tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83680268941958559602024-03-14T12:44:21.486-04:00M O V I N G P I C T U R E M A N I A ! !**movie reviews may contain spoilers!!**Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-76886378257773389062011-10-24T21:24:00.013-04:002011-10-25T00:15:42.936-04:00What I've Been Watching -OR- "But you love Huey Lewis and the News." "But they don’t know that!"I have no idea what I'm doing with this blog anymore... It takes a lot of time to write a post, and I'm not even writing that much! So, while I ponder things over, let's talk about what I've been watching lately:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106145/">"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"</a>, 1993–1999.<br />I'm really excited to be watching this! You all know <a href="http://absolutelyicebox.blogspot.com/2008/03/have-chef-whip-up-light-balsamic.html">my feelings for Star Trek: The Next Generation</a> (except that I wrote that I thought <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq48QwlkV3g">Riker</a> was a hottie. He's indeed handsome, but I really did like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxHGvqlPaNc&feature=related">Data</a> the most). I hadn't seen the TV series since I was a kid. A few months ago, I found out it was on <a href="http://www.netflix.com/">Netflix</a> instant watch, so I re-watched the whole series, and it was glorious. (And now I don't know who has more of my heart: Data, or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_MKN_KwIhg">Worf</a>.) But then, I felt empty when it was all over. Well, I'd briefly watched DS9 back when it was on the air, but I stopped, and I think it's because I didn't think it was as awesome as TNG. But hey, I discovered that it's on instant watch as well! What a perfect way to fill my TNG void, plus I've been promised that things get awesome by the third season. I'm about two-thirds through the first season right now. It's okay so far, I like it but I'm looking forward to when the show starts coming in to its own.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1219024/">"Castle"</a>, 2009–Present.<br />I love me some <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0277213/">Nathan Fillion</a>, and I started watching this during the third season to get my Fillion Fix. But now I'm thoroughly enjoying the show! The writing can be a little unoriginal and the characters can be a little predictable, but I like 'em all. And <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAGZ_r9tj0IdnoF5EjY6TI22jGASdwG7omZNlJj_2sNX7IQREFBibFB-pnju9m6KEnLe2J0rBB2HdITMtne2mexM2DP3Lova-m4eSxW2A24kAQlcWQfYiC0VpOjqdfXZHWCvpWgrx1yA/s270/HotCastle2.jpg">Rick Castle</a> just seals the deal for me. I need to get my hands on the first few seasons for more Fillion. Plus, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1065664/">Beckett</a> is a sizzling badass.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1266020/">"Parks and Recreation"</a>, 2009–Present.<br />I'm so happy this show is hitting its stride, and that it's getting the props it deserves!!!!!!! (Here's <a href="http://absolutelyicebox.blogspot.com/2009/10/sugah-slam.html">my previous review of the first two seasons</a>.) I think it's one of the funniest and most original shows on the air currently. All of the characters are amazing. Yes, <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lfcre4mqpA1qduukyo1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1319594753&Signature=vTPwYLAAl5d7eGgQIc8UfEf3AxU%3D">Ron Swanson</a>, but also all the rest of them. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBBAyWLX6dE">"Treat Yo Self 2011!"</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1843323/">"Up All Night"</a>, Now!<br />I love this show! <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000775/">Christina Applegate</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004715/">Will Arnett</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0748973/">Maya Rudolph</a>: they're so good and funny in this! (Also, surprisingly, is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0134244/">Nick Cannon</a>. And <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1672246/">one of my favorite Lonely Island dudes</a> makes a guest appearance!) Plus it's great to see Will Arnett move away from his (admittedly spectacular) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9TXVMkQ29g&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLBEE9339FDC070160">crazy weirdo</a> roles and play an actual person for once. (Who knew he could be so <a href="http://www-tvline-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/WArnett_CApplegate_300_1111005124920.jpg">endearing</a>!) The show itself is decent, it has a lot of promise and there are lots of laughs in the mix. I also find it relatable, even though I don't have a baby...? Maybe it's just 'cuz I'm getting old, dudes. Check out this recap of my favorite episode so far: <a href="http://www.starpulse.com/news/Becky_Broderick/2011/09/22/up_all_night_recap_cool_neighbors">Cool Neighbors</a>. Definitely give this show a whirl, and join me on the "I Think They Can" train!<br /><br />Bonus: Show I Miss Watching:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0934814/">"Chuck"</a>, 2007–Present.<br />I know: what?! It's not an amazing show, but it was really fun, and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1157048/">Zachary Levi</a> is kind of cute. And, <a href="http://www.coolorama.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/b7e0ca22acyne-05.jpg.jpg">Adam Baldwin</a>!! I don't have cable and don't get the basic channels on my TV, so all my television goodies come from Netflix and Hulu Plus through the PS3. And Chuck isn't on Hulu Plus. <a href="http://www.hulu.com/chuck">Chuck is on regular Hulu though</a>. I haven't really watched anything on regular Hulu before, but I may as well give it a go...<br /><br />Fun Fact: It took me three hours to write this. Three Whole Hours. That's 4 episodes of DS9 I could have been watching! Lame.Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-35019976820193629582011-04-09T00:31:00.007-04:002011-04-09T01:25:19.685-04:00"You look like Kid n’ Play." "That’s actually two people.”<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1231587/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Hot Tub Time Machine</span></a>, 2010. Two and three-quarters stars?<br /><br />I didn't know how to feel about when I finally got the opportunity to see this movie, because the first round of reviews I heard was that it kinda sucked, but then the second round of reviews I heard made it seem like the most hilarious thing ever. But I did want to see it because of all four of the main actors in it...<br /><br />Turns out it's just okay. It runs hot and cold. Meh. There were some really funny parts, and there were some really uninspired moments.<br /><br />The thing that ticked me the most was the deadpan deoivery of the line "It must be some kind of Hot Tub Time Machine." Actually, there are a lot of great lines in this movie. ("<strong style="font-weight: normal;">It’s called male bonding, okay? Haven’t you even seen <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486946/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wild Hogs</span></a>?") </strong> And I appreciated the unexplained innuendos about Cincinnati.<br /><br />I usually enjoy the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1117791/">Rob Corddry</a>, but I was unenthused with his character in the movie (though he pulled it off really well, of course. But he deserved a less stupid part). <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000131/">John Cusack</a>... sorry dude, the 80's won't leave you alone. I wish they would. Making an interesting movie in this decade would be pretty cool, right...? I LOVE <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0732497/">Craig Robinson</a> (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkT-jsadTzo">Who wants linoleum floors?</a>), and I'm really really happy with pretty much anything he does. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0241173/">Clark Duke</a>, I'm glad that you and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0148418/">Michael Cera</a>'s careers are taking off, but I miss <a href="http://www.clarkandmichael.com/">your website</a>.<br /><br />I was surprised and stoked that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0135221/">Lizzy Caplan</a> was in this, I only know her from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377092/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Mean Girls</span></a> but she's the best and I need to pay more attention to her.<br /><br />So, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000417/">Crispin Glover</a> is in this too? He is my favorite Hollywood weirdo. I was more pumped about his performance than <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000331/">Chevy Chase</a>'s involvement in this flick.<br /><br />The random <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087985/">Red Dawn</a> allusions were delightful!<br /><br />Even though this was a pretty uneven movie, I still enjoyed watching it. I don't think I'd see it again though.<br /><br />Now I'm in the mood for a really funny movie. I want to see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910936/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pineapple Express</span></a> again!!Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-74572722037589618052010-08-05T08:23:00.017-04:002010-08-05T14:03:44.417-04:00"That's it! You cocky cock! You'll pay for your crimes against humanity!" -OR- "She geeks, she geeks. She has the capacity to geek."<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446029/"><span style="font-style:italic;">Scott Pilgrim vs. the World</span></a>, 2010. Three Stars.