The Judgment Night soundtrack, a 1993 experiment teaming rappers and rock bands, turned 25 last week, and we celebrated with an oral history featuring many of its many key players
In one of the soundtrack’s more interesting coulda-beens, executive producer Happy Walters told us that he was rejected by Metallica, whose most recent album, 1991’s Metallica, was already certified six times platinum by the beginning of 1993.
“See, in those days they were like the shit, the shit, right?” said Walters. “They’ve obviously aged, and probably wish they would’ve done it.
In one of the soundtrack’s more interesting coulda-beens, executive producer Happy Walters told us that he was rejected by Metallica, whose most recent album, 1991’s Metallica, was already certified six times platinum by the beginning of 1993.
“See, in those days they were like the shit, the shit, right?” said Walters. “They’ve obviously aged, and probably wish they would’ve done it.
- 9/17/2018
- by Christopher R. Weingarten
- Rollingstone.com
The soundtrack to 1993 chase flick Judgment Night — on which 10 rap artists collaborated with 11 rock groups — was a gold-certified triumph of the post-Nirvana major label wild west. Dropped shortly after Lollapalooza wound down its third summer, here was a similarly divide-breaking gathering of genre-crossing cool: Cypress Hill spitting hard bars over a slinky Pearl Jam groove and dank Sonic Youth noise, Mudhoney and Sir Mix-a-Lot sharing a dirty Seattle scumbag sesh, Helmet’s taut riffs slowing down for steely-eyed House of Pain verses, Teenage Fanclub bummer jangle matching with De La Soul’s reflective rhymes.
- 9/13/2018
- by Christopher R. Weingarten
- Rollingstone.com
[[tmz:video id="0_vbxy33d3"]] 1:02 Pm Pt -- Ty's agent, Happy Walters, tells us Ty asked for and received permission from the team to miss the flight. Sacramento Kings star Ty Lawson was partying his face off with teammates at a Vegas club Thursday night before missing a team flight on Friday morning ... TMZ Sports has learned. Lawson hit up Drai's nightclub along with Ben McLemore and Willie Cauley-Stein and boxer Adrien Broner ... and you can see in the video,...
- 10/17/2016
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
The eye in the sky don't lie ... and it seems to have exonerated NBA star Ty Lawson -- who was accused of punching a security guard at the Wynn hotel in Vegas ... TMZ Sports has learned. Here's what we know ... Lawson was named in a police report filed by 25-year-old Kyle Gardener -- who says Wynn management ordered him to stop Lawson from entering the casino on one of those motorized scooter board thingies on August 30th.
- 10/14/2015
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
For Relativity Media, going broke has proven quite expensive — the studio spent $2.4 million on its bankruptcy consultant for the first 30 days after filing for Chapter 11. Fti Consulting, under the leadership of chief restructuring officer Brian Kushner, submitted a breakdown of its fees to New York Bankruptcy Court late Wednesday and the costs are staggering. Kushner himself clocks in at an hourly rate of $1,050. Relativity has laid off roughly 75 employees across departments since entering the bankruptcy process. Several top executives left the company this week, including COO Andrew Matthews and Relativity Sports president Happy Walters. Also Read: Relativity...
- 10/8/2015
- by Matt Donnelly
- The Wrap
Relativity Media has lost more senior executives as founder Ryan Kavanaugh tries to lead the company out of bankruptcy and get unreleased films out of limbo.
More senior executives are leaving Relativity Media as the struggling mini-studio attempts to reorganise and emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
After the departure of Relativity Studios president Tucker Tooley earlier this week, the company said on Tuesday that chief financial officer Andrew Matthews and Relativity Sports president Happy Walters had both had their employment terminated.
Relativity chief operating office Greg Shamo is also leaving the company, according to reports.
Meanwhile, supermarket magnate Ron Burkle, part of the consortium backing Relativity founder Ryan Kavanaugh in his deal to buy the company’s non-tv assets, said he will commit $30m to expand Relativity Sports and become chairman of its board. Burkle described the sports agency division in a statement as “a thriving business.”
How Relativity’s film operations will fare in the company...
More senior executives are leaving Relativity Media as the struggling mini-studio attempts to reorganise and emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
After the departure of Relativity Studios president Tucker Tooley earlier this week, the company said on Tuesday that chief financial officer Andrew Matthews and Relativity Sports president Happy Walters had both had their employment terminated.
Relativity chief operating office Greg Shamo is also leaving the company, according to reports.
Meanwhile, supermarket magnate Ron Burkle, part of the consortium backing Relativity founder Ryan Kavanaugh in his deal to buy the company’s non-tv assets, said he will commit $30m to expand Relativity Sports and become chairman of its board. Burkle described the sports agency division in a statement as “a thriving business.”
How Relativity’s film operations will fare in the company...
- 10/8/2015
- ScreenDaily
Relativity Media executives Greg Shamo, Andrew Matthews and Happy Walters have resigned their posts at the studio, TheWrap has learned, as the company faces a major post-bankruptcy reorganization and prepares to spin off its TV division. “As Relativity continues to position itself to emerge from Chapter 11, Ryan Kavanaugh has terminated the employment of both Chief Financial Officer Andrew Matthews and President of Relativity Sports Happy Walters,” a Relativity spokesperson said. An insider close to the company also said that “Ryan intends to terminate Greg Shamo today,” who serves as chief operating officer. Also Read: Relativity TV Sale Approved by Bankruptcy Court The.
