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Funny or Die Produces Terribly Unfunny Academy Awards Trailer Starring Billy Crystal And Megan Fox

Travis Woods — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:58:14 +0000

In an attempt to show how edgy and hip the Academy Awards can really be, the Academy decided to hire the clever folks at Funny or Die to make a trailer for the 84^th Academy Awards ceremony. And, despite being jam-packed with cameos by celebrities no one will really care about (host Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox, William Fichtner, and Vinnie Jones) and loaded with horridly unfunny jokes (young people text a lot! HA!), the trailer–gosh, get this!–lands flat on its face.

Oh, the yuks just keep on coming in this clip. Honestly, the best thing I can say about it is that Robin Williams isn’t too irritating or grating or over the top. In fact, the most annoying thing about the trailer may be Crystal’s smirky, “aren’t I hilarious?” tone and facial expressions. Check it out:

Well, there you have. The Funny or Die people finally found a way to become unfunny—simply become involved with the Academy Awards, the most notoriously unamusing program in television history.

Academy Award nominations will be announced on January 24^th, and the live broadcast will take place on February 24^th on ABC.

What do you think of the Academy Awards trailer?

Source: /Film

Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Movie Review

Damon Houx — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:44:08 +0000

After the second film – which star Shia LaBeouf and director Michael Bay have publicly apologized for -there was hope that Transformers: Dark of the Moon would settle Michael Bay down, and give him a better story to tell. Working with 3-D, his hyper-editing style wouldn’t work in the format, and there would be no “afterthought” Imax scenes. There would also be no writer’s strike, so the script could be written in a more timely and coherent fashion. And though Michael Bay does action on a scale that is unmatached in the industry, it’s pretty much the same movie, except this time on Ritalin. Find out more below…

The Players:

Director: Michael Bay
Screenplay: Ehren Kruger
Actors: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Patrick Demsey, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, John Turturro, Alan Tudyk
Original Music by: Steve Jabolonsky
Cinematography by: Amir Mokri

The Plot:

On the planet Cybertron, there’s a great mechanical whatsit that can do awesome things, but it crash-landed on the moon. Astronauts found the crash in 1960′s, but couldn’t do anything about it. Cut to now and Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) is having trouble finding a job, though his girlfriend Carly (Huntington-Whiteley) has an awesome job – but with an obviously evil boss (Demsey) – and an impossibly expensive flat. The Bad guys (the Decepticons) are up to no good, and trick the Autobots into waking up Sentinel Prime (voiced by Leonard Nimoy), who’s the only person who can power the great whatsit, which can be used for great good or evil or something. This leads to a virtually hour-long assault on Chicago.

The Michael Bay Paradox:

Everything that is good about this movie – other than the great action beats in the final act – is also everything that’s wrong with the film. The film starts – after its prologue – with Sam looking for a job. At the end of the film – in a movie with a coherent screenplay – the journey would be that Sam officially gets a job working with the Autobots as an ambassador or some such nonsense. Instead, the movie ends when the big fight is over and then adds some narration from Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen). I should note that because so much of what Prime says is stuff like “on our world there was a great war, a war that raged for decades. Autobots fought valiantly, and used all the strength they had, but there seemed to be no hope… until they found a thing. A thing that could change the course of our destiny. A thing… that was lost.” eventually my ears glazed over. Anyway, if this movie was about its human protagonist, him getting a job would be the hook to hang the movie on. And such invokes the paradox – these movies aren’t really about the humans, so is it smart to not care at the end of day? And how much should we care about humans in a story that features cars that turn into robots? Bay doesn’t actively view his narrative with contempt, but he seems to care less about it than he does what interests him: Cars, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s body, and destruction.

Michael Bay is one of the great action directors when he puts his mind to it, and when he has the tools the man can craft the hell out of a sequence. The parts where guys wearing wingsuits jump out of crashing helicopters and fly around downtown Chicago is insane, so is the sequence where the main characters are in a building that’s collapsing. These aren’t “wow, cool digital effects” moments, they are “What? That’s awesome!” moments. In another time, Michael Bay would be the go-to second unit director (it wasn’t until Spielberg changed the game that most action sequences were not left mostly to the second unit, though historically, it feels like The French Connection and The Wild Bunch started that trend). Bay would be a great 2nd unit guy also because he obviously has no feel for actors, and his sense of humor is based around loudness. Transformers 3 – like so much of the big summer movies we get these days – is filled with a number of great ingredients that are all half-cooked. And it’s not that Bay gets a bad performance out of someone like John Malkovich or Ken Jeong (painful in his five minute cameo), it’s that he doesn’t want performances so much as a collection of affectations.

Bay has directed nine films – with more than half costing over a hundred million dollars – so you have to wonder how intentional this is. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was attacked for being incoherent, racist and pretty much terrible, and if this is his apology, he still has almost all of the same problems, it’s just not as aggressive in the presentation. It seems that Bay works best when he has a strong producer behind him (Read: Jerry Bruckheimer), and it seems Steven Spielberg was more hands on with the first film than the sequels (though he supposedly gave Bay the opening sequence idea, something that he squanders). Again, Bay is either a savant, or this is intentional. But the whole film is filled with scenes like one that happens in the middle of the movie: Sam and his girlfriend head to see the Autobots, but the guards won’t let him in. Everyone starts yelling, and the guards destroy his car because he doesn’t have proper clearance. Then, after the yelling stops, Sam and his girlfriend are let in and told things that are supposedly the most top secret secrets in the history of tops and secrets. Sam and his girlfriend. What was the point of the yelling scene? If bad writing is including needless words, there’s easily a good thirty minutes to an hour that could be cut from the first ninety minutes, and you would never know they were gone. Perhaps this is Bay’s way of winking at the audience, or expressing his contempt for the material. But at this point, it’s fair to say this is the Michael Bay touch.

Oh, another example: in a good screenplay, the humans have one rocket which can supposedly take out the great whatsit, and climb the building to use it. But then they never use it while in the building and never use it, period. It’s like it got forgotten by the filmmakers. Why do they set up the rocket if they never use it as it is intended to be used? Basically it’s the excuse to get them into the collapsing building. The problem is that it’s a great sequence, but the connective tissue is made moot.

The Good:

The 3-D: This is probably the only film this year where seeing it in 3-D may make it a better experience, and Bay has fun with this stuff. And when the soldiers are flying around Chicago in their wingsuits it looks great.
The Final Action Set Piece: There are things in it that are so out of hand that it’s fair to say you’ve never seen anything like it before.

The Bad:

The Humans: Alan Tudykis the rare performer in this film that is actually winning, but even there he’s playing a gay-ish German guy. Franes McDormand – who enters the film delivering some of the most on the nose exposition in cinema history – and Johns Turturro and Malkovich get to run around and yell a lot. They are all excellent performers, but… this? Shia LaBeouf is either bored or obnoxious, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is so ogled by the camera that it turns the audience into leches. I wouldn’t say she’s good or bad in the film, so much as there to be looked at. That said, Megan Fox deserves more credit for making a character out of the same shtick.

Bay’s appropriation of National Tragedies: Michael Bay turned the bombing of Pearl Harbor into an action set piece, so his sensitivity to tragedy is virtually nil, but there’s a sequence that recalls the Challenger disaster that is simply tasteless. I was worried the same would be said of the collapsing building set piece, but that’s so well choreographed that it does evoke the same sort of contempt.

The Comedy: Bay’s sense of humor has long been that of a twelve year old boy who is uncomfortable with his sexuality and is proudly xenophobic. The bits with Ken Jeong are much shorter than the roommate/sidekick in the last film, but are just as painful to watch.

The Screenplay: There’s a number of great lines in the film MacGruber, but one of the best is when Ryan Phillipe says to the main character “I’ve learned a lot from you, mostly what not to do, but…” This screenplay should be taught as an example of how not to do things. There is no sense of build in the film, and there’s often a sense that the plot is just an excuse to get to the next scene – which often leads nowhere interesting. This – much like The Phantom Menace - is filled with so much “cart before the horse” business.

Overall:

I can’t recommend the good in this film (which is really, really good) over the bad, because this film is Hollywood throwing everything they’ve got at it, except at the things that normally make a movie good. Pace, characters, empathy, plot, etc. Though there are a number of schlocky films that deserve praise for exceptional stunts, and good sequences in the midst of bad performances and technical limitations, those films are not usually made with this sort of money. Alas, in a summer of misfires, and half and half’s, this is the one that really delivers the big budget spectacle that they got close to in films like Thor and The Green Lantern. One wishes there was a compelling story to go along with it.

Rating: 4.5/10

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is in theaters now.

