Poster - Going The Distance

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Lonesome Jim

Casey Affleck is Lonesome Jim. Tired, bored and frustrated Jim heads back to his childhood home to figure out his life. But instead of being uplifted, he gets sucked into his brother's depression and has to help out with the family business after his brother attempts suicide. Liv Tyler also stars in this Steve Busemi directed film.

Available on Netflix.

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The Guild Season 4

Get your Game On! The fourth season of Felicia Day's popular web series is now available. The Guild is about a group of online gamers as they navigate real-life. It's fun, quirky and nerd relevant. You can watch it online or via Xbox Live.

 

And here's their new Bollywood-themed promo:

Official Site: www.watchtheguild.com

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Notable New Releases

Clash of the Titans
Missed it in theaters but can't wait to check it out. Yes it got bad reviews but the original was actually pretty cheesy and I don't expect more than a fun popcorn flick. Release the Kraken!

Extras include:

• Maximum Movie Mode
• Deleted Scenes and Alternate Ending
• Focus Points - "Sam Worthington is Perseus," "Zues: Father of Gods and Men," "Enter the World of Hades," "Calibos: The Man Behind the Monster," "Tenerife: A Continent on an Island," "Scorpioch," "Actors and their Stunts," "Wales: A Beautiful Scarred Landscape," "Bringing Medusa to Life," and "Prepare for the Kraken!"
• Sam Worthington: An Action Hero for the Ages

Batman: Under The Red Hood
Saw it at comic-con and really enjoyed it. Great voice work and a dark story that doesn't pull punches. You also get a Jonah Hex short film.

Extras include:

• DC Showcase - Jonah Hex
• Robin: The Story of Dick Grayson
• Robin's Requiem: The Tale of Jason Todd
• Superman/Batman: Apocalypse First Look
• Bonus Animated Series Episodes - Producer Bruce Timm serves up a selection of episodes from Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures including "Robin's Reckoning, Parts 1 & 2," "Mad Love," and "The Laughing Fish"

Repo Men
A pretty cliche story but Law and Whitaker make it worth a rental.

Extras include:

• "Picture-in-Picture Experience" features a somewhat sparse collection of admittedly informative, unexpectedly thoughtful interviews with key members of the cast and crew
• "Artiforg Tech Specs" mode provides brief descriptions of the artificial organs and prosthetics that appear throughout the film
• Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• The Union Commercials
• Inside the Visual Effects

[READ MORE...]

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Poster - Let Me In

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Flannel Pajamas

Flannel Pajamas lives up to its title, it captures ordinary moments quite nicely. It's a long film, some parts feel mundane, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I liked this movie and its simple focus on a couple in their apartment. I watched it in two sittings, pausing it somewhere around the 50 minute mark and yes, it's slow at times, but if you stick around to the end credit song there's a good chance you'll come to the same conclusion: it was worthwhile.

Available on Netflix.

Official Website: www.flannelpajamas.net

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Movies for Katerina Graham

Can I nominate Katerina Graham for some quirky roles? Perhaps a match-up with Jesse Eisenberg. Or how about a movie with Donald Glover where they play awkwardly cool nerds in a Los Angeles version of something like Before Sunrise or Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. That would pretty sweet, borderline epic.

She could start off with a couple manic-pixie-dream-girl characters, witty banter with a great soundtrack (think Zooey Deschanel in 500 Days of Summer and Natalie Portman in Garden State).   

Hollywood, indie cinema, let's make it happen. Thanks.

Paging Childish Gambino and Mr. Adventureland.You're on deck...

Graham plays Bonnie Bennett on The CW's Vampire Diaries. 

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Man of Action

One of the best parts of Inception was watching Joseph Gordon-Levitt kick butt. He looks good with a gun, suave in a James Bond way. With the right story he transforms into a man of action, a hero, totally opposite of that nerdy guy he once played in 10 Things I Hate About You. Let's hope he gets a shot at his own action franchise alongside all the great indie films.

