Jeff "Jmunney" Malone's Self-Styled "Expert" Thoughts on Movies, TV, Music, and the Rest of Pop Culture
August 30, 2024
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music A Ballet Through Mud, AfrAId, AWOLNATION, Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef, First Light, Hot Dog Eating Contest, hot dogs, Jónsi, Joey Chestnut, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, RZA, Slingshot, Takeru Kobayashi, Telos, The Phantom Five, Wild God, Zedd Leave a comment
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–AfrAId (Theaters)
–Slingshot (Theaters) – I saw a commercial for this that looked gnarly.
Music
-AWOLNATION, The Phantom Five (August 30)
-Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Wild God
-Jónsi, First Light
-RZA, A Ballet Through Mud
-Zedd, Telos
Sports
–Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef (September 2 on Netflix)
August 29, 2024
Cinema, Movie Reviews documentary, Jazmin Renée Jones, Mavis Beacon, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, Seeking Mavis Beacon Leave a comment
ASDF ;LKJ (CREDIT: NEON)
Starring: Not Mavis Beacon
Director: Jazmin Renée Jones
Running Time: 102 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: August 30, 2024 (IFC Center in New York City)/September 6, 2024 (Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago)/September 13, 2024 (Additional Cities)
What’s It About?: In a case of “Only 90s Kids Can Understand,” Seeking Mavis Beacon doggedly attempts to uncover the truth behind the once-ubiquitous software program that taught a generation of children how to utilize their keyboards as efficiently as possible. Launched in 1987, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing and its title character delivered a regal air to the burgeoning personal computer sector. A lot of people apparently believe that Mavis Beacon was a real human being, but she was in fact a fictional character originally brought to life by model Renee L’Esperance. For filmmaker Jazmin Renée Jones, Mavis Beacon was one of the most influential people of her childhood – and so therefore was L’Esperance. Thus, she felt absolutely compelled to make a documentary to uncover how Renee became Mavis, and why she then just … disappeared.
What Made an Impression?: Society in the Machine: Jones feels a vibrant kinship with anyone who still believes that Mavis Beacon is a real person, probably because she used to believe that herself as well. Her movie doesn’t dive completely into the Mandela effect, but it is indebted to a society that is for better or worse perpetually connected to the online world, both thematically and formally. A good chunk of the film plays out on computer screens, with vintage Mavis Beacon game footage, FaceTime conversations, and chunks of viral memes. Its style in the early going reminded me of the Rodney Ascher doc A Glitch in the Matrix, which examined the possibility that we’re living in a simulation within the context of a post-Matrix world. I’m intrigued by how this setup posits that Beacon has been just as influential as Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity, although Jones doesn’t really stick with this approach. Alas, I kind of wish she had, as Seeking Mavis Beacon could have benefited from being a little less prosaic as it moved ahead.
Documentarian, Document Thyself?: It becomes pretty clear early on that Jones’ journey to contact L’Esperance will be rather quixotic. That’s not entirely disappointing, as Jones does manage to interview some of the other important figures behind Mavis’ creation. And with the digital snooping aid of her “cyberdoula” partner Olivia Ross, they also manage to track down a bit of a mild cover-up. But with L’Esperance proving to be firmly unreachable, the movie fills time with Jones’ and Ross’ personal struggles. Ultimately, Seeking Mavis Beacon is a documentary whose ostensible subject is just too far out of reach. Jones is too perseverant (or less generously, too stubborn) to accept that, though. There’s plenty of oomph to this story, but its inability to grapple with its limits makes for a frustrating viewing experience.
Seeking Mavis Beacon is Recommended If: You’re Okay with a Documentarian Becoming the Stealth Subject of the Documentary
Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Home Keys
August 23, 2024
Cinema, Comedy, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Sports, Television Adam Sandler: Love You, Between the Temples, Blink Twice, BREAD, Bryce Dessner, Greedy People, Jack White, Kaos, No Name, Only Murders in the Building, Paralympics, Sabrina Carpenter, Short n' Sweet, Sofi Tukker, Solos, Strange Darling, Summer Paralympics, The Crow, US Open Leave a comment
Damn, these guest stars really kill (but only in the building, of course). (CREDIT: Hulu/YouTube 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
–Between the Temples (Theaters) – Jason Schwartzman and Robert Smigel are in this, among others.
