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Community: The Complete Fourth Season

Cody Endres — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 13:49:41 +0000

More Changes on the Horizon

It was recently announced that actor Donald Glover (Troy on the show) will not be a full-time character for season five and will only appear in a handful of episodes.

Season 4 was a tumultuous time for Community fans. Series creator and showrunner Dan Harmon was unceremoniously fired by NBC following Season 3. New episodes didn't debut until February 2013 after NBC delayed the premiere by four months. Series regular Chevy Chase, who should credit the show for the revival of his career, decided to abandon the show after clashes with producers and outbursts on the set. The end certainly seemed to be near and many accepted that this would be the final season.

For readers that haven’t checked out the show, Community follows a group of Greendale Community College students who regularly meet in the library as part of a study group. Series regulars include Jeff (Joel McHale, The Soup) - the womanizing ex-lawyer, Britta (Gillian Jacobs, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone) - the activist always trying to fit in, Abed (Danny Pudi, Road Trip: Beer Pong) - the film student always making pop culture references, Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown, Drake & Josh), - the religious mother who also runs a sandwich stand in the cafeteria, Annie (Alison Brie, Mad Men) - the constant over-achiever, Troy (Donald Glover aka rapper Childish Gambino) - the former high-school football star, and Pierce (Chevy Chase, National Lampoon's Vacation) - the bigoted millionaire. Also appearing on the show are the cross-dressing Dean of Greendale (Jim Rash, Reno 911) and the downright crazy Chang (Ken Jeong, The Hangover).

As a program that likes to do special episodes around the holidays, watching Season 4 of Community was a bitter pill to swallow for most fans. NBC wasn’t exactly doing them any favors airing Thanksgiving and Christmas themed episodes in March and April. In fact, it seemed like NBC was putting the show on forced life support for the sole purpose of ending at four seasons and obtaining syndication (Community will hit syndication this fall). Truth be told, it wasn’t just the lack of network support that would be a disappointment. Without Harmon, the show lacked heart and direction. Every single episode of this season was a spoof on pop culture from a competition in the style of The Hunger Games to an origin story ripped from Unbreakable. While entertaining, Community was treading water. Season 4 will mostly be remembered for the “Intro to Felt Surrogacy” episode where the show turns into a Muppet parody including musical numbers and a fun appearance from Jason Alexander.

Various members of the cast and crew provide commentary on all 13 episodes. Also among the special features are a montage of outtakes, deleted scenes, and short features on the Comic Con and Muppet themed episodes. Shockingly, NBC announced that not only would Community be renewed for a fifth season, but Dan Harmon would be back as show runner. Don’t try to think about it too much – you’ll hurt your brain. While Season 4 doesn’t exactly live up to the standards of previous seasons, fans of the program will love some of the spoof episodes and probably want to check out Pierce’s exit. Just keep in mind - a half-hearted season of Community is still better than half of the sitcoms currently on television.

Review:

TV on DVD

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Grade:

3.00

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Community: The Complete Fourth Season

Joel McHale

Gillian Jacobs

Danny Pudi

Community

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National Lampoon's Vacation: 30th Anniversary Edition

Cody Endres — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:46:49 +0000

Who Ya Gonna Call?

Director Harold Ramis is better known for his role as Dr. Egon Spengler in the Ghostbuster franchise.

Grab the keys to the Family Truckster and hitch your dog to the back bumper, it’s Vacation time! To celebrate the three decades that have passed since its initial release, Warner Brother's Pictures has decided to put out another BluRay version of National Lampoon's Vacation - the 30th Anniversary Edition. Fans of the classic comedy film franchise might be peeved if they purchased the 2010 BluRay edition, but the 85-minute documentary included in the special features this time around make it a worthy upgrade.

