Kevin James

Adam Sandler Considers GROWN UPS Sequel; America is to Blame

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: December 6th, 2011 at 4:34 pm

Believe it or not, from Adam Sandler’s extensive body of films, he has never made a sequel. Now some of you may argue that his basic plot is rehashed in 90% of his films (and I wouldn’t disagree), but the fact remains that there has never been a second installment of any of his films. It seems that the creative well has run even drier as Showblitz (via Variety) reports that Sandler is in talks with Grown Ups scribe, Fred Wolf to discuss a potential sequel. I can’t exactly blame him. Sony and Happy Madison Productions’  Grown Ups was the highest-grossing film for Sandler at a worldwide total of $271 million. Though Sandler is not yet signed on for the sequel, his involvement is contingent upon the script. Perhaps we’ll see him in a reunion with Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider and David Spade. Hit the jump for more, including why this is all America’s fault.

Kevin James, Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin, David Henrie and Newcomer Jakob Salvati Star in LITTLE BOY

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: August 4th, 2011 at 7:49 pm

Mexican director Alejandro Monteverde (Bella) has set up the Little Boy, a small-town family drama set at the onset of World War II, at Metanoia Films.  Kevin James, Ben Chaplin, Emily Watson, and David Henrie form the supporting cast around Jakob Salvati, making his acting debut as the boy in question.  Variety provides the logline:

[Little Boy] revolves around an 8-year-old with developmental problems. His only friend is his father, and with his departure to war, the troubled boy is forced to confront the cruelty of schoolmates and others.

Monteverde co-wrote the script with Pepe Portillo.  Financing on the $24 million production is split between U.S. and Mexican investors.  Filming is scheduled for the end of August in Baja California — plus shoots in Rosarito beach, Ensenada, Tijuana and Tecate — with eyes to a 2012 release.  The cast is lily white, so I’m curious to see what role (if any) the Mexican setting will play in the story.

Adam Sandler to Lead Voice Cast for Animated Family Film HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 5th, 2011 at 12:56 pm

Sony Pictures Animation has lined up the voice cast for their 3D family comedy Hotel Transylvania.  Adam Sandler, King of the Family-Films-I-Never-Want-to-See, will play the lead voice of Dracula, the head of the lavish “five-stake” resort for monsters, Hotel Transylvania.  Dracula tries to prevent his teenage daughter Mavis from adventuring into the outside world, but runs into a complication when an ordinary guy (voiced by Andy Samberg) stumbles into the hotel and falls for Mavis.  The voice cast also includes Kevin James as Frankstein, Fran Descher as his bride Eunice, David Spade as Quasimodo, Steve Buscemi and Molly Shannon as a pair of married werewolves, and Cee Lo Green as a Murray the Mummy.  Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack) will direct.

Hit the jump for the press release which includes a longer synopsis and the box office clout of Sandler as if that were some indication his movies were actually good.  Hotel Transylvania is due out September 21, 2012.

6 Clips from Kevin James ZOOKEEPER

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: June 25th, 2011 at 10:05 am

With director Frank Coraci’s (Click, The Wedding Singer) Zookeeper opening July 8, we’ve been sent six clips from the film.  Starring Kevin James in a remix of Night at the Museum (instead of a museum, he’s at a zoo), the pic is probably going to make a boat load of cash for Sony if James’ track record is any indication.  In case you don’t pay attention to box office numbers, James is pretty close to a sure thing.  While many thought Paul Blart: Mall Cop was a joke, it went on to make $183 at the worldwide box office.  Even Grown Ups, which got beaten with a club by critics, went on to make $271 million worldwide.  So, even though you couldn’t pay me to watch Zookeeper, I know kids are going to love it and it’s going to make a lot of coin.  Hit the jump for the clips and full synopsis.  Zookeeper also stars Rosario Dawson and Leslie Bibb and it features the voices of Cher, Nick Nolte, Adam Sandler, and Sylvester Stallone.

ZOOKEEPER Trailer Looks as Terrible as You’d Expect

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 17th, 2011 at 11:00 am

There are lots of movies I’m looking forward to and I’m happy when I get to report on films like Rampart or The Wettest County in the World.  But the site isn’t simply about the films I like.  Sometimes I have to report on films that crumple up my soul and chuck it in a waste bin of sadness.  With that in mind, the trailer for Zookeeper has gone online.  The “family film” stars Kevin James as a zookeeper who discovers that animals can talk and that they’ll help him win back the girl of his dreams (Leslie Bibb) even though he’s clearly going to end up with a fellow zookeeper played by Rosario Dawson.  Oh, and the animals are voiced by celebrities like Cher, Nick Nolte, Adam Sandler, and Sylvester Stallone because of course they are.

Hit the jump to see the trailer filled with slapstick and uncomfortable production placement for TGI Friday’s.  Zookeeper opens July 8th, but maybe go see something else instead, like paint drying.

THE DILEMMA Blu-ray Review

by Scott Wampler    Posted: May 17th, 2011 at 6:10 am

By now, I think we’ve all faced facts:  Vince Vaughn’s entered the “puffy” stage of his career.  Gone is the motor-mouthed, all-sharp-angles ladies’ man with the stunning amount of overconfidence who owned films like Made, Swingers, and Wedding Crashers.  In his place, we’ve been given the slightly-heavier, slightly-slower, seemingly-disinterested Vaughn that’s headlined films like Four Christmases and Fred Claus (just try reading that title without shuddering).  Ron Howard’s The Dilemma is certainly a part of this “puffy period”, but does it succeed despite Vaughn’s low-powered screen presence?  Is The Dilemma as “Hilarious!” as the film’s cover box claims it to be?  Read on and find out in our full review, after the jump.

Frank Coraci Joins Kevin James in Mixed Martial Arts Film

by Jason Barr    Posted: January 11th, 2011 at 5:07 pm

Frank Coraci (The Wedding Singer) has signed on to direct Kevin James in his as-of-yet untitled mixed martial arts film.  Written by Allan Loeb (The Switch), Deadline says the untitled picture will feature James as a physics teacher who “moonlights as a mixed martial arts fighter to raise money and save the music program his students love.”  While there is currently no word as to why the physics teacher is so concerned with the music program, based on previous James turns, I’m going to go out on a limb and attribute it to his being a generally likable guy who wants to do the right thing.

The untitled project will reunite Coraci and James who recently collaborated on the upcoming comedy Zookeeper.  That film is due out July 8, 2011.  In addition to Zookeeper, James can be seen this weekend alongside Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Queen Latifah, and Channing Tatum in The Dilemma.

5 Movie Clips from THE DILEMMA

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 5th, 2011 at 8:45 pm

Universal has released 5 movie clips from The Dilemma, a comedy from director Ron Howard which stars Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum, and Queen Latifah.  Vaughn plays a man who is distraught when he catches the wife (Ryder) of his best friend (James) cheating.

I didn’t love the trailer, but the cast is undeniably impressive.  The bromance between Vaughn and James plays well in this footage, which bodes well for the film.  Watch the clips after the jump.

Salma Hayek Eyed for Lead in Kevin James’ MMA Film

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 11th, 2010 at 8:03 pm

Actor Kevin James is quickly becoming the Rob Schneider of the 2000′s. After last year’s Paul Blart: Mall Cop (“Kevin James is a mall cop”), and 2011′s Zookeeper (“Kevin James is a zookeeper”), it’s looking like the actor’s next project will be “Kevin James is a mixed martial arts fighter” (not to be outdone by the upcoming “Kevin James is a valet guy”).  Pajiba reports that James’ Grown Ups co-star Salma Hayek is being eyed for the lead female role.  The Sony Pictures comedy is being written by screenwriter Allan Loeb (The Switch), and centers on a physics teacher who moonlights as a MMA fighter in order to save the job of the school’s music teacher.

Professional MMA fighter (and Zookeeper voice-over co-star) Bas Rutten is also reportedly in talks for a role in the film. No director is currently set for the untitled MMA project. James will next be seen in Ron Howard’s The Dilemma, which opens on January 14, 2011, followed by Zookeeper on July 8, 2011.

