And the answer to that question is Yes!, with an all new episode of Party Down tonight, we're having a ton of fun! This 2nd installment is even better than the first, with the cast falling back into familiar territory and the new member of the crew finally fitting in a little bit more. Tonight's episode, 'Precious Lights Pre-School Auction', brings Ron back into the fold as a member of Henry's crew, a move which leads to some tension between Ron and Henry, as Ron still wants to be team leader. Tonight also brings back J.K. Simmons' and Joey Lauren Adams' movie producer Leonard Stiltskin and his trophy wife Diandra, last seen in last season's episode 'Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen', for some more foul-mouthed fun.


What this episode brings is some really great moments between the character, which I think was lacking a little bit in the first episode. There are some really great moments between Kyle and Roman, and the scenes, to me, show how much Ryan Hansen and Martin Starr have stolen the show. In fact this season I look forward to their scenes more than any other. Tonight Kyle comes to Roman looking for advice, but Roman quickly regrets rebuffing Kyle when he needs Kyle's help buying a copy of X-Men #4.

There are also some great moments between former flames, Casey and Henry, as Casey waits to see if her acting career is over or is she's got a part in the new Apatow movie. Most of all tonight' episode brings what we've come to expect from Party Down, awkward situations, wonderful, flawed characters, amazing guest stars, and lots of laughs.

You can see a preview of tonight's episode below:

Official Synopsis:

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES — “Blood Brothers” 8/7c

While Stefan (Paul Wesley) struggles to come to terms with his past, both he and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) reveal parts of their history to Elena (Nina Dobrev), until she finally learns the truth about how they became vampires. Pearl (guest star Kelly Hu) has an ugly confrontation with Johnathan Gilbert (guest star David Anders). Damon and Alaric (Matt Davis) try to find a mysterious invention before Johnathan does.

The very first horror movie I ever saw in theaters was Scream. So that whole film series, especially the first one, have a very special place in my heart. So the recent news that writer Kevin Williamson, director Wes Craven and series stars Courtney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell are all returning for a new Scream, one that kick off a new trilogy, is exciting news for me.

So it's with much pleasure that I bring to you the Scream 4 teaser poster that premiered at Entertainment Weekly last night. EW also has a short interview with Craven about the new film, in which Craven says that "Scream is one of the longest running stories I’ve told. It’s fascinating to still have actors who are very much into continuing their roles and have great chemistry. Part of the reason these three characters are still alive is because they’re so great. We haven’t wanted to kill them." Head on over to EW.com to read the entire interview which features a few small details about the new film. Below you can check out the poster and read my thoughts on Scream in a reprint from an article that appeared on DVD Snapshot this past October.

Scream was the first horror movie I ever saw in the theaters (unless you count Howard the Duck!), which might explain why I became enthralled, and mildly obsessed over it. It was 1996 and the internet was still relatively new to middle class America. Scream was the first movie I can recall that really used the internet for movie promotion. The website was set up like you were looking into a real investigation with casefiles on all the suspects and information which could possibly help you figure out who the killer was. At the age of 15 I quickly became obsessed with the movie after seeing ads and spending hours on the website.

When the movie first came out I was out of town, but my best friend and I made plans to see it the next weekend. I don’t about other towns in the mid-90s, but in Amarillo, TX in the conservative south, when a horror movie came out the theaters really didn’t care who saw the movie in the first weekend of release. But after all the underage kids got in on opening weekend, the flurry of phone calls from parents outraged that young Timmy and ‘lil Susie got into the violent movie that was going to warp their minds, would quickly cause the theaters to start checking IDs for the movies, and not just when you bought your ticket, but also at the door to the actual screen. So because my friend and I missed opening weekend we were turned away from seeing Scream. My friend’s mother even tried to buy us the tickets, and the theater told her she’d have to go in with us.

But being kept from the movie, just made me that more interested in seeing it. Eventually on the 4^th attempt after being turned away yet again, we just found a bigger group of older teens and walked in with them with no problem. After weeks of anticipation you would think nothing could live up to the movie I’d built in my head, and you’d be wrong. The movie was like nothing I’d ever seen before.

