The Comedian

Robert De Niro, Jeff Ross Talk Comedy In Chaotic Time At 'the Comedian' Premiere

... hard and don’t give up,” the film's lead told The Hollywood Reporter. Colleague and longtime comedian Jimmie Walker, who was asked to join the film to portray himself, shared a very different perspective than De Niro’s on the success of a comedian. “You need a couple of things in this business. You need luck, you need to be at the right place at the right time, you need a good organization, and you need a lot of friends like Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle because friends will help," said the comic. "Notice I didn’t say nothing about talent. As long as you have those four things, you don’t need talent.”. The film's director Taylor Hackford went beyond the comedic aspect of the film and dug deeper into the dynamic between De Niro’s and co-star Leslie Mann’s characters. “Leslie just went for it. We all know her as a great comedian, but this is a dramatic role and she’s going to surprise a lot of people," said Hackford. Comedian Jeff Ross, who co-wrote the film, explained that with the recent changes in both domestic and foreign policies, society as a whole needs more comedy. “The world, the news and the people are evolving. If we don’t ...

Helen Mirren Looks Chic In Black Hat And Fur Shawl For Movie Screening

... lacy number and black leggings along with heeled lace-up boots and a black purse under her yellow coat. She went with dark eyeliner and mascara to accentuate her eyes and a pop of color on her lips. The Comedian, which Mirren's husband Taylor Hackford's first film for three years, was screened for the first time at the AFI Fest last year - but is set to hit cinemas in January 2017. The funny flick follows a raging comic who strives for the fame he once had - but is instead sentenced to community service after he hits an audience member in the head with his microphone. Set to be a blockbuster, the movie boasts the likes of Robert De Niro, Leslie Mann and Danny De Vito in its cast. Supportive: Helen was at the premiere to support her director husband Taylor Hackford for first film for three years. Helen looked incredibly proud as she stood next to her husband on the red carpet - who she has been married to since 1997 after they met on the set of White Nights. Despite having been together for almost twenty years, the couple have admitted that their first meeting was far from romantic. The director reportedly kept the ...

Local Wedding Band Stars In Deniro's The Comedian

... During the reception, he gives a speech, and for seven minutes you can hear tunes played by the renowned seven-piece Rhode Island band. The Free Downloads play the Jewish wedding dance song “Simon Tov Mazel Tov” that accompanies the traditional Horah dance, as well as a number of cover songs featured in the film. Hear the band perform in the movie trailer at 1 minute and 28 seconds. The Free Downloads are led by vocalists Sheree Dunwell, a Boston native, and Neil Letendre, a Rhode Island native who has opened for Patti La Belle, Cece Peniston and Lisa Fischer, and also sung at fellow Rhode Island College graduate Viola Davis' wedding ceremony. The rhythm section of the band is made up of Rhode Island natives George Leonard III (guitarist/bandleader), John Wilson (bass), Riccardo Pearlman (drums), Greg Takemoto (saxophone), and Marc Trachtenberg (keyboard), who we know as the founder of Rock-A-Baby , the ...

Los Angeles Times

... retains her signature intimacy and freedom from judgment of her subject. Born Gregory. 'American Violence' is a self-serious and sometimes silly B-movie. Katie Walsh. The over-the-top operatics of “American Violence” initially read as a parody of such predecessors as “Dead Man Walking,” “The Silence of the Lambs” and every mob movie ever made. But the film, directed by Timothy Woodward Jr. and written by Al Lamada, is no parody. Denise Richards stars as Dr. Katee Sackhoff, Lucy Boynton square off mightily in the otherwise routine thriller 'Don't Knock Twice'. Noel Murray. Though there’s a lot to like about the stylish supernatural thriller “Don’t Knock Twice,” the picture remains a warmed-over hash of “Candyman,” “Oculus,” “Insidious” and a half-dozen other spook-shows. The best reason ...

The Comedian

... with slovenly charm. Defined by inescapable pasts, the pair’s drifting souls connect; his reputation as a fading star precedes him, while her easily baited temper (she was sentenced to community service after hurling a lamp at her ex-lover’s mistress) looms overhead. The Comedian explores the dynamics of such unorthodox attraction with its heart in the right place, but for all of its performative charm, it still suffers the untimely misfortune of following an old, white man grousing about the state of affairs as the world diversifies around him. Sure, all perspectives are valuable, and all characters have merits if they’re handled properly, but The Comedian doesn’t do anything with the faces it draws or the courses it paves (but never travels). In the end, Jackie’s still the same prickly pear he was at the beginning, none the wiser (just a little older) as the credits roll. Though it’s cut from the same cloth as films about stubborn, struggling artists like Don’t Think Twice or Obvious Child, The Comedian ...

Wilson,' 'neruda,' 'rings,' 'the Comedian' And More

... a strain on his younger brother ( Danny De Vito ) and his wife ( Patti Lu Pone ), Jackie is forced to serve out a sentence doing community service for accosting an audience member.  While there, he meets Harmony ( Leslie Mann ), the daughter of a sleazy Florida real estate mogul ( Harvey Keitel ), and the two find inspiration in one another resulting in surprising consequences. This film marks a new chapter in the beloved RING horror franchise.  A young woman becomes worried about her boyfriend when he explores a dark subculture surrounding a mysterious videotape said to kill the watcher seven days after he has viewed it.  She sacrifices herself to save her boyfriend and in doing so makes a horrifying discovery:  there is a "movie within the movie" that no one has ever seen before.  “Rings” opens ...

The Comedian Review

... lives of successful comedians, is possessed by a frustratingly constant deluge of thoughtless anger. Jackie continuously offends, insults, and rants at the people in his life, who just seem willing and content to take it. It’s no surprise that the funniest and best moments in The Comedian then, which are few and far between, are the ones where actual comedians are shown. Got feedback on our player. We want to hear it. That’s the thing about The Comedian, is that on top of all of its many flaws, perhaps its most damning is that it’s just not funny. Nothing Jackie does or says in the film makes a strong enough case for why he should be taken seriously again, since his “best” material seems to consist of only straightforward sexual insults towards women and racial stereotypes. We get that nothing is off limits in a good comedy routine, but there’s a reason why Louis C. K., George Carlin, and the rest of the comedy greats are ...

Scott Carty On 'the Space Between Us,' 'rings,' 'the Comedian

... Robertson. Butterfield plays a boy who was born to an astronaut on Mars. As a teenager, he decides to visit Earth to find out who his father is, with a little help from a girl he has met online. Time is of the essence and young love is at stake. "The Space Bewtween Us" is PG-13 and very geared toward teens. For more of a scare, there’s 'Rings." I have enough trouble making it through the trailer. It’s a horror / thriller about a video that makes its rounds. And if you watch that video, you get a phone call from a woman who informs you that you’ll die seven days later. If that doesn’t scare you away from checking out videos online, you can go to You Tube to see the first three minutes of "Rings" is rated PG-13. For something that’s supposed to be funny, I spent time watching "The Comedian." And ...