Would you watch a movie about a couple who have to keep pushing their engagement due to unforeseen circumstances. Normally, we’d answer, no. But when that couple happens to be Emily Blunt and Jason Segel, it’s enough to make us get off the couch and get in line for tickets. The official trailer for The Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : TheFABlife Discovery Date : 07/12/2011 20:58 Number of articles : 2
The first trailer for The Five-Year Engagement has arrived, and only time will tell where it falls on Universal chief Ron Meyer’s well-known quality-control spectrum . Does the story of one couple’s protracted wedding plan look funny enough? Sure. Will Emily Blunt and Jason Segel bring in the dates and the dudes alike? Why not? But do you know what really sells this movie? I can barely even write it.
Sure, they’re not box office champs , but the Muppets’ resurgence as competitive marquee stars is reason enough to scan Twitter for the best tweets about Jason Segel’s new film. Who will top this week’s tally? Join us for a quintet of quips that will make the Swedish Chef throw his wooden spoon in glee.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn might have held onto the #1 slot during the Thanksgiving frame, but holiday buzz lifted those plucky Muppets to a strong second place showing; with $24.7 million over three days, Jason Segel, Kermit, and Co. should ride the Rainbow Connection all the way to a very nice pile of green by weekend’s end. Meanwhile, Happy Feet Two continues to slide and Aardman Animation’s fellow wintry offering Arthur Christmas opened with a modest $4.5 million Friday. Martin Scorsese’s 3-D fall family flick Hugo , on the other hand, enjoyed a strong debut on a fraction of the screens. Maybe audiences weren’t quite ready to ring in the yuletide cheer?
Vampires 1, Muppets 0. On the first two days in which Breaking Dawn was matched up against Kermit the Frog and company, the second-to-last installment of The Twilight Saga outearned Jason Segel’s version of The Muppets at the box office. Breaking Dawn Footage Breaking Dawn brought in $7.8 million yesterday, on top of $12.5 million on Wednesday; The Muppets , meanwhile, opened with a $6.6 million take and followed it up with $5.9 on turkey day. We’ll see how each fares over the actual weekend, but Breaking Dawn has now surpassed $200 million in domestic earnings already. Who knew the franchise was so darn popular? Oh, right. Everybody.
Happy Tuesday! Also in today’s edition of The Broadsheet: Chris Evans is cold as Iceman … The other Turkey in the news this week… More on the NYFCC awards vote troubles… All three of Jason Segel’s dreams come true… Your student-loan doom explained… and more.
Can something be considered fan fiction if it’s also an official, canonical studio product? I’m going to argue yes, absolutely, because with The Muppets , Jason Segel has crafted what can only be described as the most extravagant work of fan fiction ever, Mary Sue-ing himself into the Muppet universe as a character who helps reunite the gang in order to save their old theater and the day. Segel, who co-wrote the film with Nicholas Stoller, even leaves his own tentative mark on Jim Henson’s beloved ensemble by inserting a personal addition in the form of alter ego Walter (voiced by Peter Linz), his character’s Muppet brother and the group’s most devoted fan even when the rest of the world seems to have forgotten about them. Fandom can be a precarious thing — someone’s devotion to the source material he or she is adapting to screen can sometimes lead to being too cautious with it, too respectful to do what’s best for the movie instead of only for the hardcore supporters. But the love Segel has for the Muppets is a genuine, perceivable and positive quality that suffuses this good-hearted revitalization of the franchise, and if some wish fulfillment sneaks in there too, it seldom gets in the way of the enjoyment to be had.
The Muppets are legendary TV and film characters, but there’s something about Sesame Street ‘s giggliest resident, Elmo, that makes small children perk up. Constance Marks, the director of the new documentary Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey , put Elmo’s appeal this way: “Kids sit up, pay attention, and turn on. There’s that bright red fur and adorable bulgy eyes, but it’s the soul of the puppeteer that people are responding to. It’s an amazing gift.”
Let’s hear it for all of the Movieline readers who turned out yesterday and today to make our Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy Giveaway our best contest yet. Cheers! Applause! Maniacal Tom Cruise laughter ! When the contest ended, your loyal Movieline team locked themselves in the office to dramatically interpret each of your clever 10-word reviews (and eat lunch). An hour or so later, we have chosen our winners.
The Hunger Games preys on the box office in March, but in the meantime eight of the battledome-savvy characters are squaring off in new posters for the film. Jennifer Lawrence looks fetching under a golden haze, Lenny Kravitz looks a lot like Lenny Kravitz, and Josh Hutcherson keeps looking younger and younger. Seriously, he’s wearing his Bridge to Terabithia face here.
