As the end of the year approaches, Midcoast Station has begun looking back at our favorite shows, films and movies from 2011. We’ve already shared our favorite songs from 2011 and we have other end of the year surprises still to come. When it comes to television, there was one show in particular that had so many great moments that we could have made several “best of” lists about it: Community. Nick Guzman of AnotherPlotDevice.com really nailed it  with his picks of some of the top Community moments and he was kind enough to share his great post. If you like Nick’s post about the top 10 movie references on Community, then be sure to visit AnotherPlotDevice.com and read more of his great film and television articles.

I am sure that you have at least heard of Community as denizens of the internet. It’s the show that has a rabid fan base, smart writing and a daring approach to the usual comedies that we see on television. Sadly with this sort of mixture of pop culture laden jokes and stellar cast, it is sadly on the verge of being cancelled. As we speak, the show has been taking off the mid-season schedule on NBC and might not even return. It’s a sad time to be a nerd when the show that is smart enough to genre bend and even devote an entire episode on Dungeon and Dragons, is threatening to be shut down. I blame people that choose to watch “The Big Bang Theory” and their supposed nerd pandering jokes that are set up brilliantly and then undercut by simplification. Also having a laugh track is fucking annoying. I don’t need to be told when to laugh or what is funny. I am not an idiot.

While I could go on and on about my utter hatred that seethes for shows that aren’t Community, I must take comfort in the fact that Community is a film lover’s delight. Every episode has some form of an homage or parody to pop culture movies. I fall in love every time I catch something in this show that appeals to the cinephile in me. It doesn’t matter if the movie is obscure, the writers and actors find a way to make it seem so natural and apart of the show setting.

So today, I want to list the top ten movie references in the three seasons of Community!

10. Season 2 Episode 1 – Anthropology 101

Did you see it? Troy was wearing Spider-man pajamas, which for a show like Community, just seems like a natural thing Troy would wear. If you are an intrepid film fan like myself, you will get that the fact that Donald Glover’s character was wearing Spider-man pajamas was a little wink to fans demanding that Donald Glover be made the new Spider-man in the upcoming reboot. It such a small little joke, but those rabid fans would see it and immediately feel vindicated for all their online petitions to have Donald Glover be cast as the first black Spider-man actor. Sadly, Andrew Garfield got the role, but at least we have this small little reference to a film petition that failed in its objective. This is the closest that we will see Donald Glover in the role of Spider-man.

9. Season 3 Episode 8 – Documentary Filmmaking: Redux

As a documentary film fan, this episode makes it into the top ten episodes of the entire series. A gorgeously done, manic representation of the documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, which chronicles the troubles of the making of Apocalypse Now. Even Abed references the film in the opening sequence and from that, we get to watch a Dean Pelton centered film. This was an episode that I think might have alienated a few fans of the show, since the focus was solely on the Dean as the main character. Usually we seem him in small glimpses in all the episodes, usually being the butt of the joke or some form of derision.

The episode is fantastic in the way they nailed the feel of the documentary they were referencing and if you are familiar with Hearts of Darkness, you are going to enjoy the utterly manic way that things go in the episode.

8. Season 3 Episode 5 – Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps

I got to hand it to Community when it comes to the special holiday episodes. This particular episode from season three really nails the general fallacies of horror movies that Abed fixes in his version of a horror story/movie. The beauty is that it takes all the typical tropes that horror movies use in order to progress the story such as; convenient radio announcement about the killer on the loose, going to explore strange noises, and even having sex, which usually leads to death. In his story, he fixes all of that so as not to fall victim to certain death and survive the horror movie in the most logical way possible.

7. Season 1 Episode 19 – Beginner Pottery

I knew right from the start that this was going to be a set-up for a Patrick Swayze (RIP) Ghost reference and sure enough it didn’t disappoint. It was awesome to see Tony Hale from Arrested Development in this episode as the world-weary pottery teacher, but it was the speech he gave in the beginning of the class that puts a stop to the potential Ghost reenactment pottery scene. It isn’t until Jeff has a mental breakdown that we get to see the final culmination of the episode and eventual Ghost reference. Also there is a beautiful rendition of Unchained Love.

6. Season 1 Episode 24 – English as a Second Language

This episode had the subplot of Troy being somewhat of a gifted repairman, parodying Good Will Hunting where instead of being brilliant at math, Troy is gifted with doing maintenance. Throughout the episode Troy is tested with new problems and confronts Abed about the situation. Abed ends up saying the same line as Ben Affleck did to Matt Damon about not seeing him one day. It was a solid little homage to Good Will Hunting and since the show takes place in college, surprised it wasn’t covered earlier in the first season.

