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NCIS has, counterintuitively, continued to thrive by looking backward. The show may have hit a bit of a speedbump with NCIS: Hawai'i, but the success of its prequel series, NCIS: Origins, confirms that it has a fanbase who wants to see established characters get more screen time.

This is why NCIS' recent casting news makes so much sense. TV Line confirmed that LL Cool J will be returning to the fold as Agent Sam Hanna in an upcoming episode of the flagship show. Agent Hanna will be appearing episode 18, marking the second time he will appear following the cancelation of the show he spawned from, NCIS: Los Angeles.

Sam Hanna will return to NCIS in 2025 “Too Many Cooks” – NCIS agents from Washington, D.C., L.A. and Hawai’i, all in D.C. to attend the retirement party of a beloved Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (Fletc) professor, find themselves investigating his shocking suicide,...

There are a few places where it feels like whatever you're watching is being broadcast directly from an alternate universe — roadside motel televisions, public access channels from towns you've never been to, and Adult Swim after midnight. It's a feeling that anyone who has fallen asleep in the middle of watching "Robot Chicken" only to be startled awake and greeted by the hypnotic surrealism of a show like "Infomercials" knows intimately: where what stares back at you from the TV screen is so bizarre and phantasmagorical that you can't help but answer its call like a sailor drawn to a rock by a siren.

The average viewer likely thinks of Adult Swim as the network behind "Rick and Morty," syndicated reruns of their favorite adult animated series, and culture-shaping oddities like "Space Ghost Coast to Coast," but the real freaks and sickos know that Adult Swim is also the home...

On Monday February 10 2025, Bravo broadcasts Below Deck Down Under!

Too Many Cooks Season 3 Episode 2 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “Below Deck Down Under,” titled “Too Many Cooks,” promises to bring plenty of drama and excitement. As tensions rise on the yacht, Chef Tzarina finds herself in a challenging position. With Anthony starting to feel the pressure, their working relationship is put to the test. Viewers can expect to see how their dynamic unfolds in the kitchen, where creativity and stress often collide.

Meanwhile, Captain Jason faces a difficult moment when a near collision while docking puts his patience to the ultimate test. The stakes are high, and the crew’s ability to work together will be crucial in preventing disaster. This situation is bound to create a tense atmosphere on board, showcasing the challenges of life at sea.

Lara continues to navigate the sprawling layout of the Katina, trying...

The excitement is building for the next episode of “Below Deck Down Under,” titled “Too Many Cooks.” This episode promises to bring plenty of drama and challenges as the crew navigates the high seas and their personal dynamics. Airing on Monday, February 10, 2025, at 8:00 Pm on Bravo, fans can expect a rollercoaster of emotions and tense moments.

In this episode, Chef Tzarina finds herself under pressure as her leadership style clashes with Anthony’s growing frustration. The kitchen is a hot spot, and tensions are sure to rise as they work together. Viewers will see how this conflict affects not only their teamwork but also the overall atmosphere on the boat.

Meanwhile, Captain Jason faces a critical moment when a near collision during docking tests his patience. The stakes are high, and how he manages the situation will be crucial for the crew’s morale. Additionally, Lara continues to adapt...

Ever since the debut of his surreal comedy horror short, “Too Many Cooks,” Casper Kelly has cultivated a reputation for doing the disturbing and unexpected. That’s why, when it came to Adult Swim’s “Yule Log 2: Branching Out,” Kelly decided to turn his very reputation on its head.

“A lot of sequels will go darker and grittier, so I thought maybe I’ll slightly do the opposite,” Kelly told TheWrap.

The first “Yule Log” premiered as a surprise on Adult Swim in December of 2022. That movie started as a video of a crackling fireplace. But the longer the camera focused on the comforting pops of the cozy fire, the more it descended into madness, as it told the story of a winter vacation gone horribly wrong, complete with an incestuous serial killer family, aliens, and a vengeful and sentient yule log. By its end, the movie becomes a...

Back in 2022, Adult Swim aired what many at first believed to be a standard yule log program, whereby a camera remains fixed on a roaring fire meant to evoke the coziness of the holidays. But as the log burned on, it became clear that not everything was at it seemed, and a full-on horror movie soon overtook the airwaves. And then things got even weirder. The clever surprise was a real holiday treat for horror fans, who appreciated the surreal and absurdist nature of the film.

Now, the same creative mind behind the first Adult Swim Yule Log movie and some of the same actors are back for a sequel, Adult Swim Yule Log 2: Branchin' Out, and this time, the murderous flaming log infiltrates Hallmark-style Christmas movies, creating a genre mashup horror fans didn't know they needed.

