Ben Affleck

Interview: From ‘Office Space’ to ‘Extract’ With Writer, Director Mike Judge

BrianTT — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:48:07 -0600

CHICAGO – Last week, the writer/director of “Extract,” Mike Judge, took some time with HollywoodChicago.com to discuss his many comedic creations from the characters of “Office Space” to “King of the Hill,” “Beavis and Butthead,” and, now, “Extract”.

In my role as a film critic, I’m regularly asked why there aren’t more good comedies out there. It feels like people want more quality laughs. And yet, the box office of the very good “Extract” this weekend, starring Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, Ben Affleck, and J.K. Simmons is a massive disappointment. Go out and see it before it’s gone.

“Extract” is clearly the blue-collar response to the white-collar comedy of the cult hit “Office Space,” even if Judge seems more sympathetic to (and admits he’d rather work on) the factory floor than the cubicle world. In fact, Judge considered making it right after his breakthrough non-animated venture but studios thought it was too close to “Office Space”.

Mike Judge on the set of Extract.
Photo credit: Miramax/Sam Urdank

He says, “I thought about doing something that was sympathetic to the boss. I enjoy the making of something, steering the ship and seeing it through, but I don’t get off on the management part of it. So, to me, the managers in Office Space were the kind of people who just enjoy telling people what to do. And, you know, when you try to be a nice boss, you can get taken advantage of. I also wanted to do something with a blue-collar setting because I think that world has its own unique set of characters in the same way that cubicles do.”

Jason Bateman as Joel and Mila Kunis as Cindy in Extract.
Photo credit: Miramax/Sam Urdank

“I’d actually talked about the idea right after Office Space and Fox had another option for a screenplay. My agents and managers thought it would be too like Office Space. At that point it hadn’t come out. Then by the time Idiocracy came out…that was one where the studio was going “That’s commercial,” and the focus groups said “We liked it but we wanted something more like Office Space.” (Laughs.)”

The drastic mishandling of “Idiocracy” could have scared off a director, but Judge has a very zen-like approach to it all, understanding that he doesn’t have any control over what happens with a movie once he’s done with it. He also recognizes that “Office Space” took time to find its audience.

Judge says, “I think nowadays that if people really like something, they’ll find it and they’ll tell people about it. I didn’t worry about that part too much. What did scare me is that I knew that I didn’t want to do something again where I didn’t have complete control. It just makes people nervous when you get above a certain budget level. I wouldn’t put myself in that situation again. I ended up pretty much having control over Idiocracy but I had to fight hard battles for everything even if I won all the battles.”

You may have watched it a dozen times but Judge hadn’t even seen most of “Office Space” in years, recently seeing the first half-hour at a tenth anniversary screening in Austin. He laughs when he says, “I was actually like, “Hey, this is pretty good.””

Jason Bateman as Joel and Kristen Wiig as Suzie in Extract.
Photo credit: Miramax/Sam Urdank

As for what he would change in his films, nothing in “Office Space” and nothing in “Beavis and Butthead Do America” He says, “There are episodes of the show…we just cranked that thing out and no one knew what they were doing and sometimes it was just a train wreck. Some are just great and then there are some episodes where I just think, I wish I hadn’t done that. Little things like that. Not so much in the movie.”

As for whether or not Judge will make another Beavis & Butthead movie? Don’t get too excited. “I don’t know if it will happen again. There’s nothing in the works right now. Somebody always seems to announce it and there’s not really anything happening. Originally, it was…I think we made that movie faster than anyone has ever made an animated movie. We made it inside of a year. (Pauses.) I’ve got different ideas. I guess it takes…to really do it right, it’s going to take a few years.

“I like to leave the door open, but it seems like every time I do that someone announces it as happening. Right after the movie, I said, “No way I’m ever doing that again. Screw these people.” But then I end up missing the characters. When I was writing Idiocracy, the guy I was writing it with, Etan Cohen, and I kept coming up with ideas. I wanted them to just randomly end up working tech support. You have a computer problem and you end up getting Butthead. (Laughs.)

“Or something like that. Etan was buying a car at the time and we would talk about the tactics that car salesmen used and how Beavis and Butthead would be funny in that world. We could see how all those tactics would play on them. I also had an idea that was probably too quickly after September 11th where they would get involved with some group the government was looking for. The promise of 70 virgins would motivate them…the CIA would be after them… (Laughs.)”

Jason Bateman as Joel in Extract.
Photo credit: Miramax/Sam Urdank

After the series finale of “King of the Hill,” it will be the first time since 1992 that Judge hasn’t had something on the air. he’s ready to “See what it’s like. Might be kind of nice for awhile.”

