English Noah thread

[Modificato da Raffy75 16/10/2006 18.06]

[Modificato da Raffy75 16/10/2006 18.08]

[Modificato da Raffy75 23/10/2006 8.53]

[Modificato da Raffy75 23/10/2006 8.54]

Celebrity Presenters Announced for Casting Society of America's Upcoming Artios Awards(R)
J.J. Abrams, Martin Landau, Noah Wyle and Others From Motion Pictures and Television Come Together to Honor Casting's Finest at 22nd Annual Artios Awards(R)
LOS ANGELES, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- October 17, 2006 -- The Casting Society of America have announced the presenters of their 22nd Artios Awards® being held November 1, 2006 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. Presented yearly for outstanding achievement in casting, the awards are given on the criteria of originality, creativity and the contribution of casting to the overall quality of a project.

"The Artios Awards are intended to celebrate the work that we do that sometimes goes unnoticed," said Dawn Steinberg, Event Chairperson and Senior Vice President, Talent and Casting, Sony Pictures Television. "This very important evening provides our community the opportunity to honor ourselves, and to further demonstrate the pride that we have in the work that has been accomplished during the course of a year."

Each year, in addition to the twenty different theatrical casting categories announced during the award presentation, the Casting Society of America also recognizes Industry notables with a Career Achievement Award and bestows the Hoyt Bowers Award on one of its own. This year, these awards will be presented to John Wells and April Webster, respectively, each luminaries in their field.


Highlighted Links
Artios Awards
Casting Society of America



Presenting the Career Achievement Award to John Wells will be casting director John Levey ("The West Wing," "ER"). Producer/director J.J. Abrams ("Lost," "Six Degrees," "Alias," "Mission: Impossible III") will present April Webster with the Hoyt Bowers Award. Other celebrity presenters include Martin Landau ("Entourage," OSCAR® for "Ed Wood," Golden Globe® Winner), Noah Wyle ("ER"), Maura Tierney ("ER"), Saana Lathan ("A Raisin In the Sun," "Nip/Tuck"), Emmy Rossum ("Poseidon," "The Phantom of the Opera"), Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine," "Signs"), Chris Pine ("Just My Luck," "Princess Diaries 2"), and John Cho ("Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle," "American Pie"). Elon Gold ("Stacked") will return as host of the evening.

History of the Artios Awards

In October of 1985, the Casting Society of America presented the first awards for excellence in casting at an Artios Awards luncheon. Held in the Crystal Room of the Beverly Hills Hotel, the event was attended by more than 500 industry leaders. Seven CSA members were honored in four different casting categories. The award named in his honor was presented posthumously to Hoyt Bowers. The Lifetime Achievement Award (now called the Career Achievement Award) was presented to Renee Valente. Three years later, the first Artios for theatrical production was presented in an added New York ceremony. Today, members are honored in twenty different theatrical casting categories in simultaneous events held in Beverly Hills and New York.

About CSA

The Casting Society of America is the premier organization of theatrical Casting Directors in film, television, and theater and is passionately committed to establishing a recognized standard of professionalism in the industry; enhancing the stature of the profession in the industry; freely exchanging information and ideas among members; providing the opportunity to honor the outstanding achievements of our members; and providing members with professional support and resources. Working in conjunction with the newly established Teamsters affiliation, CSA members are a united professional society that consistently sets the level of professionalism in casting on which the entertainment industry has come to rely.

With more than 360 members, the Casting Society of America has representation not only in the United States, but also in Canada, England and Australia. For more information, please visit www.castingsociety.com or call 323-463-1925.

[Modificato da Raffy75 23/10/2006 8.59]

New Promo Pics from "The Librarian II"

Big Clip from the Librarian 2
here

Thans to Silly for this

[Modificato da Raffy75 27/10/2006 17.45]

Other 6 Clips from the movie!
Enjoy them because they're great!

CLIP 2
CLIP3
CLIP4
CLIP 5
CLIP 6
CLIP 7

And the caps here [1secr]

It's from a Bulgarian magazine,"Bulgarian Mag"
I've found it on a Latin American board and on my Noah LJ community too: thanks Busem;)



ONLY FOR ITALIANS: Solo una piccola richiesta per i "possibili" italiani che lurkano qui: siete liberi di postare le foto altrove, ma non dove si ci si diverte a fare una mappina i soggetti ritratti per il loro taglio di capelli, per i chili in più o in meno o per quello che si so messi quel giorno per uscire de casa e non per andare a una cerimonia di premiazione degli Oscar.
Se frequentate la board presumo siate fan di Noah o che quanto meno vi interessi, ergo state lontano da quei posti, grazie. [1amo]

[Modificato da Raffy75 01/11/2006 17.31]

I don't know if this is really true but it looks like Noah is going to be on this movie

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The Reliable Source

By Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts
Thursday, November 2, 2006; Page C03

Washington Intrigue Nabs a Role in an Indie FlicK


Let's say you're making a coming-of-age drama set in Washington of the early '60s, about a teenage boy entranced by a beautiful neighbor with shadowy ties to the CIA, White House and Cuban operatives. What do you call it?

