Michael Ausiello is a brave man. Though I have never met the highly-respected US entertainment journalist, and know him only by his work on TVLine, which he founded, I have come to this opinion based solely on the heartbreakingly-hilarious book Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies (A Memoir of love, loss Continue Reading
“I feel the need … the need for …” the cast of Sesame Street to recite famous movie quotes
I love the Muppets so much that frankly they couldn’t recite the telephone book (well the online version anyway), naturally with their trademark whit and whimsy and I would more than happily sit their in rapt attention until they were good and done. Vanity Fair, in a moment of inspired Continue Reading
Star Trek Discovery: “Brother” (S2, E1 review)
SPOILERS AHEAD … AND QUIPPY QUIPS, RED STARS AND A SPECTACULAR CASE OF FATALITY-INDUCING ARROGANCE Balancing exposition and a fast-moving narrative is always a tricky undertaking but “Brother”, the first episode of the second season of Star Trek: Discovery managed it with aplomb in a story that had thrills & Continue Reading
They comes in highly-listenable earworm pieces: Theme song for Lego Movie 2 released
SNAPSHOT A sequel to the original 3D computer animated film, which follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop Continue Reading
Book review: Someone Like Me by M. R. Carey
It will surprise precisely no one that the world is a dark and violent place with little of the storied justice so beloved of the sorts of Hollywood thrillers which, by law, must now star only Liam Neeson. That is not to say though that the world is without some Continue Reading
Mysterious! Come sleuthing with Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
SNAPSHOT The film focuses on Nancy Drew (Sophia Lillis), a smart high schooler with a penchant for keen observation and deduction, who stumbles upon the haunting of a local home. A bit of an outsider struggling to fit into her new surroundings, Nancy and her pals set out to solve Continue Reading
Video essay: Annihilation – The Art of Self-Destruction
SNAPSHOT Every genre brings with it a set of expectations that shapes the kinds of stories it can tell and the themes it can explore, and science fiction is perhaps the best genre to openly explore fundamental ideas of existence. So in this video, we investigate how Annihilation takes biological, Continue Reading
Come and get it! Promo trailer for Kimmy Schmidt’s final episodes
SNAPSHOT In the final episodes, Netflix teases that Kimmy will have to choose between helping her friends and helping herself. Part 2 of season four also includes an hourlong “Sliding Doors” episode, inspired by the 1998 Gwyneth Paltrow movie of the same name that explores how the characters lives might Continue Reading
Movie review: Eighth Grade
As adults, we all become familiar with something called “Impostor Syndrome”. It’s that unnerving feeling that no matter how experienced or intelligent we might be, that we are essentially living life under false pretenses, with the tissue-thin veneer of accomplishment about to ripped off us at any moment. For most Continue Reading
Laurel and Hardy are getting comical all over again
SNAPSHOT There are few names in the history of comedy which have stood the test of time. Acts who transcend age and bring laughter to generations like few have before or after them. They have been recognized as a template for modern humor and celebrated by today’s most popular funnymen Continue Reading