Described as Toy Story with video games, it sounds like a lot of fun. Keep Michael Cera away from it and you’ve got a hit. (/Film)

10 photosMegan Fox

Ok, Reilly probably didn’t make the cut due to his looks, but he’s developed the comedic chops to join forces with the Borat juggernaut. Fox, on the other hand, has just begun wetting her beak in comedy with Friends with Kids and Judd Apatow‘s This Is Forty.

It’s not known whether the stars will play themselves or the extent to which they will be featured in The Dictator, but a little Megan Fox is better than no Megan Fox. Ditto for Reilly, as he will no doubt play a great befuddled foil to most anything Cohen has up his sleeve. (THR)

“His name is Taquito and he lives in the abandoned mall.”

Hmm, I’m surprised they couldn’t get Anthony Hopkins for the role.

Terri (Jacob Wysocki) is a fat kid, but they don’t play the fat card very long. His problems are way weirder than that. He’s living with an uncle (Creed Bratton) who goes in and out of Alzheimer’s. The school principal, Mr. Fitzgerald (John C. Reilly) tries to take a personal interest, but what’s a small town school principal going to do?

Director Azazel Jacobs captures the sad sense of lethargy that is Terri’s life. The film itself looks raw, like old, worn stock. Aside from the social problems any outcast faces, the most exciting thing to happen to Terri is watching a bird eat dead mice. He’s still got to fiddle with rabbit ear antennas, and this is not a period piece.

Reilly’s persona is perfect for Mr. Fitzgerald because he really wants to be an inspirational tough talker. He means well but has no training for kids who really need help, and there are other students worse off than Terri, from special needs to cries for help.

It becomes a really interesting way to deal with social problems. These are kids who aren’t quite at risk for major issues like suicide or violence, although poor Heather Miles (Olivia Crocicchia) is just shy of full-blown sexual abuse. She grudgingly agrees to third base but you know that comes from a lack of guidance.

Then Chad (Bridger Zadina) comes across so weird just by his tone and attitude. Terri is better off on his own than with a friend like Chad. The film builds to a downright creepy third act with unsupervised drinking, drugging and undressed kids. I found it interesting to go there, on the margins of “edgy” but probably representing where a majority of awkward teens really are.

Jacobs’s simple camera reminds me how much you can show just by presenting a scene. Terri and Heather pass notes in class, and just seeing the handoff demonstrates the progression in their characters’ opening up. It’s funny that they still handwrite emoticons as if they were texting.

Had I seen it during the earlier festivals, Terri would have been overshadowed by the Like Crazys, the Detentions, the Hobos with a Shotguns. I can tell you that so far, it will be one of the better entries of LAFF, certainly worth catching on VOD or a night when all five screens of Transformers 3D are sold out.

The Hunger Games is all about a group of teens with odd names you love and care about, like Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Prim (Willow Shields). But who gave them those goofy, post-apocalyptic monickers? I assume their mother, who it’s now confirmed will be played by Paula Malcomson from SyFy‘s “Caprica.” If the movies are like the books, and who knows if that’ll be the case, Malcomson’s character is worried about her children participating in the life-threatening Hunger Games. Even in the future, moms worry too much.

Other actors in Lionsgate‘s adaptation of the Suzanne Collins novel include Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and possibly John C. Reilly & Elizabeth Banks. Now for the deadliest game of all: waiting and reporting on more Hunger Games news. (Hollywood Reporter)

John C. Reilly wouldn’t be my first choice to play a character that is capable of winning anything, but things make a little more sense when I learned that Haymitch Abernathy is now the alcoholic mentor of Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson). That clears things up nicely.

Expect more roles with ridiculous names to be cast in the near future. (Vulture)

“It all happens in real-time, so it’s about an hour and 45 minutes of negotiation between two sets of parents and how it all falls apart. Kind of like ‘Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?,’ but a little funnier. There’s a lot of wit.”

