#and mena suvari is so beautiful
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Loser (2000) is an underrated 00s romcom and i will NOT stand for it
#its so cute?#yall just dont have good taste#and mena suvari is so beautiful#iconic film#00s films#y2k#indie film#loser film#loser movie#mena suvari#loser 2000
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i can’t help it she’s just like me
#1999#american beauty#girlblogger#girl interrupted syndrome#tumblrina#mena suvari#aesthetic#waif#real#upl#i’m just a girl#she’s so me fr
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if you like American Beauty you should watch Blame ♡
♡ themes/motifs ♡
~ teacher crush/older man
~ jealousy/rivalry
~ btw I hate K*vin Sp*cey but I loved Mena Suvari in this movie so that's why I included it
#movie recs#coquette#coquette aesthetic#american beauty#blame#blame 2017#mena suvari#90s#90s films#quinn shephard
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Mena Suvari, Eddie Griffin, and Logan Riley Bruner in Yale Entertainment’s ALL YOU NEED IS BLOOD.
Yale Entertainment announces their latest feature, All You Need Is Blood, a horror-thriller with comedic elements starring Logan Riley Bruner (Stranger Things), Mena Suvari (American Beauty) and Eddie Griffin (Undercover Brother). Cooper Roberts, who was nominated for a Grammy® for directing the music video to The Dead Weather's “I Feel Love,” is the writer-director. Yale Entertainment’s Jordan Yale Levine, Jordan Beckerman and Jesse Korman are producing. Russell Posternak is also producing. Worldwide sales will be handled by the company’s recently launched sales banner, Great Escape, led by Nick Donnermeyer.
In All You Need Is Blood, after a strange meteor lands in his backyard and turns his deadbeat father into a brain-eating zombie, a 16-year-old aspiring director teams up with his friends to create the ultimate student film.
“It’s a zombie film but I love it because of how much heart it has. At its core, this story has so many meaningful themes it’s exploring, buried under the carnage.” Said Korman.
“Cooper [Roberts] has a tremendously assured vision with this project,” Donnermeyer said. “He’s gotten some great performances from his actors and the production just looks fantastic overall—all the more impressive for a debut feature.”
Executive producers include Yale’s Michael J. Rothstein, and Jason Kringstein, Scott Levenson, Clay Pecorin, Russell Geyser, Brian S. Unger, Eric Broughton and Roz Rothstein.
Suvari’s recent credits include Don't Tell a Soul, What Lies Below and The Accursed. Previous films include Sam Mendes’ American Beauty, Tony Scott’s Domino, and the American Pie series, as well as television roles on Six Feet Under and American Horror Story.. She will next be seen portraying Jane Wyman in next year's biographical drama, Regan, opposite Dennis Quaid. Suvari is repped by Innovative Artists and MPE.
Stand-up comedian Griffin currently has a residency titled The Eddie Griffin experience in Las Vegas, followed by a nationwide tour. His film credits include the Oscar®-winning A Star is Born, John Q, the Scary Movieseries, Armageddon and the titular role in Undercover Brother. He is repped by Stewart Talent.
Bruner is best known for playing Fred Benson on Stranger Things. His other credits include The Marvelous Ms. Maisel, and the films Vox Lux, Alex Strangelove and The Reunion. He is repped by A3 Artists Agency.
Production on the film recently wrapped in New Jersey.
#film news#movie news#yale entertainment#cooper roberts#logan riley bruner#mena suvari#eddie griffin#all you need is blood#horror#zombie#comedy#completion
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I think you're one of the few i see who prefers cody over steve. Not judging! Just making an observation. I also love cody. And initially i preferred george as sephiroth, but honestly, tyler has really grown on me. Kinda sad to see people prematurely judging caleb though. Like come on, at least give him a chance.
Steve's the reason I always thought AC cloud was emo. I get now that Cloud was literally dying but honestly, he just sounded like a miserable git being all poor me through the entire film. That's why my fave scenes are the fighting ones cause Cloud doesn't talk in them 🤣
Obvs after reading up and learning the lore I know better, but I've never been a fan of his voice. He sounds so old. Cloud is 23 in AC and I wouldn't have been shocked if someone said he was 35.
Cody sounds young. Caleb sounds young. I especially think male VAs should sound the age of the character they're playing. It's one thing to play the role well like Rick does, but he still makes me believe Zack is in his 30's and for me that makes him wrong for the part.
I feel bad for Caleb getting a load of hate just cause he's not Rick. He's doing a good job and if he wasn't being compared to another va by salty losers who wanna hear someone else I think he'd been getting more positive feedback.
I honestly don't get why anybody prefers Steve to Cody, though. Cody is amazing! The way he plays Cloud made me a fan of Cloud ❤️
Britt is a great Tifa, and Rachael Leigh Cook was also a good Tifa. Maybe not as low registered as I think the devs imply Tifa sounds, but she did good. Britt's better though. Britt is how I always imagined Tifa sounded.
I have no opinion of the Sephiroth VAs. Honestly, they all sound the same to me. Which I don't think is bad, they all sound consistently good and alike so I think that helps the transition between VAs work better. Tyler seems a very sort of smooth Sephiroth. Like you can get a sense of this terrible beauty through his voice over the outright sinister side most people think of when they think of Seph.
