JuddApatow Tagged Articles at Cinematical
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.
Rogen & Apatow Speak Out on Heigl v. 'Knocked Up'
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy »
This week has been all about drama behind the scenes in Hollywood, so why not kick off the weekend with a little more? Well before Summit fought a sh*tstorm over recasting Victoria, Katherine Heigl was irking fans with her comments on Knocked Up. Although she tried to smooth things over, the damage was done. For a while, I saw where she was coming from ... until she decided to produce and star in a little project called The Ugly Truth. And it looks like I wasn't the only one to note the hypocrisy. While making the rounds for Funny People, Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow stopped by Howard Stern, as US Magazine reports. They were asked about Heigl's comments, and Rogen noted that Truth "looks like it really puts women on a pedestal in a beautiful way." Meanwhile, Apatow tried to be a bit diplomatic, noting potential fatigue from working the circuit. Rogen, however, would have none of it. "I didn't slip and I was doing f****** interviews all day too ... I didn't say s***!"
Apatow wrapped up his thoughts on the matter with: "[You think] at some point I'll get a call saying 'Sorry, I was tired...' and then the call never comes."
Maybe it'll come once every bridge in Hollywood's been burned.
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.
The Fake Films You Won't See in 'Funny People'
Filed under: Comedy », Fandom », Trailers and Clips »
Unfortunately I cannot yet share my opinion on Judd Apatow's new flick Funny People, which I watched recently at an undisclosed location in a city that will not be named. But, I can tell you that within the film there are clips from a bunch of fake films (we've already shared some of them with you), and they were created to decorate the past of George Simmons (Adam Sandler), a big-time actor who's made loads of money off a slew of craptacular comedies. Early on in the film, Simmons finds out he's living with a rare disease that will most likely kill him -- and it's that fact that sets this sort of life-adventure flick in motion.Apatow has been writing these little blogs for MTV leading up to the release of Funny People on July 31, and the latest one reveals a longer version of the Merman scene that's actually in the film, as well as two fake movie scenes that just couldn't be squeezed in. One is called Sayonara Davey, which Apatow calls their "politically incorrect foreign exchange student movie," and the other is the obligatory dog-cop drama Dog's Best Friend (see the poster to the right). Check out all three clips after the jump, and learn more about Simmons' real-fake career (some of it is actually based on Sandler's early days) over on the fictional character's real website.
Watch the clips after the jump
'Funny People': New Trailer and Adam Sandler's Prank Call, Circa 1991
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Fandom », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
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The summer movie season has already past its half-way point, but my two most anticipated films still haven't arrived: District 9 and Judd Apatow's Funny People. We talked about the former yesterday, and now today it's time to plug a film that looks to bring it all: laughs, tears, Australian accents, Seth Rogen's weird cough-laugh, sarcastic Australian accents, Jason Schwartzman looking stoned, Jonah Hill being a d*ck, tons of stand-up comedy -- seriously, what more could you want from a movie?
Two new pieces of Funny People marketing have arrived today. We have a red-band trailer that premiered over at MySpace and a piece of viral awesomeness that premiered over at Moviefone. The red-band (or restricted ... which sounds so mean, doesn't it) trailer isn't all too bad (with the exception of an oral sex joke), and it definitely shines a light on the finer aspects of Apatow's films, which include real, human moments, or, as some would say, the little stuff.
Meanwhile, the viral piece is something pretty unique. Back in the early '90s, Judd Apatow and Adam Sandler were actual roommates, who, apparently, filmed ridiculous things like prank calls. So ... this video is Apatow filming a very young-looking Sandler prank-calling the local deli as an old lady to complain about a sandwich while wearing underwear on his head. Check out both the trailer and the viral video after the jump.
Funny People hits theaters on July 31.
Quick List: Romance for Boys
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Fandom », Lists »
It's funny, but I've been watching Kevin Smith movies for a long time now, but it was only as I was reading through Total Film's list of the Best & Worst: Kevin Smith, that I realized something that I never really thought all that much about before -- and what was my big epiphany? Well, I finally discovered that Smith's films in the end are just rom-coms with poop jokes. Smith may have been considered a foul-mouthed stoner for most of his career, but now that I've looked beyond his shtick, I've finally come to the conclusion that the guy is a big old softy. Which got me thinking: Is there such a thing as romance for boys?
Now if you're the observant type, you've probably noticed I'm not a dude, so what do I know, right? But I've been told time and again that I'm not the 'average girl' (whatever that means) when it comes to my movie tastes, so I'm going to put that theory to the test, and get in touch with my masculine side to create a list of romantic movies for men.
After the jump; My 5 picks for boy-friendly romance...
'The Zookeeper' Snares a Slew of Big Voices
Filed under: Comedy », Casting »
In February, Kevin James signed on to play The Zookeeper in MGM's upcoming live action comedy. At the time, the plot was described as the story of a zookeeper who decides to leave the zoo because he's having trouble meeting a girl ... but the animals intervene. Now we know what that intervention is. The guy wants to win back the woman of his dreams, so the animals teach him their methods of dating and mating. I hate to say it, but this sounds cute.The instructors of ze love, according to Variety, will be Adam Sandler as a capuchin monkey, Cher as a giraffe, Jon Favreau as a bear, Sylvester Stallone as a lion, and Judd Apatow as an elephant. I think they missed an opportunity by not making Sly a stallion, but otherwise, those voices could make for an interesting set of mating rituals.
