Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, Alessandro Nivola, and Ayden Mayeri in Spin Me Round Image: Courtesy of IFC Films While Jeff Baena’s films are—in his own words—“destabilizing,” “unmoored,” and full of “chaos,” in conversation he’s quite the opposite. Soft-spoken and clear-eyed, he’s the kind of artist...
- 8/22/2022
- by Jack Smart
- avclub.com
(from left) Aubrey Plaza as Kat, Alison Brie as Amber, Alessandro Nivola as Nick, and Ayden Mayeri as Jen in Jeff Baena’s Spin Me Round. Photo: IFC Films Reflecting upon a film like Spin Me Round, it helps to keep Roger Ebert’s classic quote in mind: “It’s...
- 8/17/2022
- by Mark Keizer
- avclub.com
Exclusive: Jeff Baena’s Spin Me Round, which made its world premiere at SXSW last month, has seen its North American rights get scooped up by IFC Films and AMC+. The pic will hit theaters and VOD and stream exclusively on AMC+ this summer.
The pic reps filmmaker Baena’s reteam with Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza and Molly Shannon, who star in the film. Brie co-wrote and produced Spin Me Round, in which she plays the manager of an Italian restaurant chain who wins the opportunity to attend the franchise’s educational immersion program in Italy. What she thought would be a romantic getaway devolves into chaos and catastrophe.
Baena and Brie previously teamed on Horse Girl, she starred in and co-wrote with Baena, who also directed. Brie also appeared in Baena’s The Little Hours and Joshy. Plaza has starred in Baena’s The Little Hours, Joshy and Life After Beth.
The pic reps filmmaker Baena’s reteam with Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza and Molly Shannon, who star in the film. Brie co-wrote and produced Spin Me Round, in which she plays the manager of an Italian restaurant chain who wins the opportunity to attend the franchise’s educational immersion program in Italy. What she thought would be a romantic getaway devolves into chaos and catastrophe.
Baena and Brie previously teamed on Horse Girl, she starred in and co-wrote with Baena, who also directed. Brie also appeared in Baena’s The Little Hours and Joshy. Plaza has starred in Baena’s The Little Hours, Joshy and Life After Beth.
- 4/22/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s a tale as old as time: a seemingly regular gal is unexpectedly swept away to an idyllic European locale, where she indulges in food, fun, and the affection of a tasty new companion, a delight for the senses that reinforces just how undesirable her current life is. When Amber (Alison Brie), the manager of a Bakersfield location of Tuscan Grove — essentially an Olive Garden knock-off, all forced familial cheer and industrial-sized bags of Alfredo sauce — gets picked for just such a trip in Jeff Baena’s off-kilter fish-out-of-water comedy “Spin Me Round,” what’s to come is expected. And
Spice is not something Amber is used to, and while she never says she’s bored with her life, she still jumps at the chance for an all-expenses-paid trip to her employer’s Italian-set “institute,” a treat for her near-decade-long service to the smash hit fast casual joint dreamed...
Spice is not something Amber is used to, and while she never says she’s bored with her life, she still jumps at the chance for an all-expenses-paid trip to her employer’s Italian-set “institute,” a treat for her near-decade-long service to the smash hit fast casual joint dreamed...
- 3/13/2022
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Two books feature in director Jeff Baena’s new irreverent brainchild “Spin Me Round”: One is the quintessentially sentimental and aggressively life-affirming “Eat, Pray, Love,” while the other, likely more obscure for American audiences, is Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez’s gritty, nonfiction crime saga “News of a Kidnapping.”
An Olive Garden commercial that devolves into “Eyes Wide Shut,” the film fluctuates between the two distinct modes of these tomes: the artificial, improbable fantasy of a vibrant European trip where all inhibitions are put on hold, and the fear-inducing suspicion that something perverse and worthy of uncovering might be unfolding right under the surface.
True to its title, Baena’s latest takes us through more than a few tonal twists and plot turns, even if they don’t always land smoothly or humorously, in its exploration of how fooling oneself into believing a fantastical fiction can provide dangerous respite from a bland,...
An Olive Garden commercial that devolves into “Eyes Wide Shut,” the film fluctuates between the two distinct modes of these tomes: the artificial, improbable fantasy of a vibrant European trip where all inhibitions are put on hold, and the fear-inducing suspicion that something perverse and worthy of uncovering might be unfolding right under the surface.
True to its title, Baena’s latest takes us through more than a few tonal twists and plot turns, even if they don’t always land smoothly or humorously, in its exploration of how fooling oneself into believing a fantastical fiction can provide dangerous respite from a bland,...
- 3/13/2022
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Wrap
There’s a euphoria among film sellers and buyers as SXSW finally convenes Friday in Austin, Texas after a three-year pandemic shutdown.
With the last two editions of the Sundance Film Festival being virtual, and the hybrid edition of TIFF seeing reduced capacities, few industry execs, and a muted atmosphere, SXSW marks the return to packed, receptive audiences; actual live pulses which can trigger good reviews and social media wattage, culminating in what some believe could be an active sales market here in Texas’s capital.
SXSW has a knack for programming comedies, genre, and genre-twisted features; titles which are best experienced by a reactive audience. Sellers previously told Deadline that virtual viewing of such fare at recent fests doesn’t really help their cause. While SXSW is enforcing vaxx cards and mask-wearing indoors, screenings will be at full capacity. In 2019, SXSW drew a reported 73K attendees alone to the...
With the last two editions of the Sundance Film Festival being virtual, and the hybrid edition of TIFF seeing reduced capacities, few industry execs, and a muted atmosphere, SXSW marks the return to packed, receptive audiences; actual live pulses which can trigger good reviews and social media wattage, culminating in what some believe could be an active sales market here in Texas’s capital.
SXSW has a knack for programming comedies, genre, and genre-twisted features; titles which are best experienced by a reactive audience. Sellers previously told Deadline that virtual viewing of such fare at recent fests doesn’t really help their cause. While SXSW is enforcing vaxx cards and mask-wearing indoors, screenings will be at full capacity. In 2019, SXSW drew a reported 73K attendees alone to the...
- 3/11/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
It was pasta, wine, and a the Leaning Tower of Pisa type backdrop for the cast of goofballs assembled for Jeff Baena‘s five feature film. Starring Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Alessandro Nivola, Molly Shannon, Lil Rel Howery, Tim Heidecker, Ben Sinclair, Fred Armisen and Ayden Mayeri, production on Spin Me Round began in the month of May and you’d think that this is en route to Park City as Baena’s brand of humor is well liked by Sundance programmers – as all four of his feature films in Life After Beth (2014), Joshy (2016), The Little Hours (2017), Horse Girl (2020) have premiered there.…...
