First Footage from Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Comedy 'Sisters'

Last night Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the Golden Globes for the third and likely final time (they did host, right? I barely saw them.), and Universal saw it as the perfect time to unveil footage of their new comedy, Sisters. Pretty slick move as it gives the film, which doesn't open for another eleven months, a chance to get seen in front of millions who probably love the duo already.

Written by SNL and 30 Rock vet Paula Pell with Pitch Perfect's Jason Moore directing, the film follows two sisters who are summoned back to their childhood home to clean up before the family house is sold. Instead the ladies decide to throw one final high school-style bash with all of their former classmates. We've seen stories like this before but with Fey and Poehler on board this could be a cut above, and it helps that this teaser is actually pretty funny.

Ya'll ready for this jelly? Sisters hits theaters on December 18th.


Sisters Official Sneak Peek #1 (2015) - Amy Poehler, Tina Fey Movie HD by TrailerWood

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Review: 'This is Where I Leave You', Starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, and Adam Driver

Romantic relationships are usually the center of attention when it comes to exploring them on the big screen. Will they or won't they get together? Should they go out? So on and so forth. These romantic relationships are such a large focus of attention that other types of relationships, important ones to really overlook, are ignored or forgotten in the scheme of things. Siblings, parents, and friends, all important parts of our lives, are the focus in the star-studded This is Where I Leave You, a film that's your typical story about the dysfunctional family and how they still help you get through the roughest parts of your life, with some very comedic moments on the side. 

Judd Altman (Jason Bateman) works for an obnoxious radio host (Dax Shepard) and is excited to get home to his wife Quinn (Abigail Spencer) on her birthday, only to find out that she's already given herself another present, in the form of another man. Judd's devastated and things only get worse for him when his sister Wendy (Tina Fey) calls to tell him their dad is dead. So, Judd goes back home to be with his mom (Jane Fonda), Wendy, and two brothers, Paul (Corey Stoll) and Phillip (Adam Driver). 

Apparently an "atheist Jew", their dad's last wish is to have his family sit shiva, the seven-day Jewish mourning period. So, they grudgingly do as his last wish commands, all under one roof for the first time in years. There are old flames involved (Rose Byrne and Timothy Olyphant), Paul and his wife (Kathryn Hahn) desperately trying to have a baby, and basically everyone running amok trying to sort through everything that's happening and miserably attempting to keep their shit together. 

There's a little bit and a lot going on in the film. There are a lot of characters, and a little bit of development for each of them. This is expected of a film with this many people, but at least the focus is on one character, that of Bateman's down-and-out, but all around nice guy. Everything else just spins, but in an orbit around him. There are snippets here and there of other characters having their own moments, either for us to get to understand them better, or for them to understand each other better, but they usually happen around Bateman. 

This film can be compared to any other film about dysfunctional families (and really, the word "dysfunctional" is thrown around too much, as though anyone's family is perfect) being brought back together after a parent's death or another event. There are a lot of these lurking around, but what is a bit more entertaining about this specific movie is that it's actually funny. Beyond all the crazy, the yelling, and the typical sibling banter is actual, shake-your-shoulders laughter. The real scene-stealer being Adam Driver and his baby-of-the-family shirking of all responsibility, laced with a quick-witted delivery of all his lines. 

The film is enjoyable at face value. And this is how it should be watched, at face value. It's a film that is what it is and doesn't try to be something it's not. There isn't too much drama, there isn't too much comedy, and their aren't too many over-the-top speeches even if some

of the drama does feel a bit contrived. Disappointingly though, Tina Fey's character is probably the most slighted in terms of back story, because she's given one, but we only get a hint of it. 

This is Where I Leave You isn't an offensive movie. It's chock-full of family issues from beginning to end, the siblings being the prime focus of the story, and that in itself is good enough to watch. It's not wholly satisfying on every level, but is moderately enjoyable. Will everyone enjoy it? Maybe not. But the star-studded cast, the humor, and occasional heartfelt moment won't make you feel like you've completely wasted your time. It's exactly the kind of movie most will want to cozy up to on the couch while eating yesterday's leftover dinner, its cast and slightly better-than-expected execution will at least keep you semi-entertained. 

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It's Not 'Hocus Pocus 2' But Tina Fey will Produce and Star in Disney's Untitled Witch Film

Long-running rumors that Disney was finally giving fans a sequel to 1993's bewitching comedy Hocus Pocus were kicked up a notch a couple of months ago when a report surfaced that Tina Fey and Melissa McCarthy were the type of actresses being targeted for lead roles. Disney has kept quiet on it, however, until a report surfaced yesterday that Fey had indeed signed on for the film and would be bringing back those spell-casting Sanderson sisters. But as it turns out those stories were slightly off, and Fey is actually conjuring up something else for Disney.