- 10/7/2015
- by Matt Donnelly
- The Wrap
Updated, Wed. 10:07 Am: A big shake-up at Relativity today, with word coming that the employment of Co-Chief Operating Officer Greg Shamo is also being terminated today and that billionaire Ron Burkle is taking over its sports division after its head Happy Walters was pushed out. "As a major investor in Relativity Sports, Relativity Media looks forward to working closely with Ron Burkle and The Yucaipa Companies as they invest in the company's growth," Relativity said…...
- 10/7/2015
- Deadline TV
A big shake-up at Relativity today, with word coming that the employment of Co-Chief Greg Shamo is also being terminated today and that billionaire Ron Burkle is taking over its sports division after its head Happy Walters was pushed out.
Relativity sent out this statement as Deadline heard of yet another executive being let go: “As Relativity continues to position itself to emerge from Chapter 11, Ryan Kavanaugh has terminated the employment of both Chief Financial Officer Andrew Matthews and President of Relativity Sports Happy Walters.” A source close to the company said that Kavanaugh also intends to terminate the employment of co-chief Greg Shamo today.
Relativity sent out this statement as Deadline heard of yet another executive being let go: “As Relativity continues to position itself to emerge from Chapter 11, Ryan Kavanaugh has terminated the employment of both Chief Financial Officer Andrew Matthews and President of Relativity Sports Happy Walters.” A source close to the company said that Kavanaugh also intends to terminate the employment of co-chief Greg Shamo today.
- 10/7/2015
- Deadline
In a day of rapid developments at Relativity Media, billionaire and Relativity board member Ron Burkle is poised to take the reins of the bankrupt studio's sports division. "As a major investor in Relativity Sports, Relativity Media looks forward to working closely with Ron Burkle and The Yucaipa Companies as they invest in the company’s growth," a spokesperson for Relativity tells The Hollywood Reporter. Meanwhile, Relativity Media's Andrew Matthews has stepped down from his post as CFO and co-coo. Similarly, Relativity Sports president Happy Walters is also leaving the bankrupt studio. The two moves were characterized as not mutual, and
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- 10/7/2015
- by Tatiana Siegel
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sometime in the latter half of 2012, when Carly Rae Jepsen's catchy tune "Call Me Maybe" was all the rage, top executives at Relativity Media hired Rj Durell and Nick Florez to choreograph and direct a company parody of the music video. The spoof was intended as a gift for CEO Ryan Kavanaugh, with Durell and Florez, who have worked with Katy Perry and Madonna, among others, enlisting dancing girls and most of the staff, including president Tucker Tooley, Relativity Sports CEO Happy Walters, Relativity TV CEO Tom Forman and then-marketing president Terry Curtin. Times were happier then at
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- 8/5/2015
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This story first appeared in the Aug. 14 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. In 2012, as Carly Rae Jepsen's catchy tune "Call Me Maybe" was all the rage, the senior staff at Relativity Media decided they would create a gag video for their fun-loving boss Ryan Kavanaugh. So top lieutenants Tucker Tooley and Happy Walters rode Segways through the company's hallways surrounded by dancing girls, Relativity TV chief Tom Forman sang along as he polished his Emmys, and marketing head Terry Curtin vamped in a suggestive crawl across a conference-
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- 8/5/2015
- by Gregg Kilday, Pamela McClintock, Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Relativity Media, the film and TV company that already has a sports representation business, is now moving into representing fashion industry talent -- including designers, creative directors, stylists, editors, hair and makeup artists, and some corporate brands -- through the New York City-based M3/Relativity. The new division will be run by Mitch Grossbach, Matthew Hunt and Martin Dolfi, all of whom had similar jobs with CAA until August. They will report to Relativity COO Happy Walters. Unlike CAA, where they were limited to the usual agent's role, the new M3/Relativity toppers will not only find jobs for clients but will also
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- 9/11/2013
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sony's Neill Blomkamp film Elysium topped the Friday box office charts, and looks to gross over $30 million to top weekend from 3,284 theaters. The film from the District 9 director which perhaps resembles the look of the aforementioned film way too much, which has received very mixed reviews. Starring are Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Wagner Moura and Diego Luna. Second-placed Warner Bros. Pictures R-rated comedy We're the Millers laughed up $8.51 million and should coin over $25 million come Sunday weekend box office estimates. Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts and Will Poulter star in the Rawson Marshall Thurber comedy produced by Chris Bender, Happy Walters and Tucker Tooley.
- 8/10/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
We have 2 new posters up for New Line Cinema's upcoming comedy We're the Millers. Emma Roberts is the runaway posing as Jason Sudeikis' daughter, who in turn is a drug dealer playing dad. This looks like a hilarious time at the movies, come its August 9th release date via Warner Bros. Pictures. Also with Will Poulter as the virgin posing as son Kenny, and on the flipside of virgin, Jennifer Aniston as a stripper. Chris Bender, Happy Walters and Tucker Tooley produce the film which is screenwritten by Bob Fisher, Steve Faber, Sean Anders, John Morris and Dan Fybel.
- 6/12/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Rawson Marshall Thurber's We're the Millers comedy from Warner Bros. Pictures has added a first poster and trailer. The film opens on August 9th and is scripted by Bob Fisher, Steve Faber, Sean Anders, John Morris and Dan Fybel. We're the Millers follows a veteran pot dealer (Sudeikis) who creates a fake family as part of his plan to move a huge shipment of weed into the U.S. from Mexico. Chris Bender, Happy Walters and Tucker Tooley produce.
- 5/23/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Principal photography is underway on New Line Cinema.s action comedy We’Re The Millers, starring Jennifer Aniston (.Horrible Bosses.) and Jason Sudeikis (.The Campaign.). The film is directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber (.Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.).
