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toni erdmann

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Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner Are in Talks to Write That English Language Remake of “Toni Erdmann”

June 29, 2017
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lena dunham, toni erdmann

Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner Are in Talks to Write That English Language Remake of “Toni Erdmann”

The key creative forces behind Girls, Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, might be teaming up once again to write an English language version of the hit R-rated European comedy about how important family is, Toni Erdmann. If things are lining up the way that murmurs about this project say they are, Jack Nicholson and Kristen Wiig might be involved.

We happened to love the original a whole lot by the way. 

If this ends up being a way to both make a reliable remake for U.S. audiences and encourage another round of viewing of the aforementioned original, we’re more on board for this than we originally were.

Toni Erdmann Dominates German Lola Awards

May 1, 2017
Uncategorized
lola awards, maren ade, peter simonischek, sandra huller, toni erdmann

Toni Erdmann Dominates German Lola Awards

While not getting any love at the Oscars or BAFTAs, the fantastic dramedy Toni Erdmann picked up six Lola Awards (Germany’s version of The Oscars) last week. That includes well deserved wins for best director, best screenwriter, best actor, best actress, and best editing. 

If you haven’t seen Toni Erdmann, it’s possibly one of the most heart warming R-rated comedies in recent memory and hopefully this awards sweep will convince you to give it a watch soon.

Kristen Wiig and Jack Nicholson Reportedly Attached for English Language Remake of Hit German Comedy Toni Erdmann

February 9, 2017
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jack nicholson, kristen wiig, toni erdmann

Kristen Wiig and Jack Nicholson Reportedly Attached for English Language Remake of Hit German Comedy Toni Erdmann

Even though Toni Erdmann was a rare comedy that managed to be life-affirming at a time when cynicism and sarcasm are key ingredients in comedy, perhaps it being in German (though there is a decent amount of English in it for a non-English language comedy) and nearly 3 hours long made it, very unfortunately, hard for American audiences to go out and watch it. 

Wiig and Nicholson are pretty good choices for Sandra Hüller and Peter Simonischek, but we’re going to cross our fingers really hard that the other key creatives adapt Toni Erdmann to English faithfully.

Toni Erdmann Might Be the R Rated Comedy to Bring Families Together

December 24, 2016
Uncategorized
foreign comedy, germany, maren ade, toni erdmann
image

German comedy Toni Erdmann from writer/director Maren Ade is racking up plenty of nominations and wins this awards season and deservedly so. 

Somehow, it manages to be an R-rated comedy, thanks to some downright hysterical nude scenes, but also manages to be incredibly sweet and gleefully strange. In fact, it’s quite a heartwarming story about an estranged daughter played by Sandra Hüller reconnecting with her father who just happens to be a top shelf goofball played by Peter Simonischek. 

As far as foreign comedies go, Toni Erdmann stands tall this year with our other favorites, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and The Lobster.

Starting on Christmas Day, Toni Erdmann will starts playing in theaters, such as the Nuart in West LA, in limited release. 

Don’t Think Twice, The Lobster, Hail, Caesar! Get Critics Choice Awards Nominations

December 1, 2016
Uncategorized
coen brothers, critics choice awards, don't think twice, edge of seventeen, hail caesar, the lobster, the nice guys, toni erdmann

Don’t Think Twice, The Lobster, Hail, Caesar! Get Critics Choice Awards Nominations

The Critics Choice Awards are definitely a departure from many awards show trends, especially with a wider swathe of genre categories. For this year, when it comes to comedy, the films nominated are all over the place (Deadpool, Central Intelligence and the Coen Brothers’ Hail, Caesar! are all nominated together), but some true gems that might not get recognized for other awards get some recognition here amidst all the noise from buzzworthy dramas like Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea.

Specifically, we’re happy to see Mike Birbiglia’s Don’t Think Twice and The Lobster listed below (comedy nominees italicized).

