Directed by: Noam Murro

Written by: Mark Poirier

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page, Ashton Holmes Christine Lahti, Camille Mana, David Denman

Distributed by Icon

Film is released on May 16th 2008 in the U.K.

Review by Michael Edwards

I have a horrible feeling this will be one of those films that people see as a loveable piece of family drama/comedy which is branded such inaccurate adjectives as “insightful”, “heartwarming”, “witty” and “real”. Sadly, it really isn’t any of these things.

In fact, alarm bells should be set ringing by the cast which on the surface contains a bunch of reasonably well-known and trusted household names but actually contains a recipe for disaster. Firstly, can anyone tell me the last good film Dennis Quaid was in? Anyone? It was WYATT EARP in 1994. That’s 14 years and 23 films ago for Mr Quaid - not a good record. Plus he was in DRAGONHEART which was rubbish, screw forgiveness.

Sarah Jessica Parker will never escape her role from SEX AND THE CITY and Ellen Page, whilst undenibly a great actress, is beginning to smack of pretentious indie (but actually on a reasonable sized Hollywood budget) cool and thus wear a bit thin. The whole movie feels like a horribly contrived attempt to jump on this new Hollywood sort-of-low-budget indie film wagon which is regrettably spawning some real crap now.

The premise of the film is that pompous professor/lonely widower Lawrence Wetherhold is the head of a household containing just himself and his precocious and stuck-up daughter Vanessa who lacks the necessary social skills to be a normal teenager. His son James has already abandoned ship and headed off to university to write poetry because he’s so misunderstood. But wait, hope is on the horizon. After the silly professor falls from a fence and gets concussion he can no longer drive, cue the entry of the wacky back sheep of the family Lawrence’s step brother Chuck. Not only that, in hospital Lawrence meets (sort of) sexy doctor and former pupil of his Janet Hartigan. The predictable steady progress towards realising that having friends, being in love and being nice are as important as grades, respect and success ensues.

The film isn’t totally irredeemable, for all my angry insults the actors do put in decent performances despite the dry and uninspired script. And there are a few witty moments besides those crammed into to trailer to suck you in. There’s just far too much pointless rambling, too many overreactions and far far too many predictable character arcs. We all know exactly where this movie is going from the minute we clap eyes on each character, and the journey then seems an arduous and unnecessary trudge to the finish line with the paltry treats on offer to keep you going.

So I say, ignore those who talk of easy viewing and praise this film for its unrelenting mediocrity. Spend your money on something fun or clever. Try IRON MAN or PERSEPOLIS respectively.

Thanks for visiting us at Obsessed With Film, we update several times a day, so if you haven't done so yet you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. You can also sign up to receive updates via e-mail.

The classic 19th century costume drama is going through yet another reinvention and the latest tearjerker would seem to be the classic and frequently adapted Jane Eyre.

Variety say Oscar nominated actress Ellen Page has landed the leading role. The actress who lit up the screen with a great depiction of a smart, modern day teenager has been cast as a 19th century lady - probably in an attempt to move away from the pigeon hole a role like Juno could see her fall into.

Allison Owen of Ruby Films, who most recently produced “The Other Boleyn Girl,” is working with BBC Films to develop the new adaptation of Bronte’s classic 19th century romance. It’s the story of a mousy governess who softens the heart of her surly employer Mr. Rochester, only to discover that he’s hiding a terrible secret.

Variety say there have been no less than 20 big screen and television adaptations of Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel and I don’t doubt it. A British mini-series starring former Bond villain Toby Stephens screened in the U.K. as early as two years ago… a big screen version with Charlotte Gainsbourg in 1996 and my favourite of them all… the Orson Welles starring adapt in 1944 with Joan Fontaine.

Relative newcomer Moira Buffini has written the screenplay, with a director expected to be found soon for a fall shoot.

Is their really anything to be left unsaid in this classic British novel? Haven’t we seen it dissected and transformed onto film and television more than enough times to satisfy us?

Variety say that Alison Lohman will be the female cattle (I’m in a Hitchcock mood today) put to the slaughter in the supernatural chiller Drag Me to Hell, the film that marks Sam Raimi’s first return to the genre that made his name in eight years.

You will remember Lohman from her brilliant turn in the pretty awful movie Matchstick Men. She’s also had parts in Big Fish and last year’s Things We Lost in the Fire and the motion captured CGI Beowulf. She’s seven years older than Ellen Page but she doesn’t half look like the Juno actress and can herself age down for the part.

I liked her a lot in Matchstick Men. She didn’t come to mind like the actresses’ I spoke about yesterday but she seems like a decent choice. It’s such a shame about Page but if you squint a little, this photo makes Lohman look like Page with a blonde wig on!

Looks like Sam Raimi’s new horror movie has gone through a name change from Dragged to Hell to Drag Me to Hell. I think I preferred the first title - sounds just a little creepier.