<br /><br />BACKSTORY!!! I like a lot of the stuff that <a href="http://www.onipress.com/">Oni Press</a> publishes, so even though it looked like it could be obnoxious, I decided to give a book called "<a href="http://www.onipress.com/titles/h/149">Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life</a>" a shot (yes the backwards-facing quotation mark on the cover irks me, but I'm like that!). AND I LOVED IT. The art style is amazing. It's really fun. And really funny. All the characters are dorks and like music (who does that sound like??). And the main character has to fight his girlfriend's seven evil ex-boyfriends, and all the battles are like video games. OH MAN! I'd alternate in between spazzing out about it and forcing it on anyone I could to read it! That was back in 2004; for the past six years I'd been impatiently waiting for all six volumes to come out (they ended up being released pretty much one volume a year; the <a href="http://www.onipress.com/titles/h/426">final volume came out in July</a>).<br /><br />FAN BOY ALERT!!! If you know me, you know I never shut up about this. But I think this is still so unbelievably cool: So, before <a href="http://www.onipress.com/titles/h/143">Volume 3</a> came out, I happened to be on the internet the same time <a href="http://radiomaru.com/">Bryan Lee O'Malley</a> was on it, asking fans for photos to use on billboards in the book. I exuberantly sent at least 15. Check out Chapter 15, 14th page: <a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/staysafe/ck_sp3.jpg">IT'S ME!!!</a><br /><br />THE MOVIE!!! Firstly, I knew Bryan Lee O'Malley was involved in writing the screen play, and I'm a big fan of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0942367/">Edgar Wright</a>, but I had serious doubts as to whether this comic that became so near and dear to my heart could successfully be adapted to movie form. I didn't wanna see any trailers, I didn't wanna see any clips, I didn't even wanna talk about it, so that I'd have zero expectations for this movie. Because if I let myself, I would totally nerd out and get really excited for it, inevitably getting my expectations too high, then be inherently disappointed when I finally did see it.<br /><br />But, my super friend Alex got a few of us sneak preview passes to see it last night! So I finally let myself watch <a href="http://www.scottpilgrimthemovie.com/">the official trailer on the website</a> yesterday. And, it didn't look half bad!<br /><br />The movie had me at the 16-bit Universal Studio logo. Mamma Jamma.<br /><br />I can't believe <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0148418/">Michael Cera</a> pulled off being Scott Pilgrim. He was good! And <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0926165/">Ann from "Arrested Development"</a> was one of the evil exes! Reunited!<br /><br />All the actors in this were superb. This review would be even longer if I wrote about every single one of them, so I won't. But I have to say that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2771798/">the girl that played Knives Chau</a> was exceptional. I was very impressed with her performance!<br /><br />I just absolutely love <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2201555/">Aubrey Plaza</a>, and I'm so happy she's in this movie. She's a perfect Julie. Uncanny in appearance, and she nailed the character. <br /><br />Also, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005403/">Jason Schwartzman</a> is the perfect Gideon. I had my doubts about <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001085/">Kieran Culkin</a> as Wallace (I thought he looked too slobby when I saw the trailer), but he ended up being perfect too. I can't remember if I saw <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0348150/"><span style="font-style:italic;">Superman Return</span>s</a> or not (must not have made a good impression on me if I did...), so I was always like "Oh <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0746125/">Brandon Routh</a>'s playing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman">Superman</a>, so he must just be another boring Hollywood actor." But <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlxhD284RKM">then I saw this</a>, and I was intrigued... His being Todd in this movie has sealed the deal on my small infatuation with him!!<br /><br />Why didn't they have <a href="http://www.blogto.com/artists/michael_comeau/">the real Comeau</a> play <a href="http://scottpilgrim.wikia.com/wiki/Michael_Comeau">Comeau</a>? <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1815689/">Nelson Franklin</a> did just fine, but, there's a real Comeau so how cool would that have been?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005048/">Thomas Jane</a> is the Vegan Police!!!<br /><br />I liked the comic book-y graphics they added; I wasn't sure how it was going to work out, but it ended up looking decent and fun. Really appreciated how they incorporated some of the text from the book, especially the names/descriptions/ratings boxes. And there was a good ratio of real-life scenes to fastly-cut-fantastical scenes.<br /><br />Hey, is that Gideon the cat on Scott's mug in the first scene?<br /><br />I have lots of little details I'd really like to talk about, but I think I have to stop here. But maybe someday, if you see the movie, we will talk about it!<br /><br />Because I'm such a fan of the comic and already knew the story, I knew what was going to happen in the movie and I knew what kinds of things to expect. So I can't say if it was good or not, or even if the story was cohesive or if the pacing was effective. But I can definitely say I really really enjoyed it. They did a really good job of taking a six-year labor of love and adapting it to a 1 hour and 45 minutes movie.<br /><br />If you've never read the book and know nothing about this, and you see this movie, please tell me what you think?<br /><br />I want to watch it again right now.<br /><br />BTW, at the end of the screening, Edgar Wright, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0447695/">Anna Kendrick</a>, Michael Cera, and Jason Schwartzman came out and took questions about the movie. They talked about behind-the-scenes stuff, and Edgar talked about how they did the music stuff for the movie, and such. Cool!!<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v732/staysafe/?action=view¤t=ck_sp_lil.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/staysafe/ck_sp_lil.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br />Hee hee hee.<br /><br />Also, read the book some time! <a href="http://www.scottpilgrim.com/">scottpilgrim.com</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Can I please be a "Music Supervisor" for movies?????Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-82364397298465351192010-08-04T09:08:00.011-04:002010-08-04T10:07:59.773-04:00"Lay down some phat beats for me to kick my buddy's ass to, alright?"<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1228705/"><span style="font-style:italic;">Iron Man 2</span></a>, 2010. Three and a half stars.<br /><br />Well, I should get started on this summer's movies before the summer ends, eh?<br /><br />I thoroughly enjoyed <a href="http://absolutelyicebox.blogspot.com/2008/08/im-sorry-this-is-fun-vee-hum-drum-vee.html"><span style="font-style:italic;">Iron Man</span></a>. In fact, I loved everything about it! And I'd been anxious to see <span style="font-style:italic;">Iron Man 2</span>. I didn't have much hope for it being good: Usually movies I love have awful sequels, especially if they're big Hollywood blockbusters.<br /><br />But this movie was pretty great! I mean, I feel like it's a different kind of movie, so it's like comparing apples and oranges: the first one is establishing the characters and movie universe, the second one is delving in more and taking it to the next level. Even though it was good... right now I'm giving it three and a half stars. That might change once I watch it again... Really it's good though!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000375/">Robert Downey Jr.</a> continues his awesome performance as <a href="http://marvel.wikia.com/Iron_Man_(Anthony_%22Tony%22_Stark)">Tony Stark</a>. There were a few points in the movie that I actually didn't like, that were (believe it or not) too fantastical that took me out of the movie. But his performance was so strong that he made it work. Like: the race-track scene where Vanko (BTW: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000620/">Mickey Rourke</a>? Excellent!) was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiplash_(comics)">Whiplash</a>-ing cars to get to Tony... there would, and should, have been more destruction, shrapnel, and accidental hits that would have hurt or severely injured waaaaaaay more people. It's science, dudes. I know it's silly that something like that irked me, but, it did and does! Tony's reactions kept me from throwing things at the screen though. And that lame part with the little boy, Robert Downey Jr. made that cheesiness work in the end by having it be just so Tony. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000332/">Don Cheadle</a>!! <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005024/">Terrence Howard</a> was good as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Machine">Rhodey</a> in the first movie, and I'm not quite sure what happened here (I heard it was about $$, but I also heard it was a surprise to Howard...), and it's sad, but... Don Cheadle!! He is awesome, and if anyone had to successfully replace a prevalent character in a prevalent movie, it could only be him.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0424060/">Scarlett Johansson</a>. Blah. Sexy but pretty boring. And "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Widow_(Natalia_Romanova)">Natasha Romanoff</a>" shouldn't really be boring... right??