There’s a sure way to tell if a genre has become too formulaic: somebody will make a spoof of it. It happened with the teen movie genre (Not Another Teen Movie); it happened with the scary movie genre (Scary Movie); and now it has happened with the genre of musical biopics (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story).

I suppose that biopics are particularly susceptible to becoming formulaic. Since the filmmakers don’t want to disrespect the memory/legacy of the person they’re depicting, they can’t really take a whole lot of creative freedoms in describing his life. Unfortunately, this results in essentially the same story being told over and over again, in pretty much the same way (I’m sure I’m not the only one who noticed that Walk The Line was basically a carbon-copy of Ray, only with prescription drugs).

I guess that’s why I’m excited about the new Bob Dylan biopic, I’m Not There. In this film, the role of Dylan will be played by 6 (yes, 6!) different actors, each portraying a different time-period in the singer’s life. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard of any movie doing this, let alone a biopic!

What’s even better is the list of actors who are playing Dylan: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Winshaw. To be honest, I could do without Richard Gere and Heath Ledger on this list, but the chance to see both Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett playing Dylan is well worth the price of admission.

Unfortunately, only the teaser trailer is available at the moment, and it really doesn’t show much. On the other hand, I don’t really need a whole lot of selling on this one. I’m Not There is definitely a SEE IT for me. I love Dylan; I love Bale and Blanchett; and I love the creativity. I wish Hollywood had the balls to make more movies like this.

I’m Not There is not yet rated and opens in limited release on November 21. (Official Site)

John Cusack has certainly had a busy year: first he starred in 1408, and now he has two more films coming out before the end of the year. Not bad for a guy who once paid a dollar to see Molly Ringwald’s panties.

Out first is Grace is Gone, which has already played at most of the big film festivals, and met with mixed reviews (the consensus is that Cusack is great, but the film itself is lacking). Cusack (looking a lot older and frumpier than usual), is Stanley, whose wife, Grace, is killed in Iraq. Not knowing how to tell his two young daughters that their mother is never coming home, he takes them on an impromptu road trip, declaring it’s time they had some fun in their lives. Included in the trailer are scenes of Stanley being unable to accept that Grace is gone (so that’s where that title came from!), longing looks at his daughters who he just “doesn’t know how to talk to”, and yearning phone calls to Grace via their home answering machine, where her voice is recorded as the outgoing message. While I have no doubt that this movie is heartbreaking, and heaven knows the subject matter alone makes me misty-eyed, it seems like the tear-jerking moments may be a bit forced and heavy-handed.

And speaking of forced tear-jerking moments, Cusack’s other film is Martian Child. This time he’s a science fiction writer who adopts a little boy who lives inside a cardboard box and believes he is from Mars. See, Cusack writes about Martians, and the kid thinks he is one, so they’re a perfect fit! I was under the impression that the American adoption system was a little more complicated than that, but I’ll suspend my disbelief enough to go with it. But I’m having trouble suspending my disbelief enough to accept the overdone plot conflict where the adoption counselor pays a visit at a comedic inopportune time, and then threatens to take the child away for fear of his welfare. Cue the swelling music and a heartfelt plea from the adoptive parent that “I’m the only one who understands him!” Yawn.

For Grace is Gone, I’ll probably RENT IT, because I know I’ll cry, and I like to save those moments for my living room. But Martian Child will be a SKIP IT for me, despite the charm of John Cusack and his lovably daffy sister, Joan (who, as she often does in John’s movies, makes an appearance).

Grace is Gone is not yet rated and opens in limited release October 5. (Official site)

Martian Child is rated PG and opens October 26. (Official site)

Even though I’m somewhat averse to the business world, I do appreciate a really clever marketing campaign. I suppose that’s why all that Cloverfield mayhem was so interesting to me…it’s rare that you see the movie industry break out of their normal routine and do something really unique.

Anyway, this casting call announcement arrived in our inbox recently (it was actually sent 15 days ago, but I just now noticed it), and it definitely caught my attention as a unique marketing tactic. Basically, they’re asking anyone who thinks they resemble the rapper Notorious B.I.G. (aka to Christopher Wallace) to send in an audition tape before September 15th, with the chance to play Biggy in a feature-length motion picture about his life. The official website can be found here (where you can actually watch all of the audition videos).

