Notizie

Before has earned a career-low Rotten Tomatoes score for star Billy Crystal. The actor, who is best known for his roles in comedies including When Harry Met Sally, Monsters, Inc., and City Slickers, stars in the Apple TV+ series as widower psychologist Eli, who discovers that he has a mysterious connection to his newest patient. The Before cast also includes Jacobi Jupe, Maria Dizzia, Ava Lalezarzadeh, Rosie Perez, Judith Light, Itzhak Perlman, and Miriam Shor.

Rotten Tomatoes has now tabulated a score for Before out of 12 different critics' reviews. While it could fluctuate as more reviews are added, at the time of writing, it is a firmly Rotten 33%. This marks the worst Rotten Tomatoes score for a project with Crystal in a major role since 2012, when he starred in both Parental Guidance (18%) and Small Apartments (30%). In general, it is his worst score since 2016's The Comedian (24%), in which he made a cameo as himself.

The Road Dog is a comedy-drama film directed by Greg Glienna, who also co-wrote the film with Tony Boswell. The film revolves around an alcoholic standup comedian who gets a new lease on life when he tries to get to know his son, whom he didn’t even know existed. The Road Dog stars Doug Stanhope in the lead role with Khrystyne Haje, Greg Fitzsimmons, and Tim Kazurinsky starring in supporting roles. So, if you liked The Road Dog here are some similar movies you could watch next.

Standing Up, Falling Down (Prime Video & Hulu) Credit – Shout! Studios

Synopsis: A struggling stand-up comedian (Ben Schwartz) moves back home to Long Island with his tail tucked between his legs and strikes up an unlikely friendship with his eccentric dermatologist (Billy Crystal).

Funny People (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Universal Pictures

Synopsis: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann star in...

As one door opens, another one closes, and although Hulu will be adding plenty of titles to keep you busy through October, once the month wraps up, the streamer will be eliminating over 100 series and movies from the platform.

If you’re planning on doing your Halloween binge-watching via Huluween, don’t expect to extend your holiday: many of the horror titles Hulu will be adding for October will be removed from the platform on October 31. All the more reason to celebrate Halloween all month long.

Check out The Streamable’s can’t-miss list of what’s leaving and cross them off your watchlist by the end of the month!

30-Day Free Trial $7.99+ / month hulu.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Leaving Hulu in October 2023? “Evil Dead” | Tuesday, Oct. 31

What’s lost in camp is made up for in horror and gore in 2013’s entry into the “Evil Dead” franchise.

The Umbrella Academy cast in season 3 picked up where season 2 left off. Based on the comic by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, The Umbrella Academy season 3 saw the titular characters returning to the present from the 1960s to discover they have been replaced by the Sparrow Academy, a group of seven children with powers Reginald adopted to train. The Umbrella Academy season 3 introduces a plethora of new characters, though it makes sure not to neglect the main characters. The cast has always been an ensemble and the additional characters have added new dimensions to the Hargreeves.

This family is constantly faced with different and unique challenges on account of their being born with powers and adopted by a man who didn’t show them any affection. Season 3 sees the Umbrella Academy dealing with the repercussions of what occurred in the 1960s, with their actions creating a new timeline that effectively rewrote their previous lives.

Exclusive: Peter Hoare has been tapped by producers Joe Russo (The Greatest Beer Run Ever) and Jordan Finnegan to pen the script for Reply All, a new film based on the viral, true story of Will Novak, an Arizona family man who was the unintended recipient of an invitation to a bachelor party in Vermont.

The story dates back to 2019, when Novak received an invitation to “Angelo’s Bachelor Party” that was intended for a different William Novak. But rather than informing the group that they had reached the wrong person, he instead let them know that he would be attending.

Novak quickly designed a GoFundMe page titled “Help Me Go to The Bachelor Party Of A Complete Stranger” which raised funds to cover the entire trip in two hours. And as the story got out onto social media, several corporate brands began to reach out,...

Independent Entertainment have boarded M. Cahill’s “Porcupine” and will launch international sales at the Cannes Marche.

Vertical Entertainment have the North American rights and have set a summer 2022 release for the film, which was written and directed by Cahill.

Featuring Jena Malone (Hunger Games franchise) and Robert Hunger-Bühler (“Vacuum”), “Porcupine” is based on a true story about “a woman’s longing to belong.”

In the offbeat feature, Malone plays Audrey, a woman who is estranged from her family and struggles to hold down a job, having been fired seven times in two years. Afflicted by the unspoken pandemic of loneliness, she finds solace in going down YouTube rabbit holes. One day that changes when she stumbles across a video about adult adoption and decides to try it out for herself.

