Personally I have been on the job hunt and would like to share some advice for anyone else in my position who is currently looking for employment.

Also, I have been in multiple positions where I have reviewed many resumes and would like to pass on a few tips.

Cover Page

1) Keep it concise!

You may have heard that employers only look at your resume for 30 seconds. What makes you think they are going to look at your cover letter for longer?

Keep it to just a few points, one or two sentences for each:

• Brief introduction of you are
• Mention how you heard about/ or how you know the company (it shows you aren’t just applying for the job, but want to be apart of the company)
• A personal achievement and connect it to the job you are applying for
• Thank you and ‘look forward to your response’

Resume

1) Try and keep your resume to one page

Unless you have amazing work experience or if you were a leader in every club on campus, chances are you can trim that fat and only keep important information. People don’t care that you are ‘proficient in Microsoft Office’ if you are applying for a job and you are in college, that is expected. Now if you have any other skills beyond basic powerpoint/ word/ excel, or know photoshop or video editing that is definitely worth adding.

Also, have your most important achievements first. You want to ‘WOW’ your potential employer, so don’t have that you walked dogs for 3 years when you were 13 years old, and list your current internship last.

2) Consistent formatting 

This goes for just about everything: your dates, your past vs present tense, your font, etc. Don’t have ‘worked from 5/1/11-5/1/12′ for one job and another start with ‘June 1, 2012′. Don’t for one bullet point have ‘I manage’ and the next bullet point say ‘I organized’. Don’t get fancy with your font, everything (except your name, which should stick out with a larger font) should be the same size with your titles in Bold to make clear sections which are easier to read.

This happens a lot more than you think, it may not lose you the interview, but it does look sloppy.

3) Every position should have roughly the same bullet points

This goes back tot he first rule, don’t list nine bullets for one job and only have two for another, chances are you can trim that down to the 4-6 important aspects of your job. When things are about the same size it is much easier to read, and chances are you should have about four important things to say. More than that they probably weren’t that important, less than that, the job may not be worth adding.

4) Quantify

I had a professor who was adamant about this: if you can quantify something, do it. Don’t say ‘I increased sales’. Say ‘I increased sales by $10,000, a 12% improvement from the last quarter’. You can’t do it for every job, but if you can put it into you resume, it looks great.

**This goes for both your cover letter and your resume** Don’t save  and send your resume/ cover letter as ‘Resume-2′. Show that you know what company you are applying for and have pride in your self. The best format is ‘Your Name-Company- Resume/Cover Letter’. If they are interested in you, don’t make it difficult for the employer to find your resume after they save it.

This also means tailoring your resume to each position. I have a three sentence introduction in the beginning of my resume that just says I have experience in skill 1,  skill 2, and skill 3. When I apply to a different job,  if skill 2 doesn’t apply, I change it to skill 4.

Interview

Congratulations you got an interview!

99.9% of the time you will be told who you will be interviewing with. It doesn’t matter whether the interview is on Skype, in person, or on the phone. You should know who you will be talking to. If you don’t know ASK!

1) Do research

Facebok, Linkedin, twitter, and the company’s website  are your best bets.  Know what they do in the company, so you can ask them questions. Do they write on the company’s blog? Read their articles so you can  compliment a point they made. I knew one of my interviewers was a swim coach, so I made sure I mentioned I swam in high school, and was able to connect.

Write these things down, write down the questions you want to ask, as well as anything that the company does that you think they do well. People like to hear when someone approves of what they are doing. Don’t be a suck up but to say ‘I saw on your website how you promoted that product by showing videos of all your clients that use it’. It shows you did your research and your not bs’ing them.

2) Dress appropriately/ be comfortable

I’m not the most stylish person in the world, but I’d say wearing a full suit is a little much nowadays. Unless you’re going into a VERY high end company, or if it’s political position, you run the risk of looking over dressed.  Be comfortable, a nice pair of pants with a shirt and tie should do fine. For those of you who know me, I always roll up my sleeves, but for interviews, keep them down.

3) Be prepared

If you have class/ another job/ or any other type of obligation make sure you give yourself enough time to get dressed, smell fresh, and make sure you are prepared.  I suggest investing in a padfolio, they are relatively inexpensive and make you look very professional. Have your questions/ compliments written down for them, and bring a pen.

