In Episode 11 of the Crooked Table Podcast, the Fandom Menace returns! Rob and Freddy geek out to discuss the latest DC and Marvel news, including an in-depth look at the trailers for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad as well as a review of Marvel’s Ant-Man.
Continue reading Crooked Table Podcast: Episode 11 – The Fandom Menace, Part 2
There’s a moment midway through Pixels where the military realize they are outmatched by the invading aliens/retro video game characters, and the president himself (Kevin James; more on that later) allows the gaming experts played by Adam Sandler and Josh Gad to assume command of the battle. In that moment, the film nearly stumbles on to some meaningful subtext. After all, we’re all living in a world where comic book properties are the premier form of entertainment and tech skills are essential for landing a job. More than ever, being a geek is (as we once pointed out) actually a tremendous asset. Unfortunately, that split-second of promise is as close as Pixels gets to excellence.
There’s a certain gender stereotype that tends to worm its way into some romantic comedies, wherein a straight-arrow career woman crosses paths with a lazy man-child in need of a swift twist of fate to get his life together. It’s a concept that is perhaps best exemplified by Judd Apatow’s 2007 comedy Knocked Up. However, with Trainwreck, Apatow and comedian Amy Schumer flip that premise on its head, and the results add up to Apatow’s best directorial effort since Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl shared the screen eight years ago.
Continue reading Review: ‘Trainwreck’ Turns Amy Schumer Into a Movie Star
