Aunt Beth tells Jeff to stuff Pushing Daisies down his Pie Hole. Also, some thoughts on Top Gun: Maverick.
Mini-Episode: Aunt Beth Tells Jeff to Watch ‘Pushing Daisies’
May 15, 2022
Podcasts, That's Auntertainment Podcasts, Pushing Daisies, That's Auntertainment, The Pie Hole Leave a comment
Does the Latest ‘Firestarter’ Light a Fire? Let’s Find Out!
May 13, 2022
Cinema, Movie Reviews Firestarter, Firestarter 2022, Gloria Reuben, John Beasley, Keith Thomas, Kurtwood Smith, Michael Greyeyes, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Stephen King, Sydney Lemmon, Zac Efron Leave a comment
Firestarter 2022 (CREDIT: Ken Woroner/Universal Pictures)
Starring: Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Zac Efron, Sydney Lemmon, Kurtwood Smith, John Beasley, Michael Greyeyes, Gloria Reuben
Director: Keith Thomas
Running Time: 94 Minutes
Rating: R for Bloody Eyes and Third Degree Burns
Release Date: May 13, 2022 (Theaters and Peacock)
If you’re in the mood for a movie but every version of yourself has already seen Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, maybe you’re looking to try something new. Perhaps, maybe, quite possibly, you’re considering the latest version of Firestarter, based on the 1980 Stephen King novel, which was previously adapted in 1984 with a young Drew Barrymore as the titular pyrokinetic. Now newcomer Ryan Kiera Armstrong is the one summoning the flames, and you might be wondering just how combustible she is. It is Friday the 13th, after all. And as it is also 2022, you have options for where to get spooked. So join me as we journey to determine if you should check out Firestarter on the big screen, stream it on Peacock, or do something else entirely.
First of all, I’ll point out that I watched this movie at home on my couch via a pre-release screener link. That’s not my ideal scenario, as I always prefer to see movies in the theater no matter what movie it is, but it did help clarify what I was missing out on. In particular, there’s the sense of being enveloped, and that’s especially important in this case, because the best thing about this movie is its original score from John Carpenter along with his son Cody and frequent collaborator Daniel Davies. Carpenter may have stopped directing, but he can still deliver those classic synth vibes to transport us to another dimension like nobody’s business. Hearing his new compositions at home gave me a nice buzz for an hour or so, but if they had been pumped into my subconscious on the surround sound, they probably would have left me thrumming for at least a week.
In favor of the at-home option is of course the convenience and affordability angle, and if you weren’t a Peacock subscriber already, you might even discover that it’s home to some pretty great shows. Not to mention that the original Firestarter is also available there currently, so you can easily jump back in time 38 years ago for comparison’s sake. Of course, there are always the distractions inherent to watching at home, and I can’t say that I found this new Firestarter particularly compelling, Armstrong’s best efforts notwithstanding. In general, the cast is made up of devoted vets whom I’ve enjoyed in other things taking the material seriously, though they’re not done any favors by a workmanlike approach that doesn’t really attempt to reinvent the flame. But maybe the appeal of watching a movie like this at home is that it doesn’t have to be burdened by expectations. Instead, you can efficiently throw it on, pay as much attention as you want, and then cross it off of your to-do list of Taking the Pulse of Modern Horror.
Firestarter 2022 is Recommended to Watch in the Theater If You Like: To have the fullest possible experience of new John Carpenter music
Firestarter 2022 is Recommended to Watch on Peacock If You Like: Being an Efficient Completist
Grade: 2 out of 5 Incinerations
Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 5/13/22
May 13, 2022
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Sports, Television Dance Fever, Dropout Boogie, Firestarter, Florence + the Machine, Golf, In Real Life, Kendrick Lamar, Lacrosse, Mandy Moore, Mr. Lamar & the Big Steppers, On the Count of Three, PGA Championship, Pleasure, The Black Keys, The Kids in the Hall Leave a comment
CREDIT: Prime Video/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
–Firestarter (Theaters and Peacock) – Related: Cheryl on Riverdale has always recently developed pyrokinesis.
–On the Count of Three (Theaters and On Demand)
–Pleasure (Theaters)
TV
–The Kids in the Hall Season 6 (May 13 on Amazon Prime Video) – They’re back, and still Canadian.
