Analog This: Kroll Show Is The Sketch Show I’ve Been Waiting For

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lizandliz

I can’t stop laughing at this. Image via Hulu

I have a theory about people who say they hate certain funny TV shows*: they’ve never actually watched a full episode of that show.

Maybe they have seen five minutes of the actual show, but mostly  they have just watched the commercials for it. “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is a cliche, but it applies especially well to comedy. Even I have fallen victim to the commercial trap before (a dumber version of me once said “that show “Arrested Development” looks stupid”), and it seems to really be taking a hold on “Kroll Show.” This is a shame, as “Kroll Show” also happens to be one of the funniest shows on television right now.

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Movie Review: The Act of Killing

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the-act-of-killing_cFrom “The Wolf of Wall Street” to “American Hustle,” the year 2013 has seen a lot of criminals on the big screen, and nobody has known what to do with them. Do we hate them because they are criminals? Or do we try and understand their situation because they are human?

These are the two questions at the heart of “The Act of Killing,” a riveting documentary that shows that both of these questions are right and wrong at the same time.

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Weekly Roundup of Movie Memorabilia on eBay: Useless Sweater Edition

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Spiderman3Sweater

According to scientists, about 95% of the world’s ocean remains unexplored. One could say the same about eBay.

Another week, and no disappointments this time. My eBay Screenshots folder gets bigger and weirder by the day. This time, I also spent some time exploring what costumes the site had to offer. As always, people will buy just about anything if it means they own a piece of movie history, no matter how bad the prop or the movie itself.

This week, I left with even more questions than answers. Who finds these props? Who likes “Daredevil”? Who remembers “Syriana”? Perhaps these questions can be answered as I venture further down the rabbit hole:

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Philip Seymour Hoffman Found Dead At Age 46

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Image via CNN

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead today in his Manhattan apartment. The cause of death was an apparent heroin overdose. He was 46.

I hate writing that. Every obituary requires a sentence or two stating the person, cause of death, and the age. It is always painful to write, partly because of how objective it is, and partly because it now means that I will have to refer to the person in the past tense from then on out.

This time, I find it especially hard to write it without emotion. Philip Seymour Hoffman really was one of the absolute best. That is something that people usually say after someone has passed. However, I use no exaggeration when I say that Hoffman really was one of the best there ever was.

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Weekly Roundup of Movie Memorabilia On eBay : Velociraptor Edition

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JurassicParkCageAccording to scientists, about 95% of the world’s ocean remains unexplored. One could say the same about eBay.

Thanks to this tweet, I was alerted to the existence of the actual velociraptor cage from “Jurassic Park” (pictured above), which is being sold on eBay for about $100,000. This is good if you have a serious velociraptor/Jeff Goldblum problem, but even better if you are a film buff with way too much cash to spend.

So, this led me to tumble down the movie memorabilia section wormhole on eBay. As you might expect, much of the stuff on there is centered on “Star Wars” and other sci-fi and horror classics. But then, there is some stuff that is just too odd to explain. They cost the kind of money that only Jordan Belfort and Nicolas Cage would be willing to spend.

What I am about to show you barely scratches the surface. Today, I introduce the first part of a new weekly roundup of the most awesome, weirdest, and inexplicable movie memorabilia you can find on eBay. The qualifications: it must be an actual prop or costume from a film. So keep your damn Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle lunch boxes to yourself.

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2014 Sundance Films I Am Most Excited For

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Never thought J.K. Simmons could look this scary. Image via Sundance Film Guide

Unfortunately, I did not get to attend the Sundance Film Festival this year. This is tough, because if you’ve been to it once, then you just want to go again and again.

While I couldn’t be there in person, that doesn’t mean that I couldn’t follow all of the action vicariously. Guys, the Internet is a wonderful thing.

Through descriptions and reviews of all of the films that were screened at the Festival, I was able to compile a list of this year’s entries that I want to see the most. Who knows, maybe one of these could be the next “Reservoir Dogs” or “Clerks.” Whatever happens, at least one of (if not all) of these films will have a character who either plays ukelele or looks really sad while taking a shower.

Read the list below:

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Movie Review: Short Term 12

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shortterm12

Image via New York Times

Sometimes, you see a film that makes you happy and it is hard to explain why. Maybe it is fairly dark, but it also begins with someone telling a story about shitting their pants after eating a taco. That’s what you get with “Short Term 12″: a very serious drama that also manages to capture all of life’s joyful, fleeting moments.

“Short Term 12″ is the feature film debut of director Destin Cretton. The film is set in a foster-care facility. Cretton worked at one in real life. The story might not be true, but elements of it feel like they were definitely taken from experience.

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A Fan’s Plea: Why Quentin Tarantino Should Go Ahead and Make The Hateful Eight Anyway

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quentin-tarantino-christoph-waltz-winning-oscar-inglourious basterdsIt was the betrayal heard around Hollywood.

On Tuesday night, Deadline reported that Quentin Tarantino would shelve his highly anticipated new script “The Hateful Eight” after word that an industry insider had supposedly leaked his script. The source of the leak is still unknown, though Tarantino firmly believes that it wasn’t Tim Roth’s doing. For once, Mr. Orange isn’t the rat.

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Movie Review: Dallas Buyers Club

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dallasbuyersclubBecause it is Oscar season, that means that by Constitutional law, there must be at least one movie about homophobia and AIDS. “Dallas Buyers Club,” an interesting and important true story that deserved to be made into a film, does just that. While it stumbles sometimes, it works exactly when it needs to.

There are a lot of boobs and a lot of rodeos in “Dallas Buyers Club.” But the film also has a lot of heart, and there is absolutely no nuance as to who is the good guy and who is the bad guy here. Based on a true story, “Dallas Buyers Club” is set in the year 1985, fittingly not long after Rock Hudson‘s death from AIDS. Ron Woodruff (Matthew McConaughey) is an electrician some of the time, and a hustler for the remaining amount. His bad habits lead to the discovery that he has HIV. Given his fervent homophobia, he doesn’t immediately take too kindly to this news.

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Five Other Great Movies from this Year’s Oscar Nominated Directors

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Flirting with Disaster (1996)

Patricia Arquette in overalls. Filed Under: 1990s

Ever since I first started to learn about film, I have always been fascinated by directorial style. Bad directors are bad because they have no distinct style. They are fine with being derivative of their time. Good directors think ahead, follow patterns, and ultimately evolve.

This year’s crop of directors nominated for Oscars are as talented as they are diverse. Some are old pros, and some are just breaking out. Some are deeply funny, and others are deeply serious. Looking at their past works is the best way to understand what they are doing in the present.

I (with the help of a friend, more on that after the jump) have gone through the careers of all five of this year’s Oscar nominated directors. I didn’t necessarily chose their best works, but rather I chose the ones you might not have seen (because honestly, you don’t need me to know that “Raging Bull” is great), or the one’s that exemplify each director in an interesting way. Without further adieu, here is my list of five other great movies from this year’s Oscar Nominated directors:

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