Tag Archives: Aubrey Plaza

My Favorite Scene: Parks and Recreation Season 3 (2011) “Lil Sebastian”

The greatest episode of television ever made about a mini-horse. Fact.

Recently I finished my umpteenth re-watch of the misadventures of the waffle-loving, mini-horse worshipping civil servants that make up the cast of Parks & Recreation. The more I think it over, the more certain I am that Parks & Rec mastermind Michael Schur (who now brings us the equally brilliant The Good Place) created the best sitcom of the last decade. Parks & Rec started off as a spiritual spin-off of The Office, borrowing that show’s fake documentary format and, like The Office, the first season is short and underwhelming.  I can’t tell you how many people I’ve urged to try Parks & Rec who have flamed out after a few episodes, so if you want to start (and you should), start with season two when the show found its own voice and the brilliant ensemble began to run at full tilt.

In the times in which we currently live, there’s something unbelievably cathartic about a show heralding the positive impact the government can make in the lives of citizens. Even if you should loathe the government, the show provides the greatest comedic Libertarian ever forged in the mustachioed Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman). The show is earnest and heartfelt; self-aware and smart, and nearly always hysterically goofy. I’ve written before about the show’s third season (peerless) which contains my favorite moment in the series in the brilliant “Ron’s Swivel Desk”. I have to revisit that season because it also contains my favorite running absurdity of the series: Pawnee’s rabid celeb crush on local mini-horse: Lil’ Sebastian.  I can’t decide which moment in the episode is better: the tiny equine’s introduction and Adam Scott’s utter bafflement at his co-worker’s excitement or Chris Pratt’s “5,000 Candles in the Wind” tribute at the Harvest Festival so I am including both. In the dead of winter, if you need a laugh to warm your heart, you can’t go wrong revisiting Parks & Recreation.


My Favorite Scene: Parks & Recreation Season 3 (2011) “Ron’s Swivel Chair”

The state of comedy on television is at its lowest ebb in my life time.  It’s odd, given that television drama is in a golden age, that TV comedies are so mediocre that I can’t even think of one that’s worth watching.  Parks and Recreation was originally conceived as a spin-off of The Office, though the only thing the shows shared was the documentary-style format.  Though The Office plunged in quality at the end of its run, Parks & Rec stayed stellar through all its seven seasons on NBC, during which it was criminally ignored by the Emmys.   Continue reading My Favorite Scene: Parks & Recreation Season 3 (2011) “Ron’s Swivel Chair”

Trailer Time: Mortdecai Trailer #1 (2015)


Lionsgate has debuted the trailer for the upcoming Mortdecai, starring Johnny Depp in the title role.  Can Depp rebound from his last few ….dozen (it feels like) movies?

Juggling some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part-time rogue Charlie Mortdecai (Johnny Depp) must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.

Also starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Jeff Goldblum and Paul Bettany, Mortdecai is directed by David Koepp and hits theaters February 6, 2015.
mortdecaiheader

Weekend Streaming: What’s New on Netflix – 11/23/2013

Netflix
Welcome to our weekly look at what’s new on Netflix streaming for your weekend viewing.  First, I have to mention the awesome new interface Netflix rolled out for Xbox.  It’s a vast improvement over the old one, allows much easier navigation and rating of programs and it’s just purty.  As always, I have not seen all of these, I’m not endorsing them, so don’t shoot the messenger if you hate Sharknado.  It’s sharks in a tornado.  It’s on there.  I’m passing the message.  If you wanna get semi-smashed and MST3K a movie, I’m betting Sharknado would make for an awesome 90 minutes of shark flying excitement. Continue reading Weekend Streaming: What’s New on Netflix – 11/23/2013

Monsters University Easter Eggs

 

Monsters University, Mike, Disney, Pixar

Pixar loves to throw little nods to past projects into their films and have going back to old short film references in the original Toy Story.  If you’ve seen Monsters University, did you catch these?

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

A113
This number refers to the classroom where John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Pete Docter, and Andrew Stanton studied at CalArts.


MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

Pizza Planet Delivery Truck
The delivery truck in the drive away is the same one that carried Buzz and Woody to the now iconic pizza restaurant.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

Luxo
The ball with a star on it made it’s first appearance in a groundbreaking short produced in the early days of the studio.


Monsters University, Sully, Mike, Pixar, Disney