ScreenCrave.com » Bill Hader

Tom Cruise’s ‘Tropic Thunder’ Spin-Off Script Is Finished

traviswoods — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:46:10 +0000

Now that Tom Cruise is wrapping up Mission Impossible 47: Remember When I Didn’t Creep You Guys Out? Could We Go Back To That? and is set to complete filming on Rock of Ages later this year, it’s time to predict what film Cruise will do next, mainly because I like to pretend that it’s 1996 and anyone still cares (it’s a weird hobby, I know). And /Film points out that one possibility is the Tropic Thunder spinoff featuring Cruise’s shockingly funny turn as Les Grossman, Hollywood superagent.

Speaking to MTV, Saturday Night Live’s Bill Hader confirmed that his friend, Scott Pilgrim vs the World co-screenwriter Michael Bacall, has finished the script to the spin-off:

“I just know the broad strokes. Michael just telling me, ‘I just wrote this scene where blah, blah, blah and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s funny, man!’… It’s gonna be great!”

And while that’s essentially the Hollywood equivalent of “I don’t know, man, my buddy wrote a script, what do you want me to say, that it sucks? It’s kinda funny, ok, so leave the guy alone,” Cruise was pretty much the best thing about Tropic Thunder. However, the Les Grossman character was so hilarious because it was such a surprise, and because he was doled out on screen in such small, limited doses. 90 minutes of watching Tom Cruise scream obscenities and dance in a fat suit might the 2011 or 2012 equivalent of a Big Mama’s House sequel, and thus the final dotted ‘i’ or crossed ‘t’ in Cruise’s eventual total meltdown. So maybe he should just stick with Mission Impossible 48.

What would you think of a Les Grossman film?

Paul: Movie Review

Krystal Clark — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:20:52 +0000

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost reunite on the big screen this weekend for their new comedy Paul. Like they’re previous works, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, which poked fun at the horror and action genre, Paul places the focus on science fiction. It’s a comedic take on what would happen if you mixed the movie Alien with Fanboys. Check out our review…

The Players:

Director: Greg Mottola
Screenwriters: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost
Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio, Sigourney Weaver, Jeffrey Tambor, Jane Lynch, Blythe Danner, John Carroll Lynch
Cinematography By: Lawrence Sher
Original Music By: David Arnold

The Plot:

Clive and Graeme are two sci-fi enthusiasts who travel from the U.K. to the U.S. to attend San Diego Comic-Con. After the convention wraps they take a road trip across the Southwest, where they visit several famous UFO landmarks including Area 51. During one of their stops they meet Paul, an alien who’s on the run from the government. He enlists the help of Clive and Graeme, who dodge FBI agents, red necks, and Bible thumpers to get him where he needs to be.

The Good:

Simon Pegg/Nick Frost: The chemistry between these two is undeniable. They’re naturally funny apart, so when they’re together comedy ensues. If you’re a fan of their previous collaborations, you won’t be disappointed with their performances in Paul.
Paul: Paul is a pleasant surprise. At first glance, he comes across as a rude, slimy, untrustworthy creature but he’s actually a heartwarming character that you learn to love as the movie progresses.
The Big Guy: Sigourney Weaver plays the main villain, who’s affectionately called The Big Guy. Her casting in this role is pure genius considering her longstanding battle with aliens for the majority of her career. There’s only a choice few actresses who can pull off masculine characters believably and she’s one of them!

The Bad:

Throwaway Characters: There are more than a few oddballs who interfere with Paul, Clive, and Graeme’s journey including a couple of agents in training, some hillbillies, and a religious zealot. All of them are one dimensional characters who serve no purpose to the story. They could have scrapped them and given more screen time to those who mattered.
Agent Zoil: I love Jason Bateman, therefore it hurts me to say this: Agent Zoil dropped the ball. The majority of the film, Zoil is the straight man against all the other goofball characters, a role that Bateman is used to pulling off (Arrested Development anyone?) but his character wasn’t fun, witty, or interesting. Anyone could have played Zoil. It didn’t have to be Bateman. His talent was wasted here.

