If you don’t know what Friends With Kids is all about, check out this link for all you need to know. Are you back? Okay. The latest comedy featuring all those actors and actresses you’ve seen in loads of other comedies over the past few years will seemingly seek to portray and dissect the current state of play for parents in the US, with the slightly cynical (though for some realistic?) suggestion on this latest poster that you can’t have love, happiness and kids and that one of the three will have to go. Honestly, when did we all get so jaded?

Anyway, this is not a post about parenting, contentment, and having satisfaction in life, it’s a post about a new poster, so let’s talk about that. As you can see below, it’s another one of those “look who is in it” efforts, just without bothering to assemble them all at the same time for the photo-shoot. Just cobble them all together using photo-shop and stick the result up online. It’s clumsy and cheap (something that hopefully won’t be able to be said of the film) and no one seems to want to look anyone else in the eye. They all just look off into the middle distance in a slightly endearing or ambiguous way.

Ho Hum. Not every poster can be a work of art I suppose. IMP have this one.

We got our first look at the upcoming comedy Friends With Kids last summer, which sees Kristen Wiig and Jon Hamm returning to the screen together this year after a very well-received turn opposite each other in Bridesmaids, one of the number of films gearing up for the Oscars next month.

Written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt, who also stars, the film revolves around the lives of a couple who decide to have a kid together without being in a relationship. Along with Wiig, Hamm, and Westfeldt, the film has a great cast that includes Adam Scott, Chris O’Dowd (who was also in Bridesmaids last year, and who is one of the five 2012 Orange BAFTA Rising Star finalists), Maya Rudolph, Edward Burns, and Megan Fox.

Yahoo Movies have put up the first trailer for the film, and it looks like it has potential. It also looks like they’ve not just filled the trailer with all the film’s best and funniest moments, which is definitely a good thing – essentially, we can look forward to more than two and a half minutes of worthwhile viewing when it hits the cinemas.

Friends With Kids will be out in the States on 9th March, but we here in the UK are yet to secure a release date. With a bit of luck, we’ll be getting it in the next few months too. The film marks Westfeldt’s directorial debut, and it looks to be a good one, which could certainly put her in good stead if she wants to continue in the director’s chair. Here’s the first trailer for your viewing pleasure.

Bridesmaids, this summer’s sleeper hit (and welcome respite to the tired and hollow escapades of Carrie Bradshaw and her Haute Couture cronies) comes to DVD and Blu-ray, having simultaneously held its own against the other big-hitters from the season, while helping to launch the careers of a number of small-screen comedic talents.

Starring and co-written by ex-Saturday Night Live member Kristen Wiig (in a breakout performance), she plays Annie, a single gal in her mid-thirties who is struggling with life. Financially she’s suffering (her dream business has gone bust, swallowing up any savings she had) and on the relationship front, her only sexual outlet is a series of cold, no-strings-attached rendezvous with a heartless cad named Ted (a loose and very funny Jon Hamm).

A ray of sunshine comes in the form of childhood best friend Lillian, who announces she is engaged and would love Annie to be her maid of honour. Annie’s plans to give her BBF a bachelorette party she won’t forget prove to be tougher than she envisioned when she runs into competition from Helen (Rose Byrne), the wife of Lillian’s fiancé’s boss and all-round do-gooder, whose own luxurious celebratory schemes differ greatly from Annie’s budget-restricting plans.

Thus begins a series of disastrous get-togethers with the trio and the rest of the bridesmaids (including Melissa McCarthy’s Zach Galafiankis-esque turn as future sister-in-law Megan) where friendships are tested and violent bowel movements are inadvertently triggered.

Co-producer Judd Apatow has once again assembled some serious talent together (it’s his biggest-grossing production yet), and with old collaborator Paul (Freaks and Geeks) Feig at the helm, they’ve fashioned a very funny, sometimes moving tribute to sisterhood which doesn’t skimp on the gross-out quota either (the aforementioned dress fittings session which rapidly descends into a shower of body fluid messiness is just as funny and disturbing on second viewing). The ensemble cast all manage to bring something to the table too, but it’s the fantastic Wiig’s show, and she proves to be a real comedic tour de force, particularly during an ill-fated flight to Las Vegas the ladies embark upon. Her scenes here truly establish her as a major talent, and she’s something of a snarky, coarser version of Diane Keaton.

