It is going to be hard to convince you -or anyone for that matter - that Ted, a movie about a foulmouthed pot-smoking teddy bear, is a relevant work of literature that should have your critical consideration. But, please, indulge me as I try to do so.
As you would expect from the creator of Family Guy, Ted is an avalanche of raunchy comedy, politically incorrect humor, and four-letter one liners that could put any other comedy of the kind to shame. But aside from its superficial humor, Ted is also one of the most honest movies about buddy-bro-hood and arrested adolescence out there. Add these together and you realize that Ted is mostly funny because its true.
There is a lot I could talk about Bridesmaids. When the trailer first surfaced, I posted my concern that the film looked like a rehash of most of the Apatow-gang “dude flicks” but centered around a female lead instead. My main concern was not about the film simply being a rehash but that judging from the trailer, the Apotow-gang, who for the most part is made up of dudes, did not get women at all. I might have judged a little too early. But, although I am still not entirely convinced they do, Bridesmaids remains a very funny movie.
It is a widely accepted fact that comedy is a very localized phenomenon and as a consequence one of the hardest genres to export. Today most Hollywood movies are made with the international market in mind; it is not unusual for movies to make most of their money outside their country of origin (Hollywood or not). Comedy remains as the exception. However this hasn’t stopped the business from trying to adapt its most successful sitcoms for audiences abroad. Exporting Raymond is the story of Phil Rosenstal, the show runner of Everybody Loves Raymond, traveling to Russia to help a team of Russian writers adapt the sitcom into their own Everybody Loves Kostya. And in the process he makes the attempt to argue that comedy in is most specific form is in fact a universally relatable genre. It is a bold undertaking but Rosenthal makes an incredibly persuasive argument.
Cedar Rapids stars Ed Helms as Tim Lippe as a candid and underachieving insurance agent from a tiny little town somewhere in Wisconsin. Just so you have an idea of how “tiny little” this town is for Tim Lippe, Cedar Rapids, Iowa feels like the Big City. This is the story about Tim Lippe’s first weekend in the Big City. It is a coming of age story of a man who is already an adult but hasn’t quite grown up.
The trailer for the newest Apatow Productions film has surfaced. Bridesmaids is the productions first female centric comedy.
Judging from the trailer I am unsure if they understand the opposite gender. What do you think?
It wasn't exactly yesterday that Apatow Productions released a winning comedy, and Get Him to the Greek is surely worth the wait. The movie is everything you could possibly want out of a buddy comedy between an anxious young fan and an out of control rocker. If you haven't seen Forgetting Sarah Marshall, fear not because this is not a sequel, but an all new movie featuring Sarah Marshall's Aldous Snow.
I'm not sure if this movie looks ridiculously stupid or just plain ridiculous. I'm a sucker for Animotion, especially in trailers, so I remain cautiously optimistic...
It's as simple as this: Fans of Woody Allen's old comedies will be in for a giant treat. If you are not too familiar with his old stuff like Annie Hall and Manhattan, you may not enjoy it as much.
What we have here is another odd love-ish story about Boris Yellnikoff. It's Larry David basically playing Woody Allen. He's uptight, quirky, neurotic, and absolutely ridiculous. It seems to me, that this was a part Allen had written for himself, but never got to play. Or, who knows, maybe he just felt nostalgiac about the characters he used to play, and thought David would work.
Finally, a movie that's simple. It's so simple. It's perfect.
Sam Mendes' Away We Go is a story about finding what is right and not settling. That is, until you settle down. It's very simple, but fantastic. It's fantastically written, it's fantastically acted, and every scene in the movie is just right.
What is an adventure? It's hard to define, but one thing is for sure; it cannot be planned.
Now Superbad is among my all-time favorite comedies, and Adventureland is just as great, if not better... and it couldn't be more different than Superbad if it tried.
Why did I write the title bar in ALL CAPS you may wonder.... well... maybe it is because the movie is called HOT TUB TIME MACHINE. And if that is not the best title ever and enough to sell you on seeing the movie. I don't know what is.
Well, heres a little more info.
The film stars John Cusack, Rob Corddry, and Craig Robinson. It is rumored that Clark Duke is in negotiations to join the cast as well.
Its about 3 guys who lost their mojo and travel back in time in a time machine (in their hot tub) so they can relive their glory days.
