He is QUASI

 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on HULU from director Kevin Heffernan and Searchlight Pictures is the twisted hilarity and the story of QUASI.

It is 1800’s France and the very hunched Quasi (Steven Lemme) is hanging out with his friend Duchamp (Kevin Heffernan). Walking to work, Quasi is subjected to, well let’s just say, bad manners by the people of his village. Working at the local torture chamber, the rest of the village is celebrating Pope Week.

King Guy (Jay Chandrasekhar) is bored with life at the moment and with the new Queen Catherine (Adrianne Palicki). She is stunning but more importantly, very smart as well. She visits the torture chamber below wanting a tour led by Quasi taking an interesting in his work.

In the town square, Quasi finds himself the winner of an audience with the Pope but also the King. During a private conversation, the King reveals what he really wants – the Pope gone! Pope Cornelius (Paul Soter) does not want to spend one dinner moment longer than he has to with King Guy as it seems there is a history there as Cardinal Claude (Erik Stolhanske) gets caught in the dining crossfire.

When Quasi finally has his confessional win with the Pope, it seems the King isn’t the only one who wants a person knocked off with a jewel encrusted dagger. Now Quasi is caught between two men who want each other dead and a Queen who has plans of her own. As with everything in Quasi’s life, things go awkwardly wrong with death is at his doorstep, he shows that even a hunchback can be a hero!

Lemme as Quasi is so sweet and really doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Shocked at the attentions of Queen Catherine, that has to be put aside while he finds his way out of a serious mess. Lemme is just cool, period, and, if it can be said – nice hump dude! Heffernan as buddy Duchamp is a little more than upset that Quasi won the lottery. Getting attention from the lovelies of the village is about one step more than he can handle. Heffernan takes his role and makes me want to spend the evening doing shots with him.

Chandrasekhar as King Guy is a ruler full of, well, himself and has no conscience where death is concerned. That all being said, Chandrasekhar looks frakken fantastic in a crown! I do have to say that I miss his moustache but I can’t be greedy (or can I?). As the King, he is greedy, arrogant and petulant – and I love it.

Soter as the Pope is a man of some god or other with a long-standing grudge toward the King. Soter’s version of the Pope is probably the most hilarious ‘pope’ I’ve seen mainly because he says what a lot of us think. Stolhanske as the Cardinal is the perfect pairing with Soter, their whispering session was sheer hilarity.

Palicki as Queen Catherine is hilarious, beautiful, smart and is not about to let a King or a Pope stand in her way of making sure Quasi is saved. Well, truth be told she isn’t thrilled about being married to this particular King either. Palicki is charming and hilarious all rolled into one, but then again, I’d expect nothing less! Long live the Queen!

SHOUT OUT to Brian Cox, seriously, you can not reunite the gang without bringing back the leader with the voice that makes you want to buy a burger from McDonalds and crushes family in succession. Yea, I did that.

Other cast include Buck Heffernan, Quinn Heffernan, Kelsey Heffernan, Eugene Cordero, Marcus Henderson, Michael Yurchak Hassie Harrison, Gabrielle Lane, Gabriel Hogan and Phil Hudson.

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Searchlight Pictures is responsible for such films as SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, THE SHAPE OF WATER and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI. They have an extensive film library as well as documentaries, scripted series, and limited series. For more information, please visit www.searchlightpictures.com.

The SUPER TROOPERS band of Broken Lizard consisting of Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske join writer/director Heffernan in creating their newest comedy. Based on The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo, this 1831 class is being set on its ear!

It is nice to see the band is back together again taking on a period piece with the coolest set designs. Running along the borderline of appropriate, I’ve always thought this group is the funniest because of their unique ability to dance along that line while making us all laugh. As a superfan of the 2001 film SUPER TROOPERS and use the lines from the film in everyday life, my funny bone needed a good laugh right meow!

Taking the story of Quasi and giving it every hilarious moment they could squeeze out is not only what I would expect from this gang of comedy misfits but, to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have watched otherwise. The pairing of Lemme with Heffernan, Chandrasekhar with Soter and Palicki as the sparkling, sugar coated cake topper is everything.

Get ready for a new twist on an old tale, or should I say a new twisted story just waiting for this particular group to share.

In the end – every day is a hump day!

THE ORVILLE: The Complete First Season is Out Of This World on DVD

Jeri Jacquin

On DVD from 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment comes a ship and its crew filled with adventure and awkwardness on the deck of THE ORVILLE: The Complete First Season.

Ed Mercer (Seth MacFarlane) is living in the 25^th century with 21^st century problems. After finding his wife Kelly Grayson (Adrianne Palicki) cheating on him with something blue between the sheet, it is a year before he can even talk about it. When a captain’s chair becomes available on the USS Orville, Mercer jumps at the chance bringing Lt. Gordon Malloy (Scott Grimes) as his helmsman.

Arriving on the ship looking spiffy, his happiness is immediately taken down a peg when he is told that Kelly has been assigned as his first officer. After a time acceleration deal with a Krill Captain, Mercer and Kelly find themselves trapped in a Calivon zoo! Alara (Halston Sage) is commanding the Orville because Bortus (Peter Macon) had laid an egg and needs to be a good parent with mate Klyden (Chad Coleman). Claire wants to help Alara but it is Admiral Tucker (Ron Canada) who orders that the ship return home without Mercer.

Bortus and Klyden are upset that their hatchling is a girl and turn to Doctor Finn (Penny Johnson Jerald) to make it ‘right’. The Doc refuses as does everyone else the two talk with about it. Upset they can’t get help, they turn to a Mocian vessel to have it done. Mercer even goes as far as to find one of their kind that has lived happily as a female and the choice between the two must be made.

