Community Review: History 101 (4.01)

Warning Mild Spoilers discussed throughout the review.

After a long series of setbacks, the beloved NBC sitcom, Community, returned last night. From losing the beloved Dan Harmon, indefinite pushbacks, and uncertain airdates, Community and its fans were left in limbo and the fate of the show seemed to be looking grim. However, things moved on and Community eventually got the release date of February 7^th, 8/7c. The new show runners along with their crew had big shoes to fill, and expectations were arguably unreasonably high. So how was Community’s long awaited return? Did it quell the worried and vocal fan’s fears?

History 101 (4.01) will be recognized as the most polarizing episode of the show’s history. As a longtime fan, I can say that personally I was pleased with the show’s return, but the episode isn’t without faults. The episode suffers from what a lot of other shows face when it comes to season openers. Story arcs need to be set in place, characters reestablished for new comers, and of course live up to the hype of fans. History 101 juggles a lot of different story lines and unfortunately it seems to come off a little chaotic.

Playing off the fear of fans that believed the show would be drastically changed, the episode opens up wonderfully with a stab at multi-cam sitcoms. Troy and Abed return to the study room in their famous melody to an uproar of applause and laughter. They exchange gimmicky quips and the laugh track continues. One after the other the old faces return with intentionally shallow jokes as well as the actors playing caricatures of themselves. We also see a surprise guest that pokes fun at a lot of the behind the scene issues, in particular with Chevy Chase. The bit works really well, but unfortunately becomes overplayed as the show keeps going back to that well one too many times.

It’s eventually established that these multi-cam bits are actually taking place in Abed’s mind as a way to deal with the stress of being seniors. They keep going back to this throughout the episode anytime Abed can’t handle the situation, like when Jeff announces that he’ll be graduating early. My problem is that these AbedTV moments feel redundant and lose their humor after awhile. However, the pay off for the AbedTV bit well worth it despite it eating up a lot of time. Personally I would have cut down some of the time dedicated to the bit and focused on fleshing out the other stories to make it a more solid episode.

The other storylines involve Jeff competing in The Hunger Deans, Shirley and Annie focusing on pranks, and Troy and Britta carrying out a new school year tradition. Although not without their funny moments, the pacing of these stories moves rather quickly, and it leaves a lot of these plot lines rushed. However, much like the AbedTV bit, these story lines eventually do have strong pay offs and set up a good tone for the rest of the season. Overall, the characters still feel natural and the episode delivers a nice heartfelt message. I won’t spoil it but it deals with moving on and learning to let go. Something Abed, as well as the fans of Community, will have to come to grips with eventually.

History 101 proves that the humor is still there, and although it’s not the strongest of episodes, it’s still Community.  I chalk up a lot of the faults in the episode to just nerves and stress from the new show runners, and the old crew trying to keep things up to par. This might be a bit of a downfall due to the fact that all of the episodes are shot and cut, so there’s not much room to make changes on the fly. It’s hard to replace the beloved heart soul, Dan Harmon, but I can say that I’m pleased with the way the show is going so far. It’s still early, but if last night’s episode is any indication of the road ahead Community is going to be just fine.

Community airs Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC! Check out last night’s episode here on Hulu!

Interested in writing movie reviews or news posts for Thinking Cinematic? Is TV more your speed? Contact me at ThinkCinematicReviews@gmail.com! You can also send your guest reviews there too!

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Twitter: @Treyrs20o9
Twitter: @Think_Cinematic
Email: ThinkCinematicReviews@Gmail.com

Movie Monday Update Week of February 4th

Hello and Happy Monday TC readers! Got a lot of great trailers from last night’s Super Bowl as well as a few solid releases both at the theaters and in retail. Don’t forget to check out the latest review on Bullet to the Head here! Also I wanted to make a correction. Last week I listed that Wreck-it Ralph was releasing to home video, but it looks as though it’s through digital distribution (iTunes, Amazon, Xbox Video etc)  only. The physical copies will hit stores in March! Let’s dive right in.

In case you missed it:

The Lone Ranger saw a new trailer during yesterday’s Super Bowl. The movie stars, Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter and the movie is scheduled to hit theaters on July 3^rd, 2013!

A trailer for Fast and Furious 6 debuted last night as well. The trailer is jam packed with familiar faces and over the top driving sequences. Fast and Furious 6 stars, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, and Dwayne Johnson. Fast and Furious 6 is set to hit theaters on May 24^th, 2013!

