Timothy Olyphant

Video: Trailer For Remake of ‘The Crazies’ With Timothy Olyphant

BrianTT — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:57:47 -0600

CHICAGO – We know that remakes aren’t supposed to get us excited, especially when they’re remakes of classics like George A. Romero’s “The Crazies,” but this preview totally works and we just had to share. Starring Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Danielle Panabaker, Preston Bailey, and Joe Anderson. It was written by Scott Kosar and Ray Wright and directed by Breck Eisner (“Sahara”). The film opens on February 26th, 2010.

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

Video: Timothy Olyphant Returns to TV in FX’s ‘Lawman’

BrianTT — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:37:47 -0600

CHICAGO – Timothy Olyphant, star of HBO’s “Deadwood” and FX’s “Damages,” and films including “Go,” “A Perfect Getaway,” “Hitman,” “Catch and Release,” and many more, returns to television early next year in FX’s latest original series, “Lawman,” from creator Graham Yost (“Boomtown”) and based on a character created by Elmore Leonard (“Get Shorty,” “Out of Sight”).

The official synopsis from FX:

“Olyphant stars in the lead role of Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens. Givens is a modern day 19th century-style lawman, enforcing his brand of justice in a way that puts a target on his back with criminals and places him at odds with his bosses in the Marshal service. That conflict results in a reassignment for Givens to the U.S. District covering the town where he grew up. He is an anachronism – a tough, soft spoken gentleman who finds his quarry fascinating, but never gives an inch. Dig under his placid skin and you’ll find an angry man who grew up hard in rural Kentucky, with an outlaw father, who knows a lot more about who he doesn’t want to be than who he really is.”

And the cool new clip the network has provided:

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

‘A Perfect Getaway’ With Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich Delivers Thrills

BrianTT — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:23:40 -0600

Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – David Twohy’s “A Perfect Getaway” is a surprisingly effective thriller, featuring good-to-great performances from Milla Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant, Steve Zahn, and Kiele Sanchez, and a taut, interesting screenplay with enough twists and turns to keep the audience entertained for its scant running time.

In a season that has been dominated by effects-heavy and usually over-long blockbusters, it’s almost refreshing to see an old-fashioned thriller like “A Perfect Getaway,” a film that doesn’t turn the genre on its head as much as just try to deliver as good a time as possible within its constructs.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “A Perfect Getaway” in our reviews section.

“A Perfect Getaway” opens with home video footage shot at a wedding. Cut to Cliff & Cydney Anderson (Steve Zahn & Milla Jovovich), a young couple on their honeymoon on the beautiful island of Kaua’i. The couple is all smiles, driving a jeep through the brush and taking a helicopter ride. In the air, they spot a beach that can only be reached on foot or by kayak and agree to take the 3-day hike to get to it.

On their way to the trail, the Andersons run into another couple named Cleo & Kale (Marley Shelton & Chris Hemsworth). The drifter-looking hitchhikers are the opposite of the Andersons. He’s tattoo-ed. She wears dreadlocks. And the buttoned-up couple and the hippie one butt heads. Think Cleo & Kale will eventually end up on the same trail as our heroes? Don’t get ahead of the movie.

‘A Perfect Getaway’ stars Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant, Kiele Sanchez, Chris Hemsworth, and Marley Shelton. It was written and directed by David Twohy. It opens on August 7th, 2009. It is rated R.

Continuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “A Perfect Getaway” review.

Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Milla Jovovich).
Photo credit: Javier Pesquera and Rogue Pictures

Slideshow: 19-Image Gallery For ‘A Perfect Getaway’ With Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn

BrianTT — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:50:51 -0600

CHICAGO – This 19-image slideshow contains the official press images for “A Perfect Getaway,” starring Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Kiele Sanchez, Chris Hemsworth, Marley Shelton and Steve Zahn. It was written and directed by David Twohy. The film opens on August 7, 2009.

Synopsis: “Cliff and Cydney (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) are an adventurous young couple celebrating their honeymoon by backpacking to one of the most beautiful, and remote, beaches in Hawaii. Hiking the wild, secluded trails, they believe they’ve found paradise. But when the pair comes across a group of frightened hikers discussing the horrifying murder of another newlywed couple on the islands, they begin to question whether they should turn back.

