Mary Lynn Rajskub

Blu-Ray Review: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt Sparkle in ‘Sunshine Cleaning’

BrianTT — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:42:35 -0600

CHICAGO – Christine Jeffs’ “Sunshine Cleaning” has its ups and downs, its pros and cons, but it’s worth a look, now on Blu-Ray and DVD, for one of the most delightful, multi-faceted performances of the year from one of the better actresses of her generation. What Amy Adams delivers in “Sunshine Cleaning” is her most interesting turn since “Junebug”. Even with an average Blu-Ray release, Adams makes “Cleaning” worth at least a rental on its own.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

Despite what Adams (and, to a lesser extent, Emily Blunt) bring to “Sunshine Cleaning,” it’s pretty undeniable that the screenplay could have used another polish. The film fluctuates wildly in tone and overall quality and feels at times like it was practically created by a computer designed to make a “Sundance comedy”.

The “Sundance comedy” is practically a genre of its own at this point - odd characters, quirky dialogue, an unexpected plot twist, Steve Zahn or Alan Arkin, and a great esnsemble. The problem is that the attempts to be quirky and unpredictable have become, well, predictable. Like a lot of Sundance comedies, “Sunshine Cleaning” comes off a little too self-conscious about its odd-but-lovable characters, but Adams is good enough to warrant at least a rental.

Sunshine Cleaning will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on August 25th, 2009.
Photo credit: Anchor Bay

Adams plays Rose, a single mother who may have had her best days when she was the most popular girl in high school. Since then, it’s been a struggle. Rose is having an affair with a married cop named Mac (Steve Zahn), while her flighty sister Norah (Emily Blunt) and dream-chasing father (Alan Arkin) get in her way as much as support her through life.

Mac suggests that Rose try to get into the lucrative game of cleaning human remains at the crime scenes he investigates. She opens a business with her sister and a series of quirky events pile up until Rose realizes that it’s her life that needs the most cleaning.

One-armed salesmen, crime scenes, a flighty father with thawing shrimp in his bathtub - “Sunshine Cleaning” is overflowing with quirky and the odd behavior threatens to sink the believability that Adams brings to the piece. Still, through it all, she finds something genuine by making this woman’s cluttered life completely three-dimensional. Without her, “Sunshine Cleaning” would have been a total mess.

The Blu-Ray release for “Sunshine Cleaning” features a 1080p quality transfer of the film in 2.40:1 and an audio track presented in Dolby TrueHD5.1. Neither are notable nor distracting.

The special features include a commentary with writer Megan Holley and producer Glenn Williamson that isn’t bad but might leave viewers wondering what happened to the director and stara, and “A Fresh Look at a Dirty Business,” which is a pretty standard behind-the-scenes piece.

‘Sunshine Cleaning’ is released by Anchor Bay Home Video and stars Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Jason Spevack, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Clifton Collins Jr., Eric Christian Olsen, Kevin Chapman, Steve Zahn, and Alan Arkin. It was written by Megan Holley and directed by Christine Jeffs. The Blu-Ray and DVD will be released on August 25th, 2009. It is rated R.

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

‘Julie & Julia’ Misses Some Ingredients But Still Goes Down Smoothly

BrianTT — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:08:30 -0600

Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Like a long meal at a good restaurant where no one can agree on the best course of the evening, Nora Ephron’s “Julie & Julia” with Amy Adams and Meryl Streep will have different highlights for different viewers.

For some, it will be Streep’s pitch-perfect performance, while others find Adams lovable. Thematically, some will latch on to the “do what you dream” message of the film. For this viewer, “Julie & Julia” works best when it focuses not on how we make something of ourselves but the fact that no one does so alone. There is no “Julie” without “Julia” and even the women at the core of the film succeed mostly through the support of the men in their lives.

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

Julia Child found her passion through cooking. Julie Powell found it through writing. The fact that one passed along her drive to break out of her dull lot in life through the decades and allowed the other to escape her cubicle drudgery makes for a cinematic and arguably inspirational story. Ephron doesn’t do much more with the material (and two great actresses) than push it along like a TV movie director and there’s a ridiculously unecessary conflict added to the final act, holding “Julie & Julia” back from potential greatness, but there’s still more than enough to take a bite of this cinematic meal about two women with similar names.

Julie Powell (Amy Adams) tried to break free from her boring life and rekindle her passion for writing with “The Julie/Julia Project” in 2002. The goal was to cook all of the 500+ recipes in Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” in one year in her tiny Queens apartment and blog about it without losing her job or her husband (Chris Messina).

Continuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Julie & Julia” review.

‘Julie & Julia’ stars Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Jane Lynch. It was written and directed by Nora Ephron. It opens on August 7th, 2009. It is rated PG-13.

