We’re giving away 3 Blu-rays of hilarious action-comedy 30 Minutes or Less, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Danny McBride, out now on Blu-ray and DVD. From the director of Zombieland comes a whacky, action-comedy crime caper about a pizza delivery guy (Eisenberg) who is kidnapped by two inept criminals (McBride & Nick Swardson) and forced to rob a bank.

In the action-comedy 30 Minutes or Less, Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) is a small town pizza delivery guy whose mundane life collides with the big plans of two wanna-be criminal masterminds (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson). The duo kidnaps Nick and forces him to rob a bank. With only a few hours to pull off the impossible task, Nick enlists the help of his ex-best friend, Chet (Aziz Ansari). As the clock ticks, the two must deal with the police, hired assassins, flamethrowers, and their own tumultuous relationship.

To enter the competition, simply click next to be taken to the question and entry form…

Previously known as Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse, Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel’s horror comedy The Apocalypse has been a long time coming. Back in 2007, the comedy pair starred in the short film with the original title, and it was awesome.

Since then, the project has been slowly moving forward to turn it into a full feature film, and it looks like it’s going to be happening pretty soon, which is excellent news. In recent months, we’ve heard that the pair will be joined at the end of the world by their good friends and frequent collaborators, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson, which just sounds like a perfect comedy cast.

The film will mark the directorial debut of Rogen and his long-time writing partner Evan Goldberg, with whom he’s co-written the script, and has worked in the past on The Green Hornet, Pineapple Express, and the original short, which you can enjoy below.

With the package pretty much complete with the rest of the great cast filled out, the filmmakers have taken the film to studios, and THR report that Sony Pictures have entered serious negotiations, and are expected to close the deal soon, which will see them finance and distribute The Apocalypse, thought to have a $30-40m. budget range.

Production is expected to start in the spring, and though a release date is yet to be scheduled, I’m hoping that we’ll be getting to see this on the big screen by early 2013, because you just know this is going to be awesome. That cast, combined with Rogen and Goldberg’s writing, can’t go wrong.

Rogen and Goldberg last co-wrote The Green Hornet, which Rogen led, and most recently collaborated to co-write the upcoming Neighborhood Watch, which is set to be released here on 22^nd August this year. Rogen also recently starred in last year’s brilliant drama comedy 50/50, which has been doing really well for itself both critically and commercially, having already won a host of awards, and is currently nominated in two categories at each of this year’s Independent Spirit Awards and Golden Globes.

Ben has just come out of an interview with Seth Rogen for his new movie, 50/50 which is set to play at this years London Film Festival. In the interview, Seth spoke about the movie that he’s been trying to get off the ground for some time which had the title, Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse. He let us know that the title of that movie will now simply be Apocalypse.

Seth also told us that the script is now complete and although the movie doesn’t have funding, they hope to start filming in February 2012. The cast list for the movie continues to grow with both Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel on board to star as well as write and direct. Also linked with the project are James Franco, Danny McBride and Jonah Hill.

Apocalypse is based on a short film which Baruchel and Rogen made back in 1997. The trailer for it is below.

More as we get it.

At the start of the week, we got the fantastic news that Seth Rogen had confirmed that James Franco and Jonah Hill, both long-time collaborators of Rogen’s, would be joining the cast of the long-awaited short-turned-feature-film, Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse.

Now, in an interview with MTV, he’s confirmed that, along with himself, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, and Jonah Hill, two more of Rogen’s great collaborators will also be joining the cast in the form of Danny McBride and Craig Robinson.

Rogen seems to be taking a leaf out of Judd Apatow’s book by surrounding himself with his friends pretty much whenever he makes a movie, and it’s been working great for him so far. His career’s been a brilliant success for some time now, and this new film sounds like it’s going to be another awesome one from him.

Co-written by Rogen and yet another long-time friend and collaborator, Evan Goldberg (Pineapple Express, The Green Hornet), Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse will see Rogen making his directorial debut, and you just know that it’s going to be immense.

At some point or another, the entire team to date has worked with pretty much everyone else on the team, and so their rapport on and off the screen is already a given, which is perfect for making a film together.

