Mary Schmidtberger Movies
Writer/director Michael Clancy makes his feature film debut with the black comedy Eulogy. Zooey Deschanel plays Kate Collins, an unhappy college student who is made even more unhappy when her grandfather (Rip Torn) dies. Even though the entire family hates each other, they reunite at the home of Grandma Collins (Piper Laurie). Among other family members, Kate observes a war between her washed-up actor dad, Daniel (Hank Azaria); her lesbian Aunt Lucy (Kelly Preston); her wound-up Uncle Skip (Ray Romano); and her strict Aunt Alice (Debra Winger). Tensions escalate and family secrets are ultimately revealed. Kate is also inundated with the eulogy-writing duties, as she's the only one capable of such a task. Meanwhile, she reunites with old flame Ryan Carmichael (Jesse Bradford). Eulogy premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hank Azaria, Jesse Bradford, (more)
A down-on-his luck auteur gets one more chance at the big time -- provided his neuroses don't swallow him whole -- in Woody Allen's 33rd feature release, Hollywood Ending. Allen plays Val Waxman, a one-time cinematic genius who's resorted to taking advertisement work to pay the bills for himself and his airhead live-in girlfriend, Lori (Debra Messing). Val finds his luck is about to change, however, when he receives the script for The City Never Sleeps, a period noir set against the backdrop of 1940s New York City. It seems his ex-wife, Ellie (Tea Leoni), now an executive at Galaxy Pictures, has been pulling for him to direct the picture, claiming he's the only man who can do justice to the script. She even manages to convince her boyfriend, Hal (Treat Williams), Galaxy's high-powered studio head, to take a chance on Val's "unique vision." Just when the cameras are ready to roll, however, Val finds that unique vision in jeopardy -- literally -- as he's struck with a psychosomatic case of blindness. When physicians and psychiatrists fail to cure him, Val contrives a scheme to forge ahead with the picture, for fear of blowing his one last chance at greatness. Hollywood Ending co-stars George Hamilton and Mark Rydell. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, Téa Leoni, (more)
- 2001
As Jane (Clea DuVall) puts it, "I keep trying to kill myself, but I keep getting interrupted," and a close look at her life gives a reasonable idea of why she's depressed about her current state of affairs in this dark, absurdist comedy. Jane hasn't been able to block out much of a career path, earning a meager living as a waitress at a low-rent greasy spoon; her boyfriend (Judson Mills) is an aspiring musician with little talent and even less charm; and her roommates -- Gina (Jennifer Aspen), a struggling actress, and Marvin (Richmond Arquette), a writer who can't write -- are driving her up the wall. Deciding she needs to do something, Jane embarks on a life of crime, getting a gun and giving robbery a try, with Gina and Marvin as her accomplices. Jane isn't much of a thief, however, netting little more than a few cases of Spam, and Gina and Marvin are not much of a help; desperate, she decides to take a stab at kidnapping, with a big-time film producer (Stanley DeSantis) as her target. See Jane Run was the debut feature from writer and director Sarah Thorp. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clea Duvall, Kevin Corrigan, (more)
