Zoe Lister-Jones was proud to attend Sunday’s Spirit Awards, and the reason is twofold. First, the multihyphenate talent turned up in Santa Monica to support a pair of nominations for Roku’s Slip, the original series she created, starred in and executive produced alongside a team that includes Dakota Johnson. Reason No. 2: She did so by walking into the event hand-in-hand with a new love in her life.
When the subject of her plus-one came up during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 41-year-old Lister-Jones responded with a big reveal: “I’m here, I’m queer, I have some fear but I’m working through it.” Lister-Jones is in a new relationship with a fellow filmmaker, Sammi Cohen, who most recently directed Netflix’s You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, the teen comedy starring Adam Sandler and family including wife Jackie and their daughters Sadie and Sunny.
When the subject of her plus-one came up during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 41-year-old Lister-Jones responded with a big reveal: “I’m here, I’m queer, I have some fear but I’m working through it.” Lister-Jones is in a new relationship with a fellow filmmaker, Sammi Cohen, who most recently directed Netflix’s You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, the teen comedy starring Adam Sandler and family including wife Jackie and their daughters Sadie and Sunny.
- 2/26/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story), Angel Parker (The Recruit), Shiv Pai (Uncut Gems) and Navia Robinson (Gotham Knights) have closed deals to join Ctrl Alt Del, the indie drama that will also star Jason Priestley, Laurel Marsden, Elsie Fisher and Mena Suvari, as previously announced.
The debut feature from Kit Williamson (Eastsiders) follows disaffected teen Ava (Marsden) and her estranged filmmaker father Greyson (Priestley) as they try to reconnect in the aftermath of a tragic incident prompted by his latest movie. Pic explores timely questions about the responsibility of media in our society, and how what we consume profoundly affects us and the people around us.
Robinson will play Makayla, the daughter of Greyson’s agent, who befriends Ava for clout, with Parker as Makayla’s agent mother Jordyn, who is delighted when the publicity from a tragic incident involving her client’s controversial movie makes it a box office smash.
The debut feature from Kit Williamson (Eastsiders) follows disaffected teen Ava (Marsden) and her estranged filmmaker father Greyson (Priestley) as they try to reconnect in the aftermath of a tragic incident prompted by his latest movie. Pic explores timely questions about the responsibility of media in our society, and how what we consume profoundly affects us and the people around us.
Robinson will play Makayla, the daughter of Greyson’s agent, who befriends Ava for clout, with Parker as Makayla’s agent mother Jordyn, who is delighted when the publicity from a tragic incident involving her client’s controversial movie makes it a box office smash.
- 5/22/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Zoe Lister-Jones, star of CBS’ Life in Pieces and Ari Aster’s upcoming Disappointment Blvd, is boarding MGM’s A Good Person directed by Zach Braff.
Pic follows Allison (Florence Pugh) whose life falls apart following her involvement in a fatal accident. In the following years, it is the unlikely relationship she forms with her would-be father-in-law (Morgan Freeman) that helps her inevitably live a life worth living.
Lister-Jones will play Simone in the movie, a hardened veteran of AA, but an earthy, good soul. She’s seen everything and overcome addiction and depression herself. She’s a tough gal, street-smart, tattooed, loving but doesn’t take crap from anyone. She has a partner and a two-year-old baby.
Production is already underway on the film, which is produced by Killer Films, Elevation Films, Braff and Pugh. Molly Shannon also stars.
MGM acquired Braff’s A Good Person for distribution...
Pic follows Allison (Florence Pugh) whose life falls apart following her involvement in a fatal accident. In the following years, it is the unlikely relationship she forms with her would-be father-in-law (Morgan Freeman) that helps her inevitably live a life worth living.
Lister-Jones will play Simone in the movie, a hardened veteran of AA, but an earthy, good soul. She’s seen everything and overcome addiction and depression herself. She’s a tough gal, street-smart, tattooed, loving but doesn’t take crap from anyone. She has a partner and a two-year-old baby.
Production is already underway on the film, which is produced by Killer Films, Elevation Films, Braff and Pugh. Molly Shannon also stars.
MGM acquired Braff’s A Good Person for distribution...
- 10/25/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2021 Sundance Film Festival selection will be released July 20 in theaters and on digital platforms
“How It Ends,” described in a statement as “an apocalyptic comedy” co-written, co-directed and co-produced by Zoe Lister-Jones and her husband and frequent collaborator Daryl Wein, has been acquired by MGM’s American International Pictures label following its Sundance Festival debut, MGM announced Monday.
The film was an official selection at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Aip, which has acquired the worldwide rights, will released the film July 20 in the U.S. in theaters and on digital platforms.
The movie tells the story of Liza (Lister-Jones) who travels across Los Angeles on the eve of the end of the world. While taking steps to reconcile with parents, former lovers and friends, she is accompanied by what a statement describes as “a metaphysical projection of her younger self” (portrayed by Cailee Spaeny of HBO’s “Mare of...
“How It Ends,” described in a statement as “an apocalyptic comedy” co-written, co-directed and co-produced by Zoe Lister-Jones and her husband and frequent collaborator Daryl Wein, has been acquired by MGM’s American International Pictures label following its Sundance Festival debut, MGM announced Monday.
The film was an official selection at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Aip, which has acquired the worldwide rights, will released the film July 20 in the U.S. in theaters and on digital platforms.
The movie tells the story of Liza (Lister-Jones) who travels across Los Angeles on the eve of the end of the world. While taking steps to reconcile with parents, former lovers and friends, she is accompanied by what a statement describes as “a metaphysical projection of her younger self” (portrayed by Cailee Spaeny of HBO’s “Mare of...
- 5/10/2021
- by Diane Haithman
- The Wrap
“How It Ends,” a serene apocalyptic comedy from partners Zoe Lister-Jones and Daryl Wein, has been acquired by MGM’s American International Pictures label.
The film was an official selection at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, written, directed and produced by Lister-Jones and Wein. American International Pictures will release the project in theaters and on digital platforms on July 20 in the U.S. The company also holds worldwide distribution rights.
The project follows Liza (Lister-Jones), traversing across Los Angeles on the eve of the end of the world. As she reconciles relationships with parents, old lovers and friends, she walks in step with a metaphysical projection of her younger self (the dazzling Cailee Spaeny of HBO’s “Mare of Eastown”).
The project features dozens of cameos from top comedy stars and actors including Whitney Cummings, Tawny Newsome, Finn Wolfard, Nick Kroll, Logan Marshall Green, Bobby Lee, Fred Armisen, Glenn Howerton, Bradley Whitford,...
The film was an official selection at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, written, directed and produced by Lister-Jones and Wein. American International Pictures will release the project in theaters and on digital platforms on July 20 in the U.S. The company also holds worldwide distribution rights.
