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Welcome to the ‘Hotel Transylvania’ Trailer

Damon Houx — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:18:18 +0000

Adam Sandler may have taken a beating last year after the double-terrible of Just Go With It and Jack and Jill, and though he is still making Grown Ups 2, he may possibly be involved with something good again. And since Hotel Transylvania has a cast of Sandler ringers like Andy Samberg, Kevin James and David Spade, there’s hope for the film. Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, check out the trailer for the animated film below.

Tartakovsky is probably best known for creating The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory and working on the animated Clone Wars. And thankfully, Hotel Transylvania wasn’t written by Sandler and his friends – who are usually signs that the film is going to be a lazy, hackneyed chance for Sandler and company to get paid.

The trailer sets up the premise and isn’t that funny – though there’s visual wit in some of the gags (I like the monster who makes itself into the shape of a tree). It also looks great; Tartakovsky’s not trying to look like Pixar or DreamWorks animation here. ‘Spooky kid’s films’ will be big this fall, as this movie joins Paranorman and Frankenweenie in what amounts to a crowded Halloween season of creepy children’s films. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these movies changes dates, but perhaps the subject matter is still good for home video. Some kids just love the slightly macabre – as the continued popularity of The Nightmare Before Christmas shows. The film opens September 21.

How far are we from a Werewolf Bar Mitzah movie?

Grown Ups 2 is Officially a Go

Damon Houx — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:37:04 +0000

Grown Ups, the Adam Sandler-starring vehicle which reunited him with friends Kevin James, Rob Schnieder, Chris Rock and David Spade made a lot of money. $162 Million, point of fact, making it the second highest grossing Sandler film, just about two million shy of Big Daddy. Which is exactly why Sony has greenlit a sequel, and it’s now expected to hit theaters July 12, 2013. Aren’t we lucky.

Part of the film’s success had to do with bringing Sandler together with his friends, as Kevin James and Chris Rock also have respectable audiences, and getting that Saturday Night Live flavor back by bringing Spade and Schnieder into the mix. The film was mercilessly panned by critics, netting a 10% approval rating over at Rotten Tomatoes. That didn’t stop audiences though, as the film played strong throughout the summer of 2010.

Sandler is back on writing duties with Fred Wolf, who wrote the first film, though many would suggest calling it writing was an exaggeration. Sandler’s most recent film, Jack and Jill, was something of an underperformer, as it didn’t hit $100 Million like many of his starring vehicles, so it’s likely that Sony (which has been home to Sandler for some time) wanted a sequel. Or perhaps he just likes hanging out with his friends.

Did you See Grown Ups?

Zookeeper: Movie Review

Laura Aguirre — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:28:53 +0000

Last week we had talking robots saving the earth, now it’s time for talking animals, Kevin James and Adam Sandler style. Zookeeper is the story of a zookeeper who gets dumped for being, well, a zookeeper. He might be in love and out of luck with the girl of his dreams, but he’s great at his job and more importantly, the animals love him. The premise might not seem so enticing, but behind this wacky story there’s a voice cast of A-list comedians. Let’s see if they were able to make this live-action comedy work…

The Players:

Director: Frank Coraci
Writers: Nick Bakay, Rock Reuben, Kevin James, Jay Scherick, David Ronn
Actors: Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Ken Jeong, Leslie Bibb, Joe Rogan, Nick Nolte, Adam Sandler, Sylvester Stallone, Cher, Judd Apatow, Jon Favreau, Faizon Love, Maya Rudolph, Bas Rutten
Original Music by: Rupert Gregson-Williams
Cinematography by: Michael Barrett

The Plot:

In Zookeeper, the animals at the Franklin Park Zoo love their kindhearted caretaker, Griffin Keyes (James). Finding himself more comfortable with a lion than a lady, Griffin decides the only way to get a girl in his life is to leave the zoo and find a more glamorous job. The animals, in a panic, decide to break their time-honored code of silence and reveal their biggest secret – they can talk! To keep Griffin from leaving, they decide to teach him the rules of courtship, animal style.

