Netflix has released the first trailer for their latest documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention Of Tony Clifton (quite the title). Chris Smith’s fascinating exploration into Jim Carrey’s time spent portraying famed and complicated comedian Andy Kaufman.
Tag Archives: Jim Carrey
Terminator and Dumb and Dumber Sequels Are in The Pipe Line But Do We Actually Want Them?
It has been sequel crazy lately with two movies in particular popping up as interesting choices. The one most people will be frothing at the mouth in anticipation for is the Terminator movie that could be in the works. Over at The Wrap they reported that Paramount is trying to get the distribution rights to the franchise. The Terminator trademark is owned by Megan and David Ellison who paid a whopping 20 million to buy it way back in 2011 and have been trying to get Terminator 5 up and running ever since. If you are unfamiliar with these two, they have worked on such projects as Zero Dark Thirty, Star Trek and Mission Impossible. The news that Paramount is showing an interest could mean things are finally coming together.
Then, this news came online from The Arnold Fans about The Terminator himself Arnold Schwarzenegger becoming involved in the movie. Not just involved either, he thinks he will be back to play the role he made famous. In an interview with the website he was quoted as saying:
[quote]“I’m very happy that the studios want me to be in Terminator 5 and to star AS the Terminator, which we start shooting in January and I’m also going to do King Conan – to play that role and also to do another Twins movie. So I feel very proud of that. I feel very happy and I’m looking forward to doing those films.”[/quote]
He seems quite sure of himself that Terminator 5 will have him in the hot seat again (as well as Twins 2 but let’s not get started on that right now). The main problem is that the Ellison’s are on a time frame. The rights switch back to James Cameron in 2019 and though that seems far away now, with casting, production, and advertising seemingly not done yet they really need to pull their fingers out if they want to make a movie before the rights expire.
Then in what can only be described as a shrug your shoulders in dismay news, rumours have surfaced again (via Collider) that the Dumb and Dumber, titled Dumb and Dumber To (no, really that’s how it’s spelled) sequel could still be on as the Farrely brothers search for a new home for their sequel to the hit 1994 comedy. Warner Brothers have passed on it and it seems that Red Granite (Horns) are possibly going to take it on board with them getting the foreign distribution rights. They only have a few movies under their belt though and it makes you wonder if they will have the finance to pull this off. Not much else is known at this stage other than the film will have both Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reprising their roles and the plot involves a search for Harry’s daughter so they can help with a kidney transplant.
The question that keeps coming up again and again in my mind is “Who Cares?” The Farrelly Brothers have had a bad run of it recently with most of their films getting worse and worse. With films and TV becoming more and more extreme, it seems their cheeky blend of gross out and childish humour is not really needed anymore. It was almost 20 years since Dumb and Dumber was released and with the prequel completely missing the point and entertaining no one I just wonder if there is still an audience for this movie. If there is it has to be a pretty big one to get the Farrelly’s back on top. The original is a fun film and I would rather it stay that way than possibly ruin it with an unnecessary re-launch.
Then we move to Terminator 5 which will have an audience already built in for it. Will fans flock back in their droves to see this new installment even if Arnie is back? Well if we look at the gross from these films I think we get our answer.
Terminator Salvation = $371 million worldwide
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines = $433 million worldwide
Terminator 2: Judgment Day = $519 million worldwide
It is still making money but it is suffering from the classic case of diminishing returns. They have already tried to go the reboot / prequel route with Salvation and with Christian Bale and a CGI Arnie it still did less than Terminator 3 did. Unfortunately Arnie is not the main draw he once was with The Last Stand under performing at the box office, will his role in this be enough for movie goers to pay out their hard earned cash? And how the heck are they going to make him look like his earlier counterpart because Arnie is showing his age now, he is not the young killer we once saw destroying a police station. Unless this is done on the cheap, I do not see it making back its money. Whether I am right or wrong or whether these films even get made is unclear at the moment, but stay tuned to Grizzly Bomb for more updates as they arrive.
Is Andy Kaufman Alive? New Album Coming Out…
Before anyone thinks I’m a loon, I don’t really believe Andy Kaufman is alive. However, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be impressed and rather pleased if he was. I suppose before I go any further, I should make sure everyone knows who Andy Kaufman is. I know, I know, it seems ridiculous to assume there are people who don’t know of Kaufman, but stranger things have happened.
Andy Kaufman was (is?) a stand up comedian. I take that back, Kaufman actually would often say that he was not a comic because he didn’t tell jokes, but rather let’s call him a “performance artist”. He was also an actor appearing on SNL and Taxi as well as a pair of specials airing on ABC and PBS. Lending to his protests that he was not a stand-up comedian, his act was composed mainly of characters he had developed. Perhaps the most famous was Foreign Man and his SNL appearance lip synching to Mighty Mouse is on the Way.
