It’s not often I review a film with a budget less than $100 million, let alone a film as inexpensive as The Sex Addict. Any self-respecting film fan knows there is no correlation between budget and quality. Transformers films are among the most expensive of Blockbusters, but they’re terrible. Clerks had a micro-budget and remains one of the best comedies ever made. Story, dialogue, and actors are king when it comes to a good movie, no matter the budget, as is the case with The Sex Addict.
Written, directed, and starring Amir Mo, The Sex Addict is a clever film that makes the most of its price-tag. Filmmakers like Mo who don’t have studio backing are smart to embrace comedy genre, more specifically mockumentaries. Making use of great comedians and their ability to crack wise on the fly, The Sex Addict is a great example of a independent film done right.
In fact, the film’s biggest strength is its actors. The movie does feature stars such as Horatio Sanz (SNL), Bryan Callen (MADtv, and Ken Davitian (Borat), but it really doesn’t need them. Most everyone else is perfectly capable of carrying the feature film without any sort of celebrity to their names.
Amir Mo is absolutely hilarious as Rex, the sex addict to which the title refers. He’s the heart and soul of the film. The man is a master ad-libber, as most the film is unscripted and plays out like a Christopher Guest picture. Rex is a clever, fast-talker who Mo successfully brings to life with his unique ability to be hilarious on the fly (it’s not as easy as it looks, folks). The lead of the film, Mo is in most scenes and interacts with nearly every other comedian, always with quick whit that feels natural rather than forced. His is neither so add-libbed it is obvious, nor so scripted and wooden that it comes across as unnatural. His interview with Porn Star Mary Carey is absolutely hilarious and is where Amir Mo shines the most. He was born to be on The Daily Show with his sharp questions and even more clever responses to Carey’s answers. Rex is certainly a sexist character, without a doubt, but that’s the point, isn’t it? Rex is obviously a flawed character and the film addresses his short comings, not endorsing sexism even with the film’s subject matter.
Still, no one can do it alone and Mo was smart to surround himself with other talented actors that range from his co-stars all the way down to featured actors and extras. Valerie Tosi is great as Suzanna, a PhD student working on her dissertation in sex psychology who chooses Rex as the subject of her study. In an interesting twist on the Mockumentary genre, the Cameraman played by Sergio Crego is a character in the film as well, behind the camera nearly all the time, yet more involved and present than whoever is shooting “documentaries” like Mascots, The Office, or Arrested Development. I guess if he was a real cameraman, this would be frowned upon as he interacts with his subjects too much, but in The Sex Addict it is a refreshing addition to the genre.
Looking past the two main leads, Caleb Thomas as Theodore is unbelievably funny, second only Rex. Anyi Malik as Arnell is another scene stealer; I would watch a movie just about him and Theodore (though Rex would need to have a presence as well). Danielle Gross also drives home the humor as Rex’s not-really-but-sort-of platonic friend Trudy. Even very minor characters like the two women Rex meets at a Church are incredibly talented. There are points in the film where I wasn’t sure if I was watching actors or real people caught in Amir’s cross-hairs because the acting was so seamless. The aforementioned women Rex meets in the church are a great example of this. In the church, I thought they were just disgusted, real people that Mo was messing with in character, but when they showed up in the next scene, I realized I misread the situation. Their shock and disgust was just that convincing.
Look, I interned at a company where all I did was watch movies submitted by idiots who really did think they were the next big thing. And every, single one of those movies was terrible… nay… unwatchable. The Sex Addict wouldn’t have been one of those films. It would have been a bright spot in a bleak internship. It is a truly is a funny film with a great premise and solid execution. It’s one of the good ones. 
The Sex Addict is available to preorder on DVD, Bluray, and Digital on March 28th, on iTunes and Amazon! The film itself is out April 28th. So check it out!
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits the big screen this May!
Of course, all this is mute unless Sony feels compelled to to share Venom with Disney owned Marvel Studios. At the moment Sony foolishly plan on making their own, standalone Venom movie, aside from the MCU and even the character Spider-Man (WTF?).
