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36 Comedy Threequels Graded From Meh to Offensively Terrible
1 hour ago
The critical rogering of The Hangover Part III just confirms the general rule that comedy threequels — the subgenre responsible for Home Alone without Macaulay Culkin, Major League without Charlie Sheen, and Beverly Hills Cop III without Eddie Murphy (that had to have been the work of a clone, right?) — fail the sniff test nearly every time. Chalk it up to thrice-used sight gags, catchphrases that were barely guffaw-worthy to begin with, crucial cast members dropping out, or crucial cast members not dropping out but definitely phoning it in. Expectations are and should be so low for comedy threequels that assessing their relative watchability requires an entirely different kind of grading scale: Going A through F seems useless, as you never would need to use anything above a B-minus. So we decided to grade The Hangover Part III and 35 other comedies that mustered a third theatrical release* on a »
- John Sellers
Watch a Face-off Between Arrested Development’s Pop-Pop and Community’s ‘Pop, Pop!’
1 hour ago
It was on our dozenth, nay hundredth, viewing of Arrested Development this week when we realized that Pop-Pop, the Bluth family's nickname for patriarch George Bluth, is also the catchphrase of Community's one-man party, Magnitude. It was immediately clear what we had to do as part of our attempt to find every possible way to celebrate the return of the Bluths. Watch and see. We're less than 40 hours away, you guys »
- Sarah Frank,Nick Robins-Early
Stephen King, Revenge Fan
1 hour ago
Stephen King has a new book coming out (always), so he's dutifully making the press rounds, including an interview with Parade, in which he describes his TV habits thusly: "Justified, Bates Motel, The Walking Dead. The best show of the year is The Americans. I don't watch Mad Men. I think it’s basically soap opera, and if I want soap opera, I watch Revenge. That show is crazy, but they have great clothes." If there's any kind of beauty in this world, that will be the tagline on the Revenge poster next season. »
- Margaret Lyons
Only God Forgives Director Nicolas Winding Refn on Getting Booed at Cannes
2 hours ago
You’ve already heard from Vulture’s Kyle Buchanan about the smattering of boos — mixed with applause — at the Cannes press screening for Only God Forgives, Ryan Gosling’s new, extremely violent collaboration with his Drive director, Nicolas Winding Refn. Reviews have been polarized for the highly stylized odyssey of a drug dealer and Muay Thai boxing promoter (Gosling) who’s manipulated into avenging the murder of his brother, at the urging of his harpy of a mother (Kristin Scott Thomas, whose foul-mouthed monologue deriding the size of Gosling’s cock compared to that of her favorite son is one of the most emasculating moments in recent cinema). Said vengeance places him in direct conflict with a Thai police officer (Vithaya Pansringarm), who carries around a samurai sword he seems to pull straight from his spine, then, after each violent act, sings mournful Thai karaoke with David Lynch–ian surreality. »
- Jada Yuan
The Year of Rock: How the Former Wrestler Became King of the Action-Cinema Ring
2 hours ago
It's not hard to smell what The Rock is cooking this summer — it's box-office domination. With four movies released over the past four months (February's Snitch, March's G.I. Joe: Retaliation, April's Pain & Gain, and this weekend’s Fast & Furious 6), the former WWE wrestling icon, otherwise known as Dwayne Johnson, has finally become cinema's indisputable heavyweight stud.Good luck finding anyone in the coveted 18–34 male demographic who doesn't like, or at least appreciate, The Rock. Like his famous in-ring moniker, he's now the People's Champion, a gregarious superstar whose ubiquity — which also extends to recently headlining April's Wrestlemania, as well as hosting an upcoming TNT reality series, The Hero — isn't merely the result of the Hollywood machine deeming him marquee-worthy and force feeding him down the throats of audiences hungry for a post-Schwarzenegger superman. Instead, it's a decisive reflection of his charisma and surprisingly deft abilities »
- Nick Schager
Edelstein: Alex Gibney’s We Steal Secrets Looks at WikiLeaks and the Tragedy of the Modern Hacker
3 hours ago
Before I saw Alex Gibney’s documentary We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks, I figured Gibney would be kicking the same government hornet’s nest already inflamed by his protagonist, Julian Assange — or some other nest, there being so many hornets and soul-sucking ghouls and dark subterranean forces in this and the last presidential administration that we’re practically living in Harry Potter World. But Gibney ended up following his story into other, even weirder areas. He comes to view the whistle-blowers, the cyberguerrillas in the war against all forms of secrecy, from a sort of psycho-anthropological perspective: Here, he says, is how the culture created them. And here’s how it destroys them. By the time this twisty, probing, altogether enthralling movie hits its final notes, the crimes against the Constitution and humanity have been upstaged by personal demons. Which is our woe as well.Gibney has a »
- David Edelstein
Ken Cosgrove Dances to Daft Punk: A Mash-up
3 hours ago
