How to End an Episode

September 4, 2022

jmunney Better Call Saul, Evil, Television , , Leave a comment

In the past few weeks, Paramount+’s Evil concluded its third season, and Better Call Saul aired its series finale. So that makes this the perfect time for me to talk about how these are my favorite current shows when it comes to episode endings. They always leave you wanting more. Their cuts to the Executive Producer credit shots are generally silent, but they feel deafening.

With Evil, it feels like a thick book has pretty much plopped down on the table right in front of me. Whereas with Saul, it’s like someone has just walked out of the room and closed the door with absolute certainty. I want to know what happens next, but I also know I’ve just gotten exactly how much I was supposed to get.

This musing originally appeared in the Official Jeffrey Malone Newsletter. Subscribe here!

Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 9/2/22

September 2, 2022

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If it’s season, I’m sneezin’ (CREDIT: Hulu/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
–Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. (Theaters and Peacock)

TV
–Rick and Morty Season 6 Premiere (September 4 on Adult Swim)
–The Good Fight Season 6 Premiere (September 8 on Paramount+) – Final Season Alert!
–The Simpsons: Welcome to the Club (September 8 on Disney+)
–Wedding Season Season 1 (September 8 on Hulu) – Rosa Salazar’s in this.

Music
-Megadeth, The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!

Music on TV
-Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert (September 3 on Paramount+ and CBS)

Movie Review Catch-Up: ‘Fall,’ ‘Spin Me Round,’ ‘Orphan: First Kill’

August 31, 2022

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

What’s going to Fall? (CREDIT: Lionsgate)

Fall:

Starring: Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner, Mason Gooding, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Director: Thomas Mann

Running Time: 107 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: August 12, 2022 (Theaters)

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Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 8/26/22

August 26, 2022

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This is the End that says “Nye!” (CREDIT: Peacock/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
–Breaking (Theaters)
–The Invitation (Theaters)
–Three Thousand Years of Longing (Theaters)

TV
–The End is Nye (Premiered August 25 on Syfy and Peacock) – The Science Guy helps us survive disasters.
–Sprung (Premiered August 19 on Freevee) – Greg Garcia’s latest show!
–DC’s Stargirl Season 3 Premiere (August 31 on The CW)
–The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Series Premiere (September 1 on Amazon Prime) – I didn’t realize this was arriving so soon!

Music on TV
-2022 MTV Video Music Awards (August 28 on MTV)

Music
-Bret McKenzie, Songs Without Jokes – Bret’s full-length solo debut!
-Muse, Will of the People

Sports
-US Open (August 29-September 11 on ESPN and ESPN2) – Serena Williams’ Last Hurrah?

‘The Invitation’ Review: Suspiciously Enticing

August 26, 2022

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

Who’s RSVP-ing, Natahalie Emmanuel would like to know (CREDIT: Screen Gems)

Starring: Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Hugh Skinner, Stephanie Corneliussen, Alana Boden, Courtney Taylor, Sean Pertwee

Director: Jessica M. Thompson

Running Time: 104 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for A Few Pokes in the Chest and Neck and Some Tasteful Sexuality

Release Date: August 26, 2022 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: You know, a lot of people nowadays submit their DNA to various companies. The Invitation posits that that might not be the best idea, though. Do we really want distant family members we never knew we had to suddenly be able to contact us? Probably not. Although, maybe it might be nice if they’re fancy Brits who can whisk us away on an all-expense paid trip to a giant mansion in the English countryside. That’s what happens to adult orphan Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) when her newly discovered cousin Oliver (Hugh Skinner) invites her to a wedding. That sounds a little fishy to me, and honestly, it sounds a little fishy to Evie as well, but girl, she could sure use a vacation. Anyway, after she arrives, she has a meet-cute with man of the house Walter (Thomas Doherty), but he’s just a little too suspiciously charming, isn’t he?

What Made an Impression?: The Invitation doesn’t fully reveal its hand until about three-quarters of the way through. But based on the trailer, it’s clear what’s going on, so this appears to be a case of the premise being treated like a twist. Put another way: this movie sure takes its dang time. The teases in the early going are also far and few between. One aggressive character sucks on Evie’s finger after it gets cut, and that’s about the only clue we get. It’s really all we need, though, because what else could that mean?! But this isn’t a mystery movie, it’s an escape-from-the-prison-of-your-toxic-secret-family movie. Unless I’ve completely misunderstood director Jessica M. Thompson and her co-screenwriter Blair Butler’s intentions. And in that case, I just wish they had made something more compelling.

