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Cannes 2013: Surprises & Notable Absence ...

The obsessives' guide to contemporary cinema via film discussion, news, reviews, features, nostalgia, movie music, soundtracks, DVDs and more.

Interviews

'Breaking Bad' Saul Goodman Spinoff Becomes A Bit More Real As AMC Starts Kicking The Tires

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 9, 2013 5:44 PM
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2 Comments

Television

Shed a tear and light a candle (or whatever it is that you do when you lose something) -- there are only eight episodes of "Breaking Bad" to go. The cherished series draws to an end this summer and Walter White and Jesse Pinkman will find their fates decided. But that world may not be closed entirely. Last summer, "Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan said, “I would love to see a Saul Goodman spinoff. I can’t say that it is genuinely in the works at this moment, but certainly Bob Odenkirk and I have talked about it a little bit.” And while he remained cautious about it happening, it's not so farfetched...

By Kevin Jagernauth
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February 15, 2013 12:43 PM
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3 Comments

News

Of the many, many things wrong with the thoroughly awful "A Good Day To Die Hard," the major issue is that it barely contains any of the trademarks that made the franchise unique in the first place. Oh sure, there's the always quip-ready Bruce Willis, but there's no villain with a crazy scheme or any sign that John McClane is ever in any real danger. 'Good Day' merely has McClane and his son running through Moscow, blowing shit up, and jumping through more plate glass windows than you thought possible while chasing some vague file. Basically, it could be mistaken for any faceless production Luc Besson cranks out these days. So who would've thought that Ben Stiller would have got it right more than a decade ago?

By Ken Guidry
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February 1, 2013 11:46 AM
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1 Comment

News

As usual, every year when the Super Bowl comes around, the ads that air during the big game wind up becoming one of the bigger talking points with everybody the next day. A recent trend for some of these advertisers lately has been airing commercials that tease their upcoming commercials that will air during the Super Bowl. Yes, commercials teasing about future commercials, what a concept. Samsung has decided to join in on this trend, but at least their teaser is amusing and features Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, and Bob Odenkirk.

By Kevin Jagernauth
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September 3, 2012 12:29 PM
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2 Comments

News

While it took Alexander Payne seven years between his smash hit "Sideways" and last year's very successful "The Descendants," the good news for fans is that the director is moving right along to his next movie. "Nebraska" has been brewing for a while, and was finally officially greenlit last month, with Payne nabbing Bruce Dern and Will Forte as the two leads in his low budget, $13 million black and white film. And with pre-production well underway, a few more names have come on aboard.

By Kevin Jagernauth
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August 2, 2012 5:20 PM
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3 Comments

News

While primarily known for her genre roles in films ranging from "Final Destination 3" to "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" to "The Thing," Mary Elizabeth Winstead got a chance to prove to audiences she's got acting skills to go along with her ass-kicking skills and good looks, impressing audiences earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival in the alcoholism drama "Smashed." And it seems that entire experience was a good one for Winstead, as she's lending her talents to that film's writer/director James Ponsoldt's next effort, "The Spectacular Now," which is already moving ahead.

By Kevin Jagernauth
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July 18, 2012 5:01 PM
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6 Comments

Television

"The Dark Knight Rises" isn't the only bit of popular entertainment out there that is causing those who have yet to see it -- which is most of us -- to keep their Facebook page closed, and Twitter feed turned off for fear of spoilers. "Breaking Bad" is back with the first eight of the final sixteen episode season airing this summer, with the show off and running this past weekend, and if you're not caught up, you may want to avoid as much chatter about the series as possible. But once the show ends, is that it for Walter White and rest of the characters? Perhaps not. Bryan Cranston has already teased about the possibility of movie followup once the show is done, and it looks like another character might be getting their own vehicle.

By Cain Rodriguez
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May 24, 2012 9:47 AM
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0 Comments

News

Although still reeling from the failed domestic launch of “Battleship,” Universal still believes in the premise of toys-as-movies, and has entered negotiations to acquire the rights to Lego's robotic toy line Hero Factory. The writing duo behind 2010’s “Predators,” Michael Finch and Alex Litvak, will pen the script. [THR]

By Kevin Jagernauth
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December 7, 2010 3:33 AM
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0 Comments

Join Cast That Also Includes Jenna Fischer, Topher Grace & Malin AkermanWith filming now underway on the indie romantic comedy "The Giant Mechanical Man," the final bits of casting are being put into place.