Tag Archives: Matthew McConaughey

Analog This: The 10 Best TV Shows of 2014

Leave a reply
episode-12-feature

Image via Reddit

I swear if somebody tells me that it’s the Golden Age of Television one more time…

Look, I’m not saying that this isn’t an amazing time for TV. All I am saying is that labeling one year as a golden age sets you up for future failure and disappointment. For instance, people who label the 1930s and 40s as the golden age of film completely disregard the amazing work done in later years. Plus, Gone with the Wind is sort of racist and Citizen Kane is kind of boring.

Earlier this year, some critics said the golden age of television was over. Really? Then how do you account for the fact that over half my list is freshman shows? As everything migrates towards cable and the web, TV is changing and currently on a curve of exponential growth. This is my first TV top ten list, because this is the first year that I feel like I watched enough shows that I could list ten and have a few honorary mentions.

It is amazing how diverse this year’s TV selections are. My list contains fantasy lands, New York during multiple different time periods, and a lot of talking animals. I don’t want to say that television is currently better than film, but I understand what the whack jobs who say that are talking about. Without further adieu, here is my list of the ten best shows of 2014:

Continue reading →

Movie Review: Interstellar

Leave a reply
interstellar_a

“Hey, this isn’t where I parked my car!” Image via Hollywood Reporter

This review MIGHT contain some spoilers. I am not sure. I am very careful when it comes to revealing plot details in a film and I do my best to only reveal details that will create a better understanding of the film without ruining the possible intrigue of it. However, the rules of spoilers are a bit different when it comes to Nolan. So…POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT. Proceed if you’re not gonna be a jerk about it.

There are a lot of different sci-fi movies out there, but in truth, there are only two: those that want to be Star Wars, and those that want to be 2001: A Space Odyssey. Interstellar falls into the latter category. 2001 is probably the hardest to emulate, given that it starts with a bunch of dudes in ape suits playing with a skeleton and ends with a star baby floating in the sky. If anybody could at least come close to attempting this task, then it’s got to be Christopher Nolan. Or at least, that’s what you would think.

Unfortunately, Interstellar is a little bit like I thought it might be: a parody of a Nolan film more than a Nolan masterpiece because it has everything you would expect one of his films would have. Layers! Abandonment issues! Michael Caine! Husbands who won’t take off their wedding rings even though their wives are dead!

Continue reading →

Emmys 2014: I Liked Some Things, I Didn’t Like Some Things

Leave a reply
Actor Cranston engages Julia-Louis Dreyfus in a prolonged kiss as she takes the stage to accept the award for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series for her role in HBO's "Veep"

Pictured: Dr. Tim Whatley and Elaine Benes

Well, the Emmy Awards happened again tonight.

My thoughts are about as predictable as most of the winners. In a year of excellent new shows, the common theme was to tread the same ground. However, that is not saying that some of those winners were not deserved.

Overall, with a great host and some memorable moments, the Emmys reminded me why TV is so great right now, and why film needs to catch up. However, many of the winners last night did not reflect the greatness of television right now. Hold the phone, you’re telling me that an award show is out of touch with what is popular and innovative right now? I don’t believe it.

Without further adieu, here are the highlights and lowlights of last night’s ceremony:

Continue reading →

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days: A Love/Hate Relationship with Rom-Coms

Leave a reply

1329146834_how-to-lose-a-guy-in-10-days-640Valentine’s Day is to Romantic Comedies what Halloween is to Horror Films: Apparently the only time of the year when it is okay to talk about them. Come on, nobody wants to read about your feelings about “The Evil Dead” in July.

Some of you might already know how I feel about horror films. What you might not know is that I don’t know how to feel about rom-coms. It is a genre that I have greatly enjoyed during a few very brief occasions, and then hated on most others. It is a genre that is already a subdivision of one genre, yet there are so many subdivisions within it as well.

Rom-Coms are not as simple as they may seem. When it comes to rom-coms, I guess you can say that It’s Complicated (Thank you! Thank you very much! I’ll be here all week).

Continue reading →

Movie Review: Dallas Buyers Club

Leave a reply

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.

Continue reading →