Gillian Anderson

DVD Review: ‘How to Lose Friends and Alienate People’ Deserves to Lose Viewers Too

BrianTT — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:37:53 -0700

DVD Rating: 1.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Considering the talent on display, “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People” is jaw-droppingly, shockingly bad. If this was just another straight-to-video National Lampoon comedy, it might be easier to forgive, but how so many funny people got involved in a project so misguided will remain one of the biggest movie mysteries of 2008.

Based on the autobiographical memoir of Toby Young, “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People” is about the way an egotistical, slobbish writer works his way through the celebrity scene in New York by whatever means possible.

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People was released by MGM on February 17th, 2009.
Photo credit: Fox.

Renamed Sidney Young, the great Simon Pegg plays a bumbling hero who was clearly never well-defined by the writer, director, or star. Is Sidney a jerk? If so, casting one of the most likable actors alive was probably not a good idea. Is he an idiot? Pegg doesn’t play that well either. He’s just a black hole in the center of the movie. It’s Pegg’s least memorable performance to date.

Sidney is a celebrity journalist in England who is surprisingly called and hired by one of the most upscale magazines in NYC, headed by Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges). Sidney becomes enemies, friends, and then love interest in the most predictable way possible with fellow writer Alison Olsen (a miscast Kirsten Dunst) as he deals with a vicious publicist (a miscast Gillian Anderson), a sleazy boss (a miscast Danny Huston), and a rising starlet (okay, this one was well-cast - Megan Fox).

Will the starlet become a celebrity? Will Sidney become a hot new writer on the scene? Will he impress his irascible boss? Will Alison fall in love with him? Did they stop to figure out how to make us care about any of these questions and did anyone do any research into making the world of celebrity journalism in New York feel remotely genuine?

“How to Lose Friends and Alienate People” is one of the most inert, lifeless, and dull movies of 2008, a film without one real laugh and a project that is constantly telegraphing its sense of self-importance. You know that guy at the party who tells a stupid joke that he cackles at but no one else laughs? “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People” is the movie equivalent of that jerk.

The film could have possibly been redeemed at least slightly by a decent home release but MGM chose another plan. Simon Pegg has already made his feelings about the US release clear, urging people not to buy “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People” until a better edition comes out. I would suggest not renting it either.

Not released on Blu-Ray, “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People” is available on DVD with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and an English 5.1 Dolby Surround sound track. Reportedly, other regions get deleted scenes and multiple commentary tracks, but the US version includes only one commentary with Weide and Pegg and a brief featurette called “Sharp Interviews”. Lucky them.

‘How to Lose Friends and Alienate People’ is released by MGM Home Video and stars Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, Danny Huston, Jeff Bridges, Gillian Anderson, and Megan Fox. It was written by Peter Straughan and directed by Robert Weide. It was released on February 17th, 2009. It is rated R.

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

Blu-Ray Review: ‘The X-Files: I Want to Believe’ Satisfies Fans More Than in Theaters

BrianTT — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:26:35 -0700

CHICAGO – “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” was an unqualified disaster in theaters. One of the worst movies of 2008, the film downplayed the strengths of the first few seasons of the influential series and emphasized the weaknesses of the show’s ignominious end.

But the Blu-Ray release of “I Want to Believe” completely ignores the critical drubbing the film received in theaters and plays to the fans of the show and movie, all of whom will be more than satisfied by an impressive and extensive release. “I Want to Believe” is yet another example of a BD that’s better than the film itself.

Coming a full decade after the first “X-Files” film, “I Want to Believe” is not merely an underwhelming follow-up, something we should have expected after so many years of anticipation. No, this is a failure on every level, a pale shadow of what Chris Carter’s creation was in its prime.

The fatal flaw of “I Want to Believe” is the head-scratcher of a screenplay. After years of delay, the story that Carter was dying to tell is laughably bad. Not only does the horrendous dialogue derail any chance for actual suspense or drama, but the snicker-worthy plot contains no real suspense, action, or, believe it or not, science fiction. Video store workers will struggle with what category to place the film in.

The melodrama of “I Want to Believe” centers on faith. An FBI agent is kidnapped and only a convicted pedophilic priest named Father Joe (Billy Connolly) can find her with his psychic visions. Are his visions for real? Can he be forgiven his past sins with his ability to solve the case? Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) are brought to once again explain the unexplainable.