I don't like how Briana does Aerith. I literally play saying "stfu Aerith" whenever she's screaming. I did like Mena Suvari as Aerith. I thought she was easy to listen to even though I didn't like Aerith in AC either. I've never liked her, but Mena had a good voice for Aerith. I wouldn't go around demanding SE replace Briana with Mena.
Preferring one va over another is about taste and everyone is entitled to their opinion. Harassing SE, the devs and the VAs because you don't like how someone sounds is being a shit bag and you should stfu. That is not about opinion. That's you being a git and nobody wants to hear you whining 🤣
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Todd Grinnell
Just Another Day in Paradise Cove
by Jay S. Jacobs
Nice beachfront property in Malibu is very hard to come by, but Paradise Cove takes that hunt to an extreme.
The new owners of this beach house are Knox (Todd Grinnell, who has played Schneider in the One Day at a Time reboot) and Tracy (Mena Suvari, of the unofficial American trilogy – American Beauty, American Pie and American Horror Story). The house had been bequeathed to Knox by his late, estranged mother. They move into the house with their beloved dog to rebuild and resell it. Tracy is also spending their time there to see a fertility doctor.
It’s definitely a fixer upper. In fact, it was nearly gutted in the fire that killed Knox’s mom. However, it has great bones and a view to die for. And Knox is a builder, so he decides to uproot his family, gamble his nest egg, hire some contractors and rebuild it and then flip the house and make a small fortune. Of course, you find out quickly that Knox is willing to stretch some zoning laws and look away from some slightly shady areas of his potential personal fortune.
However, every dream house has a nightmare, and this one’s nightmare is Bree – played by actress/model Kristin Bauer van Straten (True Blood, Once Upon a Time and… my personal favorite credit… Jerry’s girlfriend with “man hands” in a classic episode of Seinfeld). Bree is a forty-something former model and Hollywood wife who claims that Knox’s mother stole the house from her. Now she is squatting in the sand underneath the home’s stilts – safe from the elements and with a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean – and she absolutely refuses to leave. She also is… umm… rather eccentric, in ways that become more and more alarming as the film goes on.
Paradise Cove was a challenge for star Todd Grinnell. Though he has done drama over the years, he is best known for TV comedy, particularly for four years in his breakthrough role as needy landlord/handyman Schneider in the reboot of the classic 70s sitcom One Day at a Time. Grinnell feels right at home in a thriller, playing an ordinary, mostly good but flawed man who is thrown in way over his head in some very dangerous waters, eventually getting into a battle royale with his unwelcome houseguest.
A week before Paradise Cove was released for On Demand purchasing, we caught up with Grinnell. (Well, by phone, no in person interviews these days.) It was a tough day for the actor – his wife, actress/musician India de Beaufort (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, One Day at a Time) was out of town working and Grinnell was in charge of their kid, and also, they had just gotten some scary COVID-19 news about a family member. However, Grinnell was a trouper and gave a very personable interview, telling me all about Paradise Cove, One Day at a Time, “Insane Duane” and life in the strange new world.
What was it about the script for Paradise Cove that intrigued you?
It's just such fun. I really love thrillers. My wife doesn't always love scary, intense movies. Sometimes she'll say, “I want to do something else tonight. I'm going to go draw in my room,” or something. And I'll be like, “Oh, great, because I want to go watch this really scary, intense movie on a Friday night.” It just really struck a chord with me. It felt like all these awesome classic thrillers that we've all watched, and always enjoy. I love that.
Very nice.
And I love the character. I love the idea that Knox is a guy who's just trying to do better for his family. He gets a break where he gets left this fixer upper – in Malibu, of all places. It's like winning the lottery, especially since he's a contractor. Then he starts to fall apart. He gets pushed to the brink. You get to see what you would do in that situation.
Right.
For me, it was kind of exciting to think about that.
Well, it's like you said in a lot of ways, Knox is a very good man. But he does have his issues too.
That’s true…
Like, sometimes he took his wife for granted and he didn't really seem to care all that much that his mother may have stolen the house from Bree. Then when people are falling dead, he was thinking more about himself than what was happening around him.
Yeah.
In what ways was the character difficult for you to reach as an actor? In what ways would you say the character was sort of like you?
That's a great question. Like I just said, there's a part of him that's a guy who's just trying to do good for his family. The part that I think is different from me, that is something that I really had to think about and work on, was the disregard for everyone to just get what you want. Which is a tough thing. I'm not the guy who steps on someone to get to the top, at all.
I can see that.
(laughs) Clearly Knox has a little bit of that in him, from his mom. Clearly, he learned that from his mom. That's something that he brought into his life. He just put these blinders on. He said, “Okay, somebody's losing out when I'm winning here, but I'm not going to look at that.” Then eventually, as the movie goes on it became, “Well, somebody just died. But I'm not going to look at that. I'm going to keep going to get what I need.” There was a little bit of that that was there was interesting to play with, that I don't normally think about in my daily life. (laughs again)
I interviewed Mena about a decade ago for another movie, and it was very nice to see her in the role of your wife. What was she like to work with?
She was so great. I loved working with Mena and Kristin. The three of us had a blast together. It was so fun. We got to shoot all over the place. We shot in Malibu and we shot a lot of it down in Long Beach. Both Mena and Kristin are just so fully committed and so passionate about what they're doing. It just elevates you. Made me a better actor. We just had so much fun.