According to Deadline, Fey is set to produce and star in an untitled witch movie for the Mouse House, but it's definitely not Hocus Pocus 2. While there are no writers on board yet and Fey isn't listed as taking a stab at it, the film is said to be in the vein of Ghostbusters. That would be consistent with the supposed storyline when the project was thought to be a Hocus Pocus sequel, centering on a housewife related to the Sandersons who teams up with a witch hunter when her kids are kidnapped by resurrected witches. But take all of this with a grain of salt until we get some sort of confirmation.

Deadline goes so far as to say that Disney has no Hocus Pocus plans at all right now, which would obviously throw out any connection Fey's film would have to the original. She'll be seen next as part of Shawn Levy's ensemble comedy, This is Where I Leave You, due out in September.

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Jason Bateman and Tina Fey Sit Shiva in Trailer for 'This Is Where I Leave You'

An adaptation of Jonthan Tropper's novel This Is Where I Leave You has been one of the more heralded projects around Hollywood, drawing top flight directors and stars interested in being a part of it. At the forefront of its development was Jason Bateman, and when he and then-director Adam Shankman dropped out it looked like the film was dead. But Bateman returned, brought on Shawn Levy to replace Shankman, and rounded up a stellar cast for a film looks like just another bland family dramedy. What was all the fuss about?

The first trailer for This Is Where I Leave You features mismatched personalities, moments of family bonding and deep resentment all under one roof. The story follows a dysfunctional family reunited after the death of their patriarch, whose final wish was to have them sit Shiva for one week. Basically it means they're all stuck with one another for a few days so that any grievances are bound to be aired out.

While this looks about as formulaic as possible, having Bateman alongside Jane Fonda, Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Rose Byrne, Adam Driver, Kathryn Hahn, Corey Stoll, Connie Britton, Ben Schwartz, Timothy Olyphant, Abigail Spencer and Dax Shepard goes a very long way. Still, this looks like a kinder, gentler August: Osage County. This Is Where I Leave You opens September 12th.

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Review: 'Muppets Most Wanted' Starring Tina Fey and Ricky Gervais

Muppets Most Wanted strikes an odd chord right from the very beginning. The opening song, taking place literally moments after 2011's surprisingly charming, nostalgic, and hilarious The Muppets, suggests right off the bat that sequels are never better than the original. It's a catchy tune, and often cites the film's original title, The Muppets...Again. Why change the title but keep it in the title track? Anyway, the song basically admits right up front that all they are doing is giving the audience more of what came before, and it turns out that hanging with Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the gang still hasn't gotten old.

The first film was largely a pet project belonging to Jason Segel, and it was structured as such while in his loving care. With him gone from the sequel, the emphasis is squarely on the Muppets as they try to figure out their next move. With the Hollywood buzz of their last outing having quickly faded, they face the prospect of becoming yesterday's news all over again. It's the perfect time for sketchy agent Dominic Badguy (Ricky Gervais) to swoop in and suggest they take the show to Europe. Trusting in Kermit's judgment, the Muppets enthusiastically agree and head off on a world tour.

What they don't know is that the appropriately named Badguy is little more than a lackey to Constantine, Kermit's evil doppelganger and the "world's most dangerous frog". Having escaped from prison, Constantine worms his way into the Muppets' lives, framing Kermit and getting him sent off to a Russian gulag run by the Kermit-obsessed Nadya (Tina Fey). It also features a crew of heavies played by Danny Trejo (as himself!!), Jemaine Clement, and Ray Liotta. You haven't lived until you've seen Machete performing prison musical numbers. The cameos aren't as pervasive this time around, and some are easily missed (blink and you'll definitely miss James McAvoy), but the major ones connect because everyone seems to be having a good time making fun of themselves.

The introduction of Constantine as a (possibly) recurring nemesis has its ups and downs. While his floundering attempts to mimic Kermit and hide his disgust for Miss Piggy are often very funny, he's afforded a little too much screen time. That's time probably better spent with the other Muppets, who have been allowed by Constantine to indulge in every ridiculous act Kermit would have shot down. It's Walter, the new Muppet introduced in the last film, who begins to suspect something isn't quite right. If only he was as curious about the disappearance of Segel's character, who he supposedly grew up with. But that's a minor nit-pick as returning director James Bobin and co-writer Nicholas Stoller have wisely set it up for us to look at this as a purely standalone effort, one that is more of a heist comedy in the vein of The Great Muppet Caper and The Pink Panther.  Adding to this is the presence of Ty Burrell as a Clousseau-esque Interpol agent teaming with Sam the Eagle to investigate Constantine's crimes. As Kermit tries to escape, Constantine rolls out his global jewel-thieving plot while systematically insulting Badguy at every turn.

Even as Muppets Most Wanted acknowledges its status as a perfunctory sequel, the loving attention to detail, subversive humor, and pure fun haven't been diminished.

