2024-04-22 19:39
Stephen Colbert is a master at compartmentalization.
CBS’s “Late Show” host has spent three-plus years looking the other way as President Joe Biden bumbled through his firs… Read More
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Hollywood In Toto - Film Reviews With A Conservative Edge Blog
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Entertainment coverage from a conservative point of view. Award-winning editor Christian Toto delivers film reviews, opinion pieces and interviews you won't find anywhere else.
2024-04-22 15:30
Collective moments are a fascinating thing to examine.
When society fixates on something, it tells us about our internal processes and what is bothering us or drawing our curiosity. This hap… Read More
2024-04-21 16:28
There’s a growing list of stories that Hollywood would never tell again.
“Blazing Saddles” shoots to mind, but so do “The Producers,” “Soul Man,” &l&hell…Read More
2024-04-20 14:34
Bill Maher simultaneously loathes Donald Trump and finds common ground with the former president’s party.
The “Real Time with Bill Maher” host sees Trump as an existential… Read More
2024-04-19 23:45
Alex Garland wasn’t kidding.
The writer/director of “Civil War” said his dystopian thriller didn’t take political sides. The film bears that out, focusing entirely on… Read More
2024-04-19 15:33
This is the perfect time for a documentary honoring Dan Rather. Really.
We’re watching the collapse of NPR as a trusted news source in real time thanks to Uri Berliner’s witherin… Read More
2024-04-18 19:17
Andrew Schulz says he didn’t believe the media’s portrayal of San Francisco.
Surely a major American city can’t be as filthy and out of control as the updates he sees on hi… Read More
2024-04-18 15:31
Horror and dumb go together like peas and cah-rots, to paraphrase Forrest Gump.
Think:
There’s a serial killer on the loose … let’s split up!
The monster sure looks like i… Read More
2024-04-17 14:50
Alan Ritchson has a funny way of promoting movies.
The star behind “Reacher” hits the big screen once more Friday with “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” The Gu… Read More
2024-04-17 13:31
The Coens. The Russos. The Farrellys. The Duplasses. The Safdies.
The Chinas?
No, Paul and Benjamin China aren’t in the rarified air of those famous directorial duos. Not even close.
S… Read More
2024-04-16 20:31
John Cusack is the anti-Michael Rapaport.
The two actors see the current Middle East crisis from diametrically opposed positions.
Rapaport of “Beautiful Girls” fame is staunchly… Read More
2024-04-16 19:00
There’s one reason we still know the name Molly Ringwald 30-plus years after her first burst of fame.
John Hughes.
Ringwald co-starred in the writer/director’s “The Breakfa… Read More
2024-04-16 02:04
This critic spends more time watching YouTube than most streaming platforms.
Video podcasts? Check.
Cooking videos? Check.
Sketch comedy? Check and Check.
It’s often hard for Peacock a… Read More
2024-04-15 19:40
Katherine Maher’s tenure as head of far-Left NPR is off to a rocky start.
Maher ascended to the position last month, but two recent events have caused her considerable headaches.
And o… Read More
2024-04-15 03:27
Bill Maher doesn’t want comedians canceled for telling the “wrong” joke.
He’s made that clear on both his “Club Random” podcast and HBO’s “Rea… Read More
2024-04-15 00:19
Confession: This critic loves movies where innocents scramble in the woods while something or someone hunts them down.
Think of thrillers like “Backcountry” or the sublime &ldquo&hell…Read More
2024-04-13 14:53
Actor Alan Ritchson is having a moment.
It’s a rare and magical thing in Hollywood when a star’s docket brims with exciting new projects. The media, as if on cue, fawns over his… Read More
2024-04-12 15:05
John Cleese is the master of both silly walks and sublime comedy takes.
The Monty Python veteran is as feisty as ever at 84, slashing those attempting to crush comedy that breaks any kind of… Read More
2024-04-11 18:43
There’s a good reason movie studios can’t stop making sequels to popular films.
Return on Investment.
Or, at the very least, they’re less risky than original stories. Just… Read More
2024-04-10 19:47
It’s increasingly clear we’re not allowed to share select thoughts in public.
