Video taken down at studio's request

It may be bootlegged -- and therefore a limited-time offering -- but from very early on, this trailer for next spring's 3-D animated bonanza Monsters vs. Aliens had me sold and only worked its way up from there.

I like that all of the human characters appear to be related to the Parr family, and that the monsters and aliens on display promise to look even cooler in three dimensions. I dig Stephen Colbert as the President and Keifer Sutherland as General W.R. Monger, not to mention other voices by Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Rainn Wilson, Hugh Laurie, and Paul Rudd. (Oh, and Reese Witherspoon never did anyone any harm either.) Most importantly, the project gives off a saavy sense of humor without relying as heavily on pop culture riffs as Dreamworks used to. A '50-styled sci-fi send-up should hold my attention as much as the little ones, if done right.

Between this, Kung Fu Panda, and Over the Hedge, I think that it's fair to say that Dreamworks Animation has found a reliable niche as Pixar's hipper cousin. With any luck, I won't be proven wrong come March 27, 2009.

This is the perfect time for a road trip -- the sun is high in the sky, the weather is warm, and the roads are clear. But alas, the responsibilities of adulthood and busy scheduling don't always make the open road a viable option. Luckily, however, there's always the movies -- a million different cinematic road adventures to explore.

For this double feature, I'm giving you a little taste of the '90s and then a little taste of the '80s. One is a feature that helped start the careers of two notable actors, and spawned a terrible copy-cat film with Tom Green. The other made soft, warm pillows seem like more than just a wonderfully relaxing safe haven. Sit back and enjoy Overnight Delivery and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

It's taken a few years and a few name changes, but Role Models -aka- Big Brothers -aka- Little Big Men is on its way, and MTV has posted the first series of shots (one of which you can see above), as well as the brand new trailer (see below). The film, which has slowly come together over the last few years, focuses on two partiers who get court-appointed community service which they have to complete as, fittingly, Big Brothers. You know, being a role model can help them get back on track themselves.

Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott are the men, while McLovin/Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Bobb'e J. Thompson are the lucky recipients of Rudd and Scott's efforts. Is it just me, or does McLovin look ridiculsouly young in the other images? Maybe it's the cape... I've little doubt that Rudd will be awesome, and this movie could be great. But what about Scott? Will this help refocus and fire up his career?

For awhile now -- and ever since it was announced there would be a new Ghostbusters video game -- those Ghostbusters live-action sequel rumors have been all over the place. The latest, shoveled out through Dread Central last week, claimed that the sequel was going forward -- with all four original Ghostbusters (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Harold Ramis) returning -- along with "Seth Rogen and the crew from The 40 Year Old Virgin." Yes, word on the street had it that the new ghost hunters would be played by Rogen, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Romany Malco.

Hey, as a fan of all those dudes, I personally think it's a pretty good idea. Unfortunately, Rogen knows nothing about the so-called collaboration. I asked him about it earlier today during the Pineapple Express NY press day, and it kinda took him by surprise. "Really? That's f**king rad! No one's told me about it, you're the first one. You got a script? [laughter] "Yeah, no -- are they actually remaking Ghostbusters? Sounds fun, though -- I'm psyched about it ... but are you sure I'm not playing Slimer?" Rogen joked, following that up with his trademark deep, cough-like laugh.

So, sorry Ghostbusters fans -- at least you have the video game to look forward to. And, who knows, enough people get onboard with the idea and maybe this wild rumor will eventually become reality. Question is, would you want it to?

So you know how Judd Apatow is slowly but surely becoming the next Jesus Christ Superstar and all? Well, what about you? Yes, you -- the guy who recycles the same three pairs of sweatpants and screams bloody murder when he forgets to DVR Beauty and the Geek. Here's an idea: What if you were able to create your own Judd Apatow movie? Not only would it make lots of money and be hella funny, but I bet you'd be able to score dates with Kristina, Leticia and Amanda once they're finished with the show (oh yes, I watch too). Luckily for us, Cracked came up with a list of easy-to-follow instructions that way you (and we won't tell everyone you know) can make your own Judd Apatow movie. Here's a brief sample of what you'll need (via Cracked):

Difficulty: Can be tricky the first time, but once you've got the hang of it, you can pump them out yearly.

Time: 6 months (4 hours for scripting and casting, a weekend for shooting, and 5 months and 28 days for editing, advertising and "make 'em wait" time).

Things You Will Need:
1. A beloved failed TV show from which to pull your cast
2. A thorough knowledge of basic sexual slang (for help with this, see my other manual, "From Pearl Necklaces to Donkey Punches: the Eight Comedic Sexual Maneuvers")
3. A disdain for continuity
4. An old High School yearbook from which to pull ideas and characters
5. A shitload of film to allow actors time to improvise (ie, "write the script")
6. An understanding of improvisational comedy that entails two guys speaking in unconnected one-liners
7. Paul Rudd's phone number
8. A giant bag of weed (usually Paul Rudd can provide this)

Head over to Cracked to read the rest -- and definitely let us know the name of your Judd Apatow movie when it's done, as well as how to find it. (Oh, and don't thank us -- thank comedy.)

