Poker Face pulled off many things in its debut season. With its murder-mystery-of-the-week plot in a new spin on the detective genre, the Natasha Lyonne-starring Peacock series from Rian Johnson revived the concept of procedural television for streaming, saw Benjamin Bratt turn a catchy Blues Traveler song into a poetic monologue and recruited Star Wars legend Phil Tippett for one episode’s special effects. But perhaps most impressive, Poker Face assembled an eye-popping roster of guest stars.
How did they nab Nick Nolte to play opposite Cherry Jones in Hollywood saga “The Orpheus Syndrome”? Who knew that Ellen Barkin and Tim Meadows would have such fiery chemistry in theater sendup “Exit Stage Death”? How did they convince the likes of Adrien Brody, Stephanie Hsu, Ron Perlman and Tim Russ to come in for one episode just to be killed off? And, who knew that S. Epatha Merkerson and Judith Light...
How did they nab Nick Nolte to play opposite Cherry Jones in Hollywood saga “The Orpheus Syndrome”? Who knew that Ellen Barkin and Tim Meadows would have such fiery chemistry in theater sendup “Exit Stage Death”? How did they convince the likes of Adrien Brody, Stephanie Hsu, Ron Perlman and Tim Russ to come in for one episode just to be killed off? And, who knew that S. Epatha Merkerson and Judith Light...
- 6/20/2023
- by Jackie Strause
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The last few years have not only brought LGBTQ films and stories further into the mainstream, but queer movies have dominated awards seasons and found commercial success in unlikely places.
Lydia Tár — played by “Carol” star and esteemed lesbian (adjacent?) icon Cate Blanchett — dominated the 2022 Oscars race and became a well-worn touchstone in the year’s critical film and cancel culture conversations. The summer before that, Billy Eichner and Nicholas Stoller made history with Universal Pictures’ “Bros,” among the first ever gay rom-coms funded by a major studio: an important victory — even if that film did go, uh, soft at the box office.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg on another banner year for queer film: at least one win in a hard-fought cultural movement, seemingly poised to face new challenges in the not-so-distant future.
New Queer Cinema was a major influence on the indie film boom of the ’90s,...
Lydia Tár — played by “Carol” star and esteemed lesbian (adjacent?) icon Cate Blanchett — dominated the 2022 Oscars race and became a well-worn touchstone in the year’s critical film and cancel culture conversations. The summer before that, Billy Eichner and Nicholas Stoller made history with Universal Pictures’ “Bros,” among the first ever gay rom-coms funded by a major studio: an important victory — even if that film did go, uh, soft at the box office.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg on another banner year for queer film: at least one win in a hard-fought cultural movement, seemingly poised to face new challenges in the not-so-distant future.
New Queer Cinema was a major influence on the indie film boom of the ’90s,...
- 6/1/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio, Jude Dry and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown are seeking best friends for the end of the world.
The duo star as lifelong pals who are the last survivors on the planet after the apocalypse in Mel Esyln’s debut feature film “Biosphere,” which premiered at 2022 TIFF. The film is set to be released by IFC Films.
Per the official synopsis, in the not-too-distant future, the last two men on Earth must adapt and evolve to save humanity. Billy (Mark Duplass) and Ray (Sterling K. Brown) are lifelong best friends, brothers from another mother — they also happen to be the last two men on earth. Their survival is largely due to Ray, a brilliant scientist who designed the custom biosphere they call home, outfitting it with both creature comforts and the necessities to sustain life on a doomed planet. When the population of their fishpond — which supplies essential protein — begins waning, the...
The duo star as lifelong pals who are the last survivors on the planet after the apocalypse in Mel Esyln’s debut feature film “Biosphere,” which premiered at 2022 TIFF. The film is set to be released by IFC Films.
Per the official synopsis, in the not-too-distant future, the last two men on Earth must adapt and evolve to save humanity. Billy (Mark Duplass) and Ray (Sterling K. Brown) are lifelong best friends, brothers from another mother — they also happen to be the last two men on earth. Their survival is largely due to Ray, a brilliant scientist who designed the custom biosphere they call home, outfitting it with both creature comforts and the necessities to sustain life on a doomed planet. When the population of their fishpond — which supplies essential protein — begins waning, the...
- 5/31/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
[This story contains spoilers to the season one finale of Poker Face, “The Hook.”]
When Natasha Lyonne reached out to Clea DuVall about a pivotal role on Poker Face, it was an easy ask.
“She just texted me and said there was this role she wanted me to play and, would I be able to do it? And I said, ‘Of course,'” the multihyphenate who stars in the finale of the Peacock series tells The Hollywood Reporter.
Because of Poker Face’s murder mystery-of-the-week premise, the Rian Johnson-created series starring Lyonne amassed a starry guest cast, as new actors appeared each week as either murderer or victim across the first season’s 10 episodes. Each ambitious episode was set in a new location and featured a new murder for Lyonne’s character, the gifted fugitive Charlie Cale, to solve.
But the finale brought the season full circle as Charlie out-smarted the men who had been chasing her (played by...
When Natasha Lyonne reached out to Clea DuVall about a pivotal role on Poker Face, it was an easy ask.
“She just texted me and said there was this role she wanted me to play and, would I be able to do it? And I said, ‘Of course,'” the multihyphenate who stars in the finale of the Peacock series tells The Hollywood Reporter.
Because of Poker Face’s murder mystery-of-the-week premise, the Rian Johnson-created series starring Lyonne amassed a starry guest cast, as new actors appeared each week as either murderer or victim across the first season’s 10 episodes. Each ambitious episode was set in a new location and featured a new murder for Lyonne’s character, the gifted fugitive Charlie Cale, to solve.
But the finale brought the season full circle as Charlie out-smarted the men who had been chasing her (played by...
- 3/14/2023
- by Jackie Strause
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Natasha Lyonne is dishing on some iconic roles she was close to landing early in her career.
While on Thursday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live, host Andy Cohen asked the Poker Face star to name a role that another actress got that she thinks should have been hers. She quickly responded in a playful manner, “Oh, gosh, there’s a lot … I mean, how far back do you want to go?”
“Well, I didn’t get Six or Blossom. I didn’t get Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” she said, taking Cohen by surprise. Lyonne then added that she didn’t get a role in John Hughes’ 1991 film Curly Sue.
Cohen seemed to be most taken aback by the Orange Is the New Black actress saying she did not get the role of Six in the ’90s hit series Blossom. “Wow! I would have loved to see you as Six,...
While on Thursday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live, host Andy Cohen asked the Poker Face star to name a role that another actress got that she thinks should have been hers. She quickly responded in a playful manner, “Oh, gosh, there’s a lot … I mean, how far back do you want to go?”
“Well, I didn’t get Six or Blossom. I didn’t get Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” she said, taking Cohen by surprise. Lyonne then added that she didn’t get a role in John Hughes’ 1991 film Curly Sue.
Cohen seemed to be most taken aback by the Orange Is the New Black actress saying she did not get the role of Six in the ’90s hit series Blossom. “Wow! I would have loved to see you as Six,...
- 2/10/2023
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Early 2023 followed by exclusive streaming run on AMC+
IFC Films has acquired North American rights to Mel Eslyn’s TIFF world premiere and feature directorial debut Biosphere starring Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown.
The sci-fi takes place in the not-too-distant future as the last two men on earth who must adapt and evolve to save humanity.
Eslyn – whose producing credits include The One I Love, Language Lessons co-starring Mark Duplass, and The Intervention – served as producer with Zackary Drucker, who co-directed docuseries The Lady And The Dale produced by the Duplass Brothers.
The producers roster includes Shuli Harel and...
IFC Films has acquired North American rights to Mel Eslyn’s TIFF world premiere and feature directorial debut Biosphere starring Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown.
