Premise: Twisted Metal is an American post-apocalyptic action-comedy television series developed by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and Michael Jonathan Smith. Based on the vehicular combat video game franchise of the same name published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, John Doe, a talkative milkman with amnesia, is given a mission to traverse the desolate world to deliver a cryptic package. He faces a life-altering opportunity but must confront ruthless marauders in deadly and destructive vehicles to secure a chance at a better future.
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Seanoa, Will Arnett, and Thomas Haden Church.
What it reminds me of: The Domestics, The Last of Us, and The Last Man on Earth.
Every day, you log onto social media and learn of a new celebrity who has passed away.
It seems we have lost some great people over the last week. Some, way too young.
This morning, we lost a great character actor. Mark Margolis was best known for the character of Uncle Tio in Breaking Bad, but the Pennsylvania native had quite the career.
He was in almost all of Darren Aronofsky’s movies. He played a great role in Requiem for a Dream. He played the leader of the Sicilians in Oz. And he played another leader, this time a mob leader in one of my favorite shows, the short lived Black Donnellys.
The passing of Angus Cloud, of Euphoria came, came as a shock to so many. He passed away on July 31st at the young age of 25. And only a week after his father passed away.
Paul Reubens, the hilarious and brilliant creator of Pee-Wee Herman passed away on July 30th after a private battle with cancer. He was 70 years old.
Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor passed away on July 26th at the young age of 56. The outspoken “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer was also very vocal about her issues with mental health.
Tony Bennett, Alan Arkin are just some of the other names.
I am a huge fan of the Saw franchise. I have seen every single one in theaters. Many on opening night. I own all of them.
The story behind Spiral is such a cool one. So, Chris Rock made a movie about being someone who makes movies. In that movie, he goes to a theater to see how the turnout for his film is doing. What he stumbles upon is a giant turnout for a new Madea movie that is all about Halloween. Now in real life, at the time, Tyler Perry had not put out a Halloween themed film in his franchise. It is said that this encourage Perry to make Boo! A Madea Halloween. Now, Lionsgate films is the company behind both the Saw franchise and the Madea franchise. Chris Rock went to a wedding where the President of Lionsgate was and he joked that he should be thanked. Thanked because he helped lead to a Halloween Madea film that made the prediction company a ton of money. He then mentioned having an idea for a new Saw story. Shortly after, he received a call from Lionsgate and just like that, Chris Rock helmed Spiral, the 9th film in the installment.
Now for a little James Wan backstory. Wan made Saw originally as a short. Just like District 9 started as a short. And then got the reception and funding that it deserved. Wan then went on to create a massive franchise with The Conjuring, which had multiple spin-offs including Annabelle, The Curse of La Llarona, and The Nun. Wan also directed Aquaman and became the first Asian director to make a billion at the box office.
What is exciting about this 10th installment is that it is coming out a month earlier than the others. The release date is set for September 29th.
If you are a fan of Saw, make sure to check out these other movies that have similar attributes: Cube, Escape Room, Would You Rather?
Check out the trailer here: https://youtu.be/t3PzUo4P21c
It was announced two days ago that SNL alumni and 30 Rock creator, Tina Fey, could take the reins of Saturday Night Live come Lorne Michaels’ departure.
Michaels, a Canadian born television writer and film producer, has been running the show since it’s birth in 1975. It is assumed that once the show hits its 50th season, Michaels will hang his coat up. I had heard that the show will probably end once he leaves, as the sketch show has become too expensive to produce. But I am all for more seasons of the show, as I have really enjoyed the recent featured players. Also, head writers and Weekend Update correspondents, Colin Jost and Michael Che, have such a great chemistry.
While I am 100% onboard with Tina Fey taking over, here are some other people that I think would be a strong fit.
Conan O’Brien
Steve Higgins
Amy Poehler
Dana Carvey
John Mulaney
Kristen Wig
Kenan Thompson
I didn’t mention named such as Jimmy Fallon or Seth Myers as they host talk shows and are preoccupied with that.
Yesterday, during a court hearing, it was admitted that aliens do exist. Read more about it here! Nobody is happier about this news than Blink-182 guitarist, Tom Delonge. The Californian just recently rejoined the band and is currently on a world tour with the trio and is back on their upcoming 9th album. The guitarist left the band in 2015 to focus on his side project, Angels & Airwaves, and also focus more on researching aliens. In 2017, DeLonge was actually awarded the Alien Researcher of the Year Award. Anyway, this article isn’t about Tom, I am just a huge fan.
I figured, since now we know that we are not alone, I would suggest my favorite alien movies to watch. I will add some more info on each one eventually.
These are in no specific order
10 Cloverfield Lane A Quiet Place Alien Alien VS. Predator Annihilation Arrival Attack the Block Avatar Close Encounters of the Third Kind Cloverfield Contact District 9 Edge of Tomorrow ET Galaxy Quest Independence Day Interstellar Mars Attacks Men in Black Nope Pacific Rim Prometheus Psycho Goreman Signs Starship Troopers Super 8 The Fourth Kind Under the Skin
Where to watch: Amazon, iTunes, Apple TV, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play Movies
Premise: After learning that a stranger has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four Oregon boys decide to go see the body. On the way, Gordie Lachance (Wil Wheaton), Vern Tessio (Jerry O’Connell), Chris Chambers (River Phoenix) and Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman) encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, as they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys’ adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.
Cast: River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Jerry O’Connell, Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard Dreyfuss, John Cusack
What it reminds me of:Stranger Things, Super 8; both of these have been compared to Stand By Me. Mostly, due to the adventure, as well as the ensemble of young actors.
