Since The Supreme Court has decided that marriage equality can be the law of the land, and anti-gay voices also lost their biggest advocate when Antonin Scalia died, it was only a matter of time before the Southeast decided to give up a losing battle and allow gay people to live equally right? Hell no!…
Category: Mindless Mondays
“House of Cards” Season 4 is Its Best Yet
I’ve been very vocal about my disappointment in season 3 of “House of Cards.” [I said the entire season was tied for a specific episode of “The Strain” for the most disappointing TV moment of 2015.] Boring characters took center stage, interesting ones were completely marginalized (Doug was off angrily staring at his kitchen for much of…
Movie Review: Whisky Tango Foxtrot
A movie I wanted to like more than I did, but still a really noble effort in a time when anything marketed “War Comedy” is likely to be an instant skip-it from a major studio. While other reviewers have chosen to pull out a magnifying glass and scrutinize the film’s every politically incorrect sin, I…
Movie Review: Triple 9
It comes pretty close to being a halfway watchable heist noir, but something just never quite comes together. It has all the lyrics right, but you can’t feel the music. Prime example: the movie has a great cast, but never really does anything with them. What Works: Any movie that stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Woody Harrelson, Anthony…
Movie Review: Deadpool
Not as good a movie as the great reviews or ecstatic box office would suggest, but still a pretty decent time for the 50 or so people who haven’t seen it yet. What Works: It has the best beginning for a movie (so far) this year, as we’re treated to a slow motion fallout from a…
Movie Review: Zoolander 2
Who cares about this movie? I get that Ben Stiller was forced to come up with something now that his franchises are stalling out—Meet the Parents ended, Night at the Museum ended, Madagascar can’t go on forever—but “Zoolander 2” won’t be it. The only thing more predictable than the movie itself is that it was…
Movie Review: Kung Fu Panda 3
I actually love this franchise, and it’s one of the few film series that I don’t mind sitting through unnecessary sequels for. I knew it wasn’t a great sign that the studio decided to put this in January, a traditional dumping ground for movies that aren’t worth watching in more competitive times, but it’s still a lot better than…
Review: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2 “Sword of Destiny”
I was surprised at how terrible this movie is. Since the first “Crouching Tiger” movie came out more than 15 years ago, you would probably think a “sequel” would either have to be 1. So good that it justified a sequel OR 2. An obvious cash-register raider just trying to milk a dead franchise. Well,…
Movie Review: Monster Hunt
Having a “China” day with new reviews of this Chinese oddity, plus the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sequel, and Kung Fu Panda 3. I’ll also try to throw up some other reviews during the week since the entertainment section has been a little neglected lately… What Works: This was a massive hit in China, which maybe…
All My Predictions Were Correct, but Telecast Was Still Ho-Hum
A few days back I posted a “Movie Talk” video (to YouTube and under the YouTube tab of the homepage) saying that DiCaprio, Larsen, Alejandro (director of “The Revenant”) and Vikander were locks. I expressed serious doubts that Sylvester Stallone—the favorite for Best Supporting Actor in “Creed”—would win, and even lamented that I was afraid…
TV Review: Why “Galavant” Deserves Your Viewing
It’s rare we get an “off day” from politics around here. Between primaries, near-daily debates (or “town halls”), candidates dropping out, and Supreme Court deaths, it’s becoming increasingly infrequent that we get a chance to talk about the old favorites: movies, TV, and books. So I figured I’d take advantage by praising ABC’s “Galavant.” Sure,…
Why I Hate “The Washington Post”
The short answer to the headline: because their (online) newspaper sucks. I’ll use a technical term and call it “dog shit.” You’ve all heard that in journalism schools right? The Washington Post was once the paper that let Woodward and Bernstein take on President Nixon. They were the most credible source of news in the…
Announcing a “Movie Talk” YouTube Channel…
I’ll be promoting myself more heavily on YouTube once we get everything up and running, but for now I’d like to announce the creation of “Move Talk.” I was hoping to put it on ITunes right beside “A Year Long Conversation” but they don’t allow multiple podcasts for the same account. There’s been about four…