
This issue, we'll look at the best season yet for TV's funniest detective show and a movie that ought to be a cult classic. These characters are not the men you think they are.
Psych: Season 4
(Now Available)
I once made the bold claim that James Roday is the closest thing we have to the young Bill Murray. As a card carrying Bill Murray fanatic - young or old - I do not make such a claim lightly. Two years after first making that statement I stand by it completely.
Shawn Spencer, the fake psychic detective Roday portrays, is modern day television's answer to Peter Venkman. Spencer is simultaneously the smartest and wittiest person in the room. Much like the actor who plays him, he makes it all look effortless.

After three years of successful case-cracking with the Santa Barbara Police Department, Shawn and his best friend Gus (Dule Hill) are about to take on some of their craziest cases yet, involving thrill seekers, a deadly virus, a shark, a man who claims to be a werewolf, and the return of Shawn's most formidable foe, Mr. Yang.
Over the course of its four seasons, "Psych" has done an exceptional job of developing the relationships between its characters. Shawn and Gus are devoted best friends, and the chemistry between Roday and Hill is second to none. What really elevates their friendship, however, is that there isn't a tired "bromance" gag in sight. Shawn and Gus's friendship is based on more than on a mutual love of obscure eighties references. As often as they may clash, there is a real loyalty between the two that is funny and sweet without being nauseating.
In regards to the supporting cast, the writers continue to add depth to the elements that have been there from day one. Shawn's innate ability to annoy straight-laced detective Lassiter (Timothy Omundson), his strained relationship with his father (Corbin Bernsen), and his continuing pursuit of detective Juliet O'Hara (Maggie Lawson) are still being shaped in satisfying ways. These characters have grown together, not in exponential ways, but subtly and believably. What started out as a fun series about a hyper observant man pretending to be a psychic (and yes, this one came before "The Mentalist") has turned into a well-rounded detective show with terrific mysteries.
The fifth season of "Psych" is just starting on USA Network, with new episodes airing Wednesday nights at 10. Who knew murder could be so funny?
Color Me Kubrick: A True...ish Story
(R, Now Available)
Alan Conway (John Malkovich) is not who you think he is. He is in fact Stanley Kubrick, or so he'd have you believe. As the title suggests, this is in fact a "true...ish" story.

During the 1990s, several years after Kubrick had made his most recent work, "Full Metal Jacket," a British man named Alan Conway claimed to be the reclusive director in order to mingle and dine with high society. Conway looked absolutely nothing like Kubrick, and didn't really know very much about the man; however, the ruse lasted for quite a long time.
Writer Anthony Frewin (a long time assistant to the real Kubrick) and director Brian W. Cook create a film that satirizes the cultural obsession with celebrity, not only by examining Conway, but also the people who were so eagerly taken in by him. Loaded with references to Kubrick's films (some very subtle, others not), "Color Me Kubrick" occasionally causes fits of laughter and keeps a smile on your face from first frame to last.
Malkovich is incredible as the man who would be Kubrick, providing a different Kubrick voice for each of his victims. It's a detail that is as bizarre as it is true. The way Malkovich plays Conway, we see a man who was fast on his feet. At one point, an excitable young victim asks him what his current project is. Driving past a pharmacy, Conway informs him it's titled "All Night Prescriptions" and that Madonna wants a role, but that she ought to stick to her day job. "The sing-ging."
"Colour Me Kubrick" is a bizarre and wonderful movie that features brief appearances from Richard E. Grant ("Withnail and I") and the late William Hootkins ("Star Wars").
Given a very small theatrical release in 2007, "Color Me Kubrick" flew in very much under the radar and remains largely unknown. However, it should be required viewing for aspiring actors. Malkovich gives what can truly be described as a master class. This is a film that is absolutely worth seeking out.