Posts Tagged ‘Ricky Gervais’

Stephen Merchant and J.B. Smoove get a Hall Pass from the Farrelly Brothers

Posted: February 22nd, 2010 at 7:55 am

The chances that the Farrelly brothers deliver something funny with their latest flick, Hall Pass, keep increasing as they add seriously funny people to the cast.

With shooting set to start Tuesday in Atlanta, the brothers have added to a cast that already included Owen Wilson, Jenna Fischer and Jason Sudeikis two names that will be very familiar to anyone who watches HBO: Stephen Merchant and J.B. Smoove. Merchant, of course, is Ricky Gervais’ main partner in comical crime and most visibly played his incredibly incompetent agent on Extras. And Smoove played Larry David’s extremely unlikely brother-in-law, one of “the Blacks,” on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

As for the movie itself, it’s about a pair of married couples  who decide to experiment with a free pass for the husbands to engage in guilt-free romantic encounters. Wilson and Sudeikis are the two lucky guys, and Merchant and Smoove will play two of their buddies.  Do funny people automatically lead to funny movies? Of course not, but here’s hoping that’s the case here. Hit the jump to find out what else Merchant and Smoove are up to on screens big and small.

Trailer for CEMETERY JUNCTION, Written and Directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant

Posted: January 31st, 2010 at 9:04 pm

A trailer for the upcoming coming-of-age comedy Cemetery Junction has popped up online.  Written and directed by The Office and Extras creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, it’s hard to locate their style of comedy in the trailer.  Perhaps that’s because the film isn’t shot documentary-style or Gervais and Merchant aren’t the stars.  But the writing and one-liners still lack that subtle bite of Gervais/Merchant comedy.  I’m not really sure what to make of this trailer since it’s hard to get any sense of the characters or plot beyond Christian Cooke’s character wanting to run away with his girlfriend and the importance of getting out of a small town.  Oh, and the movie takes place in the 60s. I’m sure Gervais and Merchant’s stamp is on the film, but it’s hard to find it within this one minute and forty-four seconds.

Hit the jump to see the trailer and along with the official synopsis.  Cemetery Junction opens on April 7th in the UK.

THE INVENTION OF LYING Blu-ray Review

Posted: January 19th, 2010 at 7:09 am

Ricky Gervais has a cult following in America for his work on the British version of The Office. The show didn’t hit cultural saturation stateside (though it is a masterpiece), it did inspire the American version, and Gervais made some in-roads with HBO-released Extras. Cinematically, he made a cameo in Stardust, and they have now given him two films to star in: Ghost Town, a more standardized romantic comedy, and The Invention of Lying, which was more in tune with his comic sensibilities. It also attracted a great deal of talent, which speaks to Gervais’s power in the community. In the film are Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe, Jeffery Tambor, Jennifer Garner, and a number of high profile cameos. Unfortunately for Gervais, neither did all that well, but both are fun to watch. The Invention of Lying stars Gervais as the first person to ever figure out lying in world where lying never existed before. My review of The Invention of Lying Blu-ray after the jump.

Tons of Images from CEMETERY JUNCTION - The First Film from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant

Posted: January 18th, 2010 at 2:21 pm

Thanks to rickygervais.com, Facebook and sky movies, a ton of new images from Cemetery Junction have hit the net.  If you aren’t excited for this film…you should be.  The reason is it’s the first film to be written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (The Office, Extras).  If you’ve seen either show, you know what I’m talking about.

When I spoke to Gervais when he was out promoting The Invention of Lying, he said Cemetery Junction is “set in the early 70’s and it’s about a group of twenty something’s that try to escape that stifling small town sort of mentality.”   He also called the movie his Saturday Night Fever.

While the main characters in the film are played by unknowns, they’ve cast Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Matthew Goode, and Felicity Jones in supporting roles.  Hit the jump to see the first teaser trailer, a set visit by Sky News, and all the images that have hit the net so far.

An Awesome Video Interview with Matthew Goode; Talks A SINGLE MAN, LEAP YEAR, CEMETARY JUNCTION and WATCHMEN

Posted: January 7th, 2010 at 10:46 pm

Every once in awhile you do an interview that just comes out awesome.  Today is one of those days.

I recently got to speak with Matthew Goode and while some actors are guarded and careful with their answers and opinions, what I love about Matthew Goode is his honesty and his willingness to talk about anything and everything.  Also, he was willing to light up and smoke on camera and not apologize for it.  Trust me when I say most Hollywood actors would never do this.