David Burke (Sudeikis) is a small-time pot dealer whose clientele includes chefs and soccer moms, but no kids.after all, he has his scruples. So what could go wrong? Plenty. Preferring to keep a low profile for obvious reasons, he learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished when he tries to help out some local teens and winds up getting jumped by a trio of gutter punks. Stealing his stash and his cash, they leave him in major debt to his supplier, Brad (Ed Helms).
In order to wipe the slate clean.and maintain a clean bill of health.David must now become a big-time drug smuggler by bringing...
David Burke (Sudeikis) is a small-time pot dealer whose clientele includes chefs and soccer moms, but no kids.after all, he has his scruples. So what could go wrong? Plenty. Preferring to keep a low profile for obvious reasons, he learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished when he tries to help out some local teens and winds up getting jumped by a trio of gutter punks. Stealing his stash and his cash, they leave him in major debt to his supplier, Brad (Ed Helms).
In order to wipe the slate clean.and maintain a clean bill of health.David must now become a big-time drug smuggler by bringing...
- 8/31/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
A few days ago, Relativity Music Group released the soundtrack to Paranorman, which is out in theaters today. The soundtrack is from singer-songwriter Jon Brion, and is streaming all week on AOL Music and MSN Music and can be purchased from iTunes here. We have the press release straight from Relativity Music below:
Los Angeles, CA - August 14th: The soundtrack to ParaNorman by famed composer, record producer, and singer-songwriter Jon Brion is available today, August 14th from Relativity Music Group. The new stop-motion animated comedy thriller, will be released in theaters everywhere on Friday, August 17th. The soundtrack is streaming all week on AOL Music and MSN Music and is available for purchase on iTunes here: http://bit.ly/ParaNormanITUNES.
When a small town comes under siege by zombies, who can it call? “Norman!” From Focus Features and Laika, the companies behind the Academy Award-nominated animated feature Coraline, comes the comedy thriller ParaNorman.
Los Angeles, CA - August 14th: The soundtrack to ParaNorman by famed composer, record producer, and singer-songwriter Jon Brion is available today, August 14th from Relativity Music Group. The new stop-motion animated comedy thriller, will be released in theaters everywhere on Friday, August 17th. The soundtrack is streaming all week on AOL Music and MSN Music and is available for purchase on iTunes here: http://bit.ly/ParaNormanITUNES.
When a small town comes under siege by zombies, who can it call? “Norman!” From Focus Features and Laika, the companies behind the Academy Award-nominated animated feature Coraline, comes the comedy thriller ParaNorman.
- 8/17/2012
- by Andy Greene
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Relativity Media has signed an exclusive production deal with MediaWeaver Entertainment, the studio said Thursday. As part of the arrangement, MediaWeaver founder Matt Weaver will work to find theatrical and live shows for the company to back and will look for new film, television and digital projects for the studio. Weaver previously partnered with Relativity's CEO Ryan Kavanaugh and Co-coo Happy Walters on the Broadway musical "Rock of Ages." He went on to produce New Line Cinema's film adaptation the musical. Also read: 'Rock of Ages': What the Critics Think of Tom Cruise's Musical...
- 8/2/2012
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
Though he’s still a newcomer to the business, Narnia’s Will Poulter is still making waves, having just been cast alongside Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis in the pot comedy We’re the Millers.
The film stars Sudeikis as a “a veteran pot dealer who creates a fake family as part of his plan to move a huge shipment of weed into the U.S. from Mexico.” Aniston will play the the hooker pretending to be his wife while 19-year-old Poulter, who played the rambunctious yet good-hearted Eustace Scrubb in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, will star as Kenny, a teenager who Sudeikis’ character pretends is his son. Poulter, whose last film was the Dexter Fletcher-directed indie drama Wild Bill, will begin shooting Millers on July 18.
Rawson Thurber (Dodgeball) directs the New Line comedy using a script by Steve Faber (Wedding Crashers) and...
The film stars Sudeikis as a “a veteran pot dealer who creates a fake family as part of his plan to move a huge shipment of weed into the U.S. from Mexico.” Aniston will play the the hooker pretending to be his wife while 19-year-old Poulter, who played the rambunctious yet good-hearted Eustace Scrubb in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, will star as Kenny, a teenager who Sudeikis’ character pretends is his son. Poulter, whose last film was the Dexter Fletcher-directed indie drama Wild Bill, will begin shooting Millers on July 18.
Rawson Thurber (Dodgeball) directs the New Line comedy using a script by Steve Faber (Wedding Crashers) and...
- 6/26/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Before he returns for another season on The Office, Ed Helms will star opposite Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler in They Came Together, the David Wain-directed comedy that Wain and Michael Showalter wrote for Lionsgate. Helms is playing Eggbert, which is Poehler’s character’s love interest and accountant in this twisted take on the romantic comedy which Showalter’s producing. Poehler plays a small-business owner being crushed by a larger concern. The film shoots in July. Helms will also do a cameo in We’re The Millers, the New Line comedy directed by Rawson Thurber and which stars Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis. Tucker Tooley, Vincent Newman, Happy Walters, and David Heyman are producing. Helms plays Brad, who is Sudekis’ boss and who may be hiding something nefarious and shady. Helms then returns to The Office on July 30. He’ll shoot The Hangover 3 on September 16. He’s repped by CAA and Principato-Young.
