The place where you find out whether you should check out a movie, or if it's not even worth the free movie ticket you're trying to use the day before it expires. Also some retro reviews every now and then. If you want to request a review, simply drop a line.
Yes. I'm well aware how long it's been since i've written a review. I'm just gonna quote Don Cheadle's thinly veiled reference to replacing Terrence Howard as Rhodey in Iron Man 2. "It's me. I'm here. Deal with it. Let's move on." I do apologize, I've been very busy between school and Flick Check and life in between.
For my consistent readers and viewers, you'll remember that I greatly enjoyed Catching Fire. Despite that, I've never had any discernible amount of enthusiasm for The Hunger Games franchise. It's well made, it's just not my personal preference. That being said, I sat down to Mockingjay with high expectations, but not expecting a new favorite movie. Rest easy, Raiders of the Lost Ark is safe. Because, pun not intended, Mockingjay never really gets off the ground.
Taking place after the explosive conclusion to Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen is in the elusive District 13 amongst a faction that is rebelling against the Capital. The heads of the movement want her to become the symbol of their cause, but Katniss is only concerned for the life of Peeta Mallark who is in the hands of the Capital as their own propaganda tool.
Politically, this film takes on ambitions that it only partially tries to justify. There is certainly something interesting about taking a camera crew into the battlefield in order to rally the troops and it gives Jennifer Lawrence one of few opportunities in this movie to showcase the raw emotion that won her an Oscar two years ago. But it's quite frankly not an idea that hasn't been seen before. And not even one unique this year considering the backstory of Tom Cruise's character in Edge of Tomorrow (don't you dare tell me it's called Live. Die. Repeat.) THAT was much more interesting.
This is something you will hear a lot, but that's just because it's the truth. There is no reason other than extending Lionsgate's profit margins that this film should have been made into two separate parts. The momentum in this film builds up to a climax that isn't coming for another 12 months, and there is a very bland and poor substitute to put one in this film. For a film that surrounds a full scale rebellion, there are very few stakes. One doesn't really feel the tension, and it's what leaves you with a sense of boredom.
Acting wise, I can't really complain. Jennifer Lawrence is given very little to actually work with in this film, but she does what she can with the material.
I do feel the need to criticize Katniss' logic. If you accept the weak premise that the characters are in a full on civil war, I fail to see why Katniss puts the concern for Peeta so high on her list considering the facts that she is needed to free an entire nation, not to mention the fact that she already has a boyfriend who doesn't have any visible character flaws. I understand that she does care for him, but there is so much more at stake than just a solitary hostage. Sure, she has conflicted feelings, but in war, there is always sacrifice. I strongly resisted the urge to stand up in the theater and shout that infamous Spock line: "THE NEEDS OF THE MANY OUTWEIGH THE NEEDS OF THE FEW OR THE ONE." I can only hope that this is rectified in the finale.
I am quite happy that they finally found something to do with Liam Hemsworth. Frankly, he felt very tertiary in the previous films.
For one of his final roles, Philip Seymour Hoffman shows us exactly why he so talented with his multi-layered performance and shows the true intentions that he had hidden the first time around.
Side note: This movie completely ripped off a scene from the original Alien. "Thought we wouldn't notice. But we did." And Sigourney Weaver made it seem much cooler 35 years ago.
Mockingjay has great performances, but it doesn't really provide any outlets for them. I'm sure that the next film will be better, but there is no way to characterize this film other than a filler episode.
I don't think I've ever seen a movie with as much pre-release judgement towards it as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Mainly due to the involvement of producer Michael Bay and his controversial preproduction plans. I can't say I've ever been more than a casual viewer of the Turtles franchise, so I never really had any sort of outrage. I'd seen the earlier films, I watched the cartoons as a kid, so I had a fleeting knowledge of the source material. But I really had no idea what to expect going in.
As part of an experiment, four box turtles and a rat have mutated into human sized ninjas. They hide under the streets of New York secretly fighting the villainous foot clan, until reporter April O'Neill spots them and wants to expose them to the world.
