Tag Archives: 2011

Movies or shows released in 2011.

TV Show Reviews

2 Broke Girls (Seasons 1 – 6) Review – Everything You Would (Not) Expect

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To answer the most pressing question first, the reason I watched this show is simple. My girlfriend and I usually watch a few shows simultaneously, and at least one must always be “easy to watch”. And I noticed that all six seasons were available on Amazon Prime (at least in the UK). I won’t pretend I don’t have a weak spot for Kat Dennings, but honestly, who does not? Anyway, I was surprised by some things (mainly how many jokes didn’t age well), yet, at the same time, I wasn’t surprised at all. I will try my hardest to explain.

If there is one thing that dates your movie or tv show worse than old technology (pagers, faxes, phones as big as bricks), it must be jokes. Respectively, how edgy/dark the jokes are, compared to now. You will be surprised how many rape, suicide or sexual jokes this show has in store for you. And look, I know this won’t be a popular opinion, but I don’t mind those jokes. I think it depends on many things, like context, who made the joke and whether it’s just a cheap shot at getting some laughs or whether the writers mean something more. I understand this isn’t for everyone, so hey, if that’s not your cup of hot cocoa, feel free to skip this show, as this might be one of those last “edgy” sitcoms of its nature. I constantly thought of Married with Children (1987 – 1997) during it because it follows the same structure.

We have a few characters who (unlike Married with Children) have some growth throughout the show. But you know what to expect; mainly Beth’s character is forced to have some character development, given she came from extreme wealth and ended up in almost extreme poverty. 2 Broke Girls follows this sitcom structure to the T, rarely derailing from it. You have a story of the week, mostly involving both of our girls; there are crude jokes throughout and by season three, you know who will deliver this joke and when. I am not joking; this show is so “by the book” you know who will be the next to speak and what they will say.

Maybe now is the time; when you scroll down, see my rating and question me. Why am I rating it quite well if it’s so predictable? Because believe it or not, there were some comedic gems hidden here, but most importantly, if you have a sitcom that is strictly “by the book”, you better have perfect casting, and this show nailed it by making its stars Kat and Beth Behrs. I will talk about the supporting cast in the second, but we need to give credit where it’s due.

Everyone and their mum now know these two are best friends in real life, and luckily for this show, it translated to the screen. I liked how their characters have never been “typecasted” per se, meaning they both can do it all. Sometimes, Kat does more physical comedy, Beth is the butt of the joke, and sometimes, it is the other way around. Sure, the show tried to convince us that Beth is so unattractive (a running joke of the show about her character not having sex and she somehow repulses men), but that might be the biggest joke of it all. But most importantly, the chemistry between them is there, and it carries this show. I liked the decision to keep some shots of actors laughing at the jokes; in between transition shots to different scenes, as that is precisely what this show is about. It doesn’t take itself seriously, and neither should you.

Regarding the supporting cast, everyone has a role to play, and they rarely move away from their lane. Garrett Morris is an old, Black grandpa who, as the show progresses, gets more and more forgetful. Jonathan Kite plays a sex pest who would be sued and fired on his first day in every other job, and as the show progresses, he gets more unapologetic about it. I liked Matthew Moy because you could argue his character had the biggest growth out of our supporting characters. In the earlier seasons, he was always the butt of every joke, only for the writers to finally give him some ammunition back, and he became sassy. But in his case, it felt earned and realistic. After all, if you work with someone as sassy as Kat and Beth’s characters, you would quickly learn to have a comeback for everything they would throw your way. Last, but not least(ly), you could argue that Jennifer Coolidge wouldn’t have the renaissance she’s having now (due to the success of White Lotus (2021 – ?, my review here) if this show didn’t keep her on the screens until 2017. Her character is loud, “slightly” obnoxious and horny, and as the series progresses, she gets louder, more obnoxious, and hornier. Can you spot the pattern for most of the characters?

Honestly, this “let’s stick to these norms” was also the downfall of this show. I don’t think 2 Broke Girls have a particularly weak season, but that’s because they don’t have one that is comedy gold either. That is why I must repeat myself; it is a perfectly fine show, and what makes it slightly better is the cast chemistry and how well they interact with each other. For my money, seasons two and three were possibly my favourite ones. The third season was also due to Mary Lynn Rajskub (known mainly from 24 (2001 – 2014, my reviews for every season can be found here)), and her brief guest spot on this show, where she played this brilliantly awkward character, was gold.

But this is what I meant at the beginning of my review. 2 Broke Girls surprised me with its edgy, dark humour (then I discovered it was co-created by Whitney Cummings, so that tracks), but when it comes to everything else in this show, you will not be surprised with anything. Everything in this show follows the “sitcom standards” where if you saw one, you saw them all. And for a show that wanted to be edgy, different and daring, it felt counterproductive.

