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2008
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Blu-ray review: ‘Extract’ is Mike Judge’s most mature work yet
29 December 2009 1:57 PM, PST
| ReelLoop.com
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If you’re expecting Mike Judge’s latest comedy Extract to act as a direct follow-up to the 1999 cult classic Office Space, then you’ll be sorely disappointed. Extract is a different animal only existing in the same genus with his past works with, not only Office Space, but his underrated satirical look at Western civilization in 2006’s Idiocracy. Extract appears to be Judge’s most mature work to date. Instead of easily taking the partisan side of the “working man/stiff/tool,” he looks at work from the eyes of the evil overseer of American enslavement: the boss.
While not as superficially funny as the writer/director’s previous, Extract features much more textured characters that are just as morally, oh, how should I say this, “complex.” This ensemble comedy centers on Joel (Jason Bateman) who owns and operates Reynold’s Extract, a bottler of vanilla, root beer and
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- Erik Buckman
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The Best Films of the Decade (aka "The Naughties")
27 December 2009 9:03 PM, PST
| The Hollywood Interview
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Best Films Of The Decade (aka The Naughties) From Alex & Terry
List # 1
By Alex Simon
When Terry and I initially discussed writing these lists, I had a tough time thinking back on 20 films over the past decade which I was really taken with, thinking that movies have sunk so low over the past ten years, that even choosing a dozen would be a short-order job. Thirty minutes into it, my list had nearly 60 titles! After much cutting, pasting, and re-cutting and pasting, here are my top 20 films (in no particular order) of the first decade of the 21st century, dubbed by many as “the naughties.” --A.S.
1.No Country for Old Men (Coen Brothers, 2007) An elegiac blend of stark beauty and full-throttle despair from two of our finest filmmakers, set in the contemporary American West. Every frame is damn near flawless, and would have been an even more perfect vehicle for the late Sam Peckinpah.
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- The Hollywood Interview.com
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Quick Snaps: 'Extract' Now on DVD
22 December 2009 10:30 AM, PST
| Slackerwood
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The latest comedy from Austin filmmaker Mike Judge, Extract, is out on DVD
today. Just in time for Christmas, you can sit with your family and watch a movie about insurance fraud, adultery, sexy con artists, dopey gigolos, drug-pushing bartenders ... hmm, I may have to get my hands on a copy. As you can see from my review, I got a kick out of the movie, although it may not be as repeatedly watchable as Office Space or Idiocracy. Jenn Brown also reviewed the film.
The DVD release gives me an excuse to share a few more photos from the local Extract premiere at the Paramount in August. As I noted in my article, everyone was sweating like crazy, although you're supposed to call it "glow" when actors do it. Still, the folks on the red carpet that evening were good-natured about it. Debbie Cerda was also there and got
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- Jette Kernion
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Blu-Ray Review: ‘Extract’ Aims Satire at Land of Idiocracy
22 December 2009 8:53 AM, PST
| HollywoodChicago.com
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Chicago – Mike Judge is fascinated by the culture of stupid. His characters are so desperate to shake up the listless patterns of their lives that they’ll resort to antics far below their normal Iq level. Judge’s third live-action feature is aimed at a generation addicted to smoking pot and watching “Family Guy,” two compulsions often used as an easy escape route from reality.
Joel (Jason Bateman) is dissatisfied with his life at work and at home. All of his problems stem from either boredom or frustration. His wife (Kristen Wiig) is tired of her job designing advertisements on her home computer, and doesn’t respond to her husband’s bedroom advances. Joel’s job as owner of an extract manufacturing plant is in turmoil when an on-the-job accident (brought about irked employees) badly injures one of his workers, whose lawsuit attracts the attention of a gold-digging con artist,
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- adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
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Collider Goes to Dinner With Mike Judge
21 December 2009 8:20 PM, PST
| Collider.com
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There are two sides to Mike Judge in Hollywood. There’s the TV star, who took a ton of heat but came out as one of the most daring and biting voices of satire in the 1990’s with Beavis and Butthead, and the successful maistream animator with a thirteen season run of the folksy and engaging King of the Hill. Then there’s the film director, who was cajoled into the theatrical Beavis and Butthead Do America, but has worked in live action ever since. He made two films for 20th Century Fox to see them abandoned theatrically, only for both 1999’s Office Space and 2006’s Idiocracy to now be regaled as cult classics. His most recent film, 2009’s Extract did not set the film world afire (Extract is now available on DVD and Blu-ray), but it showed a less biting Judge doing what he does best: everyday life comedy.
