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Short of the DayOne man’s letter of complaint is today’s side-splitting short film selection.

As the description of The Saurus tells us, this short film is the story of “a man with a robust vocabulary” who “must write a scornful letter to an old friend.” What the description doesn’t tell us, but we learn in the film’s opening moments, is that the old friend in question is Rexall Brand Anal Ointment, and the scorn derives from a dissatisfaction with the product’s effects. What follows is an uproarious seven-minute soliloquy of loyalty and disappointment, heartbreak and uncomfortable itching.

The Saurus comes from the mind of writer-director Drew Maynard, a Nashville-based filmmaker, and was selected for showcase by a score of film festivals over the last year, including this year’s SXSW in Austin and last year’s Nashville Film Festival, where it won the Tennessee Horizon Audience Award. Aaron...

To salute the incoming arrival of American Ultra, we salute some underrated treats from Jesse Eisenberg's back catalogue...

When Jesse Eisenberg was announced as Lex Luthor in Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice, it made instant sense. Not because he was bald, not because he looks like or Gene Hackman or anything, but just because he’s one of those actors whose screen presence is so perfectly formed. You know exactly what they’re going for with their Luthor, just by Eisenberg’s name. It’s Mark Zuckerberg vs Superman, the supergod vs the awkward genius.

But that’s not the only big action movie he’s got coming up. First he’s going to be in American Ultra, a unique stoner/sci-fi mash-up where he stars alongside Kristen Stewart (it's released in the UK on September 4th). Eisenberg first really burst into our consciousness in 2009 and 2010, where...

In The Motel Life, Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorff play two brothers, Frank and Jerry, who are living a lonesome country tune’s tale, with specific accents on their bad luck. When Jerry becomes involved in a hit-and-run accident, the two flee their Reno motel for some type of other home, continuing their existence as whiskey-drinking, fantasy-drawing vagabonds. Dakota Fanning stars as Hirsch’s fixation, Annie James, and Kris Kristofferson appears for a few scenes as their working-class daddy figure Earl Hurley. The Motel Life is based on the novel by Willy Vlautin.

Featuring two raggedy performances from the nicely paired Dorff and Hirsch, The Motel Life is a drama that functions well with its influences, namely the Coen Brothers’ romanticism of cold, bad luck, and bits of Paul Thomas Anderson’s own debut Hard Eight.

The Polsky Brothers made their break into the business with their producing work on...

Starring the excellent Emily Blunt and Colin Firth in the leads, Arthur Newman will be making its world premiere at Tiff next week, and given the cast, there’s naturally some significant anticipation surrounding it.

With its premiere only a few days away, we’ve now got two new images of Blunt and Firth to share, both looking as brilliant as ever; a rising young star and a class act.

“We are all actors in one sense or another. Who among us hasn’t at some point longed to become someone else? Wallace Avery (Colin Firth) knows that longing all too well. Divorced, dissatisfied, with a young son (Sterling Beaumon) who resents him so badly that he won’t even talk to him, and a new girlfriend (Anne Heche) already tiring of his anomie and inattentiveness, Wallace feels he’s got nothing worth hanging onto. So he takes a step that many dream of,...

The artwork for Joe Raffa's much talked about horror flick, Six Degrees of Hell has finally been unveiled along with a nice little press release spilling forth all of those lovely details that we've been craving for the October 30th DVD release of the film. Read on for more. Domestic distributor Breaking Glass Pictures (5 Star Day, The Fields, The Living Wake) has snapped up the indie horror film 6 Degrees of Hell for North America. The deal w…...

The DVD artwork is here for the much talked about indie horror flick from Joe Raffa, 6 Degrees of Hell, and unfortunately it's traded in the cool stylish poster art the film once had for your substandard cookie-cutter direct-to-video Lionsgate-like fodder.

From the Press Release

Domestic distributor Breaking Glass Pictures (5 Star Day, The Fields, The Living Wake) has snapped up the indie horror film 6 Degrees of Hell for North America. The deal was struck last week between CEO Rich Wolff and Fabrication Films Svp Miriam Elchanan, a follow-up to the successful release of The Fields earlier this year. Directed by Joe Raffa (local hit You’ll Know My Name), the film stars Corey Feldman (The Lost Boys, The Goonies), Jill Whelan (“The Love Boat”), Brian Anthony Wilson (Limitless), Faust Checho (The Fields), newcomers Nikki Bell, Kyle Patrick Brennan, Ashley Sumner, Nicole Cinaglia, and David J. Bonner, and Raffa himself.

