Even by the very low standards of January movies, “The Boy Next Door” still manages to be a disappointment. It even manages to disappoint beyond the very dim expectations for director Rob Cohen, His “Alex Cross” and “Stealth” were both on my year-end worst lists and his entry in the “Fast and Furious” franchise (the first) is by far the least of the series. This dumb, thrill-less thriller, produced by star Jennifer Lopez, has no surprises, with the possible exception of how she manages to have such perfect hair and lipstick in every scene, even when she is being chased by a maniac.
Lopez plays Claire Peterson, a high school English teacher (specializing in “the classics”), living with her teenage son, Kevin (Ian Nelson), and separated from her husband, Garrett (John Corbett, who needs to raise his fees for those Walgreen ads so he can stay away from drek like this), who was sleeping with his secretary but now wants Claire to forgive him and start over. Claire is hurt and finds it hard to trust Garrett again. Her generic sassy best friend, Vicki (Kristin Chenoweth) wants her to date other men and have some fun. But the blind date Vicki sets up is a disaster. Claire is lonely and relationships seem scary and complicated. Garrett and Kevin are off camping and she is alone.
She gets a distress call from the hunky 19-year-old next door. He’s great with anything mechanical and easily fixed her garage door. But it seems that he does not know how to defrost a chicken. Out of concern for possible botulism, which can definitely have an adverse impact on hotness, she goes over there. Of course. And it’s raining. Of course. And he tells her she is beautiful. And starts to kiss her. And take her clothes off. And then they engage in activities that, as she will find, are even higher-risk than undercooked chicken.
But (spoiler alert) the lip gloss stays perfect throughout.
At least the walk of shame is a short one. She lives next door. And she thinks she knows how to talk to teenagers. She explains, kindly, that it was not his fault and tries impose some boundaries. But he does not want to go along. And we’re only 30 minutes in, so that means one third build-up to sex, two-third still ahead for him to make her feel threatened until (spoiler alert) a big, violent, confrontation.
We don’t need a lot of sophistication and subtlety from thrillers like this one. We just need the plot to be not completely laughable, the characters not completely incomprehensibly idiotic, and the action not something we’ve seen a dozen times before. This movie fails on all counts. The script barely qualifies as dialogue, with exposition-heavy lines that all land with a thud except for the ones that land with a splat. But that’s still better than what passes for wit. Garrett has been sleeping with his secretary on business trips to San Francisco, so Vicki quips, painfully, “That gives new meaning to ‘San Francisco treat,'” which would not have qualified as movie-worthy even when those old Rice-a-Roni ads were still in heavy rotation. And even that’s still better than what passes for suspense. (Okay, actual spoiler alert coming here, in case anyone cares.) When the bad guy starts monologuing to a motionless good guy we cannot see or hear, it’s a pretty safe bet that Elvis has left the building, and by Elvis I mean life. The biggest disappointment of all? It’s not even stupid enough to be dumb fun — with the possible exception of fan of “the classics” Claire’s delighted response to a gift from the hunk next door, a “first edition” by Homer, who lived centuries before the invention of the printing press.
Parents should know that this film includes extreme peril and violence including guns, knives, and other weapons and fire, characters injured and killed, graphic and disturbing images, very strong language, nudity and explicit sexual situations.
Family discussion: How did Claire’s blind date make her more vulnerable to Noah? How did Noah’s past affect his view of Claire’s marriage?
If you like this, try: “Firstborn” and “The Crush”
Interview: “Mozart in the Jungle” Author Blair Tindall
Posted on January 22, 2015 at 3:55 pm
Photo copyright 2013 by Christian Steiner
Amazon’s sexy and provocative “Mozart in the Jungle” series stars Gael Garcia Bernal, Lola Kirke, and Malcolm McDowell in a story set in the intensely competitive world of a big city orchestra. It is based on the tell-all tale by musician Blair Tindall, Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music. I am enjoying the series very much and was delighted to have a chance to ask Ms. Tindall about it.
How unusual is it for musicians to perform in both orchestral and jazz/pop ensembles?
It’s very common. One of the more notable examples is Wynton Marsalis, a Juilliard-trained classical trumpeter who also heads Lincoln Center Jazz. Yo Yo Ma. Eddie Daniels. Chick Corea (classical Juilliard grad, I believe). Mark Inouye, new NY Phil principal trumpet. Hubert Laws. Jim Walker, former principal flute of LA Phil. LA studio cellist Armen Ksajikian. There are several in almost every major orchestra — I put out a call on Facebook last night and got 63 enthusiastic responses.