Finally, Iron Man 3 saw a pretty exciting Super Bowl ad with an even longer look appearing online. Iron Man 3 stars, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Ben Kingsly, and Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man 3 is set to hit theaters on May 3^rd, 2013!

Not a trailer but you can now watch the wonderful, Paperman short online. Paperman debuted in theaters in front of Wreck-it Ralph and I’m really glad that it’s up for everyone to view. It’s a really heart warming short.

I normally don’t do this for TV shows but I wanted to promote the return of Community season 4. On February 7th, the Greendale Seven are set to begin their senior year of college. When someone hacks into the supply closet and counterfeits class admission tickets the Dean sets up a series of games called, The Hunger Deans, to determine who gets to stay in History of Ice Cream class. Community stars, Joel McHale, Danny Puddi, Donald Glover, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jim Rash, Ken Jeong, and Chevy Chase. Community airs on NBC, Thursdays 8/7 central. Don’t forget to DVR and watch live! #Sixseasonsandamovie

That does it for a glimpse of last week’s trailers. Which one is your favorite? Leave a comment below and let us know! Let’s go ahead and move on into home releases.

Coming to Blu-ray/DVD this week we have:

February 5th:

• Alex Cross
• Here Comes the Boom
• Flight
• Deadfall
• Celeste and Jesse Forever

Here’s a look at what’s coming to the theaters!

February 8^th Wide Releases:

• Identity Thief
• Side Effects

See anything that’s missing? Comment and let us know!

That does it for this week! Be sure to keep coming back every Monday and Saturday for new Thinking Cinematic content!

As always, I want to end with this. Thinking Cinematic is looking for more writers. Feel like sending in a guest post? Want to be apart of the Thinking Cinematic team? Send your emails to: ThinkCinematicReviews@gmail.com

Connect with me at:
Twitter: @Treyrs20o9
Twitter: @Think_Cinematic 

Movie Monday Update Week of December 10th

Hello and happy Monday TC Readers! Got a lot of great things coming out this week! It’s officially Hobbit week and we are only days away from the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. On top of that, Thinking Cinematic has a brand spanking new logo, thanks to Chris Roach! You can check out the logo on the Thinking Cinematic Facebook page as well as our twitter account! If you want to check out more of Chris’s work you can head on over to Chris Roach Photography and show him some love. Let’s get started in roll right into the latest movie trailers and news.

In case you missed it:

Marc Webb, director of The Amazing Spider-Man, has confirmed via Twitter that Dane DeHaan will play the role of Harry Osborne! Click here for the source. The Amazing Spider-Man sequel is scheduled to release May 2^nd, 2014.

Excited for The Hobbit? So are the fine fellows over at Roosterteeth! In celebration of The Hobbit’s released they have released  the premier episode for their newest mini-series, A Simple Walk into Mordor.

A trailer was released an upcoming movie called, Oblivion was released last week. The Sci-Fi Action film stars Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, and Olga Kurylenko. Check out the trailer up above. Oblivion is set to release on April 23, 2013!

Will Smith and his son, Jaden, are returning to the big screen again. Check out the new trailer for After Earth, which stars the duo and is directed by M. Night Shyamalan. After Earth is scheduled to release June 7^th, 2013!

DreamWorks has released another trailer for it’s animated movie, The Croods! The Croods stars Emma Stone, Nicholas Cage and Ryan Reynolds and is set to release on March 22^nd, 2013!

Check out this cool trailer mash up from YouTube user, SleepySkunk. It features a lot of clips and audios from major movies that were released this year! How many do you recognize?

That does it for a quick recap of all the movie news. Let’s jump into home release.

Coming to Blu-Ray/DVD this week we have:

December 11^th

• Ted (Unrated) (My Review)
• The Bourne Legacy (My Review)
• Ice Age Continental Drift
• Following (Criterion Edition)
• Osombie (Feed Me Films’ Review)
• Why Stop Now

Here’s a look at what’s coming to the big screen.

Coming to the Theaters (Wide Releases):

• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Click here to find out where you can see it in 48 FPS)

Coming to Theaters (Limited Release):

• Stand Up Guys (Wide Release Feb 1^st)
• Save the Date

See anything that’s missing? Comment and let us know!

