Beautiful Groff in the Dark Frozen Neighborhood

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It's Friday and that means there are new movies out, and for a nice change of pace it looks like not only have I seen the three biggest titles coming out but I have actually reviewed all three! Sometimes one of those things happens, but usually it's neither, and here we are with the suns and the stars all aligning -- you know what this means right? We're all gonna die. On that note here are links to said reviews so I can fulfill the prophecy and we can all be free of this damned mortal bullshit.

Click here for my thoughts on Marielle Heller's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, starring Matthew Rhys and Tom Hanks, aka the only one of these three I very much recommend.

Click here for my thoughts on Disney's Frozen sequel.

And click here for my thoughts on Todd Haynes' 

Dark Waters starring birthday boy Mark Ruffalo.

Have a beautiful weekend, everyone...

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I Am Link

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--- Monster Smash - The buzz on the Predator reboot seems awfully buzz-less right now, doesn't it? I know we're all a little buzzed-out by reboots but Shane Black is a smart writer director (with a history with the franchise to boot) and it's got a killer cast and I don't care, I am buzzing dammit. (See the trailer here if you missed it.) So I will link you to this batch of new pictures from the movie whether you want them or not - come for clear shots of the monster, stay for sleeveless Trevante Rhodes and Boyd Holbrook in military pants.

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--- Video Killed the Video Store - This piece right over here on what we lost when we lost video-stores is a real deep dive and I will admit I got a little impatient with the passages about Netflix algorithms, as is my wont, but man alive it made me nostalgic for my high school and college days (this would be in the mid 1990s) working at a video-store. I learned so much getting lost in those aisles, picking up piles of tapes every night of things I'd never heard of, of things my co-workers recommended, of things that just looked insane. 

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--- Bye Bye Barbara - I don't want to say that I am personally responsible for the death of Barbara Harris but I forgot to wish her a happy birthday last month like I usually did every year is all I am saying. Kidding aside she was a gem, a true gem, who perked up every movie she popped up in (I really want to re-watch Dirty Rotten Scoundrels now - I can't believe both her and Glenne Headly are gone now) and you should read our pal Nathaniel's piece on her at The Film Experience right now.
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. --- Ghost With Most - This was a nice little surprise yesterday - IndieWire chatted with The Changeling director Peter Medak about that 1980 classic yet deeply underrated horror movie starring George C. Scott. I don't know why they chatted with him but they did and I wish more placed would just randomly call up folks on stuff like this. (ETA Oh wait the interview happened because a new blu-ray of the film came out earlier this month. Nevermind. It's still a nice perk to hear from a veteran once in awhile anyway.) 
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--- Investigation Open - There was an awful lot happening in the news yesterday so perhaps you missed the word that Veronica Mars is being rebooted? I very nearly almost did myself and I am what some might consider, in the parlance of nerd-dom, a Marshmallow. Anyway "rebooted" is probably not the word - revived is the right word - since it will star original star Kristen Bell, as well it should since KB remains one of our most charming and under-utilized actors around. The series will air on Hulu. 
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--- Jazz Hands of July - I had to live vicariously through the Bob Fosse film festival diaries of Difficult People star and fire-headed funny lady Julie Klausner posted at The New Yorker this week, since I crapped out myself and missed all of the films when they screened at The Quad last month. I would've loved to have seen All That Jazz on a big screen, I never have, and there are a couple of Fosse's movies that I still have never seen. Specifically Sweet Charity and Damn Yankees...

I Am Link

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--- Super Lady - Firefly actress makes good! Morena Baccarin, also known for Homeland and the V remake and also that time I saw her on the subway platform, has landed the leading lady role in Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool. Okay how "good" a role this is remains to be seen, since she's playing the chick in a superhero movie and we all know how them roles go. See also: Blake Lively in Green Lantern. But hey Blake Lively got Ryan's penis in the bargain so maybe the job will come with some perks.

