All Things:Comedy

Thank you for posting this. Nice little trip down memory lane. I was completely unaware that Michael Patrick Jann directed Drop Dead Gorgeous, or that they had actually released a comedy album. Gotta hunt that **** down now.

Definitely an under rated gem
 
Review: 'Horrible Bosses 2' Starring Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Jason Bateman, Chris Pine And Christoph Waltz

By the end of "Horrible Bosses 2," the impression that this isn't merely a sequel but an attempt to create the kind of jovial vibe that would warrant further adventures, starts to uneasily settle in. There aren't any direct set-ups for future films, but between the action-packed car chase and one of those audience-pandering credits sequences where they show all the actors and freeze frame on them while laughing, while their name pops up on screen (we get it, you had tons of fun making this piece of garbage), Anders and his team are clearly aiming for the audience to leave the theater so euphoric that they would undoubtedly line up for a "Horrible Bosses 3," thus completing the most unnecessary trilogy since "The Hangover" films. Dear lord, can you imagine anything quite so horrible? [D]

Well, I liked it.
 
i must be getting old. watched anchorman 2 on netflix and just didn't find it that funny at all. Rehashed, nothing surprised me. Even the fight scene was like, really that's it?
 
Sony Mulling VOD Release for THE INTERVIEW [Updated: Studio Cancels Theatrical Release]
Read more at http://collider.com/the-interview-vod-release/#28EXJ45GC3JRMFZq.99


WOW.

[Update: Here is Sony's official statement on canceling the theatrical release. No word on what they'll do with the film just yet:

“In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film The Interview, we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release. We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theater-goers.

Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business. Those who attacked us stole our intellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material, and sought to destroy our spirit and our morale – all apparently to thwart the release of a movie they did not like. We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, our employees, and the American public. We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome.”

Per Variety, Sony Pictures is weighing releasing The Interview via premium video-on-demand. It’s still very early and a final decision hasn’t been reached, but apparently the VOD release is one of several options being discussed.

Now it wasn’t Sony that pulled The Interview from theaters; they left the final decision up to the individual theater owners. With nearly half of the theaters across the country now committed to not playing The Interview on Christmas Day, however, Sony is left in the final leg of a major marketing push for a movie that won’t actually be coming out in most places. Deadline notes that the studio is pulling all of its TV advertising, which makes up a considerable amount of a film’s P&A budget in the days leading up to release, but they still have quite a bit invested in this thing.

In the spirit of free speech, I really think VOD is the way to go. The hackers’ demands that the movie not be shown will remain un-met, Sony will still be able to give the film a sizeable release, and the threat of violence to those that watch the film is removed. It could also mark a major shift for the VOD market, which has been rising in recent years and has seen studios toying with different strategies for releasing some of their bigger films.

This is simply bizarre.
 
wait, there's more...

Sony Hack Fallout Continues; New Regency Cancels Gore Verbinski’s PYONGYANG Starring Steve Carell
Read more at http://collider.com/pyongyang-movie-steve-carell-canceled/#ys5CD8tpDxmDgwy0.99

Some people are joking that the Sony hack is a viral campaign for The Interview, but a more accurate joke would be a viral campaign for Blackhat, a movie about how much power a hacker can wield in the digital age. Movie theaters have caved to terrorist threats, and now New Regency is avoiding the problem altogether by canceling Gore Verbinski‘s adaptation of Guy Delisle‘s graphic novel Pyongyang, which is a memoir following “the French-Canadian cartoonist’s travels through North Korea after obtaining a work visa (a rarity for a Westerner) for his job on a children’s cartoon show,” but his journey becomes complicated when he’s accused of espionage.

According to The Wrap, Verbinski was prepping to start filming in March with Steve Carell set to star in the comedy, but now New Regency is the latest company to cave into fear, which is exactly what terrorists want. This is a movie the company could have billed as “From the Director of Pirates of the Caribbean” and starring a likely Oscar-nominee, and they’re choosing to drop it. With The Interview and now Pyongyang, the message is clear: don’t make fun of North Korea or else. Hit the jump for a synopsis of Delisle’s book.

Here’s the synopsis for Guy Delisle’s Pyongyang:

A westerner’s visit into North Korea, told in the form of a graphic novel.

Famously referred to as one of the “Axis of Evil” countries, North Korea remains one of the most secretive and mysterious nations in the world today. In early 2001 cartoonist Guy Delisle became one of the few Westerners to be allowed access to the fortresslike country. While living in the nation’s capital for two months on a work visa for a French film animation company, Delisle observed what he was allowed to see of the culture and lives of the few North Koreans he encountered; his findings form the basis of this remarkable graphic novel. Pyongyang is an informative, personal, and accessible look at a dangerous and enigmatic country.


Read more at http://collider.com/pyongyang-movie-steve-carell-canceled/#ys5CD8tpDxmDgwy0.99
 
I dunno. First off, they never censored the flick. Other studios would have gutted it if they made it at all. And Sony only pulled it after most of the theater chains opted to not show it. So they cancelled it in lieu of spending MORE ad money on a movie that wasn't going to get a release. I don't see that they had a choice really. I don't even blame the theater chains. You want to be on the hook for showing a movie after being warned of possible attacks? Imagine the liability lawsuits in the event of something actually happening. This is unfortunate for everyone involved. I do think that a dangerous precedent has been set though. But it is hard to fault anyone for being overly cautious in light of todays reality. The only possible positive from this is it will present a really solid test for first run A list VOD. If anyone is the loser in this it's the theaters. It may seem ridiculous, but I almost feel I need to see this even more as a show of support.
 
I don't necessarily disagree, except that it sounds like now they're planning to shelve the movie completely?

I get that theater owners could very well be liable if anything were to happen, and with the shooting in Aurora, Colorado a while ago still being in court (the suit against the theater, that is), it's understandable.

To a certain degree.

Backing off this far, being willing to seemingly write off this much money does set a dangerous precedent, though. And I don't like it. You want to go straight to VOD? Fine. Do that. I can deal with that. Shelve it entirely for an undetermined amount of time? Not cool. That's giving too much.


On the plus side, though, we now know how to stop the next Transformers movie from being released.
 
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