"Why Am I Reviewing a TV Show Anyway?" Whose Line is it Anyway?" Review

I know that my thing is movies. I have reviewed over 30 movies on this blog but not a single TV show. Why? Well I wouldn’t be much of a specialist if I focused on anything else besides movies but sometimes other fields produce work I admire so much it transcends my limit on movies.

I am of course talking about my favorite TV show ever: “Whose Line is it Anyway?” specifically the American version. Why do I like it so much? I don’t know, it’s not easy to explain what you like or dislike about a TV show because unlike a movie it’s not a onetime thing.  One day an episode can be great the next the episode is trash. But I suppose the best I can come up with is is that the concept is great but what really makes it excellent is the glue that holds it together. When a tv show is good but doesn’t dazzle you with anything that’s usually because it is only a set of great scenes after one another instead of a set of great scenes that are thematically or otherwise linked. Now Whose Line doesn’t have a story but it does have scenes and I know for sure that those scenes wouldn’t be the same without the gags about the points, the reactions from the studio audience, the pointless conversations between the scenes, the banter about how one was bald the other had weird shoes, the other was black, the other was fat, and of course the most contagious laughter of Drew Carey.

You might be thinking why after over a year I am only reviewing this now? Well the reason is because it is more relevant now. The show had been canceled years ago and was on reruns. There had been numerous attempts to bring something similar to TV like the shows “Drew Carey’s Green Screen Show” “Drew Carey’s Improvaganza” or “Trust us With your Lives” but none of them had the charm or the aforementioned glue.  The show had a cult fanbase that kept pleading for it to come back, writing petitions, creating facebook groups (Of which I was a member) and many others. Everyone knew deep down however that it was pointless because there was no way the show could come back. But behold one of the cast members sends a tweet that the show is coming back and everyone goes wild.

Everyone was excited even though Drew Carey was not going to be hosting but the regular performers all were back. So that’s why I am reviewing the show now. It’s back from cancelation and even though there are many parts that don’t measure up to the first run, like Aisha Tyler the host, the more promotional style of show, and the lack of some of the shows recurring performers, it is still my favorite show of all time.

Its funny how things work; even though I like movies way more that TV shows I would watch a new episode of this show over any movie ever, even my favorite “Pulp Fiction”, that’s how much I love this show. I watch at least one group of clips of the show every day on YouTube and they can be ones I have seen many times before and every time I watch them I feel great. The memories I have had watching the show are so great they can bring me up from the saddest of days.

Are you still wondering what the show is about? Well you know how sometimes you say something and then within a split second someone has a joke about it? They haven’t prepared, they have just made it up on the spot! Isn’t that such a great feeling when you know the joke was spontaneous? Well that’s what the show is. IMPROV! People try to make scenes, jokes, and songs about stuff they have never heard of until just before they have to start and hilarity ensues.  They play many games on the show and each of them puts different restrictions or obligations on the performers. The game “Lets Make a Date” has 3 performers take on an identity and the 4^th player has to guess who they are by asking them questions”, the game “Irish Drinking Song” has all 4 players try to sing a song about a certain topic and they have to take turns singing one line at a time”. My personal favorites are the games “Sound effects with audience members” In which performers Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie act out a scene and two audience members have to provide the sound effects (Its almost always 2 women, and they never really make decent sound effects which is why it’s always funny), and “Hollywood Director” where 3 players have to act out a scene over and over using crazier and crazier advice that comes from the 4^th player. But whatever your favorite game is, there is no denying that this is a great show.

10/10

Tell me what your favorite game and performer is in the comments.

"Lord of the Rings" Part 3. "Return of the King" Review.

There is no reason to explain why I am apologizing to all my loyal readers (both of them) but nevertheless an apology is due. My last review said that the next should be out in about 24 hours, and you have now have to wait for about 24 weeks. Don’t be too hard on me, I am guilty of being that kind of person who can do stuff like that but I swear my heart is still very much in the movies. So here is the long awaited part 3 of my “Lord of the Rings” review.

“Return of the King” is a movie so dense, that even at a running time of over 4 hours we feel that there was more to the story that wasn't told. It is certainly the best in the trilogy but as I said before these 3 movies are best considered one very long movie that has been split into 3, a bit like when a DVD comes in 2 discs.