The reason I got to speak to Goode was for his recent work in Tom Ford’s great debut film A Single Man.  But with Goode also in Ricky Gervais upcoming Cemetary Junction and the romantic comedy Leap Year, we also covered those films.  And for fans of Watchmen, we discussed that film at length as he played Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias.

If you’re a fan of Matthew Goode, trust me when I say this is a must see interview.  Hit the jump to watch it.

More Presenters Added to 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards

Posted: December 30th, 2009 at 9:00 pm

Nicole Kidman, Steven Spielberg and Sam Worthington have just been added to the list of presenters for this January’s 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards.  They join previously announced presenters Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry, Colin Farrell, Matthew Fox, Julia Roberts and Mickey Rourke.  The show, hosted by the always funny Ricky Gervais, will be broadcast live on Sunday, January 17^th on NBC (5 to 8 pm PT, 8 to 11 pm ET).  More after the jump:

Ricky Gervais Lends His Pen to PHONESHOP

Posted: November 13th, 2009 at 2:57 pm

Ricky Gervais is working his ass off lately. The Invention of Lying just ended its theatrical run, and he’s got another film, Cemetery Junction, coming next year. Now he’s entering the mobile phone market with PhoneShop. Gervais is editing the script for the series, which will air in the U.K. on Channel 4. Phil Bowker created, produced, and wrote the series. Bowker, who gave Gervais his first job on TV a decade ago, has produced several TV shows, but this will be his first run at writing and directing.  Little is known about PhoneShop, but it will take place at a cell phone store in a mall. The story (I’m guessing first episode) revolves around Christopher (Tom Bennett) who has to sell a cell phone by closing time to get a job at the store.  More on the series after the jump.

Ricky Gervais to Host the 67th Annual Golden Globes

Posted: October 26th, 2009 at 1:13 pm

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has announced Ricky Gervais will be hosting the 67^th Annual Golden Globes on Sunday, January 17^th, 2010. When asked why he agreed to host, Gervais said, “Not only is this the biggest Hollywood celebration of the industry which includes both film and TV, but also an environment where I feel I can get free reign as a host. I have resisted many other offers like this, but there are just some things you don’t turn down.”

While the Golden Globes are a joke and the winners are determined by who spends the most to wine and dine the Hollywood Foreign Press, with Gervais hosting, this just became must see TV.

Collider is Giving Away THE INVENTION OF LYING Swag. No Lie.

Posted: September 25th, 2009 at 11:37 am

With Ricky Gervais “The Invention of Lying” set for release October 2nd, we’ve been given some cool stuff to giveaway to help promote the film. If you haven’t seen the clips from the movie, “The Invention Of Lying” stars Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Jeffrey Tambor, Fionnula Flanagan and Rob Lowe and it’s loaded with cameos from some of the biggest actors in Hollywood. As you might infer from the title, the film takes place in an alternate reality in which lying-even the concept of a lie-does not exist. But that all changes when Ricky Gervais tells the first one. Anyway, if you’d like some free stuff, hit the jump to see what we’ve got and how you can win:

Ricky Gervais Calls CEMETERY JUNCTION His SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER. Plus Info on His New HBO Animated Series

Posted: September 16th, 2009 at 10:48 pm

A few days ago, I attended the press conference for Ricky Gervais’ new film “The Invention of Lying” at the Toronto Film Festival. While you usually have to wait for the stars to arrive, Ricky showed up a few minutes early and when I went to put my recorder down, I managed to ask him a number of questions about his next project with Stephen Merchant called “Cemetery Junction”. If you’re a fan of “Extras” or the British version of “The Office”, Ricky and Stephen Merchant created the shows together and “Cemetery Junction” is the first film they’ve written and directed together.

Anyway, he told me while filming only recently finished, they’ve already done a friends and family screening and it turned out quite well. He also called the movie his “Saturday Night Fever”. For more on the project and his new HBO animated series “The Ricky Gervais Show”, it’s after the jump:

6 Movie Clips from Ricky Gervais THE INVENTION OF LYING

Posted: September 15th, 2009 at 4:47 pm

Opening on October 2nd is the new Ricky Gervais movie “The Invention of Lying”. The film takes place in an alternate reality where lying — even the concept of a lie — does not even exist. Everyone from politicians to advertisers to the man and woman on the street speaks the truth and nothing but the truth with no thought of the consequences. But when a down-on-his-luck loser named Mark (Ricky Gervais) suddenly develops the ability to lie, he finds that dishonesty has its rewards. The film also stars Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Jeffrey Tambor, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, and it also has guest appearances from some of the biggest names in Hollywood. So to help promote the film, we’ve been provided with 6 clips from the movie. They’re after the jump so take a look.

