Rush
Film Review by Kam Williams
Back in the Seventies, a couple of racecar drivers as different from each other as Dudley Do-Right and Snidely Whiplash became sworn adversaries on the Formula 1 circuit. England’s James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) was a brash daredevil willing to put his life at risk every time he drove around the track. By contrast, Austria’s Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) was a technical genius who invariably employed a relatively-scientific strategy.
The pair were also polar opposites afterhours, with handsome Hunt being a flamboyant playboy who liked the limelight, while relatively low-key Lauda preferred to spend his free time in peace and quiet with his socialite wife, Marla Knaus (Alexandra Maria Lara). The bitter rivalry between the two came to a head during the 1976 season, when both were in contention for the coveted title of world champion.
That cutthroat quest is the subject of Rush, a character-driven drama
directed by two-time Academy Award-winner Ron Howard (for A Beautiful Mind). Based on a screenplay by two-time Oscar-nominee Peter Morgan (The Queen and Frost/Nixon), the picture’s engaging plotline repeatedly juxtaposes the personas of the leads, painting the hunky Brit as a lovable bon vivant on a crusade to wrest the crown from a defending champ portrayed as just too methodical a nerd to root for.
The movie masterfully depicts the cat-and-mouse mental as well as racecar jockeying which transpires, with the tension mounting at adrenaline-fueled contests staged in international ports-of-call ranging from Brazil to Spain to Monaco to Germany and inexorably leading to a white-knuckle showdown in Japan.
Along the way, we’re treated to the sight of chain-smoking Hunt’s substance abusing and womanizing, as he all but makes a mockery of uptight Lauda’s Spartan regimen. The emotional build-up subtly suggests that getting the checkered flag at Fuji will serve as a confirmation of the eventual victor’s approach.
A compelling, high-octane thriller, literally and figuratively!
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity, nudity, sexuality, smoking, disturbing images and brief drug use
In English, German, Italian and French with subtitles
Running Time: 123 minutes
Distributor: Universal Pictures
To see a trailer for Rush, visit
Hoop Dreams Documentary Chronicles Jeremy Lin’s Transformation into an Overnight NBA Sensation Linsanity
Film Review by Kam Williams
Jeremy Lin came very close to abandoning his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA after a couple of unremarkable seasons spent mostly in the developmental league as an undrafted free agent. He had been released by both Golden State and Houston after brief stints, but was picked up by the New York Knicks in December of 2011 when the team was suddenly in need of a backup point guard due to an injury.
Still, at fourth on the depth chart, it looked very unlikely that Lin would ever get to play except during garbage time when the outcome of a contest was no longer in doubt. But he did get a chance in a February 4th game against the then New Jersey Nets where he made the most of the opportunity, scoring a surprising 25 points, grabbing 5 rebounds and making 7 assists.
Furthermore, he went on to prove that that feat was no fluke, as he averaged over 20 points per game while leading New York on a 13-game winning streak. As a Harvard grad and the only Asian-American in the NBA, Jeremy caused quite a stir as fans flocked in droves to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks’ new sensation.
Directed by Evan Jackson Leong, Linsanity chronicles the Palo Alto product’s path from high school standout to Harvard Ivy League star to obscure journeyman in the pros until miraculously becoming a household name virtually overnight. An Evangelical Christian, Jeremy freely credits the Lord for his unprecedented emergence in the NBA, saying “I know that God orchestrated this… There was just too much out of my control.”
A moving biopic about a humble underdog who surmounted overwhelming odds with the help of family, friends and a strong faith.
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
In English and Mandarin with subtitles
Running time: 88 minutes
Distributor: Ketchup Entertainment
To see a trailer for Linsanity, visit
Watch a short clip
THE ANONYMOUS PEOPLE IS A FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FILM about the over 23 million Americans living in long-term recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction. Deeply entrenched social stigma have kept recovery voices silent and faces hidden for decades. The vacuum has been filled with sensational mass media depictions of people with addiction that perpetuate a lurid fascination with the dysfunctional side of what is a preventable and treatable health condition. Just like women with breast cancer, or people with HIV/AIDS, a grass roots social justice movement is emerging. Courageous addiction recovery advocates have come out of the shadows and are organizing to end discrimination and move toward recovery-based solutions.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
Film Review by Kam Williams
Eco-Conscious Sequel Pits Flint and Friends against Evil Agri-Corporation
When we first met Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader), he lost control of a contraption which turned water into food and triggered a foodalanche which wreaked havoc all across Swallow Falls before being turned off. At the point of departure of this worthy sequel, we find the young inventor being duped into relocating from his hometown to the impersonal confines of San FranJose based on a promise of employment as a “thinkquanaut” from his idol, Chester V (Will Forte), the Chairman of Live Corporation.
