Stu's Show Review - Cinema Scholar

"Director C.J. Wallis deftly manages to make a documentary about a lifelong fan of televisions Golden Age. Yet, he turns it into a biting narrative on the gross ineptitude of the health care system in the United States...This is accomplished via careful editing, solid use of humor, and Shostak’s often overbearing yet unrelentingly positive personality!"

Introduction

Stu’s Show is a heart-warming documentary centered around Stuart Shostak, a lifelong Lucille Ball fan, who also managed to become her personal archivist for more than ten years. Shostak’s endearing love of the Golden Age Of Television and its iconic stars are the focal points of this documentary. Stu’s Show also shines a light on everything that is wrong with our health care system when his long-term girlfriend Jeanine Kasun suffers a debilitating aneurism.

Synopsis

Stu’s Show is a multi-faceted title as it serves as not only the name of this fascinating documentary but also as the title of Shostak’s long-running internet talk show. For more than fifteen years, Shostak has been hosting “Stu’s Show” which is described on his website (www.stusshow.com) as follows:

Stu's Show Review - North Shore Movies

"3.5/5....A riveting and ultimately uplifting film!"

Stu Shostak loves television, especially the vintage shows of the ’50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. The documentary STU’S SHOW revels in this, both in exploring his own unusual career and presenting a parade of veteran actors who have become his friends. Then the film shifts from Stu’s love for the stars of TV’s past to a love story between him and a fellow fan, Jeanine Kasun. What makes this a riveting and ultimately uplifting film is that it’s because of him that she’s alive.

Stu's Show Review - The Movie Club

"81%....No goal is too far out of reach. Ultimately, this is the message you’ll walk away from after watching “Stu’s Show.” Not a bad place to be when you first sat down to watch a documentary about Lucy!"


When settling down to watch “Stu’s Show,” a documentary about TV historian Stu Shostak, a collector of everything old television, you might be preparing to watch a documentary about him and his relationship with his idol Lucille Ball. That’s how it’s presented anyway.

However, set that thought aside and prepare for much more than a movie about Stu and his friend Lucy. Their knowing one another comes up, of course, but this movie is much more than super-fan Stu getting a chance to be on the show of the legendary comedians. It’s also about how he meets, gets to know and proposes to his wife, Jeanine Kasun. She, too, loves all things related to old TV shows, particularly the 1950s and 1960s.

By bringing Jeanine into the mix, what director C.J. Wallis has created with this film is, very much, two different worlds. The one that television has created for Stu and the one that Stu has created for himself.

Stu's Show Review - Forces Of Geek

"Educational and perhaps surprisingly entertaining considering the dark places it goes, in Stu’s Show, Wallis successfully documents a deep, abiding love story in which all of the diverse aspects of one man’s life come into play under some of the most harrowing circumstances one can ever imagine!"


I just watched this great new fairy tale movie.

It’s about this boy named Stu who has all these imaginary friends. He grows up to love a beautiful princess but she falls under an evil spell and it looks like she might sleep forever. But Stu doesn’t give up on her! He harnesses the strength and power he learned from his imaginary friends, and the friends become real, magical beings whose love helps revive the Princess!

Then, Stu and his Princess are married, with all their magical friends in attendance, and they live happily ever after.

An oversimplification, perhaps, but that’s the way I saw it.

Stu's Show Review - Impulse Gaming

"3.75/5....In the doom and gloom of a post Covid-world “Stu’s show” is like a technicolour burst of life and an enthusiastic love letter to pop culture!" 

Stu Shostak knows there’s no business like show business. This TV archivist and historian has been working in Tinseltown since offering tickets to live tapings and playing the warm-up guy. His love of TV is infectious, as the documentary “Stu’s Show” proves. The film is warm and bubbly look at love, loss and a lady named Lucy.

Stu's Show Review - MovieHole

"...it’s clear that Shostak has more than left his mark on the game...And with “Stu’s Show”, so has director C.J Wallis. Bravo"

A delightful companion piece to Paramount+’s “The Offer”, Upstream Flix and director CJ Wallis have “Stu’s Show”, another showbizy-yarn chronicling a story you likely haven’t read about in EW or Variety.

While the former concentrates on household names like Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo, “Stu’s Show” turns its spotlight on a lesser-known but no less influential industry figure: Stu Shostak.

Stu's Show Review - Film Threat

"8.5/10…boundless energy and excitement jump off the screen..."

Stuart Shostak, the subject of director C.J. Wallis’ Stu’s Show, reminds me of a much livelier and entertaining version of Marvel’s The Watcher. The titular super fan collects reels, Betamax, VHS tapes, and DVDs for everything from the Golden Era of television and on. I can relate a bit on a much smaller scale because I used to record Late Night with Conan O’Brien every night on VHS. There was a certain magical feeling in being able to rewatch a tape in the days before DVRs and streaming when you never knew if something special you saw would show up again in a rerun.