In Northeast Pennsylvania,...

Readers who keep up with our Indie Spotlight will recognize 6 Degrees of Hell from past features. It has just been announced that the film was acquired by Breaking Glass Pictures for release this October:

Philadelphia, Pa (July 26, 2012)–Domestic distributor Breaking Glass Pictures (5 Star Day, The Fields, The Living Wake) has snapped up the indie horror film 6 Degrees of Hell for North America. The deal was struck last week between CEO Rich Wolff and Fabrication Films Svp Miriam Elchanan, a follow-up to the successful release of The Fields earlier this year. Directed by Joe Raffa (local hit You’ll Know My Name), the film stars Corey Feldman (The Lost Boys, The Goonies), Jill Whelan (“The Love Boat”), Brian Anthony Wilson (Limitless), Faust Checho (The Fields), newcomers Nikki Bell, Kyle Patrick Brennan, Ashley Sumner, Nicole Cinaglia, David J. Bonner and Raffa himself.

In Northeast Pennsylvania, “Uncle Jack’s Hotel of Horror” is...

If your one of the many fans that's been waiting patiently for the release of Joe Raffa's indie flick 6 Degrees of Hell, we've got a bit of good news to share with all of you hungry bastards regarding the film, as well as the brand new trailer. Read on for all of the details below. Domestic distributor Breaking Glass Pictures (5 Star Day, The Fields, The Living Wake) has snapped up the indie horror film 6 Degrees of Hell for North America. The…...

We have good news for those looking forward to the indie flick 6 Degrees of Hell: The film has gotten itself some U.S. distro, and in celebration of the glorious news, we also have a new trailer to share with you sickos. Dig it!

From the Press Release

Domestic distributor Breaking Glass Pictures (5 Star Day, The Fields, The Living Wake) has snapped up the indie horror film 6 Degrees of Hell for North America. The deal was struck last week between CEO Rich Wolff and Fabrication Films Svp Miriam Elchanan, a follow-up to the successful release of The Fields earlier this year. Directed by Joe Raffa (local hit You’ll Know My Name), the film stars Corey Feldman (The Lost Boys, The Goonies), Jill Whelan (“The Love Boat”), Brian Anthony Wilson (Limitless), Faust Checho (The Fields), newcomers Nikki Bell, Kyle Patrick Brennan, Ashley Sumner, Nicole Cinaglia, and David J. Bonner, and Raffa himself.

We’re back with our latest Indie Spotlight. This weekend’s coverage includes The Fields‘ Blu-ray/DVD release, a zombie-killing gorilla with a baseball bat, paranormal investigators, and much more…

The Fields Blu-ray/DVD Release: Academy Award winner Cloris Leachman’s (Fox’s “Raising Hope”) thriller The Fields is coming to Blu-Ray (Srp $29.99) and DVD (Srp 24.99) from Breaking Glass Pictures (5 Star Day, Cropsey, The Living Wake). Written by Harrison Smith (Six Degrees of Hell) and directed by Tom Mattera and David Mazzoni (cult favorite The 4th Dimension), the film also stars Tara Reid (American Reunion) and newcomer Joshua Ormond (Sundance hit Robot and Frank).

Based on actual events, The Fields follows a young boy named Steven during the summer of 1973. Steven (Ormond) is sent to live in the Pennsylvania countryside with his grandparents while his mother (Reid) and father (Faust Checho) work through their marital troubles. Though his grandmother (Leachman...

We've been talking about the indie flick The Fields for years now. Literally years. There's no doubt the road has been long, but the flick is finally hitting home video and we've got the details.

From the Press Release

Academy Award winner Cloris Leachman’s (Fox’s “Raising Hope”) thriller The Fields is coming to Blu-ray (Srp $29.99) and DVD (Srp $24.99) from Breaking Glass Pictures (5 Star Day, Cropsey, The Living Wake). Written by Harrison Smith (Six Degrees of Hell) and directed by Tom Mattera and David Mazzoni (cult favorite The 4th Dimension), the film also stars Tara Reid (American Reunion) and newcomer Joshua Ormond (Sundance hit Robot and Frank).

