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Scenes We Love: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Filed under: Comedy, Romance, Scene Stealers, Scenes We Love
In an attempt to spotlight a scene related to post-Thanksgiving leftovers, I'd like to share a favorite little moment from Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. No, the teen rom-com doesn't directly connect to the holiday in any way, but there is this scene starring a turkey sandwich. And my brain and stomach being the odd collaborators that they are have deemed it appropriate, even if the sandwich is made of cold cuts and not turkey carved from a juicy, roasted whole bird.
Here's one reason it makes sense to my personal post-Thanksgiving activities: while many of you will be braving the crowds at the multiplex following your feast, I'll be at the bar -- hopefully one where I can dance some of the stuffing away -- and at last call, I'll tipsily head home and then stack some leftovers between two slices of bread and enjoy the first of many post-holiday turkey sandwiches.
Box Office: Foxy Ninjas and Fantastic Dogs
Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, Family Films, Box Office Predictions
As I'm sure everyone has heard by now, the newest Twilight film made CRAZY money over the weekend. The Blind Side made a pretty respectable showing as well, though still taking a distant second. Here's the top five:
1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon: $142.8 million
2. The Blind Side: $34.1 million
3. 2012: $26.4 million
4. Planet 51: $12.29 million
5. A Christmas Carol: $12.28 million
This weeks new releases offer one part action to one part comedy, plus we have a kids film going into wider release.
Ninja Assassin
What's It All About: A skilled assassin swears vengeance on the secret order that trained him after they murder his friend.
Why It Might Do Well: This is produced by the Wachowskis, the team behind the Matrix films, so I imagine the martial arts action will be something to behold.
Why It Might Not Do Well: A lack of star power may be a problem.
Number of Theaters: 2,500
Prediction: $10 million
Old Dogs
What's It All About: Robin Williams plays a middle aged man who suddenly finds out that he has six-year-old twins with a woman he hasn't seen in years, and his bachelor buddy John Travolta helps him adjust to life as a father.
Why It Might Do Well: I really love that bit in the commercial where a terrified Seth Green sings "All Out of Love" to a gorilla.
Why It Might Not Do Well: I suspect that gorilla gag may be all the film has to offer, as the film is only getting 10% over at Rottentomatoes.com.
Number of Theaters: 3,300
Prediction: $32 million
1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon: $142.8 million
2. The Blind Side: $34.1 million
3. 2012: $26.4 million
4. Planet 51: $12.29 million
5. A Christmas Carol: $12.28 million
This weeks new releases offer one part action to one part comedy, plus we have a kids film going into wider release.
Ninja AssassinWhat's It All About: A skilled assassin swears vengeance on the secret order that trained him after they murder his friend.
Why It Might Do Well: This is produced by the Wachowskis, the team behind the Matrix films, so I imagine the martial arts action will be something to behold.
Why It Might Not Do Well: A lack of star power may be a problem.
Number of Theaters: 2,500
Prediction: $10 million
Old DogsWhat's It All About: Robin Williams plays a middle aged man who suddenly finds out that he has six-year-old twins with a woman he hasn't seen in years, and his bachelor buddy John Travolta helps him adjust to life as a father.
Why It Might Do Well: I really love that bit in the commercial where a terrified Seth Green sings "All Out of Love" to a gorilla.
Why It Might Not Do Well: I suspect that gorilla gag may be all the film has to offer, as the film is only getting 10% over at Rottentomatoes.com.
Number of Theaters: 3,300
Prediction: $32 million
Review: Old Dogs
Filed under: Comedy, New Releases, Theatrical Reviews, Family Films
I will say this for Old Dogs: It is exactly as funny as you'd expect a movie to be that stars John Travolta and Robin Williams as two bachelors who must suddenly take care of precocious 7-year-old twins, and that was directed by the man who made Wild Hogs. Which is to say, it is not the least bit funny, not once, not even for a minute. Imagine a season's worth of plot devices from TV's most generic sitcom crammed into 88 excruciating minutes.
Here are the thoughts of Williams' character in this frantic, contrived mess: I had a one-night stand seven years ago, and it turns out I'm the father of twins! And now I have to babysit them for two weeks! But I'm working on the Big Account at my job, and I don't have time! Oh no, they don't allow children in my condos -- apparently not even temporarily, to visit -- so we have to stay with my best friend at his un-child-proofed apartment! Oh no, if I screw up this golf game with the client, it'll blow everything -- and I accidentally took my friend's medication this morning that gives me hallucinations! Oh no, my friend and I are going to breakfast with the kids, and everyone thinks we're their grandparents! And now the staff is singing a "welcome to the grandparents' club" song, which surely does not exist in real life anywhere! How embarrassing! And now we're on a camping trip with the kids, and the scout leader thinks my friend and I are gay, except we're too stupid to realize he thinks that, because somehow it's "funnier" if we don't know! Doh! We're on a collision course with wackiness!!
