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Very Funny Cast Signs Up For Mottola's Paul

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:30:33 -0700

So much about this movie news is exciting. First, we've got a great, funny director in Greg Mottola (Superbad, Adventureland). Secondly, there's a script written by the excellent and hilarious British duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Spaced). And now, there's a great group of comedic actors rounding out the cast: Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and Jane Lynch (I love that she keeps getting more projects these days!). Here's more on the project, titled Paul:

Pegg and Frost, who wrote the script, will play two science-fiction fanatics on a road trip whose conspiracy dreams come true when they trek to Area 51 and encounter the title character, an escaped alien. Rogen will provide the voice of the alien.

It's not my ultimate comedic dream team, but I see nothing wrong at all with this group of funny people. I can't wait for Paul to invade theaters. Oh man, that's terrible. That's it. I'm done!

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Adventureland: Dead-End Jobs Never Looked So Fun

BuzzSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 07:30:31 -0700

The director of Adventureland, Greg Mottola, is no stranger to the Summer comedy. His last film, the funny (and sometimes vulgar) Superbad, was a big hit with audiences and followed two high school buddies through one crazy night at the end of their senior year. Adventureland follows a recent college grad through one crazy Summer, so it's no surprise that the director's movies would be compared to each other.

However, now that I've seen the movie I take issue with the recent ads that go something like, "If you loved Superbad you'll really love this one!" I actually think this movie has more in common with the likes of American Graffiti in terms of capturing the cultural milieu of a generation, and maybe even Juno for the warm way it approaches post-adolescent angst.

Maybe my comparisons won't sell millions of tickets but I loved this movie, and I think that in addition to laughing a lot you'll likely leave the theater in a happy haze of nostalgia. To see why, read more.

Jesse Eisenberg plays James Brennan, a recent college graduate whose plans to travel abroad over the Summer before heading to grad school in New York fall through. Forced to move home to the 'burbs of Pittsburgh, James takes a job at a craptastic theme park where he befriends other young employees, like the cynical, Russian-lit enthusiast Joel (played wonderfully by Martin Starr) and a college student home for the Summer named Em (Kristen Stewart).

I enjoyed Eisenberg in The Squid and the Whale so it's interesting to see him in an even more grown-up role like this one. He and Michael Cera have a similar gawky cuteness to them, but where Cera's characters tend to mumble and clam up in the face of a socially nerve-racking situation, Eisenberg's James is quite verbal (he wants to be a writer) and is often guilty of the over-share. He's got eyes for Em and fills in Stewart's cool silences with a lot of cringe-worthy - but endearing - chatter about what he's trying to do with his life. It's charming to see him stumble his way through a romantic relationship with Em, and when it comes to his future he vacillates between over-confidence and sheer terror at the unknown. His journey is not only entertaining but totally relatable.

While it's not perfect, there's so much good stuff going on in this movie it's hard to fit it all into one little post. Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig are predictably hilarious as the amusement park's managers (Hader is rocking an awesome mustache, too), as are a lot of the douchey park-goers. I like that Em isn't just the pretty, cool girl at the park, but comes with her own set of complicated family issues and relationships that give her depth and make her love story with James all the more compelling. Their chemistry together is another positive that can't be denied.

This coming-of-age story set in the '80s will probably make many folks feel nostalgic for their youths, but I think more than anything, the movie nails what it is to be on the brink of adulthood, working a dead-end job. I've worked my fair share of weird jobs in high school and in college (and post-college if I'm being honest), and the great thing about Adventureland is that it makes me remember the positive side of that time of life, before I had things even remotely figured out. It makes me recall how free and innocent it was, despite all the anxiety.

Photos courtesy of Miramax

Buzz News Roundup, 8/18

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:32:35 -0700

Pioneering music executive Jerry Wexler, who helped build Atlantic Records into a powerhouse in the 1950s and 1960s with artists like Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, died on Friday at age 91. - Reuters
Adam Sandler's latest comedy, You Don't Mess With the Zohan, is banned from Arab cinemas. - Variety
Superbad director Greg Mottola will direct the next Simon Pegg-Nick Frost collaboration, titled Paul. - ComingSoon
The Food Network is looking into the competitive eating genre with a new series tentatively titled Eat the Clock. - Hollywood Reporter
Hanna-Barbera's 1960s show Banana Splits will get a modern makeover on Cartoon Network. - Variety
AC/DC's new album, Black Ice, will be sold exclusively in the U.S. via Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and the band's website, beginning Oct. 20. - Billboard
Now it's totally official: Laurence Fishburne will definitely succeed William Petersen on CSI. - Hollywood Reporter

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Superbad Director Greg Mattola to Helm Another Teen Boy Comedy

BuzzSugar — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:29:22 -0700

This is not Judd Apatow.
With the titles Superbad and Knocked Up being bandied about together as this summer's greatest comedies, it might be easy to confuse the folks behind the two projects. Judd Apatow directed Knocked Up, and was a producer on Superbad. Greg Mattola directed Superbad.

So what's next for Mattola?
Next up, Mattola will be directing another teenage boy comedy, titled Adventureland. Mattola wrote the script as well, and apparently he had just completed it when Apatow contacted him about directing Superbad. Jesse Eisenberg, who starred in The Squid and the Whale, will play the lead.

The story is as follows:

Story, set in the summer of 1987, concerns an uptight recent college grad who's forced to take a minimum-wage job at the local amusement park after realizing he can't afford his dream European tour. The experience helps him to loosen up a bit as he finds first love, forms new friendships and matures just in time to enter the real world in the fall.

Sounds like fun.
I'm loving these comedies set in the '80s, and I really enjoyed what Mattola did with Superbad. I gotta say, though, I hope there are some funny parts for girls as well as for the guys in this one.

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