The project follows Liza (Lister-Jones), traversing across Los Angeles on the eve of the end of the world. As she reconciles relationships with parents, old lovers and friends, she walks in step with a metaphysical projection of her younger self (the dazzling Cailee Spaeny of HBO’s “Mare of Eastown”).
The project features dozens of cameos from top comedy stars and actors including Whitney Cummings, Tawny Newsome, Finn Wolfard, Nick Kroll, Logan Marshall Green, Bobby Lee, Fred Armisen, Glenn Howerton, Bradley Whitford,...
- 5/10/2021
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
If the sound of teenage girls chanting “light as a feather, stiff as a board” sends nostalgic chills up your spine, you’ve probably got a thing for witch movies. There’s something irresistible about a cabal of girls experimenting with supernatural powers together, and of the venerated genre of teen witch movies, 1996’s “The Craft” is undoubtedly one of the best.
Genre powerhouse Jason Blum and his Blumhouse have now teamed up with writer-director Zoe Lister-Jones for a continuation of the cult classic, and the studio has just released its first official trailer. Scored to a haunting rendition of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” the trailer hints at a glossier update to the original property, adding a chilling horror element that may disappoint fans of the earlier dark comedy.
Based on the 1996 film that starred Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True as teen witches who use...
Genre powerhouse Jason Blum and his Blumhouse have now teamed up with writer-director Zoe Lister-Jones for a continuation of the cult classic, and the studio has just released its first official trailer. Scored to a haunting rendition of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” the trailer hints at a glossier update to the original property, adding a chilling horror element that may disappoint fans of the earlier dark comedy.
Based on the 1996 film that starred Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True as teen witches who use...
- 9/29/2020
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
The Stand is shaping up to be one of the series of the decade.
Even having already airing in the longer format on television, the cast and knowing the story will get the streaming treatment and can take more risks than was formerly done on broadcast makes this event series quite an attraction.
Plus, some faces we adore are joining the already-announced cast.
CBS’ digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, today announced that Eion Bailey, Katherine McNamara and Hamish Linklater have joined the cast of its original limited event series The Stand.
It is, of course, based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel of the same name.
They join previously announced cast members James Marsden, Amber Heard, Odessa Young, Jovan Adepo, Owen Teague, Henry Zaga, Brad William Henke, Alexander Skarsgård and Whoopi Goldberg.
Eion Bailey will play Teddy Weizak, a superflu survivor and member of the body crew,...
Even having already airing in the longer format on television, the cast and knowing the story will get the streaming treatment and can take more risks than was formerly done on broadcast makes this event series quite an attraction.
Plus, some faces we adore are joining the already-announced cast.
CBS’ digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, today announced that Eion Bailey, Katherine McNamara and Hamish Linklater have joined the cast of its original limited event series The Stand.
It is, of course, based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel of the same name.
They join previously announced cast members James Marsden, Amber Heard, Odessa Young, Jovan Adepo, Owen Teague, Henry Zaga, Brad William Henke, Alexander Skarsgård and Whoopi Goldberg.
Eion Bailey will play Teddy Weizak, a superflu survivor and member of the body crew,...
- 10/11/2019
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
Jakob Ihre’s work on “Chernobyl”‘s second episode earned him his first Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie Sunday evening at the Creative Arts Emmys.
The HBO historical miniseries, which dramatized the Soviet Union’s 1986 nuclear disaster, did not shy away from painting bleak pictures. “Please Remain Calm,” the series’ second episode, followed the events that occurred several hours after the explosion, including the eventual evacuation of Pripyat.
“Chernobyl”‘s harrowing cinematography is one of many reasons the miniseries became a breakout hit for HBO. IndieWire’s Ben Travers lauded the series’ bleak atmosphere and emotional weight in his A- review.
Although 2019 was the first year that Ihre was nominated for an Emmy, the cinematographer has been on the rise in Hollywood for years. Ihre was recognized by IndieWire in 2015 as one of the industry’s rising cinematographers due to his exceptional work on projects...
The HBO historical miniseries, which dramatized the Soviet Union’s 1986 nuclear disaster, did not shy away from painting bleak pictures. “Please Remain Calm,” the series’ second episode, followed the events that occurred several hours after the explosion, including the eventual evacuation of Pripyat.
“Chernobyl”‘s harrowing cinematography is one of many reasons the miniseries became a breakout hit for HBO. IndieWire’s Ben Travers lauded the series’ bleak atmosphere and emotional weight in his A- review.
Although 2019 was the first year that Ihre was nominated for an Emmy, the cinematographer has been on the rise in Hollywood for years. Ihre was recognized by IndieWire in 2015 as one of the industry’s rising cinematographers due to his exceptional work on projects...
- 9/16/2019
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
A reboot of The Craft has been a long time coming with few details announced, but we finally have new reason to get excited. Cailee Spaeny will star in the remake, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The 21-year-old actress has previously appeared in a few notable films, including Bad Times at the El Royale and On the Basis of Sex.
Back in February, Robin Tunney confirmed the reboot is happening for the very first time, and that she might even star. She told etalk, "They are still remaking it. Zoe Lister-Jones is writing it. And I may or may not do it. I'm so proud of that movie. It was the first lead I ever had and it's a movie young girls today still watch at sleepovers. It's girl power and I'm so proud of it. I'm So proud of it."
As it turns out, Zoe Lister-Jones is not only writing it,...
Back in February, Robin Tunney confirmed the reboot is happening for the very first time, and that she might even star. She told etalk, "They are still remaking it. Zoe Lister-Jones is writing it. And I may or may not do it. I'm so proud of that movie. It was the first lead I ever had and it's a movie young girls today still watch at sleepovers. It's girl power and I'm so proud of it. I'm So proud of it."
As it turns out, Zoe Lister-Jones is not only writing it,...
- 6/21/2019
- by Erin Cullum
- Popsugar.com
“Life in Pieces” star Zoe Lister-Jones will write and direct Sony Pictures’ remake of “The Craft” for Blumhouse and Red Wagon Entertainment.
Doug Wick, the producer of the original “The Craft,” will return in the same capacity along with partner Lucy Fisher through their Red Wagon banner. Jason Blum is also producing and his Blumhouse is co-financing. Fisher was vice chair of Columbia during the first movie.
Robin Tunney starred in the original, portraying a new arrival at a high school who’s sought out by three students, played by Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True. The trio had been dabbling in witchcraft, and Tunney’s arrival enables all four to become adept at magic, but the new coven disintegrates when Balk’s character misuses her new power.
Sony’s been attempting to remake “The Craft” since 2015 when Leigh Janiak was hired to direct. Andrew Fleming directed the original film.
