1933 - Walk Hard: The Dewey Coxe Story

I saw this film in theatres and haven't revisited it - one thing that surprised me was the amount of cameos in the film, or at least they'd be considered that now - the little bit parts with Ed Helms and Craig Robinson, the inspired casting for both the Beatles and Elvis - even that alone make it worth watching.
When I first saw this I hadn't see the American version of The Office yet, so the thing that leaped out at me here was Jenna Fischer.  I fell in love with her the first time I watched this.  I thought that she was easily one of the most beautiful women on the planet - first because she's ridiculously attractive, especially in this film - but also because her comedy timing and chops are sensational.  It's been a delight to watch her since then - I'd love the chance to work with her.
This film still holds up - the comedy is over the top - but it sure does take a piss on bio pics - which I recall there was a plethora of around that time, so good on them.  The music is sharp, the attention to the time periods as well.  It's a really enjoyable flick that's funny and smart at the same time.  If you've never seen it and you're a music lover, or just a lover of comedy that's a bit over the top, look no further!

1925 - The Hangover Part III

This film got shit on a whole lot when it came out.  I didn't mind it at all.  I didn't laugh a whole lot, but I was also curious what would happen with these characters and I liked the premise quite a bit and appreciated that they didn't go back to the well with trying to have the characters be drugged again.  It feels like a nice period to the story as well as it brings the story nicely full circle with events from the first film and a lot of really strong callbacks.  I have to admit, I was always disappointed that Stu never hooked up with Heather Graham following the first film.  Big shame.
It's around VOD now if you missed it in the theatres as I did.  I don't think it beats the original by any means, but it's worth checking out if you made the effort to see the second one, for sure.

1767 - Jeff, Who Lives at Home

I'm a big fan of the Duplass Brothers and their success - I think it's well deserved.  I think that, like Jeff in this film, they were in the right place at the right time and ready for it.  They tell simple stories but ones that are just rife with wonderfully comedic, but painfully honest moments - and this is no exception.  The story is, literally, about a stoner son who is sent out to buy wood glue for his mother and the events that transpire around it.  Jeff is obsessed with the idea of fate and things happening for a reason and this day will test that in really great ways.
Filled with talents that I adore - Jason Segal, Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon, and Judy Greer (who can do no wrong in my book) - each character gets a solid moment to shine here. 
Is some of it heavy handed?  Perhaps - actually - yeah, sure.  But it never steps into melodrama, it doesn't need to.  It just got added to Netflix recently so there's no time but the present to check out this really solid little flick!

1730 - The Office: season eight

I can't think of a single person who thinks this season was anywhere even close to the kind of quality the show was so famous for merely a few seasons ago.  It's not terrible.  It's just… I don't even know.  In a weird way I didn't exactly miss Steve Carell, I think what bothers me more than anything is that they have this stock pile of great characters and they don't have a goddamn clue what to do with any of them.  The show has just gotten goofy as well.  Who knows why they hell they keep Gabe around anymore (he had such great promise).  The show probably has too many characters as well, to be honest.  To the point where many of them get little to no screen time.  Pam and Jim haven't been interesting on the show for almost two seasons now - mostly because the writers have given them zero goals, they just sit adrift inside of the office.  For a show that once had a really strong narrative and trajectory, now it seems happy to just sit still and do absolutely nothing but try to maintain the statue quo while flirting with the idea of big changes being afoot.  I loved the idea of reintroducing David Wallace at the end, and I can only hope that it means that when we come back to the new season (Yes, I will come back - god knows why) that it means a crack down will occur.  Things will get series, fast, and people will start being held accountable.  Kelly and Dwight (and perhaps Ryan)  will be departing the series soon enough, so hopefully they'll be doing some interesting things with those characters when the show returns.  To be fair, they couldn't do less interesting things… I remain hopefully - though I don't know why...

1683 - Cedar Rapids

I've had the script for the film for a long time, back when it was on the black list, but I never got around to reading it, and decided not to when I saw that it was slated to be made.  Now I'm really curious to see what, if anything, changed during production. 
It's the story of a man from a small town insurance company getting a chance to represent his firm at a big conference.  This man has never gone anywhere, nor really experienced life to the fullest.  He's about to.  It sounds like a really simple and not terribly interesting premise, but it's a really lovely story.  Ed Helms is fantastic here, Reilly is delightful as it Anne Heche, and Isiah Whitlock Jr.  It's not so much a laugh-out-loud comedy as it is the kind that just puts a smile on your face and keeps it there the entire film (which, I think in the end, makes it a better film). 
This film never really got the wide release that it should have, but it's on netflix now, and really worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of any of the actors I mentioned above.  It's a lovely little film, and well worth your time.

