Hey now, and hallelujah: After a few years stuck in streaming purgatory, all 89 episodes of The Larry Sanders Show are now available on HBO Go/HBO Now, as of this Friday. It’s a fitting home, too, since the original run of Sanders aired on HBO from 1992 to 1998 — and changed television as we know it.
If you’re not familiar, Larry Sanders stars Garry Shandling as the chronically insecure host of a struggling late-night talk show. Rip Torn co-stars as his no-bs producer Artie, along with Jeffrey Tambor as Larry’s self-loathing sidekick Hank Kingsley. Looking back now, Sanders was revolutionary,...
If you’re not familiar, Larry Sanders stars Garry Shandling as the chronically insecure host of a struggling late-night talk show. Rip Torn co-stars as his no-bs producer Artie, along with Jeffrey Tambor as Larry’s self-loathing sidekick Hank Kingsley. Looking back now, Sanders was revolutionary,...
- 9/23/2016
- TVLine.com
It's not too difficult to see why "Amy's Orgasm", the second feature by Julie Davis, was the winner of the audience award at the recent Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
When compared to the usual, more somber festival entries, Davis' highly personal brand of romantic comedy is a tart, smart breath of fresh air that stands out from the pack even if the picture itself is somewhat problematic.
Despite the provocative title, the film fails to reach a satisfying climax.
Given the very specific big-city, Jewish neurotic milieu, it's also not surprising why Davis has been called a female Woody Allen on more than one occasion, though she is a filmmaker with a promising voice of her own, not to mention a West Coast setting.
Exhibiting another common Allen trait, Davis casts herself as lead Amy Mandell, a successful self-help author who, apparently oblivious to the old saying "physician heal thyself," is having a little trouble practicing what she's preaching in the dating department.
Despite informing single female readers that celibacy is the key to self-worth while observing that "love is like an hourglass ... with the heart filling up while the brain empties," she finds herself ready and willing to give it up to one Matthew Starr (Nick Chinlund), a smarmy radio shock jock patterned after guess who.
While they would seem to be an unlikely match, Amy ignores the protests of her long-suffering publicist (Caroline Aaron) and a smitten priest (comic Jeff Cesario) to whom she goes to for confession -- rationalizing that although she's not Catholic, it's cheaper than therapy -- and falls for the Guy Big time.
Therein lies the fundamental problem with "Amy's Orgasm". In any effective romantic comedy, the basic idea is to be able to root for the two central characters to eventually realize they're meant for each other.
Here, however, while more or less adhering to the standard girl-meets-boy/girl-loses-boy/girl-gets-boy format, the boy in question is such a smug jerk (and Chinlund's one-note performance doesn't help) that it's never convincingly explained why this seemingly sensible woman would be swept off her feet for him not once but twice.
It's a shame, because Davis -- who previously wrote and directed "I Love You, Don't Touch Me!" and also wore two hats for her latest romantic comedy, "All Over the Guy", to be released by Lions Gate in the summer -- demonstrates an energetic spark in both capacities.
Despite suffering from a mild case of all-about-me syndrome, the sexually perceptive film remains likable and, at least for the first half, amusing.
While Davis, who makes her feature acting debut here, and Cesario, as the tentative priest, have a nice comic touch, Aaron, an Allen regular, handily steals the show as Amy's brassy, controlling publicist.
Production values are bright and cost-efficient, with cinematographer Mark Mervis and production designer Carol Strober taking full advantage of the sunny Los Angeles backdrop.
AMY'S ORGASM
Serious Dan Films
Director-screenwriter: Julie Davis
Producers: Julie Davis, Fred Kramer
Executive producers: Scott Mandell, David Straus
Director of photography: Mark Mervis
Production designer: Carol Strober
Editor: Julie Davis
Costume designer: Robert Constant
Music supervisor: Jonathan Weiss
Color/stereo
Cast:
Amy Mandell: Julie Davis
Matthew Starr: Nick Chinlund
Janet: Caroline Aaron
Don: Mitchell Whitfield
Elizabeth: Jennifer Bransford
The Priest: Jeff Cesario
Running time -- 92 minutes
No MPAA rating...
When compared to the usual, more somber festival entries, Davis' highly personal brand of romantic comedy is a tart, smart breath of fresh air that stands out from the pack even if the picture itself is somewhat problematic.
