Behold: On Sunday afternoon at the New Yorker Festival panel which reunited all of the show’s cast members– Jeffrey Tambor, Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, David Cross, Alia Shawkat, Will Arnett, Tony Hale, and Jessica Walters– with the show’s creator, Mitchell Hurwitz, Hurwitz confirmed not only the fact that they are working on a movie, citing early 2013 as a potential release date, but also that they will be working on a fourth season as a precursor to the movie in question.

As The Playlist reported, Hurwitz told the lucky few who managed to get tickets for the event, “I have been working on the screenplay for a long time and found that as time went by there was so much more to the story. In fact, where everyone’s been for five years became a big part of the story. So, in working on the screenplay I found that even if I just gave five minutes per character to that backstory, we were halfway through the movie before the characters got together. And that kinda gave birth to this thing we’ve not been pursuing for a while and we’re kinda going public with a little bit. We’re trying to do kind of limited run series into the movie.”

Apparently, Hurwitz would like to do a shorter season (9-10 episodes), where each episode would focus on the back story of one character. I know, I know. What’re the odds that this will actually happen? Well, it turns out that Hurwitz is already talking to Showtime and Netflix for potentially airing the series. And then, hopefully a movie to follow, with filming to start sometime next year.

Yes, like all you fans, my spirits have gotten high too many times before just to be crushed, lying in a gutter somewhere to not take this news with a grain of (hopeful) salt, but either way, I can’t but think that it’s starting to feel a lot like Christmas! Now, if only someone could confirm Ron Howard’s involvement, I’d be so happy I could chicken dance:

Click here to view the embedded video.

You know that moment when you are standing or sitting at a music venue and you’re so excited? Your favorite band is about to walk on the stage. The lights have just gone down, and the energy in the room is so intense. You’re waiting to hear the first note of the first song of the best night of the rest of your life? Yeah well Michael Cera and Kat Dennings don’t.

The end of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist was both unrealistic and infuriating. As you know Nick (Cera) and Norah (Dennings) fall in love and blah blah blah as they run all over New York looking for the band Where’s Fluffy? Some fun facts about Where’s Fluffy?:
1. They have broken up.
2. They are Nick’s ALL TIME FAVORITE BAND.
3. They never play anymore.
4. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
5. Nick and Norah spend the entire night looking for the band.

I don’t know about you guys, but after I put in all that effort into something that important to me, I’d follow through.

This might make me sound cynical, but at that point what’s more important: the band or the girl? My answer would be the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the band, but I’m biased. However, Nick didn’t have to make this decision, he had both right there! At something like six o’clock in the morning (also who plays a show at six o’clock in the morning for a bunch of teenagers?), he had the opportunity to watch his favorite band with a girl he had fallen for. That sounds like a pretty incredible opportunity to me? Just me? No! Everyone would say that!

Up to this point, the night had been ridiculous, fun, disappointing, and every other emotion you can fit into the head of a teenager. It seems like watching Where’s Fluffy? would have been a culminating and satisfying end to a night he would never forget. But instead he flees. He runs away and misses it all.

The fact that he ran away from a problem can’t be the most attractive part of him, right Norah? I didn’t want to say anything but he’s kind of a wimpy coward. Oh, well right? Because you weren’t that big of a fan anyway, so if you have to leave it’s not that big of a deal for you, is it? Nick, buddy, she’s got you whipped and you’ve known her for, what, ten hours maybe? It’s going to get a lot rougher for you my friend. Trust me. Think about the next time you’re broken up, all time favorite band plays a one off show in the middle of the night…Oh, wait.

Nick,

YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

Well, did I say piece of information? I should clarify. I mean, he really gave us a piece of non-information. That is, when Entertainment Weekly caught up with Bateman to talk about his two summer comedies Horrible Bosses and The Change Up, they also asked him about the status of the long awaited AD movie. And Bateman actually said (wait for it), “I have no update at all.” Well, phew. Here I was thinking that a real, substantial movie was in the works.

But wait! There’s more (I wouldn’t trick all you loving fans like that)! Bateman continued, “As far as I know [creator] Mitchell Hurwitz is working on the script and he wants to start shooting at some point this year. So while I haven’t heard anything new, I haven’t heard anything that would contradict that.” So, you hear that Banterers?! The rumors are true! Thank God the rapture didn’t take me, because if I miss Tobias in his never-nudes, I wouldn’t be a happy camper.

The whole original cast has signed on including Michael Cera (Juno and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), Will Arnett (husband of Amy Poehler and guest star in 30 Rock), Jeffrey Tambor (Ghost), Jessica Walters (The Group), Alia Shawkat (Whip It!), David Cross (The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret) and Tony Hale (from that Volkswagen commercial and Because I Said So). If the rumors hold true, the film is set to start filming sometime this year. If anyone is out there, please dear God, let the rumors be true!

For the rest of the Entertainment Weekly article, click here.

