FrightFest 2015 - Day Two

POD

Rarely do I say that a film feels longer than its actual runtime and it be said in a positive manner; but I do feel that POD does feel like the exception to the rule here, at only 76 mins in length the film is filled with such great suspense and tension and keeps the audience  guessing as to the direction of the script where the balance of the the psychological and supernatural elements are played out very finely tuned that it didn't matter which pathway the film took at its final turning point as the audience would be onboard with either direction. The performance by Brian Morvant as the sucluded and unhinged Martin as his siblings Lyla and Ed travel out to the family cabin to attempt a family intervention following a distressed voicemail message; the interplay between the actors has real chemistry and there's a sense that POD is supernatural mystery in the vein of those 2 parter X-Files of yesteryear. The introduction of genre workhorse Larry Fessenden might not sit well with everyone, but it worked for me. What is a POD? Is there anything behind that locked door? And what is hidden in the Basement? Genuine scares ensue and a mystery that keeps you on your toes and compelling. 

7/10

The Rotten Link

Enter the rural world of a small Argentinian community where we are introduced into this inclusive community through a stocky and  quite clearly a mentality challenged oaf by the name of Raulo the local lumberjack as he delivers recently chopped fire wood to the nearby houses of the community on foot. Soon it becomes apparent that this small community is on the rather odd side of humanity; everyone has the purpose and its suggested that if you become 'used up' then you will longer pass in the world of the living. A slow burn where the drama takes on a rather black and dark sense of humour that gives us a great set of characters that really pulls us into the world of the bizzare that explores the mentality of a small closed off community much in the vein and pacing of Bedevilled but with the sense of humour that we find in Calvaire and this blend really makes for a rather interesting film where the characters really keep us compelled, and while the pacing at times can seem to get rather bogged down a little in places, it's ultimately paid off well with a gory and blood soaked final act that will please the most hardened horror fan, it's certainly not a film for everyone given the pacing and the fact that it's much more a condensed drama/thriller on a whole, but a film of the incestual nature with whorehouses where those of all ages take great pleasure in, at times in joint experiences; The Rotten Link is bizzare and wonderful.

7/10

Worry Dolls

I can't imagine why or even fathom how I came to the expectation for this film to be one of the highlights of the festival, obviously I hadn't seen any of the trailers leading up to this years FrightFest or surely I would have be able to pick this film out as the stinker that it well and truly is. The film kicks off with a kidnapped teenage girl that escapes from the grips of a clearly deranged serial killer, only for an immense mount of gore to be spilled by a our mad man with a 3 foot long drill as a more extreme Leatherface weilding chainsaw homage. The fact that the film does tend to linger on the gore for far too long to turn the shocking violence into something quite comical sets the film up on very shaky ground - and from then on we have just a series of stupid people making stupid and inplausable actions that really does beg the question - What were the writers thinking? There's a voodoo angle that plays out in rather predictable fashion to coincide with the actions of rather dumb police officers; Worry Dolls is a strange beast as it's unclear as to want to make of the intention behind the script; it certainly doesn't work as a horror film and even less so as a crime thriller; the entire cast feels mis-cast here and deliver nothing more than lucklustre performances across the board. Worry Dolls might not be as offensively bad and mis-guided as say a former FrightFest horror show like Dark Touch, but its certainly a damp squib with a laughably pointless stinger post credits scene.

3/10

III

A rather unique and special film for this years FrightFest; not entirely a genre film that one would expect to see at the festival and quite clear why this film ended up in the discovery screen section of this years line up; made out to be an exploration of fear with a sense of Tarkoviskian fairy tale with rich beautiful photography, the film itself is a rather striking Arthouse film that explores the world of a small european town that is struck down by a mysterious disease that takes the life of the mother of two sisters (Ayia and Mirra) - soon after the death of their mother, Mirra the younger sister falls ill herself and Ayia seeks the advice of the local parish priest who has been a close family friend from a very young age; the priest reveals a path into the subconcious world where Ayia is forced to confront their deepest fears in this vibrant dreamlike fantasy world, the film becomes a bizzare mix of Inception meets Pan's Labyrinth with that eastern european essence of a Tarkovsky - and while what follows becomes all rather complex and theoretically spellbinding, I couldn't say that the film was convouluted in any way; easy to follow yet intelligent, those expecting a film with monsters and creature abound that feature in the trailer might be disappointed, but as a dreamlike experience with a lasting effect that is best left to ingest over a good nights sleep - III has a lot to offer and though it might over stretch itself in the finale here, at least it's reaching for hefty heights even if it doesn't quite have the execution to be considered unconditionially successful.

7/10

JeruZalem

Oh found footage how I fail to find the enthuasism to really commit to any indepth writing/review or basic sharing thoughts on a genre where the example at hand is rather lacklustre and lacking in originality or something that might resemble something vaguely different than the vanilla that we are offered with JeruZalem - with a title and poster like this, it's easy to on the surface see this as a direct-to-dvd rip-off of World War Z; and in all honesty if you took World War Z and slapped the found footage style with the use of the Google Glass technology to showcase the horror and carbon copied the key stand out moments from REC and Cloverfield then you have JeruZalem in a nutshell basically. Now I'll have to admit that my opinion and thoughts of this film are kind of swayed into the negative given my experience of battling with motion sickness and the nausea that plaqued me from start to finish, the film has its moments of hitting the right beats to create some really great atmosphere, but most of the key scenes just felt lifted from the likes of REC and Cloverfield and just not as well executed as either of those films, JeruZalem is certainly not the worst example of the found footage genre, the characters and the setting for the film are both fine and like I said it does have itself moments, but it felt unnecessarily bloated and lacked any great impact that would ever lead me back for a repeat viewing; maybe for zombie/found footage/post apocalyptic fanboys only.

5/10

Bloodsucking Bastards

A horror comedy with vampires - boring, yawn, done to death; you might say, but Bloodsucking Bastards is anything but boring and dull, its a fun filled ride of death, blood and a troubled relationship, if you take Shaun of the Dead and swapped the zombies for vampires and the streets of London for a soulless office space of a lifesucking company then you get a pretty good idea of what to expect here. Our lead character Evan, who has just found himself dumped by his beautiful girlfriend and co-worker Amanda, is an overworked employee that instead of recieving the much expected promotion he believes he deserves, ends up effectively being demoted and his new boss is a arch rival from high school coming back to haunt him and turns out to also be a vampire and soon begins to turn the entire office into real Bloodsucking Bastards that effectively were anyways. Madness ensues and Evan with his best mate Tim (the office slacker) team up to kill the horde of office vamps. With great writing and a great cast where everyone gets the moment in the limelight and no-one failing to deliver the goods, its an ensemble comedy horror that doesn't suffer from any overshadowing of some of the lesser characters, yes everyone will walk away talking about how fucking funny and hilarious Tim is, but you'll be laughing out loud the entire time and won't forget the highlights feature the supporting cast here - Bloodsucking Bastards feels fresh and has a great sense of humour and really hope that this film acts as a platform for much of the talent to go onto great things in the future. Bam Snap!

8/10

FrightFest 2015: Day One

Cherry Tree

How not to kick off the FrightFest weekend, it's a decision that one can't quite can't fathom how or why Cherry Tree was the opening film for this years festival, it seems to be the opinion of everyone at the festival that this was a stinker of a horror film. From the director of Wakewood I should have seen this coming; with yet another witchcraft horror where a teenage girl makes a pact with a local witch of the Cherry Tree society of witches to save her father from his imminent death in return give her a child that will be sacrificed. Despite the film having many elements from the gory blood soaked fantastical depiction of witchcraft and a stylistic approach that gives us moments of visual fairs, but the film is so crudely executed and progresses both narratively and with the character developments that makes giant leaps forward that make it incredibly hard to connect and find the narrative either believably or engaging - it literally seems that the new hockey coach reveals herself as a witch to our young protagonist and the next scene the young girl is onboard and unquestionable follows and commits to this horrible pact. In a world where in the realms of comics with great stories and characters in recent publications of Coffin Hill and Scott Synder's Wytches - surely there's potential for the film world to create something on that level of quality in the visual media of cinema, but Cherry Tree reminded much of Dario Argneto's Mother of Tears - the blood and violence is there but the rest is an utter mess.

3/10

Turbo Kid

Heading into Turbo Kid there were rather mixed expectations; didn't know whether this was a film that was going to be so bad it's good or a genre film made with the best intentions of recreating that post apocalyptic vision of the future that we had in the 80's with the likes of Mad Max/Road Warrior; fortunately this turned out to be the latter. In a year where Fury Road is getting all the critics attention it's actually Turbo Kid that is the better Mad Max film, the low budget action post apocalypse action hell ride that is Turbo Kid is not only a hell of a good ride that delivers the action, gore and futuristic vision of the future in a fake 80s movie fashion, at its very core is a wonderful heart felt story that is very charming, with one of the best performances of the year by Laurence Laboeuf as Apple, her loveable wacky and fully committed physical and emotional performance really does elevate the film into a realm of greatness. There's a great soundtrack to boot and a level of restraint shown by the director to ensure that film doesn't go too OTT and become mindless action orientated fluff that is forgotten in a breeze, no Turbo Kid is a film that you will want to revisit on numerous occasions, yes it's an acquired taste in terms of style and approach to filmmaking, but if you can get on board and forgive the film for a rather awkwardly paced beginning, you'll be rewarded with one of the most intelligent and entertaining post apocalyptic films in recent years. The references and homages are in the DNA of the film and not like so many films shoved in your face, a personal highlight was a certain Rat-Monkey from Braindead.

8/10

Stung

Giant killer mutated Wasps out on a killing spree that is localised to a garden party full of the older generation in a small town. What could have been great fun turned out to be a bit of a mess here, the film seems to lack a sense of cohesion in the direction of this creature feature and considering that they had Lance Henrikson on board for the project playing the town mayor, you'd hope that the film could at least deliver on the fun factor if not on the scares. Early on the build up to the attack of the killer wasps is actually very well crafted and with Clifton Collins Jr channeling his inner drug and alcohol induced Edward Furlong, the film has some pretty well crafted characters to drive the film forward, but too soon is the film thrust into a more closet and claustrophobic feel with a much smaller cast, the film loses its balance between the comedy and the horror. The effects and transformations feel and look uninspired, it's almost as if this film was just made for tax purposes at a certain point, to be fair it's not as if the film is a disaster or even a bad B-Movie but it's a rather bland straight to dvd title that does have some merit and highlights but they just aren't delivered upon enough to save the film from mediocrity; Stung lacks the venom to leave an impact on its audience instead it's more like an annoying buzzing bee that's volume is far to loud for its size.

