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Jennifer Lawrence To Play Elizabeth Holmes In New Adam McKay Movie


Jennifer Lawrence Adam McKay

Jennifer Lawrence has reportedly signed up to play Elizabeth Holmes in Adam McKay’s drama about medical company Theranos, according to Deadline. McKay’s last film was financial drama The Big Short, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and a nomination for Best Director.

Jennifer LawrenceJennifer Lawrence has reportedly signed on to play Elizabeth Holmes.

Holmes, 32 founded blood-testing startup Theranos in 2003, which as recently as two years ago was valued at $9 billion. The company claimed to have revolutionised blood testing by being able to use only a pinprick of blood, rather than traditional methods of drawing blood by injection.

Continue reading: Jennifer Lawrence To Play Elizabeth Holmes In New Adam McKay Movie

The Boss Review

Bad

Melissa McCarthy brings another of her improvisational alter-egos to the big screen with this energetic comedy. The first cause for pause comes because this is a reteaming with her filmmaker husband Ben Falcone, with whom she made the bizarrely unfunny Tammy, as opposed to the filmmaker Paul Feig who directed her to box office triumph with Spy and The Heat and an Oscar nomination in Bridesmaids. Yes, there's a significance difference.

This time she plays hugely popular financial guru Michelle Darnell, whose stardom ends abruptly when she is sent to prison for four months for insider trading. When she's released, everyone she stepped on as she rose to the top turns their back on her, and her nemesis/ex Renault (Peter Dinklage) is still determined to get revenge. The only person who will talk to her is former assistant Claire (Kristen Bell), so Michelle moves in with her family. Unable to restart her business, she also takes over the Dandelion Scout troup of Claire's daughter Rachel (Ella Anderson), pushing the girls to take aggressive measures to sell their cookies.

As always, McCarthy throws herself into the role, creating a vivid character who indulges in a lot of outrageously silly slapstick. As with Tammy, the humour centres more on abusive interaction and humiliation than actual wit. McCarthy and Falcone strain to get laughs from physical wackiness rather than anything based on the character, so the movie only ever feels mildly amusing thanks to its high energy. But there's nothing engaging about Michelle, and it's only in a few cute-warm scenes with the terrific Bell that the film springs to anything resembling life. Thankfully, her scenes with the likeable Tyler Labine (as a potential boyfriend) have a loose humour to them. And Dinklage is surprisingly amusing as the sputtering cartoonish villain, while Kathy Bates generates a few sparks as Michelle's sassy mentor.

Continue reading: The Boss Review

The Big Short Review

Excellent

Smart and snappy, this comedy is one of the scariest films of the year, using humour to outline the 2008 economic collapse from the inside. With characters who are based on real people, the film shows how economists made a fortune from the financial devastation inflicted on millions of families. And the movie cleverly points out that all of this happened (and people are still getting away with it) because the general public can't be bothered to pay attention.

Things were so booming in the first years of this century that it was easy for the media to divert the attention of Americans away from the dark underbelly of the financial world, creating big scandals out of nothing, spurring rampant buying sprees and making stars of non-entities like the Kardashians. Meanwhile in 2005, investment expert Michael Burry (Christian Bale) noticed that America's mortgage market was turning toxic. So he offered to "short" it, betting against this always-stable market by purchasing credit default swaps. The banks thought they would make a fortune from him, carrying on their dangerous practices. But other experts saw Burry's point, including the nerdy genius Mark Baum (Steve Carell), the shark-like Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling) and a pair of newbies (Finn Wittrock and John Magaro) who tip off their reclusive mentor Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt). When the economy imploded, these men became billionaires.

Director-cowriter Adam McKay is better known for silly movies like Anchorman, so he packs this film with raucous cutaways to pop culture references of the period, as well as hilariously absurd explanations of economic issues from, for example, Margot Robbie in a bubble bath or Selena Gomez playing blackjack. This approach actually heightens the horror of what's going on as fraudulent bankers and corrupt government officials conspire to undermine the foundations of the economy. Although the explanations still feel like gibberish to mere mortals, it's at least presented in a way that's entertaining.

Continue reading: The Big Short Review

Ryan Gosling On The 'Cautionary Tale' Of 'The Big Short'


Ryan Gosling Adam McKay Brad Pitt

In The Big Short Ryan Gosling plays a bank trader who along with a few like-minded individuals, helps predict the financial collapse and the housing market crisis by betting against the big banks. While the film blends both comedy and drama, the actor describes it as a ‘cautionary tale,’ that carries a moral message for all.

