Home Cool News Coaxial Reviews Zone Chat Contact Us Sign in

Talkbacks

"Please take the dick off your face."
by kobayashi_maru
Apr 10th, 2009
10:08:13 PM
Just got back from seeing it. I thought it was funny as hell, but then I'm one of the five people who dug The Foot Fist Way.
OAR with Critics - 50%, OAR with AICN contributers - 100%
by JuanSanchez
Apr 10th, 2009
10:11:45 PM
Interesting.
Wrong,Harry!
by JimmyPasta
Apr 10th, 2009
10:15:51 PM
Seth's charectar decides to become a cop before he is dropped off in the slums!
It will be a cult favorite
by TruckMirrorTarget
Apr 10th, 2009
10:18:31 PM
And by that, I mean it will likely BOMB at the box office. It's ostensibly a comedy but there are very few laughs. Michael Pena' portrayal of the Jheri-curled sidekick didn't work, to me. He was cartoonish in a movie where it wasn't called for. Shock for shock's value is OK sometimes, but in this case I think Jody Hill just tries to shock because he can't think of anything else to do. The exchange between Ronnie and Saddam was about 7 fucks past funny and into stupid.
I've read that it's not a comedy.
by LoneGun
Apr 10th, 2009
10:19:19 PM
Sounds like a film that creates its own genre. I didn't see PUNCH DRUNK LOVE, as a comedy, but I did find it incredibly funny. I'm real curious about this O&R.
someone PLEASE tell me
by telly1138
Apr 10th, 2009
10:24:57 PM
what's the relevance of Paul Blart, er, Seth Rogen's character having bi-polar disorder in this film?
Telly1138
by Tipsy McStagger
Apr 10th, 2009
10:30:16 PM
It has to do with his pursuit of becoming a police officer.
It's A Rip-Off Of Paul Blart Mall Cop???
by Media Messiah
Apr 10th, 2009
10:31:39 PM
Just with a flasher, instead of terrorist taking over the mall.

by telly1138
Apr 10th, 2009
10:32:34 PM
honestly, all i'm hearing is that he's bipolar, goes off his meds, and turns into a lunatic. is this the gist of it or are the more realistic aspects/effects of his mental illness explored with some modicum of sensitivity? or am I asking too much of the film?
this thing has gotten shit reviews...
by hateuall
Apr 10th, 2009
10:38:25 PM
but AICN is kissing it's ass. there's a shock. "coughPAYOFFcough"
Rotten Tomatoes is at 51%
by cymbalta4thedevil
Apr 10th, 2009
10:48:20 PM
Which means it's Love it or Hate It. I can't wait to see what Roger Ebert thinks...
Really he loves it?! Has Harry not ever love Seth Rogen?
by HollywoodHellraiser
Apr 10th, 2009
10:54:02 PM
C'mon where the news?
HARRY NEVER NOT LOVES MOVIES ANYMORE
by unkempt_sock
Apr 10th, 2009
10:57:19 PM
telly
by WildcatWildcat
Apr 10th, 2009
11:04:46 PM
telly, I noticed someone ask that in a past talkback. I'm disappointed that a couple reviews I've read on here seem to emphasize the bi-polar disorder as the most significant cause of his problems. The movie does a good job of presenting him as a complex person. I did not focus in on the brief mention of bi-polar disorder like some viewers have. I don't think the movie makes any attempt to make the viewer think THAT is what explains him. There are many aspects of his upbringing, his career, and his personal life that are revealed to be highly influential in shaping and breaking his character. I saw it at the Chicago screening, and I liked it. Is it the greatest "comedy" in years? NO. I honestly don't know if I would have seen it if I hadn't gone to the screening. However, I am glad I did see it at the theater because it's a great movie to see with a crowd. Most of the crowd seemed satisfied with it, even though it is admittedly not for everyone. At the very least, it's a shame that many talkbackers are dismissing it as yet another Rogen movie, as looking lame because of its (admittedly) "meh" marketing, and as another movie this website is highly praising (I understand the skepticism, but this movie is at least good...even if you don't love it there's a good chance you'll respect it for being different). I found it to be funny throughout, yet its dark and surprising nature, as well as some of the performances (Farris especially) make it more satisfying than one of the recent comedies you feel will probably play best at home on DVD/Blu-ray.
Entertainment Weekly gave it an A-
by RogueScribner
Apr 10th, 2009
11:06:47 PM
The trailers look like shit, but the reviews here and in EW are seriously making me want to see this!
What was the last negative review from Harry?
by Wyr
Apr 10th, 2009
11:22:15 PM
Honest question. I don't mean to be a dick, but I can't remember Harry giving a negative review EVER. I know he has a long time ago, but really - he even gave The Spirt a sort of half thumbs up. Has Harry given any negative reviews in the past two years? But yeah, I'm looking forward to this one. I heard someone compare it to Taxi Driver, which is such a strange comparison it made me want to see it even more.
Let me guess, they invited you on set?
by jae683
Apr 10th, 2009
11:34:40 PM
they let you talk to the stars? No? hmmmm.
Harry also loved Cabin Fever!
by Fa Fa Fooey
Apr 10th, 2009
11:38:47 PM
And don't forget Phantom Menace, because it was Star Wars after all.
Harry also loved Godzilla '97
by tailhook
Apr 10th, 2009
11:41:36 PM
Until he was shamed into retraction.
"I thought this was gonna be funny but it's actually kind sad"
by landosystem
Apr 11th, 2009
12:17:44 AM
A quote from a character in the film who hides out in a closet to listen in on Seth Rogens character having his dreams shattered. I couldn't have agreed with him more. with 40 minutes left the jokes stop coming and all you see on screen are broken people doing horribly fucked up things and I wanted them all to go to therapy or jail. top it off with 5-10 minutes of the most disturbingly small penis and there you have Observe and Report.
Harry has carved out a place for himself in this world
by JuanSanchez
Apr 11th, 2009
12:19:56 AM
Like him or hate him - that's all anyone really wants to do.
Nom, Nom, Nom, Slurp.
by scriptgirl_nipples
Apr 11th, 2009
12:59:13 AM
AICN writing their recent reports.
Seriously...
by scriptgirl_nipples
Apr 11th, 2009
01:11:41 AM
Seth Rogen as Richard Simmons in a movie or GTFO.
the juvenile sex comedies???
by Series7
Apr 11th, 2009
01:38:26 AM
Like Sex Drive?
Julio
by Series7
Apr 11th, 2009
01:43:49 AM
PICK UP THE GOD DAMN PHONE!
that dude's penis
by THE KNIGHT
Apr 11th, 2009
01:46:51 AM
did he even have one? good lord.
Harry gave a negative review tooo
by Series7
Apr 11th, 2009
02:05:11 AM
Clone Wars and The Love Guru before that????? The Fog?
Rogen Grants Interview, AICN Loves His Movie
by MANZILLA
Apr 11th, 2009
02:31:16 AM
Big Fucking Surprise. I really like this site but this is just pandering bullshit on the part of AICN. AICN was dangerous at first because it wasnt afiliated with the studios, it gave us insider news that they didnt want us to know. The studios realized that they can control the content on AICN by simply giving AICN a few crumbs periodically to buy Harry's undying affection. Harry I love your site, but you know it's true.
Browsing a few of the reviews on IMDB
by seppukudkurosawa
Apr 11th, 2009
02:48:46 AM
This looks like this decade's The Cable Guy. Most of them spend paragraph after paragraph describing how unlikeable every person in the film is (as if that's a legitimate criticism), and how they felt gypped because it was marketed as another I Love You, Man (not that I saw that one). Not to mention how "depressing" it is for a comedy. And every word of criticism these guys leveled at it made me more inclined to think that Harry's probably on the right side on this one. Like with all those noirs from the '40s, which are basically dryly-delivered comedies when you think about it, it'll be these black comedies that stand the test of time, that stand out from the mass of fluff.