The sci-fi takes place in the not-too-distant future as the last two men on earth who must adapt and evolve to save humanity.
Eslyn – whose producing credits include The One I Love, Language Lessons co-starring Mark Duplass, and The Intervention – served as producer with Zackary Drucker, who co-directed docuseries The Lady And The Dale produced by the Duplass Brothers.
The producers roster includes Shuli Harel and...
- 11/7/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
“Castle Rock” and “Heavenly Creatures” star Melanie Lynskey is slated to portray the victim of real-life infamous murderess Candy Montgomery in a new Hulu limited series, entitled “Candy.” She will play Betty Gore, the small Texas town teacher, wife and mother who was axed to death on Friday the 13th, June 1980 in her laundry room by her church friend. The titular killer will be played by Jessica Biel.
Three-time Emmy nominee Robin Veith wrote the pilot script of “Candy,” and MIchael Uppendahl will direct it. Both will executive produce. Nick Antosca will serve as executive producer under his banner Eat the Cat along with Alex Hedlund. Biel and Michelle Purple will serve as executive producers for Iron Ocean. Jim Atkinson & John Bloom will serve as consulting producers. The series is from UCP and 20th Television.
Since her aforementioned feature film debut in 1994 opposite Kate Winslet, the native New Zealander has...
Three-time Emmy nominee Robin Veith wrote the pilot script of “Candy,” and MIchael Uppendahl will direct it. Both will executive produce. Nick Antosca will serve as executive producer under his banner Eat the Cat along with Alex Hedlund. Biel and Michelle Purple will serve as executive producers for Iron Ocean. Jim Atkinson & John Bloom will serve as consulting producers. The series is from UCP and 20th Television.
Since her aforementioned feature film debut in 1994 opposite Kate Winslet, the native New Zealander has...
- 10/12/2021
- by Mónica Marie Zorrilla
- Variety Film + TV
[Editor’s note: The following article contains slight spoilers for “Happiest Season.” This article was originally published on Monday, November 23, 2020.]
Complications, misadventures, and wild assumptions have long been the bread and butter of the romantic comedy. What’s romance without a sexy secret? What’s comedy without a big blunder? So while the plot that drives Clea DuVall’s holiday-themed sophomore feature “Happiest Season” falls neatly into the genre expectations of the rom-com, it also comes with a big twist: it’s about a same-sex couple. How’s that for a complication?
As “Happiest Season” opens, long-term couple Abby (Kristen Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis) are preparing to, somewhat unexpectedly, spend the holiday with Harper’s uptight, affluent family in suburban Pennsylvania. It’s Abby first time meeting the clan, which is currently in the throes of a political campaign poised to make their already straight-laced take on life even more, well, straight. You can probably guess the problem here:...
Complications, misadventures, and wild assumptions have long been the bread and butter of the romantic comedy. What’s romance without a sexy secret? What’s comedy without a big blunder? So while the plot that drives Clea DuVall’s holiday-themed sophomore feature “Happiest Season” falls neatly into the genre expectations of the rom-com, it also comes with a big twist: it’s about a same-sex couple. How’s that for a complication?
As “Happiest Season” opens, long-term couple Abby (Kristen Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis) are preparing to, somewhat unexpectedly, spend the holiday with Harper’s uptight, affluent family in suburban Pennsylvania. It’s Abby first time meeting the clan, which is currently in the throes of a political campaign poised to make their already straight-laced take on life even more, well, straight. You can probably guess the problem here:...
- 11/28/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Clea DuVall loves Christmas movies, but she never saw herself reflected in them. DuVall, who is gay and as both an actress and a director has frequently talked about the importance of LGBT portrayals throughout her career, decided to change that, and wrote and directed “Happiest Season” so she could see her experiences reflected in holiday rom-coms.
“In a lot of ways, this movie is autobiographical just in that I’ve been both characters at different times in this movie,” DuVall told TheWrap. “And being able to tell a universal story like going home for Christmas through a unique lens just seemed like a really great opportunity to tell a story — to tell a story which we’ve heard in a different way.”
“Happiest Season” stars Kristen Stewart as Abby, who meets her girlfriend Harper’s (Davis) family for the first time at their annual family Christmas dinner. However, Abby...
“In a lot of ways, this movie is autobiographical just in that I’ve been both characters at different times in this movie,” DuVall told TheWrap. “And being able to tell a universal story like going home for Christmas through a unique lens just seemed like a really great opportunity to tell a story — to tell a story which we’ve heard in a different way.”
“Happiest Season” stars Kristen Stewart as Abby, who meets her girlfriend Harper’s (Davis) family for the first time at their annual family Christmas dinner. However, Abby...
- 11/26/2020
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Christmas movies — and holiday-centered rom-coms in particular — have become synonymous with the season. It’s a genre that’s an indelible part of the pop culture canon, and one that, until very recently, has been straight as the business end of a candy cane. But all that’s changing — and you can partially thank Clea DuVall. The actor-director’s Happiest Season is the first yuletide rom-com ever released by a major studio to center an LGBTQ love story, following Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis as a lesbian couple who get...
- 11/24/2020
- by Jenna Scherer
- Rollingstone.com
“Happiest Season” is a home-for-the-holidays movie that serves up what you expect, along with something you don’t. The second feature directed by the actress-turned-filmmaker Clea DuVall (“The Intervention”), who shows a singular flair for shaping performances as well as a lush new visual confidence, the film is cheeky and blithe and situational, suffused with enough upscale Christmas froth to get the audience high on spiced-cocktail fumes. In a key scene near the end, it’s more than willing to go over-the-top. Yet “Happiest Season” is also a deft and humane dramedy of manners that’s really about something. It’s a coming-out story that feels highly specific to our era, even as it keeps pelting us with entertaining family curveballs. The movie is a true romance — not because it’s a rom-com about two people stumbling toward love, but because it’s a rom-com about two people already in...
- 11/20/2020
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Just in time for the 20th anniversary of Jamie Babbit’s bubbly and sharp queer camp classic, But I’m a Cheerleader; Lionsgate has dropped a trailer for the 4K Directors Cut release out early next month. A subversion of the prudish after school special nature of sexual confusion polemics – the story follows the strait-laced Megan (Natasha Lyonne), a cheerleader who is sent to a gay conversion camp by her parents when they suspect she may be a lesbian.
It’s immediately clear that this conversion camp is not the usual subterranean institution that come to mind when one hears the term. It’s a deliciously gaudy place full of flamboyantly hypocritical counselors and other “troubled” youth who are just trying to come to terms with being themselves. That’s especially relevant for Megan, who finds herself developing feelings for another camper played by Clea DuVall (who’s made her...
It’s immediately clear that this conversion camp is not the usual subterranean institution that come to mind when one hears the term. It’s a deliciously gaudy place full of flamboyantly hypocritical counselors and other “troubled” youth who are just trying to come to terms with being themselves. That’s especially relevant for Megan, who finds herself developing feelings for another camper played by Clea DuVall (who’s made her...
- 11/19/2020
- by Michael Snydel
- The Film Stage
As we approach Thanksgiving, television is already firmly entrenched in the holiday movie season: Hallmark and Lifetime have begun rolling out their dozens of cookie-cutter Christmas love stories starring city gals, country men, and interchangeable plot elements involving saving small towns or romancing royalty. What a relief, then, that Clea DuVall’s Christmas rom-com Happiest Season instantly and effortlessly breaks that mold while simultaneously being the kind of sweet, poignant, funny film you’ll want to rewatch every December.
Having wrapped production mere weeks before the coronavirus lockdown at the start of 2020, Happiest Season is the first studio-backed (Sony’s TriStar Pictures) queer holiday rom-com. Truly that is a Christmas miracle; the same goes for the shift from theatrical release to streaming (via Hulu) just in time for what promises to be an emotionally fraught Thanksgiving.
