Bobby Cannavale

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’ With Kevin James a Massive Comedy Hit

BrianTT — Fri, 15 May 2009 09:26:46 -0600

CHICAGO – Being a big fan of Kevin James and his underrated sitcom “The King of Queens” and marveling at the massive box office for Steve Carr’s “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” I approached the Blu-Ray release of this hit title with cautious optimism. I’m still very happy for the talented James, but he deserves better than this slapstick-y and inconsistent comedy.

Blu-Ray Rating: 2.5/5.0

James plays the title character, a mild-mannered, sweet guy who dreams of becoming a State Trooper but his hypoglycemia has kept him a mall cop. Paul is a single father, close to his mother, bullied by the more popular employees at the mall, and the rare person who is overly kind to strangers. He’s incredibly easy to root for.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop will be released on Blu-Ray on May 19th, 2009.
Photo credit: Sony

So, when Paul spots a new kiosk employee (Jayma Mays) at the cleverly-named “Unbeweavable” wig stand, the audience naturally roots for the big fella to get the cute girl. But what first seems like an awkward romantic comedy becomes more of a farce when the most inept group of movie criminals in a long time decide to take over Blart’s mall on Black Friday, the shopping day after Thanksgiving. The only thing in their way is a rotund security guard on a Segway.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop will be released on Blu-Ray on May 19th, 2009.
Photo credit: Sony

To accurately judge “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” one must certainly consider its target audience. This is a family movie. Don’t ignore the PG rating. I think pre-teen kids will enjoy watching it with their parents and that’s not an overly common mainstream film. That’s why the movie made a truckload of cash (an amazing $146 million domestically, more than the last five movies from its star producer Adam Sandler). In a season of high-brow Oscar fare, “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” was the perfect alternative for the entire family. In retrospect, it makes perfect sense.

Now, an admirable and under-served demographic is one thing but I couldn’t shake the feeling that “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” could have and should have been better. For the adults in the audience, it’s just not that funny. It’s too farcical, none of the characters outside Blart are given anything to do (Bobby Cannavale is laughably bad), and it doesn’t play to James’ comic timing. He’s better than this material.

“Paul Blart: Mall Cop” is one of those movies that’s hard to hate but not funny enough to love. I’m very happy that the movie made Kevin James a star but it only hints at what he can do with a better script and more competent, less generic direction.

The Sony Blu-Ray for “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” produced a similar critical shrug from me as the movie. The video and audio are service-able but not notable and the special features are predictable and kind of on the light side for such a hit film. All that’s included are deleted scenes, “Fun on Set,” and “Stunts,” along with some BD-Live features like “Cinechat” and a digital copy of the film.

“Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” the film and the Blu-Ray/DVD, could have been a lot worse but I think we’ll soon discover that Kevin James can deliver a lot more than this so-so comedy and so-so Blu-Ray release.

Check out the trailer and see if you’re interested for yourself:

‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’ is released by Sony Pictures Home Video and stars Kevin James, Jayma Mays, and Bobby Cannavale. It was written by Kevin James & Nick Bakay and directed by Steve Carr. The Blu-Ray and DVD will be released on May 19th, 2009. It is rated PG.

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

Interview: Tom Bastounes on Michael Keaton For ‘The Merry Gentleman'

PatrickMcD — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:30:55 -0600

CHICAGO – “The Merry Gentleman” is enhanced by an unusual police detective character. Tom Bastounes plays Dave Murcheson: a vulnerable protector of society who’s caught in his own self delusion. The film is Michael Keaton’s directorial debut.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Keaton also stars as Frank Logan, a professional hit man whose dark thoughts after an assassination job lead him to the brink of suicide. When a delicate office worker, Kate Frazier (Kelly Macdonald), witnesses Keaton’s near death attempt, an unlikely coalition forms between the two fellow travelers (Kate has run away to the city from an abusive husband).