Based on actual events, The Fields follows a young boy named Steven during the summer of 1973. Steven (Ormond) is sent to live in the Pennsylvania countryside with his grandparents while his mother (Reid) and father (Faust Checho) work through their marital troubles.

Director Todd Phillips has brought in some big money ($1.2 billion worldwide) for Warner Bros., so it's no surprise they have re-upped his contract. Deadline reports that he's been resigned to a new first-look deal through the end of 2013. Phillips' Green Hat Films has been based at the studio since 2005, after he directed the 2004 comedy Starsky & Hutch.

He is currently working on the third installment of The Hangover, and has four other projects in development. Here is what Green Hat is currently developing:

* An adaptation of the Tony D’Souza novel Mule, about a young couple that turns to drug trafficking to scratch a living during the recession. Green Hat’s Phillips and Scott Budnick are producing with Jamie Patricof and Lynette Howell’s Electric City Entertainment. They are out to writers.

*Arms and the Dudes, based on a Guy Lawson Rolling Stone article that chronicled the unlikely rise of two...

Long before Todd Phillips found success in two Hangover movies, the director helmed Old School, Road Trip, and the PG-13 adaptation of Starsky and Hutch. But it was the Hangover movies that put Phillips on the comedic map and gave Warner Bros. an ample amount of box office revenue. While Phillips and his team prepares for The Hangover Part III and the promotional tour for Project X, Deadline reports that Warner Bros. is extending its deal with the director’s Green Hat Films through 2013 and revealed the company’s upcoming projects:

Mule – a movie about a young couple’s desperate turn to drug trafficking in order to make ends meet.

Arms and the Dudes – a movie about two drug addicts who discover their success in arms dealing but hit rock bottom when the government raids their compound.

The Island – Details on this movie are being kept under wraps. Due Date...

I did not like The Fields. If you're doubting this you can check out my review. But someone liked it, as it has been picked up for distribution just in time to capitalize on Tara Reid's appearance inAmerican Reunion. I hope that's not the only thing they're banking on to sell the movie. Per the press release,"The award-winning and critically praised Cloris Leachman thriller The Fields has announced a big April 2012 release. Domestic distributor Breaking Glass (Five Star Day, Cropsey, The Living Wake) aggressively snapped up the indie thriller for domestic rights. Directed by Tom Mattera and David Mazzoni (The 4th Dimension), the film also stars Tara Reid (American Reunion) and newcomer Joshua Ormond (Scout Masters). It debuted to a strong reception and awards on the festival circuit as well as high critical praise...

Man, if feels as if we've been talking about the indie horror flick The Fields like forever. It's been a couple of years at least, that's for sure. In any event, the little flick has scored itself some distro. Read on for the skinny!

The award-winning and critically praised Cloris Leachman thriller The Fields has announced a big April 2012 release. Domestic distributor Breaking Glass (Five Star Day, Cropsey, The Living Wake) aggressively snapped up the indie thriller for domestic rights. Directed by Tom Mattera and David Mazzoni (The 4th Dimension), the film also stars Tara Reid (American Reunion) and newcomer Joshua Ormond (Scout Masters). It debuted to a strong reception and awards on the festival circuit as well as high critical praise. Writer and producer Harrison Smith went on to write and produce the upcoming Corey Feldman horror Six Degrees of Hell.

For more check out the official The Fields...

Considering I’m a sucker for quirky American comedies, it’s no surprise that Sol Tryon’s immensely enjoyable indie feature “The Living Wake” was one of my favorite discoveries from 2010. Although the film was made way back in 2007, it didn’t arrive on DVD here in the States until last August. Fortunately for those of you who missed it, Hulu is currently hosting the flick for absolute free. To make matters even sweeter, I’ve carefully embedded this hilarious little number below in order to prevent you from having to click the mouse a few more times. How incredibly kind and considerate is that? You can thank me later. Oh, and did I mention that 2011 Academy Award nominee Jesse Eisenberg has a sizable role in the movie? If that doesn’t convince you to check it out, then I honestly don’t know what will. Perhaps my glowing review can help persuade you,...

You might have noticed some of my illustrious, talented, and all-around terrific colleagues have set about ticking off their 2010 lists. Never one to miss a chance to throw out an unsolicited (although hopefully compelling) opinion, I thought I might weigh in. This isn't so much a best-of list, as much as a reflection on the last year and some of the films which stuck out for various, particular reasons for me.I think many of the other reviewers on the site have the same lament I've been carrying for  the last couple of weeks: 2010 had so many movies and there was so little time to see them all. As of this writing, I still haven't had the opportunity to check out True Grit, Catfish, or give Black Swan the due diligence of a second viewing (if you held a gun to my head for an instant opinion, I'd say it was mostly excellent,...

Writer/director Sol Tryon’s oddly endearing dark comedy “The Living Wake” is probably best described as a demented storybook come strangely to life. The entire film takes place in a timeless alternate universe, a world that’s often devoid of logic, reasoning, and basic common sense. This is, of course, the perfect setting for the peculiar tale that follows, one that will require a bit of patience from its prospective audience. Considering the film’s only bankable star is Jesse Eisenberg, I seriously doubt the film will strike a chord with those who ultimately seek it out. Although I’m sure Eisenberg’s fans will flock to the picture in hopes of procuring something similar to his recent body of work, the picture may be a bit too strange and hopelessly quirky for them to thoroughly enjoy. That’s no slight against Eisenberg or his fanbase. In fact, towards the beginning of the feature,...

Director: Sol Tryon Writer: Peter Kline, Mike O'Connell Starring: Mike O’Connell, Jesse Eisenberg, Jim Gaffigan K. Roth Binew (Mike O'Connell) is a flamboyant, arrogant and eccentric drunk whose incessant pontifications – made in an exaggeratedly aristocratic accent – are scribbled down verbatim by his loyal best friend, authorized biographer, and rickshaw-cum-pedicab chauffeur, Mills (Jesse Eisenberg). (Mills is also a poet extraordinaire.) The Living Wake opens with a Cliff Notes montage of K. Roth’s life of failure which wraps up with the life-changing declaration by his doctor that K. Roth is dying of a nameless disease. That’s right kids – K. Roth is dying prematurely, foolishly and namelessly. The narrative itself commences in the morning of the very day that K. Roth’s life is set to expire (at 7:30pm). K. Roth and Mills scuttle across town on their makeshift rickshaw-cum-pedicab arranging the last-minute preparations for K. Roth’s death,...

If you're not anywhere near a theater currently playing Aaron Schneider's acclaimed "Get Low," you can somewhat make due for now by renting the very slightly similar, less-known indie "The Living Wake," which is also about a man holding a kind of eulogy service for himself while still alive. Directed by Sol Tryon and originally released to the fest circuit in '07, the strange and dark comedy finally hit DVD yesterday courtesy of Breaking Glass Pictures. Having long seen and heard people like Stu VanAirsdale, Aaron Hillis and Cinematical's Erik Davis all rave about it, I figured I'd give it…...

There's an interesting assortment of releases on DVD and Blu-ray this week, whether you're looking for action, drama, horror, or just a bunch of nerds rolling twenty-sided dice. The biggest release of the week is Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass, along with the family comedy Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer starring Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan. Also worth checking out is the Oscar-nominated French film A Prophet, After.Life starring Christina Ricci and Liam Neeson, and the role-playing documentary The Dungeon Masters. On the small screen we have the fourth and final season of Heroes, and debuting on Blu-ray, Joe Dante's Piranha, Escape from New York, and The Coen Brothers' Blood Simple. What will you be picking up this week? Kick-Ass [1] (+ Blu-ray [2]) Diary of a Wimpy Kid [3] (+ Blu-ray [4]) The Ghost Writer [5] (+ Blu-ray [6]) A Prophet [7] (+ Blu-ray [8]) After.Life [9] (+ Blu-ray [10]) To Save a Life [11] (+ Blu-ray [12]) The Living Wake...

    

School may be out for summer, but you can get some cinephile extra credit in by reading/listening up on today's new releases: Andrew Grant introduces us to early Kurosawa, Jesse Eisenberg discusses The Living Wake in this podcast, and our pal James van Maanen reviews Sweetgrass.  Lots of other goodies this week, too, including A Prophet, Ghost Writer, and re-released b-movie classic Humanoids from the Deep. Enjoy! ...

