 One way that a comedy can usually be sure to lose me is to have the characters and even the film in general just be mean-spirited. That’s an issue I’ve had with a some black comedies, but somehow ‘Bachelorette’ manages to avoid my wrath. The reason? I actually bought into these characters organically being the way that they are, not because writer/director Leslye Headland simply decided. In adapting her own play, Headland has assembled a talented cast (including Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan, Rebel Wilson, Adam Scott, and James Marsden) and allowed them to go all out in being unlikable while still keeping a firm grip on things. It’s a dangerous tightrope to walk, and ‘Bachelorette’ isn’t a great film, but it manages not to trip and it turns out to be a good comedy with a number of laughs. I can see a number of people hating the flick, but I also know of a few who liked it more than I did, so reactions are going to be all over the place. Those who recognize these characters will probably have a visceral reaction to their appearance onscreen.
Read more on Bachelorette (***)…
 To be certain, we’re now in the thick of ‘To the Wonder’ in terms of Terrence Malick, but it’s hard to forget that he’s also got a bevy of projects being worked on. Clearly, this is his most productive period to date, though still with the trademark secrecy that he’s cultivated throughout his career. His next film is going to be ‘Knight of Cups’ and The Playlist has gotten the first new bit of information here about the work (plus a bit on the film that was to be called ‘Lawless’ and the documentary ‘Voyage of Time’). Apparently it stars Christian Bale and it’s going to be about the movie industry…but you can read more after the jump. Malick on movies? I’m interested, that’s for sure. The details on this and his other upcoming projects can be found below…
Read more on Terrence Malick’s ‘Knight of Cups’ is about the movie industry?…
 We’re literally only a week and change away from Paul Thomas Anderson unleashing ‘The Master’ on paying audiences (not to mention festival screenings already underway and press screenings to come very shortly). Of course, that can mean only one thing…it’s time to start talking about what Anderson could be making next. He’s had his eye on an adaptation of the Thomas Pynchon novel ‘Inherent Vice’ for a little bit now, with Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role. He’s also now looking to adapt ‘Gravity’s Rainbow’ as well, so there are options, which The Playlist has gone over here. After the jump you can see what PTA had to say, but I’m interested in both works. Hit the jump for more…
Read more on Two Big Adaptations Circle Paul Thomas Anderson’s Next Projects…
 Despite my adoration for ‘Kick-Ass’, I must say that I’m more dreading the sequel than anything else. I sure hope that ‘Kick-Ass 2′ turns out to be good, but losing Matthew Vaughn’s direction is a big deal in my book. At the very least though, there’s an effort being made to keep the cast top notch, as Collider is reporting here that a supporting role will be played by none other than Jim Carrey. This is definitely not his normal sort of movie, and perhaps that will benefit both him and the film. After the jump you can find out who he’s playing, but I sure hope this flick works, or at least doesn’t sully my fond memories of its predecessor. Read on below for more…
Read more on Jim Carrey officially joins the cast of ‘Kick-Ass 2′…
On September 13th, Google Play is teaming up with the people at DreamWorks Pictures to deliver the premiere of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln trailer. The director and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who stars in the film) will be on hand for the highly anticipated debut, which will include a live conversation with the two stars as well.
Here is the official release:
Burbank, CA (September 4, 2012) – DreamWorks Pictures and Google Play announced today that they will debut the theatrical trailer for “Lincoln” during a Google+ Hangout on Thursday, September 13, 2012, at 4 p.m. PT.
Read more on Spielberg, Gordon-Levitt, and Google Play Team Up for Lincoln Trailer Premiere…
As the awards season draws nearer, it becomes a fun game to be the first to spot the surprise Oscar nominees that no one else sees coming. In the case for Best Animated Feature Film, we’ve seen a few of this year’s frontrunners already (Brave, ParaNorman), with several more to come in the next few weeks/months (Frankenweenie, Wreck-It Ralph). But Oscar handles this category the way I sometimes wish they would handle their Best Picture race, often finding diamonds in the rough, without any fear to go with lesser known/seen films – regardless of the spoken language in the film. Since the category’s inception back in 2001, there have been several animated films to receive a nomination that fit this description, including The Triplets of Belleville (2003), Persepolis (2007), The Illusionist (2010), and both Chico and Rita and A Cat in Paris from just last year.
