
The first trailer for the apocalyptic dramedy Seeking a Friend for the End of the World has landed. The film stars Steve Carell as a man who sets out with a woman (Keira Knightley) to search for his high-school sweetheart during Earth’s final days. It’s a premise you’d expect from a big budget sci-fi pic or a zany road trip comedy, but the tone on display in this trailer is nothing short of fantastic. Director Lorene Scafaria has populated the flick with a brilliant ensemble, as we see Patton Oswalt, Rob Heubel, Connie Britton, Gillian Jacobs, Rob Corddry, and more pop up in this short trailer alone. There are genuinely funny moments, but an underlying sadness permeates throughout that hints at some strong character work as well. I love the way the apocalypse is tackled here and can’t wait to see more.
Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film also stars Adam Brody, Derek Luke, Melanie Lynskey, T.J. Miller, and Melinda Dillon. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World opens June 22nd.

I have to say that I can’t wait to check out Steven Soderbergh‘s actioner Haywire. Everything I’ve seen from it thus far has looked great and the positivity pouring out from early reviews only supports my belief that the entire pic will deliver. Whether it be the stellar cast, the proclaimed breakout performance from Gina Carano, or Soderbergh’s top-notch action sequences, I fully expect to be talking about Haywire right here again next week in a little “Before & After” discussion. In the meantime…
…This week’s “Top 5″ brings you some new details regarding the long-gestating Star Wars live-action television series, Contraband interviews with Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi, and more, the first official images from Jonathan Levine‘s (50/50) Warm Bodies, a “Cinemath” feature that analyzes the 2011 box office, and all of our coverage from the 2011 Television Critics Association (TCA) Winter Press Tour. Hit the jump for brief recaps and links to each.

It looked as thought the Weinstein Company would give Butter a limited Oscar-qualifying run in 2011 before opening the film wide in 2012, but that may no longer be the case. The studio has just launched a viral website for the movie along with the first clip. The clip features aspiring butter carving champion Laura Pickler (Jennifer Garner) giving a speech for why her butter statue deserves to win. You’ll see that Garner is going full-Palin in her performance, which is an odd choice since the script initially sets up the satire that Pickler is a Hillary Clinton-type figure: her husband (Ty Burrell) is the former butter carving champion and he cheats on her but she’s keeping her politicial aspirations high since because she believes winning at butter carving will help launch her campaign for governor. As I said in my review, if Butter had simply picked a tone and stuck with it, the movie probably wouldn’t have been such a disappointing mess.
Hit the jump to check out the clip. The film also stars Olivia Wilde, Ashley Greene, Rob Corddry, Alicia Silverstone, Yara Shahidi, Kristen Schaal, and Hugh Jackman. No release date has been announced for Butter. [Update: We have removed the clip and the link to the site at the request of The Weinstein Company because the site and the clip aren't ready for public consumption yet.]

Rob Corddry is in final negotiations to join the adaptation of the zombie novel Warm Bodies. Nicholas Hoult stars as R, a self-aware zombie who falls for the girlfriend of one his victims, played by Teresa Palmer—R protects her from the other zombies as he starts to regain his humanity. According to Variety, Corddry will play M, the only other zombie like R… at first. I know nothing of the comedic/dramatic balance of the role, but Corddry is a great addition regardless.
Warm Bodies is the next project for director Jonathan Levine, who has quietly built an impressive career for himself. I know him best as the director of the slight yet charming The Wackness, though your mind may link him to All the Boys Love Mandy Lane. The dramedy 50/50 comes out September 30, and based on positive early buzz sounds like a big step for the young director. Warm Bodies is something else entirely, a genre movie with a sentimental twist. I love to see Levine pushing himself, beyond the potentially insular world of a Sundance darling.
For a lot more on Warm Bodies, check out our recent interview with Levine, where he spoke at length about adapting the Isaac Marion’s novel. Read the book synopsis after the jump.

Rob Corddry. Lake Bell. Rob Huebel. Malin Akerman. Megan Mullally. Henry Winkler. Erinn Hayes. Ken Marino. If you’re a fan of comedy, chances are you’re a fan of more than a few of these people. So what happens when you squeeze all these personalities, plus notable guest appearances by Paul Scheer, Adam Scott, David Wain, and more, into 11 minute episodes parodying medical dramas? Childrens Hospital, a sporadically hilarious, consistently goofy satire that’s worth your time, if only for its brisk run time. Continue reading for a full review of the show and a rundown of the DVD extras.

