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Sex Tape Review


OK

Although it presents itself as a rude sex comedy, this movie is actually a prudish exercise in simplistic moralising. A glut of sweary dialog and leery innuendo is certainly no replacement for properly adult-oriented humour. At least Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel are relatively reliable as actors who can keep their characters likeable, but even they struggle with the trite material. And as a cowriter, Segel only has himself to blame.

Diaz and Segel play Annie and Jay, a couple whose courtship consisted mainly of having lots of sex in as many unusual places as they could think of. So it's hardly surprising that marriage and parenthood feel like a disappointment. They never have time for sex now, so when Annie's blog improbably wins a lucrative publishing deal, they celebrate by leaving the kids with the grandparents for a sexy night on their own. To get things going, they decide to film themselves on their iPad, oblivious to the fact that the video is synchronised to all of the iPads they've given to their family, friends and clients over the last few months. So now they're in a mad dash to find them all and delete their sex tape.

Honestly, does anyone actually give iPads to everyone they know? This is such a naggingly stupid premise that it leaves everything that happens feeling utterly inane, especially their contrived ignorance about how the Cloud works. Diaz and Segel bring enough charm to the film to keep the audience watching, playing even the lamest jokes as if they're hilarious. And as they race between their friends and family members, each side actor gets their cameo-style moment in which they can try to steal the show. Although even here director Jake Kasdan (Bad Teacher) hedges away from the genuine gross-out comedy, which leaves first-rate comical performers like Corddry, Lowe and Black looking a bit lost.

Continue reading: Sex Tape Review

'Sex Tape': 5 Of The Most Damning Reviews Of The Cameron Diaz Comedy


Cameron Diaz Jason Segel Ellie Kemper Rob Corddry Rob Lowe Nat Faxon Jake Kasdan

Sex Tape has been universally panned by critics, which is hardly surprising considering its unimaginative title or what it deals with.

Sex Tape
Cameron Diaz stars in Sex Tape.

Read More: Sex Tape Is One Of The Few Things Less Sexy Than Its Namesake.

Continue reading: 'Sex Tape': 5 Of The Most Damning Reviews Of The Cameron Diaz Comedy

Tammy Review


Weak

Melissa McCarthy is clearly in a rut: the title character in this film isn't very far removed from her previous roles in The Heat and Identity Thief. Yes, Tammy is another chubby slob who is on the road to some sort of epiphany, and along the way she realises that simply running a comb through her ratty hair might make her look more human. At least the film has a seriously strong supporting cast who almost make it worth a look.

Tammy (McCarthy) is sacked from her job at a fast-food outlet on the same day she discovers that her husband (Faxon) is having a fling with a neighbour (Tony Collette). In a childish rage, she runs home to her parents (Allison Janney and Dan Aykroyd) and then decides to keep running, taking her grandmother Pearl (Sarandon) along for the ride. Pearl has a dream to see Niagara Falls before she dies, but she's just about as immature as Tammy is, so they immediately start getting into trouble. Their antics include a series of incidents involving a jet-ski, flirting and more with a father and son (Gary Cole and Mark Duplass), robbing a burger joint and attending a raucous 4th of July party at the home of Pearl's wealthy cousin (Kathy Bates).

Tammy is even less worldly wise than McCarthy's previous variations on the character: she has never even attempted to grow up, so reacts to everything like a toddler. Aside from not being remotely funny, this is deeply annoying from the start. And even the characters around her don't laugh - they roll their eyes in exasperation. Then after establishing her as a relentless loser who brings misfortune on herself, the script (written by McCarthy and her real-life husband Ben Falcone, who also directs and appears as Tammy's boss) contrives to make Tammy sympathetic by portraying her as some sort of a victim. Meanwhile, she of course slowly begins to look less cartoonish simply because she changes her shirt and takes a shower along the way.

Continue reading: Tammy Review

Video - Billy Crystal Makes An Appearance At Media Presents: 'Fargo' In New York - Part 3


'Monsters University' star Billy Crystal was spotted at the Media Presents: 'Fargo' event held at The Paley Center in New York, alongside 'The Lord of The Rings' actor Sean Astin and a series of stars across the FX Network.