I’m on an album that was nominated for a jazz Grammy! “Remembrances,” Jon Faddis. This said, I know few who were originally jazz players crossing over to classical. They either learned both simultaneously, like Wynton, or explored jazz from a classical background.
One of the more common “other music’ jobs are Broadway shows. I played in about eight of them over 15 years, often rushing between the theater and Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center. There’s a good example of this in the pilot, with the hilarious Broadway spoof “Oedipus Rocks,” and Cynthia stumbling in slightly late after a symphony performance. Lateness on Broadway is extremely uncommon, but it happens. People forget the one new early show time, people get stuck on the subway with no cell coverage, etc. There was one instance of a horn player I know doing five performance the same NIGHT (not including afternoon) as he played in one movement here, the overture at the Philharmonic, stage band (usually only a few minutes) at both the Met and City Opera, and a short piece at Carnegie. He definitely won the contest! And made a lot of money that evening.
Nearly every Broadway percussionist, keyboard or reed player, trombonist, bassist and trumpeter does both.
What are the differences in culture between orchestral performers and other kinds of musicians?
Some of the differences are expected, but not at all universal. Some classical musicians are tattooed, some jazz/pop artists are not. I know quite a few jazz and pop musicians who are health nuts/vegan/fitness buffs, while others are not so much. Same with classical. For example, I went to visit a very successful and well-regarded classical friend in his 60s who’d just returned from a classical tour. He opened his apartment door, and pot smoke billowed out! Many of his colleagues won’t touch the stuff, others do.
But as the entertainment business grows more competitive because of online outlets, then entrepreneurialism — and therefore presenting the most polished version of your performance — has become important. Because of this, I think people are now more vigilant about taking care of their health.
Orchestral musicians are well-represented and protected by union contracts and regulations. They are non-profit organizations, and were originally formed early in the 20th century as a sort of social club for the wealthy. There’s still a touch of that, but the audience is far more diverse today. Still, every orchestra has a board of community movers and shakers who are responsible for raising money and choosing music director and CEO.
Pop, everyone playing it hopes, is for-profit. Not much fundraising, and audiences come because they’re passionate about the music — or particular scene/crowd the band draws. Except for certain cases, pop is largely not regulated by the union.
Jazz was once a bunch of passionate musicians on their own, No fundraising, little union representation, no non-profit status. That’s changed in the last 20 years, and it’s headed the way of symphonies. Now there are non-profit-status jazz organizations and festivals, although union rates — especially health and pension contributions, largely lag behind those of orchestral musicians.
Is there a bigger difference between their audiences?
They’re largely separate. The reason? Orchestras are nonprofit organizations, which in the the arts were largely set up as social clubs for the monied set, decades ago. They really caught that in the TV show. For some, attendance may be about the music, but often, it is more about networking and building a community attractive to business (orchestra, ballet, opera, museums are often considered essential here). Pop and jazz is much more band/genre-specific.
What do readers tell you most surprised them about your portrayal of the world of orchestral music?
Many are very interested about how freelance musicians piece together different jobs, and how we get hired. In my case, people are fascinated by the reedmaking. People want to know what goes on in rehearsals, and how many rehearsals are needed to put on a concert (for major orchestras, usually 4 rehearsals, or 10 hours’ worth). Many are surprised to learn that orchestras have CEOs and an army of executives and administrators, not to mention the salaries the top executives and conductors draw. Sometimes people are surprised to end up in the grocery line behind someone with an instrument. I think that not many audience members gave it much thought, as concerts are presented so formally, but are startled that musicians are just people in any other profession! We work hard, play, are dedicated, misbehave, and anything else you can think of. We’re just like any other cross-section of society — there’s some of everything.
What surprised you the most when you began playing professionally?
I started gigging at 14, so not much. But in NYC, I was surprised by the lengths musicians go to make a living. For example, a week at one of my orchestras, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, in Poughkeepsie, involved up to 24 hours of commuting each week we performed. We usually got back to Manhattan after midnight, crossing the George Washington Bridge, only to be greeted by one of those squeegee guys banging on the hood. That said, my carpool bonded for life. We had some epic and fun car rides I wouldn’t trade for the world.