<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepper_Potts">Pepper Potts</a>! <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000569/">Gwyneth Paltrow</a> is still good and as adorable as ever.<br /><br />Has anyone else noticed that the ladies in this movies are wearing high heels that are too extreme and end up looking like they're walking in sand all of the time? Sexy while standing, awkward while walking.<br /><br />Everyone in general is pretty much great in this. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005377/">Sam Rockwell</a> (slowly becoming one of my favorite character actors of all time), <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000168/">Sammy Jackson</a>, like I said Mickey Rourke, and even <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0788009/">Garry Shandling</a>, who somehow sometimes makes me uncomfortable. And also, DAMN <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0269463/">Jon Favreau</a>'s CV is getting pretty impressive, eh? Good for him!Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-88812217192407907382010-08-03T12:37:00.003-04:002010-08-03T12:46:19.127-04:00Where've I Been??I know I haven't posted anything in ages! There's lots I've been meaning to post about too, I just haven't had the time. I was brutally and prolong-edly sick, I bought a home (first-time homebuyer — what a crazy mess!), and I've been dealing with a particularly daunting work schedule. I meant to at least write about last summer's movies at least before this summer, but that didn't work out too well! Blaugh!<br /><br />Well, I hope to pick up with more recent movies and shows, and eventually when things die down, I can go back and revisit the ones I haven't been able to talk about yet (like <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/">District 9</a></i>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460627/">"Bones"</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1379049/"><i>American Artifact</i></a>, <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1049413/">Up</a></i>, and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0965415/">"The Drinky Crow Show"</a>). So, look out for some upcoming blog-iness!Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-53846248628512176422010-03-15T20:57:00.005-04:002010-03-15T21:09:03.511-04:00"Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042546/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Harvey</span></a>, 1950. Three Stars.<br /><br />I've wanted to see this movie ever since hearing <a href="http://www.weirdal.com/">Weird Al</a>'s "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_the_Wonder_Hamster">Harvey The Wonder Hamster</a>" when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alapalooza"><span style="font-style: italic;">Alapalooza</span></a> came out in 1993. I grew up with Weird Al's song-based hilarity (even though <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_TV"><span style="font-style: italic;">Al TV</span></a> always managed to escape my youngster radar, I don't know how!!). But <span style="font-style: italic;">Alapalooza,</span> along with the film <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107290/">Jurassic Park</a>*, went hand-in-hand in creating my pre-teen, 5th-grade world, so as weird as it sounds, it was kind of a seminal part of my life. Explains a lot, eh? :D<br /><br />Somehow, Harvey the Wonder Hamster got me hipped to this movie <span style="font-style: italic;">Harvey</span>. I knew it wasn't hamster-related, but maybe the grown-ups in my life were like "Oh yeah, Harvey. He's an invisible 6-foot rabbit." Anyways, this Weird Al song had somehow led me to knowledge about this movie starring a guy who had an invisible giant rabbit friend. And I thought it sounded great, so I wanted to see it.<br /><br />Last week I was flipping through the TV guide and I saw that it was on HBO. So I set up a DVR recording for it and watched it. It got four stars so, because of that and because I had heard about it for over half of my life, I thought this movie was gonna be killer. And, I liked it. I wasn't head-over-heels about it, but it was very well-done, and pretty enjoyable. I think it has a really nice and unique point-of-view, and maybe it was, like, super-duper uproarious back in it's day. But, I liked it and I'm really happy that I saw it. If you get a chance to see it, I recommend checking it out.<br /><br />Everyone in this was great, especially <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000071/">Jimmy Stewart</a>. Also I really liked the script lettering used in the beginning credits.<br /><br />I didn't know this: it was based on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Chase_%28playwright%29">Mary Chase</a>'s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, and I was glad to see that she co-wrote the screen play. I'd love to see this on stage. This movie adaptation felt like a movie and was pretty open, rather than just feeling like something that was created for stage, so it'd be interesting to see how it's played out in its original state on stage.<br /><br />I found out that <span style="font-style: italic;">Harvey</span> was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068680/">re-done for TV in 1972</a>. It seems like the only real notable thing about it was that it was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001404/">Madeline Kahn</a>'s TV debut (and third film). I love her!! Also Jimmy Stewart continued to play Elwood P. Dowd on stage (and in this '72 re-do). I guess if you're awesome at something, stick to it.<br /><br />"Well, I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it. "<br /><br />*I was in a public school academic enrichment program in 5th grade, you <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy,_Massachusetts">Quincy</a> kids will remember it as "<a href="http://www.quincypublicschools.com/district/Departments/elementarylabcenter.shtml">E.L.C.</a>" That's right, I was a "labbie"!! (And to this day I still get shit from people like <a href="http://twitter.com/tubularocity">TIM</a> about it, haha!) One day a week me and a few other kids in my class would take a bus to another school and meet up with other kids and learn rad stuff. Like how to use computers, paint watercolor landscapes, do word problems (they sucked but they were way less sucky than doing regular math problems), and do calligraphy... Basically a bunch of interesting and creative things that most public schools usually aren't able to offer. It also taught us responsibilities by giving us responsibilities around the classroom (but apparently didn't teach me how to use a thesaurus to not use the same word twice in a sentence, ha!). And we did a few big projects, like we learned how to write giant multi-paged reports! And I did mine on my young love: basketball! With a diorama of offensive and defensive positions! And I wrote letters to my favorite basketball-related peeps about basketball, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Calhoun">Jim Calhoun</a> wrote back to me! And so did <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Auerbach">Red Auerbach</a>, on official <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Celtics">Celtics</a> stationery! So cool! ANYWAYS, for one of our projects we were split in to groups and had to figure out how to solve the world over-population problem if it ever happened. The group with the best solution got to go see <span style="font-style: italic;">Jurassic Park.</span> My group's underwater biodome KICKED ASS and we won!! So, not only was <span style="font-style: italic;">Jurassic Park</span> a flippin' cool-ass movie, but I got to see it for free as a result of an academic achievement. And that's one of the reasons <span style="font-style: italic;">Jurassic Park</span> means a lot to me. And also we got pizza after the movie. I love pizza! Double score!!!!Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-30589843677871420102010-02-21T10:33:00.004-05:002010-02-21T11:35:37.353-05:00"They're pissing on us and not even giving us the courtesy of calling it rain."<a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/">Avatar</a>, 2009. Three Stars.<br /><br />The general public seem to go ape for this movie. Since I Don't Believe The Hype, I knew I probably wouldn't like it.<br /><br />Also I have a few friends that haaaaaaated this movie. Even though I avoided hearing their reasonings in order to preserve a fresh outlook on it when I finally did see it, it's another reason I knew I probably wouldn't like it.<br /><br />If I did end up seeing it, it would be in IMAX in 3-D to see all the fancy visuals... And thanks to a friend's suggestion on a cold Friday morning, that's what I did.<br /><br />And I liked it.<br /><br />I normally can't stand CGI when CGI takes over where costumes/puppets/analog would have been better (<a href="http://absolutelyicebox.blogspot.com/2008/08/im-sorry-this-is-fun-vee-hum-drum-vee.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Iron Man</span></a>, I love you, but you already had an Iron Man suit made, why not just use that??). But the CGI in this was appropriate and couldn't have been done as good in another way, and it looked GOOD. The story was not original, but it was strong, and was not as trite as I was originally lead to believe. Also I like when good guys win, and I like Ewokian battles.<br /><br />The 3-D felt a bit wonky at times, maybe it's because there was a lot of extreme foreground-background stuff going on. Maybe it's because I'm not used to 3-D and expect it to be perfect. It's probably because I was wearing my 3-D glasses over my regular glasses. Six Eyes.