Read more on Oscar Animated Feature: A Legitimate Frontrunner Steps Forward…
 More and more we’ve seen actors taking an interest in the behind the scenes/production process of film making. According to The Hollywood Reporter,Tom Hardy, Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio are the latest stars to make that move, teaming up to produce an anti-poaching drama . Hardy developed the idea for the film based on tales from his friends who are former Special Forces operatives and went on to become anti-poaching fighters. Word is they are looking to make this film in a style similar to Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic, moving from the ground war on poachers in the African savanna to seeing how animal material ends up in the fashion houses of Paris.
Read more on DiCaprio, Maguire, and Hardy team up for anti-poaching drama!…
 It’s all coming together now for Peter Jackson. A few weeks ago it was announced that Jackson would indeed split his Hobbit sequels into a trilogy, and now The Hollywood Reporter has learned more about the sequels. The sequels will be titled The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, to be released on December 13, 2013 and July 18, 2014 respectively. Whether that last title is a tongue in cheek reference to how we’re getting prequel film to a story we already have most of the information for is anyone’s guess. It’s interesting that Warner Bros. has put the third Hobbit film on the same day Fox was set to release the sequel to X-Men: First Class. One of them (most likely Fox) will have to blink and change the date right? Giving us another look into the film i09 and Gamma Squad have released images from the 2013 annual, including the first image of Lee Pace as Thrandruil, Legolas’ father, all of which you can see after the jump!
Read more on The Hobbit sequel get titles, release dates…and new photos arrive online!…
 This week, we have a rather mixed bag hitting Blu-Ray and DVD, though that’s not to say that it’s a particularly bad slate in any way. In fact, it’s better than last week, that’s for sure. Today may be low on highly recommended titles, but I’m very happy with my top choice, and that’s always a plus. There’s also some lesser flicks hitting shelves, but I’ll get to those in a bit, including one of the very worst films of 2012 so far (it may even wind up in my Bottom 5 of the year). As for my PICK OF THE WEEK, I may not have had too many directions to go, but I went with the latest comedy from the Judd Apatow stable of films and I regret nothing. Remember which film I’m talking about? Well, if you don’t, I’ll remind you. It’s: Read more on Joey’s DVD Picks of the Week (9/4/2012)…
 If you like horror films, then you pretty much owe it to yourself to see ‘V/H/S’, an interesting experiment in merging together a bunch of different sub-genres that transcends the idea of simply being an anthology flick. Here we have a group of filmmakers taking the same jumping off point (and progressing in an order from the wraparound footage that works as the basic plot) and pretty much being able to do as they see fit, which leads to some wild creativity. This isn’t for anyone who doesn’t like their horror soaked in blood, but if that’s you, then Halloween has come early for you, as this is tailor made for your enjoyment. Almost all of the segments have either a twist or a quirk to them that sets them apart from most full length horror features of late, though each obviously has a point of reference it wants you to start out from. About half of the segments were ones that I’d have liked to have seen be made into full length, but they’re optimal at their current duration and even the ones I didn’t think quite as highly of I still very much liked. That’s rare for a film of this ilk. The movie is hitting theaters in October, but I wanted to get fans of fright flicks excited early about this one. It’s easily the best horror movie of the year so far in my eyes.
Read more on V/H/S (***)…
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One way that a comedy can usually be sure to lose me is to have the characters and even the film in general just be mean-spirited. That’s an issue I’ve had with a some black comedies, but somehow ‘Bachelorette’ manages to avoid my wrath. The reason? I actually bought into these characters organically being the way that they are, not because writer/director Leslye Headland simply decided. In adapting her own play, Headland has assembled a talented cast (including Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan, Rebel Wilson, Adam Scott, and James Marsden) and allowed them to go all out in being unlikable while still keeping a firm grip on things. It’s a dangerous tightrope to walk, and ‘Bachelorette’ isn’t a great film, but it manages not to trip and it turns out to be a good comedy with a number of laughs. I can see a number of people hating the flick, but I also know of a few who liked it more than I did, so reactions are going to be all over the place. Those who recognize these characters will probably have a visceral reaction to their appearance onscreen.