Amy Adams as Julie Powell.
Photo credit: Jonathan Wenk and Columbia Pictures

Blu-Ray Review: Kiefer Sutherland, ‘24’ Continue to Set the Bar

BrianTT — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:08:11 -0600

CHICAGO – The standard DVD season sets for “24” have long been setting the bar for what TV on DVD “should be”. Winning awards for their technical transfers and detailed, copious special features, the producers of “24“‘s home releases took it a step further this year by changing the game yet again with the Blu-Ray release of “24: Season Seven”.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

After a lackluster first season release (which they made up for with a “Special Edition” a few years later), the next five seasons of “24” were essentially perfect TV on DVD releases. They had informative, detailed special features, gorgeous video & audio, and fascinating commentary tracks. And it didn’t hurt that they were for some of the most beloved programming of the ’00s.

Season seven was clearly a chance for “24” to change the game again. The sixth season had been a clear winner for worst of the series to date by TV and DVD critics and instead of being allowed to get right back on that horse and reverse the shark-jumping ways, the Writer’s Strike delayed season seven by a whole year.

24: Season Seven was released on Blu-Ray on May 19th, 2009.
Photo credit: Fox

The seventh horrible day in the life of Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) brought “24” back from the brink of ridicule, delivering a much more effective thrill ride than season six. In a clever move, the writers of “24” both recognized the time off - this day started four years after the last - and even blew up many of the conventions of their own show, including having CTU completely fall apart and bringing back the considered-dead Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard) and having audiences guess all season is he was really good or bad.

And Fox wisely chose not to make people who watch the show on DVD wait any longer than they already had and made the amazing decision to release the seventh season of “24” the day after the season finale aired.

Think about the precedent. People could buy the entire season of “24” before most viewers who watch it on DVR even had a chance to watch the season finale. TV on DVD has undeniably changed the way people watch television, but there was always a window of time that often made viewers who waited for DVD feel a little behind the times. If the “24” day-after-finale release becomes a pattern, viewers who wait for DVD or Blu-Ray will be nearly up-to-date with those who watch a show in its original airing. Ratings are going to drop even further.

Not only did Fox change the release date pattern (previous seasons of “24” has been released on DVD near the holidays to prime audiences for the upcoming season to air on TV), but they released this technically accomplished show on Blu-Ray for the first time. And, of course, “24” looks and sounds amazing on Blu-Ray. The sound design on this show has long been some of the best on TV and the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is simply spectacular.

“24: Season Seven” on Blu-Ray includes two excellent featurettes - “The Making of Season 7” and “Hour 19: The Ambush”. Deleted scenes and the cool “The Fimucite Festival Presents: The Music of 24” are also included.

Commentaries include:

Episode 1 - Executive Producer/Director Jon Cassar and Carlos Bernard
Episode 3 - Executive Producer Manny Coto, Co-Executive Producer Brannon Braga and Bernard
Episode 5 - Cassar and Annie Wersching
Episode 9 - Executive Producer David Fury and Hakeem Kae-Kazim
Episode 10 - Coto, Braga, and Wersching
Episode 12 - Co-Executive Producer/Director Brad Turner and Tony Todd
Episode 13 - Turner, Composer Sean Callery, and James Morrison
Episode 14 - Executive Producer Juan Carlos Coto, Wersching, and Bob Gunton
Episode 18 - Executive Producer Howard Gordon, Bernard, and Jeffrey Nordling
Episode 22 - Executive Producer Evan Katz, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Glenn Morshower
Episode 23 - Executive Producer David Fury, Co-Executive Producer Alex Gansa, and Morshower
Episode 24 - Executive Producers Howard Gordon and Cassar

‘24: Season Seven’ was released by Fox Home Video and stars Kiefer Sutherland, Carlos Bernard, Cherry Jones, Colm Feore, Jeffrey Nordling, Rhys Coiro, Janeane Garofalo, Anne Wersching, and Mary Lynn Rajskub. The show was released on May 19th, 2009. It is not rated.

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

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 25 Run-of-Engagement Passes For ‘Sunshine Cleaning’ With Amy Adams

HollywoodChicago.com — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 11:03:21 -0600

CHICAGO – In our latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have a special giveaway with 25 run-of-engagement admit-two “Sunshine Cleaning” passes. “Sunshine Cleaning” stars Academy Award nominees Amy Adams and Emily Blunt as well as Academy Award winner Alan Arkin. The film also stars Jason Spevack, Steve Zahn, Clifton Collins Jr. and Mary Lynn Rajskub.

From the from the producers of “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Sunshine Cleaning” opened nationwide on March 20, 2009. To win your run-of-engagement “Sunshine Cleaning” pass, which can be used when you please at any movie theater during the film’s run, all you need to do is be one of the first 25 people to submit your worst-job story in our confidential, Web-based submission form.

That’s it! Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and immediately win a run-of-engagement “Sunshine Cleaning” pass can be found beneath the graphic below.

