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Todd Phillips Brings the Project X Trailer

Damon Houx — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:23:48 +0000

Todd Phillips is one of the most successful comedy directors in the history of cinema. Between the two Hangover movies, he’s shown that comedies can be blockbusters and now he’s also working to shepherd projects as producer. His latest producing gig is on Project X, which has been kept under wraps as a mystery project and now has a trailer. An interesting and weird trailer. Check it out…

Okay, there’s no names in the film, but what’s strange about the trailer is how it builds as a comedy only for the trailer to not be that funny. The music cue and the use of Todd Phillips suggests a comedy, and while the trailer shows some slightly funny stuff, it starts like a trailer for a horror movie where everything goes horribly wrong. Perhaps it’s the nature of found footage – which has mostly been used for scary movies at this point – but if the last seconds showed a guy in a mask with a knife, it would be just as in keeping with the tone of the piece.

But if this just about rampant mayhem, the found footage narrative device is what really annoys about it. We’ve seen a number of these recently, and there’s no denying it’s been successful for Paramount and the Paranormal Activity films, but why this film is done that way seems more out of budget concerns than actual narrative drive. We shall see, but it’s a device I hope dies soon.

Does Project X make you think of Mathew Broderick?

The Hangover Part II: Movie Review

Damon Houx — Thu, 26 May 2011 01:18:18 +0000

The Hangover gang’s all back for another round of waking up and having no idea how bad things got the night before.For The Hangover Part II, the challenge – as a comedy – is to find a compelling narrative to return to a similar well. Most comic sequels end up redressing the original premise in one way or another to do it again, here the invention is the new location. Can it match up to the original?

The Players

Directed by: Todd Phillips
Written by: Phillips, Craig Mazin, Scot Armstrong
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, Paul Giamatti
Cinematography by: Lawrence Sher

The Plot

Stu (Helms) is getting married to Lauren (Jamie Chung) in Thailand with her humorless father and young but super-smart brother Teddy (Mason Lee) in attendance. Stu wants his old friends Phil and Doug (Cooper, Bartha respectively), and is forced to drag along Alan (Galifianakis). After the wedding rehearsal, the boys end up on the beach promising to have only one beer. The next morning they’re in a hotel they’ve never been to before with no power, a monkey, a severed finger, Mr. Chow (Jeong), and no clue where Teddy is. They then have to retrace their steps to find the young boy, but as – they’re warned repeatedly – “Bangkok has him now.”

The Good

Todd Phillips actually directs his comedies: Though Bridesmaids is a much better film in every way – like many of its ilk – the filmmaking in that film has little panache. In fact, most of the post-Judd Apatow comic directors have embraced Judd’s point-and-shoot approach. Phillips directs the movie with an eye toward cinema, and when there are set pieces involving a car chase, and a drug dealing monkey it feels put together and interesting unlike some of the more “is this intentionally or unintentionally bad” action sequences in some other more recent comedies.
It’s Transgressive: Though the first film featured Vegas, it never got that seedy. Here the film goes into darker places than the original – hopefully to raise the stakes – which means that the jokes go in some terrible places. Though the ending glosses over some of that, the film isn’t afraid to shoot its heroes, and have them engage in some behavior that may make the audience squirm. This leads to the biggest laughs in the film.

The Bad

It’s the Same Movie: Though the set up was bound to be similar, their adventures are pretty much the same (you can substitute Thai ladyboys for Heather Graham, etc), and the film ends with a photo montage after a cameo by a performer from the first film – who shows up and is painfully not funny. Because the structure is almost exactly the same, it doesn’t have the surprise of the first film, and so they’re way less excitement to how it’s all going to wrap up. Zach Galifianakis no longer gets to sneak up and surprise you this time, here you get to watch him riff on the character – which still has moments but isn’t as winning. We’ve seen him do this before. The moments where the film does do different jokes or beats are where the film succeeds, but as evinced from the trailer, they hit so many of the same beats that if you have a familiarity with the first film, you’re bound to see this as diminishing returns.
The First Film Worked Because it was Unlike Other Comedies: What made The Hangover pop in 2009 was partly because cinema was awash in a wave of Judd Apatow and company films that had become the dominate form. The problem with this film is that it’s now familiar, especially between the first film and Due Date. Phillips has a style and it works, but the more he does it the less the returns – he’s getting as over-exposed as Apatow.
The Transgression: The only thing the film has going for it is that it goes to some darker places, but in most ways it backs off from them. From the sex, to how the boys blacked out, to the severed finger, to someone getting shot, there seem to be consequences to their actions that eventually disappear. In that way the film is both more and less dangerous than it should be. The idea of dropping characters off in a place where they don’t speak the language is great… too bad they never have to deal with anyone who doesn’t speak English.

