What to Watch This Weekend: Jakob's Wife, The Year Earth Changed, Ren & Stimpy, In The Earth, Songbird, Willy's Wonderland, Synchronic, Honest Thief

For The Return Of A Horror Icon: Jakob's Wife (Theaters and Digital)
Jakob's Wife has an old school feel, strong characters, a great balance of dark comedy and horror, and a well-paced story that has plenty to sink your teeth into.  For more information, check out the review!

For The Planet Earth Fans: The Year Earth Changed (Apple TV+)

The Year Earth Changed chronicles this strange year and the profound effect that it has had on the planet, with amazing and eerie images of this dramatic natural transformation.  For more information, check out the review!

For The 90s Kids: Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story (Vudu Free With Ads)

Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story is an insightful documentary about a show that changed all of animation, its rise and fall, and the genius and dark flaws of its creator through the unfiltered insights of those who worked on it.  For more information, check out our review!

For An Environmental Horror Fan: In The Earth (Theaters)

In The Earth is a visual and auditory trip, with an unpredictable characters, great effects, and an unsettling story that merges folk tales, science fiction, and horror.  For more information, check out the review!

For A Surprisingly Good Pandemic Drama: Songbird (Hulu)

Songbird's interesting take on a post-apocalyptic world and its stellar cast deliver a thrilling and sadly timely quarantine adventure.   For more information, check out the review!

Because You Know You Love Nic Cage: Willy's Wonderland (Redbox)

It has Nick Cage beating up animatronics.  I mean, what else do you want?  Think Five Nights At Freddy's except with more Nic Cage!

For A Genre and Time Bending Sci Fi Film: Synchronic (Netflix)

Synchronic takes you on a mind-bending time travel trip with a dark, gritty style, fantastic performances by Mackie and Dornan, and a powerful score.  For more information, check out the review!

For Those Hoping For A Fresh Start: The Honest Thief (Redbox)
The Honest Thief is classic Liam Neeson, with an interesting premise and plenty of tense, cat and mouse scenes.  For more information, check out the review!

Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story Directors Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood Interview

Watch or Pass Interview with Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood, the directors of the all new Ren & Stimpy documentary, Happy Happy Joy Joy. We discuss the how they were able to get the stories and footage, all the unforeseen difficulties that manifested during the production, and the show itself. We also find out their favorite episodes and characters! So give it a watch and if you haven't already seen the film, it is available to rent or buy on all major digital platforms from Gravitas Ventures (review here). Directed by Ron Cicero, Kimo Easterwood Starring Jim Ballantine, Ed Bell, Robyn Byrd, John Kricfalusi, Lynne Naylor Happy Happy Joy Joy is a documentary that explores the rise and fall of The Ren & Stimpy Show and its controversial creator, John Kricfalusi. Ren & Stimpy was a revelation for many kids who wanted to see something different from animation. It was vulger, out there, and something that just resonated with a lot of people. In the early 90s, the Ren & Stimpy show went on to be a commercial and cultural success before flaring out. However, the genius that created this show was flawed in many ways and this documentary explores that and more. It is fitting that this documentary comes out at the same time that Comedy Central announced a reboot of the show. Although it is doubtful that the reboot will capture the same magic, hopefully it will avoid some of the pitfalls that befell the original series. Please subscribe to be updated on the latest videos: https://bit.ly/3ajxSle 

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What to Watch This Weekend: August 14, 2020

Exciting Historical Drama - Samurai Marathon (Physical and Digital)

Samurai Marathon starts off at a sprint, but for those that can keep up you will find a stylized period piece with amazing sets and costumes along with brutal swordplay.  For more information, check out our review!

Irreverent Social Media Satire - Spree (Digital)

Spree is a wild ride with a fantastic cast, great style, and biting commentary in this brilliant social media satire.  For more information, check out our review!

Documentary About A Revolutionary Show - Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story (Digital)

Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story is an insightful documentary about a show that changed all of animation, its rise and fall, and the genius and dark flaws of its creator through the unfiltered insights of those who worked on it.  For more information, check out our review!

Documentary About A Revolutionary Designer - Martin Margiela: In His Own Words (Virtual Cinema)

Martin Margiela: In His Own Words highlights this revolutionary designers clothes and impact in a way that can appeal to the fashion conscious and oblivious alike.  For more information, check out our review!

