Clark Duke and Liam Hemsworth climb the sticky drug-trafficking ladder in this meandering drama, graced with superb menswear
Clark Duke was best known as a peripheral member of that Superbad crew of gauchely charming leading men, along with the likes of Michael Cera and Jonah Hill. As might be expected, he does a better job of utilising his own talents in his directorial debut, a meandering crime yarn, set in and named after Duke’s home state.
Adapted from a 2008 novel by John Brandon, Arkansas is about two unambitious but conscientious crooks, Swin (Duke) and Kyle (Liam Hemsworth), who sometimes idly wonder about the meaning of it all, but mostly get on with the business of trafficking drugs across state lines. When surprise events force them to pursue a face-to-face meet with their organisation’s mysterious kingpin, Frog, they set about climbing the corporate ladder with old-fashioned American chutzpah.
Continue reading.
Clark Duke was best known as a peripheral member of that Superbad crew of gauchely charming leading men, along with the likes of Michael Cera and Jonah Hill. As might be expected, he does a better job of utilising his own talents in his directorial debut, a meandering crime yarn, set in and named after Duke’s home state.
Adapted from a 2008 novel by John Brandon, Arkansas is about two unambitious but conscientious crooks, Swin (Duke) and Kyle (Liam Hemsworth), who sometimes idly wonder about the meaning of it all, but mostly get on with the business of trafficking drugs across state lines. When surprise events force them to pursue a face-to-face meet with their organisation’s mysterious kingpin, Frog, they set about climbing the corporate ladder with old-fashioned American chutzpah.
Continue reading.
- 7/10/2020
- by Ellen E Jones
- The Guardian - Film News
You might recognize him from The Office, Kickass, and Hot Tub Time Machine his name is Clark Duke, and he just made his directorial debut with the film Arkansas. Not only did Clark direct the film, but he also wrote, starred in, and help produce the film. A triple threat with a delivery that makes for an overall entertaining film. Duke stars as (Swin) who alongside Liam Hemsworth (Kyle) are drug runners for a drug kingpin named Frog who is played very brilliantly by Vince Vaughn. When mistakes are made, and things go awry Swin and Kyle find themselves in a deadly situation. The cast is full of noteworthy actors including John Malkovich, Vivica A. Fox, and Michael Kenneth Williams. Arkansas is based on a book by John Brandon that was published in 2009. Duke co-wrote the script with Andrew Boonkrong. The film has a run time of an hour and fifty-seven minutes.
- 6/9/2020
- by Stephen Nepa
- Age of the Nerd
From Kick-Ass and Hot Tub Time Machine to The Office and The Croods, Clark Duke knows he’s had a fortunate career as an actor, but the Arkansas filmmaker couldn’t help but grow weary of acting upon the realization that he’d been typecast as the comedic friend/sidekick. Instead of taking a step back, Duke decided to make his own luck by adapting John Brandon’s Arkansas, a novel he’d optioned a decade ago. Since the industry wasn’t going to immediately show him in a different light, Duke took the initiative by writing the role of a gregarious drug mule named ...
From Kick-Ass and Hot Tub Time Machine to The Office and The Croods, Clark Duke knows he’s had a fortunate career as an actor, but the Arkansas filmmaker couldn’t help but grow weary of acting upon the realization that he’d been typecast as the comedic friend/sidekick. Instead of taking a step back, Duke decided to make his own luck by adapting John Brandon’s Arkansas, a novel he’d optioned a decade ago. Since the industry wasn’t going to immediately show him in a different light, Duke took the initiative by writing the role of a gregarious drug mule named ...
Actor and “Bear State” native Clark Duke (The Office, Kick-Ass, Hot Tub Time Machine) shows he has good taste by opening his directorial debut with a quote from Charles Portis, an author of such cult-inspiring comic invention that he’s been compared to Mark Twain, Cormac McCarthy, and Tom Wolfe. Most of the fuss about Portis stems from his 1968 novel True Grit, which Hollywood adapted twice, once with an Oscar-winning John Wayne and then a Coen brothers version with Jeff Bridges. But if you want the cream of this Dixie yarn-spinner’s crop,...
