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Catching Up With...Jared Hess

9 November 2009 6:02 AM, PST | Pastemagazine.com | See recent PasteMagazine news »

Director Jared Hess loves science fiction. If you wanted to talk to him for hours on end about rocket ships, space rangers and David Lynch's Dune, he would happily oblige. The dead-pan visionary behind Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre loves the genre so much, that he projected some 16-odd years of mechanical beasts and galactic intrigue into his quirk masterpiece, Gentlemen Broncos. "I had drawings of Battle Stags in my Trapper Keeper," Hess recalls. "That was the kind of crap that I drew when I was 14. It was fun to be able to bring those bad boys to life."... »

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[Exclusive Interview] Jarred Hess on Gentlemen Broncos

9 November 2009 5:02 AM, PST | Atomic Popcorn | See recent Atomic Popcorn news »

Jarred Hess is the man behind the much-loved Napoleon Dynamite and the Jack Black wrestling comedy Nacho Libre. It’s been over 3 years since Libre and he’s finally back to bring another offbeat comedy to the big screen. His latest Gentlemen Broncos deals with a young writer’s ambitions, crappy science fiction and an at-the-end of his career sci-fi writer. To help promote his latest film I was given the more than fantastic opportunity of interviewing Mr. Hess to discuss Broncos and here’s the result. Gentlemen Broncos is currently in theaters.

I always like how your films carry an underdog theme. What is it exactly that appeals to you about that?

Jarred Hess: You know, I guess… I moved around a lot growing up and I guess I just identify with the outsider guy — trying to fit in and pursuing his dream. I don’t know, it’s »

- JackGiroux

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Fox Searchlight Reins in Release Plans for Gentlemen Broncos

4 November 2009 10:14 AM, PST | FilmJunk | See recent FilmJunk news »

Things aren't looking so good for Jared Hess' latest comedy Gentlemen Broncos. The movie hit theatres last week on just 2 screens, and despite plans to expand further in the coming weeks, it appears that the movie's release is now being scaled back as a result of bad reviews. A number of critics have received a notice this week from Fox Searchlight stating that the movie will no longer be opening in their market. It is unclear if they will still follow through with the previously scheduled roll out [1] for the next two weeks, but it certainly won't be progressing beyond that. DVD will likely be the venue for most of us to see it. Truth be told, there were signs of trouble when the movie premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin back in September; it received a wave of negative reviews and was quickly forgotten. Now it seems that »

- Sean

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Catching Up With... Jemaine Clement

4 November 2009 4:17 AM, PST | Pastemagazine.com | See recent PasteMagazine news »

Anybody who's been exposed to Jemaine Clement, also known as the Hiphopopotamus half of Flight of the Conchords,  knows that the New Zealand native has turned awkwardness into an art form on screen and MP3 alike. In his new film, Gentlemen Broncos, Clement joins forces with Napolean Dynamite and Nacho Libre director Jared Hess to form a perfect storm of self-conscious absurdity, playing an egotistical sci-fi author who flaunts a vestigial Blue Tooth and hi-jacks adolescent fiction about yeast-empowered space rangers. So what's next for one of folk comedy's international figureheads? Clement offered Paste a few lucrative hints about the future of Conchords, his Rock Band... »

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Plucky 'Broncos': Jared and Jerusha Hess on Gentlemen Broncos

30 October 2009 11:02 AM, PDT | GreenCine | See recent GreenCine news »

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Jared Hess, 30, and Jerusha Hess, 29, met in film class at Brigham Young University and together wrote a little independent movie called Napoleon Dynamite, which Jared directed. Released in 2004, the movie was a once in a lifetime success story, earning a genuine cult following and inspiring a generation of dialogue-quoters and "Vote for Pedro" t-shirt wearers. Hollywood loved it too, and it wasn't long before the Hesses were in charge of the bigger budgeted Nacho Libre (2006). Despite considerably less flattering reviews, the film went on to gross over $80 million, more than doubling its production budget.