Unsure whether to stay or flee, Cliff and Cydney join up with two other couples, and things begin to go terrifyingly wrong. Far from civilization or rescue, everyone begins to look like a threat and nobody knows whom to trust. Paradise becomes hell on earth as a brutal battle for survival begins… www.iamrogue.com/aperfectgetaway”

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

Perfect_01: (L to R) Cydney (Milla Jovovich), Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Nick (Timothy Olyphant) continue their hike.
Perfect_02: Timothy Olyphant as Nick.
Perfect_03: Steve Zahn as Cliff.
Perfect_04: Milla Jovovich as Cydney.
Perfect_05: (L to R) Kiele Sanchez as Gina, Milla Jovovich as Cydney and Steve Zahn as Cliff.
Perfect_06: Milla Jovovich as Cydney.
Perfect_07: (L to R) Milla Jovovich as Cydney and Kiele Sanchez as Gina.
Perfect_08: Kiele Sanchez as Gina.
Perfect_09: Milla Jovovich as Cydney and Steve Zahn as Cliff.
Perfect_10: Milla Jovovich as Cydney.
Perfect_11: Milla Jovovich as Cydney and Steve Zahn as Cliff.
Perfect_12: Kiele Sanchez as Gina.
Perfect_13: Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez) observe their surroundings.
Perfect_14: Cydney (Milla Jovovich) takes matters into her own hands.
Perfect_15: Cliff (Steve Zahn) defends himself.
Perfect_16: (L to R) Milla Jovovich as Cydney, Kiele Sanchez as Gina, Timothy Olyphant as Nick and Steve Zahn as Cliff.
Perfect_17: Milla Jovovich as Cydney.
Perfect_18: Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Milla Jovovich).
Perfect_19: Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez).

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

‘Damages’ Returns With Intense, Riveting Start to Season Two

BrianTT — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:39:51 -0700

CHICAGO – The complex, twisted world of FX’s excellent “Damages” returns this week with a spectacular set-up for what promises to be another riveting season of twists and turns down the alleys of legal ethics and questionable moral behavior with an even more impressive ensemble than the one that won Emmys for its highly lauded first season.

The character played by Zeljko Ivanek, Emmy winner for Supporting Actor, may be dead and gone, but the rest of the cast, including Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, and even Ted Danson, are back, joined by three of the better actors that you will find on TV this season - Oscar winner William Hurt, Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden, and Timothy Olyphant (“Deadwood,” “Go”). Hurt should clear his mantle now for an Emmy this summer and Close probably needs to make room for number two but they’re far from alone. “Damages” is a clear frontrunner for the best ensemble on television. Most films over the next few months won’t feature acting this impressive.

Rose Byrne (L) and Glenn Close (R) in Damages premiering Wednesday, Jan. 7 (10 PM ET/PT) on FX.
Photo credit: Craig Blankenhorne/FX

It may have been a year and a half since “Damages” was on the air, but in the world of Hewes & Associates, it’s only been a month since the disastrous end of the Arthur Frobisher case. In case you don’t remember the flurry of activity that ended season one, cutthroat attorney Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) watched her opponent in the courtroom Ray Fiske (Zeljko Ivanek) take his own life in front of her eyes. The problem for Patty (besides the emotional trauma) was that she was blackmailing the closeted defenseman, so she needed Ellen (Rose Byrne) to help clean up the evidence before the police arrived. Fearing that Ellen knew enough to ruin her life forever, Patty sent someone to kill the woman that she had grown close to professionally and personally.

Rose Byrne as Ellen Parsons on the season premiere of Damages airing on Wednesday, Jan. 7 (10 pm e/p) on FX.
Photo credit: Mark Seliger/FX

Ellen survived the attack on her life, but her fiance wasn’t so lucky, getting killed on the same night by nefarious businessman Arthur Frobisher’s (Ted Danson) people. With a dead husband-to-be and the knowledge that her boss tried to kill her, Ellen was approached by the FBI and tasked with taking down Patty Hewes from the inside. And that’s the very brief version of a labyrynthine season that became one of the first basic cable shows nominated for a Best Drama Series Emmy (“Mad Men” was also nominated giving them the joint honor of being the “first”).

