Amazon Pilot Season Returns March 17th

Amazon’s Spring 2017 Pilot Season Premieres on March 17, 2017 on Amazon Video

Five new pilots, The Legend of Master Legend, Budding Prospects, The New V.I.P.’s, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Oasis, will debut for all Amazon customers in the US, UK, Germany, Austria and Japan to stream and review

Shows come from prominent creators including Amy Sherman-Palladino, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster, Terry Zwigoff and Steve Dildarian, and feature notable actors including Rachel Brosnahan, Tony Shalhoub, Richard Madden, Anil Kapoor, John Hawkes, Will Sasso, Ben Schwartz, Haley Joel Osment and Missi Pyle

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon announced its lineup for its Spring 2017 pilot season which will debut on Amazon Video on March 17, 2017 in the US, UK, Germany, Austria, and Japan. Amazon is continuing its tradition of extreme variety this pilot season, including The Legend of Master Legend, from Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue (Transparent), about a homemade superhero in Las Vegas juggling the demands of his duty and his family; Budding Prospects, from Terry Zwigoff (Bad Santa), a 1980s pot comedy based on the T.C. Boyle novel of the same name; The New V.I.P.’s, from Steve Dildarian (The Life & Times of Tim), Amazon’s first adult animated comedy where a group of low level employees seize control of a major corporation after accidentally murdering their boss; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, from noted creator Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls), about a 1958 New York City woman who goes from uptown housewife to stand-up comic in Greenwich Village; and Oasis, from Matt Charman (Bridge of Spies), that follows a chaplain who is sent into space to help establish a colony on a distant planet.

    “Pilots continue to be the best way to take risks, find voices and evolve the art form of television”

All Amazon customers in the US, UK, Germany, Austria and Japan are invited to stream and review the pilots to help determine the next Amazon Original Series that are then available to Prime members. The pilots will be available via the Amazon Prime Video app for TVs, connected devices including Fire TV, and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/amazonvideo. Amazon customer feedback on pilots have assisted in making some of the most critically-acclaimed and popular series to date, including multi Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning series Transparent, multi Golden Globe-winning series Mozart in the Jungle, and the most-streamed scripted Amazon Original Series ever by Prime members globally, The Man in the High Castle.

The new pilots feature prominent actors including Rachel Brosnahan (House of Cards) and Tony Shalhoub (Monk) in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel; Richard Madden (Game of Thrones), Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense, Alpha House) and Anil Kapoor (Slumdog Millionaire, 24) in Oasis; John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone), Dawnn Lewis (Major Crimes) and Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire) in The Legend of Master Legend; Joel David Moore (Bones), Will Sasso (MADtv) and Brett Gelman (Fleabag) in Budding Prospects; Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation), Matt Braunger (Agent Carter), Missi Pyle (Gone Girl) and Jonathan Adams (Last Man Standing) in The New V.I.P.’s.

“Pilots continue to be the best way to take risks, find voices and evolve the art form of television,” said Joe Lewis, Head of Comedy, Drama & VR, Amazon Studios. “We’re excited about these new worlds, characters and filmmakers. We’re looking forward to another Amazon Pilot Season and more great customer feedback.”

Amazon’s half-hour pilots include:

The Legend of Master Legend

The Legend of Master Legend is a dark comedy about the life of Frank Lafount, aka Master Legend -- a homemade superhero whose mission is to protect the people of Las Vegas from evil doers. Master Legend juggles the demands of justice with the even more complicated demands of his real family, who don’t see him as a hero at all. The Legend of Master Legend is executive produced by Youree Henley (20th Century Women), Joshuah Bearman (Argo) and David Klawans (Argo), along with executive producers and writers Micah Fitzerman-Blue (Transparent) and Noah Harpster (Transparent). The pilot is directed by James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now) and stars John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone), Dawnn Lewis (Major Crimes), Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire) and newcomer Anjelika Washington.