4/10

FrightFest 2015: Special Pre-Festival Screening

Plan 9 from Outer Space w/ Live Re-Score by DJ Cheeba

What a fantastic way to warm up for the main FrightFest event; admittedly I have never before this screening seen the Ed Wood 'classic' bad movie Plan 9, taking the film by itself I didn't really get the appeal that the films following fan base seem to adore with this shitty sci-if b-movie, there are some really great highlights especially the comedy gravedigging duo and the police officers and their incompetence and laugh out loud dialogue and delivery, but on a whole the film itself has large portions of lulls and bland bad storytelling. Saying that though as a complete event the wonderful live performance from DJ Cheeba from the use of soundscopes to emphasise the Science Fiction and sound design for the Flying Saucers to the sampling of certain tracks with my personal highlight being the use of Ready or Not by The Refugees and a reoccurring theme tune that delivers such great kinetic energy into a rather lifeless script. In a time where the sampling and re-editing of films seems to be the most popular way of creating something new with pre-existing material, this felt like a breath of fresh air that proves you don't have to mess with the video of a film to create an entirely new product that provides us with such wonderful entertainment, it's such a shame that the turnout for this event was so low, that might see that such events might not be repeated for future FrightFest events.

 8/10

Cursed Film Blog Update 11/09/15

It might seem that the regular series of blog posts on my Netflix activity "A Week in Netflix" has been on a bit of a hiatus or even seizing to exist, but this is not the case for the long term future, I had planned to get a post out coming off the back of the latest post to confirm the absence of the ongoing series of reviews from Netflix, but scheduling and timescales are a tricky thing and by the time I came to realising the length of the delay, it felt pretty pointless to write up something when I didn't have a time in mind for when my blogging activities were due to commence again.

Well as you'll probably be aware of the tone of this opening blog post, yes I can confirm that 'A Week in Netflix' will be continuing on from this coming week; not much has happened in this extended break, just a case of watching some more Person of Interest and little else, but one of the main causes for the absence was for my trip to London to attend Film4's FrightFest, for yet another weekend of horror goodness; my summary of thoughts and top picks for the weekend have already been uploaded and recorded on my Letterboxd account, but I think that I'll try to expand and go into a little bit more depth here on the Cursed Film Blog; these thoughts/reviews will be posted here over the next week or so, starting pretty soon so look out for those also.

Anyways this was just a quick update to let everyone know that the blog is back online and a reminder to myself not to neglect my blog writing activities, as some of you might be aware, taking a break can soon turn into years of neglect and abandonment. 

A Week in Netflix: w/c 10/08/15

FILM

Monsters Inc.

Well I'm only 14 years late to this Pixar party; why did I not see this film upon its initial release? That I'm afraid I really can't answer, nor can I explain why it has taken me so bloody long to catch up with Monsters Inc. - I'm a big fan of animation and Pixar in particular, so the fact that I'm only just uncovering the joy that is Monsters Inc. right now on Netflix is really quite shameful. But coming in fresh after so many years some things do stand out a little more here; first being the advancement of the quality of animation work that Pixar are now producing, because at times Monsters Inc. does feel a little bit dated in the animation department, but that never really detracts from the overall experience on what for the most part is a fabulous tale of the hidden world of closet monsters; and the other thing that I noticed here was the script and the narrative development and scope of this Pixar film does seem more traditional and rather simplistic in its use of plot points and set ups, but again this in no way counts against the film, in fact I was quite a pleasant change up from the vast majority of animated films that I've watched in recent years and after recently seeing Pixar's latest Inside Out, this felt rather fresh to me and something completely different that really shows why I do appreciate the works of Pixar so much. This animation is a joy to watch from start to finish with so so many highlight comedy moments, with some truly magical interplay between the Mike, Sully and Boo. If for some reason you're like me and you have somehow managed to let Monsters Inc. slip you by for all this time, stop what you are doing right now and rectify this disastrous situation, your soul depends on it. Highly recommended.

(go to my Letterboxd page to see where Monsters Inc. ranks in my list of favourite Pixar movies.)

8/10

Pain & Gain

I always said to myself after being brutally punished at the cinema by the garbage dump that was the third Transformers movie, that I would add Michael Bay to my Blacklist of directors for which I won't even give their work the time of day anymore; but Netflix got me suckered back in to the chaotic world that is Bayism, but not alone, oh no that would just be too simple, no what we have here is my love for wrestling and the work of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson - yes that's right I do smell what the Rock is cooking and I'm always eager to give the Peoples Champ a chance in the cinematic universe. And to my shock Pain & Gain isn't quite the disaster that I was expecting; the idea of criminal bodybuilders; pumping iron and kidnapping the rich seems like a whole lot of fun, and to the films credit the 3 lead 

actors of The Rock, Mark Wahlberg and Anthony Mackie, really do give it their all on the screen, and supply some truly great pieces of chemistry onscreen as well as deliver the over the top physical and back it up with the timing of their lines to get the most out of the situation and comedy highlights. But unfortunately Michael Bay ruins this all with some extremely shoddy camera work with chaotic cinematography and a direction in which the film feels cheapened by the constant voice over and jarring pacing issues that riddle the film that almost derails the whole experience, but the performances were enough to keep me on board, there's a good film in here somewhere, but Michael Bay refuses to let it out, and ultimately the film feels much like the Rock looks "Over Pumped and Bloated" - this could have been so much more fun had this been a film that Bay decided to parody himself or given to a director that could have left well enough alone all the garbage that this film gets bogged down in and let the talent on screen propel Pain & Gain into the action comedy hit it deserves to be.