As I said this was my first horror movie to see in theaters, I’d previously seen “scary” kids movies like The Peanut Butter Solution, Monster Squad, and the 50s version of The Blob, and I’d watched Nightmare on Elm Street 2 on TBS and shows like ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark?’ But, this was new, this was an uncut, bloody slasher flick, with a plot and humor. And all of these ingredients made up a recipe that I devoured. I screamed and jumped out of my seat several times during the amazing opening scene, and I jumped, laughed, and cringed over and over throughout the movie. But most importantly for me, a kid who’d grown up watching Matlock and any other murder mystery shows I could catch, it was a whodunit. And after the killer(s) were revealed I had to see it again to look for the clues.

And see it again I did, and again, and again, each time taking more of my friends to experience this great revival of the slasher genre. I bought a scream mask, I bought the soundtrack, I rented it on VHS (and made a copy) the first day it was out, and when the movie came out to buy, I bought it the first day as well. (I also bought the Scream 2 soundtrack that day as well!) I watched those VHS tapes with a lot of different friends, and I scared a lot of girls with that mask. From there I watched with interest as more and more of the “self-referential” slasher flicks followed in Scream’s footsteps until they burned out. And I was at both Scream 2 and Scream 3 on opening night. But nothing ever came close to what I felt about the original.

Scream 2 came out while I was still in high school and Scream 3 was released a few years later when I was in college. I enjoyed them both, but over the four years between Scream and Scream 3 I grew up a lot. In fact it’s been at least 5 years since I’ve seen any of the movies. But recently there’s been news brewing about a new Scream trilogy. First, David and Courtney Cox Arquette signed on to reprise their roles as Dewey and Gail, and then within the last month it was confirmed that Neve Campbell would be coming back. I’ll be honest I was not interested in the least, until Neve signed on. And with original writer Kevin Williamson on board and Wes Craven in talks to return to the directors chair, I’m starting to get excited, and so I decided to return to the movie after all these years and see how it holds up.

I’m happy to report it was still great. Sure some of the references are dated, but for the most part the movie holds true. The central mystery of who the killer is, and why they are killing is still intriguing, and the scares and humor still work for the most part. I will say there is one plot point that is truly dated, but it doesn’t hinder the movie too much, at least not for me. In the film Billy is suspected of being the killer simply because he has a cell phone, which shows just how much the world has changed in the past 13 years. Back then most people didn’t have cell phones, it was mostly businessmen, and teenagers certainly didn’t have them. Now everyone has them, even the guy standing on the corner begging for change (seriously I saw a guy panhandling with a phone clipped to his belt last week), so the fact that Billy has a cell, doesn’t really work anymore in making him a suspect. One of the things I was most surprised about, was how much of the dialogue I could still recite word for word. It reminded me how much I used to watch this movie, and how much I truly loved it.

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out one of the best parts of the movie, and something that truly got a lot of attention back when the movie was released, the opening sequence. When the movie was released it was advertised as a Drew Barrymore film, she was all over the ads, and her name was in all the promotional material. So when the movie opened with a phone call to Drew’s character, no one expected for her to die within the first few minutes. But that scene sets the mood for the entire movie, it lets you know that anything can happen, and no one is safe. It also catches first time viewers completely off guard. It was a risky move, but one that paid of brilliantly and possibly one of the reasons the movie was so well received at the time. It’s scary and has you on the edge of your seat from the beginning.

Watching Scream made me really want to go back and see the sequels, especially Scream 2, which I still say is a good movie, and would have been a great sequel had the ending not ruined it. But that’s a memory for another time.

Labels: scream

Unless you read my blog around this time last year, or we're as cool as I am, you may have missed a little show called Party Down. The series takes a hilarious look at a group of Cater/Waiters in LA. The main reason the show was on my radar last year is that its creators included two of my favorite people in Hollywood, Rob Thomas, creator of Veronica Mars, and Paul Rudd, hilarious actor. The show wasn't a huge success ratings wise, but it got enough critic love to get picked up for a second season, which begins tonight at 10/9c on STARZ.

