Dan Fogler

TV Review: ABC’s Abysmal ‘Man Up’ Inspires Hatred of Mankind

mattmovieman — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 08:15:22 -0400

CHICAGO – What can be said about “Man Up” that wasn’t already said about “Last Man Standing”? Neither show has the slightest shred of insight into the mind of modern man. They appear to have been conceived by network executives who hate men with a fiery passion. How else to explain the thoroughly insulting, utterly asinine portraits of masculine arrested development?

Whereas “Standing” cast Tim Allen as an aggressively ignorant family man yearning for a less enlightened yet more testosterone-fueled era, “Man Up” assembles three pathetic schlubs who represent the man-children who Allen reviles. As bad as Allen’s show is, with its stale banter and laugh track that guffaws at every single line, “Man Up” has achieved the unthinkable: it’s even worse. In fact, it’s flat out torturous.

Television Rating: 1.0/5.0

What in the world did writer/creator/co-star Christopher Moynihan think he was making? Did he see too many Judd Apatow comedies but fail to understand their appeal? Did he fail to realize that Apatowian protagonists were engaging precisely because they were relatable and intelligent despite their flaws? Did he see them as mere objects of ridicule? That must’ve been the case, considering the fact that no one in “Man Up” is the least bit likable, amusing or relatable. The men exist solely as grotesqueries inviting audience condescension while the women are portrayed as cruel ice queens. What an ugly excuse for a sitcom.

Teri Polo, Mather Zickel, Charlotte Labadie, Jake Johnson, Dan Fogler, Amanda Detmer, Henry Simmons and Christopher Moynihan star in ABC’s Man Up.
Photo credit: ABC

Mather Zickel stars as Will Keen, the most man-ish of the show’s three leading non-men. He’s married to a beautiful woman, Theresa (Teri Polo), and has two great kids. Yet he still obsesses over namby pamby things like hazelnut creamer and can’t stop himself from waking up everyone in the house while playing video games with his grown buddies, portly slob Kenny (Dan Fogler) and neurotic singleton Craig (Moynihan). The opening sequence of their raucous video game may evoke memories of Seth Gordon’s nonfiction masterpiece, “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.” There’s an unforgettable moment in that film where “Donkey Kong” extraordinaire Steve Wiebe continues to finish a crucial level of his prized game while his young son wails off-camera, requesting his help in the bathroom. That one scene portrayed boyish fixations clashing with adult responsibility in a way that was uproariously funny, heartbreaking and more than a little chilling. Yet Gordon allowed Wiebe to emerge as a richly textured protagonist who the audience couldn’t help but love regardless of his shortcomings. The men of “Man Up,” on the other hand, are obnoxious one-note caricatures.

Man Up premieres Oct. 18 on ABC.
Photo credit: ABC

Take Kenny, for instance. He’s yet another Jack Black-sized character played by Fogler who’s armed with an annoying catchphrase. I’m starting to wonder if that’s one of Fogler’s contractual obligations. Even his best role (in the overlooked “Mars Needs Moms”) was marred by a distracting catchphrase designed to seep into our collective pop culture lexicon. This show gives Fogler not one but two irritating verbal running gags. The first occurs when Kenny nearly drops an f-bomb and replaces the expletive with “fluff.” You’ll be amazed at how many times Moynihan attempts to milk this fluffing gag. Later on, Will tells him to think of his macho role model, and Kenny names Tobey Maguire. You can bet that these two unfunny lines will combine for a doubly unfunny line later in the show. Yet as insufferable as Kenny is, his ex-wife Bridgette (Amanda Detmer) is even worse. She takes perverse pleasure in parading her hunky new boyfriend around Kenny and expects him to take it because he’s a man. Bridgette is such a hateful bitch that she would even bring a top-drawer sitcom to a grinding halt.

And then there’s Craig, a sad little man who seems fated to mourn his past relationship until he mercifully expires. He’s in such a dire need of closure that he crashes his ex’s wedding just to prove to himself that their love is indeed gone. Unfortunately, he brings a guitar and attempts to serenade her back into his mopey arms. His impromptu number doesn’t sit well with the groomsmen, who threaten to pummel the doofus on Will’s lawn. When Will starts to dial 911, the camera closes in on his son’s disappointed face, thus prompting the father to change his mind because it’s…well, the manly thing to do. He and his friends decide to fight the guys even though: A. people will get hurt, B. they’re setting a terrible example for Will’s kids, and C. Craig was in the wrong anyway. The maddening stupidity of this scene is unaided by Kenny’s expulsion of, “I’m Tobey Fluffin’ Maguire!”

Together, “Last Man Standing” and “Man Up” represent not only the nadir of the modern sitcom but the wrongheadedness of old school masculinity. According to these shows, a real man is a thick-headed neanderthal who gives into peer pressure, or his own unrestrained id, in order to prove his power over others. He’s the kind of guy who gets into adolescent fistfights well into his forties. Seriously ABC, grow up.

‘Man Up,’ which airs on ABC, stars Mather Zickel, Dan Fogler, Christopher Moynihan, Teri Polo, Jake Johnson, Amanda Detmer and Henry Simmons. The show was created by Christopher Moynihan. It premieres on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011 at 7:30 PM CST.