<br /><br />Here's something weird. I don't mind violence in movies most times because it's not real life, just a movie. And I actually think over-the-top violence/gore (<a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://absolutelyicebox.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-god-do-we-really-suck-or-is-this-guy.html">Shoot 'Em Up</a>, <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077402/">Dawn of the Dead</a>, <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/">District 9</a>) is fun! But because such a good job was done making this world realistic, both visually and its compatibility with reality, that the death and destruction ended up shaking me up.<br /><br />Pretty much fell in love with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0098391/">Neytiri</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0757855/">Zoe Saldana</a> did a great job as her.<br /><br />It was awesome to see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000610/">Giovanni Ribisi</a> as a corporate dickhead (I first saw him in an <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106179/">X-Files</a> episode, that was like a lifetime ago!). But I'm a little sick of seeing <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0601376/">Joel "I'm typecast as a plucky nerd" Moore</a>, he seems to be cropping up everywhere lately for me. I get so happy when <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000244/">Sigourney Weaver</a> is in a movie. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0735442/">Michelle Rodriguez</a> wasn't obnoxious in this.<br /><br />I didn't know that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0941777/">the guy that played Jake Sully</a> was also Marcus in <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0438488/">T4</a>. Did he lose half a person for this role?? I remember him being pretty huge as a half-Terminator...<br /><br />I only gave this movie three stars because even though it's good, it's just another big Hollywood box office smash. And it's hard for me to get emotionally attached to those kinds of movies. I don't think it has what it takes to make that huge impact on me that it has with other people. I'll leave it up to other people to give it four or five stars, which they will.Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-21096468218332845202010-02-17T13:37:00.005-05:002010-02-17T14:24:49.911-05:00"Well, there was a lot of crying, so, I believe everybody had a good time." -OR- "She thought I was wonderful. She was the first woman I ever fooled."<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035979/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Heaven Can Wait</span></a>, 1943. Three and a Half Stars.<br /><br />I found myself looking through the TV guide for movies, as I so often do, and came across this one: A playboy recollects his life to the gatekeeper of Hades. And it was from the 40's. Sounded interesting, so I set up a recording for it.<br /><br />I don't really have much to say, except, it was pretty good! Well at least I enjoyed it! It wasn't as "naughty" as I expected, but that's fine: The story told is from the Victorian era, so there was a big importance in "preserving decency" and "the family honor" and all that. So I thought it was fitting that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000747/">Van Cleve</a>'s "affairs" were only alluded to.<br /><br />I don't think he deserved <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000074/">Martha</a> though, but at least he wasn't a completely selfish person that he was before he met her...<br /><br />I really liked "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0187284/">His Excellency</a>" and the "waiting room" to Hell. I can't help being fascinated by the extravagant sets mostly found in this period of films.<br /><br />Also, someone cross-stitched the credits at the beginning... Or someone painted them to look cross-stitched. Either way, a lot of talent and time went in to that!<br /><br />This movie is based on the play <i>Birthday</i> by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0124224/">Leslie Bush-Fekete</a>. I'd like to check it out some time. It's too bad this movie didn't keep the <i>Birthday</i> title; the story was strongly focused on the passage of Van Cleve's birthdays in order to mark the events of his life, so it makes much more sense than "Heaven Can Wait" (which was an entirely different play that inspired <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033712/">a movie in the 40's</a> and it's remakes/re-imaginings <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077663/">in the 70's</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0231775/">00's</a>).Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-36753976329648668392010-01-16T14:21:00.001-05:002010-01-16T14:25:18.174-05:00"Oh, that's pretty, Mr. Grimsby." "Yeah, it's a bit mild. I think I ought to tear her dress off her other shoulder."<a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039808/">The Secret Life of Walter Mitty</a>, 1947. Three Stars.<br /><br />I remember reading <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000472/">the book</a> in high school, and I liked it, even though I thought it was pretty sad. Part of the reason I liked it (and part of the reason I was actually frustrated while reading it) was because, sadly, I could relate to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Mitty">Walter Mitty</a>. I don't remember the details about the story, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't as fun as this movie.<br /><br />I was expecting a kind of dark flick. But it was actually really funny and enjoyable! Both the characters and fantasies were played with satirical and fantastical intent, which made it all fun. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001414/">Danny Kaye</a>'s little reactions to things were priceless. And, Mitty turned out to be a hero and taking control of his life, which this sap loves.<br /><br />This is the first time I've ever seen Danny Kaye in something, I think. Strange, huh? He was great! At first I got him confused with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0640307/">Donald O'Connor</a> (who was always my favorite actor from <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045152/">Singin' in the Rain</a>!*<br /><br />Also, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000472/">Boris Karloff</a> is in this! Most excellent!<br /><br />I really like the opening credits, with the "credits" on panes of glass that swing open. I'd like to know how they did that. And I loved that dog, "Queenie". What a good actor, behaving then barking on cue! One of my favorite parts, though, is the fantasy number where Mitty's a hat designer. It's funny and unique and racy. It was weird, though, to see only like two "musical" numbers (rather than this being either a total musical or a straight-ahead non-musical venture).<br /><br />"Your small minds are musclebound with suspicion. That's because the only exercise you ever get is jumping to conclusions."<br /><br /><br />...OH NO there's a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0359950/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Secret Life of Walter Mitty</span></a> re-make scheduled to come out this year? Starring <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000196/">Mike Myers</a> as Walter Mitty?? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Sounds awful!!<br /><br /><br />* My gramma and my dad used to make me and my sibs watch musicals when I was little. My gramma would have us watch stuff like <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053001/">Lil' Abner</a> and <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056891/">Bye Bye Birdie</a> (which is another favorite of mine). And to this day, I've only seen the first half of <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059742/">The Sound of Music</a>, because it used to come on two VHS tapes, and my gramma made us go to bed after the first tape (no complaints from me though, it was boring!). My dad had us watch stuff like <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055614/">West Side Story</a>, <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070239/">Jesus Christ Superstar</a>, and <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078239/">Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</a>. He also introduced us to movies like <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075314/">Taxi Driver</a>, <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064665/">Midnight Cowboy</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091860/"><span style="font-style: italic;">River's Edge</span></a> (which I got to stay up late on a school night to watch!), and <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090756/">Blue Velvet</a> (which I think he showed us by accident!). My mom, on the other hand, introduced us to B-grade sci-fi/horror flicks, and she used to watch <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094517/">"MST3K"</a> with me back in the day. I partly give my family credit for my eclectic taste in movies!Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-25335614436971543882010-01-11T17:59:00.000-05:002010-01-11T17:59:00.301-05:00"I think that's the shit, man. Raw intelligence." –OR– "I don't fuckin' know either. I guess we learned not to do it again."<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887883/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Burn After Reading</span></a>, 2008. Three and a Half Stars.<br /><br />Oh, <a href="http://coenbrothers.net/">Coen Brothers</a>! Your joints are such a delight.