Ferguson, clear Winston’s schedule. http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2016/01/13/new-girl-season-5-episode-2-recap-what
New Girl 5.2: “What About Fred?”
January 13, 2016
New Girl, New Girl Episode Reviews, Television Ferguson the Cat, Henry Winkler, Julie Hagerty, New Girl, New Girl 502, New Girl Season 5, Taran Killam, What About Fred? Leave a comment
What Won TV? – January 3-January 9, 2016
January 10, 2016
Television, What Won TV? Chardee MacDennis, Chardee MacDennis 2, Downton Abbey, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Jeopardy!, The Grinder, The Simpsons Leave a comment
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 – The Simpsons
Monday – Jeopardy!
Tuesday – The Grinder
Wednesday – It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Thursday – Todd Margaret, again
Friday – Jeopardy!
Saturday – Pittsburgh-Cincinnati, the best episode of 2016 so far.
This Is a Movie Review: The Forest
January 9, 2016
Cinema, Movie Reviews Natalie Dormer, The Forest 1 Comment
Movies like The Forest make me upset that horror does not on the whole get the critical fair shake it deserves. It has a decent premise that it does not quite live up to, though it has plenty of interesting moments. For most genres, that translates to respectability and a Rotten Tomatoes score of approximately 60-75%, but for horror, it means dismissal and a Tomatometer as low as single digits. If the scares are not up to snuff, then neither is the praise.
The Forest is indeed not all that scary, but while it is disappointing, it has enough elements to make it worth watching. Suicidal thoughts, a disorienting location, repressed memories, paranoia, disturbing folklore, and ghosts exploiting all of the above make for a potent mix of anxiety. In a dual role as twin sisters, Natalie Dormer frequently adjusts her personalities, occasionally switching characteristics between the two. It is a tricky performance that requires the support of better editing and writing than is on display. Ultimately, The Forest does not know if it wants to be ambiguous or answer all its mysteries; it is too eager to be the former and too overstuffed to be the latter. Still, it manages to distinguish itself in a genre that usually settles for the same old tricks.
This Is a (Quickie) Movie Review: The Good Dinosaur
January 9, 2016
Cinema, Movie Reviews The Good Dinosaur Leave a comment
The Good Dinosaur is the most uncomfortably close Pixar has gotten to the uncanny valley since Cars. “Dinosaurs with self-aware intelligence living alongside feral humans” is not on quite the same level as organic transportation devices, but it is still a freaky mix of weird and familiar. As disorienting as this premise may be, embracing this weirdness more completely may have actually been to The Good Dinosaur’s benefit, because otherwise, it is a fairly standard journey back home adventure film. What does stand out are the digressive bursts of personality. Specifically, there is the (too-short) acid trip caused by fermented berries and a triceratops with various critters adorning its horns. Other than that, Sam Elliott as a papa T. Rex rounds out the highlights.
The Middle 7.11 – “The Rush”
January 7, 2016
Television, The Middle, The Middle Episode Reviews The Middle, The Middle 711, The Middle Season 7, The Rush Leave a comment
Frankie doesn’t remember the last time she went pants shopping with Brick. Mike does. She said, “That’s the last time I’m going pants shopping with Brick.” http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2016/01/07/the-middle-season-7-episode-11-recap-s1
New Girl 5.1: “Big Mama P”
January 6, 2016
New Girl, New Girl Episode Reviews, Television Big Mama P, New Girl, New Girl 501, New Girl Season 5 Leave a comment
“The doo-doo is already mid-flight to the fans.” http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2016/01/06/new-girl-season-5-premiere-recap-will-
This Is a (Quickie) Movie Review: The Hateful Eight
January 3, 2016
Cinema, Movie Reviews The Hateful Eight Leave a comment
You’ve got to hand it Quentin Tarantino. He always knows exactly what he is doing. His latest – the Western mission movie-cum-locked room mystery The Hateful Eight – starts off about as deliberately paced as possible. Sure, the tension needs to be built up for the enmity promised in the title to be worth watching, but does it have to take an hour and a half? While that setup could be more economical, it makes damn sure that the cabin this mix of bounty hunters, criminals, and mystery men find themselves trapped in is a lit powder keg. A mix of flashbacks and narration threatens to explain too much, but that is acceptable when withholding information as confidently as The Hateful Eight does. Is the whole thing indulgent, excessive, and distasteful? Sure, but the master of the prestige B-movie proves once again that such a bloody stew can still make for quality cinema.