–Blink Twice (Theaters)
–The Crow (Theaters)
–Greedy People (Theaters)
–Strange Darling (Theaters)
TV
–Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Premiere (August 27 on Hulu)
–Kaos Season 1 (August 29 on Netflix) – Goldblum as Zeus.
Music
-Sabrina Carpenter, Short n’ Sweet
-Bryce Dessner, Solos
-Sofi Tukker, BREAD
-Jack White, No Name – This was a surprise release last month that I wasn’t aware of until this week.
Sports
-US Open (August 26-September 8 on ESPN and ABC) – The Queens of Tennis
-2024 Summer Paralympics (August 28-September 8 on CNBC, USA, NBC, and Peacock)
Comedy
–Adam Sandler: Love You (August 27 on Netflix)
August 18, 2024
Podcasts, That's Auntertainment, Uncategorized Olympics, Podcasts, Summer Olympics, That's Auntertainment Leave a comment
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot
Bob joins the Five-Timers Club as he helps Aunt Beth and Jeff keep the Olympic flame alight.
August 16, 2024
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music Alien: Romulus, F-1 Trillion, Foster the People, Paradise State of Mind, Post Malone, Skincare Leave a comment
Should I Foster a People?
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Alien: Romulus (Theaters) – What about Remus?
–Skincare (Theater)
Music
-Foster the People, Paradise State of Mind
-Post Malone, F-1 Trillion
August 14, 2024
Cinema, Movie Reviews Elizabeth Banks, Lewis Pullman, Nathan Fillion, Michael Jaé Rodriguez, Luis Gerardo Méndez, John Billingsley, Medalion Rahimi, Wendie Malick, Austin Peters, Skincare 1 Comment
A Photo of Elizabeth Banks Taking Care of Her Skin (CREDIT: IFC Films)
Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Lewis Pullman, Michael Jaé Rodriguez, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Nathan Fillion, John Billingsley, Medalion Rahimi, Wendie Malick
Director: Austin Peters
Running Time: 94 Minutes
Rating: R for Unwanted Dick Pics and Things Spinning Violently Out of Control
Release Date: August 16, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: The skincare business is brutal, especially if you’re Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks). She’s already one of the biggest names in the industry, but as she gets ready to elevate things to the next level, she becomes the victim of some rather extreme sabotage. Her email is hacked, scary people start showing up at her door, and she’s sent a series of unsolicited sexts that leave little to the imagination. It certainly doesn’t help that she’s behind on her rent and that she’s spending beyond her means. She suspects that her new rival (Luis Gerardo Méndez) who just opened a store in the same complex is the one behind it all. But the truth may just be a little more sinister and impenetrable than that.
What Made an Impression?: You Can Lose ‘Em All: Is Hope by any chance related to Job from the Book of Job? That’s as viable an explanation as any that I can surmise to explain all the misfortune befalling her. In addition to the harassment campaign, seemingly every straight man she meets makes an unwanted pass at her, while all of her most loyal clients abandon her one by one. She does bear some responsibility for her dire straits, as she doesn’t exactly have the soundest business model for her current situation, while her efforts for vengeance are misguided, to say the least. But the unceasing tribulation she faces is nothing short of cosmically massive and inescapable.
Was It All a Bad Dream?: There’s something about modern Los Angeles (or at least the version of the city that often ends up on film) that feels perpetually stuck in the 1980s: the blindingly lit-up aesthetic, the artificial peacocking, the greedy Me Decade vibes. Skincare is clearly set in the present day (or at least the past 15 years or so), what with its use of smartphones and ubiquitous email communication. But by situating itself in an industry that still relies on hawking its wares via channels that had their heyday decades ago, there is a surreal out-of-time quality to Hope’s misadventures. Plus, the whole fact that lotions and creams feel like they should be too low-stakes for an unrelenting thriller only further ramps up the cognitive dissonance. Banks’ knack for becoming existentially harried is the perfect fit for grounding us in this nightmarish realm. As someone who suffers from perpetually dry skin, I’m certainly invested in justice being served, and the unreality of it all rings painfully true.
Skincare is Recommended If You Like: A woman suddenly stopping as she realizes that she’s being followed
Grade: 3 out of 5 Facials
August 9, 2024
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Sports, Television Borderlands, Chlöe, Chloe Bailey, Cuckoo, Flight b741, It Ends with Us, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Little League World Series, Rick and Morty: The Anime, Solar Opposites, Trouble in Paradise Leave a comment
New animation, same wubba-lubba-dub-dub (CREDIT: Adult Swim)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Borderlands (Theaters)
–Cuckoo (Theaters)
–It Ends with Us (Theaters)
TV
–Solar Opposites Season 5 (August 12 on Hulu)
–Rick and Morty: The Anime Series Premiere (August 15 on Adult Swim) – Familiar guys, new style.