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New Sequel Song Trailer for 'Muppets Most Wanted'

A big part of the Muppets has always been the big song & dance numbers, and that was one of the things composer Brett McKenzie and director James Bobin nailed perfectly with The Muppets, winning an Oscar for Best Original Song. With Muppets Most Wanted on the way, they'll be trying to recreate that magic, and they may have just done it with this clever new trailer/music video titled "We're Doing a Sequel".

Beginning mere moments after the prior film, this is the song that kicks off the sequel and it shows plenty of footage, as well as many of the celebrity cameos. It's a fun, joyful track that manages to poke fun at the sequel's prospects a little bit, while recapturing some of the upbeat, nostalgic tone that made The Muppets such a pleasure. We'll see if this feeling can last for the entire movie.

Starring Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, and Ty Burrell, Muppets Most Wanted opens March 21st.

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New Trailer for 'Muppets Most Wanted'

Now that the nostalgia brought on by the Muppets' return has long since faded, there seems to be a general lack of buzz for Muppets Most Wanted. Perhaps it also has something to do with the loss of Jason Segel, who was an integral part of the first film's popularity, or the feeling that this sequel wasn't absolutely necessary and looks like something designed for the kiddies.

Yet another trailer has been released, and it still looks like someone decided to remake The Great Muppet Caper, which would never be a good idea. Bringing back James Bobin and composer Bret McKenzie, with human stars Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, and Ty Burrell, the film has Kermit in the middle of a European caper caused by his evil doppelganger, Constantine.

Muppets Most Wanted opens on March 21st.

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Viggo Mortensen is 'Captain Fantastic'; Jennifer Aniston Joins 'Mean Moms'; Tina Fey does 'The Taliban Shuffle'

* Despite the title, Captain Fantastic isn't a new Marvel or DC superhero movie. It's the next film from Matt Ross, director of  28 Hotel Rooms, and he's found a pretty good leading man in Viggo Mortensen.  It almost sounds like Mortensen is going back into The Road territory, playing "an idealistic father who, after a decade of living off the grid in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, must return with his six young kids to assimilate back into society." Filming is set to begin this summer.

* It was last summer we learned of Mean Moms, based on the book by Rosaline Wiseman, the author who wrote the book that inspired Mean Girls. Well now we know Jennifer Aniston will be leading this one, playing "a happily married mother of two who moves from a small town to the high class suburbs where she is faced with confronting the cutthroat world of competitive parenting." Beth McCarthy-Miller is directing this one, which comes from the same studio Aniston scored with on Horrible Bosses and We're the Millers. [TheWrap]

* Tina Fey is hooking up with 30 Rock writer Robert Carlock for The Taliban Shuffle, which would be awesome if it were a sequel to Hollywood Shuffle. Alas, it isn't, as the film is based on journalist Kim Barker's memoir about her time  "as a fish-out-of-water in Kabul, filing stories about militants, being a woman in wartime Iraq and Pakistan, dealing with boredom interspersed with dashes of violence and the promiscuous war correspondent culture."  Fey will produce, as well, and this one is pretty early with a director still being sought. [THR]

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'Muppets Most Wanted' Reveals an Extended Super Bowl Spot

The Super Bowl kicks off in just a manner of minutes, and your TV sets will be flooded with far more than just the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks.You'll also be treated to a wealth of new TV spots and trailers, and Disney has just revealed a new, extended web-only one for Muppets Most Wanted. The Euro crime caper features Kermit, Miss Piggy, with human stars Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, and Ty Burrell along with a host of celebrity cameos too numerous to list. Here's the official synopsis followed by the spot....

PLOT: Disney’s “Muppets Most Wanted” takes the entire Muppets gang on a global tour, selling out grand theaters in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid, Dublin and London. But mayhem follows theMuppets overseas, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper headed by Constantine—the World’s Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit the Frog—and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two, portrayed by Ricky Gervais. The film stars Tina Fey as Nadya, a feisty prison guard, and Ty Burrell as Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon.

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71st Annual Golden Globes: 'American Hustle' Wins Three Awards, '12 Years A Slave' Wins Best Drama

The 71st Annual Golden Globes are now in the books, one of the last major steps on the road to the Academy Awards, and there are a couple of surprises that are all tied in together. Probably the biggest of all is that 12 Years A Slave, which had come in as the favorite over the last few months, only managed one win for Best Drama, leading many on social media to wail that the film was mere moments away from being totally shut out.

The big victor of the night was David O. Russell's American Hustle with three, including Best Picture Comedy/Musical, Best Actress-Comedy for Amy Adams, and Best Supporting Actress for Jennifer Lawrence. The momentum for Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club continued as he defeated Chiwetel Ejiofor for Best Actor-Drama, while his co-star Jared Leto won Best Supporting actor. Despite the film earning its share of criticism, Leonardo DiCaprio won Best Actor-Comedy for Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street. As many predicted, Alfonso Cuaron won Best Director for Gravity, overcoming stiff competition from Steve McQueen and O. Russell.

