Sundance Review: 'The Diary of a Teenage Girl' starring Bel Powley and Kristen Wiig

The indie scene is chock full of films about female sexual awakening, and most attempt to tell the  same edgy story. Few pull it off; either they're too soft or exploit the subject in ways that can be considered ugly. Marielle Heller's assertive directorial debut The Diary of a Teenage Girl does what many other films attempt which is push the limits in exploring the unchecked sexual desires of one atypical girl in 1976 San Francisco.

Anchored by a raw, untamed central performance by British actress Bel Powley, the film grabs your attention right away as 15-year-old Minnie reveals she just had sex for the first time. Against the backdrop of the west coast hippie and feminist movement there's an endearing spirit of rebellion against societal norms, and Minnie is swept up in it. But for all her hope that she's made the transition into womanhood, she's still very much an immature child. Blabbing into her tape recorder she reveals that her lover was Monroe (Alexander Skarsgard), the boyfriend to her mother Charlotte (Kristen Wiig), an alcoholic with trouble holding on to men. That Charlotte perceives her daughter as a rival isn't lost on Minnie, but it actually drives her to pursue the relationship further. She begins to revel in the danger of it, but also the feeling of being sexually attractive to men because she always perceived herself as ugly and fat.

The road Minnie travels is a familiar one of sexual experimentation bordering on nymphomania. There's of course sex with Monroe, but also sex with strangers, group sex, and a disturbing bout with prostitution that nearly crosses the line into bad taste. Hellner's unflinching portrayal of it is refreshing but Minnie's story is also consistently predictable. Based on the graphic novel by Phoebe Gloeckner, Hellner attempts to weave in brief, American Splendor-esque animated sequences that are beautiful but seem divorced from the narrative. While the case isn't completely made that all of Minnie's questionable behavior will build her into a confident woman, it does celebrate that she'll always be true to herself without the need for male validation. At a time when Hollywood is often and rightly criticized for its negative portrayals of women,  The Diary of a Teenage Girl sends a valuable message message about the value of self-worth.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Review: 'The Skeleton Twins' Starring Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader

 NOTE: This is an edited version of my review from the Sundance Film Festival.

The rapport between Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig is obvious from their first moment together in The Skeleton Twins, and why shouldn't it be? Beyond their shared SNL history the two have delivered fantastic performances together in the past, most notably in Adventureland but also on a smaller scale in Paul. That instant chemistry is what is to be expected, but what will come as a shock to many is that it isn't solely from a comedic standpoint, but that they connect in a film heavy with issues of suicide, abuse, and infidelity.

Wiig has ventured into dramedy territory before, most recently in last year's underwhelming Girl Most Likely, but right from the start it's clear The Skeleton Twins is something new for both co-stars. The film begins with estranged siblings Milo (Hader) and Maggie (Wiig) considering suicide. He's a failed actor living in Los Angeles and dealing with a failed relationship to another man. Maggie's in New York where she leads a life of dull normalcy, working as a dental assistant and married to the overly-eager Lance (Luke Wilson), described later as a "big Labrador retriever". It's a phone call that Milo is in the hospital that stops Maggie from doing herself in, and flying off to LA to check in on him the two speak for the first time in a decade.

The film establishes early on how close they were as children, playing dress up and sharing a love of Halloween with their father. The reunion starts off tense, until Milo breaks the ice with a joke about the book Marley & Me that only those of a similar sense of humor would find funny. Humor is a constant defensive device for both, and after she invites him to stay with her in New York, the return to familiar territory brings back some old, very bad habits. Milo seems to be stalking another gay man (Ty Burrell), until we learn they share a very dark past. Maggie and Lance are attempting to have a child, only he doesn't know she's been actively working against it and indulging in a number of romantic affairs.

Considering the years he spent as the flamboyantly homosexual Stefon on SNL, one might expect Hader to go a little overboard. He never turns Milo into a running gag, however, and is secure enough in himself to crack jokes about being the "creepy gay uncle" or a "tragic gay cliché". Wiig is terrific as a woman incapable of being happy, and always destined to ruin her one shot at a comfortable life. Over time we come to learn about the reasons for Milo and Maggie's estrangement, including the family's history of suicide, highlighted by a memorable but sadly undeveloped appearance by their mother, who both siblings loathe with a passion. These broken siblings seem unable to function normally around anybody else, but they find light and laughter in one another's company. Those are the moments when the film really shines, especially during an impromptu lip-syncing of Journey's cornball '80s hit, 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now'. Director Craig Johnson, working with producers Mark and Jay Duplass, deftly balances the weightier scenes with unexpected bursts of humor. Still, the film goes to some disturbing places later on when we see that Maggie and Milo are as capable of being cruel as they are sharing a few laughs.

Because the film never shies away from the desperate depths of its characters, the overly tender and rushed conclusion is jarring. Nothing can completely overcome Hader and Wiig's excellence in exploring the joys and pains of such a close familial bond. If there was a film that truly puts their SNL past in the rear view mirror, The Skeleton Twins is it.

 Rating: 4 out of 5

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Bill Murray Has Some Ideas for that All-Female 'Ghostbusters' Movie

Considering most had begun to write off a potential Ghostbusters 3 as a terrible idea cursed from the start, the positive reaction to Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) directing a female-led version was a step in the right direction. While there hasn't been any official casting just yet, one person who thinks it's a good idea is Bill Murray, who famously has refused to return for the sequel. While at TIFF reaping a ton of Oscar buzz for his performance in St. Vincent, Murray was asked by Access Hollywood about a female Ghostbusters movie and was extremely enthusiastic about it. Enthusiastic enough to maybe change his mind and come back?

Murray: "It sounds great to me. It sounds as good an idea as any other! There are a lot of women that could scare off any kind of vapor! No, it’s a grand idea, I don’t know who they’re talking about, but it’s a good idea, I would watch it! I mean, I love Robert Palmer’s videos, so why wouldn’t I love the female Ghostbusters?"

While talking to the Toronto Star he even came up with a few casting suggestions, including his St. Vincent co-star Melissa McCarthy...

Murray: “Melissa would be a spectacular Ghostbuster. And Kristen Wiig is so funny — God, she’s funny! I like this girl Linda Cardellini a lot. And Emma Stone is funny. There are some funny girls out there.”

All of those would be amazing choices, and the duo of McCarthy and Wiig even have box office cred together after Bridesmaids. But Cardellini, best known for ER and the Scooby-Doo movies, is a surprise choice and an inspired one. McCarthy seemed flattered and a little taken aback at Murray's idea...

McCarthy: "Oh, my God, that’s daunting. That’s taking on a legend, a legendary movie. But I would do anything with those ladies, anything at all.”

She made clear that nobody has approached her about it, and basically this is just Murray riffing on the idea because he was asked. Chances are Sony and Feig are already looking at these ladies, anyway. Well, except for Cardellini who is a little under the radar but hopefully Murray's seal of approval will change that. [SchmoesKnow]

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First Image from Sebastian Silva's 'Nasty Baby' Starring Kristen Wiig

This may just be me being jealous of all my friends at Toronto, but can we start looking ahead to Sundance yet? Last year Chilean director Sebastian Silva was in Park City with two movies: Crystal Fairy and Magic Magic. It's been more than a year since Kristen Wiig and TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe (Jump Tomorrow) joined Silva's latest film, Nasty Baby, and now the first image has arrived.

Silva co-stars alongside his brother Agustin, Reg E. Cathey (The Wire), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), and Mark Margolis, with the story centering on a gay couple's attempts to have a baby. Adebimpe and Sebastian are the couple with Wiig as Polly, their best friend and surrogate.

This is one I fully expect to see at Sundance in a few months, and yes I'm counting down the days already. Check out the synopsis below:

NASTY BABY centers around a Brooklyn couple, Freddy and his boyfriend Mo, who are trying to have a baby with the help of their best friend, Polly. Freddy is an artist, and his latest work is all about babies – it’s clear he’s dying to be a father. Polly is a family practitioner who is more interested in having a baby than having a man. Mo is hesitant about the entire idea, especially when Polly isn’t having success with Freddy’s sperm and the donor responsibility shifts to him. Set almost entirely in the multicultural vibrancy of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, the trio navigate the idea of creating life, when they are confronted by unexpected harassment from particularly aggressive neighborhood man, nicknamed The Bishop. The Bishop is bothersome in small, yet persistent ways, with a hint of danger. As their clashes become increasingly aggressive, someone is bound to get hurt.

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First Trailer for 'The Skeleton Twins' with Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader

Unlike her Bridesmaids co-star Melissa McCarthy, Kristin Wiig has taken a measured approach to everything that has come afterward. Steadfastly refusing to do a sequel to that hit comedy, she instead took on the lukewarm Girl Most Likely and had a largely thankless role in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Followed by Hateship Loveship which audiences never even looked for, Wiig is still looking for that next big film to show what she can do without the benefit of a large ensemble, and The Skeleton Twins may be it.

Wiig stars alongside Bill Hader, another actor looking to flex his dramatic muscles, in a film that follows a brother and sister who, after growing as virtually inseparable, have been estranged for nearly a decade. Now reunited at the lowest point in their lives, they must deal with the consequences of decisions made while apart. Easily one of the best to debut at this year's Sundance,  I noted in my review the complexity of Hader and Wiig's performances, stating "If there was a film that truly puts their SNL past in the rear view mirror, The Skeleton Twins is it."

The unmistakable imprint of producers Mark & Jay Duplass (Jeff, Who Lives at Home) are all over this one, working with director Craig Johnson and co-stars Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell, and Boyd Holbrook. The Skeleton Twins opens on September 9th.

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Kristen Wiig to Make Directorial Debut on Comedy with 'Bridesmaids' Co-Writer

The post-Bridesmaids career of Kristen Wiig has been interesting to watch unfold, mainly because it has veered so far away from what was expected. She's taken her newfound popularity and starred in a series of smaller projects, such as Hateship Loveship, Girl Most Likely (which she developed for awhile), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and the Sundance hit The Skeleton Twins. Mainly she's stayed clear of big studio efforts, but she's likely to change that now while making her directorial debut.

Wiig will rejoin her Bridesmaids co-star and co-writer Annie Mumolo for an untitled comedy over at TriStar Productions, with Wiig taking the reins as diretor. Wiig and Mumolo, who earned an Oscar nomination for their Bridesmaids script, will produce, write, and star in the film set in a town called Vista Del Mar and follow "best friends who find themselves in over their heads and out of their depths, which were, perhaps, not too deep to begin with.”

We won't ever get that Bridesmaids sequel audiences and fans were hoping for, but this may be the next best thing. [NYT]

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Kristen Wiig Joins Owen Wilson and Zach Galifianakis for Crime Comedy

Long in the works and once with Jim Carrey set for a lead role, the crime comedy formerly known as Loomis Fargo is still putting the cast together. Owen Wilson and Zach Galifianakis are on board with Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) set to direct, and now another piece of the puzzle is in place with the addition of Kristen Wiig.

Wiig will star in the heist caper which is based on the true events surrounding  "four dim-witted Southerners who pulled off one of the biggest heists in American history, robbing almost $20 million from a Loomis Fargo armored truck." Wiig will play a workplace crush, just as she did in 'Walter Mitty', only her character is more devious. She charms Galifianakis to get involved with a bank vault robbery by promising him a future hook-up she has no intention of following through on.

Filming begins in July. [THR]

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Review: 'Hateship Loveship' Starring Kristen Wiig, Guy Pearce, and Hailee Steinfeld

Kristen Wiig's career trajectory after Bridesmaids shot her into the popular stratosphere has been curious, to say the least. Rather than pushing forward on a sequel or even taking on other straight-up comedies, she's drifted into indie films and quirky dramedies with mixed results. While her smaller roles in Friends with Kids and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (and the upcoming The Skeleton Twins) showed her dramatic and romantic sides, Girl Most Likely didn't showcase any of her talents very well. But it was a long stretch ahead of Hateship Loveship,a somber, monotonous cure for insomnia if there ever was one.

Wiig, Nick Nolte, Guy Pearce, Hailee Steinfeld, and Jennifer Jason Leigh look like they could use a dose of smelling salts throughout Hateship Loveship, which is based on a short story by Alice Munro. Sarah Polley adapted another of Munro's works into the devastatingly emotional Away from Her, and that only adds to the disappointment of this film's decided lack of dramatic punch. Wiig doesn't get to tell any jokes, or do anything remotely fun as Joanna, a mousy and reserved caregiver who barely speaks. She's spent so much time looking after others she doesn't know how to function. She hardly smiles, and dresses like a 19th century midwife.

After her latest client passes away, Joanna's new gig thrusts her into the troubled McCauley family, coping with the recent death of a loved one. Her job is to watch over teenaged Sabitha (Steinfeld), a rebellious and hormonal teen living with her grandfather (Nolte) since her mother's death in a car accident. At the wheel was her father Ken (Pearce), a junkie who can barely take care of himself, much less his daughter. For the most part, Joanna tries to stay out of their way, keeping quiet when squabbles break loose. A total innocent in the ways of love, Joanna misinterprets a simple letter of thanks sent by Ken, writing him a length and deeply personal response. Sabitha, who resents having a babysitter, send her a fake love letter from Ken, starting a phony back-and-forth that has the terminally shy Joanna gleeful at the romantic attention. Yeah, she totally got catfished. Her response is borderline stalker-ish, rushing out to buy new clothes, stealing antique furniture from the family, and moving into Ken's home unannounced. Considering he's always drunk or high, Ken accepts her presence readily, even dumping his skanky girlfriend (Leigh) for no good reason.

It's a pretty complicated jumble of characters and emotional riffs to play off of, and there are many more that weave in and out. But mostly this is about Joanna and Sabitha, two men coming into their own at different stages of life. It's fertile material given director Liza Johnson to tread, if only she bothered to do it with even a hint of passion. Instead, her stifling approach limits the performances of a cast any competent filmmaker would bend over backwards to spotlight. Overly-mannered and submissive, Wiig never fits comfortably into a role that requires a smothering of her natural appeal. We want to like Wiig in everything, but you have to give us a reason to!

Interestingly, the story also seems to suggest, well...it really sort of shouts it....a misguided and old-fashioned notion that women can find fulfillment just by fixing up the right man. Joanna throws herself into rebuilding Ken's life, getting him and his house clean, without really having any needs of her own met. Not that we ever learn enough about her to know what those needs are. Certainly she needs more than just the occasional roll in the hay and a dirty floor to mop up....right? It's clear that she has been able to find some measure of happiness watching over others, but the lack of evolution in her character makes us more likely to pity Joanna's future than want to celebrate it. It's a weak and somewhat insulting resolution to a film it's easy to have 'hateship' for, assuming you can stay awake through it.

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Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney May Join 'The Heart' with Kristen Wiig

Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney must really enjoy one another's company. They starred in two movies together in 2013; one was Jim Rash and Nat Faxon's summer comedy The Way Way Back, and the other was Trust Me, the directorial debut of Agent Coulson...er, Clark Gregg. Now they're in talks to reunite with Rash and Faxon once again for The Heart.

Kristen Wiig has been attached to star in the action-comedy for a couple of years now, as the project has been sitting on the shelf ever since Rash and Faxon won Oscars for The Descendants.  She plays a cash-strapped woman who agrees to transport black market organs with a total stranger played by Rockwell. Assuming Janney can fit it into her schedule, she would play Wiig's intimidating boss who has two boyfriends.

Filming on The Heart is set to begin next month. [TheWrap]

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New Trailer for 'Hateship Loveship' Starring Kristen Wiig, Guy Pearce, and Nick Nolte

Alice Munro's tenth celebrated collection of short stories, Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, has already produced one terrific film adaptation. Sarah Polley took the short story "The Bear Came over the Mountain" and adapted it into Away from Her a few years ago. Now Kristen Wiig, Nick Nolte, Hailee Steinfeld, and Guy Pearce have gathered for Hateship Loveship, an adaptation of the collection's title story.

Directed by Liza Johnson (Return), the film looks like a clear step into low-wattage dramatic territory for Wiig. She plays Joanna, a housekeeper to a family rife with internal conflict. Nolte plays the elderly grandfather who is having problems with his outcast son-in-law Ken, played by Pearce. Steinfeld is Ken's daughter, Sabitha, and she's responsible for tricking Joanna into thinking Ken has a romantic interest in her. It makes for an odd blend of tones, even in this trailer, and one can only think it continues into the film as a whole.

Hateship Loveship is available now exclusively on DirecTV (review to come), and will hit VOD and theaters April 11th.


HATESHIP LOVESHIP by Teaser-Trailer.com

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Jonah Hill, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Michael Cera, and Kristen Wiig to Voice 'Sausage Party'

The gang behind This is the End have formed their own little stoner brat pack of sorts, and for the most part it's been a formula for success. Last year's apocalyptic comedy made over $120M, not bad for a hard R-rated flick in the middle of summer. Now they hope to recreate that success with the "adults only" animated comedy, Sausage Party.

Hill revealed his plans for the film a few years ago but it took a step forward when Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2) and Greg Tiernan came aboard to direct. Now The Wrap reports Hill, Seth Rogen, James Franco, David Krumholtz, and Michael Dera will lead the voice cast, with Kristen Wiig, Edward Norton, and Nick Kroll joining in. Rogen and Evan Goldberg pitched in on the script which takes place at a supermarket and follows a sausage's quest to discover the truth of his existence after falling out of a shopping cart. With the 4th of July sale approaching, he and his friends must hurry to get back to their aisles in time.

Much like the talking M&M's from the commercials, apparently these anthropomorphic foods don't realize what the end game is.

Sony plans to release Sausage Party some time in 2015.

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Sundance Review: 'The Skeleton Twins' Starring Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig

The rapport between Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig is obvious from their first moment together in The Skeleton Twins, and why shouldn't it be? Beyond their shared SNL history the two have delivered fantastic performances together in the past, most notably in Adventureland but also on a smaller scale in Paul. That instant chemistry is what is to be expected, but what will come as a shock to many is that it isn't solely from a comedic standpoint, but that they connect in a film heavy with issues of suicide, abuse, and infidelity.

Wiig has ventured into dramedy territory before, most recently in last year's underwhelming Girl Most Likely, but right from the start it's clear The Skeleton Twins is something new for both co-stars. The film begins with estranged siblings Milo (Hader) and Maggie (Wiig) considering suicide. He's a failed actor living in Los Angeles and dealing with a failed relationship to another man. Maggie's in New York where she leads a life of dull normalcy, working as a dental assistant and married to the overly-eager Lance (Luke Wilson), described later as a "big Labrador retriever". It's a phone call that Milo is in the hospital that stops Maggie from doing herself in, and flying off to LA to check in on him the two speak for the first time in a decade.

