News

Somehow, every character that Steve Carell brings to life becomes absolutely unforgettable. There is Barry Speck from Dinner with Schmucks, Gru from Despicable Me, and of course- the man, the myth, the legend: Michael Scott. In 2007, he starred in the comedy-drama Dan in Real Life as the widowed father of 3, Dan Burns. Dan works as an advice columnist but unfortunately, his own life seems to be in shambles.

Dan in Real Life (2007) | Credits: Touchstone Pictures

Eventually, he meets a girl who turns his life upside down and gives him hope. Of course, any good romance is incomplete without obstacles and it turns out the girl he has taken a liking to is none other than his brother’s girlfriend. Viewers found Dan in Real Life to be quite relatable, especially thanks to its family themes. As it turns out, Carell had no problem giving authenticity to his character, thanks to his wife.

Oscar-winning French actress Juliette Binoche is the new president of the European Film Academy.

The Efa board on Thursday said they voted unanimously to name The English Patient and The Taste of Things star to succeed Polish director Agnieszka Holland (The Green Border) as president.

Binoche’s appointment will be put to a vote by Efa members and, assuming she receives majority support, she will take over as president on May 1, 2024.

The French star will be only the second female head of the Efa, after Holland, who took over the role in 2021, succeeding German director Wim Wenders.

“I am not a person to easily step aside, but I have come to the conclusion that I am a filmmaker first and foremost. And this is what I want to focus on in the years to come,” said Holland. “For me, it is time to step aside now. Knowing that Juliette Binoche...

How will you remember 2020? The intriguing question is at the heart of Peter Hedges’ “The Same Storm”; filmed using laptops and iPhones, it serves as a cinematic record of the year’s looming issues. Hedges — who wrote and directed the project — tackles a myriad of topics ranging from a then-new pandemic to an upcoming election. ‘Storm’ also touches upon the fragile human connections its writer expertly tackled in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.” ‘Storm’ also offers a chance for the “Pieces of April” and “Dan in Real Life” director to delve deeper into the art’s influence on reality.

Continue reading ‘The Same Storm’ Trailer: Peter Hedges’ Zoom Drama Starring Mary-Louise Parker & Sandra Oh Recounts The Pandemic Fears at The Playlist.

Sometimes even when you win, you lose. For Dianne Wiest, that might just be the case. The Academy Award-winning actor says that winning an Oscar wasn't the career boon she thought it would be. Despite flashing impressive range in roles that netted three Best Supporting Actress nominations and two wins, Wiest says she's been boxed in by playing the same character in nearly every movie she's offered.

When you think about Wiest, you might think of Vi, the mother of the rebellious Ariel in "Footloose." Or maybe you think of the struggling divorced mom Helen in "Parenthood." Or perhaps Peg, the mother-like figure for Edward in "Edward Scissorhands." Maybe Joan, the matriarch of the Short family in the CBS sitcom "Life in Pieces?" And of course, there's Lucy, mother of the vampire-fighting Emerson brothers in "The Lost Boys."

And that's Wiest's point. Despite her acting chops, authenticated by the two...

“The Patient” – Steve Carell as Alan Strauss. Cr: Suzanne Tenner/FX Steve Carell’s most recognizable roles may have been on the hit TV show The Office and in movies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Anchorman: The Story of Ron Burgundy, but that just scratches the surface of his talents. He received an Oscar nomination for his work in the psychological drama Foxcatcher, and he’s also gotten rave reviews for playing more serious roles in films like The Big Short, Dan in Real Life, and Little Miss Sunshine. And his latest role, as a therapist held hostage by a serial killer in the series The Patient, is about as far away from comedy as you can get. Carell told us he wants to be recognized for his versatility, because he’s never thought of himself as any particular kind of actor. (Click on the media bar below to hear Steve Carell) https://www.

With the new month come new arrivals to all TV and movie streamers, including Hulu. The August 2022 slate contains many classic re-watch options as well as new seasons of original shows and new movies as well.

For those who couldn’t get enough of Keke Palmer in Jordan Peele’s latest movie “Nope” (2022), one of her breakout films “Akeelah and the Bee” (2006) has landed on Hulu. Tom Hanks’ “Cast Away” (2000), Natalie Portman’s “Black Swan,” the first two “Despicable Me” films and Tobey Maguire’s “Spider-Man” trilogy also arrive this month.

FX’s “Reservation Dogs” Season 2 arrives exclusively on Hulu Aug. 3. The Hulu Original film “Prey” arrives Aug. 5. “Legacy: The True Story of the L.A. Lakers” premieres on Hulu Aug. 15. Another exclusive heading to Hulu later in August is Steve Carell’s limited series “The Patient,” available to stream Aug. 30.

