ScreenCrave.com » Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt Close Out the Year in Song

Damon Houx — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 21:57:04 +0000

In a very sweet note for the end fo 2011, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel have decided to commemorate the end of the year by singing “What Are You Doing New Years Eve?” The duo did a song and dance number together in 500 Days of Summer, and must have got on well enough to want to work together again, by hook or crook. This song seems like a good chance to have a little fun. Check it out…

Though obviously done as a lark, it highlights how busy the duo are. Deschanel is on the Fox show New Girl (while also recently separating from her husband), while Joseph Gordon-Levitt recently wrapped on 2012′s biggest movie The Dark Knight Rises. Gordon-Levitt was also just in 50/50, which may have some Oscar chances.

Deschanel says the duo have known each other for eight years, and bonded over their music tastes. This does not appear to suggest the two have anything else coming up together in the near future. Gordon-Levitt is extremely busy, with five films set to be released this year, including Steven Spielberg‘s Lincoln, Rian Johnson‘s Looper and Quentin Tarantino‘s Django Unchained. He’s a man to keep busy. And Deschanel has her TV show.

What Are you Doing this New Years Eve?

Your Highness: Movie Review

Damon Houx — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 01:30:29 +0000

Though the title suggests a stoner comedy along the lines of The Pineapple Express, Your Highness is more of a goof on the fantasy and Sword and Sorcery movies that took over cinema in the early 1980′s, films that ranged from the studio financed Conan the Barbarian and Clash of the Titans, to the Italian and American rip-offs like Yor, the Hunter from the Future and Barbarian Queen. If you’ve got a soft spot for The Beastmaster, but also recognie that it’s kinda goofy, this movie is for you. Otherwise…

The Players

Directed by: David Gordon Green
Writers: Danny McBride Ben Best
Starring: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Theroux

The Story

Thadeous (McBride) is the second son of King Tallious (Charles Dance) and therefore second in line to Fabious (James Franco) who is always successful on his magical journeys. Recently he’s rescued Belladonna (Deschanel) from capitivity, and plans to marry her. Then the evil Wizard Leezar shows up and steals her for “The Fuckening” where he will impregnate her with a dragon. Thadeous and Fabious are forced team up to find her, and eventually get the help of Isabel (Portman), who has a quest of her own.

The Good

Comedy from Unexpected Performers: Sure Danny McBride is going to be funny, but performers like Damien Lewis and Toby Jones are commited to the material, and it pays off in jokes and directions unexpected that kill. Oscar-winner Natalie Portman plays it straight, but then when she has to deliver filthy dialog she does it without a wink and it kills.
Justin Theroux: Playing the villain, his hamstrung plot for “The Fuckening” falls apart the further it goes along because of his incompetence.
All Out: Some of the jokes, and settings are just plain out there. From a fortune telling mythical creatures who’s also a pedophile, to a randy Minotaur, the film goes to some pretty strange places for laughs, but that it’s doing so in this setting
Brotherly Love: McBride and Franco don’t look like each other, but their relationship is very real, and that’s helped by Franco’s commitment to character. The film works because it never descends into parody (the closest it comes is a very direct mockery of Clash of the Titans Bubo) and the two play off each other well.
Cadence: Comedy works when it hits you with a surprise, and with David Gordon Green’s comedies, sometimes those surprises come from weirdly chosen inflections of a line, or weird digressions. Though McBride’s comic cadence is well defined – and he does it well here – Green constantly finds notes to hit that come out of nowhere.

The Bad

The Prologue: McBride’s character gets in trouble with midgets. Comedies that use midgets for punchlines are often bad, and though there’s one good joke in the mix, it starts the film off on the wrong foot, which is made worse by…

The Opening Credits: The pot angle of this film was a mislead, and the opening credits (which are vandalized while they play) sets this up to be more along the lines of a spoof movie. If the movie itself never tips its hand, the credits do, and so you’re left with the first couple minutes of the film kinda sucking.

The Specificity: Having grown up watching pretty much all of the films this film is riffing on, I get it, and I laughed hardily. For many who have context of a film like Krull or Excalibur, the genre being toyed with isn’t really so familiar as to play as well with people who don’t know it.

