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Film

The Sad, Desperate Cruelty of ‘The Hangover Part III’

By Jason Bailey on

The best thing that can be said about The Hangover Part III is that it isn’t the beat-for-beat, scene-for-scene duplication of the original film that we got in The Hangover Part II, a film less sequel than mirthless remake. Not that co-writer/director Todd Phillips will admit to that film’s miserable artistic failure: “I think it’s human nature that any time people want to try something for a second time, people go to a negative,” he told Empire recently. “I think in five or ten years time, people will come to realize how brilliant Hangover II is… My feeling is that it’s the better movie of the two.” (Surely irrelevant side note: Mr. Phillips has a screenplay credit on the second film, but not the first.) But in that same interview, he explained how much darker the franchise was going this time around. “People die in this movie,” he bragged. “Nobody’s died in them before.” Wow, so edgy. … Read More

Television

Should ‘Community’ Stay In Session — Or Is It Time to Graduate?

By Jason Bailey on

For the past 12 weeks, in this space, Flavorwire has recapped the abbreviated, delayed, and frequently problematic fourth season of NBC’s Community. As you certainly all know by now, the third year of the often brilliant series concluded with the abrupt sacking of creator/showrunner Dan Harmon, whose distinctive, idiosyncratic sensibility gave the show much of its voice, and whose comic genius was reportedly matched only by his inability to suffer suits gladly. The transition to new showrunners Moses Port and David Guarascio was certain to be bumpy, and it was. But now that Community‘s senior year has come to a close, it’s worth asking: should the show carry on, or is it time to send the Greendale crew (and the gifted actors who play them) out into the Real World? … Read More

Television

‘Community’ Season 4, Episode 12 Recap: The Darkest Timeline Update

By Jason Bailey on

After creator Dan Harmon was unceremoniously dismissed from his role as showrunner at the end of Season 3, Community‘s loyal fans feared its departure would plunge the show into what Abed Nadir would surely call “the darkest timeline.” But despite our concerns, we hold out hope that the new showrunners and their stable of writers are able to make the best of this worst possible role of the dice. This week’s episode, “Heroic Origins,” finds Abed advancing a theory that the study group was “destined” to meet, as evidenced by previously unknown or unnoted chance encounters. … Read More

Television

‘Community’ Season 4, Episode 10 Recap: The Darkest Timeline Update

By Jason Bailey on

After creator Dan Harmon was unceremoniously dismissed from his role as showrunner at the end of Season 3, Community ‘s loyal fans feared its departure would plunge the show into what Abed Nadir would surely call “the darkest timeline.” But despite our concerns, we hold out hope that the new showrunners and their stable of writers are able to make the best of this worst possible role of the dice. This week’s episode, “Intro to Knots,” the Greendale gang’s Yuletide celebration takes a decidedly dark turn. … Read More

Television

‘Community’ Season 4, Episode 8 Recap: The Darkest Timeline Update

By Jason Bailey on

After creator Dan Harmon was unceremoniously dismissed from his role as showrunner at the end of Season 3, Community‘s loyal fans feared its departure would plunge the show into what Abed Nadir would surely call “the darkest timeline.” But despite our concerns, we hold out hope that the new showrunners and their stable of writers are able to make the best of this worst possible role of the dice. This week’s episode, “Herstory of Dance,” finds Britta staging a “protest dance,” while Abed maybe (just maybe) finds love. … Read More

Television

‘Community’ Season 4, Episode 6 Recap: The Darkest Timeline Update

By Jason Bailey on

After creator Dan Harmon was unceremoniously dismissed from his role as showrunner at the end of Season 3, Community‘s loyal fans feared its departure would plunge the show into what Abed Nadir would surely call “the darkest timeline.” But despite our concerns, we hold out hope that the new showrunners and their stable of writers are able to make the best of this worst possible role of the dice. This week’s episode, “Advanced Documentary Filmmaking,” examines the enigma of “Changnesia,” and puts a new spin on one of the show’s favorite stylistic tropes. … Read More

Television

‘Community’ Season 4, Episode 4 Recap: The Darkest Timeline Update

By Jason Bailey on

After creator Dan Harmon was unceremoniously dismissed from his role as showrunner at the end of Season 3, Community‘s loyal fans feared its departure would plunge the show into what Abed Nadir would surely call “the darkest timeline.” But despite our concerns, we hold out hope that the new showrunners and their stable of writers are able to make the best of this worst possible role of the dice. This week’s episode, “Alternative History of the German Invasion,” finds the gang locked in a fierce battle for control of their study room, and facing some uncomfortable truths about themselves. … Read More

Comedy

Watch Ken Marino’s New Web Series ‘Burning Love’

By Caroline Stanley on

As we all anxiously await an update on the Party Down movie, here’s a bit of consolation: Burning Love, a new web series directed by Ken Marino and written by his wife Erica Oyama that sees him briefly reuniting with former castmates Adam Scott, Ryan Hansen, Kristen Bell, and Ken Jeong (in a wig!). A hilarious send-up of reality shows like The Bachelor, Burning Love stars Marino as a sensitive fireman who’s looking for someone who can make him laugh, isn’t afraid of robots, and is possibly ethnic. From the first three episodes that debuted over the weekend, this silly series — which also features cameos by Ben Stiller and wife Christine Taylor, Malin Ackerman, and Michael Ian Black (who manages to out Chris Harrison Chris Harrison) — has a lot of potential. Click through to watch the possibly NSFW clips, and if find yourselves as hooked as we are, check back in every Monday and Thursday for new, bite-sized installments. … Read More

Film

10 Great Debut Performances by Non-Actors

By Jason Bailey on

We’ve been looking forward to Friday for a while here at Flavorwire: it’s release day for Haywire, Steven Soderbergh’s uncommonly smart, disarmingly taut, ridiculously entertaining action/spy picture, an unexpectedly frisky exception to the rule that January releases are generally terrible. The reason for its creation — and a big part of its success — is the leading performance of MMA fighter Gina Carano (more on her later). Though she had a minor role in one previous film, Gina’s terrific starring turn got us thinking about other non-actors who made a big splash in their debuts; after the jump, we’ve collected ten of them for your perusal. … Read More

Celebrity

10 Highly Informative Celebrity How-To Videos

By Emily Temple on

Recently, we discovered a wonderful collaboration between perennial tough-guy Vinnie Jones and The British Heart Foundation, which is airing TV advertisements starring the actor to raise awareness about proper CPR form. The move came after a study showed that nearly 50% of Brits are unsure about what to do if someone has a cardiac arrest, but we think everyone could use a little reminder (no kissing). Inspired by Jones’s video, we’ve collected a series of informative celebrity how-tos and informational videos, whether funny or serious, produced or off the cuff, on everything from dance moves to changing a tire to proper etiquette. Click through to take a look, and by all means, get ready to learn something. … Read More