Professor Stephen Hawking provides the voice-over in the first teaser trailer for Paramount Pictures’ ZOOLANDER 2.
Hilarious – we can’t wait for this one!! Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson star in the sequel.
ZOOLANDER 2 is in theaters February 12, 2016.
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“Did you ever think that maybe there’s more to life than being really, really, really ridiculously good looking?” – Derek Zoolander
Billy Zane is back in ZOOLANDER 2. Zane had a cameo as himself in the 2001 comedy.
Last week Stiller announced the addition of Penelope Cruz to the cast.
Check out Ben Stiller’s Instagram for a special video as well as other cast members.
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Appearing as male models Derek Zoolander and Hansel, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson announced the sequel when they walked the runway at the Valentino Women’s Collection Fall/Winter 2015-16 Fashion Show during Paris Fashion Week in March.
ZOOLANDER 2 will open in theaters nationwide on FEBRUARY 12, 2016.
Follow Ben Stiller on Twitter, and Facebook for more Zoolander.
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(Photos by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images For Paramount Pictures)
WHILE WE’RE YOUNG is the latest film from writer/director Noah Baumbach (THE SQUID AND THE WHALE, GREENBERG, FRANCES HA). Like his previous work, it is a sharply written mix of comic moments and relatable themes – a Gen Xers vs Hipsters comedy that touches on career crisis, missed opportunities, the challenges of marriage, and the middle-age soul-searching that seems to coincide with the onset of back trouble and arthritis. It’s an excellent, smart comedy and is highly recommended.
Ben Stiller stars in WHILE WE’RE YOUNG as Josh Srebnick, a 44-year old filmmaker who’s been toiling away for a decade on his documentary, one structured around Ira Mandelstam (Peter Yarrow), an elderly intellectual. It’s a follow-up to Josh’s first film, a critical success many years earlier. Expected funding has not materialized, he’s unable to pay his patient editor (Matthew Maher), and he is loath to ask his father -in-law, legendary documentary filmmaker Leslie Breitbart (Charles Grodin) about to be honored by Lincoln Center, for help. Josh’s wife Cornelia (Naomi Watts) is a producer for her father’s films. The couple has tried for years to have a baby but suffered a string of miscarriages. Their best friends (Maria Dizia and Adam Horovitz) are caught up in the thrills of new parenthood, leaving Josh and Cornelia feeling unconnected with them and annoyed by their embrace of the “baby cult” and constant suggestions that having a baby is too important an experience miss. They’re stuck in a rut, but things brighten up one day when Josh meets aspiring filmmaker Jamie Massy (Adam Driver) and his wife Darby (Amanda Seyfried), who produces home-made organic ice cream. The 25-year-olds have sat in on Josh’s continuing education class on documentaries and Jamie gushes that Josh is his hero (he’d paid $60 for a VHS of his first film on eBay). This hip and exciting couple, young enough to be Josh and Cornelia’s kids, bring vigor and adventure into the lives of the two unsatisfied middle-agers who see the new friendship as a way to recapture their lost youth. Jamie and Darby have what Josh sees as a simplistic, more desirable lifestyle. They live for the moment, collect typewriters and vinyl LPs, watch THE HOWLING on VHS, and brag about voting for Romney. Jamie inspires Josh to buy a hat and to ride a bike, which sends him to the doctor with a hurt back while Darby introduces Cornelia to the art of hip-hop dancersize. In one of the film’s funniest sequences, the foursome attends a shaman’s ayahuasca ceremony where they ingest a purple brew that makes them hallucinate, make out, and puke. When Jamie asks Josh for help with his own documentary, he’s initially glad to help but it’s soon revealed that Jamie isn’t quiet the innocent admirer he appears to be.
