Tag Archives: Zach Galifianakis

In Theaters This Weekend: Memorial Day brings more of those summer sequels

27 May

Every year when the weather turns warm, we tend to look forward to our favorite things about the summer season. BBQ, hanging by the pool, and long summer nights are just a few things that come to mind. But with those unfortunately there also comes burnt food, burnt skin, and hungry mosquitoes. Same goes for the summer movies. For every blockbuster, Hollywood churns out a quick buck flick that looks to capitalize on audiences heading in droves to the theaters. And what is the one constant you can count on every year? Yes, that’s right – the summer movie sequel, and this Memorial Day weekend, we get two of them.

For all the problems that exist with the movie sequel, there are some upsides. For one, we’re already familiar with all the main characters, so establishing a relationship is not an issue. And if those characters charmed us once, chances are we’re going to give them a little leeway when it comes to the second time around, and that’s a good thing when it comes to The Hangover Part II. For a movie that brings back our perpetually red-eyed friends for another round of adventures the day after, they must think that we in the audience must be suffering from some sort of alcohol induced amnesia as well, because this second installment brings on a lot of déjà vu. Our friends Phil (Bradley Cooper), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) are reunited two years after their Vegas hijinks to celebrate Stu’s (Ed Helms) wedding in Bangkok, Thailand, and after a low-key bonfire on the beach somehow goes awry, the gang (minus Doug) wakes up the next morning in a rundown hotel room in the heart of Bangkok, with no recollection of how they got there, and the bride’s underage brother missing. This is where the movie begins to follow the same arc of the previous installment: instead of Stu waking up with a missing tooth, he’s got a Mike Tyson face tattoo, and instead of a cute little baby with sunglasses, there’s a cute little monkey with a Rolling Stones jean jacket. Oh, and Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) is back for an encore to provide a bit of humor and to work as a much needed plot device. But if you enjoyed the first Hangover, you’ll inevitably like the second one; it’s essentially the same movie. The jokes are a bit more over the top and the plot is extremely predictable, but it’s fun to see the fellas back in action, and Zack Galifianakis is still on top of his game, so despite running the same road, we’ll still tie one on and join our three best friends for another round of “so what the hell happened last night?!”

Also opening up this weekend is another sequel that is leaps and bounds from The Hangover Part II – Kung Fu Panda 2. Back again is Jack Black as panda warrior Po, and his A-List warrior friends, voiced by Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen and David Cross. In the first one, Po trained with his kung fu master, but this time around he’s a seasoned pro, and must band together to stop a villain who plans to unleash a new weapon that would render kung fu utterly useless (my guess is the weapon is a firearm, which pretty much did end any kind of hand-to-hand combat). And while Po the panda is a formidable fighter this time around, he still bumbles his way through the movie, and of course there are plenty of fat jokes to fill in the gaps. A fun movie voiced by some of today’s comedic masters, but a sequel nonetheless, so look for more of the same.

In limited release: If you’re looking for something truly original this weekend, check out The Tree of Life, by director Terrence Malick. Starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain, the film follows the lives of a family with three boys growing up in the 50’s, and intercuts them with surreal scenes from this world and cosmic glories. Winner of the Palme d’Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Malick creates a beautiful movie that should be the cold salve on the hot sunburn of the summer movie sequels.

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The Hangover 2 Official Trailer

24 Feb

The Wolf Pack is back, but where’s Doug? 

So we finally get our first look at the much anticipated follow up to the Zach Galifianakis show that was The Hangover.  The sequel got a lot of publicity even before the trailer dropped.  Trying to double dip on its cameo-of-the-year with Mike Tyson‘s appearance, the producers cast anti-Semite and accused wife beater Mel Gibson as a crazy tattoo artist.  After a cast mutiny, the director gave the Aussie the boot and cast Liam Neeson instead.

The most promising aspect of the teaser is the absence of Doug…or maybe he’s been turned into that monkey.  Easily the weakest part of the first, yet the peg that makes the plot possible.  Now we’re following Ed Helms’ Stu to Thailand for his marriage to Jamie Chung (poised to have a big year with her gig in Sucker Punch).  The boys are on the run from some trouble.  Who knows what it is at this point, but it will be outrageous enough to top the hijinks of the first movie. 

