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'Funny People' Takes The Stage, Tom Hanks Finds His 'Demons' And More, In The DVD Report For Nov. 24

Posted 11/24/09 7:00 pm EST by in DVD


'Funny People'It's hard to believe, but Judd Apatow, the mega-filmmaker who has changed the face of Hollywood comedy, has only directed three films. Having made his mark in television ("Freaks & Geeks," "Larry Sanders") and some screenwriting, Apatow finally exploded into the theatrical world on the back of 2005's "The 40 Year Old Virgin." "Knocked Up" would follow in 2007, and then in 2009, "Funny People," a decidedly more mature comedy that straddled serious dramatic elements. Now arriving on DVD and Blu-ray, will the pic -- which stars Adam Sandler as a dying comedian who mentors younger upstart Seth Rogen -- finally grab a wider fanbase than it found in cinemas?

"Funny People" features a strong audio and video transfer, and comes in both theatrical and unrated versions. Extras are plentiful as well, with the two-disc edition featuring filmmaker commentary, on-set diaries, gag reels, deleted and extended scenes, featurettes on subjects like stand-up, vintage prank calls and more (including a great discussion with Seth and Judd from Charlie Rose). Read More...

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Judd Apatow and Aziz Ansari Sell Universal On 'Funny People' Spin-Off

Posted 11/24/09 1:00 pm EST by in News


Last week, during a live Q&A on FunnyOrDie.com, Judd Apatow addressed the idea of a "Funny People" spin-off focused on Aziz Ansari's minor stand-up comedian character, Randy (or, Raaaaaaaandy), implying that it was all up to the actor if it would happen. "You should Twitter Aziz Ansari and tell him you want that movie," Apatow urged fans via webcam. "Aziz may be concerned that more people think he's Randy than Aziz. That may be his hesitation."

Well, the occasional IMAX protester and costar of NBC's "Parks and Recreation" has apparently gotten over that hesitation, whether due to fans Tweeting him or not. According to Variety, he and writer-director Jason Woliner, one of Ansari's collaborators on MTV's sketch comedy show "Human Giant," have sold Apatow and Universal Pictures on a pitch for the Randy movie, along with two other movie ideas. Read More...

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'Halloween' Tops 'Final Destination' And 'Twilight' Is Back In Action For This Week In Review

Posted 8/28/09 6:30 pm EST by in Box Office Poll, Week in Review


I'm pleased to report that things are back to status quo. Last week's top stories were relatively free of "Twilight" news but we're back on track this week thanks to the barrage of images and news that emerged. We'll get to that in a minute though. First let's wrap up the weekly box office poll.

There was a big voter turnout this week, though nearly all of your votes went to one of the two horror releases: "Halloween II" and "The Final Destination." Rob Zombie's flick edged out "Destination," with 60% of the vote compared to the other's 38%. The remaining 2% is spread across the rest of the choices, with no clear leader among them. Now that that's out of the way, let's see what your clicks favored... Read More...

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'G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra' Falls Short In The Sunday Box Office Report

Posted 8/9/09 3:55 pm EST by in Box Office


G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra1. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" ($56.2 million)
2. "Julie & Julia" ($20.1 million)
3. "G-Force" ($9.8 million)
4. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" ($8.9 million)
5. "Funny People" ($7.9 million)

Don't ever let anybody tell you that fighting for freedom wherever there's trouble is easy. Despite becoming the fourth biggest August debut of all time thanks to a strong $22.3 million Friday opening, "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" only earned $18 million on Saturday, a 16% drop from its opening day figures. The result is a projected $56.2 million opening weekend according to studio number-crunchers. Read More...

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'G.I. Joe' Is Certainly There In The Saturday Box Office Report

Posted 8/8/09 10:56 am EST by in Box Office


G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra1. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" ($22 million)
2. "Julie & Julia" ($7.5 million)
3. "G-Force" ($2.8 million)
4. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" ($2.4 million)
5. "Funny People" ($2.4 million)

With blue and red lasers a-blazing, "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" stormed the box office on Friday to a $22 million dollar opening, on track to earn a respectable $55 million this weekend. The success might surprise the readers following our Box Office Poll -- after questionable trailers, some potentially damaging rumors about the director and other signs of failure, many of you expected "Rise of Cobra" to sink. Now we know -- remember kids: knowing is half the battle -- and it's not just ticket sales that the real American heroes are making bank on. Read More...

