CBS Films just debuted the new poster for the romantic drama The Words starring Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons, Olivia Wilde, Dennis Quaid, and Ben Barnes. Directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, The Words is heading to theaters on September 7, 2012.
The Plot:
The layered romantic drama The Words follows young writer Rory Jansen who finally achieves long sought after literary success after publishing the next great American novel. There’s only one catch – he didn’t write it. As the past comes back to haunt him and his literary star continues to rise, Jansen is forced to confront the steep price that must be paid for stealing another man’s work, and for placing ambition and success above life’s most fundamental three words.
Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, The West Wing) created the dramatic series which stars Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, Dev Patel, and Sam Waterston.
The Plot:
A favorite with viewers, news anchor Will McAvoy has found a safe niche with bankable ratings on his 8:00 p.m. flagship cable show, News Night. Numbed by success, McAvoy has become stoic, complacent, cynical – content not to rock the boat as he delivers the nightly news straight down the middle of the road – dialing it in as he avoids ruffling feathers with anything resembling politics. What fire he still has, he reserves for the cutting sarcasm and general unpleasantness that earn him no fans with his news team.
In a literal blink of an eye – or perhaps an optical illusion – McAvoy is catapulted from apathy to engagement when a spontaneous outburst leads him to tackle the principles of American patriotism in a public forum. Surviving the professional fallout from his unexpected tirade following an enforced vacation, McAvoy returns to work to discover that most of his staff has jumped ship for another show and is forced to work with several new team members brought on board during his absence.
McAvoy’s boss, Charlie Skinner, the unapologetically old-school president of ACN’s news division, laments the changing face of the news. Setting the stage for Will’s return to the standard set by news legends such as Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, Charlie covertly orchestrates the hiring of Will’s new executive producer, the one person who can restore Will’s passion and bring the best out of him – whether Will wants it or not.
Will’s new executive producer is MacKenzie McHale, back from 26 months embedded in Iraq and Afghanistan. MacKenzie was once romantically involved with Will and knows the idealism he has buried beneath a veneer of apathy and cynicism. With their shared past, she knows exactly how good he can be. Even more unsettling for him, she challenges Will to abandon the successful, middle-of-the-road approach that has made him so popular with both sides of the aisle, and realize his full potential by delivering the news with integrity.
Also imposed upon Will are Jim Harper, Margaret Jordan, Don Keefer, Neal Sampat and Sloan Sabbith, the newsroom staff. Although this group finds itself off to a tumultuous start when breaking news comes over the wire, they immediately come together for one elusive goal: to do TV news well. Jim Harper is MacKenzie’s loyal senior show producer. Though only 27 years old, Jim is more like the old-school reporter Charlie than he is like his contemporaries. He finds himself instantly smitten with Margaret Jordan, a young intern-turned-associated producer, who is already in a relationship with Don Keefer, Will’s former executive producer. Neal Sampat, a young, resourceful self-made newsman writes Will’s blog and scours the Internet for stories, often finding leads his colleagues have missed. Sloan Sabbith is ACN’s financial news analyst.
Commenting on the production, William Boyd – who adapted his own book for the small screen – said, “To have the chance to film a novel like Restless over three hours is the sort of opportunity that only a television adaptation can provide. It represents the most enticing and alluring of possibilities – not only to tell an enthralling story of wartime espionage, love and betrayal but also to lift the lid on one of the last secrets of the Second World War.”
“William’s script is as gripping as his novel,” added director Hall. “Restless represents an extraordinary expression of what major British Drama can achieve through the medium of television and the unique organization that is the BBC.”
The Plot:
What becomes of your life when everything you thought was solid and certain about it turns out to be a fantastically complicated lie? This happens to Ruth Gilmartin (Michelle Dockery) when, one day in 1976, her mother Sally (Charlotte Rampling) suddenly tells her she has been living a double life. She is not respectable Sally Gilmartin but in fact Eva Delectorskaya, a spy for the British Secret Service who has been on the run for 30 years.
