For the 14th consecutive year, the folks at Time Magazine have once again passed me over when considering their annual roster of the world’s 100 Most Influential People . Heretics! So be it — even an incomplete list is worth visiting judgment upon. Let’s check out (and rank, naturally) the film personalities included this year. And to my publicist: You’re fired! 10. Chelsea Handler * 9. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy 8. Asghar Farhadi 7. Claire Danes 6. Jessica Chastain 5. Viola Davis 4. Kristen Wiig 3. Louis C.K. 2. Tilda Swinton 1. Harvey Weinstein As for the rest of the list? I defer to Harvey . *: As long as Chelsea Handler makes terrible ethnic jokes at mainstream movie junkets, she will be a film personality. And the least-influential to boot. Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
To ‘make it’ in Hollywood, young actors used to kick-start their careers in television, sharpening their skills and earning notoriety (and maybe an Emmy or two) before frolicking in the greener grass of feature films. Today, with the growing budgets, themes, and imaginations of series TV, episodes have almost become mini movies, inspiring a newer generation of stars to not only gravitate toward television, but maybe even stay there — even as their careers take off. Alison Brie and Gillian Jacobs epitomize this trend, two actresses who earned their comedy stripes on NBC’s Community , a place where dreamatoriums come to life and paintball wars are aplenty. Meanwhile, the pair is also on the Tribeca Film Festival circuit this year — Jacobs with the dark indie comedy Revenge for Jolly! and Brie with tonight’s Tribeca opener, the buzzy hit-in-waiting The Five-Year Engagement . While both actresses studied theater in college — Jacobs at Juilliard and Brie at CalArts — they began their respective careers on opposite ends of the spectrum. Jacobs spent years working on small indie films and TV roles, while Brie supported herself doing regional theater in Ventura County, never thinking twice about TV. “In my sort of young, idealistic mind, I was just like, ‘Well, it’s either theater or film for me, and that will be that!'” Brie explained. That changed after booking a surprising first TV role on Disney’s Hannah Montana , sparking an epiphany for Brie. “I realized that I love acting, no matter what I’m doing,” she said. “And it was a great time for good news, because I got Mad Men right after that, and that led to Community . I couldn’t be happier.” Like her Community co-star Joel McHale, who also hosts E!’s weekly celeb-culture rundown The Soup , Brie still juggles two roles today: uppity, picture-perfect housewife Trudy Campbell on AMC’s Mad Men , and doe-eyed schoolgirl Annie Edison on Community . “I got lucky, and it’s amazing to be able to work on both shows and have them be so different in tone,” she said. “Working on one of the best dramas and one of the best comedies on TV has certainly opened a lot of doors for me in terms of being able to show some range and not get totally boxed into one thing [for films],” she added. “I went to college and got my degree in acting, but because it was all theater, I really consider my first couple years on Mad Men as amazing training for working in television and for acting on-camera.” For Jacobs, Community allowed her to showcase a side of her that no one had seen before. “I had never done comedy before,” she told Movieline, “and I was desperate to break into it because it gets really tiring when you’re always playing prostitutes and strippers and rape victims.” And like Brie, Jacobs doesn’t take the opportunity or the experience for granted. “I joined a new club in the world of comedy,” she said. “And the fact that [ Community ] has turned into this sort of thing totally unto itself and unlike any other show on TV has just been an added bonus of the whole experience.” Yet where contemporaries (and fellow TFF ’12 stars) like Adam Brody and Olivia Wilde only a few years ago aggressively sprung from a cult darling like The O.C. into movie careers of mixed results, neither Brie nor Jacobs feels comfortable choosing between television and film. “I feel like the kind of role that I’m getting to play on TV, I don’t know how