Here’s what’s new on Hulu in August 2022.

Also...

You ever notice how HBO’s releases tend to do the heavy lifting in HBO Max’s content library? That makes plenty of sense given that HBO has a track record of producing hits well before the streaming era even began. Well, a similar concept is now playing out over on Hulu. Like many monthly releases before it, Hulu’s list of new releases for August 2022 is highlighted by a whole bunch of FX TV shows.

The initiative once known as “FX on Hulu” is no more but that’s not stopping the cable network-turned quality TV brand from churning out some intriguing titles for the streaming world this month. It all starts early on with season 2 of the delightful comedy Reservation Dogs on Aug. 3. That is followed up by the docuseries Children of the Underground on Aug. 13, Little Demon on Aug. 26, and The Patient of Aug. 30. The most interesting of the bunch,...

Amazon Prime Video’s epic The Lord of the Rings series won’t arrive until 2022. Thankfully, with its list of new releases for November 2021, Amazon has a pretty major fantasy adaptation to hold us over.

The Wheel of Time is set to premiere on Nov. 19 and will bring Robert Jordan’s massive fantasy universe to life. Rosamund Pike stars as Moiraine, a powerful magic-user who guides five young people on a perilous journey around the world. One of them just might be the reincarnation of the Dragon, a powerful entity who could save the world…or destroy it.

Read more TV The Wheel of Time: Who Are the Aes Sedai? By Michael Ahr TV How The Wheel of Time Adapts a Sprawling Epic Fantasy By Michael Ahr

In addition to that bit of fantasy fun, Amazon Prime also has some other TV options this month. Lesbian dating show Tampa Baes (Nov.

Exclusive: Peter Hedges, like so many filmmakers looking not to lose their creative mojo during the pandemic, managed at the height of the Covid lockdown to take advantage of many talented actors trying to survive in the same circumstance, and in the best show business tradition managed to create a new film, The Same Storm, that turned out to be so much more than he could have imagined.

Enlisting the talents of the likes of Elaine May, Mary-Louise Parker, Noma Dumezweni, Judith Light, Sandra Oh, Moses Ingram, Danny Burstein, Ron Livingston, Rosemarie DeWitt, Raza Jeffrey, Daphne Rubin-Vega and many more, he and his team developed a sophisticated shooting system, sent the equipment to each star with some production design and camera setup advice, and created a feature-length movie comprised of a series of vignettes that hand off to one another with seamless editing magic.

It’s a bold, new post-Loki world for Disney+. To deal with it, Disney+ is going right back to the Marvel well for its list of August 2021 new releases.

Marvel’s What If…? premieres August 11 on Disney+. This is an animated series that will feature speculative stories within the MCU like “What if Peggy Carter became Captain America?”, “What if the Ravagers took T’Challa to space?”, and “What if…zombies?!?!?!” While What…If? always seemed like a fun thought exercise, the series has really taken on a vital multiversal context in light of Loki‘s conclusion.

In non-Marvel news, Disney+ will be filling out its library offerings this month. Mrs. Doubtfire arrives on August 6 and will be followed by Eragon on August 20. After its brief premier access release, Cruella will make itself a permanent, free home on Disney on August 27.

There aren’t many other original Disney+ series to speak of in August.

“I don’t think we knew it was going to become the thing that it’s become,” admits “Joker” cinematographer Lawrence Sher when asked about all the controversy surrounding the film. “We were certainly aware of the fact that there were going to be a lot of eyes on this movie. At the very least, we knew that when you deal with this level of a notorious villain like Joker,” you can’t “live in the shadows.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Sher above.

Directed by Todd Phillips, this Warner Bros. release re-imagines the famous “Batman” villain as a mentally deranged loner named Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), who lives in a crime-infested Gotham City that bears a striking resemblance to the New York City of the late 1970s/early 1980s. In his visual work, Sher wanted to create “a really intimate portrayal of a human being and their descent...

“Little Fires Everywhere” will be staging a “Life Unexpected” reunion of sorts, Variety has learned exclusively.

Britt Robertson, Kristoffer Polaha, Austin Basis and Reggie Austin are all set to make recurring cameo appearances on Liz Tigelaar’s upcoming Hulu adaptation of Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestseller of the same name. They join the previously announced Jaime Ray Newman in a quintet of actors who first worked with Tigelaar on her 2010-11 CW series “Life Unexpected.”