Rogen, Baruchel, Hill, and Robinson were all in Knocked Up together. Baruchel, Rogen, McBride, and Robinson all starred in Fanboys. Rogen and Franco go way back to TV’s Freaks and Geeks, and of course led the brilliant Pineapple Express together, which also starred McBride and Robinson, to name just four great examples.

Rogen has said in an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press,

“It’s a movie about a bunch of friends who are stuck in a house together as the apocalypse happens outside and they kind of barricade themselves in… They think they’ve kind of survived the worst and then they realize they all really can’t stand to be around each other as they’re stuck in this house together.

“It’s all our friends, luckily, and we all play ourselves in the movie. … I literally play Seth Rogen in the movie and Jay Baruchel literally plays himself in the movie and others — Jonah Hill, James Franco — they’re literally playing themselves in the movie.

“It’s a very strange movie, but it’s gonna happen.”

Whether we can look forward to seeing McBride and Robinson playing themselves isn’t yet confirmed, but given that Franco and Hill are, it wouldn’t be that surprising if they’re also stuck in the house with them.

There had been talk of Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe also starring in the film, but according to the recent interview with MTV, that’s no longer the case.

““It doesn’t look like he’s willing to push things as far as we [are],” Rogen said with that catchy laugh of his.”

In my opinion, that’s probably a good thing. Other than seeing him as one of the dead celebrity cameos that Rogen and Baruchel want for the film, I can’t really imagine what Radcliffe would have added to the film; it doesn’t seem like quite the right fit.

Back in 2007, Rogen and Baruchel (the ‘Jay and Seth’ part of the film’s title, of course) starred in a short/teaser trailer for this upcoming film (which I’ve embedded below for your viewing pleasure), and even at a minute and a half long, it looked ridiculously awesome. So when you add Franco, Hill, McBride, and Robinson into the mix, you really cannot go wrong. With filming set to begin in February next year, hopefully we won’t have to be waiting that much longer for this to come out. It’s going to be brilliant.

If you’ve missed the trailer and our over coverage from Jesse Eisenberg’s new movie, 30 Minutes or Less, then click here as they’re well worth a watch. The movie is directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) and stars Aziz Ansari , Jesse Eisenberg , Danny McBride, Michael Pena and Nick Swardson.

As you’ll see from the trailer, it looks pretty silly just like Zombieland was but no doubt will be a pretty good hoot (a word not used enough these days!).

Synopsis: Nick is a small town pizza delivery guy whose mundane life collides with the big plans of two wanna-be criminal masterminds. The volatile duo kidnaps Nick and forces him to rob a bank. With mere hours to pull off the impossible task, Nick enlists the help of his ex-best friend, Chet. As the clock ticks, the two must deal with the police, hired assassins, flamethrowers, and their own tumultuous relationship.

This new poster released by Columbia Picture is pretty similar to the ones we’ve seen already.

30 Minutes or Less is released in UK cinemas 23rd September and US cinemas August 12th.

Source: IMPA

A few days ago, the first posters for Ben Stiller’s Tower Heist came out, and I said that it would be one of the two best heist movies of 2011. I’d just like to amend that slightly, and add 30 Minutes Or Less to the top three heist movies of the year, and this new promo clip from ComingSoon will show you why.

Director Ruben Fleischer made his outstanding feature film debut with Zombieland at the end of 2009, and this brilliant heisty comedy is what he’s following it up with. He’s teaming back up with Jesse Eisenberg, and adding to the cast the excellent Danny McBride, Nick Swardson, Aziz Ansari, and Michael Peña, with Michael Diliberti making his screenwriting debut.

“In 30 Minutes or Less, Nick (Eisenberg) is a small town pizza delivery guy whose mundane life collides with the big plans of two wanna-be criminal masterminds (McBride and Swardson). The volatile duo kidnaps Nick and forces him to rob a bank. With mere hours to pull off the impossible task, Nick enlists the help of his ex-best friend, Chet (Ansari). As the clock ticks, the two must deal with the police, hired assassins, flamethrowers, and their own tumultuous relationship.”

