Screenhead

Yes, I know…some eye rolling cynicism is to be expected here, as this is not the first time you’ve heard about a revived Arrested Development about to make a push on the movie front.  But this new bit of news has something of a new twist to it–a script is reportedly being written by series creator Mitchell Hurwitz and co-executive producer James Valley.

Even better, apparently the last holdout, Michael Cera, has expressed interest in coming back and playing both the role he made famous and the character he’s been playing ever since the show got cancelled–George Michael Bluth.

So there’s reason for at least cautious optimism–all the former cast is on board and the script is in progress–but you should probably take it with the same enormous grain of salt that you’ve been taking all Arrested Development news with for years now.  But hopefully, the news is accurate, and by this time a couple years from now we’ll all get to see them…hm.  Um…rebuild the banana stand?

I love that line.  Really I do.  Because in it is the entirety of the movie Zombieland, opening in theaters today.

Zombieland brings us back with Jesse Eisenberg, the Michael Cera knockoff whom you may remember macking on a surprisingly able Kristen Stewart back in another movie about land, Adventureland.  Anyway, this time, naturally we’re in Zombieland, a world vaguely like our own but jammed to the hilt with zombies.  Those few human beings who are left find themselves forced to make deadly choices every day for the sake of survival, but yet, even here, they still manage to have dreams.  Simple dreams, for the most part. Thoroughly American dreams.  But will they capture those dreams?  Or will they be zombie chow?

After I finished watching this one, which I had been longing to see ever since I saw the trailer, one thought hit me like a bolt out of the blue.  This is just the Americanized version of Shaun of the Dead.  Zombieland was another hilarious zombie comedy, the only real difference here being that the thoroughly British qualities of Shaun of the Dead had been replaced by thoroughly American qualities.

Sure, everyone’s got a gun in Zombieland, but they’ll also feel that British influence (after all, Great Britain really IS the mother of America if you want to get metaphorical about it) by striking out with whatever’s handy.  Rakes, hedge clippers,  the Garden Weasel (the weirdest garden tool ever), even pianos on ropes–we’ll take out zombies with whatever we can get our hands on.

Yes, Zombieland is hilarious.  Woody Harrelson is much more talented than anyone gives him credit for (he actually WAS an action hero of sorts at one point), Jesse Eisenberg makes a great foil for Woody’s over-the-top lunacy, and the fact that Bill Murray is in this just made my jaw drop.

But Zombieland will actually make you think, too.  Think about the common dreams we all share.  Oh, sure…in Zombieland, the goals of the day are amusement parks, family and Twinkies, but is that really so far removed from baseball, mom and apple pie?  And in the end, when faced with those horrible choices, and left to, as the movie so dynamically puts it, “nut up or shut up”, you’ll find that more often than not, you’ll be better equipped to nut up than you thought.

There’s so much to like about Zombieland–hilarity, personal growth, violence, zombies, Bill Murray–that the list alone is reason enough to see this.  Zombieland is an incredible movie, and as such, I can’t believe what I’m about to do.

The Screenhead Ten Scale shares my horror and wonders if I’m going soft as I pound its override button like a test-your-strength mallet into a clown’s face and award Zombieland a full-on ten out of ten.  This is just too funny and too action-packed and even too scary not to see.

I am not quite sure what to make of Paper Heart from this trailer.   Here is the overall premise of the movie.

Charlyne Yi does not believe in love.  Actually, she doesn’t believe in fairy-tale love or the Hollywood mythology of love, and her own experiences have turned her into yet another modern-day skeptic.

Paper Heart journeys with Charlyne as she embarks on a quest across America to make a documentary about the one subject she doesn’t fully understand. As she and her good friend (and director) Nicholas search for answers and advice about love, Charlyne talks with friends and strangers, scientists, bikers, romance novelists, and children. They each offer diverse views on modern romance, as well as various answers to the age-old question: does true love really exist?

Then, shortly after filming begins, Charlyne meets a boy after her own heart: Michael Cera. Their relationship develops on camera and her pursuit to discover the nature of love takes on a fresh new urgency.

Charlyne risks losing the person she finds closest to her heart. Combining elements of documentary and traditional storytelling, reality and fantasy, Paper Heart brings a fresh perspective to the modern romance and redefines the classic love story.

