AdamSandler Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Could Conan O'Brien Become a Movie Star?
Filed under: Comedy », Celebrities and Controversy », Fandom »
Now that Conan O'Brien's departure from NBC is official according to The Wall Street Journal, everyone is wondering just what he'll do next, especially as his deal may limit him from hosting his own talk show for a period of time. He'll undoubtedly pop up on a new network, and I wouldn't be surprised if he landed a nice little book deal. But could he become a movie star?
It was Adam Sandler who got me thinking about it. He appeared on O'Brien last night, and promised that O'Brien could have a spot making movies with him. Of course he came prepared with movie posters and pitches, and it was all one big joke which you can watch on Hulu if you like. Obviously O'Brien's comedic skills have always been in writing and improv, and we all love him for his zany, madcap antics. But we love a lot of comedians for the exact same reason, and the list of successful comedian-turned-actors is pretty long and illustrious. O'Brien's cameos on 30 Rock as Liz Lemon's boyfriend are terrifyingly normal, and suggest he has a lot more dramatic range than his talk show rivals (we don't need to name names) have.
Don't believe me? Refresh your memory by watching the clip:
Jennifer Aniston is Adam Sandler's 'Pretend Wife'
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Casting », Sony », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand »
When you're Jennifer Aniston, how do you follow up The Baster (still one of the most repulsive rom-com concepts yet) and The Bounty? Why, by marrying Adam Sandler in some kind of quirky, zany, and lovelorn fashion. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Aniston has signed up to star alongside Sandler in The Pretend Wife. Penned by Allan Loeb (who also wrote Baster) and Tim Dowling, the project is being set up as a Sandler vehicle which means there ought to be some crass jokes in there to liven up the gushy proceedings. Columbia and Happy Madison are staying silent on the plot, but I think you can connect the dots easily enough. Sandler's character needs a wife for a family gathering, a contest, a good hotel rate, a contest, something ... and he asks Aniston. She agrees because there's something in it for her -- perhaps money, contest winnings, or because she needs a fake husband to keep her own self-respect. The two will end up in hilariously awkward situations, one of which will feature them both naked, and slowly they will fall in love. They'll never have to reveal Aniston was a pretend wife, because she'll become his real wife. Warm fuzzies, and thankfully all without a turkey baster.
The film already has a release date of February 11, 2011, the Friday before Valentine's Day. That's so single people have a movie to attend alone that will simultaneously entertain and shame them, and couples can go see it, cuddle, and see their own love in Aniston and Sandler. Yeah, so, everybody wins!
Interview: Judd Apatow (Part Two)
Filed under: Universal », Fandom », Home Entertainment », Interviews »
Read Part One of this interview right here
When Judd Apatow's latest film, Funny People, was announced, many critics and audiences hailed it – even before they saw it – not only as an evolution of the filmmaker's style, but a return to the kind of drama-laced comedy that flourished in the 1980s and early '90s thanks to folks like Cameron Crowe and James L. Brooks. When it was released, the film more than satisfied those expectations, offering an unflinching but frequently hilarious portrait of an A-list comedian rediscovering himself, but there seemed to be a sense that audiences knew themselves less well than they felt like they knew the film's main character, resulting in a less enthusiastic response than perhaps even they expected.
The film arrives on Blu-ray this week, offering what is indisputably the most complete and comprehensive look behind the scenes at a comedy ever produced, and offers audiences a second chance to check out Apatow's most meaningful and resonant work to date. Cinematical got a chance to catch up with the writer-director via telephone to discuss the contents of the expansive, 2-Disc Collector's Edition; in the second part of our chat, Apatow talks about precisely what made the movie so personal for him, and offers a few insights about its place in his growing body of work, and its potential influence on his future films (including a Harry Potter movie, maybe?).
Cinematical: With or without talking to you at the time of the film's release, people seemed to assume that this was a very personal film, I think because it was more serious than your previous work. Was it really personal, and if so in what way or why?
Interview: Judd Apatow (Part One)
Filed under: Universal », Fandom », Home Entertainment », Interviews »
Funny People was the latest in Judd Apatow's ongoing series of summer comedies, but it was anything but a typical summer comedy: following a successful comedian (played by Apatow's longtime friend Adam Sandler) who reflects on his life after discovering he's going to die, the film offered lots of humor but with decidedly heavier themes lurking beneath the yuks. The film debuts on Blu-ray in a 2-Disc Collector's Edition next week, and the contents are amazing, showing how Apatow combined lighthearted fare with more serious ideas in the service of exploring something substantive.
