Seann William Scott

Video: Teaser Trailer For ‘Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs’ Game

BrianTT — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:52:54 -0600

CHICAGO – All good summer movies come with video game tie-ins and Activision sent over a new vignette from their summer offering, “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” which will ship to retail stores in June for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, DS, and PC. The film, to be released on July 1st, 2009, features voice work by Seann William Scott, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Josh Peck, Queen Latifah, and Ray Romano. Synopsis below the video.

Synopsis: “The Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs video game reunites fans with Scrat, Sid, Manny and Diego in an all-new quest based on the upcoming film from Twentieth Century Fox. As the unlikely herd travels across the tundra and beyond, they stumble upon another world - a lush Dinosaur World teeming with jungles, mysterious plants, fierce dinosaurs, wild new adventures and several new friends. Taking on the role of more than six playable characters, including everyone’s favorite Ice Age friends and newly introduced characters, players master their unique skills and abilities across more than 15 action-packed levels. In addition to the expanded features of the single-player gameplay, for the first time in an Ice Age game, players can team up with friends and family in eight competitive multiplayer mini-games.”

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

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Role Models’ With Paul Rudd Good Movie, Great Blu-Ray

BrianTT — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:36:09 -0700

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – David Wain’s “Role Models” is far from a perfect comedy, but the Universal Blu-Ray release of it is one of the best of the year so far. The release of “Role Models” includes a great video transfer, entertaining series of special features, and a comedy that holds up pretty well on repeat viewing. What more do you want?

“Role Models” features a great set-up with a fantastic cast, but the film itself doesn’t quite have the follow-through that I wish director David Wain had delivered. Despite the near-miss of the entire project, the first half-hour is laugh-out-loud funny and will be more than enough to justify a rental.

Role Models will be released on Blu-Ray on March 10th, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal

Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott are perfectly cast, the former’s sarcastic delivery proving to be an amazing balance for the latter’s physical, usually sleazy, style. Scott has a goofy presence that works perfectly with Rudd’s more cynical, intellectual brand of humor. A lot of the film’s success can be attributed to these two underrated actor’s comic timing and chemistry.

Role Models will be released on Blu-Ray on March 10th, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal

Rudd plays Danny Donahue, a negative, pessimistic s.o.b. who has been driven crazy by modern slang and catch phrases like saying “A-sap” or the fact that it’s a “venti” at Starbucks when it really should be a “large”. He work’s with Scott’s Wheeler selling the energy drink “Minotaur” to high school students. When Danny realizes he’s been hocking liquid chemicals for too long for a grown man, he kind of snaps.

Danny awkwardly and unsuccessfully asks his girlfriend Beth (Elizabeth Banks) to marry him and gets into a scrape with a tow truck driver and a security guard that earns him 150 hours of community service. They spend those hours in a big brother program led by Gayle Sweeney (the hilarious Jane Lynch), where Danny is paired with the awkward, live-action role-playing fan Augie Farks (“Superbad“‘s Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and Wheeler spends his time with the raunchiest pre-teen on the planet, Ronnie Shields (Bobb’e J. Thompson).

There’s a lot to like about “Role Models,” including a generally great theme about letting your freak flag fly and just being who you want to be. The entire ensemble, especially Rudd and Lynch, is fantastic. With a great first act and wonderful cast, the only problem with “Role Models” is that the set-up is essentially the entire movie. Once you realize that Augie is into live-action role-playing and that Ronnie isn’t as tough as his vocab, there’s nowhere else to go.

I kept waiting for another subplot or twist that never came. From the director of the hilariously off-kilter “Wet Hot American Summer,” I expected more than “funny but predictable”. “Role Models” is clever enough to recommend but it almost seems too easy for people as talented as Rudd and Wain. I expected a bit more. Like a lot of role models, it lets you down a bit after the first impression.

Role Models will be released on Blu-Ray on March 10th, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal

Great Blu-Rays can make you think more fondly of the movie itself and Universal accomplishes that goal with a wonderful release for “Role Models”. The nearly fifty minutes of deleted scenes and alternate takes are surprisingly hilarious. It’s not hard to see why they were cut for the flow of the film, but some are laugh-out-loud funny, a rarity for deleted scenes. And Rashida Jones (appearing with Rudd in the upcoming “I Love You, Man”) even appears in a deleted cameo.

The deleted scenes are just the beginning of why the “Role Models” Blu-Ray delivers. The video transfer, something you wouldn’t usually notice on a comedy, is perfect. There’s depth and vibrancy to the picture that’s usually ignored in video transfers for comedy. In comparison, the audio is a little flat but never distractingly so.