Charismatic, talented, awkwardly cool...

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Living 'til the End

Living 'til the End has its cute scenes including a noteworthy soundtrack pick with "Headlong" by Glen Hansard (The Frames, The Swell Season). Sometimes the movie struggles with odd shots where you can tell the director was trying a little too hard to achieve a style, but other than those distractions Living 'til the End is an enjoyable film. Sean Maher and Jaime Ray Newman make a nice pair as the quirky leads.

Told by a psychic of his imminent death on his next birthday, Jack lives out the year, as a hopeless agoraphobic, until he meets a young woman who slowly coaxes him out of his self imposed bondage.

Available on Netflix.

Official Site: www.livingtiltheend.com

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Lorene Scafaria Chats Screenwriting

WriteLikeCody.com has a nice interview with Lorene Scafaria the screenwriter of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist where she talks about a multitude of things including the genesis of her career,  her music projects and a certain New York Times article about The Fempire (comprised of her, Diablo Cody, Dana Fox and Liz Meriwether).

"It came across like we all think we're so cool when really we're four self-loathers who keep each other from being cutters. Our full name was "Fempire Strikes Back" but somehow it got shortened. If nothing else, we really are such good friends and in a world of not many female screenwriters (for whatever reason), having them to read stuff and ask advice and make each other feel better when the internet says otherwise, it's truly invaluable."

She also points out a realistic aspect of screenwriting...

"I've written 16 [screenplays] to date, been paid for 10 of those, and only one was made into a film. It's amazing how much you can have a career and still not much real output."

Scafaria is currently working on a new adaptation of Bye Bye Birdie for Sony along with an original project.

"I'm also writing a script I'm doing to direct called Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World. It's a romantic comedy set just before the apocalypse. We're still in the early stages of casting right now so hopefully it'll see the light of day... before the end of days." 

To read the full interview click HERE.  

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Review - Oceana 'Love Supply'

In the recent retro-soul revolution a few standouts have emerged and German singer Oceana can be added to that list. Her debut album overflows with pop perfections, combining a mix of musical styles with brutally honest lyrics. Single "Cry Cry" uses a simple piano bounce and hand claps to tell a story of lost hope. The title track bursts with soulful energy over funk horns and a catchy drum beat. Her version of a ballad is certainly bittersweet ("Fucked Up Situation"). She pulls off reggae ("He Says", "Baby Hold On") and modern R&B ("Bad Boy") with equal ease. "Lala" is a fantastic candy-coated throwback to 60's pop and hip-hop beats drive "Upside Down". The down-tempo closer "You Need A Hug" is sweet but also features lyrics like 'it's not my fault you made the choice to be somebody's bitch'. It's a great album that also marks the arrival of a new talent to watch. It is currently available on iTunes and will be released domestically on July 27th.

For fans of: V.V. Brown, Amy Winehouse, Etta James

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Notable New Releases

Cop Out
I missed Kevin Smith's homage to the buddy cop genre and can't wait to pick this up. His movies always have great extras as well.

Extras include:

• "Maximum Comedy Mode" - Picture-in-Picture walk-ons, stretches of audio and video commentary, more than an hour of deleted scenes and outtakes, additional behind-the-scenes footage, wisdom from the Shit Bandit, pop-up production factoids, storyboards, etc.
• Focus Point featurettes:
• A Couple of Dicks
• The New Buddy Cop Duo
• Kevin Pollak - Man of a Thousand Voices and Interests
• Improvising - Now That's Funny
• Poh Boy's Diamond Vault
• Stunts-Brooklyn Style
• Tracy Morgan Speaks Spanglish
• Dave's Calling Car
• Kevin Smith Directs
• The individual Shit Bandit wisdom shorts

The Losers
Got mixed reviews but as a fan of the comic I wanna check it out.

Extras include:

• Zoe and The Losers
• Band of Buddies: Ops Training
• Action-Style Storytelling
• Alternate Ending
• First Look - Batman: Under the Red Hood

The Runaways
Have heard good things about this Joan Jett biopic.

