That would be Neil Patrick Harris (Assassins, Proof, Cabaret) of course! Here's his Old Spice commercial which I think is funny!
And here's another version (check out the PT in the video):
Showing newest 17 of 40 posts from August 2008. Show older posts
Showing newest 17 of 40 posts from August 2008. Show older posts
August 31, 2008
August 28, 2008
August 27, 2008
August 26, 2008
Big Men in Town
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Tony Award-winner Christian Hoff (Tommy De Vito)
J. Robert Spencer (Nick Massi)
Michael Longoria (Frankie Valli)
While Lynn and I went to see The 39 Steps, my sister Cecile celebrated her birthday by watching Jersey Boys with her husband and a friend visiting from the Philippines. We met up with them afterwards and we got there in time for the cast's stagedoor exits.
Tony Award-winner Christian Hoff (Tommy De Vito)
J. Robert Spencer (Nick Massi)
Michael Longoria (Frankie Valli)While Lynn and I went to see The 39 Steps, my sister Cecile celebrated her birthday by watching Jersey Boys with her husband and a friend visiting from the Philippines. We met up with them afterwards and we got there in time for the cast's stagedoor exits.
August 25, 2008
Photos From Cali
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So here are pics from my trip to Sacramento and San Fran the weekend of Aug. 16 to 19th.
we had dimsum before we left for Sacramento:
saturday afternoon drive to Sacramento:
a bridge we crossed to get to Downtown Sacramento:
The Capitol Building:
this was next day Sunday......Candlestick Park:
Downtown San Francisco:
Golden Gate Bridge:
Check out the TransAmerica Building:
San Francisco Bay:
The cable that holds the bridge:
Christophe prepared lunch for us....salad, lamb and risotto yum!
Stow Lake at Golden Gate Park:
Japanese Tea House:
Academy of Sciences (taken from top of De Young Museum of Art):
The Chihuly glass sculpture:
Monday breakfast at Jollibee (a Filipino chain):
cable car on Powell Street:
Coit Tower:
Lombard Street:
Chowdah at the Wharf:
The seals at Pier 39:
Alcatraz:
we just found this sign from one of the restaurants amusing:
Union Square:
SFO Chinatown (not as gritty as NYC):
Crabs for dinner yummy in my tummy!
we had dimsum before we left for Sacramento:
saturday afternoon drive to Sacramento:
a bridge we crossed to get to Downtown Sacramento:
The Capitol Building:
this was next day Sunday......Candlestick Park:
Downtown San Francisco:
Golden Gate Bridge:
Check out the TransAmerica Building:
San Francisco Bay:
The cable that holds the bridge:
Christophe prepared lunch for us....salad, lamb and risotto yum!
Stow Lake at Golden Gate Park:
Japanese Tea House:
Academy of Sciences (taken from top of De Young Museum of Art):
The Chihuly glass sculpture:
Monday breakfast at Jollibee (a Filipino chain):
cable car on Powell Street:
Coit Tower:
Lombard Street:
Chowdah at the Wharf:
The seals at Pier 39:
Alcatraz:
we just found this sign from one of the restaurants amusing:
Union Square:
SFO Chinatown (not as gritty as NYC):
Crabs for dinner yummy in my tummy!
August 24, 2008
August 23, 2008
August 22, 2008
What is The 39 Steps?
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The 39 Steps is based on the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film based on the spy novel by John Buchan. On Broadway, it's Hitchcock meets Monty Python...one of the most entertaining evenings I've ever had in a theatre. 4 actors playing 150 parts, lots of Hitchcock references, men in drag, funny accents, quick changes, even shadow puppets. How could you go wrong?
Richard Hannay (Sam Robards) is our typical Hitchcock protagonist wrongly accused of a crime and goes on the run to clear his name. (Mr. Robards is the only actor who plays a single character.) The night that we saw the show, he was joined by Claire Brownell, subbing for Jennifer Ferrin, the lone female who plays 3 characters. Hats off to the amazing Arnie Burton and Cliff Saunders, who play everybody else. Mr. Burton even plays 2 characters in one scene.
With a minimalist set, proper staging,music, lights, they pull off the craziest scenes, even a chase on top of a speeding train. (They rightfully won this year's Tonys for Best Lighting and Sound Design of a Play.) The show is witty, clever, silly but totally imaginative and did I say funny?