The poster for “Sunshine Cleaning” with Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Jason Spevack, Steve Zahn, Clifton Collins Jr. and Mary Lynn Rajskub.
Image credit: Overture Films

Here is the synopsis for “Sunshine Cleaning”:

A single mom and her slacker sister find an unexpected way to turn their lives around in the offbeat dramatic comedy “Sunshine Cleaning”. Directed by Christine Jeffs (“Rain,” “Sylvia”), this uplifting film about an average family that finds the path to its dreams in an unlikely setting screened in competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

Once the high school cheerleading captain who dated the quarterback, Rose Lorkowski (Academy Award nominee Amy Adams) now finds herself a 30-something single mother working as a maid. Her sister, Norah (Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt), is still living at home with their dad, Joe (Academy Award winner Alan Arkin). He’s a salesman with a lifelong history of ill-fated get-rich-quick schemes.

Desperate to get her son into a better school, Rose persuades Norah to go into the crime scene cleanup business with her to make some quick cash. In no time, the girls are up to their elbows in murders, suicides and other… specialized situations.

As they climb the ranks in a very dirty job, the sisters find a true respect for each another and the closeness they have always craved finally blossoms. By building their own improbable business, Rose and Norah open the door to the joys and challenges of being there for each another – no matter what – while creating a brighter future for the entire Lorkowski family.

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 worst-job story. You must submit your worst-job 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 worst-job story using this submission form.

You must include your e-mail address, name and physical mailing address in your submission. To be eligible to win this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup, your physical mailing address must be collected securely and confidentially in this Web-based submission form in order for us to mail these physical, run-of-engagement passes to our winners.

Your personal information will be kept strictly confidential and will not be sold or shared elsewhere. Your mailing address is securely being collected in order to mail our winners the physical passes.

Submit your worst-job story in our Web form now!
Please DO NOT comment in this Hookup! Please RSVP at the link above ONLY.

Like all Hookups here, this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film is simple: The first 25 people to submit a worst-job story in this Web-based submission form win! The 25 run-of-engagement passes will be mailed to the winners at our expense.

Read our “Sunshine Cleaning” film review.
Read our Mary Lynn Rajskub interview.
Read our Steve Zahn interview on “Rescue Dawn”.
See our 29-image “Sunshine Cleaning” slideshow.
See our 18-image “Sunshine Cleaning” world-premiere slideshow.

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

Slideshow: 18-Image Gallery From World Premiere of ‘Sunshine Cleaning’ With Amy Adams, Emily Blunt

BrianTT — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:44:28 -0600

CHICAGO – This 18-image slideshow contains a selection of images from the red carpet at the world premiere of “Sunshine Cleaning” in Los Angeles. The film stars Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Clifton Collins Jr., Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Jason Spevack. Written by Megan Holley and directed by Christine Jeffs, the film opens in limited release on Friday, March 13th, 2009.

Synopsis: “A single mom and her slacker sister find an unexpected way to turn their lives around in the off-beat dramatic comedy Sunshine Cleaning. Directed by Christine Jeffs (Rain, Sylvia), this uplifting film about an average family that finds the path to its dreams in an unlikely setting screened in competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

Sunshine Cleaning’s stellar cast includes Academy Award® nominee Amy Adams (Enchanted), Oscar® winner Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine), Golden Globe® winner Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada), Steve Zahn (Happy, Texas), Clifton Collins, Jr. (Capote), Mary Lynn Rajskub (“24”) and Jason Spevack (Hollywoodland).

The film is directed by Jeffs from a screenplay by Megan Holley. Producers are Glenn Williamson, Jeb Brody, and Marc Turtletaub and Peter Saraf of Big Beach Films. Editor is Heather Persons. John Toon is director of photography. Production designer is Joe Garrity and art director is Guy Barnes. Costume design is by Alix Friedberg.

Once the high school cheerleading captain who dated the quarterback, Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams) now finds herself a thirty-something single mother working as a maid. Her sister Norah, (Emily Blunt), is still living at home with their dad Joe (Alan Arkin), a salesman with a lifelong history of ill-fated get rich quick schemes.

Desperate to get her son into a better school, Rose persuades Norah to go into the crime scene clean-up business with her to make some quick cash. In no time, the girls are up to their elbows in murders, suicides and other…specialized situations. As they climb the ranks in a very dirty job, the sisters find new respect for one another and the closeness they have always craved finally blossoms. By building their own improbable business, Rose and Norah open the door to the joys and challenges of being there for one another—no matter what—while discovering personal healing in the most unexpected way.”

Don’t miss the 29-image gallery for “Sunshine Cleaning”.

