News

Back in the 1890s, writer Oscar Wilde brought the world a story called The Picture of Dorian Gray – and now the Netflix streaming service has announced that they’re teaming up with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television on a new TV series called The Grays, which ComicBook.com hears will be “a contemporary take on the Oscar Wilde classic about our fascination with eternal youth set against the backdrop of the modern beauty industry.“

The Picture of Dorian Gray has the following description: Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world.

Supergirl alum Katie Rose Rogers and All American‘s Robbie Rogers,...

Exclusive: Just ahead of the 20th anniversary of Elephant, the Palme d’Or-winning Gus Van Sant pic that marked his breakout role, actor Alex Frost has signed with Brave Artists Management for representation. He’ll be repped by Luna Wise, who came over to Bam at the start of the year.

In Van Sant’s critically acclaimed psychological thriller released in October 2003, Frost portrayed teenage pianist and sketch artist Alex, who with his friend Eric (Eric Deulen), moves to orchestrate a school shooting. He’s otherwise perhaps best known for starring alongside Owen Wilson, Josh Peck and more in the Steven Brill-helmed coming-of-age comedy Drillbit Taylor, which Paramount released in 2008. Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogen scripted that title, which hailed from Judd Apatow’s Apatow Productions.

Frost has also been seen over the years in such notable features as Kimberly Peirce’s Iraq War drama Stop-Loss, Lee Toland Krieger...

Exclusive: Indie film distribution company The Film Arcade is furthering its outreach to indie projects with its newly launched distribution arm The Film Arcade Carousel which will be a one-stop shop for small budget indie films via digital platforms.

The new company will be headed by producer Lindsay Lanzillotta and will serve as a boutique aggregator for indie films under the $2 million range. It will also handle distribution, marketing, and advertising for these films that will release via digital platforms. On top of that, they will hone in on underrepresented voices when it comes to filmmakers, artists, and stories.

“It is our hope that filmmakers will feel comfortable that we can provide experienced guidance of their distribution service options and to have a financially conscious outcome for their film while maintaining a level of control,” said Lanzillotta. “We hope to make filmmakers aware and...

Adam Scott has joined the ensemble cast of the CBS All Access revival of The Twilight Zone. Scott will appear in the Nightmare At 30,000 Feet episode, best remembered in the original series for William Shatner’s frantic encounter with an airborne gremlin that only he could see.

CBS All Access previously announced that Jordan Peele will host and narrate the series and actress Sanaa Lathan will star in the episode Rewind.

Scott is an award-winning actor, director, and producer best known for his roles as Ben Wyatt in NBC’s Parks and Recreation, Henry Pollard in the Starz sitcom Party Down, and Derek in the comedy film Step Brothers. Other television credits include Big Little Lies, The Good Place and Ghosted.

In film, Scott has appeared in such projects as the upcoming Little Evil, The Disaster Artist, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, Monster-in-Law and The Aviator, among other roles. He...

Well, the first verdict is in on "The Divergent Series: Allegiant" from the Hollywood trades, and the waning Ya franchise is going out with all the excitement of a deflating balloon. Variety has called it "downright ridiculous," THR says it "won’t convert any nonbelievers," while The Wrap notes that the sequel "brings back the same cast of characters to do more or less exactly what they did in the previous films." Basically, if you're not already a fan, this won't covert you. Read More: Watch: Final Trailer For 'The Divergent Series: Allegiant' Tears Down The Walls Nonetheless, perhaps for the sake of completion and the packaging of future boxsets, Summit is pressing ahead with "The Divergent Series: Ascendant," tasking Lee Toland Krieger ("Age Of Adaline," "The Vicious Kind," "Celeste & Jesse Forever") to take over from Robert Schwentke, who had planned to direct, but recently exited following...

For all you Divergent fanatics out there, you'll be glad to know that the final movie in the franchise (unless they announce prequels or more sequels later), The Divergent Series: Ascendant, has secured a new director.

THR reports that Lee Toland Krieger, the man who brought us Age of Adaline, The Vicious Kind, and the underseen dramedy Celeste & Jesse Forever, is in talks to replace Robert Schwentke, who bailed on the franchise after directing two Divergent movies in a row (Insurgent and Allegiant). Schwentke reportedly needed a break and wanted to spend more time with his family. Ascendant will certainly be the biggest movie that Krieger has taken on in his career thus far, but Hollywood has proven time and time again that they aren't afraid of giving a young director with indie experience the responsibility of handling a large-scale blockbuster.

Plus, this basically seems like it's impossible for Krieger...