Overall, 2 Broke Girls might be worth watching if you understand what you are getting into. I can’t say it’s a peak comedy; I can’t even say it’s a must-watch show. However, what I can say is, if you feel like watching something light, something where you simply need to laugh here and there, and you are content with watching Kat and Beth in a variety of different, mostly flattering dresses, this show might be for you. It won’t change your life, but you might have a decent time with this show.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Movie Reviews

The Grey (2011) Review – Once More Into The Fray

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When this movie came out back in 2011, I remember movie fans talking about it a lot. Unfortunately, most of that talk was about how people felt betrayed by the trailer, as it made it seem like an action movie. What didn’t help the cause was the fact the director removed a scene of Liam Neeson fighting a wolf from the finished movie, as he felt “the film had reached its emotional height by that time” (source: trivia section of IMDb.com). Here’s the thing – he was absolutely right about that, but I can’t say I blame the audience, for feeling like they’ve been misled as to what they were about to watch. Plus, if you actually watch that trailer, even without that scene, it does look like more of an action film, “Liam vs. the wolves.”

But let me say this, loud and clear – The Grey is not an action film. It’s so much more. Does it have some action elements? Sure, but at the same time, you might laugh a couple of times, but that doesn’t make it a comedy either. What this movie is, is a harsh, survivor drama about a man, who when we meet him for the very first time, you can tell he’s been through something, and the movie slowly reveals everything at its own pace. With films like this one, it’s usually these exposition scenes that sometimes manage to completely take you out of a scene or even the movie you are watching. But in here, the flashback scenes enhance everything, as they are placed carefully throughout.

What also helps is the fact this isn’t a mystery. Well, technically, there is one aspect you might consider as a mystery one – his wife. Throughout the entire movie, we see Liam’s character missing her, and all we have heard from him about her was “She left.” That’s it. But in the same way, this is not an action movie, this isn’t a mystery movie either. There is “a bit” more to learn about his wife by the end, but it’s not the point of this film by any means.

To me, The Grey is about a couple of things – the will to live, the perseverance of the human spirit. Just think about our hero’s journey, in the beginning, he’s only a few seconds away from killing himself (since this happens within the first five minutes, I don’t consider this as a spoiler) and throughout the movie, he gets a second chance. Ironically, by surviving a plane crash and trying to be “kind of” a leader to a group of 6 other men, who also were lucky (?) to survive. They all try their best to survive, not surrender to the sweet release of death, as not only the cold, winter environment is against them, but also, the movie’s secondary enemies (because let’s face it, the primary enemy in this movie is the weather/snow) appear soon – the wolves. Quite a few of them.

Yes, you could nitpick this film to death. For example, it’s definitely fortunate enough that the one expert on wolves just happens to survive the plane crash. And I am sure if you focused hard enough, you’d find more. But I was so into this movie, I didn’t have the time to nitpick anything. To me, that’s always a good sign, when I am not thinking about the time, or any particular flaw(s) because I am living in the movie. I was cold alongside the main characters, the movie made me feel how they felt and even the jump scares worked. Just making sure this is said – this movie isn’t horror by any means, but that doesn’t mean you don’t get a few wolf jump scares. But they make sense within the story and they never felt cheap.

And that is the thing about this film – if I am being honest, this film does not do anything new or anything different to plethora of survival movies prior. You also might not be surprised by certain twists and turns this story takes, but I remember when I watched it for the first time, right after it came out and was surprised by two things. I won’t name any, as I want you to have the same surprise, as me, because I truly wasn’t expecting them. But what this movie does, it does superbly. The atmosphere, the story, Liam’s character (I don’t remember seeing him as great maybe since this movie came out) the camaraderie of the survivors, everything just falls into place.

Before I wrap it up, let me quickly talk about the ending without going into the spoilers. Yes, this will be a challenge. The main reason I love it is by the time we get to it, we know and understand Liam’s character, in and out. We’ve been on the same journey he’s been on. We’ve seen the crucial moments in his life that shaped him. But unlike the guy with nothing to live for at the beginning of the film, he’s changed. To the point where he isn’t afraid to die, but if he were to die, he will go down fighting. And not only that’s objectively badass, but it works in line with what we can see in him. He in his mind has been tested and he’s realised, this might be the ultimate test. I love the way this movie ends. We don’t get a definite answer, as to what happens after the movie ends, which gives us options – to make our conclusion(s).