4/10

TV

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 3 (Episodes 1-3)

Dumpster Babies, Football tryouts - that just a little bit reminds you much of that Thanksgiving episode of Friends; and Danny DeVito - yes this bunch of morons and their twisted moral compasses might be some of the hardest characters to connect with and begin to like, but the comedy timing and the writing of the show is very well executed that - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia does manage to do just that, I've been laughing at all the craziness that these first few episodes of season 3 has to offer and am keen to see what further madness this Irish group of assholes gets up to next. But as like a said last week, toning down the pace at which this is consumed to avoid overexposure and killing the effectiveness of the comedy.

Person of Interest Season 1 (Episodes 1-9)

A new show for me to jump on board with this week and it stars Michael Emerson (Ben from Lost) and Jim Caviezel - who I always found to be an actor that I could swear has been in far more Film/Tv than IMDB tells me; the show is kind of a mix up between a police procedural and 24; taken on the format of a crime a week with a large story that slowly unravels as the episodes pass on by; and after 9 episodes, I'm really starting to get pulled into the story here and find myself really liking the main 2 characters of the show and its always good to see Michael Emerson do something outside of Lost. Preventing crime in the manner that one would find very close to that of Minority Report, starting off with nothing more than a social security number; the direction of the narrative and the solving/preventing of murders is really compelling. My one worry is looking at the length of each season; 20 plus episodes does seem like an awful long season and hard to see that the current format of each episode will be strong enough to hold up over such a long period of time in order to maintain my initial interest levels, but we will have to wait and see if the show is able to adapt and develop into a show that is compelling enough to justify this length and have an over arching story that is entertaining and thrilling as the prospect of the work of Caviezel and Emerson. At this moment in time I would say that Person of Interest is certainly a show that is worth jumping into on Netflix and at least giving the first season a complete run through to see if this might be the crime thriller show for you.

A Week in Netflix: w/c 03/08/15

TV

Orange is the New Black Season 3 (Episodes 7-13) Complete

Piper, Piper, Piper; yes again I feel the need to go on about her, but she really is becoming a heavy hinderance on the show, the fact that the writers feel the need to push her onto us more and more with increasing detachment of her original character and pushing her further into the realm of unbelievability, and it doesn't stop there because this all bleeds into off branching sub-plots with other characters that are completely underdeveloped and lack any sense of gravitas and for the most part aren't particularly enjoyable to watch. First we have a new character Stella; who on the outside initially comes across as a character with such great potential but is wasted in this season, then we have the likes of Flaca who gets a sub-plot story that goes nowhere and is such throw away trash, but worst of all is the return of Alex Vause and her ongoing story that has a forced shock moment in the season finale that is just poor writing and something that I really couldn't give two shits about - leaving the finale with a ending that doesn't exactly entice you or keep you chomping at the bit for the next season. Season 3 however is not without it's merits; we do get some quite excellent character development between Boo and Pensatucky and then there is Taystee and her gang who have 2 key moments in the show that are some of the genuine highlights that this season has too offer. If you've been on board to this date, I can't say to you to jump ship just yet, but do be warned that Piper has the potential to be the iceberg that sinks the show. I'm looking forward to the next season all being said despite I'm negativities and concerns with the direction that the show continues to take, but I will head into season 4 with some reservations.

6/10

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 2 (Episodes 4-10) Complete

Well last week I said that Danny DeVito took the show to the next level and now that I've completed season 2 I can say that statement was legit and has been backed up by the increased quality of comedy that the show has to offer; I think now that I've got 2 full seasons in I can pretty much judge what are my highlights and favourite characters of the show and taking DeVito out of the equation - I do tend to find everything that is played out by or surrounding Charlie to be the pick of the moments that the show has to offer, there is just something about the character that is easier to attach yourself to and to care a bit more about his character than the others; for me anyways. And as good and as funny as this season has been, I do feel that I need to slow down the pace at which I am consuming the show; yes the show is very light and each episode really does breezes on by, but I feel that if you rush too fast through the show then there might be smaller moments of comedy and in the background that you might well miss out on. Much like a show like Friends; I think that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has the potential for re-watchability in no particular order once you've sat through the show from start to finish - it's not like there's much of an ongoing storyline with any real weight and meaning; but instead each show really works well to create new situations for the gang to explore their areas of expertise to create laughter for the audience and within the show find new ways to push the boundaries of their close relationships. A personal highlight episode for me this season was Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody's Ass; this episode in itself was proper the key moment where I realised Charlie was the main character for me of the show and as a collective one of the funniest episodes to date; if you were even just a little bit amused by season 1 then I really urge you to give this season a shot, as Danny DeVito demands it!