Jason Bateman simply rocks in “Extract,” giving arguably the best comedy performance of the year. He’s the perfect straight man for Judge’s brand of lunacy.

Mike goes into more detail - “I guess it’s what I love about Bob Newhart in particular - Jason has that thing where it’s fun to watch him react to things. Jason can also be a great character actor but, seeing him in Arrested Development, it’s fun to watch him react. He’s good at letting other people be funny without getting so over-the-top. That’s part of the problem. I found that when I was looking for actors in Office Space…Jason Bateman has that thing where ridiculous things are happening around him, he reacts in a way that’s appropriate and doesn’t make the whole thing seem ridiculous. He’s also been doing this since he was five or something. I’m 46. I’m older than him but he’s been doing it WAY longer than me. He’s completely comfortable being an actor and being on-set. So you can get these inspired moments out of him just being in the scene.”

Judge admits that he’s always been fascinated by the human capacity for stupidity and bad decision-making. As for Bateman’s character in “Extract,” “He can run a factory and be smart but when it comes to his personal life….And Ben’s character, he’s one of those guys who can make a really bad idea sound good. You know the kind who lead you down a path and then later go, “Oh, no, that was a really bad idea.” Full authority about something and then go, “Oh, did I say that?””

Do your part for the institution of comedy and see what Jason and Ben say in “Extract,” now in theaters.

‘Extract’ stars Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, Ben Affleck, Clifton Collins Jr., and J.K. Simmons. It was written and directed by Mike Judge. It opened on September 4th, 2009. It is rated R.

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

Blu-Ray Review: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck in Thriller ‘State of Play’

BrianTT — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:23:05 -0600

CHICAGO – I had some issues with “State of Play” in theaters, but it’s an intelligent thriller that is bound to find an audience on DVD and Blu-Ray and the Universal-produced Blu-Ray of the Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck film is an excellent one, the kind of release that can polish a good film and make it nearly great.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

The American “State of Play” is a truncated version of the far-superior BBC mini-series that starred Bill Nighy, David Morrissey, John Simm, Kelly Macdonald, and James MacAvoy. Directed by Kevin Macdonald and starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Jason Bateman, and Robin Wright Penn, this version of “State of Play” stands pretty well on its own merits, especially on Blu-Ray, but it’s merely a shadow of its amazing source material.

State of Play was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 1st, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

Cramming so much material into one film has made for a movie that certainly wastes no time. “State of Play” is a jam-packed 128 minutes. It opens with scenes of a junkie and an innocent bystander getting shot in the nation’s capital and the separate death of a Congressman’s aide (Maria Thayer) by commuter train. The aide was not only working with U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Affleck) on his quest to take down a Halliburton-esque company but the two were sleeping together.

State of Play was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 1st, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

Washington Globe reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), who also happens to be old friends with Collins and in love with his wife (Robin Wright Penn), realizes that the drug/bystander shooting he’s investigating and the death of the politician’s girlfriend are related and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Rachel McAdams plays a young reporter who first butts heads with the more old-fashioned Cal but soon becomes partners as the case gets deeper and deeper. Helen Mirren plays their editor.

The best thing about “State of Play” is the cast. Director Macdonald proved he knows how to direct actors when he guided Forest Whitaker to an Oscar for “The Last King of Scotland” and everyone is good here. Crowe is in nearly every scene and it’s his best performance in some time. Mirren doesn’t quite make the impact that Nighy did in the original but that’s merely because of screen time. With perhaps the small exception of the slightly miscast McAdams, everyone in “State of Play” is good to great.

It took three talented writers - Matthew Michael Carnahan (“The Kingdom”), Tony Gilroy (“Duplicity”), & Billy Ray (“Shattered Glass”) - to take a six-hour mini-series and whittle it down to a two-hour film. Some of the choices, especially in the final act, simply don’t work for me. They take a mini-series that was about gray areas and makes it a bit too black and white for my tastes. The final act piles revelation on top of twist and it doesn’t feel organic. It feels rushed.

“State of Play” is about how the world of journalism and politics have become intertwined. The lines between good guys and bad guys and between the people who work in DC and the people who cover it are blurry at best. Crowe’s character becomes a bit too much of a white knight of journalism in the remake but it’s still a well-made, well-paced thriller. There’s a lot to like here, even if everyone who’s seen the original might say there could have been more.

