A third “Hocus Pocus” film is officially in development, Walt Disney Pictures president Sean Bailey has confirmed.
In a profile with The New York Times, Bailey stated that “Yes, ‘Hocus Pocus 3’ is happening” when discussing additional upcoming live-action projects in development at the company.
“Hocus Pocus 3” comes after the success of the 2022 sequel “Hocus Pocus 2,” which saw Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprise their children-hungry witching roles. The sequel broke records amongst the Nielson Top 10 streaming charts, taking home the largest opening weekend with 2.7 billion minutes viewed following its Sept. 30 premiere. The Disney+ movie also became the most watched original film for Disney+ over the frame of the first three days of release.
Though not all original “Hocus Pocus” characters were featured in “Hocus Pocus 2,” screenwriter Jen D’Angelo hinted at a potential sequel that would showcase Omri Katz’s Max Dennison and Vinessa Shaw’s Allison Watts.
In a profile with The New York Times, Bailey stated that “Yes, ‘Hocus Pocus 3’ is happening” when discussing additional upcoming live-action projects in development at the company.
“Hocus Pocus 3” comes after the success of the 2022 sequel “Hocus Pocus 2,” which saw Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprise their children-hungry witching roles. The sequel broke records amongst the Nielson Top 10 streaming charts, taking home the largest opening weekend with 2.7 billion minutes viewed following its Sept. 30 premiere. The Disney+ movie also became the most watched original film for Disney+ over the frame of the first three days of release.
Though not all original “Hocus Pocus” characters were featured in “Hocus Pocus 2,” screenwriter Jen D’Angelo hinted at a potential sequel that would showcase Omri Katz’s Max Dennison and Vinessa Shaw’s Allison Watts.
- 6/4/2023
- by McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
Disney has released the official trailer for “Hocus Pocus 2,” in which the Sanderson sisters will once again put a spell on you. The new trailer debuted at the D23 Expo with an introduction from Disney Chairman Alan Bergman.
“It is a film that exists thanks to the overwhelming love all of you have here for the Sanderson sisters,” Bergman shared before re-introducing the crowd to a cute produced video hello from the sisters themselves.
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and Doug Jones are reprising their roles from the original 1993 film. Hannah Waddingham, Tony Hale, Sam Richardson, Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo and Whitney Peak also star in the sequel, along with “Drag Race” queens Ginger Minj, Kahmora Hall and Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté.
Waddingham’s role was revealed to be the witch who gives young Midler the book of magic, thus revealing a 370 year secret as to how the Sanderson sisters became magical.
“It is a film that exists thanks to the overwhelming love all of you have here for the Sanderson sisters,” Bergman shared before re-introducing the crowd to a cute produced video hello from the sisters themselves.
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and Doug Jones are reprising their roles from the original 1993 film. Hannah Waddingham, Tony Hale, Sam Richardson, Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo and Whitney Peak also star in the sequel, along with “Drag Race” queens Ginger Minj, Kahmora Hall and Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté.
Waddingham’s role was revealed to be the witch who gives young Midler the book of magic, thus revealing a 370 year secret as to how the Sanderson sisters became magical.
- 9/9/2022
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
The last time the witches of “Hocus Pocus” were revived, it took three centuries. This time around, it’s only been about three decades.
The Sanderson sisters — Winifred (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary (Kathy Najimy) — are almost back, and the first teaser trailer for “Hocus Pocus 2” has been released, giving a first taste of the wickedness to come. The sequel premieres on Disney+ on Sept. 30, just in time for the Halloween season.
“Hocus Pocus” premiered in 1993, telling the story of three wicked sisters in Salem, Mass., who spent 300 years asleep before the lighting of the Black Flame Candle, which resurrects them on All Hallow’s Eve with a full moon in the sky. They face off against young Max Dennison (Omri Katz) and sister Dani (Thora Birch), who have to stop the witches from becoming immortal before the sun rises. Kenny Ortega directed the original, while...
The Sanderson sisters — Winifred (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary (Kathy Najimy) — are almost back, and the first teaser trailer for “Hocus Pocus 2” has been released, giving a first taste of the wickedness to come. The sequel premieres on Disney+ on Sept. 30, just in time for the Halloween season.
“Hocus Pocus” premiered in 1993, telling the story of three wicked sisters in Salem, Mass., who spent 300 years asleep before the lighting of the Black Flame Candle, which resurrects them on All Hallow’s Eve with a full moon in the sky. They face off against young Max Dennison (Omri Katz) and sister Dani (Thora Birch), who have to stop the witches from becoming immortal before the sun rises. Kenny Ortega directed the original, while...