Doug Wick, the producer of the original “The Craft,” will return in the same capacity along with partner Lucy Fisher through their Red Wagon banner. Jason Blum is also producing and his Blumhouse is co-financing. Fisher was vice chair of Columbia during the first movie.
Robin Tunney starred in the original, portraying a new arrival at a high school who’s sought out by three students, played by Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True. The trio had been dabbling in witchcraft, and Tunney’s arrival enables all four to become adept at magic, but the new coven disintegrates when Balk’s character misuses her new power.
Sony’s been attempting to remake “The Craft” since 2015 when Leigh Janiak was hired to direct. Andrew Fleming directed the original film.
- 3/26/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Turns out, it doesn’t take magic to conjure up a talented female writer and director to lead a much-hyped remake. While Blumhouse head Jason Blum garnered some serious backlash in October of last year when he said it was difficult to hire female directors for his projects (comments he clarified and corrected the very next day), the horror super-producer has now hired a female filmmaker for a scary good reboot. Deadline reports that “Band Aid” filmmaker Zoe Lister-Jones will both write and direct Blumhouse and Columbia Pictures’ much-anticipated “The Craft” remake.
Based on the 1996 film that starred Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True as teen witches who use their powers to bolster their popularity and hit back at the bullies who have made their lives terrible, this new version appears to be building a very similar premise. Per its official synopsis, “When starting at a new school,...
Based on the 1996 film that starred Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True as teen witches who use their powers to bolster their popularity and hit back at the bullies who have made their lives terrible, this new version appears to be building a very similar premise. Per its official synopsis, “When starting at a new school,...
- 3/26/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Zoe Lister-Jones is writing and directing “The Craft” reboot for Blumhouse, Columbia Pictures and Red Wagon Entertainment, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
Blumhouse’s Jason Blum is producing alongside Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher for Red Wagon Entertainment. Red Wagon’s Andrew Fleming and Lucas Wiesendanger are executive producing. Blumhouse and Columbia are co-financing the film.
The original 1996 film paved the way for an onslaught of TV series and films that were witch-themed and centered on female empowerment. The film starred Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Christine Taylor, Fairuza Balk and Skeet Ulrich, and followed a new student at a Catholic prep high school who falls in love with a trio of outcast girls who practice witchcraft.
Blumhouse’s Jason Blum is producing alongside Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher for Red Wagon Entertainment. Red Wagon’s Andrew Fleming and Lucas Wiesendanger are executive producing. Blumhouse and Columbia are co-financing the film.
The original 1996 film paved the way for an onslaught of TV series and films that were witch-themed and centered on female empowerment. The film starred Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Christine Taylor, Fairuza Balk and Skeet Ulrich, and followed a new student at a Catholic prep high school who falls in love with a trio of outcast girls who practice witchcraft.
- 3/26/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Emmy-nominated producer Janice Williams has signed her Well Red banner to a first look deal with Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories. This follows their successful collaboration on the Facebook Watch series Queen America. They worked together on the Andrew Jarecki-directed All Good Things and the Gus Van Sant-directed Oscar winner Milk.
Made Up Stories is coming off a strong Sundance, produced the Abe Forsythe-directed Lupita Nyong’o dark zombie comedy Little Monsters that was bought by Neon and Hulu and Jennifer Kent’s Nightingale which landed at IFC. On the TV side, the company is currently in pre-production on the David E. Kelley-scripted Susanne Bier-directed HBO limited series The Undoing, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, and in post-production on the TNT series Tell Me Your Secrets, written by Harriet Warner and directed by Houda Benyamina.
Williams hatched her company in early 2018 after an...
Made Up Stories is coming off a strong Sundance, produced the Abe Forsythe-directed Lupita Nyong’o dark zombie comedy Little Monsters that was bought by Neon and Hulu and Jennifer Kent’s Nightingale which landed at IFC. On the TV side, the company is currently in pre-production on the David E. Kelley-scripted Susanne Bier-directed HBO limited series The Undoing, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, and in post-production on the TNT series Tell Me Your Secrets, written by Harriet Warner and directed by Houda Benyamina.
Williams hatched her company in early 2018 after an...
- 2/19/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
ABC has given pilot orders to the “New York Undercover” reboot and the single-cam comedy “Woman Up” from Zoe Lister-Jones.
Picking up 20 years after the end of the iconic series, “New York Undercover” will follow detectives Nat Gilmore and Melissa Ortiz as they investigate the city’s most dangerous criminals from Harlem to Battery Park. Some cast members from the original series are expected to reprise their roles.
The rebooted series will be written and executive produced by Dick Wolf and Ben Watkins. Frequent Wolf collaborators Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski will also executive produce. Anthony Hemingway is onboard to executive produce and direct the pilot. Universal Television and ABC Studios will produce in association with Wolf Films.
Should the project go to series, Wolf would have series on the air three of the Big 4, the others being “FBI” on CBS and the recently announced planted spinoff, as well...
Picking up 20 years after the end of the iconic series, “New York Undercover” will follow detectives Nat Gilmore and Melissa Ortiz as they investigate the city’s most dangerous criminals from Harlem to Battery Park. Some cast members from the original series are expected to reprise their roles.
The rebooted series will be written and executive produced by Dick Wolf and Ben Watkins. Frequent Wolf collaborators Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski will also executive produce. Anthony Hemingway is onboard to executive produce and direct the pilot. Universal Television and ABC Studios will produce in association with Wolf Films.
Should the project go to series, Wolf would have series on the air three of the Big 4, the others being “FBI” on CBS and the recently announced planted spinoff, as well...
- 1/31/2019
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
ABC has given a put pilot commitment to a single-camera comedy project that hails from Zoe Lister-Jones.
Lister-Jones is known for her acting work, but will serve as the writer and executive producer on the project. It is titled “Woman Up” and follows two former teen moms who have worked their asses off to see their daughters all the way through high school graduation. And now, at 37, they’re ready to make up for the youth they never had.
Lister-Jones will executive produce under her Ms. Lister Films banner. In addition to Lister-Jones, Liz Meriwether will also executive produce. Meriwether recently co-created the ABC comedy series “Single Parents” and worked with Lister-Jones when the latter guest starred on “New Girl.” Jason Winer and Jon Radler will also executive produce via their Small Dog Picture Company. 20th Century Fox Television will produce.
Should the project move forward, it would mark the...
Lister-Jones is known for her acting work, but will serve as the writer and executive producer on the project. It is titled “Woman Up” and follows two former teen moms who have worked their asses off to see their daughters all the way through high school graduation. And now, at 37, they’re ready to make up for the youth they never had.
Lister-Jones will executive produce under her Ms. Lister Films banner. In addition to Lister-Jones, Liz Meriwether will also executive produce. Meriwether recently co-created the ABC comedy series “Single Parents” and worked with Lister-Jones when the latter guest starred on “New Girl.” Jason Winer and Jon Radler will also executive produce via their Small Dog Picture Company. 20th Century Fox Television will produce.