A great gag reel, three more minutes of jokes in the “unrated version,” behind-the-scenes featurettes, a commentary by Wain, and Universal’s awesome U-Control, the feature that allows b-t-s access picture-in-picture as the movie plays, work together to make a collection of special features that perfectly enhance the film itself without feeling like overkill. Universal continues to be the role model when it comes to Blu-Ray special features.

‘Role Models’ is released by Universal Home Video and stars Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Jane Lynch, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bobb’e J. Thompson, and Elizabeth Banks. It was written by Paul Rudd & David Wain & Ken Marino and Timothy Dowling and directed by Wain. It was released on March 10th, 2009. It is rated R and unrated.

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

Blu-Ray Review: High Definition Makes ‘The Rock Collection’ More Appealing

BrianTT — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:55:43 -0700

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Dwayne Johnson, the artist formerly known as ‘The Rock,’ has a new movie hitting theaters next month, “Race to Witch Mountain,” so the time seems right to revisit the action extravaganzas that almost made this former wrestler a massive star with the release of three of his early films on Blu-Ray in “The Rock Collection”.

A spin-off of “The Mummy,” “The Scorpion King” was the film that started it all for The Rock back in April of 2002. Directed by Chuck Russell, “The Scorpion King” is a loud, nonsensical action movie that co-stars Kelly Hu and Michael Clarke Duncan.

Photo credit: Universal

Set 5,000 years ago in Gomorrah, The Rock plays Matthayus, the most fearsome warrior of the ancient world, a leader hired to kill the beautiful sorceress (Kelly Hu) who has helped the evil warlord Memmon (Steven Brand) rule with an iron fist. Matthayus kidnaps the sorceress to lure Memmon into a trap and, with the help of Balthazar (Michael Clarke Duncan), the stage is set for the ultimate showdown.

“The Scorpion King” is a mess, leadenly directed by the man who made “Eraser,” “Bless the Child,” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3,” but it’s the perfect film for Blu-Ray. The Rock was a bigger than life star from the very beginning and the HD format fits him perfectly. He’s too over-the-top for standard definition.

“The Scorpion King is presented in 1080P High-Definition Widescreen with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track (with Spanish and French DTS Surround 5.1 tracks). Universal has given the film the U-Control treatment, meaning behind-the-scenes featurettes can be accessed picture-in-picture while the film plays. Viewers can also access more content through BD-Live and pick their favorite scenes with the “My Scenes” feature. The film also includes a commentary by Chuck Russell.

Photo credit: Universal

Still my favorite Rock film, Peter Berg’s “The Rundown” should have been a bigger hit and really felt like it was going to turn this charismatic action hero into a star. Still the most critically acclaimed film in The Rock’s career, “The Rundown” co-stars Seann William Scott, Christopher Walken, and Rosario Dawson in an old-fashioned, fun-as-hell action adventure. He’s moved on to family movies like “The Gameplan,” “Get Smart,” and “Witch Mountain,” but I hold out hope that he has another fun action movie like “The Rundown” yet to produce.

In “The Rundown,” The Rock stars as a bounty hunter named Beck sent into the treacherous jungles of the Amazon to bring the rebellious Travis (Scott) back to the States. When Beck and Travis reluctantly join forces to hunt down a priceless treasure, this unlikely team embarks on a pulse-pounding, non-stop thrill ride.

The Blu-Ray presentation for “The Rundown” is in 1080P with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track (with Spanish and French DTS 5.1 track). Special features include BD-Live functionality, My Scenes, deleted scenes, “Rumble in the Jungle,” “The Amazon, Hawaii Style,” “Appetite For Destruction,” “The Rundown Uncensored,” “Running Down the Town,” “Walken’s World,” a commentary by The Rock and Peter Berg, and a commentary by producers Kevin Misher and Marc Abraham.

Photo credit: Universal

The final film in “The Rock Collection” is his least successful, the disastrous “Doom,” a film that looks better when played on Blu-Ray, but if you’re watching it on your PS3, you’ll want to pick up a controller and join in. “Doom” looks good in HD but the script is a total disaster and it’s not even paced well. But the film will clearly have fans happy to get it on Blu-Ray.

The Rock and Karl Urban head a team assigned to respond to a distress call at a remote research station on Mars. They descend into the Olduval Research Station, where they find a legion of nightmarish creatures, lurking in the darkness, killing at will. Once there, the Marines must use an arsenal of firepower to carry out their mission; nothing gets out alive.

“Doom” is presented in 1080P with a 2.35:1 aspect ration and an English DTS-HD Master Audio track (with Spanish and French DTS 5.1 tracks). Special features include BD-Live, My Scenes functionality, “Basic Training,” “Rock Formation,” “Master Monster Makers,” “First-Person Shooter Sequence,” “Doom Nation”, and “Game On!”