The film establishes early on how close they were as children, playing dress up and sharing a love of Halloween with their father. The reunion starts off tense, until Milo breaks the ice with a joke about the book Marley & Me that only those of a similar sense of humor would find funny. Humor is a constant defensive device for both, and after she invites him to stay with her in New York, the return to familiar territory brings back some old, very bad habits. Milo seems to be stalking another gay man (Ty Burrell), until we learn they share a very dark past. Maggie and Lance are attempting to have a child, only he doesn't know she's been actively working against it and indulging in a number of romantic affairs.

Considering the years he spent as the flamboyantly homosexual Stefon on SNL, one might expect expect Hader to go a little overboard. He never turns Milo into a running gag, however, who is secure enough in himself to crack jokes about being the "creepy gay uncle" or a "tragic gay cliche". Wiig is terrific as a woman incapable of being happy, and always destined to ruin her one shot at a comfortable life. Over time we come to learn about the reasons for Milo and Maggie's estrangement, including the family's history of suicide, highlighted by a memorable but sadly undeveloped appearance by their mother, who both siblings loathe with a passion. These broken siblings seem unable to function normally around anybody else, but they find light and laughter in one another's company. Those are the moments when the film really shines, especially during an impromptu lip-syncing of Journey's cornball '80s hit, 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now'. Director Craig Johnson, working with producers Mark and Jay Duplass, deftly balances the weightier scenes with unexpected bursts of humor. Still, the film goes to some disturbing places later on when we see that Maggie and Milo are as capable of being cruel as they are sharing a few laughs.

Because the film never shies away from the desperate depths of its characters, the overly tender and rushed conclusion is jarring. Nothing can completely overcome Hader and Wiig's excellence in exploring the joys and pains of such a close familial bond. If there was a film that truly puts their SNL past in the rear view mirror, The Skeleton Twins is it.

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Kristen Wiig and Alexander Skarsgard Join 'The Diary of a Teenage Girl'

Besides the extensive list of films shown at Park City every year, the Sundance Institute is also well-known for the support given to budding filmmakers. The Sundance Feature Film Program was integral to the success of Ryan Coogler and his breakout film, Fruitvale Station, just last year. Now another director who went through the Directors and Screenwriting Labs is about to make the jump into the big time with a pair of major stars by her side.

Marielle Heller will make her writing/directing debut on an adaptation of graphic novel The Diary of a Teenage Girl, and she'd already lined up Kristen Wiig and Alexander Skarsgard to star. However it will be British actress Bel Powley taking on the lead role of teenage artist Minnie Goetze, who navigates 1970s San Francisco by speaking her mind, hating school, and sleeping with her mother's boyfriend.

No word on when filming will begin but with financing already secured it will probably be soon.

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Review: Ben Stiller's 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'

One can't help but chuckle at the irony; the boring and insignificant Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) works at LIFE Magazine. It's an obvious, fairly easy gag for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, but then again it's a fairly obvious film with a clear mandate to be a big, uplifting, charmer about taking life by the horns. Directed with ambition that occasionally exceeds Stiller's grasp, it's a film that's easy to mock but has enough good heart and whimsy to be just as easy to love.

Stiller dials down the goofy antics just a tad as the shy and forgettable Walter Mitty, a negative aspect manager at LIFE magazine, and yes the job is as boring as daily existence. When we first meet him he's staring at the EHarmony profile of Cheryl (Kristen Wiig), a colleague he's been crushing on but never had the stones to talk to. Does he even have the guts to electronically reach out and make the first move? At times of indecision and great anxiety, Walter's vivid imagination takes over, imagining himself to be more confident, more adventurous, manlier, more EVERYTHING than he is in reality.

Stiller balances Walter's surreal escapism with a dose of cold hard truth; the print world is dying and LIFE magazine is going digital, firing most of the staff and putting his own job in jeopardy. The villainous corporate stooge designed to oversee the change (Adam Scott, in a ridiculous beard that screams "bad guy") doesn't see much value in Walter's job developing photos, but that changes when renowned photographer Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn, enigmatic as ever) sends in an image that is said to capture the very essence of the magazine. The only problem is that Walter can't find this life-changing photo, and in an effort to save his job must break out of his shell and start living.

