You’re never gonna believe this, but … Jeff and Aunt Beth are both HUGE fans of The Beatles. And incredibly enough, so are several other members of their family.
That’s Auntertainment! Episode 45: The Beatles
May 22, 2022
Podcasts, That's Auntertainment Fab Four, Podcasts, That's Auntertainment, The Beatles Leave a comment
Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 5/20/22
May 20, 2022
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Sports, Television Beat Shazam, Don't Forget the Lyrics, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Emergency, Eyeye, Flume, French Open, Harry Styles, Harry's House, Lykke Li, Men, Palaces, Preakness Stakes, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Tennis, That Damn Michael Che, The American Rescue Dog Show Leave a comment
The American Rescue Dog Show (CREDIT: Maarten de Boer/ABC)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Downton Abbey: A New Era (Theaters)
–Men (Theaters)
–Emergency (Theaters and on Amazon Prime Video May 27)
TV
–RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 7 Premiere (May 20 on Paramount+) – It’s the Winners Season!
–Don’t Forget the Lyrics Series Premiere (May 23 on FOX) – Another music game show?!
–Beat Shazam Season Premiere (May 23 on FOX)
-The American Rescue Dog Show (May 25 on ABC) – Hosted by the Holey Moley guys.
–That Damn Michael Che Season 2 (May 26 on HBO Max)
Music
-Flume, Palaces
-Harry Styles, Harry’s House
-Lykke Li, Eyeye
Sports
-147th Preakness Stakes (May 21 on NBC)
-French Open (May 22-June 5 on Tennis Channel and NBC)
Sonic is a Party Dude, but is ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ a Party Time?
May 19, 2022
Cinema, Movie Reviews Adam Pally, Ben Schwartz, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Idris Elba, James Marsden, Jeff Fowler, Jim Carrey, Lee Majdoub, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Tika Sumpter, Tom Butler 1 Comment
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (CREDIT: Paramount Pictures and Sega of America)
Starring: Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Tika Sumpter, Idris Elba, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Shemar Moore, Lee Majdoub, Tom Butler
Director: Jeff Fowler
Running Time: 122 Minutes
Rating: PG
Release Date: April 8, 2022 (Theaters)
Early on in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the little spiky blue guy has the house all to himself. So he and Ozzy the golden retriever just kick back and PAR-TAAAAAAY!!!! That’s the kind of Sonic movie I want. Just a CGI hedgehog and a chill pooch hanging out and having fun. And there’s no reason to have any anxiety about the mess they make, because thanks to Sonic’s super-speed, he can just clean everything up in a literal second! Why not take advantage of that? Anyway, that’s only a small portion of this sequel. I guess I’m totally fine with the decision to have Sonic team up with the Fox Fellow and the Echidna Dude to take down the Wacky Mustache Man, but it would have been a lot nicer if the dog had also been there the whole while. That’s all I’m saying.
Grade: Doggone It!
‘Emergency’ Has an Attention-Grabbing Premise and Compelling Execution
May 18, 2022
Cinema, Movie Reviews Carey Williams, Diego Abraham, Donald Elise Watkins, Emergency, Gillian Rabin, Maddie Nichols, Madison Thompson, RJ Cyler, Sabrina Carpenter, Sebastian Chacon, Summer Madison 1 Comment
Emergency (CREDIT: Quantrell Colbert/© 2021 Amazon Content Services LLC)
Starring: Donald Elise Watkins, RJ Cyler, Sebastian Chacon, Sabrina Carpenter, Maddie Nichols, Madison Thompson, Diego Abraham, Summer Madison, Gillian Rabin
Director: Carey Williams
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Rating: R for College Partying Gone Way Wrong
Release Date: May 20, 2022 (Theaters)/May 27, 2022 (Amazon Prime Video)
Is it an emergency if you don’t see the 2022 film Emergency as soon as possible? Its title certainly sounds urgent, and I’m sure you don’t want to find out that somebody died because you, Very Specific Theoretical Audience Member, didn’t watch one particular movie when you very easily could have. Now before I go any further, let me be clear that I’m being HYPERBOLIC. I don’t want anyone to get it twisted! Let me also be clear that you don’t have to see any movie that you don’t want to see, no matter how much everyone else is talking about it. But even after all that preamble, I’ll confidently declare that you may still want to check out Emergency, as it offers a fascinating premise that leads into horrifying, hilarious, and thought-provoking directions.
Sean (RJ Cyler) and Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) are two best buds and college roommates who just want to spend their Friday night making their way through a mythical rotation of campus parties. Well, that’s all Sean wants to do. Kunle’s on board, too, but he’s also worried about his bacteria cultures for a lab project, especially since a botched assignment could run afoul of his looming transition into grad school. But all of that is waylaid when they discover a random semi-conscious girl (Maddie Nichols) on the floor of their apartment. Their other roommate Carlos (Sebastian Chacon) has no idea how she got there, and they immediately become concerned about the optics of three black and brown dudes hovering over a drunk white girl.
So instead of calling 911, the boys attempt to drive her to the hospital, which isn’t exactly a more prudent decision, as it leads to a series of increasingly dangerous misunderstandings. Getting the girl in an ambulance almost certainly would have been much better for everyone involved, but it’s not hard to understand their trepidation. It’s always tricky to make a movie like this one that taps into people of color’s deep-seated mistrust of authority, as it will unavoidably awaken raw emotions. So I won’t be surprised if Emergency is an automatic turn-off for some viewers. Nevertheless, I appreciate its uniquely thoughtful, grounded approach. At its core, this is a story of college kids who let a situation get out of hand, as so often happens in a college setting. The weightier threats linger because that’s just what a significant part of this country is like.