'Funny People' Star Aziz Ansari Getting His Own 'Randy' Spin-off
Filed under: Comedy, Scripts, New on DVD, Newsstand, Home Entertainment
If the sound of the name "Ruh-Ruh-Ruh-Raaaaaaaandy!" partnered with a few DJ effects and the sight of comic actor Aziz Ansari jumping maniacally around a stage made you tingle in Judd Apatow's Funny People, then prepare yourself for what I'm about to say: Randy is getting his own movie. To paraphrase Randy himself, if you fine folks are prepared to chortle until your genitals become disconnected from your body, let me hear you say "Yes!"
Variety reports that Ansari and fellow Human Giant collaborator Jason Woliner pitched the Randy spin-off to Apatow along with two other intended Ansari vehicles, a buddy road flick about motivational speakers and an astronaut comedy. While Apatow's production company will produce all three, the report doesn't mention which of the projects will happen first.
Over at the MTV Movies Blog, Christopher Campbell notes that just last week, Apatow indicated some hesitation on Ansari's part to revisit the character of Randy. "Aziz may be concerned that more people think he's Randy than Aziz," Apatow explained. And that may be a legitimate concern for Ansari, who currently co-stars on "Parks and Recreation." His Randy characterization is so subtle, even in its bombastic raunchiness, that it's an entirely believable comic persona -- kind of a douchebag persona, but a hilarious one nonetheless. (Personally, if Ansari did nothing but "Randy" for the rest of his life, I'd be satisfied.)
More on the Randy spin-off and a video from Funny People after the jump.
Trailer for Family Guy's 'Something, Something, Something Dark Side'
Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, Fandom, Trailers and Clips
An extended trailer for the next Family Guy Star Wars special has arrived online over at Apple and iTunes (watch it after the jump). Titled Something, Something, Something Dark Side, this time the animated sitcom is aiming their lightsabers at Empire Strikes Back. Featuring large camel robots who hurt their knees, annoying high-pitched princesses and a giant chicken dressed as Boba Fett, fans should expect the same sorta hilarious shtick that came out of Family Guy's first Star Wars spoof, Blue Harvest (though some feel the Robot Chicken Star Wars episodes one-upped them considerably, but that's a topic for a different day). Because of the popularity of the first special, 20th Century Fox is pimping out the follow-up pretty hard. It's due to hit DVD and Blu-ray on December 22nd, and I imagine they'll actually air it on television at some point in 2010. A spoof of Return of the Jedi, titled We Have A Bad Feeling About This, is also being planned.
The official description for Something, Something, Something Dark Side goes something like this: "Holy ship! The Family Guy empire strikes back with another hilarious parody of your favorite sci-fi saga! May the laughs be with you as (Chris) Skywalker joins forces with (Peter) Solo and Princess (Lois) Leia to battle (Stewie) Vader and his Imperial minions. A host of new characters comes along for the wild ride, including Mort Goldman as Lando Calrissian, Chris's boss Carl as Yoda, and the Giant Chicken as the nefarious Boba Fett. It's an outrageous, out-of-this-world experience you'll "saber" for light-years to come!"
Watch both trailers for Something, Something, Something Dark Side after the jump.
Exclusive Images from 'Did You Hear About the Morgans?'
Filed under: Comedy, Movie Marketing, Images, Trailers and Clips
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Cinematical has just received six exclusive new images from Did You Hear About the Morgans?, starring Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker as a New York Couple on the verge of divorce who witness a murder and, in an attempt to salvage their marriage (and save their lives), they join the witness protection program. But that's when things really get interesting, because the program sends our uptight, urban city dwellers all the way to the backwoods of Wyoming -- where the loud, obnoxious sounds of the city are replaced by the soft, calming sounds of nature. Will that be enough to save the marriage, though?