It’s impossible to heartily recommend a three-pack with only one good movie in it and “The Scorpion King” and “Doom” are definite misfires. Having said that, as bad as these movies are, they were made for Blu-Ray, enhanced by the world of high-definition more than your average drama and accompanied by Universal’s excellent understanding of how next-gen special features should be presented. If you’re primary reason to buy a Blu-Ray title is the movie itself, just pick up “The Rundown,” but if you’re drawn in by all the bells and whistles, “The Rock Collection” is likely to satisfy.

‘The Rock Collection’ is released by Universal Home Video and stars Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Kelly Hu, Michael Clarke Duncan, Seann William Scott, Christopher Walken, Rosario Dawson, and Karl Urban. ‘Doom’ is unrated and ‘The Scorpion King’ and ‘The Rundown’ are PG-13. It was released on February 10th, 2009.

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

Interview: Director Steve Conrad Elevates Chicago Setting, Sean William Scott in New Comedy ‘The Promotion’

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 19:41:34 -0600

CHICAGO – Barring extreme wealth or hermetics, everyone uses the grocery store. It is the great equalizer – the marketplace where all socioeconomic groups can co-exist side by side – in pursuit of daily bread. Inspired by this reality, writer and director Steve Conrad turned it into his feature directorial debut.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

It’s a notable comedy that was shot in Chicago with the definitive title of “The Promotion”. HollywoodChicago.com recently interviewed Conrad to glean his take on the dynamics of this unusual movie subject and to offer the lowdown on shooting the film in the city where he also lives.

“Well, it’s home,” Conrad said. “To me, doing a movie in Chicago means putting Chicago natives in a part of town where they live.”

“The Promotion” writer and director Steve Conrad in Chicago on April 22, 2008.
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

Conrad added: “Buildings convey stories, settings convey stories and in order to tell the story right I want to pick the right place. This is easier for me here because these are the places where I walk around. I want to do it better.”

Seann William Scott (left) and John C. Reilly star in Steve Conrad’s “The Promotion”.
Photo credit: Chuck Hodes, The Weinstein Company

“The Promotion” is a story about two assistant grocery-store managers – Doug (played by Seann William Scott, who was Stifler in “American Pie”) and Richard (John C. Reilly) – who are vying for a coveted manager post at the new branch of their Chicago-based grocery chain.

“It was based on a real-life event that happened at a grocery,” Conrad said, “and it seemed the most logical place to set it.”

Conrad described seeing a store employee at a Chicago chain armed only with a yellow courtesy vest break up some unruly loiterers in the parking lot.

“They hurt him so badly just from taunts,” Conrad recalled, “and they absolutely refused to recognize any of his authority. He was completely diminished by it all. He turned around and walked away and I noticed it said on the back of his vest: ‘Have a nice day.’”

“The Promotion” co-star Seann William Scott (left) in Chicago on April 22, 2008.
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

Conrad continued: “So he’s walking back to work instead of quitting, which is what I might do or someone of lesser mettle might do. I thought it was heroic of him to go back. I’m not making too much of this. There’s so much to be admired in that person’s strength.”

Through the awkwardness of the store’s corporate office to the daily grind of customer problems, Conrad and his talented supporting crew – including Fred Armisen, Jenna Fischer, Lili Taylor and Gil Bellows – interpret this real-life scenario with poignant and hilarious observations.

Conrad describes the process with the talented cast: “I started out hiring people who I thought were actors before they were movie stars.”

He added: “I have better luck with actors because they treat the film like a craft. They want it to go well and they will do the work it takes to give the movie a good shot.”

Conrad coaxes great performances out of his two leads.

Williams deftly creates the mask of the everyman who tried to do the right thing while at the same time desiring the prestige and money of the new position. Reilly creates an intricate comic character and imbues him with a Canadian accent and a sad-sack soul.

RELATED IMAGE GALLERY
View our full, high-resolution “The Promotion” image gallery.

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Read more film reviews from critic Patrick McDonald.

Conrad reflected: “Some people can tell a joke and some people can make you laugh. I was really confident that John and Sean were in that second category. If you asked them, you can count on them to do any number of things.”

“I would always try to measure the comedy through real human behavior,” Conrad said in summary. “Among others things, it’s about carving out the space in America to become your better self, how that challenges you and what it costs. It amounts to the fight of all of our lives. It deserves to be treated with some force and some respect.”

There’s a running gag in the film culminating into a moment of pure joy that’s rarely seen in movies today. Steve Conrad has created a story of everyday people also honoring the small victories that define the meaning of life.

“The Promotion” opened on June 6, 2008. In Chicago, the film is showing at AMC River East and Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema.

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