Michael Keaton and Kelly Macdonald of ‘The Merry Gentleman’
Photo credit: Matt Dinerstein, Samuel Goldwyn Films

Bastounes, as the cop assigned to find Logan, awkwardly attempts to woo the emotionally upset Kate, and the three desperate souls meander through the early winter urban landscape searching for redemption.

HollywoodChicago.com got the privilege of interviewing Bastounes recently, who also served as executive producer for The Merry Gentleman.

HollywoodChicago.com: Besides your role as executive producer of this film, had you always intended to play the role of Dave Murcheson, the cop?

Tom Bastounes: I wasn’t initially cast as Murcheson. The screenwriter, Ron Lazzeretti, goes through the process of creating and after the script was done we both felt that maybe I would be a good choice to play the character. Maybe I was in his head when he wrote it, I don’t know.

We needed to get the name actors at the top. We didn’t want to make a film without a star, so once we had Michael Keaton and Kelly Macdonald signed on, that’s enough star power, so now I could take the role.

HC: Your approach to the character is one of extreme vulnerability, but with an eye toward your professional duty as a detective. How did you find the right balance for the character in these opposing emotional states?

TB: I just tried not to “cop” it up. Cops in movies are what cowboys in films used to be and there are cops on TV every night of the week. There is a caricature of how cops act and I thought it would be interesting not to play to that at all, forget about all the stereotypes, put the gun and the badge on, and be a normal, problematic guy.

HC: The sacrifice of personal life for this cop character is on display within the narrative. What kind of motivation did you use for the sadness behind this sacrifice?

TB: Just loneliness. Just being isolated and being alone. That’s enough. Any more would be too much.

HC: What traits are most prevalent, in your estimation, for playing a recovering alcoholic and how did you, Ron Lazzeretti and Micheal Keaton discuss the scene where Murcheson breaks down and has a drink?

TB: I played him as if he never stopped drinking. Clearly he’s just a liar. He lies about smoking, drinking, his life. Yes, he’s a likable liar, and I got the sense that he was trying not to do these things, but the lying is part of the character.

Tom Bastounes, Executive Producer and Co-Star of ‘The Merry Gentleman’, in Chicago on April 27, 2009
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

HC: There was the thin line of sanity representing the “protectors” of society both in your cop portrayal and Bobby Cannavale’s police character. What were you and the filmmakers communicating with these darker representations?

TB: When we say an occupation, whether its neurosurgeon, garbage man or cop, generally we want to pigeonhole the occupation and think a certain way about the person doing them.

The reality is even though you may be a cop protector, it doesn’t necessarily make you a nice guy. It’s a job. It’s like going to the doctor and thinking he’s always right, just because he is the “doctor”. We’re all human.

HC: What did your character see in the relationship he was trying to establish with Kelly Macdonald’s character? Was it the idea that as a cop you are most qualified to protect her obvious vulnerabilities?

TB: He’s interested in her because he’s lonely. And all the men in the film are attracted to her because she seems like someone who can offer up forgiveness.

My character would do a better job as a cop just because he’s seeking both her and that forgiveness as well.

HC: Kelly Macdonald is establishing a notable reputation as a high octane dramatic film actress. How was the experience for you working with Macdonald in the actor’s give and take? What were you giving each other, in cooperation with director Keaton, that turned up the volume on the awkwardness and misunderstandings in the couple’s misconnection?

TB: I think those were hard scenes for both of us. I’m sitting with the woman and obviously I want her to like me, and clearly she is agitated when she figures out why she is there. At the same time I’m a cop trying to get information from her and that makes the situation more awkward.

The awkward moment is interesting to watch, because you don’t see it that often in films. It’s like hitting two discordant notes on a piano.

Kelly is a wonderful actor, because she listens in her scenes to the other actor and then responds. She is a great listener.

HC: Since the elements of filming this movie included an unpredicted switch of directors, how did the ensemble cast react towards Keaton’s approach as a first time director and how did you help him as executive producer?