- 6/18/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Update: Am now being told by sources close to Jason Sudeikis that he’s more than circling the male lead as I reported below. Exclusive: Jennifer Aniston is circling We’re The Millers, the New Line comedy about a pot dealer who pulls together a fake wife and two kids to pose as an Rv road-tripping family so that he can smuggle 1000 pounds of pot cross country. Dodgeball‘s Rawson Thurber is directing. Aniston is in talks to play the fake wife, who’s actually a hooker. Her Horrible Bosses costar Jason Sudeikis is eyeing the role of the family matriarch (he’s the pot smuggler). The kids are juvenile delinquents. The raunchy comedy, described as a “warped Vacation,” has a script by Wedding Crashers scribes Bob Fisher & Steve Faber, and the film’s produced by David Heyman, Happy Walters, Vince Newman and Tucker Tooley, with Benderspink exec producing. Aniston is coming off Wanderlust,...
- 4/9/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Gregory Shamo and Happy Walters have been named co-chief operating officers of Relativity Media, the studio said on Wednesday. In tapping the pair, Relativity is promoting from within its ranks. Shamo is currently serving as executive vice president of corporate affairs & general counsel, and Walters is the president of Relativity Music Group and Rogue Sports. (Walters top left, Shamo bottom right) In addition, Michael Rosner, formerly senior counsel at Loeb & Loeb Llp, has joined Relativity as general counsel. Also read: Happy Walters Expected to Be Named Relativity Media Co-coo Billionaire Ron Burkle recently...
- 1/11/2012
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
Shoring up Relativity’s executive ranks, CEO Ryan Kavanaugh has promoted Gregory Shamo and Happy Walters to co-chief operating officers and announced that Michael Rosner, formerly senior counsel at Loeb & Loeb, has joined Relativity as general counsel. Shamo had been serving as executive vp, corporate affairs & general counsel, while Walters has been president, Relativity Music Group & Rogue Sports. In their new capacity, Shamo and Walters, who will both report to Kavanaugh, will help guide the company’s strategic direction as well as oversee such areas as legal, corporate affairs, business and legal affairs, human resources, technology and operations
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- 1/11/2012
- by Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Happy Walters is expected to be named co-chief operating officer of Relativity Media. The studio declined to comment, but an individual with knowledge of the situation said that an announcement on staffing is expected later this week. Walters has been with Relativity since 2009, joining the studio as president of Relativity Music and as president of Relativity’s sports management platform, Rogue Sports. He is a veteran music executive, who has previously been the owner and CEO of Buzztone Music and ran the independent record label, Immortal Records for a time. His promotion would come on...
- 1/10/2012
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
New Line Cinema has set up We're the Millers with The Full Monty helmer Peter Cattaneo set to direct. We're the Millers was written by Steve Faber & Bob Fisher whose recent credits include another New Line feature, Wedding Crashers. Tucker Tooley, Vincent Newman and Happy Walters are producing The Millers with David Heyman serving as the executive producer. Chris Bender and J.C. Spink are serving as the co-executive producers. Matt Weaver and Tiffany Daniel are the co-producers.
- 3/18/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Getting on the musical bandwagon, the Walt Disney Co. is developing an untitled teen musical to be directed by theater helmer Kristen Hanggi, best known for her work on the pop opera bare at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre in Los Angeles. Bare composer Damon Intrabartolo and singer-songwriter Jason Whitton are writing the musical numbers to the film. Amy Veltman, a story editor on the PBS documentary American High, is writing the script. Immortal's Happy Walters and Matt Weaver are producing with Film Generator's Kelly Macmanus and Elizabeth Allen, who have a first-look deal at Immortal. The project is about a cynical teenage girl who finds hope and possibility after an insanely misguided community service project results in her first foray into the world of Manhattan's privileged elite.
- 4/15/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Leave it to those wacky Farrelly Brothers ("Dumb & Dumber," "Kingpin") to put a fresh, mischievous spin on the formulaic, mushy romantic comedy.
An outrageous romp, "There's Something About Mary" giddily pushes the good-taste envelope at every opportunity and manages to generate face-hurting laughter in the process.
But all the high jinks have been tempered by a rather sweet innocence at the picture's core (a Farrelly trademark) that serves to make it an attractive proposition to the "Wedding Singer" set as well as the legions of 14-year-old boys.
While the film is certain to draw the wrath of the prude patrol, "Mary" should handily emerge as the sleeper hit of the summer.
The fun stuff begins with a mid-'80s flashback sequence during which nerdy Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) -- a vision in bad hair, big-time braces and a truly ugly tux -- watches his prom-night dream date with the beguiling Mary (Cameron Diaz) go down the drain when a hasty bathroom pit stop results in Ted severely snagging his, uh, frank and beans (Farrelly-speak) in his zipper.
More than a dozen years later, Ted seems to have survived the traumatic experience, but he's more smitten than ever with the memory of Mary, whose family moved to Florida at the end of the school year. He's convinced by good buddy Dom (Chris Elliott) to hire a detective to track her down.
The two-bit dick in question, Pat Healy (Matt Dillon), not only manages to find the elusive Mary but falls for her himself. His attempts to throw Ted off the trail with a series of outlandish lies about her current condition only strengthens Ted's resolve to head to Miami to see her for himself.
As it turns out, there are actually more than three points on this romantic triangle as others have also discovered there's something about Mary.
If Stiller, in his best role since "Flirting With Disaster", makes the ideal wide-eyed Farrelly innocent, then Diaz, with her winning combination of exotic but approachable looks, warm personality and game comic playfulness, is the brothers' official poster girl. There's simply nobody else who could have done Mary justice.
Diaz's boyfriend Dillon, meanwhile, finally gets a chance to show a deft comedic side as the eternally smarmy Healy. Also amusing are Farrelly regular Lin Shaye as Mary's leathery neighbor Magda (a good reason for extensive use of sun block if there ever was one); Elliott as Ted's hives-afflicted, duplicitous pal; and musical cult favorite Jonathan Richman as a strolling troubadour (in fond tribute to "Cat Ballou") who occasionally pops up to take the picture's emotional pulse.
