Tag Archives: Judd Apatow

It’s happening! Paul Reubens & Judd Apatow join forces to make new Pee-wee Herman movie

Movies, News, , , ,

Nearly five years after posting about this exciting news, it is finally coming to fruition! Today Paul Reubens and Judd Apatow made it official that a new Pee-wee Herman movie is on the way with a distribution model ready to go. Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, starring Reubens’ iconic fun-loving character and Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) executive producing, begins production next month and will premiere exclusively on Netflix.

In Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, a fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger inspires Pee-wee Herman to take his first-ever holiday in this epic story of friendship and destiny.

That’s all there is to know about the shrouded plot so far. Reubens penned the script with Paul Rust (Comedy Bang! Bang!, Arrested Development) and John Lee (Broad City, Inside Amy Schumer) is making his feature film directorial debut.

“Judd and I dreamt up this movie four years ago. The world was much different back then— Netflix was waiting by the mailbox for red envelopes to arrive. I’ve changed all that. The future is here. Get used to it. Bowtie is the new black,” said Pee-wee Herman in a press release.

“As a fan of Pee-wee Herman since he first appeared on The Dating Game, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the brilliant Paul Reubens on this film. It is a dream come true,” added Apatow.

“We didn’t hesitate for a moment knowing that Pee-wee’s Big Holiday was such a passion project for Paul and Judd and we are delighted by the opportunity to introduce such a beloved character to a new generation,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. “We are thrilled to bring our viewers around the world the wonder of Pee-wee Herman.”

I, for one, cannot wait to see what Reubens and Apatow cook up for longtime fans of Pee-wee Herman. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure from a young Tim Burton in 1985 hit all the right notes and now, 30 years later, Reubens is ready to do it again. I’m happy to report that the man-child’s still got it; I saw Reubens reprise his character in 2010 on Broadway in The Pee-wee Herman Show and he brought back his bizarre, captivating, and imaginative wonder without missing a step. This movie for Netflix will surely satiate nostalgic fans, as well as attract an entirely new generation of kids, teens, and adults. Pee-wee, after all, is for everyone to enjoy!

Trailer round-up: ‘Hotel Transylvania’ & ‘Brave’ [Update: ‘This Is 40’ & ‘Prometheus’]

Movies, News, Video, , , , , , , , , , , ,

The next movie from Sony Pictures Animation is Hotel Transylvania, and Adam Sandler is Dracula. Here’s a nice and tidy synopsis:

Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania, Dracula’s lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free to be the monsters they are without humans to bother them. On one special weekend, Dracula has invited some of the world’s most famous monsters — Frankenstein and his bride, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, a family of werewolves, and more — to celebrate his daughter Mavis’s 118th birthday. For Drac, catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem — but his world could come crashing down when one ordinary guy stumbles on the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis.

The talented voice cast includes Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, David Koechner, Cee Lo Green, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, and David Spade. Genndy Tartakovsky, creator of popular animated TV series like Dexter’s Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, and most recently Star Wars: The Clone Wars, is directing. Hotel Transylvania hits theatres in 3D on September 28.

Now jump after the break for another look at Pixar’s Brave. Continue reading Trailer round-up: ‘Hotel Transylvania’ & ‘Brave’ [Update: ‘This Is 40’ & ‘Prometheus’] →

Trailer: Bridesmaids

Movies, Video, , ,

Hey ladies, Judd Apatow has made a comedy tailor-made specifically for you.  From the man who brought you The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up comes Bridesmaids, a movie that follows a maid of honor (Kristin Wiig, who also serves as co-writer) preparing to celebrate the wedding of her best friend (Maya Rudolph) while at the same time having to deal with her fellow bridesmaids.  In addition to the SNL alum, the ensemble cast includes Rose Byrne (Damages), Melissa McCarthy (Mike and Molly), Wendi McLendon-Covey (Reno 911!), and Ellie Kemper (The Office…it’s great to see Erin stepping into the big screen!).  The IT Crowd‘s Chris O’Dowd and Mad Men hunk Jon Hamm also make brief appearances in the trailer.

