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Jason Segel and Emily Blunt in The Five-Year Engagement Trailer

Damon Houx — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:49:36 +0000

Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel are quite the comic duo – at this point they’re making a movie a year together, and are just coming off The Muppets. Their latest is The Five-Year Engagement, and it’s due out April 27, 2012. It’s even more of a reunion as the duo have also made two of their other recent films with Emily Blunt. She shows up in The Muppets, and also appeared with Segel in Gulliver’s Travels. Check out the trailer…

The film also features Community‘s Alison Brie, Parks and Recreation‘s Chris Pratt, The Office‘s Mindy Kahling, and Chris Parnell (Dr. Spaceman from 30 Rock) so basically NBC’s Thursday night line up is repped. Also featured are Rhys Ifans, Brian Posehn, Kevin Hart and David Paymer.

This looks reasonably funny, though much of it may play better in context. The most concerning thing about the movie is the release date: it comes out a week before The Avengers, and often the air gets sucked out of older pictures when blockbuster season hits. Then again last year we saw Fast Five kick off the summer with that date, and Bridesmaids was a May release that is still one of the highest grossing films of the year.

Were you a fan of Forgetting Sarah Marshall?

The Muppets: Movie Review

Damon Houx — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:00:21 +0000

There’s something curious about relaunching a famous brand that has gotten dusty. Sometimes reboots are done out of love, but more often than not it’s just a cashgrab. But don’t worry about 2011′s The Muppets, it was made by the right people for the right reasons. There’s no denying that The Muppets are a beloved group of performers, but between lesser films and TV movies, the gang has fallen from the spotlight – something that was inevitable after the passing of creator Jim Henson. Enter Jason Segel, who obviously helped will the production into existence, and now the muppets are back and as good as they once were. And if the movie mostly serves to push nostalgia buttons, it pushes them well.

The Players:

Director: James Bobin
Writers: Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, The Muppets, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones
Original Music by: Christophe Beck
Original Songs by: Brett McKenzie
Cinematography by: Don Burgess

The Plot:

Walter is an 18 inch Muppet living in Smalltown, USA, who’s always been in love with The Muppets and The Muppet Show. His brother Gary (Segel) also loves the Muppets – about as much as he loves his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), who he’s been dating for ten years. For their anniversary Gary, Mary and Walter head to Los Angeles, where they discover Tex Richman (Cooper) is planning on taking over the dilapidated Muppet Studios to drill for oil. The only way to save the studio is get the gang back together, put them on television, and make ten million dollars. But Kermit has become a recluse and they haven’t performed together for a very long time. Can they do it?

The Good:

They’re Back: Though obviously the voices are not Jim Henson’s and Frank Oz’s, the work by James Bobin, Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller captures the essence of these characters. There was a worry that Segel and company might take the characters too dark or dirty, but there’s a childlike innocence to everything, and also the proper amount of insouciance. The players are mostly aware that they’re in a film, and make note of it from time to time – much as they did in the original Muppet movies. And all of the lead Muppets get a moment or two of greatness – though if you’re a fan of a minor character, you may be disappointed with some screen time (Gonzo seems short changed). This is a story about Kermit the Frog, and everyone else is there for support. And that’s fine.
The Music: Working with Brett McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords, the new music has the flavor of the classic Paul Williams songs (some of which show in the film), but an edge of silliness. “Life’s a Happy Song” and “Man or Muppet” are earworms, almost deadly in how catchy and engaging they are. Early on there’s a big musical number, and it’s almost disappointing the rest of the film isn’t a full-blown musical. Perhaps it’s because Muppets can’t dance that well.
Chris Cooper: The villain really defines the piece. You get to watch a performer have fun and play against his serious image, while also enjoying every moment he’s on screen, even when he’s being mean to the Muppets. He also gets his own rap number, and has a catch phrase (“Maniacal Laugh”)

The Bad:

The Ending: The movie sort of stops. Perhaps it would take too much screen time and work to wrap everything up in a neater fashion, but it feels like the end was just going on too long, and so cuts were made.
The Message: Look, I’m happy the Muppets are back, and I really enjoyed the movie, but I wish the movie told its own story instead of being about nostalgia. Though you cold argue that the film is about showing that The Muppets and their sensibility are still meaningful in this “cynical” day and age, it’s a film that keeps reminding you how much you love its characters. It’s done so well it’s never a problem, but it’s still annoying that so many movies now are more about reminding what you loved about something instead of being something that can be loved. This is compounded by the fact that The Muppets have to raise ten million dollars. I think this would have been better if the money number were more absurd, because the idea of famous people doing a telethon to raise money for themselves is kind of weird. In that way the film works in spite of its narrative. Similar complaints could be made about the relationship of the humans, which goes on a plot course that is evident from their first scene together. But the film is silly enough to never take it all that seriously.

Overall:

The Muppets are a very powerful franchise in that if you’ve grown up in the last forty years – between Sesame Street and The Muppet Show and the Muppet movies – they’ve been a part of your life. And James Bobin’s The Muppets trades on that nostalgia beautifully for an emotional and funny love letter to those characters that’s respectful but not mummified. It manages to be one of the better films of the year.

Rating: 8.5 / 10

The Muppets opens November 23.

Stills:

Trailer:

Interview: Writer Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel on The Muppets

Damon Houx — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:00:03 +0000

For anyone who saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall, the idea of Jason Segel and writer/director Nicholas Stoller making a Muppet movie seemed like their greatest dream. That film ended with a muppet musical, and it was obvious everyone involved loved The Muppets. So it’s nice that Disney gave the two the keys to the kingdom, the keys to reboot the beloved franchise. And they pulled it off. Segel and Stoller are old friends, and they have a natural comic rhythm together. Our chat follows, check it out…

Was getting The Muppets back together the idea you had from the start?

Jason Segel: I must say that a lot of the plot came from Nick. I said, “I want to make a Muppet movie,” and he said, “Okay, I’ll think of the idea.”

Nicholas Stoller: We had an initial phone call. He had a meeting at Disney, and then literally on that drive, we pitched out the whole thing.

Segel: Nick and I have a weird kismet relationship, so we riffed it out. But, Nick thought of a lot of it, and then I went in and pitched it. And then, I called Nick back and told him he was writing the movie with me. That is what happened.

How soon did that happen after Forgetting Sarah Marshall?

Segel: It was the first thing that I pitched after Sarah Marshall. I did go in and pitch it alone, but Nick is my buddy and had helped me flesh out the idea. And then, while I was in there, I was like, “And, by the way, I’m writing this with Nick Stoller,” and they were like, “Oh, great! That’s terrific! I didn’t even know Nick would want to do this.” I was like, “Yeah!” And then, I called Nick and presented it as an option.

Stoller: Yeah, it was awesome. It was thrilling. It paid off. It was very exciting.

Why do you think The Muppets still work today, when a lot of kids’ shows are much more cynical now?

Segel: I think that’s why they needed to come back. We have reached a very cynical era of comedy. The Muppets have proven, for 40 years, that you can get laughs without ever doing it at someone else’s expense, and I think that that’s a really important thing for kids to realize.

Stoller: I also think the best entertainment isn’t cynical. The Pixar movies aren’t cynical. They’re heartfelt. Big, big hits like that aren’t cynical.

Segel: I think it’s that The Muppets remind us of who we wanted to be, when we were kids. They remind us of the best version of ourselves. The world beats out of you that anything is possible. You have this wide-eyed wonder, and then you come to the reality of what the world is like. But, The Muppets have never given in to that. They believe that they can accomplish anything, and they just go forward with their eyes open wide and a smile on their face. It reminds us of the best in us.

Jason, having been a fan of The Muppets since you were a kid, do you remember the moment you thought you’d like to write something for them?

Segel: My goal was to be a cameo in a Muppet movie, someday. I never thought that I would be working in this capacity with The Muppets. For Nick and I to get to write and produce a movie like this is thrilling, and it’s unbelievable. It really does feel like a fantasy, sometimes.

Stoller: It’s all a giant prank.

What was it like to actually see yourself as a Muppet?

