3,000+ people turned out for "Oz" casting this Saturday in Pontiac
(photo from freep.com)
The call for extras for Oz: The Great and Powerful was this past Saturday at Raleigh Studios in Pontiac, and more than 3,000 people showed up to try and get their fifteen minutes of fame. James Franco, Mila Kunis, and Zach Braff are already attached to the project, and I believe they are still casting as well.
Continuing our string of books-to-movies this week is This is Where I Leave You , based on the novel by Jonathan Tropper , who also wrote the movie's screenplay. I have not read the book, but I was hoping that, based on its cast alone, the movie would be a mix of funny and serious elements - a dramedy, perhaps. Unfortunately, the film could have been funnier, and I wasn't that impressed with it overall. Judd Altman (Jason Bateman) is having a rough year. He discovered his wife, Quinn (Abigail Spencer), cheating on him with his boss, radio personality Wade Beaufort (Dax Shepard), and he moves out of their beautiful loft into a small bachelor-esque apartment. His sister, Wendy (Tina Fey), then calls him to say that his father has passed away, so he leaves NYC to head back home to sit shiva with his mom (Jane Fonda) and his other two brothers, Phillip (Adam Driver) and Paul (Corey Stoll). While back home, he reconnects with an old crush, Penny (Rose Byrne), which throws a wren
*Disclosure: I received something of value in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I saw The Menu in theaters a few weeks ago, going in mostly blind, although I knew there was a twist ending. I did NOT correctly guess the twist, and it's a movie I've still been thinking about now, almost two months later. The movie is now available on digital and will be available on Blu-ray and DVD on January 17. It's also currently streaming on HBO Max. Two of my lucky winners will win a digital code for The Menu ! Read below for more details. About the movie: From Searchlight Pictures and director Mark Mylod (Succession) comes the satirical thriller The Menu . This outrageous tale of fine dining has been celebrated by critics as “gloriously twisted” (Chris Evangelista, Slash Film) “wildly entertaining” (Alan Cerny, Vital Thrills) and “undeniably fun” (Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com). The film is C
*Disclosure: I received admission to some of the attractions at Allegiant Nonstop as well as dinner in exchange for this blog post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. This Tuesday, I was able to stop by the new Allegiant Nonstop (or "Nonstop," as most people seem to call it) in Warren, MI, and it was a fun date night out. This place would also be good for birthday parties or a friends night out, and they even have party rooms and "party bays" for all of your special occasion needs. I would compare Allegiant Nonstop to Dave & Busters or, in the Detroit area, C.J. Barrymore's, except it's more technologically-advanced: you get a card that you then tap to reload or tap to go on / play at any of the attractions. My boyfriend and I each had a card good for four attractions. Unfortunately, I didn't know that you had to wear closed-toed shoes to do the bumper cars or the go-karts, as well as rock climbing, so those weren't a