Still from Stranger Than Fiction, 2006

How easily do the comic actors get dismissed as good for nothing else performers who can be part of commercially viable comic projects only. Frankly, I used to believe so too. And it wasn’t till very recently that this belief of mine stood strong in my head. And the person, or rather the actor, who literally crushed my belief system and changed it all for me was someone I could never have expected in a million years. I’ve seen him do corny and trashy and really, really terrible stuff in the not so distant past. I would, however, like to clear that the actor I’m referring to here is a mainstream, commercial performer and the movies in consideration were made with mainstream audiences in mind.

The man I’m referring to is Will Ferrell. I’d seen him in movies that not only made no sense to human intellect but were rather repulsive at time as well. ‘Things’ (not movies) like Zoolander, Talladega Nights – The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Anchorman – The Legend of Ron Burgundy (which was a good satire on news anchors and news channels as such), A Night At The Roxbury, Dick, Superstar and Bewitched to name a few. And just to clear things up, I saw these movies on TV for lack of anything better to do at the time. There was no reason for me to even consider Will Ferrell as an actor at any level. But two weeks ago, when I was watching the TV yet again for lack of anything else to do, I chanced upon another Will Ferrell movie, Stranger Than Fiction, co starring the very talented Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

The story revolves around Harold Crick (Ferrell), an IRS agent, a loner, a man with a compulsive habit of counting everything. One day Harold wakes up with a feeling of a strange voice in his head narrating his life. The voice goes on and on as he counts the strokes of his tooth brush, counts his steps to the bus stop and the stairs to his office floor. At first he ignores the voice, but when the voice says that Harold will die in a few days, he suddenly snaps up to the reality that the voice in his head is actually that of a writer, authoring a book and he is the ‘hero’ of that book. Sometimes, he finds the voice describing his actions and sometimes, guiding his thoughts and actions. The situation gets interesting with addition of a beautiful young woman, Anna Pascal, into the story of Harold’s life, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is being audited by the IRS. Gyllenhaal herself is in her own time-space continuum in the movie, giving a nearly stellar performance (after watching this one, I actually expect far better things from her) as Anna Pascal, a feisty baker who catches the fancy of the IRS agent, partly being led on by the voice in his head and partly by the free spirited young woman’s subtle beauty. Things start to change in Harold’s life, he starts living for the first time. He stops counting the strokes of his tooth brush, his steps to the bus stop or even the stairs to his office floor or his apartment. He even buys a guitar, a stratocaster and learns how to play. Just when he starts to let go of himself and enjoy whatever little life the writer has decided to leave him, Harold finally manages to find out the woman whose voice he’s been hearing, describing him, guiding him and sometimes even mocking him.

Emma Thompson is a veteran actor, been around for a while now and really good at what she does. The biggest surprise element of Stranger Than Fiction was, undoubtedly, Will Ferrell with Maggie Gyllenhaal doing her part to perfection in no small way and looking gorgeous while doing so. She catches the essence of Anna Pascal perfectly, the slightly fluid tempered, easy living, free spirited, large tattoo sporting baker being audited by the IRS for refusing to pay her taxes as a mark of protest. Will Ferrell as Harold Crick just plonks a mirror in front of your face, telling you how mundane and superfluous your life is if you tune out the voice of your heart. What was really Stranger Than Fiction was watching this man make a u-turn from his usually unimaginative and rather slapstick performances and give the performance of a lifetime.

I liked to believe in Freud’s saying that people who go into the performing arts suffer from an external locus of identity and are seeking other people’s approval in whatever they do with their life. Well, if that is true indeed, then Mr. Ferrell is definitely Stranger Than Fiction and has my approval for sure.

Yo, if you’re really up on your stuff, you know that Russian money is longer than Arab money!  The Russians are up on that new money.  Granted, a bunch of them lost a lot of that money when the world economy went into a tailspin, but some of them are still doing fairly OK.  Particularly these two…

Mikhail Prokhorov

He’s Russia’s wealthiest man with a fortune of about $9.5 billion.  News is that dude is going to be the one to finally build the New Jersey Nets arena in Brooklyn.  In exchange for building the arena, he would receive a non-controlling stake in the team.  Wonder what Hov thinks about this?

