Space Force: The Comedy Satire for the Trump Era

Steve Carell and Greg Daniels have reteamed following The Office to bring us Space Force, a ripe comedy satire for the Trump era. Steve Carell–playing four-star general Mark R. Naird–is the perfect guy to lead the United States Space Force.  Naird dreamed of running the United States Air Force.  Alas, those dreams were not meant to be.  So now, Mark, his wife, Maggie (Lisa Kudrow), and their daughter, Erin (Diana Silvers), leave the comfort of…

"Space Force: The Comedy Satire for the Trump Era"

The Morning Show: A TV Drama for the #MeToo Era

The Morning Show is the definitive television drama series for the #MeToo era and the Apple TV+ series could not be more timelier with its commentary. We’re over two years into the start of the #MeToo movement.  While some series have offered commentary in terms of references, The Morning Show goes big.  It isn’t just that the series is ripped out of the headlines but Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell) could easily be a stand-in for…

"The Morning Show: A TV Drama for the #MeToo Era"

Little Miss Sunshine holds up 13 years later

Little Miss Sunshine still manages to hold up with plenty of laughs thirteen years after the film was initially released in theaters. Overworked mother Sheryl Hoover (Toni Collette) now finds herself responsible for her brother, Frank (Steve Carell).  Frank recently tried to kill himself so he’s coming to live with his sister’s family.  Meanwhile, man of the house Richard Hoover (Greg Kinnear) is trying to start up a career as a life coach and motivational speaker. …

"Little Miss Sunshine holds up 13 years later"

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy marks 15

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is still a comedy classic some fifteen years following its theatrical release in July 2004. The KVWN Channel 4 newsroom certainly may be one of the most sexist in cinematic history.  Things are changing in 1973 and leading news anchorman Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is not ready.  Nor is the rest of the Channel 4 news team: Champ Kind (David Koechner), Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), and Brick Tamland (Steve…

"Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy marks 15"

Welcome to Marwen: The Downsizing of 2018

Robert Zemeckis and Steve Carell team up in Welcome to Marwen but this story is better told as a documentary rather than narrative feature. The town of Marwen is a fictional Belgian town that Mark Hogancamp (Steve Carell) creates while recovering from the brutal attack.  An artist in real life, Hogancamp loses many of his memories following the attack.  Basically, an American fighter pilot, Captain Hogie (Carell), crashes during World War 2, gets attacked by Nazis,…

"Welcome to Marwen: The Downsizing of 2018"

Vice: Give Christian Bale The Oscar Right Now

For his role as Vice President Dick Cheney in Vice, actor Christian Bale is on the way to another Oscar for Best Actor in Adam McKay’s newest film. While the current administrations’s activities make us long for the days of the Bush Administration, Vice reminds us that maybe this should not be the case.  Roughly two hours, this film is a study of Cheney’s lust for power.  When he gets the call from George W.…

"Vice: Give Christian Bale The Oscar Right Now"

Felix Van Groeningen talks Beautiful Boy

Felix Van Groeningen sat down with Solzy at the Movies during a roundtable interview to discuss his new film, Beautiful Boy, starring Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet.  The film tells the story of a father and son, David and Nic Sheff. With having two books being the source material, how easy was it to weave these two narratives together and still tell a coherent story? Felix Van Groeningen:  What helps is that it’s two points of…

"Felix Van Groeningen talks Beautiful Boy"

Beautiful Boy: A Wonderfully Acted Film

Beautiful Boy is a wonderfully acted film showing that Timothée Chalomet’s Oscar-nominated performance from last year was not a fluke. As wonderfully acted as the Felix van Groeningen film may be, the story of father-and-son, David (Steve Carell) and Nic Sheff (Timothée Chalamet), is such a sad one.  When we first meet David, he’s in some sort of office looking to learn more about crystal meth.  This is because his son, Nick, is an alcoholic and…

"Beautiful Boy: A Wonderfully Acted Film"

TIFF 2018: Beautiful Boy – A Wonderfully Acted Film

Beautiful Boy is a wonderfully acted film showing that Timothée Chalomet’s Oscar-nominated performance from last year was not a fluke. As wonderfully acted as the Felix van Groeningen film may be, the story of father-and-son, David (Steve Carell) and Nic Sheff (Timothée Chalamet), is such a sad one.  When we first meet David, he’s in some sort of office looking to learn more about crystal meth.  This is because his son, Nick, is an alcoholic and…

"TIFF 2018: Beautiful Boy – A Wonderfully Acted Film"

Too Funny to Fail revisits The Dana Carvey Show

The newest Hulu documentary, Too Funny to Fail, revisits a short-lived 1996 ABC sketch comedy series, The Dana Carvey Show.  The sketch comedy series was truly ahead of its time. I was there at the beginning in 1996 for The Dana Carvey Show.  Carvey was fresh off the success of a run on Saturday Night Live and hit comedy Wayne’s World.  Why wouldn’t I have watched the show?  The Beatles sketches, fresh off of The…

"Too Funny to Fail revisits The Dana Carvey Show"