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And just about everything he's been involved with since This is Spinal Tap including Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind have been about the sensitivity obliviating powers of showbiz. The difference here lies less in the fact that he's abandoned the mockumentary form traces of which nevertheless remain in For Your Consideration's ample use of interview and ad-lib sequences than in the experience of his ensemble. (Toronto Star -- Arts)
Consideration deserves its own Oscar Nov 17, 2006
Guests smart backstage comedies have so far skewered aging folksingers (A Mighty Wind), dog shows (Best in Show) and amateur theater (Waiting For Guffman). As writer and performer, he also took on the pretensions of aging British rock bands in This Is Spinal Tap more than two decades ago. (MSNBC -- Movies)
GUEST'S H'WOOD SPOOF HAS ZEST IN SHOW Nov 17, 2006
" From what we can see, "Purim" has everything going against it - a tone-deaf, schmaltzy script (Michael McKean and Bob Balaban play the writers), a distracted director (Guest himself), a clueless producer (Jennifer Coolidge) and positively desperate performances. The leads are Marilyn Hack (the wonderful Catherine O'Hara), a has-been playing the dying family matriarch, and, as her husband, Victor Allan Miller (Harry Shearer), a pompous blowhard best known for his work in commercials as Irv the... (New York Post -- Entertainment)
'For Your Consideration': Been There, Seen That Nov 17, 2006
Since directing "Waiting for Guffman" in 1996 and following up with "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind," Christopher Guest has become a cherished and reliable source of observant and screamingly funny mock-documentaries. Working with an outstanding band of repertory players -- co-writer Eugene Levy, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, Parker Posey and Catherine O'Hara, among others -- Guest has become the master of the form, providing his actors with a few notes and letting them rip with improvisatory... (Washington Post)
"For Your Consideration" Nov 17, 2006
The modest but entertaining 1996 "Waiting for Guffman" paved the way for the wonderfully detailed 2000 dog-show sendup in 2003, Guest and his actors refined their approach even further with their deeply affectionate folkie-reunion mockumentary which may well turn out to be one of the most perfect (and the most moving) comedies of the decade. The only problem with perfection is that it's hard, if not impossible, to top it. (Salon)
Parker Posy talks about 'Consideration' Nov 16, 2006
Posey has starred in all of Guest's mockumentaries since "Waiting for Guffman." This Friday, in Guest's "For Your Consideration," she plays Callie Webb, a struggling actress who may or may not be on the brink of her big break when an indie film she stars in starts generating Oscar buzz. Though the film abandons the mockumentary style of Guests past films, the script is still mostly improvised. (Newsday -- New York City)
Oscar File: Will Catherine O'Hara Be Up For 'Consideration'? Nov 16, 2006
Back in the real world, the big question is: Will life imitate art for O'Hara, the beloved character actress best known for films like "Beetlejuice" and "Waiting for Guffman". Could awards be in her future. (VHI.com -- Music News)
A couple of characters for your consideration Nov 15, 2006
There's nothing quite like their "Waiting for Guffman, " "Best in Show, " "A Mighty Wind, " and the duo's latest, "For Your Consideration, " which opens Friday. For lack of a better name, call them "milieu comedies." Guest and Levy also act in them, and Guest directs. (Boston Globe)
Christopher Guest turns film-biz satire up to 11 Nov 15, 2006
Even so, Guest found room for several new faces in his latest improv comedy - which does for the indie-film industry what his Waiting for Guffman (1997) did for community theatre, Best in Show (2000) did for dog fanciers and A Mighty Wind (2003) did for folkies ... "And when I was about to do `Waiting for Guffman,' I thought, this is a really funny form to work in, so I'd like to do it as a documentary." ... "I always thought Chris was a kind of genius, so there's no question I would leave... (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Escape the cold: Winter movie guide Nov 15, 2006
Buzz: Guest and company have made some of the most intelligent comedies of the past few years (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind). The magic of the films is that they are primarily improvised theres no real script, per se. (MSNBC -- Movies)
