Review: Jason Reitman’s ‘Saturday Night’
“‘Saturday Night’ punctuates each act with impressive editing. It’s a big exclamation point — an ode to the original cast and crew, a celebration of comedic camaraderie and the creative process.”
‘Saturday Night Live’ Review: ‘Owen Wilson/Kacey Musgraves’
“Michael Che talks trash from a desk (and on his Instagram stories), but who’s going to challenge the audience from the main stage with some weird, wild stuff?”
‘Scrooged’ Is Still the Most Modern ‘Christmas Carol’
“‘Scrooged’ carries on Dickens’ themes and message in a way that speaks the most directly and urgently to its audience, teaching that “the miracle” of giving can happen to all of us, at any time. Provided, of course, we can turn off the TV for just long enough.”
Photo Essay by Andy Witchger: Maggie Rogers at Minneapolis’ First Avenue
“Her music remains permeated by the natural world, both lyrically and sonically. Field recordings form the backbone of multi-layered samples, and loops of falling trees and rattlesnakes complement subtle drum machines. The effect is a distinct sense of place.”
TIFF 2018: One Small Step – A Review of Damien Chazelle’s ‘First Man’
“What ‘First Man’ might lack in emotionality, Chazelle more than compensates for in spectacle.”
Review: Geoffrey Orthwein and Andrew Sullivan’s ‘Bokeh’
“It’s ‘The Leftovers’ minus the chainsmokers, angry locals and cryptic dialogue.”
‘Twin Peaks’ and Beyond the Alphabet
“The failure of language permeates ‘Twin Peaks,’
an abundance of verbiage disintegrating under the looming and ageless presence in the woods.”
Two Drink Minimum: Christopher Guest’s ‘Mascots’
“Jamming its artistic support into the final few moments, ‘Mascots’ just checks off boxes.”
Two Drink Minimum: The Rock and ‘Central Intelligence’ – When Wit Gets Ripped
“Would we like The Rock as much if he wasn’t shredded like taco lettuce?”
Review: Jason Moore’s ‘Sisters’
“Sisters is a house party film told by and from the perspective of women, and that is precisely why it succeeds.”
London Film Festival 2015 Review: Bao Nguyen’s ‘Live from New York!’
“The documentary suggests that the makers of Saturday Night Live, in all likelihood, probably don’t have contempt for their audience. It’s harder to say that’s the case for the team behind Live from New York!”
Review: Douglas Tirola’s ‘Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon’
“Expanding on the standard documentary outline, director Douglas Tirola strings a series of in-depth interviews together with original National Lampoon magazine artwork, album excerpts and stage show footage — providing enough tits, drugs and comedy to satiate fans young and old.”
Fall TV Review: “Marry Me” (NBC)
Q.V. Hough reviews the new NBC comedy.