Jeff "Jmunney" Malone's Self-Styled "Expert" Thoughts on Movies, TV, Music, and the Rest of Pop Culture
August 2, 2019
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Television Dear White People, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Hobbs & Shaw, Luce Leave a comment
CREDIT: Netflix/YouTube
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (Theatrically Nationwide) – Franchise loyalty.
–Luce (Limited Theatrically) – This one snuck up on me.
TV
–Dear White People Season 3 (August 2 on Netflix) – I’m still stuck on Season 1, though.
July 26, 2019
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television Fever Dream, Jane the Virgin, Of Monsters and Men, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino, Sherman's Showcase Leave a comment
BTS, Bashir Salahuddin as Sherman McDaniels, Diallo Riddle as Drummer – Sherman’s Showcase _ Season 1 – Photo Credit: Michael Moriatis/IFC
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Theatrically Nationwide) – Quentin Tarantino keeps getting closer to retirement. Sooner or later, we’re all out of the game.
TV
–Jane the Virgin Series Finale (July 31 on The CW)
–Sherman’s Showcase Series Premiere (July 31 on IFC) – Sort of a fictional Soul Train.
Music
-Of Monsters and Men, Fever Dream
July 12, 2019
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television Angel's Pulse, Blood Orange, Crawl, Spongebob Squarepants, SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout, The Farewell Leave a comment
CREDIT: Nickelodeon/YouTube
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Crawl (Theatrically Nationwide) – Creature feature.
–The Farewell (Limited Theatrically)
TV
–SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout (July 12 on Nickelodeon) – I’m ready!
Music
-Blood Orange, Angel’s Pulse
July 12, 2019
Awards Shows, Emmys, Television 2019 Emmys, Conan, Documentary Now!, Drunk History, Emmy Wish List, Emmys, Last Week Tonight, Norm MacDonald Has a Show, The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale Leave a comment
CREDIT: Rhys Thomas/IFC
The 2019 Emmy nominations will be announced on July 16, and as that annual occasion approaches, I typically put together my own list of which shows and performers I would like to see recognized. But I’ve had some mixed feelings about putting that together this year, as I’ve grappled with the fact that in the era of Peak TV, it becomes more and more impossible to capture all my favorites in one place. Ultimately I decided I wouldn’t be too formal or too precious about it. If there are ten shows I really want to see nominated, then I’ll list ten on my wish list. But if there are just two I really like in another category, then I’ll just list two.
I’ve already run through Comedy, Drama, and Limited Series, and you know what? I’ve also got some thoughts on Variety shows, as they are a steady part of my TV diet. For Variety Talk, I am delighted to say that my top choice is the revitalized CONAN, as Mr. O’Brien has rediscovered plenty of his mojo by slimming down a half-hour. And let’s not forget Norm MacDonald Has a Show, a brilliant bit of comedic chaos. As for Variety Sketch, Documentary Now! may just be my very favorite show of 2019
Nominees are listed in alphabetical order. My top choices are in bold.
CREDIT: TBS/YouTube
Variety Talk Series
CONAN
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Norm MacDonald Has a Show
CREDIT: Allyson Riggs/IFC
Variety Sketch Series
Documentary Now!
Drunk History
The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale
July 11, 2019
Awards Shows, Emmys, Television 2019 Emmys, Emmy Wish List, Emmys, Fosse/Verdon, Maniac, Sharp Objects, The Little Drummer Girl 1 Comment
CREDIT: HBO/YouTube
The 2019 Emmy nominations will be announced on July 16, and as that annual occasion approaches, I typically put together my own list of which shows and performers I would like to see recognized. But I’ve had some mixed feelings about putting that together this year, as I’ve grappled with the fact that in the era of Peak TV, it becomes more and more impossible to capture all my favorites in one place. Ultimately I decided I wouldn’t be too formal or too precious about it. If there are ten shows I really want to see nominated, then I’ll list ten on my wish list. But if there are just two I really like in another category, then I’ll just list two.
