Being a fan of Lisa Kudrow (she makes everything look so easy!), I was super excited to interview her for Love and Other Impossible Pursuits. She plays the wife of a has-it-all guy, played by Scott Cohen. This is Kudrow’s second time playing a mom this year…once earlier for Bandslam.
Scott Cohen, is not only is a talented actor, but also an accomplished jazz pianist. (I guess that’s what happens when you’re the son of famous jazz musician Jack Cohen.) He shines in the role of a father torn between lovers, and torn between his double life and his devotion to his son. Director Don Roos infuses this movie with unexpected humour that has been his trademark since his directorial debut of The Opposite of Sex.
Also starring the ever-charming Natalie Portman as a new mother, facing the reality of unexpected parenthood, Love and Other Impossible Pursuits is a touching story that will make you laugh as much as it will make you cry. (I mean, not that I ever cry in movies, of course…)
From Lounge to a Kitchen…
Remember my idea for my reality show where I turn hotel suites into celebrity interview lounges? Well, I think I should host a spin off show where I turn the celebrity interview lounges into…kitchens? How did I get myself into this?
Cooking With Stella came alive in my kitchen. Dilip Mehta (writer), and stars Don McKellar and Lisa Ray all came by in my newly renovated, I mean – constructed kitchen. We made a burger and pickles with peanut butter…I know, I know, sounds gross, but trust me, it’s kind of have-to-try-it-to-believe-it kind of thing.
I’ve been experimenting with food ever since, but it hasn’t been the same without the people of Cooking With Stella helping. (I’m still having trouble sleeping after I tried making ice cream with ketchup…there are some foods better left on their own!)
Monday Musings - Sept. 14, 2009.
Jason Reitman
One thing I noticed about TIFF is that it’s secretly kind of a Juno family reunion. Ellen Page is here for Whip It!, Diablo Cody for Jennifer’s Body…and Jason Reitman here for his third feature, Up in the Air.
I caught up with Reitman about what it was like working with George Clooney and Jason Bateman…hey, he was in Juno, too! Are they planning a sequel that I don’t know about?
Reitman’s Up in the Air stars Clooney as a cold businessman whose job is to fire people face to face. But when a young new colleague introduces video conferencing, his job may become obsolete. Reitman perfectly blended his knowledge and portrayal of the corporate world he used in Thank You For Smoking, with the warm, friendly dialogue that captured us in Juno.
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo’s no stranger to film in Canada…his recent hit features Eastern Promises and A History of Violence were directed by our own David Cronenberg. Viggo’s track record proves he’s the go-to guy for gritty, harrowing action movies.
His new film The Road, is no different. Based on the hit novel by Cormac McCarthy, The Road follows Viggo as a post-apocalyptic father trying to survive after the world has imploded.
I will warn you, if you’re expecting to see Viggo wielding a gun, you’ll be a little disappointed – in The Road he’ll be pushing a shopping cart instead. But Viggo is Viggo, and who can complain about that?
Alexander Siddig
As soon as I saw the trailer for Cairo Time, I knew this was going to a romance like no other. Subtle performances, stunning landscapes, and forbidden love. The onscreen pairing of Patricia Clarkson with Alexander Siddig is so perfect, you wonder who else could have possibly been cast.
Clarkson plays a magazine editor dissatisfied with her high-power job. When traveling to Egypt to meet her husband, she finds that he is held across the boarder with rising national turmoil. Enter Siddig, her husband’s best friend and her new guide to show her the richness of the exotic country. While they await news on her husband, their attraction grows, and it becomes increasingly difficult to hide the passion.
You may recognize Siddig as the doctor on Star Trek: Deep Space 9, or on the series 24, but taking a step away from action and towards romance is a move I’m very pleased to see. (Watch him in the coming year as he’s set to star with Willem Defoe and Frieda Pinto in Miral.)
Sunday Precious Sheen - Sept. 13th 2009
Oprah
As an entertainment journalist, one must always remain professional, never swooning in awe at every celebrity.
Except then you meet Oprah and all you can do is try not to cry on her shoulder and ask her for a hug. But, I somehow kept it together during my brief red-carpet chat with the Almighty Goddess of Television (Don’t worry, I didn’t say that to her face, just in my head.)
You all know how I feel about Precious already, and am so honoured to have had the opportunity to have talked to the executive producer.
Did I mention I interviewed Oprah? I’m still a bit dizzy with the brush with her power, I’m probably gonna need a few days for it to really sink in.
My Interview with…Michael Sheen
2010 is gonna be this guy’s year…and a little odd. He’ll play the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, an action hero in sci-fi Tron, and…Tony Blair? One thing for sure, Sheen will never be type-casted as anything. Very smart career choices.
Although his performance of Tony Blair in The Special Relationship won’t be released for a while, he’s already getting a ton of well-deserved buzz. I got a chance to talk to this very talented, and very versatile actor. He’s been nominated twice for the Laurence Olivier theatre award for best actor, and has a rich theatre performance. One of his first roles was with the Broadway adaptation of Amadeus.
After playing supporting roles for big names like Heath Ledger and Wes Bentley, Sheen’s finally getting the big screen leads he deserves. (Maybe it’s fate, but he also grew up in the same town that raised Richard Burton and Anthony Hopkins…coincidence? Definitely not.)
Saturday with a Sir - Sept. 12th 2009
Michael Caine
Now there’s a name I never get tired of hearing. Just when you think it’s impossible for him to reinvent himself and leave audiences astounded…he does.
Caine is back in Toronto for the film Harry Brown, and plays a man who decides to take law into his own hands, and fight the rough crowd of a public housing unit. Always one to take risks, Caine’s new flick is directed by a fairly new director, Daniel Barber. Although nominated for a short in 2007, this is Barber’s first feature. And if Caine’s tastes are anything to go by – and they are – Barber is definitely one to watch.
My Rockin’ Friday - Sept. 11th 2009
Whoa, I guess someone decided the theme of the day for me was gonna be rock n’ roll…and I haven’t even had time to unwrap my Beatles Rock Band…
First, I talked with Calico Cooper, horror film junkie and star of Canada’s vampire flick Suck - a movie I’m happy to say definitely did not suck. Calico stars alongside another famous Cooper, her father Alice and also shares the screen with Iggy Pop.
Also appearing in Suck is Canada’s own rock-solid songstress, Carole Pope. (Don’t even try to tell me you’ve never had Highschool Confidential stuck in your head.) Pope’s punk sensibility seems to fit right in with Suck’s dark humour.
This movie is perfect for fans of the other TIFF hit, Jennifer’s Body.
Entertainment that Out Shines… Out Performs…and is Out There.
