Judd Apatow’s ‘This Is 40’ Has A New Trailer, Fills Me With Existential Dread

Judd Apatow is one of those strange curiosities in the filmmaking industry. He made his name blending bro-humor, stoner comedy and genuine emotional earnestness with the 1-2 knockout punch of 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, and has since put himself on the map as the go to guy for a successful mainstream comedy. Then as his career continued, he started putting in more of the earnest emotional stuff back into his work, which isn’t anything new for him at all. Longtime Apatow fans will be familiar with his TV projects, Freaks And Geeks being the most notable for being a perfect encapsulation of a generation’s awkward teen years, that had a timeless relatability to it despite being set in the 80’s.

2013’s “End of the World” Set Pictures

“This Is 40” Has A Trailer…And It’s Awesome

We all knew it was going to happen, and now that it has, I couldn’t be more grateful. Pete and Debbie, the wonderfully bitter couple from 2007’s Knocked Up finally have their own movie. All I can say is it’s about damn time, Judd! This hilarious preview only solidifies my anticipation and gives me even more of a reason to be excited for the actual movie.

‘Muppets’ Sequel in the Works, Segel Not Writing

A sequel to the November hit musical, The Muppets, is moving into development after an announcement from Walt Disney confirmed the film. Director James Bobin and screenwriter Nicholas Stoller will be returning, but it seems as if Jason Segel won’t be returning for another round of writing for the sequel. This isn’t to say that he still won’t co-star, but he cites his commitments to “How I Met Your Mother”, as well as other projects he’s working on, as the reason he’s not returning as writer.

Now, Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel have been collaborators for quite a long time. Stoller directed Segel’s screenplay for Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and then took over as writer and director for the spin-off, Get Him To The Greek. Both of those films are absolutely hilarious, so I have no fear that The Muppets sequel won’t be great. My hope is that Segel will return to star in the sequel, and that Bret McKinzie will also return as composer. I mean, the guy won an Oscar for “Man or Muppet”, he probably has a pretty good incentive to come back, right?

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Images: Disney, The Muppets

Movie Trailer Roundup: Wrath of the Titans, The Dictator, Lock-Out and MORE!

Wrath of the Titans

Perseus embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, who has been targeted for capture by his traitorous son, Ares, and his brother, Hades.

Stars: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Bill Nighy, Rosamund Pike, Edgar Ramirez, Danny Huston

Release Date: March 30th, 2012

Grizzly Review: The Muppets

Reminiscing is a lot of fun. No, really, it is. Everyone loves sitting around, talking about the good ol’ days with his or her family. Granted a lot of them eat their feelings later, but hey! That’s definitely not the point I’m trying to make here. My point is, everyone’s up for a good amount of nostalgia. You don’t need to be looking all deep into the specifics of it, just agree with me and move on.

Nostalgia takes some not-so-human form in Jason Segel’s reboot of The Muppets. Bringing back all of the familiar faces that we know and love, The Muppets succeeds on so many levels that it’s hard to count them all, but I will try. First off, the writing and jokes are absolutely wonderful. 2011 has been a great year for good-hearted family comedies, and The Muppets is no exception. It appeals to both fans of the original show (AKA Parents) and the knee-knockers who don’t know what the hell a Muppet is (AKA their Children). The perfect blend of wit and slapstick pretty much guarantees an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Puppet animation has come a long way since the 1979 The Muppet Movie, and it definitely reveals itself in the form of legs.

That’s right, folks. The Muppets now have legs that come in handy (no pun intended) during the equally elaborate and hilarious dance sequences that take place in various parts of the film. The songs are catchy, the lyrics are ingenious, and the result is a musical that even musical haters such as myself will enjoy.

The plot is familiar; the Muppets need to put on a telethon to save the Muppet Theater. It’s something we’ve seen before, but I think it’s the only plot that would’ve worked. It brings back memories to older viewers regarding similar scenarios, but is also simple and enjoyable enough for the young ones. More importantly, the Muppets themselves are brought to life by fantastic voice acting and even better puppeteers. You really connected with the characters on a whole new plateau. In this case, the Muppets seemed more human than the actual humans.

And who can forget the cameos! There’s an insane amount of star cameos in this movie. More than I’d even care to name. It really does keep you on your toes the entire time, seeing who just might pop up next.

Everything in The Muppets is near flawless, and it really is a welcome return for the lovable puppets. Also, I got to hear Chris Cooper rap. This is something I never thought I’d see. I think I can now die peacefully.

4.5/5 Bears