As a Portuguese fan of comedy, I’ve been plagued by ludicrous translations of American movie titles. Thing do tend to get lost in translation all my life. After all, we’re talking about a country that named Animal House something along the lines of The Cuckoo Fraternity. Great title, huh? In recent years, I’ve come across a trend which seems to afflict mostly Judd Apatow-related movies. Bridesmaids is coming out here in July and they’ve called it The Best Bachelorette Party, which isn’t good, but it isn’t infuriating either (a testament to Paul Feig’s greatness?
The Beatles with George Martin. Outside of his arrangement and recording skills, one of late producer George Martin’s greatest talents was taking the Beatles’ ambitious, often psychedelic concepts and making them into reality. It was particularly challenging when it came to the abstract ideas of John Lennon, whom Martin called an “aural Salvador Dalí.” Unlike Paul McCartney, who could generally offer concrete suggestions for his sounds, Lennon would speak of colors and sensations, which Martin somehow managed to translate to tape.
Ranking the most lovable, demented, and disgusting figures from Scott Aukerman’s beloved podcast. Illustration: Julie Greiner Illustration: Julie Greiner Some call it “America’s Podcast.” Others know it as “The Show Where They Talk to Interesting People.” Whatever your name for it, Scott Aukerman’s Comedy Bang! Bang! is an undeniable force in podcasting and a landmark in comedy and audio history.
The history of the show is well trod. In 2002, Aukerman and fellow Mr.
Tracy Morgan as Tracy Jordan. This list was originally published in 2017, but was updated to reflect current streaming information.
Though 30 Rock left the airwaves in 2013, Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s surreal yet biting sitcom about a fictional NBC comedy show remains an essential slice of TV comfort food for many viewers a full decade later. With all seven seasons available on Peacock and Hulu, binge-watching the series like it’s MILF Island or Queen of Jordan couldn’t be easier.
No one on Friends could drop a sarcastic comment with the finesse and precision of the late Matthew Perry. Actually, few actors in sitcom history have been able to time and deploy an acidic remark better than Perry did during his ten-season run as Chandler Bing.
That skill is on full display in each of the installments on this list of the best Chandler episodes of Friends. But his quips are only one element in what makes all these half-hours outstanding.
Want more TV and movie picks? Subscribe to our weekly Streamliner newsletter here. Want more TV and movie picks? Subscribe to our weekly Streamliner newsletter here. Clockwise from top: The Bear, I Am: Celine Dion, Janet Planet, and A Quiet Place: Day One. Well, now we’re talking! We’re so used to the ever-shifting calendar and slow release weeks that the deluge of movies and television this weekend almost feels weird — welcome, to be sure!
Want more TV and movie picks? Subscribe to our weekly Streamliner newsletter here. Want more TV and movie picks? Subscribe to our weekly Streamliner newsletter here. Clockwise from top: Longlegs, Sunny, Fly Me to the Moon, and The Bachelorette. We’re about a hundred days from Halloween, give or take, but the only chills in the air are coming from our AC units (our strongest soldiers) and maybe a scary movie if you choose to indulge in the latest Nicolas Cage effort, where he plays the creepily mysterious killer.
This post was originally published in 2015 with the release of Chappie. It has been updated (or should we say … upgraded?) to include two newer robot movies, including The Creator.
Ever since the early years of cinema — even before the term “robot” was coined, in fact — the movies have been obsessed with them. They symbolize so many of our neuroses — our queasiness about technology and the unknown, our wonder at what it means to be human, our fear that, ultimately, we might be replaceable.
Quentin Tarantino makes one hell of a first impression. His debut film Reservoir Dogs begins with his own voice on the soundtrack, delivering a well-thought-out, colorfully profane analysis of the Madonna song “Like a Virgin.” For the next seven minutes, Tarantino — along with his cinematographer Andrzej Sekula and the editor Sally Menke — explore the dynamics of a diner table, populated by well-dressed mob goons, all bullshitting about ’70s pop songs and the pros and cons of tipping waitresses.
For 12 seasons, The Big Bang Theory has been allowing us to hang out with a group of geniuses. And while they’ve displayed more than their share of nerdery and goofiness, the TBBT gang has also exposed viewers to plenty of real-world science and of-the-moment scientific discoveries. Thanks to Sheldon’s romantic advice for Penny, for example, who among TBBT viewers hasn’t felt super smart showing off their understanding of the Schrödinger’s-cat thought experiment?