So the official word from Variety is that Ellen Page dropped out of the “spook-a-blast” supernatural horror because of “scheduling conflicts”. Her previous commitments to Mandate’s Indie picture Peacock and Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It forced her to drop out of the film and not because of her worries over the scripts final draft.

“We were racing to start production so that we could accommodate Ellen’s schedule,” Ghost House and Mandate said in a joint statement. “But like so many other productions trying to start before the potential SAG strike date, this one needed more time, and we had to push back the start of production.”

The new start date is March 31st in L.A which doesn’t leave Raimi long to find a plucky young actress who the horror maestro can scare the bejesus out of. I doubt he will be able to find a Oscar nominee this late in the day but here’s a couple of young contenders Raimi could be looking at…

Hayden Panettiere, the 18 year old Heroes actress was the first young lady who came to mind. She may not have the experience or chops that Page has, but she’s a few years younger and has a lot of room to grown as an actress. She’s plucky, can play the self aware cutie and reminds me a lot of a young Sarah Michelle Gellar actually.

She’s quite popular too not just with 30-odd year old males who can’t get laid (and those who can) and has a great “scream face” for horror. Problem with scheduling might rear it’s ugly head again as her cheer-leading comedy (yeah a cheerleader again) I Love You Beth Cooper will film in the Spring.

Kat Dennings. I really adore her.

Born just a year before Page, this young actress from The 40 Year Old Virgin and Charlie Bartlett has got to be a big contender. She’s pretty and again can play vulnerable and she could be set for her own Juno-like breakthrough in the industry with the upcoming drama Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist alongside Michael Cera.

She seems to be an actress just waiting to hit it big. I would love to see what Raimi could do with her in the horror genre.

Jessica Biel, 26 today can’t be ruled out. Yeah she’s a good half a decade older than the originally cast Ellen Page and she would bring a completely different attitude to the part than the Academy Award nominee but Biel has horror acting chops.

I really liked her as the female in distress from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake and it’s one of the few times I’ve actually been able to tolerate her. Maybe it’s because horror leads normally aren’t usually a real actress but still I thought she played victim well. I wouldn’t rule her out, even if her filming schedule is pretty locked solid right now.

Ellen Page’s fellow X-Men 3 co-star Anna Paquin seem like a pretty decent choice. She’s actually 27 but still looks like she could pass for a 21 year old and like Page has a big vulnerability about her acting at times. She can easily play scared and has actually just completed her part in the horror movie Trick r’ Treat, which from the trailers certainly has a Raimi B-movie style horror about it.

Again she would play it very different from all the other actresses’ mentioned but she has the same physique as Page and she has quite a lot of experience of the big time now. She has to be a contender, and her current slate is clean.

Any other ideas guys? It is really hard to think of any young Hollywood actresses’ who Sam Raimi would be interested in working with and I can’t help but feel that he has really lost out on a big opportunity here. Though of course it wasn’t his fault.

I think the combination of Page and Raimi would have churned an amazing horror movie, quite honestly. If I were he, I would cast Hayden Panettiere straight away for the part or better yet delay the picture until Page is available again, even if it means waiting until after the strike.

Sadly one of the most interesting film partnerships formed this year has dismantled with the popular rumor being that Ellen Page has gotten “Post-Oscar cold feet” from starring in a “Evil Dead-style” horror movie after receiving an Oscar nomination for the Indie drama Juno.

The film in question was Dragged To Hell, the “spook a blast” supernatural genre pic that is being produced over at Universal as Sam Raimi’s first non-Spidey directorial effort in eight years.

The official reason given to Bloody Disgusting was that “she didn’t like the latest draft of the script,” but I can’t help but feel the rumors are true.

She’s got scared. Poor lass. And Dragged To Hell is worse off for it because actresses’ of the quality of Page don’t usually take on these kind of movies.

Ellen Page & Cillain Murphy are teaming up to do a movie together. It’s called PEACOCK, and it’s a psychological thriller setup at Mandate Pictures.

Shooting begins in May, once Page has filmed the Sam Raimi horror film DRAGGED TO HELL.

Plot details from Variety…

The title is derived from tiny Peacock, Neb., where Murphy’s character, a split personality, fools the town into believing his two alter egos are man and wife. Page plays a struggling young mother who holds the key to his past and sparks a battle between the personalities.

Wow, that sounds like a pretty big challenge for Murphy in an almost Anthony Perkins type way. It could well be his biggest acting challenge yet and the Irish actor told the trade that the “incredible” opportunity was so good he “couldn’t turn it down”. Murphy can play dark and psychotic characters like no other, even when they are good guys. His roles in SUNSHINE, RED EYE, BATMAN BEGINS and even moments in 28 DAYS LATER all have a dark character behind those eyes.

And Page, playing a struggling young mum now after giving up her baby in JUNO, and winning an Oscar nomination! This should be one well acted piece.

Michael Lander will direct from a script he co-wrote with Ryan Roy. I’ve been able to find very little information on either guys, this could well be their first feature film. Looking forward to this!

