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 […]
FOLLOW US: ITUNES TWITTER FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD Highlights from this section of PREDATOR The group finds Hawkins’ remains, but can’t find Hawkins Predator takes out Blain The squad’s epic ammo dump No one can agree on who or what is out there They fortify their position; Mac says goodbye the Blain In Soviet Union, PREDATOR watches you This article and video from The New York Times describes how the proliferation of black market […]
FOLLOW US: ITUNES TWITTER FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD Highlights from this section of PREDATOR The squad takes Anna with them on the run from the guerillas Mac versus Dillon – Round 2 Billy senses that they are being stalked Anna makes an escape attempt Hawkins meets the Predator Mac vs Dillon: Why all the hate? The animosity between the characters of Mac (Bill Duke) and Dillon (Carl Weathers) is palpable throughout PREDATOR. To a […]
FOLLOW US: ITUNES TWITTER FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD Highlights from this section of PREDATOR Dutch and crew find the guerilla base Dutch and crew lay waste to the guerilla base Dillon and Dutch face off over Dillon’s real agenda Schwarzenegger’s secret weapon: Sven-Ole Thorsen Danish bodybuilder/actor/stuntman Sven-Ole Thorsen has appeared in 15 films (see list below) alongside frequent collaborator Arnold Schwarzenegger throughout their careers, according to IMDb. Schwarzenegger met Thorsen on the professional bodybuilding […]
FOLLOW US: ITUNES TWITTER FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD Highlights from this section of PREDATOR The squad finds the crashed helicopter The demise of Captain Jim Hopper Introduction of “Old Painless” and Predator-vision Mac punks Dillon Grappling hooks: practical or just a movie trope? From BATMAN to STAR WARS, grappling hooks are a tool that movie heroes always seem to have when they need it. And PREDATOR is no exception. When our heroes find the […]
FOLLOW US: ITUNES TWITTER FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD Highlights from this section of PREDATOR Predator shoots down to earth from a passing spacecraft. The squad arrives by helicopter at the beachfront base Dutch and Dillon arm wrestling reunion. Dillon convinces Dutch to take the mission to rescue some diplomats. The squad helicopters into the jungle. What genre is PREDATOR? Wikipedia calls PREDATOR a science-fiction action horror movie. Is this more mileage than any one movie […]
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. […]
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