I saw Battle: Los Angeles on Tuesday night, and once again, like we've seen time and time before, aliens, unprovoked, invade and attack the people of Earth. Now, over the course of the film, characters hypothesize some possible explanations for the aggression, but nothing 100 percent concrete. I'm sorry, but when I watch any movie that depicts war, I would like to know where exactly this hostility is coming from. While viewing, however, I think I may have come up with a reason why Earth is subject to such extraterrestrial vitriol.
more »
The surprised yelp sent up by your friendly staff here at Movieline HQ upon reading that Julianne Moore was cast as Sarah Palin in the upcoming HBO movie Game Change was so loud that you could have probably heard it all the way in Alaska. Or Russia. Whichever. Deadline reports that Moore will play the ex-governor/ex-reality star in the Jay Roach-directed adaptation of Mark Halperin and John Heilemann's controversial book about the 2008 presidential election. Hopefully, she's boning up on her folksy slang and passive aggression. [Deadline]
With her beloved role on Parks and Recreation -- not to mention her unabashed fangirl enthusiasm for Super 8 -- Aubrey Plaza has become a crowd favorite here on the Internet. And if you believe Bill Hader, her first leading film role will do nothing to diminish that adulation. Plaza had been set to star in The Hand Job -- a coming of age teen comedy about a girl who wants to broaden her sexual experiences before college -- and the cast is now apparently loaded. "There's Alia Shawkat, Mae Whitman, Johnny Simmons, Donald Glover, Connie Britton, Andy Samberg, Me," Hader told The Playlist. "That'll be a cool thing to do together." Hader should know: His wife, Maggie Carey, wrote the script and will direct. [The Playlist]
If you consider Jonah Hill a very slightly younger version of Seth Rogen -- something Superbad happily did by casting him as a slightly younger version of Seth Rogen -- then it goes to reason that he's only now arriving in the "Portly Comedian Loses Weight for Against-Type Action Role" phase. Hill reportedly lost 30 pounds to star in his reboot of 21 Jump Street, and the results make him look extremely healthy -- and likely no less funny. Click ahead to see the transformation.
more »
· Indie rockers The National hired frequent Daily Show contributor Kristen Schaal and increasingly ubiquitous Mad Men co-star John Slattery to play the President of the United States and her bodyguard, respectively, in their new video for "Conversation 16." The song rocks, the video is on that edge between funny and sad (unrequited love!), and it includes a turkey pardon. Click ahead to watch, then stick around for more Buzz Break.
more »
As you no doubt read earlier, a sequel to The Expendables (Movieline approved title: More Expendable) will go ahead without star Sylvester Stallone behind the keyboard or camera -- Sly won't write or direct the second installment. But who should? Glad you asked! Ahead, the five directors who would make total sense for this unnecessary-but-probably-still-cool-in-an-action-movie-sort-of-way sequel.
more »
Even Hollywood's culture of megalomania, paranoia, ruthlessness, ego, greed and avarice has to draw the line somewhere. Apparently it's at genocide: A producer operating with $100 million of Qaddafi family money has achieved official pariah status in the industry. Now that is overachieving.
more »
With the exception of the teaser trailer, the marketing for X-Men: First Class has been -- thus far -- underwhelming. As director Matthew Vaughn told /Film about the initial character photos, "I said, 'What the f*ck is this sh*t,' and Fox is running around trying to figure out what happened as well. [...] It's like a bad Photoshop, which maybe it was by someone. It didn't reflect the movie." Which brings us to the latest posters released by the studio. Photoshopped? Yes. The "worst studio-released posters of the year," as some on the interwebs are saying?
more »
Also in this Wednesday edition of The Broadsheet: Tina Fey explains why male comedy writers are gross... Mars Needs Moms but not Seth Green... the sixth sign of the apocalypse... and more ahead.
more »
All right, forget Zombies vs. Robots vs. Pirates vs. Aliens altogether. After this trailer for Bonnie and Clyde vs. Dracula, I'm sort of just hoping for a total moratorium on movies with "Vs." in the title (except for Sci-Fi Channel Movies). This includes low-budget movies meant to go straight to video that are somehow getting a theatrical release instead. Otherwise, I imagine that Scarface vs. Han Solo vs. Crocosaurus is right around the corner.
more »
It appears that Charlie Sheen has worked out most of the glitches in his celebrated and controversial new web show Sheen's Korner. In tonight's installment, "Building the Perfect Torpedo," -- yes, there are episode names now -- Sheen debuted a thrilling opening sequence (captured here for your mandatory viewing) and delivered 15 minutes worth of original insults directed at his enemies from cue cards. To paraphrase the former Two and a Half Men star, click through to dance in Sheen's gold.
more »
Apparently David Lynch could get used to this pop star/musician thing. The filmmaker announced that his next project will be a revamp of his website, davidlynch.com. From what I can deduce, it will now be something like a digital music store, though if you ask Lynch, he'll tell you it's designed to be "a secret room filled with music." More details and a dispiriting quote from Lynch about his next film project after the jump.
more »
Charlie Sheen came prepared for the final episode of his Ustream web show, Sheen's Korner, reading his insane warlock poetry off of cue cards and even going so far as to edit together a tone poem intro mashing together meaningful film scenes, sharks, Bruce Lee, and his own media highlights/violent torpedoes of truth into quite the visual feast. Behold, Movieline's selected iconic Sheencaps from Tuesday's epic episode of Sheen's Korner!
more »
· Hide your kids. Hide your wife. Because they're Auto-Tuning this deadest of horses and you're still going to watch it 1,558 times. [YouTube]
more »
If you bet that Ben Affleck and Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential nominee John McCain, would hook up in 2011, collect your money now. The unlikely pair traveled to Africa together last month and are already celebrating their new relationship with a very public trip to Capitol Hill today. And to think, it all began with a prank call. Cue the flashback.
more »
