Happy 100 Birthday Dick Van Dyke!

I find it fascinating that today Dick Van Dyke celebrates his 100th birthday with none other than Taylor Swift. While it is common for celebrities to have the same birthday, both Van Dyke and Swift have done so much for their respective mediums.   Van Dyke was already a legend back in 1989 when Swift was born, evenContinue reading “Happy 100 Birthday Dick Van Dyke!”

Foundation Becomes Uneven For ‘Only Murders In The Building’

Every TV show hits the skids eventually. It’s inevitable. It’s a perfect storm of salary disputes among the cast leading to departures; no chemistry between some actors; series concepts changing over time; and even real actor’s deaths. With some shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Law and Order: SVU, all you need is to keep aContinue reading “Foundation Becomes Uneven For ‘Only Murders In The Building’”

‘The Naked Gun’ Hits The Target

Parody movies haven’t been too popular for well over a decade. And you can thank the horrible filmmaking duo of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer for that. When Scary Movie became a big hit during the summer of 2000, they had the clout as the co-writers of a hit movie.  Except there was one problem. They were co-writers in credit only. According to Marlon Wayans, who co-starredContinue reading “‘The Naked Gun’ Hits The Target”

‘Killer Tomatoes’ Attack In Classic Horror Comedies

You have to love a movie in which the San Diego Chicken actually helps take down killer tomatoes. When the original Attack of the Killer Tomatoes was released in 1978, it seemed to be a parody of B movies from the post-WWII era as well as the “When Nature Attacks” movies that had exploded followingContinue reading “‘Killer Tomatoes’ Attack In Classic Horror Comedies”

‘Saturday Night’ Is Dead Air

Back in the early 1990s, late comic/actor Garry Shandling made TV paydirt with The Larry Sanders Show. This was back when HBO was still considered a hack premium pay cable network that’s only success in original programming was the 1st and 10 and Real Sex. The TV show was about a satire of Hollywood andContinue reading “‘Saturday Night’ Is Dead Air”

Rest In Power, Graham Greene

Graham Greene was 37 when he was cast in the role that would forever change his life and career. He had been acting in a few small roles on the TV and in movies. Born on the Six Nations Reserve in Ohsweken, Ontario, he had been acting since his early 20s. But in 1989, heContinue reading “Rest In Power, Graham Greene”

Double Bogey For ‘Happy Gilmore 2’

Granted the first Happy Gilmore wasn’t the best movie ever. But considering it’s an Adam Sandler movie, it’s probably one of his best…in the Happy Madison universe that is. Sandler has done some fine work as a serious actor and even in comedy movies where his entourage have no involvement. I think many critics justContinue reading “Double Bogey For ‘Happy Gilmore 2’”

‘South Park’ Finally Bites More Than It Barks After Recent Lackluster Seasons

It’s hard to believe it’s been 28 years since South Park first aired on Comedy Central. Maybe it was the fact the network wasn’t as well respected and the creators (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) themselves felt the show would be canceled quickly, they were able to get away with so much at first. LikeContinue reading “‘South Park’ Finally Bites More Than It Barks After Recent Lackluster Seasons”

RIP Gailard Sartain

With a name like Gailard Sartain, you’re either going to be a southern lawyer/politician or an actor. Good thing for Sartain, he took the latter. A native of Tulsa, he started out working for the local TV station KOTV and then along with an unknown Gary Busey, they began to develop programs. This was makeContinue reading “RIP Gailard Sartain”

‘The 4:30 Movie’ Is Just A 99 Cent Bargain Bin Flick

The problem with The 4:30 Movie is it’s too busy winking at itself with an overload of The Chris Farley Show‘s “Hey, remember when…” pop culture nostalgia as well as a foolish mockery of things to come. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It might seem funny for people in 1986 to say a Batman movie would neverContinue reading “‘The 4:30 Movie’ Is Just A 99 Cent Bargain Bin Flick”