Tag Archives: Comedy

Review: TUSK by Kevin Smith

Tusk-Kevin-Smith

“Tusk,” Kevin Smith’s new horror-comedy about a man who is literally transformed into a walrus, is a different animal of a movie in more ways than one. Smith delivers on the thrills and chills of full-on horror and masterfully interlaces humor in unexpected ways. One of the strangest treats will come in the third act with Johnny Depp, unrecognizable as detective Guy Lapointe. Depp’s brilliantly odd performance adds to the weirdness of an already weird but truly worthy cinematic voyage. When he’s on the screen, you know that someone of a high caliber is playing with the ooey gooey elements of zany humor. Credit Mr. Depp and credit Mr. Smith for that.

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Filed under Comedy, Horror, Joss Whedon, Kevin Smith, Movie Reviews, movies

Robin Williams, RIP

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They always say of the greats that they make it look easy. Robin Williams was a master at what he did. It is a facility that could be taken for granted. And now his best work lives on and speaks for itself.

I was just revisiting “The Fisher King” and it is a humbling experience to see Robin Williams with the news of his death still ringing throughout. The iconic mannerisms are there, the ones we could take for granted. Oh, that’s just Robin Williams being Robin Williams. But there is only one Robin Williams and now he’s gone. Now comes the time to revisit his work and appreciate his talent.

It always happens this way in these situations. We enjoy such a talent. We begin to take it for granted. And then one day, we turn a page, and realize it is the end of an era.

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Filed under Comedy, Entertainment, movies, Robin Williams

DVD Review: FOREV, starring Noël Wells

Noël Wells and Matt Mider in "Forev"

Noël Wells and Matt Mider in “Forev”

The whole idea behind the film, “Forev,” is wasted youth, or youth wasting away and just waiting to be rolled over and swept away. That’s pretty much how the characters in this movie often feel like. Not always, but it’s a tendency. When you’re right in the thick of being young, you can feel quite lost and that can bring on some loopy choices. Why not marry your next door neighbor since he’s just as lonely as you are and he seems pretty cool? Life has brought Sophie (played by Noël Wells) to this conclusion. And, oddly enough, her neighbor, Pete (played by Matt Mider) is into it.

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Filed under DVD Blu-ray Reviews, Movie Reviews, movies

Webcomic Review: RACHEL & PENNY by Lauren Zuke

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“Rachel and Penny” is spot on good stuff. Webcomics are a tricky thing. It is basically a character-driven endeavor. It can be a wacky sense of humor thing and nothing more. But, if you’re a talented creator who believes in good storytelling, believes in good characters, then so much the better. This is exactly what Lauren Zuke has accomplished.

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Filed under Humor, Webcomics

DVD Review: NO CLUE

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“No Clue” is a sly mix of comedy and noir. Comedy is a funny thing, isn’t it? And noir might be an even funnier thing, to get right, that is. So, to mix the two, and be sly about it, is pretty impressive!

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Filed under Comedy, Movie Reviews, movies, Noir

BIRDMAN, starring Michael Keaton, Top Offbeat Superhero Movie for 2014

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“Birdman,” starring Michael Keaton, has got to be the best offbeat superhero movie since “Paper Man,” starring Ryan Reynolds, as Captain Excellent, in 2009. You can also include “Super,” starring Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, and Liv Tyler. Hmm, then there’s “Kick-Ass” (2010) and “Kick-Ass 2” (2013). We could maybe add a few more. They emerge at a nice steady pace.

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Filed under Comics, Michael Keaton, movies, Superheroes

Bill Plympton’s CHEATIN’ Screening at TAAFI on June 15, 2014

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CHEATIN’ is the latest work from animation master Bill Plympton. If you’re in Toronto on the 15th of June, you’ll want to stop by and catch it at the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International. Hot on the heels of the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, TAAFI is the natural extension to the festivities. But perhaps you’ll catch CHEATIN’ in Lawrence, Kansas or maybe Karkow, Poland. Check out the full screening list here.

Toronto Animation Arts Festival International – TAAFI – celebrates the many forms of animation from around the world, while supporting and nurturing the community that creates them. At TAAFI 2014 (June 13-16), you can immerse your senses in all things animation on Toronto’s Waterfront (Corus Quay & George Brown – Waterfront Campus)!

More details on the screening of CHEATIN’ at TAAFI follow:

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Filed under animation, Bill Plympton, Comedy, Humor

Review: POWER GROOVE #1

Power-Groove-Ken-Pisani

Imagine, it’s the ’70s, anything seems possible with free love, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. It was the zeitgeist and everyone participated, one way or another. For many, it didn’t lead to much more than preening about in a leisure suit, platform shoes, and feathered hair. But for the superhero team of Power Groove, it was their time in the sun, their glory days, their salad days, and their happy days. Today, forty years later, not so much. But, due to contractual obligations, they’re getting the team back together, and it hurts for them just to think about it.

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Filed under Comics, Comics Reviews, Ken Pisani

Movie Review: The French Minister

The-French-Minister-Abel-Lanzac

If you are interested in an intriguing movie based on a work in comics besides “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” you will want to see “The French Minister.” This comedy could be your window to offbeat political satire and French comics all rolled into one.

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Filed under Comics, France, French Comics, Movie Reviews, movies, Paris, politics

Review: ‘Weapons of Mass Diplomacy’ by Abel Lanzac and Christophe Blain

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Speaking truth to power. That’s a good thing. Needless to say, it gets rather complicated when it is in the form of an official statement or formal speech. In fact, speaking truth to power is not something you expect to hear at the highest levels of government. However, from time to time, there are those in power who actually do try to make a difference. In “Weapons of Mass Diplomacy,” we have a graphic novel that is a hilarious political satire and gives us the heroic story of the French Foreign Minister attempting to prove the pen to be mightier than the sword.

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Filed under Comics, European Comics, France, French Comics, Geopolitics, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels