Jim Carrey goes 'Deep Cover'; Pedro Pascal Climbs 'The Great Wall'

Now that Dumb and Dumber To has bucked the expected poor reviews and earned more than $120M worldwide, producers are eager to work with Jim Carrey on another project. Carrey will star in Deep Cover, a comedy based on a pitch from writer Johnny Rosenthal. Plot details are under wraps but it's probably not a remake of the 1992 Laurence Fishburne/Jeff Goldblum cop thriller with the Dr. Dre soundtrack.  [Deadline]

He's battled The Mountain and lost...badly, now Game of Thrones' Pedro Pascal could face The Great Wall. The Red Viper himself is circling a role in the Chinese action movie from Zhang Yimou (The Flowers of War), expected to be the biggest movie ever filmed in China. Matt Damon is in talks to lead the film but isn't confirmed yet, and given all of the names that have passed through this project who knows what the final cast will look like. Ed Zwick was once on board to direct Henry Cavill and Benjamin Walker, but all dropped out. Bryan Cranston was in talks for it, as well, but he too appears to have fallen off. The story, most recently penned by Tony Gilroy, follows elite British soldiers who discover the construction of the landmark is a means of warding off dangerous creatures. The supernatural flick is set to open November 23rd 2016.  [TheWrap]

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Review: The Farrelly Brothers' 'Dumb and Dumber To'

1994 was a hell of a year for Jim Carrey. In the span of 12 months the, then, relatively unknown actor released 3 $100 million dollar films with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber. Time would prove Dumb and Dumber to be the most memorable and re-watchable film of the group. I’m struggling to think of a single scene that didn’t contain a quotable line. Fun fact, most of that was improvised by Carrey on set including my favorite, “We LANDED ON THE MOON!”. Twenty years and one horrible prequel later we have this weekend’s Dumb and Dumber To. This could have gone one of two ways, hilarious or dreadful, there was no middle ground. Thank the comedy Gods, Harry and Lloyd came back with a BANG! Twenty years after having his heart broken by Mary Samsonite (I’m still amazed by how well the throwback jokes worked) Lloyd is in a nursing home, having been there since the events of the last film. Harry (Jeff Daniels) has dutifully visited his buddy every day since. On the visit that starts the film we find out the Harry will no longer be visiting Lloyd as he has a medical condition that requires a kidney transplant, at which point Lloyd yells “GOTCHA!”…yup, he’s been faking a catatonic state for 20 years just to prank his buddy. The guys get right back to their old tricks and head out to find Harry a family member to donate a kidney. Their first stop is Harry’s parents where he finds out that his two Asian parents are not his biological parents and that he was adopted. Lucky for him they give him a 22 year old post card from Ms. French Tickler herself, Freida Felcher, saying that she’s pregnant. That’s where the road trip starts to find Harry’s illegitimate daughter.

I honestly gave this film 0 chance of being good. I just KNEW that I was going to be let down and have to tell all of you that our favorite idiots should have been left in the 90’s. Boy was I wrong. The movie is downright hilarious giving more laughs per minute than I’ve witnessed in at least a year. Obviously the laughs come from a lot of off-color and bathroom brand humor, so if that’s not your thing then you probably won’t have the same experience as I had, but if you liked the first this one will be right up your alley. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels pick right up with Harry and Lloyd as if there hadn’t been a 20 year break in between, other than the aging you’d think this sequel was filmed before the guys had a chance to get out of character. Every bit of the chemistry we saw before is there and in full swing. I could stop right there since everything else is inconsequential, side characters, plot, direction, these things could be lacking as long as Harry and Lloyd are on point. While you could definitely make an argument about the plot lacking (honestly…if you’re arguing plot you’ve already decided this movie isn’t for you) the side characters were surprisingly fun. Kathleen “I can’t believe I used to have a thing for her” Turner brings Freida Felcher out of her mysterious shroud and right into your face. Rob Riggle, who plays the villain (or is that villains), does exactly what Rob Riggle was made to do, play a supporting role that brings laughs from unexpected places…though I think his role was a bit more understated than usual as far as comedic content goes. The real stand-out among the new players had to be the adorable Rachel Melvin who plays Penny, Harry’s daughter and the end point of the plot. Her role, a pretty girl who is just as comically dumb as the leads, could have easily been immediately annoying had another actress taken it on. Melvin delivers the idiotic Penny to us in a way that is side-splittingly cute, like a puppy running full speed into a screen door. As a small aside to what the movie did right the throwbacks to the first film are done in such a way that feels organic, the way you may re-tell old jokes when hanging out with friends from your youth, as opposed to being in your face “Hey! Remember this!” moments. Honestly, that one aspect was one of the biggest accomplishments of the movie, I would have put money on them reusing all the old stuff and it just not working.