Writer-director Casper Kelly, who also worked on the experimental Adult Swim short...

Adult Swim once again defies expectations with a bold, brilliant genre experiment that transforms a yule log video into a horror/Hallmark hybrid about second chances.

“I just feel like I’m trapped in a horror movie I can’t get out of.”

Horror and Christmas have been a powerful combination for over 50 years. It was initially a disturbing shock to the system to see sacred Christmas iconography get perverted into dark tools of dread. This surprise has worn off after decades of meditations on killer Santas and Krampus. Even Art the Clown has invaded Christmas at this point. That being said, there’s still nothing like a good, genuine surprise in a horror movie and Adult Swim accomplishes this tall task in its latest holiday offering.

Casper Kelly is always one to creatively experiment with structure, form, and genre. Too Many Cooks, Final Deployment 4: Queen Battle Walkthrough, and to a lesser extent,...

Adult Swim has stunned audiences again this holiday season with the release of “Adult Swim Yule Log 2: Branching Out.” This sequel to its unique horror film transforms the famous holiday fireplace video into a terrifying narrative experience.

The latest iteration debuted on Thursday night, following a tradition that began two years ago. In 2022, the seemingly innocent original video was converted into an unexpected horror film. In this sequel, Andrea Laing reprises her role as Zoe, who attempts to flee the horrors of the first film by relocating to another nation. However, she quickly discovers that the evil log has its purposes.

Casper Kelly, best known for his viral horror short “Too Many Cooks,” is the creative mind behind this production. He has ambitious ideas for the Yule Log franchise. “With luck and your viewership, I will get to fulfil my vision of 31 interconnected Yule Log films,” according to him.

Given that one of the most beloved yuletide tales of all time contains four ghosts (that would be Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"), you'd think people would've been immediately accepting of horror movies set at Christmas. But once upon a time, people were so scandalized by the notion of slasher Santa Claus that they ran the movie, "Silent Night, Deadly Night" out of theaters.

Now that families routinely gather in front of the television every holiday season to watch such violent delights as "Gremlins" and "Black Christmas," it feels like everything's in play. People are even treating Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut," which contains an orgy centerpiece, as a must-watch Christmas classic. So nothing's shocking anymore. Right?

Have you seen "Adult Swim Yule Log?"

From Casper Kelly, the maker of the 2014 viral sensation "Too Many Cooks," "Adult Swim Yule Log" turned the genre of televised fireplace mood-setters on its soot-coated ear.

Since its launch in 2001, Adult Swim has been home to some truly unique original programming, from sketch comedy to adult animation. As its name implies, Adult Swim programs aired late at night when most of Cartoon Network's child viewers are presumed to be asleep, gearing its content toward an older audience. But if you were a kid who fell asleep in front of the TV watching Cartoon Network and happened to wake up in the middle of the night, you may have witnessed something that traumatized you or made you question whether you were really dreaming. A prime example of this is the comedy horror short Too Many Cooks, which first aired at 4 Am on October 28, 2014, as part of Adult Swim's series of faux infomercials. Written and directed by Casper Kelly, what starts as a parody of beloved sitcoms like Full House and Family Matters, complete with its own ridiculously catchy theme song,...

XYZ Films has dropped a new trailer for Krazy House, the action-horror comedy which our own Chris Bumbray absolutely hated when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

Part ’90s sitcom, part blood-soaked, gross-out mayhem, the Krazy House trailer proudly features its offensive subject matter as a badge of pride. The films stars Nick Frost as Bernie, a religious homemaker who discovers that the Russian workers in his house are, in fact, criminals searching for loot. In order to save his wife and the rest of his studio audience-approved sitcom family, Bernie has to man up and unleash his inner beast. The film was written and directed by Steffen Haars & Flip van der Kuil and stars Nick Frost, Alicia Silverstone, Kevin Connolly, Gaite Jansen, and Walt Klink.

Krazy House feels like it’s targeting a very niche audience who might appreciate its shock humour, but that didn’t include Bumbray.

When we last left Agatha Harkness — centuries-old alpha witch, Salem trials Og, subject of the catchiest fake-tv theme song since “Too Many Cooks” — she’d been imprisoned by Wanda Maximoff (a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch) in an illusion of small-town Americana, and left to play the part of the nosy neighbor in perpetuity. Everything ends eventually, however, including situation comedies, which is why the creators of Agatha All Along have allowed Ms. Harkness a programming upgrade. Agnes the eternally perky busybody straight outta TV Land is gone. Meet “Agnes of Westview,...

Exclusive: Former Verve TV lit agent Matthew Doyle is transitioning to management and joining Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment. Starting this week, he will be working out as a of the company’s Los Angeles office.

