The Hangover Part III (May 24)

Silver: Because of its blatant recycling of plot points and gags, at one point I considered The Hangover Part II one of the biggest wasted opportunities to hit the big screen. But I’m not gonna lie, I’ve warmed up to it quite a bit. After subsequent (and multiple) cable viewings, I’ve come around and really appreciate Stu’s “there’s a demon in me” story line. It’s a disturbing yet oddly moving comment on the mental state of these three shallow, weak-minded men. More than this, as deplorable as they are, I’ve grown to genuinely like hanging out with these guys. So, like re-watching Inception or Prometheus, with expectations properly set the second time around, I'm at the point where I can also sit back and enjoy The Hangover Part II for what it is. Each time I see the film my enjoyment from spending time with Phil, Stu, and Alan slowly weakens my initial disappointment.

So without even seeing a frame of footage, my enthusiasm for Part III starts with my desire to simply hang with the wolfpack again. Then came this highly entertaining trailer, chock full of mayhem, laughs, and glimpses at a killer supporting cast (John Goodman, Melissa McCarthy, and our returning champions Heather Graham and Ken Jeong). Todd Phillips and his gang of merry men and women look determined to deliver a very different and fresh adventure to cap off this trilogy. I can’t wait.

Since 2007, fans of The Sopranos have debated the final scene of the HBO series’s final episode, “Made in America.” Some of us have come to terms with the show’s “five-year cut to black,” and have even figured out what creator David Chase was really trying to convey [SPOILER]: Like, Tony Soprano gets whacked by the guy in the Members Only jacket, right? Now that David Chase has reemerged to do press for his forthcoming film Not Fade Away, all he has to do is blink once for “yes” and twice for “no” and provide closure to his tortured viewers.

Oh, if things were only so simple. In an interview with the Associated Press, Chase once again backed off from offering a definitive ruling on Tony’s fate. He also reasserted his belief that the final scene is great, though he admitted to thinking that “Made in America” “might have been kind of a dud” before rewatching it two years and confirming that, yes, he is a brilliant guy.

Grantland's Rembert Browne missed the 1980s because he's only 25 years old. Every once in a while, Bill Simmons will make him watch YouTube videos from the ’80s and "explain" (read: not explain) them. This is Rembert "explaining" Journey's "Separate Ways."