Then again, I haven't seen it yet so I might hate it, but not because it's "depressing." Since when did all comedies ever, with no exceptions, have to be full of loveable people getting into silly situations which are 100% resolved come the 90-minute mark (anything longer than that is a total yawn-fest)?

I liked it.
by Harold-Sherbort
Apr 11th, 2009
03:13:19 AM
But then again, I like dark comedies.
Is there another Mall Cop film lined up?
by BobWinters5
Apr 11th, 2009
03:46:17 AM
We gotta keep the streak of shitty mall cop movies coming out one right after the other going!
Jack Black just signed to star in Chuck Polito: Security Officer
by JuanSanchez
Apr 11th, 2009
04:20:01 AM
Les Mayfield (Flubber, Codename: The Cleaner) will direct from a script by Steve Adams (Envy).
Harry loves [insert anything here]
by I_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looki ng_for
Apr 11th, 2009
04:35:32 AM
"Jody Hill is the David Cronenberg of Comedy."

Harry is the Cuba Gooding Jr of critics. He loves everybody!

Unlikeable characters
by TruckMirrorTarget
Apr 11th, 2009
05:58:39 AM
A film having no likeable characters IS a legitimate criticism. Movies need someone with whom the audience can connect. OAR doesn't. But I didn't like Superbad, either, for that very reason. Jonah Hill is so annoying in every movie that it's hard for me to believe anyone would want to spend time with him.
Jonah Hill looks like he smells bad
by JuanSanchez
Apr 11th, 2009
06:27:50 AM
Script Review: Clash of the Titans !
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
08:15:45 AM
http://tinyurl.com/c8kd7t
Do what STAN LEE tells you !!!!
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
08:19:13 AM
http://tinyurl.com/dhhs95
Do what STAN LEE tells you !!!!
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
08:19:14 AM
http://tinyurl.com/dhhs95
Do what STAN LEE tells you !!!!
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
08:19:14 AM
http://tinyurl.com/dhhs95
Good movie. But its not a comedy.
by knowthyself
Apr 11th, 2009
08:22:21 AM
Wow. Crazy little film. Not a comedy. Advertising is totally false on this one. Its more of an indie drama with some akward funny moments.
Hilarious comedy. Go see it, you pussies!
by Browncoat_Jedi
Apr 11th, 2009
08:47:45 AM
What's all this crying about unlikable characters and dark comedy? Is 2 and a half men your idea of comedy? This movie is laugh out loud funny and the suburban theatre I saw it in was cracking up throughout. They loved it. If this isn't your kind of film, what are you even doing on AICN? Go to EW.com and talk about Paul Blart, for chrissakes.
Not funny
by TruckMirrorTarget
Apr 11th, 2009
09:18:55 AM
The Cable Guy was funnier than OAR. Knowthyself is right, it's not a comedy. It's a quirky dark indie drama with some awkward funny moments. Not saying it's a bad movie, but it's not great. It's a freakshow. It's like Jackass. If you like laughing at people's misfortune and problems, it's your kind of "comedy". I just felt sorry for and repulsed by ALL the characters. And Jonah Hill does look like he smells bad. But then again, so does Harry. I suppose the Seth Rogan dick riding from Harry is in large part because Harry wishes he was that thin! On that note, the Funny People trailer played before OAR---wow, Seth Rogan has lost a lot of weight. And I'll bet he did it with no lap band surgery. Isn't it about time for a weight loss update, Harry?
Does Anna show her boobies?
by mrfan
Apr 11th, 2009
09:30:51 AM
Always thought she was a cutie.
Damn You Michael Bay
by MCMLXXVI
Apr 11th, 2009
09:37:55 AM
Damn You Michael Bay
Can't we just go back to hyping Star Trek.
by OBESE_WAN_KENOBI
Apr 11th, 2009
11:10:41 AM
Cuz I'm really sick of hearing about how Jody Hill is the Stanley Kubrick of comedy and all other sorts of hyperbole that's been spewed out by AICN staffers about this film in the past two days. When AICN gets behind a film, they REALLY get behind it. It's kind of sad really, yet it's even worse when they refuse to get behind a film, basically reporting no news or reviews on it whatsoever.
Harry - Bring back McWeeny!
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
11:19:18 AM
Harry - Bring back McWeeny!
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
11:19:19 AM
Harry - Bring back McWeeny!
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
11:19:20 AM
Harry - Bring back McWeeny!
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
11:19:20 AM
Harry - Bring back McWeeny!
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
11:19:20 AM
Talkbackers don't realize the obvious...
by Stereotypical Evil Archer
Apr 11th, 2009
11:21:50 AM
that Harry only reviews movies that evoke a response from him. He doesn't go to every new showing with the idea of writing a review. This means that most of his reviews are mostly positive because he felt the film was worth SHARING. I think that's the core of Harry's being; he wants to SHARE EXPERIENCE.

Harry also wants us to share as openly as possible within reason. Some of you just come here to trash talk and troll; I admit, some of the stuff that talkbackers create is infuriating yet fascinating. Some come here to see and say something funny.

Freedom of speech is great, it’s even better when there’s a forum like this one. This whole site, this whole KIND or CLASSIFICATION of site is a result of Harry and us talkbackers. Harry allows this site to have a raw edge without a team of editors; this gives AICN an authenticity that doesn’t exist in print (and probably couldn’t).

I just think it’s time that the next step is taken and that all of us realize how this whole thing works. Bashing Harry for mostly writing positive reviews is a waste of time. Think about all the movies and books and music that Harry is exposed to. Writing a half-hearted review or description is pointless; it’s not worth Harry’s time and it’s not worth yours.

What’s truly awesome about this site is that I can completely change my mind on any topic at any time or just pop in and write something funny, stupid or pointless.

Without further ado lets keep doing what we do.

Harry loved the date-rape.
by SmokeFilledTavern
Apr 11th, 2009
11:30:03 AM
To everyone calling this film a "dark comedy"
by landosystem
Apr 11th, 2009
11:34:08 AM
Go watch Brazil with the original ending. Observe and Report ends with him ***SPOILERS*** getting the girl and his job back and stopping the streaker. How is that a dark comedy?
Saw it last night
by Charlie_Allnut
Apr 11th, 2009
11:34:29 AM
Pretty fuckin funny. Worth seeing in theaters...much better then the kinda okay but not funny at all Adventurland.
TruckMirrorTarget and landosystem
by lex romero
Apr 11th, 2009
12:01:06 PM
Truck: Yeah man I agree. You seen that Taxi Driver film? The guy in that is a dick! I wouldn't want to be friends with him, so the film is obviously shit. Same with the godfather, you know all those guys are criminals? And don't get me started on citizen kane, fuck that selfish cock.

landosystem - because he's been rewarded for something he shouldn't have been. He shot an unarmed man, he's beaten the shit out of people that didn't deserve it - a mentally unstable guy with a gun obsession is being heralded as a hero. Which in my mind makes it very similar to taxi driver. We shouldn't be thinking "fuck yeah he saved the day!" we should be thinking "fuck, that guy saved the day? Those actions are considered heroic?" He's been vindicated, when what he really needs is help.
It was the right choice to not let him join the policeforce because of his mental state, yet the end of the film leaves many of the characters thinking "oh maybe he should have been a police oficer he's a hero!" He's one step away from going on some murder spree because he thinks he's "protecting the city".
Really now, how much money did the
by ominus
Apr 11th, 2009
12:35:36 PM

producers of the movie paid you in order to advertise their movie?

i dont have any problem with the movie,but i have a big problem with the attitude of this site.

