Summer Television

A brief overview of the shows that I've been watching this summer. Check 'em out if you haven't already.

Childrens Hospital
From Michael Cera's subtle, yet ultra-hysterical non-sequiturs to Rob Corddry's face-painted character reciting a modified version of Baldwin's infamous "I am God" monologue to his daughter's fourth grade teacher, Childrens Hospital is hilariously dark, off-beat, and satirical. Its intentional lack of a coherent storyline and short running time (11 min.) provide a potent and concise comedy. If you liked Human Giant (as a matter of fact, Rob Huebel stars, Paul Scheer guest starred, but no Aziz :/), you'll probably like this one. Also, if you're a fan of Henry Winkler mentioning Earl Sweatshirt, this show is for you.

An Idiot Abroad

Holy shit, this is probably one of the funniest shows that I've ever seen. Just the idea of taking a round-headed, cynical, stubborn, negative, misanthrophic, xenophobic, pessimistic British dude out of his comfort zone and putting him in foreign, unfamiliar territory is absolutely golden to me. Bless Ricky Gervais and his sadism (he means well) for conceiving this godsend of a show. Preemptive apologies if I may have oversold it, but damned if you didn't laugh.

Damages
Started watching Damages mainly 'cause of Rose Byrne. 3 seasons in and no regrets here. It's well-executed, keeps your mind running, and Byrne and Close are each insanely-good actors. It's not on FX anymore, which unfortunately means less exposure, and now airs on Direct TV’s the Audience Network. Season 4 debuted on the new channel recently and is now unrestricted, which allows for a lot of "fucks" (the word) which really does add a little more depth and realism. Also, any show that can get Darrell Hammond and Martin Short in serious roles and Ted Danson "partying" with a hooker every 5 episodes gets props from me.

Bored to Death

I don't advocate cocaine or hookers, but I added that last bit to use Ted Danson as a segue into this other show that he's in. Sort of failed by having to mention it though, no? Anyway, this is a pretty hilarious detective comedy that works well with character interplay, if you haven't noticed per the image above of the guy from Cheers and the guy from The Hangover smoking a bowl while outfitted in spy gear. Each episode is a formulaic farce (not in a negative way) that revolves around a PI case of which Schwartzman's incompetent character somehow manages to solve.

 

Breaking Bad
A future classic without a doubt…as simple as that. The cinematography is just so filmic and fucking beautiful, and the acting is just so filmic and fucking beautiful. A well-deserved streak of Emmys for Cranston (unfortunately, seasonal conflicts ruined his chances for a four-in-a-row) and we'll be seeing a lot more of Aaron Paul. I don't rave more about any other show right now. It's a damn good series.

Entourage

Only one episode in and I'm glad that it's back. Thank God for the recap though, 'cause it's been too long since season 7 ended. Have to enjoy it while it lasts though, 'cause 7 more episodes and it's done for good...until the movie that is (Although I'd gladly give up any number of Entourage movies/episodes for an Arrested Development movie).

Louie
What a true artist this guy is; not making nearly as much as he should for complete creative control of his show. Hilariously-awkward situations equipped with jazzy overtones and cut scenes of non-recycled stand-up, Louie is as original as they get and comes directly from the brilliant mind of comedy’s Manny Pacquiao.

Weeds

The show’s later seasons have been fluctuating in interest, the seventh season being no different. So far, it has proved to be a rather stagnant start, but the end of episode 5 provided that much-needed spark to give the show some momentum.

Wilfred (U.S. Version)
A pretty funny buddy comedy, with a tinge of dark humor, that features the ultimate odd couple: Frodo Baggins and a foulmouthed, bong-ripping Aussie in a dog suit. Almost like The Wild Thornberrys for an older crowd. A bad comparison, I know. Anyway, the series is only 5 episodes in, so there’s plenty of time to catch up.

Storage Wars

Nothing special, it’s just pretty interesting to see the shit that they find and how much the aforementioned shit is appraised for. If you like Pawn Stars, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

Playlist "The Ocho"

1. Cim by Substantial [A hip hop cliché (personifying "hip hop" as a girl), but nice Nujabes beat]
2. Black Hearts by Remy Balon
3. New England by Billy Bragg
4. The Corner by Saigon
5. Abattoir Blues by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
6. Shampoo Suicide by Broken Social Scene (And 17 other BSS songs. Watching Half Nelson rekindled my love for them)
7. Shift (Alternate Version) by Grizzly Bear (Ditto, but through Blue Valentine instead)
8. Gatekeeper by Feist (BSS has in turn rekindled my love for Feist. The Reminder & Let It Die on repeat. Chain reactions prevail)
9. The Chain by Fleetwood Mac
10. Never Had No One Ever by The Smiths
11. Drug Ballad by Eminem
12. Speak for Me by Cat Power
13. Mrs. Cold by Kings of Convenience
14. Black Sheep by Metric