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. Photos 1-15 are credited to Frazer Harrison. Photos 16-18 are credited to Jeff Vespa. All rights reserved.

sunshine_premiere_01: Actresses Emily Blunt (L) and Amy Adams.
sunshine_premiere_02: Actresses Amy Adams (L), Emily Blunt, and actor Jason Spevack (F).
sunshine_premiere_03: Actress Emily Blunt.
sunshine_premiere_04: Actresses Emily Blunt (L) and Amy Adams.
sunshine_premiere_05: Actress Amy Adams.
sunshine_premiere_06: Actress Amy Adams (L) and actor Jason Spevack.
sunshine_premiere_07: Actress Emily Blunt.
sunshine_premiere_08: Actress Amy Adams.
sunshine_premiere_09: Actress Amy Adams (L) and actor Clifton Collins Jr..
sunshine_premiere_10: (L-R) Actresses Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, and Mary Lynn Rajskub.
sunshine_premiere_11: (L-R) Producer Peter Saraf, Jeb Brody, actress Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, producers Glenn Williamson, and Marc Turtletaub.
sunshine_premiere_12: Actor Clifton Collins Jr..
sunshine_premiere_13: Actress Amy Adams.
sunshine_premiere_14: Actress Amy Adams.
sunshine_premiere_15: Actresses Amy Adams (L) and Emily Blunt.
sunshine_premiere_16: Actor Clifton Collins Jr. and actress Mary Lynn Rajskub.
sunshine_premiere_17: Actress Amy Adams.
sunshine_premiere_18: Actresses Emily Blunt and Amy Adams.

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

Slideshow: 29-Image Gallery For ‘Sunshine Cleaning’ With Amy Adams, Emily Blunt

BrianTT — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:41:46 -0700

CHICAGO – This 29-image slideshow contains the official press images from the Overture Films production of “Sunshine Cleaning,” starring Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Steve Zahn, Clifton Collins Jr., Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Jason Spevack. Written by Megan Holley and directed by Christine Jeffs, the film opens in limited release on Friday, March 13th, 2009.

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos are credited to Lacey Terrell and courtesy of Overture Films. All Rights Reserved.

Sunshine_Cleaning_01: Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Jason Spevack and Amy Adams star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_02: Amy Adams and Emily Blunt star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_03: Jason Spevack, Amy Adams, Alan Arkin and Emily Blunt star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_04: Emily Blunt and Mary Lynn Rajskub star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_05: Emily Blunt, Jason Spevack and Amy Adams and star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_06: Amy Adams and Emily Blunt star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_07: Clifton Collins Jr., and Amy Adams star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_08: Amy Adams and Jason Spevack star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_09: Star Amy Adams with director Christine Jeffs on the set of Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_10: Emily Blunt stars in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_11: Jason Spevack and Amy Adams star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_12: Amy Adams and Alan Arkin star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_13: Alan Arkin stars in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_14: Emily Blunt and Amy Adams star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_15: Jason Spevack, Amy Adams and Emily Blunt star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_16: Amy Adams and Emily Blunt star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_17: Steve Zahn stars in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_18: Jason Spevack and Alan Arkin star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_19: Mary Lynn Rajskub and Emily Blunt star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_20: Amy Adams stars in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_21: Mary Lynn Rajskub and Emily Blunt star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_22: Emily Blunt stars in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_23: Mary Lynn Rajskub stars in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_24: Emily Blunt, Jason Spevack, and Amy Adams star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_25: Emily Blunt stars in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_26: Jason Spevack, Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, and Alan Arkin star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_27: Amy Adams stars in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_28: Steve Zahn and Amy Adams star in Sunshine Cleaning.
Sunshine_Cleaning_29: Amy Adams and Emily Blunt star in Sunshine Cleaning.

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

‘24’ Reflects Changing Times With Excellent Season-Seven Premiere

BrianTT — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:09:24 -0700

CHICAGO – The world has changed significantly since Kiefer Sutherland and the rest of the team behind Fox’s “24” were forced to save it repeatedly over the first six seasons of one of the most popular shows of the last decade. Will “24” still be relevant with controversy over real-life torture dominating the headlines and a new regime getting ready to take office?

The new season of “24” picks up at 8am in the life of Jack Bauer and it will be after noon by the time the first four hours have unfolded over two nights on FOX, starting January 11th, 2009. In the opening moments of the first episode, the chief engineer of the government’s infrastructure and security system is kidnapped and a group of domestic terrorists has taken control of something very powerful - our nation’s air traffic control.

The clock is ticking for 24: SEASON 7 to premiere with a special two-night, four-hour event Sunday, Jan. 11 and Monday, Jan. 12 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Photo credit: Michael Muller FOX

Meanwhile, as he came home to do at the end of “24: Redemption”, Jack is being questioned by the government for the interrogation techniques that he used while he was an agent for CTU. At the same time a new President, Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones), is dealing with her first big crisis in office.

Controversy over the detainment of people without due process and the use of extreme methods to get answers from suspects while a new leader takes control of the White House. Anyone who thinks “24” shouldn’t be viewed in context of what’s happening in the real world is clearly missing the point. The writers of the show have very consciously made an effort to have “24” not only reflect the times we are in but to change with them.

Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer. The clock is ticking for 24: SEASON 7 to premiere with a special two-night, four-hour event Sunday, Jan. 11 and Monday, Jan. 12 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Photo credit: Kelsey McNeal/FOX

Of course, it’s not all discussion and politics. Before the end of the first hour, Jack is putting his controversial techniques to use when he is brought from Capital Hill to the FBI to help stop the terrorists who have taken in-flight planes hostage.

Why Jack? Well, it turns out that the man behind the terrorist plot is someone that Bauer knows very well, the thought-dead Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard), who Jack saw pass away in his arms near the end of season five. He didn’t die. (And, don’t worry, this is not a spoiler. It’s revealed within moments of the premiere. We would never spoil the end of even the first hour of the new season, much less any details from the three that follow.)

To stop Tony, Bauer is forced to work with several new faces at the FBI, including its head, Larry Moss (Jeffrey Nordling), two of its analysts (Rhys Coiro & Janeane Garofalo), and agent Renee Walker (Anne Wersching). Of course, Tony isn’t the only familiar face making an eventual return. Jon Voight will also return later in the season

Is Jack the only man that can stop Tony? What really happened to the now-dead son of President Taylor? The “First Man,” Henry Taylor (Colm Feore), doesn’t think his son committed suicide. And is the terrorist attack on air traffic control related to the President’s impending decision to intervene in a genocide in Africa?

And will interrogation and torture play a role through the entire season? It’s certainly a major part of the background of the first four hours. The government’s response to Bauer’s past has had very little effect on him, although he does seem a little calmer in these first four hours than he usually is in the two-night premiere of “24,” as if he’s been through this kind of crap too many times to panic again.

But, and maybe this is what “24” fans really want to hear, Jack is always going to be Jack. He will go to whatever ends necessary to save his country and there are several moments in the morning of the seventh season where he’s screaming, choking, and getting ready to kill to get the job done. In fact, an audience could definitely take from “8:00am-12:00pm” that the creators of “24” are condoning torture when an agent like Jack Bauer thinks its necessary. Case in point - When someone with necessary information says “I have rights” in one episode, the agent questioning him responds with “I suggest you use your last breath wisely.”

Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer (R) and Annie Wersching as Renee Walker (L). Day 7 premieres with a special two-night event Sunday, Jan. 13 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Monday, Jan. 14 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Photo credit: Kelsey McNeal/FOX

At the same time, there’s a definite theme of consequences of government action, no better represented than in the character arc of Tony Almeida. Bernard’s return to the show, as soap opera-esque as it may be, gives a jolt to the series that was missing in season six.

With all the political issues aside, how’s the action? There’s a Bauer escape at the end of episode three that stands with his best and all four hours feel more believably paced than the cluttered action of season six. The first four hours of season seven may not be as “explosive” as some seasons, but it feels more like the first two seasons - confident and as tightly and expertly edited as anything you’ll see on television this year.

It’s not surprising that the action is well-done and “Redemption” hinted at how directly “24” would address real-life issues this year, but what’s most unexpectedly promising about the start of season seven is the expanded cast. At least at the beginning, this is not the “Jack Bauer show” by any stretch of the imagination. Great stage actors Jones and Feore are unlike any President and spouse we’ve seen on the show to date and I love the new team of “good guys” in Garofalo, Nordling, Coiro, and Wersching. (Although, on “24,” you can never be sure who’s actually “good”.) There’s not a single false performance in the first four hours of season seven.

A great ensemble, interesting political themes, and action as good as anything in movie theaters at this time of year. The debut of the seventh season of “24” is good enough to think that the changes in character and tone to reflect the changing times and the new administration might work well enough to keep this landmark show around for the years it takes to see another one.

‘24,’ which airs on FOX, stars Kiefer Sutherland, Carlos Bernard, Cherry Jones, Colm Feore, Jeffrey Nordling, Rhys Coiro, Janeane Garofalo, Anne Wersching, and Mary Lynn Rajskub. The premiere of season seven airs on January 11th, 2009 at 7PM CST.

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

TV Review: ‘24’ Searches For ‘Redemption’ With Prequel to Season Seven

BrianTT — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:24:46 -0700

CHICAGO – After a delay that lasted well in excess of a year, “24” returns to FOX this Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008 from 7 to 9 p.m. with a two-hour “special event” (they used to just be called “TV movies”) called “24: Redemption”.

The prequel to season seven of “24” intends to bridge the gap between day six and seven for Jack Bauer and set the plot in motion for what promises to be an interesting reboot of a show that hasn’t been on the air in almost two years.

The 2008 writer’s strike delayed the seventh season of “24” by an entire year. The show, which has never aired under anything but the George Bush presidency, now faces a brave new world when Jack Bauer starts another ticking clock in early 2009.