Overall

This is the sort of film that usually creates a binary response. If you like McBride’s comic stylings, and appreciate the references, then you’ll probably have fun with it. But those who aren’t McBride fans, or didn’t play a little Dungeons and Dragons, and never saw the fun of Krull are probably going to be left at a loss. Ultimately, the film is a goof, and perhaps part of what makes it appealing or unappealing is that they actually made it.

Rating: 7.5/10

Your Highness hits theaters April 8.

New Red Band Teaser for Your Highness

Damon Houx — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:12:04 +0000

As we get closer to the the April 8 release of Your Highness, we’re seeing the marketing for the film kick in to high gear (no pun intended). Recently we’ve seen new posters, a tie-in prequel comic book, and screenings and junkets start shortly for the film. And to keep interest up, Universal has released a new Red Band Trailer for the film, which stars Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel and is directed by David Gordon Green. Take a look…

This looks absolutely filthy and insane, and everything you could possibly want from a movie starring Danny McBride as a pot-smoking knight that battles magicians and minotaurs. It’s pretty amazing that the film was made and is being released at all, even moreso that it’s being released by Universal. The film will be screening shortly, though the film is under review embargo until the release date for now.

Early word was good, but with a film like this (as specific as this?) there’s always going to be audiences who don’t respond, don’t get it, or just don’t like it. But then again, if a film like this misses, it tends to really miss. The film was written by Ben Best and Danny McBride, who also wrote The Foot Fist Way and “Eastbound and Down,” so it should – hopefully – be along those lines.

How many hours of Dungeons and Dragons does it take to write a film like Your Highness?

Zooey Deschanel Officially Signs on For TV Pilot

Krystal Clark — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:02:09 +0000

Zooey Deschanel is following in the footsteps of her older sister Emily by getting her own TV show. The actress has landed the lead role in a comedy pilot on, you guessed it, the Fox network. According to Variety, Deschanel has officially signed the deal to headline the series from writer Liz Meriwether (No Strings Attached).

The trade reports that the single-cam laffer, known as “Chicks & Dicks” before Fox gave it a green light, is an ensemble project that explores the sexual politics of men and women via a woman who moves in with three boorish men. We can see Deschanel headlining something like this. This is some pretty great casting.

The real question is: who will play the three men? We’d love for Joseph Gordon-Levitt to reunite with the actress but we think he’s had his fair share of television. He grew up on a TV comedy (“30 Rock From the Sun“). Plus, he’s too busy working on more important things like The Dark Knight Rises. We can dream, can’t we?

What do you think of Deschanel heading to the small screen? What other actors should join the cast?

Sundance 2011: My Idiot Brother – Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 04:05:00 +0000

There’s not other way of saying it, with My Idiot Brother mainstream Hollywood has officially hit the streets of Sundance. Despite the fact that I will see Paul Rudd (even when I’m supposed to be looking for the best unknown ____ who is soon to be amazing) in anything and enjoy the entire supporting cast, one can’t help but wonder what this film is doing at an Independent film festival — everything about it seems as mainstream as possible…

The Players:

Director: Jesse Peretz
Writers: Evgenia Peretz, David Schisgall
Cast: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Steve Coogan, Hugh Dancy, Kathryn Hahn, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott
Cinematography By: Yaron Orbach
Original Music By: Eric D. Johnson, Nathan Larson

Sundance Synopsis:

Despite looking for the good in every situation and the best in every person, Ned always seems to find himself holding the short end of the stick—being conned into selling pot to a uniformed cop, being dumped by his girlfriend, and worse yet, losing custody of his beloved dog, Willie Nelson. When he turns to family, he is passed from sister to sister while he gets back on his feet. Ned’s best intentions produce hilariously disastrous results, bringing the family to the cusp of chaos and ultimately the brink of clarity.

Review:

Well, it’s fun! I think my biggest problem with this film is that it was in no way a Sundance film…

