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7. Emma Watson’s Co-Star in “50 Shades of Grey” Revealed

It’s been rumored that Emma Watson will play Anastasia Steele in the film version of the popular soft-porn novel 50 Shades of Grey. And Sunday night, her co-star for all those racy bedroom scenes was finally revealed. Find out who will be playing Christian Grey.

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6. Iron Man Gets Breasts

Following in the footsteps of other recent female awards show hosts like Anne Hathaway, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Wilson incorporated quite a few costume changes into her routine. From a leather dominatrix suit to a koala bear-clad jumpsuit, Wilson’s various getups generated as much laughs as the skits themselves. But the Australian actress’ take on the buxom Iron Man suit during the show’s opening skit generated some of the biggest laughs of the night.

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5. Sneak Peak At Iron Man 3

Speaking of Iron Man… There were plenty of tributes to the third installment of the superhero blockbuster starring Robert Downey Jr., including an exclusive sneak peek at Iron Man 3. And this time, it wasn’t Downey’s big-name co-stars or even Downey himself, that had everyone buzzing about the new film — it was the Iron Man suit that quite literally took off during this special preview. Check it out.

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4. Seth Rogen & Danny McBride Drop Trou

The evening’s host wasn’t the only one showing some skin during the awards show. While presenting the Golden Popcorn for Best Shirtless Performance, Seth Rogen and Danny McBride entertained fellow presenter Zac Efron when they dropped their pants to reveal some, well, interesting underwear. The award winner Taylor Lautner was a good sport about the somewhat hairy situation, even after receiving a hug from a still pant-less Rogen.

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3. Ke$ha & Snoop Share a Splif

It wasn’t just the spoofs and acceptance speeches that brought the shock factor. Rapper Snoop Dogg and edgy singer Ke$ha probably had the network fuming when they appeared on stage puffing on what appeared to be a marijuana joint. While Snoop Dogg, who currently goes by the name Snoop Lion, has been a long-time advocate of marijuana, the move still surprised the young audience — and broadcasters (Smoking marijuana in a public place is still illegal in California).

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2. Rebel Wilson’s Nip Slip

Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake have nothing on first-time MTV Movie Awards host Rebel Wilson. Bringing out the self-effacing humor that had made her a hit in films like Bridesmaids, the funny lady’s hosting gig was full of sexual innuendos, spoofs, … and skin. Following the creedo, go big or go home, Wilson kicked off the live awards show with a (faux) double nip-slip.

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1. Aubrey Plaza Pulls A ‘Kanye’

In one of the more bizarre moments of the night, Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza interrupted Will Ferrell as he accepted the Comedic Genius Award and recreated her own version of Kanye West‘s infamous mike-grabbing moment circa the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (when the rapper interrupted Taylor Swift‘s acceptance speech for Best Female Video to protest that Beyonce should have won). With a drink in hand and the name of her upcoming film scribbled across her chest, Plaza jumped up on stage and tried to grab the popcorn trophy from the comedian. Though Ferrell tried to play it off the it off, telling the crowd, ‘Just like we rehearsed it,’ as the bare-footed actress walked away, the seemingly unscripted moment shocked more than just the Anchor Man star, and Plaza was later asked to leave the ceremony.

And after you watch this clip, check out these photos of the best, worst and wackiest dressed stars at the MTV Movie Awards.

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Aubrey Plaza was seated in the front row of the MTV Movie Awards at Sony Picture Studios Lot in Hollywood, California on April 14 when she ran up on stage during Will Ferrell’s speech for the Comedic Genius award and she started pulling on his award. The actress was barefoot, so maybe she mistook the award for a sexy pair of pumps?

Aubrey Plaza Ejected From MTV Movie Awards

“What’s happening?” Will asked. “Are you OK?”

Will maintained a firm grip on his award and Aubrey eventually gave up.

The Parks and Recreation star walked back to her seat, but there’s a possibility she was plugging her new movie because she had The To Do List written across her chest. I guess that’s one way to have people stare at your chest — or you could be like JWoww and just wear a dress that threatens to expose your bodacious body!

“Aubrey Plaza, everyone. Just like we rehearsed it. Perfect, it was perfect. Not too long, not too short. Right on the money,” Will joked after the awkward encounter, except it felt like anything but a joke.

Will Ferrell Was Kanye’d

According to MTV, however, it was not rehearsed. Shortly after the encounter, Aubrey was asked to leave the show. The network called the stunt “a Kanye,” referring to when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. (Seriously, it’s only a matter of time before this term becomes a norm in Dictionaries — feel free to gloat, Kanye.)

According to HollywoodLife.com sister site Deadline, Will told MTV, ”I think she wanted to tell me something important. It was just a lot of hot liquor breath and sweat. Then she ran away.”

Whether or not Aubrey’s stunt was rehearsed, her new movie The To Do List, due out Aug. 16, got a lot of free press!

What do YOU think, HollywoodLifers? Should Aubrey have been ejected from the awards show?

