the slammin salmon Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I returned home from Austin yesterday and am still suffering from SXSW Separation Anxiety. Shawn Levy of The Oregonian sums it up well: "Frankly, music people are nuts compared to the film people (who are nuts compared to the interactive people). And as Austin seems genuinely nuts itself, the whole thing works out nicely."

SXSW kept rolling along, even without me and Shawn. While downtown streets were filled with crowds and music, the film venues had somewhat lighter attendance, making it easier for out of town visitors and local residents to catch up with repeat screenings of buzz titles like Alexander the Last, Goodbye Solo, My Suicide, Made in China, and Humpday.

Tonight, an attendee exulted over getting into the Playboy party and seeing Jane's Addiction, while a film critic observed "people in pirate gear blasting 'Kickstart My Heart' in front of [the] Austin Hilton," and another writer "accidentally had another five-movie day." And you wonder why some of us are addicted to Twitter?

Cinematical Coverage. Eugene Novikov called The Slammin' Salmon, the latest project from the Broken Lizard comedy troupe, "90 minutes of truly inspired comic mayhem." Speaking of mayhem, this critic felt Australian revenge flick The Horseman was brutally effective: "It's a testicle for a vagina instead of an eye for an eye."

Eric D. Snider says that Craig Johnson's True Adolescents is "an acerbic but realistic coming-of-age story ... the tone gradually shifting from hipster-funny to hipster-introspective." Mark Duplass and Melissa Leo star. Jette Kernion liked Tommy Pallotta's documentary American Prince even more than American Boy, the 1978 Martin Scorsese doc that featured the same subject, Steven Prince, "probably because I preferred watching the older Prince over the younger one."

You can check out all of our SXSW 2009 coverage right here.

Before The Slammin' Salmon, I wouldn't have called myself a fan of the boys from the Broken Lizard comedy troupe, though I have some mild, slightly embarrassed affection for Super Troopers and Club Dread. But Salmon is 90 minutes of truly inspired comic mayhem. With valuable assists from the rest of their cast, Broken Lizard has crafted the funniest film of SXSW – and they had some fine competition. I know I said that you can't trust me, but trust me: this is great stuff.

Broken Lizard is Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske and Kevin Heffernan. Heffernan directed and the entire troupe is credited for the screenplay. But in a shrewd move, The Slammin' Salmon revolves around an outsider: Michael Clarke Duncan, who plays a boxer-turned-restaurant owner named Cleon Salmon, a.k.a. "The Champ." In the best comedy tradition, the Champ combines dim-witted cluelessness with peerless confidence. That, combined with his enormous size, puts his employees in mortal fear of his wrath. So when, one evening, he announces that the waiter with the most sales gets $10,000 while the loser gets a "broken rib sandwich," the waitstaff – led by their officious manager (Heffernan) – step to.

My Life in Ruins
Nia Vardalos, writer and star of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding and its mercifully short-lived TV version My Big Fat Greek Life stars as an American working as a tour guide in Greece. Apparently she finds romance with a creepy bus driver who likes to be called "Poopy," which is one of the reasons something stinks so badly about this one. The ruination begins on May 8.

Watchmen (Japanese trailer)
I'm almost at the point where I think I should stop watching the new Watchmen trailers (yes, I know, "Who watches the Watchmen?"), but I've read the graphic novel many times so the possiblity of spoilers is slim. There's some footage here we haven't seen before including shots of a cranky old Richard Nixon and a look at how the Kennedy assasination plays out in the Watchmen universe.

The Hurt Locker
Based on reporter Mark Boal's experiences in Iraq, this one is about a team of soldiers whose specialty is the disposal of explosive ordnance. No release info yet.

The Slammin' Salmon (Red Band Trailer)
"You have to dominate the swordfish. Only then can you sautee it," explains Michael Clarke Duncan's character in this comedy from the folks behind Super Troopers, right after he punches said swordfish in the face. The title refers to the restaurant where the film is set, a place where shenanigans reign supreme apparently. This may have some moments but I predict a long life in rotation on Comedy Central. No release info yet.