Blake Lively, favorite of auteur directors? Don't laugh, because the "Gossip Girl" star has found her way onto the sets of some interesting filmmakers. Granted, "Savages" was awful, but it was directed Oliver Stone. She made those Gucci spots with Nicolas Winding Refn, soon she'll be teaming with Marc Forster on "All I See Is You," and her latest "Age Of Adaline" was helmed by rising indie filmmaker Lee Toland Krieger ("The Vicious Kind," "Celeste & Jesse Forever"). So perhaps the leap to Woody Allen isn't so drastic as you might think. Yep, the actress is joining the prolific filmmaker's next movie that already has Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, and Bruce Willis attached. Naturally, there are no plot details, but it will probably concern some kind of existential crisis, romance, and be either a drama or comedy. Production will begin this summer, you'll probably see it in 2016, and Sony Pictures Classics will.

We don't often feature trailers for romantic dramas on GeekTyrant, but The Age of Adaline deserves mentioning for one simple reason: star Harrison Ford seems to actually give a sh*t about what he's doing in it. In recent years, Ford has leaned on his gruff persona and has - let's admit it - basically coasted through roles in films like Firewall, Cowboys & Aliens, Paranoia, Ender's Game, and Anchorman 2. (I still haven't seen 42, but I have it recorded on my DVR waiting for me to get a free two hours.) The brief glimpse we get of Ford in this trailer makes it look like the old Harrison Ford, the one from the 80s and 90s who put real power behind his performances and was just as believable as an action hero, a father, or a husband.

We haven't yet seen any of Ford's work in Star Wars: The Force Awakens,...

Joe Swanberg is continuing his ascension from making movies with friends, to making movies with celebrities, and now making movies with a major studio. The filmmaker has signed up to helm "Work Wife" for New Line. Rob McKittrick (“Waiting…”) wrote the latest draft of the script that "follows a pair of thirty-something lawyers who attempt to find out if they really can date a co-worker." No word yet on when it will shoot. [The Wrap] Lee Toland Krieger is another movie maker shifting gears. He's done drama ("The Vicious Kind"), romantic comedy ("Celeste And Jesse Forever"), romantic fantasy (the forthcoming "Age Of Adaline"), and now he's going into action-thriller mode with "Vanish Man." It will follow "a man who helps people escape their troubled lives by staging elaborate deaths and creating new identities. He finds himself enlisted by the FBI to track down the one client that was not supposed to disappear.

"That's what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age," Wooderson says in "Dazed And Confused," so perhaps he would've been really into Blake Lively in "Age Of Adaline." The fantasy romance has a brand new trailer taking viewers into a romance that spans decades and yet finds the center of affection staying perfectly young throughout. Harrison Ford and Ellen Burstyn co-star in the Lee Toland Krieger ("Celeste & Jesse Forever," "The Vicious Kind") -directed film about a woman from the 1930s (Lively) who becomes ageless and immortal following an accident, but as a result has to watch her her daughter (Burstyn) age and grow old while she stays young. So, she's kind of like a vampire except without the blood. Anyway, it causes problems when she runs into an old flame who has now grown older, while she has remained as youthful as the day they met.

Call Me Lucky is Bobcat Goldthwait’s documentary portrait of fellow comedian Barry Crimmins, who is not as famous as he should be for his barbed political satire — and whose outsider activism led him to dark places, as this documentary reveals. To visually capture Crimmins on and off stage, Goldthwait turned to his frequent cinematographer Bradley Stonesifer, who previously screened at Sundance with Lee Toland Krieger’s dramatic feature, The Vicious Kind. Below Stonesifer answers questions about that collaboration and doing big theatrical lighting on a shoestring budget. Call Me Lucky premieres January 27, 2015 in the Sundance Documentary Competition section […]...

Call Me Lucky is Bobcat Goldthwait’s documentary portrait of fellow comedian Barry Crimmins, who is not as famous as he should be for his barbed political satire — and whose outsider activism led him to dark places, as this documentary reveals. To visually capture Crimmins on and off stage, Goldthwait turned to his frequent cinematographer Bradley Stonesifer, who previously screened at Sundance with Lee Toland Krieger’s dramatic feature, The Vicious Kind. Below Stonesifer answers questions about that collaboration and doing big theatrical lighting on a shoestring budget. Call Me Lucky premieres January 27, 2015 in the Sundance Documentary Competition section […]...