<br /><br />This movie was quite enjoyable! And <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000093/">Brad Pitt</a> ruled in it. And I looooooove <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000531/">Frances McDormand</a>. And I dug <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000123/">George Clooney</a>'s performance, too. It's usually a little hit-or-miss with him for me (but mostly hit. I just think I'm a little sick of seeing so much of him sometimes). Anyways, the characters that he and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0842770/">Tilda Swinton</a> played opposite each other were perfect!<br /><br />I grew up watching <a href="http://www.bodiesinmotionwithgilad.com/">Gilad</a> on TV, so I took particular delight in the boat work-out scene with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000518/">John Malkovich</a>.<br /><br />"I'm bigger, than ever. I'm bigger, I'm back. I'm better —I'm back, than ever—I'm back. You fuckers, I'm back."Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-17608375594938226932010-01-10T15:33:00.008-05:002010-01-10T16:33:35.779-05:00"Our enemy has realized that they are fighting guys from the future."<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758774/"><i>Body of Lies</i></a>, 2008. Three Stars.<br /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/tubularocity">Tim</a> and I found ourselves randomly tuning in to the middle of this movie on TV. After both professing that we'd both been meaning to check out this flick, we found it on On Demand and watched it from the beginning.<br /><br />I don't, and can't pretend to, know how accurately all of the different cultures, governments, and actions are portrayed in this movie. So I'm going on how good the actors are, and how engaging the story is.<br /><br />So, I was pretty engrossed with the story and the characters. And yup, all the actors are great! It's always nice to see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000138/">Leo</a> in a good movie, and I was thrilled that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000128/">Russell Crowe</a> played a not hot guy. And I'm always happy to see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0835016/">Mark Strong</a>, he seems to crop up in the darndest places. And <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0267042/">Golshifteh Farahani</a>! She is so pretty, and seems so cool in real life. Among other things, she's currently living in France and furthering her music career with musician <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohsen_Namjoo">Mohsen Namjoo</a>; she had previously been in the Iranian band "Kooch Neshin" (which I think means "Nomads"?), which had remained underground in Iran since rock music and lady singers are forbidden.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/mikepattonofficial">Mike Patton</a> (yay!) does a song on this soundtrack (with <a href="http://serjtankian.com/">Serj Tankian</a>, yuck), and the end credits feature a not very Guns N' Roses-y <a href="http://web.gunsnroses.com/index.jsp">Guns N' Roses</a> song (yuck).Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-65577849014474300632010-01-07T20:40:00.000-05:002010-01-07T20:40:00.493-05:00"My family is not dying tonight. You are coming with me."<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790686/"><i>Mirrors</i></a>, 2008. Two and a Half Stars.<br /><br />I was in the mood for a scary movie. But this movie just didn't do it for me. Mirrors creep me way out, but not movies about mirrors. And especially not this movie about mirrors. There really wasn't much scary atmosphere or anything like that, and everything felt forced. So I just wasn't in to buying what these mirrors were selling.<br /><br />One interesting thing is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0670526/">Esseker</a> and the story of how the mirrors got haunted (THOUGH since "Esseker" was being written in a MIRROR, I really felt that they should have done the corny thing of the name being backwards and it really being "Rekesse". HWAH!). Also, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005442/">Amy Smart</a> is in this, and she's great. And her death scene was really the only other cool thing about this movie.<br /><br />The ending's a bit cheesy, but I liked it a little. Though it didn't fit in with the rest of the movie, since it was so stylized when everything else was so reality-based. Which is a shame! Wasted potential.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000662/">Kiefer Sutherland</a>, I miss you in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093437/"><i>The Lost Boys</i></a>.Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-29329738720834240502010-01-06T20:55:00.006-05:002010-01-06T20:55:00.457-05:00"It's almost a shame to smoke it. It's like killing a unicorn. It's like... a bomb."<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910936/"><i>Pineapple Express</i></a>, 2008. Three Stars.<br /><br />This movie was funny! And good! <br /><br />I wasn't sure that I was going to like it; even as a non-stoner, I still enjoy stoner humor... most of the time. Sometimes it gets a little grating and unimaginative. So even though it has a good cast and writers that I like, I wasn't sure if this would be good, or just average.<br /><br />Yeah, it definitely went where I didn't expect it to go. And it was so so funny.<br /><br />Unsurprisingly, I had a crush on <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0290556/">James Franco</a> in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0193676/">"Freaks and Geeks"</a>. It was great to see him in something not serious, and also working with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0736622/">Seth Rogen</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0031976/">Judd Apatow</a> again!<br /><br />And <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001664/">My Guy</a>'s in it! If you didn't know that I've been a tremendous fan of his since seeing him in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080120/"><i>The Warriors</i></a>, then now you know.<br /><br />I could watch this movie several times in a row and not get sick of it.<br /><br />"Time to go suck today's dick."Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-83198935728802360502010-01-05T19:27:00.000-05:002010-01-05T19:27:00.361-05:00"Yeah it was funny, it was a fart-free set!"<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1201167/"><i>Funny People</i></a>, 2009. Three Stars.<br /><br />This movie is very good. But I thought there would be more focus on the comedy since there were so many good comics and actors in it (plus I had spent a lot of time on <a href="http://www.laughyourdickoff.com/">RAAAAAAAANDY</a>'s website). Also, there's a lot of dick talk. I'm normally fine with stuff like that, but after awhile it got a little excruciating, especially from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001191/">Adam Sandler</a>'s caustic character.<br /><br />Anyways, the comics are funny, the cast is perfect, and there are lots of great cameos. <a href="http://www.jamestaylor.com/splash.aspx">James Taylor</a>'s appearance was probably one of the funniest parts! But this movie ended up getting surprisingly serious. And a little scary. And sad. And it felt like a very long movie. And it got pretty painful to watch. But still, it's good and I'd recommend checking it out if you come across it.<br /><br />I'm starting to get excited about <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2201555/">Aubrey Plaza</a>. I love her in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1266020/">"Parks and Recreation"</a>, and she's great in this too. And I just found out that she's going to play <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/05/29/aubrey-plaza-in-scott-pilgrim/">Julie Powers</a> in the <a href="http://www.scottpilgrimthemovie.com/">Scott Pilgrim movie</a> (so perfect!). Which I'm still not looking forward to. I love everyone involved but I don't think it can do <a href="http://www.scottpilgrim.com"/>the comic book</a> that I love so dearly the justice it deserves. But I'll still see it. Hopefully by not keeping up with the video blogs and all that jazz, everything will be a surprise and I'll love it.Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-85881035601044062952010-01-04T20:07:00.003-05:002010-01-04T20:07:00.354-05:00"It's a gift... and a curse."<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312172/">"Monk"</a>, 2002–2009. Three and a Half Stars.<br /><br />Speaking of excellent shows coming back from the brink of awfulness, there's also "Monk"!! <br /><br />So, this show was great. But the last few seasons, however, got really stagnant; there wasn't much room for innovation until Monk was able to grow, and he couldn't grow until he started to solved <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002124/">Trudy</a>'s murder. (I always thought it was curious that a character so important to the main character in this show ended up being played by two different actresses, the first Trudy being <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0750787/">Stellina Rusich</a>.)<br /><br />Well, because the series would end with the solving of Trudy's murder, this last season was phenomenal! <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001724/">Monk</a> finally starts progressing and growing as a person, the characters around him also develop, and situations aren't dictated by his predictable reactions to everything. It was also cool to see how he finally got his badge back (which was something he always sought during the series), but since he (and the department) has changed and grown so much over the years, he realized he was happier just doing his Monk thang on his own. And, did anyone see the two-part series finale? It was so perfect! Everything I could have wanted and more.