If you're like our dashing hero Richard, "tired of newspapers with tales of elections and wars, and rumors of wars, and long for something mindless and trivial", go to the theater! Mr. Hitchcock would highly approve of this loving spoof-homage.
The 39 Steps is based on the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film based on the spy novel by John Buchan. On Broadway, it's Hitchcock meets Monty Python...one of the most entertaining evenings I've ever had in a theatre. 4 actors playing 150 parts, lots of Hitchcock references, men in drag, funny accents, quick changes, even shadow puppets. How could you go wrong?Richard Hannay (Sam Robards) is our typical Hitchcock protagonist wrongly accused of a crime and goes on the run to clear his name. (Mr. Robards is the only actor who plays a single character.) The night that we saw the show, he was joined by Claire Brownell, subbing for Jennifer Ferrin, the lone female who plays 3 characters. Hats off to the amazing Arnie Burton and Cliff Saunders, who play everybody else. Mr. Burton even plays 2 characters in one scene.
With a minimalist set, proper staging,music, lights, they pull off the craziest scenes, even a chase on top of a speeding train. (They rightfully won this year's Tonys for Best Lighting and Sound Design of a Play.) The show is witty, clever, silly but totally imaginative and did I say funny?
If you're like our dashing hero Richard, "tired of newspapers with tales of elections and wars, and rumors of wars, and long for something mindless and trivial", go to the theater! Mr. Hitchcock would highly approve of this loving spoof-homage.
August 21, 2008
Mommy Dearest
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I guess Agrestic came to visit Spring Awakening last Aug. 18th. Yes, Mary-Louise Parker who plays Hunter Parrish's mom in Weeds came to the show! Hunter Parrish who plays Melchior was scheduled to debut on the 18th but as mentioned earlier on this blog he started a week early. More pictures can be found on Broadway.com.
Here's an interview he did about coming to Broadway with New York Magazine:
‘Weeds’ Star Hunter Parrish on His ‘Spring Awakening’ Debut (by Rebecca Milzoff)
Rising actor Hunter Parrish is best known to pot-loving Showtime subscribers as sullen teenager, recent MILF-bait, and burgeoning marijuana grower Silas Botwin on Weeds. This month, he continues the tradition of playing rebellious, frequently disrobing heartbreakers as he takes on the lead role of Melchior in Spring Awakening on Broadway. Parrish, a lifelong theater geek who started his run a week early — such was his enthusiasm for the show — spoke to Vulture about Spring Awakening groupies, having sex onstage (and on-camera), and the benefit of having Mary-Louise Parker on speed-dial when making your stage debut.
So, is it more nerve-wracking to do a sex scene onstage than it is on Weeds?
Actually, it’s less. When you do it on camera, there’s only four or five people around, but it’s so intimate because you’re not projecting any emotion, it’s just right there, so it’s a little weird — a little close. Plus then it’s on tape, so it makes it onto the Internet, and it’s frozen in time. Onstage, all that awkwardness just doesn’t exist.
TV actors usually drop into flashy cameos in, like, Hairspray when they come to Broadway. How did you know you were ready to carry a whole show?
Broadway’s been like a goal of mine since I was six, so it’s definitely something I was thinking about and wanting to do. I’m excited that Melchior gets to be at the forefront of telling this story. I have a minimum six–months contract, but hopefully I’ll go longer…
Are you aware of the groupies that seem to follow playing Melchior?
Absolutely not! I mean, Weeds has a little cult following. It’s not the most popular show. To come into something and know how much they liked Groff, it’s a hard thing to know you have big shoes to fill. But they’ve been kind so far.
We interviewed Jonathan Groff last week. You both seem like really wholesome guys.
Did you see Passing Strange? It talks in that about how, for someone who’s an artist, your art is more your reality. I was sort of touched by that. I just did this movie, Seventeen Again, and I play this bully. I was the one growing up who got beaten up, so it was cool for once in my life to be the bully. Or to be Silas and smoke pot every week — I don’t smoke pot, so it’s fun to pretend in a sense.
Did Mary-Louise give you any Broadway advice?
She’s known I do theater since we’ve known each other, but I was actually texting her the whole time I was auditioning. She was doing Dead Man’s Cell Phone right before we went back to season four, so I was talking to her the whole time, like, “Okay what does this mean, what does that mean?” She was kind of the calming voice in the back of my head. And they just said she’s doing Hedda, right? So we’ll get to do theater at the same time!