Flint is so gullible that he is initially blissfully unaware of his new boss’ secret agenda. But Chester has emptied Swallow Falls entirely of its residents under the guise of cleaning up the once idyllic island.
Truth be told, the conniving CEO has managed to get Flint’s food machine going again, and has hatched a diabolical plan to repopulate the place with about 40 varieties of sentient creatures. Each of these “foodimals” has a name which is a punny play on words, such as shrimpanzees, watermelophants, cheespiders, hippotatomuses, pb & jellyfish, flamangos, buffaloaves and wildebeests, to name a few.
Eventually, Flint wises up to the fact that he’s been manipulated and that something evil is afoot. Soon, accompanied by his pals and his meteorologist girlfriend, Samantha (Anna Faris), he returns to Swallow Falls where they find themselves attacked by tacodiles and stampeded by a flock of bananostriches.
Will Flint and company figure a way to subdue the menacing, manmade menagerie before their beloved city is totally ruined? That is the question at the heart of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, another inspired animated adventure with an eco-conscious theme.
Co-directed by Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn, the film features the distinctive voice work by a veteran cast which includes returnees Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Neil Patrick Harris, Andy Samberg, James Caan, Will Forte and Benjamin Bratt, as well as a critical new addition in Terry Crews as the motor-mouthed Earl Deveraux.
A dazzling and delightful sequel every bit as charming as the original!
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG for mild rude humor
Running time: 95 minutes
Distributor: Sony Pictures
To see a trailer for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNiVB_d_z4k
Bill Hader
The “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” Interview
with Kam Williams
Don’t Mess with Bill!
Actor, writer, comedian, producer and repertory player Bill Hader recently finished his eighth and final season on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 7, 1978, he was heralded by New York magazine as “SNL’s new secret weapon” when he first joined its ensemble cast.
Known for his uncanny impersonations and a biting sarcasm delivered with an eviscerating deftness, Bill received Emmy nominations in 2012 and 2013 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on the show. He won an Emmy Award in 2009 for his work as a producer on Comedy Central’s “South Park.”
On the big screen, he enjoyed a full slate of film work in the summer of 2007 that included Knocked Up and Superbad. The very next year, he found great success as Jason Segel’s compassionate step-brother in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. He also delivered memorable performances in Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder. In 2009, He appeared in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and Adventureland.
Last year, he co-starred Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black 3, which grossed over $624 million worldwide. He’s also voiced several animated characters in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Turbo, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Doogal, and Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil.
Bill lives in Los Angeles with his wife, filmmaker Maggie Carey, and their two daughters. Here, he talks about his latest outing reprising the lead role of Flint Lockwood in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.
Kam Williams: Hi Bill. I’m honored to have this opportunity to talk with you.
Bill Hader: Oh, thanks, Kam.
KW: I loved Cloudy 2. How was it being Flint Lockwood again?
BH: A lot of fun. I don’t feel like the first one ever ended. Because the filmmaking process is so long, you kind of go right into the second one.
There was probably a year or so lag time for me, but it’s really cool. I love it.
KW: I got a lot of questions for you from fans, so why don’t I jump right into them. Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: How different is the preparation for an animated versus a live-action role?
BH: I would say the biggest difference is that you’re just in a studio by yourself when you’re making an animated movie. You don’t have anybody to play off of.
KW: Marian Greenberg asks: Do you think it will be possible to teach the foodimals to befriend instead of fight humanoids so they can all live happily ever after in peace?
BH: Marian, you’ll get your answer when you see the film.
KW: Marian also says she thinks that, if there is a Cloudy 3, Flint should save the world by changing takers into givers. Do you agree?
BH: I can’t say, because I don’t exactly understand what she means.
KW: Kate Newell says: Bill Hader is a god in our household. SNL is the only show we watch together. She’s wondering how many takes you needed to do Stefon without totally cracking up.
BH: Aww, thanks, Kate. Well, on SNL you only get one take. And it always happened. And I was never once able to keep a straight face.
KW: Let me ask you about leaving SNL. Are you feeling any regrets or any pangs of emotion, especially right now since the new season is about to kick off?
KW: Not really. I’m not sad, just excited to watch the show and see what the new people are doing. I already watched some of it online and it’s really good.
KW: Alison Kruse What advice do you have for a novice improv student?
I just tried out for my school's improv group and didn't get in this time around.
