Hit Movie "Despicable Me" is Now a Home Entertainment Hit

Press release:

Minion Madness Explodes Across The Country as Despicable Me Dominates on Blu-ray and DVD Ringing In $25 Million its First Day in Stores

Universal’s $500 Million Comedy Sensation is on Track to Become the Second- Biggest Animated Home Entertainment Release of 2010

Universal City, California, December 15, 2010 – The world’s funniest evil genius saw his plans for world domination come true when Despicable Me made off with first-day sales on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download of nearly $25 million on December 14. Fueled by the exclusive debut of three all-new mini-movies on DVD Double Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and 3D Combo Pack starring the film’s wildly popular Minions, the mega-hit animated family comedy sold well over one million units to consumers (excluding rentals) in its first 24 hours of release and is poised to become the second biggest-grossing animated home entertainment title of the year.

“Despicable Me is one of the most creative, beloved and successful animated features of all time, as evidenced by its resounding critical acclaim and extraordinary global box-office earnings of over half a billion dollars,” said Craig Kornblau, President, Universal Studios Home Entertainment. “In providing consumers with exceptional all-new mini-movies and the greatest choice of platforms across DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D, Despicable Me has rocketed to the top of everyone’s gift list and has assumed the coveted position as the must-own release of the holiday season.”

The title’s explosive first-day sales were also aided by Universal’s groundbreaking “Minion Madness” promotion, a points-based reward and social media program spotlighting the film’s beloved mischief-makers, the Minions. Fans can register to participate in creative interactive activities that earn points toward prizes ranging from gift cards to all-expense-paid vacations. To date, registered users have earned more than one million minion points and shared thousands of pieces of fan art, fan photos and more at http://www.minionmadness.com/. Running through January 2011, “Minion Madness” will award more than 15,000 prizes to registered users.

Despicable Me is the hilarious tale of Gru, the self-proclaimed “World’s Greatest Villain,” whose plot to pull off the craziest crime of the century is turned upside down by three adorable orphans. The latest film from producer Chris Meledandri (Ice Age, Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!), it features an unforgettably funny all-star voice cast including Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Miranda Cosgrove, Academy Award® winner Julie Andrews, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Jack McBrayer and Jemaine Clement.


Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (http://www.universalstudios.com/). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.

Animation's Finest Earn Annie Award Nominations

38th Annual Annie Award Nominations Announced

The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood proudly announces the nominations and award recipients for the 38th Annual Annie Awards. Award recipients will claim their trophies at the 38th Annual Annie Awards scheduled for Saturday, February 5, 2011 at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California.

PRODUCTION CATEGORIES:

Best Animated Feature
• Despicable Me – Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures
• How to Train Your Dragon – DreamWorks Animation
• Tangled – Disney
• The Illusionist – Django Films
• Toy Story 3 – Disney/Pixar

Best Animated Short Subject
• Coyote Falls - Warner Bros. Animation
• Day & Night – Pixar
• Enrique Wrecks the World - House of Chai
• The Cow Who Wanted To Be A Hamburger - Plymptoons Studio
• The Renter - Jason Carpenter

Best Animated Television Commercial
• Children's Medical Center - DUCK Studios
• Frito Lay Dips "And Then There Was Salsa" - LAIKA/house
• ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ Winter Olympic Interstitial "Speed Skating" - DreamWorks Animation
• McDonald's "Spaceman Stu" - DUCK Studios
• Pop Secret "When Harry Met Sally" - Nathan Love

Best Animated Television Production
• Futurama - The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
• Kung Fu Panda Holiday - DreamWorks Animation
• Scared Shrekless - DreamWorks Animation
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars “Arc Troopers” - Lucasfilm Animation, Ltd.
• The Simpsons “The Squirt and the Whale” - Gracie Films

Best Animated Television Production for Children
• Adventure Time - Cartoon Network Studios
• Cloudbread – GIMC
• Fanboy & Chum Chum - Nickelodeon, Frederator
• Regular Show - Cartoon Network Studios
• SpongeBob SquarePants – Nickelodeon

Best Animated Video Game
• Heavy Rain - Quantic Dream
• Kirby's Epic Yarn - Good-Feel & HAL Laboratory
• Limbo – Playdead
• Shank - Klei Entertainment Inc.