- 5/5/2020
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
Newly arrived on home video -- Apple, Amazon, and On Demand platforms, plus Blu-ray and DVD -- the dark comic crime flick Arakansas features a plethora of familiar faces, affecting accents and pretending to be tough guys. Taken straight, I think I would pass, but since it's billed as a 'dark comedy,' it sounds much more palatable. Actor Clark Duke, known for broad comedies like Hot Tub Time Machine, makes his feature directorial debut and also plays a leading role, alongside Liam Hemsworth, Michael Kenneth Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Eden Brolin, and Chandler Duke with John Malkovich and Vince Vaughn. Those names alone draw my interest. Add to that the source material, the debut novel by John Brandon, which likely gives the film a broader...
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[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 5/5/2020
- Screen Anarchy
Some films can survive the coronavirus better than others. Some — the quieter ones, the documentaries, the character studies — don’t need a big screen or a raucous film-festival audience or a packed house to make their pleasures known. Some can do quite well in front of a living-room audience of one or two.
“Arkansas” is not one of those films.
Of all the films that have been forced to go straight to streaming and VOD because of theater closings and film-festival cancellations due to Covid-19, Clark Duke’s offbeat black comedy might be the one that most misses its original release format. The film was to have premiered in the Austin Convention Center at the South by Southwest Film Festival — and if ever a film was made for a big, rowdy festival crowd with an appreciation for off-the-wall humor, it is this one.
Also Read: SXSW Sued Over Festival's Refusal to Issue Refunds
Now,...
“Arkansas” is not one of those films.
Of all the films that have been forced to go straight to streaming and VOD because of theater closings and film-festival cancellations due to Covid-19, Clark Duke’s offbeat black comedy might be the one that most misses its original release format. The film was to have premiered in the Austin Convention Center at the South by Southwest Film Festival — and if ever a film was made for a big, rowdy festival crowd with an appreciation for off-the-wall humor, it is this one.
Also Read: SXSW Sued Over Festival's Refusal to Issue Refunds
Now,...
- 5/4/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
As Kyle (Liam Hemsworth) shares during an early voiceover, organized crime in the backwoods of southern America isn’t very organized. This is good since few of the people in the wholesale drug dealing business of which he’s operated for just a little while are smart. He probably wouldn’t call himself very smart either since he’s content to follow his orders to the letter rather than harbor ambitions about becoming the boss. He’s perceptive in ways that ensure he maintains an upper hand in all situations, but never greedy enough to tip things so far off-balance that he has nowhere to go but down. Kyle sees the angles, parses secrets, and plans ahead in the hopes of staying alive long enough for none of it to matter.
So it’s no surprise he’d end up getting paired with his antithesis in Swin (Clark Duke). Kyle...
So it’s no surprise he’d end up getting paired with his antithesis in Swin (Clark Duke). Kyle...
- 5/4/2020
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
The month of May officially kicks off today, and that means we have a new batch of films headed to the small screen over the next few weeks to keep you entertained. Everything kicks off today with The Wretched from the Pierce Brothers, which is a super fun witch-tastic time, and then next week, digital releases amp up with a handful of releases hitting on Cinco de Mayo: Arkansas, Cry Havoc, Exorcism at 60,000 Feet, and the new Creepshow series as well.
A few days later, Z from writer/director Brandon Christensen arrives exclusively on Shudder on May 7th, and the 8th looks to be a very busy day with the digital releases of A Good Woman is Hard to Find, Vampire Burt’s Serenade, and the next installment of Blumhouse’s Into the Dark series, Delivered. On May 12th, you can finally own Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man...
A few days later, Z from writer/director Brandon Christensen arrives exclusively on Shudder on May 7th, and the 8th looks to be a very busy day with the digital releases of A Good Woman is Hard to Find, Vampire Burt’s Serenade, and the next installment of Blumhouse’s Into the Dark series, Delivered. On May 12th, you can finally own Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man...
