by Willowlicious » Sun Jul 27, 2003 10:43 pm
by urnofosiris » Sun Jul 27, 2003 11:11 pm
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Coffee, Food, Kisses and Gay Love........Get it while you are hot
by Laika 27 » Mon Jul 28, 2003 5:33 am
by tkheaven » Mon Jul 28, 2003 9:30 pm
Great pics, xita! Aly looks A-fucking-mazing! Tk's new and improved "GrrArgg"...
by the vamp nurd » Tue Jul 29, 2003 2:50 am
Sorry I missed church, I was busy becoming a lesbian and worshiping Satan
Bardlet no #27
by kajo 2000 » Tue Jul 29, 2003 5:36 am
Quote:
Film Review: 'American Wedding'
Tue July 29, 2003 01:00 AM ET
By Michael Rechtshaffen
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Having already twice proved that it's possible to make a top-grossing, gross-out picture that even chicks can dig, most of the original "American Pie" gang has returned for a third helping with the tellingly titled "American Wedding."
But while the threatened final installment, or rather "the thrilling climax," of the "Pie" saga serves up the same mix of shock comedy and lovable characters, the familiar formula feels significantly watered-down the third time around.
Too often, screenwriter Adam Herz's plotting seems to exist solely to set up one of those custom naughty sight gags rather than to advance any semblance of story.
Of course, that probably won't bother audiences, who'll still likely feel like they got what they came for, but even with the word "Wedding" ensuring a substantial female turnout, the total take might not reach the pie-in-the-sky heights of the two predecessors.
It seems like it was just yesterday when Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs) was getting acquainted with hot baked goods, but band camp feels like a distant memory for Jim and his flute-playing fiancee Michelle Flaherty (Alyson Hannigan) as they make plans for their upcoming nuptials.
As if they don't have enough on their plate, despite getting assistance from Jim's unflappable dad (Eugene Levy) and mom (Molly Cheek) and Michelle's folks (Fred Willard and Deborah Rush), the arrival of Michelle's gorgeous sister, Cadence (January Jones) has been duly noticed by Jim's cerebral buddy Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and the indefatigable Stifler (Seann William Scott).
Determined to pull out all stops necessary to put the make on the maid of honor, Stifler manages to charm his way into the wedding party, much to the horror of Jim and Michelle, who have a right to be concerned.
While "American Wedding" might once again be focusing on the trials and humiliations of Biggs' nice guy Jim, this is Scott's movie all the way.
Whether he's tearing up the dance floor in a gay bar on '80s Night, getting freaky with Jim's grandma or trying to coax a dog to part with an accidentally consumed wedding ring (better not to ask), the gonzo Stifler, with his John Belushi bursts of energy and his trouble-making Jack Nicholson grin, is up to any challenge that comes his way.
But even his contribution, as well as those of Christopher Guest regulars Levy, Willard and Jennifer Coolidge - who makes a final, all-too-brief appearance as Stifler's mom - only go so far in adding a little zip to the bland proceedings.
With original directors Paul and Chris Weitz having successfully moved on to more mature fare like "About a Boy," the reins have been passed from "American Pie 2" helmer James B. Rogers to Jesse Dylan, who proved he knew his way around a visual gag with his first feature, "How High."
Dylan can push through an effective gross-out scene with the best of them, but when it comes to pulling off that patented "American Pie" blend of the raucous and the sweetly innocuous, he lacks the Weitz brothers' seamlessly shifting light touch.
As is fitting for the genre, production values are bright and zippy, while executive music producer Kathy Nelson has assembled several albums' worth of ideally attuned tunes ranging from newer stuff by the All-American Rejects ("Swing Swing") and Joseph Arthur (the plaintive "Honey and the Moon") and older stuff, including a cover of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic," performed by Jesse's brother Jakob's band, the Wallflowers.
Universal Pictures presents a Zide/Perry-LivePlanet production
CAST
Jim: Jason Biggs; Michelle: Alyson Hannigan; Cadence: January Jones; Kevin: Thomas Ian Nicholas; Steve Stifler: Seann William Scott; Finch: Eddie Kaye Thomas; Harold: Fred Willard; Jim's Dad: Eugene Levy; Jim's Mom; Molly Cheek; Mary: Deborah Rush.