Robertson will play Rachel, the nanny employed by the Richardsons so that Elena (Reese Withersppon) can continue to work at the local Shaker Heights newspaper. Polaha and Austin will play reporters covering the contentious custody hearing between the white McCullough family and their adopted baby’s biological mother, Bebe Chow (Lu Huang). Basis will play Principal Peters, who runs East Shaker High School and oversees the rebellious antics of the youngest and most troublesome Richardson child.

FX has set the main cast for the eight-episode limited series “Fosse/Verdon,” Variety has learned.

The series is based on the biography “Fosse” written by Sam Wasson and tells the story of the romantic and creative partnership between Bob Fosse (Sam Rockwell) and Gwen Verdon (Michelle Williams).

Norbert Leo Butz has been cast in the series regular role of Paddy Chayefsky, while Margaret Qually will appear in the series regular role of Ann Reinking.

In addition, the following people have been cast in recurring roles: Aya Cash as Joan Simon, Nate Corddry as Neil Simon, Susan Misner as Joan McCracken, Bianca Marroquin as Chita Rivera, Kelli Barrett as Liza Minnelli, Evan Handler as Hal Prince, Rick Holmes as Fred Weaver, Paul Reiser as Cy Feuer, Ethan Slater as Joel Grey, Byron Jennings as George Abbott, and Laura Osnes as Shirley MacLaine.

Butz is currently starring on Broadway in “My Fair Lady...

Roadside Attractions has debuted the official trailer for “Ben Is Back,” the upcoming family drama from “Dan in Real Life” and “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” director Peter Hedges. The movie stars the director’s son, “Manchester by the Sea” and “Lady Bird” favorite Lucas Hedges, opposite Julia Roberts, Courtney B. Vance, and Kathryn Newton.

“Ben Is Back” centers around the title character (Hedges), a 19-year-old who unexpectedly returns home to his family’s suburban home on Christmas Eve morning. Ben’s mother, Holly (Roberts), tries to keep the family at peace as her son’s troubled bast rises back to the surface, including his history of substance abuse.

While reviews out of the Toronto International Film Festival were mixed, most critics lauded the performances by Hedges and Roberts, the latter of whom earned some best supporting actress buzz. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich wrote in his review that Hedges...

A more nuanced and sobering addiction drama than some viewers might expect from the man responsible for gentle schmaltz like “Dan in Real Life” and “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” Peter Hedges’ “Ben Is Back” is the kind of white, middlebrow, ruthlessly effective look at the opioid epidemic that might inspire Hollywood to better engage with a crisis that’s become inescapable for the rest of the country. But the film is more than a wake-up call writ large. Beneath its overworked plot — and a Julia Roberts performance that toes the line between maternal desperation and movie-screen broadness — this is a tender and knowing story about the salvation that an addict can find within their family, and the toll that addiction can take on it.

Addicts constantly lie, but this film does not: Ben is indeed back. He’s back in snowy Westchester, after a 77-day stint in rehab.

After appearing in best picture nominees “Lady Bird” and “Three Billboards” last year, Lucas Hedges is set to have yet another extremely busy awards season this fall. The 21-year-old “Manchester by the Sea” Oscar nominee is appearing in “Boy Erased” and Jonah Hill’s directorial debut “Mid90s,” plus the family drama “Ben Is Back.”

“Back Is Back” stars Hedges as the eponymous 19-year-old who unexpectedly returns home to his family’s suburban home on Christmas Eve morning. Julia Roberts plays Ben’s mother Holly, who worries her son will have trouble staying clean while visiting his hometown. The film takes place over 24 hours as Holly’s love for Ben is put to the test.

“Ben Is Back” is written and directed by Peter Hedges, who happens to be Lucas Hedges’ father. Peter’s directorial credits also include “Dan in Real Life” and “The Odd Life of Timothy Green.” His...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question:

Last Friday saw the release of Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Things to Come,” one of two new films starring Isabelle Huppert. In the lede of his review for The New York Times, A.O. Scott asked “Isabelle Huppert: Great actress, or greatest actress?” Huppert is certainly near the very top of the list, but we thought we’d take this opportunity to open the question to our panel of critics: Who is the best working actress in the world today?

Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker

A vote for someone else isn’t a vote against Isabelle Huppert, who is among the very greatest...

Exclusive: Ddi has acquired worldwide sales rights to comedy feature Ripped. The directorial debut of Brad Epstein, producer of Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Dan in Real Life and About a Boy, the film stars Russell Peters (The Jungle Book, Chef), Faizon Love (Couples Retreat), Kyle Massey (That's So Raven) and Alex Meneses (Telenovela). It’s based on an original screenplay by Epstein and Billiam Coronel about two free-spirited stoners in 1986 who, after smoking some…...