There is a lot wrong with this movie, but I find it best to start with what they got right. As opposed to the Transformers series, the main creatures have distinct personalities and are actually enjoyable to watch. They really nailed it here. They're witty, athletic, dynamic. They steal pretty much every scene they are in. It's a lot of fun to see these Turtles come to the surface and liven up an otherwise listless and dull movie. Which brings me to the debit section.
For a Ninja Turtles movie, they take their sweet time building up the reveal of the turtles. And it's really not for any reason. It's not as though we are going to be surprised that the secret vigilantes are turtles. It's in the title. You're not hiding anything.
And there is far too much emphasis on the humans. This takes the sole issue I had with Godzilla and pours salt in the wound to make it worse. We are treated to a dull story about how April O'Neill is somehow connected to the origins of the Turtles and how everyone wants to manipulate that fact. What would have been nice is to have gotten the actual turtles more involved.
Further, we find an extreme lack of depth. This update to the Foot Clan as somewhat of a terrorist organization could have been a lot more interesting if they actually had some kind of intention or motive. Or one that didn't sound so cliche when you actually find it out. This is a surface movie with a hollow shell. (Pun intended). In addition, this movie is highly unoriginal with some of the hammiest dialogue and predictable plot points. The cliches come after another like one of Shredder's blades.
Megan Fox has potential, but she really doesn't have talent. She is flat, wooden and working for a paycheck. If she had a little more dimension to her, I wouldn't have minded the human focus as much. Next time, try Emma Stone. She's talented and a red head. Two things that April O'Neill needs.
The only other saving grace is Will Arnett, who I have always been a fan of. In a movie that really sucks the fun out of the Turtleverse, at least Will adds to what little there is. He's great comic relief that doesn't shove itself down your throat. (And if you pick up on the Arrested Development reference, let me know. I laughed hysterically.)
To sum it up, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is more appropriately labelled recycling than garbage, It's a rehash of a lot we've seen before, which needs 50% more Turtles.
If you're one of my regulars, you'll know that weeks ago I was fortunate to see a preview of footage from this film. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment that Marvel chose to screen. It was funny, yet clever with a bold mix of action and humor. I loved it. So now that I have finally seen the entire film, has my opinion changed?
Guardians of the Galaxy revolves around a gang of misfits who are trying to rid themselves of a mysterious orb whilst running from both the Nova Corps and Ronan the Accuser. The Guardians are Star Lord, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, Drax the Destroyer, and Groot.
Luckily, the blended mix of humor and action extended beyond the 17 minutes that was previously screened for me. It's incredibly witty and quirky with an incredibly adventurous spirit. Much like the world of Star Wars, we are thrust into this environment knowing practically nothing about how their systems work and we are led in with very little exposition. We become immersed and respected because we are beginning a journey that doesn't spoon feed us with backstory. It's so much fun to try to pick everything up along the way.
James Gunn's style creates such a unique experience for a Marvel movie. It is almost Quentin Tarantino like in the manner of conversational revelations and dialogue driven scenes. It leads us to greater discoveries and understandings of the characters and their worlds. Tonally, it feels like the best parts of Star Wars, Star Trek, and Indiana Jones mixed together with surreal humor that never feels drastically out of place.
Acting wise, we have a large ensemble that gets their fair share of time, but there are a lot of gems that stand out especially.
This is the first time someone has been cast as a main superhero and I already was familiar with their work. I greatly admire the work of Chris Pratt. I've watched him and adored his work in Parks and Recreation, Moneyball, The Lego Movie, and he was the sole saving grace of the movie Delivery Man. In this movie, he is at his best. He has the charisma of Captain Kirk and the spirit of Han Solo. He holds no barred when he comes barging through on his mission. He is funny when he needs to be but always feels so strong.
I was always skeptical of Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon, but like i've said before, I've come around. He can crack wise, but he's also a full member of the team. The only way the movie could have worked is if they didn't use Rocket as gag, and I personally thank Cooper and Gunn for treating him with the respect the character deserves.
What surprised me the most was the performance of Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer. Given that he has done little to no acting prior to this led me to believe that he was cast simply due to his past as a wrestler and MMA fighter. But he is actually extremely soulful and he gives a strong contribution with his performance. He's very much the straight man, but he's the straight man for which you are empathetic.
