Re-Digging in the Soundgarden of My Youth by Doug Strassler

By Doug Strassler I can finally say that I have completed the teenage experience. This is an odd sentence for someone mere days away from his 32nf birthday to say. What could I possibly mean…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 11:13am on July 15, 2011☆⚑

Emmys 2011: Saucily Discussing the Nominees by Mark Blankenship

The Emmy nominations were announced this morning, so Roommate Joe and I gallantly ignored our day-to-day responsibilities in order to discuss them. The highlights of our conversation—w…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 2:45pm on July 14, 2011☆⚑

Flashback!: Margaret Cho's 1994 Comedy Special Still Rules by Mark Blankenship

You guys, the YouTube-iverse has done us a major solid: It has given us Margaret Cho’s 1994 HBO standup special. If you’re like me, then you watched this thing about a hundred ti…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 3:54pm on July 13, 2011☆⚑

Beyonce's Hottest Hit… Is Top Secret by Mark Blankenship

I’ve always appreciated Beyonce, since I have a genetic predisposition for killer beats, sickening choreography, and hooks that will melt your eyeballs with their hot-hot heat. In the …

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 3:06pm on July 12, 2011☆⚑

"True Blood" Sucker Punch: Season 4, Ep. 3 by Mark Blankenship

Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks that gaudiest moments on this week's episode of True Blood. SPOILERS AHEAD — Before we dig  into the inter-species bloodfest o…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 3:53pm on July 11, 2011☆⚑

What Will It Take for Ewan McGregor to Get an Oscar Nomination? by Doug Strassler

  By Doug Strassler Beginners, the new indie dramedy from Mike Mills, is a lot of things. It's an autobiographical look at loss, as the main character, an artist named Oliver (Ewan McGreg…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 11:51am on July 8, 2011☆⚑

What Do You Think Of The Pretty Deaths In Recent Movies and TV? by Mark Blankenship

From The Big C to Funny People to Never Let Me Go to You Don’t Know Jack, we’ve been seeing a lot of high-profile projects that have looked at brutal, inevitable death with a ser…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 12:27am on July 6, 2011☆⚑

Trailer Scaler: "I Don't Know How She Does It" by Mark Blankenship

Judging by the trailer, there are a billion reasons I shouldn’t want to see I Don’t Know How She Does It, the September 16 romcom starring Sarah Jessica Parker as a woman trying …

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 12:06am on July 5, 2011☆⚑

"True Blood" Sucker Punch: Season 4, Ep. 2 by Mark Blankenship

Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks that gaudiest moments on this week’s episode of True Blood. SPOILERS AHEAD — I’d like to begin the discussion of this…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 10:51am on July 4, 2011☆⚑

The Oscar Songs Project: 1990 by Mark Blankenship

And so it ends… for now. Welcome to the final installment of the Oscar Songs Project, where Roommate Joe and I revisit every Oscar-nominated song from 1980-1990. Today's entry, host…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 11:17am on June 30, 2011☆⚑

The Oscar Songs Project: 1989 by Mark Blankenship

Welcome back to the Oscar Songs Project, where Roommate Joe and I revisit every Oscar-nominated song from 1980-1990. Today's entry, hosted right here, is for 1989, when the script was …

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 8:59am on June 28, 2011☆⚑

"True Blood" Sucker Punch: Season 4, Ep. 1 by Mark Blankenship

Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks the gaudiest moments on this week’s episode of True Blood. — This year, I am thrilled to announce that Sucker Punch is bein…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 11:48am on June 27, 2011☆⚑

The Oscar Songs Project: 1988 by Mark Blankenship

Welcome back to the Oscar Songs Project, where Roommate Joe and I revisit every Oscar-nominated song from 1980-1990. Today's entry, hosted on Low Resolution, is for 1988, when we chose to le…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 11:55am on June 24, 2011☆⚑

Critical Lessons I've Recently Learned by Doug Strassler

By Doug Strassler Believe it or not (and sometimes I still don’t), this column reaches a TON of people. And thanks to Facebook, Twitter and word of mouth, probably way more readers tha…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 11:00am on June 24, 2011☆⚑

The Oscar Songs Project: 1987 by Mark Blankenship

Welcome back to the Oscar Songs Project, where Roommate Joe and I revisit every Oscar-nominated song from 1980-1990. Today's entry, hosted on The Critical Condition, is for 1987, when manneq…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 10:58am on June 23, 2011☆⚑

Food For Thought by Doug Strassler

By DOUG STRASSLER I have a problem. See, as an equal opportunity entertainment guy, I catch a lot. I watch a lot of movies, I listen to a lot of music, I see as many shows and concerts as th…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 10:45am on July 30, 2010☆⚑

Re-Learning to Like Gwyneth Paltrow by Mark Blankenship

Until yesterday, I hadn’t heard of Country Strong, a film that’s being released on December 22. It’s written and directed by Shana Feste, produced by Tobey Maguire (!), and…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 4:47pm on July 28, 2010☆⚑

"True Blood" Sucker Punch: Season 3, Ep. 6 by Mark Blankenship

Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks the gaudiest moments on this week's episode of True Blood. (Warning: Spoilers Ahead) — What a difference a year makes, you guy…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 5:03pm on July 27, 2010☆⚑

The Ups and Downs of "Wipeout" by Mark Blankenship

Hey everyone! I’m back… and now I live in Manhattan. Whoa! And you know what I’ve discovered? Nothing helps me come down from a hectic day of moving like an hour of Wipeout…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 3:42pm on July 26, 2010☆⚑

"True Blood" Sucker Punch: Season 3, Ep. 5 by Mark Blankenship

Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks the gaudiest moments on this week's episode of True Blood. (Warning: Spoilers Ahead) — This episode, “Trouble,” wa…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 3:33pm on July 21, 2010☆⚑

Movin' on up! by Mark Blankenship

Hey everyone! Other than the True Blood Sucker Punch, which will arrive tomorrow, The Critical Condition is going to be dormant this week… because I am moving to Manhattan. Woo-hoo! Bu…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 10:33am on July 20, 2010☆⚑

In Praise Of: Gary Cole by Doug Strassler

By DOUG STRASSLER In the past, many of the actors I have written about in this column have fallen under the label of "It's That Guy!," performers who may be recognizable but are not necessar…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 7:11am on July 16, 2010☆⚑

Get the point? Good. Let's dance. by Mark Blankenship

Whoo, lord! I’ve written two lengthy essays for The Critical Condition this week, not to mention a lengthy freelance article and a story for TDF STAGES (the online theatre magazine tha…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 8:46am on July 14, 2010☆⚑

"True Blood" Sucker Punch: Season 3, Ep. 4 by Mark Blankenship

Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks the gaudiest moments on this week’s episode of True Blood. (Warning: Spoilers Ahead) — Ring ring, hooker. Ring, ring. It…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 1:31am on July 13, 2010☆⚑

How Three Recent Films Woke Me Up by Mark Blankenship

That’s the thing about stupors: You don’t realize you’re in one until you’ve been shaken awake. In the last few weeks, three films have grabbed me by the shoulders an…

SOURCE: The Critical Condition at 12:02am on July 12, 2010☆⚑