Granted, I’m pretty sure that FOX has no intention of casting a nobody to play this role (it’ll probably go to one of the four or five second-tier actors that Biggie’s description). However, this definitely qualifies as a clever marketing campaign (aka publicity stunt). You can just imagine all the overweight African American men around the country drooling at the idea that their physical appearance may actually work to their advantage for a change. Actually, HBO did something similar a few years back…they announced an open casting call for The Sopranos, and they succeeded in getting most of tri-state area’s middle aged Italian men to stand in a mile-long line in Jersey for a day. Of course, they didn’t cast a single one of them, but it definitely gave them some free publicity.

Anyways, I just wanted to share. I suppose I’m just helping to give these guys the free advertising that they’re looking for, but in this case they deserve it, cause it’s a clever idea. Plus, if you happen to be a 300 pound African American man, you may have a shot at becoming a movie star (well, probably not, but at least this gives you a reason to dream about it).

So this trailer hit the internet a few days ago, and it immediately caught my interest. I love both Jack Black and Mos Def, and the idea of seeing those two together just brings a smile to my face. I also think Michel Gondry is a great director, although he can sometimes be a little too indulgent for his own good. And yet, for some reason, this movie isn’t a see it for me.

I suppose the main reason for this is the premise. It’s an interesting idea for sure. After accidentally erasing all of the movies in their video store, Jack Black and Mos Def decide to recreate all of the classic movies themselves…and the hilarity supposedly ensues.

This premise is as unique as they come, which I definitely admire. And it certainly has the potential to be a brilliant film. If they are able to match the tone of UHF (which I think is what they’re going for), I could see myself laughing my ass off at all of the ridiculous movie remakes. However, Be Kind, Rewind also has the potential to just be stupid and absurd. If it isn’t done right, it could be a painful experience watch these guys make arses out of themselves for an hour and a half. I just wish I knew which one it was.

My hope is that, with Black, Gondry, and Mos Def behind the wheel, they’ll steer it in the right direction. However, I’m just not confident enough to warrant me paying the $11. If friends tell me that it’s a good film, there’s a chance I’ll catch it in the theaters, but otherwise, I’m probably going to RENT IT.

Be Kind, Rewind is rated PG-13 and opens January 25.

Is it just me, or does Steve Carell seem to be everywhere these days? Not only did he have Evan Almighty this summer, in the past month alone, we’ve also seen two new trailers for movies that he’s starring in (Get Smart and this one). Ever since he popped his leading-man cherry with The 40 Year Old Virgin, Carell has definitely become the new Hollywood IT guy, taking the reigns from Will Ferrell, who not too long ago took the reigns from Jim Carey.

The thing about Carell, though, is it feels like his induction into the upper echelon of Hollywood has been somewhat accelerated compared to Farrell and Carey. Jim Carey, for example, had a brilliant run. After Ace Ventura, he did about a movie a year, and they were all highly anticipated. And when he played his first semi-dramatic role in The Truman Show, everyone was on the edge of their seats. Will Farrell’s rise to the top was a bit more saturating, but even his was tasteful. He was smart enough to play some supporting role here and there, so that we didn’t get Will Ferrell overload. And he waited as long as one can expect him to wait before his first semi-dramatic role in Stranger Than Fiction.

But it seems like Steve Carell is doing it all in fast-forward. It’s as though he read the manual written by Carey and Farell and just decided to skip right to the good parts. I mean, 40 Year Old Virgin was great, but for his next comedic role to be the summer blockbuster Evan Almighty is astounding. And the fact that he jumped right into the semi-dramatic thing with Little Miss Sunshine is almost unfair. Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes I like an actor to tease me a little bit, to make me beg for it. Doesn’t Carell know that if he gives it away too easily, we won’t respect him in the morning?

Steve Carell is a great actor, so I can’t fault him there. But I’m definitely worried that we’re going to be sick of him long before we should be. For example, this Dan in Real Life movie doesn’t interest me in the slightest. I’ll RENT IT I suppose, but if he’d done it right; if he’d taken his time and put out a movie a year (instead of three), maybe by the time this one came out, I would be craving some Carell so badly that I would have had no choice but to see it in the theaters. But alas, he’s ruined it now. It was good while it lasted, but I doubt I’ll even call him again.

Dan in Real Life is rated PG-13 and opens October 26. (Official Site)

So Julie and I went this week to a screening for a short film produced by and starring our good friend, Matt Tritt.

Basically, the film is a spoof of MTV’s Made, where Matt gets “made” into a trendy, lower eastside hipster. It was very funny and definitely worthy of a shameless plug on the site.
Anyways, check out the trailer, and if it strikes your fancy, you can actually watch the entire film (it’s about 25 minutes long) by going to this site here.

