More Than Meets the Eye

With a summer full of blockbuster releases (The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Total Recall, The Bourne Legacy, The Expendable 2, Dark Shadows, The Amazing Spider-Man, and the list goes on) some great movies will inevitably get forgotten in theaters. This is just a fact of life when it comes to movie releases; not every film can get, or even afford, the same amount and caliber of press. One film that should not go missed is the Drew Goddard/Joss Whedon joint effort Cabin in the Woods. I'm not going to focus on box office grosses and the like, but they indicate that this is going to be one of the overlooked movies of the summer, which is truly unfortunate for everyone missing out.

Joss Smash

What should happen when you put a group containing Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hiddelston, and Samuel L. Jackson on screen at one time? It should implode. That much star power in any other film (see Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve, etc.) is a good indicator that they're compensating for a lack of plot with names that they know will generate revenue. Fortunately for the first (and probably biggest) blockbuster of the season, The Avengers has one other important name on the bill: writer/director Joss Whedon. If you don't know who Whedon is, he's the genius behind such cult favorites as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly (and it's big screen spawn Serenity), and Dollhouse. He also had a hand in writing the animated film Titan A.E. and 2009's (released this year) Cabin in the Woods. I like to think of him as an American comedian with a Brit's sense of timing. I also like to think of him as a sort of God, but that's just me (and the hordes of other devoted Joss Whedon acolytes). While his resume up until this was impressive and genre-defining, taking on The Avengers was still a heavy burden to taken on alone. In this interview on CBS he talks about how people threatened to place all the blame on his shoulders if the film turned out to be a $220 million flop.

The Movie that Activated my High School PTSD

Anyone who knows me, or has read my post about the most recent Pirates film, can probably deduce that the main reason I went to see the recently released big screen adaptation of 21 Jump Street was because of the promised Johnny Depp cameo. Well, I'd just like to start off with a big screw you to Michael Bacall (and I guess a bit to Jonah Hill maybe since he helped come up with the story). Now that that's out of the way. . .

That One Guy in Mary Poppins had it Right

One of the simplest, truest statements about me is this: I love to laugh. It's something that most people agree on, and I've written about my preferred comedic stylings before. Recently I've developed a new Netflix obsession that I think others should get in on, and that is watching stand-up specials. They're short, and even the crappiest filmed stand-up special is inevitably going to make you laugh. There's such variety out there in this genre (a genre which I previously thought was fairly narrow) which goes to show that the comedic well is far from tapped out. For example, Bo Burnham is a young comedian who has risen to fame through his use of music/props in his comedy along with his precocious talent for stand-up and performing. Another who fits into this "prop comedy" category is Demetri Martin (watch Person, it's great and random), who is best known for his sketch comedy show Important Things with Demetri Martin on Comedy Central.

My Recovery from Not-Rebecca-Black's Friday

Black Friday is the third worst day of the year. Tops is Valentines day, second is the day after Halloween, and third is Black Friday. If you're a customer it's a day of pushing through crowds, spending too much money, and realizing at the end of the day you mostly forgot to shop for other people. If you work retail it's a day of dealing with those frustrated and tired customers, being tired yourself, and literally wanting to rip the head off the next person to ask you "is this on sale?" If you stay home that day, well, then, you're a lucky bastard and I'm going to make you pay. No, seriously.

What's so Funny?

Comedy is pretty much the only film/TV genre that is universally loved. It's a pretty broad genre, from Coupling on the BBC to How I Met Your Mother on CBS to The Hangover to Puss in Boots and everything in between which makes it appeal to any audience. I'm a huge fan of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson which is 42 minutes of a middle-aged Scottish dude making fun of people (himself most of all) and making himself laugh. It's effectively unscripted humor that somehow makes it better; I have a theory as to why his comedic stylings are so much greater than the better-known CBS talk show host David Letterman. One word: punchlines; more specifically Craig rarely has them while Letterman exhales them like CO2.

My Love Letter to "Psych"

Quick, name the best comedy on TV! Family Guy? Really? No, you suck. How I Met Your Mother? Well it's good and all, but no. The new Two and a Half Men? You're an idiot. Get off my blog. Stop guessing. I'll give you a hint: it's an hour long and brilliant. Psych? Finally! There's hope for you yet.