After making just $30 in its initial limited release theatrical run in 2006, Leo Grillo’s indie noir Zyzzyx Road — which starred an on-the-cusp Katherine Heigl and an in-decline Tom Sizemore and also managed to misspell the California desert locale it was named for, unless that was intentional — will be released digitally this summer by the intrepid folks at GoDigital. “We love the story behind this film and are thrilled to be part of what we believe will be a happy ending, I am confident it will make us more than $30,” said GoDigital Director of Marketing Barry Daffurn of the distribution coup. Ba-dum ching!
Oh, humor. What’s not funny: Actually watching any part of Zyzzyx Road. Here’s the trailer, see for yourself!
Every time you curse Heigl for making yet another inane chick flick, just remember: She’s already paid her penance in advance.
Zyzzyx Road will be available digitally via GoDigital this summer.
[Press release]
Full Story »I know we were kinda just talking about this, but at a point in time when women’s rights and representation are threatened at seemingly every turn by bureaucrats, ideologues, campaign financiers and bald-faced misogynists, how predictable should it have been that the new trailer for What to Expect When You’re Expecting — the best-selling, most influential maternity guide in the known universe — would marginalize the actual mothers and focus almost entirely on the guys? Don’t change, Hollywood! Actually, yes. Maybe change just a bit.
In fairness to Lionsgate, the last time the marketing team went full chick-flick, we got a series of posters that had even the bodysnark-averse observers at Jezebel “hypnotized by the Styrofoam lumps they shoved under the stars’ shirts.” So to Plan B, as in “Boy”: What’s the worst that can come of enlisting Chris Rock, Dennis Quaid, Thomas Lennon, Matthew Morrison, Rodrigo Santoro and others to play up the fatherhood side of the equation? On second thought, with the male half of the ensemble mugging and contorting opposite various expressions of hysteria and breaking off one-liners referring to the side of the stroller walk “where happiness goes to die,” let’s not answer that.
Not to overthink the unthinkable, or unthought-out, or whatever. But with so much cynicism and garish guy-centricity in the air right now, this trailer seems just aloof at best and in appallingly, almost absurdly bad taste at worst. But you tell me?
[via Yahoo!]
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It might be Friday the 13th weekend, but one film in particular is destined to get lucky as the nation’s No. 1 box-office draw! Wow, that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever written. Not so stupid, however: Your Weekend Forecast, featuring one of the fiercest B.O. bottlenecks of the year to date. Let’s investigate…
[Follow the links below to Movieline’s reviews of each film.]
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
· Bridesmaids: The Kristen Wiig-led ensemble raunchfest has incited something of a firestorm between those who think this will revolutionize the “chick flick” and those who despise the labeling of funny women in genre and/or sociocultural terms. All I care about, frankly, is will this open? Historically, gender aside, R-rated comedy is a crap shoot for any studio; marketers can call this The Hangover for ladies all they want, but what they really mean is that it’s guy-safe, so please, guys, please see it. That could work to an extent, but ultimately, it’s a big, huge, summery comedy gift to women, and they’ll power this thing past $20 million. Not that much past $20 million — Thor is still far and away your weekend winner above $30 million. But Wiig and Co. will take it. FORECAST: $21.7 million
· Priest (review forthcoming Friday): Screen Gems isn’t screening its 3-D Paul Bettany-versus-the-vampires-who-kidnapped-his-niece opus for critics before opening day. Which is like, whatever. The real fight is offscreen, where Priest and Fast Five will commence a bloody duel for third place. I actually think Fast Five might gut it out, especially after all this Oscar talk. Ahem. But…
Full Story » 
Every month at Movieline, we collect the best interviews, smartest features, and most compelling reviews we’ve produced, and curate them in one easy-to-use table of contents called the Virtual Newsstand, which pays tribute to our print magazine history. Here’s the Virtual Newsstand for April 2011.
ENTERTAINMENT AS A WAY OF LIFE
MOVIELINE
April 2011
INTERVIEWS
God of Summer
Chris Hemsworth breaks through in a big way with the blockbuster Thor
Power Duo
Hilary Swank and Molly Smith on producing Something Borrowed and the power of a good chick flick
Great Scot
James McAvoy talks The Conspirator — and the trick to a good American accent
He and Sympathy
It only took a decade, but Mark Ruffalo has his directing debut under his belt with Sympathy For Delicious
Captain in Waiting
A funny thing happened to Chris Evans on the way to Captain America — and we discussed it at Tribeca
Killer Talent
Hanna star Saoirse Ronan shares her tips for becoming a teenage assassin
Brody to the Max
Adrien Brody gets personal about his Tribeca premiere Detachment
Taylor Made
Taylor Kitsch on doing justice to fallen photojournalists in The Bang Bang Club
Vera Cool
The busy Vera Farmiga takes time out to chat Henry’s Crime, Source Code, and the perils of awards season
Forgotten Dreamer
Werner Herzog adds 3-D to his formidable filmmaking arsenal in his latest documentary
Next of Kim
Kim Cattrall catches us up about her porn-star role in Meet Monica Velour and her Sex and the City future
The Quaid Files
Dennis Quaid talks Soul Surfer and about that time he turned down Tombstone
Super Future
Henry Cavill is training —…