The trailer for director Sol Tryon’s “The Living Wake” almost made me wet my pants. However, it’s worth mentioning that it doesn’t take a whole lot to make me laugh, so this isn’t necessarily a rare and unique accomplishment worthy of examination by highly-educated comedic scholars. Fortunately for those of us who are looking forward to this quirky little comedy, the spiffy “The Living Wake” DVD is finally scheduled for release on August 3rd, a date that has been marked in my virtual calendar with big, bold lettering. Since I’m a sucker for quirky, off-beat comedies, it’s no surprise I’ve got my sights set on this goofy little endeavor. I’m predictable like that. Here’s a quick rundown of the storyline: A dark comedy which chronicles the final day in the life of self-proclaimed artist and genius, K. Roth Binew. Binew is...

Here are the new MPAA ratings from Bulletin No: 2126.

The Expendables Rated R For strong action and bloody violence throughout, and for some language. Release Date: August 13, 2010 A Film Unfinished Rated R For disturbing images of Holocaust atrocities including graphic nudity. Note: Intends To Appeal To The C.A.R.A. Appeals Board Freakonomics Rated PG-13 For elements of violence, sexuality/nudity, drugs, and brief strong language. Jolene Rated R For strong sexual content, nudity, language, some violence and drug use. The Last Airbender Rated PG For fantasy action violence. Release Date: July 1, 2010 Note: Check out 29 new images from The Last Airbender right here. The Last Exorcism Rated PG-13 For disturbing violent content and terror, some sexual references and thematic material. Release Date: August 27, 2010 The Living Wake Rated PG-13 For sexual material. Love and Distrust Rated R For language, some sexuality, drug use, and a violent image. Lovely, Still Rated PG For thematic material,...

Before the world descends into football fever why not catch up with all the latest film chatter with your weekly edition of the Mouth Off podcast?

Bit of a special one tonight as we have an exclusive interview with the director of the forthcoming film Death and Cremation, Justin Steele, whose generosity and candour was a breath of fresh air and the stories he tells of getting an original horror film made, as well as working with Brad Dourif and Jeremy Sumpter are really worth a listen.

We’d like to thank Justin for his time, you can find the interview at the end of the podcast, or you can download the MP3 right here. The trailer for the film is included below and I’d point you to the official website here.

In addition to the interview we’ve got reviews of Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg and Christopher Smith...

The Living Wake tells the story of a self important and undiscovered genius living his last day on Earth. Determined to control as much of his legacy as possible he decides to visit his friends and enemies, to make peace or to exacerbate rivalries, to culminate in a final bow at his own wake.

This dark comedy played the festival circuit a few years ago and is now finding its way out into the world on DVD, and in amongst the glitter strewn Hollywood fare it does the soul good to shine a light on the films that might otherwise be left on the shelves.

Speaking to IndieWire first time director Sol Tryon talked of his approach to the unconventional nature of the film,

I believe that all comedy, however absurdist in nature, is rooted in some form of realism and truth. Like all great parables, however outrageous they may seem,...

A dark comedy which chronicles the final day in the life of self-proclaimed "artist and genius" K. Roth Binew, "The Living Wake" is currently screening in limited release. Directed by first-time filmmaker Sol Tryon, the film stars Mike O'Connell, Jesse Eisenberg, Jim Gaffigan and Ann Dowd, and has been receiving warm notices on the festival circuit - winning the Feature Film Award for Comedic Vision at the Austin Film Festival, the ...

A dark comedy which chronicles the final day in the life of self-proclaimed "artist and genius" K. Roth Binew, "The Living Wake" is currently screening in limited release. Directed by first-time filmmaker Sol Tryon, the film stars Mike O'Connell, Jesse Eisenberg, Jim Gaffigan and Ann Dowd, and has been receiving warm notices on the festival circuit - winning the Feature Film Award for Comedic Vision at the Austin Film Festival, the ...

Jesse Eisenberg, Mike O’Connell, The Living Wake The Living Wake Q&A with Sol Tryon: Part I Working with actor-co-writer Mike O’Connell and Jesse Eisenberg. What was it like? O’Connell’s flamboyant character could easily have gotten "out of reach" for the audience. As a director, did you have O’Connell go "bigger" to fit into the shoes of his larger-than-life character, or did you have to tone him down? Both? Mike was so amazing to work with. He knew the character so well and completely bought into my vision of the film. There were things that at times had to be toned down and also times where I pushed him to go "bigger" with the performance, but mostly that was taken [...]...