After I saw Step Brothers, there was one thing that was really bothering me. I didn't like the film at all, but I didn't really understand why. For some reason it did not have the type of humor that the two Adam McKay films had. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby were both very enjoyable and very, very funny.
Then, after some serious thought, I finally understood what I didn't like about his newest film.
It was just too mean.
Since when are comedies so mean? Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are just so mean to each other, and everyone around them. It makes them characters no one can identify with, or even want to identify with. While Ron Burgandy and Ricky Bobby are not the most relatable characters, at least they are likable, and you may want to relate to them. But in Step Brothers, they're just so damn mean it's hard to care about them, or the movie in general.
What happened to comedies like Mel Brooks used to make? Those were silly, slapstick fun. They weren't mean. Even Knocked Up and Superbad, while very crude, had characters you could still fall in love with, and root for. This wasn't the case in Step Brothers. What's worse, The Foot Fist Way, and Jody Hill's new film, Observe & Report seem to have the same problem. Though I was once a die-hard fan of Rogen's I can tell you I won't be going to see Observe & Report. It just looks too mean.
And even worse still, it seems like America wants these movies to be mean. It seems to a be an advertising point. For example, take a look at the DVD box for the upcoming release of Sex Drive.
Why is it being advertised like this? If you recall, I raved about this film. The reason I loved it so much was because it found that heart, the element that seems to be ever so elusive in these mean comedies today. Sex Drive is not the 'crudest, rudest' thing around, so why advertise it like that?
Because that's what people want.
And in the words of Seth Rogen in Knocked Up, it makes me sad all day.
If I could roar like a Wookie, I would. This movie made me that happy.
Fanboys, for those of you who aren't in the know, is the long awaited movie from Kyle Newman about a group of friends throwing caution to the galaxy and breaking into the Skywalker Ranch to watch Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace early. With such a premise, this movie could only have one outcome: awesome.
Wallace and Gromit are back, but this time on DVD in a 27 minute short entitled "A Matter of Loaf and Death."
Wonder what that could be about, right?
Well - in it, Wallace and Gromit are starting their new careers as bakers. Every morning they make a ton of bread and deliver it by throwing it like a newspaper boy, and destroying everything in their path. Its a great job, but it is a bad time for bakers, mainly because 12 of them have already been murdered. Now it gets interesting.
I won't tell you anymore though, because that's called a spoiler.
This is surely the darkest episode of the entire Wallace and Gromit series. It was a little uncomfortably dark, and that made it hard to enjoy the whole way through (for me at least). Still, the good ol'e british humor and creative gags are still there (Look at the 'Top Bun' truck pictured above.... Top gun...anyone?), but I could never fully get into it. Also, I was left wondering what happened to all the characters that we saw in 'Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Wererabbit'. I understand that they were not needed in this film, but I would have at least liked to have seen where Lady Tottington was.
Still, check it out. If you are a Wallace and Gromit fan, you will likely get a kick out of it.
Ps.
Wallace and Gomit will hit theaters again next year with another feature film! Get excited.
Do you remember how much silly fun you had watching the last Brendan Fraser movie? Which one was it? Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D? The Mummy 1, 2, or 3? Or was it George of the Jungle or Dudley DoRight? Brendan Fraser has always seemed comfortable doing cartoonish caracter in cartoonish movies. Sure he has done more serious roles, such as the pool boy in the James Whale biopic Gods and Monsters, but when you think of the next Brendan Fraser movie that is not what you think. Inkheart is a movie that in concept would have worked as the next Brendan Fraser adventure. It is a shame that it is only in concept because it does not even work on paper since is writing is one of the worst I have seen on adventure movies since the new Hulk movie.
This movie easily places in my top 5 favorite Adam Sandler movies. Adam plays a nicer (less jerky of a guy than usual) guy, the rating helps keep the cursing down from more recent comedies, and the plot - though very predictable - is super delightful.
Basically Sandler is a guy named Skeeter who has lived in a hotel his whole life with his dad and sister. The hotel gets bought by a rich mogul and Skeeter is promised a position of power in the hotel one day. Unfortunately, he serves his entire life as the janitor of the hotel. The hotel changes hands to new management and this is when the story truly begins. Skeeter is places in charge of telling stories to his niece and nephew. He tells stories, and whatever the kids contribute to the story happens for real to Skeeter in the following day. So he gets his chance to become the new hotel manager, and uses the new storytime opportunity to weasel life enhancing story arcs from the little kids so his life can be better.