Audrey soon gets herself adopted by a family as dysfunctional as she is but finds an unlikely companionship in...

Tech-centric holding company Ballantyne Strong has launched Strong Studios to create content under the company’s Strong Entertainment division. David Ozer, formerly CEO of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s Landmark Studio Group, will serve as president of the new studio.

Based in New York, Strong Studios will develop and produce original feature films and television series, as well as acquire third party rights to content for global multiplatform distribution. At launch, the new studio has set an initial distribution agreement with Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s Screen Media that will see Strong Studios produce two new scripted series, supernatural horror show “Safehaven” and Michael Rapaport dramedy “Flagrant,” for Screen Media this year. Both series will be launched through Screen Media’s streaming services Crackle, Popcornflix and Chicken Soup for the Soul, which have first rights to premiere.

“The launch of Strong Studios is a natural but...

Exclusive: Shout! Studios has acquired North American rights to Famm Films’ topical drama I’m Charlie Walker, starring Mike Colter, following a competitive bidding situation. Shout! Factory’s multi-platform entertainment distribution and production arm plans to release the film across all major entertainment platforms, beginning with a theatrical day-and-date launch later this year.

The film based on a true story picks up in 1971, as two oil tankers violently collide off the San Francisco coast, spilling millions of gallons of crude oil and creating an environmental disaster. Against all odds, trucking and construction entrepreneur Charlie Walker (Colter) is then able to secure one of the most lucrative contracts to clean the coastline threatening much of the San Francisco Bay, with only three trucks, an incredible work ethic and a whole lot of heart. Pic recounts the racial discrimination Walker endured as he tries to save the coastline,...

Billy Crystal, whose multi-faceted career covers movies, TV, Broadway, books, stand- up comedy, directing, producting and writing in all mediums — not to mention hosting the Oscars nine times — will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 27th annual Critics Choice Awards on March 13 at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel.

It will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. Et on TBS and The CW and tape-delayed in the West.

Crystal, a Tony and Emmy winner is currently prepping his Broadway return in his first musical comedy, an adaptation of his 1992 film Mr. Saturday Night which is set to open on April 27.

He joins Lauren Bacall, Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Eddie Murphy, Robert Wise as the only past Life Achievement honorees in the organization’s 27 year history. As previously announced, Halle Berry will receive the sixth annual SeeHer Award during the ceremony.

Crystal’s many feature film credits include the buddy cop...

Emmy-winning comedian and actor Ben Schwartz has joined the ensemble cast of “Renfield.”

The anticipated take on the mythology of Dracula — which centers its narrative on the vampire’s famed henchman R.M. Renfield — has already cast Nicholas Hoult in the title role. Nicolas Cage will play Dracula, and Awkwafina is also on board.

Chris McKay is directing and producing the project based on an original outline from “The Walking Dead” comic book co-creator Robert Kirkman.

Schwartz was most recently seen in the indie feature “Standing Up, Falling Down,” opposite Billy Crystal, and in Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” live action film. He will next be seen in Lord and Miller’s Apple miniseries “The Afterparty” as well as the second season of “Space Force,” the Netflix original from Greg Daniels and Steve Carell. He will also appear in the planned sequel to “Sonic.”

In 2009, Schwartz won the Emmy for...

Exclusive: Ashton Kutcher will star opposite Reese Witherspoon in the Netflix romcom Your Place or Mine based on the original script by Aline Brosh McKenna who is also making her feature directorial debut on the project.

In Your Place or Mine, two best friends who live on opposite coasts swap homes for a week and see their whole lives change. Deadline first reported about Jason Bateman and Michael Costigan’s Aggregate Films’ deal on the co-production with Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine. Bateman and Costigan will produce through their first-look deal with Netflix alongside Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter for Hello Sunshine and McKenna for Lean Machine.

Aggregate’s Ozark series, which Bateman stars in, directed and exec produced, clocked a third season that was watched by 29M households WW in its first four weeks. Ozark counts three Primetime Emmy wins: one for Bateman in 2019 for...

“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “One Night in Miami,” “Da 5 Bloods,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Minari” are among the top nominees from AARP The Magazine’s annual Movies for Grownups Awards, which were announced on Monday.

Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods” led all films with six nominations in the 15 film categories, followed by Regina King’s “One Night in Miami” and George C. Wolfe’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” with five. But of those films, only “Chicago 7” and “One Night” were nominated in the top category, Best Movie for Grownups, along with “Minari,” “Nomadland” and “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.”