Overall, The Grey is a film, I have seen twice now. The very first time, I was pleasantly surprised, by how much I liked it and it was only a smidge of something I was missing at the time for the full rating. Well now, re-watching it after almost 10 years, I am fully on board and loving it. It’s not an easy movie to watch, as it can be cold, depressing and not exactly joyful watch at times, but it will reward you with a story about life, death, the will to live and all that good stuff. Honestly, can’t recommend this more.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Movie Reviews

The Skin I Live In (2011) Review – Disturbingly Great

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There are filmmakers who make great movies, that are not for everyone. For me, David Lynch is the perfect example of an artist, whose work is not easy to recommend to the “normal” audience, even though he is one of my favourite directors of all time. But even his movies pale in comparison to some of Pedro Almodóvar‘s work. That is why I like him too (can’t say love him, as I still haven’t seen as many of his movies as I would have liked). The Skin I Live In (in original La piel que habito) is yet another example of twisted brilliance, I desperately want to recommend to everybody, but at the same time, I can’t, as I fear some people would just stop talking to me after watching it, fearing for their safety. 🙂

Which is fair I guess, as this movie is… unique? Even that word doesn’t do this film justice. What I loved about this movie were the slow reveals of the necessary information. If this was an American film, there might have been a narrator, there would have been the awkward dialogue like “Of course, Mother, because that is how I always address you” to make sure everybody understands who is who, and what is happening. I think that is the main difference between American x European cinema, as plenty of European filmmakers give you information as the movie goes, trusting the audience and their intelligence. This movie is no different. Every time you think “I see where this is going now”, the movie makes a different turn, making you either really invested into the story, or really frustrated. Luckily, I was in the first group.

I love when movies treat you with some respect, allow you to guess, but at the same time, provide you with some answers, so you can put everything together, piece by piece. In this case, it is literally piece by piece… without going into spoilers, I can’t say more and for this review, I won’t go there, as I would love for you to watch it without knowing anything about it. Because this movie takes you places. And sure, plenty of them are uncomfortable, but to me, that is why I love unorthodox filmmakers/art.

Especially lately I subscribe to a theory that good art should shake you up a bit, make you think, show you something that might be slightly unsettling, on the edge or just slightly over the edge of what some might call a “good taste”. Why? Because art should evoke emotions. But nowadays, people seem to shy away from anything too… negative. Nobody wants to “make waves”, everything feels the same, sterilised. And I am not saying art needs to be just negative things about bad people doing horrible things, of course not. But just because a movie displays something, that is wrong, outrageous or on the edge of “good taste” (whatever that means) that doesn’t mean that the artist(s) like that bad thing. Or that people who like that type of art, like it because of that element. Plenty of times people gravitate towards something different because they want to be exposed to something they wouldn’t have been exposed to otherwise. That in return might start conversation about certain topics, that otherwise would stay off the table.

And I think this is what Almodóvar is doing here. He’s bored of normality, things being the same, he challenges the world. He’s forcing us to have a conversations about topics, we probably wouldn’t have. Like in this example – where is the line between good and evil? Does one horrible act justify another one? Is there such a thing as morality, or is that just set of rules we force upon ourselves? What makes human? Is that the skin they live in, or is it a soul? If it’s the soul, can you destroy it…?

The Skin I Live In is definitely one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. It’s really strange to say I would highly recommend it, given it will make some people really uncomfortable, but I honestly would recommend it, as it’s not something you see everyday, that’s for sure. It also makes you think, treats the audience with respect and showcases talent of Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya who were both magnificent. This was a wake up call, that I do need to watch more of Pedro’s movies, as even some of his films I didn’t love as much are still worth seeing. Again, when somebody has such a unique vision, they tend make unique art. Sometimes, that art misses you. And sometimes, it hits you in a way you’ve never expected.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

TV Show Reviews

Bob’s Burgers Review (Seasons 1 – 10) – Quirky, Funny and with Heart

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When you see any promotional materials for Bob’s Burgers, such as posters or trailers, you might think – why? Do we need yet another cartoon family? What is so different about this family? Well, the quick answer to that would be – pretty much everything. And that is what makes it unique.

Bob’s Burgers is a really nicely animated. There is something about their style of animation, that just looks great, but also not too perfect…? I am by no means implying the animators are not doing their job properly, quite the opposite! Their style to me is great looking animation, and that little touch of not being too “polished” or “perfect” is what makes this show unique from the visual point of view. Plus, they let bunch of animators/fans animate entire episode and that’s something I’ve never seen before (it’s first episode of season 8).

I can name three things that make this show so unique from any animated family show that’s currently out there – voice acting, humour and the family dynamic. Let’s break them down, shall we…?