Do you find people expect you to be a guy who can give them weed in real life?
Totally, I was in L.A. like five months ago and someone yelled from across the way, “Hey, where the weed at?!” That’s the best recognition I’ve gotten. But the number one question I’m asked is, “So do you guys smoke real weed?” And I’m always like, “Really?!” We live in L.A., but it’s not like we have medical marijuana cards.
So you’re not much of a rebel in real life?
I am such a goody-two-shoes. I would rather sit at home with my girlfriend and play frickin’ Wii.
(photo above fr. Broadway.com)
I guess Agrestic came to visit Spring Awakening last Aug. 18th. Yes, Mary-Louise Parker who plays Hunter Parrish's mom in Weeds came to the show! Hunter Parrish who plays Melchior was scheduled to debut on the 18th but as mentioned earlier on this blog he started a week early. More pictures can be found on Broadway.com.
Here's an interview he did about coming to Broadway with New York Magazine:
‘Weeds’ Star Hunter Parrish on His ‘Spring Awakening’ Debut (by Rebecca Milzoff)
Rising actor Hunter Parrish is best known to pot-loving Showtime subscribers as sullen teenager, recent MILF-bait, and burgeoning marijuana grower Silas Botwin on Weeds. This month, he continues the tradition of playing rebellious, frequently disrobing heartbreakers as he takes on the lead role of Melchior in Spring Awakening on Broadway. Parrish, a lifelong theater geek who started his run a week early — such was his enthusiasm for the show — spoke to Vulture about Spring Awakening groupies, having sex onstage (and on-camera), and the benefit of having Mary-Louise Parker on speed-dial when making your stage debut.
So, is it more nerve-wracking to do a sex scene onstage than it is on Weeds?
Actually, it’s less. When you do it on camera, there’s only four or five people around, but it’s so intimate because you’re not projecting any emotion, it’s just right there, so it’s a little weird — a little close. Plus then it’s on tape, so it makes it onto the Internet, and it’s frozen in time. Onstage, all that awkwardness just doesn’t exist.
TV actors usually drop into flashy cameos in, like, Hairspray when they come to Broadway. How did you know you were ready to carry a whole show?
Broadway’s been like a goal of mine since I was six, so it’s definitely something I was thinking about and wanting to do. I’m excited that Melchior gets to be at the forefront of telling this story. I have a minimum six–months contract, but hopefully I’ll go longer…
Are you aware of the groupies that seem to follow playing Melchior?
Absolutely not! I mean, Weeds has a little cult following. It’s not the most popular show. To come into something and know how much they liked Groff, it’s a hard thing to know you have big shoes to fill. But they’ve been kind so far.
We interviewed Jonathan Groff last week. You both seem like really wholesome guys.
Did you see Passing Strange? It talks in that about how, for someone who’s an artist, your art is more your reality. I was sort of touched by that. I just did this movie, Seventeen Again, and I play this bully. I was the one growing up who got beaten up, so it was cool for once in my life to be the bully. Or to be Silas and smoke pot every week — I don’t smoke pot, so it’s fun to pretend in a sense.
Did Mary-Louise give you any Broadway advice?
She’s known I do theater since we’ve known each other, but I was actually texting her the whole time I was auditioning. She was doing Dead Man’s Cell Phone right before we went back to season four, so I was talking to her the whole time, like, “Okay what does this mean, what does that mean?” She was kind of the calming voice in the back of my head. And they just said she’s doing Hedda, right? So we’ll get to do theater at the same time!
Do you find people expect you to be a guy who can give them weed in real life?
Totally, I was in L.A. like five months ago and someone yelled from across the way, “Hey, where the weed at?!” That’s the best recognition I’ve gotten. But the number one question I’m asked is, “So do you guys smoke real weed?” And I’m always like, “Really?!” We live in L.A., but it’s not like we have medical marijuana cards.
So you’re not much of a rebel in real life?
I am such a goody-two-shoes. I would rather sit at home with my girlfriend and play frickin’ Wii.
(photo above fr. Broadway.com)
August 20, 2008
David Beckham's life = musical material?
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Apparently, some people think so. Mark Archer is producing David Beckham: Theater of Dreams, which is planned for release on London's West End. Not only will it chronicle his relationships, it will also highlight his career and his rise to fame.
However, that's me. Would you go see a musical about David Beckham?
