summer of the state

the state may not have lasted that long, but its former members have gone on to do many other things that i've also loved. two movies come out soon that were written and directed and star former state members. and i plan on seeing both as soon as they hit town.

the ten
directed by david wain
written by wain and ken marino (you know, vinnie van lowe)

the concept is pretty solid: 10 stories, each based on one of the 10 commandments. from the trailers, i can tell i'm pretty much going to love it. from reading some mild spoilers, i'm pretty sure my favorite vignettes are going to be the ones with kerri kenney (i think it's supposed to be honor your parents) and winona ryder (funnily enough, thou shalt not steal).

overall, i've been a fan of what wain has written and directed in the past, which pretty much boils down to skits on the state, wet hot american summer, and stella (the latter two having been co-written with fellow ex-state member michael showalter). i'm pretty sure i'll be laughing throughout most of the movie.

balls of fury
directed by ben garant
written by ben garant and thomas lennon

overall concept: extreme ping-pong. the trailers haven't thrilled me all too much, i'm sad to say. i loved lennon's and garant's writing on reno 911!, viva variety, and the state. but...they also co-wrote taxi (the one with jimmy fallon and queen latifah which i had to turn off after 30 minutes), the lindsay lohan wreck that was herbie: fully loaded (which i turned off after 20 minutes), and the pacifer (the one with vin diesel as a "manny", which i actually made it halfway through, although i was drunk at the time of viewing). they also co-wrote night at the museum (i haven't seen it, but if i remember correctly, one of my friend's said it was "cute") and let's go to prison (which, although it starred will arnett, i'll still probably never, ever see).

see the distinction there? i love their tv work, but have either been disgusted or uninterested in their film work. still...i'm going to give balls of fury a chance, if just for christopher walken. the worst that can happen is it ends up being like dodgeball, only not funny.