Catherine O'Hara Filmography: A Mighty Wind (2003)

Ah, finally, we've come again to a Christopher Guest movie. Unlike most, Guest actually realizes how talented Catherine O'Hara is and utilizes her so well in every one of her movies. "A Mighty Wind" is a hilarious mockumentary about three different folk groups who are coming together to play a memorial concert in honor of the man that gave them all their start. The film follows each of the three groups as they reunite, rehearse and get ready for the big night.

Catherine O'Hara plays Mickey Crabbe, formerly of the sweetheart folk duo "Mitch and Mickey", along with her past lover Mitch Cohen (Eugene Levy). During their prime, the duo was famous for their song "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow", which always ended with a kiss that left audiences swooning. However, Mickey is now married, after a horrible dispute that left their duo broken and Mitch an emotional trainwreck.

Overall, "A Mighty Wind" is a wonderful and endearing, not to mention hysterical little movie. I used to consider it one of Guest's lesser works, but after recently rewatching it with a friend (and my mom, who is awesome) I realized how truly funny and wonderful it actually is. As to be expected from Christopher Guest, there are some fantastic performances that make this film shine - for example, Jane Lynch and John Michael Higgins, who play the color-worshipping frontliners for the sugar coated folk group "The New Main Street Singers", are simply hilarious. I consider this to be easily Jane Lynch's greatest role.

BUT! We're here for Catherine O'Hara and, truthfully, this is probably one of her greatest roles as well. Unlike the other characters, Mickey is much more real, human, and disillusioned. O'Hara knows that Mickey is truly the emotional core of the film and she doesn't turn her into a caricature whatsoever (unlike Eugene Levy, who is funny but completely devoid of emotion). Instead, O'Hara truly becomes Mickey, and in her soft spoken words and the way she looks at the camera, we feel a truly pining individual who longs for the glory days but knows they can never be.

And then, there is the one running plot point that solidifies the brilliance of her performance - "The Kiss at the End of the Rainbow". During the final performance, the way that O'Hara shows the longing for that one kiss during the song is just a gorgeous display of true emotion. Not to mention, the fact that O'Hara sings the song beautifully. Her chemistry with Eugene Levy is quite convincing - even though Eugene is making it hard to believe that they'd ever love each other, O'Hara works past it and makes Mitch and Mickey one of the cutest screen couples of the decade.

I must mention one other admirable thing about this performance - for the majority of the film, O'Hara is by herself, talking in interview format. She rarely interacts with other characters besides Levy, and even when she does it's short in comparison to her interviews. I feel like this sort of solo work is so much harder to pull off, since she can't work off of anyone, and let's not forget that it's a lot of improv. Her ability to be so real and convey everything that she does all by herself is such an accomplishment.

Wow, so I really went crazy singing her praises but like I said this is easily one of O'Hara's best performances. Another snub for her at the Oscars! (Though she did get to sing "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" at them - yay!). Oh, and the movie has so much to recommend besides just her. Jane Lynch is amazing, the rest of the cast (especially Parker Posey's one tiny interview) is wonderful, and the music is great. It may not be Guest's funniest, but it is probably his most lovable.

The Movie: 8/10

Catherine: 10/10

Best in Show: Of course, Catherine, though this is also Jane Lynch's finest hour.

Aw, Glee!

I just want to take a few moments to talk about how proud I am of Glee after last night's episode! I haven't blogged about this season at all yet, mainly because I've neither hated it enough to rant (like last season...hehe), nor have I loved it enough to rave. I've never loved Glee enough to rave, until today!

Yep, last night's episode was really, dare I say it, great! I've been kind of bored with Glee lately but after last night, I have hope for its future. It was just a really solid episode - the songs were flawlessly incorporated into the narrative, and all of the little subplots were balanced super well; both issues that former episodes have had. We even got a nice dose of Jane Lynch, and Chris Colfer, who's been a bit one-note as of late, really did some great things with his rather dynamic subplot.

So, props! The only bad thing was that I thought Gwyneth Paltrow was supposed to be on last night, so I kept waiting for her to show up and she never did. Then I found out that she's not on 'til next week. Alas! Just something more to look forward to.

So what did you all think of last night's episode? I'm really impressed. A golf clap for Glee. Hehe.

Can you believe that I'm not ranting...awww!