If you’ve not had enough of the time-dabbling age-pausing hijinks of sci-fi epic Interstellar, then you might want to pay close attention to Lionsgate’s upcoming romantic drama. From filmmaker Lee Toland Krieger, The Age Of Adaline centres on Blake Lively as a young woman who is unable to age after a fateful accident, and thanks to Yahoo! Movies, we’ve got our first look in the shape of the above trailer.

Adopting a similar slant to The Curious Life Of Benjamin Button, the film picks up the story of Adaline Bowman following a near-fatal accident in the 1930s which renders her unable to age. As she watches her own daughter grow old before her eyes, she isolates herself from others. Her life-long journey sees the perpetual 29-year old severing ties in order to prevent painful goodbyes – until she finally falls in love. Crossing paths with Lively on the...

"All these years you've lived, but you've never had a life." After delivering some solid indies like Celeste and Jesse Forever and The Vicious Kind, director Lee Toland Krieger is getting a little whimsical with The Age of Adaline, and the first trailer for the film has just arrived. Blake Lively plays the title character, a woman who mysteriously becomes immortal after an accident. It sounds like a gift, but it also means that she can't grow old with those she loves, as you can see with Ellen Burstyn playing her daughter in the present day. There's an interesting use of an M83 track from the Oblivion soundtrack, and this feels like the kind of movie Disney would release through Touchstone Pictures, but rarely makes anymore. Watch below! Here's the first trailer for Lee Toland Krieger's The Age of Adaline from Tribute: Following a near-fatal accident one icy night,...

"I'd like to think you walk away from this thinking love conquers all, even immortality," director Lee Toland Krieger ("Celeste & Jesse Forever," "The Vicious Kind") told USA Today about his upcoming "Age Of Adaline." And while Christopher Nolan went to outer space to convey the same sentiment, Krieger is keeping it a bit more down to Earth with his upcoming feature. Starring Blake Lively, Ellen Burstyn and Harrison Ford, the high concept fantasy follows a woman from the 1930s (Lively) who becomes ageless and immortal following an accident, but as a result has to watch her her daughter (Burstyn) age and grow old while she stays young. Who needs fancy wormholes? As Krieger explains, there are deep issues at the core of his film. "It sounds like wish fulfillment to look like Blake Lively forever. But she cannot grow old with anyone," the director said. "In a world consumed with youth and vanity,...

He has been Spidey's boss, a mean prisoner in "Oz," Juno's daddy, and lately, Farmer's Insurance spokesperson, but now, J.K. Simmons is going to be a Palm Springs International Film Festival awardee.

The actor is currently making waves for his brilliant performance in "Whiplash," just in time for the Academy Awards season. Simmons will be joining previously announced winners, Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore.

Here's the complete press release:

Palm Springs, CA (November 18, 2014) . The 26th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) will present J.K. Simmons with the Spotlight Award, Actor at its annual Awards Gala. The Gala will also present awards to previously announced honorees Julianne Moore and Eddie Redmayne. Presented by Cartier, and hosted by Mary Hart, the Awards Gala will be held Saturday, January 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The Festival runs January 2-12.

.Throughout his career J.K. Simmons had played a wide range of...

Philip A. Dick: Perry’s Literary Minds Stuck In a Lonely Place

Following up his dark hearted homage to road trip cinema with 2011’s The Color Wheel, Alex Ross Perry’s third film, Listen Up Philip arrives with an equally unpleasant set of main characters as it explores the hyper intellectual worldview of self-important authors wallowing in their emotional ennui. But the self-involved narcissists occupying Perry’s arena also happen to be impressively fleshed out compelling characters that makes this triptych of their miserable emotional periods so engrossing. Sprawling, unkempt, and often unlikeable, it’s one of the most impressively written and astutely performed films you’ll see this year.

We meet Philip (Jason Schwartzman) as he meets up with an ex-girlfriend for lunch, basically to gloat over his looming success as an author, celebrating the publication of his first novel. An omniscient narrator (Eric Bogosnian) begins to guide us through Philip’s (and eventually,...

Johnny Depp may already be on location in Boston shooting Whitey Bulger crime drama Black Mass for Out of the Furnace helmer Scott Cooper, but that doesn’t mean that the highly anticipated film is done with casting quite yet.

In an unexpected shake-up, Guy Pearce, who was on board to play Whitey’s politician brother Billy Bulger, has departed the project, leaving Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch to take his place. Just hours after that scoop broke, it was also announced that Parks & Recreation actor Adam Scott would be joining the film, playing FBI Agent Robert Fitzpatrick.