The only thing that I’m not completely in love with about this film is its UK release date. America gets to see it in cinemas on 12th August, but we unfortunately have to wait until 16th October for it to hit our screens. But it definitely looks like it will be well worth the wait, and here’s the great new clip to whet your appetites. There are a few things in there that make it not suitable for work, so be sure to wait until you get home to take a look.

Last week at Comic-Con Sony Pictures brought about 7 minutes of footage for the forthcoming film 30 Minutes or Less with panelists Nick Swardson and Aziz Ansari.

Unfortunately co-star Danny McBride was wrapped up with shooting Eastbound & Down so he couldn’t make it to the panel, but he did send a hilarious pre-recorded message to the fans at the Con telling everyone how awesome he was. Following the clip Director Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) rolled some footage from the film showcasing the bank robbery scene. A portion of the clip can be seen at the end of this red band trailer (warning: trailer is uncensored)

The basic premise of the film finds pizza delivery boy Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) kidnapped by Dwayne (Danny McBride) and his partner in crime Travis (Nick Swardson) who force Nick to rob a bank on their behalf. The scene shown at Con takes place once Nick and Chet (Aziz Ansari) are about to enter the bank. In a very Laurel and Hardy fashion the two bicker over what their aliases will be during the heist.

Once they settle on their temporary names, the reluctant duo don their cliche black ski masks and bust through the doors doing their best to threaten the patrons inside. Nick and Chet demand the security guard throw his gun away but as the guard complies he inadvertently slides the weapon right to one of the female hostages. As she quickly pushes the gun away, the gun discharges and shoots another hostage in the leg. Nick and Chet realize they are clearly in way over their heads so Chet instructs the bank clerk put $100,000 cash in a bag from the vault. Nick grabs the bag of cash but before making his getaway he pauses and feels responsible for the wounded hostage. Nick decides to offer some of the money from the bag to the injured man. Adding insult to injury the bag’s security ink explodes all over the man’s face leaving Nick and Chet dumbfounded.

Chet and Nick grab a new bag full of money and mount their escape. The clip ends with a trailer-style sequence featuring a slew of new images from the movie. I must say that Jesse and Aziz have real on-screen chemistry and great comedic timing. All in all the film seems to strike a nice balance between physical comedy and witty dialogue. While some of the lines look like they may be a bit cheesy, but I still laughed out loud on more than one occasion. Hopefully the final product can be just as funny as everything they have shown so far.

30 Minutes or Less releases August 12 for the US & October 7 for the UK.

You’ve had images and trailers (both green and red band) for Ruben Fleischer’s new kidnap-a-pizza boy comedy and now there’s a new poster. I know.

Jaws from the floors please, here’s your chance to see Jesse Eisenberg wearing perhaps the world’s first ‘comedy’ bomb vest.

30 Minutes or Less stars Jesse Eisenberg , Danny McBride, Fred Ward, Nick Swardson , Aziz Ansari , Michael Peña, Dilshad Vadsaria and Johnny Yong Bosch and rolls on into cinemas on the 7th of October here in the UK.

You’ve read enough, this new poster is your reward.

And who had it first, pray? Why, IMPA, did sir.

I know – you’ve only just been hit by the comedy bank robbery bandwagon with your recent look at Flypaper with Patrick Dempsey and Ashley Judd, and now we have another trailer for 30 Minutes or Less, a tale of pizza, banks and bombs with hilarious consequences.

30 Minutes or Less is directed by Ruben Fleischer who reunites with Zombieland actor Jesse Eisenberg with Danny McBride, Fred Ward, Nick Swardson and Aziz Ansari along for the ride.

Synopsis you say? But of course.

Nick (Eisenberg) is a small town pizza delivery guy whose mundane life collides with the big plans of two wanna-be criminal masterminds (McBride and Swardson).  The volatile duo kidnaps Nick and forces him to rob a bank.  With mere hours to pull off the impossible task, Nick enlists the help of his ex-best friend, Chet (Ansari).  As the clock ticks, the two must deal with the police, hired assassins, flamethrowers, and their own tumultuous relationship.

Your trailer is below, but if you prefer a ruder version you can check out the NSFW Red Band trailer which is right here,

Hey Yahoo? Yeah, you. Thanks.

