Reviews

Review – Dave Chappelle Netflix Special

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by Nile Fortner

Is Dave Chappelle Still a Comedy King?

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, children of all ages, grandmothers and grandfathers, Dave Cha-Pezzy is back, the one and only Dave Chappelle is back! Dave Chappelle (Half–Baked, The Chappelle Show) the comedy icon, makes his long awaited return to the screen and to the stage. The comedian now has a Netflix Original stand-up comedy special. With new, mature, raunchy, contemptuous, and always compelling comedy material.

On November 12, 2016, Dave Chappelle hosted season 42 episode six of the late-night live comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live. That episode is literally the best Saturday Night Live episode I’ve seen in a very long time, years actually. You had the controversy, the emotion, the comedy, the music, the special guest appearances, it was civil, and you had the comeback of Chappelle.  For those who do not know this comedy legend, I’m going to tell you why he is a comedy icon, why he is one of the best. It is because he is raunchy, can feed off a crowd, he is very experienced in comedy, random, and it helps that he is really funny.

In 2003, Chappelle became more widely known with his comedy show, The Chappelle Show. The show continues to show re-run episodes all around the world, on various platforms to this day. Two years within The Chappelle Show, and Chappelle reaching the highest success in his comedy career, Chappelle walked away from the industry. In various interviews, he has stated “The show has ruined my life.” and”I hate working 20 hours a day.” He even walked away from a $50 million contract to come back to the show. Throughout the years, Chappelle was around, but kept on the down low. That was until he hosted Saturday Night Live on November 12, 2016. Now, Chappelle follows a line of comedians that have all gotten Netflix stand-up specials. Such as, Cedric The Entertainer, Mike Epps, Aziz Ansari, Jimmy Carr, Ali Wong, Patton Oswalt, and more.

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TV, Myself, and I (Part II): Rediscovering Ed

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by Christopher M. Rzigalinski

edtv

TEASE

Imagine this article is playing out before your eyes like a television show. The screen is black. The Foo Fighters’ song “Next Year” plays as we fade in on a familiar scene and the voiceover says, “Last time on “TV, Myself, & I.” We flashback to Part I of this article in which I discuss the Four Factors of Televisual Familiarity, or the major reasons certain television shows become significant in our lives. A montage of clips illustrates the following examples:

  1. Finding shows during transformative periods in our lives.
  2. Someone we love turning us onto a particular show and sharing it with them.
  3. Shows with sex appeal and characters we find desirable.
  4. Programs that help us develop professional dreams and attitudes we carry into adulthood.

Finally, in a dramatic cliff hanger, the voice-over reminds you that these categories often overlap and a personal case study of my relationship with the cult-favorite Ed is promised for Part II. You laugh. You cry. You get a new plate of nachos. And we’re back.

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Review-Drifter (2017)

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thedrifter

by Chris Rzigalinski

The unbound wanderer is a romanticized figure symbolizing freedom from the shackles of social norms and suffocating relationships, guided only by pride. Usually male, he’s a timeless archetype in American culture, but the best way to understand his journey for purpose is through film. Westerns (John Wayne’s “Rooster Cogburn”), wilderness epics (Robert Redford’s “Jeremiah Johnson”), and psychodramas (Edward Norton’s narrator in Fight Club) elevate this figure to mythic proportions. But Drifter, directed by Chris von Hoffmann, avoids falling cliche and gives audiences a fresh perspective on a classic narrative.

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Reasons Why John Wick: Chapter 2 is a Rare Kind of Sequel

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john-wick-2-poster

by Nile Fortner

The Boogeyman is back…AGAIN. Keanu Reeves (The Matrix, 47 Ronin) is back as the action packed, brutal, and everyone’s favorite international assassin, John Wick.

The first John Wick film focused on an iconic retired hitman named John Wick (Reeves). When the sudden death of his wife leaves Wick in mourning, he receives a beagle puppy as a gift. One night Wick’s Mustang vehicle catches the eye of some thugs. The thugs steal his car, vandalize his house, beat up Wick, and kill his puppy. This brings Wick out of retirement, and those thugs do not realize they have just resurrected the boogeyman, the most brutal assassin the crime underworld has ever seen, they have resurrected The Boogeyman known as John Wick.

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Review – Moonlight (2016)

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Image result for moonlight movie poster

by Old King Clancy

There’s a strange dichotomy in today’s society, while we’re a lot more open towards gender, race and sexuality and allowing people of all types to come forward and be who they are without judgement, there’s another side of us that hates this to the point of murdering anyone who is openly different. With the Black Lives Matter movement in America and the Orlando shooting last year the decision to be yourself as a black or gay individual comes with the threat that people out there want to hurt you for something you have no control over, so do you make that choice, do you be who you want to be, or do you hide away and hope nobody sees through your armour.

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‘FENCES’ : Denzel Washington and Viola Davis Go From Stage to Studio

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fences

by Nile Fortner

According to The Wrap, Vulture, and Wikipedia, Fences was originally “a 1983 play by the legendary American playwright August Wilson. Set in the 1950s, Fences explores the evolving African-American experience, family, the relationship between a father and son, examines race relations, among other themes. The play won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1987 Tony Award for Best Play. Fences premiered on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre on March 26, 1987, and closed on June 26, 1988, after 525 performances and 11 previews. Directed by Lloyd Richards, the cast featured James Earl Jones (voice of Darth Vader, The Sandlot) as Troy Maxson, Mary Alice (Malcolm X, The Matrix Revolutions) as Rose, and Courtney B. Vance (Terminator Genisys, Office Christmas Party) as Cory.”

More recently, Wikipedia has written, “Broadway revived the iconic play. It opened at the Cort Theatre on April 26, 2010, with limited showing. Directed by Kenny Leon, this time around the production starred Denzel Washington (Training Day, The Equalizer) as Troy Maxson and Viola Davis (Prisoners, Suicide Squad) as Rose, as the married couple struggling with American race relations. The play was nominated for a total of ten Tony Awards, winning three for Best Revival of a Play, Best Actor in a Play (Denzel Washington), and Best Actress in a Play (Viola Davis).”

Now that we got that little history lesson out the way. Let’s talk about the actual movie Fences, because that’s what I’m assuming you are here for.

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Drive it like you stole it, and ride with John Carney to Sing Street!

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by Nile Fortner

When you have a conversation with someone about movies in 2016, what do you hear? Do you hear the obvious major blockbusters? All the movies with over a year of hype? Do you discuss the good and not so good? In 2016, I have had conversations with family and friends about such films as, Captain America: Civil War, Suicide Squad, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Moonlight, Swiss Army Man, The Nice Guys, and what a majority of people were discussing and debating about, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Despite how you may feel about these films, one film I believe people are not discussing enough or even realizing is Sing Street. I don’t know about you, but I have not had any conversations and or clue about Sing Street. Overall, people really didn’t seem to talk or care about it. Which is really a shame, because Sing Street should without a doubt definitely be one of the top 2016 films everyone should be talking about and viewing. 
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Review – Under the Skin

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under_the_skin_poster

by Nile Fortner

In the film Under the Skin, Laura, played by Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers, Don Jon) is an extraterrestrial, who disguises as a woman of Earth. Who drives around Scotland, capturing unsuspecting men. With this type of plot, many of us would assume a great horror film. However, we get a great mixture of an artistic direction, science fiction, fantasy, drama, and themes throughout this film.

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