‘The X-Files: I Want to Believe’ is available on DVD/Blu-ray December 2, 2008.
Photo credit: Diyah Pera, 205h Century Fox

In the years since the series ended, Scully has been working with sick and dying children at Our Lady of Sorrows Hospital, and Mulder has continued his conspiracy-driven ways. Scully convinces a skeptical Mulder to help out the FBI agents played by, in one of the most bizarre casting decisions in years, rapper Xzibit and Amanda Peet. There’s a manipulative and melodramatic subplot involving a controversial treatment that Scully wants to use on a dying child. The biggest mystery of “I Want to Believe” is how the once-talented Carter thought such blatant heartstring pulling would be accepted by fans of his show.

In the end, what’s most shocking is that there’s so little going on in “I Want to Believe”. With no suspense, the film simply never works.

What does work is the Blu-Ray release of “I Want to Believe” in its “Ultimate X-Phile Edition.” The film itself looks good-not-great in 1080p widescreen with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, but the sound mix is very impressive with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track that almost makes it possible to overlook some of the film’s more blatant flaws. The balance of dialogue, score, and effects is flawless.

What makes the “X-Phile Edition” of “I Want to Believe” such a remarkable BD release is the collection of special features, all aimed directly at not just fans of the movie but also the show in general. As much as I disliked the film itself, I would recommend hardcore fans of the show (and I certainly was one not that long ago) pick it up just for the “Interactive Timeline,” a series of clips from the entire run of the series that fans can navigate by theme, character, or chronology. It’s an exhaustively detailed interactive feature that really places the entire franchise in perspective. It’s also, naturally, the best featurette on the disc as it has the least to do with “I Want to Believe” itself.

However, fans of the film won’t possibly be dissatisfied with the detailed special features related solely to it. Carter and co-writer/producer Frank Spotnitz appear for an informative audio commentary that may be a bit too in love with the final product but also provides just enough information and trivia to stay entertaining. There is also a remarkably in-depth documentary about the making of the film called “Trust No One: Can the X-Files Remain a Secret?” that runs nearly as long as the feature and contains interviews with everyone involved. If that’s not enough, “Chris Carter: Statements on Green Production”, a visual effects featurette, deleted scenes, still galleries, a gag reel, and more round out one of the more extensive collections of special features of the season.

“I Want to Believe” also marks Fox’s first foray into BD-Live, and there couldn’t be a more appropriate title. The rabid fan community around all things Mulder and Scully can not only communicate as they watch the film but they can also participate in exclusive features, games, and additional content. There is even an online game with new cases posted weekly to the BD-Live web portal. The potential of BD-Live continues to expand and it’s nice to see Fox jump on the bandwagon.

Finally, “I Want to Believe” includes an extended cut of the film that runs four minutes longer than the theatrical version. The difference is negligible with a few extended character moments and some violent scenes that feel a shot or two longer than the PG-13 rating demanded.

‘The X-Files: I Want to Believe’ is released by Twentieth Century Fox Entertainment and stars David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Billy Connolly, Amanda Peet, and Xzibit. It was written by Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz and directed by Carter. It was released on December 2nd, 2008.

Read Adam Fendelman’s theatrical review of ‘The X-Files: I Want to Believe’.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Interview: British Cult Star Simon Pegg is Fish Out of Water in ‘How to Lose Friends & Alienate People’

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:14:36 -0600

CHICAGO – Simon Pegg (the British cult hero of “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz”) was welcomed to a Chicago hotel where his press event was taking place with personalized water bottles that sported his face.

The star of the new film “How to Lose Friends & Alienate People” cradled the customized gift as if it were an Oscar trophy. He delightedly mocked the honor. It is good to be the king.

HollywoodChicago.com interviewed him from there in a free-wheeling forum about his rise to stardom, his coming to America and why everyone wants to join the Simon Pegg cult.

Megan Fox in “How to Lose Friends & Alienate People”.
Photo credit: MGM

“How to Lose Friends & Alienate People” is based on a memoir by British journalist Toby Young. It’s about his experiences coming to New York City to write for Vanity Fair magazine and legendary editor Graydon Carter. Pegg plays a fictionalized version of the author named Sidney Young while Jeff Bridges plays Carter as Clayton Harding.

“Toby Young – unlike the character – is fine. He’s not a complete idiot,” Pegg said.

“He just has a work ethic that doesn’t care what other people think. He employs that and makes a lot of enemies by being tenacious. Toby couldn’t understand Graydon Carter who had started Spy magazine. He was known for working for Vanity Fair, which was a magazine that celebrates what he was satirizing in Spy.”

Sidney is a fish out of water in America. He takes his British tabloid style to the extreme in trying to adapt to the more languid and worshipful American celebrity press scene. He disappoints Clayton, angers his co-worker, Alison (Kirsten Dunst), and slobbers over a starlet (Megan Fox) that the magazine is pursuing.

