Archive for the ‘Fox Atomic’ Category
Filed under: Comedy, Horror, New Releases, Fandom, Fox Atomic
A few weeks ago, I asked “Will Chicks Dig Jennifer’s Body?” and the responses were mixed. Unfortunately for fans of the movie (like myself), its opening weekend box office results were equally mixed, with JB bringing in $6.8M, putting it in fifth place, right behind the execrable and boring Love Happens.
Plenty of people have immediately written off the movie because they loathe Diablo Cody or Megan Fox. Fox is an especially contentious figure among women because she’s young, she’s hot, and she’s as eager to be “exploited” by the Hollywood machine as she is to give it the middle finger. And Diablo Cody, well… As the talented and smart Karyn Kusama, director of Jennifer’s Body said in an interview with Cinematical’s Todd Gilchrist, “I feel like the issue of [Cody's] voice being strong and people having a problem with it is very interesting to me because I think there are plenty of writers whose work generates that discussion. I have just never heard Quentin Tarantino or David Mamet or Shane Black be called a whore in people’s blogs; I am shocked sometimes by the vitriol.”
The cycle of slavering adoration and vicious backlash Cody has been the subject of since she was the Next Big Thing with her book Candy Girl makes my head spin, and if I were her, I’d have hocked my Oscar and headed for the hills long ago. But she hasn’t, and thank goodness for that because Jennifer’s Body is the coolest, weirdest thing to happen to women in horror (and the women who love horror) in a long time.
Filed under: Horror, Interviews, Fox Atomic
Just by virtue of her gender, Karyn Kusama is considered a feminist director; while the subject matter of her three films has certainly revolved around strong and interesting women, however, their stories certainly transcend the condescending and reductive designation of being called “women’s movies.” This is especially true of her latest, Jennifer’s Body, which is an examination of teenage female sexuality that should certainly have considerable mainstream (i.e. male) appeal thanks to the person playing the body in question, Megan Fox.
Cinematical recently sat down with Kusama to talk about her career, the themes that have run recurrent in her movies, the impact of studio politics and feedback on her films, and how much she thinks her gender plays a role in career and the creative choices she makes. (Make sure to check out Part One of this interview, where she discusses her collaborations with Megan Fox and Diablo Cody, and gives fans a first-person account of the film’s infamous make-out session between Fox and co-star Amanda Seyfried.)
Cinematical: Were there any specific elements of the different relationships, both personally and socially, in the film that you knew you wanted to explore or examine? There’s the interaction of the two girls with one another, and Jennifer with her victims, but there’s also the idea of this being a sort of monstrous version of teenage girls exploring their sexuality.
Continue reading Interview: ‘Jennifer’s Body’ Director Karyn Kusama (Part Two)
Filed under: Interviews, Fox Atomic
There’s a sort of amazing nexus of visibility that Jennifer’s Body is enjoying as it moves towards its opening day: men and women alike are obsessed with any- and everything Megan Fox does, and critics and audiences are curious to see how successfully Diablo Cody will follow-up her Oscar-winning script for Juno. Meanwhile, director Karyn Kusama bears the burden not only of shepherding the result of their efforts and the test for those expectations into theaters, but is in herself in search of a project that can both fulfill and overcome the preconceptions of viewers familiar with her two previous films, the acclaimed independent film Girlfight and the decidedly less-acclaimed studio opus Aeon Flux.
Cinematical recently sat down with Kusama for an epic conversation about her latest film, Jennifer’s Body. In addition to discussing the project’s origins and inspirations, she talked about tapping into expectations without acquiescing to them, examined the high-profile careers of her collaborators, and offered a few insights into her own creative process. (Check back tomorrow for part two, which further delves into her own feelings about the film’s themes and her execution of its ideas.)
Cinematical: How did you process Diablo’s writing style when you were directing and maybe even editing? Because she was kind of an unknown quantity when you started working on this but now she obviously has a style that polarizes audiences.
Continue reading Interview: ‘Jennifer’s Body’ Director Karyn Kusama (Part One)
Filed under: Horror, Toronto International Film Festival, Fox Atomic
What is Jennifer’s Body, and what is it supposed to be about? I don’t know, and the film doesn’t seem to, either: It’s not really a horror movie, because those are usually scary. Nor is it smart or self-aware enough to be a treatise on teenage girls or male fears of female sexuality. And it’s not even a swing-for-the-fences, spectacular enough failure to be a death knell or even deconstruction of the severely limited appeal of either its star, Megan Fox, or its screenwriter, Diablo Cody. Jennifer’s Body substitutes hipster credibility for emotional currency, confuses pop-psychology insight with substantive social commentary, and measures terror on a scale that ranges from the word boo to a dead spider; in short, Jennifer’s Body just does not work.