Music
-The Black Keys, Dropout Boogie
-Florence + the Machine, Dance Fever
-Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Lamar & the Big Steppers
-Mandy Moore, In Real Life
Sports
-NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament (May 11-30 on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU)
-NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Tournament (May 13-29 on ESPN, ESPU, and ESPN+)
-PGA Championship (May 19-22 on ESPN and CBS)
Doctor Movie Critic in the Review of Madness
May 12, 2022
Cinema, Movie Reviews Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Doctor Strange, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Elizabeth Olsen, Marvel Cinematic Universe, MCU, Michael Stuhlbarg, Rachel McAdams, Sam Raimi, Xochitl Gomez 1 Comment
CREDIT: Marvel Entertaiment/Screenshot
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Xochitl Gomez, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Stuhlbarg
Director: Sam Raimi
Running Time: 126 Minutes
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: May 6, 2022 (Theaters)
So exactly how much multiverse and how much madness is there in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? Honestly, there are other movies out there that are more multiversal, or madder, or both more multiversal and madder! But that’s okay, because this movie features a scene in which two Doctor Stranges fight each other with musical notes. And also Bruce Campbell punches himself a bunch of times. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Grade: Medium Rare Sami Raimi Energy
‘Pleasure’ Asks: What Happens When an Ambitious Swedish Girl Moves to L.A. to Take Her Clothes Off in Front of Cameras? Let’s Find Out!
May 10, 2022
Cinema, Movie Reviews Chris Cock, Dana DeArmond, Evelyn Claire, Jason Toler, Kendra Spade, Ninja Thyberg, Pleasure, Revika Anne Reustle, Sofia Kappel 1 Comment
Pleasure (CREDIT: NEON)
Starring: Sofia Kappel, Revika Anne Reustle, Evelyn Claire, Chris Cock, Dana DeArmond, Kendra Spade, Jason Toler
Director: Ninja Thyberg
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Rating: Unrated (Because There’s No Way It Would’ve Gotten an R)
Release Date: May 13, 2022 (Theaters)
The most striking thing about the first half of Pleasure (besides all the full-frontal nudity) is the underlying message that work is work, no matter how much you love it. There are certain quotidian tasks on everyone’s to-do lists: keeping your books, texting your co-workers, getting the word out on social media, etc. Even if you have the most luxuriously hedonistic career in the world, you still have to take care of business. That’s what 20-year-old Linnéa (Sofia Kappel) discovers when she jets off from Sweden to Los Angeles and adopts the moniker “Bella Cherry” to become the biggest porn star in the world but then soon realizes that accomplishing that will involve hours spent scrolling through Instagram to increase her follower count. If that’s as bad as it goes for such a vulnerable pursuit, then that’s a pretty good deal. But then things get worse. But there’s also some hope that it might get better! It’s complicated.
If you’re wondering what drives Bella at a fundamental level … I wish I could tell you! It’s never clarified if she wants to be famous, or rich, or if she just likes having sex with as many as people as possible. Don’t get it twisted, though, as I’m not doubting her explanation. Her entire aura screams “Conviction!” But maybe she should take a closer look at herself, because when we first meet her as she’s shooting her first hardcore scene, she has a bit of a breakdown and almost doesn’t go through with it. Perhaps those were just Opening Day jitters, but it does ultimately prove to be a bit of a suffocating omen. Socrates is credited as saying, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” and Bella should’ve taken that advice to heart. It could’ve saved her a lot of strife.
When mainstream movies like this one come along to offer an unflinching portrayal of a taboo subject, they often get praised for their so-called “honesty.” To which I say: perhaps Pleasure is honest, to a certain extent. The cast is filled with plenty of veterans of the porn industry, after all. But even if it is truthful, I doubt that it’s also comprehensive. There are probably some folks who have had similar experiences as Bella’s, while others have surely had better ones, and still others had it much worse. Pleasure is the story of Bella Rose and nobody else. We’re all left to make of that what we will.
Pleasure is Recommended If You Like: Making private matters public
Grade: 3 out of 5 Climaxes
Jeff’s Wacky SNL Review: Benedict Cumberbatch/Arcade Fire
May 8, 2022
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television Arcade Fire, Benedict Cumberbatch, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 47, SNL, SNL Season 47 Leave a comment
SNL: Benedict Cumberbatch, Arcade Fire, Ego Nwodim (CREDIT: NBC/Screenshot)
It seems like whenever there’s a new Doctor Strange movie in the theaters, Benedict Cumberbatch is hosting Saturday Night Live. And it also seems like whenever Arcade Fire has new music, they’re performing it on SNL. Case in both of those points: this episode that I’m reviewing right now.
A few months ago, I listed the sketches in order of how many speaking/singing parts they had, most first. But I never did the reverse order! So that’s what I’m doing this time. A few points of clarification: narrators are counted, except for the introductions of Weekend Update and by Darrell Hammond during the monologue (since that’s more a part of the opening credits). The person introducing the musical guest IS counted for the musical performances, while backup singers generally aren’t counted if they only sing backup. Although in the case of Arcade Fire, it made sense to count Régine Chassagne’s vocals, since she gets enough of a spotlight. And for Weekend Update, the parts with guests are counted separately from the parts that are just Michael and Colin telling jokes. Got it? In that case … here we go!
