For Friday, a treasure trove of clips

Actually, with "The Other Guys" opening today and getting generally very good reviews, let's start with easily the craziest news I could find this morning, and it's about director Adam McKay.

In what would have to be a pretty big reach for the Gary Sanchez production company he runs with Will Ferrell, it seems that McKay has hired screenwriter Jesse Armstrong, co-writer of the sublime satire "In the Loop" (rent that immediately if you somehow haven't seen it), to pen the script for a biopic of Lee Atwater. And if you like political film at all, you know how potentially good this news is.

And just in case you've forgotten about Atwater, he was a prominent GOP strategist who, while he didn't quite engineer the rise of Republicans in the South, certainly channeled their power for George H.W. Bush and others to take advantage of (and, by the way, created that "Willie Horton" ad - remember him?) Far from my favorite dude in history, but certainly a colorful character, and Armstrong should have plenty to work with in all the dirty tricks he pulled in a successful career in politics. Stay tuned.

OK, after that today, it's indeed all about clips, and I've got four or - depending on the time - five that caught my eye this morning, starting of course with "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World." Though surely a gimmick, this interactive trailer that lets you click anywhere in it while it's running to get little nuggets of info about the flick is also extremely addictive as a time-waster. Enjoy, and certainly go see the flick when it opens next week.



Next up, if you have to make movies in 3-D, what more noble use could there be than to shoot a dude being catapulted high into the air in an outhouse? That's right, the "Jackass" boys are back on Oct. 15, and they really will be in 3-D (hence the title, "Jackass 3D.") And I'm certainly not afraid to admit that the antics of Johnny Knoxville and his crew are just the perfectly silly thing to get me laughing on a Saturday afternoon, so I'll be there to see it. Enjoy.

Jackass 3D

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And speaking of satire, there's one coming up that, if it's done right and with no mercy, could be really funny. Called "Butter," it takes on the 2008 Democratic presidential primary and takes it into the competitive world of butter sculpting (yes, really, I couldn't make that up.) In the flick, set to come out sometime next year, Jennifer Garner plays an ambitious butter sculptor in the Midwest who finds her rise challenged by a young black girl with a talent for the art (if you can really call it that.) I'm already laughing at the possibility for funny here, so enjoy this five-minute behind-the-scenes clip from Entertainment Tonight, which thankfully doesn't contain its usual habit of talking over all the footage.



It's been so long since the last "Narnia" movie, and they really just do have such an old-fashioned feel to them (even with all the nifty special effects), that it's pretty easy to forget all about them, but I liked "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" quite a bit, and "Prince Caspian" was even better, so you can certainly count me as amped for the third installment, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," set to come out Dec. 10. Here, straight from the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" DVD and courtesy of Narniafans.com, is the the second trailer I've seen for the flick. Enjoy.



And finally, the transition from swelteringly silly summer to more prestigious fall should start early this year with Anton Corbijn's "The American," set to come out Sept. 1 and star one George Clooney. This is only a brief TV spot, but the flick, starring Clooney as an American assassin who gets one final assignment to complete in Italy before retiring, is one of the movies I'm most looking forward to for the rest of this year, so enjoy, and have a great weekend. Peace out.

Three or four things that hopefully bring the funny this morning

You know, I get a lot of movie reviews that cross my desk (well, appear on my computer, anyway), but rarely these days do I get one that surprises me as much what we got re "Date Night."

It was about noon Tuesday, and there were so far no reviews, never a good sign. But then exactly one showed up, from McClatchy Newspapers critic Christopher Kelly, and he gave it three-and-a-half stars. Exaggerating? Surely, but he made a good case, and I still have enough faith in critics that, even though I was on the fence about this one, I'm now gonna give it a couple hours or so of my Saturday afternoon. And later today, courtesy of Collider.com, come eight or so clips that show the movie starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell (and somehow James Franco, J.B. Smoove and even Taraji P. Henson, a definite Reel Fanatic favorite, too) should have more than a little funny going for it.

But before that today, there were a few other things that caught my eye this morning or perhaps yesterday (speed has never been all that important to me.) First up, what has to be the best premise for a movie I've heard in the last few years or so.

Though mi hermano lives in the land of 10,000 (or however many there actually are) lakes, I have never had the pleasure of going to the Minnesota State Fair or any other such Midwestern variant, and so have never experienced firsthand the glory of butter sculpture, but it has always fascinated me. I would not, however, have been clever enough to somehow tie it to the 2008 presidential election, as a screenwriter named Jason Micallef has apparently done.

The movie, "Butter," will star Jennifer Garner as the wife of a reigning butter-sculpting champion who attempts to follow in his footsteps after he steps down, only to have her path to power blocked by a young black girl with prodigious butter-sculpting talents (I'm laughing at that already.) The rival will be played by a young lady named Yara Shahidi, and Kate Hudson and funny guy Rob Corddry will factor into this somehow too.