The Blu-Ray release of “State of Play” is a beauty, another notch in the belt for arguably the best Blu-Ray studio in Hollywood, Universal. The standard Universal video and audio transfer is one of the absolute best and “State of Play” looks perfect with a 1080p High-Definition Widescreen transfer of a 2.35:1 picture and an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Special features on “State of Play” include deleted scenes and “The Making of State of Play”. U-Control features include the company’s great “Picture in Picture” technology that allows scene-specific information to play without breaking the film and “Washington, D.C. Locations” offers history insight into the nation’s capital. “State of Play” should have included a commentary track, but with so much action crammed into one movie maybe no one could keep up with talking about it.

‘State of Play’ is released by Universal Home Video and stars Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman, Jeff Daniels, and Helen Mirren. It was written by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Tony Gilroy and Billy Ray and directed by Kevin Macdonald. The Blu-Ray and DVD will be released on September 1st, 2009. It is rated PG-13.

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

Blu-Ray Review: Dull Special Features For Cute ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’

BrianTT — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:16:51 -0600

CHICAGO – Ken Kwapis’ “He’s Just Not That Into You” is far from a romantic comedy masterpiece but it’s a decent genre entry with an immensely likable cast that will probably entice more than a few renters and maybe even a few buyers. They deserve a better Blu-Ray.

Blu-Ray Rating: 2.5/5.0

Like a night of speed dating, “He’s Just Not That Into You” is a mixed bag of hits and misses with enough quality acting and likable characters to recommend a rental but a film that ultimately doesn’t live up to the pedigree of its cast or the potential of its concept.

He’s Just Not That Into You was released on Blu-Ray on June 2nd, 2009.
Photo credit: WB

Ginnifer Goodwin (who steals the film overall) stars as Gigi and, considering she narrates the film and most of the characters spin off from her plot arc, the lead of the story. Gigi is stuck in the cliches of dating that we’re all taught from an early age like “he’s mean to you because he likes you” and “don’t call him, he’ll call you.”

He’s Just Not That Into You was released on Blu-Ray on June 2nd, 2009.
Photo credit: WB

Gigi goes out on a first date with real estate agent Conor (Kevin Connolly) and becomes obsessed with the young man, watching the phone and going by his regular haunt just to see if he’s there.

That’s where Gigi runs into Alex (Justin Long), a bartender who breaks the truth to the sweet girl - he’s just not that into you. Of course, being a romantic comedy, it’s only a matter of time before Alex IS into Gigi.

That arc would be enough for one romantic comedy but it’s just the beginning of this “Short Cuts”-esque tapestry of chick flick stories. It turns out that Conor isn’t into Gigi is because he’s still hung up with Anna (Scarlett Johannson), who happens to be falling for the married Ben (Bradley Cooper).

Ben is married to Janine (Jennifer Connelly), who also happens to work with Gigi. Ben is good friends with Neil (Ben Affleck), the longtime boyfriend of Beth (Jennifer Aniston), who ALSO happens to work with Gigi. And I haven’t even mentioned Drew Barrymore. The pile-up of coincidental connections is one of the failures of the script. I longed for ONE character not related by one degree of separation to every other one.

“He’s Just Not That Into You” works because writers Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein don’t make the common mistake of modern romantic comedy by either populating them with hateful jerks or complete morons and they consciously avoid pratfuls, bodily humor or montages set to the latest pop tune.

He’s Just Not That Into You was released on Blu-Ray on June 2nd, 2009.
Photo credit: WB

Goodwin, Affleck, and Aniston are very good. Conversely, Cooper’s role doesn’t seem very believable and Jennifer Connelly seems lost, unable to figure this character out. The 129-minute running time is also far too long.

I’m also a little disturbed by the overriding depression on display in “He’s Just Not That Into You”. The film could have been more fun. Believe it or not, people do actually get together without so much angst.

“He’s Just Not That Into You” is clearly worth a rental but the Blu-Ray release is disappointing. Director Ken Kwapis does an intriguing commentary over about 14 minutes of deleted scenes. Why not do a commentary over the whole film? It’s disappointing that he chose not to.

And the featurettes are all very brief. The “Baltimore Blade” special feature provides brief (2-3 minute) interviews with not the actors but their characters. Because we all want two more minutes with Janine. It’s annoying, misguided, and poorly organized.

The two behind-the-scenes features total about 15 minutes in length. It’s a shockingly short collection of special features for a film that clearly took a lot of effort from a lot of people on-camera alone.

‘He’s Just Not That Into You’ is released by Warner Brothers Home Video and stars Ben Affleck, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Connolly, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper, Drew Barrymore, and Justin Long. It was written by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, and directed by Ken Kwapis. The Blu-Ray and DVD were released on June 2nd, 2009. It is rated PG-13.