Though it’s unfortunate that Pearce, a skilled character actor, is no longer involved with Black Mass, Cumberbatch seems like a solid replacement. The British thesp has infiltrated popular culture thanks to high-profile roles in Sherlock and Star Trek Into Darkness, but his distinct knack for playing intense and conflicted characters can perhaps...

Exclusive: UTA has signed writer-director Lee Toland Krieger, who just wrapped directing The Age Of Adaline, the Lakeshore/Anonymous Content production that stars Blake Lively, Harrison Ford, Michael Huisman and Ellen Burstyn. Krieger had been at ICM Partners. He got an Independent Spirit Award nom for his script for The Vicious Kind, which he directed, and he also helmed Celeste And Jesse Forever with Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg. Lee also directed the pilot for the MTV comedy Happyland which has been picked up to series. Lee is managed by Michael Sugar and Bard Dorros at Anonymous Content and lawyered by George M. Davis.

Director Joseph Oxford and cinematographer Bradley Stonesifer created an imaginary world using cardboard boxes and rubber bands for their animated short film Me + Her. A labor of love that evolved over four years, their work was rewarded when the film was accepted into Sundance’s Short Film program. Oxford has worked in the industry since 2007 in a variety of roles, including production assistant and art director, but Me + Her is his first project as writer and director. Oxford first met cinematographer Stonesifer through a director friend, and they both worked on the film The Vicious Kind in 2008. […]...

Director Joseph Oxford and cinematographer Bradley Stonesifer created an imaginary world using cardboard boxes and rubber bands for their animated short film Me + Her. A labor of love that evolved over four years, their work was rewarded when the film was accepted into Sundance’s Short Film program. Oxford has worked in the industry since 2007 in a variety of roles, including production assistant and art director, but Me + Her is his first project as writer and director. Oxford first met cinematographer Stonesifer through a director friend, and they both worked on the film The Vicious Kind in 2008. […]...

Via: Variety

Harrison Ford will star alongside Blake Lively in a film called Age of Adaline. The movie is being directed by Lee Toland Krieger, who previously made Celeste & Jesse Forever and The Vicious Kind. The script comes from J. Mills Goodloe and Salvador Paskowitz, with revisions by Allison Burnett.

The movie has a very interesting premise in which Lively will play a 29-year old girl named Adaline, "who stops aging after recovering from a near-fatal accident. Over the course of the 20th century she embarks on an epic journey, keeping her secret until she meets a man who forever alters her life."

I'm intrigued by the plot, and I'm looking forward to learning more. The film is scheduled to start shooting in March with Lionsgate set to release the film in the U.S.

Last fall, we learned that the supernatural romance The Age of Adaline was getting a new group together to bring the love story of a 29-year-old woman who is rendered ageless after an accident to life. The Vicious Kind and Celeste and Jesse Forever director Lee Toland Krieger was going to direct the film for Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Lakeshore Entertainment with Blake Lively ("Gossip Girl") starring as the woman who leads a solitary life, but decides to head out on and epic but isolated journey where she meets a man who might be worth losing her immortality. Now Harrison Ford has been added to the film's cast. Ford joins veteran actress Ellen Burstyn (we presume playing an older version of Lively after her romance plays out), but the Ender's Game and Anchorman 2 star's role isn't explained in the Lionsgate press release. All we know is that his character is named William.

Entertainment In Video

We have entered a strange time in communication. Instead of calling, we text each other; instead of listening to the radio, we plug in our iPods; instead of watching the news at 7, we read up on current events while browsing through articles on Yahoo’s news page. The same applies when it comes to advice: it used to be that our parents always told us, but now it’s become what we’ve seen in movies.

While I’ve set this up to be negative, it’s actually good that the entertainment industry has morphed from what we watch to keep us busy and interested to what we go to for guidance and justification. This backfires on us, more often than not, because things don’t turn out the way they do in the movies, but the lesson always stick with us. We recall movies that have...

Following several iterations that included directors like Gabriele Muccino and actress Katherine Heigl, the supernatural romance The Age of Adaline seems to finally be getting off the ground. Deadline reports Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Lakeshore Entertainment have set Blake Lively to star in the film about a 29-year-old woman who is rendered ageless after an accident. After years of a solitary life, she heads out on and epic but isolated journey, until she meets a man who might be worth losing her immortality. Lee Toland Krieger, who was behind the stellar Sundance selected Celeste and Jesse Forever, is directing. Krieger is a great director, with the indie The Vicious Kind with Adam Scott also in his past. This sounds like just the kind of film that would also end up on the festival circuit, maybe showing that Blake Lively is more than just a pretty face, but Lionsgate is already set to release the film,...

