For as long as I can remember, Tim Allen has been an American institution. First introduced on the small screen to most of us in the early ’90s via Home Improvement, then cementing his status as a comedy legend with such classics as The SantaClause and Toy Story. And Kat Dennings, blessed with both beauty and wit, has earned her own place inside many households since 2 Broke Girls in the 2010’s. Put the two of them together, and you’ve got a (mostly) winning combination.
The first season of Shifting Gears was enjoyable enough from what I remember – though I actually spent much of it watching from a hospital bed at the time, so my memories are not as clear for obvious reasons. But season two seems to have really hit its stride, focusing on everything from young love, to deeper issues centered around post-loss relationships (Newcomer to the series Jenna Elfman is undeniably likeable here as Allen’s character Matt’s new love interest).
Highlights that stick out from this latest season include a brief Home Improvement reunion of Patricia Richardson, Richard Karn, and Debbe Dunning on the season premiere, and some fairly fun seasonal episodes centering around both Halloween and Christmas. There’s even a humorous episode (simply titled “Danger”) that revolves around a nuisance raccoon that allows the young Maxwell Simkins of the recent Mighty Ducks: Game Changers to shine again as well.
Sure, some laughs may fall flat, while a few others might even feel a bit forced at times. But overall, there’s way more cringe-worthy things to behold on prime time TV these days other than Shifting Gears.
As an avid fan, I’ve read several of Michael J. Fox’s previous books over the years, in addition to of course growing up watching his films and shows. But I had a feeling that Future Boy – which fully chronicles landing the role of Marty McFly in Back tothe Future whilst juggling his already-established role of Alex P. Keaton on the hit sitcom Family Ties in the mid-’80s, would be one hell of a ride. (To this day the original remains one of my personal favorite films of all time)
From initial doubts and hesitations, to almost covertly becoming McFly while Actor Eric Stoltz was still more or less in the position of said lead role, to the ultimate aftermath/snowball effect the eventual decision to just go for it would ultimately have, there’s not a single moment of boredom to be found in between the front and back covers here.
The pace of that time frame in his life, zipping from a full day’s work at one set to another with little to no reprieve in between, is both commendable, and at times in many ways even relatable (my long lost days as a single father kept popping in my head while relieving some of Fox’s own struggles here).
Fox even narrows down several interesting thoughts about BTTF itself I had never considered before. For example – the ending of the original film, where Marty returns to his own time frame and finds his lackluster family now suddenly successful; is it truly a “happy ending,” knowing he now was not a part of any of the shared memories they all have together? (Deep stuff indeed)
To be given the type of insight on a specific moment of time that has had as huge of a cultural influence as Back to the Future has, truly feels like a gift here, and the tenacity that Fox has displayed – both then and now – deserves much respect. Thank you for sharing, Michael.
Truth be told, I’m always on the lookout for more talented, up-and-coming metal bands that check all the right boxes. Madrid’s Rave In Fire certainly get the job done (despite the fairly cheesy cover of their second full-length effort here), delivering solid tracks often in the same vein as Dio, Scorpions, or early Iron Maiden.
The instrumental “Prologue of a Delirium” sets things up nicely before “Dark Poison” and “Crown of Stars” each take respective command of their listeners. Other highlights such as “Untiring Eagles” and “Knightwalker” set a perfect tone in their own right as well.
In a genre with such a vast, already-established history such as heavy metals,’ it’s not always easy to stick out from the rest of the crowd. But when you’re authentic and paying tribute to what’s come before without completely ripping it off or becoming just another cliche/parody (plus when each of your two female members have the ability to turn a head or two – sorry, but ultimately I’m still just a guy!), it’s hard not to take some notice. Looking forward to seeing what else is in store in the near future for this act indeed.
To be perfectly honest, several recent personal factors have made the writing process just a tad on the difficult side for me as of late, to say the least (call it what the old-timers used to if you like – writer’s block). But I had hoped that a showing of the limited-release film Megadeth: Behind The Mask, in which the band’s history is chronicled in full and their seventeenth and final studio album, simply titled Megadeth, is revealed, would be enough to snap me out of it, if only for a short time. Thankfully I was right.
I had been following the singles leading up to the release of their historic last magnus opus as best as I could. “Tipping Point” and “Let There Be Shred” were likable enough, while “I Don’t Care” felt a little too juvenile and forced (though the video is on the fun side).