Waka Flocka Flame & Breaking Bad

Would've spent the same hour and half making this shoddy piece of work by getting my ass whooped on Black Ops. Hope this leads to any sort of acknowledgement and somehow a recurring role on Parks and Rec. *fingers crossed*

Playlist #7

1. Crowds by Bauhaus
2. All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Bauhaus
3. Big Love of a Tiny Fool (Acoustic) by Peter Murphy
4. I Won't Share You by The Smiths
5. Exhaustible by DeVotchKa
6. Rigamortus by Kendrick Lamar
7. Truth by Alexander Ebert
8. Home by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
9. Pink Love by Blonde Redhead
10. Come to Me by Bjork
11. San Francisco by Scott McKenzie
12. Tonight You Belong to Me (The Jerk version) by Steve Martin & Bernadette Peters
13. A Strange Kind of Love by Peter Murphy
14. Stop Me If You Think That You've Heard This One Before by The Smiths
15. Perfect by the Smashing Pumpkins
16. The Hardest Button to Button by The White Stripes

HP-Ramblings

       It seems as if opinions on the Harry Potter series are very polarizing and it makes complete sense; the opposing side is reasonably annoyed by the overwhelming hype brought upon by the innumerable HP fanbase. But it's definitely no fair reason to express contempt over a series; just ignore it and move on. I'd say that I'm an above-average fan (though my ass should be in plush, AMC theater seat right about now) and I take mild offense that these people are so adverse to a franchise because of its popularity. Harry Potter was a large chunk of my childhood, and is still relevant to this day (it's pretty amazing how a series can purposely mature along with its fans, and yet retain a sound consistency), and I don't feel too appreciative of these narrow-minded assholes blindly ridiculing this series that I grew up on. Simply put, if you haven't read the books or at least watched the movies, don't say a god damn thing until you have, and unless you go in with the brain of a contrarian, I'm sure you'd change your mind.

If Dr. Evil ever managed to get a hug from Scott

Post-Potter thoughts:

       Finally watched the film earlier today, and left expectedly satisfied. Save for the fact that I was semi-hoping to get one of those special HP-shaped 3D glasses, but as it turns out, they were only available through a contest. Anyway, as with the rest of the film series, Deathly Hallows Part 2 did the book justice and it also did my Rotten Tomatoes prediction justice as well! But again, like with the rest of the film series, the movie wasn't entirely faithful to the source material (not that it is expected too, though). Especially with the last duel and whatnot, where the reaction to Voldemort's death is in stark contrast to the reaction in the novel. Also, it seemed to me that the movie was fickle with the entire Ron-Harry dynamic, such as when Harry leaves for the forest to "die" and Ron barely acknowledges him with but an unreadable stare. Lastly, the aged characters in the epilogue were hardly convincing. I was expecting a The Reader-esque transformation (in which Voldemort played a main role), not mature sartorial changes and a couple of subtly-added forehead wrinkles. I mean, Ginny looked like she got hold of a an old, ill-fitting wig and decided to play house. But all minor criticisms aside, the positives greatly overwhelm the negatives, and this proved to be a more-than-worthy finale. 

Flawless much?

       Call me a reminiscent, sentimental cornball, but it's been 12 whole years since I first cracked open The Sorcerer's Stone in Mrs. McKinley's class and from then on, I've been waiting for the next book/film to come out, as if it were to be forever commonplace. Now, that period of my life is over, and the feeling is somewhat comparable to watching Phil Jackson retire and bring an end to the 11-year (give or take) Laker dynasty. A film that I watched a mere 7 hours ago will now only invoke feelings of nostalgia, rather than anticipation, and I find that nothing short of intriguing.

 A bit off with the numbers, but hit the nail on the head with the consensus statement :)

Playlist #6

1. Evolution by The Cinematic Orchestra
2. Skippin' Town by The Drums
3. This is the Life by Two Door Cinema Club
4. Safe and Sound by Chocolate Genius
5. Life by Chocolate Genius
6. A Certain Romance by Arctic Monkeys
7. Crazy for You by Best Coast
8. When the Sun Don't Shine by Best Coast
9. Two-Headed Boy by Neutral Milk Hotel
10. Climbing Up The Walls by Radiohead
11. Kiss of Life by Sade
12. 9-5er's Anthem by Aesop Rock

Playlist #5

1. To Know Your Place in the Universe by The ILLZ
2. Out of Time Man by Mano Negra
3. Didn't I by Darondo
4. High Society by The Silver Seas
5. Catch Yer Own Train by The Silver Seas
6. Who's Gonna Save Your Soul by Gnarls Barkley
7. No Time Soon by Gnarls Barkley
8. Midnight in a Perfect World by DJ Shadow
9. Gymnopédies, No. 1 by Erik Satie
10. Y-Control by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The Roots x Nightman

The Roots briefly singing the Nightman song from It's Always Sunny. Awesome.