In their second year as hosts, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler began the night with a scathing and pin-point opener skewering many of the guests, especially ripping George Clooney for his infamous ageism. Tom Hanks was especially in the duo's comedic sights for some reason, and yeah there were plenty of off-the-wall, possibly alcohol-fueled acceptance speeches. In particular Jacqueline Bissett, winning for TV miniseries Dancing on the Edge, gave a sputtering, angry speech that had to be censored for vulgarity.

How will all of this affect the Oscar nominations next week? If anything, it shows that 12 Years A Slave's seeming grip on the top honors is slipping.

The full list of winners is below:

Best Motion Picture - Drama
WINNER: "12 Years a Slave"
"Captain Phillips"
"Gravity"
"Philomena"
"Rush"

Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
WINNER: "American Hustle"
"Her"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Nebraska"
"The Wolf Of Wall Street"

Best Director
WINNER: Alfonso Cuaron - "Gravity"
Paul Greengrass - "Captain Phillips"
Steve McQueen - "12 Years a Slave"
Alexander Payne - "Nebraska"
David O Russell - "American Hustle"

Best Actress - Drama
WINNER: Cate Blanchett - "Blue Jasmine"
Sandra Bullock - "Gravity
Judi Dench - "Philomena"
Emma Thompson - "Saving Mr Banks"
Kate Winslet - "Labor Day"

Best Actor - Drama
WINNER: Matthew McConaughey - "Dallas Buyers Club"
Chiwetel Ejiofor - "12 Years a Slave"
Idris Elba - "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom"
Tom Hanks - "Captain Phillips"
Robert Redford - "All Is Lost"

Best Actress - Comedy
WINNER: Amy Adams - "American Hustle"
Julie Delpy - "Before Midnight"
Greta Gerwig - "Frances Ha"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - "Enough Said"
Meryl Streep - "August: Osage County"

Best Actor - Comedy/Musical
WINNER: Leonardo DiCaprio - "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Christian Bale - "American Hustle"
Bruce Dern - "Nebraska"
Oscar Isaac - "Inside Llewyn Davis"
Joaquin Phoenix - "Her"

Best Supporting Actress
WINNER:  Jennifer Lawrence - "American Hustle"
Sally Hawkins - "Blue Jasmine"
Lupita N'yongo - "12 Years a Slave"
Julia Roberts - "August: Osage County"
June Squibb - "Nebraska"

Best Supporting Actor
WINNER: Jared Leto - "Dallas Buyers Club"
Barkhad Abdi - "Captain Phillips"
Daniel Bruhl - "Rush"
Bradley Cooper - "American Hustle"
Michael Fassbender - "12 Years a Slave"

Best Screenplay
WINNER: Spike Jonze - "Her"
Bob Nelson - "Nebraska"
Jeff Pope & Steve Coogan - "Philomena"
John Ridley - "12 Years a Slave"
Eric Warren Singer & David O. Russell - "American Hustle"

Best Foreign Film
WINNER: "The Great Beauty"
"Blue Is The Warmest Color"
"The Hunt"
"The Past"
"The Wind Rises"

Best Animated Feature
WINNER: "Frozen"
"The Croods"
"Despicable Me 2"

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
WINNER: Alex Ebert - "All Is Lost
Alex Heffes - "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom"
Steven Price - "Gravity"
John Williams - "The Book Thief"
Hans Zimmer - "12 Years a Slave"

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
WINNER: "Ordinary Love" - U2 - "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"
 "Atlas" - Coldplay - "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
"Let It Go - Idina Menzel - "Frozen"
"Please Mr. Kennedy" - Justin Timberlake & co - "Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Sweeter Than Fiction" - Taylor Swift - "One Chance"

Best TV Series - Comedy/Musical
WINNER: "Brooklyn Nine Nine"
"Girls"
"Big Bang Theory"
"Modern Family"
"Parks and Recreation"

Best Miniseries Or Motion Picture Made For Television
WINNER: "Behind the Candelabra"
"American Horror Story: Coven"
"Dancing On The Edge"
"Top of the Lake"
"The White Queen"

Best TV Drama
WINNER: "Breaking Bad"
"Downton Abbey"
"The Good Wife"
"House of Cards"
"Masters of Sex"

Best Actress - Drama TV Series
WINNER: Robin Wright - "House of Cards"
Julianna Margulies - "The Good Wife"
Tatiana Maslany - "Orphan Black"
Taylor Schilling - "Orange Is the New Black"
Kerry Washington - "Scandal"

Best Actor - TV Drama
WINNER: Bryan Cranston - "Breaking Bad"
Liev Schreiber - "Ray Donovan"
Michael Sheen - "Masters of Sex"
Kevin Spacey - "House of Cards"
James Spader - "The Blacklist"

Best Actress - Miniseries
WINNER: Elisabeth Moss - "Top of the Lake"
Helena Bonham-Carter - "Burton & Taylor"
Rebecca Ferguson - "The White Queen"
Jessica Lange - "American Horror Story: Coven"
Helen Mirren - "Phil Spector"

