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Thursday, August 27
In an interview with IESB, Diablo Cody explains that after penning the sweet, life-affirming Juno, she was ready for darker territory — and more than a bit of horror. In coming up with the script for Jennifer's Body, she was searching around for what really frightened her and found it surprisingly close to home.
I wanted to write something that was about my fears, something that was a little edgy and eerie, but also funny. So I started thinking about what's scary to me, and I decided that girls are scary!
The script didn't end up being about any specific girl she knew, but about taking some of the fear and loathing of everyday teenage life, and making it a bit more graphic — and humorous and entertaining.
I think back-biting is a very accurate term, and in this case, it's literal. This movie is a commentary on girl-on-girl hatred, sexuality, the death of innocence, and also politics in the way the town responds to the tragedies [of the bloody deaths of several young men]. Any person who dares to respond in an unconventional way is branded a traitor. It's also just about fun — I wanted to write a really entertaining popcorn movie.
But Cody wasn't just thinking about girls, Juno director and Jennifer's Body producer Jason Reitman interjected during the interview.
At some point in the process I realized that every type of boy gets it in this film. The jock gets it. The sweet nerd gets it. The Goth kid gets it. This may just be Diablo's revenge on every type of boy she's ever met. If Juno is the film that speaks to her need for love, Jennifer's Body is the film that speaks to her need for revenge.
For another look at how Cody (and Jennifer) satisfied that need, check out the gallery of new photos accompanying the interview.
Posted 8/27/2009 by Bill
Related: Jason Reitman | Juno | Jennifer's Body | Diablo Cody
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Monday, July 27
Actress Megan Fox scoffed when reporters asked her about the possibility of playing a superhero in a live-action Wonder Woman movie, but apparently playing a zombie wasn't beneath her consideration. Perhaps that's because she found the role to be so unlike the decidedly un-sexy zombies to appear on screen in previous movies.
In the still-in-production comedy-horror movie Jennifer's Body, Fox plays a cheerleader who returns from the dead as a zombie to feast on her former classmates. In a recent interview, Fox said that zombies can be "sexy" and that there was a lot of eroticism in the movie:
Fox was criticized for being so critical of Transformers, the franchise that made her famous. She contrasts her new movie with Transformers, saying that she has more opportunities to act in Jennifer's Body:
There are no robots to distract you from whatever performance I give, so if it's terrible you will know. But the character was so much fun. I felt I was being able to make fun of my own image.
Jennifer's Body is currently in production, with Karyn Kusama (Æon Flux) directing from a script by Diablo Cody (Juno). If a zombie revenge movie seems a strange thing for the indie darling to write after the heartfelt tale of Juno MacGuff, think again. Cody told Entertainment Weekly:
I was involved in a typical adolescent love triangle, and I found myself having incredibly violent thoughts about this other girl.
Posted 7/27/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Megan Fox | Karyn Kusama | Aeon Flux | Transformers | Juno | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | Jennifer's Body | Diablo Cody
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Sunday, April 5
Leonardo DiCaprio's getting some company for Christopher Nolan's Inception that reads like a who's who of indie movie all-stars. Variety reports that Warner Bros is negotiating with Juno's Ellen Page, La Vie En Rose's Marion Cotillard and Sunshine and Nolan semi-regular Cillian Murphy to join the cast of the Nolan-scripted sci fi thriller.
DiCaprio will play a CEO type, and Cotillard is reportedly playing his wife. Page will play a grad student that is DiCaprio's sidekick.
Next Showing: Inception opens July 16, 2010
Posted 4/5/2009 by Ryan
Related: Ellen Page | Marion Cotillard | Christopher Nolan | Leonardo DiCaprio | La Vie en Rose | Sunshine | Cillian Murphy | Juno | Inception
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Tuesday, April 15
This week's DVD Tuesday is a tale of opposites: Juno, the indie comedy smash starring Ellen Page and written by blogging sensation Diablo Cody; the sci-fi sequel Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, available in both standard and extra-bloody unrated editions; Lars and the Real Girl, Ryan Gosling's bittersweet comedy about a young man's love affair with a blow-up doll; and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke as two brothers whose plan to rob their parents' jewelry store goes horribly awry.
Posted 4/15/2008 by reelz
Related: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem | Lars and the Real Girl | Before the Devil Knows You're Dead | Juno
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Monday, January 21
With the Academy set to unveil Oscar nominations tomorrow, the field remains very much wide open in the race for Hollywood's most coveted trophy. Our very own Jeff Otto will be on hand at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater bright and early for the nominations announcement, so be sure to stop by ReelzChannel.com tomorrow for all the latest updates, as well as a complete list of nominees when the ceremony wraps up.
