It’s weird to think we’re only four movies in to Judd Apatow’s directing career, because for the last ten years he’s become a brand.  Between working with Adam McKay and Will Ferrell on their comedies, to launching Seth Rogen and Kristen Wiig (and more), he established that he was one of the biggest forces in comedy.  But his most recent film, This is 40, came out and it didn’t feel like event.  It’s a modest film that’s enjoyable enough, but feels like a B side.  Our review of This is 40 follows after the jump.

When you watch a Judd Apatow film like This Is 40, you expect a certain level of comedy to come from improv.  In the case of Apatow’s most recent comedy, the blooper reel happens to be funnier than most of the scenes in the movie itself.  Featuring outtakes from Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jason Segel, Megan Fox and more, the nearly four-minute laugher track is presumably but a sampling of all the additional footage shot for This is 40. Hit the jump to check it out.

People may disagree on the legalities of internet piracy, but attempting to steal director Don Coscarelli’s John Dies at the End may actually result in your gruesome death.  That’s the premise of this new anti-piracy warning for the film, which stars Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes and Paul Giamatti.  The twisted horror comedy is now availabe on iTunes and VOD with a theatrical release slated for January 25th.

Already in theaters is Judd Apatow’s This Is 40, though the best parts of the movie might be the deleted scenes on the eventual Blu-ray.  One of those scenes features Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong pitching an odd combination of musical genres to Paul Rudd’s character.  Hit the jump to check out the videos from John Dies at the End and This Is 40. 

This week on The Collision, we’ll be talking about how film comedies have changed over the last several decades, the rise of the ensemble, ad-libbed comedy, Judd Apatow’s influence on the genre, and his new movie This Is 40.  As always, we finish up with our recommendations.

Click here to listen to the new episode of The Collision, click here for the previous episode (“HFR 3D and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey“), click here to add the podcast to your RSS, and click here to find us on iTunes. To keep up to date with The Collision, you can follow us on Twitter at @MattGoldberg, @AdamChitwood, and @DrClawMD (Dave Trumbore). Hit the jump to check out the trailers for this week’s recommendations.

After coasting on holdovers for weeks, Hollywood studios have unleashed a feast of new features: just in time for Christmas. Even with all the competition, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey had no trouble staying in first place with an estimated $36.7 million. Jack Reacher placed second, but with less than half The Hobbit’s total. And with Les Miserables and Django Unchained on deck for Christmas Day, it looks like more than one new title will have a hard time distinguishing itself from the holiday crowd.

‘Tis the season for lots of movies, fa la la la… oh, you know the rest. Always a crowded period, this holiday season saw Hollywood’s major releases packed into just a seven day span – leaving The Hobbit plenty of room to grow into a blockbuster. Part one of Peter Jackson’s trilogy ended its first week with $113.2 million in the US, and added another $10.1 million (estimated) to that total yesterday. Despite an onslaught of new titles – including Jack Reacher and This is 40 on Friday – An Unexpected Journey is expected to stay on top until Christmas Day, when Les Miserables has a chance to unseat it.

Here’s a look at Friday’s top five:

I’ll be honest, I did very little preparation for this week’s Top 5. With the all-encompassing destruction of the Mayan Apocalypse staring us in the face, I kind of figured what’s the point? No one’s going to care about movie news when Smoke from Mortal Kombat III’s fatality proves prophetic and Earth explodes, right? Alas, as is so often the case, the Mayans failed us and I was forced to pull things together at the last minute.

In this, our first post-Mayan calendar installment, we have This Is 40 interviews with Judd Apatow, Leslie Mann, and Paul Rudd, a new teaser trailer and images for Star Trek Into Darkness, the first trailer for Michael Bay‘s Pain and Gain, the scoop on Damon Lindelof‘s lack of involvement in the Prometheus sequel and new info on 1952, and the first red-band clip and poster from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg‘s This Is the End. Brief recaps and links to each are waiting after the jump.

It’s not all gold, Mr. Apatow.  The logic behind his films seems to be, “If it got big laughs at a test screening, we should probably keep it.”  Therefore, the editing isn’t decided on how best to tell the story, but how many jokes they can stuff into a borderline-ridiculous runtime.  If this is the case, then there must be an absolute certainty that the jokes are all terrific, and that it doesn’t detract from the characters or the plot.  You can have the “Know how I know you’re gay?” scene in The 40-Year-Old Virgin because it’s funny, it doesn’t slow the film down, and it doesn’t detract from overall narrative.  This Is 40, Judd Apatow‘s latest film, lacks any such cohesion.  As nothing more than a slice-of-life, it’s free to wander around aimlessly, sometimes running up against great jokes, and sometimes meandering through scenes that could be cut completely.  More frustrating, beneath the sporadic success of the humor, there’s a compelling story and strong performances, especially from Leslie Mann.  Unfortunately, This Is 40 works in reverse, trying to let a story flow out of humorous situations rather than vice-versa.

Five years after writer/director Judd Apatow introduced audiences to Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) in Knocked Up, their life is being revisited and explored much deeper in the honest yet hilarious look at marriage and parenthood, This is 40.  Pete is struggling to keep his record label afloat, Debbie is hoping her clothing boutique will turn a profit, and their two daughters – 13-year-old Sadie (Maude Apatow) and 8-year-old Charlotte (Iris Apatow) – are just trying to navigate parents, school and boys, all while finding their way in the world together.

At the film’s press day, director Judd Apatow spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about the biggest challenges in turning supporting character into lead characters, where he draws the line with humor, that his first cut of the film was just under three hours, how the test screening process led him to tweak things, screening his work for friends and family (including filmmakers like James Brooks and Cameron Crowe), deleted scenes for the DVD, using digital for the first time, his thoughts on 48fps and 3D, and whether there’s ever a chance that a Freaks and Geeks character could make a cameo in one of his films.  He also talked about how proud he is of Lena Dunham for the success of the HBO comedy series Girls (for which he is an executive producer), the logistics of getting everyone back together for the Anchorman sequel, and that they’re working to get financing together for the Pee-Wee Herman movie.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

Universal Pictures has released five clips from writer/director Judd Apatow’s new film This Is 40.  For those unaware, the pic is a “sort-of sequel” to Apatow’s 2008 film Knocked Up, and continues the story of the characters played by Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann five years later as they’re navigating new challenges to their careers, parents, marriage, and children.

Hit the jump to watch the clips.  The film also stars Albert Brooks, John Lithgow, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Megan Fox, Chris O’Dowd, Charlyne Yi, Jason Segel, and Melissa McCarthy.  This Is 40 opens on December 21st.

Universal Pictures has released a large batch of images from writer/director Judd Apatow’s upcoming comedy This Is 40.  For those unaware, the film is a “sort-of sequel” to Apatow’s 2008 film Knocked Up and picks up with the characters played by Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann five years later as they’re navigating new challenges to their careers, parents, marriage, and children.  I’m encouraged by what we’ve seen thus far, and if anyone can bring a brutally honest portrayal of a marriage to the screen with equal parts charm and heartbreak, it’s Rudd and Mann.  These new images provide a colorful look at Apatow’s impressive cast.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film also stars Albert Brooks, John Lithgow, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Megan Fox, Chris O’Dowd, Charlyne Yi, Jason Segel, and Melissa McCarthy.  This Is 40 opens on December 21st.

The longevity of Paul Feig and Judd Apatow’s short-lived 1999 series Freaks and Geeks is both astounding and ironic.  The show was ahead of its time and faced considerable opposition from its home network, NBC, throughout its one-season run.  Over the years, though, Freaks and Geeks has amassed a legion of fans and acted as the launching pad for countless careers.  The main cast of James Franco, Jason Segel, and Seth Rogen now reads like an all-star comedy lineup, not to mention the ridiculous number of stars that had bit parts in the series like Rashida Jones, Jason Schwartzman, Shia LaBeouf, Ben Foster, Lizzy Caplan, and David Krumholtz.

Most of the show’s cast came together for a reunion at PaleyFest last year, but for the upcoming comedy issue of Vanity Fair (guest edited by Apatow), the entire cast and crew was assembled for “An Oral History of Freaks and Geeks.”  In addition to the fascinating article itself, VF has released a number of cast reunion images.  Hit the jump to take a look.

Last night, Gallery 1988 opened a cool new art show that focused on the many Judd Apatow movies and TV shows.   If you’re in the L.A. area and want to see artwork inspired by Freaks and Geeks, Anchorman, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Superbad, Walk Hard, Funny People, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and more from his great resume, I suggest heading over to the Melrose Gallery before December 30 (it’s open Wednesday – Sunday, 11-6 PM).  However, for those that won’t be able to make the show, I took over 80 pictures and shot almost everything on display.  Hit the jump for more.

The first trailer for the second season of HBO’s comedy series Girls has arrived, and it’s pretty great.  The first season of the Judd Apatow-produced series was met with a surprisingly polarized response, but creator/writer/producer/star Lena Dunham took it all in stride and is back with a vengeance.  Some of the season one criticisms were valid, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t find this season two trailer incredibly funny.  The events of the season one finale look to be reverberating throughout the show’s second season, as we see Hannah (Dunham) taking advantage of her single life, Jessa (Jemima Kirke) getting to know her new husband (Chris O’Dowd), and the unendingly creepy/affable Adam (Adam Driver) going full stalker on Hannah.  Oh yeah, and Jorma Taccone’s back.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  Season two of Girls, which will also feature Donald Glover, Andrew Rannells, Rita Wilson, Patrick Wilson, and Colin Quinn, premieres on HBO on January 13th.

Paul Rudd gets caught in the middle of Megan Fox and Leslie Mann in this new clip from writer/director Judd Apatow’s This Is 40. Lucky guy. When Desi (Fox) starts working for Pete (Rudd), her youth stirs up some trouble in the almost-forty Debbie (Mann). The clip also features hilarious contributions from Robert Smigel (Conan) and Annie Mumolo (Bridesmaids). This is 40 opens December 21st.

Pulling a complete 180, we have two very serious clips from co-writer and director Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt. Centering on a school teacher, played by Mads Mikkelsen, who is accused of molesting a kindergartner, these two clips show the young accuser during her initial confession and later, her attempted retraction. There is no domestic release date for the picture as of yet, but you can check out Phil Brown’s review here. Hit the jump to watch the clips.