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.

The first clip and poster for Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg‘s directorial debut, the apocalypse comedy This Is the End, has been released online.  It’s perfect timing, as tomorrow may or may not be the end of the world as we know it, so keep in mind that this could be the only piece of footage from This Is the End that your eyes will see before an unholy Mayan apocalypse engulfs us all.  It’d be a shame if the world did end tomorrow, though, because This Is the End looks fantastic.  Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride all play themselves in the aftermath of the apocalypse to hilarious results, with plenty of self-referential comedy to go around.  McBride in particular is excellent in this clip, and if this is any indication of what the full film is like, then This Is the End will be the must-see comedy of next summer.

Hit the jump to watch the clip which features a timely introduction by Rogen and Franco, and to check out the film’s poster and a new image.  The film also stars Jason Segel, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, David Krumholtz, Paul Rudd, Martin Starr, Mindy Kaling, Kevin Hart, and Rihanna.  This Is the End opens on June 14, 2013.

A new trailer has been released for Paul Weitz‘ dramedy Admission.  The film stars Tina Fey as an admissions officer at Princeton University whose life is thrown for a curve when she runs into an old friend (Paul Rudd) while visiting an experimental New Hampshire high school.  Most of the footage was in the previous trailer (which has been pulled for some reason), but there are a few new jokes.  Some audiences may be surprised at a lower-key comedy from the film’s leads, but I’m sure they’ll handle the dramatic aspects as well.  My real concern is with Weitz.  About a Boy was a long time ago, and most of his filmography is wretched (I rented Being Flynn and couldn’t power through it even though I was on an airplane with nothing else to do).

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Admission opens March 8, 2013.

We interrupt your regularly-scheduled Mayan apocalypse plans to bring you a very important announcement: Paramount has set a release date of December 20, 2013 for Anchorman: The Legend Continues. The sequel to 2004′s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy will feature the return of director Adam McKay and principal actors Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner. The story will once again center on some of San Diego’s zaniest newspeople, but will now see them amid the culture of the 24-hour news cycle. Oh and there will totally be a fully-choreographed musical number. Hit the jump for more. 

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 in 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.

During a press conference to promote the film’s December 21^st theatrical release, co-stars Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd talked about the toughest aspects of turning 40, the most difficult scene to get through without laughing, preparing for the film’s more awkward moments, relating to their character’s frustration with life, and how they felt about watching themselves in the film. Check out what they had to say after the jump.

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.

A new red-band trailer has been released for Judd Apatow‘s new comedy, This Is 40.  The Knocked-Up spin-off follows Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) as they try to navigate new challenges to their careers, parents, marriage, and children.  Since Apatow films about 26-days of ad-libbing, a third of the jokes in this trailer aren’t in the movie even though the film is over two-hours long.  That’s not to say that movie isn’t funny, but it’s odd to use jokes to sell the film and then decide those jokes weren’t good enough for the final cut.

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

The 2013 Sundance Film Festival just announced an absolutely stacked lineup of films for their Premieres program, and we’ve got some new/first images from a few of the included films to share.  Briefly:

• The Look of Love – Directed by Michael Winterbottom, written by Matt Greenhaigh, and starring Steve Coogan, Anna Friel, Imogen Poots, and Tamsin Egerton.
• Lovelace – Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, written by Andy Bellin, and starring Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Hank Azaria, Adam Brody, James Franco, and Sharon Stone.
• Prince Avalanche – Written and directed by David Gordon Green, starring Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch.
• Stoker – Directed by Park Chan-wook, written by Wentworth Miller, and starring Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Dermot Mulroney, Jacki Weaver, and Nicole Kidman.

Hit the jump to check out the images and synopses.  The 2013 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 17 – 27th.

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. 

A new clip and featurette have debuted for writer/director Judd Apatow’s This Is 40. Starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann in a spin-off film for their characters in Knocked Up, This Is 40 centers on the real-life problems of a mid-life marriage. The clip highlights some funny pillow talk between Rudd and Mann, while the featurette reveals Jason Segel’s role in the picture. Also starring Albert Brooks, John Lithgow and Megan Fox, This Is 40 opens on December 21st.