We saw that with Hunter Biden’s laptop and contrarian views about the pandemic. The Twitter Fi… Read More
2024-04-10 18:29
Brad Skistimas, AKA Five Times August, is a musician growing a niche fan base with songs including “God Help Us All,” “I Will Not Be Leaving Quietly,” and “Sile… Read More
2024-04-09 15:55
Director Larry Fessenden pumped new life into Frankenstein’s monster with 2019’s “Depraved.”
The genre veteran’s attempt to reimagine the werewolf genre, alas… Read More
2024-04-08 17:51
Late-night television changed forever after Donald Trump descended that escalator in 2015.
The left-leaning format abandoned all pretense of objectivity, turning their hosts into DNC shills… Read More
2024-04-08 13:26
Every kid deserves a pet, but the young heroine in “Sting” gets more than she bargained for.
The latest arachnid thriller spins from a familiar premise but turns into a family af… Read More
2024-04-07 16:30
Influencers are taking sides in the Ben Shapiro/Candace Owens war.
Owens got the heave-ho from The Daily Wire last month, a site co-founded by Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing. Many assumed her ha… Read More
2024-04-06 23:32
In the mind of modern Hollywood, what’s the difference between men and women?
Flaws.
“The Lion King’s” Simba has a problem: his uncle, the conniving Scar, has masterm… Read More
2024-04-06 16:44
Conservatives have little patience for modern Hollywood.
They pine for the days of John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart, and they’ve had enough of Tinsel Town circa 2024.
The progressive messa… Read More
2024-04-05 19:50
Larry David is liberal to the core, but he’s not a Leftist.
There’s a difference.
The genius behind both “Seinfeld” and HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm”… Read More
2024-04-05 13:00
No movie franchise is safe from revival.
Now, it’s “The Omen’s” turn despite a weak 2006 attempt to give the devil his due. Again.
“The First Omen” craves… Read More
2024-04-04 19:54
Hollywood’s quest for inclusivity is both maddening and noble.
Forced diversity and Oscar-themed box checking are anathema to the creative process. Allowing more voices to share their… Read More
2024-04-04 15:58
The truth is coming out about DEI. Finally.
The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion movement has had quite a run, infiltrating corporate America, academia, the media and more. Now, powerful… Read More
2024-04-03 20:39
Few films have stirred the cultural pot quite like “Civil War.”
The April 12 release envisions a near-future America at war with itself.
Kirsten Dunst leads an ensemble cast incl… Read More
2024-04-03 15:56
Jimmy Fallon is considered the least political talk show host on the late-night scene.
Think again.
“The Tonight Show” host isn’t as partisan as his peers, at least on pape… Read More
2024-04-02 21:40
Once upon a time Jon Stewart regularly schooled CNN.
“The Daily Show” host even appeared on the channel to say its partisan slugfest, “Crossfire,” was bad for the cou… Read More
2024-04-02 20:30
This is basic advice given to first-time filmmakers.
Start with what you have.
Write what you know.
Make the movie you can make this year.
Avoid stunts, children and animals.
“Vengeanc… Read More
2024-04-02 16:40
Entertainment journalists love it when stars get political.
Those stories generate clicks and traffic. The more emotionally charged the rhetoric, the better.
Just Google “Robert De Nir… Read More
2024-04-01 18:32
The best dumb comedies are smarter than they look.
The 2004 cult hit “Napoleon Dynamite” proved it, although not as much as its cult following suggests.
Far better? The delirious… Read More
2024-04-01 15:05
$70 million. Maybe more.
That’s how much the 2016 “Ghostbusters” reboot reportedly cost Sony.
The woke comedy cast four female Ghostbusters to replace the four male charact… Read More
2024-03-31 15:24
Adam Wingard’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” is silly, exciting and astonishing in its lack of originality.
It cobbles a bursting-apart screenplay from at least 20 othe… Read More
2024-03-30 16:10
Court jesters risked their necks to mock their masters.
These cutups made royalty howl, but they also faced blowback for delivering the wrong message or gag.
Gulp.