What makes the voice acting standout from other animated shows, is out of the five main family members, two women characters (Tina and Linda) are both voiced by different men. You could say those men are taking their jooooobs… (reference here) and you’d be right, but also that makes both of them not only unique, but somehow more interesting, as you’d expect different voices coming out of those characters. It genuinely works and it’s not even distracting, so after a while, it’s completely natural to you that those two characters sound like that. Plus, H. Jon Benjamin isn’t praised enough (not only for this show, but for his work on Archer (2009), his voice is truly great) Eugene Mirman‘s Gene is a great character with plenty of unexpected one liners (Bob: “Wait, maybe you shouldn’t know too much going in, I think it’ll be better that way.” Gene: “Like the Iraq war.”) and Kristen Schaal has the hardest job in this entire cast – Louise shouldn’t be as great/likeable as she makes her to be. But Kristen found a way to make Louise not only a great (even though slightly mean) character, but also a relatable one with great sense for a dark humour. That brings me to me next point…

The humour in this show is really sneaky. What I mean by this is plenty of time the jokes are not something that would have you laughing all the time, or where the show would try to cram as many jokes into one minute as possible. This show relies more on a delivery of those jokes and plenty of puns. So many of jokes sneak up on you, unexpectedly, mainly from Gene. What also helps is every character has a different sense of humour – Bob’s more into puns, Tina’s into innuendos and inappropriate, mumbling jokes, Louise is the queen of sarcasm… every family member has something else to offer, they compliment each other really well and that… leads nicely to my final point as to why Bob’s Burgers is different from any other animated TV show.

I really appreciate that no matter what happens, the family comes first and they feel like they care about each other. They never cross any lines and if they do, just slightly, they know they have done something wrong, and will apologise. Plus, it’s refreshing to see a family where:

  1. Parents are encouraging their children and loving them unconditionally no matter what. No matter what they say or do, Bob or Linda always say something to the extent “That’s great honey, as long as you want to do it, we will be here and cheering for you.” and I’d like to think people will get some inspiration from this.
  2. They are truly equal, in a sense that there is no “lovable idiot” (and let’s face it, when comes to animated TV shows, it’s usually the dad). This is what makes the Belcher (or as Teddy would say Burger) family truly unique, they are all clever in certain aspects and where they struggle, their spouse will help them out and other way around. Bob has his genius moments, and his dumb moments, same as Linda. This took me a while to realise, as I’m so used to the formula “dad is dumb, but lovable, mum is the clever one” that I didn’t know what it was that felt truly different about this show, until I’ve realised that.

This is why I’ve fallen for Bob’s Burgers. The best word to describe this show is unique, as there is almost nothing “normal” about any of them, they all have their little quirks you won’t find anyplace else, but that’s why you will fall in love with all of them. Even if there are episodes that are centred around a specific character (and they each do get a couple of episodes like that throughout the 10 seasons so far) you will never go “Oh, this is Louise centred episode, that will be boring”, as any of the 5 main characters bring something different to the table. I can’t wait for 11th season and the movie!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Movie Reviews

Contagion (2011) Review – People Are Predictable

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I’m not much a movie watcher nor am I good writer/reviewer. But since my boyfriend (Luke) asked me to write a review on anything I want. I had no idea what I was going to write about, until I randomly decided to watch Contagion because what else could anyone watch during an actual pandemic.

Now onto the film, for the first in my life I can say I understood some of the medical references, looks like my studying payed of.

I enjoyed how slow it was, the slow pace seemed to bring it to life, making it more relatable. In terms of the characters, as the audience we never get to spend too much time with them, thereby never getting to see any major character development (in my opinion) and that efficiently helps bring the story to life. As that is the way of a pandemic, it all happens too fast to grasp what is happening.

Then comes the most annoying part of the movie, the blogger who basically spreads fake news. Telling people about a cure that doesn’t actually work and going as far as faking having the virus for the views and most importantly to him for the money. To me there is lesson to be learnt from this ALWAYS GET YOUR INFORMATION FROM CREDIBLE SOURCES.

This film also gives an insight into how people lose their shit and panic as we saw with the shortage of toilet paper (seriously people toilet paper?) We as humans really need to get our shit together. It also raises the issue of who gets the vaccine first (this is going to an interesting topic in the coming months or even years). All in all, as humans we are extremely predictable and unfortunately, that is to our detriment.

So, I’m done boring you, I won’t continue writing about the film because I don’t want to give it all away. But y’all should definitely watch it, especially during this strange strange time.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

If you managed to read through this review, thank you 😉

Anyway, bye until next time.

Eugenia xx