Much To Your Shocking Surprise 'Drillbit Taylor' Is Terrible

"Drillbit Taylor" couldn't drum up more than $10 million dollars this weekend for a 5th place showing at the box-office ('Horton' won again). Against our conscious better judgement and because we're apparently gluttons for punishment, we went on Saturday evening to a dreadfully empty theater (we were actually shocked to see how empty it was on a Sat eve in Brooklyn).

As you might have assumed by the negative press, and the average trailer, this film - a rehash of the '80s teen flick, "My Bodyguard" - was pretty dismal, tedious and had too few scattered laughs to justify it's extended hour and forty two minutes in laborious length (we were literally clocking it, it was so boring at times).

Danny McBride had a few funny lines, ("you look like you're teaching fagonnometry"), and Leslie Mann was as adorably charming as she usually is (she definitely needs a starring role), but the kids couldn't carry the movie, the jokes were mild and mediocre and the presentation was lazy and dull. Relaxed and carefree lead actor Owen Wilson of course did a fantastic job of playing Owen Wilson with his free-spirited approach and "try your best" attitude when it comes to acting (essentially: if he's not in a Wes Anderson film, stay away)

One can and could chalk this up as another blow to the Judd Apatow line of comedy franchises, but despite having his name as a producer credit and Seth Rogen as one of the writers, the project felt far and removed from the Apatow world (and more akin to an Apatow vehicle to help out a buddy - director Steven Brill - and a "hey, why don't you practice your writing" assignment/exercises for Rogen at Apatow's behest). So yeah, so you could take a shot at them now if you wanted, but we would assume they would just shrug and it's not even worth the effort. Their hearts weren't in it (or even apart of it) and that's clear from the get-go.

Also, let's not forget that this film was PG13 and certainly not aimed at the audience that loved "Superbad" and "Knocked-Up." So that's all the review we can muster. [C]

The film currently stands at a pathetic 23% on Rotten Tomatoes. The New York Times' A.O Scott nicely sums it up. "It makes more sense to think of this dumb little picture...as part of the Apatow discount line. 'You get what you pay for,' the tag line on the advertisement says. I saw it free, and I still feel cheated."

Amen, ok, let's not waste more ink on this one. One parting thought. Would love to see an Apatow comedy from more of a female perspective (though "Knocked Up" had elements of that) and more starring parts for Leslie Mann.
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'Drillbit Taylor': Mediocre Reviews And A Star That Won't Promote It

We just asked, isn't Judd Apatow's mostly spot-free track record ('cept for "Walk Hard"), due for a hit soon?

The answer seems likely and it might be right around the corner (this weekend). The L.A. Times (via Spout) has an article running today about how Owen Wilson, the star of the Apatow-produced, "Drillbit Taylor" won't be promoting the film that comes out March 21, because he doesn't want to do interviews (presumably wanting to side-step questions about his alleged suicide attempt last year).

Instead of doing interviews or even talk-show appearances, Paramount has coaxed Wilson to film "Drillbit"-themed introductions in front of Fox's Sunday-night prime-time lineup (apparently their target audience) including the shows, " The Simpsons," "King of the Hill," "Family Guy" and "Unhitched." Sensing the jeopardy, Apatow has been doing interviews himself as well to help drum up the necessary attention in lieu of talking points from its reluctant star.

"The original idea [for 'Drillbit'] came from John Hughes ("Ferris Bueller," "Sixteen Candles")who wrote a treatment of the movie but he never got around to writing it." Apatow said of '80s director that few to none of the intended PG13 audience will be old enough to remember."So when Paramount said, 'Hey, guys you want to write this idea that John Hughes never got around to doing?' We said, 'Sure. We'll take a pop at it.' "

Meanwhile, one of the first major 'Drillbit' reviews has come via the Hollywood reporter and they call the flick a "flimsy comedy" and a "relatively lame exercise that never achieves comic traction." The film is currently sitting at an incredibly dismal, 17% approval rate at Rotten Tomatoes. Entertainment Weekly calls it, "a disordered, dispirited shuffling of flailing-to-be-funny and trying-to-be-empathetic scenes."