TB: It was easy to except him because he is a big movie star, and people want to like movie stars, right? (laughs) You want to like him and help him. So everyone was engaged to help make it work. He was open to collaboration, open to everyone to give feedback, so he was confident we were all going in the right direction.

I think it worked for the crew, even though we shot in a very tight schedule. But no one wanted to disappoint Michael Keaton. It made it more fun.

HC: If you were spreading word of mouth about your film The Merry Gentleman, what would it be?

TB: It’s a very smart film, you’ll think about it for awhile and you’ll leave the theater knowing that it was time well spent.

’The Merry Gentleman’, with Michael Keaton, Kelly Macdonald, Tom Bastounes, directed by Michael Keaton, opens Friday, May 1st, 2009. Check local theaters for film and showtimes

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

The Producers: Behind the Scenes of Michael Keaton’s ‘The Merry Gentleman’

PatrickMcD — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:18:04 -0600

CHICAGO – The nature of making an independent film versus a mainstream Hollywood production is evident through the efforts of two Chicago-based producers – Steven A. Jones and Paul Duggan of “The Merry Gentleman”.

Jones, who also produced last year’s “The Promotion”, works more as a creative producer within the filmmaking process. Duggan, a first time executive producer, handled more of the financial details of the production. Together they helped deliver – for first time director and star Michael Keaton – a stellar morality tale that has echoes of film noir.

First Time Director Michael Keaton with the Crew of ‘The Merry Gentleman’
Photo credit: Matt Dinerstein, Samuel Goldwyn Films

HollywoodChicago.com sat down with both producers, for a fascinating conversation about the parameters and challenges of independent filmmaking.

HollywoodChicago.com: What drew you into this project? Was it the pitch or the script?

Steven A. Jones: It was the script. Ron Lazzeretti [the screenwriter], I knew him tangentially from the advertising side, back when I was a animation director. He asked me if we could make this movie in Chicago. I took one look at the script and thought it was a great one, I’m sure there is some way to do this.

HC: This is your very first executive producer credit for a film. Who or what got you involved with The Merry Gentleman and what drew you to the project?

Paul Duggan: I first went for a free steak dinner at Gibson’s, and it ended up costing me 6.2 million (laughs). I met Tom [Bastounes, producer and actor in the film] there about 3-1/2 years ago and afterwards we started having meetings about the film. We invested in other businesses together and as a trade-off – because I helped him learn about financing – he increased his producing staff to include me.

HC: Your bio states you have worked as producer on films with five different first time directors. What techniques have you developed that make you a good colleague for the sometimes volatile nature of a first time director? How was your experience with first timers crucial in helping Michael Keaton get what he needed?

Jones: I think a lot of what I have to do with first time directors is trouble shoot. Try to anticipate for them what’s going to happen. A lot of it has to with how much time is spent on any given scene in terms of time and money. For example, pointing out that there money would be more wisely spent doing one thing rather than another.

As far as Michael’s directorial debut was concerned, it was his education on the other side of the camera, because he had always been on the actor’s side. Communicating to him that no matter how much he thought he knew what the director is doing, when you get to the other side it’s going to be completely different.

For example, convincing Michael that we could make this film in a short schedule, you have to educate without being off-putting.

Producers Steven A. Jones and Paul Duggan of ‘The Merry Gentleman’, in Chicago on April 27, 2009
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

HC: As a financial guru, what kind of pitch is most effective for drawing investors in on an independent film like The Merry Gentleman?

Duggan: We went out to a very select group of people and in the spirit of ‘trying anything once’ we collected units of funding for the film. Some did it based on their trust in me and others were large investors who wanted to dabble in show business. We brought together a combination of people.

There are risks in all businesses, like for example making computers. There is not an independent computer business, but there is an independent film business. This is a niche that attracts more interest than in other conventional businesses, with a possible avenue to success.

Jones: You mitigate the risk by bringing on good people to make the movie, and involving them in the approval of lead actor Michael Keaton, which made them a little more secure with this investment.

