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Film

Despite His Protests, Zach Braff’s Cannes Deal Violates the Spirit of His Kickstarter Campaign

By Jason Bailey on

It’s not like anyone was crossing their fingers and wishing upon a star to talk about Zach Braff and Kickstarter again, but here we go. “Zach Braff’s Kickstarter Film Lands Full Financing,” reads the headline at The Hollywood Reporter, which got all the details of Braff’s Cannes deal with Worldview Entertainment to “fund much of Wish I Was Here,” the Garden State follow-up that Braff already raised $2.6 million for via the crowd-funding site. It’s a deal that seems to confirm the worst grumblings about the project (that it was a publicity stunt, that it was a vanity move, that it was a gross exploitation of crowd funding by a multimillionaire). And though the Reporter has updated its piece with softer language concerning the full extent of Worldview’s participation, the new controversy surrounding the project raises further questions about exactly how these hybrid Kickstarter/Hollywood projects should work — and who will benefit from them. … Read More

Web

Do Celebrity-Backed Projects Hurt Kickstarter’s Reputation?

By Tyler Coates on

When Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell announced last month that a movie version of the cult show was in the works — via Kickstarter — the internet exploded with excitement. The project hit its $2 million goal in just 11 hours, setting a record on the four-year-old fundraising site. The project was seen as a way to gauge the audience interest rather than a chance to fully fund the production, although Thomas and Bell were able to pull together $5.7 million from Veronica Mars fans. … Read More

Film

In Defense of ‘Garden State’

By Jason Bailey on

I think people honestly just don’t like Zach Braff’s face, and in fairness to them, it is sort of punchable. But the ever-polarizing actor’s recent Kickstarter campaign for his long-in-coming Garden State follow-up Wish I Was Here has cranked online Braff-punching up to volumes unheard in years — and in fairness to his critics, there is much to loathe about the story (more on that later). But it has also reinvigorated the narrative that Garden State, his 2004 debut film as writer/director, was a toxic piece of nuclear sludge that euthanized dogs and gave children bone cancer. Well, I’m here to tell you what 86% of critics and much of the viewing public said at the time: Garden State is a pretty good movie. In fact, it has moments of greatness. … Read More

Film

Video Essay: “And Introducing… Famous Faces in Their Film Debuts”

By Jason Bailey on

This week’s must-see DVD for film fans is Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel, Alex Stapleton’s wickedly enjoyable documentary profile of Roger Corman, the B-movie master whose exploitation movies launched half the moviemakers and movie stars of the ’70s. One of the film’s highlights is Jack Nicholson’s remembrances of his first movie roles, including his debut performance in The Little Shop of Horrors (which Corman shot in all of two days). Nicholson’s story got us thinking about other stars and their first movie roles, so we put together this quick video essay with a peek at some other famous film debuts. Check out our latest video essay after the jump. … Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. We didn’t see this one coming: it’s the James Cameron vs. Glenn Beck smackdown. All because Beck thinks that Cameron is the anti-Christ. [via ArtsBeat]
2. Zach Braff has announced on his Facebook page that the new Scrubs is dead, but ABC isn’t commenting. [via E!]
3. Blame it on… Read More

Books

The Baby-Sitters Club: Where Are They Now?

By Bethany Larson on

Although we’re excited for the new The Baby-sitter’s Club prequel that Scholastic will publish in April, we can’t help but think: where would the beloved teenage baby sitters be… Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. Don’t expect any new material at Pavement’s upcoming reunion gigs; these concerts are all about nostalgia. [via NME]
2. Tracy Morgan hands out a big F-you to former SNL castmates Chris Kattan and Cheri Oteri in his new memoir. “All I have to say about that is, where’s Chris Kattan now? Where’s Cheri Oteri now? That bitch can’t even get arrested.” [via Gawker]
3. How did we miss out on the “Zach Braff offed himself with a bunch of pills” rumors? He’s not dead, and clarifies that if he ever does kill himself, it will be with pots and pans. [via E! Online]
4. Giorgio Armani has tapped Megan Fox to replace Victoria Beckham as the new poster girl for their Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans campaigns; look for the images come January. [via WWD]
5. Roman Polanski will complete his new movie The Ghost — which is scheduled to premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in February — from inside the big house. [via… Read More