Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 10/28/22

October 28, 2022

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Hello, Blockbuster? It’s your cousin, Randall Blockbuster. (CREDIT: Ricardo Hubbs/Netflix © 2022)

Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.

Movies
–Armageddon Time (Theaters)
–Prey for the Devil (Theaters) – New frights for Halloween.
–The Wonder (November 2 in Theaters, November 16 on Netflix) – It stars Florence Pugh.

TV
–Big Mouth Season 6 (October 28 on Netflix)
–Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions (Begins October 31, check local listings) – A new format this year.
–Blockbuster Season 1 (November 3 on Netflix) – Randall Park and Melissa Fumero work at a video rental store.

Music
-Babyface, Girls’ Night Out
-King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Changes

Sports
-World Series (Begins October 28 on FOX) – Phils vs. ‘stros.

I Made a ‘Decision to Leave’ My Apartment and Go See ‘The Woman King’ and ‘Amsterdam’

October 25, 2022

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2 Women, 1 King (CREDIT: Sony Pictures Entertainment)

The Woman King:

Starring: Thuso Mbedu, Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Jordan Bolger, Johyn Boyega, Hero Fiennes Tiffin

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Running Time: 135 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: September 16, 2022 (Theaters)

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Life is Hard When It’s ‘Armageddon Time’

October 24, 2022

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Armageddon and his friend Time (CREDIT: Anne Joyce/Focus Features)

Starring: Banks Repeta, Jeremy Strong, Anne Hathaway, Anthony Hopkins, Jaylin Webb, Ryan Sell, Tovah Feldshuh, Andrew Polk

Director: James Gray

Running Time: 115 Minutes

Rating: R for Some Language, Corporal Punishment, and Pre-Teen Delinquency

Release Date: October 28, 2022 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Middle school is an awkward, frequently terrifying time for a lot of people. That’s especially true for budding artist Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) during his time in sixth grade in 1980 Queens at P.S. 173. He’s got the most hard-ass teacher in the world (Andrew Polk), although you get the sense that that was par for the course for the time period. His parents (Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway) want the best for him, but they don’t understand him and all their interactions are filled with constant, occasionally violent frustration. His older brother (Ryan Sell) isn’t too bad, though he is a run-of-the-mill pain in the butt.

Paul escapes all that angst occasionally with his best friend Johnny (Jaylin Webb). But that also leads into an even more troubled world since Johnny is the class troublemaker with a troubled home life, and Paul can’t even begin to fathom the racism Johnny experiences as a young black man, even though his family does clue him in on what his Jewish ancestors have had to endure. It doesn’t get much better for Paul when he transfers to a private school where one of the main benefactors is none other than Fred Trump (John Diehl). At least he has his wise and gentle grandfather Aaron (Anthony Hopkins) to turn to in times of (never-ending) crisis.

What Made an Impression?: I had a sneaking suspicion that Armageddon Time wasn’t going to have a happy ending. It is named “ARMAGEDDON Time,” after all. There may not be a nuclear war to wipe everybody out, even though Paul’s family is devastated by the election of Ronald Reagan. But after everything that Paul goes through over the course of this movie, he can be forgiven for thinking it’s just as bad. Not much is offered in the way of catharsis, though there is just a hint of hope. I found it all incredibly compelling, though I wasn’t exactly sure why that was while watching. I certainly enjoy a good coming-of-age yarn, but this one is a lot more unpleasant than most. I suspect it works as well as it does because it’s based on writer-director James Gray’s own childhood, and it feels like an honest reckoning. Everyone has a story worth telling, and when you’re as vibrant a storyteller as Gray is, I’m happy to see that story on the big screen.

