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Review: Nicolas Cage Gets All Meta for “Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”

Leah Sydney
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Review: Nicolas Cage Gets All Meta for “Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”

Nicolas Cage’s latest spoof on himself “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” uses his huge talent, self-deprecation his appeal and affability to his total advantage. Charming Cage has been in over 100 movies, some classic, some D list, Cage admitted he had massive debt to pay off. But “Massive” (wish it were a better title) is a smart move.

Nic plays Nic; he’s lovable, maddening and true to his celebrity status, narcissistic. Directed by Tom Gormican with a script by him and Kevin Etten, the film works because of Cage’s self-deprecating affable way; he throws himself into this role of himself with abandon. Cage is struggling to forge a close relationship with is daughter, (played appealing by Lily Sheen) and navigating his still friendly but fraught friendship with his ex-wife Oliva (Sharon Horgan.) All the while he is beyond desperate to get back to his once lauded career. His agent (Neil Patrick Harris) presents an offer that literally Nick cannot refuse. Be a guest to the humongous fan Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal) for a million bucks. Cage has no choice; he’s run up at $600,000 bill at the Sunset Tower which needs to be paid. He flies to Spain where Javi is revealed to be an international criminal., which Nic and his agent didn’t obviously know. Despite the obstacles, a true bromance develops but gets rudely interrupted when two CIA operatives, a terrific Ike Barinholtz and Tiffany Haddish, recruit Cage to snitch on his now BFF Javi.

Kidnapping, action sequences, shoot me ups, it’s all there, along with a wonderful score which includes spaghetti western and flamenco guitars, by Composer Mark Isham. The film is ‘wink, wink’ smart and quippy throughout. Cage has scenes with his CGI’d younger self which are a treat to watch.

Perhaps Gormican took inspiration from talented filmmaker Adam Rifkin’s excellent “Last Movie Star” in which Burt Reynolds spoke to his younger self. The bottom line is that the film is a slapstick, action joy ride for Nick Cage fans. Cage is the real deal, he’s a movie star with longevity and respect with a devoted fanbase spanning over generations. It’s been an up and down ride for him, but “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” is a top-tier treat to watch.

Bill Murray Movie Canceled for Inappropriate Behavior, Co-star Keke Palmer Writes: “Not every talented person is a professional and people PAY for PROFESSIONALISM”

Roger Friedman
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Bill Murray Movie Canceled for Inappropriate Behavior, Co-star Keke Palmer Writes: “Not every talented person is a professional and people PAY for PROFESSIONALISM”

What a disaster.

Aziz Ansari has only recently recovered from #metoo accusations. Now the film he wrote and directed has been cancelled because of accusations of “inappropriate behavior.” The film is called “Being Mortal” and it was being filmed for Disney (formerly Fox) Searchlight.

The behavior was not Ansari’s fault. The culprit has been identified as star Bill Murray. The former “SNL” star has had his ups and downs over the years on sets, and certainly famous for “eccentric” behavior. There are old stories floating around about he acted toward Oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss on the set of “What About Bob?”

Murray, as I say, is known for being off beat but usually his antics don’t rise to this level of complaint. But this is a new world, much less tolerant of bad language or anything suggestive, and certainly any hint of bullying.

One name we haven’t heard so far in this story is the lovely actress Keke Palmer, the only woman on the main cast list. She doesn’t deserve this mishegos.

Palmer posted an interesting and maybe telling philosophy to Instagram earlier this week. Here it is:

It’s not always about how good you are at the actual job… It’s about how you show up to the job. Are you on time? Do you have a good attitude? Are you efficient? Are you flexible? Are you calm under fire? Do you represent yourself and the employer well? Are you a good communicator?

These are the things people sometimes don’t think matters, especially those who work in fields that come natural to them. It can double your rate in any field if you create an enjoyable EXPERIENCE for the client. And it can lower your rate when people don’t like the experience of working with you, no matter the outcome of the actual task.

I’m talented but I’m not arrogant enough to believe that there aren’t many talented people. However, not every talented person is a professional and people PAY for PROFESSIONALISM.

Here’s the letter Searchlight sent out to cast and crew:

Dear Being Mortal Cast and Crew,

We know you are all concerned about the recent delays in production and want to give you an update.Late last week, we were made aware of a complaint, and we immediately looked into it.  After reviewing the circumstances, it has been decided that production cannot continue at this time.We are truly grateful to all of you for everything you’ve put into this project. Our hope is to resume production and are working with Aziz and Youree to figure out that timing.Production will be in touch with you to share details on the wrap, and we will let you know as soon as we have more information to share.