That’s rarely the ca… Read More
2024-03-29 20:38
“Yeah, right, modern proof of a metaphysical occurrence (resurrection) 2,000 years ago.” I thought when asked to consider making a film about The Shroud.
I knew little… Read More
2024-03-29 20:10
Hollywood bows down to China early and often.
Remember how the 2012 “Red Dawn” remake changed the story’s enemy from China to North Korea? What about when 2013’s &ldq&hell…Read More
2024-03-28 11:59
Director Martin Scorsese is no stranger to Cancel Culture.
The Oscar winner felt its sting years before the term appeared in pop culture circles.
His 1997 movie “Kundun,” d… Read More
2024-03-27 18:33
Sage Steele learned the Gina Carano lesson the hard way.
Carano got fired by Disney for not toeing the woke progressive line on social media. Steele, a fixture at Disney-owned ESPN since 200… Read More
2024-03-26 18:44
Imagine a movie studio promoting a film by amplifying Islamic outrage against it.
You can’t. It’s impossible.
The same holds for most major religions. Antisemitism is flaring on… Read More
2024-03-26 12:33
Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days” is the portrait of a life that might seem small and simple, but is full of insight, discipline, and steady rewards.
It stars Koji Yakusho, in a… Read More
2024-03-25 18:15
Colin and Cameron Cairnes’ “Late Night with the Devil” presents itself as a documentary about a haunted episode of a 1977 talk show, which we see in full.
Following a recap… Read More
2024-03-25 17:52
Bill Maher fuels mixed emotions on the political Right.
He’s been a megaphone for progressive causes for most of his decades-long career. His HBO showcase allows him to rally the Left… Read More
2024-03-25 13:51
Liam Neeson’s post-“Taken” career has been a blessing and a curse for the Oscar nominee.
Yes, he works constantly as an in-demand action hero even as he enters his 70s. The… Read More
2024-03-23 23:28
Hollywood teems with politically active stars, from Rob Reiner to Bette Midler.
Actor/director Chazz Palminteri doesn’t belong to that group.
The film and stage veteran doesn’t w… Read More
2024-03-23 20:07
Liam Neeson’s career changed forever following his 2008 smash, “Taken.”
Suddenly, the towering actor became an action hero after decades of serious screen work. He’s… Read More
2024-03-23 12:25
There will be no new Bruce Willis movies and that stinks.
Willis stepped away from acting in 2022 after an aphasia diagnosis. He would later be diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, making… Read More
2024-03-22 17:09
Hollywood knows how to keep a secret.
For example, Disney shocked everyone by announcing a second “Moana” film will drop later this year, a project virtually no one knew about un… Read More
2024-03-21 17:03
Race relations in America took on a tense atmosphere in 2020 following the death of George Floyd. Protests sprung up nationwide, sparking the rise of DEI initiatives across society.
Just as… Read More
2024-03-21 16:11
Comedian David Lucas found out the hard way that doing “crowd work” has a downside.
Lucas’ exchange with a heckler went viral after the comic evoked the late George Floyd… Read More
2024-03-20 20:05
You could excuse “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” for wallowing in nostalgia.
The reboot/sequel had to wash away the stain of the 2016 “Ghostbusters: Answer the Call” while… Read More
2024-03-20 17:35
If you thought mainstream media corruption was bad, just wait.
We’re still roughly eight months from Election Day, and the press’ fury against President Donald Trump will make th… Read More
2024-03-19 19:17
The 1989 film “Road House” isn’t a classic. It’s more like a “classic.”
Patrick Swayze’s honky tonk romp is both deeply flawed and a cherished &rsqu&hell…Read More
2024-03-19 16:17
“The Zone of Interest” kept the camera away from the Nazi atrocities.
We watched a “normal” German family literally living next door to a concentration camp. Only the… Read More
2024-03-18 19:38
When you think of rebellious comedy, some names immediately jump to mind.
Shane Gillis
Joe Rogan
Tim Dillon
Steve McGrew
Dave Chappelle
Chrissie Mayr
Ricky Gervais
Howie Mandel, the stand-up… Read More
2024-03-18 17:38
Few films are under the microscope quite like “Civil War.”