Genuine political satire, which this certainly seems to be, is a rapidly dying art, so definitely keep your eyes on this flick set to begin filming later this month. (And for a pitch-perfect recent example of the genre, rent "In the Loop" if you somehow haven't seen it yet.)

And next up today comes up the first trailer I know of for "Dinner for Schmucks," which, given the Steve Carell connection, I have to presume will debut this weekend before "Date Night." The French movie it's based on "Le Diner De Cons," has sat near the top of my netflix queue for many months now, and having just checked, I find it's now actually No. 1, so I'm gonna return something today in hopes of getting it back in time for that to arrive in my mailbox Saturday afternoon. In the meantime, the remake starring Carell and Paul Rudd is set to drop in July, and judging from the trailer, the Jay Roach flick should deliver some pretty serious funny. Enjoy the trailer.



And coincidentally enough, George Lucas has apparently given Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, creators of "Robot Chicken," the green light to pen some further "Star Wars" adventures with a comic touch. That's pretty amazing news given that I just assumed Lucas had no sense of humor at all (or rather the kind that found Jar Jar to be funny), but in the meantime, I laughed right out loud at this "Star Wars"/"Arrested Development" mashup, and hopefully you will too. The best thing about this poster created four years ago or so to promote the Fox show when it was actually still on the air instead of just a constant reunion rumor has to be David Cross, but it's all pretty darn funny. Enjoy.

To wrap things up today, why not something from a movie that actually comes out this week, rather than a show that sadly died quite a while ago? As promised, here are about 7 minutes or so of "Date Night," which will be getting my $6.50 or so Saturday afternoon. Enjoy, and have a perfectly pain-free Wednesday. Peace out.

Believe the hype: "Juno" is as good as it gets

Just to get this out of the way before we get started, I did indeed like "Juno" at least as much as I expected to, so now bear with me while I explain why.

The surprising key to making this overly familiar story seem so new (along with the simply remarkable Ellen Page) was the music, which not only gives it a feel-good vibe from the outset, but also sets the tone for exactly what screenwriter Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman have accomplished here. Like the songs of Kimya Dawson that dominate the infectious soundtrack, "Juno" traffics in the realm of the precious, teetering on the brink of being too cute and too hip for its own good but never quite falling over the edge. And it's music, in the form of a very important truth about Sonic Youth (which Juno learns much earlier in life than I did), that's the funniest life lesson learned in this very smart flick.

And the dialogue by blogger-turned-screenwriter Cody creates a kind of music of its own, devoid of the pop-culture crutches that populate most hipster movies but sure to leave a new wave of catchphrases in its wake. Of all the jokes, the one that had me laughing the hardest was a simple one about the name of Juno's younger sister, which you won't hear from me (but think about her age and her name, and I guarantee you'll laugh loud enough to startle whoever's sitting beside you.)

The template here will be clear early on, because what Cody and Reitman have essentially done is make a John Hughes movie for the 21st century (and yes, along with being "up the pole," Page's Juno does also become obsessed about who her baby's daddy, veryfunnyman Michael Cera, is going to take to the prom.)

Though Jason Reitman (son of Ivan and director of 2005's "Thank You for Smoking") mostly stays out of the way and lets Cody and Page dominate the flick, he does put his stamp on one key scene. As our heroine briefly considers having an abortion in one of the movie's best scenes, he makes it clear just how much this is a scared and still-young girl having to make a decision she's definitely not ready for.

And young Ellen Page, who is in just about every frame of this cautionary tale (or, as Juno puts it, "cautionary whale"), completely sells you on the character of Juno, who acts much more confident than she really is. Michael Cera, given the very funny moniker "Bleek," does his best as the straight man once again (and the young man who happens to impregnate Juno), but this is definitely her show. Of the supporting players, Jason Bateman and J.K. Simmons were very funny, but this is a women's show from the start, and Allison Janney and Jennifer Garner both outshine their male counterparts, especially Janney as Juno's tart-tongued stepmother.

It is kind of disturbing that, though I have no babies of my own crawling around, I can now declare two of my favorite movies (this one and "The Snapper") are about pregnancy. I guess it's just such a bizarrely human event that no matter how much quirk you pile on top, and Cody does lay it on pretty thick here, you can still with the right touch make a movie that connects with viewers of all kinds.

And just so this isn't a complete love letter to the makers of "Juno," I do have one quibble/warning to share. Anyone who's seen the trailer and is looking forward to seeing Rainn Wilson, be advised that he only appears in one scene at the very beginning, and all his best lines have already been revealed in the trailer.