- 11/24/2021
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
A funny thing happens about a third of the way into “Horse Girl,” Jeff Baena’s fourth Sundance feature after “Life After Beth,” “Joshy” and “The Little Hours.” Or rather, a funny thing stops happening: the familiar, steady-heartbeat rhythms of the low-budget social awkwardness comedy become erratic, tachycardiac, as the initially endearing foibles of the film’s heroine, Sarah (a revelatory Alison Brie), are found to have deeper roots and more painful ramifications than feels right to laugh at. It’s the point at which we realize that “Horse Girl” is not your classic, hackneyed Sundance indie and is instead a far weirder, harder and sadder subversion of just that stereotype. It’s the point at which the movie stops being cute, and starts being good.
The setup is such a convincing red herring though, that for a while it functions just fine as your standard offbeat dramedy, laden with...
The setup is such a convincing red herring though, that for a while it functions just fine as your standard offbeat dramedy, laden with...
- 1/28/2020
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
After more than a decade in the spotlight, two-time Golden Globe nominee Alison Brie is starting to spread her wings beyond just acting. Last year, she directed her first episode of her Netflix hit “Glow,” and 2020 will again bring her behind the camera for another joint from the streaming giant: as screenwriter on Jeff Baena’s latest, “Horse Girl.” Brie also stars in the Sundance premiere, which she wrote alongside her frequent collaborator, who has previously directed her in other Sundance offerings like “Joshy” and “The Little Hours.”
The film is the latest from Baena, who has long enjoyed toying with tropes and turning them into unexpected character studies. “Horse Girl” appears to be no different, following Brie as the eponymous equine-obsessed gal as she embarks on a life-changing journey. But don’t expect the film to offer up the usual “weird gal comes of age kind of late but...
The film is the latest from Baena, who has long enjoyed toying with tropes and turning them into unexpected character studies. “Horse Girl” appears to be no different, following Brie as the eponymous equine-obsessed gal as she embarks on a life-changing journey. But don’t expect the film to offer up the usual “weird gal comes of age kind of late but...
- 1/21/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Horse Girl
Can Jeff Baena make it four for four? Having presented 2014’s Life After Beth, 2016’s Joshy and 2017’s The Little Hours at the fest, this Netflix/Duplass Bros/ Mel Eslyn production rolled out this summer in Los Angeles with not much info available beyond co-writting duties being split between Alison Brie and Baena.
Prediction: Premieres
The Humans
The Tony Award-winning author wrote the film adaptations of The Seagull and shortly after was the chosen one for an A24, Scott Rudin project starring Beanie Feldstein, Jayne Houdyshell, Richard Jenkins, Amy Schumer and Steven Yeun. Stephen Karam worked with cinematographer Lol Crawley on a tale set during pre-war duplex in downtown Manhattan — it follows the course of an evening in which the Blake family gathers to celebrate Thanksgiving.…...
Can Jeff Baena make it four for four? Having presented 2014’s Life After Beth, 2016’s Joshy and 2017’s The Little Hours at the fest, this Netflix/Duplass Bros/ Mel Eslyn production rolled out this summer in Los Angeles with not much info available beyond co-writting duties being split between Alison Brie and Baena.
Prediction: Premieres
The Humans
The Tony Award-winning author wrote the film adaptations of The Seagull and shortly after was the chosen one for an A24, Scott Rudin project starring Beanie Feldstein, Jayne Houdyshell, Richard Jenkins, Amy Schumer and Steven Yeun. Stephen Karam worked with cinematographer Lol Crawley on a tale set during pre-war duplex in downtown Manhattan — it follows the course of an evening in which the Blake family gathers to celebrate Thanksgiving.…...
- 11/13/2019
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “Rick and Morty” Season 3, Episode 9, “The ABCs of Beth.”]
Season 3 of “Rick and Morty” has been a true family affair, giving every member of the Smith clan the chance to join in on (mis)adventures across dimensions. Summer and Jerry each had their time to shine in their respective stories, and with one episode to spare before the show heads back into the offseason, Beth got the chance to join in on the fun.
Of course, this being “Rick and Morty,” “fun” has the most elastic definition imaginable, especially considering this week’s episode, “The ABCs of Beth,” kicks off with a news bulletin about a death row sentence. Realizing that the key to sparing an impending execution is by finding her childhood friend Tommy inside the reaches of Froopyland — a Rick-created fantasy rainbowverse, naturally — Beth follows her dad’s lead on the search.
With plenty of neon colors and tiny in-world touches like rubber-bouncy ground and a breathable technicolor river,...
Season 3 of “Rick and Morty” has been a true family affair, giving every member of the Smith clan the chance to join in on (mis)adventures across dimensions. Summer and Jerry each had their time to shine in their respective stories, and with one episode to spare before the show heads back into the offseason, Beth got the chance to join in on the fun.
Of course, this being “Rick and Morty,” “fun” has the most elastic definition imaginable, especially considering this week’s episode, “The ABCs of Beth,” kicks off with a news bulletin about a death row sentence. Realizing that the key to sparing an impending execution is by finding her childhood friend Tommy inside the reaches of Froopyland — a Rick-created fantasy rainbowverse, naturally — Beth follows her dad’s lead on the search.
With plenty of neon colors and tiny in-world touches like rubber-bouncy ground and a breathable technicolor river,...
- 9/25/2017
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Carol (Todd Haynes)
From the first note of Carter Burwell‘s magnificent score and opening shot of Edward Lachman’s ravishing cinematography — introducing a Brief Encounter-esque opening bookend — Todd Haynes transports one to an intoxicating world of first love and its requisite heartbreak. Carol excels at being many things: a romantic drama; a coming-of-age story; an exploration of family dynamics and social constructs of the time; an acting...
Carol (Todd Haynes)
From the first note of Carter Burwell‘s magnificent score and opening shot of Edward Lachman’s ravishing cinematography — introducing a Brief Encounter-esque opening bookend — Todd Haynes transports one to an intoxicating world of first love and its requisite heartbreak. Carol excels at being many things: a romantic drama; a coming-of-age story; an exploration of family dynamics and social constructs of the time; an acting...
- 9/22/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
All of a sudden the scary decline at the indie box office has reversed. Through the first five months of 2017, only four films opening limited in the standard four New York/Los Angeles theaters opened with a per theater average of $20,000. In the last four weeks, four films have opened strong as “Beatriz at Dinner” (Roadside Attractions), “The Big Sick” (Lionsgate) and “The Beguiled” (Focus) opened well and reached crossover crowds.
This week’s addition, Sundance comedy hit “The Little Hours” (Gunpowder & Sky) is the latest surprise. Loosely inspired by the bawdy 14th-century Boccaccio classic “The Decameron” (The Hollywood version starred Joan Fontaine while Pasolini shocked in 1971), this tale is set in the Medieval Italian countryside with bawdy contemporary dialogue as a randy peasant hides out at a convent after his master catches him with his wife. It did strong business at four theaters on two coasts.
This comes the...