- 6/28/2022
- by Sasha Urban
- Variety Film + TV
“Hocus Pocus 2” has wrapped filming and will premiere on Disney Plus on Halloween, according to executive producer Adam Shankman.
In an Instagram post on Friday, Shankman wrote, “Sistaaaaahhhhsss! Aaaaand that’s a Wrap!!! #hocuspocus2. Congratulations to the amazing team…and the Whoooollleeee cast and crew!!! Coming to you #halloween #2022 on @disneyplus.”
While the film’s release date has yet to be officially announced, Disney confirmed in a statement to Variety that “Hocus Pocus 2” will debut “at some point during the Halloween season this fall.” Since spooky season programming typically comes out ahead of the holiday, we can probably expect “Hocus Pocus 2” just before Oct. 31.
In the 1993 original, teenager Max Dennison (Omri Katz) accidentally resurrects a coven of evil witches known as the Sanderson Sisters. In the 2022 sequel, three young women accidentally free the witches once again, in modern-day Salem, and must stop the child-hungry Sanderson Sisters from wreaking havoc on the world.
In an Instagram post on Friday, Shankman wrote, “Sistaaaaahhhhsss! Aaaaand that’s a Wrap!!! #hocuspocus2. Congratulations to the amazing team…and the Whoooollleeee cast and crew!!! Coming to you #halloween #2022 on @disneyplus.”
While the film’s release date has yet to be officially announced, Disney confirmed in a statement to Variety that “Hocus Pocus 2” will debut “at some point during the Halloween season this fall.” Since spooky season programming typically comes out ahead of the holiday, we can probably expect “Hocus Pocus 2” just before Oct. 31.
In the 1993 original, teenager Max Dennison (Omri Katz) accidentally resurrects a coven of evil witches known as the Sanderson Sisters. In the 2022 sequel, three young women accidentally free the witches once again, in modern-day Salem, and must stop the child-hungry Sanderson Sisters from wreaking havoc on the world.
- 1/31/2022
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
Disney has announced eleven new cast members that will join returning stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy in “Hocus Pocus 2,” its upcoming Disney Plus sequel to the 1993 family fantasy film.
Disney made the announcement through its official Disney Plus Twitter, alongside a video featuring the sequel’s logo.
The black flame candle is alight to the Sanderson sisters’ delight.
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, & Kathy Najimy shall soon return.
Joined by new faces which you soon will learn.
See more of the spellbinding cast in the next tweet.
Enjoy this #Hallowstream treat.
Disney made the announcement through its official Disney Plus Twitter, alongside a video featuring the sequel’s logo.
The black flame candle is alight to the Sanderson sisters’ delight.
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, & Kathy Najimy shall soon return.
Joined by new faces which you soon will learn.
See more of the spellbinding cast in the next tweet.
Enjoy this #Hallowstream treat.
- 10/31/2021
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy will reprise their roles as the delightfully wicked Sanderson Sisters in the live-action comedy “Hocus Pocus 2,” the spooky sequel to Disney’s 1993 Halloween cult classic “Hocus Pocus.” The film will premiere exclusively on Disney+ in 2022.
Singer/actress Bette Midler returns as Winifred Sanderson, with Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex and the City”) and Kathy Najimy (“Sister Act”) back as her sisters, Sarah and Mary, respectively.
In “Hocus Pocus 2,” three young women accidentally bring the Sanderson Sisters back to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.
“Hocus Pocus 2” will begin production this fall under the direction of Anne Fletcher, who is taking over directing responsibilities from her friend and colleague Adam Shankman, with Lynn Harris (“The Shallows”) serving as producer. Shankman is currently in production on “Disenchanted” for the studio,...
Singer/actress Bette Midler returns as Winifred Sanderson, with Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex and the City”) and Kathy Najimy (“Sister Act”) back as her sisters, Sarah and Mary, respectively.
In “Hocus Pocus 2,” three young women accidentally bring the Sanderson Sisters back to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.
“Hocus Pocus 2” will begin production this fall under the direction of Anne Fletcher, who is taking over directing responsibilities from her friend and colleague Adam Shankman, with Lynn Harris (“The Shallows”) serving as producer. Shankman is currently in production on “Disenchanted” for the studio,...
- 5/21/2021
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The sequel to Disney’s Halloween cult classic 'Hocus Pocus' to Cast its Spell in 2022; Anne Fletcher to direct with Adam Shankman joining as executive producer. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy will reprise their roles as the delightfully wicked Sanderson Sisters in the live-action comedy 'Hocus Pocus 2', The film will premiere exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar Premium in 2022.