Ryan GoslingRyan Gosling stars in The Big Short.

“What makes the film special is that although its characters are walking a moral tightrope the film never really is, because the film never celebrates the score that the characters pull of in the end,” Gosling said. For the filmmakers the difficulty lay in finding the balance between telling the story in an entertaining way, but also being careful not to celebrate the end result.

Continue reading: Ryan Gosling On The 'Cautionary Tale' Of 'The Big Short'

Daddy's Home Review

Good

An odd mix of sentimental family warmth and gross-out antics, this comedy doesn't have the courage of its own convictions, which means that it's not quite funny enough to keep the audience fully entertained. That said, there are just about enough laughs that hit the target, and the big-hearted humour is surprisingly endearing, with larger themes that resonate even when the filmmakers get bogged down in the strained rude jokes.

Will Ferrell plays Brad, a guy who can't have kids but has always wanted to be a dad. So when he marries Sarah (Linda Cardellini), he enthusiastically dives into the stepdad role with her children (Owen Vaccaro and Scarlett Estevez). Then just as they're finally warming to him, their biological father Dusty (Mark Walhberg) turns up, clearly determined to win his family back. What follows is a battle between a too-nice dork and a super-cool biker, competing for the affections of both Sarah and the kids. Brad gets some terrible advice from his boss (Thomas Haden Church), while Dusty recruits a handyman (Hannibal Buress) to back his side.

There's plenty of potential in this premise, but the filmmakers refuse to make the decision about who the film is aimed at. It's too vulgar to be family entertainment, but it's not edgy enough to properly appeal to adults. So it sits there genially, occasionally sparking a burst of laughter or a knowing smile. But the plot never makes any sense, mainly because to make it work the filmmakers portray Brad as a complete and utter loser until the moment the movie needs him to be the good guy. All of which is painfully predictable, complete with shamelessly sappy moralising. Thankfully, the cast can play these kinds of characters effortlessly, and both Ferrell and Walhberg add details that keep the audience engaged.

Continue reading: Daddy's Home Review

Adam McKay Turns Down Offer To Direct Marvel's 'Ant-Man, The Search Continues


Adam McKay

Since the departure of Edgar Wright from Marvel's 'Ant-Man', the studio hasn't had much luck in filling the void.

Things are looking even worse as Adam McKay ('Step Brothers'), who was thought to be the replacement, changed his mind at the last minute and chose not to take on the production.

The 46 year-old filmmaker took to Twitter this past weekend to confirm the reason for turning down the offer.

Continue reading: Adam McKay Turns Down Offer To Direct Marvel's 'Ant-Man, The Search Continues

The Reviews Are In For 'Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues' And It Looks (Mostly) Good


Will Ferrell Steve Carell Paul Rudd David Koechner Adam McKay Anchorman

Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner are back as everyone's favourite news team in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. It's been almost 10 years since 2004's unparalleled look into the inner workings of local news stations in the 1970's first gave us Ron Burgundy and the rest of the Channel 6 news team and almost a decade later it seems as though they still now how to keep it classy.

Anchorman 2
The moustachioed maverick that is Ron Burgundy is back!

On the whole, the early feedback for the much-anticipated sequel s mostly positive. There are a few exceptions of course, with Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times leading the negative reviews. Skarkey, like most of us, is happy that Anchorman is back, but ultimately felt let down by Burgundy's second outing. She wrote, "While I'm glad Anchorman is back - we need a little levity in this year of heavy films - I do wish it were better."

Continue reading: The Reviews Are In For 'Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues' And It Looks (Mostly) Good

What Are Ron Burgundy's Most Hilarious Publicity Stunts Ahead Of The 'Anchorman 2' Release?


Will Ferrell Adam McKay

As this is written, Will Ferrell and co. are probably getting ready to terrorise another part of North America with their brand of dysfunctional comedy, as the Anchorman 2 publicity train keeps on rolling. In the build up to the release of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, we've heard of and seen some funny stuff, so much so we decided to make a list of our favourite bits!

Anchorman 2
Burgundy and his moustache have been working hard ahead of the film's release

His two most recent stunts are some of his best, which gives us the feeling that the bumbling Ron Burgundy will be 'reporting' up and down North America, and possibly even further afield, right up until the new Anchorman in released later this month. After enjoying "Winnipeg, the Paris of Canada" this weekend, Ron could very well be showing up somewhere unexpected later this week, but considering how good his previous stunts have been, he will have to pull out all the stops to match.