Most of the time when people find that they have been homicidal, insane squatters staying in their house, she isn't a former model. Did you ever have any trouble sort of picturing Kristin as a homeless person? As someone who was crazy and dangerous?
No. It's funny, because before the movie started, I didn't know her, but I knew of her. As I’m reading in the script, I said, “How is she going to play a deranged homeless woman who has been living on the streets for years?” It's interesting, because I think people have a preconceived idea of what that character might look like, physically. Obviously, Kristin is a beautiful lady. That's not necessarily the image that you conjure up when you think of that character, but the way that she played it, and how committed she was, it just all made sense. I had no trouble, once we got on set going, “Oh, you are this deranged woman who's trying to take our house away from us.” She just was so, so committed. [She] created such a deep character that you just saw it in her eyes. It was quite something.
You had mentioned how fun it was working in Malibu. Obviously, the house was in bad condition after the fire. But with that view, and when it was all fixed up, it was an amazing place. I once stayed in a home quite like that in Malibu. I loved it there. What was it like to film there and see the place coming together? I'm sure that they just messed it up for the film. Also, just to be able to go to different places around Malibu, like you said.
Yeah, it was great. We actually shot in a couple different places. I mean, there's a soundstage in Long Beach where we recreated the outside of the house. Then we shot at a house on the beach in Malibu, for some of it, and then we also shot at a house in the Hollywood Hills, for some of the interiors. We're kind of all over the place. But, in the house that we shot where you walk in, and it's obviously it had been on fire [in the movie] and it was just a mess. It was crazy because that's somebody's home that we're shooting in. I walked in, and I said, “Oh, my God, I cannot believe these people let us do this to their house. We've just destroyed this place.” Then, of course, by the end, I said, “Oh, this house is gorgeous.” It is amazing what our set and design team did to bring it back to life. But yeah, the first time I saw the house, and we shot all those scenes, and it was already in that state. So, it was pretty amazing transformations. Big kudos to the team.
Now this is just me, but I can deal with humans getting killed in horror movies. But when she goes after the dog, that was just a little bit too far for me. It seemed in the movie that the people Malibu gave Bree a lot of slack – the cops and everyone like that. Granted, she had a tough life. Still, don't you think that the cops should have taken some more notice of the things that you and your character Knox and Tracy were complaining about?
Well, yeah. You would think. You would want that. You're begging for that when you watch the movie. (laughs) You're wishing that these cops would take it more seriously.
Definitely.
At the same time, it's a testament to how great that character was written, in the sense that she really knew how to get away with things. There's no way to prove that she had me inadvertently kill our dog. She was just very crafty. It was a well-written character in that sense, but the parts where the police and different authorities came in, they wrote that very well too. She knew how to skirt around the system.
She sure did.
Also, the laws in beach towns are kind of open sometimes in terms of who gets to walk where and sleep where. There is only so much the authorities can do. She knew how to work the system, for sure, which is ultimately super frustrating for Knox. (chuckles) That's the part that drives you insane.
Between Knox and Schneider, you're getting known for playing a lot of property owners/handyman workers.
That’s true. (laughs)
Are you good at that type of work? Do you ever do any kind of carpentry or building or anything?
I do. Yeah, I do a lot. I'm a pretty decent amateur carpenter. I do a lot of work around the house. I built a big shed outside my house, earlier on in the pandemic time. I just I installed our stone patios. I do love working with my hands. I love building things. I stop at plumbing and electrical, because that's when I feel like I can really do some damage to the house. But yeah, I do. I love it. If I could just build stuff all day, I would.
I know, you said that you're a big fan of thrillers as the audience. But before I've mostly seen you doing comedy on TV. I know you'd have done other dramas as well. But was it fun to do something a little bit more serious and scarier with the film? Did you enjoy taking that kind of a role on?
I did. Yeah, I did. I really did. It was nice. It's definitely completely different from what I've been doing for the last four or five years on One Day at a Time. So, it was a nice break in our TV show schedule, to go off while we had a few months off, just do something totally different. I would definitely love to do more of it. But I also love comedy. I mean, that's where my heart is. I find myself (laughs) when I'm doing something dramatic when the scene ends, and they yell cut, then I make a joke, you know? It's hard for me to escape making something funny.
Like you mentioned, One Day at a Time, you've had four seasons. It's actually one of the rare shows that got a second chance. After leaving Netflix, it went on to Pop TV. Unfortunately, with the pandemic, the fourth season got cut in half. Is there a chance that there will be a fifth season?
No. Yeah, they announced that. We found that out in December, right before the holidays. Obviously, everybody was heartbroken to see this show end. But at the same time, excited about this stuff on the horizon as well. I think everybody wishes that we could have finished, at least finish the season to have some closure to the family. I feel like the show deserves that. It's a tough, tough situation. We weren't the only show that fell victim to the times that we're living in right now. It was unfortunate, but we're all still super close. In fact, I just got off the phone with Rita [Moreno]. We were talking about this new documentary that came out about her [Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It] which is amazing. The Alverez’s are finished, but the rest of the One Day at a Time family is still very much with each other and just grateful. We got so much, so many seasons. It was the highlight of my career for sure.
What was it like to work with legends like Rita and Norman Lear? The rest of the cast was great too, including your wife, though, she was only in the later seasons. What was it like to be part of the show?