“Ozark” Premieres Its Last Round at Splashy NY Premiere, Goes Out with a Bang

Roger Friedman
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“Ozark” Premieres Its Last Round at Splashy NY Premiere, Goes Out with a Bang

I may be one of the very few at the extremely overcrowded “Ozark” premiere last night in New York who’s seen the end of the series. When I mentioned this to a couple of people who were even in the show, they threw their hands over their screamed, “Don’t spoil it!” Don’t worry, I won’t.

Netflix gave the much acclaimed and beloved series a splashy farewell party at the Plaza Hotel’s Oak Room across the street from the Paris Theater (which they’re currently renting). They showed the first two episodes of season 5, or season 4.2, to the cast including Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, and several other cast members who I really enjoyed meeting. But not to Julia Garner, their Emmy winning “Ruth,” who is now filming a new project in London after scoring so well in “Inventing Anna.”

I did to get to the show’s creator, Chris Mundy, who at least had a sense of humor when I grilled him about several things from this season and last. He was happy to hear that I was surprised by a couple of sharp twists in the final episode. I told him I yelled at the TV and considered throwing something at one point. I think this made him happy.

Biggest surprise of the evening: actress Jessica Francis Dukes, who played pregnant FBI agent Maya in seasons 3 and 4. In real life, Dukes has never been pregnant, is about 20 pounds lighter than Maya, and a hundred times more glamorous. She’s also quite a bit younger. The transformation is kind of amazing. Dukes is a charmer. She just appeared on Broadway in “Trouble in Mind.” She has an Obie Award! On TV, she’s been on Marvel’s Jessica Jones, New Amsterdam on NBC, NCIS: New Orleans, The Good Wife on CBS.

The party was so loud and sardined with utterly fatuous party extras that Dukes never got to tell me her most important credit: playing Vera in “By The Way, Meet Vera Stark” at The Signature Theatre Off-Broadway a few years ago. This woman is a star! (PS the party was so loud that several guests of honor, like actor Tom Pelphrey, got out fast.)

Meantime, Laura Linney will miss most of Emmy campaigning season. She’s off to Ireland to film a movie with Maggie Smith, no less. She will definitely be nominated for Best Actress and could/should win. Her performance as Wendy Byrde is nothing less than spectacular.

PS What happened to the days of really interesting, powerful, and cool guests at parties? Bring back Peggy Siegal already!

Thursday Box Office: 3 Big Premieres, But “Father Stu,” “Morbius” Face the End

Roger Friedman
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Thursday Box Office: 3 Big Premieres, But “Father Stu,” “Morbius” Face the End

Thursday night at the box office brought three big premieres in previews. But two other cinematic misfires are coming to the end.

For Sony, which made so much money with “Spider Man” and “Uncharted,” the pendulum has swung around. Both “Father Stu” and “Morbius” are finito. The former is really dead, coming into its second weekend with just $10 million and declines all week. All the prayers in the world couldn’t save this turkey. Mark Wahlberg made a big mistake here. Mel Gibson was the mistake.

Three big previews last night. “The Northman” and “The Bad Guys” broke out big time with $1.3 million and $1.15 million respectively. The Nicholas Cage movie with the hard title, “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” came in at $830,000. If they’d called it “UnCaged,” LionsGate would have had a bigger opening. We’ll see if good reviews and Cage ‘s eccentric talk show appearances help push it along.

Michele Lee Remembers Robert Morse: “He was the Robin Williams of musical theater, a comedic genius”

Roger Friedman
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Michele Lee Remembers Robert Morse: “He was the Robin Williams of musical theater, a comedic genius”

Michele Lee is best known for starring as Karen McKenzie for 14 years on CBS’s “Knots Landing.”

But Lee had a big Broadway career in the 1960s and early 70s, starting with “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” She was Rosemary to Robert Morse’s J. Pierrepont Finch first on stage and then in the 1967 movie. He famously sang “I Believe in You” to Lee, and in the film she sang it with him.

Hearing the news about her lifelong friend’s passing, Lee told me this afternoon: “I really believe Bobby was the Robin Williams of musical theater. He was a comedic genius. You never knew what he was going to do up there. And when you see us on screen, that’s not just Rosemary looking at him adoringly, that’s Michele Lee. That was really how I felt about him.”

