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Nothing Like the Holidays: The Fruitcake of the Holiday Movie Season

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:30:52 -0800

The Christmas dramedy Nothing Like the Holidays really is like a fruitcake: Seasonal, obligatory and cliche. It's unoriginal in its presentation, but then again, it is the holidays and someone put in the effort to make it, so a part of you appreciates it a little. You just don't want to taste it ever again. And maybe another part of you is the teeniest bit resentful that you were given something so forgettable.

Having said all that, there are some refreshing aspects to this particular sweet-sour overbaked good. The plot relies heavily on that tiresome declaration of "look how totally wacky and loud we are but we are also so loving!" But at least this time it's a Puerto Rican-American family, an ethnic group that's pretty severely underrepresented in mainstream film. The adult children in the Rodriguez family are gathering together at their parents' Chicago home for Christmas, including big-time New York City lawyer Mauricio (John Leguizamo) and his Jewish fish-out-of-water wife Sarah (Debra Messing), aspiring Hollywood actress Roxanna (Vanessa Ferlito), and soldier Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez) who is just now returning from Iraq. A circle of extra players surrounds the group: cousin Johnny (Luis Guzmán), family friend with a history of gangster life Ozzy (Jay Hernandez), and Jesse's old flame (the one that got away) Marissa (Melonie Diaz) - along with her son and new boyfriend. For more on why there's just nothing like the holidays, read more.

The familial relationships are equal parts tension and love, anger and sweetness, cruelty and warmth. Emotions run high all the time and everyone's got some kind of drama going on. Sarah feels unfairly pressured to have kids, Roxanna fears her fledgling career in TV and film will never take off, and Ozzy is filled with rage toward the recently-sprung-from-prison guy who killed his brother. Jesse's storyline is the most intriguing, largely due to Freddy Rodriguez's wonderful onscreen charisma: Trying to adapt to civilian life again, he wonders what his purpose is and desperately wants to be with Marissa. Finally, there's the ridiculously lame plotline of the parents: Edy (the magnificent teddy-bear-dad Alfred Molina) is hiding something, Anna (Elizabeth Peña) thinks he's cheating on her and thus wants a divorce, leading the kids to think this is their last Christmas together.

All these storylines get knitted together in one big tangly ball of mess, which doesn't give any one character the space to grow beyond the one-dimensional stereotype he or she is given. The actors try mightily to counter this, however, and at times they succeed. These are heavyweight actors who are way above this material, and if there's a reason to see this movie at all, it's them. Their determination to be a part of this story is admirable, and in certain scenes they even manage to add some flavor to an otherwise bland Christmas offering. Overall, though, I'd say you can pass on this dessert - at least until it's re-gifted on TV during next year's holiday season.

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Movie Preview: Nothing Like the Holidays

BuzzSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 05:30:24 -0700

Sure, when I first saw the poster and description for Nothing Like the Holidays, I kinda groaned inside. Nothing like another reheated family holiday flick! And yet, now that I've watched the trailer, I'm charmed by this new take on an old genre.

For one thing, the film focuses on a Latino family, which is unusual (embarrassingly so) in both film and television. For another thing, the cast is fantastic. John Leguizamo has already won me over (being one of my favorite actors ever helps), as has another favorite of mine, Alfred Molina. In addition there's the lovable Debra Messing and (ready, Getty Girls?) the winsome Freddy Rodriguez.

The movie's description goes like this: "A Puerto Rican family living in the area of Humboldt Park in west Chicago face what may be their last Christmas together." It starts out seeming tamely cute/funny, and then moves into some more poignant territory. Nothing Like the Holidays opens Nov. 21, and to watch the trailer, read more.

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The Happening: So. . . That Happened

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:30:53 -0700

The best part of going to see The Happening was getting to watch the X-Files movie trailer - which is way more chilling on the big screen than it is on YouTube. Can't wait for that one! As for M. Night Shyamalan's latest spookfest, well, as Alec Baldwin's character Bob Barrenger remarks after a car crash in State and Main, "So. . . That happened."