Jesse Eisenberg, Mike O’Connell, The Living Wake Directed by Sol Tryon, and co-written by Mike O’Connell and Peter Kline, The Living Wake is the sort of movie that defies both labels and expectations. It’s comedy; it’s drama; it’s a musical; it’s a character piece; it’s bizarre; it’s its own genre. Even though you can’t pigeonhole it — or perhaps for that very reason — The Living Wake has received some positive notices. (Check out Film Threat and The Reeler.) Starring O’Connell and Jesse Eisenberg (he of Zombieland and Kristen Stewart’s pal in Adventureland), The Living Wake chronicles the final day in the weird life of a self-proclaimed genius, the exuberant K. Roth Binew (O’Connell). With the assistance of his more subdued [...]...

Jesse Eisenberg, star of Adventureland and The Squid and the Whale, stars in Kevin Asch's film Holy Rollers, which opened in select theaters this weekend. Holy Rollers is inspired by actual events in the late nineties when Hasidic Jews were recruited as mules to smuggle ecstasy from Europe into the United States. Sam Gold (Eisenberg), a young Hasid from an Orthodox Brooklyn community reluctantly follows the path his family has chosen for him, awaiting a pending arranged marriage and studying to become a Rabbi. A charming neighbor, Yosef Zimmerman (Justin Bartha), senses Sam’s resistance and propositions him to transport ‘medicine’ for Jackie (Danny A. Abeckaser), an Israeli dealer, and his girlfriend, Rachel (Ari Graynor).Sam quickly demonstrates his business skill to his bosses, who instantly take Sam under their wing. Now exposed to the exciting and gritty worlds of Manhattan and Amsterdam nightlife, Sam begins to spiral deeper into their detrimental lifestyle,...

Rating: 2.5/5

Writers: Mike O’Connell and Peter Kline

Director: Sol Tryon

Cast: Mike O’Connell, Jesse Eisenberg, Jim Gaffigan, Ann Dowd

Studio: Mangusta Productions

What would you do if you found out you would die soon? Would you live your life like an Oscar bait film, with soaring strings playing over your final days, declarations of love to those near and dear to you, and probably one last dip into an icy ocean, as you scream to gods and heaven above for taking from you this mortal coil? Or would you loll around in a bicycle rickshaw piloted by your biographer and man servant, continue your assault on the lesser brains around you, and perform a one man show at your own wake?

Read more on Theatrical Review: The Living Wake…...

It was a quiet weekend for limited releases, with prior champ Babies remaining at the top despite experiencing a steep fall. Older releases City Island, The Secret in Their Eyes, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo continued to hold well, while Hawaii-set biopic Princess Kaiulani was the only new release able to make any waves at the box office. Without Mother's Day audiences, Babies dropped a steep 54 percent to $995,660 at 543 locations. Still, this made the documentary the busiest limited release, ranking 12th place overall this weekend. In ten days, Babies has gathered $3.9 million, and is on pace to become one of the Top 20 highest-grossing documentaries ever. City Island fell 28 percent to $442,158 at 253 venues, placing it second among limited releases. Through its ninth weekend, the comedy has earned $3.6 million, an impressive number considering distributor Anchor Bay's previous top grossing movie, 2009's Spread, only made $250,618. The Secret in Their Eyes continued to hold firm again,...

The archer was on target, though less than wholly victorious.

Universal's Russell Crowe starrer "Robin Hood" -- with Cate Blanchett as Maid Marion in Ridley Scott's history-based telling of the well-known legend -- struck the lower edge of pre-release projections with an estimated $37.1 million in opening boxoffice. But comics-spawned sequel "Iron Man 2" from Paramount and Marvel again topped the weekend's domestic rankings with $53 million.

The Robert Downey Jr. starrer dropped a reasonable 59% from its week-earlier opening tally, while boosting cumulative boxoffice to $212.2 million. That compares to a $177.8 million sophomore-session cume for 2008's "Iron Man."

