by Nat Almirall, Feb 1 2012 // 3:00 PM
Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim work best in sketches. If you’re reading this, I suspect you’re a fan of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. If not, it’s a sketch show that’s best bits mock public-access television, from the strange and self-aggrandizing programs to those car commercials from the local dealer who insists on inserting himself into nearly every frame, regardless of appearance or vocal stylings.
All this is done with hyper editing, bizarre imagery, and hopelessly cheesy special effects. The trailer gives a pretty good idea.
Either way, it’s very creative but can’t last beyond a minute or so. And that’s the biggest failing of Tim and Eric’s Billion-Dollar Movie – the sketches are great, the main storyline is horrible.
I was in utter stitches at the opening commercial with Chef Goldblum (Jeff Goldblum, and the movie gets at least a star for capturing the only non-bad-ass image of Goldblum) and loved the actual billion-dollar movie itself, but then the lights go up and it all goes downhill.
Imagine if the sublime Jackass films actually forced the gang into an actual plot—and how traumatic an experience that would be.
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Posted in: Comedy · Editorial and Opinion · Movies · Reviews
Tagged: Adam McKay, David Liebe Hart, Eric Wareheim, Erica Durance, Funny or Die, Great Job!, Jeff Goldblum, John C. Reilly, Magnet Releasing, Ray Wise, Robert Loggia, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Tim and Eric's Billion-Dollar Movie, Tim Heidecker, Twink Caplan, Will Ferrell, Will Forte, William Atherton, Zach Galifianakis
by Matt Raub, Dec 19 2011 // 10:30 AM
We feel bad for the people in charge of Will Ferrell’s next career moves. Between random commercials for the town of Davenport, Iowa, or his newest film, which is done entirely in Spanish, we can’t seem to pinpoint where the comedian is coming or going these days.
His upcoming film, the aforementioned Casa de mi Padre, stars Ferrell as a gun-slinging Mexican hero, who needs to save the day, while speaking poor Spanish and looking good. Here’s the synopsis.
Armando Alvarez (Ferrell) has lived and worked on his father’s ranch in Mexico his entire life. As the ranch faces financial strains, Armando’s younger brother Raul (Diego Luna) shows up with his new fiancee, Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez) and pledges to settle all his father’s debts. It seems that Raul’s success as an international businessman means the ranch’s troubles are over, but when Armando falls for Sonia, and Raul’s business dealings turn out to be less than legit, the Alvarez family finds themselves in a full-out war with Mexico’s most feared drug lord, the mighty Onza.
Starring alongside Ferrell are a collection of famous Spanish-speaking actors, who are probably best known outside these states. Take a look at the head-scratching new teaser after the jump and bring your laughing bone to the flick on March 16th.
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Posted in: Comedy · Drama · Foreign Films · Movies · News · Trailers · Video
Tagged: Casa de mi Padre, Diego Luna, Dirty Sanchez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Genesis Rodriguez, Will Ferrell
by Matt Raub, May 27 2011 // 11:00 AM
While The Hangover Part II is projected to pull in $80 million this weekend, that hasn’t slowed down Zach Galifiniakis in his goal to produce on of the best (and cheapest) internet talk show out there.
On his show, which has been running for over a year now, he’s had guests like Natalie Portman, Jon Hamm, Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O’Brien, and Michael Cera all join in the awkward hilarity, and now he’s trying to top himself with his newest guest, Will Ferrell.
Straight from the set of The Office as Steve Carell’s temporary replacement, Ferrell stops by Two Ferns to compliment the atmosphere, show some new clips of monkeys, and feed the host fruit from his own mouth. There’s even a surprise appearance by a former guest.
Check out the episode after the jump, and see Galifiniakis in his Bangkok antics this weekend in The Hangover Part II.
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Posted in: Comedy · News · TV · Video · Web
Tagged: Between Two Ferns, Conan O'Brien, Funny or Die, Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Hamm, Natalie Portman, Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis
by Sebastian Suchecki, May 19 2011 // 8:00 AM
Fans of last year’s hit buddy-cop comedy The Other Guys will be delighted by news that the hilarious on-screen team of Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg will be re-teaming with Adam McKay for the upcoming film Turkey Bowl.
