Eagerly anticipating this month ... (6-25)

Eagerly anticipating this month ... (6-25)
Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value (2025)
Showing posts with label TV-making. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV-making. Show all posts

4/19/2020

Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) - Clooney salutes investigative journalism with honorable, good movie



+ Best B/W Movie of the Year + Best Huge Hit Movie of the Year 


David Strathairn looks keen in the bottom of this untraditionally composited poster for George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck.


In 1953-54 Edward R. Murrow changed broadcasted news reporting at CBS News, when he abandoned strict recounting in favor of investigative journalism, which put a break on senator Joe McCarthy's free-wheeling communist witch-hunt.

Good Night, and Good Luck. is written by co-writer/producer/actor Grant Heslov (Suburbicon (2017)) and co-writer/director/co-star George Clooney (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)).
This is Clooney's black and white salute to Murrow, who comes off as an important pioneer in American history.
Good Night, and Good Luck. is an interesting, good and intellectual movie which nevertheless doesn't lift the task of making the victims of the 1950s era's McCarthyism and political and behavioral alignment palpable. The prevalent fear in the public at the time also goes largely unexplained. But the film does create a compelling portrayal of office paranoia with sharp performances.

Related posts:
 

George ClooneyHail, Caesar! (2016) - The Coen brothers serve a whimsical, flashy letdown (co-star)
The Monuments Men (2014) or, George Clooney's The Lecture (co-writer/director/actor) 
Gravity (2013) or, Survival in Space: The Ride (co-star)
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2011 in films - according to Film Excess 
The Descendants (2011) - Payne and Clooney score with a Hawaiian story of heartbreak, loss and family (star) 
The Ides of March (2011) - Clooney's political thriller looks at the cynical downside of modern politics (co-writer/co-producer/director/co-star) 
The American (2010) - Corbijn and Clooney's paper-thin, boring, pretentious hitman outing (star) 
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) - Anderson's technically, visually admirable but a bit tiring animation (voice star)
Burn After Reading (2008) or, Idiocy 2008 (co-star) 

2005 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 
Ocean's Twelve (2004) - Soderbergh returns with jumbled, glossy heist comedy sequel (co-star)
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) or, The Gong Show Killer (director/co-star) 
Solaris (2002) - A suffering space question mark (star)
From Dusk till Dawn (1996) - Tarantino, Rodriguez and chums' enjoyable Mexico vampire extravaganza (co-star)




Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 7 mil. $
Box office: 56.5 mil. $
= Huge hit (returned 8.07 times its cost)
[Good Night, and Good Luck. premiered 1 September (Venice Film Festival, Italy) and runs 93 minutes. Clooney was attracted to the story due to his major in journalism and TV journalist father. He accepted a salary of 1 $ for each of his 3 duties on it to minimize the budget size. Due to an injury incurred while making Syriana (2005), Clooney was not able to find insurance for himself and instead mortgaged his Los Angeles home to make the film. Wealthy men Mark Cuban and Jeff Skoll invested money in it. Shooting took place in Los Angeles. The film opened #21 to a 421k $ first weekend in 11 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #7 and in 929 theaters (different weeks) and grossed 31.5 mil. $ (55.8 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 4.4 mil. $ (7.8 %) and Spain with 4.3 mil. $ (7.6 %). The film was nominated for 6 Oscars, winning none. It lost Best Picture to Crash, Actor (David Strathairn (Speakeasy (2002))) to Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote, Director to Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain, Original Screenplay to Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco for Crash, Cinematography (Robert Elswit) to Dion Beebe for Memoirs of a Geisha, and Art Direction also to Memoirs of a Geisha. It was also nominated for 4 Golden Globes, 6 BAFTAs, won an AFI award, was nominated for a David di Donatello award, won a European Film award, 1/4 Independent Spirit award nominations, 2 National Board of Review awards, 5 prizes in Venice and several other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 star review, translating to 2 notches higher than this one. The film reportedly made also made in excess of 20.9 mil. $ on domestic video sales, which, if taken into the equation, would change its status to that of a mega-hit. Clooney the filmmaker returned with Leatherheads (2008). Strathairn returned in American Masters (1993-05, documentary TV-series) and theatrically in The Notorious Betty Page (2005). Good Night, and Good Luck. is certified fresh at 93 % with an 8.1/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Good Night, and Good Luck.?