Everyone in the movie is great. Guy Pierce makes a great, more-or-less believable villain (teamed with Lucy Lawless), and Keri Russell is a good foil for a love interest. The story is cute and the bedtime stories that Sandler tells are full of good ol'e clean yet Sandler-esque humor. Russell Brand was a great surprise in the film (He's not in even one trailer), he's basically Skeeters friend that sleeps over and watches the kids every night, providing a very wavy opinion at every choice made in the story, in a hilarious way.
The film does a great job of lampooning the degree that schools and parents watch over what their kids eat nowadays, with Rice Crackers and Wheat Germ being all the kids have, and when it comes down to it, when the kids in the movie eat sugar, nothing bad happens, showing that sometimes people just need to lighten up and have a good time once in a while, knowing that little harm is going to come of a light unhealthy experience.
The only thing I did not like about the movie was the inclusion of an obnoxious CGI Guinea Pig named Bugsy (Cause he has HUGE eyes). He is there for a constantly absurd call back gag, and I have no idea why the kids insist on taking him everywhere they go. Other than that, the movie is well worth the trip to go see.
It says a lot for Vince Vaughn that he still made me laugh during the otherwise mind-numbing Four Christmases.
Yes children, this movie is perfectly stupid. But it is also the kind of stupid you expect - and I don't know whether that makes me happy or sad. It's already a dumb idea. Visiting four families on Christmas is not something that should be the plot of a movie. It's something that should be one comical act of a movie, amounting to something more. Thing is, this doesn't amount to anything more.
Before I jump into a delightfully short, yet detailed review, let me tell you - I did not see Madagascar. It didn't appeal to me back when it came out in the days before this blog's existence, and even now I probably won't go back and see it. But - I absolutely loved Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Spoilers May Occur - But Not Major Ones Written by Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder) and directed by Eric Darnell (Madagascar) and Tom McGrath (Madagascar), this film tells the story of Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller) growing up with his dad, Zuba (Bernie Mac). One day, Zuba turns his back and Alex is captured by poachers and sent to the New York Zoo. Then (the first movie) along with some of his friends, Alex left the zoo, went to Madagascar. Now, accidentally ending up in Africa, they need to figure out how to get back to New York as well as deal with family and personal issues along the way.
The visuals are great and stylized in a very delightful, and not distracting way, and the voice acting is pretty excellent. While the cast includes Chris Rock, Alec Baldwin, Ben Stiller, Jada-Pinkett Smith, and David Schwimmer, my favorite character in the film was Bernie Mac, who channeled a king as powerful as Mufasa was but with a heart that might seem even bigger. I was tremendously sad after watching the film when I came to the realization that that character will likely not be in the next installment.
This isn't a Lion King rip-off. Face it, it's pretty hard to make a movie about a pride of lions in Africa and escape similarities entirely. But DreamWorks pulls it off nicely.
The score is written by Hans Zimmer (surprise) and includes a few songs by will.i.am, who also voices the character of Moto Moto in the film. This brings me to another point. DreamWorks seems to have gotten over their ideas that an animated character needs to look like its real life counterpart. Bernie Mac doesn't sound like Bernie Mac, and will.i.am does not sound like you're watching an animated will.i.am. I have always liked the idea of actors creating voices for their characters, because it adds a lot to the film and makes each character even more authentic.
I loved the fact that you did not have to have prior knowledge of the first film to see this one. They explain the previous plot nicely in about 2 minutes and you are instantly caught up to where you should be, as any good sequel should do. All the characters are great, as is their development, and the visual gags are hilarious and simply amazing - especially since there are hardly any pop culture references (finally).
What I didn't like was the heavy inclusion of the old woman from the first movie. I thought that she was a terribly annoying and frustrating character. But every vine of gapes has a few bad ones on it, and it doesn't stop you from eating the rest of them with joy.
Remember when DreamWorks made great movies like The Prince of Egypt and Road to El Dorado? Well, Kung Fu Panda showed it and now Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa has confirmed it. Dreamworks is back on the great filmmaking track, and I have nothing but the highest hopes for their next film, Monsters vs. Aliens.
If you are reading this, you probably have heard of David Wain, and if you haven't... well... you have now. David Wain is an actor/writer/director behind such films and shows as Stella, Wainy Days, Wet Hot American Summer, The Ten, The State and now Role Models (Opening Friday).
