There’s a scene in “Pootie Tang” where a gorilla fatally mauls Pootie’s dad. It was unexpected, absurd and the ONLY funny scene in the entire flick. The fact that this movie even made it into theaters is a testament to how hot Chris Rock was in 2001. Rock’s collaborations with HBO (two stand-up specials and a comedy series) were solid gold and made him an icon. But for whatever reason, his brilliance didn’t translate into long-form storytelling. I see the […]
Ever since Buster Keaton gave us his revolutionary The General back in 1926, audiences and critics have afforded avant-garde comedies the confusion and hostile pity typically reserved for homeless street performers and the last five seasons of Two and a Half Men. When Wet Hot American Summer first appeared in the summer of 2001, it fared no better. A weak opening in less than thirty cities drew both tepid audience responses and polarizing critical reception (Roger Ebert was so famously disappointed […]
(In Austrian accent) Hear me now and believe me later… Saturday Night Live has been at the forefront of American comedy since it’s opening monologue on October 11th, 1975. The list of comedic actors that have graced the halls of Studio 8H inside 30 Rock is legendary. Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Adam Sandler, and Chris Farley are just a few of the numerous comedic talents that were able to use their […]
I’ve been saying for a long time that filmmakers love sports and war metaphors to describe the process of making a movie because they are applicable in so many different ways. Both involve a group of individuals brought together for a single purpose. They might be there for different reasons, but the goal is the same – to win, often at any cost. On the highest level, both involve campaigns – an MLB season has 162 games; America was in […]
It could have been a result of the cheap movie-theater pizza I was struggling to digest throughout the screening or a product of the ringing and raging in my psyche from two and a half hours of mind-numbing explosions and vroom-vrooms, but as I stumbled out of my seat and beyond the shellshock, I began to wonder if maybe the “seven” in Furious 7 is more than just a mere indication that this uber-machismo, adrenaline-fueled, NOS-guzzling dumpster fire is the […]
Have you ever been out for a leisurely jog when some guy tries to get you to upgrade your mobile service? Well, if this has happened to you, you’ll enjoy this video. But seriously, the ongoing situation that inspired this video was two-fold. First, I get a ton of “Unknown” phone calls on my mobile phone (does anyone have a land line anymore?) Every now and then, especially if it’s an area code of a job I applied for, I’ll […]
I’ve always held a deep appreciation for creative people. Musicians, actors and artists alike, their ability to tap into that creative part of the mind that allows them to imagine the unthinkable is a rare gift. That’s one of the reasons I created UnderCurrent Atlanta , to surround myself with creative people. Like most super heroes, with great creativity, comes responsibility. Art has the ability to inspire the masses, to tug at the heart strings or influence the mind. […]
SUNDAY It’s ten in the morning. I’m not dead yet. I wake up slowly to the sound of my phone vibrating across the nightstand. One bleary eye strains into the screen; it is a text message from Lindsey. She wants to know if I am attending this morning’s beer swap. She’s already headed there. My joints are screaming. Existence burns. I ponder getting up, but then I close my eyes, and the world is a sea of calm waves, and […]
SATURDAY I wake up next to a pineapple. My head’s not hurting as much as I thought it would. I check the time: one thirty in the afternoon. The signature Dragon Con parade is already over. Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the parade. The Saturdays of Dragon Con past have all started in exactly the same way: waking up delirious, fighting some form of hangover, thirsty as all hell, and cursing the afternoon […]
FRIDAY I wake up around noon, smelling like sweat and Fireball, Rachel is fixing breakfast/lunch in the kitchen. I’m in minimal pain, save for my lungs, which are protesting last night’s cigarettes. I head to the kitchen, cough like an eighty-year-old man, and then drain a few glasses of water feverishly. Rachel eyes me hungrily. Ben comes down and joins us. “Rachel told me you were respectful last night. I really appreciate that.” I’ve only been awake for five minutes. […]
THURSDAY I wake up hungover to the sound of rain. It’s almost noon and I should already be on the road to Dragon Con, but in truth I haven’t even started packing yet. I fall out of bed and wince as the bourbon in my gut does a somersault. Not how I imagined this morning. I’m racing down I-75 to school, rushing to turn in a history paper at my school, when the clouds start to break open. By the […]
As the Season 6 premiere of The Walking Dead begins tonight, my anticipation grows. I look forward to being engrossed in the struggles of the group, internal and external. I still waver whether me not having read the comic book nor the graphic novel is a good or bad thing. A lot of gratitude goes out to Fear The Walking Dead for stemming the tide even though I wish Chandler Riggs would had not grown seemingly four feet, allowing AMC […]
The 2015 Dragon Con has come and gone but the memories of this annual fan convention will last…well until next years Dragon Con. But until that time arrives, I’d like to share one of the better memories from this years Dragon Con. If you know anything about Dragon Con (and I imagine you do or why else would you be reading this) then you’ve heard of the famous Dragon Con Parade. Each year, hundreds of dedicated cos-players, movie buffs and […]
As a former bartender of five years at the drunken nerd haven known as Battle n Brew, I have been fortunate enough to meet all kinds of eccentric movers and shakers in the geek community. They come in many shapes and sizes, but always there is this strange and amazing sense of quirkiness and relatability that ties all of these amazing characters together. Jay Wright is one such character. As one of the founders of Con-Voluted, Jay has put his […]
There’s a scene in “Pootie Tang” where a gorilla fatally mauls Pootie’s dad. It was unexpected, absurd and the ONLY funny scene in the entire flick. The fact that this movie even made it into theaters is a testament to how hot Chris Rock was in 2001. Rock’s collaborations with HBO (two stand-up specials and a comedy series) were solid gold and made him an icon. But for whatever reason, his brilliance didn’t translate into long-form storytelling. I see the […]
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