Trailer for Ensemble Dramedy 'About Alex' with Aubrey Plaza, Jason Ritter, Jane Levy, and More

There must be an unwritten rule somewhere that every indie ensemble that looks vaguely like The Big Chill must have Jason Ritter involved. It's not necessarily a bad thing and he's certainly found his niche in the genre, something he talked about in my interview with him for The Big Ask, and he's got another such film on the way in About Alex.

Ritter stars alongside Nate Parker, Aubrey Plaza, Jane Levy, Max Greenfield, Max Minghella, and Maggie Grace in the dramedy that marks the directorial debut of writer Jesse Zwick. Here's the official synopsis although I'm guessing you can probably figure what this one's about because all of these movies deal with the same issues reflected by the current generation...

In ABOUT ALEX, a circle of twenty-something friends reunite for a weekend away after one of them suffers an emotional breakdown. Despite the group’s best efforts to keep it light and enjoy themselves, a tinderbox of old jealousies, unrequited love, and widening political differences leads to an explosion that, coupled with the flammable combination of drugs, wine, and risotto, cannot be contained. An honest appraisal of adult friendship for our current social media moment, ABOUT ALEX is a lighthearted look at the struggles of a generation that has it all – and wants more.

About Alex hits VOD and theaters August 8th, and along with the trailer here's also a new clip.

Read More

Sure Shots: Joel Edgerton; John Cusack; Max Greenfield

* The busy year for Joel Edgerton(Warrior) continues, but the cool thing about it is he's not taking a simple route to making a name for himself. After selling his script for One Night Stand, and aiding his Aussie buddy David Michod develop The Rover with Robert Pattinson, Edgerton is set to produce, write, and star in a new thriller titled Felony. He'll play a police officer who has a couple of drinks and accidentally runs a cyclist off the road. He lies when questioned about it, leading to a situation that only gets worse for everybody. Matthew Saville(Noise) will direct when production gets underway in November. [THR]

* John Cusack wants you to forget about The Raven. Badly. He has to want that, otherwise I've lost all faith in the man. Unfortunately, the latest film he's joining continues to sound like an atrocious piece of crap. He'll join Elijah Wood in Grand Piano, which has a retired concert pianist with extreme stage fright forced back at the keys when a threat is made against his family. No joke. Adding to the jambalaya of stupid is Damian Chazelle(The Last Exorcism 2) as writer, and Eugenio Mira as director. Oi. [Variety]

* Max Greenfield(New Girl) has joined They Came Together, the promising rom-com spoof starring Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler. Directed and co-written by David Wain, the film is basically a send up of every romantic comedy trope we've all come to expect. Rudd will play an exec whose corporation is trying to take over the little shop owned by Pohler's character. Greenfield will play Rudd's no-good younger brother. [Deadline]

Read More