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Will Forte in Brief Interviews With Hideous Men Screenshot: The A.V. Club It’s a common misconception that A Quiet Place was John Krasinski’s directorial debut. The critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic thriller was actually his third film as a director (besides a handful of episodes of The Office), following two...

The Dave Matthews Band (Dmb) has announced this year’s summer tour.

The band will return to some of the venues they performed at last year during the 2023 Summer Tour. Places like The Woodlands, Texas, West Palm Beach, Florida and Wantagh, New York, among others, will be welcoming the rock band back.

Many of their tour stops will have them staying for two nights and performing back-to-back concerts.

Also, like last year, Dmb is scheduled to conclude the summer tour in George, Washington, at the Gorge Amphitheatre in September.

Dmb has found much success since their formation in 1991. With ten studio albums, they’ve sold over 30 million albums in the whole country alone. They’ve also been nominated for the Grammy Awards 14 times and won Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group in 1997.

Band members include frontman Dave Mathews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer Carter Beauford, violinist Boyd Tinsley and saxophonist LeRoi Moore.

Heading into the 81st Golden Globe Awards, legendary performer Harrison Ford is eligible for two different small screen prizes – Best TV Drama Actor and Best TV Supporting Actor – thanks to his respective turns on the inaugural seasons of “1923” and “Shrinking.” These possible dual bids would come 22 years after he was named the 48th recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille career achievement award and make him a proper Golden Globe competitor for the first time since 1996. Given the fact that 33 other DeMille awardees will have preceded him in subsequently landing regular nominations, it only makes sense to analyze those instances to determine just how great his chances of victory at the 2024 ceremony really are.

Until “1923” premiered on Paramount Plus last December, the 81-year-old Ford had never appeared in a regular capacity on a TV program of any kind. Within six weeks, however, he was officially a multi-series star showcasing...

It’s never a great sign when the funniest part of your romantic comedy involves the female lead’s flawless boyfriend being killed by a drunk driver in the opening scene, but in fairness to James C. Strouse’s absurd “Love Again,” this unclassifiable whatsit isn’t a traditional rom-com so much as a grief drama with a severe identity disorder.

Based on a German film called “SMS für Dich” — which sadly doesn’t mean what it sounds like — Strouse’s moribund yet almost intoxicatingly strange new movie is more or less exactly what you would expect to happen if the guy behind depressive indies like “Lonesome Jim” and “Grace Is Gone” decided to make a poppy date flick that adhered to the rhythms and logic of a Lindsay Lohan vehicle from 2006.

Yes, most of the laugh lines in “Love Again” are stale enough that even just hearing them kind of hurts your teeth,...

With “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” dominating the entire month of April, along comes Marvel Studios with James Gunn‘s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” the third part of his outer space superhero trilogy that began with 2014’s “Guardians of the Galaxy.” How much money will it make? Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.

Gunn’s first foray into the MCU was a surprise hit, opening with $94.3 million and beginning a star run for actor Chris Pratt that has continued right through his voice role as Mario in “Super Mario Bros,” which just hit $500 million domestically. His Peter Quill aka Starlord was teamed with Zoe Saldana‘s Gamora, Dave Bautista‘s Drax with Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel voicing Rocket and Groot, respectively. The movie would go on to gross $333.7 million domestically and $770.8 million worldwide, enough to greenlight a sequel for 2017.

It has been six years since “Vol.

"Do you have someone in your life right now?" Sony Pictures has debuted one final trailer for the romantic comedy Love Again, opening in theaters in early May. Make it a Date Night! It's based on a book that was already turned into another German movie called Text for You, which is about the story and a woman who finds love (again) over text messages. Love Again is the latest feature from filmmaker Jim Strouse. A young woman tries to ease the pain of her fiancé's death (who walks out after an argument and never returns unfortunately) by sending romantic texts to his old cell phone number, and forms a connection with the man the number has been reassigned to. "What if love was only a text away?" With new music from Celine Dion. This romcom stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sam Heughan, Russell Tovey, Celia Imrie, Lydia West, Omid Djalili,...

Sony’s Screen Gems has moved up the domestic release for its rom-com Love Again, starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sam Heughan and Celine Dion as herself, from May 12th to May 5th.

The film evacuates a highly crowded weekend that will see the opening of the Penélope Cruz drama L’immensità, IFC Films’ buzzy Berlin title BlackBerry, Robert Rodriguez’s Ben Affleck starrer Hypnotic, Focus Features’ Book Club: The Next Chapter, Viva Pictures’ animated pic Rally Road Racers, Sony’s manga adaptation Knights of the Zodiac, Sony Pictures Classics’ Yogi Berra doc It Ain’t Over and IFC Films’ Trace Lysette-led drama Monica.

Competitors on its new weekend include Lionsgate’s action-thriller One Ranger with Thomas Jane and John Malkovich, Disney/Marvel’s franchise ender Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Kino Lorber’s drama Chile ’76.

Written and directed by Jim Strouse — the filmmaker behind titles including The Incredible Jessica James,...

Exclusive: After directing a starry ensemble led by Abigail Breslin in the Miranda Rights drama Miranda’s Victim, filmmaker Michelle Danner has set the sci-fi action-thriller Helios as her next feature.

The film from Centerboro Production, based on a script by Patricia A. Beninati (Hubble: 20 Years of Discovery), Michael K. Anderson (The Wonder Show) and Bernard Moore, is set in the year 2030, following the crew of the spaceship Helios on an urgent mission to the International Space Station. When a massive solar flare from an incoming cataclysmic solar storm hits the station on a collision course with Earth, it is up to astronomer and former NASA Astronaut, Jess Denver, and Air Force Colonel Sam Adler to team up and save humanity.

Producers on the project eyeing a 2023 shoot include Centerboro’s Beninati, John Lewis of Ruckus Pictures (Lullaby), Todd Slater of Convoke Media (King of Killers), Anderson, and production attorney Marilyn G. Haft...

Among the sixty screen acting roles Regina Hall has racked up over the last couple decades are appearances in four of the five films in the Scary Movie horror spoof franchise. Now The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Hall is returning to horror comedy territory, signing on to star in writer/director Jim Strouse’s Breitenbush.

Hall will be taking on the role of aspiring district attorney Kate, who, after her husband vanishes on a camping trip during which everyone ingests a powerful hallucinogen and summons an angry prehistoric creature, must return to the site of the ill-fated trip with her friends to face the forces that led to his disappearance.

Hall will also be producing Breitenbush with her producing partner Tom Heller through their company Rh Negative Entertainment banner, as well as Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman of Yale Entertainment. Yale’s sales division Great Escape will be...

"I think I might have feelings for someone I've never met." Sony Pictures has revealed an official Valentine's Day trailer for a romantic comedy called Love Again, made by the filmmaker Jim Strouse. It's based on a book that was already turned into another German movie called Text for You, which is about the story and a woman who finds love over texts. Which sounds a bit scary more than lovely. A young woman tries to ease the pain of her fiancé's death (who walks out after an argument and never returns unfortunately) by sending romantic texts to his old cell phone number, and forms a connection with the man the number has been reassigned to. "What if love was only a text away?" The movie features new music from Celine Dion, and stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sam Heughan, Russell Tovey, Celia Imrie, Lydia West, Omid Djalili, plus Celine Dion.

Exclusive: John Cusack has signed with APA for representation after less than half a year with Gersh.

The signing of the iconic actor, writer and producer continues the agency’s momentum under the leadership of President Jim Osborne and Head of Global Talent Andrew Rogers, who came to APA from ICM Partners after the latter’s acquisition by CAA. APA has, in the last month alone, signed such notable talents as William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Donnie Yen and Grown-ish star Trevor Jackson. Big signings in the second half of 2022 included Regina Hall, Ken Jeong, Nathalie Emmanuel, Marc Maron, Michael Rainey Jr., Russell Hornsby and Michael Cera.

Cusack is a Golden Globe, WGA and BAFTA Award nominee who over the course of around four decades, has worked with a who’s who of directors including Rob Reiner, Spike Lee, Cameron Crowe, James Mangold, Lee Daniels, Clint Eastwood, Spike Jonze, Woody Allen,...

Exclusive: Ray Romano will star and produce a new film about the extraordinary life of American basketball coach and broadcaster Jim Valvano.

The script will be written by Jim Strouse, whose credits include Grace Is Gone and The Winning Season. Romano will produce with game1’s Basil Iwanyk, Greg Economou and Mark Ciardi (The Rookie). The Valvano family will provide key resources for the film, serving as executive producers.

Jimmy V’s life is the ultimate underdog story, peppered with courage and optimism when facing long odds. It starts with Valvano’s meteoric coaching ascent, including his astonishing run to the 1983 NCAA Championship with the North Carolina State Wolfpack. The team won a last-second victory over a heavily favored Houston Cougars team that had all time NBA greats Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler on its roster.

Valvano’s optimism never wavered, even when he received a tragic cancer diagnosis. His...

Celine Dion, Sam Heughan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas have been cast in Sony’s Screen Gems romantic drama, tentatively titled “Text for You.”

The film is an English remake of the German-language film “SMS Fur Dich,” based on Sofie Cramer’s novel. The story centers on a woman who, after tragically losing her fiancé, starts to send romantic texts to his old cell. It turns out the number has been reassigned to a man across town suffering from a similar heartbreak. The two meet and feel an undeniable connection, but can’t seem to leave the past behind. Dion’s music gives them the courage to take a chance on love again.

