jessica hynes Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Just like films that keep us guessing in exasperation (I'm looking at you, Mr. Richard 'Before Sunset' Linklater!), television shows often tap into the curious determination of fandom. But often it's after a myriad of seasons and at least a few years worth of investment into a group of characters. But then there are shows that inspire rabid fandom without many years on the little screen, and not because of fan loyalty to a certain star, or director (like, say, Joss Whedon's Firefly). I'm talking about Spaced.

The show only has 14 episodes, dating all the way back to 1999, and yet it's become a huge phenomenon recently. Why? Because it's just that good. Centered on the idea that two almost-strangers decide to pretend that they're a couple to secure a new apartment, Spaced is a cornucopia of geek fandom, weirdness, and laughs. And intermingled in the buzz that the show has captured recently, there's been talk of a continuation. But the big question is: Will it continue on the boob tube, or on the big screen?

It's not some big, gasp-worthy piece of news here, but if you are among the masses who love Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, and Jessica Hynes, and devour all things Spaced, you should check out the Pegg-run interview over at Collider.

Why would he run the interview? Well, Collider head Steve Weintraub got smacked in the head by a falling, curtain-holding beam as the back of Hall H collapsed at Comic-Con. Since this world isn't one of brief birdies and quick, 100% recoveries, Pegg agreed to take over the interviewing duties.

As you can imagine, this is no well-paced interview or thought-provoking questions and serious responses. This is full-force Pegg, Wright, and Hynes. Imagine a lot of jokes, riffing on Weintraub, and a neverending sea of media references in true Spaced form. Should Pegg's career ever tank, or slow down a bit, that man could make a fortune with his own reality show -- Simon Pegg and the Ultimate Geek Showdown.

The user-generated movie Faintheart begins shooting in the UK this week, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The first of its kind, Faintheart was put together via MySpace as the previously announced "MySpace Movie Mashup"; the writer, director, cast and other members of the production were apparently found via calls on the film's MySpace page. Some, such as writer David Lemon and director Vito Rocco, won competitions voted on by members of the networking site and a celeb jury, which included Sienna Miller and Anthony Minghella. Other positions, such as storyboard artist, could be acquired through job postings on the film's MySpace blog. The movie does feature some professional stars, though, including Jessica Hynes (you know her as Shaun of the Dead and Spaced's Jessica Stevenson -- she recently changed her stage name), Trainspotting's Ewan Bremner and Eddie Marsan, who will be making up for this by appearing in Mike Leigh's next film. Now the movie, a romantic comedy centered on the world of Viking battle re-enactments, which is being produced by Vertigo Films and FilmFour, with backing from the UK Film Council and Screen VM, is ready to go.

If we've learned anything from ideas like Project Greenlight and Spielberg's On the Lot, we can assume that the mainstream reception of Faintheart will not be too favorable. After all, the public likes its movies made by executives, businessmen, lucky "talents" and really talented people who have put in their time without success before breaking out. The same thing has been learned with the music business. Just because a person wins American Idol, that doesn't mean he or she is going to have a #1 album (nor does it mean he/she would make a good movie). Sure, the internet has possibly been helpful in suggesting things to filmmakers here and there, but overall, we can't trust people who live on the internet to make important decisions. Can we? There have been other internet-based film competitions, including two involving Spike Lee -- Babelgum's Online Film Festival and LiveMansion: The Movie (which seems to be competing with MySpace for the "first online-community-made" tag -- but obviously MySpace has them all beat with brand recognition. But then I wonder, will Faintheart even use a "MySpace Presents" banner? Regardless of the brand recognition, some people are sure to think such a connection is silly.