September 17, 2016
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Adam Wingard, Blair Witch, Simon Barrett
Alas, Blair Witch does not reinvent the found-footage wheel. But perhaps it was unfair for me to ever expect it to. Director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett’s previous genre-bending work on You’re Next and The Guest primed me to think it would, as did the hot buzz from early screenings. But nothing about the film itself ever made such a promise. The lack of that particular ambition may hold it back from being a masterpiece, but I cannot fairly call it a failing. What Blair Witch actually cares to do, it mostly does well. It has a fine grip on temporal and spatial disorientation, plus a killer sequence involving claustrophobia. But ultimately, the arrangement of scares is too haphazard for a film that really could have benefited from an overarching through line. It flirts with a summary thesis on terror, but it does not quite get there.
I give Blair Witch 3 Witchy Pranks out of 5 Circular Walks.
September 14, 2016
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Morgan, Morgan (2016), Morgan Movie
I missed the first 10 minutes of Morgan (train traffic), but I think I got the gist: the titular artificial human being randomly attacks one of the scientists who created her, and now it must be decided what to do. This is not groundbreaking as far as sci-fi premises go, but it offers a sizable sandbox to play around with fruitful ideas. Unfortunately, much of the movie is spent on characters discussing vague relationship drama instead of exploring this speculative field of study. Eventually, it does get going, evolving into a fairly involving tête-à-tête between Anya Taylor-Joy (Morgan) and Kate Mara (the risk assessor).
It all culminates in a twist ending that some people may see coming from a mile away. I didn’t figure it out until about five minutes before it was revealed, mostly because I wasn’t trying to figure it out. When I assess the quality of twist endings, I ask: does keeping this information hidden from the audience add, or meaningfully alter, anything? In this case, it feels adequately appropriate, as it makes the audience and the characters equally in the dark. But that is pretty much the bare minimum, and Morgan in general only accomplishes the bare minimum of what it seems primed to do.
I give Morgan an “It could have used a lot more Paul Giamatti, but also in a way that made sense.”
September 14, 2016
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Don't Think Twice
As someone adjacent to the entertainment industry, a film like Don’t Think Twice feels oddly intimate, and I think that is just the way it likes it. Several of the actors are acquaintances or friends of friends of mine, and the improv-devoted characters they play are close enough to the real thing, such that I feel confident saying, “It all works out in the end.” Thankfully, Mike Birbiglia and his film believe that as well.
I give Don’t Think Twice 3 Healthy Perspectives on an SNL Stand-In out of 4 Bouts of Darkness.
September 13, 2016
jmunney
Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot Rock Songs, Music
Billboard, Billboard Hot Rock Songs, Phantogram, You Don't Get Me High Anymore
Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, and then I rearrange that top 25 based on my estimation of their quality.
Original Version
1. twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
2. twenty one pilots – “Ride”
3. Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, & Imagine Dragons with Logic, Ty Dolla $ign ft. X Ambassadors – “Sucker for Pain”
4. Coldplay – “Hymn for the Weekend”
5. X Ambassadors – “Unsteady”
6. The Lumineers – “Ophelia”
7. Fitz and the Tantrums – “HandClap”
8. Disturbed – “The Sound of Silence”
9. Kaleo – “Way Down We Go”
10. Bishop Briggs – “River”
11. blink-182 – “Bored to Death”
12. Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Dark Necessities”
13. Bastille – “Good Grief”
14. Green Day – “Bang Bang”
15. Panic! at the Disco – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
16. Cage the Elephant – “Trouble”
17. Metallica – “Hardwired”
18. The Head and the Heart – “All We Ever Knew”
19. Skillet – “Feel Invincible”
20. Bastille – “Send Them Off!”
21. Beck – “Wow”
22. The 1975 – “Somebody Else”
23. Phantogram – “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore”
24. Glass Animals – “Life Itself”
25. Young the Giant – “Something to Believe In”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. You Don’t Get Me High Anymore
2. River
3. Wow
4. Life Itself
5. Way Down We Go
6. Unsteady
7. Dark Necessities
8. Somebody Else
9. Something to Believe In
10. Ride
11. Send Them Off!
12. Trouble
13. Good Grief
14. Ophelia
15. Hymn for the Weekend
16. All We Ever Knew
17. Bang Bang
18. The Sound of Silence
19. Hardwired
20. Heathens
21. Feel Invincible
22. Sucker for Pain
23. Bohemian Rhapsody
24. HandClap
25. Bored to Death
September 13, 2016
jmunney
Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot 100, Music
Billboard, Billboard Hot 100, Gold, Kiiara
Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality.
Original Version
1. The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – “Closer”
2. twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
3. Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber and MØ – “Cold Water”
4. Sia ft. Sean Paul – “Cheap Thrills”
5. The Chainsmokers ft. Daya – “Don’t Let Me Down”
6. twenty one pilots – “Ride”
7. Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – “This Is What You Came For”
8. Adele – “Send My Love (to Your New Lover)”
9. Rihanna – “Needed Me”
10. Charlie Puth ft. Selena Gomez – “We Don’t Talk Anymore”
11. Drake ft. WizKid and Kyla – “One Dance”
12. DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber – “Let Me Love You”
13. Shawn Mendes – “Treat You Better”
14. D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty – “Broccoli”
15. Ariana Grande – “Into You”
16. Justin Timberlake – “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
17. Drake ft. Rihanna – “Too Good”
18. Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj – “Side to Side”
19. Tory Lanez – “Luv”
20. Kiiara – “Gold”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Gold
2. Cheap Thrills
3. Side to Side
4. Into You
5. Needed Me
6. Cold Water
7. Ride
8. Broccoli
9. Closer
10. Let Me Love You
11. Don’t Let Me Down
12. Send My Love (to Your New Lover)
13. Too Good
14. One Dance
15. Can’t Stop the Feeling!
16. This Is What You Came For
17. Luv
18. We Don’t Talk Anymore
19. Heathens
20. Treat You Better
September 12, 2016
jmunney
Son of Zorn, Son of Zorn Episode Reviews, Television
Alangulon, Cheryl Hines, Jason Sudeikis, Johnny Pemberton, Margaret Miles, Son of Zorn, Son of Zorn 101, Son of Zorn Season 1, Tim Meadows, Zorn
September 11, 2016
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
Ann Coulter, Atlanta, Better Things, Maria Shriver, Mr. Robot, Roast of Rob Lowe, The Eric Andre Show, US Open
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – US Open here and there
Monday – Maria Shriver’s face during Ann Coulter’s Rob Lowe Roast set
Tuesday – Atlanta
Wednesday – Mr. Robot, especially Angela and Elliot on the subway
Thursday – Better Things
Friday – Doth my nugs bequeath me? It’s The Eric Andre Show!
Saturday – US Open: Ladies Final
September 11, 2016
jmunney
Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot Rock Songs, Music
Billboard, Billboard Hot Rock Songs, Phantogram, You Don't Get Me High Anymore
Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, and then I rearrange that top 25 based on my estimation of their quality.
Original Version
1. twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
2. twenty one pilots – “Ride”
3. Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, & Imagine Dragons with Logic, Ty Dolla $ign ft. X Ambassadors – “Sucker for Pain”
4. Coldplay – “Hymn for the Weekend”
5. twenty one pilots – “Stressed Out”
6. X Ambassadors – “Unsteady”
7. Disturbed – “The Sound of Silence”
8. The Lumineers – “Ophelia”
9. Fitz and the Tantrums – “HandClap”
10. Kaleo – “Way Down We Go”
11. Bishop Briggs – “River”
12. Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Dark Necessities”
13. blink-182 – “Bored to Death”
14. Panic! at the Disco – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
15. Metallica – “Hardwired”
16. Green Day – “Bang Bang”
17. Cage the Elephant – “Trouble”
18. Bastille – “Good Grief”
19. The Head and the Heart – “All We Ever Knew”
20. Skillet – “Feel Invincbile”
21. Glass Animals – “Life Itself”
22. Beck – “Wow”
23. The 1975 – “Somebody Else”
24. Phantogram – “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore”
25. Young the Giant – “Something to Believe In”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. You Don’t Get Me High Me Anymore
2. River
3. Wow
4. Life Itself
5. Way Down We Go
6. Unsteady
7. Dark Necessities
8. Somebody Else
9. Something to Believe In
10. Ride
11. Trouble
12. Good Grief
13. Stressed Out
14. Ophelia
15. Hymn for the Weekend
16. All We Ever Knew
17. Bang Bang
18. The Sound of Silence
19. Hardwired
20. Heathens
21. Feel Invincible
22. Sucker for Pain
23. Bohemian Rhapsody
24. HandClap
25. Bored to Death
September 11, 2016
jmunney
Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot 100, Music
Billboard, Billboard Hot 100, Gold, Kiiara
Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality.
Original Version
1. The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – “Closer”
2. Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber and MØ – “Cold Water”
3. twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
4. Sia ft. Sean Paul – “Cheap Thrills”
5. The Chainsmokers ft. Daya – “Don’t Let Me Down”
6. Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – “This is What You Came For”
7. twenty one pilots – “Ride”
8. Shawn Mendes – “Treat You Better”
9. Drake ft. WizKid and Kyla – “One Dance”
10. Rihanna – “Needed Me”
11. Adele – “Send My Love (to Your New Lover)”
12. Charlie Puth ft. Selena Gomez – “We Don’t Talk Anymore”
13. DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber – “Let Me Love You”
14. Justin Timberlake – “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
15. Ariana Grande – “Into You”
16. Drake ft. Rihanna – “Too Good”
17. Britney Spears ft. G-Eazy – “Make Me…”
18. D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty – “Broccoli”
19. Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, & Imagine Dragons with Logic, Ty Dolla $ign ft. X Ambassadors – “Sucker for Pain”
20. Kiiara – “Gold”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Gold
2. Cheap Thrills
3. Into You
4. Needed Me
5. Cold Water
6. Ride
7. Closer
8. Let Me Love You
9. Don’t Let Me Down
10. Send My Love (to Your New Lover)
11. Too Good
12. Broccoli
13. One Dance
14. Can’t Stop the Feeling!
15. This Is What You Came For
16. Make Me…
17. We Don’t Talk Anymore
18. Heathens
19. Sucker for Pain
20. Treat You Better
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