Aubrey Plaza

Twenty years ago, if someone said that ‘zombie romantic comedy’ was going to become an actual cinematic sub-genre, they’d have been called a witch and burned at the stake. And yet, they would have been right, and Fantasia 2014 has seen the unveiling of yet another film in the rapidly expanding genre, Life After Beth. Starring Aubrey Plaza of Parks and Recreation and Dane DeHaan, recently of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Life After Beth is best described as a zombie breakup comedy. It’s also best described as “decent, but not amazing”, a serviceable enough zom-rom-com kept afloat mostly by the supporting cast.

The amount of time it takes to exhaust the goodwill one has accrued towards an overqualified and bursting ensemble cast is roughly 70 minutes, if The To Do List is any indication. The film’s high concept and its performers, from Aubrey Plaza to Connie Britton to Alia Shawkat to Clark Gregg, are enough to engender some interest for a while, but eventually, The To Do List peters out, squandering away its likability on a strange, ballsy-for-being-irresponsible message and a muddled third act.

Ever since watching the series finale of IFC’s new series, Maron, I have struggled to find the right words and the right tone to describe my experience with the show. It is far from perfect and has its fair share of missteps, but excels in bringing to life Marc Maron’s sardonic world view that he …

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III Written by Roman Coppola Directed by Roman Coppola USA, 2013 Opens Feb. 15 in Toronto and Montreal In the opening scene of A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, the titular Swan (played by Charlie Sheen) is given a psych evaluation, wherein the screen …

Safety Not Guaranteed Directed by Colin Trevorrow Written by Derek Connolly USA, 2012 There’s a tricky allure and painful waiting game that is played out between the audience and Colin Trevorrow’s Safety Not Guaranteed. Going solely off its intriguing synopsis, one would think they’re in store for a charming indie molded in playful faux sci-fi sensibilities. The …

Have you noticed a trend in contemporary American indies? From Another Earth to Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, and now the quirky, relatively light-hearted time-travel (sorta) romp Safety Not Guaranteed, there seems to be a newfound infatuation among filmmakers for propelling intimate stories with new iterations of familiar sci-fi conventions. If …

Safety Not Guaranteed Directed by Colin Trevorrow Written by Derek Connolly USA, 2012 In the classifieds of a local newspaper, one ad reads: “Wanted: someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You’ll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once …

Safety Not Guaranteed Directed by Colin Trevorrow Screenplay by Derek Connolly 2012, USA An eccentric and mysterious classified ad appears calling for a time-travel partner. Leads on other interesting stories have dried up for a Seattle magazine and so a reporter and two interns are dispatched to a small town to bring home a quirky …

30 Rock, Season 6, Episode 8, “Leap Day” Written by Luke Del Tredici Directed by Steve Buscemi Airs Thursdays at 8pm ET on NBC After a dismal Valentine’s Day episode that made it look like it might finally be time to write 30 Rock off, they follow up the deliriously sublime “The Tuxedo Begins” with …

30 Rock, Season 6, Episodes 3 & 4, “Idiots are People Three!” & “The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell” “Idiots” Written by Robert Carlock, Directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller “Ballad” Written by Matt Hubbard, Directed by Jeff Richmond Airs Thursday at 8pm ET on NBC It’s kind of disheartening to see the show has abandoned the new …