comedy
“American Reunion” steps up with some genuine laughs
Review by Jenny Alvarez
Photos By: Alfonso De Elias.
American Reunion comes back to all the American Pie characters we met a little more than a decade ago return to East Great Falls for their high-school reunion. In one long-overdue weekend, they will discover what has changed, who hasn’t and that time and distance can’t break the bonds of friendship. Jim, Michelle, Stifler, and their friends reunite in East Great Falls, Michigan for their high school reunion.
If you are looking for a good comedy to go see, this one, is a good choice. Plenty of funny scenes some of them are bringing back the nostalgic memories mostly from the first film. You will laugh from beginning to end, and none of the laughter or jokes were forced. All the characters have their own issues (too married, have kids, hate their jobs, hate their lifestyle, etc.) and the movie is kind of about them all resolving their over the course of a reunion weekend. It’s the American Pie which is most similar to the first one. All the old couples from high-school (Oz/Heather, Kevin/Vicky, Jim/Michelle) re-hash their past feelings. So all the best jokes and good comedy is back again!
Is Jeff who lives at home or who else?
By GalaTView Staff
Foto Cortesy Paramout Pictures
One of the most entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny, and unexpectedly touching efforts to come dispatched from his basement room on an errand Jeff, who lives at home; his mother, slacker Jeff might discover his destiny (finally) when he spends the day with his brother as he tracks his possibly adulterous wife. What will happen after of these issues? This film is scheduled to be released in American theaters on March 16, 2012 and in interview with GalaTView the main actors talked about their main characters.
SUSAN SARANDON (Sharon): “I think that the biggest mistakes are in comedies. I mean, you can be mediocre in a drama or who-done-it or whatever, but when a comedy is bad, ooh, that’s so bad. When you’re just trying to do what your job is in the scene and the more out of control because they set it up so well that you don’t have to come up with clever lines. If you’re just in character and you … I think the thing that was so great was how comfortable an atmosphere these guys make, and how safe you feel so that you can take chances and make big mistakes. Then, you know, get on track again and you know that they’ve got your back, and that they’re watching and they’ll take care of you. So you just have to fulfill your job in the scene within character and not try to be funny or get attention or whatever. You just have to be there and hope that it works. Sometimes they’re really good at improvising, all these guys. I mean there are actors who forget what the point of the scene was, and you like go off somewhere. That’s happened to me a number of times where someone says to me, “I thought we were supposed to get to this?” And they’re down in some other world, and so everybody can’t do it. You know, it’s not a talent that everybody has, but there are like experts.
Well, I don’t think we’ve done a lot of takes because once it rained you couldn’t really go back. It wasn’t that kind of movie where they were going to take another day and dry everything out. But I felt like it was much more romantic with the rain coming down except the fact that there was something in the water that was really stinging my eyes. So I didn’t know where that water was coming from, but it wasn’t rain water. Maybe but it was a little bit, it was hurting. So it wasn’t as romantic as it felt initially before my eyes started to burn. But I think it added. I mean I loved gathering everything and then having it. It really moved me emotionally. I felt like I was being baptized or something that one take that we got when I stood up, and see everybody going away.
Then you have a feeling of accomplishment rather than going home and thinking, “God, I couldn’t really … ” But when you just give it and then you’re done. Then you can go home and say, “Okay, there is something that went on there that they should be able to use. You know, that’s cool.” And that’s the joy of working with people that you really respect. “
JASON SEGEL (Jeff): “I’m a giant fan, and I just remember a period in my life when I was out of work, and I was sitting there waiting for someone to cast me. And it very much was like Jeff. You know, the sign that I’m supposed to be an actor is getting cast and 21 to 25 was a crazy out-of-work period. It was before I really starting writing hard. And I remember very much just sitting there thinking like I’m going to wait for the sign that I’m worthy of being an actor. My goal was to bring the Muppets back, and I think that I achieved that. It was half a decade of my life, and I just want to take a minute to concentrate on more human related projects. I was just born hilarious, but beyond that this movie was a no-brainer for me. I read the script and it was just very clear what my job was, and it was to show up and be regular. And I think everyone probably would agree it was just so well written. There was no need to like talk about what the character’s motivation was or anything like that. It was nice work. So that’s what I mean, born hilarious. You know, I mean I knew what my job was and it was just to show up and do what they had written. So I didn’t try to bring any funny bones to it. It’s funny because I guess like by nature we’re a little bit funny, but the goal was just to be honest on this one. We thought that day was a little subtle and wouldn’t read, so we amped it up for Jeff who was at home with it.