How about "Boy of Pigs"?


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That's the name of the film that started shooting here this week, starring indie A-list actors such as Gretchen Mol ("The Notorious Bettie Page") and young Cameron Bright (known for roles in "Birth," "Thank You for Smoking" and "X-Men: The Last Stand"), with director William Olsson making his feature debut.

Producer Kevin Leydon said they've already captured scenes at Great Falls and along the canal in Georgetown. As happened with the latest Bruce Willis "Die Hard" shoot, though, affordable Baltimore is playing the role of D.C. for much of the flick; yesterday, residents of the city's Bolton Hill neighborhood watched Bright shooting a scene with co-star Noah Wyle , formerly of "ER."
Still, Leydon says he'll return to Washington to shoot some scenes "at very iconic locations." "This is a relatively low-budget independent movie," he said. "We think the material and the talent make it the ideal film for the film festival circuit."

Mol plays a mistress of JFK who used to be married to a CIA agent. Shades of Mary Pinchot Meyer ? "Although the film references certain historical figures," says a press release, "they are portrayed in entirely fictitious situations." Gotcha.

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Source

An old pic that I found on a italian magazine
Click to enlarge

More info about "Boy of Pigs" [1cia]

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TV stars join cast of film being shot in Baltimore
People and Places


Alex Metcalf's original script for Boy of Pigs has proven a magnet for a white-hot cast: Noah Wyle, Dr. John Carter of ER, and Perrey Reeves, Mrs. Ari of Entourage, have joined the Baltimore-based indie. In this Kennedy-era coming-of-age story, they're playing the parents of a boy (Cameron Bright) who becomes obsessed with the ex-CIA-wife across the street (Gretchen Mol).
TV and movie veteran James Rebhorn, whose credits include Cold Mountain and Head of State, has also signed on to play a CIA operative, says producer Kevin Leydon.

The film started shooting this week in Bolton Hill and Mount Vernon, which are standing in for Washington's Georgetown neighborhood

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Source

[Modificato da Raffy75 04/11/2006 12.52]

A guy met Noah on the set of "Boy of Pigs"
Here's his funny story about it....and a pic of Noah....very 50s
Thanks to silly from ERforum

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Funny thing happened with my new Ambulet the other day. I’ve said here that one of the things I do with my cars is movie jobs. I just got the Ambulet home Monday. Wednesday, I had a movie job for the Ambulet in Baltimore. As it is right now, it looks like a regular station wagon. Just after I bought it on e-bay, I was in contact with the local picture car person, who needed a ‘50’s wagon for a movie. I sent her the photo, and ultimately got the job. And my car is the "hero car" in this movie, which means it's the car the main character uses (and I might get a bit more money). The movie is called "Boy of Pigs" (not bay, "bOy", long story). Apparently, it's a low budget, indy film.
I was supposed to only park the car, but the picture car coordinator asked me if it would be alright if the actor drove my wagon in the scene. I said OK. But I asked if the actor knew how to drive a stick shift (not a common occurrence, I’m not real good at it myself). So, after a little “hmmm” and “uhhhh” and “uh oh”, the assistant director asked me if I’d teach the guy how to drive a stick. Well, that’s not the best time to teach someone, but I said I’d try.

So the actor comes up and introduces himself, “Hi, I’m Noah”. And I introduce myself. So I showed him how to drive a stick (his first bright question: “Where’s ‘Park’?” ). I was pretty patient with him, and he picked it up pretty quick, better than I did.

Well, in talking, he played a doctor once, so we talked medical shows. And it turns out, he was a big fan of our favorite TV show, “Emergency!” So we talked about that some and about a mutual friend, a girl I went to high school with who is now an actress and was on his earlier show. We had a good chat for a few minutes.

So they film his scenes driving off in my wagon, and for the most part, he did pretty well. The car did great, actually, and I was worried since I haven’t had it too long. So we got through that. Noah really liked the car, said maybe he’d get one like it. Nice guy.

At the end, Noah even was in a photo with me and the car. If you’re not sure, the handsome guy on the right in the picture is me. That other fellow is the actor, Noah Wyle. He used to play “Dr. Carter” on “ER”. Geez, I never know what will happen next.