Peter Parker is already Spider-Man in the MCU; Captain America: Civil War made that clear and this time we didn’t need to witness Uncle Ben get shot! Spider-Man: Homecoming is an important step to Venom. We must first establish how a traditional, Earth-Bound Spider-Man villain, Michael Keaton’s Vulture in this case, threatens the traditional looking Spider-Man we know and love. Because, you can’t introduce the Black Suit in the establishing Spider-Man film! That’s crazy!
In Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker found the alien Symbiote/Black Suit in his room… after it climbed into his bag… after it landed in Central Park next to him… on a meteorite… by complete chance. Whew! That’s a Shit-load of suspension of disbelief, even in a Superhero Film! In the comics, Spider-Man finds his black suit in outer-space during a cosmic battle during as Secret Wars. Guess where The Avengers (and Spider-Man) will be fighting in Avengers: Infinity War, Spidey’s 1st post-Homecoming film?
Finally, you’ve earned the actual Venom movie! Start with a 007/Indiana Jones-esque opening act with Spider-Man facing a classic villain from is rogue’s gallery… Eddie Brock should be involved and re-established. Give the villain a full act, not just 5 minutes like Rhino in Amazing Spider-Man 2. The villain is a red herring, as it’s all Peter Parker learning his Black Suit is influencing him in negative ways. Following his almost killing the villain, Parker desperately ditches the suit in that Church’s Bell Tower and Eddie Brock is below, fuming about Spider-Man, yet seeking forgiveness. The rest is history. Now you have at least half a film, if not more, for Spider-Man to face his ultimate villain/doppelganger… Venom!
This Trilogy closer is sweet, sweet icing on the cake! If we’re already headed down the Venom path, it would be a shame to not also build to Carnage; we’ve done 90% of the leg-work already! Spider-Man catches the serial killer Cletus Kasady, who ends up sharing a cell with Eddie Brock. What remains of the Symbiote seeks out Brock, freeing him as Venom. A bit of the suit is left behind, spawning a child of Venom, Carnage, a new, more powerful Symbiote that affixes itself to a serial killer, not simply a small-time Spider-Man and Venom must eventually join forces to stop what we have finally reached… “Maximum Carnage.” What Spider-Man fan doesn’t want to see that?!?
Charles Augustus Magnussen (Lars Mikkelsen) is the first strong villain to follow the death of Moriarty, which took place 3 episodes (or a whole season) earlier than ‘His Last Vow.’ Magnussen is a master of due to Applegate, his luxurious compound where he keeps compromising material on everyone from members of the British Government to John Watson’s (Martin Freeman) new wife Mary (Amanda Abbington). Why Mary? Well, because she’s actually a Super-Spy with a dark past that threatens to unravel her marriage with John. The twist comes when Sherlock and John finally arrive at Applegate, only to learn that Magnussen keeps all his blackmail material in his head; his “mind palace,” the same device Sherlock uses to catalog all the information necessary to solve any case. This doppelganger aspect is a valiant attempt to create a strong villain in a post-Moriary world. In the end, Magnussen’s biggest threat to Sherlock becomes the blood on the great detective’s hands following his shooting Magnussen in the head to protect Mary’s secrets.
‘The Lying Detective’ (a play on Arthur Conan Doyle’s story, ‘The Dying Detective’) presents a villain, Culverton Smith (Tobey Jones), who shares little more than a name with the source material. In the story, Smith is a killer, but expanded to a philanthropist serial killer for the episode . Separated from John after Mary’s death in the previous episode, ‘The Six Thatchers,’ Sherlock is brought a mystery by the “daughter” of Culverton Smith. She recounts the time her father drugged her and his closest colleges in order to tell them he wanted to kill “Somebody.” Said mystery is solved in the most entertaining and visual manor since ‘His Last Vow,’ recognizing Sherlock‘s strengths. It turns out “Somebody” means “Anybody” and Sherlock, while literally dying due to a drug-bender brought on by boredom, decides to confront Culverton directly, in public. A glorious, verbal game of cat-and-mouse ensues right in front of unknowing, innocent people without them realizing Culverton and Holmes are discussing the fact Smith is a serial killer. Very formidable and clever, indeed.
In Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories Irene Adler (Lara Pulver), aka “The Woman,” leaves the most lasting impression on Sherlock’s life, aside from Dr. Jim Moriarty. First appearing in the short story ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’ (hence the name of this episode), Adler is the only woman to “beat” Holmes. Adler is the closest thing Sherlock has to a lover or significant other, using her sexuality as a weapon before eventually warming up to him as just in time for Sherlock to exploit her affection to outsmart her. Let’s just say the never consummate the relationship. Of course, when her password is “I Am SHER-Locked,” there is certainly some sort of sparks between the two master-minds. Great mysteries with fantastic deductions speckle the episode, with Moriary makes a fleeting, yet very welcome and classic appearance.
Though the title comes from the original story where Moriarty and Holmes fall to their “death” from the Reichenbach Falls, the episode of the same name features the beyond terrifying Eurus Holmes (Sian Brooke), sister to MyCroft (Mark Gatiss) and Sherlock, and invention of Gatiss and Steven Moffat. Eurus was locked away at such a young age that Sherlock can’t remember his sister/blocked all memories of her, due to a heinous crime relating to another of the series’ long-standing mysteries, “Redbeard.” The most brilliant (and most disturbed) of all three Holmes siblings, Eurus has been locked away nearly her entire life, but manages to trick Sherlock, Watson, and even Mycroft to confirm her incarceration by coming to her at the super-secret, isolated, extreme security prison of Sherrinford. Eurus has set a trap, with the help of Moriarty, five years previous, subjecting the unlikely trio to a maze of mysteries within the maximum security prison at a pace only matched by ‘The Great Game.’ These challenges serve as Moriarty’s “Final Problem,” testing Sherlock’s deductions, relationships, and even emotions. Andrew Scott gets to reprise Sherlock’s greatest adversary, if only in flashback form, and it is glorious! I love the intensity of the episode, with the highest stakes of the series and the great challenge of Sherlock’s most personal and (possibly) final villain. The reveal that Redbeard wasn’t Sherlock’s lost dog, but his best friend, murdered by Eurus during their childhood is heartbreaking. On the other hand, the greatest treat ‘The Final Problem’ delivers is watching the usually cold Mycroft interact and modify the dynamic of Sherlock and John, humanizing him in the process and proving he is actually weaker than his younger brother.
‘The Great Game,’ the final of Season 1, is by far the strongest, most face paced, most clever and entertaining episode of the entire series of Sherlock. Before he even knows who is behind this ultimate “game,” Sherlock rushes from case to case with much excitement, ranging from a mystery from his childhood to several in which he needs to aid of his allies who fill in the blanks that Sherlock’s Mind Palace doesn’t have room for. Any of these mysteries on their own would make for a great episode, but with so many in quick succession, we get to see the full of extent of what “Play Time” looks like to the world’s greatest detective. Though Moriarty doesn’t make an appearance until the last scene, the build-up is well worth the wait, as we get our first look at the aforementioned unparalleled performance Andrew Scott brings to the world’s 1st Consulting Criminal. The essential episode of Sherlock!
Sherlock grabbed everyone’s attention from the very first episode in 2010. The being said, the first season is by far the weakest, starting and finishing strong, but lagging in the second episode. ‘The Blind Baker’ continues the fascinating updates to the characters and fun visual flairs such as the way Sherlock Holmes’ deductions are visually explored, but the writing just isn’t as clever as in Episode 1. The mystery is forgettable, and unlike most episodes, there is no development/evolution of Sherlock’s abilities. ‘The Blind Banker’s only saving grace is a brief hint at Moriarty, with a simple assassination and a card that reads ‘M.’
‘The Empty Hearse’ is another episode with a forgettable mystery. This major flaw is partially counteracted by the 1st act, in which Sherlock reveals to John that he faked his death, only to be pummeled by the good Doctor. The plethora of ridiculous conspiracy theories for how Sherlock survived his fall also makes for some very amusing Sherlock moments. But alas, the 1st act is not enough to save the 60 minutes that follow.
‘The Hound of Baskerville’ starring Basil Rathbone is surely the most famous adaptation of a Sherlock Holmes novel, but in Season 2, creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat decided to take another crack at it. The episode is only one of two that has supernatural elements, that is until they are revealed to be a combination of tricks and science by Mr. Holmes. The way the episode approaches the modern twist isn’t my favorite, and there is no strong adversary for Holmes to face, making for what I consider to be one of the stranger and less balanced episodes.
Though it features a game-changing moment for the series that ushers in the dark tone and high stakes of Season 4, ‘The Six Thatchers’ has several deficiencies that detract from the episode. It does start strong with a wonderful mini-mystery that only creators 
The episode that started it all, ‘A Study in Pink,’ is a fairly straight-forward adaption of Doyle’s story, ‘A Study in Scarlet.’ Though Sherlock’s opponent isn’t as prolific as in the episodes that follow, this list has finally reached the episodes with memorable mysteries!
‘The Abominable Bride’ is an episode of Sherlock unlike any other, set in Victorian London instead of the 21st Century. A highlight is how the origin story is quickly repeated, closer to the original text, without the twists and updates introduced in ‘A Study in Pink.’ Initially, this episode appears to be stand-alone and not Canon, but in the end the mystery of Moriarty’s apparent “survival” after a self-inflicted bullet to the head is examined through the lens of a century old case. The most exciting scene of the episode happens at the real Reichenbach Falls, the location that Moriary and Sherlock fall to their death in Arthur Conan Doyle’s original story, ‘The Adventure of the Final Problem.’
In ‘The Sign of Three’ Sherlock solves a mystery in the most unique and fun way yet, as part of a never-ending wedding toast for Watson and his bride Mary (
Nothing too surprising… wait… is “Star Wars” written in Red? Because unless I’m colorblind, that looks like Red to me.
That is the look chosen for current trilogy films. The classic Yellow Star Wars logo with the title sandwiched in between.
Best straight-up zombie movie. Period. Danny Boyle’s zombies even more frightening than the traditional model, capable of incredible speed, the ability to walk up stairs and climb ladder, and infecting others in seconds by spitting blood at them, in addition to the classic bite. The opening sequence with a completely abandoned London is an astounding image that is hard to forget. Finally, the most important rule of zombie movies is present: the zombies aren’t as dangerous as the other survivors (especially the military). Bloody good scares.
My list is full of horror/comedy hybrids. Even the most traditional of horror movies on this contains some laughs (except for 28 Days Later). I don’t always watch horror, but when I do, I like it with a splash of comedy. Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead trilogy set the standard for full on horror with some ridiculous laughs, with the 1st film arriving in 1981, predating any of the other movies on this list. The third film, Army of Darkness wasn’t released until 1992 and it upped the comedy considerably from even the grossly hilarious Evil Dead 2. Never has someone uttered as many delicious one-liners than Bruce Campbell as Ash. There are skeletons, possessions, graveyards, and not just evil mini versions of Ash… but an actual full-sized Evil Ash (or “Bad Ash”). Raimi’s unique style oozes throughout the film; his own little quirks are nearly as recognizable as Tim Burton’s.
Shaun of the Dead (like all Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg collaborations),puts comedy 1st, yet still plays by all the rules of the genre. Shaun of the Dead is not a parody of zombie movies as much as it is love-letter to the genre with comedy. It’s the movie that put director Edgar Wright and actors Simon Pegg & Nick Frost on the international stage, leading to other amazing parody/homages Hot Fuzz and The World’s End, so you know it’s good! Not as terrifying a zombie movie as 28 Days Later, but still full of scares… balanced gently with laughs.
The original Ghostbusters from 1984 is a given, especially on a list with a comedy twist. Like Shaun of the Dead, this classic was conceived as a comedy movie first, but went on to embrace paranormal scares with great special effects… at the time. It’s not the scariest movie about ghosts, but it is the most iconic. You don’t need to sold on this one; Ghostbusters is a true Halloween Classic with hilarious performances by Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson.
It’s a Halloween Movie! And a Christmas Movie… but totally a Halloween Movie! My boss says it is just a Christmas Movie, but he is wrong. Dead wrong.
Besides 28 Days Later, the Scream films (ONLY the 1st two!) are the most full blown horror movies on my list. Scream was a game-changer for the genre in the 90’s; a horror movie that was so meta it had a character literally explain the rules of a horror film. With this level of self-awareness, the first two Scream movies were able to subvert said rules, providing plenty of fright misdirects while still delivering on the gory promise of a slasher film. No one is safe! The fact this formula worked two times is a testament to the sequel, which was able to feel fresh and bring “the rules of a sequel” into the mix. Scream‘s not a respectful parody like Shaun of the Dead, but rather a full-on horror flick with A+ scares, blood, and that self-aware twist.
Cabin in the Woods came along in 2012 and took Meta to the next level! Co-Written by the great Joss Whedon, Cabin in the Woods also introduces all the rules only to subvert them. There’s an order in which each archetypal character must die (the jock, the loose girl, the stoner, the virgin… etc), but that doesn’t mean it’s followed. Cabin in the Woods take this idea of extreme self-awareness a bit farther, dissecting not just one horror sub-genre, but instead examining the many types of scares that cross cultures. Best of all, the film is half horror cliches and half office workplace comedy. It’s impossible to explain without spoiling the movie, but let’s just say it’s just as interesting watching Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford go about their extremely odd and disturbing job as it is watching Chris Hemsworth and friends try to survive in their cabin in the woods.
Oh, 2011’s remake of Fright Night, you would be on so many people’s Halloween lists if anyone had seen you. You’re forgotten, not bad.
Three Halloweens ago, 
The Romulans are a staple of the Star Trek universe, serving as the Federation’s most formidable and well-known alien race, behind only the infamous Klingons, in the 23rd Century. Balance of Terror is the 1st time the audience and the human race have ever seen a Romulan (though it may have been retconned since). During the Earth-Romulan War, a century before the events of TOS, there was no visual communication between the Federation and the Romulan Empire.
Romulans and Vulcans share a common ancestry, so the make-up department used the same ear prosthetic to create Romulans that was applied to Leonard Nemoy to play Mr. Spock. Did you know that due to budget and time constraints, not all the actors playing Romulans were given the distinctive pointy ears? The less prominent Romulans were given helmets instead; re-purposed Roman Helmet props from the studio’s biblical movies on the 1950s. Who says you can’t just redress an old prop designed to look two centuries into one that is meant to be used 2,000 years in the future?
Everyone knows actor Max Lenard went from playing the Romulan Commander in Balance of Terror to playing not just any Vulcan, but Spock’s own father Sarek in the episode Journey to Babel in 1967 (Everyone knows this)! Yet, Lenard was not the only actor from Balance of Terror to go from Romulan to Vulcan… Lawrence Montaigne also went on to play a Vulcan with a personal relation to Spock; his rival Stonn in 1967’s Amok Time. Fascinating. “Common Ancestry” indeed!
Balance of Terror is based on the plot of the 1957 film, The Enemy Below. Set during World War II, the film focuses on a deadly game of “cat-and-mouse” (sound familiar?) between an American Destroyer and a German U-Boat. The Enterprise obviously played the role of the American Destroyer, with the U-Boat subbed out for the Romulan Bird of Prey; both enemy vessels able to avoid detection, whether it be submerging under the ocean having a cloaking device. As in The Enemy Below, both captains are evenly matched, with the hero having to overcome his opponent through his superior strategy.
Others believe “Touchstone,” in this case, implies that Fuller and his team are simply shooting to replicate the quality of Balance of Terror. Or maybe they’ll just borrow the plot involving cat-and-mouse space warfare, this time drawn out over a season. Fuller has also said that the show will feature an event we’ve “heard referred to but have never seen.” Unless the time-period we’ve been given for STD is wrong, we won’t be seeing the Earth-Romulan War, but either way hopefully we get plenty of Romulans!
Tim Bisley is the Geek on this list most likely survive in normal society and least likely to stick out like a sore thumb. Spaced was co-created in 1999 by Simon Pegg, who also played one of the two most central protagonists: Tim Bisley. This character was created at the beginning of Geekdom’s rise to mainstream; the year Star Wars returned and two years before Spider-Man became the first Comic Book Movie to set Box Office records in over a decade.
Created by the King of the Geeks, Kevin Smith, Brodie (not the only lead in Mallrats named after a Jaws character) is based off Smith’s friend Walter Flanagan, with whom Smith would search for Comics all across New Jersey.
These last 3 “Top Geeks” on my list are socially awkward to a point of not being able to fit in, but that does not make them stereotypes.
The last two come as a pair! Moss, Roy, and the TV show on which they appear, like all the good Geeks & media on this list, are not only created by Geeks, they are tailor made for this smaller “society,” not the millions watching CBS. Their content is better enjoyed if you are familiar with what the references and understand some of their struggles. In The IT Crowd we see the dynamic of a “bromance” between two Geeks that is just as threatening to their social status as their other characteristics. I have a friend with whom I discuss comics so in depth that anyone trying to follow is at a loss; that’s Moss and Roy in a nutshell. Two incredibly “weird” heteosexual life-partners.
The entertainment world is not limited to these 5 accurate portrayals of Geeks. These days, there are authentic Geeks anywhere you look… except CBS.
My final conclusion is that, if there is, indeed, a line between Geek and Nerd, it is incredibly blurred. Whether you identify as a Geek or a Nerd, it’s up to you! And if a Neanderthal does call you a “Geek” or a “Nerd” in malice, own it! We’re all one or the other… All of us are geeky/nerdy over something.
In both the films and the comics, Catwoman is played out. She is not be the only prominent character who’s had more than one cinematic go-around (Harvey Dent/Two-Face has had 3 cinematic incarnations, if you count Billy Dee Williams’ 5 minutes as Dent in Batman), but we have seen her four (4!) times: Adam West’s Batman, Batman Returns, Catwoman, The Dark Knight Rises. Making matters worse, the latest version (Anne Hathaway) was forgettable, incorrectly characterized, and poorly used overall. “Don’t you want to see her done right?” you may ask. “No, not this character.”
No, this isn’t a sexist list. In fact, it’s the opposite, as the two female characters are not among the three I want to see the least! The three I really don’t want to see are all total bros.
Batman will have spent plenty of time with allies by the time we get to The Batman. He worked with Superman and Wonder Woman in the climax of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and he’s just one in a crowd of several more powerful heroes in 2017’s Justice League. He already has the required Gordon and Alfred on his side. While I wouldn’t mind adding Harvey Dent (the DA, not the criminal boss) as a supporting character, I want to see Batman physically fight crime on his own for the first time in the DCEU. Leave the team-ups to the multiple Justice League movies they will make.
I just don’t want these movie to get crowded with too much history and complicated relationships!
I don’t like this version of the Joker, I just don’t. I don’t like the Gangster angle and Jared Leto made the strangest choices. They were brave, like Heath Ledger’s, but it backfired for Leto. Normally I would say the Joker should be in at least one of each Batman Actor’s films, but honestly, I never want to see Jared Leto’s Joker in the DCEU ever again.
Best part is, about half the pictures on Google Images are of Goggins laughing.
BREAKING GEEK Radio: The Podcast 