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Hagrid And ZOOLANDER, Sittin' In A Tree...
Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
First person to yell "Plant!" gets a pop in the chops.
Hagrid's contributed before and often, and his enthusiasm here is nice to see. I like Ben Stiller... been a fan since the days of his Fox show... but this new film's ad campaign just hasn't done much for me. I've got friends in this, though, people I'm rooting for, and I think Will Farrell is pretty much the big bad tits as a character actor and comic. Sounds like for one person, this silly riff on male models proved to be the right respite at the right time. Check it out.
Yesterday, for some reason, I spent the middle of the day depressed. Doesn't happen to me often, I'm normally a very
happy-go-lucky guy. But in the afternoon, I kept my brain wrapped around the fact that I wasn't happy with where I was in
life. In addition, my girlfriend - who works at one of the studios in Hollywood - told me that the FBI had sent out a
threat advisory to all the major studios in L.A., saying that a film studio could be the target of a bombing attack in
retaliation for any attack we make on Afghanistan (see Variety or Hollywood Reporter for more details). The insanity
continues...
So when my sister Fiona set up yet another sneak preview for me to attend (she's addicted to free screenings, and since my
wallet is financially challenged, I should get myself hooked as well) I wasn't terribly excited. It was at the Hollywood
Galaxy on Hollywood Blvd., and with traffic the way it is at rush hour, it makes for a pretty stressful trip for me. But
she's my darling sister, so how could I say no?
Then she tells me - it's a sneak preview of ZOOLANDER. And I thought to myself "how perfect." The more I thought about
it, the more I warmed to the idea. A comedy is just what I needed, and, what I feel, everybody needs at this time. So I
left work a little early and headed out.
The screening was for the press, and the audience was more than primed. I mean, come on, of course Ben Stiller is
hilarious. And Will Ferrell as the bad guy? Come on, I'm laughing already. And of course, one of the funniest men
onscreen - Owen Wilson. For me, he steals every show he's been in.
This was the finished print, and from the very first opening credit, the audience was already chuckling. The nation needs
to laugh, and this movie's gonna deliver.
Basic plot (and no spoilers) is about the world's most famous male model, Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) His regime is
being threatened by a new model who's "so hot right now", Hansel (Owen Wilson). While dealing with this insecurity, major
fashion designer Mugatu (played beautifully by Will Ferrell) is hired by a secret organization to brainwash Zoolander in
order to have him assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia at a major fashion show. Yeah, you read it right. Insane.
This movie is hysterical. I don't know how to categorize it really. Farce? Satire? Broad comedy? I guess the best
thing to say is if you turned Austin Powers into a model, and tried to make The Manchurian Candidate a kneeslapper, then
you'd have this movie.
ZOOLANDER tears apart the fashion industry in such an obvious way you wonder why no one has done it before, and it's
largely due to Stiller's extraordinary effort as a director. The script is tight, the jokes fly left and right, and the
performances are spot on, but what struck me most was his direction. The Farrelly Bros. and the Weitz Bros. are great
writers, and their comedies are usually shot to emphasize their written words. Sure, Dumb and Dumber and American Pie had
it's share of visual gags, but their shots were hardly what you would call inventive.
The script is has a great structure, and Zoolander's world is so completely fleshed out that you never doubt it for a
second. For example - it's interesting to see a world where male models are the center of attention, with no Carmen
Electra or Josie Maran in sight. That very notion flips the model world on its' head, and that enables them to get away
with a lot of jokes that wouldn't have worked had it been directed toward female models. It gives the jokes a fresh spin,
and it's easier to buy into. And, as silly as it is, Zoolander actually has a character arc in the film. He does undergo
a character change - but it never gets dramatic. It's just too funny to get into, and I don't want to ruin anything.
Stiller cowrote the script, which helps, obviously, but he's also the director, and his strength is that he doesn't rely
only on the script (more on that in a sec). Stiller is a director who believes in layers. He chooses instead to Many
directors who write their own scripts are too focused on the page, and forget that movies are a visual medium. They just
plant the camera on sticks and shoot the actors and revel in their own words (Kevin Smith is another example, and this
style). He is a visual director, and the movie attains a higher polish than most comedies because of his visuals. Maybe
it's because he doesn't have a brother to bounce ideas off of, but he has a confidence to his style that many other comedy
directors don't have. Where Jay Roach's visuals are more of a classic-yet-subtle nature (MEET THE PARENTS), Stiller layers
each scene with so much care and detail that you find yourself laughing faster just so you can catch the cool stuff. When
you see this flick, remember this comment when you watch the awards ceremony at the beginning of the film, and you'll see what I mean.