Segel: That’s how I see myself when I look in the mirror, since I was very young.

Stoller: He suffers from a rare medical condition. It’s a problem.

Segel: A man can certainly be a Muppet. Being a Muppet is a state of mind. It’s about finding that little part of you that’s unique, and not being embarrassed by it, but cherishing it.

Was there any specific Muppet that you just immediately knew what to do with?

Segel: We knew that Animal should be in anger management.

Stoller: A lot of that stuff came immediately.

Segel: We were trying to think of just the funniest places to find people.

Stoller: The one that was cut early on, that would have been funny, was that the Swedish Chef was on Top Chef.

Segel: He was a judge on Top Chef, but you couldn’t ever understand his criticisms.

Stoller: But, the people he was critiquing would be crying.

Segel: Fozzie Bear performing in Reno came pretty quickly.

Stoller: That sequence was a lot longer. We trimmed it down for time.

How did you get the idea for the montage?

Stoller: We wrote that part more than maybe any other part in the movie.

Segel: We wrote that part, over and over and over again. You didn’t know how many Muppets to service with full stories.

Stoller: When you’re writing a movie, you have different theories. There are times when we thought, “Most of this movie is about getting The Muppets back together.” But then, we realized, “No, it’s not much of this movie.” And then, we split the difference .

Segel: The Muppets are always better together than they are apart. That’s one of the themes of the movie, so we wanted to get them together. My favorite in the montage, by the way, is Rowlf. That was neat.

What was it like to work with Bret McKenzie and put together the songs?

Segel: He was a perfect choice.

Stoller: He’s just awesome. He’s great.

Segel: Flight of the Conchords is very Muppety. It’s about two wide-eyed innocents, making their way through tough New York. When we found James (Bobin), we knew that we had the perfect director for this movie ‘cause he knew how to do those musical numbers so well, and without a sense of irony. And so, then we brought Bret along and we felt very lucky.

Stoller: I was so excited. I’ve been friends with James for years, before this. Actual friends, not Hollywood friends. When he expressed interest, I was thrilled.

At what point did you decide to use “Rainbow Connection”? Was that in the film, from the beginning?

Segel: It was not, actually. I remember the moment we decided to use “Rainbow Connection.” I was listening, in my car, to a CD of people covering Muppet songs, and there was a duet of “Rainbow Connection.” I had never heard it sung as a duet, between a guy and a girl, and I said, “Oh, this would be an amazing Kermit and Piggy resolution.” And then, in the middle of the song, drums kicked in and it became rockier. I thought, “Oh, my god, Animal hasn’t been drumming, this whole time. That’s where you resolve the Animal story, and you turn it into a Queen-esque rock opera, where all the Muppets come out and sing.” It just fit, perfectly. That’s a pretty cool moment, I must say.

Did you reach out to anyone for a cameo who refused to do it?

Stoller: President Barack Obama. Disney said no to [Muammar] Gaddafi. I’m not going to hide the truth anymore. We went after him, but other people got to him first.

Jason, did you have any idea how logistically difficult it would be to shoot this movie?

Segel: I knew that it would be logistically difficult, but I think that was much harder for (director) James [Bobin] then it was for me. It actually worked out well for me. I had to sit a lot because I’m so tall. Nick knows, from directing me a couple times, that I way prefer to sit then to stand or walk.

Stoller: Scenes where he’s asleep are his favorite.

Segel: I just don’t like moving around. It’s true. I’m not making a joke.

Stoller: He way prefers it. He’s like, “Can we do this scene sitting?”

Segel: “Why? It’s a chase sequence, Jason!”

Stoller: “Can you just put my face on someone else running?”

Jason, were you nervous about the big dance number, at the beginning of the film?

Segel: I actually wasn’t, no. I really like to sing and dance.

Stoller: But, you don’t like moving!

Segel: That’s true! But, music starts and the rhythm takes me over. A lot of those numbers weren’t even planned. They just happened, spontaneously, and everyone joined in.

Stoller: Apparently, he’s unaware of all the prep that goes into it.

