Maya Rudolph

Maya Rudolph to Host SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE on February 18th

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: February 8th, 2012 at 3:16 pm

It’s always fun when Saturday Night Live alums return to host, so it’s great to hear from NBC that Maya Rudolph, who can currently be seen on the comedy series Up All Night, will return to Studio 8H on February 18th. That likely means we’ll see the Bridesmaids star reprise some of her characters from years past including her outrageous Whitney Huston and maybe even a new Bronx Beat if Amy Poehler can be coaxed to make a guest appearance. Rudolph will be joined by musical guest Sleigh Bells making their network television debut.

First Trailer for FRIENDS WITH KIDS Starring Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, and Adam Scott

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 11th, 2012 at 5:38 pm

The first trailer for the comedy Friends with Kids has gone online. Written, directed by, and starring Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein), the film boats a fantastic cast that includes Adam Scott, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Fox and Edward Burns. The story centers on a pair of thirtysomething best friends (Scott and Westfeldt) who observe the toll that having kids has taken on the couples they know and resolve to bypass that stress by having a child and then date other people. The trailer looks right up my alley, as it highlights some promising performances, chemistry, and a fair amount of laughs. Matt caught the film at TIFF and wasn’t exactly won over, but Scott has been killing it in supporting roles for years and I’m excited to see him finally take on a lead.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. Friends with Kids opens March 9th. If you missed them, be sure to check out Steve’s interviews with Hamm, Scott, and Fox from TIFF regarding the film.

BRIDESMAIDS Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: September 29th, 2011 at 11:16 am

Coming into 2011, Bridesmaids looked like it might be another in a string of recent Judd Apatow-related misfires. But appearances are deceiving as the film quickly found an audience and was one of the biggest hits of the summer. Boo-yah for director Paul Feig, and co-writer and star Kristen Wiig. They nailed it. The film is a charming and real look at a woman in her thirties whose best friend (Maya Rudolph) is about to get married, and how friendship can be strained – but is often resilient – during such stressful but happy times. Our review of the Blu-ray of Bridesmaids follows after the jump.

TIFF 2011: Lionsgate Buys FRIENDS WITH KIDS; Music Box Picks up THE DEEP BLUE SEA

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 19th, 2011 at 8:04 am

While a slew of films at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival have already been picked up for distribution, there are other high-profile titles still hammering out their deals.  Variety reports that Lionsgate has acquired Jennifer Westfeldt’s new comedy Friends with Kids.  The story stars Westfeldt and Adam Scott as lifelong friends who decide to have a kid but keep their relationship platonic and open.  I was slightly disappointed by the film, but it’s got a great cast (the film also stars Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Chris O’Dowd) and I can see the flick having wide appeal.

In other TIFF picks-ups, Music Box has picked up the U.S. rights to Terrence Davies’ romantic drama The Deep Blue Sea starring Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston.  Weisz plays the wife of a high court judge who leaves her husband to move in with a dashing young ex-RAF pilot (Hiddleston), with whom she has fallen passionately in love.  Weisz picked up strong notices for her performance and I’m glad I’ll have a chance to see the film eventually.  No U.S. release dates have been announced for Friends with Kids or The Deep Blue Sea.  Hit the jump for Music Box’s press release regarding The Deep Blue Sea.

TIFF 2011: FRIENDS WITH KIDS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 11th, 2011 at 9:17 pm

Jennifer Westfeldt’s directorial debut Friends with Kids shares some key qualities with her 2001 film Kissing Jessica Stein (which she wrote).  Both films are funny, harmless comedies that take an emotionally satisfying and challenging conceit before scampering back to the status quo.  Westfeldt puts an interesting twist on the parenting-and-marriage sub-genre by rethinking conventional notions of fidelity.  She even goes so far as to examine why the convention exists in the first place.  But ultimately her movie becomes lethargic, predictable, and bland despite the Westfeldts’ strong chemistry with co-star Adam Scott.

