July 23rd, 2009
Hollywood Elsewhere blogger Jeffrey Wells, who definitely is not the biggest Judd Apatow fan in the world, has some good things to say about his latest movie, FUNNY PEOPLE. Very good things…It really is the best Apatow movie so far. Not the warmest of friendliest or feel-goodiest, but unquestionably the frankest and ballsiest. A genuine, funny, corrosive, uncliched, agreeably smartass thing. Not perfect but close enough to what I wanted that I came out delighted. I believed each and every line and attitude and plot turn.
This is very close to the Apatow flick I’ve been waiting for, and which frankly I had begun to think might never be made by him. Hats off, smart salute, balls of steel, etc. This is a major leap forward.
He warns, however, in his wonderfully Wellsian way, that FUNNY PEOPLE might be too challenging for the average schmuck…
Most fans of (THE 40-YEAR-OLD) VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP, I suspect, are going to have qualms, but that’s what happens when you deepen and darken and expand the brand — people go “hey, this doesn’t taste like the others! Gimme my comfort food!”
Personally, I’m tired of my comfort food. I’m want FUNNY PEOPLE to be something more. I like Judd Apatow’s work quite a bit, but Wells is right — it’s time for him to stretch and grow. Adam Sandler proved he can really act in PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE, Seth Rogen has been consistently solid but first showed his dramatic chops way back on the TV show FREAKS AND GEEKS, and Leslie Mann (Apatow’s wife) was very good in KNOCKED UP. Here’s hoping they all bring their A game to this movie.
FUNNY PEOPLE opens next Friday.
July 23rd, 2009
A bit of geek news from the first official day of the San Diego Comic Con: The eagerly awaited sequel to TRON (which, if you’re old enough to remember, hit theaters waaaaay back in 1982) has a name, and it’s not (the admittedly catchy and appropriate TRON 2.0). Here (via Cinematical) is the official logo…
 
And here, (also via Cinematical) is the official plot synopsis:
“TRON is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin’s loyal confidant (Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.”
I was a 14-year-old video game nut in 1982 when TRON hit theaters, so needless to say, I was primed for that film (and the excellent video game that hit arcades at the same time). It’s a whole other world now, but with Jeff Bridges still attached as Flynn, I’m tentatively optimistic. Don’t let me down, Disney.
July 23rd, 2009
At long last, the Onion AV Club’s New Cult Canon (under the guidance of writer Scott Tobias) turns its attention to one of the lost masterpieces of the 21st century. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…
… POOTIE TANG!
If you’ve never seen this no-budget, almost completely forgotten box office disaster, there’s no way I can describe it to you. All I can say is that it (a) it definitely has a cult following — just check out the ever-growing comments at the end of Tobias’ article — and (b) I personally think it’s hilarious. I can’t explain why it’s funny, or even defend its existence as a film, but I have seen it more than a few times (HBO used to run it constantly), and I always watched with a smile on my face.
Here’s 27 seconds of its oddball charm. Whether you decide to watch the whole thing is up to you.