Lee did not originate Rosemary. She was the replacement for the original actress, Bonnie Scott. who became pregnant four or five months into the run. But she and Morse just clicked, and the rest is history.

Fox’s “Masked Singer” Falls to Lowest Ratings Ever with Rudy Giuliani as Guest, Judge Walks Off Show

Roger Friedman
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Fox’s “Masked Singer” Falls to Lowest Ratings Ever with Rudy Giuliani as Guest, Judge Walks Off Show

Last night, Fox’s “The Masked Singer” fell to its lowest numbers ever. The total was 3,968,000. The show has been in decline since its return on March 9th.

It didn’t help that despised former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani was unmasked as the special guest. He “sang” the song “Bad to the Bone.” Giuliani’s appearance sent judge Ken Jeong off the stage and registered a protest also from Robin Thicke. Giuliani, a Trump henchman, is also thought to be part of the January 6th 2021 insurrection at the Capitol.

The show was taped some weeks ago, and Jeong’s walk off was publicized when it happened. So fans of “The Masked Singer” knew this was coming and chose not to watch it. If the idea was to generate ratings through this bad taste publicity it didn’t work.

CNN Plus is A Minus: Streaming Service, a Failure, Will Shut Down on April 30 Per Reports– No Word on Chris Wallace’s Fate

Roger Friedman
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CNN Plus is A Minus: Streaming Service, a Failure, Will Shut Down on April 30 Per Reports– No Word on Chris Wallace’s Fate

That’s it for CNN Plus.

The streaming service was a minus on Warner Discovery’s books, and now it’s over. The New York Times says it’s shutting down on April 30th.

What will happen to news personalities like Chris Wallace and Kasie Hunt who were brought over from Fox News and NBC News, respectively? Their agents and lawyers must be going crazy.

But no one knew where CNN Plus was, or what it was, or how to find it. It had a failure to launch, in simple terms. A few days ago it was reported that Warner Discovery, the new version of Time Warner whatever, had suspended all marketing and fired the COO. The writing was on the wall.

Part of the problem was without Jeff Zucker running CNN, and the parent company being sold, no one had a vision for what this was supposed to be. We all hate Fox News, but they birthed Fox Nation with a plan. And now it’s up and running.

One day, CNN will return to streaming. But for now, the dream is dead.

Legend: Pam Grier Still Kicking Ass as Star of This Week’s TCM Fest in Hollywood

Leah Sydney
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Legend: Pam Grier Still Kicking Ass as Star of This Week’s TCM Fest in Hollywood

Legendary star of Quentin Tarantino’s “Jackie Brown,” and, of course, “Foxy Brown,” Pam Grier made a surprise early appearance to an appreciative crowd at the TCM, Classic Film Festival’s Media welcome reception at the Roosevelt Hotel Wednesday night.

Introduced by TCM general manager Pola Changnon, the iconic 72 year old star bounced on that stage like she owned it, because she does. Pam was just 24 when she was cast as the lead in “Coffy” a Blaxploitation, low budget raunchy and violent action-packed movie (which will be shown at the festival with Pam giving the introduction). Pam later went on to kick ass in classics such as “Foxy Brown” in 1974 and had a career resurgence with Quentin Tarantino’s “Jackie Brown.”

Grier explained her love for the movies. “I’m a film maven. In snowstorms I watch 3 or 4 movies a day. I get to see the narrative and culture from so many people. we’ve lived and experienced so many things. So sometimes they change. Our curiosity, our political position, our culture, our ideas, it’s so important that you continue to show all these incredible movies.”

When Pam saw TCM host Ben Mankiewicz out of the corner of her eye she let out an appreciative shout out. Mankiewicz hosts the mega popular TCM Podcast “The Plot Thickens”; the upcoming season will be about Pam’s singularly remarkable life story. How did Pam become best known for portraying touch, sexy crime fighters? “My great grandmother lived in Wyoming. She was the first black ‘Annie Oakley’ or ‘Foxy Brown‘ if you will. She had a hotel for the Blacks and the Chinese who worked on the railroad. She was also a sugar beet farmer. She taught my grandfather how to treat us girls to do anything a boy could do. Bring the tractor in and change tires, you name it. That’s how I got tough.”

Pam just finished a film in Atlanta and is thankfully working often these days. She mentioned that in a recent interview she was asked how did all those action films? She quipped, “I just don’t know how I did them all without a sports bra!”