WATCH: Aubrey Plaza Crashes The Stage During Will Ferrell’s Speech

— Chris Rogers

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@ChrisRogers86

More MTV Movie Awards News:

1. Selena Gomez & Pregnant Kim Kardashian Hug At MTV Movie Awards
2. MTV Movie Awards Best Moments: Selena Gomez’s Sexy Performance & More
3. MTV Movie Awards’ Red Carpet Hottest Men — ‘Jersey Shore’ Men & More

Bradley Cooper’s Best Male Performance Acceptance: The evening’s king of dour cutaways, Bradley Cooper, took a Serious Turn in his MTV Movie Awards acceptance speech to talk about PTSD, and to mumble that “more people have committed suicide in the last year than in the field of battle, and it’s an epidemic.” His character in Silver Linings, by the way, did not have PTSD, and was not a veteran. It’s a serious cause, and worth spotlighting (and hey, maybe offering a solution or two for), but maybe the Rebel Wilson Vag Joke Show wasn’t the best place to offer it up, Coop.

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Aubrey Plaza’s Weird, Failed Soy-Bombing of Will Ferrell’s Speech. Even Ferrell knew poor Aubrey’s unscripted stage crash was an epic fail: “Just like we rehearsed it. Perfect, it was perfect.” (Also, total coincidence that Ferrell’s Anchorman sequel is from Paramount, also owned by MTV parent company Viacom.)

Adam Sandler and Chris Rock’s Award Presentation: As we saw in Grown-Ups and The Longest Yard, Adam Sandler’s unfunny is so cripplingly powerful that he can even infect Chris Rock with it.

“Django Unchained” Wins “Best WTF Moment”: It was an ill-defined category to begin with, but the clip shown from Django was, inexplicably, the big ending. Aside from being a giant spoiler for a movie not yet on DVD, what exactly was so WTF about a climax in which the film’s hero wins and its villain loses? What was up with that crazy shit, am I right?!!1!

Professional On-air Talent: Following a preshow that makes the Oscar red carpet looked polished and snazzy in comparison, someone named Christina Garibaldi, while going to a commercial, literally flubbed the name of the awards show that she was at.

Snoop Lion and Ke$ha Introducing Macklemore and Ryan Lewis: “These guys do things their own way and don’t let anybody hold them down.” Yes, nothing says fierce, uncommercial individuality like a performance at an MTV awards show. Pretending to smoke weed at said show is a close second!

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Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s Performance/Selena Gomez’s Performance: This one was more awkward for your film editor than anyone else. Nothing like watching a live event on MTV to realize how completely out of touch you are with pop music.

Paul Walker’s Classification of the Original The Fast and the Furious: When the cast of Fast and Furious 6 appeared to present the Breakthrough Performance award, Mr. Walker called up the series’ scrappy beginnings as a $38 million summer studio movie thus: “We were a small movie way back when, and we crushed it.” Somebody mind asking, say, Shane Carruth if he thinks a $38 million Universal release is a “small movie?” (Also, total coincidence that this award went to the host of the show.)

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Seth Rogen and Danny McBride: These guys are funny. This is the End looks funny. But nothing in this evening—not the koala bit, not Rebel Wilson’s “deleted scenes” montage, not Melissa McCarthy’s surprisingly unfunny award intro—was as painfully, awkwardly laugh-free as their comparison of bikini areas.

The “Exclusive Teaser Trailer” for “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”: This was a night of endless flackery, less an award show than a two-hour Summer Movie Preview. There was McCarthy’s clumsy hawking of The Heat; the goofy combo ad for Pain and Gain and MTV’s The Show with Vinny; the much-hyped, twenty-second, context and mostly dialogue-free Iron Man 3 “exclusive clip”; Jamie Foxx’s acceptance-speech pimping of his upcoming SyFy anthology series; the giant World War Z logo behind Brad Pitt’s Best Picture presentation; an award presented by two screeching MTV show stars no one’s ever heard of; and on and on. But if there were a moment’s doubt what the MTV Movie Awards is really all about, it came when Liam Hemsworth appeared with a full stage of fake pyro behind him, as though introducing another music performance (by Hagar-era Van Halen, from the looks of the stagecraft), and instead presented a commercial for the new Hunger Games movie. Some award shows tread the line between self-congratulation and promotion; the MTV Awards laugh at that line, and then tell you which shampoo brand sponsored it.

lol wtf juss happened here with aubry plaza's drunk ass trynna yeezy will ferrell.. http://t.co/5HV40cRUV2—
jørð∆n mø✞∆ (@killjordan) April 15, 2013

Wow I hate Aubrey Plaza. Let's run on stage drunk and try to #kanye Will Ferrell as he gives his award speech. #pieceoftrash #classless—
Greg Ciafardoni (@GMC1220) April 15, 2013

was that will ferrell thing with the drunk girl real? lol what thee—
koop (@koopiepoopie) April 15, 2013

In case you missed it #aubreyplaza trying to steal Will Ferrell's award #thetodolist #spilleddrink
#mtvmovieawards http://t.co/dVyw5mHU1c—
Ralph Garcia (@iknowralph) April 15, 2013

Was she really drunk or was this a staged stunt like MTV’s Punked? That’s what young viewers are wondering tonight after Parks and Recreation actress Aubrey Plaza, glass in hand, stumbled on stage during comedian Will Ferrell’s acceptance stage. After pulling a Kanye, she spilled her drink and got herself ejected from the event.