Despite the provocative title, the film fails to reach a satisfying climax.
Given the very specific big-city, Jewish neurotic milieu, it's also not surprising why Davis has been called a female Woody Allen on more than one occasion, though she is a filmmaker with a promising voice of her own, not to mention a West Coast setting.
Exhibiting another common Allen trait, Davis casts herself as lead Amy Mandell, a successful self-help author who, apparently oblivious to the old saying "physician heal thyself," is having a little trouble practicing what she's preaching in the dating department.
Despite informing single female readers that celibacy is the key to self-worth while observing that "love is like an hourglass ... with the heart filling up while the brain empties," she finds herself ready and willing to give it up to one Matthew Starr (Nick Chinlund), a smarmy radio shock jock patterned after guess who.
While they would seem to be an unlikely match, Amy ignores the protests of her long-suffering publicist (Caroline Aaron) and a smitten priest (comic Jeff Cesario) to whom she goes to for confession -- rationalizing that although she's not Catholic, it's cheaper than therapy -- and falls for the Guy Big time.
Therein lies the fundamental problem with "Amy's Orgasm". In any effective romantic comedy, the basic idea is to be able to root for the two central characters to eventually realize they're meant for each other.
Here, however, while more or less adhering to the standard girl-meets-boy/girl-loses-boy/girl-gets-boy format, the boy in question is such a smug jerk (and Chinlund's one-note performance doesn't help) that it's never convincingly explained why this seemingly sensible woman would be swept off her feet for him not once but twice.
It's a shame, because Davis -- who previously wrote and directed "I Love You, Don't Touch Me!" and also wore two hats for her latest romantic comedy, "All Over the Guy", to be released by Lions Gate in the summer -- demonstrates an energetic spark in both capacities.
Despite suffering from a mild case of all-about-me syndrome, the sexually perceptive film remains likable and, at least for the first half, amusing.
While Davis, who makes her feature acting debut here, and Cesario, as the tentative priest, have a nice comic touch, Aaron, an Allen regular, handily steals the show as Amy's brassy, controlling publicist.
Production values are bright and cost-efficient, with cinematographer Mark Mervis and production designer Carol Strober taking full advantage of the sunny Los Angeles backdrop.
AMY'S ORGASM
Serious Dan Films
Director-screenwriter: Julie Davis
Producers: Julie Davis, Fred Kramer
Executive producers: Scott Mandell, David Straus
Director of photography: Mark Mervis
Production designer: Carol Strober
Editor: Julie Davis
Costume designer: Robert Constant
Music supervisor: Jonathan Weiss
Color/stereo
Cast:
Amy Mandell: Julie Davis
Matthew Starr: Nick Chinlund
Janet: Caroline Aaron
Don: Mitchell Whitfield
Elizabeth: Jennifer Bransford
The Priest: Jeff Cesario
Running time -- 92 minutes
No MPAA rating...
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- It's a sign of the times that coming-of-age films, in which one or more male characters comes to grips with the onset of adulthood and maturity, now feature men in their thirties and forties rather than their teens.
The latest example of this baby boomer genre is David Michael O'Neill's uneven debut feature, "Five Aces", which recently had its world premiere at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. Starring is Charlie Sheen, who, in an example of his own newfound seriousness, now bills himself as Charles.
He plays Chris Martin, a 35-year-old bachelor who has finally decided to tie the knot. He returns to his hometown to bond with his former buddies, a lifelong group of friends who have dubbed themselves the Five Aces, and to enjoy what amounts to an extended bachelor party.
Of course, what he sees makes him think twice about his impending nuptials. His friends are a motley crew indeed, their lives featuring a combination of failed marriages, relationships and businesses. Led by the financially successful but emotionally immature Ash (Christopher McDonald), they lay a series of gantlets for Chris to pass through, beginning with a mock seduction by a scantily clad woman.
The movie consists of alternately comic and dramatic segments in which the Five Aces attempt to recapture the high spirits of their youth (apparently they used to perform choreographed song and dance routines at the local watering hole) despite the fact that they are now emotional messes. Further adding to Chris' sense of ambivalence is his bittersweet reunion with his still-attractive teen-age sweetheart, now married to the volatile town cop.
