Jam-Packed With Venture!

courtesy Jackson Publick

Last night the long awaited Third Season, the one guaranteed to put out, debuted on Adult Swim (the late night version of Cartoon Network).

For those unfamiliar with the show, these 22 minute episodes follow the misadventures of the Venture family - Dr. Venture, a failed scientist living in his brilliant super scientist father’s shadow, bada$$ bodyguard Brock Samson, and Jonny Quest parody children Hank and Dean. They fight all sorts of bizarre creatures, from the butterfly themed villain The Monarch to el Chupacabra.

Last night’s episode, “Shadowman 9: In the Cradle of Destiny”, was about The Monarch and new wife, Dr. Girlfriend, and the consequences of the Season 2 finale, which involved the revelation that David Bowie is in charge of the world’s super villain society. The show maintained it’s unusual brand of humor mixing super hero cliché and Seinfeld-esque common sayings and situations.

There will be 13 episodes this season that will air Sunday nights at 10:30 CST and be available online for download or sponsored viewing.

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one person to complain about a show and expose it for what it is, I find myself compelled to speak on good taste’s behalf.

There is a show that you haven’t heard of called Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! on Adult Swim, randomly aired, for 9 to 11 minutes a few times a week. Basically, Tim and Eric, the hosts, deliver a dozen short skits involving a green screen and some walk-on cameos. The show’s first season is available on DVD and well into it’s second season. Tim and Eric also contribute to the humor video site SuperDeluxe.com.

The show is not funny. Read the rest of this entry »

Cape’s Anatomy

Yes, I’ll admit, I watch Grey’s Anatomy. The LOSTian rule of the most dramatic thing that could happen happening is present, but the writing is solid and I love the character interaction. But there are a lot of things that piss me off, and this is true of other medical shows like House, ER, and Scrubs.

This is why I helped some students at my former high school write a sketch parodying these medical dramas, showing how they are all similar and pointing out their hilarious flaws. Five of those jokes needed to make their way into Cape & Cowl - I felt like I needed to apologize to female readers after two weeks of Spider-man strips!

Cape & Cowl © Matt Knicl 2008
www.shanesmithart.com

Courtesy NBC

The second interview I did for my Scrubs/Writer’s Strike article was on-set costumer Celeste LaChance.

Matt Knicl: What is your position on the show and what does that role entail?

Celeste LaChance: I work on the show as the on-set costumer. I am responsible for continuity, making sure that if we shoot part of scene 1 and then pick that same scene up a few days later, I make sure that they are in the proper change and the buttons or zipper or such matches. I work closely with the actors and the other crew members

Read the rest of this entry »

Behind Emmy Lines

Way back when, I talked about the Writer’s Strike through the lens of one of my favorite shows, Scrubs. While at the time I was discussing my own viewpoint, i decided to seek out members of the entertainment community to see what they thought. This was difficult due to the WGA’s media blackout, but after a few months I was able to talk to several members of Scrubs for an article in the Buzz.

Phyllis Williams has worked with Scrubs since the beginning. She is the make-up department head and in her spare time works on Haute-Zine, an online publication that focuses on beauty, fashion and entertainment for African-Americans.

The following is the interview I conducted with Ms. Williams about her work on the show and the Writer’s Strike. Read the rest of this entry »

Hey kids! Sorry for not updating for a few days - the Convention was amazing! There was so much to see, so much to do - everything vaguely nerd was there - from Japanese designer toys to trading card games to comics. Walking around, there was so much going on you actually forget to eat and drink. You bump into famous people and realize they are human beings, or hear them speak and become more convinced they are a literary god. I’m still absorbing the events, but I’ll share with you some of the cool news I picked up. Read the rest of this entry »

Courtesy: 20th Century Fox

What Is The Truth?

In mid-March this straight-to-DVD movie, Stargate: The Ark of Truth, based on the SciFi Network’s Stargate SG-1 was meant to be the finale to the “Ori Arc” - the new villain storyline for the show’s seasons 9 and 10. This was a necessary movie as the end of Season 10, the final season, left the Stargate crew in the midst of their struggle to fight the Ori. The series finale was no more than a sort of “what if” scenario that left the team stranded in a time dilation field, where the events of the episode were erased at the end of the show. But this movie was the real series finale the show needed.

Of course, I’ll use this movie as a springboard to examine the biggest flaw with the show, which deals with the shows treatment of religion. While the original antagonists, the Gou’ald, were meant to criticize Christianity, the Ori are meant to criticize Islamofascism. How? Read the rest of this entry »

Cape & Cowl Get LOST

I really like LOST. Get me talking about it, I’ll have theory discussions for hours. But, even though I love it, I recognize the utter stupidity of the show, it’s predictability, and the “brilliant” writing that is actually just a removal of information and then presenting really simple things at dramatic points in the show. This week I wanted to poke fun at the show, plus give you kids a fix during this unbearable month-long hiatus.

The opening scene of the pilot episode.

Also an important LOST moment, only this time taking a moment to stop and think about the absurdity of what is going on. Read the rest of this entry »

Credit: NBC

‘Sright kids! Scrubs will be back for an additional 8th season to air next season. Plus, this season, the 7th, will be finished off soon and those episodes air later this spring!

Finally! A redeeming episode! Unlike last week’s, this episode answered questions for a change! Read the rest of this entry »