Rather belatedly, here is the final quarter of my CW history piece. Assuming any of you need a refresher, here are links to Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. But if you’re all caught up…
Continue reading “A Brief Unauthorized History of The CW (Part 4)”
I can say with some degree of certainty that Venom is not the worst Marvel film of the decade.
Located in the deepest recesses of the Warner Bros. vault are ninety years’ worth of animated entertainment, just ripe for the plucking, the cherishing, and the repurposing. The Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts. The Hanna-Barbera TV library. Too many DC Comics adaptations to name. Outside of Disney, perhaps no corporation has as wide and diverse an array of animation as Warner does.
Continue reading ““Smallfoot” is a Fake News Allegory, with Snow Monsters”
When it comes to the Emmy Awards, I’ve long held two mindsets. The Jekyll in me wants to root for the nominees I love, and cheer whenever a lesser-known gem takes home the gold. But the Hyde in me is urged to snark my way through the ceremony, mocking the self-important Hollywood types who’ve devoted a dry and often artless night to congratulating themselves.
[Writer: Mark Goffman | Director: Andrew Bernstein | Aired: 1/19/2005]
“Everyone’s walking around here like we’re finished.” – Leo
There are certain oddities and inconsistencies of The West Wing which must be accepted in order for us to appreciate the show’s finer aspects. The unexplained disappearance of many side characters (did Mandy just get lost on her way to the Sit Room?). The occasional character inconsistencies and continuity errors (pretty much everything involving Zoey Bartlet). The fact that election years are staggered two years against real-life elections (although if they occurred during leap years, as happens in reality, I suppose this episode would have been distractingly titled “366 Days”).
[Writer: Eli Attie | Director: Chris Misiano | Aired: 1/12/2005 ]
“How do you wanna go broke? As the brown candidate, or as the American candidate?” – Josh
Politicians, despite what cable news may tell us, are not props. They are as human as you or I. They have hang-ups and flaws and quirks and foibles. They have favorite foods and favorite films and families they occasionally get to see.
Teen films aren’t as popular as they used to be. The high school genre had its heyday once upon a time, with a renaissance kicked off by the infectiously enjoyable Clueless. Amy Heckerling’s witty comedy (which I reviewed a while back) set off a wave of teen-centered cinema that sparked turn-of-the-century films like Bring It On and 10 Things I Hate About You, before things climaxed in the genre-bending Mean Girls. But in the years since, widely-released teen films have fallen by the wayside, with only the occasional exception (Easy A, The Duff) to shake things up.
Continue reading ““To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” is the Best Teen Film in Years”
It should come as no great shock to longtime readers of this site that I loved Teen Titans Go! to the Movies.
Continue reading “The One Problematic Scene in the “Teen Titans” Film”
To the average blockbuster franchise, longevity is often viewed as anathema. Too many times have we seen a film debut to widespread critical and audience acclaim, then get bogged down by increasingly weaker sequels, each more desperate to ride the coattails of the original’s success than the last. The original Superman films, The Pink Panther, Pirates of the Caribbean, Ice Age – all unfortunate examples of what happens when you let a good thing last too long.
Continue reading “All the “Mission: Impossible” Films, Reviewed”
Warning: The following review contains spoilers for Incredibles 2. Proceed with care.
Pixar sequels usually spend a long time in gestation. It was 11 years between the release of the second and third Toy Story films. Then it was 12 years between Monsters Inc. and Monsters University. Then we waited 13 years between Nemo and Dory. And now the studio has broken its record yet again, with a 14-year gap between The Incredibles and Incredibles 2.
Continue reading ““Incredibles 2”, Though More Ambitious, Never Quite Matches the Original”
I was born the same year that Jurassic Park was released in theaters. It was a strange time, or so my mother tells me. Dinosaurs were everywhere – on shirts, mugs, window decals, and Weird Al covers. I was lucky enough to escape the prehistoric merchandising onslaught – my parents never forced me to wear a T-Rex onesie, and none of my plush toys were modeled from the Mesozoic. (Unless you count Barney. But I don’t, nor will I ever, count Barney.)
Continue reading “The “Jurassic Park” Trilogy Didn’t Know When to Go Extinct”
My first experience with acapella music came early in my tween years, when I dug up some old tapes labeled “non-instrumental.” Running them through the recorder, I at first didn’t believe it – those background voices sounded too similar to standard-issue drums and bass guitars. But I quickly caught on to the beatboxing and legato vocals that accompanied each song, and became fascinated by the concept – an entire orchestra composed of nothing but the collective human voice.
Continue reading “The “Pitch Perfect” Trilogy Gave Acapella a Much-Deserved Spotlight”
[Writer: Bradley Whitford | Director: Chris Misiano | Aired: 1/5/2005 ]
“Am I wrong to want to set the record straight? No pun intended?” – CJ
If you’ve been following these reviews for a while, you’ve probably noted that I don’t like The West Wing placing its politics front and center. The show is at its strongest when it points the magnifying glass at its characters, with policies and procedures functioning mainly as story fuel.
[Writer: Debora Cahn | Director: Leslie Linka Glatter | Aired: 12/8/2004 ]
“This is the back room.” – Leo
During the teaser sequence of “Impact Winter,” Annabeth and Josh discuss the upcoming press briefing, which will occur during “Take Out the Trash Week.” Annabeth asks Josh if he’s interested in doing the press briefing in Toby’s absence, but Josh swiftly declines, noting what a powder keg the press room can be.
Ocean’s 8 is a Hollywood executive’s dream of a summer movie. It’s modestly-budgeted, eschewing the grand-scale action and VFX-plosions which pepper the traditional action blockbuster – yet it’s also light, fun, and breezy, in the way that only summertime films are allowed to be.
