Showing posts with label Garrett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Garrett. Show all posts
Monday, September 14, 2009
The Good, The Bland, And The Ugly
Back by I'm not going to lie, this week's Cast is NSFH. What is NSFH? Well, you've heard of NSFW, not safe for work, NSFH is not safe for humanity. We, uh, we might have gone a bit overboard with the swearing. Seriously folks, if you think this week's podcast is bad--just imagine the stuff we cut.
Marvel: as Billy gets his hate on Up.
Behold: as Garrett talks about a movie he's never seen(try to guess which one!).
Astonish: as Jim becomes the angriest G.I. Joe fan ever.
Read more...
Sunday, April 19, 2009
That's a Wrap! Podcast!
After a lengthy break, the That's a Wrap! Podcast returns. Yes, we were very broken up over the loss of Battlestar Galactica, though judging by the massive THREE downloads our BSG retrospective received most of our followers were not.But fear not, because this week your intrepid TAW! editors take a look into this summer in movies!
We promise that there is very little speak of killer robots.
Click the link to download the summer movie special:Sorry, Joel Edition! (1:18:29)
Read more...
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Dradis Contact! TAW! Podcast
Battlestar week(And Battlestar Galactica itself) has sadly come to a close. But don't fret, we've got you covered. Check out the totally awesome Battlestar Galactica themed That's A Wrap! Podcast. It should go without saying that if you have not watched the BSG finale, you should steer away from this week's show. Don't worry, it'll be here when you've finished. And if you haven't seen any of the series, what the hell are you waiting for? Buy/rent that jam, yo.Hit the jump for the link to the show!
BSG Special: Dradis Contact!(00:59:23)
Read more...
Thursday, March 19, 2009
But Is It Classy?
The Office: New BossSeason 5, Episode 20
So it is an hour after I finished watching 'The Office' and I am kind of afraid how to tackle this week. There are spoilers galore of what's in store for the rest of the season all over the Internet. So if you want to know, go to Wikipedia and you will most likely see what you need to. In this review It's time for me to just go off on what's been missing in this season.I don't know what it is, but the charm for me is starting to dwindle. Early in the season, when we had the romance with Holly, it was cute. It was almost the romantic tension that we had from Pam and Jim in previous seasons that kept the seams of 'The Office' from bursting out of Michael Scott's pompous suit jacket. Since the Super Bowl episode, it's almost as if the writers don't care what they put on the table. As if they are trying to keep everything in a stand still until, BOOM, something mind blowing for a season finale happens to keep the viewers palate at least a bit moist for the next season.
New Boss was exactly what the title is, a new leader. Not in a sense of the new Northwest Region Vice President of Dunder Mifflin (Idris Elba), but rather a leader of where they want the audience to focus on. I can't help but feel like the supporting cast in the rest of the season will become nonexistent to the story lines. When Michael uttered the last nine lines of this episode, it was curtains to all other story lines.
I would hope this is not the case, as I like the tension that could continue between the new boss and Jim. The conversation he has in the conference room with Jim was very real. Everyone has a story about starting a new job or getting a new boss being taken down a peg. If the awkwardness continues, it could make for an interesting plot set up for Jim and Pam to walk down the aisle.
The show ends. Michael did what he did. Like a little baby. But like I said in the beginning, check the websites and you can basically see what's going on. I don't want to write it since I have been chastised for spoiling on previous posts (SO SORRY NO NAMED DUDE!). I might like the episode a little more if I rewatch it tomorrow. I almost feel like I should have written this tomorrow, but umpire duties call. On that note...
STRIKE THREE MICHAEL'S OUT!
Read more...
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
That's a Wrap! Top Nine
Welcome to the That's a Wrap! TAWp Nine, where your faithful and intrepid That's a Wrap editors pick their top three favorite titles in a selected category. Together the picks combine to create VOLTRON! Well, ok, not quite as cool as robotic kitties of doom, but it's close. We combine the lists to form one super cool list of nine things that we really like.Given that this is Battlestar Galactica Week here, we thought it appropriate to show off our top scifi television shows. Of course, BSG itself and Lost are ineligible until they actually complete their runs. Don't feel bad though. We promise BSG isn't lonely here at TAW! this week... and someday Lost will get a week of their own. But for now, read on... if you dare...
3. Jim - Firefly (2002)
Some things aren't meant to last. Especially if the marketing and distribution for said thing is being handled by the morons at Fox. But this show was right up my alley from the word go. I love science fiction. I love westerns. Both are inundated with very basic ideas of a group being out on their own on the fringe of things with nothing to rely on but each other and their ship/horse. I mean there was a reason Gene Roddenberry first referred to Star Trek as "Wagon Train to the stars."
