Remember how director Todd Phillips just half-heartedly remade “The Hangover” in “The Hangover Part II?” Remember how lethargic, lame, and tedious it felt having to sit through the same movie over again with fewer laughs? That’s the best way to describe “21 and Over.” The film marks the directorial debut of Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the writing team behind the original “Hangover.” They’ve basically recycled their smash hit comedy beat for beat. Where “The Hangover Part II” at least had three laugh-out-loud moments though, there’s nothing even remotely funny in “21 and Over.” It’s a comedic dead zone from its opening scene all the way through.

Nobody plays deadpan strait man better than Jason Bateman. Nobody plays belly laugh shocking better than Melissa McCarthy. Based on this promising mismatched duo, “Identity Thief” looked like it might be the first sidesplitting comedy of the New Year.

It seems ironic that the title of the movie is "Identity Thief" when its co-stars have such a firm grasp on their well-established screen personae.

The glimpses gave Dave Williams hope.

The holiday season is upon us. Over the next few weeks, schedules will be filled with shopping, holiday parties, relatives, plenty of food and spirits and obligations. Socializing during the holidays can be stressful and challenging for some people, especially if your friends and family are not as health-conscious as you. The abundance of holiday treats and homemade goodies can be hard to resist. Fortunately, there’s plenty you can do to avoid holiday weight gain.

Ever meandered through the pharmacy aisles of Whole Foods, Sprouts, or even Trader Joe’s and wished you knew more about the various supplements and which ones could possibly benefit you? Herbal/dietary supplements (also called botanicals) are plants used for their therapeutic properties, and the roots of herbalism go back to the beginning of humanity. The following list contains some of the more popular herbs that are generally accepted to have psychoactive and/or medicinal properties with positive effects in humans:

Finally ... A way to enjoy agave without the hangover!

WASHINGTON — The American job machine has jammed. Again.

In 1978, National Lampoon’s “Animal House” revolutionized the hard R comedy and is still considered the “Citizen Kane” of the genre. The ’80s followed with numerous other college/teen-aged/sex comedies like “Porky’s,” “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” and “Revenge of the Nerds.” With some of these ’80s flicks like “Screwballs” and “Joysticks,” you could tell just how raunchy they were based on the title. The 1990s, however, was a rather tamed decade. A majority of ’90s comedies rarely embraced nudity and kept the major swear words to a limit. There were two movies that strived to be as vulgar and gleefully crude as the comedies of the ’80s though. One was “There’s Something About Mary.” The other was “American Pie.”

In 1978, National Lampoon’s “Animal House” revolutionized the hard R comedy and is still considered the “Citizen Kane” of the genre. The ’80s followed with numerous other college/teen-aged/sex comedies like “Porky’s,” “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” and “Revenge of the Nerds.” With some of these ’80s flicks like “Screwballs” and “Joysticks,” you could tell just how raunchy they were based on the title. The 1990s, however, was a rather tamed decade. A majority of ’90s comedies rarely embraced nudity and kept the major swear words to a limit. There were two movies that strived to be as vulgar and gleefully crude as the comedies of the ’80s though. One was “There’s Something About Mary.” The other was “American Pie.”

LOS ANGELES — "Project X" follows one wild night as a group of high school outcasts throw an epic bash, one they hope will make them popular. Watching other people getting a little out of hand on screen makes you wish you could be there, too — you can enjoy yourself vicariously without suffering through a hangover the next day. Here's a look at five great movie parties. You don't even have to RSVP — just come as you are:

The holiday season is upon us. Schedules are filled with shopping, work deadlines, holiday parties, relatives, and obligations. Socializing during the holidays can be challenging, especially if your friends and family are not as health-conscious as you. Fortunately, there's plenty you can do to avoid holiday weight gain and stay healthy, happy and fit.

The holiday season is upon us. Schedules are filled with shopping, work deadlines, holiday parties, relatives, and obligations. Socializing during the holidays can be challenging, especially if your friends and family are not as health-conscious as you. Fortunately, there's plenty you can do to avoid holiday weight gain and stay healthy, happy and fit.

I was among the cult following that made "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" the stoner classic it is today. Its 2008 follow-up, "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay," had just enough laughs for me to give it a recommendation. I would be lying though if I said that the series wasn't starting to run out of gas after two films. I hoped that "Harold & Kumar" would be a franchise that had the artistic integrity to call it quits early like "Wayne's World" or "Bill and Ted." Instead, it appears that the filmmakers want to make Harold & Kumar this generation's Cheech & Chong with sequel after sequel.

I was among the cult following that made "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" the stoner classic it is today. Its 2008 follow-up, "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay," had just enough laughs for me to give it a recommendation. I would be lying though if I said that the series wasn't starting to run out of gas after two films. I hoped that "Harold & Kumar" would be a franchise that had the artistic integrity to call it quits early like "Wayne's World" or "Bill and Ted." Instead, it appears that the filmmakers want to make Harold & Kumar this generation's Cheech & Chong with sequel after sequel.

It's funny how 48 minutes of football on a Thursday night can change perspective on a season.

It's funny how 48 minutes of football on a Thursday night can change perspective on a season.

It might be seen as a desperation move after arguably the worst loss in the Norris Vaughan era.

Judging from all the talent on display, I thought "The Change-Up" might have potential to be one of the funniest movies of the summer. Director David Dobkin has made some very well-crafted comedies, including "Shanghai Knights" and "Wedding Crashers." Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the screenwriting duo that previously brought us "The Hangover," wrote the film. On top of all that, "The Change-Up" stars Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman, two more-than-gifted comedic actors. Bateman in particular was great in two comedies earlier this year, "Paul" and "Horrible Bosses."

Judging from all the talent on display, I thought "The Change-Up" might have potential to be one of the funniest movies of the summer. Director David Dobkin has made some very well-crafted comedies, including "Shanghai Knights" and "Wedding Crashers." Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the screenwriting duo that previously brought us "The Hangover," wrote the film. On top of all that, "The Change-Up" stars Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman, two more-than-gifted comedic actors. Bateman in particular was great in two comedies earlier this year, "Paul" and "Horrible Bosses."

At some point in our professional careers, we've all been stuck with a boss that has made work severely unenjoyable. Wouldn't it be great if somebody could drag their jerky boss by the necktie, throw them out of a glass window and be revered as the office hero? Of course in reality we'd be confronted with a life sentence in prison. But if anyone ever had a boss as wicked as the ones in Seth Gordon's sharp new comedy, "Horrible Bosses," then murder would be justified.

At some point in our professional careers, we've all been stuck with a boss that has made work severely unenjoyable. Wouldn't it be great if somebody could drag their jerky boss by the necktie, throw them out of a glass window and be revered as the office hero? Of course in reality we'd be confronted with a life sentence in prison. But if anyone ever had a boss as wicked as the ones in Seth Gordon's sharp new comedy, "Horrible Bosses," then murder would be justified.

True to the old saying "more than meets the eye," "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" takes an iconic moment in American history and turns it into an action blockbuster that's a dream for conspiracy theorists and Hasbro collectors.

In an era where virtually every blockbuster is either a sequel or inspired by another source, the first "Hangover" stood out as an original laugh-per-minute effort with a surprisingly clever screenplay. Since that film went on to become the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time, we all knew that Director Todd Phillips would inevitably deliver a sequel. But in "The Hangover Part II," the wolf pack suffers more from déjà vu than from the sensation of having one too many. From the opening scene where Bradley Cooper calls with some bad news to the end credits featuring snapshots from the forgotten night, "The Hangover Part II" is a repeat of its predecessor. While many will have a good time at the movie, nobody will walk away thinking that it was better than the original.