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Guy's Grocery Games (2013)
A fun and light hearted show
To the reviewers complaining about the host, Guy Fieri, don't watch it if you don't like the host. And to those complaining about the prize money, they have aired almost 500 episodes within the past decade, giving out hundreds of thousands of dollars, there's almost 20 episodes a season, and two seasons a year basically. It adds up. Their resources are not infinite. They have to pay a cast, and production crew of over 50 people, and fully stock a set that is basically a miniature grocery store. Stop whining about the prize money. This isn't primetime 'Who wants to be a millionaire', get a grip, and to compete and get the exposure and 20k, could help any chef in the industry. In addition, during the pandemic, Guy helped start a fund to provide food industry workers with payments if they lost work due to the pandemic. There's alot of good that comes from Guy and his show, the complaints aren't truly warranted.
Either way, the show itself is light hearted and fun. The competitions are filled with enjoyable challenges and games that keeps it interesting. A great show to put on, kick back, and relax to. Additionally, it's always fun to see the judges compete, the show is like a small family. Definitely a favourite, well recommended.
The Purge (2013)
Hit or Miss Flick, but mostly a miss.
I will start off by stating that I quite like Ethan Hawke, give or take a couple flicks. The only reason for watching this movie was the premise, it seemed like it could go in a few different directions. Not knowing too much about what happens before watching it, I didn't have the chance to avoid it. The premise seemed like it could accommodate a variety of twists and engaging elements. I thought the idea of legalizing fun, while it wasn't the most logical plot, seemed like it could be a really fun movie. Given this wouldn't happen, I wouldn't let this logic get in the way of my judgement. I just wanted to be entertained, not shown a masterpiece by any means. However it fell short, terrible how they could ruin something with potential.
The acting wasn't terrible, but was not great either, I won't delve into that.
However, the thriller aspect of the movie was not enticing. The film featured long periods of 'attempted suspense', but came off quite cheesy at times. The last two thirds of the movie were intentionally, and brazenly dark, in the literal sense. I could understand the opportunity for some thrills in this, but it did not work out. This drew the movie out for a while, and nearly put me to sleep hoping for some a genuine adrenaline rush, but it was too cheap. The movie is highly polished, incredibly long in its feel, and stands out as just another grim Hollywood attempt for a stab at your money.
No substance, I wasn't expecting any regardless, but not entertaining in the slightest. Given the exception at the beginning building the story line. The ending had a twist, but a pretty weak and unimaginative one, so have fun with that thought.
Overall, I really wanted to like this movie, but am sadly let down. It could be a hit or miss, but I would avoid this movie at all costs, don't waste your time around trashy and cheaply written movies.
The X Files (1993)
Simply put, Classic
Overall, X-Files remains a classic late night watch for me, whenever, wherever. I'll make this brief so here it goes.(I'm sorry if my bullet points mess up in the formatting)
-Great acting and chemistry between David and Gillian. -Excellent writing with a slow, but enticing plot. -Original plot twists throughout the series. -Good supporting actors throughout the series, many famous actors too playing small roles (Before blowing up) -Greatsuspense, occasional thrills. -The entire show is original, and wellwritten regarding researched events. -Conspiracy, a seemingly open minded show. And not entirely unreasonable points but thats my opinion. -Great mixing of historical events with fiction.--- Once again, making it uniquely original. -Great character development! Creates a deep emotional connection with the viewer -Again, Humor mixed with thrills. Profoundly, and remarkably fun episodes.
I could go on with these bullet points of why I love the show, but I am bound to repeat myself and draw this review out for too long.
So take it for what it is. I would definitely recommend it, I don't know of many, if anyone, who can say it's not a stupefying show.
Enjoy, it's ribbed for your pleasure........ ..... . .... ... .
Hostel (2005)
A good entertaining little thriller
Eli Roth hasn't quite hit a home run with many of his original movies. His directing has been subject to a lot of criticism, but I won't let that get in the way of my review. Personally, I love Eli Roth's acting, he bring a relatively fresh persona to the screen. But this being the first movie I watched created by Roth, I heard a lot of hype, and downplay, so I didn't know what to expect.
I can't and will not criticize the acting in the movie, because a lot of it seemed suitable for the target audience. It wasn't bad in any way, and it had it's moments. So I won't dive to deep into the acting.
However the plot was intriguing, and seemed to be pretty creative. The premise was enticing me to watch the movie, though I didn't know a whole lot about it, however, I was pleasantly surprised.
Since the movie is a thriller/horror, there is a lot of violent and graphic torture scenes. Since I have desensitized myself to some of the violence, or I just have a higher tolerance to gore, I found to be amusing. I could see what he was trying to do with the torture scene, and didn't think they fell short in any way. I imagine it to be similar to many Japanese gore flicks, like Guinea Pig, to a somewhat lesser extent. And maybe more like Audition in the veracity of the graphic torture scenes.
So I understand what he was trying to do, and it was not necessarily a high budget movie by any means. So with that in mind, you do not get many of the dull high budget Hollywood horror style gore. It remains under the radar of these cheap Hollywood gore flicks, and rightfully so. In that sense it seemed genuine to classic torture flicks, unlike a Saw 4 type thriller.
I cannot say the same for the following Hostel flicks, it seemed like later movies tried to capitalize on the legacy of the original. That being said, Eli Roth didn't direct the following, which may be why he stepped back but that is besides the point.
If you don't have the stomach for these gore flicks, then it should be easily for you to decide, just don't watch it. If you like gore art, then it would definitely be worth taking a look into. If you like the movies Audition, or really many Japanese thrillers, it is similar and seems more sincere.
