June 10, 2016
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Keanu
Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele have continually peeled away at the outrageousness of modern machismo on their eponymous Comedy Central show. A sketch may be the ideal format for doing so, as their characters in that context can be as caricaturish as they need them to be. But in a film, typically the main characters have to track as real people. In Keanu, Clarence (Key) and Rell (Peele) come off as genuine as they trek through the drug-dealing black market to retrieve the titular cat. And as they pass themselves off as gangsters, they in fact do target machismo just as progressively as K&P usually do. But because they exist in a world that is supposed to be realer than the exaggerated worlds this duo usually plays around IN, there are a lot of hairy implications that are never fully dealt with. Their energy is as righteous as ever, making for some hearty laughs, but they leave an aftertaste of, “But how CAN this be fully resolved?” and “This is where you leave us?!”
I give Keanu 5.5 Oh My God!’s out of 9 Did That Really Just Happens?!’s.
June 8, 2016
jmunney
Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot Rock Songs, Television
Billboard, Billboard Hot Rock Songs, Empire of the Sun, Walking on a Dream
Longtime readers of my blog may know that I used to watch VH1’s and Fuse’s Top 20 Countdowns and then post my rearranged order of those lists. But apparently countdown shows are no longer a thing. But I still like to keep up with current music, so I have decided to check the Billboard Hot Rock Songs each week and then rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality.
Original Version
1. twenty one pilots – “Stressed Out”
2. twenty one pilots – “Ride”
3. James Bay – “Let It Go”
4. Disturbed – “The Sound of Silence”
5. X Ambassadors – “Unsteady”
6. The Lumineers – “Ophelia”
7. The Strumbellas – “Spirits”
8. Coldplay – “Adventure of a Lifetime”
9. Coldplay – “Hymn for the Weekend”
10. Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Dark Necessities”
11. Ben Rector – “Brand New”
12. Fitz and the Tantrums – “HandClap”
13. blink-182 – “Bored to Death”
14. Empire of the Sun – “Walking on a Dream”
15. Kaleo – “Way Down We Go”
16. Bishop Briggs – “River”
17. Elle King – “America’s Sweetheart”
18. Panic! at the Disco – “Death of a Bachelor”
19. Prince – “When Doves Cry”
20. Miike Snow – “Genghis Khan”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Walking on a Dream
2. When Doves Cry
3. River
4. Way Down We Go
5. Ophelia
6. Unsteady
7. Ride
8. Dark Necessities
9. Stressed Out
10. Genghis Khan
11. Adventure of a Lifetime
12. Death of a Bachelor
13. The Sound of Silence
14. America’s Sweetheart
15. Spirits
16. Hymn for the Weekend
17. HandClap
18. Let It Go
19. Brand New
20. Bored to Death
June 8, 2016
jmunney
Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot 100, Music
Billboard, Billboard Hot 100, Cheap Thrills, Sia
Longtime readers of my blog may know that I used to watch VH1’s and Fuse’s Top 20 Countdowns and then post my rearranged order of those lists. But apparently countdown shows are no longer a thing. But I still like to keep up with current music, so I have decided to check the Billboard Hot 100 each week and then rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality.
Original Version
1. Drake ft. WizKid and Kyla – “One Dance”
2. Desiigner – “Panda”
3. Justin Timberlake – “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
4. Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign – “Work from Home”
5. The Chainsmokers ft. Daya – “Don’t Let Me Down”
6. Lukas Graham – “7 Years”
7. Mike Posner – “I Took a Pill in Ibiza”
8. Rihanna – “Needed Me”
9. Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – “This is What You Came For”
10. P!nk – “Just Like Fire”
11. Ariana Grande – “Dangerous Woman”
12. Rihanna ft. Drake – “Work”
13. Kent Jones – “Don’t Mind”
14. Zara Larsson & MNEK – “Never Forget You”
15. Zayn – “Pillowtalk”
16. Justin Bieber – “Love Yourself”
17. DNCE – “Cake by the Ocean”
18. twenty one pilots – “Stressed Out”