Doyle brings with him a roster of clients that include writer/director Haley Z Boston (Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen), Ashley Cardiff (Under the Bridge), Keith Foglesong (Star Trek: Lower Decks), Tony Saltzman (Dexter: New Blood), writer/director Casper Kelly, Louisa Hill (Evil), Kristi Korzec (Superman & Lois), Jonathan Ceniceroz (Interview with the Vampire), and producers Zoë Kent & Foster Driver.

“We have long admired Matthew’s passionate dedication to his clients,” the Kpe Partners said in a statement. “We jumped at the opportunity to add him to our team and are thrilled he has chosen Kpe as his new home.”

Doyle started his career as a trainee at WME before...

In "Y2K," director Kyle Mooney recreates December 31, 1999 with such a specific but deliberately broad brush that it recalls the vision of the 1950s in "Back to the Future." A specific moment in time, simultaneously captured and reduced in such a manner to sell the younger folks on the setting while making the older folks do the "Leonardo DiCaprio finger point meme" every five seconds. Millennials may wince once they realize the era of their childhood has now become period piece fodder, their entire childhood now an alien enough world to require very specific production design, but it'll only happen after they've giggled in recognition and appreciation. Mooney's film assumes its target audience was alive and aware at the turn of the century, and gears its best jokes accordingly.

But "Y2K" is only a period piece raunch comedy about two dorky teens trying to get laid (or at least score...

Screambox is bringing the hyperactive horror-comedy anthology HeBGB TV to the big screen at Cinema Salem in Salem, Ma on Saturday, February 24, at 9pm.

Hosted by The Barrens Hideout Podcast, the event will include a live post-screening Q&a with filmmakers Eric Griffin, Adam Lenhart, and Jake McClellan.

Bloody Disgusting is giving away five pairs of tickets to the event!

To enter, simply email alexjdivincenzo@gmail.com with ‘HeBGB TV’ in the subject line. Five winners will be randomly drawn in one week.

Everyone in attendance will receive a free HeBGB TV mini-poster (pictured below) that can be signed as well as a complimentary 30-day Screambox trial.

A multidimensional cable box installs itself into a neighborhood and slowly, the world. Two siblings discover a mysterious package on their porch and are taken on a wild, channel-surfing journey through a world of television mayhem.

In my review, I called the film...

Modeled on a late-’80s/early-’90s American family sitcom — which soon transitions to a midnight splatterfest — the tongue-in-cheek Dutch production “Krazy House” has all the transgressive stylings of a 15 year-old’s Reddit post on an atheism forum in 2010. Directors Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil offer ideas of subversion that feel both long-outdated in concept and completely dull in execution, to the point that merely describing the film feels irresponsible, lest its premise accidentally lure curious viewers to the cinema.

Nick Frost plays Bernie Christian, the pointedly-named patriarch of a throwback family sitcom. With his zeal for Jesus sweaters and his living-room church organ, Bernie plays the bumbling househusband to his successful businesswoman wife Eva (Alicia Silverstone), and father to his diligent scientist son Adam (Walt Klink) and moody shut-in daughter Sarah (Gaite Jansen). The fictitious show comes complete with an opening musical theme and studio audience laughter,...

Plot: A nineties TV family finds their home invaded by Russian gangsters. The family’s useless patriarch, Bernie (Nick Frost), a devout Christian with long-suppressed psychotic tendencies, must unleash those urges to save his family.

Review: It happens every year. There’s always at least one movie at Sundance every year that tests my commitment to sitting through pretty much everything I see. This, however, was a tough one. I haven’t had this much of a difficult time with a Sundance movie since The Greasy Strangler, with it being a grating, 85-minute joke that goes on at least 80 minutes too long. It’s a slog.

Directors Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil are trying to make a provocative midnight movie, with it opening on a nun being violently gunned down before transitioning to a videotaped nineties sitcom. It centers around the Christian family who – natch – are Christian, with...

As the holidays draw near, there’s little more comforting than a roaring fire. Thankfully, most streaming services offer some kind of fireplace video to help strike a cozy mood. While there are wacky fireplace options to be had, we prefer the classics. Read on to see which fireplace is most worth your time, depending on your particular needs. Grab a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa, turn out the lights, and let these excellent options lull you to sleep.

Disney+

Max

Hulu

Netflix

Peacock

Paramount+

Prime Video

Sling Freestream (Free)

Final Rankings

Disney+ Arendelle Castle Yule Log

Animated fire doesn’t have quite the kick of the real thing, even if it does sound appropriate. The fire takes up a disappointing amount of the frame, which is dwarfed by the size of the hearth. It’s nearly as preposterous as the one from “Citizen Kane.” It’s a...