While WHILE WE’RE YOUNG is at its best when it’s satirizing the differences between the two generations, Baumbach offers much more than just characterization. He tells a great story, one with twists and turns and unexpected conflict and I was surprised by the poignant and moving direction the film took toward the end. To bring his screenplay to life, Baumbach draws terrific performances from his entire cast. Watts, Driver, and Seyfried all provide wonderfully drawn characters, but the film belongs to Ben Stiller. Clearly written with the actor in mind, Josh is something of a stubborn, self-obsessed jerk, but one we always care about. Stiller inspires identification without ever evoking sympathy. One of the best scenes is when Josh meets with a wealthy hedge fund manager who wants to invest in docs. Watching Stiller flounder while failing to explain his film in simple and understandable terms is awkward and hilarious, adjectives that well- describe WHILE WE’RE YOUNG, one of the best films so far this year.
5 of 5 Stars
WHILE WE’RE YOUNG opens in St. Louis April 10th only at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Theater and The Hi-Pointe Theater
ZOOLANDER 2 is on it’s way to theaters!
The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me” played as male models Derek Zoolander and Hansel walked the runway at the Valentino Women’s Collection Fall/Winter 2015-16 Fashion Show during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday (March 10, 2015) in Paris, France.
Check out the hot video below.
Starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, ZOOLANDER 2 will open in theaters nationwide on FEBRUARY 12, 2016.
Follow Ben Stiller on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more Zoolander.
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(Photos by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images For Paramount Pictures)
Noah Baumbach’s latest feature, WHILE WE’RE YOUNG, follows the tale of a middle-aged filmmaker (Ben Stiller) and his wife (Naomi Watts) finding their stagnant lives reinvigorated by their friendship with a young couple (Amanda Seyfried and Adam Driver).
The film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and will open in theaters March 27, everywhere April 2015.
(Yahoo! Movies)
Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts are Josh and Cornelia Srebnick, happily married middle-aged members of New York’s creative class. They tried to start a family and were unable to — and have decided they’re okay with that. But as Josh labors over the umpteenth edit of his cerebral new film, it’s plain that he has hit a dry patch and that something is still missing.
Enter Jamie (Adam Driver) and Darby (Amanda Seyfried), a free-spirited young couple, who are spontaneous and untethered, ready to drop everything in pursuit of their next passion — retro board games one day, acquiring a pet chicken the next. For Josh, it’s as if a door has opened back to his youth — or a youth he wishes he once had. It’s not long before the restless forty-somethings, Josh and Cornelia, throw aside friends their own age — including Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz in a sly supporting role — to trail after these young hipsters who seem so plugged in, so uninhibited, so Brooklyn cool. “Before we met,” Josh admits to Jamie, “the only two feelings I had left were wistful and disdainful.” But is this new inspiration enough to sustain collaboration and friendship with a couple twenty years their junior?
WHILE WE’RE YOUNG is an openly funny cross-generational comedy of manners about aging, ambition and success, as well as a moving portrait of a marriage tested by the invading forces of youth. No film has better captured the weird, upended logic of urban sophisticates: the older ones embracing their iPads and Netflix, the young ones craving vinyl records and vintage VHS tapes.
Powered by Stiller and Driver’s note-perfect lead performances and loose, comic turns by Watts and Seyfried, WHILE WE’RE YOUNG is a complete pleasure to watch.
The film marks the second time Baumbach and cinematographer Sam Levy have collaborated. In 2012, Levy lensed Baumbach’s FRANCES HA in stylish black and white. Levy’s third collaboration with Baumbach, MISTRESS AMERICA, will be released later this year by Fox Searchlight after the film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.
Website: http://while-were-young.com/
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Photos courtesy of A24.
In opposition to TV’s “Schoolhouse Rock” classic tune, for movies three is not always the magic number. It’s true for most film franchises especially comedies (with NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION being the exceptional exception). Many moviegoers still get queasy thinking about last year’s THE HANGOVER PART III. Well, how about a more family friendly comedy series? In 2006 Ben Stiller decided to expand his fan base by starring in the surprise box-office smash, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, an all ages PG slapstick farce. Naturally he followed it up three years later with NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN, which did enough business to warrant another entry….five years later?! Really, it took that long for all the stars to align? Now these flicks are special effects heavy and during the post production two of its stars, well, made sure they weren’t available for a fourth installment. So will this deflate the high-spirited hi-jinks? We’ll see as we climb those long steps in order to enter another NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB.