While the blend of romance and raucousness doesn't always make for nimble pacing -- a situation not helped by the unnecessarily lengthy two-hour running time -- co-directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly, working from a screenplay they developed with sitcom writers Ed Decter and John J. Strauss ("The Closer", "Boy Meets World"), nevertheless manage to keep the traditionally separate audiences in surprisingly harmonious tow.
On the technical end, the usual gang of Farrelly suspects -- including director of photography Mark Irwin, visual consultant Sidney J. Bartholomew Jr., costume designer Mary Zophres and editor Christopher Greenbury -- do fine work.
In addition to Richman's wonderfully whimsical songs, music supervisors Happy Walters & Tom Wolfe dig up the old Foundations chunk of bubble gum, "Build Me Up Buttercup", for a rousing end credit finale.
THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY
20th Century Fox
A Farrelly Brothers Movie
Directors: Peter Farrelly & Bobby Farrelly
Screenwriters: Ed Decter & John J. Strauss
and Peter Farrelly & Bobby Farrelly
Producers: Frank Beddor & Michael Steinberg
and Charles B. Wessler & Bradley Thomas
Executive producers: Peter Farrelly & Bobby Farrelly
Director of photography: Mark Irwin
Editor: Christopher Greenbury
Visual consultant: Sidney J. Bartholomew Jr.
Costume designer: Mary Zophres
Music: Jonathan Richman
Music supervisors: Happy Walters & Tom Wolfe
Color/stereo
Cast:
Ted: Ben Stiller
Mary: Cameron Diaz
Healy: Matt Dillon
Dom: Chris Elliott
Magda: Lin Shaye
Tucker: Lee Evans
Sully: Jeffrey Tambor
Warren: W. Earl Brown
Mary's Mom: Markie Post
Mary's Stepfather: Keith David
Running time -- 119 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
An outrageous romp, "There's Something About Mary" giddily pushes the good-taste envelope at every opportunity and manages to generate face-hurting laughter in the process.
But all the high jinks have been tempered by a rather sweet innocence at the picture's core (a Farrelly trademark) that serves to make it an attractive proposition to the "Wedding Singer" set as well as the legions of 14-year-old boys.
While the film is certain to draw the wrath of the prude patrol, "Mary" should handily emerge as the sleeper hit of the summer.
The fun stuff begins with a mid-'80s flashback sequence during which nerdy Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) -- a vision in bad hair, big-time braces and a truly ugly tux -- watches his prom-night dream date with the beguiling Mary (Cameron Diaz) go down the drain when a hasty bathroom pit stop results in Ted severely snagging his, uh, frank and beans (Farrelly-speak) in his zipper.
More than a dozen years later, Ted seems to have survived the traumatic experience, but he's more smitten than ever with the memory of Mary, whose family moved to Florida at the end of the school year. He's convinced by good buddy Dom (Chris Elliott) to hire a detective to track her down.
The two-bit dick in question, Pat Healy (Matt Dillon), not only manages to find the elusive Mary but falls for her himself. His attempts to throw Ted off the trail with a series of outlandish lies about her current condition only strengthens Ted's resolve to head to Miami to see her for himself.
As it turns out, there are actually more than three points on this romantic triangle as others have also discovered there's something about Mary.
If Stiller, in his best role since "Flirting With Disaster", makes the ideal wide-eyed Farrelly innocent, then Diaz, with her winning combination of exotic but approachable looks, warm personality and game comic playfulness, is the brothers' official poster girl. There's simply nobody else who could have done Mary justice.
Diaz's boyfriend Dillon, meanwhile, finally gets a chance to show a deft comedic side as the eternally smarmy Healy. Also amusing are Farrelly regular Lin Shaye as Mary's leathery neighbor Magda (a good reason for extensive use of sun block if there ever was one); Elliott as Ted's hives-afflicted, duplicitous pal; and musical cult favorite Jonathan Richman as a strolling troubadour (in fond tribute to "Cat Ballou") who occasionally pops up to take the picture's emotional pulse.
While the blend of romance and raucousness doesn't always make for nimble pacing -- a situation not helped by the unnecessarily lengthy two-hour running time -- co-directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly, working from a screenplay they developed with sitcom writers Ed Decter and John J. Strauss ("The Closer", "Boy Meets World"), nevertheless manage to keep the traditionally separate audiences in surprisingly harmonious tow.
On the technical end, the usual gang of Farrelly suspects -- including director of photography Mark Irwin, visual consultant Sidney J. Bartholomew Jr., costume designer Mary Zophres and editor Christopher Greenbury -- do fine work.
In addition to Richman's wonderfully whimsical songs, music supervisors Happy Walters & Tom Wolfe dig up the old Foundations chunk of bubble gum, "Build Me Up Buttercup", for a rousing end credit finale.
THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY
20th Century Fox
A Farrelly Brothers Movie
Directors: Peter Farrelly & Bobby Farrelly
Screenwriters: Ed Decter & John J. Strauss
and Peter Farrelly & Bobby Farrelly
Producers: Frank Beddor & Michael Steinberg
and Charles B. Wessler & Bradley Thomas
Executive producers: Peter Farrelly & Bobby Farrelly
Director of photography: Mark Irwin
Editor: Christopher Greenbury
Visual consultant: Sidney J. Bartholomew Jr.
