Weekend Box Office Predictions: 5/13 – 5/15

Another May weekend, but it doesn’t quite feel like Summer yet. At least, not in terms of the Summer movie season. May 13 sees the release of two new films in wide release: Money Monster and The Darkness. It is also the second weekend of Marvel Studios newest behemoth, Captain America: Civil War, so those new movies are likely to be left in the dust.

money-monster-george-clooney-movie-2016

That said, both new releases sport stars in their cast, particularly Money Monster, which stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts, and it is directed by Jodie Foster. The Darkness is led by Continue reading Weekend Box Office Predictions: 5/13 – 5/15

Demons (1985) Movie Review

In Demons (aka Demoni), the 1985 B-movie horror film from Lamberto Bava and Dario Argento, a mysterious film screening is suddenly infested with infectious demons, with the helpless audience trapped inside the theater.

demons-1985-b-movie-horror-film-dario-argento-movie-review

The ’80s horror movie uses dated B-movie effects work. This said, a lot of the practical effects are well-staged, on top of being Continue reading Demons (1985) Movie Review

Hush (2016) Movie Review

Sound is a vital part of any horror film. Perhaps the most vital. What happens, then, when you insert a protagonist into a horror-thriller narrative who is deaf. This is exactly the case with Hush, which pits novelist Maddie Young (Kate Siegal), who lives conveniently in the middle of the woods with few people within screaming distance (if she could scream, that is, as she is also mute), against a masked intruder (John Gallagher Jr.).

hush-horror-movie-review-2016-thriller-john-gallagher-jr-kate-siegal

This premise, in its early stages of execution, makes for a very Continue reading Hush (2016) Movie Review

The Ones Below (2016) Movie Review

Two couples move in to a quaint duplex and, coincidentally, both are expecting. Kate and Justin (Clemence Poesy and Stephen Campbell Moore) are unassuming and innocently critical. Theresa and Jon (Laura Birn and David Morrissey) are welcoming and intolerably tidy. Their lives initially appear like mirrors with only the slightest light refracted, but the light starts to bend more and more when they sit down for dinner together. And this light can only hope to continue bending away from center as the film progresses.

the-ones-below-movie-review-2016-david-morrissey

The first act, culminating in this dinner scene, is structured with precision. The editing may be standard shot-reverse shots, but the compositions are Continue reading The Ones Below (2016) Movie Review

Captain America: Civil War (2016) Movie Review

The premise of Captain America: Civil War is exactly what it sounds like: a legislation called the Sokovia Accords will put restrictions on the power of superheroes, and it threatens to tear the Avengers in two. Divided, faction leaders Cap (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) face off in a heated battle for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

captain-america-civil-war-2016-movie-release-marvel-cinematic-universe

Narratively, the film juggles many balls, but few of them get dropped. Sure, they are Continue reading Captain America: Civil War (2016) Movie Review

Adult Swim, Anti-Comedy, and Cringe Humor: What’s the Appeal?

Note: This in an in-depth article on Anti-Comedy and Adult Swim programming. If I mention a given show, short film, or feature film, there is a strong chance that I will be giving spoilers for that video, so be cautious. Also, this is a multi-page article; the links to subsequent pages sometimes get lost at the bottom of the page.

 

Anti-Humor. Anti-Comedy. Meta-Humor. Non-Comedy. Whatever hyphenate you want to use to describe the brand of comedy that is purposefully not funny or otherwise lacking in traditional comic structure.

Anti-Comedy, as I will refer to it throughout the rest of this article, is a highly divisive form of comedy (my fascination with the divisive is well founded). Some dismiss it as destructive to quality comedy or simply lazy. Others can’t digest it as something humorous or necessary.

adult-swim-dinner-with-family-with-brett-gelman-and-family-anti-comedy-cringe-humor-analyzed

Late-night television programming block Adult Swim, launched in 2001 as a complement to Cartoon Network’s children’s programming, has harnessed these alternative forms of comedy to seeming success. With shows like Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!The Eric Andre Show, and the short film series of Infomercials, Adult Swim has Continue reading Adult Swim, Anti-Comedy, and Cringe Humor: What’s the Appeal?

Entertainment (2015) Movie Review

The opening shots of Entertainment are largely static. The Comedian (Gregg Turkington, essentially playing in this film a fictionalized version of himself and his comedic alter-ego Neil Hamburger), stands in an airplane fuselage, looking down. He watches as a clown, Eddie the Opener (Tye Sheridan), prepares for a set at a prison.  He looks on dour-faced as the clown “wows” the crowd of prisoners by simply bouncing a ball and clapping his hands.

entertainment-2015-movie-review-gregg-turkington-neil-hamburger-rick-alverson-anti-comedy-drama

The first spoken dialogue in the film comes from a tour operator who encourages The Comedian and others to “by all means, go ahead and wander.” Yet the film does the opposite. Continue reading Entertainment (2015) Movie Review

Weekend Box Office Predictions: 5/6 – 5/8

This weekend’s domestic box office is not very hard to predict in terms of the number one spot. Captain America: Civil War will undoubtedly take the premier slot in its opening weekend. The real question, then, is what films will remain in the top five, and how far will they drop off.

captain-america-civil-wars-box-office-summer-2016

The Jungle Book’s healthy box office run will keep it at number two. After that, it’s rather up in the air. With no new releases this weekend aside from Captain AmericaKeanuMother’s Day, and Huntsman: Winter’s War will Continue reading Weekend Box Office Predictions: 5/6 – 5/8

The Comedy (2012) Movie Review

Rick Alverson’s The Comedy is not a comedy. It is an anti-comedy. A satire of a self-destructive generation gazing on their own broken world. The film opens on a group of people, mostly slightly overweight men, drinking and dancing, spitting beer and stripping nude. This is a commonplace setting for this group of “friends.”

the-comedy-tim-heidecker-2012-movie-review-rick-alverson-eric-wareheim-anti-comedy

The film stars Tim Heidecker of Tim and Eric fame. Comedy partner Eric Wareheim co-stars, and their presence in the film in one instance is Continue reading The Comedy (2012) Movie Review

Heir (2015) Short Film Review

A father (Robert Nolan) takes his son to spend a day with an old college friend (Bill Oberst Jr.), but the activities they engage in are far more insidious than simply “gone fishing.” The father, on top of the strange goings-on in his friend’s home, experiences a stigmata-like wound that oozes a sticky pus.

heir-short-film-2015-movie-review-horror

The short quickly deviates from reality, surreal imagery and special effects work becoming Continue reading Heir (2015) Short Film Review