Funny People
Universal
$30
2-Disc: $35
Blu-ray: $40

Plot: After he’s diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, a superstar comedian (Adam Sandler) contemplates how he wants to spend his last days on Earth.

Opinion: Judd Apatow’s name has been attached to so many films in recent years it’s a surprise when you recall that Funny People is only his third directorial effort.  Then again, in the course of those three movies, Apatow has tackled weightier subjects than some directors attempt in their entire careers.  The 40-Year-Old-Virgin was about falling in love, Knocked Up was about making babies and now Funny People tackles the hilarious subject of death.   Apatow’s comedies have never been overly dependent on plot; his approach is to drop his characters into a situation and allow the comedy to emerge from their behavior.  Thus, Sandler receives his diagnosis in the first or second scene and the bulk of the film’s first half finds him struggling to come to terms with this development.  This section of the movie is classic Apatow, stuffed with hilarious and clearly semi-improvised dialogue, surprise celebrity cameos and moments of surprising emotional depth.  But then a development occurs midway through the film that sends Funny People off in an entirely different direction, one that deliberately doesn’t make room for the comic highs of the first half.  I fully expect this Funny People to lose some viewers, particularly those going in expecting the non-stop yuks of Virgin and Knocked Up.  Apatow and Sandler are pushing themselves out of their comfort zones here and that’s reflected in the somewhat awkward pacing.  It doesn’t help that the director can’t keep himself from lingering on his children’s adorable faces or his wife’s ass in tight jeans.  Despite or maybe even because of these third-act stumbles, Funny People is an immensely rewarding film that displays artistic ambitions you might not have thought either Sandler or Apatow were capable of.  More than any other film he’s directed over produced to date, Funny People puts Apatow’s private fears, neuroses and joys onscreen for everyone to see.  The resulting film isn’t always pretty, but more often than not it is pretty damn funny.

Bonus Features: Apatow always goes all-out when it comes to DVD extras and Funny People is no exception.  In addition to the dozens upon dozens of deleted and alternate scenes, there are several gag reels, a commentary track with the director and his cast, featurettes and, best of all, a half-hour mockumentary following the film’s raunchy Dane Cook-like comedian Randy, played by Parks and Recreation scene-stealer Aziz Ansari.

Verdict: Buy It

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Kobe Doin’ Work
Buena Vista
$30

Plot: A day in the life of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant.

Opinion: Talk about getting up close and personal: for his new doc about NBA icon Kobe Bryant, Spike Lee filmed an entire game from the 2008 MVP’s perspective, placing dozens of cameras around the Staples Center court that followed his every move.  Bryant also wore a mic that captured all of his grunts, shot-calls and words of advice to teammates.  It’s a fascinating, if occasionally annoying, way to watch a basketball game, but must for Lakers’ fans. 

Bonus Features: The main feature can be watched two ways-with or without a Bryant commentary describing the on-court action.  There are also two deleted scenes, a video introduction with Lee and a making-of doc originally made for ESPN.

Verdict: Buy It

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Angels & Demons
Sony
$29
Blu-ray: $40

Plot: Someone is killing priests in the Vatican…and Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is gonna find out who is responsible.

Opinion: Like the new Star Trek film, Angels & Demons-the follow-up to the extremely popular film version of The Da Vinci Code-employs a frenetic ticking-clock pace to distract the audience from its narrative absurdities.  But Trek offered a number of other pleasures as well, including lots of humor, exciting brawls and lively performances from a fresh-faced cast.  This movie has none of those things; it’s a glum, by-the-numbers potboiler distinguished only by its admittedly handsome production values.  Director Ron Howard is nothing if not a skilled craftsman and he puts his sizable budget to good use.  To his credit, he also takes great care not to repeat some of the mistakes he made with his botched Da Vinci Code adaptation.  For one thing, there are none of the leaden monologues and drawn-out expository conversations that turned that film the perfect cure for insomnia.  Much of the exposition here is delivered on the run, so even if you miss what exactly it is that the characters are trying to achieve, you’ll see them achieve it a few moments later.  Besides, Howard knows that the details are too perpostrous to explain at length anyway; best just to keep the characters in motion and let viewers pick the story apart later.

Bonus Features: A handful of making-of featurettes.