1595 - The Hangover: Part II

I'm coming to this a tad later than the populous.  And I have to say that I'm a little confused as to why so many people are slamming this film.  First off, granted, the first one didn't need a sequel - but when it made the kind of money that it did, what did we expect?  I mean, come on.  So the fact that this one took from the structure of the first should be no great surprise.  And there's beauty to that idea - are these three guys in the same situation as before?  Yes.  But are they the same guys?  No.  They've been through this - they're older, wiser, etc...
The first act of this film drove me a little nuts.  Zach G isn't someone I love or hate, but I found that the set-up and rationale of getting him into the film was a bit much.  I felt that the entire set-up was a bit convoluted, but I'll let that slide.  I didn't love this film by any means, but I certainly laughed out loud at parts, and that itself is worth the price of admission.  There are some wonderfully shocking things going on here, and some really fun moments.  I personally loved the bit where we learn that Alan sees himself and all his "friends" as teenagers.  One thing that was weird to me was the Paul Giamati role - kind of a waste of a solid actor if you ask me. 
So if you loved the first film you should enjoy this one - if you automatically want to avoid it because it's "too much like the original" then you're probably making the wise choice.  No one wants people to bitch and moan about the obvious.  Like I said, not a great film, but it kept me entertained with a consistent chuckle and a few random laugh out loud moments.  And Todd Phillips, in case you were wondering, you don't need a third film in this series. 
The Hangover 2 

1594 - The Hangover

It wasn't super important to me to re-watch this prior to seeing the sequel, but I hadn't revisited it since my first viewing, so I'd been meaning to check it out again anyway and see how it was on replay value. 
This is the kind of comedy that gets along a lot based on shocks in plot - a tiger in the bathroom, baby in the closet, naked dude in the trunk.  It's as if the writers were sitting around wondering just how messed up they could make these guys - and it works.  I know that I laughed my ass off the first time I saw this - an I know that going into the sequel that it's meant to be a bit of a carbon copy - so I'll be armed with that knowledge
I think plot surprises aside, this film holds up quite well, it's set piece upon set piece, but the chemistry amongst the three guys is just fantastic and the kind of thing that you can really build a franchise out of.  Great performances and solid writing (again, another example of storytellers fucking with their characters as much as possible.  I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed to know that Heather Graham will not be in the sequel - the romantic in me wanted her and Ed Helms to ride off into the sunset together.
If you still haven't seen this and you're in any way a comedy fan, it's an absolute must-see.
The Hangover (R-Rated Single-Disc Edition)  The Hangover (Unrated Edition) [Blu-ray]

1567 - The Office: season seven

When you watch a season as it plays out (as opposed to catching on after-the-fact) it's hard to review it without the review being, more-or-less, a commentary in the finale.  I'll do my best...
This is going to sound harsh, but I say it with love, The Office fucked up.  I realize that it's tough for a show to go on as long as this one has and try to keep it fresh and interesting - but The Office has not been keeping up to the challenge.  Does it do interesting and surprising things lately?  Sure!  But it also announces that it's going to do them months ahead of doing them.  Everyone knew Carrell was leaving.  Everyone knew that Ferrell had a guest spot coming up - and everyone knew who the cameos in the finale was going to be.  It would appear that NBC is so worried about not having viewers that they can't keep anything to themselves and let the audience discover it through watching the show.  Don't get me wrong - there was some really really great stuff in this season, and if you're a fan of the show, or just catching up, it's worth watching still - absolutely.  But for those who haven't watched - I'm about to go into SPOILER TERRITORY, so beware...
There is no denying that this season has been the Michael Scott Farewell Tour, and to it's success, by the time he was gone I didn't miss him from the show - not to say that I don't like Carrell or the character - but he had out-served his usefulness.  Many can and will argue that the show itself has as well.  The big question has been "Who will replace Michael?"  And we thought that the finale was going to resolve that - it didn't - and not in an awesome cliff-hanger way - more in a way that made me feel like they were just bidding their time.  And the worst part is that they're probably going to announce it prior to the first episode anyway (if they don't I'll happily eat my words).  One of my larger issues is that there is some sad character inconsistencies.  Darryl has always been a bright level headed guy, but because they don't want to have him take over all of a sudden he starts acting weird and unqualified.  It felt like a stretch.  And as much as I enjoyed how horrible Dwight did when he was filling in as manager, part of me thinks that they pushed that forward a bit too much.  I don't want Dwight to be the boss, but I'm not sure that he would have made those mistakes.  The biggest flaw with the show right now is that it's just not acting logically.  Jim is refusing the job - why?  For no reason whatsoever - and why isn't Pam in consideration?  She was essentially Michael's second for a long time.  Will I tune in next season?  Of course I will, but this show has to find something for itself to anchor to.
The Office: Season Seven