In his fifth directorial effort, Stiller shows real signs of growth, and with the aid of cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh the film has a dreamlike malleability not unlike the work of Michel Gondry. In one stirring scene a flock of birds circle to form Cheryl's loving face; in another his breathy words are scrawled across the screen like a journal log, capturing his newfound explorer's spirit.  As Walter's journey takes him from Greenland to Iceland and the highest mountains of the Himalayas, the gap between the life he leads and the one he desires begins to close.

As Stiller indulges visually, he shows a total lack of restraint elsewhere in ways that hurt the film tremendously. Embarrassing levels of distracting product placement too often resemble one long commercial ad, and much of Walter's trek is condensed through song-heavy montage. We can't help but wish there was a little more magic on display in his magical adventure. Patton Oswalt voices a pestering EHarmony rep who is constantly calling in while Walter expands his horizons, and their conversations don't really need anything other than to emphasize what we can see with our own eyes. Despite these problems, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is an earnest and sincere story about turning one's dreams into positive action. As other movies this Christmas seem to be about pushing the limits of good taste, Ben Stiller is delivering the one true feel-good movie of the season.

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Two New Trailers for 'Anchorman: The Legend Continues'

I can't be the only one who has felt that the marketing for Anchorman: The Legend Continues has been a bit off. Not that the long-awaited sequel to the quotable classic really needs a big push, but parading Will Ferrell's Ron Burgundy around in woefully unfunny Dodge Durango commercials isn't going to instill a lot of confidence the film can measure up to the original. Plus, let's be honest and admit the prior teasers weren't all that funny. But things may be looking up with the arrival of not one, but two vastly different trailers that offer the most promising look at the film yet. Enjoy them while indulging in the new Ron Burgundy inspired Ben & Jerry's ice cream "Scotchy Scotch Scotch".

Both trailers are great, and show off vastly different aspects of what Adam McKay, Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, and the gang have been working on. The American version reveals that Burgundy lost his old job to his wife, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), leading to the marital troubles we've heard about before. Think he had trouble just dealing with a woman anchor before? How about throwing a little racial diversity into the mix? Nope, doesn't turn out so well.  The international trailer is even better, delivering a brief history lesson on the devolution of the news industry and giving us our first look at Harrison Ford (!!!). It does seem to be rehashing a few gags but for the most part they seem to have captured the feel of the original.

Will Anchorman: The Legend Continues live up to the lofty expectations? We'll find out when it opens December 20th.


Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (International Trailer) by tvPRIME


Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Trailer 2) by tvPRIME

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Ben Stiller Travels the World in New 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' Trailer

The line between reality and the surreal are blurred in Ben Stiller's rather ambitious The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, an adaptation of the classic, uplifting James Thurber story and 1947 film. Pulling double-duty as director and star, he plays a powerless sad-sack LIFE Magazine employee who indulges in his overactive imagination to escape a boring existence. A new 3-minute international trailer has been released offering us perhaps the most complete look at the film yet.

Co-starring Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, Patton Oswalt, and Sean Penn, the story goes into sweeping epic territory as Mitty must finally begin to experience life and go on an exotic global adventure. Stiller is in new territory tackling a film of this scope, and early reviews have been split on how well he pulled it off. The trailer definitely veers towards the overly sentimental, but it also looks like the sort of film that audiences could easily fall in love with.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty opens Christmas Day.

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New Trailer for Ben Stiller's 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'

Depending on who you talk to, either Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is an Academy Awards contender, or just a really game effort. The trailer blew many people away and had Oscar talk buzzing, but its premiere at NYFF over the weekend was mixed amongst critics. However, audiences responded with thunderous applause so this is one we may not know its full awards potential until we see how it performs at the box office.