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES:

Animated Effects in an Animated Production
• Andrew Young Kim "Shrek Forever After" - DreamWorks Animation
• Jason Mayer "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Brett Miller "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Sebastian Quessy "Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" - Warner Bros. Pictures
• Krzysztof Rost "Megamind" - DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Television Production
• Nicolas A. Chauvelot "Scared Shrekless" - DreamWorks Animation
• Savelen Forrest "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III" - ShadowMachine
• Elizabeth Harvatine "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III" – ShadowMachine
• David Pate "Kung Fu Panda Holiday" - DreamWorks Animation
• Nideep Varghese "Scared Shrekless" - DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Feature Production
• Mark Donald "Megamind" - DreamWorks Animation
• Anthony Hodgson "Megamind" - DreamWorks Animation
• Gabe Hordos "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Jakob Hjort Jensen "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• David Torres "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Live Action Production
• Quentin Miles - Clash of the Titans
• Ryan Page - Alice in Wonderland

Character Design in a Television Production
• Andy Bialk "The Ricky Gervais Show" - W!LDBRAIN Entertainment
• Stephan DeStefano "Sym-Bionic Titan" - Cartoon Network
• Ernie Gilbert "T.U.F.F. Puppy" – Nickelodeon
• Gordon Hammond "T.U.F.F. Puppy" – Nickelodeon
• Steve Lambe "Fanboy & Chum Chum" - Nickelodeon, Frederator

Character Design in a Feature Production
• Sylvain Chomet "The Illusionist" - Django Films
• Carter Goodrich "Despicable Me" - Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures
• Timothy Lamb "Megamind" - DreamWorks Animation
• Nico Marlet "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation

Directing in a Television Production
• Bob Anderson "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXI” - Gracie Films
• Peter Chung "Firebreather" - Cartoon Network Studios
• Duke Johnson "Frankenhole: Humanitas" – ShadowMachine
• Tim Johnson "Kung Fu Panda Holiday" - DreamWorks Animation
• Gary Trousdale "Scared Shrekless" - DreamWorks Animation

Directing in a Feature Production
• Sylvain Chomet "The Illusionist" - Django Films
• Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud “Despicable Me” – Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures
• Mamoru Hosoda “Summer Wars” – Madhouse/Funimation
• Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois “How To Train Your Dragon” - DreamWorks Animation
• Lee Unkrich “Toy Story 3” – Disney/Pixar

Music in a Television Production
• J. Walter Hawkes, Billy Lopez "The Wonder Pets!" - Nickelodeon Production & Little Airplane Productions
• Henry Jackman, Hans Zimmer and John Powell "Kung Fu Panda Holiday" - DreamWorks Animation
• Tim Long, Alf Clausen, Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement "The Simpsons: Elementary School Musical" - Gracie Films
• Shawn Patterson "Robot Chicken's DP Christmas Special" – ShadowMachine
• Jeremy Wakefield, Sage Guyton, Nick Carr, Tuck Tucker "SpongeBob SquarePants" – Nickelodeon

Music in a Feature Production
• Sylvain Chomet "The Illusionist" - Django Films
• David Hirschfelder "Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" - Warner Bros. Pictures
• John Powell "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Harry Gregson Williams "Shrek Forever After" - DreamWorks Animation
• Pharrell Williams, Heitor Pereira "Despicable Me" - Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures

Production Design in a Television Production
• Alan Bodner "Neighbors From Hell" - 20th Century Fox Television
• Barry Jackson "Firebreather" - Cartoon Network Studios
• Pete Oswald "Doubtsourcing" - Badmash Animation Studios
• Richie Sacilioc "Kung Fu Panda Holiday" - DreamWorks Animation
• Scott Wills "Sym-Bionic Titan" - Cartoon Network Studios