The structure of the first season was essentially a flashback. The show opened with a bloodied Ellen running from a building and being arrested for the death of her fiance. The series then worked back to that moment, detailing how the new attorney went from wide-eyed rookie to bitter veteran over the course of one case.

One of many questions answered by the premiere of season two is would the show followed a similar structure? Yes. The new episode opens with a monologue by Ellen in close-up to someone unseen. Only at the end of the scene, do we realize that sweet Ellen is holding a gun. It’s going to be a different Ellen in year two.

Flash back six months to just one month after the end of the Frobisher case. Arthur survived getting shot in the gut and is recovering in a hospital. Ellen is undercover and being handed a fake case by the FBI to try and entrap Patty into doing something illegal. And Patty is being approached by someone from her past, Daniel Purcell (William Hurt), a potential whistle blower about to destroy a major company. Meanwhile, Ellen meets someone intriguing (Timothy Olyphant) in her anger management class. Marcia Gay Harden joins the supporting cast in the second episode as an attorney caught up between Daniel and Patty.

What is the link between Patty and Purcell? Will Tom (Tate Donovan) get caught up in Ellen’s web with the FBI? Is the new guy in Ellen’s life a genuine love interest or a vengeful nut job? Will the fact that Patty is guilty of conspiracy to commit murder be a part of the fabric of the show until its end? How can they ever drop it?

Glenn Close as stars as Patty Hewes on Damages airing on Wednesday, Jan. 14 (10 pm e/p) on FX.
Photo credit: Craig Blankenhorne/FX

The first episode of the second season of “Damages” - “I Lied, Too” - is a little cluttered, answering some questions from the last season and setting up new ones, but the show quickly settles into an interesting groove in the second episode and especially the excellent third episode. It’s great to see the focus of the show switch and easily survive the transition from the Frobisher case to the Purcell one. How many series could survive the loss of its Best Supporting Actor winner (Ivanek) and the switch of focus away from his fellow nominee (Danson) and not only feel as good but arguably better? It’s a testament to the writing team at “Damages,” one of the best on television and one that clearly drew in actors as talented as Hurt, Harden, and Olyphant.

Like a lot of shows that succeed in their first season, the second chapter of “Damages” feels even more consistent and confident than the first. The team has figured out the shows strengths, the cast has grown accustomed to the unusual impromptu writing process (even the writers don’t know how a season will end when they start a new one), and the pace and energy of the show has been set in stone. Close was nearly perfect from episode one of “Damages,” but even she seems like a more interesting, well-rounded character in season two and Byrne is clearly having a blast playing “tough and bitter Ellen” as opposed to “naive and worried Ellen” from season one.

FX has forged a niche in original programming based on morally challenged, complex characters like Vic Mackey on “The Shield,” Tommy Gavin on “Rescue Me”, Sean McNamara & Christian Troy on “Nip/Tuck,” and, the Queen of them all, Patty Hewes on “Damages”. You won’t find a more interesting character on television and she’s surrounded by an even better supporting team than in the award-winning first season. Don’t miss “Damages”.

‘Damages,’ which airs on FX, stars Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Timothy Olyphant, and Ted Danson. The premiere of season two airs on January 7th, 2009 at 9PM CST.

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

DVD Review: HBO Bids Farewell to ‘Deadwood,’ ‘The Wire’ With Series Sets

BrianTT — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:05:48 -0700

CHICAGO – “Deadwood” and “The Wire”, two of the best television programs of the last decade, have been given lavish, must-own treatment by HBO with spectacular season sets available just in time for the holidays.

HBO has been criticized for stretching their shows out over too many discs with bloated season sets that take up twice the actual shelf space as most shows with double the actual episodes. The three seasons of Deadwood take up more than a foot of shelf space for only 36 episodes. But when shows have run their course, HBO Home Video does a spectacular job of compressing everything previously available into a well-packaged and space-saving complete series set.

Whether or not simply saving space and providing only a few new special features is worth the upgrade depends on how rabid a fan of “Deadwood” and “The Wire” you are, but if there’s anyone in your circle of gift-giving this holiday season who doesn’t own the entirety of these spectacular shows, these are clearly the way to go. There’s no reason at all for stores to even sell the individual season releases of “Deadwood” or “The Wire” again.