--- Dante's Infernos - Today's edition of "I will get around to actually reading this during lunch" is coming at us from Film Comment, where they've posted a lengthy - and I do mean lengthy; it's in two whole parts! - where they've interviewed the director Joe Dante on the occasion of this weekend's NYC screening of a preview cut of his movie Gremlins. And yes I am totally going to be there. I wouldn't miss it for the world. (I'm glad it's over before the Oscars though.)

--- Be My Inmate - Now here's a name we don't hear nearly often enough - Jay Hernandez is apparently joining the cast of Suicide Squad, but they're being sketchy on who he's playing. His character will be in prison with The Joker (played by, sigh, Jared Leto) though, so he's probably, you'd think, a bad dude. Anyway Adorable Jay tips the ever precarious cast, full of people I adore and people I can't stand, towards the good side. 

--- Dig It - New Line is planning on rebooting Shaft. Again. Will they just hire Samuel Jackson to play it again? I think he could totally do it. I imagine they'll go younger though. Who would you cast? God I hope they don't go with Kevin Hart. I'm gonna throw Nate Parker's name in the ring but really just because I want to stare at Nate Parker, dammit.

--- The Actor - THR did a little piece on Laura Dern and her acting coach (thanks Mac) and yes the word "craft" is invoked, which is usually my trigger-word and sends me into a rage-spiral, but it's Laura Dern and she can say whatever she wants to. She can tweet out pictures of her beautiful mug as a 1-800-Flowers ad, she can slash the tires on my Mom's car, whatever. She Dern.

--- Bell Rings - Every time Kristen Bell gets cast in something an angel gets its wings. Or a sloth gets its claws or something, whatever. Kristen Bell has been cast opposite Melissa McCarthy in her next movie (no not that one) Michelle Darnell, which he husband (Melissa McCarthy's husband, not Kristen Bell's with the abs) Ben Falcone is directing. He directed the meh Tammy, you may recall.

--- Side Kick - A trio of actors have just been added to Netflix's next Marvel series AKA Jessica Jones, the one that stars Krysten Ritter as a super-powered journalist, and this Wil Traval dude (I guess there was a shortage of "L"'s at the Alphabet Shop) caught my eye for entirely superficial reasons. He's Australian and done a bunch of TV, oh and a horror movie called Primal that I'm sure I saw and remember nothing of.

--- Ripley's Believe It - What with the big Alien news on our mind today we've read a couple of random good stories about the franchise here and there - I'd never heard this story about the long development process of the third Alien before Fincher got involved; the whole "wooden planet" thing sounds insane, in a possibly very cool way. And speaking of the third film, here's a hilariously defensive nerd piece on the deaths of Newt & Hicks and why it had to happen dammit shut your mouths you babies etc etc. Reading pieces like this make me feel like donating to charity immediately for all the wasted energy on display.

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I Am Link

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--- David's Girl - David Fincher has gone on the record again that he thinks the second Girl With the Dragon Tattoo movie could still happen, even though everybody on Earth whose name doesn't rhyme with Schmoony Schmara has moved on. Listen I learned my lesson calling things like this impossible when a Veronica Mars movie came out so I'll try to keep my cynicism in check - hell, I wanna see Daniel Craig slip into those impossibly tiny underpants again as much as the next perv.

--- Visiting Mars - I won't whine too much about my pal Jarett getting to go hang out on the set of the Veronica Mars online spin-off Play it Again, Dick with Ryan Hansen and Kristen Bell and so on for this article at Buzzfeed, because he's an even bigger fan of the show than me, of this I have no doubt. But still Jarett, you could've snatched a lock of Ryan's hair for me or something.

--- Grey Period - I think this interview's a few days old, I meant to link to it earlier, but here's Charlie Hunnam saying that it was "a nervous breakdown" that kept him from being able to take the role of Christian grey in Fifty Shades of Grey that eventually went to Jamie Dornan and his incredible edible abs. I think Charlie might be over-stating things a bit, it sounds like he was just over-worked and stressed out some - a full-blown nervous breakdown looks like shaved-head Britney with an umbrella, dude. You stay pretty, though.