Dance Flick (International Trailer)
This new international trailer has footage we didn't see in the domestic version but I'm still not seeing any compelling reason to go see this latest from the Wayans brothers. If you disagree you'll have your chance on August 14.

Captain Berlin Vs. Hitler
Although the trailer promises a February 2009 release I doubt we'll be seeing this German super hero comedy here in the states any time soon. I question whether the premise is even strong enough to carry a feature, but this preview is pretty neat in a schlocky kind of way. The disembodied brain of Hitler and Dracula threaten to destroy all that is good in the world, but standing in their way is "the one and only German super hero: Captain Berlin!" This appears to be a filmed stage play but the most interesting part is that Jorg Buttgereit is behind this. Buttgereit directed Nekromantik (a story about a love triangle involving a man, a woman, and a corpse) which was one of the darkest most unpleasant films I've ever seen, so I'm curious to see his take on a super hero comedy.

New this week on AOL Moviefone:

• State of Play - Feature remake of a British TV mini-series about a reporter's investigation of the murder of a congressman's mistress. Check it out right here:
  
  
• Monsters vs. Aliens - Animated comedy that pays homage to science fiction films of the 1950s. Here's the trailer:
  
  
  
• Yonkers Joe - Family drama about a con man and seeking the ultimate scam to help care for his mentally challenged son.
• The Proposal - A high level executive played by Sandra Bullock is about to lose her status as a U.S. resident and hatches a scheme to marry her assistant played by Ryan Reynolds.

I have yet to love a Broken Lizard movie, but I have a definite soft spot for the goofy comedy group, which somehow manages to be both lowbrow and esoteric. I missed Beerfest, but fondly recall individual moments of brilliance in Super Troopers (e.g. Kevin Heffernan flipping out on the fast food joint surveillance tape) and Club Dread (Heffernan again, losing his cool at the "fun police"). Their jokes can be vulgar and crude, but they can also be so subtle that they're almost not jokes, if that makes any sense. The way they embrace that dichotomy is really interesting to me.

Anyway, the Broken Lizard boys have unveiled a redband trailer for their latest effort, The Slammin' Salmon, and it's a gem. They've recruited Michael Clarke Duncan to play the lead role of a boxer-turned-enthusiastic-seafood-restaurant-owner, which makes perfect sense. He has one line in the trailer about a swordfish that may singlehandedly turn the film into a cult classic. Or if it doesn't, Duncan's girlish shriek certainly will.

I'm even more excited for The Slammin' Salmon because it was directed by Heffernan who, if it wasn't obvious, is far and away my favorite member of the troupe. Jay Chandrasekhar, who directed all the previous films (as well as the execrable Dukes of Hazzard remake) co-wrote with Heffernan and stars.

The movie premieres at Slamdance this month, and will be released this year on a date to be determined. (I'm hoping it shows up at SXSW in March.) Check out the trailer over at Collider.

Every year during the Sundance Film Festival, there's another quieter festival doing its thing in Park City called Slamdance. Both fests run at the same time, though one is this really big, stylish, celebrity-spottin' hip-to-be-seen scene, while the other is a warm, welcoming place to settle down with friends and take in some quality independent entertainment. Needless to say, though they're both located in the same neighborhood, these are two very different festivals -- different vibes, different venues, different merch. And although we here at Cinematical primarily cover Sundance, we will try to get to as many Slamdance flicks as we can come January.

Speaking of, the fest just announced their slate for 2009 and it includes some fine-looking little nuggets. Among some of the flicks enjoying their world premiere are the new one from those Broken Lizard dudes, The Slammin' Salmon, about an owner of a restaurant who, indebted to the mob, decides to hold a contest to see which waiter can earn the most money in one night. Also on the sched is Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead, a wacky-sounding opening night flick called I Sell the Dead, and a bunch more. Check out the list of films (along with descriptions) after the jump, then let us know which ones you want us to review for you from Park City.

For more on Slamdance '09, click here.