The six nominations for “Da 5 Bloods” included best director for Lee, best actor for Delroy Lindo, best supporting actor for Clark Peters and best ensemble.

Other films that were conspicuously missing from the Best...

“Minari,” “Nomadland,” “One Night in Miami,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “The United States vs Billie Holiday” are vying for the Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups Award announced Monday by AARP The Magazine. AARP’s Movies for Grownups have for the past two decades promoted films for grownups by grownups, fighting for the 50-plus audience and industry ageism. The Movies for Grownups Awards also celebrate television.

“Each year at Movies for Grownups, we spotlight the films that feature today’s crucial issues and top grownup talents,” said Tim Appelo, AARP film and TV critic, in a statement. “In this pandemic year, when movies loomed larger than ever in our lives, we are excited to have a bumper crop of masterworks-and to recognize achievements on TV for the very first time.”

The Mfg Awards winners will be announced on March 4; Hodo Kotb of NBC’s “The Today Show...

The envelope, please. No, not the one inviting your aging bones to join the AARP. The one announcing the nominees for the upcoming Movies for Grownups Awards. This year, Minari, Nomadland, One Night in Miami, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and The United States vs. Billie Holiday are contending for the Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups category. The awards have also added categories in television/streaming for the first time.

For two decades, AARP’s Movies for Grownups program has championed what it calls “movies for grownups, by grownups.” It claims to advocate for the 50-plus audience, fighting industry ageism and encouraging films that resonate with older viewers. AARP’s Movies for Grownups continues its commitment to celebrate quality content by expanding to honor standout TV programs in new categories.

Hoda Kotb, NBC News’ Today coanchor and cohost of Today with Hoda & Jenna, will host the awards ceremony...

Billy Crystal on Wednesday told Stephen Colbert he was thrilled to receive his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine as he misses spending in-person time with his family.

The comic and actor dropped by The Late Show to discuss his new film, Standing Up, Falling Down, when he shared an update on his life in general.

The 72-year-old Crystal told Colbert he’s been spending most of his quarantine doing the New York Times crossword puzzle and playing basketball, of which he is an avid fan. He also mentioned that he recently received his first dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccination.

“It was ...

Billy Crystal on Wednesday told Stephen Colbert he was thrilled to receive his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine as he misses spending in-person time with his family.

The comic and actor dropped by The Late Show to discuss his new film, Standing Up, Falling Down, when he shared an update on his life in general.

The 72-year-old Crystal told Colbert he’s been spending most of his quarantine doing the New York Times crossword puzzle and playing basketball, of which he is an avid fan. He also mentioned that he recently received his first dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccination.

“It was ...

Exclusive: Netflix has acquired feature comedy Student Driver, an original pitch from writer Peter Hoare and Jason Bateman’s Aggregate Films, sources said.

Written by Hoare, with Murder Mystery helmer Kyle Newacheck attached to direct, I hear Student Driver is an action comedy involving a substitute driver’s ed teacher and his students embarking on a madcap adventure.

Aggregate Films produces the movie, now in early development. Tracey Nyberg brought in the project and is overseeing for Aggregate. Netflix declined comment.

Hoare is coming off of his sale of Family Jewels to New Republic, starring Diane Keaton, Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn. He was a writer on CBS sitcom Kevin Can Wait and also wrote the screenplay for the Billy Crystal-starring comedy film Standing Up, Falling Down, which premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. He is repped by Verve, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Goodman Genow Schenkman.

Do the Oscars hate comedies? If you look over their 92-year history, with so many infectious films and performances ignored in favor of more “serious” pieces of art, the assumption could be made. This year, faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, and with theaters not being the normal avenue to watch films, moviegoers and industry professionals are viewing releases more differently than ever.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. pushed the Golden Globes to Feb. 28, 2021, the last day of the eligibility window for the Oscars. With their best comedy or musical designation, the Globes can highlight the laughs in a year that’s seen so much tragedy. It’s possible that Oscar voters, with fewer films to consider, will think outside the box when making selections for the Academy Awards, which will be held in April 2021.

Amazon Studios’ “Borat 2” may give star Sacha Baron Cohen, who won the Golden Globe for...

Tony and Emmy award-winning actor Billy Crystal will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 23rd annual Scad Savannah Film Festival, taking place as a virtual event Oct. 24-31, the Savannah College of Art and Design announced.

