Tacoma and Seattle area comedian Jaci Terjeson answered the world famous 7 questions. Watch or listen to either the video or audio podcast.
Video Podcast
Audio Only Podcast
Tacoma and Seattle area comedian Jaci Terjeson answered the world famous 7 questions. Watch or listen to either the video or audio podcast.
Video Podcast
Audio Only Podcast
Comedian Ken Hamlett drops by to answer the seven questions and to learn why Silas may have to move.
Available in video only on our audio only podcast or on our Youtube Channel. Pick whichever one below
Audio Only Podcast
Video
Empire of Light (2022)
Rated R ‧ Romance/Drama ‧ 1h 59m
Written by Sam Mendes
Directed by Sam Mendes
THE CAST
Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Monica Dolan, Tom Brooke, Tanya Moodie, Hannah Onslow, Crystal Clarke, Toby Jones, and Colin Firth.
THE STORY
(In their own words) A romance develops in a beautiful old cinema In the south coast of England in the 1980s.
THE BEST
The BEST things about the film
THE WORST
The WORST things about the Film
MY THOUGHTS
Most films are about one or two elements. This is really a character driven piece about an unlikely romance between a middle-aged white woman and a college age young black man in the 1980s. The film seems relatively simple, but I think it’s a lot more complex than most people will give it credit for. This film delved into mental health, workplace sexual harassment, racism, and taboo matters of the heart. At first it seems like it’s just going to be another film about the joy of cinema, when there’s actually more discussion about how the main character won’t take time to go sit and watch a movie. The story moves swiftly and your affection for each of the characters grows in complex ways, much like what happens between the characters.
THE LESSON
If you move fast enough you can’t see the darkness
IS IT REWATCHABLE
Yes
THE FINAL WORD
Olivia Coleman shines as the lead actress is this character driven romance drama set at a film house in 1980s England. Sam Mendes directs this film with much care and attention to careful pacing and tender moments between characters. Very much a character driven piece it is interesting, thoughtful and full of partial explorations of the challenges within a complicated relationship and mental health issues. A well-done film that meanders at times and lacks a huge understanding of why we are seeing this story. Nonetheless, it is worth seeing for Coleman’s performance, insight into the 80s in England, and exemplary film direction.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
Empire Of Light gets a Like It.
THE TRAILER
THE MEME REVIEW
Bodies, Bodies, Bodies (2022)
R ‧ Horror Comedy ‧ 1 Hour 35 Minutes
Screenplay by Sarah DeLappe
Story by Kristen Roupenian
Directed by Halina Reijn
THE CAST
Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha’la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Rachel Sennott, Lee Pace, and Pete Davidson.
THE STORY
(In their own words)
When a group of rich 20-somethings plan a hurricane party at a remote family mansion, a party game turns deadly in this fresh and funny look at backstabbing, fake friends, and one party gone very, very wrong.
THE BEST
The BEST things about the film
THE WORST
The WORST things about the Film
THE REVIEW
After every screening I see, I’m supposed to give notes to the PR firm holding the screening, let me share with you what I said to the things I told them:
“A refreshingly and surprisingly wonderfully done horror comedy, with an emphasis on the comedy.
Honest performances, never over the top, played for keeps never for laughs, but the laughs kept coming.
Pete Davidson is fantastic.
Wonderful ensemble! Acting, chemistry, they did it all so wonderfully.
Can’t wait to see it again.
It is the “do-not-miss horror of the year.”
Spot-on satire of a generation that has amazing levels of empathy and understanding of other people’s difficulties yet can’t find their own purpose.”
That should give you a sense of how I felt about this film.
They say it is a lot harder to write a review of a film you like than to write one for a film you hate. It’s really hard for me to write this review. I just want to gush over how much I enjoyed this.
I feel like I watch a lot of TV and film, and I just couldn’t predict this film. It’s horror, but it wasn’t as gory as I was afraid it would be. It showed it was also a comedy, but it was WAY funnier than I predicted. I thought I knew who the killer was, then I thought I knew who they were trying to make me think the killer was, then I thought I knew the red herring, cause it’s actually this other person….I was never right. I could just never predict what would happen. And that is absolutely exhilarating.
