TV | Ali G: Rezurection | Pass-ish

Not great. Was actually looking forward to this, as Ali G is my favorite Cohen character. But it was mostly making fun of other people, which I don't find all that funny. Maybe it will get better.

Movie | Metropia | PASs

Really cool animation that somehow reminds me of the Anderson's Supermarionation combined with a "the world has gone to heck and we all live in a wasteland now but are trying to live normal, everyday lives but there's a secret plot against humanity going on" plot (think The Matrix without all of the flash). Well worth checking out if you like something a bit different.

TV | Mind Games | Pass

TV | Growing Up Fisher | Pass

Interesting that this follows About A Boy, because they have a similar feel. This one is a bit more original, but they both are worth checking out again.

TV | About A Boy | Pass

Watchable adaptation of the movie. I'm not so sure about the lead actor, but the rest of the cast is good and the production values are high. Definitely will watch more episodes.

Movie | The Castle | PASs

I could have sworn we'd seen this already. But, when we sat down to watch it I didn't recognize a thing. Utterly delightful and wonderfully entertaining. Has greyhounds in it!!!!

Movie | The Alligator People | Pass

Terror in the Bayou!

Movie | Skeletons | PASs

Movie | The Day of the Beast | PASS

I finally got around to watching this horror-comedy cult classic. It was great! Plenty violent...but some great humor somewhat reminiscent of Delicatessen, mixed with The Exorcist and The Evil Dead. Almost indescribable and a classic.

TV | Dark Rye | Pass

Movie | The Rise | PAss

Aka "Wasteland"...great cast, sharp production and a good thriller, if a tad slow. Well worth seeing!

Movie | The Horror Of It All | Pass

Silly horror-comedy that somehow was rather fun!

TV | Uncle | PASS

Clever. Basically, it's About A Boy (with a bit of Flight of the Conchords thrown in)...a slob learns to be a better adult from a kid. In this case it's his nephew. A simple, rather done premise sure. But well done, engrossing, entertaining and thus brilliant. Comparing a show like this to most US television shows is like comparing brie to spray cheese.

TV | House of Fools | Fail

Dopey.

Movie | Kumare | PASs

Marvelous. A real spiritual journey. Don't watch this if you don't enjoy thinking about the validity of your own beliefs/religion. For the rest us that do, this is brilliant stuff. Thanks for the recommendation, LaSiK!

Movie | Terms and Conditions May Apply | PAss

I continue on my movie mission to make myself as paranoid as possible.

TV | Cardinal Burns | Pass-ish

Sketch comedy that just didn't catch on with me.

Movie | Food Inc. | PAss

A real horror show.

TV | Inside No. 9 | PASS

 

I guess at some point this was called Sardines (Update: that's just the title of the first episode)? I only know it as Inside No. 9. Despite the presence of the always super Kathering Parkinson (The IT Crowd), there isn't a whole lot to like about this. It's all rather boring and nothing really happens. More of a character study than a comedy.

...until the last few seconds, when the whole thing blows up and redeems itself! It went from rather droll to awesome in a flash! Now I'm looking forward to the second episode and will update here.

Update: Holy Toledo episode number two was so great! Amazing, must-see adult television!

TV | The Neighbors | PAss

Rather clever, surprisingly. If you love the old SNL "Coneheads" shtick, this is for you. We actually liked it. The scripts are creative within the confines of the concept and the production is better than most of the other US sitcom trash. Is it great? No. Is it insulting to your intelligence? No.

Of course, it was cancelled before it finished the second season. Yippee.

Update: Turns out I was wrong, wrong, wrong! It happens some times. The show is not cancelled...yet. Between season one and two, there will have been 44 episodes. Zoinks! Those are real seasons! Season two will wrap up soon, then we'll see if the show has life. It's still on, so that's a good sign. But the ratings have not been good, so unless it moves to another (cable) network, it's most likely a goner.

TV | My Mad Fat Diary | PAss

Movie | Oldboy | PASS

Gruesome but absolutely brilliant.

Movie | The Incredible Burt Wonderstone | PAss

Predictable and surprisingly entertaining. There are no surprises. But it's not a bad way to spend 90 minutes of your life, the last 30 minutes actually delightful. A nice, light comedy. Warning to parents - there are some surprisingly gruesome scenes. We even flinched!

