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Bill Bria

Bill Bria is a writer, actor, songwriter, and comedian. "Sam & Bill Are Huge," his 2017 comedy music album with partner Sam Haft, reached #1 on an Amazon Best Sellers list, and the duo maintains an active YouTube channel and plays regularly all across the country. Bill's acting credits include an episode of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” and a featured part in Netflix’s “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” He lives in New York City, which hopefully will be the setting for a major motion picture someday.

News archive

Bill Bria Says Don't Forget: <i>Assassination Nation</i>

Movies

Bill Bria Says Don't Forget: Assassination Nation

Dec 26th, 2018 Bill Bria

Rather than acting as a release valve on the past few years, 2018 continued to increase the pressure, as American culture grows steadily more hostile and volatile. During such turbulent times, satiric genre films that hold up a mirror to society are typically not favorably received — the closer...

Bill Bria Says Don't Forget: <i>Mom and Dad</i>

Movies

Bill Bria Says Don't Forget: Mom and Dad

Dec 26th, 2018 Bill Bria

This year saw a phoenix-like rebirth of the elemental spirit we call Nicolas Cage, with the actor rising from the ashes of Z-grade Redbox fare into the gonzo genre freakout of Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy. A few months before his much heralded return, however, us Cage disciples witnessed his second...

30 Years Ago: <i>Child's Play</i> and the Terror of Consumerism

Movies

30 Years Ago: Child's Play and the Terror of Consumerism

Nov 9th, 2018 Bill Bria

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. G.I. Joe. Transformers. Thundercats. Smurfs. M.A.S.K. Rainbow Brite. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. My Buddy. Cabbage Patch Kids. These are just a few toy lines that were popular, along with their attendant multimedia franchises, in the second half of the...

EXCLUSIVE: The Secret Marketing Plans for <i>A Star Is Born</i>

Movies

EXCLUSIVE: The Secret Marketing Plans for A Star Is Born

Oct 8th, 2018 Bill Bria

A Star Is Born, the story of a romance between a fading male celebrity and a rising female artist so good it’s been told four times already, is in theaters now. Based on the incredible buzz the film has been getting from critics on the festival circuit, Warner Bros. smells Oscar gold as well as...

Movies

1988: The Summer of Freddy

Aug 14th, 2018 Bill Bria

In the spring of 1988, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince released the album He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper, featuring the single “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” a massive hit that would go on to win the first-ever Grammy for best rap performance. The album’s next single was to be “A...

20 Years Later, the Truth About <i>X-Files: Fight the Future</i> Is Still out There

Movies

20 Years Later, the Truth About X-Files: Fight the Future Is Still out There

Jun 19th, 2018 Bill Bria

In 1993, before binge-watching was feasible and when most TV shows were made to be as accessible as possible, a drama series broke new ground, splitting its episodes between heavily serialized “mythology” installments and stand-alone “monster of the week” entries. That show was Chris...

Movies

Home Is Where the Horror Is

Jun 14th, 2018 Bill Bria

The horror genre is a way of processing our fears and anxieties, and as a result tends to reflect the issues that exist at the time the stories or films are written. During the Reagan era, in the early 1980s, horror films tended to depict attacks on innocence, with grisly deaths befalling wayward...

The 20 Most Shocking <i>Solo: A Star Wars Story</i> Spoilers

Movies

The 20 Most Shocking Solo: A Star Wars Story Spoilers

May 16th, 2018 Bill Bria

Solo: A Star Wars Story opens in a few days, and everyone is supremely excited because making a prequel to Star Wars is a slam-dunk idea that can’t fail. Most fans are content to sit back and wait for the film to open, but true fans know that waiting is for “nerf herders.” Secrecy is at an...

Movies

The Marvel Cinematic Universe Recapped By Bill's Mom

Apr 24th, 2018 Bill Bria

Eighteen feature films, more than 40 major characters, 10 years of stories, six Infinity Stones: There’s a lot going on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It may seem daunting to try and recall all that’s happened before the premiere of Avengers: Infinity War (the last chapter in this phase of...

<i>A Quiet Place</i> Reviewed by Jim Halpert Reaction Shots

Movies

A Quiet Place Reviewed by Jim Halpert Reaction Shots

Apr 9th, 2018 Bill Bria

A Quiet Place was released this weekend to big acclaim and even bigger box office. The movie is not only impressive for the fact that it’s an original non-franchise horror film that’s largely dialogue free, but that the co-writer and director is none other than John Krasinski of The Office...

<i>Pong: The Motion Picture</i>: An Oral History

Humor

Pong: The Motion Picture: An Oral History

Mar 13th, 2018 Bill Bria

The arena. The Pongitron. “How’s that for a bad hit, Team Leader?” The Ball Chase. The music of Guns N’ Roses. The liberation of Pong City One. Any of these phrases instantly brings to mind one of the most notorious cult films of all time: Pong: The Motion Picture. Released in December...

<i>Hellraiser</i>’s Kirsty Cotton: The Most Underrated Final Girl

Looking Back

Hellraiser’s Kirsty Cotton: The Most Underrated Final Girl

Feb 13th, 2018 Bill Bria

This article contains spoilers for Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II, and Hellraiser: Hellseeker. Since it was coined by Carol J. Clover in her book Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film, the term “final girl” has become ubiquitous. Many essays, retrospectives, and...

Looking Back

The 12 Best Movie Soundtrack Music Videos

Feb 5th, 2018 Bill Bria

The music video as it was known in its heyday is now all but dead, reborn as online videos that roam the halls of YouTube and Tidal Exclusives. At their peak, however, they were incredibly effective short films-cum-advertisements, selling records and concert tours. Eventually, Hollywood realized...

Bill Bria Says Don’t Forget: <i>The Little Hours</i>

Looking Back

Bill Bria Says Don’t Forget: The Little Hours

Dec 26th, 2017 Bill Bria

Studio comedies are in a rut: In 2017, we had to contend with such junk as The House, Rough Night, and (shudder) CHIPS, to name a few. Fortunately, the independent world is as vibrant and vital as ever, offering up such excellent films like The Little Hours, written and directed by Jeff Baena. His...

Looking Back

The Importance Of 'Home' In John Hughes’ Holiday Films

Dec 12th, 2017 Bill Bria

From the early ‘80s to the mid ‘90s, John Hughes wrote about two dozen films, eight of which he also directed, but he never forgot his roots as a Chicagoan. In a 1986 interview included on the Planes, Trains and Automobiles Blu-ray, Hughes said, “All of my scripts begin with...

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