It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a hilarious American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005, and moved to FXX beginning with the ninth season. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia was created by Rob McElhenney, which he developed with Glenn Howerton, and is executive produced and primarily written by McElhenney, Howerton, and Charlie Day, all of whom star in the show, along with Kaitlin Olson and Danny DeVito. The series follows the exploits of "The Gang", a group of self-centered friends who run Paddy's Pub, a relatively unsuccessful Irish bar in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The series completed airing its tenth season on March 18, 2015, and is renewed for an eleventh and twelfth season, each to consist of 10 episodes.

The comedic series follows "The Gang", a group of five depraved underachievers: twins Dennis Reynolds and Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds; their friends Charlie Kelly, Ronald "Mac" McDonald, and, from season 2 onward, Frank Reynolds, the man who raised Dennis and Dee. The Gang runs the dilapidated Paddy's Pub, an Irish bar in South Philadelphia.  The show runs itself on dry, usually racist, humor.  

Each member of the gang shows varying degrees of dishonesty, egotism, selfishness, greed, pettiness, ignorance, laziness and unethical behavior, and they are often engaged in controversial activities.  The show is hilarious because each situation teaches them absolutely no lessons, and they just go and do stupid activities over and over again.  Episodes usually find them hatching elaborate schemes, conspiring against one another and others for personal gain, vengeance, or simply for the entertainment of watching one another's downfall. It's every man for himself, but in a largely comedic way! They habitually inflict mental, emotional and physical pain. They regularly use blackmail to manipulate one another and others outside of the group.  They never feel any remorse for their actions, and in turn it makes the series funny and cynical.  

Their unity is never solid - any of them would quickly dump any one of the others for quick profit or personal gain regardless of the consequences. Everything they do results in contention among themselves and much of the show's dialogue involves the characters arguing or yelling at one another.  A classic scene is all of them bickering at once, it happens at least twice every episode! Despite their lack of success or achievement, 'The Gang' maintain high opinions of themselves and display an obsessive interest in their own reputations and public images. Despite this high sense of self-worth, 'The Gang' has no sense of shame when attempting to get what they want and often engages in activities which others would find humiliating, disgusting, or even preposterous, such as smoking crack cocaine in order to qualify for welfare, seducing a priest, driving while eating cereal, hiding naked inside a leather couch in order to spy on someone, chicken and airline scams, and even huffing glue and eating cat food.  The show gets so ridiculous, and that is what makes it so addicting to come back to and watch! 

If this show has taught me anything, it's to never take life seriously, and that things will get worse before they get better!  Thanks for always making me laugh It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia!

This show is a must watch and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do! 

Storytelling in Sword Art Online

My tastes in entertainment have changed a lot in the past year. There was a time in my life (a rough, rough time) when my preference in television was sitcoms like Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. My interests have definitely broadened since then, and I’ve recently begun to take an interest in Anime. 

Since I began watching anime last semester, the most recent one I binged on has been my clear favorite. That show is Sword Art Online, a 25 episode show based off of a novel series written by Reki Kawahara. Sword Art Online is the story of two MMORPG players named Kirito and Asuna. Set in the year 2022, the show takes place in a virtual reality world in which players put on “nerve gear” that literally puts them into the game. The creator of this MMO ends up trapping the players in the game, and they have to play it to completion in order to escape back into the real world. Kirito and Asuna are two of the game’s strongest and best players, and they fight through the 100 levels to challenge the creator of the game, who is the final boss and the ticket back into the real world. In the two and a half or so years that they spend stuck in the game, Kirito and Asuna fall in love, and decide to fight to the end so that they can be together in the real world. When they finally do complete the game however, one of the creators of the nerve gear keeps Asuna trapped in the state of virtual reality and brings her into a new game that he has created. Kirito then must play this new game to defeat the deranged creator of Alfheim Online. It is an exciting, fast-moving story that kept me enthralled the entire time.

I watched this entire series in two days (roughly 30 hours). Having grown up a fan of Harry Potter, Runescape, Eragon, and other fantasy-fiction books/games, Sword Art Online was right up my alley. I couldn’t get enough of it, and I think that is due to quality of storytelling. Now I’ve never seen myself as much of a writer, whether it be for television/movies, short stories, or anything else. This is because my storytelling skills are lacking; I can have an interest idea, but I really suck at expressing it in an entertaining way. I liked this series so much because the story was so relatable to my childhood interests. It had the right balance of action, character development, and general humor/entertainment to keep me hungry for more the entire way through. I know that as I try out my talents in writing this summer (which I think will be fun, hopefully it doesn’t turn out a mess),I will look to Sword Art Online as a guide for developing the plot and characters in an interesting way.

