January 24, 2012
There’s a scene in Josh Radnor’s sophomore effort, Liberal Arts, where a 35-year-old admissions officer is mathematically analyzing what it means to date a 19-year-old. No words are uttered, it’s all simple math written on screen, yet it’s filled with more humor, poise and philosophy in two minutes than some movies have in two hours. The scene spawned a round of applause mid-movie. Not bad for a writer/director who most people know as a sitcom star.
With Liberal Arts, Radnor positions himself as a mini-Cameron Crowe, mixing joy, life lessons and a love of culture into a perfect, crowd pleasing film. Co-starring Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney and Zac Efron, Liberal Arts had its world premiere at the2012 Sundance Film Festival and recieved a well-deserved standing ovation. Read more after the jump.
At its heart, Liberal Arts about a struggle against adulthood. You have Radnor’s character going back to his alma mater and falling for a 19-year-old student (Olsen). You have his favorite professor (Jenkins) struggling with retirement. And along the way, other characters pop in and out (Efron is one particular bright spot) who dole out life lessons and ideas about what that all means.
Where the Cameron Crowe thing really comes in, besides the goosebump-inducing scenes of joy, is how Radnor uses and appreciates not only music but also literature to drive the story forward. Reading is of the utmost importance in Liberal Arts and the characters almost universally find that books say things better than they do. Of course, all the connections come from Radnor’s screenplay so he’s the true maestro.
If anything, Liberal Arts might have too many ideas to grasp. It’s not only about age, it’s also about nostalgia, sex, caterpillars, you name it. The can also be a tad bit obvious. But for the most part, Radnor is able to mix it all together into a film that shows his visual vocabulary is improving as well as his ability to make the audience feel and learn.
Though his first film happythankyoumoreplease was good, Liberal Arts is fantastic. It is, in my mind, one of the best films showing at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
Source: http://www.slashfilm.com/liberal-arts-writerdirectorstar-josh-radnor-minicameron-crowe-sundance-2012/
Posted in how i met your mother 
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January 24, 2012
Came across this Gem the other day. Enjoy!
Friends vs HIMYM – Imgur.
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January 16, 2012
Jenniac here filling in once again to lead our HIMYM obsessors group therapy…I mean recapping this week’s episode. Oh and for the record my train ride to NYC from where I grew up is 38 minutes
This week’s episode wasn’t just any episode it was HIMYM’s 150th episode!!! What a huge accomplishment to the creators, writers, cast and crew. I feel like HIMYM is like the little show that could.
A lot of the story was told via inner monologues. It’s good to hear what’s going on in the character’s heads outside of what Future Ted the narrator tells us.
Marshall and Lily officially move to Long Island and the group is forced to deal with it. Not much happens this episode in terms of progress in storyline, aside from Lily’s Dad moving in with them and overstaying his welcome.
The episode jumped around a bunch with single serving jokes. Not a lot to recap, but many moments of awesomeness to point out as well as legendary lines.
MOMENTS OF AWESOMENESS
- The intros – both Barney as the leader of the gang “How I Met your Barney” and the Russian intro with Better Lily and New Marshall.
- Early relationship chicken – great montage of Robin and Kevin as well as their use of “soooooooooooo”
- Alyson Hannigan as Jasmine. Giving Ted a lapdance and looking vacant…classic
- Marshall’s journey through the house a la Blair witch camera and getting taunted by Mickey via intercom. It was funny for me at first, but then went a little over the top for me.
- Barney covered in boob glitter. HILARIOUS
- Barney talking about comforting Lily after Marshall dies…
- Drunk Ted – playing poker, doling out nicknames, leaving voicemails while on the stripper poll.
- The booth it look so sad empty at MacLaurens, but the closing shot of the gang at the booth at Marshall and Lily’s was cute.
The Re-Returns
- The Lusty Leopard
- Jasmine the Lily Doppelganger
LEGENDARY LINES
- Ted: It’s like when they cancelled Party of Five for the second time. I mean when they cancelled… sports.
- Ted: It looks like my old shop teacher’s hand, it’s sorta missing something.
- Barney: Let’s declare our independence with an on the peen dance.
- Mickey: A lot of great memories here, mostly just discovering my body.
- Barney: I’m your two best friends.
- Drunk Ted: We built chip city, we built chip city on all your dough.
- Marshall: I’m pretty sure I have a drumstick, somewhere bad.
LINGERING QUESTIONS
Can we define what a mostly abandoned insane asylum exactly?
Did anyone else catch when Kevin mentioned that him and Robin were sleeping together? I wonder when they crossed that bridge since they hadn’t back when Robin thought she was preggers.
Wait does Robin not like high fiving Kevin or high fiving? How are she and Barney supposed to work if she doesn’t like high fives?
I saw in the comments that someone isn’t a fan of Mickey sticking around. I’m not a huge Chris Elliot fan so I’m not sure if that affects my dislike of Mickey, but at this point I’m not looking forward to more of him.
Was Lites Out Mickey’s only successful board game? What about Slap Bet? I thought that was a commercial success?
Sound off in the comments section, I love reading your thoughts!
Posted in Episode Discussion, how i met your mother, Season 7 13 Comments »
January 3, 2012
Quite literally, just got in the door. And haven’t got to watch…or review yet. I’m a bad web site host I know. I would resolve to do better for the new year but I’ve been resolution free since 93. True Story.
At any rate, I’ll get something up ASAP but until then I’d love to know your thoughts on Tailgate! Discuss.
Posted in Episode Discussion, how i met your mother, Season 7 15 Comments »
December 5, 2011
Jenniac here once again filling in for our usual Master of Ceremonies because he’s moving to this hip new neighborhood called Dowisetrepla or something like that. Anyway enough about me, lets get to the show because there is A LOT to talk about.
The writers wasted NO time. I wasn’t ready for Robin to open the show as the narrator talking to her kids -the boy in a suit who looks like Barney and a girl is a spitting image of Robin. It was hard to pay attention to the smaller details on tonight’s episode because I was too busy trying to mentally process what had just happened in the open and then throughout the episode. For me this was the best episode since “The Naked Truth.”
I’ll get back to Robin and the kids, but let’s briefly talk about the other plotlines in this episode.
Marshall out on Long Island (or Lawnguyland as us who were born and raised there call it) decorating the house for Christmas. Also fun fact, East Meadow is a real town. I actually ran a half marathon there. What up! Marshall and his kid neighbor that took advantage of his naïve Midwestern ways and softness due to impending fatherhood. I would have loved to see Marshall final product including the Symphony of Illumination he was trying to do on the roof.
Lily was registering for items at We B Babies for her shower with the rest of the gang in tow. Nipple butter and vagina numbing cream – makes me want rethink motherhood one day. YUCK! At We B Babies we meet Insane Dwayne who was Barney’s former bro turned bedraggled father who married his one night stand that he picked up by only saying the word boner. Classic.
So Robin. Robin opens the episode telling her kids about the moment she told their father (Barney) she was pregnant. Typical Barney hijinx ensues along with some legendary lines (see below) and physical comedy. We also find out Robin and Kevin haven’t had sex yet. We very quickly find out that Robin isn’t pregnant which has me confused, but intrigued. Robin then basks in the glow of an empty uterus with alcohol, junk food and watching Teenage Mommies.
Robin gets called back to the doctor where she finds out she can’t have a baby and in true Robin fashion keeps everything to herself, however she imagines the gang’s reactions to the news. However Barney, Lily and Ted know something up. Ted as the roommate tries to cheer Robin up, but they fight which made me uncomfortable just watching.
Robin then goes on to talk as the narrator about how much better her life is since she couldn’t have kids which confuses me. Then she says, “if you want to know the truth of it, I’m glad you guys aren’t real.” AND THEY FADE AWAY. MIND BLOWN.
But wait, there’s more!
After a walk in the snow Robin goes back to the apartment where a Christmas display was set up. For a minute I thought it was Barney who set it up, but Ted appears. Ted’s over the top-ness was the blue orchestra and apartment full of roses all over again for me. It made me wish that Ted and Robin would have worked out, but it’s too late for them in my book. However Ted succeed at cheering Robin up.
We end the episode with Ted back as the narrator telling us about how Robin went on to be a famous journalist, successful businesswoman, a world traveler and even a bullfighter which a story for later (oh narrator Ted – you sir are a tease).
MOMENTS OF AWESOMENESS - This whole episode was a mix of awesomeness and WTFness.
- Robin’s faint over Barney’s fatherhood excitement.
- Barney’s pratfall.
- Scott eating a sandwich while Marshall watches from the roof in horror.
- Scott taking a picture of his ding dog with Marshall’s phone as blackmail.
- Marshall’s reference to him and his brothers wresting exhibitions which set the basement on fire due to their theatrics.
- Barney testing out the vagina numbing spray on his tongue.
The Re-Returns
- Big Fudge – that nickname never gets old for.
- The flashback to the day Ted and Barney met. Barney’s suit/tie combo was so tragic, as was Ted’s facial hair.
LEGENDARY LINES - As brilliant as the writing is, the cast just brings these lines so much to life!
- Barney: Are you sure you’re not just getting fat?
- Barney: So you’re pregnant, looks like nobody told your boobs.
- Barney: One iced tea in a rocks glass for MOMMY!
- Marshall: They rock so hard steam comes out of your brain as it melts.
- Barney: But as the baby’s gnawing on your bleeding nips, look what she’ll be wearing.
- Robin: Vagina numbing spray, apparently after childbirth your who-ha looks like Rocky Balboa’s face.
- Robin: Sucks to be you braces
- Lily: What about the one where you ski and shoot at the same time, that seems like something you’d be good at.
- Ted : Oh Can-a-dortbale.
- Ted : I know it’s not Canada, but it starts with a c and it’s cold as balls.
LINGERING QUESTIONS
First Robin was wearing gross silk blouses, but now they had Lily in one. Luckily they each had a great jacket (Robin’s cream blazer and Lily’s mauve coat). What’s up costume department? What are you trying to tell us through these fashion choices?
Back to Robin imaging the reactions the gang would have had if she told them she couldn’t have kids. I’m pretty sure Barney would have been bummed for her and the possibility of him never becoming a father if Robin is indeed his future wife. Do you still think Robin is Barney’s bride?
When are we going to get another Ted-centric story line or episode?
Hit up the comments and follow me on twitter
Jenniac OUT!
Posted in Episode Discussion, how i met your mother, Season 7 34 Comments »
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