Music
-Chlöe, Trouble in Paradise
-King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Flight b741
Sports
-Little League World Series (August 14-25 on ESPN and ABC)
August 5, 2024
Cinema, Movie Reviews Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Cuckoo, Dan Stevens, Greta Fernández, Hunter Schafer, Jan Bluthardt, Jessica Henwick, Kalin Morrow, Konrad Singer, Marton Csokas, Proschat Madani, Tilman Singer 1 Comment
We all go a little Cuckoo sometimes (CREDIT: NEON)
Starring: Hunter Schafer, Dan Stevens, Jessica Henwick, Jan Bluthardt, Marton Csokas, Greta Fernández, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Konrad Singer, Proschat Madani, Kalin Morrow
Director: Tilman Singer
Running Time: 103 Minutes
Rating: R for Language Bloody, Reality-Altering Violence
Release Date: August 9, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: 17-year-old American Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) is summoned to the German Alps to live with her father Luis (Marton Csokas), stepmom Beth (Jessica Henwick) and little half-sister Alma (Mila Lieu), but she’s skeptical of the whole situation. And rightly so. She gets a job at the local hotel, which proves to be much less low-key than she was expecting when she’s chased home by a mysterious woman. (Or was it a woman?) Then there’s Herr König (Dan Stevens), who might just be running the town as his own personal experiment. Gretchen seems to be alone in recognizing how surreal everything is, besides a detective (Jan Bluthardt) who recruits her into an investigation into what König is really up to. And the truth probably isn’t what anybody is expecting.
What Made an Impression?: The Adults Aren’t Alright: Teenage angst and horror go hand-in-hand. But interestingly enough, none of the scares in Cuckoo are really derived from Gretchen’s internal disposition. There’s a running thread about her failing to get a hold of her Mom back in the U.S., which is plenty distressing on its own. But if Gretchen is the most tormented character in this movie, then that means that she’s also the most reasonable. Her father tells her to just knock it off and behave, but that’s not the sort of parenting she needs right now. Also, he might have been brainwashed by the machinations of Herr König, whom Stevens plays as the ultimate over-the-top mustache-twirling mad scientist. The detective is the most clear-eyed of all the adults about what’s actually happening, but even he is a little too erratic for Gretchen to get close to. We all learn eventually that grown-ups are more or less making it up as they go along, and Gretchen’s realization about that is exponentially starker than most.
Playing God vs. Finding Family: To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, there is only one thing in this world more difficult than accurately describing Cuckoo while avoiding spoilers, and that is accurately describing Cuckoo while not avoiding spoilers. Maybe that’s a bit hyperbolic, but this is definitely a bizarre, unique vision that I’m still processing. For those eager to experience the thrills on display, I’ll offer some hints by asking you to think about the bird referenced in the title and then imagining what a humanoid hybrid of such a creature would be like. As it turns out, little Alma is the key to that endeavor. Gretchen isn’t exactly an ideal big sister at the beginning of the movie, but her life-threatening journey sure helps her discover what family really means. That proves to be decent enough motivation to deliver what Cuckoo is selling.
Cuckoo is Recommended If You Like: Rosemary’s Baby, Splice, Déjà vu (The sensation, not the movie)
Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Head Bandages
August 2, 2024
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music Aghori Mhori Mei, Harold and the Purple Crayon, The Smashing Pumpkins, Trap Leave a comment
Get a load of these Pumpkins!
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Harold and the Purple Crayon (Theaters)
–Trap (Theaters)
Music
-The Smashing Pumpkins, Aghori Mhori Mei
August 1, 2024
Cinema, Monthly Top Cinematic Choices Borderlands, Cuckoo, Movie preview, Trap Leave a comment
You can Trap me in those eyes anytime! (CREDIT:
Warner Bros. Pictures/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 August 2024:
Trap: The latest from M. Night Shyamalan! Will Josh Hartnett be just as evil as he appears to be in the trailers? I wouldn’t mind a twisty revelation.
We’ll all be Trapped in movie theaters on August 2.
Jmunney's Blog 