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Party Monster

Xan Brooks
Friday August 22, 2003
The Guardian

Party Monster announces Macaulay Culkin's comeback with a blaze of fireworks, a thump of disco and a swirl of Class A narcotics. Nine years after his retirement from Hollywood (aged 14), the Home Alone tyke returns to impersonate Michael Alig, a club promoter who was the toast of New York for a few nanoseconds in the early 90s. Coincidentally, Alig fell from grace at roughly the same time that Culkin did. Hobbled by heroin, he was eventually jailed for his part in the murder and dismemberment of a drug dealer.

The first thing that strikes you is how little Culkin has changed. Foal-skinny and pale as a veal calf, he looks cryogenically frozen in his pre-teen state. His acting, too, still has a whiff of stage-school brattery about it. As Alig, Culkin delivers his lines in a bizarre Katharine Hepburn twang, rounds them off with a theatrical laugh and then blinks ingratiatingly at the camera, as though he's still auditioning for Uncle Buck. In the meantime he's overshadowed (metaphorically) by Seth Green as his bitchy mentor, and (literally) by Chloe Sevigny, who towers over him in stack heels.

This is the film's fault as much as it is Culkin's. In an early key scene Green's character schools Alig in the art of working a party: show up with a bang, introduce yourself, whip up a drama and get the hell out. Party Monster has adopted every rule but the last. Its flashy intro completed, it hangs about for 90 minutes with nothing to say and nothing to do except get wrecked. The longer it stays, the more noisy, desperate and tiresome it becomes.

The Italian Job - A Heist That's A Hit!

Hollywood seems to be going through a "re-make" craze. Strangely enough Mark Wahlberg's last two films have been in that vein. He made the disastrous "The Trouble With Charlie" which was a re-make of "Charade"; and now he is in "The Italian Job" which is a re-make of a 1969 Michael Caine movie of the same name. This time the results are much better.

In "The Italian Job" Wahlberg plays Charlie Crocker, the head of a gang of thieves who are planning to rob a vaultful of gold from a building in Venice. The caper goes off without a hitch and soon the gang is on the road with the gold in their possession. But something goes wrong - something always go wrong - and one of their own turns against them and steals the gold for himself.

The rest of the film concerns getting revenge on the turncoat member of the gang. Charlie brings in Stella (Charlize Theron) as an addition to the gang. They concoct a plan whereby they can steal the gold back and still humiliate the turncoat.

The members of the gang include Steve (Edward Norton), Lyle (Seth Green), Handsome Rob (Jason Statham), Left-Ear (Mos Def), and the old timer John (Donald Sutherland). Each of these characters are essential to the story and each of these actors adds something special to their portrayal.

Wahlberg makes for a charming leading man. He has a breezy air about him that he has not shown in previous movies. Charlize Theron, looking good, Charlize, is a bright spot of femininity in a very macho movie. Norton is as unique acting as ever, while Seth Green brings a comic element to the story which is fun in every way. It would be easy to claim that Seth steals the show.

In this summer of sequels and blockbusters a movie like "The Italian Job" could get lost in the shuffle. That shouldn't happen. This movie has a lot going for it, provided you can accept the premise that the bad guys are the good guys. This "bad luck gang" populates a wonderful story where the heists are amazing, the jokes are truly funny, and the adventure is intriguing. In short, this movie works in every way.

Put some fun in your life and go to see "The Italian Job." It is enjoyable entertainment in any language.

I scored "The Italian Job" an arriverdeci 7 out of 10.

JKC

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - The final night of February sweeps will bring a little Evil to FOX.

Seth Green, who played Dr. Evil's son, Scott, in the "Austin Powers" movies and Oz on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," will guest-star on "That '70s Show" on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Fred Willard ("Best in Show," "Maybe It's Me") will also appear in the episode.

Green says agreed to take the part because of his friendship with "'70s" cast members Mila Kunis and Wilmer Valderrama; he's worked with both before, on "Family Guy" and the movie "Party Monster," respectively.

"I am a fan of the show, and we all thought it would be fun," Green tells The Hollywood Reporter.

Willard and Green will play a father and son who become rivals to Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Eric (Topher Grace) in a charity competition.

Green starred in the ill-fated FOX comedy "Greg the Bunny" last season.

Knockaround Guys On DVD February 25, 2003

An entertaining, low-key Mafia picture that found a release after the film's stars gained in popularity, "Knockaround Guys" offers fine performances from excellent actors. Those expecting an action picture will be dissapointed, but the situations and drama still add tension and intensity. The film was written and directed by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, who wrote 1998's "Rounders". This picture, while about different subject matter (that film was about poker players), this film does often have the same subdued, cool tone.

The film focuses on the lives of four sons (played by Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, Seth Green and Andrew Davoli) of Brooklyn mobsters. They have all found it difficult to gain entry into the real world given their background, while their fathers see them as nothing much - after asking for more work, Matty (Pepper)'s father tells him, "You brought us these sandwiches. What else can you do?".

The kids are persistent, though - they keep pushing themselves as possibilities for jobs and eventually, find themselves with a gig: transporting a ton of cash - take a flight, bring it back. Simple -- or maybe not. With former cocaine addict Johnny Marbles (Green) as pilot and Matty supervising, things are fine until Johnny stops in a small Montana town for gas and hides the bag when he spots a set of cops and the town Sheriff (Tom Noonan) in the local airport.