The film opens with a flashback, way, waaaay back to the Egyptian desert in 1938 when an Indy Jones-like explorer and his young son (along with Matt Frewer dressed up like the kid brother of the scourge of “Toontown”, Judge Doom) discover that gold tablet that ends up bringing the museum pieces to life after hours. But one native warns them about “the end”. Zip forward to today as Larry Daley (Stiller) has traded in his security guard jacket for a tux. There’s a big fund-raising event at the museum and his old pals Dexter the monkey, bombastic Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), stoic Sacajawea (Mizou Peck), the really very sweet Attilla the Hun (Patrick Gallagher), Ahkmenrah (Rami Malek), and the tiny Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and Octavius (Steve Coogan) are getting ready to put on a show for the wealthy possible-donors. But back at the Egyptian display area, that old tablet is slowly being engulfed by a green rust. This causes all the “exhibits” to run amuck, even attacking the patrons. Larry’s boss, museum director Dr. McPhee (Ricky Gervais), demands to know what happened to the “special effects”. For answers. Larry tracks down the explorer’s son who turns out to be the villain from the first flick Cecil (Dick Van Dyke), who’s living at a seniors’ center with cohorts Gus (Mickey Rooney) and Reg (Bill Hobbs). It’s all really connected to the family of Ahkmenrah. When Larry asks the ancient ruler about fixing the tablet, he replies that only his father knows its secrets. But he’s at the British Museum of Natural History in London! So, it’s across the pond for Larry and his now teenage son Nick (Skyler Gisondo), who’s not keen on his dad’s plan for college, with a crate of “on loan” exhibits. After dealing with a zany night guard, Tilly (Rebel Wilson), Larry and Nick bring the place to life with the still barely functioning tablet. Ahkmenrah is re-united with his father,King Merenkahre (Ben Kingsley), who explains the repair “fix”. But before they can start, the tablet is grabbed by the newly reanimated Sir Lancelot (Dan Stevens), who believes it is the “holy grail”. Can Larry and his gang retrieve it before the magic is lost forever?
The cast attempts to bring some life to the proceedings, but for some of them it seems like the screaming and running down endless hallways has begun to wear thin. Stiller is stifled with the straight man role of Larry, who’s nice almost to point of dullness. This might be why the writers came up with a new character: a Neanderthal named Laa , which Dr, McPhee based on what appears to be his only employee. Stiller gets to do a bit of slapstick and treat us to a “gun show”, thanks to the sleeve-less fur skin, but it still doesn’t showcase his considerable comic gifts. Speaking of gifted comics, this is the last major studio feature appearance of Mr. Williams. And unfortunately he too, gives a lethargic performance, only giving us a taste of his manic spirit when the tablet malfunctions. He then jumps from Teddy, and does rapid soundbites of FDR, JFK, and…W?! The spark in his eyes have dimmed and the joy seems top have left. The same can’t be said for the other departed cast member. Rooney summons every bit of energy to harass Stiller in his brief cameo along with the ever-charming Mr.Van Dyke and Hobbs (wish we could’ve had a follow-up spin-off about this trio). Wilson and Coogan are really short (sorry!) changed as they become a tired “bro-mantic” duo constantly in need of rescue. Gervais is still able to wring a few laughs out of the prickly, uptight boss. A couple of the newcomers try to have some fun. Wilson generates a few chuckles, but seems restrained by the PG ratings and does a cleaned-up riff of her screen persona. Surprisingly Kingsley scores the biggest laugh thanks to a joke that connects to a big film that opened just last week. The best injection of energy may be from Stevens doing an inspired take on the standard swashbuckler. He’s having a blast and his zeal is infectious. How about a pirate parody for this talented new screen star, eh?
