It’s absolutely mind-numbing how much press The Smurfs movie is getting based solely on the fact that Hank Azaria is playing the evil sorcerer Gargamel, but it’s true. I’m sure many are surprised at how many times the live-action/CGI hybrid movie has been popping up in the news, and surely no one is happier than the producers.

The latest bit comes from someone in New York City (via /Film) who was able to catch some of the movie being filmed on their cell phone. The scenes they were filming involve Gargamel outside of the famed toy store FAO Schwartz looking for the Smurfs. There’s also a sequence where in bumps into fellow star Neil Patrick Harris as he exits a store.

Be sure to head on over to the other side to see both of these videos. Whether you’re excited for the movie or not, they should help you to solidify your stance on the final product and whether or not you want to see it.

If you’ve followed me over to this portion of the article, I have to be honest with you, the more I see from the movie the worse it looks. I, along with everyone else, was pretty excited to see Azaria cast as Gargamel, but when the first images of the villain came around early last month, the response was lukewarm. The more I see those images and now watching these videos, I’m convinced that it was pretty silly to think that maybe this could be fun and/or nostalgic.

Again, as I said when the images of Gargamel were released, it’s pretty disgusting that every movie like this has to be set in New York City instead of where the damn original cartoon for which the movie is based was always set. Is it really crazy to think that maybe, someone with something resembling a brain could actually make one of these old cartoon adaptations and do it right? It’s not only crazy, but it would be easier AND a lot more likely to do well, but apparently that’s just a fantasy. Maybe we wouldn’t collectively always think of these movies as a joke if someone took the time to actually make one.

If someone out there is a producer, please, by all means, explain to us how this is a “good” idea. I can’t think of one excuse — including “it’s aimed at kids” — that makes this better than setting it in the quaint little Smurfs’ village we all know and Gargamel’s little hut.

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