TV | The Big Bang Theory | Fail

Over the years, we've caught bits and pieces of this award-winning show and distinctly did'nt like it. But we know many rabid fans who've told us many times how hilarious this show is. Just fall down funny. Why didn't we like it? Maybe if we started at the beginning...

So in all fairness, we got the first season.

Hooboy. What a poorly done show. While I most likely couldn't do any better, I just could not see the appeal. The jokes are aimed at "nerds". Do people really think rattling off mathematical equations is really funny? I guarantee you they don't understand them and I get the feeling that they don't know what they're laughing at. Maybe it's nervousness..."Shouldn't I be laughing at this?". There's romance, but even those jokes fall completely flat.

The production level is extremely low, with the sets being clearly just that, the acting robotic and just phoned in and the scripts were elementary level stuff.

I suppose if you've been watching for years and you have an investment in the characters, though it's hard to imagine, it's conceivable that a person could like this show. Or more likely, they just don't have any other reference. And sooner or later, there have to be funny moments. But for a show so accomplished and celebrated...this is an inexcusable waste of brain cells and time.

Blech. Not for us and we won't be back to try (yet) again. You can keep your witty and (not) hilarious "Bazinga!".

TV | My Family | Fail

Didn't like it. This Britcom fell flat with us.

Movie | World War Z | PASs

I was no fan of Max Brooks' book. He's a fine writer, but the format (short snippets that weren't connected, but told the bigger story) drove me nuts. And so, with very little expectations, the movie adaptation was...fantastic! A fabulous entry to the zombie genre.

I was also very impressed with the effort that went into making it PG-13. But make no mistake, if I were a parent and had children, I'd consider this Rated R. Just because you don't see the violence in grisly detail, doesn't mean it isn't very present.

If I were to nitpick, which I'm loathe to do, I'd say this movie was a bit...antiseptic and possibly a bit bland. But really, that's ridiculous. This is a must see if you like the genre, with great FX and a superb soundtrack. Great stuff!

Movie | Homicidal | PAss

Another fun William Castle flick! This time, the gimmick is a "fright break clock".

Movie | Last Vegas | Pass-ish

Though it's not unlikeable, this is a complete waste of time and talent. And the script was terrible.

Movie | Enough Said | PAss

A nice change of pace. Wonderful acting.

TV | Rectify | PAss

Spookily slow. Elements reminded me of one of the best television shows ever, Life. Well done and you spend most moments on the edge of your seat waiting for something really bad to happen.

Movie | A Good Day To Die | PASs

Documents the modern American Indian's struggles and the some small success they've had reclaiming their heritage. Absolutely devastating what was done to them and we're all interlopers on their land. I've always been supportive of any retributions that should be made to them, especially free education. We annihilated their people and then made sure they stayed that way by forcing them to live in slums. I've even been accosted in the grocery store over a t-shirt I was wearing that supported the Indian nations, so this crap still goes on today. Brutal.

It's interesting how many examples of this sort of horrific thing exist in recent modern history. What is it with mankind that they have any desire to do such a thing?

But this was an excellent documentary (that has nothing to do with stupid Bruce Willis franchise) that details how AIM was formed and where the founding members are today. Great warriors, all.

TV | HitRECord on TV | Fail/PASs

High fallutin', artsy-fartsy, practically nonexistant cable television show that appears to be a pet project for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is so smug that it's irritating. But just like all really out there art shows, there's a lot of creativity going on and I've just got to applaud the hutzpah. The show ranges from poetry to interviews with interesting people. At best, it's brilliant. At worst, it's like Chinese water torture. If you're a creative person, I'd say this is a must see (really). All others need not apply.

But I still want to slap Gordon-Levitt.

Movie | Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again | PAss

I haven't seen this in 30 years and it came up in conversation the other day. So I decided to see it again. As childish, ridiculous and just as much fun as I remember it. If you like the sight gags and adult jokes in Airplane, this is a must see.

Movie | The Karate Killers | Pass

Kooky 60s fun, a la "The Man From U.N.C.L.E."