Olivia Thirlby

Blu-Ray Review: Annoying ‘The Answer Man’ Full of Hot Air

BrianTT — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:36:11 -0700

CHICAGO – “Hell is other people!” declares reclusive author Arlen Faber. That’s nothing compared to the hell of fake people, who permeate so many subpar pictures marketed as “indie” entertainment. There’s not a single character in “The Answer Man” that feels the least bit realistic. There’s not a single line of dialogue that sounds as if it was spontaneously spoken, instead of typed by a screenwriter with a slick Thesaurus. But most importantly, the film doesn’t work because its characters are simply undeserving of the required audience empathy. It’s impossible to care about anyone on the screen, or anything that happens to them.

Blu-Ray Rating: 2.0/5.0

So why is this film a mediocre dud rather than a catastrophic failure? Because it is populated by gifted actors who try to inject the contrived material with vibrant life. Jeff Daniels is one of the most appealing actors in modern cinema, particularly when he plays characters who are less than appealing. He gave one of the best performances of his career in Noah Baumbach’s “The Squid and the Whale,” where he played a decadent, self-absorbed writer who has no patience for “philistines.”

Daniels’s “Answer Man” Arlen is basically the same guy, minus the Jim Henson beard and scalding wit. He spends his life hiding from the spiritual philistines who believe his book, which details his conversations with God, to be the real deal. Regardless of its authenticity, it’s impossible to believe that a bitter sad sack like Arlen could be capable of writing a book with the power to inspire millions.

The Answer Man was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 3rd, 2009.
Photo credit: Magnolia Home Video

It’s equally impossible to accept the film’s jarring shifts in tone between broad comedy and awkward melodrama. You know a film’s in trouble when it relies on intrusive music to tell the audience how to feel. Teddy Castellucci’s score thumps along with Scrooge-like energy when Arlen has one of his “funny” tirades, and slows to a thoughtful cadence when Arlen has one of his “serious” revelations.

The Answer Man was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 3rd, 2009.
Photo credit: Magnolia Home Video

Meanwhile, the audience has no chance to react because the music is doing all the work. Too bad the funny music doesn’t kick in when Arlen whines, “I showed you my monsters!” You see, Arlen is putting the moves on the lovely Elizabeth (Lauren Graham) by showing her his collection of monster models. When she moves in for a kiss, Arlen is distracted by his prized plastic possessions. Unfortunately, it takes Elizabeth several more scenes to finally walk away from the schmuck, inspiring him to utter the aforemetioned line. She should’ve kept walking.

As much as first-time writer/director John Hindman would like you to believe otherwise, Arlen is an irredeemable S.O.B. He’s vile to everyone except the woman that he hopes to seduce. The tender moments he has with Elizabeth’s son clash entirely with his sadistic treatment of adoring fans (like a mailman played by Tony Hale).

Since the plot and characters are blatantly manipulated in order to ensure that Arlen becomes a better person, the film could be seen as an inferior retread of “Groundhog Day” (with Daniels, Graham and Hale standing in for Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell and Stephen Tobolowsky). One of the most irritating subplots involves a troubled kid (Lou Taylor Pucci), who barges in to Arlen’s apartment and immediately wins the maternal warmth of Elizabeth. This is one of the only moments where I sided with Arlen. I found myself resisting the eye-rolling plot mechanics every bit as much as he was.

One of the biggest laughs on this disc occurs in the extras, when producer Jana Edelbaum prides herself on taking a risk with such “unbankable” material. If this is Edelbaum’s idea of taking a risk, I’d hate to see her play it safe. Let’s face it: “The Answer Man” formula was already tested in last year’s indie dramedy “Smart People,” and it didn’t work any better the first time.

“The Answer Man” is presented in grainy 1080p High Definition (with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio). Special features include a jokey commentary from Hindman, Graham and producer Kevin Missack, along with three repetitive making-of featurettes.

‘The Answer Man’ is released by Magnolia Home Entertainment and stars Jeff Daniels, Lauren Graham, Tony Hale, Kat Dennings, Olivia Thirlby, and Lou Taylor Pucci. It was written and directed by John Hindman. It was released on November 3rd, 2009. It is rated R.

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com

TV Review: ‘Bored to Death’ Has Title More Truthful Than Ironic

BrianTT — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:13:03 -0600

CHICAGO – Maybe it’s an ironic, surreal joke but the most common thought that I kept having during the first three episodes of “Bored to Death” was, well, “bored”. Only the immensely talented supporting cast, including great turns from Zach Galifianakis, Ted Danson, Olivia Thirlby, and Kristen Wiig save the show from achieving the threat promised by its title.