u know,although i am not a vivid talkbacker,i was a visitor of the site since its beginning.

and it always seemed to me as the best place not only for geek news,but as a place who informed,brought to attention and advertised not only the big studios movies,but also the less known,but equally interesting movies.

aicn was a place where u could discover movies u havent heard before and learn things u didnt know,for movies u loved since u were a kid.

indepedent movies,big studios but low budgeted movies,movies of present,upcoming movies of the future,cult classics of the past,very famous movies and creators,unknown movies and creators,everything,just everything u could find out about,well aicn was the best place for.

ok i understand that aicn is the same shit,it still does provide what i have already mention,but really i just visited today the site,and i watch that half of the sites front page is about the movie OBSERVE AND REPORT.

interviews,reviews,news,etc etc etc.is this movie so good that simply at this point of time,the rest of the upcoming and now playing movies,dont have the right to be equally hyped?

or the simple answer is that,well,aicn is all about business and nothing else.

not that doing business is a bad thing.people work in this site,they have to live and take care of their families,the site has expenses etc. so u have to earn money somehow.thats life.real life.

and what u do it to get paid to over-advertise the studios upcoming blockbuster movie,or u just suck the studios balls in order to have access to information for its future project,so u can maintain the sites popularity and population.

but this thing,as i said already,isnt bad.its how life works.but that doesnt mean that i should happy and not criticize about how the site has become,how it has lost its enthusiasm and love about all kind of movies,how it promotes the big names and not that much the smaller names.

anyway,i am only an old nostalgia guy crying for past romantic things.

Landosystem.
by Mostholy
Apr 11th, 2009
12:35:39 PM
The ending is Brazil is happy too. Sam gets away (in a manner of speaking), gets the girl, and lives a long, happy dream-life in the english countryside. They never got him, he just floated away with the song.

From what I gather, the ending to OAR just completes the Taxi Driver circle, but I haven't seen it.
That should be
by Mostholy
Apr 11th, 2009
12:36:11 PM
ending of* Brazil. Carry on.
"someone that never isn't on her way to simple oblivion"
by Immortal_Fish
Apr 11th, 2009
12:39:36 PM
What does this mean?
Lex Romero
by TruckMirrorTarget
Apr 11th, 2009
12:39:42 PM
The difference between the movies you mentioned an OAR is there are no redeeming qualities in ANY characters in OAR. They're not sympathetic. They're not interesting. Travis Bickle was interesting. He had a mission. He was out to save the teenaged prostitute and punish the pimp. Mafioso characters are charismatic---and they're glamourous. That's why the Godfather movies work. That's why Scarface works. OAR isn't either of those. OAR is an OK movie. It's amateurishly implemented and poorly acted. The hyperbole about this movie is ridiculous. Reviewers and Talkbackers alike either love a movie or hate a movie. There's no ambivalence. Not every POS hack comedy is groundbreaking just because the characters say "fuck" 2000 times and some gratuitous violence is thrown in. But I seem to remember this site going nuts over "Talladega Nights". Mel Brooks could shit funnier movies than "Talladega Nights". The movie is just OK. It's not horrible. It's not great. It's JUST OK.
truck
by lex romero
Apr 11th, 2009
01:33:11 PM
I don't have issue with your opinion on the film just being ok, and i agree with you - I hate that internet criticism, especially on the talkbacks, has become either "love it" or "hate it", why the need for such polarising of opinions?

I just took issue with your "i don't like the character = bad filml" comment. However expanding on it in your other post I get where you're coming fromf, and fair enough if you didn't find his character interesting to watch.
I jerk off too much
by KazAlvinRunts
Apr 11th, 2009
01:59:48 PM
My penis has tiny cuts that won't go away because I'm addicted
I want to see Seth Rogen do a movie as
by scriptgirl_nipples
Apr 11th, 2009
02:06:47 PM
a fat Richard Simmons.

It will no doubt be shit and unfunny like his other films, but I wanna see it.
Golly, I am floored, H liked a movie! News flash.
by DoctorZoidberg
Apr 11th, 2009
02:12:18 PM
Golly, I am floored, H liked a movie! News flash.
by DoctorZoidberg
Apr 11th, 2009
02:12:22 PM
AICN conributors like this movie because...
by polyh3dron
Apr 11th, 2009
02:20:07 PM
they like good movies for the most part and most of you talkbackers are cynical jackasses. This movie is fucking hilarious and there is NO comedy that has ever been released in theaters that is ANYTHING like this.
HERE'S A REAL REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
02:22:13 PM
http://tinyurl.com/cpb87z
Well, it bombed
by lockesbrokenleg
Apr 11th, 2009
02:24:11 PM
Thank God.
lockesbrokenleg...
by Semen_Up_My_Ass
Apr 11th, 2009
02:35:13 PM
There is no god
Of course he loved it. When it comes to "certain"
by GQtaste
Apr 11th, 2009
02:36:26 PM
filmmakers, ie QT, Rodriguez, Del Toro, dude from Lord of the Wrings, recently anything Jude Apatow related he loves 1000%. I would have been surprised if he said it was just average. If he has connections w/ the filmmakers than it's a done deal ladies and gentlemen. I'll never forget the review for QT's and Rod's Grindhouse. Every contributor on here f'ing loved it! And that was the biggest waste of time for both filmmakers not wanting to challenge themselves at that time.
Watched this movie last night...
by Gus Van Rant
Apr 11th, 2009
02:47:36 PM
Fucking awful....really fucking awful.
you know I looked over and over for Harry's review of Knowing..
by mr dark
Apr 11th, 2009
03:03:05 PM
I never found one and the film was a genre film and was # 1 for weeks at the box office..and now here's comes Observe and Report and I can't seem to find anything but reviews and interviews and on and on and more Observe and report. I guess when this site gets its support from the marketing juggernauts , set visits, interviews, early screenings it really does seem to take something away from the validity of a review..I used to really come to this site for its reviews. As of late the news isn't news anymore and the reviews are more like infomercials. Harry whats up?
I am gonna see this shit.
by Dirk Shocker
Apr 11th, 2009
03:28:37 PM
I'll do my own review. DAMM IT!
Knowing was decent
by lockesbrokenleg
Apr 11th, 2009
03:47:56 PM
I liked it. It was no disaster like Day the Earth Stood Still. It was enjoyable, and it made you think a little bit.
This movie looks like crap
by pervisdevile
Apr 11th, 2009
03:48:26 PM
Do not want.
http://www.aintitbalenews.com/
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
03:54:17 PM
http://www.aintitbalenews.com/
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
03:54:17 PM
http://www.aintitbalenews.com/
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
03:54:25 PM
www.nukethefridge.com
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
03:56:05 PM
www.nukethefridge.com
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
03:56:08 PM
www.nukethefridge.com
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
03:56:09 PM
www.nukethefridge.com
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
03:56:09 PM
www.nukethefridge.com
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
03:56:09 PM
www.nukethefridge.com
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
03:56:12 PM
www.nukethefridge.com
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
03:56:12 PM
www.nukethefridge.com
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
03:56:12 PM
www.nukethefridge.com
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
03:56:12 PM
www.nukethefridge.com
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
03:56:12 PM
http://www.hitfix.com/
by surprisehypery
Apr 11th, 2009
04:50:29 PM
SETH ROGEN IS OLD.
by AwkwardAvenue
Apr 11th, 2009
05:12:38 PM
Acts the same in EEEEVVVVEEERRRYYYTTHHIINNNNGGG .
Lockesbrokenleg
by mr dark
Apr 11th, 2009
05:36:42 PM
thanks for the short review I will probabley try to see this before it hits dvd..You would think that a genre film like that would at least warrent a review from this site though,That is my point in a nutshell here we have so many similar reviews for one movie (overloaded and bloated)that it makes you wonder what direction AICN is headed..
mr dark
by lex romero
Apr 11th, 2009
05:53:47 PM
I'm not sure what you're implying. A big box ofice hit with a famous star, a director who previously made a will smith BO hit and a lot of money behind it didn't get a harry review. But a smaller movie with smaller budget for promotion with a lesser known talent and a director who's previous work got mixed reviews is getting a harry review.

