
We’ve got quite a few set photos to share with you today, involving everything from Zach Galifianakis as a Southern politician in Chinese robes to Olivia Wilde in a luchador outfit. Briefly:
Hit the jump to check out the photos. [Update: We've updated the article with the first images of James Franco as Hugh Hefner in Lovelace]

It appears The Hangover 3 is inevitable. Shortly after the release of the disappointing The Hangover Part II, director Todd Phillips promised a second sequel that would complete the trilogy. Now, after a long negotiation period, the film’s stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis are close to landing a major pay raise to reprise their roles. The trio are apparently asking for $15 million each (against backend), which is a steep increase from the $5 million each (plus backend) for The Hangover Part II, and under $1 million they received for the first film in the comedy franchise. Hit the jump for more, including how soon The Hangover 3 may hit theaters.

In this edition of “Photos from the Set,” we have:
Hit the jump for the set photos and more info on each movie.

The full green band trailer for Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie has gone online. The movie is the first feature length film from the comedy duo Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim. This trailer is pretty much exactly the same as the red band one that was release a few weeks ago, except with no dirty words. If you’re not a fan of the duo’s peculiar brand of comedy, odds are this trailer won’t win you over. The movie features cameos from a number of celebs including Zach Galifianakis, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Will Forte, and Jeff Goldblum.
Hit the jump to watch the trailer. Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie will be available VOD on January 27th, and hits theaters March 2nd.

The Hangover Part II was inevitable in our current modern cinema. No film can gross over $250 Million domestic and not have a sequel, and the first Hangover was not only hugely profitable, but a cultural phenomenon that made movies stars out of Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Bradley Cooper. But where sequels for genre films tend to advance their characters and tell a different story in a sequel, comedies both have to but can’t totally repeat themselves. That was director Todd Phillips’s biggest challenge with this movie, and the main angle was taking the characters to Bangkok – which makes Vegas look relatively benign – for much of the same results. Our review of the Blu-ray of The Hangover Part II follows after the jump.

A full red band trailer for Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie has gone online. The pic marks the first feature-length film from the comedy duo of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim. It’s pretty much what you’re expecting from the oddball team. The trailer’s got its fair share of strange moments, and highlights the celebs that pop up throughout the film (Zach Galifianakis, John C. Reilly, Will Ferrell, Will Forte and Jeff Goldblum). If you’re a fan of the show, I’m assuming this trailer will pique your interest. I can appreciate the comedic value of Tim and Eric, but I always feel like I’m on a bad acid trip when watching their stuff (which I guess is the point).
Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film also stars Robert Loggia and William Atherton. The pic is being featured as part of the “Park City at Midnight” line-up at the Sundance Film Festival and will be available January 27th on VOD. Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie hits theaters March 2nd.

Puss in Boots is an adventure movie, but the advertising and the film’s first act would like you to believe otherwise. The filmmakers can’t be held responsible for DreamWorks Animation’s marketing campaign, but they can take the blame for setting up their movie as an action-comedy before choosing to drop the jokes and shifting into a rote adventure film that takes no chances, makes dated references, and short-changes its title character. Ironically, the technical aspects of the movie are full of passion, but the story is as soulless and calculated as they come.

In the animated feature Puss in Boots, spun off from the popular Shrek franchise, actor Zach Galifianakis voices Humpty Alexander Dumpty, an odd egg who grew up in the same orphanage with Puss (Antonio Banderas) until the friends had a falling out. When the two damaged characters cross paths again years later, they team up, with the help of Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), to continue their childhood quest for the fabled magic beans, in order to grow a beanstalk that will lead them to the goose that lays the golden eggs.
At the film’s press day, Zach Galifianakis spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about playing the famous nursery rhyme character with a snazzy wardrobe, having no idea where his middle name comes from, how director Chris Miller really helped him shape his voice performance, how blown away he is by the finished look of the film, and that he would do voice-over work again, in a heartbeat. He also talked about starting rehearsals for the political comedy Dog Fight after Halloween, how much he’s looking forward to working with Will Ferrell and getting to shave his beard for the role, that he’s heard they’re writing a script for The Hangover 3 (which the cast is all interested to read) but knows nothing more of the film’s status than that, that he’s hoping to continue for a Season 4 of his HBO series Bored to Death, and that he will be doing more episodes of Between Two Ferns, if he can get guests to show up without their publicists. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Jason Sudeikis has joined Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis in Jay Roach‘s political comedy Dog Fight. The movie, formerly titled Southern Rivals, is about rival politicians (Ferrell and Galifianakis) in a small congressional district in South Carolina (hence the original title). THR doesn’t say what role Sudeikis will play but hopefully it won’t be the smarmy lothario he played three times this year (Hall Pass, Horrible Bosses, and A Good Old Fashioned Orgy). The film also stars Sarah Baker (In Gayle We Trust) and Katherine LaNasa (Valentine’s Day). Filming is set to begin in mid-November in New Orleans for an August 2012 release.
While it’s encouraging that Shawn Harwell (Eastbound & Down) and frequent Ferrell collaborator Chris Henchy (The Other Guys) wrote the script, I’m wary of Roach. He botched the dark comedy in Dinner for Schmucks, but maybe he’ll fare better at politics since he directed the election dramas Recount and the upcoming Game Change.