Another dude you should know about is Roman Abramovich.

Dude is Russia’s 2nd most wealthy, coming in at a net worth of $8.5 billi. This dude owns all kinds of sh*t!  He owns the Chelsea Football Club, a Boeing 767, like 5 mega yachts – including the world’s largest yacht and homes all over the world.  To top it off, he’s got five kids and another one the way by like three different model chicks.  I think dude can cover the child support payments.

However, I guess being only the 2nd wealthiest person in Russia got to him or maybe he needs more room for his sixth kid, because he just coped a new crib for $89 million in St. Bart’s.  I mean what does a house/property that costs $89 million eve look like?  Too rich for my blood.

Well, I hope that made Roman feel better about dropping to 2nd on the Russian billionaire list.  But even so, to quote the great Ricky Bobby, “If you ain’t first, you’re last!”  You gotta put in that work Roman!

PS: I know that rich people don’t like you talkin bad about them.  They have people who have people who make people like me disappear.  So if I don’t update this thing for like 3 months straight, chances are that Roman read this and had his people’s people come holla at me.  If that ever becomes the case…It’s been real folks!  One.

Sports fans, there is so much to debate in our world.  Why not add another topic to the forum?  The New York Daily News has done just this with their list of the The 25 Greatest Sports Movies Ever. 

While I highly recommend the link for synopses, photos, and trivia regarding the top 25, I’ll also cut to the chase and provide the entire list here:

1. Raging Bull
2. Hoosiers
3. Rocky
4. Slap Shot
5. Bull Durham
6. The Natural
7. Caddyshack
8. Breaking Away
9. Major League
10. Field Of Dreams
11. A League Of Their Own
12. The Hustler
13. Hoop Dreams
14. Chariots Of Fire
15. Eight Men Out
16. The Pride Of The Yankees
17. The Bad News Bears
18. Miracle
19. The Longest Yard
20. Remember The Titans
21. Brian’s Song
22. Heaven Can Wait
23. Rudy
24. Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby
25. Jerry Maguire

I have a few comments.  Of course.

First of all, Jerry Maguire was just not all that interesting.  Personally, I always thought that The Rod Tidwell Story (centering the story on Cuba Gooding, Jr.’s character) would have made a much better movie.

Secondly, some of these movies are among the greatest of all-time, regardless of their sports inclination.  Personal favorites of mine from the list include classics like Caddyshack, Major League, Slap Shot, Hoosiers, The Bad News Bears, and The Longest Yard.

The original, of course. Not some crappy remake.

And, finally, there are the omissions.  Perhaps the most overlooked sports movie of all-time, and one that deserves its place high on this list, is Fast Break.  A major reason for its status as an under-the-radar nominee is due to the fact that it has never been released on DVD.  A small consolation to this criminal development is that fact that you can stream the video on demand.  A highly recommended (if not exactly realistic) view of the college basketball experience of the 1970s.

Others missing from the list include the threesome of Victory, He Got Game, and the underrated We Are Marshall, in which Matthew McConaughey surprisingly carries the movie as the head ballcoach resurrecting Marshall football from the dead. 

And two other fantastic movies deserve honorable mention, as they have significant sports subplots.  Buffalo ‘66 is a mind-blowing oddball epic that gets better upon each viewing and The Big Lebowski has staked its claim as the best movie of all-time (period) in my book. 

The former includes insight into the world of obsessed Bills’ fans from the vantage point of Buffalo native Vincent Gallo while the latter mythologizes the bowling experience, despite the fact that we never actually see Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) throw a ball down the lane himself.

All things told, a good opportunity to revisit (or discover) some of the best cinematic moments from an industry that continues to green-light movies based on timely topics in the sports arena.  As the staffers at the Daily News call it, “Let the water cooler debate begin.”

The other day I went with a friend to see the latestHarry Potter flick in theaters. Of course, I wasn’t going to think much of it since all movies now have, in a way, metamorphed into comedy focused thrillers so you actually lose the contents of the whole Voldemort vs. Harry Potter evilness.

As I was watching the previews before the movie, though, the person whoever put the previews in order could not stop himself from putting a preview of “New Moon” that was slated to come out November 9 (wow, how many times have I used ‘preview’ in one sentence?).  Then my friend leaned over to me and said:

” ‘New Moon’ is premiering in Knoxville, you know?”