Therefore the site is getting support from a marketing giant and that's the only reason it got good reviews? Wtf? That makes no sense.
Observe And Report Has Crashed At The Box Office
by Media Messiah
Apr 11th, 2009
06:17:57 PM
With only 4 million at the B.O. on Friday, it will take in 11 million this weekend. This is the second Jude Apatow related film to tank in a week, remember Adventure Land? Enough of these cheap unfunny films, it is over!!!
You will enjoy Knowing
by lockesbrokenleg
Apr 11th, 2009
06:24:39 PM
A one time viewing will entertain anyone. I'm surprised I heard so little about it, but I enjoyed it.
Oooohhh it's "dark"
by m_prevette
Apr 11th, 2009
06:34:14 PM
...that makes it special. What bullshit.
Police Academy 12: Back to the Mall.
by mrfan
Apr 11th, 2009
06:42:58 PM
You know it will happen.
Media Messiah
by THE KNIGHT
Apr 11th, 2009
06:43:26 PM
Neither Observe and Report or Adventure land were produced by Apatow if I'm not mistaken.
But is it as good as Hannah Montana the Movie???
by EpicFail
Apr 11th, 2009
07:00:12 PM
Media Messiah
by Timahh
Apr 11th, 2009
07:35:19 PM
neither of those movies, have ANYTHING to do with Apatow. Wait Till Funny People takes in 100 million, then we can talk.
It has begun
by UnApatowzing
Apr 11th, 2009
08:14:51 PM
$11 million weekend - ouch
by JuanSanchez
Apr 11th, 2009
08:18:32 PM
Sorry Harry and the gang, I know you guys tried your best.
It did worse than Kevin's Smith's usual crap
by lockesbrokenleg
Apr 11th, 2009
08:19:04 PM
UNAPATOWZING
by unkempt_sock
Apr 11th, 2009
08:32:20 PM
Except... he had nothing to do with this film.... or Adventureland....
This really was just okay.
by blackmantis
Apr 11th, 2009
08:52:01 PM
Not bad, not great, some inspired moments and characterizations, but really, it didn't add up to much. And Ronnie not being either thrown in jail for many years at the end or locked into a mental institution strains credulity...However, I can see why seeing an overweight loser with delusions of grandeur as a hero appeals to the reviewers at AICN.
Yeah - this was not Apatow, neither was Adventureland
by JuanSanchez
Apr 11th, 2009
08:56:59 PM
But Apatow has had failures since his rise to power. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story made just $18 million. Drillbit Taylor made just $32 million. Apatow produced both and co-wrote Dewey Cox.
Wow Harry loved a movie that has ads all over his site
by Glory_Fades_ImMaxFischer
Apr 11th, 2009
09:17:05 PM
big shock
lex romero
by mr dark
Apr 11th, 2009
09:57:24 PM
Yeah Lex I know who produced this De line and Legendary pictures but it was distributed by Warners. Big time marketing department there. Frankly I will probably wait for a dvd release for this. It'll be soon as I saw it on their site the other day in their new Blu-ray campaign Buy 5 over a years time registar on line and get one free for any five titles you buy. Hey look I'm marketing for Warners myself. As for what I'm implying its simple..I been coming to this site since it started posted a few times under a different name but have been avid reader from the first year on. I seem to notice a change in the reporting and content of stories and truthfully its seems to me AICN isn't as on its game as it once had been. I don't know what it is maybe the schilling or co-op adverts that seem to always get so much press. Maybe could be the loss of some talent..but hey I still come here and I come here for Fantastic Film news and reviews..Thats what I come here for but lately.. meh..Instead I get Rogan, Adventureland ,Observe and Report like its all the Second Coming. And as far as Seth Rogan is concerned hey the guy seems nice enough but somebody should tell the guy that he is reaching an oversaturation point and quick. I wanted Harry to review this as I usually value his opinion and I read Eberts review "four stars by the way" and wanted to hear the Big Red One's take on it. After all its an end of the world story, has a few weeks at #1, and its directed by Proyas..I thought that would qualify for some coverage but I didn't see a word on this site after it came out. It was just kinda strange that it wasn't mentioned ..Maybe just overlooked .I don't know.. anyway I guess things change all the time..this site sure has.
Ebert hasnt hated a movie since his cancer
by Glory_Fades_ImMaxFischer
Apr 11th, 2009
10:32:17 PM
..and Harry hasnt hated a movie since..wait..he doesnt give bad reviews..just reviews of films that he lets shove their cock down his throat.
THE MOVIE WAS VERY FUCKING COOL
by JeanLuc Dickhard
Apr 11th, 2009
11:11:39 PM
now we just need to see anna's tit
I'm all for Anna's tits
by The_Balls_of_Christ
Apr 11th, 2009
11:17:51 PM
but this movie is like unwiped asshole. I don't think I'll be going anywhere near it.
I keep thinking back to the Entourage episode
by Rob0729
Apr 11th, 2009
11:24:31 PM
Where Vinny Chase had to get the faux Harry three porn stars for the night to get a good review. These days I think all you gotta do is get Harry a free bag of popcorn and he'll gush over your film.

There used to be a time where movie studios actually feared what Harry was going to write about his film. They have all figured out that if they give him an advanced showing at his theater or allow the star be interviewed on this site and they are guaranteed a glowing review.
Some of you paid for this? Hahaha. Dumb fucks.
by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD
Apr 11th, 2009
11:24:52 PM
Doesn't surprise me. 59 million people also voted for John McCain. The country is populated with functioning retards.
You still fighting the election battle, DGDB?
by SkinJob69
Apr 11th, 2009
11:42:22 PM
Because if you hadn't noticed, BO was elected.

You may also have noticed how he has raised the projected US deficit to $21,000,000,000,000.00

You may have heard that he's gone back on multiple campaign promises, including the Iraq withdrawal timetable, retroactive prosecution of warrantless wiretaps, pursuit of gun control laws, among other things.

And if you were watching, BO has failed to address the issue of the US citizens taken hostage by pirates/terrorists.

Not to mention his poor vetting of major cabinet members, and his failure to fill a 100's of important administration posts.

Say what you want about McCain, but I dare say he would have had a better first 100 days than this.

Remember when folks here were saying that BO lacked experience and the presidency wasn't the time for on the job training?

Well, Danny, this is what BO's on the job training looks like.

Back on topic, though...
by SkinJob69
Apr 11th, 2009
11:44:56 PM
This movie looks like shite, and the date rape scene is deplorable and completely unfunny.
Watchmen - FAIL, OAR - FAIL... AICN is bad luck
by JuanSanchez
Apr 11th, 2009
11:57:19 PM
Gotta think Star Trek is jinx-proof with its ad campaign, but you never know.
Awfull
by skyman375
Apr 11th, 2009
11:57:54 PM
This was the worst movie I've paid money to see in years. It's like the story of the creepy guy you went to high school with. Seth Rogan's character seems more likely to go on a shooting rampage in the mall than protect it from anything. Rogan should fire his agent after this crap. At least Ray Liotta probably needed the money, and Anna Faris had to do something other than spoof crap, but this was just terrible.
This movie desperately needed some humor
by bottombrick
Apr 12th, 2009
12:33:31 AM
The patter from Danny McBride, and the movie reflecting on its characters' ridiculous existence were sorely missed in this remake. You take the same farcical characters, as perfectly American as they may be, and put them in a droll indie drama and suck out all the humor and there is just no point. And this is a carbon copy of Foot Fist Way as far as plot, character, and story are concerned, it just painfully failed in execution.
My First Thought Upon Reading the Headline
by Tokyo_Drifter
Apr 12th, 2009
02:02:32 AM
...was: "What a goddamn shocker."
this movie wasn't very good
by hegele
Apr 12th, 2009
03:16:14 AM
characters were unbelievable. and i don't mean for our world, but for their world. most of it was tepid, the only real laugh i got was the end bit with the streaker.
The shit cam torrent I watched wasn't half bad.
by Stuntcock Mike
Apr 12th, 2009
08:42:25 AM
Date rape as comedy Seth? That's fucked up.
Wingnut away, Wingnuts.
by Mostholy
Apr 12th, 2009
09:50:05 AM
Here in the real world, most Americans (as in 2/3rds) think the president has been doing a solid, even impressive job, since taking office. Check the polls.

