I'm Christian Toto, an award-winning film critic, author and podcaster. My newsletter covers entertainment from a right-of-center perspective, with tips for making the most of your leisure time.
Disney’s Terrible, Awful, No Good, Very Bad 2023
Hello Reader,
The Mouse House can't wait for 2023 to be over.
Flop after flop after flop. Wobbly stock prices. Subscribers fleeing.
The latest HiT story does a deep dive into Disney's year to forget. And yes, it should matter to all of us. Heck, we could use a family-friendly studio right about now.
Hunter Biden should keep late-night comics busy for years, if not decades.
The First Son's addictions are no laughing matter, but the way he exploited them sure is. Drugs. Prostitution. Dodging child support payments. Texting the N-word (yeah, he did...). Ducking congressional queries. His laughable art career.
Yet late-night and, more importantly, "Saturday Night Live" won't touch him.
Why? I spell it out in this new, blistering op-ed.
Tyler Fischer makes me howl.
His comic impressions are priceless (he does a killer Trump AND Biden) and his Owen Wilson riffs are first class.
Wow!
I've got tickets to see him in Denver Jan. 14, and I can't wait.
Until then, we can all enjoy his newest comedy video where he plays a suddenly woke Dr. Jordan Peterson.
It's priceless.
I've been cheering The Daily Wire on for creating content that Hollywood won't even touch. The outrageous "Lady Ballers" is a prime example. Maybe the perfect example.
(I just interviewed sports guru turned comic actor Jake Crain all about his outrageous, throwback comedy, and he didn't pull ANY punches)
Substack scribe Calvin Freiburger argues The Daily Wire's Hollywood experiment can't have the impact it wants. Agree? Disagree? It's a conversation worth having, no doubt.
It's a busy weekend for movie going. Here are the titles coming your way through Dec. 25.
Dec. 22:
"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom"
Dec. 25:
"Ferrari"
Need a streaming recommendation? Check out "Crashing" on Max, formerly known as HBO. The three-season series stars comedian Pete Holmes as ... Pete Holmes, a struggling comedian. It's funny, dark and always engaging.
It's adult entertainment, so watch it after the kiddies go to sleep!
Wish it had more seasons...
Finally, Christmas is almost here, and I'm hoping everyone is having a stress-free holiday filled with too many cookies and endless joy.
From my family to yours, Merry Christmas!
Christian
Hollywood in Toto
I'm Christian Toto, an award-winning film critic, author and podcaster. My newsletter covers entertainment from a right-of-center perspective, with tips for making the most of your leisure time.
Hello Reader, Taylor Swift is the biggest star on planet Earth. Podcast king Joe Rogan defies our short-attention span age with his three-hour interviews. Two very different stars. Two distinct approaches to modern politics. Could their influence impact the coming Trump v. Biden rematch? Maybe. I explain why in an essay that speaks volumes about the state of our union (and it's not necessarily good!). President Joe Biden is clearly not well. Our 81-year-old Commander in Chief struggles to...
Hello Reader, Everybody remembers the Hollywood Blacklist, but few know about the new, not-so-improved version. I've spoken to my fair share of conservative artists who hide their political views for fear of losing work. It's real. It's scary. And it's deeply un-American. Just like the 1950s version. Now, some pro-Palestinian actors are getting pinched for sharing their political views. How is it different this time around? And what if the stars in question say absolutely ghastly things?...
Hello Reader, It's Friday already? Holiday weeks always throw me for a loop! I've had a hate/hate relationship with "The View" for some time now. It's hopelessly dumb, which could be fun to watch in some cases, but it rarely is. Plus, I think the show's unhinged rhetoric genuinely damages the country. So why does Whoopi and co. get a pass when Aaron Rodgers got (rightly) vilified for his dopey attack on Jimmy Kimmel? This story explains it all, and it's a good primer for the 2024 election...