Eva’s story begins in Paris in 1939. Eva (Hayley Atwell), a beautiful Russian émigrée, is recruited for the British Secret Service by Lucas Romer (Rufus Sewell), a mysteriously alluring Englishman. As Romer trains Eva to become the perfect spy their love affair begins. When a crucial mission collapses in the USA and Eva finds herself in terrible, fatal jeopardy she knows she has no option but to run and hide – forever. Once a spy always a spy. No-one can be trusted. But now Sally Gilmartin yearns to end her years of restless watching and waiting.
Thirty years on, the only man who can bring this about is her former lover and spymaster, Lucas Romer, now Baron Mansfield of Hampton Cleeve (Michael Gambon), and the only person she can call on for help is her daughter, Ruth. The final chapter of this epic story of love, duplicity and betrayal is about to end – and who will pay the greatest price remains to be discovered.
Casey Abrams, one of the finalists on season 10 of American Idol, will be helping to raise awareness of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) with a new song and music video. Abrams has written an original song, “Chip on Your Shoulder,” which was inspired by both his own experience with IBD (he was diagnosed three years ago) and by the people he met through the national IBD awareness campaign.
Abrams has joined with Janssen Biotech, Inc and the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) to not only raise money and awareness for IBD but also to “celebrate the achievements of those living beyond IBD through IBD Icons.” Fans can help support CCFA by registering to view Abrams’ music video at www.IBDIcons.com, with Janssen Biotech donating $1 for every new registration.
“Music has always helped me get through difficult times, especially when I was first diagnosed with UC,” stated Abrams. “After meeting hundreds of people through IBD Icons, I was amazed by their drive and determination to not give in to this disease. I hope this song unites all of the IBD Icons fans in an effort to raise awareness and encourages others to get control of their disease so they can pursue their dreams.”
“We are happy to be working with Casey and Janssen Biotech, Inc. again on this program which helps raise awareness and celebrates individuals with IBD,” said Kimberly Frederick, LCSW, MSW, Senior Vice President of Mission for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. “There’s never been a song dedicated to the IBD community before, and we hope Casey’s lyrics will provide a source of inspiration to patients and their families.”
In other news, Abrams will be releasing his debut album on June 26th.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) revealed the winners of the 39th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy® Awards at a gala held in Beverly Hills on June 23rd. General Hospital and Live with Regis and Kelly were among the big winners at the event, with Anderson Cooper, Jack Hanna, Rachael Ray, and the casts of The Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, One Life To Live, and The Young and the Restless on hand as presenters.
“What an exciting night for the Daytime television community,” stated Malachy Wienges, Chairman, NATAS. “Daytime television is well and prospering as witnessed by this overwhelming turnout honoring the best that television can be. Working with our production and broadcast partners, LocoDistro and the HLN Network, we’ve delivered an evening that truly honors the outstanding work that happens day in and day out across all the genres that make up the Daytime viewer experience.”
2012 Daytime Emmy Winners:
Outstanding Drama Series – General Hospital
Outstanding Children’s Animated Program – Penguins of Madagascar
Outstanding Culinary Program – Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction
“Every single filmmaker in this year’s Festival deserves kudos for their artistry and compelling stories. Our juries had such gems to choose from in each competition and the winners truly represent what we hold dear—diversity and uniqueness of vision,” stated Festival Director Stephanie Allain.
Added Artistic Director David Ansen, “In an extremely competitive year, our juries had hard choices to make. The winning films are wonderful examples of what the Festival celebrates: bold, fresh, personal visions that expand the horizons of independent cinema.”
LA Film Festival 2012 Award Winners:
Narrative Award (for Best Narrative Feature)
Winner: All is Well directed by Pocas Pascoal
Producer: Luis Correia
Cast: Ciomara Morais, Cheila Lima, William Brandao, Vera Cruz
Film Description: (Portugal) Strangers in a strange land, two beautiful Angolan sisters fleeing a civil war in their homeland struggle to survive in Lisbon. Pocas Pascoal’s deeply personal saga shows us the face of exile with quietly stunning power.