Overall:

Paul is a road trip movie that pokes fun at the sci-fi genre and the fan boy culture. It’s campy and comedic fun.

Rating: 7.5/10

Paul opens in theaters everywhere on March 11th.

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Will you be seeing Paul this weekend?

New Photos from Simon Pegg, Nick Frost Comedy Paul

Krystal Clark — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:33:09 +0000

If you’re a fanboy, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg’s latest film was made specifically for you. The comedy duo have reunited for the Comic-Con inspired road trip movie Paul, which centers on an alien who falls into the laps of two unsuspecting sci-fi geeks on their way to the annual comic convention. Over on Empire, they’ve premiere two new photos from the film, one of which features co-star and “Saturday Night Live” regular Bill Hader. Take a look…

Official Synopsis:

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) reunite for the comedy adventure Paul as two sci-fi geeks whose pilgrimage takes them to America’s UFO heartland. While there, they accidentally meet an alien who brings them on an insane road trip that alters their universe forever.

For the past 60 years, an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) has been hanging out at a top-secret military base. For reasons unknown, the space-traveling smart ass decides to escape the compound and hop on the first vehicle out of town—a rented RV containing Earthlings Graeme Willy (Pegg) and Clive Collings (Frost).

Chased by federal agents and the fanatical father of a young woman that they accidentally kidnap, Graeme and Clive hatch a fumbling escape plan to return Paul to his mother ship. And as two nerds struggle to help, one little green man might just take his fellow outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes.

We have to be honest, the photo of Bill Hader looks really bad ass. He’s attempting to channel his inner FBI agent, by being as stone faced as possible. It looks like someone’s been taking a few notes from Hugo Weaving in The Matrix.

Paul opens in theaters on March 18, 2011.

What do you think of the new photos for Paul? Does the film look funny to you?

Comic-Con 2010 Video: Cast of Paul Favorite Comic-Con Moment

Krystal Clark — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:36:08 +0000

Paul director Greg Mottola was joined by his cast including Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Bill Hader, Jeffrey Tambor, Joe Lo Truglio, Seth Rogen and Sigourney Weaver at the film’s official Comic-Con panel. They gave an exclusive sneak peek at the film, and revealed to the audience their favorite Comic-Con moment. Lucky for you we recorded it! Watch their answers below…

The reason this moment is so epic is because Paul takes place at Comic-Con (the majority of it anyway). The characters played by Pegg and Frost are certified geeks and they take a cross country trip to the annual event, which leads them to finding their new alien friend. Unfortunately, we found out a lot of the footage filmed for the movie was recreated at another location because the Comic-Con folks wouldn’t let them film during the actual event. Boo!!!

Anyway, one of the fans who was in attendance at the Paul panel asked the cast what they’re favorite Comic-Con moment has been so far and this is how they answered.

There you have it!

What do you think of the cast of Paul and their favorite Comic-Con moments? Were you in attendance at this year’s panel?

Like what you read? For more fun, check out our top stories from Comic-Con…

VOTD: James Franco, Bill Hader Wish Sam Raimi Happy Birthday

Krystal Clark — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:22:35 +0000

James Franco and Bill Hader recently got together for a good cause to celebrate the birthday of Hollywood director Sam Raimi. They released a video on Funny or Die that shows the two commiserating over their relationship with Raimi. Franco plays himself and Hader plays a Spider-Man era Willem Dafoe. Before you watch this you should know one thing…Sam Raimi’s birthday is October 23rd so we don’t know what possessed them to give a B-day shout out in June. Check it out…

Happy Birthday Sam Raimi from James Franco from James Franco

Sometimes these celebrity videos bomb but this one is a huge success because of two things, Franco’s bad acting and Hader’s inability to stay in character. He reminds us of Jimmy Fallon when he was on SNL but funnier. There’s also the awesome outtake at the end regarding Raimi’s “classic” movie, Crimewave. They actually cracked up a bit during the final cut when they talked about it as well.

