The First Echo

While most women get criticized for their choices in Halloween attire (sexy kitten, sexy mouse, sexy Freddy Krueger, and this year's most basic, most predictable choice: the inherently sexy Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad), men tend to glide by without anyone batting a carefully applied fake eyelash. But men are just as guilty when it comes to picking a basic costume that they think will get them lucky when the night is over.

And after living through 14 Halloweens in Los Angeles and witnessing the parade of guys, both straight and gay, who strut their stuff on Santa Monica Boulevard on October 31, I have come to the conclusion that there are several costumes that need to be retired (10 in fact). The utter lack of creativity can be astounding sometimes, and someone needs to tell the men of America to step it up a notch in the Imagination Department.

These are the costumes that most guys have tried at least once in their lifetime, and they don't need be worn again. Ever. If you…

Coming-of-age stories usually come packaged in a nice bow, with hardships dealt and lessons learned within two hours of fairly painless storytelling. Those are the forgettable ones. But unforgettable coming-of-age stories, the ones that really stick with you, function on a more visceral, more resonant level, tapping into emotions and ideas that transcend the screen. Moonlight, from writer-director Barry Jenkins, is unforgettable...

Check out my full review of one 2016's best over at ScreenPicks.

What's that? You're hosting (or going to) a Halloween party? And you need music to pump up the festivities?

Well then, you've come to the right place.

However, my apologies if you're expecting "Monster Mash" or "Purple People Eater." If you're looking for those, there's a special episode of an 80s sitcom with your name on it.


@TheFirstEcho

Who knew I'd admire and cheer for a Republican this much?

Watch Ana Navarro, a GOP strategist and political pundit, take down Donald Trump after that Access Hollywood tape leaked this week, further incriminating him as a misogynist.

@ananavarro SHUTS IT DOWN. Mic Drop. #Trumphttps://t.co/I10xxizLMe — Hiko Mitsuzuka (@TheFirstEcho) October 8, 2016 @TheFirstEcho

Last weekend I took (ahem) a plunge.

I woke up early on a Sunday morning to drive to the Valley and join a bunch of people I had never met before...only to end up having a blast, surrounded by creative minds, and coming up with ridiculously fun things like this poster recreation of Overboard (above) in which I gave my best Kurt Russell.

Created by my screenwriter-playwright friend Erik Patterson, POSTERPALOOZA has become an annual tradition. (This is its fourth year.) 15 teams gather together in a park and are sent off on a mission -- to recreate as many movie posters as they can within 6 hours. Each team is given a list of 20 films, spread across 5 genres, to choose from.


Once all photos have been submitted to a panel of judges (in jpegs on a USB drive, natch), teams can take a break before everyone gathers at night for a party to watch a slideshow of all the entries and eat some grub. (This year we reconvened at The Smokehouse in Burbank -- my first time; must go back.) There, priz…