During the conversation, pay attention to what your interviewers are saying. They are going to talk about themselves or the company at some point, if they say something that is interesting, mention something you want to comment on later, WRITE IT DOWN. It shows that you are actively paying attention to them and not just nodding your head as they speak.

Most of the time your interviewers will give you their card which is another plus to having a padfolio, because you have somewhere to put it.

**Side Tip** Bring water with you in your car, so you’re hydrated when you get there so you don’t get thirsty, which leads to bad breath.  They usually offer water and you should TAKE IT! You don’t know how long the interview will last and it’s always good to have water with you.

Post Interview

Phew! That can be the most stressful part. Now don’t go home and just wait for a phone call or an email from HR.

1) Thank yous

These people just took the time out of their day to talk to you, thank them. If your interviewer(s) gave you their card you’d be dumb not to thank them, because they handed you their contact info. If you don’t have any contact information from your interviewers, then thank the HR person/ hiring manager (who you should thank anyway). Don’t think that anyone you interacted with doesn’t have an influence on your employment.

*Another reason you should write things down, is because you can look at your notes and make a more personal thank you, ‘I really enjoyed learning about….’

2) Don’t Stress

It may be a few days before anyone gets back to you, but it’s not like you are the only person on their list.  If no one has gotten back to you after about 10 days you may want to send an email just asking for an update, or asking what the next steps are.

By no means is this process perfect, or a sure-fire way of getting an interview or a job; they are simply suggestions that I believe will help.  If you want to share an idea or something you have done in the past that you feel really works and has helped you find a job, please leave a comment!

Good luck!

‘CES on the Hill’ was an event that took place a few weeks ago, which showed off some upcoming technologies.  There was one piece that caught my eye: The Dock-n-Lock, a device where the driver needs to put their phone in the dock in order for the vehicle to run, thus preventing them from texting and calling while on the road. It would primarily be used by companies who rely heavily on drivers and ensure that they are driving safely.

http://ce.org/Blog/Articles/2013/April/4-Technologies-You-Have-to-See-at-CES-on-the-Hill.aspx

Personally I think it’s a good idea especially if blue-tooth is incorporated so that drivers are still able to communicate, but making sure they are using a hands free device.

Now I started thinking about personal use, would the general public volunteer to put this in their cars? Probably not, the only way I could see this happening was if it was along the same lines of a court ordered breathalyzer car starter.

For the most part I think that most drivers on the road today are DECENT drivers while on the phone. I know I am guilty of calling someone on the phone, which is a second degree offense in my state which means I cannot be pulled over for simply making a phone call, but I do not text while driving.  I believe that because my generation, which are the youngest (born around 1990) drivers on the road, grew up with cell phones. When we received our first cell phone, that’s what it was a phone, you could call text, and MAYBE take pictures. We’ve grown up with the technology and even though some of us take pictures of traffic, or send a tweet while driving, for the most part I’d say we’re pretty conservative.

Now for the tweens. The Beliebers. The people who have no idea that MTV used to play music, the children who have only seen the Transformers movies, but never the cartoon.  Their first cell phones, are not phones but ‘mobile devices’. The reason they wanted a phone to begin with was not so they could call their friends, but to play ‘Words with Friends’ and use ‘FaceTime’. Now that’s all fine, everyone thinks their childhood had the coolest toys and the best tech, but when these kids get a license, I don’t see them making a simple phone call when on the phone.  When I’m in the car I do less now with my phone when I first had my car. I used to text and drive because I could do it using my bumpy keyboard on my Env2, now I only make phone calls. It’s possible that the next generation of drivers will ‘cut back’ on the tools they use but with the plethora of tools at their disposal  will it matter if they are using four apps  instead of eight?

In a few years I think we’ll see an emergence of regulations that will dictate usage of mobile devices while driving, even as far as seeing a Dock-N-Lock device  becoming a standard in automobiles.

*SPOILER FREE* .. sort of

Last night FX kicked of the second season of American Horror Story.

You might be asking yourself… “Dude, I haven’t seen the first season yet. Should I wait to watch that before watching this?”

Absolutely not!