The Narrative Award carries an unrestricted cash prize of $15,000 funded by Film Independent, offering the financial means to help filmmakers transfer their vision to the screen. The award recognizes the finest narrative film in competition, and is given to the director. A special jury selects the winner, and all narrative feature-length films screening in the Narrative Competition section were eligible.
In bestowing Pocas Pascoal with the Narrative Award, the Jury stated:
“All is Well, a Lisbon-set exploration of the immigrant experience and, especially, of the bond between siblings, is a work of striking visual eloquence and emotional honesty. As sisters navigating a new country, together and separately, Cheila Lima and Ciomara Morais deliver performances of searing intimacy. Filmmaker Pocas Pascoal has transformed her personal story of exile from Angola into a deeply affecting drama, whose cinematic power if particularly impressive in the work of a first-time feature director.”
Honorable Mention (for Best Narrative Feature)
Film Title: Thursday till Sunday directed by Dominga Sotomayor
Producers: Gregorio González, Benjamin Domenech
Cast: Santi Ahumada, Emiliano Freifeld, Francisco Pérez-Bannen, Paola Giannini
Film Description: (Chile) With uncommon beauty and style, this Chilean road movie finds a family at a crossroads, as the daughter slowly realizes the divide between the adults in the front seat and the kids in back.
In bestowing Dominga Sotomayor with an Honorable Mention, the Jury stated:
“Thursday Till Sunday masterfully uses landscape to convey interpersonal dynamics with keen sensitivity and insight. Unease and awakening are indelibly entwined in the film’s deceptively simple family road trip, creating a nuanced and elegiac coming-of-age story. The debut feature of Chilean writer-director Dominga Sotomayor is evidence of an exciting new talent.”
Documentary Award (for Best Documentary Feature)
Winner: Drought directed by Everardo González
Producer: Martha Orozco
Film Description: (Mexico) Contrasting the lives of a cattle-ranching community with the arid northeastern Mexican landscape that surrounds them, this cinéma vérité documentary paints a poetic portrait of a community on the verge of distinction.
The Documentary Award carries an unrestricted cash prize of $15,000 funded by Film Independent, offering the financial means to help filmmakers transfer their vision to the screen. The award recognizes the finest documentary film in competition, and is given to the director. A special jury selects the winner, and all documentary feature-length films screening in the Documentary Competition section were eligible.
In bestowing Everardo González with the Documentary Award, the Jury stated:
“The jury found Drought to be a film of extraordinary caliber—epic in scope, keen and intimate in its observational perspective, beautifully filmed and edited with a sparse and affecting soundscape. Through this powerful film, the story of a remote Mexican community grappling with a growing drought becomes a universal parable and an alarming harbinger.”
Best Performance in the Narrative Competition
Winner: Wendell Pierce, Emory Cohen, E.J. Bonilla and Aja Naomi King in Joshua Sanchez’s Four.
Film Description: Over the course of a steamy 4th of July night, a father and daughter, each trapped in loneliness, reach out for sexual connection — he with a self-hating teenage boy, she with a smooth-talking wannabe homeboy — in this psychologically complex, beautifully acted drama.
In bestowing the actors with the Best Performance, the Jury stated:
“Commanding and utterly unforced, the ensemble cast of Joshua Sanchez’s Four inhabit their characters with compelling specificity. At the same time, their pitch-perfect collaborative energy honors and deepens the tone of the material. As lonely individuals in various states of crisis, Wendell Pierce, Emory Cohen, E.J. Bonilla and Aja Naomi King are fearless in the vulnerability they bring to their roles.”
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature
Winner: Beasts of the Southern Wild, directed by Benh Zeitlin
Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn
Cast: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry
Film Description: This stunningly imaginative, boldly original film follows six-year-old Hushpuppy as she fights to protect her father and their unique way of life in a remote, dreamlike area of the Delta threatened by apocalyptic floods.