Now we're not so bummed we missed our screening. Meta-Critic has no score for it yet, but the reviews for it there are also very sub-par.
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The 2008 Playlist Spring Film Preview: Let's Do This

It's that time again, a preview of the upcoming (Spring) season's crop of films. We try and do this every season to the best of our abilities. At the top of your list of Spring films already released that you should be seeing are "Snow Angels," "Chicago 10" and "Paranoid Park." OK, we can pretty much dispense with the chatter, you get it. Without further ado, the Playlists picks for Spring films you should watch, take note of, or steer totally clear of. Let's do this.

MARCH 14
Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise (Limited: NY): At once hagiographic and revealing, backstage documentary follows the bloated theatrical rocker during Los Angeles rehearsals and an early 2007 Canadian tour in support of the third disc in the "Bat Out of Hell" franchise. Could be train-wreck awesome.

Funny Games: Brutalizing Austrian mindfuck director Michael Haneke (the incredible, but brutal "Caché," and "The Piano Teacher," already made this excruciating film about two psychotic boys who take a family hostage back in 1997. If you think Hollywood dollars convinced him to remake and cannibalize his own work only with American namebrand recognizable actors (Naomi Watts, Tim Roth), you'd be wrong. Haneke relished the thought of finally bringing this American violence critique to U.S. audiences. And oh yeah, it's perversely an exact shot-by-shot remake of the original, which makes it doubly twisted. Trailer.

MARCH 21
Drillbit Taylor: Judd Apatow for kids or at least the PG-13 crowd. Two loser teenagers, (relative unknowns, Troy Gentile and Nate Hartley) hire a bodyguard who unbeknownst to them is an adult loser, Owen Wilson (Drillbit Taylor) to keep them from their high school bullies (Alex Frost and Josh Peck, both of whom strangely enough have no outwardly apparent Apatow connections). The film is directed by Steve Brill who has a small part in "Knocked-Up" and is good friend with Adam Sandler, who in turn is good friends with Apatow (see 'Zohan'). Trailer.

Boarding Gate: Olivier Assayas transgressively erotic sexual psychodrama is a thriller, softcorn S&M porn and one of the best films this underachieving director has ever made. Starring softcore S&M pon actress Asia Argento and the batshit crazy Michael Madsen, the sexual oneupmanship of the script led to some serious life imitating art issues forcing Argento leaving the set in tears and in one, painful and extreme moment, getting bit on her punanny. The insanely masochistic Madsen often took the domination foreplay way too seriously and Argento had to persuade him to speak his submissive dialogue aloud. “There was a scene where he just couldn’t say the word ‘slave,’ so I started masturbating,” Argento said. “He was so taken off guard. It felt like the only thing I could do to make it work.” Bravo, now that's method acting. Trailer.

Love Songs: Can three French menage a trois-ing lovers live in harmony, or will a new player change their tune? Either way they all tell their story in song as this tricky love story is a musical by New Wave heir apparent auteur Christophe Honoré and with songs composed by Alex Beaupain. Trailer.

Planet B-Boy: Jumping continents and crossing cultures, this global b-boy documentary looks at the history of breakdancing and its vibrant resurgence in urban cultures around the world. Trailer.

MARCH 28
Stop-Loss: We recently dropped some haterade on Kimberley Peirce's very-belated follow-up to "Boys Don't Cry," but this Iraq War film has something going for it in music supervisor Jim Dunbar (who did "I'm Not There"). Of course testosterone-filled soldiers' taste in music ain't great, but this one apparently provides at least some appropriate musical moments. Other than that though, the film's release has been very delayed which is never a good sign and Ryan Phillipe is pretty under equipped to carry a whole movie on his shoulders in our minds, but we could be wrong. Trailer.

Chapter 27: Jared Leto and Lindsay Lohan in a film about John Lennon's death - does this have recipe for disaster written all over it or what? Playing the deranged Mark David Chapman, the nutjob that assassinated the Beatles legend, Leto gained so much weight for the role he gave himself a case of gout. Ok, despite being an uber-douche and frontman of the wretched 30 Seconds to Mars, Leto has done some solid work on screen ("Requiem For A Dream," "Fight Club"), but it's been a while since he's done somethin substantial enough to erase the memory of his abject eye-liner'd day job. It's also taken this film a shitload of time to get into theaters - it premiered at Sundance '07 and then leaked online in March - which is never a good sign, nor is it good for business. Trailer.