@Resses420 lol i only watched it for a few mins but caught a funny part in it,, heres a vid youtube.com/watch?v=JnY9GU…—
itsMFMark! (@MarkGarza18) April 15, 2013

Aubrey Plaza Asked To Leave TLEG Movie Awards After Will Ferrell Stage-Crash… Follow us … on.fb.me/XJMdzX http://t.co/LxlwqRG500—
TLEG (@lionsground) April 15, 2013

Did anyone else see the that drunk girl just walk up to will Ferrell and try to take his award? Hahaha I'm still tripping over it guys!—
Nadine Cypress (@nadcypwaygee) April 15, 2013

Apparently Aubrey Plaza tried to pull a Kanye West on will Ferrell at the MTV Movie Awards. Ahahaha.

Bitch, sit your drunk ass down.—
Em. (@RobrtsEmma) April 15, 2013

Ermm what just happened on the mtv music awards? That was super awkward…. and she spilled her drink.—
Krista (@kristaleighhhh) April 15, 2013

Classy. Minus the “C” and the “L.”

Aubrey Plaza "Kanyes" Will Ferrell at MTV Movie Awards 2013 – picspoon.com/2013/04/aubrey… http://t.co/2tqOp0sGVi—
jenny lisa (@picspoon) April 15, 2013

Hmmm.

@nadcypwaygee was she actually drunk??? Because he was like "just how we rehearsed it!" after she sat down—
Alana Roberts (@Original_Gip00) April 15, 2013

@Original_Gip00 he was saying that to play along, you didn't see his reaction? Or the audiences reactions? That was real—
Nadine Cypress (@nadcypwaygee) April 15, 2013

@Adelgadohh obviously not, Will Ferrell was just good at improvising. that chick spilled her drink when she sat down her eyes are buggin—
Seth Owen (@BIGMAN4LIFE) April 15, 2013

She's a hot mess!!! LMAO she spilled her drink all over herself and tried to grab Will Ferrell's award! Wtf hahaha—
Kalka, Julie (@kornbreaadswaaq) April 15, 2013

Will Ferrell On Aubrey Plaza's Movie Awards 'Kanye' Moment: 'It Was A Lot Of Hot Liquor Br… on.fb.me/XJMdzX http://t.co/gddiKaheyG—
TLEG (@lionsground) April 15, 2013

I think Will Ferrell forgot the 1st rule of improv “Yes, and…” He let my girl @evilhag hang out to dry. Not cool man. on.mtv.com/12aAucN—
  (@ricksavage) April 15, 2013

Here’s the “Yes, and” rule of improv.

If that wasn’t all bizarre enough, Plaza’s performance came right after this:

Will Ferrell and his fake family fall under #MTVMovieAwards most bizarre moments: yhoo.it/ZVaxZt http://t.co/IRKk8zkxQG—
Nishkam Vasisht (@nishkam_v) April 15, 2013

What’s up with that hashtag “#thetodolist,” anyway? Hype for Plaza’s upcoming movie.

Hmmmmmm.

#thetodolist #mtvmovieawards im not stalking @evilhag ok yes i am http://t.co/d8V1yxodXf—
Liza Dye (@lizadye) April 15, 2013

Looking forward to a day of think pieces about whether @evilhag's Kanye-ing of @ItsWIllyFerrell to hype #thetodolist will pay off.—
Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) April 15, 2013

I'm just really happy that a movie involving @evilhag and @DonaldGlover is a thing that's happening #TheToDoList imdb.com/title/tt175879…—
Amy (@amdr93) April 15, 2013

Aubrey's stunt worked. I googled #thetodolist and now I'm looking forward to a movie I had never heard of.—
Nikki P (@NikkiP2013) April 15, 2013

Big pimpin’, all around.

Best #Giffie of the night? Aubrey Plaza (@evilhag) wins the Kanye West Award For Achievement In Interruption: bit.ly/132XSLP—
  (@MTV) April 15, 2013

I just can’t with her…

Oh Aubrey…and Will Ferrell I love you too you COMEDIC GENIUS.

Director: Colin Trevorrow

Writer: Derek Connolly

Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni

What if you could go back in time and fix your past mistakes? What if you could prevent tragedy and heartache? I know if I could, I would want someone to travel with me. I might even put out a newspaper ad asking for a companion.

That’s the central premise of Safety Not Guaranteed, the charming indie time travel movie starring Aubrey Plaza (NBC’s Parks & Recreation) and Mark Duplass (FX’s The League and 1/2 of The Duplass Brothers). When Kenneth posts an ad looking for someone to travel back in time with him, a magazine sends a journalist (Jake Johnson) and two interns to interview him.

Aubrey Plaza plays Darius, the intern who starts to fall for the eccentric Kenneth. Plaza and Duplass have amazing chemistry on screen. Before Safety Not Guaranteed, I really only knew Mark Duplass from FX’s The League and a couple of movies he made with his brother, particularly Cyrus. While he’s quite good in The League, he’s a revelation in Safety Not Guaranteed. He portrays the character with a sweet vulnerability that makes it really hard not to root for him. There are moments where he snaps on Darius and it gives a glimpse of Duplass’ range as an actor without sacrificing our love for the character.

