Movies

In Your Eyes
Two seemingly unconnected souls from different corners of the United States make a telepathic bond that allows them to see, hear and feel the other's experiences, creating a bond that apparently can't be broken.

Before Midnight
It has been nine years since we last met Jesse and Celine, the French-American couple who once met on a train in Vienna. Now, live in Paris with twin daughters, but have spent a summer in Greece on the invitation of an author colleague of Jesse's. When the vacation is over and Jesse must send his teenage son off to the States, he begins to question his life decisions, and his relationship with Celine is at risk.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
Also seen this week, Before Midnight, which was lovely and wonderful and I loved it. This ends my movie reviews for the week. Thanks folks!

The Muppets
When Kermit the Frog and the Muppets learn that their beloved theater is slated for demolition, a sympathetic human, Gary, and his puppet brother, Walter, swoop in to help the gang put on a show and raise the $10 million they need to save the day.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
Finally saw The Muppets!! Fantastic!! Laughed so much!! Loved it!!

Despicable Me
Villainous Gru lives up to his reputation as a despicable, deplorable and downright unlikable guy when he hatches a plan to steal the moon from the sky. But he has a tough time staying on task after three orphans land in his care.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
Saw 'Despicable Me' today and it put me in a terribly good mood. I do say, I would recommend it.

The King's Speech
The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
Did a should-be-Oscar-contenders double feature day. Saw 127 Hours and The King's Speech. Damn! I mean, good movies y'all.

127 Hours
The true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
Did a should-be-Oscar-contenders double feature day. Saw 127 Hours and The King's Speech. Damn! I mean, good movies y'all.

Iron Man 2
With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark faces pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, with Pepper Potts and James 'Rhodey' Rhodes at his side, must forge new alliances – and confront powerful enemies.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
Just saw Iron Man 2. YEAH!!! Lots of fun! Particularly enjoyed Scarlett Johansson's action scene and everything Robert Downey Jr. did. :)

Crazy Rich Asians
An American-born Chinese economics professor accompanies her boyfriend to Singapore for his best friend's wedding, only to get thrust into the lives of Asia's rich and famous.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
Just saw this fantastic movie and you should too!! See it this weekend!! You’re in for a real treat. I loved it so much!! ❤️

In a World...
An underachieving vocal coach is motivated by her father, the king of movie-trailer voice-overs, to pursue her aspirations of becoming a voice-over star. Amidst pride, sexism and family dysfunction, she sets out to change the voice of a generation.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
Just saw @lakebell's "In a World..." AGAIN!! And it was even BETTER!!! Find it! See it!

This Is the End
While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
Just saw This Is The End and it. was. AWESOME. So so enjoyable. See it if you like FUN!!!
Books

True North
Lou Marincovich yearned for a life of adventure and strong emotions -- and got far more than he anticipated. Here are true-life adventure stories you have never heard before, from places you have never been. Inspired to become a paleontologist, he plunged into realms of life where intellectuals rarely go, working hardhat jobs on offshore oil rigs in equatorial Africa and wintertime Alaska to afford grad school, and laboring beside cutthroat coworkers, one of whom he was barely restrained from murdering. As an internationally acclaimed paleontologist, Marincovich researched fossil mollusks in the surreal landscapes of remotest Alaska, Arctic Canada and Siberia. While documenting faunal and climate change in the Arctic over the span of 60 million years, he solved the mystery of Bering Strait's age, discovered an unnamed river, survived a helicopter crash, several bush plane accidents, a near-drowning in an icy river, landslides, punishing storms and predator attacks. He saved his life by shooting a charging grizzly with his only bullet. Marincovich found the wilderness adventures he craved as a young man, but he was also rewarded by surprising and profound spiritual experiences, during one of which he found his soul mate. His unique story is one of youthful yearning, high adventure, moral lapses, scientific discovery and love. True North, Hunting Fossils Under the Midnight Sun was awarded a 2017 Bronze Medal in the Adventure and Recreation category by Foreword Reviews Magazine, an unusual accolade for a first-time author. It was also one of six finalists in the Memoirs category in a national contest sponsored by National Indie Excellence Awards.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
My dear friend, Lou Marincovich wrote a very exciting book about his scientific adventures!