Apparently, some people think so. Mark Archer is producing David Beckham: Theater of Dreams, which is planned for release on London's West End. Not only will it chronicle his relationships, it will also highlight his career and his rise to fame.Archer says, "Beckham's story is a modern-day fairytale of heroes, villains, love, and what it means to lead your country."Becks has yet to green-light this production, and I'm crossing my fingers that he doesn't! I adore him and all, but dude is completely overexposed these past, what, years, thanks to all his endorsements, his perfumes, and his famous wife. I don't think he needs a musical to further build up his popularity or, at worst, subject him to the sneering disgust of people who consider him these days as less than a footballer and more like a pretty face.
However, that's me. Would you go see a musical about David Beckham?
High Flying Adored
6
comments
The poster outside Wells Fargo Pavilion
This past weekend I hightailed to the SF Bay area for 2 reasons to visit friends and see Evita at the Music Circus in Sacramento. I went to see it Saturday 8pm (8/16) with my friend Baba. Evita is my favorite among Andrew Lloyd Webber's work and I’ve seen 3 different productions of the show, including the Tour production , but so far this has been my favorite (no, I didn't see the original with Patti Lupone although I would love to go back in time to see it).
As I was booking my tickets I realized that the space where they have the show was a “theatre-in-the-round”, where the audience completely encircles the stage. I was trepidacious about it since I didn’t want to be looking at an actor's back throughout the show. However, the staging of this production was very dynamic thanks to director Glenn Casale. It had more of a concert feel. Not much scenery but some tables, chairs and beds moved around as props but it worked brilliantly! Every inch of the stage was utilized including the aisle where the actors would enter and exit. In no way did any part of the audience feel left out during the show because of the excellent staging.
Eric Kunze who had a commanding presence and beautiful voice played Che and served as the show’s narrator. You can tell that having appeared several times at Music Circus, the Sacramento audience loved him with the enthusiastic reception he gets after his songs. Scott Blanks played Peron while Kari Yancy played the mistress. Both were very good in their roles and had great voices. In fact even the ensemble was good!
The demanding role of Eva was played beautifully by Julia Murney. As in her other roles, she always surprises me with her acting choices. During the first act when she first sings her first few songs, I was wondering why she was holding back with her voice. Where was the fierceness? It wasn’t until middle of the act that I realized that she was playing the character slyly, deceptively and seductively. She couldn't show the fierceness right then and there. Eva was just working her way up into society……her Eva needed to be ambitious yet calculating and enticing (which she was). The way she sang the score perfectly matched with her characterization. She did however nail the difficult high notes in A New Argentina.
As the second act rolled in, Peron is now president and Eva is the power behind the man, sure enough, full on fierceness in her voice came out. Great character arc development! Rainbow High was thrilling! Other highlights for me were Buenos Aires and the Waltz of Eva and Che. It was nice to get to see her show off her dancing skills. The woman moves well and dances gracefully! Towards the end of the waltz (which looked like a graceful chess match between her and Che), when Eva shows the first signs of being ill, Che moves away and glides off stage leaving her alone center stage. She doubles over and collapses on her knees on the floor and begins to sing:
Oh what I'd give for a hundred years
But the physical interferes
Every day more, O my Creator
What is the good of the strongest heart
In a body that's falling apart?
A serious flaw, I hope You know that
It was sung in a tone of fragility…..a moment when this woman comes into the realization of her mortality. Very moving.
But before I forget I have to talk about High Flying Adored which surprisingly was my favorite. I believe it’s because she conveys more when she’s silent…….when she’s not singing. This song is mostly sung by Che and in the show they had an empty stage with just a vanity and a chair center stage. Eva, sitting and leaning forward looking at herself in the mirror while Che was in the perimeter observing. As Che begins to sing High Flying Adored, she slowly removes her jewelry, powders her arms and continues to study herself in the mirror. It was so simply staged but performed beautifully by Eric Kunze and Julia Murney. I thought it was very lovely.
Overall, wonderful production of the show! Perfectly casted. And to borrow Sir Lloyd Webber’s lyrics……no one else can fill it like SHE can.
Some pics:
Music Circus entrance (Fr. California Music Theatre)
Don't Cry For Me Argentina
(Fr. Playbill.com)
^ thanks T!