Continue reading: What Are Ron Burgundy's Most Hilarious Publicity Stunts Ahead Of The 'Anchorman 2' Release?

Anchorman 2 Trailer: Gays, Vampires And Plenty O' Crack Smoking [Trailer + Pictures]


Will Ferrell Paul Rudd Harrison Ford Adam McKay Judd Apatow

The Anchorman 2 trailer - a new full-length offering - is the talk of the internet and we're gonna go ahead and join the discussion. It seems Adam McKay and Will Ferrell have carved out a nice little angle for the new movie, set in a world where glorified and sexualized round-the-clock news is taking over from traditional, serious forms of journalism.

Anchorman 2 trailerPaul Rudd [L] and Will Ferrell [R] Smoke Crack, Live On Air

In a bid to pull in the ratings, Ron Burgundy and his team of San Diego anchors Brian Fantana, Brick Tamland and Champ Kid are taking things to the extreme. They're smoking crack live on TV to be precise. The sub-plot here is that Ron is fighting his own battle against his wife and rival Veronica, who is rooted in the traditional accepted forms of journalism.  

Continue reading: Anchorman 2 Trailer: Gays, Vampires And Plenty O' Crack Smoking [Trailer + Pictures]

Anchorman's Ron Burgundy Will Tell His Rich, Compelling Life Story In New Memoirs


Will Ferrell Adam McKay

Ron Burgundy will be keeping bookstores across the globe classy and relevant once again when his life is laid bare in an all-new auto-biography by the great man himself. The award-winning lead anchor on San Diego’s Action 4 News Team has bowed down to public pressure and will finally share the intimate details of his life with the general public later this year. Great Odin's raven that's good news!

Will Ferrell Christina Applegate Anchorman 2
Ron (Will Ferrell) keeping things classy with his lady wife Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate)

Check out more behind-the-scenes pictures from Anchorman 2

Continue reading: Anchorman's Ron Burgundy Will Tell His Rich, Compelling Life Story In New Memoirs

‘Anchorman’ Ron Burgundy To Bring His Rich, Compelling Story To Print With New Biography


Will Ferrell Adam McKay

Ron Burgundy is a man who changed the way we think about many things; news, gender relations, the relationship between a man and his dog and perhaps most importantly, jazz flute. Therefore it is only fitting that a man of such esteem should be given the opportunity to write down his life story and share it with the rest of the world, and on Tuesday (13 August) it was announced by publishers, Random House’s Crown Publishing Group, that this mighty life story will indeed be coming to a bookstore near you.

Ron Burgundy Veronica Corningstone
Ron Burgundy and his beautiful wife Veronica Corningstone keep things classy in their fur-lined coats

See more behind the scenes pictures from Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Continue reading: ‘Anchorman’ Ron Burgundy To Bring His Rich, Compelling Story To Print With New Biography

Stay Classy San Diego: Kristen Wiig Confirmed For Anchorman 2 Role


Kristen Wiig Adam McKay Christina Applegate Will Ferrell

We're still waiting on an officially press release at the moment, but it looks as though Kristen Wiig's role in the upcoming Anchorman sequel, Anchorman: The Legend Continues, has been all but confirmed by two people heavily involved in the movie.

Yesterday (Feb 5) director and co-writer of the hugely successful comedy Adam McKay first announced the news via his Twitter, with co-star Christina Applegate (Veronica Corningstone) also confirming the news shortly after, also on Twitter. It is rumored that Wiig will play Brick Tamland's (Steve Carrell) wife in the upcoming sequel.

News updates on the hotly anticipated film have been few and far between, with the first and only trailer for the movie being released way back in May last year. Word on the street is that the film will follow Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and his loyal news team as they negotiate the harsh seas of change in a vessel called diversity during the turbulent years of the early 1980's. Or something like that anyway, all you need to know is that it will have San Diego's classiest resident starring in it so what more could you want?

Continue reading: Stay Classy San Diego: Kristen Wiig Confirmed For Anchorman 2 Role

Hansel And Gretel Witch Hunters Trailer: Cheesy, Bloody, Insane


Jeremy Renner Gemma Arterton Tommy Wirkola Adam McKay

From the Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters trailer, it's hard to decipher whether this movie is really going to stink - like, Razzies territory - or whether it's just going to be a stonking over-the-top cheese-ball riot of a movie. It definitely could be the former, it really could be, but we're willing to hold off and wait for the release. It's certainly going to be something to talk about.

