« April 2009 | Main | June 2009 »
Singing sensation Susan Boyle appeared in the finals of Britain's Got Talent on Saturday night. How'd she do? Watch below. (Hit those Play buttons quickly if you haven't already heard the results and don't want them spoiled.) --David
First, I hear that they are thinking of re-making the classic film, Clue. Then, I read David's clip about the geniuses in Hollywood considering a Joss Whedon-less "Buffy" movie.
And today I read in Variety that Twentieth Century Fox is planning a remake of one of the most craptastic 1980's teen flicks ever made, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.
It was a great, cheesy, dance-centered movie with a Square Pegs-era Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt. They star as two friends obsessed with a teen-dance show and will do almost anything to be the new 'it' girl on the show. Think John Waters' Hairspray with neon and spandex. Add in a pre-teen Shannen Doherty and the 80's prince, Jonathan Silverman and you get a flick that is completely cheesy and SOO wonderful.
The truly horrifying part about this remake is that the Variety article mentions that it will be a vehicle for - gulp - Miley Cyrus. Oh God. I am gonna be sick.
In this reality-TV, talent show loving culture we live in, I can see why a movie like this would be pegged for a remake. But come on, is no 'cult' flick sacred? What's next? Ferris? The Money Pit? This has got to stop.
For those of you who missed it the first time, here's a scene from the original film. So bad it's good.
Roll into the weekend with some great free shows from Amazon Video On Demand, where you can stream and download to your heart's content:
Nurse Jackie, the new series from Showtime starring Edie Falco as a nurse trying to make the best of some sick situations. Great music, great cast, great slow-burn comedy. Get episode 1 for free here through 6/22.
Here Come the Newlyweds pits couples against each other for cash. From paintball to mind games, it's good, silly fun. Get episode 1 for free here through 6/1, and get a TV Pass for future episodes as well.
And we've still got Glee for free. If you haven't seen it yet, you need to hear the music and feel the joy. Want moore free stuff? Check out www.amazon.com/avod/free.
-- Stephanie Reid-Simons, Amazon Video On Demand (Twitter: amazonvideo and Facebook: Amazon Video On Demand)
What is it: Eastbound and Down- The Complete First Season features comedy's newest It Man, Danny McBride as the washed up major league phenom, Kenny Powers. After burning every bridge and wafting away his millions, Powers is forced to return back to his hometown and teach physical education. Powers moves in with his brother's family and with a mullet in tow makes a play for his former high school sweetheart, now a teacher and engaged to a boring Magoo. All the while just buying time until his major league comeback...
Why it's Significant: HBO's Eastbound and Down is a hilarious, crude, inappropriate comedy that leaves you asking over and over again, "did he really just say that?" Danny McBride is dead on as the delusional, political incorrect Kenny Powers, who you regretfully just want to be around and hear what he'll say next. The season includes a cameo by Will Farrell as a car salesmen exploiting the once popular baseball star, along with episodes directed by Farrell and McBride's long time collaborators, Jody Hill (Observe and Report), David Gordan Green (Superbad), and Adam McCay (Anchorman). Despite the offensive, cocky, substance-abusing, foul mouthed Powers, there is a lot of underlying heart, so watch closely and you'll find yourself rooting for Kenny Powers. Don't miss the no holds barred, one of kind, prepare to be offended, show of the season.
- Sara Lange
When ABC canceled My So-Called Life in 1995, I became a pretty traumatized teenager. In those pre-TV shows on DVD days, I started doing what any crazy, media-obsessed indoor kid in America would do...I taped everything I loved. By the time I moved out at 18, I had dozens of VHS tapes meticulously labeled with series, episode, year. Seriously compulsive stuff. Over the years I've tossed the majority of the tapes and replaced my favorites with their beautiful, less unwieldy DVD counterparts, but even long after my battered VCR ended up in a dumpster somewhere there remained a set of tapes I simply couldn't throw away. I'm excited to report that they day has finally come when I can send the last of my tapes to VHS heaven. MTV is releasing The State on DVD - hell has officially frozen over.
