Around the World in 80 Days: The BeansTalk Review In Jackie Chan’s latest film, he gets to show off those amazing choreographic skills – not just the masterful martial arts – but the ability to use props in a calculated chaotic fluid way. The film is a remake of the classic 50s film, starring David Niven and Cantinflas (Chan plays the latter’s part), in which a London-based eccentric inventor (Steve Coogan, as Phineas Fogg) must travel around the world in 80 days to win a bet (as well as his future career and pride). Along the way, the once introverted scientist finds friendship and love – and plenty of wacky adventures.
In the 1999 documentary in which Chan proudly shows where his ideas come from (he clips articles, photographs, keeps massive binders, bulletin boards, anything that might turn into one of his signature exchanges) and each of those – here, using a wooden bench, the Statue of Liberty, among many – is used to great effect.
But the notion of building a film around Chan’s brilliance doesn’t quite work. For starters, the original “Around the World in 80 Days” was so steeped in the pop culture of the time it was made (1956). What’s unfortunate in this remake is that little effort was affected to make this version funny to a contemporary audience. There are, in all seriousness, probably only a couple of laughs in this two-hour film. One is in Chan’s trademark fight sequences and the other is from a cameo by his “Shanghai Knights” co-star, Owen Wilson.
The audience isn’t ever really catapulted into 1872, when the film is set. It uses its version of “magical realism” – beautiful, colorful transitional art – to move between the many locations the film is supposed to take its characters and audience to, but moreover, director Frank Coraci is more about the wink-wink celebrity cameos, holding the camera lovingly and pointedly on each of his “guest stars.” Never mind that many of these are wholly nonsensical.
Even the costumes and make-up in this film – which is sweeping in its very premise – seem thrown together carelessly. But most disappointing is the script and dialogue, none of which can be saved by the pretty sets or even Chan’s charm.
Stylish Gatherings:
Eva LaRue wore a white Banana Republic t-shirt over a baby blue asymmetrical Pucci skirt at Entertainment Weekly's Celebration of "The Must List: The 137 People & Things We Love This Summer" Issue.
Miss USA Shandi Finnessey wore a flouncy hot pink Carlos Meile dress; Ashanti went total Christian Dior (a sunny yellow sheath dress and matching sandals); “Rich Girl” Jaime Gleicher carried a Gucci bag and chose a Marc Jacobs dress; Model and rock daughter Theodora Richards also wore Marc Jacobs; Ashlee Simpson wore Punk Royal Capri length khakis, with a black white-lettered NEW YORK DOLL T; Fashionista Bai Ling wore a cropped black tank top with a low-riding matching skirt – all of her own design; Vanessa Minnillo chose a lightening bolt printing Sheri Bodell mini; Tovah Feldshuh wore a bright turquoise and yellow Valentino…
The cool event to have been at last night was 2004 Los Angeles Film Festival - "Garden State" Opening Night Premiere: Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Ruffalo, Rose McGowan, Christa Miller, Zach Braff, Evan Rachel Wood, Monet Mazur and Gillian Anderson were among the attendees.
2004 Crest Whitestrips Style Awards on the 16th featured Maggie Gyllenhaal (elegantly garbed in a soft pink sheath under a white blazer, pearls around her neck, and her mom as her date), Kate Beckinsale (in a bright turquoise dress with deep blue pointy toed, high heeled boots), Sharon Stone (in slinky halter topped aubergine), Jewel (in a printed pink silk skirt, black tshirt top and a hot pink purse), Mena Suvari (in distressed gray denim Capri jumpsuit), Sarah Wynter (in ivory), Sigourney Weaver (in a crisp ivory, “plaid” tie-dyed 60s style dress with wide belt), and even La Toya Jackson (in a bright white suit).
NOT “Dirty Dancing, Havana Nights”: Siegfried and Roy present the U.S. debut of “Havana Night Club—The Show” Friday, July 30, 2004 at the Stardust Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The contemporary Cuban music and dance features a cast of more than 50 Cuban dancers, musicians and singers and is the first show of its size and caliber to emanate from Cuba and play on U.S. soil in more than a half century. It’s played to more than two million fans in 16 countries around the world since 1999 . Siegfried and Roy exclaim, "We've witnessed the magic of this show and felt compelled to bring its electrifying energy to Las Vegas. This is one party you can't miss!" The show also features the 13-piece award-winning Cubaximo band and singers. "I wanted the world to see, through this show, the glorious untouched talent of Havana," said Nicole "ND" Durr, producer, creator and artistic director. "Every beat and every note is filled with vitality and unbridled energy. The audience is invited to a party made up of glorious colors, rhythm, dance and music."
Durr joined forces with presenters and associate producers Siegfried & Roy, the illusionist team who began their careers in Las Vegas on the same stage at the Stardust over 28 years ago, along with Emmy-Award winning director and choreographer Kenny Ortega (Barbra Streisand, Cher, Madonna, Opening Ceremony/Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Games) and set designer Michael Cotton, (Gloria Estefan, N'Sync, Michael Jackson and Aerosmith) who designed each of the show's 16 elaborate scenes. Tickets are on-sale now at the Stardust Resort and Casino Box and by calling 1-866-525-2077 for show ticket reservations.
This is NOT Your Father’s Arthur Godfrey: There’s a new Arthur Godfrey -- the blue-collar son of a Boston fireman returns to New York for a June 30, 2004 showcase at the Laurie Beechman Theater beneath the West Bank Café. In May, Godfrey got a Page 6 notice in the New York Post after playing a private party at the West Bank hosted by Sean Penn. His show was seen by Al Pacino, Chris Noth, Catherine Keener, Sean Lennon, Elizabeth Jagger and others.
Penn tracked Godfrey down after catching one of his sets at a Memphis dive two years before, and has been one of his biggest supporters ever since. Penn flew Godfrey and band out to perform at the wrap party for "21 Grams." Godfrey even has a brief cameo in Penn's forthcoming film
about Richard Nixon.
Several of Godfrey's songs from his two independent releases have won awards. In 2001, "Simple Man" won the Grand Prize in the Folk Category of the prestigious John Lennon Songwriting Contest. He repeated as a Grand Prize Winner two years later, with the song "Amen. In the Billboard Songwriting contest of 2001, his song "Danielle" took second prize. He's currently in the studio working on a third record, and the recent media attention has drawn the interest of several major record labels.
While spending 20 years working for the U.S. Postal Service in towns across the country, Godfrey never forgot about growing up on the wrong side of the tracks on the outskirts of Boston. He collected stories that would blossom into vivid character sketches of the shattered and downtrodden, as well as the blue collar everyday heroes of American life. "I just want to make a working man's living by playing music, case closed," he says.