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
matt@hollywoodchicago.com

Blu-Ray Review: Disney’s ‘Mars Needs Moms’ Surprises, Delights

mattmovieman — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 08:35:39 -0400

CHICAGO – Sometimes all a film needs is a bad title to repel audiences. “Mars Needs Moms” is based on the Berkeley Breathed picture book of the same name, which derived its own title from the 1966 film, “Mars Needs Women.” Even as an obscure homage, the title falls flat, and most certainly could’ve been replaced. Yet that’s not the only reason why this woefully overlooked film became one of the biggest box office bombs in history.

“Moms” was the last film released by the Disney-owned studio ImageMovers Digital run by Robert Zemeckis, who broke ground with his early motion capture efforts beginning with 2004’s “The Polar Express.” Yet Zemeckis and his team have never been able to compete with the vastly superior work from Weta Digital, the studio behind “Lord of the Rings” and “Avatar.” Whereas the features on Zemeckis’s characters often appear embalmed, there actually seems to be a soul existing beneath the enormously expressive faces of Weta’s characters, most notably Caesar in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

That being said, “Moms” is a thoroughly enjoyable and startlingly inventive lark that deserves to find an audience on Blu-Ray and DVD. ImageMovers never quite mastered the art of character design, but its richly detailed backdrops and fanciful locations are utterly dazzling. The Blu-Ray’s impeccable picture quality is so vivid that it practically looks three-dimensional without the image-dimming goggles, and is actually preferable to view in its 2D format. Director Simon Wells (“The Prince of Egypt”) is the great grandson of H.G. Wells, and this film marks his first foray into science fiction since his botched 2002 remake of “The Time Machine.” Wells has far greater success here in creating a smart and sophisticated entertainment that has the potential to appeal to a wide range of viewers without sacrificing its intelligence. At its heart is a simple message for kids about treasuring the loving guidance of their mothers, but the script by Wells and his wife Wendy resists the urge to become mawkishly sentimental. Unfortunately, the film avoids any sort of emotional impact and never builds a real sense of awe, since its characters become all too accustomed to immediately accepting their mind-boggling surroundings. Yet on the level of funny, harmless, brisk and delightfully creative escapism, the picture delivers in spades.

Dan Fogler and Seth Green provide the movements for Gribble and Milo in Simon Wells’s Mars Needs Moms.
Photo credit: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Milo (voiced by Seth Robert Dusky) is the film’s pint-sized protagonist, and looks not unlike the young hero in Zemeckis’s “Express.” His facial expressions are the most unnatural of the human characters, though that may be because his movements were provided by adult actor Seth Green. It’s a shame that a real kid couldn’t have done the job, though the sheer cost of motion capture technology may be so high that it has yet to be entrusted to a kid in a stunt-heavy performance (Tom Hanks played the boy in “Express”). When aliens in need of maternal guidance kidnap his under-appreciated mother (Joan Cusack), Milo climbs aboard the ship just before it blasts off toward the Red Planet, where he ends up connecting with a fellow Earthling (Dan Fogler) living under the moniker of “Gribble.” His annoying “gribbletastic” catchphrases notwithstanding, this role provides Fogler with his first worthy showcase on film. His improvisational riffs are as amusing as the hippie lingo scattered through the dialogue of Ki (Elisabeth Harnois), an alien who has learned about human culture solely through ’60s sitcoms. “Moms” may be flawed, but it’s infinitely preferable to kiddie time-wasters like “The Smurfs” and a whole lot more entertaining than “Avatar.”

Mars Needs Moms was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on August 9, 2011.
Photo credit: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

“Mars Needs Moms” is presented in 1080p High Definition (with a 2.4:1 aspect ratio), accompanied by English, French, Spanish and Descriptive Video Service audio tracks and is available on a four-disc combo pack with a Blu-Ray, 3D Blu-Ray, DVD and digital copy of the film. Special features include nearly a half-hour of deleted footage that largely expands on the character of Gribble, allowing Fogler to explore more intriguing shades of his character. A line where he angrily charges Milo with ruining his life was cut out of concern that it would make his character unsympathetic, though it would’ve made for a more realistic reaction in the final cut. A brief featurette explains that the Martian language was developed by the various actors, whose self-created sounds inspired the alien’s distinct dialogue.

Yet the real treasure in this home entertainment set is a feature length “Life on Mars” commentary track that is, quite simply, one of the most addictive extras ever made available to film buffs. It provides consumers with the option of viewing the entire film stripped of its motion capture effects. Aspiring filmmakers won’t be able to resist the opportunity to witness the elaborate ways in which each sequence is shot on a soundstage outfitted with various props representing doors, tree branches, etc. The admittedly hilarious sight of Green getting tossed around by stuntmen, rolling up and down ramps and being hoisted up into the air while wearing a skin tight Velcro suit is enough to make one wish that the next Christopher Guest comedy takes place on the set of a motion capture feature. This priceless live action footage may be viewed either full screen or picture-in-picture with the final cut. Wells, Green and Fogler provide optional audio commentary that is often as entertaining as the film itself. Green reminisces about working with Groundlings member Mindy Sterling (who plays the sneering Supervisor) in the “Austin Powers” pictures, and says that one of the benefits of filming a motion capture film is that fact that it allows actors to perform an entire scene without any cuts. He does, however, share one particular gripe he has concerning his onscreen avatar: “My butt looks like a pinched loaf of bread!”

