Posted on 01/02/2006 4:03:35 AM PST by Liz
The "Rumor" mill grinds on. With Warner's romantic comedy "Rumor Has It..." taking in just $7 million in its opening frame, second-guessing quickly ramped up. Not that Warners execs should have been surprised: Tracking data on the project -- which Rob Reiner took over directing just 10 days into shooting when tyro helmer Ted Griffin was fired -- showed the pic wasn't likely to wow.
Griffin, who penned the screenplay, might be glad he got the boot. Not so happy might be Reiner-- who hasn't seen a hit in some time, and who lately has been preoccupied by politics and his universal preschool initiative -- and Section Eight which produced the pic for Warners.
Critics lambasted Reiner for applying a shallow gloss to what was, at its heart, a quirky, indie-like script. One even quipped that Reiner directed "between naps." But some blame might rightly rest with Griffin, who decided to give the pic a mainstream feel in casting Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner and Shirley MacLaine.
Mark Ruffalo was the only "indie" guy in the bunch. You'd never guess from the utterly mainstream marketing and poster that the film picks up where "The Graduate" left off. Instead, you might think Aniston had landed a new post-"Friends" TV show.
Pic was to be released last April, but was pushed to December because it wasn't ready. But in opting for a Christmas Day berth as counterprogramming, Warners put the film into competition with seven other wide releases.With that kind of jostling, it's no wonder this "Rumor" never got started.
I saw the trailer for this (before the new Pride and Prejudice... which was excellent BTW) and immediately thought "I can't wait for the threads about this trash on FR!"
If Kevin Costner gets killed in the film, I might see it. Only redeeming feature of any of his films.
Ditto, I refuse to watch her anymore.
"Bruce Almighty" is the only movie I've seen starring Jennifer Anniston which was worth seeing.
Hate Meathead's politics, but he usually directs good movies.
Guess he has been distracted with his activism.
Coming soon from the Meat Head
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477401/
Whiskey River (2007)
Directed by
Rob Reiner
Writing credits
James Webb
Genre: Drama
Plot Outline: An American solider injured in Iraq is called back into action before he's fully recovered, prompting his father to kidnap his son in order to save his life.
If she didn't have a nice rack (and willing to show it), she wouldn't have gotten anywhere...
Here are a few of "America's sweetheart's" quotes:
http://www.celiberal.com/showCeliberal.php?id=33
"Bush is a f**king idiot."
--
"We'd [Brad Pitt and her] pass her [Jenna Bush] in the hall, and Brad would say, 'Heyyyy, Jenna, wanna beer? I got one in the truck!'"
--
"The past few years of conflict mean that yet another generation of Israelis and Palestinians will grow up in hatred," reads a statement from Pitt and Aniston. "We cannot allow that to happen."
You'll know a movie is in trouble when The Dukes of Hazzard beats it at the box office.
To them it's all about being "edgy" and "thought-provoking". /grin
BTW, I'm a bit envious of your FR screen name. When I finally decided to sign up after lurking for years I wanted to use it myself but discovered you got there first! Great choice!
Also, FYI, for one of the most entertaining historical accounts of the life of "Lucky Lucius" (and several other colorful "nasties" from history!) you might enjoy checking out one of my favorite books, "The Bedside Book Of Bastards", by Dorothy M. Johnson (who also wrote "A Man Called Horse" and the original version of what became "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance").
"Love your review---you oughta be writing for Variety."
Thanks, but I'm not gay or related to anyone in the business, and that makes it highly unlikely the trades would be interested in my writing, before you take into account that I'm a real live America-first libertarianism-stops-at-the-water's-edge libertarian conservative, not the sort of Bill-Maher-pot-smoking-limp-wrist-wanna-be-but-have-no-cojones-junior-quisling that Hollywood loves. I actually did sit in on the Phoenix screening for Freddy Got Fingered, and boy, did I savage that, but did they listen to me? Nooooo. "We have to have a Tom Green movie," they insisted, "And the dead deer scene STAYS."
Don't even get me started on 'movies that you know will suck just based on the concept.' For instance, did anyone REALLY want to see a Highlander 2? I mean, who was the SOB that said, "That just cries out for a sequel--let's dig up Connery, and try 'There can be only one...TWO!' for the poster tagline!" Sorry, I'll stop now, I've just been stuck on that since I mentioned Christopher Lambert...but seriously, what were they THINKING?
"It was Joey carrying that crew."
He really has a lot of charm. But Phoebe was always my fave.
A giggly twit, a certified nitwit and a wacko-psycho liberal idiot.
Yep, that's the makings of a good movie.
And directed by a fulla-crap, birkenstock-wearing, warm and fuzzy kumbaya chanter?
Oooh, can't miss with that!
How about both?
Meathead is an anti-American commie traitor swine.
It's worse than that, even. One of the women is his daughter.
Always has been. I just started reading the biography of agent/manager (Lana Turner, Natalie Wood, Rock Hudson,
Robert Wagner, lots of the gay, post-WW2 "hunks") Henry Willson , who went to Hollywood in the early 1930s.
It gives great info on the "culture" of the movie business at the time. Elmore Leonard would have a hard time inventing half of the stuff.
I fail to see the appeal of Aniston. She just doesn't have "presence", imho. How many bombs can she make before
the pr machines fail to generate positive covers on all the Time/Life publications?
We may complain about smarmy crap like "Rumor" being a sign of Hollywood's decline, but I'm far more disturbed about ugly torture and mutilation flicks that pass as modern horror films (the Saw films, the new Hostel, etc.) What sort of people actually want to see such things?
She has a big label: 'I'm the victim' hung around her neck. That's generated lots of sympathy with sycophant press/TV flak shows. But it grows old fast, as Aniston seems to have discovered. It's interesting to watch her career sink like a stone, and one can only hope the same happens to Pitt, Jolie, Clooney, and the rest of that crowd. You'd think Hollywood would wise up, but no. Follow the money, careers were nurtured because of political leanings.
Phoebe Buffet was my second favorite.
Aniston never misses a chance to bash Bush. Her recent press release stating ten things she'd rather talk about than her divorce was a bash the President litany of items. I wish her a spectacular crash in her career. And I hope she watches Brad and Angelina have a thousand babies.
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