“Any scooper with tuna on it is a good scooper.” http://www.bubbleblabber.com/review-son-of-zorn-the-war-on-grafelnik/
Son of Zorn 1.9 Review: “The War on Grafelnik”
December 12, 2016
Son of Zorn, Son of Zorn Episode Reviews, Television Son of Zorn, Son of Zorn 109, Son of Zorn Season 1 Leave a comment
The Simpsons 28.10 Review: “The Nightmare After Krustmas”
December 12, 2016
Television, The Simpsons, The Simpsons Episode Reviews The Nightmare After Krustmas, The Simpsons, The Simpsons 2810, The Simpsons Season 28 Leave a comment
“Warning: Contains treasonous statements.” http://www.bubbleblabber.com/review-the-simpsons-the-nightmare-after-krustmas/
What Won TV? – December 4-December 10, 2016
December 12, 2016
Television, What Won TV? Bob Odenkirk, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Drunk Uncle, Jeopardy!, Joe Pera Helps You Find the Perfect Christmas Tree, People of Earth, Rectify, The Affair, Westworld Leave a comment
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 – Westworld (But we can just take a second to recognize how insane The Affair is being?)
Monday – People of Earth
Tuesday – Bob Odenkirk on Drunk History
Wednesday – Rectify
Thursday – Jeopardy!
Friday – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Honorable Mention: The family fantasy scene from Joe Pera Helps You Find the Perfect Christmas Tree)
Saturday – Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
SNL Review December 10, 2016: John Cena/Maren Morris
December 12, 2016
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television John Cena, Maren Morris, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live 4209, Saturday Night Live Season 42, SNL, SNL Season 42 Leave a comment
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — “John Cena” Episode 1713 — Pictured: Host John Cena on December 6, 2016 — (Photo by: Rosalind O’Connor/NBC)
This review was originally posted on News Cult in December 2016.
Love It
Hook a Hunk – The hook of “Hook a Hunk” is clear from a mile away. As soon as all the contestants on this dating show parody are introduced, and not one of them is played by John Cena, it follows that the hunkiest of hunks in the building must be playing the host and Cecily Strong’s contestant must fall for him in favor of any of the contestants. And yet, “Hook a Hunk” succeeds despite its obviousness, as Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney carve out their own little scene amidst the disappointment, because love wins.
Aidy Bryant clings to the ledge while holding on to the Office Christmas Tree, and some terrifying camera angles ramp up the tension necessary to build to the catharsis that is so important in comedy.
This Is a Movie Review: Moana
December 11, 2016
Cinema, Movie Reviews Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Jemaine Clement, Moana Leave a comment
Moana is a rather small-scale story, at least geographically. The title character (Auli’i Cravalho, tenacious as one can be in voice acting), a Polynesian chief’s daughter, must sail across a reef and procure a MacGuffin to save her people. Along the way, she must defy her overprotective father and forge an Unlikely Friendship with the self-interested demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson, because of course). We never doubt that Moana will succeed, because she is too strong-willed to fail, and also, the ocean has her back. Which is my favorite song? Why, “Shiny,” as sung by Jemaine Clement, of course.
I give Moana 7 Pounamus out of 10 Te Fiti’s.
This Is a Movie Review: Moonlight
December 11, 2016
Cinema, Movie Reviews Alex Hibbert, André Holland, Ashton Sanders, Barry Jenkins, Janelle Monáe, Mahershala Ali, Moonlight, Naomie Harris, Trevante Rhodes Leave a comment
What sticks with me from Moonlight? Mostly, it is the small, intimate moments: Juan (Mahershala Ali) holding Little (Alex Hibbert) in the water – an image that has already become iconic. Teresa (Janelle Monáe) setting the table and doing all the talking for her and Chiron (Ashton Sanders). Black (Trevante Rhodes) admitting to Kevin (André Holland) that he’s the only man who’s ever touched him. And I can’t go this whole review without singling out Naomie Harris (miles away from Moneypenny) for giving her all as Chiron’s mom Paula. Moonlight deserves plenty of credit for allowing black and gay voices to be heard, but more than that, the storytelling is right on as well.
I give Moonlight 18 Gold Grills out of 20 Evasive Facial Expressions.
This Is a Movie Review: Hacksaw Ridge
December 11, 2016
Cinema, Movie Reviews Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge, Mel Gibson Leave a comment
I don’t like war movies. I appreciate when they, like Hacksaw Ridge, are especially explicit about the bodily destruction, but then it just underscores how much war has existed and how much it continues to exist. It is somewhat heartening to see a conscientious objector like Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) focused on rescuing the rest of his platoon instead of killing, but his story just makes me wish he could be saving people from natural disasters instead and that the war had never happened in the first place. I’m not naively suggesting that war will just magically end if we want it to. What I’m getting at is: it is paradoxical to me to attempt to mentally process a well-made war film.
I give everyone involved making Hacksaw Ridge my appreciation but hope that it could have been for something else.
Billboard Hot Rock Songs – Week of December 17, 2016
December 9, 2016
Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot Rock Songs, Music Billboard, Billboard Hot Rock Songs, Grouplove, Welcome to Your Life Leave a comment
Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, and then I rearrange the top 25 based on my estimation of their quality.