Did it have new faces? Nope, it only had recognizable faces — even the extras were A-listers (really! Just look… reallllly hard.)
Did it push any boundaries? Do Steve Coogan’s cock and balls constitute as a boundary? We’ve seen Jason Segel’s, Ken Jeoung’s, Ashton Kutcher’s were referred to a lot by Natalie Portman in No Strings Attached and Ewan McGregor’s has made appearances loads of times in comedies and the like — I think we need more than just apenis, or some incredible penis feat to really get a laugh and/pr push any boundaries.
Did it have a small budget? For a mainstream film maybe, but not in the “I sold my last shoe to buy the tape to get the final shot” — not so much (hough I don’t know if that’s a realistic Sundance category anymore). Once a studio buys it (which was already done by the Weinsteins before any of us had time to form an opinion) so much money will be pushed into it, it won’t matter if they made the whole thing for a tissue, it will still be a multi-million dollar film.
Did it have a new director? Nope! But not a well-established one, one that is definitely trying to make his mark — that’s something.
The Shots/Camera Work: We’ve got no interesting colors, odd angles, wide ranges, extreme close-ups or anything to really differentiate this film from any other pretty and cleanly shot rom-com in theaters.
Did it embody the spirit of Independent film (whatever that means)? It’s as mainstream as all the other comedies in theaters, it was just took the Sundance route to get some buzz and possibly because John Cooper wanted Paul Rudd there (I have no idea if that’s true, but it might be!)

That all being said. It’s funny for a mainstream comedy, has a few very clever moments, is predictable but a fun ride none-the-less. Plus, check out how hairless Coogan is! Did he just get everything he could waxed before the shoot?

Rating: 5.5/10

New Your Highness Photo with Portman, Franco, McBride, Deschanel

Krystal Clark — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 20:12:28 +0000

We have a new photo from David Gordon Green’s upcoming comedy, Your Highness. It’s a period piece that somehow maintains all the gratuitous, slapstick comedy that you’d find in modern day features like Pineapple Express. Green found a way to do it and he got James Franco (who also appeared in Pineapple Express), Natalie Portman, Danny McBride, and Zooey Deschanel to be a part of it.

If all goes well, Your Highness might consist of two Oscar nominees if Portman and Franco are recognized for their roles in Black Swan and 127 Hours respectively. Who would have thunk that this movie could rake in this amount of talent?

Official Synopsis:

Throughout history, tales of chivalry have burnished the legends of brave, handsome knights who rescue fair damsels, slay dragons and conquer evil. But behind many a hero is a good-for-nothing younger brother trying just to stay out of the way of those dragons, evil and trouble in general. Danny McBride and James Franco team up for an epic comedy adventure set in a fantastical world—Your Highness. As two princes on a daring mission to save their land, they must rescue the heir apparent’s fiancée before their kingdom is destroyed.

Thadeous (McBride) has spent his life watching his perfect older brother Fabious (Franco) embark upon valiant journeys and win the hearts of his people. Tired of being passed over for adventure, adoration and the throne, he’s settled for a life of wizard’s weed, hard booze and easy maidens. But when Fabious’ bride-to-be, Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel), gets kidnapped by the evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux), the king gives his deadbeat son an ultimatum: Man up and help rescue her or get cut off.

Half-assedly embarking upon his first quest, Thadeous joins Fabious to trek across the perilous outlands and free the princess. Joined by Isabel (Natalie Portman)—an elusive warrior with a dangerous agenda of her own—the brothers must vanquish horrific creatures and traitorous knights before they can reach Belladonna. If Thadeous can find his inner hero, he can help his brother prevent the destruction of his land. Stay a slacker, and not only does he die a coward, he gets front row seats to the dawn of an all-new Dark Ages.

What do you think of the newest photo from Your Highness?

Source: USA Today

Franco and McBride in Your Highness Red Band Trailer

Krystal Clark — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 01:09:30 +0000

It’s time to get dirty and medieval with the newest trailer for the David Gordon Green comedy, Your Highness. The director reunites with his Pineapple Express co-stars James Franco and Danny McBride, who are joined by Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel. That’s not a bad group of people to headline a film. Over at IGN, they’ve just released the red band trailer and yes, it’s pretty vulgar. Take a look…

Official Synopsis:

Thadeous (McBride) has spent his life watching his perfect older brother Fabious (Franco) embark upon valiant journeys and win the hearts of his people. Tired of being passed over for adventure, adoration and the throne, he’s settled for a life of wizard’s weed, hard booze and easy maidens. But when Fabious’ bride-to-be, Belladonna (Deschanel), gets kidnapped by the evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux), the king gives his deadbeat son an ultimatum: Man up and help rescue her or get cut off.

Half-assedly embarking upon his first quest, Thadeous joins Fabious to trek across the perilous outlands and free the princess. Joined by Isabel (Natalie Portman)—an elusive warrior with a dangerous agenda of her own—the brothers must vanquish horrific creatures and traitorous knights before they can reach Belladonna.