Television Rating: 2.0/5.0

“Bored to Death” is essentially about a writer so bored with his own predictable, lovelorn life that he pretends to be a private investigator and stumbles into actually solving crime. The humor comes from the stuck-up, snobby delivery of star Jason Schwartzman traveling in a Chandler-esque setting where his ordering of a white wine in a seedy bar is greeted with a raised eyebrow. There is a bit of interest in seeing Schwartzman’s intellectual awkwardness in an atypical world, but it grows stale much more quickly than the creators of the show probably envisioned.

Episode 103 Scene 23: Jonathan walks up to Emily’s with the skateboard.
Photo credit: Paul Schrialdi/HBO

Schwartzman is good and the supporting cast is excellent, but “Bored to Death” exists only in the weird world of overly intellectual television. It’s constantly winking at the camera, trying to point out its cleverness. Schwartzman admonishing a kidnapper for smoking meth because “it’s all chemicals” and having a conversation about trouble with girlfriends in the middle of a rescue scene practically screams its clever intentions without actually being nearly as smart as it thinks it is.

Episode 106 Scene 08: Jonathan, Ray and George wait in Leah’s car. They are watching Sophia’s motel room.
Photo credit: Paul Schiraldi/HBO

Imagine if the world that this pretentious writer had been dipped in was genuine and emotionally relatable or incredibly stylized like something out of “The Singing Detective”. It’s the middle ground that leads to the boredom. “Bored to Death” is a show about a writer that constantly comes across as over-written by its lead character. It’s as if we’re living in his head, a world where even the kidnapping, meth smoker sounds like a pretentious douche.

How clever does “Bored to Death” think it is? Its creator is named Jonathan Ames, the same as the writer/detective lead. In the third episode the creator of the show gets to present a half-hour where “Jonathan Ames” is going to work with the great Jim Jarmusch. It seems a bit self-aggrandizing. The whole thing plays like a half-assed effort at something that might have intrigued Charlie Kaufman, but with tones of noir and Schwartzman’s quirky delivery.

Only the great Zach Galifianakis and Ted Danson break free from the predictable tone and snobby dialogue. Zach, star of “The Hangover,” has a couple of great scenes in the premiere and honest chemistry with Schwartzman and Danson is typically great. Their delivery is so different from Schwartzman’s that scenes with them are easy highlights just for the oil-and-vinegar chemistry missing from the rest of the show.

Episode 104 Scene 15: Ray comes up with some fake issues, but are they fake.
Photo credit: Paul Schiraldi/HBO

As for the mysteries of the week, “Bored to Death” isn’t remotely about them. No one is asking the writers to come up with yet another show like “The Mentalist” or “Bones” but they could put an ounce of effort into the cases that come from Jonathan’s Craigslist posting looking for detective work.

Most of my negative feelings surrounding “Bored to Death” are directed at the premiere. Episodes two and three show improvement, even if the Jarmusch plotline in episode three feels more narcissistic than anything else.

The second episode features more screen time for the great Thirlby (she only has a brief moment in the premiere) and brings in Kristen Wiig as the client of the week. Overall, the second episode works significantly better than the first, as the addition of more talented actresses in the ensemble pays off. Every show or movie could be made stronger by a guest appearance by Wiig. The scene where she hires Jonathan is the highlight of the first trio of episodes.

The dialogue and characters also seem more well-defined in the second episode. Even if none of the characters ring remotely true and the show still can’t decide between stylish realism and actual characters, the awkward tone is much more consistent in episode two and I think the show would work better as an uniterrupted viewing. In other words, the eventual DVD or Blu-Ray is the way to go, spending one or two nights in this weird world instead of a weekly, frustrating appointment. Although so many people will be bored to death by the premiere that they’re unlikely to give it a second chance.

‘Bored to Death,’ which airs on HBO, stars Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson, Zach Galfianakis, and Olivia Thirlby. The show was created by Jonathan Ames. The series debuts on Sunday, September 20th, 2009 at 8:30PM CST.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Video: Trailer For ‘What Goes Up’ With Hilary Duff, Olivia Thirlby

BrianTT — Wed, 06 May 2009 20:20:00 -0600

CHICAGO – Three Kings sent over a brand new preview for an upcoming film starring Hilary Duff, Steve Coogan, Olivia Thirlby, Josh Peck, and Molly Shannon called “What Goes Up” and we just had to share.