And on a related note, if you’re an independent filmmaker and want to promote your film on TrailerSpy, there will soon be an avenue for you to do that. I’m in the midst of some serious upgrades to the site, so keep your eyes open in the coming weeks (or more likely months…I’m not much of a programmer).

Question: What do David Schwimmer and Jason Alexander have in common?
Answer: They both played a dufus so well that it ruined their acting careers.

Unfortunately, that’s about the only thing David Schwimmer and Jason Alexander have in common. Even though Jason Alexander has never escaped the shadow of George, pretty much everyone acknowledges that he’s a tremendous actor. And even though everything he’s done since Seinfeld has been a flop, most people will tune in for a new project by Jason Alexander and people seem to generally root for him to succeed. However, for some reason, David Schwimmer seems to garner the exact opposite reaction. From what I can tell, most people seem to assume that he’s a talentless hack. And even though I’ve personally enjoyed nearly every movie he’s done (most notably Kissing a Fool), everyone seems to root against the guy and seems to generally hope that he fails. Perhaps this is because Ross wasn’t nearly as endearing a character as George was. But is it David Schwimmer’s fault for being really good at playing a douche?

Run, Fat Boy, Run is Schwimmer’s directorial debut, and I for one am hoping that it’s great. Unfortunately, the trailer doesn’t necessarily give me much reason to believe it’ll be great. I definitely love Simon Pegg (and Hank Azaria, and Thandie Newton), but there are a few too many holes in this story to convince methat the movie will fly. Like why would a guy who looks like Simon Pegg ever leave a girl who looks like Thandie Newton standing at the alter? And is running a marathon that spectacular of an achievement to warrant her taking him back?

I wish the best for Schwimmer, and I’m hoping that becoming a director will allow him to avoid being my generation’s equivalent of Bronson Pinchot (aka Balki Bartokomous). As for Run, Fat Boy, Run, however, I’m afraid I’m going to wait and RENT IT. But I promise to go see Ross’ next one!

Run, Fat Boy, Run is rated PG-13 and opens October 26. (Official Site)

In the latest “was this sequel really necessary” news, the teaser for Harold & Kumar 2 is now available. For their second adventure, the stoner duo branch out from a trip to White Castle to a trip to Europe (presumably to Amsterdam). But things go awry when Kumar is suspected of being a terrorist for having the audacity to be on an airplane while not being white.

Are white people overreacting to brown people really a viable foundation for what’s meant to be a stoner comedy? I’m not really convinced, but I found the first Harold and Kumar movie amusing, so I’ll probably RENT IT, or more likely, wait for it to come onto HBO. Neil Patrick Harris does reprise his role as a hyper-asshole version of himself, which in my opinion was the funniest part of the first movie. The image of Doogie Howser doing lines of blow off a stripper’s ass is permanently burned into my brain (whether that’s a good thing or not, I’m not sure).

Harold & Kumar 2 is not yet rated (it’ll probably be R) and opens some time in 2008.

There’s no denying that Judd Apatow has had an amazing year with the successes of Knocked Up and Superbad. And it looks like he’s poised to finish off the year on another high note with Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, which Apatow co-wrote and produced. Walk Hard is a spoof on the big musician biopics like Ray and Walk the Line, telling the story of the rise and fall of the great (and fictional) Dewey Cox.

Cox is played by John C. Reilly, whose comedic skills are often underused and underestimated, so I’m thrilled to see him in a movie like this. And as he proved in Chicago, he can sing, so the many hits of Dewey Cox will be ably performed. The rest of the cast is rounded out with some impressive comedic talents, such as SNL’s Kristen Wiig as Cox’s shrill shrew of a wife who just doesn’t “get” his need to perform and The Office’s Jenna Fisher as a June Carter-like character who catches Cox’s eye. Then there’s the plethora of cameos, ranging from the White Stripe’s Jack White as Elvis, to Apatow regular Paul Rudd as John Lennon, to Frankie Muniz as Buddy Holly.

I’m wavering between seeing it and renting it, and right now I’m more likely to RENT IT. That way I can juvenilely snicker at all the tongue-in-cheek uses of the word “Cox” from the privacy of my own home.

Walk Hard is not yet rated and opens December 21. (Official site)

Not even on a dare would I see this. Sorry, Amanda Bynes, but I know you can find better comedies to do your slapstick shtick. Oh, and I think you’re tanning booth was set on “carrot” by mistake.

SKIP IT

Sydney White is rated PG-13 and opens September 21. (Official site)