jonah hill Tagged Articles at Cinematical
DreamWorks Shows Off 'How to Train Your Dragon'
Filed under: Animation », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Family Films », Newsstand », Dreamworks », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragon has been on my radar due to its literary roots (it's based on a 2003 book by Cressida Cowell) and its large and charming cast. But we all know that doesn't necessarily make a memorable animated movie. Too many kid flicks end up flimsy, and feel like extended fast food commercials. I figured Dragon would be one of them.
Happily, I might be wrong. A surprisingly charming trailer for Dragon has debuted at Yahoo! Movies. While I'm an easy mark thanks to a weakness for Scottish accents and Viking villages, the trailer is refreshingly free of Shrek's self-conscious hipness . Why, there's barely any snark to be found! It's all about a gentle lad (you'll recognize the voice of Jay Baruchel immediately) and the most adorable dragon you've ever seen. His limpid eyes and froggy mouth immediately makes the Viking-on-dragon violence rather horrific, and may cause you to feel hatred towards the brogue of Gerard Butler. (I know, I didn't think it was possible either.) Plus, there's a young Viking lass who wields an axe! If this could inspire a few girls to don Viking berserker costumes next Halloween, I will praise it no matter what its flaws and Burger King tie-ins.
The trailer is below the jump thanks to an embed from Yahoo! Movies. Watch it, share your thoughts, and squee over that squishy dragon. If there's a plush version that has that skeptical expression, I want it for my desk.
Is Ricky Gervais a 'Lying' Hypocrite?
Filed under: Comedy », New Releases », Warner Brothers »
Warm, witty, and wise are all words I would happily use to described The Invention of Lying. Ricky Gervais, who co-wrote and co-directed with Matthew Robinson, stars as a screenwriter in an alternate universe. (Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Rob Lowe, and Louis C.K. also star.) It's a world that resembles our world, except that everyone is compelled to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, at all times -- not simply be honest when asked, but volunteer all manner of unflattering information. It's a cute premise that allows the dark, droll humor of Gervais to prevail, resulting in a very funny movie that eventually morphs into a treatise -- some would say a broadside, but I think it's far too kind and empathetic -- on religion, spirituality, and the importance of leading a "good" life.
Here's the rub: Gervais' character is also a wee bit hypocritical. (OK, a whole lot.) As he admits in the film, he's a middle-aged, overweight, snub-nosed little man, not much in the physical looks department. His charming personality, keen intelligence, and acerbic humor all serve to balance the books nicely as an overall package, but not in the eyes of Jennifer Garner, who plays a shallow-minded woman. All she wants is a good match in the gene pool, and Gervais doesn't measure up. So why does he pursue her?
Will Ferrell is an 'Oobermind'
Filed under: Animation », Comedy », Casting », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
Hollywood has cooked up a new twist. This may not be in league with Javier Bardem being replaced by actress Carmen Maura in a gig, but it's still surprising. Variety reports that DreamWorks has lined up its voice talent for 2010's Oobermind -- Robert Downey Jr.'s lead baddie has been replaced by Will Ferrell, and he'll be joined by Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill (not to mention Tina Fey, who signed on earlier).
The satire focuses on a big-noggined supervillain called Oobermind. He has defeated his hero rival Metro Man (Pitt), and finds post-hero-fighting life to be boring. So he creates a new superhero called Titan (Hill), to fight. Only this dude wants to be a bad guy as well, which forces Oobermind to switch sides himself. (Can you spot all the Venture Brothers similarities?) Fey, meanwhile, voices a reporter trying to keep up with the many superhero/villain changes.
Switching from Downey Jr. to Ferrell is sure to have a big impact on the film. You've got RDJ, who can be delightfully evil and would surely offer a textured and intriguing villain, and then Ferrell, who may have proved his range with gigs like Stranger Than Fiction, but still tends to offer that same blissed-out cluelessness that made him famous. DreamWorks is planning to release Oobermind in the fall of 2010, as part of a cinematic push to make up for Monsters vs. Aliens performance, but I wonder: Can Ferrell deliver the goods, and make up for Downey Jr.'s departure?
Jason Segel, Jonah Hill, and Jason Schwartzman Spell Adventure
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Casting », Scripts »
If you were ever wondering what would happen if The Darjeeling Limited was less quirky and more adventurous, you're about to get your wish. The Hollywood Reporter posts that there's a new adventure comedy on the way called The Adventurer's Handbook, and Jason Segel will star, along with Jonah Hill and Darjeeling's Jason Schwartzman.Written by Hill, along with Matt Spicer and Max Winkler, the film is an adaptation of Mick Conefrey's book The Adventurer's Handbook: Life Lessons from History's Great Explorers. Rather than a scattershot collection of explorer stories, it'll focus on four childhood friends who are sick of their monotonous lives. Inspired by Conefrey's book, the foursome set off to perk things up with their own adventure. Considering the fact that the book includes helpful tips like "what to do if you are attacked by an anaconda -- you wait until it is has swallowed you up to your knees and then you reach down and cut its head off," this adventure should be insane. (And how do you cut off a snake's head if your legs are trapped inside?!)