often those come along in films,” Jacobs said. “I feel like I’ve been very fortunate in that I feel constantly creatively challenged and pushed on my show, and I don’t know if that would be the case if I were asked to play the same variation of one character in movies. No actor wants to choose — they just want all of the options available to them all the time; we tend to be pretty greedy.” Meanwhile, Brie sounded even more resolute about the small(er) screen. “While I love film and want to continue to pursue it 100 percent, my home is TV,” she said. “My mom and dad are Mad Men and Community , and it honestly feels like working on mini-movies every day. “The original transition was quite easy, because the caliber of writing, directing, and acting and the nuance of the performances on Mad Men are like shooting a dramatic film. I can say the same thing about Community , with our amazing writers and the caliber of acting that we’re working with in a comedic respect.” Moreover, the unique qualities and style of the single-camera comedy have given both a leg up in the film world. “I felt like I’ve been doing three years of comedy boot camp, and when the opportunity came to do The Five-Year Engagement , I felt very prepared and confident in my comedic skills because of the training that I got on Community ,” Brie told Movieline. “I also just worked on a film called Get a Job , and my character is odd — sort of inappropriately sexual and just weird — so Dylan Kidd, the director, gave me a lot of freedom to have fun and play around and try to say the weirdest things that I could come up with. I know that he is a fan of Community as well, so I think that it’s the work that I’ve done prior on the show that gave him the confidence to trust me with that kind of improvisation and input.” Although there is some improvisation on Community , Brie noted that “you don’t have all the time in the world to improv and come up with ideas [on TV]; you’re on a much tighter schedule in terms of shooting episodes in five days or seven days.” When it comes to film, especially in Five-Year , there was a bit more leeway. “Because we have a lot of scenes where it’s like engagement party speeches or shower speeches — a lot of speeches going on! — you have the luxury of extra time to collaborate,” she said. “At one point [director Nicholas] Stoller even e-mailed us prior to the scene and was like, ‘Hey, everyone just think of funny, inappropriate speeches; just think of weird stuff to do!’ because we had all day to play with it.” As Britta Perry on Community , the closest that Jacobs has been to putting on the red light was belting “Roxanne” in a recent episode. However, her role in Revenge for Jolly! ( premiering Saturday at Tribeca ) has her playing — drum roll, please — yet another prostitute. “Filming that movie was a total return to form for me — shooting in a crappy hotel in Nyack, N.Y., dressed as a prostitute; it was down and dirty filmmaking at its finest,” she said with a laugh. “And basically, the two leads are going on a killing spree, so I think there’s a high likelihood that I’m going to get shot in that film, or die in some way!” Also on the way this summer is Seeking a Friend for the End of the World , led by Steve Carell and Keira Knightley. Jacobs described her role as “small and silly, playing a waitress high on ecstasy alongside T.J. Miller,” while also noting that “the nice thing so far is that I’ve been sort of able to balance between a bunch of different worlds: bigger movies, TV, and still smaller indie films as well.” As for the future of TV and movies, and which is inevitably the dominant medium? “It’s kind of like what I think Joel [McHale] has said before: ‘It’s the best of times and it’s the worst of times of TV,'” Brie said. “There’s the lowest of the low in terms of reality TV, and then there’s also kind of some of the best of the best on television shows like Mad Men, Community, Breaking Bad and Girls — it feels like you’re watching movies!” Read all of Movieline’s Tribeca 2012 coverage here . Alyse Whitney a New York-based writer, currently with TVLine.com . Her work has been featured in Bon Appétit and a handful of other publications, and you can also find her on Twitter .
