Whether you remember the plight of the California Gray whales back in September 1988 or not, the dramatic rescue that involved the residents of Barrow, Alaska, international media coverage, two entrepreneurial brothers and the governments of the US and the Soviet Union working together is pure family movie gold, and just another entertaining but subtle and meaningful nudge in the environmental awareness direction.

In small-town Barrow, news reporter/cameraman Adam Carlson (John Krasinski) is waiting for his breaking news story to propel him into the TV big league. When a family of three California Gray whales find their way back to the open Arctic sea blocked by rapidly forming ice, Carlson and ex-girlfriend, Greenpeace activist Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) spring into action to form one of the biggest global rescue operations against Nature’s design ever.

Director Ken Kwapis and writers Jack Amiel and Michael Begler are aware that the emotive story needs no further milking, and rightly focus on the strengths of the characters involved and their determination to succeed while injecting the story with lighter-hearted moments, using the talents of Krasinski and a gregarious Ted Danson as the flamboyant local oil businessman J. W. McGraw. However, the characters are as trapped on the ice as the whales are under it, and although perfectly believable – or the story would grind to a halt there and then, are limited by the sum of their own parts, and feel like merely a cacophony of voices in a bitter but beautiful environment after a while.

Even Barrymore who usually excels as a stubborn champion of justice finds her character’s own voice drifting off into the Arctic atmosphere at moments – and even Kramer’s courageous but foolish venture under the ice seems to have lesser impact on the storyline than it should. Still, Barrymore’s cherub good looks, infectious spirit and girl-next-door appeal manage to keep the impending disaster active and interesting. There is also time for the huge significance of events in challenging our perceptions of what matters in life to flag the characters’ individual issues as mini drama series sub-plots – such as the implied lack of communication that caused the Carlson-Kramer relationship to previously crumble.

Although the whales’ plight should be enough – and their screen time does feel slightly compromised in favour of the egotistical plight of the humans’ situations, without going down the documentary route that would have been a more powerful environmental message, the filmmakers stress man’s need to reconnect to nature and what is important throughout, without being overtly self-righteous. The end rescue scene, although a cinematic take on historical reality, nicely reaffirms our great nations’ need to bond to tackle environmental scares while showing our helplessness in the face of Mother Nature.

Big Miracle grows on you as the seriousness of situation unfolds and the breathtaking surroundings keep you in awe, and is as inspiring as any family-centric film can be, without being too insipid and manipulative. With an attractive cast to boot, it channels its sentimentality in its diverse characters and their united defiance of defeat that if it had not been based on a true story – or had the ‘real-life’ footage tacked on at the end, would be much harder to believe.

***~~ (3/5)

It has animals in trouble and therefore you know what that means! It means Dave will watch this film and cry like a baby! Here’s the first trailer for Big Miracle which stars Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, Dermot Mulroney, Tim Blake Nelson, Ted Danson and is directed by Ken Kwapis. Big Miracle tells the true life story of a group of whales which somehow find themselves inland trapped under 5 miles of ice. In a crazy mission by all the local people, they attempt to guide the whales back to the open water.

From the look if it, we’ll get it see it early 2012. This is so my sort of movie but I promise I will cry!

Inspired by the true story that captured the hearts of people across the world, the rescue adventure Big Miracle tells the amazing tale of a small town news reporter (John Krasinski) and a Greenpeace volunteer (Drew Barrymore) who are joined by rival world superpowers to save a family of majestic gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle. Local newsman Adam Carlson (Krasinski) can’t wait to escape the northern tip of Alaska for a bigger market. But just when the story of his career breaks, the world comes chasing it, too. With an oil tycoon, heads of state and hungry journalists descending upon the frigid outpost, the one who worries Adam the most is Rachel Kramer (Barrymore). Not only is she an outspoken environmentalist, she’s also his ex-girlfriend. With time running out, Rachel and Adam must rally an unlikely coalition of Inuit natives, oil companies and Russian and American military to set aside their differences and free the whales. As the world’s attention turns to the top of the globe, saving these endangered animals becomes a shared cause for nations entrenched against one another and leads to a momentary thaw in the Cold War.

Source: Apple

Although I miss it as often as I catch it, I am a big fan of CSI in all its incarnations, though I must confess to becoming a little concerned by the increasingly rapid cast turnover in the original Vegas-set series.

No sooner had Laurence “I used to be Morpheus you know” Fishburne bedded himself in than he announced he was off and Ted Danson (Damage, Cheers, Three Men and a Baby) was pretty swiftly drafted in to take his place.

Now, I have nothing against Danson at all, I’ve seen some fine work from him and he is likely to be effortlessly at home on the show. But it would be good to have a little more continuity from the cast. We’ll see how it all goes. In the meantime, we have a shot of Danson on set with Jorja Fox (as Sara Sidle) and Marg Helgenberger (as Catherine Willows). It looks like he’s settling in nicely.

