Pajiba

Do you think Alan Cumming and Richard Grant arm-wrestle each other for these roles? (and then in Spice Girls, they both "win").

Btw, I'm going to disagree with you on Emma - I enjoy the movie. Though that might be related to my soft spot for Jeremy Northam.

I actually really liked Josie and the Pussycats. It never takes itself seriously, it lampoons everything, and it seems like everyone involved just had a fun time making it. It's in my pile of "dumb but I'm pretty sure they know they're dumb and decided to just have fun" movies, along with Zoolander.

It's always seemed to me that European actors in general, and even more so British ones, have different perspectives on their craft. For them, working is working, be it in legitimate theater, film or cinema (and there is a difference as far as I'm concerned), and even lowly television. Acting is acting to them. I can't fault Cumming for his work on the execrable later seasons of The L Word, because he got paid and was contributing to higher bisexual and transman-on-bioman-intercourse visibility.

Some of those guys just flat-out unconcerned about the quality of the work they take on, because they don't see themselves as brands the way so many A-list American movie stars do.

When I was in music school, the south end of campus (the arty side) had an interesting geography to it. The music building was full of people who didn't work for free, ever; that's how we were told to view our craft from the moment we showed up for 8 AM freshman music theory. The actors, to our east, were crazy for whatever acting they could do, because it wasn't about getting famous, it was about getting out there and doing the work. You don't get to be a brand until WAY later.

Awww...I love Spice World.

I lived in Europe when they were popular, so that's probably why.

X2: Yeah, I totally went there. Deal with it.

Eh, whatever. So you've got some shitty taste when it comes to certain movies.

That's a "YP", not a "MP".

He's one of my favorite talk show guests, especially on Conan. He's always just so damn affable and funny, I lurrrve him.
But yeah, I think he is allergic to good scripts.

"Tara Reid. Need I say more?"
But... but... Rachel Leigh Cook Rosario Dawson...

Posted by: Kris at July 27, 2011 2:33 PM

Fixed that for you.

Yeah, I agree with the first 10, sure, plus you GOTTA throw the "creepy lecherous neighbor" from Circle of Friends in there, since that was my introduction to Alan Cumming.

But he was one of the best parts of X2! No lie!

Also, he totally kills on The Good Wife.

WAHHHHHHH, DA BAD MANS DOES MOOBIES I DOESN'T WIKE! BAAAWWWWWWWW!

I was just thinking the other night that I would love to go out and get drunk with him and Edgar Wright - that would be a really good time. I find them both hilarious and suspect that they'd get along well.

And yeah, he's the tits on The Good Wife.

Sooooo...could you follow up with a list of the good movies Cumming has been in?

And he does the intros to all the American Masterpiece Mystery episodes, not just for "Sherlock". So if you are into Miss Marple, Zen, or Inspector Lynley, you get Cumming also.

I love Josie and the Pussycats. It's good camp.

And Eyes Wide Shut is a good movie. People who are too stupid to understand it, should not be criticizing The Smurfs before they see it, since it will probably be the kind of easy-to-digest bullshit that's more to their liking.

Man, this superhero backlash SUCKS.

Yay for Josie and the Pussycats love! I adore that movie.

In my heart Alan Cumming is always Sandy Frink with his huge notebook.

Spy Kids and Josie and the Pussycats are FAB

Josie and the Pussycats is a really good movie. I watched it expecting a tragedy and found it fun and incredibly smart.

Spy Kids is probably a good kids movie, I never watched the entire thing, but from what I saw, it didn't look bad, you can't blame a kids movie for being childish.

Screw you. Emma is ridiculously delightful. Jeremy Northam and his sexy, gigantic nose can keep me warm at night any day of the week. And this was before Goop was so horrible.

Josie And The Pussycats is awesome. It sits proudly beside any Criterion disc on the shelf. (okay, right now it's actually between 'Adaptation' and 'Synecdoche NY', but my point still stands)

Also; it allowed Cumming to finale 'Anniversary Party.' Which had Parker Posey naked so; entirely justified on all counts.

Also;

"Tara Reid. Need I say more?"
But... but... Parker Posey...

there ya go!

The three I was going to object to have already been well-covered, but let's go over it again:

Josie and the Pussycats is fucking rad. Tara Reid is perfectly cast. The only drag on that film is Parker Posey. There I said it. The writing is tight like a poolboy's ass and the soundtrack is Kay whatshername from Letters to Cleo. It's a solid, solid movie.

Spy Kids - the first time the kids I was babysitting demanded I put Spy Kids on, I threw a mental tantrum, but I acquiesced and found a book to read to avoid the brainmelt. But then I watched the first scene while I was getting the kids settled, and then I watched the rest. For a kid's movie, it's not entirely stupid. If I was going to let my kid watch a movie ever, it would probably be Spy Kids. Not so much the sequels, but the original was very decent.

X2 - now you're just being contrary for the sake of contrariness. The only problem with that movie was Halle Berry.

Wait. Spice girls WASN'T first?

Cumming smells like Cumming. At $90 for 3 ounces, I'd better be Cumming after the first spray.

Aw now...hey, X2 was decent. You're a fibber.

But... but... X2 is AWESOME. Cumming KILLED it as Nightcrawler, the movie balanced the action and the fun storyline and it still stands as the best of the first Xmen trilogy. Halle Berry was kinda meh in it, but c'mon.

And I loooove Josie and Pussycats. My favorite hang-over movie.

"I thank God I knew all the words to Enter Sandman!" never fails to kill me. Hahaa. What an awesome movie.

I knew the Pajibans wouldn't blow it on this thread. Josie and the Pussycats is very clever and subversive. Tara Reid WAS perfectly cast - this was one of the last roles before the falling down drunk and fake boobs stuff started. She is so sweet and lovable in Josie. And I thought Parker Posey was hilarious. There are so many great throwaway lines, like when Wyatt Frame aka Alan Cumming meets the goth chick and he intones into his voice transmitter thingy, "Smells like teen spirit." And how cute and young James Spaderish was Alan M.? ("What's with the initial, anyway? It didn't work for Sheila E., it doesn't work for you." A lot of the songs are great too (incidentally many are written by Adam Schlessinger from Fountains of Wayne). Give this movie a shot, folks.