APRIL 4
My Blueberry Nights: The delayed and belated debut of Starbucks-friendly songstress Norah Jones, received a mediocre reception at Cannes 2007. The interconnecting road-trip love story film has been recut, and also stars Jude Law, Natalie Portman, David Strathairn and Rachel Weisz (Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power, even has a small cameo in the film where she makes out with Law). Trailer.

Leatherheads: George Clooney obviously has a fondness for pre-50s Golden Age period America and this football comedy set in the roaring '20s of pigskin's creation is no different. Clooney also has a softspot for screwball comedy and its timing and he seems to capture both pretty well. Also starring "The Office"s John Krasinski and squintface Renée Zellweger in the predictable love triangle. Trailer.

Shine A Light: The geriatric Rolling Stones are wheeled out and dusted off for one more concert, but this time it's shot for a film and directed by none other than Oscar-winning rock enthusiast Marty Scorsese. It features guest Christina Aguilera, The White Stripes' Jack White and at the very least should look fucking amazing as it was shot by some of the greatest cinematographers in the world right now. Trailer.

APRIL 11
Body of War: Directed by former talk show host Phil Donahue and partner Ellen Spiro, the doc is about a injured American veteran, twenty-six-year-old Tomas Young, returning home from the Iraq war. Eddie Vedder appears and yodels along for a couple songs. Trailer.

Smart People: Wooo! Another indie Sundance-like film with Ellen Page. We bet you can't fucking wait. But hatorz should put down their ax (at least momentarily), there's no Diablo Cody in this one. Into the life of a widowed professor (Dennis Quaid) comes a new love and an unexpected visit from his adopted brother (that TV hack Thomas Haden Church that somehow fooled people into thinking he could act because of "Sideways" ). Page plays the daughter. Trailer.

APRIL 18
Forgetting Sarah Marshall: The film for Judd Apatow utility player Jason Segel to finally shine. Directed by Nicholas Stoller, who helmed a few episodes of "Undeclared" and co-wrote"Fun With Dick and Jane" with Apatow, the plot of 'Marshall' revolves around a jilted ex (Segel) who tries to forget his famous celebrity ex and heartbreak by escaping to Hawaii only to find this ex gf, Sarah Marshall (played by "Veronica Mars"' Kristen Bell) there as well with her new boyfriend to boot (British comedian and TV personality Russell Brand). Trailer.

The Rocker: We're sorry, but Rainn Wilson is a wretched one-trick pony and his schtick is insufferably unfunny (remember he delivers some of the most contemptible "Juno" dialogue). There's probably not one recent comedian in recent memory that we dislike more. This chuckleheaded conceit centers on a failed, over-the-hill drummer (Wilson) who, 20 years after getting booted out of his now uber-famous band, gets a second chance at fame with a new act, a high school garage band headed by his nephew (Josh Gad). It also stars name brand actress Christian Applegate. Best of luck to you all. Trailer.

APRIL 25
Standard Operating Procedure: The first documentary ever shown in competition at the Berlin film festival, Errol Morris' ("Gates of Heaven," "The Thin Blue Line") latest documentary won the Silver Bear Jury Grand Prize. Not a bad start for the sure-to-be controversial film about the Abu Ghraib prison scandal that came to light in 2004. Deleted scene.

Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay: The perfect antidote to what surely will be Morris' heavy intellectualized and possibly overwrought examination of prison torture, Harold & Kumar will provide the funny side of detanee abuse! But seriously, if you've seen the trailer, you know this film should provide all sort of stupid funny and amazingly racially insensitive lol's (Rob Cordroy watching a captured Harold and Kumar behind two-way glass: "North Korea and Al qaeda working together, I knew it!"). Trailer.

