I’m interested in seeing how The Break with Michelle Wolf picks up in quality, but really, I’m interested in learning how many people actually tune in to watch it. It’s a good show; maybe I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, but the first two episodes (FYI: It’s a weekly joint, rather than a … Continue reading
Good morning! It’s Wednesday, so please, have another “100 best” list. This time: It’s hilarious. Comedy being the most subjective genre, I have a bunch of personal ordering gripes here, most of them being “nothing ranked after What’s Up, Doc? is actually fucking funnier than What’s Up, Doc?, especially all of the movies made in the last five … Continue reading
For a movie with such a cheery, upbeat title, Let the Sunshine In is determinedly melancholic. Check the director’s name and that makes sense: Claire Denis doesn’t really make straightforwardly upbeat movies, from Trouble Every Day to White Material, so naturally she’d make a romantic comedy dripping in sadness. But it’s a good kind of sadness founded on a real … Continue reading
There are times, many in fact, when I sit back, look at what I’ve accomplished in my years coming up in the culture writing biz, and think to myself, “Yeah. That’s pretty good.” (Okay: “Many” is putting it strongly. I do not routinely bask in my own output. It happens only as often as Donald … Continue reading
So, this is pretty huge (at least for me): Last week I spoke to Armando Iannucci, the comic genius behind Veep and In the Loop (among other things, like The Day Today, The Thick of It, and so on) about his new film, The Death of Stalin, which is about exactly what you think it is about. I’m a Iannucci fan … Continue reading
I rather liked Lake Bell’s first go behind the camera, In a World…, so maybe I put higher expectations on her second, I Do…Until I Don’t than I ought to have. I didn’t hate it; I didn’t even dislike it. But it’s a step back, in a sense, from In a World…, less polished, less successful as a narrative, … Continue reading
Trust me: I really wanted to love Comrade Detective. I’m fond of most of the people involved, and if I’m naturally inclined to consider the basic conceit of dubbing comic vocal tracks over material that is not at all innately comic, I’m okay with it on the off chance that the people doing it nail the … Continue reading
Hey, uh, Jessica Williams: On the off chance you read my review of your new movie, The Incredible Jessica James, don’t take it personally. I liked you fine! I just didn’t like anything else about the movie! Except maybe Chris O’Dowd! And Noël Wells! Okay, mostly I just didn’t like the direction, because I think James … Continue reading
Get ready to be bummed, gang: This is my last Brooklyn Nine-Nine write-up. For now! For now. Easy there, you didn’t let me finish. This is my last Brooklyn Nine-Nine write-up for now, as I’ll be unable to cover the rest of the season (ending on the 23rd). But it’s all good! You can still tune into … Continue reading
I wasn’t at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, but that didn’t stop me from writing a review about Gilbert, Neil Berkeley’s very good documentary about the one and only Gilbert Gottfried, the guy you probably know best as the voice of an angry parrot in the Aladdin movies (or the erstwhile voice of an exasperated duck in Aflac … Continue reading
I know neither how nor why I have managed to forget to share my review of last week’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine. For as long as I’ve been writing about this show, my write-up for “Moo Moo” stands out as one of my favorites, much as “Moo Moo” itself stands out as one of the best episodes in the … Continue reading
Spoiler alert: The title of this week’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a lie. Just thought I should tell you that upfront, because there is just no way anyone could have guessed that on their own, no sir. (This is my shorthand, smartass way of saying that I dug “The Last Ride” in spite of its predictability, because … Continue reading
Honest admission: I’m not sure if my critique of this week’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine is fair or if I’m just reaching for something critical to say about a pound-for-pound solid episode. It is a little bit of a bummer that the real dramatic “stuff” of the episode is shunted to the side to make space for an A-plot … Continue reading
I say this a lot, particularly whenever Brooklyn Nine-Nine returns to air after its mid-season break or its season ender, but: Brooklyn Nine-Nine is back, baby! Just like Gina Linetti! I failed, in my recap of “The Audit” for Paste Magazine, to properly salute Dirk Blocker for his perfect delivery of that exact line upon Gina’s return … Continue reading
Cool thing you might not know about me: The more I criticize a movie whose central premise I am clearly in favor of, the more I liked the movie. The criticism just means that the movie let me down and didn’t wind up being the movie I wanted it to be. Case in point, Fist Fight, … Continue reading
How weird. I’m slowly becoming disenchanted with Brooklyn Nine-Nine, one of my go-to favorites for unwinding during the week. Not that the New Year two-parter is bad (though I am disturbed at how often I find myself repeating this sentiment), but as with the New Girl crossover, it feels unnecessary. If the show wanted to do a … Continue reading
And again with the Brooklyn Nine-Nine reviewing, over at Paste Magazine as always, in which Charles Boyle taps into his inner mommy strength and goes sickhouse on a gang of gunrunners, all in pursuit of giving young Nikolaj the perfect (first) Christmas. (Content warning: Joe Lo Truglio’s chest hair.) A good way to break for a … Continue reading
Don’t let the score on this review fool you: “The Overmining” is likely going to end up being one of the funniest episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s fourth season. Take that to the hilarity bank. But it does come up short as far as making a cohesive narrative, and that really frosted my cake, so I was … Continue reading
