Cast: Billy Crystal, Josh Gad, Stephnie Weir, Megan Ferguson
Director: Larry Charles, Richie Keen
Creators: Larry Charles, Billy Crystal, Matt Nix, Ben Wexler
Billy Crystal and Josh Gad star in a hyper-realistic comedy show about them trying to start a comedy show. Think Curb Your Enthusiasm meets Inception. I only say that because it’s a show within a show. The style resembles Curb Your Enthusiasm and Louie.
The premise is that Billy Crystal and Josh Gad are both trying to start the next thing in their career when they reluctantly get matched up to start a modern-day variety show with one another.
I had a chance to see the first two episodes at a special SXSW screening, followed by a Q&A.
Interestingly enough, The Comedians is based on a Swedish comedy show called Ulveson & Herngren, which stars two popular Swedish comedians in the same predicament. Billy Crystal mentioned that he was sent some episodes of the Swedish series and was cry-laughing within the first few minutes of the show and didn’t really know why, he just knew he loved it.
I had never heard of Ulveson & Herngren before, and I didn’t even know The Comedians was based on anything else, but I am glad it came to America. I am especially glad that Billy Crystal and Josh Gad were cast.
Billy Crystal was probably one of the first people to make me laugh, with Saturday Night Live, The Princess Bride, Throw Momma from the Train, When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers, Analyze This, Monsters Inc., and everything in between. Honestly, when I saw him in the series trailer, I already wanted to watch the show.
Then, I saw Josh Gad standing next to Billy Crystal and I was even more intrigued. I first remember seeing Josh Gad in The Rocker, but since, I’ve enjoyed him in Thanks for Sharing, Jobs, 1600 Penn, The Internship, Frozen, and New Girl. He is also known for his incredible performance in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon.
Side note – Josh Gad laughs at himself for 1600 Penn, a show that Josh created and starred in, that was never renewed after the first season. I just wanted to go on record saying I frickin’ loved that show and it was one of the few shows that my boyfriend and I enjoyed watching together. If you’re reading this Josh, there were people who watched and loved it. One series does not a failure make. Freaks and Geeks was only one season and people loved that series too. But I digress.
The Comedians gives off almost an Odd Couple vibe, with two complete opposites who desperately need each other. Billy Crystal is a veteran, he’s established and successful, but still hungry for work. Then Josh Gad shows up, completely loveable and very green, all the while throwing verbal daggers at Billy without really knowing he’s insulting him. He plays the loveable idiot who often makes heartfelt apologies for his idiocy.
During the Q&A, Billy and Josh mentioned that these characters are extremely exaggerated versions of themselves, and let’s hope so, because they say some pretty hurtful things to each other. They also make digs at themselves. I found the first two episodes hilarious and awkward at the same time. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cringe at most of the show, and I mean that in the best possible way.
The mixture of physical and verbal comedy, the documentary-style shooting, the pacing – it all works, and it definitely works for FX. You must check out the first few episodes and see this awesome duo! They are in the perfect home, preceding Louie on Thursday nights at 10/9c.
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As I watched this movie, one thought kept occurring to me: This is what A.I. might have looked like had Stanley Kubrick directed it himself. Despite my feelings toward both Kubrick and to Spielberg’s flawed version of A.I., I knew this thought wasn’t a bad thing, or at least I wasn’t associating it with a criticism of Ex Machina. And it certainly wasn’t a knock against Alex Garland, who makes his directorial debut here.
No, in fact, it was quite the opposite.
This is a film that deals with artificial intelligence in a realistic and frank manner that is rarely seen onscreen. It’s not an action movie about cybernetic machines sent back in time to take over the world, and it’s not a look at the distant future of what society will become if we don’t change course immediately.
Rather, it’s a movie about now. It’s about the birth of something, not the death of it, and that is quite refreshing.
Domhnall Gleeson plays Caleb, a programmer who wins a contest at his company and is given the chance to take part in a top secret experiment. He is to live with his extremely eccentric CEO, Nathan (played by Oscar Issac) for a week and determine if the artificial intelligence system Nathan has created could ever pass itself off as human. This system is in the form of a beautiful woman named Ava (Alicia Vikander) and Caleb is immediately drawn to her, more so than he could ever imagine. To say more would spoil this beautiful film for you, so I’ll just leave if at that.
Everything comes together incredibly well. The writing is as amazing as the intriguing effects and, on a surprising note, there’s actually quite a bit of humor. That’s something these types of movies don’t usually have and maybe that’s why they often drown in their own bleakness.
Definitely check if out, especially if you were let down by the wasted potential of A.I.
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Cast: Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Stephen Root, Peter Gallagher, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Don Stark, Tyne Daly, Natasha Lyonne, Rich Sommer, Caroline Aaron
Director: Michael Showalter
Screenwriters: Laura Terruso, Michael Showalter
Rated: Not Yet Rated
Runtime: 95 min
Doris (Sally Field) is a 60-year-old woman who is learning to connect with others again after her mother passes away. She is eccentric, to the point of being a hipster to the younger crowd. She becomes obsessed with a man thirty years her junior, and desperately pursues him, with the help of her best friend’s granddaughter and a self-help seminar run by Peter Gallagher.
