May 21, 2021
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Television
$100000 Pyramid, Chrissie Hynde, Crime Scene Kitchen, Duncanville, Gary Numan, Intruder, Joel McHale, M.O.D.O.K., Master of None, Olivia Rodrigo, Press Your Luck, Rugrats, Scaled and Icy, Sour, Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan, twenty one pilots
M.O.D.O.K. (CREDIT: Hulu/YouTube Screenshot)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
TV
–M.O.D.O.K. Season 1 (May 21 on Hulu) – Robot Head.
–Duncanville Season 2 Premiere (May 23 on FOX)
–Master of None Season 3 (May 23 on Netflix)
–The $100,000 Pyramid Season Premiere (May 26 on ABC)
–Crime Scene Kitchen Series Premiere (May 26 on FOX) – I usually don’t watch cooking shows, but this one’s hosted by Joel McHale.
–Press Your Luck Season Premiere (May 26 on ABC)
–Rugrats Reboot Premiere (May 27 on Paramount+)
Music
-Chrissie Hynde, Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan
-Gary Numan, Intruder
-Olivia Rodrigo, Sour
-twenty one pilots, Scaled and Icy
March 16, 2021
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Al Madrigal, BenDavid Grabinski, Breckin Meyer, Charlyne Yi, Happily, Joel McHale, Jon Daly, Kerry Bishé, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Natalie Morales, Natalie Zea, Paul Scheer, Shannon Woodward, Stephen Root
Happily (CREDIT: Saban Films)
Starring: Joel McHale, Kerry Bishé, Stephen Root, Natalie Zea, Paul Scheer, Natalie Morales, Jon Daly, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Shannon Woodward, Charlyne Yi, Breckin Meyer, Al Madrigal
Director: BenDavid Grabinski
Running Time: 95 Minutes
Rating: R for A Very Horny Couple and Other Couples Who Wish They Were That Horny
Release Date: March 19, 2021 (Theaters and On Demand)
Do you know a married couple who are so in love that you absolutely hate them for it? That’s the hook of Happily, and it’s a good one. Tom and Janet (Joel Mchael and Kerry Bishé) said “I do” 14 years ago, but even after all that time, every time they look at each other it’s like they’re discovering the entire concept of love for the very first time. They can barely go five minutes without going all the way in the nearest bedroom. Their conflicts (insofar as they have any conflicts at all) consist of little more than one of them asking for an omelette, but then doing it on their own, and immediately apologizing for being ever-so-slightly thoughtless. But then one day a fellow played by Stephen Root in a business suit shows up at their doorstep, and he might as well have a flashing sign shouting “DANGER!” above his head.
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December 25, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Television
Charlie Brooker, Death to 2020, Joel McHale, Ken Jeong, New Year's Eve Toast & Roast, Promising Young Woman, Soul, The Masked Dancer, Wonder Woman 1984
Death to 2020 (CREDIT: Saeed Adyani/Netflix)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Promising Young Woman (Theaters)
–Soul (December 25 on Disney+)
–Wonder Woman 1984 (Theaters and HBO Max)
TV
–Death to 2020 – Some sort of comedy special from Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker.
–The Masked Dancer Series Premiere (December 27 on FOX) – The Masked Dynasty expands.
–New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast (December 31 on FOX) – Hosted by Joel McHale and Ken Jeong!
June 23, 2020
jmunney
Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Television
Aden Young, Alison Brie, Andy Daly, Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Bill Hader, Billy Porter, Bob Odenkirk, Danny Pudi, Eden Sher, Hugh Dancy, Joel McHale, Jon Hamm, Kyle MacLachlan, Lee Pace, Louie Anderson, Mackenzie Davis, Mads Mikkelsen, Michael McKean, Nathan Fielder, Rami Malek, Rhea Seehorn, Tatiana Maslany, Zach Galifianakis
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots
The extra-special-bonus Best of the 2010s lists keep arriving all this week! Yesterday, it was the Best Film Performances, now we’re moving to the small screen with the top TV Performances. And while the screens were smaller, the roles were arguably bigger, at least in terms of running time.
