Biography: Aubrey Plaza

Actor, writer, and comedian Aubrey Plaza is quickly becoming one of her generation’s brightest young talents.

Plaza currently stars in the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation as ‘April Ludgate,’ ‘Ron Swanson‘s’ underachieving assistant. The series, from the creators of The Office, is a half-‐hour mockumentary that looks at the world of local government. Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones co-‐star. The show was just nominated for an Emmy in the “Best Comedy Series” category and will return for a fourth season in September.

She will next begin production on Roman Coppola‘s new film A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charlie Swan III. The independent film produced by Youree Henley stars Charlie Sheen as the title character, a successful graphic designer whose fame, money and charm have made him irresistible to women. When his girlfriend breaks up with him, his life swirls into a downward spiral of doubt, confusion and reflection. Through delirious fantasies involving his many failed romances, he begins the hard road of self-‐evaluation to come to terms with life without her. Plaza will play Marnie, a producer who works with the protagonist at his company, Swan Design. Read more

Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss on the Evolution of Peggy

Elisabeth Moss has gotten to do some growing along with her character, Peggy Olson, as Mad Men has progressed over the years. 

In an interview with AMCTV.com, Moss said, “I’ve known Peggy for six years.  What’s great about that is when I started out I was 23 and now I’m 29, so I’ve changed a lot in six years.  So the sort of melding and blending of you changing and you growing up and the character changing and melding and growing is not an opportunity that you always get…We’ve never made [Peggy] really different from season to season or been like, oh, now she’s wearing pantsuits and bossing everyone around.  I think she’s changed enormously in the past five seasons.  But it’s also been realistic.” Read more

Trailer: ‘Your Sister’s Sister’ starring Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt & Mark Duplass

Mark Duplass is is on a role this year; writing and directing Jeff, Who Lives at Home and The Do-Deca Pentathalon and starring in Safety Not Guarenteed (my favorite film of the year so far), Darling Companion, People Like Us and now Your Sister’s Sister.

Your Sister’s Sister: Emily Blunt, Rosemarie Dewitt and Mark Duplass star in Your Sister’s Sister, a new comedy about romance, grief and sibling rivalry. A year after his brother Tom’s death, Jack (Duplass) is still struggling emotionally. When he makes ascene at a memorial party, Tom’s best friend Iris (Blunt) offers up her family cabin on an island in the Pacific Northwest so Jack can seek catharsis in solitude. Once there, however, he runs into Iris’ sister Hannah (Dewitt) who is reeling from the abrupt end of a seven-year relationship and finds solace in Tom’s unexpected presence. A blurry evening of drinking concludes with an awkward sexual incident, made worse by Iris’ sudden presence at the cabin the next morning. A twisted tale of ever-complicated relationships is set in motion with raw, hilarious and emotional performances from the all-star cast.

Writer/Director: Lynn Shelton
Cast: Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt, Mark Duplass, Mike Birbiglia

In Theaters: June 15th Read more

Trailer: ‘House at the End of the Street’ starring Elisabeth Shue, Jennifer Lawrence & Max Thieriot

House at the End of the Street: Seeking a fresh start, newly divorced Sarah (Oscar(R)-nominee Elisabeth Shue; Leaving Las Vegas, Piranha 3D) and her daughter Elissa (Oscar(R)-nominee Jennifer Lawrence; X-Men: First Class, Winter’s Bone) find the house of their dreams in a small, upscale, rural town. But when startling and unexplainable events begin to happen, Sarah and Elissa learn the town is in the shadows of a chilling secret. Years earlier, in the house next door, a daughter killed her parents in their beds, and disappeared – leaving only a brother, Ryan (Max Thieriot, My Soul to Take), as the sole survivor. Against Sarah’s wishes, Elissa begins a relationship with the reclusive Ryan – and the closer they get, the deeper they’re all pulled into a mystery more dangerous than they ever imagined.

Director: Mark Tonderai
Cast: Elisabeth Shue, Jennifer Lawrence, Max Thieriot, Gil Bellows
Writers: David Loucka

In Theaters: September, 21st Read more

Elisabeth Moss on the New Season of ‘Mad Men’: “It’s pretty clear she’s on her way to being Don Draper”

The brand new season of AMC’s Mad Men premiered last Sunday after a 17-month hiatus and the future of Elisabeth Moss’ character, Peggy Olson, is bright. She’s posed to become enormously successful in the advertising world after paying her dues. 

In an interview with Daily News, Moss said, “It’s pretty clear she’s on her way to being Don Draper.  She’s not exactly like him, but she has the skills and she can rise the way he did.  She’s become harder as she’s gone along, but she still has her feminine side.  I think woman today absolutely face and understand the things Peggy goes through.  I’ve never tried to play this as a period drama.”

After being nominated three times for Emmy’s, Moss knows her role in the acclaimed drama is significant.  She said, “Peggy is a great role.  For me, and I think for most of the actors on the show, I’m sure it will be one of the top five roles we ever play.”  Read more

Biography: Josh Hutcherson

19-year-old Josh Hutcherson has been one of Hollywood’s most accomplished young actors for almost 10 years. 

Josh will soon be seen in the sequel to “Journey to the Center of the Earth, Journey 2: Mysterious Island.”  The film, which co-stars Michael Caine and Dwayne Johnson, focuses on Josh’s character as he partners with his mother’s boyfriend on a mission to find his grandfather, who is allegedly missing on a mythical island. 