The Good:

Bromance: It’s unreal to even picture a grown man and a giant gorilla sitting together at a T.G.I. Friday’s ordering BBQ ribs and 30 oranges, yes, but not in a goof comedy like Zookeeper. In the middle of a corny love story and live-action talking animals, there’s a bromance between a Zookeeper and a gorilla. Sounds ridiculous, but the conversations between these two friends make a grownups’ heart melt. This bromance is way better than the romance that drives Griffin to quit his dream job. We’re able to see the friendship develop and grow stronger and this makes us (the grownups) fall in love with the relationship itself. It’s unreal, yes but heartwarming at the same time.
Talking animals: If you take a good look at the credits, you’d be amazed by how much talent is behind the voices of the talking animals. We’ve got A-list comedians like Adam Sandler, Maya Rudolph, Judd Apatow, and Jon Favreau, along with superstars like Cher and Sylvester Stallone. Wow! Although the talents of said actors are better spent on other projects than Zookeeper, the talking animals were fun to watch and fun to hear.

The Bad:

Kevin James: James has come a long way from his days as the lovable husband on “The King of Queens.” With the help of Sandler, James has been able to get away with Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Grown Ups, and now, Zookeeper. I could say that James plays the part of a love-rejected zookeeper all wrong, but that’s not entirely true. He’s able to connect with a gorilla and make it enjoyable to watch. But what James fails to do is make us believe that beautiful woman like Leslie Bibb and Rosario Dawson would fall in love with him. He fails to be all-around funny. The slapstick comedy will get the kids to laugh, but what about grownups? He needs to trade the ‘I’m desperate. I don’t know what to do with my life’ act for something else, seriously.
Story: Yes, this is a love story. Guy gets rejected by dream girl (who happens to be blonde) for being a lowly zookeeper. Guy tries to get girl back by making her jealous, and ends up falling for the other girl. The end. Boring. Corny. You name it.

Overall:

Babe was one of my all-time favorite movies as a kid. The star of the show was a talking pig, and it was great. There’s nothing wrong with talking animals or love stories or bromances between gorillas and zookeepers, but when you have an annoying, unfunny lead, the movie isn’t going to be so great and that’s what happened here. There are a few good moments, but overall, Zookeeper should’ve been kept from audiences.

Rating: 3.5/10

Zookeeper hits theaters July 8, 2011.

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

The Dilemma: Movie Review

Justine JC — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 01:00:21 +0000

Alert your fraternity! My man Vince Vaughn is back to charm/offend/entertain audiences in Ron Howard’s latest flick, The Dilemma, which also stars Kevin James, Jennifer Connolly, Winona Ryder, and Channing Tatum. “Bro-codes” and other gender-related policies are tested under the highest of stakes in this Universal Studios release.

Check out the review below…

The Players:

Director: Ron Howard
Writer: Allan Loeb
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connolly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum
Cinematography By: Salvatore Totino
Original Music By: Lorne Balfe, Hans Zimmer

The Plot:

Ronny (Vaughn) and happily married Nick (James) are partners at an auto design firm and have been BFF’s since college. When Ronny inadvertently catches Nick’s wife, Geneva (Ryder) getting cozy with another man (Tatum), he’s faced with the ultimate brotherly dilemma: tell him or not? They’re in the throes of landing a dream project and the bad news could affect Nick’s work, so Ronny holds off on breaking the news. Instead, he takes matters into his own hands by pursuing an amateur investigation that spirals into sheer mayhem, potentially compromising his relationship with both Ronny and his soon to be fiance, Beth (Connolly).

The Good:

Vaughn/James: I’d argue that Vaughn currently reigns at number one on the comedy charts – his name alone baits vast numbers to the box office. That said, landing a role as his opposite has become a coveted job since it will undoubtedly render great exposure. Personally, I pity all actors attempting to trump the Vaughn/Wilson duo from Wedding Crashers but I’ve got to hand it to Kevin James with the very close second. His humor juxtaposes Vaughn’s in a way that doesn’t leave him upstaged. Each actor’s respective comedic timing compliments the other’s making them a lovable, perfectly amusing pair to watch.
Sports Analogies: Vaughn films rarely fail to access their male audience, but the ongoing use of sports analogies in this particular flick should strike an exceptionally masculine chord! Every featured conflict, work or love-life related, was rationalized and further strategized by football terminology. (Those of you uneducated females will hopefully better understand words like “red zone” and “touchdown”).
Themes: The Dilemma redefines (or at least clarifies) the logistics of the “bro-code,” but more importantly it highlights the indispensable virtue of honesty in all relationship forms.