I don’t think the film will be considered a film to “change the genre” but it at minimum should set a bar of excellence because this film is truly wonderful. The writing is wonderful. The script is witty, the characters are fully developed, they are driven with clear motivations, they reveal things at just the right times, there are wonderfully developed social commentaries throughout the film, which is so wonderful to see in a horror comedy.
The acting is surprisingly awesome. Pete Davidson was just terrific and it makes me want to go watch his other films to see if I’ve been missing something.
THE LESSON
This movie is stacked full of lessons! It really is!
Lessons in white privilege, in ableism, in understanding the hardships others experience and trying to be an ally. But ultimately I came away with this:
Being an ally is great….but making yourself empty inside is horrible.
REWATCHABLE?
Absolutely. One of the first movies in a while that I can’t wait to watch again.
THE FINAL WORD
If you want a great laugh and scream movie, Bodies Bodies Bodies is it. It definitely has the blood and guts of a horror film. But it’s comedy makes me forget all that. This is close to the most fun I’ve had in a theater this year.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
Bodies Bodies Bodies gets a Love It
THE TRAILER
Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)
R ‧ Comedy/Drama ‧1 Hour 47 Minutes
Written by Cooper Raiff
Directed by Cooper Raiff
THE CAST
Cooper Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Raúl Castillo, Odeya Rush, Evan Assante, Vanessa Burghardt, Brad Garrett, and Leslie Mann
THE STORY
(In their own words) A man who works as a bar mitzvah party host strikes up a unique friendship with a young woman and her teenage daughter.
THE REAL STORY
A young man who can’t help falling in too quickly gets caught up being a nice guy to a (slightly) older woman and tests his own boundaries and hers in this “coming of love” story.
THE BEST
The BEST things about the film
THE WORST
The WORST things about the Film
THE LESSON
Love is hard.
Finding your soulmate doesn’t mean it will be easy.
THE FINAL WORD
Cha Cha Smooth is funny, charming, and exceptionally directed film. It’s the kind of film that I love; one that focuses on a good story and acting. It examines flawed characters and gives us a better insight into what it is to be human.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
I give Cha Cha Real Smooth a Love It.
WHERE TO WATCH
Cha Cha Real Smooth is streaming exclusively on Apple TV+
THE TRAILER
THE REVIEWER
When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
R ‧ Action/Comedy ‧ 1 Hour 47 Minutes
Written by Kevin Etten & Tom Gormican
Directed by Tom Gormican
THE CAST
THE STORY
(In their own words) Unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, actor Nick Cage accepts a $1 million offer to attend a wealthy fan’s birthday party. Things take a wildly unexpected turn when a CIA operative recruits Cage for an unusual mission. Taking on the role of a lifetime, he soon finds himself channeling his most iconic and beloved characters to save himself and his loved ones.
THE REVIEW
Nicholas Cage is obviously a massive talent. He has what most actors dream of….a distinct voice and style of acting that draws people.
Above all though, he’s an artist. I believe that it takes true artistry to be self-reflective and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a great opportunity for Nicholas Cage to be self-reflective and self-deprecating. Nicholas Cage shows he is not afraid to make fun of himself and how self aware he is of how the public at large sees him. The film is a clear fictional version of Cage, but clearly painted with a lot of truth. Truths that lesser men may not be able to handle.
The essence of the story is that a financially struggling Nicholas Cage takes a million dollar paycheck to attend a fans birthday party. While there, he learns that his fan may be a high profile drug lord and the FBI wants his help to save a woman they believe is being held on the estate.
The results of this are a wonderful, refreshingly original comedy. Cage is a comedic force in the film. It’s a great tribute to Nicholas Cage that will be enriched by how many films of his you have seen, the good and the bad. The film is part buddy comedy, part action comedy, but whatever it is doing, it is consistently funny.
I love how self aware the film is…, it’s so layered. It’s almost a movie within a movie within a movie. Are we watching what happened or a story told about what happened?
There are really only two points of the film I didn’t care for. One, is that I think a film focusing on the celebrity of a Hollywood actor shouldn’t have so many other recognizable faces co-starring. I think it takes us out of the film. It constantly reminds me that the story isn’t real because Nicholas cage is pretending he’s talking to an agent when it’s obviously Neil Patrick Harris. Give us unknown actors for these roles.