Budding Prospects

In 1983, three hapless city boys move from their comfort zone of the San Francisco counter-culture to Mendacino to grow marijuana. Their expectations of the experience being a back-to-the-land, nurturing adventure in a beautiful rustic setting run up against the harsh truth prior to their arrival at "The Summer Camp" – a miserably run-down shanty out in the middle of nowhere, where they are bedeviled by rats, snakes, mosquitoes, and harsh, unfriendly growing conditions, noisy neighbors, dangerous locals, and menacing law enforcement. Budding Prospects is directed and executive produced by Terry Zwigoff (Bad Santa), executive produced by Vincent Landay (Her) and co-written by Melissa Axelrod. The pilot stars Adam Rose (Veronica Mars), Joel David Moore (Bones), Will Sasso (MADtv) and Brett Gelman (Fleabag).

The New V.I.P.’s

Amazon’s first adult animated comedy show, The New V.I.P.’s follows a group of low level employees who seize control of a major corporation after accidently murdering their boss. The show was created by Steve Dildarian (The Life & Times of Tim), Titmouse served as the production company (Ben Kalina and Dave Newberg), along with producer Peter Principato (Central Intelligence) from Principato Young. The pilot stars Matt Braunger (Agent Carter), Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation), Missi Pyle (Gone Girl) and Jonathan Adams (Last Man Standing).

Amazon’s one-hour pilots include:

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is written and directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls) and executive produced by Daniel Palladino (Family Guy) and Sherman-Palladino. It’s 1958 Manhattan and Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan, House of Cards) has everything she’s ever wanted—the perfect husband, two kids, and an elegant Upper West Side apartment perfect for hosting Yom Kippur dinner. But her perfect life suddenly takes an unexpected turn and Midge discovers a previously unknown talent—one that changes her life forever. She charts a course that takes her from her comfortable life on Riverside Drive, through the basket houses and nightclubs of Greenwich Village as she storms the world of stand-up comedy…a course that will ultimately lead her to a spot on Johnny Carson’s couch. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel also stars Michael Zegen (Boardwalk Empire) as Midge’s husband Joel Maisel, Alex Borstein (Family Guy) as Susie Myerson, Golden Globe winner and three-time Emmy Winner Tony Shalhoub (Monk) as Midge’s father Abe Weinberg, and Marin Hinkle (Two and a Half Men) as Midge’s mother Rose Weinberg.

Oasis

Based on the cult-hit novel The Book of Strange New Things from Michel Faber, Oasis follows a chaplain (Richard Madden, Game of Thrones) who is sent into space to help establish a colony on a distant planet. What he ends up discovering not only puts his faith to the test, but life as we know it. The pilot also stars world-renowned Indian actor and producer Anil Kapoor (Slumdog Millionaire, 24) as Vikram Danesh, the head of the base on Oasis, Michael Shaw (Limitless) as B.G., Antje Traue (Man of Steel) as Grainger, Mark Addy (Game of Thrones) as Halloran, Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense, Alpha House) as Sy, Maureen Sebastian (American Gothic) as Alicia Ruiz, Michael Shaffer (Coach Sinclair) as Phelps, and Zawe Ashton (Nocturnal Animals) as Severin. Oasis is written by Matt Charman (Bridge of Spies), executive produced by Charman, Andy Harries (The Crown) and Lila Rawlings (Left Bank Productions), produced by Rob Bullock (The Night Manager), with Kevin MacDonald (The Last King of Scotland) directing. The one-hour drama pilot is a co-production of Amazon Studios and Left Bank Productions.


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•     Prime Video: Thousands of movies and TV shows, including popular licensed content plus critically-acclaimed and award-winning Amazon Original Series and Movies from Amazon Studios like Transparent, The Man in the High Castle, Love & Friendship, and kids series Tumble Leaf, available for unlimited streaming as part of an Amazon Prime membership. Prime Video is also now available to customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe at www.primevideo.com.
•     Amazon Channels: Over 100 video subscriptions to networks like HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, PBS KIDS, Acorn TV, and more, available to Amazon Prime members in the US as add-ons to their membership. To view the full list of available channels, visit www.amazon.com/channels.
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In addition to Prime Video, the Prime membership includes unlimited fast free shipping options across all categories available on Amazon, more than two million songs and thousands of playlists and stations with Prime Music, secure photo storage with Prime Photos, unlimited reading with Prime Reading, unlimited access to a digital audiobook catalog with Audible Channels for Prime, a rotating selection of free digital games and in-game loot with Twitch Prime, early access to select Lightning Deals, exclusive access and discounts to select items, and more. To sign-up for Prime or to find out more, visit: www.amazon.com/prime.

