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Television

‘The Office’ Comes to a Poignant, Lovable Conclusion

By Jason Bailey on

Last night on NBC, with the appropriate pomp and fanfare, The Office did what it should have done at the close of season seven: it came to an end. The American version of the British classic had an appropriate cause for conclusion when star Steve Carrel made his exit, but the Peacock wasn’t ready to let one of its few successes go quite that easily. So things got bumpy in Scranton, during an eighth year filled with miscalculations and peculiarities. But when original showrunner Greg Daniels was brought back in to steer the show snugly into port during its last season, a funny thing happened: The Office started to work again. And last night’s series finale was a fine, poignant wrap-up of an erratic but lovable show. … Read More

Film

10 Great 2012 Movies You Can Watch Right Now

By Jason Bailey on

As the year comes to an end, the heavy concentration of movies still in theaters — or, even worse, not yet in them — can get a little frustrating. In preparing our own “best of 2012″ list (keep an eye out for it next week), we wanted to take the opportunity to point out some of the less-discussed films of this very, very good year for movies. These are films that didn’t quite make it on our final list, but runners-up that are not only well-deserving of your time and attention, but available for viewing via Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, Vimeo, or other services — at this very moment, for anywhere from ten to zero dollars. Do some holiday-break movie cramming after the jump, and just follow the link to find out how to watch it now (via our friends at GoWatchIt). … Read More

Television

Stephen Colbert Will Guest Star on ‘The Office’

By Caroline Stanley on

Say what you want about the slow and painful decline of The Office (which incidentally, begins its ninth and final season tonight at 9pm on NBC), the Halloween episodes are usually pretty solid. Remember when Michael had that ridiculous paper-mache twin head costume in Season 2? Or, when he pretended to hang himself… Read More

News

The Morning's Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. Shepard Fairey is looking to produce a new film adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984; apparently the street artist has been pursuing the rights to the project on behalf of Imagine Entertainment, the production house run by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. [via Heat Vision]

2. Hollywood Exes, a new VH1… Read More

Film

Trailer Park: Spies and Tigers and Psychics, Oh My!

By Jason Bailey on

Welcome to “Trailer Park,” our regular Friday feature where we collect the week’s new trailers all in one place and do a little “judging a book by its cover,” ranking them from worst to best and taking our best guess at what they may be hiding. We’ve got ten new trailers for you this week; check ‘em all out after the jump. … Read More

Film

The Wolfpack Wants $15 Million a Piece for ‘The Hangover 3′

By Caroline Stanley on

Setting aside our feelings about whether or not there should even be another installment in the Hangover franchise — as our own Jason Bailey already pointed out, The Hangover Part II was “the closest thing to a shot-for-shot remake since Van Sant’s Psycho” — we can’t help but blanch over the news that Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Ed Helms are asking for $15 million a pop to reprise their roles in the third film. Bear in mind that’s $10 million more than the entire budget for the original movie. … Read More

Television

Watch SNL’s Live-Action Update of The Ambiguously Gay Duo

By Emily Temple on

Last night’s Saturday Night Live surprised us with something we hadn’t known we’d always been missing — the return of the classic short “The Ambiguously Gay Duo.” Only this time, with the help of a flesh ray, Ace, Gary and the gang were transformed into human form. Jimmy Fallon and Jon Hamm appeared as Ace and Gary, and the villains revealed themselves to be Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert (who originally voiced Ace and Gary) along with host Ed Helms. Just like the Ambiguously Gay spots of yore, last night’s half-cartoon, half-live action version was cheap, listless, and mildly offensive. But funny! Watch the video after the jump. … Read More

Film

Rate-a-Trailer: UCB Founder Matt Walsh’s Stoner Comedy ‘High Road’

By Judy Berman on

Will 2011 be the year of the stoner comedy? Less than four months into the year, theaters have already seen the release of David Gordon Green’s uneven Your Highness, and now there’s a trailer for another paean to weed-smoking — directed by a guy with an impeccable comic pedigree. High Road is the feature film debut of Upright Citizen Brigade co-founder Matt Walsh. Billed as “a totally improvised ‘high’ comedy,” it stars James F. Pumphrey as a small-time pot dealer whose brush with the law forces him to decide between drugs, making music, and his pregnant girlfriend (Abby Elliott). The supporting cast includes Lizzy Caplan, Rob Riggle, Ed Helms, and Horatio Sanz (who’s long been known among New York audiences for showing up unannounced at UCB performances and ruining the show with his laughing-at-my-own-jokes schtick). High Road will premiere April 29th at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Honestly, based on this trailer, the movie looks like it might be a bit too Judd-Apatow-lite for our taste, but considering how much we like Walsh, Elliott, Caplan, and Helms, we ‘ll still likely give it a chance if it ever makes it to theaters. … Read More

Film

Rate-a-Trailer: The Hangover Part II

By Caroline Stanley on

From what we can tell, the only differences between The Hangover (which this trailer makes clear was considered a very funny movie) and its sequel are purely cosmetic: Ed Helms’ character is now sporting a Mike Tyson tattoo; Zack Galifianakis is missing most of his lustrous mane; there is a monkey wearing clothes instead of a baby wearing sunglasses; and this time around the action takes place at a wedding in Bangkok as opposed to a bachelor party in Las Vegas. Click through to check it out now, and let us know if you think Todd Phillips is phoning it in with The Hangover Part II in the comments. … Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. R.J. Reynolds plans to turn Camel cigarette packs into an homage to Williamsburg for the month of January. According to a spokesperson: “We believe that [Williamsburg] represents a lot of the belief of the Camel brand. It helps illustrate the break-free attitude that Camel is about, breaking free to be your own person.” [via… Read More