Here’s the official synopsis from Deadline.
Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg [will star] as guys from football-obsessed towns who lead rival teams in an annual tackle football game for bragging and trash-talking rights. The tackle games are grandiose, and I’m told they plan to pack it with fun cameos, just the way they did during the rival broadcaster gang fights in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
Alec Baldwin is already aboard as Wahlberg’s father. Sold as a pitch, the project will be written by 30 Rock’s Robert Carlock, and Scott Silveri, with the story by Owen Burke of Gary Sanchez Productions. Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy will produce through their Sanchez banner and Wahlberg through his Closest to the Hole banner.
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Posted in: Action · Announcements · Comedy · Movies · News
Tagged: Adam McKay, Anchorman, Mark Wahlberg, Owen Burke, Scott Silveri, The Other Guys, Turkey Bowl, Will Ferrell
by Nat Almirall, May 6 2011 // 12:30 PM

Inner Circle should be best remembered for giving unto the world “Bad Boys,” the song that has, for some 20 years, opened COPS. My father so loved that song that he actually bought a tape of Inner Circle’s greatest hits, doubtless the only reggae music he has or ever will purchase, and I remember taking long trips through the east side of Saginaw (the most violent portion of the most violent city in America) listening to him sing along—even the incomprehensible lyrics (“You ‘chock’ it on this one, you ‘chock’ it on that one, you ‘chock’ it on your mother and you ‘chock’ it on your father”).
Years later, to me at least, “inner circle” meant the part in TIE Fighter when Thrawn is promoted to Grand Admiral (Battle Ten). I don’t think I ever made it to that part, but there was a cheat that allowed you to see all the killer cutscenes. Damn fine game.
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Posted in: Comedy · NBC · Reviews · TV · TV Recaps
Tagged: Comedy, Inner Circle, NBC, Rainn Wilson, television, The Office, Will Ferrell
by Nat Almirall, Apr 29 2011 // 12:15 PM

Goodbye, Michael!
I’m not sure which one we all knew was coming: Michael Scott leaving, Steve Carell leaving, or The Office pretty much getting cancelled now that they’re gone. Maybe my emotions gauge isn’t properly calibrated, but I wasn’t tearing up during this one; of course we’ve all known about Michael/Steve’s departure since before the Eisenhower administration, so it’s no big reveal, and many other writers have given him a far more lugubrious analysis than I.
I’ve lost a good deal of interest in the show over the years and gotten progressively more annoyed with Michael’s character, but I still maintain an appreciation for all the good things the US Office and Steve Carell have accomplished over the last six years—they did, after all, take a British favorite and put their own distinct spin on it, creating a show that will go down as one of the ‘00s best.
And, to it’s credit, “Goodbye, Michael” doesn’t dwell on the loss and is actually pretty damn funny. One of its many smart moves is to play down Imbecile Michael and play up Caring Michael, who’s leaving the office on a good note by dispensing gifts and compliments, including his neon St. Pauli’s beer sign to Ryan, a velvet pool table to Stanley, the ten best accounts to Andy, and not telling everyone about Phyllis’s long-lost child.
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Posted in: Comedy · NBC · TV · TV Recaps
Tagged: Comedy, Goodbye Michael, NBC, Rainn Wilson, Steve Carell, television, The Office, Will Ferrell
by Nat Almirall, Apr 15 2011 // 1:30 PM

This may be a tough one to summarize because it’s not so much a plot-oriented installment, but more a series of skits featuring Will Ferrell interacting with everyone else around the office—Andy, Jim & Pam, Erin, Kevin, and, naturally Michael. That’s pretty much the recap right there.
