Fear Itself: In Sickness and in Health
When I got the chance to review this week’s episode of Fear Itself, I was pretty excited. Firstly because I knew it starred James Roday and Maggie Lawson from Psych, and secondly because it was directed by John Landis.
While I admit that Landis’ directorial offerings in the theater have been less than stellar in recent years, he still holds a special place in my heart for being the man who brought us Trading Places, The Blues Brothers and Animal House. I was also excited to see how Landis, Roday and Lawson do with a different type of script than the one they worked together on with Psych.
I was hooked almost from the beginning. I almost fell asleep during the setup about the wedding being “too soon’ and all the bridesmaid junk, but once Lawson opened the note and the great theme music kicked in I was ready to go.
The only word I can use to describe the first fifteen minutes of the episode is uneven. I loved how Landis used the innate creepiness of the church and its decorations to weird me out, but seeing Roday deliver his lines the exact same way as Shawn Spencer made it hard to believe his character. Lawson, on the other hand, was emoting so little that I couldn’t figure out what her character was thinking at all. I never thought I would be in such a hurry to see the cigarette smoking man.
Another nice scene was between Lawson and her bridesmaids after the wedding. The way Landis used the angled mirror was very cool to see. Unfortunately, it completely overshadowed the lackluster storytelling. Between the phoned-in performances of the stars and the thick Canadian accents of the co-stars, I wasn’t sure which was making me more uninterested.
What’s worse is I had figured out the twist by the half-way point, so I didn’t even have that to keep me going. My only hope was that Landis had put in a “See you next Tuesday Wednesday” somewhere for me to find.
With ten minutes to go in the episode, I couldn’t have been more disappointed. If I wasn’t obligated to finish watching the episode, I most likely would have bailed right then and there. The whole situation is quite sad, really, because I wanted this show to be good.
In my many years of watching TV, I have noticed that anthology shows seem to be an undying staple of American television. I suppose it has something to do with the early days when it was a lot easier to get some writers and actors to work on one project for the week and then be done with it. As far as supernatural or horror anthology series go, it’s clear that The Twilight Zone is the standard by which all others are judged, but since the day TZ debuted, no other show has even come close.
There have been a few series with a decent episode here and there. Amazing Stories had its moments, and there are those that have a fondness for The Outer Limits, but shows like Darkroom, Monsters, Nightmares & Dreamscapes and both of the updated Twilight Zone abominations have all been supremely sub-par.
It’s clear to me that Fear Itself is no better. When the ending came and Lawson revealed that she was, in fact, the serial killer, I wasn’t surprised. I was, however, angry that none of the other questions got answered. Without going through the entire list, how about we just find out why Lawson’s character was so afraid of her groom when she knew all along that she was the killer and not her husband?
This episode was a failure to say the least, but the saddest part is that I will still watch next week in hopes that it gets better.
Psych: Psy vs. Psy (series re-premiere)
For those of you interested in reading a review about this episode of Psych you may want to look a the one that we did when the show originally premiered on USA. What this post is really for is to welcome new viewers to the show and give them a forum to discuss the series.
The thing about Psych, especially this second season, is that underneath the fluff mysteries and the pop cultural references (which there are many this episode) there is a story of friendship and family that flows throughout. Plus, it’s funny. James Roday and Dule Hill really shine as Shawn Spencer and Burton “Gus” Guster and they have a very good supporting cast that guides them along the way.
I’m very glad that they used this episode to premiere Psych on the schedule rather as it had a very good and funny guest appearance by Lou Diamond Phillips. Should they ever air the second season premiere on NBC I give you fair warning…despite being directed by John Landis it is just not a very good episode. That being said, I’d like to know if you’ll keep tuning in to Psych. Was it as funny as you thought it would be, or do you think it’s a bad show with a good theme song? Your opinions are appreciated.
Breck Eisner’s Creature from the Black Lagoon Remake Moving Forward
“Let’s dance, Tom.”
In the dizzying sinkhole of modern remakes, enough time has passed with 1954’s Creature from the Black Lagoon to dampen fanboy squabbles over a new studio effort. Of course, the sci-fi horror reboot still needs to impress, and that responsibility falls with its director. While I hoped to see John Landis or Rob Zombie strike up fresh chills and gills in exotic locales, director Breck Eisner (Sahara, son of Michael) tells ShockTilYouDrop that his planned remake is moving forward, complete with locations scoped out in South America, a fully created, newly envisioned creature, and less than two percent aspiration to be the next Mummy 1, 2, 3, 9.
Eisner didn’t draw comparisons to the tone of The Dark Knight (watch for an oncoming avalanche from countless PG-13 assigned directors), but did bring up fashionable parallels to The Wolf Man (the original) and Universal’s other classic monsters (but not, you know, Sommers’s The Mummy).
