When it comes to interviewing people in the film industry, there are a great many unwritten rules if you want to be considered professional: Be reasonably respectful and polite, don’t beg for autographs and don’t dribble on yourself. Beyond that it helps to have some idea what to ask, and it’s certainly considered a bit beyond the pale if you become a dribbling wreck.

As a general rule, I like to think that I stick to these. I certainly try to. Unfortunately, there are times when it’s not that easy, and certainly my recent interview with Miss Piggy was one of those. If you heard our recent round table interview with Piggy, Kermit and director of The Muppets, James Bobin, you’ll realise that even being in the same room is a hilarious and surreal experience. It’s even weirder when it’s just you, a Muppet and a film crew. So weird, in fact that not only did I start laughing like an idiot mid way through, but we ended up talking about fluffing.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, I talked dirty to Miss Piggy.

The Muppets hits UK cinemas tomorrow and you can read our review of this awesome movie right here.

Co-writer and star Jason Segel and director James Bobin courageously embraced the arduous task of recapturing the magic of The Muppets for a new generation, safe in the knowledge that the adult ‘kids’ out there who remember the show first time around would only need a few bars of Sam Pottle and Jim Henson’s iconic theme tune to secure a captive interest.

However, this alone cannot guarantee a whole new movie’s success, and it’s because Segel and Bobin – of The Flight of the Conchords fame – have stuck to making this a puppet character-driven piece full of the coy innocence of the 70s’ franchise, and created another new Muppet character called Walter who gingerly and affectionally takes centre-stage that The Muppets (2011) still triggers the warm and fuzzy nostalgia from 30 years ago.

In the Segel-Bobin film, The Muppets’ biggest fan Walter (voiced by Peter Linz) convinces his human brother Gary (Jason Segel) to make a pilgrimage to the old Muppet studios while Gary and girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) holiday in LA. But while there, Walter overhears that the studio grounds and the theatre that housed The Muppet Show are being sold to a greedy oil tycoon, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), who has other more fatalistic plans for the site. Geared into action, Walter and co unite to convince The Muppets, including Kermit The Frog, to strive to raise the funds to save the historic site by putting on another The Muppet Show/telethon.

Although unoriginal but highly relevant, the plot – good sense overcoming corporate evil – has wisely been kept simplistic to allow the main focus to be reintroducing The Muppets and their personalities that have merely been briefly showcased through other movies and TV specials in the past few decades, but never reunited in full force to show their appeal. Walter represents the ardent, ever-loyal fan here, like a human-puppet ambassador to guide new viewers to Muppet nirvana. In doing so the often-overpowering and self-depreciating Segel screen personality actually takes a back seat with chirpy Adams, content with playing the goofy human support in some awkward but hilarious song-and-dance moments, letting the true felt-made stars shine.

Even with ample ammunition to go on an entertainment offensive against the likes of reality TV shows and faddy TV diets the TV corporations now deliver, the writers never get preachy or cynical, and in turn lose the gracious charm and ever lovable, sweet nature of the original show – even with some of the latter having fallen on hard times, like Fozzie Bear performing in some back-of-beyond bar with his less talented Muppet tribute band, The Moopets.

That said the Muppet global roundup that takes up a good percentage of the run-time, which includes Kermit, Walter and co relocating Kermit’s lost love, Miss Piggy, in Paris, working as the fashion editor of Vogue with Emily Blunt as her assistant (a Devil Wears Prada nod), is both a necessary introduction and a counterproductive snag in that its significance triggers more thrill factor for established fans, but might leave the younger viewers the filmmakers hope to target a little restless.

Indeed the only saving grace is the Muppets are so recognisable that both demographics are likely to rally behind the troupe to save the establishment, and the good-natured and earnest way they go about getting support wins over in a family-friendly way. And every Muppet Show needs its star guest that allows us to rekindle our fond affection for the zany Jack Black comedy, who as the ‘kidnapped star victim’ actually plays against type in trying to escape. There are also a host of other celebrity appearances to boost the campaign too, while Cooper has a ball in true one-dimensional baddie mode trying to bring the curtain down on the night.