Perhaps because of its short run, I'm more protective of this show than Joss Whedon's other efforts. I fell in love with the entire cast in the first week (which thanks to Fox was actually the second chronological episode) and have always found the two-part premiere (which Fox showed last, after the show was canceled) one of the best pilots in the last decade and an excellent way to introduce the show to friends and family. And of course, this is the show that first showed many of us the utter cool that is Nathan Fillion... can't let that go unmentioned.
3. Garrett - Quantum Leap (1989-1993)
NBC's late-80's and early-90's foray into Quantum physics, Scott Bakula portrayed Dr. Sam Beckett who can time travel into different times throughout the course of his life, but into other people's bodies. Some of my favorite episodes included the one where he was Dr. Ruth, and of course the Leap Home. I have to laugh that the show starts in the year 1999 and he never leaps into the years 1993-1999 due to the fact that writers obviously had no clue how to tackle the future. Quantum Leap lasted only 97 episodes which is a good run for a sci-fi show. I guess all I have left to say is 'Oh, Boy!'
3. Billy - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
It might not be as coherent or good as Babylon 5 but it doesn't have to be. Comparisons to the two series were inevitable - both were set on space stations, both dealt with arc-based story telling, hell, both even had a story about alien xenophobia resulting in someone being branded on the head. Bizarre similarities aside, Deep Space Nine (executive produced by modern Battlestar Galactica creator Ron Moore) offered the kind of thought provoking story lines that we saw in Star Trek: The Next Generation, but with darker plots and deeper characters. You know it's not your dad's Star Trek when the main character hates Jean-Luc Picard and punches Q right in the kisser when they first meet.
But that's not what made DS9 great. No, DS9 took everything that was great about Star Trek and amplified it. We had real villians, who we got to know fairly well. Some complained that it was Star Trek without the ... ya know...star trekking, but the show was fine without planet hopping. Of course, when the producers introduced the Defiant it got even better. With the Defiant we could jump to other worlds whenever the show needed. Plus we got to see the most thrilling Trek space battles ever created.
At the very least there were no Borg episodes. Those were Star Trek Voyager's dead horse to beat.
2. Jim - Justice League/Justice League Unlimited (2001-2004)
There have been few times I've been more comfortable waving my DC fanboy banner than when this show was on. Evolving out of the Batman and Superman animated series of the time, this show helped make Hawkgirl and the John Stewart Green Lantern household names and had a big advantage over the earlier shows. While it's always fun to watch Batman being Batman and Superman being Jesus Christ reborn, its the different pair and team-dynamics that the larger roster allowed that helped improve and diversify the stories week after week.
It had been years since Marvel's X-Men series of the early 1990s went off the air. Since then there hasn't been a superhero team-based show to come close to JL/U. The more mature, multi-episode storytelling on the show makes it just as accessible to an adult audience as children... a necessary ingredient in any cartoon enduring. It's the main reason I cherish those Justice League DVDs and revisit them just about every year.
2. Garrett - Alf (1986-1990)
A sci-fi sitcom. Now there's a recipe you don't hear often. Another late-80's NBC show which became one of it's top programs. ALF (aka Gordon Schumway) has escaped from his planet Melmac which has been destroyed. Gordon has gotten lost in the universe and finally was stranded on planet Earth. He crashes into the garage of the Tanner family and comedy ensues. Most episodes involve ALF eating the Tanner's out of house and home and trying to hide from people coming to the door. ALF had a solid four year run, but oddly the show was left with a cliffhanger. A made-for-TV movie, Project ALF was made a few years after the show's run to try and tie the loose ends of the finale together, but it wasn't the same since the Tanner family was not in the film. Paul Fusco, the shows creator and voice behind ALF, still brings our furry alien out on occasion to make a quick buck so our love for this long nosed creature probably won't die.
2. Billy - Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007)
Never has a mediocre film produced such a fine television series (sorry, Jim, I still won't watch Friday Night Lights). Stargate (the film), bought to us by the auteur behind Independence Day, was an OK movie with plenty of potential that was just wasted. Thankfully, SG-1 picked up where the movie left off by adding new characters and expanding the mythology beyond the narrow scope of the movie. But all of that would be moot if not for the excellent portrayal of Jack O'Neill by Richard Dean Anderson. Anderson took the morose military man presented in the movie and created a sad, but funny and lovable main character. Anderson's O'Neill was just what the series needed to get off the ground and solidify the other characters. Daniel Jackson, Teal'c and Sam Carter might not have been the original draws for the series, but all soon became excellent parts of the show. One of the great things about SG-1 was the solid call backs to previous episodes. If a piece of alien technology was cool, you could expect to see it in a future episode, at least once.
