Chris Witaske and Katie Rich spoke with Solzy at the Movies about the upcoming Netflix animated series, Chicago Party Aunt. Witaske and Rich join Lauren Ash, Rory O’Malley, RuPaul Charles, Jill Talley, Ike Barinholtz, Jon Barinholtz, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph in the cast. This cast features so many improvisers who originated out of the Chicago improv scene at Second City, iO, and the Annoyance! Chicago Party Aunt was created by Chris Witaske, Jon Barinholtz, and…
"Chris Witaske, Katie Rich talk Chicago Party Aunt"
Nick Scown spoke with Solzy at the Movies about the new documentary, Too Soon: Comedy After 9/11, airing on VICE TV on September 8. In addition to Wednesday’s airing on VICE TV, the documentary will also screen during the Dances With Films Festival at the TCL Chinese Theatre on September 11. It’s been a long five year journey for Too Soon: Comedy After 9/11. How relieving is it to finally have this film out there…
"Nick Scown talks Too Soon: Comedy After 9/11" Too Soon: Comedy After 9/11 makes its arrival on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the tragic attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. This documentary is in the same vein as that of The Last Laugh. There’s a mixture of how can comedians use humor when talking about 9/11 and how comedians helped us heal as a country following the tragic attacks. There is footage of the World Trade Centers falling down…
"Too Soon: Comedy After 9/11"
Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection arrives on 4K UHD just in time for the franchise’s 55th anniversary of the first episode in 1966. While this collection includes the first four films starring the original cast, it does not include Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) or Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991). Perhaps 4K UHD releases will take place down the line? I don’t know. This could be either a Star Trek…
"Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection Hits 4K UHD"
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is looking at screwing over the Oscars ceremony as a way of attracting ratings. The news comes from Matt Belloni’s What I’m Hearing newsletter (via Screen Rant). It’s upsetting to say the least. What the Academy wants to do is move some of the awards to before the show or during commercials. This is not the way. It will not lead to an increase in ratings. In…
"Oscars: Academy To Drop Awards Due To Ratings?"
Three Minutes – A Lengthening draws on 16mm color film shot in 1938 by David Kurtz before Nazis invaded Nasielsk’s Jewish community in Poland. The short documentary (69 minutes) is based on Three Minutes in Poland: Discovering a Lost World in a 1938 Family Film by Glenn Kurtz. Throw in the remastering and all the fun that comes along but the footage is truly impressive. We see it so many times throughout the film to…
"Three Minutes – A Lengthening – Venice/Telluride 2021"
Documentary filmmakers Julie Cohen and Betsy West are back at it again with the story of unlikely television star Julia Child in Julia. Julia Child was a legend but she reached this point late in her life. She is proof that if you don’t find fame in your 20s or 30s, you could possibly find it in your 50s. This is exactly what she did when she called into a Boston public television statement about…
"Julia – Telluride 2021"
Patty Jenkins had some not-so-nice things to say about streaming movies during a Los Angeles Times-hosted panel at CinemaCon. I’m probably the millionth person to chime in on Patty Jenkins’s comments but at this point, I don’t care. But let me preface this with the following comment: I feel for every filmmaker who has seen their films disrupted by the pandemic. None of us asked to be in this situation and we’re making the best…
"Patty Jenkins Refers To Streaming Movies As “Fake”"
SXSW 2022 might still be six months away in time but the actions of the Texas state government have made my decision not to attend. Listen, I love SXSW and the city of Austin. Of all the major film festivals I’ve attended, it’s my favorite film festival. I’ve had no shortage of interview opportunities, parties, and networking during my two years on the ground. It’s the only film festival that I submitted Pandemic Therapy even…
"SXSW 2022: Why I Don’t Plan To Return To Texas"
One young woman gets in a second chance in the new comedy, Afterlife of the Party, launching on Netflix ahead of Labor Day weekend. After a night of partying and blowing off her best friend, Cassie (Victoria Justice) tragically dies during her 25th birthday week of all weeks. Being hungover isn’t the best way to go out and if there were video of her death, Cassie certainly would not want it to go viral. It’s…
"Afterlife of the Party Offers A Second Chance"