Regarding eligibility: all Lead and Supporting (but not Guest) performances from any show that aired at least one full season between 2010 and 2019 was eligible. Actors who played multiple characters in the same show were considered one performance. Actors who played the same character across multiple shows were also considered one performance.
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June 19, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Comedy, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
Amanda Seyfried, Billy Porter, Bob Dylan, Eric Andre, ESPYs, Gillian Jacobs, Homegrown, Joel McHale, Kevin Bacon, Legalize Everything, Matthew Rhys, Neil Young, Perry Mason, Rough and Rowdy Ways, Search Party, Sherman's Showcase, The Twilight Zone, You Should Have Left
Eric Andre: Legalize Everything (CREDIT: Brian Roede/Netflix)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–You Should Have Left (On Demand) – Blumhouse horror starring Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried.
TV
–Sherman’s Showcase Black History Month spectacular (June 19 on AMC and IFC) – Just in time for Juneteenth!
-2020 ESPYs (June 21 on ESPN)
–Perry Mason Series Premiere (June 21 on HBO) – The classic defense attorney returns to TV in the form of Matthew Rhys.
–Search Party Season 3 (June 25 on HBO Max)
–The Twilight Zone Season 2 (June 25 on CBS All Access) – Guest stars include Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, and Billy Porter.
Comedy
-Eric Andre: Legalize Everything (June 23 on Netflix) – Legalize “everything”? Including … ranch?
Music
-Bob Dylan, Rough and Rowdy Ways
-Neil Young, Homegrown
May 15, 2020
jmunney
Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
All Visible Objects, Brec Bassinger, Celebrity Escape Room, Charli XCX, Community, DC's Stargirl, Graduate Together, Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020, Holey Moley, How I'm Feeling Now, Jack Black, Joel McHale, Luke Wilson, Moby, Red Nose Day, Stargirl, To Tell the Truth
CREDIT: The CW/YouTube Screenshot
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
TV
-Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020 (May 16 on Various Networks)
–DC’s Stargirl Series Premiere (May 18 on DC Universe and May 19 on The CW) – Starring Brec Bassinger as Stargirl; Luke Wilson and Joel McHale also appear.
–Community Cast Reunion Table Read and Q+A (May 18 on YouTube)
–Celebrity Escape Room (May 21 on NBC) – A Red Nose Day celeb goof-off hosted by Jack Black
–Holey Moley II: The Sequel Premiere (May 21 on ABC) – Mini-golf is so hot right now.
–To Tell the Truth Season Premiere (May 21 on ABC)
Music
-Charli XCX, How I’m Feeling Now
-Moby, All Visible Objects
April 10, 2020
jmunney
Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Podcasts, Sports, Television
American Dad!, Cate Blanchett, George St. Geegland, Gil Faizon, Insecure, Joel McHale, John Mulaney, Ken Jeong, Mrs. America, NBA Horse Challenge, Nick Kroll, Oh Hello, Oh Hello the P'dcast, Saturday Night Live, SNL, SNL At Home, The Darkest Timeline, The Darkest Timeline podcast, The New Abnormal, The Strokes, What We Do in the Shadows
CREDIT: FX/YouTube Screenshot
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
TV
–SNL at Home (April 11 on NBC) – A remotely produced new episode of Saturday Night Live.
–Insecure Season 4 Premiere (April 12 on HBO)
–Killing Eve Season 3 Premiere (April on AMC and BBC America)
-NBA HORSE Challenge (April 12 on ESPN)
–American Dad! Season 17 Premiere (April 13 on TBS) – Still one of the most consistent shows on the air!
–Mrs. America Series Premiere (April 15 on Hulu) – Starring Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly.