Both films contained the same kind of off-kilter rhythms and dry, almost-but-not-quite cruel humor that fans seem to love. Their new film, Gentlemen Broncos (opening Oct. 30 and Nov. 6), is more complex in the plot department but still hangs onto these unique rhythms. Michael Angarano stars as Benjamin, a home-schooled teen who is also a burgeoning sci-fi writer. »

- underdog

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Jared Hess says he's never been asked about making 'Nacho Libre 2'

30 October 2009 2:53 AM, PDT | Hitfix | See recent Hitfix news »

Speaking to filmmaker Jarod Hess last week about his new comedy "Gentlemen Broncos," HitFix inquired about the status about a "Nacho Libre" sequel.  The first Jack Black comedy was an unexpected summer smash in 2006 grossing $80 million in theaters and doing brisk business on DVD.  The picture was Hess' first film after his unexpected debut with the pop culture touchstone "Napoleon Dynamite" and proved he wasn't a one-hit wonder. Surprisingly, Hess says while he'd love to work with Black again, Paramount has never approached him about doing a sequel.  And to be honest, considering how interested he is about returning... »

- Gregory Ellwood

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Jared and Jerusha Hess Talk Gentlemen Broncos

30 October 2009 2:12 AM, PDT | Reelzchannel.com | See recent ReelzChannel news »

The Hesses have spent their short career making eccentric comedies like Napolean Dynamite, Nacho Libre, and the upcoming Gentlemen Broncos, which opens in limited release today. The movie follows a teenager (Michael Angarano) who finds that his novel has been plagiarized by a legendary novelist (Jemaine Clement). While Jared usually directs, the married duo typically co-write the movies, bringing elements of their family and home life into the scripts. Jared told Collider that Gentlemen Broncos is so personal, even the title is taken from his childhood.

The title of the film comes from my mom, who had this really weird parenting book when I was growing up. I have five younger brothers, and it was this book, called So You Want to Raise a Boy?, written in the 1950s. There's a chapter in there where it talks about the age from 16 to 17 and the author referred to it as the gentlemen bronco phase of life, »

- Ryan Gowland

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Fred Rides Gentlemen Broncos

30 October 2009 12:15 AM, PDT | www.canmag.com | See recent CanMag news »

Gentlemen Broncos continues the comedy style that Jared Hess started with Napoleon Dynamite and brought to Hollywood in Nacho Libre. It.s that slightly off (by Hollywood standards) tone that.s funny, but they.re not making jokes.

Review: Gentlemen Broncos

It.s not really that sophisticated. A seminar on naming sci-fi characters is really just about saying funny sounds. The sci-fi sequences are full of bodily humor, and there.s a ton of poop and vomit. They do make a highbrow teabagging joke. That.s indie style ball jokes.

But it.s just so weird. A cute girl asks for tampon money. Then she squeezes into a seat on a bus with two other guys and makes one give her a hand massage slathered in lotion. »

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Exclusive Video: Gentlemen Broncos Cast Interviews

29 October 2009 9:25 PM, PDT | MovieWeb | See recent MovieWeb news »

By all accounts Napoleon Dynamite is still one of the funniest and most successful independent movies of all time. The movie, which is still highly prevalent in pop-culture, has had a lasting affect on audiences in a way that few films do. Filmmakers Jared and Jerusha Hess followed up their success by teaming with School of Rock writer Mike White and star Jack Black to make the Mexican wrestling comedy Nacho Libre. White has teamed with the Hess's again, producing their new comedy the science-fiction paperback spoof Gentlemen Broncos, which is being released in theaters on October 30th. We had a chance to talk with the film's creators, writer and director Jared Hess, his co-writer Jerusha Hess, producer and actor Mike White and stars Jermaine Clement and Jennifer Coolidge. To watch our exclusive interview click on the video clips below.

Benjamin (Michael Angarano), home-schooled by his eccentric mother (Jennifer Coolidge »

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Gentlemen Broncos Movie Review

29 October 2009 8:00 PM, PDT | MoviesOnline.ca | See recent MoviesOnline news »

Right from the opening credits, Gentlemen Broncos had me hooked. They're quite simple, similar to the Napoleon Dynamite credits, which is fitting seeing how this is the latest film from  director Jared Hess. Instead of foodstuffs, we are treated to the cast and crew names of old pulp sci-fi book covers, while "In The Year 2525" plays on. It's the perfect set-up for yet another of Hess' tale of outcasts and their deadpan, almost absurdist comedic misadventures.

Broncos tells the story of Benjamin (Michael Angarano, playing the wallflower to perfection) a home-schooled lad who writes science fiction stories, following in the path of his idol, Dr.Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement, from Flight of the Conchords, and who steals every scene he's in with his facial hair and voice). Benjamin joins other home schoolers on a trip to Cletus Fest, a writing retreat/workshop/festival. Lecturing at the fest is Dr. Chevalier, »

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The Week in Film: Halloween Weekend

29 October 2009 12:18 PM, PDT | AfterElton.com | See recent AfterElton.com news »

Ho ho ho, Merry- wait, that’s not right. Gobble gobble! Happy Thanks- shoot, that’s not right either. Ahem. *evil high-pitched cackle* Happy Halloween! Ah, there we go. Sorry for the confusion there, folks. It happens when you try to get a Turkey Santa Claus costume for this special day. You get confused. For some reason, I couldn’t find one anywhere, but enough about me. And since it’s Halloween weekend, time for scary movies! Right?