“We debated tone a thousand times. For me tone is the most interesting thing a filmmaker has and so the Creature is a creature, it’s not a monster. That’s my number one thing about the movie. We’re not going to turn him into a monster. He’s still going to be empathetic, he’s still going to be deadly, he’s still going to have a misguided means of expressing his interests in a woman, but it’s uniquely the Creature. …It will deliver of action and excitement, but I want it to be scary. The Creature was scary when it first came out in ‘54 - it’s not scary today - but that’s what updating means to me, updating the tone of the original.”
In other words, don’t worry too much, it won’t be Sahara with a man in birthday suit. Intriguingly enough, Eisner references Werner Herog’s Fitzcarraldo for inspiration and says he’ll shoot partially in the Brazilian city of Manaus where Herzog and Klaus Kinski notoriously went nuts. The titular lagoon(s) has been chosen as well. When can we expect this then?
“I want to get [Eisner’s remake of George Romero’s The Crazies] done, get it into post-production then head to the Amazon for ‘Creature.’ Oddly, I’m waiting on the height of the Amazon river before we start shooting - it drops 50-feet in October and November. But we’ve got the boat set and everything ready to go.”
Eisner says he’s reworking the script by Gary Ross (Seabiscuit) and confirms that Spectral Motion (Hellboy, Fantastic Four) is a lock for the SFX. I’m really curious to see any artwork or the script for this, so please leak them. Mixing studio-pleasing action with genuine scares is nearly as hard to pull off as horror comedy, but Eisner’s well liked and most in the know feel his best days and visions are in front of him. Creature > McConaughey’s spray-on tan adventure.
via AICN
The 2007 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival Film Program Line-up
The U.S. Comedy Arts Festival and HBO announced their 2007 Film Program line-up which includes Sundance 2007 favorites Eagle vs. Shark, Rocket Science and Waitress in addition to 27 other features. Check out the full list and press release after the jump.
New York, NY February 12, 2007 The U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (USCAF) and HBO announced the lineup for the 2007 Film Program sponsored by HBO Films, at the 13th installment of the prestigious festival to be held February 28 March 4 in Aspen, Colorado. The film program line up showcases 30 features including three world premieres and two North American premieres 20 shorts, culled from entries around the world.
Headlining the film lineup is the opening night film Waitress, directed by the late Adrienne Shelly, which will screen at the Wheeler Opera House on Tuesday, February 28 at 6:00 p.m. The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, where it was acquired by Fox Searchlight, and her husband Andrew Ostroy announced the creation of the Adrienne Shelly Foundation to support the efforts of women writers and directors.
Waitress will be Shellys second film to appear at the USCAF. In 2000 her film Ill Take You There, was awarded the prize of Best Director.
World premieres include Guy Shalems Cook Off!, Armen Kaprelians Closing Escrow, Frank Ozs Death at a Funeral, Jim Pasternaks Certifiably Jonathan, and Gary Tolls Judy Toll: The Funniest Woman Youve Never Heard Of.
The film program will also feature special screenings of works in progress including John Landis The Rickles Project, The Combacks directed by Tom Brady and Jamie Kennedys Heckler. Jamie Kennedy will also host this years Festival awards ceremony.
The films that we have selected to showcase alongside the live performances at the festival offer a diverse group of talent from different backgrounds and experiences, but all solidified in the foundation of comedy, said Kevin Haasarud, Director of the USCAF Film Program. Each year the festival looks forward to bringing together such a vast community of filmmakers, film buyers, television executives, comedians, writers and actors and giving them the rare opportunity to collaborate with each other and admire one another.
