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Shane Gillis Live in Austin Review: New Standup Special Is Dark, Funny and Free on YouTube

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Shane Gillis Live in Austin Review: New Standup Special Is Dark, Funny and Free on YouTube

Many may know the name Shane Gillis from 2019’s Saturday Night Live controversy, when it was announced the stand-up comedian would be joining the cast for an upcoming season, only to be dropped days later following a viral article that exposed questionable old podcast bits from Gillis in which he used insensitive language towards Asian-Americans while doing a character.

Shane Gillis became a quick and big name in relation to the “Cancel Culture” discussion that wages online to this day. Though he didn’t join the SNL cast as initially announced, Gillis gained fans through the online chatter, as people sought out his stand-up and took a liking to his work. Just recently, Gillis went the route of many rising names in stand-up these days and released his first almost hour-length standup special “Live In Austin,” for free on his YouTube channel.

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Any take on the 2019 controversy aside, Shane Gillis Live in Austin is straightforward, honest, and funny standup from an observant cynic and natural comic with fantastic conversational delivery and an old-school dude likeability.

Shane’s playing a dumbed down version of himself, from rural Central Pennsylvania where the people are dry, miserable, honest, stuck in the past, largely close-minded, and not without their textbook trashy family issues. He’s viewing the world as a guy from there – and long separated – who’s trying to do better; a well-meaning dude in the trendy politically-obsessed now who can’t help but make fun of everything he would have believed to be ridiculous back in ’90s Pennsylvania – or even now if you’re aware of reality and blunt enough to point out the outrageousness, which Gillis is in schoolyard cut-up fashion.


I’m right there with Shane, in being a millennial from rural PA who moved onto city life and hobbies/careers that involve dissecting every societal trend and aspect of emerging culture, while still partly seeing it through the purer, more fun lens of who we were in a different time and place. It’s dark and maddening, but what’s dark and maddening is also hysterical – If you allow yourself to discuss it honestly, of course, and find the humor. Shane does, casually and with an unmovable smirk, ripping apart his dad’s entry level right-wing politics and Fox news obsession, his progressive friends, and even his recovering addict sister. What should be brutal isn’t, because it’s being shared in a light frame with great jokes interwoven, delivered by a big wisecracking doof who doesn’t proposition himself as anything else.


Shane started standup in Harrisburg before moving to Philly. In 2016 he won Helium Comedy Club’s “Philly’s Phunniest Comedians” competition, and moved to Brooklyn shortly after. That same year he started “Matt & Shane’s Secret Podcast” with fellow comic Matt McCusker, a shoot the breeze sorta comedy podcast, littered with funny and crude riffs, which is going stronger than ever today. After finding a respected place in the NY standup scene, becoming a favorite guest across comedy podcasts, and appearing at numerous big name festivals, Gillis received the opportunity of a lifetime in 2019 when folks at Saturday Night Live reached out. In early September, SNL announced several new cast members for the upcoming season, including Gillis, who was then largely unknown to the public. Within hours he would become a trending name in pop culture, following a piece from a “comedy journalist” in which the writer exposes an old podcast bit from “Matt & Shane’s Secret Podcast,” where Gillis is impersonating a hick racist and using hateful language and racist slurs.

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A Twitter rant and thought piece storm sounded, with every media outlet putting out something on the cast announcement-turned Shane’s past podcast bit controversy. According to Shane, Lorne Michaels gave him the opportunity to apologize sincerely to the public and stay on the show, but Shane instead chose to issue a half-hearted apology via Instagram in which he defends the comic process of trying stuff out to find a joke. He was ultimately dropped from Saturday Night Live, which would have been, at worst, huge exposure, a nice steady paycheck, and his name attached to one of the world’s greatest ever comedic institutions.

Comics and new fans rallied for Shane, though, and while he might not be appearing on NBC weekly, his podcast fanbase has grown immensely, his stand-up dates are steady, and hey – He just put out this damn good hour special for free on YouTube, which kept my partner and I engaged and laughing for the 48-minute duration.


I can hardly watch a stand-up clip longer than 6 minutes these days, but Shane hits heavy subject after heavy subject with a fun nonchalance and the sole intention to joke, so I was kept in enjoyment. “Live In Austin” opens right up with a crowd laughing as Shane jokes: “I was thinking about the day Congress had to come up with the age of consent. Like with the powdered wigs and stuff. That had to be a rough day for the fellas.” He follows with a couple yucks and then mumbles, “Just talkin’ sh*t.”

Shane would have us believe he’s “just talkin’ sh*t,” which is why we feel invited to laugh as he clowns on his sister’s heroin intervention, jokes at length about his dad’s alcoholism and uninformed politics, and rants openly about the Special Olympics, where Gillis volunteered as a basketball coach.