Segel: I was very excited about the idea of a lavish, MGM-style musical number. Singin’ in the Rain is one of my favorite movies. That Donald O’Connor, “Make ‘Em Laugh,” number is maybe one of my favorite pieces of film, of all time.

Was there ever a fear of meeting your idols, or seeing the mechanics behind it all?

Segel: No. If anything, I walked away with a greater appreciation for the puppeteers. The biggest shame is that the puppeteers’ job is to be invisible. You’re never supposed to think about them. They’re acting and they’re puppeteering, and they’re singing and dancing, and they’re comedians, and they’re contortionists, all at the same time. Eric Jacobson, for example, plays Fozzie and Piggy and Animal. In any other context, besides being a puppeteer, that’s a Peter Sellers-esque feat, but unless you’re a crazy Muppet fan, you don’t even know these guys’ names. So, the biggest thing I walked away with was that it’s a really underappreciated art.

Has Frank Oz seen the movie?

Segel: He hasn’t, no. Not as far as I know. I think that he’ll be very proud when he does, though. I hope.

Are The Muppets good at improvising?

Segel: Yes! There was surprisingly more improv than you would think. Fozzie improvised the best line in the whole movie.

Stoller: That was during the Emily Blunt scene, when she says, “Oh, we don’t have an opening until September.” Kermit is like, “That’s months away!” And then, Fozzie said, “You think that’s bad? One time, I had to wait a whole year for September.”

Segel: Eric Jacobson improvised that, on the spot. I lost it. It’s the best joke I’ve ever heard.

Stoller: There’s a lot of improv in the movies that Jason and I have done together, but I’ve never heard a joke improvised. That’s a proper set-up, punchline, joke, and not just a funny line.

Segel: He did the greatest thing in a TV interview with me. It was unscripted. He’s Miss Piggy, Fozzie and Animal, and I was doing an interview with Piggy. One of the questions from the viewers at home was, “Jason, do you do any impressions of The Muppets?” I said, “I guess I can do a Kermit impression,” and I did a weak Kermit impression. And then, Miss Piggy said, “You know, I actually do impressions of Muppets as well. Here is my Fozzie Bear.” Then, Miss Piggy did Fozzie’s voice, and it was the best joke, ever. They had never done that bit before. He said he thought of it, on the spot. They had literally never done that joke.

Stoller: That’s amazing!

Jason, did you have any sexual tension with Miss Piggy, during filming?

Segel: I felt it. I feel like she’s attracted to me.

Were there moments on set when you forgot they were puppets?

Segel: I never forgot that they were puppets, but you do forget about the puppeteer. You see it happen with a kid in about 10 seconds, and it happens to every adult in about a minute. Something kicks in, where you’re looking right into these puppets’ eyes. It’s unbelievable.

Did you ever think about including your Dracula puppet from Forgetting Sarah Marshall?

Segel: I tried to get him in as a cameo, but Universal wouldn’t allow it.

The Muppets opens November 23. Check it out!

Final Muppet Trailer Absolutely Delightful

Damon Houx — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:29:14 +0000

With the film coming out November 23, The Muppets is almost upon us, and each trailer brings a warm feeling of nostalgia. With this new trailer, many of the jokes feel like they could have been made in the earlier movies, or on the TV show. It looks like a warm hearted but funny attempt to bring these characters to the fore, and it looks like writer/star Jason Segel delivered. Check it out…

This also includes some of the rumored cameos, including Jack Black, Sarah Silverman, that kid from Modern Family, and more – is that Neil Patrick Harris doing “mahna mahna?” Maybe.

As a child of the 80′s, it’s hard for me not to find that this hits my nostalgia button over and over, and I like seeing these characters back doing what they do. From Fozzie’s fart shoes, to the parody Muppets, to the Wall*E-esque robot, I can’t wait to see what the film has in store. It looks like a lot. But as I’ve said before, I don’t know if mainstream audiences will be as quick to embrace it – though parents are the right age to have fond memories of the show, this isn’t Pixar, it isn’t animated, and it’s not 3-D. You never know with films like this. Hopefully it’s good, and if so hopefully people will go.