Overall

The Hangover Part II functions more as a remake than sequel – there was really no story to tell, and it would be hard to justify getting these characters back together again, regardless. But as they couldn’t find a more interesting angle than “let’s just do the second one in Bangkok” you get exactly what you’d expect, for better or ill. To that end, it’s not as perfunctory as the recent Pirates sequel, but that’s rather faint praise. That the film is going to make at least $200 Million dollars domestically means that the sequel was a smart move on Warner Brothers part. At the same time, the film may end up being more of a Pyrrhic victory if it annoys audiences and spoils the goodwill of the first one. If it does do over $200, then a third one will surely be in order, and likely it’ll be the sort of film where everyone says they learned from the mistakes they made on the second one.

Rating: 4/10

The Hangover Part II opens in Theaters May 26

The Hangover Part II Trailer to be Destroyed

Damon Houx — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:11:19 +0000

Ultimate tragedy! The trailer for Todd Phillips‘ The Hangover Part II that was released last week - and attached to Source Code - is being destroyed by the MPAA. The trailer went out first on the internet, where it will long live. Joblo broke the story, and this story raises interesting questions about what exactly happened. It’s as if we have to piece together what happened after it happened…

Joblo raised content issues, and that’s what happened. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it was the moment of a monkey biting a guy’s penis was viewed as too offensive (because it looks like a simulated sex act). Which is fair as nothing Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis do seemed all that out there. It seems a monkey bititng a guy’s penis is enough to make it a red-band trailer (trailers to only be shown on R-rated movies and/or the internet).

It’s also likely that the MPAA didn’t actually watch the trailer, so much as Warner listed what might be offensive content, and since they didn’t think the dick biting was a sexual act, it didn’t come up. It’s possible audiences saw it before the MPAA did, and once they got complaints it was pulled. There will be a new trailer for April 15, so we’ll note any other differences then. Slashfilm has a picture of the notice theaters got.

You can still watch the trailer:

Do you think this trailers goes too far for family audiences?

The Hangover II Trailer Offers More of the Same

Damon Houx — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 01:13:42 +0000

Warner Brothers has been relatively tight-lipped about Todd Phillips’s The Hangover Part II and its plot details, but more is emerging thanks to the full trailer, which just debuted. It shows that Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis are back in a similar position of not remembering the night before and this time it’s not Justin Bartha they’ve lost, but a young boy. Also returning is Ken Jeong as Mr. Chow. Take a look…

For some reason this trailer reminds me more of Dude, Where’s My Car than the first film the first film did. Perhaps that was sold a little differently – though arguably both have similar plots – but that’s definitely the vibe I get here. Maybe it’s the monastery.

This should be a monster hit as audiences loved the first film. It made $277 Million dollars domestically, and this looks like more of the same. That said, it also looks more labored – which is inherent to the very nature of making this sequel, but surely the foreign location and the number of options for making terrible late night decisions that were unexplored in the first film should lead to big laughs.

I’ve heard that the film has been testing very well, and everything’s lined up for this to be one of the big summer titles. Regardless of whether it works or not, the film is going to open.

Are you sick of Wolf Pack jokes?

Due Date: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:00:41 +0000

This week Hangover director Todd Phillips releases his latest comedy Due Date starring none other than two of our favorite faces Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. This film had all the child-beating, masturbating, fat bodily parts in face rubbing, dog abusing jokes you can think of! That’s right, when you think of Phillips’ you should be thinking about a man who likes to make as many rude jokes as possible and this film definitely succeeds there… though it might not quite be what your expecting.

Find out more about the movie below…

Players:

Director: Todd Phillips
Writers: Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, Adam Sztykiel, Todd Phillips
Actors: Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Juliette Lewis
Original Music by: Christophe Beck
Cinematography by: Lawrence Sher

The Plot:

Due Date is a road trip movie that centers on a father to be as he anxiously tries to venture cross country to make it in time for his child’s birth. Unfortunately, he has to hitch a ride with an annoying slacker in order to make that happen.