Summit Entertainment's female-targeting "Letters to Juliet," featuring Amanda Seyfried and Vanessa Redgrave, bowed in third place with $13.8 million. And Fox Searchlight's urban-oriented romantic comedy "Just Wright" -- starring Pam Grier, Common and Queen Latifah – debuted in fourth with $8.5 million.

Collectively, the weekend Top 10 rung up $132 million, or 2% more than top performers in the comparable frame last year.

In director Sol Tryon's "The Living Wake," Jesse Eisenberg plays Mils, the assistant to K. Roth Binew (Mike O'Connell), a self-described genius writer who's about to die that evening and is arranging his funeral. Reminiscent of "Rosencrantz and Guildernstern are Dead" fused with "Waiting for Godot," the film centers on themes of immortality through books and existing (or not) in a vacuum. Speakeasy caught up with the three men behind the film to talk about cementing legacies through art and death.

Wes Anderson has much to answer for. Nothing is more deadly than curdled whimsy, and Anderson’s cultishly revered oeuvre has inspired more than its share of mirth gone awry, like Sol Tryon’s oppressively twee dark comedy The Living Wake. As if the prospect of a foppish dandy calling a liquor-store proprietor “liquorsmith” and talking like the bastard child of The Simpsons’ Mr. Burns and A Confederacy Of Dunces’ Ignatius J. Reilly doesn’t sound insufferable enough, there’s the film’s long, hard slog through a world of precious literary conceits, like the protagonist’s need to hear ...

Ever 2002's Roger Dodger, in which he played an awkward 16-year-old who enlists the help of his Manhattanite uncle on his quest to lose his virginity, actor Jesse Eisenberg has pulled off a string of almost unanimously-praised turns as nebish-y, complicated youths (see also: 2005's The Squid and the Whale, and 2009's lighter Adventureland). With three films seeing release this month (The Living Wake, Holy Rollers, Solitary Man), and a just-wrapped portryal of Mark Zuckerberg in the sure-to-be huge Facebook movie, The Social Network, Eisenberg is likely on the verge of his first big moment. We spoke to him about working with the "genius" writer-actor Mike O'Connell on his dark comedy, The Living Wake, Hassidic Jewish ecstasy dealers, and why he doesn't like social networking:

Interview: The Living Wake, which is screening in New York and La this week, was actually made a couple years ago, right?

Jesse Eisenberg:...

It's purely accidental that Jesse Eisenberg should have three movies opening in theaters in the next 10 days. Still, it's all the reminder you need that the 26-year-old New Yorker is as in demand as virtually any young actor in the business. Coming off 2009's mainstream tandem of Zombieland and Adventureland, Eisenberg begins an all indie May this Friday in New York with the microbudget marvel The Living Wake. He follows that next week with the drug-running drama Holy Rollers and the Michael Douglas showcase Solitary Man (as well as Wake's L.A. opening). And then there's David Fincher's The Social Network, which he just completed as well. Needless to say, we had plenty to catch up on recently when Eisenberg called Movieline HQ.

When I first read “The Living Wake,” it was a 20-page script for a one-man show written by Mike O’Connell. The combination of Mike’s outrageous comedy and a story about a man searching for the meaning of life while coming to grips with his own mortality was striking. I began to visualize the setting that this amazing character K. Roth Binew lived in to be something timeless and outside of reality, yet somewhat familiar. I saw this world as his own sort of fairytale. To some it could be considered a bit of a dark and somewhat twisted fairytale, but that depends on your perspective.

We knew that we couldn’t afford to have the cast on location for much more than the days they were working, so rehearsals were going to be pretty much non-existent. We were basically able to rehearse with each of the supporting characters...

Actor Jesse Eisenberg possesses such a brilliant mind and nervous energy that he seems incapable of portraying anyone unintelligent. "Anytime you take on a role, you try to imbue it with good decision-making skills, because everybody, regardless of their intelligence, assumes they're making good decisions, even if it's something they regret later," says the actor, who is 11 credits away from his anthropology degree at the New School in New York's Greenwich Village. It's not surprising the 26-year-old actor has drawn comparisons to brainy, creative types like Woody Allen and Michael Cera.In eight years, Eisenberg has gone from indie breakout star in "Roger Dodger" and "The Squid and the Whale" to leading roles in hits like "Adventureland" and "Zombieland." He recently wrapped David Fincher's highly anticipated "The Social Network" and has two films coming out May 14: "Holy Rollers" and "The Living Wake." Back Stage helped him land one...