Do you think that today’s compositions — either symphonic or otherwise — will be played centuries from now as Mozart and Beethoven and Bach are still played today?
Definitely. Not everything, of course. But plenty who were contemporaries of Mozart, Beethoven and Bach have been forgotten. The great will always endure.
What did it feel like to see your words come alive in the series? Are the characters the way you pictured them?
I couldn’t be more thrilled. The series is created by some of the best minds in Hollywood, people who also have a background in classical music. There were two musician/writers on the 10-writer staff. When I wrote the book, I made a list of every issue facing classical music, and found a scenario from my life that illustrated each one. Michael Zakin, the producer with American Zoetrope, scoured the book and captured that in vast detail. I was excited to discover the pilot script captured what I’d tried to convey, including the power struggles, orchestra administration, union politics, audience attitudes, and more.
I loved what they did with the characters — they captured much of what I tried to get across. Each character has something they can contribute to the issues in classical music, and the characters they added all have facets that can do the same. For example, the LA Philharmonic didn’t have a charismatic Latino conductor when the book was published. But that was a brilliant addition, and I love the friction/friendship between Rodrigo and Thomas. The Betty character (older oboist) is very close to the Betty in my book, who was a bassist in my building. My Betty was someone now in her 70s who’d battled her way through an army of men to succeed. She was sometimes angry at the young folks who have it easier, and romance eluded her until her married lover of 30 years was widowed. They only had a couple of years together before he died. The actor playing timpanist Dee Dee is actually a very successful bass player in real life. But although he doesn’t resemble any of the drug dealers of yore, he was perfect for the role.
What do you most want people to know about symphonic music?
You don’t have to know ANYTHING about music to enjoy it. The snob sitting next to you is probably bluffing. Just sit and enjoy. Watch the show and decide what music elates you. And there are plenty of places to try out performances free — YouTube is a great place to shop around. Most cities and towns have parks concerts that are very casual — take a picnic. Symphonies are reaching out to newer audiences with casual, shorter “rush hour” concerts, pre-concert lectures, and reduced rate tickets. It doesn’t have to be a formal, expensive affair. Listen to the radio, try out a casual concert, and listen. If it moves you, that’s the music you like; you don’t have to like it all!
Interview: George Lopez and Carlos PenaVega of “Spare Parts”
Posted on January 22, 2015 at 3:50 pm
Copyright Nell Minow 2015
Spare Parts is based on the true story of four undocumented high school students who entered a robotics competition and beat the team from MIT. I was lucky enough to get a chance to talk to George Lopez, who produced the film and stars as a character based on the two teachers who worked with the boys, and Carlos PenaVega of Big Time Rush, who plays Oscar, the most serious-minded and responsible member of the team.
PenaVega talked about how much fun the actors who played the team had with the robot built for the film. “It’s kind of like movie magic because we show up, the robots are built and then we get to play. But they let us drive them around a bit so I kind of get to be like a pilot for a day.” He is ebullient and talkative, not much like the character he played, who he described as “an incredible human being. He and I spoke through emails for a while but he was very vague and we got to finally meet on set, they came for a whole week, all the boys both teachers. And I think each one of us took time to just sit down with them, talk to them it’s like tell me your story out of your mouth, no more like online. I mean these kids went through so much and Oscar is such a strong human being especially for someone who speaks very little English, or who speaks but still has an accent. He just so inspiring because we all have obstacles in our lives. In my opinion he had some of the most difficult obstacles and he got through it. He can do it, so can we.” He was especially happy when his wife, Alexa PenaVega (“Spy Kids”) was cast as his character’s girlfriend. “It was such a blessing because we had just gotten engaged and being apart for two, three months would have been difficult. And she was amazing and you know just having George and my wife and Jamie Lee Curtis and Marisa, it was such good company and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.” He was grateful for the three pieces of advice he got from Jamie Lee Curtis. “Always be on time, which I’m working on. Always know your lines. And number three never ask anybody to do something that you could do for yourself. Like if there is a glass of water over there and you can clearly get it, don’t be like, ‘Can you get me this?'” To relax between scenes, the cast enjoyed singing show tunes and other songs.