Costume designer: Mary Zophres
Music: Jonathan Richman
Music supervisors: Happy Walters & Tom Wolfe
Color/stereo
Cast:
Ted: Ben Stiller
Mary: Cameron Diaz
Healy: Matt Dillon
Dom: Chris Elliott
Magda: Lin Shaye
Tucker: Lee Evans
Sully: Jeffrey Tambor
Warren: W. Earl Brown
Mary's Mom: Markie Post
Mary's Stepfather: Keith David
Running time -- 119 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
A heavy serving of period melodrama, John Patrick Kelley's "The Locusts" is an oppressive tale of temptation and redemption in rural Kansas.
Bordering perilously on camp, the material -- about a mysterious Young Buck (Vince Vaughn) who wanders onto the cattle ranch of an insatiable widow (Kate Capshaw) -- could have benefited from a lighter, less purposeful directorial touch.
As it is, with a determined, languorous pace that feels all of its 124-minute running time and then some, "Locusts" won't be drawing any swarms at the boxoffice. The sound of crickets is probably a more apt situation.
Drifting into the early 1960s farming town with the nonchalant bravado of a guy who's seen "Giant" too many times, Clay Hewitt (Vaughn), quickly raises the ire of the local bully (Daniel Meyer), not to mention the eyebrows of his intrigued girlfriend, the free-spirited Kitty (Ashley Judd).
With a mysterious past and few prospects, Clay manages to secure lodging and work at the feed ranch owned by the predatory Mrs. Potts (Capshaw), a boozy manipulator who's a sucker for a sweaty T-shirt.
In between warding off her persistent advances, Clay cottons to Mrs. Potts' neglected, emotionally traumatized son, Flyboy (Jeremy Davies), who has been in something of a semi-catatonic trance since the suicide of his father years earlier.
The two form a fast friendship, enabling Flyboy to partially emerge from his crippling shell while Clay latches on to a little nurturing purpose in his own aimless existence.
Fresh from "The Lost World" and "Swingers", Vaughn plays it all with a pout and a swagger; Capshaw seldom strays from a gin-soaked weariness. Only Davies ("Spanking the Monkey") manages to create something more three-dimensionally affecting as the emotionally damaged Flyboy, bringing to mind a young, pre-"Psycho" Anthony Perkins. Judd, too, given a much smaller role, generates a spirited spark as the supportive Kitty.
As a writer, Kelley is unafraid to pour on all the intrigue in generous, incest-tinged dollops, but he then attempts to balance the dirt with equal servings of heart-tugging poignance.
It's a daunting equation that never adds up.
As a director, it's clear Kelley has seen Terrence Malick's "Days of Heaven" more than once, judging by the attention he pays to measured pacing and sun-kissed vistas.
Kelley is ably assisted in that end by director of photography Phedon Papamichael's vivid outdoor photography and Sherman Williams' artful, peeled-paint production design, not to mention the unhurried editing
THE LOCUSTS
MGM
Orion Pictures presents
A Brad Krevoy & Steve Stabler production
A film by John Patrick Kelley
Director-screenwriter John Patrick Kelley
Producers Brad Krevoy,
Steve Stabler,
Bradley Thomas
Director of photography Phedon Papamichael
Production designer Sherman Williams
Editors Kathryn Himoff,
Erica Flaum
Executive producers Adam Duritz,
Beth Holden,
Charles B. Wessler,
Cynthia Guidry
Costume designer Gail McMullen
Music Carter Burwell
Music supervisor Happy Walters
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mrs. Potts Kate Capshaw
Flyboy Jeremy Davies
Clay Hewitt Vince Vaughn
Kitty Ashley Judd
Earl Paul Rudd
Joel Daniel Meyer
Patsy Jessica Capshaw
Running time - 124 minutes
MPAA Rating: R...
Bordering perilously on camp, the material -- about a mysterious Young Buck (Vince Vaughn) who wanders onto the cattle ranch of an insatiable widow (Kate Capshaw) -- could have benefited from a lighter, less purposeful directorial touch.
As it is, with a determined, languorous pace that feels all of its 124-minute running time and then some, "Locusts" won't be drawing any swarms at the boxoffice. The sound of crickets is probably a more apt situation.
Drifting into the early 1960s farming town with the nonchalant bravado of a guy who's seen "Giant" too many times, Clay Hewitt (Vaughn), quickly raises the ire of the local bully (Daniel Meyer), not to mention the eyebrows of his intrigued girlfriend, the free-spirited Kitty (Ashley Judd).
With a mysterious past and few prospects, Clay manages to secure lodging and work at the feed ranch owned by the predatory Mrs. Potts (Capshaw), a boozy manipulator who's a sucker for a sweaty T-shirt.
In between warding off her persistent advances, Clay cottons to Mrs. Potts' neglected, emotionally traumatized son, Flyboy (Jeremy Davies), who has been in something of a semi-catatonic trance since the suicide of his father years earlier.
The two form a fast friendship, enabling Flyboy to partially emerge from his crippling shell while Clay latches on to a little nurturing purpose in his own aimless existence.
Fresh from "The Lost World" and "Swingers", Vaughn plays it all with a pout and a swagger; Capshaw seldom strays from a gin-soaked weariness. Only Davies ("Spanking the Monkey") manages to create something more three-dimensionally affecting as the emotionally damaged Flyboy, bringing to mind a young, pre-"Psycho" Anthony Perkins. Judd, too, given a much smaller role, generates a spirited spark as the supportive Kitty.
As a writer, Kelley is unafraid to pour on all the intrigue in generous, incest-tinged dollops, but he then attempts to balance the dirt with equal servings of heart-tugging poignance.
It's a daunting equation that never adds up.
As a director, it's clear Kelley has seen Terrence Malick's "Days of Heaven" more than once, judging by the attention he pays to measured pacing and sun-kissed vistas.