OMGLEE

Well peeps, if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know how I have a love/hate relationship with Glee, emphasis on the hate. In fact, you can read all my thoughts on last season of Glee by clicking here. Anyway, so, watching the season premier today on Hulu, I was expecting it to be everything that I remember hating about Glee. You know, the convoluted storylines, horrendous acting from Matthew Morrison, and yeah, the good stuff too.

But...*gulp*...I was proven wrong.

The season premier was actually......

...ya'll are gonna laugh at me...

...GREAT.

I know, c'est shocking! But, yes, I loved it. From the beginning sequence that pretty much made fun of everything I hated about the show last season, to the very emotional "What I Did For Love" sung beautifully by Lea Michele, it was just great. It was so funny, the storylines were realistic and pleasantly structured, and Matthew Morrison didn't make me want to barf! Yea!

I really like the new characters as well -Coach Bieste was very well portrayed as both sympathetic and insecure. Very nice. Sunshine and that blonde kid are cool, and I like that Mike Chang finally is being recognized. He's got lines now! Yea him!

Perhaps Glee has finally settled into what it wants to be, and its more focused direction in this season premier gives me great hope that this season may actually be really, really wonderful. But, let me not speak too soon. Who knows what could happen in the next few episodes...we all know how ridiculous the show can get in a short period of time. ;)

The one problem I did have with the premier though - WHERE WAS JAYMA? :'(

Have you seen the premier yet? Are you all wallowing in my love for the premier? Sound off below!

Catherine O'Hara Filmography: Best in Show (2000)

This post is the first in my mission to watch all of Catherine O'Hara's movies.

If there's one place that has been proven time and time again to nourish Catherine O'Hara's talents both comedically and even dramatically, it has been the films of Christopher Guest. Ever since "Waiting for Guffman" fans have known of O'Hara's brilliance.

"Best in Show" is Christopher Guest's second mockumentary, which follows a group of odd characters as they and their dogs prepare for the Mayflower Dog Show, a prestigious event that every character wants to win. Catherine plays Cookie Fleck, the owner and trainer of a ridiculously cute terrier. More importantly though (plotwise anyway), Cookie also had a very colorful and prolific sex life in her younger years, much to the dismay of her husband Gerry (Eugene Levy).

Sadly, O'Hara's screentime is rather limited in the movie, and her character just isn't as memorable as some of the others in the film, such as Parker Posey's uber-bitch Meg Swan or Jennifer Coolidge's ditzy Sheri Ann Cabot. The two of them have some of the funniest moments in the film and Posey especially is just phenomenal. However, though this is surely not a quintessential O'Hara performance, it's still really wonderful, because I feel it gives us a bit of everything that makes her brilliant.

First of all, she and Eugene being a couple (that sings!) is a lovely foreshadowing of the wonderful work she was to do in "A Mighty Wind". Secondly, we see Catherine's skills as a physical and over the top comedian when she injures her knee and is hobbling around. Then, she also shows her ability as a subtle, talented actress when she encounters her past lovers, or when she's worried about the credit card, or when her dog is being held hostage on the roof of a shed.

So despite her limited screentime, Catherine O'Hara's role as Cookie Fleck is a loving reminder for all fans of why she is amazing. The movie is hysterical and also features wonderful performances by its entire cast, especially Parker Posey, Jennifer Coolidge, and Jane Lynch (!!!) so if you haven't yet seen it, I highly recommend. :)

The Film: 9/10

Catherine: 9/10

Best in Show: Parker Posey for sure, with Jennifer Coolidge following closely behind

What were your thoughts on Best in Show? How do you like the project so far? Make your voices heard in the comments!

TV Meme Day 19: Best Television Cast

A few blurbs on great casts, since again, one is not nearly enough. I hope you like my midnight meme posts. This meme never ends, does it!?