This award is given to the narrative feature audiences liked most as voted by a tabulated rating system. Select narrative feature-length films screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: Narrative Competition, International Showcase, Summer Showcase, Community Screenings and The Beyond.
Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature
Winner: Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives, directed by Sara Lamm and Mary Wigmore
Producers: Sara Lamm, Mary Wigmore, Kate Roughan, Zachary Mortensen
Featuring: Ina May Gaskin, Stephen Gaskin, Pamela Hunt, Farm Midwives past and present, Kristina Kennedy Davis
Film Description: Ina May Gaskin and the courageous midwives of the Farm commune inspired the modern midwifery movement. This beguiling documentary tells their empowering story with depth, intelligence and wit.
This award is given to the documentary feature audiences liked most as voted by a tabulated rating system. Select documentary feature-length films screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: Documentary Competition, International Showcase, Summer Showcase and Community Screenings.
Audience Award for Best International Feature
Winner: Searching for Sugar Man directed by Malik Bendjelloul
Producers: Simon Chinn, Malik Bendjelloul
Featuring: Rodriguez
Film Description: Years after facing into obscurity at home, the music of ‘70s U.S. singer/songwriter Rodriguez became an underground sensation in South Africa. Decades after his disappearance, two fans uncover the startling truth behind the legend.
This award is given to the international feature audiences liked most as voted by a tabulated rating system. Select international feature-length films, both narrative and documentary, screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best International Feature: Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition, International Showcase, Summer Showcase and The Beyond.
Best Narrative Short Film
Winner: The Chair directed by Grainger David
Producers: Spencer Kiernan, Caroline Oliveira
Cast: Khari Lucas, King Hoey, Martha F. Brown
Description: A young boy questions the origins of a mysterious mold outbreak that threatens to destroy his town.
In bestowing Grainger David with the Best Narrative Short Film Award, the Jury stated:
“Grainger David’s narrative short, The Chair, is a lyrical, gorgeous meditation on death, grief and resilience as filtered through a young boy’s fluid memory. Set in the humid American south, and filmed on landscapes that are familiar, on one hand, and rendered as poetic dreamscapes, on the other, the short film is ultimately a moving coming-of-age film in which a family tragedy nudges its young protagonist to muse on matters that have concerned great minds throughout the ages — religion, family, morality, and the ways in which we are all connected.”
Best Documentary Short Film
Winner: Kudzu Vine directed & produced by Josh Gibson
Description: This ode to the kudzu vine poetically highlights its ties to the history and the people of the South.
In bestowing Josh Gibson with the Best Documentary Short Film Award, the Jury stated:
“Quite often, documentary filmmakers take a literal, visually straightforward approach to their subject matter, sidestepping experimentation with the language of cinema. Director Josh Gibson’s Kudzu Vine was not only filled with information on the sturdy kudzu vine —it’s history; the many and unexpected uses for it — but employed a visual style perched somewhere between gothic and otherworldly. Hugely educational and wonderfully stylistic, Kudzu Vine is this year’s winner for Best Documentary Short.”
Best Animated/Experimental Short Film
Winner: The Pub directed by Joseph Pierce
Producer: Mark Grimmer
Description: (England) Life isn’t easy behind the counter of a North London pub.
In bestowing Mark Grimmer with the Best Animated or Experimental Short Film Award, the Jury stated:
“The jury prize for best animated/experimental short goes to Joseph Pierce’s The Pub, a haunting portrayal of everyday life in a bar in North London, seen through the eyes of a lonely bartender. At times, striking beautiful and at times, terrifyingly grotesque, the imaginative and exquisite use of animation gives the film its depth and opens up a door into the humanity of the regular characters of this joint — loners, drunks, old-timers — letting us peak for an instant into their souls and the demons that hover around them.
