by Jason Cadden | Comedy, Featured, Movies
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Brian Fantana: They’ve done studies, you know. 60% of the time, it works every time.
It’s the 1970s, and San Diego super-sexist anchorman Ron Burgundy is the top dog in local TV, but that’s all about to change when ambitious reporter Veronica Corningstone arrives as a new employee at his station.
Ron Burgundy: I’m in a glass case of emotion.
Director: Adam McKay
Writer: Will Ferrell & Adam McKay
Brick Tamland: Where’d you get your clothes… from the… toilet store?
Starring:
- Will Ferrell
- Christina Applegate
- Paul Rudd
- Steve Carell
- David Koechner
- Fred Willard
- Chris Parnell
The Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy made $28.4 million in its opening weekend, and $90.6 million worldwide in its total theatrical run. It was met with generally positive reviews from critics upon release and is now widely regarded as one of the best comedy films of the 2000s. It was ranked at number 100 on Bravo’s 100 funniest movies, number 6 on Time Out’s top 100 comedy films of all time and 113 on Empire’s 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. A companion film assembled from outtakes and abandoned subplots, titled Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie, was released straight-to-DVD in late 2004. A sequel, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, was released on December 18, 2013, with Paramount Pictures replacing DreamWorks Pictures as the distributor.
by Jason Cadden | Comedy, Featured, Movies, Television
Steve Carell Top Five
Steven John Carell is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and director. He is known for playing Michael Scott on the NBC sitcom The Office (2005–2013), on which he also worked as an occasional producer, writer and director. Carell has received numerous accolades for his performances in both film and television, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy for his work on The Office. He was recognized as “America’s Funniest Man” by Life magazine.
Carell gained recognition as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 1999 to 2005. He went on to star in several comedy films, including Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and its 2013 sequel Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Evan Almighty (2007), Get Smart (2008), Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and The Way, Way Back (both 2013). He also voice acted in Over the Hedge (2006), Horton Hears a Who! (2008) and the Despicable Me franchise (2010–present).
Carell began to shift into more dramatic roles in the 2010s, with his role as wrestling coach and convicted murderer John Eleuthère du Pont in the drama film Foxcatcher (2014) earning him, among various honors, nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He also received acclaim for his starring roles in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), The Big Short (2015), and Battle of the Sexes (2017), the latter two earning him his eighth and ninth Golden Globe Award nominations, respectively. In 2018, he re-teamed with Anchorman and The Big Short director Adam McKay for the Dick Cheney biographical film Vice, in which he portrayed Donald Rumsfeld, and played journalist David Sheff in the drama film Beautiful Boy.
Carell returned to television as the co-creator of the TBS comedy series Angie Tribeca (2016–2018), which he developed with his wife, Nancy Carell. He received critical acclaim for his starring role as Mitch Kessler in the Apple TV+ drama series The Morning Show (2019–present), for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He also returned to comedy with the lead role of General Mark R. Naird in the Netflix sitcom Space Force (2020–present).
Steve Carell Top Five
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy – It’s the 1970s, and San Diego super-sexist anchorman Ron Burgundy is the top dog in local TV, but that’s all about to change when ambitious reporter Veronica Corningstone arrives as a new employee at his station.
- The 40 Year Old Virgin – Andy Stitzer has a pleasant life with a nice apartment and a job stamping invoices at an electronics store. But at age 40, there’s one thing Andy hasn’t done, and it’s really bothering his sex-obsessed male co-workers: Andy is still a virgin. Determined to help Andy get laid, the guys make it their mission to de-virginize him. But it all seems hopeless until Andy meets small business owner Trish, a single mom.
- Despicable Me – Villainous Gru lives up to his reputation as a despicable, deplorable and downright unlikable guy when he hatches a plan to steal the moon from the sky. But he has a tough time staying on task after three orphans land in his care.
- Vice – George W. Bush picks Dick Cheney, the CEO of Halliburton Co., to be his Republican running mate in the 2000 presidential election. No stranger to politics, Cheney’s impressive résumé includes stints as White House chief of staff, House Minority Whip and defense secretary. When Bush wins by a narrow margin, Cheney begins to use his newfound power to help reshape the country and the world.
- Little Miss Sunshine – A family loaded with quirky, colorful characters piles into an old van and road trips to California for little Olive to compete in a beauty pageant.
by Jason Cadden | Comedy, Featured, Movies
The 40 Year Old Virgin
Andy Stitzer: You know how when you grab a woman’s breast… it feels like… a bag of sand.
David: What?
Andy Stitzer has a pleasant life with a nice apartment and a job stamping invoices at an electronics store. But at age 40, there’s one thing Andy hasn’t done, and it’s really bothering his sex-obsessed male co-workers: Andy is still a virgin. Determined to help Andy get laid, the guys make it their mission to de-virginize him. But it all seems hopeless until Andy meets small business owner Trish, a single mom.
