Sep 25 2009 First Look at Nerd-Style Pegg and Frost in 'Paul'

That Paul movie--the one directed by Adventureland's Greg Mottola that stars longtime collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as sci-fi fanboys who befriend an alien they find near Area 51. You were looking forward to that picture, right? Well, here's the first look at them (along with Blythe Danner and Kristen Wiig) in their geek regalia.

Pretty accurate sci-fi geek uniforms, I'd say--especially if that's a lightsaber strapped to the back of Frost--but without the presence of a greasy ponytail slapping against at least one of their lumbar regions, I can't give them an 'A'.

Aug 26 2009 New 'Bored to Death' Trailer: Jason Schwartzman, P.I.

Boasting an impressive cast of actors of the comedy genre, HBO's Bored to Death begins airing next month, so the network has released another trailer to promote the September 20 premiere. The series stars Jason Schwartzman as a private investigator, with supporting parts from the always-funny Zach Galifianakis and Ted Danson, who may have finally redeemed himself after Becker. His Curb Your Enthusiasm run nearly did it, but I still harbored resentment from the NBC miniseries Gulliver's Travels. This could be it:

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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 16 2009 'Whip It' Trailer: Coming-of-Age by Way of Roller Derby

Former extra-terrestrial savior, fire starter, Scream victim and Charlie Angel Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, Whip It, has got a trailer. Watch it loud so your mom knows that, like Ellen Page, you'd rather be knocking girls over in roller skates than competing in beauty pageants. Or, if you're satisfied with the beauty pageant life, don't even bother with this movie; just keep on looking great.

Here's your trailer, grrls:

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Jul 9 2009 First Look at 'Whip It': Ladies in Skates

USA Today has posted the first look at Whip It, Drew Barrymore's Devo-titled directorial debut that stars Ellen Page as a rebellion teenage who enters the roller derby circuit.

I would say this film stands a good chance of bringing attention back to the sport, but I think roller derbies already started regaining popularity a few years ago, so maybe this will arbitrarily re-popularize a different fad sport. Yo-yo competitions? Groups of people shoving themselves into phone booths? Skip-It? Probably Skip-It.

Jun 18 2009 'Bored to Death' Trailer: The Next HBO Series You'll Try to Eventually Watch

Hey, everyone, the Jonathan Ames-written, high-concept HBO series that stars Jason Schwartzman as an alcoholic writer operating illegally as a would-be detective is coming out this September, and the network has released a trailer to remind us how Zach Galifianakis, Parker Posey, Ted Danson, and Kristen Wiig are also involved.

With a cast like that, we have to give it a chance. By law. Even if it does give off a strange, unexplainable aura of being from the mid-'90s:

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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 14 2009 Wahlberg, Franco, Others Plan for 'Date Night'

Looking to out-starstud his previous star-studded, night-themed efforts, Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy has added several more notable names to his upcoming comedy, Date Night:

Wahlberg and Franco have signed on for supporting roles in the Shawn Levy-helmed comedy for 20th Century Fox. Leighton Meester, Common, Taraji P. Henson and Kristen Wiig have also boarded the project.

Penned by Josh Klausner, comedy revolves around a married couple who find themselves in harm's way after their routine date night goes horribly awry.

Wahlberg plays a successful and crazily buff securities expert who flirts with Fey's character. Franco portrays a not-too-bright conman and petty criminal. Meester is onboard as the couple's babysitter. Henson plays the one good cop who believes the couple is in danger, and Common portrays a villain. Wiig, who worked with Fey on "Saturday Night Live," rounds out the cast as the actress' best friend.

I just hope I'll be able to believe Mark Wahlberg as a muscly security guy after seeing him so convincingly portray a science teacher in The Happening. It can get so hard to reconcile all the varied, often implausible hats worn by Wahlberg.

Wahlberg, Franco join 'Date Night' [Variety]

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]

Mar 3 2008 'Meet Bill' Trailer: Like 'American Beauty', but Feel-Goodier

Imagine if American Beauty had been written and directed with the sensibilities of a romantic comedy. It probably would have turned out something like Meet Bill, a film that strips the darkly comic elements from the loser-doormat-of-a-husband redemption story and replaces them with slapstick and poignant feel-good moments (the precocious protégé adjusts a banner of Bill's head, proclaiming, "I'm fixing your head. Get it?). But despite its saccharine flavor, Bill actually looks pretty enjoyable, helped by its charming lead (Aaron Eckhart) and a supporting cast that includes Jason Sudeikis, Kristen Wiig, Elizabeth Banks, and, unfortunately, Jessica Alba, who continues to convince me she's just a sexy mannequin. Next time the script calls for "hot girl", could they try to find someone whose face isn't a permanent plastic grin?

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