Jonah Hill

Judd Apatow Again Fashions Gimmick Into Gold in Uproarious ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:00:19 -0700

CHICAGO – After being blitzed by an onslaught of attention-demanding advertising that begged the question “who is Sarah Marshall?” even before you realized it’s a film, anticipation was ravenous.

It became nothing short of voracious upon learning it’s backed by producer Judd Apatow of “Superbad,” “Knocked Up,” “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” fame (also with high hopes for his “Pineapple Express,” which opens on Aug. 8, 2008).

Read Adam Fendelman’s full review of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” in our reviews section.

View our huge “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” image gallery.

Through his Apatow Productions company, Apatow has made beaucoup bucks and a mountainous name by banding together the same stooges time and time again. In “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” we’re treated to the return of Bill Hader and Jonah Hill (both in Apatow’s “Superbad” and “Knocked Up” together).

While it’s still early in the year and few films have stood out to date, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” indeed delivers on its hype as the funniest comedy so far in 2008.

Apatow has once again fashioned what could have been cheesy gimmick into delicious gold. In a telltale sign of its riotous good time, Chicago critics have even been promising to return on opening weekend for a second paid viewing with friends.

While first-time filmmaking talent is often a precarious, hit-or-miss gamble, it pays off in spades here.

Kristen Bell as Sarah Marshall in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Jason Segel (left) and Kristen Bell in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Read Adam Fendelman’s full “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” review…

Dr. Seuss’ ‘Horton Hears a Who!’ Heard Loudly Into Instant Children’s Classic

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:37:13 -0700

CHICAGO – One of Dr. Seuss’ most famous storybooks has finally been granted life with its self-titled animated feature “Horton Hears a Who!,” which involves a morally righteous elephant, philosophical timbre and Dr. Seuss’ ingenious lyrical rhymes.

A star-studded cast supports this vibrant tale and Dr. Seuss’ ethical elephant and morally slated advice about equality are well represented in this CG-animated adaptation.

The elephant Horton (Jim Carrey) comes to the rescue of a speck crying for help as it floats by in the colorful jungle of Nool. When Horton decides to help the speck even though he can’t see the Whos who inhabit it, the famous line “a person’s a person no matter how big or how small” comes into the film and sets the Suessian tone of the tale.

Click here to read Allison Pitaccio’s full review
of “Horton Hears a Who!” in our reviews section!

Click here for our full “Horton Hears a Who!” image gallery!

Isla Fisher in “Horton Hears a Who!”.
Photo credit: IMDb

“Horton Hears a Who!”.
Photo credit: IMDb

‘Superbad’ Trio Riles Up Chicago at Screening, Open Q&A

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 11:06:35 -0700

I had a blast screening “Superbad” tonight. The theater was packed and people genuinely seemed antsy to laugh after a long day at work. That we all did.

Michael Cera (left) and Jonah Hill in “Superbad”.
Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and first-timer Christopher Mintz-Plasse – or the “Superbad” trio – stole the show. The duo Bill Hader and Seth Rogen were critical faces fused in the mix, too.

The film was made by the same guys who brought you “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up”.

While I’ll save the full review until the film opens on Aug. 17, I will share with you my impressions from the open Q&A following the screening. The session had the feeling of nearly complete liberty.

The stars were free to speak, curse, joke and laugh like they’d do normally. Fans snagged “McLovin” bumper stickers that said: “Gangstas, what’s up?”

The charmingly geeky Michael Cera – man, geeky really is the new cool these days – walked in just as the credits were rolling. He innocently pointed out: “That’s us from the movie.” The simple comment started the crowd off with their respect.

Jonah Hill said a lot of the material was improvised. They reflected on particularly having fun with the “genital confession” bit. While I won’t spoil it, suffice it to say the actors e-mailed around ideas about different drawings.

The unfortunate result of an open Q&A can be ridiculously ignorant questions asked by fans who most certainly have not done their research. There were several here. Interestingly, though, the question was posed whether actors really got sloshed on set.

Hill said while looking up at his escorts: “No. That’s the safe answer, right?” In response to why none of the women were on tour with them, he joked: “Because too many babies would get made.”

Christopher Mintz-Plasse (left) in “Superbad”.
The sensitive question came up about a sequel. While actors cannot announce news in this kind of setting, Cera was rather revealing. He said:

If they’d let us make a sequel, we’d walk out of the mall at the end of the film and get shot in the head by the cops (Hader and Rogen). The next film would be about their lives spinning out of control.

Please do not misinterpret this information. This is not a confirmation of a sequel in the works. This is merely an idea they have pondered. Ultimately, they’ve left the film open to a sequel and expressed interest in it if the first film performs.

While taking in the scene and the multi-level theater, I noticed that Hill seemed to squint frequently. He either needed contacts or stronger ones. After the Q&A ended, the trio casually walked about the AMC River East theater.

I bumped into Hill in the bathroom like he was any other guy and Cera had his small video recorder out in the front of the theater to capture fireworks at Navy Pier. Guards were around them, but in general, they were very free, warmly received and certainly entertaining.