Abby (Kristen Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis) are a young couple in the flush of love,...
Having wrapped production mere weeks before the coronavirus lockdown at the start of 2020, Happiest Season is the first studio-backed (Sony’s TriStar Pictures) queer holiday rom-com. Truly that is a Christmas miracle; the same goes for the shift from theatrical release to streaming (via Hulu) just in time for what promises to be an emotionally fraught Thanksgiving.
Abby (Kristen Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis) are a young couple in the flush of love,...
- 11/19/2020
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Clea DuVall grew up loving Christmas movies. And having lived in Los Angeles her whole life, the 43-year-old actor-turned-writer/director would look forward to how Christmastime made the city seem different for once. “It feels like the closest thing L.A. has to a season, and that’s something that I always looked forward to as a kid,” DuVall says. “Because God, does it get monotonous.”
DuVall had been a ubiquitous actor in movies and on television for years — in dramas such as “Girl, Interrupted,” “Argo” and “Carnivàle,” and comedies like “But I’m a Cheerleader” and “Veep” — when she got the idea for “Happiest Season,” a holiday romantic comedy with a lesbian couple at its center. “I had never seen a movie that really represented my experience,” she says. “Any LGBTQ+ characters were, if they were there at all, side characters.”
That is definitely not the case in “Happiest Season,...
DuVall had been a ubiquitous actor in movies and on television for years — in dramas such as “Girl, Interrupted,” “Argo” and “Carnivàle,” and comedies like “But I’m a Cheerleader” and “Veep” — when she got the idea for “Happiest Season,” a holiday romantic comedy with a lesbian couple at its center. “I had never seen a movie that really represented my experience,” she says. “Any LGBTQ+ characters were, if they were there at all, side characters.”
That is definitely not the case in “Happiest Season,...
- 11/11/2020
- by Kate Aurthur
- Variety Film + TV
Hulu and Sony Pictures have released the first official trailer for “Happiest Season,” which stars Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis in a holiday-set romantic-comedy with an LGBTQ love story at the center of the plot. “Happiest Season” is the second feature from actress-turned-director Clea DuVall, who made a splash in her feature debut with the star-studded 2016 comedy “The Intervention.” Duvall co-wrote the script with her screenwriting partner Mary Holland, a comedic actress who appeared on “Veep,” in which DuVall famously played emotionless Secret Service agent Marjorie. From the looks of this trailer, that “Veep” comedic timing served both writers very well.
Per the official synopsis: “Meeting your girlfriend’s family for the first time can be tough. Planning to propose at her family’s annual Christmas dinner — until you realize that they don’t even know she’s gay — is even harder. When Abby (Kristen Stewart) learns that Harper (Mackenzie...
Per the official synopsis: “Meeting your girlfriend’s family for the first time can be tough. Planning to propose at her family’s annual Christmas dinner — until you realize that they don’t even know she’s gay — is even harder. When Abby (Kristen Stewart) learns that Harper (Mackenzie...
- 11/9/2020
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Spike Jonze has joined forces with Free The Work to create a video playlist listing the women cinematographers he wants to work with in the future. Jonze has worked with several female DPs in the past, including Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Zoë White, Mego Lin, and Ellen Kuras. While all four of the director’s feature films have been shot by men (Lance Acord handled Jonze’s first three features and Hoyte van Hoytema stepped in for “Her”), Jonze has collaborated with White, Lin, and Kuras on various advertisements. Kuras worked with Jonze on his famous 2006 Adidas commercial.
As for the women cinematographers Jonze is eyeing for the future, the director’s wish list includes Natasha Braier, Daisy Zhou (check out her Nike Vogue commercial), Rina Yang (the cinematographer behind Sephora’s “We Belong to Something Beautiful” advertisement), Maryse Alberti, and Polly Morgan.
Jonze has yet to announce any narrative feature follow-ups to “Her,...
As for the women cinematographers Jonze is eyeing for the future, the director’s wish list includes Natasha Braier, Daisy Zhou (check out her Nike Vogue commercial), Rina Yang (the cinematographer behind Sephora’s “We Belong to Something Beautiful” advertisement), Maryse Alberti, and Polly Morgan.
Jonze has yet to announce any narrative feature follow-ups to “Her,...
- 2/28/2020
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Producer and writer are looking for a female UK director.
Nicole Paglia’s UK-based drama Molly was the winner of the third edition of the Script Pool Film Competition for writers and producers at the Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn this week.
German sales outfit Global Screen provided prize money of €5,000.
Set in Soviet Russia in the 1960s, Molly tells the real-life story of a Us defector and DJ who broadcasts Us pop music into a top-secret Us military base buried under the ice in Greenland
Us-born, London-based Paglia has previously won the Bafta Rocliffe New Writing award along...
Nicole Paglia’s UK-based drama Molly was the winner of the third edition of the Script Pool Film Competition for writers and producers at the Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn this week.
German sales outfit Global Screen provided prize money of €5,000.
Set in Soviet Russia in the 1960s, Molly tells the real-life story of a Us defector and DJ who broadcasts Us pop music into a top-secret Us military base buried under the ice in Greenland
Us-born, London-based Paglia has previously won the Bafta Rocliffe New Writing award along...
- 12/1/2019
- by 1100613¦Tiffany Pritchard¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
After “Ad Astra” and now “Lucy in the Sky,” there should probably be some kind of psychological study done on astronauts who trek to outer space only to find they can no longer function among other human beings when they return to Earth.
While the former film strives to understand its protagonist, the latter, the latest from director Noah Hawley (creator of TV’s “Fargo” and “Legion”), portrays its lead character as an “erratic,” “spiraling” woman whose rapid descent into madness is somehow connected with her deep-rooted feminism. The results are, as you might expect, negative.
Astronaut Lucy Cola (Natalie Portman) has just returned home after a particularly remarkable trip to space where she, as she puts it, was even able to spot her own house. To the credit of cinematographer Polly Morgan (“The Intervention”) and sound mixer Jaya Jayaraja, outer space looks and sounds both spectacular and disturbingly serene...
While the former film strives to understand its protagonist, the latter, the latest from director Noah Hawley (creator of TV’s “Fargo” and “Legion”), portrays its lead character as an “erratic,” “spiraling” woman whose rapid descent into madness is somehow connected with her deep-rooted feminism. The results are, as you might expect, negative.
Astronaut Lucy Cola (Natalie Portman) has just returned home after a particularly remarkable trip to space where she, as she puts it, was even able to spot her own house. To the credit of cinematographer Polly Morgan (“The Intervention”) and sound mixer Jaya Jayaraja, outer space looks and sounds both spectacular and disturbingly serene...
- 10/2/2019
- by Candice Frederick
- The Wrap
Queer FilmsLesbian relationships and romance are not as screwed up as cis-hetero ones. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have some silly, feel-good movies with a lesbian couple no?Ragamalika KarthikeyanScreenshot from 'But I'm a Cheerleader!'I’m not a big movie buff – I feel like it would be ingenuous if I didn’t start with this disclaimer. I have never written a movie review in my life, even on Facebook (I think), because I’m the person who enjoys pretty much every movie; if I’ve spent money and time watching something, I better feel entertained, no? I don’t know anything about ‘world cinema’, and given a choice between a mindless, high school-type romcom with a 100% chance of a predictable ending, and a critical film that, I don’t know, explores human emotions and struggles or whatever, I would always choose the sappy rom-com that can...
- 2/15/2019
- by Ragamalika
- The News Minute
Rosie Fletcher Louisa Mellor Apr 4, 2019
Natasha Lyonne is incredible in Netflix Russian Doll, but she's been doing sterling work for years.
