George Clooney

Steven Soderbergh’s ‘The Informant!’ Puts Matt Damon on a Wire

PatrickMcD — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:16:36 -0600

CHICAGO – Behind every great fortune lies a great crime, as the saying goes. In director Steven Soderbergh’s “The Informant!,” he and Matt Damon carve out a satire where the “crime” becomes entangled with the larger issues of “justice.”

Rating: 3.5/5.0

In this based-on-fact scenario, Damon plays Mark Whitacre, who famously cooperated in the 1990s with the FBI as a whistle blowing insider to the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) price fixing scandal. As a high-level executive at ADM, Whitacre was privy to meetings – many that he set up – where the price of a basic food ingredient was fixed through international skullduggery.

’’The Informant! opens everywhere September 18th and features Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey, Patton Oswalt and Thomas F. Wilson, directed by Steven Soderbergh

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Informant!”

The FBI: Scott Bakula and Joel McHale as agents with Matt Damon in ‘The Informant!’
Photo credit: Copyright © Warner Bros. Pictures, All Rights Reserved

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Informant!”

Interview: Angie Dickinson on the Big Break, The Rat Pack, ‘Police Woman’

PatrickMcD — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:55:42 -0600

Angie Dickinson has brought her charm and magnetism to a career that has spanned from the Marilyn Monroe era – she was featured in the original “Ocean’s 11” – to grittier movie roles in such cult classics as “Point Blank”, “Dressed to Kill” and Ronald Reagan’s last film,”The Killers”.

But she will always be remembered for her breakthrough TV role as “Pepper” Anderson in 1974’s “Police Woman”. Dickinson was the first lead role female cop character in series television history and laid the foundation for all the women-led action series that followed.

HollywoodChicago.com caught up with still radiant Ms. Dickinson in Chicago at the Hollywood Collector Show. She reminisced about her first big break, her life with the “Rat Pack” and how Pepper was a role model for girls…and boys.

Angie Dickinson talks to director Howard Hawks while John Wayne looks on during the filming of ‘Rio Bravo’
Photo credit: Dr. Macro’s Movie Scans

HollywoodChicago.com: After bit parts in movies and the early days of television, who or what was instrumental in getting you your first big showcase film role in Rio Bravo?

Angie Dickinson: The connection was a director I had doing an episode of Perry Mason. His name was Chris Nyby. Chris was a film editor before he was a director, and had worked with Rio Bravo’s director, Howard Hawks.

So Chris Nyby said to Howard Hawks if you want to discover another newcomer, check out Angie Dickinson. Hawks saw me, I did a screen test and I was hired. That was my big break.

HC: What kind of difficulties did you have with the whole Hollywood system when you were breaking into the business during the time of Marilyn Monroe and the breakdown of the studio system?

AD: It was not easy. I found my career out of the blue. I was working as a secretary and had gone to college. I got hooked into show business a little later than most, and with no connections or background in it.

So every thing I got after that I felt lucky getting because I never aimed too high, I aimed realistically. Everything fell my way, and within four years I was cast opposite John Wayne in Rio Bravo. That was a fairly fast track considering how shortly I’d been in the business.

HC: Having been part of the actual people and the original film version Ocean’s 11 in 1960, what do you think of the whole “Rat Pack” style of cool has become so popular now? Is it deserved or do you just laugh?

AD: It is deserved and it was a blast. I didn’t think anyone could pull it off again, but George Clooney and Brad Pitt did it, and that was wonderful.

Angie Dickinson in ‘Police Woman’
Photo credit: Sony Pictures

HC: You’ve had some varied and peculiar “against type” roles in your career. What was your criteria for choosing the unusual roles you’ve done, such as in Point Blank and Dressed to Kill?

AD: Money (laughing).

I don’t know, I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, just something good. When Police Woman came along, it was great to play that role, but I wasn’t aiming for it, I was just striving to keep me career going.

Some roles were great, some not so great. But just like a ballplayer, if you hit .375 that’s not too bad (laughs).

HC: You are held up as a somewhat feminist icon for your role on Police Woman. In looking back at that era, how do you think it helped pave the way for women to get different roles in television dramas?

AD: It paved the way because it was the first. It also had the title “Police Woman” and more significantly it premiered on a Friday night, where young girls could stay up later and get the role model part of it. Also younger boys were fans as well, I guess for different reasons (laughing). Everyone needs a role model.

HC: Finally, can you tell us something about Frank Sinatra that the rest of world doesn’t know?

AD: No. (laughs)

’Police Woman - The Complete First Season’ is available on DVD from Sony Pictures. Click here for the HollywoodChicago.com slideshow of the Hollywood Collector Show.

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

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Burn After Reading’ Hilarious Movie, Horrible Blu-Ray

BrianTT — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:23:27 -0700

CHICAGO – It’s impossible for a critic to thoroughly defend something he finds funny but fully realizes that a large majority of the audience may not. Sometimes a film just hits your funny bone in right way. “Burn After Reading” does so for me, but may not for audiences without a little bit of a mean streak.