We defy anyone over the age of 30 not to get emotional when the lights do go up and Kermit takes the stage – after the inevitable speedy, made-for-TV tidy-up. With all the firm favourites united and back where they belong, and old and new tunes to inanely grin along to, the Segel-Bobin resurrection is nothing short of inspiring, thought provoking and filled with authentic affection, making it a trip out to the cinema not to be missed.

****½ (4.5/5)

From the creators of Cyrus, Jay and Mark Duplass, Jeff, Who Lives at Home has been given a new poster this week.

The film, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last September, looks at the complicated relationship between two brothers, played by Jason Segel and Ed Helms.

On his way to the store to buy wood glue, slacker Jeff (Segel) looks for signs from the universe to determine his path. However, a series of comedic and unexpected events leads him to cross paths with his family in the strangest of locations and circumstances. He might discover his destiny, however, when he spends the day with his brother Pat (Helms) as he tracks his possibly adulterous wife.

Jeff Who Lives at Home also stars Judy Greer and Susan Sarandon, and is set to be released on 20th April. Here’s the new poster, courtesy of /Film. As usual, click to enlarge. And in case you missed it, the great first trailer has just been released too.

After getting great reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Duplass brothers’ upcoming film Jeff, Who Lives At Home looks to be one of the funniest comedy-dramas of the year. Led by Jason Segel and Ed Helms as brothers Jeff and Pat, the film was co-written and -directed by Jay and Mark Duplass, and also stars Judy Greer as Pat’s wife and Susan Sarandon as the brothers’ mother, Sharon.

The first trailer for the film has just hit the net, courtesy of Apple, and it is quite simply brilliant. Funny in all the right ways, and with a plot that makes the comedy mean something. Like last year’s 50/50, it looks life-affirming with a smile on its face.

“On his way to the store to buy wood glue, Jeff looks for signs from the universe to determine his path. However, a series of comedic and unexpected events leads him to cross paths with his family in the strangest of locations and circumstances. Jeff just may find the meaning of his life… and if he’s lucky, pick up the wood glue as well.”

Segel and Helms have both been rising well in recent years, Segel particularly doing well from both How I Met Your Mother and films like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Bad Teacher, and the upcoming The Muppets. And it’s great to see that Greer is getting recognised for the great comedy actress she is as well; we can look forward to seeing her in The Descendants opposite George Clooney later this month too.

Jeff, Who Lives At Home will be coming to cinemas in the UK on 20^th April, which is a date that really can’t come fast enough. I was looking forward to this a lot already, and now the trailer has just increased that anticipation exponentially. I can’t wait. If you want to watch the trailer in HD, then you can do so over at Apple. Enjoy.

While the world (or America at least) is agog with the mighty Muppets back in cinemas there’s another project from Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel on the way, and today we’ve got the first look at a trailer and poster for The Five-Year Engagement.

The film is produced by Judd Apatow, Shauna Robertson, and Rodney Rothman and is perhaps a spiritual sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall, something which comments made by Segel and Stoller during the long gestation period have suggested. Note the poster proudly proclaims it to be from the producers of Bridesmaids so expect people to flock.

Segel is joined by Emily Blunt, Chris Pratt, Alison Brie and Rhys Ifans in the story which centres around an engaged couple trying to get married.

The tireless internet pioneer Yahoo Serious dished this one out to us all.

Here’s the trailer,

More Muppets today, with a well-timed jab to the ribs of The Twilight Saga in the midst of its global release week, and these new posters are just perfect.

With any other film there would be a distinct danger of oversatuaration but this campaign has been running for a long, long time (and thanks to a thoroughly irritating release delay for us chumps in the UK will run a little longer) and there hasn’t been a misstep along the way.

Every franchise or series The Muppets have targeted they have nailed perfectly, and while it’s not an exaggeration to offer up the equation that Anything + Muppets=awesome it’s still a sight to behold.