It was a dream. It was literally a dream come true. Norman Lear has been my hero, for many reasons, for a long, long time. I grew up watching all of his shows, I mean, on reruns, probably. But just to be able to call him a friend and collaborator and work with him. It's just one of the great honors of my career in my life. The same with Rita. My whole life growing up watching her in things and she's just incredible to work with. The same with Justina [Machado] and Isabella [Gomez], Marcel [Ruiz] and Stephen [Tobolowsky]. We all just loved each other. It's not often that you get to work on something where everybody loves everybody. You have your own individual relationships with each cast member that's as strong as all the other relationships. Just a ton of respect and beautiful collaboration and support, personally and professionally. It was definitely, definitely a dream come true.
Now, you directed an episode of One Day at a Time as well. Is that something you would like to explore more?
Yes, absolutely. I've been really sort of training for the first couple of seasons. I've been shadowing every director that came on the show and studying under Phill Lewis and Pam Fryman, who directed a lot of our episodes, and they really were key in mentoring me and showing me the ropes. Eventually, when we got to season three, I approached Mike [Royce] and Gloria [Calderón Kellett], our show runners. I said I would really love to pitch myself to direct an episode. They were so supportive and loving. [They] let me direct an episode and I just loved it. It was great. I'm definitely looking to direct more. I was supposed to direct the two episodes after we came back, but we didn't. (laughs) We did six episodes. I was supposed to direct episode eight of the past season, which obviously I never got to direct. That was a bummer. But yeah, I'm definitely pursuing directing jobs. And looking forward to doing it a lot more.
You just mentioned Pam Fryman. One of the first times I remember seeing you was when you were on How I Met Your Mother.
Oh, Insane Duane. (laughs)
Yeah, exactly. What was that set like to be on?
Oh, my God. If a set could be a warm hug, that's what How I Met Your Mother was. It's tough sometimes coming on as a guest star. You're there for a week. That's a big machine of people who've worked together for years and years. It's like being dinner guests at a party full of people who've known each other since they were kids. That's sometimes how it feels. But when I walked onto that set, it felt like I worked there forever. There was a familiarity and a familial aspect or feeling to that set that was just so warm and inviting and supportive. It was great. It was really super fun. Everybody was so funny. I think a lot of that has to do with the cast and the creators, but also Pam. Every set that she works on feels that way. It all comes from the top. She is just the most supportive and loving and fun and easy person in the world. So talented and smart. If she's if she's at the helm, then that's what you need.
I was reading that you have another film coming up called The Time Capsule. What can you tell us about that?
I do. Yeah. That's a great movie. It's very different from Paradise Cove. It's a beautiful movie. I don't want to give too much away but it's a love story that takes place in the future. I don't know if it's really sci fi, but there's a bit of a sci fi element to it. Obviously, the title Time Capsule we're dealing with so you can tell there's an element of time travel in there. It's just a really cool, interesting, beautiful movie. I hope everybody gets to see that soon. I'm not sure when exactly that's coming out, but I'm looking forward to it. Brianna Hildebrand is in it. KaDee Strickland. Baron Vaughn. We all loved playing with each other. It was just a super fun time. We shot the summer before last – right after Paradise Cove, actually. That'll be one to look for.
The movie world is sort of been turned upside down with a pandemic. A lot of movies that may have played in theaters or stuff like that are going directly onto platforms like Amazon, Netflix, HBO Max and even On Demand. Even TV series like One Day at a Time as well. Do you think that helps smaller films like Paradise Cove and maybe even The Time Capsule find an audience that might have gotten crowded out of the big theaters amongst the blockbusters?
I think so. I hope so. That seems like what should happen. I mean, everybody's home. I know I'm always starving for more TV shows and movies that I haven't seen yet. I feel like I've seen almost everything at this point. (laughs) I’m just now rewatching TV series that I watched 10 years ago that have 100 episodes, just because I need to have something to watch. There's a lot of great stuff out there. I think that there are definitely smaller movies that if they had a theatrical release in theaters would get drowned out by the Wonder Womans in the bigger box office tentpole movies. The fact that people are at home every night, scrolling through going, “What haven't I seen?” is only going to help smaller movies, which would be great, because there's so many great, smaller movies out there that need to be seen.
On a more personal note, how have you been handling the shelter in home, social distancing world? You said earlier that your wife's grandmother just got COVID. Obviously, that's horrible. How have you been dealing with the day-to-day life?
Probably just emotionally and spiritually, like everybody else, I think nobody has enjoyed this time that much in the sense that it's been hard. It's stressful, and it brings up anxiety and some sadness here and there. But ultimately, we've been really very lucky. We've got a two-and-a-half-year-old at home, who has no idea that there's a pandemic, and really just loves playing. That's been a huge blessing for us because we just get down to his level. We play. We try to make everyday fun and interesting and exciting for him. That brings that to our life, too. For us, we just have really tried to be present every day and just say, “Okay, what are we going to do today to have fun, try to get things accomplished and not think about of this whole situation in general?” It's a little overwhelming. We've been hanging in there. We've definitely recently had a little added stress because my wife’s grandmother's in the hospital with COVID, which is tough, but we're very hopeful that she's going to be okay, which is great. So, fingers crossed.
Copyright ©2021 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: February 13, 2021.
Photos ©2021. Courtesy of Quiver Distribution. All rights reserved.