Here’s the second trailer (courtesy of Break) for the Columbia Pictures movie, 30 Minuets or less which is just as good as the first! 30 Minutes or Less is directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) and stars Aziz Ansari , Jesse Eisenberg , Danny McBride, Michael Pena and Nick Swardson.

As you’ll see from this trailer, it looks pretty silly just like Zombieland was but no doubt will be a pretty good hoot (a word not used enough these days!).

Synopsis: Nick is a small town pizza delivery guy whose mundane life collides with the big plans of two wanna-be criminal masterminds. The volatile duo kidnaps Nick and forces him to rob a bank. With mere hours to pull off the impossible task, Nick enlists the help of his ex-best friend, Chet. As the clock ticks, the two must deal with the police, hired assassins, flamethrowers, and their own tumultuous relationship.

30 Minutes or Less is released in UK cinemas 23rd September and US cinemas August 12th.

Please note, this is a red band trailer and is NSFW but it’s very funny so make sure you watch it at some point!

This evening saw the 2011 MTV Movie Awards in LA. Not surprisingly, Twilight: Eclipse was the big winner as is becoming normal at the event!A full list of winners is posted below. Harry Potter came in with only one award where as Kick Ass managed to get a couple both for Hitgirl herself, Chloe Moretz.

The ceremony was as epic as always and boasted presenters including: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Steve Carell, Emma Stone, Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, Patrick Dempsey, Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride, Nicki Minaj, Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester and Katie Cassidy. The event was hosted by Jason Sudeikis, in the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA.

What with all these Bank Holidays (still not complaining!) we’ve fallen well behind on our trailer quota! One released late last week was the first trailer Columbia Pictures’ new movie, 30 Minutes or Less which is directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) and stars Aziz Ansari, Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Michael Pena and Nick Swardson.

As you’ll see from this trailer, it looks pretty silly just like Zombieland was but no doubt will be a pretty good hoot (a word not used enough these days!).

Synopsis: Nick is a small town pizza delivery guy whose mundane life collides with the big plans of two wanna-be criminal masterminds. The volatile duo kidnaps Nick and forces him to rob a bank. With mere hours to pull off the impossible task, Nick enlists the help of his ex-best friend, Chet. As the clock ticks, the two must deal with the police, hired assassins, flamethrowers, and their own tumultuous relationship.

30 Minutes or Less is released in UK cinemas 23rd September and US cinemas August 12th.

Source: Yahoo

Sony have released a couple of rather fun new posters for their new movie, 30 Minutes or Less which stars Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari, Michael Peña, Jesse Eisenberg, Nick Swardson, Fred Ward and is directed by Ruben Fleischer. If you missed the trailer for the movie, we put it up last week and you can check it out here.

Nick (Eisenberg) is a small town pizza delivery guy whose mundane life collides with the big plans of two wanna-be criminal masterminds (McBride and Swardson).  The volatile duo kidnaps Nick and forces him to rob a bank.  With mere hours to pull off the impossible task, Nick enlists the help of his ex-best friend, Chet (Ansari).  As the clock ticks, the two must deal with the police, hired assassins, flamethrowers, and their own tumultuous relationship.

You can ignore the date on the posters as 30 Minutes or Less is expected to hit UK cinemas on September 23.

Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer is reteaming with Jesse Eisenberg in the comedy 30 Minutes or Less and there’s a red band trailer out today which gives you a fair idea of the funnies on show.

Fleischer directs Michael Dilibert’s script and the film also stars Danny McBride, Fred Ward, Nick Swardson, Aziz Ansari, Michael Peña, Dilshad Vadsaria and Johnny Yong Bosch.

If you came here looking for a synopsis, then boy, you’re in luck. Eyes down.

Nick (Eisenberg) is a small town pizza delivery guy whose mundane life collides with the big plans of two wanna-be criminal masterminds (McBride and Swardson).  The volatile duo kidnaps Nick and forces him to rob a bank.  With mere hours to pull off the impossible task, Nick enlists the help of his ex-best friend, Chet (Ansari).  As the clock ticks, the two must deal with the police, hired assassins, flamethrowers, and their own tumultuous relationship.

