“Brick, your sister’s on the thing.” http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2015/10/22/the-middle-season-7-episode-5-recap-th
The Middle 7.5 – “Land of the Lost”
October 22, 2015
Television, The Middle, The Middle Episode Reviews Land of the Lost, The Middle, The Middle 705, The Middle Season 7 Leave a comment
This is a Movie Review: Sicario
October 20, 2015
Cinema, Movie Reviews Sicario Leave a comment
A lot of action movies can leave their audiences feeling confused and exasperated. Sicario encourages that reaction by putting its protagonist in the same position. At the beginning of a mission to hunt down a major cartel boss, FBI agent Kate Mercer (Emily Blunt) is appalled by her team’s reckless deployment of force in broad daylight in front of hundreds of civilians at a customs checkpoint. Kate insists that this approach is completely illegal, and then Sicario reveals its hand: that is exactly the point. To go after the highest echelons of the drug trade requires entering into and getting batted around by chaos. Acknowledging and embracing that insanity is what allows Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro to get away with dangerously swaggy and scary/empathetic performances, respectively, and Emily Blunt to still be awesome despite the complete frustration of her badass style.
Star Wars vs. Football
October 20, 2015
Cinema, Sports, Television @midnight, Football, Star Wars Leave a comment
On last night’s @midnight, Chris Hardwick claimed that he was tricked into watching football to see the Star Wars trailer and then compared it to a Hungry Man commercial airing during Project Runway. I must take exception to this, because while there are plenty of general differences between the football and Star Wars fandoms, they are both so popular that they have plenty of crossover. It is more like a commercial for a Christmas special airing during a Halloween special. Those are probably the 2 most popular American holidays (maybe Thanksgiving is second or first, but Christmas and Halloween are definitely both top 3), but they are definitely significantly different. One’s more of a friends holiday, the other a family holiday. Some Halloween lovers probably hate Christmas, and vice versa. But there are folks who love ’em both.
For me, football and Star Wars were two of my earliest fandoms. I’ve grown a little disillusioned with both, though, thanks to concussions and rah-rah tribalism in the case of the former and Jar-Jar Binks in the case of the latter. But when I see something like the stupidest ever trick play from the Colts, I gotta keep watching. And when I behold BB-8 rolling along, I’m like, “I guess you better get me a ticket.”
SNL October 17, 2015 Recap: Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato
October 18, 2015
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television Astronaut Jones, Bernie Sanders, Brian Fellow, Demi Lovato, Elizabeth the Camel, Jane Karowski, Larry David, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live 4103, Saturday Night Live Season 41, SNL, SNL Season 41, Tracy Morgan, Yo Where Jackie Chan At Right Now Leave a comment
SNL: Demi Lovato, Tracy Morgan, Kenan Thompson (CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot)
This review was originally posted on Starpulse in October 2015.
A little over a year after emerging from a terrible car accident that nearly killed him, Tracy Morgan called up his “co-Obi-Wan Kenobi” Lorne Michaels (whom he loves like his daddy) to let him know that he wanted to come home as soon as he got on his feet. There was legitimate concern that he would have trouble making it through the grind of the whole 90 minutes, or if he could even walk on his own. He acknowledges in his monologue that his mental capacity may not be at 100%, but the truth is, it never has been. This is perhaps the biggest and most successful comeback story in “SNL” history, as the returns of Tracy’s most beloved characters, the show really hitting its stride with its election cycle material, and gratifying trips into the bizarre make for the best episode of the season thus far.
Democratic Presidential Debate – Seven years ago, an emergent political figure bore a striking resemblance to an “SNL” cast member. Tina Fey was no longer on the show, but it still felt inevitable that she would play Sarah Palin. This cycle’s doppelganger did not promise quite the same certainty, as Bernie Sanders’ “SNL” alum twin has a much more contentious history with the show. But sometimes, you just gotta focus on the comedy, with Larry David’s excellent cameo as the Vermont senator perhaps unwittingly committing him to at least a year’s worth of guest appearances. The shoe certainly fits, as Bernie’s propensity to spout percentages and esoteric facts sounds a lot like dialogue from “Seinfeld” or “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Elsewhere, Kate McKinnon continues her superstar turn as Hillary, with her debate version relating to millenials with accuracy but also insanity. And those other guys are a mix of barely present, just happy to be there, and (Alec Baldwin-portrayed) delusional. A-
What Won TV? – October 11-October 17, 2015
October 18, 2015
Television, What Won TV? 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 Last Man on Earth
Monday – Fargo
Tuesday – The Muppets was a delight.
Wednesday – You’re the Worst
Thursday – Nathan for You (I’m not in a relationship right now, so I have plenty of time to commit to my writing.)