The Invitation is Recommended If You Like: Ignoring obvious red flags

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Cousins

‘Breaking’ is Desperation Distilled

August 24, 2022

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews 1 Comment

John Boyega is … Breaking (CREDIT: Bleecker Street)

Starring: John Boyega, Nicole Beharie, Michael K. Williams, Selenis Leyva, Connie Britton, Jeffrey Donovan, Olivia Washington, London Covington

Director: Abi Damaris Corbin

Running Time: 103 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Constantly Being on the Edge of Disaster

Release Date: August 26, 2022 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Brian Brown-Easley is a most desperate man. A clerical error is preventing him from getting his benefit payments from the Veteran Affairs office, and with his precarious financial situation being what it is, that could very easily mean ending up on the street. So he decides to hold up a bank to procure his money. But his plan isn’t robbery. Rather, it’s about getting the VA’s attention so that they’ll finally hold up their end of the bargain. So he announces that’s he got a bomb and takes a couple of bank employees hostage. As the tense day unfolds, Brian checks in with his ex-wife and young daughter, contacts a local news station on his own, and flummoxes the authorities with his intractable demands.

What Made an Impression?: Breaking is based on a true story, and I imagine that the real Brian Brown-Easley would be happy with the way it turned out. After all, the underlying purpose of his holdup was getting the message out about the VA’s broken system. His monetary demand was quite paltry, in fact. He’s owed $892.34, and that’s all he’s asking for. Not a penny less, and not a penny more. If you were to offer him, say, ten dollars extra, hoo boy, get ready to watch his blood boil all over Georgia. And even though he’s at the bank, he insists that the cash has to come from the VA. He’s willing to die over that demand. A few breaths might be enough to make most people conclude that that’s a drastic overreaction, but I can see where Brian’s coming from.

In a movie where the performances are essential, four stand out as absolutely doing everything we need them to do. Thankfully, we can count John Boyega as Brian among those essentials; he’s fully locked in to seeing everything through to the end. Then there’s Nicole Beharie as the bank manager and Selenis Leyva as the teller, the former pulling out all the stops to make a lifesaving connection and the latter sunken deep into survival mode. And then we’ve got a posthumous gift from Michael K. Williams as the lead negotiator; if there’s anyone who could ever possibly lead us out of such an impossible situation, it’s gotta be the guy who so famously taught the value of a personal code. Let’s hope society takes the lesson of Breaking and catches up.

Breaking is Recommended If You Like: Dog Day Afternoon, Subtle activism, Behind the scenes of live news broadcasts

Grade: 4 out of 5 Benefits

There’s ‘Three Thousand of Years Longing’ in George Miller’s Latest Movie, and You Feel All Three Thousand of Them

August 23, 2022

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , 1 Comment

Look at all that longing! (CREDIT: Elise Lockwood/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures)

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Idris Elba

Director: George Miller

Running Time: 108 Minutes

Rating: R for Getting It On With a Magical Creature

Release Date: August 26, 2022 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: What if Aladdin starred Idris Elba instead of Robin Williams and Tilda Swinton instead of Steve from Full House. And also, what if it took place almost entirely in a hotel room? That’s pretty much Three Thousand Years of Longing in a nutshell. Alithea Binnie (Swinton) is a professor attending a conference in Istanbul, where she’s treated to the discovery of a djinn who had previously been trapped for millennia. And so, he is obliged to grant her – you guessed it! – that classic trio of wishes. But here’s the catch: Alithea’s not exactly the kind of person who would like to suddenly change her life by conjuring what’s in her heart of hearts. So it looks like we’re going to be her for a while. In the meantime, the djinn takes it upon himself to tell Alithea his life story.

What Made an Impression?: Three Thousand Years of Longing is basically just Pure Intoxication, thoroughly distilled. Who could possibly resist being an audience of one to a magical creature played by Idris Elba? As it turns out, Alithea Binnie almost can resist that. Almost. She’s always been a little different than everyone else, and she’s perfectly happy being her own independent self who doesn’t have to rely on anybody. (Which is to say, Tilda Swinton is the perfect person to play her.) But there’s something about somebody opening up to you so full and nakedly by revealing their life story. Let’s call it intimacy. And the power of that intimacy is multiplied about a thousandfold when that story spans millennia.

