The 25 Best TV Shows of 2020

December 21, 2020 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists, Most Popular Tagged 2020, Best TV, Better Call Saul, Bojack Horseman, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Dark, Dave, I Hate Suzie, I Know This Much is True, I May Destroy You, Mythic Quest, Normal People, Ozark, Pen15, Ramy, Schitt’s Creek, Servant, Ted Lasso, The Boys, The Flight Attendant, The Great, The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Mandolorian, The Outsider, The Queen’s Gambit, The Umbrella Academy, What We Do in the Shadows 2 Comments

What can be said about 2020 that hasn’t already been said? It has been a nightmare year where routines were upended, social outings curbed, vacations put on indefinite hold. And with movie theaters around the country shuttered to slow the spread of COVID-19, the only sense of adventure for many was on the small screen. At home. On the couch. And thank god that the year in television was as good as it was. Read More

Talking With Taika Waititi of ‘HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE’

July 6, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Interviews Tagged Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Interviews, Jemaine Clement, Talking With..., Thor 3, We're Wolves, What We Do in the Shadows 1 Comment

Taika Waititi is the second coming of the New Zealand film wave, but he would never admit it. The NZ native quickly outgrew his indie roots and has evolved massively since his debut feature Eagle vs Shark, which starred frequent collaborator and Kiwi compatriot Jemaine Clement, and has gone on to deliver a string of critical smashes in Boy, What We Do in the Shadows and, most recently, Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Before Waititi switches hats completely and goes on to deliver his first certifiably blockbuster for Marvel with Thor: Ragnarok, the tongue-in-cheek actor/director got to bask in the critical and box office adoration of Wilderpeople. Read More

Talking With Jemaine Clement of PEOPLE, PLACES, THINGS

August 12, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Interviews Tagged Flight of the Conchords, Interviews, James Strouse, Jemaine Clement, People Places Things, The Big Friendly Giant, What We Do in the Shadows 1 Comment

Jemaine Clement, introverted funnyman that he is, has an awkward charm to him that escapes most of his Hollywood peers. He’s coy with his comedy, firing off in quiet bursts rather than erupting like an attention-whoring lime light volcano. In short, his timidness is his strongest weapon. Read More

Out in Theaters: WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

February 18, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Ben Fransham, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Jonathan Brugh, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Rhys Darby, Taika Waititi, What We Do in the Shadows 1 Comment

From 1984 to 2006, Christopher Guest lampooned perplexing cultural phenomenons from dog shows to community theater. Guest was quick to caricature and mock but never did so in lieu of creating earnest characters. Rather, his work paired the easy-to-poke-fun-at ludicrousness of small town obsessions with the genuine earnestness of their salt-of-the-earth makeup. For every Meg and Hamilton Swan and their posh Weimaraner, there was a Harlan Pepper and his basset hound. Were Guest still making movies today, one might expect his signature mockumentary stylings to take on child beauty pageants or vocal protest groups. Or vampire flatmates. Read More