Author: Karl Paloucek

Karl Paloucek

VOD Spotlight: “The Campaign” brings out the worst in its candidates

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VOD Spotlight: “The Campaign” brings out the worst in its candidates

The election is over, but people are still reeling from this year’s contest. With a hard-fought campaign like the one we just had, it might be perfect timing for a film like The Campaign. Starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, The Campaign tells a story of a congressional race that should sound pretty familiar to anyone who’s survived a presidential campaign in the modern media age: The charismatic Cam Brady (Ferrell) and his supremely unlikely challenger Marty Huggins (Galifianakis) are locked in a dead heat, thanks to a gaffe on Brady’s part and a whole lot of money and influence [...]

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“Marvin Marvin” brings Lucas Cruikshank back to Nickelodeon

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“Marvin Marvin” brings Lucas Cruikshank back to Nickelodeon

Even if you don’t know the name Lucas Cruikshank, if you’ve seen any Nickelodeon at all, chances are you recognize that voice he sported in all of those Fred shows and films. And whether that voice appeals to you or is the verbal equivalent of scraping a chalkboard, Cruikshank is back on Nickelodeon — without the elfin squeak — in a new series, Marvin Marvin, premiering Saturday, Nov. 24 at 8:30pm ET/PT. I talked to the former Fred: The Show star about his new series, what it’s like to leave Fred behind, and what he has going on for the [...]

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VOD Spotlight: “The Amazing Spider-Man” a different take on the legend

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VOD Spotlight: “The Amazing Spider-Man” a different take on the legend

Some might have asked why the Spider-Man franchise needed a reboot, since it wasn’t all that long ago that the web slinger’s story last appeared on the big screen. But this being the 50th anniversary year for Spidey, what could herald the event bigger and better than a major film release like The Amazing Spider-Man? This time out, Andrew Garfield stars as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and Emma Stone plays his love interest — who, in this film, is not the Mary Jane everyone has come to expect, but Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker’s first love, and his first real connection out in [...]

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“Bada Bling Brides” unfurling on TLC Thursday

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According to TLC, “Italian brides want three things: drama, attention and over-the-top couture wedding gowns.” I can’t say that that’s entirely true, as my Italian wife hates drama and attention, and while she appreciates couture, she’s no fan of over-the-top wedding gowns. But never mind — Bada Bling Brides (premiering Thursday, Nov. 8 at 10pm ET/PT) obviously isn’t about her. It’s about the brides who have to have things “just so” and for whom “just so” is nothing short of being a total princess for a day. The D’Agostino family, the family at the center of Bada Bling Brides, runs [...]

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VOD Spotlight: “Arthur Christmas” is on his way

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VOD Spotlight: “Arthur Christmas” is on his way

It’s one of the great mysteries of all time, and one that has puzzled children for over a century: How does Santa Claus manage to deliver presents to the all of the children of the world in just one night? It’s a question very much at the root of director Sarah Smith’s film for Aardman, Arthur Christmas. The film tells the story of the dysfunctional Claus family and their high-tech operation concealed at the North Pole that carries out the annual Christmas mission. When an elfin error results in one child being missed on the run, the race is on [...]

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“America’s Doomsday Plan” to be revealed on Discovery Channel

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[youtube a7GjY4FTgB0 nolink] Almost certainly, it was conceived by a former Boy Scout — it’s the ultimate circumstance in which to “be prepared.” With devastating events in recent years like Hurricane Sandy, the tidal wave and nuclear disaster in Japan, the earthquakes in Haiti and Indonesia, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the so-called “doomsday” scenario has been a subject of a little more than just speculation. Discovery Channel looks at the United States government’s contingency plan for if and when such a disaster occurs in America’s Doomsday Plan, premiering Sunday, Nov. 4 at 10pm ET/PT. “I don’t want to have [...]

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VOD Spotlight: “Magic Mike” a slice of Channing Tatum’s life

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VOD Spotlight: “Magic Mike” a slice of Channing Tatum’s life

Sometimes casting a role in a film can be easy. In the case of Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike, Channing Tatum was a natural choice for the lead role — it was in part due to his experience as a stripper that the film was made in the first place. “I mentioned that I’d worked as a stripper for eight months when I was 18 and 19 years old,” Tatum recalls. “I’ve always thought about doing a story about that life because whenever the subject comes up, guys always want to know about it. ‘How’d you get into it? What was [...]

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“Into the Abyss,” Werner Herzog’s death-penalty film, comes to ID

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“Into the Abyss,” Werner Herzog’s death-penalty film, comes to ID

When Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss debuted at various film festivals from Telluride to Toronto in September 2011, rave reviews and incredible buzz followed in the wake of those premieres. No real surprise there — I don’t think I’ve met a film festival fan yet who didn’t adore not only Herzog’s work, but the man himself as well. Into the Abyss has also met with a good deal of controversy — also unsurprisingly — because of its examination of the penal system and in particular the impact of life in prison and the irrevocable and shattering effect the death penalty has [...]

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VOD Spotlight: the eerie truth behind “Chernobyl Diaries”

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VOD Spotlight: the eerie truth behind “Chernobyl Diaries”

You have to admit that it’s a pretty creepy setting. Chernobyl Diaries is set in the town of Pripyat, in the Ukraine. Back in the waning days of the Soviet Union, Pripyat was the location of the world’s most infamous nuclear plant disaster. Since then, the site has become famous as a ghost town, virtually untouched except by whatever nature chooses to visit upon it. The author of the film’s screenplay, Oren Peli, recalls his moment of inspiration for a horror story based in this notorious locale. “The idea came to me when I saw a photo blog posted by [...]

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VOD Spotlight: “That’s My Boy” teams Sandler and Samberg

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VOD Spotlight: “That’s My Boy” teams Sandler and Samberg

Anyone who’s grown up and lived through Thanksgiving dinner knows how challenging family can be. In some cases, family is often its own situational comedy, as it is in the film That’s My Boy. Pairing Adam Sandler with Andy Samberg, That’s My Boy tells the story of a particularly screwed-up father/son relationship and how they come to terms with each other. Donny (Sandler) was in high school when he fathered Todd (Samberg) in an ill-advised — and illegal — affair with his sizzling hot teacher, who went to jail for the caper, leaving Donny to parent all by himself. Now [...]

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