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DAY 19 - LETTER S
1/ Scorpio
My star sign 😊 I was born on November 17, 1983. I think I’m a typical scorpio in most ways. I don’t really believe in horoscopes but I do think that your sign can partially inform who you are as a person. I identify with many of the traits but I also don’t with some..
2/ Salt life
Sorry for the gif but it was just too funny not to use 😂
I could live by the sea forever, or at least give me a lake because I need my water. Maybe it’s because that’s a scorpio’s element? I love smelling the salt in the air, the sound of the waves crash against the shoreline, the clinging sound of boat masts swaying in the wind, ...
3/ Savannah, Georgia
I fell in love with Savannah last year during our road trip. The beautiful houses, the little squares scattered around the whole city make it a really good walking city. It is hot but with the many squares and trees you can get plenty of shade.
We were only there for 1 night so we didn’t get to see much. We just walked around quickly the day we got there (it was already late afternoon). We took another stroll the next morning and by noon we were already on our way. We didn’t have time to just sit down somewhere and soak it all in. I would’ve loved to do a ghost tour there but we got there too late and left to early the next day.
4/ Seafood chowder
I discovered the seafood chowder here in Ireland. I was stunned that a small bowl of chowder and a piece of soda bread could fill you for the whole day. I love fish, so this is the perfect comforting meal to me on a cold winter day.
5/ Southern sweet tea
I love sweet tea and southern sweet tea just has that ring to it. I didn’t find that the southern one was any different from all the other sweet teas elsewhere in the US but I might be wrong. Iced tea is my favorite drink so getting it everywhere was refreshing, quite literally. In my home country or France or Ireland, fresh made iced tea is not much of a thing. You can get it pre-bottled but it’s not the same. Thankfully it’s pretty easy an inexpensive to make at home.
6/ Shadowhunters
You shouldn’t be surprised by now that I haven’t read the books. I don’t think I saw the movie either. I knew about what both were about though so I was glad when they made a show. I love movies and all but I prefer shows because you get more time with the character and you can really see their story line develop over time. I loved every character in the show, they were cast perfectly. I fell in love with Malec right away and I shipped so bad, wishing for the day they’d finally kiss and the show did not disappoint. It was so refreshing seeing a show actively using runes because not many do, if at all.
7/ South of Hell
I think this show was underrated. It only lasted a season and quite frankly not many have talked about it. I really enjoyed it’s take on demons. The main character, played by Mena Suvari, is a demon possessed demon hunter. She can control her demon since she made a deal with it, feeding it souls of demons possessed humans. The show is dark and sexy as hell with that whole southern vibe on top of it.
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American Beauty (1999)
To celebrate 1999 and its contribution to film (I know that sounds weird but hear me out) I re-watched - or watched for the first time - a collection of films released in that year. I don’t know how to present them other than alphabetically. My brain works best when there is some order.
The story is about a family with an over-achieving mom and a mid-life-crisis dad and their teenage daughter.
No movie released in 1999 affected me more than American Beauty. I first saw this movie in theaters and cried so hard in the bathroom after because I knew my marriage was over and I couldn’t bare it - I was so sad. We lasted about three more years but after 6 months he started wanting out. I got married in June of ‘99 and this movie came out in October and my marriage was already over - I was so sad. Plus I had a teenage son and shit was about to go down that I never saw coming. This film set the stage for me to release what had been building up.
American Beauty is a great movie. One that I feel is just as good 20 years later as it was when it came out. The Academy liked it well enough, giving it 5 Oscars. But no Oscar for Annette. She lost to Hilary Swank.
It was Annette Bening’s performance that I most adored. Sure, there’s other people in this movie. Kevin Spacey does a fine job as the dad. Thora Birch is wonderful as the teenage daughter. Mena Suvari got famous for being the object of Kevin Spacey’s lust. She does a great job. Wes Bentley, the kid who moves in across the street, is creepy and smart and funny. Chris Cooper plays his militant dad and guess what? My homie Allison Janey plays his poor, addled mom.
But Annette Bening’s journey in this film lays everything on the table. All our wants, and heartbreaks, disappointments, and fake smiles. All of it. Bening falls apart and then puts herself back together just in time to be kicked in the gut by her life. I get it. I think it speaks to all women at the head of a family. Women who are trying to be something so their family can have something they never asked for and don’t even want. It’s crazy-making. I wondered how she knew to lay it out like that. Way to go Annette! Put me on the Academy and I’ll get you that Oscar.
Happy 20th Birthday American Beauty!
#american beauty#sam mendes#alan ball#annette bening#kevin spacey#thora birch#mena suvari#wes bentley#chris cooper#allison janey#1999cinema#1999films
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Review: American Beauty (1999)
“American Beauty”, written by Alan Ball and directed by Sam Mendes, at first glance seems like an odd drama, since the story revolves around a middle aged dad, played by Kevin Spacey, who falls for his daughter’s friend, played by Mena Suvari. But soon we find out, what else is going on in the suburbs of America. Also starring Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper and Peter Gallagher.
The movie begins with a self-filmed videotape of Lester’s daughter Jane, proclaiming that her father is a creep and should be dead. The boy behind the camera suggests to kill him for her, to which she agrees.