Kelley is ably assisted in that end by director of photography Phedon Papamichael's vivid outdoor photography and Sherman Williams' artful, peeled-paint production design, not to mention the unhurried editing
THE LOCUSTS
MGM
Orion Pictures presents
A Brad Krevoy & Steve Stabler production
A film by John Patrick Kelley
Director-screenwriter John Patrick Kelley
Producers Brad Krevoy,
Steve Stabler,
Bradley Thomas
Director of photography Phedon Papamichael
Production designer Sherman Williams
Editors Kathryn Himoff,
Erica Flaum
Executive producers Adam Duritz,
Beth Holden,
Charles B. Wessler,
Cynthia Guidry
Costume designer Gail McMullen
Music Carter Burwell
Music supervisor Happy Walters
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mrs. Potts Kate Capshaw
Flyboy Jeremy Davies
Clay Hewitt Vince Vaughn
Kitty Ashley Judd
Earl Paul Rudd
Joel Daniel Meyer
Patsy Jessica Capshaw
Running time - 124 minutes
MPAA Rating: R...
- 10/3/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In his lively feature documentary debut, "Rhyme & Reason," producer-director Peter Spirer (nominated for an Academy Award in 1994 for his short "Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann") investigates and chronicles the hip-hop culture and its close relative, rap music.
Fast and informative, the crowd-pleasing Miramax release features plenty of tunes and stars, including a few brief moments with the late Tupac Shakur. While the language is often raw and there's a limit to the film's appeal, "Rhyme & Reason" will draw good crowds in select theaters and go on to heavy rotation as a video rental.
The distinction between hip-hop and rap is made clear early on. The former is a lifestyle encompassing clothes, language, graffiti and rap music. "Rap is something being done; hip-hop is something being lived," sums up KRS-ONE.
It's a situation that recalls many popular cultural movements of the past, and Spirer ambitiously probes the wide world of hip-hop with a historical perspective that leads to some genuine insight from the many artists interviewed.
From members of the Wu-Tang Clan to Ice-T, there is plenty of tough talk about life in the big-city slums, where rap moved "from project to project." In its early days in the South Bronx, the streetwise poetry with a pounding rhythm was a personal or group expression.
The "scratching" of records was eventually introduced, and DJs in clubs and at parties became part of the hip-hop scene. Break-dancing and elaborate graffiti painting were energetic responses to the urban environment, while rap became the means to express one's mind.
Over time, rap has become a $3 billion-a-year industry but has been plagued by scandals, tragedies and its wide perception as "gangster" music. The film addresses these and more issues -- such as the rivalry between East Coast and West Coast rappers -- but no definitive conclusions are reached.
For hip-hop fans, however, there are many highlights. Newer acts such as Nas, the Pharcyde and Busta Rhymes are included along with such veterans as Dr. Dre, Biz Markie and Salt-N-Pepa.
From these interviewees and many others, Spirer and crew have created a cultural portrait that argues persuasively, in the words of Speech (formerly of Arrested Development), that hip-hop music is "a voice for oppressed people who, in many ways, don't have any other voice."
RHYME & REASON
Miramax Films
A City Block and Asian Pictures production
A film by Peter Spirer
Director Peter Spirer
Producers Charles X. Block, Peter Spirer,
Daniel Sollinger
Executive producer Helena Echegoyen
Music supervisors Happy Walters,
Andrew Shack
Editors Andy Robertson, David Wilson
Music Benedikt Brydern
Color/stereo
With: Ice-T, the Pharcyde, Salt-N-Pepa, Chuck D, Erick Sermon, Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Heavy D, Grand Master Caz
Running time -- 89 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Fast and informative, the crowd-pleasing Miramax release features plenty of tunes and stars, including a few brief moments with the late Tupac Shakur. While the language is often raw and there's a limit to the film's appeal, "Rhyme & Reason" will draw good crowds in select theaters and go on to heavy rotation as a video rental.
The distinction between hip-hop and rap is made clear early on. The former is a lifestyle encompassing clothes, language, graffiti and rap music. "Rap is something being done; hip-hop is something being lived," sums up KRS-ONE.
It's a situation that recalls many popular cultural movements of the past, and Spirer ambitiously probes the wide world of hip-hop with a historical perspective that leads to some genuine insight from the many artists interviewed.
From members of the Wu-Tang Clan to Ice-T, there is plenty of tough talk about life in the big-city slums, where rap moved "from project to project." In its early days in the South Bronx, the streetwise poetry with a pounding rhythm was a personal or group expression.
The "scratching" of records was eventually introduced, and DJs in clubs and at parties became part of the hip-hop scene. Break-dancing and elaborate graffiti painting were energetic responses to the urban environment, while rap became the means to express one's mind.
Over time, rap has become a $3 billion-a-year industry but has been plagued by scandals, tragedies and its wide perception as "gangster" music. The film addresses these and more issues -- such as the rivalry between East Coast and West Coast rappers -- but no definitive conclusions are reached.
For hip-hop fans, however, there are many highlights. Newer acts such as Nas, the Pharcyde and Busta Rhymes are included along with such veterans as Dr. Dre, Biz Markie and Salt-N-Pepa.
From these interviewees and many others, Spirer and crew have created a cultural portrait that argues persuasively, in the words of Speech (formerly of Arrested Development), that hip-hop music is "a voice for oppressed people who, in many ways, don't have any other voice."