Russian Doll is brilliant. But you probably know that by now. Natasha Lyonne absolutely shines as Nadia, the hard-living, guilt-stricken star of Netflix's newest must-binge existential comedy drama.
We'll say no more to avoid spoilers, though there's a slight spoiler in the final paragraph of this article (and here's our spoiler-free review) but if you've seen it, here's what we think the ending is all about, and here's what we'd expect from a second season.
However, Leonne has shone in a whole range of TV and film roles, and often these are indie projects that might have passed you by. So if, like us, you adored Russian Doll, miss it and wish you hadn't watched all of it in one go so there'd still be some left to watch,...
Natasha Lyonne is incredible in Netflix Russian Doll, but she's been doing sterling work for years.
Russian Doll is brilliant. But you probably know that by now. Natasha Lyonne absolutely shines as Nadia, the hard-living, guilt-stricken star of Netflix's newest must-binge existential comedy drama.
We'll say no more to avoid spoilers, though there's a slight spoiler in the final paragraph of this article (and here's our spoiler-free review) but if you've seen it, here's what we think the ending is all about, and here's what we'd expect from a second season.
However, Leonne has shone in a whole range of TV and film roles, and often these are indie projects that might have passed you by. So if, like us, you adored Russian Doll, miss it and wish you hadn't watched all of it in one go so there'd still be some left to watch,...
- 2/12/2019
- Den of Geek
Mackenzie Davis is in negotiations to play the lead opposite Kristen Stewart in TriStar’s romantic comedy “Happiest Season.”
The studio bought worldwide rights last to the holiday-themed “Happiest Season” from the writing team of Clea DuVall and Mary Holland. DuVall, who directed the 2016 indie “The Intervention,” is also on board to direct in what will be her directorial debut on a major studio feature. Marty Bowen and Isaac Klausner will produce with Jaclyn Huntling overseeing for Temple Hill.
“Happiest Season” centers on a young woman whose plan to propose to her girlfriend while at her family’s annual holiday party is upended when she discovers her partner has not yet come out to her conservative parents. Sony had no comment on Davis’s casting. Variety reported exclusively that Stewart had come on to the project last year.
Davis starred as the night nanny and title character in last year’s “Tully” opposite Charlize Theron.
The studio bought worldwide rights last to the holiday-themed “Happiest Season” from the writing team of Clea DuVall and Mary Holland. DuVall, who directed the 2016 indie “The Intervention,” is also on board to direct in what will be her directorial debut on a major studio feature. Marty Bowen and Isaac Klausner will produce with Jaclyn Huntling overseeing for Temple Hill.
“Happiest Season” centers on a young woman whose plan to propose to her girlfriend while at her family’s annual holiday party is upended when she discovers her partner has not yet come out to her conservative parents. Sony had no comment on Davis’s casting. Variety reported exclusively that Stewart had come on to the project last year.
Davis starred as the night nanny and title character in last year’s “Tully” opposite Charlize Theron.
- 1/25/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
With romantic-comedies thriving at the box office (“Crazy Rich Asians”) and online, it’s hardly surprising to hear Kristen Stewart is embracing the genre for her next acting gig. Stewart is set to star as one of two leads in “Happiest Season,” a holiday-set romantic-comedy with an Lgbtq love story at the center of the plot.
“Happiest Season” is set to be the latest directorial effort for actress Clea DuVall, who had her feature debut behind the camera with the star-studded 2016 comedy “The Intervention.” Duvall is co-writing the script with her screenwriting partner Mary Holland. The story is set an annual family holiday party where a young woman plans to propose to her girlfriend. The plan gets an unexpected twist when the woman finds out her partner hasn’t come out as gay to her conservative parents.
Both Stewart and DuVall are members of the Lgbtq community, which means “Happiest...
“Happiest Season” is set to be the latest directorial effort for actress Clea DuVall, who had her feature debut behind the camera with the star-studded 2016 comedy “The Intervention.” Duvall is co-writing the script with her screenwriting partner Mary Holland. The story is set an annual family holiday party where a young woman plans to propose to her girlfriend. The plan gets an unexpected twist when the woman finds out her partner hasn’t come out as gay to her conservative parents.
Both Stewart and DuVall are members of the Lgbtq community, which means “Happiest...
- 11/27/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Kristen Stewart is in talks to star in the same sex comedy Happiest Season at Tri-Star Pictures.
Argo actress Clea DuVall wrote the screenplay with Mary Holland, and Sony scooped up global rights earlier this year. DuVall will direct. She previously directed and wrote The Intervention which made its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
The Happiest Season follows a young woman whose marriage proposal goes sideways to her partner after she learns that her lover hasn’t come out to her conservative parents.
Variety originally had the news.
Argo actress Clea DuVall wrote the screenplay with Mary Holland, and Sony scooped up global rights earlier this year. DuVall will direct. She previously directed and wrote The Intervention which made its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
The Happiest Season follows a young woman whose marriage proposal goes sideways to her partner after she learns that her lover hasn’t come out to her conservative parents.
Variety originally had the news.
- 11/27/2018
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Kristen Stewart is in talks to star in TriStar Pictures’ “Happiest Season,” a holiday romantic comedy directed by actress and upcoming filmmaker Clea DuVall, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
DuVall, who was recently recognized as one of The Alice Initiative’s top 20 rising filmmakers, will direct “Happiest Season,” based on a screenplay she co-wrote with Mary Holland.
“Happiest Season” is the story of a young woman whose plan to propose to her girlfriend while at her family’s annual holiday party is upended when she discovers her partner hasn’t yet come out to her conservative parents.
Also Read: Kristen Stewart and Chloe Sevigny's 'Lizzie' Creeps to Solid Start at Indie Box Office
Marty Bowen and Isaac Klausner will produce with Jaclyn Huntling overseeing for Temple Hill. Hannah Minghella and Shary Shirazi will oversee the project for TriStar Pictures.
Stewart most recently starred in...
DuVall, who was recently recognized as one of The Alice Initiative’s top 20 rising filmmakers, will direct “Happiest Season,” based on a screenplay she co-wrote with Mary Holland.
“Happiest Season” is the story of a young woman whose plan to propose to her girlfriend while at her family’s annual holiday party is upended when she discovers her partner hasn’t yet come out to her conservative parents.
Also Read: Kristen Stewart and Chloe Sevigny's 'Lizzie' Creeps to Solid Start at Indie Box Office
Marty Bowen and Isaac Klausner will produce with Jaclyn Huntling overseeing for Temple Hill. Hannah Minghella and Shary Shirazi will oversee the project for TriStar Pictures.
Stewart most recently starred in...
- 11/27/2018
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Image Source: Getty / Jamie McCarthy
When it comes to actor Alia Shawkat's sexuality, the past few years have been a revelation. Perhaps not in private; when we spoke on the phone in early June, she told me she's been aware of her own queerness for a long time. "I had always found myself attracted to women, but didn't know how to really make a move, for lack of a better word," she told me with a laugh. But her identity as a bisexual woman has only recently become a part of her career and public persona.
Despite dozens upon dozens of acting credits that stretch nearly 20 years, the queer aspect of Shawkat's art is relatively new. She's best known for playing Maeby Fünke in Arrested Development, Lila on Transparent, and Dory Sief on TBS's critical darling Search Party. Her handful of sexually fluid roles on screen include Dalia...
When it comes to actor Alia Shawkat's sexuality, the past few years have been a revelation. Perhaps not in private; when we spoke on the phone in early June, she told me she's been aware of her own queerness for a long time. "I had always found myself attracted to women, but didn't know how to really make a move, for lack of a better word," she told me with a laugh. But her identity as a bisexual woman has only recently become a part of her career and public persona.