The script is poignant and charming without overdoing its “indie-ness.” There’s a subplot involving Jeff (Jake Johnson) reconnecting with a high school flame that provides a great balance to the movie’s central love story. Awkward intern Arnau (Karan Soni) keeps Jeff company while Darius gets close Kenneth for the sake of the story. The two have a good back and forth and provide some more traditional comic relief to the more dramatic humor of the movie’s main plot. Though Jeff’s subplot manages to find enough drama to warrant its own movie, I would say.

You’re not going to regret watching Safety Not Guaranteed. It’s a touching comedy that really showcases the talents of Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass. Thanks to the Jeff subplot, the movie plays out like two great indie movies fused together into one.

You can stream Safety Not Guaranteed on Netflix or buy the DVD or Blu-Ray on Amazon. You can also buy a digital copy through Amazon.

That does it for this week’s Streaming Saturday. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter: @ObsessiveViewer for live-tweets about movies and shows I’m watching and keep up with the blog on Facebook for all the latest posts and blog news.

Being a shy kid at a rough school was like being thrown into The Hunger Games and facing an epic battle without any sponsors and at around 14 I knew that even a few more years of being made fun of and getting sly digs in the corridor just wasn’t going to work if I had to survive. So in a panicked effort to up my confidence and make some friends I, on a whim, joined a youth theatre and to my surprise hugely enjoyed it! It turned out that running around the streets in pajamas  wearing shower caps indoors and being a robot in a department store was something that really clicked with me. So a year into this youth theatre venture and school getting a little easier I saw a sign up for stand-up comedy workshops announcement on their website and with the mentality of “well people are laughing anyway” I signed up. I had always been very Chandler Bing in the sense that my very dry sense of humor was used as a defense  to confuse the kids and make them laugh in attempt to get them to leave me alone.

So at 15 I wrote and performed my first ever stand-up comedy set. At 8 minutes long it was the most terrified I had ever been. To just stand and talk to complete strangers and 1) Make them listen. 2) Win them over. 3) Most importantly – make them laugh, is still the most terrified I’ve ever been, even though every time I’ve gigged since it’s been just as scary. So after growing up watching a lot of comedy, thanks to my parents, and then trying out stand-up for myself, I was hooked. At my first gig I didn’t really notice the 3 girls to 7 boys’ ratio but as I later learned, that is nearer to equality that most other gigs with the average being 1 girl out of the 10 people on the bill.

With that information in mind, I therefore began to notice this inequality in television comedies. Women in supporting roles, only occasionally being funny which usually involved being the punch-line or the straight-laced character helping set up the main characters joke rather than the outright funny character confident in their own sense of humor. Then I discovered 30 Rock and my hero Tina Fey. A woman so many other women aspire to be. The writer of potentially the best memoir ever Bossypants and creator of Mean Girls. She introduced the world Liz Lemon, a strong, successful and good hearted woman however she’s also flawed and isn’t afraid to show the audience her weaknesses. It’s rare that such an honest character is shown on TV and before she had written and starred in this beauty of a comedy she was the first female head writer of Saturday Night Live and one half of a duo that went on to become first two women to hilariously co-anchor the Weekend Update segment as well as the Golden Globes 2013, her partner in crime was of course Amy Poehler. A woman who is not only beautiful and talented but a strong, positive and all round fantastic role model for women and people generally on an off screen. On screen she plays Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation, the show about small town politics in Pawnee, Indiana. Leslie is a beacon of hope and positivity when no one else seems to care; always supported by her many friends and colleagues (special mention to Rashida Jones and Aubrey Plaza – two other very funny women in the show) she always follows her gut and believes in herself and her instincts, the show itself deserves a mention for being one of the few sitcoms fuelled on wanting to better the world around them and just for being nice. Off screen she fronts a YouTube channel Smart Girls at the Party dedicated to educating you about other cultures, offering advice and just generally being nice. Tina and Amy have done so much for women in comedy and women in general that they don’t even realise. Two truly and deservingly well respected icons for a generation.

Shout-outs to other hilarious women I couldn’t fit in the article without it becoming an essay;
Kristen Wiig
Ruth Jones
Miranda Hart
Sarah Millican
Victoria Wood
Zooey Deschanel
Mindy Kaling
Rebel Wilson
Mellissa McCarthy
Maya Rudolph
Lena Dunham
Jo Brand
Catherine Tate
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Ellen Degeneres

And to the funny girls that help make the great TV shows such as;
Girls
Saturday Night Live
Happy Endings
Community
Arrested Development
Modern Family
How I Met Your Mother
The Big Bang Theory

My Take

Duplass? Plaza? Time travel? Indie comedy? Strap me in!

As a fan of both The League and Parks & Recreation I was beyond excited to see Mark Duplass and Aubrey Plaza (still one of my favourite names of the moment. Sounds like a Metro stop in Greenwich Village) together. Even more excited was I when the film in question was to be about a man seeking a companion to accompany him back in time for an unspecified mission.