Now that I’ve gone through the regularly scheduled Comedy and Drama, I’m moving onto the categories that really have to make their case to fit themselves into my viewing schedules. Limited Series come and go, and that transience is clear in my relative lack wishes. But boy do I love those who I’m wishing for! Florence Pugh is my favorite up-and-coming actress, and I thought I would totally be pulling for her little spy routine in The Little Drummer Girl, but then Michelle Williams came along and was totally undeniable as Gwen Verdon. And it is in this field that we find my most off-the-wall wishes, as Justin Theroux was rewardingly unmoored in Maniac and Wanda Sykes got to kill it with her take as Weezy Jefferson in one of the most “who’d-a thunk it” moments of 2019.
Nominees are listed in alphabetical order. My top choices are in bold.
Limited Series
Fosse/Verdon
The Little Drummer Girl
Sharp Objects
July 10, 2019
Television, Whose Line is it Anyway? Cabaret, Chip Esten, Elizabeth Gillies, Lacation Consultant, Wayne Brady, Whose Line is it Anyway?, WLiiA 6 Comments
CREDIT: The CW/YouTube
On the July 8, 2019 episode of Whose Line is it Anyway?, Wayne Brady and Chip Esten performed “Duet” in the style of Cabaret along with special guest Elizabeth Gillies. The topic was “lactation consultant.” The resulting number was so incredible that I just had to record the lyrics for posterity. (And prosperity!)
Wayne:
It’s that time
I feel my hormones jumping (Elizabeth and Chip: Jumping)
Time to open wide
Get these mammaries pumping (Elizabeth and Chip: Pumping)
And now I do not know
The end result
How do I work these?
Who will consult?
Please
Somebody please
Consult me (Elizabeth and Chip: Ooh ooh ooh ooh)
July 10, 2019
Awards Shows, Emmys, Television 2019 Emmys, Better Call Saul, Emmy Wish List, Emmys, Homecoming, Killing Eve, Pose, Sex Education, The Orville 2 Comments
CREDIT: FX/YouTube
The 2019 Emmy nominations will be announced on July 16, and as that annual occasion approaches, I typically put together my own list of which shows and performers I would like to see recognized. But I’ve had some mixed feelings about putting that together this year, as I’ve grappled with the fact that in the era of Peak TV, it becomes more and more impossible to capture all my favorites in one place. Ultimately I decided I wouldn’t be too formal or too precious about it. If there are ten shows I really want to see nominated, then I’ll list ten on my wish list. But if there are just two I really like in another category, then I’ll just list two.
Yesterday I discussed Comedy, and I just couldn’t contain myself to the prescribed number of nominees per category. But now that I’m looking at Drama, I’m struggling to fully flesh them out. Partly that’s because I watch more comedy than drama, and partly it’s because some of the dramas I do watch had off-years.
But I still watched some good, juicy dramas! And tops among them was most definitely Pose, which is my #1 choice in just about every category. Billy Porter is pretty much showmanship personified, and all the main ladies are undeniably compelling. Sex Education also gets my endorsement. I initially thought it was mis-categorized, but since my drama choices are relatively sparse, I won’t complain. And let’s not sleep on The Orville, which has been consistently putting out some intellectually satisfying hard sci-fi without too much fanfare.
Nominees are listed in alphabetical order. My top choices are in bold.
Outstanding Drama
Better Call Saul
Homecoming
The Orville
Pose
Sex Education
July 9, 2019
Awards Shows, Emmys, Television 2019 Emmys, A.P. Bio, American Vandal, Barry, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Emmy Wish List, Emmy wishlist, Emmys, GLOW, Happy!, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Jane the Virgin, Murphy Brown, Russian Doll, Speechless, The Big Bang Theory, The Goldbergs, The Good Place, The Last O.G., The Other Two, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, What We Do in the Shadows, Young Sheldon 3 Comments
CREDIT: Scott Patrick Green/Netflix
The 2019 Emmy nominations will be announced on July 16, and as that annual occasion approaches, I typically put together my own list of which shows and performers I would like to see recognized. But I’ve had some mixed feelings about that this year, as I’ve grappled with the fact that in the era of Peak TV, it becomes more and more impossible to capture all my favorites in one place. Ultimately I decided I wouldn’t be too formal or too precious about it. If there are ten shows I really want to see nominated, then I’ll list ten on my wish list. But if there are just two I really like in another category, then I’ll just list two.