Production Design in a Feature Production
• Yarrow Cheney "Despicable Me" - Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures
• Eric Guillon "Despicable Me" - Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures
• Dan Hee Ryu "Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" - Warner Bros. Pictures
• Pierre Olivier Vincent "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Peter Zaslav "Shrek Forever After" - DreamWorks Animation

Storyboarding in a Television Production
• Sean Bishop "Scared Shrekless" - DreamWorks Animation
• Fred Gonzales "T.U.F.F. Puppy" – Nickelodeon
• Tom Owens "Kung Fu Panda Holiday" - DreamWorks Animation
• Dave Thomas "Fairly OddParents" – Nickelodeon

Storyboarding in a Feature Production
• Alessandro Carloni "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Paul Fisher "Shrek Forever After" - DreamWorks Animation
• Tom Owens "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Catherine Yuh Rader "Megamind" - DreamWorks Animation

Voice Acting in a Television Production
• Jeff Bennett as The Necronomicon "Fanboy & Chum Chum" - Nickelodeon & Frederator
• Corey Burton as Baron Papanoida "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" - Cartoon Network
• Nika Futterman as Asajj Ventress "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" - Cartoon Network
• Mike Henry as Cleveland Brown "The Cleveland Show" - Fox Television Animation
• James Hong as Mr. Ping "Kung Fu Panda Holiday" - DreamWorks Animation

Voice Acting in a Feature Production
• Jay Baruchel as Hiccup "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Gerard Butler as Stoick "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Steve Carrell as Gru "Despicable Me" - Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures
• Cameron Diaz as Fiona "Shrek Forever After" - DreamWorks Animation
• Geoffrey Rush as Ezylryb "Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" - Warner Bros. Pictures

Writing in a Television Production
• Daniel Arkin "Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Heroes on Both Sides" - Lucasfilm Animation Ltd.
• Jon Colton Barry & Piero Piluso "Phineas & Ferb: Nerds of a Feather" - Disney Channel
• John Frink "The Simpsons: Stealing First Base" - Gracie Films
• Geoff Johns, Matthew Beans, Zeb Wells, Hugh Sterbakov, Matthew Senreich, Breckin Meyer, Seth Green, Mike Fasolo, Douglas Goldstein, Tom Root, Dan Milano, Kevin Shinick & Hugh Davidson "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III" – ShadowMachine
• Michael Rowe "Futurama" - The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television

Writing in a Feature Production
• Michael Arndt “Toy Story 3” – Disney/Pixar
• Sylvain Chomet “The Illusionist” – Django Films
• William Davies, Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders “How to Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
• Dan Fogelman “Tangled” - Disney
• Alan J. Schoolcraft, Brent Simons “Megamind” – DreamWorks Animation

JURIED AWARDS

Winsor McCay Award — Brad Bird, Eric Goldberg, Matt Groening

June Foray — Ross Iwamoto

Ub Iwerks Award — Autodesk

Special Achievement — “Waking Sleeping Beauty”

http://www.annieawards.org/index.html

"Despicable Me" on DVD in December

This Holiday Season, Bring Home The $250 Million Comedy Blockbuster!

DESPICABLE ME

For a Limited Time Only, Get Three New Mini-Movies Starring The Minions!

Available on the Blu-ray™ and Blu-ray™ 3D Combo Packs for the Ultimate Experience and on the DVD Double Pack

Available December 14, 2010 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Universal City, California, September 22, 2010 – The perfect gift for the holidays arrives in the hilarious and heartfelt animated box office sensation, Despicable Me, available December 14, 2010 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. For a limited time only the fun continues with a trio of all-new, hilarious adventures starring the film’s endearingly mischievous Minions, available only on the Blu-ray™ and Blu-ray 3D Combo Packs and the DVD Double Pack. All three products include a digital copy of the movie to watch anytime, anywhere. A single disc DVD will also be available.

“‘Despicable Me is one of those rare titles that moviegoers of all ages have enthusiastically embraced,” said Craig Kornblau, President of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. “It’s not only one of the highest-grossing movies of the year but also one of the most popular animated films of all time. Perfectly timed for the holidays, Despicable Me will be high on everybody's wish list as the must-have Blu-ray/DVD of the season.”

