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Cirque du Freak: An Unnecessary Addition to Vampire Entertainment

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:30:09 -0700

With Halloween just around the corner, October is the perfect time for movie studios to unleash their creepiest films, since we're all in the mood for a good scare. Combine with that the insatiable desire for vampire entertainment, and you've got Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant; a tween fantasy movie that plays out like R.L. Stein's Goosebumps novels on the big screen - but not nearly as scary.

Based on the book series by Darren Shan, Cirque du Freak is the story of Darren (Chris Massoglia), your typical 16-year-old boy trying to quell his high school boredom. Dubbed "Mr. Perfect" by his mischievous best friend Steve, Darren follows the rules, has plenty of friends, and does whatever his parents tell him to do - that is, unless Steve can convince him otherwise. The boys pick up a flyer for the Cirque du Freak and decide to check it out.

That's just the beginning though, so to see what I thought of the film, just read more.

Things go awry when Darren finds himself tangled up in the world behind the Cirque, particularly that of Larten Crepsley, a crotchety vampire who couldn't be bothered with a teenager. When Darren gets himself into a sticky situation, the only way he can bail himself out is by selling his soul to Crepsley, becoming his half-vampire assistant.

If you thought sorting out all the vampire lore in Twilight and True Blood was confusing, get ready for the most convoluted yet. In this story, a war is brewing between two breeds: the Vampanese represent the blood-suckers that are all for killing their prey, while the run-of-the mill vamps prefer to sedate, feed, and then letting their victims return to regular life. As a half-vampire who's reluctant to lose what little human qualities he has left, Darren obviously joins Larten Crepsley's team, while his best friend Steve joins the evil Vampanese.

As for the actual Cirque du Freak, the group of misfits and outcasts are more X-Men and less Carnivale. The crew includes unusual children who were abandoned by their parents (like "Snake Boy" and "Monkey Girl"), along with a few other vaudeville acts like the Bearded Lady (Salma Hayek) and a woman who can regenerate her limbs (Jane Krakowski). Some are friendly, others are surly, but the cirque in itself is more campy than scary; little hideout is basically an island of misfit toys.

The film isn't boring, but it's not exactly packed with pizazz either. Director Paul Weitz was sure to stay on the safer side of the movie's PG-13 rating, rarely pushing the envelope on what could have been a much creepier film. John C. Reilly is always reliable for a good performance, and he has some great comedic timing as the voice of brutal honesty to Darren's naivete. Massoglia gives decent performance for a newbie, and even reminded me of a young Emile Hirsch at times. That said, the movie is also packed with confusing subplots and some truly corny dialogue that evoked collective groans from the audience.

If you're looking for a fun movie to get you into the Halloween spirit, this might do the trick. Just make sure you're in a tween state of mind.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

Holmes, Kline, Reilly and Dano Set to Star in The Extra Man

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:33:21 -0800

The story of a male escort is one that producer Springer Berman believes will resonate with many folks during these tough economic times. Jonathan Ames's novel The Extra Man will be adapted for the big screen with a few big names attached to star: Kevin Kline, Paul Dano, Katie Holmes and John C. Reilly. Here's more on the project:

Kline plays a failed playwright who works as an escort for rich widows on the Upper East Side. He develops a mentor-student relationship with a troubled aspiring playwright (Dano).

"This is a film for our times, these hilarious characters living on the edge of enormous wealth, scrapping for small pieces of the pie," [producer Springer] Bregman said. "I suspect a lot of people will be able to identify nowadays."

Hmm. . . I wonder what role Katie Holmes will play - hopefully not one of these rich widows because. . . yikes that's some age gap. Are you familiar with this book?

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Buzz News Roundup, 12/10

BuzzSugar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:30:37 -0800

ABC will show Wipeout opposite the Super Bowl. - The Hollywood Reporter
Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler are in negotiations to star together in an untitled comedic bounty hunter movie. - ComingSoon
Five people, including Martha Plimpton, have joined the cast of Matthew Perry's Showtime pilot. - Zap2it
Kiss has decided to hit the studio next year to record its first new album since 1998's Psycho Circus. - Billboard
And speaking of circuses, Britney Spears's album topped the charts this week, making it her fifth No. 1 album. - Billboard
John C. Reilly has signed on to play the love interest to Marisa Tomei's character in an untitled comedy. Jonah Hill will play Tomei's son who comes between the two lovebirds. - Variety
A commencement speech by David Foster Wallace will be turned into a book. - New York Times
Keanu Reeves will play a samurai swordsman in the epic period film 47 Ronin. - ComingSoon