Netflix has released 2 new date announcement trailers for their original series The Crown and Marco Polo Season 2 and a full trailer for Bloodline Season 2. In addition Netflix has also released a cast shot from their upcoming new series Marseille, starring Gérard Depardieu.

You can check out the trailers and photo below.

Don't forget to share this post on your Facebook wall and with your Twitter followers! Just hit the buttons on the side of this page.

The Crown

The Crown, the highly anticipated, new original series will premiere on Netflix, the world’s leading Internet TV network, to a global audience on Friday, November 4, 2016. The 10-episode series will be available in 4K.

The Crown reunites acclaimed writer Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) with director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Hours) and producer Andy Harries (The Queen). Based on the award-winning play, The Audience, The Crown tells the inside story...

As the numerous set snaps we’ve seen over the last few days can attest to, Marvel’s Doctor Strange is currently shooting in Nepal – but still, the casting announcements keep on coming. Today, The Wrap reports that Amy Landecker (Transparent, Dan in Real Life, A Serious Man, All Is Bright) is the latest addition to the roster, though the exact role she’ll play is apparently being kept under wraps.

There are several female characters associated with Doctor Strange that she could be playing here, including the Sorcerer Supreme’s apprentice and lover Clea, Ghost Rider’s cousin Jennifer Kale, or, if she’s been added as yet another villain, Uma or Morgan Le Fey. Whoever Landecker ends up portraying, she joins Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton and her A Serious Man co-star, Michael Stuhlbarg.

Doctor Strange hits theaters on November 4, 2016. Be sure to...

Awesomeness Films has a new project in the works. The movie division of the YouTube multi-channel network AwesomenessTV has revealed a feature-length film titled Before I Fall, starring actress Zoey Deutch (star of flicks like Vampire Academy and Dirty Grandpa).

Directed by Ry Russo-Young, Before I Fall is an adaptation of the 2010 Lauren Oliver young adult novel of the same name. The story follows Samantha Kingston (played by Deutch), who discovers she’s living the last day of her life over and over again. Samantha must keep making the right decisions before her final moments and figure out the mystery of her death all while coming to grips with the fact that everything she loves will soon be taken from her.

Deadline, who originally broke the news, notes that the Before I Fall script was part of the Black List, a selection of film scripts which never reached production from the previous year.

In our ever-more-fragmented media landscape, we're seeing fewer and fewer recognizable brand-name stars for *everybody*, but we're probably getting more and more recognizable brand-name stars for *somebody*.  And that means that people who, to certain individuals, are clearly stars of a certain stature are virtual unknowns to great masses, possibly to majorities. And that's even the case with culture-watching professionals. Take Britt Robertson. I didn't see many "Tomorrowland" reviews calling her an unknown or even a newcomer, thankfully, but plenty of critics are still bending over backwards to reference credits like "Dan in Real Life" or "Delivery Man" as if audiences may struggle to place her. I hear her name and I think of an actress who has been the unquestioned star of at least two network TV shows and one of the stars (if only for a for a season) of a bona fide hit. In the sphere of what I do,...

Sooner or later, Disney are going to run out of animated movies to translate into live action, so they’ll have to move down to the next circle, but for now, there’s still a few left.

Today’s selection is Pinocchio, arguably the finest hand-drawn animation the studio ever made. Deadline say that Peter Hedges will write and direct the film for the studio, “loosely” basing it on Carlo Collodi’s original book.

There have been other loose adaptations of Pinocchio floating around Hollywood in the last couple of years, with Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Bryan Fuller, Jane Goldman and Tim Burton all getting involved in some way or another. I’m disappointed that the chances of seeing Downey playing both Gepetto and, via the magic of motion capture, the boy puppet seem to be rapidly receding.

Hedges is a fine filmmaker. His Dan in Real Life is...

Another day, another report of Disney turning one of their animated classics into a live-action feature film. This time Deadline is reporting that Pinocchio is up for a live-action revamp with Peter Hedges (What's Eating Gilbert Grape?) basing the story loosely on the original story about a wooden puppet who wishes to become a real boy. And of course, there's that whole thing about his nose growing when he tells a lie. We're not sure about how this new version of the story will change things up from the classic, but the core of the story has always been about the relationship between Geppetto and Pinocchio as a father and son. Read on! Hedges has plenty of experience with family relationship drama since he's written What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and About a Boy, not to mention directing Dan in Real Life and The Odd Life of Timothy Green, both of which he also wrote.

Disney has announced that the latest live-action film version of an animated classic that they have put into development is a new adaptation of their 1940 film "Pinocchio," which itself was based on Carlo Collodi’s 1883 children's book.