Mahna mahna?

The Muppets Don’t Want You to Talk in the Theater

Damon Houx — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:06:39 +0000

One of the big movies of the winter season is The Muppets, and we’re starting to see advertising for the film gear up (though they’ve had a fun run of movie trailer parodies). Jason Segel and Amy Adams star alongside such familiar felt faces as Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and Gonzo in the film that hits theaters November 23. But until then we should be inundated with more creative marketing, like this pre-movie clip for AMC theaters. Check it out…

The world seems ready for the return of the Muppets, as many people who are now having children grew up with Jim Henson’s creations. And they were able to turn the company into a movie franchise in the 1970′s and 80′s with a trilogy of films. After that – and after Jim Henson’s passing – there were a number of attempts to return the main cast to the big screen to mixed results.

But now, it feels like it’s been just long enough for mainstream audiences to re-embrace these characters in an all-new adventure. This does involve a whole new generation of children who may not be as entranced with puppetry in the digital age. It will be interesting to see who turns out more – the new generation or those raised on Kermit and Company.

Is it time to play the music? Is it time to light the lights?

The Muppets Do The Pig With The Froggy Tattoo

Damon Houx — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:39:59 +0000

The marketing for The Muppets has been nothing if not creative, and now they’ve moved on to parodying The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trailer. This doesn’t have the same psyche-out reveal of their earlier trailers, and stars Jason Segel, Amy Adams, and Chris Cooper are front and center, while many of the film’s cameos are now readily apparent. This is a fun trailer and plays to what looks to be the film’s strength: its sense of humor. Check it out…

At this point the drum beat is pretty steady for this film, and I’m pretty excited. It will be interesting to see how the general public responds to the return of The Muppets, which is the big question at this point.

But the timing seems right. Even though more recent Muppet fare was nothing if not – let’s say – Direct to DVD, the main characters have never seemed as exploited or run into the ground as some of their more recent counterparts. And there are generations now that have grown up on the material. Regardless how the film fares, the marketing has been great, it’s easily the least irritating and most fun marketing campaign in a very long time.

The film opens November 23. Here’s the parody poster that goes with the trailer.

Who’s your favorite Muppet?

Bad Teacher: Movie Review

Damon Houx — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 01:00:42 +0000

Black comedies are tricky, because you are usually following a main character who is a terrible human being. But when they work they become classics – like the more recent Bad Santa. That film seems a direct inspiration for Bad Teacher, which stars Cameron Diaz as a teacher who’s happy to show her students movies every class until she learns she can get money for having them do well on a test. Though not as scathing as Bad Santa, Teacher is an amusing lark, with solid performances by the cast who keep the film moving. Find out more below…

The Players

Director: Jake Kasdan
Screenplay: Gene Stupnitsky, Lee Eisenberg
Actors: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel, Lucy Punch, Phillis Smith, John Michael Higgins
Original Music: Michael Andrews
Cinematography: Alar Kivilo

The Story

After being dumped by her rich boyfriend, Elizabeth Halsey (Diaz) is stuck back teaching kids. She decides the best way to get ahead is to get breast implants, and tries to court substitute teacher and rich kid Scott Delacorte (Timberlake), even though Gym teacher Russell Gettis (Segel) is not very subtle about wanting to hook up. Elizabeth often sleeps her way through classes, which annoys her rival Amy Squirrel (Punch), but even more annoying is when Elizabeth finds out that she can win money for having high test scores. And since Amy starts dating Scott, their rivalry must come to a head.