Hader as Dafoe, “Did you see Crimewave? I saw that movie on an airplane and people still walked out.” How can you not crack up at that line? There are so many layers of hilarity going on at once.

P.S. Spider-Man 4 is dead, which makes this video even more special.

What do you think of Franco and Hader’s birthday video for Sam Raimi?

VOTD: Taylor Swift Does Twilight With Firelight

Krystal Clark — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:10:17 +0000

This past weekend something amazing hit the small screen and it came from Saturday Night Live. It’s been a long time since the show has produced a digital short that could make you cry from laughter, but they’ve managed to do so. Country singer Taylor Swift was recently the host and musical guest for the show and pulled off one of the best Twilight spoof’s known to man. It features Swift as Bella, and let’s just say upfront she does a better job in this two minute piece than Kristen Stewart does in the entire franchise.

Take a look at Firelight…

The story of Firelight takes the focus off of the vampire-human relationship and places it on Frankenstein and his crew. Bella is drawn to Phillip Frank (Bill Hader) who is a part of the infamous Franks family. Just like in Twilight, the duo tries to fight their feelings for one another due to their obvious differences.

SNL hits the nail on the head with Swift’s casting in this parody. She’s great as Bella and Bill Hader is great in everything so no surprise there. Also, the introduction of Frankenstein’s arch enemy Lomax, who’s an obvious take on Jacob the werewolf, was an interesting twist. Who knew that the mummy was Frankenstein’s nemesis?

What do you think of SNL’s take on Twilight with Firelight?

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: Movie Review

dianacammarota — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:00:26 +0000

Grab the kids and head to the theater this Friday, September 18^th, for a spectacular 3D feeding frenzy compliments of writers/directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord. Columbia Pictures’ and Sony Pictures Animation have joined forces with Miller and Lord (for their directorial debut) to bring us their take on the perennial favorite children’s book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

The original book is actually a story about a story. In it, two children listen with rapt attention as their grandfather spins the yarn of the legendary sardine town Chewandswallow where three times a day, food of every kind fell from the sky. The children delight in the idea, “Wouldn’t it be marvelous?” and recoil at the pitfalls, “What if we didn’t like what fell?” But no one asks how it came to be that food could fall from the sky – and whatever happened to the land of Chewandswallow? That is, until now…

PLOT

This is the story of Flint Lockwood – the young and awkward but fiercely tenacious inventor who, after several disastrous attempts finally creates something that will save his one-food town from its monotonous torpor: a machine that turns water into food! When the machine is accidentally shot skyward, the celebration begins with restaurants opening their roofs to welcome a the falling food. As a hero and celebrity, Flint finds himself on top of the world! The townspeople adore him, the woman he loves takes notice and his loving, but none-too-sympathetic father may finally come around. So, with a heaping pile of food, fortune and fame at his feet, what could possibly go wrong? Put on your 3D glasses, have a seat and see for yourself!

THE PLAYERS

Written and Directed by: Chris Miller and Phil Lord (read interview)
Produced by: Columbia Pictures’ and Sony Pictures Animation
Adapted from: The 1978 book, of the same name, written by Judi Barret and illustrated by Ron Barrett.
Voices: Bill Hader as Flint Lockwood (read interview) and Anna Faris as Sam Sparks (read interview) along with James Caan, Neil Patrick Harris, Mr. T, Bruce Campbell, Al Roker, Andy Samberg, Benjamin Bratt and Bobb’e J. Thompson.

