The first image for Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up sequel, This is 40, has been released this week, showing Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) reprising their roles from the original film to take the lead roles.

The new image, courtesy of feature piece with the L.A. Times this weekend, is a first look at the leading couple and their daughters. The feature also detailed that the film “picks up with the family a few years after ‘Knocked Up’ where Pete’s music label is struggling and Debbie’s vanity business, a dress shop staffed by the comely Desi (Megan Fox) and the awkward Jodi (Charlyne Yi), needs to help cover the household budget.”

“It’s the kind of stuff about marriage that you don’t get to see in movies,” said Mann. “It’s about getting older. What the hell happened? Am I making all the right choices? Is this where I’m supposed to be? Is this it? All of those dreams that you had when you were young, all of the possibilities, when you lock into marriage and kids, do the possibilities dwindle or go away?”

Mann also commented that the film is partly based her and Apatow’s own real-life 14-year marriage. “The good moments are me and Judd,” the actress joked. And the bad moments? “Oh, those are all Paul Rudd and his wife.”

This Is 40 also stars Jason Segel in a brief cameo, Chris O’Dowd, Melissa McCarthy, John Lithgow, Lena Durham, and Annie Mumolo, as well as Albert Brooks joining as Rudd’s father, and is set to be released on 21st December.

(Source: IndieWire)

The Change-Up is released in the UK 23rd January on Blu-ray and DVD and to mark the occasion, we’ve been given three copies of the movie to give away on Blu-ray. The Change-Up stars Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman, Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde and is directed by David Dobkin.

Growing up together, Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) and Dave (Jason Bateman) were inseparable best friends, but as the years have passed they’ve slowly drifted apart. While Dave is an overworked lawyer, husband and father of three, Mitch has remained a single, quasi-employed man-child who has never met a responsibility he liked. To Mitch, Dave has it all: beautiful wife Jamie (Leslie Mann), kids who adore him and a high-paying job at a prestigious law firm. To Dave, living Mitch’s stress-free life without obligation or consequence is a world away from his sensible, settled lifestyle. Following a drunken night out together, Mitch and Dave’s worlds are turned upside down when they wake up in each other’s bodies and proceed to freak out. Despite the freedom from their normal routines and habits, the guys soon discover that each other’s lives are nowhere near as rosy as they once seemed. Further complicating matters are Dave’s sexy legal associate, Sabrina (Olivia Wilde) and Mitch’s estranged father (Alan Arkin). With time not on their side, Mitch and Dave comically struggle to avoid completely destroying each other’s lives before they can find a way to get their old ones back.

To enter the competition, click next to be taken to the question……

MSN ave released a brand new trailer for Laika Entertainment’s ParaNorman and it’s just wonderful.

Sam Fell and Chris Butler are directing and the film stars Kodi Smit-McPhee​, Casey Affleck​, Anna Kendrick​, John Goodman​, Leslie Mann​, Jodelle Ferland​, Christopher Mintz-Plasse​, Bernard Hill​ and Jeff Garlin​.

There’s a small synopsis before the trailer below,

A misunderstood boy (Smit-McPhee) who can speak with the dead, takes on ghosts, zombies and moronic grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse.

Here’s your trailer,

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.

It may still be Hallowe’en in some dark corner of the world but if you’re already missing the spooky season here’s a trailer that will get those bones chilled good and proper.

You can see the lineage of co-director and writer Chris Butler here, with art department work on Coraline and Corpse Bride seemingly inspiring his first feature, co-directed with Sam Fell whose previous work includes The Tales of Despereaux and Flushed Away.

ParaNorman stars Kodi Smit-McPhee, Casey Affleck, Anna Kendrick, John Goodman, Leslie Mann, Jodelle Ferland, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bernard Hill and Jeff Garlin and this new trailer delivers just the right amount of tease.

A misunderstood boy (Smit-McPhee) who can speak with the dead, takes on ghosts, zombies and moronic grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse.

ParaNorman will be released in the US on August 17, 2012.

Yahoo debuted the trailer and if I’m honest, they had me at ‘Coraline’. There’s some excellent character designs here as well as some hints at the nastiness to come. With a solid voice cast and an intriguing visual style this looks like one to watch.