Redbelt: Playwright David Mamet learned jiu-jitsu so now he can cockpunch you both literally and figuratively if he so chooses. Set in the L.A. scumbag fight world - the film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as a moralistic, samarai-coded-like Jiu-Jitsu master/ defense instructor, who through a series of fateful events is introduced to sleazeball promoters (Rick Jay and Joe Mantegna) and is eventually forced to dumb down his principles to step into the circus of professional fighting in order to pay off debts and regain his honor. Trailer.

Repo The Genetic Opera - This futuristic musical thriller (is a genre born?), directed by zero-times Oscar nominated, "Saw" director Darren Lynn Bousman, is about an epidemic of organ failure that essentially leads to the purchase of body parts and thus default procedures, including repossession at the hand of the notorious organ repo men (remember this is somehow a "musical"). Sounds abominably terrible and it features Paris Hilton too. However, could this become an ironic camp classic? God, let's hope not. Trailer.

Deception: With apologies to good taste and Heath Ledger's ghost,we'd go see a movie of Michelle Williams watching paint dry. Ok, not quite, but you get the picture, she's just too adorable for words. Ewan McGregor stars as a naive accountant who ventures into the under-world of New York sex clubs under the guidance of a devilish co-worker (Hugh Jackman) and a mysterious lover (Michelle Williams). We smell widow boobies [ed. wow, so wrong].

MAY 2
Mister Lonely: Directed by indie wunderkind Harmony Korine, the wonderfully absurdist, but earnest "Mister Lonely" stars Diego Luna as a Michael Jackson impersonator who meets Marilyn Monroe impersonator Samantha Morton in Paris and the two travel to a "magical land" that acts as a home to Charlie Chaplin, James Dean and many other impersonators by actors unknown and well-known (the latter includes the great Anita Pallenberg and James Fox - somone's been watching "Performance"). The film also includes appearances by Korine's pal, German director Werner Herzog , ghey magician David Blane and a soundtrack by Spiritualized and the Sun City Girls. Trailer. Read more...

It's Not All Oriental Arts, Sometimes You Get Mexican Judo As In, 'Ju Don't Know Who You're Messing With, Holmes'

Due March 21, "Drillbit Taylor," yet another Judd Apatow produced comedy, is around the corner.

This one however seems a little bit more PG and kid-friendly (though the trailer has it's decent jokes too, but don't look for an R-Rated one).

Starring Owen Wilson, 'Taylor' teams writing/acting threat Seth Rogen with "Undeclared" writer Kristofor Brown based off an original idea by the veritable godfather of teen comedies, John Hughes ("The Breakfast Club," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," etc.).

The gist is this: two loser teenagers, (relative unknowns, Troy Gentile - who doubles as chubby young Jack Black in "Nacho Libre" - and Nate Hartley) hire a bodyguard who unbeknownst to them is an adult loser, Owen Wilson (Drillbit Taylor) to keep them from their high school bullies (Alex Frost and Josh Peck - who later this year has a breakout role in the hip-hop heavy film, "The Wackness").

The film is directed by Steve Brill who had a small part in "Knocked-Up" and is good friends with Adam Sandler, who in turn is good friends with Apatow (see 'Zohan' later this year). The film also stars Apatow's wife, the charming Leslie Mann and potential comedy break-out star Danny R. McBride.

JoBlo has an exclusive clip from the film which you can see here below. After Owen Wilson's alleged suicide attempt it appeared as if it might be difficult to market this film, but the campaign has shifted its focus back on its star, as it all seems to have blown over, and all seems well ('Drillbit' is not the first, post-alleged suicide attempt film, "The Darjeeling Limited" was released at the same time all that brouhaha happened). It's debatable whether this film will be funny to adults, but our headline cribbed from the trailer makes us lol.

Watch: "Drillbit Taylor" scene

Trailer: "Drillbit Taylor"
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Is Danny R. McBride This Year's Breakout Comedy Star?

If Ellen Page could have an equivalent that's an overweight, schlubby male comedian, well then Danny R. McBride is this year's Ellen Page.

Wait, that doesn't make any sense. Entertainment Weekly called him the next Will Ferrell, and tons of comedians including Seth Rogen and Ferrell have sung his praises, Danny R. McBride is having a moment. Or at least, he's about to.