- 5/1/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
The Oscilloscope Laboratories docu-thriller The Infiltrators is hitting virtual cinemas today before making its way to on-demand and digital June 2. The virtual release is becoming a staple for many film titles as it allows audiences to purchase film tickets through a theater’s website and, in turn, helps continue support of theaters that have been closed due to Covid-19.
Directed by Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, the film made its world premiere last year at the Sundance Film Festival where it the won the Next Section Audience Award. The hybrid pic blends feature filmmaking, re-enactments of real-life events and documentary footage to tell the true story of young undocumented immigrants who are intentionally detained by Border Patrol and thrown into a for-profit detention center.
More from DeadlineWestern Thriller 'True History Of Kelly Gang' And '60s Coming-Of-Age Drama 'To The Stars' Make Debuts - Specialty Streaming PreviewComing-Of-Age Foodie Comedy 'Abe' Fires Up,...
Directed by Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, the film made its world premiere last year at the Sundance Film Festival where it the won the Next Section Audience Award. The hybrid pic blends feature filmmaking, re-enactments of real-life events and documentary footage to tell the true story of young undocumented immigrants who are intentionally detained by Border Patrol and thrown into a for-profit detention center.
More from DeadlineWestern Thriller 'True History Of Kelly Gang' And '60s Coming-Of-Age Drama 'To The Stars' Make Debuts - Specialty Streaming PreviewComing-Of-Age Foodie Comedy 'Abe' Fires Up,...
- 5/1/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
In Clark Duke’s directorial debut Arkansas, Kyle (Liam Hemsworth) and Swin (Clark Duke) live by the orders of an Arkansas-based drug kingpin named Frog (Vince Vaughn), whom they’ve never met. Posing as junior park rangers by day, they operate as low-level drug couriers by night under the watchful eye of Frog’s proxies (John Malkovich and Vivica A. Fox). Swin then settles into his day job by taking up a relationship with Johnna (Eden Brolin) against orders to blend in while Kyle continues to question his night job by trying to figure out who Frog really is. Their world is then upended after one too many inept decisions, and Kyle, Swin, and Johnna find themselves directly in Frog’s crosshairs, who mistakenly sees them as a threat to his empire. Based on John Brandon’s best-selling book of the same name, Arkansas weaves together three decades of Deep...
- 4/9/2020
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Liam Hemsworth and Clark Duke retaliate against their drug dealer boss in the trailer for Lionsgate's Arkansas.
The thriller follows Kyle (Hemsworth) and Swin (Duke), who work for an Arkansas-based drug kingpin named Frog (Vince Vaughn). By day they pose as park rangers, while by night they work as low-level drug couriers. Their world is then upended following many inept decisions, which leave Kyle, Swin and Johnna (Eden Brolin) directly in Frog’s crosshairs.
Michael Kenneth Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Chandler Duke and John Malkovich also star in Clark Duke's directorial debut. The film is based on John Brandon'...
The thriller follows Kyle (Hemsworth) and Swin (Duke), who work for an Arkansas-based drug kingpin named Frog (Vince Vaughn). By day they pose as park rangers, while by night they work as low-level drug couriers. Their world is then upended following many inept decisions, which leave Kyle, Swin and Johnna (Eden Brolin) directly in Frog’s crosshairs.
Michael Kenneth Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Chandler Duke and John Malkovich also star in Clark Duke's directorial debut. The film is based on John Brandon'...
- 3/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Liam Hemsworth and Clark Duke retaliate against their drug dealer boss in the trailer for Lionsgate's Arkansas.
The thriller follows Kyle (Hemsworth) and Swin (Duke), who work for an Arkansas-based drug kingpin named Frog (Vince Vaughn). By day they pose as park rangers, while by night they work as low-level drug couriers. Their world is then upended following many inept decisions, which leave Kyle, Swin and Johnna (Eden Brolin) directly in Frog’s crosshairs.
Michael Kenneth Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Chandler Duke and John Malkovich also star in Clark Duke's directorial debut. The film is based on John Brandon'...
The thriller follows Kyle (Hemsworth) and Swin (Duke), who work for an Arkansas-based drug kingpin named Frog (Vince Vaughn). By day they pose as park rangers, while by night they work as low-level drug couriers. Their world is then upended following many inept decisions, which leave Kyle, Swin and Johnna (Eden Brolin) directly in Frog’s crosshairs.