The latest film from producer Chris Meledandri (executive producer of Ice Age and Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!), Despicable Me’s all-star cast of unforgettably funny heroes and villains includes Steve Carell (Date Night, Get Smart, Horton Hears a Who!, TV’s The Office), Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You, Man), Miranda Cosgrove (Nickelodeon’s No. 1 live-action show iCarly), legendary Academy Award® winner Julie Andrews (The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, The Princess Diaries series), Russell Brand (Get Him to the Greek, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Kristen Wiig (Date Night, Saturday Night Live), Will Arnett (Monsters vs. Aliens, Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!, Ratatouille), Danny McBride (Tropic Thunder, Pineapple Express), Jack McBrayer (TV’s “30 Rock”, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Jemaine Clement (“Flight of the Conchords”, Dinner For Schmucks). The hilarious tale of a wannabe super-villain whose life is unexpectedly changed by a trio of determined little orphans packed theaters and delighted families nationwide this summer.

The ultimate entertainment for the entire family, Despicable Me is packed with never-before-seen bonus features including games, behind-the-scenes featurettes and filmmaker commentaries that will keep the entire family enchanted for hours.

CRITICS FIND DESPICABLE DELIGHTFUL

Despicable Me charmed critics across America with Minion madness! Claudia Puig of USA Today described Despicable Me as “Whip-smart. A fun-filled adventure with a whimsical story and terrific voice casting. Steve Carell as the voice of Gru is hilarious”. Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film as “An all-around winner. Funny, clever and warmly animated with memorable characters.” In Touch Weekly’s Matt Sullivan raved, “A blast for all ages. Hilarious!” and Pete Hammond of Boxoffice Magazine wrote, “Rousingly funny, heartfelt and imaginative…blessed with the vocal talents of Steve Carell and loaded with whimsy and smarts.” Lisa Schwartzbaum of Entertainment Weekly wrote, “The movie works not because of the parts – the voice work, the drawing style, the pleasing, matter-of-fact use of 3D – but because the whole is as much a unified vision as anything the Great and Mighty Pixar produces.”

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVELY ON BLU-RAY™ 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD Double Pack:
· THREE ALL NEW, MINI-MOVIES Starring THE MINIONS — The fun continues with three all-new mini-movies, created exclusively for the Blu-ray Combo Packs and DVD Double Pack! Available for a limited time only! Get more laughs and more minion mayhem with "Home Makeover", "Orientation Day" and "Banana" - you'll want to watch them again and again!

· THE VOICES OF DESPICABLE ME —Go behind-the-scenes with Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove, Kristen Wiig and Julie Andrews as they give life to their animated characters. Includes character profiles for each of the cast members!

· SUPER SILLY FUN LAND—Join Agnes, Margo and Edith at the Super Silly Fun Land Theme Park and play Feed the Creatures and Freeze the Floating Minions to win super cool prizes.

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVELY ON BLU-RAY 3D COMBO PACK AND BLU-RAY COMBO PACK:
· GRU-CONTROL - Through a picture-in-picture window, see the making of the film with behind-the-scenes footage and cast/filmmaker interviews

· MISS HATTIE’S TOP SECRET COOKIE RECIPES—Margo is proud to present the recipes for those wonderful cookies that the loveable orphans under Miss Hattie’s care enjoy so much!

· BD-LIVE™—Access the BD-Live™ Center through your Internet-connected player to get even more content, watch the latest trailers and more.

o MY SCENES—Bookmark your favorite scenes from the movie.