Sam Elliott, Mary Steenburgen and Elisabeth Moss also star in this comedy directed by Marc Lawrence (Forces of Nature, Miss Congeniality), who last worked with Grant on the charming Music and Lyrics. Will Grant's pairing with Sarah Jessica Parker work just as well as his on-screen pairing with Drew Barrymore did? I think maybe ... Head after the jump to check out the film's latest trailer, and click into the gallery below for the rest of the images. Did You Hear About the Morgans? hits theaters on December 18th ... just in time to give you folks who aren't in the mood for James Cameron's big flashy blue alien movie a little piece of comedic hilarity.
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Ben Stiller Goes Indie in 'Greenberg' Trailer
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Independent, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips
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The best thing about this trailer is that Mumblecore sensation Greta Gerwig has finally semi-crossed over into more "popular" fare (I can't say commercial, because this is still somewhat indie, so I guess "popular" is the right word ... but maybe not. You get the point, though, right?). The worst thing about this trailer is that it just feels like another lost-dude-looking-for-the-rest-of-his-life type flick, and I guess that's cool if you dig hip indie soundtracks and Ben Stiller with a perpetual puss on his face, but in my opinion there's nothing here that screams, "Holy crap, watch me right now!"
Yeah, so, anyway, the first trailer for Noah Baumbach's (The Squid and the Whale) next film, Greenberg, has just arrived over on Apple, and it stars Ben Stiller as a guy named Greenberg who's "at a crossroads in his life" and, after he agrees to housesit for his younger (and more successful) brother in Los Angeles, he begins to reconnect with old friends and kinda-sorta-maybe sleep with Greta Gerwig, who, mind you, totally has an Indie Kate Winslet vibe going on in the trailer.
Watch the trailer over on Apple and let us know what you think. Greenberg is due in theaters on March 12th, and I could totally see it premiering at Sundance in January ... but I'll guess we'll wait and see about that.
'Up' and 'Marley & Me' Among Dog Movie Winners
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Awards, Family Films
Maybe it's because I saw De Sica's classic Umberto D. again over the weekend, or maybe it's because I'm excited for tomorrow's release of the 25th Anniversary Edition of Cujo on DVD and Blu-ray, but I've got movie dogs on the brain. Last night I even randomly spent some time watching YouTube clips of my all-time favorite movie dog, Asta, from the Thin Man franchise (played by Skippy, who also appears in Bringing Up Baby and The Awful Truth). So it was coincidentally fun this morning learning that the Fido Awards happened over the weekend. The ceremony, nicknamed the "canine Oscars," occurred in London Saturday, when trophies were handed out in five separate categories. To my surprise, the Fidos don't exclude animated dogs, as the talking dog, Dug, from Pixar's Up won the Blockbuster Bowser award, beating out pups from Gran Torino, Inglourious Basterds and another animation, Coraline, in the category.
What Happened Once Carl's House Took Off In 'Up'?
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Disney, Shorts, Family Films, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips
In all of your viewings of Up, did you ever wonder what happened to the Shady Oaks employees who helplessly watched as Carl floated up, up, and away? Well, wonder no more. Pixar wrote and animated a little short called George and AJ that answers all your questions, and then some. Watch carefully when Carl's house soars over their heads -- you'll see an angle that reveals just where one particular character was hanging on for dear life.
What's really cute about this short is that it isn't just about George and AJ, but what the entire city thought of Carl's flying house. Up never stopped and went back to North America to see if anyone noticed his unusual method of flight (and very wisely, too), but this spin-off deals with some of the ramifications. It's funny and moving, and makes for a bittersweet commentary on just how we deal with the elderly members of our society.
Now, if we can just get a spin-off that tells what Russell's mother thought about her son's prolonged absence. Somehow, I don't think any cell phone he may have had on him could get good reception at Paradise Falls ....
The short is embedded below the jump, and it's just the thing to watch on a dreary Monday. Enjoy!
Review: Planet 51
Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sony, Theatrical Reviews
As voiced by Dwayne "the artist formerly known as The Rock" Johnson, astronaut Chuck Baker is the paragon of all-American achievement -- that is, until he conquers a far off world with an unexpected population, one inexplicably steeped in our '50s-era culture and terrified by the prospect of an alien invader in human form. More unfortunately for us, Chuck has landed smack-dab in the middle of Planet 51, a short-sighted assembly of sci-fi references and scatalogical humor that should nonetheless placate undemanding tots and, by extension, their undiscerning parents for ninety minutes or so.
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
Peter Jackson Says Spielberg's 'Tintin' is Done Filming, but...
Interracial Harmony: 'Ninja Assassin' vs. 'Blind Side'
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