Little movies get big Consideration Nov 15, 2006
We wanted to make it, unbelieveably, the opposite of something concrete, says Guest, whose earlier films Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind used much of the same cast. We wanted to make it something floating in the ether. (MSNBC -- Movies)
O'Hara is worth your Consideration Nov 15, 2006
O'Hara, who's been a part of Guest's ensemble of actors in his mockumentaries, "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind," sounds a little nervous about being first among equals this time. "It kinda scared me when I first read it, because I kept seeing the name Marilyn in there, and it seemed like I had an awful lot of scenes, and I do ... but it was exciting at the same time.". (MSNBC -- Movies)
Comedy veterans take their cues for latest Hollywood satire from life on the set Nov 14, 2006
Levy adds that the subject is a natural for their fourth collaboration, their first conventional narrative comedy after the faux documentaries "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind." They have both experienced the heady elation of winning awards and the deflation of losing, most recently enjoying the former when they and collaborator Michael McKean won a Grammy for the song "A Mighty Wind.". "We've all kind of had a taste of what it's like to be nominated, and once we tweaked... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Fired WRKO host wants job back Nov 10, 2006
For all of their silliness, the folks who brought you "Waiting for Guffman " and "Best in Show" aren't all that silly. In Boston yesterday to promote their latest, the movie industry-mocking "For Your Consideration," Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy contend their comedies are actually quite restrained. (Boston Globe -- Living)
Hollywood Awards 2006 Oct 23, 2006
Back in 2002, presenter Matthew McConaughey became so undone by tech mishaps that one bigwig exec was heard to quip, "It's like watching 'Waiting for Guffman'!". That year, Variety scribe Bill Higgins opined: "This must have been what a mid-1950s Golden Globes was like.". (Variety)
Confetti lands on weddings Sep 23, 2006
Isitts film is Confetti, which uses the same genre to spoof weddings that Guest used to mock small-town theatre (Waiting for Guffman), dog shows (Best in Show), and folk music (A Mighty Wind). In the film, which opens in Vancouver on Friday (September 22), a magazine offers a new home to the couple that can create the most original wedding. (Georgia Straight)
Wedding mockumentary has deft comic touch Sep 23, 2006
Theater veteran Debbie Isitt directs on the shoulders of Guest (there are clear "Best In Show" and "Waiting for Guffman" influences) but does so deftly. Scenes seem just long enough, and although the pathos can feel forced, she mostly succeeds in building empathy for a ragged bunch of folks with unusual dreams. (The Herald)
Go off the beaten path Sep 22, 2006
It tries to be a British version of a Christopher Guest film, but as directed by Debbie Isitt, it is nowhere near as funny as Best in Show, A Mighty Wind or Waiting for Guffman. Perhaps that's because it lacks the edge of Guest's films, allowing the story to veer into sweet, touching territory, not unlike Love Actually (which was scripted, and not ad-libbed, as this is). (USA Today -- Life)
"Confetti": Improvising actors hope to win a wedding (and be funny ... Sep 22, 2006
Its structure brings to mind Christopher Guest's films, particularly "Waiting for Guffman," but its cast isn't as consistently funny as Guest's ensemble, and its zany pace (and frequent use of the song "Love Is In the Air") reminiscent of "Strictly Ballroom.". But behind the silly dances and fake noses, there's some genuine heart here, particularly in Sam and Matt's subplot. (Seattle Times)