On the 9th day of Creepmas, the aliens and tech run amok to stuff the socks with horror. Science fiction’s broad umbrella covers everything from the future to outer space to alternate realities via technology. The unexplored terrain and concepts within sci-fi provide fertile ground for horror; what’s scarier than the unknown? Even worse, what happens when sci-fi horror invades the holidays? Sometimes, it means one bleak holiday. For other movies, it yields zany results.

The 12 Days of Creepmas continues on Bloody Disgusting, this time with 9 sci-fi horror movies that get a bit wild with the yuletide theme.

Keep track of the 12 Days of Creepmas here.

I’m Dreaming of a White Doomsday

Writer/Director Mike Lombardo’s debut delivers one downer of a holiday horror movie. The plot follows a mother and her 8-year-old son as they experience the holidays in a bunker amidst an apocalypse. In other words,...

HeBGB TV was among my favorite films I saw at Salem Horror Fest earlier this year, so I’m delighted that the frenetic horror-comedy anthology has made its way to Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting’s streaming service Screambox in time for Halloween.

In my review, I called it “a high-camp blend of the wistful glow of Wnuf Halloween Special, the uninhibited hyperactivity of Rick and Morty‘s “Interdimensional Cable” episodes, and the absurd unpredictability of Adult Swim’s Too Many Cooks.”

What I didn’t mention was all nods to genre favorites peppered throughout the film.

Here are 17 horror references in HeBGB TV.

1. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

HeBGB TV’s opening credits are inspired by the Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers title sequence, which perfectly captures the autumnal atmosphere.

2. Creature from the Black Lagoon

The boy in the opening scene is playing with a Creature from the Black Lagoon figure.

George Takei, Jonathan Frakes, and Ethan Peck are among the Star Trek alumni lending their voices to Star Trek: very Short Treks. The new animated promotional spots pay homage to the classic Saturday morning show Star Trek: The Animated Series which is celebrating its 50th anniversary on Star Trek Day – September 8, 2023.

Jonathan Frakes returns as Will Riker, George Takei voices Sulu, Ethan Peck as Spock, Doug Jones is Saru, and Armin Shimerman as Quark. Gates McFadden voices Dr. Beverly Crusher, Celia Rose Gooding voices Uhura, Connor Trinneer voices Trip Tucker, Bruce Horak is Hemmer, and Noël Wells is Tendi.

The first short of the very Short Treks created by Casper Kelly will premiere on StarTrek.com and the official Star Trek YouTube channel on September 8th at 10am Pt/1pm Et. CBS Studios released this lineup:

Sept. 8 – “Skin a Cat”

Sept. 13 – “Holiday Party”

Sept. 20 – “Worst Contact”

Sept. 27 – “Holograms, All the Way Down”

Oct.

Star Trek: very Short Treks, a new animated series, will premiere on Star Trek Day, featuring guest actors such as Ethan Peck, Gates McFadden, Celia Rose Gooding, Connor Trinneer, and Ethan Phillips. The first episode, "Skin a Cat," will be released on September 8th, followed by four additional shorts each week. The series will also include a new comic book titled "Star Trek: The Animated Celebration Presents The Scheimer Barrier," debuting digitally on September 8th.

Star Trek brings back Short Treks as a new series of animated shorts to celebrate 50 years of Star Trek: The Animated Series. At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Star Trek announced that Jonathan Frakes as Commander Will Riker, Doug Jones as Saru, and Armin Shimerman as Quark would be among the guest actors lending their voices to new animated shorts by creative consultant Casper Kelly, best known for the viral smash hit Too Many Cooks and his...

The Official 50th Star Trek Animated Celebration panel revealed new animated spots featuring beloved characters from Star Trek: The Animated Series, paying tribute to its 50th anniversary. CBS Studios plans to create five animated promotional spots in the style of the original series, with characters like Will Riker, Quark, and Saru voiced by their original actors. Star Trek: The Animated Series was important for the franchise as it proved that Star Trek could work in animation and drew in a younger audience, a trend that continues with shows like Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy.

The Official 50th Star Trek Animated Celebration panel at San Diego Comic-Con revealed the first look at a tribute to the anniversary of Star Trek: The Animated Series, featuring new animated spots with fan-favorite characters. Star Trek: The Animated Series premiered in 1973 as a continuation of the beloved Star Trek: The Original Series...

