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Television

‘Parks and Recreation’ Characters As Comic Book Heroes

By Jason Bailey on

Well, here’s an artist after our own heart: LA-based self-described illustrator, printmaker, and “fun-junkie” Vicky Trochez (aka “Vicktrola”) has gone and turned the characters from Parks and Recreation into the comic book heroes of the Justice League. “After doing a quick sketch of Leslie Knope as the Caped Crusader’s side kick,” she explains at the beginning of the online portfolio, “I decided to go all in and transform the rest of the Parks and Recreation cast into the rest of the Justice League.” The results are, to say the least, glorious. Check out Trochez’s full gallery after the jump, and then hop over to her website to buy a print or two (you know you want to). … Read More

Television

Watch a Hilarious 11-Minute ‘Parks and Recreation’ Gag Reel

By Judy Berman on

A gag reel is a gag reel is a gag reel: actors cracking up, falling down, and fumbling lines as the cameras roll. So, why would you want to spend 11 minutes of your life watching the cast of Parks and Recreation do just that? Well, aside from longing for any shred of new material from one of TV’s best comedies, this gag reel confirms our suspicion — supported by multiple interviews with the likes of Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, etc. — that this particular cast loves working together and has a ton of fun on the set. So, if you shed a tear at April and Andy’s wedding or cared more about Leslie Knope’s campaign than the current presidential race, you’ll want to set aside some time to see Poehler get hit with a boom poll, Rashida Jones apologize for being unprofessional, and Ron Swanson lose his mustache. … Read More

Film

Flavorwire’s Guide to Indie Flicks to See in August

By Jason Bailey on

Even among the mindless carnage and endless superheroes of summer, August tends to be a bit of a drag; studios put the blockbusters they’re less certain of in the late-summer slots, so for every Bourne Legacy, there’s sure to be two or three Premium Rushes. But that just means it’s an even better time to go off the grid and see what’s playing in the art houses, and indie distributors have stocked several gems into the upcoming months; check out our recommendations after the jump. … Read More

Film

This Week in Trailers: ‘Monsters University,’ ‘The Master,’ and One Last ‘Dark Knight Rises’

By Jason Bailey on

Every Friday here at Flavorwire, we like to gather up the week’s new movie trailers, give them a look-see, and rank them from worst to best — while taking a guess or two about what they might tell us (or hide from us) about the movies they’re promoting. This week, we’ve got new trailers from Pixar, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Christopher Nolan, plus vehicles for Liam Neeson, Andy Samberg, and Rashida Jones. Check ‘em all out after the jump, and share your thoughts in the comments. … Read More

Film

Sundance 2012: The Deals, The Awards, and That Kubrick Doc

By Jason Bailey on

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival drew to a close over the weekend with a flurry of additional distribution deals, as well as a Saturday night awards ceremony. The fest’s out-of-nowhere buzz hit Beasts of the Southern Wild was among the big winners, nabbing not only the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize, but the US Dramatic Excellence in Cinematography award. The Documentary Grand Jury Prize went to The House I Live In, an examination of the war on drugs from director Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight). The Israeli film The Law in These Parts won the World Cinema Jury Prize for Documentary, while the Latin American musical drama Violeta Went to Heaven won the Dramatic World Cinema Jury Prize.

True to my history of excellent scheduling judgment, your humble correspondent saw not one of those films during my eight days in Park City, though I did take in — and greatly enjoy — the US Audience award winners The Invisible War (Documentary) and The Surrogate (Drama); the latter film also won a richly-deserved US Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting. My favorite film of the fest, Mike Birbiglia’s warm, winning comedy Sleepwalk With Me, won the Best of NEXT Audience Award; another favorite, the wry time-travel comedy/drama Safety Not Guaranteed, won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. … Read More

Media

An Alternative Top 10 to Maxim's Hot 100

By Judy Berman on

Yesterday, Maxim released its anxiously awaited (for some) annual Hot 100 list. And, as usual, it’s largely a homogeneous group of skinny, white ladies, many of whom are most famous for posing in their underpants. It’s not that we expected any different; Maxim is always going to Maxim. But, as we did last year, we’d like to use their list of an excuse to introduce you to some genuinely crush-worthy women who are actually making a cultural contribution (no offense, J-WOWW). Our alternative top 10 is after the jump. Add your picks — and, you know, complain about how much hotter Victoria’s Secret models are than the ladies we chose — after the jump. … Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. Norio Ohga, a the former president and chairman of Sony and the man credited with developing the compact disc, has died at the age of 81. [via NME]

2. Take a look at the first new art from Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson in 16 years, a painting that… Read More

Media

Does Vanity Fair’s Hollywood Issue Have a Race Problem — Again?

By Judy Berman on

We have good news and bad news about Vanity Fair‘s 2011 Hollywood Issue. First, the positive: Unlike last year’s wildly controversial model, the new cover actually includes a more diverse group of actors. (Also, for some reason, VF decided to go with a co-ed bunch this time around.) It’s great to see Anthony Mackie, The Hurt Locker star who has a slew of movies lined up this year, get some recognition. And we can never, ever get enough of Rashida Jones. We’re also pretty thrilled the magazine dropped its “Young Hollywood” focus and stuck the legendary Robert Duvall in the mix, even if he does have to tend bar.

But there are still a few things we find unsettling about the cover. Read all about them — and see how last year’s compares to this year’s — after the jump. … Read More

Television

The 10 Greatest Guest Stars in the History of ‘The Office’

By Christine Jordan on

The Office is no 30 Rock in terms of its celebrity guest appearances, and we’re actually pretty thankful for that. But when the show announced last week that Will Ferrell has been cast as another branch manager “who arrives from the home office and proves to be just as inept as Michael Scott,” we’ll admit, we were pretty excited. After all, The Office has a pretty good track record with how they use their guest stars — even the super duper (yes, duper!) famous ones. Check out 10 of our favorite guest stars in Office history below and study up before Ferrell takes on Dunder Mifflin. … Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. Proving that her love of gift giving has no bounds, Oprah bestowed Thursday night’s audience of The Daily Show with free flights to DC for Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity. She’ll also be paying for their hotels, the lucky bastards. [via THR]
2. On a related note, NPR has decided… Read More