For all of the uneasiness I felt watching The Internship play as a not so subtle promo for Google's portfolio of services (what in the hell is Google Wallet?), the movie painted a dichotomy that I found interesting. While far from perfect, I thought the film did a nice job of contrasting the eternal optimism of a couple Gen X'ers with the often harsh practicality and cynicism I see embedded in myself and many of my fellow Millennials. Although this is hardly the platform from which to dive into a generational debate, The Internship at least introduced the idea that belonging to a generation that has had the wealth of the world's knowledge at their fingertips for a good portion of their lives (not to mention video games and the lack of a military draft) faces a whole new set of unique challenges and insecurities. At the same time, it also sent an oft-overlooked truth that we (Millennials) don't know it all, haven't seen it all, and the "Culture of Meh" that we often embrace is cynical bullshit that I can only hope life experience will help pull us out of.
In addition to my "meh" soapbox, this week's Top 5 offers The Internship interviews with Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, and Rose Byrne, the first trailer and a set visit recap for director James Wan's Insidious: Chapter 2, a truckload of set images from X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Purge interviews with Ethan Hawke and more, and a look at the WGA's list of the "101 Best Written TV Series of All Time". Check out a brief recap and link to each after the jump.
1. THE INTERNSHIP Interviews with Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, and More
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are just a likeable duo. When I think back on the times I laughed most during Wedding Crashers and now The Internship (Matt's review here), I conclude that a lot of the setup, payoff, and my own happily suspended disbelief is in large part due to the fact that I just like seeing those two together. After watching Steve's video interview with the pair, I'm a believer that the chemistry they share is genuine both on-screen and off. That said, in addition to the Vaughn/Wilson sit down, we also have a video interview with the lovely Rose Byrne discussing, among other things, the fair share of male nudity present in Nicholas Stoller's Townies.
2. INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 Trailer and Set Visit
As a fan of the original, I was both excited for and happy with the first trailer for Insidious: Chapter 2 that debuted earlier this week. In equal measure, I was a little envious of our own Haleigh Foutch for having the opportunity to visit the set of the film, interview director James Wan, Patrick Wilson, and more, AND attend the trailer premiere Q&A hosted by the aforementioned James Wan (who just happens to be putting out another horror film I can't wait for, The Conjuring, later this summer).
3. X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Set Images Abound
Perhaps I'm just bitter that Matthew Vaughn didn't return to helm the follow-up to the excellent X-Men: First Class, but I have to say that I'm a touch over-saturated on the barrage of X-Men: Days of Future Past set images that director Bryan Singer unleashes on the Interwebs almost daily. And yet, here are the latest batch of Days of Future Past set pics featured in our weekly highlight reel so I guess Singer has the last laugh: Nicholas Hoult's redesigned Beast makeup, first official look at Michael Fassbender as Magneto, and President Nixon being attentive to the mutant plight.
4. THE PURGE Interviews with Ethan Hawke and More
It's not often that this horror fan has the opportunity to include two films from the genre in a single Top 5 but alas this week offers just that. Fresh off of its impressive Friday earnings of an estimated $16.7 million, The Purge (check out Matt's review here) has yet to earn my box office dollars because I'm still looking for someone to enjoy the pic alongside me. That's not to say that I won't check out a movie in theaters alone, but I do like to exhaust all other options before electing to fly solo. All impressive box office numbers aside, if you're at all interested in the film then I encourage you to read Christina's interviews with star Ethan Hawke and producer Jason Blum.
5. WGA's 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time
This past week the Writers Guild of America released its list of the "101 Best Written TV Series of All Time". While a list like this is entirely subjective, at the very least it provides excellent debate fodder as I gleam with joy that my beloved The Twilight Zone rests comfortably at #3 while others passionately voice their disapproval with The Wire just cracking the top ten at #9.