With The Wackness, writer/director Jonathan Levine has emerged as one of the first, few voices of that generation sandwiched between X and Y: The one that had Biggie and De La, Tribe and the Wu as its own soundtrack. Set in the throbbing, sultry New York summer of 1994, The Wackness not only explores the coming of age of its characters, but also that of the culture, as New York adjusted to Mayor Giuliani and a new brand of hip-hop hit the streets.
In the intertwining stories of high-school grad Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) and Dr. Squires (Sir Ben Kingsley), Luke's middle-aged therapist, Levine captures the simultaneous anxiety, hope, disappointment and happiness that adult life foists on us again
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It's hard to decide what was better – Mary-Kate Olsen revealing dirt about famed reality villain Spencer Pratt from her high school days, or Letterman point-blank calling him a worm and truly meaning it. She was promoting her new Ben Kingsley movie The Wackness when the conversation took a turn to Pratt. Turns out the media-whoring star played soccer on Olsen's high school team and had a few anger issues. Yeah, definitely wouldn't pin him someone who would storm off the field when he didn't get his way.
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We'd been hearing it was going to happen for weeks, and now it's official: The Beautiful Mind star has agreed to replace Angelina Jolie's babydaddy in State of Grace as the reporter who winds up falling for the wife of the politician he's investigating.... Ben Kingsley is scrubbing in as a mental hospital MD opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island.... Las Vegas' Molly Sims has scored roles in both Jim Carrey's Yes Man and Steve Martin's Pink Panther 2.... To help promote Judd Apatow's upcoming rock comedy Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, leading man John C. Reilly is going on tour in character.
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Denzel Washington will channel Walter Matthau in an update of the 1974 film The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3, in which four hijackers hold a subway train's passengers for ransom. David Koepp penned the screenplay.... Also per Variety, Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac will dance and sing as soul legends begrudgingly reunited on tour in the comedy Soul Men (C. Thomas Howell not included).... Jason Bateman is joining Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in the feature take on the U.K. miniseries State of Play.... Per the Reporter, Ben Kingsley is William Shakespeare in a movie based on Will, a new novel concerning the Bard's deathbed confab with his lawyer.
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Sacha Baron Cohen has decided on his next two film gigs: Bruno, based on his fashion-reporter alter ego, and Dinner for Shmucks, a remake of the French film Le Diner de Cons.... Also per Variety, Vadim Perelman (House of Sand and Fog) will direct Angelina Jolie in Lionsgate's adaptation of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.... Ashley Judd is Helen, a music professor and mom who suffers from deep depression.... Per the Reporter, Ben Kingsley has been cast as an ashram leader who mentors Mike Myers' Love Guru. Also joining the comedy's cast are Meagan Good and The Daily Show's John Oliver.
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