Jim Breuer, Faizon Love, and Bas Rutten are rounding out the voice cast, but there's also one other name on the roster -- Rosario Dawson. Yes, she will play the woman of his dreams. Oh, men must love the fantasies that Hollywood provides.
The idea of anthropomorphized animals teaching a lonely sap mating rituals could make for a lot of comedy -- if they're allowed to really dip into the mating rituals. Do you think this James laffer will live up to the promise, or pale in comparison to projects like Green Porno?
Adam Sandler's 'Redo' and Other Fake 'Funny People' Films
Filed under: Comedy », Universal », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Images », Summer Movies », Trailers and Clips »
Sandler isn't the only one getting a bit of viral action. Jason Schwartzman also has a sitcom kicking around the Internet called Yo, Teach! starring his Funny People character, Mark Taylor Jackson. The best part about Jackson's promo (besides how wincingly familiar it is) is that NBC.com helpfully hosted it as if it was promoting a real show. There's probably going to be a lot of people sitting around this fall waiting for "that really sweet looking teacher show" ...
Summer 2009 Comedies
Summer Comedy Movies
Judd Apatow directing Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen as stand-up comedians ... Harold Ramis directing Jack Black and Michael Cera as inept cavemen ... Sacha Baron Cohen shocking even more innocent bystanders ... No, you haven't died and gone to comedy heaven. Or maybe you have.
From gigolos to Sleestaks and everything in between, read on to see which comedies you'll be quoting from this summer until the next summer rolls around.
Universa(2)l/ Sony/ Getty Images
'Next Day Air'
Opening: May 8
Starring: Donald Faison, Mike Epps, Mos Def
What It's About: When Faison and Mos Def's slacker parcel men accidentally deliver a giant box filled with cocaine to lowly criminals Epps and Wood Harris, gangsters are out to hurt them all (and by "hurt," we mean "kill"). It's a crime thriller with comedic elements -- it's sort of like a Guy Ritchie flick, except with a mostly African-American cast.
More on 'Next Day Air':
Summit Entertainment
'Dance Flick'
Opening: May 22
Starring: Damon Wayans Jr., Craig Wayans, Shoshanna Bush
What It's About: The Wayans clan couldn't sit back and let Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, the "minds" behind 'Epic Movie,' 'Date Movie,' 'Disaster Movie,' etc., corner the spoof market. Thus their latest effort, which sends up the 'Save the Last Dance' and 'Step Up' subgenre, and introduces fresh Wayanses (try saying that one fast) Craig and Damon Jr.
More on 'Dance Flick':
Paramount
'Year One'
Opening: June 19
Starring: Jack Black, Michael Cera, Olivia Wilde
What It's About: Think 'Superbad' meets 'Forrest Gump,' set in caveman times, starring Judd Apatow regulars, directed by comedy great Harold Ramis. Black and Cera play inept hunter-gatherers who set off for epic adventure when they're banished from their village. They meet biblical figures (David Cross, David Cross, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Hank Azaria), a hottie princess and a sexy slave (Wilde and June Diane Raphael) ... and leave their footprints on history.
More on 'Year One':
Get 'Superbad':
Sony
'Land of the Lost'
Opening: June 5
Starring: Will Ferrell, Anna Friel, Danny McBride
What It's About: Ferrell heads up this remake of the cult '70s Saturday-morning time-travel adventure. We were growing weary of Ferrell's sports spoofs, so we're excited for his take on the surreal show we loved to sort of hate (even as young 'uns, we recognized cheesy effects when we saw 'em). But even greater than our curiosity about Ferrell is the undying appeal of one word, drawing us like a Siren song to the theater: Sleestaks. Oh, and remember Chaka? Color us nostalgic.
More on 'Land of the Lost':
Get the original 'Land of the Lost':
Universal
'The Hangover'
Opening: June 5
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Heather Graham
What It's About: Todd Phillips ('Old School,' 'Road Trip') revisits the theme of boys behaving badly with a Vegas bachelor party gone awry -- which leads to hangovers, spotty memories and a missing groom-to-be (Justin Bartha). Will the three groomsmen reclaim their best friend and deliver him to the altar in time? If Philips' previous movies are any indication, there'll be plenty of raucousness, a touch of male-bonding sweetness, and at least 12 lines that call for "earmuffs."
More on 'The Hangover':
Get 'Old School':
Warner Bros.
'Bruno'
Opening: July 10
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen
What It's About: If you're under the assumption that there's no way Sacha Baron Cohen could top the envelope-pushing humor of his '06 hit 'Borat,' you probably haven't watched the red-band trailer for 'Bruno.' Once again paired with director Larry Charles, Cohen adopts the persona of a gay Austrian fashionista to wreak havoc on unsuspecting victims with antics that include destroying a fashion show, naming his adopted African-American baby OJ and using a prosthetic penis as a weapon. And that's just the stuff that's safe to print.