After getting bumped up from November 4th to October 28th, Puss in Boots now has a final trailer and poster. While I didn’t even bother with Shrek Forever After, I’m getting pretty psyched for the spin-off. The trailers have been funny and charming, the story looks fun (Puss goes off to find the Goose that Lays the Golden Eggs), and there’s no cynical ogre and his irritating donkey sidekick in sight. The new poster isn’t as good as the one with Puss walking away from an explosion, but it gets the job done.
Hit the jump to check out the trailer (which still says the movie is coming out November 4th, but they clearly cut it before the date was changed) and poster. The film features the voices of Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Serdaris, and Billy Bob Thornton.

DreamWorks Animation and Paramount have released a number of new images from director Chris Miller’s Puss in Boots. Featuring the voices of Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris, Puss in Boots takes place before the events of Shrek. Here’s the synopsis:
“Long before he even met Shrek, the notorious fighter, lover and outlaw Puss in Boots becomes a hero when he sets off on an adventure with the tough and street smart Kitty Softpaws and the mastermind Humpty Dumpty to save his town. This is the true story of The Cat, The Myth, The Legend…The Boots.”
I got to see the opening of the film earlier this year and walked away very impressed by the footage. Of course, it might have something to do with Guillermo del Toro…as he executive produced the film. Hit the jump for the new images. Puss in Boots gets released November 4.

Star Wars: The Complete Saga hits Blu-ray tomorrow, which means the Lucasfilm marketing machine is in full swing. While many may be deriding the changes that The Almighty Tinkerer has made this time around, not everything Lucasfilm does is nerd-angering. The studio has launched an initiative to benefit the charity Stand Up to Cancer, and they’ve recruited some big names to help out. The Use the Force For Good intiative has kicked off with a video tribute featuring a number of celebrities reenacting scenes from the series. The clip is actually pretty funny, and includes Aziz Ansari, Zach Galifianakis, Bill Hader, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Jaime King, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Emma Stone, and of course Samuel L. Jackson.
Hit the jump to watch the video. Unsurprisingly, Hader is the highlight, as his penchant for impressions leads to some fantastically goofy reenactments.

Quirky, coming-of-age indies are about a dime a dozen nowadays, and It’s Kind of a Funny Story is just that. However, thankfully Keir Gilchrist, Emma Roberts and Zach Galifianakis help make this familiar story feel fresh and charming. When 16-year old Craig (Gilchrist) checks himself into a mental clinic as a way of dealing with his thoughts of suicide, his new environment, some unlikely friends and young love just might be enough to help him realize that the stress he’s feeling at this stage in his life is inconsequential compared to some of the problems of those surrounding him. Read my take on the Blu-Ray release of this comedic drama after the jump.

The theatrical trailer for DreamWorks’ Puss in Boots has landed online and I have to admit that it looks like it could be a lot of fun. Featuring the vocal talents of Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, and Amy Sedaris, the pic is set before the feline protagonist meets up with Shrek and centers on an adventure in which he must protect the “Golden Eggs” from falling into the wrong hands. While I’m as skeptical as the next person about the necessity of spinoffs such as Puss, if its done in an entertaining and clever way I won’t hold its inherently derivative nature against it. Based on what I’ve seen and heard from the film thus far, it looks as if Puss in Boots could stand on its own fairly well.
Hit the jump to check out the trailer for yourself. Directed by Chris Miller (Shrek the Third) , Puss in Boots hits 3D theaters later this year on November 4th.

My largest issue with The Hangover Part II is that it wasn’t so much a sequel as a remake. Director Todd Phillips has pledged to take the finale of the trilogy in a different direction and hopefully screenwriter Craig Mazin will deliver on that promise. It sounds like ideas are already being hammered out as Zach Galifianakis tells Rolling Stone [via The Playlist] that he’s heard the plot involves Alan escaping from a mental hospital with help from Stu and Phil.
The interview with Zach Galifianakis also reveals that he doesn’t like taking pictures with people (“I’m a giant baby about it. They treat you like a cartoon.”), why he didn’t get the job as a Nike spokesman (“”The first thing I said was, ‘So, do you guys still have seven-year-olds making your stuff?’”), and that when he got hired to write for Saturday Night Live ten years ago, he pitched a sketch where in which host Britney Spears was doing an interview for Entertainment Tonight and she suddenly starts bleeding from the mouth for no reason. She didn’t find the idea amusing, but Galifanakis’ fans will instantly recognize that the idea would fit perfectly into his ongoing sketch series Between Two Ferns.
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