Crystal will receive his award on Oct. 26 following the screening of his latest film “Standing Up, Falling Down,” about an unlikely friendship between a failing comedian (Ben Schwartz) and alcoholic dermatologist (Crystal).

He joins previously announced honorees Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Distinguished Performance Award), Rachel Brosnahan (Spotlight Award, Actress), Millie Bobby Brown (Maverick Award), Ethan Hawke (Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment Award), Jennifer Hudson (Virtuoso Award), Samuel L. Jackson (Legends of Cinema Award), Glen Keane (Lifetime Achievement in Animation Award), Delroy Lindo (Spotlight Award, Actor), Tessa Thompson (Vanguard Award) and Steven Yeun (Discovery Award).

The “When Harry Met Sally,” “City Slickers” and “Analyze This” star regularly hosted NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” joining the cast...

Billy Crystal is about to receive the Lifetime Achievement award treatment from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

The legendary Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor has been selected for the top honor during the 23rd annual Scad Savannah Film Festival, scheduled for Oct. 24-31 as a virtual production due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Crystal will receive the award Oct. 26 following a screening of his latest film Standing Up, Falling Down.

He joins previously announced honorees Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (distinguished performance award), Rachel Brosnahan (Spotlight award, actress), Millie Bobby Brown (Maverick award), Ethan Hawke (outstanding achievement in entertainment award), Jennifer Hudson (Virtuoso award), Samuel L. Jackson (Legends of Cinema ...

Billy Crystal is about to receive the Lifetime Achievement award treatment from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

The legendary Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor has been selected for the top honor during the 23rd annual Scad Savannah Film Festival, scheduled for Oct. 24-31 as a virtual production due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Crystal will receive the award Oct. 26 following a screening of his latest film Standing Up, Falling Down.

He joins previously announced honorees Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (distinguished performance award), Rachel Brosnahan (Spotlight award, actress), Millie Bobby Brown (Maverick award), Ethan Hawke (outstanding achievement in entertainment award), Jennifer Hudson (Virtuoso award), Samuel L. Jackson (Legends of Cinema ...

“You’re not dying. You just can’t think of anything good to do.”

-Matthew Broderick in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986)

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences can be a forgetful group. While their tastes have undoubtedly expanded and matured over the years, they still need to be reminded about the best films and performances that didn’t open right before voting. Under the Covid-19 pandemic, and as studios explore the VOD and streaming platform for their releases, Academy members may be watching more movies than ever. On the other hand, they, like many of us, are desperately trying to cure themselves of cabin fever and Zoom fatigue, both of which could be making it difficult to pop in a screener.

In a standard awards coverage year, we would be focusing on the January to June slate of movies that have been released, focusing on box office numbers,...

Welcome to September, ladies and gentlemen. With the summer coming to and end, the fall almost upon us, and the Covid-19 pandemic still very much impacting the industry, much is still up in the air. Such is life with the coronavirus holding up much of the film industry. As fitting this weird year, not much has changed since July when I looked at the best of the first half of the year. Mostly, this just means the best is (hopefully) still to come here. We shall see, but just keep in mind that the midpoint of 2020 has been somewhat of a holding pattern, for obvious reasons. Let’s get right down to it. Below you’ll find my top ten of the year so far, along with my awards for the first two thirds of 2020. Here you go folks, and enjoy: 10. Crshd 9. The Outpost 8. Buffaloed 7. Da 5 Bloods 6. The Invisible Man...

Well, we’re halfway through one of the strangest movie years we’ve ever had. For someone who sees more than 300 films a year, not having been in a theater since early March is insane. Still, as you all know, I’ve still been seeing plenty of things, so my film count is over 180 overall for 2020. That being said, for most, that’s not the case, and that’s a shame. Still, with it being July 1st, it’s time to look back on the first half of the year, honoring the best movies and performances that I’ve seen. This year, I’m being very open-minded (minus two specific titles), so if I’ve seen it, it’s potentially on the list. Basically, there’s a few festival titles or July releases that I normally would have held back on, but I figured…why not? Let’s get right down to it.

In some ways, it feels very silly to do this annual look at the best of the first quarter of the cinematic year. After all, the world has changed and the film world especially has come to a screeching halt. At the same time , a sense of normalcy however possible is always good. So, I’m pressing on and listing my favorite titles and work from the first three months of 2020. Obviously, a lot of high profile flicks were delayed, so whether I saw them or not, I’m not including them here. Still, including things I saw late in 2019 but hit this year, I had over 90 options to pull from. So, hopefully this is a Farley exhaustive list, even if it’s very much skewed by my personal taste. Let’s get right down to it. Below you’ll find my top ten of the year so far, along...

