In one of the most hilarious films at the Los Angeles Film Festival this year, “The Last Time You Had Fun” is an enjoyable laughable film of four middle-aged people trying to have fun during a night out in Los Angeles.
The movie stars Eliza Coupe, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Demetri Martin, Kyle Bornheimer, Charlyne Yi and Jimmi Simpson.
Here’s the synopsis:
When Idea, cheeks streaked by mascara tears, unexpectedly shows up at her sister’s place, the staid Alison bargains her way out of mom duty for the night and the two head off to an eastside win bar. There, they run into Will and the freshly divorced, sweatpants-attired Clark. After some slightly inebriated commiserating about mismanaged marriages and other adult concerns, the foursome head out into the night, careening from downtown lofts to pot dispernsaries to midnight swims and back again, determined to prove they still have what...
The movie stars Eliza Coupe, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Demetri Martin, Kyle Bornheimer, Charlyne Yi and Jimmi Simpson.
Here’s the synopsis:
When Idea, cheeks streaked by mascara tears, unexpectedly shows up at her sister’s place, the staid Alison bargains her way out of mom duty for the night and the two head off to an eastside win bar. There, they run into Will and the freshly divorced, sweatpants-attired Clark. After some slightly inebriated commiserating about mismanaged marriages and other adult concerns, the foursome head out into the night, careening from downtown lofts to pot dispernsaries to midnight swims and back again, determined to prove they still have what...
- 6/15/2014
- by Gig Patta
- LRMonline.com
Pity the indie superhero. He can't afford big special effects or a badass car or a personal trainer to help him get big muscles. As a result, the superhero of indie movies is almost always a variation on the same guy, one who's a lot cheaper to portray on a budget: the crazy dude with no powers who transforms himself into a comic book character as an outward manifestation of some sort of internal distress. Either he's royally depressed (James Gunn's "Super"), or hallucinating thanks to an experimental medication (Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passamore's "Special") or he's a guy like the titular hero of "Griff the Invisible" who is... well, to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what Griff's problem is. And that, in turn, is the movie's biggest problem.
Just who is Griff (beyond the fact that he's played by "True Blood" hunk Ryan Kwanten)? At work, he's...
Just who is Griff (beyond the fact that he's played by "True Blood" hunk Ryan Kwanten)? At work, he's...
- 8/14/2011
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
I must admit that I approached writer/director James Gunn’s quirky action/comedy “Super” with much trepidation. You see, I’m of the belief that Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore’s disturbingly underrated gem “Special” is the end-all, be-all of peculiar, off-beat superhero flicks. It’s a near-perfect blend of action, comedy, and dramatic depth, a mixture that others have attempted to replicate yet failed to achieve. James Gunn comes dangerously close to obtaining this goal, and while he just falls short of the mark, “Super” will definitely have its own unique space in any discerning cult cinema fan’s film collection. Assuming, of course, that you have a high tolerance for Gunn’s style of shock humor. If you don’t, I completely understand. It takes some getting used to. That having been said, it’s worth stating that “Super” is definitely not for everyone. Gunn pulls absolutely no punches here,...
- 4/23/2011
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
Comedies with heart are a weakness of mine. For instance, “World’s Greatest Dad,” while extremely crude and unusual, is impossibly sweet and heartfelt, as is Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore’s grossly underrated 2006 superhero flick “Special.” This may explain why I’m drawn to Chris Bowman’s upcoming feature-length debut “Humble Pie” (aka “American Fork”), which is written by “Sasquatch Gang” co-star Hubbel Palmer. What’s more, it’s produced by Jeremy Coon, one of the cinematic wizards behind the creation of “Napoleon Dynamite,” a film that I could literally watch over and over again, nonstop, until the end of time. I kid you not. One of the more interesting aspects of the film is the presence of William Baldwin, who seems to be doing his best Alec Baldwin impersonation. It’s amusing if nothing else. The official synopsis lies below: At nearly 400 pounds, Tracy Orbison (Hubbel Palmer) is a wide target.