Extras include:

• Commentary
• Plugged In: Making the Film

[READ MORE...]

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Miral

In Miral Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) plays a teen girl caught in the crossfire of the Palentinian-Israeli conflict. Pinto plays the title character and from the trailer the cinematography and acting looks intensely good. Miral also stars Williem Dafoe and Hiam Abbass (The Visitor).

A chronicle of Hind Husseini's effort to establish an orphanage in Jerusalem after the 1948 partition of Palestine and the creation of the state of Israel.

The first trailer (with French subtitles) has been released...

[HT The Playlist]

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Giveaway - Rizzoli & Isles

The new show Rizzoli & Isles is based on the popular book series. It airs mondays at 10/9c on TNT.

We will be giving away 1 copy of The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen

To enter send an email with your full name, address, and the subject line 'Rizzoli & Isles' to josh@reelartsy.com by July 28th. Open to US mailing address only (no PO Boxes). Prizes are supplied by TBS. Winners will be notified by email. For more info on the show click the book above.

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Trailer - Biutiful

The new film from director Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, 21 Grams) stars Javier Bardem, who won best actor at Cannes for his performance. The trailer is pretty vague but it looks just as powerful and depressing as his other work. Can't wait.

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Poster - Howl

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Trailer - The Social Network

Yahoo has released a full trailer for David Fincher's film about Mark Zuckerberg, who created Facebook in 2004 at Harvard during his sophomore year. It uses a choral version of Radiohead's 'Creep' to great effect. I love Fincher and can't wait to see this. Also, the screenplay was written by Aaron Sorkin! Opens on October 1st.

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Diablo Cody's Talk Show: Red Band Trailer

Diablo Cody is genius in an Oscar-winning, snarky, Airstream-loving way. Now she's lining up some of her rad friends (Adam Brody, Chelsea Handler, Jason Bateman, etc.) for her new web series talk show called Red Band Trailer. Below is the first episode where things get quirky "a la Kristen Stewart..."

I've compiled a list of the Top 3 people Cody should interview next...

1. Felicia Day - Day writes and stars in the most popular web show (The Guild) and it just seems like a cool fit.

2. Zach Gilford - Cody mentioned via Twitter that she's a fan of Friday Night Lights and in particular Zach Gilford's powerful performance in the latest season. It just makes sense to score him for a trailer interview.

3. Michael Cera - Umm, duh.

For all things Red Band visit  www.youtube.com/redbandtrailer

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Swedish Auto

Swedish Auto is a love story about two lonely stalker-type people starring Lukas Haas (Witness, Inception) and January Jones (Mad Men). The pace is slow but the small town setting and characters make it a worthwhile watch. It's cute in a sad mood-piece kind of way.

Available on Netflix.

Official Website: www.swedishautomovie.com

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Trailer - It's Kind Of A Funny Story

A trailer has been released for the third film from indie directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (Sugar, Half Nelson). Adapted from Ned Vizzini’s 2006 novel of the same name, it stars Keir Gilchrist as Craig, a stressed teenager who checks himself into a mental health clinic. It co-stars the great Zach Galifianakis and has a solid supporting cast. I love Fleck/Boden's previous films and this looks fantastic. I also like the use of Ida Maria's 'Oh My God'. It opens on September 24th.

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Music Video - Brandon Flowers 'Crossfire'

The Killers frontman is rescued by a badass Charlize Theron. His solo record, Flamingo, will be released this September.

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Hello Lonesome

Hello Lonesome is a finely tuned film about loneliness and the need to connect. It's a nice blend of quirky and profound, somber and hopeful. Writer/director Adam Reid talked about how this movie was a passion project at the L.A. Film Fest and it's safe to say his passion translated well on screen. Hello Lonesome is packed with a solid ensemble cast and some nice cinematography.