Our excellent friends at Den of Geek had the exclusive look at these fine posters. I wonder what’s next…

Here are the images,

Disney have released a sneak peek at the opening dance sequence from the highly anticipated The Muppets this week.

The clip is short but it certainly lets us know what we are in for. And that’s a whole load of fun, familiar faces and goofiness. Now all we need is for February to hurry up.

The Muppets follows Walter (Jim Parsons), the world’s biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) who plan to stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever in attempt to raise $10 million to save the Muppet Theater.

The trio reunit Kermit with the rest of the Muppets gang who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino house band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate.

The film also stars a number of other big names including Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, Neil Patrick Harris, Zach Galifianakis, Jack Black, Ricky Gervais, Mila Kunis, and Selena Gomez, and is set to be released on 23rd November in the US and on 10th February, 2012 in the UK.

Read more about The Muppets and watch the dance sequence clip below:

Source: Collider.

With the release of The Muppets a few months away (10th February, 2012), Jason Segel has this week confirmed that his character from Knocked Up will return in Judd Apatow’s This Is Forty and that he also hopes to make a new puppet film in vein of Goonies and Labyrinth.

Now that we’re all excited for the release of The Muppets, which you can read all about here, Segel has revealed to The Playlist this weekend that he hopes to return to his very first project in Hollywood that he sold the script for a decade ago, which will again combine live action and puppets.

“It’s a kids adventure movie in the style of ‘Goonies’ or ‘Labyrinth’ or something like that,” says Segel. “I think that’s the next big thing I’d like to try to tackle.”

Segel added that it may even include an entirely new kind of puppet, yet he remained quiet about any other details. “I don’t want anyone to steal [the idea] yet,” Segel responded. “There are parts I could play, but I’d be happy to just produce it.”

Segel also went on to discuss Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up sequel, This is Forty, which will follow Paul Rudd’s Pete and Leslie Mann’s Debbie from the original film taking the lead roles. Segel will be making a brief appearance in the film, and confirmed that he will continue playing his original role as Jay, the inappropriate stoner.

“We just finished [shooting],” says Segel. “It’s the same character and it’s only a few scenes. I just pop in. It was kind of like a cameo that I did in that, which was fun. I’ve never done anything like that. I popped in for a couple of days and they treated me real nice. It was very little pressure. It was just about coming in and being funny and hanging out with the old gang. It was actually really fun.”

This is Forty also stars Leslie Mann and Megan Fox and is set to be released on 21st December, 2012.

In the past few years, Jason Segel has really been making a name for himself as one of the most lovable, friendly guys in comedy, with a pretty awesome recognisability factor, starring in Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and of course TV’s How I Met Your Mother, to name just a few credits.

Deadline now report that he and Reese Witherspoon are being offered the lead roles for Sex Tape, written by Kate Angelo (TV’s The Bernie Mac Show), with Nicholas Stoller in talks to direct.

The film will see,

“a married couple who take a night off from their kids, decide to get adventurous and spice things up by making a private sex tape. When they wake up, the tape is gone and they go on a desperate search to find it.”

Stoller and Segel have been frequent collaborators for quite a while now, and news of another project with the two of them working together for is always going to be welcome. Stoller co-wrote the highly anticipated upcoming Muppets film (due out here on 10^th February next year), and has directed Segel in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the upcoming The Five-Year Engagement, which has also been co-written by the pair.

Witherspoon, meanwhile, has a pretty wide variety of credits to her name, including her Oscar-winning turn as June Carter in Walk The Line, Cruel Intentions, Sweet Home Alabama, Legally Blonde, Littly Nicky, Rendition, and Monsters vs. Aliens. She’s most recently been seen in the pretty beautiful Water for Elephants this year, and will next be seen in McG’s action-comedy This Means War as the object of both Tom Hardy’s and Chris Pine’s affections, which should be a lot of fun.