He was very glad to get away from the buzz cut hairstyle his character has in the film. “Continuity is a big thing in films so they would give me a buzz cut every day. Every single day. You know what, in the first month it was great but in the next months, I was like ‘no more, no more haircuts.'”
Lopez gave the young actors some advice as well. Before shooting began, he took them to dinner and told them “to work hard and let’s make something that the kids could be proud of. That everybody would be proud of. ” He was paying tribute not only to the characters in the story but to his own teachers who inspired and supported him. “I had it when I was growing up and I had teachers that would talk to me kind of take me under their arm and stuff and tell me things I wanted to hear. And sometimes the things I did not want to hear and did not understand at that particular time but then I did later on.”
Lopez was eager to talk about why the story was so important to him. “The fact that you could beat so many great universities with spending under $800 and how intelligence has no color. And ingenuity and determination and will can outweigh what somebody might learn in a book. They were relentless and they would not give up. The only reason they entered against the colleges was because they thought they didn’t want to lose to another high school. They didn’t go into win; they went to not lose to all the high schools. So that’s inspiring and it is a little bit of a kind of a thing that Latinos have, like you always feel a little bit uncomfortable even when you’re welcome. So hopefully this movie will be able to show people. The movie is entertaining but it also shows Latinos that whatever they aspire to be can happen.” He said it was the first movie he produced that had “such an incredible and credible cast. Having Jamie Lee Curtis do the movie and have her be so great in it but also to get Marisa Tomei in there and Esai Morales — I called him personally and asked him to be in it. And then finding these young men who were amazing actors and who also felt the story so it wasn’t really just another job for them. They felt the responsibility to do this movie and to make sure it was done properly. To honor the actual young man who we became quite friendly with.”
I’m delighted to have three copies of the heartwarming and inspiring “23 Blast” to give away. 23 Blast is the name of a football play, and “23 Blast” is based on the real story of Travis Freeman, a high school football star who lost his sight, but, with the help of a courageous coach and committed teammates, was able to keep playing. Directed by Dylan Baker, who co-stars as Travis’ father, the film also stars Stephen Lang as the coach.
To enter, send an email to me at moviemom@moviemom.com with 23 Blast in the subject line and tell me your favorite sports team. Don’t forget your address! (US addresses only) I’ll pick winners at random on January 29, 2015. Good luck!
Meredith Anne Bull stars in this week’s release “Strange Magic,” an animated musical fairy tale based on a story by George Lucas. She plays Dawn the “young, naive, unaffected and thrilled with life” younger sister of the heroine, Marianne, played by Evan Rachel Wood. She has done voice-over work before, but this was her first time as the voice of a feature film animated character. She says she felt very comfortable working in a recording studio, which is a challenge for some actors who don’t have a musical background. But it was a challenge to create a performance alone in a recording booth, “without the other actors around you to interact with. Sometimes the director will feed you lines and sometimes you are out there on your own and you have to pull from your imagination.” She did get to see some of the movie’s visuals, especially more recently. She began working on the film in 2011, before most of the animation work had been completed. And the storyline changed over the year. But in the last year she got to see some short clips and had a better idea of what the final version would be like. She says her favorite fairy tales are “Red Riding Hood” and “Goldilocks,” which she thinks is “hilarious.”
Bull told me she originally auditioned for the part of Marianne, singing “Thriller” and “Like a Virgin.” They asked her to read for Dawn, though she says it is Marianne who is more like her in real life, more independent, with more of a dark sense of humor. “But they saw some part of Dawn in me. They’re more to her than being irresponsible and flying off the handle. She’s sensitive, and she really cares about her sister. Sometimes she can be self-centered, and she lets her sister down at one point, but you see how much she cares about what her sister thinks of her. She’s not just happy all the time, though that is certainly her go-to emotion.”
The movie has an assortment of contemporary songs, including a duet with Elijah Kelley, Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.” “They’re not like the typical Prince Charming and Princess. She’s like three feet taller than he is!”
She says the best piece of advice she ever got was from Kelley, who told her not to be intimidated, no matter who she was working with. “This was kind of my first big film. I was not exactly intimidated but a little squirrely to be around these people who are very established. Elijah talked to me about not being intimidated — we are all people, we all have families, we all have insecurities and disappointments. You should never let anyone make you feel less than you are.”
. I am enjoying the series very much and was delighted to have a chance to ask 
