We did it last year and now its time again. With awards season gearing up, here at TFS we have come up with 20 of our favorite films of the year. For all the naysayers saying the year has been disappointing, I challenge anyone to watch the following and stand by that statement. These are films that have had at least a limited US release in 2010. No order, just 20 films that are more than worth your time. Check them out below and let us know what you’ve enjoyed the most this year. Read the full story

It’s once again time for us to see what we can find on the shelves at the local DVD stores. Read the full story

There’s never a moment in Noah Baumbach‘s new film in which we openly root for Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller), the film’s narcissistic antihero. But then there’s never a moment in which we cannot relate to his actions. Roger’s a mean, selfish person with one friend (Rhys Ifans) who’s too good to him and a brother (Chris Messina) who thinks of him more as a burden (and then, hired help) than as family.

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The Playlist is reporting some pretty great news, in my opinion,  Michelle Williams is planning to take the lead role in Noah Baumbach‘s The Emperor’s Children, his adaptation of Claire Messud‘s 2006 novel. Other noteworthy actors, including Keira Knightley, Eric Bana, and Richard Gere, have also recently joined the project. Brian Glazer and Ron Howard, who were originally slated to bring Baumbach‘s script to life, will most likely stick with producing credits.

The film, set in post-9/11 New York, will track a group of Ivy League graduates who approach their 30′s having not quite reached the lofty aspirations they had for themselves during their college days. This storyline will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Baumbach’s 1995 debut Kicking and Screaming, which followed a handful of people struggling to deal with post-college life.

The report suggests that filming could start as early as this summer; however, it is worth noting that Baumbach also has Mr. Popper’s Penguins, starring Ben Stiller, in early development, which could take precedence if difficulties arise. Baumbach of course directed Stiller in what might be his best performance in this year’s Greenberg.

I for one would be delighted to see Williams join this project, and hopefully her reputation will continue to grow along with it. As far as this year goes, she stars in Derek Cianfrance‘s highly-buzzed Sundance romance Blue Valentine, for which Williams and co-star Ryan Gosling have received enormous praise.

Would you like to see Williams work with Baumbach? What do you think of the writer-director’s future potential?

In this episode of the The Film Stage podcast Jordan Raup and Dan Mecca review How To Train Your Dragon, Greenberg and Hot Tub Time Machine.

We also discuss a new Godzilla film, Brad Bird possibly directing Mission Impossible IV and Robin Hood opening Cannes.

You can stream the episode below or download it here. (right click + save as…) Read the full story

Focus Features | USA | 107 mins

There’s never a moment in Noah Baumbach‘s new film in which we openly root for Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller), the film’s narcissistic antihero. But then there’s never a moment in which we cannot relate to his actions. Roger’s a mean, selfish person with one friend (Rhys Ifans) who’s too good to him and a brother (Chris Messina) who thinks of him more as a burden (and then, hired help) than as family.

The film, however, is only half about Greenberg. It actually opens on Florence Marr, played by the impossibly natural, impossibly tragic Greta Gerwig, of Mumblecore pseudo-fame (Baghead, Nights and Weekends, etc.). Gerwig’s Florence is who we root for: a female version of Benjamin Braddock in many ways. She’s graduated college and now “been out of school for as long as she was in school.” She’s still an assistant for a professional doing what she’s apparently not ready for yet (the pro is Messina).

Imagine her reassurance when she meets Greenberg, a 40-year old carpenter who’s come to Los Angeles to dog/house sit for his brother while he and his family go to Vietnam to open up a new hotel. Roger’s decided to “do nothing for a while.” Compared to this old man, Florence is just fine. She’s got plenty of time to do nothing before it becomes “doing nothing.”

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Love him or hate him, Ben Stiller has had an enormous impact on comedy over the past two decades. In honor of his latest film and one of his best performances in Noah Baumbach‘s Greenberg, here are the Top Ten Ben Stiller roles. Read the full story

In front of Noah Baumbach‘s upcoming film Greenberg, a film that I am greatly anticipating [March 26th], the writer/director has announced that he is working on a new project with acclaimed auteur Wes Anderson, according to The Playlist . Baumbach worked with Anderson on both The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou and The Fantastic Mr. Fox.  Baumbach said of this new project:

It’s becoming kind of an ongoing document of our friendship, it’s something we keep adding to every time we see each other. At least once or twice [when we meet up] they’ll be something that cracks us up that we’ll go, ‘Oh, that should go into the script,’ but I ‘m not necessarily sure if we’ll end up finishing it. In some ways it’s more fun to just add to it.