Singer / actress Bette Midler returns as Winifred Sanderson, with Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex and the City”) and Kathy Najimy (“Sister Act”) back as her sisters, Sarah and Mary, respectively. In “Hocus Pocus 2,” three young women accidentally bring the Sanderson Sisters back to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.
“Hocus Pocus 2” will begin production this fall under the direction of Anne Fletcher, who is taking over directing responsibilities from...
Singer / actress Bette Midler returns as Winifred Sanderson, with Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex and the City”) and Kathy Najimy (“Sister Act”) back as her sisters, Sarah and Mary, respectively. In “Hocus Pocus 2,” three young women accidentally bring the Sanderson Sisters back to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.
“Hocus Pocus 2” will begin production this fall under the direction of Anne Fletcher, who is taking over directing responsibilities from...
- 5/21/2021
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
In what should come as no surprise, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are coming back for the Disney+ sequel Hocus Pocus 2 as the wicked Sanderson Sisters. It’s interesting that the studio continues to keep this title for its streaming service as opposed to theaterical; the sequel set for a 2022 debut: Back in October, during the pandemic, Disney re-released the movie to notable results in the marketplace, seeing close to $5M from a handful of theaters, this despite the fact that the movie was also airing on TV at the same time.
Midler returns as Winifred Sanderson, with Parker and Najimy back as her sisters, Sarah and Mary, respectively. In Hocus Pocus 2, three young women accidentally bring the Sanderson Sisters back to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.
Midler returns as Winifred Sanderson, with Parker and Najimy back as her sisters, Sarah and Mary, respectively. In Hocus Pocus 2, three young women accidentally bring the Sanderson Sisters back to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.
- 5/20/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Looks like we are getting yet another slice of the ’90s, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy have all been confirmed to reprise their roles in the ‘Hocus Pocus’ sequel.
The delightfully wicked Sanderson Sisters will make an appearance when three young women accidentally bring the Sisters back to modern-day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.
Anne Fletcher, is taking over directing responsibilities from her friend and colleague Adam Shankman due to scheduling conflicts. Shankman, who is currently in production on “Disenchanted” for the studio will remain on the project as an executive producer.
Lynn Harris and Steven Haft will also serve as producers.
Also in news – All 10 seasons of ‘The Walking Dead’ to launch on Disney+ from July
“Now more than ever, people need to laugh. We should be laughing every day,...
The delightfully wicked Sanderson Sisters will make an appearance when three young women accidentally bring the Sisters back to modern-day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on the world.
Anne Fletcher, is taking over directing responsibilities from her friend and colleague Adam Shankman due to scheduling conflicts. Shankman, who is currently in production on “Disenchanted” for the studio will remain on the project as an executive producer.
Lynn Harris and Steven Haft will also serve as producers.
Also in news – All 10 seasons of ‘The Walking Dead’ to launch on Disney+ from July
“Now more than ever, people need to laugh. We should be laughing every day,...
- 5/20/2021
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy will reprise their roles as the delightfully wicked Sanderson Sisters in the live-action comedy “Hocus Pocus 2,” the spooky sequel to Disney’s 1993 Halloween cult classic “Hocus Pocus,” Disney announced on Thursday.
The film will premiere exclusively on Disney+ in 2022.
“Hocus Pocus 2” will begin production this fall under the direction of Anne Fletcher, who is taking over directing responsibilities from her friend and colleague Adam Shankman, with Lynn Harris (“The Shallows”) serving as producer. Shankman is currently in production on “Disenchanted” for the studio, which he is directing, but will remain on this project as an executive producer along with Ralph Winter (“Adrift”) and David Kirschner (“Curse of Chucky”). Steven Haft (“Tigerland”) is co-producer.
“Hocus Pocus” followed three witch sisters who were cursed in Salem in 1693 but were resurrected 300 years later by a boy, his sister and the boy’s love interest.
The film will premiere exclusively on Disney+ in 2022.
“Hocus Pocus 2” will begin production this fall under the direction of Anne Fletcher, who is taking over directing responsibilities from her friend and colleague Adam Shankman, with Lynn Harris (“The Shallows”) serving as producer. Shankman is currently in production on “Disenchanted” for the studio, which he is directing, but will remain on this project as an executive producer along with Ralph Winter (“Adrift”) and David Kirschner (“Curse of Chucky”). Steven Haft (“Tigerland”) is co-producer.
“Hocus Pocus” followed three witch sisters who were cursed in Salem in 1693 but were resurrected 300 years later by a boy, his sister and the boy’s love interest.
- 5/20/2021
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
The Sanderson sisters are officially returning to Salem. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy will reprise their roles in “Hocus Pocus 2,” a sequel to the 1993 Disney classic.