30 Minutes or Less is expected to hit UK cinemas on September 23.

Here’s the trailer from IGN which, as the Red Band label denotes, is in no way safe for work, any kind of work.

Columbia Pictures have released four new images from adventure-comedy 30 Minutes or Less.

Directed by Ruben Fleischer from a screenplay by Michael Diliberti, 30 Minutes or Less stars Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Fred Ward, Nick Swardson, Aziz Ansari, Michael Peña, Dilshad Vadsaria and Johnny Yong Bosch.

Nick (Eisenberg) is a small town pizza delivery guy whose mundane life collides with the big plans of two wanna-be criminal masterminds (McBride and Swardson).  The volatile duo kidnaps Nick and forces him to rob a bank.  With mere hours to pull off the impossible task, Nick enlists the help of his ex-best friend, Chet (Ansari).  As the clock ticks, the two must deal with the police, hired assassins, flamethrowers, and their own tumultuous relationship.

30 Minutes or Less is expected to hit UK cinemas on September 23.

Check out the new hi-res images below:

Source: Collider

Danny McBride is fast becoming a comedic force to be reckoned with. His turn as the foul-mouthed and ego-inflated disgraced baseball star Kenny Powers in HBO’s dark, yet hilarious Eastbound & Down has garnered a loving, cult following and he’s showed up (and for the most part) stole scenes in a number of high-profile big Hollywood features like Tropic Thunder and Due Date.

HeyUGuys (and a group of select other bloggers) caught up with the star on the eve of the release of his new comedy fantasy spoof Your Highness (another collaboration with director and close friend from college, David Gordon Green) to talk about his working methods and inspirations behind the film. At the actor’s insistence, the roundtable interview was staged in the somewhat quirky environment of the upstairs of a pub named (appropriately enough) The Roundtable. The drinks flowed fast and freely (as did the expletive-ridden conversation!) and McBride was an affable, down-to-earth presence. It’s hard to imagine A-list ivory tower inhabitants like John Travolta and Jennifer Lopez ever arranging such a fun get together. Hooray for the new wave of unpretentious, fanboy-infused Hollywood players!

McBride’s co-star and man servant from the film (young, upcoming British actor Rasmus Hardiker) was also in attendance.

Your Highness is on general release from tomorrow but beware of some mild-ish spoilers below.

HeyUGuys – I’ve read that David Gordon Green likes to do a lot of improvisation on set. You’re the co-author here (alongside Eastbound & Down writer Ben Best). Do you get precious about the written stuff at all, or are you open to changing it?

Danny McBride – No, No. I’m open to whatever. All the stuff we do this way – the Eastbound stuff, Pineapple (Express), even David’s dramatic work – the impro is all part of the process. The script is a good way to get the tone down and make sure the story and characters are there and it’s a good blueprint for everyone else who is working on the movie, but we don’t rehearse or anything. All the rehearsals happen in front of the camera. For the most parts we do cross-camera coverage so you can always cut around the improv and that’s also what’s exciting about making it – just kind of finding and inventing and you can use the chemistry as well. We don’t even do it just for jokes either. We’ll have scenes that are dramatic and not comedic at all, and David will just want us to approach it naturally because it kinda keeps everyone on their toes and makes you get to the heart of what you’re trying to do in the first place.

We’ll also do stuff that’s on the page because sometime you want that option and sometimes that will be the most concise way to get the message across, but we always construct the story from writing it, to improv and then into the editing room, figuring out what works that’s off the page, and what doesn’t.

Does that happen on Eastbound too? I know there are a couple of director involved there.

Yeah, we do that on Eastbound all the time. We’ll do maybe one of two takes of what’s on the page first.

Presumably there must have been a lot of cut scenes because of this method, and when the DVD comes out, they’ll be a load of extra material?

There’s a lot of alt riffs and stuff, but there’s not too many straight up scenes that have been cut out. The most significant scene which was cut out involved (the film’s villain) Leezar. Towards the end, he drinks from this chalice which turns his sperm to dragon sperm and that’s why his fingernails and shit were going crazy and then when James stabs him, originally he didn’t turn into the embers. He died by falling off the bridge and there was this scene that happened right at the end when everyone is congratulating each other over their victory, and Leezar comes back alive and his stomach starts inflating and basically he lays an egg out of his asshole and a deformed baby dragon bursts from the egg and burns his face off (laughs).