If you're one of the many, many people who don't have Starz you can catch the first two episodes of Season 2 online at Starz Website. And if you missed the first season you can catch up by buying it at Target or Wal-Mart for $15. (Wal-Mart's version contains the first two episodes as well, which is fortuitous because my screener got lost in the mail and it's how I'm bringing you this review) You can also catch up with some episodes on NetFlix Streaming (at least the last time I checked).

To catch you up, Party Down follows a small group of struggling actors, writers, entrepreneurs, etc as they hold down a day job as they follow their dreams. Each episode is set during one of their catering jobs, which range from hilarious to hilariously uncomfortable. Last season the crew consisted of Ron Donald (Veronica Mars' Ken Marino), the team leader who dreams of quitting to start his own Soup'er Crackers restaurant, Kyle Bradway (Veronica Mars' Ryan Hanson) a struggling young actor, Roman DeBeers (Freaks & Geeks' Martin Starr) a struggling "hard" sci-fi writer, Casey Klein (True Blood's beautiful Lizzy Caplan) a struggling comedian, Constance Carmell (Glee's hilarious Jane Lynch) an actress, and Henry Pollard (Step Brother's Adam Scott). Henry returns to Party Down after his dreams of being an actor come crashing down after he finds success in a series of ads, which everyone remembers for one line "Are we having Fun yet?" Last season ended with Casey and Henry ending their short romance as she went off to perform comedy on a cruise ship and Ron quitting to finally start Soup'er Crackers.

This season's premiere, Jackal Onnasis Backstage Party, picks up 8 months later, with Henry the new team leader. He's clearly had a tough time getting his team, which consists of Kyle, Roman, and Megan Mullally's Lydia Dunfree, motivated to take the job seriously. After an on the job firing he has to call his boss to send a replacement. That replacement just happens to be ex-girlfriend, Casey, who's back after her time on the cruise ship. To say it's awkward would be an understatement.

Just as last season Kyle and Roman are constantly bickering, with Kyle always managing to get the girls, while Roman always manages to completely screw up any chance he has with the ladies. This episode is no different, even though Roman has an amazing opportunity, from a situation I won't spoil.

Meanwhile Megan Mullally's Lydia, the stage mother of a "triple threat", comes across as weird and clearly someone knows no bounds when it comes to personal space and privacy. She's funny in the role, but she doesn't replace Jane Lynch, who left the show to do Glee. And for those fans worried about Ron Donald, don't worry he's still around, spending this episode trying to impress a girl by getting her backstage to meet guest star Jimmi Simpson's Jackal Onassis.

I haven't had a chance to see the next few episodes, mainly because FedEx managed to screw up the delivery of my screener. But I've heard that they are just as good as last season's episodes. And from what I hear they continue Party Down's trend of casting amazing guest stars. Tonight's episode wasn't my favorite, but it was nice to see the show come back.

Next Week: 'Precious Lights Pre-School Auction' featuring the return of J.K. Simmons' Leonard Stiltskin and Joey Lauren Adams' Diandra Stiltskin, from last season's 6th episode.

This weekend brings the first episode of America: The Story of Us on The History Channel. An in honor of that I'm bringing you some goodies courtesy of The History Channel!

This Sunday at 9/8c the History Channel is beginning it's brand new 12-hour series taking viewers from the colonization of America through the present. The series features a combination of narration (by the incredible Liev Schreiber), acting, CGI recreations, and insights from various artists, business leaders, academics, and intellectuals. In addition to airing the show The History Channel is offering this 12 part series to every school in America that wants a copy. That's pretty impressive if you ask me.

If, like me, you enjoy history, this is a great series to watch. It will keep you entertained and you just might learn something. I, myself, learned that Tobacco helped reinvigorate the dying Jamestown, what is thought to be the first English colony in America.