Samurai Jack

Samurai Jack, my all time favorite childhood program, is an American made cartoon that ran for four seasons on Cartoon Network. Created by Genndy Tartakovsky, who also created cartoons such as Dexter's Laboratory and Star Wars: Clone Wars, this show received 4 Primetime Emmy Awards and 6 Annie Awards. Sadly, upon entering the fourth season ratings rapidly declined and the show was not renewed for another season.

In creating Samurai Jack, Tartakovsky intended to create a show that "is cinematic in scope and incorporates action, humor and intricate artistry," due to the fact that he had conflicting feelings on typical action based cartoons. Influenced heavily by Seven Samurai director Akira Kurosawa his character and concept were both born. The plot of the show is that a samurai prince, who goes by the name Jack(voiced by Phil LaMarr), is thrown into the future by the shape shifting demon Aku (Mako Iwamatsu). Jack ends up in a time when Aku is the ruler of the world, we follow Jack as he attempts to return to the past in order to defeat Aku before he takes over the planet.

The aspect of this show that makes it so attractive is that it is unlike most all other children's shows. Samurai Jack does not rely mainly upon character interaction and dialogue to tell the story; however, it relies upon the stylization and visualization to develop the plot. One of the most impressive aspects is that every episodes stylization has a different influence. For example, there are episodes based off of My Neighbor Totoro, the Battle of Thermopyle, and Frank Miller's comic book series Ronin. The show uses multiple angles and split screens to build tension while showing different angles of action. Many episodes have little to no dialogue; it is this kind of minimalism that Taratakovsky uses that gives the show such a specific style.

This show has amazing design and plot. I would recommend that everyone check it out.

Shutter Island

Shutter Island is a film from 2010 starring Leonardo Dicaprio as the main character, Teddy Daniels, a U.S. marshal. The year is 1954, and he is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston's Ashecliffe Hospital located on a mysterious island called Shutter Island. He's been pushing for an assignment on the island for personal reasons, but before long he wonders if he has been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors whose strange treatments are unethical and sinister. Teddy's clever investigating skills soon provide a promising lead, but the hospital refuses him access to records he suspects would give him more information about the case. As a hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland, more dangerous criminals try to escape in the confusion, and the puzzling clues multiply, Teddy begins to doubt everything - his memory, his partner, even his own sanity.

In the end, a major plot twist is revealed. It turns out that "Teddy" is actually a delusional mental patient in the hospital, not a U.S. marshal. He murdered his depressed wife Dolores Chanal after she drowned their three children. Because he was a mental patient at the hospital, the doctors decided to try a role-play experiment to allow him to live out his delusional fantasy in order to come to terms with reality. The treatment plan works, and he is retold what has happened to him and he accepts what he did to his wife. However, in the final scene he relapses to a delusional state. It is implied that he is faking his relapse so he will not have to deal with the mental suffering of his act, because he feels personally responsible for his wife murdering their children.

 

'Wilfred' Final Season

Wilfred started as an Australian TV series, and this is the American remake that premiered on FX and FXX.  I watched the first three seasons of Wilfred on Netflix, and the last episode of season three finished with a big cliff hanger. When I saw that they added the final season, it felt bittersweet.  I wish I had more time to see the rest of the epiosdes!  The final season is ten episodes, that are supposed to wrap up this series. For anyone who hasn't watched this show it's about Ryan [Elijah Wood]; a neurotic, depressed man who in the pilot tries to commit suicide by drinking a cup full of mixed pills and cough syrup.  It doesn't kill and him he ends up waking up to a new neighbor, Jenna [Fiona Gubelmann] moving in next door. She asked him to watch her dog Wilfred [Jason Gann].  Ryan sees Wilfred as an Australian man in a dog costume but everyone else sees Wilfred as just a dog.

Check out these clips to get a feel for this show:     

I hope that they will fully explain how Wilfred is the way he is.  I really hope that Ryan isn't going crazy and that Wilfred is just pranking him.
If you don't get used to Wilfred's character after the pilot you proabably won't enjoy this show.
I rate this show 7.2/10; I find this show consistently funny! The chemistry between the two are great.

Battle Royale

Battle Royale is considered to be the original Hunger Games in more ways than one. It first debuted in Japan in 2000 and then made its way west with dubbed and subbed versions. Considered controversial to some, Battle Royal is graphic, bloody, and, in my personal opinion, a hell of a lot of fun.