All around, this movie is magnificent. I loved every moment, and I especially appreciated the post credits scene. I am happy to say that the grade has not changed.
One of my absolute favorite movies of all time is 1968's Planet of the Apes. I was always fascinated by the allegory that the simian society created, the social commentary on the evolution debate, and the magnificent performance by Charlton Heston. Back when I was a theater major, I used to try emulating Heston's role as the astronaut Taylor. I even used his scene with Landon about glory, fear, and search for truth as an audition piece. Since then, there has been a number of sequels, a remake by Tim Burton (yuck) and now a reboot series. Rise of the Planet of the Apes thoroughly exceeded my expectations, and now we have a sequel.
Set 10 years after the previous movie ended, Caesar and his followers have developed a society in the jungle which lives in harmony. Suddenly, the human survivors of the ALZ-113 virus make contact whilst looking for a new power source. They reach a fragile peace, but forces on both sides threaten to break that peace.
One could point out the similarities between this film and the 5th: Battle for the Planet of the Apes, but one could also remember how painfully awful that movie was. In this film, we see a magnificent display of emotion, action, drama and visual effects to restore faith in moviemaking.
People often ask me why this works and Transformers doesn't. The distinction between these two science fiction action franchises is that Apes has a story with a complex narrative and thoroughly engaged acting. But mainly the difference is when we explore the personality of the apes which is more than one note and stereotypical. The apes are well rounded with fully developed characteristics, whilst the Transformers are nothing more than cars with catchphrases.
The tensions in both societies is chaotic and fragile which creates for a strong story and bold characters which never let go of the tight grasp they have on your interest. The action is undeniably awesome with moving sequences and thrills to dazzle. I mean, there are apes on horses with machine guns. How much cooler can that be?
But the true majesty of the film is Andy Serkis as Caesar. It takes nothing short of pure commitment to believable embody a chimpanzee, but Serkis not only does so, he reels you into his character with his charm and his strength. It's one of the most nuance performances you will ever see, and you never even see the actor himself. I think he has a very real chance at the Oscar. The Academy will have to accept motion capture as performance art sooner or later. I choose to think of it as wearing an advanced costume, and Serkis uses his in the best motion capture work to date.
Even with Serkis, we have an extremely talented and capable cast. I enjoyed Jason Clarke in Zero Dark Thirty, and I was happy to see him cast in this movie. He is adventurous but also passionate in a way that you can justifiably call him a "good man."
Gary Oldman doesn't get too much to do, but for what he is in, he shines in all his scenes. There is one particular scene involving him and an iPad which moves me to tears without so much as a word.
The visual effects are astoundingly real, creating the most realistic apes I have ever seen. If this does not take the Best Visuals Oscar this year, I will have lost much of my faith in the academy which chose to give it to Hugo as opposed to this film's predecessor.
This is the best blockbuster so far this year, possibly the best movie of 2014. (It's neck and neck with Cheap Thrills). You should see this movie. Then see it again. I know I am.
Last night I was lucky enough to be invited to an advanced screening of footage from Guardians of the Galaxy. It was the first time i've gone to a pre-screener, and the whole process was surreal to me. I look forward to doing it again soon, but for now, i'm just enormously grateful for this opportunity.
Guardians of the Galaxy revolves around a band of criminal misfits in outer space who are on the run from the law with a mysterious artifact. They compose of Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, and Groot.
(There won't be any spoilers, that goes against my beliefs). The footage I was presented involved the police line-up that we've seen in most of the trailers in which we are introduced to each of the Guardians, and then we witness their daring escape from prison which involves the Guardians initial interactions. Lastly, we saw the extended trailer that was released online this morning.
The aesthetic that director James Gunn has created is an all around thrill ride. It's funny, daring, and adventurous. It has the same feel as Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark with a cosmic MacGuffin search that really focuses on the relationships between the characters and not being all about the spectacle. You can tell that this band of rebels has absolutely no business being together, but that's half the fun. You can also see how having them work together will be enormously entertaining.
Chris Pratt fully embodies what we see of Star-Lord with a quick-wit, wise-ass charm, and he's a lot of fun. I can see how he's shedding his comedy background, and he could become a full fledged action star.