It’s also nice to see a couple of faces from the land of UK TV in amongst the American cast. Matt Lucas has a small role as Annie’s overbearing flatmate but it’s The IT Crowd’s Chris O’Dowd who is the export that really shines. His winning and extremely likable turn as a sympathetic cop and potential suitor for Annie is a welcome addition to a largely female cast, and he looks completely relaxed and at ease as the romantic interest.

While Bridesmaids hardly rewrites the rules of the genre (it tends to stick pretty close to that tried-and-tested comedic formula) and suffers from the apparent insistence from Apatow that all his films need to run for over two hours, there’s much to like here. The film will undoubtedly find that similar-sized audience who trekked in droves to see it on the big screen and (for the most part), it’s fully deserving of that success.

****~ (4/5)

Extras

There is the option here (seemingly commonplace for all US mainstream comedy films of the last few years) to access an ‘Unrated Version’ of the film alongside the theatrical one.

Feature commentary with director Paul Feig, co-writer Annie Mumolo, and the bridesmaids from the film, minus Rose Byrne (Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper).

Also included is a gag reel, ‘Line-O-Rama’ (verbal gags from the film all played together), three deleted scenes (one involves none other than Paul Rudd as one of Annie’s blind dates), extended and alternate scene, and a horrid in-film commercial for Cholodecki’s (the jewellery store Wiig’s character works at).

Bridesmaids hits DVD and Blu-ray 14th November and to celebrate, Universal Studios have given us three copies of the movie to give away on Blu-ray. The film has a great cast which includes Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper and Chris O’Dowd.

Annie (Kristen Wiig- Paul) finds her life hitting a downward slope after being dumped by her boyfriend and losing her bakery in the recession. In the midst of her life being a bit of a mess, Annie’s best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph- Saturday Night Live) asks her to be her maid of honour. Adamant to plan the best hen do for her friend, Annie soon discovers the job isn’t as easy as she thought, when she is introduced to the meticulous and perfect Helen (Rose Byrne- Get Him to the Greek) and the rest of Lillian’s particularly unique bridesmaids.

After much debate about the perfect hen party, the bridal entourage decides on a trip to Vegas. However, before they can even set foot in Sin City Annie and Helen’s jealousy get the better of them from which point everything goes horribly wrong, resulting in Annie being demoted from her maid of honour title.

Amongst the sequence of unfortunate and embarrassing events Annie develops a love interest with a genuinely good-guy police officer, Nathan Rhoads (Chris O’Dowd- Gulliver’s Travels), who tries to help Annie get her life back on track. But it is only once Annie hits rock bottom that she rids her maudlin attitude and realises that she is surrounded with both romance and friendship.

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

Who Directed the movie, Bridesmaids?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 14th November at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received
• No cash alternative is available

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

Bridesmaids is out on Blu-ray and DVD November 14. © 2011 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Robert De Niro’s name has cropped up in a couple of future titles which will be on sale next week at the American Film Market in Santa Monica, and one (at least) is a potentially interesting project.

He’s down to appear in the next directorial effort from Sean Penn, entitled The Comedian. Co-starring Bridesmaids’ Kristen Wiig, the actor will play an aging TV comedian (whose successful career is on the slide), who meets a feisty female (Wiig) when he’s ordered to do community service following an onstage fracas.

Co-written by producer and long-time pal of De Niro and Penn, Art Linson, it sounds like the actor may need to flex some acting muscle he hasn’t exercised for quite a while, although his second feature may not be quite as challenging.

He’s joining John Travolta in survivalist action picture, Killing Season for director Mark Steven Johnson (Daredevil, Ghost Rider). The story has De Niro’s military veteran battling a twisted Serbian soldier (Travolta) surrounded by an Appalachian mountain backdrop. A dubious choice of director (John McTiernan was originally earmarked to helm this) the film was also intended to reteam Travolta with his Face/Off co-star, Nicolas Cage.

It’s probably safe to say Penn’s offering will pick up the plaudits here, but may have been a different story if long-time AWOL McTiernan was still attached.

Via Deadline and Collider.