The movie lends itself to a completely different and unique role especially for Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Stephen Root, and Don Stark. I was taken aback by Doris’s level of eccentric quirkiness, so much so that I spent a few scenes with my hands over my eyes, squealing and squirming in my seat. It was odd to see Sally Field in a frilly and peculiar way, not as strong or demonstrative as I remember her in films like Forrest Gump, Steel Magnolias, Murphy’s Romance, and Mrs. Doubtfire. It was slightly unnerving, but still I had to watch. As much as I wasn’t in favor of Sally Field and Max Greenfield hooking up (probably because I can’t cope with the idea of M’Lynn and Schmidt being intimate), I rooted for Doris. Mostly, I rooted for Doris to have human companionship and interactions, to quit hoarding, to tell her brother and sister-in-law to shove it, and to be happy.
“Hello, My Name Is Doris” SXSW Clip | “The Ball” from Red Crown Productions on Vimeo.
The casting is incredible and greatly underrated. There are people in this film that I would have never dreamed of having cast:
Max Greenfield (New Girl, Veronica Mars, They Came Together)
Stephen Root (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Dodgeball, Office Space)
Peter Gallagher (Covert Affairs, The O.C., While You Were Sleeping)
Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs, Bridesmaids, Blended)
Don Stark (That ‘70s Show, John Carter, General Hospital)
Tyne Daly (Judging Amy, Cagney & Lacey)
Natasha Lyonne (Fresno, Orange Is the New Black, American Pie)
Rich Sommer (Mad Men, The Giant Mechanical Man, The Devil Wears Prada)
Caroline Aaron (21 Jump Street, House Arrest, Edward Scissorhands)
Even though there are quite a few purposefully awkward moments in the film, the movie really does give hope to people starting over again. It is never too late to start finding and rediscovering yourself.
Hello, My Name is Doris is not set for release at this time.
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I honestly hate spoilers, and feel like I’ve given up enough information as it is, but I have to say that this series is at the top of my watch-list. You may think that having a limited cast would get boring, but I haven’t been bored in these first four episodes.
Showrunner duo Christopher Miller and Phil Lord (The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) shared during SXSW that it won’t get boring anytime soon. “Just when you think the show is headed one way, it goes another. So keep watching.” – Christopher Miller
At the center of this show is Will Forte, a man who has no fear (probably due to his decade-long success on SNL) and stashes an array of characters at his fingertips. Here’s a video I took during the “Creating the Shows We Like” panel at SXSW. I apologize for all the laughter, but he is hilarious, explaining the ending to his stage comedy routines, which was also his SNL audition. (Warning: NSFW)
In The Last Man on Earth, Will Forte plays Phil Miller. As the title suggests, he is the last man on earth, living in Tucson, Arizona, a year after some mysterious virus wiped out the earth’s population.
What makes this series so appealing is Phil Miller’s freedom to say and do virtually anything. He decorates his house with famous artwork and relics from museums around the country, shops for groceries in his underwear, breaks random objects in parking lots, fills a kiddie pool with margarita mix and drinks from it while laying in it – I can go on and on about Phil Miller’s shenanigans, but part of the fun is not knowing what he will do next. Just know that the sky is the limit, and by the end of each episode you will be at least a tad bit jealous of his many freedoms.
Phil Miller is a complex character to figure out. He has conversations with God: apologizing and repenting for his behavior, asking for a woman to come into his life, and engaging in small talk. At the same time, he appears to be apathetic and cynical, not that I can’t blame him. I probably would be too, if I was by myself for years or months on end with no sign of life in sight. He hits a breaking point where he tells God that he doesn’t need other people to survive.
“Hey, okay. I get it. Nobody’s coming! You’re not giving me anybody. Well guess what? I don’t even care! I don’t even need people! I can make it work on my own. Watch me! Watch me!
(Turns to his left) ‘Hey Phil, what’s up?’
(Turns to his right) ‘Oh I’m great Phil, how are you?’
(Turns back to his left) ‘Oh I’m doing great, thank you very much for asking.’
See, I’m already doing it!”
From that point on, Phil creates friends out of inanimate objects and he begins to spiral out of control. And just when he’s ready to end it all, he sees smoke off in the distance. Cue gasp.
The Last Man on Earth airs on Sundays at 9/8c on FOX.
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Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law, Jason Statham, Allison Janney, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Peter Serafinowicz, 50 cent, Morena Baccarin, Miranda Hart
Director/Screenwriter: Paul Feig
Rated: R – for language throughout, violence, and some sexual content including brief graphic nudity
Runtime: 120 min
On Sunday night, at SXSW, I had an opportunity to see Paul Feig’s newest creation Spy, a film about a desk-confined CIA analyst that must go into the field as an undercover agent to save the world from a dangerous arms dealer.
Now I’m a big fan of Bridesmaids and anything with Melissa McCarthy in it, so I was apt to go. Thankfully, I was rarely disappointed during these 2 hours of film. It doesn’t hurt that I was surrounded by 1500 of fellow film geeks and celebrities, enjoying their Sunday night in the Paramount, one of the most beautiful theaters in Austin, TX.
