?

Log in

LurkerWithout
10 July 2017 @ 11:21 pm
From Dusk 'Till Dawn s.1:  I only watched the first three episodes and then the series finale.  And it was very much not good.  Even on a specialty tier network like El Ray I can't believe it got three seasons.  Making Richie Gecko's psychotic delusions actual psychic visions was..almost clever though.  And his actor was a step up from Tarantino.

Chewing Gum s.2:  I liked and even empathized with most of the characters in the first season.  This time around, I mostly just found them selfish and irritating.  Until the end when again they become more sympathetic again.

Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King:  Comedy special for Minhaj, who is a writer for the Daily Show.  Funny and good, but not great.  I liked the stuff from his childhood with his immigrant little sister the best probably.

Girlboss s.1:  I went looking for reviews after I finished and maaaaaan did a lot of reviewers hate this.  I wouldn't call it A-level television, but the actors were good, the overall story arc was interesting and it was often amusing at least.  Plus it has Hutch from the Middle.

 
 
Current Mood: tiredtired
 
 
LurkerWithout
26 June 2017 @ 11:41 pm
Haven s.1: Sort of based on one of King's novellas, though there are a couple call-outs that put the show somewhere in the King multiversal-canon.  Good but not great, with the X-Files-ish mix of "monster" of the week vs. over-reaching story arc episodes.  In this case the "monsters" are the "Troubled", or waves of pyschic power manifestations every generation.

GLOW s.1:  Dramedy based on the Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling show from the 80s.  Great work from the leads Allsion Brie, Betty Gilpin and Marc Maron; though all the supporting cast are terrific.

 
 
LurkerWithout
19 June 2017 @ 11:26 pm
Fleabag s.1.  Phoebe Waller-Bridge's lead veers along from sympathetically tragic to frustratingly self-destructive.  And Waller-Bridge is charming enough to keep things just teetering on the more positive take.

F is For Family. s.2.  Opens with Frank still unemployed and the family dependent on wife Sue's not-Tupperware sales job.  Bill Burr and Laura Dern really sell the anger and love of the married couple and their hopes and crushing disappointments.  The characters and story arcs of the kids are good, but not as great.  As for the supporting cast stand-outs are Sam Rockwell as coked-up radio station manager Vic, T.J Miller's newspaper delivery middleman Randy and David Koechner adding more depth to the previous season's airline middle management Bob Pogo.

 
 
Current Mood: calmcalm
 
 
LurkerWithout
22 May 2017 @ 11:54 pm
Maria Bamford: Old Baby: Bamford's comedy special is as odd and funny as her sitcom.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt s.3  Kimmy goes to college!  Titus returns from his cruise!  Lillian runs for office!  Jacqueline (sigh) fights the Redskins ownership!

Tracy Morgan: Staying Alive:  Morgan's first show following his near fatal accident.

MST3K: Carnival Magic:  Oh man was this dull.  Its almost impressive how boring someone can make a movie featuring a talking chimp at a carnival be.

 
 
Current Mood: goodgood
 
 
LurkerWithout
01 May 2017 @ 07:09 pm
Breaking Bad s.5:  There was a bit of a slog early on, basically when Walt's ego and pettiness get too irritating.  But man, those last four episodes.  Brutal.
Catastrophe s.3:  I'd planned on stretching this out for the whole weekend, but then I just couldn't wait to see where things were going to go.  Rob and Sharon are such broken, wonderful, vulgar, hilarious characters.  Plus Carrie Fisher returning as Rob's mom in the last episode.

 
 
Current Mood: awakeawake
 
 
 
LurkerWithout
24 April 2017 @ 11:35 pm
Mostly more of the MST3K relaunch.