Gallery:

Trailer:

Josh Duhamel Joins New Year’s Eve

Krystal Clark — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 18:41:41 +0000

Someone make it stop. Someone please make the excessive casting stop! Another actor has joined Garry Marshall’s ensemble romantic comedy New Year’s Eve — Josh Duhamel. Just when we thought the roster couldn’t get any bigger The Wrap reports that the actor has just signed on for a part.

New Year’s Eve centers on the intertwining stories of a group of New Yorkers as they navigate their way through bittersweet drama and romance over the course of New Year’s Eve. The various romances or non-romances will intersect and weave an overall plot laced with love and loss. There’s been no word on who Duhamel will play or what his character will be up to.

Thus far the cast of the film includes: Robert De Niro, Hilary Swank, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sofia Vergara, Jessica Biel, Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin, Ashton Kutcher, Halle Berry, Zac Efron, Til Schweiger, and Seth Meyers. Oh wait, did we forget to mention that Jon Bon Jovi also has a role in this movie? Well, he does! How do you like them apples?!

We’re pretty sure this cast is bigger than the ones featured in He’s Just Not That Into You and Valentine’s Day combined. We’re truly terrified.

What do you think of Duhamel’s addition to New Year’s Eve?

Life As We Know It: Movie Review

Justine JC — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 23:30:37 +0000

This weekend Katherine Heigl adds another notch to her romantic comedy belt – and, shockingly, people (chicks) over the age of 16 might actually enjoy it. Life As We Know It, also starring Josh Duhamel, follows the disaster of two single adults becoming guardians to the daughter of their mutual, recently deceased best friends. The Warner Bros. release is directed by Greg Berlanti and opens in theaters nationwide this Friday.

Check out the review below…

The Players:

Director: Greg Berlanti
Writers: Ian Deitchman, Kristin Rusk Robinson
Cast: Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Josh Lucas, Christina Hendricks, Hayes MacArthur
Producers: Denise Di Novi, Scott Niemeyer

The Plot:

Allison (Hendricks) and Peter (MacArthur) arrange a blind date for their best friends, Holly (Heigl) and Messer (Duhamel). Unfortunately, the doomed couple never actually make it to the restaurant, due to an immediate lack of chemistry – within seconds of meeting they can’t stand each other. A few years later, Allison and Peter are killed instantly in a car accident, leaving their baby Sophie, an orphan. They select Holly and Messer as guardians, forcing the two to painfully inhabit the same space to raise the child.

The Good:

Concept: Most romantic comedies in some shape or form are reminiscent of their predecessors. Let’s be real, there are only so many cheesy, chick-flicky story-lines one can write. Life As We Know It, though, features a surprisingly original concept.
Not All Gooey: There are ample “Aww!” moments to elicit female shrieking and swooning – but the framework of the story is undoubtedly tragic. Holly and Messer are not only coping with the death of their best friends, but they’re immediately tossed into parenthood – a totally foreign/terrifying endeavor for both of them. The silver lining: they hate each other. The “dramatics” are sufficiently overshadowed by good comedy and cheesiness, but still play a substantial role in the film’s makeup.
Not Painfully Predictable: Any moron with half a dozen brain cells can predict that Holly and Messer will clearly end up together. But the inevitable sparks don’t fly until the fourth quarter of the film. You really see them struggle to share space, make collective decisions, and acknowledge their feelings for each other. Berlanti makes them work for it, and the audience wait for it. This build is obviously conducive to a stronger pay off.
Duhamel: The man is a dream boat, that goes without saying. But he’s surprisingly funny, and surprisingly believable. Who knew?!

The Good/Bad:

Heigl: In every romantic comedy Heigl makes the same choices. Don’t get me wrong – it works for chick flicks, but it’d be nice to see a little variation.
Cheese: Again, this is a romantic comedy. Expect everything that comes with that territory.

Overall:

It’s better than your average chick flick – but a chick flick none the less. Decide for yourself.

Rating: 7/10

Life as We Know It opens in theaters nationwide October 8th.

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Do you plan on seeing Life as We Know it this weekend?

Josh Duhamel Strips Down for Life as We Know it Poster

Krystal Clark — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:45:55 +0000

A new one sheet has been released for the upcoming dramedy, Life as We Know It. The film stars Josh Duhamel, Katherine Heigl, and a baby. A baby who’s probably played by several toddlers, with too many names to mention. It’s interesting that the studio has just now decided to release a poster for this film considering the trailer dropped months ago. Check out Duhamel in his tighty whities below…

Life As We Know it centers on two single adults whose lives are dramatically changed when their mutual best friends are killed in an accident and name them as the guardians of their daughter. Besides Heigl and Duhamel the cast includes Josh Lucas, “Mad Men” star Christina Hendricks and Jean Smart.