More on 'Bruno':
Get 'Borat':
Universal
'Funny People'
Opening: July 31
Starring: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Jason Schwartzman
What It's About: Writer-director Judd Apatow, who redefined the rom-com with 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' and 'Knocked Up,' returns with his most dramatic flick yet. Sandler stars as a successful comedian who, after learning he has only a year to live, enters into a life-altering bromance with a struggling comic (Rogen). Sandler's character reevaluates his priorities, trying to win back the one that got away (Mann) -- and hopefully making audiences pee their pants laughing in the process.
More on 'Funny People':
Get 'Knocked Up':
Universal
'The Goods: The Don Ready Story'
Opening: August 14
Starring: Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames, Ed Helms, James Brolin
What It's About: Taking cues from his Emmy-winning TV gig as a smarmy agent ('Entourage'), Piven plays title character Don Ready, the ultimate car salesman. Ready can seal the deal on any motor vehicle but has issues smooth-talking when it comes to the woman of his dreams.
More on 'The Goods':
Get 'Entourage':
Paramount Vantage
'Post Grad'
Opening: August 14
Starring: Alexis Bledel, Zach Gilford, Michael Keaton
What It's About: Recent college grad Ryden (Bledel), lacking a job or any real prospects, is forced to move back in with her oddball family and figure out a new path for herself. She may be experiencing an early-life crisis, but nothing helps the blow like a longtime best friend ('Friday Night Lights' star Gilford) ... and maybe some My Little Pony bedsheets.
More on 'Post Grad':
Get 'Friday Night Lights':
Fox Atomic
Funny stuff. All they're missing is a cameo by Kirk Lazarus.
Interview: 'Year One' Director Harold Ramis
Filed under: Comedy », Sony », Fandom », New in Theaters », Interviews », Summer Movies »
Harold Ramis is the comedy writer and director everyone's cribbed from, from Sandler to Apatow. After leaving "Second City TV," Ramis went on to write, direct, and occasionally star in comedic touchstones like Animal House, Caddyshack, Stripes, Groundhog Day, and of course, Ghostbusters, which have starred a slew of loveable losers fighting to get their sh*t together in the army, on the golf course, or in the middle of a war with supernatural beings. After taking a few years off, Ramis is taking it back to the beginning with this summer's Year One, which stars Jack Black and Michael Cera as loveable loser cavemen who, when Black's Zed accidentally burns down the village, find themselves in the middle of a very familiar holy war. Read on and find out what the big daddy of buddy movies had to say about evolution and self-improvement, male full frontal nudity and the lack thereof, and what the heck is up with Ghostbusters 3.
Year One opens nationwide this Friday, June 19th.
Cinematical: How much more stressful is it to deal with marketing a summer blockbuster and competing with the other movies that are out?
Harold Ramis: You know, it's the same level of stress every time you make a movie, because you've pinned all your hopes and dreams on it and you've fantasized what success will be like, but at the time you can't escape fantasizing what failure will be like. [laughs]
I conceived this movie on a big scale, to do a Biblical epic comedy. I knew it was ambitious and when the studio said "Yes, we'll do it," and it became real, I thought, "Oh my God!" [laughs] It's one thing to fail small, but to make a big movie that doesn't work is so risky.
Watch This: Jason Schwartzman's TV Show, 'Yo Teach'
Filed under: Comedy », Fandom », Movie Marketing », Summer Movies », Trailers and Clips »
Hey, did you know that Jason Schwartzman was starring in a new NBC show called Yo Teach, about a teacher with a big heart who goes all Stand and Deliver/Dangerous Minds-like on the inner-city troublemakers in his class? I'm lying, of course -- Schwartzman isn't starring in any real TV show; instead, this is just a taste of the first piece of viral marketing for Judd Apatow's Funny People, which, because it stars actors playing popular actors, is filled with all sorts of fake movies and TV shows, like Yo Teach. (Read about some of the fake movies within the movie.)
Funny People stars Adam Sandler as a comedian-turned-crappy high concept actor who mentors a younger up-and-coming comedian (Seth Rogen), all while struggling to beat cancer and win back the girl (Leslie Mann) that got away. Jason Schwartzman stars as one of Rogen's pals, an egocentric TV actor. So far two clips from Yo Teach have arrived online, with one being a behind-the-scenes look and the other a straight-up scene that features YouTube comedian/songwriter Bo Burnham, who Apatow is a fan of. One expects tons more viral stuff to hit prior to the release of Funny People on July 31 (which is currently sporting a two and a half hour runtime, apparently), so stay tuned.
And you know what? I think I'd actually watch this show if it was real. It's lame, sure, but I dig it for some reason. What say you?
[via The Playlist]
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Discuss: The Movies That Haunt You_thumbnail.jpg)
'Yogi Bear' Will Cry Me A River With Its Cast