Though the pairing of Witherspoon and Segel is a little unexpected, it definitely sounds like it has a lot of potential, and I’m hoping that the talks will go well for everyone involved. Todd Black, Steve Tisch, and Jason Blumenthal, who’ve been producing partners on films including The Pursuit of Happyness, Seven Pounds, and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, will be producing Sex Tape after coming up with the original idea for Angelo’s script. I’ve not seen much of Angelo’s work, but the fact that she wrote for The Bernie Mac Show is enough to sell me, because that show was true comedy. More news on Sex Tape and everyone’s involvement as we get it.

Everything, and I mean everything, that we’ve seen so far for the upcoming feature film The Muppets has been amazing, and I think it’s a pretty fair assessment to say that an enormous number of people are looking forward to this film.

The film has been written by Jason Segel and fellow collaborator Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), and will see the feature debut of director James Bobin (TV’s Flight of the Conchords). And it looks brilliant.

We’ve got the second full trailer for the film to share with you, courtesy of Yahoo Movies, and it’s absolutely brilliant. It’s got a few clips that we’ve seen before – though they hold up really well to repeated viewings nonetheless – and plenty of great new stuff for us to enjoy. It should be so much fun for all the family, giving us the magic for all the different generations that have grown up with The Muppets over the past few decades.

The Muppets has also got a terrific cast lined up, led by Segel and Amy Adams, with performances from Neil Patrick Harris, Jack Black, Rashida Jones, Mila Kunis, Katy Perry, Ricky Gervias, Zach Galifianakis, and many more.

And, as Statler and Waldorf (who I know best for playing the Marley brothers in my personal favourite Christmas film, The Muppet Christmas Carol) joke about in the trailer, it won’t be in 3D! So no higher ticket prices, and no attempts at gimmicks, or anything like that. Just Muppets magic.

The US is lucky enough to be getting it at the end of next month, but we have a bit of a longer wait to see it here on 10th February next year. Until then, and without further ado, here’s the brilliant new trailer. Enjoy.

Universal Pictures have unveiled a promo poster for Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me 2.

Despite not being released until July 3, 2013, directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud are already hard at work on the follow-up to last years surprise animation hit, which has since grossed an estimated $543M at the worldwide box office and boasted the voice talents of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Kristen Wiig and Julie Andrews.

Apart from that, details are thin on the ground, but it’s safe to say this will be one of 2013′s most anticipated releases.

Check out the promo poster below:

Source: Collider

Will Gluck’s latest film has a lot to live up to with last year’s Easy A quickly becoming a hit and keeping Emma Stone’s star firmly in the ascendant.

Friends with Benefits has Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis getting to know each other very well indeed while keeping the trappings of a full on relationship at bay. Though this short synopsis offers up huge clues to how the story will play out it’s the chemistry of the actors and the wit and spark of the script that will make it stand out in a very crowded arena.

Adam reviewed the film for HeyUGuys and gave it a pretty glowing write-up, and it appears to have overturned expectations and done very well. The director recently sat down to talk about the film, how the characters and the relationships developed and what’s next for him.

Here’s the clip, Friends with Benefits is out on the 9th of September.

Dylan (Justin Timberlake), a talented art director for a small, bouquet-y online website in Los Angeles, travels to New York to touch base with GQ Magazine in regards to a high-profile position there. He’s met upon his arrival by an Executive Recruiter named Jamie (Mila Kunis) who hails from a leading job agency, and has been tasked with helping Dylan get to job.

He soon succeeds in nabbing the position and the two go out to celebrate that night and end up becoming fast friends. Having both shared the pain of being recently dumped by their other halves, neither is looking for romance as they causally hang out together. However, one night during beers and bad TV at Jamie’s apartment, they both admit that they’re missing the physical side to having a relationship and hit upon an idea to engage in sexual relations with each other (“fuck buddy” in this modern parlance), keeping it purely at that level, and without any of the emotional baggage which comes with a full-blown relationship.

This no strings attached rule appears to be easy to maintain at first, but complications inevitably arise as their relationship as friends gains momentum. Another figure offering the possibilities of romance enters the picture, and both this (and some deep-rooted family matters), threatens to comprise their seemingly perfect arrangement.