Is Duhamel giving the baby a peek into its own future? If this photo was just shown from his waist up you’d really have questions about why Heigl’s head is going south. This image was actually taken from a scene in the film that Heigl’s not even in — ahh, the magic of photoshop.

Life as We Know It hits theaters nationwide on October 8th.

What do you think of the poster for Life as We Know It? Are you interested in seeing the film?

The Romantics Trailer – It’s Dawson’s Creek 10 Years Later

Krystal Clark — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:35:36 +0000

Are you in the mood for a sappy, ensemble dramedy about lost love and strained friendships? If so, you’re going to love The Romantics. It’s an upcoming film that features one of the most mix-matched casts I’ve ever seen, and is based on the novel of the same name written by Galt Niederhoffer, who also produced and directed the film. What happens when you mix “Dawson’s Creek” with “The O.C.“? Watch the trailer and find out…

Official Synopsis:

Over the course of one raucous night at a seaside wedding seven close friends, all members of a tight, eclectic college clique, reconvene to watch two of their own tie the knot. Laura (Katie Holmes) is maid of honor to Lila (Anna Paquin), her golden girl best friend. The two have long rivaled over the groom, Tom (Josh Duhamel). Friendships and alliances are tested and the love triangle comes to a head the night before the wedding, when the drunken friends frolic in the nearby surf and return to shore… without the groom.

Perhaps this story would ring true to if I could actually believe that all of these people would be close friends. Even though the actors aren’t that far apart in age, Elijah Wood sticks out like a sore thumb. It doesn’t matter how old he gets, he still looks like Huckleberry Finn to me. He can’t age!

Holmes and Adam Brody make me think of “Dawson’s Creek” and “The O.C.,” one show dominated my junior high and high school life, while the latter was heavily present during my college years. I keep expecting Pacey or Ryan to pop up at any moment. And Malin Akerman is trying too hard to play that free-spirited party girl. Does there always have to be one in the group? As for the casting of Duhamel as the male lead, (meh) that’s up for debate.

The Romantics open in theaters on September 10th.

What do you think of the trailer for The Romantics?

Trailer: Life as We Know It With Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel

Krystal Clark — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:25:05 +0000

Warner Bros has released the first trailer for Katherine Heigl’s new film, Life as We Know It. It appears that the actress is trying to step out of her rom-com comfort zone with the movie and her co-star Josh Duhamel. The key word is “trying” because there’s still a lovey-dovey element that plagues the story, but it’s Hollywood what else would you expect? Check out the trailer…

We told you! Even though the premise is extremely depressing they managed to squeeze a love story in there. Life as We Know It doesn’t look like a slap your knee, spit out your water kind of comedy but it still has a few familiar elements that we’re used to seeing in Katherine Heigl films. Regardless of the lack of originality, they cast a cute kid as the baby and anyone who can put poo on an actresses face and get away with it is OK in my book!

Life as We Know It will hit theaters on October 8, 2010.

What do you think of the trailer for Life as We Know it?

Josh Duhamel Returning For Transformers 3

Krystal Clark — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:41:36 +0000

The decision to make Transformers a live action trilogy was set in stone after the success of the first film, so we’re not surprised that the third movie is on its way. What is shocking are the casting decisions being made by director Michael Bay and Paramount. The main characters played by Shia Labeouf and Megan Fox were a given to return but then Tyrese Gibson was confirmed, and now Josh Duhamel. Can someone explain to me why?

During the ShoWest convention that’s taking place as I type, Duhamel announced that he’s been in contact with Bay regarding the next Transformers film and he gave a little update. According to SuperHeroHype, the actor met with the director yesterday and he said the script for the sequel is complete and filming is slated to begin this summer. So, we’re taking that as a confirmation that his character, Major Lennox will return.

Here’s my question, what will he and Gibson do exactly? What was their purpose in Revenge of the Fallen? They were two of the MANY characters we didn’t need to be involved. Their appearance in the first film was understandable, an alien race had descended upon the world, the government had to get in on that. But in the second one they weren’t needed, and they didn’t progress the story at all.

My concern regarding this film continues to grow. Transformers 3 is scheduled to hit theaters on July 1, 2011.

What do you think about Duhamel’s return? What can his character do this time around?

