Cinematical

With the R-rated comedy becoming one of the hottest trends of the past couple years (thanks, in part, to a dude named Judd Apatow), we're starting to see a bunch more creative, down-to-earth (albeit foul-mouthed) comedies hit theaters -- with some, like Tropic Thunder, Burn After Reading and Knocked Up, fighting for awards consideration. But what will 2009 bring? Are we on a similar path as both 2007 and 2008, or will the new year bring back the boring, familiar plot threads and idiotic characters? Here's what we're looking at:

*Film(s) to watch that month
++Apatow involvement
# Best comedy of the year

January: Bride Wars, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, New in Town (Grade: C-)
February: *Fanboys, He's Just Not That Into You, Pink Panther 2, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Miss February, Fired Up, *Youth in Revolt (Grade: B)
March: All About Steve, *I Love You, Man, This Side of the Truth, The Accidental Husband, Adventureland, The Janky Promoters, *Monsters vs. Aliens (Grade: A-)
April: The Ugly Truth, *Observe and Report, 17 Again (Grade: B+)
May: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, My Life in Ruins, Next Day Air, *Bruno, Night at the Museum 2, *Up (Grade: B)
June: Land of the Lost, The Hangover, *++Year One (Grade: B+)
July: Ice Age 3, *I Love You Beth Cooper, 500 Days of Summer, G-Force, *++#Funny People, *They Came from Upstairs (Grade: A)
August: Julie & Julia, *Shorts, Dance Flick, Post Grad, Max's Mardi Gras (Grade: C)
September: *Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Grade: B)
October: *Toy Story (3-D), Zombieland (Grade: B)
November: Tooth Fairy, *The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Three Stooges, Old Dogs (Grade: B)
December: Alvin and the Chipmunks 2, *The Princess and the Frog (Grade: B)

So based on early buzz, trailers and so forth, I'd say the best months for comedy in 2009 will be March and July. What do you think about the upcoming slate, and which comedies are you looking forward to the most?

Yes, folks, from time to time we're going to promote a book on Cinematical -- which means you'd actually have to read something -- but trust us when we say it's good for ya, like eating vegetables or running naked through Banana Republic. Cinematical reader (and author) Clive Young pointed us toward his new book Homemade Hollywood: Fans Behind the Camera, which is all about you crazy movie geeks out there who spend tons of money on your own fan films, from what they looked like back in the 1920s all the way up to the current YouTube generation.

From the press release: "Who would swing off a six-story building for a homemade Spider-Man movie? Why would newlyweds with a baby spend $20,000 on a Star Wars film from which they can never profit? How did three nobodies blow Steven Spielberg's mind with an Indiana Jones flick they made as teens in the Eighties? They're all part of the Fan Film revolution--an underground movement where amateur filmmakers are creating illegal movies starring world-famous characters, from Batman to Captain Kirk to Harry Potter.

Homemade Hollywood: Fans Behind The Camera follows their stories and more as it traces fan films from the 1920s – when con men made fake Little Rascals movies – to the YouTube videos of today. Regular people are using camcorders, computers and classic characters to make movies that fans want to see – and which lawyers, copyrights and common sense would never allow."

Homemade Hollywood: Fans Behind the Camera is currently available on Amazon for $13.57, so pick it up and let us know what you think.

Not sure if you folks remember, but at the end of 2007 a dude by the name of Matt Shapiro pieced together a couple of pretty cool videos (called 2007: A Year for Drama and 2007: A Year for Action) that were basically a well-edited montage of films from that year. Well, Shapiro is back again with another video chronicling 2008 called 2008: The Cinescape, and set to the tune of Hoppipola by Sigur Ros, the video takes a look back at all the movies we loved to watch and talk about and watch again throughout the year. This time around, however, Shapiro cuts out any and all pieces of dialogue and simply edits the images to the music. The video itself is a tad heavy on The Dark Knight, Cloverfield and WALL-E (or at least it felt that way), but it's fun to watch nonetheless. Check out a list of movies (in order of their appearance in the video) after the jump.


[via Slashfilm]

G-Force
Guinea pigs in the employ of the FBI? Well, why the hell not? This is a live action film with digital rodents voiced by Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz, Steve Buscemi, and Tracy Morgan. I have to imagine this one got green lit after Alvin and the Chipmunks started pulling in the bucks. The concept has a certain goofy charm, but the trailer has surprisingly few laughs. Judge for yourself on July 24.

Streetfighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
When I hear "Streetfighter" I think more of the Sonny Chiba film The Street Fighter and its sequels, but that's a different franchise entirely. This film is of course based on the long running series of video games (the first of which was released in 1987 as an arcade game) and stars the lovely Kristin Kreuk of Smallville fame. The trailer is a little hard to follow since the narration is in Japanese. What we've got is basically high kicking martial arts action with a sort of comic booky mysticism. Watch for this on February 27.

From Paris With Love
I've got to admit John Travolta with a shaved head and a bazooka makes for an eye catching image. He's a cop, things blow up. No U.S. release info yet.

Two Lovers
Joaquin Phoenix stars as a man torn between the woman his parents have fixed him up with (Vinessa Shaw) and his unpredictable neighbor (Gwyneth Paltrow ) who is dating a married man. Feel the love on February 13.

Crank 2: High Voltage
This adults only trailer is easily the most foul-mouthed trailer I've ever seen and it's also entertaining as hell. Jason Statham is back and this time he's had his heart swapped out for an artificial model that requires periodic jolts of electricity. This one hits on April 17.

New trailers on AOL Moviefone:

• X Men Origins: Wolverine - The X-Men's adamantium clawed mutant strikes out on his own in this tale of Wolverine's origin. Check it out right here:
  
  
  
• Night at the Museum 2 - Ben Stiller returns in this sequel in which some of the living museum displays from the first film have been shipped to the Smithsonian Institute.
• I Love You Man - Paul Rudd plays a man about to wed who is seeking a new guy friend to be his best man. Here's the trailer:
  
  
• Echelon Conspiracy - A man receives a package containing a cell phone that can provide him with unlimited wealth.
• The Pink Panther 2 - Second trailer for the sequel starring Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau.
• Knowing - Nicholas Cage plays a teacher who discovers a decades old code that predicts major calamities.

We've all heard the stories -- some scout happened into some mall or cafe, saw a stunning girl, and suddenly she became a famous supermodel or actress, rocketed to superstardom. But have no fear -- it's not only for the young lookers these days. The Mirror reports that a homeless man in the UK nabbed a part in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes.

Raymond Emanuel had been taking care of his ill mother, and when the money ran out, he found himself on the streets. Seven months later, a talent scout saw him leave a movie theater he'd gone into to warm up, and immediately offered him a role in the film. He was on set the next day as an MP in the House of Commons (you'll be able to see him on the front bench when the film comes out). While it wasn't a big money payoff for the man (just £20 for the costume fitting and £75 for acting), he's already found a new flat in Longsight and his agent is looking for more work.

In the neverending torrent of bad-economy news, it's nice to see at least one success story. Best of luck, Mr. Emanuel!

It isn't just superhero stories that do brisk business in Hollywood these days -- horror comics are popular too. Variety reports that the latest to be optioned is The Night Projectionist, an upcoming miniseries published by Studio 407, which will be brought to the big screen by Myriad Pictures. The two have also teamed up for Hybrid, which will begin production later this year.

Penned by Bob Heske, it's a story more along the lines of 30 Days of Night than the bloodsuckers of Twilight or Underworld. The story kicks off in 18th century Romania (as all vampire stories must) as a village prepares to lynch a village girl for launching a vampire plague that is destroying their humble townsfolk.

Fast forward to present day and Halloween's Eve, where an all night Dracula-thon film festival is taking place in a decrepit theater. Unluckily for the attendees, the projectionist is a vampire -- and with his help, the human audience is trapped inside, ready to be feasted upon. (This could happen to any one of us -- carry a crucifix to your next all-night film festival, readers.) It all connects back to that unlucky Romanian village, and the man who betrayed it all those years ago.

You can catch a preview of the comic over on Studio 407's website -- the art is fantastic and there is actually a pretty cool twist in just 8 pages of story. (For the artistically inclined, there's also a behind-the-scenes look at the artwork on Horror Comic Book News.) Heske's first issue isn't due on shelves until February, but it's gotten good reviews from Ain't It Cool News, Comics Bulletin, and the Rundown already. Definitely one to look out for.

Welcome back to another edition of Insert Caption -- the game that gives our loyal readers more than one last chance to win fabulous movie-related prizes. Due to the holidays and all, we took a week off -- but now we're back to congratulate the three talented folks who said 'yes' to our Yes Man caption contest and walked away winners.

1. "And with rare audition footage, the general public sees why Jim Carrey was not selected to play Johnny Cash in Walk the Line." -- Kathi F.