Now if you just want to win some cool stuff, we've got that too. All you have to do is E-MAIL me at the link above with your name and address. You must by an American Citizen and be at least 18 year old, you have until May 21 at Midnight to enter. Total value of the prize pack is $75. Scroll down to see full prize details, more about this wonderful series, and a trailer for the show. And be sure to tune in on Sunday at 9/8c on The History Channel to see the first episode with an introduction by the President.

Enter to win a HISTORY Duffel Bag filled with:

-Umbrella

-Stainless Steel Desk Pen

-Ceramic Mug

-Track Jacket

-Golf Balls

America The Story of Us is an epic 12-hour television event that tells the extraordinary story of America with highly realistic CGI animation, dramatic recreations and thoughtful insights from some of America's most respected artists, business leaders, academics and intellectuals. Elaborate, ambitious and cinematic, America The Story of Us will take you into the moments when Americans harnessed technology to advance human progress, from the rigors of linking the continent by transcontinental railroad--the internet of its day--to triumphing over vertical space through the construction of steel structured buildings to putting a man on the moon. Visit the official site to take the Ultimate History Quiz, watch videos and get more info. Follow HISTORY on foursquare to unlock the HISTORY in your city. You'll discover tips about America, unlock our limited edition badge and be entered into the AMERICA THE STORY OF US SWEEPSTAKES!

Ok the title may be misleading as the movie at the heart of this post won't be playing at a cinema near you (unless your theater is AWESOME!!!) but it sounded good, so shot me.

The 'movie' I'm bringing to your attention is SyFy's original movie Mega Piranha, which does in fact look like the most thing coming to your Television this weekend. Notice I didn't say it looked good, just the most fun. The movie was made by those visionaries of crap over at The Asylum. That would be the same minds behind the recent Sherlock Holmes movie that has a cover (below) which features a star of Torchwood, a fire-breathing dragon, a giant Dinosaur, and a giant octopus, so you know the classic story of Sherlock Holmes.

The movie is basically Deep Blue Sea, with giant Piranhas instead of smart sharks. The plot is simply, scientist make giant piranhas in order to use them as a new food supply, but instead they start killing people. Because when you make giant fish for people to eat, you immediately think to enlarge man eating fish, instead of catfish, cod, or something else people eat all the time! It's so much like Deep Blue Sea that the scene below plays out almost exactly like Samuel L. Jackson's big scene in that movie.


If that scene alone doesn't make you want to see this movie then how about the fact that that red-head in the scene is former pop-star Tiffany, or that the movie features Greg Brady, himself, Barry Williams, will pique your interest. Personally I can't wait. I may even have to have a double feature with this and DinoShark which premiered on SyFy a few weeks back. (SyFy sent me that one on DVD, I just haven't found time to watch it yet.)

If the above clip wasn't enough you can see Syfy's promo here.

Labels: AWESOMENESS, crap, SyFy

If you don't know the name Banksy, you're not alone. When I first heard about his new film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, I had to look him up on Wikipedia. Apparently he's a world renowned graffiti artist, who mainly works in Europe. You can see an example of his work below:


Banksy's true identity is unknown and so, while he's in the movie, his identity remains hidden throughout. The film debuted at Sundance this year and received a lot of praise. The film is in some way about Banksy and a French filmmaker, but other than that not much is very clear. The press release says:

"Exit Through the Gift Shop, the first film by renowned graffiti artist Banksy, became the hottest ticket at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival where it made its world debut. Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post—hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the incredible true story of how an eccentric French shop keeper turned documentary maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner – with spectacular results. The film contains exclusive footage of Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Invader and many of the world’s most infamous graffiti artists at work, on walls and in interview. As Banksy describes it, “It’s basically the story of how one man set out to film the un—filmable. And failed”

Other that that, the only thing I know is that the title refers to how Walt Disney wanted the rides at DisneyWorld to exit through the gift shop to encourage customers to buy more souvenirs. Below you can find a brand new, exclusive 5 min clip from the film. Watch it and let me know what you thing in the comments.

Labels: movies

"The Marriage Ref, Minute To Win It and Who Do You Think You Are have all been picked up for a second season!"

