Move over, Morgan Freeman – there’s a new God in town, and his name is Nick Offerman. In Eric Kissack’s nine-minute The Gunfighter, Offerman plays an omniscient narrator of a Western scene whose speech can be heard by the characters he’s describing. Kissack mixes lowbrow gags and highbrow meta-humor to great effect, and Offerman’s narration…
Short film round-up
Although Hello World :) clocks in at 21 minutes, it feels like directors Rafaël Mathé and Etienne Larragueta tried to cram too much into too short a film. Each individual component of the cyberhacker piece is interesting and incredibly detailed, but when combined, we never get to a chance to fully engage with any of them. The result…
Critic finds cult classic “Dogma” a little dated
Kevin Smith’s 1999 film Dogma was probably groundbreakingly irreverent for audiences in its day. However, much like some of the tenets of organized religion that the movie pokes fun at, it doesn’t feel like it’s stood the test of time. Although the timing and structure of Smith’s writing still hits its mark, the actual content…
Entertainment news round-up for Sept. 26
The Office vet Angela Kinsey is set for a recurring role on TBS’ new comedy series Your Family or Mine. Kinsey’s role was played by Elizabeth Ellis in the pilot. Other actors in the cast include Richard Dreyfuss and JoBeth Williams. For more on the show, click here. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has okayed the restricted use of…
Entertainment news round-up for Oct. 23
Martin Scorsese will serve as executive producer on an upcoming authorized documentary on The Grateful Dead, directed by Amir Bar-Lev. “The Grateful Dead were more than just a band,” Scorsese said. “They were their own planet, populated by millions of devoted fans. I’m very happy that this picture is being made and proud to be…
Short film round-up
As someone who isn’t too fond of Wes Anderson’s feature films, I was pleasantly surprised by Castello Cavalcanti, an eight-minute short commissioned by Prada that stars Jason Schwartzman as a 1950s race car driver who has an unfortunate crash in a small Italian town. Though certainly stylish, it’s a little subtler than Anderson’s usual efforts, and…
Movie-turned-musical ‘9 to 5’ prepares for opening weekend
The Wanda L. Bass School of Music’s first musical of the semester, 9 to 5, will show this weekend.
The show is an adaptation of the 1980 movie, which starred Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin as frustrated office workers who kidnap their obnoxious, sexist boss and run the company themselves.
Apocalyptic comedy strikes gold in theaters
By Amanda Ack, Film Critic The World’s End is quite possibly the best comedy of the year so far. It is also the saddest. Directed by Sean of the Dead and Hot Fuzz helmer Edgar Wright, it’s got razor-sharp wit and sight gags in spades, but it never shies away from going darker and digging…
In Theaters: Carnage
When you violently tear away all of the fancy clothes, expensive liquor, and notions about what is prim and proper, what are you left with? Acclaimed director Roman Polanski might argue that the answer is Carnage.