THE GOOD:

Visual Effects: Miller, Lord and digital supervisor Daniel Kramer can definitely add “detail oriented” to their resumes. You find yourself marveling at a mountainous Jello mold and a spaghetti cyclone just as you would with any live action adventure film out there. With a wink and a nod to such epic movies as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Twister and The Day After Tomorrow, Cloudy takes us on a wild and visually stunning ride that will hold the attention of both children and adults for the entire 87 minutes.
Running time: In a theater half full of children – not one case of ants in the pants.
Music Score: When Public Enemy and the Alan Parsons Project share the bill on a children’s film, you know you’ve got one creative team. With cheeky songs alongside grandiose 100 piece orchestra arrangements, Mark Mothersbaugh (of Devo fame) knew precisely how to set the stage for a film that is at once both silly and epic.
Voices: A well-cast group of some of today’s best comedic voices. It is nice to hear that Mr. T’s still got it after all these years and I applaud Neil Patrick Harris for his sense of humor and teamwork by playing a monkey.
Dialogue: Clever and well delivered with plenty of humor for audiences of all ages.
Plotline: The writers worked with the original book in an interesting way – one that defies comparison between the two. Instead of creating a direct or parallel adaptation, they focus on the part of the book that was never fully dramatized. Unlike many adaptations that co-opt the main narrative of an original story, Miller and Lord create more of a “spin-off” type scenario that compliments the original work very well.

THE BAD:

Tough shallow: If you’re looking for a deeply insightful children’s story or a moral tale with staying power – Cloudy will probably fall short. Yes, it modestly cautions the dangers of gluttony, greed and excess but its main function is to be a lighthearted and cinematic splendor , and this it delivers.
Some gross scenes: I have nerves of steel, but the film could have done without the headless, plucked chickens. Most of the audience was silent during these parts leading me to think I was perhaps not the only one more disturbed than amused. They weren’t something that would traumatize a child, and they weren’t meant to be lovable, but they didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the film’s aesthetic.
Needs the theater: It is definitely one of those movies that should be caught on the big screen because the entertainment value is rather tied up in its special effects – even outside of 3D.
The 3D glasses hurt my nose.
Don’t go see it hungry!

OVERALL:

To sum it up in two words: Mission accomplished. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is not only a delight for audiences, it is a “filmmakers film” in many regards. Chris Miller and Phil Lord have solidly demonstrated their creativity, tenacity and pluck, and, while none of us are quite sure what the town of Chewandswallow has in store for it next, I see a zero percent chance of rain in this teams future.

RATING: 9/10

Interview with Bill Hader for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Kara — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:59:42 +0000

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by directing duo, Chris Miller and Phil Lord, starring Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Neil Patrick Harris, and Mr. T. hits theaters Friday, and although it may look like “kid’s movie” due to it’s brightly-colored animation, don’t be fooled, it’s a smart, entertaining movie about when excessive consumption gets taken to the extreme! In the movie, Bill Hader voices the character of Flint Lockwood; the geeky, but kind of cool, aspiring inventor that causes havoc in his small fishing town.

Recently, we sat around a round-table to interview the always hilarious Hader and talk to him about bringing the character of Flint Lockwood to life and how much more difficult voice-over work was than he expected.

Check out what he had to say below…

Did you know of the book when you did this movie?

Bill Hader: When I was a kid, that book was in every classroom. I really loved it.

Did you wonder how they were going to put a story in it?

BH: It’s funny too because you see a lot of people — I’ve read online and stuff — they’ve seen the trailer and go, “That’s not the book,” and I’m like, “The book’s — if you actually just did the book, it would be a two minute movie.” [Laughs]

BH: I just knew Chris and Phil — their stuff from” Clone High” was really funny. They showed me the part where Sam is walking on Jell-O and it was really cool. And The storyboard scene of when Flint is throwing snowballs at people, I was like, “Aw, man!”

Is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs your first animated film?

BH: No, I had done some anime stuff before, but I always did different voices and stuff. This was the first time they wanted my normal voice. I didn’t know how to do that, we had to scrap my whole first day of work because they wanted my voice that was really tough. Also, it is so insanely draining — you scream for four hours into a microphone and then you think you’re done and their like, “Now we need efforts.” (Panting and grunting sounds)

Did you and Anna Faris work in the same room?

