Film & TV

[rating=8.00] Early on in Going Clear, HBO’s shocking exposé on the hidden truths of Scientology, it’s posited that to work through Dianetics—“church” founder L. Ron Hubbard’s seminal work and cornerstone of the group’s philosophy—is to work through the mind of Hubbard himself. The line itself feels almost throw away at first; a simple observation serving […]

Ladies in comedy are nothing new. Established acts have been paving the way for future generations since the genre became popularized in mainstream media. Continuing the upward momentum towards equality in pop culture is the shift in celebrated entertainers. While established acts like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes, and Joan Rivers have […]

[rating=5.00] If there’s any system in America that deserves to be taken down by the sword of comedic insight, it’s the prison system. America, land of the free, boasts the highest number of citizens incarcerated in the developed world, and that number is growing all the time. With a system as blood-thirsty as the American […]

Chuck had a pretty good showing in this week’s episode of ‘Better Call Saul’ — at least by his standards.

[rating=5.00] After a steady start in its Yahoo residency, this week’s Community fell short with “Basic Crisis Room Decorum.” Going nowhere tends to be a running theme in the series, but in this case the wacky antics and generally pleasing subplots were snuffed out by needless relationship building and character analysis. Two things that were […]

After months of rumor and innuendo, Fox made an official announcement today that sent chills of excitement down the spines of nerds and fanboys across the land. The seminal 90’s TV show The X-Files is officially being brought back for a six episode television event. Production is set to begin this summer and while there’s […]

With Lee Daniels’ ‘Empire,’ you don’t watch for just the songs. You watch for the drama, the characters, and the camp.

As the sun set in Austin, Texas last evening, another successful SXSW came to a close. The streets geared up for a final night of revelry before the boring nature of reality descended once more and we all woke up, hung over and exhausted from our week-and-a-half long bacchanal. While Neil Ferguson lurked the clubs […]

“Ladders” [rating=7.00] “Lawn Mower Maintenance and Postnatal Care” [rating=8.00]  This week started a whole new chapter for the Yahoo video platform Yahoo Screen. That is, the cult favorite and critically ignored Community began its fabled sixth season, premiering on the 17th. With a strong two episode set and free viewing space, Yahoo has done something Netflix, Hulu, […]

“Bingo” is a pleasant surprise — returning to its dominantly dry-comedy format, the show manages to harness some actual plot development.

Last week’s episode: a collection of everything I don’t like about this television show. This week’s episode: an exact representation of everything I love.

[rating=8.00] Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is the latest move Netflix has made against the traditional model of television productions. Co-produced and co-created by Tina Fey (along with former Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock writing and production alum Robert Carlock), the series follows the trials and tribulations of the titular Kimmy Schmidt, a woman kidnapped as […]

[rating=8.00] Looking at the slate for the coming year in movies, there are a lot of things to be excited about. 2015 is shaping up to be an incredible year for movie fans. The Avengers: Age of Ultron is right around the corner; Star Wars: The Force Awakens sits as a beacon guiding us towards […]

A strike involving crew members working on Sharknado 3 has entered its third day, with still no sign of budging from either side. On Tuesday, March 3, about 40 members of the crew walked off the job and began picketing The Asylum—the production company involved in making the SyFy TV movie—bringing to a halt many […]

Call it the show that wouldn’t die. Since its premiere in 2009, Dan Harmon’s oddball ensemble piece Community has faced more hurdles than an Olympic field. From executives who just didn’t get it, to falling viewership numbers, to Harmon’s firing, to losing a huge portion if its cast, Community has weathered it all. And throughout […]

The historic Lobero theater in Santa Barbara was buzzing with excitement on during the world premiere of the rock documentary about the unlikely rise of the band Kansas to superstardom in the film – Kansas: Miracles Out of Nowhere.  Three members of the band, Phil Ehart (drums), Richard Williams (guitar) and Robby Steinhardt (violin) were […]

No matter how long and prosperous one’s life may be, eventually it must end. Leonard Nimoy passed away the morning of Friday, February 27 as a result of COPD—a byproduct of years of smoking—and he leaves behind a larger than life legacy that will live on long past any of us. Though he did a […]

The fourth episode of ‘Better Call Saul’ ruins some classic Saul-as-master-manipulator moments with awkward side characters and a particularly weird bit involving the Space Blanket.

The 2015 Academy Awards have come and gone. This year saw one of the most concise and well produced ceremonies in recent memory. Coming in at just over three and a half hours, it was no easy haul but, compared to years where the show pushed four hours or longer, this year felt downright breezy. […]

The Academy Awards are this Sunday, and by Monday morning I’m sure we’ll all be debating the pros and cons of the awards given. That’s sort of a fact of life about the Oscars—every year people are upset that their favorite movie was snubbed or not awarded. Usually this sort of talk has died down […]