CREDITS
Director: Jesse Dylan; Screenwriter: Adam Herz; Producers: Warren Zide, Craig Perry, Chris Moore, Adam Herz, Chris Bender; Executive producers: Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz, Louis G. Friedman; Director of photography: Lloyd Ahern; Production designer: Clayton Hartley; Editor: Stuart Pappe; Costume designer: Pamela Withers Chilton; Music: Christophe Beck; Executive music producer: Kathy Nelson; Casting: Lisa Beach, Sarah Katzman.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
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"I want to be Byron... because I want to date young boys." Amber Benson
by Hemiola » Tue Jul 29, 2003 3:47 pm
by xita » Tue Jul 29, 2003 9:01 pm
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"The suspense is terrible. I hope it'll last."
-Willie Wonka
by kajo 2000 » Wed Jul 30, 2003 10:11 am
Quote:
Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan and Seann William Scott Talk American Wedding
We get a chance to sit down with a pie lover, flute humper and the Stiffmeister
July 30, 2003
by Jeff Otto
After two highly successful films, the so-called finale of the American Pie trilogy, American Wedding, is about to hit theaters. While so many sequels bring an end to a series quickly, American Pie 2 not only made a whole truckload of money – it also received critical acclaim. Most importantly, the fans loved it, in many cases more than the original. Can they pull off a third go-round?
We got a chance to talk to the three stars of American Wedding, Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan and Seann William Scott, to discuss the third film, including intimate details on the shaving of privates and eating caca.
First off, returning to the series was never a sure thing for any of the actors. None were originally contracted for Wedding. There was also the fear of being pigeonholed and whether there was even a story left to tell about these guys.
With her star status already firmly established from a certain bloodsucking TV show with just a few diehard followers, Alyson Hannigan may have had the most reservations about a third Pie. "I was very hesitant. ...What got me back for all three movies actually was the script. Adam [Herz]...he's amazing. ...I was thrilled when I read the script. It's just like, 'How does he keep doing this?' It just has all the elements that people love, yet it's not the same movie."
For Biggs, star treatment was a big factor for his return: "Trailer size. I got DirecTV in my trailer, which is very exciting," he jokes. "I have to agree with Alyson. The first place you start is the script. The script is pretty funny. Herz did a really good job."
One thing that may surprise audiences of Wedding is that, despite the title, this could nearly be called American Stifler. Seann William Scott's star status has grown exponentially with this role. Steve Stifler even gets a chance to grow as a person in this film. Okay, well, sort of. "I don't know why people liked the character," Scott says. "I think it's because... the way that they [his friends] played off that character because, if they would have dismissed him and just treated him as an utter a**hole... as an audience member you're like, 'Whoa, he's just a jerk.' ...They just play with him and they accept what he does and they connect... I think there's a moment of humanity. ...Obviously he cares about the kids but he's still the same guy... One thing I like about it though, ... when he's in the car and they've kicked him out of the party, it's one of the first times you've ever seen him react to being treated like a d*ck. And so I think that was ...kind of interesting, if it worked... He hasn't changed that much. I really liked that."
One of the funniest scenes involves a dance-off with Stifler in a gay bar. I don't want to give away too much here, but, suffice to say, Scott gets a chance to flex his Travolta-esque skills. "They brought in a real choreographer... They would show me some stuff and I was like, 'Oh, that's really funny.' ...I was like, 'I want to do the butterfly!' I thought it would be funny, but I couldn't do it."
One tradition of the Pie series has always been a scene involving the mutilation and/or humiliation of Jim (Jason Biggs) and his penis. Biggs knew writer Herz would be cooking up something good for American Wedding. "I wake up every morning and wonder what I'm gonna do with my genitals." If you've seen the trailer for American Wedding, you probably saw Jim's brush with bareness. Biggs actually says this is the toughest scene yet for him in the Pie trilogy. "The shaving. ...just the angles with which we shot. There was a few more peeks from my boys, let's put it that way. I gotta tell you the truth, the blades were still there and sharp. And I actually did end up pulling an ass hair or two out. Maybe not ass hairs," he backtracks. "I don't have ass hairs."
Scott's character, Stifler, has, in many respects, had it worse than Biggs in the films. With the "milky" beer drinking in the first film and a urine shower in the second, there's really only one bodily function left to cover. Scott himself was a little hesitant when he first read this scene in the script. "...It was kinda too gross. It was kinda funny, but I was like 'Great, now I'm gonna be that guy?' ...In the first two, there's something sexual about the grossest thing that Stifler did. The pee and the semen... But this is just, like, eating s**t. And then, I was wrong... what made it work was Eddie's (Eddie Kaye Thomas who plays Finch) reaction... In the first two movies... something bad happens to him [Stifler] right away. In this movie, he's just been a jerk for so long that he really deserves a little caca."