HC: With the different background coming into the role of executive producer, what observations did you make regarding the contrast in business acumen between the film industry and other, more common types of business ventures?

Duggan: They are very similar in the fact that you are still dealing with lawyers and contracts. You have to have an understanding of business law and how it applies. That doesn’t change whether it’s a real estate closing or a production of a movie.

Actors do have agents…and lawyers, so there are more layers in that aspect of it.

Jones: Those layers are also buffers, you sometimes don’t get the opportunity to talk to the person you really need to talk to. So when you talk to the representatives your inquiry is being filtered one way and it’s filtered when the answer comes back to you. The worse thing that does is chew up time.

HC: What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in the film business from when you were starting out with ‘Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer’ versus the types of issues you have with The Promotion and The Merry Gentleman?

Jones: Henry was done in the days of videotape rental. Now it is a completely different landscape with On Demand, Pay-Per-View, Satellite Systems and all these other places where an independent film can be shown. With Henry we were just concerned with small distribution and eventual rentals.

I can talk about the independent film business, and tomorrow it changes. For example, independent film has been called dead so many times, but then somebody makes a film for $20 and it makes a 100 million and suddenly independents are alive again.

HC: What was the moment that really made you, as a first time participant, really feel proud in the accomplishment of helping to produce The Merry Gentleman?

Duggan: There was a rush when the room darkened at Sundance and the film starting running, and there was the credit – Executive Producer: Paul Duggan. That’s something I’d never signed up for, it was not on my things to do and I may never do another movie, but…that was cool.

TOMORROW – Tom Bastounes, supporting actor and executive producer, on co-starring with Michael Keaton and Kelly Macdonald in ‘The Merry Gentleman’.

’The Merry Gentleman’, with Michael Keaton, Kelly Macdonald, Tom Bastounes, directed by Michael Keaton, opens Friday, May 1st, 2009. Check local theaters for film and showtimes

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

TV Review: ABC’s ‘Cupid’ Pushes Romance Past the Breaking Point

BrianTT — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:05:31 -0600

Television Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – I am completely unashamed to admit to being a hopeless romantic and someone easily manipulated by cheesy, sudsy, heartfelt tales of love. I say this because even this loyal fan of movie musicals was pushed over the edge by the goofy romantic dramedy “Cupid,” the new tale of love in the big city debuting on ABC on Tuesday, March 31st.

I preface this review with my affection for all things romantic to make clear that I honestly wanted to like “Cupid”. It features two incredibly charismatic leads in Bobby Cannavale and Sarah Paulson (and a solid supporting cast) and the consistently depressing state of the world could always use a little more amore. But this is not the way to get it.

Sarah Paulson, Bobby Cannavale.
Photo credit: ABC/Eric Liebowitz

Bobby Cannavale (“Will & Grace”) plays Trevor Pierce, an over-the-top character who may or may not be the human form of the legendary Cupid, the Roman god of love. Trevor claims that he has been sent to the most cynical city on Earth, New York City, to create 100 couples of true love before he will be allowed to return to Mt. Olympus. Naturally, they drop Trevor in a mental institution.

Rick Gomez, Camille Guaty, Bobby Cannavale, Sarah Paulson.
Photo credit: ABC/Bob D’Amico

Three months later, and after teaching the staff and patients to sing “All You Need is Love,” Trevor is deemed harmless and is allowed to be released but only if he’s monitored by cynical psychiatrist and self-help author Dr. Claire McCrae (Sarah Paulson of “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”). Trevor attends her group therapy sessions so she can monitor his progress and, of course, Cupid himself plays matchmaker with the good doctor’s patients.

Meanwhile, Trevor (Rick Gomez of “What About Brian”) lives above the Tres Equis Cantina, owned by Felix Arroyo and his sister, Lita (Camille Guaty of “Las Vegas”). He plays bartender in exchange for rent. Clearly, the therapy and the bar scene should provide plenty of opportunities for Cupid’s arrow to strike.