Youth in Revolt poster came out this weekend to match up with the opening of Year One since Michael Cera stars in both films. Interestingly, the poster looks hand drawn with a rather angst look of Cera. The movie is based on a book with the same name by C.D. Payne.  And yes, it’s about a rebellious teenager whom Cera plays.

Paper Heart is a delightful tale, starring Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up) and Michael Cera (Juno, Year One). Michael Cera plays these roles with such innocence. The style of filmmaking is unique because it mixes reality with fiction. The story follows Yi as she embarks on a quest across America to make a documentary about the one subject she doesn’t fully understand: Love. 

Cera becomes the object of her affection.  Weaving together reality and fantasy, the film combines elements of documentary and traditional storytelling to bring a fresh perspective to the modern romance. Paper Heart also stars Jake Johnson (Red Belt) who plays the film director documenting Yi’s international journey that includes stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville, New York City, Toronto and Paris. 

Paper Heart debut at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Waldo Salt Award for best screenplay.  The film opens in Los Angeles and New York theaters August 7, 2009 and expanding on August 17, 2009.

Upcoming comedy Year One is stuck with a R-rating it seems, as MPAA’s Classification and Rating Appeals Board upheld its given rating despite producer Judd Apatow and director/co-writer Harold Ramis appearing before them to argue for a more lenient rating.

The comedy stars Jack Black and Michael Cera as a couple of cave-men who travel through the ancient world.

The appeals board decided to keep the R-rating for “some sexual content and language.” It is slated for release on June 19.

The graphic books, by Bryan Lee O’Malley, are feature romance, teen angst and plenty of fantastical action involving a large supporting cast. The fifth book of the series is set to hit the shelves in February according to Hollywood Reporter.

Evans is set to play Lucas Lee, evil boyfriend No. 2, a pro skateboarder-turned-movie star, while Routh is set to play Todd Ingram, third evil boyfriend, a rocker with vegan psychic powers.

Larson is set to play Envy Adams, Pilgrim’s ex-girlfriend, for whom he still has feelings.

Other cast members include Mae Whitman as Roxy Richter, the fourth ex, Ellen Wong as Knives Chau, a female who is half-ninja, who is dating Pilgrim when he meets his dream girl; and Anna Kendrick as Pilgrim’s sister.

The casting continues with Mark Webber playing Stephen Stills, a member of Pilgrim’s rock band. Alison Pill is the band’s drummer and Johnny Simmons is Young Neil, the band’s biggest fan. Aubrey Plaza plays Webber’s on-again off-again girlfriend.

Finally, Satya Bhabha is set to play an ex-boyfriend who can summon demon hipster girls at will.

Mitch Hurtwitz, creator of acclaimed sitcom Arrested Development, recently talked to Fancast about the possible movie for the now-cancelled show, giving a big hint as to who exactly is holding out on the idea of a movie.

“I don’t want to talk about who is holding out right now because we might still work that out and I don’t want to pressure anyone through the press,” he said, before adding that “Will Arnett is gung-ho, so there’s a big clue.”

So much for staying mum, huh? Anyways, Hurtwitz continues, admitting that since the project is for the fans “[who] have been so sincere in their fondness for it,” the budget for the film will be quite limited.

A new film called Paper Hearts is in the can starring Michael Cera and directed by an unknown, Nicholas Jasenovec, who’s been a part of Judd Apatow’s team in such films as Knocked Up. 

Hearts is part-documentary and part-scripted comedy about the real-life relationship involving Cera and his girlfriend, Charlyne Yi, another member of Apatow’s acting team. She played a stoner with pigtails in Knocked Up. 

Hollywood Reporter is saying Hearts is a semi-secret project that is projected to debut at Sundance Film Festival this coming new year.

While everyone wants to see an Arrested Development film being done someday, one person does not: Michael Cera.

Fresh off the success of Superbad and Juno, the actor told The National Post that he wouldn’t want to see a movie of the series and that he doesn’t see a need for it if you can get the three seasons on DVD.

Cera additionally admitted that he has not heard anything about the project, despite lots of online talk for the film.