Best Actor - Miniseries
WINNER: Michael Douglas - "Behind the Candelabra"
Matt Damon - "Behind the Candelabra"
Chiwetel Ejiofor - "Dancing On the Edge"
Idris Elba - "Luther"
Al Pacino - "Phil Spector"

Best Actress - Comedy TV Series
WINNER: Amy Poehler - "Parks and Recreation" 
Zooey Deschanel - "New Girl"
Lena Dunham - "Girls"
Edie Falco - "Nurse Jackie"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - "Veep"

Best Actor - Comedy TV Series
WINNER: Andy Samberg - "Brooklyn Nine Nine"
Jason Bateman - "Arrested Development"
Don Cheadle - "House of Lies"
Michael J. Fox - "The Michael J. Fox Show"
Jim Parsons - "The Big Bang Theory"

Best Supporting Actor - TV
WINNER: Jon Voight - "Ray Donovan"
Josh Charles - "The Good Wife"
Rob Lowe - "Behind the Candelabra"
Aaron Paul - "Breaking Bad"
Corey Stoll - "House of Cards"

Best Supporting Actress - TV
WINNER: Jacqueline Bisset - "Dancing On the Edge"
Janet McTeer - "The White Queen"
Hayden Panetierre - "Nashville"
Monica Potter - "Parenthood"
Sofia Vergara - "Modern Family"

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Two Full Trailers for 'Muppets Most Wanted' Starring Ricky Gervais and Tina Fey

Disney wants so badly for you to remember they have Muppets Most Wanted coming next year, they've dropped not one but two new trailers to serve as reminders. The sequel to 2011's hit The Muppets has Kermit and the gang on a European tour, only to get mixed up in a jewel heist caper involving Kermit's evil doppelganger, Constantine. Tina Fey, Ty Burrell and Ricky Gervais lead the human crew, with a ton of cameos from P. Diddy, Celine Dion, Ray Liotta (he just can't get enough Muppets), Salma Hayek, and Danny Trejo, who was cut from the first film. Ha! Machete got cut. Anyway, despite bringing back director Jason Bobin and writer Nicholas Stoller, the loss of Jason Segel and Amy Adams is clearly felt because these trailers aren't at all inspiring. Perhaps its the lousy plot which too closely mirrors other Muppet movies. Or maybe the Muppets' resurgence was a short-term thing fueled by nostalgia?

Muppets Most Wanted opens March 21st 2014.





PLOT: Disney’s “Muppets Most Wanted” takes the entire Muppets gang on a global tour, selling out grand theaters in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets overseas, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper headed by Constantine—the World’s Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit—and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two, portrayed by Ricky Gervais, creator of “Derek” and the Golden Globe®- and Emmy®-winning series “The Office” and “Extras.” The film stars Golden Globe-, Emmy- and SAG Award®-winning actress and writer Tina Fey (“30 Rock,” “Mean Girls,” “Date Night”) as Nadya, a feisty prison guard, and Emmy Award winner Ty Burrell (TV’s “Modern Family”) as Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon.

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Double the Kermit in the First 'Muppets Most Wanted' Poster

Kermit the Frog had an identical twin in 1981's The Great Muppet Caper, although it was really just Fozzie Bear wearing a hat and supposedly nobody could tell the difference. In Disney's Muppets Most Wanted he'll have another twin to contend with, a doppelganger named Constantine who turns out to be the evil, jewel-heisting type. And at least according to the first poster, he also does quite the Dr. Evil impersonation.

Directed by the returning James Bobin, the film has the Muppets touring England only to get caught up in an international jewel caper when Kermit is mistaken for his doppelganger. Tina Fey plays a Russian GULAG officer, and her accent alone will probably be good for a few laughs; Ricky Gervais is Constantine's  #2 guy; and Ty Burrell is an Interpol agent with a pencil-thin mustache that pegs him as a man of mystery.

For whatever reason I'm not at all excited about this one. The first film was fun and it was great to see the Muppets relevant again, but that's over now and I have doubts the magic can be recaptured.  Muppets Most Wanted opens on March 21st 2014.

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First Trailer and Images for 'Muppets Most Wanted'

With Marvel, Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean and others under their belt, it's easy to forget that one of Disney's greatest successes was the comeback of The Muppets. The film brought Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and the rest back into the spotlight after years out of it, and Disney hopes to keep it going with the sequel, Muppets Most Wanted.

The first teaser for the film has been released, and while Jason Segel and Amy Adams are no longer around, there are plenty of human co-stars popping in for cameos. Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, and Tina Fey join in on the fun which has Kermit and the gang involved in an international crime caper that takes them to London, Berlin, and Madrid.

Directed by the returning James Bobin with a script by Nicholas Stoller, Muppets Most Wanted opens on March 21st 2014.