The Good:

Two Great Leads: Downey and Galifianakis are two very charming actors in two very different ways. Downey has the quick wit, good looks, and the lovable edge; Galifianakis has the brilliant, albeit slow and almost non-human reactions that are fascinating to watch and is more lovable in the fozzy bear kind of way. The duo make a great team and play off one another brilliantly. In fact the only real reason to go and see this film is because you like seeing both their mugs blown up on a big screen.
Some Shocking Moments: Though a lot of this film is mainstream there are definitely a few shocking moments that actually got me to gasp. It’s rare that a comedy can make you both laugh and gasp, but it’s what we have to look forward to in a Todd Phllips’ film and he doesn’t disappoint.
Enough Good Laughs: Though there were many people around me who were laughing out loud, for the most part this film has a lot of chuckles throughout and no huge laughes. I wouldn’t say it’s a film that will have your sides aching but more than likely it will have you pleasantly smiling throughout.

The Bad:

Same Ol’ Shit: Though the film has a few new and interesting characteristics it’s very much a film that we’ve seen before with two new charismatic and fun to watch characters. This basically could BE The Hangover 2, it’s the next stage in a man’s life and another trip on the road WITH Zach Galifianakis as an odd sidekick, but apparently we’ll be seeing that (as well) next year.

Overall:

This is what I call a “hangover movie” (which has NOTHING to do with Todd Phillips’ Hangover movies) because it’s a good film to watch when you feel like crap and need something entertaining enough to take your mind off your current bodily situation but not difficult enough to make you have to actually use your head. It’s just good enough to be entertaining but it’s nothing new or exciting. It might also be good pre-hangover, I would imagine a few beers would make Due Date go down all the more smoothly.

Rating: 6.5/10

Due Date in theaters November 5th!

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Interview: Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Todd Phillips for Due Date

Mali Elfman — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 20:30:17 +0000

Last week we attended a press conference for director Todd Phillips upcoming comedy Due Date starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis and there was an interesting, albeit entertaining dynamic between the three gentlemen who were not always so kind to the others in the press conference. Downey with his quick wit and self-confessed ego seemed to enjoy taunting and at times even mimicking Galifianakis’ having trouble remembering his lines on set.

All and all there was a rather interesting vibe in the room and you got the feeling the three had a bet going on as to who could get the best jabs in. See for yourself…

Zach and Robert, this film deals a lot people being out of their comfort zones, where are you most comfortable?

Zach Galifianakis: (Mumbles) My comfort zone is press conferences.

Robert Downey Jr.: Conversely mine actually is press conferences.

Robert, how much fun was it to gut punch that kid and what was it like working with kids in general?

Downey: I love that we’ve actually gotten more push-back from spitting in a dog’s face than punching a human child in the stomach. Those are the two things, Todd told me to do both of them. On one of them, on the day he said, ‘You should spit in that dog’s face.’ I was like, ‘Ha! Yeah, yeah. Anyway…’ He goes, ‘No, I want you to spit in the dog’s face.’ I said, ‘That’s so definitive,’ and he goes, ‘I know but I think that people like you enough. I don’t know if they will. Just spit in it’s face.’ He loves dogs and I actually don’t like dogs. So I felt kind of horrible and splendorous doing it. There was a question there somewhere but I’m sure whatever I said was far more entertaining.

(One of the many examples of Zach being picked on by Robert…)

Zach, did you have a problem with spitting in the dog’s face? That was your dog.

Galifianakis: Well –

Downey: Jesus Christ, dude. Answer the question.

Galifianakis: Maybe.

Downey: Yes or no. That dog made you sick.

Galifianakis: Oh, I didn’t like the dog. But I don’t think, that doesn’t mean it’s okay to spit. Robert spit in my face every morning. Plus, the dog and I have a certain bond –

Masturbation?

Galifianakis: That’s right.

Downey: That’s exactly right.

Which of you would be more likely to breakup horribly in the middle of a take and Todd can you weigh in with a verdict?

Downey: Let me put it this way, I’m eighty five times more professional than Zach but I was hoping that we’d have some good gag reels so maybe I’d chuckle a little bit more. He might not actually know how funny he is sometimes, too.

Todd Phillips: Yeah. Zach doesn’t really break up. He’ll read his line halfway and he goes [cough] and start over.