"I'm calling it right now: he's the funniest person on the planet," declared "Superbad" star Jonah Hill to EW recently.

McBride started career as "Bust-Ass" in David Gordon Green's artful romance film, "All The Real Girls." The role was a small comedic relief one, but it got him noticed.

He was wasted cast in the mostly-worthless long-form SNL sketch film, "Hot Rod," and while the film was ungood, he again got some shine again as a supporting player.

2008 is looking like his year: he threatens to steal the show in Judd Apatow's upcoming "Drillbit Taylor" (March 21) starring Owen Wilson and a bunch of mostly no-name kids and then will appear in Green's first attempt at comedy also via Apatow ("Pineapple Express") and later in the year will be featured in Ben Stiller's "Tropic Thunder."

Not too shabby a year, right?

To top that off, he's already been tapped to appear in Will Ferrell's "Land of the Lost" in 2009.

But McBride is also a writer, comedian and filmmaker and just very recently, his old "The Foot Fist Way" film - about an inept, but cocky tae kwon do strip-mall instructor - which was a Sundance '06 entry, is getting new legs. Ferrell and his Funny or Die comedian/director pal Adam McKay caught "Foot" way back when and persuaded Paramount Vantage to acquire it and 'Foot Fist' is finally expected to roll out this summer.

The campaign for the film has just begun too. The comedy's website just launched and two nights ago, McBride appeared on Conan O'Brien as the character in the film Fred Simmons. The purposely awkward segment seemed so real, it apparently had many fooled that Simmons was actually a true, inexperienced and bumbling tae-kwon do instructor (he asked for a "redo" while trying to break a piece of cement; the segment can be seen here on NBC's website).

There's a lot to explore on "The Foot Fist Way" website and you can see the R-rated trailer here (note the very Mark Mothersbaugh/Rushmore-like music used in it).This one is just getting off the ground. Meanwhile, a viral clip of McBride's "Drillbit Taylor" character Don, the sexy homeless man, has hit youtube and you can see it here below.

Trailer: "Foot Fist Way"


Watch: Homeless & Sexy: Danny McBride

Watch: "Drillbit Taylor" trailer
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The Judd Apatow Gravy Train Keeps Rolling; 'Five Year Engagement' Added To Slate; Huey Lewis Finishes 'Pineapple' Theme

'Walk Hard' might have been a bump in the road and it's uncertain how things like "Drillbit Taylor" (this March) and "You Don't Mess With Zohan" (early summer) will do, but there's still no stopping Judd Apatow's ability to apparently produce every comedy out of Hollywood for the forseeable future.

While Jason Segel's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," remains untested as it won't come out until May, just added to Apatow's long spate of producing projects is "Five-Year Engagement," another product from the exact same team - writer-director Nick Stoller and writer-star Segel.

The film is described as (naturally) a "bawdy, couples comedy," about a... duh, five year engagement. Stoller says the film will essentially be an extension of the not-yet-released 'Marshall.' "If Sarah Marshall (played by Kristen Bell) and Jason's character had stayed together, this might be the sequel," he said.

Let's hope for their sake the film tested well and won't be a bomb.

Meanwhile, the stoner comedy Apatow tapped artisan David Gordon Green to direct, "Pineapple Express," finally has its finished Huey Lewis theme song.

Speaking with MovieWeb, Green told the site that the self-titled track is complete and even offered up the song's chorus: "We got trouble, we got to get out of here. I've got you, you've got me. We are as high as we can be. That's all right. How did we get into this mess? Pineapple Express!" (watch out Morrissey).

Our only input was, we told him we wanted it to sound like his '80s work that we loved so much," Green said. "We wanted to have the plot in it. And we wanted to have him say the title as many times as he could. There is a lot of alto sax. It is kind of like that "other" "Back to the Future" Huey Lewis song. Not "Power of Love" but "Back in Time."

Apatow's biblical comedy, "Year One," started filming earlier this year and yet another Will Ferrell comedy, "Step Brothers" with John C. Reilly is due in July.

Watch: Huey Lewis & The News - "Back In Time"

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The Funnybone Domination Continues: What's Up Next For 'Mayor Of Comedy' Judd Apatow

"Superbad" did so friggin well this summer; completely exceeded expectations and over-performed to the extent that the Judd Apatow produced comedy might be looked as the "40 Year Old Virgin" underdog hit of 2007 (yet another Apatow vehicle).

With "Knocked Up" killin' it in the spring, "Superbad" being the summer sleeper hit and the rock biopic spoof "Walk Hard" for Christmas this could easily be looked back on as the Year of Apatow.

The triple threat producer, writer, director recently joked to Entertainment Weekly that it's probably all down hill from here, but that remains to be seen. Let's look at what else he's got cookin' and let's face it, it's a lot of material. Apatow has an extended family and he likes to keep his players close. Watch for all the troupe connections, if nothing else, the guy is at least an excellent mentor and a very nurturing and loyal believer in his crew.

It sounds like he's also instilled a healthy work ethic into his crew too. After all, this could all go away soon and why not strike while the iron is hot? "The best advice Judd gave me is that there are a billion other people who are funny and want to be doing what you’re doing," Jonah Hill told the NY Times. "The second you stop realizing that — and you stop working as hard — opportunity can go away for you."

The goal is he wants you to be able to do it on your own," Hill told the Knoxville Sentinel. "He knows that he [can't] be there with all of us all the time to help us out. I think he wants us to learn ‘this is how you make a movie.’ "

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
In case you haven't already read 10,ooo times, Walk Hard" mocks recent music biopic formulas and films like, "Ray" and "Walk The Line" (which it looks like it's closely throwing digs at). Directed by Jake Kasdan (frequent director of Apatow's fondly remembered and long deceased highschool TV comedy "Freaks and Geeks"), 'Hard' stars John C. Reilly (Co-star of the Apatow produced "Talladega Nights") as a Johnny Cash-esque character who survives the travails of having a rock career for a few decades. Plenty of guest stars appear including Jack Black, Eddie Vedder, Ghostface Killah and actors portraying the Beatles (more here).
"Walk Hard" trailer

Drillbit Taylor
Not due until March 2008, the trailer for "Drillbit' was recently put online. Whether that seems premature to you or not is beside the point. With Owen Wilson as one of the main characters, the film might need all the help it can get (but by then we assume he'll be on the comeback trail if not earlier). 'Taylor' teams writing/acting threat Seth Rogen with 'Undeclared' writer Kristofor Brown based off an original idea by the veritable godfather of teen comedies, John Hughes ("The Breakfast Club," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," etc.). The gist is this: two loser teenagers, (relative unknowns, Troy Gentile - who doubles as chubby young Jack Black in "Nacho Libre" - and Nate Hartley) hire a bodyguard who unbeknownst to them is an adult loser, Owen Wilson (Drillbit Taylor) to keep them from their high school bullies (Alex Frost and Josh Peck, both of whom strangely enough have no outwardly apparent Apatow connections). The film is directed by Steve Brill who has a small part in "Knocked-Up" and is good friend with Adam Sandler, who in turn is good friends with Apatow (see 'Zohan')
"Drillbit Taylor" trailer

Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Due May 2008, 'Sarah Marshall' finally gives a lead part to longstanding troupe member Jason Segel ("Freaks & Geeks," "Undeclared" a small "Knocked-Up" role") who actually wrote the film as well. The film is directed by Nicholas Stoller who helmed a few episodes of "Undeclared" and directed "Fun With Dick and Jane" (which he co-wrote with Apatow). The plot of 'Marshall' revolves around a jilted ex (Segel) who tries to forget his famous celebrity ex and heartbreak by escaping to Hawaii only to find this ex gf, Sarah Marshall (played by "Veronica Mars"' Kristen Bell) there as well with her new boyfriend to boot (British comedian and TV personality Russell Brand). Paul Rudd ("Virgin,' and 'Knocked') and Jonah Hill ("Superbad") apparently make cameos and That '70s Show actress Mila Kunis also has a role in the film. A pimply-faced and very green MTV Intern got a chance to actual briefly be in Zohan. A scene from the movie is included in his mildy charming account of his brush with Hollywood.

The Pineapple Express
A stoner action comedy directed by Terrence Malick-fetishest David Gordon Green is next. It follows the unlikely "Superbad" model of hiring artsy, indie directors to direct Apatow comedies (Bad's Greg Motolla directed indie fave "The Daytrippers" after a decade-long layoff from film; it's success has already opened doors for his new project, "Adventureland"). Express reteams "Freaks & Geeks" stars Seth Rogen ("Knocked Up") and mostly awol-Apatow troupe player James Franco (since 'Freaks', Franco has only made a brief 'Knocked Up' cameo in all of the various Apatow-produced projects). 'Pineapple' is apparently already scheduled for an August 8, 2008 release and has been going through test screenings this summer. We're hoping Green will continue to use David Wingo to score the film if he can (Wingo has been apart of every Green movie including the most recent "Snow Angels"). The script was written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the pair behind "Superbad." The film also co-stars Rosie Perez and Ed Begeley Jr. It is said there is more action in this film than any other Apatow film thus far [ed. thus the action comedy genre we said at the beginning, duh]. Green fetishests will note the appearance of Danny McBride ("Bustass from "All The Real Girls")

You Don't Mess With the Zohan
Longtime friends and mutual admirers Judd Apatow and Adam Sandler team up for 'Zohan.' Due June 2008, if any of these various projects looks like an Apatow misstep, it's this film, which looks more like another bad Adam Sandler vehicle than a sweet n' vulgar/cocks n' heart Apatow film. But it's pedigree is semi-respectable. Written by Sandler, Apatow and Robert Smiegel (the man behind Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog), the film co-stars John Turturro (another good look until you consider "Mr. Deeds"), the worst comedian of all time, Rob Schnieder and centers around a Mossad agent (Sandler) who fakes his death so he can move to New York and become a hair stylist (that's got Schnieder's shitbomb stink all over it). The film is directed by actor/diretor Dennis Dugan (a frequent Sandler collaborator and yet another reason this film might suck). The one plus is the female lead: Entourage hottie and Montreal native, Emmanuelle Chriqui.

Step Brothers
Due July 2008, "Step-Brothers" is apparently the last of the four Apatow films scheduled for next year. It reteams the Mayor with the creative cast and crew of "Talledega Nights" (which was the same team that brought you "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy"): friend and long-time collaborator Adam McKay directs (he's the father of FunnieorDie star Pearl McKay), plus Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly star as spoiled adults who become ultra-competitive step-brothers when their single parents get married. The script, written by Ferrell and McKay, is still apparently in pre-production and has not begun shooting. The film also stars another Veronica Mars cast member, Adam Scott (he had a tiny role in 'Knocked Up," they must have a thing for that show)

Year One
The first offering from the 2009 Apatow menu will likely be the Jack Black and Michael Cera vehicle, "Year One." Cera obviously starred in "Superbad," and it was only time before a mainstay like Black joined the fold (though he did have a brief cameo as the crazed motorcyclist in 'Anchorman'). SCTV alum/Ghostbusters star Harold Ramis, who had a small role as Seth Rogen's dad in "Knocked Up," will direct and co-produce, and co-wrote the project with "The Office" scribes Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, based on his story (Owen Wilson is apparently an executive producer). A quick scan of google will reveal that many publications will go on at length about this movie, but not one of them can reveal an iota of the plot details or synopsis. The only tidbit out there was on Wikipedia and it read, "The plot is being kept under wraps at the moment, but the film revolves around cavemen." Strangely enough, that Wiki entry was taken down, but Google cache never forgets. Does that mean it was wildly incorrect or it revealed too much too soon?

The Middle Child
Apatow's loyalty even extends to his newest stars as he's entrusted Jonah Hill - the star of "Superbad" - with writing "The Middle Child.' Based on a story he pitched to Apatow (Hill began his career with "I Heart Huckabees" and started his Apatow career with a tiny role in "40 Year Old Virgin" - he tried to buy the aquarium platform shoes at the Ebay store but failed), 'Child' is about a young man (Hill) who discovers his older brother was given up for adoption before he born. When the brother (Seth Rogen) reunites to become part of the family, Hill's character sees his world torn assunder as he has suddenly has to face middle child syndrome. Rogen's character is welcomed with open arms as the "child they always wanted" and Hill finds himself ostracized and on the outs. Jonah Hill recently told the New York Times that he's still writing the film , but he hopes its the next film he makes. "Judd and I are looking at directors right now," he said.

Pure Imagination
Another Jonah Hill penned project (Apatow has apparently all but said he believes that Hill is the future of comedy) is the more ambitious and more left-field sounding "Imagination' which centers around a kid who goes through a series of traumatic events and then develops an imaginary friend. "Then what happens is I meet a girl, and we start dating…but the problem is I don’t know whether she [actually] exists [or] whether she’s a figment of my imagination,” Hill told MTV in July. He plans to star in the film as well and it might be too early to tell the rest of the cast or directors, but there are auteurs that Hill would like to model the film after. "It’s trying to do what we do with ‘Knocked Up,’ ‘Superbad’ and ‘Virgin’, and mix it a little bit with stuff that Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry do,” he said. “It’s kind of like a little bit artisier. I’m so psyched about it." The film might even employ elements of CGI, but hopes to keep its Apatow-patented human heart at its core. "It’s basically a relationship movie," Hill said noting that the film has shades of the classic Jimmy Stewart movie, "Harvey." (In it Stewart is a wackjob who thinks he has an imaginary pet rabbit as a friend).


Apatow in 2009
Three other Apatow films are apparently in development for 2009 and the bulk of them give side-players or extended Apatow family members a leading shot. They include an as of-yet untitled Steve Carrell project; "A Whole New Hugh" - a vehicle for "Daily Show" correspondent Ed Helms; the lawyers who give up their careers to become rappers comedy, "Attorneys At Raw" - a vehicle for 'Freaks' and "Undeclared" player David Krumholtz and the marine comedy, "The Recruiter" starring Romany Malco, the black Smart Tech employee of "40 Year Old Virgin."

The Secret Weapon
SNL's Kristen Wiig practically stole every "Knocked Up" scene she was in as the hyper jealous TV producer who keeps dropping passive-aggressive barbs towards Katherine Heigl's character. She's the female lead in the upcoming "Brothers Solomon" (not an Apatow project, but does contain friends) and in "Walk Hard," she plays John C. Reilly's "unsupportive and very fertile first wife," according to Time Out New York. She's one Apatow player to watch for.

Miscellaneous Apatow
According to the always unreliable Hollywood.com there's also a bunch of other projects in development including Boaz The Great, Early Bird, Long Distance Relationship and an untitled motorcycle cop project and a college project. Proceed with caution and take those with a grain of salt.

PS, if you haven't seen the Frat Pack Circle of Trust, you should. It's a circle of Hollywood comedians (centered around Ben Stiller and Luke and Owen Wilson) that contains many, if not all, the members of the Apatow Family Players troupe.

The Music
While his films are not neccesarily known for their music choices, Apatow's a fan of his old school thinking man's musicians (a consistent side actor for his films is folk singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III who wrote all of "Knocked Up"s music with a beautifully wistful and moving score). Who might we expect to hear in Apatows next fims? A good bet is Warren Zevon.

According to a Rolling Stone profile on Apatow in the spring, the producer is a huge fan of the hirsute and wry '70s songwriter/wordsmith, and he got to meet Zevon once in the '90s, trying to get him to score a movie that was never made. The film was apparently supposed to star Owen Wilson and Rip Torn as Alcoholics Anonymous members and in a meeting Apatow casually mentioned that he was waiting for studio feedback. Zevon looked at him and asked, "What do you care? Why would you change anything for the studio?"

And apparently this moment always stuck with him: "It hit me -- 'Oh, he's an artist! He doesn't give a shit what anyone says.'" Since then -- for better or worse -- Apatow's tried to follow that example.

Download: Warren Zevon - "Nightime in the Switching Yard"
Download: Warren Zevon - "Excitable Boy"
Download: Warren Zevon - "Werewolves of London" (alternate version)

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