Continue reading ““Ocean’s 8” Proves that Women Deserve (and Need) Their Own Films”
Here are all the site’s episode and season reviews of Angel. All reviews through “Slouching Toward Bethlehem” (episode 4×04) are written by Ryan Bovay. Beginning with “Supersymmetry,” reviews are written by a variety of other site contributors (including your humble administrator).
Note: What follows is an extended and spoiler-free discussion of Solo: A Star Wars Story, followed by a spoiler-filled section where I delve into the finer details. I’ll let you know when we reach that second part.
Continue reading “What Does “Solo” Say About the Future of Star Wars?”
For ease of access, here are links to all my episode and season reviews of The West Wing. This page will be continually updated.
May 14, 1998, marked the end of two pop-cultural touchstones. One was Frank Sinatra, who died in Los Angeles at the age of 82. The other was the TV series Seinfeld, which aired its final episode on NBC that evening.
It may seem trivial to lump a man’s life with a TV show, but while Sinatra was mourned by many, the end of Seinfeld garnered even greater recognition. NBC devoted its entire Thursday night comedy block to the show – an hourlong retrospective clip show, followed by the hourlong finale. The episode attracted over 76 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched TV finales of all time. (No other series finale since then has come close to that number, with only one – the Friends finale – even getting halfway there.)
Continue reading “The Important Lesson of the Seinfeld Finale”
By now, it seems like everyone on planet Earth has seen Avengers: Infinity War. However, if you’re one of the select few who haven’t seen the film (or one of the fewer who don’t have interest – shame on you, BTW), I should clarify that, as the title implies, this article will feature MAJOR SPOILERS for the ending of Infinity War, as well as the two-and-a-half hours leading up to it. Oh, and maybe a few other Marvel films, too.
Continue reading “The Ending to “Infinity War” Presents a Long-Term Problem for the MCU”
[Writers: Lawrence O’Donnell, Jr. | Director: Alex Graves | Aired: 12/8/2004]
“You have a year to talk me out of voting for him.” – Donna
Among the numerous changes made during the Sorkin-to-Wells transition, few are as jarring as The West Wing’s newfound penchant for “modern” cultural references. Sorkin cut off the show’s real-world history around the Nixon era, and the culture discussed in the White House rarely ticked past 1975. But a new production team brings a new flavor to the series, and so it is that references inch slightly closer to the 21st century. “In the Room,” for example, has a throwaway line where Bartlet references the political TV series Crossfire. It’s only a brief mention, but it sticks out jarringly against the show’s retrograde framework.
[Writers: John Sacret Young & Josh Singer | Director: Vincent Misiano | Aired: 12/1/2004]
“Piece of cloth. Cheesy piece of fabric.” – Josh
As I’m writing this review, my West Wing DVDs – the Complete Series collection – sits idly on a nearby shelf. It’s a magnificent DVD set, packed with great special features and a glossy series guide. But a thin layer of dust covers the set box – in truth, I’ve not consulted the DVD set in a while. Whenever I need to rewatch an episode for review, I simply pull it up and stream it on Netflix.
[Writer: Carol Flint | Director: Laura Innes | Aired: 11/24/2004 ]
“You don’t work here anymore.” – Debbie
It’s unfortunately telling that the two most interesting characters in “The Dover Test” do not have any direct affiliation with the Bartlet White House. In fact, it’s unfortunate, period – most of the main characters spend this episode looking out of their element, wandering from one hallowed room to another in search of a direction.
Last week, I divulged my picks for the ten best films in the animated DreamWorks canon. This time around, we look the other way, as I examine the ten films I consider to be the studio’s all-time weakest.
Continue reading “Bottom 10: The Worst of DreamWorks Animation”
Like most critics, I’ve long been disdainful of audience scores. Simply put, people should not determine which films are worth watching based on IMDB ratings or Netflix upvotes. While some of these aggregates can give you a basic idea of how the public views a specific film, the anonymity and insubstantiality of online rankings make it a poor substitute for pop-culture critiquing.
If you’re a regular visitor to this site, you’re probably familiar with my love for all things Disney. Even if Disney may be an evil corporate monster intent on sucking our wallets dry and brainwashing us through mind-controlling Mickey Mouse ears, their films are still a lot of fun. I grew up on all things Disney and Pixar, and maintain a fondness for their works even to this day.
Once upon a time, the short film was everywhere. Cinemas preceded every new film with a brief and humorous cartoon from the minds at Warner Bros. or Walt Disney Studios. For much of the 20th century, in fact, the theater offered patrons a veritable variety show of short films (both live-action and animated), newsreels, and musical performances in addition to the feature presentation.
[Writer: Peter Noah | Director: Julie Hébert | Aired: 11/17/2004 ]
“We didn’t have the votes.” – Josh
The Toyota Prius is one of the most fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly cars ever made. Not only will it get you where you need to go, but it’ll do so without polluting the air with unwanted carbon emissions. You can look good while driving, and you’ll save a dozen friendly seagulls with each trip. Go green – go Prius!
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has just been broken.
Continue reading “The Troubling Reason Behind the Unbreakable Kimmy Split”
[Writer: Debora Cahn | Director: Alex Graves | Aired: 11/10/2004 ]
“I don’t think this is gonna work out.” – CJ
Network television is built on status quo – individual episodes may play around with character dynamics, but in the long run, nothing can change. Yet the longer a show stays on the air, the more difficult status quo is to maintain. Even the most reliable formula will eventually grow stale, at which point fans will begin hungering for change.