Cut to the real beginning of the film, Lester (Spacey) is narrating for us. Showing us his boring neighborhood where every house looks the same, his gay neighbors, his wife Carolyn (Bening) and her red roses, and his teenage daughter (Torch). He is being very honest with us and describing how he and his wife aren’t happy anymore and we get the sense that Lester is in a midlife-crisis.
The family have a terrible dinner together, Lester is complaining about his job, Jane is bored of her father and the two start arguing about how they no longer talk. At the same time they’re being filmed by a boy, who is creepily watching them outside the window. We then see Carolyn the next day trying to sell a house, since that’s her job, but failing and having a breakdown. The color red is very prominent throughout the film. It’s almost everywhere, in form of the roses, in clothing, or in the background.
Jane’s parents drive to her school to watch a basketball game, she and her friends are cheerleaders. There Lester can’t believe his eyes. Next to Jane is this pretty young girl, who he instantly falls for and starts to fantasize about. In his deluded dream sequence, she’s seducing him with her dance and then red roses burst out of her chest. The whole scene makes you a little uncomfortable. Lester asks Jane to bring Angela for dinner and acts all nervous like a teenager himself, who is trying to ask out his crush. Jane is visibly embarrassed, while Angela thinks her dad is cute.
Angela is talking to Jane and explaining her philosophies, one of them is that there is nothing worse in life than being ordinary. Outside the house we meet the creeper again, he just moved in next door and seems to have taken an interest in Jane, who is somewhat flattered. Lester on the other hand is trying to call Angela the next day, he finds her number in Jane’s red notebook, seemingly losing control over his rational thinking.
We get to know the creep’s family. The military dad (Chris Cooper) is a typical old fashioned conservative, hating everything that is liberal, hating his gay neighbors, and probably hating himself, drawing a parallel to Lester and his family. He demands respect from his wife (Allison Janney), who is obviously going through some mental issues herself, and his son, who calls him Sir. Turns out the creepy guy goes to Jane’s school, he introduces himself as Ricky. Angela knows him and thinks he’s insane. Ricky ignores Angela for the most part, something she’s not used to.
At a party, Ricky meets Lester and his wife. Lester smokes some pot with Ricky and acts like a teenager again. Jane and Angela are at home, when the parents come back. Angela starts flirting with him and Lester takes the bait, his Lolita complex kicks, we witness his delusional fantasies, Jane gets embarrassed. Rinse and repeat. We get an interesting picture though, Lester likes the hypersexual teen straight out of a picture-book, a dream girl for every regular American that makes him feel young again, while Ricky likes the troubled Jane. Ricky himself is often hiding behind his camera, observing everyone around him, but is not capable of being honest with his dad at all, who is abusing him and his mother.
Lester eventually feels empowered by this new life energy Angela and Ricky give him, he quits his job, works out, finds out his wife is cheating on him and eventually starts to get with Angela. Once he actually gets her into bed, he quickly realizes that Angela is a virgin. She’s not this vixen he was fantasizing about, but a little insecure girl, just like his daughter. Once the image of her, the American beauty, shatters, he finally backs off. Ricky on the other hand starts dating Jane, they have an innocent young love, which Lester is very happy about, since all he wants is for Jane to be happy. Ricky’s father however has been suspecting that Ricky is having an affair with Lester, since they’ve been spending so much time together and he filmed Lester naked, that opens a whole new can of worms.
You know how sometimes it only takes a minute to know by heart, whether you’re going to like a movie? “American Beauty” is one of those movies for me. No matter how many times I re-watch the film, I never find myself bored or unmoved by the story. I guess it’s because the characters still ring true even in today's society. The closet homophobes, the unhappy couple that has been married for too long, teenagers thinking they’re all grown up even though there is still so much to learn about life etc. “American Beauty” has a great script, great acting, and some very memorable scenes, which make it a classic worth watching. It won best picture, script, director, cinematography and actor at the Oscars, not many movies have achieved an all kill like that, but in this case it’s well deserved.
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#american beauty#film#movie#kevin spacey#mena suvari#annette bening#90s movies#90s#thora birch#movie blog#wes bentley#chris cooper#peter gallagher
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Don’t Blink (2014)
Directed by Travis Oates
Written by Travis Oates
Music by Mike Verta
Country: United States
Language: English
Running Time: 92 minutes
CAST
Mena Suvari as Tracy
Zack Ward as Alex
Brian Austin Green as Jack
Joanne Kelly as Claire
Fiona Gubelmann as Ella
David de Lautour as Noah
Leif Gantvoort as Sam
Emelie O'Hara as Amelia
Curtiss Frisle as Lucas
Samantha Jacober as Charlotte
Robert Picardo as Man in Black
Don’t Blink is a remarkably entertaining entry in the puzzle movie genre. Unfortunately it’s very hard to say very much about it without spoiling it. But that’s life; full of challenges. As challenges go, trying to give the gist of Don’t Blink without spoiling it is a lot less intimidating than the one facing the typically photogenic friends In Don’t Blink. They have planned a trip to an isolated resort, and they might have planned it just a bit too precisely; when they arrive their cars are coasting on fumes. Which would be okay if anyone were on hand to unlock the fuel pump at the remote resort, but nobody is. Which would be okay if someone were in the tourist lodge, but nobody is. Meals have been left half-eaten and yet there’s no evidence of violence or struggle. What happened here to all the people, and will it happen to all the people who have just arrived and are now unable to leave?