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who isn't familiar with Vacation considering how long it has been playing on various cable networks. Regardless, Chevy Chase (Caddyshack) stars as Clark Griswold, a bumbling father who has planned a 2,460 mile vacation roadtrip from the family home in Chicago to Walley World in Los Angeles. Along for the ride are his wife Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo, Coal Miner's Daughter), son Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall, Weird Science), and daughter Audrey (Dana Barron, FOX’s Beverly Hills, 90210). Things don't go as planned when the Griswolds make a visit to Cousin Eddie's (Randy Quaid, Independence Day) homestead in Kansas and get roped into giving grumpy Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca, NBC's Your Show of Shows) and her dog Dinky a ride to Phoenix.

Vacation has stood the test of time and remains one of the most beloved comedies of the 1980's. One look at the cast and crew involved and it's easy to tell why. Chevy Chase is at his best in this career-defining role showcasing his mastery of physical comedy. Director Harold Ramis would go on to direct the beloved Groundhog Day. Screenwriter John Hughes became perhaps the most important director of the ‘80’s with films like The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. A bevy of comedic legends of the era including Eugene Levy, Brian Doyle-Murray, and the late great John Candy all have brief, entertaining roles.

The transfer of the film is gorgeous - colors pop and reflections can even be seen on Clark’s glasses. The sound is a mono track yet manages to maintain clarity. Don’t worry fans, “Holiday Road” by Lindsey Buckingham sounds better than ever. The majority of special features are imported from older releases including commentary with cast members, the standard trailer, and a short introduction taken from the 20th Anniversary DVD. The highlight of this 30th Anniversary version is an 85-minute documentary made by A&E a couple years ago. Viewers will learn everything they ever wanted to know about the making of Vacation including the location selection, Imogene Coca’s fear of traveling, an altercation between Chase and Ramis, and the original ending that flopped at test screenings. Vacation fans will want to pick this up as well as anyone wanting to relive one of the best comedies from the ‘80’s.

National Lampoon's Vacation

Review:

Blu-Ray

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Grade:

4.00

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National Lampoon's Vacation

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National Lampoon's Vacation

Cody Endres — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:36:34 +0000

National Lampoon's Vacation

In Theatres:

Jul 29, 1983

On Blu-Ray:

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Starring:

Chevy Chase,

Beverly D'Angelo,

Anthony Michael Hall,

Dana Barron,

Randy Quaid,

Imogene Coca

Studio(s):

Warner Bros. Pictures

Director(s):

Edited by:

Music by:

Distributor(s):

Warner Bros. Pictures

Country(es):

United States

Genre:

Comedy

Producer(s):

Matty Simmons

Running Time:

98 minutes

Written by:

John Hughes

Official Facebook:

Official Facebook

This is where the classic comedy film franchise started. Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and family pack up for a family vacation roadtrip to Walley World. Needless to say, the trip doesn't go exactly as planned. This would be Chase's career-defining role and also features appearances from other comedy legends including Eugene Levy, Brian Doyle-Murray, and the late great John Candy.

Community: Season 3

Lee Roberts — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:52:38 +0000

Bonus Features

Deleted Scenes, Gag Reels, Commentaries, A Glee-ful Community Christmas Featurette, This is War Pillows vs Blankets Mockumentary Featurette

COMMUNITY:
The gang is back for another year at Greendale Community College as they gear up for their third year of studies. It's a year that the study group might not be able to survive as they face off against a former teacher who has become the security guard and his underage enforcers, a new vice dean who wants to take away a member of the group, a pillow fight for the record books, and many other insane hijinks.

SEASON 3:
When Community was first announced 3 years ago I was not on board to watch the show. It looked like it wouldn't be funny and the cast seemed to be actors that didn't know how to act, including the aged Chevy Chase. Though I was not going to just say no to the show before watching it and from season 1 to now in season 3 I have been hooked on the show. Season 3 of Community has been the best season for the show so far with it's cast grown into their characters and writers that have turned what could have been a one season one liner into a thriving, continuous show.