In one of the most unique styles to create a show, American Horror Story Asylum breaks away from its previous season with a whole new story line, plot, and characters. If you did watch the first season, you’ll recognize some familiar faces (Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Zachary Quinto, Lily Rabe, and Sarah Paulson). It took me a little while to disconnect all of the character development and relations that I grew to love in the first season, but that lasted all of 2 minutes after Adam Levine started banging a chick on a crazy person bed chair thingy.

Last night’s episode was interesting. There’s definitely more of a religious tie in compared to last season, where you just had a haunted house with people dying in it.

Now you got Jessica Lange going all psycho nun on everyone as opposed to her last character, the annoying nosy neighbor that was clearly hiding something).

Evan Peters… well….. he’s pretty much the same. A crazy kid, that you have no idea what’s going on with his character. His character is going to probably reveal something halfway into the season.

Sarah Paulson, who previously had a small role as Lange’s psychic friend, now seems to be a main character as a reporter trying to figure out whats going on in the asylum. *cough*shutter island*cough*

CAST MVP: Jessica Lange. So far her character seems to be the only one that’s putting it all out there. Everyone else is hiding something/ keeping quiet.

EPISODE RATING: 4.5/5 (could have been a tad scarier)

We were shown in this first episode all of the things viewers have come to know and love with this series. AMC continues to impress not only with the incredible make-up, but also with their willingness to be ruthless with the story-line. We may have a Game of Thrones type situation on our hands here where your favorite character may be the next one on the chopping block (No! Not Glenn!) They’ve already kept as hanging with a large cliffhanger, so be sure to check back next week for the continuation of this fantastic story.

BADASS OF THE WEEK: Glenn/T-Dog, as they both did work on some zombies tonight.

EPISODE RATING: 4.5/5

Watch the throne! Ron is king of this week’s Parks & Rec. The rest of the cast agrees.

Episode Rating: Brilliant, hilarious and… perfect!  5 stars.

Summary:  Well I won’t ruin anything for you but I asked a friend what her favorite part of last Thursday’s (sorry it took so long) episode of Parks & Recreation was and she said that watching Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) get dressed up as a princess to impress a lady was the best moment of the show.  I agree, and can maybe count it as one of the best moments in the character’s life-span.  Which would then, in turn, make it one of the greatest moments on TV because he is one of the greatest characters on TV right now.  I realize that logic is often flawed but you get the point at least when I use it.  All the other moments from last week’s episode weren’t as good as Ron’s arc but were outstanding nonetheless.  I laughed at every scene, sometimes uncontrollably.  Fans will love it, outsiders will find it funny, if you watch it and don’t laugh like I said I laughed you have to know that this show is very character-specific.  The quirks designated for each are built up over the course of the show.  When you’re familiar with how the characters act, this episode is top-notch.

Cast MVP: Ron Fucking Swanson.  ‘Nuff said.

30 Rock is back for an abbreviated final season and who’s excited? Just look at those smiling faces.

Episode Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Summary: 30 Rock’s 7th season premiere was seriously hilarious.  If you’re not caught up on it there are a ton of episodes on Netflix, I think enough to get you caught up all the way to the current season.  I say this because you do not want to miss the final season of this generational classic TV show.  Some of the humor is out there, haters and cynics claim it’s for “hippies and hipsters.”  But what really has always made me happy about the show is that you can tell the actors LOVE doing this.  It was something new for Tina Fey when she started out with this show, wanting to shine a light on her days as SNL’s lead-writer.  You can tell that her passion carried over onto Alec Baldwin, who we usually see in movies, and Tracy Morgan.  The rest of the characters fill out what might be the best cast in TV-comedy in terms of stature, playing off each other, and general hilarity.

In the premiere, Jack Donaghy (Baldwin), the non-creative executive of NBC Studios has a ton of ideas for new shows to “spice up” the network’s fall programming.   It comes to a huge surprise to Liz Lemon (Fey) as she can’t believe that any of the shows got made, let alone all of them.  One show called, “Homonym” airs and I could write a 4-page paper on the laughter that ensues from this scene.  “It’s the other one! WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE OTHER ONE?!” hahaha.  I know it’s ridiculous to laugh at something I’m describing but I don’t care, shit was funny.  In Jack’s storyline there is some shocking insight as to what his point is for making all this bad television. 