Kaufman’s act was one that quite possibly no one else could pull off, ever. He often would spend the majority of his time just looking nervously at the audience or asking them why they were laughing at him. He was able to pull off a “darker alter ego” light years better than Garth Brooks ever did, so much so that some people never picked up that Tony Clifton was indeed Kaufman.
There was so much more to the legend that is Andy Kaufman including his supposed desire to fake his own death, so it isn’t hard to see why people would want to believe that he is still alive. Kaufman died on May 16th, 1984 of kidney failure. He’d been diagnosed with lung cancer earlier in the year and people just assumed it was another of his bits but no, he really did have lung cancer and he really did die. However, there are still a large number of people who believe Kaufman is alive and well and now think perhaps living in New Mexico.
Could that be Andy Kaufman? Sure, why not? Is it more likely that it’s just some man living in New Mexico and has no idea that people are following him around filming him thinking he’s Andy Kaufman? A much more likely situation. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love for Kaufman to show up on The Tonight Show one night laughing at all of us for falling for the gag but some things are just too awesome to be true. No, it seems as if it is only his legacy that is still alive, and with any luck, will remain so for decades to come.
Thankfully there are those out there who are actively making sure that Kaufman’s work is remembered. On July 16th, record label Drag City will release an album called “Andy and His Grandmother“. According to Drag City, Kaufman was fond of carrying around a tape recorder and the album will consist of clips from the 82 hours of recording that they have.
[quote]Andy and His Grandmother is material never heard before, a skimming from 82 hours of micro-cassette tapes that Andy recorded during 1977-79. Real life was the ultimate frontier for him, and these tapes demonstrate the heart of Andy‘s comedy: with gusto, he involves those closest to him, as well as total strangers, in put-ons, falsehoods and other provocations, pushing the limit on logic and emotional investment in everyday situations from the trivial to the deeply personal until any suspension of disbelief is out of the question for all involved, and everyone becomes fully immersed in whatever scenario Andy is suggesting as the new reality. — Drag City [/quote]
Produced by Vernon Chatman, narrated by SNL alum Bill Hader, and with liner notes provided by long time Kaufman friend and colleague, Bob Zmuda, “Andy and His Grandmother” is certainly something to look forward to for all comedy fans. Christmas/Hanukkah/whatever in July anyone?
Kick-Ass 2: New Trailers and Movie Posters Galore!
In 2010, the Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. comic book story of a high school guy who decides one day to become a superhero was brought to the big screen in Kick-Ass. Now the gang is back and ready to fight crime and well, kick ass yet again!
Chloe Moretz is reprising her role as Hit-Girl, the bad-ass little high school girl who fights crime in costume beside Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) himself. This time around, a group of regular citizens have been inspired to follow her lead, and don costumes, and fight crime through the city as well. Aaron and Chloe will star alongside such names as Jim Carrey, John Leguizamo, Donald Faison, Clark Duke, Lyndsy Fonseca, and of course Christopher Mintz-Plasse, formerly Red Mist, as The Mother F***er; the villain who the citizens must band together to defeat. [Ed. Note – Let me just say, I’m very pleased to find out that Lyndsy Fonseca is returning. She is awesome on Nikita, plus – well you know. The acting and all that…
see. Acting.]
Comic creators – the aforementioned Millar and Romita Jr. will also be making a costumed appearance…
Now – on to the goods…
First one is the ‘Official Red Band Trailer’, it gives us a pretty good look Jim Carrey and some of the other newcomers…
The second one here is a character trailer for Hit Girl, who sort of stole the spotlight in the first movie…
Finally, we have a whole slew of movie posters and stills. Most of the character posters come courtesy of CINE 1, as their watermarks will clearly indicate…
Kick-Ass 2 will be hitting theaters on August 16th of this year!
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone: New Trailer is Incredible…
Cinema Blend recently posted up the latest trailer for the new magician comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. Now to my knowledge there is a lack of magician based comedies at the moment. In fact the only one that comes to mind is the UK movie Magicians starring UK TV funny men Mitchell and Webb. Though I enjoyed it let’s just say it did not set the cinematic world on fire. So I was interested to see how this comedy would fare. Here is the trailer so you can decide for yourselves what you think, but before that read this synopsis also from Cinema Blend to give you a better idea of what this flick is all about.