(There is one scene later in the film, with Zoolander and Hansel, that is just a classic. I clapped out loud at how absurd
the whole thing was, and it will be the scene everyone talks about. It's about the real world of male models, and that's
all I'm going to say).
Two things of note: I firmly believe this movie will become funnier and funnier on each viewing, much like the first
Austin Powers or Billy Madison was for me (I just didn't get them, but when I did, my eyes were open for good). The only
difference here is that I recognized Zoolander as a great comedy from the get go. This is a movie that college campuses
around the world will start drinking to. With the amount of cameos in this film (there are well over fifty), if you just
had one gulp of beer for each famous face you see, you'd be drunk before the first act break.
And on a more somber note, this movie was shot in New York City. There will be shots of the New York skyline. There was
some press about how they digitally removed shots of the Trade Center from the picture - which they did. The audience
squirmed in their seats as they looked for the towers, and found none. I suppose that, over time, you will forget to look
for them. In the many coming months ahead, I'm sure that every movie you watch that was set in New York will be
scrutinized for a glimpse of the towers, but there was no need to have them in this one. This is a comedy of the highest
escapism, and in order to truly escape, the digital removal was neccessary. The good thing is that the movie has such a
terrific pace that even though you do find yourself looking for the towers, you don't find yourself dwelling on them.
In short, tell everyone to go see this movie. It's a perfect film to help people forget everything for a few hours, and
it's gonna be huge.
Thanks for reading.
HagridThanks, man. Sounds like a treat for next weekend.
"Moriarty" out.
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+ Expand All
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Plant!!!!!!!!
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Even if the biggest joke in the movie is that Ben Stiller, quite the not-pretty face, is the biggest supermodel in the world. That plus the fact that the guy who masterminded the sickly underrated Cable Guy is directing (who happens to be Stiller as well,) earmarks this as a potential classic. This might be BETTER than Austin Powers, especially if Marshall Willenholly is let loose for a substantial portion of the flick.
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I know it's a comedy but come on!
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I attend a screening for exhibitors in NY last week, and this film is the "Hudson Hawke" of 2001.
Most walked out and those that stayed enforced to one another how horrible it was...
This is certainly a plant!
Lego -
"This was the finished print, and from the very first opening credit, the audience was already chuckling. The nation needs to laugh, and this movie's gonna deliver. "
hahahaha if that isnt a plant, marijuana isn't either.
this movie is so clearly aiming to use the attacks in its favor that it's actually funny in a pathetic way. -
This movie was bad. I love Stiller, but he was just idiotic in this movie. I don't know how they got all those celebrities to do cameos, but that's basically the only good part about this movie. Mildly entertaining. Check out my Fall Movie Preview at http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/samsmyth -Sam's Myth
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Sep 22, 2001 7:28:45 AM CDT
"I like Ben Stiller... been a fan since the days of his Fox show
by iamlegolas
Yeah well I've been a fan of Ben Stiller since the days when The Ben Stiller show was FIRST ON MTV! Anyone remember that? Came on, on Sunday afternoons. The sketch that sticks out most in my mind was Ben dressed up as Eddie Munster and he was camping with the real Grandpa Munster. The skit joke was something like Grandpa was just acting senile and telling stories that seemed to piss off Eddie. Frickin' funny. Ben Stiller is at his best in T.V. sketch comedies, but he's really hit or miss in theatrical releases.
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"A weekly behind the scenes look at the world of TV comedy in which host Stiller was constantly getting grief from co-writer Kahn and other cast members. Aired on MTV in 1990." - http://us.imdb.com/Title?0098748
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I once had a difference of opinion with the Cohen Sister (I wouldn't call it an argument since she was a very nice person) about Ben Stiller's "talent" and my opinion hasn't changed. Ben is like that transferred poser kid in high school who tries to act like a funny cool person and many people believe it. His put on personality is a mix of Ethan Hawke and Jim Carrey and it just doesn't work. All of his films are pathetic imitations of real talent and humor. On films such as Reality Bites, he portrays his version of generation X angst and cool kids turning the corner into adulthood but it just comes off as if told by an outsider. He has no real idea what's real or what's funny, he just mimics what he sees without ever understanding it. In my opinion, the people who think he is a genius don't know the difference between the real deal and an imitation. This is not about stupid humor either, I love stupid humor but there is a difference between Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller. Some day Ben may show the real Ben and write something he knows and it may actually be good, and funny. He has the funny genes, but he needs to stop writing about pop culture or cool people because he obviously knows nothing about either. A leather jacket and Janeane Garafolo do not make you cool or funny but it will fool many a person (especially other posers).