Jim Strouse is directing from his own script, and Lauryn Kahnis is undertaking the most recent re-write. Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee and Esther Hornstein are producing.

Dion is a Sony Music artist with record sales of over 200 million worldwide.

Exclusive: Sam Heughan (Outlander) and Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Quantico) are set to star in the Screen Gems romantic drama, tentatively titled Text For You, with music icon and five-time Grammy Award winner Celine Dion also joining the cast. Grace Is Gone helmer Jim Strouse is directing the pic from a screenplay he wrote with Lauryn Kahn undertaking the most recent re-write.

The film is inspired by the 2016 German-language box office hit SMS Fur Dich, which is based on Sofie Cramer’s popular novel. It’s about a woman who, to ease the pain after tragically losing her fiancé, starts to send romantic texts to his old cell. It turns out, the phone number has been reassigned to a man across town suffering from similar heartbreak. The two meet and feel an undeniable connection, but can’t seem to leave the past behind. In this English language remake, the music and...

Exclusive: Producer Daniela Taplin Lundberg’s Stay Gold Features (Harriet) says it has secured $10 million in funding from undisclosed private investors for film and TV projects.

Stay Gold Film Fund II will back in-house development and production and be managed by New York-based Taplin Lundberg, who with head of development Rebecca Cammarata oversees Stay Gold Features’ slate of film and TV projects. Partners in Stay Gold Features include Bill and Laurie Benenson and Nnamdi Asomugha.

Stay Gold is currently in post-production on Good Joe Bell, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and starring Mark Wahlberg and Connie Britton. Films currently in development include The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Edmund Morris; Black Lion, which the company is developing with Andrew Garfield; and previously unannounced project The Mysterious Tadpole, based on the children’s book by Steven Kellogg.

Launched in 2016, the company has produced or co-produced eight features.

Screen Gems, the genre label under Sony Pictures, has set Jim Strouse (The Incredible Jessica James) to direct feature Text For You, a remake of the successful 2016 German-language rom-com SMS Fur Dich, we understand.

Basil Iwanyk (John Wick) will produce and Erica Lee (A Private War) will executive produce. Production date and cast has yet to be set.

The story follows a young woman who tries to ease the pain over the death of her fiancé by sending him romantic texts. Unbeknownst to her, a single guy across town starts to receive the messages (the number has been reassigned). At first, he thinks it’s spam but then is so moved by the words that he endeavors to find out who is writing them. Eventually, he tracks her down and the two fall in love. But will she understand when he finally reveals how he fell for her in the first place?...

Jim Strouse, the filmmaker behind Netflix movie The Incredible Jessica James, has signed on to direct Text for You, a romantic drama from Screen Gems.

Basil Iwanyk (A Private War, John Wick) will produce while Erica Lee exec produces.

Per Screen Gems, Text centers on a young woman who, after her fiancé dies in an accident, starts to send romantic texts to her lost love’s phone. “Unbeknownst to her, a single guy across town starts to receive the messages (the number has been reassigned). At first, he thinks it’s spam but then is so moved by the words that he ...

"You really have to drive your own train and you have to keep it running." Yes indeed. Meet Jim Strouse. Also known as James C. Strouse. Jim is a filmmaker originally from Indiana, who now lives in New York City. If you don't recognize his name, hopefully you will recognize his films - Grace Is Gone (in 2007), The Winning Season (in 2009), People Places Things (in 2015), and now this year he has brought us The Incredible Jessica James. Jessica James stars the talented Jessica Williams as Jessica James in an optimistic, engaging story of a struggling playwright in New York. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, like every film Jim has made, and is being released by Netflix - it's available to watch now. I caught up with Jim at the Sundance Film Festival this year for a chat, and I'm happy to finally present our interview in full.

"Jessica - I really like you." "Of course you do! Everybody does. I'm friggin dope!" Netflix has debuted the full-length trailer for The Incredible Jessica James, the latest film from talented indie filmmaker Jim Strouse (of Grace Is Gone, The Winning Season, People Places Things - all three are great films). This upbeat indie comedy stars Jessica Williams from "The Daily Show" in a major breakout role as Jessica James, an aspiring playwright living in New York City struggling with the dating scene and the career scene. She meets a goofball guy that she slowly starts to fall for, played by Chris O'Dowd. Also starring Lakeith Stanfield, Noël Wells, Megan Ketch, and Zabryna Guevara. I saw this film at its Sundance premiere and it's wonderful, not only a fantastic performance from Jessica Williams, but an optimistic, light-hearted, enjoyable film to put you in a good mood. Just see it. Swipe Right To Meet.