But once you dive in, there’s way more to discover and like, albeit still the occasional filler track or two. Highlights include “Obey The Call,” the extremely relatable “Another Bad Day,”and possibly my favorite of the bunch, “I Am War,” which reaches anthem-like epic proportions. “The Last Note” makes for a fitting grand finale, while a bonus track cover of Metallica’s “Ride The Lightning” is frontman Dave Mustaine’s ode to his own past.
I could feel a wave of sadness coming over me as I knew the end was approaching though; not only at the thought of saying goodbye to a band that has been there throughout so many fond memories during my lifetime, but at the thought of an old friend and fellow fan of mine, whose recent passing not even two weeks ago hit me like a ton of bricks (remember those “personal factors” I had alluded to earlier?) Still, I’ll forever be grateful for the time I’ve had with both. Thanks for everything Dave, and see you on the other side, Daniel.
Few shows in recent memory have come along and reached the pop culture phenomenon status the way Stranger Things has (The Walking Dead comes to mind in comparison, although that turned out to be a case of not knowing when to quit while you’re still ahead for sure).
When Stranger Things first dropped on Netflix in 2016, it felt like this nostalgic little secret that the wife and I (and eventually our son) stumbled upon that was of course a fun ride, though none of us could’ve possibly ever predicated then just how huge this show created by The Duffer Brothers would become.
Fast foreword to season five, where audiences have by now seen the beloved group of friends enter the upside down and fight evil in more ways than one by now. I honestly had some doubts at the onset of the season, where many of our heroes are now looking far too old to pass as believable high school students still getting bullied the way Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) is in the first episode.
But as things progress, the season gets steadily better. This time around, the entire town of Hawkins is under military control after the events of the fourth season, with the entire gang keeping a steady eye on both them, and the upside down while Hopper (David Harbour) prepares Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) for her ensuing final battle. Meanwhile, there’s another “bad guy” in the form of Dr. Kay (played by an over-the-top Linda Hamilton) trying to to catch El in the middle of it all.
There’s one subplot after another, as the evil Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), disguising himself now as “Mr. Whatsit” to a select few of the town’s children, imprisons a group of kids lead by Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) – Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Nancy’s (Natalia Dyer) younger sister – who at one point finds herself in the same world as the still-comatose Max (Sadie Sink), who shows her the way to navigate through this new world.
This all leads to one final, huge confrontation with Vecna (who we also learn some more backstory on along the way), which I’ll stop at here before giving away any potential spoilers. (Though be advised, there are certainly a few tearjerker moments.)
Aside from all those previously mentioned, many other familiar faces return here, including (among others) Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Steve (Joe Keery), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Robin (Maya Hawke), and of course Winona Ryder returns as Joyce once again, though her character feels a bit pushed to the wayside here. And of course the “coming out” of Will (Noah Schnapp) has been much-talked about, which is fine and all because it feels like a natural progression for the character, but the moment itself just feels a bit forced and awkwardly placed. Newcomer Jake Connelly also adds some much-needed comic relief as Derek.
It’s bittersweet to watch the series come to its inevitable end after all that it’s meant to so many over the years (my aforementioned kid once went as Dustin for Halloween one year at the top of its hype, and I cannot count the number of collectible items that have since been accumulated in our household). Watching the finale on the big screen with the family among a packed theater felt like the only way to say goodbye to this show that has meant so much to so many, truly felt like the only way to do so.
The show that once filled countless minds with so much wonder and had us all united in longing for a bygone era known as the 1980’s, is now a part of the history books itself. And what a ride it has been.
I was really hoping for yet another diamond in the rough horror film in the same vain of this year’s Black Phone 2. Unfortunately with this latest update to 1984’s Silent Night, Deadly Night, there’s more “rough” than anything else here.
First the pros; the visuals and atmosphere are fairly spot on, and even some of the eerie music from the original film (see, “Santa’s Watching”) is used, which brings a nice touch to the proceedings. And Rohan Campbell is actually pretty convincing as the disturbed drifter Billy, as is Ruby Modine as his love interest, Pam (for the most part, anyway).
Now the cons; it’s an-over-the top gorefest where any chance at actual art is pushed aside to make way for another stab at shock value. We’re expected to accept an unrealistic and exaggerated reality where anyone religious/bearing a cross is seemingly inherently evil in a fairly insulting manner. Even the gimmick of Billy hearing and responding to an inner voice named Charlie (voiced by Mark Acheson) quickly becomes fairly tiresome here.