The Bad:

Winona Ryder: Who put you in this movie? More importantly, who put you in Black Swan? I digress. Ryder simply didn’t fit the dynamic of this role or the picture in general. This casting choice put a damper on what could have made for a fabulous foursome. Boo.
Vaughn/Connolly Relationship: You root for Ronny because you can’t NOT root for Vince Vaughn. But let’s be real, if your ex-alcoholic/gambler boyfriend had “inexplicable” leper-like rashes that inspired penis malfunctions, came home with gigantic bruises on both his face and his Mustang, and destroyed your parents’ anniversary dinner you’d most likely RUN from a marriage proposal. Not Beth, Beth was thrilled to accept his hand. Explain that one to me.

Overall:

Exactly what you expect it to be with a little more substance than your average comedy. Definitely worth a ticket purchase if you’re trying to get your laugh on.

Rating: 7/10

The Dilemma opens in theaters on January 14.

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Will you be seeing The Dilemma this weekend?

Kevin James’ Zookeeper Director to Helm His Martial Arts Film

Krystal Clark — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:37:28 +0000

Kevin James‘ next film (no, we’re not talking about The Dilemma) will have him interacting with animals, and his project after that will involve him getting the crap kicked out of him every 15 minutes. The first movie is called Zookeeper, and the second is an untitled comedy about martial arts. James has decided to mix the two by hiring his Zookeeper director to helm his new action comedy.

According to Deadline, Frank Coraci, who previously helmed the Adam Sandler comedy Click has signed on to direct James in his next film. The actor will play “a physics teacher who moonlights as a mixed martial arts fighter to raise money and save the music program his students love. He makes it all the way to the UFC.” The film will be produced and distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Are we the only ones slightly unhinged by the thought of James fighting in the UFC? It’s no secret that the actor is a huge fan of the sport, but does he have what it takes? Is he going to slim down and bulk up? This should be interesting.

What do you think of Coraci directing a martial arts flick? Do you think he’s the right choice?

5 New Cips from The Dilemma – Less Comedy Than Expected

Mali Elfman — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:58:23 +0000

Despite The Dilemma being promoted as a “comedy” with comedic heavy weights Vince Vaughn and Mall Cop Paul… I mean Kevin James leading the way, from the look of these clips there’s a lot more too Ron Howard’s latest relationship adventure that the first trailer led us to believe… either that or it’s really not that funny as it’s supposed to be. Maybe it’s the lack of music or context but something about these clips leaves me wanting more.

Watch the clips with some classic Ron Howard touches below…

Getting real…ly cheesy:

Obviously we have some big boy issues going on this film about how to be in a relationship which means, lots of talking sweetly on the floor… I want to know how they got to just be chilling on the floor and not on a comfy sofa.

Ron Howard loves his Tiny Dancer:

Yeap… there it is.

Lady Wood:

I’m hoping this clip is more funny in the film? If not, this is definitely leaning toward drama with a few moment trying to be funny.

You’re my Hero:

These are the Ron Howard moments that some people love and some people hate. They are overly sentimental in a rom com type of way, but are supposed to be heavy and reveal a characters true feelings… I know where I stand, do you?

The Panic Attack:

Hmmmm… leaves me wanting more.

I wonder how the possible lack of comedy weighs on the whole controversial “gay” line in the film - if the film is not a comedy does that make the line better or worse? Definitely doesn’t bod well for Vince Vaughn’s comment “Comedy and joking about our differences breaks tension and brings us together,” which I tried to back up before. Damn Vaughn don’t leave me hanging!

Guess we’ll just have to see it to find out!

The cast also includes Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum and Queen Latifah. The Dilemma opens in theaters January 14, 2011.

