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Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig and Anne Hathaway to Join 'Friends with Kids'?
Filed under: Comedy, Independent, Casting
Watching the Emmys the other night, I saw George Clooney on the stage accepting his Bob Hope Humanitarian Award and then I saw Jon Hamm in the audience (they cut to him as Clooney left the stage) and wondered if he's that next TV star to transition to being an A-list film actor. Will he be back in 15 years to similarly win a special honor? Is he even big into causes? In any event, he's about to hit the big screen in next week's The Town and later this month in Howl, and now he's also eying a more prominent role in the indie comedy Friends with Kids, according to Showbiz 411.The film was written by Hamm's girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt (maybe you saw her with him at the Emmys), who previously scripted and starred in the indie hit Kissing Jessica Stein and the cute, little seen rom-com Ira & Abby. Hamm had minor roles in both prior to becoming famous as Don Draper. This time he'll star, and I wonder if we'll get to see the real-life couple playing an onscreen couple presumably dealing with the fact that all their friends have kids and they don't (and maybe, like Hamm and Westfeldt, aren't even married).
The New 'Back to the Future' is a Five-Chapter ... Video Game!
Filed under: Classics, Comedy, Universal, Games and Game Movies
When Hollywood can't decide if they want to remake, reboot, or leave a popular franchise alone, they often turn to the video game designers to help keep a popular brand alive. Fortunately the folks at Universal have decided to entrust their Back to the Future and Jurassic Park properties to an outfit called Telltale Games. And gaming fans will be quick to remind you that this is the team the produced some really high-end games based on Wallace & Gromit and Homestar Runner, plus they have some very well-regarded original titles like Monkey Island and Sam & Max.
USA Today brings us the early word on what the Back to the Future game will look like, and personally ... I think it looks pretty cool. Turns out that producer / screenwriter Bob Gale will be working with Telltale on the five-episode game series, and it's always a good thing when the original filmmakers are involved with a video game design. The game company's website has a page covering the Universal projects right here, and (hat tip) Slashfilm has a lot more details on the nuts & bolts right here.
All I wanna know is this: will I be able to trick a Tannen into being covered with manure of some kind?
Scenes We Love: Undercover Brother
Filed under: Comedy, Scenes We Love
In 2002, most of us had no idea that Neil Patrick Harris was a comic genius. It had been five long years since the former Doogie Howser had surprised audiences with his creepy-clever turn in Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers -- five years in which Harris had taken guest appearances in made-for-TV movies and sitcoms, done one season in a little-seen comedy of his own opposite Tony Shalhoub (Stark Raving Mad, from producer Steven Levitan, creator of Modern Family), voiced cartoon characters, and made a name for himself on Broadway in productions of Sweeney Todd, Assassins, Proof and Cabaret.While most people can recall Harris playing a deranged, drugged-up version of himself in 2004's Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, they may have well missed him in an earlier, equally surprising role in Undercover Brother. It would be another three years before How I Met Your Mother made him an A-list TV star, but the first faint glimmer of that career trajectory can be seen in these two films.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is Afraid of Women (and Food) in Our 'Jack Goes Boating' Exclusive Clip
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, New Releases, Trailers and Clips
Jack Goes Boating, Philip Seymour Hoffman's directorial debut, is set to open nationwide on September 23rd. In the interim, you can check out an exclusive clip for the film (which drew good reviews on the festival circuit earlier this year) after the jump.
Presented as something of a romantic dramedy, Jack Goes Boating finds Hoffman starring as the title character. He's a lonely limo driver who suffers paralyzing fear when around women, but that starts to change when his best friend's wife (Daphne Rubin-Vega) introduces him to one of her funeral home co-workers (Amy Ryan). Hoffman and Ryan's romance blossoms while Rubin-Vega and onscreen husband John Ortiz watch their own union begin to disintegrate. In the two parallel stories, audiences see both sides of how relationships can play out.
Hoffman, Rubin-Vega, and Ortiz all reprise their roles from the off-Broadway stage play written by Bob Glaudini. It looks to be a sweet and touching film filled with genuinely emotional moments and powered along by Hoffman's almost child-like (in a good way) performance.
Our exclusive clip shows Hoffman and John Ortiz sitting in a diner as Hoffman plans to cook dinner for his new lady friend. Only problem is, he doesn't know how to cook. Ortiz offers up the services of a noted pastry chef who could give Hoffman a recipe, but warns him to be open because it might be something like a casserole. It's definitely not the funniest clip from the movie, but you do get a sense of Hoffman's character and how he relates to the world around him.
Hit the jump to see the clip for yourself then chime in below with your thoughts. I'd go boating with Philip Seymour Hoffman anytime.
Scenes (Songs) We Love: "Kid Vs. Play" from 'House Party'
Filed under: Comedy, New Line, Fandom, Trailers and Clips, Scenes We Love
In the annals of hip-hop history, I don't think the lovable duo of Kid N' Play will probably ever get the musical respect of some of your more 'serious' rap artists out there. But they did do one thing right; they made House Party, and their induction into the hall of fame for Scenes (Songs) We Love, has been long overdue. But today we fix that, so let's all go back to 1990 for Kid Vs. Play, and some good natured (but quality) rap battling.
In the teen comedy, the duo starred as high school buddies (in roles originally written for DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, aka Will Smith) who scheme and plot their way into having the party of the year while taking advantage of some parental absences. The usual obstacles from every teen movie find their way into the story, but thanks to performances from comedy heavyweights like Robin Harris (who passed away from a heart attack only nine days after the film's release), John Witherspoon, and Martin Lawrence, the movie is still funny 20 years later (20 years!? I think I may need to lie down).
