Feb 25 2010 'Zoolander 2' Strutting Our Way
Get ready for another hour-and-a-half of Ben Stiller giving puckered stares at the camera. Deadline Hollwood reports, only a decade later, a sequel to Zoolander is on the way. Justin Theroux, the Charlie's Angels 2 villain quickly becoming better known for writing Tropic Thunder and Iron Man 2, has been hired to write and direct.
As for the villain, Will Ferrell will apparently be replaced by Jonah Hill, who is already in talks for the part--appropriate, considering Hill (and Seth Rogen) is the new Will Ferrell of "God, I'm so sick of seeing this guy in every comedy" comments. Owen Wilson remains uncommitted.
I'm not sure how much I'm into the prospect of another Zoolander, but I am excited that further popularizing the character could shave off some of Austin Powers' and Borat's Halloween costume sales. Someone needs to break up that monopoly of shitty, quickly-outdated costumes with equally shitty, quickly-outdated impressions.
Feb 24 2010 Finally, a Movie I Can Get Behind
Director David Gordon Green (George Washington, Pineapple Express) doing an Adventures in Babysitting-like film with Jonah Hill? Yeah, this sounds alright:
["The Sitter"] will harken to 1987's "Adventures in Babysitting." It follows a college student, suspended for the semester and living at home with his single mom, who has a night to remember when he gets talked into baby-sitting the eccentric kids next door: two boys and a wild 8-year-old girl.
You hear that, naysayers? My prediction that Jonah Hill would eventually become the new Elisabeth Shue is finally coming true.
Feb 12 2010 Your 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' Spinoff Is Here: 'Get Him to the Greek' Trailer
Ut oh, Russell Brand's Forgetting Sarah Marshall rocker character is back! And Jonah Hill only 72 hours to get him from London to LA for a concert or else P. Diddy is going to be so angry! Ut oh! It's like Almost Famous, but with a human on deadline instead of a story! Ut oh!
Jan 22 2010 'Cyrus' Trailer: The John C. Reilly/Jonah Hill Rivalry You Didn't Realize You Needed
If Noah Baumbach made a Man of the House/Dutch-style son-fucking-with-mom's-new-boyfriend dark comedy starring John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill, this would be it. Not that Noah Baumbach made this--the guys who did The Puffy Chair did--but still, that's what this is. And it sort of looks just as good as that concept sounds:
Nov 2 2009 'How To Train Your Dragon' Trailer: 'ET'/'Iron Giant'/etc. Gets Reptilian
You know the story. Boy finds freak; boy befriends freak; men in power see freak as threat and try to capture/kill freak friend; you sit through the credits hoping the darkness will hide your tears. And this time our freak is: the dragon. Because aliens and giant robots filling the role still were never quite nerdy enough.
Continue Reading " 'How To Train Your Dragon' Trailer: 'ET'/'Iron Giant'/etc. Gets Reptilian "
Jul 9 2009 New 'Funny People' Trailer: It's Funny
My computer's MMX processor isn't powerful enough to properly watch it, but hey, there's a new, red-band (cussin'!) trailer for Funny People! From what I could tell through the stuttered audio and slideshow-esque video that I was able to see, this film still looks funny (but not too funny, you know?) and genuine, so try to look past your seemingly-arbitrary resentment of Judd Apatow & Friends and let's all agree this looks pretty good:
Jun 29 2009 Another 'Invention of Lying' Trailer: See Lying's US-tailored Invention
Remember the Invention of Lying trailer on Friday? Good, because I'd hate having to explain the premise again, and there's now a domestic trailer for the comedy.