9/23/2019

Late Night (2019) - Thompson is superb with Kaling's brainy script



+ Best New York Movie of the Year

Emma Thompson has a different hairstyle than in the actual film, curiously, on the poster for Nisha Ganatra's Late Night


Katherine Newbury is a British talk show institution in American comedy, - but her show's ratings have steadily declined for years, and she is in need of a radical reinvention in order to keep her show. Into her writers' room enters her fan Molly...

Late Night is written by writer/co-producer/co-star Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project (2012-17)) and directed by Nisha Ganatra (Chutney Popcorn (1999)).
Kaling is sweet as Molly, whose hiring is a mystifying stroke of luck for her. The job to restart the talkshow and open its host more up to her possible audiences is no small task, and Emma Thompson (Nanny McPhee (2005)) is terrific as the impatient, cynical, tyrannical boss, who is en route to her own career downfall. For someone with love for late night talk shows, the story's course echoes both David Letterman's infidelity scandal and admission on his show and the Conan O'Brien/Jay Leno fight for their respective shows. There is no woman late-night talkshow persona in real life like Newbury in the movie, (the great Ellen DeGeneres reigns daytime comedy with her talkshow), - but there could be.
As part of the role Thompson sports a hairdo and cool garbs and jewelry, which elevate her performance. Late Night doesn't do much cinematically, but Thompson, besides a great actress, is cinematic, and therefore even more crucial to the film. - And so is John Lithgow (Kinsey (2004)), her husband in it, and the two share a genuinely touching scene towards the end.
Late Night also benefits from a strong supporting cast with proven talents Amy Ryan (Kidnapped (2006-07)), Hugh Dancy (Evening (2007)), Reid Scott (The Veil (2016)), Dennis O'Hare (The Proposal (2009)) and Max Casella (The Sopranos (2001-07)).
The film has lines and moments that produce chuckles, although it could certainly be funnier; but it makes a thoughtful dealing with current issues of political correctness, mindless entertainment, minority representation, gender equality and hypocrisy its main priority.

Related post:

Nisha Ganatra: 2019 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2019 in films - according to Film Excess








Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: Reportedly 4 mil. $
Box office: 21.7 mil. $ and counting
= Big hit (has returned 5.42 times its cost)
[Late Night premiered 25 January (Sundance Film Festival, Utah) and runs 102 minutes. The script was first bought by Fox 2000 in 2016. Paul Feig was originally scheduled to direct but dropped out. Shooting took place in New York from April 2018 - ?. Amazon paid 13 mil. $ for the North American distribution rights at Sundance, - a record. They furthermore spent a whopping 35 mil. $ to market the film. It opened #17 to a 246k $ first weekend in 4 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #9 and in 2,220 theaters, grossing 15.4 mil. $ (71 % of the total gross to date). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets have been the UK with 1.7 mil. $ (7.8 %) and Australia with 1.4 mil. $ (6.5 %). It has one more market announced to open in: Mexico on 18 October. Some analysts are calling the film one of the year's biggest flops due to Amazon's great expenses thrown at the film; but if the 4 mil. $ budget is accurate, the film is a big hit, and Amazon's expenses are also a part of their overall strategy, which is mainly about their streaming service, for which the film is likely an important touchstone. Ganatra returned with Black Monday (2019, TV-series) and will return theatrically with Covers (2020). Thompson returned with a voice performance in Missing Link (2019) and in the flesh in Men in Black: International (2019); Kaling does not have her next acting gig announced yet. Late Night is certified fresh at 80 % with a 6.8/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Late Night?

6/02/2018

30 Rock - season 3 (2008) - Fey, Baldwin, Krakowski and Co. make comedy gold

♥♥♥♥♥

+ Best New York Title of the Year + Best Returning TV-series of the Year + Best Sitcom of the Year 

New York is a set on this vibrant, fun poster for the third season of Tina Fey's 30 Rock

30 Rock season 3 is a great satirical sitcom by creator Tina Fey (Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt (2015-19), creator/co-star), who also returns as its New York comedy TV sketch-showrunner protagonist Liz Lemon.