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www.professionalcar.org/forum...?t=9938&page=3

[Modificato da Raffy75 05/11/2006 19.30]

According to Ausiello we won't see Noah on ER this season (season 13). Ausiello implied that it was a producers' decision.
Thanks Wells. Thanks Zabel.
We just need another proof that you're a bunch of hypocrites.

[Modificato da Raffy75 08/11/2006 17.44]

Noah and his cute kids [1secr]






Source:celebrity-babies

E sempre il medesimo annuncio, che ripetersi non fa mai male, puù darsi che il concetto viene assimilato più facilemnte.

ONLY FOR ITALIANS: Solo una piccola richiesta per i "possibili" italiani che lurkano qui: siete liberi di postare le foto altrove, ma non dove si ci si diverte a fare una mappina i soggetti ritratti per il loro taglio di capelli, per i chili in più o in meno o per quello che si so messi quel giorno per uscire de casa e non per andare a una cerimonia di premiazione degli Oscar.
Se frequentate la board presumo siate fan di Noah o che quanto meno vi interessi, ergo state lontano da quei posti, grazie.

[Modificato da Raffy75 09/11/2006 8.41]

New pics on TNT web site

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Noah will be on Regis and Kelly's show on Monday, Nov. 20th

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From Silly at erforum and....

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Noah Wyle booking more "Librarian" movies

By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith

Article Last Updated:11/08/2006 04:19:29 PM PST

If Noah Wyle has his way, he'll be back in character as the super geek-cum-intrepid adventurer in a franchise of TNT's "The Librarian" sagas even before the second one airs on Dec. 3.

The former "ER" star is reprising his role as Flynn Carson, the man put in charge of finding and keeping the world's greatest treasures in "The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines," produced by "Independence Day" filmmaker Dean Devlin.

"TNT wants to see how this one goes before they greenlight the third one, but we've already written the script," reports Wyle. "And as far as the production team, Dean Devlin and myself are really excited about making as many as five of these if we can."

"Return to King Solomon's Mines" was shot on location in Africa, while the first was shot in Mexico.

When — and if — the next one is a go, he says, "We've talked about doing it in the States. I know we were interested in bringing some work down to New Orleans and thought we could probably do a good story down there. They have all those swamps and bayous.

"Supposedly the Fountain of Youth was there, and they've got all sorts of buried treasure because it was a big dumping ground for pirates who anchored off the coast." He adds, shooting in New Orleans, which is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, "would be a good karmic turn for us, and I think we'd get a lot of bang for our buck as well."

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...and....

[IMG]http://i14.tinypic.com/2jahvnl.jpg[/IMG]

[Modificato da Raffy75 10/11/2006 12.28]

Thaks to Nia/silly [2cia]

Clip

[Modificato da Raffy75 27/11/2006 12.22]

Another clip here




Q&A with Noah

Breakfast With Noah Wyle

Monday, November 20, 2006

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

After 11 years on NBC's Emmy Award winning drama "ER" playing Dr. John Carter, Noah Wyle turned in his scrubs. Ready for a new adventure, the 35-year-old actor found it in the role of an intellectual, multi-degree-carrying librarian who spends more time saving the world then in the stacks. "The Librarian, Return to King Solomon's Mines" premieres Dec. 3 on TNT. Wyle lives with his wife and two children (Owen, 4, and Auden, 1) in Santa Ynez Valley, Calif.


Q: So what are the pluses and minuses of playing a romantic lead?


A: Well, the pluses are fairly self evident. It's always gratifying to -- well, you've kind of got me tongue-tied here because I don't play many romantic leads. This was an interesting opportunity for me. In this movie you get to paint with a very broad spectrum of colors. You get to be comical, you get to be romantic, you get to be sort of an action hero and you get to be a cerebral type.

Q: Noah, is there any pressure for you when you are carrying a film on your back like that?

A: I didn't feel any pressure, no. I think because I like the character so much, and it was a wonderful departure from what I've been doing in my day job the last 11 years. It was, you know, comedic in tone and afforded me an opportunity to do physical comedy and travel to exotic locations and to work with some of the most terrific comic minds of this generation: Bob Newhart and Jane Curtain. The pressure was giving the production values to the movie on the meager budget that we had, and really telling our story in a way that you don't see very often on TV.

Q: Your character (Flynn Carson) has 22 degrees. Do you have any regrets about skipping college for your career?

A: Not really, not really. I was pretty resolute early on that acting was what I wanted to pursue. I knew that I didn't need a degree to pursue it. Education is certainly very important to me. I consider myself fairly well educated, self-educated. But it's one of the few professions where it's not a prerequisite. You know, Hollywood takes all types and comers and doesn't really check your resume for college diplomas.