We also have a new clip from writer/director Andrew Dominik’s Killing Them Softly. Centering on Brad Pitt as a mob enforcer, this clip reveals a conversation between Pitt and James Gandolfini’s character, New York Mickey, aka Mickey Fix-It. Also starring Richard Jenkins, Ray Liotta, Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn, Killing Them Softly opens November 30th. Hit the jump to check out the clips.

A new featurette for writer/director/producer Judd Apatow’s upcoming comedy This Is 40 has been released.  The film picks up five years after the events of Apatow’s Knocked Up and centers on the relationship between the characters played by Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann.  In this featurette, Apatow explains how he decided to bring those characters back for this “sort-of sequel,” and Mann and Rudd talk about the real-life problems facing their characters.  We also get to see quite a bit of new footage that showcases more of the film’s humor, but I’m really interested to see how Apatow balances the film’s dramatic elements.  He’s got two incredibly talented leads in Rudd and Mann, so here’s hoping the film nails that comedy/drama sweet spot.

Hit the jump to watch the featurette.  The film also stars Albert Brooks, John Lithgow, Iris Apatow, Maude Apatow, Megan Fox, Jason Segel, Robert Smigel, and Charlyne Yi.  This Is 40 opens on December 21st.

The first trailer for the comedy-drama Admission has been released.  Directed by Paul Weitz (About a Boy), the film stars Tina Fey as an admissions officer at Princeton University whose life is thrown for a curve when she runs into an old friend (Paul Rudd) while visiting an experimental New Hampshire high school.  Based on the casting of the two leads one might assume that this is a straight comedy, but the trailer refreshingly shows a much more nuanced and dramatic side of Fey that we’ve yet to see played to its full potential.  Weitz struck a wonderful chord with About a Boy, and I’m hoping a similar tone runs throughout Admission.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Lily Tomlin, Gloria Reuben, Wallace Shawn, and Michael Sheen.  Admission opens on March 8, 2013.

Late last week, Adult Swim aired The Greatest Event in Television History.  The central conceit of the special was that Adam Scott and Jon Hamm were starring in a $25 million shot-for-shot remake of the opening credits for Simon & Simon, dubbed “The Greatest Event in Television History.”  The special hilariously shows the “making of” the project, with Paul Rudd as the event’s cantankerous director and Hamm refusing to speak to Scott.

The special, directed by Scott, was actually hatched when Hamm and Scott had been emailing each other the opening credits to various TV shows and Scott suggested they do a shot-for-shot remake of Simon & Simon.  The result is over 10 minutes of hilarity, with cameos by folks like Kathryn Hahn, Paul Scheer and—best of all—director Gus Van Sant.  The entire special is now available online, and I highly suggest you hit the jump to take a look.

The Judd Apatow comedy community may have given us a few uninspired movies like The Sitter, but every crappy project is worth it for the R-rated comedy revival lord Apatow provided. He serves as producer on Wanderlust and the film stars one of his many muses Paul Rudd, yet the movie isn’t really part of his collective. Nope it comes from David Wain, the strange and hilarious little man who was responsible for a variety weirdo cult successes like The State, Stella, Wet Hot American Summer, and The Ten. The filmmaker with a taste for winking anti-comedy probably could have spent his career on the fringes if the R-rated comedy trend hadn’t given him a shot at mainstream viewers with the surprisingly successful and cripplingly funny Role Models.

Now, Wain’s back with Wanderlust. Co-written with longtime collaborator Ken Marino, the film returns Wain to mainstream mode for a comedy that’s conventional enough on the surface to please moll-trolling cinemagoers, but with enough eccentric asides and supporting performances to please his more demanding and deeply strange fanbase.  Hit the jump for our review of Wanderlust on Blu-ray.

Oscar-winning director Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) has shown interest in helming Will, a dormant project scripted by Demetri Martin (Late Night with Conan O’Brien).  When last we reported on this picture, Paul Rudd and Zach Galifianakis were attached to co-star with Little Miss Sunshine directors Valerie Ferris and Jonathan Dayton on board and producers Adam McKay and Will Ferrell signed on as well.  There’s no word on how the picture got lot in the shuffle, but it seems like Hazanavicius is interested in reviving it.  Hit the jump for more plot details on Will and to see where it could fit in Hazanavicius’ schedule.