First and foremost, those of you out there who may be concerned that all the funny scenes have been shoehorned into the trailer (normally the first tell-tale sign of an absence of quality) can all relax. In reality, Friend With Benefits is very much the opposite of this, as there’s so much more on offer here than what can be glimpsed at during a two minute-plus taster. It’s a smart and often very amusing romantic comedy, which is breezily told and features extremely likeable performances from its two leads. Timberlake in particular is very endearing, and much more at ease on-screen here that that of his rather smug and lacklustre turn in the recent Bad Teacher. He has fantastic chemistry with Kunis, and their rapid-fire, back and forth banter is a joy to watch, and calls to mind the verbal sparring found (minus the explicit sex talk) in those classic Hollywood comedies from days of yore. It’s also encouraging to see a mainstream picture depict the act of sex in such an open and humorous fashion, without going down the usually coy and infantile route.

It doesn’t hurt to surround the couple with memorable turns by a trio of greatly-admired character actors, either. As Timberlake’s gay colleague, Woody Harrelson is both highly camp and outrageous without ever coming across as a caricature, and Patricia Clarkson as Kunis’ wayward mother – a free-spirited soul in arrested development and completely at odds with her more mature, career-driven daughter, is hilarious whenever she opens her mouth. Richard Jenkins (utterly underused in the abysmal Farrelly brother’s Hall Pass from earlier this year) is fanatic here too, playing Dylan’s father. Suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer’s, he tackles this small role with a quiet dignity, always managing to find the audience’s sympathy without ever succumbing to the Hollywood disease showboating syndrome. When Dylan laments the fact that his father is slowly becoming the shell of the once great man he used to look up to, you can’t help but empathise with him.

Director Will Glick (coming off the critical and commercial success of last year’s Easy A) knows a thing or two about pacing, and he really succeeds in establishing a believable relationship between the two stars in a short space of time on-screen, without it ever feeling contrived or rushed.

The film falters a little when the makers try to add a meta angle and have Timberlake and Kunis debate on how the movies paint an unrealistic portrayal of love and relationships. Kunis’ love interests from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Jason Segal, even crops up in a fake whimsical romantic film the duo find themselves arguing over. All this is unnecessary however, as the film does a fine job of managing to get its point’s across without this extraneous baggage.

If the end is a little predictable and something which you can see coming from the very beginning, it really doesn’t matter. Glick is unconcerned with rewriting the rules for the genre, and instead is happy to focus on telling an emotionally rewarding and  fun tale of two friends who may ultimately benefit from being more than that, and he does so with much skill and gusto. Friends With Benefits is a smart, character-driven comedy which is a welcome respite from a season stuffed with uninspiring aliens and wall-to-wall caped crusaders.

****~ (4/5)

The Duplass Brothers have a lot of goodwill and momentum following their leap into the mainstream with Cyrus last year and fans of their mumblecore work, notably Baghead, will be very interested to see how their new film, Jeff Who Lives at Home, will fare when it plays at Toronto in a couple of months.

Jason Segel stars with Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon and Judy Greer and it’s clear that the directing duo are attracting some big names to them films, and the first looks today give nothing away however they’ll go far in enticing Duplass fans.

Here’s what synopsis there is,

 When he leaves his house on a seemingly banal errand for his disgruntled mother, Jeff discovers that the universe might be sending him signals about the nature of his destiny

Here are the pics,

Merci beaucoup pour la Playlist

Jacki Weaver was largely unknown outside her native Australia until the wave of acclaim she has received for her portrayal of Janine ‘Smurf’ Cody in writer/director David Michôd’s powerful crime family saga Animal Kingdom.

Ms. Weaver’s stunning performance  has earned her award recognition at home and abroad, including Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress. I spoke with her at her home in Sydney the evening before she was to fly to San Francisco to continue shooting director Nick Stoller’s (Get Me to the Greek, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) latest Judd Apatow produced comedy, The Five-Year Engagement.

