Hollywood has been repackaging my childhood for years. And frankly, I love it. You can’t beat the onslaught of movies based on comic book heroes and 1980’s franchises. I’m on the edge of my seat for Thundercats, and I’m holding out hope for a Gobots flick. This weekend I had the privilege of seeing The A-Team on the big screen, which, as a child, I watched in syndication on TV. The experience was WONDERFUL.
I’ve been a fan of David Cross since the late 1990s when his sketch comedy show, Mr. Show with Bob and David, aired on HBO. He is a harsh, vulgar, and insightful comic who calls attention to serious issues through exaggerations so extreme most people are instantly offended. I remember one sketch that assaulted America’s public schools by juxtaposing Hitler and Anne Frank — brilliance. So, when I saw his book, I Drink for a Reason, I was psyched to download the audio book from iTunes and give it a listen. Wow! Does it suck! The comedy takes a turn for the worse about two hours in; it moves quickly from amusing social critique to the trite ramblings of a tired comedian.
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Since the beginning I have claimed to be a Family Guy fan. And I suppose I still am. It’s fun to watch a show push boundaries and earn a fan base purely on cut-a-way gags. But, I was watching Family Guy in syndication and realized the following: I’ve never really liked this show; left to my own devices I’d never watch it; but I love being someone who watches Family Guy when I’m around other people. Yes, I realize this is fucked up. [Read more →]
The memoir craze has been going on as long as I can remember, which is about 10 years. Anyone who wants to criticize my knowledge of the publishing world should remember that 10 years ago I was in high school and spent most of my time trying to discreetly look down girls’ shirts. I wasn’t that discreet. But, let the record show I was never perverted enough to look up anything, nor was I scholarly enough to look up anything. To be honest autobiographies aren’t my cup of tea. Sure, I got curious, especially in college, and I’ve read a few, but generally the genre falls flat unless the person is famous or serious addictions are revealed. Beg, Borrow, Steal: A Writer’s Life by Michael Greenburg is an exception. This memoir is a solid and engaging read as you see Greenburg’s life through New York City snapshots.
I would just like to take a moment, one single little moment, to express how happy DVD packages make me. I bought Star Trek (2009) recently, which is to say it came out on Tuesday and I owned it before this is posted. And it came as a part of what A Christmas Story devotees would call a statue: a model of the Enterprise. It has its own stand. I can barely look at it without needing to wipe tears from my eye.
Horror is a genre of the unnatural: things that shouldn’t exist but somehow do; things that do things they shouldn’t; anything and everything that defies the law of physics, biology, and offends the human sensibility. Zombies are an easy example: they aren’t dead when they should be and they do a lot thing dead bodies don’t normally do like walking around and attacking the living. While zombies don’t unnerve me (not even the new fast running crazy zombies) there are some shows and films that do. [Read more →]
It rarely, if ever, gets talked about, but it is possible to find a good horror movie. To qualify, a good horror movie is a good movie with an element of the unnatural that is scary or at least creepy. These movies are generally easy to spot because you’re shocked at the director’s ability to tell a story. I blame the industry. If there weren’t so many terrible and incoherent horror movies the following titles wouldn’t be so stunning.
Vampires were scary at one point in time. I remember watching the 1931 version of Dracula starring Bela Legosi and feeling shiver go down my spine from time to time based on nothing more than solid acting. But let’s face it the vampire scene has changed and not in a good way. [Read more →]
My horror movie roundups continue — Not all horror movies are scary and full of dismembered corpses. Some are quirky, funny, and enjoyable as a cross-genre exercise. Horror comedies are a rarity. A horror comedy is a movie that is both scary and funny by intent (Shaun of the Dead). Not to be confused with a horror movie that’s funny because it’s so awful it’s physically painful (Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan). Still some do exist and are totally worth seeing when you want something Halloween-esque but not terrifying.
