Tag: Paul Rudd

The McBournie Minute: I demand an apology

I apologize in advance if I offend any of you with the views, opinions or jokes in this column offend you. Actually, I don’t apologize. I just ask you to grow up.

We had another award show last night, and with it, the calls for apologies over something that was said or some perceived slight turned into hyped-up beef. The Oscars last night, hosted by Seth MacFarlane, got mixed reviews. There were good performances and bad ones, there were jokes that soared, and jokes that flopped. And William Shatner reminded us how old he is by putting on the Star Trek duds and making a cameo as Captain James T Kirk.

It was a good skit, but I don’t like being reminded how old Shatner is. I demand an apology! Continue reading The McBournie Minute: I demand an apology

MasterChugs Theater: ‘Dinner for Schmucks’

Dinner for Schmucks, directed by Jay Roach and based on a 12-year-old French movie known in English as The Dinner Game, is in some ways an exemplary modern Hollywood comedy. It treads a careful boundary between nasty and sweet, balancing the rude humor of humiliation with an affirming, tolerant, almost scolding final message: Be nice! It dabbles in sexual naughtiness without dreaming of going too far into complicated zones of lust and betrayal.

And, most of all, the film collects a cast of performers who know how to be funny. The success of this movie, following a formula upheld by just about any recent hit comedy you can name, lies as much with supporting players and plot-derailing set pieces as with the central story and characters. Jemaine Clement as a pompous, goatish artist; Zach Galifianakis as an I.R.S. flunky who believes he has the power to control other minds; Lucy Punch as a lovestruck stalker with no control over anything: these are the people who propel the movie on its meandering, offbeat path toward a madly farcical climax followed, inevitably and less happily, by a soft and sentimental dénouement. Continue reading MasterChugs Theater: ‘Dinner for Schmucks’

The McBournie Minute: Today we spell redemption, R-O-N

Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention. I’ve just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you, to stop what you’re doing and listen. Anchorman 2 is dead, so sayeth co-writer/director of the first movie Adam McKay. I couldn’t be happier about this news.

Over the past few months, buzz has been growing about a sequel to Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. One by one, cast members said they would come back, and even cut their usual price, since actors like Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell are worth considerably more than they were in 2004 (David Koechner, not so much). Paramount and McKay could not come to terms on the movie’s budget, so they passed on it. Paramount owns the rights to Anchorman 2, so another studio can’t pick it up.

Funny thing is, they already made a sequel to Anchorman, it’s called Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Continue reading The McBournie Minute: Today we spell redemption, R-O-N

MasterChugs Theater: ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’

Anchorman is a movie that’s special to SeriouslyGuys. Many a Friday and Saturday night in Radford would be spent with at least the four of us, if not the extended SeriouslyFamily, coming back from our favorite bar (BT’s ’til we D.I.E) and relaxing with the movie. Mind you, many a Friday and Saturday evening in Radford would be spent with the four of us standing around in the bar, quoting the entire verbatim. It just resonates with us.

And since this week, SG is celebrating its four year anniversary, we here thought that it might be good to reflect on the movie. We’re not necessarily the self-congratulating type of people (we’d much rather tell you that we’re good and have you believe us, rather than come up with something in order to fulfill that prophecy), but instead, we just wanted to give you all a peek into what makes us tick and where our roots lie-large conch shells. And so, I give you four perspectives on Anchorman and why we love it. Enjoy. Continue reading MasterChugs Theater: ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’

MasterChugs Theater: ‘Role Models’

We’re changing the format a little this month for MasterChugs Theater. It’s been a tradition to use March as the month in which we look over the truly horrible of the cinematic bombs, mainly to celebrate the birthdays of both my mom and my younger brother. Not so much this year. Instead, prepare for Awful April, a truly audacious lunar period. In the meantime, get ready for this guy’s review of Role Models. Rather than review Watchmen (which I’ll do next week), take a look at a movie that comes out on DVD this past Tuesday and was easily the funniest movie of 2008.

The misconception about guy comedies is that they’re all about boobs and male bonding and dudes making bongs out of Sprite cans. The best ones in recent years have possessed a sensitive side that’s almost as strong as films from the other side of the cinematic spectrum. (Which would be Nicholas Sparks dramas? Or Lifetime channel movies?)

Heroes of guy comedies might have multiple sexual conquests and celebrate insensitive behavior, but, in the end, romance, responsibility and a pursuit of monogamy usually prevails. The movie doesn’t work if the men in the audience don’t feel OK about going home to their girlfriends and wives when the final credits stop rolling. When it comes to comedy, the comedic timing this film has, coupled with its ability to bump up just against the edge of over-the-top, is what makes it a hit. Continue reading MasterChugs Theater: ‘Role Models’

MasterChugs Theater: ‘Knocked Up’

For the time being, we’re going to take a look at the works of Apatow. The reason being? Pineapple Express has recently come out. It’s pretty good. You should go see it; however, we’ll get to it in good time. In the meantime, we’re going to examine the works of Judd Apatow in order to see how he has progressed as a director, writer and producer, though not necessarily in exact order. The first movie up? 2006’s Knocked Up.

Judd Apatow gets guys. For years men in movies have been cookie cutter presentations of ferocious might or sensitive driveling. In his movies, Apatow brings a different breed of man: one who falls between the stereotypes of the sensitive man and the ubermensch and paints a complete picture of just how complex men can be.

Nowhere is this more true than in Apatow’s Knocked Up. The 40-Year Old Virgin director tackles the worst nightmare for the single man–having a one night stand with a girl and then finding out that you’ve knocked her up. It’s a simple enough concept for a story, but thanks to Apatow’s delightfully complex characters and hilariously irreverent approach to the subject matter, Knocked Up runs the chance of being one of the most brilliant comedies of the decade. Click the button to see why. Continue reading MasterChugs Theater: ‘Knocked Up’