Downey: He has a ghastly tic. It’s my favorite thing about him, to tell you the truth, particularly when we’re doing press and it takes him forty five years to answer one question. He’s trying to think about what the answer is and then he stutters and then he
judges himself –

Phillips: And then he starts over and that would make Robert laugh.

Downey: ‘Sonny stop it, we’re going to be late…[clearing his throat], Stop it sonny, we’re going to be late [clears his throat]…’ I’m sorry, ‘Sonny, late we’re going be… Sonny, stop it. Stop it, Sonny. Stop it, Sonny, we’re going to be late. Stop it, Sonny, we’re going
to be late.’ and I’m just there, like, ‘This is an anthropological study.’ ‘Now what are we supposed to do?’ ‘When will you be done? That will be my cue.’

Galifianakis: I know my face is turning red. I don’t want you to interpret it as being embarrassed. It’s rage. The color of my face is rage.

Now them ganging up against the press…

This movie is about fatherhood, becoming one and losing one. Can you talk about fatherhood for a moment? Why did that story resonate with you and with the rest of you?

Downey: Don’t answer that, Todd.

Phillips: I refuse to answer that question.

Galifianakis: I’ll tell you. No. It actually is very personal, maybe –

Robert, were you channeling a bit of Todd in this role, especially in the look of your character?

Downey: Well, I’m actually glad that you asked that because I think that every time I feel that I really hit critical mass and I’m in the right place is when I feel like the director and I become a third thing and that’s the character. Even though the central subject of the movie is Ethan, the person who you’re kind of seeing it through is Peter.

Absolutely, and particularly when he said, ‘There’s just a lot of hostility and there’s a lot of fear and his kind of attitude and his anger is covering that fear and stuff,’ and we like to commiserate. We’re genuinely pretty happy guys but we love just getting crabby together. And he is kind of like a hostage child that we’ve taken who’s watching mom and dad or dad and dad just hash it out. I always feel like I’m playing an aspect of the director, particularly when he’s an auteur. To me it’s a way of almost making him a proud parent. I’m a bit of an appendage of some aspect of the director.

Can you talk about how you worked out or developed the scenes together on this and how much was in the script and how much was improved?

Phillips: Well, the way that we worked it out is the way that I’ve done it on all my movies, but this film in particular had an interesting process because Robert has a very producorial brain. He’s basically another writer in the room. Zach is really an empty vessel. He just sits and waits. No. But Robert and I had lots of spirited discussions every morning about [it.] We had the pages and he’d go, ‘Okay, what are we really doing?’ Not to discredit the writing process which I was a part of, too –

Downey: It was a great script which just made me hate it all the more.

Phillips: Yeah. Robert has an aversion to things that are typed, I’ve learned. So even if we just rewrote the actual scene on a napkin, even if it was the same scene, he felt better about it. I’ve said this before, he made me a better director and the reason for that is that he’s constantly challenging what we’re doing everyday in the larger, bigger picture. A lot of times you hear about actors and they’re worried about their lines and their thing and Robert thinks of the movie as a whole. He thinks of every character as the whole and that’s what I mean by a producorial kind of approach to it. For me it was an unequaled experience. I’ve never experienced anything like it. I think that was the process. You witnessed a lot of it.

Galifianakis: Yeah. I think that each morning there was a meeting. I would read the minutes from the last meeting. ‘Todd yells. Robert Yells back. Lets get on with the new meeting.’ No. There was a discussion for at least about an hour each morning it seemed like, sometimes longer –

Phillips: Sometimes three.

Galifianakis: Yeah, and it really helped it. It really did.

On the topic of making a sequel to this film, Galifianakis comes up with an interesting idea…

Galifianakis: As far as the franchise stuff goes we were kind of fantasizing on the last day certainly that I was working – and it was towards the last scene or it was the last scene at the hospital; there was a moment and I don’t know if you recall it where Ethan says to Peter, ‘Call me.’

Downey: Okay, yeah.

Galifianakis: Then I’m like, ‘No. Call me tomorrow,’ whatever I say. We were fantasizing, like, I’ve never seen a movie jump genres. So the sequel would be more like a ‘Cape Fear’ thing. My character is not actually dumb at all. It’s just been an act.

Downey: An elaborate ruse -

Galifianakis: This whole time and I then stalk Robert’s family.

