Aug 20 2009 'Extract' Still Being Marketed as a Straight-to-Video National Lampoon's Movie

A new Extract one-sheet has been released and, just as with the previous poster, for some reason the poster-makers have decided to visually assert that the seemingly funny Mike Judge comedy is, in actuality, a straight-to-video National Lampoon's movie. It's like they intentionally left Ben Affleck's photo off the poster so that we wouldn't think the cast was too impressive for a film whose biggest draw is apparently that Mila Kunis looks generally attractive.

IMPA notes that this is Extract's final poster, so I guess we'll never get the obvious next step: Jason Bateman grinning at us between the legs of a bikini-clad woman, just above the tagline, "She'll suck it ALL out."

Jul 1 2009 'Couples Retreat' Trailer: Marriage! You Know What I'm Sayin'?

I can still remember my friend, the one with the "Vegas, Baby, Vegas!" poster positioned proudly above his bed, rushing into my dorm room some time in 2001 to announce the existence of Jon Favreau's Made: "Dude, it's like Swingers, but with gangster shit!" Though the film would later prove itself less mind-blowing that I'd hoped, the idea of any sort of Swingers continuation was pretty great at that point in my life. It wasn't a Star Wars prequel, but it was something.

So today, let me be your college friend announcing the next somewhat disappointing pseudo-sequel to Swingers, Couples Retreat: Dudes, it's like Swingers! Except now they're middle-aged and in depressing, loveless marriages filled with countless infidelities! And they're friends with Jason Bateman:

Continue Reading " 'Couples Retreat' Trailer: Marriage! You Know What I'm Sayin'? "

May 27 2009 'Paul' Puts Together Comedy Supergroup

The Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz teaming of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in a sci-fi buddy comedy directed by Superbad/Adventureland director Greg Mottola. That's the line-up for Paul, and that's already a pretty promising movie. I'll pack up the family and see that one. But that deal just got a little sweeter, friends. Variety is reporting Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman, Jane Lynch (the tall, short-haired blonde mole from Arrested Development and other funny things) and half the Adventureland cast have been added as well:

Universal and Working Title Films have added Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader and Jane Lynch to the cast of "Paul."

Pegg and Frost, who wrote the script, will play two science-fiction fanatics on a road trip whose conspiracy dreams come true when they trek to Area 51 and encounter the title character, an escaped alien.

Rogen will provide the voice of the alien.

This thing is really shaping up to become what we "in the business" call "a movie with funny, talented screenwriters, a proven director, and a strong, genre-appropriate cast." Let's all see it opening weekend in select cities.

Apr 9 2009 'Extract' is the 'Office Space' for Flower Extract Plant Owners

Office Space's Mike Judge has a new comedy coming out, and unlikely his largely-overlooked last film, Idiocracy, this one's getting a theatrical release! The Juno duo of Jason Bateman and J.K. Simmons have re-teamed, and they're now joined by a scraggly-haired Ben Affleck, SNL's Kristen Wiig, and Mila Kunis as "babe Jason Bateman's sexually frustrated protagonist really wants to sleep with." With a team like that, how could it not be pretty good? Have a teaser trailer:

Continue Reading " 'Extract' is the 'Office Space' for Flower Extract Plant Owners "

Mar 19 2009 'Sit Down, Shut Up' Promo: Bateman v. Arnett

Sit Down, Shut Up! I forgot all about the upcoming animated series that will reunite Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz with Jason Bateman and Will Arnett until this promo reminded me we're getting that. We've won. In the video, Bateman and Arnett manage to take the rarely-funny fake feud concept and make it actually funny by including the word "breasty." We won again. And knowing Fox, this will be the closest the series comes to having a second season:

Continue Reading " 'Sit Down, Shut Up' Promo: Bateman v. Arnett "

Mar 11 2009 Jeff Goldblum is Watching You Exchange That Sperm with Your Own

Jeff Goldblum, most commonly associated with the bodily function of pooping, is about to shake things up a bit and co-star in the semen-switching comedy The Baster:

Jeff Goldblum has joined the cast of "The Baster," Mandate's romantic comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman.

Directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon, the story follows a man (Bateman) whose female best friend (Aniston) plans to become pregnant with artificial insemination, but he replaces the preferred sample with his own. Seven years later, she returns to New York with her son, and he is forced to live with the secret that he is the child's real father.

Goldblum will get to exercise his comedy chops by playing Bateman's business partner and confidant, whose idea of working out is walking slowly on the treadmill while eating a candy bar.

What great characterization! "This guy is really bad at working out. Really lackadaisical, plus defeating the purpose by simultaneously consuming empty calories." And maybe I'm wrong, but shouldn't someone fitting that description be overweight, or at least not noticeably lean and fit? As much as I like Jeff Goldblum, I fear they've miscast the "horrible exerciser" character.

Jeff Goldblum heats up 'Baster' film [THR]

Feb 6 2009 Aniston Secretly Filled with Bateman-Sperm! Whoops, Comedy!