Continue: Video - Billy Crystal Makes An Appearance At Media Presents: 'Fargo' In New York - Part 3

The Way, Way Back Review


Extraordinary

An especially strong script gives actors plenty to chew on in this comedy-drama, in which writer-directors Faxon and Rash (The Descendants) take an observant look at the awkward connections we make with each other. Using sparky humour and emotion, the filmmakers and cast create vivid characters we can't help but identify with, even when they do all the wrong things.

At the centre, Duncan (James) is a 14-year-old who dreads spending the summer at a beach house owned by Trent (Carrel), the cruelly critical new boyfriend of his mother Pam (Collette). When they arrive, they meet gossipy neighbour Betty (Janney), who has a whole season of neighbourhood parties planned. And her daughter Susanna (Robb) looks just about as miserable as Duncan does. As he tries to escape, Duncan finds a local water park run by colourful misfit Owen (Rockwell), who takes Duncan under his wing and offers him a summer job. And being on his own gives him the badly needed self-confidence to talk to his mother honestly, take on Trent and maybe even ask Susanna out on a date.

Even though this is essentially a standard coming-of-age movie, the script never falls into the usual cliches. For example, when Duncan's first kiss comes along, it plays out in an unexpected, realistic way. This is a generous, honest comedy packed with terrific characters and resonant situations. Supported by the all-star cast, James delivers an impressive performance as a sullen teen struggling to face the world around him , growing up while remaining awkward and likeable. Meanwhile, Stockwell keeps us laughing with a lively party-boy turn that's underscored with sympathy. Collette beautifully layers the repressive, conflicted Pam. Carell goes nicely against type as the cruelly passive-aggressive Trent. And Janney steals the show with the most hilarious lines.

Continue reading: The Way, Way Back Review

The Way, Way Back Trailer


Duncan is a 14-year-old boy struggling to fit in anywhere and dealing with all the problems that most teenagers are forced to deal with at some stage. His mother Pam has a new boyfriend, Trent, who happens to be a jerk with a keen interest in humiliating Duncan at every opportunity. As the summer nears, the family embark on a vacation at Trent's beach house where he meets their new neighbour's daughter Susanna who, far from seeing him as a socially awkward and embarrassing individual, warms to Duncan immediately. He also meets the unprofessional and extroverted manager of the Water Wizz water park, Owen, who offers him a job and some excitement on his otherwise uninteresting vacation and subsequently helps him grow in confidence and self-belief. 

Continue: The Way, Way Back Trailer

Why Was Ben And Kate Cancelled? Replaced By Raising Hope Re-Runs


Dakota Johnson Nat Faxon

Ben and Kate cancelled? Yep, you read it right, Ben and Kate has effectively been cancelled. Despite being praised critically when it first aired last year, Ben and Kate has now been pulled from its Tuesday evening comedy time slot by ABC, effectively cancelling the show, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Ben and Kate is the family sitcom which sees Kate's (Dakota Jonson) brother Ben (Nat Faxon) move in with her to help her out looking after her 6 year old daughter. Along the way, Kate thanks her brother by giving him a dose of organisation and reality. Having garnered a fairly loyal following, its ratings just don't match up to the other comedies airing around it, forcing ABCto pull the series. Pulling it, in many ways, doesn't actually spell the end of a series, however to be cut off so abruptly implies that it isn't simply going on hiatus. James Van Der Beek, one of the show's stars, tweeted: "Sad to say ABC has pulled #Apt23 and will not be airing the 8 remaining episodes any time soon. Translation: we've basically been cancelled." While a little crestfallen, he thanked fans and looked to the future: "Thanks to all who tuned in. We had a blast making it. Can't imagine a more fun work environment with better people. But onto the next..." 

ABCare playing it safe with its replacement, by showing reruns of the very popular Raising Hope, which slots in well with the rest of the night's viewing of Hell's Kitchen and then New Girl and The Mindy Project. 

Ben And Kate Cancelled By Fox Network


Dakota Johnson Nat Faxon

The popular Fox comedy Ben & Kate has been cancelled, the Huffington Post have confirmed.