There is not much more to add to this movie that hasn't been said in the previous 2 except that the story finally reaches its climax and everything gets resolved. The ending leaves you with a lump in your throat and this blogger even had a mild depression after watching it for the first time. You see when the film ends you finally enter back into the real world, and after spending about 9 hours in middle earth, the world with all its flaws and your life with all the stress and responsibilities both seem too much to bear.

The special effects are just as good as the 2 other films and everything works perfectly filmmaking wise. I rarely use this term but I think the “Lord of the Rings” is a flawless film. There are only a handful of movies that I believe to be flawless and this is one of them. I came to that decision the last time I saw the films again a few weeks ago and I think it is a decision I had been meaning to make for years, but I just didn’t have the balls to. You see it’s easy to say that films like “The Godfather” “Citizen Kane” “Gone with the Wind” or “Casablanca” are perfect but in the eyes of today’s critics you get people who are not willing to accept that a movie that has come out in the past decade deserves to stand among giants. Anyone who is reading this, I dare you to go to your oldest living relative and try to teach them how to use your cell phone. Chances are that not only they won’t be able to use it but they will get mad at it after a few minutes. You know how good of a device it is but nothing is going to convince grandma that her old rotary phone is the best thing technology has to offer.

The reason why I think this movie deserved to be compared to the classics I mentioned is that it is probably the biggest movie ever made, and I am not talking about length, I am talking about scale. There is so much going on, filled with so many things, characters, events, themes, adventures, that it overwhelms anyone who watches it, and that’s whether they like it or not.

I remember when I was a kid and this movie was out I didn’t want to see it. It seemed way too dark for me especially compared to the other more child friendly fantasy movie series to come out during the same time “Harry Potter”. I tried to watch it a few times but I always stopped watching about half way through “Fellowship” it all just seemed way too complex for me and I couldn't understand. It took me to get to age 18 to finally watch the entire trilogy, and when that happened something changed in me. I realized what a film is capable of. This film is certainly not for children, I remember most of the stuff zoomed right over my head when I tried to watch it as a kid and when I finally started to understand a bit of it at age 15 I still felt confused by its adult presentation.

This is a movie for the ages. It remains one of my favorites and it won’t be knocked off there for a long long time I fear because I don’t believe that there is anyone willing or even able to make a film of this magnitude within my lifetime.

10/10

Tell me. Do you think newer movies deserve to stand among other giants like "Citizen Kane", or "The Godfather"?

"The Lord of the Rings" Part 2 "The Two Towers" Review

The movie starts out with a scene from the first film, only it ends in a different way, giving us the point of view of another character in the event. That scene plunges us right back into the story as if we never stopped watching, that way it manages to ride the coattails of “Fellowship” quite effectively. Most second installments of a franchise suffer from “sequelitis”, a disease that makes people say “it was good but I liked the first one better”. The trilogy however is not susceptible to that type of illness because it was made as one long movie that was split into 3.

While “Fellowship” was an action packed and very dense first chapter this movie increases the scale of the production and introduces armies of thousands of men fighting thousands of orcs. Heated battles occur with the body count in the hundreds instead of the 2 or 3, while the core story of a journey to destroy the ring is still very much alive and in the spotlight.

Introduced to the story is the character of Golum/Smeagol, a repulsive gnome like creature with a split personality; played be the best actor in the production Andy Serkis. Smeagol is the most interesting of all the characters; he puts an S at the end of almost every word to make it plural, making words like “Hobbits” become “Hobbitses”. His 2 personalities have conversations with themselves providing some of the most entertaining dialogue sequences of any film be it drama, action, or fantasy. Smeagol Is the centerpiece of the entire story; he is the catalyst, the emotional core, the reason everything is happening, so don’t let him become a footnote in the movie; take not of him.

There is not much more to say about the film because it has been said about “Fellowship”. Aside from the fact that it is much bigger in scale, it is pretty much the same movie. If you liked “Fellowship” you will like this one, or at least you will agree that is as good as “Fellowship” but a weaker part of the movie. That can very well happen; often I will watch a movie and I will love most of it but think a particular scene is boring. So if you don’t like this film, don’t use the word “sequelitis” use the phrase “weaker second act” because at the end of the day they are the same film.

Watch this film within 24 hours of watching “Fellowship” or else the continuity of the film will be broken and you will forget that you are watching the same film.