Netflix has released the teaser trailer for “The Incredible Jessica James,” a romantic comedy that seems to have delighted nearly everyone who saw it at Sundance this year. The film is being touted as a breakout for former “Daily Show” correspondent Jessica Williams, who plays the title character. Watch the teaser below.

Read More: ‘The Incredible Jessica James’ Review: Jessica Williams Makes a Bid For Movie Stardom — Sundance 2017

Williams can be seen on a boring date as well as at her job in the service industry, but mostly she dances — in stairwells, on rooftops and occasionally even in nightclubs. “I’m pretty, I’m smart, I am Coco Queen,” she announces to a party guest who doesn’t seem all that interested.

Read More: Netflix Acquires ‘The Incredible Jessica James’ — Sundance 2017

Chris O’Dowd, Noël Wells, Lakeith Stanfield, Megan Ketch and Zabryna Guevara co-star in the film, which was directed...

Have You Met the Incredible Jessica James? Netflix has debuted the first teaser trailer for The Incredible Jessica James, the latest film from talented indie filmmaker Jim Strouse (of Grace Is Gone, The Winning Season, People Places Things - all three are great films). This upbeat indie comedy stars Jessica Williams from "The Daily Show" in a major breakout role as Jessica James, an aspiring playwright living in New York City struggling with the dating scene and the career scene. She meets a goofball guy that she slowly starts to fall for, played by Chris O'Dowd (not seen in this teaser). Also starring Lakeith Stanfield, Noël Wells, Megan Ketch, and Zabryna Guevara. I saw this at Sundance and it's wonderful, providing some much-needed optimism along with an outstanding performance from Williams. Don't miss this one, it's so good. Here's the first teaser trailer for Jim Strouse's The Incredible Jessica James,...

There are not shortage of films about navigating the complicated, contemporary world of dating and romance, but few of them are coming with kind of lead turn that “The Daily Show” correspondent Jessica Williams provides in “The Incredible Jessica James.” She’s the charismatic heart of what looks to be an amusing look at modern love.

Directed by Jim Strouse (“Grace Is Gone,” “People Places Things“), and co-starring Chris O’Dowd, Lakeith Stanfield, and Noël Wells, the film follows a young woman getting over a breakup who falls into an unlikely romance.

Continue reading First Trailer For ‘The Incredible Jessica James’ Introduces A Force Of Nature at The Playlist.

After working with Jessica Williams in his 2015 film People, Place, Things, writer/director Jim Strouse (of Grace is Gone, The Winning Season) recruited her for a lead role and wrote an entire film around her. The Incredible Jessica James stars Jessica Williams as a struggling playwright living in New York City, dealing with a break up. Strouse makes light, amusing, charming films that have fun stories based on real situations. The Incredible Jessica James is no exception, and might just be Jim's best film to date. It's full of so much life and passion and love and, most importantly, optimism. In these troubling, tumultuous times, where depression and frustration are all too prevalent, a little bit of refreshing optimism goes a long way. The Incredible Jessica James also stars Chris O'Dowd as a guy she's introduced to by a mutual friend as a rebound from her past relationship. The relationship...

Later this week, Lrm will be attending this year’s Sundance Film Festival. While the festival tends to be a mixed bag of indie films, some will be picked up for distribution by studios and turned into mainstream hits, others will flounder and be lucky to get a VOD release. Even so, there’s no denying that Sundance is the real beginning of the year for most movie lovers as we’ll be talking about the movies below for the next 12 months.

Last year alone, Sundance held the premieres for The Birth of a Nation, Manchester by the Sea, Captain Fantastic, Love and Friendship, The Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Sing Street and many more films, some that appeared on The Weekend Warrior’s year-end Top 25. One or two of those might even receive Oscar nominations when they’re announced next week on January 24.

Most of the films I’ve selected...

Chicago – Any story involving family interactions is ripe for exploration, and John Krasinski (“The Office”) performs in and takes the director’s chair for the new film, “The Hollars.” This is his second directorial effort, looking at the somewhat dysfunctional title family during a medical crisis involving the mother (Margo Martindale).

John Krasinski is a well known affable guy, mostly for his role as Jim Halpert in the long-running sitcom “The Office.” He was born near Boston, and graduated from Brown University. He’s had a notable film career as well, with supporting roles in “License to Wed” (2007), “Leatherheads” (2008), “Away We Go” (2009), “Something Borrowed” (2011) and “Aloha” (2015). He broke his character mold this year in the Benghazi-inspired “13 Hours,” and now stars in and directs his second feature film, coming after “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men” (2009). He also became part of an official Hollywood “It” couple, with his marriage to actress Emily Blunt...