It's always amusing to watch these GOP dead-enders choke on their own bile. Look, I'm sorry your fundamentally flawed movement turned to ashes (RIP 1968-2008), but you really have noone to blame but yourselves. Next time, don't make an unholy alliance with the evangelical freakshows and other lowest common denominators.
Danny McBride
by TruckMirrorTarget
Apr 12th, 2009
10:41:30 AM
He was like Gary Oldman from True Romance in OAR, except retarded. I kept waiting for him to ask his minions if it was "white boy day".
Mostholy
by TruckMirrorTarget
Apr 12th, 2009
10:49:20 AM
Obama's a joke. He's just as corrupt as the GOP you slag. Or don't you find it odd that his appointments are overwhelmingly from the banking industry HE BAILED OUT? There is no two party system. There is no difference between the GOP and the Democrats. They are all bought and paid for by the same interests. If you continue to believe otherwise, you're a brainwashed fool. And if Obama and the Democrats DO push some restrictive gun control measures, you'll see lots of change in Congress next time. I know Harry is a big gun control advocate, which is odd. If I was a morbidly obese ginger nerd in a wheelchair I think I'd carry a gun. LOL.
Yes, Truck.
by Mostholy
Apr 12th, 2009
11:02:39 AM
There is only one party, and it's mainly out to take your guns and steal your precious bodily fluids.

Really, grow up.
Mostholy
by TruckMirrorTarget
Apr 12th, 2009
11:14:21 AM
Tell me again about Barney Frank and Chris Dodd's role in all this? Or how about the money Obama took in contributions from AIG? Hey, I feel sorry for you. It must be difficult knowing you were duped into voting for Carter v2.0. There hasn't been a decent president with any sort of vision since Kennedy. All of them since, Democrats and Republican, have only done the bidding of their contributors. The big pocketbooks fund both sides. Don't you find it disturbing that they're able to raise as much money as they do? The whole system is corrupt. 62 Democratic house members sent a letter to Pelosi advising her to drop her gun control talk, because they fear a repeat of 1994. Do you remember that?
Weak
by PowerRing
Apr 12th, 2009
11:56:11 AM
The bipolar thing was done 10 times as funny by Jim Carrey in "Me, myself and Irene." There were too few laughs and too far between. This movie would be an ok $1.99 rental. It should have gone direct to dvd.
Harry Loved ______ !
by Dijjot
Apr 12th, 2009
01:15:31 PM
there should be a form to fill out with film's title, aritificial indie-cred, and a check attached. or a pdf of a shitty second string one-sheet.
mostholy
by Dijjot
Apr 12th, 2009
01:20:02 PM
most of your diatribe is fallacious. "Here in the real world, most Americans (as in 2/3rds) think the president has been doing a solid, even impressive job" Steadily dwindling from buyer's remorse, centrists who voted popular. Look, I'm sorry your fundamentally flawed movement turned to ashes (RIP 1968-2008)(false, the ideas of the republican party are not fundamentally flawed, those of the far left are, however. because they dont even consider human nature.) but you really have noone to blame but yourselves.(true) Next time, don't make an unholy alliance with the evangelical freakshows and other lowest common denominators. (the democratic party is a party of the lowest common denominator, by its very concept)
In defense of Harry
by mukhtabi
Apr 12th, 2009
02:26:29 PM
I had an English Lit professor who very clearly dictated that if one decides to write criticism, it should only explore those things that you like, because negative reviews are deleterious to your 'world view'. So that may be where Harry is, although honestly he did pan two films this past year, The Happening and The Love Guru. Plus I've never seen him write a kind word about Herr Doktor Toilet Bowl. So I would say its a good thing he publishes his positive reviews, because at least we know the fella's got broad taste.
Nice review, Harry
by criticalbliss
Apr 12th, 2009
02:29:27 PM
For those bitching about the "Cronenberg of comedy" comparison, fuck off. This was one of Harry's more cogent reviews. We should encourage this. For a second I thought it was Moriarty.

I will say that we should pin Harry down and force him to use a chocolate crispy donut rating system; so we know how much he actually liked the film.