There is some risqué humour in the film. Did you run into any problems with the rating board? I mean, you have a Minotaur with a huge erection in there!

We got around that with the MPAA (American equivalent to the BBFC) by saying that it was an animal. We said that was the bull in him, not the man (laughs). Weirdly enough though, that was the studio’s note. We originally had all the chase scenes involving the minotaur with him stomping through with this big dick swinging between his legs and that was going to the extent of it, but when we got into the cut, the head of the studio said “I feel like you show the dick so much, you get desensitised to it. You should never show the dick in any of that and then only show it when he pulls away and let’s CG a hard-on.” That’s when we knew we were with good collaborators and with guys who were willing to push things. David’s principal is let’s not just tap the audience repeatedly – let’s punch them once in the face (laughs).

It’s hard to imagine stuff like that getting past the censors a couple of years back.

The whole movie and the fact that it exists blows our minds. It was something that we always thought was a crazy joke and there was no way a studio would take a risk with a movie that was so out there and nuts, but for whatever reason they did and we definitely feel we got something over on everyone, for sure.

Have you always wanted to do a fantasy/sword and sorcery-type film?

I did, but I never thought there would ever any reality to it. It was just one of those things when you’re trying to think, what kind of movies do they not make anymore and wouldn’t it be dope to make one of those fantasy films. It was always like a pipedream.

I don’t think any have really been done since the eighties.

Yeah. When you watch them you kinda see why. Most of them do suck. They don’t hold up, but I fucking loved them when I was a kid. They really captured my imagination. We though this would be such a crazy genre to do. Much the same way as Edger, Simon and Nick did on Shaun of the Dead with zombies, we wanted to apply the same principal here. Those guys didn’t really spoof those films, but just made their own, and that’s what we wanted with the fantasy genre. He said lets just make one of the movies and find our own sensibilities within it.

The mechanical bird reference from the original Clash of the Titans is hilarious.

What’s funny about that was it wasn’t the vulgarity which we got the most studio notes from, it was that bird! They didn’t really understand what we were trying to do. They were like “why is he a robot?” and we were like, I dunno, why the fuck isn’t he a robot – there’s also two moons in here too (laughs).

But soon as audiences in the know see the character, they get it.

Yeah. That was important to us. We didn’t necessarily want the audience to say “oh look, that’s from this movie, there’s another reference over there”. It’s not totally obvious. David wanted to keep that balance. He didn’t ever want to just make it seem like we were doing a scene from another movie, but at the same time, he wanted people to know we were inspired by those certain types of films.

James Franco’s performance is really reminiscent of that sort of overly-earnest hero from those fantasy flicks.

That was what we talked about with him. If this was a regular fantasy film, Franco’s character would be the guy the audience would usually follow, but the focus is on his younger brother who is really not all that. We were channelling everything from The Neverending Story to Beastmaster and Conan, just trying to embody this guys that, morally, always tries to make the right decisions and choices and he’s perfect and he has all these abilities and then there’s the guys who has to follow that up.

How was working with Natalie Portman?

Natalie was awesome. I didn’t know what to expect from her. I’ve always respected her work and she’s an incredible actress, but I didn’t know if she’d be stiff or insulted by the humour, but she has a great sense of humour and she’s as cool as you’d hope she would be.

How did you find the adlibbing atmosphere on set?

Rasmus Hardiker – I loved it! The guys created a great environment where you can do that. Everyone was pretty much up for it too. There’s a scene which didn’t make it into the final cut, where James Franco and I kind of go off together and have a big cry about how things are working out and it just gets worse and more emotional. That was a lot of fun.

The film was shot over in Ireland. Is that correct?

Yeah, the majority was done on location over there. Everyone was really kind and accommodating. Sometimes you read about Ireland and the troubles, but it was my first visit over there, and I found it to be a lovely place. All the cast and crew lived together for the duration and when you doing long, sometime 15 hour days, it’s nice to spend any free time with a great bunch of Brits and Americans.