‘Mars Needs Moms’ is released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and stars Seth Green, Dan Fogler, Elisabeth Harnois, Mindy Sterling, Joan Cusack and Seth Robert Dusky. It was written by Simon and Wendy Wells and directed by Simon Wells. It was released on August 9, 2011. It is rated PG.

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
matt@hollywoodchicago.com

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Take Me Home Tonight’ Features String of Bad Decisions

BrianTT — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:14:01 -0400

CHICAGO – Most comedies feature a few key decisions or even just a few moments where you, the viewer, know someone made the wrong choice. Whether it’s something as small as thinking that a punchline works when it doesn’t or something major like the wrong casting decision, modern movie goers are smart enough to tell when they’re watching something dumb. “Take Me Home Tonight,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD is very, VERY dumb.

Blu-Ray Rating: 1.0/5.0

Synopsis:
“A talented ensemble cast delivers laugh-out-loud performances in this “fun nostalgia trip” (Richard Roeper). When Matt Franklin’s (Topher Grace) high-school crush Tori (Teresa Palmer) shows up at his dead-end mall job, he and his buddy Barry (Dan Fogler) devise a wild scheme for Matt to finally win the girl of his dreams. But only time will tell if Matt can seduce this gorgeous goddess at a wild party and survive an outrageous night of seduction, destruction and debauchery. Take this hilarious comedy home tonight!”

On paper, this thing feels like it should work. But movies don’t exist on paper. So, while you can have the best cast, a great nostalgic concept, a killer soundtrack, and a fun premise, you need to make decisions along the way and almost all of the ones surrounding “Take Me Home Tonight” were bad ones. Let’s start with the casting — Topher Grace (generally likable but boring here), Dan Fogler (straight-up obnoxious in nearly everything but worse here than ever before), Anna Faris (perhaps the best comic timing of her generation given NO CHANCE to show it in a thankless role), Lucy Punch (again, too good for the part), Chris Pratt (ditto), and Teresa Palmer (cute girl, zero chemistry with the male lead. Not one of them feels right.

Take Me Home Tonight was released on Blu-ray and DVD on July 19th, 2011
Photo credit: Fox

Bad casting decisions are only half the problem. The idea to make an ’80s “John Hughes movie” twenty-five years later isn’t a bad one but Hughes never made a movie this empty. First, pushing for the R-rating with profanity, heavy drug use, and nudity immediately takes it out of that Hughes world and makes it feel closer to the “Porky’s” rip-offs that went straight-to-video in the early days of VHS. Second, Hughes and his best colleagues knew that character mattered above all else and the characters here simply aren’t interesting. They’re either dull (Grace, Palmer) or trying too hard (Fogler, Pratt, Punch).

But the most important problem with “Take Me Home Tonight” is a simple one — it’s not funny. The worst decision was to green-light a script about one crazy night that really isn’t all that crazy. Sure, there’s a stolen car, a bunch of cocaine, and a bizarre sex scene with Angie Everhart, but it all feels more forced than truly, enjoyably over-the-top. “Take Me Home Tonight” feels much longer than its running time. By the time the sun has come up on this all-nighter, you’ll wish you had stayed home yourself.

Special Features:
o 7 Deleted Scenes
o Cast Get-Together
o Music Boombox
o Take Me Home Tonight Music Video
o Theatrical Trailer & TV Spots
o Digital Copy

“Take Me Home Tonight” stars Topher Grace, Teresa Palmer, Dan Fogler, Anna Faris, Demetri Martin, Lucy Punch, Michael Ian Black, and Chris Pratt. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD on July 19th, 2011.

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

Film Review: Spectacle, Emotion Propel Animation in ‘Mars Needs Moms’

PatrickMcD — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 18:13:43 -0500

CHICAGO – “Mars Needs Moms” is an animated epic that takes its time to build toward the message, but the path to that real emotion is decorated with spectacular imagery and sprightly comedy. It’s Mom, apple pie and motion capture technology.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Going the same route as “Avatar,” but creating a more cartoon feel, Mars Needs Moms uses motion capture – the actors performing in specially designed outfits on which their animated characters will be applied to in post production – as a way to create a Planet Mars that needs a lesson. The landscape of this lesson is breathtaking, another breakthrough in design and function. The story gets in the way a bit, but evens the score with a exciting ending.

Milo (crisply voiced by Seth Green) is a pre-pubescent boy who hates taking out the garbage and feels he is put upon by his demanding mother (Joan Cusack). After another argument, he is forced to his room, and hurls a very hurtful last epithet towards his Mom. Meanwhile, in the underground world of the Planet Mars, Milo’s mother has been targeted as a perfect disciplinarian figure to abduct for nefarious purposes.