“Cupid” creator Rob Thomas has proven himself to be an incredible TV voice in the past with “Veronica Mars” ranking among the best-written shows of the last several years, but the script for the premiere of his second take on “Cupid” (the show originally ran with Jeremy Piven in the lead role and Paula Marshall supporting in 1998-99) is simply weak. He’s above this kind of writing. It’s too predictable, too cheesy, and just too “too”. It’s likely to give viewers more cynical than myself sugar shock.

Cannavale and Paulson have personality to spare but both of their character models have been pushed to the extreme. Cupid/Trevor should just be a charming matchmaker, but he’s been written far too broadly. No one, not even Cupid, should say “poppycock” on network television. He comes off as goofy instead of romantic and, yes, there is a difference.

As for Paulson’s Claire, she’s SO clearly the Scully to Trevor’s Mulder, the character who doesn’t believe in romantic love but will likely be worn down by the charms of her least dangerous patient. It’s hard to judge after one episode, but for a show like “Cupid” to work, the leads need to have their own romantic chemistry and Cannavale and Paulson are seriously lacking in this department.

Bobby Cannavale, Marguerite Moreau.
Photo credit: ABC/Eric Liebowitz

Cannavale and Paulson just don’t look right together and if the writers don’t develop that aspect of the show quickly and the only romance is of the “weekly case” variety then “Cupid” won’t find an audience. Viewers might be intrigued by the overly complicated romantic entanglements of Claire’s patients and the people at Trevor’s bar, but they’ll need an ongoing “will they or won’t they” to come back week to week.

After one episode, Trevor and Claire don’t feel like real people, so their potential chemistry is never given the chance to grow. They’re so clearly designed to be opposites of one another that the supporting characters, especially the lovely Camille Guaty, are more interesting because they feel more genuine.

Clearly, “Cupid” needs some work, but with a cast this good and a creator as talented as Thomas, there’s still hope. First and foremost, the writers need to remember that there’s a difference between romantic and goofy. The first version of “Cupid” aired for fourteen episodes and if they don’t lower the saccharine level and work on the chemistry between their leads, this version won’t make it half as long. “Cupid” could easily be heartbroken again.

‘Cupid,’ which airs on ABC, stars Bobby Cannavale, Sarah Paulson, Rick Gomez, and Camille Guaty. The show was created by Rob Thomas. The premiere airs on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 9PM CST.

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

‘The Visitor’ Works Out America’s Demons Following Sept. 11, 2001

HollywoodChicago.com — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:07:36 -0600

CHICAGO – “The Visitor” is a subtle film. Created by the unique talent of writer and director Thomas McCarthy – who also generated the equally subtle world of “The Station Agent” – this new work explores the nature of who belongs where.

It’s outside the artificial borders of countries and city states and more toward the intuitive virtues of the emotional state that bonds us to each other. Richard Jenkins – best known as the recurring dead father on “Six Feet Under” – plays the role of a lifetime as Walter Vale: a burnt-out professor of economics at a Connecticut university.

Read Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Visitor” in our reviews section.

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

His wife – a reputable concert pianist – has recently died. The emptiness of the new circumstance is etched upon his soul. Forced to attend a conference in New York City, Walter opens up an apartment he owns there only to find squatters living inside.

Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) is an illegal immigrant from Syria and his girlfriend, Esi (Danai Jekesai Gurira), is an African with similar status. They have “rented” the apartment from someone who conned them into the place.

Walter lets them stay until they can find new lodgings. He discovers that Tarek is a jazz drummer (of the single African drum variety) and is curious to learn new drumming techniques. When Walter begins to absorb the rhythm lessons from Tarek, a bond develops.

Danai Jekesai Gurira in “The Visitor”.
Photo credit: Overture Films

Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor”.
Photo credit: Overture Films

Read Patrick McDonald’s full “The Visitor” review.