Stu's Show Review - RedCarpetCrash

"You may recognize many of the faces interviewed here, but you’ll surely recognize the love Stu showed for Jeanine!"

Greetings again from the darkness. We tend to pay little attention to historians and archivists until we need them. By then, their importance cannot be overstated. If you know the name Stuart Shostak, it’s likely you assume this documentary from CJ Wallis will be about Stu’s internet talk show and his commitment to preserving ‘classic’ TV shows. If that’s your assumption, you will be partially correct, but also in for quite a surprise. Much of the film is dedicated to Stu’s personal life … a life that sets a strong example on how to hustle and how to care for loved ones in need.

Stu's Show Review - BattleRoyalWithCheese

"It’s clear that nobody should get in between him and the love of his life"

Stu’s Show: Review

Stuart Shostak is probably the biggest Lucille Ball fan you’re ever likely to meet – besides his wife that is. As a young man he was obsessed with the golden age of American television and would spend hours going through clips that he would painstakingly put together, in order to create a documentary about his favourite era.

Stu's Show Review - Vocal

"Stu’s Show is more than one documentary and they are both pretty terrific."

Documentary Review: 'Stu's Show' is a Documentary about Showbiz, Love and Healthcare

Stu’s Show begins as one kind of documentary and ends as something completely different, richer, and more thoughtful. What looks like the story of a Hollywood outsider who became an unlikely ally and friend to the stars of the Golden Age of Television, slowly morphs into a harrowing story about our modern Healthcare system and the people on the fringes of society who are forced to struggle and risk death to get the care they need from an often uncaring and indifferent healthcare system.

Stu's Show Review - (re)Search My Trash

"...so whether or not any of the series quoted in the movie or the names Lucille Ball, Edward Asner, Butch Patrick and whoever else mean anything much to you, this is just a well-told documentary with a not only for the genre strong narrative arc, and a good sense for storytelling!"

review by Mike Haberfelner

When Stuart Shostak got married to his longtime girlfriend Jeanine Kasun, it felt a little bit like a celebration of yesteryear's (as in 1960s and 70s) television, what with many of the TV-stars, showrunners and whatnot still alive in attendance. And it shouldn't be all that surprising, as for years Stuart has run a wildly popular podcast, aptly titles Stu's Show, inviting showbiz royalty every week, besides being a passionate private archivist of TV programs of old.

The Fiddling Horse Review - DaBelly Magazine

"The Fiddling Horse" is a charming little movie, well constructed by Wallis and boosted by solid performances from a cast of capable performers who may not be marquee regulars but nevertheless know their craft."

"THE FIDDLING HORSE"

 This movie was brought to my attention via a Facebook post by a friend of mine, Paula Lindberg, an actress I met via my association with filmmakers Jen and Sylvia Soska. Lindberg had a small but vital role in the Soskas' "American Mary" and I met her when she attended screenings of Soska films "See No Evil 2" and "Vendetta."

In "The Fiddling Horse," Lindberg has a major role as Leslie Heart, a woman who has been born into a family rooted into the Southern world of unique heritage and charm. Upon the passing of her mother, Leslie now is in line to be accepted into the exclusive Ladies Who Lunch, a group of high society women led by the snobby Ethel Truman (Alley Mills, the mom from "The Wonder Years"), from the family of the powerful state treasurer.

'Battle Royale With Cheese' Reviews Perfect Bid

"Perfect Bid is a compelling and addictive watch."

Documentarian CJ Wallis’ Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much is a short, sharp, and focused examination of one man: ‘The Price is Right’ super-fan Ted Slauson.

by Orla Smith, January 1st

To no purpose other than personal fulfilment, he dedicated his life to memorising the show’s prices until he could ace each question, often guessing exactly to the penny. He has attended live shows for decades, participating once, and later helping another contestant pull off a perfect bid.
Listening to Slauson speak about his experiences, observing his expressions, and picking up on his speech patterns offers enough potential for psychological analysis to sustain 70 minutes.

Screen-Space Reviews Perfect Bid Documentary

"Perfect Bid: The Contestant That Knew Too Much will speak with a very clear and relatable voice to those who seek it out"


PERFECT BID: THE CONTESTANT WHO KNEW TOO MUCH

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2017 AT 10:36AM

Featuring: Theodore Slauson, Bob Barker, Roger Dobkowitz, Drew Carey and Kevin Pollak.
Director: C.J. Wallis

Rating: 4/5

The curious case of Theodore Slauson and the role he played in one of the most remarkable moments of television history is examined with an acutely insightful eye and jaunty rhythm in director C.J. Wallis’ hugely enjoyable doc, Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much. The 52 year-old survivor of game show infamy proves to be droll and delightful frontman for his own story, which Wallis recounts utilising first-person recollections, archive footage and some stylishly employed bridging animation.