Adam Scott is arguably one of the most interesting actors working today. His filmography varies from dramas like The Aviator to campy horror films like Piranha. So it’s no surprise that the versatile funnyman is lending his talents to Hot Tub Time Machine 2 as he’s now set for a lead role in the upcoming sequel.

The original Hot Tub Time Machine was a surprising success, grossing $50 million domestically on a $36 million budget. The story followed four friends (John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, Clark Duke) who stumble upon a magic hot tub that transports them back to the 1980s to relive an important night in their lives. Plot details for the sequel are currently unknown but we’ll keep you posted when we hear more.

Adam Scott will lead the sequel in place of John Cusack, who has opted not to return. Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, and Clark Duke...

The Sundance Premieres section is “A showcase of world premieres of some of the most highly anticipated dramatic films of the coming year.”

****

Stoker

Synopsis: “After India’s father dies, her Uncle Charlie, who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her unstable mother. She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him.”

Director: Park Chan-Wook

Screenwriters: Wentworth Miller, Erin Cressida Wilson

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, Mia Wasikowska, Dermot Mulroney, Jacki Weaver

The South Korean director behind The Vengeance Trilogy (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance,Oldboy and Lady Vengeance) makes his English language debut in a thriller almost sure to offend, charm, tease and provoke. If you’ve primed yourself with Chan-Wook’s previous films- then you’ll be anticipating the often excruciating physical, sexual and emotional violence he’s known for. His endeavors have been so thoroughly soaked...

You know those actors and actresses that show up in all kinds of different movies? Yea, they’re pretty awesome. There aren’t too many of them out there, and you may not know all them by name but I’m sure you’ve watched something where they star. Mostly the reason you don’t is because they either haven’t had a huge breakout role yet, or they usually play big roles in big movies that feature more recognisable actors or actresses.

I’ve narrowed down a list of 5 (as is my thing, ya know…) who have made a huge contribution to the world of film. Maybe this will help you recognize them (as I’m sure you will). Maybe you’ll know who all of them are (good job by the way). Maybe you will discover them for the first time.

In any case, here they are:

5. Adam...

Lee Toland Krieger wasn't planning to read the script for "Celeste and Jesse Forever" in one night. It just sort of happened that way.

"I thought, 'I'll read it first thing in the morning,'" Krieger told HuffPost Entertainment. "I opened the first page, though, and was immediately hooked. I read the whole thing right there."

Following the late-night reading frenzy, Krieger had a meeting with producer Jennifer Todd and co-writers Rashida Jones and Will McCormack to make his case as director.

"Luckily enough I was able to get the gig."

Luck probably had little to do with it: Not even 30 years old, "Celeste and Jesse Forever" is Krieger's third feature directing credit, but judging from the critical and financial response to the film, it will hardly be his last. Co-starring Jones and Andy Samberg as a couple who try to remain friends after their divorce, "Celeste and Jesse Forever...

A 2005 graduate of USC’s School of Cinema and Television, Lee Toland Krieger made his feature film debut in 2008 with “The Vicious Kind,” starring Adam Scott, from his own original screenplay. His latest film is Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg’s bittersweet “Celeste and Jesse Forever,” releasing this week and platforming throughout August. For ShockYa, Brent Simon had a chance to speak to Krieger one-on-one recently, about his new movie, the difficulties of mounting or landing an indie directing gig, ”Back to the Future,” the story he heard about Steven Seagal getting kicked off of “Executive Decision,” and the rudeness in some of his encounters with the press. The conversation is excerpted below: ShockYa: Your [ Read More ]...

This hasn’t been the most prolific of summers as far as blockbusters are concerned. The Avengers gave this season a promising start, but no action film came close to matching its scope and sheer love for fun. Last month was the most disappointing proof of that, with the very flawed Amazing Spider-Man and the messy finale we got with The Dark Knight Rises. However, there’s been a good run of independent releases so far – Killer Joe, Headhunters, Safety Not Guarnteed, Your Sister’s Sister, Take This Waltz, etc. — and this August is no different, with plenty of small and greatly satisfying offerings to be discovered. Celeste and Jesse Forever Opens August 3rd From the director of the overlooked The Vicious Kind and co-written by Rashida Jones, Celeste and Jesse Forever is a bittersweet film showing off Jones’ talents both on and off the screen and co-star Andy Samberg‘s promising chops as a dramatic actor...