--- Forever Destroyer - Marvel is re-working their contract with Drax himself, Dave Bautista, because apparently his character is going to play a big role in the upcoming storyline for the entire Universe, not just the Guardians movies. Dave Bautista is rubbing his firm belly with happiness today. In semi-related news hey did you hear that Chris Pratt is hosting the season premiere of SNL? Cannot wait. Oh and here's a new picture of Peggy Carter and friends; no Dominic Cooper yet though.

--- Bearded Ambitions - While I admire the ultimate conclusion of "More Spider-bum!" in spirit, this article at Buzzfeed begging Andrew Garfield to shave off his gigantic beard is annoying me - at least do your homework, guys; he's grown it for the Scorsese movie Silence, about a 17th Jesuit priest, that he's going to be filming soon. It's like the bitching about the admittedly pasty and puffy and shaved look that James Franco's rocking right now - these guys are, after all, actors. They are not models. They have to look the part, and sometimes the part will be "person I don't want to have sex with." Crazy, but true. In related Andrew Garfield news I haven't read this whole thing yet but here's a new interview with him on a bunch of things, including the disappointing reception to the last Spider-Man movie.

--- Happy Jake - Jake Gyllenhaal seems to have a spring in his step this week; I think the positive critical buzz that Nightcrawler got in Toronto is agreeing with him. Here's a pair of lengthy video interviews with him on that mvoie, as well as a few new pictures. I've decided I'm holding off until I see the movie myself to look at any more stuff on it though, I've passed healthy saturation point.

Pic of the Day

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This post is alternately titled, "I love you, Ryan Hansen." The first pictures from the Veronica Mars online spin-off Play It Again, Dick - which will follow Ryan's character of Dick Casablancas as he attempts the private-eyeing business, while also being some kind of meta-thing at the same time apparently - are out and of course Ryan (and co-star Jason Dohring) is there without a top on, because Ryan knows what we crave. Play it again, Dick? More like Lay it again Dick! Am I right? Oh, the humor. See a couple more pictures - and some words too! - right over here.

I Am Link

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--- Please Hiddles Don't Hur 'Em - In case you've been aching to see Tom Hiddleston wear a skirt, your prayers are maybe coming true - he's being courted by the studios with chocolates and rose-petals leading up to a warm bathtub surrounded by hundreds of candles, all the stops,  to play the lead in the Ben-Hur remake. Does Tom have good legs though? I imagine his legs to be kinda stick-like. He might wanna do some lunges over the next few months.

--- Stanley Arisen - Somebody went digging through Stanley Kubrick's drawers and dug out a few old scripts to produce siphoning off his credibility and here we are, with Dexter's Michael C. Hall set to make a miniseries called God Fearing Man, about a real-life minister who became a bank-robber slash safe-cracker (you really don't hear that word often enough these days) in the early 20th century.

--- What A Dog - I've refrained from seeing the documentary The Dog, about the real-life dude behind Dog Day Afternoon, because of the objections a few of my friends have raised with regards to the movie - I'll probably see it to judge for myself when it hits Netflix, but time's too short otherwise. Anyway one of my friend Dan Walber just wrote this piece explaining his criticisms, specifically about the critical reaction to the film, that you should check out - it's a smart pointed critique of the critical establishment's reaction to gay movies that needs to be put out there.

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--- Gerwig Stand - I can't really gauge my enthusiasm for Barry Levinson's movie The Humbling quite yet because I find Al Pacino absolutely exhausting on-screen while Greta Gerwig, well, you know. I mean I'll see this movie, I don't think a day will come where I'll miss a Greta movie at this point, but Pacino... ugh. And having her be a lesbian who just can't resist gross Al Pacino? Adding fuel to my ick fire. Anyway there are a few new pictures from the movie over at The Playlist, and Greta looks all fab. It should be added that Dianne Wiest is also in this movie which bumps it up several notches, as well.
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--- Sew What - It was only last week that we heard about Elle Fanning playing Mary Shelley and here we are with another project about the Frankenstein author gearing up - Mary Shelley's Monster is going to star Sansa Stark herself Sophie Turner (who is maybe my favorite thing on the show, by the way - she's  made a character I couldn't stand on the page spring to compelling life) while sexy Jeremy Irvine is playing her hubby Percy. American Horror Story's Taissa "Sister of Vera" Farmiga will play Mary's sister. They're selling it as a "sexy love triangle." Okay. Nothing's gonna top Ken Russell's bonkers movie Gothic on this subject, I don't know why they keep trying.