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Warner Bros. Announces Cast Additions to "Entourage" Movie

“Entourage” Expands as Additional Cast Joins the Film, Now in Production

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Debi Mazar, Rex Lee, Constance Zimmer, Nora Dunn and Emily Ratajkowski have joined the cast of Warner Bros. Pictures’ theatrical feature “Entourage.” Mazar, Lee, Zimmer and Dunn will reprise their roles as Shauna, Lloyd, Dana Gordon and Dr. Marcus from the HBO hit series, and Ratajkowski will appear as herself in the film, which began principal photography in Los Angeles on February 19.

“Entourage” will open in theaters nationwide on Friday, June 12, 2015.

Written and directed by series creator Doug Ellin, the big-screen version of the award-winning show stars Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven in their original roles, as well as Billy Bob Thornton and Haley Joel Osment as Larsen and Travis McCredle. The film also reunites series regulars Perrey Reeves as Ari Gold’s wife, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Sloan, and Rhys Coiro as Billy Walsh.

“Entourage” is produced by Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Doug Ellin, with Wayne Carmona serving as executive producer. The creative filmmaking team includes director of photography Steve Fierberg, production designer Chase Harlan, and costume designer Olivia Miles-Payne, all of whom worked on the long-running HBO series.

Movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), together with his boys, Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Johnny (Kevin Dillon), are back…and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Some of their ambitions have changed, but the bond between them remains strong as they navigate the capricious and often cutthroat world of Hollywood.

In addition to Los Angeles, “Entourage” will also film on location in Miami, Florida.

“Entourage” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Home Box Office. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

"Entourage" Movie Begins Filming

Filming Begins on “Entourage”

The film reunites series stars Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven, under the direction of series creator Doug Ellin.

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Entourage,” the much-anticipated big-screen version of the award-winning hit HBO series. The feature film reunites the show’s original cast, led by Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven. Also starring are Billy Bob Thornton and Haley Joel Osment as father and son, Larsen and Travis McCredle.

“Entourage” creator Doug Ellin is directing the feature film from his own screenplay. Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Ellin are producing, with Wayne Carmona serving as executive producer. Returning cast from the series also includes Perrey Reeves as Ari Gold’s wife, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Sloan and Rhys Coiro as Billy Walsh.

Movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), together with his boys, Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Johnny (Kevin Dillon), are back…and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Some of their ambitions have changed, but the bond between them remains strong as they navigate the capricious and often cutthroat world of Hollywood.

The behind-the-scenes creative team reunites several key members who worked on the original series, including director of photography Steve Fierberg, production designer Chase Harlan, and costume designer Olivia Miles-Payne.

“Entourage” is being filmed in Los Angeles, California, and on location in Miami, Florida.

“Entourage” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Home Box Office. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Review: "Artificial Intelligence: AI" is a Solemn Look at Humanity's Demise

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 21 (of 2001) by Leroy Douresseaux

Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)
aka A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
Running time: 146 minutes (2 hours, 26 minutes)
Rating: MPAA – PG-13 for some sexual content and violent images
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
WRITERS: Steven Spielberg; from a screen story by Ian Watson (based upon the short story by “Supertoys Last All Summer Long” by Brian W. Aldiss)
PRODUCERS: Steve Spielberg, Bonnie Curtis, and Kathleen Kennedy
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Janusz Kaminski (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Michael Kahn
COMPOSER: John Williams
Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI with elements of adventure and drama

Starring: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O’Connor, Brendan Gleeson, Sam Robards, William Hurt, Jake Thomas, and the voices of Jack Angel, Meryl Streep, Robin Williams, Ben Kingsley, and Chris Rock

In the future, humans have become technologically (if not morally) advanced enough to build humanly realistic robots called mechas to serve humanity. The most advanced is a robot called David (Haley Joel Osment, The Sixth Sense), who can be programmed to have feelings of love for a human, a gift (or curse) no other robot has; he is, in a sense, an artificial kid. David moves in with Monica (Frances O’Connor) and Henry Swinton (Sam Robards), a couple whose own child, Martin (Jake Thomas) is in cryo-stasis, stricken with an incurable disease. After Martin is cured and comes home, Henry becomes angry that Monica still has strong feelings for David and wants David returned to his creators. Monica abandons David in the forest rather than return him to his creators for fear that they will destroy him.

