The latest writing from all your favorite Screengrab refugees
by Andrew Osborne
When I was growing up, I discovered new music the old-fashioned way: radio, MTV, and mixtapes from cooler friends.
Now, with the proliferation of streaming services, file sharing sites, digital downloads, Sirius XM, groovy cable TV soundtracks, etc., it’s theoretically easier than ever to stumble across something great, yet I barely register most new and new-ish artists these days unless they’re literally dropped right in front of me.
by Andrew Osborne
Does moviegoing matter? And with so many options for consuming entertainment, is there still a distinction between small and big screens?
In the mainstream blockbuster world, theaters have become theme park attractions with vibrating D-BOX seats and 3-D Imax beasties tearing each other to CGI shreds.
But what makes a low-budget indie worth leaving the couch? It’s a question the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, TX wrestles with year after year, and here are five solid answers from the 2017 edition.
by Andrew Osborne
Joe Biden may have been the most accomplished former vice president to speak at this year’s SXSW multi-media festival in Austin, Texas — but Selina Meyer was easily the funniest (in clips from the upcoming sixth season of “Veep”, premiering April 16th) as the cast and executive producers of HBO’s savage political comedy revealed the following alternative facts about their show to real news panel moderator Chuck Todd…
Reported by Andrew Osborne
In a final meeting of the Galactic Senate before dissolving it, Emperor Palpatine called for unity while vowing to crush the Rebellion and their “pitiful little band.” Forcefully denying reports that his Jedi Council appointee Anakin had, in fact, slaughtered all the younglings in the Jedi Temple, Palpatine nevertheless declared martial law and banned all incoming hyperspace travel until further notice. Asked for his reaction to the speech, Senator Binks (a recent Palpatine appointee to the Bureau of Speaking Correctly) responded, “Ooh! Me-sa think he-sa very statesmanlike to not Force Blast any-sa people or Tweet-sa for whole time he-sa talking. I-sa worried before, but now me-sa trust-sa him completely and know-sa Empire gunna make-a galaxy great again, okeeday?”
by Andrew Osborne
Many films are well-made, but the ones that land on my own personal Top 10 each year have something more: some memorable element, some unique quality or emotional connection that reverberates down deep — a special something that was in fairly short supply this year, with the following notable exceptions:
by Andrew Osborne
Once again this year, most of the best writing, directing, and acting was on the small screen, as exemplified by my picks for 2016’s must-see TV:
Wild Cards (shows I’ve heard good things about yet aren’t on my list ’cause I haven’t really watched them): Black Mirror, Bojack Horseman, This Is Us, The Americans, The Good Place
by Andrew Osborne
I didn’t have much time for reading this year (partly because I was preparing my own novel, Building Heaven for publication…now available in Kindle and paperback editions!) — but the following fiction, non-fiction, and funny books still managed to penetrate my pea-brain in the Annus Horribilis that was 2016.