Yes, unfortunately for those of us that enjoy quality television NBC has announced that they have picked up their 3 mid-season reality series for a second season.

Seriously people, which of you is watching these shows, and why do you hate me? If you really cared about me, quality television, or the earth, you would stop watching this crap. If you're weekends are so horrible that you resort to watching any one of the 3 shows above here's some things you can do that will be a better use of your time:

1. Watch Chuck. I don't care if you DVR it and watch it on the weekend, buy the DVDs and catch up, or watch it online. No matter how you watch it, you're supporting one of the best shows on TV, whose ratings are likely well below those of the hellspawn series above.

2. Go to the Cinema. Go out on a date and see a movie, check out Hot Tub Time Machine, or if you're an old fogey, which, let's face it, if you're watching any of theses shows, you probably are, go see The Last Song (artsy) or The Bounty Hunter...on second thought if you're desperate enough to see the Bounty Hunter you should probably just stay home.

3. Rent a movie. Support you're local mom & pop video store, or since they're probably all closed, go support you're local Blockbuster, or if it's closed (like most blockbusters these days) hit up a red box or netflix. Seriously you can find something better to watch than The Marriage Ref.

4. Read a Book. Books? What's a book? I know right, but recently I discovered these things, they have paper with words on them and they tell a story. In fact some movies and tv series are based on these things. I'm Serious! Enjoy The Blind Side, read the true story in book form! Like Shutter Island, yep, it's a book! There's hundreds, maybe thousands of these things out there, and a lot of them are good. (Did anyone else know that the Harry Potter movie series, was a book series first? Mindblown!)

5. Research Your Own Family Tree. Rather than watch a celebrity you don't care about (seriously Matthew Broderick, you haven't been in anything relevant since you played Ferris Bueller) research their family roots, how about you get off your lazy bum and do it yourself. Maybe you'll find out you have a family member who was a king, or maybe you'll discover your ancestor was part human, part cylon. (And if you don't get that joke you can do Bonus thing: Watch the complete Battlestar Galactica series)

6. Have emergency surgery, bleach your eye balls, cut off a limb, play with fire and hazardous chemicals. I promise you any one of these things is more productive and better for your health in the long run than watching Minute to Win It.

Here's the bits of the press release I thought you might care about:

NBC Picks Up Three Freshman Series As 'The Marriage Ref,' 'Minute To Win It' and 'Who Do You Think You Are?' are Renewed for 2010-11

NBC has picked up three freshman alternative series as "The Marriage Ref," "Minute to Win It" and "Who Do You Think You Are?" are renewed for the 2010-11 season.

Minute to Win It...Guy Fieri...The Marriage Ref...Jerry Seinfeld....Who Do You Think You Are?...Lisa Kudrow

No, folks this isn't an April Fools joke, I really am hosting a pretty sweet giveaway for BBC America's Doctor Who, which premieres here in the states on April 17 at 9pm/8c. The BAFTA-winning series is entering a new era with a brand new Doctor and a new head writer, Matt Smith and Steven Moffat, respectively.

In anticipation of the premiere, we're giving away a Special Edition of the April 2010 issue of Wired Magazine, featuring a Doctor Who themed 4-panel cover wrap, which highlights The Sonic Screwdriver as "Gadget of the Year." This Sepcial Edition is not available to Wired subscribers, or on newstands, but you can win it here!

I've already got my hands on a copy and I can tell you it's beautiful and suitable for framing. (Mine will be hanging in my office as soon as I get a frame for it.)

This contest is open to U.S. residents only. To enter send your name, address, and your favorite Doctor to thecinemaniac.com@gmail.com. (Or click the link at the top of the page) COMMENTS WILL NOT BE COUNTED AS ENTRIES!!!


Follow The Doctor to the following media destinations, and good luck to all who enter!
- Official BBC America Doctor Who Website
- Official BBC America Facebook Page
- Official BBC America Twitter

On a final note, here's a behind the scenes video for you featuring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Steven Moffat, and Piers Wenger discussing the importance and meaning of Doctor Who.

Labels: Doctor Who, Giveaway