BH: We did that like two days and that was good.

Did you get chance to ad-lib things?

BH: I don’t remember doing a ton of ad-libing; I mean the script was really funny. Their vision was super specific. We thought it was going to be easier than it was.

Do you think of the character you play in this movie the same way you would for other movies?

BH: There’s an emotional thing to it. There were scenes in it where I’d approach it like an actor, it’s not all yelling and screaming. Other animated movies I’ve done, it’s like, “You’re a British guy,” or whatever and all you kind of do is that. I remember doing a scene where Flint is in the trash can and the guy is talking me through saying, “You’re really sad man.” They were really good in walking you through it and saying, “No, no, this is like a real moment, not a funny moment.” Then I saw that scene in the movie, and my wife — I think because she knows me — got really sad. He’s throwing himself away. You do really have to think about it. The only kind of research I did, I remember I read a couple interviews of Tom Hanks about Toy Story and kind of how he approached that and in one of those interviews I read, “It’s really hard; it’s really exhausting,” I was like, “God, I’m not a pussy.”

What was the biggest thing you learned in this project?

BH: I learned that I can gasp for two minutes. Like the scene where we all gasp — you have the ability in movies now to splice takes together and you could make food fall the sky, but apparently you can’t make a gasp for two minutes and Phil (Lord) and Chris (Miller) were like, “Yeah, give it to us — two minutes,” and I was like, “I’ll die.” So I’d sit there for a while and be like (gasping sound). Try doing that for as long as you possibly can and then you’d be done and be all light-headed. And they’d say, “No, it’s not what we want, it’s more from the belly.”

What are you able to relate to the most about this movie?

BH: The thing that I can relate to the most is having that thing that in your little community makes you weird or people don’t really get it. That makes you unique and you should just commit to it 100 percent, and enjoy it and I think that’s a cool message — except if you’re a serial killer, right? [Laughs]

What food would order to fall from the sky if you were going to be able to do this?

BH: I really got to think for a second, you put me on the spot. Momofuku pork buns!

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs hits theaters on September 18

Check out the trailer below…

Interview with Directors of Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs

Kara — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:27:21 +0000

This weekend, prepare yourselves for the storm of a lifetime! From the creators of the TV show, How I met your Mother and Clone High, Chris Miller and Phil Lord comes Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Thanks to this amazing directing duo, this is a must see comedy for both children and adults. Although many of you have never heard of Miller and Lord before, they’re on the way to becoming household names with the help of their amazing new film, with a title that is far too long to type out more than once, so we’ll just call it Cloudy.

In case you haven’t already heard, Cloudy is the story of the aspiring inventor, Flint Lockwood’s (Bill Hader) and his unlikely friendship with Sam Sparks (Anna Faris). At first, Flint’s inventions are a nuisance, that is until he creates a machine that causes cheeseburgers, steaks, and ice cream to fall from the sky!

We had a chance to join a round table of journalists to talk to Miller and Lord about their careers and how they talked Sony into letting them make this movie (which wasn’t easy). Check out the interview below where they talk about their road to success, what drew them to the story, playing with food, and how they landed a deal with Disney straight out of college…

What drew you two to this particular book?

Chris Miller: We had both grown up with the book, and it was an influence on our comedic sensibilities. We looked at it and saw pickles smashing into buildings and pancakes on the school and thought, “This is a Jerry Bruckheimer movie, but silly on purpose!”

Did Sony approach you to make this film?

CM: Sony had approached us because they knew of our very short-lived T.V. show, “Clone High.” They were fans of it and wanted to do something with us. When we found out they owned the rights, then we commandeered the meeting to Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

How helpful was it that you have a background in live-action writing when you were doing this movie?