Q: Are you the kind of actor who insists on doing his own stunts?

A: Not necessarily. Anything that I can get away with safely, I will do it in a heartbeat. I think it lends itself to the authenticity if you can recognize the actor's face doing it. Also, it's just fun. I stop short at anything I don't think I can do or anything that I think might eventually hurt myself or my ability to have more kids.

Q: Do you think growing up in Hollywood influenced your career choice?

A: Probably, probably, although you are capable of having a life outside of Hollywood, living in Hollywood. My childhood was pretty sheltered from the movie business even though my stepfather was in it.

Q: I read you were sent to boarding school. Would you send your children to boarding school?

A: My wife and I have talked about it. That was a great experience for me. One of the reasons I didn't feel the necessity to go to college is that I had spent four years living away from home and doing my own laundry in a very academically challenging school, so I already had that experience to a certain degree. I was eager to get out and plant my foot in the sand. Also at the time, I thought, correctly so, that there were many more opportunities for me to break into the business at 17 or 18 than there would be at 22 or 23 coming out of college with a theater major degree.

Q: After more than a decade on "ER" did you learn anything useful, medically speaking?

A: Oh, quite a bit. Yeah, I mean. I could have actually gotten a degree if I had applied myself. (laughing). You pick up quite a bit through osmosis. In actuality there are only about 10 or 11 procedures that are ever performed in an emergency room before you get shipped off to another department.

Q: Are you content with your career?

A: Yeah, I'm at a good place right now. I've got a really nice balance between home life and work life, finally. The scales were tipped in work's favor for a very long time there. The only downside of doing "E.R." as long as I did was the hours were excessive. I've got a bit more balance back and some freedom of choice. The librarian is both a wonderful character to get to do and you are going to work everyday just thinking about what would be funny and what would be fun to watch, as opposed to cancer and dying babies and homeless people.

Q: Your children can watch it, too.

A: Well, that's the best part. This is the kind of movie that hopefully, in a year or two, when my son is old enough to watch it, he'll watch it. He actually already looked at some of the still photographs and said, "Daddy is that you?" So I'm sort of trying to lay the ground work for him to think I'm some kind of hero. But a cerebral hero! Which is the other aspect of the character I really like. It's not brawn that has him win out in the end, it's his brains.

Patricia Sheridan can be reached at psheridan@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2613.


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06324/739739-129.stm


A new article about "Boy of Pigs"

'Boy of Pigs' recreates Kennedy-era Georgetown in Baltimore

By BEN NUCKOLS, The Associated Press
Nov 22, 2006 2:59 PM (1 day ago)


BALTIMORE - Washington's urban neighbor to the north has stood in for the nation's capital so often in movies that the makers of "Boy of Pigs," a coming-of-age story set in Georgetown in 1963, had no doubt that Baltimore would again prove up to the task.


Plus, it's hard enough to park a four-door sedan on Georgetown's congested, narrow streets - much less the trailers and trucks loaded with camera and lighting equipment that are essential even to a low-budget independent film.

"Boy of Pigs" is following the path trod by "Enemy of the State," "Head of State" and the upcoming Nicole Kidman thriller "The Invasion" - just some of the productions that grabbed iconic shots in Washington but let Baltimore do the heavy lifting.

"We realized very early on that there was no way we were going to be able to shoot in Washington," director William Olsson said. "Cost-wise, it wouldn't have been possible, but we've been able to find great locations that have still been able to work within the limits of our budget."

Producer Kevin Leydon points out that Georgetown has changed so much in 40 years that in some ways, Baltimore's stately and well-preserved Bolton Hill neighborhood is a better fit.

"Georgetown now is not like Georgetown was in 1963," he said. "Baltimore is a perfect stand-in visually for the Georgetown of the day."

"Boy of Pigs" stars 13-year-old Cameron Bright ("Godsend," "X-Men: The Last Stand") as a kid who catches a glimpse of his fetching neighbor (Gretchen Mol) in the nude and decides to learn everything he can about her. It turns out she's one of JFK's mistresses.

Mol, who garnered raves this year for her starring role in "The Notorious Bettie Page," has been in demand of late, and at the beginning of the shoot she was shuttling back and forth between Baltimore and New Mexico, where she was making "3:10 to Yuma," a big-budget western starring Russell Crowe.

Leydon, who would only describe his budget as "modest," joked that Mol clearly wasn't doing "Boy of Pigs" for the money. Mol said she "begged" him and Olsson to rearrange the shooting schedule to accommodate her because she loved the part.

"You know those roles that you feel like you're going to be able to sink your teeth into and do something with," Mol said. "You do have to fight for them because they're few and far between."