Despite dozens upon dozens of acting credits that stretch nearly 20 years, the queer aspect of Shawkat's art is relatively new. She's best known for playing Maeby Fünke in Arrested Development, Lila on Transparent, and Dory Sief on TBS's critical darling Search Party. Her handful of sexually fluid roles on screen include Dalia...
- 6/26/2018
- by Ryan Roschke
- Popsugar.com
TriStar Pictures has obtained the worldwide distribution rights to the holiday romantic comedy Happiest Season, directed by Veep actress Clea DuVall, marking her first studio project. The screenplay hails from DuVall and comedian Mary Holland with Marty Bowen and Isaac Klausner producing.
The story follows a young woman whose plan to propose to her girlfriend while at her family’s annual holiday party is upended when she discovers her partner hasn’t yet come out to her conservative parents.
Jaclyn Huntling is overseeing for Temple Hill along with Hannah Minghella and Shary Shirazi on behalf of TriStar.
Clea made her directorial debut with the film, The Intervention, which debuted at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. In addition to Veep, the actress has an extensive list of TV and film credits which includes a recurring arc on the upcoming season of Hulu’s hit series, The Handmaid’s Tale.
Mary Holland, a...
The story follows a young woman whose plan to propose to her girlfriend while at her family’s annual holiday party is upended when she discovers her partner hasn’t yet come out to her conservative parents.
Jaclyn Huntling is overseeing for Temple Hill along with Hannah Minghella and Shary Shirazi on behalf of TriStar.
Clea made her directorial debut with the film, The Intervention, which debuted at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. In addition to Veep, the actress has an extensive list of TV and film credits which includes a recurring arc on the upcoming season of Hulu’s hit series, The Handmaid’s Tale.
Mary Holland, a...
- 4/21/2018
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
TriStar Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to “Happiest Season” from writing duo Clea DuVall and Mary Holland, with DuVall on board to direct.
For DuVall, the pic will mark her first directing job at the studio level. Marty Bowen and Isaac Klausner will produce with Jaclyn Huntling overseeing for Temple Hill.
“Mary and I are beyond thrilled to be working with TriStar and Temple Hill,” said DuVall. “‘Happiest Season’ is extremely important to us, and we could not ask for a better team to collaborate with to bring it to the screen.”
The pic tells the story of a young woman whose plan to propose to her girlfriend while at her family’s annual holiday party is upended when she discovers her partner hasn’t yet come out to her conservative parents.
“Teaming up with Clea to write ‘Happiest Season’ has been a highlight of my life,” said Holland. “I...
For DuVall, the pic will mark her first directing job at the studio level. Marty Bowen and Isaac Klausner will produce with Jaclyn Huntling overseeing for Temple Hill.
“Mary and I are beyond thrilled to be working with TriStar and Temple Hill,” said DuVall. “‘Happiest Season’ is extremely important to us, and we could not ask for a better team to collaborate with to bring it to the screen.”
The pic tells the story of a young woman whose plan to propose to her girlfriend while at her family’s annual holiday party is upended when she discovers her partner hasn’t yet come out to her conservative parents.
“Teaming up with Clea to write ‘Happiest Season’ has been a highlight of my life,” said Holland. “I...
- 4/20/2018
- by Justin Kroll
- Variety Film + TV
"I miss the person that I met three years ago... That guy was romantic." Netflix has debuted the first trailer for a romantic comedy titled Happy Anniversary, which is the directorial debut of screenwriter Jared Stern. The story is about a couple, as they approach their third anniversary, who must decide whether to stay together or call it quits. This actually looks maybe even better than you're expecting, so you might want to take a look anyway. Ben Schwartz (from The Intervention, "Parks and Rec") and Noel Wells (from Mr. Roosevelt, Infinity Baby, "Master of None") star as the main couple Sam and Mollie, with a cast including Annie Potts, Joe Pantoliano, Isidora Goreshter, and Rahul Kohli. This does look like a good mix of humor and emotion, with some funny and still poignant moments. Might hit a little close to home for some. Here's the official trailer for Jared Stern's Happy Anniversary,...
- 3/16/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Tucked in between spaces occupied by Venice and Toronto and Nyff, is the indispensable Ifp Week. A summit slash showcase for true independent visions in the mostly American indie and documentary field, this year’s listing of projects that are in need of a little production coin includes names such as Clea DuVall (The Intervention), Philippe Falardeau (Chuck), Meera Menon (Equity), Brian M.
Continue reading...
Continue reading...
- 7/20/2017
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
It’s been 20 years since Party of Five staged one of television’s most gut-wrenching, tear-filled interventions, and the memory of shooting that episode still makes star Scott Wolf verklempt.
“I almost get emotional talking about it,” he admits, trying not to get choked up.
More from TVLineTVLine Items: Descendants Teaser, Scott Wolf Joins Fox Drama and MoreA Merry Scottish Christmas' Scott Wolf, Lacey Chabert Hail 'Complex' Hallmark Movie, Tease Party of Five Easter EggsParty of Five's Scott Wolf, Lacey Chabert Reunite for Hallmark Christmas Movie
The actor — who currently stars in NBC’s The Night Shift — singles out “two...
“I almost get emotional talking about it,” he admits, trying not to get choked up.
More from TVLineTVLine Items: Descendants Teaser, Scott Wolf Joins Fox Drama and MoreA Merry Scottish Christmas' Scott Wolf, Lacey Chabert Hail 'Complex' Hallmark Movie, Tease Party of Five Easter EggsParty of Five's Scott Wolf, Lacey Chabert Reunite for Hallmark Christmas Movie
The actor — who currently stars in NBC’s The Night Shift — singles out “two...
- 6/1/2017
- by Vlada Gelman
- TVLine.com
Congratulations are in order for Jason Ritter and Melanie Lynskey!
The couple got engaged after four years of dating, the 39-year-old actress told Et on Thursday, adding that they have been shopping for a house.
Exclusive: Jason Ritter Revisits Dad John Ritter's Show Business Advice
Lynskey spoke more about the happy news during an appearance on Hollywood Today Live on Thursday, gushing, "Now he's my fiancé. I'm announcing it!
The Togetherness star, who admitted the couple keeps their relationship pretty low-key, adorably revealed that the Parenthood actor proposed to her "on the sofa," and she had no idea that it was coming.
Related: Jason Ritter Remembers His Late Father on His Birthday: 'He's Even More on My Mind'
Life is imitating art for Lynskey and Ritter, who played an engaged couple in their 2016 dramedy, The Intervention, where they try to convince their friends to get a divorce.
See more in the video below.
The couple got engaged after four years of dating, the 39-year-old actress told Et on Thursday, adding that they have been shopping for a house.
Exclusive: Jason Ritter Revisits Dad John Ritter's Show Business Advice
Lynskey spoke more about the happy news during an appearance on Hollywood Today Live on Thursday, gushing, "Now he's my fiancé. I'm announcing it!
The Togetherness star, who admitted the couple keeps their relationship pretty low-key, adorably revealed that the Parenthood actor proposed to her "on the sofa," and she had no idea that it was coming.
Related: Jason Ritter Remembers His Late Father on His Birthday: 'He's Even More on My Mind'
Life is imitating art for Lynskey and Ritter, who played an engaged couple in their 2016 dramedy, The Intervention, where they try to convince their friends to get a divorce.
See more in the video below.
- 2/16/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Congrats to Jason Ritter and Melanie Lynskey! The two are engaged! The 39-year-old Kiwi actress and former Two and a Half Men star announced the happy news on the show Hollywood Today Live this week. "Now he's my fiancé," she said. "I'm announcing it." She said Jason, 36, proposed while they were on a sofa and that she did not know it was coming. The two had been dating for four years. Jason, who is one of the late John Ritter's four kids, and Melanie have starred in several three movies together—The Big Ask in 2013, We'll Never Have Paris in 2014 and The Intervention in 2016. "It...