Premiering at the 65th Edinburgh International Film Festival in June to – mostly – rapturous applause, Albatross is a coming-of-age comedy-drama centring on verbose, would-be writer Emilia’s incendiary effect on a struggling author, Jonathan (Sebastian Koch), and his respective family, including wife Joa (Julia Ormond) and daughter Beth (Felicity Jones.

Last week, HeyUGuys had the opportunity to speak to the films riotous writer Tamzin Rafn about Albatross’ inspiration, the trials and tribulations letting her script be made into a film, how she felt about Niall MacCormick as a director, her neglected yet brilliantly titled rom-com and her plans for the future.

Here is said interview in its full, unabridged glory.

___________

HeyUGuys: Firstly, what was your inspiration behind Albatross?

Obviously there are pre-conceived ideas and conventions behind the coming-of-age genre. For me, Albatross marked a defiance of those boundaries and represented a new direction. Was it always intentional to push the boundaries and try something new rather than succumbing to generic ideals?

Did you work closely with him/have any say when it came to the final cut?

Who in the film industry do you admire?

Can you name some of your favourite films. Did they have any influence on Albatross?

Do you have any projects currently in the works?

Finally, for those who might not know much about Albatross, could you sum the film up in a snappy sentence for us?

Ambition is in the eye of the beholder.

Thank you very much for your time, Tamzin.

Albatross hits U.K. cinemas on October 14. Click here to read my review.

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

Lionsgate has acquired ensemble comedy Friends with Kids for US distribution.

Written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt, Friends with Kids stars Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm, Megan Fox, Maya Rudolph, Adam Scott, Chris O’Dowd, Edwards Burns, Michael Dean and Westfeldt herself.

Friends with Kids is about a pair of thirtysomething best friends who observe the toll that having kids has taken on the couples they know and resolve to bypass that stress by having a child and then date other people.

The film premiered at the 36th Toronto Film Festival to middling reviews, and is expected to be released in the US later this year.

Source: Deadline

Earlier in the year, the world was treated to the awesome movie that is, Bridesmaids. If you’re a bloke and have been put off by the title of the film or the seemingly girlie subject matter, put all your masculinity aside and go and see it as it’s flippin awesome! Here we have some new images (again from the legends at The Playlist) giving us our first look at their new movie ‘Friends with Kids’ which unites Bridesmaids stars Jon Hamm and Kristen Wiig.

Friends with Kids also stars Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Westfeldt, Megan Fox, Adam Scott and is also directed by Westfeldt.

Synopsis: The project revolves around a pair of thirty something best friends who observe the toll that having kids has taken on the couples they know and resolve to bypass that stress by having a child and then date other people. Adam Scott and Jennifer Westfeldt will play the lead couple; Kristen Wiig and Jon Hamm will play another. Megan Fox will play a girl who Scott begins to date.

Check out the images below which have been released to coincide with the news that the movie will be playing at the Toronto International Film Festival later this year.

Bridesmaids is one of the must see comedy’s of the year, with a all star cast including Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O’Dowd, Matt Lucas, Jon Hamm and many more. I sat down with director Paul Feig and actor Chris O’Dowd to talk about this hit movie and asked them what it was like working with so many women. And gentlemen believe me this movie is as much for us guys as it is for the girls, Hilarious.

We find what it’s like working with some many women on the movie and how O’Dowd ended up playing the character in his native Irish accent rather than putting on an American one as well as when both Feig and O’Dowd hit rock-bottom in their working lives.

Bridesmaids is a fantastic movie and it’s released in UK cinemas today, 22nd June.

Paul, the latest film from Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, is out now on Blu-ray and DVD and we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give you all the chance to win something a little special.

We’ve teamed up with the the good people over at Film@Home for a Beat the Blogger challenge which can see you winning a top of the range Blu-ray player as well as having your review of the Paul Blu-ray posted here on HeyUGuys.

All you need to do is head on over to the Facebook page of Film@Home and post your rating and review of the Paul Blu-ray in their Reviews tab to be in with the chance to win the Player and have that review posted here on the site.

The competition closes at midnight on the 28th of June – good luck!

To see all of our coverage on the film, as well as our review of the Blu-ray click here, then get writing!

Click the Film@Home logo below to get started.

