John Cleese

Monty Python Members to Reunite for Sci-Fi Comedy ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 12:44 pm

Those holding their breath for another Monty Python reunion can now rest easy, as it looks like many members from the comedy troupe are set to come together once again; for a sci-fi film, no less. Variety reports that members of Monty Python’s Flying Circus are reteaming for the sci-fi farce Absolutely Anything. The film will combine CGI and live-action, and the Pythons are set to voice key roles “as a group of aliens who endow an earthling with the power to do ‘absolutely anything’ to see what a mess he’ll make of things.” Life of Brian director Terry Jones co-wrote the script with Gavin Scott and will helm the comedy.

The remaining members of Monty Python that could reunite for the pic include Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, and Eric Idle. Robin Williams is also in discussions to play a Frenchman in the pic, which Jones and Scott have been developing for two decades. There’s no word on when production will begin, but given the undeniably Python-esque nature of the story, count me wholeheartedly in. Hit the jump to relive some Python from years past.

John Oliver to Star in Terry Jones’ ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 14th, 2010 at 2:51 pm

The Daily Show‘s John Oliver is set to star in the sci-fi comedy Absolutely Anything.  Directed by Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame), Deadline says the plot is being kept under wraps, but the film’s producers say that the story involves “aliens, a goofy Brit, a talking dog and buckets of silliness.”  Robin Williams is in talks to play the role of Dennis the Dog while Jones has reached out to fellow Flying Circus members John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, and Terry Gilliam to voice the aliens.  Production is scheduled for next spring.

Oliver is The Daily Show‘s best correspondent and I can easily see him making the leap to feature films.  Hopefully, Absolutely Anything will be a far better movie than his last cinematic outing, 2008′ The Love Guru.

Kevin Kline Exclusive Interview – THE EXTRA MAN Star On His Goal To “Stop Acting,” John Cleese’s Influence, Working With Muppets, and a Lot More

by Ron Messer    Posted: August 15th, 2010 at 2:06 pm

Kevin Kline is misunderstood.  His performances on stage and screen over the past four decades are so seamless that audiences often attribute his characters’ traits to him.  That is, of course, a tricky proposition that he observes with a healthy dose of humor.

Kline mused on the topic and several more in an interview leading up to the release of The Extra Man, which opened in several major markets this weekend as part of its continued national rollout.  Hit the jump for the audio and transcript, along with tales of his love for Ricky Gervais, why he’d never run for President and John Cleese’s humorous take on Kline’s performance in The Big Chill.

First Official Image of Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis in John Landis’ BURKE & HARE

by Max Steven Miller    Posted: March 23rd, 2010 at 4:23 pm

The first official image from the upcoming black comedy, Burke & Hare has just been released.

Directed by John Landis, the film stars Simon Pegg (Star Trek) and Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) in the title roles,  and is based on the true story of two 19^th century serial murderers and grave robbers who discover the highly profitable business of providing cadavers to a medical school in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The film is currently in production and is slated to be released later this year. Burke & Hare also stars Isla Fisher, Tim Curry, John Cleese, and Tom Wilkinson. Now that’s a comedic movie line-up that we can all look forward to.

Hit the jump to check out the intriguing image from Empire Online and the complete synopsis.

A FISH CALLED WANDA: THE MUSICAL! C-c-coming Soon to a Stage Near You

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: March 1st, 2010 at 1:58 pm

It’s been more than two decades since A Fish Called Wanda, the heist farce co-written by Monty Python’s John Cleese, was released to critical acclaim (including an Oscar for Kevin Kline) as well as surprise success at the box office. Now British comedy site Chortle (via Empire) informs us that the musical adaptation that Cleese discussed over a year ago with Steve at Sundance 2009 is inching closer to fruition.  In an e-mail to fans, Cleese announced that comedian Bill Bailey would join himself and daughter Camilla to work on songs for the Wanda musical, which they hope to debut in San Diego before hitting Broadway and London’s West End.  From what I have seen of Bill Bailey on the otherwise delightful sitcom Black Books and various panel game shows (Never Mind the Buzzcocks, QI, etc.), I have unfortunately never found him funny.  But his ubiquity on British television suggests that many others do, so here’s hoping his teaming with Cleese, an undisputable comedic genius, bears hilarious fruit.

After the jump, read the full e-mail announcement from Cleese, itself a rather droll piece of work.

10 Movie Clips from PLANET 51

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 15th, 2009 at 12:51 pm

Opening this Friday is the animated movie Planet 51.  The film is about an American astronaut who lands on Planet 51 thinking he’s the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds the planet inhabited by little green people who are living in a world reminiscent of a cheerfully innocent 1950s America, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders. With the help of his robot companion “Rover” and his new friend Lem, Chuck must navigate his way through the world to try and get back to his spaceship before it returns home.

While I thought the story was mediocre, I was very impressed with the animation.  Watching the film I was constantly looking at the texture and layers in the frame and was surprised by how great it looked.  If you’re a fan of animation, it’s worth seeing just for what they accomplished.  Just know the story is not going to wow you.  So to help promote the film, we’ve been provided with ten clips and you can check them out after the jump.

FAWLTY TOWERS Remastered Complete Collection DVD Review

by James Napoli    Posted: November 8th, 2009 at 10:27 am

The writing team of John Cleese and his then-wife Connie Booth probably put more sweat and brain power into constructing each sublime, chaotic, farcical half hour of Fawlty Towers than many writers expend on a full-length feature film.  The manic design of the now-legendary 12 episode British series remains awe-inspiring, and is still one of a handful of gold standards against which to measure other television comedy.  Read the full review after the jump.

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