We all know...
by Jimbo08lak
Apr 12th, 2009
05:37:45 PM
That Harry fluff's different parts of Hollywood. What's the point of ragging on about it? He'll never admit to it and just say that he has indeed given a bad review to some movie. It sems like the only guy in Hollywood Hary wouldn't blow is Brett Ratner and let's face it; if Ratner did something semi-ok and geeky, Harry would finger his ass too. Fuck Herc.
Good not great, and certainly not a financial dud.
by chaplinatemyshoe
Apr 12th, 2009
05:51:55 PM
It'll probably make all its money back in theatres and double it on dvd. That said, I feel like the movie has major issues with keeping its tone straight. Yes, it has those awkward, dark moments like The Foot Fist Way that makes it more than a comedy, but too often, it reverts back to a sort of Napoleon Dynamite cutesiness that's hard to take. Moreover, while Seth Rogen isn't bad, you have to wonder how much better the role would have been if they had done the obvious thing and cast Danny McBride. Rogen is very much a wink and nod actor who has the tendency of playing down to his parts- like, haha, I'm in a movie, isn't this funny? But yeah, anyway, I hope it does well enough to afford Hill another shot at an A-list cast.
OBAMA
by uberman
Apr 12th, 2009
06:18:30 PM
Apparantly is doing a pretty good job. Also, he approved the team that rescued that captain from the pirates. Hard to put a negative spin on that, esspecially since his approval ratings are so high. He beat you. He will beat you again. And the next dem will beat you yet again. Time to stock up on dem Assault Weapons, Repubs. Time to defend the top 1% on the 3% tax theyre gonna get!!! Call in the TEA PARTY!!!!THEYRE COMMING TO GET YOU!!!
looks like it will be a financial dud after all
by walrusholder
Apr 12th, 2009
06:29:45 PM
finished 4th for the weekend ouch
Sorry Harry...it's just not funny...
by Token
Apr 12th, 2009
06:47:46 PM
From all the comments I heard, I was expecting something as good as BAD SANTA. Unfortunately I was disappointed. Ronnie and his droogs are too cartoonish for me to take seriously...and so his real, serious problems are jarring and senseless. It's like seeing the Coyote suffering from OCD and then getting horribly injured and dying in his attempt to catch the Roadrunner. Maybe that sort of thing would qualify as high cinematic art, but it sure doesn't work for me. BAD SANTA worked because it put realistic characters [however oddball] into situations that grew ever more absurd, and made them react. In OAR, Ronnie started out as an absurd character in an absurd situation and stayed there. Yes, he won out in the end [and yes, the ending was equal parts shocking and funny], but the level of absurdity never changed...and neither did Ronnie.
I'm certainly no Obama apologist. I'll call him out...
by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD
Apr 12th, 2009
07:22:30 PM
...on his ignorant bullshit, like appointing that diseased cunt crisp Tim Geithner. I never thought Obama would be the savior of the country. I thought he would do well. But I didn't pretend he would be perfect. My statement never fluffed Obama one bit, it merely poked fun at the ignorant fucks that supported McCain. And I stand by that statement.
GREAT REPUBLICANS!! COLLECT THEM ALL!
by uberman
Apr 12th, 2009
08:10:44 PM
Herr Hannity; Herr Rush; Herr Dobson; Herr Robertson; Herr Coulter; Herr O'Rielly; Herr Malkin; Herr Bachman; Herr Stevens; Herr Palin (shes doing great BTW-Too bad she couldnt have got elected and do her Hee Haw show on a international stage, but hey, you guys cant get everything you want..) Herr Beck. This is just the 1st collection of tolerant, rational, scientific minded, constitution loving, fact based folks we love. If only they ran things....REVOLT, REPUBS, REVOLT!!!!!
I actually couldn't tell if this movie thought it was a comedy o
by The Dawgfan
Apr 12th, 2009
09:23:11 PM
I know alot of folks liked Napoleon Dynamite, but I just didn't get it. This reminded me of that type of "humor". It came off like the writers and director believed alot of the stuff in the script would be either hilarious or touching, and it just fell flat for me. I didn't laugh when Seth Rogen was talking to his Mom, at the date scenes, at the necked fat guy running in slo-mo, nor when Seth Rogen shot same fat guy. It all looked like a huge miscalculation. I love to laugh, and I love black comedies. Dr. Stragnelove is one of my faves. I really dig Wes Anderson films. Now THOSE are clever, dark, humorous films. This was not. It made me want to go see Paul Blart again with my kid, to get some of this unpleasantness out of my head.
Seth Rogan 20 Audience 0
by lockesbrokenleg
Apr 12th, 2009
10:12:44 PM
comedy, dark comedy, whatever
by motivotion
Apr 12th, 2009
10:19:23 PM
Movie sucked, not to say it didn't have some redeeming qualities though.
fuck the haters...
by wash
Apr 13th, 2009
02:26:08 AM
that hate without even seen it. It's a pretty great movie that makes up for it's flaws with ballllls (no pun int....ok, maybe) and some great WTF gags. It's not as great as Eastbound and Down though.
Timahh And The Knight: Apatow Players Are Involved With...
by Media Messiah
Apr 13th, 2009
03:28:23 AM
...both films and that my point. Enough is enough of their throw together, no budget, and largely improvised films!!!
Amended--Timahh And The Knight: Apatow Players Are Involved With
by Media Messiah
Apr 13th, 2009
03:30:11 AM
...both films, and that is my point. Enough is enough of their thrown together, no budget, and largely improvised films!!!
The movie sucked-Move On
by Mr.LordBronco
Apr 13th, 2009
05:25:21 AM
I actually walked out-had a cigarette and missed the *good* parts. That all... Ana Faris Rules -MLB
I took the longest poop ever...
by mrfan
Apr 13th, 2009
09:21:17 AM
at a movie theater. Glad I did. I had a better time watching my turds go in a circle than seeing this movie.

Seriously. It wasn't that funny. Didn't know if I was suppose to laugh at certain scenes or just enjoy the atmosphere. The audience seemed to consist of crickets. That is all I heard the whole time.

Love it or hate it
by Yeah I Wrote That
Apr 13th, 2009
09:26:08 AM
This is one of those movies with little in-between. Yes, it is often a ridiculous and improbable cartoon of a movie. But if it wasn't, it'd be the most miserable movie of the year. Jody Hill really does represent a new brand of comedy, one that's not afraid to exaggerate the silly or the ugly beyond levels of comfort. I think that is where people get turned off. You've got the audience members looking for the big goofy laughs, and audience members looking for the disturbing, fucked-up laughs...but the combination of the two is an acquired taste. It's a taste I will admit is sometimes more sour than sweet. I couldn't blame someone for hating this movie any more than I can blame someone for hating the taste of vodka. In either case, you're missing out on some good times, and some bad times. I'm going to guess that there's a very different ending on the DVD for this movie.
Trade vodka for whiskey
by Yeah I Wrote That
Apr 13th, 2009
09:31:15 AM
in that last post. For improved metaphorical cohesion. Thanks.
First time Rogen didn't play Rogen
by Behemoth
Apr 13th, 2009
10:27:42 AM
As someone who really enjoyed this tub in Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, I have to admit to getting equally tired of his schtick in every freakin' movie he was in.

This was a great step for him. He showed some chops. He was likable and pitiable at the same time. He showed some believable ranges of emotion. He was also scary at times, especially when he went off his meds.

I enjoyed this movie. Loved the original ideas. The whole "party" sequence with his friend Dennis? Demented, disturbing, unexpected and strangely funny. And the final showdown between the Rogen and the flasher? Loved how that ended up. Again, totally unexpected.

I wouldn't call this great, but it was something worth paying attention to for 90 minutes. I respect it. And I know mainstream America will RUN from this thing.

Movie was great
by JBouganim1
Apr 13th, 2009
11:33:11 AM
End of story
I love you Harry!!
by Fart_Master_Flex
Apr 13th, 2009
01:10:13 PM
Our love is a forbidden one.
Movie wasn't bad
by Tell_Your_Mom_I_Said_Hi
Apr 13th, 2009
01:32:39 PM
A little light on the gut-tearing laughs (which I thought the movie would be) but I was smiling/smirking the whole time. So it wasn't a bad experience, just a little "off" from what I thought it was going to be.
A Turd wrapped in a tortilla......
by DrMorbius
Apr 13th, 2009
01:33:41 PM
....doesn't make it a burrito! Glad I didn't pay to see this piece of shit! Mall Cop had more heart than this defacatorial waste of film! Sorry Anna but you sucked hard in this one! Seth, take the money and run! I was just about to laugh at the "Fuck you....no, fuck you" scene but then they cut it short, 5 or 6 more exchanges would have been perfect!!!!!! Plus the interminable scene at the end was just getting funny when it all but too abruptly stopped!!! There goes the Oscar nomination out the window!!! Why Harry liked this crapfest? Probably when visiting the set he got to be Seth Rogans personal FLUFFER!!!!!
Just what I thought
by Hasselhoffflying
Apr 13th, 2009
01:53:19 PM
THIS MOVIE IS DONKEY BALLS
Can we sttop hyping Seth Rogan now?
by lockesbrokenleg
Apr 13th, 2009
03:12:44 PM
He's just shitty.
Harry also thought Twilight was good
by spiceybiscuit
Apr 13th, 2009
06:29:47 PM
and that was the biggest piece of spoon fed warm douckie that was served up for a movie in a while. possibly the worst directed movie ever????
This movie was the only bright spot in a dark weekend
by My_name_is_Ken
Apr 13th, 2009
07:31:50 PM
I loved it, and can't wait for the unrated DVD. Not perfect, but a solid B+
WOW! A soild B Plus? OUTSTANDING!!
by lockesbrokenleg
Apr 13th, 2009
07:47:12 PM
Let's face it...
by Jimbo08lak
Apr 13th, 2009
08:26:26 PM
Harry is a guy that feigns big-shotty-ness, but we all know he is just a fat little boy with a hard on. Fuck Herc.
well in that case media messiah,
by Timahh
Apr 13th, 2009
10:16:30 PM
i blame Scorsese for the abomination that was Meet the Fockers.
This was the big budget Foot The Fist Way
by kikuchiyoboy
Apr 13th, 2009
11:23:35 PM
Heh.