Is your at-home streaming slowing down now that everyone else in your neighborhood is also at home, streaming? May we suggest good old, reliable physical media?

New Indie

We need to stop acting surprised when Adam Sandler gives a powerful performance, as he does in the Safdie brothers’ “Uncut Gems” (Lionsgate); great work pops up throughout his career, from “Punch-Drunk Love” to “The Meyerowitz Stories.” Granted, whereas some movie stars take a “one for them, one for me” approach to balancing popcorn fare with arthouse titles, Sandler is more “ten for them, one for me”; if a great Sandler performance needn’t elicit shock anymore, it should bring up a touch of sadness for the career that might have been.

If you haven’t seen “Good Time” or other earlier Safdie movies, you might not be prepared for their brand of anxious, cinematic-panic-attack filmmaking. “Uncut Gems” will make you uneasy,...

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.

By the Grace of God (François Ozon)

French director François Ozon has delivered one of the best films of his eclectic career with By the Grace of God, a drama whose seriousness and sincerity marks a tonal shift for a filmmaker typically famous for sexual and sensual provocation. Instead, this chronicle of a real-life grassroots campaign to out Catholic priests who committed and covered up of historic sexual abuse is unsensational and methodical, immaculately written through a script that radically tells three different stories that slide seamlessly together. – Ed F. (full review)

Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google

Dark Waters (Todd Haynes)

Legal dramas lionize those...

Coming of age is always a lot less fun when you’re already grown up, a truth astutely understood in “Standing Up, Falling Down.”

Chronicling a stand-up comedian’s disgraceful return home after failing to make waves in Hollywood, director Matt Ratner targets the humiliation, disappointment and awkwardness of failing at a youthful dream while suggesting that those feelings only keep going — and only incrementally get easier — no matter how old you get. Ben Schwartz and Billy Crystal make a solid pair of intergenerational pals in this pleasantly diverting comedy-drama.

Schwartz (“Sonic the Hedgehog”) plays Scott, a comedian we first see halfheartedly warming up a crowd next to the bathroom in a coffee shop. Like too many other dreamers, he headed West hoping to stake a claim as the next great stand-up, but now he’s moving back to live with his parents in Long Island, tail tucked between his...

Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton are starring in the family comedy “Family Jewels” for New Republic Pictures.

It’s a reunion for the trio, 24 years after they starred in the Paramount comedy “The First Wives Club.” New Republic is planning a 2020 production start for “Family Jewels.”

New Republic principals Brian Oliver and Bradley Fischer will produce, along with Alan Nevins. Tracey Nyberg will executive produce. Fischer and Nevins packaged the project with the three leads and, together with Nyberg, brought in screenwriter Peter Hoare.

“Family Jewels” will center on the characters played by Hawn, Midler and Keaton, who are forced to spend the Christmas holidays together, along with their kids and grandkids, after the man they were all once married to drops dead in a New York City department store.

“The chemistry of Diane, Bette and Goldie is unmatched and irresistible, and I’m thrilled to help reunite...

New Republic Pictures has won the auction for “Family Jewels,” a comedy pitch starring Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton, who have not appeared on screen together since 1996’s “The First Wives Club.”

Peter Hoare is writing the screenplay, while New Republic principals Brian Oliver and Bradley Fischer are producing alongside Alan Nevins. Tracey Nyberg is executive producing. Fischer and Nevins packaged the project and brought in Hoare with Nyberg.

The film, which is eyeing a 2020 production start, is a multigenerational family comedy in which Hawn, Midler and Keaton are forced to spend the Christmas holidays together along with their kids and grandkids — after the man they were all once married to suddenly dies in a department store.

Also Read: Chris Hemsworth and Tiffany Haddish $40 Million Comedy 'Down Under Cover' Picked Up by Paramount

“The chemistry of Diane, Bette and Goldie is unmatched and irresistible, and I’m thrilled...

New Republic eyeing 2020 production start.

Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton will reunite for the first time since 1996 hit The First Wives Club in Family Jewels, which 1917 producer New Republic Pictures has won in auction from a pitch by screenwriter Peter Hoare.

The multigenerational family comedy sees the three stars play women forced to spend the Christmas holidays together, along with their children and grandchildren, after the man they were all once married to drops dead in a New York City department store.

New Republic principals Brian Oliver and Bradley Fischer will produce, along with Alan Nevins. Tracey Nyberg will serve as executive producer.