Mercer and the crew of the Orville come across a 2000 year old ship drifting in space. They are shocked to discover that there are people called the Dorahl who don’t know they are on a ship! Their leader Hamelac refuses to let anyone tell the Dorahl about the outside world. The truth comes out when Captain Jahavus Dorahl (Liam Neeson) explains the truth.

Captain Pria Lavesque (Charlize Theron) and her ship are saved by The Orville and immediately Mercer is taken with her. There is a nagging feeling that something isn’t quite right yet she saves the Orville from a weird storm. Of course she did it for a reason as Pria turns out to be a time-traveling artifact dealer and puts Mercer’s head in just as much of a wormhole as she does the Orville!

On Sargas 4, Grayson is sent to find two missing anthropologists along with Alara and Claire. Mercer is keeping himself busy bringing Lysella onto the Orville to explain about a dancing feed that will teach her the difference between opinion and knowledge. Taking a little break, Isaac, Finn, Marcus (BJ Tanner) and Ty (Kai Wener) crash on a planet light years away from where they should be. It’s not a pretty planet either as the local cannibals are hungry and the dinner bell has been rung.

The Orville is sent to mediate between the Navarians and the Bruidians. Mercer isn’t happy to learn that Darulio (Rob Lowe) is also at the meeting. Darulio has a pheromone problem and it has a major effect on the crew – most especially Grayson as well as Mercer, Finn and Yaphit (Norm Macdonald). Having such a big effect a battle between the Navarians and Bruidians breaks out and a they need something to bring out a cease fire. Grayson might also get the answer to the question that’s been following her for the last year – maybe.

After feeling guilty about the death of a ship mate, Alara wants to resign her post but Mercer refuses. The Orville is about to be hit by several interesting phenomena including scary clowns, giant spiders and murdering ship mates. Alara and Mercer have a confrontation that bring captain and crew to an understanding.

Mercer has to find a new chief engineer for the Orville and Grayson tries to convince him to give the post to LaMarr. Keeping that decision on hold, the crew comes in contact with someone who has plasma rifles that belong to the Krill. To get out of a potential problem with the Krill, Mercer discovers that his hesitation about LeMarr turn out to be unnecessary.

Grayson and her team crash land on a Bronze Age planet and they quickly realize they only have 11 days to get home or else 700 years will pass. Grayson becomes a deity of sorts and a theocracy happens very quickly. Mercer is in hot water with Admiral Ozawa Kelly Hu) and is told to stay away from the planet. Mercer and Grayson don’t listen (what a surprise right?) and see how much the planets history continues to shift. Isaac Mark Jackson) stays for a planet rotation only to come back to the Orville to explain that they are now on the right path and far ahead time wise!

MacFarlane as Mercer is unsure, depressed and neurotic as anyone would be when finding a blue alien in a wife’s bed! Getting sympathy orders to be the captain of the Orville seems like the lowest blow he could deal with but instead, Mercer takes it in stride and gets comfortable in the captains chair. Of course that moment of happiness is fleeting but he accepts the challenge that the Orville brings and it can only be done by MacFarlane. The guy still makes me laugh after all these years!

Palicki as Grayson is dealing with her own issues of guilt and bedding a blue guy can do it to a gal. Trying to make things right by joining the crew of the Orville certainly puts the ex’s relationship to the test on several occasions but I enjoy the banter. Grimes as Malloy is the character I can’t wait to see what he says next. He is cocky and doesn’t seem to have a problem voicing his opinion on just about anything. I kinda like the guy!

Sage as Alara is smart and sweet which can be a bad combination. As the season goes on don’t let the interesting face fool you. Macon as Bortus is an alien with some serious issues from egg laying to egg raising. Along with Coleman as mate Klyden, this is a family that needs to figure things out quick as space waits for no one. Jerald as Finn is always one step back watching the craziness the crew comes up with and tries to guide when she can and stays out of the mayhem when necessary.

Other cast include J. Lee as Lt. John LaMarr, Gavin Lee as Nurse Park, Mike Henry as Dann, Brian George as Doctor Aronov, Victor Garber as Admiral Halsey, Jeffrey Tambor as Ben Mercer, Holland Taylor as Jeannie Mercer, Rena Owen as Heveena, James Horan as Sazeron, Steven Culp as Wilks, and Brian Thompson as Drogen.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment brings award-winning global product and new entertainment to DVD, Bluray, and Digital HD. There amazing collection offers fans an opportunity to expand their own home libraries with the best films. To discover what other titles they have please visit www.fox.com.

The DVD episodes include Old Wounds, Command Performance, About a Girl, If the Stars Should Appear, Pria, Krill, Majority Rule, Into the Fold, Cupid’s Dagger, Firestorm, New Dimensions and Mad Idolatry.

The Special Features include Q&A with Cast and Creative Team from PaleyFest 2018, Inside Look, Directed By, The First Six Missions, Designing the Future, The Orville Takes Flight, The Science of The Orville: Quantum Drive and Alien Life, Crafting Aliens and A Better Tomorrow.

THE ORVILLE is such a good time and I want more. The cast of characters and the actors that portray them are spot on and actually look like they are enjoying it more than they probably should be allowed to. Having so many guests on the show also means that the street-cred of the crew is universal.

In the midst of the comedy there are subtle issue tackling bits of space housecleaning that are sure to catch anyone’s attention. Prime example is Bortus and Klyden raising a female in what clearly is a male dominated alien species but its also not without its secrets and its idea of acceptance.

So this is the perfect cold weather marathoning series to watch in prep for a second season that is certainly sure to have even more outrageous aliens and Captain Mercer at the helm. I mean really, would we have it any other way? I’m all in!

THE ORVILLE Season Two is docking to your television set in the new year!

In the end – they are our future gawd help us!