–What We Do in the Shadows Season 2 Premiere (April 15 on FX)
Music
-The Strokes, The New Abnormal
Podcasts
A couple of great-so-far podcasts have recently launched:
–The Darkest Timeline – Community co-stars Joel McHale and Ken Jeong answer your questions.
–Oh, Hello: the P’dcast – Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland have discovered a new medium in which to deliver their tuna.
July 8, 2019
jmunney
A.P. Bio, Community, Television
A.P. Bio, Alison Brie, Allisyn Ashley Arm, AP Bio, Aparna Brielle, Chevy Chase, Community, Danny Pudi, David Neher, Gillian Jacobs, Glenn Howerton, Jacob Houston, Jean Villepique, Jim Rash, Joel McHale, Ken Jeong, Lyric Lewis, Mary Sohn, Nick Peine, Patton Oswalt, Paula Pell, Yvette Nicole Brown
CREDIT: NBC
Over the past few months, the delightful high school-set sitcom A.P. Bio has become one of my favorite shows on the air, but then NBC went a little cuckoo and cancelled it. There’s been some effort on the part of the cast, crew, and fans to find the show a new home, but unless that happens, we will have to be satisfied with two short-but-sweet seasons.
One of the reasons I love A.P. Bio so much is because it shares a lot of DNA with my favorite show of all time, which would be Community, another former NBC sitcom that was constantly on the brink of cancellation (though unlike A.P. Bio, it kept beating the renewal odds). Their premises and central characters are strikingly similar. In Community, Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) is a high-powered lawyer who gets disbarred and must enroll at a community college. Meanwhile, A.P. Bio stars Glenn Howerton as Jack Griffin, a disgraced Harvard philosophy professor who is forced to take a lowly part-time teaching job at a high school in Toledo, Ohio.
As I watched and grew to love A.P. Bio, I kept noticing more and more Community similarities, to the point that I could detect analogues for all the major characters. So I’ve assembled below a side-by-side comparison of the Greendale Human Beings and their corresponding Whitlock Rams. Enjoy, and let me know if you need help reacting to riding that ram.
(Thank you to my fellow commenters at the AV Club and Disqus for helping me out with these comparisons!)
Jack (Glenn Howerton) = Jeff (Joel McHale)
CREDIT: YouTube
The protagonists who try to act above it all but eventually embrace the crazy scholastic ecosystems they’ve become an integral part of.
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September 19, 2018
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Abra, Assassination Nation, Bella Thorne, Bill Skarsgård, Hari Nef, Joel McHale, Odessa Young, Sam Levinson, Suki Waterhouse
CREDIT: NEON
This review was originally posted on News Cult in September 2018.
Starring: Odessa Young, Suki Waterhouse, Hari Nef, Abra, Joel McHale, Bella Thorne, Bill Skarsgård
Director: Sam Levinson
Running Time: 110 Minutes
Rating: R for Very Bloody Violence, Scandalously Lascivious Behavior, and Casual Drug Use and Profanity
Release Date: September 21, 2018 (Limited)
Assassination Nation paints the picture of what might happen if online rage riots coalesced beyond the screens. A hacker who goes by “Er0str4tus” dumps the personal files of the Salem, Massachusetts mayor, exposing him for the hypocrisy of running as a family values, anti-LGBTQ candidate while he gets up to lascivious behavior with other men. The moral calculus is a lot harder to square when the next data dump victim is the local high school principal, who gets labelled an abuser for having nude photos of his young daughter in the bath. He (justifiably) insists that he has done nothing wrong and refuses to resign, further inciting the mob that the entire town is becoming.
We see the consequences of the hacking play out through the lens of the high school, particularly four tight-knit friends: Lily (Odessa Young), Sarah (Suki Waterhouse), Bex (Hari Nef), and Em (Abra). They all demonstrate their bona fides when it comes to having a social conscience, Lily especially so. She is wise beyond her years, but angry in a way that belies her youth. She has insightful thoughts about feminism, the male gaze, and just generally treating people with respect. Whenever someone is the target of rage, she considers them fairly and compassionately, recognizing that everyone is a person and contains multitudes. But she is far from perfect, as she is carrying on a rather sleazy emotional affair with her neighbor Nick (Joel McHale), the father of a girl she used to babysit.