Peter Hedges ("What's Eating Gilbert Grape," "About a Boy") is on board to write the story which will be loosely based on the earlier movie. No word if he will direct as he has helmed several films including "Dan in Real Life" and "The Odd Life of Timothy Green".

No other attachments have been announced at this time. The announcement follows in the wake of news about live-action takes on "Mulan," "Dumbo," and "Winnie the Pooh" being in the works along with live-action "Jungle Book" and "Beauty and the Beast" films which are already in various stages of production.

Source: Variety...

If the past month or so has taught us anything, it’s that Disney won’t stop rifling through its veritable back catalogue until every single one of their pre-existing properties enters development. The mouse house is gearing up to fill its entire future production slate with remakes, spinoffs and sequels – but mainly remakes – of its most iconic characters. You know, so as to appeal to modern audiences.

Well, if you thought Disney had exhausted its supply, think again. Deadline now reports that a new live-action Pinocchio feature has been ushered into development. Writer Peter Hedges (Pieces Of April, Dan In Real Life) has been contracted to pen the script and it will be the first major movie since he wrote and directed 2012’s The Odd Life Of Timothy Green.

Described as a “Pinocchio-inspired” movie, this new iteration is said to be “loosely based” on the original source material.

Dan in Real Life: Fogelman’s Sugary Directorial Debut Hobbles its Own Charms

Screenwriter and producer Dan Fogelman makes a high profile directorial debut with Danny Collins, nabbing a handful of high profile names to lead his glossy family issue drama wrapped in melodramatic showbiz antics. When he’s not writing directly for children and family friendly audiences (Cars; Bolt; Tangled), Fogelman’s screenplays are often gilded with jejunish countenances (The Guilt Trip; Last Vegas), the types of outrageous yet uncomplicated cinematic fabrications that hail from some medicated hinterland beyond the realm of mere escapism. His first stint as a director finds him returning to this hypertrophic mode of drama wherein potentially insurmountable life tragedies get mushed together to equal one big positive, though kernels of authentic emotions sometimes shine through the contrivances.

Danny Collins (Al Pacino) is an aging rock star currently touring with another greatest hits album.

Move over Kevin Bacon! When it comes to working with everyone in Hollywood, Jennifer Aniston may be the actor to beat.

While Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon -- an idea that came from the actor himself when, in 1994, he told Premiere magazine that he’s worked with everybody -- has become the ultimate trivia game, it may be time to re-think who’s actually at the nexus.

Thanks in large part to Friends -- the former NBC sitcom now streaming on Netflix -- Aniston worked with a number of stars well before they were famous. And in the years since the series ended, Aniston has shared the screen with a few but key number of A-listers. But it wasn’t until she earned a 2015 Golden Globe nomination for her role in Cake that we realized she’s practically worked with everyone in Hollywood.

Look: 2015 Golden Globe Nominees in Photos

Ahead of this year’s Golden Globes, we played...

40. Night Moves

Since 2006, Kelly Reichardt has found a way to reach inside of the hearts of her audiences, plucking out strings one by one with desolate re-imaginations of the American Pacific Northwest, seen through the eyes of people not so different than ourselves. With Meek’s Cutoff, she departed from her typical genre and moved in to the Old West, but you could still see her stark realism, perfectly imagined on-screen. Now, Reichardt has shifted gears again, this time to present day (still in the Pacific Northwest), following three environmental activists as they plan to blow up a dam. But this time Reichardt has eschewed all sense of dry, dirty characterization for a much more flowing story where the characters emerge from their settings more fully. It’s still methodical, but somewhere in between the planning and heist itself, Reichardt’s star Jesse Eisenberg finds notes we haven’t seen...

For this week’s spotlight piece, I wanted to look at someone from the cast of the upcoming movie Foxcatcher. I had three incredibly talented men to choose from, but I ultimately went with Steve Carell, a talented comedic actor finally getting his time to shine dramatically. The man has been snubbed for Oscar attention before, but this very well could be the year that he finally breaks through and gets an Academy Award nomination. That would cement him not only as the A-list comedy star, but as a truly respected dramatic performer as well. As such, he’s a perfect candidate to shine a spotlight on today. Carell first got his start on the small screen, showing up on television programs like The Dana Carvey Show, Over the Top, Watching Ellie, and of course The Daily Show. The latter was where he really made his initial mark, playing a correspondent.