And, in the interest of full disclosure, Fox Searchlight did provide these rather nifty "Juno" t-shirts after the screening. You'll just have to take my word for it that I would have given this such a glowing review even without this surprise bit of bright orange swag. Peace out.

"Juno" for free? I'm there, and you could be too

If I had to estimate, I'd say no more than one in 10 of the e-mails I get at work are of any use at all, but on Friday I got the best one I have in many months. Here is an excerpt:

I know you're out in the middle of nowhere, but I also know that you're somewhat obsessed w/ Juno. A couple chances to check it out in ATL before it opens. Now you gotta ask yourself -- Are Michael and George Michael worth it? Is Ellen Page worth it? I think we both know the answers to those questions.

Yes, I do know the answer to that, so after getting this e-mail from Jeremy J, always a welcome friend to this blog, I went to the list of screenings and in fact RSVP'd for a Sunday afternoon one at my favorite ATL theater which has since been filled. If you missed out on this golden opportunity from Fox Searchlight, fret not: There's about 100 or so promotional screenings left around the country, before and after it opens Wednesday.

If you're anywhere near Atlanta, the next two screenings there are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec 6, at the AMC Parkway Point, and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec 18, at the Landmark Midtown. To RSVP to either of these screenings or to find out about the many more coming up around the country, click here.

And as to whether or not I'll ever stop being "obsessed" with movies as smart and funny as this flick from Jason Reitman and scribe Diablo Cody starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, Jennifer Garner, Rainn Wilson and J.K Simmons should be? I sure hope not. Peace out.

Kingdom come: An almost-perfect political thriller

When I first heard about "The Kingdom" what seems like two or three years ago, I really had no desire to see it. It just looked like a thoroughly routine thriller which would dumb down the politics and amp up the carnage.

Well, I was kind of right, but in the hands of Peter Berg this still turned out to be a tremendously entertaining movie.

The setup: Early on, Saudi terrorists (we think) detonate two bombs at a housing establishment for American oil workers in Saudi Arabia, killing more than 100 people. After overcoming some resistance, the FBI is able to send in an elite team led by agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) to find the culprit.

The opening sequence with the bombing is as hard as to watch as it is expertly constructed. The tension rises steadily between the first and second bombs, and Kyle Chandler of Berg's TV creation "Friday Night Lights" plays a key role you won't hear anymore about from me.

It's in the FBI response team, however, that Berg and screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan really shine. On paper, the four agents are standard Hollywood composites, the badass maverick (Foxx), the wizened veteran (Chris Cooper), the agent with a personal stake in the investigation (Jennifer Garner) and the young, wise-cracking addition (Jason Bateman.) It's how Carnahan and Berg build on these familiar characters, however, that gives "The Kingdom" most of its strength.

And special mention here should go to Ashraf Barhoum, the Saudi police officer who at first blocks them at every turn but (of course) eventually rallies to their side. His banter with his American cohorts, particularly on the prevalence of cursing in American daily discourse, is natural and entertaining, and since it's that season, I think you'll be hearing Mr. Barhoum's name again on Oscar night.

But, of course, this is eventually an action movie, and that's where it starts to fall apart a little bit. With Foxx taking the lead in his least annoying role since "Ray," they steadily, and more than a bit too easily, gather clues and make their case. It does move along at a quick clip toward the shootout(s) you know have to be coming.

And when it finally unleashes the chaos, with one of the agents kidnapped (you won't hear which one from me) and his friends in pursuit, it's a blur of action that doesn't let up for a good 20 minutes. Though Berg never quite resorts to the constant-camera-movement antics of Paul Greengrass, it is an intense finale that delivers what the premise promises.

And a word, if I could, about the politics. A.O. Scott, in an otherwise glowing review of this flick, called it "Syriana for dummies." I'm not really sure where to start with that one. First of all, I may indeed be dumb, because I flat out hated "Syriana." Way too many stories with just about no character development, and several messages just crammed down your throat until you choke.

Now, I'll concede that Mr. Berg does dumb it down a bit, but what was Mr. Scott expecting from a thriller like this? I actually found the opening credits, with a three-minute-or-so summary of American-Saudi relations to this point, to be an effective enough way to draw people into the action.

And Berg's point, when he finally gets around to making it at the very end, is much the same as Steven Spielberg's with "Munich": In our current global battle against terrorism and other evils, we're often in a zero-sum game. For my money, though, he makes that point with a much more entertaining flick than Spielberg's, and I can't ask for much more than that.

P.S.: I've seen the season two premiere of "Friday Night Lights," and can report that though the season predictably starts on a down note, it's still expertly written and very entertaining. The strains of coach Taylor (Chandler) being away at SMU over the summer grow worse as his wife (the great Connie Britton) gives birth to a baby girl, and Tyra and Landry's relationship starts to develop in a most interesting way. You know you should be watching this one, people, so please don't make me beg.