In the first episode, Liz's boss Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin (Andron (2015))) reacquires his job as NBC executive, following a stint in Washington DC, by employing soap opera tactics. Baldwin is spectacular throughout the season and bags many laughs with his manic energy and strong line deliveries.
Salma Hayek (Midaq Alley (1995))) is introduced as Jack's romantic interest in the season (in episode 7: Señor Macho Solo) as Jack's mother's nurse, while Liz fouls up as she dates a UN employee (Peter Dinklage (Saint John of Las Vegas (2009))). Jenna (Jane Krakowski (Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008))), one of the stars of Liz's sketch show, is chasing a breakout project for herself through the season, a Janis Joplin biopic, and Krakowski's Jenna is one of the show's funniest characters in season 3. Her Joplin dream culminates tragically (episode 18: Jackie Jormp-Jomp).
Jon Hamm (Metalocalypse (2012), TV-series) is introduced as Lemon's love interest in season 3 (in funny/wacky episode 10: Generalissimo). The season has an episode (episode 16: Apollo, Apollo) wherein we see the world from Jack, series regular Southerner NBC page Kenneth (Jack McBrayer (Drive Share (2017), TV-series)) and Jenna's perspectives, - and witness the phone sex line ad that Liz made earlier in her career.
The season is rounded off (with episode 22: Kidney Now!) with NBC throwing a star-studded kidney-donation benefit TV concert (Elvis Costello, Moby, Mary J. Blige, Norah Jones and Cyndi Lauper are among the stars present), while Liz guests a black talkshow that respond approvingly to her 'dealbreaker' catchphrase.

30 Rock's third season is incredibly fun; it hits the spot very often and is only rarely a tooth too wacky.
Guest stars in the season include John McEnroe (Arli$$ (1996), TV-series), Bobb'e J. Thompson (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)), Steve Martin (Bowfinger (1999)), John Lithgow (Shrek (2001)) and many others.



Best episodes:

Episode 2: Believe in the Stars - Written by Robert Carlock (Joey (2004-06)); directed by Don Scardino (The Mindy Project (2013), TV-series)
Liz believes she meets Oprah on a flight out of town to avoid jury duty.

Episode 3: The One with the Cast of Night Court - Written by Jack Burditt (The Kicker (2016), TV movie); directed by Gail Mancuso (Ground Floor (2013-15))
Jennifer Aniston (Bruce Almighty (2003))) guest stars as a nymphomaniac, - and is hysterically funny.

Episode 6: Christmas Special - Written by Kay Cannon (Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)), Fey; directed by Scardino
Jack's mother (Elaine Stritch (Trapper John, M.D. (1983), TV-series)) returns, and Jack breaks both her hips by accidentally backing into her.

Episode 9: Retreat to Move Forward - Written by Tami Sagher (Orange Is the New Black (2018), TV-series); directed by Steve Buscemi (Portlandia (2015-17))
Chris Parnell (The Spoils Before Dying (2015), miniseries) as the recurring Dr. Leo Spaceman is hilarious, here in an episode in which Jenna also has an affair with one of the sketch show's writers, Frank (Judah Friedlander (The Proctor (2007), short)).

Episode 10: The Funcooker - Written by Donald Glover (Mystery Team (2009)), Tom Ceraulo (Jack Donaghy, Executive Superhero (2011), TV-series); directed by Ken Whittingham (Black-ish (2014-17))
Almost too crazy to explain, this episode concerns Jack's taking on naming a new pocket-microwave oven invention!

Episode 21: Mamma Mia - Written by Ron Weiner (Silicon Valley (2014-18)); directed by Scardino
Alan Alda (Same Time, Next Year (1978)) is hilarious, introduced as Jack's biological father, whom he finds and hugs with a great emotional outpouring and the line: "You don't know the half of it! - I need a kidney!

