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[tab title="Movie Review"]

Anchorman 2 - Movie Review

4 stars

Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is baaaaaaaaack!

From truck commercials to actual news takeovers, Anchorman 2 might possible be one of the most overhyped sequels to come around since the Ghostbusters discovered pink slime bubbling beneath the streets of New York.  He’s made appearances on SportsCenter and took over college campuses for the ultimate high before the semester ends; Burgundy (like Ted Baxter before him) and his ridiculous mustache is everywhere.

The returning gang might be so ridiculous as to push actual lunacy to its breaking point but at least Burgundy and his brethren of manly sidekicks – including director Adam McKay - can back their marketing campaign up with a satisfying movie that is sure to please fans and further alienate the tribes that just don’t “get” it.

Anchorman 2 does not play it safe and follow the well-worn route most sequels to successful comedies travel.  It is not stupid entertainment for the sake of a quick buck.  The comedy gold struck with the original is further mined as Anchorman 2 rewrites the rules of the sequel with a continuation of sharp writing and plenty of satire that is kickstarted by the end of the 1970s and the bad news delivered by none other than Han Solo.

Burgundy – after years co-anchoring the nightly news with his wife Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) – suddenly finds himself playing the role of host at Sea World.  It is the CNN-inspired Global News Network that saves his ass from ultimate boredom and leads him to the ghost of Stonewell Jackson.

Excited by the prospects of 24-hour news, Burgundy gets the gang - investigative reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sportscaster Champ Kind (David Koechner) and weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell) – back together, puts them in an RV that doesn’t drive itself, and heads to New York for the ultimate 24-hour news cycle.

From serenading a pet shark to the baddest of flute solos this side of 1971, Anchorman 2 provides the classy laughs that – while maybe not as inspired as the original go-around – are more than enough (and seemingly unending) to make this sequel a welcome return for McKay and his co-conspirators.  The 24-hour news cycle gets egg on its face and so does Fox News.  Along the way, there are jabs at ratings and mindless journalism and even a new signoff that rivals his old one.

Things might be a little looser this time around – and you thought it couldn’t get any more anarchic than 2004’s original film - but the gags still work, the rivals top the original, and Burgundy doesn’t disappoint in this cameo-loaded sequel.

Anchorman 2 is the good news you’ve been waiting for.[/tab]

[tab title="Film Details"]

Anchorman 2 - Movie ReviewMPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, drug use, language and comic violence.
Runtime:
119 mins
Director
: Adam McKay
Writer
: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay
Cast:
Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd
Genre
: Comedy
Tagline:
It's Kind of a Big Deal
Memorable Movie Quote: "By the hymen of Olivia Newton-John!"
Distributor:
Paramount Pictures
Official Site:
http://www.anchormanmovie.com/
Release Date:
December 20, 2013
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
No details available

Synopsis: In the '70s they were an elite unit. With names like Brick, Champ, Brian and Ron, they rose like the Phoenix and then they were gone. Their legend became but a whisper told by the trees... until now.[/tab]

[tab title="Blu-ray Review”]

Anchorman 2 - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Super-Sized R-Rated Version

Available on Blu-ray - April 1, 2014
Screen Formats: 2.40:1
Subtitles
: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit); French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps); Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD); UV digital copy; iTunes digital copy; DVD copy
Region Encoding: Region-free playback

The 1080p AVC picture is wonderfully presented by Paramount Home Entertainment. Clarity and sharpness are effectively rendered with the feel of a cinematic texture. Resolution is impressive with fine detail exhibit throughout in facial features, hair, clothing and object texture. Wardrobe and costumes are intricately detailed. Facial features reveal aging lines, makeup and hair. This is a richly colorful and dynamic visual experience that looks terrific. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel soundtrack is a comedy presentation with a dialogue frontal focus but with plenty of supporting atmospherics and sound effects.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • There is another fantastic commentary by Adam McKay, Judd Apatow, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, and David Koechner. Hilarious and somewhat informative but who really cares about the facts behind the shoot when you are having this much fun?! If you are a fan of any of these guys, then this is a must-listen.

Special Features:

There are four featurettes, 8 deleted scenes, a whopping amount of extended and alternative scenes, a collection of auditions, and three pre-visualizations but, really, the main bonus to this release is that Ron Burgundy’s legend continues on in two different versions of the movie with COMPLETELY different jokes. All of this and an UltraViolet digital copy?! Fantastic release!

  • Anchorman 2: The Musical (10 min)
  • RV (10 min)
  • Baxter & Doby (10 min)
  • News Fight (17 min)
  • Eight Deleted Scenes (10 min)
  • Twenty-Five Extended/Alternate Scenes (91 min)
  • Previsualizations (9 min)
  • Auditions (7 min)
  • Spoiler Alert (4 min)

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