Dan Harmon Fired

June 8, 2012 by

“Community” is one of the best shows on television right now. There has never really been a show like it, before or since. And that unique voice is the product of the cleverly demented mind of its...
read more

Raised By Pop Culture: Shows to Remember

June 8, 2012 by

Television has been around for over 70 years now. This means there have been a lot of shows in that period, with most of them becoming forgotten in time. There are a few shows in particular that need ...
read more

‘Workaholics’ Star To Perform for I.V. Charity

May 31, 2012 by

Do you enjoy laughing? Of course you do. Unless you’re a robot. And even a robot will be able to enjoy the great weekly event Laughology. Laughology, which has been around for several years now, tak...
read more

A Serious Guide to Enjoying Things Ironically

May 31, 2012 by

When you hear somebody telling you they only enjoyed something “ironically,” it’s only human nature to ask them what the fuck they are talking about. Can you enjoy something ironically — wheth...
read more

Raised by Pop Culture: What’s Under the Covers?

May 24, 2012 by

Why is it that whenever you’re at a concert of a band you’ve never heard of, the loudest you cheer is when they do a cover? It doesn’t even have to be a song you like, or even a particularly goo...
read more

Is Film Better Than Digital or Just Nostalgic?

May 17, 2012 by

Christopher Nolan, director of the new successful string of Batman films, has recently gone on record in a Directors Guild of America interview defending film while denouncing digital moviemaking. Nol...
read more

Reel Loud Films Recall Silent Era

May 17, 2012 by

Digital movie-making is changing the landscape of the film industry. It’s at a point now where it seems that filmmakers using film cameras, film stock and editing film splicers to produce movies are...
read more

American Reunion Strikes a Chord With Fans

May 3, 2012 by

It’s hard for me to think of the ’90s as something to be nostalgic about. I mean, wasn’t the ’90s just a few years ago? Seriously, it’s only been, like … Holy shit: 13 years! I have nieces...
read more

Pollock to Host Sitcom Conference

April 26, 2012 by

Scripted comedies have been a staple of television from the very beginning. With great, classic TV shows such as “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” “The Honeymooners” and “I Love Lucy,...
read more

New Documentary Explores Radio Activist’s Tragic Death

April 19, 2012 by

“Radio Bandido” is a recent documentary directed by Pepe Urquijo about the mysterious death of his friend Oscar Gomez in 1994. Gomez was a DJ at the UC Davis college radio station who came to visi...
read more

“Secretary”

April 6, 2012 by

I still don’t know how I feel about “Secretary.” I can’t call it a bad film, because it wasn’t. I can’t say it wasn’t well acted, because it was. I can’t say it was badly written. I ca...
read more

NBC’s ‘Community’: Worth Joining

April 5, 2012 by

If you haven’t seen “Community” yet, stop what you’re doing and go watch it. NOW. I don’t care if you have to pay for Hulu+, that Netflix isn’t streaming it or that it’s getting harder t...
read more

‘Bunraku’ Proves Puppets Aren’t Just for Little Kids

March 1, 2012 by

“Bunraku” is my favorite avant-garde, post-apocalyptic, kung fu, Western, noir, Socialist propaganda film I have ever seen. To put it in a word: awesome. Now, I don’t know if I’d necessarily c...
read more

Artsweek Finds Light “In Darkness”

February 23, 2012 by

I’ve never been inside a sewer. I’ve never been trapped in complete blackness for over a year. I’ve never had to fear for my life every second. But after seeing “In Darkness,” I feel like I ...
read more

Raised by Popular Culture: “For Your Consideration”

February 23, 2012 by

Wow, that was a fun and/or sobering week. I’m still deciding which. You see, from Tuesday, Feb. 14 to Saturday Feb. 18, the Pollock Theater at UCSB screened five of the Oscar-nominated foreign films...
read more