May 29 2009 Danny McBride Typecast as Pathetic Former Athlete
Making a slight transition from playing a down-and-out baseball player-turned-teacher, Eastbound and Down star Danny McBride has signed on to co-write and star in Hench, a comic book adaptation about a down-and-out football player-turned-henchman. Says Variety:
Warner Bros. has acquired "Hench" and will develop the AIT/Planet Lar graphic novel as the template for a comic screen vehicle for Danny McBride, who is set to write the script with Shawn Harwell [aka Ben T. Best].McBride will play a football player who suffers a career-ending injury and needs a job. He signs on as henchman to a successful villain.
Original Films' Neal Moritz will produce with Jason Netter's Kickstart Prods. and McBride. Ken Levin and Ori Marmur will be exec producers.
The graphic novel was created by Adam Beechen and Mario Bello.
Anyone who's seen The Foot-Fist Way and Eastbound and Down should have no difficulty imagining exactly what this movie will be. It's like when Taco Bell adds something new to the menu: it's not like there are really many new ingredients, just a new presentation of the old ones. You know what you're getting. Mullets and dreams of athletic grandeur are McBride and Harwell's sour cream and pet food-grade beef. In a good way, though. I'm confident Hench will leave me satisfied rather than doubled over with regret.
Apr 9 2009 Kenny Powers is Back
How much farther can an oblivious former baseball pitcher fall? Time to find out, because HBO has ordered another season of the outstanding series Eastbound and Down. If you've been following the downward trajectory of Kenny Powers, you already know what great news another three hours of Kenny Powers is. If you haven't, then it's time for you to climb aboard the painful comedy jet ski and catch up. You'll love it.
Feb 9 2009 'Observe and Report' Trailer, MF'ers
Thanks to Andrew for sending in this red-band trailer for the Seth Rogen-as-a-security-guard dark comedy Observe and Report. It looks really good. Paul Blart coming out before this is like if Taxi Driver was released a few months after Queen Latifah's Taxi.
I especially like the inclusion of a apologizing-during-sex scene. Finally, someone making movie sex real.
Feb 6 2009 'Land of the Lost' Trailer Helped Jared Lose Weight
Subway Freshbuzz, the only website that merges affordable foot-long sandwiches and entertainment, has posted a new Land of the Lost trailer. In this version, Will Ferrell says Matt Lauer can "suck it" instead of "eat it", because Subway Freshbuzz is always pushing the boundaries of good taste, just as Subway itself is always pushing the boundaries of tasting good. Oh, sorry, I was getting hypnotized by the Jared's 10th anniversary "Pants Dance" flash game. Anyway, here's the trailer, embedded from YouTube so you won't consider opening starting a Subway franchise:
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Feb 2 2009 'Land of the Lost' Super Bowl Spot
All within 30 seconds, see Will Ferrell sunbathe with a giant crab, attempt to handshake Matt Lauer, get covered in spiders, and stay motionless at the threat of a Tyrannosaurus Rex with little effect. Is it possible Dr. Sam Neill's advice was wrong?
Dec 22 2008 Will Ferrell Flees from Dinosaur (Artist's Rendering) in 'Land of the Lost' Poster
I don't want this to sound like I'm being disparaging towards dinosaur paintings--I am anything but negative towards dinosaur paintings, having once purchased a Sega Genesis game solely because of its dinosaur painting cover--but I'm not sure a photograph of real people fleeing from what is obviously a dinosaur painting works as a movie poster. Call me old fashioned on the subject of marrying paint and flesh. Either paint the Will Ferrell too or step up the CGI on the dinosaur.
And on the subject of that Dinosaurs for Hire game that was formerly a short-lived comic about 20th century dinosaur mercenaries: you missed an obvious one, Hollywood.
(Thanks, Zyclonis.)
'Land of the Lost' Poster Premiere! [Cinematical]
Nov 13 2008 Popular Actor/Comedians Providing Voices to CGI Family Comedy
Sorry, trained voice actors, an all-celebrity roster led by Steve Carell is once again dominating the cast of a new animated film called Despicable Me:
Illumination Entertainment topper Chris Meledandri has kicked off his Universal Pictures-based family film unit with "Despicable Me," a 3-D CG-animated film that has Steve Carell voicing the title character.Jason Segel, Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Russell Brand, Jemaine Clement ("Flight of the Conchords"), Jack McBrayer ("30 Rock") and Julie Andrews are providing the other lead voices. The film will be released in 2010.
Carell's title character is a deplorable man known as Groo who masterminds the mother of all heists when he plots to steal the moon. Egged on by an evil mother (Andrews), Groo finds one obstacle in his way: a trio of orphan girls who temporarily come under his care and won't leave.
I'm normally pretty skeptical about any computer-animated family comedy that isn't a Pixar, but I'll give this a pass for now because:
- This is a really good cast of mostly genuinely funny people, not Angelina Jolies.
- It isn't a sequel.
- I like the plan of stealing the moon. It's like Chairface Chippendale's plan to carve his name in the moon, but even more grandiose. How do you steal the moon? I'm willing to find out for now.
But so help me, first mention of anything equivalent to liking to "move it" and I'm done.
Steve Carell to voice 'Despicable' [Variety]
Jul 23 2008 'Pineapple Express' Still Looks Good (with Clips as Proof)
IESB has posted six (6!) new clips from Pineapple Express that have assured me more than ever that this movie will be really good, and that I won't have built it up to myself and everyone else only to be horribly disappointed. Right? Watch them and tell me I'm right.
Apr 3 2008 'Pineapple Express' Poster References Criminal Act
How many ways can the Pineapple Express poster find to work in not-so-subtle references to marijuana? I count five.
1. The title, which the trailer explains is a type of the marijuana drug.
2. The "Put this in your pipe and smoke it" tagline. Because the marijuana drug is smoked, sometimes in a pipe.
3. Actual, physical smoke surrounding the characters, as is produced by the marijuana drug.
4. James Franco's look of jovial euphoria, as may be caused by the marijuana drug.
5. The second tagline, "From the guys who brought you Superbad." Because any time the term "from the guys who brought you..." is used, the only logical response to the instant rage it creates is to either escape through drug use or destroy something beautiful.
Pineapple Poster! [JoBlo]
Mar 5 2008 'The Foot Fist Way' Trailer
Imagine a droll Will Ferrell sports comedy: the typical screaming, shirtless antics subdued enough to allow humor through its thick filter of curly afro. Imagine no longer! The Foot Fist Way, starring emerging comedy star Danny McBride, may have done it. Trailer-style evidence under the cut.
Note: It's R-rated, so no watching around bosses or babies.