BB Movie Review - PopHorror.Com

"BB is an excellent film and a breath of fresh air from a genre filled with filmmakers who seem intent on burying it beneath mounds of poppycock. Stuff like BB is what needs to see wide-release and get talked about by the masses....Sadly, BB will probably slip under the radar of all except the most devoted of horror fans. And that, my friends, is beyond shameful."

BB (2016) – Movie Review

Going into BB, I expected little more than some indie dross cobbled together by a no-talent hack whose abilities were far below those of a troglodyte. But writer/director C.J. Wallis, here making his feature film directorial debut, proved me wrong. Way wrong. 

Leah Lamont (Jennifer Mae) needs some money to send her girlfriend, Alina (Victoria Fox), to Bucharest to visit her family. What quicker way for a woman to earn some quick cash than by working as a cam girl? Under the name Candy Cummings, Leah begins performing for lonely men stalking the Internet highways. But one man, Hal Bowman/HornyHal (Kristian Hanson), believes Candy’s attitude towards him signifies her love for him and her desire to be rescued from her life. When he loses a chance to take her on a date, he decides he’ll have to take initiative to win this girl of his dreams.

BB Movie Review - (Re)Search My Trash

"A very tense thriller that's almost uncomfortable (for all the right reasons) to watch...between a psychopath and a tortured soul...heightened by extremely nervous camerawork and editing, and a intentionally slightly erratic sound mix!"

With nothing better to do and being in need for money, Leah (Jennifer Mae) decides to become a cam girl. After all, she doesn't mind stripping down in front of strangers and masturbating, and is capable of handling dirty talk from faceless perverts with the necessary amount of charm. One thing she really wants to get out of this: Enough money for her girlfriend Alina (Victoria Fox) - yup, she's actually a lesbian - to fly over to her folks in Romania ... and she succeeds in that before too long. But once Alina's out of the country she continues camming - after all, it is easy money...

BB Movie Review - UK Horror Underground

"CJ Wallis presents us with one of the most challenging and honest portrayals of psychosis and paranoia in the internet age with its hypnotic repetition of sound and sight and relevant themes of connection in a forever evolving digital society, and outstanding lead performances, BB is a provocative, transgressive yet very accessible piece of cinema!"

BB (2016)

Starring Jennifer Mae, Elissa Wagner and Carlos Velarde

Written & Directed by CJ Wallis

“BB is the provocative story of a girl named Leah who, under the name “Candy Cummings”, performs strip shows online from her apartment for thousands of strangers per day, never fully knowing the extent of evils that will be watching on the other side of the screen”.

Shot with a hypnotic voyeurism set to a dizzying soundscape of dark pop, BB is an unexpectedly masterful surprise, a crushing and tense thriller about sex and obsession in the modern age. So singular in style and content, it’s Spring Breakers by way of Nicolas Roeg. Unlikely to get the wide release and recognition it deserves due to its graphic content, BB is something you should all seek out.

BB Movie Review - Mondo McLaren

"It is easy to say that BB is one of my favorite films of the year"

Expectation can be a very tricky thing, especially with movies and the internet. Rarely can films live up to their own hype, but when I see a film’s name popping up all over…my curiosity gets the best of me. Over the past month (or so) I have been seeing the name BB pop up on sites that I respect. I would quickly skim the reviews and could tell that this was a film for me. BB is a self financed movie from C.J. Wallis that is rough around the edges, but full of interesting choices that make for an excellent first feature.

BB Movie Review - Popcorn Horror

"BB is a striking visual collage that lets you pity and understand its complex characters."

A lot of films set out to make you feel queasy and leave you feeling just that. They forget however, to do it in a way that doesn’t just bring that nauseated feeling to table. They’re often gritty, woozy, all Dutch angles and over saturated colours for no reason but aesthetic. Occasionally that’s enough if it’s an especially great example of said aesthetic. Most of the time though, it just leaves you feeling like you’ve drunk a litre of over-flour-bulked milkshake followed by two litres of cola and it’s all curdled in your stomach (speaking from experience here). Great, you’ve made me feel a bit sick. And that’s it. Thanks for that.

Writer and Director CJ Wallis’ BB is one of those rarer films which is seedy, off-colour and often drunkenly shot, but does so with real intellect and meaning.

BB Movie Review - ScreamSirens

"The film was beyond impressive...BB is a twisted story of love and terror that digs to the core of what it means to expose your true self to the world!"

BB is a film drenched in fear. From falling in love to full exposure as a webcam girl, we witness a woman take risks, exploring trust in all form in the pursuit of an authentic life, but when all forms of trust are broken, BB leaves you free-falling, stomach in your throat, no solid ground in view.

Actor Jennifer Mae (Leah Lamont/Candy Cummings) immediately draws you in. She’s strong, yet vulnerable which is perfectly emphasized in her costume changes from real, to cam girl life. From the beginning, she is exposed. Her body, her love life and her sex life stand, uncovered to, many times, uncomfortable levels for the viewer.