Verdict: Skip It

It was bound to happen ever since Nike threw $90 million at LeBron some six years ago (going on seven). At the time, Bron was being labeled “The Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated and rocking the #23 in green and gold to suggest that he was, in fact, the heir apparent.

Over the years, we’ve seen Bron transform into the physical behemoth that may one day overtake MJ’s playing legacy. For sneakerheads, though (like myself), it’s been highly questionable whether or not he-or anyone for that matter-could overtake MJ’s kick game. Penny failed. So did Kobe. And Iverson had a spark when he started, but Reebok’s just plain ol’ garbage.

Back to 2003 when MJ hung it up for the last time, his last on-court signatures, the XVIIIs, were simple yet luxurious and of course, technologically forward-thinking-everything associated with Jordan Brand. Since, the designs have been rather head-scratching, from the woven cover guard of the 19s and the clunky space-boot look of the 20s-Who knew space boots would catch on, word to Kanye? -to the straight up half-assed 24s AJ 2009s.

Recently, pics of the AJ 2010s (25s) have surfaced. They have a window/eye smack dab in the middle of the shoe to represent MJ’s ability to “see through the competition.” The shit just looks like a goddamn hole, patched up with mesh. It’s the bottomed-out low point of the declining franchise (a charge once leveled at the 15s).

As for the LeBrons, they’ve evolved from the outlet-ready Air Zoom Generations to the Flightposite-esque 4s to the underwhelming 5s and 6s. But now we’ve reached numero seven. Out for some time, a looming all black colorway (probably cosigned by Jigga) is the zenith of the line thus far. After misguided, space-shoe abortions like the Huarache 2k4s, the LeBron 7s represent some of Nike Basketball’s best design work since (surprise) 2003, when ballers were blessed with the Zoom Ultraflights and Zoom Flight 2k3s (just wear tube socks).

Compared to those lightweight triumphs, the 7s are on the opposite side of the spectrum in terms of build (veering towards the Nike Total Foamposite Max in terms of proportions). Yet one look at the shoe and it’s clear that this is Nike’s signature shoe, perhaps across all lines. The feeling is similar to the one you had when you first saw the XIs, XIIIs, or even XVIIs-that this was the work of the best designers in the world. And if there was any confusion, it’s now evident that LeBron, not Kobe or MJ, is the face of the brand, Nike’s signature athlete.

Can’t say it didn’t take a while, though. By shoe number seven, there had been the iconic Air Jordan Is, IIIs, IVs, and VIs. The hit rate for the LeBron line hasn’t been quite the same but it’s finally his time. Maybe things will transpire on the court similarly.

Stephon Marbury may be losing his mind, crying and eating Vaseline on YouTube but he’s not that dumb. Unlike Kobe, Shaq, Roy Jones Jr., Allen Iverson, and Ron Artest, he hasn’t wasted all the time and energy—nevermind big bank—that it takes to launch a rap career. When he gets the urge, he just uploads a new Vlog to his ever-growing YouTube channel.

I mean, all the athletes listed above are MVP status… but they can’t rap their way out of a cardboard box.

Have a look back at some of the catastrophes…

Stephon Marbury doesn’t want to be a rapper he just freestyles for fun no matter how terrible it is. Sticking to basketball may be his brightest idea yet. 

Roy Jones Jr. was named “Fighter of the Decade” by the Boxing Writers Association of America in the 1990′s. He has won and held seven championship belts at one time. He was even in the Olympics, but that wasn’t enough—he had to be a rapper. “Ya’ll Must Of Forgot” is by far the worst song ever created. Round One: The Album hasn’t even gone gold.

Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Having scored 81 points in one game, it seemed like he could conquer anything, that is, except rap. Kobe’s big single “K.O.B.E”  featuring Tyra Banks made little noise in the rap world and the album was never released. Kinda like a movie going directly to DVD.

“Jewel” a.k.a Allen Iverson attempted a rap career in 2001. Although he claimed it was something he always wanted to do, his album was scrapped and never released. He did manage to release a few singles. “40 bars” caused the most controversy.

No doubt Ron Artest might be crazy, but out of all the athlete wanna-be rappers his song is the most listenable to. Still no Jay-Z or even Nelly for that matter (ouch!), the beat on his song doesn’t make you want to vomit. Mike Jones even makes a guest appearance, but not even he can help Ron’s rap career.