He also indicated that it is a project that they’ve had in mind since before Life Aquatic.

Baumbach was behind the camera for the fan-favorite Kicking and Screaming and the acclaimed The Squid and the Whale. The latter was produced by Anderson. I’m really looking forward to this collaboration, especially if its anything like Life Aquatic, which is my favorite Wes Anderson flick.

Will Bill Murray be nearby for this one? Are you for or against Wes Anderson?

Not sure what is coming out this month? I’ll tell you what to check out in theaters, rent later and avoid altogether. Check out the list below.

See:

10. Hubble 3D (Myers, March 19th)

Synopsis: An IMAX 3D camera chronicles the effort of 7 astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: Leonardo DiCaprio narrates in a potentially beautiful IMAX 3D look at space.

9. Brooklyn’s Finest (Fuqua, March 5th)

Synopsis: In Brooklyn, New York, three veteran cops struggling with their own personal and professional dilemmas dispatched to a notorious housing project, where they will each collide with destiny.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: Training Day and Shooter director Antoine Fuqua likely won’t cover any new ground with this police drama, but a solid cast and good reviews from last year’s Sundance make this one to check out.

8. She’s Out of My League (Smith, March 12th)

Synopsis: A guy lets his insecurities pick away at his fledgling relationship with the perfect gal.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: From the writers of the underrated and overlooked Sex Drive, comes this R-rated romantic comedy that brings the first lead role for longtime Apatow crew member, Jay Baruchel.

7. Alice in Wonderland (Burton, March 5th)

Synopsis: 19-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen’s reign of terror.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: Burton’s latest looks like a bit of a mess with the heavy CG palette, but the film has gotten good reviews coming out of London and it can’t be worse than his Planet of the Apes remake…can it?

6. The Secret of Kells (Moore + Twomey, March 12th)

Synopsis: As his medieval outpost faces a threat from advancing barbarian hordes, talented, young Brendan looks to finish illuminating an ancient book that could help keep his home safe. To do so, he will have to overcome his fears of an enchanted forest where mythical creatures are thought to hide.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: The surprise animated film nomination in this year’s Academy Awards is seeing a very small release this month and early reviews have been glowing.

5. Hot Tub Time Machine (Pink, March 26th)

Synopsis: Four guy friends, all of them bored with their adult lives, travel back to their respective 80s heydays thanks to a time-bending hot tub.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: Co-writer of High Fidelity and Grosse Pointe Blank, Steve Pink re-teams with John Cusack in his second directorial effort after the underrated Accepted. Like She’s Out of My League, this is also written by one of the guys from the Sex Drive team.

4. How to Train Your Dragon (Sanders + DeBlois, March 26th)

Synopsis: Young Viking Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third is sent to the Isle of Berk in the North Sea, where he is to subdue a dragon as a rite of passage.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: The team behind the fantastic Lilo + Stitch is back. Co-director Dean DeBlois was also behind one of the best music documentaries I’ve seen, Heima. The early buzz for the film has also been very positive.

3. Mother (Bong, March 12th)

Synopsis: When her mentally handicapped son is accused for the rape and murder of a young woman, a mother begins her own investigation into the crime in hope to clear her child’s name.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: Bong Joon-ho was behind two of the best foreign films with The Host and Memories of Murder. After seeing this a few months ago, it doesn’t quite live up to either, but it’s still a fantastic story and one of the best of the month.

2. Green Zone (Greengrass, March 12th)

Synopsis: Discovering covert and faulty intelligence causes a U.S. Army officer to go rogue as he hunts for Weapons on Mass Destruction in an unstable region.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: After getting delayed from late 2009 release, Bourne Supremacy and Ultimatum director Paul Greeengrass is back with Matt Damon. The film has gone under post-production struggles, but I’m confident Greengrass can engineer a great political action thriller.

1. Greenberg (Baumbach, March 26th)

Synopsis: A jobless New Yorker moves to Los Angeles in order to figure out his life while he housesits for his brother. He soon sparks with his brother’s assistant, a musician and somewhat of a lost soul herself.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale is one of my favorite films of the last decade and I even enjoyed Margot at The Wedding. His latest subject is Ben Stiller and one can check out the polarizing reviews of the film here.

Check out the next page to see what to avoid and rent.

The trailer for Noah Baumbach‘s new feature Greenberg has been released by Apple. The film stars Ben Stiller, Rhys Ifans, Juno Temple, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mark Duplass, Dave Franco and Chris Messina. Check it out below or on Apple in HD. Read the full story