The Mask played a massive role in establishing Cameron Diaz as one of the biggest Hollywood divas. Diaz was successful in impressing the audiences in her very first outing and flaunted an incredible chemistry with Jim Carrey. However, the 1994 classic’s script was never written for her. The director Chuck Russell’s original choice for the role was Anna Nicole Smith.
Cameron Diaz and Jim Carrey in The Mask
The character of Tina Carlyle stands as one of the primary attractions of The Mask. The audience immediately fell in love with Cameron Diaz and she was an instant favorite. Interestingly, the late model Anna Nicole Smith was chosen for the role. However, Smith left the film to work on Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult.
How did Cameron Diaz land the role of Tina Carlyle in The Mask?
Cameron Diaz in The Mask
The Mask starring Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz,...
Cameron Diaz and Jim Carrey in The Mask
The character of Tina Carlyle stands as one of the primary attractions of The Mask. The audience immediately fell in love with Cameron Diaz and she was an instant favorite. Interestingly, the late model Anna Nicole Smith was chosen for the role. However, Smith left the film to work on Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult.
How did Cameron Diaz land the role of Tina Carlyle in The Mask?
Cameron Diaz in The Mask
The Mask starring Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz,...
- 3/23/2024
- by Subham Mandal
- FandomWire
"The Mask" remains a fan-favorite Jim Carrey comedy — but it could have been a very different movie. The project started life as an adaptation of an ultra-violent Dark Horse comic book in which the central character unleashes wave after wave of brutality on his enemies. Obviously New Line, the studio behind "The Mask," knew that approach wasn't going to work for their attempt to cross over into mainstream movies with the biggest budget project they'd yet produced. And so, the more sanitized version we all know and love was conceived.
Director Chuck Russell had always envisioned Carrey for the lead role. There was literally no one in Hollywood who could handle the physicality the part demanded. Playing the charming but down-on-his-luck pushover Stanley Ipkiss, Carrey's character would of course transform into the outlandish titular hero, whose dynamic antics were based on Tex Avery cartoons. But casting his love interest, Tina Carlyle,...
Director Chuck Russell had always envisioned Carrey for the lead role. There was literally no one in Hollywood who could handle the physicality the part demanded. Playing the charming but down-on-his-luck pushover Stanley Ipkiss, Carrey's character would of course transform into the outlandish titular hero, whose dynamic antics were based on Tex Avery cartoons. But casting his love interest, Tina Carlyle,...
- 12/2/2022
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Everyone knows Jim Carrey's lovably outrageous superhero character in "The Mask." But it might surprise you to learn the original comic book on which the film is based was a hell of a lot more violent. The "Mask" comic featured a homicidal central character who would don the eponymous artifact only to unleash hell on those who'd wronged him by the most violent means possible. It had some of the humor that would eventually make it into the 1994 movie, but otherwise, it was wholly different from its feature film adaptation.
When it did come time to adapt the comic for the big screen, New Line was looking for something different from the source material. The studio responsible for the "Nightmare On Elm Street" series was open to the idea of doing "The Mask" as a comedy horror, but they couldn't get the screenplay right. Thankfully, while flipping through the comics,...
When it did come time to adapt the comic for the big screen, New Line was looking for something different from the source material. The studio responsible for the "Nightmare On Elm Street" series was open to the idea of doing "The Mask" as a comedy horror, but they couldn't get the screenplay right. Thankfully, while flipping through the comics,...
- 12/1/2022
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced today that 1998’s Blade will be released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital on December 1. Directed by Stephen Norrington (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) and written by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight trilogy), the film stars Wesley Snipes and the half-vampire, half-human vampire hunter Blade, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, N’Bushe Wright, Donal Logue, Udo Kier, and Sanaa Lathan.
Blade was produced by Peter Frankfurt, Wesley Snipes, and Robert Engelman, and is based on the Marvel “Blade” created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan.
Ultra HD* showcases 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (Hdr) and a wider color spectrum, offering consumers brighter, deeper, more lifelike colors for a home entertainment viewing experience like never before.
Blade will be available on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack for $24.99 Erp and includes an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with the feature film in 4K with...
Blade was produced by Peter Frankfurt, Wesley Snipes, and Robert Engelman, and is based on the Marvel “Blade” created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan.
Ultra HD* showcases 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (Hdr) and a wider color spectrum, offering consumers brighter, deeper, more lifelike colors for a home entertainment viewing experience like never before.
Blade will be available on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack for $24.99 Erp and includes an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with the feature film in 4K with...
- 10/12/2020
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Production set for May in New Orleans.
Megan Fox and Josh Duhamel will star in the upcoming family film Think Like A Dog that Jason Moring’s Toronto-based Ddi sells internationally.
Gil Junger wrote and will direct the story of a 12-year-old tech prodigy whose science fair experiment goes awry and creates a telepathic connection between himself and his dog.
Principal photography is scheduled for May in New Orleans, Louisiana. Fox and Duhamel will play the roles of the boy’s parents.
Andrew Lazar is producing and previously worked with Junger on 10 Things I Hate About You. Robert Engelman, Cory Chen of M-Star International,...
Megan Fox and Josh Duhamel will star in the upcoming family film Think Like A Dog that Jason Moring’s Toronto-based Ddi sells internationally.
Gil Junger wrote and will direct the story of a 12-year-old tech prodigy whose science fair experiment goes awry and creates a telepathic connection between himself and his dog.
Principal photography is scheduled for May in New Orleans, Louisiana. Fox and Duhamel will play the roles of the boy’s parents.
Andrew Lazar is producing and previously worked with Junger on 10 Things I Hate About You. Robert Engelman, Cory Chen of M-Star International,...
- 3/23/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
September 8th is shaping up to be another great week for horror and sci-fi fans as we’ve got a lot of great home entertainment releases to look forward to. The good folks over at Scream Factory have two great releases coming out on Tuesday, the Collector’s Edition Blu-ray of Wes Craven’s Shocker and Astron-6’s comedic homage to Giallo films, The Editor. For all you Jason Voorhees die-hards out there, not only do you have a special 2-Disc Collector’s edition of Crystal Lake Memories to look forward to, the original Friday the 13th films are also getting re-released in several double feature packages on Tuesday.
Other notable releases for September 8th include Supernatural: Season 10, Dressed to Kill from Criterion, Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV, and for those of you kids at heart out there, Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman is arriving on DVD as well.
Other notable releases for September 8th include Supernatural: Season 10, Dressed to Kill from Criterion, Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV, and for those of you kids at heart out there, Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman is arriving on DVD as well.
- 9/8/2015
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Tomorrow, Scream Factory looks to electrify horror fans with their Collector's Edition Blu-ray of the late, legendary Wes Craven's Shocker, and we've been provided with three copies to give away to Daily Dead readers.
Shocker Blu-ray: "On October 2nd, at 6:45 a.m., mass murderer Horace Pinker was put to death... Now he's really mad.
Master of horror Wes Craven (Scream, The Last House on the Left, A Nightmare on Elm Street) directs this exciting visual treat which introduces a diabolical mass murderer who harnesses electricity for unimaginable killing powers.
About to be electrocuted for a catalog of heinous crimes, the unrepentant Horace Pinker transforms into a terrifying energy source. Only young athlete Jonathan Parker, with an uncanny connection to Pinker through bizarre dreams, can fight the powerful demon. The two dive in and out of television programs, chasing each other from channel to channel through stunning scenes of disaster,...
Shocker Blu-ray: "On October 2nd, at 6:45 a.m., mass murderer Horace Pinker was put to death... Now he's really mad.
Master of horror Wes Craven (Scream, The Last House on the Left, A Nightmare on Elm Street) directs this exciting visual treat which introduces a diabolical mass murderer who harnesses electricity for unimaginable killing powers.
About to be electrocuted for a catalog of heinous crimes, the unrepentant Horace Pinker transforms into a terrifying energy source. Only young athlete Jonathan Parker, with an uncanny connection to Pinker through bizarre dreams, can fight the powerful demon. The two dive in and out of television programs, chasing each other from channel to channel through stunning scenes of disaster,...