Shaq, may be talented on the court but with lyrics like “Then I punched ha in the stomach, I dont give a heck (Ayo why you play a hooker like that) cause she breathed on my neck.” It’s hard to understand just how his album went platinum…

Coming off of his second win in the NBA finals over the Orlando Magic last night, Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant received an enormous victory shout-out from “the best rapper alive.” In his honor Lil Wayne creates “Kobe Bryant” proclaiming Kobe to be the the greatest basketball player to ever don the purple and gold jersey.

On the track Wayne even compares his greatness to Bryant’s. “Ok, Kobe doin work, two four on my shirt, he the greatest on the court and I’m the greatest on the verse.”

Weezy’s lyrical homage even includes some words from MVP Lebron James. “I’ve been quoted as saying that he’s definitely the best player in our league…there’s not another guy in this league that can accomplish what he did.”

With the creation of this personalized theme song it’s very clear who Weezy’s rooting for in the finals. 

-Jeremy Clayton

The Spike Lee doc Kobe Doin’ Work covering a single Kobe performance against the San Antonio Spurs last year debuts on Saturday, but all eyes will be on him again come Sunday night (May 17).

The Lakers didn’t expect to reach a Game 7 against the Rockets—not with Yao and T-Mac dressed in suits. But Houston, led by Ron Artest and the unheralded Luis Scola have pushed L.A. to the brink of elimination through hard work, simple enough.

It’s the perfect opportunity for Kobe to cement his legend— or fall considerably. Last year’s loss to the Celtics in the Finals made visible the chinks in his armor, but more importantly, substantiated the school of thought—a philosophy founded by Shaq himself—that Kobe simply can’t win a championship on his own. And a loss to the Rockets in only the Conference Semifinals will provide further evidence.

Kobe’s fully aware of the criticisms, but does he realize that a loss here could very well mark the end of his run at the top? LeBron already took home the MVP. Dwight Howard could have the Magic at the Cavs’ heels soon enough. And ‘Melo has the Nuggets looking like the real “best in the West.”

At 30, Kobe may have peaked. Then again, MJ came back at 32 to win three championships. If Kobe is to fill those Air Jordans, now’s the time.

-Devin Chanda

EARTH DAY

April 22nd marks Earth Day, a day designated to inspire awareness and show appreciation for the environment.  Health and beauty supply store Kiehls has collaborated with Erykah Badu and 3 other social influencers to celebrate Earth Day by giving back with Superbly.  This Argan Body Lotion with Limited Edition Label Art is donating 100% of it’s proceeds to benefit WATERKEEPER ALLIANCE.  It’s program is dedicated to protecting and preserving community waterways from polluters.  The series also features Adrian Grenier (actor), Kelly Slater (surfer) and Parsons The New School for Design. http://www.kiehls.com/

On sale April 21st, be sure to get yours soon!

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL

So I’m sure many of you are familiar with Spike Lee’s documentary “Kobe Doin’ Work” which airs on ESPN May 16th @ 7:30; however this week the film will premiere at Tribeca Film Festival.  Here’s a preview.

PIC OF THE WEEK

The President and Bo

FILM OF THE WEEK

OBSESSED in theaters this Friday (April 24th)

If not for Beyonce, check it out for Idris!!!!

Want an MVP on your wrist?  Well, reach for your wallet and bring out the big bucks.  The man who repeatedly has been called the best baller on the planet, LA Lakers’ Kobe Bryant collaborates with Swiss maker of high end watches Nubeo and together they launch the super exclusive time piece called… you guessed it, The Black Mamba.  The light weight, high resistance, ergonomic watch made primarily of rubber, grade 5 titanium and ceramic is designed to combine the three features masculinity, sporty and sophistication, just like Bryant himself.  You can find it in three colors; black for masculinity, orange for sporty and whisky colored sapphires for sophistication.  This September, the watches will come in two versions, the Black Mamba Ultimate and the Black Mamba MVP.  The first one, you might just have a shot at if you hurry, a total of 240 pieces are being produced and sold. The MVP is gonna be trickier though.  Only 24 pieces will hit the market.  Why only 24?  Exclusivity and of course, to honor Bryant’s jersey number.  After all, he is a super hero for Nubeo.

”We at Nubeo recognize the Black Mamba as a symbol of a true superhero: a mythical, ever- surviving image of ancient Greece. Kobe is our modern day version of that classical hero.”
Black Mamba MVP

Black Mamba Ultimate

Spike Lee’s new hoops-themed doc, Kobe Doin’ Work will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 25.