Cinematical was lucky enough to catch up with Apatow via telephone one recent morning to discuss the process of putting together the film's home video iteration. In addition to discussing the bonus materials, extras, featurettes, and a documentary that's the most thorough and thoughtful ever produced about a comedy production, Apatow talked about finding the right ending for his magnum opus, discovering and deconstructing the process of producing laughs, and front-loading the film's universe with outside content about the supporting characters.
Cinematical: One of the ideas highlighted in the Blu-ray bonus materials was the fact that you knew this was going in a different direction than your previous films. Even knowing that while you were making it, were you surprised by the reactions of audiences and critics when it was released? Or does it matter?
Stars in Rewind: Ken Ober & 'Remote Control'
Filed under: Obits », Trailers and Clips », Stars in Rewind »
Attention children of the '80s: If you haven't already heard, television's Ken Ober died at the age of 52. The cause of death is not yet determined, although his agent noted that Ober "complained of headaches and flu-like symptoms on Saturday night." While he produced shows like Mind of Mencia and The New Adventures of Old Christine, he's probably best known for his time as the host of MTV's '80s quiz show: Remote Control.Remember it? Three players would get strapped into arm chairs, answer questions about television and film (basically anything that could be found on TV), find food raining down on their heads, and get entertained by the likes of Colin Quinn, Kari Wuhrer, Denis Leary, and Adam Sandler. It was part classic MTV ridiculousness, and part media junky geek party.
In memory of the host and show, I thought I'd take us back in time for a few movie-centric bits after the jump. First, there will be Adam Sandler as the awkward "Stud Boy" while Ober doesn't think about the innuendo before saying "I'd love to give it to her." After that, scribe Zak Penn, who wrote flicks like PCU, Elektra, and X-Men: The Last Stand, pops up as a contestant. Now the latter is a little confusing, since the Zachary on the show says he's a biochem major at USC, and bios have him graduating from Wesleyan, but one look at the vid and this pic should quell confusion.
Ken Ober, you're missed already.
Blu-ray Review: Funny People
Filed under: Universal », DVD Reviews », Home Entertainment »
These days it's common practice for filmmakers to document every single aspect of a movie's creation for its eventual home video release – examining previsualization, creature development, fight choreography, set and costume design, effects rendering, and so on. When you're making a comedy, however, there seems to be less of interest in the different aspects of production (not the least of which because many of those above aren't even a factor), leaving only outtakes, gaffes, and alternate line readings to fill out the bonus features for a forthcoming Blu-ray or DVD.
Judd Apatow's Blu-ray for Funny People, however, runs contrary to expectations; indeed, it's by far the most complete and comprehensive portrait of a comedy production ever assembled. Featuring not only the requisite slate of alternate takes, film flubs, and extra scenes, but two different versions of the film, multiple featurettes, archive footage, and a feature-length documentary about the film's origins, development and production, the two-disc set takes the art of being funny very seriously.
Adam Sandler Plays Both Jack and Jill
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Casting », Deals », Scripts »
It seemed like maybe Adam Sandler was looking at ripping that crap-of-a-comedy stigma from him when he starred in Funny People, reminding the world that the old Sandler was a mix of ridiculous laughs and dramedy. But here's another reason to assume that was just a random blip in lowest common denominator fare: Variety reports that Columbia Pictures has grabbed the actor to star in a romantic comedy called Jack and Jill.Rom-com can mean many things, and potentially even something good for the actor, but get a load of this: He will "play Jack as well as his twin sister Jill." And it was written by Steve Koren (old SNL scribe behind the Almighty flicks, Night at the Roxbury, and Superstar.) That's all we know. Considering the "rom" part, I'd hope that there's a love interest outside of this duo, because who would want to see Sandler-on-Sandler incest? Yes, I'm being negative, but it all comes from how the project was positioned and revealed. Should we expect anything more from a romantic comedy when the powers that be decide to kick things off by talking about Sandler cross-dressing? If that's the notable part of the news designed to start perking interests, there's definitely a Happy Madison bend to the whole thing. And yes, his company is producing .