--- Fish Monger - Yesterday it was confirmed that after months of speculation that yes, Jason "Tits Like Mountains" Momoa will be playing Aquaman after all - now we've got word that they're already thinking about making him his own movie down the road and are looking at a couple of screenwriters. One wrote the abysmal Gangster Squad and one wrote both 300 movies (which apparently have dialogue? who knew?)

--- No Pulse Nepotism - Am I the only person who doesn't like Jack Huston? He keeps being cast in things and I can't really figure it our, he's not appealing to look at and he's as of yet always lifeless on-screen. I suppose that last name works wonders. Anyway he's just gotten a role in the suddenly-alive-again Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. He'd make a fine zombie, I guess.

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--- Neptune Forever - I don't know why this Veronica Mars web-series about Ryan Hansen's character "Putting the Dick In" Dick Casablancas keeps getting reported with feverish enthusiasm every couple of months as if we haven't already heard about it several times now, but a new round of stories hit regarding it yesterday - I guess it's a little more official now? I thought it was official before. But we do have word on who'll be participating, and basically it's everybody. (Except Charisma Carpenter.)
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--- So Chic - Last season it was Stevie Nicks, which made sense what with the witchy theme... so what does it say about Patti LaBelle, her getting cast in the season of American Horror Story called Freak Show? Please tell me she'll sing " La Freak." I beg of you, Ryan Murphy. She's playing Gaby Sidibe's mother.

--- And Finally I thought I should post a reminder - I reviewed that "lesbian Rosemary's Baby" movie Lyle a couple of weeks ago, which I loved, and mentioned it was going to be offered online for free as a tool to Kickstart the director's next project - well all that's live now, here's the Kickstarter page right here, and here's their video below. Lyle's great though, seriously, you need to watch it.

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I Am Link

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--- True To You - I am guessing we'll hear a lot of news on the second season of True Detective this week since the flood-gates have opened, but word broke over the weekend that Colin Farrell is in talks to lead the new... trio? Quartet? I keep hearing different numbers for how many leads it'll have. There's also a less substantial rumor that Taylor Kitsch might be taking on a part. Kitsch, ass aside, I can give or take, but I adore Colin Farrell and am totally down with him being on it. I mean it can't possibly be more WTF than his last thing.

--- Tut Tut TInkerbell - The news that Christopher Walken is playing Captain Hook in the upcoming NBC live-musical (following The Sound of Music, which brought us that Hot Nazi Youth Ass) version of Peter Pan is terrific but I was super sad to hear that the lead was offered to Kristen Bell but she had to turn it down because of a conflict.

--- I See Dead People - Our pal Glenn takes on the television landscape littered with corpses and looks back and that first pretty girl in the beach-bound body-bag and how Twin Peaks influenced the state of TV violence today.

--- Space Chest - I don't know nuthin bout no Leviathan Wakes book series but I guess SyFy is turning the fantasy science-fiction story into a show and that show will star Thomas Jane, so thanks to my endless fur-appreciation for Thomas' talents I now at least know the books by name. Anybody familiar?

--- Land Ho - Hungarian director György Pálfi's 2006 flick Taxidermia (my review) is the kind of movie you remember and make a mental note to keep track of its director, but it's been so long that suddenly seeing a trailer for his new movie did get a jolt of surprise out of me today. It's called Free Fall and it's about a woman falling out of a window who witnesses a different story on each floor going down. Of course it is!

--- After Wise - In other under-appreciated filmmaker news, director Stephen Cone made 2012's wonderful The Wise Kids (my review) and thankfully we won't have to wait too much longer for new stuff - he's already got one movie finished; it's called Black Box and it's been hitting the festivals. And now he's casting another film - it will be called Henry Gamble's Birthday Party and it will star Pat Healy.
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--- RIP Spider-Bum - The fate of Spider-Man is in flux - the last movie didn't do nearly as well as the studio wanted it to and so the writer is saying he doesn't know what's up with the franchise, even while they've long had dates staked out for the third one and that Sinister Six spin-off, et cetera. But it's not like they're going to allow the Spider-Man rights to go anywhere so I have no doubts once they figure out the direction they're going, we'll hear something.