CM: In television, you can get by with jokes and having a loose structure for a story. We realized, pretty early, that to keep peoples attention for almost 90 minutes, there needs to be an emotional through-line. You need to care about the characters and try to have some heart to the movie. That was hard for us, because we have never done that before! We have never been really sincere! You can get by being really glib and silly.

The book doesn’t have a lot of the themes that are present in the film. What themes did you like from the story and which ones did you create for the movie?

Phil Lord: I would say that in the illustrations, there is an undertone of excess, consumption, and how silly it all is. We were inspired by that to say something about consumption, wanting too much, and things being kind of excessive. Once we started getting into the Flint Lockwood story, a lot of it became about what it is like being a creative outsider in a small town, embracing your inner geek, and believing in yourself. A lot of those classic movie themes.

What was the most difficult part of making this movie?

PL: The biggest challenge of all was to create a story that one would want to watch for 86 minutes. It is not easy to make it funny. We were less adept, in the beginning, at making the emotional beats work, but it became clear that we needed to do that to make you sit through the movie.

CM: You have to care about the characters. We had to dig deep behind our veneer of irony and sarcasim and get to the sincere, chewy core.

PL: Then you have to find a way for the audience to stomach that stuff. Then we went to all of these “movie places” of father and son relationships and saying “I love you.” Then how do you do that in a way that is novel and unique, and maybe a little bit twisted.

How did you go about creating the emotional depth for these animated characters?

CM: That is the trick when you are recording these voices in a padded room. You are not on a set, or in a giant spaghetti tornado. We were always trying to paint as clear a picture as possible. We were on the same wavelength as Bill, so it was really easy to communicate with him.

PL: It helps to hire really talented actors too.

CM: One of our inspirations was “The Muppets”. They are really expressive. Their eyes don’t ever move, and some of them don’t have eyes.

PL: They have really limited dimensions of movement.

CM: For a character like Tim, who is unable to express his emotions, it was very good to hide the window to the soul. We were able to get a really subtle performance by subtle movements of his unibrow.

Did you have any actors in mind when you were writing the characters?

CM: For a number of them, we wrote or rewrote the parts. Obviously for Mr. T, we went back and completely rewrote the part. Mr. T is a personal hero of ours.

PL: Bill and Anna came along about half way through the story process. So, we were kind of finalizing what the characters were going to be and casting at the same time. We were able rewrite a little bit for them.

You guys did a lot of research seeing how food bounces and reacts. What was the most fun for you?

PL: During the recording sessions, Anna, Bill, and some of the other actors had to do lines with their mouths full, so every time that would happen we would order cheeseburgers for everyone. That was fun. We were all eating them. Obviously, we had to know how to direct them. We were like, “No, put more burgers in your mouth!”

CM: The slow-motion footage of dropping action figures into a bathtub full of Jell-O is pretty awesome. On a scale of 1 to Awesome, that’s up there.

The snowball fight scene is really not the typical jolly snowball fight. Can you tell us about that scene?

CM: We described it as sort of Children of Men style. We wanted it to be like Children of Men, but the comedy version! It’s a real knee slapper, that movie!

PL: The fact that that joke is in that movie is the small miracle. It is super funny. It is right on that line where some parents are like, “I don’t know,” but the kids are freaking out laughing.

Are you guys fans of Bruce Campbell?

PL: Oh man, of course!

CM: I mean, it wasn’t like we were super popular and didn’t watch movies like Evil Dead or anything. [laughs]

You guys had a development deal with Disney. How did you end up with that deal?

PL: Yes, a comical misunderstanding with every step in our career.

CM: We both went to Dartmouth. They wrote an article in the Alumni magazine about me, and some of the things I had done; editing the humor magazine, doing these comic strips and student films. It was full of exaggerations and wildly inaccurate. It made its way to Michael Eisner, somehow.

PL: His son, Eric, is a Dartmouth Alum ’95. We never knew him, but Dartmouth was always sending stuff to get the Eisner’s to donate money.