I was skeptical about the casting of Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon. I wasn't totally against it, but I would have preferred Jason Statham. But having seen what I have of Rocket, Cooper has what it takes to make the character more than just a side gag like the chimpanzee in Speed Racer. This was my primary concern. But I'm glad to see that they are taking Rocket in the right direction.
The visuals, the tone, the music all feels spectacular, and it merges together so perfectly to create something unlike anything we've really seen in a comic book movie before.
I'm very positive about this movie, I absolutely love what I saw. It could be one the best from Marvel. But I still need to see the rest to judge.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me thrice, make $1.2 billion. Now, Michael Bay is back with his ultimate weapon after a three year break and there is no way to really to describe it other than to say it is a puerile piece of absolute garbage with one sole positive factor.
Normally, this is the part of my reviews where I give a brief outline of the plot without giving away any spoilers. But frankly, there is way too much going on for me too sum it up and I couldn't really find any cohesive plot whatsoever. Basically, all I can really say is an inventor played by Mark Wahlberg buys an old rusted out truck which turns out to be Optimus Prime. Then the government gets involved.
It's gonna be difficult for me to take do this seriously, as I already know several jokes I am going to tell when I film my show "Flick Check with Andrew Woltman" (Shameless self promotion). But since this is my written platform, i'm going to trying being a little more objective than that.
I will credit it for giving the robots a little more personality then they had in the previous films. They aren't completely generic and flat as they were. But they're still crude semblances of what giant robots should be. The humor is bland, one-note and juvenile.
I'm sure there is a plot, but there is no strength or way to tie it together. The best way to sum it up is that the movie is like watching a friend play a single player video game. It's someone else playing small missions that seem like they could be fun, but you never really get a chance to because things pop up and disappear so flippantly. It's stretched so enormously thin that it's exhausting. The action is generic and overly bombastic, that even someone like Michael Bay seems to be losing touch of the one thing he loves and does right.
And it's way too long, and it has absolutely no reason to be.
The acting in this movie is enormously sub par and flat. Once again Michael Bay has decided to cast a respected actor in a comedy relief role that undermines him and makes me lose confidence. Alas Stanley Tucci, I knew thee well. The actors and actresses have such hollow and wooden delivery.
Now this brings us to two points.
1) Mark Wahlberg. A superb actor. Enjoyable to watch here. Horribly miscast. He doesn't really fit the premise of a scientific inventor. He is just not really what springs to mind when you think of a struggling scientist.
2) The only person actually performing well, and the ONLY good aspect of the film. Kelsey Grammer as the antagonistic Harold Attinger. We've seen Kelsey do comedy for 20 years as Dr. Frasier Crane, but he has a deep ferocity that reared its head as Tom Kane on Showtime's Boss. He is dark, determined, and cunning. It's easily the closest thing to acting in this movie, and Kelsey gets to leave with dignity.
To close, this was an absolutely awful movie, and easily the worst of 2014 to date. The SOLE redemption is the performance of Kelsey Grammar.
If you know me, there are two things that I am very passionate about: Movies and Late Night Talk Shows. Nick Mundy is a part of both. You may know him from his popular sketch comedy Team Tiger Awesome, you may recognize him from his recurring hilarious guest appearances on The Screen Junkies Show hosted by our friend Hal Rudnick. If you watch a lot of online skits on Funny or Die or College Humor, you'll see him in a good handful. If you follow the Twitter of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, you'll know how much of a fan Nick is, and how much The Rock likes Nick. Even more of his presence can be seen on the TBS show Conan where he appears recurring pieces in taped skits, and one very recent live performance as "Troy Fieri." Wherever you know him from, Nick is a rising internet and Television star, with strong movie opinions and a hilarious camera presence.
I was fortunate enough to talk to Nick for a phone interview, and you'll be glad to know that he is as much fun to talk to as he seems on camera. A good portion of our conversation involved discussing movies and shooting the breeze. Here now is my exclusive interview with Nick Mundy.
Andrew: Where are you from originally?
Nick: I grew up in just north of Houston, Texas. The suburbs of Houston.