Meanwhile, Jenna Maroney (Jenna Krakowski) asks Liz to be a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding.  I’ve always loved these two’s relationship, when it is rocky and when it is budding.  They always play well off of each other and as long-time pals on-screen we get that old-friend humor a lot of the time and it’s pleasant.  I’m sure they’ll be more to this plot-line later on in the season so keep an eye out fellow viewers. 30 Rockisn’t much for presenting new ideas and not following through on them, hence why they’ve won so many awards.

Lastly, Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) invites Tracy (Morgan) to be a house-guest at a dinner party with him and his wife in their uber-religious household.  No spoilers here, if you’re a fan you can imagine what happens in this setting.  A lot of brainless, yet clever, one-liners and Kenneth’s lasting  page-actor relationship with Tracy.

Cast MVP: Gotta go with Jack this week.  Baldwin seems to always shine in30 Rock premiers as we have to catch up on what the exec. has been doing with his summer.  The bad-TV bit was the most consistently hilarious part of this week’s episode and I look forward to seeing how the situation plays out.

Argo – October 12th

Chris:

Remember when Ben Affleck was in the “Jenny from the block” music video and he, quite literally, kissed J-Lo’s ass?  Remember when he starred in a movie so bad it was called “Worst of the Century” by many a critic?  Sure there were highs amidst those lows.  Dude starred in some classics like Chasing Amy and Good Will Hunting but he was always considered a joke I feel like.  If you just say Gigli people are bound to laugh.  When “Ben Affleck” comes up in film talks people don’t forget that he made bomb after bomb while taking being a sex symbol (or wannabe) more seriously than a serious actor.

Things changed in 2007 with Gone Baby Gone as Affleck reinvented himself.  While he didn’t act he directed, in his debut nonetheless, one of the grittiest street/cop dramas to ever take place in Boston.  Going on the Boston theme he followed up with 2010’s The Town, which was another gritty street/cop drama about a bank robber who falls in love with the bank teller at their most conflicted robbery.  He starred AND directed that feature, which was a unique action flick.  Both critically acclaimed, Affleck has changed the view of him as he has shown that he is truly a man of talent and given people less ammunition on which to hate him with.  Sure he was a little bit of a pretty boy, arrogant, snobbish prick before and that may not have changed.  But the fact that he CARES, cares about the art to which he has dedicated his life, in acting and in directing is a turnaround worthy of comparison to Travolta coming back in Pulp Fiction and Reynolds reminding everyone he was still there in Boogie Nights.  Clearly I am impressed.  So much so that I don’t even need to comment on Argo.  It will be good because Affleck knows what he is doing.  The fact that it’s only taken two directorial features for me to be thoroughly convinced is a tribute to his masterful filmmaking.

Justin:

I read an article a few weeks back about how much Affleck’s life has changed over the last few years. He has completely grown out of the snobbish Boston pretty boy life, and molded himself into one of the best actors, and now directors, of his generation. You can always tell when someone has their nose to the grindstone, and truly wants to improve their craft. Affleck is a perfect example of this. He knew deep down inside that his first batch of movies only made him famous, it did not make him a good actor, but he has kept his head down of late and really transformed into an incredibly talented artist. The Town was the first time, for me, that I knew Ben Affleck had made it to where he wants to be. He’s still only 40 years old, so we can expect this movie, as well as the rest of his career, to be wonderful to watch.

Lincoln – November 9th

Chris:

Daniel Day-Lewis is in it and Steven Spielberg is directing.  Assuredly, everyone knows the latter.  If you don’t know who Daniel Day-Lewis is get off this site now and go watch any one of his movies (There Will be Blood, Gangs of New York, My Left Foot).  To say this man is “the greatest actor alive” is an understatement.  He’s one of those rare occasions where while he knows he’s talented he doesn’t do it for the fame or the glory.  Any actor can stake claim to this, and while most can back it up, none embody the idea as he truly has throughout his career.  It’s tough to prove superlatives but I believe that he is the most passionate actor not of just this generation, but of all-time.  I think it’s obvious that due to his careful attention to detail, his intense on and off-screen method acting (man doesn’t break character when the cameras stop rolling), and his long down-time between films where he takes years to perfect his characters, Daniel-Day Lewis CARES more than anybody in the business.  Care and passion go hand-in-hand and his two Academy Awards prove that talent in combination with these traits are a force to be reckoned with.