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Seth Rogen Aiming to Get Funny, Tender Again in 'I'm With Cancer'

Posted 8/6/09 12:00 pm EST by in News


Seth RogenThese days, Judd Apatow and friends are exploring deeper, more meaningful issues than most Hollywood comedies dare -– and they’re doing it at the top of the box-office. One of the film’s stars, Seth Rogen, is in the process of re-defining his career. Superhero flick "The Green Hornet" starts shooting soon and the comedy/drama “I’m With Cancer” will come after that.

So when we had the chance to catch up with the funnyman recently, we had to ask whether he spent his time on the “Funny People” set taking notes on how to successfully balance those tender issues of life, death and laughter.

“It’s funny, actually,” Rogen answered. “'I’m with Cancer’ existed as a script before ‘Funny People,’ but they were written around the same time.” Read More...

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Judd Apatow & James L. Brooks Are 'Funny People' With Similar Careers

Posted 8/5/09 3:00 pm EST by in Commentary


Judd ApatowHistory isn't typically a laughing matter, but in the case of famed director-producer-writer James L. Brooks, it usually is. Brooks, whose credits include "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Taxi" and "The Simpsons," has a long and esteemed history in the movie and television business, though his hasn't always been an easy road. Still, it's also not a unique road; the path that Brooks traversed has been walked before, and it's certainly being walked again.

Look no further than "Funny People" director Judd Apatow, whose career is starting to mirror that of James L. Brooks. Sure, the two have wandered down different forks in the road at times, but Apatow's trajectory is nonetheless similar to Brooks' own in some very meaningful ways. Read More...

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'Funny People' Micro-Reviews And Tokyo Travel Advice In Today's Twitter-Wood

Posted 8/3/09 6:00 pm EST by in Twitter-Wood


Warwick DavisAny "Star Wars" fan planning a trip to Tokyo soon should look no further than Warwick Davis' Twitter account for advice. He served it up to his "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" co-star Tom Felton today, and you will definitely want to read his recommendation.

In addition to travel advice, Twitter-Wood has proven itself once again to be a great source of Monday celebrity micro-reviews. The most popular film to see in the feed this weekend was definitely "Funny People," and I've rounded up commentary by Shannon Elizabeth, Jon Favreau, and a couple of others who sounded of today. All of those and one of Emmy Rossum's simple daily frustrations are assembled for you below. But first, for the consideration of Twitter-Wood readers everywhere, I present my pick for Twitter Pic of the Day -- courtesy of Mr. John Stamos. Read More...

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Everyone's Still Laughing With 'Funny People' In Our Sunday Box Office Report

Posted 8/2/09 4:00 pm EST by in Box Office


Funny People1. "Funny People" ($23.4 million)
2. "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" ($17.7 million)
3. "G-Force" ($17.1 million)
4. "The Ugly Truth" ($13 million)
5. "Aliens in the Attic" ($7.8 million)

Moviegoers continued to flock to "Funny People" on Saturday, helping to boost the film to $23.4 million and putting it squarely in the middle of some studio controversy. Nikke Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily is crowing that this is the first "soft" weekend of the summer, and that the comedy is yet another flop for the troubled Universal Studios. Read More...

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Audiences Are Laughing With 'Funny People' In The Saturday Box Office Report

Posted 8/2/09 12:44 am EST by in News


Funny People1. "Funny People" ($8.6 million)
2. G-Force" ($5.8 million)
3. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" ($5.4 million)
4. The Ugly Truth" ($4.4 million)
5. Aliens in the Attic" ($2.8 million)

Friday audiences were flocking to spend some time with "Funny People," as Judd Apatow's latest currently hold the #1 box office spot with $8.6 million, a slightly bigger opening than Apatow's previous hits "Knocked Up" and "The 40 Year Old Virgin." "Funny" isn't racing out of the gate as a big Sandler blockbuster, but it's actually the biggest R-rated opening the former "Saturday Night Live" star has ever had. Read More...

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