Michael Kenneth Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Chandler Duke and John Malkovich also star in Clark Duke's directorial debut. The film is based on John Brandon'...
- 3/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Coming to Apple, Amazon, & On Demand platforms on May 1st is Lionsgate’s Arkansas.
In Clark Duke’s directorial debut, Kyle (Liam Hemsworth) and Swin (Clark Duke) live by the orders of an Arkansas-based drug kingpin named Frog (Vince Vaughn), whom they’ve never met. Posing as junior park rangers by day, they operate as low-level drug couriers by night under the watchful eye of Frog’s proxies (John Malkovich and Vivica A. Fox). Swin then settles into his day job by taking up a relationship with Johnna (Eden Brolin) against orders to blend in while Kyle continues to question his night job by trying to figure out who Frog really is.
Their world is then upended after one too many inept decisions, and Kyle, Swin, and Johnna find themselves directly in Frog’s crosshairs, who mistakenly sees them as a threat to his empire. Based on John Brandon’s...
In Clark Duke’s directorial debut, Kyle (Liam Hemsworth) and Swin (Clark Duke) live by the orders of an Arkansas-based drug kingpin named Frog (Vince Vaughn), whom they’ve never met. Posing as junior park rangers by day, they operate as low-level drug couriers by night under the watchful eye of Frog’s proxies (John Malkovich and Vivica A. Fox). Swin then settles into his day job by taking up a relationship with Johnna (Eden Brolin) against orders to blend in while Kyle continues to question his night job by trying to figure out who Frog really is.
Their world is then upended after one too many inept decisions, and Kyle, Swin, and Johnna find themselves directly in Frog’s crosshairs, who mistakenly sees them as a threat to his empire. Based on John Brandon’s...
- 3/16/2020
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Arkansas, based on a novel by John Brandon, centers on Kyle (Liam Hemsworth) and Swin (Clark Duke), two underlings who work for a drug kingpin named Frog (Vince Vaughn). Posing as park rangers by day, the pair make their money as drug couriers under the supervision of Frog’s associates.
Kyle and [...]
The post Liam Hemsworth And Clark Duke Head To ‘Arkansas’ In Suspense Filled Thriller appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
Kyle and [...]
The post Liam Hemsworth And Clark Duke Head To ‘Arkansas’ In Suspense Filled Thriller appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
- 3/16/2020
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Lionsgate has launched a new trailer for the Liam Hemsworth led comedy-thriller ‘Arkansas’
In Clark Duke’s directorial debut, Kyle (Liam Hemsworth) and Swin (Clark Duke) live by the orders of an Arkansas-based drug kingpin named Frog (Vince Vaughn), whom they’ve never met. Posing as junior park rangers by day, they operate as low-level drug couriers by night under the watchful eye of Frog’s proxies (John Malkovich and Vivica A. Fox). However, after one too many inept decisions, Kyle and Swin find themselves directly in Frog’s crosshairs, who mistakenly sees them as a threat to his empire. Based on John Brandon’s best-selling book of the same name, Arkansas weaves together three decades of Deep South drug trafficking to explore the cycle of violence that turns young men into criminals, and old men into legends.
Directed by Duke who co-wrote the story alongside Andrew Boonkrong the film also stars Duke,...
In Clark Duke’s directorial debut, Kyle (Liam Hemsworth) and Swin (Clark Duke) live by the orders of an Arkansas-based drug kingpin named Frog (Vince Vaughn), whom they’ve never met. Posing as junior park rangers by day, they operate as low-level drug couriers by night under the watchful eye of Frog’s proxies (John Malkovich and Vivica A. Fox). However, after one too many inept decisions, Kyle and Swin find themselves directly in Frog’s crosshairs, who mistakenly sees them as a threat to his empire. Based on John Brandon’s best-selling book of the same name, Arkansas weaves together three decades of Deep South drug trafficking to explore the cycle of violence that turns young men into criminals, and old men into legends.
