The Playlist

Review: 'Movie 43' Strains For Laughs With Uninspired Collection Of Comedy Shorts

By Gabe Toro
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January 25, 2013 8:03 AM
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3 Comments

Reviews

What is there to say, analytically, about “Movie 43”? Not released in theaters as much as inexplicably materializing in front of our very eyes, “Movie 43” has no moral, no overarching story, and no point other than the opportunity for Hollywood stars to play silly for a short while. Some of them relish this – a few of the performers are a natural at studied wackiness. Some aren’t as comfortable. Others just seem like they’re passing the time. The filmmakers who collaborated on this anthology film, however, mostly fit that last description. Despite the title, this… thing…is barely a movie.

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First Photos Of Kate Winslet, Anna Faris, Emma Stone & More From Comedy Omnibus 'Movie 43'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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October 1, 2012 11:21 AM
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5 Comments

News

When you're pulling together a comedy omnibus with shorts directed by Brett Ratner, Elizabeth Banks, Mike Judge, Bob Odenkirk, Steve Baker, Damon Escot and more, starring folks like Emma Stone, Halle Berry, Terrence Howard, Gerard Butler, Kristen Bell, Chloe Moretz, Josh Duhamel, Hugh Jackman, Johnny Knoxville, Elizabeth Banks, Naomi Watts, Kate Winslet, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Richard Gere, Anna Faris, Justin Long, Liev Schreiber, Uma Thurman, Seann William Scott, Kieran Culkin, Leslie Bibb, Jimmy Bennett, Kate Bosworth, Patrick Warburton, Tony Shalhoub, Chris Pratt, Jason Sudeikis, Jack McBrayer, Aasif Mandvi and Bobby Cannavale....you might understand that few deadlines might be missed. But after a couple of release date bumps, "Movie 43" is coming to theaters and some peeks have arrived.

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Watch: Red Band Trailer For 'Nature Calls' Starring Patton Oswalt & Johnny Knoxville Drops Along With New Pics

By Edward Davis
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September 20, 2012 2:25 PM
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2 Comments

News

It might be unkind to call "Nature Calls" an unfortunate-looking comedy with a cast of odds and sods actors, but sometimes you just gotta call 'em as you see 'em. And as much as we love Patton Oswalt and comedy ace-in-the-hole Rob Riggle (so good in "Step Brothers"), this picture directed by Todd Rohal (the well-received "The Catechism Cataclysm" and "The Guatemalan Handshake") does not look great.

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Watch: Trailer For Fox & Blue Sky's Miniaturized 'Epic' Debuts

By Drew Taylor
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June 26, 2012 12:22 PM
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2 Comments

News

Well, a movie calling itself "Epic" should probably kick off with an appropriately epic trailer. While we didn't quite get that with this, the first glimpse from the Fox/Blue Sky Studios' (loose) adaptation of the William Joyce book "The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs," it's still a promising-enough looking clip that draws us into a strange and magical world.

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Is Paramount Getting Ready To Make 'Jackass 4'?

By Ryan Gowland
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June 8, 2012 9:17 AM
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25 Comments

News

Even after "Jackass 3D" took in $170 million, it seemed like the extra footage jambalaya that was the straight-to-DVD "Jackass 3.5" might the final entry in the "Jackass" franchise, especially after the tragic death of cast member Ryan Dunn. Maybe not. In fact, it looks like the "Jackass" gang could preparing another installment of pranks, stunts, and general testicle-abuse.

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Voices Assemble! Beyonce, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Knoxville, Aziz Ansari, Jason Sudeikis & Steven Tyler Are 'Epic'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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May 31, 2012 4:26 PM
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0 Comments

News

20th Century Fox and Blue Sky have certainly never been shy about padding out their animated movies with as many big time celebrity voices as possible, and while the jury is still out on whether or not it makes a difference to the quality of the end product, it certainly can't hurt, and it makes the red carpet a lot more fun.

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Nicolas Cage, Juno Temple & Johnny Knoxville Take A Walk On The 'Wild Side'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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May 8, 2012 2:41 PM
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2 Comments

News

Man, it's been way too long since word of a new Nic Cage movie. But rest assured, he's bringing his trunk full of crazy wigs to a brand new film, and it sounds as improbable as everything else he's done recently.

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SXSW '12 Review: 'Small Apartments' Is An Awkward, Entirely Unsatisfying Mixture Of Sweetness And Filth

By Drew Taylor
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March 11, 2012 5:54 PM
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3 Comments

Reviews

Swedish filmmaker Jonas Åkerlund used to be the kind of director whose every move was worth following. He started out building buzz for his career by making controversial music videos, helming the sensational, barely-seen "Smack My Bitch Up" clip for Prodigy and, way more successfully, the "Ray of Light" music video for Madonna (a clip that won a record seven prizes at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards). Even his lesser videos (like his Cardigans' "Favorite Game" clip) were compelling and vital compared to most pedestrian and run-of-the-mill music videos. Åkerlund's videos were often defined by a willingness to delve into the scuzzier aspects of life (like the Prodigy video and Metallica's "Turn the Page") – visually his style was slick but also grimy, lit up by garish neon lights and high contrast colorization.

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SXSW '12 Review: Todd Rohal's Third Feature 'Nature Calls' Is A Dull, Droning Wrong Number

By James Rocchi
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March 10, 2012 10:37 PM
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4 Comments

Reviews

Curiously squandering an immensely talented cast, Todd Rohal's "Nature Calls," written when the writer-director lived in Austin, had more humor and humanity and life in its 10-minute post-screening talk here at SXSW than it showed in its previous 98-minute running time. Starring Patton Oswalt and Johnny Knoxville as brothers -- in clear refutation of all we know about genetics -- "Nature Calls" pits Oswalt's dedicated scoutmaster, eager to take his scoutmaster father on one last camping trip, against Knoxville's black sheep son. You can imagine this premise leading to all kinds of hilarity.

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