HeyUGuys: Director/screenwriter David Michôd wrote the part of ‘Smurf’ Cody with you in mind, and you were in fact the first actor attached to the film many years ago. What was your reaction to the character of Smurf when you first encountered her?

JW: The very first time I read the script I thought it was wonderful. I didn’t know David Michôd but thought it was fantastic so of course I wanted to be involved. As with most first features, it took David a long time to get his money; I think it was ten years ago now when he gave me the script. I didn’t hear anything from him for so long I’d almost forgotten about it.

When he finally did get the money he said ‘I hope you still want to do this because I don’t want to do it with anyone except you’, which is something that’s rarely said to an actor, so I was thrilled. I must say that every part of being involved with the film has been a joy, he’s a wonderful director., and what’s happened to me because of the film, well, it’s changed my life really.

HeyUGuys: You’ve received many accolades for your performance, culminating in your Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations.  Suddenly, after 45 years in the business, people know who you are outside of Australia, and the American film industry has come calling. How does it feel to receive this sort of recognition at this stage of your career, is it daunting or delightful, or perhaps a bit of both?

JW: It’s not daunting, but I think bewildering is a word that would apply. I still have to pinch myself, I can’t believe it’s happened. It also makes me very elated at times. I’m getting to meet people that I don’t think I ever dreamt I would meet, amazing people.

HeyUGuys: Such as whom?

JW: I’ve met a lot of amazing producers and directors. Meeting Mel Brooks was a high. Being told by all sorts of wonderful people that I admire that they are admirers of mine, it’s lucky it happened to me at this stage because if I’d been any younger it could have turned my head I guess. I’ve been a professional actor for 48 years, and I’ve had a very happy career, I’ve been very contented. I’ve played some wonderful characters and I’ve never been out of work in that time.

I’ve worked mostly in the theatre, I’ve done about a hundred plays and about 15 films, and quite a lot of television, including a couple of series that were written especially for me, although I’ve never done a soap. My British cousins still don’t think I’m a real actor because I’ve never been on Neighbours or Home and Away.

HeyUGuys: Your mother was English wasn’t she?

JW: That’s right, she was what they called a war bride. My dad was in the Air Force, and he won a Distinguished Flying Cross which King George V gave him.  I was a product of that union, so I am half English. The fact that I’m playing Emily Blunt’s mother at the moment is not a stretch for me, I’m playing my mother really.

Animal Kingdom has opened all sorts of doors.  I have won a few awards, including one from the National Board of Review, which Cate Blanchet told me was a prestigious one the night I heard about it. I won several others but not of course the Oscar.

HeyUGuys:  The group of women up for Best Supporting Actress made it a tough year to be in the running; I guessed correctly that it was Melissa Leo’s year to get it.

JW: Yes, it was a tough field. I am desperately in love with Helena Bonham Carter, I think she’s the most adorable creature, so I probably would have voted for her because I’m so crazy about her.  Amy Adams is wonderful too, and the young girl, Hallee (Steinfeld) who was in True Grit.  So it really was enough to be nominated, although I’m not saying I wouldn’t have loved to win.  Once you’re nominated for an Oscar, it gets about every door opened for you, so I’ve got no complaints.

HeyUGuys: The film has a tone that is very much like classic drama; it’s ostensibly a crime story, but really it’s the story of the destruction of a family who happen to be criminals (but might have been royals in another story) and the matriarch who tries to hold it together.  The scene in the lawyer’s office when Smurf manipulates the corrupt drug squad detective into effectively carrying out an execution almost feels Shakespearean. Was this quality of classical tragedy something you were conscious of while making the film?

JW: I think what you’re saying is absolutely accurate, and I think there is a Shakespearean element to it, in her character being her fate.  Smurf is a classic sociopath, who is full of contradictions, and who is multi-layered and deeply complex. I tried not to make a moral judgement about her when we were shooting the film, that’s always a mistake; it’s one of the first lessons you learn in drama school. Even when you’re playing Lady Macbeth, you mustn’t be objectifying her, you’ve got to play her from the inside out.