Sony Picks up VALET GUYS as Starring Vehicle for Adam Sandler and Kevin James

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 7th, 2010 at 12:07 pm

In recent “fat guy in ‘funny’ situations” movie news, Sony Pictures has made a deal for a film set to star Adam Sandler and Kevin James as valets. Valet Guys is being set up as a starring vehicle for Sandler and James as two valet parking guys who witness a murder and are forced to go on the run.  The project will be written by James and his writing partner Nick Bakay (Paul Blart: Mall Cop).  Bakay also wrote the upcoming James starrer Zookeeper, for which you can watch the (painful) trailer for here.

Deadline reports that Valet Guys will be a co-production between James’ Hey Eddie, Sandler’s Happy Madison, and Todd Garner’s Broken Road. Those three companies also produced Zookeeper. No matter how spectacularly unfunny most of James and some of Sandler’s movies may be, they sure do make money. James will next be seen this January in Ron Howard’s The Dilemma, and Zookeeper opens on July 8, 2011. Sandler’s film Just Go With It, with Jennifer Aniston hits theaters on February 11, and he’s currently filming Jack and Jill, in which he plays both a brother and sister.

New Posters for THE RITE and THE DILEMMA

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 15th, 2010 at 6:54 pm

Two new movie posters with extreme use of photoshop have been released.  The first one is the Anthony Hopkins supernatural thriller The Rite, and the other is the Vince Vaughn/Kevin James comedy The Dilemma.  As you’ll see after the jump, both have liberally used photoshop to age down their leads.  When you look at Vaughn, it’s like Universal took a photo from Swingers and used that as the starting point.  Saying that, I’m still a huge fan of Vaughn and would love for The Dilemma to be worth our time.  Hit the jump for the posters and the synopses.

GROWN UPS Blu-ray Review

by Scott Wampler    Posted: November 7th, 2010 at 7:41 am

Earlier this year, we watched Columbia/Sony’s marketing department go absolutely crazy with their push for audiences to see Grown Ups, a comedy starring Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James, David Spade, and Rob Schneider.  Apparently, that push worked:  Grown Ups earned well over $160m at the box office, a figure that’s truly astounding.  Having avoided the film like the Red Death when it was in theaters over the summer, I was curious when Collider’s overlords handed me a copy of the Blu-ray for review:  Would Grown Ups be as bad as I was expecting it to be, or were those $160m worth of people right all along?  Read on for the full review after the jump…

Teaser Trailer and Poster for Kevin James’ ZOOKEEPER

by Jason Barr    Posted: November 5th, 2010 at 8:53 am

A teaser trailer/poster combo for Zookeeper is now available online.  Starring live-action contributions from Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, and Leslie Bibb the film tells the story of a zoo caretaker (James) who decides that true love is only a new job away.  While I can enjoy a good tease as much as the next guy/gal, judging solely from this teaser trailer, I can’t help but wonder if James has any lines in the film or if he simply screams, runs away from something, and eventually falls over various objects.  If not, Sony Pictures may have a hit on their hands.

In addition to the previously mentioned cast, Zookeeper also features the voice talents of Sylvester Stallone, Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow, Jon Favreau, and Cher.  The film is directed by Frank Coraci (Click) and is scheduled to hit theaters July 8th, 2011.  Hit the jump to check out both the trailer and poster as well as a synopsis for the film.

New Trailer for THE DILEMMA Starring Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Winona Ryder, and Jennifer Connelly

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: October 9th, 2010 at 9:49 am

Universal has released a new trailer for The Dilemma, the comedy/drama which star Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Winona Ryder, Jennifer Connelly, Queen Latifah, and Channing Tatum.  Vaughn plays a man whose world is turned upside down when he discovers that the wife (Ryder) of his best friend (James) is cheating on him with a younger man (Tatum).  Ron Howard directs.  Check out the trailer after the jump.

Trailer for Ron Howard’s THE DILEMMA Starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 17th, 2010 at 2:13 pm

Universal Pictures has released the first trailer for the upcoming comedy The Dilemma and it looks exactly like the movie you’d expect.  Basically, if you like bland-looking situation comedy but always want to spend $10 and go to the theater to see it rather than stay home and watch Two and a Half Men, then The Dilemma looks like the movie for you.  And hey, it’s Vince Vaughn once again playing Savvy-but-Beleaguered-Guy!  Oh, SBBG.  Can’t you ever get a break?

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The Dilemma also stars Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum, and Queen Latifah.  It opens on January 14, 2011.

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