Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Stars to Watch: Part 14 – Movies Spotlight – September 2014


What He Has Been In:

Adam Driver, 30, graduated from Juilliard in 2009 and began looking for work in New York City as an actor. After some television work, he started getting supporting roles in more notable films such as J. Edgar, Lincoln, Frances Ha, Inside Llewyn Davis, and What If (a great romantic comedy that came out this past August). His film work has made him an in-demand actor. But, it is on television where Driver has really shined.

Driver’s big break came on HBO’s dramedy series Girls, created by Lena Dunham. He plays Adam the boyfriend character of Dunham’s Hannah. Driver is fantastic on the series, making a name for himself. He is funny and very emotionally emotive with incredible charisma.


September Film:

Driver has two films slated for release in September. The first is Tracks. It is about a young Australian woman who embarks on a trek across the West Australian desert with only her four camels and trusted dog. Driver plays a journalist coving the story who also falls for the young woman. It stars Mia Wasikowska and is directed by John Curran. The film looks like it might be the month’s best drama. Here is the trailer.

The second is the ensemble comedy This Is Where I Leave You from Shawn Levy. In addition to Driver, it also features Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, and Jane Fonda (among others). It looks like a decent comedy (maybe worth renting). Here is the trailer.


Upcoming:

Driver’s upcoming schedule is packed with high profile projects. First he is in Noah Baumbach’s new dramedy While We’re Young, which also stars Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, and Amanda Seyfriend. Then, he is in the Jeff Nichols sci-fi drama Midnight Special with Kirsten Dunst, Joel Edgerton, and Michael Shannon (it is a film I am very excited to see in 2015). After that, he can be seen in J.J. Abrams’s Star Wars: Episode VII. He is rumored to be playing one of the film’s main villains. Finally, he also has a role in Martin Scorsese’s next drama Silence about seventeenth century Jesuit priests who are persecuted in Japan. The film also stars Andrew Garfield, Ken Watanabe, and Liam Neeson (who played an 18th century Jesuit priest in The Mission).


Career Highlights:
1)      Girls (2012-present)* – lead (Blu-ray, Video On-Demand, Trailer)
2)      Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)* – supporting (Blu-ray, Video On-Demand, Trailer)
3)      What If (2014) – supporting (Trailer)
*Editor’s picks


What He Has Been In:

Bill Hader, 36, is known for playing very funny characters on television and in films. He got his start in Los Angeles when he joined Second City. From there, he was added to the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2005, where he became a fan favorite during his nine years on the show.

Hader is one of the great comedy actors to find himself often cast by Judd Apatow in his many projects. Hader is fantastically funny, creating great characters with small supporting roles in films, such as: Knocked Up, Hot Rod, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder, Adventureland, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Paul, Monsters University, and They Came Together (which came out earlier this summer).

He also continues to do fun work on television with parts in The Venture Bros., The Mindy Project, and Bob’s Burgers.


September Film:

Hader appears in two films. The first is the dramedy The Skeleton Twins. It is about two estranged twins who almost die on the same day. Shaken up, they decide to try and reconcile their relationship. He co-stars with Kristen Wiig. It is one of Hader’s first leading roles. It looks like a very good drama and should lead to bigger things for him. Here is the trailer.

The second is the romance drama The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them. It stars Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy. Hader plays a supporting role. The film was initially split into two films, one from the woman’s perspective and one from the man’s. It has now has been combined for theatrical release; however, critics claim that it worked much better as two separate films. Here is the trailer.


Upcoming:

Hader has some great projects on his upcoming schedule. Next summer he co-stars in the comedy Trainwreck, written by and starring Amy Schumer (maybe the funniest comic right now). It is directed by Judd Apatow and has a fantastic ensemble supporting Schumer and Hader including: Daniel Radcliffe, Brie Larson, Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, and Marisa Tomei. Then, he has voice roles in two Pixar films. The first is Inside Out, about a young girl named Riley who is uprooted from her life in the Midwest and moved to San Francisco. Riley is guided by her emotions, but the move allows her negative emotions to try and take over. Hader voices Fear. The second is The Good Dinosaur, about a 70-foot-tall teenage Apatosaurus who befriends a human boy.