--- Forget Hell - In a Reddit chat Guillermo Del Toro has smacked the megaphone out of Ron Perlman's hand and let us all know that the chance of a third Hellboy movie happening are not good. Personally I'm not all that broken up, save some great monster designs I was never head-over for the Hellboys - I'm much more excited about a second Pacific Rim or one of the other fifty projects GDT keeps talking up.

--- And Finally the first teaser for the next season of American Horror Story, the circus one, popped up online, and it's some of the usual atmospheric pretty creepy stuff. Watch:

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Dick on the Box

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Well this is groovy news we all can use - Ryan Hansen, our beloved Dick (sucker) Casablancas, is getting a sort-of Veronica Mars spin-off! We'd actually already heard whispers about this, and we thought it was going to be timed more in line with the release of the Veronica Mars movie, but now there's word beyond the little dribble we knew (thanks Mac) - it's going to be an online series called Play It Again, Dick (you speak to me, title) via the CW's website, and it's actually going to star Ryan Hansen as Ryan Hansen, who will be going around trying to convince his Veronica Mars co-stars that there should be a Dick Casablancas spin-off. Meta, yo. Veronica creator Rob Thomas is writing the whole thing. I hope they find some way to rope in some Party Down folks, too. This is me just wanting more Lizzy Caplan in my life, though. Always!

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Today's Fanboy Delusion

Today I'd rather be....

... helping James Franco with his skinny jeans.

Those shots are of course from James' cameo in the Veronica Mars movie, which was very funny - and I suppose I mean both his cameo and the movie. I should probably review that thing, shouldn't I? So here's the deal - it felt like home. It was lovely. Everybody seemed to slip right back into their roles with ease, and I loved that Rob Thomas kept everything relatively small - the mystery was old-school, it would've fit right in on the show, and was doled out with all the wit and wisdom we'd come to expect.

All that said I was pretty displeased with the ending... 

obviously spoilers ahead, after the jump... 

The Dick Sense

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Somehow I just knew that when I clicked on a post titled "Five New Clips From Veronica Mars" that the scene of Dick Casablancas opening the door in half his wetsuit that we glimpsed in the trailer was going to be one of the scenes that I'd be seeing. And sure enough! Lo, behold, Ryan Hansen doing his Dick thing. (And no I will never get tired of punning this character's name into the ground, not ever, don't you even try to make me!)

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After the jump a few more gifs...

Dick Galore

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The Veronica Mars movie is out in theaters tomorrow! Aren't you guys excited? Well you ought to be. I'd completely forgotten that I'd be getting a digital copy of the film sent to me as part of having donated to the Kickstarter campaign - I got an email from them yesterday reminding me of that and it was like fucking Christmas up in here, in my heart. The reviews of the movie that I've skimmed (trying to stay squeaky-clean-ish) have been good ones but most have been prefaced with, "Oh my god I am such a Veronica Mars nerd," so I don't know how much to believe them. I suppose I should since I too am a Veronica Mars nerd, and will presumably react the same way. But really... just give me Dick and I'll be satisfied.
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Dick Check

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24 days til the Veronica Mars movie's out!

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I Am Link

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--- King Redbeard - Instead of making the awards circuit and helping us side-step the nightmare that will be Jared Leto winning an Oscar, Michael Fassbender has been in Scotland filming the new MacBeth movie from Snowtown director Justin Kurzel with Marion Cotillard as his Lady. Come on, Fassy! This is your damned statue!!! Sigh. Anyway now we know who else is in it and it's a total batch of great actors surrounding them, but most excitingly it's got Elizabeth Debecki who was the best thing going on in Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby.