<br /><br />Also, I'm a little bit of a sap, and I really like that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0775087/">Sharona</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0023007/">Disher</a> got together, and that Disher is heading his own department in NJ. Mostly I'm very happy that Disher finally got so less annoying!! Unfortunately, Julie's character remained pretty flat. And I really think it's the character, not the actress (she was good in that episode <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1480479/">"Mr. Monk and the Critic"</a>!).<br /><br />If you've never watched an episode of this show in your life, and you wanna get in to it, I suggest checking out the first few seasons, then a few of the first Natalie seasons, then the last season. Those will all give you a decent Monk experience. Then, if you like it, check out the rest of the seasons. It's easy to check out episodes of this show since, if it's anything like it is now, USA will be re-airing Monk marathons for ages to come.<br /><br />Whenever I see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005266/">Craig T. Nelson</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096560/">"Coach"</a>)'s name in credits, for a split second I think it's actually <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0625621/">Michael J. Nelson</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094517/">"Mystery Science Theater 3000"</a>) and I get excited. I know that's weird. And don't get me wrong, I'm always happy to see the dad from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084516/"><i>Poltergeist</i></a>!Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-80944675685079552022010-01-04T08:38:00.001-05:002010-01-04T08:38:00.389-05:00"You're still such an odd little fruit. Is that a women's jacket?"<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285403/">"Scrubs"</a>, 2001–Present. Three and a Half Stars.<br /><br />When "Scrubs" first started to air, I thought it looked like another uninspired hospital show, so I never bothered to watch it. Then, in 2007, on a rare day that I was at the gym, a bunch of "Scrubs" episodes were being shown. That's when I fell in love with the show. It was funny and weird!<br /><br />I got all caught up on the episodes by obsessively DVR-ing and watching all of the repeats that are constantly being re-aired on multiple stations. I was so happy because there were so many episodes to catch up on, and I thought the new-to-me hilarity would never end. But because I'm so good at being obsessive, and because reruns are so popular with TV channels, I was caught up in less than a year.<br /><br />But thankfully, new episodes were still airing!<br /><br />Unthankfully, starting a couple of seasons ago, and especially the entirety of the last season, the show began to bite the big one. The fresh and fun characters were getting old and predictable, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0103785/">J.D.</a>'s enjoyable eccentricities started turning into pathetic zaniness, and it was like the show just didn't care about itself any more. I thought that last season was the final season, but it ended on that weird episode that felt like it should have been like the third or fourth episode of the season, and it was just so weird.<br /><br />Surprisingly, that wasn't its final season though! It moved to a new network. And the latest season has started and is safely under way. I am loving it!<br /><br />Lots of changes! And successful changes! The actual Sacred Heart hospital is a different building, and it's built closer to the "school". So there are two fresh locations right there. There are much-needed new story archs and general things that happen, but it still fits within the the "Scrubs" universe. Interesting of all, there's like a new "crew" of med students, and they work well with the already established characters. And, there's a new "J.D.", and she's a hot chick! Who is interesting and neurotic and funny! Her name is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2628935/">Lucy</a>. In the first few episodes, we follow around both J.D. (who, after the first few episodes, is gone. It's sad, but very needed.) and this girl, Lucy, and we hear both of their inner monologues. Now we just hear Lucy's. I didn't think this would work out, but it totally does so far!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001525/">Dr. Cox</a>? Still there. And still remains one of my most favorite characters on television. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283568/">The Janitor</a>? Not there anymore unfortunately, but the explanation of his departure was "classic"! Also unfortunately, there are two "bumbling" security guards that seem to have taken over his "place" on the show, and they're my least favorite parts of the new season. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0009520/">Turk</a> is still there, and is currently looking for a new best friend at work. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0149950/">Elliot</a>'s there too, and is pregnant with J.D.'s baby. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0009532/">Ted</a> left early on in the season, but did so on a high note. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0556165/">Todd</a>'s still totally there, which is most excellent. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0009530/">Dr. Kelso</a> left, but didn't really, because now he's living in one of the dorm rooms. Haven't seen <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0721332/">Carla</a>, though she has been mentioned, but have seen <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0588096/">Jordan</a>. Other characters like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2638780/">Dr. Beardface</a> are around in the background, so I don't know why I haven't seen <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0507629/">Hooch</a> yet. I hope he comes back. Hooch is crazy.<br /><br />New main characters: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2002649/">Cole</a> is hilarious (and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0290556/">James Franco</a>'s lil bro in real life). Already talked about Lucy, but yeah, she's endearing. I'm enjoying <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1134612/">Drew</a>. He's like the chill character, but is also interesting. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1764351/">Maya</a>'s the super hot Australian student that keeps cropping up. And <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2255288/">Denise</a> is back, as a resident physician and also these new kids' student advisor.<br /><br />I give this show three and a half stars because of its previous awesomeness, and also its ability to bounce back from the brink of craptasticness. I might be in to this season so much because I had completely given up hope on this show, so things just might seem amazing in comparison. But, if you're like me and also completely gave up hope on this show, just give a few of the new episodes a shot and see what you think.<br /><br />And I found this <a href="http://scrubs.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page">Scrubs wiki</a>, if you're new to the series or just need to catch up on the extreme amount of characters.Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-8568912712760751882010-01-03T18:18:00.003-05:002010-01-03T18:18:00.245-05:00"Not you, Fat Jesus. Slide it on back."<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1119646/"><i>The Hangover</i></a>, 2009. Three Stars.<br /><br />The trailers for this made it seem like a basic "men are miserable when they're married so let's have one last hurrah before we get married and our lives are over" kind of movie. I had no interest in seeing it. (Even though <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1159180/">Ed Helms</a> is pretty awesome!)<br /><br />But then I heard from many people that it was very funny. So when it came out on DVD, someone let me borrow it.<br /><br />This movie heavily depends on the "here's this unexpected ridiculous thing!!" technique, which I'm big fan of. But, since people were kind of freaking out over it so much, I was expecting ridiculous things. So I wasn't surprised by the ridiculousness. So I didn't laugh very much. But I did enjoy this movie a lot, and I still thought it was funny.<br /><br />The best part, though, are all the pics from that night that are shown through the end credits. Genius!<br /><br />Also, A NAKED <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0421822/">SEÑOR CHANG</a> is in this!!!!<br /><br />It was nice to see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001287/">Heather Graham</a> in a movie again! But I just looked at her imdb.com profile, and she has been in lots. Just stuff I haven't seen. Oops. Still, nice to see her. And <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001787/">Jeffrey Tambor</a>! I like him! And yay for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006713/">Rachel Harris</a> playing a bitch, too!<br /><br />I first saw <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0302108/">Zach Galifianakis</a> in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1255913/">"Bored to Death"</a> (which I'll write about if I can ever bring myself to finish the first season), and I look forward to seeing him in more stuff.<br /><br />I can't get Ken Jeong off my mind though. He steals the show almost every time I see him!Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-87986086280137244302010-01-02T19:36:00.008-05:002010-01-02T20:37:32.224-05:00..."But more importantly, you're dressed like a gladiator in a desk fort you built during a bad trip."<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1439629/">"Community"</a>, 2009–Present. Four Stars.