Jeff "Jmunney" Malone's Self-Styled "Expert" Thoughts on Movies, TV, Music, and the Rest of Pop Culture
February 2, 2026
Cinema, Monthly Top Cinematic Choices How to Make a Killing, Movie preview, Scream 7, Wuthering Heights Leave a comment
Keep your ear to the ground for news about great movies (CREDIT: Warner Bros./Screenshot)
They keep making new movies, and some of them are even worth watching. Here’s what’s at the top of the slate for [MONTH YEAR]:
Wuthering Heights: I’ve never read the book, but the idea of Charli XCX soundtracking any classic romantic literary adaptation sounds unimpeachable to me.
Wuthering Heights will be reached in cinemas beginning February 13.
February 1, 2026
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television Alexander Skarsgård, Cardi B, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 51, SNL, SNL Season 51 Leave a comment
Keepin’ it 1000 (CREDIT: NBC/Screenshot)
Jeff “jmunney” Malone watches every new episode of Saturday Night Live and then reviews all the sketches and segments according to a “wacky” theme.
Here we go with the review of the January 31, 2016 episode of Saturday Night Live. I’ve already gone on my Sunday morning run and consumed my Sunday morning scrambled eggs, chocolate chip muffin, and tea, so I’m ready to go!
Providing the funny and the tunes (or at least hoping to) are host Alexander Skarsgård (whom I famously once saw at a karaoke bar) and musical guest Cardi B. I think there might be something to this lineup.
Also of note: this is the One ThOuSaNdTh new episode of SNL (not including specials), so my Review Gimmick shall consist of incorporating 1000 (the number and/or the concept) into my assessment of each segment.
February 1, 2026
Podcasts, That's Auntertainment Dick Van Dyke, Podcasts, That's Auntertainment, The Dick Van Dyke Show Leave a comment
TFW you’re a beloved icon turning 100 (CREDIT: Screenshot)
Aunt Beth, Jeff, and their brother/dad Bob celebrate an icon of stage and screen hitting the century mark.
January 31, 2026
Best of 2025, Best of TV 2025, Television Abbott Elementary, Beavis and Butt-Head, Best of 2025, Black Mirror, Bob's Burgers, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Live + in the Flesh, Pluribus, Sarah Squirm, Sarah Squirm: Live + In the Flesh, Saturday Night Live, Severance, SNL, SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, Solar Opposites, South Park, The Lowdown, The Paper, The Rehearsal, The Simpsons, The Studio Leave a comment
CREDIT: ABC/Screenshot
A surprisingly perfect crossover produced an unforgettable culture clash, while some of the usual suspects got up to the same old new shenanigans.
January 30, 2026
Best of 2025, Best of TV 2025, Television Alien: Earth, Beavis and Butt-Head, Best of 2025, Bob's Burgers, Digman!, Elsbeth, Everybody's Live with John Mulaney, Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, Ghosts, I Love LA, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Last Week Tonight, Matlock, Pluribus, Severance, Solar Opposites, Television, The Chair Company, The Lowdown, The Paper, The Rehearsal, The Simpsons Leave a comment
CREDIT (Clockwise from Top Left): Apple TV/Screenshot; Apple TV/Screenshot; HBO/Screenshot; Hulu/Screenshot
Sometimes I arrange my Best TV Shows of the Year list around a gimmick or an alternative perspective. But this year, I just decided to stick with a straightforward roundup of the series I loved the most. So here’s my list of my top 20 shows for 2025, along with some thoughts about why I was happy to have them as part of my regular viewing routine.
January 30, 2026
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Television A Poet, Good Sports, Grammys, Send Help, Shelter, The Moment, The Muppet Show Leave a comment
I’ve got a case of the Wockas (CREDIT: Disney Plus/ABC/Screenshot)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–The Moment (Theaters)
–A Poet (Theaters)
–Send Help (Theaters)
–Shelter (Theaters) – The latest Jason Statham January pic.
TV
-Grammys (February 1 on CBS and Paramount+) – Trevor Noah hosts again, reportedly for the last time.
–Good Sports (Tuesdays on Amazon Prime) – This premiered back in November, but Amazon failed to remind me in a timely manner. Anyway, Kenan Thompson and Kevin Hart are back at it following their Olympics gig.
–The Muppet Show (February 4 on ABC and Disney+) – Hopefully this revival lasts for one more episode.