Justin Bieber Wants to Play Danny Zuko in 'Grease' Remake
Filed under: Comedy, Music & Musicals, Casting, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
It's interesting when a story goes from a star joking or idly mentioning an off-the-cuff idea to a full-blown story that is circulating the Internet. Justin Bieber told The Sun that he'd love to star in a remake of Grease as bad boy Danny Zuko, with Miley Cyrus as the innocent Sandy Olsson. Of course, it seems as though Cyrus is eager to shed her Sandy-like goody two-shoes rep as rumors fly about her upcoming booze-chugging, weed-puffing, cooter-flashing teen in LOL. (Read more about her character's shenanigans here.) And wouldn't it be super, the dreamy pop star mused, if Susan Boyle could star as Principal McGee? That sounds swell! But as irresistible an opportunity as it is to Photoshop the Bieb's head onto John Travolta's body, his dreams of crooning "Summer Nights" probably ain't happening any time soon.*On Demand: 'Bunny and the Bull'
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Independent, Fandom, Home Entertainment
I've been waiting for what seems like ages to peep Paul King's comedy Bunny and the Bull, although, truthfully, it hasn't even been a year since it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. I didn't know much about it except what I'd seen in the trailer and read online, but King's involvement was enough for me since he's directed 20 episodes of The Mighty Boosh, one of my favorite TV shows. The Mighty Boosh is a sublime, childlike, weird British comedy show that's hard to explain except that it is about the increasingly bizarre adventures of Howard Moon (Julian Barratt), a dour jazz fan, and Vince Noir (Noel Fielding), a mod obsessed with his hair, Gary Numan, and Mick Jagger.
Bunny and the Bull stars Edward Hogg and Simon Farnaby as Stephen and Bunny, two best friends not unlike Howard and Vince in that Stephen is very, very sensible and sensitive whereas Bunny is basically a walking id. He's crass, he sleeps with the girls Stephen likes, he drinks and gambles too much, and he tries to goad Stephen into adventures that they get out of by the skin of their teeth. (It should be noted that Vince Noir is actually just a big goofy kid and not as prickish as Bunny, so the comparison isn't perfect.)
When I realized that it was playing on cable through IFC On-Demand, I immediately called my friends and organized a viewing party.
Fantastic Fest to Play '30 Days of Night' Sequel, 'I Spit On Your Grave' and More
Filed under: Action, Animation, Classics, Comedy, Drama, Foreign Language, Horror, Independent, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Fantastic Fest, Remakes and Sequels
Cannibals, crooks, vampires, aliens and geeks galore are all lined up to invade Austin for Fantastic Fest next month, and if you think that we harp on this particular film festival a bit, A) you're right and B) it totally deserves every effusive word.We've got the whole list of newly announced titles after the jump, but right off the bat, I can tell you that we're looking at the U.S. premiere of crime drama Stone (starring Robert De Niro, Edward Norton and Milla Jovovich), the world premiere of 30 Days of Night: Dark Days, North American premieres of Hatchet 2 (which just received a warm reception at Frightfest over in the U.K.) and Ong-Bak 3 (just please have less dancing than 2), and a double bill of a restored print of 1960's The Housemaid and its recent remake.
All of this on top of Opening Night Film Let Me In and a slew of super-secret screenings in the mix? You bet your ass that we're gonna be there covering it from September 23-30.
Michael Cera Finds a New Teen Slacker for FX Series
The bafflingly poor box-office showing for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World has led some to wonder if the problem is "Michael Cera burnout" -- that audiences are a tad weary of seeing Cera play the same laid-back, wry, doe-eyed teen in role after role. Well, get ready for Michael Cera to change gears and show a side you've never seen before! Okay, not really. The Wrap reports that Cera's developing a TV show for FX entitled "13th Grade" about ... wait for it ... a high-school graduate who seeks to improve his life after being dumped by his girlfriend.Executive-producer Cera will not, surprisingly, be taking on the main role himself, but will appear in a cameo in the pilot. One of his producing partners, Emily Kapnek, was consulting producer on NBC's "Parks And Recreation" and a co-executive producer for seven episodes of the first season of HBO's "Hung." Kapnek and Cera are writing the pilot with Derek Waters and Paige Gullivan.
Check out this short version of "13th Grade" created by Water and Gullivan for an idea of what to expect -- it looks a bit like what you'd get if you jammed "Community" into a wood chipper with Scott Pilgrim:
Has Julie Delpy Tapped Chris Rock to Romance Her in '2 Days in New York'?
Filed under: Comedy, Independent, Casting, Remakes and Sequels
Take Before Sunrise or Before Sunset, make it a little more raw, a little more dysfunctional, and a lot more bitchy and sarcastic and you've got Julie Delpy's 2007 comedy 2 Days in Paris. The film followed Delpy's Marion and Adam Goldberg's Jack as they visited Paris and fell into romantic turmoil when faced with French customs, Marion's parents, a certain nude snapshot, and most importantly, Marion's many exes.Earlier this year, Delpy announced a sequel -- 2 Days in New York -- where Jack is out, a baby is in, and Marion has a new lover. Thinking of Jack and Marion's bickering ways, and I mused that maybe Chris Eigeman could take on the gig. Their banter would be brilliant! But when she said "well-known US actor," it looks like she might have meant it and found a whole other Chris entirely.
Though who he'll play has not been announced, Chris Rock has joined the cast.
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