'Sex in the City' slips into video stores
By Bruce R. Miller Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, September 21, 2008
Extended version. The two words either mean "outtakes" (which should have been left out) or sex scenes that got snipped for ratings purposes.
Guess what's up with "Sex and the City"?
The film was a huge hit over the summer and it's expected to clean up on the DVD market. And why not?
The comedy holds up as well as a pair of Manolo Blahniks. Attractive, well-constructed and -- maybe, just maybe -- a little painful, it tells us what happened to Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte when they walked out of viewers' lives.
When the film begins, Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is engaged to Big (Chris Noth) and has earned a spread in Vogue -- "The Last Single Girl," a look at the fortysomething bride. While trying on a parade of dresses, she finds one that's perfect. Instead of settling for a city hall wedding, she opts for the full magilla and pulls in her sidekicks. At the rehearsal dinner, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) says something to Big that changes everything.
A shoe drops -- that shouldn't -- and the four are kicked into a mini-drama that involves three separations, a birth, a bi-coastal Samantha (Kim Cattrall) and a vacation that gives Carrie that one good laugh that's able to change everything.
While this "Sex and the City" is largely business as usual (it features plenty of profanity and nudity), it does teach a valuable lesson about friendship. Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) aren't just friends during the good times. They're friends during the bad, too. That's key.
When both Carrie and Miranda find themselves alone on New Year's Eve, the two join forces and demonstrate just how important those bonds can be. The message shouldn't be lost on women -- or the few men they drag to see the film.
Writer/director Michael Patrick King makes sure there are plenty of good times and bad times. True to the series, he tosses in so many costume changes you'd think this "Sex and the City" starred Diana Ross.
Instead, Jennifer Hudson fills the "Dreamgirls" quotient. She's slipped in as Carrie's personal assistant -- a techno-whiz who helps get the writer's life back on track. To make room for Hudson, King has decreased the screen time of some other chums -- and that's too bad. Mario Cantone and Willie Garson, in particular, were necessary comic relief in the series. Here, they're little more than overpaid extras.
Carrie's best friends, though, aren't shortchanged at all. Miranda has husband problems; Samantha doesn't like living in California; Charlotte copes with the thought of expanding motherhood. King weaves the stories in and out and, for good measure, sends his quartet to a fashion show that's part of the reason this seems bloated.and company look sweet -- and wise. They learn plenty from their mistakes and emerge better women. This "Sex and the City" isn't just a passing fad. It's a classic that could go with just about everything.
Also: 'Leatherheads'
George Clooney is a true fan of the movies.
You can tell by the choices he makes with "Leatherheads." Looking a bit like "The Sting," it tries to recall the days of screwball comedies -- the ones starring Cary Grant.
While it hardly has the dialogue of a "His Girl Friday," it's performed at a rapid clip. Its leading lady is a feisty reporter; its battles are down and dirty.
And yet, the writers of "Leatherheads" fumble a great opportunity.
Unable to craft the witty dialogue of a Ben Hecht, they settle for long patches of exposition. To compensate, Clooney (who directs and stars) tosses in intense stares and quick double-takes. They're not enough.
Set in 1925, the film shows how professional football may have gotten its start. Clooney plays the aging leader of the ragtag Duluth Bulldogs. They barnstorm around the Midwest, playing the game in a rough and dirty way. When the crowds dwindle, they're forced to disband and consider other career options.
A Princeton University gridiron star, however, attracts considerable media attention. He's also a war hero who won the Medal of Honor. Princeton fills its stands largely because of his popularity.
Immediately, Clooney gets an idea. If his team has a marquee name, it could be back in business. He heads off to make his pitch and runs right into a gutsy reporter (Renee Zellweger) who's doing a story about the young man (John Krasinski).
The only problem? The stellar past may not be true.
Clooney gets the revolving doors revolving, tosses in an iconic train scene and tries to spark the kind of fire that Rosalind Russell lit with Grant. Zellweger, however, can douse it with little more than that wet blanket pout (oy, that pout). She knows the territory but doesn't have the goods that could sell. (Nicole Kidman might have worked; Julia Roberts would have been perfect.)
Like a train chugging through a mountain pass, he doesn't give up, even though his passengers have left long, long ago.
"Leatherheads" has a great look and a lot of style but -- as many professional athletes will attest -- you've got to be able to play the game in order to make it in the big league. This just plays around.
Film: "The Anderson Tapes"; "Copycat"; "Deception"; "The Garment Jungle"; "L.A. Confidential"; "Mother of Tears"; "The New Centurions"; "Pathology"; "Reno 911: Miami"; "Run Fat Boy Run"
TV: "Boston Legal," season four; "Brothers & Sisters," season two; "Friday the 13th: The Series," season one; "Peanuts Holiday Collection"; "Samantha Who?" season one; "Schoolhouse Rock: The Election Collection"; "Two and a Half Men," season four; "This American Life," season one
Guess what's up with "Sex and the City"?