- 2/16/2017
- E! Online
Author: Nathan McVay
Originality has been the driving force of art for thousands of years. From the earliest hieroglyphics, to the strokes of a paintbrush, to the creation of the world’s most famous buildings, the ability to create something that is independent, poignant and unlike anything anyone has seen is what results in the greatest of all art.
This drive for originality is why the Sundance Film Festival exists. It serves as a platform for the newest, undiscovered filmmakers to share their visions. Visions we hope are challenging, enlightening and exciting.
I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore was awarded the prestigious honor of being the opening night film of the 2017 edition of Sundance. Before the opening credits even roll it becomes very obvious why the programmers wanted this to be the film audiences saw first. I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore...
Originality has been the driving force of art for thousands of years. From the earliest hieroglyphics, to the strokes of a paintbrush, to the creation of the world’s most famous buildings, the ability to create something that is independent, poignant and unlike anything anyone has seen is what results in the greatest of all art.
This drive for originality is why the Sundance Film Festival exists. It serves as a platform for the newest, undiscovered filmmakers to share their visions. Visions we hope are challenging, enlightening and exciting.
I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore was awarded the prestigious honor of being the opening night film of the 2017 edition of Sundance. Before the opening credits even roll it becomes very obvious why the programmers wanted this to be the film audiences saw first. I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore...
- 1/22/2017
- by Nathan McVay
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
No year is a “bad year” for movies, but some years aren’t exactly too kind to certain subjects, genres, concepts and people. 2016, for all of its many negatives, has been a good year for film – and for its women, both behind the camera and squarely in front of it.
While female filmmakers are still struggling to be recognized in the same way as their male counterparts, the women who have broken through – from reliable auteurs like Andrea Arnold, Rebecca Miller, Kelly Reichardt and Anne Fontaine to rising stars like Maren Ade, Sophia Takal and Clea Duvall – did so in a very big way this year, thanks to films that spoke to their own talents and visions. Actresses also shown bright in 2016, from awards favorites like Natalie Portman, Annette Bening and Octavia Spencer to fresh faces like Kate Lyn Sheil, Ruth Negga and Sasha Lane.
There’s still a ways to go,...
While female filmmakers are still struggling to be recognized in the same way as their male counterparts, the women who have broken through – from reliable auteurs like Andrea Arnold, Rebecca Miller, Kelly Reichardt and Anne Fontaine to rising stars like Maren Ade, Sophia Takal and Clea Duvall – did so in a very big way this year, thanks to films that spoke to their own talents and visions. Actresses also shown bright in 2016, from awards favorites like Natalie Portman, Annette Bening and Octavia Spencer to fresh faces like Kate Lyn Sheil, Ruth Negga and Sasha Lane.
There’s still a ways to go,...
- 12/8/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
You all know the big movies you need to catch up on before the year is out, but there are plenty of the under-the-radar gems from 2016 still waiting to be discovered. One of them is “The Intervention,” and we’ve got some copies of the indie charmer for some lucky readers.
Read More: ‘The Big Chill’-Esque ‘The Intervention’ Is Sharp-Tongued And Smart [Review]
Written and directed by Clea DuVall, who also stars alongside a great ensemble including Melanie Lynskey, Natasha Lyonne, Vincent Piazza, Jason Ritter, Ben Schwartz, Alia Shawkat and Cobie Smulders, the dramedy centers on four couples plan to reunite for a “marriage intervention” disguised as a fun-filled weekend at a lakeside vacation home.
Continue reading Contest: Win Clea DuVall’s ‘The Intervention’ Starring Melanie Lynskey, Alia Shawkat, Cobie Smulders & More On DVD at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘The Big Chill’-Esque ‘The Intervention’ Is Sharp-Tongued And Smart [Review]
Written and directed by Clea DuVall, who also stars alongside a great ensemble including Melanie Lynskey, Natasha Lyonne, Vincent Piazza, Jason Ritter, Ben Schwartz, Alia Shawkat and Cobie Smulders, the dramedy centers on four couples plan to reunite for a “marriage intervention” disguised as a fun-filled weekend at a lakeside vacation home.
Continue reading Contest: Win Clea DuVall’s ‘The Intervention’ Starring Melanie Lynskey, Alia Shawkat, Cobie Smulders & More On DVD at The Playlist.
- 11/28/2016
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Surveying Melanie Lynskey’s diverse body of work, from her impressive debut in Peter Jackson’s “Heavenly Creatures” 20 years ago to the Duplass Brothers’ “Togetherness,” one thing is clear: Lynskey takes her project choices as seriously as she does her performances.
Over the last few years, Lynskey has appeared in a robust offering of indie films: Joe Swanberg’s “Happy Christmas,” Todd Louiso’s “Hello I Must Be Going,” and her friend Clea Duvall’s directorial debut, “The Intervention,” for which she received a special jury award from the Sundance Film Festival. She continues her winning streak with Linus Phillips’ “Rainbow Time,” an offbeat comedy that explores sensitive territory without devolving into cliche.
The film stars Phillips as Shonzi, a developmentally delayed jokester with a fondness for women, filmmaking, and his brother Todd (Timm Sharp). Lynskey plays Lyndsay, Todd’s idealistic girlfriend, who coddles Shonzi during trying moments when Todd would rather punch him.
Over the last few years, Lynskey has appeared in a robust offering of indie films: Joe Swanberg’s “Happy Christmas,” Todd Louiso’s “Hello I Must Be Going,” and her friend Clea Duvall’s directorial debut, “The Intervention,” for which she received a special jury award from the Sundance Film Festival. She continues her winning streak with Linus Phillips’ “Rainbow Time,” an offbeat comedy that explores sensitive territory without devolving into cliche.
The film stars Phillips as Shonzi, a developmentally delayed jokester with a fondness for women, filmmaking, and his brother Todd (Timm Sharp). Lynskey plays Lyndsay, Todd’s idealistic girlfriend, who coddles Shonzi during trying moments when Todd would rather punch him.
- 11/4/2016
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
“Orange is the New Black” star Natasha Lyonne is a paranoid housewife who has a complicated and tumultuous relationship with her husband, played by “Bates Motel” actor Andrew Howard, in Against Me!’s “333” music video.
Directed by “Say Anything” actress Ione Skye, the clips shows Lyonne wearing a cream slip and pearls, maniacally cleaning her home while her husband is away, always feeling like he’s lurking around the corner.
Read More: ‘Antibirth’ Trailer: Natasha Lyonne & Chloë Sevigny Battle Evil In Maternity Horror-Comedy – Nsfw
“333” is Against Me!’s lead single from their forthcoming album “Shape Shift With Me,” out September 16.
Lyonne can currently be seen in Clea Duvall’s comedy “The Intervention” and the maternity horror-comedy “Antibirth,” which in now in theaters and VOD. She’s also set to appear in David Wain’s “A Futile & Stupid Gesture” and Jeff Garlin’s comedy “Handsome.”
Skye is known for her roles in the 1989 movie “Say Anything,...
Directed by “Say Anything” actress Ione Skye, the clips shows Lyonne wearing a cream slip and pearls, maniacally cleaning her home while her husband is away, always feeling like he’s lurking around the corner.
Read More: ‘Antibirth’ Trailer: Natasha Lyonne & Chloë Sevigny Battle Evil In Maternity Horror-Comedy – Nsfw
“333” is Against Me!’s lead single from their forthcoming album “Shape Shift With Me,” out September 16.
Lyonne can currently be seen in Clea Duvall’s comedy “The Intervention” and the maternity horror-comedy “Antibirth,” which in now in theaters and VOD. She’s also set to appear in David Wain’s “A Futile & Stupid Gesture” and Jeff Garlin’s comedy “Handsome.”