Mandate Pictures--realizing they have nothing to compete against CBS Films' monopoly on "fertility-themed comedy"--have signed Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman to star in The Baster, a classic sperm mix-up story:

Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman have signed on to star in the fertility-themed comedy "The Baster" for Mandate Pictures.

Will Speck and Josh Gordon, who previously teamed for the comedy "Blades of Glory," will helm "The Baster" from a screenplay by Allan Loeb ("21"). Film is based on Jeffrey Eugenides' short story "Baster," which was first published in The New Yorker.

"The Baster" centers on a neurotic and insecure man (Bateman) who finds out his best friend (Aniston) wants to have a child through artificial insemination. He surreptitiously replaces her donor's semen with his own and is then forced to live with the secret that he is the child's real father.

Wouldn't she realize the semen was switched once her child reaches his teenage years and starts turning in a wolfman? Teen Wolf Too, y'see. Reference.

Now it's New York Comic Con time for me, dudes. Reports forthcoming!

Aniston, Bateman to star in 'Baster' [Variety]

Aug 21 2008 B. Affleck Joins Bateman in the 'Extract' Movie

That guy from Armageddon is going to be in Mike Judge's latest film, Extract. From the cyber version of the Variety periodical:

[Ben Affleck] is in negotiations to play the best buddy of Jason Batemen's character, a flower extract factory owner dealing with workplace problems and a streak of bad luck, including his wife's affair with a gigolo.

Clifton Collins Jr. is also joining the cast as a factory worker who loses a body part in a freak accident and is now due for a huge settlement. Mila Kunis and Kristen Wiig have already boarded the project, which begins lensing Monday in Los Angeles.

What's a flower extract factory, you ask? Let me explain. It's essentially a sort of workshop where the essence of a flower is, in a sense, "plunged" out. I'm trying to think of some way to help you visualize this. Oh, I've got it:

Continue Reading " B. Affleck Joins Bateman in the 'Extract' Movie "

Jun 3 2008 'Hancock' is Poignant, Particularly on 'Ellen'

Hancock may be getting billed as an action-comedy about a drunk, homeless superhero, but it also has a dramatic, poignant side. So when Will Smith visited Ellen last week, he brought a dinner scene clip sure to make those dance-happy ladies in the audience personally hand him an Oscar--if they could see him through their tears! In it, Hancock explains that he's an amnesiac, how he got his name (a Which Founding Father Are You? Facebook quiz), and that he stopped aging 80 years ago, at precisely the current age of Will Smith. The previously-reserved-for-homemakers clip is under the cut.

Continue Reading " 'Hancock' is Poignant, Particularly on 'Ellen' "

May 13 2008 Gervais's 'This Side of the Truth' Production Blog Still Entertaining

Ricky Gervais's This Side of the Truth production blog has quickly become the standard by which I'm judging all other production blogs (besides Aaron's uniquely retarded Street Fighter blog, of course). Focusing on his mock disrespect and Nerf gun assaults of his co-stars, Gervais has found a formula that is far more entertaining than the usual fare of storyboards and interviews with the costume department. In his latest video entry, he attacks Jason Bateman's bare ass with foam darts, then proceeds to remind us the Arrested Development actor is, first and foremost, Teen Wolf Too. If the finished film is anywhere near as entertaining, we're in for a treat.

'This Side of the Truth' Blog [Official Site]

May 2 2008 New 'Hancock' Trailer, Hancock

One of the largest oversights in comic book history is that, despite writers and artists creating some of the most memorable, enduring characters in pop culture, no one ever bothered making a superhero whose power was acting exactly like Will Smith. We can hardly blame them. Who could have anticipated the success of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, or the limitless potential of its young star? But sadly, it has meant that Will Smith has never been granted the opportunity to act in a blockbuster superhero movie, and get all sassy up in it. Writer Vincent Ngo and director Peter Berg have corrected the blunder with Hancock, in which Smith plays a down-and-out superhero with the powers of flight, super-strength, super-invulnerability, and super-acting-like-Will Smith. He may also have the power to make people say his name a ridiculous number of times, if this new trailer is any indication.

Apr 15 2008 'Arrested Development' Reunion! ...in a Sense

Limbs, parental love, that thing you cherished that you let go to see if it was always yours or if it was never meant to be: when some things go, no matter how beautiful, they're gone for good, and you have to accept that. And while it's looking more and more like our beloved Arrested Development is going to belong to this tragic category, all hope for a television reunion is not lost. Sort of. According to The Hollywood Reporter, AD creator Mitch Hurtwitz has brought his former colleagues Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Henry Winkler on to the voice cast of his new animated comedy Sit Down, Shut Up. Also, some other decent people:

"Sit Down," from Tantamount, Sony and Granada, centers on staff members at a high school who are preoccupied with their own needs and agendas, which means the students come second. Fox greenlighted a table read of "Sit Down," based on the live-action Australian series, last month.

Also joining the voice cast are Cheri Oteri, Will Forte, Regina King, Nick Kroll, Tom Kenny and Maria Bamford.

So even if we never get that Arrested Development movie, at least we can take some solace in this, a show we'll probably enjoy but also complain about being worse than its predecessor (see case of The Office v. Extras).