Audience Award for Best Short Film
Winner: Asad directed by Bryan Buckley
Producers: Bryan Buckley, Mino Jarjoura, Rafiq Samsodien, Matt Lefebvre, Kevin Byrne, Hank Perlman
Cast: Harun Mohammed, Ibrahim Moalim Hussein, Ali Mohammed, Abdiwale Mohmed Mohamed, Mariya Abdulle, Najah Abdi Abdullahi, Mustafa Olad Dirie, Mohamed Abdullahi Abdikher, Abdi, Sidow Farah, Sahied Nuur Mahamed, Ahmed Dhadane Jimale, Hussein Abdi Mohamed, Isa, Mohamed Abdul, Ikram Hassan, Yasmin Abdi Mohamed, Maymum Abdi Mohamed, Sadia Hassan, Meade Nichol
Description: A young boy in a war-torn Somalian village faces a moral dilemma.
Awarded to the short film audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. Short films screening in the Shorts Programs or before Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition, or International Showcase feature-length screenings were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Short Film.
Audience Award for Best Music Video
Winner: Piranhas Club directed by Lex Halaby
Music: Man Man
This award is given to the music video audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system.
Chris Pine stars as a struggling salesman who finds out that his recently deceased father wants him to deliver $150,000 to a sister he didn’t know he had in People Like Us, a comedy/drama from first time director Alex Kurtzman. And in support of the film’s release in theaters on June 29th, DreamWorks Pictures has supplied this interview with Pine who discusses the appeal of the story and the film’s themes. He also talks about the humor, his character’s personality, his choices and flaws, working with writer/director Kurtzman, and shooting in Los Angeles.
The Plot:
Chris Pine stars as Sam, a twenty-something, fast-talking salesman, whose latest deal collapses on the day he learns that his father has suddenly died. Against his wishes, Sam is called home, where he must put his father’s estate in order and reconnect with his estranged family. In the course of fulfilling his father’s last wishes, Sam uncovers a startling secret that turns his entire world upside down: He has a 30-year-old sister Frankie whom he never knew about (Elizabeth Banks).
As their relationship develops, Sam is forced to rethink everything he thought he knew about his family—and re-examine his own life choices in the process.
Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) will be guest starring on the second season of NBC’s Smash. The network announced she’ll have a multi-episode arc on the musical series beginning with the first episode of season 2.
According to NBC, Hudson will be playing a Tony Award-winning Broadway star named Veronica Moore. Veronica will have an impact on the lives of Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty).
“We’re thrilled to have Jennifer Hudson coming to Smash,” stated Robert Greenblatt, Chairman of NBC Entertainment, in the official announcement. “This series is a showcase for some of the best musical talent in the business and that’s a fitting description for Jennifer Hudson. Her character will represent someone who reached their Broadway dream but also paid a price for it.”
Executive producer Steven Spielberg added, “First Dreamgirls, now Smash. I have no doubt Jennifer will continue to deliver even more inspiration to the audience responsible for giving us a second season on NBC. It’s wonderful to be reunited with her at DreamWorks Television and NBC.”
Hudson, who got her start as a contestant on American Idol, earned an Oscar for her performance as Effie White in the 2006 movie musical, Dreamgirls. She also picked up a Grammy for her first album and is now a bestselling author following the release of her memoir, “I Got This: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down.”
She’s currently preparing to work on the feature films, Lullaby and The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete.
Smash Synopsis:
Smash is a musical drama that celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire – to be a Broadway star.
“It’s the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine).” How an R.E.M. song containing those lyrics didn’t make it into Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is beyond me but I suppose throwing in P.M. Dawn’s “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” is a quasi-decent consolation, at least for nostalgia’s sake.
Moving away from soundtrack considerations, even if one had avoided trailers, the title of this film pretty much says it all. A big asteroid is headed for Earth, and since Harry Stamper is a fictional character played by Bruce Willis, there’s nothing we can do about it.