It looks like people were just as foul mouthed back then as they are today. This is an extremely long trailer clocking in at 3 and a half minutes. We hope they didn’t reveal all of the good stuff with it. We’re personal fans of “Suck the venom! Suck the venom!” and we also like, “Handle your shit man.” If there’s more where that came from this should be pretty hilarious.

Your Highness hits theaters on April 8, 2011.

What do you think of the red band trailer for Your Highness?

Will Zooey Deschanel Play Betty Brant in Spider-Man?

Krystal Clark — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 20:45:50 +0000

The cast of Marc Webb’s Spider-Man has been infused with some Grade A talent thanks to the addition of Martin Sheen and Sally Field. Last week the duo were said to be in negotiations to play Uncle Ben and Aunt May, the paternal figures in Peter Parker’s life. Andrew Garfield will play the title character, Emma Stone will star as his love interest Gwen Stacy, and Rhys Ifans will play the villain of choice Dr. Curt Connors aka The Lizard.

A couple of roles are still up for grabs including The Daily Bugle’s Editor and Chief J. Jonah Jameson and his secretary Betty Brant. Jameson is still in question but according to Showbizspy, Zooey Deschanel might take on Brant!

Director Webb and Deschanel previously worked together in the non-romantic dramedy 500 Days of Summer in 2009 and word on the street has them reuniting for Spidey.

“Betty was a minor character in the previous Spidey movies but Marc has big plans for her,” reveals a movie insider. “He wants a strong performer to carry the role and Zooey fits the bill perfectly. The role is hers if she wants it.”

Brant was played by Elizabeth Banks in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy and it wouldn’t be a far stretch for Deschanel to pick up where she left off. They’re both talented actresses but unlike Banks, Deschanel won’t have to wear a brunette wig.

What do you think of Deschanel playing Brant? Would she be a good choice?

Your Highness Early Reviews

Krystal Clark — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:02:13 +0000

The upcoming comedy Your Highness won’t hit theaters until October, but early reviews have already begun to leak online. It turns out that there was a recent test screening for the film that stars James Franco, Danny McBride, Natalie Portman, and Zooey Deschanel. Viewers took to their various blogs and Twitter accounts to let the world know what they thought of the early cut of the film, and from what I’ve read it sounds like an old school stoner comedy but with horses.

Here are a few responses from various blogs and websites…

The film is set in Medieval times with some really remarkable horse actors. Its the story of two brothers played by James Franco and Danny McBride that set out on a journey to rescue the princess played by Zooey Deschanel. On their adventure they come across Natalie Portman, who joins them on their quest. The dialogue was great and very funny, and the actors fit their parts perfect. The film is hilarious, but other then it being it hilarious, the horses were breathtaking in it. [Horsesonfilm33]
I fully enjoyed this movie and plan to see it again, the timing and pacing of the movie was excellent the jokes where witty except for a few super dirty scenes. but when it comes out i am going see it again. i give it a 8/10 [Andrew 15-12, IMDB]
Very vulgar, lots of nudity and very, very funny. The acting was fine, lots of respectable actors (Toby Jones, Damian Lewis, Charles Dance) and Natalie Portman is great because she takes it very seriously, she has hilarious lines but says them with complete seriousness and passion, it worked great. [Thebatsam, IMDB]
“Very funny and captures the tone & art direction of films such as Krull, Yor, and The Sword and The Sorcerer perfectly.” [Anonymous, The Playlist]

Here are some thoughts via Twitter…

ryanmcdmusic, “Pretty medievally hilarious…should definitely go see it when it comes in about…6 months”
girlnamedcaptn, “Your Highness is the worst fucking movie I have seen in a long time, possibly ever. Avoid.”
S_IsFestive, “its like pineapple express meets medieval times.” … “SOOO funny. you have to see it when it actually comes out.”

For the most part, the early reviews have been pretty positive. But I’m getting the feeling that nudity will be prevalent throughout the film, which could be somewhat of a problem. I hate when actors are thrown into situations when they’re naked just for the sake of being naked. Other than that one fact, it sounds like the movie will be hilarious.

Have you seen an early screenings of the film? Are you interested in seeing it after reading these early reviews?