This week’s addition, Sundance comedy hit “The Little Hours” (Gunpowder & Sky) is the latest surprise. Loosely inspired by the bawdy 14th-century Boccaccio classic “The Decameron” (The Hollywood version starred Joan Fontaine while Pasolini shocked in 1971), this tale is set in the Medieval Italian countryside with bawdy contemporary dialogue as a randy peasant hides out at a convent after his master catches him with his wife. It did strong business at four theaters on two coasts.
This comes the...
- 7/2/2017
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
In “The Little Hours,” Aubrey Plaza plays a foul-mouthed nun in 14th century Italy, the kind of sarcastic humor Plaza does best. Unsurprisingly, the actress had more than one hand in the production: It’s her first movie as a producer, and director Jeff Baena is her boyfriend.
The film, which also stars John C. Reilly, Dave Franco, Molly Shannon, and a host of other comedic actors, is a loose adaptation of “The Decameron,” the 1353 short story collection by Giovanni Boccaccio. However, “The Little Hours” is also notable for Plaza because it marks her first producing credit. The actress best known for her recurring role in “Parks and Recreation” already has a few more of those in the bag, including the upcoming “Ingrid Goes West,” which opens in August. Plaza’s work on “The Little Hours,” however, provides a window into the collaborative process of an indie power couple who...
The film, which also stars John C. Reilly, Dave Franco, Molly Shannon, and a host of other comedic actors, is a loose adaptation of “The Decameron,” the 1353 short story collection by Giovanni Boccaccio. However, “The Little Hours” is also notable for Plaza because it marks her first producing credit. The actress best known for her recurring role in “Parks and Recreation” already has a few more of those in the bag, including the upcoming “Ingrid Goes West,” which opens in August. Plaza’s work on “The Little Hours,” however, provides a window into the collaborative process of an indie power couple who...
- 6/29/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Plot: A bickering couple (Zoe Lister-Jones & Adam Pally) reinvigorate their marriage when they start a band with the kooky neighbor (Fred Armisen). Review: Band Aid is the directorial debut of actress Zoe Lister-Jones, best known for CBS’s “Life in Pieces.” A fun, indie-flavored comedy drama, very much along the same lines as something like the recent Joshy or The Overnight,... Read More...
- 5/31/2017
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
“Silicon Valley” star Thomas Middleditch has been cast in Legendary Entertainment’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” Variety reports. The film will hit theaters on March 22, 2019. Middleditch will star alongside Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga and O’Shea Jackson Jr.
Read More: ‘Silicon Valley’: Thomas Middleditch Breaks Down Richard’s Big Gamble in the Season 4 Premiere
“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” will be directed by “Krampus” director Michael Dougherty, who co-wrote the script with Zach Shields. The film follows 2014’s “Godzilla,” which took in roughly $530 million at the worldwide box office, and will hit theaters more than a year before “Godzilla vs. Kong,” which just attached director Adam Wingard and will debut on May 29, 2020.
Middleditch voices the role of Harold in Dreamworks Animation’s upcoming “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie,” which hits theaters on Friday. He will also appear in the Bruce Willis action-comedy “Once Upon...
Read More: ‘Silicon Valley’: Thomas Middleditch Breaks Down Richard’s Big Gamble in the Season 4 Premiere
“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” will be directed by “Krampus” director Michael Dougherty, who co-wrote the script with Zach Shields. The film follows 2014’s “Godzilla,” which took in roughly $530 million at the worldwide box office, and will hit theaters more than a year before “Godzilla vs. Kong,” which just attached director Adam Wingard and will debut on May 29, 2020.
Middleditch voices the role of Harold in Dreamworks Animation’s upcoming “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie,” which hits theaters on Friday. He will also appear in the Bruce Willis action-comedy “Once Upon...
- 5/31/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
A new trailer has been released for the upcoming nunsploitation comedy The Little Hours. I had a chance to watch this movie at Sundance and it was definitely one of the stranger and more awkward films that I saw there. It wasn't really my thing, but I think there's an audience out there who will enjoy it and find it funny.
The story was is set in medieval times and follows three nuns named Alessandra (Alison Brie), Fernanda (Aubrey Plaza), and Ginevra (Kate Micucci), who lead a simple yet complicated life in their convent. "Their days are spent chafing at monastic routine, spying on one another, and berating the estate’s day laborer. After a particularly vicious insult session drives the peasant away, Father Tommasso (John C. Reilly) brings on new hired hand Massetto (Dave Franco), a virile young servant forced into hiding by his angry lord. Introduced to the...
The story was is set in medieval times and follows three nuns named Alessandra (Alison Brie), Fernanda (Aubrey Plaza), and Ginevra (Kate Micucci), who lead a simple yet complicated life in their convent. "Their days are spent chafing at monastic routine, spying on one another, and berating the estate’s day laborer. After a particularly vicious insult session drives the peasant away, Father Tommasso (John C. Reilly) brings on new hired hand Massetto (Dave Franco), a virile young servant forced into hiding by his angry lord. Introduced to the...
- 5/31/2017
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Think of your standard YouTube character tribute videos. Three seasons of a show like “Silicon Valley” usually get you some classic one-liners, memorable character beats and a few outtakes for good measure, all wrapped up in a few minutes.
This one for Jared, Zach Woods’ character on HBO’s “Silicon Valley,” runs the length of an entire episode of the show.
Jared has always been at the center of the “Silicon Valley” story (there he is on the Season 1 poster, in full Steve Jobs pose, literally at the side of Pied Piper co-founder Richard Hendricks), but Woods has grown to be the show’s heart too. In a world of backstabbing and self-interest, Jared has remained the show’s sole, true altruist.
“I sometimes think of it as an archetypical family,” Woods said. “Erlich is the rambunctious father, Kumail is the baby boy, Gilfoyle is the cat and Richard is like the favorite son.
This one for Jared, Zach Woods’ character on HBO’s “Silicon Valley,” runs the length of an entire episode of the show.
Jared has always been at the center of the “Silicon Valley” story (there he is on the Season 1 poster, in full Steve Jobs pose, literally at the side of Pied Piper co-founder Richard Hendricks), but Woods has grown to be the show’s heart too. In a world of backstabbing and self-interest, Jared has remained the show’s sole, true altruist.
“I sometimes think of it as an archetypical family,” Woods said. “Erlich is the rambunctious father, Kumail is the baby boy, Gilfoyle is the cat and Richard is like the favorite son.
- 4/19/2017
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Packing perhaps the best comedy ensemble this summer — featuring Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Kate Micucci, Aubrey Plaza, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Fred Armisen, Jemima Kirke, Adam Pally and Nick Offerman — The Little Hours takes a Black Narcissus-esque concept and adds laughs. Coming from Jeff Baena, it’s based on “The Decameron” by Giovanni Boccaccio, and now the first red band trailer has arrived.
