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HBO has announced the star-studded supporting cast for its upcoming mini-series adaptation of Elizabeth Strout's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "Olive Kitteridge". Lisa Cholodenko ("The Kids Are All Right") will helm the four-part mini-series which debuts on the network in November.

Set over a 25 year period in a seemingly placid New England town wrought with illicit affairs, crime and tragedy, the story follows a middle-school math teacher named Olive (Frances McDormand) who uses a wicked wit and harsh demeanor to mask a warm but troubled heart .

Richard Jenkins ("Burn After Reading") portrays Olive’s kind-hearted pharmacist husband, Henry. John Gallagher, Jr. ("The Newsroom") is their son Christopher, Peter Mullan ("Top of the Lake") plays fellow teacher Jim O’Casey, Rosemarie DeWitt ("Mad Men") as a shut-in named Rachel Coulson, Zoe Kazan ("Ruby Sparks") as the pharmacist worker Denise Thibodeau, Ann Dowd ("Side Effects") as a family friend.

Also onboard are Cory Michael Smith...

Chicago – At a time when many so-called independent film distributors are following the mold of mainstream companies, Oscilloscope Pictures is a breath of exhilaratingly fresh air. Its films range from electrifying shoestring documentaries like “Dear Zachary” and priceless foreign imports like “Kisses” to major award season contenders such as “The Messenger” and “Wendy and Lucy.”

All of these films are independent in a way that few commercial entertainments are ever allowed to be. They are each artworks more than entertainments, and often paint riveting and provocative portraits of the society in which we live, devoid of any stereotypical speechifying. When a big star signs on for one of these pictures, the filmmakers often allow the performer to work at a raw and intimate level rarely achievable in Hollywood (much like how HBO brings out the best in every actor, from Claire Danes to Al Pacino).

DVD Rating: 4.5/5.0

Though she is...

As explosive as the title is, Bradley Rust Gray’s second feature film is an exercise in control. A controlled character who is careful to not get too excited, no matter what the universe throws her way (“I’m okay,” Ivy — played by Zoe Kazan, granddaughter of Elia — says over and over again, even when she’s not) and a controlled camera that just sits and watches, even when — most when — you want to pull Ivy to you and tell her yes, she will be okay.

Back home in New York on spring break from an unnamed university, Ivy and her mom (Maryann Urbano) open their home to Al (Mark Rendell), a childhood friend whose parents neglected to tell him they’d rented out his room. Ivy and Al are so close they’re like siblings, really, sharing slices of pizza while he seeks advice on how to ask out...

Editor’S Note: This is one of several interviews, conducted via email, with directors whose films are screening at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. “Exploding Girl” (World Narrative Feature Competition) Director/Screenwriter: Bradley Rust Gray Cast: Primary Cast: Zoe Kazan, Mark Rendall, Maryann Urbano Synopsis: Cherubic college student Ivy (tenderly played by Zoe Kazan) is back home in Brooklyn for summer break with her longtime platonic guy pal Al (Mark Rendall) in tow. …...