There is a dedicated fanbase who would watch Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play table tennis in the dark if tickets were on sale and in their third big screen outing the duo take on alien encounters in America with the huge affection and expectation Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz engendered.

Superbad director Greg Mottola steps up to direct the pair with an excellent cast alongside them including Jane Lynch, Jason Bateman and Kristen Wiig. It’s very easy to like Paul as Pegg and Frost are clearly having the time of their lives, something the commentary (which features the pair with Mottola, a marvellously dry Bill Hader and an almost completely absent Nira Park) attests to, and while Paul doesn’t have the bite of of Shaun or Hot Fuzz it doesn’t need to. This is Pegg and Frost in a more relaxed mood and subsequently the laughs don’t come as fast or as hard as fans may be used to, but as the film progresses it becomes more of an ensemble comedy with Kristen Wiig and Jason Bateman and, of course, our crude bird-noshing extra terrestrial, Paul.

When Graeme and Clive (Pegg and Frost) begin their journey we are in the realm of Comic-Con and the surrounding nerdvana, throughout this section there’s a lazy sense of complete enjoyment but there’s a story to tell and when they hit the open road they find out quickly that the open road sometimes hits back. Once the rented RV gets going and the earthbound alien appears there opens up a far more interesting avenue for the pair to explore and their script does take a playful swipe at geek culture, in particular the morning after The X-Files, but blind devotion to religion and a Men in Black team giving chase for the run of the film do keep the pace up. Paul himself is a mostly successful blend of some amazing work by Double Negative and Seth Rogen whose voice gives the character the brash, amiable spirit which is necessary to balance out the British duo’s nerdy reticence and it works, for the most part.

Amongst the in-jokes and broad comedy there’s a lot to enjoy, perhaps it’s not what people expected from the pair as it is deliberately broad in its appeal, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz were very grounded in their Englishness this is Americana writ large, with redneck bar fights, gun toting Bible bashers and government conspiracy as far as the eye can see playing out as a view of the country from afar. In many ways it seems to be a love letter to the 90s culture where the geek emerged from their Trek costumes and Galaxy Quest could point out the fun, while The X-Files became the biggest programme on the planet. In any case I had a lot of fun with the film, though subtle it is not and I am happy to stand in the intended audience.

Pegg and Frost retain their on screen marriage with gusto and if you are fans of the pair then you’ll have decided to pick this one up anyway. The special features may well tempt you to part with your money, with a decent commentary from Pegg and Frost who talk about the beginnings of the film, the production and laugh a lot about their time on set. The other extra of note is the evolution of Paul which looks at the creation of the character from initial design through to the shoot (with Joe Lo Truglio on hand to provide the voice) and then through the creation in post production.

Film: ***½~ (3.5/5)

DVD: ***~~ (3/5)

Growing up as a fan of movies in the 80s was not easy. The multitude of multiplexi which populate the towns and villages of this fair isle simply did not exist and getting hold of a VHS of your favourite film (ask your parents) was next to impossible, not least because only the rental shops sold them, and £90 a film was your average jaw-dropper of a price.

Christmas was a genuine event for a film fan, as the four terrestrial channels would spoil us with a Star Wars film, a Bond film and perhaps, on rare occasions, a Hitchcock after midnight. We didn’t have the roaring torrent of film channels available today and to download a film from the internet required a 28.8 kbs modem, a NASA issue super computer and a time machine. You get the idea.

So, when anything film related hit the small screen back then it was an event and I remember some of the Making Of hourlongs which were the only chance to have a few scenes of Star Wars to enjoy over and over. These were not your perfunctory, studio approved feature length adverts which are so prevalent now, these were a proper peep behind the silver screen. Youtube holds many of these now and they’re a decent nostalgia hit as well as retaining their interest.

All of which is to say that this behind the scenes video for the splendid Simon Pegg and Nick Frost sci-fi road trip movie Paul we have for you is well worth watching.

The pair even took time out to record a special introduction for us. Legends.

Paul is out on Blu-ray and DVD on the 13th of June and you can pre-order your copy here.