BH: Oh, don’t worry, that’s totally fine, Alison. You’re on your way with the first step, which is dealing with failure. You’re going to have to deal with failure constantly. The best thing to do is to get out in front of an audience as much as you can, and learn from the experience. Steve Martin wrote a book called “Born Standing Up,” which is really great. He talks about how he kept a notebook on his act about what did and didn’t work. It’s a process. It’s not like you get up on stage and you’re immediately a genius. It takes a long time. So, don’t be discouraged.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1416553657/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: Kim Lister asks: How did you come up with the character Mr. Hollywood for the James Franco roast? It was hilarious!
BH: Oh, that was created with my Stefon writing partner John Mulaney. I wanted to do a character that could talk about various things. And I asked what if I came out as the embodiment of Hollywood? That attitude is something I like to do. And then, yeah, John and I wrote it.
KW: Kim also asks: Who was your favorite sketch character to play on SNL?
BH: I love playing Herb Welch, the old reporter who hits people in the face with the microphone.
KW: Amy Lister and Patricia Turnier ask: Do you have any advice for an aspiring comedienne who’d like to make it onto SNL?
BH: I’d offer them the same advice I just gave Alison.
KW: Marcy Held asks: What was it like growing up in Oklahoma? Who were some of your early influences? What did you watch when you were a kid?
BH: Growing up in Oklahoma, there wasn’t much to do. Play sports, do a lot of drugs, or read and watch movies, which is what I did. When I was a kid, Monte Python was big. And early Woody Allen movies.
KW: Marcy would also like to know whetheryou always wanted to be a performer?
BH: No, I was into writing and directing. I was a bit of a reluctant actor. I would always ask friends to shoot or direct their movies, but then they’d want me to be in them.
KW: Larry Greenberg asks: What's it like writing for South Park? Is Cartman a jerk off-camera?
BH: Oh, yeah, yes he is. [Chuckles] No, I’m basically helping those guys out with their ideas, but I don’t actually sit down and write any stuff with them. The way I contribute is basically by just sitting in a room pitching ideas to Trey [Parker, South Park co-creator and voice of Cartman] and he runs off and writes it. It’s a great process that’s a lot of fun and that I learn a tremendous amount from.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman says. You’ve done a lot of voice work in animated films. Not just Cloudy 1 and 2, but Turbo, Monsters University, Doogal, Ice Age 3 and Hoodwinked 2. She asks: When you are doing animation, do you want your character to resemble you physically?
BH: Not necessarily. You know, they have a video camera on you in the studio while you’re performing. And in the case of Flint Lockwood, I see a lot of me in him, like how I talk with my hands. So, sometimes they do it, but I never request it.
KW: Children’s book author Irene Smalls asks: Do you feel any special joy in bringing a children's book to the screen, especially being a father?
BH: Yes, I do. I loved that book growing up. It’s almost like a little poem or fable. And I love being a part of bringing it to the big screen.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0689306474/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: A fan of the franchise asks: Do the watermelophants represent the increase in childhood obesity in America?
BH: I have no idea.
KW: Here’s another question: Do the mosquitoasts leave their stingers in and cause the spread of malaria? I’m amazed that anyone’s thinking that way about the film.
BH: [Chuckles] Yeah, I agree. And I don’t think the writers of the movie intended that deep an analysis.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
BH: “Black Swan Green,” a novel by David Mitchell.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0812974018/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
BH: I can’t. I can’t cook. I can barely make a bowl of cereal.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
BH: A very tired dad.
KW: I’m not surprised since you have 1 and 4 year-old daughters.If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
BH: Sleep. [Chuckles]
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
BH: I don’t know.
KW: The Anthony Mackie question: Isthere something that you promised to do if you became famous, that you still haven’t done yet?
BH: I don’t consider myself famous.
KW: The Viola Davis question: What’s the difference between who you are at home as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?
BH: There really is no difference other than my having some makeup on.
KW: The Anthony Anderson question: If you could have a superpower, which one would you choose?
BH: The ability to fall asleep.
KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?
BH: Being able to deal with failure and being wired to pursue your passion because you enjoy the process of creating something, even if you aren’t living in New York or L.A. and work in a hardware store.
KW: The Kerry Washington question: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
BH: I don’t know.
KW: The Gabby Douglas question: If you had to choose another profession, what would that be?
BH: Directing.
KW: Harriet: With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you'd like to star in?
BH: Not really.
KW: What’s on the horizon for you, comedies like Superbad, Knocked Up, Adventureland and Forgetting Sarah Marshall?
BH: Well, I just did a couple of dramas, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby and The Skeleton Twins.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: What is your favorite charity?
BH: I’ve done stuff for Standup for Cancer which is great, but I don’t personally have one.
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?
BH: Just as a good guy.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Bill, and best of luck with the film.
BH: Thanks, buddy.
To see a trailer for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNiVB_d_z4k