Naked
When Jesse Lucas, a troubled, magnetic acting major, touches the sculpture Meditation in Stanford's Rodin Sculpture Garden, he burns his finger on the bronze. By the time he returns to the garden that night, an eighteen-year-old girl has emerged from the statue, naked and disoriented. It is 2008, yet her mind is swimming with vivid, fractured memories of her volatile past in nineteenth-century Paris--of serving as Rodin's muse, of her passionate affair with the acclaimed artist, and of her own creations.So begins Betsy Franco's extraordinary and imaginative novel, Naked. Stranded in the sculpture garden, Camille--or Cat, as she insists on being called--forms a deep bond with Jesse, who is soon leaving for college and is as lonely and disturbed as she. As Jesse encourages Cat to confront the sinister memories that afflict her, she helps him overcome the fury he has toward his abusive father and find peace within himself.Rich, inventive, and told with a compelling mix of grace and wry humor, Naked is a bold debut that explores love, loss, and the power of art, and brings to mind the magical realism found in The Time Traveler's Wife and Midnight in Paris.

On Christopher Street
On Christopher Street there are all kinds of sexual orientations and gender identities, endless possibilities of potential selves: transgender, transsexual, non-binary, genderqueer, femme, butch, cross-dresser, drag kings, drag queens, and many other identities that shift, adapt, and challenge our understanding of gender. This street nestled in the middle of New York City’s Greenwich Village is heralded as the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. Today, the intersection at Christopher and Hudson Streets has been renamed “Sylvia Rivera Way,” after the pioneering trans-activist and the annual LGBTQ pride parade ends its procession on Christopher Street, where the revolution began at the Stonewall Inn. Renowned photographer Mark Seliger, best known for his portraits of celebrities, musicians, and artists, has called the West Village home for nearly two decades. For his latest book, On Christopher Street: Transgender Stories, his curiosity inspired him to shoot a handful of portraits—documentary style—in hopes of capturing the color, flamboyant characters, and theatre of a famous, but vanishing neighborhood. What Seliger discovered was a nightly carnival of personalities that open up the visual discourse about sexuality and the constant ebb and flow of the transgender world we all inhabit today. The end result is a collection of 74 beautiful, black and white portraits, all taken with Seliger’s Hasselblad camera, and never-before-published. These forthcoming portraits of trans people on Christopher Street combined with their moving and deeply personal stories remind us of our need for sanctuary, for a space to call our own. Their presence challenges us to redefine home, community, and ownership. Their presence challenges us to stop and reflect. No longer will we remain idle and pass by them in fear and prejudice. We will stand with them, recognize them, and see them. These are our streets, and these are our people. On Christopher Street: Transgender Stories stands out as some of Seliger’s most powerful work.

The Circle
Now a Major Motion Picture starring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks. A bestselling dystopian novel that tackles surveillance, privacy and the frightening intrusions of technology in our lives.When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, there are famous musicians playing on the lawn, there are athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO. Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in the world—even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.

Mustache Shenanigans
Director, writer, and actor Jay Chandrasekhar tells the hilarious stories behind his films Super Troopers and Super Troopers 2 (out on 4/20/2018!), the history of his comedy group, Broken Lizard, and everything in between.Jay Chandrasekhar has spent the past two decades writing, directing, and acting in film and TV. With his comedy group, Broken Lizard, he has produced and directed beloved movies such as Super Troopers, Beerfest, and Club Dread. Now, with the upcoming release of the long-awaited Super Troopers 2, Jay is ready to tell the ridiculous, madcap, dead-honest story of how he built his career, how he formed Broken Lizard, and, ultimately, how he made Super Troopers. Jay grew up Indian American in the lily-white suburbs of Chicago, and he had an outsider’s perspective from the beginning. Instead of taking the traditional acting path, he formed his own troupe, wrote his own scripts, and made movies his own way. And he had an incredibly good time doing so as readers will learn in this hilarious story about making it in Hollywood and directing, cowriting, and costarring in one of the best-loved and most-watched comedies of all time. Part humorous memoir, part film study, this book will inform, entertain, and tell readers what drinking multiple bottles of maple syrup is really like.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
My very funny friend, @jaychandrasekhar wrote a very funny, honest book about his life and work in the comedy world. If you love comedy, Super Troopers, or are just looking for a fun read, you should check it out!!

Thanks for the Money
From actor and comedian Joel McHale comes the most important celebrity-penned book of this, or any, generation. Part shocking tell-all memoir, part aspirational how-to guide, and mostly all book, this one-of-a-kind tome is required reading for anyone who enjoys Hollywood gossip, get-rich-gradually tips, and copious illustrations and charts. “…Thanks for the Money is a clever, much-needed antidote to the age of celebrity book deals. If the tide can’t be stopped, at least it can be mocked.”—EW.com Joel McHale pulls back the curtain on his personal journey to stardom! Here, for the first time, Joel reveals all that has molded him into the acclaimed comic actor he is today: a love of performance, a series of boyhood head injuries, and most importantly, a passion for financial compensation and free shoes.It’s all here: Joel’s career trials and tribulations, his criminal trials and tribulations, and an honest, unflinching list of all the people he’s been paid money to make out with, on camera. But the book does not stop there! Because if you want wealth, fame, and cost-free footwear, Joel will share every vital tip he has learned: an insanely low-carb diet plan, how to escape from a certain pseudo-religious celebrity cult, and more!How can you unlock the power of the Joel McHale who lurks inside? What happened when Joel fought his Community co-star Chevy Chase? And hey, while we’re at it, what’s up with Joel’s hair—really? All will be revealed, within the pages of Thanks for the Money. Buy now, and receive—as a special bonus—an email receipt that details your purchase!

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
Cracking open my buddy @joelmchale 's new book! And you can too! I hear it's out now...right Joel?? (1 page in & already laughing...)
TV Shows

Robot Chicken
A series of pop-culture parodies using stop-motion animation of toys, action figures and dolls. The title character was an ordinary chicken until he was run down by a car and subsequently brought back to life in cyborg form by mad scientist Fritz Huhnmorder, who tortures Robot Chicken by forcing him to watch a random selection of TV shows, the sketches that make up the body of each episode.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
Just finished Robot Chicken DVD commentary with @sethgreen and I know he has a hardcore photo of it somewhere...

Childrens Hospital
A hospital isn't a place for lazy people. It's a place for smart people who take care of people who aren't smart enough to keep themselves healthy. So begins Children's Hospital, a parody series that follows the lives, loves and laughs of a hospital staff.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
What is your favorite TV show to watch and which one would you most like to appear on?
Same answer - Childrens Hospital.

Girls
The assorted humiliations, disasters and rare triumphs of four very different twenty-something girls: Hannah, an aspiring writer; Marnie, an art gallery assistant and cousins Jessa and Shoshanna.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
So with Bridesmaids now on HBO I've basically only been watching that & Girls non-stop for 48hrs.

Other Space
Meet the team of the UMP cruiser, a barely-functional starship led by an aggressively cheerful Captain with a with a barely-competent crew, including a clueless navigator, a brain damaged mechanic, a bickering couple,a man with gills raised to be an organ farm for his brother and ART, the billionaire turned robot. When their ship is drawn into a different universe, they must to learn to work together while dealing with space clouds, robot rebellions, and the occasional alien attack.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
Other Space - one of the funniest shows I've seen and you can watch it here for free!

Atlanta
Two cousins, with different views on art versus commerce, on their way up through the Atlanta rap scene; Earnest 'Earn' Marks, an ambitious college dropout and his estranged cousin, who suddenly becomes a star.

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
I am LOVING @AtlantaFX. Really beautiful work by @donaldglover. If you haven't watched yet, you really should.
Music

Julia - Remastered 2009 — The Beatles

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
“My dad’s a musician and he writes songs all the time, but it’s never been a gift of mine. I’m OK with that, though. But if I’d written a song, I’d want it to be something as pretty and sweet as ‘Julia’. It reminds me of the ballads my father writes.”
0

Bad Blood (Taylor's Version) — Taylor Swift

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
The song I can’t get out of my head
Taylor Swift – ‘Bad Blood’
“It’s weird, because I don’t actually own this song. But at random times I’ll just start hearing it in my head. I’ll hear it on a Tuesday, then on Friday morning I’ll find myself singing it as I’m getting dressed. I guess Taylor knows how to write a song that really sticks.”
0

Like a Prayer (album)

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
The first album I bought
Madonna – ‘Like A Prayer’
0
Goods

Papa Steve's No Junk Raw Protein Bars
Papa Steve's No Junk Raw Protein Bars

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
They’re really tasty, and they come in a lot of different flavors. The apple cinnamon is my favorite, but there’s also a blueberry almond flavor that I like.

Art of Tea | Organic Green Pomegranate Green Tea
Art of Tea | Organic Green Pomegranate Green Tea

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
love a good green tea or a white tea, and sometimes a black tea if I’m feeling really dangerous. [Art of Tea’s products are] really good quality. Sometimes they even look really pretty and have flower petals in them.

Buncha CRUNCH
Buncha CRUNCH

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
Or Bunch a Crunch. OK, I like chocolate. It’s an aphrodisiac, you know.

REESE'S PIECES Peanut Butter Candy Boxes
REESE'S PIECES Peanut Butter Candy Boxes

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
That or Reeses Pieces.

M&M'S Peanut Milk Chocolate
M&M'S Peanut Milk Chocolate

Alison Brie
Actress, Writer, Producer
I love me some peanut M&M’s.