Strap yourselves in, folks: In the wake of its billion-dollar amusement park-inspired Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Disney is bringing another classic attraction to the big screen — Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride . The Disneyland staple (a ride itself based on a film based on the children’s book The Wind in the Willows ) is heading to theaters under the direction of filmmaker Pete Candeland, who will helm the as-yet unscripted CG/live-action adventure. I don’t know about you, but I take one look at this Mr. Toad ‘s ride poster and just one spot on the release calendar jumps out. How’s about April 20 2013/14, if you get my drift? [ Deadline ]
Of all the random shenanigans actor/filmmaker/ online purveyor of fine goods Vincent Gallo has pulled, suing the city of Los Angeles kind of makes the most sense of them all. Consider: According to TMZ , Gallo filed a lawsuit to shut down the Arts District Business Improvement District plan, which uses taxpayer money to patrol, safeguard, and improve the downtown L.A. arts district. Gallo reportedly wants the program shut down and $1.3 million returned because it’s purportedly wasteful and provides “no benefit.” In other news: The Brown Bunny star’s personal services are still available for purchase! Now that’s money well spent, I’m sure. [ TMZ ]
After allllllll that , the PG-13 cut of Harvey Weinstein’s shameless cause célèbre Bully grossed $534,000 over the weekend in expanded release to 158 theaters. That would amount to an aromatic $3,380 per screen — dramatically less than foreseen following the R-rated cut’s $23,000-per-screen opening two weeks ago. Who would have ever guessed? Oh . [ Box Office Mojo ]
The ex-Beatle revealed two new music videos over the weekend at his daughter Stella’s West Hollywood fashion outpost, directed by none other than McCartney himself. Apparently it was easy! Read on for his working methods and the results. Per VF.com’s Julie Miller, who caught up with McCartney at the event: “I wasn’t sure that I wanted to do the big, million dollar music video thing,” McCartney explained about his hesitation to film a big-budget production. ”Stella suggested that I do something really simple. ‘You know Natalie,’ she said. ‘Ring Natalie up and just ask her if she will sign to your song.’ “I would talk to Natalie and Johnny before filming and we would just have a normal conversation. Then we would turn the camera on and there was just a complete transformation. It wasn’t surprising, because, you know, that they are both that good, but to see it happen in front of you is pretty remarkable. It was like seeing two different people completely—it was like they morphed into screen gods right in front of me.” Also: Depp does his own guitar stunts here, for the record: “The boy is good,” McCartney explained. Now you know. [ VF.com ]
The ex-Beatle revealed two new music videos over the weekend at his daughter Stella’s West Hollywood fashion outpost, directed by none other than McCartney himself. Apparently it was easy! Read on for his working methods and the results. Per VF.com’s Julie Miller, who caught up with McCartney at the event: “I wasn’t sure that I wanted to do the big, million dollar music video thing,” McCartney explained about his hesitation to film a big-budget production. ”Stella suggested that I do something really simple. ‘You know Natalie,’ she said. ‘Ring Natalie up and just ask her if she will sign to your song.’ “I would talk to Natalie and Johnny before filming and we would just have a normal conversation. Then we would turn the camera on and there was just a complete transformation. It wasn’t surprising, because, you know, that they are both that good, but to see it happen in front of you is pretty remarkable. It was like seeing two different people completely—it was like they morphed into screen gods right in front of me.” Also: Depp does his own guitar stunts here, for the record: “The boy is good,” McCartney explained. Now you know. [ VF.com ]
According to an LA Times report citing an insider in the know, Lionsgate is looking at a few notable names to take the helm of the Hunger Games franchise for the series sequel Catching Fire . Among the “seven or eight names” — all men, it’s noted — are David Cronenberg , Alfonso Cuaron , and Alejandro González Iñárritu . Supposing this shortlist is accurate, and knowing that the studio wants to get a move on with a director capable of wrangling the sequel into shape for an August start date, which of these three alleged candidates would you rather see bring Katniss Everdeen’s next adventure to life? From The LA Times: According to a source with knowledge of the list who isn’t permitted to speak on the record, Lionsgate needs to find a director with enough credits and accolades to appeal to Collins, who is much more interested in quality filmmaking than box-office prowess. This director also needs to have an even keel; no petulant crybabies allowed… task will require someone who can wrangle a large ensemble of actors, juggle the demands of a swift schedule and collaborate on a script with Collins and writer Simon Beaufoy. “No petulant crybabies allowed.” Interesting. Well, Cuaron’s got Harry Potter cred under his belt. Iñárritu would certainly drive home the abject desperation of the world of Panem. And maybe working with Twilight ‘s Robert Pattinson has brought Cronenberg one step closer to the YA universe. But I’m more curious about the other four or five names on this list… who else matches the profile for non-crybaby, good with kids, franchise-able serious-movie directing? [ LA Times ]