The movie has been getting poor reviews, and even Shyamalan himself is calling it "the best B-movie you'll see," so I didn't go into the screening with the assumption that The Happening would be a masterpiece. And it's not that bad; it's no Jumper, say. It just gives us nothing whatsoever to care about. At all. It's empty and kinda silly and the acting is not good. There's a mystery to solve, which is interesting for a short time, but when it gets solved, the explanation for the mystery is pretty freaking lame. For more on this, read more.

The story begins with a series of New York City-set scenes in which people randomly stop what they're doing and slowly, deliberately find ways to kill themselves. The newscasters claim that the mass suicides are a result of a chemical toxin in the air, and soon the same thing starts happening in other parts of the northeast, always starting in parks and other green, leafy areas. The main characters we're following through this ordeal are Alma (Zooey Deschanel) and Elliott (Mark Wahlberg), currently experiencing some marital discord. Elliott and Alma escape Philadelphia along with Elliott's colleague Julian (John Leguizamo) and Julian's young daughter Jess. Then, the majority of the movie consists of watching the many creative ways people find to kill themselves (which is legitimately disturbing), and waiting for the main characters to either A) find a way to escape/outsmart/defy the toxin, or B) get killed by the toxin.

Parts of the movie are chilling like a slasher flick, that fun-scary way that innocently tingles the spine because we know it's just spooky entertainment. Overall, though, The Happening leaves this terrible, uneasy feeling because it's not done well enough to take very seriously, and yet, there's nothing "fun-scary" about suicide. It's just bleak and horrifying, and juxtaposed with such a flimsy story, the result is merely frustrating.

At the heart of the whole thing is Mark Wahlberg, who should probably not be trusted to carry a movie like this. His one facial expression of perplexity and concern and his but-I'm-so-baffled voice are like cartoon impressions of baffled, concerned people. Especially in scenes with John Leguizamo (who manages to imbue the film with a decent dose of reality), the differences between the two actors are like night and day. Namely, one is good in his role, and the other is not. I like Wahlberg in The Departed, I Heart Huckabees and of course in Boogie Nights, and maybe the problem lies in Shyamalan's script but whatever the reason, Wahlberg is a huge part of why I dislike this movie.

You know what M. Night Shyamalan work I really enjoyed (in addition to The Sixth Sense)? That commercial he made for American Express. The full version of that commercial is two minutes long. If you play that about 49 times, it's possible you'll feel more satisfied than you do after sitting through The Happening.

To see the trailer and more clips from The Happening, visit movies.iVillage.com.

Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox

First Look: Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino in Righteous Kill

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:30:00 -0700

Awesomely, a teaser trailer has arrived for the highly anticipated crime thriller Righteous Kill, which has brought together Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino for the first time since they starred together in Heat (1995). Both men look grizzled and tired, which works quite well for the weathered old cops they're portraying. The two are veteran NYC policemen trying to hunt down a serial killer who targets recently acquitted criminals. Though it's just a teaser trailer, it's still totally exciting to see these two powerhouses onscreen together. Righteous Kill is scheduled to open September 12. To check out the teaser, read more.

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Buzz News Roundup, 7/18

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:39:04 -0700

Danny Glover will play a love interest for Sally Field's character on "Brothers & Sisters" next season, says Hollywood Reporter.
Variety reports that John Leguizamo has been cast in M. Night Shyamalan's next project, The Happening, also starring Zooey Deschanel.
TV Guide reports that news from the CBS presentations at the TCA press tour includes an episode of "Cold Case" with an all-Nirvana soundtrack and a lot of remarks about Mandy Patinkin quitting "Criminal Minds."
ComingSoon says Ron Howard is on board to direct The Emperor's Children, a kind of Cruel Intentions-type story for 30-somethings.

Never fear, Starbuck fans: Despite her conspicuous absence from a "Bionic Woman" event on Tuesday, "Battlestar Galactica" star Katee Sackhoff has signed a deal to continue appearing on "Bionic."
According to Zap2It, there will be a third Ace Ventura movie, this time focusing on the pet detective's son who will be played by Josh Flitter.
Victoria Beckham will "host" NBC's Thursday comedy lineup this week, promoting a 10 p.m. re-airing of her "Coming to America" special, the Futon Critic reports.
Universal has canceled the release of Evan Almighty in Japan on account of the movie's meager draw so far and the fact that "there aren't that many Christians in Japan," says Variety.

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