Moments later, the money's gone and Marbles has to report back to home base that the simple task has been completely screwed up. Out flies Taylor Reese (Diesel), Chris Scarpa (Davoli) and Matty to find where in this small Montana town the cash has gone to. So starts the main part of the film, which is an interesting mix of mob drama, western, fish-out-of-water dark comedy and maybe a few other things, on top of all that.

While the film does have some noticable problems, it's certainly not as flawed as one might expect from a film that spent a little over a year on the shelf. The film does add elements of comedy on occasion, but the entire film is played with such seriousness that the comedy feels somewhat awkward amidst the dark tone. The ending doesn't work particularly well, either. Lastly, the 94 minute running time feels cut down - some additional scenes in the town could have filled out the movie and characters. While watching, I wondered what the Coen Brothers would have done with this film, as it seemed like something they might have been able to do more with.

The film also takes a while to get going, but certainly gets involving when the money falls into the wrong hands. It's at this point that the writer/directors finally up the tension, especially when Tom Noonan's evil sheriff gets thrown into the mix. Clint Mansell's fantastic guitar-driven score also adds energy and intensity to many scenes.

The performances are generally very good, too. Diesel and Pepper offer commanding performances, while a Hopper, Malkovich and a subdued Green offer fine support. This certainly isn't going to be considered with the best in any of the genres it attempts, but "Knockaround" certainly isn't bad, either: it's an involving drama with solid work from a fine cast.

The event: The Hollywood premiere and after-party of "Just Married," starring petite Hollywood It girl Brittany Murphy and her all-too-adorable main squeeze and "That '70s Show" star, Ashton Kutcher.

Taken From CNN.COM

THE GUEST LIST

Kutcher, Murphy, Seth Green, Andy Dick, Jon Voight, Joe Millionaire, Mila Kunis, Angie Everhart, Chris Judd and others.

SCENE AND HEARD

Kutcher and Murphy got up close and personal during the screening, with Murphy snuggled on Kutcher's lap.

Afterwards, director Shawn Levy came up to congratulate them, giving them both a bear hug.

The after-party for the cast and producers at hip Hollywood club The Ivar was a casual affair, with guests lounging on banquettes and nibbling on (what else?) wedding cake.

Taken from San Bernardino Sun, CA - 10 Jan 2003

Blood-suckers of TV come to DVD

The great thing about the third season of Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was the appearance of Faith (Eliza Dushku) as Buffy's (Sarah Michelle Gellar's) dark counterpart in the art of vampire staking. Sometimes it was more fun to root for nasty girl Faith as she tried to seduce Angel (David Boreanaz), the vampire with a soul, who eventually spun off to his own show.

It's probably the show's best overall season - witty, silly, action-packed and occasionally even moving - in a high-school sort of way. The whole Sunnydale crew is on hand, too: Buffy's pals Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon); as well as watcher Rupert Giles (Anthony Head); high-school rival Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), who follows Angel to his series; the first appearance of former demon and series-regular-to-be Anya (Emma Caulfield); and Oz (Seth Green, who vamped off into feature films).

The great thing about the third season of Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was the appearance of Faith (Eliza Dushku) as Buffy's (Sarah Michelle Gellar's) dark counterpart in the art of vampire staking. Sometimes it was more fun to root for nasty girl Faith as she tried to seduce Angel (David Boreanaz), the vampire with a soul, who eventually spun off to his own show.

It's probably the show's best overall season - witty, silly, action-packed and occasionally even moving - in a high-school sort of way. The whole Sunnydale crew is on hand, too: Buffy's pals Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon); as well as watcher Rupert Giles (Anthony Head); high-school rival Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), who follows Angel to his series; the first appearance of former demon and series-regular-to-be Anya (Emma Caulfield); and Oz (Seth Green, who vamped off into feature films).

� "Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Third Season" (Fox) lists for $59.90 on DVD.

The Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases

By David Dale

December 28 2002

What kind of society are we living in when The Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases (ODC) can attribute the phrase "Dingoes ate my baby" to a band for which Seth Green plays lead guitar in the vampire series Buffy, and the phrase "Maybe the dingo ate your baby" to Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Seinfeld? Only in passing does the ODC remark that both are "a comic, and therefore possibly irreverent" reference to "the true story portrayed in the 1989 film A Cry in the Dark, in which Meryl Streep plays a mother accused of murdering her baby".

Seth is wrapping up production on a remake of the 1969 classic "The Italian Job," which also stars Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton, Charlize Theron!!

9:00am ET, 17-December-02

Buffy Toon Due Soon?

Joss Whedon, creator of UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told syndicated columnist Marilyn Beck that his moribund Buffy animated series could hit the airwaves as early as January 2003. Earlier, Whedon had said the show which revisits the Scooby Gang during their Sunnydale High School years�was on hold for a variety of reasons and wouldn't debut until at least May.

But Beck reported that Fox will premiere the show in January, with Buffy cast members Sarah Michelle Gellar, David Boreanaz, Seth Green, Nicholas Brendon and Michelle Trachtenberg voicing characters. |
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