That’s Auntertainment! Karaoke Korner 29: Mother’s Day Edition
May 8, 2022
Podcasts, That's Auntertainment Danzig, karaoke, Karaoke Korner, Podcasts, Queen, That's Auntertainment, Three Dog Night Leave a comment
Happy Mother’s Day! If you’re planning on singing with Mom, then listen to this episode!
Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 5/6/22
May 6, 2022
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Sports, Television Arcade Fire, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Hacks, Happiness Not Included, Kentucky Derby, Soft Cell, The Pentaverate, We Leave a comment
The Pentaverate (CREDIT: Zoe Midford/Netflix)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Theaters)
TV
–The Pentaverate (Premiered May 5 on Netflix) – Mike Myers gets back to work.
–Hacks Season 2 Premiere (May 12 on HBO Max)
Music
-Arcade Fire, We
-Soft Cell, Happiness Not Included
Sports
-Kentucky Derby (May 7 on NBC) – Would anyone like to make me a mint julep?
‘We’re All Going to the World’s Fair’ … But Should We?
May 5, 2022
Cinema, Movie Reviews Anna Cobb, Jane Schoenbrun, Michael J. Rogers, We're All Going to the World's Fair Leave a comment
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (CREDIT: Utopia/Screenshot)
Starring: Anna Cobb, Michael J. Rogers
Director: Jane Schoenbrun
Running Time: 86 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: April 15, 2022 (Theaters)
When writing movie reviews, I often ask myself, “Would I like to do what the title is telling us to do?” And what do you know, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is basically tailor-made for that. The “world’s fair” that the characters are “going to” is really some sort of viral online challenge that supposedly results in a mysterious illness after you make a video declaring your intentions. It’s all vague enough to dismiss as hogwash, some hauntingly off-putting images notwithstanding. So if I do attempt to go to this here World’s Fair, I probably have nothing to worry about. But as with similar legends like Bloody Mary or Candyman, why risk it? Although, there’s also a segment that features an 8-bit video game version of the World’s Fair Challenge, and I’d kinda like that to be real.
Grade: All’s Fair in the Endless Stream of Internet Videos
In ‘The Twin,’ an Idyllic Life in Finland is Hard to Do When You’ve Got a Creepy Kid
May 4, 2022
Cinema, Movie Reviews Barbara Marten, Steven Cree, Taneli Mustonen, Teresa Palmer, The Twin, Tristan Ruggeri Leave a comment
CREDIT: Shudder/Screenshot
Starring: Teresa Palmer, Steven Cree, Tristan Ruggeri, Barbara Marten
Director: Taneli Mustonen
Running Time: 108 Minutes
Rating: Unrated (PG-13 Level for General Creepiness)
Release Date: May 6, 2022 (Theaters, On Demand, and Streaming on Shudder)
The Twin is an English-language horror flick with a Finnish director and what appears to be a mostly Finnish crew. Which is to say, I was all prepared for a convoluted-in-translation affair in which the actors do their best to turn an oddly phrased screenplay into natural-sounding dialogue. But for the most part, this tale of a grieving husband and wife who move to Finland with their young son after his twin brother dies in an accident is fairly straightforward. Perhaps a bit too straightforward, insofar as it comes off as a pastiche of earlier trailblazing horror flicks. Spoilers are unavoidable if I want to mention what those movies are, so I’ll add a SPOILER ALERT!!! Here and note that what at first seems like a Rosemary’s Baby-style cabal turns out instead to be a sloppier version of the Shutter Island gambit. (SPOILER ALERT OVER)
So The Twin is hardly reinventing the wheel, but at least Teresa Palmer (who plays mom Rachel) is always compelling, no matter how much the material does or doesn’t rise up to her level. Outside of her acting career, Palmer is a mother herself who also co-runs a lifestyle brand called “Your Zen Mama.” Which is to say, she’s philosophically committed herself to a theoretical and practical investigation of what motherhood is all about, and that absolutely comes across in her performance.
While The Twin probably won’t keep you up at night, I would recommend that any horror devotee check it out to keep a pulse on the genre beyond the most high-profile releases. If you’re like me, you know that we fright flick folks like to keep a taxonomy of how filmmakers are spooking us nowadays, and The Twin‘s efforts are instructive in its attempts to pull from various inspirations. It’s available on Shudder, and if you’re a Shudder subscriber, you’re probably the type of person who will gladly take a chance on something off the beaten path like this anyway.
The Twin is Recommended If You Like: Old lady neighbors who might be friend or foe, Slo-mo silent shots of devastated screaming, Confusing possessions
Grade: 2 out of 5 Cloudy Days
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