Fox plays Jennifer, a sexpot alpha female who mercilessly presides over the boys in her high school, but only has affection for her childhood friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried). After the two of them narrowly escape a fire while attending the concert of an up-and-coming band, Jennifer takes off to parts unknown in the lead singer’s tour van, only to turn up later that night ravenously hungry in Needy’s kitchen, covered in blood and God knows what else. It turns out that Jennifer has been mysteriously turned into a literal man-eater, and subsequently decides that her male classmates will serve as a more than suitable smorgasbord for her feasting pleasure. But when the homicidal homecoming queen decides that Needy’s boyfriend Chip (Johnny Simmons) is next on the menu, her mousy friend musters all of her own inner strength and decides to take Jennifer down a peg or two, even if it comes at the expense of their friendship, or even their lives.
Filed under: Thrillers, Casting, Deals, Fandom, Scripts, Newsstand, Fox Atomic
First off, on behalf of all the teenage boys out there, I’d like to raise my glass and officially congratulate Megan Fox on finally landing another role. Mazel Tov! The Transformers hottie has signed on to star in Jennifer’s Body, written by the extremely hot (and I’m talking hot like she’s very busy lately) Diablo Cody (Juno). The Hollywood Reporter tells us Fox Atomic pre-emptively picked up Cody’s spec script last week, Fox is in negotiations to star and Mason Novick is onboard to produce. While all you dudes out there might be itching to see Fox back up on the big screen, minds might change once I tell you what this sucker is about.
Apparently, they’re describing this one as “similar in tone to Heathers and Beetlejuice,” and it will revolve around a cheerleader (Fox) who, at some point during her perfect life, becomes possessed and begins killing boys. Ouch. At that point, her best friend must find a way to stop her. As of right now the best friend has not been cast, but Atomic really wants to get this one out before a possible strike takes place. Since Cody’s scripts so far fall into a comedic category, it should be interesting to see what the gal does with a thriller. Funnily enough, as hot as Cody is (Juno has lots of buzz coming off the fest circuit, she adapted How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, and set up the female-driven comedy Girly Style at Universal), none of her films have arrived in theaters yet. But trust me, once they do, we’ll all know exactly who Diablo Cody is. And if you’d like to get to know her a little better now, check out Cinematical’s recent interview with the scribe.
Filed under: Comedy, Horror, Deals, Fox Atomic
When she is not off fighting injustice during the writer’s strike, there is no doubt that Diablo Cody has plenty of work to do in the coming year. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Cody will re-team with Juno director Jason Reitman for the supernatural comedy, Jennifer’s Body. Reitman will be producing the flick along with his partner Dan Dubiecki for Fox Atomic, who told THR that “We’re here because Diablo’s voice and our voice align.”
Back in October, Erik had reported that Megan Fox (the dream girl of pubescent boys everywhere) had signed for the lead in the teen comedy – and just as a side note, am I only one who thinks Fox looks like a little old for high school? Fox will star as a small-town Minnesota cheerleader who starts killing local boys after she becomes possessed by a demon. So if that wasn’t weird enough, then “Her ‘plain Jane’ best friend must kill her, and then escape from a correctional facility to go after the Satan-worshiping rock band responsible for the transformation.” Cody herself describes the script as “Juno but with cannibalism and evisceration.” I don’t know about you, but that description alone has sold me on the film.
Reitman and Dubiecki seem eager to have Cody on board, telling THR, “We want to make unusual films, and anything that turns a genre on its ear interests Dan and I. And if you look at ‘Bonzai,’ ‘Juno‘ and ‘Jennifer’s Body,’ they bring a new voice to genres people are very aware of.” Jennifer’s Body is set to start shooting later this year and is aiming for a 2009 release.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Comedy, Casting, Scripts, Fox Atomic
For seven years, she was the smartie of Stars Hollow sharing rapid-fire words and pop culture references with her young mom. She dealt with the kooky denizens there, then with the fiery rage of fellow students at Chilton, and then she even lived with them at Yale. But those days are over and Alexis Bledel has to look beyond her Gilmore Girls years. She’s already shot the next film in the series about those magic pants that can fit anyone, and has now signed on for her first starring role since the hit show wrapped. As Variety reports, Bledel’s got a Ticket to Ride — and it isn’t some sort of feel-good family movie about a girl and her horse, or bike, or whatever she’s riding. It’s Fox Atomic’s upcoming college comedy from Shark Tale helmer Vicky Jenson.