“Set in a 1347 medieval Italy, Jeff Baena’s follow-up to Joshy packs an even bigger cast and marks a step forward in his directorial style, even if the comedy ends up running out of steam,” I said in my Sundance review. “As our trio of nuns over-indulge in sacramental wine and take part in God-forbidden sexual desires, the cast exudes a lovable charm, despite the nagging sense they had more amusement making it then the audience has watching it.”
Check out the trailer below.
Medieval...
“Set in a 1347 medieval Italy, Jeff Baena’s follow-up to Joshy packs an even bigger cast and marks a step forward in his directorial style, even if the comedy ends up running out of steam,” I said in my Sundance review. “As our trio of nuns over-indulge in sacramental wine and take part in God-forbidden sexual desires, the cast exudes a lovable charm, despite the nagging sense they had more amusement making it then the audience has watching it.”
Check out the trailer below.
Medieval...
- 4/19/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Up to this point, Adam Pally’s career has been built around the exuberant, self-effacing comedian stealing scenes as a favored supporting player. Dating back to his breakout turn as Max in “Happy Endings” and including memorable appearances since then in “The Mindy Project,” “Lady Dynamite,” and “Joshy” (among others), Pally has proven an ideal addition to each of his projects thus far and always leaves you wanting more.
So it’s only fitting that as the great supporting actor graduates to leading man status, he ushers in a successor of equally delightful comedic charms: And that person is…Leighton Meester?
You’re goddamn right it’s Leighton Meester.
The two team up in the new Fox series, “Making History,” a joyful, self-aware comedy that falls squarely under the “don’t worry if it makes sense” approach to time travel stories. Pally plays Dan, a facilities manager at a Massachusetts...
So it’s only fitting that as the great supporting actor graduates to leading man status, he ushers in a successor of equally delightful comedic charms: And that person is…Leighton Meester?
You’re goddamn right it’s Leighton Meester.
The two team up in the new Fox series, “Making History,” a joyful, self-aware comedy that falls squarely under the “don’t worry if it makes sense” approach to time travel stories. Pally plays Dan, a facilities manager at a Massachusetts...
- 3/3/2017
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Golden Exits. © Sean Price Williams“No soul or locale is too humble,” John Updike wrote, “to be the site of entertaining and instructive fiction.” Which is a good thing for Nick, the nominal hero of Alex Ross Perry’s new film Golden Exits. The mild, meek, nearly-fifty archivist, played with greying dignity by former Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz, lives a pinched and incapacious existence, toiling ten hours a day hunched behind the desk of a basement office only a few blocks away from his Brooklyn apartment. It’s a spartan, closed-loop life, and Nick thinks it’s “thrilling”—which it becomes for a time, when a 25-year-old assistant arrives from Australia and threatens to disrupt it. Golden Exits is about that threat. Or more precisely, it is a film about what happens when order and routine are besieged by the promise of change—when the life one has accepted is beleaguered by temptation,...
- 2/26/2017
- MUBI
One year after its launch, the digital studio Gunpowder & Sky has filled its distribution pipeline with a number of interesting projects. Up next for the company led by former Viacom and Endemol execs is The Little Hours, a feature film that premiere to generally positive reviews at the Sundance Film Festival.
The Little Hours, which stars sitcom sweethearts Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, and Kate Micucci, is a modern-day take on the 14th-century Italian anthology The Decameron, and it contains the same sort of bawdy comedy that has allowed its source material to hold up 600 years after it was first written. The new film was screened at Sundance, where it was generally well-received; The Hollywood Reporter offered particularly effusive praise.
The director of The Little Hours, Jeff Baena, is no stranger to the world of digital distribution. His last film Joshy, was one of the first picked up by Hulu as...
The Little Hours, which stars sitcom sweethearts Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, and Kate Micucci, is a modern-day take on the 14th-century Italian anthology The Decameron, and it contains the same sort of bawdy comedy that has allowed its source material to hold up 600 years after it was first written. The new film was screened at Sundance, where it was generally well-received; The Hollywood Reporter offered particularly effusive praise.
The director of The Little Hours, Jeff Baena, is no stranger to the world of digital distribution. His last film Joshy, was one of the first picked up by Hulu as...
- 1/27/2017
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
The company that recently acquired FilmBuff has picked up North America and select territories on Jeff Baena’s latest drama.
Baena’s follow-up to Sundance 2016 selection Joshy and Sundance 2014 entry Life After Beth stars Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza and Kate Micucci as Italian nuns having a hard time keeping their vow of celibacy.
The cast includes Dave Franco, John C Reilly, Molly Shannon, Fred Armisen, Jemima Kirke, Lauren Weedman, Paul Reiser, Adam Pally, Paul Weitz, Jon Gabrus and Nick Offerman.
Liz Destro of Destro Films produced The Little Hours with Plaza. Starstream Media, Bow and Arrow Entertainment, Foton Pictures, Concourse Media and Exhibit served as executive producers.
Jake Hanly and Janet Brown negotiated on behalf of Gunpowder & Sky with Wme Global and CAA for the filmmakers.
Baena’s follow-up to Sundance 2016 selection Joshy and Sundance 2014 entry Life After Beth stars Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza and Kate Micucci as Italian nuns having a hard time keeping their vow of celibacy.
The cast includes Dave Franco, John C Reilly, Molly Shannon, Fred Armisen, Jemima Kirke, Lauren Weedman, Paul Reiser, Adam Pally, Paul Weitz, Jon Gabrus and Nick Offerman.
Liz Destro of Destro Films produced The Little Hours with Plaza. Starstream Media, Bow and Arrow Entertainment, Foton Pictures, Concourse Media and Exhibit served as executive producers.
Jake Hanly and Janet Brown negotiated on behalf of Gunpowder & Sky with Wme Global and CAA for the filmmakers.
- 1/26/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
As in the past few years, the 2017 Sundance Film Festival kicked off with a sampling of six movies from the different sections, but the movie that probably had the most interest right off the bat was the premiere of An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.
Ten years after Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth was blowing minds about global warming from its 2006 Sundance premiere to winning the Oscar, he’s back with an update that offers at least some hope for the future of the earth, but tempered with a warning that the United States could end up backtracking under the leadership of a vocal denier of climate change.
The previous movie was essentially Gore’s slide show presentation of graphs and charts showing how the build-up of carbon gases in the atmosphere has created unstable climate and weather, being responsible for the increase in the deadliest typhoons and hurricanes. At first,...
Ten years after Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth was blowing minds about global warming from its 2006 Sundance premiere to winning the Oscar, he’s back with an update that offers at least some hope for the future of the earth, but tempered with a warning that the United States could end up backtracking under the leadership of a vocal denier of climate change.
The previous movie was essentially Gore’s slide show presentation of graphs and charts showing how the build-up of carbon gases in the atmosphere has created unstable climate and weather, being responsible for the increase in the deadliest typhoons and hurricanes. At first,...