The film focuses on a class of ninth grade students who are thrown into a massive battle to the death set up by the Japanese government. The students are released on a remote island and are given unique weapons and tools that they use either to defend or attack. The story highlights different students throughout and their interactions and hardships, ranging from adolescent love to
petty rivalries and they often end in murder. There is a good mix of action and the story progresses smoothly as more and more students are picked off. Although the ending is a little bizarre, so is the entire premise of the movie so in a way, it fits pretty nicely. Some characters are definitely more developed than others which kind of gives away who's going to make it to the end but there are enough twists and turns to still keep it unpredictable along the way.

I would definitely recommend the subbed version over the dubbed in this case. While some people may find reading while watching distracting, I can say through first-hand experience that the unsynchronized dialogue and subpar voice acting in the dubbed version is even more distracting in the long run. I would recommend this to people who would be interested in seeing a less kid friendly version of The Hunger Games and to anyone who enjoys action packed and violent movies in general. Overall, Battle Royale was a inventive idea that inspired The Hunger Games series in many ways, though the author won't openly admit it to the public.

Morning Glory

Morning Glory follows young and committed morning television producer Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) who has dreamed since childhood of working for the Today show. Since graduating from college, she has dedicated her life to her job, but her devotion to her career is off-putting to potential suitors. After being laid off from her job at the local Good Morning New Jersey because of budget cuts, she finally gets hired as an executive producer on the long-running morning show DayBreak, at the once-prominent but currently failing station, IBS.

Determined to keep the show on air, she recruits former news journalist and anchor Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford), who disapproves of co-hosting a show that does not deal with real, hard news. Pomeroy proves to be tough going, constantly battling with his co-host Colleen (Diane Keaton), refusing to banter on air, and refusing certain pieces, like cooking segments, that he considers beneath him.

Between ratings beginning to drop and struggling with warring co-hosts, Becky is told that DayBreak may be canceled. As a last ditch effort to bump the ratings, Becky decides on a radical and desperate approach to try and save the show.

Though the film didn't to incredibly well at the box office, I personally loved it. I thought it was a very funny and cute twist on the television industry. All of the actors bring a comical breath of fresh air to the film, and you can't help but laugh. I would absolutely recommend this film to someone.

Silicon Valley

     A sign of a good serialized tv show is that the premise is not what the show is about. Silicon Valley on HBO, as one can imagine, is about a small start up in California's technology cradle. The show follows Richard, played by Thomas Middleditch, a geeky and soft spoken programmer who has developed an algorithm that compresses files at an alarming rate. With his programming friends Richard develops this company, Pied Piper, 

     Silicon Valley is set in the world of technology but it's about finding confidence and reaching success. Richard has to balance working with his high strung, out of touch boss Peter Gregory and his competitor Gavin Belson of Huli. Belson being a thin caricature of Steve Jobs and Huli being an amalgam of Google and Apple.   

    The main cast is mostly comprised of comedians in acting roles. They truly do a great job, the show is ridiculous but not slapstick. Points of tension arise because of characters desires rather than whacky antics. People familiar with comedy will recognize Middleditch and costars Kumail Nanjiani, and TJ Miller as up and coming stand ups. It's only fitting they get their first major acting roles as start ups.

     The production quality is high and showrunner Mike Judge, of Office Space fame, has said it's based off his own experience in Silicon Valley in the late 80s. The series is funny and entertaining and is everything you would want from a situational comedy. Plus it has the best dick joke in the history of television.

     Check it out.

Ask me anything

Ask me anything….

First off.. what a movie. Just kidding, but on a real note, this movie wasn't as bad as I excepted. I was searching through netflix and wanted to watch something I've never seen before. And what I took away from this movie was more than I thought when reading the description. How are you supposed to feel about a movie based on some chicks sex life? I mean some people would go nuts for it, literally nuts. But hey, too each his own right? But anyways. This movie left me hanging. The ending made me so mad I had to write this blog post. First, let me explain a little bit about this movie. And Yes, Im probably going to spoil it so if you decide to watch this movie. I am truly am sorry and you should stop reading this. Moving on, This movie was based on a destructive girl who writes/blogs about her sex life and what she is going through.. anonymously.