Glee - I don't like every member of this cast (namely Matthew Morrison and Cory Monteith, sorry guys) but every week is filled with great work from almost everyone else. Jane Lynch and Jayma Mays are consistently wonderful when they actually get a chance to be on screen, and Lea Michele gets better each week. More thoughts on Glee

Modern Family - There is not a single weak link in this cast. From the youngest to the oldest, each member is hilarious and adds perfectly to the show. It helps that they're given such great material to work with, of course. Standouts are of course Eric Stonestreet, Sofia Vergara, and Rico Rodriguez. More on Modern Family

Party Down - Again, not a weak link. Even when they lost Jane Lynch, Megan Mullaly came to be brilliant and hilarious. Every actor milks their roles and besides being wonderfully funny, they're all so sincere and human too. Mas de Party Down

United States of Tara- Oh, Toni Collette is brilliance as usual, but her supporting cast is not to be outdone. I particularly like Brie Larson, Kier Gilchrist, and Rosemarie Dewitt...oh, and Don Corbett is always great. See, that's the whole cast right there...I love them all so much, in a sick way I wish they were my family. Haha! Read about my love for US Of Tara

Spongebob Squarepants - Seriously, everyone! Really, this show simply has some of the best ensemble voice acting ever. Every voice is so memorable, whether you like the show or not, and they interact with themselves so well and realistically. Oh how I love this show. More on that Sponge that lives under the sea

The Office - Grrrr I love this cast so much, I wish they'd all do more beyond this. Jenna Fischer in particular is just lovely and every character is so perfect. There's no way this could have been cast any better.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - If you haven't seen this show, you should check it out. It's hysterical. Not for everyone, but still amazing. The cast is just so remarkably out of control you wonder how they can take themselves seriously and not break out laughing while they're working. So, so funny and amazing. It's like if a cartoon took crack and became a live action sitcom.

So there you have it. :) Enjoy! Sorry for the lack of non-meme posts, it's kind of draining my brain. Haha.

TV Meme Day 3: Favorite New Show

This most recent season of television has been a particularly enjoyable one for me - I've started watching more TV than ever (is that a good thing? lol) and found some wonderful shows. Two of the shows that I've loved this season, Glee and Modern Family, have already been written about by Andrew and Luke, so I'm going to write about an equally enjoyable and altogether fantastic show - Party Down.

I discovered Party Down when I watched the video of AFI's Top 10 Television Programs of the year. I saw a clip of Jane Lynch, and I knew I had to start watching. PD follows the Party Down catering company, which consists of a cast of interesting characters -the team leader, Ron (Ken Marino); a former actor, Henry (a hilariously deadpan Adam Scott); the quirky wannabe comedian Casey (Lizzy Caplan); the rather unintelligent actor Kyle (Ryan Hansen); and a sci-fi screenwriter, Roman (Martin Starr, you know, from Adventureland!).

In each episode, the crew is working at some kind of party that acts as a catalyst for the crazy characters to do all sorts of hilarious things. For example, in the recent "James Ellison Funeral" episode, Henry and Casey must keep the funeral family unaware of the identity of a mistress of the deceased and her son, who appear uninvited to the funeral - all the while, Kyle hopelessly tries to learn the blues. It may sound like too much to handle, but the show weaves it all together perfectly.

While the show is often laugh out loud hysterical, it also never shies away from being melancholy at times as well. All of the characters live really screwed up, hopeless lives and while they could have become stupid caricatures, the show treats them like the humans they are - imperfect, but who isn't? The cast, especially my faves Lizzy and Adam, all do miracles in their performances.

I haven't even gotten to mention the actresses that bring in probably the most laughs - Jane Lynch, who sadly had to leave due to her commitment to Glee, was always perfect as Constance Carmel. Megan Mullaly, who was hired to replace her, is hilarious as the single mom Lydia, and I've loved her character so much. Always so funny.

Sadly, it doesn't look like Party Down will be able to carry on much longer - Adam Scott, who drives the show, is no longer going to be a recurring character next season, and Ryan Hansen is going to be in a new show on NBC that could effect this one. However, though the fate of Party Down is unsure, it is certain that the episodes that it's given us so far are always going to be a perfect piece of TV, whether the team is catering a birthday party or an orgy. I just love this show!

What be-eth your favorite new show this season? Do you watch Party Down? Comment belowww!

I've got a hot date tonight...

...with Sue Sylvester!

Yes, that's right, Glee is back tonight. I hate it (the STORY?! The annoying, autotuned music) but I also love it (Jane Lynch, Jane Lynch, and um...Jane Lynch). I know this is a movie blog, but I couldn't resist mentioning this. Heehee!

How do you feel about Glee? Hysterical guilty pleasure, or too annoying to bear? Rant and rave in the comments!

Dear Emmy...

...please nominate these people. When the time comes. Which isn't for a while, but still. :)