Fitting snugly into the Coen Brothers’ resume of slightly-demented comedies, “Burn After Reading” disappointed audiences expecting “No Country For Old Men 2”, but like “Raising Arizona”, “The Hudsucker Proxy”, and “The Big Lebowski”, should have an extensive life on the home market.

Every time the Coens have made a “serious” movie, they’ve followed it with a lark of a comedy. “Arizona” came after “Blood Simple”, “Hudsucker” followed “Barton Fink”, and “Lebowski” was an odd choice after “Fargo”. They’ve all thrown audiences for a loop. It happened again with “Burn After Reading”, a dark, vicious comedy about people who think they understand espionage because they’ve seen a lot of spy movies. The Coens have often been accused of making fun of their characters and I’ve usually defended them as laughing with their lead. Not this time. They’re laughing at these morons.

The morons in question include an all-star cast headed by Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, J.K. Simmons, and John Malkovich. The entire ensemble is clearly having a blast and it’s infectious. Some critics were upset at not being able to find the deeper meaning in a story about a disc of government secrets that makes its way into the hands of some stupid fitness experts. Guess what? There is no deeper meaning. That’s the point. Just have fun with “Burn After Reading”.

Perhaps Universal knows they have an eventual cult hit and held back the special features for an inevitable special edition but that kind of double-dipping is getting really old. Universal has been consistently releasing the most comprehensive and well organized Blu-Rays of the season, so we’ll forgive “Burn After Reading” as the exception. Special features? Three lonely featurettes - “Finding the Burn”, “DC Insiders Run Amuck”, and “Welcome Back, George” - don’t really qualify as “special”, especially considering they run less than twenty minutes COMBINED.

“Burn After Reading” does include Universal’s BD-Live functionality that allows viewers to cut their favorite scenes and send them but this common addition doesn’t really qualify as a special feature. It’s really just bookmarking with an internet connection.

Technically, “Burn After Reading” looks and sounds great with a 1080p HD Widescreen transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and an audio track an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Both the video and audio won’t be used to show off new home theaters, but are also never distracting.

Universal clearly intended the Blu-Ray release of “Burn After Reading” to be a rental. If they wanted more purchases, they would have put more effort into the special features. Luckily, the movie itself is funny enough to make the dearth of bonuses easier to overlook.

‘Burn After Reading’ is released by Universal Home Video and stars Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, John Malkovich, J.K. Simmons, David Rasche, and Richard Jenkins. It was released on December 21st, 2008.

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

Despite Stylistic Inconsistency, George Clooney’s ‘Leatherheads’ Feels Good

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:53:10 -0600

CHICAGO – George Clooney’s latest film, “Leatherheads,” brings light-hearted, screwball antics and slapstick blunders to the screen with a romantic tale that tells how professional football came to be.

Read Allison Pitaccio’s full review of “Leatherheads” in our reviews section.

View our full “Leatherheads” image gallery.

Set in 1925, fading football star Dodge Connelly (George Clooney) attempts to save the professional game by recruiting a college football hero to save the sport. The film begins with a game of ragtag football in a stadium shared by cattle where oddball plays and dirty tricks are welcomed.

Few fans come to the games and barely follow the sport – due to their often illegal consumption of booze – but when Dodge is told the team is bankrupt and the sponsors are selling, he’s determined to find a solution for his beloved team (the Duluth Bulldogs).

George Clooney (left) in “Leatherheads”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Renée Zellweger and George Clooney in “Leatherheads”.
Photo credit: IMDb

HollywoodChicago.com Analyzes 10 Oscar Contenders For Best Actor, Actress

HollywoodChicago.com — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 17:15:41 -0700

CHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com film critic Adam Fendelman has analyzed the 10 nominated contenders (five men for best actor and five women for best actress) and reveals his selections for the top prize. Hosted by Jon Stewart, the 80th Academy Awards ceremony will be presented in one form or another on Feb. 24, 2008.

Best Actor Nominees

George Clooney for the character Michael Clayton in “Michael Clayton”
Adam Fendelman says: Clooney upgrades himself from the “A” list to an “A+” grade and his report card earns him a richly deserved fighting chance. Leading this masterful but underrated film the way a leading Hollywood man should, Clooney – led by first-time director Tony Gilroy – will fight for “blood” and come up short.

George Clooney in “Michael Clayton”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Daniel Day-Lewis for the character Daniel Plainview in “There Will Be Blood”
Adam Fendelman says: Like a bat, Daniel Day-Lewis goes into Hollywood hibernation and only comes out when the pickings are prime and perfect. “There Will Be Blood,” which is only his third film in the past decade, is a monster of an epic and he’s nothing short of brilliant in it. This best-actor shoo-in should fit snugly.

Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Johnny Depp for the character Sweeney Todd in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
Adam Fendelman says: Watch closely and you’ll see Depp in “Sweeney Todd” superbly slip back into his haunted, quirky “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” mindset. His vengeance, though, is bittersweet, his melodies serve justice to Stephen Sondheim’s music and Depp’s creative license merits a formidable runner up.

Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Tommy Lee Jones for the character Hank Deerfield in “In the Valley of Elah”
Adam Fendelman says: No. No. No. While Paul Haggis’ “In the Valley of Elah” pulls at your patriotic heartstrings on an important and niche topic, Tommy Lee Jones delivers an adroit but subdued lead performance that won’t compete with the memorable punch and power of the other gentleman in this year’s best-actor race.

Tommy Lee Jones in the film “In the Valley of Elah”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Viggo Mortensen for the character Nikolai Luzhin in “Eastern Promises”
Adam Fendelman says: Viggo Mortensen has clout and solid industry backing in his “Eastern Promises” performance and especially earns theatrical kudos for a particularly difficult and raw fight scene in the nude. Mortensen, though, deserves to stay among his mammoth peers on the best-actor nominee list.

Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Best Actress Nominees

Cate Blanchett for the character Queen Elizabeth I in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”
Adam Fendelman says: Yes. Yes. Yes. After winning best-supporting actress for “The Aviator” in 2005 and being recognized as not only one of the most successful actresses by Forbes but one of the most influential people in the world by Time, it’s Cate Blanchett’s time to shine in this year’s best-actress limelight.

Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Julie Christie for the character Fiona Anderson in “Away From Her”
Adam Fendelman says: Julie Christie in “Away From Her” authentically portrays the ghastly and evocative battle that is Alzheimer’s disease with conviction, reality and heart. She’s making lists across the U.S. as a best-actress nominee but has at least two adversaries who deserve the ultimate prize more.

Julie Christie in “Away From Her”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Marion Cotillard for the character Édith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose”
Adam Fendelman says: Chicago and Boston film critics along with various film festivals say she’s their best actress. She’s nominated by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the British Academy of Film & TV Arts. Industry experts speak loudly: Marion Cotillard is this year’s top foreign-language selection.

Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Laura Linney for the character Wendy Savage in “The Savages”
Adam Fendelman says: Any daughter who deals with a dad who literally writes wall messages with poop is a fine sibling indeed. In “The Savages,” though, her somewhat memorable performance is trumped by the always dominating Philip Seymour Hoffman, which reminds you she’d more appropriately be up for a supporting role.

Laura Linney in “The Savages”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Ellen Page for the character Juno MacGuff in “Juno”
Adam Fendelman says: Though many haven’t heard of the meek Ellen Page until now and interpret her “Juno” performance as a breakout, she actually broke out in “Hard Candy” in 2005. In 2007’s “Little Miss Sunshine”-like film you can’t help but love, she’s the underdog with a shot at being recognized for coming full circle.

Ellen Page in “Juno”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Discuss this on our discussion boards here!

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

New York City Filming Report Surfaces For ‘Burn After Reading’ With Pitt, Clooney

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:01:18 -0600

Following my Aug. 30, 2007 report on the Joel and Ethan Coen film “Burn After Reading,” a reader on Sunday wrote in with new filming details.

They are shooting today (Sunday, Sept. 23) literally across the street from my apartment.

They have slightly doctored the area around Grant’s Tomb (the General Grant National Memorial site).

One of the crew told us they would be filming up and down Riverside Drive including near Riverside Church and the International House. Riverside Drive runs along the west side of upper Manhattan.

Brad Pitt and George Clooney are on hand. My two children were fascinated by the many cars with Virginia license plates and the D.C. cabs, which are distinctive from their New York City cousins.

The film also features John Malkovich and Frances McDormand. IMDb describes the plot with these words:

A disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it.

3:26 p.m. update: After this post appeared, writer Shane Hazen of HollywoodChicago.com pointed out news from Friday, Sept. 21 announcing that Clooney suffered a broken rib in a New Jersey motorcycle accident.

Various reports questioned whether or not this would delay “Burn After Reading” filming.

8:39 p.m. update: Following this report, several additional people wrote me about Clooney’s current involvement in the project following his recent accident.

I followed up with my initial source for this report for more information. Daniel Tamulonis has given me permission to cite this information to his real name. In his follow-up e-mail to my question, he said:

As for Clooney, the technician who spoke to my children and me assured us that “it was nothing” and that Clooney would be taking part in the shoot.

As the day progressed (we were walking a neighbor’s dog and had several chances to witness what was going on), we saw rehearsals and then a car stunt involving Pitt.

There will be more shooting [on Monday] in front of the International House. We saw Pitt several times but not Clooney.

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

Production Begins on ‘Burn After Reading’ From Joel, Ethan Coen

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 00:06:21 -0600

On Aug. 30, 2007, I heard word that production has begun in New York City for Focus Features and Working Title Films on the film “Burn After Reading” from Joel and Ethan Coen.

They are writing, producing and directing. “Burn After Reading,” which is a dark spy comedy that will also shoot in Washington, D.C., stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich and Frances McDormand.

Focus Features, Rogue Pictures and Working Title Films are part of NBC Universal, which was formed in May 2004 by combining NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment.

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