For weeks now it’s seemed like the movie geek community has been bombarded with little other than casting news for The Hunger Games. And you know, I get it. The books are really popular, they’re pretty fun reads, and if adapted right they will make interesting movies. But I have to admit, after the main three roles of Katniss, Peeta, and Gale got cast, I kind of tuned out to the barrage of smaller casting news we’ve been getting over the past few weeks. Do I really want to write up an article about a relative unknown named Willow Shields being cast as the little sister? But now a couple of awesome-bombs have been dropped on the Hunger Games news racket, and I find myself excited all over again.

Ready for another round of debate as to whether or not Roman Polanski should be allowed back into the United States in order to attend awards shows? Well then good news, because Polanski’s latest movie God of Carnage is all set up to get a distribution deal, and it looks like a film that will be getting a lot of attention come awards season. Deadline Topanga Canyon reports that Michael Barker and Tom Bernard of Sony Pictures Classics are close to signing a deal to release the film, that was packaged by ICM, here in the US. God of Carnage is an adaptation of a Tony Award winning play by Yasmina Reza. It tells the story of the aftermath of a schoolyard brawl between two 11 year-old boys. The boys’ parents turn out to be just as irrational as their children, and when they meet to talk over the scuffle a series of arguments and chaotic disagreements over various hot-button issues becomes the norm for the night. The stage play’s original cast consisted of James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden, Jeff Daniels, and Hope Davis, but none of those actors reprise their roles for Polanski’s film version. That would probably be seen as a huge disappointment, except for the fact that Polanski got Christoph Waltz, Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, and Kate Winslet to replace them. Wow, way to be a one-upper Roman.

Thinking back on most of the teen dramas I’ve seen I’m not sure I’ve ever encountered a personality like Terri. He’s the social outcast, he’s poor, he’s fat, he gets picked on, he’s a pushover, he isn’t particularly good at anything beyond showing up late to school and he goes everywhere in his pj’s. He isn’t just ripe for brutal ostracization, he’s the tree that bears all the types of fruit that get eaten by it.

However, what makes Terri different from the represented amalgamation of almost every other outcast characteristic you may have ever seen is his indifference towards everything. He doesn’t get particularly angry particularly often. He holds no pure grudges when he has every right to. He doesn’t bother anyone by drawing further attention to himself. He’s shy and he wants friends and he wishes he could fit in, but he can’t really figure himself out beyond knowing that he really just doesn’t care much about anything.

Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim are a couple of goofy weirdos known best for their insane Adult Swim show Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. Also, they’ve done quite a few memorable bits for Funny or Die. Their humor is absurdist, their show is short, low budget, and very hand crafted; and they’re one of those things that either you find funny or you just don’t. Personally, I enjoy a lot of what they do, and a lot of other people must too, because somebody has given them a bunch of money to make a feature. Check out the cast: Zach Galifianakis, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Robert Loggia, Jeff Goldblum, Will Forte, and William Atherton. Yes, that’s right, THE Robert Loggia; the guy from the orange juice commercial. Either this cast is making you roll your eyes in disgust right now, or it’s making you jump for joy. If you’re sick of watching these guys goof around you should probably stop reading. Just move on to something else. But if you’re like me and you love most of these stupid jerks, continue on to read some quotes from Eric.

Bear with us while we explain to you why you need to purchase a new insurance plan. Trust us, it’s important, and if you want to be taken care of, you should buy your insurance exclusively from Tim Lippe. He’s definitely a guy you can trust… until he makes it to an insurance convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Columbus, Ohio may not be Cedar Rapids, but it’s in the Midwest where the film is expanding on March 4. However, fans of Ed Helms, Miguel Arteta and John C. Reilly have a chance to catch Cedar Rapids for free before it opens locally. FSR is here to help by hosting an early screening in Columbus, Ohio. If you live in the Columbus area, you can use this super-secret code that allows you to print out two tickets to the Columbus screening of Cedar Rapids on Thursday, March 3 at the AMC Lennox at 7:30 PM.