It's not high art, in fact I would compare it to old pulp science fiction stories. SG-1 is a solid action-adventure sci-fi show. Though it may be gone, it certainly lives on with spin-offs and direct-to-dvd movies. After ten years of SG-1 it's hard to think of it as coming from a movie, it's grown beyond the film that spawned it to form a cult following that rivals even Star Trek.
1. Jim - Babylon 5 (1993-1998)
While I agree with Billy on his top choice, this show is a benchmark of the sci-fi genre worthy of any comparison to the other greats. The brain-child of writer J. Michael Straczynski, the entire series was designed like one of his novels. He went in with a prepared beginning, middle and end. This closed-ended storytelling was used to offer a more adult-oriented adventure than previous shows had and in the spirit of JMS' heroes Arthur C. Clarke and Frank Herbert, he wanted to create something that was both good science fiction and good television.
A more gritty and humanistic future than that of Roddenberry, Babylon 5 took huge leaps forward in visual effects and was forward-thinking enough to shoot the episodes in 16:9 and pioneered using the internet for promotion. That made them about a decade or more ahead of most of mainstream television. It's the middle three seasons that stand even higher above the bookend years. The arrival of John Sheridan and his war against the Shadows and his actions in opposition to a corrupt Earth government are as excellent as any stories told in this or any other medium and in this or any other genre. Good television and good sci-fi. Mission accomplished.
1. Garrett - Futurama (1999-2003)
In Matt Groening's go the future, we see just how crazy his take on the years to come can be. Futurama is essentially a workplace sitcom whose plot revolves around the Planet Express delivery company and its employees, a small group that doesn't conform to future society. Episodes mostly feature the central trio of Fry, Leela and Bender. Our show began with the character Fry, being unfrozen from the year 1999 to emerge in the 31st century in New New York City. This show has great comedic timing while working as a sci-fi cartoon. It is great to hear that next week Comedy Central will be taking over the exclusive syndication rights to the show and will be airing DVD movies broken up into original episodes.
1. Billy - The X-Files (1993-2002)
I was twelve years old when this series began. I remember watching it because I was both enamored and frightened by the "grey" alien phenomenon and I knew that it was going to be a major focus of the show. Little did I know that I would become such a staunch disciple of the show so many years later. I love this show so much that I revisit it on DVD once a year. I can say with very little hyperbole that this is my all-time favorite television show, sci-fi or otherwise. I am adamant in my praise that this is the greatest American television show of all time. Fox Mulder and Dana Scully's search for the truth of a vast conspiracy within our government was just the kind of anti-establishment show for the '90s.
The smart writing, creepy creatures and great acting all helped to make this show a must see for me and many other X-philes. I'm not sure if I can prove this, but I'm pretty sure The X-Files was the last Fox program to escape the FRIDAY NIGHT DEATH ZONE(tm) unscathed, that shit just doesn't happen! Friday nights are a black hole on Fox, sorry Dollhouse.
This show seems to catch a lot of flak for perceived weaknesses that I just don't see. Most people complain that the story was never resolved. It was. Several times in fact, so that the dullards in the audience could catch up. The biggest gripe that viewers had was Fox Mulder exiting the series. David Duchovny wanted to pursue his film career and skedaddled from the show. Robert Patrick (former killer robot in Terminator 2) joined the cast as Agent John Doggett. Many fans disliked the change, but I (usually an ardent hater of change) loved the new character and what he brought to the series. I will fully admit that it created such a new dynamic that it was practically a new series and probably should have garnered a spin-off title.
Understandably many people passed this series over because of the alien story, but to avoid it because of that is just absurd. It's so much more than aliens, I dare you to watch an episode like "Pusher," "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" or "Bad Blood" and not fall in love with this show. It's ridiculously good.
Read more...
HOW DARE YOU, LILY!
How I Met Your Mother: The Front PorchSeason 3, Episode 17
Ted thinks he has found true love until she breaks up with him. An earring in a wrong place gives Ted the opportunity to see where his love has gone wrong. Unfortunately, he learns that it's not something, but someone who has caused Ted's bad luck. The Front Porch is a fun romp into men's bedroom fashion and what it means to be a true friend.I have to believe that the HIMYM writers are seeing a trend of not explaining Ted's horrible bad luck with the ladies. They turn it pretty swiftly by using Lily as the culprit to Ted's demise. I find it interesting that every time Ted wants to make a poignant exclamation of frustration they ease the tension by making Barney or Marshall do something outlandishly funny.
Speaking of that, I almost fell in love with a night shirt(until my girlfriend said she would kill me if I wore one). Who would of thought that the garb one wears to bed could let you have a flying dream sequence like Jeffery Lebowski. I was a little creeped out though that Marshall and Barney snuggled up with each other.