The Good

Comic Ringers: Though Diaz is front and center (and great), the film is peppered with great comic performers. From The Office’s Phillis Smith, John Michael Higgins and David “Gruber” Allen as fellow teachers, to Thomas Lennon as a testmaker – everyone is funny, and everyone who shows up kills when necessary.
No Real Moral: Though the ending is a positive change for the character of Elizabeth, with black comedies you don’t want your main character (who Bugs Bunny would refer to as a “stinkah”) suddenly figure out that they’re a asshole, and try to atone. It’s fun to watch people behave badly, the film knows it, and so there may be compromise, there thankfully isn’t an about-face.
Jason Segel and Justin Timberlake: Segel is a reliable comic foil, and his stoner gym teacher has the right attitude about Diaz’s character. And though Timberlake has proved he’s got chops before, there is something sort of “pink poodle”-y about watching him do a film like this. Yeah, he’s done his time on SNL, but it’s fun to watch him play a buttoned up loser who’s also a terrible musician.
Cameron Diaz and Lucy Punch: Cameron Diaz as an actress knows her limitations (or should after Gangs of New York), but here she gets to be a real bitch, and it’s fun for that – you’re with her. And though Lucy Punch’s chipperness will make her a “love her or hate her” character, it’s great that you can root against the person who is – it turns out – the most right about Elizabeth.

The Bad

Modesty: Though the school year gives the film some structure, it’s a lackadaisical film that mostly sets up things and then pays them off, but not with such a great wit that the film builds into something. If Bad Santa was the role model, that film goes deeper and darker, and builds to a great third act. And though the film goes to some less than savory places (the film features cinema’s greatest dry-humping scene), the film never feels transgressive. Where Bad Santa also functions as a critique on consumer culture, Bad Teacher never expresses much contempt for teachers or public education, etc. Here, it’s a pleasant enough ride, but it feels like something that will be more enjoyable in the comfort of one’s home. The film could easily be turned into a TV show.
The Shooting Schedule: Bad Teacher is what amounts to a studio low budget film and star Segel has talked about how he shot for eight days. Watching the film you can sense that – other than Diaz – most everyone was on set only for when they were needed, and so often it feels like Diaz is playing to one person, even if there are more than one people in the scene.

Overall

Though the film doesn’t sizzle or reinvent the wheel, it’s still consistently funny. That’s really all a comedy needs to be, and this works, though it feels like there’s a slightly better movie in the material. But director Jake Kasdan knows how to make watchable films, and much like his Walk Hard (which is often more conceptually funny than something that makes you laugh out loud), the replay factor on this one looks high.

Rating: 7.5/10

Bad Teacher hits theaters June 24!

Trailer:

The Real Muppet Movie Trailer Finally Hits

Damon Houx — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 18:05:31 +0000

After three psyche-out trailers, The Muppets finally has a non-parody trailer. Of all the reboots and relaunches, The Muppets could not be coming back at a more opportune time – people love the characters, most people in the United States grew up with Kermit and company (if not through the show and the series of movies, then through Sesame Street). The human cast includes Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Chris Cooper, and the trailer is great. Check it out…

Everything so far about the marketing campaign of this movie is aces. The playfully irreverent tone, the weird cameos (that is Wall*E driving them, isn’t it?), and the interplay seems right on the money. And perhaps it’s just the journalist set, but the excitement around this title is palpable among our peers.

This is partly because the characters never got mercilessly beaten into the ground. Where Disney churned out a number of feature films and direct to video titles with these characters, that works never hit over-saturation. These characters are beloved, and the people making the film seem to approach it with reverence to what makes them work. All will be known when the opens November 23, just in time for the Holidays. This is the start of what appears to be a long marketing campaign, so expect more until it hits.

Mahna Mahna?

Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher Trailer and Poster

Krystal Clark — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 16:41:12 +0000

Last month we posted the first trailer for Cameron Diaz’s upcoming comedy Bad Teacher. It was a red band version and as you might suspect it featured some explicit content. Every curse word under the sun was used, and a scantily clad Diaz was shown washing a car in nothing more than a crop top and daisy dukes. We’re sure that will get guys into the theaters. Over on Yahoo Movies, they’ve released a teaser trailer that’s less gratuitous and more low key. Check it out…

We’re convinced that Diaz watched Billy Bob Thornton’s performance in Bad Santa and made it her own for this movie. The similarities between the title and the content are hard to ignore. The plot itself is paper thin and predictable, but what else would you expect from this type of comedy? You be the judge..

This trailer needs some more Jason Segel. Justin Timberlake is fine and all but Segel is the man! We love the argument he has at the end of this trailer with the young kid about Michael Jordan vs Lebron James, because haven’t we all heard that one before? It hits so close to home.