Step Brothers: Middle-Aged Men Behaving Badly

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:30:03 -0700

Step Brothers is yet another entry into the canon of movies that have resulted from the collaboration between director Adam McKay, star Will Ferrell, and (. . . wait for it) producer Judd Apatow. After mining all kinds of scenarios for comedy (anchormen, race car drivers, the '70s in general, etc.), even these funny guys have to hit the bottom of the barrel sometime. I imagine the concept that would result from that rock-bottom brainstorming session would go something like this: "How about instead of making a movie about a guy who has a grownup job but sometimes acts like a childish loser, we literally just make a movie about a childish loser?" In other words, it would look a lot like Step Brothers.

And so it goes, with Ferrell of course taking the overgrown-child role. Add to the mix a crew of esteemed supporting actors including Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins, and you end up with a familiar comedy that explores some unfamiliar territory (Ferrell's private parts - I'm not even joking). The movie had me buckled over in my seat laughing about half the time, but I spent the rest of it horrified and a little bored with how standard it all felt. To see what I loved and what I'm tired of, read more.

Stripped of all the bravado that his moronic characters usually boast, Ferrell's Brennan Huff is actually humble, painfully aware that he is the world's biggest loser (he still lives at home with his mom even though he's 40-something years old). His mom (Steenburgen) speculates that things went wrong for her son after some public humiliation by other kids, led by Brennan's older brother Derek (the pitch-perfect Adam Scott). Then a middle-aged fellow in a similar boat, Dale Doback (John C. Reilly), is forced to move in with Brennan when their parents get married. The two immediately resent each other - and by "resent," I mean Dale tells Brennan how much he hates him, and then they quite literally go at each other's throats.

For the most part, the shtick works, and the two stars have great chemistry together. And when Ferrell whips himself into an angry, manic, f-bomb-laden frenzy full of sex jokes and scatological humor, it's occasionally worth a chuckle. Mostly, though, the act feels tired: The novelty of Ferrell flying off the hook like that has worn off for me by now. It's a little different when Reilly does it; we're not as used to seeing him channel immaturity and comic rage. But even then, the infantile tantrums that resort to third-grade jokes get old fast.

But, when the movie is actually working and thinking at how to make us laugh (rather than resorting to the tried-and-true stuff), it's really, really good. The fellas stay true to their characters, and in a lot of moments the natural humor inherent in their situation comes through. For example, Brennan is believed to be a great singer but is hesitant to perform for anyone. When he finally does sing for his new brother, Dale is so moved that he describes the gorgeousness of Brennan's voice as "a combination between Fergie and Jesus." Later, when we're introduced to the d-bag that is Brennan's tormenting brother Derek, he's driving his family along in a car, demanding they sing a song together and that everyone's harmonies are in key and timed perfectly. It's one of my favorite scenes in the movie.

Ferrell is a talented guy. He's especially great when he puts a little effort into making us laugh and saves the angry meltdowns and the exposing of body parts for when it really counts. Thankfully Step Brothers has more going on than just its star's juvenile proclivities.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

The Promotion: Kind of a Slacker

BuzzSugar — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 11:00:57 -0700

Steven Conrad, the writer/director of The Promotion, could have gone in a couple of different directions with his film, which centers on two guys battling for a job at a Chicago chain grocery store. He could have traipsed through the well-worn but awfully funny territory of office humor, replete with annoying coworkers and pesky in-jokes. Or he could have gone a bit deeper, meditating on success and what it means to be good.

The main trouble with The Promotion is that Conrad's script doesn't commit to either direction. One minute the film is full of silly workplace antics (including a highly amusing tater tot battle). The next, it's fumbling toward a ham-fisted statement about addiction or manhood. In the end, the movie provokes neither riotous laughter nor profound revelations. Like middle managers everywhere, The Promotion just gets stuck.

Seann William Scott plays Doug Stauber, a grocery store worker who fears he may never climb above the dreaded assistant-manager rung of short-sleeved shirts and embroidered name patches. Outside the office, things are going well enough - cute wife (Jenna Fischer), hopes of buying a house - and so when a shining beacon arrives in the form of an all-new grocery store, Doug sees a chance at salvation. It could be his store to manage, all his; his boss, Scott (Fred Armisen), even goes so far as to proclaim him a shoo-in. That, though, is before Richard Wehlner comes to town. Richard (John C. Reilly) is a nice guy with a laid-back Canadian attitude and a sweetheart of a wife (Lili Taylor, who for some reason speaks with a Scottish accent). But Richard isn't about to roll over and let Doug have the job: Bolstered by self-help tapes, he goes about making the promotion his own. The Promotion creates a vivid picture of the workplace, but it doesn't do as well with its main characters. To see what I mean, just read more.

The Promotion scores points for getting the minutae of workplace life right, from the minor slights that preoccupy Doug and Richard to the tinny, piped-in grocery store muzak. The bane of Doug's existence is the store parking lot, the gang of kids hanging out there, and the nasty notes that subsequently end up in the comment box; those cards (which bear messages like "I didn't put sexual harassment on my shopping list, but thanks") give the movie some of its sharpest moments. We all have the equivalent of that comment box in our work lives, and those scenes perfectly mix pleasure and pain.

The film suffers, though, from a few attempts at pushing the boundaries of political correctness. Well, it doesn't really push the envelope - it just gently nudges it, without enough conviction to justify going there at all. Some of the cringeworthy moments are amusing: Richard's "blapples" quip, in which he calls some bad kids "black apples" in a racially charged meeting, was funny in the trailer and is even better in context. But too many others are just squirmy - including Doug's glory moment, when he has the final chance to impress the grocery store's board. What he says is so uncomfortable that the audience at my screening let out a collective "ohhhh no."

There's also something off-putting about the movie's underlying message, which crops up late in the film: Both Doug and Richard believe that the only way to make it, to be worthwhile in society, is to provide for their wives. "I want to be the primary breadwinner," Doug flat-out says at one point. But why Doug feels this way is never really explored; instead, it's presented as fact: Men, to be successful, must earn. That's just how it goes. We learn slightly more about Richard, but it's still not enough - and given the movie's somewhat sarcastic tone, I kept waiting for something in his story to be a lie or a joke.

As a workplace movie, The Promotion is quite funny. But when it tries to go deeper, things don't quite add up. In the end, too many of the film's choices - like Lili Taylor's baffling Scots brogue - just left me saying "why?"

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Movie Preview: The Promotion

BuzzSugar — Sun, 11 May 2008 14:00:52 -0700

The Promotion stars some awesome names like John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer and Seann William Scott and it looks hilarious. Yet I never heard of it at all until Cinematical posted a glowing review of the film after the South by Southwest screening. Now there's a trailer and a release date for the comedy: June 6. And I seriously can't wait.

The movie follows Richard (Reilly) and Doug (Scott), two mid-level Chicago supermarket employees who engage in a battle of wits over a promotion. Fred Armisen is in it, Jenna Fischer wears roller skates at one point, and it looks like Gil Bellows (Ally McBeal's love!) gets some funny bits. The trailer - which made me laugh out loud - makes it look like the movie has that funny-awkward thing going, similar to the tone of The Office. To check it out, read more.

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Movie Preview: Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in Step Brothers

BuzzSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:28:41 -0800

It's still no Anchorman or Old School, but this next Will Ferrell project Step Brothers looks like it might be at least better than Semi-Pro. For one thing, it's directed and co-written by Adam McKay who wrote Anchorman and who, of course, collaborated with his daughter Pearl to make the viral video "The Landlord." For another thing, it seems like it will be based on these two big kids, Brennan (Ferrell) and Dale (Reilly), and their competitive/loving relationship, as opposed to something a little more gimmicky, like race-car driving or the 1970s in general.

In other news, this is the movie for which Will Ferrell auctioned off a role to support his friend's charity, Cancer for College. The role ultimately went to a 10-year-old boy from Dallas for just over $47,000.

Step Brothers opens July 25. The trailer made me laugh out loud in a few spots, so to check it out and tell me what you think, read more.

Photo courtesy of Sony

Walk Hard: Better as a Sketch Than a Movie

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 06:30:00 -0800

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, the final 2007 notch on Judd Apatow's ever-growing comedy belt, isn't a great movie - but it would have been a fantastic Saturday Night Live sketch. The movie, which Apatow produced and co-wrote with Jake Kasdan, can be hilarious, but it's just as often tiresome, dipping into the same well of jokes over and over again.