Michael Weatherly, who played Tony Dinozzo on NCIS, teases the return of his character alongside one other fan-favorite. The long-running CBS procedural returns on January 9 for a big crossover event that will unite NCIS with two spinoffs, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: Hawai’i, for a three-hour saga, which will kick off with the NCIS episode titled "Too Many Cooks." From there, it will continue with the Hawai'i episode "Deep Fake" and conclude with NCIS: Los Angeles episode "A Long Time Coming." It's a big milestone for the franchise, bringing together different teams for a case that hits close to home.

Now, responding to a fan on Twitter, Weatherly strongly hints he'll be returning to NCIS and that he won't be alone. Weatherly, who last appeared as Dinozzo in the NCIS season 13 finale back in 2016, was interacting with a viewer who expressed their hope to see Dinozzo and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) reunited.

CBS’s NCIS: Hawaii season two returns from its winter break with episode 10, the middle episode of the three-episode first-ever NCIS crossover event. NCIS kicks off the special crossover with “Too Many Cooks” airing at 8pm Et/Pt on January 9, 2023. NCIS: Hawaii season two episode 10 follows at 9pm Et/Pt, with NCIS: Los Angeles finishing up the night at 10pm Et/Pt.

Season two stars Vanessa Lachey as Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant, Alex Tarrant as Kai Holman, Noah Mills as Jesse Boone, and Yasmine Al-Bustami as Lucy Tara. Jason Antoon plays Ernie Malik, Tori Anderson is Kate Whistler, and Kian Talan stars as Alex Tennant.

The crossover episode guest stars include NCIS: Los Angeles‘ Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J. NCIS‘s Gary Cole and Brian Dietzen also guest star.

“Deep Fake” Plot: Tennant, Jimmy Palmer (Dietzen) and Sam Hanna (LL Cole J) find themselves captured by a...

It was very much “the more, the merrier” when the casts of NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: Hawai’i came together for the CBS franchise’s first-ever 3-way crossover, airing Monday, Jan. 9, 2023.

“We were all truly there to mesh, to riff off of each other, and to have a good time,” Vanessa Lachey, who plays NCIS: Hawai’i‘s Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant, tells TVLine in the Q&a below. “It was one of those moments where I’m like, ‘Gosh, I get to do this for a living?’ And it was also a learning opportunity.”

More from...

It starts like any other yule log channel, with a warm fire filling the frame. A landlady interrupts the yuletide joy, her legs and vacuum shuffling past now and then. The doorbell rings; an elder woman with a Southern accent is there with her large adult son (dubbed "Pleatherface" at one point), claiming their car broke down, then forcing their way in. Later an unwitting couple returns to the home, unaware of the grisly death that went down moments before their arrival. All the good girls and boys watching become captive witness to hillbilly murder, haunted logs, a cult, aliens, and a night of laughs at a cozy cabin in the woods.

"Get in the holiday spirit with this cozy, crackling fire," reads the HBO Max page for Adult Swim's "Yule Log," the latest fever dream from Cheddar Goblin commercial creator Casper Kelly ("Too Many Cooks"). /Film's Matthew Bilodeau...

NCIS Too Many Cooks Plot Synopsis, Director, and Air Date — CBS‘ NCIS: Season 20, Episode 10: Too Many Cooks plot synopsis, director, and air date have been released. Cast NCIS stars Katrina Law, Sean Murray, Emily Wickersham, Wilmer Valderrama, Maria Bello, Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover, Rocky Carroll, and Gary Cole. Press Release NCIS Agents Unite In D.C. [...]

Continue reading: NCIS: Season 20, Episode 10: Too Many Cooks Plot Synopsis, Director, & Air Date [CBS]...

This is it. The holidays are upon us. It’s the last call for holiday preparations and cramming in every last bit of holiday horror our eyeballs can handle. Luckily, there’s no shortage of holiday horror out there. This week’s picks bring double the selection, all dedicated to delivering yuletide nightmares. These ten titles dig a little deeper than the classic titles like Black Christmas, Gremlins, and the Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise to introduce potential new favorites.

As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

Adult Swim Yule Log (aka The Fireplace) – HBO Max

Look no further if you’re in the mood for something brand-spanking new and more than a little unhinged. Adult Swim’s 2022 holiday yule log presentation unravels into a gory feature film, courtesy of director Casper Kelly (“Too Many Cooks”). Kelly...

On Friday (2 September), the first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power were released on Prime Video.

Ahead of the highly-anticipated premiere, fans have had a lot of fun with a fake opening credits scene, which bears an uncanny resemblance to a number of retro sitcoms and soap operas

The viral clip shows an arrangement of the series’ characters turning to face the camera in a dramatic fashion before fading into black – a much more low-budget offering than the real opening sequence.

“Apparently this is the intro for the new Lotr show... this is what 750 million buys you,” one popular tweet incorrectly stated.

Mashable points out that the video is actually a mash-up of images from a promo with Entertainment Weekly.

But that didn’t stop the parodies.

apparently this is the intro for the new Lotr show... this is what 750 million buys you pic.

What if the only way to stop the end of the world was by making love to an older version of yourself who claimed to be from the future? What if you brought someone back to life, but they annoyed you so much that you were tempted to just kill them again? These are just two of the many bold and bizarre “what ifs?” featured in Tiny Cinema, Tyler Cornack’s new anthology that world premiered as the opening night movie at this year’s Popcorn Frights Film Festival. And no matter how “out there” or uncomfortable these questions may seem, Cornack (who also co-wrote the anthology along with Ryan Koch and Bill Morean) does not shy away from answering them in brazen, comical, and at times disturbing fashion, with many of the film’s segments feeling like they would be right at home airing in the late-night hours alongside...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Tuesday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best show currently on TV?” can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: Who is the scariest serial killer on TV? You define “scary.” Old and current shows fair game.

Daniel Fienberg (@TheFienPrint), The Hollywood Reporter

Landry from “Friday Night Lights.”

Damian Holbrook (@damianholbrook), TV Guide Magazine

Ok, so he wasn’t necessarily a serial killer, but “Nip/Tuck’s” The Carver gave me a serious case of the scareds. After his first appearance near the end of Season 2, the porcelain-masked serial-slashing maniac who was all about slicing up hot people (because “beauty is a curse,” of course!) ran amok in Season 3 and the amount of series-regular characters he went after was kind of unprecedented. All of the leads...

About halfway through watching the two-hour premiere of Marvel’s Inhumans, I came up with a way to make it more bearable. If you watch it as a comedy, it almost works. In fact — and this is the first and last time I will ever say this — it’s a show that could actually be improved by a laugh track. For a fleeting moment I was almost convinced by this alternative version of the show as a bleak satire of the superhero genre. Something so surreal and twisted it could be a feature-length “Too Many Cooks.” But even …...

A woman gets stuck in a Red Lobster commercial. That is the helluva succinct elevator pitch for Robin Comisar's short film that recently graced the Ryerson screen of Toronto's Midnight Madness.  Great Choice meticulously recreates said Red Lobster advert from the early 1990s -- or possibly from the late 1980s, as all these ads were pretty much the same formula -- right down to the robotic smiles, the copious amounts of food platters betting moved around, inserts of flaming grills, and squirting lemon juice. Inspired, perhaps, by the viral sensation Too Many Cooks from 2014, here, instead of a sitcom opening, it is the 30-second spot which runs again and again, as the characters (actors? people?) become self-aware of the personal hell that is a...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

In every heist movie, there is the obligatory scene where characters are introduced through a montage of the two main idea men describing who they are going to bring onto a job. It's a must have, which is what makes this short so funny. 

Directed by Luke Harris, this short goes over all the characters needed for a heist team and some extras. At first, it plays itself pretty seriously, but around the time they got to Cockney guy from Cockney England, I started to lose it. It gets very weird very fast. I honestly could watch a 20-minute version of this ala 'Too Many Cooks' but this works well for a normal audience. It's a great short worth checking out.

It almost makes me want to see a connected universe heist movie. But don't plan it that way. Just make three or four separate movies about characters...

Too many cooks in the kitchen? Ariel Winter took to Snapchat on July 27 to reveal a nasty burn on her stomach, which she got while trying to bake delicious pies. That definitely looks painful!

Nick Aldwinckle Jul 20, 2017

Our latest round up of genre DVDs and Blu-rays is here, with Wes Craven, Creepozoids, Dario Argento and more...

With the DC cinematic universe currently riding high on the coattails of Wonder Woman, Patty Jenkins’ megahit antidote to the miserablism of messrs Bats and Soops, it would seem churlish to point out that company’s past failures. Things being as they are, though, with the recent release of a camp classic on Blu-ray, it’s time to do precisely that.

The sequel to Wes Craven’s 1982 superhero effort that was more Toxie than Alan Moore, Jim Wynorski’s 1989 adaptation of the tale of scientist turned mutant bog creature Alec Holland, slyly monikered The Return Of Swamp Thing, cranks the ridiculousness dial right up to 'comedy horror' level. As Swampy meets the love of his life, Abigail – Heather (Locklear) be thy name – and battles the evil Anton Arcane (Louis Jourdan,...

We figured Avengers: Infinity War was gonna have a lot of characters in it. After all, it's Marvel's penultimate film for what is the Marvel Universe's Avengers smackdown. But I don't think anyone had thought that it would have more than 50 characters let alone 60.