- 9/7/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
On September 8th, Scream Factory looks to electrify horror fans with their Collector's Edition Blu-ray of the late, legendary Wes Craven's Shocker. Ahead of the film's revamped home media release, we have clips and a trailer from the Blu-ray.
Shocker Blu-ray: "On October 2nd, at 6:45 a.m., mass murderer Horace Pinker was put to death... Now he's really mad.
Master of horror Wes Craven (Scream, The Last House on the Left, A Nightmare on Elm Street) directs this exciting visual treat which introduces a diabolical mass murderer who harnesses electricity for unimaginable killing powers.
About to be electrocuted for a catalog of heinous crimes, the unrepentant Horace Pinker transforms into a terrifying energy source. Only young athlete Jonathan Parker, with an uncanny connection to Pinker through bizarre dreams, can fight the powerful demon. The two dive in and out of television programs, chasing each other from channel to channel through stunning scenes of disaster,...
Shocker Blu-ray: "On October 2nd, at 6:45 a.m., mass murderer Horace Pinker was put to death... Now he's really mad.
Master of horror Wes Craven (Scream, The Last House on the Left, A Nightmare on Elm Street) directs this exciting visual treat which introduces a diabolical mass murderer who harnesses electricity for unimaginable killing powers.
About to be electrocuted for a catalog of heinous crimes, the unrepentant Horace Pinker transforms into a terrifying energy source. Only young athlete Jonathan Parker, with an uncanny connection to Pinker through bizarre dreams, can fight the powerful demon. The two dive in and out of television programs, chasing each other from channel to channel through stunning scenes of disaster,...
- 9/4/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
On September 8th, Scream Factory looks to electrify horror fans with their Collector's Edition Blu-ray of Wes Craven's Shocker. Ahead of the film's revamped home media release, we have the full list of special features and another look at the cover art.
Press Release: "Fans of legendary director Wes Craven (Scream, The Last House on the Left, A Nightmare on Elm Street) know well the terror mayhem inflicted by Horace Pinker, a diabolical mass murderer who harnesses electricity for unimaginable killing powers, from the 1989 horror cult classic Shocker. On September 8, 2015, Scream Factory™ is proud to present Wes Craven’s Shocker Collector’s Edition Blu-ray, packed with insightful bonus content including, special audio commentary with Wes Craven, all-new interviews with Mitch Pileggi, Cami Cooper, executive producer Shep Gordon, music supervisor Desmond Child and soundtrack artists, new audio commentary with director of photography Jacques Haitkin, co-producer Robert Engelman and composer William Goldstein,...
Press Release: "Fans of legendary director Wes Craven (Scream, The Last House on the Left, A Nightmare on Elm Street) know well the terror mayhem inflicted by Horace Pinker, a diabolical mass murderer who harnesses electricity for unimaginable killing powers, from the 1989 horror cult classic Shocker. On September 8, 2015, Scream Factory™ is proud to present Wes Craven’s Shocker Collector’s Edition Blu-ray, packed with insightful bonus content including, special audio commentary with Wes Craven, all-new interviews with Mitch Pileggi, Cami Cooper, executive producer Shep Gordon, music supervisor Desmond Child and soundtrack artists, new audio commentary with director of photography Jacques Haitkin, co-producer Robert Engelman and composer William Goldstein,...
- 7/15/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
From Flipper to Day Of The Dolphin, filmgoers have been fascinated with our friends of the deep blue sea. In honor of these marine mammals, Wamg has passes for Warner Bros. Pictures new family adventure Dolphin Tale.
The screening is on Saturday, September 17 at 10 am at Ronnies. Each pass is good for a family (4-pack).
This film has been rated PG for mild thematic elements.
Official Rules:
1. You Must Be In The St. Louis Area The Day Of The Screening.
2. Fill Out Your Name And E-mail Address Below. Real First Name Required.
3. Tell us your favorite “water mammal film” and why.
Winners Will Be Chosen Through A Random Drawing Of Qualifying Contestants. No Purchase Necessary. Passes Will Not Be Substituted Or Exchanged.
Anyone Caught Reprinting Tickets For Distribution Will Be Banned From Our Contests! Duplicate Tickets Will Not Be Accepted!
Dolphin Tale
In 3D and 2D in select theaters on...
