Paid in Puke S4E10.1 HOLIDAY SPECIAL: Happiest Season

On our (slightly late) Holiday Special, we’re talking about the controversial 2020 film Happiest Season, directed by Clea Duvall and written by Duvall and Mary Holland. It marks our 3rd Mackenzie Davis film. It also stars Kristen Stewart, Holland, Alison Brie, Mary Steenburgen, and Aubrey Plaza. We talk about how Abby should have left Harper for Riley (2/3 of us are Team Riley, and Baxter is a Harper apologist), the very unnecessary and perplexing shoplifting plot, Dan Levy’s pitch-perfect performance, and our complex personal relationships to the holiday season.

Happy Holidays to our beloved Paid in Puke listeners. We will return in Feb-ish with Series 5!

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January 5, 2021
Categories: Filmpinions, Pod People . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: Baxter . Comments: Leave a comment

Film Review: Happiest Season

Talented multi-hyphenate Clea DuVall (The Intervention) has achieved nothing short of a miracle with her sophomore feature, Happiest Season. She has made me love a Christmas movie. If you know me, you understand just how grand a feat this is. I have literally said “Bah, Humbug” out loud on more than one occasion. I’m not a full-on Grinch, mind you. Because I have kids, I’ve had to find things to love about the holidays. But you’ll never catch me watching a Hallmark holiday movie marathon. I think A Christmas Story and It’s A Wonderful Life are outdated and overrated. I’d rather roast my own chestnuts than watch Love, Actually or A Christmas Prince. On the other hand, if you told me someone was playing a marathon of Clea DuVall’s queer holiday rom-com, Happiest Season, I would be there with bells on.

Happiest Season follows Abby (Kristen Stewart, Personal Shopper) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis, Tully), a fun, co-habitating couple who are nevertheless fresh enough in their relationship that they have unspoken plans to spend the looming holidays apart. Abby’s parents died when she was 19 and she’s pretty much ignored Christmas ever since. Harper’s parents live in an idyllic town 50 miles outside Pittsburg where her conservative family celebrates the holidays in a major way. In the heat of a romantic moment, Harper invites Abby to come home with her, only to backpedal the next morning. But Abby remains so moved by the invitation that she insists on following through…

Read the rest at Hammer to Nail!

December 3, 2020
Categories: Filmpinions . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: Baxter . Comments: Leave a comment

24 Stars You Had No Idea Were Roommates

raven-symone-lindsay-lohan-michelle-williams-ryan-gosling
Whether we had the time of our lives or the experience was the stuff of nightmares, we never forget the people we’ve called our roommates. The same is true for celebrities, who, believe it or not, were once regular people with a financial need to share living expenses.

Most of the pairings or trios on this list were living together when they were just starting out in showbiz. A few of them were already famous but there were special circumstances that led to them sharing a residence. In some cases, living together allowed them to support each other in their fledgling career, and cemented a lifelong bond between them. In other cases, it ended their friendships and marked the start of a bitter rivalry.

Which famous actors always left dirty dishes in the sink? Which star stole a script and subsequently an Oscar-winning job from their so-called best friend? What celebrity paid rent but almost never slept in the apartment? Who was the famous avant-garde director who kicked out his roommate for being too weird? Which teen heartthrobs would compete to see who could go the longest without showering?

Find out all this and more on our list of 24 celebrities you had no idea were roommates!

Read the list at Screenrant!

December 17, 2017
Categories: Listicles . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: Baxter . Comments: Leave a comment

16 Insanely Hot Actors Hollywood Won’t Cast Anymore

actors-hollywoodHollywood is the epitome of fickle. Though an actor may be a hot commodity today, there is no telling what tomorrow will bring. No matter how many awards they win or box office records they break, there is absolutely no guarantee that they will be able to maintain career momentum. Even if they manage to stay in peak physical condition, the odds are never in their favor. Just ask the actors on this list.

Though looks will get you far in the industry, only a handful of sexy stars have secured A-List tenure. The reasons their phones stopped ringing are varied, but not always due to self-destruction or a box office stinker. Sometimes, it’s just that the industry has collectively decided they are no longer a “draw” or they’ve found an up-and-comer who embodies all the same qualities but is much cheaper to hire.

On the other hand, sometimes it is the actors who have unwittingly hit the self-destruct button on their careers. Some slept with the wrong person. Others pissed off one too many employers and colleagues with their entitlement. Movies are expensive and arduous. The last thing a filmmaker needs on set is a liability.

Whatever the case may be, though they’ve kept it tight, these 16 beautiful and once-beloved mega-stars have seen their careers fall straight into the toilet.

Read the list at Screenrant!
 

September 21, 2017
Categories: Listicles . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: Baxter . Comments: Leave a comment