There’s a fascinating sort of hive mind that exists in Hollywood, which is essentially a giant monkeys-at-typewriters statistical exercise that sometimes spits out two nearly identical projects at the same time. But while I can understand the existence of two asteroid movies (1998’s Deep Impact and Armageddon), two Truman Capote movies (2005’s Capote and 2006’s Infamous), and even the ongoing Chinese Democracy-style journey of the two rumored Janis Joplin biopics to the screen, I find it amazing in a totally enjoyable way that for 2009, the greatest entertainment minds of our generation have dreamed and toiled and employed all of their considerable talents to generate…two mall-cop movies?
It was just announced that Observe and Report, the newest from funny Foot Fist Way writer/director Jody Hill, will premiere at the SXSW Film Fest this March. Starring Seth Rogen as "a deluded, self-important head of mall security who squares off in a turf war against the local cops," the film is a dark comedy, which is the most obvious way in which it will differ from this weekend’s Paul Blart: Mall Cop, the ultra-broad Kevin James vehicle directed by Steve Carr. (Funny story: Steve Carr used to do album art for Def Jam in the ’90s, which means the same dude who directed Daddy Day Care also designed the cover for, like, Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet.)
How to explain, PopWatchers? What’s so zeitgeisty about mall cops? Which one of these films are you more excited to see? And can you think of other memorable two-fers in movie history?
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I’ll try to give it a chance. But this does not portend a good trend.
The were two Robin Hood films that came out at the same time – one Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves with Kevin Costner and the other Robin Hood with Patrick Bergin. History shows which was the bigger hit even though the Patrick Bergin one was releases first (IMDB lists it as a TV movie but I remember it in the cinemas).
“Volcano” and “Dante’s Peak”?
Paul Blart: Mall Cop – I’ve been looking forward to this since I saw the trailer last year.
As far as a trend goes, I’m sure remakes don’t count, right?
Paul Blart Mall Cop – I can’t even see a commercial w/out instantly laughing.
there was also the two first daughter movies with similar twists in plot, one with mandy moore and the other katie holmes
There are numerous examples of this, but what springs to mind first is the animated ant duo of the Woody Allen/Sylvester Stallone voiced “Antz” and Pixar’s oft-forgotten (compared to their other stellar films) sophomore effort: A Bug’s Life
Madagascar and The Wild. I can’t stand when this happens. It annoys me a LOT.
Columbus and 1492 in the early 90’s. I don’t know if they came out the same year, but I remember Kevin Costner’s Wyatt Earp and Tombstone being relesed pretty close to each other.
A bunch of movies about penguins came out at the same time: Happy Feet, March of the Penguins, and some other stupid one about surfing penguins. Seriously BAD timing!
Not movies, but TV…remember a couple of years ago when 30 Rock and Studio 60, TV shows about TV shows, came out at the same time? We all know how that turned out…
Paul Blart looks awful and juvenile – I didn’t laugh once during the idiotic trailer. Oh and of course it’s set in Jersey, land of malls. Observe and Report however, should be excellent, and not just because I loooove Seth Rogen – a dark comedy about mall cops? How is that not awesome?
I can remember a few two-fers
Two turn of the century, semi-victorian movies about magicians (The Prestige and The Illusionist), and two Christopher Columbus movies in 1992.
Honorable Mention: The Sopranos came out about the same time as Analyze This. While one was tv and the other a movie, EW even noted how odd it was. Also, both the movie (sequel) and tv show made references to each other.
Also, TV mention: 30 rock and studio 60 covered more or less the same material and came out the same season.
And weren’t there a bunch of animated penguin movies that all seemed to come out at the same time like a year or two ago?
Panda Express & Yoshinoya Beef Bowl
Platoon (Released December ‘86) and Full Metal Jacket (Released June ‘87)
Finding Nemo and A Shark’s Tale
Turner and Hooch and K-9
Like Father Like Son and Vice Versa
The Truman Show and Ed TV
Volcano and Dante’s Peak
United 93 and World Trade Center
“Bug’s Life” & “Ants”
“Armmegedon” & “Deep Impact”
“Volcano” & “Dante’s Peak”
“Tombstone” & “Wyatt Earp”
“The Illusionist” & “The Prestige”
“Chasing Liberty” and “First Daughter.” And while my love for Mandy Moore equals a love for “Chasing Liberty,” neither First Daughter compares to the 1998 Disney Channel Original Movie “My Date With the President’s Daughter.”
At least every 2 years (if not every year it seems) you get 2 victorian pieces. Not that they do big in the box office but always seem to dominate the academy awards
I have two “three-fers”:
1) Leviathan / Deep Star Six / The Abyss (all 1989; although the latter was not of the horror genre, all dealt with sea-bound anomalies)
2) Weird Science / My Science Project / Real Genius (all 1985; clearly geek was chic in ‘85 with these ‘teens conduct science experiments’ movies, unless, that is, you look at the box office takes and leave out Back to the Future)
i hate kevin james and his mall cop movie is going to be crap.
how does this guy have a career? he’s not funny!
1)Mission to Mars & Red Planet
2)Lions for Lambs, In the Valley of Elah, Rendition
1. the illusionist
2. the prestige
both great in different ways.
I think Kevin James is hilarious and can’t wait for Paul Blart, Mall Cop. Every time I see the trailor I crack up. He slays me!
I agree… The Illusionist and The Prestige were both GREAT movies and in completely different ways! Good call!
The new Sherlock Holmes movies in development (action drama with RDJ and Jude Law + comedy with Will Ferrell and Sasha Baron Cohen)
Volcano
Dante’s Peak
Didn’t two movies about Steve Prefontaine come out at about the same time? That seemed kind of random to me, even more than mall cops.
My twofers: Pre(fontaine) and “Without Limits.”
Top Gun and Iron Eagle
The Seth Rogen one sounds interesting, but it also sounds like the kind of movie I would wait and rent on DVD instead of seeing at the theater for $10. But seriously, mall cops? Weird subject. Have any other mall cop movies ever been made, or is this a new trend?
I must admit even the picture of the King of Queens makes me laugh. In other news- that’s Seth Rogen? When did that happen?