Some big guns hit their target while others just made noise Sep 21, 2006 Fantastic Plastic Sep 17, 2006 Christopher Guest spoofs own biz Sep 15, 2006 'For Your Consideration' pokes fun at Oscar buzz Sep 14, 2006 Borat Takes Toronto The wild man from Kazakhstan brings levity to a serious festival Sep 14, 2006 Christopher Guest answers Sep 13, 2006 A delightful few days in Toronto Sep 13, 2006 Tap into Hollywood Sep 12, 2006 Fall Movie Preview Sep 10, 2006 Oscar watch starts in Toronto Sep 7, 2006 Take the QEW to the stars Sep 4, 2006 It's a reel gamble Sep 1, 2006 From garage to Hollywood Aug 27, 2006 Home sweet home Aug 20, 2006 They all want to be Guest stars Aug 18, 2006 'Brothers' in pathos and comedy (Kelly Jane Torrance) Aug 4, 2006 'Blackballed' sneaks back onto the video scene Jul 26, 2006 For laughs, Fred Willard still Best in Show Jul 22, 2006 Comedy is in a sorry state in 'Ohio' Jul 15, 2006 'Now, we're just Parker Posey's parents' Jul 12, 2006 UGA preview: Lights, camera, action Jul 5, 2006 Sentimental Journey Jun 30, 2006 Movie File: Anne Hathaway, Brad Pitt, 'Superman Returns,' Johnny Knoxville, Robert Rodriguez & More Jun 23, 2006 Top 5 Movies of All-Time Jun 8, 2006 '& Juliet' elicits laughs sans script May 11, 2006 A paint-splattered tribute to aging boys Apr 28, 2006 Top 10 favourite spoof movies Apr 15, 2006 The Long and Rich Career of Michael McKean Feb 22, 2006 Movie series reflects dada (Gary Arnold) Feb 18, 2006 Ready, set, be funny! Feb 16, 2006 Goldie Hawn to be Honored With AFI Star Award at U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen Jan 10, 2006
Featuring the ensemble cast Guest has employed in past films such as Waiting for Guffman, A Mighty Wind and Best in Show, For Your Consideration centres on what appears to be an appallingly bad movie that becomes, during production, infected with Oscar buzz. Unfortunately, the central story is not nearly as funny as some of the peripheral characters - particularly Jane Lynch and Fred Willard hysterically skewering shows like Access Hollywood, and Ricky Gervais, of the original British version of... (The Star Online, Malaysia)
More of this story Sep 17, 2006
" By AL ALEXANDERThe Patriot Ledger The leaves are turning a golden hue and so are the thoughts of filmmakers, as this year s Oscar race starts heating toward a boil.They re basing those hopes on an array of films, many of which find actors and directors going against type. A sophisticated comedy starring Will Farrell? A slapstick comedy starring Russell Crowe? What s gotten into all those suits who hate taking chances? Whatever it is, let s hope it s contagious.High hopes also can be pinned on... (Patriot Ledger, MA)
Guest is well known for his mockumentaries, This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show. This latest film has more of a narrative structure, but much of the action is still improvised. (Maisonnueve)
After spoofing smalltown theatre (Waiting For Guffman), dog shows (Best In Show) and folk music (A Mighty Wind), you'd expect a spoof of the Hollywood Oscar machinery to be less research-heavy for director Christopher Guest. But the director of those hilarious rep company movies with the improvised dialogue is somewhat at sea talking showbiz. (Jam! Showbiz)
For Your Consideration, which breaks from the mockumentary style in Guest's three previous flicks (A Mighty Wind, Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman), brings back actors from those movies, including Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, Fred Willard, Bob Balaban, Jennifer Coolidge, Parker Posey, Jane Lynch, Larry Miller and Ed Begley Jr., to name a few. In Guest's films, he gives actors the freedom to showcase their improv skills because he works with a thin script. (CTV.ca)
The others are For Your Consideration, the latest in Christopher Guest's semi-improvisational parodies (following Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind) and Stranger Than Fiction, in which America's top film funnyman Will Ferrell taps a kinder, gentler side Motion Picture Academy members, attention must be paid. STRANGER THAN OSCAR. (Time.com)
Jessica Randel from Canada asks For Your Consideration director Christopher Guest: "This year marks the 160th anniversary of Blaine, Missouri, the fictional setting for your 1996 film Waiting for Guffman, a parody of small town theatre productions. Is there any chance that the play Red, White, and Blaine will have a revival?". After much clapping and laughing from the cast members such as Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey and Bob Balaban (all of whom appeared in both For Your... (Globe and Mail)
There was some nudity and a few good laughs in the British comedy "Confetti" but I must confess I walked out after an hour because it seemed such a feeble imitation of what Christopher Guest and his stock company do so well in movies like "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind.". The new Guest and Co. improv is the sublimely funny - and touching - "For Your Consideration," a movie about what happens when the denizens of a little indie film called "Home for Purim" find... (Buffalo News -- Arts)
