A Role Model for comedy in 2009?

Watching the trailer for Role Models you could be forgiven for dismissing this as a clone of many other American comedies over the past few years. It stars Sean William Scott (best known as Steve Stifler in the American Pie movies), Paul Rudd (Anchorman, 40 Year Old Virgin), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin from Superbad) and Elizabeth Banks (40 Year Old Virgin, Zack and Miri Make A Porno). So even the cast begin to make this look like many of the films from the Judd Apatow stable, but without Mr Apatow attached.

The opening act also begins to set the scene for another standard by the numbers comedy. Paul Rudd's character hates his life and therefore become self destructive, and Sean William Scott once more plays the dumb loser who lives for his next one night stand. So far, so normal.

But after receiving community service for a driving misdemeanor, something unexpected happens. The two lead characters are sent to the Sturdy Wings charity to become "Bigs" (adults who spend time making friends with the children sent there). From this point on, an average comedy is tranformed into a funny, witty and touching film.

Its Chrisopther Mintz-Plasse that steals the show, adding another string to the geek bow he started with Superbad. This time, instead of being the lovable loser who muddles by in life, he is a cape wearing, live action role player. Some of the funniest scenes come when Mintz-Plasse and Rudd are taking part in the role play battles.

So, I would advise that people go and see this film, take a deep breath and bear with it through the first 15 minutes or so, as this is already the comedy gem of 2009, and the film that all other mainstream comedies should be aiming to beat.

Will anyone be watching the Watchmen?

One of the most eagerly anticipated films of 2009 hit the skids before we had time to exit 2008!

Watchmen has become caught up in a legal battle over distribution rights between Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox.

The issue has arisen because in the 1980s Paramount Pictures bought the rights to the Watchmen, plowed vast amounts of cash into developing it, before giving up and putting the film into turnaround. Warner Brothers have gone on to make the movie (with Warners to distribute the film in the US and Paramount to distribute everywhere else). Twentieth Century Fox are now arguing that they contractually had the right to first refusal of the film before Warners started working on it. A judge has now ruled that this issue should go to trial on 20th January 2009.

Negotiation has started between all of the studios involved but the knock on affect of this situation is that the film could be postponed until the court process has finished. Or worse, canned all together if an agreement cannot be reached.

I pity the fool who remakes 80s classics

People of the 80s rejoice, Fox Pictures remake of The A-Team has been pushed back from a 2009 release to 2010. The director John Singleton has left the project and so has the only actor to be linked to playing any of the four characters. I personally am hoping that this project goes the way of the dodo and becomes extinct.
The actor linked to play B.A. Baracus (Mr T), was none other that Tyrese Gibson! No I'm not saying that hes a bad actor, its just that I don't think that there is anyone capable of filling those big gold chains, let alone the guy who so far has had secondary roles in 2 Fast, 2 Furious and Transformers.

There has been an influx of news relating to retro remakes of 1980s film and television of late, especially those concering artificial intelligence. The man who directing Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is now shooting Terminator Salvation, a re-boot of the cyborg franchise. Knight Rider has made a comeback to American TV screens this month, without David Hasslehoff. And rumours are strong that a script for a new Robocop movie are doing the rounds in Hollywood. There is also a planned franchise restart for Beverley Hills Cop, which some say is the only memory left that Eddie Murphy once had a career!

For the love of my childhood memories, this has to stop! I awaken every day fearing that the Variety or Empire wesbites will be carrying a story about Back to the Future 4 or Bill and Teds Lastest Adventure.

Ghostbusters has now been mooted for a comeback by many people in the film industry. Some say that it will be the reuniting of the old cast for one last, which could be good, others sources are stating a new cast (possibly Seth Rogan and the usual Judd Apatow movie suspects), which sounds all kinds of bad.

I think the final message to movie executives would be to find some new ideas, hire inspired people and not to get desperate enough to look backwards to cash in on previous successes. When you re-invent, re-start or re-imagine past movies, you are not just kick starting a commercial venture, you are playing with the happy memories of so many peoples childhood!

Geeks Invade Hollywood!

No you have not missed an assault on LA by spotty, spectacled individuals, what I am referring to is the increasing number of self confessed film geeks who have successful careers among the Hollywood elite.

The list includes people such as Quentin Tarrantino, Simon Pegg (pictured right with fellow film fanatic Nick Frost), Edgar Wright, J.J Abrams and Judd Apatow.

Looking at the projects this type of person takes part in, the pure passion and enthusiasm (often bordering on obsession) comes to the fore. Tarrantino has a habit of recreating classic feelings in his movies, such as the Eastern matial arts tone of Kill Bill vol.1 and the old Western atmosphere of Kill Bill vol.2. Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg have created films that pack a huge amount of cultural referencing into the running time. And finally J.J Abrams who has reinvented the monster genre with Cloverfield and has now turned his attention to the re-building of the Star Trek franchise with a prequel to the original series.

People who live and breath for celluloid seem to be drawn towards each other by some cinematic version of gravity. J.J Abrams has cast Simon Pegg to play a young Scotty in his new Star Trek, Tarrantino has lent his voice to the commentary on the US DVD release of British TV sitcom Spaced (starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and directed by Edgar Wright) and Edgar Wright has moved into a flat in LA above Tarrantino's cinema.