As for the subject matter of the film, I think the slob-knob fest I just gave you talking about Lewis should convince you enough that he can play Abraham Lincoln like Jamie Foxx played Ray Charles.  KILLED IT!  Probably will be even better if that’s possible. And as before mentioned, Steven Spielberg is directing.  Unless the editor and cinematographer were asleep during production good luck finding a better contender for Best Picture when it is all said and done.

Justin:

We know DDL can handle historical films, I think Last of the Mohicans was probably one of his best films. Spielberg has also shown recently that he can tackle history with last year’s War Horse, and one of his greatest films of all time, Schindler’s List. DDL is as close to Lincoln in the present day as you can possibly get, I’m talking possible reincarnation here. He looks EXACTLY like him, and from the trailer, acts and sounds like him as well. My one worry about this film, is that it will focus too much on the slavery aspect of the Civil War, and Lincoln’s presidency. Lincoln was a fascinating man who lived a fascinating life, and although he is probably more remember for the Emancipation Proclamation, he was a great man in many other aspects. I completely believe that this is the strongest contender that I’ve seen for a Best Picture nomination. I’ve been waiting for a long time for this blockbuster collaboration between great director and great actor, and I don’t think I have to wait any longer.

Skyfall – October 23rd

Justin:

Let’s be real here, what kid didn’t grow up loving James Bond. I wasn’t a gigantic bond fan, but I watched a ton of the movies as a kid and always thought he was awesome. I also think Daniel Craig has been the best Bond is recent years, sorry Pierce. Casino Royale was the best Bond film in a long time in my mind, and although it was followed by the slightly lackluster Quantum of Solace, the current series has been fantastic. On top of all of that, Sam Mendes is directing. This guy can tackle almost any genre with expertise and I can’t wait to see what he does with the Bond franchise. The prospect of this film doing well and him becoming tied to the series to several more films could be a cinephile’s wet dream, but that’s just wishful thinking. It won’t win any awards, or probably be nominated for any, but this film is going to be great.

Chris:

I like new Bond better than old Bond.  It’s not that I like Daniel Craig better or anything, although he is excellent at it.  It’s the story that gets me.  In the last two Bond films we’ve gotten to see exactly why Bond is the way he is.  They went the backwards direction in creating this icon, giving you suave charm, good looks, and all around BAMF-ness before hitting you with a plausible backstory on which to identify with him.  All this time we got to see Bond womanize, kill with no regrets, and order all his drinks shaken-not-stirred not knowing why and we accepted it because he was so damn cool.  All Bond pictures were thin on plot and high on fun, with the exception of a few older films.  However, we finally got the backstory with Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace and it’ll be interesting to see how they move the series forward.  I know it sounds silly, move a series forward that has been around for 40+ years.  But that’s what keeps things fresh for this film-series at the end of the day.

Life of Pi – November 21st

Chris:

Perhaps I should read the book before I pass any judgment, what do you think Brooksy?  Anyway, if I have to remark I’ll say the trailer looks cool.  It seems intriguing as an action-adventure film.  However, what kind of movie does this look to be?  Is it a stranded alone, feeling of solitude, kind of movie like Castaway?  Or, is it the man and his best friend against the world movie?  Perhaps it’s neither and is the type of movie that’s so dead set on oscars, it ends up as oscar bait because it can’t decide which movie it wants to be so it tries to be all of them?  Brooks, take it from here and help the people out.

Justin:

I think it’s going to be heavily psychological, in a Castaway sort of way, but completely different. Man vs. Nature is always a good story, but this takes it to a completely different level. I’m going to try and pick up the book before I see this, but I think a viewer could be fine without it as well. The tiger in the trailer is going to play into the dynamic of the movie a lot, and the main character’s relationship to it, and their surroundings is going to be interesting to watch. It’s going to be a pretty deep, thinking-man’s movie, but it could turn out well. This is going to be the film that no one sees that gets nominated for a lot of awards.

