It was a coming-of-age dramedy that could often feel like a horror movie, so brutal were the mortifications of its teen heroes. There’s a scene in the original version of the pilot, for instance, where Sam inadvertently looks at mean girl Kim Kelly (Busy Philipps) in the school hallway, and she humiliates him by backing him against a locker and suggesting he has a crush on her. NBC executives refused to let it air in the final version (it exists on the DVD cut), and shelved a later episode, where former rivals Lindsay and Kim become friends, because a few scenes in it felt too dark, even though the girls’ relationship going forward made no sense without it. Midway through that year, I asked someone at the network why they’d ordered the series at all, given how troubled they seemed by so much of it. He said they expected it to be more like the homecoming scene from the pilot, which concludes with Sam figuring out how to dance, inspiring the usually dour Lindsay to … [Read more...] about ‘The West Wing’ vs. ‘Freaks and Geeks’: TV at a Crossroad in 1999
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‘Our Friend’, ‘Identifying Features’ And A Stack Of Oscar International Feature Contenders Make Their Debuts – Specialty Preview
Based on Matthew Teague’s book The Friend: Love Is Not a Big Enough Word, Gabriela Cowperthwaite directs this heartfelt drama adapted by Brad Ingelsby that follows journalist Matt (Casey Affleck), his wife Nicole (Dakota Johnson) and their two young daughters as their lives are turned upside down when Nicole is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Matt becomes overwhelmed with being a caretaker and a parent so he calls on the couple’s best friend Dane Faucheux (Jason Segel) to help out. As Dane puts his life on hold to stay with his friends, the impact of this life decision changes all of their lives in the most profound way. … [Read more...] about ‘Our Friend’, ‘Identifying Features’ And A Stack Of Oscar International Feature Contenders Make Their Debuts – Specialty Preview
Sacha Baron Cohen Offers to Pay Borat Impersonators’ Mankini Fines
Borat has been in retirement ever since the release of the movie in 2006, but the character is still as popular as ever and the men traveling to Kazakhstan to wear mankinis and Borat wigs in front of the "I Love Astana" sign proves it. Regardless, some people have taken offense to the incident and many still harbor anger and resentment for Sasha Baron Cohen. In other words, Baron Cohen's comedy is still doing exactly what it's supposed to do, over a decade after its release. You can check out the offer to pay the mankini fines via Sasha Baron Cohen's Facebook page below. … [Read more...] about Sacha Baron Cohen Offers to Pay Borat Impersonators’ Mankini Fines
Peter Bart: Donald Trump’s Exit Stirs Hollywood Optimism, But Biz May Still Require Some Federal Therapy
Presumably, Netflix is re-focused on features to boost its global subscriber list – a concern shared by its increasingly aggressive rivals. While Netflix may pick up an occasional festival favorite, like Concrete Cowboy with Idris Elba, it also wants to develop a new Chronicles of Narnia or find a sexy new teenage horror movie. Hence, audiences may be searching hungrily for what were once called “grown-up pictures” – the sort of specialty films that emerged from Sony Classics or Fox Searchlight or, more recently, from Neon and A24. … [Read more...] about Peter Bart: Donald Trump’s Exit Stirs Hollywood Optimism, But Biz May Still Require Some Federal Therapy