MST3K: the Time Travellers
MST3K: Avalanche: Avaaaaaaaaaalanche
MST3K: the Beast of Hollow Mountain: Dullest cowboy vs. dinosaur movie ever.
MST3K: Starcrash
Chewing Gum: British comedy, so only 6-episode season. 20-something poor black woman and sex, drugs and family.
MST3K: the Land That Time Forgot: Before we even get to the dinosaurs (which of the three dino-themed movies so far, actually look the best) we have a U-Boat torpedo a ship. The survivors of that ship (including the token American hero and lady love interest/biologist) then capture the U-boat. Then the Germans take it back. Then by the time we get to the lost continent the Allied side is back in charge with no explanation.
 
 
Current Mood: hungryhungry
 
 
LurkerWithout
17 April 2017 @ 06:58 pm
Documentary Now: S2. I generally haven't seen the original docs they're parodying, but there send up of "The Kid Stays in the Picture" is just fucking perfect in every way.
Pacific Heat: This was a poor choice. Like Archer if it wasn't funny and was poorly drawn and was Australian and just suuuuuuuuucked.
Captain Fantastic: If I could be anyone as a quasi-cultish off-the-grid dad attempting to raise a little army of "ideal" people its Viggo Mortensen. Also that attempting to raise a family totally off-the-grid is just not the best idea.
MST3K: S11 - "Reptilicus" & "Cry Wilderness". Only two episodes in, but so far I think the jokes were a little bit better for the 2nd (though the fx in the first really is just laughably bad).
 
 
Current Mood: hungryhungry
 
 
LurkerWithout
30 December 2016 @ 08:09 am
 
 
Current Mood: fullfull
 
 
LurkerWithout
29 August 2016 @ 05:29 pm
Tags: ,
 
 
Current Mood: sadsad
 
 
LurkerWithout
20 July 2016 @ 11:12 pm
Movie was funny and clever and the Ghostbuster ladies were all great.  Though tumblr is very right in that Holtzman is the best.  And I liked the original cast cameos, though I think Akroyd got the best scene.  And the ghosts looked good plus somewhat creepy and the climatic action scene was very baller.  Though the economics of their funding and the whole walking around with portable nucleur reactors was very much hand-wavey.
 
 
Current Mood: pleasedpleased
 
 
 
LurkerWithout
20 April 2016 @ 10:06 pm
Melissa McCarthy is always entertaining, but I'd say this movie falls in the lower ranks of her movies.  Alongside Identity Thief or maybe Tammy (which I haven't seen).  Dinklage is also amusing as her obsessed, weirdo ex.  But the movie is more a sequence of amusing scenes rather than a comedic story as a whole.  The faux-Girl Scout vs. other faux-Girl Scout battle royale actually doesn't hold up as well as it did in the trailers.
Tags: ,
 
 
Current Mood: tiredtired
 
 
LurkerWithout
30 July 2015 @ 04:42 pm
The Amy Schumer written, Judd Apatow directed comedy doesn't have the satirical bite that the best bits of her show do.  But its still a damn funny movie.  Colin Quinn is perfect as her ailing father.  Especially in the opening when he's attempting to explain his divorce to who his two daughters using their dolls as a metaphor for his philandering ways.  And while John Cena is no Dwayne Johnson, he's surprisingly good as Amy's sort-of-sometimes boyfriend.  Also surprisingly effective, LaBron James as himself.  Even If I did wonder a bit why he seemed to be in NYC so often...
Tags: ,
 
 
Current Mood: hungryhungry
 
 
LurkerWithout
12 June 2015 @ 06:06 pm
Spy  
Director Paul Feig and star Melissa McCarthy pretty well knock this espionage/comedy out of the park. Ably assisted by the dead pan snark of Allison Janney, Jason Statham's over-the-top extreme action-ness and scrumptious sidekick-ery of Miranda Hart. Rarely has a dude's throat melting away from poison been used to such great comedic effect...
 
 
Current Mood: hungryhungry
 
 
LurkerWithout
30 January 2015 @ 07:05 pm
Michael Keaton as the over-the-hill action star looking to reinvent his career and Norton as the prima donna (danna?) theater star both are pretty killer.  I'm not sure on the has psychic powers/just part of his crazy thing.  But I did really like the whole single tracking shot trick they do.  Oh and Emma Stone gets a couple choice scenes as well...
 