The story is based on an actual wanted ad from a low circulation magazine in the late 90′s where an employee, needing to fill all the ad space and being one short, decided to put in an advert asking for someone to accompany him to go back in time. The only stipulation? You had to bring your own weapons. That man, John Silveria, should immediately be given all the points and win all the awards. Because that is genius.

In Safety Not Guaranteed the ad is played for real, posted by odd-ball, straightfaced, mulleted, 80′s sports car driving Kenneth (Mark Duplass). Forget going back in time; he looks like he never LEFT 1986. His ad is picked up as a potential story by douchebag indie magazine journalist Jeff (Jake Johnson) who sees it as a reason to visit the town his hot ex-girlfriend from twenty years ago still lives in. Along with him to do all the work are his interns; Arnau (Karin Soni) and Darius (Aubrey Plaza). At first glance Kenneth seems like a nutjob and trusts no-one. Sensing this Plaza poses as a girl answering his ad, wanting to go back in time with him. But first she must prove herself a worthy companion and pass Kenneth’s many physical and mental tests.

Where it really excels in it’s storytelling is not allowing itself to get caught up in the science of time-travel. It is a convoluted and complicated science that the more you try and explain in narrative, the more you’ll muddy the waters. In fact, much like Back To The Future, Safety Not Guaranteed is not really about time travel. Rather it is a movie about a simple yearning we’ve all experienced at some time; that desire to re-capture or correct a moment in time we’ll never have again. For Kenneth it is to literally travel back in time to save a girl he loved. For Darius it is an opportunity to right a wrong she’ll otherwise never have a chance to. For Jeff it is through visiting his high watermark sexual encounter, trying to recapture the spark they had, and learning lessons about enjoying your youth while you have it.

As the jowly face contest entered it’s final stages Mark sized up his competition

Plaza and Duplass are perfect indie comedy stars. Neither are catwalk pretty, both feel like real, every day people. Anyone who has seen Plaza in Parks & Recreation as the ever pissy, sarcastic intern April Ludgate, will know how well she does straight comedy. That ability to perfectly look straight through someone and seem underwhelmed at everything regardless of it’s unbridled awesomeness. It gives her a sense of innocence and also a sense of someone who is less a sceptic, rather someone who wants to the World to amaze her. It just hasn’t yet. Her big brown eyes and wide smile compliment Kenneth’s furrowed brow and perpetual serious expression. I felt like I was watching two people fall in love on screen and learn things about each other and themselves. It was a refreshing and all to rare experience from “romantic comedy”.

I won’t say a lick about the ending. All I’ll say is that however you think it might end, it ends perfectly.

The original ad from 1997

Conclusion: This was the third film I have seen in little over a week that shared similar traits; all under 90 mins, all indie to the core, all different ways of exploring two people finding their obscure soulmates in strange circumstances. Safety Not Guaranteed is head and shoulders above the rest. The closest our generation will get to their own Back To The Future. I will go back and watch this over and over and over again.

Verdict: 9/10 – Go see this immediately

About

Director: Colin Trevorrow – Feature début for Trevorrow. Most interestingly he has been picked as the man to re-invigorate the Jurassic Park franchise in 2014. Be interesting to see if he brings some indie sensibility to it.

Writer: Derek Connolly – Only credit other than a TV movie he wrote in 2005, Gary: In Crisis, which was directed by Trevorrow. Nothing listed as in the pipeline. Can’t imagine he’ll struggle for work after this.

Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni, Mary Lynn Rajskub

Trivia:

• The original classified ad upon which the film is based first appeared in Backwoods Home Magazine in 1997. It was written as last-minute filler by John Silveira, an employee of the magazine, who is credited in the film as “Time Travel Consultant” and also has a cameo. The ad was later featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in the “Headlines” segment, and eventually turned into an Internet meme before being developed into a screenplay.

• The part of Darius was written for Aubrey Plaza, because writer Derek Connolly wanted to work with her. Jake Johnson was likewise director Colin Trevorrow‘s first choice for the part of Jeff.

• Darius was given a black man’s name as part of background story about her family that didn’t make the final cut. During the dinner scene with her dad, there was a third actor, a young black man, that had to be digitally removed at post-production since without the background story, his presence there made no sense.

Dylan

I watch a lot of movies and I sometimes take it for granted that you do too, that you’ve already seen this or that cool movie. Or maybe I’m stacked to the gills with pop culture and it’s hard sometimes to know which direction to point my noggin in and start writing. Case in point, SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED Wow, I think there’s a lot of folks out there that are still playing around with the meme that inspired this fine indie flick. It has, for starters, the hero of indieland, Mark Duplass. That man was born to command the indie screen. Catch him in YOUR SISTER’S SISTER with the ever lovely Emily Blunt.

Anyhow, this was one story and then it became quite another more intricate one. As for where the meme came from, the early age of the internet, 1997. A popular magazine about rural living entitled, “Backwoods Home Magazine” had some extra space to fill on one of its pages. So, senior editor John Silveira filled it with a poetic fake ad. Pretty decent, a decade before Twitter: Someone to go back in time with me…Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before.” Jay Leno picked it up for his stupid ad routine on “The Tonight Show,” even though it doesn’t reveal someone for being stupid and so a meme was eventually born.