If there's any proof how hard it is to get independent movies made these days then it will be more evident from it's Celeste and Jesse Forever , a relationship dramedy written by Rashida Jones ("Parks and Recreation") and her writing partner Will McCormack ("In Plain Sight"), who spent three years trying to get a studio to back it before making it independently with director Lee Toland Krieger ( The Vicious Kind ). In the Los Angeles-based film, Jones plays the Celeste of the title to Andy Samberg's Jesse, a couple who have separated after several years of marriage and have chosen to remain best friends with Jesse living right next door. This situation makes the rest of their mutual acquaintances uncomfortable and they try to convince Celeste to move on after...

It's a maxim we're all familiar with: "Can men and women be friends?" Popularized by 1989's "When Harry Met Sally" (of course) and explored by "Seinfeld" and "Friends" and -- probably -- your own life, the hypothetical has become a catch-22 for the modern rom-com. But what if it read differently? What if a pair of besties married and then tried to salvage their friendship? A new indie starring Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg asks just that. From Lee Toland Krieger ("The Vicious Kind"), the film follows a Bff couple whose marriage has hit the skids. Co-written by Jones and Will McCormack, who dated each other before realizing they were better suited as friends, "Celeste and Jesse Forever" is a story about breaking up -- the long, gestating, solitary, drowning-your-sorrows-in-ranch-dressing break-up. And it's as funny as it is impossibly bleak, so much so that when Jones sat down with Moviefone,...

What happens when a couple knows it's over but can't bear to part? That's the painful scenario at the heart of "Celeste and Jesse Forever," the new indie rom-com co-written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. When the movie begins, Celeste (Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) are deep in denial about what their decision to get divorced means for them and those around them. No, they're not having sex anymore -- not regularly, anyway -- but does that mean they can't keep going to dinner with friends and making schmoopy faces and reading the menu to each other in hilarious voices?

Eventually, alas, it does. And the result is an emotional roller coaster ride that's alternately hilarious and excruciating to behold. Actually, it's mostly both at the same time. Samberg gets first-timer points for playing a three-dimensional character who doesn't carry his genitals in a box, but it's Jones who delivers a truly revelatory performance.

Celeste and Jesse Forever debuted at Sundance this year to brilliant reviews – you can read our own five-star review here – and it’s been topping must-see films of the summer lists ever since.

Rashida Jones (The Social Network) and Andy Samberg (Hot Rod, SNL) star opposite each other in the eponymous leads, and after catching the first three clips from the film last week, following the brilliant first trailer last month, Apple have now debuted a new clip from the film showcasing how good Celeste (Jones) is at her job.

“Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) met in high school, married young and are growing apart. Now thirty, Celeste is the driven owner of her own media consulting firm, Jesse is once again unemployed and in no particular rush to do anything with his life.

Celeste is convinced that divorcing Jesse is the right thing to do — she is on her way up,...

Check out the new trailer for Sony Pictures Classics Celeste & Jesse Forever. One of the most talked about films at the 2012 Sundance Film festival (Official Selection), the romantic comedy stars Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, Chris Messina, Ari Graynor, Will McCormack, Emma Roberts, and Elijah Wood.

Celeste & Jesse Forever is about two people who met in high school, married young and are growing apart. Now thirty, they decide to get divorced and attempt to stay best friends while pursuing other relationships. This plan is not as simple as they had imagined. Celeste. imperious, successful and driven– is convinced that divorcing the boyish Jesse is the right thing to do. Jesse passively accepts this transition into friendship, even though he still is in love with her. As the reality of their separation sets in, Celeste slowly and painfully realizes she has been cavalier about their relationship. But her timing with Jesse is less than fortuitous.

Here's the first trailer for the new Andy Samberg and Rashida Jones romantic comedy Celete and Jesse Forever. This film has been getting mixed reviews, but I really liked it and thought it had some great heartfelt humor that I think a lot of us can relate too... at least I could. Lee Toland Krieger (The Vicious Kind) directed the film from a script that Jones co-wrote. The story follows the lives of a couple who remain best friends after they get a divorce.

The movie also stars Elijah Wood, Ari Graynor, Chris Messina, Emma Roberts, and Eric Christian Olsen. You can read my full review of the film here.

Here's the synopsis:

Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) met in high school, married young and are growing apart. Now thirty, Celeste is the driven owner of her own media consulting firm, Jesse is once again unemployed and in...

Andy Samberg's first post-SNL movie was Adam Sandler's comedy That's My Boy but lest you think he's staying on the laugh track, the first trailer for the upcoming Sundance flick Celeste and Jesse Forever shows us a mature, subdued side of Samberg, who is on the cusp of divorcing Celeste (Rashida Jones, who co-wrote the screenplay) but remains best friends with his ex...until he meets someone else.