This movie was fucking hilarious. The party scene and the finale are genius.
Pitch for Rogen's next film - 3 Snipers and a Baby
by JoeSixPack
Apr 14th, 2009
12:58:07 AM
Premise - 3 Navy Seal snipers have just killed three Somali pirates and save an American captain. During the rescue they find a small pirate baby in the lifeboat, and quit the SEALS to raise the baby in Trenton, New Jersey.
NYT Box Office Report...Tickets up...Bad for Rogen
by Grinning White Skull
Apr 14th, 2009
04:38:18 AM
Overall, ticket sales for 2009 are up 17 percent compared with last year, according to Media by Numbers, a box-office tracking service; attendance is up 15 percent. It was a disappointing weekend for Seth Rogen. His “Observe and Report” opened in fourth place with an estimated $11.1 million. The movie, written and directed by Jody Hill, may have suffered from poor word of mouth. Reviews were sharply mixed, with some critics arguing that the picture, from Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures, made light of date rape. It probably didn’t help that “Observe and Report” is the second comedy about a mall cop to arrive in theaters in the last three months.
Mike Nichols...Two Week Retro...MOMA
by Grinning White Skull
Apr 14th, 2009
04:53:07 AM
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04 /12/movies/12mcgr.html?hpw...A pril 12, 2009 FILM...(Gee, at the rate he's going I can't wait to see that Jody Hill retrospective at MOMA for setting that "new bar for comedy".) ...Mike Nichols, Master of Invisibility ...By CHARLES McGRATH ...MIKE NICHOLS, the subject of a two-week retrospective starting Tuesday at the Museum of Modern Art, is not an obvious choice for a place as artsy and highbrow as the MoMA film department. MoMA retrospectives tend to be awarded to brooding European auteurs — Bernardo Bertolucci and Milos Forman were the last two — and not to commercial Hollywood directors who include on their résumé pop hits like “Working Girl,” “The Birdcage” and, just recently, “Charlie Wilson’s War.” ...Except for a puzzling string of duds in the mid-’70s, almost all of Mr. Nichols’s movies have made money, and a few, like “The Graduate” and “Carnal Knowledge,” have been recognized as cultural landmarks. But because of their commercial shimmer, their way of eliciting exceptional performances by top-of-the-line stars, it’s sometimes hard to say what makes a Nichols movie a Nichols movie. They seem like vehicles for actors, not the director, whose stamp is in leaving almost no trace of himself. ...“If you want to be a legend, God help you, it’s so easy,” Mr. Nichols said the other day over coffee in his Times Square office. “You just do one thing. You can be the master of suspense, say. But if you want to be as invisible as is practical, then it’s fun to do a lot of different things.” ...If his movies have a common denominator, it’s probably their intelligence and, though Mr. Nichols doesn’t think of himself as a writer, their writerly attention to detail. They’re almost invariably based on good scripts, from which he extracts extra layers of nuance. The organizer of the retrospective, Rajendra Roy, the chief curator of film at MoMA, said: “Here is a guy who is in some ways quintessentially Hollywood, and yet you can see in his movies a consistent through-line. He’s an example of how popular cinema can be vision based.” ...Nora Ephron, who wrote the script for Mr. Nichols’s movie “Heartburn” and co-wrote his film “Silkwood,” said recently: “It’s supposed to be a given that Mike doesn’t have the visual style of, say, a Scorsese. But that isn’t fair. Mike doesn’t use the camera in a flamboyant way, but he has a style just the way a writer who’s crystal clear has a style. He has an almost invisible fluidity.” ...She added: “One of the main things about Mike’s movies is that, with a few exceptions, they’re all really smart movies about smart people. They’re about something. And he’s funny. You’re certainly not going to lose a joke. And if there’s one hidden, he’ll find it.” ...Mr. Nichols is now 77 but hardly slowing down. Among the possible projects on his plate are movies based on scripts by David Mamet and Tony Kushner and a theatrical revival of a Harold Pinter play. He is beginning to think about simplifying and de-accessioning, though. ...He’s unloading his horses, for example. He used to own 150 but is now down to 6, and they’re “on the way out,” he promised. He also doesn’t listen much anymore to his classical record collection. ...“As a young man I got to a bad stage where I knew every recording of every piece,” he said. “But I spoiled it. I was a pseudo-expert without any real knowledge.” ...“Until about a week ago I thought ‘Vesti la giubba’ meant ‘clothe the Jew,’ ” he added, referring to the famous aria in which Pagliacci sings about putting on his clown costume. “So I came to love silence, because it’s so rare, and it’s now my favorite aural condition.” ...Still boyish looking, Mr. Nichols retains an impish grin and the deadpan, quicksilver wit that for a while made him and Elaine May the most innovative comedians in the United States. Paragraphs spill out of him as if outlined: the three reasons for this, the four most important examples of that. And Mr. Nichols’s greatest improvisation is still himself. He wakes up every morning in his Fifth Avenue apartment, collects himself and, wearing a wig and paste-on eyebrows, plays a character called Mike Nichols. ...He was born Michael Igor Peschkowsky, the son of a White Russian doctor who emigrated to Berlin after the Russian revolution, and he arrived in New York in 1939, at the age of 7, permanently hairless (a reaction to whooping cough vaccine) and with almost no English. All he could say was: “I do not speak English” and “Please, do not kiss me.” He enrolled at the Dalton School, where an early classmate was Buck Henry, and set about cultivating what he calls his “immigrant’s ear.” ...“Semiconsciously I was thinking all the time: ‘How do they do it? Let me listen,’ ” he recalled, and added: “I’ll tell you the most extreme example of immigrant’s ear in all of Western civilization. My grandfather, Gustav Landauer, was quite a well-known writer in Germany. He was also very political, and he was part of the two-week provisional Weimar government after the kaiser fell. When the government fell, he was taken to the police station and beaten to death. His best friend, who was also in the government, escaped, made his way to Sante Fe, changed his name to B. Traven and wrote ‘The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.’ That’s the ur-immigrant story.” ...Mr. Nichols’s story is scarcely less dramatic. His father died when he was 12, plunging the family into genteel poverty. Lonely and self-conscious about his looks, he found solace in the movies and theater, thanks in part to the generosity of Sol Hurok, who had been one of his father’s patients. ...He attended the University of Chicago, floundered a bit, and then was heaped with undreamed-of success, first with Ms. May, whom he met in college (along with Susan Sontag and Ed Asner) and next as a theater director. His string of Broadway hits (including “The Odd Couple” and “Spamalot”) may be even more remarkable than his movie record, and Mr. Nichols is one of very few in the performing arts to score the grand slam of major American entertainment awards: he has a Grammy, an Oscar, four Emmys and eight Tonys. He is a shrewd dealmaker, and he has been rewarded like a foundling prince, so that along the way there were countless girlfriends, multiple wives (Diane Sawyer, to whom he has been married since 1988, is his fourth), paintings, cars, a stable. ...The only thing he doesn’t have enough of anymore is time. He used to love to develop a play out of town, then close it down and put it aside for a few months. “Everything gets simpler on the shelf,” he said. He also recalled, with amazement, how long he was allowed to work on “The Graduate,” which he directed when he was in his mid-30s. ...“We prepared that film for about a year,” he said. “They gave us a little bit of money — about three million bucks — and we rented some space out at Paramount and went to our bungalows every day. I remember one day the art director came and said that when Mrs. Robinson got undressed maybe we should see the marks from the straps of her bathing suit. That was a day’s work — time just spent soaking yourself in a subject.” ...He and Buck Henry, the screenwriter, spent three or four weeks working just on the famous montage sequence in “The Graduate,” he said, and he added: “It’s painful and hard to remember now how long and how carefully we worked. I really do think it’s important to sit with a text for as long as you can afford to, reading and talking and doing what I call ‘naming things,’ which is just explaining what happens in every scene. Now you have to do it all in your head, and you have to do it pretty damn fast, because nobody’s going to pay you to do prep. You’re going to have to do it on your own time. It can be done, of course, but it’s just much harder — unless you’re Buñuel, and I think about him pretty much every day. You have to look for a way to free yourself, and he had the best conceivable way: he just jumped to the surreal.” ...Ms. Ephron compared Mr. Nichols’s way of preparing to psychoanalysis. “You sit there for days and days,” she said, “and he keeps asking questions. What is this scene in the movie about? What does it remind you of? You free associate. And eventually you figure it out.” ...Mr. Nichols is a great believer in the single big idea, the controlling metaphor or idea that defines a picture — the notion that Benjamin in “The Graduate,” for example, is on a conveyor belt, just like his suitcase. But he is also like a psychoanalyst in that he trusts a lot in the unconscious. The point of all the preparation, he said, is to get to the point where you’re surprised. And, he added, “You want to keep doing it until you get to the thing nobody could have planned.” ...The famous ending of “The Graduate,” for example, came about because as it came time to film the scene where Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross get on the bus, Mr. Nichols found himself growing unaccountably irritable. “I told Dustin and Katharine, ‘Look, we’ve got traffic blocked for 20 blocks, we’ve got a police escort, we can’t do this over and over. Get on the bus and laugh, God damn it.’ I remember thinking, What the hell is wrong with me? I’ve gone nuts. The next day I looked at what we’d shot and went, ‘Oh my God, here’s the end of the movie: they’re terrified.’ My unconscious did that. I learned it as it happened.” ...During the filming of “Angels in America” for HBO, he recalled, he was amazed by Meryl Streep. “I said to her, ‘How did you ever think of making Ethel Rosenberg funny?’ And she said, ‘Oh, you never know what you’re going to do until you do it.’ That’s it. That sentence says it all, and it’s what happens when you’re in the very highest realms of this stuff. The director can’t make it happen. It’s about all being in the same place and being moved by the way each of your imaginations kindles everyone else.” ...Ms. Streep said: “What makes Mike so great is one of the hardest things for people temperamentally drawn to directing. People who direct tend to want to be in control, and Mike’s gift is knowing when to take his hands off and just let it happen. A lot of directors are still dealing with the text when you’re on the set. Mike has done all that beforehand, so when you get on the set you feel it’s a secure world where all the architecture is in place. You can jump as hard as you want and the floor won’t give way.” ...Mr. Nichols said he had to keep reminding himself how new his profession was. “Movie acting was invented less than 100 years ago — movie acting with sound,” he explained. “You know how Harold Bloom says that Shakespeare invented us? It’s a fascinating idea, and you can go quite far with it. You could say that it’s in talking movies that inner life begins to appear. You can see things happen to the faces of people that were neither planned nor rehearsed. This is what Garbo was such a master of: actual thoughts that had not occurred before that particular take. And you can see this taking tremendous leaps with Brando and Clift and then with Streep.” ...He added: “The greatest thrill is that moment when a thousand people are sitting in the dark, looking at the same scene, and they are all apprehending something that has not been spoken. That’s the thrill of it, the miracle — that’s what holds us to movies forever. It’s what we wish we could do in real life. We all see something and understand it together, and nobody has to say a word. There’s a good reason that the very best sound an audience can make — in both the theater and the movies — is no sound at all, just absolute silence.”
O&R was great!
by ecm
Apr 14th, 2009
10:24:15 AM
All of you f*ckers who say that it was sh*t can go f*ck yourselves. The movie was great! Funny! Even though it got nothing but sh*t reviews I went to see it in Saturday and me along withe rest of the audience enjoyed the sh*t out of it! It has a twisted sense of humor about it. Those who didn't like it apparently have a terrible taste in movies. I'm on your side, Harry.
Not enough laugh out loud moments
by Miss Red
Apr 14th, 2009
02:19:57 PM
I love Seth Rogan, but this time he just forgot to bring the funny.
Foot Fist Way
by celebritydave
Apr 14th, 2009
07:41:26 PM
someone liked that movie? what a pile of fucking shit. the only funny bit was the big guy beating up the lady in the dojo.. the rest was garbage.
Mall Cop
by celebritydave
Apr 14th, 2009
07:42:21 PM
fuck me! someone liked THAT film? it was a goddam chick flick! sure, it had a movie poster that made it look like it would be hilarious.. but it was a turd. i dont care how much money it made. im just glad i downloaded it.
Loved it
by KevinMuller
Apr 14th, 2009
09:52:55 PM
Just didn't care for Pena's Dennis. His character was too over the top for the movie. Nell, the coffee was not only cute, but added a sense of sweetness the movie needed to level it out. Not for everyone, but God damn it was twisted and fun for me.
Loved it.....
by Cysquatch
Apr 15th, 2009
08:16:51 AM
Jody Hill is batting 1000 with me. Killer soundtrack too.
I don't trust anyone that didn't laugh watching Foot The Fist Wa
by kikuchiyoboy
Apr 15th, 2009
08:34:50 AM
They are good for nothings like Julio.