Should the project move forward, it would mark the...
- 10/8/2018
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
In Mistress America, the second film Greta Gerwig wrote with her now-boyfriend Noah Baumbach, one of the characters proclaims, “Sometimes I think I’m a genius and I wish I could just fast-forward my life to the part where everyone knows it.”
Gerwig, 34, has been the darling of the indie film scene for nearly a decade, starring in low-budget, quirky coming-of-age films, some of which she also wrote, like Frances Ha, and little-seen gems like Hannah Takes the Stairs and Lola Versus. Last year, she ventured into slightly more commercial roles with Jackie, starring Natalie Portman, and 20th Century Women,...
Gerwig, 34, has been the darling of the indie film scene for nearly a decade, starring in low-budget, quirky coming-of-age films, some of which she also wrote, like Frances Ha, and little-seen gems like Hannah Takes the Stairs and Lola Versus. Last year, she ventured into slightly more commercial roles with Jackie, starring Natalie Portman, and 20th Century Women,...
- 1/23/2018
- by Mike Miller
- PEOPLE.com
In Mistress America, the second film Greta Gerwig wrote with her now-boyfriend Noah Baumbach, one of the characters proclaims, “Sometimes I think I’m a genius and I wish I could just fast-forward my life to the part where everyone knows it.”
Gerwig, 34, has been the darling of the indie film scene for nearly a decade, starring in low-budget, quirky coming-of-age films, some of which she also wrote, like Frances Ha, and little-seen gems like Hannah Takes the Stairs and Lola Versus. Last year, she ventured into slightly more commercial roles with Jackie, starring Natalie Portman, and 20th Century Women,...
Gerwig, 34, has been the darling of the indie film scene for nearly a decade, starring in low-budget, quirky coming-of-age films, some of which she also wrote, like Frances Ha, and little-seen gems like Hannah Takes the Stairs and Lola Versus. Last year, she ventured into slightly more commercial roles with Jackie, starring Natalie Portman, and 20th Century Women,...
- 1/4/2018
- by Mike Miller
- PEOPLE.com
No, this piece will not be styled as an actual love letter to Frances Ha, Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig’s charmer, due to hit cinephile-near-you shelves later this week with its Criterion Collection release, but it will be an intense appreciation of the film. (Consider this a warning if, for any reason, you’re averse to the feature – and also, what is wrong with you?) Baumbach and Gerwig’s film first popped up as a somewhat minor attraction at last year’s Telluride Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. It sounded like a curiosity – a black and white Baumbach co-written by and starring the director’s real-life lady love, a slim feature about a wayward young New York City gal who is not actually good at a lot of things but who approaches challenges great and small with a plucky gusto. She lives in a shitty apartment in Brooklyn. She...
- 11/11/2013
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig have carved out, with effortless elegance and ease, a cinematic space for a woman to be, unapologetically, herself. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): wasn’t overly impressed with the trailer
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Women’s friendships in cinema seem to end up falling almost exclusively in one of two vile — and utterly spurious — categories: 1) temporary alliances designed to increase the odds of finding a husband and/or forums for complaining about men once they’ve been caught (see: just about every romantic comedy ever made); or 2) catty “frenemy” battlefields that are about nothing more than one-up-womanship, jealousy, and resentment (see: Bachelorette). So it’s more than a relief, it’s almost a shock to see how achingly authentic Frances Ha is about what “best friends” actually means to women — I cannot recall another...
I’m “biast” (con): wasn’t overly impressed with the trailer
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Women’s friendships in cinema seem to end up falling almost exclusively in one of two vile — and utterly spurious — categories: 1) temporary alliances designed to increase the odds of finding a husband and/or forums for complaining about men once they’ve been caught (see: just about every romantic comedy ever made); or 2) catty “frenemy” battlefields that are about nothing more than one-up-womanship, jealousy, and resentment (see: Bachelorette). So it’s more than a relief, it’s almost a shock to see how achingly authentic Frances Ha is about what “best friends” actually means to women — I cannot recall another...
- 7/25/2013
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Greta Gerwig has been on a rather poor run of form, with three consecutive showings in the disappointing To Rome With Love, the inadequate Lola Versus and the immensely self-indulgent Damsels in Distress. However such a run of mediocre productions seems to have come to an abrupt end, as she reunites with Greenberg director Noah Baumbach for Frances Ha; a film about a young woman reluctantly approaching adulthood, and struggling to leave her youth behind.
Frances (Gerwig) is a twenty-something living in New York with her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner) enjoying her life at home equally as much as her line of work, as she is an apprentice at a dance company. However when Sophie moves out to live with her new boyfriend, Frances is left to analyse her own life, as she begins to worry about her current predicament of not having a partner nor a stable job.
Frances (Gerwig) is a twenty-something living in New York with her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner) enjoying her life at home equally as much as her line of work, as she is an apprentice at a dance company. However when Sophie moves out to live with her new boyfriend, Frances is left to analyse her own life, as she begins to worry about her current predicament of not having a partner nor a stable job.
- 7/22/2013
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The latest Untitled Woody Allen Project is gaining steam as his 2013 feature is almost in theaters and lord knows the 77-year-old writer/director isn't going to lay around and do nothing. We already knew Emma Stone and Colin Firth would star and, as with all Allen projects in their early stages, we don't have any plot details outside the fact it will shoot in the South of France (le Midi). However, today we get a lot more names to add to the cast. The Wrap reports Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook), Marcia Gay Harden, Hamish Linklater (Lola Versus), Simon McBurney (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Jeremy Shamos (Taking Woodstock) and Erica Leerhsen (Anything Else) have joined the cast. I'm seeing Allen's Blue Jasmine (7/26, Spc) in just under two weeks and can't wait. It's actually going to be a double feature for me that day... along with The Conjuring of all films.
- 7/2/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Frances Ha
Directed by: Noah Baumbach
Cast: Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver, Michael Zegan, Christine Gerwig, Gordon Gerwig
Running Time: 1 hr 26 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: May 24, 2013 (Chicago)
Plot: Frances (Gerwig) tries to make something of herself in New York City.
Who’S It For? If you’ve ever felt aloof in your twenties, or re-tweeted Lena Dunham, you might want to take a look at this one.
Overall
In this era when a New York twenty-something girl can’t make a screenplay out of her journal without it being compared to “Girls,” I am not reminded of Lena Dunham’s popular boob toob program, but of Lola Versus, a Haagen Dazs date from last year you might have experienced and soon forgot. Directed by Daryl Wein and co-written with Zoe Lister Jones, Lola Versus was a film that also starred Frances Ha lead Greta Gerwig as the title character,...