Here’s your video:
 

I got to see Bridesmaids at SXSW earlier in the year and absolutely loved it (my review here). It was a movie which just went with the flow and had the audience in stitches. Some have compared it to The Hangover for women but it shouldn’t be put in the same box or even close. This movie is simply hilarious and when you watch this featurette that Universal Studios have put out via Funny or Die, you’ll see why.

The featurette just shows how many takes were done on each scene and it must have been a heck of a job for director Paul Feig and his edtiors to bring together the funniest clips as everything you see here is ad-lib genius! Check it out below.

Directed by Paul Feig, Bridesmaids stars Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Jon Hamm, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper, Chris O’Dowd, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Jill Clayburgh and Matt Lucas.

Synopsis: Upon hearing the news that Lillian (Rudolph) has gotten engaged, ecstatic Annie (Wiig) leaps at the chance to plan the perfect wedding. With the big day rapidly approaching, Annie struggles to put her romantic and financial woes aside in order to give her dearest friend a day of memories that will last a lifetime.

Bridesmaids will be released in the UK on June 24.

Please note, this is NOT safe for work!

There’s a lot of anticipation for Paul Feig’s Bridesmaids and in this new Red Band trailer you get a decent feel for the comedy being served up. Kristen Wiig looks on top form and she’s got quite the supporting cast with her with The I.T. Crowd’s Chris O’Dowd making fleeting appearances.

Are people describing this as the female Hangover’? God, I hope not. Anyhoo – Dave went all the way to SXSW to see the film and his review of the movie is right here.

Produced by Judd Apatow, Bridesmaids has Wiig starring alongside Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kempe, Chris O’Dowd, Jon Hamm, Matt Lucas and Jill Clayburgh.

This spring, Universal Pictures and producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) invite you to experience Bridesmaids.  Kristen Wiig leads the cast as Annie, a maid of honor whose life unravels as she leads her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), and a group of colourful bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to matrimony.

Annie’s life is a mess.  But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lillian’s maid of honor.  Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals.  With one chance to get it perfect, she’ll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you’ll go for someone you love.

Remember it’s not safe to be playing full volume at work. I don’t care where you work, click away until you’re at home and safe from moral judgements and latent bigotry.

Here’s the trailer,

Hey, Johnny Myspace? Thanks.

Universal Pictures have released six new character posters for ensemble female comedy Bridesmaids.

Directed by Paul Feig, Bridesmaids stars Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Jon Hamm, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper, Chris O’Dowd, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Jill Clayburgh and Matt Lucas.

Upon hearing the news that Lillian (Rudolph) has gotten engaged, ecstatic Annie (Wiig) leaps at the chance to plan the perfect wedding. With the big day rapidly approaching, Annie struggles to put her romantic and financial woes aside in order to give her dearest friend a day of memories that will last a lifetime.

Bridesmaids will be released in the UK on June 24.

Check out the character posters below courtesy of ComingSoon, MovieFone, MSN, HitFix, Yahoo and SheKnows:

One movie I definitely recommend you catch during the summer is Bridesmaids. I got to see a very early screening of the movie at SXSW and up until the point where I fell down the stairs leaving the cinema (yes, I am a dufus!), I loved it! You can read my review of the movie here.

Bridesmaids is directed by Paul Feig (Knocked Up), and produced by Judd Apatow (Funny People), Bridesmaids stars Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kempe, Chris O’Dowd, Jon Hamm, Matt Lucas and Jill Clayburgh.

This spring, Universal Pictures and producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) invite you to experience Bridesmaids.  Kristen Wiig leads the cast as Annie, a maid of honor whose life unravels as she leads her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), and a group of colourful bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to matrimony.

Annie’s life is a mess.  But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lillian’s maid of honor.  Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals.  With one chance to get it perfect, she’ll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you’ll go for someone you love.

This new trailer gives you a taste of the humour and shows the awesome opening with the amazing Jon Hamm.

Bridesmaids will be released in the US on May 13 and in the UK on June 22nd.

SXSW 2011 played host to the brand new Paul Feig movie, Bridesmaids, a couple of nights ago and this review comes somewhat late after I ended up tripping down the stairs at the Paramount in an attempt to break my ankle but you can read more about that here!