I particularly like Louis CK's reaction to Gervais's claim that he's an Eskimo. I thought I was the only one to ever express an unnaturally positive reaction to learning they've accidentally befriended an Inuk:
Continue Reading " Another 'Invention of Lying' Trailer: See Lying's US-tailored Invention "
Feb 23 2009 'Funny People' Trailer is Going to Live After All
Is there a second Adam Sandler movie I want to see in my adult life? I think there might be! Funny People may be a formulaic finally-truly-living-after-nearly-dying romantic comedy, but how can you resist Adam Sander, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, and others all acting not-that-hammy in a Judd Apatow film? You can't. Unless you're one of the people who are sick of the overexposure of Judd Apatow and all of his cronies, in which case you'll hate this:
Continue Reading " 'Funny People' Trailer is Going to Live After All "
Dec 19 2008 'Night at the Museum 2' Teaser Uses Museum Definition Loosely
Ben Stiller is back in a museum, and it's night, so I think you all know what that means! (Things coming to life!) And since it's the Smithsonian this time, that means even more notable statues and wax recreations of historical figures are making hilarious living cameos! And since the Lincoln Memorial is also apparently considered a museum, there's also Lincoln! Here's a teaser:
Continue Reading " 'Night at the Museum 2' Teaser Uses Museum Definition Loosely "
Nov 20 2008 'Night at the Museum 2' Looks So Much Crazier Than Days at the Museum
Ben Stiller is still guarding that wacky, magic museum. He'll never learn! It's Night at the Museum 2! USA Today has a series of shots from the film, including Bill Hader as Gen. Custer, Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart, Hank Azaria as Pharaoh Kahmunrah, Christopher Guest as Ivan the Terrible, and Jonah Hill as Fellow Security Guard. Find humor in seeing celebrities as historical figures while you can, because you won't be laughing when it's in a remake of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.
Jun 13 2008 Eric Bana is 'Funny People,' Proves It by Wearing Wigs
Nowadays, we tend to think of Eric Bana as Munich, The Guy From Troy Who Wasn't Brad Pitt, or Oh, Right, The Hulk. But prior to any of those stateside roles, Bana was a comedian, and even had his own sketch show--like Amanda Bynes! Thus, he's been cast alongside other well-known funnies in Judd Apatow's Funny People, a dramedy looking at the world of standup comedy. From Variety:
Eric Bana, Jason Schwartzman and Jonah Hill have joined the ensemble of "Funny People," which will be co-financed by Universal Pictures and Columbia Pictures, with Universal distributing worldwide next summer.Apatow set Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann in the comedy earlier this year.
The filmmaker, who last wrote and directed "Knocked Up," was deliberately vague about subject matter, allowing only that the movie takes place in the world of standup comedy and the focus is on a comedian who has a near-death experience.
Below the cut, see a promo for 1997's silly-wig filled The Eric Bana Show, and learn that, as it turns out, Bana does an alright Columbo.
Continue Reading " Eric Bana is 'Funny People,' Proves It by Wearing Wigs "
May 20 2008 Boy, Things Sure Have Changed: Two Things That Have Changed
1. A few weeks ago, the rumor was that Jonah Hill was in talks for Transformers 2, likely playing LaBeouf's college roommate. Speaking to MTV, Hill has since confirmed the rumor, but says he decided to turn down the chance to co-star with CGI robot cars:
I just think like I have to prove myself more in what I’m doing now, making comedies and stuff before I do the big action movie or something, you know? I’m not proven yet. I’ve only been in one movie that people have seen that I’ve been the lead in so like, um, I could still suck in people’s minds, they don’t know yet!
So the official reason for Jonah Hill turning down Transformers 2 is "fear of sucking in people's minds." I imagine, upon hearing this rationale, Michael Bay had no idea what was being said.
2. Last week, when I said Arcade Fire was scoring Richard Kelly's The Box, I made a slight error: it turns out Arcade Fire is not scoring Richard Kelly's The Box. From lead singer Win Butler's blog:
Hi everyone. Just to let you all know that (internet-based fact checking aside) Arcade Fire is NOT doing the soundtrack to any film. We are all off for the summer, writing songs, reading books and keeping our plants alive. Regine, Owen Pallet and I may do an instrumental piece or two for Richard Kelly’s new movie…we met at a show this year and hit it off, but we are not planning on doing any major work for a while, and this would not constitute a soundtrack or a release.
Oops! I suppose I'll stop work on my "Arcade Sell-Outs!!!" sign.
May 14 2008 '21 Jump Street' Movie Might Not Be the Serious Investigation of Youth Issues of the '80s You Hoped For
Though I don't personally know any, I assume there are 21 Jump Street fans still in existence. They probably have forums where they debate which season has the best public service announcements, when "Jump" jumped the shark (when Johnny Depp left, probably), and share photos of how they've spray-painted the title card on the side of their garage. And they're about to get pretty annoyed that Jonah Hill is in talks to write and possibly star in a film version of the '80s series--one that will likely be a less earnest take on the cops-who-pose-as-high-schoolers genre. I sympathize with you, Jump Fans, but being that I frequently confuse the show's title with St. Elsewhere and don't recall ever watching a full episode, I have to admit I'm sort of more excited about this take than I would be a genuine 21 Jump Street movie. Sorry.
Jonah Hill in negotiations to develop '21 Jump Street' Movie [EW]
Apr 30 2008 Jonah Hill in Talks for 'Transformahs 2'
With their respective giant fighting robots and raunchy, immature humor, I assume without any fact-checking whatsoever that Transformers and Superbad were the teenage boy blockbusters of last year. It seems logical, right? So it only makes sense that the two would eventually merge, creating a teenage boy tractor beam the likes of which has only been seen in Star Trek pedophile fan-fiction. Now, according to Entertainment Weekly, they just might, with Superbad's Jonah Hill in talks to join Transformers 2. What part is he up for? Chubby comic relief sidekick to Shia LaBeouf, of course!
Feb 5 2008 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' Dirty Stuff Trailer
I'm not a Judd-Apatow-as-Possible-Comedy-God believer, but as I've said before, Forgetting Sarah Marshall looks really good, and this R-rated trailer makes it look even better in that special way only athletic intercourse and ass-shots can.
Watch it here, but only away from bosses and the elderly.
Dec 20 2007 More Apatow Funny With 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' Trailer
Dare I say, Judd Apatow has done it again? In the tradition of Knocked Up and Superbad, Apatow and his crew look to have created yet another comedy full of goofy situations and characters that still remain true-to-life enough to stay believable and absolutely relatable. With both Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The Pineapple Express coming in the next year, it's nearly forgivable that he's also involved in the Zohan thing. At least until I'm exposed to it again.
Continue Reading " More Apatow Funny With 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' Trailer "
Dec 18 2007 'Walk Hard' Viral 'Backlash' Video Creates Laughter
Between all the amusing videos about cats doing human things you'll probably watch today, I strongly recommend squeezing in this promo for Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. I doubt you'll find a funnier combination of Paul Rudd, Judd Apatow, Justin Long, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, anti-semitism, self-aware viral marking, Garage Rock Band, and obnoxious techno action music this calendar year. Merry Christmas, guy who made the terrible theme to Mortal Kombat; your long-awaited royalty check is on its way.
Continue Reading " 'Walk Hard' Viral 'Backlash' Video Creates Laughter "
Nov 13 2007 AM Poster Post: 'Strange Wilderness' is Future of Comedy Posters
For the last few years, it has been thought that the only way to effectively communicate that your movie is a comedy is with a white poster and giant, goofy red lettering (like this one). The white emptiness suggests you are in a void where anything could happen (such as hilarity) and the rules of Earth do not apply (granting the ability for one actor may play multiple parts, with fat suits). There is nothing to remind you of the woes of this world, only the comedy ahead, in the white vacuum of laughter.
That's why it's even funnier when we see the wacky red letters! Where did those come from?! That bold type and close kerning just screams comedy, nearly as much as the Comic Sans I always use in my community newsletters. If the scarlet letter from The Scarlet Letter looked anything like this, I bet adultery was hilarious.
But now a new contender is rising: subjects over a disgusting green with a diffused spotlight. First seen in Knocked Up, the solid nothingness of the background takes our mind straight to the comedy abyss, while the spotlight says, "Hey! Look here! Look at these funny faces! Ignore that this appears to be an '80s teen comedy, and has the Mac hipster everyone hates! Be blinded by the harsh light of forced humor!"
Strang Wilderness Poster [Yahoo!]
Aug 9 2007 Superbad Interview Meltdown
It's good to see the Superbad group are following-up all the fake cast freak-out videos made for Knocked Up with another selection of clips leading up to the release. This one features a press junket with Michael Cera and Jonah Hill where a British interviewer's questions send Hill off the handle. (Psst! That interviewer is director Edgar Wright!)
Warning: the language is frequently unsafe for workplaces, small children, most grandmas, Christian extremists, goody-goodies, and anyone else who hates a good F-bomb.
Aug 6 2007 Superbad Penis Drawings Clip
This clip is exactly what the title implies, making it unsafe for workplaces that don't allow penis drawings, but is well worth watching in your private, penis-drawing-friendly time. Prior to viewing I had no idea it was possible to draw penises in so many ways, and believe me, I've tried.