Hilarious Alternate Takes from BRIDESMAIDS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 25th, 2011 at 2:05 pm

Bridesmaids is a must-see comedy and if you’ve already seen it, then you’ve probably guessed that there’s plenty of brilliant stuff that ended up on the cutting room floor.  Rather than endure an excruciating wait to see all of the alternate takes on the Blu-ray and DVD, the good folks at Funny or Die have now released at least some of those alternate takes online, and there as funny as you’d hope.  My personal favorite is Jon Hamm’s one-liner at the 2:57 mark.

Hit the jump to check out the video.  Bridesmaids is currently in theaters and you need to go see it.

BRIDESMAIDS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 13th, 2011 at 7:25 am

The takeaway from Bridesmaids shouldn’t be “Look!  Women can be raunchy too!  Equality!”  If Bridesmaids simply featured a bunch of women engaging in gross-out humor, it would be a tiresome, soulless exercise just as gross-out humor between guys is a chore if you don’t care about the guys.  What makes Bridesmaids work isn’t just that some sophomoric gags are expertly timed and executed.  Bridesmaids comes alive because of rich characters and tremendous performances, particularly from co-writer and star Kristen Wiig and co-star Melissa McCarthy.  While the film does begin to drag its main character a little too low in the third act and there are some pacing problems in its romantic subplot, Bridesmaids is ultimately heartfelt, witty, and damn funny.

NBC Picks Up Comedies UP ALL NIGHT and WHITNEY, Steven Spielberg Produced Musical SMASH, and PRIME SUSPECT Remake

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: May 11th, 2011 at 9:11 pm

After last night’s huge influx of news from Fox about series pick-ups, renewals and cancellations, it’s now NBC’s turn to announce some of their new series that we can look forward to in the fall. As of now there seems to be some dissension amongst the news outlets online as to whether or not Wonder Woman will actually get picked up, and other potential series like The Playboy Club are rumored for a pick-up but we haven’t heard anything official yet.

After the jump, check out the four new series that have definitely been picked up to premiere sometime this fall including a new sitcom from stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings, another comedy from Christina Applegate, a Broadway musical series from producer Steven Spielberg, and the stateside remake of the British crime drama Prime Suspect.

Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph Video Interview BRIDESMAIDS

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: May 11th, 2011 at 6:21 pm

With director Paul Feig’s (Freaks And Geeks) Bridesmaids opening May 13, I recently got to interview the cast for our partners at Omelete.  Starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Matt Lucas, Chris O’Dowd, Melissa McCarthy and Jon Hamm, Bridesmaids is ridiculously funny and one of the best films I’ve seen this year.  In addition, there’s a scene in Bridesmaids that’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a movie theater.  You really want to see it this weekend. For some clips, click here.

During my interview with Wiig and Rudolph we talked about how Saturday Night Live helped them with this project, the many deleted scenes, how many takes did they ruin from laughing, will Wiig be releasing My Wife’s Vagina as a single (thank you Simon Pegg), what’s their karaoke song, and what do they have coming up.  Hit the jump to watch.

Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne and Melissa McCarthy Interview BRIDESMAIDS

by Christina Radish    Posted: May 10th, 2011 at 3:34 pm

In the raunchy comedy Bridesmaids, actress Maya Rudolph plays bride-to-be Lillian, who decides to make her lifelong best friend, Annie (Kristen Wiig), her maid of honor. That decision sparks a competition between Annie and the well-to-do Helen (Rose Byrne), who has the resources to make sure everything is exactly how Lillian’s heart desires, from the designer wedding dress to the ultra-expensive bridesmaids gowns to the extravagant reception. Stuck in the middle is Lillian’s future sister-in-law Megan (Melissa McCarthy), the nuclear engineer who couldn’t care less about the glitz and glamour of it all.

At the film’s press day, co-stars Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne and Melissa McCarthy talked about crazy memories from weddings they’ve attended, how far you can push humor without crossing the line, and how much they enjoyed working with director Paul Feig. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

7 Movie Clips and ‘A Look Inside’ Featurette from BRIDESMAIDS

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 30th, 2011 at 9:36 am

With director Paul Feig’s (Freaks And Geeks)  Bridesmaids opening May 13, Universal has released seven movie clips and A Look Inside featurette.  The film stars Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Matt Lucas, Chris O’Dowd, Melissa McCarthy and Jon Hamm.

