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Welcome back to our VIP video series "Off the Beaten Path," featuring my friend Christian Toto of Hollywood in Toto! Christian and I start off our week by discussing stories and ideas that may fly under our radar, in culture, politics, sports, and more. Plus, Christian previews his latest podcast at HiT.
Try as we might, Christian and Ed get seduced by the beaten path – a little. Bill Maher's scolding of the Left for its insane demagoguery of Trump is well worth the detour, as it reveals something sinister about late-night "comedy" and the culture in general.
For the most part, though, we stick to the fun – and fun is what it's all about at the Met Gala. Or better put, fun is what it's mostly about, even for the critics. To quote Heath Ledger's Joker: Why so serious? Christian has a positive take on the new sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, and despite our earlier skepticism, we celebrate the fan service in the new film. Not everything has to be deep or original, and unlike the MCU for the last twenty years, TDWP2 seems to understand that it doesn't have to be either to be fun.
Unfortunately, the Star Wars universe hasn't learned that lesson. Its new theatrical release, another story based on the Mandalorian, will hit theaters in a couple of weeks. Christian predicts it will not meet expectations, either critically or at the box office. It should fare far better than Andy Serkis' Animal Farm, which is being eviscerated by both critics and audiences for its unpleasantness and its intellectual betrayal of George Orwell's classic takedown of socialism.
We finish up by scoffing at the Telegraph's list of the "fifty greatest films of all time," which lists Lord of the Rings at #48, just below ... Body Double??? You won't believe what made the list, what didn't make the list, and what made the top five. Christian and Ed plan to create their own lists, which we may debate in next week's episode!
Watch it all and join us in the comments!