Next up for that delightful little meme, director Colin Trevorrow and writer Derek Connolly turn it into a fanciful, quirky movie. We begin with a meeting at a slick Seattle magazine. Everyone is throwing out ideas. An editor decides he’d love to do something with this oddball ad so a team is created: one cynical reporter and two very green interns. They all jump into an SUV and, if they’re not careful, this will just be another hack job by Jeff (Jake Johnson). The two interns appear to be useless. Arnau (Karan Soni) seems to be an uptight killjoy. Darius (Aubrey Plaza) seems to be an apathetic slacker. But, given a little time, magic occurs in more ways than one. It turns out, that Darius isn’t really a slacker. Given the opportunity, she invests in turning their questionable quest into a worthwhile story.

But there’s more. Kenneth (Mark Duplass), the guy who wrote the oddball ad about time traveling isn’t an obvious nut job. He’s kind, intelligent, and somebody that Darius can’t easily dismiss. And, you guessed it, Jeff and Arnau also grow as characters but in unexpected ways. It’s the evolution of Darius and Kenneth that really captivates. With a delicate touch, this movie will make you believe anything is possible.

So, yeah man, this the prefect time to support this movie. As you probably know, there is a more to the life cycle of any movie that its initial theatrical release. SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. Visit the movie’s website here.

John Silveira was an employee for Backwoods Home Magazine and needed to fill in space in the classifieds. So one day in 1997 he created an advert requesting someone to go back in time with him. Several talk show segments and internet memes later, this very idea was created as a screenplay directed by Colin Trevorrow in this 2012 comedy. At the end of the day it’s classified as a comedy but it’s very heartfelt, and there are some great one liners. I particularly liked the soundtrack, it has an Indie undertone to it, but mainly I was psyched that it featured an Arctic Monkeys song.

The story follows Darius (Aubrey Plaza) as a disaffected and disillusioned magazine intern, assisting Jeff (Jake Johnson of New Girl fame) in tracking down the reclusive grocery store worker Kenneth (Mark Duplass) who posted the ad. As Darius and Kenneth bond, with weapons training in funny little montage sequences – we find out the true reasons why both want to go back in time. Darius wants to save her mother, whilst Kenneth wants to save an old girlfriend (Kristen Bell). Meanwhile, Jeff tracks down a crush he had in his junior years and it’s endearing to see Johnson in roles that are so emotionally vulnerable.

That’s one thing I really appreciated about this film, it has great casting. In fact, Johnson was Trevorrow’s first choice for the role. With the role of Darius specifically written for Plaza, and you can tell since it fits her like a glove. And you’ll spend the whole movie wondering if Duplass is legit or not. You’ll want him to be genuine, and you’ll want to suspend belief and reality.

But guess what? I won’t tell you how it ends. What I will say is WATCH IT! There’s a reason why this little undervalued gem got so much critical acclaim when it premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was awarded the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.

“To go it alone or to go with a partner. When you choose a partner you have to have compromises and sacrifices, but it’s a price you pay. Do i want to follow my every whim and desire as I make my way through time and space, absolutely. But at the end of the day do I need someone when I’m doubting myself and I’m insecure and my heart’s failing me? Do I need someone who, when the heat gets hot, has my back?”

8/10 = Ecstatic Kitty

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- Movie Kitty

You met Aubrey Plaza on Monday, Ellen, and that to me is an awesome thing. 

For anyone who might have missed this awesome interview, here you go. Get ready to cry laughing, because it’s kind of the best thing ever.

Aubrey Plaza is someone that I’ve kind of fallen in love with because of the show she’s a part of called Parks and Recreation,  and interviews and other things, like the movie she was in called Safety Not Guaranteed, (which was surprisingly adorable.)

So last Friday, when I was stuck in Houston after my tooth got extracted watching Ellen and the announcer began saying “Next Monday: Ellen meets Aubrey Plaza” I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN HAPPIER. Of course, the painkillers were probably a part of that, but I think I can say that most of me being happy was that two of my favorite comedic performers were about to be on the same stage INTERACTING WITH EACH OTHER. Well, at least 60% of it was. Maybe 55%.

The point is, it happened and I loved it, and it’s why I want to work for you. Not just only to meet Aubrey Plaza, but to meet crazy amounts of crazy important people, and asking them crazy questions so not only I get to know them, but the rest of the world does too. 

I’ve always thought that being a talk show host is such an awesome thing because you not only have copious amounts of fun with the people you work with and your audience as an entertainer, but you also get to meet these people who are changing the world. And I’m not talking about just the Sofia Vergaras and the Justin Timberlakes of the world, (although I do happen to love both), I’m talking about everyday people who do their best to do what they think is right. I’ve noticed there’s not a lot of shows on television who appreciate those everyday people who might be an awesome single mom doing her best to keep her kids alive and well, or who might fix a strangers car for absolutely nothing. Your show reminds people in such a pessimistic world that there is still good out there. 

Although I am just 19 and have a lot to learn about… well… everything, there’s one thing that I’m sure of: The values of kindness, compassion, and respect that you stand for are something that everyone should strive for. 

Also, you get to dance at the beginning of your shows, and who wouldn’t want that?

