Vague Visages Is FilmStruck: Marshall Shaffer’s #FilmStruckFebruary
Marshall Shaffer Reflects on a Full Month of FilmStruck
Two Drink Minimum: Christopher Guest’s ‘Mascots’
“Jamming its artistic support into the final few moments, ‘Mascots’ just checks off boxes.”
Two Drink Minimum: ‘Iliza Shlesinger: Confirmed Kills’
“It’s a savvy marketing strategy for extremely capitalist comedy, but the Shlesinger routine never amounts to anything more pleasant than being stuck sharing a cab with someone that seemed much more interesting several hours and drinks ago.”
Two Drink Minimum: ‘Cedric the Entertainer: Live from the Ville’
“For all Cedric’s struggling against modernity, I can’t help but think Harambe would’ve improved this bit.”
Two Drink Minimum: ‘David Cross: Making America Great Again!’ (Netflix)
“Similar to the audience polarization of other onenote comics (like Ricky Gervais), Cross’ locked, angry views overwhelm his substantial wit.”
Review: Werner Herzog’s ‘Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World’
“It is Herzog’s simultaneous exhibition of curiosity, awe, and irreverence in the face of the digitally connected world that makes ‘Lo and Behold’ a unique treatment of its subject that is not to be missed.”
‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’: In Celebration of Dramatic Women
“Through all of these corny musical numbers, the rom-com scenarios, and the outrageous ‘I Love Lucy’ levels of scheming, I find myself relating to Rebecca against the odds.”
Two Drink Minimum: ‘BoJack Horseman’ Season 3 Recaps (Part 4 of 4)
“As long as those around BoJack grow more and more distant, so will his second chances.”
A Trip to the Sensory Deprivation Tank: Comparing ‘Fringe’ and ‘Stranger Things’
“Perhaps, in an alternate-parallel-upside-down universe somewhere, Fringe was a massive sensation on Netflix or Amazon Prime.”
Two Drink Minimum: ‘BoJack Horseman’ Season 3 Recaps (Part 3 of 4)
Two Drink Minimum is a Comedy-Based Column by Jacob Oller.
Two Drink Minimum: ‘BoJack Horseman’ Season 3 Recaps (Part 2 of 4)
“This may be the midpoint of the season, but it already feels like these cycles of self-delusion are about to crash.”
Two Drink Minimum: ‘BoJack Horseman’ Season 3 Recaps (Part 1 of 4)
“Despite being under the ‘Two Drink Minimum’ banner, make no mistake: ‘BoJack Horseman’ is not a comedy.”
Two Drink Minimum: Bo Burnham’s ‘Make Happy’ (Netflix)
“When the red, white and blue lights go off, one can begin to understand that Burnham hasn’t put together a comedy special, but a deconstructive stage play of epic proportions.”
Two Drink Minimum: ‘Ali Wong: Baby Cobra’ (Netflix)
“Never preachy, Wong finds lots to love in her overwhelming honesty.”
Two Drink Minimum: ‘Hannibal Takes Edinburgh’ (Netflix)
“Hitting the cerebrally relatable and the absurdly goofy, Buress provides an allegory for the American worker: even if your daily grind is performing stand-up, taking pleasure in your work is the only way to stay sane.”
Review: Mike Flanagan’s ‘Hush’
“‘Hush’ has some very interesting moving parts in what amounts to an average film.”
The Subversive Power of ‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure’
“Thirty years after its release, the gender play, sexual politics and physical comedy shine as brightly as the 100-watt headlight on its star’s beloved bike.”
Two Drink Minimum: ‘Hannibal Buress: Comedy Camisado’ (Netflix)
“Buress, typically non-confrontational, slips his subversive humor in slyly, a submarine beneath an inky sea.”
The Dueling Cavalier: Truth and Cinéma Vérité in ‘Serial’ and ‘Making a Murderer’
“In forgoing vérité techniques, Ricciardi and Demos make their show more compelling as entertainment and less convincing as a thorough and honest investigation of a criminal case.”
The Dueling Cavalier: On (Re)-Reading Raymond Chandler for the First Time
“It was my first time reading Chandler, and yet it didn’t feel like it: I’d devoured so many of his influences that the writing seemed familiar, even if there was nothing quite like getting it from the original source.”