DVD fans will be excited to learn that American Wedding was shot with the DVD in mind almost as much as the theatrical release. A video crew followed the cast for the entire shoot to get their thoughts on all three films. For the bachelor party scene, two extra days were taken to film footage for the unrated DVD. Biggs talks about the DVD: "It's called Beneath the Crust. The wit never ends with us. ...We had a DVD crew with us the whole time during American Wedding... We did a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff catered specifically to our experiences from the first two movies. There will be two DVDs specific to each of the first two films just loaded with great stories, behind-the-scenes stuff... Tours of sets... and I think its gonna be pretty kickass..."
The Pie trilogy has helped to launch the careers for a group of actors primarily unknown before the trilogy. Where would they be without it? Jason Biggs has a few thoughts on this. "My guess is that Alyson would probably have been a big TV star in a really long-running TV show that had cult status... But me, I really don't know. Porn comes to mind." Hannigan laughs, "It's just amazing to be a part of something that our kids will hear about, need therapy for."
It's a tough thing for many actors to escape the trappings of playing the same character more than once. While Hannigan was already well known for her role on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it looks like Biggs and Scott are doing just fine. Biggs will soon star in Woody Allen's next film, Anything Else. "I gotta tell you, the Woody Allen thing, it happened very quickly... I was doing The Graduate in Boston... We had an under five-minute conversation in the doorway. And we exchanged pleasantries... And then he went right into the script. He was like, 'I have this script and you'd be playing this kind of character.' And he kept saying, 'You'll be playing this. You'll be this kind of character and you'll be doing this.' And he made some comment like, 'And you'll be in every scene in the movie. You'll be working every day.' I made what I thought to be a joke and said something like, 'So I guess it will be a cakewalk, huh?' And silence. Crickets. And then he said...'Okay, great...Really nice to meet you. We'll have the minions work it out and I'll see you on set.' ...So, unbeknownst to me, he had cast me before I even went in the room. ...He said the only movies he had seen of mine were American Pie and Loser. So, to ask if American Pie for me has been a detriment would be like...absolutely not. I'm proud of my performance in it."
Scott got a chance to work with The Rock in this fall's The Rundown. "It was great. When you see it, [the title] really works. The Rock plays...a bounty hunter. I'm actually the rundown, the next job... Working with The Rock was awesome. He's a great guy."
Is there more American Pie on the way, or is this really the end? Hannigan smiles brightly. "I said 'no' to every single movie. So no, this is it. Oh yeah, they can't do a sequel. And here we are, we're in a trilogy. So I'm just going to keep saying no because it keeps working out for me." Biggs deadpans, "I'm in the process of throwing around ideas for a prequel. (Laughs.) So we'll see how that goes. I'm joking. A prequel, Jesus. I guess, puberty. You know, there's a funny set piece with some balls dropping.
Hannigan's role has grown from a near cameo in the first film to front and center on the posters for American Wedding. Is Hannigan really done with the films and all her creative endeavors with instruments? "Michelle really evolved. She had a long way to go to. I mean, she's still Michelle. But she's come into her own. Grown out of such the dorkiness..."
Scott laughs as one reporter mentions a Stifler spin-off. "Will Stifler go on in his own movies? No... (laughs) ... (more seriously) No. That'd be a big career ender. No, I think it's the end, but we've said it before. I'm sure they'll try it if it does well, but I think it's the end. No, I had so much fun on the third one."
American Wedding opens nationwide this Friday, August 1st.
Quote:
'American Wedding' Leaves Joy at Altar
Thu Jul 31, 9:15 AM ET
By CHRISTY LEMIRE, AP Entertainment Writer
If the first "American Pie" movie was surprisingly sweet in 1999, and "American Pie 2" had a similar flavor but didn't taste quite as good in 2001, then "American Wedding" is enough to give you a tummy ache.
That's because the third movie in the series isn't so much about the sex-crazed yet lovable group of kids from the first two installments. It's about the comeuppance of Stifler — and a little bit of Stifler goes a long way.
Played to a jumpy, juvenile frenzy by Seann William Scott , Stifler hasn't grown up like his friends Jim (Jason Biggs ) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), who are getting married. So he has a complete tantrum when he learns he's been excluded from the plans and proceeds to weasel his way in — and, in the process, ruins everything.
Jim and Michelle are almost an afterthought. Other key figures from the first two movies — played by Tara Reid, Mena Suvari and Chris Klein — are nowhere to be found and aren't even mentioned.
But sophisticated Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) — the most interesting character of all — is back, along with Jim's buddy, Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas). So is Jim's dorky dad (Eugene Levy), still doling out advice from the Too Much Information Department.
