Both Jenna Fischer, from the US version of The Office, and Ricky Gervais, star and co-creator of the UK original, seem to have new acting gigs lined up. Fischer’s will be in a Farrelly Bros. comedy, while Gervais’ is in… the US version of The Office?
Hall Pass is an ‘open relationship’ comedy in which a pair of wives give their husbands permission to stray from the marital bed. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this only becomes an issue when the women too start to sleep with other people. Fischer’s husband will be played by Owen Wilson, and Jason Sudeikis will play the other ‘liberated male’. His wife is yet to be cast - place your bets, please.
An altogether more startling proposition is an appearance by Gervais, and in the character of David Brent no less, in the next season of The Office. Michael Ausiello at EW has two sources pointing roughly at this story, one of whom is Gervais himself:
I heard an unconfirmed rumor earlier today that Ricky Gervais was seriously considering reprising his role as original Office manager David Brent on the U.S. version… about an hour ago, Ricky Gervais took the stage at press tour… and hinted that he might do something with the U.S. Office next season.
Okay, I hope they have fun with this. I’m a fan of the US series and think they’ll probably give Gervais something good to do.
In his new book of essays, Eating the Dinosaur, pop culture critic Chuck Klosterman posits that “as a species we have never been less human than we are right now.” Part of the reason why this has happened, he says, is that our growing consumption of media, movies, and entertainment has made it so that “we can’t really differentiate between real and unreal images.” He concludes that we thus, “no longer have freedom to think whatever we want.” For instance, the words, “basketball game,” instantly trigger a mental image of the NBA before (rather than?) a memory of a real experience. The Klosterman twist is that while “reading about Animal Collective on the Internet has replaced being alive,” he’s generally okay with this cultural and social development. I should add that he admits that the Unabomber’s Manifesto and its author had several really good and scarily prescient points.
In his second interview with /Film, many of Eating the Dinosaur’s ideas are discussed within the context of modern television series like Mad Men and 30 Rock. We also discuss the significance of the odd documentary-style used on The Office and now Modern Family, and why he believes pop-culture writing/blogging on the internet unfortunately has become “an institutional voice” that rivals academia. Is this where I type, “Hopefully the next trailer is better?” For our first interview round with Chuck Klosterman, click here. For Klosterman’s updates on film adaptations of his books Fargo Rock City and Killing Yourself to Live, click here.
Hunter Stephenson: What’s your biggest problem with 30 Rock?
Chuck Klosterman: [pause] Does it seem like I have one?
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When the season finale of Mad Men was over, there was a minor tinge of déjà vu that I couldn’t immediately pin down. Hours later, it occurred to me that one of the major twists in the finale shared several fun similarities to The Office (Scranton Branch). In fact, up until the epiphany, I had never considered Don Draper to be every bit the serious, hip and fair boss that Michael Scott is delighted to find in the mirror each morning when he combs back his hair. As is /Film’s reader friendly policy, spoilers ahead…
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Most fans of The Office (Scranton, USA) are simply stoked and relieved that Pam and Jim are finally making it happen, so a longer glimpse down the halls of the NBC series might seem verboten. Nevertheless, series creator and writer, Greg Daniels, recently chimed in on the future of the most aloof branch of Dunder-Mifflin…
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Posted on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 by David Chen
In this week’s /Filmcast, Dave Chen, Devindra Hardawar and Adam Quigley discuss the sad state of Disney’s live action brand, assess Tomas Alfredson’s proclivities for gender-bending storylines, offer up some unabashed praise for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and report back on the first week of the fall TV season. Special guest Adam Kempenaar joins us from the Filmspotting podcast.
You can always e-mail us at slashfilmcast(AT)gmail(DOT)com, or call and leave a voicemail at 781-583-1993. Join us next Monday at 9 PM EST / 6 PM PST at Slashfilm’s live page as we review Surrogates.
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This Week in DVD & Blu-ray is a column that compiles all the latest info regarding new DVD and Blu-ray releases, sales, and exclusive deals from stores including Target, Best Buy and Fry’s.
Please don’t take the commentary on the movies and TV shows too seriously, as they’re meant not to be reviews but rather previews that include the general thoughts and ramblings of a twice-committed DVD addict. The categories represent solely the author’s intentions towards the films at hand, and are in no way meant to be a reflection on what he thinks other people should rent or buy. So if he ends up putting a movie you like in the “Skip it” section without having seen it, please keep in mind that the time you could spend leaving a spiteful but ultimately futile comment could instead be used for more pleasant things in life. Like buying DVDs.
