Seems that whenever Hollywood has a crime to solve, it calls on a pair of mismatched officers for its hijinks. Take for instance Lethal Weapon, Starsky and Hutch, Rush Hour — and joining their ranks this Friday, director Kevin Smith's Cop Out, which features Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan as partners. It's an unlikely pairing, but they're obviously not the first to try this formula. Can they stack up against their predecessors? Check out my list of favorites!
Oh, how I love these guys! Anyone who has seen Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz is probably familiar with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's hilarious, satiric ways, and fans of the duo will be happy to know that they're back at work on another comedy. This time the premise and location are both distinctly American. Pegg wouldn't reveal too much to MTV Movies Blog, but he did say this: "It's called Paul and it’s a road movie about two British geeks in America."
Also, as a twist on their usual relationship in their films, Pegg won't be playing the one ranking on Frost's character all the time. According to Pegg, "I'm the bitch in this one. This time Simon’s the bitch!"
I love these guys. I was so looking forward to seeing Pegg soon in Run, Fat Boy, Run alongside Hank Azaria, but apparently the film's release date has been moved from October to March. One website has a supposed quote from Pegg stating that the weekend in October when Fat Boy was supposed to open proved too risky with Steve Carell's Dan in Real Life also coming out. I'm so bummed by this news! I was looking forward to watching that fat boy run next month.
All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue.
300
This movie won't be as captivating on DVD as it was on the big screen, but with the DVD, you'll get the inside scoop on one of 2007's most unusual films. An adaptation of Frank Miller's comic, 300 isn't going to win any screen-writing Oscars — we hope — for its portrayal of the lopsided Battle of Thermopylae. But it does break serious ground in terms of visual effects.
Be sure to check out some of the special features, like a commentary by director Zack Snyder, a gallery of production stills, and several featurettes including "The 300: Fact or Fiction?" in which "historians, authors, and filmmakers reveal how much of the film was based on fact."
Two more new DVDs if you read more
For the third week in a row, Disturbia has prevailed at the box office, though whether this is something to write home about is debatable since the competition wasn't exactly fierce. Overall, box office sales were way down this weekend, with Disturbia drawing in just $9 million — and that's the No. 1 film.
Coming in second place was the latest thriller The Invisible, while Nicolas Cage and his scraggly hair brought in just $7.2 million for the "action-thriller" Next. Following Next was Fracture, Blades of Glory, Meet the Robinsons and Hot Fuzz, each bringing in unremarkable sales.
Of course, this is just the end of April. Studios should expect to see a huge difference when they break out the summer big guns, which should start this weekend when Spider-Man 3 opens nationwide. Goodbye Shia LaBeouf, hello Spidey and the gang.
Photo courtesy of DreamWorks
I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never seen Shaun of the Dead, because after merely watching the trailer for Hot Fuzz, I'm ready to declare filmmakers Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright two of Britain's most valuable exports. In their new comedy, which hits theaters this Friday, April 20, Wright (who also directed the best fake trailer in Grindhouse) and Pegg are lampooning an oft-ridiculed world — small-town cops — with wholly original humor.
Pegg plays a London police officer who is so good at his job that his colleagues resent him, so he's shipped off to the virtually crime-free village of Sandford and paired with a bumbling partner (Nick Frost). Not surprisingly, it turns out there might be more afoot in Sandford then expected. The movie also co-stars a roster of talented Brits, including Bill Nighy and Steve Coogan. But really, you should just watch the trailer and have a laugh, so read more