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There’s no little, meaningless subject being tackled. In fact, most of the material appears grave on the surface – Disheartening family problems and taboo cultural points. But Gillis carves out the space to talk lightly on these matters by speaking only through his own experience, and never allowing himself to be serious or proud. He’s not taking a stance, he’s a clever idiot remarking “hey this is actually pretty funny,” then finding the funny.

In today’s strange comedy landscape, a guy plainly joking about dark subjects from his own experience seems “old school,” but that label carries with it the implication of other labels – dumb blanket words based on rash assumptions like toxic, straight white guy, racist, etc. Gillis is undeniably a straight white fella. He’s also a pure comic. He riffs on sore situations within the family others shy from speaking on. He speaks candidly and without shame about personal matters with his father. He takes jabs at every end of political extremity. He even tackles racism in a hilarious and agreeable way, saying:

“Racism isn’t a yes or no thing. It’s like being hungry. Like yeah you’re not racist…right now.”

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Gillis is appearingly honest with himself and others about who he is, and evidently up front with audiences about the faults of others’ and society as a whole. He stands, speaks, and leads the crowd through his set with an ultra confidence, and he’s funny enough to make that work.

Shane has enough awareness to joke about his jokes, also. He declares that Fox News dads are “just trying to get a fact,” and riffs at great length about his father watching hours of news without being able to pick up a Republican talking point. When the bit continues without an end to sense, Gillis notes, “Alright I’ll move onto somethin’ else.”

Interestingly enough, he steers clear of SNL discussion and avoids railing against “Cancel Culture,” which surely would have been easy to do. Gillis became one of the bigger faces of the movement following his “cancellation” from Saturday Night Live. A rant against the thought police, or powers that be, or whatever force people believe to be against free speech was almost expected from Shane. It’s refreshing he opts out and instead just spins banter on family, politics, and the taboo. There’s enough internet personalities and wannabe comedians railing against cancel culture. Gillis is a skilled comic who doesn’t need to pander on hot button issues. He’s on stage to clown, make light, and serve up super funny shit about things we shouldn’t be laughing at.

In “Shane Gillis Live In Austin,” that’s what he’s there for and that’s what he’s doing. If stand-up is your bag, especially plain old dark funny stuff, check out Shane’s special here.

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Bullet Train Review: A Wickedly Funny, High-Octane Thrill Ride

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Bullet Train Review: A Wickedly Funny, High-Octane Thrill Ride

Brad Pitt leads a wickedly funny ensemble in a high-octane actioner loaded with twists. Adapted from the 2010 Japanese novel by Kōtarō Isaka, Bullet Train has a bevy of disparate assassins manipulated by a mysterious criminal mastermind. Stuntman turned action director, David Leitch (John Wick, Atomic Blonde), stays true to form with unrelenting bloody and flamboyant violence. The codenamed characters get downright verbose before beating, stabbing, and shooting each other to bits. The loquacious banter tends to run long, but the narrative always bounces back with sharp reveals. Strap in for a helluva ride.

Ladybug (Pitt) boards the overnight bullet train to Tokyo with a newfound sense of self. He’s chock-full of philosophy after recovering from a near fatal ambush. Ladybug ignores his unseen handler’s advice to take a gun. Surely any issues can be resolved peacefully. The job seems straightforward enough. Steal a briefcase with a sticker and exit at the next stop.

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Also on board are Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) and Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), ruthless “twins” known for their brutal methods. Lemon is obsessed with the British children’s show “Thomas & Friends”. He reads people by comparing them to the anthropomorphized trains. The twins are escorting the previously kidnapped son (Logan Lerman) of a powerful gangster, the White Death (Michael Shannon).

None of the hired guns are aware of the Father, aka Yuichi Kimura’s (Andrew Koji), mission. He’s out for vengeance but foolishly runs into a deceptive figure. The Prince (Joey King) has a score to settle with the White Death. Meanwhile, the Wolf (Bad Bunny) joins the fray after his truly horrific Mexican wedding. He’s also ready for serious comeuppance. Ladybug quickly realizes they’re all unwitting pawns in a dangerous game. Someone has packed the train with killers for an unknown purpose. He desperately wants to get off but can’t seem to escape the carnage.


Related: I Love My Dad Review: Patton Oswalt’s Delightfully Cringeworthy Catfishing Comedy

Cast of Bullet Train

Bullet Train introduces the cast with splashy entrances that flashes back to their dark pasts. The murderous montages are informative but don’t fill in every gap. The script doles out more critical information as the bodies pile up. Alliances bounce back and forth as everyone wonders who’s actually pulling the strings. The whodunit element works well as the audience becomes embroiled in a series of betrayals. You don’t have a sense of the plot’s true trajectory until the third act. The film builds to a showdown that delivers a huge action payoff.