John Krasinski, as actor and director, tackles the most clichéd genre in the movie business — the dysfunctional family dramedy. The big difference is he pulls it off with uncommon humor and compassion. The plot from screenwriter Jim Strouse (Grace Is Gone) spins this way: John Hollar (Krasinski), a graphic novelist living in Manhattan with his pregnant, pet-clothing designer girlfriend Becca (Anna Kendrick), gets a disturbing call from home. The emergency involves his mother, Sally (Margo Martindale), who has suffered a seizure while curling her hair. In the hospital, Dr. Fong...

Editor’s note: Our review of People, Places, Things originally ran during this year’s Sundance, but we’re re-posting it now as the film is currently available in limited theatrical release and on VOD. Director Jim Strouse is excellent at conveying the emotional range of the adult male experience. It’s not something you might hear a lot, especially in the context of it being refreshing, mostly because just about every movie is delivered from the male perspective. But there’s something a little more special, insightful and tender about Strouse’s work. This began with the pain explored in the John Cusack-led Grace is Gone, continued with the failure management of the Sam Rockwell-led The Winning Season and has come to fruition once again in the fatherhood dramedy People, Places, Things starring Jemaine Clement. Strouse has mastered the art of pairing the right leading man with the perfect emotional story. But...

"Don't give each other secret looks!" The Film Arcade has debuted the full trailer for Jim Strouse's People, Places, Things, starring Jemaine Clement as a graphic novel artist/teacher struggling with his life as a single father. Jim Strouse is the very talented filmmaker who brought us Grace is Gone and The Winning Season, two other Sundance gems from a few years back (if you haven't seen either yet, please go watch both of them right away). This new film also stars Regina Hall, Jessica Williams and Stephanie Allynne. I saw this at Sundance and it's really, really good. Nothing groundbreaking, but just a feel good charmer that will leave you with a smile and some optimism. This is a lovely trailer for a movie I hope doesn't get ignored. Here's the first official trailer for Jim Strouse's People, Places, Things, in high def from Apple: Will Henry (Jemaine Clement...

People Places Things, the new indie dramedy from James C. Strouse (Grace is Gone), tries to answer the eternal question: Why does life suck?

For Will, played by Jermaine Clement in what looks to be a layered comedic turn, it sucks because his wife (Stephanie Allynne) slept with another guy and ultimately breaks up with him, splitting the custody of their two young daughters. One of his students (Jessica Williams) introduces him to her single mother (Regina Hall) and Will slowly puts his life back together. Here’s the full synopsis via Collider:

Will Henry (Jemaine Clement) is a graphic novelist and professor in NYC. At his adorable twin girls’ fifth birthday party, Will’s life is turned upside down when he walks in on the mother of his children and longtime girlfriend, Charlie (Stephanie Allynne), with their friend Gary (Michael Chernus). One year later, Will is still alone and...

Read More: Sundance Review: Jemaine Clement, Jessica Williams and More Shine in 'People, Places and Things' Jemaine Clement and two adorable young girls are front and center in the exclusive new poster for "People Places Things." Written and directed by James C. Strouse ("The Winning Season," "Grace is Gone"), the comedy-drama stars Clement as a newly single father trying to find love while also raising his children, working as a teacher and letting his ex-wife go. The film earned positive notices after its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Regina Hall, Jessica Williams, Stephanie Allynne, Michael Chernus and sisters Aundrea and Gia Gadsby co-star. Film Arcade will release "People Places Things" on August 14. Check out the poster premiere above.Read More: Sundance Comedy 'People, Places, Things' Acquired By The Film Arcade...

Grace is Gone: Gout’s Aggressive Debut Charts Patterns of Criminality

Don’t let the poetic title fool you, as Everardo Gout’s directorial debut Days of Grace does not document an iota of such virtue. As one character points out, “To live in Mexico is to gamble with your life every day.” Belonging to a growing class of Mexican filmmakers determined to recreate the visceral, dangerous realities of everyday existence, Gout’s work is comparable to names like Gerardo Naranjo and Amat Escalante. Drawing upon three thematically related incidents to filter his exploration of violence, Gout chooses a significant waning period, that of the World Cup. The televised event sees crime rates drop by thirty percent as both sides of the law take a break from the usual rampage. While Gout may not reveal anything surprising, his intention to unnerve and agitate is apparent from the first frame,...

Some good news for a great film out of the Sundance Film Festival. Director Jim Strouse, who last played Sundance with the films The Winning Season and Grace Is Gone, returned this year with a film called People, Places, Things starring Jemaine Clement as a graphic artist/illustrator. The charming film was quite enjoyable, I would actually recommend it and I hope people get a chance to see it, a very amusing little romantic comedy. Deadline is reporting that up-and-coming distributor The Film Arcade has picked up People, Places, Things for a Us release, sometime this summer. The indie distributor is also releasing Sundance faves A.C.O.D., Song One, The Voices, They Came Together and Dinosaur 13. So keep an eye out. People, Places, Things stars Jemaine Clement along with Stephanie Allynne, Regina Hall, Jessica Williams, Derrick Arthur and Celia Au. I saw the film at Sundance and enjoyed it quite a bit,...