And abducted she is. A posse of Martians captures her in the night, but not without notice from Milo, who pursuits the captors back to the spacecraft. He manages to get aboard, and through the wormhole the rocket occupants go, back to the Red Planet. Milo is noticed and imprisoned, but an unseen force opens his cell, and craftily leads him to a large garbage dump. There he meets Gribble, an earthling who ended up on Mars 25 years ago for the same reason Milo is there; they captured his mother.

Gribble explains that Mars implants the perfect mother’s disciplinary essence into their robot nannies, who then care for the children who are born every 25 years. The mother they use is expendable, she ceases to exist once the power of the sunrise completes the process. That gives Milo about six hours to plan a rescue. With Gribble’s help, and a hippie-esque Martian named Ki (Elisabeth Harnois), they might just be able to pull it off.

“Mars Needs Mothers” opens everywhere March 11th. Featuring the voices of Seth Green, Dan Fogler, Joan Cusack, Elisabeth Harnois and Tom Everett Scott.. Based on the book by Berkeley Breathed, screenplay by Simon Wells and Wendy Wells, directed by Simon Wells. Rated “PG” NOTE: Stay for the end credits, they contain a fun music video and some behind-the-animation technology scenes.

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Mars Needs Moms”

Nerve Center: Gribble (Voice of Dan Folger) and Milo (Seth Green) in ‘Mars Need Moms’
Photo credit: © Image Movers Digital

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Mars Needs Moms”

Slideshow: 22-Image Gallery For ‘Love Happens’ With Jennifer Aniston, Aaron Eckhart

BrianTT — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:56:07 -0400

CHICAGO – This 22-image slideshow contains the official press images for “Love Happens,” starring Aaron Eckhart, Jennifer Aniston, Dan Fogler, Judy Greer, Joe Anderson, John Carroll Lynch, Frances Conroy and Martin Sheen. The film was written by Brandon Camp & Mike Thompson and directed by Camp and opens on September 18th, 2009. It is rated PG-13.

Synopsis: “Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston star in the romantic drama Love Happens. When a self-help author arrives in Seattle to teach a sold-out seminar, he unexpectedly meets the one person who might finally be able to help him help himself.

Dr. Burke Ryan (Eckhart) is on the precipice of a major multimedia deal, but the therapist who asks his patients to openly confront their pain is secretly unable to take his own advice.

Eloise Chandler (Aniston) has sworn off men and decided to focus on her floral business. However, when she meets Burke at the hotel where he’s speaking, there is an instant attraction. But will two people who have met the right person at exactly the wrong time be able to give love another chance?

As each struggles with the hurt of love and loss, they realize that in order to move forward, they need to let go of the past. And if they can, they’ll find that, sometimes, love happens when you least expect it.”

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 Kimberley French and Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Love_Happens_01: Dan Fogler stars as literary agent Lane Martin.
Love_Happens_02: Aaron Eckhart stars as Dr. Burke Ryan.
Love_Happens_03: Jennifer Aniston stars as florist Eloise Chandler.
Love_Happens_04: Aaron Eckhart stars as Dr. Burke Ryan.
Love_Happens_05: (L to R) Aaron Eckhart as Dr. Burke Ryan and writer/director Brandon Camp on the set.
Love_Happens_06: Writer/director Brandon Camp and Jennifer Aniston as florist Eloise Chandler.
Love_Happens_07: (L to R) Marty (Judy Greer) tries to talk sense into co-worker Eloise (Jennifer Aniston).
Love_Happens_08: Judy Greer stars as nosy co-worker Marty.
Love_Happens_09: Eloise Chandler (Jennifer Aniston) shows Dr. Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart) her flower shop.
Love_Happens_10: Dr. Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart) and Eloise Chandler (Jennifer Aniston).
Love_Happens_11: Dr. Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart) and Eloise Chandler (Jennifer Aniston).
Love_Happens_12: Jennifer Aniston stars as florist Eloise Chandler.
Love_Happens_13: Jennifer Aniston stars as florist Eloise Chandler.
Love_Happens_14: Dr. Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart) and Eloise Chandler (Jennifer Aniston).
Love_Happens_15: (L to R) Agent Lane Martin (Dan Fogler) has a drink with his client, Dr. Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart).
Love_Happens_16: Dr. Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart) meets Eloise Chandler (Jennifer Aniston).
Love_Happens_17: Dr. Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart) and Eloise Chandler (Jennifer Aniston).
Love_Happens_18: (L to R, foreground) Conference attendee Walter (John Carroll Lynch) and Dr. Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart).
Love_Happens_19: Dr. Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart) walks over hot coals.
Love_Happens_20: (L to R) Dr. Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart) has a tense conversation with his former father-in-law (Martin Sheen).
Love_Happens_21: Martin Sheen stars as former father-in-law.
Love_Happens_22: Writer/director Brandon Camp on the set.