The movie is due for release in the UK on the 24th of June and stars Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne, Jon Hamm, Maya Rudolph, and two people you may recognise from British TV, Chris O’Dowd (The IT Crowd) and Matt Lucas from all things Little Britain. O’Dowd has been appearing in other big US movies recently including Dinner for Schmucks with Paul Rudd and Gulliver’s Travels with Jack Black. He’s probably someone to keep an eye on as his profile rises, something his turn in this movie will no doubt help.

Here’s the synopsis,

This spring, producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Superbad) and director Paul Feig (creator of Freaks and Geeks) invite you to experience Bridesmaids. Kristen Wiig leads the cast as Annie, a maid of honor whose life unravels as she leads her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), and a group of colorful bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to matrimony. Annie’s life is a mess. But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lillian’s maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. With one chance to get it perfect, she’ll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you’ll go for someone you love.

Before I saw the movie I had heard that this was going to be the female version of The Hangover, tapping into a section of the market that we’ve not seen before. I’d say the latter is true but the former most definitely isn’t. This is no Hangover equivalent, this is a very funny and very silly movie where you can go and laugh for the 100 odd minutes that it ran for. We were told that this movie was the ‘work in progress’ version but Feig was on stage to introduce the movie with Kristen Wiig (who was also there for the Paul premiere), told us that it’s just the sound mix which wasn’t complete and what we were seeing was the final version.

I’m not sure that is completely true as there were quite a few times when an extra beat at the end of a scene before cutting to the next would have made me laugh a few more times and it had me wondering if there were a few extra shots which might be added to the movie. Either that or just a split second or two more to pause on the comedy which just happened.

Kristen Wiig is awesome in this movie and is cast perfectly. Her comedy timing and dry humour is perfect and you really want her to succeed in the way she lives life and to overcome all the hurdles which get in her way. Equally, Rose Byrne who plays the unintentional (?) antagonist in the movie, is unlikable yet funny with it and Feig has got the perfect balance between comedy and a really funny dramatic story.

I had a hard time adjusting to O’Dowd as the main love interest in the movie as I just couldn’t see past his roles in the IT Crowd but for a US audience, I don’t think that it will cause too much problem as very few people here (as I write this!) will know who he is. It did seem odd having an Irish policeman in the film but it kind of works! Equally, seeing British fav, Matt Lucas play the role of the landlord (and I can’t confirm it but I think another character in the movie which I won’t spoil) was brilliant. The man can do anything and plays both parts (if he is indeed in two – IMDb only has him listed as one but with no name attached), perfectly.

In this movie there are three scenes which will have you in stitches. I shall give no spoilers other than prepare for the Bridal Dress shop, the flight to a certain party state and the Bridal shower. The audience were all completely creasing up and bear in mind that a lot of these guys are movie critics, it was great to see everyone enjoying such a great comedy, something which these days is a rare thing!

Universal Studios may have tapped into a market which they thought might work well with The Hangover fans out there but this is my no means the same film in female form. It’s a brilliantly funny comedy which possibly could have been a little bit funnier with a few minor adjustments. Saying that, the run time was rather long but I did very much enjoy the movie from start to finish and will be recommending it to all my friends!

****~ (4/5)

It’s great to see Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s new film Paul doing so well at home, hitting the UK number one spot last week.

March the 13th sees the Premiere of Greg Mottola’s film at SXSW in Austin, Texas and it’s a fitting hurrah for a film with its roots steeped in geekery. Artist Tom Whalen has turned out this stunning poster, only a handful of which will be available at the event this month.

We enjoyed Paul and we’re hoping to see it do well across the pond, despite some reservations of the theological scraps which crop up as part of the film, but hell’s balls to that – go, see and enjoy.

Greg Mottola’s sci-fi road trip with our very own Nick Frost and Simon Pegg has already become the number film in the UK and if you’re still undecided then maybe you’ll want to take a moment to enjoy this new trailer, um?

IGN have their collective hands on the Red Band trailer for the movie, which has Seth Rogen voicing the eponymous hero and Jason Bateman and Kristen Wiig along for the ride. Our conversation with the director can be found here, and if you want to know what we thought of the film then you’ll just have to read our review.

Red Band is American for Risque and Rude, so no peeking if you’re working or at school or in earshot of anyone who would disapprove of sexual swear words.

Eyes down trailer freaks,