The thriller, which debuted at SXSW earlier this month and hits theaters April 12, follows a near-future America at war… Read More
2024-03-17 23:42
John Cleese visited Bill Maher’s “Club Random,” this week, and the conversation quickly went woke.
By “woke,” we mean the comedians took turns trashing the far… Read More
2024-03-17 21:34
Some of the most provocative documentaries are ignored by Hollywood.
Many weren’t screened in theaters and got snubbed by the entertainment press. Film critics looked the other way rat… Read More
2024-03-17 13:53
The Coen brothers aren’t renowned for their box office might.
Their canon is adored for its quirky style, mature themes and Oscar-worthy sophistication. Still, some of their films have… Read More
2024-03-16 16:10
Jimmy Kimmel got blindsided by football great Aaron Rodgers earlier this year.
The “Jimmy Kimmel Live” host hit back, and hard. Could you blame him?
Rodgers insinuated Kimmel had… Read More
2024-03-15 18:03
It’s Donald Trump’s fault.
The former president, campaigning to return to the White House for four more years, uncorked a Trumpian slam against Jimmy Kimmel Sunday night.
Trump m… Read More
2024-03-15 14:28
Set in Nebraska City in 1991, “Snack Shack” is not a “giant sucking sound” out from the middle of America, as Ross Perot described policy in the early 1990s. It&rsquo&hell…Read More
2024-03-14 22:08
“Killing America” opens with an uppercut.
The mini-documentary shares examples of antisemitism from the California school system.
Director Eli Steele’s film has Oct. 7 on i… Read More
2024-03-14 16:39
Hollywood’s fascination with assassins shows no signs of letting up.
Consider the “John Wick” franchise as Exhibits A, B, C and D. (And you know E. is coming soon…)… Read More
2024-03-13 19:42
Stephen Colbert collects a hefty CBS paycheck to host “The Late Show.”
The gig lets him do pro bono work for the Democratic Party.
He made that official this week.
We learned tha… Read More
2024-03-13 13:47
UC Berkeley, the former home of the ’60s free speech movement, now lets fascist mobs run wild on campus.
The ACLU, once the go-to group against speech suppression, looks the other way… Read More
2024-03-13 02:07
Taraji P. Henson made quite a stir during awards season.
Her outsized turn as Blues singer Shug Avery in “The Color Purple” earned solid reviews but no official love from the Aca… Read More
2024-03-12 20:02
Stand-up comic K-von tells jokes clean enough for Dry Bar Comedy.
That platform serves up PG-rated laughs, the kind the Persian-American delivers on stage and via his YouTube channel.
The Un… Read More
2024-03-12 02:31
Another day, another artist learns the show won’t go on.
Matisyahu knows the feeling.
The rapper has already seen two of his 2024 gigs get canceled. Now, his sold-out show at Chicago&r&hell…Read More
2024-03-11 16:27
Cate Blanchett doesn’t steer clear of tough conversations.
Blanchett, who stars in the upcoming fantasy film “Borderlands,” recently lashed out at so-called “trigger… Read More
2024-03-10 23:02
Welcome to HiT’s Oscars live blog!
Let the show begin!
10:22 pm EST ... It’s “Oppenheimer.” Of course.
10:20 pm EST … Kimmel read aloud a social media sl… Read More
2024-03-10 14:36
One of the greatest works of criticism about the Coen brothers comes from Screentakes’s Jennine Lanouette in her review of “Inside Llewyn Davis.”
The 2013 drama is arguably… Read More
2024-03-09 22:24
Robert De Niro once had a simple policy when it came to press interviews.
No, thank you.
GQ penned an entire feature story in 2006 around the star’s reluctance to chat with journalists… Read More
2024-03-09 16:04
The Babylon Bee lives rent-free in the minds of too many journalists.
How else do you describe constant fact checks on a site that churns out satirical news stories a la The Onion?
USA Today… Read More
2024-03-08 22:40
Hollywood has failed free speech over and again in the Age of Woke.
Film festivals are no exception.
