Families will embrace ‘Alexander’s day from start to finish
Steve Carell stars in “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”
Jake Gyllenhaal stars a opportunistic crime journalist in "Nightcrawler."
Disney is celebrating Valentine’s Day by releasing a title families seem destined to embrace.
“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” starring Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner, is based on Judith Viorst’s children book about a boy (Ed Oxenbould) during an extremely upsetting and chaotic time period.
Carell (who’s nominated for a best actor Oscar for “Foxcatcher”) and Garner have experienced not-so-good days like in the book; however, they don’t let such moments get them down for too long.
Carell and Garner, who play parents of the title character in “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” (arriving today on DVD and Blu-ray Disc), consider their upbeat attitudes the key to creating their roles.
“We’re both pretty optimistic people,” Garner told Moviefone at the time of the October release of the feel-good picture. “And I think (that attitude) just takes the bad days and jettisons them.”
Carell expressed similar sentiments.
“I think we’re both people (he and Garner) who don’t live in the past,” Carell told Moviefone. “Learn from the mistakes and move on.”
“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” is rated PG, and on the USA Today website, Claudia Puig described the film as “a pleasant, entertaining way to spend just under 90 minutes, particularly when accompanied by children.”
Certainly audiences agreed with her assessment. They turned the film, which costars Megan Mullally and Donald Glover, into a modest hit with, according to Box Office Mojo, a global gross of $100.4 million.
New arrivals
The following soon will be available in stores:
“Addicted,” with Sharon Leal in an R-rated melodrama about a successful businesswoman with a husband and two children and an attraction to a stranger.
“Don’t Look Now,” with Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland in an R-rated supernatural drama (1973) about a couple dealing with a tragedy while in Venice. British director Nicolas Roeg developed it from a story by Daphne du Maurier.
“Far from the Madding Crowd,” with Julie Christie, Peter Finch, Alan Bates and Terence Stamp in an unrated adaptation (1967) of Thomas Hardy’s novel.
“F.I.S.T.” with Sylvester Stallone in director Norman Jewison’s PG-rated union drama (1978) about a worker who joins the Teamsters and then climbs to the top of the organization.
“Force Majeure,” with Johannes Kuhnke in an R-rated import about a Swedish family on a skiing holiday in the French Alps when an avalanche occurs and the unsuspecting vacationers must deal with the aftermath.
“Kill the Messenger,” with Jeremy Renner in an R-rated factual drama about a journalist who believes the CIA is aware of drug dealers and using their profits from the drug trade.
“Lenny,” with Dustin Hoffman in director Bob Fosse’s black-and-white, R-rated biopic (1974) about cutting-edge comic Lenny Bruce and his harassment by government forces.
“Love and Death,” with Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in an PG-rated historical satire.
“Nightcrawler,” with Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo and Bill Paxton in a grimy R-rated melodrama about an opportunistic Los Angeles crime journalist who specializes in obtaining footage from bloody murders and deadly accidents.
“Nurse Jackie: Season 6,” with Edie Falco and Peter Facinelli in the cable series about a street-smart nurse balancing a drug habit, a family and an assortment of hospital patients.
“Olive Kitteridge,” with Frances McDormand (who won a Screen Actors Guild acting award for her performance) and Richard Jenkins in an unrated HBO cable miniseries based on Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the life and loves of a couple in a remote New England town.
“Predestination,” with Ethan Hawke in an R-rated sci-fi tale about an agent who must time-travel to guarantee his continuation in futuristic law enforcement.
“Rosewater,” with Gael Garcia Bernal in a chilling R-rated factual drama about Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari who was detained and tortured in order to get him to admit to crimes against Iran. “The Daily Show’s” Jon Stewart made his directing debut with this challenging work.
“The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming,” with Alan Arkin and Paul Ford in director Norman Jewison’s hit unrated comedy (1966) about a Russian submarine that lands on the New England coast and could spark World War III.
“Stormy Weather,” with Lena Horne, Bill Robinson, Dooley Wilson and Cab Calloway and His Band in an unrated musical (1943) about a rising club singer.
“The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre,” with Jason Robards and George Segal in exploitation director Roger Corman’s unrated B-movie about Al Capone establishing himself as an organized crime leader.
“To Sir, With Love,” with Sidney Poitier and Judy Geeson in an unrated melodrama (1967) about an out-of-work American engineer who takes a job teaching undisciplined students in London’s brutal East End. The title song by Lulu became a hit.