Netflix wasn’t about to leave its fans in the dark with its newest original series Bloodline. The streaming video-on-demand service just released six new images from the upcoming show. Bloodline tells the story of the Florida Keys-based Rayburn siblings. The four are tight-knit, but when their oldest brother and black sheep of the family comes home, he “exposes the emotional demons that lie at the core of the family, threatening to tear them apart.” Netflix announced the show in October, and plans to debut the series on its platform in March 2015. Bloodline is executive produced by Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, and Daniel Zelman, the three powers behind FX’s popular show Damages. Netflix’s upcoming series boasts an impressive roster of acting talent, including Kyle Chandler (of Friday Night Lights fame), Ben Mendelsohn ("The Dark Knight Rises"), Linda Cardellini ("Mad Men"), Sam Shepard ("The Right Stuff"), Sissy Spacek...

Netflix is lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding its new drama series from the producers of Damages and starring Friday Night Lights Mvp Kyle Chandler.

The streaming giant on Thursday confirmed the 13-episode thriller’s title, Bloodline, and also released a haunting teaser trailer (see below) that hints at the show’s central mystery.

Created and exec-produced by Todd A. Kessler, Daniel Zelman, and Glenn Kessler, the series is set in the Florida Keys and centers on a close-knit family of four adult siblings whose secrets and scars are revealed when their black sheep brother returns home.

In addition to Chandler,...

The mid-2000s were some pretty damn good years for Dane Cook. In '06, the Comedy Central alum's Retaliation became the bestselling comedy album in 28 years, going platinum; Rolling Stone named him Hot Comic of the Year. Cook was the comic messiah of frat boys. Then in late '07—the same year Cook became the second comedian ever to sell out at Madison Square Garden—the tides began to turn against him, as they often do. Of course, Cook always had detractors—but at some point, the loathing reached critical mass, tipping the scales of public consensus. Dane Cook-fatigue set in.

Dane Cook is one of the most financially successful comics of all time -- he's also one of the most controversial.

Cook exploded onto the national scene with two certified platinum comedy albums and historic sold-out shows, though many people questioned the origin of several of his jokes. But whether you believe he's "stolen" material from other comics (like Louis C.K.) or not, there's little denying his talent and presence as a performer. With starring roles in "Good Luck Chuck"(2007) and "Dan In Real Life" (2007), Cook is no stranger to the silver screen. This summer, the comic/actor returns as the voice of Dusty Crophopper in "Planes: Fire & Rescue."

From his superhero audition to his embezzling brother, here are 21 things you probably don't know about Dane Cook.

1. Dane Cook was born March 18, 1972 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Donna Jean Ford and George F. Cook.

2. Cook's family was Roman Catholic.

3. He...

We’ve learned that production is just now getting underway on 400 Days, a psychological sci-fi thriller that’s being led by Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) and Dane Cook (Dan In Real Life). Matt Osterman (Ghost From The Machine) penned the script and will also direct. Though 400 Days is a small project, early plot details definitely makes it sound like one worth keeping an eye on.

According to Deadline, 400 Days “centers on four astronauts sent on a simulated mission to a distant planet to test the psychological effects of deep space travel. Locked away for 400 days, the crew’s mental state begins to deteriorate when they lose all communication with the outside world. Forced to exit the ship, they discover that this mission may not have been a simulation after all.”

Deep space travel is a very interesting subject for a film, and movies like Europa Report have proven that directors...

If you are into Steve Carell news, and I know you are, here is something to wet your whistle. It looks like Carell is stepping over the comedy line again and entering the world of the drama. Warner Bros. has recently acquired the rights to the memoirs of David Menasche, titled The Priority List: A Teacher’s Final Quest to Discover Life’s Greatest Lessons. Carell is set to produce and star in the film. Thanks to THR for the info. Here is their synopsis of the book:

In 2006, Menasche, then a Miami high school teacher, was told he only had a few months left to live after being diagnosed with brain cancer. He managed to extend his life via several surgeries and years of chemo but a seizure in 2012 ended his teaching career.

Menasche then decided to embark on a cross-country journey to reconnect with former students from his 15-year teaching career,...

Steve Carell will star in an upcoming cancer drama from Warner Bros. titled Priority List. Based on the memoir of the same name, the film will find the comedic actor putting away the laughs to play David Menasche, a teacher who is diagnosed with brain cancer and given just a few months to live. He undergoes multiple surgeries to extend his life, but when a seizure ends his teaching career, he hits the road on a “cross-country journey to reconnect with former students, come to terms with his illness and learn to live fully in the present.”

Though he’s primarily known as being one of the funniest actors in Hollywood, Carell has done drama before, with more serious films like Dan in Real Life and Little Miss Sunshine. His most extensive foray into dramatic territory, however, will be in the upcoming Foxcatcher, in which he plays a schizophrenic murderer.