Now that I’ve seen the film a few times, I really think this woman is a classic sociopath, she’s vile and she’s got no conscience. She’s totally self-obsessed. She loves the thrill of being surrounded by these boys, but it’s not true mother’s love she feels for them, it’s completely egotistical.  I don’t like her at all (laughs).

HeyUGuys: When we first hear Smurf on the phone and then see her when she is collecting her grandson to take him home with her, her complete lack of emotion about the loss of her only daughter is an obvious flag about her character. When we subsequently see how she engages with her sons, the inappropriate kissing and the way she speaks to them as if they are still boys rather then men, it seems that the real story of the estrangement from her daughter is that she didn’t want any competition for their affection and attention.

JW:  Yes, I would agree with that, and also I think the daughter realised that she didn’t want her son to grow up in this dangerous atmosphere. The power this woman wields over these grown men who are violent criminals is very telling and very chilling.  It’s good that you noticed that there’s no emotion when she finds out her daughter is dead as it’s the first clue we get that all is not well in this woman’s emotional make-up.  When we were shooting that, it’s only a voice over on the phone initially when the boy is telling me about his mother, when we first shot it my initial instinct was to gasp and sound upset, but David said ‘no, I don’t want you to sound surprised or upset at all about your daughter being dead’.

HeyUGuys:  When she first sees her grandson, the manner in which she embraces him and speaks to him is not in any way an appropriate response to the gravity of the situation and the weight of the loss the boy has just suffered.

JW:  Yes and now she owns him, he’s one of hers.

HeyUGuys: Before I leave you to the rest of your evening, tell me a bit about this Nick Stoller  movie you’re currently working on, it’s rather a change of pace from a downbeat Australian crime drama to the world of Nick Stoller and Judd Apatow.

JW: It couldn’t be more diametrically opposed, and I think it was a fantastic choice. I had a few things to choose from and my agent said ‘you do a lot of comedy in Australia, and people only know you so far for Animal Kingdom, so you should do this film’, and I’m having the best time.  It’s very funny and very much the sort of stuff that Judd Apatow does with all these crazy young people. Jason Segel is so funny, and Nick Stoller is so sweet, and Emily Blunt is wonderful. We spend much of the time on set laughing!

Animal Kingdom is released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 11^th.

Whether it was a clever move to jump on the Green Lantern bandwagon or a cunning plan to undermine the, toxic as it turns out, critical appraisal of the superhero film Disney’s new trailer for the forthcoming Muppets movie is yet another example that you don’t need to drench a familiar property in CG to get our attention.

Continuing their tradition of aping popular films, and if you haven’t seen the previous trailers click here and here to enjoy, Kermit and Co. take on DC comic’s latest big screen hero and it’s not hard to believe the reports that this trailer is more enjoyable than Martin Campbell’s film. They’ve also gone and done a new poster too. Top darts.

Here’s the trailer and the poster. Bask in the glory of the Muppets why don’t you?

To say that Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) is lacking the necessary skills to be a decent teacher would be an understatement of epic proportions. Prone to staggering into work nursing a debilitating hangover and generally treating all her high school students with the utmost contempt, she’s biding her time before its wedding bells for her and her extremely wealthy fiancé.

Trouble starts when said fiancé is pressured into dumping her by his non-nonsense mother and Halsey is forced to stay on at the school she despises. Pretty soon she spots another potential big win in the form of a new substitute teacher and heir to a big clothing empire, Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake). She discovers however, that Scott is also being pursued by another colleague, the exasperatingly jolly and perpetually breezy Amy Squirrell (Lucy Punch). Halsey decides that perhaps a little surgical enhancement may sway Delacorte’s opinion and she sets off on a mission to raise the funds needed, all to the bemusement of the school’s easy-going gym teacher Russell Gettis (Jason Segel), who finds himself falling for his shallow co-worker (god knows why!).

