Keith Carradine

Film Review: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford in Dull ‘Cowboys & Aliens’

BrianTT — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:23:49 -0400

CHICAGO – Jon Favreau’s “Cowboys & Aliens” with Daniel Craig & Harrison Ford is a depressing snooze, a film with so many of the right elements but none of the personality to connect them into something memorable. With so many revisions from a number of writers, it feels like everyone added their own color to the piece until it all faded to gray.

Rating: 2.0/5.0

“Cowboys & Aliens” starts promisingly largely due to the fact that the basic foundational premise of the piece is strong and the cast is entertaining in that “isn’t it cool to see James Bond and Indiana Jones in the same movie” kind of way. But that novelty wears off. Quickly. And by the time the posse has been formed and the cowboys are chasing off the aliens, the air has gone out of the piece rarely to return. There’s no edge to the movie, like something that has been focus-grouped down to absolutely nothing or a game of “pass the screenplay” where the writers simply pushed the plot forward instead of adding things like character, interesting dialogue, or even enjoyable action.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Cowboys & Aliens” in our reviews section.

Jake Lonergan (Craig) wakes up in the middle of nowhere with no memory of anything but the English language and a bizarre metal clamp around his wrist. After dispatching a few bad guys looking to take him in for ransom, he stumbles into a small town and upon an altercation between the obnoxious Percy Dolarhyde (Paul Dano) and the local barkeep Doc (Sam Rockwell). Percy has a powerful padre in Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) and is clearly one of those spoiled brats who thinks he can do anything because of it.

After Percy shoots an innocent man, Sheriff Taggart (Keith Carradine) is forced to arrest him and, soon after, he comes for Jake when he sees a wanted poster revealing that our hero is a hardened criminal. Someone else has been following Jake in the form of the wide-eyed Ella (Olivia Wilde). Why is she so fascinated with Jake? What’s her background? The obvious answers will come in obvious ways.

Continue reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Cowboys & Aliens” review.

“Cowboys & Aliens” stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Keith Carradine, and Paul Dano. It was written by Robert Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof and Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby and directed by Jon Favreau. It is rated PG-13 and will be released on July 29th, 2011.

Cowboys and Aliens
Photo credit: Universal Pictures

Interview: Actor Brendan Wayne on His Legacy in ‘Cowboys & Aliens’

PatrickMcD — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:49:10 -0400

CHICAGO – Brendan Wayne is certainly no stranger to cowboys. As the grandson of one of the greatest western stars ever, John Wayne, Brendan carries on the family tradition in the upcoming Jon Favreau film “Cowboys & Aliens,” featuring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.

Born Daniel Brendan La Cava, son of the John Wayne’s daughter Toni, Brendan took on the Duke’s last name as he was moving up as a working actor. After taking on a series of smaller TV and movie parts, his breakthrough came portraying Randy in the TV remake of “Angel and the Badman” (2009), with Lou Diamond Phillips in the role his grandfather made famous. He adds the bloodline to the the new film, “Cowboys & Aliens,” portraying lawman Charlie Lyle.

Legacy: Grandfather (John Wayne in ‘Stagecoach’) and Grandson (Brendan Wayne in ‘Angel and the Badman’)
Photo credit: Warner Home Video & Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Brendon Wayne called HollywoodChicago.com from Los Angeles, and talked about the new film, his career and of course his famous grandfather.

HollywoodChicago.com: Cowboys and Aliens is poised to become an event movie for the summer. With the cache of Iron Man director Jon Favreau and the Star Trek writers as part of the mix, what can audiences expect from what sounds like a fun popcorn movie?

Brendan Wayne: It’s going to be a little bit bigger than that, I think Jon did such a good job, because he cultivates relationships. If you have a good western, it’s based on those types of relationships and how those people survived in a perilous journey. This is what we have in ‘Cowboys & Aliens,’ as Jon approached this as if it were a western, even with the extraterrestrial element. At the end of the day, it’s going to be a great western.

HollywoodChicago.com: Here you are, the grandson of John Wayne, working with Indiana Jones and James Bond. Did anybody on the set comment on the legendary movie combination and credibility?

