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This Week in Movies #10 with Penelope Ann MIller
Sundays at 8pm PDT
Our guest this week is actress Penelope Ann Miller. This Week in Movies is hosted by Farrell Roth and Roger Erik Tinch.
Introduction
Roger (we call him “Tinchy”) had watched a lot of movies this past week, brushing up in particular on his Amanda Peet films. Farrell also performed a little dance to the Katy Perry song “Teenage Dream.”
Trailer Talk
The hosts discussed the trailer for “127 Hours,” the new film from director Danny Boyle. It stars James Franco as real-life adventurer Aron Ralston:
The story follows Ralston’s struggle as he’s pinned under a boulder while hiking, an ordeal that lasts the titular span of time.
Farrell noted how intense and vibrant the colors look. Tinchy discussed how Ralston actually recorded himself during much of the incident, and wondered if this footage influenced Boyle’s decisions while directing. He predicted that much of the film will take place before he’s trapped so that it’s a bit more energetic and lively, at least in the first half.
In Theaters
Roger watched this; Farrell said she hates scary movies and will nee see it.
In the movie, a skeptical priest (played by Patrick Fabian) has hired a film crew to follow him along on an exorcism.
Roger said he was rarely scared by horror films except those that deal with religious/Satanic themes, as this one does. He said the most interesting aspect of the film is its documentary-style aesthetic, which reminded him of [Rec] (which was remade as Quarantine in the US) and effectively builds tension throughout the movie.
Roger liked the film, but says it falls apart in the last 10 minutes. He said no one he saw it with was happy with the ending, and it’s very out-of-step with the tone of the rest of the film.
“Flipped” is a period romance directed by Rob Reiner, based on a novel by Wendelin van Draanen. It’s the story of a teenager who learns lessons about friendship, courage and family in 1950s Middle America.
Farrell said “you cannot not like this movie.” She said anyone who doesn’t like it has a heart made of coal, and that it’s perfect for people sick of superheroes, piranhas and exorcism. She also compared it to Reiner’s classic “Stand By Me” in its evocation of ’50s Americana. She also enjoyed the realism, care and attention paid to the relationship between adults and their children (and grand-children), and the way that the film keeps the adult and child storylines on equal footing, not focusing on one at the expense of the other.
Hollywood Headlines
Blockbuster Prepares for Mid-September Bankruptcy
It’s the end of an era. After dominating the home video rental business for more than a decade, Blockbuster Video is planning to file for bankruptcy. They are over $1 billion in debt. The first step will be closing 500-800 of their US stores, after closing 1,000 stores in 2009. They hope to follow in the footsteps of Redbox and expand their rental kiosk business and pursue digital distribution. Tinch feels they are too late to the game.
Adrien Brody and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers up for “Fantastic Four” reboot?
Rumors are saying that Adrien Brody and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers may be up for the role of the new Mr. Fantastic. Alice Eve from “Sex and the City 2″ and “She’s Out of My League,” may be up for the role of the Invisible Woman, Sue Storm, along with Amber Heard from “Pineapple Express” and “The Stepfather.”
John Cusack Will Be Edgar Allan Poe in “The Raven”
Cusack scooped the world by announcing on Twitter that he will play Edgar Allan Poe in “The Raven,” a fictional thriller retelling the last days of the author’s life from director James McTeigue. The project will shoot in Serbia, standing in for Baltimore in 1849.
Based on the film’s $10 million take and overall positive critical reception, “Piranha 3D” will get a sequel, Dimension Films has announced. Roger remains skeptical.
Lohan was released from rehab after putting in about 3 weeks at UCLA’s Neuropsychiatric Hospital. Both hosts found her plight kind of sad, though Farrell feels she should have served her full jail sentence and 90 full days in rehab.
James Cameron Disses “Piranha 3D”
Cameron said he thinks films like “Piranha 3D” are exactly the kinds of 3D films Hollywood shouldn’t make, and that they “cheapen the medium” and bring to mind the bad 3D horror films of the ’70s and ’80s. He had been asked about the film as he had worked on “Piranha 2: The Spawning” at the beginning of his career. He now is distancing himself from that film, saying he does not put it on his official filmography.
Justin Long and Drew Barrymore: On Again or Off Again?
Farrell also told the story of how Drew and Justin met through mutual friend Sam Rockwell.
Commentary on Commentary
1989′s “When Harry Met Sally” is the topic. The film was directed by Rob Reiner and written by Nora Ephron. It stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan as a pair of platonic friends whose relationship slowly develops into a romance over the course of several years.
Tidbits:
- Sally’s style of ordering food is based on Nora Ephron’s real way of ordering; Reiner put it in there to mock her
- Hardest scene to film was the 4-way phone call sequence with Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby. It took 60 takes. The take in the movie is Take 55.
- There were 2 weeks of rehearsal prior to shooting.
- Reiner focused on hairstyles changing during the movie to express the passage of time
Interview with Penelope Ann Miller
- What was it about “Flipped” that appealed to you?
She wanted to go back to work, despite having a broken foot and having just given birth. But she loved the script and had loved working with Rob Reiner in the past (on the “Morton and Hayes” episode “The Bride of Mummula.” She also loved the dinner table scene that she’s in during the film, which Farrell also felt was a stand-out scene.
She also felt that the movie really expressed how much Rob Reiner loves women, and it’s about the impact women can have on men’s lives.
- How do you feel about auditioning at this stage of your career?
Penelope hates it. She’d like to think that Hollywood would just look at her resume and know she is up to the challenge, but some filmmakers need to see you in person. She has more confidence at this point in her career, but still gets nervous sometimes.
- How did the role in “Carlito’s Way” come about?
Pacino saw her in “Other People’s Money” and asked her to come in because he liked her work in that film. Even though he read with Al went well, she still had to fly to New York and audition for the role. She was in direct competition with Anne Heche for the part.
- Did that role have a significant impact on your career?
It parlayed right into “The Shadow.” Marty Bregman produced both movies. She’d like to think that it helped her along.
- You’ve worked with the A-list of leading men. Who do you think you had the best chemistry with?
There was a movie she did called “Rhapsody in Bloom” that she loved, but few people have seen.
She also felt that she and Matthew Broderick had great chemistry in “The Freshman” and “Biloxi Blues.” Marlon Brando would imitate her on the set of “The Freshman.” The producers were paranoid the whole time that he would just decide not to come back.
- Did Paul Reubens ever break character while filming “Big Top Peewee”?
He would break character frequently. She felt that the two of them really had chemistry as well.
- What’s it like to work with Arnold Schwarzenegger?
He’s also a prankster. When she first came to the set, she was delivered a brand-new car. He manipulated the odometer to make it look like it had been driven previously just to mess with her.
She was working in serious films and then felt self-conscious about going from drama into comedy. She also felt like it was weird that she was being cast as a mother, as she was still pretty young at the time. She had turned it down, but the more she said no, the more interested they became in casting her.