The writers of this prequel “event” are keenly aware that not only has their show been off the air for a lifetime in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of television but also that they need to appeal to an audience that’s preparing for the much-debated “change” that has been promised by new president elect Barack Obama.

Obama will be the man in the Oval Office for nearly all of season seven of “24”.

While it may or may not carry over to the upcoming season of the show, there’s an interesting new dynamic at play in “24: Redemption”. The trademark “torture first; ask questions later” attitude of “24” has been replaced (at least in this prequel) by a more idealistic world view with a hero who saves the day and a new president who promises change.

Thankfully, Kiefer Sutherland never looks into the camera and says: “Mr. president, yes we can.” It’s still a dark and brutal program, but there has clearly been a creative reassessment of the show. It’s the kind of self-awareness that could resurrect a series that looked like its popularity might be sliding away with Bush and Cheney’s ever-plummeting approval ratings.

Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) battles an international crisis in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
Photo credit: Kelsey McNeal, FOX Broadcasting

The sixth season of “24” ended with Jack Bauer once again alone and without support. The seventh season picks up four days later with Jack in front of a U.S. Senate subcommittee. He’s forced to answer for his controversial past conduct and “24: Redemption” is meant to bridge those two Jacks.

Robert Carlyle as Carl Benton in “24: Redemption”.
Photo credit: Kelsey McNeal, FOX Broadcasting

In the years since season six, Jack has been wandering the globe while finding himself in the fictional country of Sangala, Africa where he works with a special-ops pal named Benton (Robert Carlyle) in a boys’ school.

Of course, no one has worse timing than Jack Bauer. He just happens to be at the school on the same day that a sadistic warlord (Tony Todd) is planning a bloody coup and needs some “little soldiers” to help with the mass murder.

Jack is literally on the road out of town with a backpack over his shoulder when things get serious. He is once again drawn into an international crisis. One minute, he’s off to save the next African village and literally 10 minutes later he’s dodging a rocket launcher.

It’s the classic Bauer dilemma: help out and face the government official (Gil Bellows) trying to bring Jack back to the U.S. for justice or turn his back on innocent children. It’s no contest for our man Jack.

While “Redemption” may be a “24” with no counterterrorist unit (CTU), it hasn’t lost any of its distrust for government and its officials. Gil Bellows is definitely smarmy enough, but even he doesn’t touch just a few minutes with Jon Voight.

Voight is licking his lips at the scenery he plans to chew in season seven as an American businessman who may have ties to terrorism (and a certain bloodthirsty warlord in Sangala). All of this happens to be going down on the day that president elect Allison Taylor (the great Cherry Jones) is taking over residence in the Oval Office.

The scenes between Jones and Powers Boothe’s outgoing president Noah Daniels have a riveting parallel to reality with the two even comparing the new leader’s “idealism” and the old one’s “cynicism”. Daniels delivers the line that President Bush probably wishes he could say to Barack Obama: “Let’s talk after you’ve been sitting in my chair for a while.”

The concept of one government inheriting not only the problems but also possibly the underhanded dealings of the previous one could add a new creative energy to a show that was seriously lacking it in season six. The casting of Jones makes one wonder if the producers of “24” thought Hillary Clinton was the more likely winner on Election Day.

President elect Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones, right) meets with U.S. President Noah Daniels (Powers Boothe, left) before her inauguration in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
Photo credit: Greg Gayne, FOX Broadcasting

Jones and Boothe are spectacular, but “24” has and will always belong to Kiefer Sutherland who doesn’t miss a beat stepping back into Bauer’s well-worn shoes.

“24: Redemption” has an unusual supporting cast in that it introduces some new players for season seven, features several actors who will only be in “24: Redemption” and doesn’t include many of the regular faces (like Mary Lynn Rajskub or the returning Carlos Bernard).

That said, perhaps it’s appropriate that with the exception of Jones’ few scenes we’re reintroduced to “24” with a movie that features Sutherland front and center. If anyone is going to carry the show back from the worst season in its history, it’s going to be Jack Bauer. In the end, “24: Redemption” is really just prologue and back story for what’s to come in season seven.

However, judged as a standalone “event” (as FOX likes to describe it), it comes up a little short. The action in Sangala is too predictable (Bellows, in particular, might as well be twirling a curly-cue mustache as he’s such a stereotypically slimy bad guy) and the pile of coincidences that can sometimes bring down the show hurts the believability of the action in the nation’s capital.

The president elect’s son (Eric Lively) gets involved with the drama surrounding what’s happening in Africa in a way that doesn’t feel plausible at all (which is saying a lot for this show). The real-time structure is stretched as far as it ever has been.

While “24” has always been a program that requires an intense suspension of disbelief, “24: Redemption” seems to need more than average. For a country that recently voted for change, “24: Redemption” seems to be going in the right direction but may not have gone far enough to not look like a Bush-era relic.

“24: Redemption,” which airs on FOX, stars Kiefer Sutherland, Robert Carlyle, Cherry Jones, Jon Voight, Tony Todd, Gil Bellows and Powers Boothe. The two-hour event airs on Nov. 23, 2008 at 7 p.m. CST.

Flip through our high-quality, 22-image slideshow for “24: Redemption”.

Read our interview with “24” star Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe O’Brian).

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

Slideshow: 22-Image Gallery For ‘24: Redemption’ With Kiefer Sutherland

BrianTT — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:50:58 -0700

CHICAGO – This 22-image slideshow contains official press images for the new TV film “24: Redemption” (previously named “24: Exile”), which stars Kiefer Sutherland, Gil Bellows, Robert Carlyle, Cherry Jones, Powers Boothe and Jon Voight. The prequel to the seventh season of “24” airs on Nov. 23, 2008 at 8 p.m. EST or 7 p.m. CST on FOX.

“24” jump-starts its seventh season with a two-hour, real-time special movie that airs on Nov. 23, 2008. Set and shot entirely in Africa, “24: Redemption” stars Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer who is forced to battle an international crisis with mentor Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle).

Meanwhile, the U.S. prepares to inaugurate new president Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones). Set a few months before day seven will officially begin for “24,” “24: Redemption” also introduces two characters who will be integral to that season’s plot: Frank Tramell (Gil Bellows) and Jonas Hodges (Jon Voight).

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. Unless otherwise noted on an individual photo, all photo credits for this slideshow belong to Kelsey McNeal and the FOX Broadcasting Company.

24redemption1: Captured in Africa exhibit: “24” producer Michael Klick captures Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) performing a stunt while filming “24: Redemption,” which airs on Nov. 23, 2008 on FOX. Photo credit: Michael Klick
24redemption2: Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer in “24: Redemption,” which is the two-hour special “day-seven prequel” airing on Nov. 23, 2008 on FOX.
24redemption3: Gil Bellows as Frank Tramell in “24: Redemption”.
24redemption4: Robert Carlyle as Carl Benton in “24: Redemption”.
24redemption5: Captured in Africa exhibit: Unit photographer Kelsey McNeal captures a behind-the-scenes look at Kiefer Sutherland (right) and Siyabulela Ramba (left) while filming “24: Redemption”.
24redemption6: Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland, center) battles an international crisis in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”. Robert Carlyle is also pictured on right.
24redemption7: Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) battles an international crisis in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption8: U.S. State Department officer Frank Tramell (Gil Bellows, right) tries to convince Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle, left) that Jack must return to the U.S. in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption9: Robert Carlyle as Carl Benton in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption10: Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) forms a bond with the children at an orphanage in South Africa in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”. Siyabuela Ramba is also pictured on right.
24redemption11: Robert Carlyle as Carl Benton in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption12: Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) battles an international crisis in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption13: An international crisis ensues in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption14: Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) battles an international crisis in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption15: Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) battles an international crisis in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption16: U.S. State Department officer Frank Tramell (Gil Bellows, left) tries to convince Jack to return to the U.S. in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”. Also pictured is Robert Carlyle on right.
24redemption17: Jon Voight as Jonas Hodges in “24: Redemption”.
24redemption18: Jon Voight as Jonas Hodges in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption19: President-elect Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones, right) meets with U.S. president Noah Daniels (Powers Boothe, left) before her inauguration in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”. Photo credit: Greg Gayne/FOX
24redemption20: Jonas Hodges (Jon Voight) attends the presidential inauguration in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption21: President-elect Allison Taylor is sworn in as president of the U.S. in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”. Photo credit: Greg Gayne/FOX
24redemption22: Captured in Africa exhibit: “24” producer Michael Klick used his infrared camera to capture Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) on the run while filming “24: Redemption”.Photo credit: Michael Klick

Read our full “24: Redemption” review by critic Brian Tallerico.

Read our interview with “24” star Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe O’Brian).

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

Interview: Mary Lynn Rajskub – Star of Hit TV Show ‘24’ – Discovers She’s Hilarious

HollywoodChicago.com — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:58:25 -0700

CHICAGO – On the other end of the phone, Mary Lynn Rajskub (best known to most Americans as Chloe O’Brian on the hit television show “24”) tells me her Thanksgiving plans.

Even though her voice is sweet and humble as we discuss the logistics and square footage needed to properly deep fry a turkey, something in my mind can’t separate her from the government agent she plays.

I find myself fighting the urge to talk into the headset with a deep, raspy voice a la Kiefer Sutherland and demand she send me the schematics of an abandoned industrial complex.

“I thought [deep frying a turkey] was a terrible idea, but apparently it’s pretty delicious,” she says completely unaware that in my mind a bomb is about to go off somewhere in the city unless she can get me the information I need.

