Tom Cruise Takes Les Grossman Back to the Big Screen

Les Grossman, the character that Tom Cruise memorably played in the 2008 film, Tropic Thunder, will be featured in his own movie, according to a press release from Paramount Pictures.  Cruise also appeared as Grossman in a dance number with Jennifer Lopez performed at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards this past weekend.

Press release from Paramount Pictures:

Paramount Announces "UNTITLED Les Grossman Project"

Paramount Pictures and MTV Films announced today that they are set to develop a movie around mega-producer Les Grossman. The announcement comes on the heels of Grossman’s groundbreaking and visionary production of the soon-to-be Emmy® award-winning 2010 MTV Movie Awards Sunday night. Tom Cruise, along with Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld of Red Hour Films will produce and have secured the life rights to Grossman.

Grossman, best known as a mega producer, has most recently mentored talents such as Rob Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. In 2008, Grossman was introduced to the masses by Stiller in the comedy “Tropic Thunder” where the famed producer had a cameo playing himself.

Said Ben Stiller: “Les Grossman's life story is an inspiring tale of the classic human struggle to achieve greatness against all odds. He has assured me he plans to quote, ‘F**king kill the sh*t out of this movie and make Citizen f**king Kane look like a piece of crap home movie by the time we are done.’ I am honored to be working with him.”

When asked what the screenplay was about Grossman responded: “To quote my great friend Kirk Lazarus, ‘I don’t read the script, the script reads me.’”

Adam Goodman, Paramount Film Group President said, "Everything I learned in this business, I've learned from Les. I started out as his assistant, and from the first day he threw his desk at me when I got his lunch order wrong, I have loved him like a father. I am forever grateful to Ben and Stuart Cornfeld and their ability to secure his highly-coveted life rights,"

Tom Cruise is said to be in talks to portray Grossman in the film.

Michael Bacall (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”) will write the script. He is repped by WME.

WME also reps Ben Stiller and Red Hour Films.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company's labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group, and Worldwide Television Distribution. [END]

Review: "Night at the Museum" Proves that Mediocre Can Still Be Good

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 256 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Night at the Museum (2006)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – PG for mild action, language, and brief rude humor
DIRECTOR: Shawn Levy
WRITERS: Robert Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon; from their screen story based upon the novel by Milan Trenc
PRODUCERS: Chris Columbus, Shawn Levy, and Michael Barnathan
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Guillermo Navarro
EDITOR: Don Zimmerman

FANTASY/COMEDY

Starring: Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, Jake Cherry, Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams, Kim Raver, Steve Coogan, Mizuo Peck, Rami Malek, Charlie Murphy, Paul Rudd, Patrick Gallagher, and Owen Wilson

Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is a good-hearted dreamer who thinks he’s destined for something big, but his lack of a steady job means he’s always being evicted from his apartment. He’s also a divorced father with a 10-year old son, Nick (Jake Cherry). His ex-wife, Erica (Kim Raver), delivers an ultimatum: Nick can’t stay with Larry until Larry has a stable living situation. Nick certainly has that with Erica, an attorney, and her new husband, Don (Paul Rudd), a bond trader, and Nick admires Don, which bothers Larry a little.

Larry eventually gets a job as a night watchman at the Museum of Natural History, where an extraordinary thing happens when the sun goes down. At night, all the exhibits come to life. Mayans, Roman Gladiators, and cowboys emerge from their dioramas to battle one another. African mammals, cavemen, and even Attila the Hun (Patrick Gallagher) roam the halls of the museum at night. The one exhibit Larry can turn to for advice is a wax statue of President Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), that comes alive on his black stallion and helps Larry get the denizens of the museum under control.

The magical happenings at the museum come with one stipulation – nothing must enter or leave the museum at night. Still, something does go wrong. Larry has to stop a nefarious plot in order to save the museum and its inhabitants and maybe prove himself in his son’s eyes.

Night at the Museum is one of those films that work best during the feel good Christmas holidays. Warm and fuzzy, this family flick is chock full of magic and a sense of wonder. It also looks and acts like the mid-90’s CGI creature rampage movie, Jumanji, and some of the CGI and special effects look dated. The writers over-emphasize Larry’s quest to be a good dad, and some of the humor is forced. The writers make the women in the movie stock characters, and they’re little more than accessories to make male characters feel better about themselves.

Director Shawn Levy does give the film the same kind of frothy fun he did with the 2003 holiday hit, Cheaper by the Dozen. Night fairly hums with mystery and enchantment, thanks in no small part to Levy’s creative team. Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, whose specialty is fantasy and supernatural films (From Dusk Till Dawn) and even family films (Stuart Little and Spy Kids) creates a look for the movie that is a sweet mix of charmed sepia and gooey warmth. Costume designer Renée April does work worthy of Oscar notice with a variety of costumes that span the history of human clothing, and Alan Silvestri’s score hits all the right notes in creating an atmosphere of action, adventure, magic, and mystery.