The screening is on Saturday, September 17 at 10 am at Ronnies. Each pass is good for a family (4-pack).
This film has been rated PG for mild thematic elements.
Official Rules:
1. You Must Be In The St. Louis Area The Day Of The Screening.
2. Fill Out Your Name And E-mail Address Below. Real First Name Required.
3. Tell us your favorite “water mammal film” and why.
Winners Will Be Chosen Through A Random Drawing Of Qualifying Contestants. No Purchase Necessary. Passes Will Not Be Substituted Or Exchanged.
Anyone Caught Reprinting Tickets For Distribution Will Be Banned From Our Contests! Duplicate Tickets Will Not Be Accepted!
Dolphin Tale
In 3D and 2D in select theaters on...
- 9/8/2011
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Gwyneth Paltrow as Beth Emhoff in Warner Bros. Pictures’ thriller “Contagion,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Claudette Barius
Warner Bros. Pictures has sent us a preview, along with new photos, of their 2011 Fall / Holiday movies – along with a first look at some new images. Most noticable among the list are award season potentials Contagion from Steven Soderbergh, Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar, Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, and Stephen Daldry’s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.
Matt Damon as Mitch Emhoff in Warner Bros. Pictures’ thriller “Contagion,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Claudette Barius
Contagion
In theaters and IMAX on September 9
(Warner Bros. Pictures/Participant Media/Imagenation Abu Dhabi)
Jude Law as Alan Krumwlede in Warner Bros. Pictures’ thriller “Contagion,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Claudette Barius
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Scott Z. Burns
Producers: Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, Gregory Jacobs
Executive Producers: Jeff Skoll,...
Warner Bros. Pictures has sent us a preview, along with new photos, of their 2011 Fall / Holiday movies – along with a first look at some new images. Most noticable among the list are award season potentials Contagion from Steven Soderbergh, Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar, Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, and Stephen Daldry’s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.
Matt Damon as Mitch Emhoff in Warner Bros. Pictures’ thriller “Contagion,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Claudette Barius
Contagion
In theaters and IMAX on September 9
(Warner Bros. Pictures/Participant Media/Imagenation Abu Dhabi)
Jude Law as Alan Krumwlede in Warner Bros. Pictures’ thriller “Contagion,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Claudette Barius
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Scott Z. Burns
Producers: Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, Gregory Jacobs
Executive Producers: Jeff Skoll,...
- 8/10/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
No-one knows exactly when Morgan Freeman became sufficiently self-parodic no one outside of Chris Nolan wished to cast him in worthwhile films anymore. Freeman’s laconic voiceover in the ultimate “slow-burner” classic The Shawshank Redemption had been an iconic cinematic trope for years; subject to satire and good natured parody for some time, however, if one had to pinpoint a moment when Freeman spectacularly misjudged his own brand it was in voicing the narration of March of the Penguins.
In the lamentably sentimental National Geographic documentary, Freeman mounted his own oeuvre without irony in an attempt to attribute human characteristics to the behaviour of penguin colonies. This particular stroke of mawkishness silliness became a financial hit, especially after the American right attempted to embrace this faux-naturalism as a crude truism of orthodox biblical morality. The previously good natured parodies took on a steelier edge, underlying the manipulative quality of Freeman’s languid tones.
In the lamentably sentimental National Geographic documentary, Freeman mounted his own oeuvre without irony in an attempt to attribute human characteristics to the behaviour of penguin colonies. This particular stroke of mawkishness silliness became a financial hit, especially after the American right attempted to embrace this faux-naturalism as a crude truism of orthodox biblical morality. The previously good natured parodies took on a steelier edge, underlying the manipulative quality of Freeman’s languid tones.