[box_light]Superstar magicians Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) have ruled the Las Vegas strip for years, raking in millions with illusions as big as Burt’s growing ego. But lately the duo’s greatest deception is their public friendship, while secretly they’ve grown to loathe each other. Facing cutthroat competition from guerilla street magician Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), whose cult following surges with each outrageous stunt, even their show looks stale. But there’s still a chance Burt and Anton can save the act—both onstage and off—if Burt can get back in touch with what made him love magic in the first place. [/box_light]
The magic world is ready for a good parody and this film looks like it is on the right lines. I love the old versus new theme that is prevalent here. Steve Carell is superbly cast as the out-of-place magician (and he looks hilarious) and it’s great to see Steve Buscemi back in comedy again as his partner. I loved the David Blaine joke they popped into this movie and I am hoping to see a lot more of these kinds of gags throughout this film.
Carell is great at playing these underdog characters and this role seems to fit him like a glove. I also like the fact he seems a little cocky in this movie and has more of an edge than the normal misfits he plays. The film has such an amazing cast with Jim Carrey portraying of a new breed magician (a lot of Chris Angel influence is seen here). But it is not just these fine actors. We also get to see Olivia Wilde, James Gandolfini, Brad Garrett, Jay Mohr, Alan Arkin and Gillian Jacobs!
Hero Express: Thanos Confirmed, Max Landis on Vigilant, & Thor 2 & Kick-Ass 2 Set Photos
Welcome back to the Hero Express, your one-stop sometimes SPOILER filled shop through the top five stories in comic based Film & TV news!
Chris Hemsworth & Jaimie Alexander on set of Thor 2: The Dark World!
When I first heard that Alan Taylor (Game Of Thrones, Rome) was going to direct Thor: The Dark World I like many others were hoping that he would add some of the realism of his previous work to the project. The images below do not disappoint, and coincides with Alan Taylor’s previous thoughts on a “more tangible” and “more organic feel” for Asgard. These set pics certainly show a part of the grand scale he is going for.
There are a lot more images in the slideshow at the bottom of the page.. We also have the official plot description for Thor: The Dark World:
Exploring Thor’s relationship with the Asgardian all-father Odin, as well earthbound companion Jane Foster, “Thor: The Dark World” follows the God of Thunder to The Nine Realms beyond Asgard and earth. And as his evil half-brother, Loki, returns for Asgardian justice, a new threat rises. Also rejoining Thor are his fellow Asgardians, Lady Sif, gatekeeper Heimdall and Warriors Three, as they encounter mythical Norse creatures among evildoers.
“Thor: The Dark World” stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Jaimie Alexander, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano, Stellan Skarsgard, Ray Stevenson, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Rene Russo, with Alice Krige & Kat Dennings. And Alan Taylor (“Game of Thrones”) takes over directorial duties from Kenneth Branagh, who helmed the first “Thor” film. From a screenplay by Don Payne and Robert Rodat, “Thor: The Dark World” is set for release on November 8, 2013.
Images and Plot via [Slash Film & Uproxx]
We also managed to find this video showing some more images and suggest some theories as to what they might represent.
Video via [IGN]
Drew Goddard Wants a Marvel Movie… But Who Doesn’t?
The Cabin in the Woods director has recently shown interest in directing a Marvel film if the opportunity arises. This isn’t necessarily the most shocking news because I and every other nerd around would kill for that opportunity. But considering some of his powerful friends (Damon Lindelof, J.J. Abrams, Spielberg, Joss Whedon) and the success of this years The Cabin in the Woods, his interest in a Marvel film could very easily turn into something serious.
These are his words at an interview with ShockTillYouDrop:
“What Marvel character would I not love to get on? That’s an easier question to answer. I would love any of it and I love Marvel, Joss and what they’re doing. It’s all about finding the right fit. Directing…in order to do your job right, you have to find ways to make it personal, and if we can find the right fit, then I would love to do it.”
Thanos Confirmed For Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers 2
Filming on Iron Man 3 is underway and coming out next year, production on Thor: The Dark World has started filming in England as we just told you, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier is set to start production next March. That will mean Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers 2 will be the final two films of the Phase Two line-up. Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man should be able to come to production next year …hopefully.
This ugly mug above from what we can gather will be in both The Avengers 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy. Whether that is a small cameo or the main villain is yet to be revealed. My theory at this point is that Thanos will be a small cameo in GotG where we get a first taste of Marvel’s space opera which has been talked about in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before, but I think the main villain will be someone else. The Avengers 2 will probably have the big scary Thanos as a threat to be dealt with by Earths Mightiest Heroes. Just my theory as to what direction they will be taking the Phase Two and where Thanos will play into that.
Feige has all but said Thanos is in the movie.