Many thanks to Television Blend for this.

Realising that the headline has a dubious double meaning let me clear this up quickly. The Thee Men and a Baby series has been teetering on the brink of a remake or a revisiting for sometime, nostalgia and time doing just enough to ensure that the idea of another of a Three Men and A… movie (or 3♂&A as it will probably be called) won’t cause potential audiences to throw their hands up in horrified bemusement, and this new piece of news is not an update on the Guttenberg/Selleck/Danson reunion we were promised but another, far worse prospect on offer.

Movieweb are the brave souls to bring us the news that Walt Disney are keen to plough funds into an Adam Sandler produced remake of the film with Rob Schneider , Chris Rock and David Spade as three gay men who find a baby on their doorstep but somehow the Mafia are involved somehow, who knows? The point is that after Grown Ups is there anyone who thinks this is a good idea? Sandler’s recent Jack and Jill trailer made us pine for the glory days of The Wedding Singer and though it’s supposed that Sandler will not actually star in the film, the threat of a cameo is always there.

In fact, why not throw in another 80s remake and combine this film with Look Who’s Talking with Sandler as the baby who finds three gay men just hi-larious. Guttenberg can cameo as a Vegas junkie.

The one bright ray of sunshine is that Movieweb only understand this is a potential project and no-one has commented officially which means we can file this one straight in the Bin of Bad Ideas (hopefully) never to be seen again.

CBS executives must have raised a glass and said “Cheers” when the news of Laurence Fishburne’s replacement for their long-running TV show, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, was announced.

That’s right, none other than famed Bostonian bartender Sam Malone (Mr. Ted Danson) will join the series for the 12th-season premiere which is due for transmission on September 21st in the US. Danson (currently winning plaudits for his turn as an eccentric, pot-smoking magazine magnate in the quirky HBO comedy, Bored to Death) will take over from Fishburne, who has just finished a four-year stint on the show.

The much underrated Danson is certainly an interesting choice, and as one of our fellow HeyUGuys tweeted earlier, here’s hoping they do an episode where he has to investigate a triple homicide involving a postman, accountant and a barmaid.

News via The Wrap

To mark the June 20^th DVD release of HBO’s new comedy Bored To Death, we’re giving you the chance to win one of three DVD boxsets of the complete first season.

From writer and series creator Jonathan Ames, this Emmy® award-winning hit stars a hilariously outstanding cast including Jason Schwartzman (The Darjeeling Limited, Rushmore), Zach Galifianakis (Due Date, The Hangover) and Ted Danson (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Cheers).

The quirky eight episode series follows the misadventures of a fictional Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman) as he moonlights from his job as a magazine writer to follow his dream of becoming a private detective. After a painful break-up with his girlfriend (Olivia Thirlby) thanks to his fondness for white wine and weed, Jonathan finds himself bored and in need of a new adventure to help overcome his writer’s block, so is inspired to advertise himself online as an unlicensed private eye. His usual second career choice sees Ames stumbling from one crazy situation to another including some interesting cases of missing persons, infidelity and espionage in the Big Apple.

Ames’ two companions and confidants come in the form of Ray Hueston (Zach Galifianakis), a comic book illustrator and best friend who is appalled by the idea of pretending to be a detective, and George Christopher (Ted Danson), Ames’ high-profile and womanizing editor who doesn’t care about his moonlighting schemes and sees Jonathan as an escape from his own boredom.

Want to win a copy? Correctly answer the question below to be in with a chance:

What name is shared by the writer of, and main character in, Bored To Death?

1. Jonathan Ames
2. Frank Darabont
3. Ricky Gervais

Hilarity ensues with Bored To Death out June 20^th!

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 20th June at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received
• No cash alternative is available

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

Ted Danson and Vinessa Shaw have been added to the cast of Everybody Loves Whales.

Danson and Shaw join John Krasinski, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Bell and Tim Blake Nelson in the ensemble animal rescue drama set to commence shooting next month in Alaska.

Everybody Loves Whales centers a small-town news reporter (Krasinski) and a Greenpeace volunteer (Barrymore) who enlist the help of rival superpowers to save three majestic gray whales trapped under the ice of the Arctic Circle.

Ken Kwapis is attached to direct. Expect the film to be released sometime next year.

The Playlist reported this one first.

Day 8

Wednesday was a day of transitions – first-week guests left and second-week guests had not yet arrived, and the Filmhouse was like a ghost town as everyone took off to watch the World Cup.

Feeling listless after transcribing interviews for hours (lots to come, keep an eye out!), I caught the 5pm screening of Bored to Death.

The HBO showcase featured 3 back-to-back episodes of one of their newest and best shows. Adapted from a short novel from writer Jonathan Ames, it’s the story of a novelist, aptly named Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman) who is struggling to write his second book. His girlfriend has just left him, so he turns to Craigslist, advertising himself as an unlicensed private investigator.