Last week on Mad Men, Ken Cosgrove did a nifty jig, so right on cue, here is your "Ken Cosgrove Dancing to Daft Punk" mash-up. We have one or two issues with the song choice — wouldn't the ragtime breakdown on "Touch" have made more sense? Wouldn't anything besides the Panda Bear song have made more sense? — but as the old saying goes, don't look a gift Daft Punk viral video in the mouth. Our mother taught us that.Related: here is Celine Dion dancing to "Get Lucky." Take notes, it is fantastic. (Via Rich Juzwiak.) »
- Amanda Dobbins
Movie Review: Epic Is a Derivative Slog Through the Forest
3 hours ago
Positing that there’s a secret battle in the forest between life and decay, the new animated film Epic proceeds to zoom into a world of tiny forest Samurai (called the Leaf-Men) who ride hummingbirds and fight against the forces of darkness and rot, epitomized by gray, scaly, gnarly creatures called the Boggens. Along comes ordinary-size human M.K. (voiced by Amanda Seyfried), newly arrived at the woodland home of her nutty scientist father (voiced by Jason Sudeikis) and who lands in this magic tiny forest people world just as the beautiful and ethereal Queen Tara (Beyoncé) is dying. Given a magic flower pod by the queen, M.K. joins a veteran Leaf warrior named Ronin (Colin Farrell) and a brash young rebel named Nod (Josh Hutcherson) as they seek to preserve the pod, which will help them crown their new queen if they allow it to bloom in the »
- Bilge Ebiri
Edelstein: Before Midnight Finds Romance in the Struggle of Wills
4 hours ago
The most fascinating thing about Before Midnight is that it exists — and that its form, in a sense, preceded content. Director and co-writer Richard Linklater and actors and co-writers Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy have reunited for the second time to chart the latest zigs and zags in the romance of Jesse and Celine — which began in 1995 in Before Sunrise and did not seem meant to go beyond, well, sunrise. Two attractive strangers on a train had a meeting of minds and then bodies and parted with an agreement to meet at a later date. When the three made Before Sunset nine years later, they dodged the biggest challenge. They hit the reset button: Jesse and Celine for convoluted reasons missed each other, and their lives went sadly on — until he wrote a novel and she came to a reading in Paris and …Before Midnight is »
- David Edelstein
Katy Perry Apologized to a Very Aggressive Chief Keef
5 hours ago
A few days ago, Katy Perry heard 17-year-old Chicago rapper Chief Keef's song "Hate Bein' Sober" on the radio. She tweeted concern, saying, "I now have serious doubt for the world." Keef, who wasn't directly mentioned in the tweet, found out on Thursday evening and got pretty salty. "Dat bitch Katy Perry Can Suck Skin Off Of my Dick," read one tweet. "Ill Smack The Shit out her," read another. For some reason, Katy Perry decided an apology was owed. From her. To him.Perry closed it out classily, saying, "Believe me, I'm a lover not a hater." If she really felt the need to engage with this kinda puerile nonsense, she should have just said, "Believe me, I'm a firework," spiked a microphone onto her computer, and never thought about Chief Keef again. »
- Zach Dionne
Edelstein: Fast & Furious 6 Proves That There Is Emotion in Motion
5 hours ago
The dialogue is slack, but apart from that the latest Fast & Furious installment, Fast & Furious 6, is more fun than any fifth sequel except Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country — which gets the edge because Nicholas Meyer made The Wrath of Khan, and I’m feeling nostalgic. Resident F&F director Justin Lin has a touch that’s surprisingly delicate for a series featuring muscle cars and hardbodies. It’s almost … feminine, at least if your definition of femininity is open enough to admit two women swivel-kicking each other to a pulp. Lin also loves cars enough to make them look as if they’re subject to the laws of gravity rather than the logarithms of computer programmers. The driving in the film is a thing of beauty.The theme of 6 is family. The word itself comes up approximately 682 times. Vin Diesel and his multiracial outlaw gang are living well-heeled »
- David Edelstein
Last Night on Late Night: Julianne Moore Gave Away Her Cannes Toemageddon Toes
11 hours ago
Last night on Late Night, Julianne Moore discussed her Cannes Film Festival Toemaggedon. Apparently, she'd practiced the art of "stately walking" in her heels, but she'd overlooked the pivot. Her solution? "I needed to prevent this from happening again so I cut my toes off," she told Jimmy Fallon as she gifted him a little box of her little, pedicured piggies. Plus: Jimmy Kimmel and his sidekick Guillermo teamed up against the National School Scrabble champions. Team Kimmel lost again, but the look of shock on the eighth grader's face once Jimmy threw down the Scrabble board was plain precious. B-l-a-s-p-h-e-m-y! And finally, Isla Fisher performed a magic trick on Jay Leno and Tyler Perry. And despite her doubts, she actually succeeded. Watch our compilation to see what you missed. »
- Caroline Shin
Watch Arrested Godfather, Which Is Exactly What It Sounds Like
11 hours ago
The Godfather dubbed with Arrested Development dialogue? For almost seven minutes? Yes. Absolutely. Thank you, Internet. Thank you, Slacktory! Vito Corleone is George Sr., Michael Corleone is Michael Bluth, Anthony Corleone is George Michael — you get it. What you don't get, till you've seen it, is how perfect the 3:20 mark is, set to G.O.B.'s expensive suit gag. C'mon! »