Plot: When a failed stand-up comedian (Ben Schwartz) is forced to move back home with his parents, he makes an unlikely friend in the alcoholic local dermatologist (Billy Crystal). Review: Standing Up, Falling Down is very reminiscent of a style of indie comedy-drama that was in vogue for a long time – that of the failed creative going back to his (or her) small town to reconnect with his…...

Directed by Matt Ratner, Standing Up, Falling Down centers on Scott Rollins (Ben Schwartz), a struggling comedian who leaves Los Angeles and moves back home with his parents. Scott’s unlikely friendship with a dermatologist (Billy Crystal) helps give him a bit of clarity regarding his own life and career. Eloise Mumford [...]

The post Director Matt Ratner Reflects On Landing Billy Crystal For ‘Standing Up, Falling Down’ appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

If you put Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) and Billy Crystal (When Harry Met Sally) in a room together, comedic magic will happen. A new film called Standing Up, Falling Down bets big on this basic idea, and according to our review from last year’s Tribeca Film Festival, the film succeeds largely because of their […]

The post ‘Standing Up, Falling Down’ Trailer: Ben Schwartz and Billy Crystal Pal Around in a Small Town appeared first on /Film.

Ultimately pleasant if slight, “Standing Up, Falling Down” arrives at that modest impact despite the fact that the major characters here insist on behaving in ways that are meant to be funny, but too often land more in the “obnoxious” zone. This seriocomedy, with Ben Schwartz as a failed comedian and Billy Crystal as a wacky dermatologist he befriends, is actually stronger in its middleweight dramatic departments than it is in convincing us that these newly-met buddies are really good-hearted charmers — as opposed to tactless misanthropes who’ve quite understandably alienated most of those around them.

A different movie might have actually explored that second, rather bleak reality. But “Standing Up” wants to be cute and heartwarming. That it eventually succeeds, more or less, pays testament to producer turned first-time feature helmer Matt Ratner’s adept handling, and a cast that does their considerable best with iffy material. The screenplay...

"I don't really have a life..." Shout Factory has debuted a trailer for an indie dramedy titled Standing Up, Falling Down, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year. The film is described as a comedy about the unlikely friendship that kindles between a struggling stand-up comedian from Los Angeles, forced to move back home to Long Island with his tail between his legs, and a tragically flawed, but charming and charismatic, alcoholic dermatologist. Discovering to be kindred spirits, each helps the other find healing, in addition to the confidence to face the "failures" in their lives. Ben Schwartz co-stars with Billy Crystal, they're joined by Eloise Mumford, Grace Gummer, Nate Corddry, Debra Monk, and Kevin Dunn. This looks like your typical cliche indie, with lost loves and all the usual struggles everyone deals with in life. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Matt Ratner's Standing Up, Falling Down,...

One of the tried and true plots for a comedy film is the “guy falls on rough times and moves back with his parents” scenario. We’ve seen it numerous times before, and normally, that type of premise wouldn’t make us stand up and take notice. However, in the case of “Standing Up, Falling Down,” we’re curious mainly due to the two leads — Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz.

Continue reading ‘Standing Up, Falling Down’ Trailer: Billy Crystal & Ben Schwartz Are An Unlikely Pair In This New Comedy at The Playlist.

With a focus on Italian films accompanying a large selection of international features, most of which are competing for Oscars, the 31st annual Palm Springs Intl. Film Festival will run Jan. 3-12.

“An Almost Ordinary Summer,” directed by Simone Godano, will kick off the festival on Jan. 3. Other Italian films to unspool are “The Champion,” “Simple Women,” “The Disappearance of My Mother,” “A Soul Journey,” “Martin Eden,” “Sole” and “The Traitor.”

The festival will close Jan. 12 with “Military Wives,” directed by Peter Cattaneo.

Last year, Psiff attracted more than 136,000 attendees and festival organizers anticipate just as many in 2020.

“Some of our guests get a chance to see 40 movies in 10 days,” says festival chairman Harold Matzner. “I don’t know how they do it, but they do, and it’s an incredible cultural experience.”

For her inaugural year, artistic director Lili Rodriguez added big awards season contenders including “Pain and Glory,...

Exclusive: Landmark Studio Group has put in development Flagrant, an original dramedy series with Michael Rapaport set to star and executive produce. Peter Hoare and Pete Correale will serve as co-writers and showrunners. The project is among the first set at Landmark, co-funded by Chicken Soup For the Soul Entertainment and Cole Strategic Partners, following its launch last month.