First thing to note with season 3 that's different than past seasons is that it has more continuity to the episodes. Not every episode, but most of the season has returning characters and story lines. Having John Goodman play the character Vice Dean Laybourne who is the head of this weird secret A/C repair course that wants to have Troy (played by Donald Glover) join the course was a great way to go. There's also get Chang's (play by Ken Jeong) becoming this crazed security guard with this sinister plot that develops over the course of the season as well as the main cast itself building on their relationships. This was a season of growth for the show, both with the characters and with the stories.

This has been one of the shows that for some reason gets treated like it's unwanted by NBC yet the fans demand to have it on air. Season 3 proves why this show has been able to survive these 3 seasons even with the skeptics talking about ending it. This season pushed the show to new levels of hilarity with its crazy events taking place with the characters. I really loved how the shows are easily watched as one episode yet the whole season ties together as a yearlong plot. By the end of the season I liked this show more than I did going into it. There's twist and turns that I would never have guessed to see used on the show and then there's also the expected oddity that this show brings that made this season so great. Community season 3 is by far the best year for this show with a cast that brings a lot to the show and writing that give the cast their fuel to make the show funny. However best part of this DVD are the two special features, deleted scenes and the gag reels, those are worth owning this DVD, well also the show itself.

Review:

TV on DVD

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Grade:

4.37

Tags:

Community

Season:

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Community Season 3

Lee Roberts — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:52:38 +0000

Community

Season: 3

Starring:

On DVD:

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Discs:

Tags:

NBC,

Community (PREVIEW)

Paul Arca — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:45:08 +0000

Interesting Tidbits

Abed (Danny Pudi) is actually half Polish and can speak fluent Polish.

"Community" began its 3rd season this past September, until NBC mysteriously and supposedly cancelled the show in December. After numerous petitions and disdain from the show's fans, NBC reassured that "Community" was on an "extended hiatus" until further notice and it was not in any way cancelled. To everyone's surprise, "Community" will be back this Thursday, March 15, at 8pm on NBC with a totally new episode entitled, "Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts." Shakefire had the honor of getting a sneak preview of the episode before it airs this week. Jeff (Joel McHale) and his study group at Greendale Community College are back in school and are ready to do what they do best, be themselves.

In this episode, Shirley's (Yvette Nicole Brown) husband, Andre (Guest star Malcolm Jamal Warner), re-proposes to her and wants to renew their wedding vows. She asks Jeff to make a toast at their ceremony and he agrees, but he is hesitant because he is not fond of weddings or the thought of marriages. Pierce (Chevy Chase) is looking a bit different since we've all last seen him, but he is still racist and is looking to invest in new ventures and products. Annie suggests the idea that Shirley running a sandwich shop at the Greendale Cafeteria while Pierce finances and manages it would be the perfect thing for the both of them. Both happily agree with the partnership, but it gets in the way of Shirley and Andre's ceremony. Chaos ensues and the show is back to where it was before its "extended hiatus."

This was not one of their best or most memorable episodes, but it was still full of laughs and quirky nerd humor. My favorite part of this episode was how Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi) attempted to be normal for the first time in the show's history, but it was short lived when they were revisited by an old friend. They are my favorite characters and it was good to see them back to being their abnormal selves. I was also surprised at some of the revelations made in this episode that helped explain why some of the show's characters act and think the way they do. I am a big fan of the show and am really happy to see it back on the air, but I just hope it stays that way for a longer period of time. For those reasons, I am giving this episode a "B" and I still think it is worth a watch whether you are a fan of the show of not.

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Grade:

3.30

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Community: The Complete Second Season

Jeremy Hunt — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:56:39 +0000

One of my favorite new TV comedies is back for a second season…and I couldn’t be happier. It had an incredibly solid beginning, packed with creative storylines, a charismatic cast with fantastic chemistry, and of course, brilliant humor and writing. If anything, the first season was so strong that I was concerned about the follow-up. That’s not to knock the talents and skills of those involved in creating the show, simply a testament to their overall success in their freshman year. Most shows normally take a full year or so to find their footing. Community managed to more or less stick the landing from the get-go.

