Best. Shot. Ever.
Mad Men will begin airing its final episodes on April 5th. Both of us Beans have been fans of the series since it premiered way back in 2007, so we’re going to re-watch one season per week before the final season begins. Each of us will put together their own reflection about what makes each season special, and what aspects stick out on the umpteenth viewing.
It’s March now and Chicago is finally defrosting. With all the warm weather coming our way, the Recorder has done a run-down of what we are all looking forward to experiencing in the city in the upcoming months that doesn’t involve hiding inside our home under a blanket.
Andrew Rostan was a film student before he realized that making comics was his horrible destiny, but he’s never shaken his love of cinema. Every two weeks, he’ll opine on current pictures or important movies from the past.
Two and a half months into the year, and some of us have a little pocket money from tax refunds or changes at the job. In what will be an ongoing feature of this column, I spotlight some brand-new DVD reissues from the past three months that you should seek out to buy or rent.
Sir Terry Pratchett, author of scores of novels including the sprawling Discworld series, died yesterday at the age of 66. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2007, but continued writing, finishing his final book last summer.
Pratchett was a comic genius. Howard Tayler, author of Schlock Mercenary, held up Pratchett’s work as a hallmark of comedy, and said that there are some things that, if you don’t find them funny, you won’t find anything funny. He was a master of world building, creating the Discworld, a disc shaped world on the back of four elephants swimming through space on a giant turtle named Great A’Tuin, and populating it with a range of characters full of personality and foibles. [Read more…]
We approach the Ides of March, which means that the sports world is focused on basketball right, particularly the Madness of the NCAA tournament.
That’s okay. I understand. In fact, you ought to read this morning’s post from Kevin Triskett about the potential All-American selections, if you haven’t already. I’m a homer for Wisconsin sports, so you should check out his pick for player of the year. No worries, I’ll be here when you get back.
Captain Serious can wait a very long time, if necessary…
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, it’s time for hockey. With only about 15 games left this season, now is a good time to get your team heading in the right direction. If you want to know what direction that is, the New York Rangers are a good example. [Read more…]
Frank Kaminsky after breaking the Wisconsin single-game scoring record. Photo Credit
I’m happy to report that March is in full swing. At press time, several tournaments have ended but the major conferences will remain in play through Sunday afternoon. It’s worth noting that despite what happened to Murray State, most low and mid-majors rig their tournaments as heavily as possible to favor regular season champions. These conferences adopt ladder brackets to give top teams byes, and many host their tournaments on the home floors of the top seeds. This means many more teams in the 1-2 spots win conference tournaments, making what Furman did all the more impressive.
Logo made by Owen Williams.
Welcome to the Addison Recorded, the official podcast of the Addison Recorder. For season one of the podcast, Gina and I are re-capping episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the latest original series from Netflix. Join us Tuesday and Thursday mornings in the PodFort™ (aka, Gina’s dining room blanket fort) as we talk about each episode of the show starring Ellie Kemper.
Here’s our second episode! We’re excited to share it with you.
This is a guest post from Luke DeSmet, a friend of The Recorder.
In the week after Parks and Recreation aired its series finale, the emotional high faded and my focus shifted to a television landscape still littered with great comedy, including daring and original work like Broad City and Man Seeking Woman. But so far time has not afforded me any critical distance: I love this show, and feel the need to express what an unambiguously positive time I have had with it. This is a show I want to celebrate, not critique. Its impact on television comedy has been overwhelmingly positive, filling our screens with more likeable, human, and even unapologetically decent folks who still manage to be hilarious. Originally presented as The Office transposed into small town government and as a natural extension of the trend of cringe humor, Parks found its feet in its second season and transformed itself into something clear-eyed and earnest while never sacrificing its alt-comedy edge, pulling comedy back from a ledge of cynicism and irony that had become boringly routine.
-J. Michael Bestul is a writer for the Addison Recorder. Stephanie Ruehl is an artist who works in a comic book shop. They’re married and have a lot of discussions about comic books and graphic novels. Combine all that into a biweekly feature and you get “J. & Steph Talk About Comics.”
The snow is thawing out here in Chicago, and the season of renewal sees a lot of relaunches and new series. Even with the conspicuous absence of DC titles this month, there were a lot of issues for us to pore through. With apologies to issues we left out — like Blackcross and Southern Cross, which we swear is a coincidence — we kick off this review of new #1 issues with another tale set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
w
ords by Mark Waid, pencils by Terry Dodson, inks by Rachel Dodson, color by Jordie Bellaire, published by Marvel
synopsis: In the days following the Battle of Yavin, Princess Leia refuses to play the role of sheltered princess. [Read more…]
If there’s one universal truth that binds humanity together, it’s this: everyone has had a moment where they want to absolutely destroy whomever has wronged them. Whether over a stolen parking space, obnoxious behavior in public, or a long-standing grudge, every human being on Earth has been subject to a strong desire for revenge at some point. It’s in our nature – or so the Argentinian nominee for Best Foreign Film at last year’s Oscars would have us believe. Wild Tales, currently playing in an art house near you, makes the case that revenge is an animalistic urge, to which we are all subject. The black comedy proceeds to argue its case in the form of six short stories segued together by theme in this anthology film.