5. Season 2 Episode 6 – Basic Rocket Science

Oh god, a zombie episode with the most brilliant inclusion of an Aliens reference. I am fucking sold on this from the get go. The Halloween episodes have always been some of my favorite episodes of the series since each have been unique enough that it never gets stale. There are always references to the prior Halloween, which are more winks and nods for the fans. The best part of this episode is seeing Troy put on the mech suit from Aliens that Ripley put and in his own mind, thought that he was gonna be invincible. I was close to tears when we he comes to the realization that it wasn’t going to work and just says “fuck it” and tries to save everyone.

4. Season 2 Episode 11 – Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas

Wow. It is a pretty ballsy thing to devote an entire episode to the styling of Rankin/Bass Christmas specials. But for a show like Community, this isn’t really out of the ordinary. We have already invested so much time into the shenanigans of Greendale and the group that an episode that is all done in stop motion animation seems so natural and fits their wacky theme. This is one of the more mature episodes that tackles Abed’s loneliness during the holidays, but also a great nod to the films of Rankin/Bass.

3. Season 1 Episode 21 – Contemporary American Poultry

I wish that I could find the montage clip that has the Greendale Study Group reenacting the entire montage scene from Goodfellas, but no such luck. I guess that is a good thing since the lead up to the reveal is really spectacular. Right from the start, Abed is thrilled that he is getting to be in a mafia movie and it makes me want to see a full-fledged mafia movie starring the whole gang. The care and references were amazing since I have seen the movies they lovingly parody numerous times. The whole episode is fantastic as the gang take over the chicken finger distribution at the school. Only Community can make cafeteria food such a humorous exposition.

2. Season 1 Episode 23/Season 2 Episodes 23 & 24 – Modern Warfare, Fistful of Paintballs and For a Few Paintballs More

I couldn’t leave out the quintessential Community episodes. The paintball episodes were some of the finest moments on television and solidified to the fans that this is a one of a kind show. As an action fan, Modern Warfare had all the tropes of action films and all the references to movies that you could count. It was incredible seeing everything from The Warriors, Die Hard, Terminator and even my favorite part of the episode, a little nod to the Hong Kong action director John Woo. If there is any episode you would want to watch of Community, this is it.

So with that penultimate episode in the bag, how could they top an episode that was the fan favorite even today? Well why not make a paintball episode for Season 2 and make it a two-part episode. As a western fan, I just about died of happiness. I couldn’t believe the utter care and admiration that they had for the western genre, from the music and the opening title cards, this was going to be one for the ages. The episodes found a way to drift between western and spaghetti western tropes, hitting heavily on the Sergio Leone films in particular. After the first episode of the two-part series, things just deteriorate back into the good old action films and even include some genre bending from Abed with his Star Wars inclusion. I could just watch these three episodes back to back on a loop for years to come.

1. Season 2 Episode 19 – Critical Film Studies

Finally, we come to the conclusion of the list. The reason why I love Community so much is that it is willing to take the high road with their jokes and writing. I don’t mean that the jokes are so high brow that only a certain subset of the viewing population will get them, but rather they setup what could be an amazing, easy homage and then just flip it on us. Critical Film Studies had all the making for a fantastic Pulp Fiction homage with the gang all wanting to celebrate Abed’s birthday by having a Pulp Fiction theme party. Everyone was dressed up, incredibly I might add, as different characters in the movie. There was even the fabled briefcase that was going to be given as a gift to Abed. While the jokes were prime for the taking, the show actually centered on Jeff and Abed having a regular old dinner and some conversation. I couldn’t believe it. They were going for a My Dinner With Andre send up.

Community has a habit of going far with their references or even subject matter. They chose to go with a film from 1981, one that I don’t think a lot of people have really seen and made that the plot of the episode. It was incredible that they risked alienating some of the fans by not going with the obvious Pulp Fiction references and focus on two guys having a meaningful conversation. That’s not to say they completely ignored the Pulp Fiction angle, they still managed to make that scenario hilarious in the only way they can.

It’s sad to see that a show like this might be getting cancelled. With so many shows going with a formulaic plot or similar show format like mockumentary (The Office, Parks and Recreation and Modern Family), it’s brazen to see a show that is a pop culture fanatics dreams, but also willing to try something off the wall. While I only listed 10 episodes that were my favorite of the series that made references to movies, there is still a treasure trove of amazing single episodes that deal with a range of subject. It’s the brilliant casting, smart writing, and unbelievable willingness to just break from the mold and try something new.