The direction from franchise veteran Shawn Levy doesn’t help the movie’s overall sluggish feel. For much of the screen time the story goes on autopilot doing encores from the other films. Instead of a dog-like T-Rex skeleton, there’s a Triceratops this time. And once again, Dex provides the gross-out bathroom humor. The monkey’s still quite cute even with the CGI tweaking, although the wee ones may be upset when it’s brandishing a fiery schisk-a-bob during the banquet chaos. There are a couple of inspired moments, though. A chase inside a moving MC Escher painting is visually pretty nifty. And there’s a great cameo from two stars poking fun at themselves which occurs when Lancelot thinks he’s made it to Camelot. But then it’s back to the running and chasing with a romantic subplot between Laa and Tilly that goes nowhere. And in the final moments we’re given a prologue that wants to be a happy ending, but is just melancholy (look at that final close-up of Larry). It fails to get past the loss of two great screen stars. They’re deserving of a much better send-off. And fans of this series deserve a much better finale than this retread.
2.5 Out of 5
A Night Guard, A Knight, and a Nightclubber are among the 7 brand new character posters featuring the hilarious ensemble cast for 20th Century Fox’s upcoming comedy-adventure, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB.
Starring Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Dan Stevens, Ben Kingsley, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, and Rebel Wilson, the movie opens in theaters on December 19.
Get ready for the wildest and most adventure-filled Night At the Museum ever as Larry (Ben Stiller) spans the globe, uniting favorite and new characters while embarking on an epic quest to save the magic before it is gone forever.
The third chapter in the series is helmed by returning director Shawn Levy.
Check out NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB –
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20th Century Fox has released a brand new trailer for their upcoming film, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB. Starring Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Dan Stevens, Ben Kingsley, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, and Rebel Wilson, the film is produced by returning director Shawn Levy.
Get ready for the wildest and most adventure-filled Night At the Museum ever as Larry (Ben Stiller) spans the globe, uniting favorite and new characters while embarking on an epic quest to save the magic before it is gone forever.
The first film in the franchise, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM was released on December 22, 2006 and was followed by the sequel NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN on May 22, 2009.
Hop on board this epic journey with the star-studded cast, when the third chapter in the series hits theaters everywhere on December 19, 2014.
Check out NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB –
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The first trailer for 20th Century Fox’s upcoming film, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB, has arrived.
Join this all-star cast on their wild adventure, when the film hits theaters everywhere on December 19.
A knight, a hun, an Egyptian god, Rebel Wilson and a monkey…what more could you ask for?
Get ready for the wildest and most adventure-filled NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM ever as Larry (Ben Stiller) spans the globe, uniting favorite and new characters while embarking on an epic quest to save the magic before it is gone forever.
From director Shawn Levy, the film also stars Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Dan Stevens, Rebel Wilson, and Ben Kingsley.
Look for NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB this Christmas.
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The last time busy Hollywood triple threat Ben Stiller (actor, writer, director) stepped behind the camera was way, waaaay back in 2008 for the Summer satirical comedy smash TROPIC THUNDER. So what work has inspired him to return to film making this winter? Why it’s a short story from James Thurber, himself something of a multiple threat (author, playwright, cartoonist) who passed away over fifty years ago. Now his work did make to the big and small screen during (and soon after) his lifetime. THE MALE ANIMAL was a starring vehicle in the 40’s for Henry Fonda. His story “A Unicorn in the Garden” became an acclaimed UPA animated short subject in the 1950’s. And in 1970 his writings and drawings were the inspiration for an NBC sitcom in 1970 called “My World and Welcome to It” (a gem that lasted barely one season). Two years later those same works also inspired the Jack Lemmon comedy THE WAR BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN. And then there’s a little guy named Mitty. A Thurber short story became the basis for the 1947 Technicolor musical comedy extravaganza THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY. In that film Danny Kaye as Mitty is a meek day-dreaming pulp magazine editor who somehow rescues the gorgeous Virgina Mayo from sinister forces lead by Boris Karloff. The character has even crept into the language as anyone who is distracted by fantasy thoughts is said to be a “Walter Mitty”. Sixty six years later Mr. Stiller is taking on the role of the classic nerdy dreamer. What fantastic film fantasies await Mr. Mitty in the twenty-first century?