January 29, 2026
Cinema, Movie Reviews Al Pacino, Bill Skarsgård, Cary Elwes, Colman Domingo, Dacre Montgomery, Dead Man's Wire, Gus van Sant, John Robinson, Kelly Lynch, Myha'la Leave a comment
You’re probably wondering how they got there… (CREDIT: Row K/Screenshot)
Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, Colman Domingo, Al Pacino, John Robinson, Kelly Lynch
Director: Gus Van Sant
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: January 16, 2026 (Theaters)
Dead Man’s Wire captures the real-life story of Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård), who in 1977 stuck a contraption onto his mortgage broker Richard Hall’s (Dacre Montgomery) neck that would set off a point-blank shotgun blast if Hall tried to escape. It’s one of the most exhilaratingly strange and disturbing kidnappings that I’ve ever witnessed, and now I can’t help but ask: what are our own dead man’s wires? If life is just one long march to death, then what are those seemingly ever-present albatrosses that will wipe everything away if we lean forward a little too much? Personally, I like to think that I’ve got enough equilibrium to not be dealing with anything like that right now. Maybe I’m not being reflective enough, or maybe that’s just a sign of healthy baseline security. Either way, I’m thankful. But to anyone out there who feels like sharing: did this movie metaphorically resonate with you in a way that was a little too close for comfort?
Grade: 0 Safeties out of 1 Mood Board
January 27, 2026
Cinema, Movie Reviews Annabelle Wallis, Chris Pratt, Chris Sullivan, Jeff Pierre, Kali Reis, Kenneth Choi, Kylie Rogers, Mercy, Mercy movie, Rafi Gavron, Rebecca Ferguson, Timur Bekmambetov Leave a comment
Is this the face of mercy? (CREDIT: Amazon MGM Studios)
Starring: Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, Annabelle Wallis, Kylie Rogers, Kali Reis, Chris Sullivan, Kenneth Choi, Rafi Gavron, Jeff Pierre
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: January 23, 2026 (Theaters)
Have Mercy? In the latest Screenlife venture from director Timur Bekmambetov, some dude played by Chris Pratt must prove his innocence vis-à-vis the murder of his wife to an AI judge embodied by Rebecca Ferguson within an hour and a half, or else he will be instantly executed. So now that I’ve seen this movie, I of course must ask the question: did it make me want to be replaced by artificial intelligence? To which I’ll answer: of course not!
But if that replacement hypothetically must happen, would I prefer that it be Rebecca Ferguson-style? Well, when you put it that way, she does at least bring something unique to the occasion. But I’d still be fighting against it, because it’s just not living up to its supposed potential. Anyway, the movie kind of abandons its Screenlife gimmick for the last ten minutes or so as it gives way to a frenetic climax, and it’s overall a pretty rollicking time at the movies.
Grade: 4 out of 5 Acts of Clemency
January 26, 2026
Cinema, Oscars 98th Academy Awards, 98th Oscars, Academy Awards, Awards categories, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Oscars, The Naked Gun, Wicked: For Good Leave a comment
CREDIT: Buzzfeed/Screenshot
Every Awards Season, I like to step forward and offer my own take on the dilemma of whether certain acting performances in the conversation should be Lead or Supporting. There are still a few contenders I’ve yet to see, but I haven’t heard any cries of Category Fraud related to those, so here are my assessments:
-Unlike last year’s first part, both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are Leads in Wicked: For Good (Ariana even more so than Cynthia).
-Though I can see the argument for Lead, Chase Infiniti is Supporting in One Battle After Another.
-Though he carries himself like a Lead, Paul Mescal ultimately settles into a Supporting space in Hamnet.
BONUS!: Is This a Comedy?
The following movies have been categorized as comedies by awards bodies that split films into genres, thereby raising the Skepticism Hackles of some awards watchers. So here’s my verdict on whether or not they are in fact comedies:
–One Battle After Another: Kind of, but not really
–Marty Supreme: Yes!
-Should we stop splitting movies into “Drama” and “Comedy” but also nominate The Naked Gun for everything, regardless of genre?: Yes!
This assessment originally appeared in the Official Jeffrey Malone Newsletter. Subscribe here!
January 25, 2026
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television Geese, Geese Band, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 51, SNL, SNL Season 51, Teyana Taylor Leave a comment
How’s it honking? (CREDIT: NBC/Screenshot)
Jeff “jmunney” Malone watches every new episode of Saturday Night Live and then reviews all the sketches and segments according to a “wacky” theme.
Hello, People of Reality! If you’re reading this in a storm-affected region, thank you to the Electricity Gods for not knocking out your power. Anyway, it’s time to discuss yet another fresh episode of Saturday Night Live. This one features the hosting debut of newly-minted Oscar nominee Teyana Taylor. Before her acting career really started taking off, I knew her best for dancing in a music video and winning The Masked Singer. Has anyone else ever discovered that they would be up for an Academy Award while in the midst of prepping for some sketch comedy?
Rounding out the lineup for this episode are musical guest Geese, a group of cultishly adored rockers who (just like Ms. Taylor) originated in The City That Never Sleeps. I’ve yet to explore most of their discography, but I’m ready to dive in.
And because Geese are the musical guest, my Review Gimmick shall be Honking. So I might grade sketches out of a certain number of Honks, or perhaps I will express my enthusiasm or lack thereof with approving or disapproving Honks.
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