The Playlist

National Board Of Review Gives Best Picture & Director To 'Hugo'; Tilda Swinton & George Clooney Take Acting Awards

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
December 1, 2011 4:14 PM
|
8 Comments

Awards

More:

How Alexander Payne And Jim Taylor Contributed To 'Cedar Rapids' And Nine Other Things We Learned

By Gabe Toro
|
February 16, 2011 2:15 AM
|
1 Comment

Director Miguel Arteta Really Loves Michael Cera, Compares Him To Peter Sellers & MoreFilmmaker Miguel Arteta’s comedy “Cedar Rapids” is on the big screen in limited release this week and will expand into approximately 90-some screens this weekend. It’s the story of a low level insurance agent sent to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for a major convention where he’s expected to compete for the top prize in the industry: the beloved Two Diamond Award. Ed Helms, who also produced the film, plays Tim Lippe the naive, boob of a salesman who gets in way over his head when he meets a group of colleagues that may or may not be in line to become his best friends.

More:

In Theaters: 'Gnomeo and Juliet,' 'The Eagle,' 'Just Go With It,' 'Never Say Never'

By Katie Walsh
|
February 11, 2011 4:35 AM
|
3 Comments

Fine movie-going friends, things are starting to look up. There are more new releases this week at the box office, but you'll have to choose wisely, lest you be trampled by a horde of tweens frothing at the mouth or accidentally stumble into the latest Adam Sandler dum-dum misogyny fest. Keep your head focused and your path true, and you may find satisfaction at the cinema. Opening in wide release this week: the sure to be thought-provoking and insightful documentary about obscure young musician Justin Bieber, "Never Say Never;" Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston show lots of respect for the sanctity of marriage in "Just Go With It;" Channing Tatum gets all period up on your asses in "The Eagle;" and long gestating animated feature "Gnomeo and Juliet" makes it to the screen. In limited release, things are much more appealing with the Ed Helms starring "Cedar Rapids," a host of great documentaries, and the Oscar nominated shorts may be playing in your town!

More:

Review: 'Cedar Rapids' Provides A Trickle Of Laughs Instead Of A Torrent

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
February 10, 2011 5:58 AM
|
2 Comments

On paper, "Cedar Rapids" sounds like a no brainer. The Frank Capra-esque premise is familiar: a small town man is sent off to the big city where he struggles to adjust to the fast pace and shifty morals of metropolitan life. And when you line up a stacked roster of talent that includes John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Sigourney Weaver, Alia Shawkat, Rob Corddry and Stephen Root, the movie should pretty much just write itself. Figuratively speaking, that is. But unfortunately, Miguel Arteta seems to have literally taken what was probably a great treatment and hoped that his actors and actresses could do the rest with unfortunately middling results.

More:

Ed Helms Says It's Do Or Die Week For 'Central Intelligence' And Talks Untitled Civil War Comedy

By Gabe Toro
|
February 8, 2011 11:24 AM
|
0 Comments

Doesn't Have Much Hope For Old Apatow Comedy 'A Whole New Hugh'"Cedar Rapids" is about to hit this weekend, but it seems like a year ago, Ed Helms was about to explode. His future ended up being a lot quieter, with a few projects announced suddenly fading away. We chatted with Helms, who can be seen in "The Hangover 2" and "Jeff Who Lives At Home" this year, during the "Cedar Rapids" junket -- more on that later this week -- and got him to share details on a few of his upcoming films.

More:

Sundance '11: Isiah Whitlock Jr From 'The Wire' Does His Best Omar Impression In 'Cedar Rapids' Clip

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
January 24, 2011 6:00 AM
|
1 Comment

"Cedar Rapids" opens in a couple of weeks, but Fox Searchlight is feeling pretty good about the film, and not without reason. The first trailer for the film was a winner and with a cast featuring Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr. (Sen. R. Clayton ‘Clay’ Davis from “The Wire”) Sigourney Weaver, Alia Shawkat, Rob Corddry, Stephen Root and more, you'd have to fuck up pretty hard to mess it up. So no surprise that the studio has taken the film to Sundance to get some good buzz building in advance of its release, and have also given MTV an exclusive, and pretty amusing, clip.

More:

New Pics Of 'Cedar Rapids' & 'Kung Fu Panda 2'; First Look At Berman/Pulcini's 'Cinema Verite'

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
January 11, 2011 7:36 AM
|
0 Comments

Also A Look At The Vibrator Comedy 'Hysteria' & Tommy Lee Jones' Cormac McCarthy Adaptation 'Sunset Limited'A few pics of some upcoming films for you from the pages of Entertainment Weekly (pics aren't yet online), focusing mostly on some indie titles that should be picking up steam in the months to come.

More:

The Playlist's 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2011 - Part 3

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
January 4, 2011 9:59 AM
|
7 Comments

OK, we lied, three installments only, not four. Here's the third and final installment of our Most Anticipated Films Of 2011. In case you missed it, here's part one and part two, and if you don't see the film you're looking for here, then they've probably already been covered over there. Not much else to add, except to say go ahead and dive in.

More:

Trailer & Poster For 'Cedar Rapids' Starring Ed Helms & John C. Reilly

By Edward Davis
|
December 23, 2010 12:40 AM
|
2 Comments

Hot off the presses as a 2011 Sundance Film Festival entry arrives the trailer and poster for "Cedar Rapids," Fox Searchlight's new salesman roadtrip film with "The Hangover" star Ed Helms in his first big shot since that 2009 breakout movie. Directed by Miguel Arteta ("Youth In Revolt," "Chuck & Buck"), the film also co-stars John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr. (Sen. R. Clayton 'Clay' Davis from "The Wire") Sigourney Weaver, Alia Shawkat, Rob Corddry, Stephen Root and more.

More:

Miguel Arteta's 'Cedar Rapids' Starring Ed Helms Set For February 11th Release

By Simon Dang
|
November 28, 2010 3:41 AM
|
1 Comment

James Gunn's "Super" Starring Rainn Wilson & Ellen Page Slotted For April 1, 2011After the underwhelming Michael Cera-led adaptation of "Youth In Revolt" early last year, director Miguel Arteta's next directorial effort, the road-trip comedy "Cedar Rapids" starring Ed Helms of "The Office" and "The Hangover" fame, has somewhat fallen off the radar. However, the film has now been handed a February 11th release date which may mean a premiere in January at the Sundance Film Festival. It also appears the film will start out in limited release.

More: