• Zombieland

    Rent It!

    Director: Ruben Fleischer.

    Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin. It also features a hilarious Bill Murray cameo.

    About: Yes, this is a zombie movie, but don’t rule out “Zombieland” as a weekly rental if you don’t like zombie flicks- it appeals to a much wider audience than zombie fans. Personally, I’m not a fan of blood and gore, so I usually ignore films featuring the (un)dead, but-as I have an attraction toward Woody Harrelson-I decided to rent “Zombieland.” And while the film does feature Harrelson’s flexing arm muscles (*swoon), it offers a lot more than that to viewers and is guaranteed to get you on the edge of your seat.

    “Zombieland” is set in a post-apocalyptic America in a world known to college student “Columbus” (Eisenberg) as “Zombieland.” En route to Columbus, Ohio to see if his family members are still alive, “Columbus” meets “Tallahassee” (Harrelson) on a deserted highway. They decide to travel together, making stops at grocery and convenience stores along the way in search of Twinkies, which are “Tallahassee”’s obsession. On one of their Twinkies stops, the duo encounter two sisters, “Wichita” (Stone) and “Little Rock” (Breslin), who steal their weapons. Throughout the film the men run into the two girls, who-eventually-join their team fighting off zombies.

    For those unaccustomed to zombie flicks, the blood gushing from the zombies mouths is a little stomach turning, but stick with it- “Zombieland” is well worth the watch. In the film’s opening, I was taken aback and unsure how I would get through the film, but I got used to the violence and gore, and-soon enough-I found myself rooting for the main characters. “Zombieland” is a fun watch and you’ll find yourself cheering out loud, as I did, yelling, “he’s riding a roller coaster AND killing zombies!”

    Rent if you like: Superbad, Adventureland, Shawn of the Dead or have a strange attraction toward Woody Harrelson.


    If I Were a Casting Director…

    As someone who frequents the blogs and searches the net for entertainment news, I have noticed something- a lot of celebrities look alike. Occasionally I will make mention of this on twitter (Follow me!- @LAMcEachran), but I decided to compile a few more celebrities that I haven’t mentioned on twitter and make a blog about it. So, if I were a casting director, here’s who I would cast:

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    Actors: Jared Leto (left) and Freddie Highmore.

    Cast: Uncle and nephew.

    Focus: Both.

    Script: A dark feature film about family bonds. Think About a Boy meets The Number 23; freaky, but it would have its sweet moments.

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    Actors: Amy Adams (left) and Nicole Kidman.

    Cast: Sisters.

    Focus: Amy Adams (botox took Nicole Kidman out of the running for lead).

    Script: A chick-flick about a single woman sorting her life out. She would visit people from her past, à la Now and Then, and make a pit-stop at her estranged older sister’s house.


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    Actors: Zoe Saldana (right) and Thandie Newton.

    Cast: Sisters.

    Focus: Both.

    Script: Indie flick about sisters overcoming hardships (think Sunshine Cleaning).

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    Actors: Sam Worthington (left) and Russell Crowe.

    Cast: Although Russell Crowe is only twelve years older than Sam Worthington, I would cast them as father and son.

    Focus: Although both actors would have big storylines, I would focus on Sam Worthington’s character.

    Script: It would be an action movie about a father and son duo as they become con men.

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    Actors: Chris Hemsworth (left) and Chace Crawford.

    Cast: Brothers.

    Focus: Either Hemsworth or Crawford.

    Script: With these actors, it could go either way. With Hemsworth on board, it could be a serious action movie with intricate storylines. With Crawford, it could be a direct-to-DVD dud about two brothers having the “time of their lives” on summer vacation at the beach. ……………………………………………………………………..They would play 15 year olds.

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    Actors: Rachel Weisz (left) and Marion Cotillard.

    Cast: Half-sisters.

    Focus: Both.

    Script: Future Academy Award-winning film about two long lost sisters. It would feature lots of tears and angry yelling- probably artsy stuff as well. It would be deep.

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    Actors: Shannon Elizabeth (left) and Alyssa Milano.

    Cast: Sisters.

    Focus: Both

    Script: Straight-to-DVD comedy about two party girls that get caught up in a cooky adventure. Expect Chris Carmack to play someone’s boyfriend.

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    Wow, it’s fun being casting director! Give it a try and tweet me who you’d cast at @LAMcEachran.


    The Informant!

    Rent It!

    Director: Steven Soderbergh

    Stars: Matt Damon, Melanie Lynskey, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale

    About: Based on the nonfiction book The Informant, which describes Mark Whitacre’s involvement in a price-fixing conspiracy in the 1990s, The Informant! has Matt Damon suiting up to play the Illinois biochemist-turned-businessman. When the FBI starts looking into Whitacre’s employer, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Whitacre’s wife-played by Melanie Lynskey-forces him to divulge the company’s price-fixing business. This begins Whitacre’s adventure of wire tapping, recording audio and secret video footage to use as evidence against the company, who price-fix lysine, an additive used in everyday products. Remarkably-and hilariously acted by Damon-Whitacre believes that when the FBI tells ADM executives of his actions, the ordeal will blow over and he will continue working his way up in the company. But what is even more surprising than his commitment to climbing ADM’s corporate ladder is the secret Whitacre is hiding from the FBI, which certainly takes the story in a whole new direction.

    Rent if you like: Up in the Air, Thank You for Smoking and/or The Insider