Who speaks softly and carries a big (collapsible) stick, while shooting pool at Hollywood Billiards? Kiefer Sutherland yesterday afternoon, that’s who. No word on who he had in his NCAA tournament brackets, though, if anyone. Or whether he was rocking an O’Doul’s…
Daily Archives: March 22, 2008
Adult Flick Cheerleaders Notches Dual Format Mark
Digital Playground, the same folks that produced the X-rated send-up, and its impending sequel, of the Pirates of the Caribbean flicks, has announced the April 4 release of Cheerleaders (below) on both DVD and Blu-ray formats, crowning it, per its press release, “the first adult studio to accomplish the assiduous task of producing dual masters, in competing formats, within a designated deadline” — a fact that I’m certain won’t be lost on first-week buyers and dedicated pre-purchasers.
The DVD version of the title will be released as a two-disc set, while the Blu-ray disc will be available in full HD 1080p. For more information, click here.
Trailer Watch: Sex and Death 101
The involvement of writer-director Daniel Waters (Heathers) pretty much mitigates some of the feelings of queasy, not-so-hot execution that the trailer for Sex and Death 101 induces. The central idea itself also helps. A comedy starring Simon Baker as a successful guy who, on the eve of his marriage, receives a list with the names of everyone he ever has and ever will have sex with (a list that notably doesn’t end with the name of his wife-to-be), the movie — releasing in limited theatrical fashion on April 4, from Anchor Bay Entertainment — costars Winona Ryder as a mysterious temptress, named Death Nell, who becomes an urban folk hero when she targets men guilty of sex crimes against women.
A couple things: first, the female nudity in the movie (assuming it’s there) had best be limited to Sophie Monk, Leslie Bibb and/or other nameless costars, and not trumped-up outrageousness involving The Facts of Life‘s Mindy Cohn. Just sayin’. Second, is it just me or does Baker — who I really liked in the underrated Something New — seem to be subtly channeling John Travolta in his performance, at least cadence-wise? Overall, the trailer elicited some meh-type feelings, but not enough to be a deal-breaker. I should still catch this and have more soon. Also of note, and no small amusement, is some of the film trivia on this page from its web site. Perhaps my favorite tidbit: “Much of Death Nell’s wardrobe comes from Winona Ryder’s closet in the
form of vintage clothing from old Hollywood films, such as a Claudette
Colbert outfit from It Happened One Night.” Hmmm… yes, I wonder how Ryder got that outfit?
Happy Birthday, Reese Witherspoon
It’s a happy 32nd birthday to Reese Witherspoon, owner of the most adorable drop-down chin in Hollywood. It’s always interesting to see how young actors and actresses manage the ups and downs of their perilous career track, because not all of them can achieve, or sustain, stratospheric-level success. Witherspoon’s attention-to-detail focus and drive is certainly well chronicled, but there’s another side to her too, though it’s probably been at least somewhat paved over by the necessary caution that becoming a box office superstar breeds. Interviewing her for both Pleasantville and Election, she talked openly about how she had seriously considered giving up acting altogether until 1996’s Freeway came along, costarring Kiefer Sutherland. (Not such a good experience, I guess, 1994’s S.F.W.) And it wasn’t bunk, or spin. It was just the honest sharings of someone who figured, “You know what, I can probably do other things in my life and be just as happy.” I’ll always have a bit of a soft spot for Witherspoon, because she’s not the most obvious or innately gifted actress out there, but she puts in hard time and hard effort, and I can identify with and appreciate that. Her focus and work ethic have helped augment and hone her talent. Plus she has low-key charm and spunk in equal measure, no small feat.