SNL Review January 21, 2017: Aziz Ansari/Big Sean

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SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE -- "Aziz Ansari" Episode 1716 -- Pictured: Aziz Ansari as Dave during the "Five Stars" sketch on January 21st, 2017 -- (Photo by: Caroline De Quesada/NBC)

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — “Aziz Ansari” Episode 1716 — Pictured: Aziz Ansari as Dave during the “Five Stars” sketch on January 21st, 2017 — (Photo by: Caroline De Quesada/NBC)

This review was originally posted on News Cult in January 2017.

Love It

Peppy Ronnie’s Pizza Party – This scene about a late-night arrest at a Chuck E. Cheese-style pizzeria is similar to last season’s “Space Pants,” insofar as a kitschy performance threatens to derail a criminal situation. This does not quite reach the stellar heights of Jonathan Comets, as the Peppy Ronnie’s crew is a lower-stakes distraction. But animatronic bands are hilarious enough on their own, and reactions from Kenan Thompson provide just the right sort of flavoring.

Aziz Ansari is a seasoned stand-up, which pretty much always guarantees a solid Monologue; I appreciate his advocacy for news reports of brown people eating nachos and changing scary-sounding Islam music to something Benny Hill-style… Bobby Moynihan’s Ganz, of Broderick & Ganz, is a kidney-less personal injury lawyer whose incompetence knows no bounds or predictability…The police Interrogation of a man who only kind of liked La La Land wins special recognition for clever comic exaggeration…Michael and Colin are on fire, post-Inauguration…Leslie Jones is more on topic than usual (despite Che’s hilarious “that was about Hidden Figures?” comment) as she examines where else African-American accomplishments are hidden and points out that the Predator is from space…Five Stars is an understated take on five-star culture, perhaps a response to a hysterical (though pointed) Black Mirror episode.

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Billboard Hot Rock Songs – Week of January 28, 2017

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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. twenty one pilots – “Ride”
3. X Ambassadors – “Unsteady”
4. Fitz and the Tantrums – “HandClap”
5. Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, & Imagine Dragons with Logic, Ty Dolla $ign ft. X Ambassadors – “Sucker for Pain”
6. Kaleo – “Way Down We Go”
7. The Lumineers – “Ophelia”
8. The 1975 – “Somebody Else”
9. Zach Williams – “Chain Breaker”
10. John Mayer – “Love on the Weekend”
11. Kings of Leon – “Waste a Moment”
12. Green Day – “Still Breathing”
13. The Lumineers – “Cleopatra”
14. Judah & the Lion – “Take It All Back”
15. twenty one pilots – “Heavydirtysoul”
16. Highly Suspect – “My Name is Human”
17. Rag’n’Bone – “Human”
18. blink-182 – “She’s Out of Her Mind”
19. The xx – “Say Something Loving”
20. The xx – “On Hold”
21. Bishop Briggs – “Wild Horses”
22. Alex da Kid ft. X Ambassadors, Elle King, & Wiz Khalifa – “Not Easy”
23. NEEDTOBREATHE – “Testify”
24. The Lumineers – “Sleep on the Floor”
25. Five Finger Death Punch – “I Apologize”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Human
2. My Name is Human
3. Way Down We Go
4. Unsteady
5. Heavydirtysoul
6. Wild Horses
7. Somebody Else
8. On Hold
9. Ride
10. Say Something Loving
11. Ophelia
12. Heathens
13. Waste a Moment
14. Cleopatra
15. Take It All Back
16. I Apologize
17. Still Breathing
18. HandClap
19. Sleep on the Floor
20. She’s Out of Her Mind
21. Love on the Weekend
22. Not Easy
23. Sucker for Pain
24. Testify
25. Chain Breaker