CM: He had apparently seen it and passed it down. By the time it went down the telephone, it went from “Oh, check out this guy” to “Get this guy!” So I got a call in my dorm room saying, “Hey, we want to fly you out for a meeting.” I was like, “Gaah! I got midterms,” because I am a total idiot. I sent them our student films, and then we went out for a meeting the summer after we graduated. We went together, and they were like, “Oh you guys are a team? Okay great! We liked your films. Well, we would like to offer you a development deal.” We were like, “Cool! What’s that?” It was the craziest story ever.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs will be released into theaters on September 18! Don’t miss it!

Check out the trailer…

Eight Types of Funny People

Laura Aguirre — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:00:50 +0000

Something about Judd Apatow’s film Funny People got me thinking. The director pretty much gathered some of the most popular comedic talents he could find with all different types of skills and demeanors and put them in the same movie. While I agree with his choices I couldn’t help think about all the different type of comedians there are out there and what makes each of them so special?

Below are 8 different types of comedians who did not snag themselves a spot in Funny People, but are in fact some of the most funny people out their. Check out our list of actors below…

The Backbone:

Bill Hader: I’ve come up with my own theory about this guy. I’m convinced that he and SNL co-star Kristen Wiig made a demonic pact on the set of Knocked Up. They both had bit parts in the film, and ever since then they’ve been in every hit comedy for the past two years! He always comes in as the brother, co-worker, or best friend, steals a few laughs and then slides into the background. His comedy is “ninja-like,” he makes you laugh without your permission. Darn you Bill Hader and your sneaky comedy!

The Smart Ass:

Vince Vaughn is someone who’s naturally funny. He’s that fast talker who can hit you with the punchline, before you can comprehend the set up. Sure he plays the same character in 90 percent of his movies, but I enjoy them all! He’s a smart-ass, he knows it, and you’d better know it if you ever meet him. He’s not the type of person who will wait until you leave a room to start talking smack about your hair or wardrobe. He’ll tell you to your face, and present it in a way that kind of hurts your feelings, but still makes you take his suggestions into consideration.

The Cool Cucumber:

Who told David Hogan, I mean Jason Bateman that he could grow up to have impeccable comedic timing? He snuck back onto the scene with Arrested Development and the next thing I know he’s in my face every other week at the movies. Whenever this guy is on screen it doesn’t seem like he’s even trying. It’s so effortless with him, its not fair. He’s so straight forward, and carefree he’s got that whole “eh, it’s whatever” vibe going. He thinks he’s so cool, but secretly it’s because he is.

The British Humor:

Ricky Gervais changed my mind about comedy from overseas because quite frankly, I just didn’t get it. British humor always seemed so “blah,” and forced to me. But after a caught a glimpse of this guy, I quickly changed by tune. He has the delivery of pre-1997 Hugh Grant, with the crass content of Monty Python. I may get the tomatoes thrown at me for this, but BBC’s The Office is better than the NBC version! There I said it, and I don’t care. I know Gervais produces it, but it’s just not the same.

The Funny Girl:

Kristen Wiig is the second half of the Hader-Wiig comedy pact. After she mysteriously appeared in Knocked Up alongside Hader, both comedians careers have sky rocketed. Kristen’s a funny chick because she’ll say and do gross stuff and not care. She’s not pretentious, with a straight laced formula (i.e. Tina Fey). Don’t get me wrong a love Tina Fey, but she always plays the quirky girl, who we’re all supposed to think is ugly because she wears glasses. Kristen will dress like a man, let you hit her in the face with a pan, and keep on pushing. You got to love that diversity.

The Sensitive Guy:

I’m a bit bias here because I LOVE Paul Rudd! He makes me laugh because he’s sincerely honest, and yet brutally funny. He’s whats on the other side of that Vince Vaughn brand of comedy. Paul will tell you your faults while making you some hot tea. He comes across as that lovable buddy, who always gets into these weird situations, so you let it slide. He’s the prime example of someone you don’t laugh with, but you laugh at. Oh, shucks Paul.