Leydon hopes Mol's multilayered performance will be a selling point for the movie, which does not have a distributor. He plans to shop it around at festivals next year.

On Tuesday afternoon, Olsson was shooting an emotionally charged scene between Mol and Bright inside the Holy Rosary Parish, a cavernous, Romanesque-style Catholic church in Fells Point that offers Mass in Polish when it's not doubling as a movie set. Production assistants did their best to keep everything quiet, but occasionally the actors had to pause in the middle of a take while a truck drove by or a helicopter buzzed overhead.

It was just another day's work amid a tight, 27-day shooting schedule, all of it done on what the industry calls practical locations - real buildings and streets. One might call it polished guerrilla filmmaking. Olsson doesn't have the time or money for many elaborate camera setups or last-minute changes.

But for Olsson, a 29-year-old Swede and University of Southern California film school graduate who's directed several shorts and a "microbudget" feature, "Boy of Pigs" represents a promotion - if not to the big leagues, then certainly to Triple-A. He's working with a talented cast that also includes Noah Wyle ("ER") and veteran character actor James Rebhorn.

"In some ways, ('Boy of Pigs') has been a lot easier, because I've had such great collaborators. On the other hand, the pressure is much harder, because there's so much more at stake," Olsson said. "Of course I'm nervous. Every day, I'm nervous."

He and Leydon are leaning heavily on Baltimore-based crew members, well-seasoned from their work on TV shows like "The Wire" and movies like "Ladder 49," to keep things running smoothly.

"The writer, the producer, the director and the leads are from L.A.," Leydon said. "Everyone else is local" - including cinematographer David Insley and production designer Vincent Peranio, a longtime collaborator of John Waters.

"You can just tell" the crew knows what it's doing, Mol said. "You walk into this church and it's like, 'OK!' It helps put you where you need to be for any given scene."

http://www.examiner.com/a-414690~_Boy_of_Pigs__recreates_Kennedy_era_Georgetown_in_Baltimore.html

[Modificato da Raffy75 24/11/2006 20.02]

[Modificato da Raffy75 24/11/2006 20.03]

[1lol]



Royal helmer: Wyle directs 'Prince'

Nov 28, 2006

Noah Wyle will make his directorial debut with "Prince Test," an indie romantic comedy being produced by Peter Sussman of Steppingstone Park, Arthur Sarkissian and Morris Levy.

"Prince" centers on a female private investigator who uses unorthodox methods to check the fidelity of engaged or married men. The script was written by Rachel Weinhaus, a USC film school graduate, with a rewrite by J.P. Manoux.

Production is set to begin in April in Chicago, with Dolphin Entertainment financing. The movie will mark the first foray into features for Dolphin, known for producing television series and telefilms.

The executive producers are Dolphin's Bill O'Dowd and Winding Road's Barry Tropp and Michael Espensen.

Wyle, repped by ICM, Brillstein-Grey and attorney Geoffrey Oblath, starred on NBC's "ER" since the show's inception in 1994, departing last season. He is starring in "The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines," a sequel to TNT's popular adventure telefilm "The Librarian: Quest for the Spear."

Source

And now he's in Baltimore.....and he's reading:mrgreen:

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· Noah Wyle, engaging in the popular local sport of stoop-sitting yesterday while on a break from his Baltimore movie shoot. Our colleague Kathleen Cahill spotted the "ER" star -- in town filming the indie flick "Boy of Pigs"-- lounging in a Bolton Hill doorway unnoticed by passersby in his '60s-era costume (olive wool overcoat, shiny black dress shoes). Whatcha reading, Noah? Wyle smiled and showed Cahill his book -- Oscar-winner Walter Murch's meditation on film editing, "In the Blink of an Eye."

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Source

Reviews......well....... and they are great [1ist]

 

 

 

More POSITIVE reviews :)

Jeanne Jakle: Strong cast leads lighthearted adventure on TNT
Web Posted: 12/01/2006 10:20 PM CST

San Antonio Express-News

It may not be quite up there with an Indiana Jones movie, but my son and I sure had a treasure chest of fun watching it.

Believe me, when you can tear a 13-year-old away from video and computer games to sit in front of a made-for-TV flick for a couple of hours with his mom, that's success in itself.

Perhaps what both of us liked best about "The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines" — premiering at 7 p.m. Sunday on TNT and repeating throughout the night — is the fact the movie never seems to take itself too seriously. Jake and I laughed just as frequently as we clung to the edge of our seats. The film's fantasy sequences are almost comic book-like, though with enough heart and earthy substance to make you care what happens next.

