot of back story to be filled in on. Thankfully the film handles this very well and is able to fill us in on these characters life while also keeping us entertained through out. Del Toro can’t take the story for granted and makes sure that the viewer is up to speed to fully enjoy the film. The film itself moves along at a very fine pace that is continually entertaining and never drags or bores. Hellboy is hilarious and his dry humor is a nice piece of fresh air in the comic book film genre. The look of the film is wonderful as well with Del Toro using live action as much as humanly possible with some wonderful creatures created for the film.

The acting is also solid through out starting with Ron Perlman owning the role of Hellboy. No one else could play him and hopefully know one else ever will. He perfectly captures the roles subtle humor, physical presence, and the emotional bits that Hellboy goes through. John Hurt also does an excellent job as Broom, providing a good father figure and leader of the team. Doug Jones plays the physical Abe Sapien with David Hyde Pierce perfectly complementing him as his voice, creating a smart, charming and subtle ying to Hellboy’s yang. Selma Blair is decent as Liz Sherman, with not a lot to work with unfortunately, but she feels a bit wooden at times as she plays the whole, “I’m so sad and depressed mode.” Rupert Evans is the weak link of the film as Myers, just coming across as unbelievable and just doesn’t really work. Jeffery Tambor also provides a number of laughs as the F.B.I. specialist that over sees Broom and his team and is the official cover artist for Hellboy and his exploits.

In the end, Hellboy is a fun action-fantasy-comic book adaptation that is solid all around. It is a great introduction to the character and the world he lives in and it will be great to see what they do in a sequel. While there are no major complaints with the film, it never excels beyond being a pretty good movie. I don’t know what held it back, but I can’t wait to see what they do on a return visit to Hellboy’s world, now that the introduction is out of the way.

[rating: 4/5]

The 3 Disc DVD set is a must own for Hellboy enthusiast. Jam packed with extras and a collectible book this is a great tune up for anyone that is a fan of the film. Solid video, great audio, and overkill special features.

Continue reading DVD Review: ‘Hellboy – Directors Cut’

Del Toro Wants ‘Hellboy 3’

Collider attended the Saturn Awards, where the got the chance to speak to director Guillermo del Toro about making another “Hellboy” installment. Del Toro said that “The Hobbit” will take up most of his time, but he would love to return to the “Hellboy” franchise.

“I would love to do it consecutive to ‘The Hobbit’,” he said of “Hellboy 3.” “The first movie was in 2004, the second movie was in 2008. So if the third movie was in 2012, 2013 … it’s not that far off.”

Del Toro has previously mentioned that he would want for the story to shift back to the pulp mythology of the original comic-book series. “The idea for me is to bring back the Nazis characters, but bring them back in a way they would operate now,” he said. “Meaning, what public face would the Nazis have in 2009/2010? How rich would they be? How in charge could they be? It’s not this group of freakies that hide in the sewers, but people that are incredibly rich.”

He added that if a third film were to be made, it would be the last one. “If there was ever a third one, I would really make sure that we at least sign a contract that there is no more,” del Toro said in an interview at New York Comic Con. “No prequels and no sequels: nothing.”

Seriously, Del Toro is the man and this would be the coolest thing if he can get the third movie released in the next couple of years.

“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” is scheduled to hit theaters on July 11th.