Andrew: What did your parents do for a living? I saw your dad on Screen Junkies the other day.
Nick: He's an attorney and my mother is now a professional grandma. But before, she worked various jobs in the medical industry.
Andrew: Have they always been supportive, have they been there for you?
Nick: Oh yeah, big time. I mean I wouldn't be where I was without my folks. They supported me and my little brother for everything. If I wanted to be in the circus they would have called me a fucking idiot, but they would have supported me. You know the feeling, I got lucky in that department.
Andrew: I do know the feeling.
Nick: Exactly.
Andrew: Where did you go to school?
Nick: I went to a small school called University of St. Thomas in downtown Houston where I mostly played Rugby and that's about it. And the school didn't really have a film department at the time I did it. So me and one of my partners in Team Tiger Awesome who lived down the block from me, in the summers we would work on these big projects and we've been doing it now for 12-13 years together.
Andrew: Let's talk about Team Tiger Awesome. You said you started out with your buddy Clint [Gage], correct?
Nick: Yeah, me, Clint and Michael Truly started it in February 2006. Since then we did about 150 sketches and worked with Comedy Central, Funny or Die, College Humor, a bunch of internet companies that don't exist anymore, AXE Body Wash we did a thing for them, a bunch of branded stuff. We did a lot. And then about 2 years ago, we were hired to do our first rewrite for a feature. And since then we've done a few more, we've kinda stopped doing sketches and we focus on writing and also our individual pursuits came into the forefront and that worked itself out nicely. We're still Team Tiger Awesome, we still write together but Truly hosts a lot of stuff, and acts and produces a bunch of projects. Clint directs a bunch of projects. I act a lot. We're actually shooting our first project in a while for this pilot for Comedy Central Studios with Chris Jericho. So we're really excited about that.
Andrew: How exactly did you get in contact with Comedy Central?
Nick: Well we've worked with them for a number of years and we pitched a number of different ideas and we had this idea about two buddy cops on an endless stakeout and it kind of grew from there. We have the same agents as Jericho, and they suggested him and we were like: Yes. Yes we would very much like to work with Chris Jericho. You know he's an improv guy, he does Groundlings, he's got a lot of interests. We met the guy, he's fantastic, he's a really great guy. It's gonna be a fun project, we start shooting in August.
Andrew: I wish you luck with it
Nick: Thank you buddy.
Andrew: Let's go back a little more. What made you want a career in entertainment?
Nick: I've always been into comedy. I'm a big comedy guy. In junior high, I was obsessed with The State and The Kids in the Hall. In elementary school I was obsessed with Saturday Night Live. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do, but I was always kinda headed towards this without even knowing about it. I like making people laugh. That's my kinda thing. And now there are a lot more platforms you can use to do that......and make a little money doing it.
Andrew: (Laughs) That always helps.
Nick: Sometimes.
Andrew: Ok, now let's talk Screen Junkies. How exactly did you get in contact with The Screen Junkies Team?
Nick: I had a meeting with Andy [Signore] and Brett [Weiner] who was there at the time, they co-created Screen Junkies. Brett is still a friend of the family, he's onto other pursuits, but he's always stopping by. They had talked to me about hosting it. Obviously, they have the perfect host.
Andrew: Hal does do a great job.
Nick: Oh my god, it's fantastic watching him do it. I've learned so much from it, because I didn't have a lot. I was going to audition for it, but then i got really fucking sick (even though Andy thinks I backed out of it. He's a liar.) All the ideas I've always had for it are there in some way to be the side aspect to Andy and to Hal. I've been a fan of Hal's since before I met him. He's just a really fucking good dude. So Hal got the job, as he should have, and a couple months later Andy was like "Well let's do something" and we did the Die Hard thing, How to Fix Die Hard 5. And we had no idea what we were doing, it was just kinda this bit. And it turned out to be really popular at the time. I mean if you look at the views now compared to then, it would be like the lowest rated. We did that and then we did the Razzies one a couple weeks after that, and that was fun. We always had a great relationship, we were just talking about stuff. Then we did The Rock video, and that was awesome. I'll do anything for those guys. I was excited for that opportunity. I really appreciate that Hal could have done it, it's Hal's show. And that's the thing. Hal's like the most gracious guy I know. You can tell he's from improv, because he's a great improv actor, and he's always sharing, he's always collaborating, he's always passing things on and he could have done it and had fun. Or Andy could have done it, they could send anyone. But I was very fortunate that they sent me, and it meant a lot, and it was a great thing, and it really did a lot for me. Since then, we've done a lot more "How to Hix It" videos and those have taken off to my surprise. I thought I was just a heel from wrestling, but they like 'em. I mean well....three fourths of the people like 'em. There's a lot of assholes out there.