--- Viva Veronica - Hey look it's a Buzzfeed interview with Kristen Bell about Frozen and Veronica Mars and stuff, conducted by our pal Jarett Weiselman. Our pal Jarett has chatted with Kristen Bell like one thousand times now, and that's just what we've seen publicly, so clearly they are best friends and that makes Kristen Bell one degree of separation from me, so I have decided she and I are going to start having lunch together once a week. Jarett, make it happen!

--- Jungle Boy - I guess that Netflix Amazon Instant has released the pilots of their prospective new shows online to get a handle on what they should be green-lighting, I guess this is a thing they do? Anyway go read up on this one starring pocket hottie Gael Garcia Bernal and produced by Jason Schwartzman, it sounds good. We need more Gael in the world.

--- Mother Carrie - Netflix for the win! They're making a show starring Kyle Chandler and Linda Cardellini as brother and sister, and SISSY SPACEK is playing their mother. I mean, HELLO. I adore Cardellini too, but I didn't watch Friday Night Lights (I know, I know) so I never really got the Chandler thing til recently - he was the only thing I liked about The Wolf of Wall Street (well him and Johanna Lumley, and also Jean Dujardin's possible hint of cock) and he was fantastic in The Spectacular Now, so I get him now.

--- Forever Nina - I don't know if you've noticed what with me posting song after song after song from it but I'm a super spazzy Cardigans fan and I'm pretty psyched about front-woman Nina Persson's solo record Animal Heart, which comes out next week. Here's an interview with her where she talks about the record as well as the question of whether there could be a new Cardigans album in the future... oh I won't make you wait to click over - the answer is probably maybe!

--- Phone It In - While I still haven't stopped stinging from the fact that David Gordon Green's remake of Suspiria starring my favorite psycho-girl Isabelle Fuhrmann appears as dead as the deadest dead thing, this is pretty cool news too - Fuhrmann's landed the female lead role in the adaptation of Stephen King's book Cell. Unfortunately everyone else attached - the director of Paranormal Activity 2 and John Cusack in the lead - aren't nearly as thrilling. I wish Eli Roth were still making it.

--- Sand Man - Mostly this sounds like a movie that won't interest me) and Rodrigo Garcia's not a director I follow), but Last Days in the Desert will be starring Ewan McGregor in two roles as a "holy man and a demon" on a journey across the desert together, so that's probably worth a look. If for no other reason than it's likely he'll take his clothes off. Desert's be hot, yo!

--- Constant Buggery - It was nice to see Evangeline Lilly in the latest Hobbit movie - I didn't really realize that I missed Kate, but I did. I liked her on Lost, and I like her in general. So that's good, because she is probably going to be playing the leading lady part in Edgar Wright's Ant Man movie opposite Paul Rudd. Normally I'd shrug about a girl role in a Marvel superhero movie, they don't often get very much to do, but I trust Edgar Wright not to be like that.

--- Good Day For Deities - Neil Gaiman says that a production company has picked up the TV adaptation of his terrific book American Gods after HBO passed on making it, so it will probably be turned into a show, just for some channel we don't know which yet. That is fabulous news.

--- Extra Kate - Even though Lawless was a pretty big snooze (besides the chance to admire Tom Hardy and Jason Clarke in Depression-are trousers and haircuts) the director John Hillcoat is still managing to attract the best and brightest to his new picture, the crime thriller Triple Nine. It's already got (deep breathe) Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael B. Jordan, Aaron Paul, Teresa Palmer (yay we love her!) and Michael Pena on board, and now comes word that Kate fuckin' Winslet's getting up in there as well.

--- You Stay Put - I will be very very sad if Kristin Scott Thomas sticks to her word that she's tired of acting and is giving it all up, if only because she's the type of actress who could make a still-birth like Only God Forgives totally memorable by just spitting out the words "cum dumpster" with such relish. Nathaniel agrees with me and lists nine more roles of hers which are his faves over at The Film Experience.

--- And finally I forgot to link to this earlier this week but the folks over at The Wire listed what they considered the most memorable roles that Philip Seymour Hoffman played in his way way way too brief career (everybody said it already but it's monstrous how many years worth of interesting performances we've been robbed of by his senseless death), and it's my friend Joe Reid's look back at Hoffman's work in Synecdoche New York that wrung the tears outta me. Go read it, and then go watch Synecdoche. I rewatched it two nights ago and it's a movie that busts my brain with its everythingness.