With love, 

MG-C

It’s a typically unsurprising romantic comedy, Jamie Linden in his first directorial role, has based the concept on a group of friend’s 10 year Reunion.  However, you find so many similarities to the kids you grew up with, that you can’t help but feel sorry for one and envy the other. There’s the curiosity about the enigmatic eye candy from back in the day, to the welcomed karma that has shown it’s face to the bullies and cruelly cool.

Producers Channing Tatum and his wife Jenna star as a soon-to-be engaged couple, but this is delayed by his inability to find the perfect moment.  Rosario Dawson distracts as Channing’s now married ex. There’s Graynor‘s witty but ultimately docile house wife and her immature husband (Chris Pratt) who seem to have been the ‘cool kids’ once upon a time, but are now just ordinarily married with children. Oscar Isaac is enlisted as the kid who made good – a musician with a solid hit, but only has eyes for the girl he never had (Kate Mara). There are some other people thrown in the mix, but none as amusing as Aubrey Plaza and her on-screen husband, who she discovers was the high school wigga.

Justin Long also stars, but is less than memorable in his role. The uncomfortable moments are with Pratt and and Aaron Yoo, who are bully and victim, respectively. The moments we are forced to watch Pratt try and drunkenly apologize to Yoo are so very uncomfortable. I wish I could say the film didn’t need it, but if they were aiming for realism then I could see why it was included. Overall their story lines may have been more effective if their were less cast members to focus on, and their general back stories were elaborated a little more.

It’s surprising though how quickly you will feel attached to some of these characters. But actually, the one shining moment in the whole thing is Isaac’s performance of ‘Never Had‘. It totally makes the film – he is an amazing singer! You may recognize him from several smaller roles, and his got several works in post production so expect to see him around.

Interestingly enough, Chris Pine, Anna Faris, Megan Fox, and Taylor Momsen were all considered for roles in this film – and I’m glad they didn’t make the cut. Their presence would not have improved the story. Plot wise it is simplistic but effective. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much. The dialogue isn’t amazing, but it is definitely plausible. There are some touching scenes – It is quite adorable, but I’m not going to lie to you. The pacing in some parts is slow, and the comedic moments don’t always hit the right notes with the audience.

In the end, if you’re going to watch it it’s because you’re lusting after Channing. See below for his high school pic.

Scrubbed up well in the end, didn’t he?

7/10 = Sugary Sweet Kitty

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- Movie Kitty

Hey Elle, so glad you had Aubrey Plaza on the show today. I love her! Too bad she was so cold, even despite the comfort and warmth of your Ellen Face pillow…so surprising! But, maybe she would have been more comfortable if you offered her the battery operated “warming hat” one of your 10 year old inventors debuted last week. It seemed as though Aubrey was cold enough to actually try wearing it! Just a thought. Your Erica, E- Out!

After reading the above ad in the classified, three reporters from a Seattle magazine set out to a small town to find out what kind of lunatic would place it and profile him.  The man (Duplass) turns out to be somewhat of an enigma.  He appears rational and intelligent, but he also insists he has a time machine and that government agents are following him.  One of the reporters (Plaza) goes undercover and gets in as the man’s “partner”.  This requires vigorous training…of an unorthodox nature.  While Plaza pries deeper into the life of our potential time traveler, the other two reporters explore the town and (try not to groan here) confront aging and past mistakes.

I’ll be honest: I watched this because the director, Colin Treverrow, is going to direct Jurassic Park IV and this is his only film.  It’s very indie, very introspective, but at the same time has a self-contained element of mild absurdity which it skillfully uses to keep the plot from running out of control.  I love Aubrey Plaza, though I’d only previously seen her on Parks & Rec, but she is possibly the most dour human being I’ve ever seen.  Fortunately, that’s dealt with in her character’s arc and I thought she and Duplass were actually outstanding.  The plot meanders a bit, but comes back together for a fantastic climax.  It’s difficult to actually sum up why this movie works so well, but I highly recommend it.  It’s free to stream on Netflix and more than worth your time.
8.25/10

There are many loveable characters on Parks and Recreation. Leslie Knope is my personal hero (I’m serious) and Ron Swanson is Ron f–king Swanson. I’ve always taken particular notice of April, however, because of her age, intelligence, and the contrast she provides to other characters. Against Leslie’s hyperbolic optimism and work ethic, April’s dry humor and resistance to effort are a thing of comedic genius. Throw in her near father-daughter relationship with Ron and her antagonism for Ann and Chris and I can’t look away.

Yes, April is hilarious and I love her. Last season, however, I began to track her development a bit more closely as April started to get pushed by various characters to move out of her late-adolescent angst and do something with her potential. As Leslie handed over some of her duties after getting elected to the City Council, April took on new responsibilities. Reluctantly. In “Live Ammo” (4.19), April struggles to fill Leslie’s shoes while she campaigns and Tom, of all people, suggests that she finds a project she’s passionate about. By episode’s end she finds fulfillment and satisfaction in organizing an animal adoption event. It also challenges her both personally and in her job.

