Lena Dunham, creator and star of HBO’s Girls , posted a picture and caption on Twitter recently that some of her followers were offended by. Wearing a scarf resembling a Muslim hijab (below), Dunham wrote “I had a real goth / fundamentalist attitude when I woke up from my nap.” Lena certainly didn’t mean to insult anyone by it, but in the wake of the Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting , many were not amused: After people went crazy, Lena Dunham apologized, saying she hadn’t even heard about the shooting: “Been in production and completely not reading the news.” “Didn’t realize what a bad time it was to make a joke like that. Not a good excuse, but an excuse nonetheless. I’m glad you keep me informed and I’m deleting those tweets.” “Will spend tonight reading my pile of old NY Times, contemplating the boundaries of humor. I try and learn something new every day.” Then, after some fans came to Lena’s defense and said she shouldn’t be criticized for the joke/photo, the 26-year-old insisted she deserved it … while mocking Kristen Stewart’s apology for cheating on Robert Pattinson with Rupert Sanders : “You SHOULD apologize if you make a mistake! I mean, not to the K Stew level, but … ” Ouch. Point Lena?
Game of Thrones makes up for last weeks skingy showing by giving us a full frontal shot of Natalia Tena . Meanwhile Magic City continues its reign of rackage with boobs from Elena Satine and Jessica Marais , and rump from Olga Kurylenko . Plus HBO ing
“[M]y history is dotted with shameful unfinisheds. The Great Gatsby ? I put it down in eighth grade and haven’t picked it up again. Should I not be saying this? Will I be sent away somewhere awful? I often don’t finish books, even ones that I like.” Pfffft , it’s totally fine, Lena — that’s why they’re making another movie of it! Also: This reminds me, I should probably finish watching Tiny Furniture at some point. [ NYT ]
There was no shortage of stars coming through SXSW 2012 , debuting films and projects as diverse as Joss Whedon ‘s Cabin in the Woods to Lena Dunham ‘s HBO series GIRLS . Take a look and see who else dropped in on Austin, Texas for the annual film festival, including: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, and their 21 Jump Street crew, Willem Dafoe, Al Gore, Johnny Knoxville, Melissa Leo, Matthew McConaughey, Jack Black, Aubrey Plaza, Gabrielle Union, Bobcat Goldthwait, new director (!) Matthew Lillard, two Broken Lizards, model-turned-actress Dree Hemingway, and more. Click to launch the SXSW ’12 gallery!
By many accounts — okay, mostly just the filmmakers’ — this week’s commando pic Act of Valor marks a new kind of filmmaking on account of it’s a Navy SEALS actioner starring real active duty soldiers that takes the viewer along on a near-firsthand experience of what it’s like to fight terrorists and baddies. From the looks of the film’s new redband featurette this means audiences will get to see what it looks and sounds like to drop dome shots left and right in the heat of battle, because nothing says “valor” better than shooting strangers in the head with automatic weapons. I’m sure there’s a fair amount of weightiness and responsibility within Act of Valor , since the filmmakers do seem to have a genuine respect for the members of the armed forces who risk their lives to serve and protect. But a clip like this — which debuted on gamer-leaning IGN , where it could easily get lost within a gaggle of first person shooter promos — doesn’t do much besides glorifying the awesomeness of battle, as seen partially through helmet-mounted cameras. I count no fewer than eleven, maybe 12 exploding head shots in the span of this two-minute video, but what makes this even freakier is the fact that the majority of the cast is culled from active duty Navy SEALS who may have had similar skirmishes in the field. Watching people who have been trained to kill pretend to kill people who may resemble people they’ve actually killed in real life is a tricky thing to digest. It’s one thing to witness the brutality and heroism of actual military life via the movies (see: Restrepo ); it’s another to embrace the glossy, redband-worthy violence as pure entertainment. But maybe you disagree? Check out the clip below and leave your thoughts in the comments. More Act of Valor Videos
Another Oscars promo video, another vain attempt to show some personality and pep by the Academy; this time around the Oscars have tapped Mike Myers to do an uppity butler type straight out of the discards of the Austin Powers supporting character brainstorming boards, who teaches Oscar winner Kevin Kline the proper way to hold his statuette. If this kind of humor tickles you silly and makes you set your TV calendar for Sunday, then hold on to your pants and chill a few cans of Ensure! We are in for a riot , people. I mean, what says hilarious and relevant more than KEVIN KLINE and MIKE MYERS?? Sigh. It’s not even funny to joke about how unfunny these bits are. I refuse to believe this is really the best that Funny or Die could do with the Oscars. Given the choice, I vote “Die.” Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