RHYME & REASON
Miramax Films
A City Block and Asian Pictures production
A film by Peter Spirer
Director Peter Spirer
Producers Charles X. Block, Peter Spirer,
Daniel Sollinger
Executive producer Helena Echegoyen
Music supervisors Happy Walters,
Andrew Shack
Editors Andy Robertson, David Wilson
Music Benedikt Brydern
Color/stereo
With: Ice-T, the Pharcyde, Salt-N-Pepa, Chuck D, Erick Sermon, Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Heavy D, Grand Master Caz
Running time -- 89 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Following in the footsteps of writer-director dad Lawrence, 22-year-old Jake Kasdan makes his feature bow with "Zero Effect", a loopy but languorous detective yarn starring Bill Pullman as a paranoid recluse of a private dick.
Owing about as much to Maxwell Smart as Philip Marlowe, young Kasdan's characterizations are certainly quirky to a fault, but the vehicle that contains them is numbingly inert. It's all (mumbled) talk and no action.
Expect "Zero Effect" to have a likewise influence over paying audiences, who generally prefer their movies to move.
When not solving such baffling mysteries as "The Case of the Hired Gun Who Made Too Many Mistakes" or "The Case of the Man With Mismatched Shoelaces," Daryl Zero cocoons himself in a vaulted L.A. hideaway.
All initial business contacts are made by loyal front man/assistant Steve Arlo (Ben Stiller), who has a love-hate relationship with his brilliant but dysfunctional boss. Their latest case involves blackmailed lumber tycoon Gregory Stark (Ryan O'Neal), which leads them (or, at least, Zero) to a quietly intriguing paramedic (Kim Dickens), who manages to do a number on Daryl's previously inaccessible heart.
Sum this one up as "The Case of the Novice Writer-Director Who Sort of Let the Former Overpower the Latter." Kasdan's script has its share of witty touches, but too often all the wordplay and irreverent voice-overs take precedence over a visual sense or much-needed forward momentum.
It's a problem that also stifles his usually effective leads, who could have benefited from stronger directorial guidance.
From the behind-the-camera perspective, DP Bill Pope ("Bound", "Gridlock'd") gets some atmospheric mileage out of the Maine backdrop; while production designer Gary Frutkoff ("Devil in a Blue Dress", "King of the Hill") adroitly manages to build a sense of period timelessness into the contemporary setting.
That also goes for the light, jazzy soundtrack, scored and performed by The Greyboy Allstars and juxtaposed against classic and recent tracks by the likes of Elvis Costello, Jamiroquai and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.
ZERO EFFECT
Columbia Pictures
Castle Rock Entertainment presents
A Manifest Film production
A Jake Kasdan film
Director-screenwriter: Jake Kasdan
Producers: Lisa Henson,
Janet Yang and Jake Kasdan
Executive producer: Jim Behnke
Director of photography: Bill Pope
Production designer: Gary Frutkoff
Editor: Tara Timpone
Costume designer: Kym Barrett
Music: The Greyboy Allstars
Music supervisors: Happy Walters and Manish Raval
Casting: Mary Vernieu
Color/stereo
Cast:
Daryl Zero: Bill Pullman
Steve Arlo: Ben Stiller
Gregory Stark: Ryan O'Neal
Gloria Sullivan: Kim Dickens
Jess: Angela Featherstone
Bill: Hugh Ross
Running time -- 117 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Owing about as much to Maxwell Smart as Philip Marlowe, young Kasdan's characterizations are certainly quirky to a fault, but the vehicle that contains them is numbingly inert. It's all (mumbled) talk and no action.
Expect "Zero Effect" to have a likewise influence over paying audiences, who generally prefer their movies to move.
When not solving such baffling mysteries as "The Case of the Hired Gun Who Made Too Many Mistakes" or "The Case of the Man With Mismatched Shoelaces," Daryl Zero cocoons himself in a vaulted L.A. hideaway.
All initial business contacts are made by loyal front man/assistant Steve Arlo (Ben Stiller), who has a love-hate relationship with his brilliant but dysfunctional boss. Their latest case involves blackmailed lumber tycoon Gregory Stark (Ryan O'Neal), which leads them (or, at least, Zero) to a quietly intriguing paramedic (Kim Dickens), who manages to do a number on Daryl's previously inaccessible heart.
Sum this one up as "The Case of the Novice Writer-Director Who Sort of Let the Former Overpower the Latter." Kasdan's script has its share of witty touches, but too often all the wordplay and irreverent voice-overs take precedence over a visual sense or much-needed forward momentum.
It's a problem that also stifles his usually effective leads, who could have benefited from stronger directorial guidance.
From the behind-the-camera perspective, DP Bill Pope ("Bound", "Gridlock'd") gets some atmospheric mileage out of the Maine backdrop; while production designer Gary Frutkoff ("Devil in a Blue Dress", "King of the Hill") adroitly manages to build a sense of period timelessness into the contemporary setting.
That also goes for the light, jazzy soundtrack, scored and performed by The Greyboy Allstars and juxtaposed against classic and recent tracks by the likes of Elvis Costello, Jamiroquai and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.
ZERO EFFECT
Columbia Pictures
Castle Rock Entertainment presents
A Manifest Film production
A Jake Kasdan film
Director-screenwriter: Jake Kasdan
Producers: Lisa Henson,
Janet Yang and Jake Kasdan
Executive producer: Jim Behnke
Director of photography: Bill Pope
Production designer: Gary Frutkoff
Editor: Tara Timpone
Costume designer: Kym Barrett
Music: The Greyboy Allstars
Music supervisors: Happy Walters and Manish Raval
Casting: Mary Vernieu
Color/stereo
Cast:
Daryl Zero: Bill Pullman
Steve Arlo: Ben Stiller
Gregory Stark: Ryan O'Neal
Gloria Sullivan: Kim Dickens
Jess: Angela Featherstone
Bill: Hugh Ross
Running time -- 117 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 1/26/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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