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

Ang Lee’s ‘Taking Woodstock’ Lays Down Too Mellow a Vibe to Be Memorable

BrianTT — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:26:05 -0400

CHICAGO – More about the vibe surrounding the three days of peace and love that would become the most influential festival in history than the actual music itself, Ang Lee’s “Taking Woodstock” is a frustrating drama with individual elements that work but a cinematic set list that is ultimately disjointed and unsatisfying.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

Late in “Taking Woodstock,” Elliot Teichberg’s (Demetri Martin) father (Henry Goodman) asks his son if he enjoyed the concert. Elliot says he made a few friends and that “It was great.” That’s the essential dialogue exchange in “Taking Woodstock,” a film about finding community, acceptance, and friendship more than one about bands, singers, or actual creativity.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Taking Woodstock” in our reviews section.

It’s a unique and interesting way to approach the legend of Woodstock but also one that feels like too much to try and capture in a two-hour drama/comedy with only one real central character. “Taking Woodstock” might have worked as a “Nashville”-esque ensemble piece but writer James Schamus and director Ang Lee focus all their energy on a lead who is, to be frank, not that interesting, and turn the rest of their characters into two-dimensional cliches for him to bounce off on his way out of town.

Martin stars as Teichberg, a New Yorker forced to return to the Catskills and take care of his parents (Goodman & Imelda Staunton) run down motel. Every summer, Elliot plans an arts and music festival, and this year there just happens to be a few musicians without a home after a nearby town runs out what would become the Woodstock festival.

Continuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Taking Woodstock” review.

‘Taking Woodstock’ stars Demetri Martin, Imelda Staunton, Henry Goodman, Emile Hirsch, Paul Dano, Kelli Garner, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Eugene Levy, Dan Fogler, Jonathan Groff, Richard Thomas, and Liev Schreiber. It was written by James Schamus and directed by Ang Lee. It opens on August 28th, 2009. It is rated R.

Taking Woodstock.
Photo credit: Focus Features

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Passes to ‘Taking Woodstock’ Chicago Screening With Emile Hirsch

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:50:19 -0400

CHICAGO – In our latest trippy edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 admit-two passes up for grabs to the highly anticipated Chicago screening of “Taking Woodstock” from Oscar-winning director Ang Lee (“Brokeback Mountain” and “Sense and Sensibility”). “Taking Woodstock” stars Emile Hirsch, Liev Schreiber, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Dan Fogler, Demetri Martin, Paul Dano, Henry Goodman, Jonathan Groff and Eugene Levy.

To win your free pass to the advance screening of “Taking Woodstock” in Chicago courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, all you need to do is answer our question below. That’s it! The screening will be held on Aug. 27, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in downtown Chicago. Directions to enter this Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.

The movie poster for “Taking Woodstock” with Emile Hirsch, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Paul Dano.
Image credit: Focus Features

Here is the “Taking Woodstock” plot description:

“Taking Woodstock” is the new film from Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee – and it’s a trip! Based on the memoirs of Elliot Tiber, the comedy stars Demetri Martin as Elliot who inadvertently played a role in making 1969’s Woodstock Music & Arts Festival into the famed happening it was.

Featuring a standout ensemble cast and songs from a score of 1960s musical icons including The Grateful Dead, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane and Country Joe and the Fish (along with a new recording of “Freedom” from Richie Havens), “Taking Woodstock” is a joyous voyage to a moment in time when everything seemed possible.

Working as an interior designer in Greenwich Village, Elliot feels empowered by the gay rights movement. But he is also still staked to the family business: a dumpy Catskills motel called the El Monaco that is being run into the ground by his overbearing parents, Jake and Sonia Teichberg (Henry Goodman and Imelda Staunton). In the summer of 1969, Elliot has to move back upstate to the El Monaco in order to help save the motel from being taken over by the bank.

Upon hearing that a planned music and arts festival has lost its permit from the neighboring town of Wallkill, N.Y., Elliot calls producer Michael Lang (Jonathan Groff) at Woodstock Ventures to offer his family’s motel to the promoters and generate some much-needed business. Elliot also introduces Lang to his neighbor, Max Yasgur (Eugene Levy), who operates a 600-acre dairy farm down the road.

Soon the Woodstock staff is moving into the El Monaco and half a million people are on their way to Yasgur’s farm for “three days of peace and music in White Lake”.

With a little help from his friends including theater troupe leader Devon (Dan Fogler), recently returned Vietnam veteran Billy (Emile Hirsch) and cross-dressing ex-Marine Vilma (Liev Schreiber) – and with a little opposition from townspeople including Billy’s brother, Dan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) – Elliot finds himself swept up in a generation-defining experience that would change his life and popular culture forever.

“Taking Woodstock” is a Focus Features presentation of an Ang Lee film starring Demetri Martin, Dan Fogler, Henry Goodman, Jonathan Groff, Eugene Levy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Imelda Staunton with Emile Hirsch and Liev Schreiber.

Casting by Avy Kaufman. Costume designer is Joseph G. Aulisi. Music supervisor is Joe Boyd. Music by Danny Elfman. Editor is Tim Squyres. Production designer is David Gropman. Director of photography is Eric Gautier. Based on the Book by Elliot Tiber with Tom Monte. Executive producer is Michael Hausman. Produced by James Schamus, Ang Lee and Celia Costas. Screenplay by James Schamus. Directed by Ang Lee.