Oldboy (2013)
Not too impressed
The American remake of the critically acclaimed South Korean 'Oldboy', doesn't quite do the original justice. I am gonna try and delve into some details without spoiling much of the 2013 movies details. I want to first say, when you remake a classic foreign movie, you are either going to get purists hating the movie for taking liberties that don't conform to the original, or you will get people admiring it for unique changes made to the plot. However I stated it doesn't do the original justice, I think they were a little too liberal in making some adjustments to the plot. It just didn't seem as sincere as the original, and came off looking superficially absurd, as if they really wanted to make it somewhat original.
The ending is quite elaborate and melodramatic, and it doesn't really follow through on much of the anticipated suspense. They took great liberties in changing the ending, the very end, and you will understand if you see the original. It seemed like the entire movie was trying to be edgy, but at the very end, the writers took a much more conservative move.
The acting was not convincing whatsoever, while Brolin played his character well at times, it also seemed very overdone at other moments. Olsen's acting was not anything praise worthy either, see seemed very monotonous and dull. The actors all seemed very flat in dictating emotions. Copley's character seemed so unoriginal, and boring, I found his character the least engaging. He ended up beating a dead horse with his character, strange and overplayed. The other acting was subpar, nothing stuck out, and no impressionable moments.
Overall however, if you compare it to the original, it is just plainly terrible. And if you do not compare it to the original, and take it for what it is, it is still just as awful. I am trying not to let the original cloud my judgement of this movie, but it is just an insincere Hollywood drama, looking to cash in on the originals legacy. And even if it was a genuine attempt of a remake, their attempt to spice things up just felt bleak, with moments looking for shock in the viewer, it just felt shallow and rather cheap.
So my advice is to watch the movie and think for yourself. But I do believe that it is a terrible movie, with hollow plot twists, insincere acting, poor writing, and many melodramatic moments. So have fun watching it, the first scenes were particularly laughable, the rest just seemed drawn out and bleak. You might even have a better time watching The Purge, because they both seem to be in that cheap Hollywood thriller category, trying to become something that they aren't, and that's original.
Thanks for wasting my time Oldboy.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005)
A funny, fresh, and incredibly original comedy
Upon first viewing the pilot episode of It's always sunny, I was unsure of what to think. As I watched more, it grew on me. This enforces the point of the show truly being an original show. This show was uniquely created, straying far from the path of generic and repetitive comedies that are being aired, and aired again on various standard networking channels. As I stated, it took time to get me hooked, only because it was unlike anything I have seen on television, thus I needed more time to adapt to the humor. It's always sunny has great characters that really engulf you in their charismatic, oddly charming, and awkward ways. The humor itself ranges from awkward silly humor, and all the way to dry situational comedic antics. Needless to say, it has a vast supply of fresh material, suiting many comedic influences.
The characters are a remarkable sight, the outgoing nature and chemistry between the cast allow for a more authentic situation feel. Although the situations may be extravagant, or off the wall, it still feels like one can relate to the emotions and actions of the characters. The premise of the show itself isn't necessary brand spanking new, but once again, the antics of the characters are so unique it will leave you laughing at the sincerity of the actors expressions and actions.
All the characters have their strengths, and I must say again, the sincerity and depth of the situations that the characters are put through are very humorous. Charlie (Charlie Day) being one of the most unique characters, brings a lot to the table. His crazy endeavors, which he frequently pulls the rest of the cast into, are far from normal. He seems like the genuinely misunderstood character because of the incredibly awkward and strange situations he is in. (eg. Rat Bashing, climbing in sewers, crazy ideas, inventions, etc)
Dennis and Mac are great characters as well, along with Dee and frank, they all have great chemistry. It is honestly a great, fresh show, and you will have no idea what will happen to 'the gang' in upcoming episodes. The episodes are like a 'free-for-all', as I said, anything can happen to the gang. You can rely on the fact that things will get of hand, and the 'things/situations' will be dealt with in a off-colour way.
It really is a fabulous show, and is definitely recommended as a somewhat 'light-hearted comedy'. By this I mean it is the kind of show that really gives you the warming laughter, sometimes hysterical laughter, that you could just click on at any moment, and just have a good time.
Napoleon Dynamite (2012)
Napoleon Dynamite hits TV
The return of Napoleon Dynamite, is it all it is cracked up to be? Given the movie premiered around 6-7 years ago, It became a great underdog hit, the one that gave Jon Heder his acting career. The movie was a 'hate it or love it' type of movie as I say, and I had always loved Napoleon Dynamite for its awkward, quirky humour. The TV show doesn't fall short of the same type of humour, but rather it is filled with even more ridiculous and unpredictable outcomes. The TV show still has the great characters, and as far as I know, the same actors doing the voices, and same creators. With this being said, it gives Napoleon Dynamite the same creativity it had a few years back. Seeing that they were airing the TV show on my Canadian Global channel, I had rather low expectations. I remember starting to watch it thinking, Napoleon Dynamite was a one time only thing, and should have been kept like that. However I would be rather enjoyed with the airing of the first episode, though it is hard to compare to a movie, it was still rather funny. The awkward moments and odd humour still seemed to amuse me, and they seemed to still keep it rather fresh. The only thing I was not a big fan of was the unexpected, totally random, family guy type of moment. However I will not hold that against the show, it keeps me entertained, and that was the point. I also can't think of anything else they are missing, that falls short of the original Napoleon Dynamite, it seemed to me it was well integrated into a TV show.
The point of the show was to entertain with the same awkward humour as the original, it does not fall short. Though some moments may be misplaced or ridiculous, it was still worth a watch.
7/10