<br /><br />This show's not only the biggest surprise of the new shows on the Fall '09 line up, but also the funniest thing on television right now. When I first saw an ad for it, I was confused about what it was about, and whether it would be funny or painful (like most budding sitcoms nowadays). But it had me at the first episode. Wholly original, and just so darn funny.<br /><br />Seriously, every single character on this show is hysterical. I don't have the patience to write about all of them. But really, the characters are great and the actors that play them are phenomenal. <br /><br />I do have to mention <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0570364/">Joel McHale</a>. I only watched <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106149/">"Talk Soup"</a> when <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0378217/">John Henson</a> was on it. He was the only one that made the show for me. And it has been disappointing to see his acting career plateau as him basically playing himself as news reporters in the background in movies. But! I started watching the latest "Talk Soup" variation, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421460/">"The Soup"</a>, one day randomly. I loved that the show focused on all the horrors that reality television unleashes on to its viewers (not just talk shows). And, this Joel McHale dude was on it, and he was hilarious! Just the right amount of self-deprecating humor mixed in with self confidence, sarcastic-ness, and ability to rock a suit while remaining agile enough for bits of physical comedy. Also I'm starting to really like his leprechaun-y face. But then I got worried: Would Joel McHale follow in John Henson's footsteps by being on some weird show about a community college that might fail tremendously? Thankfully, no!<br /><br />So, also, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000331/">Chevy Chase</a> is in this. Surprising, and, great! I've heard he's not the swellest gentleman ever (but who in Hollywood is?), but his ability to not take himself seriously in this show really works for him, and makes him funny to me again!<br /><br />But! The best part in this fantastic show? <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0421822/">SEÑOR CHANG</a>!!<br /><br />Hooray for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1363595/">Dan Harmon</a>, the creator of this amazing show. He's worked on other such gems like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0821375/">"The Sarah Silverman Program"</a> and <a href="http://www.channel101.com">"Channel 101"</a>!<br /><br />I can't wait for new episodes to start airing again. 1/14/2010. <a href="http://www.nbc.com/community/">Yay</a>!Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-61531304328170225052009-12-07T16:27:00.004-05:002009-12-07T16:54:22.532-05:00"I think it's fabulous. Every value I've ever held is being questioned. And I'm loving it."<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0487831/">"The IT Crowd"</a>, Series 2 & 3. Four Stars.<br /><br />I watched <a href="http://absolutelyicebox.blogspot.com/2009/11/im-sorry-are-you-from-past-or-hello.html">Series 1</a> a little while ago, and I wasn't floored by it. But it had lots of potential, and I'd been told that Series 2 & 3 are a lot funnier, so I recently checked them out.<br /><br />Already by the first episode of the second series, the show got a LOT funnier. And there IS a <a href="http://www.maakies.com/">Drinky Crow and Uncle Gabby</a> on Roy's desk! And some <a href="http://www.fantagraphics.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=405&Itemid=62&vmcchk=1&Itemid=62">Love and Rockets</a> books make an appearance! Yay comic books! And now <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1546196/">Bainbridge</a> is in the show!!!<br /><br />Third series is a laugh riot. And everyone got a style update (Roy's 'do is working for him and he looks slimmer, and Jen's hair doesn't look wonky anymore). One of my ultimate faves (though I like all of them) is "Are We Not Men?" (the football one), it's brilliant!<br /><br />I want to watch all of these episodes all over again.<br /><br />"God damn these electric pants..."<br /><br /><br />...<br />...<br />...<br />...<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0570364/">JOEL McHALE</a> was in the pilot of the US <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944954/">"The IT Crowd"</a>?? I love that guy so much!! I will profess my love for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1439629/">"Community"</a> in a timely manner, so stick around!Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-62030397147716138002009-11-14T23:54:00.002-05:002009-11-14T23:54:00.298-05:00“I’m gay. And you’re brother. And a ghost.”"<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307716/">Andy Richter Controls the Universe</a>," 2002–2003. Two and a Half Stars.<br /><br />I didn’t watch this when it was on the air, so a friend let <a href="http://twitter.com/tubularocity">Tim</a> and I borrow the three-disc DVD. The first few episodes were pretty painful; by Disc Two, though, things started rolling.<br /><br />Though they didn’t roll very far. I love <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0725200/">Andy Richter</a>, ever since I almost touched him when I snuck off to a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0899126/">Conan O’Brien</a> taping back in high school (he used to co-host the show; and look, he’s back on the show again!). But this show didn’t live up to his potential. Also, it felt very dated.<br /><br />So, Andy Richter plays a character with the same name, who is a writer of technical manuals, but wants to be a creative writer so he has lots of fantasies. Most of these fantasies are “look at me, I’m soooooo wacky,” which is a turn off. And the plots are pretty corny and boring. There are some truly funny gems in each episode (some of the funniest parts are when the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0088515/">dead owner of the company</a> Andy works at keeps popping up in his imagination), but over all, this show didn’t really grab me.<br /><br />The characters… well I think it’s funny that there’s a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0835722/">really handsome dude</a> (who isn’t that handsome, and wish it were <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0364280/">Ted</a> from "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1235547/">Better Off Ted</a>"!). And I like that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0805587/">Phil</a> from "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1235547/">Better Off Ted</a>" (I really like that show!) plays Byron (with long hair. Yuck.). Don’t really care about the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0108295/">insensitive boss-lady friend</a>, but I think it might be because of her boring 90’s make-up and hair-dos. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0597112/">Wendy</a> is pretty interesting; she comes off as a flat character, but she has these weird quirky nuances… <br /><br />But really, there's not much about these characters that makes me really care about them. I ended up liking them all right, but I didn't fall in love with them and I'm not devastated that the show's not on the air anymore.<br /><br />One of my favorite episodes is the Sensitivity Training one. Also, there's another episode with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0946382/">Jones</a> from "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0370194/">Reno 911!</a>" in it!<br /><br />And I really liked <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005277/">Conan</a>’s crazy appearance on the show!<br /><br />Ever notice in shows starring fat guys (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111945/">THE DREW CAREY SHOW</a>), the fat guys get way more play than fat guys in real life traditionally get? …I like that! If it’s your show, your allowed to do whatever you want. (I'm not picking on fat guys, I'm picking on <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004804/">Drew Carey</a>. He's kind of a jerk.)<br /><br />Anyways, this show had some great lines, and here are a few of my faves:<br />“This is the wettest I’ve ever been.” “You know, I’ve always wanted to hear that. But not from you.”<br />“I found a gay one-armed Native American little person.”<br />“It doesn’t involve sex, does it?” “No, it involves taking drugs.”Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-47391940565171465852009-11-13T16:42:00.003-05:002009-11-13T16:42:00.536-05:00“Don’t you watch the news?” “I hate that fuckin’ show.” -OR- “I was gonna get some.” “I kind of doubt it.”<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138510/"><i>Idle Hands</i></a>. Two and a Half Stars.<br /><br />HA HA HA! Brilliantly horrible. ...Or, horribly brilliant? <br /><br />I recommend it!Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-62713404246342131592009-11-11T12:54:00.001-05:002009-11-11T12:54:00.672-05:00"No, don't tug on that, you don't know what it's attached to."<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086856/"><i>The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension</i></a>, 1984. Three Stars.<br /><br />How has this movie not been in my life until now? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckaroo_Banzai">Buckaroo Banzai</a> is a scientist and doctor who also races cars and is in a rock band, and he and his friends battle sinister beings from another dimension. I love this.<br /><br />Amazing people are in this movie too.<br /><br />Like, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000693/">ROBOCOP</a>!!Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-47218571766738976792009-11-10T18:52:00.004-05:002009-11-10T19:31:07.200-05:00"Oh my God, what's wrong with your hands!"