Steve Carell plays Dodge, a nice guy whose wife has just left him, who doesn’t want to spend his last days having meaningless sex with total strangers, and who is just looking to find a little redemption for a life largely wasted. Keira Knightley is his downstairs neighbor, Penny, a Brit far from home who is ephemeral and quirky and the complete opposite of Dodge.
Through circumstance and convenient screenwriting, the pair end up on a road trip together, and if you don’t know what happens when two single movie characters go on a road trip together, then I won’t spoil it for you.
While Carell and Knightley are the heart of the story, there’s humor to be found all along the way. The film is populated with great comedic support, such as Rob Corddry, Patton Oswalt, Melanie Lynskey, and T.J. Miller. Although the backdrop for events is the annihilation of life on this planet, that doesn’t mean it can’t be a funny ride; and for the most part, this is exactly that (once you’ve seen the film, you’ll know why the world would be a better place if there really was a restaurant chain named “Friendsy’s”).
Really, the whole affair is entertaining and it’s hard not to root for Penny and Dodge. While Carell is essentially playing the same part he always does (go ahead, find me a difference between his movie characters; not a fun game, is it?), Knightley rebounds from a rocky start to her character feeling far too over-acted and turns it into one of her most endearing efforts yet. They share good chemistry, and the impending global catastrophe helps mitigate their age difference.
I suppose it depends if you’re a glass half-full or a glass half-empty person, but there is something comforting about seeing these two make the best of a terrible situation and also a fair number of people they meet along the way taking the time to cherish what they have rather than simply devolve into mindless, rioting machines (that’s here too though).
Of course, being the soulless cynic that I am, there are some “only in a movie” events that converge that probably made sure test audiences didn’t write too many negative things on comment cards and irked me to some degree. I’m all for romance (no really, I am … stop laughing) but there are a few moments that play out a bit too much like wishful thinking than realism. Then again, I’ve been told on more than one occasion to shut up and stop overthinking movies so take that for what you will.
The bottom line is that Seeking a Friend for the End of the World will give people plenty of laughs and its characters will worm their way into your heart if you let them. I tend to enjoy films about relationships that have a sci-fi backdrop, but the cynic in me prefers when they turn out more like Monsters or Another Earth and a little less like mainstream popcorn munching. There’s nothing wrong with the latter, it’s just personal taste. Consume as you prefer.
GRADE: B-
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World hits theaters on June 22, 2012 and is rated R for language including sexual references, some drug use and brief violence.
Rashida Jones (Parks and Rec) and Andy Samberg (currently on screen in That’s My Boy with Adam Sandler) team up to play a married couple who are experiencing problems with their relationship in the comedy movie Celeste and Jesse Forever directed by Lee Toland Krieger. Set for release on August 3, 2012, the R-rated film also features Elijah Wood, Emma Roberts, Ari Graynor, Chris Messina, Will McCormack, and Eric Christian Olsen.
The Plot: Celeste (Jones) and Jesse (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, he is on his way nowhere, and if they do it now instead of later, they can remain supportive friends.
Jesse passively accepts this transition into friendship, even though he is still in love with her. As the reality of their separation sets in, Celeste slowly and painfully realizes she has been cavalier about their relationship, and her decision, which once seemed mature and progressive, now seems impulsive and selfish. But her timing with Jesse is less than fortuitous. While navigating the turbulent changes in their lives and in their hearts, these two learn that in order to truly love someone, you may have to let them go.
Casey Abrams, one of the finalists on season 10 of 
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) revealed the winners of the 39th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy® Awards at a gala held in Beverly Hills on June 23rd. General Hospital and Live with Regis and Kelly were among the big winners at the event, with Anderson Cooper, Jack Hanna, Rachael Ray, and the casts of The Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, One Life To Live, and The Young and the Restless on hand as presenters.
Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) will be guest starring on the second season of NBC’s Smash. The network announced she’ll have a multi-episode arc on the musical series beginning with the first episode of season 2.