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

Action Blu-Ray Round Up, May 19, 2009: ‘Changing Lanes,’ ‘The Machinist’

BrianTT — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:57:07 -0600

CHICAGO – Paramount Home Video is unleashing waves of catalog titles this month. It started with the comedy wave last Tuesday and continues with a diverse slate of action films this week.

Like the comedy set, the films have very little in common other than their genre (and even that is a bit sketchy with “The Machinist” bearing little resemblance to “Paycheck”). The highlights of the wave are clearly “3 Days of the Condor,” “The Machinist,” and “Changing Lanes” with “Enemy at the Gates” certainly having enough visual power to warrant a look in HD. “Paycheck”? Good luck with that one.

All five titles were released on Tuesday, May 19th, 2009.

“3 Days of the Condor”

Photo credit: Paramount

Synopsis: “In Sydney Pollack’s critically acclaimed suspense-thriller, Robert Redford stars as CIA Agent Joe Turner. Code name: Condor. When his entire office is massacred, Turner goes on the run from his enemies…and his so-called allies. After reporting the murders to his superiors, the organization wants to bring Condor in - but somebody is trying to take him out. In his frantic hunt for answers and in a desperate run for his life, Turner abducts photographer Kathy Hale (Faye Dunaway) eventually seducing her into helping him.

Every twist leads Condor to the end of his nerves…and will take you to the edge of your seat. With nowhere to turn and no one to trust, Turner realizes his most dangerous enemy may be closer than he ever feared. And as he zeroes in on the truth, he discovers there are some secrets people would kill to keep”

“3 Days of the Condor” stars Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max Von Sydow, and John Houseman. The film was written by Lorenzo Semple, Jr. and David Rayfiel and directed by Sydney Pollack. It is rated R.

The Blu-Ray video is presented in 1080p High Definition with an English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track. The only special feature is the theatrical trailer in HD.

“Changing Lanes”

Photo credit: Paramount

Synopsis: “Modern society draws lines between right and wrong, good and evil, rage and redemption. A moment of self-absorption and a spark of anger will cause two men to cross them. As the battle of wills escalates, both lives are changed forever. Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Affleck star in a provocative and gripping drama that exposes the best and worst in all of us.”

“Changing Lanes” stars Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Affleck, Toni Collette, Sydney Pollack, William Hurt, and Amanda Peet. The film was written by Chap Taylor and Michael Tolkin and directed by Roger Michell. It is rated R.

The Blu-Ray video is presented in 1080p High Definition with an English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track. Special features include a commentary by director Roger Michell, “The Making of Changing Lanes,” “A Writer’s Perspective,” 2 Deleted scenes, 1 Extended Scene, and the theatrical trailer in HD.

“Enemy at the Gates”

Photo credit: Paramount

Synopsis: “An all-star cast lights up the screen in this riveting epic hailed as “a vivid dramatization of one of history’s titanic turning points”. (Gene Shalit, TODAY) The year is 1942 and the Nazis are cutting a deadly swath through Russia. Under the leadership of Kruschev (Bob Hoskins), the citizens of Stalingrad are mounting a brave resistance, spurred by the exploits of their local hero, Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law). An expert sniper, Vassili’s deeds have become legendary - thanks to propaganda produced by Vassili’s best friend, a political officer named Danilov (Joseph Fiennes). To stop Vassili, the Germans dispatch their best sniper, Major Konig (Ed Harris), to Stalingrad. When Vassili and Danilov both fall in love with a beautiful soldier (Rachel Weisz), Danilov deserts his friend, leaving Vassili to face his German counterpart alone. As the city burns, Vassili and Konig begin a cunning game of cat and mouse, waging a private war for courage, honor and country.”

“Enemy at the Gates” stars Joseph Fiennes, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Bob Hoskins, and Ed Harris. It was written by Alain Godard & Jean-Jacques Annaud and directed by Annaud and is rated R.

The Blu-Ray video is presented in 1080p High Definition with an English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track. Special features include “Through the Crosshairs,” “Inside Enemy at the Gates,” deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer in HD.

“The Machinist”

Photo credit: Paramount

Synopsis: “Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) hasn’t slept in a year. The shocking deterioration of his physical and mental health has made his every waking moment an unrelenting state of confusion, paranoia, guilt, anxiety and terror. His only solace from this living nightmare comes from an affectionate prostitute (Jennifer Jason Leigh.

When cryptic notes turn up mysteriously in his apartment and when hallucinations of a co-worker that no one else sees causes a gruesome machine shop injury, he embarks on a journey to find out whether there is an elaborate plot to drive him made or is his fatigue has simply robbed him of reason. The more he learns, the less he wants to know.”

“The Machinist” stars Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, John Sharian, and Michael Ironside. It was written by Scott Kosar and directed by Brad Anderson. It is rated R.

The Blu-Ray video is presented in 1080p High Definition with an English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track. Special features include a commentary by director Brad Anderson, “Manifesting the Machinist,” “The Machinist: Hiding in Plain Sight,” “The Machinist: Breaking the Rules,” deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer.

“Paycheck”

Photo credit: Paramount

Synopsis: “From director John Woo comes this futuristic thriller that combines spectacular action sequences with a spellbinding mystery that will keep you guessing from beginning to breathtaking end.

Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) is a brilliant computer engineer hired for top-secret projects. After each job, Jennings’ short-term memory is erased so he cannot recount any project information. Emerging from his latest assignment, a three-year contract with an eight-figure paycheck given to him by his longtime friend (Aaron Eckhart), Jennings is jolted when he is told that during the end of his assignment, he agreed to forfeit all payment.

Jennings has no recourse - until he receives a mysterious envelope containing clues to his forgotten past. With the help of a beautiful scientist (Uma Thurman) he once loved but now cannot remember, Jennings races to solve the puzzles of his past…while a terrifying discovery waits in his future.”

“Paycheck” stars Ben Affleck, Aaron Eckhart, Uma Thurman, Paul Giamatti, Joe Morton, Colm Feore, and Michael C. Hall. It was written by Dean Georgaris and directed by John Woo. It is rated PG-13.

The Blu-Ray video is presented in 1080p High Definition with an English 5.1 Dolby Digital track. Special features include a commentary by director John Woo, a commentary by screenwriter Dean Georgaris, “Paycheck: Designing the Future,” “Tempting Fate: The Stunts of Paycheck,” and extended/deleted scenes.

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

Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck Bring Spark to Mediocre ‘State of Play’

BrianTT — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:01:00 -0600

Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – I’ll be the first critic to tell you that they don’t make adult thrillers often enough. I was very disappointed by the lackluster box office take of Tony Gilroy’s ” Duplicity”. But does that mean that we should give all intellectual mysteries a pass? Of course not. And while I want to love Kevin Macdonald’s “State of Play,” a few poor decisions during production keep it back from being the excellent film it could have been.

It’s even easier to see where “State of Play” went wrong than with most so-so movies because we have the original, amazing BBC mini-series for comparison. Of course, Macdonald couldn’t be expected to duplicate what was accomplished in six hours with only two, but the decisions made in the truncation were not always the smartest ones. And, perhaps, someone should have considered that the lengthy original could never have been adequately condensed into two hours.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “State of Play” in our reviews section.

Before you say that this version should be judged on its own, I can’t rewrite history and change the fact that I’ve seen (and adored) the original. I know what “State of Play” could have been. And many of the flaws of this version are amplified by their absence in the source material. Essentially, work that was “all grays” has, often by the necessity of length, had its shading removed and become purely black and white.

One thing can be said about “State of Play” for certain - it’s not slow. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s not boring but the actual plot moves at 100 miles per hour. Don’t show up late for this one.

‘State of Play’ stars Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Jeff Daniels, Jason Bateman, and Robin Wright Penn. It was written by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tony Gilroy, and Billy Ray and directed by Kevin Macdonald. It opens on April 17th, 2009. It is rated PG-13.

Continuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “State of Play” review.

Russell Crowe as reporter Cal McAffrey.
Photo credit: Glen Wilson and Universal Pictures

Slideshow: 32-Image Gallery For ‘State of Play’ With Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck

BrianTT — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:18:22 -0600

CHICAGO – This 32-image slideshow contains the press images for Universal’s “State of Play,” starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman, Jeff Daniels and Helen Mirren. Written by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Tony Gilroy and Billy Ray and directed by Kevin Macdonald, the film opens on Friday, April 17th, 2009.

Synopsis: “Oscar® winner Russell Crowe leads an all-star cast in a blistering thriller about a rising congressman and an investigative journalist embroiled in a case of seemingly unrelated, brutal murders. Crowe plays D.C. reporter Cal McCaffrey, whose street smarts lead him to untangle a mystery of murder and collusion among some of the nation’s most promising political and corporate figures in State of Play, from acclaimed director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland).