The movie opened up just like any big action blockbusters of our past, with an alluring and sexy agent (Jude Law) kicking butt and taking names, all the while his tech geek (Melissa McCarthy) is pulling some strings in the background to keep him from getting killed. It was obvious from the start that this movie would be full of not only fast-paced action, but lots of laughs. The juxtaposition of physical and verbal comedy thrown into the mix of a stressful and tense undercover situation was impeccable.
So how is this spy movie different than any other spy movies? And is Melissa McCarthy’s role different than in the movies/shows we are accustomed to seeing her in?
When you think of the other Spy movies at the box office lately: Skyfall, Despicable Me, Get Smart, Kingsman: The Secret Service, This Means War; this movie can easily fit right in with its counterparts. What separates it from the other films is the quick and often filthy banter between characters, awkward humor, and the differing roles of the big named stars in this film.
Melissa McCarthy is flirtatious, charming, and a total bad-ass! Unlike movies where you find a funny and clumsy spy who just so happens to save the day through dumb luck, Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is completely capable and trained in her role as a spy; she was just never given the chance to go out into the field, until now. Jason Statham plays a spy, and from his previous roles in The Transporter, Crank, and The Expendables, we expect him to be an expert in the action world. What makes him so different in Spy is his ability to poke fun at himself, as a spy who quits but still can’t seem to stay away from the action, ultimately screwing up a lot of McCarthy’s opportunities to succeed. Lastly, is Rose Byrne. She plays a bad guy, for crying out loud! And she’s great at it. Whereas in Bridesmaids, where you hate her almost like a high school frienemy, in Spy she is just evil. She runs the show and, at times, she is terrifying. She is more than just a mean girl, she is an evil ruler that has no problems killing and taking over the world.
Spy is a great movie to watch on the big screen, with loud and explosive action scenes and big comedic laughs. The audience only helps to add amazing energy to this flick.
Check out Spy in theaters on June 5th.
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When I found out there was going to be a super secret surprise midnight screening of Furious 7 at The Paramount Theater during SXSW, I completely changed my movie watching plans for that day and made sure that I got a great spot in line. I ended up with a fantastic seat in one of the coolest theaters in Austin (although, my heart will always be with Alamo Drafthouse, but I digress).
Anyway, I mention all of this because I’m sure it will taint my view of this film. It’s hard to separate a great experience from a film, and boy, was this a great experience. First, producer Neal Moritz came out and explained to us how special this movie was to him. He also asked that we not spoil the fate of Paul Walker’s character. I will most certainly honor that request (although I will say that I think they handled it with a lot of respect) and I will also try to be as spoiler free as possible.
Mr. Moritz then introduced writer Chris Morgan, director James Wan and… Tyrese!!
My friend (and fellow SXSW attendee) Chris actually filmed all of this (WARNING: CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE) so check it out:
So, as I said, this was certainly a great experience and one that I’ll never forget.
Now, at this point, you already know if you’re a fan of The Fast and Furious films. They’re all ridiculous and over-the-top, but they’re also all extremely entertaining. I think, however, that the best thing the franchise ever did was bring back the cast from the first movie and put them in a heist movie instead of a racing film for the fourth movie. That changed things and made it much more interesting. It also kept the franchise going, because things weren’t looking too good after 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift (even though I really liked that one).
Then, they added Dwayne Johnson to the mix in Fast Five and suddenly, this became one of the most successful franchises of all time, despite the insane amounts of absurdity and machismo on display. It was a series that could almost do no wrong. Give credit to director Justin Lin for that because he has helmed the last four of these.
For this one, however, there is a new director: James Wan. He is known mostly for directing horror films like Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring and I wondered how all of that would translate to this particular series. Now that I’ve seen it, I have to say that I think he did an incredible job of keeping everything the fans love about the series while also adding his own unique flare to it.
His Furious film seemingly takes itself even less serious than those before it and is even more ridiculously absurd. Two men crash their cars head on into each other, completely smashing them, and then get out and shake it off like nothing happened. Then they continue their fight. On foot. This is normal in their world.
But somehow, it strikes just the right tone.
Every bad line is delivered in just the right way and every camera angle captures the cool action that we all want to see. Everything is perfectly handled and it’s all just a lot of fun.
The plot is pretty straight-forward: Vin Diesel and his crew are out for revenge after one of their guys is killed by the brother of the bad guy they defeated in the last movie. Kurt Russell plays a government agent who wants to help them out with their revenge if they’re willing to help him out. So, the crew accepts his offer and travels to many different countries where they have some of the best fight / action sequences of the entire franchise along the way. Jason Statham, Ronda Rousey, Tony Jaa and Djimon Hounsou make up the toughest adversaries they’ve ever had to face.
So, those awesome actions scenes plus the overall fun tone and nature of this film definitely put this one towards the top of the franchise for me. I really appreciated that it didn’t take itself serious at all. I’d say if you’re a fan at all, you need to check it out. It comes out on April 3rd and I hope they continue to make more!
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