youth in revolt Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Get ready all you Twispians, because Cinematical has just received this exclusive teaser poster for Youth in Revolt, which stars Michael Cera as the ultra-angsty (and legendary) Nick Twisp and is based on one of my favorite books of all time. Ah, what can you say about Youth in Revolt? The book, written by C.D. Payne, has amassed a huge, cult-like following partly because we can all relate to being an awkward teenager who'd do anything to capture the love of that special someone, and also because it's just damn funny.

For those who haven't read the book (seriously, read it -- the thing is hilarious), Youth in Revolt follows the misadventures of a love-sick teen who stops just short of destroying the world in order to win the love of one Sheeni Saunders. Cera plays said teen, Nick Twisp, while newcomer Portia Doubleday plays Sheeni. The film also boasts a pretty impressive supporting cast, including Steve Buscemi (as Nick's seedy, trailer-trash father), Zach Galifianakis, Justin Long, Fred Willard, Ray Liotta, Jean Smart and Ari Graynor. Needless to say, I cannot wait to see this cast bring some of these wacky, ridiculous (and memorable) characters to life, and I'm sure you Revolt fans are right there with me.

Youth in Revolt hits theaters on October 30. Click the image below to view entire poster.

The first piece of viral marketing for Youth in Revolt has arrived online, and it comes in the form of that film's star, Michael Cera, having a little sh*t fit on set. Obviously this taps into the whole Christian Bale thing, which, I think we can all agree, is kinda played out by now -- but watching Michael Cera yell and curse is just funny no matter how so- ten-minutes-ago the source of the joke is.

But this video does a bit more than make us laugh. First off, it confirms that Youth in Revolt is still in production (reshoots?) when it was supposed to be arriving in theaters in just a couple weeks from now. Second, at the end of the video, they tell us the film is now arriving in the fall of 2009 -- possibly making a pitstop at the Toronto International Film Festival like Cera's last film, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. And finally, the video shows us that Cera can get a little angry, jaded and pissed off -- and that's exactly what he'll need to do in order to take on the character of Nick Twisp, who's so full of teen angst it practically leaks out of his skin. Check out the video below, then let us know what you think.

WARNING: The following video contains lots of foul language.



[Thanks Dennis P.]

After finishing up the first four volumes of the hilarious and endearing Scott Pilgrim graphic novels (the fifth hits stores on Wednesday), I was talking with one of my fellow Cinematical writers who was similarly fond of them and yet quite vocal in his discontent with the casting of Michael Cera in Edgar Wright's forthcoming big-screen adaptation (admittedly, the character does deserve someone a little... livelier).

Between that, the less-than-amusing spot for Harold Ramis' Year One from yesterday's Super Bowl, his potential part in that fingers-crossed Arrested Development movie, the release of Youth in Revolt being bumped back, and his role in last month's Sundance curio Paper Heart (oh, heck, and tomorrow's DVD release of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist while we're at it) -- is 2009 due to be the year of Michael Cera, or rather, is Cera due for a backlash against his seemingly limited range of bumbling performances?

What do you guys think of the once and future George Michael?

Oh look, it's a comedy from The Weinstein Co. that's about to have its release date pushed back for a second time. Who woulda thunk it? Well, considering that Youth in Revolt was supposed to hit theaters in February and we still haven't received photos, a poster or a trailer, it's fairly obvious the film isn't going to make its second date after originally eying a December '08 release. Though no official word has come down yet, according to several different sources it's looking like Revolt is going for another ride through 2009 -- and if I were a betting man, I'd say it may get dumped toward the end of summer.

I briefly spoke to the film's star, Michael Cera, at a dinner party for Adventureland at Sundance, and he didn't really give any clues away as to how he felt about the finished product. All I know is that the book is one of the best (and my favorite) teen angst stories ever told, and the cast -- including Cera, Justin Long, Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Jean Smart, Zach Galifianakis and Portia Doubleday -- is fairly awesome if you ask me. So what's the hold up? No idea. But it's The Weinstein Co., who, after three (four? five?) years are finally releasing the comedy Fanboys on February 6. Hopefully Youth in Revolt is testing through the roof and they want to hold it for a prime date over the summer ... but something tells me that's not the case. Anyway, fingers are totally crossed -- we'll let you know what the new date is when (or if) it's announced.

