In Hollywood there's this sort of phenomena that happens every few years, where two movies are remarkably similar and are released right around the same time. Two will enter, only one will leave. We've seen it with disaster films (Armageddon vs Deep Impact). We've seen it with magician period dramas (The Prestige vs The Illusionist). We've even seen it in family films (Antz vs A Bug's Life). This year there's another of these battles, but luckily these two weren't released so close together, and it's already clear that one will be far superior to the other.

The tragically successful mind numbing family comedy (I can only assume from secondhand remarks, I personally have not and will not see it) Paul Blart: Mall Cop brought in audiences and even got a sequel greenlit shortly thereafter. But there's a far more promising film highlighting the noble profession of the mall cop. That film is Observe and Report.

The plot synopsis from IMDB: At the Forest Ridge Mall, head of security Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen) patrols his jurisdiction with an iron fist, combating skateboarders, shoplifters and the occasional unruly customer while dreaming of the day when he can swap his flashlight for a badge and a gun. His delusions of grandeur are put to the test when the mall is struck by a flasher. Driven to protect and serve the mall and its patrons, Ronnie seizes the opportunity to showcase his underappreciated law enforcement talents on a grand scale, hoping his solution of this crime will earn a coveted spot at the police academy and the heart of his elusive dream girl Brandi (Anna Faris), the hot make-up counter clerk who won't give him the time of day. But his single-minded pursuit of glory launches a turf war with the equally competitive Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta) of the Conway Police, and Ronnie is confronted with the challenge of not only catching the flasher, but getting him before the real cops do.

Below we've embedded the Red Band trailer (NSFW) for the film that isn't exactly outright hilarious, but sets up for a film that will be very similar to Pineapple Express in it's treatment of action meeting comedy in a sort of quasi-realistic world. We see Danny McBride in there for a bit, and I hear Patton Oswalt even makes an appearance. But the most intriguing casting choice from me is Michael Peña as what looks to be Ronnie's sidekick. You might remember Peña from his breakthrough role as the locksmith from Crash. I'm really interested in seeing what his comedic talents are like and this is a movie that I'm looking forward to, and hope to see more on it soon.

After seeing the Super Bowl spot for Will Ferrell's Land of the Lost, I wasn't extremely excited, but I thought it looked like decent family fare with Ferrell's trademark comedy flare. Adding Danny McBride (a new favorite amongst Ferrell, Adam McKay and the Apatow crew) into the mix really makes me hopeful too.

Below we've embedded the new full length trailer, and it's not much of a departure from the Super Bowl spot, but with a longer Today Show introduction featuring a couple good moments with Matt Lauer, and a better delivery of Will Ferrell's cursing of Matt Lauer later in the trailer. I think one of the cool factors in this movie is going to be how the time warp has affected this lost land, and see the world the characters find themselves stuck in. Check out the trailer below.

Another Super Bowl TV spot hit the net today, and it's definitely better than the G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra spot we posted earlier. Land of the Lost is the feature film adaptation of the classic television series from the 70's of the same name (also later re-tooled for Nickelodeon in the early 90's).

The film follows "a disgraced paleontologist, his assistant and a macho tour guide who find themselves in a strange world inhabited by dinosaurs, monkey people and reptilian Sleestaks." Will Ferrell fills the role of paleontologist Rick Marshall, Anna Friel (from ABC's Pushing Daisies) as his assistant Holly, and Danny McBride as tour guide Will Stanton as the three are lost in a time warp taking them way back to the time of dinosaurs. The trailer feels like the recent Journey to the Center of the Earth adaptation, but with some real comedy, and infinitely better (though not spectacular) special effects. Ferrell and McBride's involvement really give me faith for this dip into classic television nostalgia to work if anything at least along the lines of Night at the Museum. We've embedded the trailer below for your enjoyment. Will you check it out this summer?