Wayne: [Laughs] When I got there, I was quiet as a church mouse, because I’m sitting with Hollywood royalty. Keith Carradine was next to me, whose father [John} was in my grandfather’s breakout film, “Stagecoach” and his last film, “The Shootist.” And with Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano and Olivia Wilde, I was hoping just to get a line. I’ll just hang out, it was great.

As the film moved along, Jon came to me and said he was going to make the role bigger, which was a nice surprise. As we were filming, nobody had come up to me and said anything, even though we were on a western. One day, I’m sitting next to producer Denis Stewart, and I just remarked, ‘my grandfather would sure like this town.’ And he looked at me and said, ‘you brought it up, we made a deal not to talk about your grandfather because you’re probably sick of it.’ And I looked at him and said, ‘why on God’s green earth would I be sick of talking about my grandfather?’

I don’t have any ego about that. I’ve seem how far he reaches and how many people he touches in a positive way. So I told Denis to talk all he wanted, and suddenly he just opened up and he was also dying laughing. And I had the feeling that people were trying to avoid me on the set. I thought, ‘Am I a jerk?’ I realized at the end of the day they were trying to be respectful.

HollywoodChicago.com: What about matching your tradition with James Bond and Indiana Jones?

Wayne: I remember standing in line for 5 hours at a theater in Sherman Oaks waiting to see ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ and here I was on the set with him. We had to do a table read for an upcoming scene and Jon comes in and does a great job making sure everyone is comfortable. He set it up like it was a classroom, and had everyone stand up and introduce themselves. So there was Daniel Craig standing up and telling us who he was portraying and Harrison Ford did the same. I look over and thought, ‘you got to be kidding me, we know who you are!’ [laughs]

HollywoodChicago.com: What did Jon Favreau give you as a director or what did you observe about him that you had never experienced in a director before?

Wayne: Jon sets the tone on the other side of the camera. Then when we do get in front of it, we all have a level of familiarity and comfort. I’ve been on different movie sets, and it doesn’t always come out that way. It was just a great journey that we got to do for four months.

HollywoodChicago.com: I think Favreau remembers when he was in that actor’s position on the set, and he reacts accordingly.

Wayne: He’s the type of director that if someone doesn’t think the scene is working, and they have a point, Jon will say, ‘good idea, let’s do that.’ To me, that is the sign of genius. It’s the guy who can learn while he’s doing it.

On Set: Brendan Wayne as Charlie Lyle in ‘Cowboys & Aliens’
Photo credit: Universal Pictures

HollywoodChicago.com: Of course this film involves a lot of special effects and pretending objects are there when they are not. What is the best actors tip for dealing with that?

Wayne: As an actor, you’d better have an imagination. This is just becoming more prevalent with every movie I make, pretty soon I’m going to making out with some girl who is not really there. [laughs] I just like to tell people, hey, we’ve been doing it since we’ve been born. It’s just being kids, playing cowboy. It’s being able to go back and take away the rules, and if a character has to react to a 27-foot alien jumping out of a tree, you see it coming and you get scared. I actually look to my three daughters, to their reactions. I’ve asked my daughter how would you act in this scary situation? She shows me, and I think there you go. I just steal, grand theft acting. [laughs]

HollywoodChicago.com: If you had an 1870s cowboy and a space alien for dinner, what would be the first question you’d ask to each of them?

Wayne: To the alien, I’d ask ‘who do you want to eat?’ [laughs]

HollywoodChicago.com: I noted on imdb that the decision to take on your grandfather’s name didn’t come until recently. What was your decision behind it and was there any backlash because of it?

Wayne: I initially had never intended to take the last name. I’m proud of my pop, he’s an ex-Navy pilot who flew in Korea. My Dad’s great uncle was director Gregory LaCava, who was nominated twice for an Academy Award, including “My Man Godfrey.” I had pedigree on both sides, but obviously JW supercedes everybody.

My managers and my agents were really pushing me to do it, telling me it’s a good idea. I struggled with it for a long time, I started acting in 2000, and it took me six years to actually do it. I talked to my Dad, and he knew where I was going. He said to me, ‘if your mother was a Rockefeller, and you were in the oil business, I’d say change your name.’ [laughs] He then told me my grandfather worked his ass off to create the image, and be something people could believe in. He didn’t want it to end with him and people should do this for their family. So I said okay.

I started with Danny Wayne, but a fellow actor came up to me and said I couldn’t do that name. When I asked why he said, ‘because it sounds like an Asian lounge singer.’ [laughs] So I went with my original first name, Brendan.

HollywoodChicago.com: Well, let’s face it, your grandfather’s original name was Marion Morrison, so he had to do the same thing.

Wayne: That’s what my Dad said, ‘it’s not even his name!’ As far as backlash, maybe some people have some issues with it, but I don’t think anybody has the courage to say something to me.

HollywoodChicago.com: You played opposite Lou Diamond Phillips in the remake of your grandfather’s picture “Angel and the Badman.” How was it to participate in a film remake of your own heritage?

Wayne: I was nervous. The first thing they told me is that I wasn’t the lead, Lou Diamond was. I had no problem playing Randy, a role opposite my grandfather’s original role. I thought Lou was a good choice, because he’s so opposite from my grandfather there really wasn’t going to be any comparison. My joy was in the opportunity to get to be in a remake of one of my grandfather’s classic films.

HollywoodChicago.com: Your publicity picture from that film looks so much like John Wayne in Stagecoach.

Wayne: The Hallmark Channel got a hold of those looks and they were like, ‘this is where we’re going.’ The stills they got out of it were awesome. When people meet me they always say that they’re not sure I look like him. But I look like him enough, because they think of him from the 1960s and ‘70s, not when he started out in the 1920s and ‘30s.

John Wayne and Brendan Wayne
Photo credit: Brendan Wayne

HollywoodChicago.com: Your grandfather had to fight his way through many bit studio parts before breaking through in the legendary film Stagecoach. What type of role would you like to breakthrough with if you had a choice of any type and why?

Wayne: Jason Bourne. I know my buddy Jeremy Renner is taking over the role in ‘The Bourne Legacy,’ but the role represents a part of me that I really enjoy, the physical side, and that part to me would be really fantastic. I like films that support America, because no matter what I do or how hard I try I’m not going to get around that. That’s how I feel, so it must be genetic.

HollywoodChicago.com: Which of your grandfather’s films do you connect with most as an actor as far as the purity of his performance and why?

Wayne: The first one for me is ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ [1962]. He wasn’t the guy in the white hat and the white horse in that one, he was the man who was flawed, but did the right thing at the right time for the greater good. And that’s someone I hope to be and hope to play.

I also love ‘The Cowboys’ [1972]. As a Dad, I look to that portrayal in the way he carried those kids, matured them through the process, gave them the responsibility and demanded that they fulfill that responsibility. For me, that is a wonderful lesson.

HollywoodChicago.com: Do you remember any stories about your grandfather’s transition into the more method actors of the 1950s, like Montgomery Clift in ‘Red River’?

Wayne: Oh man, I heard that whole era drove him mad. [laughs] I also heard that John Ford would have the method actors keep doing scenes with him. My aunt would tell me you’re lucky you never worked with Ford, because he’d find a way to make filmmaking a laborious process.

HollywoodChicago.com: What do you think America learned from your grandfather’s very public and very courageous battle with cancer, and what do you remember about it as a child?

Wayne: There was a bartender I worked with who kept articles having to do with my grandfather’s illness and one of the headlines reads, ‘John Wayne Beats the Big C.’ It was when he had his lung removed in the 1960s. It meant so much to the country, he was like Superman. To me sometimes it is surreal what he meant to people, but if he could do it, then you all can.

When he was dying, it began on the set of his last film, ‘The Shootist’ [1976], and I remember visiting that set. In retrospect, they had to shut down filming for a few weeks while he was being treated. He was tough as nails, so he wasn’t going to let anybody know. At that point, I didn’t realize much.

Eventually we started visiting him at the UCLA Medical Center. He got very thin, but he never lost his spirit. Even when he was dying, he was able to think way bigger than himself. He told us that the doctors gave him more time earth, and to make sure the research goes on. Get the funding, use my name, whatever it takes to make it happen. That is how the John Wayne Cancer Institute started, and today we are at the forefront of research and diagnosis.

HollywoodChicago.com: What story has your mother told you about her father John Wayne that is most memorable to you?

Wayne: You get this image of JW or The Duke as a taciturn tough guy. Then you hear about the real man, going to watch a ballet and crying because it was so beautiful to him. The stories my mother told me that made the biggest imprint were the ones that made him human. His humanity was the best part of all the stories I ever heard.

“Cowboys & Aliens” opens everywhere July 29th. Featuring Brendan Wayne, Daniel Craig, Paul Dano, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Keith Carradine and Harrison Ford. Screenplay by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and six others. Directed by Jon Favreau. Rated “PG-13”

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

TV Review: Showtime’s ‘Dexter’ Opens Fourth Season With Amazing Episode

BrianTT — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:25:52 -0400

CHICAGO – Everyone’s favorite serial killer and family man, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is back in tonight’s excellent fourth season premiere of the award-winning “Dexter”. Last season was good-not-great when compared to the first two installments but the opening arc of the fourth season hints at a creatively reinvigorated program that’s clicking on all levels. “Dexter” looks like one of the best shows of the fall.

Television Rating: 4.5/5.0

“I kill people - not exactly the perfect husband.” “Dexter” has always been about how a man with a monstrously dark and deadly habit conforms to normal society and deals with domesticity. In the opening episode of season four, Dexter is constantly being pulled in opposite directions by his life as a new father. Blood pools have been replaced by car pools and swimming pools.

Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan (Season 4, episode 2)
Photo credit: Randy Tepper/Showtime

And exhaustion. As any new father will tell you, sleep becomes an uncommon commodity and Dexter was a busy man before he became a daddy. It takes effort to be that good a serial killer. And an exhausted serial killer is not a good thing. Dexter has always been the one-man army that stops evil people from falling through the cracks due to poor police work. The premiere plays with the clever idea of making the crack-falling due to Dexter’s error. And it’s far from the worst exhaustion-based mistake that Mr. Morgan makes in episode one.

Julie Benz as Rita Morgan and Michael C. Hall as Dexter (Season 4)
Photo credit: Jim Fiscus/Showtime

Of course, no season of “Dexter” is complete without a guest star and this one has two. The great Keith Carradine returns as Detective Lundy and might rekindle what he had with Deborah Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter). Lundy is tracking The Trinity Killer (guest star #2 John Lithgow), a sick individual who may be the most successful serial killer of all time, having evaded capture or identification for thirty years. Lithgow has limited screen time in the first two episodes but will almost certainly make a riveting guest star this season.

No, the first two episodes of “Dexter” belong to Michael C. Hall, one of the best actors on television who continues to add depth and believability to one of the best characters of the ’00s. Hall is very good, as usual, but he’s reinvigorated by some of the best writing in the history of the show.

What’s so great about the premiere is the return to a hilarious blend of jarring tones that was a bit lost in season three. “Dexter” can be a very funny, very dark show. When Dexter sings “America the Beautiful” to his newborn son to get him to sleep while he looks at crime scene photos of the guy he’s going to kill that night, you’re supposed to laugh. This is jet black comedy that has always been part of the foundation of “Dexter” but seems to return to the forefront more at the start of season four.

It’s not all laughs. The premiere of “Dexter” features two brutal murders and the show continues to push the boundaries of how comfortable you’re supposed to feel watching a mass murderer with a happy family. Are we supposed to root for Dexter to get his sh*t together or does he deserve to have it all fall apart?

The premiere of this season of “Dexter” also features roughly a dozen plot threads starting to spin. Lundy returns, the Trinity Killer debuts, Dexter tries to be a father and a killer, and even Laguerta, Angel, and Quinn have subplots. This is dense, confident writing that stands with the best on television. Deb’s relationship with Anton and her search for her dad’s mysterious C.I. lover return from season three and even those recurring threads feel more confidently written. Everything from the writing to the acting to the pacing to the mystery feels more confident.

Once again, I’m not saying that the third season of “Dexter” was “bad,” it just didn’t live up to the stellar first two and I was naturally concerned that the show probably never would again. After watching the first two episodes of season four, I’m very happy to report that the concern is gone, replaced by that same adoration for the show from the first two years. There’s a chance this could be the best season of “Dexter” to date.

‘Dexter,’ which airs on Showtime, stars Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, Lauren Velez, David Zayas, C.S. Lee, James Remar, Desmond Harrington, Keith Carradine, and John Lithgow. The season four premiere airs on Sunday, September 27th, 2009 at 9PM CST.

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

FX’s ‘Damages’ Adds New Cast Members For Third Season

BrianTT — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:58:58 -0400

CHICAGO – FX’s award-winning legal thriller “Damages” is adding four new actors, Campbell Scott (“Royal Pains”), Martin Short (“Primetime Glick”), Lily Tomlin (“Desperate Housewives”) and Keith Carradine (“Dexter”), to the cast for the upcoming season which premiers in January. Production on the series 13-episode season begins in New York tomorrow.

Glenn Close in Damages.
Photo credit: FX

Scott, Short, Tomlin and Carradine join series stars Close, Rose Byrne and Tate Donovan on the hit series. Other actors appearing in the upcoming third season will include Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“John Adams”), Michael Gaston (“Fringe”) and Darren Goldstein will reprise his role as Chris Sharp.

For a second year, “Damages” received seven Emmy Award nominations, with Glen Close winning her second Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role of ruthless attorney Patty Hewes. Byrne received her first Emmy nomination this year for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama series for her role of Patty’s protégé Ellen Parsons.

Close is the first actress from a basic cable series to win the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama. Zeljko Ivanek became the first actor from a basic cable series to take home an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor for a Drama Series and “Damages” was the first basic cable series to take home the Emmy for Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series. “Damages” earned the most Golden Globe nominations of any series during the show’s first season.

During the past two seasons, “Damages” featured the most impressive cast members and co-stars out of any series on television - Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, Ted Danson, Zeljko Ivanek, Anastasia Griffith, Noah Bean, Tom Aldrege, Philip Bosco, Nichael Nouri, Peter Facinelli, Peter Reigert, Mario Von Peebles, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Timothy Olyphant, John Doman, Clarke Peters, Kevin Corrigan, Paige Turco, Tom Noonan, and Garret Dillahunt.

By ANGIE RENTMEESTER
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com

Summer Glau Joins Cast of Joss Whedon’s ‘Dollhouse’ With Eliza Dushku

BrianTT — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:21:51 -0400

CHICAGO – Summer Glau (“Firefly,” “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”) is reuniting with Joss Whedon for the second season of “Dollhouse” this fall as she joins the cast in a recurring role. The actress previously worked with Whedon on the TV series “Firefly”. During this year’s ComicCon, Whedon expressed intense interest in having Glau join the series.

Summer Glau in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Photo credit: Fox

Dollverse first broke the news that Glau will appear in a multi-episode arc later this season. Glau will play Bennett: a Dollhouse employee who shares a past with Echo (Eliza Dushku).

The exact specifics on when Glau will first appear haven’t been formalized, but according to Dollverse and Spoiler TV, it will be episode five, which airs in October.

Glau was recently on Fox’s “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” which only lasted two seasons. The series was cancelled in May 2009 after a large decrease in ratings.

According to Live Feed, Glau isn’t the only addition to the “Dollhouse” cast. Whedon has a few familiar faces that will be visiting the show this season. Expect to see Jamie Bamber (“Battlestar Galactica”) as a charismatic businessman who is Echo’s new husband. Michael Hogan (“Battlestar Galactica”) comes to Dollhouse wanting to stop a family member’s killing spree. Alexis Denisof (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “Angel”) is a U.S. senator leading a witch hunt and trying to track down the underground organization. Keith Carradine (“Dexter”) is an enemy of Dollhouse leader Adelle.

By ANGIE RENTMEESTER
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com