'Kenan & Kel' One of my Favorite Shows as a Kid

Most kids that watched TV in the 90's would agree that Nickelodeon was one of the best channels to watch. I decided to watch some of my favorite shows I enjoyed as a kid to see if I still enjoy them as an adult.   For anyone that missed out on 'Kenan & Kel' as a kid and doesn't know what it's about; this series follows two best friends in high school, played by Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell.  Kenan would be the one to think of something mischievous to do and Kel being a good best friend, would join him and help Kenan with his plans. Kel was always entertaining and reckless. These two characters together were priceless!

 I watched an episode that I remember being one of my favorites. I found out that episode is called "The Tainting of the Screw" and I was surprised to find out that it was only the second episode of this great series.

 When I was a kid I liked when I watched 'Kenan & Kel' becuase it never felt like a "Kids" show to me.  After watching it as a 21 year old I still laugh and enjoy this show. My two favorite characters besides Kenan and Kel would have to be Kenan's grocery store boss Chris [Dan Frischman] and Kenan's father [Ken Foree]. Chris was a geeky boss that had some funny one liners and he was a bit of a push over.  Kenan's dad was a BIG intense guy that did not like Kel very much.  The interactions between Kel and Kenan's dad were funny becuase Kel would always get him upset unintentionally.  

"Kenan & Kel" aired from 1996-2000 and has a rating of 7.9/10 on IMDb. A more recent show that was similar to "Kenan & Kel" that was also on Nickelodeon was "Drake & Josh" (2004-07), this series received a 7.5/10 on IMDb. A third attempt to a similar show, "Sam & Cat" was on Nickelodeon from 2013-14. They had Ariana Grande co-star in this series and the show still only received a 6/10 on IMDb. I don't think Nickelodeon will ever produce a sitcom as good as the original two best friends "Kenan & Kel". 

The theme song for "Kenan & Kel" has to be the best song for any kids show...ENJOY: 

Fargo

It was long overdue for me to watch the Cohen brothers' film, "Fargo".  After a long editing session in the library, I headed back to my room and pulled it up on Netflix.  This 1996 film was billed as a "homespun murder story", but it is so much more than that.  The Academy award winning screenplay written by Joel and Ethan Coen fires on all cylinders.  It can readily be described as a thriller comedy, featuring both very dark and very hilarious moments.  It definitely satirizes and turns a mirror to the Minnesotan lifestyle that the Coen brothers grew up in.  "Fargo" currently has a rating of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, holds two Oscars (one for the original screenplay and one for lead actress Frances McDormand).   Joel Coen also received the award for best director at the '96 Cannes Film Festival.

This film takes place mainly in Fargo, ND and Brainerd, MN.  It follows the story of Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) as he pays two criminals Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear Grimsrud (Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife.  Lundegaard's big plan is to get his very wealthy father in law to pay off Showalter and Grimsrud to get his daughter back.  Then the kidnappers would receive half the ransom, while Lundegaard receives the other half.  Lundegaard is in financial trouble and is in desperate need of the money.  Well as one would imagine, things don't go quite to plan.  As the kidnappers make their escape things are all well and good, until a trooper stops them on the highway in Brainerd, MN for not having plates on their car (a car Lundegaard gave them from his father in law's dealership).  It is at this point that the shit hits the proverbial fan and guns start blazing.  I won't get much further into specifics (spoilers!).  Once the dust has settled, Brainerd police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) proceeds to investigate the situation.  In this pregnant police chief, we see a lot of the satirizing of Minnesotans that the Coen brothers' script is filled with.  These four actors pull off truly amazing performances, made easy by the beautiful script.  Macy did receive an Oscar nomination as best supporting actor.

"Fargo" also pulls a lot of it's power from the beautiful cinematography.  All credit here goes to the great Rodger Deakins.  Every shot in this film is very intentional and well crafted.  Deakins has incredible wide shots, as well as strong close ups/reverse shots.

I could post even more stills from this film, hundreds of stills.  The shot composition is consistently strong, with everything being lined up with such care.  Deakins is also well known for playing with light in a profound way, which we see in all of the above images.  In particular I love the way the light falls on Buscemi and the way car lights play in the dense snow.  The focus pulling that occurs during the heavy snow is incredibly beautiful as well.  Overall I can not recommend this film enough!  Take a look at the trailer (best quality I could find) and then head over to Netflix to watch!! Don't wait for it to be taken off Instant!