Disc Type

The First Monday in May is a documentary that traverses many worlds. It caters to mass culture but also explores the inner sanctums of high art. What is art? This is one of the questions the movie asks. In this case, it examines the ignored stepchild of high art, which is fashion and costume design. The Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art languished in the basement for many years, never truly respected. Something called the Met Gala has changed all that. It is one of the most important social events of the New York City social scene. The invitation list is ruthlessly trimmed every year to only include the most glamorous and relevant celebrities. It is also one of the biggest fundraising events that the museum has. This movie is full of celebrity faces and the inside world of the likes of Lady Gaga, Cher, Jennifer Lawrence, George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Rihanna, Beyonce, Jessica Chastain, Kim and Kanye, Anne Hathaway, Katy Perry, the Olson twins, Helen Mirren, Larry David, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and on and on  and on and on. It is definitely a place to be seen, and only in the very finest fashion statements possible. But the Met Gala has a purpose, and that is to bring respect to a part of the culture that is not seen as true art. The superstar editor of Vogue, Anna Wintour, is the powerhouse behind the event. The other half of the equation is Andrew Bolton, who is the current head of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. The beginning of the movie covers the enormous success that Bolton had with the Savage Beauty exhibition in 2011. It was a tribute to the work of Alexander McQueen, who had hung himself in 2010. It was such a success that it was an albatross around Bolton’s neck as he tried to mount an exhibition that could possibly top it.

The First Monday in May spends much of its time following Bolton around the world as he prepares a massive new exhibit, China: Through The Looking Glass. It also follows Wintour as she presides over the massive job of both running Vogue and supervising the “Super Bowl” of the social season. Two superstar directors are also brought in, Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) to consult on the Gala, and Kar-Wai Wong (In The Mood For Love) to consult on the exhibit. There are probably more big names in this movie than any other movie you are likely to see, but in situations that would be considered behind the velvet rope.

You think your home life is screwed up? I can almost promise you that the Gallagher family has you beat in spades. If not, perhaps watching them will help you feel better about your situation. Fiona, Lip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, Liam, and of course Frank are back with Season Six of Shameless, and it’s like they never left. That is the good thing about the series; it always feels like you can pick up right where you left off despite the several-month hiatus. This year is filled plenty of the same antics you are used to seeing by one of my favorite dysfunctional families, including illegal marriages, teenage pregnancy, and criminal mischief. After indulging in Season Six, the only thing you can say is in the words of Steve Howey, “F$8#ing Gallaghers.”

Thirty-second recap of last season: Fiona did a prison stint and almost lost custody (not to mention of the respect) of the family after becoming addicted to cocaine, and Liam almost died of an accidental overdose after getting into her stash. Lip continued to enjoyed campus life, eventually meeting and falling in love with one of his married professors (Sasha Alexander). Ian suffers a nervous breakdown and finally comes to grips with his bipolar condition. Debbie decides that she wants to have a baby with her boyfriend and goes about accomplishing her goal. Carl embraces his inner hoodlum, engages in drug running, and ends up being sent upstate. Finally, Frank finds love in the form of a terminally ill doctor who decides to go out on a bender. OK, all caught up; did it take longer than thirty seconds?

NCIS continues to be one of the top dramas on television. After 13 years, that’s a hard trick to pull off. With two spinoffs enjoying a pretty nice run, there are nearly 500 episodes of the franchise. The show just received a rare two-year extension and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. The show has seen a lot of changes over the years. Cast members have come and gone, but a strong core has remained for the long haul. More changes are on the horizon. Michael Weatherly leaves after this season. He’s certainly been one of the more beloved members of the original cast. It will be a tough road, but something tells me the show is going to be just fine. If Season 13 is any indication, NCIS is a long way from slowing down.

Season 12 ended with a shot Gibbs (Harmon) fighting for his life. Of course, he survives, but not without a few changes. For at least the early part of the season, Gibbs becomes a bit more reflective. He also appears to have a better appreciation for the team. Jon Cryer joins the cast as Dr. Cyril Taft, who saves Gibbs’s life. He ends up joining the team as the new guy.

I think for the most part we can all agree that the 90’s were not so kind to horror fans.  Sure, you can find a few gems sprinkled throughout the decade, but as a whole the theater was not where you’d find the good stuff.  In the 90’s you’d end up having to go to your local video store to check out the straight-to-video titles and the independent films  that had just been released.  Unless you lived in LA or New York, there were so many titles you’d be missing out on, but the video store brought films like Carnosaur (1993) to your attention.  This was pretty much how I first stumbled upon Bad Moon, while cruising the titles in the horror section and this cool box art called out to me.  I never heard of the film, but I recognized the writer/director Eric Red as the guy who wrote Near Dark (for the longest time my favorite vampire film), so I just had to rent this.  At the time I had only known of two werewolf films that I had really enjoyed, and they were the staples An American Werewolf in London and The Howling.  Now, nearly two decades later, I’m getting to write up the review of the new Scream Factory release.

As much as the film is about a werewolf and it terrifying a single mother and her child, I really see this more as a story about the bond between a boy and his dog. Brett (Mason Gamble) is just a young boy who doesn’t seem to have many friends, but what he does have is Thor, his loyal canine companion that is a large German Shepherd.  The dog isn’t simply just the family pet but genuinely is part of the family and sees himself as its protector; what’s kind of amazing is how we can see this through Thor’s actions. While the story doesn’t allow for this to have the heart that many ‘boy and his dog’ films do, the relationship is still well established.