- 4/13/2011
- by Ben Szwediuk
- Obsessed with Film
Warner Bros. Pictures has sent us this preview press kit of their upcoming film from January 2011 through December 2011. Most noticeably were the new photos from Sherlock Holmes 2, The Hangover Part II and Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
Film Descriptions
The Rite
In theaters on January 28
(Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line)
Director: Mikael Håfström
Writers: Michael Petroni
Suggested by the book by Matt Baglio
Producers: Beau Flynn & Tripp Vinson
Executive Producers: Richard Brener, Merideth Finn, Robert Bernacchi
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Colin O’Donoghue, Alice Braga, Ciarán Hinds, Rutger Hauer
Psychological Thriller. Inspired by true events, “The Rite” follows skeptical seminary student Michael Kovak (Colin O’Donoghue), who reluctantly attends exorcism school at the Vatican. While he’s in Rome, Michael meets an unorthodox priest, Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), who introduces him to the darker side of his faith, uncovering the devil’s reach even to one of the holiest places on Earth.
Film Descriptions
The Rite
In theaters on January 28
(Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line)
Director: Mikael Håfström
Writers: Michael Petroni
Suggested by the book by Matt Baglio
Producers: Beau Flynn & Tripp Vinson
Executive Producers: Richard Brener, Merideth Finn, Robert Bernacchi
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Colin O’Donoghue, Alice Braga, Ciarán Hinds, Rutger Hauer
Psychological Thriller. Inspired by true events, “The Rite” follows skeptical seminary student Michael Kovak (Colin O’Donoghue), who reluctantly attends exorcism school at the Vatican. While he’s in Rome, Michael meets an unorthodox priest, Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), who introduces him to the darker side of his faith, uncovering the devil’s reach even to one of the holiest places on Earth.
- 11/24/2010
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Dread Central got word today that director Scott McCullough is teaming with writer Kenny Yakkel to bring a little bit more evil into our lives by offering fans a look at The Exorcism Diaries.
Dane Lillegard and Bob Engelman are producing, and Ipe principals Clay Ayers and Deborah Moore are executive producing. Casting has begun with Michael Hothorn and Quintessential Film. Shooting is slated for late spring.
No details have been revealed, but you can bet all sorts of goodies will be compelled by Christ to come to light very soon. In the interim check out some early art below.
- Uncle Creepy
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Write about your otherworldly experiences with pea soup in the Dread Central forums!
Dane Lillegard and Bob Engelman are producing, and Ipe principals Clay Ayers and Deborah Moore are executive producing. Casting has begun with Michael Hothorn and Quintessential Film. Shooting is slated for late spring.
No details have been revealed, but you can bet all sorts of goodies will be compelled by Christ to come to light very soon. In the interim check out some early art below.
- Uncle Creepy
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Write about your otherworldly experiences with pea soup in the Dread Central forums!
- 12/18/2009
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
How safe is your soul? Director Scott McCullough and writer Kenny Yakkel ( Dead Air ) have teamed up with Inner Primary Entertainment to bring The Exorcism Diaries to the screen. Dane Lillegard and Bob Engelman are producing and Ipe principals Clay Ayers and Deborah Moore are executive producing. Casting has begun with Michael Hothorn and Quintessential Film. Shooting is slated for late Spring 2010. Check out the teaser poster below.
- 12/17/2009
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Cologne, Germany -- Danish mega-producer Regner Grasten will make his U.S. debut with a remake of one of his biggest hits.
Grasten is acting as an executive producer on "Love at First Hiccup," a remake of the 1999 Danish teen rom-com that grossed an astounding $4.5 million in the tiny territory of 5 million inhabitants. The film spawned five sequels, the latest of which, "Anja & Victor: For Better or Worse," just hit Danish cinemas.
Devon Werkheiser, star of Nickelodeon's "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" will star alongside Scout Taylor-Compton ("Halloween") in the $2.4 million remake, which first-timer Barbara Rothenberg will direct. Shooting has begun in Los Angeles. Bob Engelman and Rosemary Marks are producing.
Scandi sales giant TrustNordisk has picked up world sales rights for the U.S. version of "Love at First Hiccup."...
Grasten is acting as an executive producer on "Love at First Hiccup," a remake of the 1999 Danish teen rom-com that grossed an astounding $4.5 million in the tiny territory of 5 million inhabitants. The film spawned five sequels, the latest of which, "Anja & Victor: For Better or Worse," just hit Danish cinemas.
Devon Werkheiser, star of Nickelodeon's "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" will star alongside Scout Taylor-Compton ("Halloween") in the $2.4 million remake, which first-timer Barbara Rothenberg will direct. Shooting has begun in Los Angeles. Bob Engelman and Rosemary Marks are producing.
