Act 191: Finger Lickin' Christmas

Masked Blogster struggles with getting older and talks of choosing a doctor for impending prostate exams. The hosts also discuss Christmas traditions and try to convince Handsome J that Jessica Jones is a good Netflix series.

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Movie Review: Krampus (2015)

Before watching The League on FX, I had never heard of Krampus.  But after hearing Jon LaJoie's character Taco singing Krampus carols and running around the mall chasing children as the fabled devil beast, I knew we needed a movie.

The previews for this film made Krampus look like a fun horror film.  The movie is also rated PG-13 so I figured this would make for a fun daddy/daughter day on Christmas Eve.  With everything being Star Wars at the movie theaters, it wasn't hard to find a seat.  The theater was actually empty until a couple of minutes into the film.

The two of us had a great time watching Krampus.  It was a fun horror film that included some recognizable stars along with some new faces.  Prior to seeing Adam Scott cast in this film, I was wondering what direction the film would go.  I was glad to see there was a level of humor to go along with scary parts.

Krampus doesn't travel alone and his helpers made this movie even more insanely fun.  Demented clown looking beasts, psychotic ginger bread men and evil elves assisted Krampus against the family that were not in the Christmas spirit.

Emjay Anthony was the real star of this movie as he was the one who started out with the most amount of Christmas spirit.  As more family members showed up to the home, his spirit becomes broken and a great storm comes along.  This is where things go downhill for all of them.


Although not a huge cast, every member of the cast mattered in their own way for Krampus.  Michael Dougherty did well directing the film and giving screen time to each actor.  Adam Scott and Toni Collette played the parts of parents to Emjay Anthony and Stefania LaVie Owen's characters.  David Koechner and Allison Tolman's redneck-type characters brought along their children and surprise everyone with Aunt Dorothy played by Conchata Ferrell.

While I said Emjay Anthony was the star, it is because of his interactions with Krista Stadler as his grandmother.  She is well aware of Krampus as you can tell by the way she talks in trailer for the film.  She gives us backstory to Krampus which is told through an animated flashback, which seems to be the way you do flashbacks nowadays.

If you're looking for some scary holiday fun, give Krampus a shot.  I know it's not Gremlins, but it's worth checking out.  I'll give Krampus three and a half out of five pile drivers.

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Act 138: Christmas Theatre

Masked Blogster, Mandy, Handsome J and the podcaster who shall not be spoken of discuss Christmas, Star Wars and other holiday fun.

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Christmas Movie Tournament

Maskerpiece Theatre is determined to find out what Christmas Time movie you think is the best ever.  We will be doing this via Twitter using their poll system.  Make sure you get your votes in by following @MPTheatre2015 and voting.

As the tournament progresses, we will be updating with blogs to let you know the results and which movies move on to the next round.  Winner to be decided Christmas Eve.

You might be wondering which movies are part of this tournament and that part is kind of up to you as well.  Leave comments below to let us know your favorites.  Some of the movies suggested so far are: Home Alone, Santa's Slay, Die Hard, Bad Santa and Gremlins.  Depending on how many movies we have suggested will determine how many will be in  the tournament.

Happy Holidays and thank you for reading all of our blogs and listening to the podcasts.

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Krampus: Box Office Review

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not lose all hope in Christmas and then summon an evil Christmas demon to your house for the holiday. Krampus is a B rated horror/comedy of a good time. This film felt like director Michael Dougherty decided he will make a potential cult classic and I think he succeeded. This film is so outrageous and it is aware of that. If you desire to see a holiday movie that breaks away from the standard Christmas family experience then this is a film for you.

The plot is simple enough, a boy has a bad christmas experience and then mistakenly summons Krampus, who terrorizes the family and neighborhood. The story doesn't really get any more involved than that. It's a simple story with similar execution but it's entertaining. This is a dark comedy/horror and it's important that you know that before watching the film. If you expect this to be just a scary movie you might miss some of the jokes, spoken and situational. There's plenty of laughs if you know that jokes are happening intentionally. 

Adam Scott and David Koerchner deliver great performances considering the type of movie this is. When snow piles are attacking you and you have a shot gun, I expect certain expressions and Adam Scott gave them. When Gingerbread Men are shooting at you with a nail gun and trying to stab you, I expect certain reactions and David Koerchner made it work. The supporting cast was equally talented and entertaining. 

Curiously, the most believable character on screen is the mysterious German grandmother who speaks German but understands English. This role was fantastically acted out by Krista Stadler. Her facial expressions took the elements of fear and concern and elevated the overall enjoyment of this film. If not for her, I doubt the moments that were meant to be scary or threatening would've felt cheesy and forced. Her performance pulls me into the film for brief moments and it was worth it. 

The minions that accompany Krampus are simply out of control and Tim Burton-esqueue. These supporting characters provided some hilarious moments that are always present in cult classics. Such a fun time on screen terrorizing the family and the dog. 