Maybe not so much. At least not new ones, as it looks like Hollywood decided too many folks were going to be out trick-or-treating to check out a new movie this weekend. Fortunately or unfortunately, Saw VI came out last week and Paranormal Activity is still in theaters scaring up big bucks (more on that later).

First up this week, we have Michael Jackson’s sold out This Is It that opened on Wednesday. »

- Raiden251

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Exclusive: Jared and Jerusha Hess on Gentlemen Broncos

29 October 2009 | Comingsoon.net | See recent Comingsoon.net news »

ComingSoon.net talked exclusively to Jared and Jerusha Hess, the husband-and-wife filmmakers behind Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre , about their new comedy, Gentlemen Broncos . Directed by Jared and co-written by both, the October 30 release stars Michael Angarano, Jennifer Coolidge, Jemaine Clement, Mike White and Sam Rockwell. In the film, Benjamin (Angarano), home-schooled by his eccentric mother (Coolidge), is a loveable loner whose passion for writing leads him on an offbeat and hilarious journey as his story first gets ripped off by the legendary fantasy novelist, Ronald Chevalier (Clement) and then is adapted into a disastrous movie by the small town's most prolific homespun filmmaker. »

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Mike White Interview Gentlemen Broncos

27 October 2009 5:45 PM, PDT | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »

Along with being the producer of Jared and Jerusha Hess’ latest film, “Gentlemen Broncos”, Mike White also plays the role of Dusty. In the film’s unusual world, in which 17-year-old Benjamin Purvis (Michael Angarano) has his prized science-fiction story stolen by his idol, Dr. Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement), at a writers camp, Dusty is an odd, scraggly-haired member of the Purvis’ church who takes his giant albino snake with him everywhere.

At the press day for the film, Mike White talked about working with his friends, the Hesses, and bonding with the snake, known as Peaches.

Question: Was Dusty a difficult character to play?

Mike: I don’t think I’m like Dusty, but I’m not afraid to be weird, so I wasn’t going to resist any of Jared’s impulses. Ultimately, the vision of the character was his, but I was weird enough to go with it. »

- Sara Wayland

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HuffPost Review: Gentleman Broncos

27 October 2009 4:39 AM, PDT | Huffington Post | See recent Huffington Post news »

With Napoleon Dynamite, writer-director Jared Hess seemed to announce himself as a film-making find with an entertainingly quirky sensibility. With Nacho Libre, however, Hess stumbled badly, creating a film that attempted to work the same faux naïf vein as Napoleon Dynamite, with a fraction of the laughs. And he wasted the volcanic Jack Black in the process. So I approached Gentleman Broncos as a tie-breaker of sorts, the movie that would demonstrate which of his first two films was the fluke and which the more accurate indicator of his ability. Apparently Napoleon Dynamite was the happy accident. A flat, self-consciously mannered film, Gentleman Broncos wants to have it both ways. It wants the audience to laugh at the cheesy aesthetic of amateur aspiring artists, even as it offers its own amateurish version of a film comedy. It's not just the chuckle-free writing or leaden... »

- Marshall Fine

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Jared & Jerusha Hess Interview Gentlemen Broncos

26 October 2009 9:38 PM, PDT | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »

Writing and producing partners Jared and Jerusha Hess, who are also husband and wife, have made a career out of championing the underdog. With their quirky sense of humor and their inspiration from the unlikeliest of places, the duo’s success with “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Nacho Libre” have carved them a niche in Hollywood that they are quite happy with.

At the press day for “Gentlemen Broncos”, the Hesses talked about working with special effects for the first time and assembling the cast for this film about an outsider with big dreams trying to achieve what he wants to do in life. Continued after the jump:

Question: Where did you get the title, Gentlemen Broncos?