Two important facts to remember about Childrens Hospital: 1. It’s the funniest show about doctors currently on air (2nd was the now defunct Off the Map) 2. Practically nobody has ever heard of it. The latter is rather hard to understand given the show features a who’s who lineup of comic personalities: Rob Corddry (The Daily Show), Rob Huebel (Human Giant), Henry Winkler (Happy Days), Megan Mullally (Will and Grace), Ken Marino (Party Down), David Wain (The State) and the voice of Michael Cera (Arrested Development) to name just a few.
At UCLA Tuesday Night, select cast and crew (Huebel, Corddry, Mullaly, Marino, Wain, Nick Kroll (The League), Malin Akerman (The Comeback), Erin Hayes (Kitchen Confidential) and writer/producer Jon Stern screened the opening third season episode and then held a Q&A, wherein they discussed “special” guest stars for the upcoming season, the deference to non-continuity on the show, casting, endometrial cancer and their favorite porn stars, among many other topics of conversation. For more, hit the jump.

The cast for the pre-apocalyptic rom-com Seeking a Friend for the End of the World has just kind of exploded. The film was already set to star Steve Carell as a man who is joined by a woman (Keira Knightley) to find his old high-school sweeheart before the world is destroyed by an asteroid. Yesterday, we learned that the talented Gillian Jacobs had joined the film and now we’ve received a press release announcing that a truckload of other great actors have signed on as well. Check out this line-up: Connie Britton, Patton Oswalt, Rob Huebel (who yesterday signed on to another apocalypse-based comedy, Rapturepalooza), Melanie Lynskey, T.J. Miller, Melinda Dillon as well as Aaron Brown (The District), Tonita Castro (The Sarah Silverman Program), Mark Moses (Desperate Housewives), and Bob Stephenson (Jericho). And this is all in addition to the previously announced cast-members William Petersen, Adam Brody, Rob Corddry (also in Rapturepalooza), Derek Luke, and Lindsay Sloane. How can the movie squeeze in this kind of ensemble? It’s a road-trip picture, which means most of these folks will probably only have a scene or two, but it’s better than nothing.
Lorene Scafaria (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) is making her directorial debut from her own script. Production on the film begins this week. Hit the jump to check out the press release.
[Update: We've updated the article with a couple of set photos featuring Carell and Knightley. Check them out after the jump]

We have a couple of casting bits to bring your way tonight. First up, Community‘s Gillian Jacobs has joined Steve Carell and Keira Knightley in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Written/directed by Lorene Scafaria (who wrote the film adaptation of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist), Friend tells the story of a man (Carell) and woman (Knightley) who embark on a trip to locate the former’s high school sweetheart before an oncoming asteroid ends life on Earth as we know it. THR reports that Jacobs’ role will be that of a “waitress high on Ecstasy that the duo meet on their journey” (which sounds eerily similar to the one Lindsay Sloane was in talks for as of last week). The story also confirms earlier reports that William Peterson, Adam Brody, and Rob Corddry will appear in the film. Production on the film began this week in Los Angeles.
Speaking of Rob Corddry, Variety confirms that he, Rob Huebel (Childrens’ Hospital), and Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!) will star in the post-apocalyptic comedy Rapturepalooza. The trio join a cast that already includes Anna Kendrick (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), John Francis Daley (Bones), and The Office‘s Craig Robinson. The promising, albeit low-budget (coming in at less than $2 million), centers on two teens (Kendrick and Daley) who battle their way through the end of the world in order to defeat the Antichrist (Robinson). Paul Middleditch will direct Rapturepalooza for Lionsgate from a script by Chris Matheson.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories for you this evening. First up, Adam Brody, William Peterson and Rob Corddry are in talks to join Steve Carell and Keira Knightley in Seeking a Friend at the End of the World. The film, written by and marking the directorial debut of Lorene Scafaria, the writer of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, centers on the events surrounding an asteroid spiraling towards Earth, threatening to end all life. Variety reports that Carell will play a man whose wife leaves him once the news of the world’s end hits, prompting him to seek out his high school sweetheart. Knightley stars as his neighbor and adventure companion.
Additionally, Bones star David Boreanaz is set the indie Officer Down. The flick stars Stephen Dorff, Dominic Purcell (Prison Break) and AnnaLynne McCord (90210), with Brian A. Miller making his directorial debut. Deadline reports that the story centers on a doctor and security guard who live out each other’s daytime lives in their dreams at night. The security guard murders his wife, and then is hit by a car sending him to the hospital where the doctor works. I’d say things get a little interesting from there. Boreanaz will play a rival detective oppposite the cop played by Dorff.

