Despite bombing at the box office this past weekend with Jennifer’s Body, Oscar-winner Diablo Cody has a new gig to announce today. Of course, it’s not an original story like Jennifer’s Body, which probably did so poorly — in Hollywood’s eyes — for not being based on a familiar property or previously filmed material. Fortunately for Cody, she’s apparently always wanted to adapt the Sweet Valley High books, so both she and Universal are happy.
But are the fans? Personally, I’m not too familiar with the books, but if there’s anything I’d dread more than a beloved property being mined by Hollywood it’s a beloved property being adapted by Cody with her widely derided, trademark Diablo Codyspeak.
Between this, the promise of a future Archie movie and now the news that Universal’s also tackling a Barbie movie, it seems a big week so far for projects involving properties popular among young girls. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cody wants the Archie adaptation, too, especially if she’s familiar with its minor inspiration on Heathers, which is an obvious influence on her “clever” dialogue.
Of the three, though, I’d actually like to see her script the Barbie film, though it would then have to be an ironic and negative take on the doll brand (obviously a reference to the infamous “math is tough” catchphrase is very necessary) and also Todd Hayneswould have to direct it.
Check out what the other film blogs are saying about Cody’s new venture after the jump:
It was a given that Comedy Central’s Bob Saget Roast would be raunchy. Especially without the Olsen Twins present to make the roasters feel guilty (the night was apparently filled with jokes about Saget having sex with his TV daughters). But who expected Cloris Leachman to steal the dirty show by threatening to use her Oscar as a strap-on in order to fuck John Stamos? Or did she want to fuck Jon Lovitz? Either way, it will make me think differently of her winning performance in The Last Picture Showfrom now on.
Don’t you wish your grandmother was so crass? Only yesterday, while writing my Muppet Roommate clip post, I was thinking fondly about how funny Phyllis Diller is still (she was great in The Aristocrats). Now, I’m happy to know that in her ’80s, Leachman is still hilarious, too. Of course, unlike Diller, who supposedly never does blue comedy, Leachman is foul enough to make reach-around jokes about Jack Benny.
I guess for those who can’t appreciate such octogenarian humor, a clip of some Olsen-fucking jokes can be found after the jump.
At Portfolio, Fred Schruers profiles Austin Chick’s dot com crash period piece August, which the filmmaker and his stars will cheekily promote by ringing the bell at the NY Stock Exchange on Friday. “The film will need all the promotion it can get. In this summer of tent-pole behemoths…even an art-house film that won plaudits at the Sundance Film Festival faces a challenge.” Yup. So imagine how hard it’s going to be for virtually plaudit-less August!
Focus Features sent Variety a ComicCon Survival Kit, complete with a copy of Douglas Wolk’s Reading Comics. Mike Jones recommends leaving it at home. “If the geeks see you reading this there, you’ll get the worst eye-roll ever. Their equivalent of a beat-down.”
There’s a New York in the Movies blogathon happening at 12 Grand in Checking (blog named after a throwaway line on 30 Rock? Very good sign.) and a Self Involvement Blogathon at Culture Snob. I’m going to try to work up something tonight that fits both.
In the meantime, watch a video that has no application to either: above, The Mind of Danny Tanner, a wrangling of sound and image from Full House into the poetic style of Bergman and the soundtrack of Donnie Darko. Via Mark Lisanti.
We’ve had a bit of trouble getting this episode to go through the iTunes feed, so we hope this re-post will fix the problem. The original post, with episode description and embedded player, is here.
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