02:02 AMENTERTAINMENT REPORTERTwo years ago, Christopher Guest was ready to abandon the unique improvisational filmmaking form he essentially invented, along with director Rob Reiner, on This is Spinal Tap, the 1984 mock rock doc, and later refined to high comic art with his own improv ensemble comedies, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind. Fortunately for us, it didn't take. (Toronto Star -- Arts)
17) If this were simply the next mockumentary from the minds behind "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind," that alone would be enough to warrant placement on this list. Add Ricky Gervais (of the British phenomenon "The Office") into the mix, and you've got what is sure to be one of the year's funniest movies. (Lodi News Sentinel, CA)
And that someone is Christopher Guest, who previously brought his faux docs Waiting for Guffman (1996) and Best in Show (2000) to town with enthusiastic results. The improv impresario gathers his usual suspects (including Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Harry Shearer and Parker Posey) along with a few choice newcomers (British funnyman Ricky Gervais) to spoof the ritual of the Academy Awards in For Your Consideration. (USA Today -- Life)
Some of the films, then, that mark the 31st annual Toronto International Film Festival as a remarkable event in the tradition of past festivals that introduced Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs," Jane Campion's "The Piano," David Lynch's "Blue Velvet," and Michael Moore's "Roger and which help promise an unusually interesting fall and winter movie season: "For Your Consideration" - The world premiere of Christopher Guest's new verite improv comedy in the tradition of "Best in Show," "A... (Buffalo News -- Entertainment)
Another ensemble comedy from Christopher Guest (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show) with the usual suspects (Catherine O'Hara, Jennifer Coolidge, Eugene Levy, Bob Balaban, Harry Shearer, and so on) in a story about a small film, Home for Purim, that starts getting Oscar buzz. The Fountain (Nov. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
The movie features an exciting ensemble vocal cast that includes Kathleen Turner, Steve Buscemi (who also lent his voice to the very successful Monsters, Inc.), Nick Cannon (Drumline), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Secretary), Kevin James (The King of Queens), Jason Lee (The Incredibles), Catherine OHara (The Nightmare Before Christmas), Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) and Fred Willard (Waiting for Guffman). Kenan shares his thoughts and experiences. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Shes just one of a stellar cast of actors that includes Steve Buscemi (Monsters, Inc.), Nick Cannon (Drumline), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Secretary), Kevin James (The King of Queens), Jason Lee (The Incredibles), Catherine OHara (The Nightmare Before Christmas), Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) and Fred Willard (Waiting for Guffman). Interestingly though, a trio of fresh young talents have been selected to play the three children (D.J., Jenny and Chowder) who blunder their way into the house of... (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Recently Willard, Guest and 14 other actors who have become familiar faces through the writer-director's improvisational tours de force Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000) and A Mighty Wind (2003) got together for a rare chance to talk about For Your Consideration ... For Deborah Theaker, who played a city councilwoman in Waiting for Guffman and plays an actress in For Your Consideration, the promise of a Guest movie is akin to the allure Ricky Ricardo's nightclub held for his wife... (Toronto Star -- Arts)
There are many comedic examples of the fake documentary: "This Is Spinal Tap" and "Waiting for Guffman" are two of the most celebrated. But few filmmakers have taken advantage of the genre's dramatic possibilities; "The Blair Witch Project" was overrated and overhyped. (Washington Times)
Directed by Brant Sersen in the faux-documentary, improvisatory style made popular by Christopher Guest ("Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show," "A Mighty Wind"), Corddry stars as Bobby Dukes, a once-legendary paintball player who disappeared from the scene for 10 years after disgracing himself by "wiping" during a major tournament. (After being hit by an opponent's paint, it's grounds for disqualification if one attempts to wipe off the evidence. (Scripps Howard News Wire)