Zooey Deschanel to Star in HBO’s I’m With The Band

Krystal Clark — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:18:27 +0000

Zooey Deschanel will be following in her big sister’s footsteps by starring in her own TV series. According to Deadline Hollywood, the 500 Days of Summer actress will star in an upcoming HBO series entitled, “I’m With the Band: Confessions of a Groupie,” which will be based on the best selling book of the same name.

The actress will star as the lead and executive produce the series for HBO that’s based on the popular book by Pamela Des Barres, who bragged about her bedroom escapades with some of the most prominent film, TV, and music stars of the late 1960′s. A portion of her story was told in the Cameron Crowe film Almost Famous, but the series will go deeper than what as covered.

Right now a half an hour plot has been set up for Deschanel to shoot, with Sarah Jackson of Seven Summits, and Tim Gibbons, an executive producer of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” both on board to produce. It sounds like Zooey may pull a Sarah Jessica Parker by producing and starring in an HBO series that doesn’t shy away from sex, comedy, or drama. Could this be the network’s next female driven hit?

Do you think Deschanel can headline an HBO show? Would you be interested in watching it?

500 Days of Summer Music Video by Marc Webb

Mali Elfman — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:45:57 +0000

For all of you who loved 500 Days of Summer and to encourage those of you who haven’t seen it to get out there and enjoy the film, here comes a lovely little companion piece to the movie. Marc Webb, the director of the film started his career by making music videos and after his first successful film he has decided to play around with his actors Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon Levitt, and make a music video for Deschanel’s song “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” by her band She & Him. Much like the Sid and Nancy skit by the trio, the video adds to the film, without spoiling it or having direct references to it. The video also confirms something that Deschanel told us, which is that Levitt really can do back flips.

Check out the video below…

What do you think?

500 Days of Summer: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:49:22 +0000

Marc Webb‘s (read interview) new romantic-offbeat-original-dra-medy, 500 Days of Summer starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Godron-Levitt (read interview) finally hit theaters July 17th. Man, woman, whatever you may be, this is a romantic film for everyone. It is the most honest and yet beautifully over the top film that I have seen all year and should absolutely not be missed.

Check out the good, the bad, and the plot below…

The Plot:

A simple as it gets. Boy falls in love, girl doesn’t. A young man (Tom) falls in love with a pretty girl (Summer) who works in his office. He tries to seduce her and it works for a moment, but then she moves on. From the very beginning they announce “This is not a love story, its a story about love” and that is exactly what the film is.

The Good:

The Story: Although they play with some pop cliches, they do so in a innovative way. The problem with love stories is that often we can’t relate to them or they seem too obvious. There is nothing new about love, and yet when you feel it, there’s nothing else quite like it. This movie captures exactly that, there is nothing else quite like it.
Cheese-Factor: This is the first romantic comedy in a long time that didn’t make me roll my eyes. In fact instead of trying to underplay the qualities of love, they over-did it in a way that anyone who has ever been in or out of love can fully relate to and laugh with. Yes you are that stupid when you’re a victim to love, and it’s funny! Go with it!
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Both actors do an amazing job, but because his character goes through more turmoil, his performance stood out for me more than Zooey’s (although she was great as well). He went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows all within the change of a frame and is charming to watch no matter what he’s doing.
Effects: Not Bay effects, but effects that make reminiscent of the good old days. Instead of just bedazzling the eye, helps to further emphasis the story.
The Music: The film has an absolutely amazing soundtrack (which you can win currently in our 500 Days of Summer competition), which brings the movie to life in a whole new way. I didn’t mention this to promote the giveaway, in fact it was quite the opposite. I contacted Fox for a copy of it myself and then thought some of you might want it to.

The Bad:

It Has an Expiration: I’m not sure how long this film will last. Although the film is amazing, and talks about greater issues, it’s quite relevant to 2009 audiences. From the backdrop, to the music, it seems to resonate strongly with audiences today, but I’m not sure if it will stand the test of time. It will have some legs, but if you want to see it right, watch it now, don’t wait for the DVD. (That being said, I would love to watch this film in 10 years and be proved wrong).

Overall:

If this film taught me anything it’s that we all have our own points of view and no two people ever see the same thing in the same way. So don’t listen to me, get out there and see the movie and decide for yourself what you think of it!

ScreenCrave.com » Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt Close Out the Year in Song

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