While I don’t really have anything bad to say about the film, at least not anything that should dissuade you from seeing it, there were a few things that I can’t put in the positive column. The first is just more of a depressing note and that’s how old the guys look, really more Carey then Daniel’s. Is that a critical assessment of the movie? No, but it is one of those realization moments when you look at yourself and say, “Damn…times they have a changed”. The second, also not a critical assessment, is that the film just doesn’t feel as iconic as the first. I probably laughed just as much and just as hard, but there weren’t many, if any, lines or scenes in which I thought “Yup, kids will be quoting that for years”. While I know audiences will have a great time with it, I don’t think there will be any of the cultural (or is that lack of cultural) impact of the first.

In a world where we are constantly disappointed by our fond memories coming back to life in ways far removed from what we remember I’m glad to say that Dumb and Dumber To does not disappoint. If you were even a casual fan of the first film you owe it to yourself to spend a quick 90 minutes with Harry and Lloyd. The only regret you’ll have will be the cramps you get from laughing so hard. 

Comedy Score: 4 out of 5 Guttenbergs

Film Score: 3 out of 5 Guttenbergs

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Harry and Lloyd Return in First Trailer for 'Dumb and Dumber To'

It has been a whopping twenty years since Dumb and Dumber hit theaters with its goofy brand of unabashed foolishness, introducing most of the world to the Farrelly Brothers in the process. The dim-witted Harry and Lloyd remain arguably the most memorable characters for both Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, and the film is considered by some a modern comedy classic. But did it really warrant a sequel in Dumb and Dumber To? Even if their audience's sense of humor may have changed, the Farrellys are hoping to tap into a sense of nostalgia for everybody's favorite moronic duo.

The first trailer for Dumb and Dumber To has arrived, along with a new poster that brings back the ol' Shaggin' Wagon. Harry and Lloyd older but not necessarily wiser, and when they learn Harry may be the father to a child he never knew about it isn't long before they are on the road again and acting like idiots. There's a creakiness to the humor and few of the jokes really pack a punch, although the camouflaged snack machine bit was effective for coming out of nowhere. Unfortunately it's now been spoiled and probably won't be funny seen in context.

Dumb and Dumber To opens November 14th.


Dumb and Dumber 2 by Teaser-Trailer.com

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Zach Galifianakis to Join Heist Comedy with Owen Wilson

Although Jim Carrey had been loosely attached to the film formerly known as Loomis Fargo practically since the beginning, he's decided to exit the picture due to scheduling conflicts. The last we'd heard about the heist comedy was when Owen Wilson came aboard to co-star, and now a replacement for Carrey has been found in Zach Galifianakis.

Galifianakis, who starred in a trio of crime comedies you may have heard of, is in final talks to join Wilson in the untitled flick directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) and based on an original idea by Up All Night creator Emily Spivey. Based on a ridiculous-but-true story, it centers on an armored car driver (Galifianakis) who teams up with a female co-worker and a team of bumbling crooks to steal $20M from a bank vault, only to leave an obvious trail of evidence by going on lavish shopping sprees after the robbery. Remember what happened to those spend-happy idiots in Goodfellas? Okay, well nothing that messy happens here, but the driver is eventually betrayed and flees to Mexico where he begins to plot revenge. Presumably Wilson will play a part of the gang, and it's unclear who will play their pretty female accomplice.