Inspired by the French documentary Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, which follows the European soccer icon through one match, Kobe Doin’ Work presents a single basketball game entirely from the perspective of LA Laker and 2008 NBA MVP, Kobe Bryant.  Shooting with multiple cameras positioned around the Staples Center, Lee–a well-known basketball fanatic–captures every move that Bryant makes.  After its Tribeca debut, the documentary will air on ESPN on Saturday, May 16 at 7:30pm and then hits DVD the following Tuesday, May 19.  (Look for GIANT’s review in the upcoming May issue).

Kobe Doin’ Work is one of eight movies that will be airing as part of Sports Film Festival, that’s part of the larger Tribeca fest.  Also on the docket is Lost Son of Havana, a documentary about Cuban baseball pitcher Luis Tiant; Rudo y Cursi, a dark comedy about a pair of soccer-playing siblings (played by Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna); and Love the Beast, actor Eric Bana’s directorial debut, which explores his life-long fascination with cars.

For more information about the Tribeca Film Festival visit the festival’s official website.  And keep your eyes peeled for GIANT’s coverage when the 2009 fest kicks off on April 22.

GIANT: Spirituality also plays a large role in this movie, as it has in many of your films.  Why is that a subject that continues to interest you?
Lee: Well, definitely in a war you’re praying to God or Allah or whatever because you don’t know when you’ll be taken down by a bullet or a bomb or step on a mine.  So you call upon the Great Almighty so that you can live another day.  Look at the plane that just went down in the Hudson.  I bet there were people on that plane who hadn’t prayed in a long time!

GIANT: Were there any scenes from the book that you felt disappointed about having to leave out of the film?
Lee: No, the film is already long so we had enough time to get everything we needed.  James wrote the script himself and I think he did a fine job.  He understood right away what would work in a film and what wouldn’t.  We actually added some stuff that wasn’t in the book, like the Axis Sally character [a propaganda device used by the Nazis to convince black soldiers to abandon their regiments] and a flashback to their time in boot camp in Louisiana when they’re not served at an ice cream place, but Nazi POW’s are allowed to eat there.

GIANT: You were able to shoot the film on location in Northern Italy.  Was it hard to sell the studio on that plan?
Lee: Actually it was an easy sell because the bulk of the money came from Italy and France.  Disney only came onboard as the domestic distributor.  But we had to shoot this movie in Italy—we had to.  And it was beautiful there.  We were in a very remote location and those hills are no joke!  We had to do some hiking.  We shot the St. Anna massacre at the actual place where it occurred, the village of Sant’Anna di Stazzema, where the SS slaughtered innocent Italian civilians.  It was a very heavy two days—we could feel the souls and spirits of the people that had been murdered.

GIANT: The movie opens with an epic battle scene.  Would you say that was the most challenging sequence to shoot?
Lee: It was one of them because I had never done anything like it before.  I had a wonderful military adviser named Billy Budd, an English bloke and a former British Marine.  He was wonderful and really schooled me in how to make it authentic.  He also conducted a two-week boot camp for the actors, not just the ones playing Buffalo Soldiers but the actors playing Nazis too.  For me, that whole sequence was a lot of fun.  I know it sounds strange to say it was fun shooting a war scene, but I’ve never had that kind of stuff in my movies before—explosions going off and people flying through the air.  At one point I had to get up on a hill that overlooked the field in order to see all of what was going on.

GIANT: So you were like a real general, then.
Lee: I’m not saying I was Patton, but I had a great vantage point. [Laughs]

GIANT: You recently acquired the rights to make another World War II film, Now the Hell Will Start.
Lee: That’s a whole different [war film].  It takes place in Burma and it’s about the biggest manhunt put on by the U.S. Army during World War II.  Based on a great novel by Brendan I. Koerner.

GIANT: In the meantime, your film version of the Tony-award winning Broadway musical Passing Strange just premiered at Sundance to strong buzz.
Lee: Yeah, it came out great.  We filmed the last two shows and the performers were really doing a lot of work—you can see them sweating.  Not that they weren’t working hard in the other 500 shows they did, but they knew these were going to be preserved forever.  We’re still negotiating when and how the film is going to be released.