With direction from Lee Toland Krieger (The Vicious Kind, December Ends), Celeste and Jesse Forever looks at a couple who met in high school, married young and then started to drift apart but when they decided to separate, they still wanted to stay in each other's lives, which struck some of their friends as unhealthy and naturally made for some awkward moments when they both re-emerged on the dating scene.

The trailer, which premiered on Apple, strikes a balance between romance,...

There doesn't seem to be anything that Rashida Jones can't do. Or if there is, I certainly haven't seen it. She's a great actor with wonderful comedic timing who also happens to occasionally sing (her father is Quincy Jones) and writes her own comic book series ("Frenemy of the State"). Jones recently turned her unbounded talents to screenwriting, co-authoring a small film called Celeste And Jesse Forever with fellow actor Will McCormack. It's the pair's first attempt at writing a movie and Jones stars as Celeste opposite Andy Samberg's Jesse. Oh, McCormack is in the film too, as Skillz, but I don't think you get a glimpse of him in this first trailer. Directed by Lee Toland Krieger (just his second film after The Vicious Kind), Celeste And Jesse Forever is about the two titular best friends who also happen to be going through a divorce. Yes, from each other,...

For Andy Samberg, Hollywood hasn’t been as kind to the SNL actor as some of his other co-stars, most recently Kristin Wiig. Aside from leading the hilarious Hot Rod a half-decade ago, the actor has only played small supporting roles in feature films. His big breakthrough is coming this year with three major films and it hasn’t exactly started off on the right foot. Last week’s comedy That’s My Boy was one of Adam Sandler‘s worst openings and now he has two more tries later this year and we’ve got new full-length trailers for both.

First up, his Sundance drama Celeste and Jesse Forever will be hitting theaters later this summer and the first trailer hints at Samberg’s most dramatic role yet. Directed by Lee Toland Krieger, who helmed the overlooked The Vicious Kind, Samberg is joined by a great cas including Rashida Jones,...

Oh boy, for anyone who has been through a breakup where you still remain friends (raises hand), the trailer for "Celeste & Jesse Forever" will resonate loud and clear. But even if not, it promises a fresh take on the relationship rom-com.

Premiering earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival to a plethora of positive notices (including our own which said that the film lands on an "even keel between hilarity and heartache"), the film presents the story of Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) as they break up, and maintain a close friendship, while trying to navigate the waters of new romance elsewhere. Regret, melancholy and humor seem to mix here in an impressive blend, and it looks like Jones, who co-wrote the script with Will McCormack, and director Lee Toland Krieger, who is making his followup to the underrated "The Vicious Kind," have much to be proud of here.

Starring Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg in the leads, Celeste and Jesse Forever debuted at Sundance earlier this year to very positive reviews, instantly becoming one of the most anticipated indie films of the year.

Jones herself is behind the script, co-writing with long-time friend Will McCormack, who also stars, alongside Emma Roberts, Elijah Wood, Ari Graynor, and Chris Messina.

After hearing that the film would be debuting in the Us on 3rd August back in April, things have been fairly quiet, but Jones took to Twitter last night and previewed the first official poster, which is as charming as the film sounds.

I particularly like the ‘A Loved Story’ tagline at the bottom-right.

“Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) met in high school, married young and are growing apart. Now thirty, Celeste is the driven owner of her own media consulting firm, Jesse is once again unemployed and...

The main reason we enjoy doing what we do here on Tfs is to share our love for great independent films that may not be on your radar. It’s why we focus our efforts on film festivals and it brings no greater joy to recommend these films once they come out in theaters. While other summer countdowns focus on all the films you’ve been hearing about non-stop for the last year, we’ve got a comprehensive list of the worthwhile independent, limited release features to take note of.

While a few, namely one from Focus Features and another from The Weinstein Company are set to go wide initially, they won’t be as hitting as many multiplexes as The Dark Knight Rises or The Avengers, therefore making for a worthy mention. Check out the list below, which also includes what you may want to skip over blockbuster-wise at the theaters that same weekend,...

Despite the occasional film like "John Carter," the major studios are having a pretty good time of it in 2012. The box office is up all over, and films like "The Hunger Games," "21 Jump Street" and "The Avengers" have performed above expectations with both critics and audiences. There's plenty more to come in the summer, as we discussed yesterday in our blockbuster preview, but what of films of the non-explode-y variety in the warmer months?

While it may seem like there aren't that many options to compete with fare like "Prometheus" and "The Dark Knight Rises," there are some gems to look forward to; some of the best-received films of 2012 so far are making it to theaters in the next few months, along with a few others that we've got high hopes for. (And yes, we're cheating a bit with two studio movies in there, but they come from decidedly out-of-the-box...