Surfing around online earlier today, I came across this nifty little site called Handmade Detroit. Scrolling down, I noticed this spiffy fan made Michael Cera night light that was created as a gift for Cera himself. See, the item (as pictured above) comes with a pretty cool story: Apparently, the new film Youth in Revolt (based on the best book evah!) was shooting some interior scenes in Ferndale, Michigan at the house of a person who is friends with the girl who writes for Handmade Detroit. So, in the spirit of giving and being nice and all that jazz, she -- along with a few friends -- put together gift bags full of groovy stuff from local shops for some of the cast and crew. Awww. I love people who go out of their way to give other people free sh*t. High five Handmade Detroit!

Anyway, you can check out a photo of the entire gift bag over at Handmade Detroit, as well as a list of what exactly was in it and a whole lot more. So, who wants a Michael Cera night light?

I think that everyone who loves Michael Cera's comedy – and that should be practically everyone – is a little worried about Michael Cera. Because even as Arrested Development becomes legend, Superbad wins over every twentysomething in sight, and Juno charms the pants off the entire nation, the hushed, often unspoken question is: how long can he milk this? Cera's shtick is killer, but it's also ultra-specific – he's the shy, unprepossessing, painfully awkward adolescent, a nice guy who's self-aware enough to get embarrassed but not confident enough to avoid it.

Cera is so good at playing this part in a way that's both touching and hysterical that it's propelled him to stardom. For me to say that I haven't enjoyed any of the incarnations of George Michael Bluth that he's given us over the past couple years would be a bald-faced lie. Indeed, I think the character he's crafted is one of the most impressive comic achievements of my adult lifetime. But even as I relish it, I start to fidget, because I can sense exasperation and annoyance threatening from just around the bend. Oh, maybe not mine – I could watch Cera do this forever, I tell myself – but certainly other people will soon lose patience and turn on the guy. One-trick pony, they'll yell. Do something else.

I'm not at all familiar with Portia Doubleday (pictured right), so I was a little nervous to learn she had nabbed the part of one of my all time favorite female characters (from a novel): Sheeni Saunders. Those who've read Youth in Revolt know Sheeni quite well, but if you haven't picture every girl you've ever had a crush on combined into one, all-knowing, beautiful piece of work. That's Sheeni. And according to a press release, Doubleday will be joined by Justin Long, Fred Willard, Zach Galifinakis, Erik Knudsen and Mary Kate Place.

All of those people will join Michael Cera, Ray Liotta, Steve Buscemi and Jean Smart, among others. Wow. Interesting cast, if I may say so myself. Youth in Revolt tells the simple (yet very complex) story of Nick Twisp, a teenage troublemaker (Cera) with a wacky, white-trashy family who falls desperately in love with the girl of his dreams and goes to great lengths to win her over. Out of the new cast additions, we know Knudsen is playing Twisp's best friend Lefty, Long will play Sheeni's older brother Paul, Willard will play Nick's communist neighbor Mr. Ferguson, Place will play Sheeni's mother and Zach G. will play Jerry, an early (and seedy) boyfriend of Nick's mother (Smart).

I'm a huge, nerdy fan of the original novel written by C.D. Payne, so expect to hear a lot about Youth in Revolt from Cinematical. My fingers are crossed and I wish everyone involved good luck. Production is now underway and I've been told the film will hit theaters this December. Yay!

I'm sure I've already told you how Youth in Revolt is one of my favorite books of all time. And I'm sure, since I last wrote about it, a bunch of you have gone out and picked it up. Right? Revolt tells the story of 14-year-old (though they've aged him up to 17 for the film) Nick Twisp; a story that follows him (through personal journals) going to the greatest lengths imaginable just to score his dream girl, Sheeni Saunders. Amidst the madness, Nick (who will be played by Michael Cera) jumps between his two divorced parents, one of which (the filthy, sex-obsessed father) will be played by the very awesome Steve Buscemi. Variety tells us Ray Liotta and Jean Smart have also joined the cast, and though they don't say, The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Liotta will play Nick's mother's psychotic boyfriend, while we assume Smart will play the poor kid's neurotic mom.