What do you think of the latest clips for The Dilemma? Is it funny?

Adam Sandler and Kevin James Reunite for Valet Boys

Krystal Clark — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 19:43:55 +0000

Apparently, Adam Sandler and Kevin James are the new tag team of comedy because they love working together. They’ve co-starred in several films including the recently released Grown Ups. According to EW, the duo will be at it again for a new comedy called Valet Boys. We should have seen this coming. It’s only a natural progression for James to go from being a mall cop to a valet.

Valet Boys is being developed by Sony and will center on two, valets who witness a murder and then “find themselves running for their lives.” The studio has Sandler and James in mind for the parts. James will also co-write the screenplay with Nick Bakay. Bakay previously wrote the James vehicles Paul Blart: Mall Cop, “The King of Queens,” and the upcoming Zookeeper.

We’ve never been able to understand the obsessive love for Kevin James. Even though Adam Sandler isn’t as great as he used to be, he had his moment in the nineties. He was pretty good. James on the other hand, is up for debate.

On another note, the title Valet Boys makes us think of this old “Mad TV” skit that aired during the first or second season of the show. It was about the rough lives of Los Angles valets. We wonder if Sandler and James’ movie will look like it? Take a look…

What do you think of Sandler and James teaming up for Valet Boys?

Kevin James in Teaser Trailer and Poster for Zookeeper

Krystal Clark — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:26:10 +0000

Kevin James‘ brand of comedy has never been my style but for those of you who are fans and eagerly awaiting the release of Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, we’ve got something for you. The first teaser trailer for James’ upcoming film Zookeeper has been unveiled along with a teaser poster. If you’re into the ‘talking animals’ genre of film this one might be for you. Take a look…

Synopsis:

In Zookeeper, the animals at the Franklin Park Zoo love their kindhearted caretaker, Griffin Keyes (James). Finding himself more comfortable with a lion than a lady, Griffin decides the only way to get a girl in his life is to leave the zoo and find a more glamorous job. The animals, in a panic, decide to break their time-honored code of silence and reveal their biggest secret: they can talk! To keep Griffin from leaving, they decide to teach him the rules of courtship – animal style. The film also stars Rosario Dawson and Leslie Bibb and features the voices of Cher, Nick Nolte, Adam Sandler, and Sylvester Stallone.

Trailer:

Poster:

The physical comedy of James just doesn’t do it for me. In almost every movie he’s in there’s an embarrassing fall that he does that’s supposed to get our laughs. They even use him falling on his back as a selling point in this trailer. Will we ever see anything new from this guy? It’s too predictable.

Zookeeper is scheduled to hit theaters on July 8, 2011.

What do you think of the trailer and poster for Zookeeper?

Source: Coming Soon

Vince Vaughn and Kevin James in The Dilemma Trailer

Krystal Clark — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:01:58 +0000

How does Kevin James do it? Earlier this week we learned that he’ll star in a mixed martial arts comedy, and today the trailer for his latest film The Dilemma has been released. Unlike some people, we can only take James in small doses, he needs to be helped by other people who are actually funny — cue Vince Vaughn. Check out the trailer for the duo’s new film below..

The Dilemma centers on two best friends (Vaughn and James) who are both in committed relationships, unfortunately one of them is being cheated on! James’ character has no idea that his girlfriend is having a torrid affair with a younger man. Vaughn accidentally stumbles on one of their trysts and sees the adulterer in action and now he’s not sure if he should expose her or keep it to himself, hence “the dilemma.”

The cast also includes Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum and Queen Latifah and is directed by Ron Howard. It’s been a long time we’ve seen such light fare from Howard so kudos for that.

The Dilemma opens in theaters January 14, 2011, which is kind of scary considering that’s dump month.

What do you think of the trailer for The Delimma? Are you interested in seeing the film?

Source: Apple

Kevin James Joins Mixed Martial Arts Comedy

Krystal Clark — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 21:41:35 +0000

We don’t know about you but when we think of physical fitness and martial arts training Kevin James is the first person who comes to mind (rolls eyes). Even though the actor is a huge fan of the UFC and has been spotted at major pay-per-view events more than once, that doesn’t make you an expert in the sport. According to Deadline, James will star in a mixed martial arts film and yes, it’s a comedy. What else would it be?