My response:

“Seriously????” (As in, yes I will be staying home that night when die-hard fans 15 miles away will be losing their minds)

I have a tendency to be ignorant about big stuff that is happening in my own town (like the time when I read in the newspaper that Jessica Alba came to Knoxville for a movie premiere too) because I’m so warped in my own Hollywood, which happens to be Asia. Or maybe it’s because I choose not to know. Either way, I’m never there to see it.

So when I got home, I decided to do some research on this big premiere thing. I found out the premiere is suppopse to benefit charity, The Children’s Charity of Eastern Tennessee. Every year since 2003, the Regal Cinamas’ Pinnacle 18 has presented a major movie flick of the year.

Here’s the list:

2003 ”Radio”- Cuba Gooding Jr. (Oh…my…god, it’s the person from Jerry Mcguire!  How could I have missed that? Well, I was only eight then, I didn’t know he existed until I was 13.)

2004 “Walking Tall”- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. (You mean to tell me The Rock came to little ‘oh Knoxville??? Reality is hurting me.)

2005 “Dukes of Hazzards”- Jessica Simpson, Johnny Knoxville, and Seann William Scott (It keeps getting better. I wonder what jokes they made when Johnny Knoxville came. Ha…ha…ha.)

2006 “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby”- Will Ferrell. (I’m not a big fan of Will Ferrell comedy, mostly because it’s not funny-it’s stupid. (no offense to any fans out there!) But the fact that Will Ferrell came to Knoxville is still…big.)

2007 “Good Luck Chuck”- Jessica Alba and Dane Cook. (So this was the premiere I read in the newspaper. I still can’t believe that was two years ago. But seriously, JESSICA ALBA CAME TO KNOXVILLE???? I think my mind has already been blown.)

2008 “Journey to the Center of the Earth”- Brendan Fraser and Josh Hutcherson. (I remember days when I would spend countless hours watching The Mummy, and just laughing at how funny Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weis were. I can’t believe I missed this opportunity to see him.)

And so for 2009, “New Moon” will, of course, be premiering at the Turkey Creek Pinnacle 18. I would actually love to go (but not as a die-hard fan. I’m mean, it’s not even about the movie, it’s about Tay-Looter coming to Knoxville *_*), but the tickets are ridiculously expensive. The tickets are probably going to start at $75 and then sky-rocket from there. Considering I’m a teenager who doesn’t get an allowance, who isn’t old enough to get a job, and whose savings (that are not going to college fund) is dwindling by a thread…my head is going to say NO. However, my heart says, just maybe.

Credits: http://twilightsagafansite.blogspot.com/2009/07/new-moon-premiere-in-knoxville-tn.html

From the sublime to the ridiculous in one short week: Last week’s big box-office contest placed Up, Pixar’s latest bit of animated genius, against Drag Me to Hell, Sam Raimi’s return to his horror roots. No real contest when you figure in which one the kids could get into and the fact that the only horror movie people really want from Raimi is the next installment in the Evil Dead series. (More Bruce Campbell, please!) This week pits Will Ferrell in a re-imagining (if you can really call it that) of the old Sid and Marty Krofft kiddie series Land of the Lost against The Hangover, the latest rude, boys’ club comedy from Ferrell’s Old School director Todd Phillips. This time the movie with the more kid-friendly, PG-13 rating looks to be the box-office loser—and deserves it.

Imagine if Hannah Montana: The Movie had recast the pop-singing nymphet with a dual identity as a teen hooker and you’ll have some idea of what is wrong with Land of the Lost. Instead of a father getting lost in a time warp with his children, it’s Ferrell’s paleontologist, Anna Friel’s disgraced doctoral student, and Danny McBride’s roadside-attraction redneck who end up in a place where past, present, and future all mingle. Except it is hard to believe Ferrell is really a paleontologist when he is basically playing Talladega Nights‘ clueless and mysteriously arrogant Ricky Bobby.