Written by Kelly Fremon, Ticket stars Bledel as Ryden Malby, in a film that will thrust her into fresh, new, and exciting territory. It’s about “a college grad who is forced to move back into her childhood home with her eccentric family while she attempts to find a job, the right guy, and some direction in her life.” Okay, so really it’s nothing new at all. As Rory, she’s had lots of experience with eccentric friends and family, and suffering the woes of job-finding, guy-finding, and picking a path. But at least we know she can handle the material. With a $15 million budget, the film will begin shooting next month.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Comedy, Casting, Fox Atomic
Well, Gilmore Girl and Traveling Pants star Alexis Bledel no longer has a Ticket to Ride. Instead, an early name change has her getting into The Post-Grad Survival Guide for Fox Atomic’s upcoming comedy, and the supporting cast is falling into place. The Hollywood Reporter has posted that Zach Gilford, one of the stars of the television series Friday Night Lights is in final negotiations to play Rory’s love interest. Also joining the cast — Michael Keaton, Carol Burnett, and Rodrigo Santoro (300). Man, I hope this is decent, just to get a chance to see Keaton and Burnett — hopefully together.
Bledel stars as a girl named Ryden Malby, who has just graduated from college and has “to move back home with her eccentric family while trying to find a job, meet the right guy, and figure out where her life is headed.” Santoro is going to play an infomercial director and neighbor who becomes Ryden’s friend and confidant, but there is no word on who Keaton and Burnett will play. Considering the eccentric family angle, I’m hoping for some sort of dad and grandma deal — Carol would be perfect as Alexis’ grandmother. As for the neighbor, will Ryden find a lucrative future in the infomercial biz, peddling special fryers, rotisseries, and weight loss products? The possibilities!
Filming will begin on the project this Monday in Los Angeles, under the directorial eye of Vicky Jenson — director of Shrek and Shark Tale. It’ll be interesting to see what she makes of this live action comedy, but really, I’m just psyched for Carol.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Comedy, Casting, Celebrities and Controversy, Scripts, Distribution, Fox Atomic
It’s a familiar tale: Hitch a falling star to a rising talent … and see what happens. This week’s iteration comes in the form of a Variety story that sees Juno director Jason Reitman teaming with Jim Carrey on a new comedy titled Pierre Pierre. The film — budgeted at a fairly-modest $13 million — is pitched as the tale of a “self-indulgent French nihilist who transports a stolen painting from Paris to London.” In his heyday — Ace Ventura, The Truman Show, Liar, Liar – Carrey’s salary alone would have exceeded the proposed budget of Pierre Pierre; however, as any viewer of The Majestic, The Number 23 or Fun with Dick and Jane can tell you, those bright days are far in the past.
Pierre, Pierre is going to be released under the Fox Atomic specialty banner, and also features a script from first-time writers Edwin Cannistraci and Frederick Seton. I guess the question I’m pondering is which Jim Carrey will show up — the tired, makeup-coated hack of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events or the more interested, more invested Carrey of The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? And does new talent Reitman have the skills, and vision, to coax the latter kind of performance out of an actor many consider a fading funnyman?
Filed under: Comedy, Horror, Music & Musicals, Disney, Exhibition, Family Films, Remakes and Sequels, Fox Atomic
In Utah — the state so pure that some theaters owners refuse to show the relatively tame Zack and Miri Make a Porno but haven’t given Saw V a second glance — one theater moved their audience for the weekend’s #1 movie, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, into a larger auditorium that had been showing the raunchy Sex Drive … and promptly continued to do so once the lights went down.
This isn’t a terribly uncommon mistake to be made. Just last year, a Long Island multiplex exposed children to the gruesome opening of The Hills Have Eyes 2 instead of The Last Mimzy, and back in 2005, I found myself attending a Saturday night sneak of Zathura in a theater where The Fog proceeded to begin instead. (Childless and intrepid as I was am, it took my fetching a manager to correct the situation, not any of the number of vocally concerned parents in the surprisingly full house.)
(No, please, it was nothing.)
I just hope that some giddy HSM3 fan let loose with “Go, Wildcats!” regardless. They wouldn’t have been too far off…
