Who wants to be a millionaire?

Director Alexander Payne's last couple movies (The Descendents, Sideways) have been good but simply have not captured my attention the way Election did. His newest film, Nebraska is not only a return to the Midwest but seemingly a return to the level of filmmaking and storytelling that made me a fan of his in the first place. Check out the trailer for yourself below.

Loco Coco

Thanks to The Big Bang Theory reruns as its lead-in, Conan has seen improved ratings on TBS the past few months. Whether buoyed by those numbers or just finally finding its creative groove, I've felt the show has consistently improved recently and has provided some great comedy moments. Here are just a pair from the past week that I particularly enjoyed.

RBR: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

This film was quietly released in theaters last fall and given the rather raunchy subject matter never got much of an audience despite boasting a cast of talented comedians like Jason Sudekis, Nick Kroll, Martin Starr, and Will Forte. The premise is that Sudekis is your typical man-child who loves throwing extravagant parties at his father's beach house. When his dad decides to sell the place, Sudekis decides that the final blowout will be an orgy with his friends. While the film does eventually get to the titular sex romp, the film really sags in the middle leading up to the event. There's not a lot going on other than some feeble attempts at character development in order to set up the key moments at the party. I will give the film credit though for actually following through on its promise, even if it doesn't turn out exactly as they had planned. The film works well enough thanks in large part to its funny leads. I especially liked the limited appearance of Will Forte and Lucy Punch who play a married couple who feel excluded from the rest of the gang's activities. Ultimately though this feels like a film that was sold based on its title alone and the writers really had nothing beyond that climatic scene. There are enough laughs here to make it worth a rental, but I certainly hope these actors, particularly Sudekis, are not stuck doing these B-level sex comedies for the rest of their careers. They're too gifted to be wasted in one-note films like these. Rating: ***