The Fate of Khlamar

Here's a Knocksteady post I did last week, breaking down the potential consequences of a Lamar trade.

Also, Happy 4th of July!

Ex-Rappists

You have your Fresh-Prince-turned-Will-Smiths and Marky-Mark-turned-Mark-Wahlbergs, but here I whipped up a quick and exclusive list of some unexpected former-rappers.

Justin Warfield

Warfield, of She Wants Revenge fame, was quite the musical connoisseur early on in his career. Long before his current involvement with the popular darkwave duo, Warfield released a hip hop album titled My Field Trip to Planet 9 in ’93, which featured production from QDIII and the legendary Prince Paul. A highly underrated album from the golden era, Planet 9 allowed Warfield to gain mention in “WAOK (AY) Roll Call”, an interlude off of Phrenology that gave “respect and love to the architects who designed this culture” by name. Despite this lone LP, Warfield also put out a few hip hop singles, including “Steppin’With the Sound" and “Season of the Vic”, which charted on the Billboard charts in ’91.

Scott Caan

Son of the legendary James Caan, Beverly Hills born and raised Scott Caan started out in a hip hop group with The Alchemist. By performing and gaining recognition in Los Angeles, the teen duo of Mudfoot (Alchemist) and Mad Skillz (Caan) caught the eye of B-Real and became members of the well-renowned Soul Assassins. They eventually struck a record deal with Tommy Boy Records, releasing Make Way for the W, with which QDIII was also involved. This album would be their first and their last, as the two parted ways to successful careers; Caan is now a Golden Globe-nominated actor currently starring in Hawaii Five-0 and Alan “The Alchemist” Maman is now a prominent hip hop producer currently working as a DJ under Eminem.

"Put Your Handz Up", "Whooliganz (Ft. B-Real)"

Tom Green

Early in his career, comedian Tom Green had a brief stint as a rapper in the Canadian hip hop group Organized Rhyme. “Check the O.R.” (Green’s verse at 1:27) became a popular hit in Canada and even became nominated for a Juno Award in ’93 and won the MMVA for Best Rap Video. However, like Warfield and Caan, the rap career of “MC Bones” only brought forth one album and was short-lived. Though not as a legitimate comeback, the bizarre funnyman released The Not Tom Green Show, a comedy rap album by Green’s alter-ego, MC Face. In addition, Green has shown flashes of his former profession on his numerous shows and other media appearances, as shown here and here.

The Black Eyed Peas

Long before “Boom Boom Pow”, the Black Eyed Peas sans Fergie were doing tracks with Primo. And a little more before that, they were known as the Atban Klann and were signed to Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records. Yes, I am aware that they still do rap, but the Black Eyed Peas of old showed a much more traditional style of hip hop, in stark contrast to their current pop-sound, and even spit rhymes like:

“We gon' tell the world why hip-hop is haunted 
Money is a drug and MC's is on it”

Oh, the irony. The strong disparity of style over the years is nothing at all to criticize, but it is, at the least, intriguing. 

Rotten Predictions

One thing I enjoy doing is predicting the Rotten Tomatoes ratings for upcoming movies. No extensive research is put into my predictions, only a brief assessment considering the potential of the plot, previous works of the cast, and a mere intuitive look at the trailer. My most recent predictions, The Green Lantern (prediction: 33%, actual: 27%) and Transformers 3 (prediction: 45%, actual: 38%), have come fairly close. I could be right on the nose or I could be completely wrong, but it'd be interesting to see how reliable (or unreliable) my filmic instinct can be. 

(Today's date is 2 July 2011 and none of these films have yet to receive a single review on Rotten Tomatoes)

(Click to enlarge)

Captain America: The First Avenger (Release date: 22 July 2011)

Friends with Benefits (Release date: 22 July 2011) (Lol, see what I did there?)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (Release date: 15 July 2011)

Horrible Bosses (Release date: 8 July 2011)

Zookeeper (Release date: 8 July 2011)

The New Meme

 The Daily Show is genius.