- 11/11/2009
- by Todd
- Beyond Hollywood
One of the Canadian films premiering at the Toronto Film Festival this year that seems to be getting a lot of early buzz is Peter Stebbings' Defendor. The film stars Woody Harrelson as a somewhat delusional man who thinks he is a superhero trying to track down his arch enemy Captain Industry. It definitely sounds very similar to Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore's Special which featured Michael Rapaport in a nearly identical role, but apparently the script was written way back in 2005. I guess that means it also has no connection to "real-life superheroes" like The Shadow Hare [1], who have recently become YouTube stars. The first trailer for Defendor has turned up online this week, and it looks pretty good, I guess. I generally love Woody Harrelson's comedic performances, but I'm just wondering if the movie's premise will eventually overstay its welcome. I am not that interested...
- 9/3/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
With Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore’s Special - in which Michael Rapaport plays a man convinced by his medication that he is developing super powers - beginning its limited theatrical run this past Friday we were offered a theatrical one sheet for the film signed by the trio of Rapaport, Haberman, and Passmore to give away to a lucky Twitch reader. For your crack at it all you had to do was name the earlier film in which Rapaport had the leading role as a wrestling chiropractor, which is of course The Naked Man. Our congratulations go out to VincentKukua who had the correct answer and whose name was first out of the hat. Vincent, the poster is yours!
As for the rest of you, check the Special trailers below the break and get out to support this little gem.
As for the rest of you, check the Special trailers below the break and get out to support this little gem.
- 11/25/2008
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
Okay boys and girls ... Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore’s film Special is one we’ve shown a lot of love to in these pages over the past couple years and for very good reason: it deserves a lot of love. The quirky indie comedy starring Michael Rapaport as a clinically depressed man convinced that he is developing super powers has been stuck in distribution limbo for a couple years now but thanks to the good folk at Magnet and their Six Shooter Films series you can finally see what we’ve been talking about when it begins its limited theatrical run (also available on VOD) today. And to celebrate we’ve got a little something to give away to you lot: an original Special one sheet signed by Haberman, Passmore and Rapaport!
Want it? Simple enough all you have to do is answering this question: Though Rapaport dominantly plays...
Want it? Simple enough all you have to do is answering this question: Though Rapaport dominantly plays...
- 11/22/2008
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
Haven’t heard of the film Special? I hadn’t either and that is an absolute crime. Completed in 2006, Special is finally getting a Us release date. This beautiful independent movie, by first time film makers Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore received rave reviews from the festival circuit. Special, along with the critically acclaimed vampire film Let the Right One In is part of Magnolia Pictures Six Shooter Series. I can’t wait to see the rest if these are any example.
- 11/21/2008
- UGO Movies
There is, alas, nothing particularly "Special" about this strange little movie that provides a rare starring role for Michael Rappaport, a ubiquitous and reliable supporting actor whose face is more recognizable than his name.
Rappaport plays a morose parking meter cop and comic book fan who thinks he's acquired super powers after participating in a clinical test for a drug designed to suppress "self-doubt."
In the movie's shaky reality, he's actually become delusional. He can't understand why he's developing bloody noses and worse from walking through walls and wading into convenience-store holdups.
Rappaport does...
Rappaport plays a morose parking meter cop and comic book fan who thinks he's acquired super powers after participating in a clinical test for a drug designed to suppress "self-doubt."
In the movie's shaky reality, he's actually become delusional. He can't understand why he's developing bloody noses and worse from walking through walls and wading into convenience-store holdups.
Rappaport does...
- 11/21/2008
- by By LOU LUMENICK
- NYPost.com
Just so we can get it out of the way - Hal Haberman is a pervert. I claim that Haberman, one-half of the directing team behind Special - the superhero movie about a man with no super powers - is a pervert for several reasons. 1. While the other one-half of that ...
- 11/21/2008
- by Cole Abaius
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
At a time when superhero movies have a seemingly limitless grip on the popular imagination, a micro-budget indie like Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore's Special stands out for suggesting why that might be. Without the money for big effects—or more than a handful of locations, for that matter—the film instead looks inward, ruminating on how the superhero myth can tap into private fantasies and delusions of grandeur. Through the story of a comic-book fan who becomes convinced he has special powers, Haberman and Passmore take the subgenre to a comic/melancholic place that's common to a lot of independent films, but nonetheless affecting and sweet. Its ambitions are limited—though at 81 minutes, wisely proportioned—but its heart is in the right place. Stepping out for a rare lead role (not including his regrettable Fox sitcom The War At Home), Michael Rapaport carries the film with his loveable earnestness and a meek.