Upcoming films also include an independent feature film “Detention,” which made its debut at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival. Hutcherson also served as Executive Producer on this film. Additionally, Josh will be seen in “Red Dawn,” a remake of the 1984 classic about a group of teenagers trying to save their town from foreign soldiers, and an omnibus film entitled “Seven Days in Havana,” which includes 7 shorts directed by 7 different directors. Benicio Del Toro directed Josh’s portion of the film in which he follows Hutcherson as he explores the culture of the island for the first time. Read more

Biograraphy: Jennifer Lawrence

A natural talent, with a striking presence and undeniable energy, Academy Award® nominee Jennifer Lawrence has established herself as one of Hollywood’s most promising young actresses.

Jennifer recently wrapped production on David O. Russell‘s “The Silver Linings Playbook,” alongside Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro. Based on Matthew Quick‘s novel, the film revolves around a former high school teacher who was institutionalized for depression and is then released into the care of his mother. He tries to win back his ex-wife but becomes involved with a bizarre neighbor (Lawrence) who also has a history of mental problems. The film will be released by The Weinstein Company on November 21, 2012.

Jennifer was recently seen in Drake Doremus’ “Like Crazy” opposite Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones.  The film won the Grand Jury prize at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

In April, Jennifer will be seen in Relativity’s “House at the End of the Street” opposite Elisabeth Shue and Max Thieriot.  This past summer, Jennifer was seen in Matthew Vaughn‘s “X-Men: First Class” as Mystique, starring opposite Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy.  She also starred alongside Mel Gibson and Anton Yelchin in “The Beaver,” directed by Jodie Foster. Read more

SXSW Interview: Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford on ‘The Cabin in the Woods’

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:14 — 11.2MB)

Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford star in the incredibly fun new horror film, The Cabin in the Woods.

The two play, uh…. well, I can’t really say. If I give away plot details, I may be doomed to the same fate some of the characters in the film meet. That being said, Richard and Bradley totally make the film the standout that it is and I promise you’ll love it.

In this roundtable I did with them at SXSW, they talk about shooting the film, why they don’t create a back story for their characters… ever(!) and what on-set chemistry really means.

I recommend downloading the audio interview because it’s so much better. You can hear their humor and you’ll get much more out of it. In the interview, both the audio and the one below, there are some small spoilers but nothing that will or could ruin the film for you. Promise!

The Cabin in the Woods opens April 13th. Go see it! Read more

Biography: Cynthia Nixon

Emmy and Tony Award-winner Cynthia Nixon has been a critically acclaimed and sought after actress since the age of twelve.

Nixon can currently be seen in a guest-starring role on Showtime’s critically acclaimed hit “The Big C” opposite Laura Linney as well as the current Broadway production of Wit. She is also in production on Curtis Hanson‘s “Too Big to Fail” for HBO. Nixon will play Michele Davis in a story about the collapse of Wall Street and the financial crisis of 2008 in which a group of powerbrokers decide the fate of the world’s economy in a matter of a few weeks. The telepic also stars James Woods, Paul Giamatti and William Hurt.

The actress most recently starred in the sequel to New Line’s 2008 summer blockbuster Sex and the City: the Movie. She also recently played in Richard Laxton‘s An Englishman in New York opposite John Hurt. Prior to that, she appeared in Derick and Steven Martini‘s film Lymelife along with Alec Baldwin and Timothy Hutton. She played opposite John Leguizamo in The Babysitters, which premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Prior to that, Nixon was seen in New Regency’s feature Little Manhattan as well as in Alex Steyermark‘s One Last Thing, which premiered at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival and was screened at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. The actress portrayed Eleanor Roosevelt opposite Kenneth Branagh‘s Franklin Roosevelt in HBO’s Warm Springs. This role earned Nixon a Golden Globe nomination, a SAG Award nomination, and an Emmy nomination. In 2004 she starred in the mini-series Tanner on Tanner, directed by Robert Altman and written by Garry Trudeau, a sequel to Tanner ’88. Read more

Review: ‘Three Sisters’ at the Sargent Theater (NYC)

It’s always amusing to watch people who obviously don’t like each other interact, especially when they are family.  While the titular sisters of Anton Chekhov‘s play Three Sisters aren’t particularly humorous during much of the play, the cast of the current production by The Seeing Place at the Sargent Theater does a remarkable job of playing up the humor in even the play’s most tragic elements.

Three Sisters is about four siblings (three sisters and their brother) who are seemingly the only upper-class family living a provincial village in Russia.  They were moved their by their father, a military man, a decade ago.  The father, who died a year before the play begins, has left four children unhappy with their places in their lives but unable to make the necessary decisions to fix them.  Because it is a military town there are a number of soldiers who are regular guests at their family home, most of who are infatuated with Irina, the youngest daughter.  Irina (played by Elisa Pupko) is the most depressing character in the play since she goes from hopeful and joyous to, in her words, “disintegrating” in the four years that the play covers (it is set in the early twentieth century, Pre-Bolshevik era).  The Irina role might be the most demanding, but Pupko has no difficulty with the emotional spectrum that the role requires.

With a boring cast, a dialogue-heavy Chekhov play could be used as an instrument of torture.  It is a long play, and the text of the original contains contains a number of lines that could be easily excised with a talented cast conveying the cut dialogue.  So while this production still clocks in at over three hours, the cast maintains interest throughout with their chemistry. I admit that I’m new to this translation of the play, but it does much to bring out the inherent humor in the material that can be obscured by more literal translations. Read more

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