A bigger mystery is exactly which audience screenwriters Chris Henchy and Dennis McNicholas were writing Land of the Lost for? Certainly, not the legion of fans of the old show, who are not likely to be amused at a sexualized Cha-ka (Jorma Taccone) as the apeman attaches his hand to Friel’s breast and won’t let go, and who really don’t need to hear McBride ask Ferrell how much money it would take for Ferrell to French kiss Cha-ka. Thanks for stomping on all those childhood memories, guys. This is one of those odd movies where the potty humor seems aimed squarely at tykes, but the content is way too filthy for the little ones. There are laughs in the movie, but only of the oh-so-dumb variety. Land of the Lost’s art department gets style points for taking inspiration from Planet of the Apes‘ signature sunken Statue of Liberty shot and expanding on the idea to create a desert oasis cobbled out of world landmarks, cheap motels, fast food joints, and pop culture ephemera, easily the highlight of the movie.

In contrast, when The Hangover is funny, it is really funny. The story of three idiots who manage to lose the groom during a Las Vegas bachelor party and spend the whole movie trying to remember where they left him, the movie’s main problem is there are too many dead zones when the laughs just stop. It doesn’t help that stars He’s Just Not That Into You’s Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifinakis, and The Office’s Ed Helms don’t exactly reek of charisma. The movie could have used Vince Vaughn’s everyman charm in the city that helped make him a star in those opening scenes in Swingers. That other pre-wedding movie of the year, I Love You, Man, works so well in large part because of the chemistry between stars Paul Rudd and Jason Segal. That’s lacking in The Hangover and it makes for a bumpier ride, but the stuff that works—such as the tiger scenes featured so prominently in the adds, a rude variation of Three Men and a Baby, and some well-crafted lines of dialogue—works hilariously well.

Normally, I would never recommend a Hangover, but in this instance, it sure beats getting Lost. – Pam G.

HA HA HA HA…..this is one of my favorite movie clips ever!!!

År: 2006
Genre: Action, Komedi.
IMDb Betyg: 6,4
Skådisar: Will Ferrell, John C Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole, Michael Clarke Duncan.

Handling: NASCAR-sensationen Ricky Bobby är nationalhjälte tack vare sin “vinna till vilket pris som helst”-attityd. Han och hans lojale tävlingskompanjon och barndomsvän, Cal Naughton Jr., är en orädd duo.

Kommentar: Feerell är Ferrell. Har en hel del roliga inslag men humorn kan ibland gå lite väl långt till ett löjligare inslag. Men den är klart sevärd om man gillar Ferrels humor.

Betyg:

Stupid movie, but it’s Will Ferrell, making Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby bearable due to a few Ferrell prompted gems, mostly related to imagining being on fire, and “shake and bake!”

If you’ve ever wondered which Movies and TV Shows buy from Filmtools, check out the Filmtools IMDb page. Many studios and feature film productions get their expendable supplies, grip, lighting, and electrical gear from Filmtools, Burbank and Filmtools.com because they know they can count on lightning-fast order processing and shipping, as well as a wide selection and knowledgeable staff.

Learn from the pros and get your film equipment and expendable supplies at Filmtools.

Widely criticized for making the same movie over and over again, simply changing his character’s sport of choice, funnyman Will Ferrell (Step Brothers) has declared he won’t do that anymore, no doubt bringing joy to many a moviegoer.

I will no longer attempt to do any sports movie, anymore. Any sports.

As a reminder, Will has tackled soccer (Kicking & Screaming), NASCAR racing (Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby), figure skating (Blades Of Glory) and basketball (Semi-Pro) all in the last four years. I personally would have loved to see Will tackle the dangerous world of curling.

Source

We all knew this was going to be a silly one.  I mean, Will Ferrell, while absolutely one of the funniest men in the movie business, is not known for his intellectually stimulating material. 

That being said, I thought this move was hilarious.  Yes, there were moments that made no sense whatsoever, moments that were purely there for laughs.  The plot was threadbare at best, but still cohesive enough that there did actually exist a storyline with some real characterization.  In other words, if you’re a “story” person, you won’t be completely left out.