Skye is known for her roles in the 1989 movie “Say Anything,...
- 9/2/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
‘The Intervention’ Is The Perfect Indie To Watch On VOD This Labor Day Weekend — IndieWire On Demand
Editor’s Note: Click here for more information about the indie films available from Movies on Demand.
Labor Day weekend is a time for last-minute relaxation, and what better way to do so than with an irresistible ensemble comedy? That’s why Clea DuVall’s directorial debut “The Intervention” is the perfect indie to watch on VOD this holiday weekend. Featuring one of the year’s strongest indie ensembles — including Melanie Lynskey, Cobie Smulders, Natasha Lyonne, Jason Ritter, Vincent Piazza and Ben Schwartz — “The Intervention” is a clever riff on “The Big Chill,” centering on a weekend gateway among four couples that takes a sharp turn when it’s revealed the trip is really an intervention on one of their marriages.
Intelligently written to uplift cliches left and right, and featuring a standout Lynskey who won a special Jury Prize for acting at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year,...
Labor Day weekend is a time for last-minute relaxation, and what better way to do so than with an irresistible ensemble comedy? That’s why Clea DuVall’s directorial debut “The Intervention” is the perfect indie to watch on VOD this holiday weekend. Featuring one of the year’s strongest indie ensembles — including Melanie Lynskey, Cobie Smulders, Natasha Lyonne, Jason Ritter, Vincent Piazza and Ben Schwartz — “The Intervention” is a clever riff on “The Big Chill,” centering on a weekend gateway among four couples that takes a sharp turn when it’s revealed the trip is really an intervention on one of their marriages.
Intelligently written to uplift cliches left and right, and featuring a standout Lynskey who won a special Jury Prize for acting at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year,...
- 8/30/2016
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Everyone knows a couple whose behavior prompts the question, “How are they still together?” Clea DuVall’s debut feature film “The Intervention” takes that question to the next level by actually staging a couple intervention. The film follows Annie (Melanie Lynskey) and her fiancé Matt (Jason Ritter) who plan a getaway weekend as an excuse to confront Ruby (Cobie Smulders) and Peter (Vincent Piazza) about their toxic relationship. They invite along two other couples — Jessie (DuVall) and Sarah (Natasha Lyonne) and Jack (Ben Schwartz) and his 22-year-old girlfriend Lola (Alia Shawkat) — in order to ease the tension, but everyone’s presence inevitably ratchets up the awkwardness. Soon, problems arise, secrets are revealed, and relationships are tested as they all start to examine their own lives and connections with others. Watch an exclusive clip from the film below.
Read More: Sundance Review: Clea DuVall’s ‘The Intervention’ Starring Melanie Lynskey, Cobie Smulders,...
Read More: Sundance Review: Clea DuVall’s ‘The Intervention’ Starring Melanie Lynskey, Cobie Smulders,...
- 8/26/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Anxieties of thirtysomethings are a tale as old as time. A few weeks ago the melancholic Joshy reminded us of the challenges young men face growing up today, and it was only about three decades ago that Glenn Close and William Hurt gave us The Big Chill. So another movie about close friends dealing with life and each other is not necessarily an innovative concept. But a new indie flick from Sundance, The Intervention, delivers a worthwhile and funny twist on the concept with its gut wrenchingly honest dialogue and a subtly brilliant performance by Melanie Lynskey from Two and a Half Men.
Lynskey’s character, Annie, has summoned her lifelong friends to a weekend getaway at their pal Jesse’s estate outside Savannah. Jesse is played by Clea DuVall, who also directed the film. But it’s not fun and games Annie has in mind. She’s coopted the others,...
Lynskey’s character, Annie, has summoned her lifelong friends to a weekend getaway at their pal Jesse’s estate outside Savannah. Jesse is played by Clea DuVall, who also directed the film. But it’s not fun and games Annie has in mind. She’s coopted the others,...
- 8/26/2016
- by J Don Birnam
- LRMonline.com
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Blood Father (Jean-François Richet)
If this be the movie jail that Mel Gibson is destined to die in, it could be a whole lot worse. Blood Father, directed by Jean-François Richet (Mesrine, Assault on Precinct 13), works remarkably well as a grindhouse throwback, sporting a screenplay (from Peter Craig and Andrea Berloff, based on Craig’s novel) that’s better than it has any right to be.
Blood Father (Jean-François Richet)
If this be the movie jail that Mel Gibson is destined to die in, it could be a whole lot worse. Blood Father, directed by Jean-François Richet (Mesrine, Assault on Precinct 13), works remarkably well as a grindhouse throwback, sporting a screenplay (from Peter Craig and Andrea Berloff, based on Craig’s novel) that’s better than it has any right to be.
- 8/26/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Girl Talk is a weekly look at women in film — past, present and future.
Melanie Lynskey was just 16 when she first broke into Hollywood, thanks to a bold and bright turn opposite Kate Winslet in Peter Jackson’s fact-based “Heavenly Creatures.” Since then, she’s carved out a career that’s wholly her own, one that includes roles in tiny indies like “Hello I Must Be Going” and big studio films like “Sweet Home Alabama,” exceedingly popular television series like “Two and a Half Men” (when asked about the roles she’s recognized most for, Lynskey laughed and said, “At the airport, it’s ‘Two and Half Men'”) and critical darlings like “Togetherness” — and just about everything in between.
But one thing has held true from the start: Lynskey requires great material. She could scarcely ask for better than the kind she got in Clea DuVall’s directorial debut, “The Intervention.
Melanie Lynskey was just 16 when she first broke into Hollywood, thanks to a bold and bright turn opposite Kate Winslet in Peter Jackson’s fact-based “Heavenly Creatures.” Since then, she’s carved out a career that’s wholly her own, one that includes roles in tiny indies like “Hello I Must Be Going” and big studio films like “Sweet Home Alabama,” exceedingly popular television series like “Two and a Half Men” (when asked about the roles she’s recognized most for, Lynskey laughed and said, “At the airport, it’s ‘Two and Half Men'”) and critical darlings like “Togetherness” — and just about everything in between.
But one thing has held true from the start: Lynskey requires great material. She could scarcely ask for better than the kind she got in Clea DuVall’s directorial debut, “The Intervention.
- 8/25/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Stick half a dozen or so old friends in a country house for a long weekend, add a dash of relationship dysfunction and life crises, and bam: instant movie. However, “The Intervention,” the first feature written and directed by actress Clea DuVall, feels at times like it was reconstituted from other movies, especially a big chunk of “The Big Chill.” This time, the friends are late-model Gen Xers, heading towards their 40s but for the most part still grappling with who and what they want to be. There’s Annie (Melanie Lynskey), a jittery problem drinker approaching her oft-postponed wedding to.
- 8/25/2016
- by Sam Adams
- The Wrap
It's link time which also doubles as news catch up! (Yes, Oscar Chart updates are currently in progress. So more on that and the foreign submissions very soon)
Think Pieces, List Mania, Celebrity
• Movie City News launches another "Gurus of Gold" season where all of us have named our current top 20 "general field" predictions. Yes, I'm updating my charts over the next three days! Manchester by the Sea and Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk are expected leaders
• Gawker Rich Juzwiack says goodbye to one identity through a George Michael lens. It's wonderful
• Mnpp Paul Bettany is vacationing in Ibiza
• Nyt talks to Kirsten Dunst about life after Fargo and her Emmy nomination
• Mind of a Suspicious Kind Martin Scorsese's Silence is supposedly his longest ever (over 3 hours) but is it actually coming out this year?
• Cinema Enthusiast polled film twitter on their favorite films of 1982. The results are interesting but weird.