In a recent late night show visit with Stephen Colbert, Scarlett Johansson revealed that the amount of Marvel characters in the film would be around 61 or 62. When pressed if that is just in one scene, she clarified that there is about 32 in one specific scene. 61? 32? What sort of madman makes a film like that!?

Now, just how she defines a Marvel character could be interesting. Maybe there's an extra in the film who plays a specific Marvel character that none of us know about. Off the top of my head, I can only even think of like 30 characters who have even been officially announced to be In Avengers: Infinity War,...

The new SXSW narrative offering, “The Relationtrip,” directed by Renée Felice Smith and C.A. Gabriel, touches on the struggles of twentysomethings everywhere. Basically, what do you do when everyone around you is settling down, getting married, and having kids? Road trip!

Read More: ‘Divine Divas’ Exclusive Clip: SXSW Documentary Offers a Look Into Brazil’s Drag Performers of the 1960s

Per its official synopsis: “At an age when everyone around them is settling down and finding love, Beck (Renée Felice Smith) and Liam (Matt Bush) are self proclaimed loners, emotionally hibernating through adulthood. After bonding over their mutual disinterest in relationships, they decide to go away together on a ‘friend’ trip. And that’s when things get weird. Really, really weird.”

Read More: ‘The Arbalest’ Trailer For SXSW-Winning Dark Comedy From ‘Too Many Cooks’ Creators

The film is Smith and Gabriel’s directorial debut. Together, the pair wrote, produced, and directed the film.

De Niro’s turn as a misanthropic weather-beaten comic who can’t seem to shake his annoying alter-ego, mixes Bad Grandpa’s puerile pathos and Louie’s darkness

Robert De Niro recently made headlines for saying he could no longer punch Donald Trump in the face now the New York businessman is president-elect. It’s the kind of thing you could imagine his character in The Comedian, the misanthropic burned-out standup Jackie Burke, working into a routine or perhaps taking a step further. In fact, Burke – whose put-upon manager is played by Edie Falco – doesn’t have any such issues with self-constraint, and triggers the film’s first act by assaulting a heckling audience member in a public breakdown that has shades of Michael Richards.

That outburst sets up the well-worn premise of The Comedian: a standup who can’t shake his best known and, often, most mainstream character.

"Life isn't about toys... it's about mistakes." FilmBuff has released a trailer for a weird indie film titled The Arbalest, a quirky romantic drama starring Mike Brune. It's about an inventor of the world's greatest toy (called the Kalt Cube) who reflects through flashbacks on his obsession with a woman who hates him. The cast includes Tallie Medel, Matthew Stanton and Felice Heather Monteith. One review describes: "If David Lynch and Wes Anderson had a cinematic baby, it might look something like The Arbalest." It won the top prize at this year's SXSW Film Festival, and looks like it has some twisted but amusing aspects to it. There's all kinds of weird touches, including the production name: "A Fake Wood Wallpaper Film." Check it. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Adam Pinney's The Arbalest, direct from YouTube: From the minds behind "Too Many Cooks" comes The Arbalest: the tale of enigmatic,...

Adam Pinney’s “The Arbalest” won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at this year’s South by Southwest. Now, the drama will be released later this month for all to enjoy.

From the minds behind “Too Many Cooks,” comes the story of a famed and enigmatic toymaker named Foster Kalt (Mike Brune), the inventor of the “Kalt Cube.” The film follows him in a series of flashbacks over the course of an interview with a TV reporter while he reflects on his lifelong obsession with Sylvia Frank (Tallie Medel).

FilmBuff Movies released a new trailer for the upcoming movie, which features Kalt discussing his first meeting with the apple of his eye, to years later stalking her from a cabin in the woods.

Read More: SXSW 2016 Review: Grand Jury Prize Winner ‘The Arbalest’ Isn’t For Everyone

The film is produced by Fake Wood Wallpaper, the same...

After being behind the Adult Swim viral sensation Too Many Cooks, the production team of Fake Wood Wallpaper Films brought their latest film, The Arbalest, to South by Southwest Film Festival this year. Written and directed by Adam Pinney, it picked up the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature and now it’ll get a release later this month.

A shape-shifting dark comedy, which follows the life of a toymaker and inventor, the first trailer has now arrived today, which throws around comparisons to Wes Anderson and David Lynch. We said in our review, “The Arbalest is one of the sharpest black comedies of recent memory, never apologizing or justifying the insanity of Kalt as those around him and the audience watch with morbid curiosity as to what he’ll do next and why.”