The cast is a rich one — including Olympia Dukakis and Bob Newhart, to name a couple of biggies — but the two charming and credible players at the center are the ones who deserve the most applause. Noah Wyle ("ER") and Gabrielle Anwar ("The Scent of a Woman") play romantic interests who are just as competitive as they are lovey-dovey.

Wyle is Flynn Carson, a character he introduced in the first "Librarian" movie on TNT — "Quest for the Spear." He has 22 academic degrees and leads a secret life. On the surface, he's a mere librarian at the Metropolitan Library. His real mission, however, is to protect the library's hidden repository of humanity's mythical wonders, such as King Arthur's Excalibur and Poseidon's trident.

His latest adventure takes him on a quest for the fabled mines of King Solomon after he receives a package with a map to the mines' location. It also becomes a personal journey when he discovers that his beloved father, who died years earlier, had a mysterious connection to the mines.

Once in Morocco, he meets Anwar's character, Emily Davenport, a brilliant archaeologist who's got even more doctorate degrees than her newfound friend.

They clash like enemies and collaborate like colleagues over their dedication to mystical artifacts. She's completely obsessed with the Queen of Sheba and will stop at nothing to get closer to deciphering that particular wonder of the world.

Throw into this mix a mom (Dukakis) who's bent on getting her son married and a boss (Newhart), the curator of the Metropolitan Library, who is continually scolding Flynn for taking too many unnecessary risks.

There's a wealth of special effects in the Jonathan Frakes-directed movie. These include a fabulous array of ghosts that are as spooky as they are magnificent. Other pluses are gorgeous desert scenery and some very sexy moments, thanks to the allure of Anwar, who is irresistible in a native costume that reveals more than covers.

Some of the more memorable scenes, as mentioned at the outset, are humorous ones. Keep an eye out for a sequence that features a bag of chocolate and a bunch of threatening hippos. There's also a riff on "Casablanca" that will tickle any fan.

More good news: You don't have to be familiar with the first movie to enjoy the sequel. Jake and I went into this one blind and enjoyed every minute of it. I'm also happy to report that the final scenes hint at a sequel, something I'd now welcome with open arms.

jjakle@express-news.net

Jeanne Jakle's column appears Wednesday and Friday in S.A. Life and Sundays in tnow.

www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/...e.44ad16fa.html


LIVELY ‘LIBRARIAN’

Noah Wyle returns to the role of a swashbuckling knowit-all in the fantastic comicbook sequel "The Librarian : Return to King Solomon’s Mines" (8 p.m., Sunday, TNT). A rollicking, tongue-in-cheek composite of "Indiana Jones," "Romancing the Stone" and dozens of pulp adventure novels, "The Librarian" enhances its thin and easy-to-follow plot with elaborate visual tricks and special effects.

"The Librarian" concerns Flynn Carson (Wyle), a directionless, perpetual student with 22 advanced degrees. He is recruited by a super-secret organization located beneath a great Metropolitan Library. This exalted organization happens to be the protector of mankind’s legendary artifacts from the Sword of Excalibur to the Shroud of Turin. Flynn is sent out on death-defying missions to find mythical treasures or to keep them from falling into the "wrong hands."

As the title implies, Flynn’s journey takes him to Africa in search of biblical loot and secrets of an apocalyptic nature. There he encounters dozens of typecast bad guys as well as Emma (Gabrielle Anwar), a knockout archaeologist who appears to have discovered the secret of living with no body fat. Flynn also discovers many dark secrets about his own family’s past — keys, dare I say, to his very destiny.

The best scenes in "Librarian" take place between Flynn and Judson (Bob Newhart), his leader and mentor. Flynn also shares some moments with Charlene (Jane Curtin), the cranky administrator of the institute. The casting of these two comedy legends is inspired. Their presence elevates "The Librarian" from the predictable.


www.tfponline.com/QuickHeadlines.as...%26ID%3DAr04100

Lightweight 'Mines' faithfully follows adventure recipe
Perils aplenty - Fearless Flynn Carsen pulls off amazing escapes to save the world once again

• The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines

Sunday, December 03, 2006
TED MAHAR
I n our troubled worldwide ecology, "The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines" is suffused with virtue. Nearly every item in it is recycled from something else. Press materials call this not rehashing but "referencing."

OK. The TNT movie is a reference library.

For those who missed 2004's "The Librarian: Quest for the Spear" -- and also for those who didn't -- "Mines" recycles producer/star Noah Wyle as Flynn Carsen, the title bibliophile, a pathological student.


Some scholars make grad school a career without ever getting a degree. Flynn is the reverse. He has 22 Ph.D.s and no inclination to get a job -- or do anything but add to his degree collection.