Directed by: Noah Baumbach
Cast: Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver, Michael Zegan, Christine Gerwig, Gordon Gerwig
Running Time: 1 hr 26 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: May 24, 2013 (Chicago)
Plot: Frances (Gerwig) tries to make something of herself in New York City.
Who’S It For? If you’ve ever felt aloof in your twenties, or re-tweeted Lena Dunham, you might want to take a look at this one.
Overall
In this era when a New York twenty-something girl can’t make a screenplay out of her journal without it being compared to “Girls,” I am not reminded of Lena Dunham’s popular boob toob program, but of Lola Versus, a Haagen Dazs date from last year you might have experienced and soon forgot. Directed by Daryl Wein and co-written with Zoe Lister Jones, Lola Versus was a film that also starred Frances Ha lead Greta Gerwig as the title character,...
- 5/24/2013
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
Here’s a film that takes a look at modern twenty-somethings in a fresh way. While in earlier generations, those in that age bracket (if they were fortunate to do four years of higher education, or a military stint) would whip off their cap and gown and settle into a steady job and perhaps start a family (after finding that dream suburban home). For many college grads today, those post-school years can be the start of a nomadic limbo, drifting from job to job and apartment to apartment, even returning to the family nest (insisting to the parents that this is just temporary). The title character of Frances Ha doesn’t resort to that, but she is sort-of floating without a clear destination in sight. But thanks to Greta Gerwig, the film’s star and co-writer, we’re rooting for her even as she takes a ill-planned detour. Of course...
- 5/23/2013
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
We've had our ears on composer duo Fall On Your Sword for a while now. The duo have become some of the most in-demand musicians in the indie world over the last few years, thanks to the works on "Another Earth," "Nobody Walks," "Lola Versus" and "28 Hotel Rooms," among others, and we named them as one of our 5 Composers On The Rise earlier this year. Which means that we're delighted to this morning be exclusively debuting a new track from the pair's score to "We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks," the latest film Oscar-winning "Taxi To The Dark Side" director Alex Gibney. The film, which sees Gibney delve into the story of Julian Assange, and his principal source Bradley Manning, won rave reviews at Sundance, and is hitting theaters on Friday May 24th, while Fall On The Sword's soundtrack is released the Tuesday before, on May 21st. If the track below,...
- 5/17/2013
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
Greta Gerwig makes "hapless" a happening thing in "Frances Ha." Which is no surprise, because she's spent her brief career mastering variations on a hapless theme.
Gerwig ("Lola Versus," "Greenberg") and director Noah Baumbach ("Greenberg," "The Squid and the Whale") team up to give us the quintessential Greta time-capsule picture, a movie that sums up the navel gazing of Generation Y and summons up every Gerwig character from the era in one giddy yet wistful package.
Frances (Gerwig) is an exemplar of a sort of age-specific form of denial. A Sacramento native, she's settled in New York to become a modern dancer. She's gawky and a little awkward, so that isn't really working out. She can't commit to her boyfriend because she won't leave behind her "same person with different hair" best friend, Sophie (Mickey Sumner), her true other half. But Sophie moves out on her.
Frances is 27, under-employed, and...
Gerwig ("Lola Versus," "Greenberg") and director Noah Baumbach ("Greenberg," "The Squid and the Whale") team up to give us the quintessential Greta time-capsule picture, a movie that sums up the navel gazing of Generation Y and summons up every Gerwig character from the era in one giddy yet wistful package.
Frances (Gerwig) is an exemplar of a sort of age-specific form of denial. A Sacramento native, she's settled in New York to become a modern dancer. She's gawky and a little awkward, so that isn't really working out. She can't commit to her boyfriend because she won't leave behind her "same person with different hair" best friend, Sophie (Mickey Sumner), her true other half. But Sophie moves out on her.
Frances is 27, under-employed, and...
- 5/17/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
In the new horror movie Come Out and Play a holidaying couple, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Lola Versus) and Vinessa Shaw (2006’s The Hills Have Eyes), visit an island off the coast of Mexico where they discover the local children have murdered the adults. But the most bizarre aspect of the film, which began its platform release on March 22 and is currently available on VOD, is the identity of its director, who goes by the mono-moniker of “Makinov” and refuses to reveal his face or real name.
Come out and Play debuted last September at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.
Come out and Play debuted last September at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.
- 3/25/2013
- by Clark Collis
- EW - Inside Movies
With a healthy list of credits spanning studio fare (“Mona Lisa Smile,” “Stealth”), television (“Damages,” HBO’s “John Adams”) and the independent arena (“Breaking Upwards,” “Higher Ground,” “Lola Versus”), Ebon Moss-Bachrach is a quintessential talented character actor — able to swing effortlessly and, more importantly, believably from genre to genre. In the unusual new horror film “Come Out and Play,” alongside Vinessa Shaw, he plays one half of a happy couple who go to Mexico for a romantic getaway, and end up stranded on an island full of murderous children. It’s based on Juan José Plan’s 1976 Spanish film “El Juego De Niños,” but the parallel story of the movie’s production may be just [ Read More ]
The post Exclusive: Ebon Moss-Bachrach Talks Come Out and Play, Masked Director Makinov appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Exclusive: Ebon Moss-Bachrach Talks Come Out and Play, Masked Director Makinov appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 3/23/2013
- by bsimon
- ShockYa
Of all the things that have addled and irritated the watchers of Lena Dunham’s HBO series Girls (the characters are too white and overprivileged! Lena Dunham spends too much time naked!), of all the things that have made a noisy sliver of them feel that the show is worthy of their “hate,” the late-in-the-game revelation that Dunham’s middle-class lost-girl princess Hannah suffers from Ocd seemed all but designed to stoke the hostility of those who dislike Girls but can’t stop watching it. To someone like me, though, who adores the show (I’ll put my passion right out there: In two seasons,...
- 3/19/2013
- by Owen Gleiberman
- EW - Inside Movies
Something in the Air (Apres mai) is Olivier Assayas‘ follow-up to Carlos, a sprawling five-hour epic of ’70s terrorism, which also harks back to ‘Cold Water,’ but as a softer, tender and dispassionate semi-autobiographical reflection on an equivalent period. After its premiere at the Venice Film Festival last year a much more genteel companion work to Carlos is now coming to theaters stateside via Sundance Selects on May 3rd, 2013. Therefore, the first domestic trailer for Something in the Air has arrived, featuring examination of sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll and revolution — a portrait of a time too intense to last forever. The coming-of-age... Related posts: Cannes 2010: Olivier Assayas’ Carlos Lola Versus Trailer and Poster Starring Greta Gerwig Taken 2 Director Olivier Megaton Is Taking Gotham International Trailer for Miley Cyrus-Starrer Lol: Laughing Out Loud...