David, who once heard Monica read Pinocchio to Martin, goes on a quest to find the Blue Fairy (voice of Meryl Streep) who made Pinocchio into a real boy, hoping that she will do the same for him. Joining him on his quest are Teddy (voice of Jack Angel), a supertoy that once belonged to Martin (and acts as a kind of Jiminy Cricket to David’s Pinocchio) and Gigolo Joe (Jude Law), a love mecha designed to provide romantic and erotic pleasures to women.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, A. I. Artificial Intelligence was a project that director Stanley Kubrick had planned helm, but turned to Spielberg feeling that he could better served the potentially effects laden film. Some film aficionados still consider Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Spielberg’s early works to be his best films. Those movies were filled with a sense of wonder, awe, magic, terror, curiosity – basic emotions and feelings. Other people considered these films too manipulative and too sentimental. What the latter misunderstood was those films’ powerful visual storytelling; here, films worked the way they should. What we saw on the screen was supposed to move us, and the films certainly did. Alas, Spielberg grew up and started making serious grown up, big boy films that would be worthy of Oscar’s attention.

A. I. is a return of Spielberg the magician/storyteller, and the film’s screenplay is the first one written Spielberg has written without a collaborator since Close Encounters. He infuses A. I. with a sense of magic and wonder, but the film is about David’s determination to be a real boy. To that end, however, the film becomes a bit muddled as it nears the conclusion of that quest. At one point, David’s journey comes to an abrupt halt, and, in light of this, his determination seems pathetic, pitiable, and futile. On one hand, David obviously cannot be a “real boy,” in the sense of being an organic being. On the other hand, the issue is not the artificiality, but is whether are not his feelings for Monica are genuine. Upon that question does the movie hinge.

The performances are excellent. Osment has a natural gift to bring a character to life that is as rich and as uncanny as, say, that of Emily Watson. His hugely expressive eyes are, indeed, the windows to his soul. Unlike so many child actors, Osment can act rather than pretend; he literally takes on the identity of a fictional character. One has to see his work to truly believe how good he is. Jude Law is wonderful, charming, and has an air of danger about him as the confident mecha/dildo Gigolo Joe. Law transforms Joe into the perfect companion and very wise guide for David (although Teddy does his thing also), and Law seems perfectly at ease in his role next to Osment. Ms. O’Connor is the other gem in this film; she makes the evolution of Monica’s feelings for David natural and convincing, and she turns up the heat to make the scene of their parting quite tragic indeed.

The effects in A. I. are so prevalent, but like those in Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, they are natural and unobtrusive, integral to the feel of the film and it’s story. The playful colorful lights that fill the forest and the night sky reminds one of scenes from E.T. Frankly, the visual effects are beautiful; it’s just fun to see them.

Artificial Intelligence seems to reach a near perfect state, but then the film is marred by moments of forced sentiment. Some of the story in the film’s last half hour is cold and dry. Actually, the film is nearly ruined until its closing images sweetly dissolve. Don’t let that deter; it is still a special film. You can ignore most of the end. What you take from A. I.’s extraordinary first three quarters is magical: fine acting, engaging story, and a director who is still an accomplished magician who sometimes messes up when he lets his show linger on too long.

7 of 10
A-

NOTES:
2002 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (Dennis Muren, Scott Farrar, Stan Winston, and Michael Lantieri) and “Best Music, Original Score” (John Williams)


2002 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (Dennis Muren, Scott Farrar, and Michael Lantieri)


2002 Golden Globe Awards: 3 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Steven Spielberg), “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (John Williams), and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Jude Law)

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