Mooj: Hey Andy, don’t let him bother you. It’s okay not to have sex. Not eveybody’s a pussy magnet. You, uh, what are you, 25?
Andy Stitzer: I’m 40.
Mooj: Holy shit, man, you got to get on that!
Director: Judd Apatow
Writers: Judd Apatow & Steve Carell
Jay: You’re putting the pussy on a pedestal.
Starring:
- Steve Carell
- Catherine Keener
- Paul Rudd
- Romany Malco
- Seth Rogen
- Jane Lynch
- Elizabeth Banks
If you have not watched The 40 Year Old Virgin, this is a must-watch. It is low brow, at times dirty humor and it never gets old. This is also the start of a lot of big Hollywood careers. Add this to your watch list now.
by Jason Cadden | Comic Books, Featured, Movies
Djimon Hounsou Top Five
Djimon Gaston Hounsou is a Beninese–American actor and model. Hounsou began his career appearing in music videos. He made his film debut in Without You I’m Nothing (1990) and earned widespread recognition for his role as Cinqué in the Steven Spielberg-directed film Amistad (1997). He gained further recognition for his roles in Gladiator (2000), In America (2003), and Blood Diamond (2006), receiving Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nominations for both the latter films. He also played an antagonist in Furious 7 (2015). He has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. Djimon Hounsou plays an important role as well in the French film Forces spéciales in 2011.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he plays the role of Korath the Pursuer in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Captain Marvel (2019). Additionally, in the DC Extended Universe, he played the role of the Fisherman King in Aquaman (2018) and the wizard Shazam in Shazam! (2019). Earlier he played Papa Midnite in another DC movie, Constantine (2005).
Djimon Hounsou’s Top Five
Amistad (1997) In 1839, the slave ship Amistad set sail from Cuba to America. During the long trip, Cinque leads the slaves in an unprecedented uprising. They are then held prisoner in Connecticut, and their release becomes the subject of heated debate. Freed slave Theodore Joadson wants Cinque and the others exonerated and recruits property lawyer Roger Baldwin to help his case. Eventually, John Quincy Adams also becomes an ally.
Blood Diamond (2006) An ex-mercenary turned smuggler. A Mende fisherman. Amid the explosive civil war overtaking 1999 Sierra Leone, these men join for two desperate missions: recovering a rare pink diamond of immense value and rescuing the fisherman’s son conscripted as a child soldier into the brutal rebel forces ripping a swath of torture and bloodshed countrywide.
Gladiator (2000) In the year 180, the death of emperor Marcus Aurelius throws the Roman Empire into chaos. Maximus is one of the Roman army’s most capable and trusted generals and a key advisor to the emperor. As Marcus’ devious son Commodus ascends to the throne, Maximus is set to be executed. He escapes, but is captured by slave traders. Renamed Spaniard and forced to become a gladiator, Maximus must battle to the death with other men for the amusement of paying audiences.
Captain Marvel (2019) The story follows Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Shazam! (2019) A boy is given the ability to become an adult superhero in times of need with a single magic word.
by Jason Cadden | Featured, Movies, Pop Culture, Television
Jenna Fischer Top Five
Regina Marie “Jenna” Fischer is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Pam Beesly on the NBC sitcom The Office, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2007. She was also a producer for the show’s final season.
Since then, Fischer has appeared in such films as Blades of Glory (2007), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), The Promotion (2008), Hall Pass (2011), and The Giant Mechanical Man (2012), a film directed by her husband, Lee Kirk. She also appeared as Rhonda McNeil in the NBC’s comedy-drama series You, Me and the Apocalypse. Fischer also starred in the ABC sitcom Splitting Up Together (2018–2019).
Fischer’s first book, The Actor’s Life: A Survival Guide, with an introduction by Steve Carell, was published in November 2017.
Jenna Fischer’s Top Five
Blades of Glory (2007) When a much-publicized ice-skating scandal strips them of their gold medals, two world-class athletes skirt their way back onto the ice via a loophole that allows them to compete together as a pairs team.
Hall Pass (2011) When best buds Rick and Fred begin to show signs of restlessness at home, their wives take a bold approach to revitalize their marriages, they grant the guys a ’hall pass’—one week of freedom to do whatever they want. At first, it seems like a dream come true, but they quickly discover that their expectations of the single life—and themselves—are completely and hilariously out of sync with reality.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) Following a childhood tragedy, Dewey Cox follows a long and winding road to music stardom. Dewey perseveres through changing musical styles, an addiction to nearly every drug known and bouts of uncontrollable rage.
The Giant Mechanical Man (2012) An offbeat romantic comedy about a silver-painted street performer and the soft spoken zoo worker who falls for him.
Slither (2006) A small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters.