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Bullet Train has complex characters that each contribute slices of devilish humor. Brad Pitt preaching self-help and understanding is an effective gag throughout. Brian Tyree Henry’s constant comparisons to Thomas & Friends aren’t as comical but play an important role in the story. There are a lot of moving parts. Leitch, who worked as Pitt’s stunt double for years, is clearly fond of his players. He gives everyone a chance to babble incessantly. I would have trimmed the dialogue to be more incisive.


The action scenes are worth the price of admission. Leitch has a great eye for mixing stylized set pieces with intimate fights. He knows when to go big and small. You never feel let down by his pacing. There’s always the right amount of adrenaline to keep your pulse pumping. Bullet Train is another feather in a skilled filmmaker’s cap. Watch out for A-list cameos and a mid-credits scene.

Bullet Train is a production of Columbia Pictures, Fuqua Films, and 87North Productions. It will be released theatrically on August 5th from Sony Pictures.

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Bullet Train Review: Brad Pitt Has A Blast In The Silly And Badass Action Comedy

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Bullet Train Review: Brad Pitt Has A Blast In The Silly And Badass Action Comedy

If orchestrated properly, with adjusted stakes, tone, and atmosphere, there can be a beautiful, symbiotic relationship between intense action and comedy. A hero pulling off a rapid and vicious series of blows against an opponent can be savage and dramatic in one context, but it can also be so deliriously awesome that an audience’s first reaction is to laugh. Fast paced martial arts can be used for wonderful physical humor (see: the legendary career of Jackie Chan), and the best examples provide dual layers of entertainment: you marvel at the skill in all the ass-kicking, and cackle at the creativity in the choreography.

This is a sweet spot that filmmaker David Leitch knows well. After peppering funny moments in John Wick and Atomic Blonde at the start of his directorial career, he brilliantly utilized the action/comedy weapon that is Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool 2, and crafted some excellent physicality with the unique styles of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. His latest, Bullet Train, is another effort that takes aim at that particular tonal target, this time with his most expansive ensemble yet, and it’s another success. With a sensibility that could be described as early Guy Ritchie with more specific action focus, it’s a movie that is both silly and skilled and inspires its primary star in particular to do energetic and engaging work.

Based on the novel Maria Beetle by Kōtarō Isaka, the film weaves multiple narrative threads through the cars of the titular bullet train as it speeds through the country of Japan – all of the protagonists being killers with their own particular reason and motivation for being aboard. Ladybug (Brad Pitt), for example, is a hired gun who has been tasked by his handler (Sandra Bullock) to perform what sounds like a simple job: find a briefcase marked with a train sticker and steal it. What he doesn’t know, though, is that said briefcase belongs to a pair of British hit men named Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) and Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), and that the contents include the recovered ransom for the kidnapped son (Logan Lerman) of a powerful crime lord known as The White Death.

Meanwhile, Kimura a.k.a. The Father (Andrew Koji) is on the bullet train because he is on a mission of vengeance – hunting down the person responsible for nearly killing his son by pushing the boy off of a building. What he doesn’t expect is that the individual he is looking for is a young woman identified as The Prince (Joey King), and that she has purposefully gotten him on the high speed rail with the intention of forcing him to execute an assassination attempt.

And while five killers sharing the space would be enough for most movies, Bullet Train actually has even more that pop in and surprise throughout the film’s runtime – and their roles are worth keeping as a secret pre-release.

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Bullet Train has a chaotic storyline, but the pieces properly connect as a fun puzzle.

Narratively speaking, Bullet Train is a messy movie to put together, as focus briskly ping-pongs between the different players, but everything stays in harmony as the film persistently finds ways to build on each protagonist’s arc. This is particularly cool later in the movie as different characters are drawn together from individual angles and instant conflict is generated from their simple interaction.

The film is at its best when it keeps things simple, but it does let things go off the rails at times (if you’ll pardon the pun). This is especially true as it gets into the third act and it tries to pull off stunts like one of the leads leaping from a platform on to the back of the train as it leaves a station; it’s both a problem for the “rules” of the universe and in its strained use of visual effects. The movie also frequently tries to get a bit too cute and Tarantino-esque with what are admittedly familiar-but-not-quite-stock characters – the most prominent example being an ongoing and quickly tiresome gag with Lemon explaining that he understands people through the lens of Thomas The Tank Engine.

Primarily, though, it’s a movie that is able to generate its entertainment with engaging and quippy dynamics between the members of the ensemble, both when they are talking out their issues and trying to kill one another.

David Leitch puts a lot of exciting and weird fights in a confined space, and is at its best when working with a “less is more” philosophy.

Coming from a stunt background, both as a performer and a coordinator, David Leitch’s bread and butter remains deftly and specifically choreographed action sequences, and Bullet Train proves to be a terrific challenge and opportunity for his skills. Regardless of where you are in the titular transport, space is not a luxury, and the best fights in the movie are those that are being fought only between the characters, but against the limitations provided by the location.