Director Sol Tyron's The Living Wake has elements that are endearing for precisely the reason they are off-putting. The florid dialog is precise to the point of being mannered while the performances are broad - but in a way that the roles being played demand. It's particular, this film, but a brand of particular that appealed to me.

The story chronicles what may very well be the last day in the life of K. Roth Binew (Mike O'Connell) whose business cards would likely read, "writer, artist, and professional eccentric." Having learned that he suffers from a disease that is as punctual as it is fatal, K. Roth sets off with his biographer/manservant Mills (Jesse Eisenberg) to wrap up unfinished business. This includes admitting his true love to his septuagenarian nanny, waging war against his neighbor and rival, and attending his own wake as a sort of performer and Mc.

Are you ready for an entirely different type of cult film? One that relies on being clever and playing with language rather than sex or splatter to inspire devotion? Well, get your Harold And Maude and Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead hats on, because Sol Tryon's The Living Wake aims to make you a believer once again.

Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mike O'Connell as they chronicle the final day in the life of a self declared artist and genius whose art seems to be mostly downing large amounts of whiskey.

Wes Anderson, eat your heart out.

Here are some stuff and things for your lazy Sunday:

-- News of that planned Arrested Development movie has finally found its way to the trades, with both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter saying that series creator Mitch Hurwitz is real close to signing a deal to write and direct the film. Ron Howard (who narrated the show), as well as the original cast, are all expected to return (we hope).

-- Two more Star Trek character posters have arrived online, with one featuring Eric Bana as the Romulan villain Nero, and the other shows Zoe Saldana as a very sexy Uhura. These end a pretty busy week for Trek, which began with the debut of the film's first full-length trailer and a special presentation of footage by director J.J. Abrams. Check out larger versions of these posters, as well as the other two previously released character posters, in the gallery below.

I bet you were sitting around today wondering what the director of Superbad was up to, right? That was you, right? Well, good news is Greg Mottola has been finishing up a new film called Adventureland, and based on this hilarious new trailer (which just premiered over at Rotten Tomatoes), it's got an '80s Dazed and Confused vibe written all over it ... and me likey Dazed and Confused very much.

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig (the new comedic love of my life), Ryan Reynolds and Kristen Stewart (Omg, what's Bella doing in another film?!), Adventureland takes place in 1987and follows an awkward kid straight out of school who takes a gig at an amusement park, falls in love, meets a bunch of maniacs and walks away with some pretty valuable life lessons. I had the pleasure of conversing with Jesse Eisenberg earlier this week during the NY...

CineVegas

Shoreline Entertainment

It's not every day you see an absurdist quixotic tale about a self-proclaimed artist and genius by the name of K. Roth Binew, who has meticulously mapped out the last day of his life.

That is both the allure and the curse of The Living Wake, a unique, in-your-face example of no-budget filmmaking co-written by and starring comedian Mike O'Connell that quickly proves to wear out its novel welcome.

The film is certain to win its share of admirers in addition to its annoyed detractors -- a number of whom made their feelings known during its CineVegas world premiere by beating a hasty retreat before Binew finally packs it in.

That heated divided alone could justify a theatrical release, although it seems as if all that unapologetic theatricality would have been better contained in a short film format.

O'Connell, who wrote the screenplay with Peter Kline, plays the dreaming-scheming-delusional Binew as an oddball cross between Don Quixote, Walter Mitty and Conan O'Brien.

Convinced that he's about to die of a very rare disease, he sets about saying his final farewells and preparing for his living wake with the help of his faithful minion and biographer, the timid Mills Joquin ("The Squid and the Whale's" Jesse Eisenberg).

The inherent problem with the Binew character and O'Connell's performance is that it's essentially a one-note proposition and that particular note would have been more at home in a Saturday Night Live or Mad TV sketch than sustained over the course of a 90-minute feature.

But while there's a familiar "inmates running the asylum" vibe to the proceedings, debuting feature director Sol Tryon admittedly gets considerable bang out of his very modest budget.

Props go to production designer Michael Grasley's quaint props used to dress those timeless Maine sets, as well as to costume designer Negar Ali whose vintage wardrobe finds appear to have been dug out of dozens of musty old trunks.