Disney initially revealed plans for a follow-up film in 2019 with the hopes that the trio of actors would return, but Midler, Parker and Najimy hadn’t formally confirmed their participation until now. Production is expected to begin this fall with plans for “Hocus Pocus 2” to debut on Disney Plus in 2022.
Midler celebrated the news on Twitter, writing, “Sistaaaahs! It’s been 300 years… But we’re Back!”
Sistaaaahs! It's been 300 years… But we’re Back!
Disney initially revealed plans for a follow-up film in 2019 with the hopes that the trio of actors would return, but Midler, Parker and Najimy hadn’t formally confirmed their participation until now. Production is expected to begin this fall with plans for “Hocus Pocus 2” to debut on Disney Plus in 2022.
Midler celebrated the news on Twitter, writing, “Sistaaaahs! It’s been 300 years… But we’re Back!”
Sistaaaahs! It's been 300 years… But we’re Back!
- 5/20/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Programme includes discussions on blockchain, representation of Lgbt on screen, and how genre is breaking down barriers.
Mike Leigh, Jason Reitman and Sebastian Lelio are among the additions to the Tiff Industry Conference set to kick off during next week’s Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff).
Tiff artistic director Cameron Bailey will interview on stage the actor and director of Hidden Man Jiang Wen in a Masterclass session on September 12. The event is one of several featuring fimmakers, executives, and media personalities.
On September 7 Chilean auteur Lelio, whose Gloria Bell receives its world premiere, joins exhibitors and filmmakers in ‘Going...
Mike Leigh, Jason Reitman and Sebastian Lelio are among the additions to the Tiff Industry Conference set to kick off during next week’s Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff).
Tiff artistic director Cameron Bailey will interview on stage the actor and director of Hidden Man Jiang Wen in a Masterclass session on September 12. The event is one of several featuring fimmakers, executives, and media personalities.
On September 7 Chilean auteur Lelio, whose Gloria Bell receives its world premiere, joins exhibitors and filmmakers in ‘Going...
- 8/31/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Robin Williams Returns In Blu-ray. Carpe Diem . Seize the Day!
Academy Award® Winner for Best Original Screenplay!
.Dead Poets Society. Graduates To Blu-ray., January 17, 2012
Academy Award winner Robin Williams (Best Supporting Actor, Good Will Hunting, 1997) delivers one of his most memorable performances in Dead Poets Society . digitally restored and presented for the first time ever in breathtaking Blu-rayTM High Definition.
For generations, Welton Academy students have been groomed to live lives of conformity and tradition . until new professor John Keating inspires them to think for themselves, live life to the fullest and .Carpe Diem.. This unconventional approach awakens the spirits of the students, but draws the wrath of a disapproving faculty when an unexpected tragedy strikes the school. With unforgettable characters and beautiful cinematography, Dead Poets Society will captivate and inspire you time and time again..
Talent/Cast: Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting); Ethan Hawke (Training Day); Robert Sean Leonard...
Academy Award® Winner for Best Original Screenplay!
.Dead Poets Society. Graduates To Blu-ray., January 17, 2012
Academy Award winner Robin Williams (Best Supporting Actor, Good Will Hunting, 1997) delivers one of his most memorable performances in Dead Poets Society . digitally restored and presented for the first time ever in breathtaking Blu-rayTM High Definition.
For generations, Welton Academy students have been groomed to live lives of conformity and tradition . until new professor John Keating inspires them to think for themselves, live life to the fullest and .Carpe Diem.. This unconventional approach awakens the spirits of the students, but draws the wrath of a disapproving faculty when an unexpected tragedy strikes the school. With unforgettable characters and beautiful cinematography, Dead Poets Society will captivate and inspire you time and time again..
Talent/Cast: Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting); Ethan Hawke (Training Day); Robert Sean Leonard...
- 10/18/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
TNT Press Release:
TNT will pay tribute to Apple founder Steve Jobs tonight with a special presentation of the TNT Original Pirates of Silicon Valley. The movie will air at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. (Et/Pt).
Starring Noah Wyle (TNT’s Falling Skies) as Steve Jobs, Anthony Michael Hall as Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Joey Slotnick as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Pirates of Silicon Valley follows the fascinating and unforgettable race between technology rivals Apple Computers and Microsoft. From nights of dorm-room tinkering to days of boardroom scheming, their fierce and often humorous battle to rule the fledgling computer empire literally changed the world.
Pirates of Silicon Valley premiered on TNT in 1999 and went on to earn five Emmy® nominations, including Outstanding Made for Television Movie and Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or Movie. The movie was written and directed by Martyn Burke, who adapted the script from...
TNT will pay tribute to Apple founder Steve Jobs tonight with a special presentation of the TNT Original Pirates of Silicon Valley. The movie will air at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. (Et/Pt).