- 11/20/2008
- by Scott Tobias
- avclub.com
Coming Soon has your exclusive first look at a new clip from Special, opening in theatres on November 21 st. The film is written and directed by Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore, the film stars Michael Rapaport, Ian Bohen, Alexandra Holden, ndrew Leeds, Ian McConnel and Josh Peck. In Special, Les Franken is a kind-hearted and soft-spoken man who loves reading comic books. He’s the type of guy who most people walk by on the street without even noticing; in essence, he’s completely average and virtually invisible.
However, everything changes for Les the day he is accepted into an experimental drug study for a new and exciting anti-depressant, Specioprin Hydrochloride. As Les begins to take the drugs an unexpected side effect occurs –...
(more...)...
However, everything changes for Les the day he is accepted into an experimental drug study for a new and exciting anti-depressant, Specioprin Hydrochloride. As Les begins to take the drugs an unexpected side effect occurs –...
(more...)...
- 11/14/2008
- by John
- ReelSuave.com
Not such a big fan of that poster but, yes indeed, I am more than a little bit fond of the film it promotes, that being Special, the superhero comedy starring Michael Rapaport from directors Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore, neither of whom has made another film since this one and both of whom need to so somebody give them some money, quick.
But I digress. Rapaport is Les, a clinically depressed meter maid who volunteers to take part in clinical trials of a new anti-depression drug. And, sure, he ends up a whole lot less depressed but also believing that he has super powers. This film was the opening night gala of the very first Toronto After Dark two solid years ago and has been stuck in bad distributor hell since, but will finally be arriving on VOD and in a limited theatrical run in November and there’s...
But I digress. Rapaport is Les, a clinically depressed meter maid who volunteers to take part in clinical trials of a new anti-depression drug. And, sure, he ends up a whole lot less depressed but also believing that he has super powers. This film was the opening night gala of the very first Toronto After Dark two solid years ago and has been stuck in bad distributor hell since, but will finally be arriving on VOD and in a limited theatrical run in November and there’s...
- 10/18/2008
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
Michael Rapaport (Zebrahead, True Romance, Higher Learning, The Naked Man) stars as Les an underconfident and lonley "Metermaid". Les decides to take part in a medical trail for a drug named "special" which is meant to increase confidence, much in the way that modern antidepressants like Seroxat or Prozac are said to. Les how ever has a serious psychotic reaction to the drug, which is in its final stages of human testing before it goes public. Not long after ingesting the first dose Les an avid comic book fan begins to believe he is developing super powers. The first power that manifests itself is flight or more to the point the ability to hover. Les returns to the offices of the doctor running the trails and while discussing his new found hovering skills he notices the development of telekinesis. Though the Dr tells him to immediately cease taking the medication,...
- 10/7/2008
- by Leigh
- Latemag.com/film
Special, an offbeat dark comedy, follows the journey of Les Franken played by Michael Rapaport (Hitch, Grilled) as a superhero for our chemically enhanced time.
Les Franken, a lonely parking enforcement officer who enjoys reading comic books, decides to take part in a clinical trial for a new and exciting antidepressant called 'Special'. An unexpected side effect of the drug renders him with superpowers - or so he thinks. While his doctor dismisses the drug's side effects as an adverse psychological reaction to the medication, Les takes his cue from the comics he reads to embrace his newfound “powers” and quits his job to devote his life to fighting evil, real or imagined. Les is an every day kind of superhero, the apparently gifted and yet disturbed human who wishes to save the world. Writers Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore based some of the characters on friends from...
