
Did anyone count the seconds Shoshanna and Jessa turned up on screen in this episode of Girls? More than twenty, but less than a full minute, surely. The problem with any episode that focuses entirely on Hannah is that Hannah is, by far, the least likable of the foursome. In small doses she can be fine — the cold open was a thing of beauty to anyone who works in, or pays close attention to, media. Hannah, looking to do some kind of Woody Allen-esque “I just want to talk about how awkward I am” piece, or maybe some kind of long-form old-school journalism is told, “have a threesome with strangers you meet off of Craiglist. Or go on a cocaine binge. Just an idea.” Hit the jump to see how that played out, as well as why you should “look at the doll and describe her!”
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Already the critics who lauded the first season of Girls for being the defining series of the Millennial generation (funny how none of those critics actually are Millennials, hmm) started to turn their backs on the series last week, saying that the broader humor wasn’t better. I disagree, and “I Get Ideas” is a great example of how more standard humorous exchanges, with beats for jokes and speedily-delivered one-liners that may not reflect the cadence at which people speak in real life, is still representative of the situation’s reality while still being enjoyable to watch. Now that the characters (except for Marnie) aren’t spending all of their time complaining about not having money, they’re just having conversations. With that as the core, the dialogue has really elevated into its own art, and “I Get Ideas” had an incredible amount of great quotes (such as anything/everything Jessa and Shoshanna say). Hit the jump for more on why “I’m not, personally, attracted to you, but that’s only because I know you.”
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“I watched Girls, but I didn’t really have an opinion of it” – said no one ever. Last year the show started off shaky and turned some viewers off, but got progressively better as the reality of what the series is — and not what the divisive hype claimed it was — became clear. Girls is really a fine show. Series creator and star Lena Dunham is not “the voice of the generation” (which was a satirically uttered line that HBO turned into a sincere tagline), but she has moments where she gets it really right. So maybe getting the most out of the show means accepting it as an ironic embrace of White Girl Problems, without being dismissive of its truths. Hit the jump to find out where all of the girls are now, and why things are already so much better than before.
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Two-time Oscar-winner Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility) is the latest to join Beautiful Creatures, a supernatural love story based on the first novel in a best-selling series. Thompson will join Academy Award-nominee Viola Davis (The Help), as well as Jack O’Connell (Eden Lake) and newcomer Alice Englert. Richard LaGravenese (P.S. I Love You) will direct the adaptation from the stories written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.
In other casting news, Jenna Fischer (The Office) and Rita Wilson (Sleepless in Seattle) have joined the indie drama, Kiss Me, directed by Jeff Probst (“Survivor”). The coming-of-age tale follows a teen with scoliosis as she navigates adolescent relationships. Hit the jump for more on both projects.
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Universal has sent over 7 clips and a featurette from Larry Crowne. Directed by and starring Tom Hanks, the story centers on a laid-off middle-aged man (Hanks) who goes back to college and strikes up a relationship with one of his professors (Julia Roberts). Larry Crowne is the first film Hanks has directed since 1996’s That Thing You Do, and he co-wrote the script with Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding). While the story seems pretty simple, Hanks has proven himself behind the camera and people love the guy. What I’m trying to say is…I’m pretty sure Larry Crowne is going to be a big hit for Universal. Hanks and Roberts are joined in the film by Bryan Cranston, Cedric the Entertainer, Taraji P. Henson, Gugu Mbatha Raw, Wilmer Valderrama, Pam Grier, Rami Malek, George Takei, Grace Gummer, Rita Wilson, and Jon Seda. Check out the clips after the jump. Larry Crowne hits theaters July 1st.
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Fox Searchlight has released the trailer for the coming-of-age drama The Art of Getting By (formerly titled Homework). I caught the film at Sundance and kind of loathed the hell out of it, but maybe you like cloying movies with underdeveloped characters whining about how hard life is for white upper-class teenagers living in New York City. If you enjoy movies like that, you will love The Art of Getting By.
Hit the jump to check out the trailer plus two new images from the film. The Art of Getting By also stars Michael Angarano, Rita Wilson, and Blair Underwood. The film opens in limited release on June 17th.
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Universal has released the first trailer for Larry Crowne. Directed by and starring Tom Hanks, the story centers on a laid-off middle-aged man (Hanks) who goes back to college and strikes up a relationship with one of his professors (Julia Roberts). Larry Crowne is the first film Hanks has directed since 1996’s That Thing You Do, and he co-wrote the script with Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding). While the story seems pretty simple, Hanks has proven himself behind the camera and people love the guy. What I’m trying to say is…I’m pretty sure Larry Crowne is going to be a big hit for Universal. Check out the trailer, synopsis and new images after the jump:
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by Jeff Ames Posted: December 3rd, 2010 at 5:05 pm

With the Sundance Film Festival premiering in a little over a month (48 days to be exact), new images from the films in competition have begun to emerge. As such, we are pleased to bring you a few screenshots from Gavin Wiesen’s Homework, starring Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Rita Wilson and Blair Underwood; and Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene, with Elizabeth Olsen, Brady Corbet, Hugh Dancy, John Hawkes, and Sarah Paulson.
Homework finished shooting in New York last April and marks Wiesen’s feature length debut as writer and director. Likewise, Martha Marcy May Marlene is the first for Durkin, who wrote and directed the film. Hit the jump to see the pics and for a brief synopses:
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Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland) and Emma Roberts (Nancy Drew) are finishing the filming of their new film Homework this week in New York. Variety is reporting that the movie is currently underway, with a supporting cast that includes Alicia Silverstone, Elizabeth Reaser, Blair Underwood and Rita Wilson, with Michael Angarano (Gentlemen Broncos) set to play one of the graduates of the High School Roberts and Highmore attend. This is the first movie for writer-director Gavin Wiesen, which is about a young boy’s relationship with a girl he’s fallen in love with from a distance. Gigi Films’ Gia Walsh and Kara Baker, Darren Goldberg and Mint Pictures’ P. Jennifer Dana are producing. There is no release date yet for the movie.

That Robin Williams and John Travolta made a terrible comedy together is no surprise, the only notable aspect is that it was made in 2009 and called Old Dogs. Neither is above doing shit, and shit is what they made. But it’s interesting to think of how many times the two could have been paired: It could have been done in the early 80′s as a miss-matched partners comedy. It could have been done any time in the 1990′s post-Pulp Fiction. And had this film come out in the mid-to-late 90′s, it would have been almost the same film too. The two star as ad execs with Williams finding out the woman (Kelly Preston) he married on a lark had twins and is about to go to jail. The kids need looking after and these long time bachelors have to find out if they can be parents. My review of Old Dogs after the jump.
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HBO has optioned the Pulitzer Prize winning book “Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides. According to Broadcasting and Cable the 2002 novel is being developed as a potential one-hour drama series with Rita Wilson set to produce. More after the jump…
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