10/10

Sorry about the delay. I know I promised this review the day after “Fellowship” but I got sidetracked with errands. If I don’t post my “Return of the King” review within 24 hours of this one then cut me some slack, I am supposed to be on a break.

"The Lord of the Rings" Part 1 "The Felloship of the Ring" Review

I got a chance to see the new Ang Lee movie “Life of Pi” the other day. It’s a movie shot using the state of the art 3D technology that was first seen in the movie “Avatar”. This is the third movie to come out that has used that technology with one the next one “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”, the first in a trilogy, due to be released on the 14^th of December. So I thought to myself “Should I do a review of Avatar? It would fit perfectly with the 3D theme. Or should I review “The Lord of the Rings”? It would fit perfectly with “The Hobbit” theme. Well “Avatar would take me 3 parts to review it because of how massive it is in achievements and how much I like it, but then again “The Lord of the Rings” would take 3 parts as well for the same reasons and also because the project itself was released theatrically as 3 movies” So I flipped a coin and it said I should do “The Lord of the Rings”.

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote many fantasy stories decades ago the most famous of them being “The Lord of the Rings”. The first volume of the book was named “The Fellowship of the Ring” and the film based on that volume stays relatively faithful to the source according to many fans. I myself having not read the book cannot compare it to the film but I can say that the film is damn good. A monumental achievement in filmmaking, Peter Jackson the director plunges us deeply into the heart of middle earth and tells us the story that every cinema lover deserves to see.

The story is that a mysterious golden ring contains the soul of a dark lord that once ruled middle earth. The protagonist Frodo Baggins takes on the task of traveling to mount doom, the place where the ring was created, and throw it into the fire to destroy it. This first film focuses on the first leg of the journey as Frodo is accompanied by a group of people that have sworn to help Frodo make it to the end; the fellowship of the ring.

The sets are amazing, the cinematography is near perfect, the music is haunting and beyond comparison, the special effects dazzle and amaze, and the acting is great all around. But Peter Jackson knows that in the end all of those can only make a movie so good because the source material needs none of them. So he makes the story so intriguing that in the end you won’t even remember how good the special effects were.

One particular scene that I love involves these wraith-like hunters that are after the ring. They look like cloaked demons with swords and they are truly terrifying with their gothic appearance and screeching howls. In the scene about 5 of them corner Frodo and his friends and slowly approach like nightmarish apparitions. A friendly ranger comes to their aid and a battle ensues which provides one of the most entertaining scenes in the trilogy. The scene is staged so well it sets the mood for the rest of the movie since it comes fairly early on. Of course by early on I mean in proportion to the length of the movie and the trilogy because it is at least 40 minutes into the movie. But brevity in this film, or in the whole trilogy for that matter, is virtually nonexistent; something that would be bad in any other film but compliments this one because of its scale and voluminosity.

The ending leaves you wanting more in the best way possible. It is clear from this one and the ending of its sequel that these 3 films are just volumes of one large film because they both end leading into the next. One of the last lines of the film really gets you pumped up and exited to see the next and that line is “Lets hunt some orc!” The line leads perfectly into the sequel and is so empowering that you just have to watch the next movie immediately after, or at least within 24 hours, because 3 hours plus 3 hours is pushing it a bit even for someone who has nothing to do all day.

10/10

This is just part one. Tomorrow you get “The Two Towers” and the “The Return of the King” the day after. Tell me are you excited about “The Hobbit”?

Batman vs Batman vs Batman. "The Dark Knight Rises" Review.

I have come up with a list that I call my “full confidence” list. It is made up of film directors that have 100% of my trust for whatever they are doing even if it sounds like a bad idea. I always have high expectations for them and I look forward to their next film. There are only a handful of directors on that list because in order to be on it they have to be at a certain point in their career where nothing less than a masterpiece is expected by them and they usually deliver. It’s not that they can do no wrong, because most of the directors on the list have a few stinkers, but the possibility of them turning out anything less than excellent is practically nonexistent. Although it plays a big part, the director’s track record isn’t the deciding factor on being added to the list, the short answer is that when they are ready to be on the list I will just know(It usually happens after a certain movie in their career).

The latest director to be added to the list is the auteur behind the batman series Christopher Nolan. He made the list back in 2010 when he directed the masterpiece called “Inception”. It was my favorite movie of the year back then and made me realize that Nolan wasn’t just a great director for the batman series but the real deal.