GIANT: You’re also working on a Kobe Bryant documentary.
Lee: We’re going to premiere it as the All-Star Game in Phoenix this weekend and its going to be on ESPN in May.  It follows him during one game.  I was inspired by the movie Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait [about the French soccer player], but we did some things differently.  We go into the locker room before and after the game and during halftime as well.  Also, Kobe was wearing a mic during the game.

GIANT: This year marks the 20th anniversary of Do the Right Thing.  Are there any plans to celebrate the occasion?
Lee: We’re doing a big event at Lincoln Center on February 26th and we’re working on the 20th anniversary Blu-ray version of the film with a whole bunch of new extras.  It’s a great film, a landmark film.  There’s a lot of stuff that’s still with us today—it still resonates.  That’s why people still cherish it and why it is still taught in film study programs all over the world.  But I’ve never thought about making a sequel.  It would diminish the original piece.  It would tarnish it and I don’t want to do that.

Miracle at St. Anna is on DVD now.  Read GIANT’s review here.  Watch the trailer below and then travel back in time to 1989 with the Do the Right Thing teaser.

For more “Talking With…”, see below:

Eamonn Walker

Malcolm D. Lee

James Wan

Teams and individuals are always looking to stay on top by making a big splash, on or off the field. Here’s the 8 moves from the past year that did the most to assert dominance or cement a legacy—by any means.

8. Coach Drops Pants, Wins Job

Down at halftime of an October game against the shitty Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers interim coach Mike Singletary tried to fire up his team… with a deft, downward pull of his pants. “I used my pants to illustrate that we were getting our tails whipped,” he said. It didn’t quite work—they lost 34-13. However, since the incident, the Niners began beating the teams they’re supposed to (i.e. god-awful St. Louis). As a result, Singletary is about to put pen to paper on a permanent deal.

7. Lakers Decide Kobe Can’t Do It Himself

It took the Lakers’ front office a while (three years, give or take) to realize what everyone already knew (Kobe ain’t MJ), but they finally got him some help. On February 1, Kobe received a replacement Shaq—except Spanish and the occasional pansy. Pau Gasol can ball, though, and his chemistry with Kobe is blossoming—to the point where the Lakers look like the favorites to win the title, after beating the Celtics recently.

6. Manchester City Becomes Rich, Bitch

In Manchester, there’s two big soccer teams: Manchester United, and fugly step-child Manchester City, loved only by those with an acquired taste for under-achievement and Oasis fans. With the ex-Man City owner facing jailtime, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE decided to buy the team for about $300 million, instantly making them the richest club in the world. The Sheikh then bought Brazilian striker Robinho from Real Madrid for $50 million, a British record and a sum which doesn’t even include Robinho’s playing salary.

5. Bron-Bron Doing Bron-Bron

Which means being the third dude ever to be on the cover of Vogue (albeit a kinda racist one), having Hov make diss records for you when bum-ass scrubs (DeShawn Stevenson) wanna step to you, throwing powder all over Weezy F. (he’s dirty anyway) in one of his Nike ads, getting Nicole Scherzinger (she’s bad) all wet in another Nike ad, and continuing to be worshipped in Cleveland though he doesn’t care to be there.

4. Nadal Wins Wimbledon…

It marked the first time Roger Federer, arguably the greatest tennis player ever, was beaten in a Wimbledon final, and thus the reason he eventually lost his world No. 1 ranking—which he held for 237 consecutive weeks—to Nadal. It wasn’t easy for Nadal, considering the battle between the Spaniard and the Swiss was the longest final match ever at Wimbledon, clocking in at right under 5 hours.

3. Phelps Touches Down In Beijing

With the exception of the 4x100m freestyle relay where his homeboy had to save his ass and the equally nerve-wracking 100m butterfly, Michael Phelps won just by showing up.

2. Yankees to Red Sox, Rest of League: “Got Ya, Bitch!”

The Yankees weren’t supposed to spend more after spending $240 million on two pitchers and another $30 million on taxes because they spent $240 million. But then they spent another $180 million on the best free agent available. Why? Because they can. Because “you play to win the game.” Because what every other team calls “unfair” or “ridiculous,” the Yankees call “ruthless commitment.” Catch up.

1. Usain Bolt Quits The 400

The Jamaican sprinter was supposedly too lazy for the long distance. So he asked his coach to run the 100. Phelps may have won the most gold medals, but Bolt started celebrating 60m into his race. And he DJ’d the afterparty.

-Devin Chanda