When Lily’s secrets are exposed and evidence suggests that she might be behind the hack, she and her friends become the target of the town’s unhinged id, as a full-fledged vengeance-seeking posse takes bloody devastating form. Plenty of women have been threatened with rape and murder for the mistakes that Lily has made (or even milder sins), and the climax of Assassination Nation illustrates how terrifying it would be if a mob of people made good on those promises. While she has transgressed, it is nothing to be killed over, and her attackers correspondingly look insane and inhuman. Ultimately, Lily and her friends are able to fight back in some stylish red leather outfits. It might strain a little credulity that they are suddenly so capable in guerrilla combat, but this film is more feverish than believable, and besides, they have the power of righteousness on their side.
Assassination Nation is Recommended If You Like: The Purge, ’80s John Carpenter, American Horror Story: Cult, South Park Season 20
Grade: 4 out of 5 Red Leather Jackets
August 23, 2018
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Bill Barretta, Brian Henson, Elizabeth Banks, Joel McHale, Leslie David Baker, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Puppets, The Happytime Murders
CREDIT: Hopper Stone/STXfilms
This review was originally posted on News Cult in August 2018.
Starring: Bill Barretta, Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Leslie David Baker, Elizabeth Banks, Joel McHale
Director: Brian Henson
Running Time: 91 Minutes
Rating: R for Raucous Puppet Sex, Loopy Puppet Drug Use, Constant Puppet and Human Profanity, and a Description of an Unspeakable Act Involving Rice Pilaf
Release Date: August 24, 2018
The advertising for The Happytime Murders has made a big deal about how out of the ordinary its existence is: puppets that are usually family-friendly about to get no-holds-barred dirty to an unprecedented degree! But the movie itself, with a typical noir-style murder mystery premise, is fairly unassuming. It’s not particularly hard-bitten, just accepting of the fact that certain and lewd and violent acts are known to happen in this world. It’s as if puppet-noir were a well-established cinematic genre, as Happytime Murders does not feel the need to explain itself, at least no more so than any other movie.
It is not as if audiences should be wholly unfamiliar with what director Brian Henson and company are trying to pull off, as Happytime has a great deal in common with a certain 1988 film called Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Both feature a human and a non-human partnering up to solve a series of murders that the non-human has been framed for, in a Los Angeles in which the human population lives uneasily alongside their neighbors from another medium. Both are more adult in their storytelling than the average Disney or Muppet concoction, but while Roger Rabbit is safe for most ages, Happytime decidedly is not. And while the latter can be enjoyed simply as a story of a cynical puppet private investigator trying to clear his name, the main reason to see it is why the kids cannot come.
The jokes about the anatomy, sexual predilections, and drug habits of puppets do not have the tenor of “Look how disgusting we can be!” Instead, they are the sort of clever, fully committed gags that examine a previously unexamined premise and then take the consequences to their most absurd conclusions. The climaxes are both explosive and filled with a deep well of laser-deployed knowledge. As P.I. Phil Philips, Bill Barretta (the current performer of Muppets like Swedish Chef and Pepe) gives about as much depth as possible to a puppet character. His crackling banter with Melissa McCarthy is filled with a loopy zest that can only come from looking at an askew world and keeping a straight face. Every cast member realizes something important, and it is why Happytime works as well as it does: this is all very silly, but we must commit to everything like the joy of the world depends on it.
The Happytime Murders is Recommended If You Like: Who Framed Roger Rabbit, A femme fatale walking into a P.I. office, The Muppets, Spy, The Heat
Grade: 3.75 out of 5 Puppet Carpets Matching the Drapes
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