Starring Noah Wyle (TNT’s Falling Skies) as Steve Jobs, Anthony Michael Hall as Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Joey Slotnick as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Pirates of Silicon Valley follows the fascinating and unforgettable race between technology rivals Apple Computers and Microsoft. From nights of dorm-room tinkering to days of boardroom scheming, their fierce and often humorous battle to rule the fledgling computer empire literally changed the world.
Pirates of Silicon Valley premiered on TNT in 1999 and went on to earn five Emmy® nominations, including Outstanding Made for Television Movie and Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or Movie. The movie was written and directed by Martyn Burke, who adapted the script from...
- 10/6/2011
- by Erin Willard
- ScifiMafia
Even when grief is overwhelming, funerals can be absurd gatherings full of awkward drama and unintentionally funny ritual by rote. In the case of Eulogy, writer-director Michael Clancy's feature debut, there's no troublesome sadness to get in the way of the quirk factor. Character eccentricities and off-kilter group dynamics play out with a comic vengeance.
Although this black comedy doesn't always achieve its intended laughs and sometimes pushes too hard for them, at its best it offers droll glimpses of the cosmic abyss that often serves as a family's connective tissue. The terrific ensemble cast finds the right deadpan tone to deliver the dysfunction. The presence of Debra Winger will up the draw for niche theatrical audiences, and Eulogy should enjoy a long afterlife on home video.
Unshowy tech contributions, led by DP Michael Chapman (Raging Bull) and editor Richard Halsey (Rocky), put the actors front and center in this concise comic portrait of a clan numbed by disappointment. Winger plays Alice, the oldest, loudest and angriest of the four Collins siblings, returning home to Rhode Island for the funeral of the father they barely knew (Rip Torn). His passing barely dents their self-centered orbits, and even his widow (Piper Laurie) responds with a vacant impassiveness, notwithstanding a couple of badly misfired suicide attempts.
The unlikely voice of sanity and compassion within the sorry lot is college student Kate (Zooey Deschanel, exuding practicality and emotional translucence). When she's not struggling to write the eulogy her clear-eyed grandmother requested, she's avoiding neighbor Ryan (Jesse Bradford), confused over the romantic turn their lifelong summer friendship has taken.
Kate's father, Dan (Hank Azaria), is an adult-film actor looking through a cannabis haze for his big break, having reached his show business zenith in a peanut butter commercial at age 8. Skip (Ray Romano) is a lawyer of sorts with a most unfortunate mustache, and adolescent twins (Curtis and Keith Garcia) who, when they're not being plain evil, toss around sex-talk swagger as though they've listened to Howard Stern one too many times.
The twins take a sudden interest in the gathering when their feisty aunt Lucy (Kelly Preston) shows up with her easygoing "life partner," Judy (Famke Janssen). This rather forced self-introduction is the first sign that Clancy is going to use the lesbian relationship a bit too insistently. While Alice's three children cower in silence and her husband (Mark Harelik) burbles incoherently, she all but puts Lucy and Judy on trial. By the time they announce their wedding plans, you can only wonder why the brides-to-be would want this variously mean-spirited and clueless bunch at the festivities.
But the utter irrationality of family is Clancy's point. It's no wonder Grandma sees no reason to explain her eagerness to check out. And while her suicide attempts aren't as, well, funny as they're meant to be, they do land her in the inexpert care of a dippy nurse (Glenne Headly, in sweet ditz mode) who turns out to be a crucial figure from Alice's past.
As good as it is to see Winger onscreen, her character is too strident a conception, the explanation for her malice a bit too easy. But to Clancy's credit he doesn't try to tie it all up with a feel-good ending. The dark undercurrents remain as the Collinses bid Dad farewell. The twins are still obnoxious. And Romano's Skip is still sporting that mustache.
EULOGY
Lions Gate Films
A Myriad Pictures presentation in association with Ovation Entertainment, Equity Pictures Medienfonds and S.R.O. Entertainment AF
Credits:
Director-writer: Michael Clancy
Producers: Steven Haft, Richard B. Lewis, Kirk D'Amico
Executive producers: Lucas Foster, Kendall Morgan, Bo Hyde, Rory Rosegarten, Jonas McCord, Shelly Glasser
Director of photography: Michael Chapman
Production designer: Dina Lipton
Music: George S. Clinton
Co-producers: Stefan Jonas, Jeanne Van Cott
Costume designer: Tracy Tynan
Editor: Richard Halsey
Cast:
Daniel Collins: Hank Azaria
Ryan Carmichael: Jesse Bradford
Kate Collins: Zooey Deschanel
Samantha: Glenne Headly
Judy Arnolds: Famke Janssen
Grandma Collins: Piper Laurie
Lucy Collins: Kelly Preston
Skip Collins: Ray Romano
Grandpa Collins: Rip Torn
Alice Collins: Debra Winger
Burt: Mark Harelik
Parson Banke: Rene Auberjonois
MPAA rating: R
Running time -- 85 minutes...
