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Reviews
The Office: The Negotiation (2007)
Andy Bernard is poison
I really liked this episode. It was great but it was torpedoed at the end with the return of Andy. I wish I could pepper spray this character.
I hate Andy Bernard. He ruins every scene and makes every episode he is in worse. I love the office but if Andy Bernard just ceased to exist as a character the whole series would be improved a thousand fold. Goddamn banjos and singing and just all around irritating garbage. Name something Andy Bernard has done that is funny or has made any episode better. Not possible. He's the worst. I'd rather eat a thousand nickels than watch Ed helms ruin another office episode. It's almost like an unnecessary surgery that I'm forced to watch being performed. Andy Bernard is both the rusty scalpel cutting me open and the junior mint giving me sepsis. I hate you, Andy.
King of the Hill: You Gotta Believe (In Moderation) (2006)
Beginning of the down slide
I love this show. After watching it several times through I think this is the beginning of the decline that inevitably comes to all good shows. Starting to rely on guest voices and just running out of realistic story lines. A few episodes later the American chopper guys show up. Then Lucky becomes a regular character.
At some point the wave crests and starts to fall back. It's still good but not the best of king of the hill.
American Dad!: Spelling Bee My Baby (2013)
The fans are right
What a show. American Dad is what Family Guy was For the early best part of it I think. I've seen lots of reviews saying that AD was better and now that I've watched most of it I can see why. It's a little different vibe but apparently not as much input by Seth or so I've read.
This was a pretty good episode but when Francine grabbed an excited Steve I had a real laugh out loud. Then they follow it up with a spanking episode? Good stuff. Highly recommend.
Night on Earth (2020)
Really enjoyable to see. I liked the narrator.
Thought this was a well done nature show. Kept my interest all the way through, great visuals and I didn't notice the narration as distracting which sometimes is an issue. They can't all be done by Attenborough. Don't let great be the enemy of good.
Family Guy: Seahorse Seashell Party (2011)
An animated version of a thanksgiving dinner where everyone gets too drunk
This was way more in depth soul searching and angry accusations than I like in my animated comedies.
There were a few good bits but Meg fighting back and doling our the truth went on way too long. If Meg had a backbone why just pull it out now?
My favourite joke was Brian drinking loudly in the background during the start of the family feud. Probably not as good for people who don't have a dog who drinks very loudly and takes forever doing it.
At least they got back to comedy after this with an episode about Quagmire's sister being violently abused.
King of the Hill: Sug Night (2002)
Great example of fresh early season story with prime jokes
I like this episode because I think it has a good mix of the early seasons (1-4) style and the following seasons of pre-guest voice heavy episodes.
Hank is horrified at something barely sexual but then goes quite beyond what I thought hanks limits were to show Peggy she's still #2 after propane. That's a lame joke but it does make more sense with the eventual reveal of the cause.
Basically I think this is a good one to show people who don't like or haven't watched king of the hill. Lots of jokes along the way, lots of hank with just enough Peggy and also the best looking tan lines in Texas.
Rio Bravo (1959)
Wayne does the right thing
Damn do I ever love this movie. It's John Wayne doing what's right no matter the consequences, backed up by the few men who believe in the same thing. Angie Dickinson is as beautiful as a woman can be and the only thing standing between them is the eras censors. Not only that she's tough and independent. I watch this movie when I want to see how a man should act. They made it three times so it's gotta be good. Thank you, all involved.
A much better review is BrandtSponseller. That's what I mean but can't say. Especially the staging/blocking comment.
My Cousin Vinny (1992)
Well done, especially the casting
A really well-casted, funny but not trying too hard to be funny comedy which I think puts Pesci in his best type of role that doesn't involve a pen. The pacing is good, never really bogging down as some movies do (though that's my own pet peeve and might not be as important to others) which is important for this kind of story that has a serious courtroom thing done for laughs.
The best part, though? Marisa Tomei in those clothes with that accent. I would watch a two hour vacuum commercial if she was in it playing this character. Might buy two.
King of the Hill: Dale to the Chief (2005)
Pretty funny exaggeration of government inefficiency and ineptitude
When Dale's long-held beliefs are challenged he abandons his conspiracies and mistrust of government. At the same time, Hank becomes a victim of excessive red tape and "cover your ass" government types when he gets a new drivers licence that lists him as female.
It's a good way to have Hank's trust and Dale's mistrust of government flipped for some good jokes. This is a cartoon, it's not meant to be accurate to real life. It shows an extreme and unlikely situation to produce laughs and does a good job of it. The government employees trained not to think are pretty accurate to experiences of almost anyone who's had to deal with that particular variety of garbage.
By season 9 it's tough to have new and thought-provoking episodes. They did a good job with this one.
Ridiculousness (2011)
If you like Tosh.0 but don't like Tosh
It's a show with internet videos. Some people like Tosh and some people prefer Dyrdek and his cohosts plus a guest sometimes. Call it a rip off but is every cop or detective show a rip off of the first cop show and therefore no good or is it just a type of show now?
I personally can't put up with too much of Tosh and prefer Rob, Sterling, and Chanel. Sterling points out the funny background stuff and Chanel is hot and laughs a lot (if you get mad at pretty women laughing funny you're worried about the wrong thing). The best are when it's just the three of them. They have guests who are good maybe 1/3 of the time and the rest are stiffs but it doesn't make a huge difference.
What else do you want when you're hanging out watching stupid stuff?