Billboard Hot 20 – Week of January 28, 2017

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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. Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
2. Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert – “Bad and Boujee”
3. Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane – “Black Beatles”
4. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – “Starboy”
5. The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – “Closer”
6. Ed Sheeran – “Castle on the Hill”
7. Bruno Mars – “24K Magic”
8. Maroon 5 ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Don’t Wanna Know”
9. Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj – “Side to Side”
10. Machine Gun Kelly x Camila Cabello – “Bad Things”
11. Drake – “Fake Love”
12. Zayn and Taylor Swift – “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)”
13. Alessia Cara – “Scars to Your Beautiful”
14. DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber – “Let Me Love You”
15. Aminé – “Caroline”
16. Big Sean – “Bounce Back”
17. Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion McCall – “Juju on That Beat (TZ Anthem)”
18. twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
19. Rihanna – “Love on the Brain”
20. D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty – “Broccoli”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Scars to Your Beautiful
2. Black Beatles
3. Starboy
4. Side to Side
5. Broccoli
6. Love on the Brain
7. Closer
8. Shape of You
9. 24K Magic
10. Heathens
11. Bad and Boujee
12. Bounce Back
13. I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)
14. Bad Things
15. Let Me Love You
16. Caroline
17. Castle on the Hill
18. Fake Love
19. Don’t Wanna Know
20. Juju on That Beat (TZ Anthem)

This Is a Movie Review: Split

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split-james-mcavoy

Split is basically M. Night Shyamalan’s version of an X-Men movie. Kevin (James McAvoy), with his 23 personalities (X-23?), is like Legion crossed with Wolverine, and “the Beast” is about to emerge. And let’s throw some Professor X in for good measure, since McAvoy plays both after all. (BTW, Legion is Prof. X’s son.)

The last X-Men film, Apocalypse, was not that well-received, but I liked it a lot, and the similarities are instructive. Just as that mutant film was, for better or worse, unapologetically over-the-top, so is Split relentlessly blunt with its dialogue. Sometimes that means characters thuddingly explain exactly what is happening and exactly how they are feeling, and we say, “Nobody talks like that.” But then, that is also the appeal. Kevin talks and acts like nobody else, and that is what makes him so spellbinding.

There is a series of flashbacks from the childhood of the main kidnapping victim (Anya Taylor-Joy, always a wonder to behold), which is largely unnecessary. The point they make is demonstrated more subtly and just as effectively towards the end, but they are compelling and in keeping with the unsettling tone.

Yeah, there’s a twist (or two). There are hints that we should have seen all along, but also plenty of misdirection, so it works, beyond all odds and all sense.

And for my Early 2017 Oscar Wish List, I of course like McAvoy for Lead Actor, Mike Gioulakis for his expressionistic Cinematography, are opening and closing credits considered part of Production Design?, and Shyamalan himself for Supporting Actor in the best one-scene performance I have seen in some time.

I give Split 20 out of 24 Personalities.

The Simpsons 28.12/13 Review: “The Great Phatsby”

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THE SIMPSONS: In the first-ever one-hour episode of THE SIMPSONS, featuring Emmy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson (EMPIRE), Snoop Dogg, Common and RZA as guest voices, Mr. Burns tries to relive his glory days, and crosses paths with a mysterious music mogul. After being conned by him and reduced to bankruptcy, Burns seeks revenge on the music producer with the help of Homer, Bart, rapper Jazzy James (guest voice Keegan-Michael Key) and the mogul’s ex-wife, Praline (guest voice Taraji P. Henson), along with Snoop Dogg, Common and RZA (guest-voicing as themselves) in the all-new “The Great Phatsby,” special one-hour episode of THE SIMPSONS airing Sunday, Jan. 15 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.  THE SIMPSONS ™ and © 2016 TCFFC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE SIMPSONS ™ and © 2016 TCFFC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CR: FOX.

“Searching for an open grave in which to barf” http://www.bubbleblabber.com/review-the-simpsons-the-great-phatsby/

This Is a Movie Review: Silence

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silence-issey-ogata

Does Silence need to drag on so portentously throughout its middle third? Probably, at least to achieve its goal of being as tortuous as what its protagonists undergo. Not exactly as torturous, obviously, but that is the tone it is going for. It may not be pleasant, but that is the goal. Perhaps it could have been both painful AND exciting if Liam Neeson had returned earlier. His scenes really get the film cooking. They are, after all, when Silence really grapples with its essential question of how best to sacrifice oneself to be a good Catholic, or a good leader, or a good person, and if those overlap.

I give Silence 20 Minutes out of 161 of Unexpected Humor.

SNL Review January 14, 2017: Felicity Jones/Sturgill Simpson

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SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE -- "Felicity Jones" Episode 1715 -- Pictured: (l-r) Felicity Jones, Beck Bennett, and Kyle Mooney during the Movie Interview sketch on January 14th, 2017 -- (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC)

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — “Felicity Jones” Episode 1715 — Pictured: (l-r) Felicity Jones, Beck Bennett, and Kyle Mooney during the Movie Interview sketch on January 14th, 2017 — (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC)

This review was originally posted on News Cult in January 2017.