Even so, there are enough hilarious moments in the movie's second half that I came out of the theater feeling surprisingly good about Walk Hard. It's not the next Knocked Up, but it's a pretty good diversion, if you can get through the draggy first 45 minutes and have a high tolerance for the type of humor usually favored in high school cafeterias.

John C. Reilly stars as Dewey Cox, the archetypal rock star with a dark secret in his past - namely that he accidentally killed his brother by whacking him in half with a machete. To cope, Cox learns to play the blues, then progresses to rock 'n' roll, ultimately leaving his family for a career in showbiz. When he fills in for injured Bobby Shad (Craig Robinson of The Office) at an erotic nightclub, Cox ends up on the fast track to musical fame (and ruin), with all the drugs, women, stints in rehab, jail sentences, and folk-musician rebirths that implies. The movie sticks close to the formula it's spoofing, and that's part of why the first half feels so tired. For the rest of my take, just read more.

If you've ever seen a musician biopic - heck, if you've ever seen a movie - you know that Cox is going to run off with his girlfriend (Kristen Wiig), give her lots of babies, and be lured toward infidelity by a Christian woman with tarty tastes in fashion (Jenna Fischer). He's going to try drugs despite his protestations that he won't, and he's going to have a confrontation with his father. What little you don't already know, the movie will drive into your head in no time: Cox being tempted into drugs by his bandmates is funny the first time, chuckle-worthy the second time, and just dumb by the third. Same goes for having Cox stare off into space every time someone utters a quasi-profound line that could become his next song.

But then, around the time the story slides into the 1960s, something changes, and the movie comes out much funnier for it. In quick succession, there's a priceless Bob Dylan parody, a scene with Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Justin Long, and Jason Schwartzman as the Beatles, and an acid trip straight out of Yellow Submarine. There were good moments after that - especially the YouTube mashup of "Walk Hard" by a rapper named Lil' Nutzzak, and yes, you know exactly where that's going - and a biopic-worthy conclusion, but that '60s segment contained all the images, scenes, and jokes that stuck in my mind days later.

In terms of spotting comedy stars, the movie is pure pleasure; everyone from Ed Helms to Jonah Hill to Jack McBrayer to Harold Ramis has a moment. But the movie really belongs to Reilly, a consistent supporting actor finally getting a featured role. Playing Dewey Cox requires hitting a very specific tone, saying goofy lines earnestly but not so earnestly they're no longer funny, and on that score, Reilly is nearly flawless. I still wish Walk Hard had been shorter by half (or maybe three-quarters), but if it means that Reilly gets some recognition for what he can do in a leading role, I won't protest too much.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Buzz News Roundup, 11/16

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:28:22 -0800

According to the AP, the stage version of Dolly Parton's 1980 movie 9 to 5 will premiere next fall in Los Angeles.
Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire will hit the road together this winter, writes Billboard, stopping in 15 cities along the way.
Kevin Smith has rounded up funny folks Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks for his movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Reuters reports.
Brief strike update: The Wall Street Journal reports that Lost producer Carlton Cuse has returned to work (though he's not writing), while Variety says late-night hosts may return soon without their writers.
Jamie Foxx has signed a two-year production agreement with MTV and VH1, writes Variety.
TV Guide has updates on some NBC schedule changes, including a temporary time slot for Life and the end of Bionic Woman repeats on Sci Fi.
Hey, Trading Spaces fans: Perky host Paige Davis is returning to the show starting in January, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Variety reports that John C. Reilly will play the lead vampire in the movie version of the children's series Cirque du Freak.

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Music Video: "Walk Hard" with John C. Reilly

BuzzSugar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 12:29:43 -0800

I wasn't terribly impressed with our first look at Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, the biopic spoof co-written by Judd Apatow that opens Dec. 21. But the full music video for "Walk Hard," the song performed by John C. Reilly as the title character, has me feeling a little better about things. It's not the best country music spoof I've ever heard - it's a shame they couldn't have borrowed the A Mighty Wind team, just for a few minutes - but the lyrics and the additional footage from the movie are pretty amusing. I'm a little afraid, though, that Apatow and Co. didn't take this one quite enough over the top; I'm still waiting for a moment that makes me laugh out loud (though Reilly smashing a sink to smithereens in the video comes pretty close). To check out the video, just read more

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