 
Current Mood: awakeawake
 
 
LurkerWithout
28 October 2014 @ 10:37 pm
Bad Words: Jason Bateman's movie about an adult who uses a loophole to get into the National Spelling Bee competition for reasons.  Which  wobbles all over the place between treating its characters as sociopaths or woobies in need of a hug.  Some funny scenes but honestly adult who plays cruel head games with children doesn't work for me...

Only Lovers Left Alive: Jim Jarmusch directs Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton as melancholy vampires was a very easy sell.  Slow-paced but clever.  Doesn't try to reinvent the cinematic vampire concept and doesn't need to...

Detention of the Dead: On the other hand this last movie probably could have done with ditching of its sub-genres cliches.  Or at least done a better job of lampshading them...
 
 
Current Mood: tiredtired
 
 
 
LurkerWithout
10 June 2014 @ 09:04 pm
Mud: Matthew McConnaughey really excells at playing Southern weirdos.  Here he's an on-the-run dude living on a sandbar after killing the son of a local Big Shot.  And gets two teens to help him restore a boat and play messenger to his girlfriend.  Lot of good work from the whole cast outside of McConnaughey actually...

In a World:  Can the daughter of one of Voice Over's great voices break thru the Boy's Club of voice over-ing and bring back the "In a World" for movie trailers?  A cute and amusing relationship comedy, lifted a bit above the run of the mill by its gimmick...

Frozen:  An enjoyable, if middle of the pack, Disney movie.  Only two really memorable songs, "Let It Go" and the Troll-matchmaking song.  Though both those were very good.  Good voice-acting all around though the story was a bit thin.  Plus the whole "You, new boyfriend!  Be in charge while I go get my sister back" bit was just so dumb.  Yes it furthers the story for whats his face.  But Queen Elsa has been Queen for like a couple hours.  And their parents had died three years earlier.  Which means their regent had to have been standing like right fucking there.  Enh, that part just really bugs me...
 
 
Current Mood: goodgood
 
 
LurkerWithout
05 May 2014 @ 06:20 pm
Fruitvale Station: A last day in the life of Oscar Grant who was murdered by over-reacting transit police. Powerful stuff, especially by lead Michael B. Jordan...

We're the Millers: Some genuinely funny bits scattered through out and Jennifer Aniston's machine shop/stripper scene is both hot and has a funny payoff.  But a bit too long and unfocused...

Vamps: I like several of the actors in this but it really has no damn idea what to do with its concept of vampires in the modern world.  Gave up on it probably about a 1/4 of the way in...
 
 
Current Mood: fullfull
 
 
LurkerWithout
06 April 2014 @ 08:34 pm
Seemed a bit more violent at times then is normal for a Wes Anderson movie.  I mean a cat gets defenstrated.  A woman's head ends up in a basket.  Some fingers are violently removed.  Not that his previous movies were non-violent or anything.  This one just seemed darker somehow.  An interesting framing device is used as well, where the movie is a book being read by a woman that is narrated by the author from a story he learned from an old man who was relating the tale of his youth.  Its like four layers of story or something.  About a hotel conceirage framed for murdering one of his various wealthy old lady lovers.  Set in not really WW2 Germany.  Basically Madeupastan in Europe.  Clever and darkly funny like most of Anderson's movies.  Jeff Goldblum and Ralph Fiennes make nice additions to the regular cast of Anderson actors also...
Tags: ,
 
 
Current Mood: fullfull
 
 
LurkerWithout
10 February 2014 @ 09:13 pm
Silver Linings Playbook:  Its like Benny & Joon but with grief induced bisexuality and compulsive sports betting.  Also I did not recognize Chris Tucker throughout most of this movie...

After Earth:  The roommate refused to give up the remote or to not finish watching this.  For that he will be forever damned.  Just SO MUCH incompetent storytelling going on during this movie...