Handsome, unflappable U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is the future of his political party: an honorable appointee who serves as the chairman of a committee overseeing defense spending. All eyes are upon the rising star to be his party’s contender for the upcoming presidential race. Until his research assistant/mistress is brutally murdered and buried secrets come tumbling out.

McCaffrey has the dubious fortune of both an old friendship with Collins and a ruthless editor, Cameron (Oscar® winner Helen Mirren), who has assigned him to investigate. As he and partner Della (Rachel McAdams) try to uncover the killer’s identity, McCaffrey steps into a cover-up that threatens to shake the nation’s power structures. And in a town of spin-doctors and wealthy politicos, he will discover one truth: when billions are at stake, no one’s integrity, love or life is ever safe.”

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos credited to Glen Wilson and Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

state_of_play_01: Helen Mirren as newspaper editor Cameron Lynne.
state_of_play_02: Helen Mirren as newspaper editor Cameron Lynne and director Kevin Macdonald on the set.
state_of_play_03: Russell Crowe as reporter Cal McAffrey.
state_of_play_04: Newspaper editor Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren) questions reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).
state_of_play_05: (L to R) Reporter Della Frye (Rachel Mcadams) defends her progress to newspaper editor Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren).
state_of_play_06: Rachel McAdams as reporter Della Frye.
state_of_play_07: Newspaper editor Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren) questions reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).
state_of_play_08: (L to R) Russell Crowe as reporter Cal McAffrey and director Kevin MacDonald on the set.
state_of_play_09: Russell Crowe as reporter Cal McAffrey.
state_of_play_10: Rachel McAdams as reporter Della Frye.
state_of_play_11: Helen Mirren as newspaper editor Cameron Lynne.
state_of_play_12: Director Kevin MacDonald on the set.
state_of_play_13: Reporters Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) and Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).
state_of_play_14: Reporters Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) and Della Frye (Rachel McAdams).
state_of_play_15: Anne Collins (Robin Wright Penn) and her husband, U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck).
state_of_play_16: (L to R) Ben Affleck as U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins and director Kevin MacDonald on the set.
state_of_play_17: Russell Crowe as reporter Cal McAffrey.
state_of_play_18: (L to R) U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) and his wife, Anne (Robin Wright Penn), come to reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) for help.
state_of_play_19: (L to R) PR expert Dominic Foy (Jason Bateman) is grilled by reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).
state_of_play_20: Jason Bateman as PR expert Dominic Foy.
state_of_play_21: Russell Crowe as reporter Cal McAffrey.
state_of_play_22: Anne Collins (Robin Wright Penn) comes to reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) for help.
state_of_play_23: Rachel McAdams as reporter Della Frye.
state_of_play_24: Director Kevin MacDonald and Rachel McAdams as reporter Della Frye on the set.
state_of_play_25: Ben Affleck as U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins.
state_of_play_26: Ben Affleck as U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins.
state_of_play_27: U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) gets advice from aide.
state_of_play_28: Robin Wright Penn as Anne Collins.
state_of_play_29: (L to R) D.C. reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) questions U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck).
state_of_play_30: (L to R) Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) and D.C. reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).
state_of_play_31: (L to R) Senator George Fergus (Jeff Daniels) is interrogated by reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).
state_of_play_32: (L to R) Newspaper editor Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren) demands answers from reporters Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) and Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).

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

Audiences Are Into ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’ With $27 Million Opening

BrianTT — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 12:01:06 -0700

CHICAGO – The New Line romantic comedy “He’s Just Not That Into You,” starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper, Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, and Ginnifer Goodwin, took the number one spot at the box office this weekend with an estimated $27.5 million and the best per screen total ($8,650) in the top ten.

“He’s Just Not That Into You” easily beat three other new films - “Coraline,” “The Pink Panther 2,” and “Push”.

Ginnifer Goodwin stars as Gigi and Justin Long stars as Alex.
Photo credit: Darren Michaels/New Line

The Liam Neeson action flick “Taken” had an amazing second weekend, dropping only 18% for a total of $20.3 million from Friday to Sunday and a remarkable $53.4 million in its first ten days of release. Word-of-mouth is clearly very positive on “Taken”.

Henry Selick’s “Coraline” tallied the second highest per screen average of the weekend and a very impressive total of $16.3 million. Great reviews for the film featuring voice work by Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher helped the film’s opening weekend tally.

Good reviews and word-of-mouth may have helped “Taken” and “Coraline,” but the fourth place finisher, “The Pink Panther 2” suffered from the opposite - bad reviews and proof that you can’t fool an audience twice. $12 million earned the film a fourth place finish, but that was 40% lower than the first Steve Martin remake three years ago. Audiences clearly weren’t clamoring for another “Pink Panther” movie and it seems like a third entry is now unlikely.