“How to Lose Friends & Alienate People” star Simon Pegg (left) in Chicago on Aug. 27, 2008 with Patrick McDonald.
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

Rating: 3.0/5.0

“Megan is mind-bogglingly beautiful. When she walks into a room, you almost have to look away,” Pegg said with a laugh.

He quickly added: “But she is really capable. The telling night was the pool scene where her character, Sophie, seems more than her two-dimensional character. When [director Robert Weide] called ‘cut’ during that scene, there was a palpable sense among the crew that she really can act.”

Pegg’s fish-out-of-water performance in the film is somewhat similar to his first experiences in America and especially with doing publicity for “Shaun of the Dead”.

When I was doing the extensive publicity tour for ‘Shaun of the Dead,’” Pegg said, “I suddenly realized I am a foreigner. [Because] we speak the same language, I think sometimes we think we’re from the same place. As you go deeper in the heartland, you realize we’re not. It’s fascinating.”

Megan Fox in “How to Lose Friends & Alienate People”.
Photo credit: MGM

Pegg also described the conflict between his goofy Sidney character and the more complex Clayton Harding character as played by Jeff Bridges.

“In the film, Clayton always has a matchbook. That matchbook represents Sidney,” Pegg related. “He expects Sidney to be the fired-up guy he was and still wants to be. But Sidney isn’t that guy. Sidney’s just an idiot.”

Pegg is a well-liked and sought-after actor mostly because of his very popular “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz” films. The man himself commented on the cult of Simon Pegg.

“I’m trying to get as many followers as possible,” he said mockingly. “Seriously, what’s great is that you realize the film industry now is populated with film fans and people who appreciate the medium. I didn’t know what to quite make of it. I’m very pleased I’ve done something that has engendered that type of reaction.”

It was this kind of admiration that propelled Pegg into another plum par: the role of Scotty in the upcoming Enterprise prequel “Star Trek” from director J.J. Abrams.

“I am a fan of the first ‘Star Trek,’ but I specifically stayed away from trying to do James Doohan (the original Scotty),” Pegg said. “We were all trying to be those characters and not the actors. So I concentrated on playing Montgomery Scott. ‘Star Trek’ is about the story.”

When asked about “Shaun of the Dead” and Pegg’s relationship to the original “zombie master” (George Romero), the question was asked: “Are you and Romero part of a secret government advisory committee in case of the uprising of the undead?”

“Yes. We are,” Pegg deadpanned. “I can’t say anything more. It’s all about getting people used to the idea so we all know what to do.”

“How to Lose Friends & Alienate People,” which opened on Oct. 3, 2008, features Simon Pegg, Megan Fox, Jeff Bridges, Kirsten Dunst, Gillian Anderson, Thandie Newton and Max Minghella.

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

No Matter How Hard You Believe Otherwise, ‘The X-Files: I Want to Believe’ Most Anemic Story Yet

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:01:00 -0600

CHICAGO – Following an addictive TV series that spanned from 1992 to 2002, I wanted to believe “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” would more dynamically pay homage to its television success than Chris Carter’s first film attempt in 1998. In take two, though, it didn’t happen.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

Carter – who serves as the writer, director and producer of the 2008 film “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” along with the TV series creator – not only has penned an even more anemic script than his film a decade ago but also manages to serve even less justice to a distinctly original TV series that has catered to people’s fantasies and curiosities everywhere.

Read Adam Fendelman’s full review of “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” in our reviews section.

View our full, high-resolution “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” image gallery.

What bewilders the mind most blatantly about “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” – aside from the strong character interactions based on comprehensive character development dating back 16 years now – is that its central plotline hardly feels like something from “The X-Files” at all.

No UFOs. No aliens. Hardly anything supernatural. There’s just a psychic character who – while being a central slice in this story – isn’t such a wild stretch from today’s real world.

In reality, some people actually believe in psychic abilities. This as the one and only “The X-Files”-like plotline is tame in contrast to some of the outlandish theories and concepts typically explored in the TV series.

“The X-Files: I Want to Believe,” which is directed by Chris Carter and stars David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly and Alvin “Xzibit” Joiner, opened everywhere on July 25, 2008.

Continuing reading for Adam Fendelman’s full “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” review.

Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are drawn back into the world of the X-Files in “The X-Files: I Want to Believe”.
Photo credit: Diyah Pera

Father Joseph Crissman (Billy Connolly) – a dark, complex figure with a haunted past – leads a team of FBI agents to a critical discovery in “The X-Files: I Want to Believe”.
Photo credit: Diyah Pera

Continuing reading for Adam Fendelman’s full “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” review.