8/10

A Week in Netflix: w/c 27/07/15

TV

Orange is the New Black Season 2 (Episodes 7-13) Complete

Couldn't help but race through the second half of season 2 this week; damn this show is like crack - even though most of the episodes push the hour run time, not one episode feels like it drags in this season and while the season finale and all its key points and wrap up story lines are utterly predictable you can't help but be sucked in and cheer as your favourite assholes get their ticket punched and also how the star performances get their chance to shine for an extended runtime. Christ even Piper who during the first half of the season seemed to be completely wasted given the season 1 finale; gets a nice wrap up to her seemingly ever going on inner turmoil of relationships both inside and outside of the prison walls of Litchfield. This half of the season has really stepped up the game and produced some greater written character developments and with numerous battles going on between some key players here, it's hard not to get hooked by the show - from Vee vs. Red to Piper, Polly and Pie Fucker from American Pie; even more so in this time around in Litchfield; Orange is the New Black seems to be more about the ensemble cast of the show whilst still having Piper being the driving force of the narrative but not over stepping the boundaries of hogging all of the spotlight. As a whole the show I feel has improved as it's developed though given the ending to this seasons finale it's hard to see where the show can really go next with the exception of Joe Caputo - I'm not sure in what direction the show can go to continue it's growth and not slip back into old habits, that being said season 2 is a win and certainly a recommendation to everyone that was already invested by season 1 of the show.

8/10

Orange is the New Black Season 3 (Episodes 1-6)

Oh my lord will the some please kill off Piper! Seriously though, Piper had a nice wrap up at the end of season 2 and I'm not necessarily saying that her character should be 'killed' on the show, but they really could have found a way to write here out to be more of a bit part player in the show; her character has traveled a path that came to a reasonable end and honestly she really doesn't have much more to offer, yet in the first half of this season we've lost some of the more interesting characters that actually had so much more to offer; now they might come back at a later date, but at this moment in time their absence combined with the continuation to force more Piper bullshit down our throats has left a sour taste in my mouth - Its not to the point yet were I don't enjoy watching the show, but whenever Piper is onscreen I find myself zoning out as it's just this repetitive garbage that is poorly written and really bogs down the show both in terms of pacing and progression of narrative. That's really all I want to say for now, the introduction of newer characters and an narrative avenue is still in the early stages for this season and I can't honestly say that this is either looking good or bad for the future of the shows direction but I will say this, temper your expectations for this third season as Piper is really dragging this ship down as much as one single character can possibly do.

Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 1 Complete

This show has been on my Netflix to watch list ever since signing up to the online streaming service, but I've always been put off by the fact that their are 10 whole seasons to catch up with and therefore  have found myself prioritising other shows ahead of this comedy, but when a close friend of mine, who not only doesn't normally have the patience for TV shows in general let alone a American Sitcoms; comes out and strongly recommends it I felt the need to quickly make this show the next thing to watch and I feel like I've been breezing through the show super quickly and having a great time with some great laugh out loud memorable moments. It's weird how this show just seems to drop you in the middle of it's core group of characters and just expects you to already have some investment and connection with these characters, you'd imagine that it's angle a network would take if they were adapting an SNL sketch for a larger format on television; and it really does work here, the style is very raw and I found myself quickly beginning to understand the inner relations between the four central characters, and though there are times where I feel that the actors do come out of character, which I assume is due to the fact that these guys all know each other very well before the show began and there's a sense of familiarity and that comfort zone can at times cause lapses in concentration, but the comedy is witty and fast paced that before I knew it season 1 was already over - probably not the greatest comedy that I've ever seen, but it felt fresh to me and I already really dig all of the characters of the show. If you like sitcoms and comedy in general then this is a strong recommendation to give the show a chance to see if it strikes the right chords for you.

7/10

Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 2 (Episodes 1-3)

Only 3 episodes in, but Danny DeVito has made his entrance and already the laughs per minute have increased two fold - after only 3 episodes of this season I don't feel there's really anymore that needs to be said other than - if like me you found season 1 of the show to be very funny then certainly pick up season 2 because it's started off very strong and DeVito is absolutely hilarious.

A Week in Netflix: w/c 20/07/15

TV

Orange is the New Black Season 1 - Complete

I've finally bit the bullet and decided it's about time that I got caught up and one the most talked about TV shows that is still currently relevant in the whisperings and yelling of Social Media posts; this is probably one of the most hyped shows that I can remember in recent years that I've not been on board with since day 1 and found myself just getting started whilst the shows current season having come to an end pretty recently, not since the day I picked up Breaking Bad has a show came with such high expectation and while I've found that Orange is the New Black to be a rather addictive show; that I just want to endlessly binge watch, I do side with some caution with lending the show too much praise purely based on the addictiveness; for sure I enjoy every minute of the show and the characters are great with a cast mainly made up of women, which does feel like a breath of fresh air considering most mainstream entertainment being heavily male orientated, but it's not this wonderful stand out movement that most people seem to be labelling the show as, maybe in America audiences might not have seen a show that is so heavily reliant on strong female characters, but I grew up watching Bad Girls which ran for 8 seasons and given my memory of that show is pretty vague I can't honestly compare the 2 but think that they would certainly make for an interesting comparison. There's a line from one of the CO's in the show that pretty much goes "This isn't OZ" and hell no it isn't that's for sure, it's a fun time and everything about the show is pretty great, but the writing and especially in terms of the shows overall narrative direction is pretty obvious and often very predictable; the show just lacks the surprises to surpass the 'good show' feeling and the vibe of drama and comedy is often a hindrance to the shows overall impact - yes the show is funny, but it's certainly not a comedy and doesn't have the gravitas or the impact that HBO's OZ had. It's a hearty recommendation from me, just keep those expectations to a reasonable level and you'll have a fun time, it's just not the break out masterclass of television that some people might have you believe.