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Ben Stiller has to be one of my favorite comic actors, but what I've seen of Zoolander in the commercials doesn't make me want to see it. It reminds me a lot of Toys, another comedy with bizarre costumes, outlandish make-up and futuristic sets. . .and you all know what a dud that was. (I know, I know--not the same thing, don't judge a book by its cover, etc., etc.) Still and all, the villain is named "Mugatu"--one of the best Star Trek references I've heard in a while.
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Hi all,
what I don't understand is the hassle with the removal of the World Trade Center from the film. (Background Info: I live in Germany, and I have seen the whole catastrophe live on CNN. I was as shocked as one could be. And I remember my visit to New York and the WTC.) But: Why is it so important to the movie industry to remove the World Trade Center from the film? It can't be denied that it was there - so why should it be gone? I mean, they didn't shoot "Gladiator" in today's ruins of ancient Rome, they rebuilt the place like it was back then. So, if Zoolander (or Spider-Man or whatever other production) takes place in New York before the 11th of September 2001, why should the World Trade Center not be in it? I'd appreciate your opinions on this either by mail or right here in the forum. -
Sep 22, 2001 10:07:36 AM CDT
Ferrell is the absolute WORST SNL member ever...should have been
by red giant
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Sep 22, 2001 10:17:49 AM CDT
Oh, Harry, what lovely plants you have. I've heard only that th
by cabron
Time will tell. If it's true, then I applaud Paramount for not spoiling the film by not showing *a single funny joke* in the trailer.
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Sep 22, 2001 10:24:28 AM CDT
I haven't heard a good word about this movie, either...
by smilin'jack ruby
...but with one positive review, maybe there's hope. We'll see.
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Sep 22, 2001 10:52:48 AM CDT
I know Hagrid is not a plant because one of my reviews sent to t
by lenny nero
Hagrid has sent many a review to this site, and he does not have the signs of a plant. He just has DIFFERENT TASTE THAN YOU GUYS! Jesus Christ!
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...of the well thought out way of nudging people to see this because of the current tragedy, very plant-like in nature. I think this is a plant because of that and the added fact that the reviewer capitalized every sentence and have a production company like description of the film. I think this is a plant because of the combination of those things and the attempt at sounding like a movie geek with a limited vocabulary by saying "dunno." I DO NOT think this is a plant just because the reviewer has different taste than I do. -Peace
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Please note I did not use the "P" word. They lost me when they said Stiller was playing a male model and I was positively annoyed by the commercial I accidently watched. It was like driving by a bad car wreck...you are horrified but can't seem to look away. Stiller is an okay looking guy but not model material. I would say this is a fine example of why typecasting can be a good thing and going against it can be, um, ugly.____Bee
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1) It's Hudson Hawk (no 'e'), and if Zoolander is this year's 'Hudson Hawk' then it will be a hilarious film that gets criminally neglected on its initial release; 2) Anyone who thinks Will Ferrell is the worst SNL cast member ever hasn't seen much of the show (here's a short list of people Ferrell is funnier than: Rich Hall, Tony Rosato, Melanie Hutsell- for the love of Goddess, Melanie Hutsell); 3) All you managed to prove, DiscoAng, is that Hagrid talks like someone who has some connection to the industry- it's a bit of a leap from that to corporate shill. And I'd be quite grateful if you explain to me how Ben Stiller or the studio could presciently anticipate the events of 9/11 years in advance, so as to have a film ready so as to 'use the attacks in its favor'.
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Hey hey. Just thought I'd clear up what I meant by Paramount using the attacks in their favor. I am saying that if I am indeed right about that being a plant (I could be wrong though), then this review was clearly trying to use the sad aftershock of the effects in its favor by attempting to persuade moviegoers to see Zoolander's amazing comedy as a diversion. If you want to know why I think so, just read the quotation I took out earlier. I am not trying to prove anything, but since this is a free forum, I feel I have the right to say this review sounded like someone somehow connected to the studio trying to get me to see this film specifically as a diversion from the events. Agree, disagree, whatever. That is my opinion though. Oh, and for the record, I liked Hudson Hawk :)
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Sep 22, 2001 12:06:52 PM CDT
Damn. You can cut the cynicism in here with a steak knife...
