The topic of the week is sequels: how do you do follow up a popular movie with a sequel that keeps fans interested without pissing them off. With Kung Fu Panda 2 and The Hangover Part II in theaters, we have some good examples of what (and what not) to do. We also finish up our Artist of the Month with Jarhead and Restrepo and mourn the passing of Jeff Conaway. We’ll be taking the next two weeks... 

The podcast has always designed to be an extension of the website, discussing other things going on around the site. That’s certainly true this week, as the site has dueling reviews of Tony Scott’s Unstoppable. Nicole offers our official review, but Rafe disagrees enough to make some entertaining audio this week. We also discuss the ramifications of early Oscar predictions, Kevin Kline’s... 

Comparisons between Due Date and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles are inevitable. Both movies feature comedic actors traveling cross-country. In both cases, one is on a desperate time-crunch, while the other is a laid-back misfit with no real understanding of social mores, but with the means of travel for other person to take advantage of. Fortunately, director Todd Phillips was obviously aware of the... 

We’ll warn you in advance: this episode goes to some strange places. We review It’s Kind of a Funny Story and critique another critic’s buzz-phrase, which leads into a discussion on Hollywood’s recently adopted cause: bullying – a cause we can’t stress enough. Trying to get back on track we look at two of John Carpenter’s alien invasion movies before misreporting... 

Fans of The Hangover who are hoping to see more of Zach Galifianakis’s wacky antics in It’s Kind of a Funny Story – an expectation that isn’t unreasonable based on the trailer – will be very disappointed by the movie. Funny Story doesn’t offer Galifianakis the opportunity for stupidity like we’ve seen before (for that fans will have to wait for Due Date, coming in another month).... 

Jay Roach brings us the next in a long line of Apatow-like, raunch comedies with Dinner for Schmucks. Unfortunately for the audience, Roach doesn’t seem to know how to properly set up a joke or when to stop when the joke isn’t working. Tim (Paul Rudd) is a 6th floor minion striving to be a 7th floor exec, if only to impress his girlfriend who refuses his marriage proposals. After coming up with... 

In an age where character development is secondary to big 3-D animation and Earth destroying explosions, it is nice to see Youth in Revolt. In this film Michael Cera plays Nick Twisp – an atypical teenage nerd. Most nerds are knee deep in Dungeons & Dragons or reading their comic books, but, no, not Nick. Nick is passionate about classic films and Frank Sinatra and finding a way to lose... 

The raunch comedy has really progressed over the past few years, thanks in part to directors like Judd Apatow and Todd Phillips. That’s why it’s not incredibly surprising that Phillips’s latest movie, The Hangover is a strong addition to the genre. It’s not just the raunch factor that makes The Hangover work though, but the strong chemistry between three actors playing characters that never...