Phillips: I thought what you were going to say and what would be interesting is if you just pick it up from a minute later. Instead of jumping a month or a year that it’s literally from that moment that you left. That would be fun.

Todd were you always intending on showing up in the film?

Phillips: I wrote myself in that morning. It was never in there.

Downey: By the way, what is it that you’re whispering to Juliette Lewis? I’ve been trying to figure it out.

Phillips: That is called great acting. It’s understated.

Downey: Unintelligible, yet to me the best single line in the movie because I can’t even tell you what you were saying.

Phillips: I said, ‘Did you remember to tape “Judge Mathis”?’ She says, ‘Yeah, it’s on there. Just look on the menu.’

Often modern protagonists get sanded down from focus groups into this kind of vanilla blandness. Was it refreshing to play someone with so many real and yet repellent moments in their arc?

Downey: I just want to be a part of a good movie and I can’t stand to be surrounded by morons but we had such a great group of people in the whole thing. It’s funny, yeah, because you could say this is a two dimensional commercial comedy. I feel that this is the second greatest story ever told.

The first being?

Downey: Oh, come on! The Bible.

Thought Zach did get some punches in as well…

Can you talk about Juliette Lewis because she’s had a great year of cameos. If you did do the ‘Cape Fear’ thing would she be in it?

Phillips: She would but I don’t think that Zach could fit his finger in her mouth.

Downey: You got to hand him the baton there. (Zach pauses and Robert gets antsy) Do you want a piano?

Galifianakis: At least my father didn’t leave me. Okay? News is out. That’s what the father issue is about. There it is.

But the mocking continued…

Zach, how was it being on the set of the greatest television show of all time, ‘Two and A Half Men’ and while we’re on the topic, do you have any advice for Charlie Sheen right now?

Galifianakis: I’ve only heard a little bit about what happened Charlie Sheen but I want to congratulate him, from what I’ve heard. Be nice now that the holiday season’s coming up. But that sitcom acting is tough. You have to hit your mark. It’s a tough thing to do, the sitcom.

Downey: I’m sorry. You have to hit your marks? That’s the challenge?

Phillips: It was a lot that day for you to memorize and do right on the spot. We showed up and we were shooting it fifteen minutes later and it was a little bit like Zach getting thrown into their world.

Downey: Within the context of that show I thought that it was a very strong cameo –

Galifianakis: Thank you. I’m going to be on next season.

Phillips: Those guys at ‘Two and A Half Men’ were great to have us and they understood the tone of the movie and take part and it was really fun to do.

The again the two did seem to have a bond…

Robert and Zach, what do you think is the definition of friendship and you seem to have an off friendship now?

Downey: To me friendship means loving tolerance.

Galifianakis: I think that Robert and I formed a friendship on this movie, albeit a very antagonistic but fun relationship. He’s really kind of very, very funny and he makes fun of people a lot and for some reason I like to be made fun of even if it has to do with my
fingers not fitting in someone’s mouth. That’s really hilarious.

And now to end on a high note, after all the teasing Robert did give the two a nod…

Robert, can you talk about being a part of so many franchises and if this film does well possibly doing another sequel or franchise?

Downey: Yeah. That’s what I need is three franchises so that I can utterly have a personality meltdown and no real life, but I would do it with these guys. I have to say, too, that there was something so cathartic, and as we all know from the writers and Michelle peripherally and our involvement in it, but I think it was just the most healing project that I’ve ever worked on. And I’ve never come up against anyone who is so confident and so thoughtful and so spontaneous that it’s not even daunting. He’s just in a class by himself and I think Todd is the best director that I’ve ever worked with, bar none.

Phillips: Did you all get that?

Galifianakis: And don’t forget about the part before that which I thought he was talking about you the whole time.

Watch the two tear each other apart in Due Date, which will be in theaters November 5th.

Zach Galifianakis Says He Didn’t Get Mel Gibson Fired From Hangover 2

Krystal Clark — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:01:30 +0000

Over the past couple of weeks, The Hangover 2 has been the center of attention for all the wrong reasons. The film has been overshadowed by a dark cloud brought upon us by Mel Gibson. The Oscar winner was set to do a cameo in the sequel but the cast and crew were against it causing director Todd Phillips to drop him. Rumors soon spread that Galifianakis was the main culprit, who caused Gibson to get tossed. Galifianakis recently appeared on an episode of “The Today Show” to promote his new film, Due Date and he addressed the speculation regarding his involvement.