Sounds pretty good, right? Almost good enough to make you forget about Polanski’s, uh, hobbies. Anyway, here are three set photos from the film, which you can look at in either righteous anger, eager anticipation, or both. (via The Playlist)

Something crazy is happening. Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim are really shooting a movie, and it will really have a cast that includes Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Jeff Goldblum, Will Forte, Robert Loggia and Zach Galifianakis. They’ve all signed on. Oh, but that Harrison Ford rumor was just that, so n Indiana Jones / Spagett cross-over.

When I heard the news that Tim And Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie was happening, I half-assumed it was a joke, like their infamous promotional campaign for Shrek The Third. However, it looks like the stars of Adult Swim‘s “Tim & Eric Awesome Show” are planning on taking over the big screen… but what will they do to it, exactly?

The sketch show was anti-comedy at its most purposefully, elegantly grating, and also was dolled out in 11 minute episodes. As much as I loved the title and posters for Aqua Teen Hunger Force Comma Movie Film For Theaters, I fell asleep half-way through. Of course, I wasn’t stoned, which I was later told was the problem.

Still, the thought of Beaver Boys and James Quall on the big screen is as exciting as finding my Chippy. Below is the plot, or the thing that will semi-resemble plot. (TheWrap)

The movie is about the comedians’ characters, Tim and Eric, who, Wareheim said, “literally get a billion dollars to make a movie, and we make it, and things go awry, and Tim and I just decide to get out of Hollywood and become businessmen in an abandoned mall.

Heidecker interrupted: “Semi-abandoned mall,” he said. “About 10 percent occupancy.”

For fans of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, the recent cameo rumors surrounding Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie felt like Chrimbus come early. There’s nothing official posted on IMDB, but regular guests of the show (John C. Reilly, Zach Galifianakis, Bob Odenkirk, Will Forte) as well as some unexpected names (Will Ferrell, Harrison Ford) are said to be on board. While it’s nice to see some big names attached, long-time followers will all but demand appearances by the creepy-cadre of weirdos that were a fixture on “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” Here are nine such regulars that need to make an appearance.

Weird Al Yankovic

What Tim and Eric project would be complete with out an appearance from Weird Al Yankovic (a.k.a. Uncle Muscles)? Well, they’ve done plenty of non-Weird Al projects, so I guess the answer is “a lot of them.” Even so, I hope he makes an appearance, and according to some sources, he’s already on board.

Richard Dunn

Yeah. I know. He’s dead. So what? That didn’t stop Heath Ledger from finishing The Dark Knight, or Martin Lawrence from making Big Momma’s: Like Father Like Son. So why not use some movie magic to bring Richard Dunn back from the dead. It worked on Casey.

Palmer Scott

If you love denim, you’ll love Palmer Scott. And if he makes it into the movie, it’s the perfect chance for Tim and Eric to earn product placement money from Levis.

James Quall

While I certainly hope that James Quall makes an appearance in the new film, chances are I’ll never know for sure. After all, his impressions are of such a high quality that he could slip in completely unnoticed.

Neil Hamburger

Comedian Neil Hamburger probably deserves a movie of his own. But for the time being, I’ll settle for a cameo with Tim and Eric.

Michael Q. Schmidt

You probably know Michael Q. Schmidt as the body model for the Mountain Troll character in Harry Potter, or maybe as the man who invented the “Raise the Roof” dance craze. But did you know that he’s also spent some time on “Tim and Eric’s Awesome Show Great Job!”? Well, now you do, and hopefully you’ll get to see him in the movie, as well.

Pierre

Apparently, Pierre’s real name is Ron Auster. Regardless, I’d sure like to meet his dad.

Bob Druwing

Hopefully the guys will manage to work T & E regular Bob Druwing into the film. That is, unless he’s too busy drinking jars of urine or photoshoping pictures of his dead niece.