The site is reporting that “James is attached to play a physics teacher whose school faces drastic cutbacks. In an attempt to save his best friend’s job and the music program his students love, he moonlights in the octagon as a mixed martial arts fighter, ultimately leading to brawling in the UFC.” Doesn’t that just draw you in?

The film is currently untitled but will have a script written by Allan Loeb who also penned the screenplays for 21, The Switch, and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. He has an interesting resume to say the least but if he likes it we love it. It’s been a while since James has made us laugh, and by a while we mean never, so maybe this movie will do the trick?

What do you think of James starring in a mixed martial arts themed movie?

Grown Ups: Movie Review

Krystal Clark — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:45:04 +0000

Adam Sandler took the major players from the 1992 cast of “Saturday Night Live,” put them in a movie, and named it Grown Ups. The actor co-wrote the screenplay and stars in the film, which includes a who’s who of comedy veterans. On the surface, it looks like an excuse for a group of 40-somethings to act like 12 year olds but surprisingly, beyond the crude jokes and gags, there’s a legitimate story about friendship and family…

The Players:

Director: Dennis Dugan
Cast: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maya Rudolph, Maria Bello
Writers: Adam Sandler, Fred Wolf
Cinematography: Theo van de Sande
Original Music By: Rupert Gregson-Williams

The Plot:

Grown Ups centers on a group of friends who reunite after 30 years following the death of their junior high basketball coach. While spending the holiday weekend together they reminisce about old times, reconnect with each other, and form new bonds with their families.

The Good

The Cast: Watching so many SNL alumni in the same place at the same time brought back memories of when the show was actually good. The actors had great chemistry and it looked as if they genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.
The Story – The idea of grown men reliving their childhood, while trying to get their children to experience one void of video games and cell phones is an interesting concept. Sandler and Wolf took that premise, laced it with jokes, and made it entertaining while keeping it solid.
The Direction: Dennis Dugan did a great job with the pace, the look, and the tone of the film. He made sure the main actors got their fair share of material and he kept everything balanced.
The Comedy - It’s been a long time since any of the actors in this movie put out anything seriously funny but Grown Ups puts an end to that dry spell. This film delivers the laughs.

The Bad

Villains: They weren’t flushed out at all. They were a group of misfits carrying around a 30 year old grudge for no logical reason. They were all one dimensional and didn’t have any real character development, which is unfortunate because Colin Quinn and Tim Meadows are also former SNL stars who are just as talented as the primary members of the cast.

Overall:

Grown Ups is a fun and enjoyable summer movie. The camaraderie between the actors is what makes the film worth it.

Rating: 8/10

Grown Ups hits theaters on June 25, 2010.

Photos:

Trailer:

Are you interested in seeing Grown Ups this weekend?

New Grown Ups International Trailer

Krystal Clark — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:43:48 +0000

A new UK trailer has been released for the Dennis Dugan directed comedy Grown Ups. It features a who’s who of former SNL stars including Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Maya Rudolph, and that one guy they just can’t shake, Kevin James. This trailer reveals slightly different footage from what we saw in the domestic version but manages to keep the same tone. Take a look…

The plot of the movie centers around five school friends, Sandler, Rock, Spade, Schneider, and James who reunite after 30 years to celebrate fourth of July weekend together. They try to reconnect with one another while discovering the changes they’ve all made over time. The film also stars Salma Hayek and Maria Bello as two of the long suffering wives who are married into this group of man-children.

The screenplay for Grown Ups was written by Sandler and Fred Wolf, which explains why we had such a hard time laughing at the jokes in the trailer. It’s been a while since Sandler has put out a good comedy; it seems like all of his decent material got used up during the mid and late-nineties with Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison,The Waterboy and Big Daddy. What the hell happened?

What do you think of the international trailer for Grown Ups? Does it bring the funny?

ScreenCrave.com » kevin james

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Rating: 3.5/10

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Rating: 7/10

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