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- Andre Dellamorte
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DVD Playhouse--December 2009
19 December 2009 3:11 PM, PST
| The Hollywood Interview
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DVD Playhouse—December 2009
By
Allen Gardner
Public Enemies (Universal) Johnny Depp portrays legendary Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger in co- writer/director Michael Mann’s take on America’s first “Public Enemy Number One.” Like many big studio releases today, Public Enemies has it all: A-list talent before and behind the camera, but lacks a heart or soul that allows its audience to connect with it. Film plays out like a “true crime” TV show with re-enactments of famous events cast with top actors and shot by the best technicians in the business, with little, if any, character or story development to hold it together in between. A real disappointment from one of our finest filmmakers and finest actors. The lone standout: the great character actor Stephen Lang as a hard-eyed lawman who’s seen a lot, but manages to retain a tiny piece of his heart. For a better take on the same subject,
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- The Hollywood Interview.com
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Mike Judge Discusses Extract Over Dinner
18 December 2009 3:44 PM, PST
| MovieWeb
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Mike Judge sits in the directors chair on the set of Extract As cliché as it sounds, I have grown up on the work of filmmaker/animator Mike Judge. From his controversial MTV animated series Beavis and Butt-head and the successful Fox animated series King of the Hill to wonderful film classics Office Space and Idiocracy, if I hear the words Mike Judge on any film or TV project, needless to say, I'm on board. So, naturally, I was on board as well when I was invited to head down to Venice, California to Joe's Restaurant (don't let the name fool you - this place is high-class all the way) for dinner and a chat with Judge for his new film Extract, which will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 22. Despite all of his success, Judge still seems surprised about the fervent fandom associated with his work. When
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'Extract' Roundtable with Mike Judge - Live
10 December 2009 11:17 AM, PST
| JustPressPlay.net
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I'm currently sitting in a virtual roundtable session [read: chat room] with Mike Judge (the man behind Extract, Office Space and Idiocracy) as he talks about his latest film Extract and fields questions from his fellow chatroom patrons. The roundtable comes to you courtesy of the new Blu-ray and DVD release of Extract. The page will update as questions are asked. If you want to ask a question, leave it in the comments and with luck it'll show up here.
Q: Was there instant chemistry when the actors began working together or did it take some time for them to gel?
Mike Judge: For the most part it was instant. And most of them had already worked together or knew each other, so it all gelled nicely.
Q: Was it your idea to cast rocker Gene Simmons as bench lawyer Joe Adler?
Mike Judge: Yeah, I had originally described the character
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- Lex Walker
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Josh Brolin in… Men in Black 3?!
8 December 2009 7:53 PM, PST
| Slash Film
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We learned that Columbia was finally moving forward with a third Men in Black movie back in April, but at the time there was no script attached to the project, and it just seemed like one of those way off things. In October we learned that Tropic Thunder/Idiocracy screenwriter Etan Cohen had been brought on board to carve out a script. Columbia must have a draft in hand, because they're already beginning the casting process.
According to the Los Angeles Times Hero Complex Blog, Josh Brolin (W., No Country For Old Men) is in consideration for a lead role in the third film. It is unclear if Brolin would play a new single-monikered government agent or Tommy Lee Jones' character Agent K, as a young man. Lets hope that Brolin isn't playing the typical role of an original young upstart that J or K must then train. There's
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- Peter Sciretta
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Austin is All Over Sundance 2010
8 December 2009 7:00 AM, PST
| Slackerwood
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The Sundance 2010 lineup was announced over several days last week, and you can find Austin connections everywhere. We may not have had a huge amount of representation in the Spirit Award nominations, but Sundance is almost as Austin-y as SXSW this year. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but it's still exciting.
The biggest Austin-y news is that local filmmaker/Afs
staffer Bryan Poyser's feature film Lovers of Hate is one of the films
in competition at Sundance this year. If you've been reading Poyser's blog, you know all about it (well, not all, but a lot of interesting stuff). The film is about two brothers attracted to the same woman.