Ella Enchanted: Cary Elwes makes for a great evil king.  He should get a part in another Robin Hood movie as Prince John.  The rest of the movie is occasionally a little to cute but otherwise pretty good.  Also a "good" Fairy who gives the "gift" of Total Obedience to their charge is in need of many punches to the face...
 
 
Current Mood: fullfull
 
 
LurkerWithout
27 December 2013 @ 07:10 pm
The Croods: This charming and funny movie about a "caveman" family in a hyper deadly world  deserved more attention than it got...

Kings of Summer: Not quite as good as the indy-darling hype would make it seem, but still quite good.  Nick Offerman is definitely a high point in it.  And the teenagers, even when showing how clever they are, remind you that teenagers are idiots and we were all lucky to survive that period...

Much Ado About Nothing (Whedon): I do love watching a well-crafted Shakespeare play even if I tend to get lost in the larger casts.  But all in all great work from Whedon and various of his actor pals...
 
 
Current Mood: tiredtired
 
 
 
LurkerWithout
19 December 2013 @ 04:40 pm
So I guess I can add Selling Bastard Children For A Profit to Horrible Crap Done by the Catholic Church.  I mean yeesh.  Anyway the lighter more humourous bits come from watching Judi Dench swear with an Irish accent or describe the entire plot of a romance novel...
Tags: ,
 
 
Current Mood: hungryhungry
 
 
LurkerWithout
09 August 2013 @ 06:31 pm
The Campaign: Beyond Will Ferrel punching a baby I wasn't expecting to find this funny. But it was and touching at times. I was honestly pleasantly surprised by this. Plus Will Ferrel does punch a baby. Also a puppy...

The Long Good Friday: Bob Hoskins is a London crime boss having a weekend party to convince some American investors to help him with his big, legitimate real estate project. And then someone starts killing his people and blowing up his stuff...

Salmon Fishing in Yemen: The title kind of sums it up. Yemen royal wants to build up a river and then stock it with salmon. Quietly funny with lots of great acting work...

Frankenweenie: Boy loves dog. Boy loses dog. Boy plays God in violation of all natural law and gets back dog. Later more dead pet related mayhem...

The Bourne Legacy: Doesn't really bring anything new, but I like seeing Renner as an action super-spy. Makes me think a Hawkeye movie is possible. And remembering Renner from the Unusuals makes me think a Fraction version Hawkeye movie is possible...

The Devil's Double: Based on the true story of Uday Hussein's body double. Reminded me a lot of the Last King of Scotland, as again you've got a basically decent person who gets shackled into the life of sociopathic monster...
 
 
Current Mood: hungryhungry
 
 
LurkerWithout
10 July 2013 @ 10:39 pm
Bullock and McCarthy make for a pretty great odd-couple/buddy cops.  The whole movie is pretty funny.  Plus it has an albino.  I mean, I'm pretty sure I recognized the actor so it wasn't a REAL albino.  But still.  Albino!
 
 
Current Mood: goodgood
 
 
LurkerWithout
12 June 2013 @ 10:31 pm
Crude and violent and funny.  The Apatow crowd of actors playing themselves as the world ends.  Plus since Danny McBride is playing himself, this confirms that I hate Danny McBride and not Characters Played by McBride.  Anyways, a movie about the Rapture that even an atheist can enjoy...
 
 
Current Mood: goodgood
 
 
LurkerWithout
06 May 2013 @ 03:27 pm
Even in this early work, the Sorkin writing tics can still be seen.  A Stand On Principle, Smartest Guy in the Room, Walking and Talking and so on.  I'd put it at mid-range for him.  Above Studio 60 or the Newsroom, but below An American President or the West Wing.  Which makes me think Sorkin is better at writing idealistic politics than television about television.  Also what was up with doing a Celebrity Athlete Rapist story and then dropping it after like an episode and a half?
 
 
Current Mood: thoughtfulthoughtful