I was sure Parks was setting up April to be the next Leslie, which was fascinating because April is sort of the anti-Leslie. That’s what makes their relationship and Leslie’s mentoring of April so dynamic. This season, there have been great moments in which Leslie and April butt heads or gang up. In “Leslie vs April” (5.7), Leslie undermines her protege’s plans to create a dog park on Lot 48, the lot behind Ann’s house that started the drama four years ago. Leslie consults Ron, talking about some new guy causing trouble: “He used to be a slacker but now he’s realizing his full potential. But at what cost? He’s smart and he’s beautiful and I think of him in many ways as a daughter...” Ron advises Leslie to give her lots of busy work, but the problem is April is not enough of a workaholic for that to fool her. So instead, Leslie shows interest in April’s creepy friend’s art show. But April can see through that too. The episode is brilliant because it forces Leslie, and the audience, to take April seriously. She’s not there just for edge. She has things she’s passionate about too. As Leslie says, “All I’ve ever wanted is for you to show the enthusiasm you showed for your dog park and when you did I blew it.” Of course, April’s apology isn’t free of snark, “I’m sorry that I outsmarted you at every turn…and I know that I have a lot to learn from you and I’m sorry that I disrespected your stupid dream.”

Later, in “Women in Garbage” (5.11), which I think is easily one of the show’s best episodes, Leslie and April team up to prove that women are as capable as men. It sounds obvious, but watching them negotiate a trick played on them by the Sanitation Department showed how April, who once dragged her feet with the simplest task, was starting to come into her own, while also maintaining her unique personality—she LOVES garbage and creates a present for Leslie made of it.

But then, when I thought the show would zig, it zagged. Parks and Rec wasn’t setting April up for a career in city government. Two weeks ago, we learned that she wants to go to veterinary school. The adoption event, her three-legged dog Champion, her assertion that she hates people but loves animals. It’s all there.

Last year, a blogger for  IndieWire argued, “the worst has come to pass, and April Ludgate, the beyond-deadpan carrier of careless anarchic energies, the one-woman friction element who’s kept Parks and Recreation from being an Office clone* from the unsteady git-go, has been muffled into a millennial-generation version of a wacky neighbor from a sitcom.” Though they also argue that April serves as a foil for Leslie, they interpret her character’s arc: “She now prefers conservative work force clothing to better integrate into the office. She also shares hugs with anyone when needed, and when her cutely thick musician husband Andy (Chris Pratt) does something really dumb, she will throw her arms up and cry ‘Andy!’ like a million other flustered wives before her. All that’s missing is a laugh track.”

Though April is perhaps, sometimes, maybe, a shade less snarky than she once was, I think that rather than the domestification of a strange character, we’re seeing a natural evolution from adolescence to adulthood. The show didn’t abruptly tone April down. Repeatedly, we’ve seen April warm up to people, on her own terms. For example, she pushes back against Chris for years, both as his employee and as his “friend.” She finds his happiness and insistence on perfection annoying—who doesn’t?–but when Chris starts to break down, she cracks. Like all the characters on the show, April doesn’t function just to serve a punchline. She’s a well-rounded character. Similarly, April hates Ann from the start and in “Bailout” (5.16), Ann gets to blackmail April into being her friend so April can get a letter of recommendation to veterinary school from her. April lets Ann get close to her after Ann shows her vulnerability—but then, naturally, April runs away.  And there’s the episode about Jerry. But who cares?

Sure, April could have remained the surly, ironic twenty year-old she was when the show started, but would she be happy? Would we like her as much? I think what’s far more interesting is watching a character who is so odd and antisocial develop along with the other characters on a show full of odd, very social people. She still keeps people at arm’s length, but it’s compelling to see how and when she lets people in, how and when she shows affection. April is becoming a strong, mature woman—one part Leslie, one part Ron, many parts her own making. What I love about the development of this character, more than anything, is that it happened on April’s terms. Rather than use dramatic episodes, pregnancy scares, near-death experiences, etc. to draw out April’s softer side, the writers allowed it to develop slowly and naturally, starting with her friendship with Ron, her relationship with Andy, her telling Leslie that she loved her at her wedding, and so on. There were no big a-ha! moments, just many small interactions in which April allowed herself to become more invested in the community and in which her bosses and friends encouraged her to use her intelligence more. I think capturing a young woman coming into her own without using cliches is a thing of beauty.

I have one burning question though. What is the deal with April’s education? She starts on the show as a college intern, but we never hear about her education again. When Andy goes to register for classes, according to my closed captioning (which could be wrong), she says her parents pay for her classes. Presumably, she has, or is working on, a college degree, as she’d need one for either government work or veterinary school…?

Of course, perhaps I just love her so much because of the running joke that she is Julio and my future daughter.

See also: Paley Center: Creating April Ludgate, The 25 Definitive April Ludgate GIFS and April Ludgate’s Top 5 Most April Ludgate-y Moments

Another duo we love! Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick hanging out!

ParaNorman! This movie has the first openly gay animated character. And what’s so great about it is that you don’t find out he/she is gay until the very end of the movie. So, you form your opinions of that character based on his/her personality and traits instead of sexuality. The way it should be.

The music video for Valentino by Diane Birch. So creative.

Jurassic Park 3D!

What are your favorite things this week?