Directed by Duke who co-wrote the story alongside Andrew Boonkrong the film also stars Duke,...
- 3/16/2020
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Lionsgate has released the first trailer for Arkansas, a crime thriller which stars Liam Hemsworth and Clark Duke as a couple of low-level drug couriers who find themselves in the cross-hairs of Frog, a drug kingpin played by Vince Vaughn. Based upon the novel by John Brandon, Arkansas also serves as the directorial debut of Clark Duke, you know, the guy from Kick-ass, Hot Tub Time Machine,…...
- 3/12/2020
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Liam Hemsworth and Vince Vaughn are going head to head in their latest film.
In a People exclusive look at the trailer for Arkansas, Hemsworth plays Kyle, a drug smuggler working for Vaughn’s drug kingpin, Frog.
But when Kyle aims at streamlining Frog’s business, things go horribly wrong and he finds himself as Frog’s target.
“What a lot of people don’t know about organized crime in the south is that it’s not that organized,” Hemsworth’s Kyle says in a voiceover. “I’m near the bottom rung of an outfit run by a man I’ve never met before,...
In a People exclusive look at the trailer for Arkansas, Hemsworth plays Kyle, a drug smuggler working for Vaughn’s drug kingpin, Frog.
But when Kyle aims at streamlining Frog’s business, things go horribly wrong and he finds himself as Frog’s target.
“What a lot of people don’t know about organized crime in the south is that it’s not that organized,” Hemsworth’s Kyle says in a voiceover. “I’m near the bottom rung of an outfit run by a man I’ve never met before,...
- 3/11/2020
- by Alexia Fernandez
- PEOPLE.com
With the pressing demands of show business, hectic schedules often drive the lives of Hollywood’s big names. Pet owners in the industry manage to support their animal companions with the help of acclaimed veterinarians and local animal hospitals that offer medical care with flexibility. Whether in-flight or in crisis, Hollywood’s most trustworthy vets extend services of surgical, dental and emergency treatment to accommodate clients at necessary convenience. Photos: Doggie Treats: 7 Ways to Pamper Your Pooch Old-School Vet Beverly Hills’ most in-demand veterinarian, Dr. John Brandon Winters of the Beverly Hills Small Animal Hospital, has attracted faithful
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- 8/2/2013
- by Meena Jang
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As a way of celebrating this year's nominees for the Spirit Awards in the weeks leading up to the ceremony, we reached out to as many as we could in an effort to better understand what went into their films, what they've gotten out of the experience, and where they've found their inspiration, both in regards to their work and other works of art that might've inspired them from the past year. Their answers will be published on a daily basis throughout February.
Underdog tales don't come any more tailor-made for a happy ending than Matthew Bonifacio's first feature that's nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at this year's Spirit Awards. In the case of "Lbs.," this is as true behind the scenes as it is in the story about Neil, an overweight man (Carmine Famiglietti) who aims to curb his addiction to meatball hoagies and fried chicken by...
Underdog tales don't come any more tailor-made for a happy ending than Matthew Bonifacio's first feature that's nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at this year's Spirit Awards. In the case of "Lbs.," this is as true behind the scenes as it is in the story about Neil, an overweight man (Carmine Famiglietti) who aims to curb his addiction to meatball hoagies and fried chicken by...
- 2/20/2011
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
If you ever intend to read my review of "Tru Loved," please read it now. This is so essential that I'm taking a risk by posting this blog entry on the same day the review goes up. The review brings into focus a belief that is at the core of my critical approach. I have cited it many times. Please forgive me for repeating it. As the critic Robert Warshow wrote, "A man goes to the movies. The critic must be honest enough to admit that he is that man." In other words, whatever you saw, whatever you felt, whatever you did, you must say so. For example, two things that cannot be convincingly faked are laughter and orgasms. If a movie made you laugh, as a critic you have to be honest and report that. Maybe not so much with orgasms.
[Click clock to read dial.]
If you reached the end of my "Tru Loved" review,...
[Click clock to read dial.]
If you reached the end of my "Tru Loved" review,...
- 10/28/2008
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
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