Fox Searchlight has sent over 5 clips from director Miguel Arteta’s (Youth in Revolt) Cedar Rapids. Starring Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Sigourney Weaver, Anne Heche, Stephen Root, Kurtwood Smith, Alia Shawkat, Mike O’Malley, Rob Corddry, and Seth Morris, the film’s about a small-town Wisconsin man who travels to the big city to represent his company at a regional insurance conference. While the story isn’t groundbreaking, or something that you haven’t seen before, I thought the movie was really funny and it’s definitely worth checking out when it gets released February 11. The main reason is the chemistry between Helms, Reilly, Heche, and Whitlock Jr. Each one had a moment to shine and Whitlock Jr. got two of the biggest laughs during the premiere at Sundance. However, John C. Reilly also has a few awesome lines that I loved.
Anyway, for a taste of the film, hit the jump for the clips. And if you missed my extended video interview with Ed Helms at Sundance last week, click here.

Fox Searchlight has released the first trailer for director Miguel Arteta’s (Youth in Revolt) Cedar Rapids. Premiering at next month’s Sundance Film Festival and getting released nationally February 11, the film is loaded with an all star cast featuring Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Sigourney Weaver, Anne Heche, Stephen Root, Kurtwood Smith, Alia Shawkat, Mike O’Malley, Rob Corddry, and Seth Morris.
While the premise of a small-town Wisconsin man who travels to the big city to represent his company at a regional insurance conference is nothing groundbreaking, I thought Youth in Revolt was very underrated and think Arteta is a director to watch. Also, the trailer for Cedar Rapids has a line that absolutely killed me. I won’t spoil it for you…but if you’re a fan of HBO’s The Wire, you will laugh out loud at the end of the trailer. It’s an awesome moment – especially because of who is saying it. Watch the trailer after the jump.

The Sundance Film Festival doesn’t take place until late January, but you don’t have to wait that long to check out images from some of the films that will have their premiere at the prestigious festival. Today, we bring you the first images from two upcoming star-studded comedies: My Idiot Brother and Cedar Rapids. My Idiot Brother stars Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Rashida Jones, and Adam Scott. The film centers on a ne’er-do-well brother who successively barges into the lives of his three sisters.
Cedar Rapids stars John C. Reilly, Ed Helms, Sigourney Weaver, Anne Heche, Rob Corddry, Thomas Lennon, and Alia Shawkat. The comedy tells the story of a small-town Wisconsin man who travels to the big city to represent his company at a regional insurance conference. Hit the jump to check out images and a brief synopsis for both films, which will be playing out-of-competition. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20 -30th.

When a film has an eclectic cast including the talents of Rob Corddry, Zach Galifianakis, Maggie Q, Jeffrey Tambor, Ving Rhames, Emilie de Ravin, Adam Scott, Odette Yustman, Ellen Barkin, Brandon T. Jackson and Joe Anderson you’re either in for something fantastic or a complete disaster. Though the fact that this title went straight-to-DVD is somewhat of an indicator, there’s certainly a battle to be fought in deciding whether action and comedy come together to form an entertaining flick. So how does this story of two feuding teams of government assassins fare? Find out after the jump.

The Winning Season was picked up at last year Sundance Film Festival, but it’s just now finally making its way to theaters. The film stars Sam Rockwell as a down-and-out shlub who’s recruited to coach a high-school girls’ basketball team. The trailer makes the movie look painfully saccharine and predictable, but Steve said he heard good things about it from folks that saw it at Sundance. As for me, I’ll see anything with Rockwell (except for Gentlemen Broncos; I hear that movie causes diseases).
Hit the jump to check out the trailer, images, and poster for the flick. Written and directed by James C. Strouse and co-starring Emma Roberts and Rob Corddry, The Winning Season opens in New York and LA on September 3rd.

Today I had the privilege of participating in a roundtable with the creators and cast of Adult Swim’s Childrens’ Hospital. Initially a web series on TheWB.com, the hilariously over-the-top primetime drama parody is crossing platforms, and will premiere its second season on Adult Swim on August 22nd. Members of the show participating in the interview included: creator Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine), Lake Bell (It’s Complicated), Erinn Hayes (Parenthood), Paul Scheer (Human Giant), Rob Huebel (The Other Guys), Nick Kroll (Get Him to the Greek), and writer/director David Wain (Role Models).
It probably goes without saying, given the comedic talents of those involved, but the roundtable was a very light, very funny place for the amount of time we were given. Hit the jump for a bulleted breakdown of some of the highlights.
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