In Flagrant, twenty years after he was caught throwing a game and gambling on his own team, a disgraced college basketball player gets an unlikely shot at redemption. He fled Queens, NY decades ago to get away from the stigma of the scandal, but he’s now asked to come home and fill in as coach for a currently-failing team, at the same school he famously sold down the river decades ago.

Landmark...

“Lucky Grandma,” “The Remix: Hip Hop in Fashion” and “The Nomads” were among the winners of the Napa Valley Film Festival, which ran Nov. 13-17 in various towns in the valley.

The winner of the narrative feature was “Lucky Grandma,” presented by Zd Wines, which won a $10,000 cash prize, courtesy of Meadowood Napa Valley. Shadybrook Estate presented doc “The Remix: Hip Hop in Fashion” with the best documentary feature award along with a similar amount from Meadowood Napa Valley, while “The Nomads” took the audience award.

The festival screened more than 80 films, including the 16 in Nvff’s core competition categories.

“The Nvff mission is to reward such films that connect and celebrate the art and passion of our culture and our life,” said festival CEO Tom Tardio. “Receiving such recognition from our esteemed selection of filmmakers, writers and industry professionals is a true acknowledgement of the filmmakers highly creative and extremely authentic storytelling skills.

John Malkovich (The New Pope), Ben Schwartz, Diana Silvers and Tawny Newsome are set as series regulars opposite The Office alum Steve Carell in Space Force, Netflix’s new workplace comedy from The Office developer/Ep Greg Daniels. Additionally, Jimmy O. Yang and Alex Sparrow are set to recur in the series from the The Office duo of Carell and Daniels, which echoes President Donald Trump’s Space Force initiative. Additionally, BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Paul King has been tapped to direct two episodes of Space Force, including the pilot.

Co-created by Carell and Daniels and starring Carell, Space Force is centered around the people tasked with creating a sixth branch of the armed services…Space Force.

Malkovich plays Dr. Adrian Mallory, Head Science Advisor, brilliant, arrogant and hoping...

Shout! Studios has acquired all North American rights to comedy feature “Standing Up, Falling Down,” starring Billy Crystal, Ben Schwartz and Eloise Mumford. The theatrical release for the film, which debuted at Tribeca Film Festival, is slated for early next year.

Schwartz, whose credits include “Parks & Recreation” and “Blue Iguana,” voices the title character in Paramount Pictures’ upcoming “Sonic the Hedgehog” movie.

“Standing Up, Falling Down,” directed by Matt Ratner and written by Peter Hoare, follows standup comedian Scott (Schwartz), whose career has crashed and burned after four years of chasing his dream in Los Angeles. Left with little money, he has no choice but return to his parents’ house in Long Island.

While trying to figure out what to do next, Scott pines after his ex, Becky (Mumford), a successful photographer who has since married a former mutual friend. On a night out at the bar, Scott strikes up...

Matt Ratner’s feature directorial debut appeared at Tribeca.

Blue Fox Entertainment has added the Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz (Parks And Recreation) Tribeca Film Festival comedy Standing Up, Falling Down to its Cannes international sales slate.

Eloise Mumford, Grace Gummer, Nate Corddry and with Debra Monk also star in Matt Ratner’s feature directorial debut about a 34-year old aspiring comedian (Schwartz) who returns to his parents’ home and strikes up a mutually supportive friendship with an eccentric dermatologist (Crystal). Peter Hoare wrote the screenplay.

CAA handling Us rights on Standing Up, Falling Down, which marks the feature directorial...

At the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, a legend got his due. Yes, Billy Crystal, at long last, has a role worthy of his talents. He’s certainly been terrific in the past, but it’s been more than a hot minute since we’ve seen that on the big screen. That changes here. Standing Up, Falling Down blesses Crystal with a compelling and three dimensional character play, one that’s equal parts empathetic and hilarious. One of Tribeca’s most enjoyable works this year, Crystal is brilliant worthy of some awards consideration for this role. Yes, he’s just that good here. This is one to definitely look out for, beyond the festival circuit. The movie is a comedy as well as a bit of a coming of age tale. Scott (Ben Schwartz) is a struggling stand-up comic who has been forced by failure to move back home to the eastern...

The homecoming comedy is the bread and butter of the indie circuit, and as poignant and humanist as the genre can be, it can also get old fast. It falls then, on the shoulders of the stars to keep the film from stumbling; thankfully in Standing Up, Falling Down, Ben Schwartz and Billy Crystal are […]

The post ‘Standing Up, Falling Down’ Review: Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz Are Standouts in Generic Homecoming Comedy [Tribeca] appeared first on /Film.