Poster:

Bad Teacher opens in theaters on June 24th.

What do you think of the new trailer for Bad Teacher?

Alison Brie Joins Five Year Engagement With Emily Blunt and Jason Segel

Krystal Clark — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 23:17:50 +0000

“Community” star Alison Brie continues to make her mark in feature film with a new gig. According to Variety, the actress is joining the cast of the upcoming Nicholas Stoller comedy Five Year Engagement. She’ll star alongside Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, who previously worked together on Gulliver’s Travels.

The title of the film is a dead give away of the premise but if you need further explanation here it is. Five Year Engagement centers on the ups and downs of a couple who’ve been together for a very long time. Segel and Blunt will play the couple, while Brie will star as Blunt’s younger sister. In an interesting twist, the film will mark the first time that Brie will do a British accent on screen.

The actress said, “I’ve worked on accents when I was studying at Cal Arts and in Scotland and enjoy that kind of transformation.” Production is slated to start around April. The screenplay was co-written by Segel and Stoller, who previously penned The Muppets together.

Aside from this, Brie will appear in Scream 4 next month, she has her regular gig on “Community,” and a recurring stint on “Mad Men.” She’s definitely one busy bee.

What do you think of Brie joining Five Year Engagement?

Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher Red Band Trailer

Krystal Clark — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:05:06 +0000

The first trailer for the Cameron Diaz comedy Bad Teacher has hit the net. It debuted over on MySpace and it’s a red band version, which means some of the film’s raunchier material appears in the video. Besides Diaz, Bad Teacher stars Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel, and Lucy Punch. Those four sound like a hilarious combination on paper but can they pull it off on the big screen? Check out the trailer to find out…

Surprisingly, we didn’t laugh once during this trailer. There are a lot of funny actors in the movie but none of them deliver here. It looks like their basing a lot of their laughs on gross out jokes and F-bombs, which is pretty weak. This looks like a teacher-based version of Bad Santa, except that film actually made us laugh at some point.

Synopsis:

Some teachers just don’t give an F. For example, there’s Elizabeth (Cameron Diaz). She’s foul-mouthed, ruthless, and inappropriate. She drinks, she gets high, and she can’t wait to marry her meal ticket and get out of her bogus day job. When she’s dumped by her fiancé, she sets her plan in motion to win over a rich, handsome substitute (Justin Timberlake) – competing for his affections with an overly energetic colleague, Amy (Lucy Punch). When Elizabeth also finds herself fighting off the advances of a sarcastic, irreverent gym teacher (Jason Segel), the consequences of her wild and outrageous schemes give her students, her coworkers, and even herself an education like no other.

Bad Teacher opens in theaters on June 24th.

What do you think of the red band trailer for the movie? Are you interested in seeing it?

Video: Jason Segel and Paul Rudd Meet Rush

Krystal Clark — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:28:36 +0000

Do you remember the bromantic comedy I Love You, Man from a couple years ago? The film starred Paul Rudd and Jason Segel and it features a lot of too close for comfort moments between the heterosexual buddies. The film wasn’t a monster hit at the box office but it had some fans, enough to warrant a sequel…or a sort of sequel. Rudd and Segel have joined forces with veteran musicians Rush for I Love You, Man: The After Show. Check it out…

In the video, Rudd and Segel reprise their roles as Peter and Sydney from I Love You Man and if you remember correctly, the duo has an unhealthy obsession with the band. As a matter of fact, their little obsession is one of the main things that drew them to one another.

Here we see them getting a little too comfortable in Rush’s dressing room after a concert. Sydney got the pair some fake passes, but Peter is none the wiser. They’re eventually confronted by the band, who promptly ask them to leave. But before it’s all said and done, Peter get’s a special gift from one of the members.

This sketch doesn’t touch the surface of hilarity that’s present in I Love You Man. If you haven’t seen the movie, a lot of the second hand language will come off as mumbo jumbo to you. Watch the film first to get the full impact.

What do you think of the video? Was it funny or should it die?

Source: Funny or Die

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