What’s next for you?

I’m starring in a British comedy called Cockneys vs Zombies, which has a fantastic cast. It’s been incredible watching the legendary Honor Blackman killing the undead.

Do you have any good kills in the film?

Yeah, I destroy one zombie by taking a spade, putting it to its neck and bringing my boot down to take the head clean off (laughs gleefully).

———————

Thanks to Badger Brewery for the ale which accompanied the evening and Lost in the Multiplex for the above images.

Also, check out this Your Highness-themed alternative to our upcoming royal wedding.

You can read our review of Your Highness here.

Imagine The Princess Bride spilling into the world of Willow, then add liberal lashings of Cheech and Chong-esque stoner humour and you’re somewhere close to Your Highness, the follow-up to director David Gordon Green’s previous weed-tinged comedy, Pineapple Express (which featured the two leads here).

Danny McBride (also onboard as co-writer) is the slacker prince Thadeous, a lazy and thoughtless member of royalty who would rather spend his days toking on medieval hash pipes and chasing sheep around outside the castle walls with faithful servant/plaything Courtney (the fabulously monikered Rasmus Hardiker) than attend the wedding of his older, more successful brother Fabious (James Franco). He is finally forced to buck his ideas up when his brother’s fiancé Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel, reunited with her All The Real Girls director) is kidnapped by an evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux).

Double-crossed by their own supposedly loyal band of knights and subjects (including respected character actor Toby Jones, who has a touch of an Oompa Loompa about him here) the two princes have to go it alone (with Courtney in-tow) on a mission to rescue the fair maiden. Their journey brings them into contact with a warrior girl (Natalie Portman) who has her own agenda for revenge against Leezar and together they embark on a race against time before the twin moons meet and the sex-starved wizard has his wicked way with Belladonna.

First things first, your capacity to enjoy this film may rest on whether you find the insertion of swear words into the actor’s faux ye olde English delivery to be constantly amusing. If that sounds like something you may get a kick out of, a fun time ahead you shall be privy to.

Sure, the film is crude and foul-mouthed, and sometimes aims for childish and cheap laughs, but it’s also a handsomely-shot and well-directed film, with some incredibly imaginative fantasy set-pieces (the finger dragons are a genius creation) and a group of performers who really inject a lot of fun into proceedings. Anyone familiar with McBride’s hilarious HBO comedy series Eastbound & Down will know what to expect from the actor here. Thadeous has Kenny Power’s vulgar ignorance and the same unimpressed, nonchalant look in his eyes, which really works a treat juxtaposed in this heightened fantasy world. Franco is fun too, and he appears to be channelling (intentionally or not) those blander-then-bland hunks from previous sword and sorcery epics. Theroux also delightfully hams it up with his villainous character and cranks up the pantomime factor tenfold.

Star of the moment Natalie Portman (wonder if she would have signed on here after wining her statuette?) doesn’t crop up until the one hour mark and plays it mostly straight, but is a good sport and is full of steely resolve, and is more than able to muster up some of that agility and nimbleness which was on display in Black Swan.

The creative team clearly have an affinity for the fantasy films from their childhood, and there are gentle riffs on the likes of Beastmaster, Clash of the Titans and Krull. There’s even a Muppet-like creation in the form of a weird bug-eyed, bong-totting wizard with paedophilic tendencies which really has to be seen to be believed. It’s the kind of character which Jim Henson may have conjured up if he had taken a more subversive and underground route with his creations.

Your Highness may not find itself in the pantheon of comedy greats anytime soon, but it’s a fun and entertaining flick, which once again proves that former indie auteur Green has a good grasp of knockabout, comedic mainstream fare.

***~~ (3/5)

Hey Ladies (and gentlemen), put down that Remote Control and Ch-Check It Out. A truly Intergalactic roster of (mostly) comedic A-list talent are on display below in the Beastie Boys-inspired short, Fight For Your Right – Revisited.

Playing the rap trio (and what look’s like an older version of the group, out to Sabotage the younger ones) are Elijah Wood, Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, Jack Black, John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell. The two minute trailer is also jam-packed with a host of big-name cameos who have managed to Get It Together to appear in the short, including the likes of Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson (they may have been filming HBO show, Bored to Death, nearby), Steve Buscemi, Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci (to name but a few!)