By this stage, though, the whole exercise is so dragged out and watered down, it's essentially a series of gross-out gags with bits of dialogue tying them together.
Director Jesse Dylan (as in son-of-Bob) clearly knows his way around this territory, having directed the 2001 comedy "How High," starring rappers Method Man and Redman as stoners who get into Harvard. But he still manages to frame his shots horribly and lets the jokes run on too long.
One scene — in which Stifler stumbles into a gay bar and ends up competing in a dance-off to '80s songs ranging from Duran Duran's "The Reflex" to "Maniac" from the "Flashdance" soundtrack — is mildly amusing at first but eventually seems interminable.
It's also indicative of a homophobic vibe that permeates the script from Adam Herz, who wrote the first two movies as well. In an attempt at being sensitive to impress Michelle's gorgeous younger sister, Cadence (January Jones), Stifler dresses in pastel Lacoste shirts, gushes like a girl over flowers and chocolate and deems everything "fantastic" and "precious."
Dogs also bear the brunt of several gags. In one, Stifler accidentally lets a Pomeranian eat Michelle's wedding band — so, of course, he has to wait for it to be digested, then pick through droppings, which are later mistaken for a chocolate truffle. In an another scene, Jim's future in-laws find him in a compromising position with Stifler, two dogs and a lap full of cake frosting.
As for the titular pie of the first two movies in the troika, it's been replaced this time with a wedding cake, which also falls victim to Jim's pubic experimentation.
"American Wedding," a Universal Pictures release, is rated R for sexual content, language and crude humor. Running time: 102 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
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"I want to be Byron... because I want to date young boys." Amber Benson
by willowlove » Thu Jul 31, 2003 1:04 pm
"You forgot the first rule of mass media...give the people what they want!"--James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) to Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) in "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997)
by Puff » Thu Jul 31, 2003 1:39 pm
by xita » Thu Jul 31, 2003 2:08 pm
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"The suspense is terrible. I hope it'll last."
-Willie Wonka
by WebWarlock » Fri Aug 01, 2003 12:25 pm
-----
Web Warlock
The Other Side,
home of Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks: Available October 31st, 2003!
"I love kittens!" - My son
at: 8/1/03 11:31 amby TwiLightJoy » Fri Aug 01, 2003 1:18 pm
Tara: Um ... that, that was funny if you, um, studied Taglarin mythic rites ... and are a complete dork.
Riley: Oh, then how come Xander didn't laugh?
Xander: I don't know that Taglarin stuff.
by Willowlicious » Fri Aug 01, 2003 5:32 pm
by emma peel » Fri Aug 01, 2003 7:40 pm
by GiftofAmber » Fri Aug 01, 2003 9:00 pm
by kajo 2000 » Sat Aug 02, 2003 8:20 am
Quote:
America's favourite couple
Jim and Michelle are engaged to be married - alternatives to J.Lo and Affleck appreciated
Aug. 2, 2003. 01:00 AM
BY SEAN DALY
HOLLYWOOD — He had sex with a warm apple pie. She's the former "band camp" geek who pleasured herself with a flute.
Okay, they're not exactly Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, but with the release of American Wedding yesterday, Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan hope to become Hollywood's most bankable couple of the summer.
The third film in a series that began with the gross-out comedy American Pie re-teams Biggs, 25, and Hannigan, 29, as social misfits Jim Levinstein and Michelle Flaherty, now recent college graduates coping with the unexpected pressures of friends and family while planning their big day.
"They are both incredibly likeable and endearing despite their quirks and involvement in some pretty absurd circumstances," says Biggs, a native of Pompton Plains, N.J., who recently appeared on Toronto and Broadway stages in the revival of The Graduate. "In a world filled with glamorous movie star couples and reality TV show dating games with beautiful people, here's a couple who is a lot more approachable."
And easier for audiences from all different backgrounds to relate to, according to Us Weekly film critic Thelma Adams: "What people like about them is that they are not Ben and J. Lo. What's attractive is that they really look like a couple you knew in high school and you really root for them."
In 1999, teenage moviegoers forked over more than $150 million of babysitting money to see the original American Pie, in which four high school buddies made a pact to lose their virginity by prom night. Jim and Michelle got together in the 2001 sequel American Pie 2, which grossed another $140 million.
Director Jesse Dylan (How High) is banking on Hannigan — best known as Willow from TV's Buffy The Vampire Slayer — and Biggs to deliver another blockbuster in a summer full of underachieving sequels (Legally Blonde 2, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle). "Jason and Michelle have great chemistry," he notes.
