It’s hard to overstate just how big Tim Burton’s Batman was when it premiered in 1989. I was 11 years-old that summer and I had already been a full-on comic book freak for years. To say I was anticipating it is to put it lightly.
Read MoreBecky (2020)
I enjoy seeing actors try roles completely outside their wheelhouse. Now, I don’t dislike Kevin James, but I don’t think he’s made anything I ever had an interest in watching. This brings me to the just-released Becky, directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion.
Read MoreFast Color (2018)
I have seen too many movies, more than any normal person should have. Because of this, I am always on the lookout for something fresh. My latest obsession has been exploring the niche of films in the superhero genre that examines the gifted as people struggling with their powers, not in some glossy Marvel universe, but in everyday life, with their feet firmly planted on the ground.
Read MoreDreamland (2019)
Back in 2008, director Bruce McDonald impressed me with his taut, less is more, is it or isn’t it a zombie apocalypse thriller Pontypool. Since then, I haven’t seen any of his work, though he’s been quite busy, both theatrically and on television. Recently, I was able to check out his latest cinematic effort, Dreamland, which has been making the rounds on the festival circuit for the last year and will debut Stateside on June 5th.
Read MoreTim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! S3E7: Jazz (2008) #Cincothon2020
“Jazz” serves up an intoxicating blend of Maria Bamford, the Beaver Boys, and enough James Quall to make us all forget “Jim and Derick.” Like the genre of music that lends its name to this episode, “Jazz” represents not so much a coherent thesis as a series of variations on several themes. Here, we see old Awesome Show standbys like rivalry, frenzy, social awkwardness, and the sustaining power of friendship all explored, expounded upon, and stylized a little differently.
Read MoreWillow (1988) #RetroReview
Ron Howard is not one of my favorite filmmakers. I often find his work to be bland and boring. However, I’ll always have a soft spot for 1988’s Willow.
Read MoreTim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! S3E6: Jim and Derrick (2008) #Cincothon2020
Satire is a tricky thing--swing too wide and you don’t land the punch, hit too close to the mark, and you’re just wallowing in the excesses you’re critiquing. Awesome Show rarely does anything by half measures, and nowhere does that hold more true than in Season Three, Episode Six, “Jim and Derrick.” Awesome Show is a master class in taking a single joke and repeating it until the back-breaking absurdity of the gag becomes equal parts annoying and hilarious.
Read MoreTim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! S3E5: C.O.R.B.S. (2008) #Cincothon2020
Not every episode of Awesome Show can be as vibrantly chaotic, as gloriously off-beat as “C.O.R.B.S.” This kind of madness only comes along once a season if we’re lucky. “C.O.R.B.S” strikes a balance between the relative sweetness of Season Two and the casual brutality of Season Three.
Read MoreTim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! S3E4: Spagett (2008) #Cincothon2020
Who can resist Spagett? With his skullet/ponytail combo, marinara stained mouth, and total obliviousness... what’s not to love? Continuing with Season Three’s general downer vibe, “Spagett” expands on the themes of the untrustworthiness of friendship and failure.
Read MoreTim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! S3E3: Rascals (2008) #Cincothon2020
So you think Season Cinco is unique in its single-minded obsession with violence, retribution, and despair? You’re obviously forgetting Season Three Episode Three’s “Rascals.” Season Three began with Eric mourning the recently murdered Tim.
Read MoreThe Beyond (1981) #RetroReview
A masterpiece of atmosphere, gore, and surrealism, Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond celebrated its thirty-ninth birthday last week and is a personal favorite. Eventually released in the US as 7 Doors of Death in 1983 with an alternate score and missing some of the more gruesome scenes, the original Italian title is …E tu vivrai nel terrore! L'aldilà, which translates to “…And You Will Live in Terror! The Afterlife” and it’s also known as The Ghost Town of Zombies in Germany. The second entry of the director’s “Gates of Hell” trilogy, this is not a film for those who value narrative coherence above all else. Its strengths lie at more subconscious or visceral levels.
Read MoreTim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! S3E2: Chan (2008) #Cincothon2020
Season Three, Episode Two is one of my personal favorites---combining cringe-inducing weirdness, amped up bathos, and just enough strategically employed Richard Dunn, “Chan,” is a triumph for Awesome Show. Awesome Show’s penchant for dark humor started early in Season One. While Season Cinco is rightly lauded for having more disturbing and violent content, Season Three doesn’t skimp on the terror or the tragedy.
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