by tenguman
Its sad that you guys have become so damn cynical about movies that if you read any sort of an optimistic review, you automatically suspect it to be a plant. I mean on almost every other talk back post for any movie, there is a person talking about how the star sucks, or the movie will suck, or the director sucks, or the comedian isn't funny. I mean come on... why do you even post that stuff? Do you think some one is going to read your post and say "You know... he's right! I never thought of it before! He has opened my eyes to the suckitude of that particular actor. Thank you!" I certainly don't want to hear about your hatred for any particular actor. I come to this site because I love movies... not because I want to bash them. (oh and there IS a big difference between saying that an actor sucks and saying that you just aren't a fan of him. If you're going to show your distaste for him or her, show it respectfully instead of the "I spit on him" attitude you haters normally tend to show.) Besides, this Hagrid can't be a plant. The guy has submitted several reviews before... and not all of them were suspect of plantiness. But, Plant or not, the trailers and the cast for this movie have already sold me. I mean, sure... this movie is probably not going to win any academy awards, and I doubt it will make it onto my list of top ten comedies, but it looks pretty damn funny and that's all I need. We'll see how I feel after I see it, but at least I'll give it a chance. Maybe thats just on account of the fact that I'm one of the few optimistic people on this site. (Oh and I realize that I had to be cynical to attack your cynicism. Sometimes you have to use fire against fire.) Alright... thanks for listening to my rant... I just needed to get that off my chest. "What is this? A school for ants? How can the children learn to read if they can't even fit in the building?"
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I'm going to see Zoolander and want to, regardless of the plantiness of that review. So don't assume that I'm going to develop an opinion of something that easily.
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Then how 'bout the fact that Hagrid seems to think Carmen Electra is a supermodel? I DON'T think, though, that expressing the opinion 'I'm depressed and a goofy comedy is exactly what I needed to pick up my spirits, and it might be just what you need too' qualifies him for plant status. He's not the first- and won't be the last- person to say that, and not all of them work for a major studio.
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Most movies don't take place when they're made... they take place when they are expected to be released. Well, that's the standard course of procedure, anyway. Often times, like with X-Men or The Saint or other films of flight or fantasy with international themes -- they'll take place "in the near future." In any case, most any film shot this past spring and summer was actually set to take place at it's time of release. It's considered a curse of death if a mainstream film that takes place in the present has any details in it that show it's age...
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Sep 22, 2001 1:16:19 PM CDT
Will someone do the logical thing and make a movie with Owen Wil
by cash bailey
How unfathomably cool would that be? While you're at it you could have Leelee What'serface and Helen Hunt as sisters. C'mon, Wilson and Hopper, it makes too much to ignore.
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Sep 22, 2001 3:31:06 PM CDT
How will removing the WTC so that people can't help but notice i
by critical bill
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Sep 22, 2001 3:41:09 PM CDT
I *AM* A PLANT... and it doesn't take much to entertain some peo
by liquidnitrate
As a giant Ben Stiller fan, Owen Wilson fan, and Will Ferrell fan, who has seen ALL of the movie Zoolander, I can honestly say that Zoolander IS hilarious... when compared to Night at the Roxbury or The Ladies' Man, Bob Saget or Ellen. But compared to the smarter, subtler wit Stiller used to be capable of, Owen and Ferrell have been capable of, Zoolander the Movie is more like Sandler's Waterboy... an immediate fizzle that keeps on fizzling no matter how far it sinks... tedious, cheap, graceless, bereft of invention... a promising concept that has been mind-numbingly dumbed-down to tailor the lowest-common-denominator attitude of 12-year-olds who grew up watching Police Academy Mission to Moscow. How is it that so many D-grade generic Burger King sycophants are proclaiming Zoolander a brilliant comedy just because 50 of Ben's pals do cameos? Spotting an unannounced celebrity is now a form of humor? "Oh look -- there's so-and-so... pardon me while I guffaw at how sparklingly clever and original this genius is." I guess these are the same wizards who one month ago were swearing that Rat Race was the funniest movie ever made. On opening weekend, I will stay home and rewatch Ben's old TV episodes. Zoolander will make money, because people need to laugh... and in our times any excuse will do.
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and i'm not a big comedy fan really. i can count the comedies in my top fifty on one hand(ghostbusters and evil dead 2 come to mind). this is the goofy type of comedy i like, it's sooo ludicrous that i couldn't help but laugh. i saw a test screening of this back around march when it still had bits and pieces of the fight club score for it's temp track and unfinished effects, and it was still damn funny. other than a scene where the flick got too serious for it's own good(the "you can read minds?" scene), it was damn funny, certainly better than austin powers(and it's crummy rehash of a sequel). a scene at a gas station is so rediculus that i couldn't stop laughing for a good while. i don't know why people keep badmouthing it, zoolander's pretty good.