Location:I St NW,Washington D.C.,United States

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Sure Shots: Tina Fey; 'Kick-Ass 2'; Paul Bettany

* Now that Shawn Levy and Jason Bateman have put an adaptation of Jonathan Tropper's novel This is Where I Leave You back on track, they're going to make sure it's a star-studded ensemble. They've enlisted Tina Fey to play Bateman's sister in the film, about an estranged family forced to co-exist under one roof for a week as their late father's final request. Ari Graynor, Isla Fisher, Zoe Saldana, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead were previously said to be eying the romantic lead opposite Bateman, and THR says they are still in contention. Kathryn Hahn is up for the role of Bateman's sister-in-law. Fey will jump directly into this once she finishes up with The Muppets...Again!

* We'll have to wait a little bit longer for Kick-Ass 2, Jeff Wadlow's sequel to the hit comic book adaptation starring Aaron Johnson and Chloe Moretz. The film has been bumped from its June perch down to August 16th, where it will open against Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters and Aubrey Plaza's The To-Do List.

* The last time Johnny Depp and Paul Bettany teamed up it was in The Tourist, which wasn't very good at all. Hopefully they'll fare better this time, as Bettany has joined Wally Pfister's sci-fi film, Transcendence. The script by Jack Paglen follows a scientist who has his brain uploaded into a supercomputer after he's assassinated. There are three main scientist roles, including a female lead, so expect more casting news soon. Bettany will heard not seen as the voice of Jarvis in Iron Man 3 when it opens in May.

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Tina Fey lines up 'The Nest' with 'Pitch Perfect' director Jason Moore

She's already dominated the Golden Globes and wrapped up seven seasons of 30 Rock, so what's next in store for Tina Fey? Along with Admission, the upcoming comedy she has with Paul Rudd, she's currently filming The Muppets...Again, and is busy lining up her future projects. The latest mark on her busy calendar is The Nest, which may have a hot young director coming aboard.

Jason Moore, who scored one of last year's great underdog victories with the a capella hit Pitch Perfect, is in talks to direct Fey in the sibling comedy. Paula Pell's original script follows "two thirtysomething sisters come home to find their parents’ house has been put up for sale. They spend a last wild weekend together, bonding and feuding and finally growing up." Maybe I'm getting a Your Sister's Sister vibe from this, but I can totally see Rosemarie DeWitt in the other lead role.

Fey had been recently quoted as saying she hoped to hook back up with Steve Carell this summer for Mail Order, and that may still be true. There's no word on when The Nest would shoot, but the combination of Fey and Moore is definitely one worth keeping an eye on.

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Tina Fey and Steve Carell may finally shoot 'Mail Order Groom' this summer

Remember back in 2010, after Tina Fey and Steve Carell successfully teamed up for the comedy Date Night, everyone was wondering when they would next get together? They were such a natural pair that it seemed like we shouldn't have to wait long, and soon we began hearing more about Mail Order Groom as their next project. Well, it took a bit longer than expected, but it may finally be happening.

After accepting her SAG award for Outstanding Female Performance in a Comedy for 30 Rock, Fey revealed that she hopes to hook up with Carell and shoot the film this summer. The story, developed by her husband Jeff Richmond, has Fey as a lonely woman who orders an Eastern European soldier in the mail. A number of folks have taken a shot at the script, from Glenn Ficarra and John Requa(Crazy Stupid Love), to Fey and writing partner Robert Carlock.

She's all but done with 30 Rock now, with the final episode completed and due to air soon. She'll be moving on to hang out with Kermit and Ricky Gervais for The Muppets sequel. [Popsugar]

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Megamind

Megamind should be a slam dunk favorite of mine. How could it not be? It involves superheroes: check. Features the voice talents of Tina Fey and Brad Pitt, two of my favorites: check.  And it focuses exclusively on the motivations of a genius super villain, always more interesting characters than their heroic counterparts. There's even a number of little nods to past comic book stories for fanboys like me who've spent way too much time with their noses buried in them. Megamind packs a lot of cool concepts that drive the story along at a brisk pace, but are there a lot of laughs to go along with them? Well.....

In what might be the most hilarious opening sequence of any animated flick this year, Megamind(voiced by Will Ferrell) and his superhero rival Metro Man(Pitt) are born in a fashion befitting the Man of Steel on two separate dying planets. They're enemies straight out of the crib, as their dual escape pods crash land on the complete opposite side of the tracks in Metro City. Metro Man gets a nice, nuclear family to raise him like a gentleman. Megamind lands in a prison yard, raised by thugs and criminals, taught to despise authority. He also uses this time to build up his already oversized brain, making him a technological genius. His powers could be used for good, but what fun would that be?