With an enchanting mixture of laughter and longing, the worlds of six flawed yet endearing individuals are woven together as they explore those age-old human desires: to love and be loved.

Official Website: www.hellolonesome.com

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A Swedish Love Story (En kärlekshistoria)

A Swedish Love Story is a 1970 film by Roy Andersson (You, The Living) about two teens. It looks interesting but it's hard to find. I've only been able to spot a DVD on Amazon that won't work on the U.S. players.

How I stumbled upon it... I was looking for a music video to "Shyness" by Thieves Like Us and this video popped up. In the comment section someone mentioned the title of the movie and so began my search.

I'm hope that:

A.) Netflix acquires it for Instant Watch.
B.)  The New Beverly plays it on the big screen if enough people to suggest it and they're able to find a print.

Anyhow, here's a proper trailer...

Relevant Mentions: See Like Me / Wonders in the Dark (They've seen the film).

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Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody?

Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody? is a short film starring John C. Reilly that was written by Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know) and directed by Miguel Arteta (Youth In Revolt). I caught it on the YouTube screening series a while back and in case you missed it...

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Giveaway - Leverage

Leverage follows the adventures of a highly skilled team out to settle scores against those who use power and wealth to victimize others. The gang is led by former insurance investigator Nate Ford (Timothy Hutton). His highly skilled team includes Sophie Devereaux (Gina Bellman), a grifter who uses her acting skills to corner her marks; Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane), a "retrieval specialist" with bone-crunching fighting skills; Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge), a gadget and technology wizard who keeps the team informed; and Parker (Beth Riesgraf), a slightly off-center thief adept at rappelling off buildings or squeezing into tight places. The third season opens with Nate in prison after having to make a tough choice on the most recent con. He could either allow his team to be arrested or simply give himself up to his nemesis Sterling, a former insurance investigator now working for Interpol. Nate soon discovers, however, that the prison is corrupt. The only way he can bring the crooked officials down is to get his team to help him stage his jailbreak. It airs Sundays at 9/8c on TNT.


We will be giving away 1 copy of The Con Artist Handbook by Joey Levy

To enter send an email with your full name, address, and the subject line 'Leverage' to josh@reelartsy.com by July 17th. Open to US mailing address only (no PO Boxes). Prizes are supplied by TBS. Winners will be notified by email.

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Rizzoli & Isles

Rizzoli & Isles is a new crime drama coming mondays this July. Best friends, Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander) work side by side using their expertise to figure out the "who done it" as well as the "how done it". Growing up at opposite ends of the economic spectrum, the two best friends remain strikingly different from one another in many ways. The characters are based on the book series by author Tess Gerritsen. Looks like a fun summer show and yes that's the Famous Jett Jackson for all you Disney fans. It premieres July 12th at 10/9c on TNT.

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Jack Goes Boating

Philip Seymour Hoffman's directorial debut is an adaptation of the play he starred in written by Bob Glaudini, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. Jack (Hoffman) and Connie (Amy Ryan) are two single people who on their own might continue to recede into the anonymous background of the city, but in each other begin to find the courage and desire to pursue their budding relationship. In contrast, the couple that introduced them, Clyde (John Ortiz) and Lucy (Daphne Rubin-Vega), have been together a long time and are confronting unresolved issues in their marriage. Looks like a sweet film with some great performances. It opens in limited release on September 17th.

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Welcome to the Rileys

Welcome to the Rileys is awkward and painful, but in a good way. What happens when an older man tries to befriend a young prostitute and when grief sucks the life out of a relationship? James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart and Melissa Leo are able to effectively showcase a trio of brokenness in a city that mirrors the inner struggle its characters face:  Being hit by the storms of life and coping with the disarray. 

I caught Welcome to the Rileys at the L.A. Film Fest and after the screening the stars where there for a Q&A which proved to be awkwardly entertaining. They all seemed shy yet passionate about their work and their chemistry translated well on-screen. If you go into the movie without a heavy Twilight bias then chances are you'll enjoy it...