According to Galifianakis, “I do not consult on the movies that I’m in. I just show up and I say my lines, usually terribly, and I do consult on dialogue,” he explained. “But as far as hiring and firing of actors, I have no insight into that world whatsoever.” This was in response to a radio interview he did a few weeks ago where he stated that he was “in a deep protest” with a movie he was working on, but he never clarified if it was The Hangover 2 or not.

Phillips had previously released a statement revealing that Gibson’s cameo wouldn’t be happening because the decision ultimately did not have the full support of his entire cast and crew. The media ran wild with that and put two and two together and came up with a rambunctious story about angry actors and unfair firings. At the official press day for Due Date, Phillips stated that we shouldn’t believe the hype.

Phillips: “Just for clarification, no one was ever fired. It’s a term that is so obscene to me. Someone was doing me a favor to come in for a two minute cameo and we changed it. I mean it wasn’t like we fired somebody. It was doing a favor from the beginning.”

Even though they claim that this wasn’t a huge blow up, there had to be some serious resistance from everyone involved for Gibson to get dropped like that. More than likely they want the focus to shift back to the fun aspects of the movie and not the behind the scenes drama.

Do you believe Galifianakis and Phillips’ statements?

Source: MTV

The Hangover 2 Drops Mel Gibson Cameo, Cast Didn’t Want Him

Krystal Clark — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:52:15 +0000

Update: Gibson has been replaced by Liam Neeson. Read the casting announcement now!

All the hype surrounding Mel Gibson and his comedic return to the big screen has been a total waste. The actor was confirmed to appear in Todd Phillips upcoming sequel The Hangover 2 for Warner Bros but according to Coming Soon, it’s not happening. Phillips has revealed that the Gibson cameo has been officially dropped.

So what’s the reasoning behind this drastic decision? According to the director it had nothing to do with the studio, it was all about his cast and crew.

“I thought Mel would have been great in the movie and I had the full backing of Jeff Robinov and his team,” said Phillips in a statement released by the studio, “But I realize filmmaking is a collaborative effort, and this decision ultimately did not have the full support of my entire cast and crew.”

We guess the actors just couldn’t let those anti-Semitic, misogynistic, and racist remarks go. Nice try Mel, but the wounds are still too fresh for you to make a comeback. Maybe you should wait another year?

If everything had gone according to plan, Gibson would have played a tattoo artist that one of the main characters visit during a night of debauchery.

What do you think of Phillips decision to drop Gibson from the film? Was the cast and crew right to voice their concerns?

The Hangover Director to Produce John Belushi Biopic

Krystal Clark — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:46:37 +0000

Todd Phillips, the director of such comedic hits as Old School and The Hangover is set to produce a biopic based on the turbulent life of actor John Belushi. The young comedian and “Saturday Night Live” cast member died at the age of 33 in 1982 from a drug overdose. Like most stars who go before their time, his career was white hot but unfortunately all the partying eventually caught up to him.

According to THR, Phillips plans on producing the film with the help of screenwriter Stephen Conrad. Warner Bros have acquired the rights to Belushi’s story from his estate and are trying to pull together a cast and crew to get the project off the ground. In the past, the deal for the film rights have fallen through and come back together again but this time they have a solid lock.

Many books have been written about the late actor and even a made for TV movie has been produced (starring Michael Chiklis), but none of them had the support of Belushi’s family. Phillips film will thanks to the involvement of the actor’s widow Judith Belushi Pisano (she’s since remarried), who will serve as an executive producer. She wrote a book in 2005 called “Belushi: A Biography,” which will be the source for some of the biopic’s material.

One actor whose name has popped up to play the lead is Zach Galifianakis. Coincidentally, he’s got the build, the comedic chops, and he’s worked with Phillips twice in the past (The Hangover, Due Date). But unfortunately he’s already 40 years old and they’re not sure if they can make that work. Personally, haven’t we seen the age issue get glossed over in movies before (we’re looking at you Kevin Spacey in Beyond the Sea)?

Younger candidates include Jonah Hill (26), Seth Rogen (28), Ethan Suplee (34) and Tyler Labine (32). Out of that bunch who would you choose? And most importantly who’s going to play John’s little brother, Jim? Isn’t that what we’re all really concerned about?