Hmm, well, the answer to the latter is obviously yes, but the answer to the former is a little trickier. Obviously what happened to the absent people soon starts happening to the increasingly fearful friends, but what exactly did happen to the absent people? On the simplest, most literal level they disappeared. And soon the ranks of our appealingly vulnerable cast are similarly thinning. Characters can disappear at any time; the only apparent rule is they can only disappear when no one is looking at them. Don’t Blink, geddit? It’s kind of a sinister riff on Invisible Boy (Kel Mitchell) in Mystery Men (1999), who was invisible as long as no one was looking at him. Obviously in that (very funny; much underrated) movie that was a joke, but in Don’t Blink it’s very far from a joke. Because in Don’t Blink the characters are like the discounts at a sofa warehouse closing down sale: once they’re gone they’re gone. (Or are they?)
The elegant simplicity of this device in no way prepared me for the complexity of the immersion it compels in the viewer. (Or compelled in this viewer; you might be bored to insensibility. I don’t know; I’m not psychic. If we were all the same clothes shopping would be a lot easier.) Don’t Blink is a bit of a sneaky beast, quietly replicating in the viewer a less threatening, far more entertaining, way the tension afflicting the tormented cast. Watching Don’t Blink very quickly becomes a game between yourself and the movie. Once you grasp the rules you can’t help trying to beat the movie at its own game. Trying to catch the next disappearance means you, yourself, daren’t blink. It’s very simple and very clever, and a great deal of fun. Careful though, those dice are loaded.
I had an enormously enjoyable time with Don’t Blink, and a lot of this is down to Travis Oates’ taut script and unfussy direction, but none of that would mean beans without the cast pulling their weight. Luckily for Don’t Blink all of the cast are great. Mena Suvari is the *name* and she’s good, sure, but equally good are all the other actors who aren’t in movies about jizzing in pies and beauty in America. Given the premise, some get more screen time than others and so the ones who last longest naturally impress most, as the longer they last the smaller the cast and the greater the tension. And, as we all know from many, many, many (many) movies, characters under tension are always fun for actors to play.
Everyone rises to the edgy occasion but Zack Ward as Alex deserves special mention. He’s real firecracker and no mistake, it takes a while for his fuse to burn, but when he goes off..hooo boy, he pretty much owns the movie. Starting off as a bit testy but fairly reasonable, Alex soon smoothly morphs into an aggressive maniac. His befuddled belligerence probably fortuitously reflects many of the (understandable) reactions to a movie which so wilfully avoids any easy answers. It’s not hard to imagine Alex writing one star Amazon reviews of his own movie; “WTF! Total lame-o copout! Dude, get an ending. Lol!”, which would be ironic as Alex is given the only speech in the movie which even hints at the answer to the cinematic conundrum Don’t Blink presents.
Even with Alex’s speech, the solution may remain elusive and so, even after it ends, Don’t Blink may persist as an extraordinarily puzzling movie. For me the biggest puzzle is how Don’t Blink got made. Not because it is bad (it isn’t; it’s a very good little movie) but because it is so very much not what most audiences expect from a “puzzle movie”. That is, they expect a solution. Which is not unreasonable. However, they expect a definitive solution. A simple solution to boot. Something like - they are all dead; it’s aliens; it’s bees in cars; it’s your momma; whatever…More accurately then, Don’t Blink does have a solution to its set up, but it’s a more cerebral, definitely elliptical solution and not the kind of solution audiences expect. Or want, maybe. Mind you, a lot of puzzle movies flop due to the disappointment of the newly revealed solution. All the fun of them is tucked away in the set up. Puzzle movies basically ask “What could possibly explain all these bizarre occurrences?” and then they belatedly answer “This”. And you go, “Oh, that. What’s for tea?” It’s not often the solution is as satisfying as the set up. Don’t Blink has a set up as entertaining, thrilling and puzzling as the best of the puzzle genre but it (arguably; I guess very arguably) also has a solution to match. Well, I thought so, but your mileage will definitely vary. If it really honks you off you can always write a one star review on Amazon. Tell ‘em Alex sent you.
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❤️ + sacredflora !
Send ❤️ + a URL and I’ll write something nice about them/their blog!
@sacredflora
TORI !! ! You are, doubtless, an amazing writer. && THAT is only equal to your kindness and characterisation. Both of which sweetheart, I can say it’s phenomenal. Honestly, your Aeris is so on point, I swear it’s Mena Suvari talking. Can you believe that it was by chance that I stumbled onto your blog and followed from Cloud? We’ve only begun to dive headfirst into all the feels, and the future looks beautiful. Aside from easily one of the greatest rp partners I’ve had, we only just met, what??? A week ago?? && in such a short time I felt the clicking of our writing styles, as well as our quick friendship. It’s so fun to talk to you and shout about our passions. You’re already dear to me and I happily look forward to many more conversations.