Although this black comedy doesn't always achieve its intended laughs and sometimes pushes too hard for them, at its best it offers droll glimpses of the cosmic abyss that often serves as a family's connective tissue. The terrific ensemble cast finds the right deadpan tone to deliver the dysfunction. The presence of Debra Winger will up the draw for niche theatrical audiences, and Eulogy should enjoy a long afterlife on home video.
Unshowy tech contributions, led by DP Michael Chapman (Raging Bull) and editor Richard Halsey (Rocky), put the actors front and center in this concise comic portrait of a clan numbed by disappointment. Winger plays Alice, the oldest, loudest and angriest of the four Collins siblings, returning home to Rhode Island for the funeral of the father they barely knew (Rip Torn). His passing barely dents their self-centered orbits, and even his widow (Piper Laurie) responds with a vacant impassiveness, notwithstanding a couple of badly misfired suicide attempts.
The unlikely voice of sanity and compassion within the sorry lot is college student Kate (Zooey Deschanel, exuding practicality and emotional translucence). When she's not struggling to write the eulogy her clear-eyed grandmother requested, she's avoiding neighbor Ryan (Jesse Bradford), confused over the romantic turn their lifelong summer friendship has taken.
Kate's father, Dan (Hank Azaria), is an adult-film actor looking through a cannabis haze for his big break, having reached his show business zenith in a peanut butter commercial at age 8. Skip (Ray Romano) is a lawyer of sorts with a most unfortunate mustache, and adolescent twins (Curtis and Keith Garcia) who, when they're not being plain evil, toss around sex-talk swagger as though they've listened to Howard Stern one too many times.
The twins take a sudden interest in the gathering when their feisty aunt Lucy (Kelly Preston) shows up with her easygoing "life partner," Judy (Famke Janssen). This rather forced self-introduction is the first sign that Clancy is going to use the lesbian relationship a bit too insistently. While Alice's three children cower in silence and her husband (Mark Harelik) burbles incoherently, she all but puts Lucy and Judy on trial. By the time they announce their wedding plans, you can only wonder why the brides-to-be would want this variously mean-spirited and clueless bunch at the festivities.
But the utter irrationality of family is Clancy's point. It's no wonder Grandma sees no reason to explain her eagerness to check out. And while her suicide attempts aren't as, well, funny as they're meant to be, they do land her in the inexpert care of a dippy nurse (Glenne Headly, in sweet ditz mode) who turns out to be a crucial figure from Alice's past.
As good as it is to see Winger onscreen, her character is too strident a conception, the explanation for her malice a bit too easy. But to Clancy's credit he doesn't try to tie it all up with a feel-good ending. The dark undercurrents remain as the Collinses bid Dad farewell. The twins are still obnoxious. And Romano's Skip is still sporting that mustache.
EULOGY
Lions Gate Films
A Myriad Pictures presentation in association with Ovation Entertainment, Equity Pictures Medienfonds and S.R.O. Entertainment AF
Credits:
Director-writer: Michael Clancy
Producers: Steven Haft, Richard B. Lewis, Kirk D'Amico
Executive producers: Lucas Foster, Kendall Morgan, Bo Hyde, Rory Rosegarten, Jonas McCord, Shelly Glasser
Director of photography: Michael Chapman
Production designer: Dina Lipton
Music: George S. Clinton
Co-producers: Stefan Jonas, Jeanne Van Cott
Costume designer: Tracy Tynan
Editor: Richard Halsey
Cast:
Daniel Collins: Hank Azaria
Ryan Carmichael: Jesse Bradford
Kate Collins: Zooey Deschanel
Samantha: Glenne Headly
Judy Arnolds: Famke Janssen
Grandma Collins: Piper Laurie
Lucy Collins: Kelly Preston
Skip Collins: Ray Romano
Grandpa Collins: Rip Torn
Alice Collins: Debra Winger
Burt: Mark Harelik
Parson Banke: Rene Auberjonois
MPAA rating: R
Running time -- 85 minutes...