Documentary About Some Future Political Stars - Boys State (Apple TV+)

Boys State is a political microcosm, showing that the best and worst of politics exist even at the smallest level; but it also offers a glimmer of hope that the kids might in fact be ready for this challenge.  For more information, check out our review!

Romantic Drama With Amazing Music - The High Note (Redbox and Digital)

The High Note is a phenomenal feel good musical drama with fantastic characters, a story with plenty of surprises, and a soulful, wonderful soundtrack that will stay in your head long after the credits roll.  For more information, check out our review!

Anti-Hollywood Indie Rom Com - All About Who You Know (Amazon Prime)

All About Who You Know offers a fresh perspective, with complicated characters and enjoyable writing in this unconventional anti Hollywood rom-com.  For more information, check out our review!

Entertaining Retro Bloodbath - We Summon The Darkness (Netflix)

This is one I am excited about, due to the reviews that call it a fun period piece and an entertaining retro bloodbath.  The rottontomatoes numbers are staggeringly different, it's fresh but has a low audience approval, so be warned that this one might be hit or miss.

Retro Inspired Technocolor Horror Craziness - Color Out of Space (Shudder)
A mix of B-movie pulp, Lovecraftian horror, and Nicholas Cage.  Need I say more? 

Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story Review: A Revolutionary Cartoon That Created A Lot of Joy and a Lot of Pain

Release date: August 14, 2020
Running time: 104 minutes

Happy Happy Joy Joy is a documentary that explores the rise and fall of The Ren & Stimpy Show and its controversial creator, John Kricfalusi.  Ren & Stimpy was a revelation for many kids who wanted to see something different from animation.  It was vulger, out there, and something that just resonated with a lot of people.  In the early 90s, the Ren & Stimpy show went on to be a commercial and cultural success before flaring out.  However, the genius that created this show was flawed in many ways and this documentary explores that and more.  It is fitting that this documentary comes out at the same time that Comedy Central announced a reboot of the show.  Although it is doubtful that the reboot will capture the same magic, hopefully it will avoid some of the pitfalls that befell the original series.  

The first thing that strikes you about this documentary is the fantastic style of it.  It captures a lot of the classic, Americana feel of Ren & Stimpy in its presentation.  For example, a lot of the show scenes are played on an old style television that would look perfect in the show.  Drawings, clips, and animation stills are used throughout the documentary to convey the story behind Ren & Stimpy, and to remind viewers exactly why it was so groundbreaking.  One thing that struck me watching this documentary is that the show clips still feel edgy even now, which makes how revolutionary it was back in the 90s pretty hard to understate.  It had such a unique style, both in its animation and its storytelling, that it couldn't help but affect you.  The documentary is essentially set up in two acts, with one chronicling the rise and the next chronicling the fall.  The first part is an amazing story about some very talented and rebellious artists.  It gives a good look at what caused this show to come to life and the personalities that were responsible for it.  And it goes in depth on the animation style, some of the most influential episodes, and why Ren & Stimpy was so revolutionary for the time.  And this is all bolstered by interviews with the people who made the show and caused it to come alive, as well as famous comedians and performers who remembered and were inspired by the show.  It really is a nostalgic kick for someone who loved this series.  But even in this build up, there are hints of what caused the eventual decline.  

And then the documentary moves to the fall, and chronicles the collapse of the show and the creator, John K.  This is also an interesting endeavor, and one I knew nothing about.  I loved this show growing up but didn't follow the behind the scenes and the reasons for Ren & Stimpy's relatively short life.  I also didn't follow the creator after the fact.  It was fascinating to see the kind of culture that bred such genius but also led to a hostile work environment.  And when the documentary really explored some of the dark flaws of John K, my mind was blown.  I was actually shocked that John K agreed to be interviewed for this, especially with some of the things that came out in the time after the show, but I guess that is one part courage and another part pure narcissism.  The whole documentary is created with such love, such care that you can't help but enjoy it even if the subject is hard to watch at times.  And you can tell the filmmakers and all involved in Happy Happy Joy Joy did love this show, as did we all, and felt the need to tell its whole story in all its unfiltered glory.

Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story is an insightful documentary about a show that changed all of animation, its rise and fall, and the genius and dark flaws of its creator through the unfiltered insights of those who worked on it. 

Watch it.

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