So naturally after adding Nolan to the list I was waiting forever to watch “The Dark Knight Rises” ever since it was announced, and boy was it worth the wait“The Dark Knight Rises” is a spectacularly made film with everything I could ask for in a movie. To explain the plot would be futile, as it is very deep and complex much like Inception, so I’m not going to even try, but I will say that unlike “The Avengers” which is just plain old fashioned fun, “Rises” is the most ambitious superhero film ever made. Trying to choose my favorite out of the 3 Nolan Batmans is like trying to order one thing at the cheesecake factory; it’s very hard to do but I have to do it.

“Batman Begins” is an excellent start for the series as it builds batman as a dark symbol rather than a guy in a rubber suit. It makes batman into a realistic character that could exist in reality and gives him villains that are grounded with clear motivations and fully fledged actions. He doesn’t fight crazy mutants or deranged lunatics, but mobsters, corrupt police officers, and extremist terrorists. Plus let’s not forget that it takes about an hour to see the suited Batman for the first time, in a scene involving him tossing thugs around like ragdolls.

“The Dark Knight” went a step further; more mobsters, more Batman, and more thug tossing. The Joker is a villain that is motivated only by chaos and corruption and Heath Ledger who plays him brings us a Joker that had never even been imagined before. Jack Nicholson was funny in “Batman” but he wasn’t playing the Joker, he was playing Jack Nicholson.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is on par with its predecessor making it hard for me to choose between them. In the end I would say that “The Dark Knight” is the better made film overall and I have more respect for it but that isn’t the reason I am choosing it over “Rises”; the one thing that is noticeably missing from “Rises” is the Joker. If Heath Ledger was still alive I could see no excuse to why he wasn’t in the film because the Joker would have played a big role in it, and that is why I am choosing “The Dark Knight”. Heath Ledger won an academy award for playing the Joker and for what its worth I think Anne Hathaway should win one for this movie to. Yes she was that good.

But enough of “Sophie’s Choice”. Regardless of its flaws, it is the best movie of the year so far. Go and see it!!!

10/10

Im sure some of you are wondering what my full confidence list consists of. I present to you the full list: in alphabetical order.

Christopher Nolan

James Cameron

Martin Scorsese

Peter Jackson

Quentin Tarantino

Steven Spielberg

Do you have any director that would make your list? Click here to cast your vote.

PS: I want to express my disgust over the Aurora shooting in Colorado. The culprit has done such a horrible thing on many levels; killing people, injuring others, damaging the reputation of the movie, and making moviegoers afraid of going to the movies.

'Man with No Name" Trilogy Part 3. "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" Review

                I honestly don’t know why I even bothered putting the poll at the end of part 1 because as of today every single vote cast was for “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”. I guess it was just a formality as I had to put something at the end for you guys to be able to voice your opinion.

                For me, watching this film is like listening to my favorite singer’s favorite song, or reading my favorite author’s favorite book. My favorite film director is Quentin Tarantino who he has said that “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” is his favorite film. After watching the film it was obvious that it has influenced every one of his films and not in a subtle way at all, but I suppose the line between paying homage and ripping off is another matter entirely.

                Once again, the movie stars Clint Eastwood as the man with no name (they call him “Blondie”) a gunslinger, his face having the same wrinkles around the eyes, and his mouth having the same cigarette between his lips; he is the good. Lee Van Cleef is “Angel Eyes”, someone who gets paid to kill and it is not hard to see that he enjoys his job very much; he is the bad. And Eli Wallach plays “Tuco”, a goofy little bandit that is wanted all over; he is the ugly. Now don’t expect their nicknames to match them perfectly because if they did the movie would be called “The Ugly, the Ugly and the Ugly” with Van Cleef being the ugliest of the trio. The three of them are after confederate gold buried in a cemetery, and the journey they take to get there is thrilling, funny, interesting, and filled with western clichés that never descend into camp.

                Sergio Leone gives us a movie that could make everyone scratch their heads thinking “Are you sure this was directed by the same person who directed ‘A Fistful of Dollars’?” and they would be right because while fistful was an hour and a half of waiting for the credits to roll, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” is three hours of wishing the credits never roll.