Robert De Niro and Jonah Hill Join Rodriguez's 'Machete'?
Filed under: Horror », Casting », RumorMonger »
(if this rumor is true, we officially have the strangest casting of 2009 so far. Here's Elisabeth Rappe reporting on a wicket Machete rumor for Horror Squad.)While you'll have to file this firmly under "rumor" and "dreams," you can do an air punch at the very thought of just who Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis lined up for Machete. Bloody Disgusting reports that joining Danny Trejo in the Grindhouse spin-off are the following: Michelle Rodriguez, Jonah Hill, and (wait for it) Robert DeNiro.
Pause for a moment and repeat that: Robert DeNiro will share the screen with Danny Trejo in Machete. While it's still unconfirmed, BD notes that the source is none other than the one who sent them news of the Alien and Predator reboots, and those turned out to be true. So you can keep hope alive that you'll see DeNiro rocking the grindhouse world.
Read the rest at Horror Squad
Cinematical Seven: Movies That Pull an All-Nighter
Filed under: Comedy », Cinematical Seven », Lists »
I've had my share of all-nighters, and sure, some of them were for a perfectly legitimate reason like studying, but I'll be honest with you: most of them were for reasons that for the sake of propriety, I shouldn't go into here -- and I know I'm not the only one. Who doesn't have a story about that one great night? Or that one party that couldn't be missed? Exactly, we all do, and maybe that's why we all love a good story about some wild and crazy all-nighter.
This Friday, audiences will be treated to another tale full of all-night shenanigans with I Love You, Beth Cooper, which follows a high school nobody who changes everything when he utters those five words during his graduation speech. So just like every 'all-nighter' film to go before it, Cooper is about breaking out of your comfort zone and watching the best laid plans go to waste -- and usually our hero or heroine gets to fall in love along the way. So with that in mind, let's take a look back at seven other films that are about our search for a good time.
1. The Allnighter
Well, you can't have a list about all-nighters without including this 80's turkey starring The Bangles' lead singer, Susanna Hoffs. Even Joan Cusack (the patron saint of 80's comedy) couldn't save this story about a group of girls looking for a good time on their last night before graduation. The Allnighter was written and directed by Hoff's mom, and was meant to be the singer's big break into acting. Unfortunately for her, the film was so bad that not only did it fail at the box office, it managed to turn the gal off from ever pursuing a film career at all.
After the jump: find out which other all-nighter flicks made the list...
'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.
Jonah Hill Has R-Rated Plans for '21 Jump Street'
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Sony », Scripts », Johnny Depp », Remakes and Sequels »
You know, there really isn't any point complaining about Hollywood remaking old TV shows into movies -- why, you may ask? Well, mainly because it seems like it's going to happen no matter what we do. So while I understand when fans get a little bent out of shape when their favorite show is next in line for a 're-imagining'; for the life of me, I don't understand why anyone would feel the need to get all protective over 21 Jump Street. Last year the news broke that Jonah Hill was writing an adaptation of the cult TV show, and immediately there was an outcry that he would be turning their beloved series into a comedy. But, for fans of the teen cop drama, there is still hope, because in a recent interview with Complex, Hill gave an update on his remake and told them that "[Sony execs said] they were gonna let me make my kind of movie-an R-rated, insane, Bad-Boys-meets-John Hughes-type movie-and I told them the second they don't, I'm not gonna be involved anymore," -- and Hill has proven already that he has no qualms about walking away from projects that aren't working for him.After the jump; so what exactly does Hill have planned for his Jump Street remake?
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]
Is Ricky Gervais Too Good for Hollywood?
Filed under: Comedy », Deals », Sony », Fandom »
I have this feeling the brilliant Ricky Gervais probably won't make it big in Hollywood. Now before you get all riled up, hear me out: Whenever Gervais gets the chance to 'ingratiate' himself into the Hollywood big-time, let's face it, the results are less than cuddly. In fact, more often than not the guy winds up on a demo reel of controversial moments. Gervais is someone who can't sit down with Elmo without it turning into a moment of subversive comedy, and that is what I love about him. But the biggest thing that stands between Gervais and a big movie career (other than an absence of a six-pack and capped teeth) is that the man just couldn't care less about playing nice -- and it's that quality that has earned my eternal respect (after all, it takes a lot of guts to put this scene in a Christmas special).Gervais has been making some inroads stateside with the romantic comedy Ghost Town -- a relatively successful film that tried to capitalize on Gervais' fondness of creating sympathetic yet unpleasant characters. Granted, it wasn't a big hit, but it was well liked enough and managed to win some fans who weren't strictly Office devotees. But I think the big test for whether or not Gervais becomes movie star is his directorial debut, This Side of the Truth, with Jonah Hill, Jennifer Garner, and Rob Lowe. But even if Truth doesn't work out, Gervais and long-time creative partner Stephen Merchant will be going back to slightly more familiar territory when they team up with Sony for a coming of age flick, The Men at the Pru, about a group of men working at an insurance company in the 1970s.
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