New Poster for THE INVENTION OF LYING Starring Ricky Gervais

Posted: August 31st, 2009 at 3:27 pm

The first time I saw Ricky Gervais as David Brent in The Office (BBC), I thought he was a jackass. When I found out he also co-wrote and directed the series, I knew he was a genius (no lie). Lately, he’s been exploring the big screen. “The Invention of Lying” is his latest leading role, and he’s back to writing and directing as well. Gervais plays Mark, who lives in a world where there is no such thing as a lie…until he invents it and uses it to his advantage. A new poster and the theatrical trailer after the jump.

WB Fall 2009 Preview - New Images from WHITEOUT, NINJA ASSASSIN, THE INVENTION OF LYING, THE INFORMANT!

Posted: August 12th, 2009 at 6:18 pm

Warner Bros. has released a preview of their upcoming 2009 movies. In the preview, they’ve got updated synopsis’ along with new images from “Whiteout”, “Ninja Assassin”, “The Invention of Lying”, “The Informant!” and a few others. So if you’d like to see the new images and read what’s coming later this year (it’s a lot of great stuff), it’s all after the jump:

A Brief Promo for CEMETERY JUNCTION Featuring Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Ralph Fiennes

Posted: July 8th, 2009 at 8:13 pm

While this brief promo for Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s  upcoming film “Cemetery Junction” tells you absolutely nothing about the film and is slightly misleading because it doesn’t actually star Gervais or Merchant (it stars Christian Cooke, Tom Hughes, and Jack Doolan as three blue-collar friends in a coming-of-age comedy), it does feature Ralph Fiennes.  As Gervais notes, Fiennes–not exactly known for his comedy.  Known more for dramas.  No amusing anecdotes from the set of “Schindler’s List”, sadly.  Nobody putting a little “Hook” lunchbox in the background of one of the concentration camps.  That’s a shame.  I guess “Schindler’s List” isn’t just missing subtlety, but easter eggs as well.

Hit the jump to check out the promo.  “Cemetery Junction” is slated to hit theatres some time next year.

Ricky Gervais’ THE INVENTION OF LYING Trailer

Posted: June 27th, 2009 at 6:51 pm

There may be bigger comedies on the horizon (”Bruno”, “Funny People”) but Ricky Gervais’ “The Invention of Lying” (formerly known as “This Side of the Truth”) remains high on my radar as it should anyone that is fan of Gervais because while “Ghost Town” was surprisingly good, I feel like this is his big cinematic debut for US audiences.

Yahoo! Movies recently debuted the trailer for the film and it looks very…Gervais.  Based in a world where everyone always tells the truth, Gervais’ character discovers that he can lie.  If there’s only minor flaw that caught me in the trailer, it seems like Gervais’ character is astounded when folks tell him the truth.  Everyone else reacts deadpan and like it’s not a big deal (which makes sense) but Gervais reacts like he does whenever anyone said something stupid to him on “Extras”.  But perhaps these reaction shots are after he’s acquired his “lying” ability.  Check out the trailer after the jump.

Details on Ricky Gervais’ Upcoming Film CEMETERY JUNCTION

Posted: June 20th, 2009 at 3:53 pm

From his official website, writer/director/actor Ricky Gervais has released details about his upcoming film, “Cemetery Junction” which began filming last Tuesday in London.  Co-written and co-directed by Gervais and Stephen Merchant (who also collaborated with Gervais on “The Office” and “Extras”), “Junction” tells the story of being trapped in a small town and dreaming of escape.

In 1970s England, three blue-collar friends, Freddie (Christian Cooke), Bruce (Tom Hughes), and Snork (Jack Doolan), spend their days joking, drinking, fighting and chasing girls.  When Freddie gets a new job as a door-to-door salesman and bumps into his old school sweetheart Julie (Felicity Jones), the gang are forced to make choices that will change their lives for ever.  The lesson of the film: never ever bump into old school sweethearts.  Avoid them at all costs.  In fact, just to be on the safe side, go and shut down your Facebook page.

“Cemetery Junction” also stars Gervais, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, and Matthew Goode.  It’s set to hit theatres sometime in 2010.

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