Megamind grows up to be devious, villainous terror, with a bulbous blue head that makes him look like a Smurf about to pop. Metro man, all decked out in white with his cape blowing in the wind, is his constant nemesis. Their rivalry only gets worse with the addition spunky reporter, Roxanne Ritchi(Fey), a whip smart Lois Lane-type often the target of Megamind's kidnapping schemes. Metro Man is worshipped as Metro City's shining protector, while Megamind jealously watches and plots his next dastardly deed. With neither truly getting the upper hand on the other, Megamind decides it's time to break out the big guns, or "big gun" in this case. When his plan finally succeeds, killing Metro Man once and for all, it's literally a whole new world.

Screenwriters Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons have the most fun with Megamind ruling Metro City like a crazed monarch hopped up on pop rocks and soda. He remakes the city in his own image, and there are genuinely funny sight gags such as a variation on the iconic Obama "Hope" image. But it's no fun being a supervillain without a superhero to do battle with. This is the age old comic book question: "What does a supervillain want to rule the world for anyway"? Without a foil, Megamind gets bored, and so he needs to create a new heroic adversary. He chooses Hal(voiced by Jonah Hill)Roxanne's nerdy, infatuated cameraman to power up and train into Metro City's new defender of justice, Tighten. But when Tighten turns out to be a homicidal maniac, Megamind is the only one left who can stop him.

If the story sounds vaguely familiar it's because we saw something similar just a few months ago in the superior Despicable Me. Megamind has that film beat in terms of animation, though. The presentation is gorgeous, in particular in the larger scale sequences when Megamind and Metro Man are duking it out. Brad Pitt and Tina Fey's voice acting is top notch, as you'd expect. Will Ferrell didn't do much for me. I think he's reached the point where even his voice is a little overdone. I actually liked Jonah Hill the best. Some people might think that's crazy and find him to be a little annoying, but that's sorta the point of the Tighten character. He's supposed to be annoying. He's like the nerd you knew in school who grew up into a musclebound jerk, but still has that same voice that drove you nuts. You're supposed to hate him.

The only thing holding them back is the lackluster script. There just aren't a lot of big jokes to be had. Megamind isn't a particularly funny character. He's sortof sad and pathetic. David Cross mines the most humor voicing Megamind's loyal sidekick, aptly named Minion. A fish attached awkwardly to a robot body, Minion is the deliverer of many of the film's pratfalls. There just needed to be more. 

2010 has been a ridiculous year for animated films. Any other year and maybe Megamind would be the greatest thing since sliced Kryptonite. Ok, maybe not. It's impossible not to compare it to the amazing stuff we've seen before, unfair though that may be. Megamind gets the sweeping, Golden Age tone of superhero theatrics just right, and the blaring hard rock score(expect plenty of Guns 'n Roses) is a definite hit. If only the writing were a bit tighter, and if the jokes flew as fast as Metro Man swooping in to rescue a damsel in distress, this could've been a a much more thrilling ride.

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Punch Drunk DVDs

Date Night
It's hard to do better than the comedic pairing of Steve Carell and Tina Fey. As a goofy married couple who's stale marriage's only "excitement" is their weekly dinner date, they suddenly get all the action they can handle when they're mistaken for a couple of criminals. The script could've used more punch, but the strong cast compensates, including Mark Wahlberg as a shirtless hunk who Fey seems to keep finding reasons to visit.







Letters to God
If you dug movies like Fireproof or Henry Poole Is Here you'll probably dig Letters to God. It's the story of a down 'n out postal worker who finds a new strength and faith after meeting a cancer stricken young boy who writes letters to God to aid through the tough times.









Death at a Funeral
Ask me if I think this movie ever should've been made and my answer would be a resounding "Negatory"! An Americanized remake of the 2007 Brit comedy about a guy trying to make it through the disastrous funeral for his father, Chris Rock leads a strong ensemble cast(including Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, and Peter Dinklage). The real stand out for me was James Marsden, who plays the daughter's antsy boyfriend.







The Joneses
How far would you go to keep up with the Joneses? In Derick Borte's unique comedy, the line between real life and a permanent marketing campaign gets blurred. Demi Moore and David Duchovny star as a slick, stylish upper class family(with two ultra chic kids, I might add) who seem to have it all. It's because they do. The Joneses are a make believe family, created by marketing folks to be seen living the high life, driving the most expensive cars and rockin' the most expensive toys, all in hopes of selling them to their peers. An insightful, sharp comedy that I'm afraid is probably happening somewhere in the world right now.

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Review: Date Night

It's easy for me to take Steve Carell and Tina Fey for granted. I don't watch them every week on their respective NBC sitcoms, The Office and 30 Rock. I'm just not much of a sitcom fan, so the bulk of my exposure to them has been through movies, for which they both have been pretty hit or miss. Fey, however, is a brilliant comic talent and everytime she's on Saturday Night Live it's basically appointment television. In Date Night, they both show just how great they really are by elevating a pretty tired premise into an enjoyable date flick.

