Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness (2011)

[cyderak]

While Christopher Walken makes this skit sing, Will does a damn good job in it, IMHO.

More Cowbell! from Christian Juarez

I'm tellin ya......i gotta have more CowBell baby!!!!

 

[Klaus]

He was funny in Zoolander.

No one was funny in Zoolander.

Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler are three actors I just can't seem to find funny.

 

[Heathen72]

No one was funny in Zoolander.

Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler are three actors I just can't seem to find funny.

Re: Zoolander. I and the cinema filled with laughing people I saw it with beg to differ. I have no issue with your second comment as it at least acknowledges your limitations to be the issue at hand.

 

[Klaus]

Re: Zoolander. I and the cinema filled with laughing people I saw it with beg to differ. I have no issue with your second comment as it at least acknowledges your limitations to be the issue at hand.

Oh, I'm sure there are people who think these guys are funny. It's just a very localized thing.

For instance, most Will Ferrell movies are direct-to-DVD here in Brazil because his box office appeal is very limited to us.

 

[Heathen72]

Oh, I'm sure there are people who think these guys are funny. It's just a very localized thing.

For instance, most Will Ferrell movies are direct-to-DVD here in Brazil because his box office appeal is very limited to us.

Ahh, I see. Yes, your location explains everything. Thanks.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

For instance, most Will Ferrell movies are direct-to-DVD here in Brazil because his box office appeal is very limited to us.

Brazil, you say?
Would you find him funnier if, saaaay, he performed his roles in a Speedo?

 

[Thunderfoot]

With the single exception of the cowbell skit - Will Ferrel is about as funny as case of herpes. And with only a couple of exceptions, which are not coming to mind (no the Fockers is NOT one of them) Ben Stiller also falls in that category.

Adam Sandler is not funny when he tries to be stupid boy - when he acts like a person instead of an idiot (like in 50 First Dates or I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry) he's actually quite good.

 

[Thunderfoot]

Oh, I'm sure there are people who think these guys are funny. It's just a very localized thing.

For instance, most Will Ferrell movies are direct-to-DVD here in Brazil because his box office appeal is very limited to us.

They know humor (or the lack of it), Rush and Iron Maiden are top bands, they have Carnival and most of the beaches are topless - why the Hell haven't I moved there yet?

 

[Thunderfoot]

Two words..........WILL......FERRELL.........Your Welcome!!!!

Four words ....GODS ....I ....HOPE .....NOT!!!!! No, you're welcome.

 

[Thunderfoot]

<SNIP> I know alot of people are sick of hearing this but why in all that is holy don't they make a Companions of the Hall movie. You know, Drizzt, Cattie-Brie, Bruenor, Wulfgar, and the rest. Awesome fight scenes abound. It would be a blockbuster waiting to happen. (If done right.)

I can think of three reasons this wouldn't fly.:

1) The story is way too intricate to put on acetate. Batman is re-launched three times, Superman look like its getting yet another re-launch, etc, And each re-launch tells the evolution of the character to ensure that everyone knows it, which is a good assumption because everyone doesn't know the evolution of these iconic superheroes. You can't assume everyone knows their backstory story that will see the movie, because not everyone will. Think how big a hit Iron Man was and how many people saw it that had zero interest in the comic book. (let's face it Iron Man was a second rate title compared to some other Marvel staples.) It started with fans yes, but it grew daily because it was a great movie.

2) The budget is too limited. With a big story arc you need dedicated funds to continue the story to make it manageable, otherwise you end up with a single movie trying to tell an entire story that should span multiple movies in less than two hours. In other words, you get DUNE. Great novels, great acting in the movie, the movie was way too short to explain what the heck was going on. Cult classic, yes, great film for all time, not even in consideration.

3) Star Vehicle limitations - the first movie had great star power with three very well known named actors/actresses playing big parts, and all that money for production went right in their pockets and starved the real reason for the movie, to tell a story. In order to propel a story arc like the one you propose you may be able to get away with shooting the first movie with a bunch of unknowns, but by the second and third movie they will demand larger salaries and if the movies are only marginal, well, see the first movie.

I agree that they need a good story and one that will appeal to fans, but it also has to appeal to non-fans. Someone suggested Dragonlance - I wouldn't watch that if you paid me, I think Weis & Hickman are hacks. I realize I am in the minority, but considering the lack of D&D movie support so far, every ticket counts, so you cannot polarize your audience.

Your idea has merit if you focus on one character, Drizzt for instance would probably be a good one to start with, telling about his crawl out of the underdark, maybe introducing one or two other characters in a limited capacity and then building on it. But you are banking a lot on the success of the first one to continue to generate income for any sequels, and as we saw with the first one, one misstep causes the whole thing to become a niche project.

I have a feeling that unless someone in Hollywood comes up with a very large personal amount of money to fund a big budget D&D movie, we should just get used to small screen one-off throw aways and probably be thankful we are getting those.