We’re excited about the plot centering around Helms’ character.  He was under-utilized in the first film and was reduced to over-reacting to any given surprise.  We can only hope he’ll cap off his wedding with a song he composed himself.  Galifianakis is always a treat.  Maybe he’s annoying to some, but he will definitely have the most interesting lines.  Bradley Cooper is a great alpha male but was pretty much just eye candy in the last one.  Unfortunately though, a quick look at IMDb.com reveals that Tyson is back and so is the dreadful Ken Jeong.  I will only defend his acting in the NBC show, “Community.”  But what may be the biggest coup in movie cameo history is none other than Nanny groper Bill Clinton.

The Caucasian version of Billy Dee Williams

So, will it suck? 

No.  I was in the minority when the first one came out in that I thought it stunk.  Galifianakis shined, but it just seemed superficially funny.   I’m not going to like this one either unless Helms takes the lead with meatier lines.  I know he’s supposed to be milquetoast, but he’s in Thailand now and he has a tattoo on his face.  Anything goes.  Despite my misgivings, this will be a hit at the box office and will be quoted for years to come.  Maybe in the next one they’ll accidentally kill Doug and have to pass off his life impaired body ala Weekend at Bernie’s.

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First Look: New ‘Muppets’ movie with Jason Segel

9 Nov

Entertainment Weekly is giving us our first look at the new Muppets movie, written by and starring Forgetting Sarah Marshall’s Jason Segel. The new film, the first major theatrical Muppet ‘caper’ since 1999’s Muppets from Space, will feature a new Muppet named Walter, best friend and roommate to Segel’s character Gary, who gets star-struck when he meets Kermit and the other Muppets. Segel explains of Walter’s obsession, “”Walter has a little bit of a self-confidence issue because he’s the only person like him that he’s seen aside from the Muppets. His dream is to meet the Muppets and be around people who are like him.”

The film will be directed by James Bobin, who’s been writer and director for ‘The Flight of the Conchords’ and ‘Da Ali G Show,’ Nick Stoller, Segel’s director for Sarah Marshall will help with the script, and the film will co-star Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, and the ubiquitous Zach Galifianakis. The film, slated for December 25, 2011, follows Walter and Gary as they reunite the entire Muppet cast to try to save the Muppet Theater from being torn down.

Upon first look, the premise rubs us the wrong way. How or why would there be one puppet (Walter) left in the world outside of all the other Muppets? But we are kind of stoked at the possibility of following Walter and Gary around as they try to get the whole Muppet gang back together, and with Amy Adams, who already has proven her worth as a Disney star, Chris Cooper inevitably as the bad guy, and one can only guess as to what Zach Galifianakis will do, it should prove to be a fun ride. And let’s not forget, Segel already has plenty of experience working with puppets…

Blood

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In Theaters This Weekend: Due Date/Megamind/127 Hours – big movies prove there’s something for everyone

5 Nov

The summer blockbusters notwithstanding, the Thanksgiving/Christmas season is the biggest time of year, not just for big-budget buzz movies, but the smaller art-house flicks looking for steam heading into Oscar season. And just like every other industry, Christmas starts earlier every year, so now that those pesky scary Halloween movies are out of the way, we get our first round of big movies for the holiday season.

The first big movie coming out is Due Date, the much anticipated reunion of Zach Galifianakis and Todd Phillips, his Hangover director. Starring Robert Downey Jr. as a dad-to-be who has to get home to witness the birth of his child, the only ride he can hitch is with Galifianakis, the John Candy to his Steve Martin in this Planes, Trains and Automobiles update. Expect the laughs you got from other Phillips movies, but with a touch of schmaltz, as the odd couple of Galifianakis/Downey Jr. is bound to culminate in a touching meeting of the minds, most likely in the delivery room.