Willard, as sincere and circumspect in an interview as his on-screen characters are clueless and narcissistic, felt he was enjoying a "pretty good" career then landed a role in Guest's 1996 mockumentary "Waiting for Guffman.". "God bless Chris Guest ... and I mean it sincerely," Willard said during a recent trip to New York, where he starred in wife Mary's play "Elvis and Juliet.". (MSNBC -- Movies)
Posey ("Waiting for Guffman," "Superman Returns") is generally a wonderful comic actress, but director Billy Kent, making his feature film debut after a career in commercials and short films, doesn't know when to let the joke go. By the time a pager is enlisted as a marital aide, we're embarrassed for everyone involved. (Contra Costa Times -- Entertainment)
There stood Parker, but all the girl could see was Libby Mae Brown, the gum-snapping Dairy Queen waitress in Waiting for Guffman. "She said, 'Oh! You play that hick from the South!'," recalled Lynda Posey, laughing at the irony of the situation. (The Clarion-Ledger)
Plot: It's "Waiting for Guffman" meets "Get Smart" in this smalltown, bumbling fun-for-all-Georgia-fans production. David Elson directs the Hilltoppers. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Sports)
Christopher Guest, the writer-director of Best in Show, as well as the Willard showcases Waiting for Guffman and A Mighty Wind, has observed that Fred has the patent on characters who are comfortable in their stupidity. Away from the cameras, however, Willard is a scholar of vanished luminescence. (New Yorker)
She added one more detail about the November 17 release that will separate it from Guest classics like "Best in Show" and "Waiting for Guffman": "There is a script," she grinned. "Because there's a movie within a movie. We filmed [actual scripted] scenes from the movie.". (VHI.com -- Music News)
New York's Premier Alternative Newspaper. Arts, Music, Food, Movies and Opinion. (New York Press)
The Dartmouth Online. Thursday, May 11, 2006. (The Dartmouth Online, NH)
"After Christopher Guest's catalog of mocku-masterpieces (including ''Best in Show" and ''Waiting for Guffman"), most other contributions to this genre fall pretty flat. But while ''Blackballed" does succumb to easy gags and profanity-as-comedy, its perfectly timed and restrained performances -- specifically by Corddry, Scheer, and Riggle -- keep the on-screen discomfiture in check. And the development of Bobby Dukes's character as a kind of enlightened Everyman is a tender touch to a flick that... (Boston Globe -- Living)
Waiting For Guffman doesn't make the cut, because it doesn't parody amateur theatre so much as gently satirize it ... The film cleverly pokes fun at everyone from Zeppelin to Sabbath, and Guest would carry the improvised satire torch in the less overtly spoofy Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show and A Mighty Wind. (Jam! Showbiz)
This Is Spinal Tap, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind. He is currently co-starring in the Broadway revival of The Pajama Game. (NPR)
Currently a member of the cast of "Date Movie," Mr. Willard became a beloved movie fixture as part of the ensembles in Christopher Guest's mock-documentary comedies "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind." Tickets for the event, which benefits the children's charity First Star, are priced at $75 in advance and $85 at the door. For detailed information please call 202/293-3903, Ext. (Washington Times)
They became regular watchers of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" and "mockumentary" films such as "Waiting for Guffman" and "This Is Spinal Tap" that rely heavily on improvised dialogue. "It's a good way to think on your feet and express your comedic talent," Ackel said. (Burlington Free Press)
" She is currently a part-time resident of Aspen.USCAF Career Tribute: James BurrowsEmmy-winning director and producer James Burrows is almost universally the first choice to help launch new sitcoms. Burrows has been nominated for 41 Emmy Awards, including one every year since 1980, winning 10 (5 for directing and 5 for producing) and has been nominated for Directors Guild of America awards 20 times, winning 4.From directing episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show to... (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
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