Making their second Sundance acquisition after picking up Kris Swanberg’s Unexpected, Deadline reports that The Film Arcade has acquired U.S. rights to People, Places, Things. Starring Jemaine Clement has a likeable man-child who is better at illustrating his feelings by toon, than with words, Jim Strouse‘s third feature will be released sometime this summer. While the U.S Dramatic Comp Sundance title funny-boned filled rom com was both tepidly and warmly received, I’m predicting this will make more box office dough than Grace Is Gone did.

Gist: A funny and complex story about a newly single father trying to take care of 6 year old twin girls, reignite his dating life, navigate his co-parenting relationship with his ex and continue work as a graphic novelist. In the film, a recently divorced father must navigate the unknown landscape of single fatherhood and dating in New York City, while...

After earning rave reviews out of its Sundance premiere last month, Jim Strouse's "People, Places, Things" has been acquired for U.S. distribution by The Film Arcade. Starring Jemaine Clement ("Flight of the Conchords") and Regina Hall ("Scary Movie"), "People, Places, Things" is a poignant and relatable comedy about a recently divorced father who must now navigate the unknown landscape of single fatherhood and dating in New York City, while letting go of the wife who left him. It's the third film directed by Strouse, whose debut "Grace is Gone" earned two Golden Globe nominations and various festival prizes. "We're big fans of Jim's earlier films and he impressed us once again with 'People, Places, Things,' which is a witty and refreshingly honest look at modern day relationships," said The Film Arcade's Andy Bohn. "Jemaine Clement is as funny and charming as ever and we can't wait to share Jim's film.

Exclusive: Studio picks up all territories outside the Us, except Australia and New Zealand, on Sundance premiere starring Jemaine Clement.

Visit Films and Sony have struck a major deal for the bulk of international rights on recent Sundance premiere People, Places, Things starring Jemaine Clement from Flight Of The Conchords.

The studio picked up all territories outside the Us except Australia and New Zealand, where Madman acquired rights.ICM and Cinetic represent Us rights.

Jim Strouse of Grace Is Gone fame directed the story of a cuckolded Brooklyn-based artist and professor who must come to grips with single fatherhood and dating.

Regina Hall, Stephanie Allynne, Jessica Williams, Gia Gadsby and Aundrea Gadsby round out the cast on the first film from La-based Beachside Films.

“People Places Things was a joy to make,” said Strouse. “And it’s been incredibly fun and gratifying to share it with audiences at Sundance. I can’t wait to share it with...

Ladies and gentlemen, the Sundance award for “Not hating any of the characters in a film” goes to People, Places, Things! Ok, so there wasn't an award for that, but it certainly was refreshing to walk out of a movie at Sundance with absolutely no feelings of depression or hate. People, Places, Things has a superb balance of witty humor and drama. Director Jim Strouse (Grace is Gone, The Winning Season) confidently announced before the film was premiered at Sundance, “This film is the best type of film I can make.” I thought, “That was a pretty bold thing to say,” but when the credits ran at the end of the film, I couldn't disagree.

The film starts out at an awkward birthday party for Will (Jemaine Clement) and Charlie’s (Stephanie Allyne) twin daughters. It quickly becomes even more awkward when Will finds his wife Charlie sleeping with the off-Broadway monologist,...

Writer-director James C. Strouse's first two films, "The Winning Season" and the John Cusack vehicle "Grace Is Gone" both explore fatherhood, but Strouse never seemed to find a way make his dramatic interests succeed in a narrative form. Now going as Jim Strouse, has finally discovered his groove with his latest project, "People, Places, Things." Anchored by a stellar cast and a hilarious script, Strouse balances dramatic elements with quick-witted comedy. The heart of the film is the performance of Jermaine Clement ("Flight of The Concords") as Will Henry, a depressed graphic novelist and single father trying to put his life back together after catching his wife cheating on him with Gary (Michael Chernus), a monologist, on his twin daughter's birthday. A year later, Will is living a small Queens apartment, expressing his anguish through his drawings. His ex-wife Charlie (Stephanie Allayne) is pregnant getting married to Gary. His.

