18 December
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SOUL Director: Pete Docter, Kemp PowersStarring: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Phylicia Rashad, Angela Bassett, Graham Norton, Daveed Diggs, Questlove, Donnell Rawlings, Wes Studi Pixar has taken us to infinity and beyond and inside the mind of a young girl. Their new film Soul takes us deep within ourselves. Jamie Foxx lends his dynamic voice to Joe Gardner, a band teacher who finds himself stuck in a bit of a rut as his kids are unmotivated and lacking any enthusiasm for jazz. Joe gets the opportunity to play at a prestigious night club with the illustrious Dorothea Williams voiced by Angela Bassett. His night doesn’t goRead More →

14 May
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WINE COUNTRY Director: Amy PoehlerStarring: Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer, Maya Rudolph, Paula Pell, Emily Spivey, Tina Fey, Jason Schwartzman, Cherry Jones Rebecca (Dratch) is turning fifty but doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Her friend, Abby (Poehler), convinces her that a girls trip to wine country in the Napa Valley would make for the perfect getaway. They gather four of their other best friends to head out for the weekend. They all met back in the day as waitresses in a pizza joint in Chicago. They’ve since moved on to different states, careers, and lives and rarely get togetherRead More →

04 March
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WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa Starring: Tina Fey, Martin Freeman, Margot Robbie, Alfred Molina, Billy Bob Thornton, Christopher Abbott Tina Fey furthers her attempt at having a big screen career by taking on the true story of journalist Kim Barker. In the film she’s been renamed Kim Baker. Why the one letter difference? I’m not sure. In 2003, she was working as a producer for a television news station. They were looking at making cuts and shuffling things around. Kim was unmarried and childless and was the most vulnerable to be sent overseas to Afghanistan. She needed a change from her dailyRead More →

17 December
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SISTERS Director: Jason Moore Starring: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Dianne Wiest, James Brolin, Ike Barinholtz, Bobby Moynihan, Kate McKinnon, Rachel Dratch, John Cena Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have proven time and time again that they are comedy gold. They are making their first return to the big screen together since 2008’s Baby Mama. Maura Ellis (Poehler) learns from her parents (Brolin and Wiest) that they are selling their childhood home. They’re too scared to tell their other daughter, Kate (Fey), about the news, so it’s up to Maura to spread word about the fact their childhood home will soon be on theRead More →

Twin Cities Live
20 September
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TWIN CITIES LIVE September 19, 2014         It was a page to screen adaptation day on Twin Cities Live. I believe this is one of my longest segments, and it’s also one of my favorites. Enjoy! 1. THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU, Starring: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver 2. THE MAZE RUNNER, Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter 3. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, Starring: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Laura Dern Here’s the video: Video courtesy of Twin Cities Live/KSTP You can find all of my past segments HERE. As always, thank you so muchRead More →

19 September
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THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU Director: Shawn Levy Starring: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver, Jane Fonda, Rose Byrne, Dax Sheperd, Connie Britton, Kathryn Hahn, Abigail Spencer, Timothy Olyphant, Ben Schwartz I must admit that I have a soft spot for these types of family ensemble stories. Two films in my top ten, American Beauty and The Ice Storm, both center on dysfunctional families. This is Where I Leave You takes a lighter approach than both of those films. It’s even lighter than last year’s August: Osage County, which has a similar premise. For Judd Altman (Bateman), when it rains it pours.Read More →

29 May
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THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU Director: Shawn Levy Starring: Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver, Connie Britton, Kathryn Hahn, Rose Byrne, Dax Shepard, Timothy Olyphant, Debra Monk It’s become a joke with my parents that I love movies about dysfunctional families. As an actor, I’m always drawn to those types of large ensemble dramas as there are rich characters for the actors to play with. I was immediately drawn to This is Where I Leave You when I first saw the cast list and a publicity photo in Entertainment Weekly. Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver,Read More →

26 March
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MUPPETS MOST WANTED Director: James Bobin Starring: Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey, Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman, Danny Trejo, Ray Liotta In 2011, The Muppets came back to the big screen in an all new adventure thanks to Jason Segel and director James Bobin. It was wonderful to see Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and the gang reaching a whole new audience of moviegoers of all ages. The whole gang of Muppets plus Bobin, screenwriter Nicholas Stoller, and composer Bret McKenzie are back for a new global adventure. Picking up at the exact same moment the last film ended,Read More →

24 March
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ELAINE STRITCH SHOOT ME Director: Chiemi Karasawa Starring: Elaine Stritch, Rob Bowman, Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, James Gandolfini, John Turturro There she is in her white button down shirt with black tights with no pants singing, “I’m Still Here” from Follies. It seems like the perfect song for her. Like every song Elaine Stritch sings, she makes it fit for her and where she is at in this moment of her life. Her rendition of “I Feel Pretty” is not like the one you grew up hearing. Legendary Broadway actress Elaine Stritch is not known for being a shy, private, or hidden person. Even atRead More →

26 March
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ADMISSION Director: Paul Weitz Starring: Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Lily Tomlin, Wallace Shawn, Gloria Reuben, Michael Sheen “Just be yourself” seems to be the motto of Portia Nathan (Fey). Portia is an admissions officer at Princeton University and that is her pitch and words of advice to all of the incoming prospects who are desperate to get in. Portia’s life seems to be a bit in shambles. Her boyfriend, Mark (Sheen), has left her with no notice for a snooty Virginia Woolf scholar. She is battling her coworker (Reuben) for a promotion after her boss (Shawn) announces his pending retirement. On top of that, herRead More →