There are guns, knives and explosives in the mix, but Bullet Train also has some terrific “found item” moments that add spice and humor to the various showdowns, whether it’s a pocketed cell phone saving a character’s life from a blade, a laptop making for a solid cudgel, a water bottle making for a useful projectile, or a venomous snake showing up at a perfect moment.

Once again we see David Leitch work a special magic turning dramatic and comedic actors into badasses with slick and stylish moves, and while everyone shows off some terrific skills, it’s very much the Brad Pitt show at the end of the day.

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Brad Pitt’s joy in the role of Ladybug is palpable.

At the nexus of everything good in Bullet Train is Brad Pitt, who very clearly had a blast reuniting with David Leitch (who performed the actor’s stunts in films including Fight Club, The Mexican, Mr. And Mrs. Smith and Troy). He’s a joy to watch in action not just because of the talented craft he demonstrates in his physicality, but how he channels the psychology of the character. As we meet him, Ladybug is reluctantly getting back into his business following a number of important breakthroughs with his therapist, and Pitt does a fantastic job conveying that he doesn’t ever want to choose violence as a first answer – both via verbal pleas and defense-heavy moves. Action/comedy is a genre he should revisit a lot more often.

Bullet Train doesn’t aim to revolutionize hitman movies, but instead plays with a tongue-in-cheek vibe that lets you recognize the tropes and appreciate how the film plays with them. It’s a slick/goofy action movie that is both contained and wild, and a satisfying late summer release.

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Luck Review: A Spectacular Debut Film from Skydance Animation

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Luck Review: A Spectacular Debut Film from Skydance Animation

The world’s unluckiest woman enters a magical land to change the fortunes of a fellow orphan. Luck will make you smile and possibly shed a few tears. The big-budget, CGI animated fantasy shines a spotlight on needy children while telling a truly original story. An assortment of lucky critters and creatures dazzle in a spectacular setting. The highly imaginative narrative gives age-old superstitions a dynamic new spin. Luck is a brilliant first film from Skydance Animation.

Sam Greenfield (Eva Noblezada) reaches her eighteenth birthday with trepidation. She’s finally aged out of the foster care system. Sam never found her “forever family”. She spent her entire life living in orphanages. It doesn’t help that Sam has the worst luck. Everything she does or touches ends in abject disaster. Her only thoughts are for young Hazel (Adelynn Spoon), Sam’s roommate at the girls home. Sam has been set up with a job and tiny apartment. She has to stay in school and employed to remain housed.

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Sam’s first day at Marv’s (Lil Rel Howery) floral shop goes exactly as expected. She sadly eats dinner sitting on a sidewalk. Sam learns that Hazel’s weekend trip with a foster family was canceled. She gives half of her sandwich to a curious black cat. It scampers away but leaves a strange penny behind.

The following day is a revelation. Sam’s lucky penny changes everything. Her ecstatic mood sours when she loses the penny in spectacular fashion. Stewing on the sidewalk, Sam’s surprised when the black cat returns. She’s astonished when Bob (Simon Pegg) asks for his penny. The “travel penny” is the only way a creature from the Land of the Luck stays safe in the human world. She follows an unnerved Bob back through the portal to the Land of Luck. Sam has to find another lucky penny to help Hazel. Bob reluctantly agrees, but they have to be careful. Misdeeds end up in banishment to Bad Luck.

Related: Bullet Train Review: A Wickedly Funny, High-Octaine Thrill Ride

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The Land of Luck

The Land of Luck is an absolute joy to behold. Leprechauns, cats, pigs, and rabbits, lucky creatures, are the bureaucrats tasked with spreading good fortune. Bringing Sam in such a place is a recipe for absolute chaos. Bob, and his leprechaun assistant Gerry’s (Colin O’Donoghue), efforts to contain Sam’s bad luck will have audiences in stitches. I’m still chuckling at Sam’s “Latvian leprechaun” disguise; their harebrained excuse for why she’s so much bigger than everyone else.

Luck’s serious themes are artfully addressed. Sam’s lonely childhood, and her desperate efforts to change Hazel’s, brings a melancholic touch to the narrative. The film reminds us to not take love and family for granted. Every kid deserves care, nurturing, and a safe place to grow. It shouldn’t take luck or chance for a child to find a “forever home”.

Insert sigh here. Recent headlines concerning John Lasseter (Toy Story, Cars) will undoubtedly cloud this film’s release. The genius storyteller and animator behind Pixar’s success left to head Skydance Animation after awful “Me Too” allegations. He’s brought his incredible talent to Luck, and it shows. This wonderful film deserves to be judged on its own merits. Sometimes we must divorce ourselves from art and the personality of the artist.

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Luck is a production of Skydance Animation and Apple Original Films. It will have an exclusive Apple TV+ premiere on August 5th.

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