Who'll be invited to the big dance? Who'll get snubbed? Nobody loves controversy more than Oscar, so expect to hear some furious debating when all is said and done (especially if beloved underdog Juno is left out of the running).
For a recap of some of the Academy's more dubious decisions, check out our list of the least-deserving Best Picture Oscar nominees over the last 25 years.
Next Showing: The 80th Annual Academy Awards take place February 24th, 2008
Posted 1/21/2008 by reelz
Related: Juno
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Monday, January 14
The Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman old guy buddy comedy The Bucket List claimed first place at the box office this weekend with a $19.5 million tally, edging out second place First Sunday by a mere half million. Quirky teen pregnancy comedy Juno continued its impressive run with a $14 million gross -- good enought for third place. Rounding out the top five were National Treasure: Book of Secrets and Alvin and the Chipmunks, which took in $11.5 million and $9.1 million, respectively.
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, the latest offering from pugilistic German director Uwe Boll, grossed a whopping $3.3 million in its first week of release. Way to go Uwe!
Source: boxofficemojo.com
Posted 1/14/2008 by reelz
Related: In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale | First Sunday | Juno | The Bucket List
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Monday, January 7
National Treasure: Book of Secrets maintained its vice-like grip over the box office, topping the charts for the third straight weekend with a $20.2 million gross, according to boxofficemojo.com. Will Smith's I Am Legend continued its impressive run with a $16.3 million take, barely edging out Juno for second place. Jason Reitman's teen pregnancy comedy raked in $16.2 million in its first weekend in wide release, averaging a whopping $8428 per theater.
Rounding out the top five were Alvin and the Chipmunks and disappointing newcomer One Missed Call, which grossed $16 million and $13.5 million, respectively.
Source: boxofficemojo.com
Posted 1/7/2008 by reelz
Related: One Missed Call | I Am Legend | National Treasure: Book of Secrets | Alvin and the Chipmunks | Juno
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Sunday, December 30
National Treasure: Book of Secrets held its spot atop the box office rankings, raking in $35.6 million over the weekend. Family flick Alvin and the Chipmunks continued its surprisingly strong run, grabbing second place with a $30 million gross. Following close behind was Will Smith's juggernaut I Am Legend, which took in a healthy $27.5 million. Rounding out the top five were Charlie Wilson's War and Juno, which took in $11.8 million and $10.3 million, respectively.
Posted 12/30/2007 by reelz
Related: I Am Legend | National Treasure: Book of Secrets | Alvin and the Chipmunks | Charlie Wilson's War | Juno
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Friday, December 7
The sprawling fantasy epic The Golden Compass storms into theaters this weekend, accompanied by a gaggle of smaller releases, including the highly buzzworthy flicks Juno, Atonement and Grace is Gone.
A rundown of our reviews of this weekend's new releases:
The Golden Compass 
"No amount of CGI wizardry or bear-on-bear action can save this movie from collapsing under the weight of its many structural flaws." [Full Review]
Atonement 
"An epic war-time love story...as beautiful as it is thought-provoking and soulful, Atonement is a December must-see." [Full Review]
Revolver 
"Guy Ritchie's latest is a mind-numbing, sanity-challenging debacle." [Full Review]
Juno
"A charming and sweetly sardonic tale of teen pregnancy...one of 2007's best and most enjoyable films." [Full Review]
Grace is Gone 
"There were times when it felt almost too indie to me...but it's still a noteworthy effort." [Full Review]
The Amateurs 
"Despite a great cast and amusing plotline, The Amateurs falls flat." [Full Review]
Also opening: Noelle, Strength and Honor, Timber Falls and The Walker.
Posted 12/7/2007 by reelz
Related: The Amateurs | Atonement | Revolver | The Golden Compass | Grace Is Gone | Juno
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Wednesday, December 5
Everyone is buzzing about the new movie Juno from director Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking) and with good reason - It's a great movie.
Today we've got an exclusive clip from Juno hosted by it's star Ellen Page and stripper-turned-screenwriter Diablo Cody.
Juno is out today and we highly recommend you check it out!
Posted 12/5/2007 by reelz
Related: Ellen Page | Jason Bateman | Jason Reitman | Juno | Diablo Cody