For Jason Reitman‘s final live read of the 2012-2013 season, he chose a revered, Oscar-winning screenplay: Christopher McQuarrie‘s The Usual Suspects. When that title was announced I was initially skeptical. I thought, “The Usual Suspects is so well known for its surprise ending, and that ending is so incredibly visual, how would it come across in a live read setting?” The answer was revealed in two ways. First this read suggests that Bryan Singer‘s direction in the original film is powerful and underrated. Also, as great as the ending to McQuarrie’s script is, some of his true poetry isn’t even on the screen.
Presented by Film Independent at LACMA, read more about the star-studded cast (which included Dexter‘s Michael C. Hall, The League‘s Mark Duplass and original cast member Kevin Pollak) below. Read More »
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Casting, spoilers and some first looks abound in this edition of TV Bits. After the jump check out the following:
- Is Jimmy Fallon the lead contender to replace Jay Leno on The Tonight Show?
- Some potential spoilers for Homeland season 3 have been teased.
- Star of The OC Adam Brody joins the cast of House of Lies.
- History is developing a Hatfields and McCoys reality show.
- When do your favorite Fox shows like Glee, The Mindy Project and New Girl return?
- NBC orders new episodes of Whitney.
- The classic tale of Zorro is getting a modern reimagining on USA called Z.
- The stars of Dexter tease some possibly season 8 scenarios.
- A first look at the second season stars of Smash.
- Bernard from Lost, Sam Anderson, joins the next season of Justified.
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Posted on Wednesday, July 25th, 2012 by Angie Han
Dating can be a tricky proposition under even the best of circumstances, but in The Oranges, Hugh Laurie‘s divorced dad David Walling finds himself in a particularly sticky situation when he falls for the much younger daughter (Leighton Meester) of his best friend (Oliver Platt). Toss in a jealous ex-wife (Catherine Keener) and a son (Adam Brody) who’s also crushing on the same girl, and “clusterfuck” doesn’t even begin to describe it.
There are a number of different directions that premise could go, from wacky sitcom to soapy melodrama to psychological thriller. Fortunately for David Walling, The Oranges doesn’t seem to be the kind of movie that ends with him getting buried in a shallow grave by his former BFF. Instead, it looks like a modest but well-acted character piece that mines the situation for both humor and pathos. Allison Janney and Alia Shawkat round out the excellent cast. Watch the trailer after the jump.
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Posted on Wednesday, March 7th, 2012 by Angie Han
Adam Brody‘s certainly come a long way from his days playing geeky misfit Seth Cohen on The O.C. Earlier this week, news broke that Kristen Bell had signed on to play one of his ex-girlfriends in Jennifer Getzinger‘s Some Girls, adapted by Neil LaBute from his own play. Now, Brody’s gained four more female companions in the form of Emily Watson, Jennifer Morrison, Zoe Kazan, and Mia Maestro. More details after the jump.
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Posted on Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 by Angie Han
All too often, “romantic comedies” wind up being neither romantic nor comedic. But if the recent casting is any indication, I Give It a Year seems to have the latter part down, at least. Rose Byrne and Anna Faris have joined Rafe Spall and Simon Baker in the film, written and directed by Borat scribe Dan Mazer. Byrne and Spall are set to play newlyweds trying to navigate their rocky first year of marriage, while Faris and Baker have been cast as “strong supporting characters.”
Though Byrne’s racked up lots of experience as a dramatic actress, she’s recently demonstrated a real knack for comedy in Get Him to the Greek and Bridesmaids. Her next big-screen appearance, in Derek Cianfrance’s The Place Beyond the Pines, will see her back on the more serious end of the spectrum.
Faris’ last several films (What’s Your Number?, Take Me Home Tonight, Yogi Bear, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakel) haven’t all been winners, but I’m still rooting for her to turn things around. She’ll next star in The Dictator (which Mazer exec produced) and Movie 43. [Variety]
After the jump, Seth Cohen dumps Veronica Mars. The nerve!
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Posted on Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 by Angie Han
Throughout the ’90s, Whit Stillman could be counted on for his wry depictions of the American upper class, inspiring the likes of Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach. But he took a break from filmmaking after 1998′s The Last Days of Disco, and it’s only now that he’s returning to the silver screen with Damsels in Distress.
Greta Gerwig stars as the leader of a clique of college girls trying to change “the atmosphere of male barbarism” at their preppy East Coast school. Analeigh Tipton (Crazy, Stupid, Love.) and Adam Brody also star, but I’m just as excited for the supporting performances from comedic actors like Alia Shawkat, Aubrey Plaza, and Zach Woods. Watch the trailer after the jump.
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Posted on Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 by Angie Han
2012 is already shaping up to be the biggest year yet of Adam Brody‘s post-OC career, as the actor books two more high-profile roles. One is Some Girls, a feature adaptation of Neil LaBute‘s recent play about an almost-married man who travels across the country to visit his ex-girlfriends. [Update: The Hollywood Reporter writes that Mad Men helmer Jennifer Getzinger will direct the drama.]
But Brody’s next project will likely be Rob Meltzer‘s Welcome to the Jungle, as that project will shoot next month in Puerto Rico. The story centers around a design firm that goes on retreat to a tropical island, only to become stranded and see Lord of the Flies-style chaos break out. Brody will play the protagonist, who must save his colleagues from a power-hungry leader. Brody’s only one of a rather eclectic cast that also includes Rob Huebel, Dennis Haysbert, Kristen Schaal, and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Brody is currently filming Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s Lovelace, in which he plays porn star Harry Reems opposite Amanda Seyfried’s Linda Lovelace. This year also sees him starring in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Whit Stillman’s Damsels in Distress, the indie dramedy Revenge for Jolly!, and last year’s TIFF entry The Oranges.
After the jump, The Comedian fathers Hit Girl.
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Posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 by Angie Han
Matthew Wilder’s Inferno was the Linda Lovelace biopic we heard about first, but it seems like Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman‘s Lovelace is the one that’s moving full speed right now. Amanda Seyfried and Peter Sarsgaard were cast as the titular porn star and her husband Chuck Traynor in early November, with Sharon Stone signing on to play Lovelace’s mother just a couple of weeks later. Then last month, Wes Bentley, Juno Temple, Hank Azaria, Bobby Cannavale, Chris Noth, Robert Patrick, and James Franco all boarded the picture as well.
Now Demi Moore, Adam Brody, and Eric Roberts have become the latest to join the drama, which is based on Eric Danville‘s book The Complete Linda Lovelace. More details after the jump.
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