While I might still be under embargo, if I wasn’t, I’d probably tell you Bridesmaids is ridiculously funny and one of the best films I’ve seen this year.  I’d also tell you that Bridesmaids has one of the funniest scenes I’ve seen in a theater in a long time.  If you weren’t sold by the trailer or this red band trailer, trust me when I say, Bridesmaids is absolutely worth seeing and I really suggest watching it with a crowded theater.  You’ll love it.  Hit the jump for the clips and featurette, and look for interviews with the cast the week of release.

Red-Band Trailer and Six Character Posters for BRIDESMAIDS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 26th, 2011 at 4:16 pm

Universal has released a new red-band trailer for Bridesmaids along with six character posters.  I caught the film a couple weeks ago and overall I thought it was fantastic and a much-needed kick in the ass to the chick flick genre.  Women, if you like raunchy humor but are tired of only seeing it in movies featuring man-children, you’ll dig Bridesmaids.  Guys, if you’re thinking about avoiding this movie because of the all-female cast, you’ll be missing out.  The movie is damn funny and surprisingly heartfelt and I hope folks of both genders go see it.

Hit the jump to check out the red-band trailer along with six character posters.  Bridesmaids stars Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Wendi Mclendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, and Melissa McCarthy.  The film opens May 13th.

International Trailer for BRIDESMAIDS

by Phil Brown    Posted: April 19th, 2011 at 12:31 pm

Anyone who enjoys watching girls behaving badly (no, not in that way) has a reason to rejoice on this fine afternoon because Universal has seen fit to release an international trailer for the upcoming Kristen Wiig romp Bridesmaids. Not much is revealed than hasn’t already been seen in the previous trailer, but a few extra chuckles are to be had in this AC/DC scored montage (in particular, Mad Men fans will enjoy a little taste of Jon Hamm sleaziness). The film has been getting some pretty positive buzz so far at preview screenings and SXSW and could be a modest early summer comedy hit provided that both the R-rated sex comedy crowd and the chick-flick crowd can join forces to support it. How much overlap exists between the two groups remains to be seen, but this is the movie to bring em; together if anything can.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film was directed by Freaks And Geeks creator Paul Feig and also features Wiig’s former SNL partner in crime Maya Rudolph, as well as Rose Byrne, Matt Lucas (Little Britain), Chris O’Dowd (The IT Crowd), and Melissa McCarthy (who frankly looks like she might steal the movie away from her co-stars). The film opens May 13^th.

New Trailer for BRIDESMAIDS Starring Kristen Wiig

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 15th, 2011 at 1:20 pm

I’m so happy that buzz I’m hearing on Paul Feig’s Bridesmaids out of SXSW is positive otherwise this trailer would have me mildly concerned about the film.  Judging the film based solely on the new trailer, the humor mostly seems to revolve around Kristen Wiig being a neurotic single woman who drinks a lot.  While I’m confident that Wiig has the charm and comic timing to carry a movie, this trailer doesn’t sell me on a film that my peers are celebrating.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Bridesmaids also stars Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy and Jon Hamm.  The film opens May 13th.

First Trailer and Images for BRIDESMAIDS Starring Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 1st, 2011 at 12:26 pm

I have high hopes for Bridesmaids.  Kristen Wiig is poised for a star-making role (she also co-wrote the script), Judd Apatow is producing, and Freaks and Geeks creator/director Paul Feig is helming.  The first trailer for the movie has gone online and it’s a bit of a mixed bag.  The jokes about Wiig’s character being single are pretty stale, but there’s a charming tone of raunchiness and attitude.  Clearly they’re trying to sell it to Apatow’s male fans, but I’m on board for a female ensemble comedy that looks like the polar opposite of what we usually see from the genre.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer plus high-res images from the film.  Bridesmaids also stars Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Wendi Mclendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, and Jon Hamm.  The film opens May 13th.

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