Directed by Adam Yauch (one of the members of the group) the film received its world premiere at Sundance earlier this year, and the full version will be released as part of a tie-in with the Beastie Boys new album, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (released on May 3rd).

Thanks to Slash Film for the heads-up.

Universal Studios have sent us this brand new and exclusive clip from their new movie, Your Highness which hits UK cinemas next Wednesday, 13th April. The movie is directed by David Gordon Green and has an all-star cast which includes Zooey Deschanel, Natalie Portman, James Franco, Danny McBride, Toby Jones and Justin Theroux.

Adam is off to interview Danny McBride this weekend at a Bloggers Knight Out and we’re all rather looking forward to seeing what happens as the junket is taking place in a pub! In this new clip, we get to see Natalie Portman with her best English accent negotiating with Danny McBride and James Franco over who will protect who more! Scroll down to view.

Synopsis: Throughout history, tales of chivalry have burnished the legends of brave, handsome knights who rescue fair damsels, slay dragons and conquer evil. But behind many a hero is a good-for-nothing younger brother trying just to stay out of the way of those dragons, evil and trouble in general. Danny McBride and James Franco team up for an epic comedy adventure set in a fantastical world–Your Highness. As two princes on a daring mission to save their land, they must rescue the heir apparent’s fiancée before their kingdom is destroyed.

Thadeous (McBride) has spent his life watching his perfect older brother Fabious (Franco) embark upon valiant journeys and win the hearts of his people. Tired of being passed over for adventure, adoration and the throne, he’s settled for a life of wizard’s weed, hard booze and easy maidens. But when Fabious’ bride-to-be, Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel), gets kidnapped by the evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux), the king gives his deadbeat son an ultimatum: Man up and help rescue her or get cut off.

Half-assedly embarking upon his first quest, Thadeous joins Fabious to trek across the perilous outlands and free the princess. Joined by Isabel (Natalie Portman)–an elusive warrior with a dangerous agenda of her own–the brothers must vanquish horrific creatures and traitorous knights before they can reach Belladonna. If Thadeous can find his inner hero, he can help his brother prevent the destruction of his land. Stay a slacker, and not only does he die a coward, he gets front row seats to the dawn of an all-new Dark Ages.

To celebrate the release of YOUR HIGHNESS, in cinemas Wednesday 13 April, we have 10 pairs of tickets to give away to a preview screening of the film, which will be followed by a Q&A with actor and director Danny McBride.

The Q&A screening is taking place this Sunday evening on 10^th April at a central London location.

Synopsis

Danny McBride and Ben Best would like to introduce you to YOUR HIGHNESS. The hilarious medieval comedy boasts Oscar nominees James Franco and Natalie Portman, the dashing Zooey Deschanel, Damian Lewis, Toby Jones, Charles Dance, Justin Theroux and you can’t have a wedding without………The McBride (Danny)!

Prince Fabious (James Franco) is brave, handsome and valiant in a medieval world where rescuing damsels, slaying dragons and conquering evil are second nature to any heroic knight. His brother Thadeous (Danny McBride) on the other hand………not so much. Lazy, foul mouthed, useless and tired of being passed over for adventure, adoration and the throne, Thadeous has settled for a life of wizard’s weed, hard meed and easy maidens. But all changes when Fabious’s beautiful fiancée Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel) is kidnapped and Thadeous is ordered by the King to buck up and join Prince Fabious on a quest to rescue her from the evil clutches of the wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux). Thadeous must prove to all that he can rise to the challenge and join his brother on the quest of a life time that will seem them face all sorts of obstacles including a giant hand snake, well endowed minotaurs, Dwarf Queens, magic mother fuckers and wacked out wise wizards.

Check out the film’s official blog http://officialroyalfuckening2011.tumblr.com

YOUR HIGHNESS is in cinemas April 13.

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets, simply answer the following question using the form below:

Danny McBride plays which character in YOUR HIGHNESS?

1. Fabiou
2. Thadeous
3. Leezar

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 7th April 12.30pm GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!