Check out the trailer and poster below.

From the minds behind “Too Many Cooks” comes...

A review of the two-hour Halt and Catch Fire season finale coming up just as soon as I give you this Cisco wrist rest... "It's amazing how much changes in just a few years. And how much stays the same." -Joe Late in the finale's second hour, Gordon tries to cheer Donna up about how the first day of World Wide Web brainstorming went by suggesting tomorrow will be better. "There's not going to be a tomorrow," she laments. Thankfully, for all six of us still watching this great show — which has only gotten better as it's gone along — there is going to be a tomorrow, as AMC yesterday announced a renewal for a fourth and final season. We'll get to see what Joe, Cameron, and Gordon's approach to the Web will be, find out if Donna is going to Cern to work against her former partners or try to...

Marvel's Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman was asked to give his opinion on Warner Bros' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Why? Because he was in that other superhero movie where the good guys were fighting each other. Boseman blew everyone away in Captain America: Civil War, debuting a live-action T'Challa, and set up some high expectations for his solo film. We know it has a great director in Creed's Ryan Coogler as well as the tremendous cast of Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordon, and Danai Gurira. We still don't know much about the plot of Black Panther but Boseman was recently quoted as saying it would be a bit grittier than Marvel's other films. While it's already a bit tough to get actors to talk about their own upcoming films when secrecy is involved, I think it's kind of awkward to ask them to weigh in on their competition.

Oh hey, so Elliot is in prison. Has been this whole season. Hands up if you didn't see that twist coming from a mile away. No? No one? Mr. Robot isn't usually the kind of show that underestimates the intelligence of its audience. It did last night though, in a big way — and it was smug about it to boot. Not cool, Sam Esmail & Co. Not cool.

We've been watching the show's antisocial antihero in his curiously ordered routine for a while now, supposedly cooling his heels at his mom's...

Alec Bojalad Aug 11, 2016

Mr Robot season 2's latest ambitious, surprising episode reminds us that we're all slaves to some master...

This review contains spoilers.

2.6 Master/Slave

Well, that was weird. Ahmed is going out of business! I know everyone has a cash limit and bitcoin is crashing but still: he has the best turkey sandwiches in the city.

That opening sequence... Between Elliot’s beatdown and Dominique’s shootout in Beijing last week, the story I was looking forward to closure on more was definitely the shootout. It was so surprising and violent, whereas Elliot’s beating was certainly violent but not unexpected. Still, I could never have expected that the resolution of the attack on Elliot would involve 80’s USA Network graphics, grainy non-hd picture and a full-blown laughtrack.

When it was clear what Mr Robot was doing (and for me it wasn’t fully clear that Elliot was...

Sam Esmail is one of the most innovative creators to make his mark on television in a long time. But his greatest skill, after all, may lie more in synthesis and imitation than originality. Mr. Robot is brimming with visual and plot references to movies ranging from Taxi Driver and The Parallax View to Fight Club and Trainspotting, masterpieces of paranoia one and all. But one well we never expected Esmail to draw from? How about Too Many Cooks?

Adult Swim's 2014 insta-cult classic drew on viewers' familiarity with the...

Last Week’S Review: ‘Mr. Robot’ Dances With Boundaries and Bullets

In Elliot’s Head, Two’s A Crowd

One of the great things about Mr. Robot is that each week, it might be a completely different show. It’s never been afraid to mix genres, styles and tones in its depiction of Elliot’s fractured mindset, but the audacious opening twenty minutes of this week’s installment sets a new level of craziness, as Elliot finds himself in an late-eighties/early-nineties sitcom — complete with theme music, laugh track and even a special appearance by a legendary Alien Life Form.

As much fun as it was to see Wellick bound and gagged in the trunk, or Gideon-as-cop get run down by Alf, or Darlene get repeatedly socked in the jaw by her mother, the thing that stood out in this sequence was the way Elliot’s genuine terror and bafflement...

A review of tonight's Mr. Robot coming up just as soon as I give Alf four... "I'm never going to leave you. Promise." -Edward Alderson "Master Slave" is essentially two distinct episodes of Mr. Robot mashed together, starting off with a long and unusual Elliot/Mr. Robot sequence, then turning into a caper movie revolving around Angela and Darlene. had you told me last season that an episode would have had such a clear split, I would have assumed the Elliot half was the more exciting part, and that Angela teaming up with fsociety was just something to keep the supporting actors busy to avoid working Rami Malek to death. Instead, the caper plot was the episode's clear winner, while Elliot mental journey into '90s family sitcom-land was a fun idea that (like a lot of this season) arguably ran too long, before paying off well in the end.