Thompson on Hollywood

Review Roundup: Critics Won Over by Rogen and His Funnyman Gang in 'This Is the End'

Reviews

Early reviews are coming in for Seth Rogen's directorial debut and apocalyptic comedy "This Is the End," starring Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride and Michael Cera all playing hyperbolic versions of themselves. And critics are eating it up: Variety cites the film's "clever sense of self-parody," while the Hollywood Reporter mentions that the tired gross-out comedy genre "gets a strange temporary reprieve" with the film. Roundup below.

By Beth Hanna
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May 31, 2013 1:09 PM
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WATCH: Michael Cera's Directorial Debut 'Brazzaville Teen-Ager' Premieres on YouTube (VIDEO)

Video

YouTube comedy collective JASH premiered Canadian actor Michael Cera's directorial debut "Brazzaville Teen-Ager," a dramatic short film that represents a slight -- keyword: slight -- departure from the "Arrested Development" star's endearingly awkward shtick.

By Ryan Lattanzio
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April 23, 2013 2:23 PM
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April Fools! Official 'Pineapple Express 2' Trailer Lands, Dunham Curates Swanberg Filmography for Criterion

News

Happy April Fools Day from the internet! This year's pranks include the Criterion Collection's announcement of Lena Dunham as the new creative director. Her first move as chief? All of Mumblecore maestro Joe Swanberg's films will be added to the prestigious DVD and Blu-ray company's repertoire.

By Beth Hanna
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April 1, 2013 2:01 PM
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Weekend Recap: 'Alice in Wonderland' Sequel, Heroine Complex Short Films, Depp's Don Quixote, What's Next for Refn, Cuaron and Abrams

News

Disney is making moves to follow up "Alice in Wonderland" with a sequel. The 3-D 2010 Tim Burton film, featuring Mia Wasikowska as Alice and Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, grossed $1 billion worldwide. Variety reports that Disney has brought back scriptwriter Linda Woolverton, who also wrote "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King," to do the job.

By Maggie Lange
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December 10, 2012 12:12 PM
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Weekend Box Office: Dolphin Tale Overtakes Moneyball in Second Inning

While it looked like Moneyball would assert its dominance over the weekend box office, another second weekender took the prize: Dolphin Tale. Again, the family movie pulled a bigger niche audience than too many competitors aimed at males and adults. Anthony D'Alessandro reports:Another flood of wide entries fragmented Fall moviegoers this weekend. Warner Bros./Alcon's heart-tugging crowd-pleaser Dolphin Tale yipped up $14.2 million in its second session, overtaking Sony's well-reviewed Moneyball, which fielded $12.5 million. Both films generated warm buzz throughout the week, especially on Rosh Hashanah last Thursday when some schools were off.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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October 2, 2011 4:33 AM
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More Than Just Funny: How Women Took Comedy by the Balls

On a weekend in which the multiplex was mainly a man’s world, Matt Brennan's "Now and Then" column this week focuses on news from the small screen. With Bridesmaids now available on DVD and a flurry of funny women hitting network TV, he got to wondering: are we in a golden age of women in comedy? Trailers below:I know. You already have seven problems with this column and all you’ve read is the teaser. So let’s slow down and lay out some of the assumptions I’m working with here: first, that women are funny, and not only to other women, despite what Christopher Hitchens might have to say on the subject; and second, that I recognize there are problems with using the term “golden age,” and will get to these near the end.

By Matt Brennan
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September 26, 2011 12:31 PM
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Oscar Watch: The Real Black Swan, Co-Host Franco Rehearses, Does Santa Barbara Q & A, Recites Byron

Never has one movie inspired more men to put on makeup and tights: see Johnny Knoxville at the Critics' Choice Awards and Jim Carrey on SNL, below. And here's the latest incarnation, The Real Black Swan: Lionsgate used Madea to promote Tyler Perry's latest, Madea's Big Happy Family (April 22).

By Anne Thompson
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February 1, 2011 6:20 AM
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Green Hornet Creams The Dilemma at Martin Luther King Holiday Box Office

Big-budget effects trumped raunchy buddy comedy as Michel Gondry and Seth Rogen's Green Hornet beat out Ron Howard and Vince Vaughn's The Dilemma at the Martin Luther King holiday box office. Anthony D'Alessandro reports.Monday morning Sony executives had every reason to keep Sunday night’s champagne flowing into their mimosas. Not only did the Culver City studio score big at the Golden Globes with The Social Network, but it continued to flex its B.O. muscle for No. 1 openers as superhero adaptation Green Hornet took $40 million over the four-day Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. Meanwhile, Universal/Spyglass’ Vince Vaughn-Kevin James’ vehicle The Dilemma could have used a laugh track as the dramedy registered a low opening for both thesps at $21.1 million. Already, the media is proclaiming a recession for Hollywood after a three-day weekend haul of $127 million-plus (per Box Office Mojo estimates), which is 25% off last year’s $170 million. Their complaint: studios are delivering a crappy films. Relax. This is par for the course for January.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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January 17, 2011 5:59 AM
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Green Hornet Early Reviews Are Mixed

The early reviews are in on Michel Gondry and Seth Rogen's Green Hornet and they're all over the place.

By Anne Thompson
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January 12, 2011 2:18 AM
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Gondry to Direct Jimmy Kimmel Live to Promo Green Hornet

It might actually be worth watching. Joining an elite group that includes J.J. Abrams and Quentin Tarantino, Green Hornet director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) will direct an episode of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live. Thursday night's episode will feature his star, Seth Rogen.