Armageddon Time is Recommended If You Like: Dickensian bildungsromans

Grade: 4 out of 5 Rapper’s Delights

That’s Auntertainment! Karaoke Korner 30: Special Billboard ‘100 Greatest Karaoke Songs of All Time’ Reaction Edition

October 23, 2022

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CREDIT: Screenshot

In a VERY Special Edition of Karaoke Korner, Jeff reacts to this list: https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-karaoke-songs-all-time/

Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 10/21/22

October 21, 2022

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Shermy Sherm (CREDIT: IFC/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
–The Banshees of Inisherin (Theaters)
–Black Adam (Theaters)
–Ticket to Paradise (Theaters)

TV
–Doctor Who: “The Power of the Doctor” (October 23 on BBC America) – The end for Dr. Jodie Whittaker.
–Sherman’s Showcase Season 2 Premiere (October 26 on IFC)
–Tales of the Jedi Season 1 (October 26 on Disney+) – Star Wars Anthology

Music
-Arctic Monkeys, The Car
-Carly Rae Jepsen, The Loneliest Time
-Taylor Swift, Midnights
-Tegan and Sara, Crybaby

Book a ‘Ticket to Paradise’ and Get Ready for Your Anti-Romantic Frown to Be Turned Upside-Down

October 19, 2022

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Tickets, please. (CREDIT: Vince Valitutti/Universal Studios)

Starring: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Kaitlyn Dever, Billie Lourd, Maxime Bouttier, Lucas Bravo

Director: Ol Parker

Running Time: 104 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Some Beachy Language, Including the Limit of One F-Bomb

Release Date: October 21, 2022 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Are David and Georgia Cotton (George Clooney and Julia Roberts) the most acrimoniously divorced couple in history? The opening sequence of Ticket to Paradise sure leads us to think so. As do all the other early scenes, and all the middle ones as well. Maybe things will be different by the end? Their daughter Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) sure hopes so, because she’s getting married to a guy she just met in Bali (Maxime Bouttier) during a post-law school graduation vacation, and she’d kind of like to have their blessing. Meanwhile, Lily’s best friend Wren (Billie Lourd) is on hand to get constantly boozed up. And Georgia’s much younger flight attendant boyfriend Paul (Lucas Bravo) is also there to constantly worship her. What could possibly go wrong?! Or maybe, the better question is, what could possibly go right…

What Made an Impression?: I really didn’t think this was going to be a movie about a divorced couple falling back in love. The trailers had me convinced that they thoroughly hated each other’s guts to the point that there was simply no hope for reconciliation. And the first half of the actual movie didn’t make me reconsider. At all. David and Georgia are simply their worst selves when they’re around each other. Or just talking about each other. And even when they team up to sabotage their daughter’s nuptials, there’s hardly any tension of mystery to the mess-around, as Lily knows what their deal is, even if she doesn’t know exactly what they’re up to (though Clooney and Roberts are reliably devious).

But despite all that, it’s no spoiler to reveal that Ticket to Paradise is indeed about two wayward lovers finding their way back. We don’t see a whole lot of them being good to each other, so I was generally skeptical that their reunion was a good idea. But this is a big-hearted movie that wants us to be open to life-altering experiences, so I ultimately appreciated it taking the plunge.

I would also like to highlight one scene that really sticks out, in which a restless David stops by the bar for a late-night solo drink, when he’s unexpectedly joined by Wren. For a passing moment, I wondered if the father of the bride was about to sleep with her best friend. I brushed that thought aside, assuring myself that this wasn’t that type of movie, and indeed it’s not. Still, it was a strange, though edifying, encounter that fit with the whole ethos of “Don’t be so certain that you know everything.”

Ticket to Paradise is Recommended If You Like: The Parent Trap (1998), Mamma Mia! 1 & 2, Late in life beer pong

Grade: 3 out of 5 Proposals

Martin McDonagh Reunites with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson for ‘The Banshees of Inisherin,’ and Their Friendship Was Never the Same

October 18, 2022

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Listen to those banshees wail! (CREDIT: Jonathan Hession/Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved.)

Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan

Director: Martin McDonagh

Running Time: 114 Minutes

Rating: R for Irish-Accented Profanity, Inexplicable Violence, and a Bit of Nudity

Release Date: October 21, 2022 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: In a remote corner on the coast of Ireland, Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) suddenly decides that he no longer wants to be friends with Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell). This is happening against the backdrop of the Irish Civil War of 1922-23, but it kind of feels like it could be in a present-day village that is so cut off from the rest of civilization that it never assimilated any of the new technology of the past 100 years. Meanwhile, Pádraic’s sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) is all ready to finally leave the island, and she’s encouraging her brother to do the same. There are several other residents that we encounter, most of them men who rarely do anything besides hang out at the tavern. Then there’s Dominic (Barry Keoghan), the youngest, simplest, and most sensitive of all the main characters that we meet. But his prospects don’t look great, because Inisherin is no country for Dominics.

What Made an Impression?: I initially found The Banshees of Inisherin to be generally entertaining, but also profoundly inscrutable. Pretty much all of Colm’s behavior is nonsensical, but he’s so sure of himself that it makes you wonder, “Am I missing something here?” Eventually, though, it all clicked into place when I realized that Colm must be suffering from clinical depression. It wasn’t obvious at first because I’ve never experienced it myself directly, though I have encountered enough portrayals of mental illnesses to realize that it’s less about constant sadness and more about inexplicably destructive decision-making. Writer-director Martin McDonagh presents us with plenty of outrageous developments, but he employs a light touch that allows us to be drawn in at our own speed.

McDonagh’s previous collaboration with both Farrell and Gleeson was 2008’s In Bruges, a quirky black comedy thriller that is absolutely beloved by a not-insignificant segment of film buffs. I liked that one well enough but never felt like I was fully on its wavelength. I have similar feelings about Inisherin, but I’m a little closer to the inner circle this time. It’s not fully my vibe, but I think I get it. If this is your vibe, though, get ready for a hell of time.

The Banshees of Inisherin is Recommended If You Like: Hibernophilia

Grade: 4 out of 5 Friendships

Jeff’s Wacky SNL Review: Megan Thee Stallion/Megan Thee Stallion

October 16, 2022

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2 Stallions, 1 Promo (CREDIT: NBC/Screenshot)

Okay, folks, here’s what’s going to happen: Megan Thee Stallion just hosted SNL, and she was also the musical guest. Now I’m going to review that episode, sketch-by-sketch. And those reviewlets will go by the following format, in honor of the guest: a quick little word or phrase, followed by “Thee Stallion.”

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That’s Auntertainment! Episode 47: Alan Tudyk and Resident Alien

October 16, 2022

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Just your friendly neighborhood resident alien (CREDIT: SYFY/Screenshot)

This is not a podcast hosted by aliens. But we do talk about some of them! Like Harry Vanderspeigle. With a little help from Aunt Beth’s son/Jeff’s nephew Rory.

Also discussed: the Community movie.

Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 10/14/22

October 14, 2022

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(CREDIT: IFC/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
–Decision to Leave (Theaters) – The latest from Park Chan-wook!
–Halloween Ends (Theaters and Peacock)
–Till (Theaters)

TV
–High School Series Premiere (October 14 on Freevee) – Based on the lives of Tegan and Sara!
–Whose Line is it Anyway? Season 19 Premiere (October 14 on The CW)
–Jeopardy! Second Chance Tournament (October 17-October 28, check local listings) – The inaugural edition of a new tourney!
–Documentary Now! Season 4 Premiere (October 19 on IFC) – AKA Season 53.
–Inside Amy Schumer Season 5 Premiere (October 20 on Paramount+)

Music
-Brian Eno, ForeverAndEverNoMore
-M.I.A., Mata
-The 1975, Being Funny in a Foreign Language
-Red Hot Chili Peppers, Return of the Dream Canteen
-Tove Lo, Dirt Femme

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