The poster outside Wells Fargo Pavilion
This past weekend I hightailed to the SF Bay area for 2 reasons to visit friends and see Evita at the Music Circus in Sacramento. I went to see it Saturday 8pm (8/16) with my friend Baba. Evita is my favorite among Andrew Lloyd Webber's work and I’ve seen 3 different productions of the show, including the Tour production , but so far this has been my favorite (no, I didn't see the original with Patti Lupone although I would love to go back in time to see it).
As I was booking my tickets I realized that the space where they have the show was a “theatre-in-the-round”, where the audience completely encircles the stage. I was trepidacious about it since I didn’t want to be looking at an actor's back throughout the show. However, the staging of this production was very dynamic thanks to director Glenn Casale. It had more of a concert feel. Not much scenery but some tables, chairs and beds moved around as props but it worked brilliantly! Every inch of the stage was utilized including the aisle where the actors would enter and exit. In no way did any part of the audience feel left out during the show because of the excellent staging.
Eric Kunze who had a commanding presence and beautiful voice played Che and served as the show’s narrator. You can tell that having appeared several times at Music Circus, the Sacramento audience loved him with the enthusiastic reception he gets after his songs. Scott Blanks played Peron while Kari Yancy played the mistress. Both were very good in their roles and had great voices. In fact even the ensemble was good!
The demanding role of Eva was played beautifully by Julia Murney. As in her other roles, she always surprises me with her acting choices. During the first act when she first sings her first few songs, I was wondering why she was holding back with her voice. Where was the fierceness? It wasn’t until middle of the act that I realized that she was playing the character slyly, deceptively and seductively. She couldn't show the fierceness right then and there. Eva was just working her way up into society……her Eva needed to be ambitious yet calculating and enticing (which she was). The way she sang the score perfectly matched with her characterization. She did however nail the difficult high notes in A New Argentina.
As the second act rolled in, Peron is now president and Eva is the power behind the man, sure enough, full on fierceness in her voice came out. Great character arc development! Rainbow High was thrilling! Other highlights for me were Buenos Aires and the Waltz of Eva and Che. It was nice to get to see her show off her dancing skills. The woman moves well and dances gracefully! Towards the end of the waltz (which looked like a graceful chess match between her and Che), when Eva shows the first signs of being ill, Che moves away and glides off stage leaving her alone center stage. She doubles over and collapses on her knees on the floor and begins to sing:
Oh what I'd give for a hundred years
But the physical interferes
Every day more, O my Creator
What is the good of the strongest heart
In a body that's falling apart?
A serious flaw, I hope You know that
It was sung in a tone of fragility…..a moment when this woman comes into the realization of her mortality. Very moving.
But before I forget I have to talk about High Flying Adored which surprisingly was my favorite. I believe it’s because she conveys more when she’s silent…….when she’s not singing. This song is mostly sung by Che and in the show they had an empty stage with just a vanity and a chair center stage. Eva, sitting and leaning forward looking at herself in the mirror while Che was in the perimeter observing. As Che begins to sing High Flying Adored, she slowly removes her jewelry, powders her arms and continues to study herself in the mirror. It was so simply staged but performed beautifully by Eric Kunze and Julia Murney. I thought it was very lovely.
Overall, wonderful production of the show! Perfectly casted. And to borrow Sir Lloyd Webber’s lyrics……no one else can fill it like SHE can.
Some pics:
Music Circus entrance (Fr. California Music Theatre)
Don't Cry For Me Argentina
(Fr. Playbill.com)
^ thanks T!
August 17, 2008
More like Silver or Bronze
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Ron Perlman is back as the sardonic but sensitive Hellboy, AKA Red, still working for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. He is joined by fire-starting girlfriend Liz(Selma Blair), amphibian Abe Sapiens (Doug Jones), Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor), and newbie agent Johann Krauss (John Alexander), who gives new meaning to the word gassy. This time they are up against elf Prince Nuada(Luke Goss), who wants to raise the Golden Army and destroy humans for ruining earth. Hellboy of course has to stop his evil plan. His twin sister, Princess Nuala (Anna Walton) aligns herself with the humans.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army didn't pack as much punch as the first Hellboy did. Director Guillermo del Toro seemed to have pulled a George Lucas, totally enamored with new creatures and special effects. The troll market scene felt like I was back at the Star Wars Cantina. At least the dry wit and sassy 'tude are intact. This sequel's not so golden. I expect more from The Hobbit movie.