This review originally ran last November when 96 Minutes played at The St. Louis International Film Festival

Racism is never an easy topic to tackle in any medium, so when you add class warfare and the peer pressure of gang culture to the story, it triples the difficulty of pulling off a believable and sincere film. Against the odds, this is precisely what first time writer and director Aimee Lagos has accomplished with 96 Minutes. Inspired by true events, 96 Minutes is a story of four young lives, each of them on separate paths which violently collide.

Brittany Snow (The Vicious Kind) plays Carley, an upper-middle class hard-working white college student studying law. Evan Ross (The Family Tree) plays Dre, a young black man from a gritty part of town whose determined not to fall into the gangster life, despite retaining his friendship with Kevin, played by Jonathan Michael Trautmann, a 16-year old...

 

 

In this week's episode, Tyler and Ben discuss Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis' 2010 film, Machete.

Introduction

Character Name Game Intro - 2:10

Media Consumed

Tyler

David McCullough's "1776" - 4:00

"Tolkien's Ring" - 6:22

Amanda Seyfried in Gone - 8:21

Goo Goo Dolls concert - 12:20

Ben

Objectified -13:00

The Vicious Kind - 16:22

The Lincoln Lawyer - 19:08

Review

Machete -22:50

Wrap-Up

Next Time: The Hustler - 56:39

Listener E-mail/Voicemail/Twitter - 57:46

Character Name Game - 1:03:35

Where You Can Find Us - 1:06:37...

In the last couple of years, Adam Scott has become one of the hardest working and most in-demand actors, appearing in dozens of movies and TV shows before settling into the ensemble cast of NBC's "Parks and Recreation." If you've seen any of Scott's movies during that time--from the hit studio comedies Knocked Up and Step Brothers to the indie dramas August or The Vicious Kind --you may have some idea of his range, but Jennifer Westfeldt's Friends With Kids gives Scott the type of spotlight role that proves unequivocally that he should be playing more leading roles in Hollywood. Westfeldt, who wrote and starred in the 2002 indie hit Kissing Jessica Stein , plays Julie to Scott's Jason, platonic best friends for 15 years who watch as their friends' marriages...

Thanks to your votes, foster care dark comedy "Wild Blue" won this week's Project of the Week. Congratulations to director Josh Hope. The filmmaker will receive a digital distribution consultation from SnagFilms and is now officially a candidate for Project of the Month. That winner will be awarded with a consultation from the Sundance Institute. Here's what the project's about: Wild Blue, Dark Comedy/Drama...After his release from the Oklahoma foster care system, a young man leaves his small town for the first time on a whim to travel across the country with a strange woman he meets by chance. 'The Vicious Kind' meets 'The Puffy Chair'.   Four more Projects of the Day coming this week, with the next vote on Friday. Want your project to be considered? Tell us all about it.

Two of the latest films to be picked up at Sundance are The Surrogate and Celeste & Jesse Forever. Fox Searchlight Pictures announced today at the Sundance Film Festival that the studio has acquired Ben Lewin's The Surrogate for distribution:

Fox Searchlight Pictures Presidents Nancy Utley and Stephen Gilula announced today that the company has acquired worldwide rights to the inspirational true story The Surrogate. Directed and written by Ben Lewin, The Surrogate stars John Hawkes as Mark O’Brien, Helen Hunt as Cheryl Cohen Greene and William H. Macy as Father Brendan. The film was produced by Judi Levine of Suchmuch Films and Stephen Nemeth of Rhino Films and is scheduled to be released in 2012.

“Ben Lewin has created a touching, uplifting look at one man’s desire to experience life to the fullest. The brave and indelible performances by John Hawkes, Helen Hunt and William H. Macy left us floored,...

The ever-talented Rashida Jones makes her writing debut with co-writer Will McCormack on Celeste and Jesse Forever, which has been rapturously received at Sundance in the past few days. Our man in the States, Ty Cooper, was lucky enough to catch the film at its world premiere, and you can read his five-star review of the film here.

I was really hoping (and quietly expecting) that the film would be picked up soon following its great reception, and Collider are reporting that my hopes have been fulfilled! Sony Pictures Classics have acquired the film for distribution, granting them all North American, Latin American, and Eastern European rights to the film.

Notably, this of course leaves its UK rights with a question mark for the time being, but fear not. In the past, the vast majority of the films they’ve released in recent years have been picked up for UK distribution too,...