THE OFFICE (SEASON 5)
At this point viewers should just accept it: The Office will never be as good as it was in Season 2, or even Season 3. Those two seasons marked the collected efforts of the writer’s best ideas and storylines, and Season 2 in particular is representative of the emotional peak of the show, demonstrated in the strangely heart-wrenching “will they?”/”won’t they?” relationship between Jim and Pam. Now that the question has been answered, there’s not nearly as much for audiences to be quite so dramatically invested in, so naturally there will be times when the series struggles to find its emotional base. As far as I’m concerned though, they’re doing a far better job than anybody should’ve expected. Instead of trying to repeat the formula with the same two characters by way of constant conflicts between Jim and Pam, only to find them breaking up, and then getting back together, and then breaking up again (*ahem* Friends), the writers have found the next natural progression: Michael Scott actually managing to find a compatible partner. In another show, this might seem like an obvious retread, but given how socially awkward Michael is, the circumstances feel completely different, and in turn, so are the obstacles he has to overcome. It also helps that the lady friend in question is played by The Wire’s Amy Ryan, who makes her character Holly Flax as lovable as she is dorky. My only real disappointment with this season was the circularly-plotted Michael Scott Paper Company storyline, which initially appeared to be a fresh new direction for the show to go in, only to reveal itself in the end as a temporary detour from more of the same. I hope next season will find a way to mix things up a little more.
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: DVD & Blu-ray – Cast and crew commentaries, deleted scenes, an Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences Presents The Office featurette, Webisodes, Superbowl Ads, Olympic Promos, and a gag reel.
| BEST DVD PRICE |
| Target |
Best Buy |
Fry’s |
| $32.99 |
$31.99 |
$31.77 |
| Amazon – $36.99 |
| BEST BLU-RAY PRICE |
| Target |
Best Buy |
Fry’s |
| $42.99 |
$41.99 |
$41.77 |
| Amazon – $42.99 |
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Post-Finale Update: So that was delectably epic.
This Sunday at 11: 45 p.m. ET, the rolling, clueless glob better known as Meatwad enters our Meatspace. Sort of. He’ll appear as, erm, an exercise ball, as seen above. In celebration of the season finale, Aqua Teen Hunger Force is airing its first ever live-action episode during its six seasons on [adult swim]. Vocoder rapper, T-Pain, will portray Frylock, the show’s patient, levitating box of French fries. Red Alert: TP’s neck blingee features Mooninites. This fall, T-Pain will also play The Ghost of Spring Break, alongside Lil’ Wayne, Andy Samberg, and Rick Ross, on the [adult swim] special The Return of Freaknik, an animated ode to Atlanta’s infamous ass-bash. Check out the rude and ridic trailer.
Rounding out the cast for Sunday’s Force is cool comedian H. Jon Benjamin (Human Giant, Demitri Martin) as Master Shake and possibly our fave: open audition-winner, Dave Long Jr., as the wife-beater-lovin’ human disgrace known as Carl Brutananadilewski. Pictures and the esoteric episode synopsis after the jump…
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On May 20th, [adult swim] is scheduled to announce new shows and give a thorough update on its eight-hour programming block. TV Barn recently paid a visit to the mythical Williams Street office in Atlanta, where [as] founder Mike Lazzo let it be known that he’s acquired the UK-version of The Office: “That’s a done deal. It’s happening. …The only thing I don’t know is when to put it on.” The rather awesome acquisition follows in line with [as]’s recent importation of British comedy series The Mighty Boosh and the utterly craze Look Around You. Moreover, it’s yet another live-action addition to a nocturnal line-up built on signature, subversive, stony animation.
An upcoming [as] program that I eagerly anticipate sliming my mind and hundreds-of-thousands of others is entitled Totally For Teens. Numerous trailers for it—think ’80s after school specials suitable for Videodrome’s Civic-TV or 4chan—have hit the web, but the latest was too damn amazing not to share. Take a look and have your egg fried after the jump…
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Posted on Thursday, November 13th, 2008 by David Chen
In this episode of /Filmcast, Dave, Adam, and Devindra lament the prevalence of American remakes, compare 28 Days Later with 28 Weeks Later, review Role Models, and remember one of their favorite authors of all time.
Have any questions, comments, concerns, feedback, or praise? E-mail us at slashfilmcast@gmail.com or call and leave a voicemail at 781-583-1993. Join us next next Monday night as we review the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace.
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Posted on Tuesday, September 9th, 2008 by David Chen
In this episode of the /Filmcast, Dave, Devindra and Adam try to decide whether Ghostbusters 3 is a good idea, debate whether or not The Dark Knight should have been rated R, and assess the acting talent of Nicholas Cage in Bangkok Dangerous. Vic Holtreman joins us from Screenrant and Moriarty from AICN joins us to bitchslap rumors about Will Smith and Batman 3 into submission.
Have any questions, comments, concerns, feedback, or praise? E-mail us at slashfilmcast@gmail.com or call and leave a voicemail at 781-583-1993. Join us next Monday as we review Burn After Reading with hilarious film critic Eric D Snider.
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