Now we learn that not only will the Mad Titan Thanos be featured in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie — but The Avengers 2 as well.
We previously reported that Thanos creator Jim Starlin was in talks with Marvel about “something,” with it theorized that it was over the rights to Thanos.
Now, a Cosmic Book News regular, Armand Rock, has confirmed through Jim Starlin that Thanos will be in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie and The Avengers 2.
via [Cosmic Book News]
Max Landis Brings Vigilant to Fox
You know Max Landis, the Chronicle writer and son of the great John Landis (The guy who has done pretty much everything). It looks like he will be getting a new TV Show on Fox. Vigilant will also be produced by Howard Gordon (24, Homeland), and is a police drama featuring a crime fighting vigilante. On Monday, it was revealed that Fox has officially picked up the show.
The basic premise of Vigilant is this: a 20-year old, female “social outcast” becomes a vigilante in order to take down criminals and corrupt police officers. Before bringing up the failure that was The Cape, know that Landis doesn’t think of Vigilant as a superhero show. “Vigilant comes at the whole equation of what a “vigilante” in a very different way, the writer recently tweeted. “It has more in common with The Wire than Smallville.” Several tweets like the one quoted were posted by Landis in the wake of the Fox announcement hoping to convince everyone that his show won’t simply be a superhero tale.
I really liked Chronicle and the way Landis represented the human side of the character. I hope he brings this skill of character development to the small screen with him. The show has great potential but also comes with some competition this year from a couple of potential superhero based shows like Joss Whedon’s S.H.I.E.L.D. and FX’s long in production Powers. Then there is the fact that it is being produced by Fox, which I don’t have a problem with but I do worry that they may just cancel if it doesn’t instantly become a hit.
News via [Geek Exchange]
Kick Ass 2 Set Photos: Jim Carrey, Donald Faison, and Bad Touching?
Well, we have yet another anticipated super hero film with a butt load of Kick-Ass 2 set photos (Butt, ass…Okay, not my best work). But still we get to see the main cast and finally get to see what all the new additions look like. Noticeably we have Doctor Gravity, Mother Russia and Colonel Stars.
AND JIM CARREY AS COLONEL STARS!
Photos via [Uproxx] Here’s a few more from [Bleeding Cool]:
And that’s it for this week’s Hero Express! Be sure to check out more here, maybe look at a little Comic Rack, you have the time.
Don’t be afraid to sound off in the comments section below!
Hero Express: Jim Carrey Kicks Ass, Iron Man 3 Gets ‘Up, Up and Atom’, & TMNT Gets a Box Set!
Welcome back to the Hero Express, your one-stop sometimes SPOILER filled shop through the top five stories in comic based Film & TV news!
Grizzly Dailies – Burt Wonderstone, Evil Dead Casting, and Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Welcome to Grizzly Dailies! A new feature where we will cover a bunch of movie news in the manner we love. Jam packing a ton of links and info in one post so you don’t have to waste your valuable time (and ours) by combing through a ton of articles!
The Worst Movie Ever. “Batman & Robin”
For the decade plus, I’ve been telling anyone who would listen that I felt Batman & Robin was the worst movie of all time. And that’s not a passing remark. This is something I’ve really thought a lot about. I spent over 5 years working behind video store counters in my youth, getting paid to talk movies with costumers, so this is a conversation that’s happened hundreds of times. A lot of people think I’m picking something at random when they ask me because I answer so quickly. People laugh and agree it sucked, but the worst ever? Often times they doubt me, but they haven’t put the thought I have into it. This is a movie with a $110 million dollar budget (back when that meant something), an established Director, great cast and most importantly, an icon that has endured for the better part of a century. Bat Nipples…
Let’s start at the head: Director Joel Schumacher. Prior to 1997, Schumacher had a mostly stellar reputation. Aside from the obvious The Lost Boys, he also put out A Time to Kill, Flatliners, and Falling Down. All of which were pretty well received. I know I was a fan. But in 1997, he spent $110 million (which is more than it took to make all 4 of the aforementioned films) on a mockery of everything DC and Tim Burton had spent so much time shaping.
The Dark Knight got dark again in the 1970s and 1980s, thanks largely to Frank Miller, and the guys at DC wanted a movie to reflect that. They spent most of the 80s trying to get one made, and finally, in 1989 we got Tim Burton’s Batman. It was as far from the hokey 60’s television show as you could have gotten, and it redefined Batman for a new generation. No “BAM! KAPOW!”, but instead a seriously darker look at Gotham City and the Caped Crusader.