Back in October we brought you the news that Peter Dinklage had signed up for a Bad Santa-like "R-rated leprechaun comedy". At the time the Paramount project was untitled and didn't have a director in place, but both those issues have now been rectified. The film is called O' Lucky Day, and the director will be Lawrence Sher.Sher is following Wally Pfister's recent form, seizing the director's chair following a successful career as a cinematographer. In particular, he's known for his association with Todd Phillips, acting as Dp on all three Hangover films and Due Date. He also shot Garden State, The Chumscrubber, Dan In Real Life, Paul and The Dictator. But it's not all indies and comedies: he recently contributed some additional photography to Godzilla. The only plot synopsis available for O' Lucky Day so far is that it involves Dinklage trying to pass himself off as a real leprechaun.

FX is creating a limited series based on John Scalzi’s 2012 comedic sci-fi novel, Redshirts.

The book, which won a Hugo Award, takes place in the 25th century. It follows five new recruits on the Starship Intrepid where crewmembers start dying at an alarming rate. They eventually figure out that their reality is mirroring a science fiction television show from the early 21st century.

According to Deadline, FX has teamed with veteran feature producer Jon Shestack (Dan In Real Life) and producer-director Ken Kwapis (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) and his partner Alexandra Beattie to develop the series. A writer hasn't been hired yet but Kwapis is set to direct the first episode.

What do you think? Does this sound like a hit? Would you watch this series?...

Trekkies around the world may have to wait a while longer before seeing Star Trek return to the small screen, but perhaps an adaptation of John Scalzi’s Hugo Award Winning novel Redshirts is the next best thing. Deadline is reporting that FX is developing a limited series based on Scalzi’s work, from producers John Shestack (Air Force One, Dan in Real Life), Ken Kwapis (The Office) and Alexandra Beattie (Outsourced).

Anyone familiar with the original Trek series knows of the often tragic fates of the more, shall we say, disposable crew members of the USS Enterprise, who accompanied Captain Kirk and his crew as they visited strange new worlds. It became common knowledge that any crewman sent on an away mission wearing a red Starfleet uniform would surely be killed, and Scalzi’s novel examines that aspect of the show quite cleverly.

Here’s the description of the...

FX has teamed up with producers Jon Shestack ("Dan in Real Life"), Ken Kwapis ("The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants") and Alexandra Beattie to bring "Redshirts," a comedic sci-fi novel published in 2012, to the small screen, Deadline reports. The futuristic "Redshirts," written by John Scalzi, follows a group of crew members aboard the Starship Intrepid who suddenly and mysteriously start dying. At first unsure of the cause of these deaths, the crew realize that their situation mirrors that of a certain 21st century science fiction television show. Essentially, their lives -- and deaths -- are following a TV plot. Kwapis is set to direct the premiere episode with Shestack and Beattie executive producing. Prior to "Redshirts," Kwapis and Beattie were working on the Showtime comedy "Happyish," put on hold following the death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman who was cast as the lead. FX has been investing in limited series lately -- its upcoming "Fargo,...

Exclusive: John Scalzi’s 2012 comedic sci-fi novel Redshirts is headed to the small screen. FX has teamed with veteran feature producer Jon Shestack (Dan In Real Life) and producer-director Ken Kwapis (Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants) and his partner Alexandra Beattie to develop a limited series based on the book, which won the 2013 Hugo Award. Search is underway for writers to pen the adaption, with Kwapis set to direct the opening episode. He, Shestack and Beattie executive produce. Set in the 25th century, Redshirts follows the adventures of five new recruits on the Starship Intrepid who come to realize that the ship’s crewmembers are dying at an alarming rate. Their investigation leads to the mind-bending discovery that a science fiction television show, produced in the early 21st century, has somehow “intruded” upon their reality and “warped” it. In other words, the lives of the crew are following the course...

Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 6 Feb 2014 - 06:08

Our series of lists devoted to underappreciated films brings us to the year 2007, and another 25 overlooked gems...

For some reason, the number three was a common factor in several blockbuster movies of 2007. The third film in the Pirates Of The Caribbean series (At World's End) dominated the box office, Spider-Man 3 marked Sam Raimi's last entry as director in the series, while Mike Myers went for a hat trick of hits with Shrek The Third.

I Am Legend was the third and most financially successful attempt to bring Richard Matheson's classic novel to the big screen, Rush Hour 3 marked Jackie Chan's last action pairing with Chris Tucker, while Zack Snyder's musky sword-swinger 300 was notable for having the number three in the title.

Iffy attempts at numerology aside, 2007 was also a superb for year for movies in general - particularly underappreciated ones,...