Synopsis: “WHAT GOES UP is a film about a morally challenged New York reporter, Campbell Babbitt (Steve Coogan), who learns life lessons from a group of dysfunctional students (Hilary Duff, Josh Peck, Olivia Thirlby) while covering the hometown hoopla surrounding the first teacher in space. Set in the 1980s, this is a poignant look at how heroes are made in a world devoid of heroes.

Upon arriving in the small New Hampshire town, Babbitt decides to call an old college friend, only to discover an apparent suicide. Babbitt gravitates toward his friend’s high-school students in hopes of finding an unsung hero story about a teacher who made a permanent impact on the social misfits of the school. Instead, he discovers the least likely teachers — a group of dysfunctional students – outcasts led by a narcissistic seductress (Hilary Duff), a repressed voyeur (Josh Peck), and a scheming pregnant teen (Olivia Thirlby). In a gradual reversal of roles, Babbitt soon finds himself learning from this unusual group of kids.

WHAT GOES UP stars Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian) and Hilary Duff (A Cinderella Story), along with

Josh Peck (The Wackness), Olivia Thirlby (Juno, The Wackness), and

Molly Shannon (TV’s Kath & Kim, Saturday Night Live). WHAT GOES UP is directed by Jonathan Glatzer and written by Jonathan Glatzer and Robert Lawson, produced by RD Robb, Jonathan Glatzer, and Jack Nasser.

James Hoke, Anthony Miranda, Joseph Nahas, and Steve Coogan serve as executive producers.

WHAT GOES UP will open on Friday, May 29 ”

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Wackness’ Releases Dope Features For Slightly Wack Movie

BrianTT — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:06:44 -0700

CHICAGO – The coming-of-age comedy “The Wackness” with Josh Peck, Ben Kingsley, Olivia Thirlby, Mary-Kate Olsen, Method Man, and Famke Janssen may feature a bouncing hip-hop soundtrack and be about joyful things like first love, but it’s an oddly inert, haze-filled film, as if the regular marijuana usage in the film cast a haze over the entire project.

Only the always-interesting Kingsley and the delightful Thirlby, who’s been great in everything from “Juno” to “Snow Angels,” give the film any life at all and the great treatment of the film by Sony Pictures Home Video significantly helps the final product.

The Wackness is released by Sony Pictures Home Video on January 6th, 2009.
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Home Video

In 1994 New York City, Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) deals weed to all kinds of clients, including his therapist, the very immature Dr. Squires (Ben Kingsley). Luke’s dealing drugs to try and make ends meet before his family gets evicted. He happens to fall in love with Dr. Squires’ daughter, Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby), just as the relationship of her parents (Mrs. Squires is played by Famke Janssen) falls apart. All of the domestic drama and young-love comedy is scored to some of the best hip-hop of the mid-’90s including Notorious B.I.G., A Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul.

The Wackness is released by Sony Pictures Home Video on January 6th, 2009.
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Home Video

I don’t believe it’s the talented young Mr. Peck’s fault but the lead character in “The Wackness,” Luke Shapiro, is, to use the parlance of the film, “mad boring y’all”. “The Wackness” is essentially about a boy becoming a man during one crazy summer and realizing that some people - especially the disturbingly immature doctor, who longs to have an affair before his marriage crumbles - never grow up. Luke falls hard for Stephanie, who may not return the strong feelings, and is forced to try and deal enough drugs to support his family. Debut director Jonathan Levine deftly handles his talented cast and has an interesting visual style. Despite the film’s flaws, it’s a promising debut.

Where “The Wackness” stumbles is in the details. Too many of the conversations between Dr. Squires and Luke just linger on and on, like a hazy afternoon listening to The Grateful Dead. There are too many montages and trick shots for a story that should have felt more genuine and, probably, autobiographical. And the final act of the script hits way too many of the film’s themes directly on the head. No character ever needs to say something like, “Life is hard and it’s full of pain, but we take it because there’s great stuff too.” A film should be able to show you a lesson like that, not tell you. (And, no, just because a character comments on the cheesy nature of that line doesn’t make it okay to include it.)

Even more damagingly, Levine and Peck make too many mopey decisions with Luke. When Peck is allowed to smile and laugh, which is far too rarely, the film shows life. But he’s, quite simply, too quiet. Peck mumbles his way through the role, as if he’s trying to counterbalance the vibrancy of Kingsley, but makes the center of “The Wackness” a bit too hollow. Kingsley, great in a trifecta of independent films in the summer of 2008 that included this, “Transsiberian,” and “Elegy,” is excellent and Thirlby is quickly developing into one of the more intriguing young actresses working today.