The latter are so deeply entrenched in progressive groupthink they rarely open their scre… Read More
2024-03-08 14:11
Frances Xavier Cabrini wouldn’t take no for an answer.
The Italian immigrant known as Mother Cabrini pushed past patriarchal bullies, making history with every selfless act.
She’… Read More
2024-03-08 00:09
Dwayne Johnson proved professional wrestlers could do more than just appear in major motion pictures.
They could graduate to the A-list.
Is it John Cena’s turn?
Sure, the former wrestl… Read More
2024-03-06 22:51
Director Alex Garland’s “Civil War” is still more than a month away, but the online chatter over it has reached a fever pitch.
The film, co-starring Kirsten Dunst and &ldqu&hell…Read More
2024-03-05 21:28
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has it easier than her predecessors.
They often became comic foils for late-night hosts or “Saturday Night Live.”
Sometimes both.
Consider how… Read More
2024-03-05 18:44
Dr. Phil quickly figured out how open-border advocates deal with their critics.
“You’re a racist” for wanting any semblance of immigration control.
This week, Jon Ste… Read More
2024-03-05 00:11
Love often blooms between damaged souls, but in “Love Lies Bleeding” there’s another element in play.
Iron.
The story of a female bodybuilder falling for the daughter of a… Read More
2024-03-04 18:08
Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson are on the promotional circuit for the faith-based drama “Ordinary Angels.”
Stars routinely chat with journalists about their latest projects. It&r&hell…Read More
2024-03-03 15:42
“Saturday Night Live” avoids President Joe Biden at all costs.
That’s hard to do when a show lives and dies by political gags. Still, “SNL” modern-day writers k… Read More
2024-03-03 01:21
The 2016 “Ghostbusters” reboot cost Sony a reported $70 million, stalling the franchise in the process.
The film brought it $128 million stateside and $100 million more overseas… Read More
2024-03-02 15:47
Give the duo in charge of Seattle’s Capitol Hill Comedy Bar credit.
Jes Anderson and Dane Hesseldahl appeared on “Comedy Cellar: Live from the Table” this week to defend th… Read More
2024-03-01 18:01
Joe Rogan withstood every Cancel Culture attack possible over the last few years.
He’s alt-Right!
He’s spreading misinformation!
He platforms hate mongers!
And, of course, He&rsq&hell…Read More
2024-02-29 19:54
You won’t find late-night comics mocking President Joe Biden’s obvious mental decline.
Nor will “Saturday Night Live” get too close to that radioactive reality. You h… Read More
2024-02-29 15:28
President Joe Biden’s handlers fear he can’t handle softball interviews on Super Bowl Sunday.
The 81-year-old dodged the easy Q&A two years in a row. He also refuses to submi… Read More
2024-02-28 20:28
A good friend and mentor taught me to ask two questions before I begin writing a project: ‘Why this story?’ and ‘Why now?’
They’re good questions, especially fo… Read More
2024-02-28 16:29
Director/co-writer Denis Villeneuve has done it again. Literally.
Audiences who loved his 2021 take on Frank Herbert’s “Dune” will be doubly pleased with the sequel. If thi… Read More
2024-02-27 20:39
Journalists treat late-night television like their personal megaphone.
Reporters, who violently lean to the Left, can’t say everything they’d like to say in print and on the web… Read More
2024-02-27 18:50
Christian Nationalists are the new White Supremacists.
The former is how the press and the Left, but we repeat ourselves, target right-leaning voters supporting President Donald Trump.
The R… Read More
2024-02-26 19:33
Cancel Culture’s stranglehold on comedy is slipping.
The woke mob tried to silence Dave Chappelle, Roseanne Barr and Shane Gillis in recent years. And, in every case, they failed.
Chap… Read More
2024-02-26 17:22
The two biggest feminist films of 2023, “Barbie” and “Poor Things,” are poised to be heavy hitters at this year’s Oscars.
And yet — even though both films… Read More
2024-02-26 02:39
Liberal film critics judge progressive movies through a sympathetic lens.
That’s not just a conservative film critic saying that. Richard Roeper said his peers reviewed 2016’s &l&hell…Read More
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