Les Franken, a lonely parking enforcement officer who enjoys reading comic books, decides to take part in a clinical trial for a new and exciting antidepressant called 'Special'. An unexpected side effect of the drug renders him with superpowers - or so he thinks. While his doctor dismisses the drug's side effects as an adverse psychological reaction to the medication, Les takes his cue from the comics he reads to embrace his newfound “powers” and quits his job to devote his life to fighting evil, real or imagined. Les is an every day kind of superhero, the apparently gifted and yet disturbed human who wishes to save the world. Writers Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore based some of the characters on friends from...
- 10/7/2008
- by Leigh
- Latemag.com/film
- Wow. A full two years after premiering in the 2006 edition of Sundance film festival, the little picture that could will be receiving the light of day in theaters via Magnolia pictures' newst label. The company has been on a tear as off late - filling up the slate for their newest distribution arm: Magnet Releasing (check out the complete slate for the year ahead here). Directed by Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore, Special (which will receive a summer release) is a comedy for those who have always wanted to be a superhero - this sees Les Franken (Michael Rapaport) lead a painfully unremarkable life as a metermaid until he enrolls in a drug study for an experimental anti-depressant. An unexpected side effect of the drug convinces Les he is developing special powers and must quit his job to answer his new calling in life... Superhero. ...
- 2/15/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
NEW YORK -- Magnolia Pictures' genre arm, Magnet Releasing, has picked up North American rights to the comedy Special, starring Michael Rapaport as a man who becomes convinced he's a superhero.
Josh Peck (The Wackness) and Paul Blackthorne also star in Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore's feature writing-directing debut. Edward Parks of Rival Pictures produced the film and repped the sale with WMI.
Rapaport plays a comic book-obsessed meter maid who enters a clinical trial for a new drug that inhibits self-doubt. The resulting delusions lead him to a series of misadventures. Peck plays one of his buddies and Blackthorne plays a drug company executive.
Special premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. In addition to Rapaport's exposure on Fox's The War at Home, an additional selling point is Peck's star turn in Sony Pictures Classics' The Wackness. A late-summer release is planned.
Josh Peck (The Wackness) and Paul Blackthorne also star in Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore's feature writing-directing debut. Edward Parks of Rival Pictures produced the film and repped the sale with WMI.
Rapaport plays a comic book-obsessed meter maid who enters a clinical trial for a new drug that inhibits self-doubt. The resulting delusions lead him to a series of misadventures. Peck plays one of his buddies and Blackthorne plays a drug company executive.
Special premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. In addition to Rapaport's exposure on Fox's The War at Home, an additional selling point is Peck's star turn in Sony Pictures Classics' The Wackness. A late-summer release is planned.
- 2/15/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
CANNES -- First Look Studios has nabbed worldwide rights to Special, featuring Michael Rapaport as a comic book-loving meter maid who finds he has developed extraordinary superpowers. In Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore's first feature film, which premiered at January's Sundance Film Festival, Rapaport's ordinary Joe takes a mind-altering drug that sends him into a world of defying gravity, reading people's minds and walking through walls. First Look also has bought U.S. rights to the Northern Ireland action-thriller Johnny Was, executive producer Ben Katz said Saturday, adding that the movie also has been accepted for the Karlovy Vary film festival. That movie stars former soccer player Vinnie Jones (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), Patrick Bergin (Played), former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and the Who's Roger Daltrey.
- 5/21/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- This year Ioncinema.com is covering the 2006 edition of the Sundance Film Festival Live from Park City, Utah. Weâ.ll be on hand to cover the festival, and while we wonâ.t be able to cover everything from A to Z: here is a comprehensive beforehand look at the selections in each of the festivalâ.s sections. (Note: To access individual preview pages, simply click on the links below) January 19th to the 29th, 2006Counting Down: updateCountdownClock('January 19, 2006'); A Matter of Degrees - Davis Guggenheim Adam's Apples - Anders Thomas Jensen All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise - Shari Cookson Battle in Heaven - Carlos Reygadas Beyond Beats and Rhymes: A Hip-Hop Head Weighs In On Manhood in Hip-Hop Culture - Byron Hurt Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon - Peter Richardson Dreamland - Jason Matzner Ev Confidential: Who Killed the Electric Car? - Chris Paine Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out
- 1/16/2006
- IONCINEMA.com
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