Levine will become a better screenwriter and he has a confident visual style missing from most young directors. I can’t wait to see what happens when he leaves the autobiographical details of the ’90s behind. “The Wackness” is a near-miss with great supporting performances, interesting ideas, and promising direction.

The confident visual style fits perfectly for “The Wackness,” which has a unique color palette and several unusual camera tricks that, of course, look better in High-Definition. Sony rarely falters with their Blu-Ray transfers and “The Wackness” is no exception. And the thumping hip-hop soundtrack sounds great in a master HD audio track.

“The Wackness” includes an informative and interesting collection of special features with a commentary by Peck and Levine, deleted scenes, and three featurettes - “Luke Shapiro’s Dope Show,” “Keeping It Real: A Day in the Life of Jonathan Levine,” “Time in a Bottle: Behind-the-Scenes of The Wackness”. It’s a suprisingly detailed collection of special features that includes interviews with nearly everyone involved in the production. It’s a pretty dope collection of features for a movie that’s kind of wack.

‘The Wackness’ is released by Sony Pictures Home Video and stars Josh Peck, Olivia Thirlby, Ben Kingsley, Famke Janssen, Method Man, and Mary-Kate Olsen. It was written and directed by Jonathan Levine. It was released on January 6th, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Interview: ‘Nickelodeon’ Star Josh Peck Grows Up, Director Jonathan Levine Speaks Out on ‘The Wackness’

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:05:46 -0600

CHICAGO – It’s 1994 in New York City. In an age before mobile phones, terrorist threats and a grown-up Olsen twin, there is “The Wackness”. This is the debut film of writer and director Jonathan Levine and a coming-out role of sorts for the child star Josh Peck of the popular Nickelodeon series “Drake & Josh”.

HollywoodChicago.com recently interviewed the director and “The Wackness” star for insight on the recent nostalgia of the film and an era seemingly so close yet so far away.

Actor Josh Peck (left) and director Jonathan Levine for “The Wackness” in Chicago on June 19, 2008.
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

Olivia Thirlby from “Juno” fame as Stephanie in “The Wackness”.
Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films and courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

The film’s time and place is a mood element for the story of Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck). He’s an unpopular east side teenager recently graduated from high school.

His parents are having money conflicts and he’s wrestling with his affection for a comely classmate named Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby of “Juno” fame). She clouds his summer job of selling marijuana from an ice cream cart.

“It’s autobiographical in the sense that this was the world I grew up in, that’s how we talked, those were the clothes we wore and those were the type of kids who I hung out with,” director Levine said.

He added: “The outsider thing is interesting to me. The arbitrary nature of ‘who’s cool’ in high school is interesting. But in the movie, it’s about individual perspective. Your reality can change on how you perceive it.”

To complicate matters, a psychotherapist named Squires (Ben Kingsley) – who occasionally administers to Luke (in exchange for dope) – is Stephanie’s stepfather. The two develop a grudgingly close friendship that’s rooted in Luke’s loneliness and Squires’ mid-life crisis.

Peck said about Kingsley: “He intimidated me only when he did Gandhi impressions (laughter). But when we first met, he put all my worries to rest. He knew that it was up to him – because of his status, stature and the caliber of his acting – to put my neuroses and fears to rest.”

Sir Ben Kingsley as Dr. Squires in “The Wackness”.
Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films and courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Rating: 3.0/5.0

“I let him do whatever the f**k he wanted (laughter),” Levine said. “He is very, very smart. As a relatively new director, it was incumbent upon me to just say: ‘What do you need?’ Clearly he is going to do something that makes me look good.”

The film features Peck, Thirlby and Mary-Kate Olsen in transitional roles as young adults indulging in drinking, dope smoking and carnal congress. Levine and Peck commented on the image of more innocent stars treading onto new territory.

“I assumed already where their interests lie in the material,” Levine said. “I was respectful about their decisions to go maybe where they haven’t gone before. It was never discussed beyond the character scenarios and also not in a larger sense.”

“I think people will be surprised to see me smoking weed and having sex. It was the first time I actually did it (laughter),” Peck related. “I hope the fans of ‘Drake & Josh’ – for example, someone who was 12 years old when I was 15 – will have grown up with me. I’m 21, so they would be 18 now, and I think this movie is right in their wheelhouse.”