"Woooooo!"
FUCKING LOVED IT
by robertplant
Apr 15th, 2009
05:42:29 PM
Absolutely PERFECT film. PER FECT.
this movie is the real deal
by frankiemaloneybaloney
Apr 15th, 2009
06:21:15 PM
living in austin texas and working a job that is very similar to being a mall cop and that people at work always tell me i remind them of seth rogen made seeing this film a very surreal experience. if you like slap shot the rocky movies and the dark knight then this movie is the shit. it also helps to be a drunken pothead with a college degree who had to get a shitty college job just because he was a drunken pothead in college
my friend's band plays in this movie
by johnnylawless2
Apr 15th, 2009
08:33:17 PM
mclusky - lightsabre cocksucking blues. Just saw the movie, still a bit spun out by that!
Aint It Cool... giving you news the studio doesn't want you to k
by ChuckImania
Apr 16th, 2009
05:52:27 AM
Yeah, and a non rendered Mighty Joe Young. Give me a fucking break; whoever goes to this website for an "insiders" take on the film industry is delusional. With that said Observe and Report was fucking hilarious, the aintitcool exclusive had nothing to do with this... Personally I give Jody Hill and his crew the bragging rights... but that's just me.
Wow...
by ChuckImania
Apr 16th, 2009
05:53:48 AM
I guess I should have known my title would have gotten cut off... sort of killed the joke... ah well fuck it.
Harry Knowles is on a payroll in Hollywood
by danger_havok
Apr 16th, 2009
02:15:14 PM
This felt like one the Scary Movie sequels. Accept that the world is littered with garbage.
Just saw it...
by kjmad25
Apr 17th, 2009
07:37:16 PM
Awesome movie. Seth Rogen's best role.
Died At The Box Office...
by Grinning White Skull
Apr 19th, 2009
11:43:14 PM
...With a record batting a thousand in theaters...
double negative?
by Nizzuts
Apr 22nd, 2009
02:22:13 PM
"His mother is someone that never isn't on her way to simple oblivion via a bottle of booze..." Does anybody proof read this shit?
I was ready to like this... then I saw the name Seth Rogen
by Maniaq
Apr 26th, 2009
07:47:21 AM
pretty sure I've already seen this pony's one trick...

...but maybe there's still hope...

then I saw the name Ray Liotta - I stopped reading

Harry's quote of the week:
by thegreatwhatzit
May 27th, 2009
12:18:58 PM
Tough choice but this one is a contender: "She's as smart as a box of Kleenex and every bit as nice to rub on."
Whaaa??
by Orcus
May 28th, 2009
10:44:19 AM
Click for previous story Talk Back More on this story Click for next story

User login

Quick Talkback

Please login to post talkback.