I’m not going to get too much into the details of the events of the Djinn’s life, mainly because they didn’t make much of an impression on me one way or the other. But that’s not a problem, because with the Djinn telling it, I’m enraptured even if the details mean nothing to me. This movie is a testament to the power of storytelling, specifically its ability to make you fall in love. That’s how Alithea falls in love with the Djinn, it’s how I fell in love with Three Thousand Years of Longing, and it’s how I imagine its spell will be cast on many more viewers to come.

Three Thousand Years of Longing is Recommended If You Like: Cracking open a good book, Gathering around the fire, Waking up only to fall back into a deep slumber

Grade: 4 out of 5 Stories

Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 8/19/22

August 19, 2022

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Looks intriguing… (CREDIT: FX Networks/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
–Beast (Theaters) – Idris Elba vs. Lion
–Orphan: First Kill (Theaters and Paramount+) – Prequel Alert!
–Spin Me Round (Theaters, On Demand, and AMC+) – Oh, Alison Brie’s in this?

TV
–Kevin Can F**k Himself Season 2 Premiere (August 22 on AMC) – Final Season Alert!
–Archer Season 13 Premiere (August 24 on FXX)
–Little Demon Series Premiere (August 25 on FXX) – Aubrey Plaza’s child is the spawn of Satan.
–Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3 Premiere (August 25 on Paramount+)

Music
-Silversun Pickups, Physical Thrills

Sports
-2022 WNBA Playoffs (August 17-Mid-September)

Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 8/12/22

August 12, 2022

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She-Hulk: Attorney at Law being green (CREDIT: Marvel Studios)

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

Movies
–Emily the Criminal (Theaters)
–Fall (Theaters)
–Mack & Rita (Theaters) – Starring Diane Keaton.

TV
–A League of Their Own (August 12 on Amazon Prime Video) – Co-created by Abbi Jacobson.
–Never Have I Ever Season 3 (August 12 on Netflix)
–RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race Season 2 Premiere (August 12 on VH1) – Apparently this season has taken inspiration from The Masked Singer.
–South Park: The 25th Anniversary Concert (August 13 on Comedy Central)
–Better Call Saul Series Finale (August 15 on AMC)
–The Legacy: The True Story of the L.A. Lakers Docuseries Premiere (August 15 on Hulu)
–She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Series Premiere (August 18 on Disney+) – The “she” being Tatiana Maslany.

Music
-Sylvan Esso, No Rules Sandy

Sports
-2022 Little League World Series (August 17-28 on ESPN)

‘Emily the Criminal’ Wonders: What’s the Deal with Student Debt Leading to a Life of Crime?!

August 9, 2022

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , 1 Comment

Emily the Criminal (CREDIT: Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment)

Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Megalyn Echikunwoke

Director: John Patton Ford

Running Time: 93 Minutes

Rating: R for A Few Nose-Bloodying Encounters

Release Date: August 12, 2022 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Emily Benetto (Aubrey Plaza) is an aspiring artist who has the chops and the connections to make a real professional go at it. But she’s a young adult in the 21st century, so it’s no surprise that she’s also tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Her gig delivering food orders is hardly making a dent. Ergo, she dips her toe into a scheme as a “dummy shopper,” in which she buys high-value goods with stolen credit cards for an underground operation. And she’s kind of good at it! But when you commit to a criminal lifestyle, you’ve also got to always be looking over your shoulder.

What Made an Impression?: I’m on vacation this week, but I wanted to make sure I checked in for a sec to give you my quick thoughts about Emily the Criminal. The One Big Thought I had was that the dummy shopper recruitment method kind of reminded me of a curse being passed on a la The Ring or It Follows. The colleague who gives Emily the tip seems like he’s ready to get out of  the game, you know? But ultimately, Emily kind of embraces it and we get the sense that maybe she’ll be running her own mini-empire soon enough. So in that way, it’s more like a multi-level marketing scheme. You find empowerment where you can when you’ve got all that debt.

Grade: 3 out of 5 Credit Cards

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