Forget about comedians making a funny videos to plump up their IMDb profiles––the new hotness is skipping the video, and taking comedy directly to IMDb. On his Tumblr, comedian/Human Giant star Paul Scheer implores The Internet to join him, Adam McKay (writer/director of Anchorman and Talladega Nights) and several of their friends and colleagues in mobbing the message boards attached to the IMDb entry for the questionable classic,Another Stakeout. “Come join us and help us turn this movie into a giant cult hit for absolutely no good reason,” Scheer writes. “Let’s forward this e-mail and flood the site to the point where there are Another Stakeout festivals and conventions and midnight showings with people in costume saying lines along with the movie ala Rocky Horror Pic Show.” Why Another Stakeout and not just Stakeout? Scheer clarifies: “The first one was pretty good but like the Godfather 2 (or is the Godfather 2 like Another Stakeout?) director John Badham got it right the second time around.”
I don’t know what I’m happier about, the fact that “Bust-Ass” from All the Real Girlshas been getting a lot of supporting roles in big comedies (Hot Rod, The Heartbreak Kid, Pineapple Express, Drillbit Taylor, Tropic Thunder) or that he’s got the starring role in this little comedy, which ought to receive a decent theatrical run courtesy of Paramount Vantage. I’ll tell the truth, though; I hadn’t heard of The Foot Fist Wayuntil I was directed [via ComingSoon.net] to the movie’s new “restricted” trailer. Apparently it was quite popular when it screened at Sundance in 2007, and it so far has a rating of 9.7 stars out of 10 on its IMDb page (though only 29 people have rated it so far).
This trailer does something interesting that isn’t seen much in the world of movie marketing. It employs a sort of peer-recommendation that we’re used to seeing on book jackets. The trailer mentions the fact that it has been watched by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay at least 20 times, that it has been quoted by them and that they obsess over it. The only thing it’s missing is an actual appearance from the pair, or at least a direct statement from them. I feel like something less second-hand would be more effective.
The first half of this week saw a drought as far as new trailers are concerned. But when it rains it pours, and by the end of day Thursday the internet had received a relative monsoon of debuts, including the now-official release of the Sex and the City trailer, which Karina prematurely peeked at last Friday, and another awesome ad for Iron Man.
But the truly noteworthy trailers had to be those for three eagerly anticipated comedies, two of which we are seeing for the first time. First, there’s The Love Guru, which stars Mike Myers as his first originally created comedic character in more than ten years. Unfortunately, it kind of makes me wish he would just keep making Austin Powers movies. Maybe I just don’t get it, and maybe I should just accept that a Myers comedy is less about it and more about him. But it doesn’t look that funny. And I’m a person who can appreciate the making fun of Extreme and the parodying of Bollywood and the ridiculing of little people.
For years, Armageddonwas certainly the most surprising movie to receive admission into the prestigious Criterion Collection. Technically it hasn’t been supplanted, but what if Criterion really did put out a special edition DVD of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’sThe Landlord – you know, that hilarious little sketch that put Funnyordie.com on the internerd map. I’m not sure if the whole company is endorsing it, but on the Criterion blog (”On Five”), there’s at least acknowledgement and support for the recent “Criterion Edition” clip of The Landlord, featuring a commentary track (and video) from Ferrell and McKay.
The video itself is pretty funny, though it goes on way too long. They really should have stopped commenting when the short ends. Instead, they ramble on about Ferrell’s ego and then ultimately get serious and thank the fans for making it so popular. Also, it would have been more interesting or appropriate to the Criterion model to be more than simply a commentary. Maybe ten years ago commentary and Criterion were synonymous, but not anymore. Where is the film historian/professor? Where is the new interview with Pearl McKay? I love the reference to Rick Baker, but otherwise isn’t this a bit of a missed opportunity, as well as an overdone one?
Forget about comedians making a funny videos to plump up their IMDb profiles––the new hotness is skipping the video, and taking comedy directly to IMDb. 