Sounds promising if only for Galifianakis and Wilson, but Hess has never done much for me as a director. Filming will begin next summer. [TheWrap]

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First Look at Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels As Harry and Lloyd for 'Dumb and Dumber To'

Jim Carrey has always been pretty excited about returning for the Dumb and Dumber sequel, Dumb and Dumber To, even when the studio didn't seem to be. And now Carrey is hoping some of his enthusiasm will rub off on the fans who have been waiting twenty years for a proper follow-up to the hit comedy by releasing the first image of himself and Jeff Daniels in full Harry and Lloyd mode.

The photo is of the dim-witted duo "reading" a copy of Jim Carrey's book, How Roland Rolls, so he gets in a nice plug both for the film and his first turn as an author. Good job. Carrey has slipped back into the Prince Valiant haircut quite well, but it's hard to see Daniels as anything other than Will McAvoy from The Newsroom.

Dumb and Dumber To is a road trip story that has Harry and Lloyd learning from an old flame (Kathleen Turner) that one of them is the father of her child, who happens to need a kidney transplant. Laurie Holden of The Walking Dead plays a villain, and Brady Bluhm is back as "Billy from apartment C".  Look for the film to arrive in 2014, written and directed by the Farrelly brothers.

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Sadly, 'Dumb And Dumber To' Is Back On

It was just over a week ago that it appeared the final curtain had dropped on a Dumb and Dumber sequel. Warner Bros., who had never been all that interested in it to begin with, finally turned their backs on it officially, and it looked like we had seen the last of king morons Harry and Lloyd. But there was a small sliver of hope, as the Farrelly Brothers began shopping it elsewhere, and it seems to have paid off.

Peter and Bobby Farrelly took to Twitter to announce that Dumb and Dumber To is back on with Universal Pictures and Red Granite coming on to finance and distribute. Despite Jim Carrey briefly leaving the project, he and Jeff Daniels are back for a story that sees them hitting the road to track down Harry's illegitimate daughter for a kidney transplant. Laughing yet?

Filming could begin as soon as this fall for a release in 2014.

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Does Marvel want Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler for 'Guardians of the Galaxy'?

The list of names Marvel has been pursuing for the Star-Lord role in Guardians of the Galaxy continues to grow. From Jim Sturgess to John Krasinski to Joseph Gordon-Levitt have been approached, and now that group continues to grow with a few more additions, plus a pair of big comedic names that may be in the running for unspecified roles.

Latino Review reports that Marvel is checking into the availability of Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler. The story doesn't say they're necessarily up for the Star-Lord role, and frankly I don't think they are. It's more likely Marvel would want one or both of them to voice some of the CG-animated characters, like Groot or Rocket Raccoon. Now, they haven't read for the gig or anything, and it's possible they never will, so this is all just really early talk right now. Directed by James Gunn, the film is quirky and offbeat and both men would fit right in.

Also, you can add Chris Lowell(The Help), Wes Bentley, and Cam Gigandet into the Star-Lord mix. All three are being asked to read for the part, but no offers have been made or anything. I suspect Marvel already knows who they really want, and maybe have even made a deal with that person already. We'll find out soon enough.

Guardians of the Galaxy opens on August 1st 2014.

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*UPDATE* Looks like Jim Carrey's in for 'Kick-Ass 2' after all!

*UPDATE* Yep, Deadline has confirmed Jim Carrey for the role of The Colonel in Kick-Ass 2. Check out the earlier story below where Mark Millar and Jeff Wadlow pretty much announced it themselves.

With filming on Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall set to begin soon, one of the more intriguing rumors had them seeking out Jim Carrey for the role of The Colonel, known in the comic as Colonel Stars and an ex-mafia figured turned costumed vigilante. Carrey's a proven fan of Mark Millar's comic and of the first film, but reports that followed pegged the deal is "unlikely" to occur. Turns out that may have been a little premature, though, as director Jeff Wadlow and Millar took to Twitter to confirm that Carrey has agreed to join the film. Thanks to Bleeding Cool for capturing the tweet conversation that follows....