#sacredflora#🎲 | Playing My Hand - Meme Response#🕕 Time Stands Still For One | 00C#whispers everyone go follow the fantastic
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3 POEMS - Gerard Manogue
having nightmares during my beauty sleep
having nightmares during my beauty sleep
in which mom and dads quarrel
listening to the granulation of kidney stones
i’m friends with a mauve pimp
i am an ant under a magnifying glass
wielded by the dumbest kid from my third grade class
have you heard about the panda that traded her cub for an apple?
i wrack my gray matter for a blintz
i superglue my fingers together
so i can sup soup from my palms and savor blood sausage hot pockets
i blink at the goodyear blimp
on a white beach
i invented the viral tik tok dance craze
“cower like a coward”
on the way to the grand canyon, 4am
on the way to the grand canyon, 4am
i tried to think happy thoughts
when the tire pressure light blinked:
“my name is mamby pamby”
“flower sex is weird”
“the twin towers are in the opening credits
of the 2000 film loser
starring jason biggs and mena suvari”
we exited the 15 freeway into victorville
and pulled into a circle k
where a man slept next to the air machine
so then we drove to a shell
because we didn’t want to wake him
and i saw a syringe on the floor
i tried to think happy thoughts
while filling up my tires:
“grunion run”
“the mormon tabernacle choir”
“moshi moshi”
a woman asked me if i had a cigarette
i told her i had nothing for her
a man asked me if i had a dollar
i told him i had nothing for him
praying under a green moon
praying under a green moon
like i’m in front of a 19th century firing squad
as a medieval dirge plays on the pa system of my middle school
praying under a green moon
like i was hit over the head with a cattail
as raggedy andy raises his musket
praying under a green moon
like the folds of my brain are being acid washed
as the devil is loose on the 91 freeway
praying under a green moon
like i’m paranoid in a burger king bathroom
as i skim the stationers’ register
Gerard Manogue (he/him) is a teacher from Southern California. His poetry has appeared in The Beatnik Cowboy and Literary Heist.
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Kevin Spacey's 'strange and odd' meeting with Mena Suvari
In filming ‘American Beauty,’ Mena Suvari has had a strange and unexpected meeting with Kevin Spacey.
In 1999 Mena co-starded the 42-year-old actress and the disgraced actor, 61, and while Mena “trusted” him while she was filming, she confessed she had a perplexed sensation one instant after that.
She said to PEOPLE that Spacey led her to a side room to rehearse for a particular scene “Lay close to each other on the bed. He was kind of holding me softly. It was quite calm but strange and extraordinary.”
Mena earlier claimed she found it “heart-riddling,” when Anthony Rapp accused the disgraced actor of making unwanted sexual progress towards her at the age of 14.
She said: “I think it’s surprising since everything I’ve seen is happening. It’s hot, it’s so hot. It’s hot. It’s hot.”
Read More: Mena Suvari boldly admits about being a survivor of sex assault
Published in Lahore Herald #lahoreherald #breakingnews #breaking
#Entertainment#hollywood#Kevin Spacey#Mena Suvari#Mena Suvari hollywood#Mena Suvari news#Mena Suvari sex abuse#Hollywood
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“The Awards Episode”
Click to play / him "click" to play- http://www.beta.spudgoodman.com/podcasts/SpudGoodmanRadioShow247.mp3
The Awards Episode - Featuring MSNBC chief legal analyst & host Ari Melber (The Beat), Actress Mena Suvari (American Beauty/American Pie) & Actor Eddie Steeples (My Name Is Earl/Guest Book). Co-host Gerald feels the show would benefit from winning an award so he finds an agency that will give them one ..... for a price. TV On Radio!
El episodio de premios: presenta al analista legal y presentador principal de MSNBC Ari Melber (The Beat), la actriz Mena Suvari (American Beauty / American Pie) y el actor Eddie Steeples (My Name Is Earl / Libro de visitas) El coanfitrión Gerald siente que el programa se beneficiaría de ganar un premio, así que encuentra una agencia que les dará uno ... por un precio. TV On Radio!
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Hey, I was hoping you could give me a list of movies I, as an 18 year old nymphette, would like. (Wanted to let you know I'm finally of age So! Yay!)
Here are my favorite movies with a description (: hopefully you find this helpful!
American Beauty (1999)
I’m sure you’ve probably heard of this movie, but if you haven’t, I really recommend it. It’s about 42-year-old Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) and how he finds his life tiresome and meaningless. He finds himself infatuated with his daughter’s best friend Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari). It’s quite well made and has a lot of meaning under the surface.
Heavenly Creatures (1994)
This movie is based on a true story about 2 schoolgirls in the 1950s who killed one of their mothers. It hits close to home for me, as it was all made and based in my home town. This movie was the start off for Kate Winslet, where in the movie she’s one of the main characters. If you get put off easily by blood and gore, I wouldn’t recommend it, but it’s not all constant gore. It has that lovely vintage taste and it’s a beautiful film.
The Lovely Bones (2006)
The Lovely Bones hit me hard. It’s based on a book about Suzie Salmon, a 14 year old girl in the 1970s who got murdered. It’s all about how she watches her family after her death in sort-of-heaven. It’s directed by Peter Jackson, who also directed Lord Of The Rings and Heavenly Creatures.
Don’t Deliver Us From Evil (1971)
Also leading on that 1970s thing, Don’t Deliver Us From Evil (Mais ne nous délivrez pas du mal) is an unknown French film made by Joel Seria. It follows two Catholic schoolgirls from rural France, and how they devout themselves to Satan and run around seducing men. I was in gasps the first time I saw it, but also had that lovely-awful aesthetic to it. If you’re sensitive, please don’t watch it!
So that’s some of my favorite movies! Thanks for asking (:
-amanda
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