Tribeca 2022: An Awkward Destination Wedding in ‘The Drop’

By Abe Friedtanzer

 

People tend to behave differently when they’re on vacation -- it's the the whole “what happens in Vegas” trope. Being away from home is a break from reality even if you have to be home on Monday for work. But it doesn’t actually change reality. Your actions can still have implications beyond your trip not to mention puncturing the bliss in the moment. Something like dropping a baby, for example, can definitely ruin the vibe…

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Tribeca 2022: Ray Romano’s Directorial Debut ‘Somewhere in Queens’

By Abe Friedtanzer 

Nearly two decades after the end of his beloved, Emmy-winning sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, Ray Romano continues to churn out consistently solid work. His follow-up TV shows include Men of a Certain Age and the just-cancelled Made for Love. He also starred opposite Mark Duplass in the underrated Paddleton, which you can stream on Netflix. And now he’s stepped behind the camera to direct himself in the very funny Somewhere in Queens, featuring a very loud family of Italians with plenty of spoken and unspoken issues.

The role Romano plays is one that tracks with his resume, that of a moderately awkward husband and father who hasn’t achieved much success in his life...

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Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Fire Island (2022)

by Nathaniel R

It did occur to us that a visual series stopping to center on a new rom-com would be a risk. The romantic comedy genre doesn't tend to scream "visually interesting!" (though obviously it can be). But we knew most of our readership would be watching so... why not? As it turns out, though, with a true filmmaker at the helm (Andrew Ahn of Spa Night and Driveways) it wasn't a risk at all as a Best Shot discussion. Fire Island isn't just funny -- the "Heads Up" game scene snapped above is only one of many hilarious bits in the excellent screenplay from Joel Kim Booster -- but a real movie-movie, too. In short, it's one of the year's best films and we are blessed to have it.

While you'd probably prefer a "ten funniest moments" or "five sexiest guys" list -- hey, we can do those too if this gets engagement -- the visuals are more than worth discussing! Conversations about visual storytelling are ironically in short supply on the internet whenever movies are discussed. The focus is always on acting/casting and screenplay/messaging. And there's a LOT to say about those of course but the internet is already handling that so we're here to talk visuals. Here are the three overall smartest choices director Andrew Ahn,  cinematographer Felipe Vara de Rey, and editor Brian A Kates make in telling this particular story...

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Emmys: Will Returning Shows Dominate Drama & Comedy Categories?

By Christopher James

Can both of last year's Emmy winners prevail in much more competitive conditions?

When it comes to the Emmys, voters tend to stick with what they know. Once a show gets nominated for Outstanding Series, it will forever be on the Emmys radar and a threat to repeat its nomination. Yes, some shows drop off but prevailing wisdom says that, when filling out a prediction sheet for the Emmys, always start with what was nominated previously before adding in new shows.

However this year that may prove to be a somewhat difficult predictive approach. Due to the pandemic, some shows were not eligible each of the past two years, forcing the Emmys to choose new favourites to nominate. Now, most of their former favourites have aired new seasons, including some programs that had laid dormant for many seasons. What we have, then, is a returning show bottleneck...

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FYC: The Network Sitcom Makes a Comeback

By Christopher James

ABC's breakout hit "Abbott Elementary" isn't the only network success this season.

When was the last time anxiously awaited new weekly episodes of a network TV comedy? It’s been nearly a generation since comedies like Roseanne, Friends and Seinfeld ruled the airways. It’s even been a decade since critical darlings like The Office, 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation amassed their devout followings. Ratings for network TV comedies have continued to dwindle while critics and the Television Academy lost interest. In the past 10 years, only five shows have been nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series at the Emmys: 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, black-ish and The Good Place. In short, the writing was on the wall that the network sitcom was dead.

Everybody loves a comeback, though...

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