Scandi sales giant TrustNordisk has picked up world sales rights for the U.S. version of "Love at First Hiccup."...
- 10/21/2008
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A sign of the times. Mainstream media outlets wouldn't dare accurately describe all of the PG-13 humor in "Little Nicky", the new Adam Sandler comedy about hell and the devil's three sons let loose on Earth. And there's not much point in writing up and printing such a lengthy list when audiences are primed for this kind of comic bombshell.
With a large, hilariously eclectic cast and eruptions of gags that will have some audiences laughing their heads off, the wide New Line release, directed by Steven Brill, has all the makings of another big hit for Sandler. While critics will be mostly unimpressed, "Nicky" won't need a lot of help accumulating piles of boxoffice scratch and post-theatrical loot. Sandler and regular writing partner Tim Herlihy have collaborated with Brill ("Late Last Night") on a relatively cohesive screenplay that imagines hell as a subterranean world that departing souls reach via a tunnel ending in a flaming portal. The film opens with a peeping Tom (Jon Lovitz) joking that he's a big horny bird on a branch and then falling to his death. When he's dumped into hell, there's a big horny bird waiting for him.
With horns and a big throne, the devil (Harvey Keitel) has been ruling hell for 10,000 years and gathers his three sons to name an heir. But when he looks over scheming Adrian (Rhys Ifans), big brute Cassius (Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.) and speech-impaired goofball Nicky (Sandler), Dad changes his mind and decides to stay on the throne. Adrian and Cassius have other plans, and their departure to rule on Earth causes the gate to hell to close.
With the inflow of souls stopped, Dad starts losing body parts, and it becomes Nicky's mission to track down his brothers -- who can possess the bodies of humans as well as communicate telepathically and exert mind control -- and somehow trap them in a magic flask. Shambling like Quasimodo, talking with a slur and wheezily laughing over private jokes, with his dark hair falling messily over his face and unfamiliar with basic human functions like eating and avoiding accidents, Nicky is sent tumbling back home several times by subway trains and other fatal encounters.
But with the help of a talking dog named Beefy (voiced by Robert Smigel), two enthusiastic disciples (Peter Dante, Jonathan Loughran) and sweet city girl Valerie (Patricia Arquette), whom he meets in the park, Nicky rises to the occasion, getting in touch with his inner evil as Adrian and Cassius cause major havoc in the city by possessing public figures and transforming society for the worse with little opposition.
Jammed wall to wall with jokes, many of which work and many of which are not original, "Nicky" frequently takes off on tangents for quick laughs and has several ongoing gags, such as the falling-apart of Keitel's character until only his arms and mouth remain. There's also a winning lineup of cameo players, including Dana Carvey as a possessed basketball coach in a freaky Harlem Globetrotters game, Quentin Tarantino as a blind preacher subject to increasingly harmful accidents, Rodney Dangerfield as Nicky's granddad Lucifer, Allen Covert as the lead's roommate on Earth and Reese Witherspoon as a surprise member of the family.
Other participants include Carl Weathers, George Wallace, Kevin Nealon as the guy who becomes known as "tit head" and, as themselves, Henry Winkler, Ozzy Osbourne and Regis Philbin. Sandler manages to pull off his character rather well, while veterans Keitel and Arquette are not exactly comic geniuses but keep pace handily. With tons of inventive special effects, a commercially potent soundtrack album and top-notch production values, "Nicky" ultimately wins one over in a flurry of belly laughs to go along with the occasional frowns at some of the more offensive material.
LITTLE NICKY
New Line Cinema
A Happy Madison production
in association with RSC Media
Director: Steven Brill
Screenwriters: Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler, Steven Brill
Producers: Robert Simonds, Jack Giarraputo
Executive producers: Robert Engelman, Adam Sandler, Michael De Luca, Brian Witten
Director of photography: Theo Van De Sande
Production designer: Perry Andelin Blake
Editor: Jeff Gourson
Costume designer: Ellen Lutter
Visual effects supervisor: John Sullivan
Music: Teddy Castellucci
Casting: Roger Mussenden
Color/stereo
Cast:
Nicky: Adam Sandler
Valerie: Patricia Arquette
Dad: Harvey Keitel
Adrian: Rhys Ifans
Cassius: Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.