The background of this episodes title has to do with Lily's fantsy of having the perfect retirement. Relaxing on a front porch playing bridge with their best friends. Lily has broken off Ted's relationships due to the fact that every time she pictures her perfect conclusion to life, she cannot see the women Ted are with as the fourth in their bridge party. I thought this was a funny section to our story in the explination of how to play bridge. No right minded 20 or 30 something has any clue how to play bridge, hence what we get from Lily when she is telling her story of their card parties.
Our ending was a minor cliffhanger as Robin and Ted begin to ponder what could have been. We know that the Robin and Ted romance is not to be, but you have to think that the writers may make the relationship come again before season 4 concludes. While making our way to the wrap up of the season, we still have not seen the Goat episode. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that will probably be our season finale.
Good story. The greatest laughs occur in the background seeing Robin dealing with the insanity that happened during her four in the morning television show.
Read more...
Friday, March 13, 2009
Who Has the Golden Ticket?
The Office: Golden TicketSeason 5, Episode 17
Oh, does Michael Scott throw people under a bus or what? In another dick move, we see how a careless marketing promotion can go haywire, but turn to gold. Kevin's storyline to find love starts to pick up speed as this Thursday's Office takes us past the mid-way point of the season.In a move to improve customer satisifaction, Michael plays the role of Willy Wonka and puts five golden tickets in five reams of paper. When Jim is called by a large account, it is found that Michael put all five tickets in the large order for this account. The privilege of getting this ticket is ten percent off their order. Being it is their largest account, they would be taking a substantial loss as well as Jim losing his commission.
When corporate is called, Michael panics and blames Dwight for the marketing mistake. Michael tries to convince Dwight to take the hit, as he doesn't need the job and convinces him that his manhood would be more in tact without a job at a paper company.
When David from corporate comes, Dwight does admit it is his idea. David the informs the office that the account that got the tickets was so happy, that they decided to make their entire company Dunder Mifflin parchment exclusive. I have to say, I called this situation from the get go. The writers have been making the sales department in the Scranton branch untouchable and I don't think that will change until the season finale, or the episode or two leading up to it.
Still taking credit for the tickets, Dwight and David get on a confrence call with the marketing department. With Michael listening in he storms the call confessing the cover up and looking for all the kudos and none of the blame. In a back in forth argument, David throws his arms up and wipes his hands of the fiasco he just witnessed.
Our subplot has Kevin trying to figure out how to make the first move on his new romantic interest. Getting advice from Andy, which is in the vein of being a dick-y frat boy, he is jaded when Pam and Jim listen in and give their two cents. After multiple advice sessions, Kevin just goes for the kill and expresses his feelings. He asks her on a date and she accepts. In typical Kevin fashion he says an off subject comment, which appears to go over smoothly. Should be fun the rest of the season to see how this love story evolves. I think it may be funny if he gets married and ends up having an "Office Band" play his wedding.
So where does this leave us? Michael is still getting away with murder, the sales numbers keep getting higher and higher, and Pam and Jim still have set nothing on a wedding date. Odds are these things MUST change before season five concludes. I'm putting money that we see Michael Scott's departure and Ryan making his triumph return.
Read more...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
0 For 2 With Blondes?
How I Met Your Mother: Sorry, BroSeason 4, Episode 16
Another blond to add to Ted's resume, another woman to NOT be his wife. Last night's HIMYM was a story of Marshall's pants problem, as well as his and Lily's hatred for an ex girlfriend of Ted's who comes to NYC to live. After my rant about the show skewing away from Ted as the focal point of writing, I am glad to see the writers return to their roots in this episode.In the cold opening, we learn of Robin's new work schedule. Instead of meeting for drinks at normal times, she wakes up to visit with the group as the bar is closing. Barney is excited to tell a story about Marshall who apparently forgot his pants when he went to the gym. More on that through the episode.
We then learn that Ted's ex from college, Karen, has come to live in the city, much to the distaste of Marshall and Lily. We are told about the constant breaking up and rehashing of their relationship that always starts with her having sex with a stranger in Ted's dorm.
We learn that Ted has already met with her for lunch, and has hooked up with her..........numerous times.
After going through a few flashbacks of them getting ready to have sex, which are actually funny thanks to roommate Robin taking sleeping pills for her new schedule. We find out that Ted wants to end it with Karen. They are having sex in her apartment and mid coitus Karen's boyfriend walks in.
Ted tells the group he ends it with Karen, until he slips on saying what happened to her and her boyfriend. The end of the show is Karen walking into the bar and we learn that her and Ted are official, again much to the dismay of Marshall and Lily.