- 1/23/2017
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
The Sundance Film Festival has arrived! One of the things I enjoy most about this event is that I have no idea what to expect from most of the movies that I see. It's like playing a deadly game of cinematic Russian roulette. You pull the trigger on seeing a film you know nothing about hoping it doesn't blow your brains out.
The first film I saw at the festival was a medieval comedy called The Littlest Hours, and it didn't necessarily blow my brains out, but it was certainly a misfire that left me dazed and confused. This was an absolutely ridiculous movie. I had no idea what the hell was going on in this film or what the point of it even was.
The story was is set in medieval times and follows three nuns named Alessandra (Alison Brie), Fernanda (Aubrey Plaza), and Ginevra (Kate Micucci), who lead...
The first film I saw at the festival was a medieval comedy called The Littlest Hours, and it didn't necessarily blow my brains out, but it was certainly a misfire that left me dazed and confused. This was an absolutely ridiculous movie. I had no idea what the hell was going on in this film or what the point of it even was.
The story was is set in medieval times and follows three nuns named Alessandra (Alison Brie), Fernanda (Aubrey Plaza), and Ginevra (Kate Micucci), who lead...
- 1/22/2017
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
You know you’re in for a good time when a trio of nuns turn to the genial farmer who greets them one morning with the retort, “Don’t fucking talk to us!” That’s the underlying charm of “The Little Hours,” in which every joke stems from people talking the last way you’d expect of them. Matching a crackling wit with the absurd dissonance of time and place found in the best of Monty Python and Mel Brooks, “Little Hours” is so eager to please that its one-note humor lands with ease.
Writer-director Jeff Baena’s improv-laden twist on “The Decameron,” in which wily 13th-century nuns speak in raunchy contemporary dialogue and engage in sexual deviance, milks its premise for as many jokes as possible and then keeps going, with uneven but mostly hilarious results. Overall, it’s a perfectly satisfying snapshot of subversive comedy that delivers where it counts.
Writer-director Jeff Baena’s improv-laden twist on “The Decameron,” in which wily 13th-century nuns speak in raunchy contemporary dialogue and engage in sexual deviance, milks its premise for as many jokes as possible and then keeps going, with uneven but mostly hilarious results. Overall, it’s a perfectly satisfying snapshot of subversive comedy that delivers where it counts.
- 1/20/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Take a portion of The Devils, add a splash of The Witch, a heaping of Monty Python, and then douse it in the comedy of today and you have The Little Hours. Set in a 1347 medieval Italy, Jeff Baena’s follow-up to Joshy packs an even bigger cast — including Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Kate Micucci, Aubrey Plaza, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Nick Offerman, Fred Armisen, Jemima Kirke, Adam Pally, and Paul Reiser — and marks a step forward in his directorial style, even if the comedy ends up running out of steam. As our trio of nuns over-indulge in sacramental wine and take part in God-forbidden sexual desires, the cast exudes a lovable charm, despite the nagging sense they had more amusement making it then the audience has watching it.
Based on an amalgamation of short stories in Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron, The Little Hours may base its structural...
Based on an amalgamation of short stories in Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron, The Little Hours may base its structural...
- 1/20/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Later this week, Lrm will be attending this year’s Sundance Film Festival. While the festival tends to be a mixed bag of indie films, some will be picked up for distribution by studios and turned into mainstream hits, others will flounder and be lucky to get a VOD release. Even so, there’s no denying that Sundance is the real beginning of the year for most movie lovers as we’ll be talking about the movies below for the next 12 months.
Last year alone, Sundance held the premieres for The Birth of a Nation, Manchester by the Sea, Captain Fantastic, Love and Friendship, The Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Sing Street and many more films, some that appeared on The Weekend Warrior’s year-end Top 25. One or two of those might even receive Oscar nominations when they’re announced next week on January 24.
Most of the films I’ve selected...
Last year alone, Sundance held the premieres for The Birth of a Nation, Manchester by the Sea, Captain Fantastic, Love and Friendship, The Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Sing Street and many more films, some that appeared on The Weekend Warrior’s year-end Top 25. One or two of those might even receive Oscar nominations when they’re announced next week on January 24.
Most of the films I’ve selected...
- 1/17/2017
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
John Mulaney and Nick Kroll are taking on hosting duties for this year's Film Independent Spirit Awards.
The comedy duo — who will have wrapped their guest-filled, fame-skewering Broadway show Oh, Hello — will emcee Film Independent's annual awards ceremony that honors the best in independent filmmaking.
In 2016, Kroll appeared in Seth Rogen's Sausage Party, Jeff Nichols' Loving and the indie Joshy. He is in theaters now as the voice of a musically inclined pig in Illumination Entertainment's Sing. Mulaney, a former Saturday Night Live writer, recently released his third stand-up special, The Comeback Kid, with Netflix.
No word yet on whether...
The comedy duo — who will have wrapped their guest-filled, fame-skewering Broadway show Oh, Hello — will emcee Film Independent's annual awards ceremony that honors the best in independent filmmaking.
In 2016, Kroll appeared in Seth Rogen's Sausage Party, Jeff Nichols' Loving and the indie Joshy. He is in theaters now as the voice of a musically inclined pig in Illumination Entertainment's Sing. Mulaney, a former Saturday Night Live writer, recently released his third stand-up special, The Comeback Kid, with Netflix.
No word yet on whether...
- 1/3/2017
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As soon as the clock strikes twelve on New Year’s Eve, we’ll have to start putting our focus on Park City, where the next buzzed about movies will start to emerge at the Sundance Film Festival. As always, there’s a sea of movies to wade through, and one on our radar is “The Little Hours.”
Written and directed by Jeff Baena (“Life After Beth,” “Joshy“) and featuring a pretty great ensemble including Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Kate Micucci, Aubrey Plaza, John C.
Continue reading Sundance First Look: ‘The Little Hours’ Starring Alison Brie, Kate Micucci & Aubrey Plaza at The Playlist.
Written and directed by Jeff Baena (“Life After Beth,” “Joshy“) and featuring a pretty great ensemble including Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Kate Micucci, Aubrey Plaza, John C.
Continue reading Sundance First Look: ‘The Little Hours’ Starring Alison Brie, Kate Micucci & Aubrey Plaza at The Playlist.
- 12/29/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Written and directed by Jeff Baena, Joshy is a dark comedy about a man named Joshy whose engagement abruptly ends through no fault of his own. Granted, he doesn’t take it too well so his close friends decide to use the house in Ojai they rented for his bachelor party and make the best of […]
The post ‘Joshy’ BluRay Review: Enjoyable Dark Comedy appeared first on uInterview.
The post ‘Joshy’ BluRay Review: Enjoyable Dark Comedy appeared first on uInterview.
