The Tempest (review)

There’s a little bit of Hammer horror in Julie Taymor’s messy but thrilling adaptation of Shakespeare’s last play, and there’s more than a little turning-of-the-tables, all of which brings a new perspective on the play, and a new appreciation for it, which is the best we can ask for the umpteenth adaptation of a centuries-old work.

wtf: ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’ done up funny

Just when you think the shamelessness and the senselessness of Hollywood can’t possibly get any shamelesser or senselesser, Variety is there to correct this misapprehension: Paramount has snagged an untitled action/comedy pitch from the scripting team of Will Block and Jake Emanuel for Lorenzo Di Bonaventura to produce. Story is based on the framework from … more…

new this week in U.S., Canadian, and U.K. theaters: ‘Knight and Day,’ ‘Grown Up,’ ‘Get Him to the Greek,’ ‘When in Rome,’ more

U.S. AND CANADA/OPENING WIDE Knight and Day: Tom Cruise does some spy stuff and runs around a lot, while Cameron Diaz does a lot of screaming and runs around like a girl. If you can’t make it to the multiplex, try: • The 39 Steps (1935): Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll are mismatched maybe-spies in … more…

new this week in U.S., Canadian, and U.K. theaters: ‘Get Him to the Greek,’ ‘Splice,’ ‘Death at a Funeral,’ ‘The Brothers Bloom,’ more

U.S. AND CANADA/OPENING WIDE Get Him to the Greek: Rock stars (ie, Russell Brand) are a mess, and the normal people who are their fans (ie, Jonah Hill) are only slightly less a mess. Such is the plight of humanity. If you can’t make it to the multiplex, try: • Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008): Which … more…

Get Him to the Greek (review)

Russell Brand is still the best thing here, but at least he gets to be onscreen a helluva lot more than he was in *Sarah Marshall.* Alas that onscreen just as often is Jonah Hill…

trailer break: ‘Get Him to the Greek’

Take a break from work: watch a trailer… I know I’m probably setting myself up for disappointment. Because though the provenance of this film — from the same people who brought us Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Yes Man and Superbad — does not inspire confidence in me, there’s something about this trailer that makes me … more…