Next is Megamind, the animated 3D superhero movie from Dreamworks, that looks suspiciously like Pixar’s The Incredibles. Never mind that, and just focus on what it has – Will Farrell and Tina Fey doing the voices in a hero movie where the bad guy wins. With Farrell voicing the super-villain Megamind, and a sidekick role going to David Cross, look for hilarious banter between the two, as having the run of the city turns out to not be quite as fun as it seemed. And Fey turns everything she touches into comedic gold, so don’t be bothered if the plot seems a bit familiar.

And the third film opening this week in limited release, and our Will It Suck? pick of the week, is 127 Hours, the true story of hiker Aron Ralston, who if you remember got his arm stuck under a boulder for five days, and was forced to cut his own arm off to survive. The heavy topic is taken on deftly by Danny Boyle, the edgy youthful director behind Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire. He picks James Franco to play Ralston, sticks him under a giant rock, and lets the cameras rip, in what promises to be one of the best films of the year, and could potentially nab Boyle his second Oscar in two straight films. Keep an eye on this one.

Other openings: Fair Game, the story of leaked CIA agent Valerie Plame, played by Naomi Watts, is hitting a number of theaters, and For Colored Girls, the latest Tyler Perry movie starring a who’s who list of black actresses, from Janet Jackson, Thandie Newton, Whoopi Goldberg to Phylicia Rashad (Clair Huxtable!).

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Gulliver’s Travels

4 Nov

By brian

Gulliver is a little man, with big dreams.  I suppose those dreams consist of lying his way into the writing assignment of a lifetime…to find the Bermuda triangle.  Usually I don’t find frauds so affable but we just can’t help it with Jack Black.  He has what Zach Galifanakis doesn’t – the ability to be extremely goofy (like Galifanakis) but not off-putting (unlike Galifanakis) and appeals to audiences all over the world…and apparently Lilliput too.

If you are familiar with Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels,” then about half way through this trailer you realize that we’re probably not going to see any of our hero’s other journeys, like to Brobdingnag, Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, or to the Country of the Houyhnhnms (really? Not the Houyhnhnms?!).  That’s just fine by me.  The first “travel” is the most referenced anyway, and for a reason – it’s the most fun.  Just don’t be surprised if the writers borrow from some of the other stories, and drop them here and there throughout the movie. 

Black does his usual buffoonery, which probably is the only thing that would endear a giant 12 times the size of your population.  He eventually gives his word…again…that he will defend his new found home but I’m sure in the end everyone will learn a lesson about getting along.  Oh, yeah…there’s a love story too – one in the real world involving Black and Amanda Peet, and one in Lilliput, that no-doubt mirrors Black’s longing for, and lack of attaining, his dream girl.  Gulliver rounds out the cast with Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Billy Connolly, and The State’s Joe Lo Truglio. 

So, will it suck? 

Nah.  Gulliver is a classic story that always pleases. And it’s perfect for Christmas, because parents might enjoy Black’s brand of roguish antics, but not as much as they will love being able to drop off the kids off for a couple of hours for a much needed respite.  Kids will love Jack Black - remember seeing Ace Ventura: Pet Detective in the theaters? Grown-ups groaned the same way about Jim Carey’s schtick back then but to us, it was a comic awakening.  Sure Black is relying on the same old same old, but it’s still kinda funny, and will be waaaay better than Ted Danson’s go with his 1996 made-for-TV version.  Gulliver’s Travels is brought to you by the same director who did Shark Tale and Monsters vs. Aliens and the same studio responsible for Night at the Museum, so you know the jokes and gags will be spot on for the kiddies, and maybe a little humor in there for the adults who take them to see it.

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Due Date

30 Sep

By josh

Road trip movies are a legitimate genre in Hollywood, and they almost always revolve around an Odd Couple premise – two (or sometimes more) passengers must travel together, and they couldn’t be any more different – add water and shake for instant comedy. Let’s just go down a brief list – The Wizard of Oz, Thelma and Louise, Tommy Boy, Little Miss Sunshine, and the ultimate Planes, Trains & Automobiles – all feature a band of opposites who somehow survive the trip together, and at the end, the straight-laced characters learn to let their hair down, and the total weirdoes are revealed to be more than just idiosyncrasies. They all follow a formula, we’ve all seen it before, and the studios keep churning them out, the latest of which is Due Date, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis.