The film treads uneasily between raucous comedy and thoughtful drama; comic episodes involving the men's encounters with the town's seemingly inexhaustible supply of available and randy women are mixed in with melodramatic subplots, such as the simultaneous disintegration of the business and marriage of one of the Aces (Michael McGrady).
Although there are some amusing moments and some resonant dramatic interludes, too often the writing and direction seem forced, and the endless sequences in which the men play ball, cards, etc. while engaging in macho horseplay quickly wear thin. Yet another device that doesn't work is the series of fantasy sequences in which Chris imagines his fiancee replacing the other characters.
Sheen brings his usual appeal to his role, and the supporting players, including the stolid McDonald and comedian Jeff Cesario, cope as well as they can with their cliche-ridden parts. Also on hand, in the briefest of roles, are veteran character actors Matt Clarke and Geoffrey Lewis.
FIVE ACES
Phoenician Films
Director: David Michael O'Neill
Screenplay: David Sherrill, David Michael O'Neill
Producers: Elie Samaha, Tracee Stanley, Charles Sheen
Co-producers: David Sherrill, David Michael O'Neill
Executive producers: Ashok Amritaj, Andrew Stevens
Director of photography: Michael Slovis
Film editor: Brett Hedlund
Color/stereo
Cast:
Chris Martin: Charles Sheen
Ash: Christopher McDonald
Karen: Tia Carrere
Ray: David Sherrill
Sean: Michael McGrady
Todd: Jeff Cesario
Sloan: Geoffrey Lewis
Mr. Martin: Matt Clarke
Running time -- 93 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The latest example of this baby boomer genre is David Michael O'Neill's uneven debut feature, "Five Aces", which recently had its world premiere at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. Starring is Charlie Sheen, who, in an example of his own newfound seriousness, now bills himself as Charles.
He plays Chris Martin, a 35-year-old bachelor who has finally decided to tie the knot. He returns to his hometown to bond with his former buddies, a lifelong group of friends who have dubbed themselves the Five Aces, and to enjoy what amounts to an extended bachelor party.
Of course, what he sees makes him think twice about his impending nuptials. His friends are a motley crew indeed, their lives featuring a combination of failed marriages, relationships and businesses. Led by the financially successful but emotionally immature Ash (Christopher McDonald), they lay a series of gantlets for Chris to pass through, beginning with a mock seduction by a scantily clad woman.
The movie consists of alternately comic and dramatic segments in which the Five Aces attempt to recapture the high spirits of their youth (apparently they used to perform choreographed song and dance routines at the local watering hole) despite the fact that they are now emotional messes. Further adding to Chris' sense of ambivalence is his bittersweet reunion with his still-attractive teen-age sweetheart, now married to the volatile town cop.
The film treads uneasily between raucous comedy and thoughtful drama; comic episodes involving the men's encounters with the town's seemingly inexhaustible supply of available and randy women are mixed in with melodramatic subplots, such as the simultaneous disintegration of the business and marriage of one of the Aces (Michael McGrady).
Although there are some amusing moments and some resonant dramatic interludes, too often the writing and direction seem forced, and the endless sequences in which the men play ball, cards, etc. while engaging in macho horseplay quickly wear thin. Yet another device that doesn't work is the series of fantasy sequences in which Chris imagines his fiancee replacing the other characters.
Sheen brings his usual appeal to his role, and the supporting players, including the stolid McDonald and comedian Jeff Cesario, cope as well as they can with their cliche-ridden parts. Also on hand, in the briefest of roles, are veteran character actors Matt Clarke and Geoffrey Lewis.
FIVE ACES
Phoenician Films
Director: David Michael O'Neill
Screenplay: David Sherrill, David Michael O'Neill
Producers: Elie Samaha, Tracee Stanley, Charles Sheen
Co-producers: David Sherrill, David Michael O'Neill
Executive producers: Ashok Amritaj, Andrew Stevens
Director of photography: Michael Slovis
Film editor: Brett Hedlund
Color/stereo
Cast:
Chris Martin: Charles Sheen
Ash: Christopher McDonald
Karen: Tia Carrere
Ray: David Sherrill
Sean: Michael McGrady
Todd: Jeff Cesario
Sloan: Geoffrey Lewis
Mr. Martin: Matt Clarke
Running time -- 93 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 12/3/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.