7/10

Orange is the New Black Season 2 (Episodes 1-6)

Heading straight into season 2 of Orange is the New Black, I thought that Piper's story and character development had great potential to take the show in a fresh direction and maybe mix things up a bit to provide some surprises and break away from the rigid narrative that season 1 delivered us; unfortunately it seems that the build up in the first episode and the way Piper heads back into her comfort zone seems like a short journey on the bullet train; and everything so far with Piper has been pretty much lacklustre and I can't shake that feeling that the show has dropped the ball on this one, after season 1's finale finishing on such a strong note; but outside of Piper, the rest of the cast and their flashbacks with more time on individual character development and their past histories being told on screen have been great to see play out; the inner workings of the social segregation of the prison feels far better execution and well rounded in its tone with this first half of the season. In particular the character Red is coming into her own in the show I feel and also Suzanne (Crazy Eyes) really has some excellent performance and delivery and the writing is their for us to really be able to engage with her character on more substantial ground that wasn't there in the first season. So far the show is still addictive, but I'm not sure that the show has really been able to up it's game, but it's only the halfway point and there's still time for improvements to come to fruition; still if you liked season 1 then you'll definitely find this season just as fun and addictive, whether or not it's able to step up and become a 'great' show? I've yet to be convinced, but it has the potential to do so and if nothing else the show is great in the moment and such easy viewing.

ANIME

Blue Exorcist (Episodes 16-26) Complete

So last week I was feeling a little Ho-Hum about Blue Exorcist and this week I decide to make an extra effort and just binge watch the second half of the series; and what I found was that I was really able to engage with the shows characters a lot more and really got caught up with the overall story arc of the show; the comedy really does work well and the interactions between the students really is great to watch, but, and I keep coming back to Bleach, but sorry I just can't help myself - it's not as fun or entertaining as Bleach. The build up to the shows finale is great, but it does seem like the actual end piece itself gets resolved very quickly, and while I know a lot of anime which linger too long and draw out its endings for far too long, Blue Exorcist is the complete opposite - just when I thought that the series was heading down an interesting and exciting path, it was all over then I was fed a wrap up piece which I'm guess means this was the definitive end and there will be no more Blue Exorcist; which is a bloody shame as the show was really starting to get things right and delivering some cool action set pieces. Don't get me wrong I still feel positive about the show as a whole and you could do a lot worse than Blue Exorcist within the genre and in anime as a whole, but it's also nothing special - there's some really great episodes but for the most part the show is mildly amusing and entertaining. I'd recommend the show if you really really love Bleach and are all caught up with that series, but I wouldn't rush you to make this show to be top of your 'too watch pile' for anime, it's worth watching but not worth getting overly exciting or hyped up about.

6/10

A Week in Netflix: w/c 13/07/15

FILM

Primal Fear

A very 90s thriller that spends a lot of the screen time as a courtroom drama also; personally I find Richard Gere to be a hard man to love, I mostly tend to find myself naturally avoiding his film because of this, but credit where credit is due; he does give a very solid performance and is really rather likeable here in the role of a defence attorney, though I would say that his Hollywood white male superior role does at times come across as too much, where by for some reason we need to have his character reinforced as the 'Alpha Male' where it really isn't needed but take that aside and Gere does have some really good chemistry with the rest of the cast most notably Laura Linney and Ed Norton. As a whole it's a very competent thriller from the 90's where some of the subplots really don't add much to the overall story in general, but the film is elevated up a few notches by a quite brilliant performance from Ed Norton and despite the thriller twist nowadays that probably feels like its been done to death, but the twist here still works brilliantly well and its a testament to the writing that it stands up so well over time. And while Primal Fear might not be a complete success and a film with many incomplete lines and missed opportunities, it's still a film that I would recommend purely just to see the performance of Ed Norton.

7/10

DOCUMENTARY

Jesus Camp

A first time ever inside look into the world of the born again Evangelical Christian church and their training *ahem* summer camps, where young children are brought to be raised/trained to take back America in the name of Jesus Christ. This documentary is arguably scarier than the majority of horror movies that I've seen in recent years and while this documentary does feel rather fresh with it's hands off approach where the camera is just left to record the inner workings of Jesus Camp and the activities and sermons that these children attend, with the odd talking heads to support the direction of the documentary - this approach kind of took something away for me whilst watching the film, something was missing - its as if the film lacked that personal touch and at times felt like a lost soul walking aimless at night not knowing where it was going or why. I think that Jesus Camp as a documentary is something that you 'must see' purely for the subject matter and some of the information and statistics that is revealed here in the documentary, I just don't feel that, taken as a whole Jesus Camp is a particularly great documentary. Bible basher are crazy and the exploitation of young minds is truly scary, but outside of the fear factor the documentary lacks a personal touch that could have made the film for more meaningful and memorable.