- 3/14/2013
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
As the somewhat sleazy Homicide Detective Stephen Holder on The Killing, actor Joel Kinnaman plays a character who investigates death. For his next feature film role, he.ll be the one witnessing it. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kinnaman is close to signing on for the Warner Bros. crime thriller All Nighter, which was formerly titled Run All Night after being titled All Nighter to begin with. He.ll play Liam Neeson.s son in the film, which will be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra from a spec script written by Brad Ingelsby (Out of the Furnace). Beyond his TV work, the Swedish-born Kinnaman was most recently seen in the romantic comedy Lola Versus, as well as the crime drama Safe House with Denzel Washington. His next role will definitely test his leading male capabilities as he takes on the central role of John Murphy in José Padilha.s RoboCop reboot...
- 3/11/2013
- cinemablend.com
Joel Kinnaman appears set to join Liam Neeson in the Warner Bros. action film Run All Night , says a story at The Hollywood Reporter . He would play the son of Neeson's character with Jaume Collett-Sera ( Unknown , Non-Stop ) directing. In the film, written by Brad Ingelsby, Neeson will play a mob hitman who is forced to take on his former boss in a single night. The hitman protecting his estranged son, the pair wind up on the run from the mob together. Kinnaman, a regular on "The Killing," recently starred in Safe House and Lola Versus . Next year, he'll play the title role in Jose Padhila's RoboCop . Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment is producing along with Brooklyn Weaver, and John Middleton is executive producer. (Photo Credit: Nikki Nelson / WENN.com)...
- 3/8/2013
- Comingsoon.net
"Sometimes it's good to do what you're supposed to do when you're supposed to do it." IFC Films has finally debuted the trailer for Noah Baumbach's new film Frances Ha, starring and co-written by actress Greta Gerwig (seen in Greenberg, Arthur, The House of the Devil, Damsels in Distress, To Rome with Love, Lola Versus). Yes indeed, this is a quirky B&W New York City-set drama about a fun young girl trying to find her place in life. I saw the film at the Telluride Film Festival last year and really enjoyed it, this trailer sums up how much fun it is in two minutes without giving away too much of the story either. I recommend watching. Watch the full theatrical trailer for Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha, in high def from Apple: An aspiring dancer (Gerwig) moves to New York City and becomes caught up in a whirlwind of flighty fair-weather friends,...
- 3/5/2013
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Arriving in theaters next month after having premiered at Toronto in 2012, the horror film "Come Out and Play" stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach ("Lola Versus") and Vinessa Shaw ("Two Lovers") as Francis and Beth, a happy couple who visit Mexico for a romantic getaway. The couple venture to a secluded island where they're greeted by a beautiful beach filled with children playing -- children, they discover, but no adults, and a neighborhood that seems to have been abandoned in distress. After witnessing the violent death of an old man at the hands of the children, the two realize that in order to survive, they'll have to escape. Ah, murderous kiddies. The film is directed by Belarus-born filmmaker Makinov and is based on Juan José Plan's 1976 Spanish horror film "Who Can Kill a Child?" "Come Out and Play" will be released in select theaters on March 22nd and is currently available on iTunes and VOD.
- 2/13/2013
- by Cristina A. Gonzalez
- Indiewire
We caught up with Promised Land, but couldn’t give it quite a full show, because we had our very own awards to do, and we wanted to get our Top Ten lists out.
A surprising film, not least simply for its ability to avoid preaching at you and deliver a story. Matt Damon was great, and the overall feel of the movie delivered far better than so many in this “political position” pseudo-genre.
Moving on, we had our first annual awards, which I have dubbed the Ru? Spectaculars. These awards go to our picks for the standard categories, but the rule is that these picks have to be in that special class of “can’t get nominated for any other awards.”
Our winners, and Top lists are below, but you’re going to have to tune in for the full story.
Ru? Spectacular Movie Awards Best Screenplay
Marc Eastman...
A surprising film, not least simply for its ability to avoid preaching at you and deliver a story. Matt Damon was great, and the overall feel of the movie delivered far better than so many in this “political position” pseudo-genre.
Moving on, we had our first annual awards, which I have dubbed the Ru? Spectaculars. These awards go to our picks for the standard categories, but the rule is that these picks have to be in that special class of “can’t get nominated for any other awards.”
Our winners, and Top lists are below, but you’re going to have to tune in for the full story.
Ru? Spectacular Movie Awards Best Screenplay
Marc Eastman...
- 1/31/2013
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
End of Watch End of Watch made my Top Ten Movies of 2012 so of course I'm going to recommend it. I haven't yet listened to writer/director David Ayer's audio commentary, but I'm looking forward to it as Blu-ray.com's review makes it sound incredibly informative: Writer/director David Ayer offers a scene by scene breakdown of End of Watch, discussing the authenticity of the film at great length, touching on the decision to avoid including a single corrupt cop, providing insight into development and implementation of the multi-camera narrative, and spending plenty of time on everything from the script to the performances to the Pov shifts between the police officers and the gangsters.
Ivan's Childhood (Criterion Collection) I have a review of this one in the works and it should be finished by this afternoon. That said, I will tell you I really liked this film and liked...
Ivan's Childhood (Criterion Collection) I have a review of this one in the works and it should be finished by this afternoon. That said, I will tell you I really liked this film and liked...
- 1/22/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Chicago – Hot on the heels of the wondrous 10 Most Overlooked Films of 2012 and the illustrious first look at The 10 Best Films of 2012 comes “The 10 Best Films of 2012, Part Two,” as rendered by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com.
The best films of 2012 are a mixed bag, but there was incredible experiences in all of them, brought forth from a mix of old veterans, new voices and even debut filmmakers. There is less of the end-of-the-world theme of 2011 as if the end is near, let’s have a celebration. It continues to amaze me, now in my fifth year as a professional film critic, that the creative landscape continues to astound the senses and deliver the goods.
Of course there are several films that could have occupied the 10th spot on the list. They include the 2011 stragglers – “We Have a Pope” and “Footnote.” The notable documentaries – “The Central Park Five,” “Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry” and “Samsara.
The best films of 2012 are a mixed bag, but there was incredible experiences in all of them, brought forth from a mix of old veterans, new voices and even debut filmmakers. There is less of the end-of-the-world theme of 2011 as if the end is near, let’s have a celebration. It continues to amaze me, now in my fifth year as a professional film critic, that the creative landscape continues to astound the senses and deliver the goods.
Of course there are several films that could have occupied the 10th spot on the list. They include the 2011 stragglers – “We Have a Pope” and “Footnote.” The notable documentaries – “The Central Park Five,” “Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry” and “Samsara.
- 12/27/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The Oscars are a little over two months away, and with so many fantastic films released throughout this year, the anticipation surrounding the announcement of the nominations next month is running on high.