It's nice to see The Weinstein Co. have made this flick a priority; currently, they're at Cannes trying to secure foreign markets. Youth in Revolt is an incredibly hard book to adapt, and earlier this year I spoke to screenwriter Gustin Nash (Charlie Bartlett) a bit about the difficulties of adapting and trimming Youth in Revolt for the big screen. One thing we did touch upon was how the book's second greatest character was still yet to be cast: Sheeni Saunders. As Nick's love interest, Sheeni carries the combined traits of every girl you've ever had a crush on: she's pretty, she's smart, she's devilish and she knows just how to get what she wants, when she wants, how she wants it. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a good young actress for the role. You?

It has taken over two years, but the big-screen adaptation of Youth in Revolt is finally gearing up. Previously, our esteemed Erik Davis raved about the book when Dimension Films bought the rights, and then when Michael Cera signed on to star. Now The Hollywood Reporter says that Miguel Arteta is this close to jumping back into the movies and helming the flick. Should the final negotiations wrap up nicely, this will be the director's first film since The Good Girl five years ago.

While that's not really a good indicator of his fit, being one heck of a sullen film, it might help you to remember that this is the guy behind Chuck and Buck. While Arteta hasn't helmed a big screen teen comedy, he's handled a man-child stalker (and an ep of Freaks and Geeks to boot), so this might just be the perfect fit. I hope so, as I can just imagine what fanboys will do to the poor guy if he doesn't.

Meanwhile, Cera will be playing the title character, Nick Twisp -- "a smart, sexually obsessed teen living in a world of moronic adults." A little more specifically, as Erik described last year: "we follow Nick through what he writes in his own personal journals, and join him in his neverending quest to win the love of one 'Sheeni' Saunders." There's no word on when production will begin.

Holy bleeping crap! According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michael Cera (Superbad, Arrested Development) has signed on to star in the adaptation of Youth in Revolt, which just happens to be one of my favorite books of all time. Michael bleeping Cera! I've literally been losing my mind over this movie for the past year because the book is so massive -- and so much happens -- that I had no idea how in the world they would adapt it for the big screen. God Bless screenwriter Gustin Nash, because this one must have been a bitch to get right. There's currently no director lined up (IMDb has Nash listed, but that's not correct -- and I know of one guy who's taken a meeting about it, but I'm not allowed to say). But before I go on, let me just say (to those that have never read it): You have to go out and buy this book. Youth in Revolt, by C.D Payne. And then when you're finished, you can purchase the follow-up book, Revolting Youth. There's also a couple of others, but start with those two. I swear to you, this thing will have you in stitches by page 20, and when you're done you'll be itching to share the experience with someone else.

The book, which is separated into three books (although they all come together) follows a very unlucky teenager named Nick Twisp, who I assume will be played by Cera. Twisp also has a best friend named "Lefty" (I won't spoil why that's his nickname), and Cera would be good for either role -- HR doesn't specify the part, only that Cera will star. But basically, we follow Nick through what he writes in his own personal journals, and join him in his neverending quest to win the love of one "Sheeni" Saunders. And let's just say this kid will stop at nothing to get this girl to dig him. Now HR only goes over the plot description from the first book, so I'm not sure if The Weinstein Co. plan to make this a trilogy or smash all three (or four) books into one movie. The latter would literally be impossible without losing a slew of classic material, so we'll have to see where they go with it. Also, Cera is a tad old to play Twisp (who I believe was something like 14 or 15 in the book), so I imagine they'll either age him down a tad or just make Nick that much older (Cera is 19).

Personally, I think Cera is absolutely perfect for the role. Nick Twisp has a bit of cocky arrogance to him (something I haven't seen from Cera yet), but he's also incredibly clumsy and moronic -- and somewhat of an intellectual (well, at least he tries to be). He comes up with the most outrageous ideas and convinces himself, as well as those around him, that it's the way to go. Crap, I can talk about this book all day long -- but what about you? Have you read Youth in Revolt? Can you picture Michael Cera as Nick Twisp?