Best Young Actor/Actress

Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea
Alex R. Hibbert – Moonlight
Lewis MacDougall – A Monster Calls
Madina Nalwanga – Queen of Katwe
Sunny Pawar – Lion
Hailee Steinfeld – The Edge of Seventeen

Best Original Screenplay

Damien Chazelle – La La LandBarry Jenkins – Moonlight
Yorgos Lanthimos/Efthimis Filippou – The Lobster
Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea
Jeff Nichols – Loving
Taylor Sheridan – Hell or High Water

Best Costume Design

Colleen Atwood – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Consolata Boyle – Florence Foster Jenkins
Madeline Fontaine – Jackie
Joanna Johnston – Allied
Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh – Love & Friendship
Mary Zophres – La La Land

Best Animated Movie

Finding Dory
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
The Red Turtle
Trolls
Zootopia

Best Action Movie

Captain America: Civil War
Deadpool
Doctor Strange
Hacksaw Ridge
Jason Bourne

Best Comedy

Central Intelligence
Deadpool
Don’t Think Twice
The Edge of Seventeen
Hail, Caesar!
The Nice Guys

Best Actor in a Comedy

Ryan Gosling – The Nice Guys
Hugh Grant – Florence Foster Jenkins
Dwayne Johnson – Central Intelligence
Viggo Mortensen – Captain Fantastic
Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool

Best Actress in a Comedy

Kate Beckinsale – Love & Friendship
Sally Field – Hello, My Name Is Doris
Kate McKinnon – Ghostbusters
Hailee Steinfeld – The Edge of Seventeen
Meryl Streep – Florence Foster Jenkins

Best Foreign Language Film

Elle
The Handmaiden
Julieta
Neruda
The Salesman
Toni Erdmann

Best Song

Audition (The Fools Who Dream) – La La Land
Can’t Stop the Feeling – Trolls
City of Stars – La La Land
Drive It Like You Stole It – Sing Street
How Far I’ll Go – Moana
The Rules Don’t Apply – Rules Don’t Apply

The full list of nominees are available at the link above and the winners will be announced on the Critics Choice Awards telecast hosted by TJ Miller on December 11th.

Independent Spirit Awards Give Nominations to Other People, Morris From America, Swiss Army Man

November 22, 2016
Uncategorized
chris kelly, daniel kwan, daniel scheinert, jean of the joneses, john cassavetes, josh locy, maren ade, morris from america, other people, stella meghie, swiss army man, toni erdmann

Independent Spirit Awards Give Nominations to Other People, Morris From America, Swiss Army Man

Like many awards shows in awards season,  The Independent Spirit Awards deals heavily in drama with their nominations. That being said, they do usually acknowledge some comedic leaning works and this year is no different as you can see below. 

John Cassavetes Award
Hunter Gatherer-Josh Locy

Best First Feature
Swiss Army Man-Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Other People-Chris Kelly

Best First Screenplay
Other People-Chris Kelly
Jean of the Joneses-Stella Meghie

Best Supporting Male
Morris From America-Craig Robinson

Best International Film
Toni Erdmann-Maren Ade

For our money, Chris Kelly’s Other People floored us and Craig Robinson might have given one of his best performances to date in Morris From America. 

This upcoming Film Independent Spirit Awards will air live on IFC on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017 at 2PM PST.

See the full list of Spirit Awards nominees at the link above.

Watch Trailer for Offbeat German Father Daughter Comedy “Toni Erdmann”

October 18, 2016
Uncategorized
germany, maren ade, sony pictures classics, toni erdmann

The plot of a father enacting an alter-ego in order to spend some more time with his daughter sounds like something Arrested Development would do. Yet, German comedy Toni Erdmann from director writer/director Maren Ade follows that premise in a much more grounded, but seemingly still funny way.

You can see that for yourself in the trailer for Toni Erdmann, then look for it in theaters here in the States around Christmas time thanks to Sony Pictures Classics.

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