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I think for the most part he's hilarious, but am I the only one who recognizes a perpetual sadness throughout all of his work? He doesn't seem too happy, even at his funniest. I don't know how much of a well-adjusted childhood he had with his parents always touring, etc. I could be way off the mark, but I do agree with the poster who said that when trying to more mainstream comedy Stiller comes off like an outsider. If Stiller embraced that quality he could do something great - perhaps something like his pal Owen Wilson did in Bottle Rocket. I just watched that movie Heavyweights on the Disney channel the other day and Stiller's performance as fitness guru Tony Perkis carried the film - each and every line he had in that flick cut me up, not because the words were funny but because his delivery was superb. Yet, he was sad. The rule of thumb is that the funniest comedy has to stem from tragedy. I think Stiller is great in all of his stuff, it's just that some his roles aren't written to what I see him as capable of. And if a role he's written himself doesn't tap into that, I don't know what to think. I consider him very talented and very able, and he was great in Meet the Parents and gave a remarkably good peformance in Permanent Midnight, even though the film as a whole was uneven and did no justice whatsoever to that great book outside of the acting (the script was weak and cut so much out of the book that so much was left unexplained). I don't know if I'll see Zoolander in theaters or not - it's tempting because of Stiller and Wilson, but Will Ferrell is hit and miss. Come December though with The Royal Tenenbaums, hopefully Stiller will deliver something above par. That's a flick that's practically garaunteed to be good.
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Sep 22, 2001 10:01:43 PM CDT
I like Ben Stiller for the most part, but I have zero interest i
by darth ranik
and the trailers make it look really bad. No, terrible would be better. I could have heard a pin drop after this trailer played in the last movie I saw. Nobody wants to see this. Flop City.
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Or "Husbands and Wives" done as a monster pic. Stiller's hilarious, but I'm still not sold on "Zoolander." And this review does smell suspicious...
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Ha ha. That's one hilarious scene.
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Sep 23, 2001 12:42:07 AM CDT
I laughed my ass off at DEUCE BIGELOW and I love Owen Wilson so
by cash bailey
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I with all of you who think that Stiller is a mixed mag, but i
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I was at this same screening Friday night. I saw Leonord Maltin and Pat O'Brien of Access Hollywood fame. I was there with a bunch of my USC film school friends, and we all agreed it was a pretty damn funny movie. I didn't see one person walk out...sorry whoever said that, but this was no studio plant. It was a fun movie, not perfect, not great, just fun. Ben Stiller was hillarious and Owen Wilson kicked ass. Will Ferrall had some good moments, but ultimately I didn't like him in this one as much as I normally do. The stereotype he was playing was a little obvious. But it is highly recomended that you check this one out this weekend, definetly above the boring and uninspired "Hearts in Atlantis."
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Well I guess I should expect that from people that thought Jeepers Creepers and The Others were GOOD.
Ben Stiller is FUNNY. The Zoolander character is FUNNY. This movie can't possibly NOT be funny. This movie will be fore Ben Stiller what Austin Powers was for Mike Myers. -
The script is tight, the jokes fly left and right
He is a rhyming god! -
Sure Will is a funny man, but did I hear you say Owen Wilson steals the show in every movie he's in, wow, Hollywood must really love you.
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that is the 4th film I have read about the WTC being cg
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As I was saying, there is a difference between Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller. Adam Sandler does goofy sophomoric humor that is what you laughed at when you were a 13 year old boy. As we get older, these stupid things can still make us laugh much like South Park and Farelly Brothers movies. Stiller on the other hand is like a guy brought up on classic tv comedy who is trying to do what other people are doing today and it's about as funny as a Bob Hope sketch about Madonna.
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Sep 23, 2001 8:17:58 PM CDT
The new, safe, Ben Stiller- Hey, we all gotta eat. Am I wrong?
by smurfette
If this one doesn't make tons of dough, Ben will have nothing left. Once you dull your edge, it's hard to get it back. Who's left from Gen-X with integrity? Stiller? No. Smith? No. Favreau. That's it. Thank God for MADE.
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I saw this back in march and I've been saying to all my friends and to anyone that will listen, this movie will make you wet your pants. Go See It!!
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I am amused by you silly people who question whether or not Hagrid is a studio plant. He has posted many reviews before, some he liked, some he didn't (check the K-Pax review. The truth of the matter is this, Hagrid is a movie geek to the core...trust me I know, I'm his girlfriend. I think I'd know if he had a studio gig.
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Hi All Talkbackers, I see we all are in favour of NOT removing the WTC. Good argument, not wanting to cut out all private photographs. Should I erase my memory that I ever was up there? Don't think so. So, thank you for your moral support - I wish there were more like us. (Should we found a discussion forum? On eGroups?)
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