The “Taking Woodstock” movie trailer can be watched now below.

To secure your free tickets now, make sure you’re logged into your HollywoodChicago.com account. If you don’t yet have one, you can quickly register here. Having an account with a valid e-mail address is required. Then, simply add a new comment in the form below. In your comment, include an answer to this simple question:

What’s the most euphoric/trippy experience you can recall?

Like all Hookups here, this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup is simple: Just submit your comment below and we will award 50 people randomly via e-mail. Winners needs to arrive early as seats are consumed on a first-come, first-served basis. “Taking Woodstock” opens on Aug. 28, 2009.

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

DVD Review: ‘Fanboys’ For Hardcore ‘Star Wars’ Junkies Only

BrianTT — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:17:11 -0400

CHICAGO – I really want to recommend “Fanboys”. The story behind the film is a David-and-Goliath tale of a young filmmaker bringing his comedic vision to life against all odds and the film is finally being released on DVD after years of delays. Sadly, the drama behind-the-scenes doesn’t change the mediocre quality of the final product.

DVD Rating: 2.0/5.0

Just because the producers behind Kyle Newman’s “Fanboys” meddled with the film and arguably wanted to make it significantly worse, doesn’t mean that what has been released is a good movie to begin with. Everyone involved with “Fanboys” appears to have their hearts in the right place and the film has moments and performances that nearly redeem it, but it ultimately doesn’t click as either a laugh-out-loud comedy or an ode to the Lucas universe. Only hardcore “Star Wars” junkies need rent or buy.

Fanboys was released on DVD on May 19th, 2009.
Photo credit: The Weinstein Company

The set-up for “Fanboys” threw me off before I could even get into the rhythm of the piece. The first act is all cliched arguments about “Star Wars” vs. “Star Trek” and generic jokes about the quarter-life crisis. The film starts in 1998 with the two “straight men,” the Han and Luke of the piece, Eric (Sam Huntington) and Linus (Chris Marquette).

Fanboys was released on DVD on May 19th, 2009.
Photo credit: The Weinstein Company

Eric and Linus have grown distant as the former has given up on his comic dreams to work at his father’s car dealership. Linus clings to his youth by spending time with Windows (Jay Baruchel), Hutch (Dan Fogler), and Zoe (Kristen Bell). When Eric learns that Linus is dying of cancer and may not make it to see the premiere of “Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace,” the gang head to Skywalker Ranch to break in and see an early cut of the film.

The gang takes off and what ensues is a string of episodic encounters with cameos from a diverse array of people including Seth Rogen, Jaime King, Ethan Suplee, Billy Dee Williams, Carrie Fisher, Kevin Smith, and William Shatner. With the all-for-one fun spirit of the piece, it nearly comes together. There’s enough genuine intention on the part of the filmmaker/cast and some strong comic timing from the great Baruchel and gorgeous Bell that “Fanboys” will work as a rental for some people.

For the rest of you, the sad news is that “Fanboys” just isn’t that funny. There are maybe three real laughs. What’s so ironic about the Weinstein Company’s notorious attempt to remove the cancer plotline from the film is that it works better than the humor. The comic timing just isn’t right.

The one thing I took away from “Fanboys” more than anything else is that what Kevin Smith does is not as easy as it looks. Remember the conversation about Death Star construction in “Clerks”? That exchange is more like the ones that “Star Wars” junkies have on a daily basis than anything in “Fanboys” but it’s clearly the kind of dialogue that Newman was going for in his comedy. What sinks “Fanboys” is that none of it - the emotion, the quarter-life crisis, the sci-fi references - feels genuine. It’s forced comedy.

Fanboys was released on DVD on May 19th, 2009.
Photo credit: The Weinstein Company

It’s ironic that years of expectation left many fans disappointed by the “Star Wars” prequels and the same thing is likely to happen to the long-delayed “Fanboys”.

The film may only be slightly disappointing, but the DVD is borderline offensive. Given the long history of “Fanboys,” one would expect a stellar home treatment. Blu-Ray, tons of deleted scenes, featurettes about the troubled road the film took to the big screen, and the story of the fan movement that brought the movie back from development hell, right? Wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong.

Is The Weinstein Company waiting for a special edition Blu-Ray? Doubt it. This is probably the final word on “Fanboys” and even though I clearly don’t love the film, the people who fought for it deserved better.

First, the actual transfer and presentation of the film is downright awful. The widescreen video is murky and the English Dolby 5.1 track is lackluster.

Even more annoying, especially given the film’s well-known post-production drama, are the depressingly light special features. The deleted scenes and featurettes all run under ten minutes. “The Truth About Fanboys,” “The Star Wars Parallel,” “4 Fanboys & 1 Fangirl,” and “The Choreography” are nothing more than on-the-set, talking-head pieces. The film and fans deserved more.

The best special feature, by far, is the commentary with cast & crew. If some more of the breezy, enjoyable cameraderie on display in that track had made it into the film, perhaps The Weinstein Company would have treated it better in its theatrical and home release.