Andrew: I do love what you have to say about Blood Squibs.
Nick: Yeah! I don't take myself seriously, Movies are hard. These guys are working their asses off. But, I think that what people appreciate is, I think my points are valid. I'm just trying to present it in an entertaining manner. I'm a big pro-wrestling guy. So I like putting it out there in a humorous manner. I get it. It's been fun. I've been doing it since. There are plans to do more. So we'll see how that turns out. But it's been great. I'm very grateful to be working with them.
Andrew: I'm sure I'd get in a lot of trouble if I did't ask you about Dwayne Johnson.
Nick: Yes.
Andrew: Obviously you're a big fan of The Rock. How did that come about?
Nick: I was a big wrestling fan, and I still probably am. If you ask my girlfriend, I spend a good amount of time watching WWE Network. He wasn't my favorite wrestler, I've always been more partial to Mick Foley, Stone Cold, or Ric Flair. But I always thought he was entertaining, I thought he was a better bad guy. But I saw Fast Five and I was obsessed with it, because The Rock was so fucking good. I mean he's ridiculous and amazing. I've always been a fan, i've been saying for years. Cause, i'm writing my own stuff, I have a feature that he would be great for, I wrote it for him. Someone said it the other day, he has this odd variety. He has a combination of the best qualities of Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He has the heart of Sylvester Stallone, the wit and talent of Bruce Willis, and the body and charisma of Schwarzenegger. And I think, he's a great actor. I think he will get nominated for an Oscar. I don't think he'll ever win, he'll get nominated.
Andrew: That's a pretty bold statement.
Nick: I think he will. I think he will. And his performance, I wasn't bullshitting about Pain and Gain. I think it was one of the best performances I've seen in years. I still love that movie.
Andrew: I loved how edgy he was in Pain and Gain.
Nick: Totally. I think he was great. He's like he's not scared of anything which is nice. I think he's gonna do some weird stuff down the line.
Andrew: You plan on going to talk to him again when you do the Hercules junket, right?
Nick: That's the rumor. I don't know what we're doing. That kinda came outta nowhere. He tweeted that video, and then we started talking that weekend. Well, talking as in four tweets. That was surreal. that was like "What the fuck is going on?" And I've heard from rumors that he's a fan of that video. So, I don't know what we're doing, i'm sorry to be vague. There's a couple cool things we could do, at very minimum, i'm gonna talk to him.
Andrew: I look forward to seeing that.
Nick: Well, you might see something on Twitter in the next few days about what we're trying to do. So keep an eye out on Twitter or Facebook.
Andrew: I will. Now here's my million dollar question I ask everyone: Who played the better Willy Wonka: Gene Wilder or Johnny Depp?
Nick: I never saw the second one.
Andrew: Good choice.
Nick: Tim Burton is very overrated.
Andrew: Thank you!
Nick: I'm not saying he's bad, i'm just saying he's overrated. Like, I love Beetlejuice. First two Batman's are pretty good. Not my favorite, but I get it. That Big Fish movie was good, but I just might have been depressed that year. I mean, I just wanna see Johnny Depp wear Khaki shorts one day. And like a polo shirt. Play an accountant.
Andrew: I went into Transcendence thinking maybe we're finally gonna get something normal.
Nick: Oh yeah! I heard that movie sucked!
Andrew: It was basically if you took Jarvis from Iron Man and put him on a screen that's it.
Nick: That might be Avengers 2. Andrew: Now that's intriguing, i'd love to see that.