Make no mistake, though, this movie was all about the laughs.  Ferrell performed at his best, John C. Reilly was surprisingly funny, even Michael Clarke Duncan showed us some comedy chops.  But, in my opinion, Sacha Baron Cohen nearly (I said nearly) stole the show.  His French racecar driver as a villain to Ricky Bobby had me rolling.  Of course, if you’re under forty you probably know Cohen better as Ali G or Borat.  I was also ecstatic to see an actor playing the part of a “friend” to Cohen’s character.  I won’t spoil who it is, but this grossly underrated performer was much welcomed in my book.

All in all, this film is every bit as funny as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and, dare I say it, made much more sense as far as a storyline went.  If you’re a Ferrell fan, you’ll be most happy.  If you’re not a Ferrell fan, first of all, what’s wrong with you?  Second of all, you may find yourself tolerating the movie and even emitting a chuckle or two.

Wallpapers featuring Amy Adams, sge has stared in films such as Drop Dead Gorgeous, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Enchanted, Underdog & Charlie Wilson’s War.

More Desktop wallpapers of Amy Adams can be found at

wallspawn’s wallpaper warehouse

…. wallspawn

“Borat: Cultural Learnings of America Make Benefit of Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” has to be considered one of the funniest films of the past decade and its creator is about to unleash another of his favorite characters upon the world.

“Bruno” is set for release on May 15, 2009 and features Cohen as an outspoken Austrian fashion and celebrity journalist that interviews random people. Of course, as with “Borat,” these people have no clue that the interviews are for the movie or that it is Cohen.

According to Variety, Universal has a lot of faith in Cohen’s star power and they are confident enough in the film’s success that they are willing to release it on the same day as Sony’s “The Da Vinci Code” sequel “Angels & Demons.”

This seems like a pretty safe gamble for Universal. “Borat” grossed $128.5 million and made Cohen one of the industry’s most in-demand actors. Having taken roles in films such as “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Cohen has continues to demonstrate a proficiency for switching things up, so movie fans can probably expect this film to be a little different from “Borat.”

cand eram io trist si bulversat acu ceva timp, intra mihai pe messenger si-mi zice ca a vazut un film cu un blegian.. ma rog, nu era el chiar blegian, da asa a zis ca-si imagineaza el blegienii :p

si ma apuc eu, intru pe saitu cu filme, il gasesc filmat in cinema, cu subtitrare in japoneza si dublat in rusa.. bine, am exagerat, e adevarat in afara de partea cu rusa.. ma rog, super naspa.

iau subtitrarea in romana, o redenumesc in crash.srt, pornesc crash cu bsplayeru.. care nu-mi merge in vista(imi afiseaza doar subtitrarea, deci numa bun), sincronizez subtitrarea romaneasca cu aia japonezeasca..

in fine, mare chin.. si dupa toate astea.. m-am uitat la cea mai tare comedie pe care am vazut-o in ultimii ani..

am ras cu lacrimi..

un film despre esec si revenire, despre suferinta, despre dragostea neimplinita, despre idealuri, despre viata si țeluri, despre cheia succesului in viata, despre prietenie adevarata(shake and bake, mihai)..

un film care pentru mine sta langa dumb and dumber si not another teen movie.. filme la care radeam si cand citeam doar subtitrarea fara sa ma uit la film(dan daniel va poate confirma orcand)

deci daca va place secventa de mai jos si daca v-a placut dumb and dumber(film mai defect n-am mai vazut de atunci).. atunci trebuie neaparat sa va uitati la filmu asta..