‘Fanboys’ was released by The Weinstein Company and stars Jay Baruchel, Dan Fogler, Sam Huntington, Christopher Marquette, and Kristen Bell. It was written by Ernest Cline and Adam F. Goldberg and directed by Kyle Newman. The film was released on May 19th, 2009. It is rated PG-13.

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

Interview: Cancer, Cameos, Cuts With ‘Fanboys’ Director Kyle Newman

BrianTT — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:55:15 -0500

CHICAGO – Kyle Newman’s “Fanboys” has had one of the most legendary post-productions in the history of film. The director opened up to HollywoodChicago.com about the six-year journey of his labor of love on the eve of his world premiere: a day that Newman admits he once thought he would never see.

Jay Baruchel (Windows), Dan Fogler (Hutch), Chris Marquette (Linus), Sam Huntington (Eric) and Kristen Bell (Zoe) star in Kyle Newman’s Fanboys.
Photo credit: John Estes

The definition of a “fanboy,” courtesy of “Fanboys” director Kyle Newman - “It’s a term for a group of people, no matter what age, who are really into sci-fi, fandom, comic books, a certain genre of film. And they are unafraid to wear that on their sleeves. I don’t think fanboys are closet nerds. They are people who embrace it, sometimes flaunt it, and are proud of who they are.

They are heavily represented in the online community. They’re tech-savvy. They’re cutting edge for what they’re into. They’re people unafraid to talk about what they’re into. Even at a nice dinner, they’ll talk about Star Wars, Go-Bots, whatever.”

Kyle Newman
Photo credit: Linda L.Crispien

Newman was going to make it to Chicago for an in-person interview but rumors of snow the following day forced him to stay in L.A. and do a phone interview. As he said, “Tomorrow is the premiere and I’ve been working on it for six years. If there was anything that delayed my trip, I’d regret it forever.”

And what a long, strange trip it’s been.

When “Fanboys” wrapped in the spring of 2006, it was a tender comedy about a quartet of friends who travelled cross-country to break into Skywalker Ranch and see an early cut of “Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace”. They weren’t merely criminals. One of them, Linus (Chris Marquette), was dying of cancer and he had been waiting his entire life to see George Lucas’ prequel. His friends were committed to making that dying wish come true.

The film co-starred Jay Baruchel, Dan Fogler, Sam Huntington, and Kristin Bell, and featured cameos by Seth Rogen, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Ray Park, Kevin Smith, and William Shatner.

Test audiences adored the movie. The Weinstein Company did not. As Newman says, “Here, I’ve made a movie that I’m really proud of. I screened it in London to 1400 fans at Star Wars Celebration to three standing ovations and I videotaped it and I showed everybody, but I guess nobody ever showed Harvey [Weinstein].”

“Fanboys” was originally scheduled to be released in the fall of 2006. The first delay was to February of ‘07, then August of that year. Then the floor fell out as rumors of reshoots and massive changes surfaced online, pushing the film back until at least 2008.

Newman himself was baffled. “I’m getting all this support online and they’re talking about changing it and it just didn’t all add up. I was afraid. I knew I had made a great movie. The actors, producers, writers - we were all happy with what we had pulled off. We were smart about how we cast the movie. We had tremendous foresight considering the people we cast who took off. We were on the right track.”

Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell, Dan Fogler and Chris Marquette star in Kyle Newman’s Fanboys.
Photo credit: John Estes

It turned out that a year-and-a-half after the first shoot, director Stephen Brill came in to do massive reshoots. The cancer plotline was eliminated entirely and the film was turned into a generic road movie. And it was not pretty.

Newman pulls no punches, saying that “There was a lot of negative stuff and the people they brought in to work on the film were, in a very low class way, criticizing the actors and the casting and the directing and kind of demeaning Star Wars fandom. Here we’d done all this grassroots awareness and built support and, suddenly, there are polls on StarWars.com debating “How worried are you about the fate of Fanboys?””

“It was very disheartening to watch everything that you’ve done positive be undermined in a week by a bunch of idiots, this team that was brought in to do this. Mainly just the director who they brought in to re-shape it who was opening his mouth online and really offending our core audience. So, I was shocked. I was like, “Oh my God.” It was just getting out of control and here we are on the sidelines and I’m watching the movie fall apart. I’m watching our fanbase dissipate.”

Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler and Sam Huntington star in Kyle Newman’s Fanboys.
Photo credit: John Estes

The internet community that adores “Star Wars” and supported “Fanboys” went to work. An online campaign called “Stop Dark Weinstein (From Ruining Fanboys)” popped up and thousands of fans e-mailed the Weinstein Company.

It led to more delays but also started to build buzz around the movie. The Weinstein Company brought Newman back on board and let him and the original creative team back in the editing room. The cancer subplot came back.

The idea that one of these young men was dying was always essential to Newman. “It was a rallying call for these guys. While the trip, in conceit, was very zany, it had this emotional core to it because it was coming from a grounded place. I thought the movie was unhinged without it.

You couldn’t get behind these guys. To me, it became soulless. There was no heart and little purpose. And there was no ticking clock. Ultimately, where did it end up? It ended with them watching the movie on a laptop and then throwing it out the window and saying “That sucked” and driving off. It didn’t culminate in anything. There was no substance. It was hard to watch.”