Apatow’s on board as producer and Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks, The Office) is the helmer.  “The whole goal of making this movie was to make a very funny, very honest movie about women in a way that they’re not normally made,” Feig tells EW. “Both Judd and I feel women are very much underserved by modern comedy, because it’s all so guy-centric. It was important for us to do that so when women come to see the movie, they would go, like, ‘Oh god, that’s just like my friends – maybe a funnier version of my friends.’ He adds, “It’s a hard movie to sum up in a trailer because it’s also very emotionally honest. There’s tons of comedy but there’s also very relatable honest moments that are real and not always reaching for a laugh.”

I really think Bridesmaids is going to hit a chord with audiences and I can’t wait for it to hit theatres May 13, 2011.

[Via EW]

Judd Apatow rounds up big stars to support American Jewish World Service

Hilarity, Video, , , , , , ,

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) was established in Boston on May 1, 1985 when Larry Phillips and Larry Simon, together with a group of rabbis, Jewish communal leaders, activists, businesspeople, scholars and others came together to create the first American Jewish organization dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among people across the globe.

Enter Judd Apatow.  The director of The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up has gathered a bunch of celebrities (many of whom are not Jewish) to celebrate the 25th anniversity of AJWS.  The mock PSA features Ben Stiller, Sarah Silverman, Jerry Seinfeld, John Mayer, Sir Patrick Stewart, Andy Samberg, Ken Jeong, Tracy Morgan, Helen Hunt, Gilbert Gottfried, Brian Williams, Triumph the Insult Comedy Dog, and many others.  Watch them make some funny but all the while support and promote the great cause that is AJWS.

[Via EW-Popwatch; AJWS]

Pee-wee Herman flick is in the works, with Judd Apatow producing

Movies, News, , , ,

Oh, what wonderful news this is!  After making a successful comeback in his new “Pee-wee Herman Show” revival at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, actor Paul Reubens is ready to bring his act to the big screen with some help from funnyman Judd Apatow (Talladega Nights, Knocked Up, Superbad, Walk Hard, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Step Brothers, Pineapple Express, Funny People, Get Him to the Greek).  I mean look at that track record!  Moving on… Apatow has signed on to executive produce and Paul Rust (Inglourious Basterds, I Love You, Beth Cooper) will pen the script to what’s being described as “a gigantic adventure.”  The yet-t0-be-titled flick will be Pee-wee’s first movie since 1985’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, a strange and wild movie directed by a young Tim Burton and scored by Danny Elfman.  “Let’s face it, the world needs more Pee-wee Herman,” Apatow tells Variety.  Agreed!  “I am so excited to be working with Paul Reubens — who is an extraordinary and ground-breaking actor and writer.  It’s so great to watch him return with such relevance.”  Reubens shares the same excitement.  “There is no one like Judd in our business — he loves comedy with emotion and heart, and he sees what we do as art.  I can’t believe I’m getting this opportunity to be working with him.”  A director and release window have not been decided on yet.

Need your Pee-wee fix now?  Reubens is getting ready for a short stint on Broadway beginning October 26 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre in NYC.

[Via Variety]

Funny People: laugh, live, and enjoy

Movies, Review, ,

Funny People is Judd Apatow’s third film as director.  It is a detour from the hilarious “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up.”  Although Funny People is a comedy on the surface, this film is very much a drama at its core.  So, let’s call it a ‘dramedy.’  Without giving much of the plot away I will scratch the comedic surface and touch upon the dramatic core.  Funny People starts on a rather depressing note when we find out that Adam Sandler’s character is dying from a rare disease.  The movie follows a young comedian (played by Seth Rogen) who is striving to find success and Sandler’s character, an aging yet still entertaining stand-up comedian.  When the latter character finds out that he is dying, he enters a depressive state, one that follows him throughout almost the entire movie.  His love interest is played by Leslie Mann (Judd Apatow’s real-life wife), who had left him ten years prior and now has a family with a husband (Eric Bana) and two children (who are played by Judd and Leslie’s real-life children).  All of these characters are funny in their own ways, and their interactions with each other bring out the comedy.  However, it will be the dramatic theme of the film that will be remembered when you leave the theatre.  Sandler’s portrayal as an aging, sick, and dying comedian and person is superb, and the way he responds to a certain bit of news about half-way through the movie provides for a lesson to be learned about life.  In the end, Funny People is a movie more about life than comedy.  Still, though, it is very funny.  Go out and enjoy it, and learn that life and the people that care about you should not be taken for granted.