The Time For Dick Is Now

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Dick Casablancas, the Veronica Mars character played by underrated piece Ryan Hansen, is getting his own little web-series! It'll start showing up on the CW's site after the movie comes out on March 14th - it will be approximately eight ten-minute long 'sodes. Eighty minutes of Dick? I can handle that. (pic via)

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If I Could Melt Your Heart

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I wasn't bowled over by any of the songs, but I think I might have passed the age where a Disney movie can break its way in past my hard candy shell. I mean re-watched The Little Mermaid a couple of weeks ago and I had "Part of Your World" stuck in my head for a week after (and no doubt now that I've brought the song up it'll be stuck in my head for yet another); if you feed me the first line of "A Whole New World" from Aladdin I'll just fly right off with a full on performance with mimed flying carpet riding and all. But those movies got to me at a tender age before my spirit was broken and my soul shredded to bits by sneering cynicism; until they make their mopey Radiohead musical I think I'm gonna have to settle for not being so into brand new Disney cartoon soundtracks now. 

That aside, Frozen is pretty charming. If you follow me on Twitter you could probably gauge my level of snark plummeting as I live-tweeted the movie last night - I started out picky picky picky but as the story revealed itself the script proved itself smarter than I anticipated, apparently pre-prepped for all my side-eyes and above-it-all digs, and attempting as best a Disney cartoon can to be something approaching thoroughly modern. In its sweetly old-fashioned way, of course.

There is some very nice animation to be seen too, mostly in the world-building and snow effects (and I love the big killer snowman). That was much better than I'd anticipated from the trailers at least, which made it look downright straight-to-DVD at times, like one of those Tinkerbell movies. I always have to remind myself that Disney has always gone for simplifying as much as possible when it comes to character design - it's not just lazy CG, the stock side-characters are always the same variations on caricature. You could mistake any of the villagers in Frozen for any of the villagers in any of their movies. But there were some wonderful very character specific movements going on, and with the Anna character especially - I've always adored the little quirks they gave to the way Belle moves in Beauty and the Beast and I was actually reminded of that a couple times.

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Hello, Dick

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That's pretty much exactly the look I sported when the just released Veronica Mars trailer spent a hefty portion of its opening on a half-naked Ryan Hansen.

Does Rob Thomas think he needs to sell me specifically on seeing this movie, or what? I'm already there, dude! I mean I ain't complainin', but I'd like to make it to the opening day in March and not have my heart give out before then. Here's the trailer!

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And after the jump some more Ryan to glare at...

I Am Link

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--- Dark Tales - I don't know how you make a movie out of the classic kid's horror books Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark without tipping your hat to the mind-fuckery that was Stephen Gammell's original art-work - I almost feel as if it should be an animated movie? Anyway the movie will be made. Actually it'll probably be a series, since it's a giant pile of short stories we're talking about here.

---  Voice Recognition - The National Board of Review just gave Spike Jonze and his film Her best of's for the year, and I'm pleased as punch, I am! Go read Joe Reid's take on all the winners.

--- To Neptune And Beyond - I feel like I haven't mentioned this in ages - the Veronica Mars movie  (even typing that makes me goosebumpy, I can't even believe it exists) has a release date! It'll be out on March 14th, 2014. It's going full-on in theaters too; the original plan had included some VOD but it sounds like they're holding off on that. There's a new clip at that link, as well.

--- Mother Future - Meanwhile in "now those are two actresses I feel better being handed an iconic role" news, the last ladies standing vying for Sarah Conner in the fifth Terminator movie are Game of Thrones Emilia Clarke (KHALEESI) and the goddess that goes by the name of Brie Larson.  Supposedly Clarke, who worked with director Alan Taylor on Thrones, is in the lead. As much as I love Brie, I'd rather she take more actual acting roles, maybe? Stay off the blockbusters for now?