Nick: I mean Paul Bettany is playing Vision. Ultron comes from an artificial intelligence. And I think that's how it's gonna go. I think Jarvis is gonna turn into corrupted Ultron. You can even search for it, there's even a deleted scene or animatic where they have Jarvis saying to Iron Man "You don't need all those guys" like dropping a hint.
Andrew: I can't believe I missed that.
Nick: That's what I think is gonna happen.
Andrew: Now, Conan O'Brien is my absolute idol. How exactly did you get into contact with him?
Nick: I have a buddy named Scott Gairdner who for about a year and a half was a writer there. So me and Scott through Team Tiger Awesome have a really great group of friends who are all really talented. One of my friends out in L.A. is the creator of Halt and Catch Fire on AMC. A buddy of mine is the creator of the show Undateable. Scott was a writer at Conan, he now has his own animated show with Rob Lowe coming out called Moonbeam City which is gonna be fucking amazing. All of my friends, we have different levels of success, but we're all just really good friends that take care of each other. We just have a lot of fun, just talk about non-sense for hours on end. But Scott was in a bunch of our stuff, I was in a bunch of his stuff. He was at Funny or Die before Conan and I did a sketch with him called Brozen Brogurt about bros eating there own type of special frozen yogurt. And that was fun, that was really cool. It was a good experience. And then a couple months later he asked me to be the lead of this Gold 4 Gold sketch. It was fun. It was cool being the lead of it. I got to shoot it on the stage. That was crazy. That sketch blew up! Everyone loved it. Everyone on the staff loved it. Conan loved it, Andy [Richter] liked it a lot. So we did like 4 or 5 more of those, and they were all really popular. I did a couple other sketches. Now the other writers bring me in for different parts when I'm right for it, and they seem to like me. So i've done about 8 or 9 sketches there. Which is so surreal. The last one, doing it live, that was like a dream of mine. As soon as I heard, I was like "Yeah, I want to do that." And interacting with Conan and Andy was huge. That was insane.
Andrew: I loved the Troy Fieri sketch last week, it definitely had that kind of quirk to it where you can see how vibrant the personality is, but then so casually says "No relation"
Nick: He's the best. I didn't know too much about Guy Fieri, but he seems like a ridiculous person.
Andrew: He makes a good barbecue sauce.
Nick: Really? I read his menu for his New York restaurant and it makes Chili's look subtle.
Andrew: One last question. What advice do you have for people who want to explore a similar career to yours?
Nick: Work. Don't stop working. I've lost friends, girlfriends, years. Have a life. Explore. Read. Watch. Wish I did that more. Have a life, but work. It's gonna be hard, it's gonna be sacrifice. Work and make stuff. Work and make stuff. You just have to work. Everyone probably has a day job, then you gotta put in another 6-8 hours after that. You gotta be working on a couple things at a time. Because everyone's trying to do it. Now with technology, it makes everything cheaper, and everyone thinks they're a writer. Everyone thinks they're a comedian or actor. It's great, it's awesome to have more avenues, but there's just so much more of it. So you have to work and you have to stand out. And the best west to do it is to keep working, cause the stuff you do isn't gonna be good, but if you keep doing it you get better.
Andrew: That hit home with me.
Nick: Well yeah. There's always gonna be the story about a guy who got a great break and got onto a CW show. And you can't be jealous of that guy, you gotta be happy for him. You don't want to be the asshole. Los Angeles gets a bad wrap for having assholes. And it might. I know a lot of great comedians. But usually the people who are bitching about L.A. are the assholes that no one likes. I mean, I've gotten breaks, I've gotten lucky. Sometimes I think I have my career because I'm a big loud guy who can break through shit.
Andrew: (laughs)
Nick: It helps! Everyone's different. Everyone's got their own thing. But there's thousands of people just like us trying to do the same thing. And some have had more success than me, some have had less. But no matter what, you just gotta keep working. Hal works his ass off. He does a bunch of stuff. He's constantly working. Andy over at Screen Junkies, constantly working. My two partners, constantly working. My friends on TV shows, constantly working. Just gotta keep working.
Andrew: Thank you Nick, I very much appreciate you taking the time to talk.
Nick: Anytime man.