Most conversations about Forgetting Sarah Marshall -- the new Judd Apatow-produced comedy about a devastating breakup -- are going to start with the penis shot. Sure, there have been willies in the movies before -- hell, there have been dongs in Apatow productions before (see Walk Hard). But a johnson this prominently featured, and in a mainstream romantic comedy? It breaks new ground. And not only is it funny, it's the perfect visual representation of what a guy goes through when he gets dumped. The film's star, Jason Segel, is stripped bare literally and figuratively -- exposed, embarrassed, emasculated. It's a comedy moment for the history books. I just wish I could say the rest of the film is as bold, as brave, as ... ballsy as that penis.

Oh, don't get me wrong. Sarah Marshall is a very funny movie. But its faults -- its sagginess, its tendency to let improvisation roll past the point of laughter, its relationships that often don't ring true -- are what separate this Judd Apatow production from a Judd Apatow film.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall finds Jason Segel vacationing in Hawaii to forget the girl (Kristen Bell) who just dumped him. Alas, she's at the same resort with her new beau! It's the latest comedy from the Apatow camp, and it hits theaters this weekend. Cinematical spoke one-on-one with the film's director, Nicholas Stoller, regarding the movie, his upcoming Muppet project, and how much onscreen penis is too much onscreen penis.

Cinematical: Is it intimidating for you knowing that every movie associated with Apatow these days is such a comedy event? Does that put pressure on you as the director to live up to that standard?

Nicholas Stoller: Not really, I'm still excited I got to make a movie, so I'm not really thinking in terms of if it's going to be a big event. Our movie was cheap so we don't have to make up that much money. It amuses me, and I hope that it amuses more people.

Cinematical: It amused me, so there's one extra person anyway.

NS: We have you and me and we just need 30 million more Americans.

Aside from scoring himself the lead in I Love You Man, Paul Rudd is scoring himself a woman with some impressive genes. Variety reports that Rashida Jones has signed on to play his fiance in the upcoming comedy. You might remember Jones from her work in The Office, or going back a bit more, Boston Public, but she's also the daughter of Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton. Nice job, Paul!

The film focuses on Rudd as a man who, for some reason, decides that he needs to hunt down a stranger (Jason Segal) to be his best man. I can't think of any reason why that would be necessary. Do all of his friends die in a plane crash? I don't get it. At the very least, the guy could share some of his wife's friends. But really, as long as we get a wedding with some Rudd dancing, I'll be happy.

Keeping busy, this isn't the only project Rashida has signed on for. She's also going to co-star with Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr. in Chilled in Miami. In the never-before-seen premise, a big-city woman gets transferred to rural Minnesota and "re-evaluates her big-city values." Jones will be her best friend in the film, but they're not saying whether this is her big-city best friend or someone she bonds with up north. This one, I'm not so keen on, but kudos to Rashida for picking up two big roles.

As much as I like Judd Apatow, there is just something that isn't doing it for me when it comes to Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Luckily, it looks like the new Red Band trailer just released on Empire will help those of you out there like me who just are not completely sold on the romantic comedy. It's nothing I can put my finger on, but I think most audiences will be sold on the "Apatow Brand" more than anything else.

Marshall stars Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother) as Peter Bretter; a lovelorn guy who has just been dumped by his newly-successful girlfriend (as played by TV's Kristen Bell). When advised to take a vacation by his friends, he runs into his ex and her new rock-star boyfriend. Mila Kunis (That 70's Show) also co-stars as the fun-loving girl who helps Peter over his heartache. Along with the first-timer's, some of the usual Apaptow crew are there including Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, and Bill Heder.

Erik had brought us the first trailer back in December, and the new red band version contains a lot of the same jokes. So while it doesn't include much new footage, at least this time they don't have to worry about those pesky FCC rules and they can show you the jokes in their entirety -- and believe me when I tell you that they are way funnier when they don't have to worry about offending people in the prime-time hour. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (with all the crudeness intact) will arrive in theaters on April 18, 2008.

The parody subgenre once gave us comedy classics like Young Frankenstein, Airplane!, Top Secret!, and The Naked Gun. This glorious tradition has been disgracefully violated in recent years by the likes of the cleverly titled Epic Movie and Date Movie. (As for the latter -- a spoof of comedies? Outstanding idea!) Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, a parody of musical biopics like Walk the Line and Ray, marks the pretty damn triumphant return of the spoof film. The movie also marks the return of Judd Apatow, and I'm pleased to report that Walk Hard completes a 2007 hat trick for the man. It easily joins Knocked Up and Superbad to form the unholy trinity of the year's superior comedies.

Starting in fictional rock star Dewey Cox's boyhood Tennessee home and ending some sixty years later after his bouts with women, booze, and pills, the film traces the blood pumping rise...of Cox. (First and last Cox joke, I promise.) The script gets Cox making music quickly, and good thing. I'm not sure why the first ten minutes of Walk Hard were released online as part of the marketing plan, they're easily the weakest scenes of the film. But once John C. Reilly enters the picture, portraying Cox at age fourteen despite being 25 years older (a dig at Kevin Spacey in Beyond the Sea?), it's pretty much smooth sailing.