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Jean Girard: My name is Jean Girard and I am a racing-car driver just like you except I am from Formula Un. I am the greatest one in the whole world. I have been following your career with great interest, Monsieur Bobby.
Ricky Bobby: I can’t understand a word you’ve said the whole time.
Cal Naughton, Jr.: Did you eat some peanut butter or something?
Ricky Bobby: Yeah, you sound like a dog with peanut butter on the roof of your mouth
Jean Girard: I think what you are hearing is my accent. I am French.
Ricky Bobby: You say you’re French?
Jean Girard: Oui.
[sounds like 'We']
Ricky Bobby: We? No, we are not French. We’re American, because you’re in America, okay? Greatest country on the planet
Jean Girard: Well, what have you given the world apart from George Bush, Cheerios, and the ThighMaster?
Ricky Bobby: Chinese food?
Cal Naughton, Jr.: Chinese food.
Jean Girard: That’s from China.
Ricky Bobby: Pizza.
Jean Girard: Italy.
Cal Naughton, Jr.: Chimichanga.
Jean Girard: Mexico.
Ricky Bobby: Really, smarty-pants? What did French land give us?
Jean Girard: We invented democracy, existentialism, and the ménage à trois.
Cal Naughton, Jr.: Those are three pretty good things.
Ricky Bobby: Hey.
Cal Naughton, Jr.: Well that last one’s pretty cool.
Jean Girard: [has Ricky in an arm lock] I will let you go, Ricky. But first, I want you to say…”I… love… crepes.”
Cal Naughton, Jr.: Don’t you say it, Ricky. These colors don’t run.
Ricky Bobby: I’m not gonna say it.
Cal Naughton, Jr.: Good.
Ricky Bobby: Hey, look, Frenchy, I thought about it. So why don’t you go ahead and break my arm?
Jean Girard: I do not want to break your arm, Monsieur Bobby, but I am a man of my word.
Ricky Bobby: Here’s the deal. He’s not gonna break it because I’m gonna slip out of it right now. Houdini!
[he tries unsuccessfully to get free]
Jean Girard: Whoa! Get down, you little pancake.
Ricky Bobby: Someone might as well get me a beer while I’m down here.
Jean Girard: But you have forced me to do this. You are now mocking me and making me look ridiculous. Just say, “I love crepes.”
Cal Naughton, Jr.: You know, just to put this in there, I had a whole mess of crepes this morning. They’re just like pancakes, maybe even better.
Ricky Bobby: Wait, are they the really thin pancakes?
Cal Naughton, Jr.: Yeah.
Jean Girard: Yes they are. They are the really thin pancakes. It’s just a French word for them.
Ricky Bobby: Oh, my god, I love those.
Cal Naughton, Jr.: Put any syrups you want on them. I’m just saying, think about it.
Ricky Bobby: They come with cheese sometimes?
Jean Girard: Yes, of course, a fromage-crepe.
Ricky Bobby: Well, why didn’t someone yell that right-right away?
Jean Girard: Do you know what’s in the crepe suzette?
Ricky Bobby: Oh, I love the crepe suzette.
Jean Girard: With the sugar and lemon juice…
Ricky Bobby: Yeah, the sugar and the lemon juice. Sure.
Jean Girard: Grand Marnier.
Ricky Bobby: I wo – I wish I could crawl into one of those right now. I’d eat my way out from the inside.
Jean Girard: Bon. So, what if you just said: “I love really thin pancakes”? That is a fair compromise, no?
Kyle: That is a fair compromise.
Herschell: Very fair, actually.
Ricky Bobby: No! Because then everyone would know I really meant crepes!
Kyle: That’s actually a pretty good compromise right there.
Jean Girard: Why do you want me to break your arm so badly?
Ricky Bobby: You don’t understand. You don’t understand because you don’t understand liberty. You don’t understand freedom. So you put a crack in my arm like the crack in the Liberty Bell! You hear me?
Cal Naughton, Jr.: [leans down to talk to Ricky in a low voice] Hey. This is just between you and me, okay? I mean, forget all these other guys. But he did give you a pretty decent out. But it’s your call.
Ricky Bobby: [whispering] What do you think?
Cal Naughton, Jr.: Don’t say it.
Ricky Bobby: Yeah. I’m not gonna say it. Nope. Break it, Pepe Le Pew!
Jean Girard: As you wish.
[He breaks Ricky's arm]
Ricky Bobby: [in pain] He actually did it!

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a 2006 American comedy film about NASCAR and the interesting social culture that accompanies the popular motorsport. The film was directed by Adam McKay, who also directed Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby was produced by Ferrell and Judd Apatow, the writer and director of the 2007 comedy film Knocked Up. The film features an ensemble cast, led by Ferrell, and is largely satirical in nature.