Lucifer: Rodney Dangerfield
Todd: Allen Covert
Running time - 90 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
With a large, hilariously eclectic cast and eruptions of gags that will have some audiences laughing their heads off, the wide New Line release, directed by Steven Brill, has all the makings of another big hit for Sandler. While critics will be mostly unimpressed, "Nicky" won't need a lot of help accumulating piles of boxoffice scratch and post-theatrical loot. Sandler and regular writing partner Tim Herlihy have collaborated with Brill ("Late Last Night") on a relatively cohesive screenplay that imagines hell as a subterranean world that departing souls reach via a tunnel ending in a flaming portal. The film opens with a peeping Tom (Jon Lovitz) joking that he's a big horny bird on a branch and then falling to his death. When he's dumped into hell, there's a big horny bird waiting for him.
With horns and a big throne, the devil (Harvey Keitel) has been ruling hell for 10,000 years and gathers his three sons to name an heir. But when he looks over scheming Adrian (Rhys Ifans), big brute Cassius (Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.) and speech-impaired goofball Nicky (Sandler), Dad changes his mind and decides to stay on the throne. Adrian and Cassius have other plans, and their departure to rule on Earth causes the gate to hell to close.
With the inflow of souls stopped, Dad starts losing body parts, and it becomes Nicky's mission to track down his brothers -- who can possess the bodies of humans as well as communicate telepathically and exert mind control -- and somehow trap them in a magic flask. Shambling like Quasimodo, talking with a slur and wheezily laughing over private jokes, with his dark hair falling messily over his face and unfamiliar with basic human functions like eating and avoiding accidents, Nicky is sent tumbling back home several times by subway trains and other fatal encounters.
But with the help of a talking dog named Beefy (voiced by Robert Smigel), two enthusiastic disciples (Peter Dante, Jonathan Loughran) and sweet city girl Valerie (Patricia Arquette), whom he meets in the park, Nicky rises to the occasion, getting in touch with his inner evil as Adrian and Cassius cause major havoc in the city by possessing public figures and transforming society for the worse with little opposition.
Jammed wall to wall with jokes, many of which work and many of which are not original, "Nicky" frequently takes off on tangents for quick laughs and has several ongoing gags, such as the falling-apart of Keitel's character until only his arms and mouth remain. There's also a winning lineup of cameo players, including Dana Carvey as a possessed basketball coach in a freaky Harlem Globetrotters game, Quentin Tarantino as a blind preacher subject to increasingly harmful accidents, Rodney Dangerfield as Nicky's granddad Lucifer, Allen Covert as the lead's roommate on Earth and Reese Witherspoon as a surprise member of the family.
Other participants include Carl Weathers, George Wallace, Kevin Nealon as the guy who becomes known as "tit head" and, as themselves, Henry Winkler, Ozzy Osbourne and Regis Philbin. Sandler manages to pull off his character rather well, while veterans Keitel and Arquette are not exactly comic geniuses but keep pace handily. With tons of inventive special effects, a commercially potent soundtrack album and top-notch production values, "Nicky" ultimately wins one over in a flurry of belly laughs to go along with the occasional frowns at some of the more offensive material.
LITTLE NICKY
New Line Cinema
A Happy Madison production
in association with RSC Media
Director: Steven Brill
Screenwriters: Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler, Steven Brill
Producers: Robert Simonds, Jack Giarraputo
Executive producers: Robert Engelman, Adam Sandler, Michael De Luca, Brian Witten
Director of photography: Theo Van De Sande
Production designer: Perry Andelin Blake
Editor: Jeff Gourson
Costume designer: Ellen Lutter
Visual effects supervisor: John Sullivan
Music: Teddy Castellucci
Casting: Roger Mussenden
Color/stereo
Cast:
Nicky: Adam Sandler
Valerie: Patricia Arquette
Dad: Harvey Keitel
Adrian: Rhys Ifans
Cassius: Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.
Lucifer: Rodney Dangerfield
Todd: Allen Covert
Running time - 90 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 11/6/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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