Links

• /Film RIP Peter Mayhew, Chewbacca actor in the original Star Wars films
• Film Comment a wonderful anecdote-filled interview with the legendary casting director Juliet Taylor Dangerous Liaisons, The Exorcist, Close Encounters, Schindler's List, and Broadway Danny Rose are among her many classics.
• Deadline It's official: Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges and Tracy Letts to headline French Exit...
• TFE ...our earlier report about Michelle's interest in doing this movie
• Slate thinks the romcom Long Shot is actually pretty feminist (though it's initially strange to hear that claim about yet another movie where the schlubby guy gets the hot girl)

More after the jump including Lucy Liu, an 80s singer coming out, the Karate Kid, the German Oscars, upcoming stage musicals based on movies, and more...

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Three Ways "Set It Up" Succeeds

By Spencer Coile 

Considering Netflix’s constant stream of original content, it's a smaill miracle that their latest original film, Set It Up, is receiving some attention. Set It Up tells the cookie-cutter story of two overworked PA’s (Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell) who decide to set up their overbearing bosses (Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs) only to find love themselves. It follows the familiar beats of your favorite romcoms. It's glossy, quirky, and wrapped up with a cute little bow when the credits roll. 

Set It Up is everything we have come to expect from the genre but which the genre hasn't been delivering of late. Director Claire Scanlon (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, GLOW, Brooklyn Nine-Nine)and writer Katie Silberman bring sensitivity to a story that feels slight, but is rewarding enough. In many ways, the film is a refreshing run-of-the-mill romcom.

Here are three reasons why Set It Up really works...

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Difficult People S3 E3-4: John Cho, Rabbits, and A Dybbuk

Chris and Spencer are dishing this season of Difficult People!

In “Code Change”, Julie uses AA to fight her addiction to her mother, Arthur fails valiantly to satisfy Julie in bed, and Billy comes to the separate rescue of his brother and sister-in-law.

SPENCER: Why had I never thought of a church as a place to charge my phone, first of all? Let alone a Synagogue!

CHRIS: And there’s free coffee. I feel like we spoke too soon last time about the show's guest actors only being asked to just play wacky because Rosie O'Donnell was maybe the show's most straight-faced character ever.

S: I know, right? It was almost jarring — but definitely in a good way. Her reference to Billy being gay… she’s totally in on the joke.

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Black Mamba & Cottonmouth

Curio: Lucy Liu, Artist

Alexa here with your weekly art break. Lucy Liu made the surprise announcement recently that she'd had a baby boy via surrogate, congrats to her!  In following some links I was also surprised to see that she'd launched a website dedicated to her art, under her own name.

As we've posted before, Lucy had been making paintings under the pseudonym Yu Ling, but now she is ready to unveil new, varied works without the pseudonym.  Her use of media has expanded from painting to screenprint, sculpture, and fiber. 

More pieces after the jump...

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