Why it's significant: Well, it's hysterical. It's sketch comedy that is weird and subversive and silly and sarcastic and unbelievably funny. The State launched the careers of many people with names you may not recognize, but faces you absolutely would - Reno 911, Wet Hot American Summer, Stella, Role Models, I Love the 70's, 80's, 90's...the list goes on. This long-overdue DVD release has been held up due to music rights issues, so we might not get all those early 90's alt-rock gems that accompanied each sketch, but I'm confident the hilarity won't suffer. --Kira
What it is:
Based on the life stories of the eccentric aunt and first cousin of Jackie Kennedy, starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens tells the tender, intimate story of an eccentric mother and daughter
(both named Edith Bouvier Beale aka "Big and Little Edie"). They were
raised as Park Avenue débutantes but withdrew from New York society,
taking shelter at their Long Island summer home, "Grey Gardens." As
their wealth and contact with the outside world dwindled, so did their
grasp on reality. They were reintroduced to the world when
international tabloids learned of a health department raid on their
home, and Jackie swooped in to save her relatives. Based on the lives
that inspired the Maysles Brothers' classic documentary.
Why it's Significant:
People were skeptical this HBO movie would live up to the original, but Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore did an impeccable job with their portrayals of these two quirky characters. They have the ability to make the viewer feel like they are not acting at all. In addition, the costumes, sets, makeup, music, and cinematography are all spot on. This is a moving story that is not to be missed.
--Brooke
What it is: Dollhouse tells the story of a secret corporation that, through the use of human "dolls" can grant almost any wish for the right price. Starring Eliza Dushku as Echo, one of the dolls, the show chronicles not only the adventures these human downloads experience but also tracks the dogged determination of FBI agent Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) out to expose the Dollhouse for what it is. While the stories played out by the dolls can be entertaining, the people who work and live within the Dollhouse are the real story. Who really controls the dolls, are the people who run it truly evil or just misguided, will the dolls ever be able to return to their normal lives, and can Agent Ballard trust anyone?
Why it's Significant: It's from Joss Whedon! Dollhouse represents the return of Joss to television. For some of us, this is a highly anticipated event since the untimely (and unjust) cancellation of Firefly. Not only do we see some of our favorite Joss alumns on screen (Eliza Dushku, Amy Acker, Alan Tudyk) but we get to enjoy the humor and drama only Joss can bring to the small screen. As with Firefly, the show was slow to find a fan base and rumors of cancellation swirled. Luckily for loyal fans Dollhouse will be back for its sophomore year. Until then we'll have to make do with buying the first season when it releases next month! -- Lesley
What it is: Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman interviews nine colleagues who fought with him in 1982's Lebanon War about the disturbing dreams that have plagued them since (Folman cannot remember anything about that period). He grabs their experiences and captures them in a graphic-novelesque animated vision. It's animated, and it's a foreign-language film, but it's also a documentary.
Why It's Significant: Considered a shoo-in for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar (but upset by Japan's Departures), Waltz With Bashir was also ignored by the Animated and Documentary categories. And why wouldn't it? After all, it's such a rare feat that a film can integrate all three genres in such a seamless way that the mainstream might be confounded at how to categorize it. Folman's surrealist way of portraying the soldier's dreams and memories displays not only the horrors of war but some moments of beauty as well. Below is our exclusive interview with Folman. --Ellen
You probably know him best as "Uncle Andy" Botwin from Weeds. Under that context, we already know this guy is freakin' hilarious. Oh, the stuff he gets into...
Well, during the filming of Weeds: Season 4, I was able to catch up with Justin to talk about the new season, hear some stories from filming past seasons, and talk about his acting career in general.
Make sure you tune in to hear about his unique experience of filming a dog biting off his toes, some awful jobs he had before he was an successful actor, and his strangest experiences since he became famous.
Also, if you only know Justin Kirk from Weeds, make sure to check HBO's Angels in America, where Justin plays a main character dying from AIDS. He also stars along side Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson, and Mary Louise Parker. The man has many layers. -- Jordan
Listen:
