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/

Friends vs HIMYM – Imgur.

This week’s episode wasn’t just any episode it was HIMYM’s 150^th 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!

At any rate, I’ll get something up ASAP but until then I’d love to know your thoughts on Tailgate! Discuss.

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!

Daddy’s home ~Barney

This week seemed quite funny…but spinning wheels at moments. Well until the end… then we understood why. Let’s get to the talking now…

The house. It is a nice house…but have we totally forgotten that Marshall and Lily’s place is down wind of a sewage treatment plant? Think it will stick? I did love the way the apartment shrunk so much. Great job there.

Hurricane Stinson. starting a family. Ted & Barney…eh? I’ve never in my life thought about going splitzies on a kid with my best bro! Anyways, Hurricane is an awesome name. And it’s always cool to see James. He really brings something to the show when he shows up. On the other had… we had to know that the Ted 7 Barney adopting wouldn’t work out… but it had to be there for a reason. I’d say foreshadowing,  however the ending moment with Robin & Barney still seemed to take us all by surprise. Which brings us to…

Robin. Not a lot till the end. Obviously something was going on but HIMYM has yet again caught us looking and then BAM! What just happened? We go from last week, where a lot of us hated Robin after what happened with Barney to shock this week. I’ve still not had enough time to think it over. I wasn’t happy with Robin last week, but I didn’t’ hate her at all. I feel sorry for her…but I wonder whose baby it is…Barney or Kevin’s?/ I could picture it being either though since she told Barney he is my current guess. Plus think about the timing of Robin’s news:

Barney: Can you imagine me being someone’s dad?
Robin: I’m pregnant.

What does this mean for the show though? Do we need another Pregnancy? Do you trust where HIMYM is taking us?

Moments of Awesomeness

• Marshall’s options. Year round Haunted house or sledge hammers… awesome.
• Weird pregnancy sex dreams…. You know.
• Barney’s Guys. “ I have a guy guy to get me a guy and oddly enough, his name is guy.
• Ghostbusters! Nice to see Ernie Hudson. “Who you gonna call?”
• Hurricane Stinson. Great Baby name.
• James! I love seeing him on HIMYM. And this is the first time we’ve seen Tom since the wedding.

Legendary Lines

Old Ted: Don’t worry, he’s gonna do something crazy.

Old Ted: And Yes, I’m gonna do something crazy too.

Ted: Bro Parents Activate!

Barney: How about Baby names
Ted: Barney….
Barney: Oh my God! That was my first choice too.

Barney: No dibs on the nanny!

Barney: A kid needs a pet cobra.

Ted: Did Guy the guy guy get you a baby guy?

Lingering Question

• Are you still mad with Robin?
• Will Marshall & Lily keep the house?
• Who wouldn’t want to name their kid Hurricane?
• What does not 1 but 2 pregnancies mean for the direction of the show?
• Who do you think the father is?