- 11/16/2016
- by Jody Williams
- Uinterview
Superfans of sadly deceased ABC sitcoms got a treat on Saturday afternoon, courtesy of EW Popfest and the writers of “Happy Endings.” Stars Casey Wilson, Damon Wayans Jr., Eliza Coupe, Elisha Cuthbert, Adam Pally and Zackary Knighton, as well as creator David Caspe and more, reunited for the table read of what was officially decreed to be Episode 401, “Happy to Be Here,” a “lost episode” of the series.
Read More: ‘Happy Endings’ Writers Room Re-Opens as Cast Prepares for Live Reunion
The episode featured Penny and Max trying to reunite the gang three years after the end of the Season 3 finale, which (as revealed in flashbacks) occurred moments before a massive fight between Brad and Jane broke up the show’s ultimate power couple and also tore their friend group apart. Traveling the world from London (where Alex has found some success) to Japan (where Jane heads up Toyota’s...
Read More: ‘Happy Endings’ Writers Room Re-Opens as Cast Prepares for Live Reunion
The episode featured Penny and Max trying to reunite the gang three years after the end of the Season 3 finale, which (as revealed in flashbacks) occurred moments before a massive fight between Brad and Jane broke up the show’s ultimate power couple and also tore their friend group apart. Traveling the world from London (where Alex has found some success) to Japan (where Jane heads up Toyota’s...
- 10/30/2016
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
Independent film director Alex Ross Perry has a full slate of upcoming projects, including a new feature film and a yet-to-be-titled live-action “Winnie the Pooh” project, but he found the time to co-direct a music video for the duo Sleigh Bells with the band’s Derek E. Miller. The song is titled “I Can Only Stare” and it’s off their upcoming album “Jessica Rabbit.” The video was shot in 16mm and it features singer Alexis Krauss playing three different women. Watch it below.
Read More: Alex Ross Perry: Indie Filmmakers Can Afford to Shoot Film
Perry has directed four feature films so far. His first two films were “Impolex,” based off Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Gravity’s Rainbow,” and “The Color Wheel,” starring Perry and Carlen Altman as two siblings on a road trip. He garnered much acclaim with his third film “Listen Up Philip,” which stars Jason Schwartzman...
Read More: Alex Ross Perry: Indie Filmmakers Can Afford to Shoot Film
Perry has directed four feature films so far. His first two films were “Impolex,” based off Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Gravity’s Rainbow,” and “The Color Wheel,” starring Perry and Carlen Altman as two siblings on a road trip. He garnered much acclaim with his third film “Listen Up Philip,” which stars Jason Schwartzman...
- 10/26/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
After earning lots of laughs at its Sundance Film Festival premiere, the comedy Joshy will arrive on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD), DVD (plus Digital) and Digital HD October 4from Lionsgate. The film is currently available On Demand. Thomas Middleditch stars as Joshy, a man who takes a trip with his friends after his engagement suddenly ends. Rounding out the hilarious cast is Adam Pally, Nick Kroll, Jenny Slate and more! From the writer of I Heart Huckabees and Life After Beth, the Joshy Blu-ray and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of$19.99 and $19.98, respectively.
Now you can win a Blu-ray (+ digital) of Joshy. We Are Movie Geeks has three copies to give away. All you have to do is leave a message below and answer this question: What is your favorite movie that begins with the letter ‘J’? (mine is Jason And The Argonauts). It’s so easy!
Now you can win a Blu-ray (+ digital) of Joshy. We Are Movie Geeks has three copies to give away. All you have to do is leave a message below and answer this question: What is your favorite movie that begins with the letter ‘J’? (mine is Jason And The Argonauts). It’s so easy!
- 9/30/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Think of the first word that comes to your mind when you hear the term “rom-com.” Got it? I bet it isn’t “shame.” Yet, when we spoke with Jenny Slate and Nick Kroll about their roles in Sophie Goodhart’s “My Blind Brother” (opening in select theaters today), that was one of the first words Slate used to describe the romantic dynamic between their characters.
Rose (Slate) and Bill (Kroll) are former one-night-standers who find themselves thrust back together when Rose starts dating his visually impaired brother, Robbie (Adam Scott). “They have a lot of joy and delight and they are trying to get each other’s attention, but then they’re both pushing away. It’s the regulation of that shame flow that I was interested in,” Slate said of the complicated dynamic at play.
Read More: Watch: Indie Spirit Nominee Jenny Slate on Sex and Standup in ‘Obvious Child’
This,...
Rose (Slate) and Bill (Kroll) are former one-night-standers who find themselves thrust back together when Rose starts dating his visually impaired brother, Robbie (Adam Scott). “They have a lot of joy and delight and they are trying to get each other’s attention, but then they’re both pushing away. It’s the regulation of that shame flow that I was interested in,” Slate said of the complicated dynamic at play.
Read More: Watch: Indie Spirit Nominee Jenny Slate on Sex and Standup in ‘Obvious Child’
This,...
- 9/23/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
We will have a Blu-ray Giveaway contest for Joshy next week here ate We Are Movie Geeks
After earning lots of laughs at its Sundance Film Festival premiere, the comedy Joshy will arrive on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD), DVD (plus Digital) and Digital HD October 4 from Lionsgate. The film is currently available On Demand. Thomas Middleditch stars as Joshy, a man who takes a trip with his friends after his engagement suddenly ends. Rounding out the hilarious cast is Adam Pally, Nick Kroll, Jenny Slate and more! From the writer of I Heart Huckabees and Life After Beth, the Joshy Blu-ray and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of$19.99 and $19.98, respectively.
Official Synopsis
After his engagement suddenly ends, Joshy and a few of his friends decide to take advantage of what was supposed to be his bachelor party in Ojai, California. In their attempt to help Joshy...
After earning lots of laughs at its Sundance Film Festival premiere, the comedy Joshy will arrive on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD), DVD (plus Digital) and Digital HD October 4 from Lionsgate. The film is currently available On Demand. Thomas Middleditch stars as Joshy, a man who takes a trip with his friends after his engagement suddenly ends. Rounding out the hilarious cast is Adam Pally, Nick Kroll, Jenny Slate and more! From the writer of I Heart Huckabees and Life After Beth, the Joshy Blu-ray and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of$19.99 and $19.98, respectively.
Official Synopsis
After his engagement suddenly ends, Joshy and a few of his friends decide to take advantage of what was supposed to be his bachelor party in Ojai, California. In their attempt to help Joshy...
- 9/22/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Here’s your daily dose of an indie film, web series, TV pilot, what-have-you in progress — at the end of the week, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.
In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.
Pigeon Kings
Logline: A group of men in South Central Los Angeles find hope through their dedication to the rare sport of somersaulting pigeons.
Elevator Pitch:
Many have heard about pigeon coops and those raising pigeons in the inner cities of America, but many do not know why this subculture has emerged and what its purpose is. That is what “Pigeon Kings” wants to bring to light.
Through the story of these amazing men who have dedicated their lives to the little known sport of competitive rolling pigeons, we show not only this unique subculture but also a story of a...
In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.
Pigeon Kings
Logline: A group of men in South Central Los Angeles find hope through their dedication to the rare sport of somersaulting pigeons.
Elevator Pitch:
Many have heard about pigeon coops and those raising pigeons in the inner cities of America, but many do not know why this subculture has emerged and what its purpose is. That is what “Pigeon Kings” wants to bring to light.
Through the story of these amazing men who have dedicated their lives to the little known sport of competitive rolling pigeons, we show not only this unique subculture but also a story of a...
- 9/19/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
American Ultra (Nima Nourizadeh)
From its first few shots, it’s clear that American Ultra is removed from the relatively grounded drama of Greg Mottola’s underrated Adventureland, the last film that paired Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart. We first meet Eisenberg’s bloodied and beaten Mike Howell detained and chained to a table in a septic interrogation room. As an agent throws photographic evidence of...
American Ultra (Nima Nourizadeh)
From its first few shots, it’s clear that American Ultra is removed from the relatively grounded drama of Greg Mottola’s underrated Adventureland, the last film that paired Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart. We first meet Eisenberg’s bloodied and beaten Mike Howell detained and chained to a table in a septic interrogation room. As an agent throws photographic evidence of...
- 8/12/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Every week, a bevy of new releases (independent or otherwise), open in theaters. That’s why we created the Weekly Film Guide, filled with basic plot, personnel and cinema information for all of this week’s fresh offerings.
For August, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for August 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, August 12. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
Anthropoid
Director: Sean Ellis
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Harry Lloyd, Jamie Dornan, Toby Jones
Synopsis: “Anthropoid” is based on the extraordinary true story of “Operation Anthropoid,” the code name for the Czechoslovakian operatives’ mission to assassinate SS officer Reinhard Heydrich. Heydrich, the main architect behind the Final Solution,...
For August, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for August 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, August 12. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
Anthropoid
Director: Sean Ellis
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Harry Lloyd, Jamie Dornan, Toby Jones
Synopsis: “Anthropoid” is based on the extraordinary true story of “Operation Anthropoid,” the code name for the Czechoslovakian operatives’ mission to assassinate SS officer Reinhard Heydrich. Heydrich, the main architect behind the Final Solution,...
- 8/11/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Thanks in part to a couple of “Star Trek” movies, Chris Pine is now one of the most recognizable faces at the movies. His mixture of old-school swagger and disarming charm helped introduce a new generation to Captain James T. Kirk, while keeping diehard fans at bay, and that appeal shows no sign of letting up: The latest “Star Trek” film has grossed close to $200 million worldwide this summer and it’s still going.
But while some stars anchoring franchises may stick close to the blockbuster routine, over the past year, that hasn’t been Pine’s only mode — or even the one that interests him the most these days. In last year’s minimalist post-apocalyptic drama “Z for Zachariah,” Craig Zobel directed Pine as one-third of a tense love triangle featuring three survivors on a farm who comprised the entire cast of the movie.
Read More: ‘Star Trek Beyond...
But while some stars anchoring franchises may stick close to the blockbuster routine, over the past year, that hasn’t been Pine’s only mode — or even the one that interests him the most these days. In last year’s minimalist post-apocalyptic drama “Z for Zachariah,” Craig Zobel directed Pine as one-third of a tense love triangle featuring three survivors on a farm who comprised the entire cast of the movie.
Read More: ‘Star Trek Beyond...
- 8/11/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Jeff Baena’s Joshy uses so much architecture from indie-movie blueprints and uses so many comic actors as building blocks that it briefly seems like an elaborate spoof project. Tropes like unconventional grieving, romantic bumbling, and a weekend reunion that changes everything could easily be savaged by the likes of Thomas Middleditch, Nick Kroll, Jenny Slate, and Adam Pally. But while it is something of a comedy, Joshy is also serious, and its comic actors follow suit. The title character, played by Middleditch, experiences the abrupt, traumatic end of his engagement in the film’s jarring first sequence, and six months later meets up with his friends Ari (Pally), Adam (Alex Ross Perry), and Eric (Nick Kroll) to convert a planned bachelor party at a rented house into a general guys’ weekend.
This could also be material for a Hangover knockoff, but a melancholic pall hangs over the proceedings. Josh...
This could also be material for a Hangover knockoff, but a melancholic pall hangs over the proceedings. Josh...
- 8/11/2016
- by Jesse Hassenger
- avclub.com
If filmmaker Jeff Baena had his way, this interview wouldn’t exist. The filmmaker behind films like “Life After Beth” and the soon-to-be-released “Joshy” isn’t a fan of playing to the press or penning long synopses of his films or, really, releasing any kind of information about his projects before they hit the big screen.
Unsurprisingly, Baena breathed a sigh of relief during a recent interview, when I mentioned that a first act plot point in his Sundance premiere “Joshy” genuinely surprised me. It’s a major element of the story – and one that won’t be spoiled here – that’s neatly obscured by the film’s upbeat marketing and a very well-worded official synopsis.
Read More: ‘Joshy’ Trailer: Thomas Middleditch & Jenny Slate Get Weird In Sundance Comedy
“That was intentional,” Baena said. “Ideally, I don’t necessarily want to talk about it. It’s so rare when marketing...
Unsurprisingly, Baena breathed a sigh of relief during a recent interview, when I mentioned that a first act plot point in his Sundance premiere “Joshy” genuinely surprised me. It’s a major element of the story – and one that won’t be spoiled here – that’s neatly obscured by the film’s upbeat marketing and a very well-worded official synopsis.
Read More: ‘Joshy’ Trailer: Thomas Middleditch & Jenny Slate Get Weird In Sundance Comedy
“That was intentional,” Baena said. “Ideally, I don’t necessarily want to talk about it. It’s so rare when marketing...
- 8/10/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Bryce Dallas Howard is checking a lot of boxes on her career bucket list. After starring in last year’s box office record-breaker “Jurassic World,” the actress and daughter of director Ron Howard landed a role in Disney’s upcoming adventure-fantasy “Pete’s Dragon,” a reimagining of the 1977 children’s classic she adored as a child. Howard was such a fan of the original film that she sought out the script for the new movie immediately upon hearing about plans for a reboot.
Read More: ‘Pete’s Dragon’ Review: An Old Disney Musical Becomes A New Disney Classic
“I was pleasantly surprised that it was something that could stand alone and wasn’t stepping on my memories of the original,” Howard told IndieWire in a recent interview. “It was a really beautiful, powerful, magical story.”
Co-written and directed by David Lowery, the writer-director of 2013’s “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints,...
Read More: ‘Pete’s Dragon’ Review: An Old Disney Musical Becomes A New Disney Classic
“I was pleasantly surprised that it was something that could stand alone and wasn’t stepping on my memories of the original,” Howard told IndieWire in a recent interview. “It was a really beautiful, powerful, magical story.”
Co-written and directed by David Lowery, the writer-director of 2013’s “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints,...