Career Highlights:
1)      Saturday Night Live (2005-2013) – lead
2)      Hot Rod (2007) – supporting (Blu-ray, Video On-Demand, Trailer)
3)      Superbad (2007) – supporting (Blu-ray, Video On-Demand, Trailer)
4)      Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)* – supporting (Blu-ray, Video On-Demand, Trailer)
5)      Adventureland (2009)* – supporting (Blu-ray, Video On-Demand, Trailer)
*Editor’s picks


What She Has Been In:

Analeigh Tipton, 25, got her start as a figure skater as a juvenile. She then pursued a modeling career. She placed third on Cycle 11 of America’s Next Top Model in 2008. She then got into film and television. She started off fairly quickly with roles in The Green Hornet, Crazy, Stupid, Love., Damsels in Distress, and Warm Bodies. She also had a reoccurring role in season three of HBO’s Hung.

Recently, Tipton featured in a supporting role in this summer’s action blockbuster Lucy. She also starred in the short film/commercial The Power Inside. It is weird and fun.


September Film:

Tipton stars opposite Miles Teller (who is also a star to watch featured this month) in the romantic comedy Two Night Stand in September. The film looks rather generic, but Tipton and Teller are good young actors. If they are able to find chemistry together, it could end up being a very fun film. Here is the trailer.


Upcoming:

Upcoming, Tipton has maybe her most high profile acting jobs to-date. First, she stars in her own new sitcom on ABC. It is called Manhattan Love Story and is about the inner workings of the mind of a young man and young woman as they begin a new relationship. It co-stars Jake McDorman and is created by Jeff Lowell. Then in 2015, she stars opposite Ryan Reynolds, Ben Mendelsohn, and Sienna Miller in writing/directing team Anna Boden and Ryan Feck’s new drama Mississippi Grind, about two down on their luck guys who go on a road trip through the South.


Career Highlights:
1)      Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) – supporting (Blu-ray, Video On-Demand, Trailer)
2)      Damsels in Distress (2011) – supporting (Blu-ray, Video On-Demand, Trailer)
3)      Warm Bodies (2013) – supporting (Blu-ray, Video On-Demand, Trailer)
*Editor’s picks


What He Has Been In:

Miles Teller, 27, earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, appearing in many short films. He made his feature debut in 2010’s Rabbit Hole. He then took roles in lots of films geared towards teenagers, including: Footloose, Project X, 21 & Over, That Awkward Moment, and Divergent.

While Rabbit Hole did showcase Teller’s talent as an actor, it is his performance in James Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now, opposite Shailene Woodley, that really caught people’s attention (including mine). He is very good in the film, playing the lead Sutter. His emotional range is wonderful and his chemistry with Woodley is palpable.


September Film:

Like Analeigh Tipton, Teller stars in September’s Two Night Stand. Here is the trailer.


Upcoming:

Teller has his best and biggest projects upcoming. First, he stars in the Sundance Film Festival winning drama Whiplash, playing an aspiring drummer who is brutalized verbally and emotionally by his teacher. Then, Teller stars as Mr. Fantastic in Josh Trank’s reboot of The Fantastic Four. Also joining Teller in the film are Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, and Michael B. Jordan. Teller is also attached to a sequel. After that, Teller returns for the Shailene Woodley led YA sci-fi sequel to Divergent, Insurgent. Finally, Teller is slated to reunite with his Whiplash writer/director Damien Chazelle in the musical dramedy La La Land (the director has also stated that he would like Emma Watson to co-star).


Career Highlights:
1)      Rabbit Hole (2010) – supporting (Blu-ray, Video On-Demand, Trailer)
2)      Project X (2012) – supporting (Blu-ray, Video On-Demand, Trailer)
3)      The Spectacular Now (2013)* – lead (Blu-ray, Video On-Demand, Trailer)
*Editor’s picks

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