Sure, the original film was far from perfect (I won’t even get into the various levels of its sequels right now, either) and you won’t ever hear me claim otherwise. But where part of Billy’s traumas were the result from the abuse he encountered from the head nun at the orphanage he was raised in, there was also the contrast from the younger, decent nun who wanted to actually help Billy and see him thrive in life. Here there’s nothing like that, just another dumbed-down excuse for excess violence.
What starts with a decent concept, quickly gets muddled by excess violence and a predictable ending. The potential was there, but the execution is simply not as clever as the filmmakers had hoped it would be here.
With Christmas just days away, it felt like as good of a time as ever to finally sit down and give the all-new Stryper album dedicated to the season, which came out roughly one month ago now, a fair try.
The Greatest Gift of All gives longtime fans of The Yellow and Black Attack what they’ve always wanted; a full album of traditional and original Christmas numbers with a rocking edge at a time when the world can surely use them.
While I’ve never been too big of a “Little Drummer Boy” fan, tracks like “Go Tell It On The Mountain” and “Joy to the World” still hold up well, and the likes of “Still The Light” and “On This Holy Night” are hard not to like here.
Admittedly I may not be the prime example of a practicing Christian by any means, but I’m trying to do better in my older years now. And with all the evil lurking out there in the world these days, it’s not such a bad thing to get a little holy now and then.
I had initially planned on watching a very different kind of Christmas movie (the new Silent NightDeadly Night remake, to be specific) before I settled on watching a newer Netflix romantic family comedy (of course with my own family) the other night titled A Merry Little Ex-Mas, starring Alicia Silverstone and Oliver Hudson.
The plot is nothing all that original; recently divorced (or “uncoupled” as they prefer to call it) husband and wife Everett and Kate (Hudson and Silverstone) conflict as they try to co-parent their two adult children (and one child’s quirky Harry Potter-obsessed boyfriend, played by Timothy Innes) at Christmas with their own new significant others (played by Jameela Jamil and Pierson Fode).
Melissa Joan Hart of Sabrina the Teenage Witch fame and Geoffrey Owens from The Cosby Show also add to the ordeal, and for the most part things stay pretty harmless (albeit predictable) and the proceedings never get too over the top like other similar affairs have in the past (Lindsay Lohan’s Falling For Christmas in 2022 comes to mind). Far from perfect, but worth at least one watch this Christmas season.
It should come as no surprise to those who saw the first film that Five Night’s at Freddy’s 2 is not a straight forward horror/slasher movie, but there’s just something about creepy old arcades that keeps us coming back to them time and time again.
This time around, we get a little more backstory, and a new villain in the form of The Marionette, another feature of the fallen pizzeria possessed by a young girl named Charlotte (Audrey Lynn Maire) in the early ’80s, coincidentally once a friend of Vanessa’s (Elizabeth Lail) from the first film.
Aside from Lail, Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio, and Matthew Lillard all return from the original, with Skeet Ulrich and Wayne Knight adding some intrigue and/or fun to the proceedings. It’s much more fast-paced and straight-to-the-point, and much like the recent Black Phone 2, a step above its predecessor.
Look, I didn’t go into Street Fighter, the PG-13 video-game based film aimed at preteens back in the day, expecting to see Bloodsport, and no one should go into FNAF2 expecting the equivalent of a gore fest, either. It’s just scary enough for the smaller kids, while also keeping it safe enough for the whole family to enjoy, and aside from its abrupt ending, is an overall solid film.
When heavy metal icon and all-around music legend Ozzy Osbourne left this world this past summer just days after performing his final concert ever, both as a solo artist and with Black Sabbath, it sent unprecedented shockwaves across the universe like few before him. So to have at least one more thing to be able to connect with him in some way, in this case in the form of his final memoir Last Rites (put together with author Chris Ayers), it almost goes without saying how welcomed it is.
Of course when Osbourne’s first memoir I Am Ozzy initially dropped back in 2009, I was all over that, too, though I actually found it to be a bit on the forced side, as if the powers that be were nudging him behind the scenes to be over the top to coincide along with his popular TV persona. Last Rites still doesn’t hold anything back either, but is presented with a much more open and honest voice than the former was.
Granted some stories from the older book are glossed over here again, but for the most part Osbourne doesn’t dwell on what’s already been said in the past, and instead paints a picture of many of the more recent moments untouched on up until his passing. There’s no real chronological order to things here as subjects are more or less bounced around like thoughts spoken aloud, but there’s deep insight given in many areas of his life, including many of the health issues he endured towards the end.
Indeed, it feels as though Osbourne was ripped away from us all far too soon. But one thing that will surely never die is his legacy, which Last Rites only helps to solidify here.