19. Sia ft. Sean Paul – “Cheap Thrills”
20. Flo Rida – “My House”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Cheap Thrills
2. Work from Home
3. Work
4. I Took a Pill in Ibiza
5. Dangerous Woman
6. Never Forget You
7. Can’t Stop the Feeling!
8. Stressed Out
9. Needed Me
10. Love Yourself
11. One Dance
12. My House
13. Don’t Let Me Down
14. This is What You Came For
15. Just Like Fire
16. Panda
17. Pillowtalk
18. Cake by the Ocean
19. 7 Years
20. Don’t Mind
June 5, 2016
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
American Dad!, Comedy Bang! Bang!, French Open, Garbine Muguruza, Inside Amy Schumer, Maya & Marty, Silicon Valley, The Chris Gethard Show
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 – Silicon Valley
Monday – American Dad!
Tuesday – The Civil War letter writing sketch from Maya & Marty
Wednesday – The Chris Gethard Show … ?!
Thursday – Inside Amy Schumer (Hacky sitcom parodies always get me.)
Friday – Comedy Bang! Bang!
Saturday – Ladies French Open Final – is this the beginning of an all-time great?
May 30, 2016
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
X-Men, X-Men: Apocalypse
X-Men: Apocalypse is liable to thrill and offend audiences in equally extreme measure. I mean, come on, just consider the plot: the oldest mutant arises from his millennia-long sleep after being betrayed in ancient Egypt, and then he works to enact his plan to conquer humankind and establish mutants in their rightful place atop the new world order. The acting, direction, production design, makeup, and cinematography all match the grandiosity of this vision. To make it all work, Bryan Singer and team take a mix-and-match approach to the plotting, mining elements from the comics and the earlier X-Men films and recycling or rejecting them as they see fit. The result is unmistakably audacious and constantly thrilling. This is a movie in which a Holocaust survivor razes Auschwitz, and in many respects that is not even the most shocking moment.
This bombast asks a lot of the actors, but most of them acquit themselves well, or at least as well as they possibly can. As the titular baddie, Oscar Isaac weaves gold despite being caked under a mountain of purple makeup. This could easily be a ridiculous role, and it actually is, but it is also frightening, kind of hilarious, and deeply felt. Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy (Fassbender especially) benefit from drawing upon their earlier performances (and those of their predecessors). As Jean Grey, Sophie Turner must simultaneously be a novice and one of the most powerful beings in the world – she manages to pull off the appropriate dread and uncertainty. While not every character shines (an inevitability with a cast this big), Apocalypse is another example of an X-Men movie understanding its fundamental strength of a rainbow of unique powers. More than any other entry in the series, this is a film in which it truly feels like anything can happen.
I give X-Men: Apocalypse 8 Grand Speeches out of 10 Risers From the Ashes.
P.S.: Quicksilver’s signature scene tops the “Time in a Bottle” sequence from Days of Future Past, but even more jaw-dropping is the scene right before, in which Apocalypse legitimately destroys the status quo.
May 30, 2016
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Angeliki Papoulia, Ariana Labed, Ben Whishaw, Colin Farrell, Jessica Barden, John C. Reilly, Léa Seydoux, Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos
The Lobster weaves a tale of an alternate reality in which single people check into a hotel where they are given 45 days to couple up or turn into an animal of their choosing should they fail. This is not “how things are” so much as it is “how things are enforced.” There are strict rules in place to move courtship along. There are little performances explaining these regulations to demonstrate the value of togetherness over singledom. In promoting stereotypical roles, the horror of this fable is somewhat rooted in sexism, but there is genuine concern that everyone ends up happy. The greater problem is the excess literalness of the prescriptions. The world of The Lobster recognizes the importance of compatibility, but it doesn’t understand it. Even the rebel element is just as adherent to its own severe code. The scary lesson is that no matter what path you choose for yourself, it will be a landmine to navigate society at large with your chosen identity.
I give The Lobster 9 Nosebleeds out of 10 Toasters, but I must take away 1 point for one too many eye pokes.
