Ferrell Replaces Carrell

              Last Thursday “The Office” presented one of its very few sneak peeks to next week and it revealed and familiar comrade of Steve Carrell’s, Will Ferrel. Will Ferrel stated to Entertainment Weekly that he will be taking over.  Fans immediately tweeted, blogged and updated their statuses with surprise wondering if he was definitely staying but behind the scenes different words have been said. “Will was likely joking, but time will tell.” says cast member Rainn Wilson to EW, “He’s got other fish to fry.”

Edited by yours truly. Photo courtesy of Google.

                Whether or not this rumor is true will be seen in due time but will Will Ferrel truly is able to bring a different style to the plate. Carrell’s entire shtick is being extremely uncomfortable, oblivious and over the top in all the wrong ways. It is hilarious and it works. But what is the point of switching him out with Will Ferrel who initially does the same thing. Each character from Ron Burgundy from “Anchorman” to Brennan Huff in “Step Brothers” is the same. An extremely immature grown man who has no idea the effect he has on those around him until the last 30 minutes of the film. This too works and it is hilarious. Although it really gets no one anywhere, seeing as half of the country loves Ferrel and the other half cannot stand to even see his face without imagining him streaking and cringing in annoyance.

               There has been talk of other people such as Will Arnett or Ricky Gervais  ,who was the creator of the earlier British version of “The Office,” to take Carrel’s place. Will Arnett would be a perfect edition if he took an evil and vindictive attempt at being the head of the office, but obviously in a funny way. After “Arrested Development” he has shown that his comedic talents are definitely off the charts and extremely underrated seeing as he hasn’t been afterwards. Although he has been a recurring character on “30 Rock” it could call for some scheduling conflicts so he might not be a possible candidate for Michael’s spot. Gervais filling Micheal’s spot would be a pleasure to watch, but he has a show of his own running at the moment called “The Ricky Gervais Show” so that could put a damper on things on his behalf. It is probably safe to say that neither of these amazing picks will make a permanent move into the workplace. 

PUC's Budding Writer

Exciting, hilarious and intriguing is the best way to describe "Please Swipe Again," written by PUC's own Megan Mann. She has written a novella both entertaining and intriguing in its telling of the budding relationship of two young New Yorkers. It is impressive to believe this is her first book, as the amount of personality behind each character shows a great level of maturity.

The plot revolves around Ava and Kiernan, as they try to figure out their lives while exploring the streets of New York City. The point of view alternates from chapter to chapter between Ava and Kiernan. This unique style allows the readers to connect with the main characters to the fullest extent, and to sympathize with their trials and tribulations.

Music plays a huge part of this story. The song choices allow the reader to dive further into the atmosphere of the scenes and really feel the emotions of the characters. While this tool becomes a negative when the reader may not be familiar with the artist or song choice, having the option of compiling a playlist that goes hand-in-hand with the book is rather interesting and, for some, enjoyable.

Mann's further use of musical references drives the importance of music home.

For instance, there is a scene in the book where two characters end up having an intimate moment and afterwards the character states, "It allowed me to concentrate on what we had talked about before we brought a Motley Crue song to life." All innuendos aside, Mann finds a way to get readers laughing, whether it is Kiernan's arrogant, model cousin Travis making egotistical remarks and grinning at Ava's best friend, or Madison, who is a spunky fireball and receiver of grins. This combo of characters allows the book to flourish and shocks readers with its heavy sentimental and earnest under tones.

Due to quickly elapsed time and the short page count of the book, the character arcs feel a bit rushed, but they still manage to be solid and logical. The readers get to see Ava transform from a lost young girl to a strong young woman who makes tough decisions while they are smiling straight at her. Kiernan shifts from a scared young boy to an independent young man who is able to face decisions and confrontations head on. Allowing the readers to experience and see this transformation adds another level to the story and, though it is quickly done, it is not a sloppy or unrealistic progression.

Mann's first outing seems fluid and effortless, allowing the readers to look past her amateur status and see the budding, legitimate writer who rests inside these pages. Areas of detail and elaboration still require some tweaking though, as this book comes up at a brisk 93 pages. A bit more delving into Ava and Kiernan's strange relationship would have been happily welcomed to the story. Still, brevity aside, the book serves as an engaging read for all aspiring writers and young adults who are trying to find their inner spark.
"Please Swipe Again" by Megan Mann receives a 7 out of 10.

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Support Japan

I know this is only suppose to be about media based things. But this country has had a spot in my heart since I was 11. Not just for the animation they produce that opened an entirely new door of creation, but also due to the culture that surrounds their citizens. I wish I could visit there myself and help out but alas, I am grounded in America. All I can go is send things to help them out and hope they recover quickly.

I have made this video and am hoping to participate in a charity event next week to help out.

Follow THIS video and there are countless links that YOU could help out. One donation can help. Your hands are not only meant to push you up when you fall, but they are also meant to reach out and help others when they take a tumble.


Thank you.

Hall Pass Gets Lost

For a movie marketed as a raunchy comedy, to be so painfully unfunny is a feat all itself, not what the creators intended. "Hall Pass" achieves this from the moment the title of the movie leaves the mouths of the characters, and the whole thing tumbles downhill from there. Predictable, soulless and boring are three things directors do not want in an adult comedy, but it was slathered all over this Farrelly Brothers film.

"Hall Pass," starring Owen Wilson ("Wedding Crashers", "Bottle Rocket"), centers around a married man named Rick, whose wife gives him a hall pass for a week. This hall pass grants him the chance to be as sleazy as he wants to be in hopes to get his roaming eyes back on his wife, played by Jenna Fischer ("The Office"). Rick, along with his buddy Fred (Jason Sudeikis of "SNL"),  and a few of their other pals go out on the town in hopes of scoring a few points before heading back to their women.

Terrible concept aside, the film suffers from poor set-ups and unfunny payoffs. It seems as though the Farrelly Brothers have run out of jokes, leaving all their gold in movies such as "Dumb & Dumber", "Me, Myself & Irene" and "There's Something About Mary." Judging by their previous body of work, one would expect the movie to push the limits of sensibility and taste with hilarious results. This time, however, expectations are not met with hilarity, but rather disappointment and crushed hopes of what could have been. The crude humor cannot make it past the slight smirk, and the recurring jokes force cringes instead of laughs.
The wives are more interesting than the husbands in this story since Wilson's character showed no real intentions of getting with anyone. When the wives are hit with temptation, their story is far more interesting but simply does not get enough screen time. Sudeikis proved he is nowhere near ready to co-star in a comedy, as he is only able to deliver one half-funny joke involving a chloroform napkin.

Wilson also makes audiences wonder if he is able to act outside of a Wes Anderson ("The Royal Tenebaums", "Rushmore", "Fantastic Mr. Fox") film at all. It would appear that he cannot, as his character feels extremely one-dimensional and seemed as though any other actor could have easily filled his shoes.  The characters Brent, played by Derek Waters, and Coakley (Richard Jenkins), the tanned out man who can be spotted telling the guys how to spot a not-so-hot chick, are the only characters that bring a slight smile and laugh to the theatre. This is due to their outlandish tendencies, which almost reminded viewers of the Farrelly's old ways.

All in all, the Farrellys need to sit down and take a long look at the drawing board to try and figure out why their films have become so lackluster. Gone are the days of explosive diarrhea, public indecency and questionable hair gel. Now the days are filled with barely funny characters, nudity for the sake of nudity and substance jokes which have been done over a thousand times in the past three years. The film falls short on every conceivable level by which one can measure a comedy.

 "Hall Pass" receives a 2 out of 10.

[Read on PUC site: Here]