Related posts:

Tina Fey:  Admission (2013) - Despite messy script, Fey is hilarious in Weitz's romcom (starring actor)

Date Night (2010) - Carell and Fey bring out the big laugh guns (starring actor)
Megamind (2010) - Ferrell leads McGrath's hilarious animation superbly (voice actor)
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

30 Rock - season 4 (2009) - Fey, Baldwin & Co. return for long but often hilarious fourth season (creator/executive producer/co-writer/starring actor) 

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 
2008 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2008 in films - according to Film Excess 
30 Rock - season 1 (2006) - NY showbiz satire on speed (creator/co-writer/starring actor)
Mean Girls (2004) - Lohan, Waters and Fey's high school satire triumph (writer/co-star)




Tina Fey talks about som favorite things of hers from the show here next to Krakowski and also very funny star Tracy Morgan (Totally Awesome (2006), TV movie)

Cost: Unknown
Box office: None - TV-series
= Unknown
[30 Rock season 3 originally ran on NBC from 30 October 2008 - 14 May 2009 and spans 22 episodes of an average 22 minutes, coming to about 484 minutes. Shooting took place in New York. The season premiere drew 8.7 mil. viewers in the US, the biggest premiere in the show's 7 season life. The season's average of 7.5 mil. $ viewers was also the biggest average 30 Rock achieved. The highest-rated show was episode 6: Christmas Special with 8.9 mil. viewers; lowest was the following episode 7: Señor Macho Solo with 5.4 mil.. The season was nominated for 22 Emmys, making it the most nominated show of the year, winning 3, and an additional 2 Creative Arts Emmys, 3/3 Golden Globe nominations and other honors. Fey kept extremely busy around the time of season 3: Besides writing, executive-producing and starring in the season, she had the following projects that year: Starring in Baby Mama (2008), giving a voice performance in Ponyo (2008), playing Governor Sarah Palin in an episode of Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update Summer Edition (2008), starring in video Elmo and the Bookaneers (2009) and co-starring in The Invention of Lying (2009). 30 Rock returned with its season 4 in October 2009. 30 Rock season 3 is the highest-rated season of the show on Rotten Tomatoes; it is fresh at 89 % with a 8.46/10 critical average.]

What do you think of 30 Rock season 3?

9/18/2017

30 Rock - season 4 (2009) - Fey, Baldwin & Co. return for long but often hilarious fourth season

♥♥


+ Best Sitcom of the Year


Our five entertaining New-Yorker media personality friends are back for the 4th season of Tina Fey's 30 Rock


The following season run-through contains SPOILERS:

Life and work remains full of hurdles for sketch show producer Liz Lemon (Tina Fey (The Invention of Lying (2009))) at NBC in New York: Actress Jenna (Jane Krakowski (Open Season (2006))) remains a whole lot of fun; as the season opens she is busy making a country-eschewed tennis promo, which is supposed to promote the sport in the South. And Alec Baldwin (Saturday Night Live (2007-17)) is still phenomenally funny in the show's best scenes as station chief Jack Donaghy.
Liz herself suffers stage fright ahead of beginning her Dealbreakers Talkshow, and her main show's diva man-child Tracy (Tracy Morgan (Top Five (2014))) decides to aim to join the exclusive EGOT club in the slightly disappointing episode 7. In really strange but also funny episode 9, Liz enjoys a visit from her gay cousin Randy, while Jenna dates James Franco (Spider-Man (2002)), who turns out to be in love with a Japanese pillow.
An ongoing plot strand concerns the network's getting bought following its owner Don Geiss' death.
Jack invents women's porn (handsome men who listen), and Liz keeps meeting Michael Sheen (Home Again (2017)), an annoying Brit she met at her dentist. Jack dates both his old Irish Bostonian Nancy(Julianne Moore (Still Alice (2014))) and new, snappy Avery (Elizabeth Banks (Power Rangers (2017))), and suffers under the pressure of his deceit. Meanwhile Jenna may have found happiness in a man who is also a drag performer who imitates her (Will Forte (Nebraska (2013))).
Liz undergoes some realizations and proposes to Sheen, while voice-performing in Garfield 3 makes Tracy remember his traumatic childhood.
In the season's cooky final episode, Liz falls for a pilot (Matt Damon (The Martian (2015))) and dumps Sheen, while Forte changes his drag act into half-Jenna/half-Cher. Jack decides to go with old flame Nancy, but then changes his mind for Avery, who is pregnant! Kenneth (Jack McBrayer (Conan (2013-16))) gets fired and gives a 'hard' slamming-the-door-on-his-way-out speech.