Lovers of Hate was shot in Park City last year after Poyser (pictured above) attended Sundance, and also here in Austin. The cast includes a number of locals, including filmmaker Alex Karpovsky (Trust Me, This is All Made Up; and Poyser
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- Jette Kernion
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Advert. Subvert. Gonzo (Fake) Commercials within Films
24 November 2009 7:50 AM, PST
| Twitch
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"Can't get enough, of the Stuff!" From the mid-1920s whereupon the eventual Oscar winning film Wings featured a Hershey Chocolate Bar prominently in the story right on up to the use of M&Ms in Steven Spielberg's E.T. and beyond to the modern James Bond films or Castaway (FedEx) or The Great Yokai War (Kirin Beer) or perhaps the worst offender ever: I, Robot, product placement is simply a large part of big expensive movies. And many filmmakers have either parodied product placement (ahem, sorry: Brand Integration) or even invented their own fictional consumer goods that only appear in their movies. Unlike television, which (in large part) relies on advertising to fund the creation of shows, there are rarely full commercials used explicitly in a film (before the screening of the film is another story, unfortunately!). But filmmakers love to offer ads for fake products or services or
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Boos! & Whoop-doos!: An Evil Bunny Trash Town Called Liquor!
18 November 2009 9:26 AM, PST
| MovieWeb
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True cult status? Whoop-doo!
Both Internet pundits and blog critics alike are quick to bitch about the cliched nature of our current cinematic landscape. While they scream in bold words of disgust, they can't help but fall into a similar trap themselves. They're just as guilty of sipping from this dried well as the rest of our so-called "film community". How often do you read a review that screams, "Instant classic!" Or, "Modern day masterpiece!" How about, "A Triumph!" Then there's, "A true crowd pleaser!" "A thrill ride!" "The funniest comedy of the summer!" And, "Does for (insert blank) what Jaws did for swimming!" The list goes on and on. When it comes right down to it, there's not much new you can say in terms of film theory and structure. When all of our movies are repeats, reboots, and sequels, you have to guess that most critical movements in
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Writer Attached To Pen Men In Black 3
31 October 2009 12:06 AM, PDT
| ShockYa
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Variety.com is reporting that screenwriter Etan Cohen (”Tropic Thunder”, “Idiocracy”) has been tapped by Columbia Pictures to pen the script for the upcoming “Men in Black 3″ film.
There is no word yet about whether or not director Barry Sonnenfeld and stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones would return for the latest film about a secret agency composed of the mythical “Men In Black” who track and police extraterrestrial activity on Earth.
The studio is looking to start filming the third installment of the franchise in the spring of 2010.
Stay tuned for more on “Men In Black 3″ right here at Shockya.com.
By Costa Koutsoutis (Source: Variety.com)
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- Costa Koutsoutis
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Men in Black 3 Gets the Other Tropic Thunder Writer
30 October 2009 9:00 AM, PDT
| FilmJunk
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As we've previously discussed, Justin Theroux's career has taken [1] off [2] after writing Tropic Thunder, and the film's other screenwriter Etan Cohen also seems to be similarly in demand. We heard earlier this year that Men in Black 3 was definitely in development [3], but now according to Variety [4], Columbia Pictures have taken the first step toward making it a reality by hiring Cohen to pen the script.
Etan Cohen is a former Mike Judge collaborator, having written for Beavis & Butthead and King of the Hill, in addition to co-writing the screenplay for Judge's Idiocracy. He was also working on the currently shelved Will Ferrell/Sacha Baron Cohen Sherlock Holmes comedy, and the upcoming Candy Land board game movie. So, is this a good thing? And will Cohen be able to come up with a script that is strong enough to convince Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones to sign on for Mib 3? Let's hope so,
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- Sean
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Tropic Thunder Writer Scripting Men in Black 3
30 October 2009 6:49 AM, PDT
| Atomic Popcorn
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I didn’t fall head over heels in love with Tropic Thunder as many other people did; I found it overlong and Jack Black’s performance sucked all the air out after Robert Downey Jr. would fill it up again. That’s not to say it’s bad. It’s really very good, just not mind-blowing.
One film that was very very bad was Men in Black 2, which rehashed every element of the first Will Smith/Tommy Lee Jones vehicle and halved the amount of laughs.
So, the news that Tropic Thunder scribe Etan Cohen (also responsible for the criminally underrated Idiocracy) will be taking over screenwriting duties for Men in Black 3 is definitely good news for the franchise. What isn’t good news is that so far, Smith and Jones haven’t signed deals to return. Maybe it’s time for new actors to fill the MiB shoes,
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- John Cooper
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Tropic Thunder Scribe Taking on Men In Black 3
30 October 2009 5:10 AM, PDT
| WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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With a $589 million worldwide take for the first film and a $441 million worldwide pull-in for the second, I am shocked beyond belief (and a little appreciative) that Sony never force-fed a third Men In Black film. Granted, there were Saturday morning cartoons, video games, and amusement park rides to rake in some cash off the brand, but a third film, with or without Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones’ involvements, could have easily been thrown together years ago.