He is marking time in the Metropolitan Library, a structure of seemingly infinite dimensions, also housing a vast museum, infinitely funded by some vague agency or institution. Bob Newhart plays Flynn's laconic, stuttering boss, and Jane Curtin is the bespectacled, primly articulate chief executive.

Like countless matinee heroes before him, Flynn is required to, literally, save the world from time to time.

Here, as the title tells us, the perpetually sought stash of the monarch of three millennia past is yet again the goal of a trek replete with colorful guys good and bad, spectacular landscapes and nonstop perils that would ravage the constitution of the hardiest adventurer.

Flynn's 32nd birthday surprise party -- thrown by his mom (Olympia Dukakis) -- occurs early in "Mines," just after he returns from Utah with a fabled ancient crystal skull. So he still has a resilient constitution, which soon proves indispensable.

"Mines" is lightweight, brisk and aimed at the whole family, except for a few bits at the end wherein baddies get the novel and excruciatingly painful deaths they have asked for before our very eyes.

Viewers in groups may want to shout out the references as they occur, but for brevity may want to shorten "The Dr. Indiana Jones Trilogy" to simply "Jones" for the many times it will be uttered. The finale is a virtual tribute to "Lost Ark" and "Temple of Doom."

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TNT's 'Librarian': Farcical fantasy funBy Jonathan Storm
Inquirer Columnist
As our intrepid (and attractive) hero and heroine make their way across the drifting desert sands of northern Kenya, they come across a local dude with a brightly painted face, buried up to his neck.

"Are you all right?" they ask.

"I've been better," he replies.

And so it goes in the wisecracked, thrill-packed, special-effects-stacked foolishness of TNT's The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines, premiering tonight at 8.

Starring Noah Wyle, still boyishly likable after 37 years on ER, and Gabrielle Anwar, 5 feet, 3 inches of charming pluck, it's the sequel to the first Librarian movie, which scored big for TNT on the first Sunday in December two years ago. Quest for the Spear was the highest-rated basic cable movie of 2004.

These films (it seems like a franchise that could go on forever) wear "old-fashioned adventure" on their sleeves, gleefully ripping off anything and everything from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid through Indiana Jones and even Back to the Future.

Wyle plays Flynn Carson, a geek with a daredevil streak, who is curator of a vast museum of mankind's most awesome mysteries. But since half the intended audience wouldn't know what curator meant, the producers call it a library.

Bob Newhart plays Carson's boss, and Excalibur, King Arthur's magic sword, is one of his colleagues, and there's the film's formula: farcical fantasy featuring the kind of movie magic that used to cost millions.

Like Inspector Clouseau's houseboy, Kato, Excalibur greets Carson at the door with a playful jab, and disembodied sword and man do a little battle dance. It's much better than the movie's ultimate human vs. human fight scene, which looks like it was choreographed by the two Jerrys - Springer and Rice.

But who's counting? Any movie that offers dialogue like this is better than most television:

"Did we get a new statue?" Carson asks library personnel director Jane Curtin, as strong boys cart off a life-size figure.

"Steve the guard accidentally looked at Medusa's head," she deadpans. "Turned to stone."

"What covers that?" Carson queries. "Is that health insurance or workman's comp?"

From Medusa's head to Excalibur to Pan's magic flute, the Metropolitan Library stores them all. The Ten Commandments lie forlornly against a wall. Neptune's Trident springs a leak.

But the library's still lacking the Key of King Solomon and all the other mumbo-jumbo that goes with his legendary mines. So when Carson gets a package in the mail containing a mysterious map, he's off to find the mythic wonders.

Bad guys are after them, too. Aren't they always?

The movie opens with impressive helicopter panoramas of southern Utah and a lushly orchestrated score that signal we're in for something a little grander than the usual TV fare.

Carson and a Sioux sidekick are on the trail of the crystal skull, a treasure from Atlantis (maybe the Mormons carried it out to Utah). But, alas, there are more bad guys, and the two rappel down sandstone cliffs into their midst.

"There's at least six of them and there's only two of us, and they got guns," protests the Sioux.

"Relax," replies Carson. "This kind of stuff happens to me all the time."

Actually, despite hippo attacks and a last-second getaway on a cute Kenyan train, it could happen a little more. Return to King Solomon's Mines has its slow points, as Carson, who has 22 academic degrees but not a whole lot of life experience, ponders the early loss of his father.

Still, executive producer Dean Devlin (Independence Day, The Patriot) and director Jonathan Frakes, Star Trek's beloved Cmdr. Riker, don't let too much reality clog up the capers. Alert viewers can spot Frakes in a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang-style, though earthbound, "Honeymoon Bus" that plies the back roads of Kenya, supposed home to the legendary mines, where some of the movie was shot.