The TV show in the 1960’s was a necessary step to keeping ‘Batman’, who was on the verge of his comic getting canceled, alive. And the show achieved that goal. It made Batman relevant again, or at least popular enough to keep his comic going. And while the 1970’s brought the seriousness back to the book, and reintroduced The Joker as a legitimate threat, Batman’s rep was already tarnished by the very show that saved him.
So there we were, 20 years after the end of the TV show and Burton’s Batman comes out and crushes everything at the box office. Batman was reborn.
After 20 years of fighting to rebuild Batman’s image, it was finally a success. The ‘Dark Knight’ was dark once more. Burton pumped out a sequel that saw more of the Gotham built-in the first movie, and shortly after that we got one of the greatest cartoons of all time.
Then, in 1995, Joel Schumacher was handed the franchise and it took a turn.
At first glance Schumacher must’ve seemed like a perfect fit. Flatliners was dark as Hell and Falling Down was as hardcore a vigilante movie as we’d seen since Charlie Bronson’s Death Wish.
But what we got was a lighter Batman then we’d seen in the previous 2 movies. Batman Forever wasn’t completely terrible, but it certainly didn’t hold a candle to its predecessors. Sure, Jim Carrey’s ‘Riddler’ was gonna lighten things up by nature.
And it’s not Schumacher’s fault that the writers destroyed Two-Face, turning him in a joke. And let’s face it, Robin was forced on him.
All these factors, along with Keaton leaving the title role were going to handicap Schumacher, so in large, he got a pass.
2 years later we get Batman & Robin. Surely Schumacher has ironed out the kinks from the last film, right? WRONG. He took everything wrong with the 3rd movie, and expanded on it. He made it Cheesier. He introduced a Bat-Credit Card. Brought in Batgirl in the dumbest way imaginable, and put nipples on the Bat-Suit. Because nothing strikes fear in the hearts of villainy like erect male nipples. Schumacher ignored the very purpose of the first movie and reverted back to the exact garbage they were trying to escape.
Next, the cast:
[quote] “[The cast] is quite a line-up, boasting a broad choice of dramatic styles, and what lends the movie cohesion and integrity is the fact that all those involved have come up with their worst imaginable performances…You sit there feeling brain-damaged and praying for the mayhem to cease.” – Anthony Lane, The New Yorker. [/quote]
Like him or not, George Clooney is a good actor. I loved Out of Sight and I thought he was perfect in From Dusk Till Dawn. Then the Academy also liked him in all those Oscar type movies for which he was nominated. I really don’t think you can blame Clooney for ruining this. If I were asked to play Batman I’d of said yes too, regardless of the script.
So then, next to Clooney we bring in Alicia Silverstone, still hot coming off of Clueless and it kills her career. Silverstone was another actress I liked, but she never really recovered from her inclusion in here to reach the heights previously expected of her.
And on the other side of the law, 2 of my all time favorites: Arnold and Uma.
I mean look at that, what the F? Polar Bear slippers? This man is dead inside, he wouldn’t wear Polar Bear slippers to keep his feet warm. I love Schwarzenegger, but this might be his low point, and yes, I’m including Hercules in New York.
As far as Uma, there is no doubt this is her lowest point. What’s sad is these are 2 of my favorite villains and seeing them misused here…well, as Charles Barkley would say: Turrible. And let’s not forget, they took Bane. The man who broke the bat, and turned him into a brainless joke of a henchmen.
So you have a huge budget for the time, a strong cast, a respected Director, and a cultural Icon. You take all that and give us what amounts to Sub-B movie. Schumacher had a responsibility to the character and he failed. It was because of this colossal failure that a lot of planned comic movies got shelved, and it wasn’t till Singer did X-Men 3 years later that people started to forget how Schumacher had undone all of Burton’s work.
Well EMPIRE a while back conducted a poll and released a list of the 50 WORST MOVIES EVER MADE. And guess who feels vindicated? Booyah. #1 with a bullet on that list: BATMAN & ROBIN. Not only did it win this dubious honor, but it racked up more than three times as many votes as the second place flop BATTLEFIELD EARTH.
Other notables making the list:
#50 – Spiderman 3
#46 – Howard the Duck
#45 – Blade Trinity
#44 – Matrix Revolutions
#41 – Van Helsing (Screw You Wolverine)
#40 – Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
#39 – Dungeons and Dragons
#37 – Max Payne
#36 – Eragon
#35 – House of the Dead
#32 – The Spirit (Should’ve been higher)
#27 – Street Fighter
#25 – Transformers 2
#15 – Catwoman (Just edging out PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE)
#13 – The Avengers (Uma, NOOOOO!)
#9 – Highlander 2
So there you have it. the WORST. MOVIE. EVER.
Grizzly Bomb 