David Liebe Hart

Recently, while visiting the Le Brea Tar Pits, I was accosted by a crazy man trying to sell me his CDs. Lucky, the crazy person in question was David Liebe Hart, and he was amazing! Sadly, he informed me that he had been laid off by Tim and Eric (probably due to the fact that the show is no longer in production). However I am happy to report that Hart will be making appearing in Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie. At least that’s what he told me. Who the hell knows for sure?

There’s a rumor out there that the duo are going to begin work on Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie. Additionally, it’s rumored they will bring John C. Reilly (who just turned in a hilarious performance in Cedar Rapids), Zach Galifianakis, Bob Odenkirk, Harrison Ford, and Will Forte along for the ride. A Will Ferrell appearance shouldn’t be ruled out either as he and Adam McKay will serve as producers on the proposed film.

Not sure if the film would follow a straight narrative form or be broken up into small, loud bits but I’m up for seeing either. And I’ll be sure to wear my Poop Tube so I don’t miss a frame. (via /Film)

Cedar Rapids took about a half hour to grow on me, but that may have just been the Sundance fatigue. Once it got going, even a late night screening after an early morning won me over.

Tim Lippe (Ed Helms) is the insurance agent who actually cares about people. BrownStar Insurance sends him to the convention in Cedar Rapids because their former star salesman died of autoerotic asphyxiation. There, he rooms with Ronald Wilkes (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) and Dean Ziegler (John C. Reilly), the one man his boss warned him to stay away from.

Ronald talks in acronyms like NTS (Not too shabby). Dean is a raging pussy hound who talks dirty even when he’s being nice. Joan (Anne Heche) is the girl. Early jokes about naked man hugs and corporate scavenger hunts/group bonding activities seemed like quaint types of humor, but it builds. The gang crashes a gay wedding at the hotel and Tim sings a cover of “Oh Holy Night” with insurance lyrics.

Each character really sticks to their roles. Tim is pathetically noble in dealing with the affair he has with Joan. He’s sleeping with his old elementary school teacher Macy (Sigourney Weaver) back home, so he immediately calls to apologize. It’s actually not really an affair, because he was just Macy’s post-divorce fling. Helms babbling like a guilt-ridden adulterer is funny though. Later, he makes taking a bribe sound like rape, in an amusingly inappropriate way.

The group really comes together when they have to rescue Tim from a crack party. It takes Dean’s abrasiveness, Ronald’s mellow planning and Joan’s feisty concern to bring Tim back, and they play off each other beautifully. Scenes that could be lame, like Tim’s coke-fueled party rage, are vehicles for Helms to perform, and we are privileged to watch.

The secret politics of insurance conventions provides a simple comedy plot. In light of BrownStar’s sex scandal, there’s a petition to revoke their previous 2 Diamond Awards. It’s really important that Tim gets his company another award, and he even tries selling out to do it.

Midwesterners going wild may not sound like an original idea for a comedy, but they really become a team. With each character contributing to the wacky, it becomes a unique combination. It’s not just an Ed Helms vehicle. Everybody gets quotable lines and it’s one of the most fun movies of Sundance.

Director: Miguel Arteta

Cast: Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Kurtwood Smith, Stephen Root, Sigourney Weaver, Aliah Shawkat

Synopsis: Tim Lippe has no idea what he’s in for when he’s sent to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to represent his company at an annual insurance convention, where he soon finds himself under the “guidance” of three convention veterans.

Release Date: February 11, 2011

Normally I would groan at something like this, but I’m ready for more ‘Boats ‘n Hoes.’ It really is better than anything Drake has put out there. And who knows? If this does well, maybe we’ll get a sequel to ‘City Of Crime.’ (via The Playlist)

I specifically like the scene where John C. Reilly drunkenly puts the garbage can top on his head and looks like the Juggernaut. Speaking of Jugs, Anne Heche strips her top off. I can’t decide how I’m supposed to feel about that. Is she hot? Or is that outweighed by the napping in stranger’s homes and claiming to be the alien half-sister of Jesus Christ who can talk to dead people and see into the future? Anne Heche watches too much damn”Battlestar Galactica.”

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