Bad Teacher comes with a strong comedic pedigree attached. Featuring alumni from the short-lived, much-loved coming-of-age comedy TV series Freaks and Geeks (stars Jason Segal, Dave ‘Gruber’ Allen, composer Michael Andrews and the show’s consulting producer and sometime director, Jake Kasdan) and the writing duo behind the US version of The Office (Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg), the film should be as close to comedic alchemy as you can get. Unfortunately, it never really comes fully alive, and despite the best efforts of co-stars Punch and Segal, the script offers nothing fresh or new in an already tiresome set-up, and is further stymied by a weak central performance from Diaz.

Unlike the similarly-themed and monikered Bad Santa, where Billy Bob Thornton was genuinely repellent and believable as a grade-A curmudgeon, Diaz’s badness feels rather one-dimensional, and just by dropping loads of f-bombs during school hours and insulting member of staff and students doesn’t necessarily make for a humorous time.

Comedic scenarios we’ve seen time and time again are wheeled out once more. A charity car wash within the school grounds which Diaz hijacks to make money for her boob fund is particularly tedious and predictable, even calling to mind a similar scene from the actresses’ past oeuvre, Charlie’s Angels. It’s all provocative poses, soaped up cleavage shots and slow-mo hose action, which may have been acceptable (and indeed funnier) years back, but as Diaz is pushing 40 now, you almost want a character from the film to step out with a towel and drag her away from the sad spectacle she’s making of herself.

The scripts short-comings also have an effect on Timberlake’s character, and although he has an extremely funny fully-clothed romp with Diaz mid-way through, his holier-then-thou and straight-laced do-gooder is yet another comedy trope and the actor struggles to breathe life into this broad caricature.

Segal is his usual laidback and effortlessly funny self, although he isn’t in it long enough and the scenes he shares with Diaz end up highlighting her own comedic shortcomings really. It’s nice to see UK comedienne Lucy Punch making a solid impression in her first big US comedy, and she’s a lot of fun as that recognisable teacher, whose overly enthusiastic day-to-day education of young minds borders on the unhinged. Her whole gee whiz persona and terminally sunny disposition begins to show serious cracks later on in proceedings and many of the films laughs are found here.

There are a handful of genuinely funny moments in the film (Diaz’s complete disregard to the job results in her continuously screening high school-related films to her class while she sleeps off yet another night on the tiles) but they’re few and far between, which is a real shame coming from a team who are working within a field which they are renowned for and of which is their forte.

If Bad Teacher was to receive an end-of-year report from school, it would read – “an all-round disappointing effort and fully capable of achieving better”.

**~~~ (2/5)

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.

Columbia Pictures have released a couple more clips from their new comedy, Bad Teacher which is helmed by Jake Kasdan and stars Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Lucy Punch, Justin Timberlake, Thomas Lennon and Eric Stonestreet.

Synopsis: Some teachers just don’t give an F. For example, there’s Elizabeth (Cameron Diaz). She’s foul-mouthed, ruthless, and inappropriate. She drinks, she gets high, and she can’t wait to marry her meal ticket and get out of her bogus day job. When she’s dumped by her fiancée, she sets her plan in motion to win over a rich, handsome substitute (Justin Timberlake) – competing for his affections with an overly energetic colleague, Amy (Lucy Punch). When Elizabeth also finds herself fighting off the advances of a sarcastic, irreverent gym teacher (Jason Segel), the consequences of her wild and outrageous schemes give her students, her coworkers, and even herself an education like no other.

The movie hits UK cinemas 24th June. If you missed the trailer, you can click here to view.

Source: MSN & Yahoo

Muppets. One word that will unleash torrents of cherished memories of ROFLing like a tickled hyena, and yet the recent film outings of our furry friends haven’t recaptured the heights of the taking of Manhattan or their earlier, fuzzier films.

Arguably not since Michael Caine signed up to A Muppet’s Christmas Carol have the films captured the bright and brilliant anarchy of the very best Muppetry and now with Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller’s new film our hopes are high once more.

Continuing the faux trailer theme so wonderfully played out with Green With Envy this new trailer takes a timely play on The Hangover films and is an absolute joy. It’s the Muppets, you owe it to yourself to watch.

Your Trailer stop is here,