Tag Archives: Clark Duke

April 18, 2010 · 9:53 pm

Review: Kick-Ass

Real superheroes are so overrated. Superman is super fast and strong, Batman’s smart and has a serious stash of cash and Spider-Man can scale walls and sling webs, but do any have the geeky innocence of Kick-Ass, a mouth as foul as Hit Girl, an equal affection for firearms and hot chocolate with extra marshmallows like Big Daddy or a Mohawk as out of control as Red Mist’s? Kick-Ass creates a connection between fan and hero like never before. There’s no supernatural prowess, just one average Joe showing another what he can do with a secret identity and two sticks to whack people with.

Who doesn’t walk out of a superhero movie wishing they could don a cape and fight some crime? I’d like to say the large majority, however nobody acts on the impulse. That all changes in Kick-Ass. Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) decides the time has come for the average teenager to go incognito and kick some ass, or, in his case, get his ass kicked. Clad in a green and yellow scuba suit, Kick-Ass ventures out into public to save someone’s day. After a considerable mishap, he returns for another go-around and winds up triumphant. An onlooker videos the entire battle and Kick-Ass becomes the latest YouTube sensation.

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March 28, 2010 · 7:38 pm

Interview: Steve Pink (One-on-One)

I’ve done a lot of interviews, but never once has the interviewee beat me to the first question. Not only did Hot Tub Time Machine director Steve Pink throw a question my way before I could ask him one, but he asked me something totally predictable and simplistic, yet a question that caught me completely off guard. He wanted to know what I thought about his movie.

When you’re talking about a project that involves four guys time traveling back to the 80s via hot tub, you’d think there isn’t much to discuss except the pure instantly of the situation. But, no, Hot Tub Time Machine has much more to it than absurdity and insanely hilarious gags. Of course, there’s a lot of that, but HTTM has a little something extra to offer, an appealing plot.

Even with a talented group consisting of John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson and Clark Duke driving the film, it’s Pink’s fine tuning that makes Hot Tub Time Machine more pleasurable than its comical competition. Check out what happened when Pink put me on the spot and what he had to say about his longstanding association with Cusack, how he went about choosing 80s references to incorporate and his Dirty Rotten plan for the future.

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· 7:36 pm

Interview: Hot Tub Time Machine’s Crispin Glover

I leaned a number of new things about Crispin Glover while at the Hot Tub Time Machine junket in Lake Tahoe. First off, he’s a successful commercial actor, but also pursuing some personal passion projects on the side. Secondly, the guy is poised to the max. Lastly, damn, Glover’s got gorgeous hair.

There’s a good chance you didn’t even know Glover was in Hot Tub Time Machine. John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Clark Duke and Craig Robinson are featured on the posters and in the trailers, but it’s Glover who’s got one of the most memorable running gags throughout the film. He plays Phil, the hotel bellhop who escorts the gang to their room and the same guy who did so back in 1986. When we meet Phil at the beginning of the film, he’s missing a little something, an arm. But after some hot tub time traveling, we meet the 1986 version of Phil and he’s fully limbed. You know what that means; he’s eventually losing that arm.

Not only did Glover dish on the physicality of his role, but he also addressed his involvement in another little time travel film, Back to the Future. Then there are Glover’s plans for the future. His dedication to use his mainstream work to finance his own films have led him to the Czech Republic where he’s building his own sets. Will It Is Mine be next on his agenda? Find out that and more below.

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· 7:32 pm

Interview: Hot Tub Time Machine Director Steve Pink

Steve Pink had his hands full on the set of Hot Tub Time Machine, in a good way. Not only was he working with a brilliant concept – four guys traveling back in time via hot tub – but he also had four downright hilarious lead actors at his disposal. Pink and John Cusack go way back and share a production company called New Crime Productions. By uniting his buddy and business partner with the likes of Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry and Clark Duke, then tossing in some Chernobyl, booze, a squirrel and, of course, a hot tub, Pink established a recipe for comedic hilarity.

But that’s not even the least of it. Pink also had a fantastic list of supporting cast members including Crispin Glover, Chevy Chase and, his leading ladies, Collette Wolfe and Lizzy Caplan. Top that all off with a set saturated with 80s nostalgia and you’ve got a seriously entertaining throwback.

The guy behind Accepted is back and with an R-rated vengeance nonetheless. Who knew a notch up on the MPAA ratings scale could make such a difference? And that’s coming from someone who truly enjoyed Accepted. Pink delivers big time with Hot Tub Time Machine. Between the movie, this roundtable, some one-on-one time and a chance to party with Pink at the junket in Lake Tahoe, I’m eager to see what the director has up his sleeve for the future. In the meantime, I’ll be going for a second helping of HTTM.

Click here to read the interview.

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Tagged as Chevy Chase, , Collette Wolfe, , Crispin Glover, , , , ,

March 22, 2010 · 7:26 pm

Interview: Hot Tub Time Machine’s Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson and Clark Duke

At first I was disappointed that John Cusack wasn’t able to attend the Hot Tub Time Machine junket out in Lake Tahoe. But after trying to transcribe the roundtable interview with the film’s other three stars, Clark Duke, Rob Corddry and Craig Robinson, one less hot tub time traveler was a blessing.

The four play a group of guys who take a trip to their favorite 80s getaway, Kodiak Valley. The problem is, their partying paradise isn’t quite the same as it was way back when. They throw a private party of their own, which lands the quartet in the hot tub. A little booze, Chernobly and a squirrel later, they end up back in 1986. Yes, it’s as crazy as it sounds.

Rather than writing ‘[Laugh]’ after each comment, I’ll just leave it to you to insert them wherever and whenever you’d like. The guys did provide a number of interesting facts about the film, but, for the most part, this was practically a stand up – er, sitting down comedy show. If you’re looking to get a taste of the comical hilarity this movie

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· 7:17 pm

Interview: Hot Tub Time Machine’s Clark Duke

Clark who? Clarke Duke, a name you should get to know. He played Lance in Sex Drive and is about to get to work on his fourth season ofGreek as Dale. If you haven’t seen either, odds are, you have no idea who the guy is. Well, not only is he in the highly anticipated upcoming superhero movie Kick-Ass, but he also stars alongside Rob Corddry, John Cusack and Craig Robinson in Hot Tub Time Machine.

Duke plays Jacob, one of four guys who time travel via hot tub back to the 80s. Of the group, Jacob is the only one who wasn’t alive in 1986 and is the sole person to retain some sense after the trip and acknowledge the necessity to eventually return home to modern times. Jacob is constantly taunted by his older buddies, particularly by Corddry’s character, the cynical and foul-mouthed Lou.

Check out my video interview with Duke during which he discusses working with his hilarious co-stars, his significant amount of comedic input and his high hopes for Kick-Assas well as potential for a sequel.

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