Wow, Variety actually have a big casting news on a weekend…I wonder if the writer was making double time?

Sam Raimi will direct his first Non-Spidey movie for the first time in 8 years when filming begins March 17th on his mysterious horror pic DRAGGED TO HELL which he wrote with his brother Ivan and is setup at Universal.

Leading the movie will be Oscar nominated 20 year old actress Ellen Page and it’s her second big deal since the attention she has received after JUNO. Said other movie being the skater chick flick WHIP IT, which will mark the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore and will be filmed after this movie.

The film’s described as a morality tale about the unwitting recipient of a supernatural curse. Pic marks a genre return for Raimi after directing a trio of “Spider-Man” films.

“Sam Raimi’s return to horror is a cause for celebration,” said Shmuger and Linde. “Having Ellen Page on-board to star is an abundance of riches.”

Raimi needs this.

Sure on the outset it would seem he is returning to his early low budget EVIL DEAD days, when his career path would suggest he should be directing big epics like THE HOBBIT or THE WOLF MAN and you know, it’s kinda like Peter Jackson forgetting Middle Earth and going back to directing something like BAD TASTE but I will say it again, Raimi needs this.

Something that’s fun and as far away from SPIDER-MAN as possible. Something that sparks that sense of creativity and originality that the studio system might have drained from him in the last couple of years. And with the electric personality of Page, Raimi should be inspired again.

Directed by: Jason Reitman

Written by: Diablo Cody

Starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, Allison Janey, J.K. Simmons, Olivia Thirlby

Distributed by Fox Searchlight

Film is released in the U.K. on February 8th.
Review by Matt Holmes

Following on from the success of two of last summer’s best comedies, Waitress and Knocked Up, comes Juno - another movie about a young woman who has some difficult choices to make in her life after accidentally becoming pregnant. The movie finally opens nationwide in the U.K. next week and I’m happy to report that it’s every bit as good as the amazing response it received across the U.S. over the last couple of months. This absolutely delightful comedy continues a wonderful string of absolutely fantastic films that are playing in U.K. cinema’s right now.

Directed by Jason Reitman (who brought us the great political satire Thank You For Smoking a couple of years ago) this thankfully 99% cliche-free and emotional comedy follows a 16 year old teenager by the name of Juno MacGuff (played superbly by Ellen Page), who after one night of romance and passion finds herself unwittingly pregnant. Now, rather than taking on the overwhelming task of looking after the baby and continuing her studies at school at such a young age, Juno makes the smart, and rational, decision to give up her baby for free to a couple desperate to start a family.

Said couple are, judging by the size of their house, are the very rich and successful Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner, who are so wonderful together I would be quite happy to see them play off each other in every future movie of their careers. They had great chemistry in The Kingdom too come to think of it.

It’s to the films great credit that it doesn’t make out this couple to be a consumerist and greedy people who will flash money at Juno for her baby. Instead they come across as a genuine in their intentions who would bring up the child in the best environment possible.

From there comes a couple of twists and turns, including some great scenes between Ellen Page and Jason Bateman who likewise have terrific on-screen chemistry with one another and some really funny set-ups. No need to spoil the movie for you here but I love the direction of the plot and how dark the movie got in places. This one certainly had more in common with Waitress than Knocked Up.

Now I have to admit as the film started I was beginning to get worried when every line of dialogue from these characters was the typical Indie nonsense of overly quirky dialogue, with every sentence carrying a buzz word like “honest to blog” (who the fuck says HONEST TO BLOG?) but it doesn’t take long for the film to win you over, and you find yourself eating out of the hands of Diablo Cody’s excellent screenplay and Page’s great performance.

It is truly a case of an actress and screenwriter complimenting each other so well, with fantastic direction behind the camera resulting in a one of a kind film. At around 5 feet tall and with youthful looks, Page, who is 20 years old in real life, is able to make herself look a vulnerable and scared 16 year old in one scene but she’s so strong of an actress, and her character so grown up, that she could easily pass as being a strong independent 26 year old later on. Page has a wonderful gift for dramatic depth and comedic timing and I’m struggling to think of many films over the past 12 months that have been carried so well by such a young actress. She is well dissevering of her Oscar nomination here.

Juno plays the genre game well and never quite fits as a full on comedy, a coming of age self congratulary effort like Rocket Science or dramatic melodrama and is able to therefore just exist as a pure heartwarming film.

The supporting cast is strong. J.K. Simmons steals every scene he’s in as Juno’s father and Jason Bateman continues to show us how great he can be as a supporting character as he makes all his characters look so easy to play. I’m also convinced that Michael Cera doesn’t act on screen and is this rather weird kid and “trying really hard to be cool” guy he played so well convincingly in Superbad.

Does it sometimes go for the quirky factor in replace of genuine moments of exchanges between characters like Little Miss Sunshine? Are the music choices obvious? Is the film slightly rushed at the end?

Absolutely to all of the above but it’s so well made and put together that you can’t help but fall for this movie.