<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796366/"><i>Star Trek</i></a>, 2009. Four Stars.<br /><br />That <a href="http://absolutelyicebox.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-should-i-tell-your-men-when-they.html"><i>T4</i> review</a> really threw off the timeliness of my reviews. I need to play a bit of catch-up.<br /><br />I saw Star Trek when it came out in the theatre. Saw it opening night, and we liked it so much that Tim and I took his mom to see it a few days later for Mother’s Day! And after all the hype the movie generated, I want to see it again STAT to see how I still feel about it. When does it come out on DVD??<br /><br />Just checked: <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%E2%80%9Chttp://www.startrekmovie.com/%E2%80%9D">November 17th</a>! Rad!<br /><br />So, as stated in earlier reviews (par example, <a href="http://absolutelyicebox.blogspot.com/2008/03/have-chef-whip-up-light-balsamic.html"><i>Star Trek: Insurrection</i></a>), I like <a href="http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/index.html">Star Trek</a>. And I like this movie. I thought I would hate this new “My daddy’s dead” brat-faced <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1517976/">Kirk</a>, but, he was still cute and a bad-ass! Just had even more edge.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0704270/%E2%80%9D">Zachary Quinto</a> is a perfect <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spock">Spock</a>, but it’s too bad that his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylar">“Sylar”</a> face looks like his “Spock” face, because even though he’s totally being Spock, all I can think about is Sylar.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0757855/%E2%80%9D">Uhura</a> and Spock are a thing? I’m totally okay with that.<br /><br />Actually, I loved everyone in this, and they all did a great job breathing new life into these already-established characters. I got a kick out of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0881631/">Karl Urban</a>’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Leonard_McCoy">Bones</a>. (In fact, it's the only time I've ever gotten a kick out of Karl Urban.) A friend told me that was one of the only parts of the movie she didn’t like since he mimicked the original Bones’s character, while everyone else’s character is a unique adaptation. I can understand it, but really Urban did such a phenomenal job that I think it works fine in this reboot, plus it's really enjoyable! And like I mentioned in the <i>T4</i> review, I really didn't mind that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0947338/">Anton Yelchin</a> was in not one but TWO summer blockbusters, and as pretty important characters. His <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Chekov">Chekov</a> is commendable comedic relief, and I like that he's a kid. And he does it all with integrity. Also, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0670408/">SCOTTY</a>!!!<br /><br />I liked that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000559/%E2%80%9D">Leonard Nimoy</a> is in this, because I like him.<br /><br />Since I mentioned so many actors, I feel badly if I don't mention all of them now. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0051509/">Eric Bana</a>. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0339304/">Bruce Greenwood</a>. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8368026894195855960">John Cho</a>. Those are the only ones I was familiar with before seeing this, and they were all great. Except, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000213/">Winona Ryder</a>. I don't know how I feel about her being in this.<br /><br />This movie is really fun and enjoyable, and it looks cool. If you're not a big sci-fi fan, you still might like this. If you're a die-hard "Original" Star Trek fan, you still might like this.Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-27111197454471990982009-11-10T13:16:00.004-05:002009-11-10T13:58:45.430-05:00"I'm sorry, are you from the past?" -OR- "Hello Computer."<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0487831/">"The IT Crowd"</a>, Season 1, 2006. Three Stars.<br /><br />I had heard about this show a few years ago and was eager to watch it. Between then and now, though, boy was it over-hyped! So I didn't really know what to expect.<br /><br />What I definitely didn't expect, though, was the laugh track. Laugh tracks nearly ruin most anything. And, there were a lot of "Hey, this is a funny part!" moments in the show that just really got on my nerves. It took away from the actual funny, bizarre, and original moments.<br /><br />Which existed! The characters are stereotypes (I especially can't stand stereotypes of women and nerds!) and a lot of the big jokes are lifeless, so when I first started watching the show, I was practically insulted. But, some of the character's actions and what they were saying were genuinely funny... was it a fluke? Or are these stereotypes just a canvas for actual hilariousness? I had to keep watching.<br /><br />No one told me that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0276161/">Noel Fielding</a> plays the goth IT guy that stays locked in the back room! His appearance was so refreshing, and after his first appearance, the series really picked up for me. If they can have <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recurring_characters_from_The_Mighty_Boosh#Vince_Noir">Vince Noir</a> playing an ex-Executive whose obsession with <a href="http://www.cradleoffilth.com/">Cradle of Filth</a> has turned him into a nocturnal goth that's hidden away in the IT office... then maybe those little glitters of bizarre humor are on purpose!<br /><br />The show ended up growing on me, and even though I don't really like the characters, I like what they say and how they react to stuff. I still get irritated sometimes, like with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1547964/">Moss</a>'s annoying "He's so stupid, isn't he funny"-ness, but his actual funny moments make up for it. Plus he's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recurring_characters_from_The_Mighty_Boosh#Saboo">Saboo</a>, so he can do anything he wants really. Also, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0606439/">the boss</a> is amazing!<br /><br />Is that a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Corrigan,_the_Smartest_Kid_on_Earth">Jimmy Corrigan</a> doll behind <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1483369/">Roy</a>'s desk??????<br /><br />By the way, I really like the DVD warning and menu, and the opening theme (both music- and graphics-wise). And I'm such an 8-bit weirdo that I spent lots of time with the DVD options to see what would happen. I really like how it was done.<br /><br />I'll probably check out the other seasons of this show!<br /><br />OH, I watched the "Behind the Scenes" too; it's pronounced "The It Crowd" and NOT the "I.T. Crowd"? Or is that a joke? Because I think the ironic reference to the phrase "The It Crowd" still works if you pronounce it "I.T.", plus it makes more sense with the show. I think about these things.Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368026894195855960.post-84677450940462703382009-10-24T13:12:00.000-04:002009-10-24T13:12:01.156-04:00SUGAH SLAM!<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1266020/">"Parks and Recreation"</a>, 2008–Present. Three Stars (currently, and so far!).<br /><br />The first season was okay. It reminded me of the British <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290978/">"Office"</a> in that it definitely makes you cringe like crazy (though it's not nearly as cringeworthy); in the British "Office," however, no one's a very good person, so it's easier to come to terms with all of the horrible, embarrassing-to-watch antics that happen. "Parks" is actually harder to watch because <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0688132/">Leslie Knope</a> is such a nice and good person, and her naiveté is from genuine niceness, not jackass-iness. So you really feel for the poor girl.<br /><br />All of the other characters in the show, however, are just terrible, selfish people, and they're not very nice to Leslie, which is difficult for me to watch. Because no one cared about anyone else, I didn't care about them, and how do you watch a show when you don't care about what you're watching? But I cared about Leslie, and I wanted to see something good finally happen to her... Well, in general, I felt that this show had potential, so I stuck with it.<br /><br />There's a welcome shift in Season 2, which makes it way more enjoyable so far: the characters seem to start noticing Leslie's genuine and plucky attitude, and it's making everyone not as mean. And it's nice to see people start to come around to Leslie's side and actually support her. So now the episodes aren't just a total shitfest on the main character! And, the show is funny! Episode 2 ("The Stakeout") is pretty great, but really, I think the episodes keep getting better and better.<br /><br />Amy Poehler is amazing as the show's clueless but confident lead. I like her work in general, but it's so so good to see her in a lead role! <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0429069/">Rashida Jones</a> is a great "straight man," and she's just so super cute. And <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2106637/">Aziz Ansari</a> is hilarious, I love that guy!<br /><br />I don't know if this show's for everybody, but if you want to, give it a shot. I went from kind of dreading watching it, to looking forward to watching it. It gets a thumbs up from me!Chrissyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215902868553373140noreply@blogger.com0