Archive for Features
Movie Pitch: SNL’s ‘Stefon’
Posted by: | Comments
This is a new segment on The Movie Mash where we will be pitching ideas for sequels, adaptations and new concepts that we feel should be made into a movie. The inaugural Movie Pitch is for an SNL skit that has become my absolute favorite over the past couple months; Bill Hader as Stefon. Stefon is Weekend Update’s “City Correspondent” who Seth Myers brings on to help give visiting New York tourists tips on what “traditional” New York places to check out. Instead, the flamboyantly neourotic Stefon describes “New York’s hottest clubs” that have extremely bizarre and psychotic features, such as Club Crece, where you’ll find psychos and screaming babies in Mozart wigs. If you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, hit the jump to check it out.
Joss Whedon’s ‘Firefly’: A Bright, Shining Gem
Posted by: | Comments
A little while back I posted an article about television auteurs, visionary producer/writer/directors that create shows because they have their passion, even if the show doesn’t last. Talking about Bryan Fuller specifically, three of his brain children died young (Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies and Wonderfalls) all amazing shows, all cancelled early. There is a much more successful example in Joss Whedon, creator of such amazing shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and the web show of awesome, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Each show has amazing writing, fantastic production values and more imagination than you could shake a stick at, and because of all of this, they were very well received. However, for this article, I will focus on one of Whedon’s “failure”, Firefly. Mind you, I use the term loosely, and only to describe the length of its run.
The Top 5 Movies of the Summer
Posted by: | Comments
The summer movie season is officially over now and I am back in school attending classes at the University of Minnesota. In light of this depressing fact, I thought it would be appropriate to give a run down of my top five movies from the summer. I can’t say this summer movie season was a disappointment by any means, but the number of quality movies did seem less than usual. However, the amazing movies featured on my list made this summer season a success in my book. I’m convinced picking Eclipse as the best movie of the summer will surely stir up some debate, but wait to argue until you read the article. So, let’s check out my top movies of the summer after the break.
Auteur Television: Bryan Fuller and Beautiful Ennui
Posted by: | Comments
Like many TV watchers today, I find myself gravitating toward certain shows which I will watch happily, even in syndication. M*A*S*H, The Simpsons, South Park;really any show that gives me a laugh or something to think about. For each of these examples there is a powerful individual or team working to create something that is fundamentally and totally theirs. Alan Alda took M*A*S*H from a pretty straight situational comedy to a politically-charged cultural phenomenon that outlasted the conflict it depicted by seven years. Matt Groening is responsible for the best loved and recognized TV family since the tube entered homes and Trey Parker and Matt Stone have shown that television characters can cause a global ruckus. There is another man who I think should be recognized for his contributions to television greatness, Bryan Fuller. He is the man behind the two season long ABC dramedy Pushing Daisies and the equally short lived Showtime original Dead Like Me. While both shows were axed before they were given a real chance, they each demonstrate amazing care and maturity in their storytelling and overall production value.
Top Five Audrey Hepburn Movies of All Time
Posted by: | Comments
Audrey Hepburn brought beauty and grace to Hollywood. Her ballet training made her seem light and airy on screen, while her life in Europe during WWII added depth and drama to her works. Hepburn left her mark on the film world and decades later, she’s still looked to as one of the greatest actresses of her time. Throughout her career she was a part of dozens of movies, but I’ve narrowed down, what I believe, to be her best. See what they are after the break.