Trailer time,

Back in April the animated comedy Rio hit UK cinemas and is the story about a blue macaw, appropriately called Blu and voiced by Jesse Eisenberg, who is taken from the rainforest by poachers but accidentally marooned in snowy Minnesota and raised by Linda (Leslie Mann) as she grows from small girl to small town bookshop owner. After many years of mutual admiration their cosy life is disrupted when Brazilian bird expert Tulio arrives and persuades Linda to take Blu to Brazil to meet Jewel (Anne Hathaway) as he believes them to be the last female and male blue macaws on earth. As you might expect it doesn’t go to plan and the rest of the film follows the adventures of Blu and Jewel as they battle smugglers, an evil cannibal parrot called Nigel and the twists and turns of both circumstance and adventure in equal measure.

If you haven’t seen the film I can’t do better than to point you to our original review here by Vicki which goes into greater detail about the plot and throws in the odd spoiler or two, and means that I can spare you my attempts to reinvent the wheel.

I missed the film in the cinema when it came out, though my family saw it and loved it, so they were happy to get the chance to see it again which means that I’d say that it does have repeat viewing value unlike some I could mention. In a crowded market of computerised animal animations it’s bound to draw comparisons with Madagascar but it really does create its own space, reminding me in parts of Disney classics, such as 101 Dalmatians with its bumbling baddies, plus more recent films such as Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs for its geeky heroes. Nigel the evil parrot is definitely a star turn as the evil bird cooperating with the poachers and a source of perfectly voiced malevolence.

To whet your appetite we’ve been given an exclusive clip for you to enjoy

Now the chances are that you’ll be getting the DVD because you saw the film when it originally came out though if you missed it the first time around like me then I’d really recommend it.

As is customary with these things the DVD does have a selection of extras

• Deleted scene – Fruit Stand
• Taio Cruz- Telling The World music video….
• Bring The Party – UK families videoed dancing with the Rio birds

The final points to make are that you get the code for a free copy of the Angry Birds Rio game with it and that it also includes a digital copy to enjoy on your  iPhone, iPad or tablet.

Rio is available on DVD and Blu-ray in shops now or available to rent on LOVEFiLM

@ColinHartUK

Focus Features have released a brand new teaser poster for Laika Entertainment’s ParaNorman.

Directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, ParaNorman stars Kodi Smit-McPhee, Casey Affleck, Anna Kendrick, John Goodman, Leslie Mann, Jodelle Ferland, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bernard Hill and Jeff Garlin.

A misunderstood boy (Smit-McPhee) who can speak with the dead, takes on ghosts, zombies and moronic grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse.

ParaNorman will be released in the US on August 17, 2012.

Check out the poster below:

Source: Yahoo!

To celebrate the release of The Change-Up, Hey U Guys and Universal Pictures UK are giving one lucky reader the chance to win a signed poster and a goody bag, with 4 runners up receiving a goody bag each.

Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman star in The Change-Up, from director David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers), writers Jon Lucas & Scott Moore (The Hangover) and producer Neal Moritz (Fast & Furious, Click).  The R-rated comedy takes the traditional body-switching movie, ties it up tightly and throws it off a cliff.

Growing up together, Mitch (Reynolds) and Dave (Bateman) were inseparable best friends, but as the years have passed they’ve slowly drifted apart.  While Dave is an overworked lawyer, husband and father of three, Mitch has remained a single, quasi-employed man-child who has never met a responsibility he liked.  To Mitch, Dave has it all: beautiful wife Jamie (Leslie Mann), kids who adore him and a high-paying job at a prestigious law firm.  To Dave, living Mitch’s stress free life without obligation or consequence would be a dream come true.

Following a drunken night out together, Mitch and Dave’s worlds are turned upside down when they wake up in each other’s bodies and proceed to freak the &*#@ out.

Despite the freedom from their normal routines and habits, the guys soon discover that each other’s lives are nowhere near as rosy as they once seemed.  Further complicating matters are Dave’s sexy legal associate, Sabrina (Olivia Wilde), and Mitch’s estranged father (Alan Arkin).  With time not on their side, Mitch and Dave comically struggle to avoid completely destroying each other’s lives before they can find a way to get their old ones back.