Ben Stiller tends to play characters that are edgy, smart-mouthed and sometimes annoying, but his Larry Daley is a good guy. He’s more genial than jerk, and Stiller has a nice way of making Daley’s smarty attitude always bubble under the surface without ever coming up. Jake Cherry makes a lovable son, and Robin Williams is subdued.

In spite of its faults and missteps, Night at the Museum is just that kind of movie that can turn an adult who isn’t too jaded into a kid wide-eyed at the wonder and magic of what is essentially an entertaining and amusing children’s movie.

5 of 10

B-

Sunday, December 24, 2006

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Review: "Blades of Glory" Spoofs Sports and Figure Skating

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 61 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Blades of Glory (2007)
Running time: 93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language, a comic violent image, and some drug references
DIRECTORS: Will Speck & Josh Gordon
WRITERS: Jeff Cox & Craig Cox and John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky; from a story by Craig Cox & Jeff Cox and Busy Philipps
PRODUCERS: Ben Stiller, Stuart Cornfeld, and John Jacobs
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stefan Czapsky, ASC
EDITOR: Richard Pearson

COMEDY/SPORT

Starring: Will Ferrell, John Heder, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Craig T. Nelson, William Fichtner, Jenna Fischer, Romany Malco, Nick Swardson, Rob Corddry, Scott Hamilton, and Jim Lampley

In his latest comedy juggernaut, Blades of Glory, Will Ferrell joins rising comedy star Jon Heder in a story of a pair of rivals who clown themselves out of their chosen sport and end up stripped of their gold medals. As he usually is, Ferrell’s at the very top of his game, and even Heder adds a new flavor to his own routine.

Male figure skaters Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) are champions on the ice and fierce rivals on and off the ice, and their feud is coming to a head at the World Championships. Michaels is a swaggering, macho rock star who skates hard and loves and leaves his female fans in his wake. MacElroy is a driven former child prodigy and the only competitor who can match Micheals’ scores. The personal project of wealthy champion athlete-maker, Darren MacElroy (William Fichtner), Jimmy is all poise and technical brilliance. When Chazz and Jimmy’s bitter rivalry erupts into a no-holds-barred fight, the ensuing brawl sets the World Championship’s helpless mascot on fire. Called before figure skating’s governing board, the pair are stripped of their gold medals and banned from the sport for life.

Three and half years later, both men are struggling to find their way without competitive skating. Jimmy’s old mentor, Coach (Craig T. Nelson, playing to the slapstick hilt the kind of role for which he’s best known) has a revolutionary idea. There is a loophole that will allow Chazz and Jimmy to return to skating, but only in pairs figure skating. With the help of dance teacher, Jesse (Romany Malco, surprisingly adept at creating characters), Coach whips the enemies into shape. In spite of their festering hatred for one another, Chazz and Jimmy become the first male/male figure skating pair. The sport’s not quite ready for them, and neither are the reigning gold medal team of brother and sister, Stranz and Fairchild Van Waldenberg (Will Arnett and Amy Poehler). The duo’s sister, Katie (Jenna Fischer), however is ready for Jimmy, and they’re all headed for a showdown at the World Wintersports Games.

I never expected Blade of Glory to make me laugh so much, but I certainly felt happy after seeing it. It’s one of those films where everything seems to come together. This is a good script pokes fun at a sub-culture that has many ardent supporters, but also a perhaps even larger group of people who deride it, which describes figure skating. The script fell into the hands of a directing team, Will Speck & Josh Gordon (of the Geico Insurance Cavemen TV commercials), that understands the rhythms and timing necessary to make a great comic film. Even costume designer Julie Weiss creates attire, gear, and uniforms that perfectly captures the flashy over-the-top grandeur of skating and mixes in costumes that lampoon the sports innate ostentatious flair.

Great comedy, however, needs great comedians, and Blades of Glory has that. Will Ferrell has the resilience of a Spartan when it comes to fashioning ridiculous comic creations and then sustaining them for the duration of a film shoot. Chazz Michael Micheals is Ferrell’s typical deadpan moron who is completely oblivious to how much he annoys and irritates everyone around him, and like Ferrell’s other film creations, Michaels is a riot. Jon Heder seems to have dug himself into a hole playing the lovable nerd, but he spins Jimmy MacElroy giving him the confidence of a champion athlete, as well as the lovable nerdy innocence we’ve come to expect from a Heder character.

The rest of the cast is equally good. Will Arnett and Amy Poehler are pure, mad genius as the creepy and evil Van Waldenbergs. Jenna Fischer takes what could have been a one-note character and makes her fun by giving Katie Van Waldenberg spice and a bit of edge. Even the announcing team of real-life skating champion Scott Hamilton and veteran TV sports announcer Jim Lampley add a touch of dry humor and drool wit in their deadpan delivery as the color commentators.