Michael Cera came on to the scene with the terrific quirky comedy Arrested Development.  I think it’s safe to say that he made the transition from child actor to movie actor.  I didn’t mention that he was a star in either forum for good reasons, I don’t think he lives up to that billing, even despite his credentials and awkward popularity.  Michael Cera has made a string of movies playing essentially the same character, and for some reason that dorky charm has led to a certain level of success and celebrity.  Whether people believe it’s deserved or not is irrelevant.

Jesse Eisenberg has come onto the scene lately with a string of well received movies and an ability to play different roles in each.  Although he has no TV background, he has slowly made a name for himself in Hollywood, and I should really highlight the ‘slowly’ name.  He seems to be a guy that if you bring his name up in conversation with someone who doesn’t really know him, he/she will pretend that they do just to make it seem like they can partake in the conversation.  He hasn’t hit the same level of success of Cera, despite movies like Adventureland, Zombieland (which was excellent), and now what seems to be one of the biggest movies of the year, The Social Network.

Despite being part of such a popular movie, his name does not seem to be taking the road to stardom, and I’m not sure why.  He has a very likeableness to him and it shows itself in his characters.  He does an excellent job in each role and carries himself well on screen.  Why is there no love for Jesse Eisenberg?  Is it strictly the reason of bad timing and Cera just so happened to make a name for himself first?  Do too many people compare him to Cera and feel like that niche has already been filled?  I don’t know what the exact reason is but it seems there is something going on, and I don’t think it’s fully fair to Eisenberg.

Do you think Jesse Eisenberg should have a bigger name in Hollywood?

I am calling out all of you who did not see Scott Pilgrim. Yes, you, the reader of this post if you failed to hit theaters to see this incredible film. How could you let this happen? While if you are an avid banterer it is likely you are in the crop of people that have seen the film, I feel that it is our responsibility to bring attention to this tragedy.  Through its second week in theaters, Scott Pilgrim has only taken in $20.2 million and has been deemed a complete failure with an estimated $60 million budget.

I think Anna Kendrick, on her Twitter account, said it best. “Alright kids, Scott Pilgrim is in theaters TODAY. If this movie doesn’t blow your mind, you are dead inside.”  Anna, I agree with you. I am completely shocked that Scott Pilgrim has failed so miserably in the box office.

Websites like TheWrap.com and Cinemablend.com have written interesting articles about why the movie has been a failure.  These articles place blame on a confusing marketing campaign and lack of genre clarity.  I think that the film has received enough positive feedback from those who have seen it that it is completely inconceivable to believe how big a failure it has been.

As I write this post, I honestly can say I have not heard negative feedback from one person who has seen this movie. I myself went into this movie thinking it would suck, and was completely surprised with its greatness.  While I’m sure part of the reason for the box office failure is a direct result of people thinking it would suck, at this point in its stay in theaters, that is not a good enough excuse not to see it. In a summer filled with mostly eh movies, Scott Pilgrim is a total stand out.

If you go to the movies just to laugh, this movie is for you.  If you are cult follower of Jason Schwartzman films like “Slackers” and “The Darjeeling Limited,” this movie is for you.  Even if you are sick of Michael Cera, this movie is still for you especially since the artistic beauty of the action scenes is so great.  If you like action, this movie is for you.  If you like Nintendo, this movie is DEFINITELY for you.  If you like Edgar Wright’s (the director of Scott Pilgrim) previous movies “Hot Fuzz” and “Shaun of the Dead,” this movie is for you.  This movie is so different than any other movie I have seen in some time, so if you go to the movies hoping for something different, this movie is for you.  If you are a 18-30 year old who at one point liked Cera then go see this movie. If you want to have a good time and feel like a kid again, this movie is for you.  If you are a 50 year old without an ounce of imagination left, then this movie is NOT for you.

We live in a time where Hollywood originality seems to lack and sequels dominate theaters.  We live in a time where fresh filmmaking and a dare-to-be-different is often shot down as studios less frequently take risks on such projects.  So, now when we actually have something fresh, unique, and actually really good, what do we do….well, we let it sit on skid row in the 10th slot and die a slow death.

We too often blame studios for putting out crap.  In this case, we should blame ourselves. When a movie like “Vampire Sucks” takes in $12.2 million and trumps Scott Pilgrim, we should be embarrassed.  Why would studios want to put out quality films if nobody is going to see them?  They have to put out products they think will make money, right. No longer can we put blame on studios for putting out less quality films.  Instead, we should be looking at ourselves and say we have a diminishing taste in movies.

If you are a fan of going to the movies and want studios to continue to deliver quality and original films, then I implore you…..GO SEE this movie.

