Judd Apatow

Manhattan Weekend Box Office: Welcome to Judd Country

Universal, Lions Gate, Sony

What Judd Apatow backlash? For every New Yorker who happily proclaimed the end of the producer/director’s run of luck after the flops of Walk Hard and Drillbit Taylor, there was one (if not two, three or four) who ran out to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall (no. 1) this weekend. The comedy racked in $382,590 dollars of its total $17.5 million take here in the city with an incredibly strong $42,510 per screen average. Those are 21 numbers!  read more »

Sara Vilkomerson's Guide to This Week's Movies: How Now, Apatow?

Universal Pictures

We could go into an oh-so-increasingly-familiar rant about the fact that Prom Night—a movie whose tag line is “It’s midnight. Everyone’s ready to go home … but someone has other plans”—was the most popular amongst audiences last weekend (lesson learned: people cannot resist the horror flicks) … but what’s the point?  read more »

Manhattan Weekend Box Office: Good Friday Good for One Thing; the Still Beating Heart of Joshua Jackson's Acting Career

Lions Gate, Fox, Paramount

Judging by box office—and the box office never lies—the one thing Good Friday was good for was taking your kid to the movies. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! (No. 2) hauled in $25 million in its second weekend, easily winning the top spot nationally. And Manhattanites were equally irreligious, though marginally different in the object of their sin. Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns (No. 1) earned 25 percent more than Horton in the city, making it the most popular movie by far on the island. Take that, God!  read more »

In the Queue: Superbad

Bloody jeans. Boob punches. “These Eyes” by The Guess Who. “Samsies.” “Blow js.” “McLovin.” “What the fuck?” It’s Superbad, this year’s most quotable, and irresistibly charming comedy (by 20-something year olds’ standards) and it comes out on DVD this week.  read more »

John C. Reilly May Bite Into Freak Vampire Movie

John C. Reilly and pal Paul Rudd at the premiere of <i>Talladega Nights</i>.
Getty Images
John C. Reilly and pal Paul Rudd at the premiere of Talladega Nights.

Good guy John C. Reilly (Boogie Nights, The Hours) may be getting thirsty for blood. He is in negotiations, along with Bridge of Terabithia kid Josh Hutcherson and Chris Kelly, to sign on to Cirque du Freak, an adaptation of Darren Shan's children's book series. Paul Weitz (About A Boy) is directing, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The story follows two best friends (Hutcherson, Kelly) who visit an illegal freak show, where an encounter with a vampire and a giant deadly spider forces them to make life-changing choices that result in vampire servitude and vampirism itself.

Reilly would play Larten Crepsley, the centuries-old vampire and owner of Madame Octa, the spider.

Reilly has lately been in a comedy phase, appearing in such movies as Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Year of the Dog and Judd Apatow's upcoming Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

 read more »

Valenti Spins in Grave; Kidman Presides Over Funeral

Courtesy of Sony and Warner Bros.

Take your ratings and stuff ‘em, Jack!  read more »

Knocked Up a K.O.!: Apatow Hits Ground Like Sturges, Wilder

Apatow’s parents: Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl.
Suzanne Hanover/Universal Studios
Apatow’s parents: Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl.

Uh-oh, she’s preggo! The follow -up to The Forty-Year-Old Virgin is perfect summer entertainment. Plus: Is Crazy Love necessary?  read more »