Movie Review: "30 Minutes or Less"

Seen on: August 7, 2011

The players: Director: Ruben Fleischer, Writers: Michael Diliberti, Matthew Sullivan, Cast: Jessie Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari

Fact of interest: This is the third Jessie Eisenberg movie in a row in which his character makes a reference to Facebook.

The plot: Two enterprising criminals kidnap a pizza delivery guy, strap a bomb to his chest and make him rob a bank.

Our thoughts: So, you take a pretty high concept idea (criminals strap a bomb on a hapless victim and force him to commit a crime). Then you take that idea and turn it on its ear by casting three of the funniest comedic actors working today (Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari, and Nick Swardson) and anchor that with a recent Academy Award nominee (Jessie Eisenberg). In short, you have the making for a delicious stew of steaming awesomeness, am I right?

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Hilarious new trailer for '30 Minutes or Less'

Here it is. Here's the new trailer for Ruben Fleischer's upcoming action-comedy "30 Minutes or Less," which stars Jesse Eisenberg as a pizza-delivery dude who is forced to rob a bank after two criminals strap a bomb to his chest. Check it out after the jump.

Danny McBride and Nick Swardson play the bad guys, and Aziz Ansari plays Jesse's buddy, who helps him out with his predicament. Fleischer also helmed the deliciously hilarious "Zombieland," which is reason enough to trust him with this material.

And, let's be honest, doesn't this look hilarious? Sure, some of this humor seems to be running along the lines of "Pineapples Express," but funny/silly films like that don't come around too often. "30 Minutes or Less" is set to open Aug. 12, 2011. Enjoy!

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Jesse Eisenberg has '30 Minutes or Less'

Jesse Eisenberg will soon be back in action with "Zombieland" director Ruben Fleischer. The project they will be working on is titled "30 Minutes or Less," and its cast includes Aziz Ansari and Danny McBride.

Penned by Michael Diliberti and Matthew Sullivan, said film will follow a junior high teacher and a pizza-delivery dude (Eisenberg) who must rob a bank when one of them ends up being tied to a bomb.

The Hollywood Reporter said Michael Pena and Nick Swardson are also part of the cast. Fleischer's "Zombieland" was a fun, energetic comedy, and "30 Minutes" already has the solid cast going for it.

Eisenberg has been doing solid work as well, and I particularly enjoyed watching him in "Roger Dodger," "Adventureland" and "The Squid and the Whale." He's got "The Social Network" coming soon.

Amazing trailer for 'Up in the Air' with George Clooney debuts

It has finally landed online: a special internet trailer for Jason Reitman's upcoming drama "Up in the Air," based on Walter Kirn’s novel of the same title. Check it out after the jump. It arrives via /Film.

Let me first say that this one blew me away. It's different from regular trailers in that George Clooney basically narrates the whole thing via a speech he gives in the movie as the lead character.

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Justin Theroux to play baddie in 'Your Highness'

Justin Theroux is the latest to join David Gordon Green's upcoming comedy “Your Highness," which also stars James Franco, Danny McBride, Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel. The film is already shooting, and I just posted an entry about a set photo potentially showing Portman earlier today.

But back to this story. The Hollywood Reporter says Theroux is on board to play a villain. Written by McBride and Ben Best, the film follows an arrogant prince (McBride) and his brother (Franco), who must show great courage and fulfill a perilous quest to secure the future of his dad’s kingdom.

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Watch: 'Despicable Me' gets a funny first trailer

The first trailer for Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin's upcoming 3D-animated family flick "Despicable Me" has debuted online, and you can watch it after the jump.

Steve Carell voices Groo (or Gru), an evil man who plans to steal the moon. While his evil mother encourages him to execute his plan, Groo runs into trouble when he unexpectedly encounters three orphan girls.

The trailer below is more of a whole scene, in which we get a first glimpse at what Groo is up to. It looks funny, and I admit it got me to laugh a couple of times. At this stage, I'm quite excited about this one.

Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, the team behind "Horton Hears a Who!," wrote the script. Jason Segel, Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Russell Brand, Jemaine Clement, Jack McBrayer and Julie Andrews are also part of the voice cast.

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Zooey Deschanel boards Green's 'Highness'

The lovely and talented Zooey Deschanel is the latest to board David Gordon Green's upcoming comedy “Your Highness" for Universal.

Written by McBride and Ben Best, the film follows an arrogant prince (McBride) and his brother (Franco), who must show great courage and fulfill a perilous quest to secure the future of his dad’s kingdom.

The Hollywood Reporter says Deschanel will play Belladonna, Franco's virginal bride. Also starring is Natalie Portman, who slips into the role of a badass princess McBride falls in love with.

"Highness" is a project I'm definitely looking forward to. Green did a fab job with "Pineapple Express," and the cast for this one keeps getting better as well.

Deschanel will soon be see in "500 Days of Summer." She also recently starred in the so-so "Yes Man" and ultra-crappy "The Happening."

Movie Review: “Land of the Lost”

Seen on: June 5, 2009

The players: Director: Brad Silberling, Writers: Chris Henchy, Dennis McNicholas, Cast: Will Ferrell, Anna Friel, Danny R. McBride, Jorma Taccone

Facts of interest: Based on the TV series from the '70s.

The plot: Will Ferrell stars as a scientist who travels to a parallel dimension inhabited by hostile creatures.

Our thoughts: To be honest, I wish I’d never entered the “Land of the Lost.” It’s a boring place full of bad jokes and lame characters, and it pretty much lacks all the necessary ingredients for an exciting, adventurous comedy. In other words, this movie is a mess of epic proportions, and one that should never have found its way into theaters.

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'Land of the Lost' web reviews

Will Ferrell embarks on a new adventure in Brad Silberling's "Land of the Lost," based on the '70s TV series of the same title. Along with Danny McBride and Anna Friel, Ferrell discovers a new universe in which he encounters weird creatures and other surprises. Here's what the Web's critics have to say about it:

• Jeff Otto at LatinoReview: "There are plenty of problems with 'LOTL,' but for the most part Ferrell and McBride deliver enough entertaining comedy and Friel passes the eye candy test."

• Todd Gilchrist at Cinematical: "Directed by Brad Silberling and starring Will Ferrell, this update on the Sid and Marty Krofft television series from the 1970s is the strangest, filthiest summer movie I think I've ever seen."

• Josh Tyler at CinemaBlend: "The thing that Silberling and everyone involved in this film simply does not seem to get is that it’s the world they’re in that’s funny, not the people who have landed in it."

• Brad Brevet at RopeOfSilicon: "While I remain one of the few people that got a laugh out of Will Ferrell's 'Semi-Pro,' it appears this film is going to be another bust in Ferrell's career unless family audiences warm to it more than I expect."

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Natalie Portman boards 'Your Highness'

Natalie Portman has joined Danny McBride and James Franco in David Gordon Green's upcoming comedy “Your Highness" for Universal, according to Variety. Written by McBride and ben Best, the film follows an arrogant prince (McBride) and his brother (Franco), who must show great courage and fulfill a perilous quest to secure the future of his dad’s kingdom.

The trade says Portman is set to play a badass princess McBride falls in love with. Portman has several projects coming up, including "New York, I Love You," Jim Sheridan's "Brothers" and "Love & Other Impossible Pursuits." Green’s directing credits include "Snow Angels" and "Pineapple Express." McBride recently starred in "Observe and Report."