- 10/29/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Warner Independent Pictures is in for Fifty Percent. Warners' specialty film arm is developing the dark comedy with producers Steven Haft and Odd Lot Entertainment's Deborah Del Prete and Gigi Pritzker. Writer Darin Mark is on board to pen the script, which follows three waitresses who agree to marry for money, get divorced and take 50% of each man's net worth so they can start their real lives on a tropical island. Five years later, one woman is ready to cash out whether the other girls are in or not. Michael Andreen and Tracey Bing are overseeing for WIP. Haft's recent credits include Eulogy, The Singing Detective, Tigerland and Beautiful Joe. Odd Lot Entertainment's other projects include The Reckoning and Hooligans. WIP's upcoming titles include A Scanner Darkly, One Thing Always, The Bielski Brothers and Brideshead Revisited, the feature film version of the British TV classic. Mark is repped by Endeavor, Benderspink and Gregg Gellman and Michael Fuller at Barnes, Morris, Klein, Mark, Yorn, Barnes and Levine.
- 6/30/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARK CITY -- Dennis Potter's multilevel, mixed-genre teleplays for British television were intellectual slapstick of the first order. "The Singing Detective" marks a second attempt to squeeze the bold ideas and psychological quirks of a Potter miniseries into a movie. Many consider Herbert Ross' 1981 "Pennies From Heaven" a masterpiece; others, especially British critics, could only hold their noses and avert their gaze. It was a boxoffice flop. Keith Gordon's brave attempt to make cinematic sense of Potter's 1986 BBC mini "The Singing Detective" at least has the advantage of a screenplay finished by Potter before his death. But problems of style and tone bedevil the earnest effort.
"The Singing Detective" may mirror "Pennies" in its reception by audiences and critics. Some will undoubtedly champion the film for the risks it takes and its wild juxtapositions of extreme physical and mental anguish with pulp fiction and musical numbers. Others will acknowledge the risks but point to its failure to live up to its own lofty goals. Where everyone will probably agree is in Robert Downey Jr.'s outstanding and courageous performance as the bedridden main character. This is a special film in need of TLC in its marketing, which will reward a distributor with only limited returns from adult specialty venues.
Everything takes place in the mind of bitter and sardonic crime novelist Dan Dark (Downey), a hospital patient suffering from a particularly horrific skin disease that makes him look like, in his words, "a human pizza." His body is covered with psoriasis that makes any kind of touch or movement excruciating.
Dark is a dark man indeed -- raging at doctors, nurses and, when she dares venture into his room, his estranged wife Robin Wright Penn), whom he accuses of more infidelities than any one woman would be capable of outside of a full-time prostitute. His only relief comes as a sweet and lovely nurse (Katie Holmes) bathes his body with lotion, and he suffers the embarrassment of an ejaculation.
His outbursts render him into the care of not a skin specialist but therapeutic psychologist Dr. Gibbon, played by an almost unrecognizable Mel Gibson, who is made to look like Robin Williams in "One Hour Photo". As the doctor slowly wins his patient's trust, they explore the roots of the author's rage and paranoia, tracing it back to (guess what?) his parents -- especially his promiscuous mother (Carla Gugino), who sets the pattern for all wayward female figures in his fiction.
However, all this is but a springboard into the feverish developments in Dark's mind. A parallel story embroils the Singing Detective (also Downey) in a hard-boiled 1950s crime tale with expressionistic noir settings and shady characters everywhere. Two gangsters (Adrien Brody and Jon Polito), in mock Pirandillo fashion, seem lost in the writer's deliriums, unable to understand their purpose or what they're looking for.
Meanwhile, the hospital staff will break into full-tilt rock 'n' roll while the '50s characters slide seductively into nightclub tunes, in both instances golden oldies from that era. Then, under the doctor's prodding, Dark's childhood memories of his and his mother's banishment by his dad get confused with paranoid fantasies of his wife conspiring with a figure from his childhood (Jeremy Northam) to steal his movie script.
The movie's biggest problem is having to shift gears constantly with a faulty transmission. There are no smooth transitions among the various elements; fantasy and reality always stand apart. Musical numbers play awkwardly, like wannabe Bob Fosse. The noir sequences, a style already imitated and parodied to death, feel tired and are not helped any by Potter's own confusing if nonexistent plot that never goes anywhere.
What almost ties things together is Downey. As a man plagued by more demons than any mortal should be, Dark struggles through layers of memory and fantasy to find himself. Downey's work is superb, and his scenes with Gibson are the best acted, scripted and directed sequences in the movie. Unfortunately, despite superlative efforts by cinematographer Tom Richmond and production designer/costume designer Patricia Norris, Gordon is unable to make the disparate elements mesh.
THE SINGING DETECTIVE
Icon Prods.