All of which brings us to season two. To use an overcooked comedy cliché, the sophomore year at Greendale Community College took everything that worked from season one and cranked it to 11. The character conflicts and relationships got funnier and more complicated. The episodes got more and more creative, somehow without getting gimmicky.

That balance isn’t an easy one to strike. This season features a bottle episode spoof, a zombie episode, a stop-motion animated episode, one involving Dungeons and Dragons, and a tribute to both Pulp Fiction and My Dinner With Andre (in the same episode!). Oh and one of the main characters gets pregnant and gives birth over the course of the season. They took everything and the kitchen sink and threw caution to the wind.

Speaking of throwing caution to the wind, they also had the balls to revisit one of best episodes of last year (the season finale paintball/action film spoof episode). They not only did another campus-wide paintball game, but they expanded it to a two-part season ender. Far from feeling rehashed or played-out (like most sequels), this year’s paintball game played tribute to both westerns and science fiction. It was a creative risk, but they pulled it off with flying colors.

As for this DVD set, it’s packed with deleted scenes, outtakes, behind-the-scenes featurettes and cast and crew commentary on every episode. The 24 episodes themselves are spread out across the four discs. It’s a solid release all around.

Thankfully Community got renewed for a third season, so the hilarious adventures of the Greendale study group will continue. Bone up on your collegiate studies and get into this show.

Review:

TV on DVD

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Grade:

4.00

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Community Season 2

Jeremy Hunt — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:56:39 +0000

Community

Season: 2

Starring:

On DVD:

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Discs:

Tags:

Greendale College,

NBC,

comedy,

TV,

Community

Pandora — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:25:43 +0000

Photos:

(Promotional Stills Images)

Talent:

Joel McHale

TV Show:

Community

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Tags:

Applied Anthropology And Culinary Arts

A Fistful Of Paintballs

Community - A Fistful Of Paintballs

Talent(s):

Community: The Complete First Season

Jeremy Hunt — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 03:44:05 +0000

Community is one of the funniest new shows on TV in quite some time. Centered on a random and ragtag group of students at Greendale Community College, it’s hilarious, smart and pretty darn creative. Trafficking in rapid-fire dialogue and repartee that’s reminiscent of 30 Rock, Community succeeds in large part due to the power of its cast. Joel McHale, Chevy Chase, and Ken Jeong probably have the biggest name recognition at this point, but the entire crew has such chemistry that it truly is an ensemble show. In particular, I love the relationship between Donald Glover’s Troy and Danny Pudi’s Abed. These two play off each other so well that it’s hard not to envision a series of buddy movies starring them in globe-trotting adventure a la Bing Crosby and Bob Hope…with Spanish rap songs instead of show tunes.

The storylines are goofy and consistently funny, while the writing is stellar and very sharp. “Throw-away” lines and gags are often brought up off-handedly a few episodes after they were first introduced, adding an extra of humor goodness for viewers with an attention to detail. The episodes were all hilarious, but a few stand out from the rest. The Halloween episode and the Paintball episode were probably my favorite from this season. The Paintball one in particular is an epic spoof/homage to action/superhero films with riff after riff on those genres.

If there’s one thing that the show risks wearing out at some point, it’s all the cultural references, coupled with the ironic/self-referential humor. Family Guy’s a good example of show that’s worn out its welcome on that front, while South Park has managed to navigate that minefield pretty well. Hopefully Community will find its future in the later category.

In terms of this DVD release, it’s a solid start for a freshman show. Bonus features include cast commentaries for every episode, outtakes, alternate scenes, mini episodes and a bunch of other fun behind-the-scenes extras. Bottom line? If you watched this on air, you need to get this set. If you haven’t watched it yet, you need to get your act together and check it out now.

Review:

TV on DVD

Exclusive?:

Grade:

3.98

Tags:

Community

Season:

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