Because the world is always a mess, we’ve decided to look back at some of our favorite dystopic works and examine why they remain so potent no matter how many years have passed between their creation and now. Usually when we think of dystopias, there’s a certain level of antagonistic intelligence involved. Governments turn on […]
RIGBY…Silicon Valley Needs to Update Its Gender Representation
For three years now I’ve been tuning in to Silicon Valley, enjoying its mix of clever writing and deft characterization. It’s not a perfect comedy by any means, but Silicon Valley is without a doubt one of Mike Judge’s better works and a welcome successor to the likes of King of the Hill. But for three years, I’ve also […]
A Wonderful Cloud is a Careful Balance of Poop Jokes and Desperate Romance
One of the perks of covering film festivals is that you’re more or less forced into trying out films you otherwise wouldn’t, either because you’ve got a gap in your schedule or another work you were trying to catch filled up. That was how I ended up enjoying A Wonderful Cloud earlier this year, wandering into its […]
Girls On Stage: Obvious Child Gives Female Comics Their Due on the Big Screen
The very first moments of Obvious Child, directed by Gillian Robespierre, make it clear that this is a film with a solid understanding of its own identity. We are introduced to Jenny Slate’s character, Donna Stern, during a several-minute, uninterrupted stand-up set where she lays bare the dirty not-so-secret secret of vaginal discharge and waxes […]
Moontower Day 4: Kids in the Hall and a Bad Idea Gone Horribly Right at Whisper Live
The final day of Moontower was surprisingly great thanks to excellent performances by Kids in the Hall, Michael Che and more, but the real surprise was the Whisper Live event, which the Loser City crew had a little too much fun crashing. For our previous Moontower coverage, here’s day three, day two, and day […]
Moontower Day 3: Ari Shaffir Fights the TSA while Marc Maron Fights a Rude Audience Member
Day three of Moontower brought huge shows by the likes of Colin Quinn, Kids in the Hall and Marc Maron, as well as some smaller showcases of varying quality. For our day one coverage, go here, and you can read yesterday’s coverage here. John Bender: Day Three of Moontower was easy for me to plan: first […]
Moontower Day 2: A Wild Puddles the Clown Appears and Bobcat Goldthwait Gets Personal
Our Moontower coverage continues with Day Two of the festival, which included sets by Bobcat Goldthwait, Dom Irrera, Noel Wells, Brad Williams and more. For our day one coverage, go here. John Bender: I didn’t feel especially drawn to any one show on the second night of Moontower, so I decided to roll the dice […]
Moontower Day 1: Getting Sleepy with Demetri Martin, Getting Revenge with Kat Ramzinski
Moontower Day One John Bender: My first stop at this year’s Moontower Festival was the happy hour at the Moontower Lounge (upstairs in the Stephen F. Austin Hotel). The Moontower Lounge is where all of the badge holders and performers go between shows to chill, hang, relax, or just whatever, and having this shared mingling space helps […]
Moontower 2014 Preview: Hannibal Burress, Mike Birbiglia, Kids in the Hall and more
Hello again, internet! Looks like it’s that time of year again, when Austinites are treated to some of the best in the comedy game today, and we get to knock back expensive beers and laugh four days straight til our cheeks ache and funny bones get tickl… Okay, enough cheese. But I am really excited […]