The charming series set in Brooklyn and Manhattan co-stars Zach Galiafinakis and Ted Danson, and just wrapped its second season which will screen this autumn in the US. After the screening, Mr Ames was present to field questions from the audience. He discussed his previous work as an author and teacher and his transition into television. A film based on his novel, The Extra Man, is also screening at the festival. Look out for it!

It was a quiet day from there on out – I caught up with a few groups of friends for a drink and then dinner, and tottered off home for a well-deserved early night.

Day 9
Thursday was a little more eventful.

I began the morning with Ollie Kepler’s Expanding Purple World – a promising UK drama which the programme boasts as “Donnie Darko meets Billy Liar”. It’s a colourful film in which its protagonist, Ollie Kepler, is fascinated with star stuff. With beautiful colours and a strong first half-hour, it was a promising watch, but is a tough one to get through. Unfortunately it rather rambles through the middle, and loses track of its point as Ollie loses his marbles. Disappointing.

After work, I decided on a whim to catch a screening of the German picture My Words, My Lies – My Love, starring Daniel Brühl (Goodbye Lenin, Inglourious Basters) and acclaimed German actor Henry Hübchen. It’s a literary rom-com in which David (Brühl) goes from being a waiter to Germany’s biggest literary star – without ever writing a word.

Though slightly predictable, it was an enjoyable film with plenty of giggles and an excellent cast. Good, light-hearted entertainment. Swiss director Alain Gsponer gave a Q&A session in which he discussed working with the stars of the film, the novel Lila Lila on which the film is based, and seeking distribution outside of Switzerland.

In the evening, I attended Nick Cave’s Irregular event held at Roxy Art House. Hosted by Canongate publishing house, the evening featured some poetry readings from the host Celena – whose work is both hilarious and sexy; a reading from BED; a performance from an excellent up-and-coming band who are currently called The Sea The Sea; and readings from Nick Cave from his upcoming novel.

In association with EIFF, there were also screenings of 3 short films, including the hilarious award-winning The Archivist and a reading from Tilda Swinton. Not at all what I had anticipated, it was an unexpectedly excellent evening. There will be more Irregular events to come – I recommend you check one out.

As the festival begins to wind down, Day 10 (Friday) features Superhero Me and more that remains to be seen.

As always, you can find my live updates on Twitter @robotnic, and more from me on my blog, and you can follow all of my Edinburgh Film Festival coverage here.

News has surfaced that a second sequel to the Leonard Nimoy directed, 1987 movie, 3 Men and a Baby and the 1990 movie 3 Men and a Little Lady, directed by Emile Ardolino is still in development and moving forward. It’s apparently got the working title ’3 Men and a Bride’ which pretty much does what it says on the tin.

I’ve seen both these two movies dozens of times as me and my sister used to love them. All grown up now, we still quote from the movie, especially the bed time rap from the second movie! “Now close them eyes and catch some Zzzzz’s!”

Tom Selleck is currently on the interview circuit for his new movie Killers and spoke to MTV about the possible sequel saying:

“It is true that Disney checked my availability and I know they checked Ted’s and Steve’s, and then had a script written, I think tentatively called ‘Three Men and a Bride,’ which kind of says it all. I hope it’s a good script, and if it is a good script I hope they do it, because it would be really fun to get back with Ted and Steve.

The strongest of the two movies I think is the first one. It had more heart, and that’s what I hope this third one would have if we do it.”

The interview itself has been recorded by MTV and I’ve embedded it below.

Whatever they call the final film it’s bound to be better than mine…

But hopefully you’ll gather from the title that the 80s has spat out another sequel as the dark forces of Steve Guttenberg, Tom Selleck and Ted Danson converge once again for another Three Men and a… film.

It’s been twenty long years since we last saw Messrs Guttenberg, Selleck and Danson as the lovable commitment phobic men and their Little Lady, itself a sequel to the zeitgeist riding Three Men and a Baby, and though they are usually forgotten in the tidal wave of nostalgia they are pretty sweet, well written films. And I’m all for a revisiting instead of a remake, particularly as we’ve not seen the three amigos for quite some time and they did have a certain chemistry that could make for a watchable sequel.

Not much else is known, except that the working title is Three Men and a Bride leaving the nature of the script unambiguous, and Hollywood.com have a little interview with Steve Guttenberg (who in the accompanying picture looks like a proud chipmunk after consuming a barrel of brazil nuts) who touches on a few of his other franchises he’d like to see resurrected to maul a new audience.

Personally I’d like to see Three Men and a Wasted Life, or Three Men and a Loaded Gun, or maybe Two Men and a Funeral – Richard Curtis could write that one and have Hugh Grant as a funny vicar. Hollywood Gold.