The Change-Up is out Friday September 16th and stars Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Olivia Wilde and Leslie Mann.

To be in with a chance of winning this awesome prize, simply answer this question using the form below,

What’s the name of Ryan Reynolds’ character?
•    Dave
•    Mitch
•    Michael

(You could also win a VIP screening for you and your friends on the film’s Facebook Page right here!)

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 20th September 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 and below. Good Luck!

 Terms and conditions
• The winners will be drawn at random from all the correct entries, and only they will be contacted personally. Prize must be taken as stated and cannot be deferred. There will be no cash alternatives.
• Universal Pictures UK and HeyUguys.com do not accept any responsibility for late or lost entries due to the Internet or email problems. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt. Entrants must supply full details as required on the competition page, and comply with all rules to be eligible for the prizes.
• No responsibility is accepted for ineligible entries or entries made fraudulently.
• Unless otherwise stated, the Competition is open to all GB residents of 15 years and over, except employees of: (a) the Company; and (b) any third party appointed by the Company to organise and/or manage the Competition; and (c) the Competition sponsor(s).
• This competition is a game promoted by HeyUGuys. HeyUGuys’s decision is final in every situation and no correspondence will be entered into. HeyUGuys reserves the right to cancel the competition at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion, and if circumstances arise outside of its control.
• Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these rules and to agree to be bound by them when entering this competition. These rules are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
• Prizes unclaimed after 28 days will be deemed to have been forfeited and HeyUGuys reserves the right to either offer the prize to the entrant whose name is next drawn at random or to re-offer the prize in any future competition.

In a bid to share the entire movie with us, Universal Pictures have released another red band trailer and five new clips for their new movie, The Change Up which stars Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman. Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde and Mircea Monroe.

The Change-Up is directed by David Dobkin who has previously brought us the likes of of Shanghai Knights and Wedding Crashers.

Synopsis: Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) and Dave (Jason Bateman) star as best friends who grow apart as their lives take different paths. Mitch lives the carefree life of a bachelor, while Dave is a successful lawyer, husband and father. When the two simultaneously wish to swap lives, things get a little … complicated. What’s that saying … be careful what you wish for?

It’s scheduled for released in the UK 16th September.

Check out the new clips and red band trailer (please note it’s red band for a reason) below.

Source: Hollywood.com

We’ve had the red band trailer (which is well worth a watch) and now this week, Yahoo released the brand new green-band trailer for the movie which stars Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds called, The Change-Up.

The Change-Up is directed by David Dobkin who has previously brought us the likes of of Shanghai Knights and Wedding Crashers. The movie also stars Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde, Mircea Monroe and is released in the US August 5th and as yet we don’t have a date for the UK but we’ll keep you posted.

Synopsis: Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) and Dave (Jason Bateman) star as best friends who grow apart as their lives take different paths. Mitch lives the carefree life of a bachelor, while Dave is a successful lawyer, husband and father. When the two simultaneously wish to swap lives, things get a little … complicated. What’s that saying … be careful what you wish for?

It’s scheduled for released in the UK 26th August.

MTV have released a nice new batch of images of upcoming movies this summer and we’ll show you each one in a series of posts over the next few days.

Title: The Change-Up

Director: David Dobkin

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman, Olivia Wilde, Leslie Mann, TJ Hassan, Cooper Gore

Synopsis: Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) and Dave (Jason Bateman) star as best friends who grow apart as their lives take different paths. Mitch lives the carefree life of a bachelor, while Dave is a successful lawyer, husband and father. When the two simultaneously wish to swap lives, things get a little … complicated. What’s that saying … be careful what you wish for?

UK Release date: 5th August

Trailer: Click here to view (Red Band)

Universal Pictures have released the first poster and trailer for their new movie starring Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds called, The Change-Up. As you’ll see in the description, this is the red band trailer and is NSFW!

The Change-Up is directed by David Dobkin who has previously brought us the likes of of Shanghai Knights and Wedding Crashers. The movie also stars Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde, Mircea Monroe and is released in the US August 5th and as yet we don’t have a date for the UK but we’ll keep you posted.