Mary Lynn Rajskub.
Photo credit: GeekSugar.com
Rajskub has found playing a hit character on a fast-paced action show a high point in her career. Meanwhile, an oft-forgotten bit of information known only to fans of her earlier work and attendees of the annual CTU holiday party is that Mary Lynn Rajskub is hilarious.

In case you don’t believe me, she performed stand-up at the Lakeshore Theatre in Chicago on Nov. 24 in a show called “Mary Lynn Rajskub: Turns Out I’m Funny”.

The Trenton, Mich. native started her comedy career on the first two seasons of the HBO sketch comedy “Mr. Show”. At that time, she was dating the show’s co-creator (David Cross), and when their relationship ended, she was no longer allowed on the set.

While working as a barista at Seattle’s Best, her agent took a video of her doing a stand-up routine of a performance artist on acid to Garry Shandling. He cast her in the “Larry Sanders Show”.

Mary Lynn Rajskub.
Photo credit: GeekSugar.com
Between being a foil to Bob Odenkirk and over-the-top David Cross sketches and making out with Jeffery Tambor (in what was the funniest “Larry Sanders Show” episode), Rajskub became a favorite to comedy nerds throughout the nation.

One such fan was director Paul Thomas Anderson who cast her as an assistant to Tom Cruise in the film “Magnolia”. When her scene didn’t make the final cut, he made a point to give her a much bigger role as Adam Sandler’s overbearing sister in “Punch-Drunk Love”.

This is what caught the eye of “24” executive producer Joel Surnow.

“He really liked my character. He decided he wanted somebody somewhat like that at the CTU,” Rajskub said. “I had never watched ‘24’. I really didn’t audition for very many dramas. I didn’t really want to go in on it.”

Mary Lynn Rajskub (left), Emily Watson and
Adam Sandler in “Punch-Drunk Love”.
Photo credit: Bruce Birmelin, Columbia Pictures
The decision to sign on paid off. Rajskub was an immediate hit for critics and fans when she joined the cast in the third season. The following year when the show was retooled, she was one of the only characters to stay on as a regular.

Rajskub has been manning the computer at CTU ever since and even has some fun with it by parodying the role on shows such as “The Simpsons” and “MADtv”.

Of course, she won’t be going anywhere any time soon. The much-anticipated new season of “24” will feature Chloe working for a rogue CTU agency outside the government while Jack Bauer faces torture charges. The much-talked about “24” movie is still in the works as well.

“They have written a first draft of that,” she says as she seems to search her brain for something she hasn’t thought about in a while. “Then FOX put it on hold because they wanted to do it when the series was entirely over.”

While talking about “24” seems like it has become almost overplayed in the comedian’s life, sometimes her television show is all the audience can think about when they see her perform other places.

Mary Lynn Rajskub.
Photo credit: GeekSugar.com
“Sometimes I can feel that they’re really beside themselves,” the actress says of some “24” fans who see her live show. “They think Kiefer is backstage or something. I can tell all they’re thinking about is ‘24’.”

How does the comedian/field agent diffuse this situation?

“I’ll just talk to them,” Rajskub said. “Like: ‘What do you want to know?’” She admits that while she does mention Hollywood briefly, the show is on a more personal level. It’s less like a conventional stand-up show and more like old-fashioned storytelling.

“I tried to put together a show that was more theatrical, but I just end up standing there talking to the audience any way. I’ve never been a straight-up ‘joke teller,’” Rajskub confesses. “I’ve always been funny on stage.”

Kiefer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub in “24”.
Photo credit: 20th Century Fox
This comes as no surprise because she’s always funny on screen. Hopefully we can see more of that sooner than later.

While Mary Lynn tells me that she would love to work with Ricky Gervais or Garry Shandling again, there might be another collaboration with a former “Mr. Show” cast mate in the future. She is currently reworking a feature-length script based on an earlier short film she made with comedian Paul F. Thompkins.

The story follows a recently dumped woman who becomes a hit man just to not look pathetic in front of a guy at a bar. Following through on her word, she takes out an advertisement and becomes possibly the most inept assassin ever.

Interestingly, Rajskub doesn’t even have a copy of the original short film. “I found it on YouTube,” she laughs. “I thought ‘somebody found that and put it up. I’m going to watch it.’”

A short film featuring Mary Lynn Rajskub as an adorable hitman.
“I haven’t really shown it to anyone,” she says. “I just keep rewriting it.” In the meantime, we can expect to see more of Mary Lynn Rajskub on televisions on the upcoming premiere of “24” as well as the recently released “Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show” on DVD.

As the phone conversation ends, I’m again a bit heartbroken. She hasn’t confirmed that she hacked into some terrorist computer network or at least a decent cliffhanger to lead into the next hour.

While I know the beautiful and funny Mary Lynn Rajskub will go on to call into radio shows and will do more interviews, my inner Jack Bauer hopes Chloe is investigating a mole working inside Mancow’s “Morning Madhouse”.

By Dustin Levell
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com