26 October 2000

OF ANOTHER STRIPE: At the junket for Bedazzled, director Harold Ramis offered a glimpse of how he would have handled Jim Lehrer's job moderating the presidential debates. It don't really fit into the overall Q&A (now up…and Ramis is a hoot) and it's too long for Quote of the Day, so I thought I'd give it to you here:

Harold Ramis: "I would have people say real things. I would say to George Bush, 'Did you use coke, George? And having used cocaine, why do you feel it's okay to lock people up for 25 years for using it now? Is this the kind of justice you're really talking about? Is this the kind of compassion you're talking about? If it was okay for you, why isn't it okay for someone else? You know, you didn't serve in the military. Why are you talking now about a strong military?' I would ask the hard questions. And not about who did you sleep with or are you faithful to your wife? The real moral stuff, you know?"

DUUUUUDE!: In one of the most aggressive moods of the Christmas season (retreat has been the primary movement), Fox is bringing out Dude, Where's My Car?—a film that even grown-up Fox execs were "high" on in the script stage—on December 15 instead of next spring or summer, as originally slated. The decision could turn the movie, rated PG-13 in spite of its somewhat druggy undertones, into the season's biggest profit player. Of course, it has to not suck. But it's a cheap movie, with no gross participants. So, if Dude does $70 to $100 million, you're looking at a cash cow that will be hard to rival on the bottom line. And the film is coming out with no competition amongst movies specifically targeting (Oh no, there's that word!) teen audiences. Charlie's Angels in November 3. Little Nicky, November 10. After that duo, you have Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Finding Forrester (coincidentally, both from Sony arms), and that's really it. There are other movies to see, but I'm talking about light, fun stuff that teens can see over and over again, dude. Of course, Fox is counter-programming its own film, Cast Away, which again suggests that they see the Tom Hanks movie as a bit more of a specialized play…but I'm sure they'll tell me different.

CASTING COUCH: Bernie Mac is the comedian most likely to complain about not getting enough movie work…but the guy is dead funny. So it's nice to hear that he's in play to join the Ocean's Eleven crew of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and Alan Arkin. Yes, racial progress has been made…two black men in this one and neither plays a garbage man. (It's a joke…cool down!)

Meanwhile, another THB favorite, Judy Greer, has finally got her "own" movie. Adam Rifkin, from Detroit Rock City, has adapted Without Vicky into Without Charlie, a movie centered on the person who Vicky/Charlie left. There is something about Ms. Greer, who is not a traditional beauty but who is just incredibly sexy…maybe it's her sense of humor, I don't know. My first memory of her was when she had to pay her own way to Park City for the premiere of Jawbreaker, so she could get some press. That only matters because, as I keep writing, I think she's going to be a major comic star. And Adam Rifkin apparently agrees.

READER OF THE DAY: Virginia Boy writes: "Funny you should mention Hudson Hawk when talking about Charlie's Angels. I have a new baby and don't get out much, but I went to see Almost Famous a few weeks ago here in suburban Washington, DC, and as the trailers rolled…The Contender received fairly good chatter. Thirteen Days got the same reception. Unbreakable caused a pretty big stir. And then there was Charlie's Angels. You could feel the amusement level growing, and by the time the title was displayed—complete with T and A and FLAMES, well, people laughed and cheered and clapped. My first thought was, Hudson Hawk. My friends and I have a bunch of movies that we like to watch as a group. Drinking, quoting, you know the type of evening. No surprise that Pulp Fiction and The Usual Suspects are among our favorites. But we reserve a special place in our hearts for Hudson Hawk and The Long Kiss Goodnight, two movies that are so cartoonish, so bad, that they're a blast to watch and quote. I can only hope that Charlie's Angels will be more like Hudson Hawk or Long Kiss, rather than The Avengers, a cartoonish movie that's so bad, it's, well, just bad."

And this from Secret Agent Man: "I hate to admit it, but I thought Little Nicky was the funniest of all of Sandler's films. I don't really like Sandler's comedies (except The Wedding Singer) that much, but with Little Nicky, I loved it simply because I thought it was brilliantly odd/surreal in that Mars Attacks kind of way. I saw Little Nicky more as an ensemble comedy like Caddyshack or something, rather than the way New Line's positioned it as just one more Sandler vehicle. But, that's just me."

E ME: Tarnish or varnish?