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Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt want to know “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” My answer is overloading on twee cuteness by listening to the little ditty the two stars recorded together. I already knew Zooey could act and sing, but I think my crush on Joseph Gordon-Levitt just tripled after hearing his vocals on this duet. Again: cute overload!

Bethany Smith

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Midcoast Station listens to a lot of music and 2011 had lots of great hits to cover our every mood and diverse loves of genres.

Synth heavy electro pop acts like M83, Charli XCX, Neon Indian and The Wombats got us dancing. We fell in love with the beautiful sounds of folksy acts like Typhoon, The Civil Wars, Lindi Ortega, etc. We found some guilty pleasures in pop rock with Hot Chelle Rae. We loved the mad rhymes and beats of rap and hip hop groups such as Childish Gambino and Gym Class Heroes.

To help share our 2011 favorites, we’ve put together a Spotify playlist with 50+ songs from artists/albums we fell in love with in 2011. Sure the regular blog favorites made it on here, but you might find a few surprises as well. The songs are in no particular order as they’re all great tracks (we didn’t want 50 #1 songs) and you can see all the song titles and artists below.

You can listen to our full mix at Spotify here.

Track Listing:
1. “Up Up Up” – Givers
2. “Lonely Boy” – The Black Keys
3. “For You, And Your Denial” – Yellowcard
4. “One, Two, Three, Oh” – Quiet Corral
5. “The Honest Truth” – Typhoon
6. “Stuck in My Id” – Reptar
7. “Midnight City” – M83
8. “Glass Table Girls” – The Weeknd
9. “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” – Coldplay
10. “Tongue Tied” – Grouplove
11. “Lost in My Mind” – The Head and the Heart
12. “Usual Suspects” – Ha Ha Tonka
13. “Little Lie” – Lindi Ortega
14. “Cough Syrup” – Young the Giant
15. “It Grows It Grows” – Beauty Feast
16. “Rally ‘Round the Fool” – The Get Up Kids
17. “Heartbeat” – Childish Gambino
18. “Sidewalk Safari” – Chairlift
19. “Nuclear Seasons” – Charli XCX
20. “Polish Girl” – Neon Indian
21. “Techno Fan” – The Wombats
22. “Sail” – AWOLNATION
23. “Calgary” – Bon Iver
24. “Rave On” – Cults
25. “Carry On” – Hospital Ships
26. “Little Hell” – City and Colour
27. “Rolling in the Deep” – Adele
28. “Georgia” – Yuck
29. “Shake It Out” – Florence + the Machine
30. “Better Off Without You” – Summer Camp
31. “The First Hit” – Kevin Devine
32. “Born Under a Bad Sign” – Fairewell
33. “Hurting” – Friendly Fires
34. “Dominican Fade” – Battles
35. “Stereo Hearts” Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine
36. “Living America” – Dom
37. “White Nights” – Oh Land
38. “Belispeak” – Purity Ring
39. “Houdini” – Foster the People
40. “My Racing Thoughts” – Jack’s Mannequin
41. “Tonight, Tonight” – Hot Chelle Rae
42. “Young Blood” – The Naked and Famous
43. “Julius” – Starfucker
44. “Don’t Move” – Phantogram
45. “Lemonade” – Braids
46. “Cruel” – St. Vincent
47. “I Follow Rivers – The Magician Remix” – Lykke Li
48. “Gangsta” – Tune-Yards
49. “True Loves” – Hooray for Earth
50. “Simple Math” – Manchester Orchestra
51. “Barton Hollow” – The Civil Wars
52. “Jack Sparrow” – The Lonely Island feat. Michael Bolton
53. “Young Hearts Wanna Beat On Their Own” – The Jane Doze

Bethany Smith

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“War Horse” is supposed to be one of the best productions on Broadway. It’s acclaimed for its beautiful and moving story as well as some fantastic puppetry. However, most people won’t have the opportunity to see “War Horse” on Broadway, so for the masses, we have “War Horse” the movie.

The film adaptation of “War Horse” has beautiful landscapes and in the hands of historical film extraordinaire director Steven Spielberg, the World War 1 battle scenes are stunning. Spielberg loves to make epic and ambitious movies; and for a movie whose central and only consistent character is a horse named Joey, this is definitely an ambitious project. But in its fight to be epic, Spielberg falls prey to the same thing that made “A.I.” such a flop…pacing. Just like “War Horse,” “A.I” was an ambitious project. It was an interesting idea with some spectacular visuals, but it was also long, tedious and incredibly dull. “War Horse” fares a bit better, but at 2 and a half hours, there was definitely a lot that could have been cut from this movie to help keep things moving along.

