PROFESS, FLETCH
Why exactly did Paramount Pictures put in zero effort to promote CONFESS, FLETCH? Do they think there's no audience for finely crafted comedic mysteries? Do they not want to distract Jon Hamm from his pursuit of Flo from Progressive? Whatever the reason, Confess, Fletch is one the best movies I've seen in 2022 (it's already out of theaters, but still available VOD). Hamm plays the titular wisecracking, former investigative reporter who gets framed for murder while he's in Boston trying to uncover the mystery behind a European art theft. Hamm has so much fun in the role as Fletch tries to clear his name and find the paintings while encountering some seriously funny characters. From Greg Mottola's directing to each performance to the grounded, razor-sharp script, everything about this film is so finely tuned in a way that's rare in the modern cinematic comedy realm. It's a true shame most people don't know it exists. (SETH SOMMERFELD)
A DICEY MEAL
I constantly fall victim to the endless doom scrolling that TikTok provides. Usually the videos are subpar attempts at comedy, but sometimes I stumble upon a gem. Recently, I became aware of ROLL FOR SANDWICH, a game created by TikToker "AdventuresInAardia" to make lunchtime a bit more unpredictable. He lets a set of Dungeons & Dragons dice decide what ingredients go onto his sandwich for the day. The numbers on each dice correspond to a list of ingredients the creator has in his kitchen. I'm hooked. I go back everyday to find out what madness his 20-sided die (or D20, in gamer parlance) sauce roll will bring to the sandwich. Sometimes mayo, but other times, chocolate syrup. The dice don't always go his way, but that's what makes this account worth a follow. (MADISON PEARSON)
THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST
Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online Oct. 14:
ENUMCLAW, SAVE THE BABY. Seattle's buzziest new band (actually from Tacoma) delivers a debut LP full of distorted Northwest alt-rock noise.
WILD PINK, ILYSM. Some rock critics who've heard the Brooklyn group's upcoming album of beautiful hushed indie rock have compared it to Wilco's classic Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Enough said.
THE 1975, BEING FUNNY IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE. The British pop-rock band tries to rein in their expansive sound for a tighter 11-song LP (that's still sung in English and isn't exactly hilarious). (SETH SOMMERFELD)