- 8/10/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Millennials may be studios’ most coveted audience, but it is overly-privileged Gen-Xers, and their anxieties and midlife disappointments, that are the target demographic of the upcoming indie comedy, Joshy.
A few months after the suicide of his fiancée, Josh and his bro-pals decide on a trip to the Ojai woods as a bachelor party slash coping weekend. Josh (comedian Thomas Middleditch, from the show Silicon Valley), is joined on the getaway by his best pal Ari (comedian Adam Pally, from The Mindy Project), his uncomfortably nerdy friend Adam (Alex Ross Perry), and his coworker Eric (comedian Nick Groll, from the show The League). Eric in turn invites his sidekick Greg (Brett Gelman from the show Married), to round out the fearsome fivesome of emotionally stunted buddies.
After the characters’ arrival at the idyllic cabin, most of the movie’s runtime is eaten up by their ridiculous, immature antics, of the...
A few months after the suicide of his fiancée, Josh and his bro-pals decide on a trip to the Ojai woods as a bachelor party slash coping weekend. Josh (comedian Thomas Middleditch, from the show Silicon Valley), is joined on the getaway by his best pal Ari (comedian Adam Pally, from The Mindy Project), his uncomfortably nerdy friend Adam (Alex Ross Perry), and his coworker Eric (comedian Nick Groll, from the show The League). Eric in turn invites his sidekick Greg (Brett Gelman from the show Married), to round out the fearsome fivesome of emotionally stunted buddies.
After the characters’ arrival at the idyllic cabin, most of the movie’s runtime is eaten up by their ridiculous, immature antics, of the...
- 8/10/2016
- by J Don Birnam
- LRMonline.com
Our resident VOD expert tells you what's new to rent and/or own this week via various Digital HD providers such as cable Movies On Demand, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play and, of course, Netflix. Cable Movies On Demand: Same-day-as-disc releases, older titles and pretheatrical exclusives for rent, priced from $3-$10, in 24- or 48-hour periods A Hologram for the King (drama-comedy; Tom Hanks, Alexander Black; rated R) The Million Dollar Duck (documentary-comedy; Adam Grimm, Rob McBroom; rated PG) Amateur Night (comedy; Jason Biggs, Ashley Tisdale, Janet Montgomery; premieres 8/12 on cable Mod and in theaters; not rated) Joshy (comedy; Thomas Middleditch, Adam Pally; premieres 8/12 on cable Mod and in theaters; rated R) Disorder (action-thriller; Diane Kruger...
Read More...
Read More...
- 8/10/2016
- by Robert B. DeSalvo
- Movies.com
Late summer is an odd time in the moviegoing calendar, when the last gasps of blockbuster season share cineplex marquees with left-of-center indies and slightly off-beat studio projects. August brings a varied slate of new releases, from a fantastical children's stop-motion wonder to a true story dramatized as a wartime bro-out to a comedy showcase for the cream of the sitcom crop. Pretty much every taste can find something worth investigating this month, so read on for a full briefing on what's to come:
Suicide Squad (8/5)
It's good to be...
Suicide Squad (8/5)
It's good to be...
- 8/2/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Jenny Slate isn’t exactly a newcomer, but she’s entered that period of her career where people are recognizing her on the street — even if they can’t quite put their finger on where they’ve seen her before. But it’s hard to blame them, because Slate is everywhere these days.
“It’s a bunch of Marcel the Shell and Mona-Lisa [Saperstein],” Slate said when IndieWire recently asked her what roles she’s most often recognized for. “I find that in New York, and especially in Brooklyn, it’s a lot of ‘Obvious Child’ people, which is really nice. A lot of people think that I’m one of the women from ‘Broad City’ — and I’m just not.”
And sometimes it just gets weird. “I also just get confused with people from their Jewish summer camp or synagogue,” she said, and laughed. “They’re always like ‘I...
“It’s a bunch of Marcel the Shell and Mona-Lisa [Saperstein],” Slate said when IndieWire recently asked her what roles she’s most often recognized for. “I find that in New York, and especially in Brooklyn, it’s a lot of ‘Obvious Child’ people, which is really nice. A lot of people think that I’m one of the women from ‘Broad City’ — and I’m just not.”
And sometimes it just gets weird. “I also just get confused with people from their Jewish summer camp or synagogue,” she said, and laughed. “They’re always like ‘I...
- 7/7/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
If it’s true that every generation gets the “Wedding Crashers” it deserves, then millennials have finally gotten some definitive proof that they’re doing alright. Starting with a timeless premise — young people are stupid — and spinning it into a broad, crass, and relentlessly amusing mid-summer surprise, “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” may not be the first Apatow-era comedy about twentysomethings coming to grips with the fact that they won’t live forever (and it’s certainly not the deepest, as it lingers in your memory for about as long as a Snapchat), but it might just be one of the funniest.
Very, very loosely based on the true story of short-lived viral sensations Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave (Ye Mighty Zac Efron) Stangle, this delightful work of idiocy introduces the Brothers Dim through rose-colored shot glasses, as the opening credits take us through all the family events that...
Very, very loosely based on the true story of short-lived viral sensations Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave (Ye Mighty Zac Efron) Stangle, this delightful work of idiocy introduces the Brothers Dim through rose-colored shot glasses, as the opening credits take us through all the family events that...
- 7/5/2016
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Joshy is probably one of the saddest dark comedies that I’ve ever seen. The story starts out very very dark and then lightens up a bit, but it’s still sprinkled with darkness throughout the movie. I thought the movie was really well made and it had a solid cast that includes Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley) as Josh, and he's joined by Nick Kroll, Alex Ross Perry, Brett Gelman, Alison Brie, Adam Pally, Jake Johnson, and Aubrey Plaza. I thought Kroll was hilarious and easily the best part of the movie.
After his engagement suddenly ends, Joshy and a few his friends decide to take advantage of what was supposed to be his bachelor party in Ojai, California. In their attempt to help Joshy deal with the recent turn of events, the guys turn the getaway into a raucous weekend filled with drugs, booze, debauchery, and hot tubs.
If...
After his engagement suddenly ends, Joshy and a few his friends decide to take advantage of what was supposed to be his bachelor party in Ojai, California. In their attempt to help Joshy deal with the recent turn of events, the guys turn the getaway into a raucous weekend filled with drugs, booze, debauchery, and hot tubs.
If...
- 7/3/2016
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Cersei’s wild gambit may be getting all the attention this morning, but last night also marked the season finale of HBO’s other great saga about power and manipulation, Silicon Valley. The good news is that the season ended on a high note — season three has been its best to date and the finale was every […]
The post ‘Joshy’ Trailer: Thomas Middleditch Has the Saddest Bachelor Party of All Time appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Joshy’ Trailer: Thomas Middleditch Has the Saddest Bachelor Party of All Time appeared first on /Film.
- 6/27/2016
- by Angie Han
- Slash Film
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