Credits: Director: Keith Gordon; Screenwriter: Dennis Potter; Based on the TV miniseries written by: Dennis Potter; Producers: Mel Gibson, Steven Haft, Bruce Davey; Executive producer: Stan Wlodkowski; Director of photography: Tom Richmond; Production/costume designer: Patricia Norris; Makeup effects: Greg Cannom, Keith Vanderlaan; Editor: Jeff Wishengrad; Choreographers: Jaqui and Bill Landrum. Cast: Dan Dark: Robert Downey Jr.; Nicola/Nina/Blonde: Robin Wright Penn; Dr. Gibbon: Mel Gibson; Mark Binney: Jeremy Northam; Nurse Mills: Katie Holmes; First Hood: Adrien Brody; Second Hood: Jon Polito; Betty Dark/Hooker: Carla Gugino.
No MPAA rating, running time 109 minutes.
"The Singing Detective" may mirror "Pennies" in its reception by audiences and critics. Some will undoubtedly champion the film for the risks it takes and its wild juxtapositions of extreme physical and mental anguish with pulp fiction and musical numbers. Others will acknowledge the risks but point to its failure to live up to its own lofty goals. Where everyone will probably agree is in Robert Downey Jr.'s outstanding and courageous performance as the bedridden main character. This is a special film in need of TLC in its marketing, which will reward a distributor with only limited returns from adult specialty venues.
Everything takes place in the mind of bitter and sardonic crime novelist Dan Dark (Downey), a hospital patient suffering from a particularly horrific skin disease that makes him look like, in his words, "a human pizza." His body is covered with psoriasis that makes any kind of touch or movement excruciating.
Dark is a dark man indeed -- raging at doctors, nurses and, when she dares venture into his room, his estranged wife Robin Wright Penn), whom he accuses of more infidelities than any one woman would be capable of outside of a full-time prostitute. His only relief comes as a sweet and lovely nurse (Katie Holmes) bathes his body with lotion, and he suffers the embarrassment of an ejaculation.
His outbursts render him into the care of not a skin specialist but therapeutic psychologist Dr. Gibbon, played by an almost unrecognizable Mel Gibson, who is made to look like Robin Williams in "One Hour Photo". As the doctor slowly wins his patient's trust, they explore the roots of the author's rage and paranoia, tracing it back to (guess what?) his parents -- especially his promiscuous mother (Carla Gugino), who sets the pattern for all wayward female figures in his fiction.
However, all this is but a springboard into the feverish developments in Dark's mind. A parallel story embroils the Singing Detective (also Downey) in a hard-boiled 1950s crime tale with expressionistic noir settings and shady characters everywhere. Two gangsters (Adrien Brody and Jon Polito), in mock Pirandillo fashion, seem lost in the writer's deliriums, unable to understand their purpose or what they're looking for.
Meanwhile, the hospital staff will break into full-tilt rock 'n' roll while the '50s characters slide seductively into nightclub tunes, in both instances golden oldies from that era. Then, under the doctor's prodding, Dark's childhood memories of his and his mother's banishment by his dad get confused with paranoid fantasies of his wife conspiring with a figure from his childhood (Jeremy Northam) to steal his movie script.
The movie's biggest problem is having to shift gears constantly with a faulty transmission. There are no smooth transitions among the various elements; fantasy and reality always stand apart. Musical numbers play awkwardly, like wannabe Bob Fosse. The noir sequences, a style already imitated and parodied to death, feel tired and are not helped any by Potter's own confusing if nonexistent plot that never goes anywhere.
What almost ties things together is Downey. As a man plagued by more demons than any mortal should be, Dark struggles through layers of memory and fantasy to find himself. Downey's work is superb, and his scenes with Gibson are the best acted, scripted and directed sequences in the movie. Unfortunately, despite superlative efforts by cinematographer Tom Richmond and production designer/costume designer Patricia Norris, Gordon is unable to make the disparate elements mesh.
THE SINGING DETECTIVE
Icon Prods.
Credits: Director: Keith Gordon; Screenwriter: Dennis Potter; Based on the TV miniseries written by: Dennis Potter; Producers: Mel Gibson, Steven Haft, Bruce Davey; Executive producer: Stan Wlodkowski; Director of photography: Tom Richmond; Production/costume designer: Patricia Norris; Makeup effects: Greg Cannom, Keith Vanderlaan; Editor: Jeff Wishengrad; Choreographers: Jaqui and Bill Landrum. Cast: Dan Dark: Robert Downey Jr.; Nicola/Nina/Blonde: Robin Wright Penn; Dr. Gibbon: Mel Gibson; Mark Binney: Jeremy Northam; Nurse Mills: Katie Holmes; First Hood: Adrien Brody; Second Hood: Jon Polito; Betty Dark/Hooker: Carla Gugino.
No MPAA rating, running time 109 minutes.
- 1/21/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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