From Hollywood in Toto

  • Randy Quaid's 'Parents' Remains a Bone-Chilling Satire

    Bob Balaban’s “Parents” (1989) begins with a series of family rituals. Although set in the 1950s, before my time, anyone can relate to the montage that opens the film - a family drive, a game of living room golf, etc. It’s what comes next that shocks, as it feels so unnatural and scary, the first of many such moments throughout. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVDxDXq1VEY Dad (Randy Quaid) is carrying his son to bed while chipper Mom (Mary Beth Hurt) is all smiles and watches approvingly....

  • 'Screams Before Silence' Must Be Seen and Remembered

    It was even worse than you heard, than you read, than you feared. “Screams Before Silence” lets the survivors of the Oct. 7 massacre at the hands of Hamas tell their stories. The documentary, available for free at screamsbeforesilence.com, doesn’t show the grisly visuals found in the 45-minute video circulated to journalists and Hollywood denizens. The stories reveal atrocities that led one voice to describe them as “redefined evil.” Even the Nazi machine couldn’t match the vile acts perpetrated...

  • Is 'Challengers' This Generation's 'Bull Durham?'

    Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” is a tawdry, repetitive, sports-driven relationship drama elevated and almost saved entirely by robust filmmaking. Take it either as “Bull Durham” (1988) but set in the world of tennis, or simply “Dangerous Liaisons” (also 1988) but with the gender of the three leads reversed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2N3hmRmwHQ We meet Tashi, played by Zendaya, a competitive tennis player who is far smarter than her age would indicate. Tashi becomes the object of...

  • Jerry Seinfeld Blames 'Extreme Left, 'PC Crap' for Comedy Decline

    Jerry Seinfeld takes comedy seriously. Very seriously. After his landmark NBC sitcom “Seinfeld” wrapped he gathered the funniest people on the planet for his follow-up show, “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZUJktFHULI And, when the host of 'The New Yorker Radio Hour' asked him specific questions on his craft, Seinfeld demurred. It would take an hour just to properly answer that, he said. He didn’t need an hour to lay into another target, one that has...

  • Reflections on Bruce Willis' Final Decade of Acting

    Two years ago, the world was shocked by the sudden and unexpected retirement of action star Bruce Willis. We learned the actor has been suffering from aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, which brought an end to the beloved actor’s career. Reports later suggested he was struggling on the sets of his last few movies. While video footage and updates have been sparse, recent news is that the 69-year-old actor will likely spend his remaining years progressively deteriorating, surrounded by his wife,...

  • The Onion and Ben Collins: A Perfect Fake News Marriage

    It's hard to remember a time when The Onion was synonymous with 'funny.' The humor site once had the field all to itself, creating Fake News stories that made us laugh and think. The Onion came out in printed form, and its attacks on the political class could be withering. That was then. Today's online-only Onion is comedic in name only. The outlet's hard-Left politics have all but stripped away its comic potential, from the woke handcuffs placed on liberal satire to how it protects Democrats...

  • David Schwimmer Shreds Campus Antisemitism: 'Silence Is Complicity'

    Hollywood's silence on the raging antisemitism on college campuses continues. Very few voices are willing to speak out against it, with Michael Rapaport and Patricia Heaton being rare, and welcome, exceptions. Add a certain 'Friend' to that embarrassingly short list. David Schwimmer used Instagram to call out the insanity running wild in academia over the past week. The 'Friends' alum posted a damning video showcasing the violence, hatred and rage flowing from the pro-Palestinian protests over...

  • Afroman Returns, Skewers First Son with 'Hunter Got High'

    Some songs get stuck in your head and never want to leave. Take 'Because I Got High,' the 2001 smash that introduced Afroman to pop culture. The song proved alternately silly and catchy, a wicked combination that gave the rapper an early taste of fame. Now, Afroman is back, and his new song won't earn him many new friends in the business. 'Hunter Got High' mocks the First Son's notorious addictions, something pop culture hasn't attempted to explore for the past four years. The rapper teamed...

  • Sound of Freedom Act Inspired by Hit Film

    Pop culture can move the needle on any number of issues. For 'Friends' fanatics, the 'Rachel' haircut was all the rage in the 1990s. Sitcoms like 'Will & Grace' and 'Modern Family' helped pave the way for gay marriage acceptance nationwide. No matter what you think about the Climate Change debate, Al Gore's 2006 documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth' rocked the national conversation on the topic. And a new law signed by the Governor of Alabama found inspiration from 2023's most unlikely...

  • 'Bridgerton' Star Plays Victim, Says Pro-Palestian Views Could Cost Her Work

    Kevin Sorbo no longer works in mainstream Hollywood because he's a Christian conservative. Antonio Sabato, Jr. has a similar story. Other right-leaning stars keep their mouths shut for fear of professional blowback. The Hollywood Blacklist 2.0 is real and it's oh, so ugly. And the examples go on and on and on Tell that to Nicola Coughlan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4JYAx5rNRA The 'Bridgerton' actress, set to take the show's lead in its third season, says she fears losing work for...

  • Here's Why We Can't Forget Hollywood's Pandemic Bailouts

    Inflation is on its way up again, and it’s a top concern among voters in poll after poll. But it doesn’t require a survey to know Americans are stressed when their money continues to buy less. What should also capture our attention? The underlying causes. There are many, including the big-money pandemic relief programs that dumped huge amounts of government-borrowed, consumer-spent cash into the economy. It often didn't go to those who actually needed it. By now, there are tons of examples of...

  • ‘Unsung Hero’ Recalls Faith-Based Films of Yore

    The Smallbone family has a story tailor-made for the big screen. Scratch that. It’s almost too remarkable to fit on any screen. The Australian clan came to America with little more than a dream to buck music industry odds. Instead, the family produced multiple chart-topping artists, including For King + Country and Rebecca St. James. The children’s talents expand beyond musical successes, too, something “Unsung Hero” shares in the moving post-film credits. The film itself, told in deep...