A source at Fox told HuffPo that the comedy is officially axed from its schedule and will be replaced by a second episode of Raising Hope in its 8pm EST Tuesday slot, as of next week. From March 12, Hell’s Kitchen will move into the slot, ahead of New Girl and The Mindy Project, which will be staying in their existing slots.

The comedy series, which followed a young single mom – played by Dakota Johnson - and her bizarre older brother – played by Nat Faxon started out well in the 2012-13 season ratings but as time went on, its 2.0 rating fell in the important 18-49 demographic to a 1.4 rating and its viewer numbers stalled at 2.9 million viewers per episode. Back in October, a further six episodes of the series were commissioned by Fox. The rep that spoke to The Huffington Post was unable to confirm whether or not those episodes would air. Signs of trouble were already showing on the Ben & Kate set, though. Back in September 2012, the show’s original executive producers, Garrett Donovan and Neil Goldman both left the show, citing creative differences. Their roles were filled by John Quaintance and David Feeney but it looks as though it was simply too late to recapture the show’s initial momentum.

Continue reading: Ben And Kate Cancelled By Fox Network

The Babymakers Review


Weak

What starts out as a smart, sassy comedy about infertility gets bogged down in its own potty humour, ultimately becoming a dull caper romp that's impossible to care about. This is a real shame since the cast is clearly up for something more sophisticated and knowing, and the filmmakers seem to have some amusing ideas up their sleeves.

The film opens as Audrey and Tommy (Munn and Schneider) are celebrating their third anniversary and decide to start a family. When Audrey doesn't get pregnant, tests show that Tommy's low sperm count is to blame, due presumably to too many groin injuries while goofing around with his chucklehead pals (Heffernan and Faxon). But since he had donated to a sperm bank years earlier, he decides to make a withdrawal, only to discover that the last batch has already been sold. So he and his friends hire a crazy-eyed Indian criminal (Chandrasekhar) to orchestrate a heist.

Munn and Schneider are gifted actors who create an engaging sense of chemistry in the feisty first act, grounding the comedy in real marital issues that are riotously funny because of the unexpected frankness of their discussions about sex. But as this starts to drift into a series of one-note gags about semen and genitals, our patience wavers. And then the caper kicks in, and it's so contrived and stupid that we lose all interest in the film and the characters. We may still care about Audrey and Tommy, but the situation they get into is just as idiotic as the people around them.

Continue reading: The Babymakers Review

The Descendants Review


Extraordinary
As with Sideways and About Schmidt, Payne finds clever ways to blend sharp comedy and warm drama to create a seriously involving and entertaining film.

And Clooney has never had a role that was quite as emotionally resonant as this.

In sunny Hawaii, Matt (Clooney) has coasted through marriage and parenthood, focussing on his career and managing the estate of his family, which is descended from Hawaiian royalty. But now his wife (Patti Hastie) is in a coma, and he has to take responsibility for his free-spirited daughters, 10-year-old Scottie (Miller) and 17-year-old Alexandra (Woodley). Meanwhile, his cousins want to sell off a gorgeous tract of ancestral land in Kauai. Amid all of this, Matt finds out that his wife isn't going to wake up, and also that she had been having an affair.

Continue reading: The Descendants Review

Nat Faxon

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Nat Faxon Movies

Sex Tape Movie Review

Sex Tape Movie Review

Although it presents itself as a rude sex comedy, this movie is actually a prudish...

Tammy Movie Review

Tammy Movie Review

Melissa McCarthy is clearly in a rut: the title character in this film isn't very...

The Way, Way Back Movie Review

The Way, Way Back Movie Review

An especially strong script gives actors plenty to chew on in this comedy-drama, in which...

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The Way, Way Back Trailer

The Way, Way Back Trailer

Duncan is a 14-year-old boy struggling to fit in anywhere and dealing with all the...

Freeloaders Trailer

Freeloaders Trailer

A bunch of freeloaders are living rent-free in a rockstar's luxurious mansion, however, when they...

The Babymakers Movie Review

The Babymakers Movie Review

What starts out as a smart, sassy comedy about infertility gets bogged down in its...

The Descendants Movie Review

The Descendants Movie Review

As with Sideways and About Schmidt, Payne finds clever ways to blend sharp comedy and...

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