Love It

Fandango All Access – I believe we have had other examples of trenchant boob-based humor in the past, but never before has this type of material been performed with the idiosyncratic conviction of a Beck Bennett/Kyle Mooney joint. One caveat to my praise, though: I feel like they are holding back on us a bit. If the sketch were just scenes from Hot Robot 3: Journey to Boob Mountain, instead of a discussion about it, I think this could reach the raucous, surreal heights of this crew’s sitcom parodies. As it is, the steely commitment to the patent ridiculousness from everyone in this sketch is still plainly stunning.

Beck Bennett’s turn as a pop sensation feels like a half-baked idea. Or maybe it was fully thought out, and the concept is that it is meant to seem half-baked? Either way, he’s adorable.

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What Won TV? – January 8-January 14, 2017

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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.

bobs_burgers_ex_mach_tina

Sunday – Bob’s Burgers
Monday – Not a bad College Football Championship game
Tuesday – New Girl
Wednesday – Man Seeking Woman
Thursday – The Good Place
Friday – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Saturday – Carrie Fisher on SNL Vintage, Boob Mountain on new SNL

Billboard Hot Rock Songs – Week of January 21, 2017

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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. twenty one pilots – “Ride”
3. X Ambassadors – “Unsteady”
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. Kaleo – “Way Down We Go”
7. The Lumineers – “Ophelia”
8. The 1975 – “Somebody Else”
9. Kings of Leon – “Waste a Moment”
10. Zach Williams – “Chain Breaker”
11. Judah & the Lion – “Take It All Back”
12. Highly Suspect – “My Name is Human”
13. John Mayer – “Love on the Weekend”
14. Green Day – “Still Breathing”
15. The Lumineers – “Cleopatra”
16. twenty one pilots – “Heavydirtysoul”
17. blink-182 – “She’s Out of Her Mind”
18. Rag’n’Bone – “Human”
19. The xx – “On Hold”
20. Five Finger Death Punch – “I Apologize”
21. twenty one pilots – “Cancer”
22. The Lumineers – “Sleep on the Floor”
23. Ghost – “Square Hammer”
24. Empire of the Sun – “High and Low”
25. Metallica – “Atlas, Rise!”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Human
2. My Name is Human
3. Way Down We Go
4. Unsteady
5. Heavydirtysoul
6. Square Hammer
7. High and Low
8. Somebody Else
9. On Hold
10. Ride
11. Ophelia
12. Heathens
13. Atlas, Rise!
14. Waste a Moment
15. Cleopatra
16. Take It All Back
17. Cancer
18. I Apologize
19. Still Breathing
20. HandClap
21. Sleep on the Floor
22. She’s Out of Her Mind
23. Love on the Weekend
24. Sucker for Pain
25. Chain Breaker

Billboard Hot 20 – Week of January 21, 2017

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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. Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert – “Bad and Boujee”
2. Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane – “Black Beatles”
3. The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – “Closer”
4. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – “Starboy”
5. Bruno Mars – “24K Magic”
6. Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj – “Side to Side”
7. Maroon 5 ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Don’t Wanna Know”
8. DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber – “Let Me Love You”
9. Drake – “Fake Love”
10. Machine Gun Kelly x Camila Cabello – “Bad Things”
11. Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion McCall – “Juju on That Beat (TZ Anthem)”
12. Alessia Cara – “Scars to Your Beautiful”
13. twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
14. Zayn and Taylor Swift – “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)”
15. D.R.A.M. ft Lil Yachty – “Broccoli”
16. Aminé – “Caroline”
17. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey ft. Zedd – “Starving”
18. Big Sean – “Bounce Back”
19. Shawn Mendes – “Mercy”
20. Justin Timberlake – “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Scars to Your Beautiful
2. Black Beatles
3. Starboy
4. Side to Side
5. Broccoli
6. Closer
7. 24K Magic
8. Heathens
9. Starving
10. Bad and Boujee
11. Can’t Stop the Feeling!
12. Bounce Back
13. I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)
14. Bad Things
15. Let Me Love You
16. Caroline
17. Fake Love
18. Don’t Wanna Know
19. Mercy
20. Juju on That Beat (TZ Anthem)

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