Interview: Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon for The Big Sick

Comedies are some of the hardest films to make. Humor is completely subjected, but a well-crafted one is both universally funny and relatable while remaining interesting. The Big Sick achieves this and more, showing us that the rom-com genre can still offer some…

IFF Boston Review: Lemon

The brilliance of Janicza Bravo’s Lemon is clear juxtaposed against another IFF Boston pick – the Alison Brie-Aubrey Plaza vehicle The Little Hours. Both films play in an absurdist sandbox, boosted by stacked casts in the vein of Wet Hot American…

TV Throwback Review: Party Down (1×09) “James Rolf High School Twentieth Reunion”

There is a moment in “James Rolf High School Twentieth Reunion” in which Lizzy Caplan’s performance reaches heights traditionally associated with prestige dramas or higher-brow sitcoms like [early seasons of] The Office. It’s an absolutely devastating dramatic moment, and both…

TV Throwback Review: Party Down (1×08) “Celebrate Ricky Sargulesh”

Now that’s more like it. If you’ve been following along with my Party Down reviews, by any chance, you’ll remember that I was let down by the last couple of episodes. I didn’t find them comedically satisfying. Last week’s episode,…

TV Throwback Review: Party Down (1×07) “Brandix Corporate Retreat”

There’s one truly great sequence in “Brandix Corporate Retreat.” It comes along well into the episode’s running time, just as all of the members of the Party Down crew show up for a team building exercise Ron has insisted they…

TV Throwback Review: Party Down (1×06) “Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen”

Given that Whiplash was my favorite film of 2014, I was delighted when I pressed play on “Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen” and was immediately reminded that J.K. Simmons basically plays his Whiplash character in this episode of Party Down. Like Terence Fletcher, Leonard…

TV Throwback Review: Party Down (1×05) “Sin Say Shun Awards Afterparty”

“Sin Say Shun Awards Afterparty” is not one of my favorite episodes of Party Down. Much of the episode is reliant on the obvious, juvenile jokes that come naturally along with a sitcom episode set at the afterparty of a pornography…