--- Lasso Lady - Because it's Zack Snyder and undoubtedly People Like Zack Snyder making the decisions, a model-actress who's been in some Fast and the Furious movies was just handed the role of Wonder Woman for the Batman Vs. Superman movie. Last I heard it's only Diana that shows up in the film; they're holding off on full WW til later. Anyway congrats and best of luck to you, lady.

--- Ten Actors Acting - The latest Team Experience Top Ten is up over at The Film Experience - this month we picked the ten actors who were nominated for Best Actor trophies and lost, but who deserved to win. It'll probably have to be tomorrow when I get to it but I fully intend to share the ten I chose when I can. My list has a lot less overlap with the final tally than usual.

--- And finally, here's the latest buffed and shined trailer for the 300 sequel, giving us a couple of hints of Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) before and during his golden-freak birth - see him with a beard! Then see him plucked and gilded! Beefcake aside I do hope there's an epic showdown between Eva Green and Lena Headey though, because who the hell doesn't want to see that?

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I Am Link

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--- Tucker To The Moon -  I'd just looked up Jonathan Tucker and his surprising muscles last week, wondering what he was up to, and here's news that really answers that question with an exclamation point - he's just joined the cast of the pilot for High Moon, the super-anticipated Bryan Fuller produced SyFy series-to-be about future astronautic adventures. Hellllll yes. Besides those surprising muscles, Tucker's a terrific young actor, and we've missed seeing him in things. Also good news - Charity Wakefield, who was totally adorable as Marilyn in the pilot of Fuller's wonderful Munster riff Mockingbird Lane, has taken a "guest starring" role in the pilot. And I do believe they're filming the pilot right now.

--- Breaking Bald - I was waiting to see if a source I was actually familiar with would report this news on their own without just pointing to the original sketchily-sourced-to-my-eyes report, but whatever, I'll just call it a heavily reported rumor that Bryan Cranston is totally for real for sure, maybe, signing on to play Lex Luthor after all. Also this rumor goes that he and Affleck are signing on for like five thousand movies at once, too. (Or six, whatever, same diff.) I guess we will see.

--- Cult Figure - Newly single (and still hot at 47) Vincent Cassel is replacing Oscar Isaac as the head of a cult in a film called Partisan, from an Aussie director who got a lot of notice for a short film he made. I would fall under Vincent Cassel's diabolical spell way easier than I would Oscar Isaac's, so I give this a plus.

--- Golden Death - The trailer for that AIDS movie that Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto lost all that weight for, called Dallas Buyers Club, is now online. I'm incredibly wary of this movie to be honest - it seems on the surface, and has since Day One, like a big ol' blatant shameless cry for Oscar recognition. 

--- Got Soul - Chadwick Boseman, the dude who played Jackie Robinson in 42, is now going to play the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. (Whaaaaaaw, he feels good.) Those are not really two men one thinks of in the same breath, Jackie and James, so it's a little bit curious to see an actor playing both. I hope Chadwick's got the give-it-to-you to give it to us.

--- Kill Hawkeye - I just keep linking to random bits and pieces from the big EW cover story with Joss Whedon because that's how I'm getting my news from it, not having read the whole thing myself. Here's a story about what Joss has to say about killing characters (one of Whedon's fortes) in Marvel movies. The cool part are the animatics at the end of the story at that link though.

--- And Speaking of Mr. Whedon, a lot of people are taking what Joss had to say about Ben Affleck taking the Batman role as a "Hey give the guy a break!" defense, but I'm instead choosing to read it as a polite way of calling Affleck an arrogant asshole, since that fits with my basic point of view.

--- Shirt Ripper - Here's a pretty funny chat with Eric Bana (who is always fine but looking mighty fine right now, as you can see to the right) nominally talking about his new thriller Closed Circuit, but more often just taking swipes at his version of the Hulk. I agree with their interviewer that Ang Lee's film is better than he's giving it credit for. It's not perfect, but it's interesting.

--- Miss Bell - Filing this away to read in a bit - AICN has a nice long chat with Kristen Bell about her work in The Lifeguard (which I thought she was quite good in) and then all about the upcoming Veronica Mars movie. (thx mac)

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