6 days till we start shooting... and we officially have our Colonel. Alrighty f'n then! @chloegmoretz @mintzplasse @donald_faison #kickass2
— Jeff Wadlow (@JeffWadlow) September 1, 2012

@jeffwadlow who do we got?!
— Chris Mintz-Plasse (@MintzPlasse) September 1, 2012

@mintzplasse @jeffwadlow clue- he lives with 200 raccoons and parrots, owns the mask of Loki and named by spielberg as a genius.
— Mark Millar (@mrmarkmillar) September 1, 2012

That's a pretty big get for a film that a lot of people are already looking forward to and doesn't really need the starpower. Carrey joins the returning Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Yancy Butler, along with new faces Lindy Booth, Donald Faison, Morris Chestnut, John Leguizamo, Claudia Lee, Robert Emms, and Andy Nyman. Filming begins on Kick-Ass 2 in five days for release on June 28th 2013.

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Jim Carrey sought for 'Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall'

It's been a long time since Jim Carrey ventured into the superhero realm, way back in 1995 when he played The Riddler in Batman Forever. We can argue about the merits of the film itself, but I thought it marked one of Carrey's finest performances, and now he may looking to the comic book world to help get his career back on the right track.

While nothing is close to official yet, Deadline reports that Carrey is being sought for the Kick-Ass sequel, which I guess is indeed taking on the full-title of Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall. If Carrey does agree, he'll be getting one of the flashiest roles in the film. He'd be playing Colonel Stars, an ex-mafia member turned masked vigilante who helps put together Justice Forever, the team of masked heroes Kick-Ass(Aaron Johnson) becomes a member of.

Carrey's been shown in the past to be a huge fan of Kick-Ass and its director, Matthew Vaughn, so he may try and do everything in his power to fit this into his schedule. We'll see what happens, but to me it sounds like a smart move for Carrey at this stage of his career. Jeff Wadlow is directing Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall for release on June 28th 2013. Carrey is next lined up to star alongside Steve Carell in the magician rivalry comedy, Burt Wonderstone.

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Jim Carrey's 'Pierre Pierre' to begin filming this summer

Jim Carrey definitely appears to be on the comeback trail. After years of not doing much but animated family stuff, he hit it bigger than expected with Mr. Popper's Penguins. While that probably can't truly be considered a Carrey film, he scored some critical points a couple of years ago with I Love You Phillip Morris. Too bad nobody saw it. The future looks bright as well, with him currently filming the rival magicians comedy, Burt Wonderstone, alongside Steve Carell, and the possibility of a sequel to his 2003 hit, Bruce Almighty.

Back in 2010, Carrey became attached to star in Pierre Pierre, a comedy which had been in the works at least since 2007. Originally set to be directed by Jason Reitman(Up in the Air), Larry Charles(Borat) took over to helm based on a Black List approved script by Edwin Cannistraci and Frederick Seton. But little was heard about it since, and the project appeared to be dead. ScreenDaily reports that it's now back on track, with Carrey still in the lead an filming to begin this summer.  The story follows an arrogant, selfish, foul-mouthed Frechman who takes on a job transporting the stolen Mona Lisa from Paris to London, all so he can make enough money to move out of his parent's house. Sounds just crazy enough to work.

20th Century Fox, who first budgeted the film at $20M, must have a lot of confidence in it as they've upped the amount to $30M based on a strong supporting cast circling the project. While the idea of Charles behind the camera doesn't do a lot for me, this sounds like the perfect film to get Carrey back into his comedic groove.

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The New Wave: 12/10/10

What the heck is the guy who brought us The Lives of Others doing making a deliberately airy, light hearted thriller starring two of America's finest actors? Good question. Don't be fooled by the directing pedigree, The Tourist isn't meant to be taken seriously one bit. In fact it's a lot like taking a richly deserved vacation to Venice, with Jolie and Depp as your tour guides. My review of The Tourist can be found here.

The third time may be the charm, but The Chronicles of Narnia has been through the wringer. It's never a good thing when you make nearly a billion dollars and that's still not good enough to keep the studio happy. So what does Disney do? They pawn it off to the highest bidder, with Voyage of the Dawn Treader landing in the willing arms of Fox and Walden Media. The biggest move they made is still the addition of Michael Apted as director, who adds a level of stability and credibility the first two movies sorely lacked. My review can be found here.