“Krampus” is in theaters now! I give this film all the candy canes and Christmas cookies because it doesn't pretend to be something it's not. The ending was a pleasant surprise that I wasn't expecting and overall the film was entertaining and enjoyable. If you only see 1 or 2 movies a month I'd recommend you consider this for Redbox rental night. It's fun but it's limited in scope for who might be their target audience. 

Comment below if you’ve already seen it and share your thoughts! Join in on the fun of movie watching and share this post with anyone who you feel would enjoy another one of my Box Office Reviews.

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The Binge Watcher Review: A Very Murray Christmas

A Very Murray Christmas
Starring: 
Bill Murray, George Clooney, Miley Cyrus, Paul Shaffer, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock, Michael Cera

The Good:
Well to start with this Netflix Special stars Bill Murray. This automatically should require everyone to instantly watch, especially if you like classic Murray. The additions of both Clooney and Cyrus where great….I know I am just as surprised I am giving Miley Cyrus praise. 

The Bad: 
Unfortunately this Netflix Special was lacking in pop, It definitely was missing something to put it over the top. Maybe it was the writing or maybe just the wrong cameo’s. George Clooney was excellent but Chris Rock was just ok, I am also just over the casting of Michael Cera in just about anything. 

Finally Thoughts:
This was a good special, I wouldn’t say great but it was good. Since its just a special and it is Christmas time its worth the watch. Now I acknowledge that I myself will always have a special place in my heart for anything Murray does. Most of the classics I still watch he starred in. If the show just consisted of just Clooney, Cyrus, Jenny Lewis, and Murray singing with Paul Shaffer on piano it may have been great. Unfortunately the additions of the rest of the cast really dumbed down the special. Highlight of the Show had to be the duet of Murray and Lewis singing “Baby It’s Cold Outside”

I give this Netflix Special One Thumbs Up. It’s Definitely worth the time if your in the Christmas Spirit. Let us know what your thoughts were, Leave your comments below.

Act 134: Black Friday Theatre

The gang talks about Black Friday shopping, holiday travels, saying goodbye to Self E Santana(again), and a bunch more stuff!

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Box Office Review: The Night Before

There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who celebrate the Christmas season before Thanksgiving and the others who start celebrating after Thanksgiving. Either way, "The Night Before" is humorous enough for both types of folks. It's a film that's aware of it's limitations and it embraces the holiday spirit in refreshing ways. There's plenty of cliche's in this film that help the audience enjoy a festive film that isn't trying to be some dynamic holiday comedy that would've left everyone wanting. It's comical, irreverent, drug and booze filled with enough questionable subject matter to keep you laughing almost the entire time. 

The story is certainly a familiar one. Friends (or family) coming together to celebrate Christmas and at some point acting out selfishly and then realizing by the finale' friends and family are all we have. The film starts with Tracy Morgan narrating the events of the film that led to where we find the best friends Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Isaac (Seth Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie). From there we go on a drug and booze fueled romp through New York City looking for the greatest party imaginable. There's some heartfelt moments peppered throughout the film but the bulk of this movie is comedy, sometimes off beat, but comedy all the same. 

It felt like director Jonathan Levine wanted a cast that was completely typecast. Seth is the drug user (which is always funny to me because of how well he plays paranoid and out of control), Joseph is the heartbreak kid looking for love in the bright holiday places, and Anthony is the handsome jock who has a dark secret. This all works well. Yes, it felt campy at times but this combination, oddly enough, worked. These three had chemistry on screen that had folks believing they were best of friends. 

The highlight of the film for me was little touches of authenticity that could've been left out. They decided to add these little gems and that only helped build upon this world they created for everyone to enjoy.The fact they find the only pay phone in town so the drug dealer (Michael Shannon) can call them was hilarious. The fact they were playing Nintendo 64 "Golden Eye" at Chris's mothers apartment (while waiting for the drug dealer a second time) because that was the popular game when they hung out there last, priceless. So many fun moments that kept me laughing almost the entire film.

At the end of it all, I was most impressed with Jillian Bell (Betsy, Isaac's wife). Her onscreen chemistry with Seth Rogen was spot on for what a supportive, slightly crazy, wife could be in my imagination. She complimented Seth Rogen so much while they shared screen time together. At times I enjoyed her performance more than his. A job well done from start to finish.

"The Night Before" is in theaters now! I give this film an elf on the shelf with plenty of eggnog and mistletoe kisses. Just a funny and entertaining film in multiple aspects. You can probably catch it on Redbox and laugh just as hard; however, being surround by people laughing with you is worth the theater ticket price.

Comment below if you’ve already seen it and share your thoughts! Join in on the fun of movie watching 

and be sure to share this post with anyone who you feel would enjoy another one of my Box Office Reviews.

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Act 90: Happiest of Holidays

Masked Blogster, Liger, Jihad Jim, Kalani, Self E Santana and Laina prepare for the holidays and talk about things to come in the new year.

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