Park City. Jim Strouse's "People, Places, Things" plays like an 86 minute pilot for an HBO comedy series and even in this age of "TV and Movies Have Achieved Parity," I doubt that's what anybody wants to hear. But if you know me, you know I mean it largely as a compliment.  And what does that mean? Well, not too much happens in "People, Places, Things." It's a low-incident narrative that's supposed to be about emotional truth mixed with humor, but a lot of the comedic beats are being played rather broadly.  It feels as if the basic plot elements and, particularly, characters are in place at the end of the film for an ongoing storyline that might be amusing. Give me this cast and some of these characters on a weekly basis for 10 or 13 half-hour episodes per season and I could grow to really like them. And speaking of growth,...

James C Strouse directs a film that has the shape and appearance of a romcom – but which is connected to the real life of relationships, rather than a fake Hollywood fantasy

Hollywood loves a sad sack, the kind of guy whose life has gotten stale and horrible – and who then does something outrageous to get his mojo back. People, Places, Things, the latest from Grace Is Gone writer/director James C Strouse, scales down and simplifies the trope, and is much better for it.

Comic book artist Will (Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement) finds his wife Charlie (Stephanie Allynne) sleeping with another man at their twins’ fifth birthday party. This, of course, leads to their divorce and Will, already prone to depression, ekes out an existence as an art teacher living in a studio apartment in Queens, where he has to sleep on the floor the alternate weekends his children come to visit.

Chicago – This Thursday marks the beginning of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, and yours truly will be in attendance to cover the fest for HollywoodChicago.com. Last year, the Park City, Utah event introduced the world to its 2014-defining sensations like “Whiplash” and “Boyhood”.

Those titles followed in the paths of indie landmarks such as “sex, lies and videotape,” “Clerks,” “Hoop Dreams,” “American Movie,” “Memento,” “Frozen River,” “Winter’s Bone,” and “Fruitvale Station,” among many others.

In pursuit of new favorite films for a new year, I’ve composed a relatively solid schedule so that I can devour as much diverse Sundance goodness as possible. Narratives, documentaries, white supremacists, nasty babies, Neil Hamburger, Chiwetel Ejiofor, stolen cop cars, and much, much more are all in play. But with hopes that everything I witness is the next “Boyhood”-like zeitgeist, I’ll be sure to report back here on what’s worth,...

The Sundance Film Institute announced the U.S. dramatic, world dramatic, U.S. documentary, world documentary and Next selections for the 2015 Sundance Film Festival today. The premier film festival in the United States, Sundance is coming off a banner 2014 edition that brought films earning year-end kudos such as "Whiplash," "Boyhood," "Dear White People," "Obvious Child" and "The Skeleton Twins" into the world. The 2015 slate just looks just as intriguing and, according to the festival, perhaps more emotional and challenging. In a statement from the Institute, the festival's director, John Cooper, remarked, "The selections for our 2015 Festival will take audiences on a wild ride of emotional extremes. With approaches ranging from comedic to dramatic, genre to documentary, experimental to short, independent filmmakers are bravely illuminating new opportunities for understanding and empathy.” Festival founder and cinema icon Robert Redford added, "The work of independent artists inevitably reflects the state of our culture...

Clint Eastwood is an enormously capable filmmaker who, like any filmmaker who works non-stop, is capable of turning out films that are polished and considered and carefully calibrated, and equally capable of turning out nearly inert movies that are forgettable and barely register. What I find most interesting about his career is the way it took him a while to win critics over to his side, but once he did, he's been almost untouchable ever since. Any other filmmaker coming off of "Jersey Boys" would have been greeted on their next film with open skepticism, but it's a real sign of just how esteemed Eastwood is that he could release that film to near-universal indifference at the start of the summer, and yet his next film can be greeted like an event that sends seismic waves through the already-crowded Oscar season. One of the things that I tend to avoid...

His fellow Flight Of The Conchords star Bret McKenzie has gone on to success with his meme-friendly roles in the Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit films and his Oscar-winning work with The Muppets. But with Dinner For Schmucks, Gentlemen Broncos and (ahem) Men In Black 3, Jemaine Clement hasn't done too shabbily either. For his next role, however, he's returning to the indie territority of the likes of Eagle Vs. Shark. He's starring in People Places Things for Grace Is Gone director James C. Strouse.The film sees Clement playing a struggling comics artist trying to cope with writer's block, two young daughters and a teaching job. There's also romance on the horizon, but in order to enjoy he'll have to finally stop pining for the woman who left him previously.Regina Hall, Stephanie Allynne and Jessica Williams are elsewhere on the cast list, and the screenplay is by Strouse himself.

Exclusive: Jemaine Clement, best known as one half of the comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, has linked up with Grace Is Gone helmer James C. Strouse for indie feature People Places Things. New Zealander Clement stars as a newly single, under-employed graphic novelist navigating life, his young twin daughters, a case of writer’s block, a classroom full of students, and a new love while letting go of the woman who left him.

