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SNL Review May 20, 2017: Dwayne Johnson/Katy Perry

May 23, 2017

jmunney Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television backpack kid, Dwayne Johnson, Katy Perry, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live 4221, Saturday Night Live Season 42, SNL, SNL Season 42 Leave a comment

This review was originally posted on News Cult in May 2017.

Love It
Hallelujah – Following its first post-election episode this season, SNL chose to forego comedy for melancholy in the cold opening. But now it is time to reflect (or refract) that approach through a cracked looking glass. With leaks now pouring out of every conceivable hole, it is time for Trump and his cronies to prattle on to the tune of Leonard Cohen, striking a note of face-palmingly eternal denial.

There is a certain craze that has seemingly come out of nowhere, so it makes perfect sense that a baby adult would be pacified by it, ergo the Cartier Fidget Spinner…I am categorically in favor of any sketch that features the entire cast, and if it can be managed in merely three minutes, as with the overstuffed rap video One Voice, all the better…Dawn Lazarus is one of those characters that makes such a huge impression in her first appearance that she is brought back almost instantly on her way to a meteoric rise (too bad this is Vanessa Bayer’s last episode, then)…I am not sure if I have ever officially said this, so let me be perfectly clear: Drunk Uncle is one of the best SNL characters of all time.

This Is a Movie Review: The Fate of the Furious

April 16, 2017

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews Charlize Theron, Dwayne Johnson, F. Gary Gray, Kurt Russell, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez, Scott Eastwood, The Fate of the Furious, Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel Leave a comment

The last three entries in the Fast & Furious series brought me fully on board the “quarter mile at a time” lifestyle, thanks to their brazenly unrealistic stunts leaving me totally breathless. (The cornball repartee and preternaturally earnest family ethos were nice bonuses.) The Fate of the Furious certainly does not hold back on the go-for-broke extremes, but nothing really reaches any gobsmacking heights. There are too many explosions – fire gets in the way of the awe of flying through the air. At least Ludacris and Tyrese are still on point with whatever they’re nattering on about. They’re practically speaking a new dialect at this point.

I give The Fate of the Furious 6.5 Approvals From the Baby out of 10 Redirected Explosions.

This Is a Movie Review: Moana

December 11, 2016

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Jemaine Clement, Moana Leave a comment

moana_ocean_parting

Moana is a rather small-scale story, at least geographically. The title character (Auli’i Cravalho, tenacious as one can be in voice acting), a Polynesian chief’s daughter, must sail across a reef and procure a MacGuffin to save her people. Along the way, she must defy her overprotective father and forge an Unlikely Friendship with the self-interested demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson, because of course). We never doubt that Moana will succeed, because she is too strong-willed to fail, and also, the ocean has her back. Which is my favorite song? Why, “Shiny,” as sung by Jemaine Clement, of course.

I give Moana 7 Pounamus out of 10 Te Fiti’s.

2015 Emmy Nominations Predictions and Wishlist

July 13, 2015

jmunney Awards Shows, Emmys, Television 2015 Emmys, @midnight, Abbi Jacobson, Adam Arkin, Adam Driver, Adelaide Clemens, Aden Young, Alison Brie, Allison Janney, American Dad!, Amy Poehler, Amy Schumer, Andre Braugher, Android, Anna Chlumsky, Arrow, Aya Cash, Better Call Saul, Big Bird, Billy on the Street, Bob Odenkirk, Bojack Horseman, Britt Lower, Broad City, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Chris Geere, Chris Gethard, Chris Mckenna, Christina Hendricks, Christine Baranski, Claire Danes, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Community, Conan, Constance Wu, Craig T. Nelson, Dan Harmon, Danny Pudi, David Anders, Dominic West, Don Cheadle, Downer Ending, Downton Abbey, Dreaming of a White Porsche Christmas, Dwayne Johnson, Eden Sher, Edie Falco, Elena, Elisabeth Moss, Ellie Kemper, Emilia Clarke, Emily Bett Rickards, Emmys, Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television, Empire, Eric Andre, Eva Green, Fresh Off the Boat, Friends Furever, Game of Thrones, Girls, Homeland, House of Cards, House of Lies, Hugh Bonneville, Ilana Glazer, Inside Amy Schumer, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, iZombie, Jane Krakowski, Jeff Daniels, Jeffrey Tambor, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jim Carter, Jim Parsons, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Joel McHale, John Hawkes, Jon Voight, Jonathan Banks, Jordan Gavaris, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Julianna Margulies, Julie Bowen, Justified, Kate McKinnon, Ken Jeong, Kether Donohue, Kevin Spacey, Key & Peele, Kroll Show, Lamorne Morris, Last Week Tonight, Laverne Cox, Lena Dunham, Lena Headey, Linda Lavin, Louie, Louis CK, Mad Men, Mae Whitman, Maggie Smith, Man Seeking Woman, Mandy Patinkin, Masters of Sex, Mayim Bialik, Mel Rodriguez, Michael McKean, Michael Rapaport, Michael Sheen, Michelle Dockery, MIchelle Obama, Milana Vayntrub, Modern Espionage, Modern Family, Mom, Nathan Fielder, Nathan for You, New Girl, Nurse Jackie, Orange is the New Black, Orphan Black, Other Space, Parenthood, Parks and Recreation, Penny Dreadful, Peter Dinklage, Pimento, Portlandia, Ray Donovan, Real Time, Rectify, Rhea Seehorn, Rob Schrab, Robin Wright, Rose McIver, RuPaul, RuPaul's Drag Race, Ruth Wilson, Sarah Steele, Saturday Night Live, Shameless, Silicon Valley, Susie Essman, Taraji P. Henson, Tatina Maslany, The Affair, The Big Bang Theory, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, The Eric Andre Show, The Last Man on Earth, The Middle, The Newsroom, The Promise, The Simpsons, The Tonight Show, Thomas Middleditch, Thomas Schnauz, Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories, Timothy Olyphant, Titus Burgess, Tony Hale, Too Many Cooks, Traib, Transparent, Treehouse of Horror XXV, Ty Burrell, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Veep, Walton Goggins, Will Forte, William H Macy, You're the Worst, Zach Woods, Zooey Deschanel Leave a comment

