The Playlist

The Playlist's 15 Most Anticipated Indie Films Of The Summer

By Jessica Kiang
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May 7, 2013 11:58 AM
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6 Comments

The Playlist's 15 Most Anticipated Indies Of The Summer

Features

So perhaps the blockbusting sturm und drang of “Iron Man 3” has you slavering for more KA-BLAMMO, in which case our Most Anticipated Summer Blockbusters is the article for you. If, however, you're already getting a slight tension headache at the prospect of weeks upon interminable weeks of tentpole releases and the din of clashing opinions that attends the redistribution of billions of dollars of wealth, never fear. The gods of counterprogramming have been especially kind this year, and there's a wide selection of upcoming, smaller-budgeted, lesser-distributed gems in which the only things that collide are intersecting lives, the only ticking time bombs are repressed emotions, the only things that break are hearts, and the only things that blow up are grandiose expectations, right in some sad sack's face. You are also much more likely to get some full-on nudity.

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Watch: New U.K. Trailer For Joss Whedon's 'Much Ado About Nothing'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 24, 2013 3:14 PM
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1 Comment

News

Joss Whedon's reputation is largely staked on his genre stuff from "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" to "Firefly" to, of course, "The Avengers" and his continued work in the Marvel universe. But it seems he's eager to prove he can do more than tell the stories of superheroes and the supernatural, and so he got some friends together and literally shot a movie in his backyard. The result? "Much Ado About Nothing."

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Watch: Joss Whedon Goes Shakespeare With Trailer For 'Much Ado About Nothing'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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March 7, 2013 1:54 PM
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2 Comments

News

Yes, Joss Whedon -- who made $1 billion and change for Marvel simply by making some spandex heroes fly around for a couple of hours -- has made a movie based on a Shakespeare play. In black and white. In his backyard. And on a budget that would barely feed the cast and crew of "The Avengers" for a single day. But you know what else? It actually looks pretty good.

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Joss Whedon's 'Much Ado About Nothing' & Ethan Hawke's 'Purge' Get Summer Release Dates

By Kevin Jagernauth
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November 29, 2012 5:24 PM
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2 Comments

News

With the unbelievable success of "The Avengers," Joss Whedon is the new king of summer. Want proof? His arty, I-made-it-in-my-backyard-for-real Shakespeare adaptation is going to go in the deep end with the blockbusters in 2013.

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Lionsgate To Distribute Joss Whedon's 'Much Ado About Nothing,' Millennium Take 'What Maisie Knew'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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September 12, 2012 1:12 PM
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2 Comments

News

TIFF is pretty much dragging to a close (though doesn't officially wrap up until the weekend) -- everything major has premiered, and those critics who haven't already departed the city are mostly just catching up on stuff they couldn't see due to clashes otherwise. But the film market's still ticking along, and while several high-profile pictures remain, two more have just been snapped up.

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TIFF Review: Joss Whedon's 'Much Ado About Nothing' Is An Unexpected Delight

By Christopher Schobert
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September 10, 2012 10:02 AM
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8 Comments

Reviews

How does one follow the biggest superhero film in box office history? Perhaps a better way to phrase it is, how does the man behind some of the most beloved cult TV series and characters in recent pop history follow the biggest superhero film in box office history? If we're talking about the much-loved Joss Whedon – who else? – you decamp to your home, grab a camera, invite over your friends, and create a delightful, DIY, modern-day black-and-white adaptation of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." Duh.

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TIFF Scores: Danny Elfman Takes 'Silver Linings Playbook'; Bright Eyes Players Score 'Writers'; DeVotchKa Tunes Up 'Maisie' & 'Arthur Newman' And More

By Kevin Jagernauth
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August 15, 2012 3:39 PM
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1 Comment

News

While your eyes will be dazzled next month with the staggering number of great movies unspooling at TIFF, you may want to keep your ears at attention too, because there are some rather interesting names popping up as composers and contributors of music to a variety of films.

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New Images From Joss Whedon's Low-Budget Indie 'Much Ado About Nothing'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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August 2, 2012 2:27 PM
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5 Comments

News

Will all the fanboys and ticket buyers who made "The Avengers" a $1 billion success come out for Joss Whedon's indie "Much Ado About Nothing"? Um, probably not, but you gotta admire Whedon for following up his blockbuster extravanganza with a movie he literally shot in his backyard.

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First Footage From Joss Whedon's 'Much Ado About Nothing' Debuts; 'Cabin In The Woods' Goes Direct-to-Video In Australia & New Zealand

By Drew Taylor
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April 30, 2012 11:35 AM
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6 Comments

News

On yesterday's "Sunday Morning" show on CBS, in a feature about "Avengers" writer/director/super-geek Joss Whedon the first footage from "Much Ado About Nothing," his micro-budgeted Shakespeare adaptation that he shot in a two week window during post-production on "The Avengers," debuted. And it's pretty much exactly what you'd expect (with one new aspect – more on that in a minute) – the small scale antidote to his superhero romp, which is poised to be the summer's first bona fide blockbuster (and with good reason – it rules). But things aren't so happy everywhere in Whedonville, as his recent horror movie Rubik's Cube "Cabin in the Woods" is getting an inglorious debut in other parts of the world.

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Nathan Fillion Reveals New, Mysterious Joss Whedon Project 'Much Ado About Nothing'

By Simon Dang
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October 24, 2011 1:02 AM
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0 Comments

Update: Joss Whedon has sent out a press release about the project saying, “The text is to me a deconstruction of the idea of love, which is ironic, since the entire production is a love letter, to the text, to the cast, even to the house it’s shot in.” Shot in 12 days in Santa Monica, the low-budget film will hit the festival circuit next year “because it is fancy.” The casting is as follows: Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof are Beatrice and Benedick; Nathan Fillion is Dogberry, Clark Gregg is Leonato, Fran Kranz is Claudio and Reed Diamong is Don Pedro.

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