A holiday tradition
A 3-D reissue of the 2001 Pixar animated classic “Monsters, Inc.” opens Wednesday, Dec. 19. The two lead monsters are voiced by Billy Crystal, 64, and John Goodman. The film was co-directed by David Silverman, 55, and Lee Unkrich, 42. Unkrich, who lives in Marin with his wife and children, has compiled quite a track record since “Monsters.” He co-directed “Finding Nemo” and was the director, co-writer and producer of “Toy Story 3,” which earned him the 2011 Oscar for best animated feature.
“The Guilt Trip,” a comedy about Joyce Brewster, a Jewish mother (Barbra Streisand, 70) and Andy Brewster, her inventor son (Seth Rogen, 30), also opens Dec. 19. The Brewsters take a 3,000-mile road trip across the country from New Jersey to San Francisco. Along the way, Andy tries to sell his invention.
A recent interview with Rogen and Streisand by Time magazine’s Joel Stein was streamed to thousands of journalists seeing a preview of the film in theaters. Rogen revealed that the whole “road trip” took place in a studio not far from Streisand’s Malibu home. (She made it clear that she wouldn’t star in any film made more than 45 minutes away from her home). Rogen added that he and Streisand never sang together during breaks in filming. But he said she regaled him with “war” stories, like smoking pot with the late Peter Sellers and turning down a proposition from Marlon Brando.
The film’s director, Anne Fletcher, recently helmed the commercially successful romantic comedies “27 Dresses” and “The Proposition.” However, Dan Fogelman, 40, who wrote “The Guilt Trip,” is a much better writer than the writers of those films.
Opening on Dec. 25 are “Les Misérables” and “Parental Guidance.” The former is a film adaptation of the enormous musical stage hit based on the Victor Hugo novel. The original French musical was written by two French Jews (Claude-Michel Schönberg, 67, music, and Alain Boublil, 72, lyrics) and the English lyric is by Herbert Kretzmer, 87, a South Africa–born Jew.
The film stars Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman. Sacha Baron Cohen, 41, has a supporting role (Monsieur Thénardier, a thief).
Here’s hoping that “Parental Guidance” is above sitcom quality. From the official plot blurb: Grandfather Artie (Billy Crystal), who is accustomed to calling the shots, meets his match when he and his eager-to-please wife Diane (Bette Midler, 67) agree to babysit their three grandkids when their type A parents go to work. But when 21st century problems collide with Artie and Diane’s old-school methods, they learn that bending — not holding your ground — binds a family together.
TV highlights
Pop singer Adam Lambert, 30, will host a live tribute concert on the cable series “VH1 Divas” at 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16. The show will honor the late singers Whitney Houston and Donna Summers. Performers include Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato.
The Kennedy Center Honors, for lifetime excellence in the arts, were awarded on Dec. 2. CBS will broadcast a film of the awards ceremony at 9 p.m. Dec. 26. Winners this year are the members of the rock group Led Zeppelin, blues guitarist Buddy Guy, comedian David Letterman, ballerina Natalia Makarova (who has lived in San Francisco since the mid-’70s) and two-time best actor Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman, 75. Asked on the red carpet how he was feeling, Hoffman said: “My wife [attorney Lisa Gottsegen Hoffman, 58] keeps reminding me that when I say, ‘Pretty good — I am a nominee,’ she says ‘No, you are an honoree.’ So it is spectacular.”
Columnist Nate Bloom, an Oaklander, can be reached at [email protected].