“Deadwood: The Complete Series”

The 36 episodes of David Milch’s brilliant deconstruction of the television Western are included on 19 discs in the complete series set with over two hours of new bonus content, including a discussion with “Deadwood“‘s creator about the early conclusion of the spectacular show. “Deadwood” is named after the real American frontier town that served as a dramatic backdrop for the convergence of law, greed, and even love. Set in a place where businessmen, soldiers, Chinese laborers, prostitutes, and gunfighters all struggled to survive, “Deadwood” was a consistently riveting program, not just one of the best television Westerns of all time, but also a great example of the genre in any medium.

Deadwood: Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, Earl W. Brown, Titus Welliver..
Photo credit: Doug Hyun

“Deadwood” won multiple awards, including Emmys, a Peabody Award, and a Golden Globe and was massively critically acclaimed through its tragically short run. There were rumors of TV movies to come after HBO pulled the plug on “Deadwood” after only three seasons, but those appear less and less likely with cast and crew moving on to other projects.

Each one of the season sets have been imported untouched. That means that the excellent video and audio from the individual seasons remain intact and that previously available special features are once again included. New special features include “The Meaning of Endings”, “The Real Deadwood: Out of the Ashes”, “Q&A With Cast and Creative Team”, “Deadwood 360 Tour”, and “Al Swearengen Audition Reel (as performed by Titus Welliver)”. “Endings” is the real catch, a 23-minute discussion with Milch about the controversial end of the show in which the creator walks the set and talks about where he would have gone in season four and basically closes the door on any future adventures in the town of Deadwood. The panel discussion is also informative and includes Milch and most of the major stars of the show including Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, John Hawkes, Powers Boothe, and Robin Weigert.

The three season sets of Deadwood were must-owns for TV fans and their collection into a complete series set with gorgeous packaging and two hours of must-see, new bonus features is even more so.

“The Wire: The Complete Series”

Hailed as one of the best programs in the history of television by outlets as esteemed as The New York Times, “The Wire” never got the awards or the buzz of a program like “The Sopranos” or “Sex and the City,” but already feels like as important a part of the HBO story as those more high-profile shows. Each of the five seasons of “The Wire” focuses on a different part of the fabric of the modern city including drug dealers, blue-collar workers, politicians, the school system, and the journalists who cover it all.

The Wire.
Photo credit: Paul Schiraldi

“The Wire” is a stronger series when it’s viewed as a whole experience instead of season by season. Each new season of “The Wire” felt like a new chapter in one overall book, making the series a perfect fit for a complete series set. It’s one of the most insightful statements on the political, economic, and social realities of the modern city that has ever been produced.

The 23-disc DVD set of this Peabody Award-winning series takes up roughly the space of a season-and-a-half of the original season sets and includes new bonus features. The new extras on “The Wire” are less remarkable than those on “Deadwood”. It feels like the history of this spectacular show has yet to be fully chronicled and the inclusion of a “Never-before-seen Gag Reel” and “Three Prequels That Explore Life Before The Wire” doesn’t really change that feeling.

Where are the retrospective featurettes with the cast and crew? The documentary about the history of the show and the controversy over its constant snubbing by the Emmys (five years - two nominations and never for Best Dramatic Series)? It feels like there’s something missing in this “Complete Series” although fans may argue that the quality of this incredible show speaks for itself.

‘Deadwood: The Complete Series’ is released by HBO Home Video and stars Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker, Jim Beaver, W. Earl Brown, Dayton Callie, Kim Dickens, Brad Dourif, Anna Gunn, John Hawkes, Jeffrey Jones, Paula Malcomson, Leon Rippy, William Sanderson, Robin Weigert, Sean Bridgers, Titus Welliver, Brent Sexton, Bree Seanna Wall and Powers Boothe. It was created by David Milch. It will be released on December 9th, 2008.CST.

‘The Wire: The Complete Series’ is released by HBO Home Video and stars Dominic West, Sonja Sohn, Lance Reddick, Wendell Pierce, Deirdre Lovejoy, Clarke Peters, Reg E. Cathey, Domenick Lombardozzi, Seth Gilliam, Jamie Hector, Michael Kenneth Williams, John Doman, Andre Royo, Corey Parker Robinson, Tristan Wilds, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Jermaine Crawford and Isiah Witlock, Jr.. It was created by David Simon. It will be released on December 9th, 2008.CST.

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