What Won TV? – December 27, 2015-January 2, 2016
January 3, 2016
Television, What Won TV? Billy on the Street, Jeopardy! Leave a comment
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 – Football, I guess
Monday – Jeopardy!
Tuesday – Jeopardy!
Wednesday – Jeopardy!
Thursday – Billy on the Street
Friday – Jeopardy!
Saturday – TCU comeback making sure we remember the Alamo Bowl
2015: A Year at the Movies
January 1, 2016
A Year at the Movies, Cinema Leave a comment
After 2014’s total dropped significantly from 2013’s, 2015 moved back in the right direction, up 6 on last year, with a strong December showing (accounting for about 16% of the final tally) to wrap up the year.
(Included with the list of titles are grades, dates, showtimes, theatre locations, and folks I saw the movies with.)
1. The Gambler – C (1/7, 8:15 PM, Regal United Artists Oxford Valley, Langhorne, PA; Walter Wojcik)
2. Selma – A- (1/9, 7:20 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
3. Predestination – B+ (1/14, 1:00 PM, AMC Neshaminy, Bensalem, PA; Walter Wojcik)
4. Whiplash – A (1/17, 3:10 PM, Neshaminy; Walter Wojcik)
5. Inherent Vice – B (1/22, 2:45 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
6. American Sniper – C+ (2/4, 7:00 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
7. The Theory of Everything – B (2/5, 1:00 PM, Neshaminy; Walter Wojcik)
8. Fifty Shades of Grey – C (2/16, 11:20 AM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
9. Jupiter Ascending – B (2/19, 7:10 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
10. What We Do in the Shadows – A- (3/14, 4:15 PM, Landmark Sunshine, New York, NY; Rob Malone and Walter Wojcik)
11. Kingsman: The Secret Service – B- (3/24, 6:30 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
12. It Follows – B+ (3/26, 7:50 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
13. Get Hard – B- (3/26, 9:50 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
14. Furious 7 – B+ (4/13, 1:30 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
15. Unfriended – B+ (4/17, 2:30 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
16. Ex Machina – A (4/24, 7:20 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
17. Rifftrax Live: The Room (5/6, 8:00 PM, Regal Union Square, New York, NY; myself)
18. Mad Max: Fury Road – A- (5/15, 1:20 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
19. Avengers: Age of Ultron in 3D – B- (5/15, 7:10 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik and Terri Wojcik)
20. Pitch Perfect 2 – C+ (5/19, 1:30 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
21. Far From the Madding Crowd – B (5/21, 4:15 PM, Angelika Film Center, New York, NY; myself)
22. Poltergeist – B- (5/27, 8:00 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
23. Insidious: Chapter 3 – B- (6/4, 7:20 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
24. Tomorrowland – C+ (6/9, 7:15 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
25. Dope – B+ (6/22, 7:40 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
26. Spy – B (6/22, 9:50 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojick)
27. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl – A- (6/24, 7:50 PM, Neshaminy; Bob Malone and Beth Woods)
28. Inside Out in 3D – A- (7/2, 12:40 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojick, Natalie Wolanin, and Stasiu Wolanin)
29. Jurassic World – B (7/8, 8:30 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojick)
30. Minions in 3D – B+ (7/16, 8:10 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
31. Trainwreck – B+ (7/16, 10:00 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
32. Magic Mike XXL – B (7/27, 8:00 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
33. Terminator Genisys – B (7/27, 11:00 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
34. Ant-Man – B (8/3, 7:15 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
35. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – B (8/3, 9:40 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
36. Irrational Man – B- (8/11, 1:40 PM, Regal Manahawkin, Manahawkin, NJ; Bob Malone and Kaity Malone)
37. Shaun the Sheep Movie – B+ (8/24, 7:45 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
38. The Gift – B (8/24, 9:20 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