The film follows the simple premise – business-suited and Bluetooth-wearing Downey must get home to his wife in time to see the birth of his first child, and he must rely on the oddball and effeminate Galifianakis (yes, that’s a Lilith Fair t-shirt he’s wearing under that scarf) and his rental car to get him there. After trashing the car in a crazy highway accident, the two (plus Galifianakis’ dog) continue on together, hitching rides from strangers, and possibly stealing a highway patrol vehicle. While annoying with inane questions, or just outright mean, the two show a tenderness building, which, I’m just going to take a stab and say, will result in Downey inviting Galifianakis to join him for Thanksgiving dinner – I mean, the birth of his child.

Directed by Todd Phillips, this film bites wholly and evenly from the aforementioned Planes, Trains, where Downey replaces the uptight Steve Martin, and the plump Galifianakis wears the plus-sized pants of shower ring salesman John Candy. Downey must get home to his wife, and despite the obvious obnoxiousness of Galifianakis, reluctantly agrees to a ride. I’m guessing there was an overbooked flight and Hertz was suddenly completely out of stock. Oh, and the Greyhound drivers were on strike, and well, who really travels by train, anyway? The plot? It’s throwaway. The thing that’s going to set this apart (and is probably how they repackaged and sold it), is ironman Downey, and the new Will Farrell in Zach Galifianakis. These two are so hot right now you could put them in a Jane Austen period drama and still expect to sell tickets. Downey is the comeback kid who proved with Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang that he still had charm, and with Tropic Thunder that he could make people laugh. And Galifianakis, who is utterly ubiquitous right now, toiled for years doing stand up and random weirdness, but after his breakout hangover, he’s absolutely killing it as the go-to funnyman, while still keeping up with random weirdness. For Due Date to be getting the attention it is, you’ve got to believe it’s from “The Hangover” plug at the beginning of the clip, and the fat, furry face of “that guy from The Hangover.”

Phillips, who directed The Hangover, has already gone down that road movie path with Road Trip back in 2000, and is responsible for assembling the Frat Pack for 2003’s Old School, so he knows how to use the oh-so-hot right now stars to effectively make dick jokes. But while The Hangover was funny, and had some memorable lines and situations, can Phillips keep making the same movie over and over again, just adjusting the stars and the settings? We’ve been getting a more adult Phillips as of late, with him moving away from college settings and focusing on bros in their late twenties on the eve of a wedding, and now thirty and forty-somethings with babies on the way; are we to expect a deeper funny? In the opening scene from the trailer, Downey recites a story about how his dad left him when he was young, and Galifianakis laughs and says “my dad would never do that, he loved me.” Is that ‘loved’ as in the past tense? Are we going to find out Galifianakis’ dad is gone, and he has no family left to turn to? Will we get Downey at the end sympathizing with the overgrown child, and inviting him to Thanksgiving dinner, I mean, the birth of his child? One can only guess, but my guess is yes.

So, will it suck?

No. It seems like every movie we see these days is a rip-off of some other movie, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re all bad. Let’s just take the Planes, Trains homage in stride, and focus on its differences, in that it has Downey and Galifianakis this time around; two people that I actually find funny (sorry, I just don’t get Steve Martin). As anyone with an HBO subscription and brains knows, Galifianakis can actually act like a fairly normal person (Bored to Death), and not pigeonholed as a complete ‘ri-tard.’ A legitimate funnyman that’s finally getting his due, combined with Downey, who now that he’s clean can be respected again, in a Todd Phillips movie? Well, on paper it all looks good, and despite the trailer not really having too many laugh moments (the “check yourself” line by Galifianakis is borderline cringe-worthy), you’ve got to have faith that yes, this won’t be an award winner, but it’s going to do what a road movie was intended to do – take you on a wild-ass ride, but leave you sleeping soundly in your own bed at night.

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