Carell and Fay play Claire and Phil Foster, a boring suburban couple who's marriage has been relegated passing eachother by on the way to work or one of their kids' outings. Romance? Who's got time for it? Any prospect of bedroom shenanigans is easily derailed anytime Claire puts in her mouthguard, or causes a puddle of drool when she removes it. Instant buzzkill.

Claire and Phil aren't clueless. They see what's happening. They don't love eachother any less, but their relationship has changed. When their best friends announce that they've split up due to the romance having fizzled out, Phil decides it's time to take proactive steps to liven things up.  The couple's weekly "date night", which I'm sure was designed to help keep the relationship fresh and vital, has in itself become a chore. So to jumpstart things a little, he decided to take Claire to one of the swankiest joints in town. Without a reservation. Getting a table isn't exactly on the menu, so Phil boldly claims the seats of the missing Tripplehorns. Identity mishaps ensue, and the once bored couple find themselves at the loser's end of a pair of guns and the unwilling participants in a city wide scandal.

Director Shawn Levy, who's spent the last few years making statues come to life in his Night at the Museum movies, is perfectly suited to handling the controlled frenzy of the car chases and comical shootouts that Claire and Phil stumble into. This one isn't going to test your mental mettle, but that's not really the point. The point is to showoff the talents of it's two leads, and in that regard Date Night is a remarkable success.

The most important thing about Date Night is that we actually give a care what happens to Phil and Claire. Not just whether or not they survive the night's events, but if they will survive as a couple. Carell and Fey don't play the roles like two disgruntleds shoehorned into a loveless relationship. Too many romantic comedies, and that's what this is at it's core, fall into that trap of making the couple we're supposed to be rooting for too combative towards eachother. It's obvious from the start and even during the most trying events of the evening that Claire and Phil love eachother and would do anything for eachother. That makes them very easy to cheer on. Even while Claire is drooling over a consistently shirtless Mark Wahlberg as a high tech security agent, we never for a second think she'd act on her obvious urges. 

The supporting cast mostly nails it. The aforementioned Wahlberg is perfect at keeping a rigidly stearn look on his face even while Carell jealously whines over the actor's glistening pecs. James Franco and Mila Kunis steal the one scene they get. It's too bad we didn't get to spend more time with them. They play sortof an amped up version of Phil and Claire, only more....mangy.  And of course I wouldn't be me without bemoaning the presence of rapper Common, who continues to prove that he is incapable of reaching the lowered bar for quality acting that we expect out of musicians. He's just awful.

You're not going to get anything groundbreaking out of Date Night, but you are going to get an entertaining, often hilarious 90 minutes with two of today's funniest actors in remarkably charming roles. Is it worth shelling out an extra few bucks to get your next door neighbor's kid to watch the children for a couple hours? Sure. Why not take your wife to dinner, too? Make a date of it.

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Tops at the Box Office

1. Date Night- $27.1M
This would've been one helluva good night for NBC, wouldn' it? I'm sure they're happy to see Steve Carell and Tina Fey, far and away their two biggest network stars, doing so well on the big screen. Date Night, which stars the duo as a bored married couple who find themselves embroiled in a dangerous scandal after stealing someone else's dinner reservations, benefitted from an easy premise and the likability of it's cast.

2. Clash of the Titans- $26.9M/$110M
I hope people are bringing plenty of Visine if they're trying to watch this blurry mess on 3-D. As it stands right now, Clash and Date Night are so close that there's a pretty good chance this one will reclaim the top spot after actuals come in later today.

3. How to Train Your Dragon- $25.4M/$134M
As expected, Dreamworks' high flying dragon adventure shows it's staying power by only dropping about 13% from last week. Expect this one to be around awhile.

4. Why Did I Get Married, Too?- $11M/$48.5M
Tyler Perry's sequel divorced itself of 62% of last week's tally.

5. The Last Song- $10M/$42.4M

6. Alice in Wonderland- $5.62M/$319M

7. Hot Tub Time Machine- $5.43M/$37M

8. The Bounty Hunter- $4.3M/$56M
We've decided, as a tandem dedicated to providing you our readers with our most honest, unbiased opinion of pretty much every movie in theaters that anyone could possibly care to see, that we'll be going to see The Bounty Hunter when it finally shows up at Arlington Cinema 'n Drafthouse. That way we'll be partaking of this disaster in the way it was meant to be seen: through a foggy alcohol induced cloud. 

9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid- $4.1M/$53.8M

10. Letters to God- $1.12M
Is it bad that I didn't even realize this came out this week? Not that I'd be running out to see it anyway, as I've had my fill of movies featuring dying children as the primary plot device. The faith-based film opened at approximately 900 locations, which is still more than Kristen Stewart's The Runaways. Speaking of which...

The Runaways expanded to 204 theaters this past weekend, with more to follow in the coming weeks, drumming up around $470,000 for a per site average of $2,300. A pretty disappointing showing for a film featuring two of the biggest young actresses in fairly controversial roles, Dakota Fanning and Twilight's Kristen Stewart.

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