You could say that Miley Cyrus came in like a wrecking ball this year: when she wasn't getting tattooed, twerking on bears (and Robin Thicke), and smoking a blunt on stage, Miley was making insanely candid comments in magazines and interviews. This week, the singer opened up to The New York Times about her transformation from Hannah Montana to twerk-tacular pop sensation - and the quotes are pretty intense. Read them below, along with more Miley quotes that made us laugh, made us think, and had us asking, "Wtf?" On Playing a Character "I went from people just thinking I was, like, a baby to people thinking I’m this, like, sex freak that really just pops molly and does lines all day. It’s like, 'Has anyone ever heard of rock 'n' roll?' There’s a sex scene in pretty much every single movie, and they go, 'Well,...

Yesterday saw the release of the first trailer for Moneyball director Bennett Miller’s wrestling drama Foxcatcher—featuring Steve Carrell as a crazy murderer, in a film that is still not that much-clamored-for Dan In Real Life sequel—before it mysteriously disappeared. Now we know why: Sony Pictures Classics announced via press release that it's delayed Foxcatcher until 2014, giving Miller more breathing room in editing, instead of racing to finish in time for awards season. It’s just the latest in a string of confirmed and rumored delays for presumed Oscar contenders: Oliver Dahan’s Grace Of Monaco ...

The Planes Blu-Ray has a release date, and you obviously want to get this one on your calendar, both because you know you want it, and because it’s smack dab in holiday buying season.

You may recall that during our Podcast review that covered Planes, I wasn’t all that favorable of it, but that was mostly because I was holding it to Pixar standards. I didn’t exactly dislike it, but you expect so much at this point that I hoped for more. Of course, the kids wanted nothing to do with my snooty, movie critic take on things, and loved it.

You might also recall that I wondered what direction they would take on the bonus features when this one came out, and it looks as though they are going a bit minimalist. A bad move, if you ask me, but it still looks like we have...

Miley Cyrus evidently has a need for speed. Unfortunately, it seems as if one of her neighbors, Steve Carell, might want her to ease up on the gas pedal a bit. "He always gives me the stank-eye because I drive so fast," the 20-year-old pop star says in the Oct. 8 issue of Rolling Stone. Both Cyrus and Carell reside in the affluent Toluca Lake, Calif., area. She continues, "The other day I was trying to reverse and I almost hit a thousand things, and I was getting nervous because I could see him [crossing his arms and sighing]. I'm like, oh, my God, Dan in Real Life is watching me right now!" While Cyrus doesn't say whether she's actually ever met the Office...

In the latest issue of Rolling Stone, Miley Cyrus gets candid about her transformation, her industry friends, and the end of her twerking days. Over the past month, she's been making headlines day after day - first with her buzzy VMAs performance and most recently with her split from Liam Hemsworth. Amid all the press and controversy, she's laughed off the criticism and defended herself as an artist. And in her Rolling Stone interview, she addresses all the touchy topics with frank, surprising quotes, explaining the way she sees herself: "I call myself Rapunzel with a mohawk. Standing by my window, looking at the paparazzi, just wanting to leave the crib." Take a look: Her Hollywood Friends and Mentors On her surprising fan: "Did you know Alec Baldwin has Hannah Montana's initials tattooed on him. No, wait - Stephen Baldwin. He said he was my biggest fan, and I...

Miley Cyrus has a message for the haters, by way of a Teddy Roosevelt quote: ”So That His Place Shall Never Be With Those Cold And Timid Souls Who Neither Know Victory Nor Defeat.”

The phrase, meaning you can’t please everyone, is tattooed on her arm. This is just one of many revelations in the you-know-you’re-going-to-read-the-heck-out-of-it Miley Cyrus Rolling Stone cover story, now available in full online. (Yes, her tongue is out on the cover; no, there aren’t any hammers in sight.) No surprise, the girl who first got big just bein’ Miley isn’t offering any apologies.

She’s the most-talked-about pop star in ages, and Miley Cyrus knows that all eyes are on her these days.

The “Wrecking Ball” babe chatted with Rolling Stone about her music career as well as what it’s like to be such a highly-criticized celebrity.

Cyrus explained that she moved back into her childhood home after trying to live at her own place in the Hollywood Hills. As a result, one of her neighbors is “The Office” star Steve Carell.

"He always gives me the stank-eye because I drive so fast. The other day I was trying to reverse and I almost hit a thousand things, and I was getting nervous because I could see him going… I'm like, oh, my God, Dan in Real Life is watching me right now!"

As for the continual chatter regarding her MTV Video Music Awards performance, Miley joked, "I think it's an important time not to Google myself.