The 2013 incarnation of Mitty (Stiller) peruses an online dating site as he prepares to head to work. It just so happens that a co-worker he’s noticed, Cheryl Meloff (Kristen Wiig) has a profile on said site. Walter’s much too shy to say hello at the office so he attempts to contact her online, but is, of course, thwarted by technology. Finally arriving at his job at the offices of Life magazine, he’s greeted by his flakey, aspiring-actress sister Odessa (Kathryn Hahn) who wishes him a happy birthday, drops off a “Clementine” cake, and reminds him that they must meet up later to help their mother Edna (Shirley MacLaine) move into her new place. After she leaves, some co-workers mention the news that the magazine has been taken over by new management. This is confirmed by new supervisor Ted (Adam Scott). After a clumsy first meeting, Walter heads down to the massive photo library where he receives a sheet of negatives (no digital stuff for him!) from legendary globe-trotting photo-journalist Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn). But the sheet is missing one negative. And it’s the one he’s alerted the new owners about! And it ‘s the one that the new owners want as the cover photo of the final print edition before the mag goes online!. What’s Walter to do? There’s no way to contact Sean online or via phone! This quest sends the timid office drone on a journey around the globe that might just put his daydreams to shame.
This is very different Ben Stiller here than we’ve seen on-screen before. There’s no hint of Mr. Furious from MYSTERY MEN or any of the wild supporting characters from whacked-out farces such as his DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY. His Walter is closer to the everymen he essayed in THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY and the MUSEUM flicks (and of course Gaylord Focker from the wildly popular comic trilogy), but without any of their energy. Of course he’s supposed to be just coasting through life early in the film, but even as he eases away from the daydreams, Walter still feels oddly detached. He’s much more compelling a character during the fantasy sequences. The same can be said for Wiig as his love interest. Her manic comedic skills she displayed in BRIDESMAIDS and several years of “Saturday Night Live” are almost muffled here as she pops up in between Walter’s travels. Their roles are so bland that any sparks between the actors are canceled out. This is also the case for Penn as the old school photog (think the hero of REAR WINDOW pre-accident) whose quirks serve as the plot catalyst and whose cameo amounts to becoming a Yoda-like sage to the weary Walter. Happily a couple of comic pros get a bit of a chance to grab some laughs. Hahn is great as the single-minded stage geeks while Patton Oswald has a lot of funky charm as one of Walter’s new pals. And then there’s Adam Scott far from the nice-guy roles in FRIENDS WITH KIDS and TV’s “Parks and Recreations” as the corporate creep with the crisp suits and precisely trimmed beard who immediately makes Walter his bullying target while relishing the chance to downsize Mr. M and his co-worker pals. This devious demented “d-bag” gives the flick a jolt of maniacal energy whenever he and his similarly bearded toadies appear.
Well, the film is certainly not a remake of the 1940’s classic or really a straight adaptation of the original Thurber story, so we wonder why the Mitty name is attached to this rather bland, meandering live-action family flick offering. Perhaps the name could lure people in with the promise of all-out flights of fancy (Danny Kaye never cavorted in CGI worlds). This is a bit of a bait and switch since these sequences are done well before the film’s midpoint. A satire of a recent film fantasy/drama/romance and an epic action smackdown between Walter and Ted (which is a pretty potent parody of recent blockbuster “destruction porn”) are fairly entertaining until we’re stuck next to Walter as he meanders through exotic locales and tedious set-pieces (evading a shark…check…skateboarding away from an erupting volcano…eh,check). And all the while Stiller’s inserting constant product placement (what is this, MAN OF STEEL 2?) besides the Life magazine setting (which seems to be out of a 1950’s time warp, what modern mag has offices like this?). It’s a long, long slog without much (if any) of a pay-off. Hmm, you should put yourself out there and make your real life better than your fantasy life. Uh, okay. Now, I think I’ll close my eyes and imagine a more engaging, entertaining movie that’s more worthy of the gifted Wiig and Stiller. Sweet dreams …and better films.
2 Out of 5