Samuel L. Jackson Has Sympathy for The Devil

Krystal Clark — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:59:43 +0000

Samuel L. Jackson is going to hell and he’s taking that good looking guy from Transformers with him. According a report over at Latino Review, Jackson will team up with Josh Duhamel in his upcoming film Sympathy for the Devil. Duhamel will next star in the romantic comedy When in Rome with Kristen Bell so he’s looking to compensate his manhood by signing on to an action flick with the baddest motherf*cker around.

It’s interesting how this film’s development has leaked around the time that Scott Stewart‘s Legion is set to hit theaters. Both films center on a war between supernatural worlds. Jackson and Duhamel will play two men who have to navigate during the battle between heaven and hell. The film will be directed by Boaz Yakin, who directed the 2000 feature Remember the Titans.

The official synopsis for the film describes Duhamel’s character as a “Louisiana lawman” named Harlan Stark whose intervention of a preacher’s assassination escalates into a cosmic confrontation between Heaven and Hell, where angels are warriors as dangerous as demons. Harlan and his partner Jesse (Jackson) are the only ones standing between the forces fighting the spiritual war with neither side backing down.

At first glance this sounds like a campy fantasy film, with a mix of Prophecy. I’ve even heard some comparisons to The Omen but that would be giving them too much credit. I’ll have to take a look at a photo or a trailer before any judgment is passed on this film. I’m going to need more than the catchy title of an old rock song to get me on board.

What do you think about Sympathy for the Devil? Does it sound like campy fun or will you pass?

Josh Duhamel Cast in What’s He Got?

Krystal Clark — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:00:30 +0000

Disney’s first project under the leadership of newly appointed chairman Rich Ross has been named, and it’s called What’s He Got? According to THR, the studio acquired the film rights to the story from Kevin Bisch, with Transformers star Josh Duhamel already attached to star.

Since What He’s Got? is still a fresh acquisition there aren’t many details surrounding the film’s plot. The only description given from Disney is that it’s considered a “buddy comedy.” The deal for the film was stated to be in the mid to high-six figure range, which isn’t anything to sneeze at considering the economic climate we’re facing. Studios have gotten stingy with their developmental funds, especially over at Universal and Warners.

Andrew Panay is one of the producers on the film, and has several blockbuster comedies under his belt including 2005′s Wedding Crashers. I doubt What’s He Got? will be that much of a raunch fest, but it does make me wonder who else is set to star. They said it’s a buddy comedy, so who’s going to be Duhamel’s partner in crime? Any ideas?

What do you think of Josh Duhamel being cast in What’s He Got? Who should star opposite him?

Josh Lucas Joins Life As We Know It

Krystal Clark — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:32:16 +0000

Some casting news for today centers on the a tale of two Josh’s. According to Variety, Josh Lucas has signed on to co-star in the film, Life As We Know It.The actor will join Katherine Heigl, Transformers star Josh Duhamel, and Mad Men alum Christina Hendricks.

Life As We Know it centers on two single adults whose lives are dramatically changed when their mutual best friends are killed in an accident and name them as the guardians of their daughter. If that’s not depressing, I don’t know what is. There isn’t any real room for romance in this film, or is it? Josh Lucas’ role hasn’t been specified so we’re not sure how he’s going to fit into the story.

There hasn’t been a real clarification about whether or not this will be a romantic comedy or a dramedy. On the surface it looks like it’s a step away from the rom-coms that Heigl has been submersing herself in as of late. But on the other hand, we have two leading men cast alongside her. Unless they hired Lucas to play one of the dead parents, I don’t see how this won’t turn into some love story brought about by tragedy.

What do you think of Josh Lucas joining the cast of Life as We Know It?

When in Rome Trailer and Photos

Mali Elfman — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:13:08 +0000

Director Mark Steven Johnson (Daredevil, Ghost Rider) has decided to try his hand at a rom-com starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel. As much as both actors are entertaining and will be fun to watch in some way or another, there is nothing unique about this film yet, aside from the fact that they’re promoting Katy Perry and Jason Mraz in their trailer. Anyone else see something odd about that?

Check out the trailer and photos below…

In theaters January 29, 2010.

Anyone interested?

ScreenCrave.com » josh duhamel

Funny or Die Produces Terribly Unfunny Academy Awards Trailer Starring Billy Crystal And Megan Fox

Related Posts

Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Michael Bay Paradox:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 4.5/10

Gallery:

Trailer:

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Josh Duhamel Joins New Year’s Eve

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Life As We Know It: Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Good:

The Good/Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 7/10

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

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