Jared: The title of the film comes from my mom, who had this really weird parenting book when I was growing up. I have five younger brothers, and it was this book, called So You Want to Raise a Boy? »

- Sara Wayland

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my week at the movies: ‘Gentlemen Broncos,’ ‘Michael Jackson’s This Is It,’ ‘Creation,’ ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox,’ ‘The Fourth Kind,’ ‘Pirate Radio’ (aka ‘The Boat That Rocked’), ‘Collapse’

26 October 2009 12:52 PM, PDT | www.flickfilosopher.com | See recent FlickFilosopher news »

Busy, busy week. And awards season hasn’t quite hit yet (though screeners are starting to come). It’s gonna be a crazy couple months... Most hilarious title ever? Gentlemen Broncos (opens in the U.S. on October 30; no U.K. release date has been announced) looks to be a hoot... and I do really like Jared Hess’s other flicks, Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre. So pretty please, let this one be as oddball amusing, too. Sony is withholding press screenings of Michael Jackson’s This Is It (opens all over the damn planet on October 28) till tomorrow evening -- which is, as I mentioned earlier today, the same time the film will premiere in Los Angeles, just hours before public showings begin at midnight. Now, surely there is nothing that a critic could say, not even Roger Ebert, that would keep diehard fans away. So what is Sony afraid of? »

- MaryAnn Johanson

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Gentlemen Broncos' Mike White On Playing an 'Albino Slick Rick' and the Status of School of Rock 2

22 October 2009 12:00 PM, PDT | Movieline | See recent Movieline news »

You never know where Mike White -- the defiantly square-peg filmmaker behind The School of Rock, Nacho Libre, and Year of the Dog -- might pop up next. One second he's crisscrossing the globe in matching outfits with his gay dad on The Amazing Race, the next he's giving Zombieland audiences an object lesson on the mortal dangers of going pottie in a zombie zone. For his next act, look no further than Gentlemen Broncos, his second collaboration with Utah-based dweebcore auteur Jared Hess, where he plays Dusty, a barechested "guardian angel from hell" to the film's aspiring science fiction writer hero (played by Michael Angarano). We talked to White about that Zombieland cameo, the prospects for his School of Rock sequel, and finding the Zen in Hess's universe of the gleefully absurd. »

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Mike White on His HBO Pilot Enlightened, Them and School Of Rock 2

21 October 2009 7:14 PM, PDT | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »

Writer, director, producer and actor Mike White is known for his rather eclectic dramedies, such as Chuck & Buck, The Good Girl, School of Rock, Nacho Libre and Year of the Dog, which is totally fine with him. Not looking to be a producer or director for hire, he enjoys working with his friends, like Jared and Jerusha Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) on their latest film, Gentlemen Broncos, about a lovable underdog (played by Michael Angarano) whose passion for writing science-fiction novels is turned upside down when his idol, the celebrated fantasy author Dr. Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement), steals his story at a writers camp.

At the press day for the film, Mike White gave some updates on what he’s currently working on, including the HBO pilot Enlightened, headed into production in January 2010, as well as the status of Them (with Edgar Wright) and School of Rock 2. Look for what he »

- Sara Wayland

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Awesome New Still of Sam Rockwell in ‘Gentlemen Broncos’

14 October 2009 11:53 AM, PDT | MovieSet.com | See recent MovieSet.com news »

Sam Rockwell has played some pretty entertaining characters, from his role as Guy in Galaxy Quest, to Zaphod Beeblebrox in The Hitchhiker’s Guide with several serious roles in-between, but get ready to see him in a hilarious new light as Bronco/Brutus in the upcoming comedy ‘Gentlemen Broncos.’

Gentlemen Broncos tells the story of Ben Purvis, a home schooled teenage outcast and aspiring fantasy writer who attends a fantasy convention and finds his idea, Bronco, ripped off by acclaimed novelist Ronald Chevalier, who has turned desperate for ideas.

In the film, Rockwell’s character changes from Bronco to Brutus after Chevalier plagiarizes Ben’s work. Gentlemen Broncos is directed by Nacho Libre and Napoleon Dynamite’s Jared Hess.

Check the ‘Gentlemen Broncos‘ trailer

See more stills from Gentlemen Broncos via Awesome New Still of Sam Rockwell in ‘Gentlemen Broncos’ - Gentlemen Broncos News - MovieSet. »

- Shannon

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Fantastic Fest 2009 - Day One

1 October 2009 9:33 PM, PDT | Pastemagazine.com | See recent PasteMagazine news »

Just like everyone else, film festivals have been hurting from the economic downturn. A piece of advice for all you ailing fests: give Tim League, co-founder of Fantastic Fest, a holler. Now in its fifth year League has created a monster of an event where I, the fan, am the most important person in the theater. You know you're doing something right when next year's VIP seats sell out in a matter of minutes which is exactly what happened earlier this week. You hear that? Sold out one year in advance! Aside from the typical horror genre they cover other stuff related to action, fantasy, sci-fi and anything else that falls under the moniker of "fantastic". You'll get your dose of blood and gore but the fest has surprised attendees with the world premieres of films like Apocalypto, There Will Be Blood, and Eagle Eye. And guests have included folks like Mel Gibson, »

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