So far, we’ve had the shortlists for the Best Animated Feature, the Best Visual Effects, and the Best Documentary categories.
Now the Academy has announced the list of 104 films that are eligible in the Best Original Score category, and it’s going to be very interesting to see what makes the final cut come nominations time next month.
I think Hans Zimmer’s score for The Dark Knight Rises is, hopefully, a lock, because it is amazing. I also loved James Horner’s score for The Amazing Spider-Man, but can’t decide whether or not I think it will earn a nomination.
Alexandre Desplat has three films in the running this year, with Argo, Rise of the Guardians,...
So far, we’ve had the shortlists for the Best Animated Feature, the Best Visual Effects, and the Best Documentary categories.
Now the Academy has announced the list of 104 films that are eligible in the Best Original Score category, and it’s going to be very interesting to see what makes the final cut come nominations time next month.
I think Hans Zimmer’s score for The Dark Knight Rises is, hopefully, a lock, because it is amazing. I also loved James Horner’s score for The Amazing Spider-Man, but can’t decide whether or not I think it will earn a nomination.
Alexandre Desplat has three films in the running this year, with Argo, Rise of the Guardians,...
- 12/11/2012
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Indian composer A.R. Rahman is in the Oscar race once again for the original score at the 85thAcademy Awards. His composition for the film “”People Like Us” has found place in the long list of 104 composers vying for the nominations.
Rahman composed for the Alex Kurtzman directed “People Like Us” starring Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Jon Favreau and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Rahman won two Academy Awards for Best Original Music Score and Best Original Song at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009 for “Slumdog Millionaire”.
104 scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2012 are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category.
The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 10, 2013.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on February 24, 2013. The eligible scores along with their composers are listed below in alphabetical order by film title:
“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” Henry Jackman, composer “After the Wizard,...
Rahman composed for the Alex Kurtzman directed “People Like Us” starring Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Jon Favreau and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Rahman won two Academy Awards for Best Original Music Score and Best Original Song at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009 for “Slumdog Millionaire”.
104 scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2012 are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category.
The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 10, 2013.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on February 24, 2013. The eligible scores along with their composers are listed below in alphabetical order by film title:
“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” Henry Jackman, composer “After the Wizard,...
- 12/11/2012
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
One hundred four scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2012 are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 85th Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today. As noted by various online Oscar pundits, most noticeably missing is Moonrise Kingdom. A Reminder List of works submitted in the Original Score category will be made available with a nominations ballot to all members of the Music Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award. Click Here for the complete rules.
In February, Ludovic Bource won the Oscar for Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) for The Artist at the 84th Academy Awards.
The eligible scores along with their composers are listed below...
In February, Ludovic Bource won the Oscar for Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) for The Artist at the 84th Academy Awards.
The eligible scores along with their composers are listed below...
- 12/11/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
As far as I'm concerned, the two most memorable scores of the year belong to Cloud Atlas and Beasts of the Southern Wild. That said, I made an egregious and unforgivable mistake when filling out my Critics' Choice nominations and forgot to include not one of them, but Both of them! Shame. I feel it. Now I have to hope my fellow Bfca members came through where I failed. However, we will discuss Critics' Choice nominations more on the upcoming episodes of the RopeofSilicon podcast, for now we're talking Oscar as the Academy has released a complete list of all 104 original scores competing for Best Original Score at the 2013 Oscars. I have not yet posted my predictions for Best Original Score and while I am making a fuss above concerning Cloud Atlas and Beasts of the Southern Wild, I think both of those stand a very strong chance at a nomination this year.
- 12/10/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Having composed moody and effervescent scores for "Another Earth," "Lola Versus," Ry Russo-Young's "You Won't Miss Me" and "Nobody Walks," and Keanu Reeves' upcoming indie "Generation Um…" Brooklyn-based electronic band Fall On Your Sword are quickly becoming the go-to outfit for indie film composing. Led by Will Bates and Philip Mossman -- Mossman being a founding member of LCD Soundsystem who played the Msg final show extravaganza -- LCD frontman James Murphy has said, "Fall On Your Sword are quite possibly the coolest thing on the planet at the moment." And their latest work is in the can: the score for Oscilloscope's upcoming indie drama "28 Hotel Rooms." And we've got an exclusive listen of the entire soundtrack album courtesy of Milan Records, which you can hear below in full. Due in stores and digitally November 6th, the album also includes the closing credit song...
- 11/1/2012
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Moviefone's New Release Pick of the Week "Prometheus" What's It About? Ridley Scott returns to the world of "Alien" with an epic prequel about mankind's first contact with a mysterious alien race who may or may not be our makers, and may or may not have sinister purposes. See It Because: "Prometheus" pulled off a rare feat, adding a new layer of intrigue to the rich mythology of the "Alien" series. Not since "Inception" has a summer blockbuster come along with such audacious head-scratching concepts. And despite being filled with plot holes, it was still fun to argue about the film's big questions. Also, the always brilliant Michael Fassbender was terrific as David, an android servant with T.E. Lawrence-sized dreams of exploration. Watch Noomi Rapace's Screen Test for "Prometheus" - (Also Available on Amazon Instant Video | Netflix) Moviefone's Blu-ray Pick of the Week "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" What's It About?...
- 10/8/2012
- by Eric Larnick
- Moviefone
By Allen Gardner
Prometheus (20th Century Fox) Ridley Scott’s quasi-prequel to his 1979 classic “Alien” has an intergalactic exploratory team (Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba) arriving on a uncharted planet, where they discover what appears to be a dormant alien spacecraft and what might be the first discovery of intelligent life outside of Earth. Of course, everything goes straight to hell before you can scream “Don’t touch that egg!” Sumptuous visuals and strong performances from the cast (not to mention a nearly-perfect first half) can’t compensate for gaping plot and logic holes that nearly sink the proceedings in the film’s protracted second half. It feels as though some very crucial footage wound up on the cutting room floor. Perhaps, as with “Alien” and “Aliens” we’ll see a “Director’s Cut” of “Prometheus” arriving on DVD within the next year. In the meantime,...
Prometheus (20th Century Fox) Ridley Scott’s quasi-prequel to his 1979 classic “Alien” has an intergalactic exploratory team (Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba) arriving on a uncharted planet, where they discover what appears to be a dormant alien spacecraft and what might be the first discovery of intelligent life outside of Earth. Of course, everything goes straight to hell before you can scream “Don’t touch that egg!” Sumptuous visuals and strong performances from the cast (not to mention a nearly-perfect first half) can’t compensate for gaping plot and logic holes that nearly sink the proceedings in the film’s protracted second half. It feels as though some very crucial footage wound up on the cutting room floor. Perhaps, as with “Alien” and “Aliens” we’ll see a “Director’s Cut” of “Prometheus” arriving on DVD within the next year. In the meantime,...
- 10/8/2012
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Fox has announced the Blu-Ray release of Ruby Sparks for later this month. The film, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, stars Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan.
Dano plays a struggling writer trying to find an idea for his next book. He somehow stumbles into a weird situation when a character he creates comes to life. It’s a situation that has come to life before in various films, but Ruby Sparks tackles the dilemma with complexity and realism it’s almost creepy in moments.
It’s an incredibly charming and sincere film that scratches just the right areas. Dano and Kazan’s performances drive the film into becoming something special, but it’s also the story’s handling of the entire situation that makes Ruby Sparks something of a rarity.
Our very own Jonathan Lack wasn’t as pleased with the film as I. He had this to...
Dano plays a struggling writer trying to find an idea for his next book. He somehow stumbles into a weird situation when a character he creates comes to life. It’s a situation that has come to life before in various films, but Ruby Sparks tackles the dilemma with complexity and realism it’s almost creepy in moments.
It’s an incredibly charming and sincere film that scratches just the right areas. Dano and Kazan’s performances drive the film into becoming something special, but it’s also the story’s handling of the entire situation that makes Ruby Sparks something of a rarity.
Our very own Jonathan Lack wasn’t as pleased with the film as I. He had this to...
- 10/7/2012
- by Jeremy Lebens
- We Got This Covered
Take everything that's clichéd, dull and wrong-headed about American independent film, over boil it in a pot of tepid tap water, and you've got a pretty good bead on Lola Versus. But this food/film analogy wouldn't be complete without one final step: Fail to serve. Despite its numerous other faults, Lola Versus will be remembered by a certain segment of critics and filmgoers for not only failing to materialize on the big screen on the initial date promised, but for having its theatrical release date pushed back at least six times - honestly, I lost count - before finally letting go and giving up. At least that's the case for my Midwestern American market. Six times. So, now that the film is finally turning up...
- 10/3/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Lola Versus is a movie that’s been made countless times, and a story that has been told as often as any other, but we’ve rarely run into it so solidly constructed. Unlike most films, this is a story that doesn’t want its end, and has no use for it, except that at some point we have to stop talking. This is a story that is actually about the telling of it, and that’s something so rare, that most people haven’t had a real idea how to approach this story as a film.
The follow-up to Daryl Wein’s Breaking Upwards is yet another spin on generational angst, and the trials of dealing with love, friendship, loss, and generally the fact that other people exist, which ultimately gets in the way mostly… and is messy.
Greta Gerwig stars as Lola, a young woman trying to find...
The follow-up to Daryl Wein’s Breaking Upwards is yet another spin on generational angst, and the trials of dealing with love, friendship, loss, and generally the fact that other people exist, which ultimately gets in the way mostly… and is messy.
Greta Gerwig stars as Lola, a young woman trying to find...
- 10/1/2012
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
Although love stories always have been and probably always will be a popular trope in storytelling around the world, there’s a strong current within modern independent film to view romance with a less rosy lens. It’s given rise to films like Lola Versus, a story that begins just as love breaks and subsequently explores the pieces leftover as the titular disillusioned heroine (Greta Gerwig) tries to figure out how to put it all (namely herself) back together. Anyone who’s ever been on the receiving end of a sudden break-up can sympathize with Lola’s plight; it’s just unfortunate then that besides a few chuckles, Writer and Director Daryl Wein’s Lola Versus has nothing particularly insightful or new to say about the whole experience.
Read more...
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- 9/29/2012
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
Chicago – From “(500) Days of Summer” to “Ruby Sparks,” Fox Searchlight has been distributing some of the most refreshingly honest films about twentysomething romance in recent memory. The unapologetically flawed titular heroine in “Lola Versus” may have appeared more groundbreaking had she not debuted the same year as HBO’s “Girls,” which has the market cornered on such heroines.
Like her former roommate, “Girls” creator Lena Dunham, Greta Gerwig got her start in microbudget indies. She created a transfixing screen persona that was as disarmingly deadpan as it was heartbreakingly vulnerable. By the time she turned up in Noah Baumbach’s “Greenberg,” Gerwig sported an effortless comic charisma reminiscent of vintage Diane Keaton. She seemed poised for stardom, and though 2012 has given her a variety of showcases, none of them have lived up to their potential.
Blu-ray Rating: 2.5/5.0
“Lola Versus” is perhaps her most disappointing star vehicle to date since it...
Like her former roommate, “Girls” creator Lena Dunham, Greta Gerwig got her start in microbudget indies. She created a transfixing screen persona that was as disarmingly deadpan as it was heartbreakingly vulnerable. By the time she turned up in Noah Baumbach’s “Greenberg,” Gerwig sported an effortless comic charisma reminiscent of vintage Diane Keaton. She seemed poised for stardom, and though 2012 has given her a variety of showcases, none of them have lived up to their potential.
Blu-ray Rating: 2.5/5.0
“Lola Versus” is perhaps her most disappointing star vehicle to date since it...
- 9/25/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Lola Versus is a film that tries to be funny, quirky, and meaningful, but it ends up failing in all three areas. Situations such as these can be funny and quirky, but not when the film attempts to force it on the audience. As for having meaning, due to a major lack of originality, there’s not really much you can take away from a film like this. What we end up with is just another film about a woman trying to find the right path for herself while making multiple bad decisions along the way.
The woman is Lola (Greta Gerwig), who has been recently proposed to by her boyfriend, Luke (Joel Kinnaman). They spend months planning out a wedding until one day, Luke suddenly gets nervous and calls it off, which, as you can probably expect, devastates Lola. This starts her on her journey of self-discovery, which just...
The woman is Lola (Greta Gerwig), who has been recently proposed to by her boyfriend, Luke (Joel Kinnaman). They spend months planning out a wedding until one day, Luke suddenly gets nervous and calls it off, which, as you can probably expect, devastates Lola. This starts her on her journey of self-discovery, which just...
- 9/12/2012
- by Jeff Beck
- We Got This Covered
Although it already hit stores as of yesterday, this week's biggest home video title is easily the long-awaited release of James Cameron's Titanic on Blu-ray (complete with the 3D conversion, if that's what -- ahem -- floats your boat). The highly successful fantasy re-imagining Snow White and the Huntsman is also out this week, along with the not so successful rom-com What to Expect When You're Expecting. Noteworthy indie releases include Panos Cosmatos' creepy sci-fi thriller Beyond the Black Rainbow, Australian high school prom revenge flick The Loved Ones and Lola Versus starring Greta Gerwig. If that's not enough, we've also got new seasons of 30 Rock, Up All Night and Spartacus: Vengeance, and last but not least, the Blu-ray debuts of the cult classics Killer Klowns from Outer Space and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. What will you be buying or renting this week? Check out the full...
- 9/11/2012
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
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