Season 4 of the beloved backstage satirical sitcom from creator-star Fey is fun and wacky but has too many episodes that only sometimes - though more often than not - do the trick of raising risible laughter.

Best episodes:

Episode 3: Stone Mountain - written by Fey, John Riggi (The Comeback (2005-14)), directed by Don Scardino (Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt (2017, TV-series)
Jack and Liz travel to Georgia to find a new cast member who represents 'middle America.' With Jimmy Fallon (Jem and the Holograms (2015)) and Betty White (Boston Legal (2005-08)).

Episode 10: Black Light Attack! - written by Fey, Steve Hely (Veep (2017, TV-series), directed by Scardino
A darkly funny highlight: Jenna faces her advancing age, while Jack and Liz vie for the same cast member's favor, and Tracy settles a clash in his entourage.

Episode 13: Anna Howard Shaw Day - written by Fey, Matt Hubbard (Joey (2005-06)), directed by Ken Whittingham (Black-ish (2014-17))
The funny Valentine's Day episode in which Liz has root canal surgery at very funny dentist James Rebhorn's (Homeland (2011-13)), and Jack meets business talk show host Avery.

Episode 20: The Moms - written by Fey, Kay Cannon (Girlboss (2017, TV-series), Robert Carlock (Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)), directed by Riggi
Crazy-funny Mother's Day episode: Jack gets advice from his mother; Liz realizes that she has to settle, and Tracy casts a mother. With Buzz Aldrin (The Simpsons (1994, TV-series)) and Will Ferrell (Daddy's Home (2015)).

Related posts:

Tina FeyDate Night (2010) - Carell and Fey bring out the big laugh guns
Megamind (2010) - Ferrell leads McGrath's hilarious animation superbly  

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 
30 Rock - season 1 (2006) - NY showbiz satire on speed
Mean Girls (2004) - Lohan, Waters and Fey's high school satire triumph (writer)





Cost: Unknown
Box office: None - TV-series
= Hit - ratings high enough for another season
[30 Rock season 4 had its original release at NBC from 15 October 2009 - 20 May 2010, spanning 22 episodes of an average 22 minutes, totaling approximately 484 minutes. The season's ratings fell from the show's peak with season 3's 7.5 mil. average to a 5.9 mil. average. Baldwin won a Golden Globe for his work in the season, and the show was nominated for 15 Emmys but didn't win any. The show went on for another 3 seasons. 30 Rock S4 is the lowest rated on Rotten Tomatoes: It is nevertheless still fresh at 67 % with a 7.57/10 critical average.]

What do you think of 30 Rock season 4?

4/25/2017

EDtv (1999) - Phenomenal cast shine in Howard's witty mega-flop



+ Best Mega-Flop Movie of the Year + Best Satire of the Year


This eye-catching poster for Ron Howard's EDtv conveys the intrusiveness of cameras that the plot centers around


A major reality TV channel launch their new venture: 24 hour a day covering of one person's life. That person is 30 year-old Ed, who works in a video store and is falling for his brother's girlfriend.

EDtv is written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel (Robots (2005), both) and directed by great Oklahoman filmmaker Ron Howard (Cocoon (1985)), based on the Canadian film Louis, 19, King of the Airwaves/ Louis 19, le Roi des Ondes (1994).  Howard plays the material broadly, and he continually brings us audiences into Ed's drama along with the TV audiences by their screens, which is a little unengaging and a bit depressing as well, because it puts us in the same boat with the TV audiences who are content to completely pause their own lives in order to follow Ed's...
Luckily, EDtv has some really funny lines and situations, and the cast is phenomenal, filled with endearing personalities: Ellen DeGeneres (Finding Dory (2016)), Woody Harrelson (After the Sunset (2004)), Matthew McConaughey (Fool's Gold (2008)) and Jenna Elfman (Damages (2012), TV-series) are good in big parts, engaging and funny; Rob Reiner (The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)) as the cynical TV channel boss and Martin Landau (Firehead (1991)) as the wheelchair-bound stepfather are both perfect. Dennis Hopper (River's Edge (1986)) is icing on the cake in some of the more emotional scenes.
EDtv is a good movie that seems in some way to participate in the reality TV wave of the late 1990s while also criticizing it some.

Related posts:

Ron HowardCorman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011) - Stapleton's Corman doc. is among the year's best films (interview subject)

The Da Vinci Code (2006) - Howard's first Brown adaptation is a popcorn thriller hoot
Top 10: The best biopic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 
A Beautiful Mind (2001) - John Nash given the Epic Treatment  

1999 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 
Backdraft (1991) - Howard's giant, stupid Chicago-set firefighter movie 
American Graffiti (1973) or, Cruisin' Modesto '62 (actor) 







Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 80 mil. $
Box office: 35.2 mil. $
= Mega-flop
[EDtv  was released 26 March (USA) and runs 123 minutes. Shooting took place from March - July 1998 in California and Florida. The film opened #3 behind hold-over hits Forces of Nature and Analyze This to an 8.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its second week and grossed a paltry 22.4 mil. $ (63.6 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert gave the film 2.5/4 stars, translating to a notch harder than this review. The film bears a striking resemblance in plot to Peter Weir's highly successful The Truman Show (1998), starring Jim Carrey, which revolves around a reality TV show about one person's life, lived in an artificial world only he doesn't know is a huge set. While Howard's career could take a hit and was fast back on track, (with How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), starring Carrey, and possibly his career's best, Oscar-winner A Beautiful Mind (2001)) the incredibly over-budgeted, hugely expense flop EDtv marked a more severe downwards turn career-wise for McConaughey, who mostly starred in smaller and lower quality films for the following decade before beginning his come-back to form in 2011 with Bernie and Killer Joe. EDtv is fresh at 63 % with a 6.3 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of EDtv?

8/15/2016

Morning Glory (2010) - McAdams, morning TV and great co-stars spell good fun



1 Film Excess nomination:

Best Supporting Actor: Harrison Ford (lost to John C. Reilly for The Extra Man)
A classy, upbeat poster for Roger Michell's Morning Glory that pushes its lovely stars

A young female workaholic loses her job in Jersey but then gains a new one as executive producer on New York's worst morning TV show. She now has to secure better ratings as well as her own romantic life. - Pheew...!

Morning Glory is a lot less of a romcom than I had expected; instead it is more a story about a young woman on the job market. The romance with Patrick Wilson (The A-Team (2010)) is tame: SPOILER Whether or not he is actually a womanizer gets dropped on the floor, and his being alternately for and against her work madness is also inopportune.
But Rachel McAdams (Southpaw (2015)) is sweet and credible in the lead, and Diane Keaton (Something's Gotta Give (2003)) shimmers. The film also have talents like Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson and Morley Safer in amusing cameos. But it is Harrison Ford (The Mosquito Coast (1988)) who is the movie's crowning jewel, splendid as a pompous and quite isolated character.
Morning Glory is written by Aline Brosh McKenna (We Bought a Zoo (2011)) and directed by great South-African filmmaker Roger Michell (Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)). It's a funny comedy.

Related posts:
  
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]





Watch an official trailer for the film here

Cost: 40 mil. $
Box office: 60 mil. $
= Big flop
[Morning Glory was released November 10 and runs 107 minutes. It was partially inspired by Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys. It is the first film with Keaton and Ford and the second with McAdams and Keaton, following The Family Stone (2005). Michell had to convince McAdams to star in the film, because she didn't think of herself as funny. Filming took place in New York and New Jersey from May - August 2009. The film opened #5 to a 9.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, (behind Megamind, Unstoppable, Due Date and Skyline), where it grossed 31 mil. $ (51.7 % of the total gross). It fell out of the top 5 (to #6) in its second week. The film's 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Australia with 5.8 mil. $ (9.7 %) and Russia with 3.1 mil. $ (5.2 %). Morning Glory is rotten at 56 % with a 6 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Morning Glory?

Eagerly anticipating this month ... (5-25)

Eagerly anticipating this month ... (5-25)
Kleber Mendonca Filho's The Secret Agent (2025)