The biggest hit of the year, Kevin James’ “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” fell only 20% in its fourth weekend and held on to the top five with $11 million and an amazing $97 million to date. “Paul Blart” has shattered all expectations and proven that counterprogramming against serious Oscar fare in January is a smart strategy.

The final new film of the weekend, “Push” with Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning, was dead on arrival with a dismal $10.2 million in its first frame.

The rest of the top ten were filled out by “Gran Torino” ($7.4 million and $120.3 million to date), “Slumdog Millionaire” ($7.4 million and $77.4 million to date), “The Uninvited” ($6.4 million and $18.4 million to date), and “Hotel For Dogs” ($5.8 million and $55.2 million to date).

Challengers to “He’s Just Not That Into You” for next week’s box office crown include Isla Fisher’s “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” Clive Owen’s “The International,” and the Marcus Nispel remake of “Friday the 13th”.

Source: Box Office Mojo

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

Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Ginnifer Goodwin Nearly Save ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’

BrianTT — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:01:00 -0700

CHICAGO – If you’ve ever been speed dating or even just on a series of dates in a short period of time, it’s not that different from the back and forth between good and bad in the latest romantic comedy, “He’s Just Not That Into You,” a mixed bag of cliches, comedy, coincidences, and cute coupling starring Jennifer Aniston, Ginnifer Goodwin, and many, many more.

Rating: 3.0/5.0

Just recapping the “Short Cuts”-esque plot of “He’s Just Not That Into You” practically requires a flow chart to keep track of all the characters and how they are coincidentally related or hooked up. The film is narrated by and most of the characters spiral off of Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin), a poor woman stuck in the cliches of dating that we’re taught from an early age like “he’s mean to you because he likes you” and “don’t call him, he’ll call you.”

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “He’s Just Not That Into You” in our reviews section.

Gigi is cute but also pretty damaged by a string of dates that went nowhere and men who never called her back. After a good first date with real estate agent Conor (Kevin Connolly), Gigi obsessively watches the phone and goes as far as dropping by Conor’s regular hang-out just to see if he’s there.

As his bar-managing friend Alex (Justin Long) brutally tells poor Gigi, he’s just not that into her. Of course, being a romantic comedy, it’s only a matter of time before the callous Alex falls head over heels for sweet Gigi.

Continuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “He’s Just Not That Into You” review.

‘He’s Just Not That Into You’ stars Ben Affleck, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Connolly, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper, Drew Barrymore, and Justin Long. It was written by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, and directed by Ken Kwapis. It opens on February 6th, 2009, and is rated PG-13.

Justin Long stars as Alex and Ginnifer Goodwin stars as Gigi.
Photo credit: Darren Michaels/New Line

Slideshow: 31-Image Gallery For ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’ With Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck

BrianTT — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:29:16 -0700

CHICAGO – This 31-image slideshow contains the official press images for “He’s Just Not That Into You”, which was directed by Ken Kwapis and stars Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson, Kris Kristofferson, and Justin Long. The New Line release opens on Friday, February 6th, 2009.

Synopsis: “Based on the wildly popular bestseller from “Sex and the City” scribes Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, “He’s Just Not That Into You” tells the stories of a group of interconnected, Baltimore-based twenty- and thirtysomethings as they navigate their various relationships from the shallow end of the dating pool through the deep, murky waters of married life, trying to read the signs of the opposite sex… and hoping to be the exceptions to the “no-exceptions” rule.

The film boasts an all-star cast, including Academy Award® winner Ben Affleck as Neil; Jennifer Aniston as Beth; Drew Barrymore as Mary; Academy Award® winner Jennifer Connelly as Janine; Kevin Connolly as Conor; Bradley Cooper as Ben; Ginnifer Goodwin as Gigi; Scarlett Johansson as Anna; Kris Kristofferson as Ken; and Justin Long as Alex.

“He’s Just Not That Into You” is directed by Ken Kwapis from a screenplay by Abby Kohn & Marc Silverstein, based on the book by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo. Nancy Juvonen produced the film, with Drew Barrymore, Toby Emmerich, Michele Weiss and Michael Beugg serving as executive producers and Michael Disco and Gwenn Stroman co-producing.

The behind-the-scenes creative team is led by director of photography John Bailey, production designer Gae Buckley, editor Cara Silverman, costume designer Shay Cunliffe, composer Cliff Eidelman, and Grammy Award-winning music supervisor Danny Bramson.