It’s awfully simplistic to say so but with Lena Dunham ‘s forthcoming HBO dramedy series GIRLS , which marks the latest milestone in her rapidly ascending career, the comparisons draw themselves — comparisons to Dunham’s own prior work and to all that’s come before in attempting to mine the modern single female experience for insights and laughs in film and television. But whether you’re a fan or a Dunham skeptic, it’s worth taking a look at the show’s first trailer to see for yourself what to expect from the developing filmmaker, especially with folks like Judd Apatow shepherding her post- Tiny Furniture . Dunham’s career-starting indie pic Tiny Furniture (her sophomore feature) earned equal shares of praise and criticism upon release in 2010, but it unquestionably put her brand of wry, neurotic comedy on the radar and demonstrated Dunham’s willingness to expose herself, warts and all, as a writer and performer. GIRLS , also set in New York and concerned with young women on the brink of figuring out their lives, very much expands on the Dunham brand but shows a marked maturity; Dunham stars in front of the camera in addition to writing and directing, and she’s joined by three strong supporting actresses (Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet) who flesh out the series’ circle of twentysomething friends. The similarities to Sex and the City can be found, but they’re also deliberate; characters fully acknowledge that they’re of a generation weaned on SATC ‘s fantasy, just one of the many pop references they cite as somewhat (painfully) self-aware New York transplants. Truth be told, I was sold after previewing the first three episodes, especially given where GIRLS falls in the vast range of female-slanted shows on the air of late; it debuts on HBO this April and bridges the gap between the current class of girl-oriented network fare and the more daring stuff found on cable these days, but also captures a range of interests and talent so innately of this generation. For example: The trailer below teases appearances by Chris Eigeman ( Metropolitan ) and Peter Scolari ( Bosom Buddies )! What’s more, an upcoming episode features a particularly juicy turn by Lonely Island’s Jorma Taccone that I’ve been thinking about repeatedly since. This is TV (HBO’s scheduled a 10-episode season to run) but more important than this or that format is the idea that Dunham’s developing her voice as a storyteller in line with what we’ve seen previously. She’s seemingly been given a considerable amount of rope to keep doing her thing (Apatow’s involvement as a producer likely has something to do with that) and it should be interesting to watch as she keeps one foot in television and one in film. GIRLS debuts at SXSW next month and premieres April 15th on HBO.
After debuting to geek enthusiasm at Butt-Numb-a-Thon in December, Joss Whedon ‘s long-awaited Cabin in the Woods will have its official world premiere at SXSW 2012 this March, the festival announced today. Also on deck to headline the film portion of the annual Austin conference are Jonas Akerlund’s Small Apartments , Kevin MacDonald’s music documentary Marley , and Lena Dunham’s post- Tiny Furniture , Judd Apatow-produced HBO series GIRLS , which will preview its first three episodes. More details after the jump. SXSW is a festival that always loads up on an insane amount of features, docs, and panels, so this first wave of selections is just the tip of the iceberg. Of these first announced titles, Whedon’s Cabin in the Woods should play to some fanfare (and, likely, with appearances by Whedon and some of his now-famous cast) while Dunham’s GIRLS should please the SXSW crowd that made her Tiny Furniture a hit last year. And the Lubitsch! Given the plugged in, tech-dominant personality of SXSW at large, it’s nice to see a revival like this on the docket for the film festival. The first seven SXSW titles, via press release: Beauty is Embarrassing (World Premiere) Director: Neil Berkeley A funny, irreverent and insightful look into the life and times of one of America’s most important artists, Wayne White. The Cabin in the Woods (World Premiere) Director: Drew Goddard, Writers: Joss Whedon & Drew Goddard Five friends go to a remote cabin in the woods. Bad things happen. If you think you know this story, think again. From fan favorites Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard comes The Cabin in the Woods, a mind-blowing horror film that turns the genre inside out. Cast: Kristen Connolly, Fran Kranz, Anna Hutchison, Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, and Bradley Whitford CITADEL (World Premiere) Director & Writer: Ciarán Foy An agoraphobic father teams up with a renegade priest to save his daughter from the clutches of a gang of twisted feral children. Cast: Anuerin Barnard, James Cosmo, and Wumni Mosaku, Jake Wilson, Amy Shiels GIRLS (World Premiere) Director & Writer: Lena Dunham Created by and starring Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture), the HBO show is a comic look at the assorted humiliations and rare triumphs of a group of girls in their early 20s. Cast: Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver MARLEY (North American Premiere) Director: Kevin Macdonald The definitive documentary on the life, music, and legacy of Bob Marley. The Oyster Princess (1919) with original live score by Bee vs. Moth (World Premiere) Director: Ernst Lubitsch, Writers: Hanns Kraly & Ernst Lubitsch The Oyster Princess is Ernst Lubitsch’s tart 1919 silent comedy that parodies the rich and the spoiled. Austin jazz/rock band Bee vs. Moth performs their original score live with the film for the first time. Small Apartments (World Premiere) Director: Jonas Åkerlund, Writer: Chris Millis When Franklin Franklin accidentally kills his landlord, he must hide the body; but, the wisdom of his beloved brother and the quirks of his neighbors, force him on a journey where a fortune awaits him. Cast: Matt Lucas, Billy Crystal, James Caan, Johnny Knoxville, Juno Temple, James Marsden, Dolph Lundgren, Saffron Burrows, Rosie Perez, DJ Qualls SXSW Film runs from March 9-17. More info here .
Posted onNovember 30, 2010by|Comments Off on Winter’s Bone Wins at Gotham Awards, Plus a Few Curveballs
Winter’s Bone made a serious bid to hang on to it’s Best Picture nomination in Movieline’s Oscar Index at last night’s Gotham Awards, taking home two awards including Best Feature. On the other hand, Best Documentary winner The Oath probably won’t make much Oscar headway, since it wasn’t even shortlisted . Check out the full list of winners and a rundown of the upsets in what was actually a fairly unpredictable awards show after the jump.