Well, those “years ago” have turned in to today, as Risky Biz Blog is reporting that Tropic Thunder screenwriter Etan Cohen is hard at work on a third film in the Men In Black franchise. Sony officially announced the project back in April, but, since then, not much has moved on the project until now.
Though no deal has been set in stone, Risky Biz is also stating Barry Sonnenfeld, who helmed the first two films,
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- Kirk
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'Men in Black 3' Has Scribe
29 October 2009 9:30 PM, PDT
| CinemaSpy
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Men in Black was pretty entertaining, as well as a big money-maker for Columbia Pictures. On the other hand, the sequel may have been profitable, but it was about as much fun as an alien rectal probe.
Here’s hoping the third 'Men in Black' installment falls somewhere between those two. According to Variety, Columbia has hired Etan Cohen to pen Men in Black 3, adding to the list of high-profile assignments currently sitting on the comedy writer’s desk.
Cohen has a Sherlock Holmes project with Sacha Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell in development at Columbia. His recent output includes Tropic Thunder, which was both critically acclaimed and a box office hit last year, as well as the animated Madagascar: Escape to Africa. Cohen also wrote Idiocracy and for the television show King of the Hill.
Men in Black II was released in 2002, but it appears Columbia
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Men in Black 3 Script in the Works by Tropic Thunder Writer Etan Cohen
29 October 2009 9:18 PM, PDT
| Slash Film
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We learned that Columbia was finally moving forward with a third Men in Black movie back in April, but at the time there was no script attached to the project. While there still isn't much to report yet, we have learned that they've tapped the now-hot writer Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder, Idiocracy) for the screenplay. There's no word yet on Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones' involvement, but I can't imagine they would bring the franchise back without featuring them in some capacity.
I'm also hoping that they're able to bring Barry Sonnenfeld back to direct. He's been working on the television end of things recently (we can thank him for Pushing Daisies gloriously candy-colored style), and I'm sure he'd like to get another feature under his belt to distance himself from the Robin Williams fiasco Rv.
The studio is mum on what MiB3 may actually be about, but
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- Devindra Hardawar
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Tropic Thunder’s Cohen Hired to Write Men in Black 3
29 October 2009 6:08 PM, PDT
| FilmSchoolRejects.com
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Sony isn't kidding about Men in Black 3. Even in a sea of uncertainty, including the fact that stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, as well as director Barry Sonnenfeld, all have not been secured for another film, the studio is hiring a writer and looking toward a 2010 start date for the third film in the sci-fi comedy franchise that has grossed just over a billion dollars worldwide with its first two frames.
According to THR's Risky Business, Tropic Thunder and Idiocracy co-writer Etan Cohen has been hired to pen a script for the upcoming threequel. The THR report states that Cohen is already deep into his draft, which according to them signifies that Sony intends to continue the franchise's top-tier status. And why wouldn't they? The first two Men in Black films, quality aside, were major breadwinners in 1997 and 2002. And we can be sure that there's plenty more story to be told in the world of
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- Neil Miller
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Wilson Brothers Set for Reporter Comedy ‘Electric Avenue’
24 September 2009 10:11 AM, PDT
| ScreenRant.com
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The Wilson brothers, Luke and Andrew are set to co-direct a 48 Hours-type buddy comedy about two reporters called Electric Avenue. But wait: We all know Luke and Owen Wilson - who’s this Andrew character?
While Andrew could be considered the least famous Wilson brother (sans the infamous Gummo and Zeppo Wilson), he’s been consistently acting for over twenty years and has had roles in such films as Rushmore (Coach Beck), Zoolander (Hansel’s Corner Guy), Idiocracy (Beef Supreme) and now plays Razor in the upcoming Drew Barrymore directed, Whip It.
This won’t be the Wilson Brothers first foray into directing. Their first co-directing venture came with the 2005 film, The Wendell Baker Story, which Luke Wilson wrote. If your interests have yet to be piqued, maybe this casting teaser will help.
“It’s going to be [starring] Luke and… somebody else who I’m not at liberty to announce
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- Anthony Ocasio
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