The film was a huge hit over the summer and it's expected to clean up on the DVD market. And why not?
The comedy holds up as well as a pair of Manolo Blahniks. Attractive, well-constructed and -- maybe, just maybe -- a little painful, it tells us what happened to Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte when they walked out of viewers' lives.
When the film begins, Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is engaged to Big (Chris Noth) and has earned a spread in Vogue -- "The Last Single Girl," a look at the fortysomething bride. While trying on a parade of dresses, she finds one that's perfect. Instead of settling for a city hall wedding, she opts for the full magilla and pulls in her sidekicks. At the rehearsal dinner, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) says something to Big that changes everything.
A shoe drops -- that shouldn't -- and the four are kicked into a mini-drama that involves three separations, a birth, a bi-coastal Samantha (Kim Cattrall) and a vacation that gives Carrie that one good laugh that's able to change everything.
While this "Sex and the City" is largely business as usual (it features plenty of profanity and nudity), it does teach a valuable lesson about friendship. Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) aren't just friends during the good times. They're friends during the bad, too. That's key.
When both Carrie and Miranda find themselves alone on New Year's Eve, the two join forces and demonstrate just how important those bonds can be. The message shouldn't be lost on women -- or the few men they drag to see the film.
Writer/director Michael Patrick King makes sure there are plenty of good times and bad times. True to the series, he tosses in so many costume changes you'd think this "Sex and the City" starred Diana Ross.
Instead, Jennifer Hudson fills the "Dreamgirls" quotient. She's slipped in as Carrie's personal assistant -- a techno-whiz who helps get the writer's life back on track. To make room for Hudson, King has decreased the screen time of some other chums -- and that's too bad. Mario Cantone and Willie Garson, in particular, were necessary comic relief in the series. Here, they're little more than overpaid extras.
Carrie's best friends, though, aren't shortchanged at all. Miranda has husband problems; Samantha doesn't like living in California; Charlotte copes with the thought of expanding motherhood. King weaves the stories in and out and, for good measure, sends his quartet to a fashion show that's part of the reason this seems bloated.and company look sweet -- and wise. They learn plenty from their mistakes and emerge better women. This "Sex and the City" isn't just a passing fad. It's a classic that could go with just about everything.
Also: 'Leatherheads'
George Clooney is a true fan of the movies.
You can tell by the choices he makes with "Leatherheads." Looking a bit like "The Sting," it tries to recall the days of screwball comedies -- the ones starring Cary Grant.
While it hardly has the dialogue of a "His Girl Friday," it's performed at a rapid clip. Its leading lady is a feisty reporter; its battles are down and dirty.
And yet, the writers of "Leatherheads" fumble a great opportunity.
Unable to craft the witty dialogue of a Ben Hecht, they settle for long patches of exposition. To compensate, Clooney (who directs and stars) tosses in intense stares and quick double-takes. They're not enough.
Set in 1925, the film shows how professional football may have gotten its start. Clooney plays the aging leader of the ragtag Duluth Bulldogs. They barnstorm around the Midwest, playing the game in a rough and dirty way. When the crowds dwindle, they're forced to disband and consider other career options.
A Princeton University gridiron star, however, attracts considerable media attention. He's also a war hero who won the Medal of Honor. Princeton fills its stands largely because of his popularity.
Immediately, Clooney gets an idea. If his team has a marquee name, it could be back in business. He heads off to make his pitch and runs right into a gutsy reporter (Renee Zellweger) who's doing a story about the young man (John Krasinski).
The only problem? The stellar past may not be true.
Clooney gets the revolving doors revolving, tosses in an iconic train scene and tries to spark the kind of fire that Rosalind Russell lit with Grant. Zellweger, however, can douse it with little more than that wet blanket pout (oy, that pout). She knows the territory but doesn't have the goods that could sell. (Nicole Kidman might have worked; Julia Roberts would have been perfect.)
Like a train chugging through a mountain pass, he doesn't give up, even though his passengers have left long, long ago.
"Leatherheads" has a great look and a lot of style but -- as many professional athletes will attest -- you've got to be able to play the game in order to make it in the big league. This just plays around.
Film: "The Anderson Tapes"; "Copycat"; "Deception"; "The Garment Jungle"; "L.A. Confidential"; "Mother of Tears"; "The New Centurions"; "Pathology"; "Reno 911: Miami"; "Run Fat Boy Run"
TV: "Boston Legal," season four; "Brothers & Sisters," season two; "Friday the 13th: The Series," season one; "Peanuts Holiday Collection"; "Samantha Who?" season one; "Schoolhouse Rock: The Election Collection"; "Two and a Half Men," season four; "This American Life," season one
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