“War Horse” starts far too early in the grand timeline, beginning with the horse’s birth and a slightly confusing first meeting with one of our main human stars, Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine). Just by cutting the first twenty minutes and starting the film with the horse auction would have drastically improved the pacing and made the story a lot tighter, while also bringing the ending a true full circle. From the auction, there is then another thirty minutes of Albert and Joey’s budding friendship during the hard life on a rented farm. So it’s about a full hour before “war” for this horse even comes into play in a film titled “War Horse.”

To save the farm, Albert’s father sells Joey to some English WWI soldiers. Albert’s too young to accompany his best friend, but promises they’ll be united someday (cue the awws). Like in theater, “War Horse,” the movie, is set up into little acts. So with the big sale, the film leaves Albert’s story (for now) and begins a new act with the English soldiers. Then it isn’t long though before another new act begins with Joey falling into German hands. This was one of the more interesting vignettes of the film — usually in WWI films such as this, Germans are so obviously the bad guys. In “War Horse” the only true evil is “distance” and “loneliness.” This little story about the two German brothers/soldiers, who try to abandon the war, is unique in its telling because they aren’t shown as “bad,” and you really feel sad when they meet their end.

The next act is another favorite as it shows the war from the civilian side. A young French girl, Emilie, then comes into possession of Joey. Her brief story is a charming reprieve before the war also rips Joey away from her. Celine Buckens makes her film debut as Emilie and she’s definitely a young star to continue to watch.

The next few parts of the film return Joey back to the battlefield and German hands. Life is a bit more exhausting and hard on the horse, but again, a young soldier finds kinship with the remarkable horse. Keeping in mind that the film has been going for nearly two hours now, audiences are finally reminded of Joey’s original human friend, Albert, who is now fighting for the English army and searching for his horse. The war scenes in this part of the film are remarkable because they really highlight (accurately) some of the horrors of the war: life in the trenches, barbed wire traps, poison gas’ chaotic damage and much more. There’s also another charming story about a momentary cease fire that gives audiences a break from war horror.

You can probably guess where the last thirty minutes of the film lead and while the plot at this point isn’t a surprise, the presentation is one. There is a happy ending, but it is a bit bittersweet and really reminds audiences that war doesn’t really have any truly happy conclusions.

So yes, “War Horse” is “epic” and it is beautiful. But it is also long. It relies heavily on moviegoers’ patience and ability to care for an animal protagonist. There is a great ending, but it is a tedious journey before you can reach it.

Bethany Smith

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If you couldn’t guess from the title of this film or from the little girl yelling “”We bought a Zooooooooooo!” in the oft played trailer, “We Bought a Zoo” is about a family that buys a zoo. It’s a bit sappy, fairly predictable and some of the dialogue is downright cheesy, but if you’re a fan of the saccharine then this film is right up your alley. “We Bought a Zoo” is a cute family film and is even a bit of a tearjerker.

Matt Damon plays Benjamin Mee, a widower and a father of two. The family is having a hard time moving on from the death of the beloved mother and with everything in town reminding them of the mom, the son getting kicked out of school and just everyone feeling sad and disconnected, Mee decides his family is ready for a drastic change. This means a move and the house that his adorable daughter happens to fall in love with comes with a rundown zoo. Mee uproots his family and moves them out. The zoo employees are happy that someone is trying to save their zoo, but also a bit dismayed that is some crazy guy who bought it on a whim. Of course, this crazy dream helps the family heal, grow and really start to live again.

The story is based on a book and real life story of Benjamin Mee, but fans of the book may be a bit distraught over some drastic changes. The wife was still alive for much of the book, but the family was dealing with her quick deterioration and impending death. In the movie, she’s already passed on. They also move the story stateside — and actually some of the rural jokes seem a bit out of place in the film, but I think they might have worked better in the book. For example, the film audience is beat over the head with a 9-mile drive to Target joke. Perhaps the most annoying addition to the movie is an awkward attempt to work in a romance between zookeeper Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johansson) and Mee. This wasn’t in the book and the movie seems to just tack it on near the end. It was a weak scene and they should have left the romancing to the teens, Dylan Mee (Colin Ford) and Lily Miska (Elle Fanning).

Regardless of these book changes and a ridiculous kiss, the movie is quite enjoyable. Though, honestly, I probably would have been content with an hour-long film of child actor Maggie Elizabeth Jones just looking cute with animals — that kid stole every scene she was in. The casting was great in this — Damon is perfect as a family man and even Scarlett Johansson is less annoying than usual (I’m looking at you Iron Man 2). Thomas Haden Church brought the laughs as the practical brother to Ben, Duncan Mee. He tries so hard to be the voice of reason, but then breaks down and falls into the zoo dream too.