The second point is the end of the film. I can’t tell if they just ran out of time, or just weren’t sure how to end it. But I felt as if I was robbed of a solid ending to the film with a little bit of slight of hand.
THE BEST
BEST things about the film
THE WORST
The WORST things about the Film
THE LESSON
Being a Hollywood star doesn’t mean life is easy.
THE FINAL WORD
A very funny love letter to Nicholas Cage that could only work being starred by Nicholas Cage himself. It is hilarious, self-aware, and very inventive.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent gets a Love It.
THE TRAILER
THE REVIEWER
ABOUT SILAS
When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.
Silas & Samantha give their unasked for opinions on the famous Will Smith Slap on Chris Rock. Also; exercising, & baby sleeping.
The real story of ALICE, Old WIves Tales, How Times Have Changed.
The Lost City (2022)
PG-13 ‧ Action/Adventure/Comedy ‧ 1 hour 52 Minutes
Story by Seth Gordon, Written by Oren Uziel; Dana Fox; Adam Nee; Aaron Nee
Directed by Aaron Nee, Adam Nee
THE CAST
Sandra Bullock; Channing Tatum; Daniel Radcliffe; Da’Vine Joy Randolph; Brad Pitt; Oscar Nuñez
THE STORY
(In their own words) Reclusive author Loretta Sage writes about exotic places in her popular adventure novels that feature a handsome cover model named Alan. While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who hopes she can lead him to an ancient city’s lost treasure from her latest story. Determined to prove he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, Alan sets off to rescue her.
THE REVIEW
Let me get straight to it with film because it’s been a while since I’ve been this excited about a comedy. The Lost City is easily the best comedy I’ve seen this year and I honestly can’t imagine enjoying another film this year as much as I did this one. It ls laugh out loud funny, perfectly paced, wonderfully acted, and had the audience I watched the film with absolutely rolling from beginning to end.
Sandra Bullock returns to this genre that she absolutely owns in The Lost City playing romance novel author Loretta Sage. While I wouldn’t have really considered Channing Tatum as a good pairing for her, this movie showed me that these two need to work together a lot more. The comedic timing and chemistry between these two was flawless. I don’t think there is another current leading actress who performs physical comedy as well as Sandra Bullock does; from her awkwardness of sitting on a stool to rolling out of a hammock, she finds a way to bring laughter to such simple movements. Her reactions to her circumstances or Channing Tatum’s butt are never too far keeping her grounded in the real world, but stretched just far enough to milk the scene for all the comedy she can.
Daniel Radcliffe shines as the villain of the film, billionaire Abigail Fairfax. While Radcliffe’s charm makes you instantly disarmed, that only feeds into making his villainous acts a little unexpected and therefore impressive. He’s a wonderful comedic villain, which I wasn’t expecting, and really wants me to see him as a bad guy in a more serious film.
The Lost CIty is an adventure that I don’t want to spoil. Is some of the plot a little predictable? Yes. Do they take quite a lot of liberties in dealing with plane flight times? Yes. But those minor elements are easily dismissed when you are presented with such a wonderful, well-crafted, fun adventure. And there are enough unexpected surprises in the film to make up for anything. Also, when predictable moments happen, the comedy that they create out of the situation is superb.
THE BEST
Three BEST things about the film
THE WORST
The three WORST things about the Film
THE LESSON
Don’t be afraid of opening the door and seeing what’s next.
THE FINAL WORD
Easily the funniest film of the year and I find it hard to imagine anyone with a heart and soul not liking this film.
THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It.
The Lost City gets a Love It.
THE TRAILER
THE REVIEWER
ABOUT SILAS
When he’s not reviewing films or interviewing people for the Black & A Half podcast, Silas Lindenstein can be found in the greater metro Seattle, WA working as a real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes, or performing stand up comedy to fellow nerds. He has a wife and three children and desperately wants to learn to make the perfect homemade pizza.
George A. Tramountanas dropped by to discuss his new film “Win A Trip To Browntown” and what it was like to lose 50 pounds while filming a movie.