Can you think of a way that this film could be anything more than another Chuck & Larry sort of offering? Could this possibly be more Tootsie than The Hot Chick? Do you want to see Adam Sandler in Hollywood drag?
Cinematical Seven: Navel-Gazing Comedies
Filed under: Fandom », Cinematical Seven », Lists »
Sometimes navel gazing is a good thing, if an artist looks truly and honestly inside him or herself for material. If they're truly gifted, and can tap into something universal or human, the result can be a masterwork. But if the artist finds himself too far removed from everyday life, or if their visions and ideas are too close to home to find a logical shape, the result can be something of a mess. Navel-gazing dramas are a dime a dozen, but it takes a special talent to try it with comedy. Judd Apatow's Funny People was the #1 movie in a very slow week, which shows that audiences were probably about as fond of it as critics were. I would bet the main complaint across the board was the same: it's too long. Either way, there's usually something interesting about these projects.
1. Elizabethtown (2005)
Though Apatow is catching up, Cameron Crowe is the #1 comedy navelgazer in the history of cinema. This rambling, sprawling thing was supposed to be a cute romantic comedy about a depressed schlub whose life is turned around by a cute airline stewardess. Unfortunately, too many useless subplots about funerals and forgotten bands get in the way, in addition to the fact that the male character is overwritten and underplayed by Orlando Bloom, and the female character is underwritten and overplayed by Kirsten Dunst. The whole thing culminates in a weird musical, mix-tape road trip odyssey that must have lit Crowe's fire, but didn't spark for anyone else.
Monday Night Poll: 'Funny People' Gender Divide?
Filed under: Comedy », Universal », Fandom », Moviefone Feedback », Polls »
Are you a man or a woman? That may be the essential reason why you either loved or hated Judd Apatow's Funny People, starring Adam Sandler as a comedian facing a mid-life crisis. Marketing research firm CinemaScore says that men graded the movie B+ but women only granted it C+. As reported by Los Angeles Times, that translates into: "men generally liked it ... most women did not."
Which is puzzling to me, because, as I was watching it (alone again, naturally), it didn't strike me as the kind of movie that might polarize the sexes. Now, I can understand the overall audience being smaller than something like the latest Harry Potter. Our own Eugene Novikov surmised as much in his box office summary, pointing out that attempting to market the film "as a typical Adam Sandler comedy was quixotic, and as another laugh riot from the Apatow factory only marginally less so." Yet, I would have anticipated that men and women who had seen Apatow's earlier directorial efforts, The 40-Year Old-Virgin and Knocked Up -- or any of the films of Adam Sandler -- would have a good idea what to expect, as far as the level of raunch and a view of women as generally cranky and more than a little scary. Did Funny People go too far?
Enlighten us, please. Take our poll of the sexes and let us know: Why did you like Funny People? Why didn't you like Funny People? And did you fight about it on the way home? Feel free to elaborate in the comments section.
Review: Funny People
Filed under: Comedy », Theatrical Reviews »
In the new film Funny People, Ira Wright, the character played by Seth Rogen, reveals more or less inadvertently that the reason he became a stand-up comedian was because he was ridiculed by his classmates as a boy. This is probably one of the film's most profound moments, although it hardly treats it as such; but there's a long and illustrious history of comedy serving the purpose of concealing people's feelings, both on and off screen. And filtered through the meta-movie stardom of Adam Sandler's ailing A-lister, Funny People is precisely about the walls people put up in one way or another to protect themselves from emotional harm – which, as the film observes, almost always become a prison for the person who builds them.
Sandler plays George Simmons, a mega-comedian and movie star who decides to "return to his roots" in stand-up after a doctor diagnoses him with a rare and inoperable disease that gives him only a limited time to live. After a disastrous appearance at a local club, George meets Rogen's Ira, an aspiring comedian who mines a few laughs out of his performance, and he hires Ira to write jokes for him, and eventually, to work as his personal assistant. But when George reconnects with his ex-girlfriend Laura (Leslie Mann), who is now married to a daffy Australian huckster named Clarke (Eric Bana), he begins to truly reconsider his affluent but empty lifestyle.
Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams Reunite for 'Mission Impossible 4'
'Big Top Pee-Wee': The Original Benicio Del Toro Wolfman
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 2/9
Watch This: Brilliant Oscar-Nominated Short 'Logorama'
Chris Nolan to Lead 'Superman' Reboot!?
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