Kyle Newman has been a Star Wars fan his entire life. In fact, he claims that his first memory is of Star Wars when he was under two years old. It wasn’t the movie itself, but the energy that the film created. “I remember my brothers and sisters, my cousins, everyone had gone to see it. There was this electric energy.”

Newman felt that energy again when “Phantom Menace” was coming out and that inspired “Fanboys”.

Of course, a lot of the anticipation leading up to “Phantom Menace” disappeared when fans saw the movie. But Newman is still a fan. “When you’re a kid or a teen and you’re seeing these movies and you’re hearing the idea of prequels, you’re imagining what they’re going to be in your head. I think, invariably, it will never live up to the expectations of your own imagination tailored to what you want it to be. I probably like them more than most people it wasn’t really the medium in which it was presented. I was more interested in what the story was. Star Wars could be oral tradition, they’re such good stories.

So, I went and found out all the spoilers. I eased into it. It wasn’t like a big culture shock. “Whoa, that wasn’t what I imagined.” So, I think that was a factor. I think people who did that - eased in after 20 years of anticipation…if you don’t do that, you’re bound to be let down.”

Fanboys Poster
Photo credit: The Weinstein Company

“Star Wars” isn’t Newman’s only love. He also admits excitement for the upcoming “Star Trek” movie, saying, “The cast is incredibly exciting. I like that new trailer. A good buddy of ours, Zachary Quinto, is playing Spock. I’m incredibly excited for him. I think it’s a perfect role for him. I think the cast is great. There’s a lot of life left in Star Trek. I think they’re gonna kick off something good.”

And Newman loves “Close Encounters, Blade Runner, 2001, Alien, Aliens, and all those type of films, Goonies, Gremlins - but Star Wars holds a unique place. It exists in different mediums. I think the reason that Star Wars has such longevity is the fan community. The people have responded to it and taken it on themselves to keep it alive.

George Lucas was smart in recognizing that there are a lot of people who want to play in the world he created. So, let them write books and comic books and design toys and video games and expand the series into television. I think he knows the universe has gotten bigger than anything he can control.”

It seems like everything about “Fanboys” has been about anticipation, that of the characters for “Phantom Menace” and now for the film itself. The anticipation will finally pay off when “Fanboys” is released on Friday, February 6th, 2009. But that may not be the last version you see. Newman admits that there are some changes in the current version that he’s not thrilled with and there may be a director’s cut on DVD some day.

“It was give-and-takes. I got to put the story in but I had to give up on little nuance beats which I think make the story richer. If I was ever to do a master cut, it’s all waiting there.”

“Fanboys” may finally be coming out, but the end of this story may yet be unwritten.

‘Fanboys’ stars Jay Baruchel, Dan Fogler, Chris Marquette, Sam Huntington, Kristin Bell, and Seth Rogen. ‘Fanboys,’ which was written by Ernest Cline and Adam F. Goldberg and directed by Kyle Newman, opens on February 6th, 2009.

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

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 10 Autographed ‘Fanboys’ Posters From Dan Fogler

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:14:56 -0500

CHICAGO – In our latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have a special giveaway with 10 autographed “Fanboys” posters from actors Dan Fogler, Sam Huntington and Chris Marquette. “Fanboys” also stars Seth Rogen, Kristen Bell and Jay Baruchel from director Kyle Newman. The film opens in limited U.S. theaters on Feb. 6, 2009.

To win your autographed “Fanboys” poster courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, all you need to do is be one of the first 10 people to submit your geek story in our confidential, Web-based submission form. That’s it! Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.

The poster for “Fanboys”.
Image credit: The Weinstein Company

Here is the synopsis for “Fanboys”:

It’s the Halloween party they’ve all been waiting for: to have fun with friends and hang out with fellow “Star Wars” fans and partners in crime. However, events take a turn when one of their bunch who long ago outgrew his old gang and took on adult responsibilities is suddenly in their midst again.

Reconnecting is not easy, but soon Eric, Windows, Hutch and Zoe realize that Linus will not live long enough to experience what has been on their minds for ages: the long-awaited theatrical release of “Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace,” which is still several months away.

To secure your free poster, you must be logged into your HollywoodChicago.com account. If you don’t yet have one, you can quickly register here. Having an account with a valid e-mail address is required to win this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup.

Next, simply submit your geek story. You must submit your geek story using this confidential, Web-based submission form. Please do not comment in this Hookup. Your entry will be invalid if you do so. Please only submit your geek story using this submission form.

You must include your e-mail address, name and physical mailing address in your submission. Your personal information will be kept strictly confidential and is only for us to mail winning posters. Your personal information will not be sold or shared elsewhere.

Submit your geek story now!

Like all Hookups here, this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film is simple: The first 10 people to submit a geek story win! The 10 autographed posters will be mailed to the winners at our expense.

11:35 a.m. update on Feb. 3, 2009: We were initially informed by the studio that these “Fanboys” posters were signed by director Kyle Newman. Due to his Chicago flight cancellation, they will now by signed by actors Dan Fogler, Sam Huntington and Chris Marquette.

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