Fans of Rihanna and Jim Parsons lined the parking lot of the Cinemark West Theater in Plano Tuesday night, to catch a glimpse of the stars as they walked the red carpet for a “hometown” premiere of Home, the new animated film from DreamWorks that hits theaters on March 27.
Why Plano? Three words: Minnie’s Food Pantry. Founder Cheryl “Action” Jackson won the screening in a “Bring Home to Your Hometown” contest on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Jackson’s story — she founded the Plano-based nonprofit in 2008 using food from her own kitchen — caught the judges’ attention, and she was eventually crowned the winner on GMA on March 13. Jackson walked the red carpet with her family and, of course, her mother Minnie, the food pantry’s namesake.
Although Parsons and Rihanna whisked past most on the red carpet, they did serve at the food pantry, for which we give them a few bonus points. DreamWorks donated an amount said to feed 25,000 people.
While everyone was straining to see those other celebs, we chatted with Home director Tim Johnson, who just beamed about his latest project. When we asked him how actors are chosen for these kinds of roles, Johnson said, “The music of their [Jim Parsons’ and Rihanna’s] voices” is perfect for animation.
He also said that because Plano is such a great family town, he couldn’t dream up a more perfect place for this premiere.
Smart man, that Johnson.
Other local celebrities spotted in the crowd included Tony Romo, Pat Smith and Michael Finley. Smith was the envy of every onlooker as she hugged, chatted and snapped for pics with RiRi.
"It's great to get out of Los Angeles," said Home director Tim Johnson.
Photo via YouTube
"It's great to get out of Los Angeles," said Home director Tim Johnson.
For every well-known/successful actor in Hollywood, there are thousands of others whose lives are more tenuous as they struggle to find work. The new film Misty Green is about one such actor who, after a period in the limelight, now finds herself on the outskirts of the industry, just hoping to find her way back in.
Misty (Rosalind Eleazar) won an Emmy for a 2000s-era TV show that still gets her recognition, but not much work. Still living in the apartment of a recently-deceased man with whom she was having an affair, Misty spends her days sleeping in and her nights getting blitzed on alcohol and drugs. She seems to be heading nowhere fast until a few things coincide to break up her routine.
The man’s wife (Amy Landecker) shows up and tells her she has seven days to vacate the apartment; Misty’s brother, Jay (Daniel Kaluuya) — who is bipolar — arrives after being kicked out of his facility for non-payment; and Jordan (Chris Rock), a former colleague with whom she had a falling-out, reappears in her life, offering a possible chance to rehabilitate her image.
Written and directed by Rock (his first feature since 2014’s Top Five), the film is a funny and excruciating look at how the entertainment industry might actually work. Misty is her own worst enemy thanks to late nights fraternizing with unsavory characters like Zach (Adam Driver), who deals in drugs and women in equal measure, but her frustration proves warranted when her agent, Randy (Topher Grace), and casting directors like Rhonda (Tracie Thoms) hardly give her the time of day.
Misty tries her best to stay positive, but when jobs like singing in a bar are the best she can do, the mountain seems insurmountable. Rock does an effective job of demonstrating the elements that are within and without Misty’s control that affect her ability to regain her position in the industry. The chip on her shoulder is almost as big as the bias some have against her, and other negative circumstances don’t help matters much.
There are many small touches that Rock and his crew put in the film to give it an air of authenticity. Filming in Los Angeles (a rarity these days), Rock uses both subtle and overt shots of homeless people in the city, suggesting that the line between the haves and have-nots is a fine one, especially with Misty on the verge of not having a place to live. He also has cameos from a few of his funny friends, including a bit of meta-casting of Anthony Anderson (who has faded a bit after starring in Black-ish) in a bit part as a cop.
Eleazar, a British actor best known for appearing on the Apple TV show Slow Horses, is a magnetic presence as Misty. The character herself is somewhat cringey in her decision-making, and Eleazar sells every bit of her righteous indignation and self-defeating actions. The supporting cast is great across the board, including Rock, Driver, Kaluuya, Thoms, Grace, Anna Kendrick, and Rich Sommer.
Misty Green makes you rage against the Hollywood machine, laugh at the various ways different people deal with its maddening quirks, and hide behind your fingers as Misty chooses options that don’t help, either voluntarily or because her back is against the wall. It’s a powerhouse of acting that gives a unique angle on the inner workings of Hollywood, one that ironically might be competing for awards at year’s end.