In case you're unaware, Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters is Tommy Wirkola's (Dead Snow) dark cinematic take on the well-known Brothers Grimm fairy-tale about a young brother and sister threatened by a cannibalistic witch living in a house constructed of cake and confectionaries. It's scared the living daylights out of kids for years, though the latest movie takes things to a whole new level. In Wirkola's mind, the siblings - played here by Gemma Arterton and Jeremy Renner - are a formidable team of bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world. The trailer sees the ass-kicking pair firing machine guns, drawing plenty of blood, blowing things up, punching witches in the face and throwing enemies through wooden walls. Great stuff. 

Speaking way back in 2010, producer Adam McKay hinted at the possibility of further movies, telling MTV, "You think franchise, but in the doing, you just try to make one good movie. If I step back, it feels to me like, 'God, I could watch a bunch of these, just having read the script and knowing what Wirkola's style is.' I'd be very happy if he did three of them." Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters hits theaters in the U.S on January 25, 2013.

Continue reading: Hansel And Gretel Witch Hunters Trailer: Cheesy, Bloody, Insane

Great Odin's Raven! Anchorman 2 Release Details Announced!


Will Ferrell Anchorman Paul Rudd Steve Carell David Koechner Judd Apatow Adam McKay Kristen Wiig

It's official, this time next year the sequel to 2004's Anchorman will be in cinemas! It's kind of a big deal.

Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner and the rest of the Chanel Four News Team will be reunited once again for the sequel to the much-loved comedy, with writer Adam McKay delighting fans with the news that "It's official. Anchorman 2 has a release date: December 20, 2013," on his Twitter today (Dec 20).

Producer Judd Apatow, who produced the original film and is also signed on to produced the upcoming sequel, further cemented the news into just about everybody's conscious, writing on his Twitter, "One year from tomorrow Anchorman 2 will be in theaters!! It is kind of a big deal."

Continue reading: Great Odin's Raven! Anchorman 2 Release Details Announced!

Fingers Crossed: Kristen Wiig In The Running For Anchorman 2 Role


Kristen Wiig Steve Carell Adam McKay Judd Apatow Paul Rudd Christina Applegate Guy Pearce

We’re praying this latest rumor from The Wrap has got some substance to it. According to the movie industry insiders, Kristen Wiig is a likely candidate to play the role of Steve Carell’s love interest in the Anchorman sequel, Anchorman: The Legend Continues, for Paramount Pictures. Currently, no cast members have been selected, beyond the core few that we already know and love.

The new Anchorman instalment is being directed by Adam McKay, with Judd Apatow on production duties – under the Apatow Productions banner. We reckon Wiig would make a perfect addition to the Anchorman cast – she’s already proven her comic chops with the hit movie Bridesmaids, and we sense that her deadpan acting style would make for some raucous ROFL moments if she were cast alongside Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Christina Applegate and Steve Carell in the sequel to the 2004 hit. Anchorman fetched around $85 million at the box office and we’d put our money on a sequel being even more successful.

Kristen Wiig is one of the most in-demand actresses in Hollywood right now, thanks to the success of Bridesmaids. She recently starred in Imogene, an indie film that featured at the Toronto International Film Festival. She also been busy filming The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Hateship Friendship, along with Guy Pearce

Continue reading: Fingers Crossed: Kristen Wiig In The Running For Anchorman 2 Role

The Campaign Review


Very Good

Will Ferrell's funniest movie in years, this is a silly comedy with a terrible sentimental streak, but the political satire running through it is dead on. In fact, the film's opening act is razor-sharp as it lampoons election campaigning with knowing jabs at corporate sponsorship, incumbent laziness and the difficulty of being an honest candidate. So it's disappointing when the film becomes soppy and stupid.

Ferrell creates a memorable comical character in Cam Brady, a five-term North Carolina congressman up for re-election. He's sure he will coast his way back into office, and is only mildly worried when naive local goofball Marty Huggins (Galifianakis) runs against him. Marty certainly isn't ready for the slick attacks orchestrated by Cam's campaign manager (Sudeikis). But two wealthy brothers (the underused Lithgow and Aykroyd) are bankrolling Marty's campaign in the hopes of turning the district into a Chinese sweatshop, so they hire a ruthless press officer (McDermott) to whip Marty into shape. And the game is on.

Even though the characters are cartoonish, what they do is eerily authentic. Cam is a smooth operator with strong hair and a womanising streak. He also believes he can do whatever he wants as long as he mentions "America, Jesus and freedom" in every speech. By contrast, Marty is camp and silly, with a plump wife (Baker) and kids, plus a pair of pet pugs that Cam instantly labels as "Communist Chinese dogs!" Their clashes are a riot of parody and slapstick, some of which is sharply pointed (neither says anything substantial) and some is just ridiculous (including a hilarious cameo from Uggy, the dog from The Artist).

Continue reading: The Campaign Review

Bachelorette Review


Good
It's easy to see this comical romp as Bridesmaids meets The Hangover, but there's a bit more to it than that. It's a genuinely silly film with a rather simple plot, as three women try to accomplish something urgent while impaired by alcohol, drugs and romance. But it's goofy enough to keep us laughing.

The trio in question are Dunst, Fisher and Caplan, high school friends who reunite in New York as bridesmaids for Becky (a cleverly against-type Wilson), a girl none of them ever really liked. On the night before the marriage, they're goofing around with Becky's rather large wedding dress, and they tear it. So now they have one long night to get it repaired. Along the way, they run into the stag night for Becky's groom (MacArthur) and his chucklehead friends (Scott, Marsden and Bornheimer).

Continue reading: Bachelorette Review

Anchorman 2 Trailer


San Diego's biggest anchors Ron Burgundy, Brian Fantana, Brick Tamland and Champ Kind are back with even more shenanigans than we saw in 2004 prequel 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'.

Continue: Anchorman 2 Trailer

The Other Guys Review


Excellent
A sharp script sets this fast and furious action comedy apart from other brainless summer movies. And it's played with such deadpan precision that it keeps us laughing from start to finish, even when things get bogged down by the plot.

New York cops Gamble and Hoitz (Ferrell and Wahlberg) have been relegated to unimportant positions by two teams of flashier detectives (Jackson/Johnson and Wayans/Riggle). But when Gamble arrests a millionaire investor (Coogan) for a minor infraction, he and Hoitz are plunged into a murky case involving a ruthless Aussie goon (Stevenson) and bribed city officials. Even their captain (Keaton) tells them to leave it alone, but Gamble can't let go and Hoitz sees this as a chance to stop being the "other guys".

Continue reading: The Other Guys Review

Anchorman Review


Excellent
The full title of this film, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, is a sly reference to the documentary Pornstar: The Legend of Ron Jeremy and might indicate a subtle referential humor on the filmmakers' part. But that's about as inside as the jokes get. This film is more invested in making you laugh at flat-out absurdism than clever irony, and more often than not, it succeeds.

Anchorman launches us into the world of '70s broadcast journalism with local San Diego anchor Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) as the poster boy for men behaving badly. His supporting anchors introduce themselves by breaking the fourth wall with all the casual gusto of their on-air personas. There's good-ol'-boy Champ Kind (David Koechner) with sports, ladies' man Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) in the field, and dumb-as-a-Brick Tamland (Steven Carell) on weather. They revel in their boys' club with gleeful ignorance of terms like "sexual harassment" until new reporter Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) enters the fray. Improbably, Ron and Veronica hit it off until a series of events puts her in the co-anchor seat and professional jealousy rips them apart, sending Ron on a downward spiral.

Continue reading: Anchorman Review

Adam Mckay

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Adam McKay Movies

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Like the 2015 original, this comedy plays merrily with cliches to tell a silly story...

The Boss Movie Review

The Boss Movie Review

Melissa McCarthy brings another of her improvisational alter-egos to the big screen with this energetic...

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The Big Short Movie Review

The Big Short Movie Review

Smart and snappy, this comedy is one of the scariest films of the year, using...

Daddy's Home Movie Review

Daddy's Home Movie Review

An odd mix of sentimental family warmth and gross-out antics, this comedy doesn't have the...

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The Big Short Trailer

The Big Short Trailer

When Dr. Michael Burry discovered that the housing market in the US relied upon a...

Ant-Man Movie Review

Ant-Man Movie Review

The increasingly stale Marvel formula gets a blast of fresh air in this rollocking adventure...

Get Hard Movie Review

Get Hard Movie Review

Audiences may be divided over whether this comedy crosses the line as it looks for...

Tammy Movie Review

Tammy Movie Review

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

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues Movie Review

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues Movie Review

It's been nearly 10 years since we first met Ron Burgundy, and this sequel is...

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues Trailer

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues Trailer

The legend of San Diego's Channel 4 news team may have long since dissolved over...

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues - International Trailer Trailer

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues - International Trailer Trailer

The news used to be a noble profession before the likes of Ron Burgundy with...

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