Think Pieces, List Mania, Celebrity
• Movie City News launches another "Gurus of Gold" season where all of us have named our current top 20 "general field" predictions. Yes, I'm updating my charts over the next three days! Manchester by the Sea and Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk are expected leaders
• Gawker Rich Juzwiack says goodbye to one identity through a George Michael lens. It's wonderful
• Mnpp Paul Bettany is vacationing in Ibiza
• Nyt talks to Kirsten Dunst about life after Fargo and her Emmy nomination
• Mind of a Suspicious Kind Martin Scorsese's Silence is supposedly his longest ever (over 3 hours) but is it actually coming out this year?
• Cinema Enthusiast polled film twitter on their favorite films of 1982. The results are interesting but weird.
- 8/25/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Two movies about women at crossroads in their lives explore the sort of personal crisis — lost mojo! — typically reserved for men onscreen. I’m “biast” (pro): desperate for movies about women
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Women at crossroads in their lives. Women who feel their worlds falling apart and don’t know what to do about it. Women who’ve lost their mojo… or never even found it in the first place. These are not the sorts of personal crises that we typically see women experiencing onscreen (though men have countless cinematic examples to follow when they find themselves in a rut). So I was delighted to discover two films that fall into the sparsely populated subgenre of Women Who Go in Search of a Kick in the Butt (Though They Might Not Realize That’s What They...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Women at crossroads in their lives. Women who feel their worlds falling apart and don’t know what to do about it. Women who’ve lost their mojo… or never even found it in the first place. These are not the sorts of personal crises that we typically see women experiencing onscreen (though men have countless cinematic examples to follow when they find themselves in a rut). So I was delighted to discover two films that fall into the sparsely populated subgenre of Women Who Go in Search of a Kick in the Butt (Though They Might Not Realize That’s What They...
- 8/25/2016
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
The Intervention Samuel Goldwyn Films Reviewed by: Harvey Karten, Showbiz Grade: B Director: Clea DuVall Written by: Clea DuVall Cast: Clea DuVall, Melanie Lynskey, Natasha Lyonne, Vincent Piazza, Jason Ritter, Ben Schwartz, Alia Shawkat, Cobie Smulders Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 7/18/16 Opens: August 29, 2016 What are friends for? One of the important uses is to help others in their respective relationships. Friends don’t let friends drive drunk, drop acid, get into trouble with the law. If one of your pals is having a difficult time with a spouse, you may step in, save the duo the costs of marriage counseling, and get them on the same page. It’s [ Read More ]
The post The Intervention Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post The Intervention Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 8/25/2016
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
The Intervention's appealing ensemble. (Courtesy Paramount)
It's no secret that women are still mostly used as beards in studio bromances or scenery in tentpole actioners. But even smaller character-driven films can’t always be counted on to provide satisfaction for those of us yearning to recognize some aspect of ourselves on screen. Faced with intimate stories that fail to bring female characters into focus or ambitious tales that mirror but don’t alleviate the special joys of being a girl (worldwide), female audiences are mostly left to get enlightenment or escape by dreaming ourselves into male characters and stories.
Men rule in the sinister Equity, a sleek woman-powered drama that compels attention from start to finish but occasionally thwarts our need for clarity. Three women’s fates intertwine in what is essentially a horror movie about the perils of being female in the high-stakes world of finance (and elsewhere...
It's no secret that women are still mostly used as beards in studio bromances or scenery in tentpole actioners. But even smaller character-driven films can’t always be counted on to provide satisfaction for those of us yearning to recognize some aspect of ourselves on screen. Faced with intimate stories that fail to bring female characters into focus or ambitious tales that mirror but don’t alleviate the special joys of being a girl (worldwide), female audiences are mostly left to get enlightenment or escape by dreaming ourselves into male characters and stories.
Men rule in the sinister Equity, a sleek woman-powered drama that compels attention from start to finish but occasionally thwarts our need for clarity. Three women’s fates intertwine in what is essentially a horror movie about the perils of being female in the high-stakes world of finance (and elsewhere...
- 8/24/2016
- by Helen Eisenbach
- www.culturecatch.com
Gathering seven or eight terrific actors in one location and letting them cut loose is an easy recipe for an indie film, but it’s surprising that such projects don’t do more to avoid the inevitable Big Chill comparisons. Just two years ago, the little-seen About Alex offered a minor twist on the formula: Alex (Jason Ritter), the focus of the friends’ reunion, was still alive, as his suicide attempt had failed. Now along comes The Intervention, which changes the reason for the gathering but still pretty much follows the template, right down to including a single outsider and making her a slightly younger woman who’s dating one of the guys. What’s more, Jason Ritter is again part of the ensemble! He’s surrounded by talented folks doing generally fine work—Clea DuVall makes her debut here as writer-director, and after two decades in front of the...
- 8/24/2016
- by Mike D'Angelo
- avclub.com
Welcome to Random Roles, wherein we talk to actors about the characters who defined their careers. The catch: They don’t know beforehand what roles we’ll ask them to talk about.
The actor: When starting out, Clea DuVall played a lot of what she describes as “angsty teenagers with too much eye makeup.” As she grew up, DuVall went from being that girl in ’90s high school movies to popping up in the work of directors like Alejandro González Iñárritu and David Fincher. Her TV acting is equally notable: She’s been in a gone-too-soon HBO series thanks to Carnivàle and had a turn on American Horror Story. Recently, she unleashed a fantastically funny deadpan on Veep. This week her directorial debut The Intervention, which premiered at Sundance, will hit theaters and VOD. DuVall also wrote and stars in the film, about a group of friends gathering to tell...
The actor: When starting out, Clea DuVall played a lot of what she describes as “angsty teenagers with too much eye makeup.” As she grew up, DuVall went from being that girl in ’90s high school movies to popping up in the work of directors like Alejandro González Iñárritu and David Fincher. Her TV acting is equally notable: She’s been in a gone-too-soon HBO series thanks to Carnivàle and had a turn on American Horror Story. Recently, she unleashed a fantastically funny deadpan on Veep. This week her directorial debut The Intervention, which premiered at Sundance, will hit theaters and VOD. DuVall also wrote and stars in the film, about a group of friends gathering to tell...
- 8/24/2016
- by Esther Zuckerman
- avclub.com
Tegan and Sara are no strangers to movie soundtracks. The duo previously recorded the Oscar-nominated “Everything Is Awesome!!!” for “The Lego Movie” and now, have a killer synth pop song, “Fade Out,” for the indie film “The Intervention.” The sisters released the music video for their latest track, which features behind-the-scenes footage and bloopers from the upcoming drama.
The movie is directed and written by Clea DuVall and stars DuVall, Melanie Lynskey, Natasha Lyonne, Vincent Piazza, Jason Ritter, Ben Schwartz, Alia Shawkat and Cobie Smulders. The film, which premiered at Sundance this past January, follows three couples who hatch a plan to tell two good friends that they should get a divorce.
Read More: ‘The Intervention’ Trailer: Friends Confront a ‘Marital Prison’ in Clea DuVall’s Directorial Debut
Sara Quinn already had “Fade Out” written, but according to Rolling Stone, adjusted the lyrics to fit the movie.
“I played a...
The movie is directed and written by Clea DuVall and stars DuVall, Melanie Lynskey, Natasha Lyonne, Vincent Piazza, Jason Ritter, Ben Schwartz, Alia Shawkat and Cobie Smulders. The film, which premiered at Sundance this past January, follows three couples who hatch a plan to tell two good friends that they should get a divorce.
Read More: ‘The Intervention’ Trailer: Friends Confront a ‘Marital Prison’ in Clea DuVall’s Directorial Debut
Sara Quinn already had “Fade Out” written, but according to Rolling Stone, adjusted the lyrics to fit the movie.
“I played a...
- 8/23/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.