That mysterious film with the largely silent trailer that’s been intriguing audiences for a while now is finally here. And although it won’t be good for a theater’s concession sales (popcorn eaters may get shamed for loud chewing, as I was), audiences will mostly love this unique gem. What Works: This is as close as a…
Category: Mindless Mondays
TV Reviews: Barry, Silicon Valley, The Terror
Three series premiered at the same time last night, two of them brand-new. And although you never can judge a series by its pilot alone, I already feel “The Terror” and “Barry” are worthy of watching for a full season… The Terror…An 1845 British expedition through the arctic, as two naval vessels attempt to find…
Why “Get Out” STILL Sucks–An Analysis
Like a drunk at the roulette wheel, Alabama Liberal takes one last spin to convince people “Get Out” actually sucks. What’s been mis-labeled an anti-racist or anti-Trump film is actually the most anti-interracial couple movie since “The Family that Preys Together.” I make the case that actual racists would love “Get Out” and take a stab…
The Season Finales of “American Crime Story” and “X-Files” Play to Strengths and Weaknesses
Two very different series had their season finales last night (possibly series finale in “The X-Files” case), and even if both were inconsistent experiences, it was quite surprising which show ultimately had the stronger season… American Crime Story: The Assasination of Gianni Versace…There could’ve been no clearer example of this series strengths and weaknesses than…
TV Reviews: Did “Crashing” Get Better in Season Two?
That’s a deceptively simple question since in many ways “Crashing”‘s season two was a more satisfying, more consistent experience with an interesting arc (perpetual lost puppy Pete Holmes meets a razor-sharp, competitive female comic in a very realistic and twisty version of “Boy Meets Girl”), but I also found myself mysteriously sluggish in watching the…
Oscar Thoughts: Best Speech, Worst Snub, Best Joke, Best Song, and Why Meryl Streep Backlash May be Coming
It was a very predictable telecast. Astoundingly, I guessed the winner of every single award correctly, except the “who cares?” short film categories. I mean, when even the technical categories don’t inspire surprises, something is up. And usually, there’s at least one mild upset in the major categories (like if Laurie Metcalf had won over Allison Janney…
TV Reviews: “UnReal,” “McMafia,” “Final Space”
Three very different series premiered this week, and the only returning show of the bunch (“UnReal”) may have waited a little too long to come back after a weak season 2… UnReal, Season 3…The show had a terrible second season, but–to me–it doesn’t look like they fully understand what the problem is: stagnant, obnoxious characters…
Review: “The Polka King” is the Best Film of Early 2018
We live in a world of unbelievable things. In an unusually strong January/February period stacked with Natalie Portman mindblowers like “Annihilation,” charming family films like “Early Man” or “Paddington 2,” and Marvel’s best film in a decade, “Black Panther,” the film I found myself most drawn to is an obscure Netflix original starring Jack Black…
Quick “Netflix Original” Reviews: Mute, The Ritual, When We First Met
If you had told me a week ago, I’d wind up preferring a light Adam Devine-starring rom-com to a new sci-fi drama from “Moon” visionary Duncan Jones, I might not have believed you… The Ritual…A group of British friends go to Northern Sweden to hike an isolated trail. All is well until they take a…
“The Walking Dead” is TV’s First Unisex Soap Opera
Cables two biggest soap operas are back this week with premieres for “The Walking Dead” and “UnReal.” Now before you scoff at the definition of TWD as a soap opera remember that zombie Godfather George A. Romero dissed “Dead” as a “soap opera with zombies.” And I might have to agree after watching the mid-season…
Movie Review: Annihilation
Is there a more deceptively shallow writer/director working today than Alex Garland? After receiving a lot of acclaim for the scripts of “28 Days Later,” “Sunshine,” “Never Let Me Go,” and “Dredd” (all of them over-praised sci-fi that attached larger significance to themselves than they deserved), he royally gamed critics with “Ex Machina.” That was a…
Movie Review: A Lover of the Book “Every Day” Reviews the Movie
I doubt people unfamiliar with the novel have even heard of this movie. It was dumped in theaters with few trailers, TV spots, or billboards (it supposedly used “targeted marketing” and I guess I’m not the target) and that may be kind-of a problem for a movie with no-name stars, a low-key energy and sense…
Movie Review: “Irreplaceable You” Once Again Sets Interracial Couples in Movies Back
At this point, I almost feel like Hollywood is in a hilariously-lopsided battle against me. How else to explain the relentless drubbing of black/white couples in TV and Film? At a time when “Get Out” is receiving a ridiculous amount of over-praise and Oscar buzz, you might scoff at me putting a movie like Irreplaceable You in…