'Arrested Development' reunion in Fox pilot [Hollywood Reporter]

Mar 28 2008 News from the Bluth Household!

Sorry, no, it's not the Arrested Development movie you hoped for. But the two do have new, equally inauspicious projects coming up! Bateman will direct the pilot of Fox's The Inn, being described as "Upstairs/Downstairs set at a hip New York hotel"; Arnett has joined Dax Shepard, Jon Heder, Kristen Bell, et al in the cast of When in Rome, a high-concept comedy about magical coins(!) written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson (Ghost Rider, Daredevil, Simon Birch). It's times like these that we need a Bluth reunion more than ever.

Mar 24 2008 Teen Wolf Too Joins 'This Side of the Truth'

After adding the esteemed likes of John Hodgman, Tina Fey, Jeffrey Tambor, and Christopher Guest to This Side of the Truth, how could Ricky Gervais make his cast any more comically desirable? How about another Arrested Development alumnus--say, a Bateman? Yes, that does it.

This is sizing up to be either one of the greatest successes in comedy history or a disappointment comparable to when the 2004 U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Team, composed of NBA pros like Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson, only managed to capture a bronze medal after a devastating loss from the Argentinean Team. I think we're all still reeling from that one.

'This Side of the Truth' Casting Update [RickyGervais.com]

Feb 4 2008 'Arrested Development' Movie Becoming More Likely

It's been talked about before, but now Jason Bateman and Jeffrey Tambor have both confirmed that contact has been made regarding a much-desired Arrested Development feature. Quoth the Bateman:

I can confirm that a round of sniffing has started. Any talk is targeting a poststrike situation, of course. I think, as always, that it's a question of whether the people with the money are willing to give our leader, Mitch Hurwitz, what he deserves for his participation. And I can speak for the cast when I say our fingers are crossed.

This made my day. Not only is it a possible revival of one of television's best comedies, it's one more television-to-film adaptation that won't be beaten senseless and covered in "white face" by the Wayans Brothers. We've reached the sad point where that alone deserves some applause.

Jason Bateman Confirms Arrested Development Movie Talks [E!]

Dec 17 2007 'Hancock' Teaser Trailer Sure To Depress Hopeful Homeless Population

I'm a fan of mocking and exploiting the homeless for personal amusement as much as the next insensitive, non-homeless person, but with Hancock, Will Smith may have pushed it too far. As funny as the idea of a homeless guy with superpowers may be, if a homeless guy were to see it on-screen (like with his face pressed against your living room window, watching it on your TV), it would surely break what little spirit remains in his hollow, filthy cavern of a soul. I mean, he probably gave up on the idea of getting a job, or even winning the lottery, long ago. Just one insane, utterly implausible hope remains: "maybe I'll get superpowers, and fly out of homelessness." The thought probably never occurred to him that he could be both superpowered and homeless. Nice job, Will.

And, let's be honest, you know if you gave a bum superpowers he'd just waste them on drugs and alcohol.

Continue Reading " 'Hancock' Teaser Trailer Sure To Depress Hopeful Homeless Population "

Dec 7 2007 Bateman Provides Glimmer of Hope to 'Arrested Development' Fans

Let this interview clip be both the highlight and low point of your day. In it, Jason Bateman claims the possibility of an Arrested Development movie is not dead, but then goes on to say that creator Mitchell Hurtwitz doesn't actually have plans for it; Bateman and the other actors are just trying to talk him into it. It's equivalent to telling me, "That hot girl really likes you, and she'll go home with you as soon as she stops being a lesbian."

Still, though, let me know if any good-looking lesbians are into me. At least it's something.

See the brief interview under the cut.

Continue Reading " Bateman Provides Glimmer of Hope to 'Arrested Development' Fans "

Nov 30 2007 'Juno' International Trailer Still Overwhelmingly Clever

With all the hugely-positive reviews, movie of the year mentions, and comparisons to indie-smash Little Miss Sunshine (presupposing that Little Miss Sunshine is God), it's practically sacrilege not to dump praise over Juno like it just won a football game.

Isn't anyone else sort of put off by how uber-witty and pop-culture driven most of the dialogue is, and how it's delivered so unbelievably dryly? This international trailer did nothing to curb my fears that it's basically a well-shot Friends episode, where everyone has clever reactions to every possible situation, yet everyone seems unaffected by the constant barrage of witticisms.

Then again, it was great pretty much every time Jason Bateman or Michael Cera were onscreen, so maybe I'll withhold some judgement until I see it, or at least until I'm inundated with people quoting lines.

Juno International Trailer [/Film]

Jun 29 2007 Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Trailer

243-year-old magic toymaker Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) decides to retire, putting his hot, boy-haircut-sporting associate (Natalie Portman) in charge. Unfortunately, he also employs a stodgy accountant (Jason Bateman), who fulfills accountant stereotypes by denying the existence of magic and fun. There must be a larger conflict somewhere, but I didn't notice it.

If Rip Taylor ever gets wind of Hoffman's performance, he's going to be seriously pissed he didn't get the part.

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