Still, I’m astounded that Blades of Glory made me laugh so much. Maybe this is what happens when a talented comic cast joins the right creative team and crew. They make a comedy be what it should be – as funny as possible.

8 of 10
A

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

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Review: "Zoolander" is Smart and Silly

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 4 (of 2001) by Leroy Douresseaux

Zoolander (2001)
Running time: 89 minutes (l hour 39 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 on appeal for sexual content and drug references
DIRECTOR: Ben Stiller
WRITERS: Drake Sather & Ben Stiller and John Hamburg, from a story by Drake Sather and Ben Stiller (based upon characters created by Sather and Stiller)
PRODUCERS: Stuart Cornfeld, Scott Rudin, and Ben Stiller
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Barry Peterson
EDITOR: Greg Hayden
COMEDY

Starring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor, Will Ferrell, Milla Jovovich, Jerry Stiller, David Duchovny, Jon Voight, and Judah Friedlander with cameos by Christian Slater, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Tommy Hilfiger, Natalie Portman, Fabio, Lenny Kravitz, Gwen Stefani, Paris Hilton, David Bowie, and Tyson Beckford

In Stiller’s uproarious satire, Zoolander, he plays Derek Zoolander, male model and three-time winner of the “Male Model of the Year” award until he loses to a virile young rival named Hansel (Owen Wilson, Shanghai Noon). In a bit of soul searching, Zoolander returns to his coal-mining hometown in South New Jersey only to be rejected by his clan, which includes his stone faced father (Jon Voight) and a largely silent brother (Vince Vaughn). A gay fashion maven Jacobim Magutu (Will Ferrell, who is increasingly being revealed to be a talented character actor with each film) recruits a spiritually lost Zoolander to kill the Prime Minister to Malaysia. The PM’s child labor laws threaten a shadowy cabal of clothing manufacturer’s, of which Magutu is part.

Clearly, the filmmakers mean this film to be a satire of the fashion industry, but it is a thin, superficial satire, which relies on poking fun at and holes in stereotypes of which the audience is familiar. If satire preaches to the already converted, Zoolander’s brand of satire will reap boffo box office. The movie does not focus so much on the industry as it does on what the general public perceives to be the fashion industry. This is not an insiders view like Robert Altman’s Ready to Wear. This movie really satirizes vanity, self-centeredness, selfishness, and ignorance more so than fashion, clothiers, designers, models and such.

Stiller’s Zoolander is a harmless buffoon, a clown for whom one can feel love and sympathy and at whom one can feel annoyance. Although he is the lead, Zoolander is not one of those super ego characters that act like a black hole and sucks the charm and life out of interesting supporting characters. This is why Wilson can shine so much as the postmodern, globetrotting adventurer, Hansel. The secret of Hansel’s charm is not his looks but rather his disdain for the obviously superficial Zoolander. Hansel successfully feigns disdain for fashion, but forwards a public persona of one who loves rugged manly adventure. Hansel is Zoolander’s foil and provides a nice dynamic of tension that the movie needs and does not get from its assassination plot line.

Clearly the filmmakers doubted that an entire movie could be made around Zoolander’s and his cronies’ lives, so they attached the thin genre thread of international intrigue to the story. It is a concession to the idea of plot and high concept. Movies can hang on characterization and characters’ charms and quirkiness. However, many movie producers believe that a movie has to be about “something.” The belief is that it is easier for a studio to sell a movie that is described as “vain supermodels must stop an assassination attempt planned by an evil fashion designer” than, say, a movie described as “a hilarious send-up of the fashion world.”

Zoolander also fairly bursts at the seems with superstar cameos, but the main cast is so good that one quickly forgets each cameo appearance as soon as it comes and goes, the exception being the nice surprise appearance by Wynona Ryder. Stiller and Wilson are really good, and there is a bite to their rivalry and a realness to their later reconciliation. Will (“Saturday Night Live,” The Ladies Man) can bury himself in a part and make it very good, although his character Magutu did seem a bit dark for this movie.

Christine (who played Marcia Brady in the Brady Bunch movies of the 1990’s) Taylor is a competent, if under utilized, foil for the two male models, and one gets the feeling that she could have added so much more to the movie had a little attention been turned her way. Milla (Fifth Element) Jovovich is lost in make up and in a perpetual scowl, but that doesn’t hide Jovovich’s immense talent. Stiller’s father Jerry Stiller (“Seinfeld”) plays an agent; it is an awkward forced part that is at times funny and at other times, fat that can be trimmed.

The movie is very funny and snide to the point of excess. Stiller, who proved to be a capable director is Reality Bites, fills each frame to the brim in order to create the atmosphere of his comedy. From wall hangings, to signs, sculptures, and costumes, he uses the visuals to establish his humor. A scene at a gas station is so funny and so well staged that it almost guarantees us a future of excellent comedy from Stiller, and it was worth at least half the admission price.

An excellent effort by all and well worth the time.

7 of 10
B+

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