Exclusive: Miramax has preemptively secured the rights to Peter Hoare’s pitch, The Twenty Year, a comedy about two females who, 20 years after raising money to go toward their class’ eventual 20-year reunion, reluctantly reunite in order to access that bank account.

Unfortunately, they also need to track down the teacher who opened this account with them…a teacher who had a nervous breakdown that nobody’s seen in years.

Miramax exec Matthew Anderson is supervising development as the studio is said to be fast-tracking the project.

“We’re beyond excited to take this journey with a writer as talented as Peter,” said Anderson. “His pitch was hilarious; we sparked to it immediately and can’t wait to develop this truly unique project together.”

Hoare was a writer on the short-lived CBS sitcom, Kevin Can Wait and also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming Billy Crystal-starring comedy film Standing Up, Falling Down,...

The Tribeca Film Festival has set its full feature slate for 2019, selecting 103 titles including world premieres of films by Jared Leto, Christoph Waltz, and Margot Robbie.

The 18th edition of the festival, which runs from April 24 to May 5, will include documentaries from Antoine Fuqua, Werner Herzog, and Abel Ferrara, and music-focused docs highlighting the lead singer of band Inxs (“Mystify: Michael Hutchence”), Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman (“The Quiet One”), and musician Linda Ronstadt (“Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice”) with Sheryl Crow performing after the premiere.

Leto’s “A Day in the Life of America” is a crowd-sourced documentary featuring footage from all 50 states on July 4, 2017. Waltz is making his directorial debut with the crime drama “Georgetown,” starring himself, Annette Bening, and Vanessa Redgrave. Robbie stars in and produces “Dreamland,” a Depression-era drama set in the Oklahoma dustbowl.

Other notable titles include “Mad Men” producer Semi Chellas making...

The Tribeca Film Festival has announced the full lineup of films for its 18th edition, which includes new films directed by Jared Leto, Christoph Waltz, Antoine Fuqua, Werner Herzog, Abel Ferrera and more.

This year’s slate is also among the most diverse and inclusive that the festival has ever put forward. All three competition categories are evenly split among men and women, and female directors account for 40 percent of the films on the feature slate. That’s slightly down from 2018’s record 46 percent of films directed by women, but this year also has 29 percent people of color directors and 13 percent who identify as Lgbtqia.

Among the 103 films from 124 filmmakers to be screened, Jared Leto will debut his documentary, “A Day in the Life of America,” which was filmed in every state in the country across a single 4th of July holiday. Christoph Waltz is making his directorial debut on “Georgetown,...

Caitlin McGee has been cast in one of the lead roles of the NBC drama pilot “Bluff City Law,” Variety has learned.

The project is described as a character-driven legal drama that follows the lawyers of an elite Memphis law firm that specializes in the most controversial landmark civil rights cases. Led by legendary lawyer Elijah Strait and his brilliant daughter, Sydney Keller, they take on the toughest David-and-Goliath cases while navigating their complicated relationship.

McGee will play Sydney Keller, a brilliant lawyer from Memphis who gives up her corporate in-house job to work with her father on cases that she believes can actually make a difference in the world.

McGee most recently appeared on shows like “You’re the Worst,” “I’m Dying Up Here,” and “Grey’s Anatomy” (pictured). She has also had parts on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Halt and Catch Fire,” “Shades of Blue,” and “Blue Bloods.

FX has set the main cast for the eight-episode limited series “Fosse/Verdon,” Variety has learned.

The series is based on the biography “Fosse” written by Sam Wasson and tells the story of the romantic and creative partnership between Bob Fosse (Sam Rockwell) and Gwen Verdon (Michelle Williams).

Norbert Leo Butz has been cast in the series regular role of Paddy Chayefsky, while Margaret Qually will appear in the series regular role of Ann Reinking.

In addition, the following people have been cast in recurring roles: Aya Cash as Joan Simon, Nate Corddry as Neil Simon, Susan Misner as Joan McCracken, Bianca Marroquin as Chita Rivera, Kelli Barrett as Liza Minnelli, Evan Handler as Hal Prince, Rick Holmes as Fred Weaver, Paul Reiser as Cy Feuer, Ethan Slater as Joel Grey, Byron Jennings as George Abbott, and Laura Osnes as Shirley MacLaine.

Butz is currently starring on Broadway in “My Fair Lady...