· pocket BLU™ app— For the first time available on iPad®, owners can enjoy a new, enhanced edition of pocket BLU™ made especially to take advantage of the tablet’s larger screen and high resolution display. Consumers will be able to browse through a library of Blu-ray™ content and watch entertaining extras on-the-go that’s bigger and better than ever before. USHE’s groundbreaking pocket BLU™ app uses iPhone™, iPod® touch, iPad™, Blackberry®, Nokia® Smartphone, Android™, PC and Macintosh to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray™ player and offers advanced features such as:

o MINION ME—Exclusively for iPhone® and iPad® -- Personalize photos of friends and family by turning them into Minions. Pictures can be customized with glasses, bowties, hats and hairstyles to make it really hilarious! Send it to your friends with a Minion laugh.

o MINION DOMINION APP—Exclusively for iPhone® and iPad® Control a Minion by turning, tilting, rotating and shaking your phone. Tap the screen to make him speak, tap it again to hear him laugh. Or do battle with the two-player “minion mash up.” Download to your iPhone and see who can inflict the most damage on the other’s minion.

o Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live™ functions with ease.

o Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the movie.

o Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to mobile devices or to stream from anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy exclusive content on the go, anytime, anywhere.

o Keyboard: Enter data into a Blu-ray™ player with your device’s easy and intuitive keyboard to facilitate such Blu-ray™ features as chatting with friends and sending messages.

BONUS FEATURES AVAILABLE ON DVD AND ALL VERSIONS:
· The World of Despicable Me
· Despicable Beats—Director Chris Renaud talks about the cool factor of renowned music producer Pharrell Williams.
· Gru's Rocket Builder—In an all-new game, Vector has stolen some of the most famous landmarks from around the world and replaced them with the pieces to Gru’s rocket. Players must return all the stolen landmarks to the correct countries in order to build their own rockets before Vector hacks into the system and steals the rocket plans. The reward for completing the rocket is a launch to the moon!
· A Global Effort—Learn all about the global effort behind Despicable Me. A director from France and another from the USA, plus an American and English cast created a movie in France, with artists from all over the world for a truly international movie!
· Commentary with directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin, featuring the Minions!

Visit http://www.despicableme.com/ for the latest updates.


SYNOPSIS
In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden deep beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by an army of tireless, little yellow Minions, we discover Gru (Steve Carell), planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon. Yes, the moon!

Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad.

One of the world’s greatest super-villains has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes.


Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (http://www.universalstudios.com/). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.

Review: Date Night

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 26 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux


Date Night (2010)
Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sexual and crude content throughout, language, some violence and a drug reference
DIRECTOR: Shawn Levy
WRITER: Josh Klausner
PRODUCERS: Shawn Levy and Tom McNulty
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dean Semler (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Dean Zimmerman

COMEDY/ACTION/CRIME

Starring: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, Taraji P. Henson, Jimmi Simpson, Common, Bill Burr, William Fichtner, Kristen Wiig, Mark Ruffalo, James Franco, Mila Kunis, Ray Liotta, and J.B. Smoove

Steve Carell and Emmy-winner Tina Fey, two masters of some of the funniest and smartest television comedies in recent memory, come together for Date Night. Directed by Shawn Levy, Date Night follows a suburban New Jersey couple that comes to Manhattan for an out-of-the-ordinary night of fun and get the extraordinary night of their lives. This movie may not be Fey’s “30 Rock” or Carell’s “The Office” (their NBC television series), but it’s them and that’s enough.

They are sensible people Phil (Steve Carell) and Claire Foster (Tina Fey). This loving couple has two kids and a house in suburban New Jersey. Phil and Claire even have their weekly “date night,” a special night, in which they attempt to their dating years, as they dine on fish and potato wedges. Exhausted from their jobs and children, Phil and Claire rarely end their date nights with romance, or even sex. Then, they learn that a couple with whom they are friends is divorcing because the husband and wife started to feel like they were roommates and not really husband and wife.

On a whim, Phil decides a change of their regular date night plans in order to take Claire into Manhattan to the city’s hottest new restaurant, Claw. The Fosters, however, don't have reservations, and, once again on a whim, Phil decides to steal a no-show couple’s reservations. The Fosters are now the Tripplehorns, but the real Tripplehorns live dangerous lives, which the Fosters discover when two thugs, Armstrong (Jimmi Simpson) and Collins (Common), accost them over a flash drive the Tripplehorns apparently have. Soon, Phil and Claire are on the run, and their date night becomes a series of crazy adventures. Never mind saving their marriage; they have to save their lives.