- Zach Dionne
Jon Stewart Casts Gael Garcia Bernal As His Rosewater Star
12 hours ago
Jon Stewart is taking a three-month Daily Show hiatus this summer while he helms Rosewater, his debut feature film. Stewart has now tapped Gael Garcia Bernal (Y Tu Mamá También, The Loneliest Planet, Babel) as his star. The film is based on Maziar Bahari's Then They Came for Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival, adapted for the screen by Stewart and Aimee Molloy. Bernal will likely play Bahari, a journalist who covered Iran's 2009 election and was imprisoned by the Iranian government for 118 days. »
- Zach Dionne
Amanda Bynes Arrested After Throwing Bong Out Midtown Window
13 hours ago
Amanda Bynes was arrested in her West 47th Street apartment on Thursday night after allegedly smoking pot in the building's lobby. The plot thickens, according to NBC New York: "When officers observed a bong inside the apartment as Bynes opened the door, she allegedly grabbed it and tossed it out of the window, sources said." Bynes is being charged with possession of marijuana, tampering with evidence, and reckless endangerment. She reportedly received a psychiatric evaluation at Roosevelt Hospital before being processed at a Midtown police station. If you're interested in a real rumory rumor, TMZ hears that Bynes Witherspooned out and went "kicking and screaming during the arrest, and yelling ... 'Don't you know who I am?'" »
- Zach Dionne
Neil Labute Series Full Circle Adds Draco Malfoy, Kate Walsh, David Boreanaz
15 hours ago
Maybe you made a semi-sadface when you heard In the Company of Men director Neil Labute's television debut was heading to DirecTV. (Maybe not! Maybe you all you watch is DirecTV!) But here are some reasons, beyond Labute himself, to keep tabs on Full Circle: Harry Potter's Tom Felton, Kate Walsh, David Boreanaz, Minka Kelly, Nip/Tuck's Julian McMahon, True Jackson, VP's Keke Palmer, and Billy Campbell of The Killing. Lots of pros! Ten episodes of the drama have been ordered, with an eye toward an autumn premiere. »
- Zach Dionne
Jennifer Hudson May Already Be Signed On to Judge American Idol Next Year
17 hours ago
Well, that was fast: Barely a day after Vulture broke the news that Fox was mulling an all-alumni panel of judges for American Idol, with Jennifer Hudson among the names being discussed, there may already be some movement on that front. There's buzz around Hollywood that Hudson and Fox may have already started talks about her joining the show; one source tells us the deal is essentially "done." As always, Fox won't comment. And buzz even from people familiar with the situation does not always lead to deals, as we noted yesterday. But the idea of Idol alumni as judges may not be a dream after all. »
- Josef Adalian
Intervention Is Ending
19 hours ago
Aw, man, Intervention is ending. A&E announced today that the five episodes that will air starting in June will be the show's last. According to the network, of the 243 people who've had interventions on the show, 156 are currently sober — a pretty impressive record, thanks in part to the show's strategy of matching addicts with specific rehab facilities. All shows end eventually, and Intervention had a hell of a run: What could have been an exploitative mess was instead a riveting, intimate drama that helped shape the contemporary understandings of addiction crises and recovery. Intervention, in the words of Jeff VanVonderen, there are people here who love you like crazy and feel like they are losing you. »
- Margaret Lyons
Evan Peters to Play Quicksilver in X-Men: Days of Future Past
20 hours ago
Last month, we excitedly told you that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch might be appearing in The Avengers 2. Well, Bryan Singer has tweeted that the character of Quicksilver will actually be in X-Men: Days of Future Past, and he will be played by Evan Peters (Kick-Ass). See Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were Magneto’s children before they went on to join the Avengers, so they are free to be used in both the Fox-owned X-Men and the Disney-owned Avengers movies. Was adding Quicksilver and intentional "fuck you" to Joss Whedon or just some nerd-director gamesmanship? We guess we won’t know for sure until the two battle to the death at Comic-Con 2014. »
- Jesse David Fox
The Ten-Minute Lesbian Sex Scene Everyone Is Talking About at Cannes
20 hours ago
It's only natural that a good portion of the by-now-exhausted Cannes press corps skipped last night's debut screening of the two-part, three-hour French lesbian coming-of-age story La Vie D'Adele Chapitres 1 et 2 (English title: Blue Is the Warmest Color). But by morning, word of mouth had made the film, by director Abdellatif Kechiche — and the performance of newcomer Adèle Exarchopoulos — the must-see of the festival. "A star is born," tweeted Variety's Scott Foundas, calling the film "absolutely astonishing." Finally, it seemed, there was a front-runner for the Palme d'Or.What has everyone talking, though, are the intensely erotic, incredibly realistic, quite lengthy, and almost certainly unsimulated sex scenes between the beautiful, sensual Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux. When we first meet Adèle (also the name of Exarchoploulos’s character), she is a vivacious high-school junior with modest ambitions to be a teacher. A voracious, messy consumer of food and books, »
- Jada Yuan
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