As the movie says, “[We Bought a Zoo] is a good dream and it has cool animals in it and good people, too.” If that sounds good to you, then check it out.

Bethany Smith

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Middle of the Map Fest is returning to Kansas City April 5-7, 2012. Last year’s festival was a two-day festival featuring local and international touring acts. This year, the festival is expanding to a third day and promises more exciting local bands and even bigger national touring acts.

In addition to announcing the 2012 dates, Middle of the Map Fest is also holding a special on ticket presales. The first 250 tickets purchased will only be $25. Act fast!

Middle of the Map Fest should begin announcing bands in January 2012. We’ll keep you posted.

Bethany Smith

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It might be hard to figure out the plot of the indirect “Alien” prequel “Prometheus,” but this trailer is sure to get you excited and send chills down your spine. We’re glad to see Ridley Scott returning us to this world.

Bethany Smith

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At long last you can return to Middle-earth for another adventure with the new trailer for Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”

“The Hobbit” follows Bilbo Baggins on an adventure that leads to a fateful meeting with the creature Gollum. Gollum possesses a “precious” item that sets the stage for the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

Bethany Smith

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Every once in a while I see a movie that reminds me why I love movies. Big ones that come to mind are The Last of the Mohicans and Cinema Paradiso. The Artist can now be added to that list.

 The Artist tells the story of George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a major star of the silent film era. As the silent era is fading and “talkies” are becoming increasingly popular, George meets a girl named Peppy (Berenice Bejo) who becomes one of the first stars of the new Hollywood. George’s and Peppy’s lives intertwine as the death of one career almost seems to sprout the life of the other.

 I must first mention that this is a silent movie, there is no dialogue throughout the movie. I don’t say this to try to keep you away from the movie, I merely point this out to highlight how wonderful the performances were. The actors must use expressions and body language instead of words and tone to express emotion and even advance the plot. The two lead actors marvelously accomplish that, and when paired with great turns by some familiar Hollywood faces (and a charming little dog) you have one of the best showcases of acting talent to come out this year.

 There were so many things to love about this movie. The director did a really good job blending the style of 1920′s film with modern filmmaking techniques and composition. The score was also excellent, capturing the feel and tone of the silent movie era effectively.

 This movie seemingly came out of nowhere to really stun me. When I finalize my list of favorite movies of the year it will be very near the top. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan of movies (and if you aren’t why are you reading movie reviews?).

4.5 out of 5 stars

Nathan

Nathan enjoys film, music, sports and most of all, speaking in the third person.

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“The Adventures of Tintin” is a grand adventure story for the whole family. This is what the fourth Indiana Jones film should have been like…

In “The Adventures of Tintin,” a young journalist named Tintin (voiced by Jamie Bell) finds himself swept away on a grand treasure chase complete with pirates. His inquisitive nature, practical wits and the company of his charming dog Snowy makes Tintin a fun adventurer to follow. Joining him in company is the oft drunk Captain Haddock (voiced by Andy Serkis) who holds hidden in his mind an important clue to finding the treasure. Impeding the journey is the formidable foe and pirate Ivanovich Sakharine (voiced by Daniel Craig). Sakharine has a sweet name, but is most definitely not a sweet man.

“Tintin” is based on a comic series, which I must admit that I have not read. Tintin should have no problem attracting a new generation of fans and keeping the nostalgic ones happy. Even with the realistic animation, there are several instances that pay homage to the series’ original animation style such as the beautiful opening credits, and later a fun street caricature drawing of the friendly Tintin. As for the motion-capture animation, it is done beautiful and makes the action scenes all the more impressive. Tintin finds himself involved in many chases, but all the runs, slides, punches and falls look very realistic. Backgrounds are simply gorgeous and many a scene will be like eye candy for the adults. My only quip with the motion-capture is if you’re going to go to the lengths to make a realistic looking film, why not just use real people in the first place? But I suppose I will excuse this one as it only makes sense to keep a film based on a comic as an animation.

There are some moments in Tintin that might be little scary for small children — a surprisingly bloody shootout and lots of emphasis on alcoholism — but otherwise, this is a great holiday adventure for the whole family. Parents and children will both find something to chuckle about and all will get swept away with the story of the ship the Unicorn. This holiday season take the relatives to Tintin. I look forward to the Tintin adventures continuing on the big screen.

Bethany Smith

I'm a geek; I love music, technology and grammar.

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