The Chameleon:

Who told Robert Downey, Jr. he could be funny? I mean really funny. Not only can this guy tell a joke, but he has charisma for days. He’s an attention getter. He makes you want to be his friend, so he can tell you about the nights he spends practicing kung fu in his drive way. Let’s give credit to where credit is due. This guy did his Tropic Thunder commentary in character, as Sgt. Osiris just like he said he would in the film. That’s dedication. This man can go from drama, to comedy at the drop of a hat. Not everyone can’t pull that off but he can, and you know why? Because he’s RDJ, dammit!

The Staple:

Ben Stiller has been making us laugh for over 15 years now. You’d think it was in his blood or something. Oh wait, it is (his parents are comedians Jerry Stiller and Ann Meara). Either way, the guy is funny. There are a few comedians who have their moments of staleness, but he’s remained fresh over the years. He sticks out, I mean this guy went on camera with “man juice” on his ear. That’s right, I said man juice. He’ll portray anything from a monkey to a male model and have you peeing your pants by the time it’s over. Ben’s not to afraid to make fun of himself, and that’s what makes him the ultimate funny guy in my eyes.

Who is your favorite comedic actor? And what’s your favorite quality in a comedy actor?

Bill Hader Looks to Join Frost and Pegg in Paul

Krystal Clark — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:30:16 +0000

Funnyman Bill Hader can soon be seen in this month’s Adventureland, and every week on Saturday Night Live. In the past two years Hader has been making his mark in feature film by popping up in such hits as Superbad and Tropic Thunder. According to FilmSchoolRejects he’s on his way to co-starring in another feature alongside British powerhouses Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

We previously reported that Pegg and Frost were teaming up for the Greg Mattola comedy Paul. The film centers on “two British comic book geeks who travel together across the United States, experiencing the highlights of American culture along the way.” Not only will the actors star in the film, but they also co-wrote the script. In a recent interview Hader spoke about Paul and the possibility of him making an appearance.

“Greg [Mottola], he’s the best,” Hader explained. “I’m actually, hopefully, gonna be in his next movie, which is called Paul, with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.”

The film is set for release next year, but no definite date has been given. There is also no news on what character Hader’s in the running to play, but whatever it is I’m sure he’ll be hilarious. Pegg, Frost, and Hader equal comedic gold in my eyes. Since Hader is currently wrapping up press for Adventureland he may drop more hints about his involvement with the project, but until then we’ll have to wait it out.

Do you want to see Hader join Pegg and Frost in Paul? Is this good casting or what?

Roundup: Prince of Persia, Deadpool, Hellraiser

Krystal Clark — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:15:15 +0000

Here are some of the top stories you may have missed this Watchmen weekend…

The first official photos of Jake Gyllenhaal as Dastan in next year’s video game adaptation Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time have been released. Besides the one above you can view another pic when you click on the link. [Huffington Post]
French director Pascal Laugier recently gave an interview regarding his upcoming Hellraiser movie. He stresses that it’s not a remake but a reboot. I say if it looks like a duck, and talks like a duck…[Screenrant]

Check out a new photo that’s been released by 20th Century Fox in support of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The character of choice is Wade Wilson aka Deadpool. I know everyone is complaining about his outfit, but I hear that by the end of the movie he will don his traditional mask and suit. [Superherohype]
Here’s an amazing video that features some of the top TV stars of today who are on their way to becoming the top film stars of tomorrow. The actors featured are Bill Hader, Gaius Charles, Taylor Kitsch, Eric Dane, and Joshua Jackson. [New York Times]
What comic book character has the most memorable catchphrase? Here is a list that ranks the quotes that have made their imprint on film, comics, and pop culture. [Premiere]

ScreenCrave.com » Bill Hader

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