Joining the World Premieres is a collection of American and International films that include:
Special Screenings:
The Comebacks directed by Tom Brady (USA) Work in Progress
Heckler directed by Jamie Kennedy (USA) Work in Progress
Rocket Science directed by Jeff Blitz (USA)
Starter for 10 directed by Tom Vaughn (UK)
Feature Length Narratives In Competition:
American Fork directed by Chris Bowman (USA)
Cashback directed by Sean Ellis (UK)
Closing Escrow directed by Armen Kaprelian (USA)
Colour Me Kubrick directed by Brian Cook (UK)
Cook Off! directed by Guy Shalem (USA) World Premiere
Death at a Funeral, directed by Frank Oz (UK) World Premiere
Delirious directed by Tom DeCillo (USA)
Eagle vs. Shark directed by Taika Waititi (New Zealand) World Premiere
I am Reed Fish directed by Zachary Adler (USA)
Ira & Abby directed by Robert Cary (USA)
Park directed by Kurt Voelker (USA)
Razzle Dazzle: A Journey Into Dance directed by Darren Ashton (Australia)
Severance directed by Christopher Smith (UK)
Feature Length Documentaries In Competition:
Certifiably Jonathan directed by Jim Pasternak (USA) World Premiere
Judy Toll: The Funniest Woman Youve Never Heard Of directed by Gary Toll (USA) World Premiere
King of Kong directed by Ed Cunningham (USA)
Foreign Language:
12:08 East of Bucharest directed by Corneliu Porumboiu (Romania)
Ahimsa: Stop To Run directed by Kittikorn Liasirikun (Thailand)
Charitons Choir directed by Grigoris Karantinakis (Greece)
The Host directed by Bong Joon-ho (South Korea)
Hula Girls directed by San-il Lee (Japan)
Ice Cream, I Scream directed by Yuksel Aksu (Turkey)
Lights in the Dust directed by Aki Kurasmaki (Finland)
The Longest Penalty Shot in the World directed by Roberto Santiago (Spain) North American Premiere
Manual of Love directed by Giovanni Veronesi (Italy)
Schnitzel Paradise directed by Martin Koolhoven (Netherlands)
The Valet directed by Franis Veber (France) North American Premiere
Shorts In Competition:
A Gentlemens Duel directed by Francisco Riz and Sean McNally
Alpha Mail directed by Bryan Sipe
Carmichael & Shane directed by Rob Carlton and Alex Weinress
Coming to Town directed by Carles Torrens
Equal Opportunity directed by Howard Duy Vu
Goodnight, Vagina directed by Brie Turner-OBanion and Stacy Sherman
High Maintenance directed by Phillip Van
Hold directed by Aloura Charles
Hot Air directed by Elliot Mallon
My Lunch With Larry directed by Barry Edelstein
My Wife is Retarded directed by Etan Cohen
No Vacancy directed by Gael dYnglemare
Recall directed by Michael Noonan
Richard directed by Mick Elliott
Sheldon directed by Dan Mirvish
Silencer directed by Frazer Bailey
t.o.m. directed by Tom Brown and Daniel Gray
The Pre-Nup directed by Marty Weiss
The Strange Trip: Its Jerry Time directed by Orrin Zucker
Who I Am and What I Want directed by Chris Shepherd and David Shrigley
Also included as a part of the film program will be a curated collection from Guest Directors Stella & Bill Pence, the recently retired co-founders of the Telluride Film Festival:
The Alloy Orchestra will play live to Buster Keatons The General, and Paul Fejos Lonesome.
A Chuck Jones Looney Tunes Collection
The film program has also launched an online companion piece to its regular shorts programs called Funny Picture Show, a site for viewers to upload, watch, rate, and review comedic short form content (www.funnypictureshow.com).
The program will also feature:
Fireside Chat Series with Debbie Liebling (Fox Atomic), Ted Sarandos (Netflix), Gregg Spiridellis (JibJab), and many others.
* Mile High Club brings together industry executives and filmmakers in formalized 12-minute speed-dating type meetings.
* Jury Awards presented by Variety will be announced at the Festival Awards Gala on Saturday, March 3rd. The winning films will be screened at the Isis Theater in Aspen on Sunday, March 4th.
The USCAF is sponsored by: HBO, HBO Comedy, TBS, Kelloggs, Ziddio, NetJets, Sierra Mist, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Aspen Magazine, Cinemax, Kodak, Roots and Stay Aspen Snowmass. Comcasts newly launched user-generated site Ziddio is bringing the ten winners of their short comedy and music parody “No Talent Nation” contest to USCAF. They will perform in “Accidentally Famous” and the show will be featured online and ON DEMAND. For more information, visit www.ziddio.com/notalentnation. The first annual Kellogg’s Ski and Snowboard Race will be held Saturday, March 3rd at 11:00 a.m. on Aspen Mountain.
About The USCAF
Since its inception in 1995, the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen has become known as a primary launching pad for comedic talent and for hosting one-of-a-kind events such as reunions of Swingers!, Monty Python, SCTV, Sex and the City, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Saturday Night Live, as well as of the casts of The Larry Sanders Show, Cheers, Animal House, Waiting for Guffman and In Living Color; The AFI Star Awards to Goldie Hawn, Jim Carrey, Diane Keaton, Mike Myers, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, Steve Martin, Billy Crystal, Albert Brooks, Rob Reiner, Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg; the original The Simpsons Live, and the Freedom of Speech Awards which have honored Russell Simmons and Def Comedy Jam, George Carlin, Bill Maher, Dick Gregory, The Smothers Brothers, Michael Moore, August Wilson and Garry Trudeau.
In the past, strong USCAF performances by Ray Romano, Camryn Manheim, Jack Black, Eddie Izzard, Anthony Clark, Candy Ford, Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, Jason Kravitz, Loni Love and The Hollow Men among others, helped attract or solidify network deals.
The 2006 USCAF featured appearances by Louis CK, Robert Wuhl, Garrison Keillors A Prairie Home Companion, Jim Hensons Puppet Improv and the world premieres of Damon Wayans Behind the Smile, Scott Lews Bickford Shmecklers Cool Ideas, Bruce Leddys Shut Up and Sing, and Leslie Greifs Funny Money feature films.