Few screenwriters in Hollywood have a capital-vee Voice as identifiable and memorable as Diablo Cody's.
The scribe won an Academy Award for "Juno," then went on to create Showtime series "United States of Tara" for Steven Spielberg, pen cult-classic horror tale "Jennifer's Body," and write Charlize Theron-starrer "Young Adult" -- yet another wonderfully Oscar bait-y (if far darker) script for her "Juno" director Jason Reitman.
Cody has since gotten a chance to direct one of her own chatty, snappy, inventive scripts in the somewhat anonymously-titled "Paradise," and now you can watch the trailer. Honest to blog.
Open narration that includes the phrase "here's me after I was barbequed in jet fuel" is a good tip-off that you're in Cody-land. "Paradise" is about a virtuous young woman (Julianne Hough), who, after surviving a horrifying plane crash, decides to take the money she's gotten from the airline and go to Las Vegas. There, she indulges in every sin imaginable, with a little help from a past-her-prime showgirl (Octavia Spencer) and a garrulous bartender (Russell Brand).
Of course, this movie is PG-13, and the trailer gives off the cuddly vibe of a Trapper Keeper covered in Lisa Frank stickers, so it's probably safe to assume this won't be a spiritual successor to "The Hangover" trilogy.
Oddly, "Paradise" will first premiere on DirecTV this Thursday, with some kind of theatrical release to follow in October. While buzz seems to be suspiciously low, we're still excited. A new Diablo Cody movie, in whatever form it takes, is always something to get jazzed about.