Moviegoers who like Carell and Fey and want everything to turn out good for the Fosters will enjoy Date Night. Obviously, these acclaimed comic actors are the be-all, end-all of this movie. The material, however, is actually good, better than to be expected of Hollywood star vehicle. Screenwriter Josh Klausner has actually presented a rather snappy little scenario of a crime caper, although the way this caper ends is a bit clumsy and too pat. Director Shawn Levy, so adept at finding edge-of-the-seat thrills from practically any concept (see Night at the Museum), has made a film in Date Night that is funnier than most cop/buddy action comedies with action that is just as thrilling and fun to watch.

Steve Carell and Tina Fey don’t deliver their best work, but not for lack of effort. Carell’s wide-eyed mania, double-takes, and babbling are always just in time to strike the right note. Fey’s breezy performance is practically pitch-perfect for this film, an effortless turn from a comic actress flirting with genius. Date Night will likely make much of its audience want another date night with the team of Carell and Fey, but, in the meantime, we can enjoy this night again and again.

7 of 10
B+

Monday, April 26, 2010

Review: "Anchorman" is Odd and Funny

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 121 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux 

 

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

Running time: 94 minutes (1 hour, 34 minutes)

MPAA – PG-13 for sexual humor, language and comic violence DIRECTOR: Adam McKay WRITERS: Will Ferrell and Adam McKay PRODUCER: Judd Apatow CINEMATOGRAPHER: Thomas Ackerman (D.o.P.) EDITOR: Brent White

 

COMEDY 

 

Starring: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steven Carell, David Koechner, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Kathryn Hahn, Luke Wilson, Bill Kurtis, Monique McIntyre, and Danny Trejo with uncredited screen appearances by Jack Black, Missi Pyle, Tim Robbins, Stephen Root, Ben Stiller, and Vince Vaughn

 

Will the actor/comedian Will Ferrell make a nice, long run of being a comedic leading man? He has a few hits behind him, and even if he ever falters as the star, he’s funny enough to lift quite a few movies to that next level by playing funny and crucial supporting roles.

 

In Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, a film in which he co-wrote, Ferrell is Ron Burgundy. In 1970’s San Diego, he rules the city as the most popular anchorman of the most popular local TV news broadcast. He’s a legend, mostly in his own mind, and he’s God’s gift to women – if only they knew that he isn’t much of a journalist and his news skills rely heavily on a TelePrompTer.

 

Burgundy is also the captain of his station’s news team, a fellow cast of cads that includes a lecherous beat reporter named Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), a mentally challenged weatherman, and Champ Kind (David Koechner), a chauvinist, dude cowboy sports reporter. All is well in their world of ladies and parties until Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), an ambitious female with her eye on being a network anchorwoman, arrives to rock their world. For Ron, it’s love at first sight, but all goes bad when Veronica becomes his partner both personally and professionally.

 

Anchorman is quite silly and filled with lots of belly laughs, but it also has a surprising number of satirical and sardonic moments. The humor recalls the mocking antics of Mel Brooks 70’s classics like Blazing Saddles, but the humor here is often deadpan and blunt. It’s also self-mockingly serious and also flat out hilarious. Too bad, the story is soft and the script is mostly a blueprint for jokes, gags, and general silliness.

 

Will Ferrell is his usual funny self, but the Burgundy character is a bit odd and off-putting. It’s not one of Ferrell’s more endearing characters, but he has a knack of making the most annoying characters very funny, even when they’re under your skin. The supporting cast is quite nice. Fred Willard embodies 70’s kitsch, and the three actors that make up Burgundy’s crew are fantastic, especially Carell and Koechner who play their parts with a frightening, scene stealing relish. Ms. Applegate’s performance is a bit odd; she plays Veronica in a never where between cardboard character dumb blonde and sly vixen, but with the gumption to make her character surprise us at every turn.

 

Anchorman will likely stand out as one of the year’s funniest comedies, but in the long run, it may be remembered as an oddity, perhaps a forgotten oddity. But I’m hoping it hangs around, even with some kind of cult status.

 

7 of 10 

B+ 

 

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