The TCM Film Fest opens tonight and all five TCM hosts were in attendance, besides Ben; Alicia Malone, Dave Karger, Jacqueline Stewart and Eddie Muller were all chatting with guests.  TCM fest film attracts film lovers worldwide. Tonight’s opening will honor “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” for its 40 anniversary with Steven Spielberg, Drew Barrymore, Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace Stone, Kathleen Kennedy and more joining in. Saturday night Dave Karger moderates the “Diner” panel with Kevin Bacon, Steve Guttenberg, Tim Daly and Paul Reiser.  Closing night on Sunday is “A League of Their Own.” 

Lily Tomlin will be feted with a hand and footprint ceremony on Friday. 

Other notables at the TCM Fest include Piper Laurie, Bruce Dern, and Disney animator legend Floyd Norman.  Our pal, film journalist and historian Leonard Maltin, will receive the Robert Osborne award on Saturday. Spielberg comes back to the TCL Chinese Theater on Saturday night for the 4K restoration of George Steven’s iconic “Giant” which he worked on with The Film Foundation, including Martin Scorsese. 

But back to Pam, as she looking around on the stage she announced, “I guess I’m a classic now!”  You sure are Pam! 

Bobby Morse Succeeded in Show Business: RIP at 90, Emmy and Tony Winner

Roger Friedman
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Bobby Morse Succeeded in Show Business: RIP at 90, Emmy and Tony Winner

Robert Morse is gone at age 90. His impish charm, noted everywhere this morning, served him well. His big early moment came in 1962’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” for which his extremely charming performance won him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He won another Tony in 1990 for his one man show as Truman Capote as “Tru,” and an Emmy award for play Capote in a 1980 TV special.

To more contemporary audiences, Morse was better known as Bert Cooper, founder of ad agency Sterling Cooper, on “Mad Men.” He was nominated for Best Guest Actor in a Drama five times between 2008 and 2014 in that role which he made iconic and beloved before getting a big musical number upon his exit. (He should have won.)

But it was Morse’s J. Pierrepont Finch in “How to Succeed” that cemented his career all through the 1960s. First it was on Broadway and then in the movie in 1967, each time with Michele Lee, later the star of “Knots Landing,” as his Rosemary.

Here he is:

and here is as Bert Cooper:

I talked to Morse a lot over the years, first when he was on Broadway in “Tru,” and later with “Mad Men.” He was just delightful, incredibly fun and smart and insightful. He’s really going to be missed and never forgotten.

Alec Baldwin Announces Exoneration in Halyna Hutchins’ Death, But That May Be a Bit Premature

Roger Friedman
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Alec Baldwin Announces Exoneration in Halyna Hutchins’ Death, But That May Be a Bit Premature

Alec Baldwin has posted an odd Tweet which he says is from his lawyer. They thank the New Mexico Environment Department for investigating the death of Halyna Hutchins and exonerating Alec from responsibility.

But that maybe a premature because that’s not exactly what the report about the Hutchins death says. Indeed, they point out that that assistant director Dave Halls handed Baldwin a loaded gun and that Baldwin didn’t know it. They state that “Alec Baldwin’s authority on the set included approving script changes and actor candidates.” But they also add that “Alec Baldwin handled the revolver and fired the round that struck and injured Halyna Hutchins and Joel Souza.”

Baldwin’s exoneration is not mentioned in the report, only in his lawyer’s tweet.

So let’s wait a second. Even if we know Baldwin didn’t intentionally fire a loaded gun, and certainly had no intention of killing or hurting anyone, the report states that he fired the gun. Baldwin has always maintained that he did not fire the gun.

On top of that, the report is highly critical of Rush Productions LLC. In a summary they say “OHSB found that Rust willfully violated the Occupational Health and Safety Act by demonstrating plain indifference to the safety of employees and exposing those employees to the serious hazards associated with firearm use.” They fined the Rust company over $136,000 for causing Hutchins’s death.

They state that the accident was “willful.” The report says: “Members of Rust management knew that firearm safety procedures were not being followed on set and acted with plain indifference to employee safety by failing to review work practices, adhere to film industry standards for firearm safety, and take corrective action.’

But the department does not determine individual responsibility: “OHSB has jurisdiction to hold employers accountable for violations of workplace safety requirements. In this case, the employer is Rust Movie Productions, LLC. OHSB does not issue citations to any individuals associated with the employer.”

So no one is off the hook. Not Baldwin, not Hannah Guiterrez-Reed, and certainly not Dave Halls or of the producers of the movie. There’s a lot more to come here.

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