2003 - New Girl: season three

I can think of few shows that have ever made me laugh out loud as much as New Girl.  It's a show that has such a natural and spontaneous energy that's lacking in the majority of television and comedy in general.  It's big, broad, and silly at times by my oh my does it work.  And it's not without it's heart - the beauty of this show is just how fucked up and flawed each of it's characters are.  Every single one of them is damaged and looking for something to make them whole, and that's the secret of great television.
This season dealt largely with Nick and Jess trying to have a relationship and (SPOILER ALERT) ultimately failing at it.  I was a bit surprised that they short-changed that storyline, but at the same time any fan of the show knows that that's a door that isn't closed by any means, and this is the way extending it and keeping it fresh.  I dig it, and I have absolute faith in the talent of the creative team.  Sign me up, coach.  AND SPEAKING OF COACH!  Damon Wayans Jr makes a much welcomed return as Coach, who we haven't seen since the pilot.  I was so happy to see them extend his stay past his initial four episode arc, and even to the point of making him a regular for next season: yes please!
If you've never seen this show and you're a fan of smart comedy, you deserve it to yourself to give it a shot.  It's one of my favorites - and probably the best network comedy series going at the moment.

1973 - Drinking Buddies

This film is an absolute exercise in restraint.  It's like a modern date update on the question posed on "When Harry Met Sally".  Well, not exactly.  Drinking Buddies is the story of two work friends who you spend the whole time wondering when they're going to wonder if they should be more.  The chemistry between Wilde and Johnson is palpable.  Add Livingston and Kendrik into the mix and you've got a pretty goddamn good cast there - in fact, it makes an indie filmmaker jealous.
Swanberg makes his films from an outline, and that's not a surprise here with the aesthetic, but it never takes away from the film itself.  Everyone is so natural and honest, which I'm sure was the intent.  This film messes with you in a good way - you think it's going one way then it dekes left.  It's emotionally honest and awkward and universal.  We've all had that friend we met while we were with someone else that made us comfortable and question everything we thought we knew.
I wanted to see this film a lot earlier, and was bumped to discover it on Netflix.  If you like relationship films at all - this is a must see!

1874 - Safety Not Guaranteed

I've been trying to think about how to start talking about this film, but it's difficult - there's so much to like.  The premise is really charming and lovely.  The film is heartfelt and charming.  And the cast is delightful.  I fell in love with Aubrey Plaza in this film whereas I'd always just enjoyed her in the past.  She was so fantastic.  Duplass was enjoyable as always as is Jake Johnson - who some might say just does the same schtick in every film, but it works damn well for me :)  And I also don't agree with that - he's not trying to be a character actor by any means, but there's a nice dimension amongst the roles he's played.  I dig him.
If you don't know anything about it, it's about a magazine assignment to do a piece on a guy who claims he can go back in time.  I don't want to give anything away because it's such a great story, and a really fantastic ending.  If you like heartfelt comedy, this is a perfect fit for you.  Really really lovely film.

1838 - New Girl: season two

This is a series that more-or-less had me from the very start and hasn't let go.  I'm not a huge fan of things that are overtly quirky, but for some reason it works here and it does so again and again.  Week after week we're introduced to what feels like a never ending well of character ticks that each of our heroes have, which ultimately exist to serve the story-of-the-week, but I always let it slide because the characters are solid and I believe these ticks exists within their world, and also the writing is so goddamn good, 
I'm going to get into minor SPOILER territory here, so proceed with caution.  From the very beginning you'd have to be an idiot not to figure out that at some point the writers were going to play with the idea of Nick and Jess as a couple - the question was how long would they drag that out and how would they sustain it once they do.  We're not partly into that.  I have to say that the execution under which they became a couple was pretty fantastic.  The entire cast is fantastic, and that's how you get a sitcom that sustains (or any show for that matter) people that you want to keep coming back to.
I felt like the end of this season got a tinge repetitive with Jess and Nick's push and pull, but I also bought the hesitation - it's a big move for them and the show.  I love where Max Greenfeld's character was left off, and now we just need something exciting for Winston!
If you're not watching this show you're making a big mistake.  It's easily my favourite sitcom currently on air.  I still argue that it has a terrible name for an ongoing series, but I can let that slide.  Please - check it out!

1816 - No Strings Attached

This is the second time checking this one out.  I'm a fan of Elizabeth Meriwether's New Girl, and I forgot that Jake M Johnson was in this.  I think he's pretty goddamn great.  I like this film despite the fact that it falls into the usual rom-com plot tropes.  The cast is pretty stellar and is full of a lot of people I like.  The characters are all solid and unique, the dialogue catchy.  It's not the kind of flick that's going to change your life, but it's pretty solid popcorn romantic entertainment.  It's on netflix and well worth the time.  Boyfriends, you'll enjoy this along with the girlfriends.  Portman is pretty delightful here and Kutcher ain't too bad himself.  Lake Bell is sexy/funny as well.  Man, I really could just laundry list this entire cast... I won't - just watch the damn thing!

1728 - New Girl: season one

Before the beginning of this new television season I had a bit of a crush on both Zooey Deschanel and Kat Dennings.  I'm not officially in love with Zoie from this show, and really have no interest in following Kat after the shit-show that is 2 Broke Girls polluted the air-waves with it's awkward desperateness.  But that's not what I'm here about.
New Girl was my favorite pilot of the year - it jumped out and announced what it was and I liked it from the get-go.  A lot of people have said that it's the show that got strongest and better as it went, but I always always a fan - however I agree that the show continued to get better the more it embraced the amazing ensemble cast that it had.  Zooey is lovely on her own, but throw the rest of this ensemble into the mix and you're kicking with gas.  The jokes are fast, furious, and smart.  I was impressed by how much ground they covered this season and never seemed to be lacking for material.  It makes me excited for future seasons.  It would be easy to label this show as being quirky, and perhaps it is, but the way it uses it's quirks are a helluva lot of fun.  It's a show that will poke the hell out of it's characters, but it's also a show that's willing to show how much they care for and need one another.  I'm a big fan of serial television, but New Girl could easily be my favorite episodic that's lightly serialized. 
If you avoided this show please give it a shot.  Jump in mid-season and you'll be just fine.