Seven Psychopaths – October 12th

Justin:

I recently watched In Bruges, and although I thought it was a good movie, it was not at all what I expected. They billed it as a comedy but it had some very dark and dramatic undertones that felt almost out of place. I am excited for this film though because the cast is simply incredible. Any movie with Christopher Walken is sure to draw some laughs, even if it gets subpar ratings. The premise of this movie is ridiculous and original enough for it to do well. I’m glad Colin Farrell has found a niche of sorts in comedy movies, because he’s not much for dramas. I expect this to turn out similarly to Burn After Reading, though probably not as funny.

Chris:

Seven Psychopaths doesn’t look original or groundbreaking.  The trailer reminds me of a Snatch set in America.  The obvious narrative similarity is that seven people are all interconnected by one object, in this case a Shih Tzu dog.  The similarity between the films seems to be part of, or wholly, this movie’s appeal.  With a cast chock-full of players that know how to pull off the quirky and Martin Macdonagh, writer of In Bruges, attached it’s going to be a wonder if the movie fails.  It may not take home any awards and it’s definitely towards the bottom of my personal list.  But with a little luck and the right stroke of acting prowess this has the potential to be a surprising outside contender or a cult-classic.

Zero Dark Thirty – December 19th

Justin:

To be honest, I’m not really too hyped on this movie. I knew they were going to cash in on Osama eventually, but I didn’t think it would be this soon, and who better to direct than the Hurt Locker lady, arch-nemesis of James Cameron. It looks like it could fit well into the Bourne series without much effort. I expect many scenes of characters in a boardroom yelling about political things, and that sort of thing really just doesn’t do it for me. I’ve been pretty soft on every movie so far, so I guess this is the one where I exact my revenge for taking it easy on everyone else. I thought the Hurt Locker was interesting, and I’m sure this will be interesting as well. Will this be mind blowing? No. Will it change our opinion of anything that went on during the Osama bin Laden raid? Most likely not. Will it make a lot of money? Yes, yes it will, because this is America, and we like guns.

Chris:

Katheryn Bigelow’s last movie was about bombs and won several oscars.  Her latest Zero Dark Thirty might be a bomb that wins nothing.  Unfortunately it’s the state of Hollywood that this is the case.  Exec’s probably think she carved out a niche in the War on Terror genre and tried to relegate her to that.  I will reserve judgment until I see it, and since I don’t get paid to write reviews, it will probably be when it comes out on Netflix instant stream this time next year.  You guys will have forgotten about this by then but I promise I won’t.  Review coming October 2013!

And with that we have reached the end! Like I said before keep an eye out for reviews on the majority of these films. Thank you for reading!

Before we get started. Some advice from the one and only Ron Swanson.

Episode Rating: 3 stars (out of 5) 

Summary: Parks & Recreation’s 5th season has yet to make me laugh excessively like so many episodes of the previous seasons succeded in doing.  I know we’re only two episodes into it but I would rank what we’ve seen thus far in the average to slightly above average range.  This doesn’t mean that Parks & Rec isn’t funny at all anymore, nor does it mean that the writers have lost their touch.  My expectations are set at the point where I think I should laugh at every scene, because I’ve done it in the past with this show consistently.  I also know that I owe it way more than the benefit of the doubt than for two episodes, I’d say more like two seasons.  So I’m going to do that and interpret what I’ve seen as a couple of building-block episodes where we see our main characters going through changes in a new job.  

Leslie (Amy Poehler) and her boyfriend, who appears to be now-main character, Ben (Adam Scott) tackle the ins-and-outs of stress as she makes her first amendment as city councilor of Pawnee and he struggles with his newfound power.  Specifically in his D.C. office where he struggles to keep a grip on his interns, all spoiled from being well-connected.  These two storylines are hilarious in spots as Leslie’s bill, a “soda tax” in which she attacks the local restaurants sugar advertising including a 128-oz. soda option (Leslie puts it over her head at one point).  When she seeks Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) out for advice the two have an enlighteningly funny conversation about how Ron tried to fire her for being “too bubbly”, and more than once.  Those are just some of the gags as April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), who serves as Ben’s intern in D.C., provides the right amount of comedic nonchalance to offset his uppity, over-worked, and stressed-out attitude 

Cast MVP: This week’s cast MVP goes to April Ludgate.  This was a classic example of how Aubrey Plaza can sometimes rise over and steal the show from the rest of the cast.  In this instance she was hilarious because Ben was overly-ridiculous about his work this week.  Let’s be real, he’s always stressed in some way but is most funny when he’s not stressed about work, rather life instead.  She provided her signature deadpan, off-kilter humor to offset him.  At the end of the episode in which she finally set Ben’s intern in line revived this week’s show to a 3-star rating for me.