As she starts this blog, she keeps getting more views, more comments, more attention etc. etc. This girl has a drunken father and a mother with a fiancé that she isn't too fond of, until he sticks up for her to her boyfriend in one scene. This girl has gone through a lot. She was mallested by an older neighbor and she believes maybe that is the root to her promiscuity and like for older men. All the guys she seams to go after are 1. Older and 2. has a gf or a wife. Both a little bit risky to be messing with. After finding out that she is pregnant and really not sure exactly who the father is, she decides to seek help from her previous boss, who seemed to be kind, gentle and caring. After talking with him there is a scene of her deciding to stop blogging and just live her life. Then randomly, it is a woman talking about her missing daughter. This jump confused the shit out of me. Like she was about to get her life together and now she is gone? And all you know is that she got a call from a private caller and drove off. Is she dead? is she alive? did she keep the baby? did her love affair cause this? What in the world happened to this character that the audience is rooting for. Im just upset how that ended. iTs like they want the viewers to pull their hair out and be wondering forever what happened this girl. Unfortunately none of those answers can be answered. And maybe I'm  just missing something but I am very disappointed in the ending. If they wanted to leave it at a cliff hanger they shoulfve gave a little more information so people can solve it. But anyways, that is all I have for this week. If you want to watch an "interesting' movie. Take a look on netflix. If not, you aren't missing much.

MTV Cancels Eye Candy

MTV's TV show Eye Candy followed the life of Lindy Sampson, a 21 year-old hacker who's persuaded by her roommate to start an online dating profile. Lindy, portrayed by Victoria Justice, is hesitant, but does, and quickly starts suspecting that one of her many suitors might be a cyber stalker who is aiming for the kill. As a hacker who has been searching for her sister who was kidnapped 3 years earlier, she decides that she needs to team up with her friends to catch the cyber stalker before he can hurt anyone else. The show was based on a book by R.L. Stine and was picked up by MTV for season one in February 2014. Unfortunately, though, it's been confirmed that it will not return for a season two.
With an open-ended finale, and a lot of potential for the future of Lindy Sampson's story, fans are not impressed and not happy. We don't know if she'll find her sister or what the future holds for her and Tommy. The one thing they do know is that the killer is Jake. I don't know if the discovering of the killer was the selling point on canceling the series or what, but it doesn't make anyone feel anymore comforted with the series coming to an untimely end.
I do think that MTV is at a loss with this one. It was a young adult / teenage version of a Criminal Minds or crime show, and it was much better than the usual reality teen mom bull shit that they have on that channel. You can't tell me that Pretty Little Liars can go on for multiple seasons without revealing anything, yet a show that was progressing the story line thoroughly was canceled after the reveal in a season one finale and tell me that's fair. I think this show had a lot of potential, and the fans did too.  There could have been a sidekick to the killer, Lindy could have finally found her sister, relationships could have progressed, and the show could have gone on. Except it hasn't, which is definitely a loss in my eyes.

The Beauty that is ~Portlandia~

I've recently become obsessed with the sketch-comedy series Portlandia, a show which parodies life in Portland, Oregon. The show was created and written by Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, who also star as the various roles throughout the series. Fred Armisen is a former cast member of Saturday Night Live and has guest starred on other comedies such as Broad City. Jonathan Kreisel also co-created the show, and directs it. It is currently in its fifth season and airs on IFC, which airs other shows such as Comedy Bang! Bang! and The Birthday Boys.

Portlandia is a very peculiar (but amazing) show, because it does not have a running storyline that continues for seasons on end; it's mostly sketches that focus on the hipster/feminist/vegan lifestyles that people on the West Coast lead. It's definitely not for everyone- the sketches are very quirky and the jokes can sometimes run a bit dry. The show is scripted, but a lot of the skits are improvised.

Some of my favorite parts of the show include the "Women and Women First" bookstore sketches, where Fred & Carrie play two feminist bookstore owners and they are absolutely hilarious. Here's an example of one of those sketches.

 

Portlandia also has some outstanding costume and set design. It is all very interesting, colorful, and detailed, which is why I think I enjoy the show so much, because it is so aesthetically pleasing. It also has a really cool sound mix, where the music score coincides with the jokes that are occurring. And obviously the script is just plain hilarious, and very easy to relate to.

I highly recommend this show to anyone who loves sketch comedy and quality tv. All seasons are available to watch on Netflix.

That Awkward Moment

As I run out of movies and shows to talk about.... I browse through some of the movies that I have had a good time watching and stumbled upon this one......

That Awkward Moment is an enjoyable film. It keeps the laughter alive and the "bromance" among three friends.  That Awkward Moment is an American romantic-comedy film. It was directed by Tom Gormican, who has directed other films such as Save the Date (2014) and Movie 43. 

The stars of this movie include Zac Efron, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, and Imogen Poots.  The movie is extremely fun and shows the how even the promises between "bros" can't stop these men from relationships and women. The screenplay was originally released in New Zealand and titled "Are we Officially Dating". 