Original Version
1. twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
2. X Ambassadors – “Unsteady”
3. twenty one pilots – “Ride”
4. Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, & Imagine Dragons with Logic, Ty Dolla $ign ft. X Ambassadors – “Sucker for Pain”
5. Fitz and the Tantrums – “HandClap”
6. Coldplay – “Hymn for the Weekend”
7. The Lumineers – “Ophelia”
8. The xx – “On Hold”
9. John Mayer – “Love on the Weekend”
10. Kings of Leon – “Waste a Moment”
11. OK Go – “The One Moment”
12. Highly Suspect – “My Name is Human”
13. The Lumineers – “Cleopatra”
14. Judah & the Lion – “Take It All Back”
15. Zach Williams – “Chain Breaker”
16. Bastille – “Good Grief”
17. The Head and the Heart – “All We Ever Knew”
18. The Lumineers – “Sleep on the Floor”
19. Green Day – “Still Breathing”
20. Five Finger Death Punch – “I Apologize”
21. blink-182 – “She’s Out of Her Mind”
22. twenty one pilots – “Cancer”
23. Metallica – “Atlas, Rise!”
24. Grouplove – “Welcome to Your Life”
25. Empire of the Sun – “High and Low”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Welcome to Your Life
2. My Name is Human
3. Unsteady
4. High and Low
5. On Hold
6. Ride
7. The One Moment
8. Good Grief
9. Atlas, Rise!
10. Ophelia
11. Heathens
12. Waste a Moment
13. Cleopatra
14. Take It All Back
15. Cancer
16. Hymn for the Weekend
17. I Apologize
18. Sleep on the Floor
19. All We Ever Knew
20. Still Breathing
21. HandClap
22. She’s Out of Her Mind
23. Love on the Weekend
24. Sucker for Pain
25. Chain Breaker
Billboard Hot 20 – Week of December 17, 2016
December 9, 2016
Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot 100, Music Billboard, Billboard Hot 100, Sia, The Greatest Leave a comment
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. Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane – “Black Beatles”
2. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – “Starboy”
3. The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – “Closer”
4. Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj – “Side to Side”
5. Bruno Mars – “24K Magic”
6. Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion McCall – “Juju on That Beat (TZ Anthem)”
7. DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber – “Let Me Love You”
8. Maroon 5 ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Don’t Wanna Know”
9. twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
10. D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty – “Broccoli”
11. Drake – “Fake Love”
12. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey ft. Zedd – “Starving”
13. gnash ft. Olivia O’Brien – “i hate u, i love u”
14. Aminé – “Caroline”
15. Alessia Cara – “Scars to Your Beautiful”
16. The Weeknd – “Party Monster”
17. Machine Gun Kelly x Camila Cabello – “Bad Things”
18. Sia ft. Kendrick Lamar – “The Greatest”
19. Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber and MØ – “Cold Water”
20. Shawn Mendes – “Treat You Better”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. The Greatest
2. Starboy
3. Scars to Your Beautiful
4. Black Beatles
5. Side to Side
6. Cold Water
7. Broccoli
8. Closer
9. Party Monster
10. 24K Magic
11. i hate u, i love u
12. Starving
13. Heathens
14. Bad Things
15. Let Me Love You
16. Caroline
17. Fake Love
18. Don’t Wanna Know
19. Treat You Better
20. Juju on That Beat (TZ Anthem)
This Is a Movie Review: La La Land
December 7, 2016
Cinema, Movie Reviews Damien Chazelle, Emma Stone, La La Land, Ryan Gosling 1 Comment
This review was originally published on News Cult in December 2016.
Starring: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling
Director: Damien Chazelle
Running Time: 128 Minutes
Rating: PG-13 for Doing Once That Thing You Can Get Away With in a PG-13 Movie If You Only Do It Once
Release Date: December 9, 2016 (Limited)
Is it the sign of a successful musical if it leaves you humming one of its tunes as you walk out of the theater? It certainly helps if it has a head start by featuring a certain set of notes so prominently in its trailer and if that phrase is meant to be whistled so steady and easy. But to directly answer the question: yes, a musical is successful if it leaves you humming. All the other trappings – story, acting, set design, pretty colors, whatever – may have their purpose, but who cares, if that one defining feature does not do its job? So what’s the verdict on La La Land? It’s a wistful, eternally romantic tingle that has imprinted on me, perhaps forever.
This may very well be that same old story of showbiz doing showbiz: struggling actress Mia (Emma Stone) toils at auditions and coffee shops, sparks fly when she meets jazz pianist Seb (Ryan Gosling) – the type who is so single-mindedly focused on keeping the old school alive, and the feelings may are powerful enough to literally lift them into the air. This is not tiresome, because there are still, and probably always will be, so many Mia’s and Seb’s making their way in the real La La Land. The film is deeply inspired by tradition, but it is not beholden to it. It is wide-eyed enough for the romance to be worth investing in, but it is clear-eyed enough to know that practicality, honesty, and confidence are essential for making those romantic dreams come true.
For most of its running time, La La Land is perfectly diverting, but not much more. But then it becomes revolutionary at the end when it redefines its entire story, and what is possible in this style of storytelling. I would not dare to spoil this turn, as its impact hit me a great deal via its surprise. But let me just say that it has to do with its organization of the four seasons as chapters. Winter and henceforth are not pointed out for the sake of a convenient format, but to set you up for a treat that only cinema can inflict.
La La Land is Recommended If You Like: Any Musical, as a Rule
Grade: 4.5 out of 5 Leg Raises
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