Some great scenes include the introductions of the three men with title screens, the blowing up of a bridge during a battle of the civil war, and of course the infamous Mexican standoff; yes if you are a Tarantino fan you will see a pattern here. But this movie is basically one great scene after another so trying to single out one in particular would be futile. The point is this is a terrific film with some of the most memorable moments in cinema and some unforgettable sequences that really make you appreciate a director with a vision.

And what would a review of this film be without talking about the wonderful Mr. Ennio Morricone. His music in the film is perhaps the first thing people think of when westerns come to mind, and it is so masterfully crafted that it makes you wonder if it was written for the movie or by the movie. What do I mean by that? Well you see when composers write music for movies they sit and watch the movie, pick up on the style, talk with the director and decide what type of music fits each scene. But with this movie I just can’t imagine Morricone writing this; to me it just existed in the film. Or maybe Morricone had a time machine went to the future, saw the movie, and then went back and ripped of the theme; much like Chuck Berry in “Back to the Future”.

Creativity is a great virtue and shouldn’t be weighed down by budgets. This movie is proof of it but sadly when studios only look to make money we only get masterpieces like this once every couple of years. Have faith though fellow moviegoer because among the thousands of money making directors out there, there are still a handful of them that actually will stop at nothing to make a perfect film. And even if the movies turn out to be shit you can always count on old classics like “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”.

10/10

But what about you? What is your favorite character out of the trio? Click here to cast your vote.

The Best Film Ever Made? "The Godfather" Review

This is my very first review ever on this blog and to tell the truth I am actually a lot less nervous than I thought I would be. I have always believed that when you are creating something you should always start strong. So for my first review I sat down and brainstormed to find a film that could give me the strongest start possible and I thought "What is the best film ever made?" Now its important to know that the "best" film and my favorite film are two different things. The first answer that came to mind was "The Godfather of-course". But then I thought that it might be too cliche to review it and it would also be the obvious choice. Many other films came to mind only to be rejected for one reason or another like "Citizen Kane"(more inovative than actually great), "Star Wars"(I should save it for when I discuss the whole series), "Gone With the Wind"(I haven't seen it yet. Guilty!), "The Wizard of Oz"(Not really appropriate for a first review), and "Forrest Gump"(A modern classic but I should focus more on an older classic for the first time). As much as I tried to find ways around it I inevitably landed back on "The Godfather" and realized that it is truly the best movie ever made although not necessarily my favorite. So without further  delay here is the very first Mike's Review.


     "The Godfater" is the story of the Corleone family. The family is made up of Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando in an Oscar wining role (although he did decline to accept the award), his sons Sonny, Michael, Fredo, played by James Caan, Al Pacino, and John Cazale respectively, his daughter Connie played by Talia Shire and many other family members that all get developed as much as they need to. Vito is the head of the family and is referred to as the Don or simply "Godfather". He is truly a character that is so well written we don't even care that he has such a small amount of screen-time compared to how much he is advertised as a lead. Brando gives such an excellent performance it is almost scary. There are moments in the film where you would have a difficult time remembering that Vito is a fictional character. Michael is the son that doesn't want to be involved in the family's criminal affairs and is happy with his girlfriend Kay played by Diane Keaton.


     Essentially the film is about Michael as it follows the decisions he has to make regarding Kay and becoming involved in the families business. He goes through many changes, has to make many sacrifices and by the end of the film he becomes a man that the audience deserves to see him become. 


     Director Francis Ford Coppola uses the most tricks in the book he can to make the film interesting and thrilling while successfully avoiding overkill. One of the most memorable components of the film is the brilliant music score by Nino Rota which is sometimes menacing and sometimes soothing. 


     After watching this film for the first time I thought it was a joke; I couldn't believe that a film that perfect could actually exist. It was as if someone had scanned my brain and made a film customized to perfectly fit my taste. But this film is not one that only I thought was perfect because it is widely considered to be one of the greatest movies ever. with a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 100 on Metacritic this movie is idiot proof. I cannot guarantee that you will believe it is the best movie ever and I cannot guarantee that you will even like it but I can tell you this: If you haven't seen this movie you owe it to yourself to do so. And if you happen to be one of those people who just doesn't like the movie then you should keep it to yourself.


10/10


What about you? What do you think is the best movie ever made? Remember not your favorite but the best. Vote in this Poll