A New Line Cinema Presentation, a Flower Films Production, a Ken Kwapis Film, “He’s Just Not That Into You” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.”

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. Photos 1-17 are credited to Darren Michaels and all shots are courtesy of New Line Cinema; All rights reserved.

Hes_Just_Not_01: Drew Barrymore stars as Mary and Scarlett Johansson stars as Anna.
Hes_Just_Not_02: Ginnifer Goodwin stars as Gigi.
Hes_Just_Not_03: Drew Barrymore stars as Mary and Kevin Connolly stars as Conor.
Hes_Just_Not_04: Jennifer Aniston with director Ken Kwapis on the set.
Hes_Just_Not_05: Jennifer Aniston stars as Beth and Ben Affleck stars as Neil.
Hes_Just_Not_06: Writer Greg Behrendt with producer Nancy Juvonen and director Ken Kwapis on the set.
Hes_Just_Not_07: Jennifer Aniston stars as Beth.
Hes_Just_Not_08: Ginnifer Goodwin stars as Gigi, Jennifer Aniston stars as Beth and Jennifer Connelly stars as Janine.
Hes_Just_Not_09: Ginnifer Goodwin stars as Gigi and Jennifer Connelly stars as Janine.
Hes_Just_Not_10: Director Ken Kwapis on the set.
Hes_Just_Not_11: Scarlett Johansson stars as Anna.
Hes_Just_Not_12: Kevin Connolly stars as Conor.
Hes_Just_Not_13: Justin Long stars as Alex and Kevin Connolly stars as Conor.
Hes_Just_Not_14: Justin Long stars as Alex and Ginnifer Goodwin stars as Gigi.
Hes_Just_Not_15: Justin Long stars as Alex.
Hes_Just_Not_16: Ginnifer Goodwin stars as Gigi and Justin Long stars as Alex.
Hes_Just_Not_17: Kevin Connolly stars as Conor and Scarlett Johansson stars as Anna.
Hes_Just_Not_18: Ginnifer Goodwin stars as Gigi and Kevin Connolly stars as Conor.
Hes_Just_Not_19: Scarlett Johansson stars as Anna and Bradley Cooper stars as Ben.
Hes_Just_Not_20: Ben Affleck stars as Neil and Jennifer Aniston stars as Beth.
Hes_Just_Not_21: Ben Affleck stars as Neil.
Hes_Just_Not_22: Bradley Cooper stars as Ben.
Hes_Just_Not_23: Jennifer Connelly stars as Janine and Bradley Cooper stars as Ben.
Hes_Just_Not_24: Ginnifer Goodwin stars as Gigi and Jennifer Connelly stars as Janine.
Hes_Just_Not_25: Bradley Cooper stars as Ben and Scarlett Johansson stars as Anna.
Hes_Just_Not_26: Bradley Cooper stars as Ben and Jennifer Connelly stars as Janine.
Hes_Just_Not_27: Scarlett Johansson stars as Anna and Drew Barrymore stars as Mary.
Hes_Just_Not_28: Wilson Cruz as Nathan, Drew Barrymore as Mary, Leonardo Nam as Joshua and Rod Keller as Bruce.
Hes_Just_Not_29: Scarlett Johansson stars as Anna and Kevin Connolly stars as Conor.
Hes_Just_Not_30: Drew Barrymore stars as Mary.
Hes_Just_Not_31: Ginnifer Goodwin stars as Gigi.

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

Film Festival to Unroll Red Carpet For John Cusack in ‘Grace is Gone’ on Friday

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:52:43 -0600

CHICAGO – If you missed Wednesday night’s red-carpet affair with Ben and Casey Affleck for “Gone Baby Gone,” you can still hit up the Music Box Theatre at 3733 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago on Friday night for John Cusack’s turn in the limelight.

John Cusack in “Grace is Gone”.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
Just like Wednesday, press will arrive at 5 p.m. on Friday and Cusack’s red carpet is scheduled for 6 p.m. That means it’ll be more like 30 to 45 minutes from then. The event is part of the Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF).

This time, Cusack’s motivated to show not just for press and fans but because he’ll be receiving a Gold Hugo award for career achievement. “Grace is Gone” will be shown after the red carpet around 7 p.m.

Joining Cusack will be young Chicago first-time actresses Shelan O’Keefe and Gracie Bednarczyk. They play his two daughters in the film about losing his wife in war and what it’s like on his family in the U.S.
If you miss the night’s festivities, I’ll again be on the carpet to bring you full coverage. Also, stay tuned for Sunday night’s appearance by Anthony Hopkins. He’s the writer, director and star in “Slipstream”.

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