May 30, 2016
jmunney
Better Call Saul, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Difficult People, Happy Endings, Mr. Robot, Television
Better Call Saul, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Difficult People, Happy Endings, How Did This Get Made?, Mr. Robot, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Vulture, Vulture Festival, You're the Worst, Younger
Last weekend, I attended several panels at the Vulture Festival, an annual pop culture extravaganza thrown by the entertainment wing of New York Magazine. Here’s how it went down.
DAY 1: SATURDAY, 5/21/2016
Breaking Better Call Saul
Vulture TV critic Matt Zoller Seitz chatted with Rhea Seehorn, Michael McKean, and BCS co-creator Peter Gould. Bob Odenkirk joined in via phone (which was unfortunate because he is not the type of guy who will be all “Awkward setup be damned!” and just jump into the conversation). This was a rather engaging discussion, as these folks are eager and eloquent when discussing their process. One major point was the inevitability posed by Breaking Bad already establishing where Jimmy/Saul’s life is headed. To this end, Peter noted how fans often ask him if Kim and Chuck will die, which he at first thought was due to a lack of imagination but then realized it was more about a concern from people in the hope that their favorite fictional characters will remain alive and well.
I had a chance to talk with Rhea Seehorn after the panel. I asked her if she would be submitting as Lead or Supporting for the Emmys this year. She said that her publicists take care of that, but she was pretty sure they would be putting her down for Supporting. When I mentioned that I blog my Emmy prognostications every year, she asked for my info so that she could check out my stuff.
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May 29, 2016
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
2CGS, CashOrTrash, Fresh Off the Boat, Last Week Tonight, Orphan Black, The Chris Gethard Show, The Detour, VICE
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 – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Monday – The Detour
Tuesday – Fresh Off the Boat
Wednesday – A bonkers, mindblowing Chris Gethard Show
Thursday – Orphan Black
Friday – In “State of Surveillance,” VICE watches you.Saturday – Sports!
May 25, 2016
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
Fresh Off the Boat, Funny Freddy, I Did Saturday's Right, Jane the Virgin, Jeopardy!, Last Week Tonight, Love From New York, Orphan Black, Saturday Night Live, SNL, The Middle
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 – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Monday – Jane the Virgin
Tuesday – Fresh Off the Boat
Wednesday – The Middle
Thursday – Orphan Black is Orphan ACK!
Friday – Jeopardy!* (with the caveat that I haven’t started watching Lady Dynamite yet)Saturday – Funny Freddy in “Love From New York, I Did Saturday’s Right” (SNL)
May 23, 2016
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Courtney Barnett, Fred Armisen, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live 4121, Saturday Night Live Season 41, SNL, SNL Season 41
SNL: Courtney Barnett, Fred Armisen, Bobby Moynihan (CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot)
This review was originally posted on Starpulse in May 2016.
It hardly feels like Fred Armisen, one of the longest-tenured “SNL” cast members of all time (11 seasons), has ever left 30 Rockefeller Plaza. He has returned to cameo 7 times in the 3 years since departing, and he regularly collaborates with other “SNL” vets on his current regular gigs, “Late Night” and “Portlandia” (both produced by Lorne Michaels). But he has shown restraint this season, only appearing once before (to memorialize David Bowie). So while his first time as host is in no way long overdue, it is also not overkill. Speaking of cameos, several other alums also stop by, as befitting a season finale. This means that there is some squeezing out of the regular cast, but not of the good ideas. Year 41 ends on a high note.
Bernie and Hillary – “SNL” wraps up one of its wackiest political years with its two all-star impressions: one that broke big exactly as expected and the other a delightful surprise. The dance between Kate McKinnon’s Hillary and Larry David’s Bernie is as testy as the real deal. As they really explore the studio, there is a celebratory air that the show reserves only for times when it knows it has something special to celebrate. But wisely, it is not all just kissing and making up, because there is plenty of tension in this primary that the last call setting brings into focus. This is a summary of the fictionalized version of a slice of this campaign that “SNL” has managed to have its pulse on. B
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