Synopsis: Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) and Dave (Jason Bateman) star as best friends who grow apart as their lives take different paths. Mitch lives the carefree life of a bachelor, while Dave is a successful lawyer, husband and father. When the two simultaneously wish to swap lives, things get a little … complicated. What’s that saying … be careful what you wish for?

Source: MovieFone

To celebrate the release of 20^th Century Fox’s new animation Rio, we’ve got some fantastic goody bags stacked with film related merchandise to give away!

RIO is a 3D motion picture event from Blue Sky Studios, the makers of the “Ice Age” films and one of the most successful producers of animated feature films in the world.  The comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota for the exotic wonders of Rio de Janeiro.  But Blu’s new life and adventures in Rio are complicated by the fact that he can’t fly. Lucky for Blu, his new menagerie of friends are ready to help him find his inner-hero – and teach him what it really means to soar.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply become a fan of HeyUGuys on Facebook and then answer the following question using the form below:

Who provides the voice for Rio’s flightless protagonist ‘Blu’?

1. Jesse Eisenberg
2. Will Smith
3. Owen Wilson

For more information on Rio visit the Facebook page.

COMPETTION NOW CLOSED

T&C’s

• The competition will close Friday 15th April at 23:59 GMT
• Open to UK participants only
• There are five goody bags for 5 individually picked winners
• In the unlikely event the prize style has discontinued a similar model to the same value will be provided
• There is no cash or other alternative to the prize stated and the prize is not transferable and no part or parts of the prize may be substituted for other benefits, items or additions
• Winners will be picked at random and contacted by the site. The prize will be delivered to the winner within 28 days of confirmation of delivery address
• The Editor’s decision is final and binding on the entrants. No correspondence will be entered into

Rio is the story of Blu (Jesse Eisenberg), a Blue Macaw, who was kidnapped as a baby. But when the truck carrying his cage crashed in Minnesota, Blu escaped and was taken in by a little girl named Linda (Leslie Mann). A long montage later spanning 20 years or so sees both Blu and Linda grown up and settled into a sort of Wallace and Gromit morning routine of making breakfast and preparing the book shop for opening hours. However bird expert Tulio (Rodrigo Sanoro) arrives in small town Minnesota and convinces Linda to bring Blu to Rio de Janeiro to ensure the continuation of their species, an exciting a dangerous journey begins.

Having become a domesticated bird that cannot fly living in one of the coldest states in America, Blu is fascinated by Rio on first arrival, safely in the comfort of his cage. Then he meets Jewel (Anne Hathaway), a beautiful but fiery female Blue Macaw. Unfortunately they don’t hit it off right away. In fact, she tries to suffocate him the first time they meet. But when Linda and Tulio leave the two birds alone to ‘get to know each other better’ a cannibalistic bird (he eats chicken!) named Nigel kidnaps Blu and Jewel with the help of a young boy and takes them to exotic bird smugglers.

Blu and Jewel manage to escape in time but then begins the journey of escaping Nigel and the smugglers while trying to reunite Blu and Linda. All while being chained together and unable to fly.

A lot of people have commented that Rio looks a bit like Madagascar, but I’m pleased to report that it’s not the case. I know there are many Madagascar fans out there, but I’m not one of them. Yes, there are the obligatory dance numbers (from about three seconds in) but with Jamie Foxx and Will i Am adding their voices and Hathaway’s contribution the vocals are significantly better than expected in most kids films.

Jesse Eisenberg, while not yet managing to branch out of his stereotype, is a perfect fit as the voice of Blu – his lack of confidence, uncertainty, dislike of the unfamiliar – all fits in with the persona of Eisenberg. I have to admit I didn’t recognise Hathaway as Jewel until after the film, but she was charming as always and loaned her spectacular vocals to some of the songs. There are some fantastic one liners, “I’m not an ostrich!” and some amusing incidents with a motorcycle that will ensure that adults enjoy the film as well as the kids.

Rio isn’t faultless however. It falls many times into the usual pitfalls associated with this genre. Nigel was a good ‘baddie’ although I kept thinking of Scar from the Lion King every time he came on screen, some of the songs were…definitely not as good as others, and I’m still not convinced that *every* kids film needs to be in 3D.

