Helming a big-screen version of an old TV series may not seem like the most auspicious beginning to a live-action filmmaking career, but Phil Lord and Chris Miller were determined to make a 21 Jump Street movie that was more than a pale imitation of the campy '80s cop series. They've had some success adapting unlikely source material before; their previous movie was the 2009 animated feature Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, a clever take on the classic children's story that wasn't afraid to depart from the text when it served the film. And while 21 Jump Street has some subtle -- and not so subtle -- homages to the source material, it definitely stands apart as its own (very funny) movie. Lord and Miller spoke with us about their transition from animation to live action filmmaking, why 21 Jump Street had to be R-rated and what jokes eagle-eyed viewers should look for in the background.

In an alternate universe, Rob Riggle may have become a pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps. In this version of Earth though, the Kentucky-born Riggle enlisted with the Marines in 1990 only to leave the corps not long after to pursue a career in comedy (he's still a Lieutenant Colonel in the Reserve). It took about a decade, but that career move has paid off. A tour of duty with New York's Upright Citizens Brigade led to guest spots on shows like The Office followed by a high-profile stint as a Daily Show correspondent. These days, Riggle is an established scene-stealer on film and television, popping up in everything from Tina Fey's 30 Rock to Tom Hanks's Larry Crowne. This weekend, Riggle has a small, but crucial turn in 21 Jump Street, playing a kooky gym teacher named Mr. Walters, who crosses paths with two undercover cops-turned-high school students (Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum) investigating a student-run drug ring. Riggle spoke to us about impersonating a gym teacher, his sketch comedy background and why going to UCB was like attending graduate school.

On April 6, it'll be time to party like it's 1999. That's because the entire ensemble of the original American Pie -- yes, even Tara Reid -- are getting back together for American Reunion. Because the only thing funnier than sex-obsessed high school students are sex-obsessed almost-thirtysomethings. Wait, did we say funnier? We meant sadder.

No kids allowed...

It's understandable that the thought of a 21 Jump Street movie sounds like the height of Hollywood creative bankruptcy. But stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum made it their mission to produce a Jump Street film that's not just a wan carbon copy of the original '80s cop series that's best known for launching the careers of Johnny Depp and... um, Richard Grieco. Audiences will find out for themselves on Friday whether they succeeded in that endeavor. Prior to the film's release, Hill and Tatum turned up at a New York press conference (clad in their cop uniforms from the movie no less) and talked about the origins of the project, their on-screen chemistry and what other '80s series they'd like to remake.

Pitched somewhere between Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian, Stranger in a Strange Land, Gladiator and a live-action episode of the '80s He-Man cartoon series, the sci-fi blockbuster John Carter is an unwieldy, top-heavy production that really shouldn't work at all. And for the first 20 minutes, it doesn't. Not even a little bit.

Next to comedy, horror is perhaps the most subjective film genre around. What terrifies one person might cause another to erupt in screams... of laughter. So I can't promise every horror aficionado out there that Silent House is guaranteed to scare them so much that they'll be sleeping with the lights on for a week. All I can tell you that this English-language remake of a 2010 Uruguayan film, which stars Elizabeth Olsen and was directed by Chris Kentis and Laura Lau (the duo responsible for that cruddy scuba divers vs. sharks thriller Open Water a few years back), unnerved me in a way few recent American horror movies have. From the eerie opening scenes, the film had me completely in its grip -- at least until the last five minutes, when the whole thing falls apart.

Not interested in fighting aliens alongside John Carter or freaking out at Silent House? We've got an indie movie to fit your particular state of mind.

Although all of the ads for the new romantic comedy Friends with Kids play up the movie's impressive ensemble -- Jon Hamm! Kristen Wiig! Maya Rudolph! Megan Fox! -- they don't indicate that Adam Scott is actually the movie's leading man. The Parks and Recreation star plays Jason Fryman, a single-and-loving-it New Yorker who decides to enter into an unusual arrangement with his best friend, Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt, who also wrote and directed the movie): they'll have a kid together and share joint custody, but since they're not actually attracted to each other, they won't bother with marriage. At first, this arrangement gives Jason the best of both worlds as he's able to experience the fun of fatherhood while also being able to indulge his single guy hormones by dating a smoking hot Broadway dancer (Megan Fox). But then... well, you'll just have to see the movie for yourself. In town for the movie's premiere, Scott spoke with us about how he scored the gig and what costume he wore for Halloween last year. (Hint: He previously donned it for a very popular episode of Parks and Rec.)

With the sci-fi blockbuster John Carter, which opens in theaters on Friday, Pixar wizard Andrew Stanton (who has two Best Animated Feature Oscars to his name, for Finding Nemo and Wall-E) makes the leap from directing cartoon characters to live-action heroes. It's a path that has been followed by a handful of filmmakers, some of whom made the transition seamlessly while others... well, didn't. We'll find out soon whether John Carter will be a one-off for Stanton (pictured here with the movie's star, Taylor Kitsch) or if he'll be adding more live-action features to his filmography. In the meantime, here's what happened to some of his predecessors: