south

11 Mar

South Park Vaccination Special Review

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This South Park Vaccination Special review contains spoilers. The coronavirus pandemic has no official start date. Beginning in early 2020 (but really late 2019), the virus spread to different parts of the globe gradually. In the U.S., states dealt with its arrival on a case-by-case basis. The closest we’ll come to an anniversary, however, is likely March 11. March 11 was the day that the NBA suspended its season and the day that Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson revealed that they had both tested positive. Perhaps it’s fitting then, that the South Park Vaccination Special (styled as the South Parq…

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19 Feb

South Park Will Attempt to Satirize QAnon

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Once upon a time, some guy (or gal…but honestly: almost certain guy) decided to LARP on an Internet message board as a high level government official with Q clearance at the Department of Energy. That set a series of events in motion that culminated in the unthinkable…another hour-long South Park special. While Comedy Central’s long-running animated classic is best known for being ultra topical by entering into production just one week before airing, its creators now seem increasingly willing to experiment with the show’s production schedule. Last September’s South Park The Pandemic Special was an hour-long installment that was announced…

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09 Feb

Son of the South

Max SchindlerMovie reviewssouth

Based on Bob Zellner’s autobiography, The Wrong Side of Murder Creek, this true story set in Montgomery, Alabama follows a Klansman’s grandson who must choose which side of history to be on during the Civil Rights Movement. Defying his family and white Southern norms, he fought against social injustice, repression and violence to change the world around him. Rated: PG-13Release Date: Feb 05, 2021

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26 Jan

All American Season 3 Episode 2 Review: How to Survive in South Central

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This All American review contains spoilers. All American Season 3, Episode 2 We’re back with a new episode and, as the premiere teased us, there is something that went down th summer before senior year with some of these characters. In “How to Survive in South Central,” All American does a good job of unraveling more of the melodrama mystery. But, I guess the slowburn of a certain secret is what makes it even juicier? Conflict, conflict, conflict. What else do you expect when a team gets a new coach they don’t feel like belongs on their turf, even when…

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02 Oct

South Park Pandemic Special Brings the Show’s Highest Ratings in Seven Years

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With the year 2020 feeling like an interminable torrent of tumult, viewers were widely ready to reach for a familiar, long-missing satirical salve with the South Park Pandemic Special on its Wednesday night premiere. Such a notion was validated with the extended episode’s performance, which yielded Comedy Central record ratings. Comedy Central is touting monumental metric accolades from the South Park Pandemic Special, which was the highest-rated episode of the long-running animated staple in the past seven years with 2.06, yielding a total of 4.05 million viewers in the coveted 18-49 demographic for the premiere. The return was up by…

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01 Oct

South Park Pandemic Special: What Does The Return of Death Mean?

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It’s understandable for any series, let alone one like South Park, to develop a level of cynicism when it’s been on for over two decades. South Park has turned out numerous episodes like “Cancelled,” “You’re Getting Old,” and “Unfulfilled” that have all looked at the growing pains of not just South Park, but also its creators. There have been a handful of episodes that exhibit such self-criticism that it’s sometimes easy to wonder if Trey Parker and Matt Stone are still truly in love with the series or just going through the motions.  “The Pandemic Special” looks at a lot…

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01 Oct

South Park Pandemic Special Review: Tegridy Is No Cure

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Quick back-of-the-napkin math on major headlines since last season’s South Park finale aired on Dec. 11 2019: the impeachment trial of the sitting president, a drone strike on Iran, the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, the Democratic primaries and presidential election cycle, Brexit (well, for real this time), wildfires engulfing the west coast, police brutality protests and rioting across America, continued forgien election interference, and 200,000+ people dead from COVID-19 in the United States, with a curve nowhere near flattened, and over 1 million dead worldwide.  In a year that gets bleaker with each passing day, one can be forgiven…

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15 Sep

South Park Season 24 To Premiere with a Pandemic Special

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At this point nothing can slow down South Park, not even a global pandemic. Comedy Central announced that the long-running animated series will return for season 24 on September 30th with an hour-long “Pandemic Special.” The special airs at 8:00 p.m. ET.  For those who have been following the show in recent seasons, the title means one citizen of South Park will try to cash in on this collective nightmare: Randy Marsh. Here’s the episode description via Comedy Central:  “Randy comes to terms with his role in the COVID-19 outbreak as the on-going pandemic presents continued challenges to the citizens…

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25 Jun

Disney World Re-Themes Splash Mountain from Song of the South to Princess and the Frog

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In a sign of Disney changing with the times, if ever so slowly, The Walt Disney Company announced Thursday that the iconic Splash Mountain theme park ride at both Disneyland and Disney World is about to get an update and be re-themed to represent the overlooked The Princess and the Frog (2009) animated feature. This decision reverses the image of a ride that has come under increasing scrutiny for decades due to its theming around Song of the South and the racist caricatures represented by Walt Disney and Joel Chandler Harris’ interpretations of Br’er Rabbit. As a consequence, the new…

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06 May

South Mountain

Max SchindlerMovie reviewsmountain, south

Lila (Talia Balsam) is an artist who teaches at a community college and has built a modest rural paradise in New York’s Catskill Mountains with her husband Edgar (Scott Cohen). Soon after their teenaged daughters head off on summer adventures and her best friend Gigi (Andrus Nichols) begins chemotherapy, Edgar reveals he has started a new family with another woman. This leaves Lila alone for a season of explosive grief and self re-discovery that focuses on an unconventional friendship with a younger man (Michael Oberholtzer).Release Date: May 05, 2020

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31 Oct

Gay Chorus Deep South

Max SchindlerMovie reviewschorus, south

Led by Gay Chorus Conductor Dr. Tim Seelig and joined by The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir; the tour brings a message of music, love and acceptance to communities and individuals confronting intolerance. Over 300 singers travelled from Mississippi to Tennessee through the Carolinas and over the bridge in Selma. They performed in churches, community centers and concert halls in hopes of uniting us in a time of difference. The journey also challenges Tim and other Chorus members who fled the South to confront their own fears, pain and prejudices on a journey towards reconciliation. The conversations and connections that emerge…

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