An observation about the SportsAlcohol.com Top Television of 2014 list: only one network comedy made the list. We’re a pretty comedy loving bunch, but I’ll admit to being a little surprised, not because there’s only one network show on our list, but that there are any at all. I like the show on our list a lot, and I can think of other worthy contenders (my darling, my Bob’s Burgers), but network comedy is in fairly dire straits at the moment. NBC’s once hallowed (and then hallowed by comedy nerds, if not general audiences) Thursday night comedy block is no more, and the other broadcast networks seem to have similar trouble developing and keeping interesting comedies. And while the age of the incredible cable drama has provided more quality hour-long television than anybody can reasonably keep up with, the comedy offerings on cable haven’t entirely kept pace (not that you’d know it from the great comedies that made our list). But allow me, for a moment, to join in the growing chorus of people trying to draw your comedy-seeking attention back to Comedy Central. Perhaps you think (like I did!) that Comedy Central had given over to a schedule made up entirely of stand-up specials, MadTV reruns, the occasional new episode of South Park, and waves of Tosh-esque smirky misanthropy. But it turns out that in 2014 the network had maybe its strongest collection of original programming ever. In addition to the vital-as-ever Daily Show and Colbert Report, over the last two or three years Comedy Central has amassed a handful of shows with distinctive, well developed comic personality. Sara makes a great case for Broad City (I haven’t seen it! I’m hoping the first season goes back up on Hulu in advance of the second season’s January 14th premiere). But here’s a quick look at five other terrific shows: Continue reading BEST TV OF 2014: Comedy Central is Living Up to Its Name
All posts by Nathaniel
SportsAlcohol.com cofounder Nathaniel moved to Brooklyn, as you do. His hobbies include cutting up rhubarb and laying down. His favorite things are the band Moon Hooch and custard from Shake Shack. Old ladies love his hair.
Latest posts by Nathaniel (see all)
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- The SportsAlcohol.com Podcast: Godzilla Minus One - January 5, 2024
The Beast Will Out: The Wolfman (2010)
While the full tale of Dracula Untold‘s fortunes will continue to play out, the movie appears to have done well enough in this first weekend of release to remain a part of Universal’s plans for their famous monsters. With news of recent reshoots meant to keep Universal’s options open in terms of folding Dracula Untold into their proposed Universal Monsterverse (set to begin in earnest with 2016’s The Mummy), the film provides our first glimpse of just what they have in mind for these iconic characters. Continue reading The Beast Will Out: The Wolfman (2010)
Dracula (Untold) vs. Vlad the Impaler
(SPOILERS AHOY FOR DRACULA UNTOLD!)
As I’m sure we’re all well aware, Friday, October 10th saw the release of Dracula Untold, Universal’s latest attempt to jump start their Universal Monsters franchise. Finally, audiences everywhere can learn the true previously untold sorta historical origin story for the famous Count Dracula. Now, if you’re curious to hear just what incredible story the filmmakers have dug up (and haven’t rushed out to see for yourself), let’s start with Vlad the Impaler. Continue reading Dracula (Untold) vs. Vlad the Impaler
Planet of the Apes Week!
Join us in a world turned upside down by SportsAlcohol.com’s Planet of the Apes coverage!
We’ve got:
…an Apes series primer for the uninitiated.
…an appreciation of Dr. Zira, our favorite chimpanzee.
…a flashback to 2001, and what Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes taught Marisa about friendship.
…a chat about Rob & Jesse’s disastrous (though never prosecuted) attempt to see Burton’s Apes.
…a rundown of the original concept for Battle for the Planet of the Apes.
…Jesse’s review of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes!
Hail Caesar! The OTHER Battle For The Planet Of The Apes
In talking about the differences between the finished film and Dehn’s earlier drafts, we’re going to be getting into some of the surprises (and the endings) of the finished films. I did my best to avoid giving too much away in the Primer, but now we’re going to get a little more specific. So once again, let me just urge you to go watch the series and then come back here. They’re well worth it! Anyway, here’s your SPOILER WARNING.