Back to the pants. In a rush Marshall gets Lily to bring him a pair. In a rush, Lily runs into Barney and asks him to get them to Marshall. In a typical Barney move, he cuts up the pants and leaves Marshall looking like an 80's basketball player dressed like an attorney(get the mental image in your head! There you go!). This episode leaves us to believe that the bank Marshall and Barney work at is basically filled with frat dicks that are stuck being 19-year-old douches. Will the writers roll with that? Probably.
'Sorry Bro' finally got us back to the focal point of what the shows premise is about. It got us back to what is good about the show, a group of 30 somethings hanging out at a bar telling stories of the craziness that is their lives. I can't really tell how far the Karen angle will go. I don't know why, but I can see Barney sleeping with her.
Read more...
Monday, March 9, 2009
TAW Podcast Episode Three!
Here it is, the latest installment in the That's A Wrap Podcast! Our one listener will now be happy. Behold in amazement as we pick apart the Watchmen legacy, including(but certainly not limited to) our review of Zack Snyder's film adaptation. Hit the jump for the link!The link, as always will direct to the MediaFire page where you can download the new episode!
Who Watches The Watchers Of Watchmen(00:58:32)
As a side note, the opening segment comes courtesy of Harry Partridge's Watchmen cartoon parody found via youtube.
Read more...
Saturday, March 7, 2009
EHHHHH! Blood Drive
The Office: Blood DriveSeason 5, Episode 17
You know, I am starting to think the shows that I review plotted against me the past two weeks and totally messed up my schedule. The Office like HIMYM was on a two week hiatus to return this Thursday with a Valentines Day episode. I understand the show was on a break during this commerce driven holiday, but come on Office writers, you are probably going to have three or four more storylines to try to get Holly off Michael's mind.On the cold opening Pam has to stop a phone salesman from getting to Michael due to the fact that the phones would basically eliminate Pam's position. Jim helps to intervene pretending to be Michael. When Michael comes out of his office, Pam in a desperate move, she goes into a Michaelesque move by being the fonz. A choir of "EHHHH'S" forces the salesman out of the door. I bring this up because this is the last time I chuckled through the episode.
With so many single people in the building, Michael decides that the office should have an Unvalentines day party, singles only. Due to this, Phyllis invites Pam and Jim to lunch with her and her husband Bob.
Before the party, a blood drive is going on in the parking lot for the industrial park. Michael goes in to see a woman very nervously giving her blood. Nervous himself, this is the only time Michael is acctually charming. This is the only time I give any sympathy towards Michael Scott is when he is not TRYING to be Michael Scott.
After finishing giving blood, Michael reveals that was so nervous about giving blood he hasn't eaten in three days and preceeds to pass out. When coming to, he sees his blood love is no where to be seen and all that is left of her is a glove.
Michael returns to the office and decides that the day should not be for sorrow, but a new step towards finding true love. Which prompts him to have a singles party for all the industrial park at Dunder Mifflin in hopes his new kinship with his girl from the blood trailer will return.
During the party, a few outsiders come in. One is introduced to Kevin who shows just uncomfortable a man can be with a woman. The girl can be seen to have an obvious attraction to Kevin. After an awkward interaction, at the end of the party Kevin returns to her and gets her email adress. THAT'S RIGHT! I said that there should be a love interest for Kevin. It clearly shows that the TAW crew here knows what they audience wants.
While at lunch, Pam and Jim are waiting for Bob and Phyllis to return from the bathroom so they can being their meals. After a long wait they look in the bathrooms and find no one. They had forgot to look in the handicap bathroom. When they get near it they hear creepy, old people sex. This obviously ruins the appitite for our you Dunder Mifflin love birds.
The story line for Blood Drive could easily been done without the red holiday involved. Like I said in my intro, I am pretty sure there will be three or four more situations written where Michael will try to get over Holly. Let's only hope that the love story for Kevin will get developed more.
Read more...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Barney Mamma Drama
How I Met Your Mother: The StinsonsSeason 4 Episode 15
After a two week hiatus, "How I Met Your Mother" returned with another Barney-centric episode. We are teased with a future return to a Barney-Robin love tiff. Though I laughed a little, I just keep wondering, WHO IS TED'S WIFE!!!In an interesting twist, the gang follows Barney thinking he has a secret girlfriend. After a long cab ride, the group comes to where Barney is going to then find it is actually Barney's mother. A woman then appears who is then told to be his wife. A kid appears as well and Barney tells them it is his son.
When his mother leaves the room, we are told that it is just an act, that Barney is trying to appease his mother's dying wish (made several years earlier) that he finds a family. There are a few jokes about trying to hide the fact that the situation is all a lie from his mom. Nothing that I truly enjoyed, and very off from the atypical Barney jokes we expect.
The side joke of Robin and Barney's fake son both dealing with crummy jobs was humorous and oh so creepy. I didn't really laugh at Lily and Marshall dealing with his mother not liking her, as my mother is in love with my girlfriend.
I still have no clue how much longer they can keep up the ongoing idea of Bob Saget telling the long and convoluted story of how he met his children's mother. If this season is any indication, be prepared for a Barney spin-off in 2011.
Read more...
Monday, February 16, 2009
That's A Wrap Podcast Episode 1: 3-2-1 Contact
Here it is. The official first episode of the That's A Wrap podcast. Listen in awe as we stumble over words, mangle common phrases and make general asses of ourselves!Hit the jump for the link!
In this episode we talk about 80's cartoon's returning as movies, we recap the last week in review, review the new Friday The 13th and oh so much more.
Click this link to download the new episode! (1:17:00)
Read more...
Monday, February 9, 2009
And Lo! The Lord Called Upon Three And Spoke, "Thou Shalt Talk About Stuff."
And we wouldn't want to spite the Lord. I mean, that guy plays a mean game of Perfect Dark.So, here it is. The long awaited(can something be long awaited if our site has only existed for two weeks?) audio component to That's A Wrap!
Our first episode is dedicated almost entirely to the Oscar's. If that's not your thing, then don't despair, we'll be talking about even more trivial things in our official regular podcast.
It's a little rocky and my microphone doesn't quite make the grade, but please enjoy!
The link leads to a Media Fire page where you can download the podcast.
Oscar Special Or: The Curious Case Of The Dark Knight Snub!(1:00:00)
Even though Shang Tsung doesn't ACTUALLY appear in this podcast, rest assured he is MAGNIFICENT. His thoughts on the Academy are simply mindblowing. Don't get me started on Liu Kang, jagoff wouldn't know a good movie if it bit him in the ass. He actually liked Little Miss Sunshine!
Read more...
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Barney Saves The Day and Shows Just How Awesome He is
How I Met Your Mother: PossimpibleSeason 4 Episode 14
Monday's HIMYM was an interesting romp into the pain that is getting back on the horse and going out to get a new job. We see just what levels one needs to go to land a job. Although probably the most unreal way, Barney finds Robin a job and saves her from deportation.Our cold open is of the gang watching the New York lotto. Barney is infatuated with the lotto girl and uses each number in the lotto as a euphemism of how this lotto girl came to be and what he was gonna do with her.
We return to find out Robin has seven days to find a job or be forced back to her homeland, the great white north (and I don't mean the four feet of snow I am buried in). Robin shows the group her audition tape which is, let's just say, less than par. Ted, Marshall and Lilly discuss some interesting accomplishments that they have put on their resume. Ted was a Program Director for an underground college radio station. This was extremely funny to yours truly as I knows the pains of trying to get people to give two dimes about a college radio station. Marshall tells us of his dunking prowess. Lily has an accomplishment I can only dream of having. She has held the New York hot dog eating record(Ed. Note: Lilly's extended "hot dog belly" was a great way of hiding the bun in Alyson Hannigan's oven).
Barney then shows the rest his personal video of how he landed jobs. The video shows absolutely no signs of Barney's ability to do any job, but it does wrap up with probably the best song ever.
Barney tells us this video has landed him eleven job offers which he all turned down. Another Barneyism is shown as Barney tells us the power of making up your own words (Hence the title of this weeks episode).
Robin, being so desperate, she decides to take Barney up on his offer to make her a video like his. Robin goes to Barney's apartment and decides the video may not have been her best bet and goes back to the job search. She then goes to the New York lotto to audition for a lotto girl. The auditioners take the job a little too seriously and Robin fails to get the job.
The final scene shows Robin coming to terms that she will be returning to Canada and begins her goodbyes with her New York family. Barney enters to let Robin know he had made a video of the footage he had and received numerous offers from television stations. After turning down two stations on Robins behalf, Barney gets Robin a job on a morning talk show.
Monday's episode gave us a great Barney video and a song that will probably stay in my head for a few weeks to come. While not leading us anywhere near a conclusion to how Ted met his wife, it does give a stronger bond to the romance that may come between Robin and Barney.
I give it 3 and a half AWESOMES outta 4.
Read more...
Monday, February 2, 2009
Stress Relief Goes Arwy On Super Bowl "The Office"
The Office: Stress ReliefSeason 5 Episode 13
After a very exciting Super Bowl, NBC went with an episode of 'The Office' to wrap up the largest television event of the year. The hour long 'Stress Relief' deals mainly with Michael coping with his subordinates high stress levels while he is in their presence. There are numerous sub-plots involved including the out of place guests stars Cloris Leachman, Jack Black and Jessica Alba.The episode begins with Dwight securing all the doors and causing a mock fire to prove a point that the office does not take their safety procedures seriously. The chaos that ensues includes Oscar jumping through the ceiling to find safety, Michael smashing a window to scream for help, as well as Kevin resorting to mob rule and breaking the candy machine open. Once Dwight tells everyone it is a farce, Stanley is overtaken with so much stress that he has a heart attack. The cold open is a much longer set up than usual and is one of the funnier openings of this season, bringing all casts members together for a mass panic.
Dwight is brought to the corporate offices and basically given a slap on the wrist (one would assume this is due to the high sales numbers that Dwight and the Scranton branch is putting up as mentioned in previous episodes).
As a punishment Dwight is removed as safety director. Michael then takes over and brings in a Red Cross instructor to teach the group about CPR. During this, we learn that a good rhythm to give chest pumps is to the Bee Gees classic Stayin' Alive. This leads to an awkward duet from Michael and Andy. Dwight then takes over and asks the group how you would then handle a dead body. He takes out a knife and shows how to take care of the organs for donation. He begins to slice up the CPR dummy to the disgust of the trainer and all those in the room. Probably the best joke from the episode is when Dwight takes off the face and places it over his own a'la Silence of the Lambs.
Dwight is then given another slap on the wrist and must give a formal apology to the office and have everyone sign. No one will sign his half-hearted apology and we are treated to Dwight tricking his coworkers to sign the form throughout the rest of the episode.
In an attempt to lower stress in the office after Stanley's heart attack, Michael tries to incorporate some stress relief tactics. He uses meditation and other soothing practices to lower the stress level in the office. Due to Stanley's biometic meter, Michael discovers that he is in fact the cause of the tension within the office.
Michael comes to the conclusion that comedy is the best remedy and plans for the group to roast him and everyone is glowing at the opportunity to basically say what the viewers have been thinking. Michael takes the group into the warehouse and the roasting begins. There is no real surprise at what ensues and though Michael takes the jabs in stride, he is then hurt by the end of the roast. The next day Michael does not shown up for work. Dwight thinks he is either sick, or dead from an icicle pummeling. Michael is shown at a park contemplating why he is at work and where he has gone wrong. He then returns to Dunder Mifflin and returns the pot shots to the roasters which is coldly received until Stanley goes into a laughing fit which eases the tension. Although not a very strong ending, it leaves the viewers somewhat satisfied and still curious where Michael Scott may end up at the conclusion of the season.
Our subplots are somewhat tied together. We learn that Pam's parents are in the process of a split. Her father has temporarily taken up residence with Pam and Jim (though we still have not seen what they have done with the house they recently bought). While talking about some of their problems, they watch an unreleased movie that Andy has bootlegged. The movie stars Cloris Leachman as the grandmother of Jessica Alba who introduces her new boyfriend, Black, to Leachman. The twist of the movie is Black's character then falls for Leachman in a very awkward "The Graduate" homage. I personally felt the only reason for this movie was to get guest stars on the post-Super Bowl episode. A pointless section of the episode that was only there to fill the hour.
We find that Pam's father has talked to Jim and has decided to separate permanently from his wife. Pam questions what part Jim had in causing the rift. We eventually learn what Jim said and we are left with a sappy Jim/Pam moment (just get married already dammit).
The "Stress Relief" episode is a good cherry on top of last night's NBC big moneymaker. It is also a helper to the question which probably won't be answered until the finale. Who will take Ryan's corporate position?
On a side, please catch our podcast pilot Monday, February 9th. It is The Oscar Special 1: Or the Curious Case of "The Dark Knight" Snub.
Read more...
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
My Favorite Sports Movies
(In no particular order)
The Mighty Ducks
Although several movie studios have made classic sports movies, nothing tugs at my sports nut heart then the Disney classics of my childhood. One of the first in the line is 1992's 'The Mighty Ducks'. What other movie can you name that then became the namesake of a professional team (NHL's Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)?
The Mighty Ducks is the story of Gordon Bombay, a hot shot Minneapolis lawyer who is at the top of his game. After losing his first trial, Gordon goes on a high speed drive while drinking a bottle of vodka. Gordon is then pulled over and is forced into community service. During the opening credits we are shown that Gordon was a fantastic Pee Wee hockey player. He is going in for a penalty shot and hits the post and costs his team, the Hawks, the championship.
