Pretty Bird Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Sundance Review: Pretty Bird
Filed under: Comedy », Independent », Sundance », Theatrical Reviews »
Here's another entry in the Good Sundance Movies with Rotten Titles category: Pretty Bird. The directorial debut of Paul Schneider (he wrote All the Real Girls and acted in movies like Elizabethtown, The Family Stone and The Assassination of Jesse James), Pretty Bird has nothing to do with birds. The closest the film comes to "birds" is the jet-propelled "rocket belt" that causes all sorts of problems for everyone involved. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.
Curtis Prentiss (Billy Crudup) is one hell of a schmoozer. He may not have many talents -- heck, he's not even all that smart -- but Curtis does have some very strong social skills -- and he seems like he could easily sell ice cubes to an Eskimo if he had to. Prentiss pops in to visit an old college friend named Kenny (the excellent David Hornsby), who is more than happy to invest in Curtis latest venture: a rocket belt. Kenny throws a whole lot of cash Curtis' way, and then the duo decides that they need an actual engineer to get this project "off the ground" -- and to that end they hire an out-of-work (and hot-tempered) rocket expert named Rick Honeycutt (the hilarious Paul Giamatti).
Kristen Wiig Gets Two New Roles
Filed under: Comedy », Casting »
For a while, I kept running into people who were all sorts of gaga for Kristen Wiig. I'd seen her on Saturday Night Live, and while I didn't dislike her, I didn't love her either. But she seems to sort of grow on you. At least, she did for me. She was one of the best parts of her latest film, Knocked Up, perfectly playing the queen of acidic, passive-aggressive comments. Now it's no wonder that her to-do list is overflowing with new work. As I told you in February, she's got a part in the musical comedy Walk Hard; she's co-starring in The Brothers Solomon (check out the trailer here); and she's even a part of Bill, which boasts the likes of Jessica Alba, Aaron Eckhart and Timothy Olyphant.Now she's got two more roles to bite into, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Back in June, we brought word of Ghost Town -- the ultra-dramatic (I kid) flick about a guy who gets brought back to life after kicking the bucket during a colonoscopy. After his surgery, he can see dead people. Wiig is going to play the surgeon. Yes, an anal surgeon. The flick stars Ricky Gervais, Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear, and sounds wonderfully ridiculous to me. Topping that off, she's also got an indie lead in Paul Giamatti's Pretty Bird, which Erik Davis blogged about here, co-starring Billy Crudup and written/helmed by Paul Schneider. Giamatti plays a loser trying to get famous with a rocket belt invention, and the troubles that erupt when he gets help from his friends. There's no word on Wiig's role yet, but really, after an anal surgeon who almost kills Ricky Gervais, what could compete?!
Paul Giamatti and Emily Mortimer Sign for 'Pretty Bird'
Filed under: Comedy », Casting », Deals »
According to JoBlo, Paul Giamatti and Emily Mortimer have signed on to star in the indie comedy Pretty Bird for Paul Schneider who, from the looks of it, will make his directorial debut on the film. Up until this point, Schneider has primarily done work as an actor, starring in films like Elizabethtown, Live Free or Die and The Family Stone. Giamatti, who's been dabbling in drama as of late, returns to a quirky comedic role which sort of reminds me of his take on Harvey Pekar in American Splendor. Pretty Bird finds him playing a lovable loser who attempts to invent a rocket belt in hopes that it will make him famous. In order to make it work, he enlists help from some of his friends -- only they succeed, and subsequently begin to turn on one another. Giamatti will produce the film along with his wife Liz.
The always-enjoyable Mortimer will play a girl named Mandy; the Director of Marketing for their rocket belt operation. How does one go about marketing a rocket belt in this day and age? I'm not exactly sure, but I do know that the film will shoot in New Jersey this August -- which means my original question will have to become even more complex: How do you market a rocket belt in New Jersey? Giamatti will next show up on screen as a badass villain in Shoot 'Em Up, opposite Clive Owen. Based on the trailer (in which Giamatti looked absolutely nuts), I'd say it will be one of his more fascinating roles. He'll also appear next to Vince Vaughn in Fred Claus later this winter. Mortimer, on the other hand, can next be seen playing a (real-life doll?) in the upcoming Lars and the Real Girl.
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