39. The End of the Tour – B+ (8/26, 7:55 PM, Neshaminy; Walter Wojcik)
40. The Diary of a Teenage Girl – B (9/1, 7:40 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
41. Sinister 2 – B (9/10, 7:35 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
42. The Visit – B+ (9/10, 9:40 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
43. Straight Outta Compton – B (9/11, 6:50 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
44. Grandma – B (9/28, 8:50 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
45. The Intern – B- (10/1, 12:20 PM, Oxford Valley; Claire Dansbury)
46. Rifftrax Live: Miami Connection (10/1, 8:00 PM, Neshaminy; Walter Wojcik)
47. Sleeping with Other People – B+ (10/5, 7:50 PM, Neshaminy; Walter WojciK)
48. The Martian – B+ (10/8, 9:00 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
49. Sicario – A- (10/15, 12:50 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
50. Black Mass – B (10/21, 12:40 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
51. Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension in 3D – C (10/29, 2:00 PM, Neshaminy; myself)
52. Goosebumps – B- (11/2, 8:20 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
53. Crimson Peak – C+ (11/2, 10:20 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
54. Bridge of Spies – A- (11/4, 7:00 PM, Oxford Valley; Claire Dansbury, Pat Dansbury, Walter Wojcik)
55. Steve Jobs – A- (11/5, 12:50 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
56. The Night Before – B (11/19, 8:00 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
57. Brooklyn – B+ (11/30, 7:35 PM, Neshaminy; myself)
58. Rifftrax Live: Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny (12/3, 8:00 PM, Neshaminy; Dave Coyle and Walter Wojcik)
59. Spotlight – A (12/6, 3:20 PM, Oxford Valley; Pat Dansbury)
60. Krampus – B+ (12/6, 7:50 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
61. Creed – B+ (12/6, 10:10 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
62. Chi-Raq – B+ (12/10, 1:35 PM, Neshaminy; Walter Wojcik)
63. Spectre – B (12/15, 6:30 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
64. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 – B- (12/15, 9:30 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
65. The Peanuts Movie – B+ (12/16, 7:10 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
66. Star Wars: The Force Awakens – A- (12/22, 10:00 AM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik and Terri Wojcik)
67. The Big Short – A (12/22, 7:05 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
68. The Hateful Eight 70mm Roadshow – B+ (12/29, 11:00 PM, Neshaminy; Walter Wojcik)
Best Films of 2015
December 31, 2015
Best in Film 2015, Best of 2015, Cinema Best of 2015, Bridge of Spies, Ex Machina, Inside Out, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, movies, Sicario, Spotlight, Star Wars The Force Awakens, Steve Jobs, The Big Short, What We Do in the Shadows 1 Comment
Clockwise from Top Left: Inside Out; Spotlight; Ex Machina; The Big Short (CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots)
Box office records kept falling in 2015, and some of the biggest blockbusters were actually among the best films of the year! This is appropriate enough, as bigness was the name of the day in 2015, with Big Emotions and Big Ideas all over this list. Whether it was through muckraking journalism and statesmanship, the birth of new heroes, or the burning desire to make personal connections, the makers of the best films of 2015 made sure audiences heard what they had to say.
This top 10 list was originally posted on Starpulse in December 2015.
1. The Big Short – Spoiler alert: as the wild ride of Adam McKay’s adaptation of Michael Lewis’ bestselling nonfiction thriller about the players who anticipated the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble settles into its conclusion, the epilogue reveals that every Wall Street fraudster was imprisoned and new stringent legal regulations have been implemented to prevent another crisis. Except, of course, that didn’t happen. This is an esoteric topic, but the audience for “The Big Short” knows it has been screwed. The level at which this swindling occurred is astounding and ridiculous, and the filmmaking that captures it is just as absurdly gut-wrenching.
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