Andrew Jarecki sure does love his family secrets, doesn't he? After bringing us the remarkable documentary Capturing the Friedmans just a few years ago, now he's back with his first narrative feature surrounding one of the country's most infamous missing person cases. Ryan Gosling's busy Oscar season continues as he plays the son of a wealthy real estate magnate, who finds himself a suspect in the sudden disappearance of his wife. Those who've been waiting for Kirsten Dunst to make a real transition to more mature flicks may be surprised at just how good she is here. I'd say if the Academy was considering anybody they might want to look her way. My review of All Good Things can be found here, and be sure to tune in to Punch Drunk Critics Live this Sunday for our interview with Andrew Jarecki!

You'd think that the presence of Jim Carrey and Ewen McGregor could help overcome some of I Love You Phillip Morris' less easily marketable traits, but apparently studios balked at that idea. The film struggled for months to find US distribution despite success in France earlier this year. Only the combined courage of Liddell Entertainment and Roadside Attractions were willing to bring this highly regarded true story of a con man who repeatedly breaks out of prison to be with the guy he loves....who he also met while behind bars. No time for a write-up on this one, but you'll be able to hear me and Tim Gordon banter about it this weekend on the show.

Photographer Marc Hogancamp was left with virtually no memory of his life after being attacked and beaten by five men outside of a bar back in 2000. When he woke up after nine days in a coma, he was left with nothing. Unable to afford therapy, he decided to heal himself by focusing his energy on building a WWII-era scale model town in his yard, and populating it with figures representing himself and his loved ones. When his work is discovered and splashed across Esopus magazine as "art", Marc has to decide if that's really the path he wants his fictional little town to take.

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Red Band Trailer Time: I Love You Phillip Morris, starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor

The bumpy road that has been homosexual prison rom-com I Love You Phillip Morris's trek to theaters is almost over, as evidenced by the flurry of trailers and theatrical posters we've seen lately. A new red band trailer for the controversial film has been released, and it's considerably more risque than I was expecting. That's fine with me, but it's only going to make it more difficult to market. Check out the new trailer, and keep an eye out for the flick Glenn Ficara/John Requa film when it hits theaters on December 3rd.

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New poster for I Love You, Philip Morris

After what seems like an eternity and a number of roadblocks, Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor's homosexual rom-com/adventure I Love You, Phillip Morris finally snagged a release date of December 3rd, 2010. With that date rapidly approaching, a new poster for the film has been released and it's kinda cute and whimsical. I expect we'll be seeing a new trailer some time in the near future, but for now this will have to do!

PLOT
Bad Santa co-screenwriters Glenn Ficara and John Requa re-team for this fact-based black comedy starring Jim Carrey as a Texas police officer-turned-con man who makes the leap to white-collar criminal after being sent to prison and falling in love with his sensitive cellmate. Steve Russell (Carrey) is a small-town cop. Bored with his bland lifestyle, Russell turns to fraud as a means of shaking things up. Before long, Russell’s criminal antics have landed him behind bars, where he encounters the charismatic Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). Smitten, Russell devotes his entire life to being with Morris regardless of the consequences — which could well include a life sentence.

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Release date nightmare over for Jim Carrey's I Love You Philip Morris

Let's just say that the journey to the big screen for the Jim Carrey/Ewan McGregor starring comedy, I Love You Philip Morris, has been a bumpy one. The film features Carrey starring as a prisoner who falls in love with his cellmate(McGregor). Once his cellmate is released, Carrey's character escapes numerous times in order to be with the man he loves. It's based on a true story, and is an adaptation of Steve Vicker's novel, I Love You Phillip Morris: A True Story of Life, Love, and Prison Breaks.

Production ended back in 2009, and after debuting at Sundance that year, it struggled to gain distribution. The common belief is that the very heavy homosexual theme was a deterrent. It was eventually picked up by Consolidated Pictures Group for distribution, who then went on to miss every single release date they established. CPG lost the rights due to non-payment, and now the film has been scooped up by the more established Roadside Attractions, and a release date has been set for December 3rd, 2010.

I've heard nothing but rave reviews for Carrey's performance, so obviously this is one I really want a chance to see. If it's as good as people say, Roadside Attractions could be looking at a very lucrative Oscar season.

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