Will Ferrell stars as Ricky Bobby, a NASCAR stock car champion who has become an overnight sensation. He is a national hero because of his winning attitude and larger than life personality. Bobby races alongside his loyal childhood friend, Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly). The two consistently finish each race in first and second place, with Bobby always pulling out for the win as a part of an agreement the two friends have. Eventually, a gay French driver named Jean Girard, played by Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), challenges Ricky Bobby and his supremacy. Ricky Bobby’s life begins to spiral inexorably out of control and he loses it all. The fight is on to regain his winning ways and his confidence.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby represented the biggest opening weekend ever for a Will Ferrell comedy and the second biggest opening weekend for a comedy, period, with the biggest opening comedy of all time being Bruce Almighty (go figure!). Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby takes its nature from satirical elements, mostly. It’s interesting to note that Ferrell, for the most part, actually plays a fairly straight character with an assortment of wonky side characters and supporting performances. John C. Reilly, for example, plays far more of an offbeat character than Ferrell does and turns in a more comedic performance. This creates a different sort of dichotomy, in a way, and both helps and harms the overall product.

It harms the product by not creating many legitimate hilarious moments. There are some very funny moments, without a doubt, but this film lacked the gut-busting humour of 2007’s Blades of Glory and the laugh-a-minute characterizations of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Having Ferrell play it somewhat straight was an interesting choice. I realize that many will read this and wonder what I’m talking about here. To elaborate somewhat, I found Ferrell’s Ricky Bobby to be an accurate caricature of the NASCAR subculture. It was an excellent parody of a character, but not necessarily a funny character by itself. Ferrell acts like a NASCAR star, and well he should, but the over-the-top nature is lacking. He is immensely committed to his role here and does some really funny stuff, but none of it is ever epic in scope like some of his other characters.

It helps the product in the notion that Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is then freed up to become a rich satire, in and of itself. Without Will Ferrell stealing the show and turning in a pure comic performance (although many will argue he does), he stands back and acts a linear character while the swirling action and characters around him bolster the feel of the film. The supporting cast is given time to shine sufficiently, from John C. Reilly’s hilarious character to Michael Clarke Duncan, Sacha Baron Cohen (who is the highlight of the film, in my view), Leslie Bibb, Molly Shannon, Rob Riggle, and David Koechner. It’s all very funny stuff and the characters involved in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby send the film over the top in terms of solid character satires.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a tight satire and parody of films like Days of Thunder and other “racing” films. It contains enough punch and attitude to really ratchet up the comic value of these sorts of films, while shining a light on the basic culture within the NASCAR scene without offending or belittling anyone along the way. As with most of Ferrell’s films, it is not mean-spirited or obtuse. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is, instead, a loud and fun comedy with characters that ring true and a “lesson learned, feel-good” sort of story to tie it all together. It is a well crafted film, often dumb but barely hilarious.

7/10

Trailer:

I was at the mall today to see American Gangster for $5 (thanks midwest living and AMC!) when I saw this in the window of a candy shop next to the theater.

I understand the Beanie Baby thing because when I used to collect them. I still like them, but not to the point of continuing collecting OR displaying them. What I don’t get is this lazy excuse for a Beanie Baby. Did they run out of animals to wussify and stuff? Is this a clever ploy to appeal to consumers at increasingly younger ages? Why God, why? Then I googled “branded beanie babies” and found out that they’re a NASCAR promotion. So basically yes to all previous questions.

Mmm…branding. Makes me want to watch Talladega Nights.

Let me get this out of the way…

No, this was not funnier than Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy. But it may have been a better movie.

Now, here me out. After seeing the outtakes movie, it is clear that all Will Ferrell and Adam McKay do is film a few CORE plot scenes, a bunch of funny scenes and piece it together to make a movie.

I would say 40% of the scenes from the trailer were not in the theatrical version nor the outtakes during the end credits (which means the DVD is going to be another classic and maybe another outtakes movie).

More than Anchorman, Talladega Nights had more of a plot. Everyone in the movie from Will Ferrell down to his two sons, Walker and Texas Ranger, were funny (the only weak link was Leslie Bibb as Ricky’s gold digger wife). There were a lot of quotables.

The only thing that was missing was the pure silliness of Anchorman which was embodied by Steve Carrell’s Brick Tamland. Everytime I watch that movie, I catch something that he was doing in the background that I didn’t notice before.

This was more of a straightforward funny movie. Less throwing a bunch of gum at the ceiling to see what sticks.

It’s hard to follow-up a cult classic like Anchorman, and if this came out first, I wonder how Anchorman would have been received.