For my detailed thoughts on my predictions and wishlists in the major Drama, Comedy, and Variety categories, check out these links:
–Comedy
–Drama
–Variety

Guest Actor, Comedy
John Hawkes, Inside Amy Schumer
Michael Rapaport, Louie
Chris Gethard, Parks and Recreation
Dwayne Johnson, Saturday Night Live

Guest Actress, Comedy
Susie Essman, Broad City

Guest Actor, Drama
Mel Rodriguez, Better Call Saul

Guest Actress, Drama
Allison Janney, Masters of Sex
Linda Lavin, The Good Wife

Directing, Comedy
Rob Schrab, “Modern Espionage,” Community

Directing, Drama
Adam Arkin, “The Promise,” Justified

Writing, Comedy
Dan Harmon and Chris McKenna, “Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television,” Community

Writng, Drama
Thomas Schnauz, “Pimento,” Better Call Saul

Animated Program
Bojack Horseman – “Downer Ending”
American Dad! – “Dreaming of a White Porsche Christmas”
The Simpsons – “Treehouse of Horror XXV”

Commercial
Android – “Friends Furever”

Host – Reality/Reality Competition
RuPaul, “RuPaul’s Drag Race”

Interactive Program
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Main Title Design
Man Seeking Woman

Single-Camera Picture Editing, Comedy
Bojack Horseman – “Downer Ending”

Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program
Too Many Cooks
Billy On The Street With First Lady Michelle Obama, Big Bird And Elena!!!

Stunt Coordination for a Comedy Series or a Variety Program
Community

Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role
Man Seeking Woman – “Traib”

SNL Recap March 28, 2015: Dwayne Johnson/George Ezra

March 29, 2015

jmunney Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television 200 onion rings, Banana, Big Banana, Cecily Strong, Dwayne Johnson, Franchise Viagra, George Ezra, I'm always thumping, Kyle Mooney, Kyle Mooney Interview, Long Banana, One Banana, Robert Durst Improv, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 40, Short Banana, SNL, SNL Season 40, The Rock, Two Banana, Vin Diesel as Thumper, Wham Bam Bambi, White Banana 1 Comment

SNL: George Ezra, Dwayne Johnson, Aidy Bryant (CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot)

This review was originally posted on Starpulse in March 2015.

“If you don’t have a boner right now, you should just kill yourself.”

As he noted in his monologue, Dwayne Johnson is known for joining established film franchises and giving them a successful shot in the arm. Accordingly, his fourth “SNL” hosting stint heavily favored sketches that commented on the host’s reputation and familiar pop culture entities in general. Many of this season’s hosts, even the most capable ones, have been relegated to mostly utility roles. But Johnson was effectively given plenty of opportunities to shine, as he was allowed to play to his strengths, and the result was an episode that overall also played to its strengths.

The Rock Obama – While Dwayne Johnson is now unequivocally credited by his birth name, he has no qualms breaking out his wrestling moniker for a particular “SNL” sketch. He first broke out his hulked-out alter ego of the president the last time he hosted back in March 2009, only a few months into Obama’s first term. He brought it back in a cameo appearance later that year, and that was enough for it to reach iconic status. In its current iteration, it was formulaic, but still vibrant enough to be worthwhile. Michelle She-Hulking out as well provided a welcome addition, so it was nice that Leslie Jones was around to play the part. Bobby Moynihan went above the call of duty by putting together his weaselly impression of Ted Cruz. B