Keep Bantering

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is about a 22-year-old kid named Scott Pilgrim who falls in love with a girl named Ramona Flowers, played by the beautiful Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Thing is Scott (Michael Cera) must first defeat her “seven evil exes”, the latter halves of past relationships that come at Scott like firepower. Wright’s fantasia hits it big not just in the screenplay he wrote with Michael Bacall, but in visual design. Much is due to cinematographer Bill Pope (The Matrix), but also to Wright, the breadwinner behind it all. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World takes you for a ride and leaves you left with more than you could ever hope for. You don’t only come out unscathed, but feeling like a winner. For sitting through a movie? Ha. Try bearing witness to 2010’s most inspired originality.

A balance is found here, somewhere in the middle that works, and someone smart decides to stick with it. That insane chemistry holding the movie together, having this character structure stay together while still allowing room to breathe, is spread throughout Wright’s playground like magic. From its opening, in which Scott’s band Sex Bob-Omb (like The Runaways on steroids) showcase for his high school girlfriend Knives Chau (exuberantly portrayed by Ellen Wong) to its final bang, Scott Pilgrim grips you. It doesn’t let up, not for a second. Wright’s wonderful creation ranks on Hollywood comic book movies while inventing a game-changing technique all its own. It’ll fit nicely amongst a niche audience, those of us who have waited for months and months to sight glimpse of it, but for the first time in a while I beg you to please see Scott Pilgrim. It’s too unique to be ignored, and far too fantastic to only be seen by a few thousand people.

Then there’s Scott, capsulated by the awkward go-to chum Michael Cera, here for perhaps the first time in his career branching out and playing the asshole. You’ll be shocked how good he is. He bounces from scene to scene, opposing person upon person like a live-action video game spectacle years in the making. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World will be called iconic, yet at the same time it’s funny how this tactic has just been sitting in front of us. There will always be more ways to innovate things, even the comic books like Scott Pilgrim, but it takes a certain type of talent to correctly highlight a heyday and not simply create further nostalgia with it, but craft attachments onto existing genres and so expertly smooth away the excess.

There’s a packed expression to each of these characters’ faces that’s as tongue-in-cheek as it is dark, likeminded as it is witty. Every sword or bass guitar Cera picks up only enhances the aura he glides across Edgar Wright’s visual landscape with. Take the childish antics done so well in Toy Story 3 and the diverse boldness and epic scale of Inception, and cram it into a movie with an individual form of amazement, about love and hate and everything in-between.

MUST SEE.

You might be asking yourself how could this be. Trust me, I am there with you. I thought this movie was going to be total garbage. It had SO MUCH room for error, and looked really bad from the trailer. I was expecting a poor mash up of over done fight scenes that wanted to be cooler than they were. Not to mention, I was sick of Cera and his one-dimensional awkward character.

However, I am happy to say I was wrong. Don’t you just love it when that happens.  Wright was successfully able to make Cera a little cooler than normal, composed some awesome fight scenes, and wrapped it all together in an interesting story. This can really be the beginning of adapting video games to live action film.

SEE IT

Check out my video review below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s terribly difficult to make a coming-of-age comedy without buying into any cliches. A question any filmmaker has to ask themselves when trying to attempt one is, do we go by the book with this, or try something new and risk failure?

Youth in Revolt dances around these typical plays. Just when you think it’s going to enter into the dead world of teaching morals in a comedy, the film takes  a complete 180 and jerks itself in the other direction. That’s what makes the film so unique.

Trying to change the genre itself is another story, and that’s not what writer Gustin Nash tried to do when adapting C.D. Payne’s novel. Youth in Revolt does, in a way, succumb to the brand’s flaws, but it’s how director Miguel Arteta handles those flaws and embraces them that makes Revolt so original.

Michael Cera isn’t leading-man material, but come on, who hasn’t imagined a movie with Cera as the central character, instead of always serving as the butter to somebody else’s bread?

Youth in Revolt is funny and in its own way yes, charming as hell. I had a great time laughing along with the audience at all of the formulaic crude jokes. In the end, Revolt is the same teen-trying-to-lose-his-virginity story we’ve been seeing a lot of lately. It’s only the good ones that get there in a different way.

3 out 5 stars

In a country where crap tends to be huge hits and substance is left in the dust wondering what happened, Jersey Shore has quickly become a sensation across America and is slowly becoming one of MTV’s most popular shows of all time.  Nothing like watching some steroid greaseballs and some unattractive fake tanned girls starting the fist pump low, raising it a bit higher, and finally going balls to the walls crazy as their arm pit sweats starts dripping into their Heineken and jagar shots.  I’m getting a headache just typing about this now.  But more might be coming in the way of Jersey Shore and “The Situation.”

Our beloved no talent typecast loveable dork Michael Cera may be joining the cast of Jersey Shore as a way to gain some buzz and coverage for his new movie coming out Youth in Revolt.  Well he’s not exactly joining the cast, but MTV is working on some sort of Parody starring him in a clip with the Jersey Shore guys.

I have no idea what the video will be about but I believe it will be hysterical, probably more so than his new movie coming out that looks awful.  I wonder what his nickname will be?  The Ceranader?  Ok, worth a shot.