It's not often that basic cable travels all the way to Africa for a little local color. The Librarian goes the distance to bring home some cold weather diversion for the whole family.

File it in the card catalog under "fun."

Jonathan Storm |

Television

The Librarian: Return

to King Solomon's Mines

Tonight at 8 on TNT

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The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines

Book-smart adventurer Flynn Carsen is back to save the world once more, and this time he isn't alone

The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines

Starring Noah Wyle, Gabrielle Anwar, Olympia Dukakis, Jane Curtin and Bob Newhart

Teleplay by Marco Schnabel

Based on characters created by David Titcher

Directed by Jonathan Frakes

TNT

Premieres Sunday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m. ET/PT


By Kathie Huddleston
Flynn Carsen (Wyle) is back in action as the book-smart librarian who is charged with keeping safe humanity's greatest secrets, which are hidden beneath the Metropolitan Library. After an adventure to retrieve the Crystal Skull from the Lost City of Atlantis, Flynn heads off to visit his mother (Dukakis), only to find himself in the middle of a surprise party for his 32nd birthday. Even his "Uncle" Jerry (Robert Foxworth), a friend of his father's, is there. It brings back memories for Flynn, who lost his father when he was 32.

There's no denying this sequel is a fun romp ...


Later that night, at his apartment, Flynn opens a package he received from Egypt. He has only moments to glance at the ancient scroll inside before he's attacked and the scroll is stolen. Flynn calls library curator Judson (Newhart), who sheds some light on the scroll. Judson believes the artifact is actually a map to the location of King Solomon's Mines and the Key of Solomon, a mystical book that is believed to have the ability to summon the powers of the underworld and to bend space and time. Unfortunately, it can also destroy the world if it falls into the wrong hands.

Flynn heads off once again to save the world. His first stop is Casablanca, where Judson believes Flynn will find the legend to the map. What Flynn discovers first, however, is a pretty archaeologist named Emily Davenport (Anwar), who is just as smart, if not smarter, than he is, and she has the Ph.D.s to prove it. Emily is searching for evidence that the Queen of Sheba once ruled Africa, but it doesn't take long for her to get caught up in Flynn's quest for the map's legend and the location of King Solomon's Mines.

Unfortunately, the bad guys, led by Gen. Samir (Erick Avari), are hot on their trail. Flynn and Emily attempt to stay one step ahead of their pursuers while their search takes them to the Breasts of Sheba and the All-Seeing Eye. As Flynn gets closer to his goal, so does his enemy, who will stop at nothing to turn back time and change the past.

Wyle's charm triumphs again

When TNT's The Librarian: Quest for the Spear premiered two years ago, few would have predicted that it would be ranked as ad-supported cable's top movie of the year. However, what made the film more than just a Raiders of the Lost Ark knockoff was Noah Wyle's charm as Flynn Carsen.

In the sequel, Wyle manages to keep intact Flynn's sense of wide-eyed wonder at how the real world operates, all while using his massive education and occasional lack of physical coordination to save the day. It's a welcome return for the character, off on another fast-paced, silly adventure in a story filled with plot holes and humorous dialogue.

While the film's success rests on Wyle's shoulders, Gabrielle Anwar is quite good as Emily. Their chemistry works nicely, as does Wyle's chemistry with the wonderful Bob Newhart. While Jane Curtin and Olympia Dukakis are underused, Robert Foxworth offers a rich characterization as Uncle Jerry.

As for the story, most of the action is just an excuse for Flynn and Emily to wander through ancient tombs and down secret passageways, and to figure out cryptic clues. King Solomon's Mines could just as easily be the Ark of the Covenant or any other ancient relic. Still, Librarian 2 is nicely directed by Jonathan Frakes, and it holds together as long as you don't think about it too hard. The film was partially filmed in Africa and Frakes manages some lovely shots of the country.

It all makes Librarian 2 look bigger than it should on a TV budget. And while one has to wonder why the heck it's called "Return" rather than "Quest" or "Search," there's no denying this sequel is a fun romp that bodes well for a Librarian franchise.


Yes, Flynn Carsen comes from the Destructive School of Archaeology (developed by Indiana Jones), which believes no ancient tomb should be left intact after a visit from the hero. And yes, the world would be a safer place if the hero didn't lead the bad guys to the ancient artifacts that have the potential to destroy it. But what the heck? What fun is it if the world isn't put in jeopardy every once in a while? —Kathie

www.scifi.com/sfw/screen/sfw14261.html

[Modificato da Raffy75 03/12/2006 11.01]