A new trailer for the film has arrived and it looks like an ambitious, globe-trotting visual spectacle. While it's not quite on the scale of last year's Life of Pi, its certainly impressive and shows a flair we've never seen from Stiller as a director. He also plays the titular Mitty, a bland workhorse at Life magazine who uses his vivid imagination as an escape from his boring, powerless existence. Spurred into a grand adventure by a mysterious photo and the woman he secretly yearns for, Mitty experiences in real life what he had only been imagining for so long. One of the big questions is how Stiller will be able to juggle what appears to be a number of different genres; romance, science-fiction, fantasy, comedy; and make it all work in a cohesive way without becoming overly sentimental.

Also starring Sean Penn, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, and Patton Oswalt, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty opens Christmas Day.

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First Trailer for Ben Stiller's 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'

It was a surprise to many when Ben Stiller took on an adaptation of James Thurber's amazing short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It had been adapted to the screen notably before in 1947, and seemed like an odd follow-up to Stiller's last directorial effort, the rambunctious spoof Tropic Thunder. But when he started to surround the film with a cast that included Sean Penn, Shirley MacLaine, and Kristen Wiig, it seemed as if he may be aiming for something more substantial, and less Night at the Museum. Now that the first trailer has arrived, we can see that to definitely be the case.

 Emphasizing simple mood and emotion over silly antics or loud explosions, the trailer is a refreshing change of pace for Stiller, and lends credence to the rumors of a potential Oscar campaign. Stiller stars as Walter Mitty, a magazine proofreader who escapes his boring and powerless life by indulging in a fantasy world in which he is the hero. When his job and that of the woman he secretly yearns for are threatened, he finally takes action in the real world by embarking on an extraordinary global adventure. It looks like a powerful character study and the sort of small-scale human story we don't see very often, and could prove to be major player when it opens on Christmas Day.

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Three New Clips from 'Despicable Me 2' with Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig

In Despicable Me, we saw Gru (Steve Carell) begin to give up his career as the world's lamest supervillain with the help of three cutesy adopted girls. In the sequel he's completely put his criminal career behind him, and has joined the Anti-Villain League to help take down a new baddie named El Macho. But there are worst threats Gru has to deal with now that he's a father, and one of those is the danger posed by his daughters talking to boys.

Universal has released three clips from Despicable Me 2, and two of them deal with domestic issues rather than battling supervaillains. The first has Gru and the girls discussing his new job with the League, while the second has him grilling Margo (Miranda Cosgrove) about a boy she's been chatting with over the phone. The final clip features a chaotic rescue attempt by the minions to save Gru and fellow agent, Lucy Wilde, voiced by Kristen Wiig.

Despicable Me 2 hits theaters on July 3rd.


Despicable Me 2 - New Job - Movie 2013 by Teaser-Trailer.com




Despicabe Me 2 - Over here by Teaser-Trailer.com

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Kristen Wiig reteams with Will Ferrell for indie comedy 'Welcome to Me'

It was quite a coup for Will Ferrell and Adam McKay to land fellow SNL alum Kristen Wiig for Anchorman: The Legend Continues. She's been one of the most in-demand actresses ever since Bridesmaids showed what she could do as a writer and star, with no less than five projects already wrapped and ready to go. It's clear that she and Ferrell have always been great together, which is why she'll be working with him and McKay again on a new indie comedy titled Welcome to Me.

THR reports Wiig is in talks for the lead role in the film, playing a woman with dissociative personality disorder who wins the lottery and spends the money on a cable access TV show about her life. McKay's wife Shara Piven (Fully Loaded) is directing, based on a screenplay by Eliot Laurence. Right now it only sounds as if Ferrell is producing under his Gary Sanchez banner, but that could always change. Ferrell has dabbled with the art house genre before, most recently in 2010's Everything Must Go.

Certainly, the similarities between this and Silver Linings Playbook aren't lost on anybody, as we've seen already how stories about mental illness can be both funny and poignant. Wiig will next be seen in Girl Most Likely, due out this summer.

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