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This week, Mad Men wrapped up its sixth season and the online/blog world has been spotlighting one particular fan made video in which the show is re-imagined as the early 2000s teen classic, The O.C. But before we move into that, can I make a confession?  I’ve been a horrible Mad Men fan this year and have yet to watch this season, minus the first episode (which was really more like a tv movie) which I finally caught two days ago.  I know.  I know.  This is super shameful, especially coming from someone like me who sat on my ass for days on end marathoning the show four summers ago and later spammed my Facebook with not-so-cryptic-actually-probably-were-spoilers statuses and posts.  To be honest, I think season 5 just left a bad taste in my mouth with its extreme heavy-handedness and not-so clever imagery.  However, I’ve heard this past season has sort of redeemed itself and managed to set up a possible interesting story line.  From what I’ve gathered (I’m not a fan of spoilers, okay?!),  Don, Megan, Stan, and Ted have headed out to the Best/West Coast, hence the wonderful fan-made mash up below. 

This past semester I took a class on digital media and we touched upon the idea of copyrights and constructing creative works based on images or material that have been copyrighted.  Fan videos are some of my favorite things to watch, if only because it’s fascinating to see how people can build upon or manipulate an already established piece of work to create something entirely new.  When we discussed the issues surrounding copyrighting and the argument over whether creativity is hindered, I immediately thought of fan videos and artwork.  YouTube, Tumblr, and DeviantArt are just some of the websites where you can find a multitude of art, videos, and music inspired by various tv shows or books.  For many young artists, this is how they begin tapping into their creative skills.  If you take the time to search, you’ll find tons of impressive works, much like the Mad Men/The O.C mash-up above.  Because I’ve been inspired by the video and the possible cameo appearance by Adam Brody on the next season of Mad Men, here are a few more hilarious and brilliant opening credit mash-ups. 

If you’re an Arrested Development fan like me, then you have been waiting for what seems like forever for the movie.  At this point, I won’t believe it until I’m sitting in the theater with a bag of kettle corn.  For now, AD fans can get their share of Michael Bluth by watching Horrible Bosses starring Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis. 

Bateman stars as Nick, a variation of his Arrested Development character, who is determined to get a promotion at work, but must first deal with his boss, played by Kevin Spacey.  Spacey’s character is, to put it bluntly, an asshole.  He tricks Nick into drinking at 8am in the morning and threatens to fire another employee until Nick admits to being a whole TWO minutes late.  Much like the character of Michael Bluth, Nick is, for the most part, the “straight man” throughout the film.  Most of the characters around him have their own outrageous and hilarious moments, whereas Bateman’s reactions to everything are where the hilarity of his scenes derives from.  It’s in this way I continually saw Michael Bluth on screen, instead of Nick.  Some may point this as a negative and a sign that Bateman is only good as one character, but as a fan of AD I loved it.  The scene in which Nick loses his coveted promotion reminded me of the scene in which Michael loses the promotion to his mother Lucille.  Quite simply, Jason Bateman’s portrayal of Nick was the closest to seeing Michael Bluth on the big screen as AD fans are going to get, for now at least. 

Nick’s two friends, Dale, played by Charlie Day (my soulmate tbh), and Kurt, played by Jason Sudeikis are also having trouble at the workplace.  Dale is working as a dental assistant and must deal with a boss who constantly sexually harasses him.  Jennifer Aniston takes a break from the romantic comedy genre and takes her turn as a woman determined to make her employee as uncomfortable as possible.  Due being on the list of Registered Sex Offenders (don’t worry, the reason is actually hilarious), Dale has no choice but to suffer everyday as his boss blackmails and pursues him in the worst way possible.  Kurt, on the other hand, begins the movie with a boss who loves him and views him as a surrogate son.  His biological son, Bobby, played by Collin Farrell, is a slacker who is also a coke addict.  Kurt’s original boss dies within the first 15 minutes, leaving the Pellitt company in the unqualified hands of Bobby. 

From there the story starts rolling as the three leads begin to plot the murders of the three bosses.  It’s a very funny movie, filled with quotables and hilarious moments.  Sudeikis and Day are particularly good in their roles, while Bateman continues to deliver gif-worthy reactions and expressions.  Spacey and Aniston were great in their roles, but I do wish there was more screen time devoted towards Farrell.  Kurt constantly stated that his boss was a coke head and there were scenes in which he, uh, engaged in unprofessional activity at the workplace, but the audience never really gets the chance to develop a reason to hate Bobby.  We watched Julia and Harken torment Dale and Nick, respectively, so we definitely began rooting for their demise.  If the movie had had more scenes featuring Bobby and reasons as to why he was so “horrible” the film would have felt complete. 

Still, the three leads are absolutely great and have amazing chemistry.  If I wasn’t such a huge “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” fan, I would definitely ask for more movies or tv shows featuring the trio.  Jamie Foxx is also great in his role as a – SPOILER!!! – “ murder consultant” and the scenes where the guys meet him for the first time and the last time are too funny.  The reference to one of my favorite high school books, “Snow Falling on Cedars” almost killed me. 

Bottom Line: If you’re a fan of Arrested Development or It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia , go see this movie ASAP.  Jason Bateman and Charlie Day essentially play their tv characters on the big screen and it’s comedy heaven.  Jason Sudeikis, who I’ve always enjoyed on SNL, is also very funny.  You don’t want to be the last one to get all of the quotes and jokes that are sure to spread into everyday culture so be sure to see what might be the funniest movie of the summer. 

FOR MY AD/IASIP FANS!  VARIOUS REFERENCES TO AD/IASIP???  SPOILERS AHEAD! 
– already mentioned lost promotion scene (AD)
– Dale making chicken noises (AD)
– Dale asking if Danny DeVito was in a movie (IASIP)
– Dale and Nick accidentally snorting coke (IASIP)
– Dale being called a “hamster” (IASIP – CHARLIE WAS CALLED A MUNCHKIN)
– Dale’s freak-out at being locked out of the car was very Charlie like! ( IASIP)

These are the ones I could think of off the top of my head and I may be reaching, but who cares!  Let me know if you can think of some more! 

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Hi there! 
You have stumbled upon my pop culture-y themed blog.  Here I will try to put together my thoughts on various aspects of pop culture - television, movies, and music.  Hopefully, you like it!  Well, actually, if you hate it, that's fine too. 
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