(Poster from Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery)
Ron Perlman is back as the sardonic but sensitive Hellboy, AKA Red, still working for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. He is joined by fire-starting girlfriend Liz(Selma Blair), amphibian Abe Sapiens (Doug Jones), Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor), and newbie agent Johann Krauss (John Alexander), who gives new meaning to the word gassy. This time they are up against elf Prince Nuada(Luke Goss), who wants to raise the Golden Army and destroy humans for ruining earth. Hellboy of course has to stop his evil plan. His twin sister, Princess Nuala (Anna Walton) aligns herself with the humans.Hellboy II: The Golden Army didn't pack as much punch as the first Hellboy did. Director Guillermo del Toro seemed to have pulled a George Lucas, totally enamored with new creatures and special effects. The troll market scene felt like I was back at the Star Wars Cantina. At least the dry wit and sassy 'tude are intact. This sequel's not so golden. I expect more from The Hobbit movie.
(Poster from Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery)
August 16, 2008
That man's a national treasure
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Written, directed by and starring Ben Stiller (as Tugg Speedman), Tropic Thunder makes fun of big-budgeted action movies, war movie boot camps, Hollywood egos, the Academy Awards, among other things. It manages to offend the disabled, the mentally challenged, African-Americans, primadonna actors, Asians, war veterans and everybody else. And it's hilarious.
After a failed turn as a mentally challenged man in Simple Jack, fading action star Speedman seeks respectability by making a Vietnam war movie based on Four-Leaf Tayback's (Nick Nolte) book. He is joined by Jack Black's Jeff Portnoy , a heroin-addicted comic best known for his flatulent and corpulent characters; Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel), rapper-entrepreneur Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson); and the reason I wanted to see the film, Robert Downey, Jr. He plays Australian 5-time Oscar winner Kirk Lazarus. He skewers Method actors: Kirk had a pigment procedure done for his role as African-American Sgt. Osiris, and doesn't break character until he's done the DVD commentary. Mr. Downey, Jr. steals the film. What a great year he's having and I'm so happy for him.
So our merry band of heroes gets dropped into the jungle by their newbie director (Steve Coogan), and stumble upon local druglords. They get to become the soldiers they play, and we get our climactic action scenes as they try to make it out of the jungle alive. Watch out for cameos throughout the film, the most notable being Tom Cruise as the balding, overweight, angry studio boss. Matthew McConaughey joins the fun as Stiller's agent.
It is inventive, funny, bizarre, over-long, over-the-top, rude, crude yet lots of fun. Usually I don't like to sit through previews before the movie, but come early enough to see the fake Alpa Chino commercial and 3 trailers featuring Speedman, Portnoy and Lazarus. You'll never see Tobey Maguire the same way again.
Written, directed by and starring Ben Stiller (as Tugg Speedman), Tropic Thunder makes fun of big-budgeted action movies, war movie boot camps, Hollywood egos, the Academy Awards, among other things. It manages to offend the disabled, the mentally challenged, African-Americans, primadonna actors, Asians, war veterans and everybody else. And it's hilarious.
After a failed turn as a mentally challenged man in Simple Jack, fading action star Speedman seeks respectability by making a Vietnam war movie based on Four-Leaf Tayback's (Nick Nolte) book. He is joined by Jack Black's Jeff Portnoy , a heroin-addicted comic best known for his flatulent and corpulent characters; Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel), rapper-entrepreneur Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson); and the reason I wanted to see the film, Robert Downey, Jr. He plays Australian 5-time Oscar winner Kirk Lazarus. He skewers Method actors: Kirk had a pigment procedure done for his role as African-American Sgt. Osiris, and doesn't break character until he's done the DVD commentary. Mr. Downey, Jr. steals the film. What a great year he's having and I'm so happy for him.
So our merry band of heroes gets dropped into the jungle by their newbie director (Steve Coogan), and stumble upon local druglords. They get to become the soldiers they play, and we get our climactic action scenes as they try to make it out of the jungle alive. Watch out for cameos throughout the film, the most notable being Tom Cruise as the balding, overweight, angry studio boss. Matthew McConaughey joins the fun as Stiller's agent.
It is inventive, funny, bizarre, over-long, over-the-top, rude, crude yet lots of fun. Usually I don't like to sit through previews before the movie, but come early enough to see the fake Alpa Chino commercial and 3 trailers featuring Speedman, Portnoy and Lazarus. You'll never see Tobey Maguire the same way again.
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