Emergency is Recommended If You Like: Maximum Tonal Discomfort
Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Busted Taillights
Oh Heavens, How Ever Will ‘Downton Abbey’ Enter a ‘New Era’?
May 17, 2022
Cinema, Movie Reviews Alex MacQueen, Allen Leech, Brendan Coyle, Charlie Watson, David Robb, Dominic West, Douglas Reith, Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Elizabeth McGovern, Harry Hadden-Paton, Hugh Bonneville, Hugh Dancy, Imelda Staunton, Jim Carter, Joanne Froggatt, Jonathan Coy, Jonathan Zaccaï, Kevin Doyle, Laura Carmichael, Laura Haddock, Lesly Nicol, Maggie Smith, Michael Fox, Michelle Dockery, Nathalie Baye, Paul Copley, Penelope Wilton, Phyllis Logan, Raquel Cassidy, Robert James-Collier, Samantha Bond, Simon Curtis, Sophie McShera, Sue Johnston, Tuppence Middleton 2 Comments
Downton Abbey: A New Era (CREDIT: Ben Blackall/Focus Features)
Starring: Nathalie Baye, Hugh Bonneville, Samantha Bond, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Raquel Cassidy, Paul Copley, Jonathan Coy, Brendan Coyle, Hugh Dancy, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Michael Fox, Joanne Froggatt, Robert James-Collier, Harry Hadden-Paton, Laura Haddock, Sue Johnston, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Alex MacQueen, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Tuppence Middleton, Lesly Nicol, Douglas Reith, David Robb, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton, Charlie Watson, Dominic West, Penelope Wilton, Jonathan Zaccaï
Director: Simon Curtis
Running Time: 125 Minutes
Rating: PG for Some Hints of Impropriety
Release Date: May 20, 2022 (Theaters)
In another area of my work outside this Movie Review Rat Race, I was recently working on a list of the Downton Abbey cast’s real-life romantic partners, which resulted in me becoming inexplicably excited for the latest cinematic excursion to the Crawley estate. I say “inexplicably” because I never watched an episode of the original TV series (though I did check in for the first movie). I certainly soaked up the Downton phenomenon through pop culture osmosis, as several of my family members were devoted viewers, and I bore witness to its not insignificant awards show presence. Meanwhile, several of its regulars have popped up in movies and shows that I have seen. Which is all to say, A New Era felt like a cozy trip back home for me, and I imagine that will be even more true for longtime fans.
It’s 1928, and epochal changes are afoot on both sides of the Atlantic. Downton is falling into disrepair, while thousands of miles away Hollywood is marching forward uneasily into the talkie era. These two stories collide when a film crew rents out the mansion to mount a massive silent production. Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) stays behind and becomes sweet on the director (Hugh Dancy), while the rest of the family heads to the south of France and discovers some potentially life-altering secrets about their matriarch’s past. Each plot twist is reacted to like it’s the end of the world, then there’s a gentle reminder that all this drama isn’t worth overreacting to, the formula repeats, and that’s all part of the charm.
That understated over-the-top approach is most fully embodied in the case of the Dowager Countess, with Maggie Smith still as adorably cutting as ever at 87. Everyone suspects that these may be her last days, and they all make a big to-do about it, while simultaneously insisting not to make a big to-do about it. Meanwhile, the Countess herself is as healthy and mentally sharp as the script needs her to be in one scene, while as unhealthy and close to death’s door in another scene as the dramatic stakes require. Really, though, we should all be so lucky to have such a coherent goodbye from a loved one. Downton Abbey is and always has been light and frothy, but it cares about its people.
Downton Abbey: A New Era is Recommended If You Like: Getting all worked up but then realizing that everything is perfectly fine, more or less
Grade: 3 out of 5 Talkies
‘Petite Maman’ Proves Once Again: Twins Rule!
May 16, 2022
Cinema, Movie Reviews Céline Sciamma, Gabrielle Sanz, Joséphine Sanz, Margo Abascal, Nina Meurisse, Petite Maman, Stéphane Varupenne 1 Comment
Petite Maman (CREDIT: NEON)
Starring: Joséphine Sanz, Gabrielle Sanz, Stéphane Varupenne, Nina Meurisse, Margo Abascal
Director: Céline Sciamma
Running Time: 72 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: April 22, 2022 (Theaters)
I would love to have twins in my family. I guess it’s too late for me to have my own twin, but there’s still time for me to potentially be a father to twins. Maybe I’ll take a cue from Roger Federer and his wife and aim for two sets of twins!
Petite Maman doesn’t feature any twins among its characters, but its cast does feature a central twin pair. And while little Joséphine and Gabrielle Sanz aren’t playing sisters, they sure couldn’t hide their sisterly energy. Nor should they have! What a lovely fairy tale.
Grade: 2 out of 2 Twins Playing Non-Twins
Jeff’s Wacky SNL Review: Selena Gomez/Post Malone
May 15, 2022
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television Post Malone, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 47, Selena Gomez, SNL, SNL Season 47 Leave a comment
SNL: Bowen Yang, Selena Gomez, Aidy Bryant, Post Malone (CREDIT: NBC/Screenshot)
Uh-oh, Selena Gomez is finally a Saturday Night Live host! I don’t know why I said “uh-oh,” it’s not like this is bad news. I guess it just felt like a fun way to introduce my review. Hopefully I can maintain that much fun throughout the entire review!
You may have heard that the musical guest of this episode is Post Malone, and hey, my last name is also “Malone”! So here’s what I’ve decided to do: list each sketch alphabetically according to the last name (or stage name) of the first person to speak (or sing, in the case of musical performances) on screen. (So no narrators, because it can get a little tricky in that zone.)
Here it goes again!
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
Aunt Beth tells Jeff to stuff Pushing Daisies down his Pie Hole. Also, some thoughts on Top Gun: Maverick.
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)
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