It’s spring rummage week at the movies, with four releases – Lockout , The Three Stooges , Cabin in the Woods and Craig Moss’s vigilante goof Bad Ass – retooling old gems and selling off genres for parts. Maybe next year we can look forward to a film made up solely of references to this quartet – The Three Bad Asses Escape Lockout in the Woods ? Wait, don’t Google that. I don’t want to know. Spoofing all the ways that it’s all been done before has itself become a pretty predictable gig. A genre, even. But every once in a while a movie like 21 Jump Street manages to stay two steps ahead of our endlessly attenuated expectations, making clued-in silliness look like a (funny) walk in the park. Bad Ass has a bit of that gonzo energy – a fair bit, actually. In the first few minutes a montage sequence challenges the record for film clichés-per-second to tell the back-story of Frank Vega, a Santa Rosa farmboy who grew up to fall in love in a pasture and then fight in Vietnam, where the memory of his girl back home sustained him through unimaginable torture. Once returned, Frank (played as a young man by Shalim Ortiz) finds his true love married with kids, and his hope of becoming a police officer is snuffed out by a bum leg. He begins selling hot dogs in the street, a career that carries him all the way to the moment where he turns into Danny Trejo. A considerable part of the point of any Danny Trejo performance involves the question of what a person has to do to get a face like that. It’s what made him a favorite of genre geeks like Robert Rodriguez: The face is its own movie with its own set of references. Here he is the gentle ogre, a scary-looking softie in combat shorts and a camo jacket who just wants to get through the day and nurse his disappointments with a bottle of El Matador at night. The problem is he lives in the vicious Los Angeles of Falling Down, where there’s always some racially charged a-hole trying to bring you down. The morning of one particular bus ride, it’s a couple of skinheads harassing an older man in a Black Panthers beret. When Frank intervenes with a few definitive blows – the geriatric set has all the hand-to-hand skills in Bad Ass – a cell phone video taken by a member of the generation that doesn’t do much else with their hands makes him a YouTube star. But Internet celebrity doesn’t pay the bills, nor does it protect your best friend from his enemies. Shortly after his Vietnam buddy Klondike (Harrison Page) joins Frank in his recently deceased mother’s home, he is gunned down by a couple of gangsters. Frank’s abiding faith in the police (a little strange, given the routing the system gave him) is shaken when they fail to follow up on the murder, and he takes matters into his own iron-cast hands. Frank doesn’t want to fight, but the world keeps demanding (and then rewarding) his beat-downs, whether they involve the cholos shaking down the local liquor store, the barflies spoiling for a piece of the tough guy, or his jerk-ass neighbor, who beats on his pretty wife (Joyful Drake) and yells at his sitcom-ready son (John Duffy). “Violence just seems to follow me,” he protests when one of his cop buddies tells him to cool it with the public beatings. It’s one of many lines in a script (also written by Moss) that plays like the entire Charles Bronson oeuvre was fed through a shredder, tossed into the air, and glued into a new configuration wherever it landed. The effect, a kind of hard-boiled camp, makes the first two-thirds of Bad Ass lots of fun. Moss, the Weird Al of genre goofs, has a surprisingly light touch (especially given that his last film was a Twilight take-off called Breaking Wind , also starring Trejo). Very often the line between spoofing and playing it straight is too subtle to make out. When Frank tackles an old lady to shield her from drive-by fire and she makes a corny joke about being manhandled, Moss uses a sound bridge of sitcom canned laughter to carry us into the next scene of Frank alone in front of the television that night. When a cop warns Frank, “They say you’ve been leaving a bloody trail all across the city,” Frank shrugs: “Doesn’t sound familiar to me.” It’s the casual tone that makes all the difference, but it can’t quite carry the movie. When the mystery behind Klondike’s execution begs resolving and Frank begins romancing his battered neighbor, the plot’s worminess proves a distraction from Bad Ass ’s more mindless charms. It’s a funny catch for this kind of thing – to really let it fly the movie needs the safety of a narrative’s inner logic. The Internet celebrity factor adds novelty but not much else, and by the time Frank is hunting down the gang boss behind a vague political conspiracy (involving Ron Perlman and Charles S. Dutton) an anomalous chyron introduces a key location because the storytelling isn’t strong enough to get us there on its own. This feels disappointing mainly because, to do some borrowing of my own, in the world of classic send-ups, Bad Ass coulda been a contender. Follow Michelle Orange on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
This just in: Paramount and New Regency will release Darren Aronofsky’s Biblical tale Noah on March 28, 2014. No filming date has been announced just yet, but that gives the Black Swan helmer just about two years to get Russell Crowe in gear as the eponymous wino/boat-builder; Aronofsky will direct from a script credited to himself, Ari Handel, and John Logan. The date puts Noah opening right before Captain America 2 , which means… superhero season will start even earlier in ’14, kinda. I know, I know: But when will we see a big-screen adaptation of Fightin’ Around the World ? [ Deadline ]