I’m kicking things off today with Comedy. Before I get to my selections, I’ve got some thoughts to share, mainly about the new entrants. Among freshman shows, The Other Two mixed affecting family dynamics with the silliness of fame, while What We Do in the Shadows was just so wonderfully goofy. But it’s a couple of sadly cancelled high school-set sophomore shows that have my most love: Netflix’s poopy mockumentary American Vandal and NBC’s sharp and lovable A.P. Bio.
Among the actors, Young Sheldon‘s ensemble has really been a welcome part of my weekly life, and with that in mind, it’s been a while since either the Academy or I have recognized Jim Parsons for The Big Bang Theory, and you know what? I’m going to recognize him for his final year. Among names that you may not recognize (yet), let’s all keep in mind What We Do in the Shadows‘ Kayvan Novak for our future comedy endeavors.
Nominees are listed in alphabetical order. My top choices are in bold.
Outstanding Comedy
American Vandal
A.P. Bio
Barry
GLOW
The Goldbergs
The Good Place
Jane the Virgin
The Last O.G.
The Other Two
Speechless
What We Do in the Shadows
July 8, 2019
A.P. Bio, Community, Television A.P. Bio, Alison Brie, Allisyn Ashley Arm, AP Bio, Aparna Brielle, Chevy Chase, Community, Danny Pudi, David Neher, Gillian Jacobs, Glenn Howerton, Jacob Houston, Jean Villepique, Jim Rash, Joel McHale, Ken Jeong, Lyric Lewis, Mary Sohn, Nick Peine, Patton Oswalt, Paula Pell, Yvette Nicole Brown 2 Comments
CREDIT: NBC
Over the past few months, the delightful high school-set sitcom A.P. Bio has become one of my favorite shows on the air, but then NBC went a little cuckoo and cancelled it. There’s been some effort on the part of the cast, crew, and fans to find the show a new home, but unless that happens, we will have to be satisfied with two short-but-sweet seasons.
One of the reasons I love A.P. Bio so much is because it shares a lot of DNA with my favorite show of all time, which would be Community, another former NBC sitcom that was constantly on the brink of cancellation (though unlike A.P. Bio, it kept beating the renewal odds). Their premises and central characters are strikingly similar. In Community, Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) is a high-powered lawyer who gets disbarred and must enroll at a community college. Meanwhile, A.P. Bio stars Glenn Howerton as Jack Griffin, a disgraced Harvard philosophy professor who is forced to take a lowly part-time teaching job at a high school in Toledo, Ohio.
As I watched and grew to love A.P. Bio, I kept noticing more and more Community similarities, to the point that I could detect analogues for all the major characters. So I’ve assembled below a side-by-side comparison of the Greendale Human Beings and their corresponding Whitlock Rams. Enjoy, and let me know if you need help reacting to riding that ram.
(Thank you to my fellow commenters at the AV Club and Disqus for helping me out with these comparisons!)
Jack (Glenn Howerton) = Jeff (Joel McHale)
CREDIT: YouTube
The protagonists who try to act above it all but eventually embrace the crazy scholastic ecosystems they’ve become an integral part of.
July 5, 2019
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Sports, Television ESPYs, Hollywood Game Night, Midsommar, Spider-Man: Far From Home Leave a comment
CREDIT: Vivian Zink/NBC
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Midsommar (Theatrically Nationwide)
–Spider-Man: Far From Home (Theatrically Nationwide) – We continue to do our MCU duty.
TV
-2019 ESPYs (July 10 on NBC) – Hosted by Mr. Tracy Morgan!
–Hollywood Game Night Season Premiere (July 11 on NBC)
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