To me I don’t like it when I see somebody trying to be funny. To me the whole goal whether it’s comedy or drama is just being natural, like being really irregular. That’s my goal. If it ends up being funny, it’s because we happen to be funny by nature. But I don’t know. The goal for me the whole time was just to be really regular. I didn’t think about if it was a dramatic scene or a comedic scene. I think both.
Our job like when we worked with these guys was to show up and really understand what the scenes were about and what the point of them was, and then just be completely open to whatever was going to happen. You know, the only preparation you had to do was really understand what the point of what you were doing was. And then beyond that you had to be ready to just be like painfully honest.”
JUDY GREER (Linda): “It felt really seamless to make this movie because we always were, I felt like every time we were on set we were always acting like there wasn’t a lot of down time or the cameras were always rolling. I mean obviously I can tell them apart, but it wasn’t like one experience was different. I mean I had some really emotional moments with Ed, and that was really fun. And then I’ve always liked Jason, and he’s funny. I’m learning other than just speaking. But it was really working with both of them felt really comfortable. They both have a similar energy, and sense of humor and I came there a few days after they had already met, and like the bonding between them was so obvious already. I don’t know if you guys knew each other well beforehand, but they seemed like immediately to me like brothers. If you don’t have lines in the scene that you’re shooting that day like you’ll probably up talking a lot. I remember one day I was like, “Oh, it’s that scene where I’m just having dinner with Steve in the restaurant and I’m just in the background.” And we ended up like having the whole conversation that you can hear. It’s fun, though, because you just go to work ready to work every day.
I think there were like three cameras and we’re doing the scene, and like anything that comes up if they like, they like say other lines, say this. It’s like there’s never a bigger name. Like I never feel like we go like from the bigger name to the middle to the end. Like it’s always like this. We’re always trying new things, and the camera is moving and let’s stop and go back or skip something. I feel like it was like a whole day but it probably wasn’t.
. I feel like I got it all out on camera, and then I have a harder time like getting ready for scenes like that than I do letting them go. So we don’t have to feel like that anymore. But getting prepared for it is more difficult for me. “
ED HELMS (Pat): “Every day is unforgettable for me. They’re just so full of chaos and excitement, but let’s see. One in particular was … God, I’m really bad at this. I’ll tell you Jason’s most eventful day. He piloted an F-16 and actually was in a dog fight and saved America one day. I rode a rollercoaster and was in a car crash the same day. That’s a true story. There was a baby. A baby came out on the rollercoaster right behind me and I pulled it out. I got it and then Fabio was hit in the face with a Canadian goose. Well, at deliveries you don’t sing it. Breathe, just breathe. Close your eyes and let the baby come out. We’re goin’ upside down now, you hear. And then it was there. I had it right in my hand and I was sobbing, and it was really emotional and then … It’s also the most, I don’t know, it’s the most fun way to go to work on a set everyday just not knowing what you’re going to say. You know, I’ve done little bits of theater and stuff where you literally say the same lines every night. And that has its own kind of Zen appeal. Like you can really find nuances in the same lines. But then there’s this whole other really exciting process, which these guys are all about. I don’t know, it’s really fun but It’s so exciting and even the most mundane things feel really fresh and cool every take like sitting in the bath tub with Jason. We probably set there for like three hours.”
An American man in a foreign tongue in Casa De Mi Padre (My Father’s house)
By Jenny Alvarez
Photos by Alfonso De Elias
This film is coming out in theaters March 16th. If you want to watch a 2 hour Spanish movie with English subtitles, you will get to focused on The Alvarez brothers who are searching for a way to save their father’s ranch, but they find themselves in a war with Mexican drug lord. Armando’s younger brother Raul (Diego Luna) shows up with his new fiancée, Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez). Then they will find themselves in a war with Mexico’s most feared drug lord, the mighty Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal). However, is not the best film that I have seen, its humor is rude social criticism. Will Ferrell is unfamiliar with this type of Spanish soap opera, but a good point is that he tried to speak in Spanish (although it was by memorization). On the other hand, Director Matt Piedmont plays it silly, thanks to the use of miniatures and puppets, fake animals, and life-size dolls. Hilarious? Not exactly, it was odd and silly.
Casa De Mi Padre also provides a smart, humorous display about complex U.S. and Mexican relations and a subliminal message about family, love, unity, struggles and odd relations between two nations that go beyond border-crossing, expanding its repertoire to other ethnic stereotypes. Even Cristina Aguilera sings the little track at the beginning of the movie, the script of this Mexican ‘telenovela’ soap is really bad and the dialogue made me smile just a little, due is terrible and others may feel the same way. Certainly, it’s an homage to the Mexican spaghetti western with many mistakes and overacting but is a good opportunity to analyze life is a satire full of complexity and the idea for this film was brilliant!
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