2. "My career has left the building. Thank you and goodnight!" -- Adi B.

3. "Jim later realized that playing Rob Zombie's "Living Dead Girl" was probably not the wisest choice for little Terry's five year birthday party." -- James H.

See full image and all captions

You didn't think we'd return from our little holiday vacation empty-handed, did you? Because we have gifts -- some very cool gifts -- and we're totally willing to give them away to the one lucky person behind our favorite caption for a photo from the new film Last Chance Harvey, starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. You heard me, there's only one winner this week (because the prize is pretty sweet), and that person will receive one Last Chance Harvey Travel Kit including three Last Chance Harvey Tumi travel bags and one Last Chance Harvey Burberry Umbrella. Nice! Just in time for that winter vacation, right? Sound off below ...



Read the official rules for this contest

"DE is a way of doing. It is a way of doing everything you do. DE simply means doing whatever you do in the easiest most relaxed way you can manage which is also the quickest and most efficient way, as you will find as you advance in DE." -- William Burroughs

You might already be a fan of the fabulous William Burroughs essay/short story Do Easy, but did you know that Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Milk) adapted the essay for the screen in the form of a short film called The Discipline of DE (which also happened to be the director's first project wayyy back in 1982). The short, while on YouTube, is also part of the new Wholphin DVD, which is a quarterly DVD magazine from McSweeney's that showcases -- what they like to call -- "unique and ponderable films designed to make you feel the way we felt when we learned that dolphins and whales sometimes, you know, do it." Not only is this a really quirky and fun film to watch (read the essay too!), but it's message is a timely one -- what with the new year and all. So check it out below and enjoy.

Zack Snyder isn't a director that lets a little legal drama bring him down, and currently he's busy at work on Guardians of Ga'Hoole, the Lord of the Rings of owl stories. (Two young friends of mine have since assured me it's a really good series; I should drop hints until they lend it to me.)

Sydney's Daily Telegraph is reporting that Aussie up-and-comer Ryan Kwanten has joined the voice cast of Ga'Hoole, along with fellow Aussies Hugh Jackman and Hugo Weaving.

While their involvement hasn't been confirmed anywhere else, this certainly could be the "schedule conflict" alluded to in Jackman dropping out of Cleo -- but would Snyder really reuse two memorable parts of the Happy Feet voice cast? Then again, why wouldn't he? Weaving is The Voice of All Voices, and Jackman did a pretty memorable job in Happy Feet and Flushed Away. Plus, they're Australian, which is where most of the Ga'Hoole work will be done. You might as well save on the production costs by using the local talent, right?

Going by Wiki's character list (don't read it, it's chock full of spoilers), I can hazard a guess as to which Aussie will be playing what owl -- Kwanten is probably going to be the young hero, Soren. Jackman sounds rather perfect for Twilight, "a confident and boastful owl who is always singing songs about himself." There's far too many wise and kingly owls to assign one to Weaving, so we'll have to wait and see on that one. I'm really very curious about this film -- an epic about owls sounds a lot more promising than half the stuff that gets optioned, anyway. At least there will be no question as to who owns the rights to this Snyder film.

This past week, a whole lot of you probably took in a screening of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (I took the girl to see it last night), and you've probably shared your opinions with friends, family and significant others. Some feel it's just way too long, while others argue it needs to be long in order for you, the audience member, to "feel" and adequately "experience" the main character's life-long journey. One aspect of the film a lot of people have discussed was how -- and there might be mild spoilers here -- if Brad Pitt's character starts out as a tiny old man, he should turn into an adult-sized baby at the end of the film. That would make the most sense, right?

Well, director David Fincher sat down with MTV recently and admitted that the original plan was to have Pitt play the baby. He says, "We were prepared to do that ... We just ran out of money. We could have made him into a baby. Anything you want to do, you can do now." Now THAT would've been worth the price of admission all on its own ... even though the image of Pitt as a big, weird-looking baby may have been all folks talked about afterward. Fincher also addressed those comparisons to Forest Gump, noting: "Forrest Gump? What's that? Instead of the ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances, I thought of [Benjamin] as an extraordinary man in very ordinary circumstances. I don't know how much an audience can relate to a guy who's aging backwards that ends up looking like Brad Pitt. My whole thing from the beginning has been that it's not high concept. The reason it's relatable is how it's dramatized. Everybody remembers their first kiss and hangover and person they fell in love with."

For those who've seen it, what do you think: Should Pitt have played an adult-sized baby?