That does it for this week! Be sure to keep coming back every Monday and Saturday for new Thinking Cinematic content! Be sure to follow me on twitter, as well as the Thinking Cinematic Twitter! Also don’t forget to like us on Facebook!

As always, I want to end with this. Thinking Cinematic is looking for more writers. Feel like sending in a guest post? Want to be apart of the Thinking Cinematic team? Send your emails to: Rrsolis@me.com

Connect with me at:
Twitter: @Treyrs20o9

Twitter: @Think_Cinematic 

Community

And, we’re back! Thinking Cinematic accidentally took a short hiatus to get through the week of tests before spring break but I’m breaking the dry run with a new entry. Speaking of hiatus, I want to talk about a show that I’ve invested many hours, and multiple viewings in. Coming off its three-month hiatus, Community makes its return on March 15^th, 8/7c on NBC.

The love for Community started about a year after accidentally stumbling on a clip of Troy Barnes (Donald Glover) discussing his gift that he received from Pierce Hawthorne (Chevy Chase). From that moment on it was love at first sight and I immediately sought out ways to catch up on the series.

The show focuses on a group of 7 college students and their various outings with college life. The show’s bread and butter is referential and meta-style jokes. Community loves to play on pop culture and other stereotypes, and even go so far as to dedicate whole episodes to certain genres of film. One of my favorites happens to be a mafia style operation when it comes to taking over the school’s chicken finger business at lunch. This style of humor provides a nice feeling of satisfaction when you’re able to point out certain references but it runs the risk of alienating people who are out of the loop. I consider this to be one of the biggest drawbacks when it comes to Community and is probably why it hurts its views.

Community isn’t an easily accessible show. It’s hard to jump in the middle of season two or three without seeing the previous episodes. The jokes are highly self-referential and will send some jokes flying over your head without the context. I experienced this first hand the beginning of the season since my dad joined me with this season’s opener. Unless I’m there to explain it, or show him a previous episode, some of the jokes don’t even faze him.

Another one of Community’s style is to layer every episode with jokes that aren’t as obvious and require multiple viewings just to get everything. Avoiding spoilers, there’s an episode where one joke takes place entirely within the background of the show. If you’re not careful, you’ll miss it. I can’t decide whether or not that this is a pro or con for the show since I love it, but I can definitely see how some people would be turned off by the idea of multiple viewings. Not everyone has the time to dedicate to seasons of a series, let alone multiple viewings.

By far, Community’s strongest point is its characters. Out of any series I’ve watched these seven have the best chemistry I’ve seen. You can find a little of yourself in each of the characters and you easily grow attached to them. The show does a great job of allocating enough time to each where you really get to feel like you know these people. Although I want to keep the experience of meeting them to you, there is one character I want to spotlight. Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi) is an extremely unique character that really sold the show for me. He views the world through the eyes of t.v. and movies and uses them to relate to the real world. It’s an interesting concept that sets up for amazing jokes and even more hard hitting lines that are sincere and heartfelt.

As far as season 3 goes, I will admit that the beginning half was a little lack luster. For the first four episodes my friends and I were left confused while we discussed what it was about the show that felt off. There was a certain charm we fell in love with that seemed to be missing. We chalked it up to the staff and actors of the show just being on edge about their borderline walk of cancellation and kept going. Of course the episodes found their stride again but not before receiving the news that they were being benched and put on hiatus to make room for other shows. However, that’s over now and community is back with a lot to prove if it wants to make its way and claim the right for season four.

Community deserves a season four, not only because it’s a great and funny show but also because it potentially could close out its story arc with one more season. The show is based on the group going to college (despite the fact that it’s a community college), they could easily pull off the story arc of a four-year degree. As a fan I would love to see this show continue on ward as long as it can but realistically I’m looking towards one last season for them. This way the writers can end the show on their terms and not by having the plug pulled. Community takes chances, something I’ve loved about the show from day one. Every episode may not hit but they try to do something different and it’s something I admire.

The second half of this season has a lot to live up to if it wants to secure its place for a fourth season. Either way Community is bound to deliver laughs in its own crazy and clever style. Though it’s hard to jump in at any episode it’s worth your time to get into a series as special as Community. If you don’t want to be the pizza burn on the roof of the world’s mouth, watch Community at 8/7c on NBC Thursday night. You’ll be streets ahead for it.