However Rio is better than expected with some wonderful characters, an exciting and beautiful world of Rio de Janeiro, exotic birds and creatures, and some great musical numbers. The kids will love it, and you’ll likely find some good laughs along the way.

***½~ (3.5/5)

In January we reported on the news that current Hollywood man-one comedy hit factory Judd Apatow was revisiting a couple of characters from Knocked Up for a sequel of sorts.

Now The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Megan Fox is in talks to join both Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann (who are reprising their roles of husband and wife from Apatow’s 2007 hit) for a new story involving the couple.

For the moment, Fox’s role is being kept under wraps, but don’t be surprised if she features as some kind of sexy young thing who offers a slice of fantasy escapism of sorts for Rudd’s older, repressed family man.

Here’s a nice new International Poster for new animated movie, Rio.

Rio features voices from Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, will.i.am, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, Leslie Mann, Jermanine Clement, Rodrigo Santoro and is directed by Carlos Saldanha (Ice Age: The Meltdown, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs) and produced by Chris Jenkins (Surf’s Up) and Bruce Anderson (Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!).

It’ll be hitting shores in the UK 8th April.

It’s Friday afternoon here in the UK and while we spin on the cusp of the weekend let’s set the tone with a new trailer for Rio, the latest 3D CG animation from the Ice Age people.

Carlos Saldanha is the director and given his previous work on Ice Age: The Meltdown and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs the man knows his cutesy anthropomorphic onions – expect lots of slapstick and pop culture humour. It’s got a grand cast though, and features voices from Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, will.i.am, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, Leslie Mann, Jermanine Clement, and  Rodrigo Santoro. Blimey.

You want a synopsis? Sure thing,

Set in the magnificent city of Rio de Janeiro and the lush rainforest of Brazil, the comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who thinks he is the last of his kind. When Blu discovers there’s another – and that she’s a she – he leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota and heads to Rio. But it’s far from love at first sight between the domesticated and flight-challenged Blu and the fiercely independent, high-flying female, Jewel. Unexpectedly thrown together, they embark on an adventure of a lifetime, where they learn about friendship, love, courage, and being open to life’s many wonders. RIO brings together a menagerie of vivid characters, a heart-warming story, colorful backdrops, energizing Latin and contemporary music, and family-friendly song and dance.

Trailer ahoy,

Yet another TV spot from the 2011 Superbowl is for new animated movie, Rio.

Rio features voices from Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, will.i.am, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, Leslie Mann, Jermanine Clement, Rodrigo Santoro and is directed by Carlos Saldanha (Ice Age: The Meltdown, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs) and produced by Chris Jenkins (Surf’s Up) and Bruce Anderson (Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!).

It’ll be hitting shores in the UK 8th April.

Watch the Super Bowl TV spot below and watch all TV spots and trailer from the evening here.

To coincide with the release of new movie, Rio and a special edition of Angry Bords ‘RIO’, Twentieth Century Fox and Rovio have released this new trailer which shows what happens when Angry Birds are shipped to Brazil!

If you missed the first two minutes of Rio which came out over the weekend, you can watch it here. Both myself and my wife ended up singing the song from it for most of Saturday!

Rio features voices from Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, will.i.am, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, Leslie Mann, Jermanine Clement, Rodrigo Santoro and is directed by Carlos Saldanha (Ice Age: The Meltdown, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs) and produced by Chris Jenkins (Surf’s Up) and Bruce Anderson (Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!).

It’ll be hitting shores in the UK 8th April.

If you can’t wait to see the brand new 20th Century Fox animated movie, Rio, then you’re going to love this post as MSN have been given the very first to minutes of the movie to share with the world.

This opening two minutes looks extremely fun, vibrant and well made. If the opening sequence gives us anything to do on, I think we could be in for a treat! I wasn’t too excited about this movie before seeing this but now it looks great!

Rio features voices from Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, will.i.am, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, Leslie Mann, Jermanine Clement, Rodrigo Santoro and is directed by Carlos Saldanha (Ice Age: The Meltdown, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs) and produced by Chris Jenkins (Surf’s Up) and Bruce Anderson (Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!).

It’ll be hitting shores in the UK 8th April.