The New York City of the mid-1990s becomes an influential character in the story. It’s empty and isolating in the summer before technological connections.

Josh Peck (left) as Luke and Olivia Thirlby as Stephanie in “The Wackness”.
Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films and courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

“The big difference is a world without cell phones and the Internet. It’s a very different world. That allows this movie to be set almost in the Stone Age,” Levine said.

Levine also discussed showing the World Trade Center: “To me, it is the punctuation mark at the end of the sentence. I’m using that image as a note of bittersweet nostalgia. It has to be handled delicately, but at the same time, it’s a very powerful image. I didn’t want to shy away from it.”

In conclusion, Josh Peck spoke about the challenges of imbibing Luke with a sensibility that’s relatable for all older teens making the transition into adulthood.

Peck said: “It was very necessary for Luke to have this sense of vulnerability in the way he carried himself. All his cynicism and answers for things are rooted in the fact that he is lost.

“Becoming an adult at that point (18 years old) seems to be impossible. Without the layers, you wouldn’t have cared enough about Luke. [Levine’s] writing took care of that character.”

“The Wackness” stars Josh Peck, Ben Kingsley, Olivia Thirlby, Mary-Kate Olsen and Method Man. The film opened on July 11, 2008 at AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema in Chicago, CineArts 6 in Evanston, Ill. and Landmark’s Renaissance Place Cinema in Highland Park, Ill.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

Director Jonathan Levine, Star Josh Peck to Appear in Chicago For Ben Kingsley’s ‘The Wackness’

HollywoodChicago.com — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:25:22 -0600

CHICAGO – We have learned that writer and director Jonathan Levine (“All the Boys Love Mandy Lane”) and lead actor Josh Peck (“Ice Age: The Meltdown”) will publicly appear this Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 7 p.m. at the downtown Chicago Apple store at 679 N. Michigan Ave. to offer an insider’s look at their new film “The Wackness”.

Sir Ben Kingsley as Dr. Squires in “The Wackness”.
Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films and courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Along with Peck, “The Wackness” also features Sir Ben Kingsley (who played Gandhi in 1982’s “Gandhi”) and Olivia Thirlby (from recent “Juno” fame).

“The Wackness” director Jonathan Levine.
Photo credit: Robin Holland, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

In addition to showing clips from the New York-set film, Levine and Peck will also be taking questions from the audience.

“The Wackness” is an Audience Award winner at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. The film is scheduled to open in Chicago on July 11, 2008. Stay tuned for our upcoming interviews with Levine and Peck.

Here’s the plot outline for “The Wackness”:

In the summer of 1994, the streets of New York are pulsing with hip-hop and wafting with the sweet aroma of marijuana. But change is in the air.

The newly inaugurated mayor, Rudy Giuliani, is beginning to implement his anti-fun initiatives against “crimes” like noisy portable radios, graffiti and public drunkenness.

Set against this backdrop, Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) spends his last summer before college selling dope throughout New York City and trading it with his shrink (Ben Kingsley) for therapy while crushing on his step-daughter (Olivia Thirlby).

Famke Janssen, Mary Kate Olsen and Method Man round out the cast in this edgy, bittersweet and funny coming-of-age story.

Josh Peck (left) as Luke and Olivia Thirlby as Stephanie in “The Wackness”.
Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films and courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

View our full, high-resolution image gallery for “The Wackness”.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

‘Snow Angels’ an Essential Examination of Yin, Yang in Our Vulnerable Lives

HollywoodChicago.com — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 17:56:43 -0600

CHICAGO – Staying sane is truly an edge-of-the-knife proposition. We are all the sum of our past environments, our present circumstances and our future worries. The sludge that is generated by such a mixture becomes the psyche that’s ready to interact with other psyches we deem important or are forced to be around through family or commerce.

Director David Gordon Green inspects the tipping point of this interaction in the unsparing new film “Snow Angels”.

Arthur (Michael Angarano) is the teenager who walks through all the lives of this multi-storied road. His old babysitter, Annie (Kate Beckinsale), is amid a separation from her husband, Glenn (Sam Rockwell), who has attempted suicide because of the relationship’s fallout.

Click here to read Patrick McDonald’s full review
of “Snow Angels” in our reviews section!

Click here for our full “Snow Angels” image gallery!

Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale in “Snow Angels”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Michael Angarano in “Snow Angels”.
Photo credit: IMDb