Strouse recently wrapped principal photography, directing from his own script. Regina Hall, Stephanie Allynne, and Jessica Williams round out the cast of People Places Things. Michael B. Clark and Alex Turtletaub are producing for Big Beach spin-off shingle Beachside. Beachside’s Tim Foley is exec producer alongside Summer Shelton. Sundance award-winner Strouse, a recipient of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, made his writing debut with 2005’s Lonesome Jim for director Steve Buscemi and also penned Grace Is Gone...

For this week’s spotlight piece, I wanted to go old school and take a look at a classic A-lister, and that happens to be one Clint Eastwood. Depending on your age, he’s either a director who used to be an actor or a childhood icon who’s now become a rather iconic filmmaker. Few could have reinvented themselves the way that Eastwood has, with this weekend’s release of Jersey Boys highlighting his directing skills in a whole new light than really ever before. He’s tried to do it all in Hollywood, you have to tip your hat to him for that. Eastwood has basically done it all in the business. He’s starred in franchises (the Dirty Harry series as well as The Man With No Name movies), acted in Best Picture winners, and directed them as well. Though one could legitimately make the claim that...

Best known for his portrayal of the snarky but lovable Jim Halpert on the American version of The Office, John Krasinski has been carving a path in film with standout roles in Away We Go and Promised Land. But for his next project, this actor will pull triple duty, producing, starring and helming the dramedy The Hollars. Deadline reports John Krasinski has lined up The Hollars as his next directorial effort. He also fronts the feature alongside Anna Kendrick, Richard Jenkins, and Margo Martindale. The Hollars is being produced by Krasinski's production company Sunday Night. Its screenplay by Grace is Gone and Lonesome Jim writer James C. Strouse is being described as a cross between Steel Magnolias and Garden State. Intrigued? Krasinski will star in The Hollars as John Hollar, a struggling artist who lives in New York City with his girlfriend, played by Kendrick. But when his mother (Martindale...

Once upon a time, John Cusack was the epitome of understated greatness. His CV wasn’t a flawless one, but an interesting one, littered with interesting film choices that seemed to be just that — choices — with very few money pics. Then, something went terribly wrong. And the only answer is one of his best movies: Being John Malkovich. Look. I’m not saying that there is a clearly insane person living inside John Cusack’s head and making his professional decisions for him. I’m just saying there isn’t not a clearly insane person living inside John Cusack’s head making his professional decisions for him. Let’s go to the list. Before Being John Malkovich, there was this. And after, there was this. I mean, this isn’t a shift that is severely Brando-ian or starkly DeNiro-esque. But there is a shift. Something happened. There was High Fidelity, one...

Once upon a time, there was TV, and there were movies, and these were two very different worlds. The past twenty years have seen a gradual but important change, however, with the quality of television production increasing, and talent crossing those perceived boundaries both in front of, and behind the camera. The result of this ongoing change can now be enjoyed in the form of shows like True Detective, American Horror Story, House Of Cards, and soon, the as-yet-untitled Wall Street drama from John Cusack.

Currently in pre-production for CBS, the show centres around a smart hedge fund trader mired in the world of power, influence, manipulation and high finance that is America’s Wall Street. The cast is led by Charlie Cox (Stardust, Boardwalk Empire) as Jackson, the trader, with David Morse (The Hurt Locker) and Maggie Grace (Lost, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn) in supporting roles. In addition...

The cast of David O. Russell's Abscam drama formerly known as American Bullshit is already off the charts with reunions including Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence from the director's Silver Linings Playbook last year, not to mention The Fighter cast members Christian Bale and Amy Adams, and Jeremy Renner and Louis C.K. just for good measure. Now Deadline has word that Alessandro Nivola (Howl, Grace is Gone, Jurassic Park III), has landed a role in the film as a prosecutor of the Abscam case that brought down many corrupt members of Congress decades ago. Also, there's a release already set. Read on! The movie, written by Eric Warren Singer, tells the true story of Abscam, a sting operation in the 1970s and early 80s led by an FBI agent (Cooper) who teams with the world's best con man (Bale) in order to shine a light on corruption in Congress.

By Joey Magidson

Film Contributor

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Greetings from Park City, everyone! As I’m writing this piece, I’m in Utah attending the Sundance Film Festival. So far, it has been pretty cool (if a bit overwhelming at times), especially for a first-timer like myself. Being here inspired me to try and tie in the festival to the Oscars, as I’m prone to do with just about everything that I can. I’ve found that I’m on the lookout for what could move from this year’s festival lineup to the next awards season.

When I wrote about which film festivals influence the Oscar race a few weeks ago (found here), I mentioned how Sundance wasn’t the prime destination for awards hopefuls but still functioned as an essential launching pad. That was certainly true this year, and it will remain the case going forward.

It takes a certain...