Well it’s October, or as I call it: Horror Movie Month. It’s baffling to me how movie studios release titles like Halloween 2 (the new Rob Zombie version) in late August. Or February in the case of the new Wolfman, which I’d love to see any weekend in October, but not sure I’m interested in it as a Valentine’s Day date flick. Granted, I’m not a numbers guru but basic fucking logic dictates that you release horror movies around Halloween and Christmas movies in December. Anyway, since there isn’t really a cool horror movie in theaters I’d like to take the next five weeks to do a video round up — Yes, I’m that egomaniacal. This first installment will focus on classic and old horror movies.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia came back on the air last week, and thank goodness. My world goes out of focus without a collection of insane people running around Philly doing insane things. Not only was the premiere amazing, but I also saw the stage performance of The Night Man Cometh (a rock opera based directly on an episode from last year). The humor of this show is incredibly dark. They are all horrible human beings doing terrible things. They find babies in a dumpster, mentally and emotionally abuse each other, and take advantage of people. Watch it! Love it! SUNNY!
Thursday nights on FX. It’s usually On Demand too.
This is my first foray with Christopher Moore, unless you count repeatedly grabbing Lamb in bookstores reading two or three pages and then putting it down. My issue with him has always been a matter of substance mixed with comedy. When I saw Fool and realized it was about Lear I compromised and bought the audio book. It was an excellent experience, and I’ll definitely listen to it a second time in a few years.
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
I like this poet.
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Before we begin let me say I love, perhaps to an unhealthy extent, the following hobbies: Dungeons & Dragons, Warhammer 40K, reading graphic novels, and fantasy football. I love the Phillies and Flyers too, but fantasy baseball/hockey isn’t my thing. Finally, this isn’t just a review — it’s also a public strategizing session. [Read more →]
Summer movies, including G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, are categorical: comedy or action (in this case action); R or PG-13 (PG-13); solid film or an incoherent pile of explosions clipped together (solid film); enjoyable or crap-tac-u-lar (enjoyable). I’ll grant you G.I. Joe isn’t great; it’s not Star Trek, but you get your ten bucks worth. I particularly like all of Dennis Quad’s Joe lines such as, “There are still a lot of Joes out there.” This is a super-short review, but I feel anyone who has read this blurb knows if they’ll like the movie, and knowing is half the battle!
I really enjoy bagpipe music. Groups like Flogging Molly, The Dropkick Murphys and The Pogues have a resonance with me. On August 3rd I saw The Tartan Terrors perform at Musikfest. They were hysterical and awesome.
I know you’re not supposed to formally review a play your friends class put on for a single performance at the end of a semester. But given all the blogging sh*t that goes, I feel I should point to something worthwhile. And The Peculiar City of Wholman Lunk is an excellent play from a rising talent.
Evvery year tons of cool movies slip through the non-mainstream theaters unnoticed. Many of these movies are good, but have a narrower range of appeal than say Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. When I was an undergraduate back at Drexel I used to review those “Ritz” movies all the time. Now, if I see two a year I’m thrilled. Moon starring Sam Rockwell is one such movie. [Read more →]
Everyone and their cousin had reviews out before I went to the midnight premier with a few thousand other people in King of Prussia. And the odds are you’re only reading the reviews to find out if your favorite scene from the book made it into the movie: my two favorites didn’t. The bottom line is everyone has made their opinions and decided whether or not to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Instead of driving home a series of points about why you should see it, I just want everyone to know that Harry Potter 6 reminded me of Star Wars Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back.
WARNING: This post is full of spoilers.
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This review maybe a little late, but my girlfriend isn’t — life is good.
I’ve been a Dillinger fan since Professor Don Riggs of Drexel University explained the “Dillinger Relic” in Science Fiction Literature class, and the publication which shared its name, DR. This interest was backed up in several interviews with Kurt Vonnegut where he discusses his adoration for the America bank robber. So, Public Enemies was pretty much a sure thing for me. While a violent action film, the movie carries a significant moral question that is present but not overwhelming.