It’s been a pretty big day on the Internet for Jonny Greenwood. First it was announced that Radiohead’s next album ‘The King of Limbs’ has gone up for digital pre-order and will be able to be downloaded on February 19. And now it has been reported that Greenwood will score director Lynne Ramsay’s (Ratcatcher) next film We Need to Talk About Kevin. This is important news because Greenwood’s score for There Will Be Blood was completely awesome and more stuff from people who are awesome is always a positive.

There is perhaps no more fertile storytelling ground than high school. Countless movies have mined the depths of awkward despair to which interesting, offbeat teens descend during those trying years. One could program an entire satellite Sundance Film Festival comprised entirely of offbeat, whimsical films centered on secondary school dysfunction that have premiered in Park City. So, it’s reasonable to wonder whether there’s anything left to say, and why Azazel Jacobs – director of the acclaimed, innovative Momma’s Man and son of avant-garde filmmaker Ken Jacobs – turned to the proverbial setting for his new film Terri.

Ed Helms is breaking free of the office grind, leaving his friends on a roof in Las Vegas, and taking an earnest shot at playing the leading man. This new trailer for Cedar Rapids – the story of a completely sheltered dweeb who lets loose at an insurance convention (thanks to the bad influence of John C. Reilly) – is very, very funny. Plus, it hints at the movie being a bit more heartfelt than the average fish out of water story. Mark my words. At some point, either Ed Helms or John C. Reilly’s character will break down on a roof somewhere. Maybe it’ll be both of them. But mostly there will be John C. Reilly drunk with a trash can lid on his head. Check it out for yourself:

This isn’t a battle a la Step Brothers or Rushmore style, but something real. The Duplass brother’s shooting style is a contributing factor to that which is quite unorthodox compared to most filmmakers. They shoot in sequence, the camerawork is practically all handheld, and they hardly stick to the dialog on page. Their formula is different, but obviously works. Here’s what Jay Duplass had to say about all this.

“The humor comes from a frank recognition of the truth. I think all good actors work that way. You just do what is real. If the situation is silly, then it’s funny.”

Columbus Rejects! Get a chance to see Cyrus before it opens… for free!

Ignoring the namesake of the film, Cyrus focuses not so much on Jonah Hill’s twenty one year old, socially maladjusted mama’s boy, and more on John C. Reilly’s character John. John is a schlubby, sad-sack forty something with an interestingly amiable relationship with his ex-wife Jamie (Catherine Keener), who after seven years is finally getting remarried.

I’ve gotten a bit tired of John C. Reilly doing so many comedies recently. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a damn funny man who elevates everything he’s in, but I’ve been increasingly afraid that a man with as strong of dramatic chops as he will continually fall into typecasting through the short-term memory of Hollywood. Enter Cyrus, the first high-profile, star-studded effort by those kooky mumblecore kids Jay and Mark Duplass.

When films are cast perfectly, you can tell. There is a certain energy and chemistry that makes these characters feel alive. So when casting an improvisational comedy, could you ask for two better guys than John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill?

Long have I been a fan of awkward comedy. Or more specifically, comedy that thrives on situations where two characters quite simply don’t belong together. Enter the Duplass Brothers’ latest film, Cyrus.

The project that began with Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman, then added Helen Mirren, is now adding the always lovely Mary Louise Parker to its cast. Oh, and John C. Reilly is coming along, as well.

This week on a very special Reject Radio, special guest Peter Hall from Cinematical threatens us with a pumpkin carving knife and digs into the horror flicks that rolled out randomly (in October of all months!) last week. We also talk more intelligently about Antichrist than anyone else so far.

Darren and Steve are best friends despite different upbringings and personalities. They both attend a mysterious Freak Show populated by fantastical beings, and Darren joins the ranks of the undead by becoming a vampire, but Steve will have his own, darker journey to go through.

Kevin Carr takes a look at this week’s movie releases, including Saw VI, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, Astro Boy and Amelia.

The Fat Guys cut through Saw VI before taking flight with Amelia and Astro Boy then sinking their teeth into Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant.