It Was a Wet Hot American Summer

14 years ago, David Wain directed an absurd comedy about camp counselors on the last day of summer camp. Wet Hot American Summer is over the top humor casted by nearly all recognizable faces. With Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, and many other familiar comedians, this hit from 2001 entertains you for each second. With such a talented cast and creative writing, it continues to be an enjoyable movie 14 years after it's release date. Netflix took this cult classic hit and decided to work off of this comedy's previous success. Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp released all 8 episodes on Netflix this past July.

It is no surprise behind the buzz of Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. With the same cast returning along with special guest appearances, including Jon Hamm, this prequel was a definite success from the start. In typical Netflix fashion, all episodes hit the internet at the same time. We know that is ideal for all of those binge watchers. Not only was it released all at once, but it was also released in the summer. Summer is a bounty of free time and the movie is a reflections of summer itself. This production had everything going for it, and it lived up to the hype. The plot is minimal but the laughs are plenty. With both the movie and show on Netflix, it's hard to decide which to watch first. Smooth move, Netflix.

Parks and Recreation=Undervalued

Today I started my Friday the same way I usually do. I wake up and make myself breakfast with coffee while enjoying the newest episode of one of my favorite shows of all-time, Parks and Recreation. Although I consider the show to be very consistent, I really think they have outdone themselves this week.

 The show consists of several main characters who make up this mockumentary-styled sitcom based in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. The show stars Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari, and many more. The show capitalizes on the small-town setting of show, which provides the audience with real genuine characters that they can relate to.

This week's episode successfully portrayed each of the character's attributes through several comedic elements for the viewers to enjoy. I really enjoy the energy of the show because the characters are very authentic and believable. It is shocking to me that it once struggled with poor ratings because I cannot refer to one episode that wasn't at least decent.

I recommend the series to all because I believe it takes advantage many different comedic methods to satisfy all senses of humor.

I'm a little obsessed with Parks and Rec...

I know I wrote about another NBC comedy, Chuck, last week, but I just had to do it again. Sorry. This past weekend I spent some time getting caught up on Parks and Recreation, and let me just say, it was a really good decision. Parks and Rec is shot in the super popular single-camera cinéma vérité style similar to The Office and Modern Family.

Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope

Parks and Rec centers on Leslie Knope, the deputy director of the Parks and Recreation department in a small Indiana town called Pawnee. Despite being happy at her seemingly boring and uneventful job, Leslie has high political aspirations. She is very optimistic and perky and she works extremely hard to keep the department from falling into ruin.

I think one of the very best things about this show is the amazing ensemble cast. Every single member of the cast adds so much value to the content, and they're really what makes the show. Nick Offerman as the stoic and hilarious Ron Swanson is by far my favorite character. While he pretends to dislike his job and his co-workers, it's very obvious that he enjoys his time there. His relationship with the intern/secretary, April, is definitely one of the highlights of the show. The similar way in which they respond to the craziness of the other characters combined with their excellent use of sarcasm really add a lot of comedy to the show.

Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson

Additionally, the rest of the department is composed of Tom Haverford (played by Aziz Ansari) whose hilarious business antics offer a constant form of amusement, Jerry Gergich (played by Jim O'Heir) who is constantly picked on by the rest of the characters, similarly to Toby on The Office, to name a few.

Overall, Parks and Rec follows along the lines of several NBC comedies, however, it does so in a way that makes it unique while still being one of the best written comedies on television. If you do decide to give Parks and Recreation a try, do yourself a favor and go beyond the first couple episodes in season one. If you do, you'll be rewarded with both a great comedy and you'll get to see Louis C.K. in his reoccurring guest role, which is really wonderful and hilarious. I hope you decide to give it a chance!

(And if you need any more incentive, here's a blooper reel from the show...)

Parks and Rec

In the past few weeks I have been searching for new television programs to watch but haven't had any luck. Whenever I would ask anyone's opinion on what to watch I would always get the same three answers: Deadwood, Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad.  Even though I knew these shows were great suggestions I still wasn't satisfied. Then it hit me, comedy! So naturally I came across Parks and Recreation and haven't looked back since. For me, the characters in this show are what make it so enjoyable. Another aspect of the show that interests me is its style of shooting.  Much like the Office, Parks and Rec. is shot using a single camera, in a mocumentary filming style.  To me this plays a huge role in the character relations because it makes the characters more personable. Especially when they acknowledge the camera. All in all I think that Parks and Recs is one of the most entertaining, and humorous shows on television. I definitely recommend it.