Gordon is then given a Pee Wee team to coach as his community service, the Unnamed District 5. It is shown that the team is basically a rag tag team of poor kids that are using hand-me-down hockey gear.
I an attempt to find something from his past, Gordon returns to the old hockey store where he grew up at and gets some life lessons from the old store owner, Hans. Hans, an old Swedish man, helps revoke Gordon's passion for hockey. We have learned that the season that Gordon missed the penalty shot was the year his father died which had caused Gordon to give up his hockey dreams.
Bombay then returns to the District 5 team with a new found spirit, gets the team proper equipment, and then renames the team to the Ducks.
The Ducks then go on a tear and start to become a championship team. They then make it to the final game to face the Hawks. The Hawks are Bombay's former team who are still coached by the same man, the ever popular dick coach Jack Reilly. Reilly is your A-typical youth league coach that is always looking for the 'W' at all costs. Being a youth sports organizer I despise these type of ego driven coaches who are teaching kids this unclassy style of play. This personally makes him the perfect antagonist for this movie.
The championship game is a perfect ending for any sports movie. The Hawks take a huge early lead and appear to cruise to victory. I would be perfectly content with this ending. The Ducks, a rag tag group, comes out of no where to the finals and lose. This situation happens all the time. And being a movie for kids aged 8-13 can teach them that you can learn just as much from losing as you can from winning. Of course, this IS a Disney movie, so the happy fluffy ending is what we will be left with.
The Ducks then probably use more trick plays than the Harlem Globetrotters and the And 1 basketball tour combined to win. The creme de la creme of these is the 'Flying V' which pays homage to their name sake. It then takes a penalty shot for the team to wrap up their championship. Charlie, who was the one that drew the penalty, is the one to take the shot. I guess the rest they say is history.
I personally enjoy D2:The Mighty Ducks more then its prequel. I chose the orginal due to its success creating my first NHL team.
Due to the connection of the movie, I fell in love with the Ducks. They had quite a few successful teams through my childhood, but of course broke my heart when they changed owners and basically elminated themselves from anything to do with the movie.
UGH, this logo still makes me cringe.
The Mighty Ducks is the story of Gordon Bombay, a hot shot Minneapolis lawyer who is at the top of his game. After losing his first trial, Gordon goes on a high speed drive while drinking a bottle of vodka. Gordon is then pulled over and is forced into community service. During the opening credits we are shown that Gordon was a fantastic Pee Wee hockey player. He is going in for a penalty shot and hits the post and costs his team, the Hawks, the championship.
Gordon is then given a Pee Wee team to coach as his community service, the Unnamed District 5. It is shown that the team is basically a rag tag team of poor kids that are using hand-me-down hockey gear.
I an attempt to find something from his past, Gordon returns to the old hockey store where he grew up at and gets some life lessons from the old store owner, Hans. Hans, an old Swedish man, helps revoke Gordon's passion for hockey. We have learned that the season that Gordon missed the penalty shot was the year his father died which had caused Gordon to give up his hockey dreams.
Bombay then returns to the District 5 team with a new found spirit, gets the team proper equipment, and then renames the team to the Ducks.
The Ducks then go on a tear and start to become a championship team. They then make it to the final game to face the Hawks. The Hawks are Bombay's former team who are still coached by the same man, the ever popular dick coach Jack Reilly. Reilly is your A-typical youth league coach that is always looking for the 'W' at all costs. Being a youth sports organizer I despise these type of ego driven coaches who are teaching kids this unclassy style of play. This personally makes him the perfect antagonist for this movie.
The championship game is a perfect ending for any sports movie. The Hawks take a huge early lead and appear to cruise to victory. I would be perfectly content with this ending. The Ducks, a rag tag group, comes out of no where to the finals and lose. This situation happens all the time. And being a movie for kids aged 8-13 can teach them that you can learn just as much from losing as you can from winning. Of course, this IS a Disney movie, so the happy fluffy ending is what we will be left with.
The Ducks then probably use more trick plays than the Harlem Globetrotters and the And 1 basketball tour combined to win. The creme de la creme of these is the 'Flying V' which pays homage to their name sake. It then takes a penalty shot for the team to wrap up their championship. Charlie, who was the one that drew the penalty, is the one to take the shot. I guess the rest they say is history.
I personally enjoy D2:The Mighty Ducks more then its prequel. I chose the orginal due to its success creating my first NHL team.
Due to the connection of the movie, I fell in love with the Ducks. They had quite a few successful teams through my childhood, but of course broke my heart when they changed owners and basically elminated themselves from anything to do with the movie.
UGH, this logo still makes me cringe.The Mighty Ducks shows that anyone can overcome adversity and that you can persevere from the past, even returning to something you never thought you could return to.
Read more...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