What do you think of Phillips taking on Belushi’s story? Who do you think should play the actor?

The Hangover 2 To Be Set In Thailand

traviswoods — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:44:32 +0000

Because beating an idea to death is what we all know and love Hollywood for, a long-rumored sequel to the runaway comedy hit The Hangover is now in production. One question that’s been lingering about the sequel, though, was where would it take place? What location could possibly live up to the glittery decadence and depravity that is so deeply ingrained within Las Vegas, the setting of the first film?

Well, if you’re director Todd Phillips, you set your sights high for the comedy gold that’s to be mined out of a country renowned for its 30,000 underage prostitutes and forced human trafficking/ sexual slavery: Thailand! Yes, that Far East hotbed of international intrigue and soulless human exploitation is now confirmed by an inside source to be the setting of the upcoming Hangover 2.

According to ComingSoon.net, “production will move there this fall with a script that sees the characters from the 2009 hit comedy traveling to Asia.”

“Originally rumored by Latino Review last fall, a Thailand-set sequel was debunked by director Todd Phillips in an interview with Collider earlier this year.

“I don’t know,” Phillips stated in response to the claim, “There’s a lot of rumors. There was rumor also that it was going to Mexico or something and neither are true.”

“We can now confirm that Phillips’ comments seem to be a case of misdirection on his part and that Thailand will, indeed, be the primary setting for the sequel, reuniting Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha and Zach Galifianakis.”

Forced human slave trade? Unspeakable acts of abnormal depravity? Zach Galifianakis? Oh, Hollywood, you know just what to say to me.

What do you think about sending the Hangover boys to Thailand?

Robert Downey Jr, Zach Galifianakis in Due Date Trailer

Krystal Clark — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:12:58 +0000

The first trailer for Todd Phillips follow up to the 2009 megahit The Hangover is Due Date. It reunites the director with actor Zach Galifianakis and brings on newbies Robert Downey Jr, Michelle Monaghan, and Jamie Foxx. The film is filled with previous castmates like Downey and Monaghan who worked together in 2005′s Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, and Foxx who co-starred with him in last year’s The Soloist. Enough of the six degrees of separation, on to the trailer…

Due Date is a road trip movie that centers on a father (Downey) to be as he anxiously tries to venture cross country to make it in time for his child’s birth. Unfortunately, he has to hitch a ride with an annoying slacker (Galifianakis) in order to make that happen. Monaghan plays his pregnant wife, and Foxx stars as her ex-boyfriend, who also happens to be one of Downey’s best buds.

Even though they’re barely shown, the rest of the cast includes the RZA and Juliette Lewis who also appeared in Phillips sleeper hit Old School.

Due Date hits theaters on November 5, 2010.

What do you think of the first trailer for Due Date? Are you interested in seeing the film?

Source: Yahoo Movies

Todd Phillips Project X Details Revealed

Krystal Clark — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 23:57:56 +0000

For a while we’ve been hearing that The Hangover director Todd Phillips has been working on a top secret project with super-producer Joel Silver. Both are on board to help put together a small R-rated comedy for the feature directorial debut of Nima Nourizadeh. Other than that, no big names are attached to star and the premise has been hidden from the world, until now…

According to FirstShowing, a close and reliable source gave them the inside scoop on what exactly it is that Phillips is working on.

The film is described as a party movie, but unlike films like Can’t Hardly Wait and other such one-night-of-chaos films before it, this will be shot in cinema-vérité style, where the audience will experience the party only through the first-person observer view of the camera, so essentially, we will be at the party too. Much like the Hud character in Cloverfield, the role of the observer through which we experience the party will be voice-over only. And to seal the deal on this party-going experience, the entire film will be presented in 3D (there’s a chance it could be shot in 3D, but with a $15 million budget, I don’t think that’s the case).

Even though everything sounds like it will be done off the cuff, there is a script involved so it won’t be that much improv going on. Silver and Phillips are also looking to cast no name actors instead of digging through the Hollywood teen set, so if you think you’ve got the chops and want to audition visit the casting call website. The premise is interesting but the idea of it possibly being in 3D sounds insane. Just thinking about a house party, alcohol, and 3D makes me want to vomit. That’s a dangerous combination.

What do you think of Project X? Does it sound interesting?

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Todd Phillips Brings the Project X Trailer

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