The only better combination may be Hannigan and Angel actor Alexis Denisof, 37, with whom she is busy planning a real life fall 2003 wedding. "I learned a lot of what not to do from making this movie," she offers with a laugh.
The couple became engaged while driving to visit Denisof's family in northern California last Christmas, one month after they purchased a 1920s Spanish-style house in Sacramento. "We were at a point in our relationship where I just thought `How could it get any better?' and then it's so strange, as soon as that ring goes on, something changes and it just elevates everything," she gushes.
Biggs, meanwhile, broke up with his girlfriend of three years in April. "Distance was ultimately the biggest factor," he admits. "She lives in New York and I'm back and forth travelling. It was just too much." He recently re-entered the dating pool and is open to meeting all different types of women — "just as long as they don't work too late at the strip club."
Joking aside, Biggs also hopes to pursue a new hobby — flying airplanes. "I'm fascinated with aviation," he says. "I want to get my pilot's licence. My father used to be a pilot. I grew up next to Teterboro Airport."
Biggs graduated from nearby Hasbrouck Heights Junior-Senior High School in 1995. By then, he was already a show business veteran, having starred in television commercials in the fourth grade.
He began acting along with his older and younger sisters in hopes of earning money for college.
"My parents couldn't really afford to put three kids through school," he remembers. "The irony is that I've since dropped out of two colleges, so the money never went to college."
His mother, a pediatric nurse, would frequently take time off from work to shuttle the budding actor between auditions. In 1990, she accompanied her son to Seattle, where he performed in a repertory production of Conversations With My Father with Judd Hirsch. The pair eventually brought the production to New York.
"The Broadway thing was the most incredible experience for me ever," he says. "New York theatre is vibrant and so thrilling and so great. I can't wait to get back to it."
Hannigan began her acting career in TV ads for McDonalds, Oreo cookies and Six Flags. The daughter of divorced parents (mom was a real estate broker, dad drove trucks), she admits to being a shy teenager. "I didn't embrace my inner Michelle until I was in my 20s," she says.
Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Atlanta, Hannigan made her big screen debut in the 1988 comedy My Stepmother Is An Alien and has appeared in more than a dozen feature films, including the 2000 comedy Boys And Girls, also starring Biggs. "They didn't have any scenes together but they were great friends on the set," recalls co-star Amanda Detmer.
So could the future hold other collaborations outside the American Pie franchise?
"Sure," says Dina Sansing, West Coast editor of Seventeen magazine. "But I think it is going to be hard for them to escape the characters from this trilogy. Unless you wait a while, you will not be able to look at these two actors and see anything but the two characters from American Pie and American Wedding. But it's certainly possible in the next couple of years."
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"I want to be Byron... because I want to date young boys." Amber Benson
by willowlove » Sat Aug 02, 2003 11:35 am
by Warduke » Sat Aug 02, 2003 11:40 am
by WebWarlock » Sat Aug 02, 2003 1:17 pm
-----
Web Warlock
The Other Side,
home of Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks: Available October 31st, 2003!
"I love kittens!" - My son
by xita » Sat Aug 02, 2003 1:42 pm
It will likely open in the 20s if not the 30s. Here's hoping! A great total for a 3rd sequel! ) - - - - - - - - - - -
"The suspense is terrible. I hope it'll last."
-Willie Wonka
by Gatito Grande » Sat Aug 02, 2003 9:16 pm
Quote:
As a side note: in case someone doesn't know, "sitting shiva" is something you do around a Jewish funeral. They don't explain that in the movie.
) I was one of precisely two people in the theater who laughed at that! (I think maybe Michelle's father meant many more shabbats they would share? The rehearsal dinner could have been on a Saturday night).
) was really nice. And the couple times that she was upset (re: flowers, and Grandma's prejudice)? Suddenly, I forgot she was "Michelle", and I was looking at Willow again (no one makes your heart ache like Aly!).
Out by urnofosiris » Sun Aug 03, 2003 3:40 am
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Coffee, Food, Kisses and Gay Love........Get it while you are hot
by kajo 2000 » Sun Aug 03, 2003 1:55 pm
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"I want to be Byron... because I want to date young boys." Amber Benson
by willowlove » Sun Aug 03, 2003 2:47 pm
by urnofosiris » Sun Aug 03, 2003 2:59 pm
Quote:
"American Wedding," the third film in the "American Pie" comedy franchise, took the cake at the North American box office in its first weekend, while Hollywood power couple Jennifer Lopez (news) and Ben Affleck (news) ate humble pie with one of the biggest flops of the summer.
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Coffee, Food, Kisses and Gay Love........Get it while you are hot
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