But that won’t suffice, so here’s some more details: Ferrell, whose guest appearance for a few episodes has been in The Office news for what seems like the past three seasons, plays Deangelo Vickers (which sounds like a name Ferrell chose for himself), the guy brought in to replace Michael. After a surprisingly long cold open in which he ingratiates himself to Michael, Deangelo hits it off with the rest of the office, talking kids with Jim & Pam, immediately spotting/assigning the role of office clown to Andy, and earning the respect and admiration of the rest of the gang (especially Kelly, who orchestrates her own “meet cute” to nab his attention).
For those of you who’ve seen the original BBC Office, this is the long-awaited arrival of the “Neil” character, someone I never thought they’d get to—particularly seven seasons in. And, like Neil, Deangelo is great with first impressions but turns out to be a shallow, humorless jerk.
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Posted in: NBC · TV · TV Recaps
Tagged: Comedy, NBC, Steve Carell, television, The Office, Training Day, Will Ferrell
by Matt Raub, Apr 15 2011 // 9:30 AM
If you thought you could get inside of the mind of comedian Will Ferrell and try to anticipate what his next career move would be, you’d were way off.
From high-budget comedies like Anchorman and Step Brothers to a multi-episode run on NBC’s The Office, to running and starring a website dedicated to indie comedy shorts, and now to a comedy done completely in Spanish. That’s where Casa de mi Padre comes in. Here’s the official synopsis.
Armando Alvarez (Will Ferrell) has lived and worked on his father’s ranch in Mexico his entire life. As the ranch encounters financial difficulties, Armando’s younger brother Raul (Diego Luna), shows up with his new fiancé, Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez). It seems that Raul’s success as an international businessman means the ranch’s troubles are over as he pledges to settle all debts his father has incurred. But when Armando falls for Sonia, and Raul’s business dealings turn out to be less than legit, all hell breaks loose as they find themselves in a war with Mexico’s most feared drug lord, the mighty Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal).
The flick comes from Funny or Die regulars Andrew Steele and Matt Piedmont, and from what we can tell from the trailer after the jump, it will be very tongue-in-cheek. Take a look for yourselves and let us know what you think.
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Posted in: Action · Comedy · Cult Cinema · Foreign Films · Movies · News · Trailers · Video
Tagged: Anchorman, Comedy, Diego Luna, Español, Funny or Die, Gael Garcia Bernal, Genesis Rodriguez, Spanish, Step Brothers, The Office, Will Ferrell
by Matt Raub, Apr 8 2011 // 7:00 AM
What do Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Elijah Wood, Jack Black, John C. Reilly, Will Arnett, Susan Sarandon, Rainn Wilson, Seth Rogan, Ted Dansen, Stanley Tucci, and a whole bunch of other named celebrities have in common?
They’re all in a brand new semi-biographical, semi-science fictional short film by The Beastie Boys, about The Beastie Boys, titled Fight For Your Right-Revisited.
The film is done in conjunction with the trio’s highly anticipated eighth album, “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two”, and has got Ferrell, McBride, Black, Reilly, Rogan, and Wood playing both the Beastie Boys from the past and the Beastie Boys from the future.
Expect zany, wacky, convoluted awesomeness when the 30-minute film hits DVD (as well as the the web) when Hot Sauce Committee Part Two hits music stores on May 3. In the meantime, check out the star-studded trailer after the jump.
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Posted in: Casting · Comedy · Music · News · Trailers · TV · Video · Viral Marketing · Web
Tagged: Ad-Rock, Adam Scott, Alicia Silverstone, Amy Poehler, Beastie Boys, Chloë Sevigny, Danny McBride, David Cross, Elijah Wood, Hot Sauce Commitee Part Two, Jack Black, Jason Schwartzman, John C. Reilly, Kirsten Dunst, Martin Starr, Mike Mills, Orlando Bloom, Rainn Wilson, Rashida Jones, Seth Rogen, Stanley Tucci, Steve Buscemi, Susan Sarandon, Ted Danson, Will Arnett, Will Ferrell
by Matt Raub, Apr 6 2011 // 12:00 PM
Will Ferrell not big enough for all of you fans of NBC’s The Office? How about an hour-long season finale featuring Ferrell, Ricky Gervais, Will Arnett, Ray Romano, Doctor Who’s Catherine Tate and James Spader?
NBC has recently announced that the trio of Spader, Tate, and Romano will be making appearances in the upcoming season finale of The Office, in which we get the last episode with Steve Carell’s Michael Scott.
Carell’s character may be quitting the paper business to live the married life, but his real life counterpart will be taking on a new NBC comedy in which he tells the story of a younger him delivering mail for a living after college.
The question still remains: Who will replace Michael Scott as the new boss of the Scranton branch?
With this huge slew of cameo stars for the finale, you can see NBC is stirring the pot by making you think it could be any one of those candidates.
Sadly, you’ll just have to wait for the full season finale on May 19th to see for yourselves. Until then, who would you like to see replace Steve Carrell’s Michael Scott on the show?
Sound off in the comments!
Posted in: Announcements · BBC · Casting · Comedy · Netflix · Networks · News · TV
Tagged: Catherine Tate, Doctor Who, Men of Uncertain Age, Michael Scott, NBC, Ray Romano, Ricky Gervais, Steve Carell, The Office, Will Arnett, Will Ferrell
by The Flickcast, Apr 1 2011 // 3:00 PM
Welcome to another edition of On the Radar where we delve into all corners of the entertainment, tech and geek Internets for news, views and whatnot that may have escaped our regular coverage during the week. Let is know if we missed something interesting.
Let’s get started!
• Just when you thought women were finally being portrayed equal to men in films, a supercut that shows just the opposite comes along.
• Will Ferrell’s new dramatic comedy Everything Must Go gets a trailer. We’re still trying to figure out what’s so funny about it.
• Amber Heard recently posted a picture of her on set of the new series The Playboy Club. That sound? That’s the sound of a million teenage boys’ heads exploding.
• Monsters Inc. is officially getting a prequel, titled Monsters Universtiy. Pixar has even hired a director.
• Timur Bekmambetov is working on a brand new spec zombie film about a little girl that slowly becomes a member of the living dead after over 6 months. We’re rooting for Rebecca Black to play the lead.
• Kevin Smith is auctioning off a bunch of his old props from several films in order to fun his newest film, Red State. Who’s got dibs on Shannon Elizabeth’s career?
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Posted in: Action · Comedy · News · On The Radar
Tagged: amber heard, Everything Must Go, Hobo With a Shotgun, Kevin Smith, Maggie, Monsters Inc., Monsters University, Red State, Shannon Elizabeth, The Playboy Club, Timur Bekmambetov, Will Ferrell
by Matt Raub, Mar 18 2011 // 1:00 PM
Who says good news doesn’t come at the end of the week? On the heels of their Q&A at PaleyFest this week, NBC’s newest hit show, Community, has been given more life as the network has renewed the show for another season. Also to get another season are Parks and Recreation and the new Steve Carell-less Office.
It seems that though the shows weren’t performing up to expectations, they managed to get a stay of execution. THR spells it out with math. We hate math.
Veteran comedy The Office is delivering a 4.0 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic and averaging 7.7 million viewers for its current seventh season. Steve Carell‘s farewell episode is scheduled to air at the end of April, with Will Ferrell coming on for a multi-episode guest arc.
In the ratings, Amy Poehler‘s Parks and Rec, currently in its third season, is averaging a 2.8 in the key demo and 5.5 million viewers. With its move to the 9:30 p.m. time slot, the series is up 17 percent in the 18-49 demo (2.8 vs. 2.4) and up 9 percent in total viewers (5.5 million vs. 5.1 million).
Critical favorite Community, which has anchored the competitive 8 p.m. time slot on Thursdays for NBC and is led by The Soup host Joel McHale, has averaged a 2.1 in the 18-49 demo and 4.7 million viewers so far in its sophomore season.
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Posted in: Announcements · Comedy · NBC · Networks · News · TV · TV Ratings
Tagged: 30 Rock, Amy Pohler, Chevy Chase, Community, Joel McHale, NBC, Outsourced, Parks & Rec, Parks and Recreation, Perfect Couples, Steve Carell, The Office, Will Ferrell