This revolution has been welcomed by people the world over, as it gives people who are crazy about film the hope that with enough passion, a career in the world they love is attainable. I know this, because I am one of them!

Did I miss the Pineapple Express?

Above I have addede the trailer for the film Pineapple Express. I like many people will have seen the trailer, or read a preview, and thought that since this is written by the same guys who penned Superbad, that is was sure to be another fantastically funny string in the Judd Apatow comedy bow. And then Empire Magazine, of whom I am a regular reader, gave it four solid stars in this months review.

So on the strength of the above evidence, I went to the cinema and parted with my hard earned cash. But sadly, I didn't get it.

Firstly, I must point out that the film isn't a complete waste. The whole cast are fantastic, particularly James Franco, who for once has been trusted with a role that does not fall into the category of 'brooding'.

It just seemed to me that the writing was a little off. Comedy moments were patchy and some jokes completely missed the spot. The drusg message within the film started by hinting that they will ruin your life and then did a U-turn. The outcome of the relationship between Seth Rogan's character Dale Denton and Amber Heard's love interest is left hanging. The final showdown is too predictable and lasts too long.

People who have seen this film and loved it can feel free to tell me I'm wrong, as I think I have figured out why I didn't like it. I suppose it is because I know that this isn't a bad movie, its just not as good as I have come to expect from the combination of Apatow and Rogan.

Rocknrolla.....return to form for Guy Ritchie??

There have been very mixed reviews of the latest offering from Guy Ritchie, Rocknrolla. Some have called it a return to form for the London gangster specialist, while others argue that its too much like his previous offerings Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch.

I can see both sides of this arguement, but I have to admit that I enjoyed the movie. Yes, it is very similar to the previous criminal offerings of Mr Ritchie. Yes, its dated badly already because the credit crunch means that property in London isn't what it used to be, and yes, anyone looking for something original will be disappointed. But why is this familiar territory painted as a bad thing? Did anyone see what happened when he tried a new genre.......Swept Away, a film so bad I honestly thought deafness and blindless was a better option than the naff story, apalling acting (coutesy of Mrs Ritchie) and downright terrible writing.

Prior to Rocknrolla he reaffirmed his talent for uniquely beautiful shooting, with an amazing Nike advert. And looking at his two original gangster films, there are elements of this talent that occasionally shoot forward and deliver a wake up call to anyone doubting the director. Who can forget the dizzying shot of Ed in Lock, Stock.... or the knock out scene from Snatch that featured Brad Pitt's Mickey and a swimming pool.

Alot of the reviews, particularly the ones found in broadsheet newspapers, seemed to be judging the film on a dislike the journalist held for Guy Ritchie rather than actually watching the film. Which is a shame, as its a movie worth giving up the times to visit the cinema.

Tom Wilkinson excels, Gerard Butler proves himself an actor of worth, Toby Kebbell is more Pete Doherty than I thought possible and Mark Strong has another storming performance. There are weak points in the use of cast though. Jeremy Piven, who has proved himself as a sensational character actor in the series Entourage is wasted here, as so is Gemma Arterton, the girl who has only about four lines of dialogue yet is good enough to be part of the new James Bond film and also Jerry Bruckheimers next franchise Prince of Persia.

After personally finding joy in the film on the whole, all I can say is that people should not listen to anything I say and go tp see it for themselves, after all, I'm a blogger, not a critic.

The British Comedy Invasion of American Television

It seems that America is looking to British television for its concepts and ideas. It started when Ricky Gervais' The Office was signed up and re-imagined as The Office: An American Workplace, starring Steve Carrell.

Life On Mars and Peep Show are the latest British shows to be given the face lift ready to be presented to American audeinces. But will they work? I would say that one of the reasons these shows are so successful is their Britishness.
Life On Mars drags policeman Sam Tyler back to the 1970s after an accident. But the reason it is so watchable is because in this country, the 197os was a completely different society to the one we have now. We had strikes, a distinct fashion, cutting edge music and racist and sexist social attiitudes. Sam Tyler's boss, Gene Hunt was always designed as a broad shouldered, proud Yorkshire man who drives a Ford Cortina, I cannot see how how the character will carry the same mix of emotions when he is an American possibly stepping out of a Camaro or a Ford Gran Turino.
Peep Show again, works because of the polar distance between the two main characters, with one of them being Mark, the openly patriotic Brit.

So what will be left of these two shows after they have been through the Hollywood filtering process. At best, they may turn into something completely fresh and watchable like The Office: An America Workplace, but at worst they could just become soulless shells of the shows they used to be.

Culture, when it comes to comedy especially, is a difficult thing to grasp. Over here in Britain, broad sitcoms such as Friends, Frasier and Will and Grace have been well received, but it is the more complicated niche comedies that struggle. Although Curb Your Enthusiasm has a big fan base here, it has never matched the success of the three previously mentioned shows. And the fear is that this could work in reverse when our comedies cross the Atlantic.