Premise: The series chronicles the inner workings of a jury trial in the US through the eyes of juror Ronald Gladden, a solar contractor from San Diego, who is unaware that his jury duty summons was not official, and that everyone in the courtroom aside from him is an actor. Everything that happens, inside and outside the courtroom, is planned.
Cast: James Marsden, Ronald Gladden, Alan Barinholtz, Kirk Fox, Susan Berg, David Brown, Ross Kimball, Pramode Kumar, Mekki Leeper, Edy Modica, Brandon Loeser, Ishmel Sahid, Ron Song, Maria Russell, Trisha LaFache, Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola.
What it reminds me of: Punk’d, Jackass, The Prank Panel, The Truman Show.
Why I like it: James Marsden. Kirk Fox. Ike Barinholtz’s dad. This show’s premise is so wild. There is no way it should have worked. I don’t know how they pulled it off, but they sure did. This show is so laugh-out-loud funny. The acting is crazy good, across the whole cast. I don’t know why it took so long to make a show like this. James Marsden plays a fictionalized version of himself. In each episode, he becomes more and more of a selfish, over-confident actor. Which seems to be the exact opposite of who he is in real life.
Since following this show, I have followed the cast on social media and read interviews with some of them, including Ronald Gladden. One thing that stuck out to me is that James Marsden kept in close contact with Ronald after the show ended and helped him readjust to real life.
I still don’t know how nobody recognized Kirk Fox. The San Diego native is known for shows such as Parks & Rec,Community, and FXX’s Reservation Dogs. Check these shows out along with his hilarious and deadpan stand-up comedy.
Premise: Hop on the road with Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes for an exclusive look behind the scenes of the sold-out “SmartLess” live podcast tour.
Cast: Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes.
What it reminds me of: When you are hanging out with your best friends and just giving each other shit Also, it reminded me of some comedian tour documentaries like Dane Cook’s Tourgasm and The Comedians of Comedy with Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Maria Bamford, Zach Galifianakis.
Why I like it: I am not really into podcasts. I like to watch television or listen to books on tape. It takes a certain type of podcast for me to get into it. Anyway, I haven’t gotten into this podcast yet, but I will probably now. My girlfriend is a big fan of the podcast and wanted to watch this miniseries documentary. I love the three actors and thought it would be fun to watch. I can’t tell you the last time I laughed this hard. The behind-the-scenes is so great. The three stars are lifelong friends who just roast each other constantly. Also, you get to watch a few of the actual interviews that include people like Will Ferrell and Bradley Cooper.
Premise: In a global cataclysm, “The Sudden Departure,” 140 million people disappeared without a trace. Three years later, residents of Mapleton, N.Y., try to maintain equilibrium when the notion of “normal” no longer applies. Intense grief has divided families and turned faith to cynicism, paranoia and madness, leading some of the traumatized to join the Guilty Remnant, a cultlike group. Kevin Garvey, a beleaguered police chief, must keep peace between townspeople and the cult, a task made tougher with concern about his kids. His daughter alternates between apathy and rebellion, and his wayward son befriends a charismatic prophet. “The Leftovers” is based on the best-seller by Tom Perrotta, who is one of the series’ executive producers.
Cast: Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler, Chris Zylka, Margaret Qualley, Carrie Coon, Emily Meade, Amanda Warren, Ann Dowd.
What it reminds me of: You know how every few years a television network releases a new show about a plane/group of people dissapearing? It’s like those shows, but much better. Really, this show is very original and just so interesting.
Why I like it: Damon Lindelof. I know, a lot of times on this website I just say a name and say, “That should tell you enough.” He is behind shows like Lost and The Watchmen. Justin Theroux is so damn good in this show. Ann Dowd is absolutely crazy, as always. The third and final season is so good. There is something in the finale that is one of the emotional things that I have ever seen on a television show.
Where to watch: Everywhere! It’s worth the rental money
Premise: The Bradys of the popular ’70s sitcom get thrust into the ’90s, with a whole new set of problems. The family’s house is in danger of being taken away by developer Larry Dittmeyer (Michael McKean) if the ever-positive brood can’t come up with $20,000. Parents Mike (Gary Cole) and Carol (Shelley Long) initially don’t fret, until Mike has difficulty getting any of his architectural designs sold. Fearing the worst, the six Brady kids decide to enter a talent contest and raise the money themselves.
Cast: Shelley Long, Gary Cole, Christine Taylor, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Jennifer Elise Cox, Paul Sutera, Olivia Hack, Jesse Lee Soffer, Henriette Mantel
What it reminds me of: There was a television show from the 70s that it reminds me of, but I can’t put my finger on it.
Why I like it: A lot of people don’t understand that this movie is a parody. It pokes fun at the corniness of the family that so many people grew up with. It parodies how straight edge the family members are, how naive they are to any actual inconvenience or bad thing that could occur, and how the family can break out in synchronized song and dance at any given time. One of my favorite scenes is when Greg and Marcia are held up in a carjacking, but they accidentally get away by telling the criminal that it is a car, but their name is definitely not Jack.
The movie is chock-full of stars, some with some great cameos. Michael McKean and Jean Smart play the neighbors, with McKean being one of the main antagonists. The original Alice and Bobby pop up in the movie playing small, but great parts. Ru Paul plays Jan’s guidance counselor and helps her reinvent herself after she is driven mad from jealousy for Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.
It has been too long since I have seen this movie last year, but I will tell you I still know the songs by heart. I still occasionally break out singing when I am in a Macy’s or another department store.
If you are a fan of the original show, the Monkees, satire, this movie is for you.