Looper – September 28th

Justin:

This one is very very close to the top of my list. I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt has developed into quite a talented actor and I can’t wait to see him play Bruce Willis. The premise of this movie also has me pretty excited. I’m hoping it ends up being a more violent version of an Inception-like film. Great action blended with a smart, mind-bending script.

Chris:

Very, very excited for this film.  Who said there was no creativity left in Hollywood anymore?  Of course, when I watch the trailer I see a stock motion picture narrative of the “assasinate someone you are close to” kind.  This has been done so many times.  Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Wanted, both starring Angelina Jolie coincidentally, are ones that immediately come to mind.  However, the way they are doing this one is completely original.  Excited for JGL to act like Bruce Willis and also very excited to see the make-up, something I never thought I’d say about a movie.  I guess I’m sick of characters growing up on screen to look nothing like what they did as a kid/teenager/young adult.

The Hobbit – November 28th

Justin:

I am probably the biggest Tolkien fanboy you will find this side of New Zealand, and I only say that because that’s where Peter Jackson lives. This is my number one, top spot, and most likely favorite movie coming out this year. Yes, I have watched all three extended editions back-to-back, but nothing can measure up to seeing a Peter Jackson masterpiece on the big screen. Jackson has a pension for making colossal films that span several hours and grind out each and every detail of the source material. Seeing a Tolkien work shot in 3D, as well as the unheard of 48 FPS, is going to be a glorious spectacle worthy of Middle Earth.

Chris:

I would say that Peter Jackson’s last live-action film, a laughable dud called The Lovely Bones would be cause for concern with this movie.  However, when Jackson gets his hands on Tolkien source material we all know what can happen.  The Lord of the Rings trilogy took home 17 total oscars and were nominated for a whopping total of 30.  That’s an average of 10 nominations and 5.2 wins per movie.  His last installment The Return of the King went home with a total of 11, the highest total ever in a tie with classics Ben-Hur and Titanic.  I think that’s enough said.  The Hobbit is sure to be a fantasy-lover’s wet dream and also keep non-familiar moviegoers captivated as well, as Jackson knows how to do two things; grow a beard and make a wonderful fantasy epic.

Justin:

The Battle of Five Armies may just yet be more epic than the Battle of Pelennor Fields. I just don’t know how you can top King Theoden’s speech before the ride of the Rohirrim. That scene is spine-chilling.

Cloud Atlas – October 26th

Chris:

Trailer looks amazing and the film received a 10-minute standing ovation at the Toronto Film Festival, where it premiered.  I don’t know much about this film outside of the fact that it’s being adapted from a book and the cast looks amazing, chock full of stars: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant, and Jim Sturgess.  I’ll be seeing this movie based on hype and the deep, thought-provoking trailer.

Justin:

Seriously, if the trailer for this doesn’t hook you, then I don’t know what will. I’ve been meaning to pick up the book for a while in anticipation for seeing this film. I have a strong feeling this movie is going to be incredibly deep. The cast is indeed fantastic, and the make-up and portrayal of the characters throughout the different time periods looks extremely interesting. The Wachowski Siblings(?) haven’t really done much in the way of good movies since the first Matrix film, except for V for Vendetta, but this looks like an adaptation that they can excel at.

Django Unchained – December 25th

Chris:

The story?  A bounty hunter frees a slave in order for him to help kill the bounty hunter’s target, a plantation owner, in exchange for him to be reunited with his also enslaved wife.  It looks as if this is the first film ever to tackle the American slavery era head-on.  Not enough?  What’s the cast, you ask?  Jamie Foxx as said slave, Christoph Waltz (recent Oscar winner for Inglorious Basterds) as the bounty hunter, and Leonardo DiCaprio as the plantation owner.  Little note:  it takes an established actor to pull off this role.  As such, you know that anybody else would be jeopardizing their reputation and career playing a slave owner.  Only fitting that we have one of the modern greats playing such a role in Leo.  Expect an oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.  Still not enough?  Well, the director is Quentin Tarantino in his latest, what is sure to be, masterpiece.  If you haven’t heard, this dude is into making gritty, raw, cartoonish yet artistic movies with a hell of a lot of smart dialogue.  You’re in for a treat.  Probably what I am most excited for this fall movie season.

Justin:

Definite number 2 for my on the list. There is simply not another director out there like Tarantino. He is a very unique snowflake. This movie might have his best cast yet, but it is going to be very hard to top Basterds. His dialogue is second to none in its wittiness, and his soundtracks are always perfection. Very interested to see what Tarantino does with this setting and story, but it will surely not disappoint.

Les Miserables – December 25th

Justin:

I guess it is my duty to tackle all of the tear-jerkers, so here goes. I’m a huge fan of the film version of The Phantom of the Opera, and this to me looks like an even more polished adaptation of a stage musical. I just recently read that all of the actors are singing live in front of the camera, not lip-syncing to a soundtrack. This is the first time, I believe, that this has ever been done in a major Hollywood film. Not only do the actors have to be talented actors, but they also have to be incredible singers, as the score for Les Mis is one of the most difficult and most famous in the world. We saw Anne Hathaway perform a little outside of her comfort zone in The Dark Knight Rises, but if her voice in that trailer doesn’t give you chills… I’m not sure what will. Also looking forward to seeing Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman stretch out those vocal chords. I know Crowe has somewhat of a side music career, but we shall see what kind of musical chops Wolverine can show us.

Chris:

Not sure what to make of this.  I’m assuming it will be good as it is based on a classic piece of literature but then again it’s easy to determine that Hollywood will loosely translate that material.  It is interesting to note what Brooks mentioned above in that every actor is tasked with singing their own lines in front of the camera, LIVE.  This could be a blessing and a curse.  If they pull it off, awesome.  If not then we have a catastrophe on our hands.  Remember, we all know Meryl Streep is awesome.  The only criticism I’ve ever heard her receive was when she sang her own lines in Mamma Mia, because apparently it wasn’t that good.

And with that, we are done with 10 out of our 16-movie preview.  Hope you are as excited as we are.  Stay tuned for the third and final chapter, due up in a few days!

Season 5 of NBC’s hit comedy Parks & Rec premiered on Thursday giving us all more of what we wanted. Yes it’s Knope.

Episode Rating: 3 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Summary:  I’m excited to say that the Parks & Recreation gang is back Thursdays on NBC.  I’m going to avoid spoilers throughout my recap of this season so I figure instead of telling you everything that happened I’d give a brief synopsis.  Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) fulfilled her life-long dream last season when she ran for and was elected into public office, with it came the departure of her boyfriend Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) who has left Pawnee, Indiana to run congressional campaigns in Washington, D.C..  I believe this was the first episode to partially take place outside of the small midwestern town as Leslie set off to visit her now long-distance boyfriend.  Meanwhile back in Pawnee, Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) tries his best to run a low-maintenance employee-appreciation barbecue with disheveled employees used to being “pampered” by Leslie during said annual barbecue.  The premiere had a little of everything you’d expect a character-driven comedy like this one to have, and while it didn’t shine as bright as a lot of Parks & Rec episodes it served as a good selling-point for the issues the characters are trying to tackle this season.  As in, long distance relationships, newfound political power, workplace humor & bonding (which is a given), and Tom Haverford’s (Aziz Ansari) new business ideas.

Cast MVP:  Introducing a new section of our TV reviews, this is the (drumroll, please)… CAST MVP!  Each week we will pick one person from a given show based on their performance.  For this week’s Parks & Rec I’d probably be an idiot not to pick John McCain in what was a seriously funny 10-second cameo.  However I will go with beloved castmember Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) for getting the most laughs consistently with me this week with his signature dumb-guy humor.  The part where he throws an important item of Leslie’s into the water in front of the Washington Monument was vintage Andy and Parks & Rec humor.