If you prefer Tosh, watch that. If you think the whole thing is stupid, just don't watch.
To me this is great to put on in the background when you're having drinks with friends or if you just want some cheap, dumb laughs at the expense of idiots.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: The Last One (2003)
The last one
This episode has all the "villains" gathering to plot a screw-based hit job on the fast food things. It's worth it just to see all the idiotic foes all together and interacting. They usually only deal with the aqua teens so this was a nice chance to see how they all get along.
Other than that it's a relatively very good episode. Features lots of mooninites throughout too.
M'entends-tu ? (2018)
Excellent dramatic show with humour
Really enjoyed this. It focuses on three friends in Montréal, all of whom are well-acted and have great chemistry together. The topics are serious and the women are in a fight against their circumstances but humour comes from that and their love and support for each other.
Don't be scared of subtitles, I used them as my French is only junior high level and a long time ago but it is well worth it. It made me wish I had spent more time learning the language.
A must watch for all Canadians especially but everyone else, too. Can't wait to see season 2.
After Life (2019)
Funny and also meaningful
Gervais has a great way to show his humour in this show but he also gets to some really deep emotional places. His pain feels real, not like a comedian acting but really honest emotion coming through. The way the grief hits him all at once and when he's trying to bottle it down resonates.
Lots of great supporting actors, too. The greasy therapist and his coworkers all are great. I would recommend this show to anyone. The only tiny little thing I wish they had done was just leave out the score. The music, whatever. It plays best without it in my opinion.
Longmire: High Noon (2015)
Good enough but a bit confused
I enjoyed the episode for the most part. Resolution and lots of tense scenes. And I know it's a drama and the fun isn't in plot soundness but I thought this was missing a bit of logic.
Why kill Walt's wife if she was dying of cancer anyway? And soon, as was mentioned.
If Connally pulled out a gun he's not "defenceless" he's pointing a gun at a sheriff who has no idea it's not loaded. And then Walt grabs the gun. I guess he could've had a round that he was going to get around to.
Then Connally goes out and stabs himself with his knife. Again to frame Walt. So what does Walt do? Grab the bloody knife for no good reason other than getting his prints all over the fresh blood.
I hope Walt just buries him in the woods so this is all moot.
Good times regardless but perhaps ol Longmire was just not thinking since he was so blind with rage finding the man behind his wife's murder.
Longmire (2012)
Entertaining if not overly realistic
This is a fun show in a less than common setting. Sure, not every scene or storyline is realistic but for the most part they keep it on the right side of plausible.
Taylor fits the role of Walt well enough (as far as how I pictured him from reading the books) and I almost never hear his Australian peek through the American accent, which must be tough.
The real stars of the show are Sackhoff as Vic and Lou Diamond Phillips as Henry. Phillips doesn't have the physical stature of the Henry from the novels but, despite my concern it would change the character, he nails it and shows why he's been around so long.
The scenery is another star. New Mexico stands in for Wyoming and the wide open spaces and big sky are put on good display here. I've never been to either place but regardless of accuracy it is a fine backdrop for this country cowboy cop action/drama.
I quite liked the look at the Native American viewpoint on some issues that don't get much attention. The Cheyenne are an honourable and proud nation and while I'm sure it's not all accurate the show doesn't just use the res and the native people as props like some shows I've seen.
A lot of strong guest actors both recurring and episode-specific appear and really improve a lot of the stories. I liked Zhan McClarnon as Mathias the chief of the Tribal Police and Graham Greene, the Canadian legend, appears in several episodes a few seasons in and is excellent as always.
Trailer Park Boys: Mr. Lahey's Got My Porno Tape! (2001)
A purely beautiful and representative TPB
This is a top end episode. The whole first season is the best version of the show in my opinion. But this has it all. I'm drunk and high and I ate chicken fingers tonight so I know what I'm taking about. This is the one you'd show your friend who doesn't know the show and then you'd go back and show the rest. This is the zenith. There is nothing else to explain, there is no plot to break down. I'm getting more chicken fingers and Alberta premium.
Joe Pera Talks with You: Joe Pera Answers Your Questions about Cold Weather Sports (2018)
Joe starts seeing clearly again
Interspersed with some fever dreams about Sarah, Joe gets great answers from some of his students during a few impromptu interviews. He gets some better advice from his nonna and does what I, and I'm sure most people, wanted him to finally do. Joe ends his eye training exercise and finally sees Sarah and her basement and what he should do. The second half of the show was like the dream date I never had. An excellent episode and the one that got me hooked on this show. My favourite line: "like an old woman who was made into a young woman in the best possible way"
Sick Note (2017)
If you're a big fan of the actors, sure.
Otherwise this is just too busy and disorganized to be a really enjoyable show. Ridiculous plot devices spring out of nowhere to save the day almost endlessly and the characters are all fairly one-note. I know it's a comedy but what laughs there are seem aimed at those who think someone wetting themselves is the height of hilarity. What good could have come from replacing a brutally overacting Don Johnson with a wooden Lindsay Lohan who seems to be rushing through her lines as quickly as possible (were they trying to one-up their own casting of a talentless, washed up former American "star")? Becca and the woman who plays Ash's wife are both easy to look at but are stuck in roles as a tramp and a dimwit, respectively. They deserved better, as did Nick Frost. Speaking of Frost's character - could you beat me over the head with more Harry Potter references? I don't know the movies so I probably missed half as many but I know shameless pandering when I see it.