I got the chance to interview Mr. Wain regarding Role Models and some other ventures, so without further ado... here it is!
MW: Where did the idea for Role Models come from? Were you ever in a similar situation to Danny and Wheeler?
DW: The main thing I relate to from Danny & Wheeler's situation is being suddenly forced, perhaps later in life than most others, to take an interest in a child's welfare over my own. For me it was because I had my first child this year. Role Models had been in development for years before I got involved, so I can't take credit for the idea!
MW: How much of the film's dialogue is improvised? Who were some of the actors that were consistently surprising?
DW: I'd say in the final cut, about 15-20% was improvised. The amount varied widely depending on the scene and the combination of actors and most of all on how good the script was! For example we were never quite happy with our script for a big dinner table scene between Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Ken Marino and Paul Rudd, so we wrote up a few bullet points on a piece of paper and entirely improvised. All the actors were funny and surprising in different ways throughout. One memorable example was Joe Lo Truglio, whose character "Kuzzik" was barely written on the page, but he kept throwing in the funniest things and we just kept rolling.
MW: As a screenwriter you have worked with Ken Marino in the past. What was it like also working with Timothy Dowling and Paul Rudd on the screenplay?
DW: Paul Rudd I'd worked with creatively on The Ten, where he was one of the producers, and to a lesser extent on everything else we've done together (Diggers, Stella, Wet Hot, etc), so it was an easy transition to be also writing with him, for both me and Ken. We didn't actually work on the film at the same time as Timothy Dowling. He did many drafts of the script, and created the broad storyline of the film, but was no longer involved when I came on board.
MW: How drastically did the film change from the 1st draft of the script to the version of that we see on screen?
DW: Well the very first draft of the script (then titled "Big Brother") was a drama (not a comedy) about a man named Tom and a boy named Lewis. Aside from the existence of a mentoring program, I don't think anything from that draft is in the final movie - BUT full disclosure, I never read that first draft.
MW: Since you have worked with Paul Rudd in the past, was the part of Danny written for him or did you hold auditions?
DW: Paul and Seann were both on board long before me. But I know that Paul re-conceived his character from scratch in his initial draft, and then the three of us (Rudd/Wain/Marino) developed and further fleshed out the Danny character in our subsequent passes.
MW: What was it like working with Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Bobb'e J. Thompson who play the two kids in the film? How is it different working with young actors than older ones?
DW: Well the two of them are very different from each other. Chris was 18 years old at the time, out of high school, so not really a kid at all. Even though it was only his second movie, he was very professional, funny and great. Bobb'e is a unique comedic actor - regardless of his age. He's also been in so many things that he was very comfortable on our set and my job was kind of to watch him go! Sometimes I would forget, however, that he's also an eleven-year-old kid, and kids sometimes need more attention to swings in energy, mood, etc.
MW: I noticed you have a cameo role in the background as another role model. How did you decide to cameo in that role?
DW: Basically I just wanted to be in the movie, but I didn't want to give myself too big a part so I could mainly concentrate on writing & directing.
MW: What films and other media inspired you to become a writer/actor/director?
DW: I listened incessantly to Steve Martin as a kid. And I watched his specials and SNL appearances over and over. Also all the Woody Allen movies. Those were the biggies for me as a kid. Then in college I was really inspired by Robert Altman & Spike Lee.
MW: Are there any projects coming in the future from you that you can comment on?
DW: I do the main voice on Superjail every Sunday night on Adult Swim; going on tour with STELLA comedy troupe starting November 30th; producing a web show called Children's Hospital coming in December; working on a TV version of my web series Wainy Days - all the latest on that stuff is at davidwain.com. Then I'm working on scripts for the next movie but don't know yet when or what that will turn out to be.
MW: If you were ever to pick another genre of film to work with, what would it be?
DW: I'd like to make a dark(ish) relationship drama along the lines of Husbands and Wives or Sex, Lies & Videotape.
MW: Do you have any words of advice to share with young filmmakers who may want to pursue a career similar to yours?
DW: There's certainly no one route to getting started in this business. But I'd repeat some advice I heard Woody Allen give, paraphrasing - work your ass off, and stay true to your voice, and don't focus on the money. If you do the work, you have any talent, and you keep your eyes on the prize, the money will come sooner or later.
Go see Role Models tomorrow in theaters everywhere! Read our review for Role Models HERE!
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