In theaters November 5th.

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Friday Night Lights Gets Emmy Love - Finally!

How does one of the best one-hour dramas of the decade go under-the-radar for so long? Well, finally Emmy voters have confirmed what fans of the show already knew: Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler are brilliant together. Their roles as Coach and Principal Taylor are superbly written and well-acted. I don't know if TV will ever get a marriage portrayed this pitch-perfect again. The beauty of their performances are in the subtleties, the little looks and pauses where nothing is said but volumes of emotions conveyed. It's a real work of art. Friday Night Lights is a show about football but it's about so much more!

For a full list of the 2010 Emmy nominations click here.

As an extra bonus check out EW's chat with the newly nominated Connie Britton.

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The Josh Schwartz 'Guy'

Here's a little math for you...

Nerdy + Sarcastic + Awkward = The Josh Schwartz Guy

1. Seth Cohen (The O.C.) - Adam Brody played the first breakout Schwartz guy. Whenever Seth blabbered on and on about comic books, Chrismukkah, and other randomness The O.C. was at its best.

2. Chuck Bartowski (Chuck) - There are spies and then there are nerd spies. Zachary Levi offers weekly awkwardly cute moments as he tries his best to not get killed and woo the girl of his dreams.

3. Hunter (Rockville CA) - Andrew J. West is the Schwartz guy of the web. In the WB produced web series Hunter is the epitome of a music nerd.

Watch Now: Rockville CA

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Greta Gerwig on Late Night

Somehow I missed posting these but here Greta Gerwig chats about awkward set arrivals on her first Hollywood production for Greenberg.

And other randomness...

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Notable New Releases

A Single Man
Fashion designer Tom Ford's directorial debut received great reviews for Colin Firth's performance and the amazing visuals. Look forward to checking it out.

Extras include:

• Commentary
• The Making of A Single Man

Brooklyn's Finest
Antoine Fuqua's latest looks pretty cliche but I still wanna see it out for the great cast.

Extras include:

• Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Chaos & Conflict: The Life Of A New York Cop
• Boyz N The Real Hood
• An Eye For Detail: Director Featurette
• From The MTA To The WGA: Writer Featurette

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Swedish film based on the first of the popular book series. It's supposed to be really good, the two sequels have already been released in Sweden and an American remake is in the works.

Extras include:

• Interviews with Director Niels Arden Oplev and actor Noomi Rapace
• The Vanger Family Tree Featurette

[READ MORE...]

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Parade

What happens when you really don't know your roommates?

In Parade, Isao Yukisada masterfully crafts a story that examines friendship, secrets and romance in an eerie yet humorous tone.  Set in Tokyo, four roommates from various backgrounds let a drifter stay in their apartment despite the neighborhoods alarm over a rapist on the loose. Is their new blonde-haired friend as kind as he seems or is there something darker lurking underneath the surface? 

I caught Parade at the L.A. Film Fest last month where it made its U.S. premiere and the director talked about how he brought much of the humor to the film which was adapted from Shuichi Yoshida's novel of the same name. It's a solid movie with interesting characters and one of the best from the fest.

Official Site: www.parade-movie.com

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Poster - Sympathy For Delicious

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Soundtrack Worthy: Twilight Sleep

Twilight Sleep is the the kind of music that comes from deep space, the future, a land more cerebral than here. There's something intergalactic about their sound, it puts you in a trance, all hazy and star-eyed. When you close your eyes you can swear you're on Jupiter or something. Tracy Marcellino's voice beautifully blends with the synths and guitar melodies. They mostly play in the Los Angeles area (specifically Silver Lake and Echo Park) and they're the kind of band you can see several times and still be impressed by every show.

It's hard to pick a favorite song but check out "Broken Record," "Don't Fire Your Guns" and "The Other One" first.

Listen now: www.myspace.com/twilightsleep
Twitter: @twilight_sleep

[Photo credit: Joya Martuscello]

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