Friday – Jeopardy!
Saturday – Saturday Night Live, featuring Larry “Bernie Sanders” David and the search for Jackie Chan
VH1’s The 20 – 10/17/15
October 17, 2015
Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown, VH1's The 20 VH1's The 20 Leave a comment
Each week, I check out VH1′s The 20 (formerly Top 20 countdown), and then I rearrange the songs based on my estimation of their quality.
Original Version
1. R. City ft. Adam Levine – “Locked Away”
2. The Weeknd – “The Hills”
3. Justin Bieber – “What Do You Mean?”
4. Taylor Swift – “Wildest Dreams”
5. Demi Lovato – “Cool for the Summer”
6. One Direction – “Drag Me Down”
7. Ed Sheeran – “Photograph”
8. Shawn Mendes – “Stitches”
9. Elle King – “Ex’s & Oh’s”
10. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Eric Nally, Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, and Grandmaster Caz – “Downtown”
11. Selena Gomez – “Good for You”
12. X Ambassadors – “Renegades”
13. Hailee Steinfeld – “Love Myself”
14. Nick Jonas – “Levels”
15. Ellie Goulding – “On My Mind”
16. Alessia Cara – “Here”
17. Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft. MØ – “Lean On”
18. Calvin Harris and Disciples – “How Deep is Your Love”
19. Hozier – “Someone New”
20. Selena Gomez – “Same Old Love”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Lean On
2. The Hills
3. Downtown
4. Ex’s & Oh’s
5. Same Old Love
6. Renegades
7. Good for You
8. Here
9. Cool for the Summer
10. Levels
11. On My Mind
12. What Do You Mean?
13. Someone New
14. Love Myself
15. How Deep Is You Love
16. Wildest Dreams
17. Drag Me Down
18. Stitches
19. Locked Away
20. Photograph
This is a (Quickie) Movie Review: The Martian
October 15, 2015
Cinema, Movie Reviews The Martian Leave a comment
The Martian is very interested in process. As such, it is more focused in making you think than in leaving you thrilled. That is not to say there is no action – there is, it is just not especially emphasized. When it comes to movies that are almost exclusively about making you think, I usually appreciate them more than I like them. But The Martian really makes you think. The plight of Mark Watney (a fully engaged Matt Damon) – stranded on Mars with any hope of rescue years away – is one that requires the full commitment of all his mental faculties. The detailed presentation of how he gives himself a fighting chance is endlessly inspirational. Not everyone will have to plant a makeshift potato farm at some point in their lives, but everyone will almost certainly have to face situations when a lot has to be made out of a little. Thus, humanity is better off because of the example set by The Martian.
The Middle 7.4: “Risky Business”
October 15, 2015
Television, The Middle, The Middle Episode Reviews Norm MacDonald, Risky Business, Rusty Heck, The Middle, The Middle 704, The Middle Season 7 Leave a comment
“So, Rusty, what brings you by?” “Well, I suppose you’re wondering what brings me by.” http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2015/10/15/the-middle-season-7-episode-4-recap-r
The Muppets 1.4: “Pig Out”
October 14, 2015
Muppets (2015 TV Series), Muppets Episode Reviews, Television Pig Out, The Muppets, The Muppets 104, The Muppets on ABC, The Muppets Season 1 Leave a comment
“Who has a vat of pudding at home?” “You know America struggles with portion size.” http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2015/10/14/the-muppets-season-1-episode-4-recpa-t1
Señor Chang’s “Shining” Moment
October 12, 2015
Cinema, Community, Key & Peele, Television Ben Chang, Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality, Community, Community 507, Community Season 5, Key & Peele, The Shining Leave a comment
SPOILER WARNING: This essay discusses in depth the endings of an episode of Community, a 35-year-old movie, and a classic piece of sketch comedy. If you are reading this, you are probably already familiar with Community’s twist. The Shining works perfectly fine even if you know the ending. But if you have not seen the Key & Peele bit yet, do yourself a favor and watch it before reading.
When I took on this assignment, I thought I was going to be able to cover a whole survey of Shining homages. But then I realized that besides Chang’s misadventures in “Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality,” the only other one I am really familiar with is the Key & Peele sketch “Continental Breakfast.” So I looked up some more to make sure that my suspicion of their proliferance was correct. There’s a 2014 IKEA commercial in which a Danny bikes around a store. The Simpsons did it (“Treehouse of Horror V”). So of course Family Guy also did it. There are plenty of directions one can take with a Shining parody: hammy Jack Nicholson impressions, creepy little kid acting, Shelly Duvall’s big eyes, etc. Focusing on a comparison between Community and Key & Peele is instructive because the crux of both homages is the ending and what they say about the nature of reality.
Jmunney's Blog 