Initially  this  movie serves to shows and develop the relationships between bros and couples.

"Being there for someone when they need you thats all relationships are."

Full House Is COMING BACK?!?!

Last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, John Stamos confirmed the rumors that have been swirling around Hollywood for a while now: FULL HOUSE IS RETURNING. Calling all 90's kids, this is a dream come true. Uncle Jesse will be producing the 13 episode new comedy that Netflix has just picked up, and the series will be starting with an hour long premiere!!

The new series will be called Fuller House and will focus on the lives of DJ, Stephanie and Kimmy Gibbler, with Uncle Jesse appearing for a few guest spots. Netflix has been talking to other stars of the show, to see if they would be interested in being guest stars as well. I sure hope so, because I can't imagine the house with Danny, Uncle Joey, or Michelle. I am hoping that this new show, premiering in 2016, will be able to keep up the same hype that it received back in the 80s and 90s. Full House was a largely loved show, and I do not want this new series to disappoint. Sometimes, spinoff shows are not the best, such as Girl Meets World, spinoff of one of my favorite shows, Boy Meets World. However, I believe that since Netflix picked it up instead of Nickelodeon, or the Disney Channel, the show has so much more potential. I will definitely be tuning in and can't wait to see one of my favorite families take the screen together again.

Hot Fuzz

Hott Fuzz is a British Comedy that came out in 2007. This film follows Nicolas Angel, played by Simon Pegg, who is an exceptional Police Officer (Not Policeman) that gets transferred from the city to a quiet little town in the country. On the surface this town is a perfect little slice of heaven, however after awhile Angel starts to realize that something strange is going on. I won't go any further with the plot because I don't want to spoil anything for those of you who haven't seen the film.

The cinematography of this film is quit original however. On almost every transition from scene to scene it feels like you are watching people gear up for war even though most times its just a glass being filled with cranberry juice or someone buying something from a store. It is strange and doesn't make a lot of sense however its a comedy and its intentional. I have to say I love it. It is a huge change of pace from what I am used to watching.

I originally saw this film way back in 2007 when it came out however it was just added to Netflix and I would recommend it to friends if they haven't scene it. Its a great watch and fun to see with friends. Also the film Shaun of the dead is another comedy by the same people and that is another film worth a watch in my opinion.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

From the brilliant workings of John Hughes, Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a hilarious, and fun movie about a high school wise guy determined to have a day off from school, despite what the principal thinks of that.

The film follows high school senior Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick), who skips school and spends the day in downtown Chicago. Accompanied by his girlfriend Sloane Peterson (Mia Sara) and his best friend Cameron Frye (Alan Ruck), he creatively avoids his school's principal Edward Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), his resentful sister Jeanie (Jennifer Grey), and his parents. During the film, Bueller regularly breaks the fourth wall by speaking directly to the camera to explain to the audience his thoughts and techniques. I think that this was very useful in a coming of age film like this, teens and the audience really felt like they were connected and that they were Ferris' friend. 

Hughes wrote the screenplay in less than a week and shot the film—on a budget of $5.8 million—over three months in 1985. Featuring many famous Chicago landmarks including the then Sears Tower and the Art Institute of Chicago, the film was Hughes' love letter to the city: "I really wanted to capture as much of Chicago as I could. Not just in the architecture and landscape, but the spirit." I think Hughes accomplished this with another winning feel good film. 

 
Released by Paramount Pictures on June 11, 1986, Ferris Bueller's Day Off became one of the top grossing films of the year and was enthusiastically received by critics and audiences alike. In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry as per being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." It captures what kids think the American way of high school life is, or at least what they dream it to be.

 Here are 9 cool facts about Ferris Bueller's Day Off that you probably didn't know:

1) June, 5, 1985 was probably Ferris' real day off.
2) Mr. and Mrs. Bueller were a real-life couple.
3) Though they played sparring brother and sister in the film, Matthew Broderick was actually engaged to his on-screen sister, Jennifer Grey.
4) Though Ferris and company were portraying high-schoolers, only Mia Sara -- who played Ferris' girlfriend Sloane Peterson -- was a teenager at the time of filming.
5) Painter George Seurat's famous work, "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte," is the work that Cameron appears to be so mesmerized by.
6) Cameron's father's smokin' red Ferrari California Spyder was actually a fake.
7) Charlie Sheen really wasn't 'on' anything during his scene in the film.
8) Though the film took place in the greater Chicago area, the Bueller residence was actually a house in Long Beach, California.
9) Look closely and you'll discover every license plate in the movie has a meaning.