The Planet of the Apes series became one of the greatest and most indelible in all science fiction thanks to the contributions of many talented men and women:
- Cast members like Charlton Heston, Kim Hunter, Roddy McDowall, Maurice Evans, Linda Harrison, James Gregory, Claude Akins, Natalie Trundy, Paul Williams, and Ricardo Montalban
- Producer Arthur P. Jacobs
- Makeup genius John Chambers
- Directors Franklin Schaffner, Ted Post, Don Taylor, and J. Lee Thompson
- Writers Pierre Boulle, Rod Serling, Michael Wilson, John & Joyce Corrington
But as the writer of three out of the five films, Paul Dehn could be said to be the architect of original series. Unfortunately, due to poor health in the last years of his life (his final produced screenplay was for Sidney Lumet’s Murder On the Orient Express in 1974; he would die two years later) Dehn bowed out of writing the screenplay for the finale of the series, Battle for the Planet of the Apes. The Corringtons were brought in to replace him, and while he provided a final polish on their script, the final film differs greatly from Dehn’s original conception for the fourth sequel.
Continue reading Hail Caesar! The OTHER Battle For The Planet Of The Apes
Before the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes reportedly takes place ten years after the conclusion of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. We’ll have to see the film to find out just what Caesar and his fellow apes are up to now, but in the meantime we’ve watched some short films and read a licensed novel that provide some information about that missing decade and humankind’s struggle with what’s been dubbed the Simian Flu.
Continue reading Before the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
The Apocalyptic Poetry of Paul Dehn
By 1969, British writer Paul Dehn had spent time as a film critic, a spy during World War II, and as a screenwriter of films including Goldfinger and The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. But it was his work as a poet that would ultimately link him inextricably with one of the most inventive and socially conscious film series of all time.
Continue reading The Apocalyptic Poetry of Paul Dehn
A ‘Planet of the Apes’ Primer
This weekend’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes will be the eighth feature film (the second in the new series that began with 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes) in a franchise that has spanned books, film, television, and comics over the last fifty years. The Apes series, with its popularity, merchandise, and ancillaries, in many ways prefigured the modern franchise era that is generally acknowledged as beginning with Star Wars (and was codified with 1989’s Batman).
That Planet of the Apes became such a sensation is especially interesting because the series is so deeply weird. Full of powerful inversions to go along with the story’s portrait of a world turned upside down, the series was hugely popular with children despite being full of talky moral debate and featuring relentessly downbeat endings. Just as audiences find themselves oriented in a world where the humans are subjugated and apes rule, the series will turn things around and get them to identify with the apes and root against humankind (and then, perhaps, back again). This is a series that extends a further three entries after an ending that would seem to preclude any further stories.
First things first, I can’t suggest strongly enough that you should just go and watch the original series of five films. They’re imaginative adventure films with memorable characters and rich socio-political content, and they’re so full of twists and turns that even if you know the big reveal at the end of the first film there are still plenty of shocking twists and turns in store. Continue reading A ‘Planet of the Apes’ Primer
Godzilla Week!
Run in terror before SportsAlcohol.com‘s week of Godzilla coverage! We’ve got:
…a Godzilla primer for the uninitiated.
…a rundown of Godzilla’s appearance through the ages.
…a list of suitable opponents, should a sequel arise.
…a look into Godzilla’s work as a TV pitchman and general celebrity.
…a work of short fiction (or is it a memoir?) about the disappointment of seeing Godzilla in 1998.
…a look back at the four movies titled Godzilla (including a reaction to the new film!).
The Four ‘GODZILLA’s
Over sixty years and approximately 30 movies, Godzilla has ruled as King of the Monsters. There are now four films that have carried the title Godzilla (two Japanese and two American). Continue reading The Four ‘GODZILLA’s