6/10

Mission Blue

I do love a good documentary about our wonderful planet and how we need to do more about the preservation of our planet and even more so when it evolves the ocean; but Mission Blue is somewhat different from a number of the recent Eco-Friendly documentaries that have hit our screens in recent years; yes the film has a message that Oil Companies are evil and over fishing is bad; but the key story here and the main focus is on an individual named Sylvia Earle; a legendary oceanographer and marine biologist who has dedicated her life to her passion in order to attempt to create a global network of protected marine sanctuaries. Sylvia's driven focus in life is something that I think we would all be envious of and her story is such a wonderful tale of battling so many seemingly unfavourable and even un-winnable task that is very well crafted here in this documentary. I think that this documentary really does stick out from the crowd and with a number of interesting interviewee's including Hollywood director James Cameron, I think that the majority of people will find it hard not to connect with Sylvia Earle's tremendous tale and while it's not quite as hard-hitting as the likes of The Cove or Blackfish there's still so much to love about this film that I really do have to strongly recommend that you add this documentary to your list on Netflix; propaganda this is definitely not.

8/10

Done the Impossible

A tale of a feature film that rises like the phoenix out of the ashes of a cancelled TV series; yes this is the tale of the creation of Serenity and the fandom that was able to bring the second coming of Firefly to the big screen after the show had been cancelled well before its time to shine. Now I do actually consider myself to be a fan of Joss Whedon's Firefly and think that its a rather cool story that the fans and their dedication and love for a show can result in a getting a big budget Hollywood feature film into the works and it's something that I always look at when thinking about the recent Dredd movie and there still being hope for a sequel to hit the big screen despite the poor Box Office showing. But as for the documentary Done the Impossible, well the least said about this piece of crap the better; if nothing else then this documentary made me feel even less than positive towards the film Serenity than I already did and to a certain extent it's made me question my feelings towards Firefly as a whole. Everything is so blinkered and portrayed with loving eyes that nothing is subjectful and it just becomes a circle jerk of geeks that can't let a TV series go; there's nothing more annoying to watch than a bunch of fanatics go too far into the world of obsession. I used to be pissed off with Fox for cancelling Firefly because of the shows great potential to grow into something special and then was left disappointed with Serenity, but now I just hate them more because they are at the root of the creation of this documentary that feels like a first generation special feature on a bargain basement DVD. Highly recommend that you avoid this documentary as it offers absolutely nothing.

2/10

TV

Bates Motel Season 1 (Episodes 9&10) Complete

The last couple of episodes and the finale itself, pretty much served the purpose and was enough to make me want to go back for season 2; and while I'm not completely won over by this first season of Bates Motel, I do find that just watching the performance of Vera Farminga as Norma Bates justification alone; Norma Bates has never been so sexy and with performance of Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates being just as fascinating to see; this is a show that I think at least deserves a chance from everyone; its a show that will definitely split opinions and certainly won't please everyone; and yet I've still found myself getting annoyed with certain character traits that I don't feel well connected to the iconic characters from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, I've come to accept the differences and treat this show as it's own entity with a different take on those characters; outside of the Bates though I can't say that any of the other supporting cast are particularly something that I've grown to care about or find anything all that interesting with some of the subplots that have played out in season one, but this is Bates Motel and as long as the Bates family is interesting and a joy to watch then I think that I'm in for the long run, despite not being the shows biggest fan.

5/10

Bates Motel Season 2 - Complete

Well it's clear to say that this week has been a busy week on Netflix in White Pine Bay and at the Bates Motel; having watched the entire second season this week after finishing up season 1 very quickly. Overall I think that this season has proved to be an improvement of the first season, there seems to be a lot better quality of writing with regards to the supporting cast members on the show, and even to the point that I'm starting to really invest into some of their stories; mostly the brother Dylan and the weird side attachment of the Bates family that is Emma. Season 2 has given more room for Farmiga and Highmore to really developed their portrayals of Norma and Norman Bates and again they've been a joy to watch and arguably more so in this season. Now I still find it rather distracting and out of place that the character of Norman Bates in the show seems to find no trouble at all in having sex with some beautiful women in the White Pine Bay area with little or no effort required, its almost like his just come out of one of those Lynx TV commercials where all the women flock just to be close to him; but that issue hasn't derailed the show for me, though I will never be comfortable with it or certainly not a lover of this direction; but the show this season has delivered some very creepy insights into the minds of both Norma and Norman Bates and it's never a bad thing when a cast member from my beloved favourite TV show The Shield turns up. If you were onboard with Bates Motel after the season 1 finale or was at least willing to see where the show was heading; then I'm happy to report that this is a recommendation as I feel that the show seems to be heading in the right direction, while still not a show that I think about away from the screen, its becoming a more enjoyable show whilst in the moment.

6/10

ANIME

Blue Exorcist (Episodes 13-15)

Only 3 episodes of Blue Exorcist this week and to be honest I've not got much to say, other than I enjoy the show whilst it's on and certainly don't feel negative in anyway towards the show, but I can't seem to get overly excited to plough my way through this series in the same fashion that I have been with other anime series on Netflix; I suppose that feeling that the show being rather similar to Bleach is making me wonder 'Why I am not watching and catching up with Bleach instead' not that I don't want to carry on with Blue Exorcist, but rather I do really enjoy Bleach and it feels like a rather long time since I last caught up with that series after finishing of the 7th Season on DVD. If nothing else though you might want to give this anime a shot purely if you want to just have fun and not get too invested into a convoluted and deep storyline. Oh and the opening and closing credits are great too.

A Week in Netflix: 06/07/15

Film

Hard Target

I couldn't believe that there was a Jean Claude Van Damme film that went under my radar as I just seem to consume all of his work throughout the 90s and into the early 2000s it seemed to me anyway at least and yet somehow I completely neglected Hard Target despite it being from such a visionary director like John Woo and well its all history now and everyone is aware that Woo's venture into Hollywood was pretty much a disaster across the board, but now looking back at Hard Target, time seems to have treated this film rather well, yes the first half of the film is extremely cheesy with some ridiculous slow motion sequences that are rather embarrassing, but if you stick with the rough stuff in the first 30 or so minutes you will be rewarded with some excellent direction of action and Van Damme at his physical peak of badass karate arse kicking chops (despite that awful mullet of a hair do - almost convinced me this was an 80s film). Lance Henriksen provides just the right balance of over the top performance to sell himself as the perfect 90s action villain, it was really hard not to love this film by the time the credits rolled, but it would have been nice to see one extended sequence of the 'human hunt' sport that made the best use of John Woo's expertise and for that reason alone I'd knock this film down a mark, but if you like either Woo or Van Damme then you really should be added Hard Target to your list of films to watch on Netflix because although the flaws of the film are hard to ignore you are ultimately rewarded with some thrilling action that stands the test of time and far exceeds much of what big budget studios in Hollywood are even putting out to today, one might even say it carries a double impact.

7/10

Documentary

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey 

Had me meaning to catch this documentary ever since its original release, but time seemed to pass by and almost instantly the sex scandal rumours surrounding the puppeteer behind Elmo came out around the time of the DVD release of the documentary and that news kind of left me feeling rather confused as to whether or not this was something that I was entirely comfortable with heading into the documentary; but more time has passed since then and I can't remember ever hearing anything that carried any weight or evidence against Kevin Clash (Elmo) and seeing it appear on Netflix was that push that I needed to finally catch up with the documentary. Unfortunately I think that my expectations for this might have been a little too high going in; what we do learn from Being Elmo, is that the story and the history of Kevin Clash's childhood and following his dreams is a very compelling story with a great deal of rich sources for which to pull from, and the history of Elmo, The Muppets and Sesame Street itself is a wonderful nostalgia trip down memory lane that really does bring back some great childhood memories of television back in the day, its just a shame that as a documentary; Being Elmo is really rather generic in its approach and execution and had it not been for the intriguing background and life journey of Kevin Clash himself then there really isn't much that the documentary has to offer outside of this and while the subject is enough to keep the strings intact and not to end up in ball of mess, it's nothing more than a serviceable documentary that doesn't really leave much of an impact on its audience. If you are a fan of The Muppets and Sesame Street then I would recommend you check out this documentary just to learn more about the behind the scenes of the show and take the time to see the wonderful background of one of the shows key players Kevin Clash and the man behind every child's favourite Muppet - Elmo.

6/10

TV

Bates Motel Season 1 (Episodes 1-8)

What a strange beast of a TV show Bates Motel is; so its a prequel to Psycho but in a modern day setting and yet aesthetically parts of the show and some of its key players seemed to be stuck in the 1950/60's - now it was an impossible feat to try and even live up to the heights of Alfred Hitchcock's horror masterpiece Psycho and even more so for myself to try and distance my own opinion on the show that tries to take out any comparison with one of my all time favourite films from one of my all time favourite directors; but with this show I've tried just to judge the show on its own merits and flaws and try not to let my decisive verdict be influenced by my strong feelings for the film. What I will say is that had I not been watching the show with my wife, I might have already dropped this show, but not because that I find the show to be boring or bad in any way whatsoever, but with the sheer volume of high quality shows seemingly available right now we live in a time where it is impossible to watch everything; but my wife seems to be really enjoying the show and at this moment in time, I will say at the very least it is always good to see Vera Farmiga on screen and here in Bates Motel she is delivering an excellent performance with a take on the younger and livelier Norma Bates which I find immensely enjoyable to see her inner mind unravel as she tries her hardest to keep her son Norman close to her; and even Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates I feel gives some really strong performances that when detached from the direct comparison of the stellar performance of Anthony Perkins, is again a very enjoyable thing to watch. Now the rest of the show and the bizarre nature of the small town in which the show is set you can take it or leave it, its pretty much hit and miss with various different story threads, but overall I enjoy myself whilst the show is on, but can't see that I find myself thinking too much about it an hour or so after we've finished an episode. I think if you're a fan of Psycho and would like to see the history of the key characters then Bates Motel is worth at least giving a trial run, but considering what other shows are out there as direct competition then I can't really strongly recommend this as a 'Must See' show.

Arrested Development Season 4 (Episodes 3-11)

This I am keeping brief as I'm almost out of energy and enthusiasm for when it comes to the subject of Arrested Development and this fourth season - as a couple, me and my wife tend to just stick to just catching up with one show at a time on Netflix, but because this fourth season has been such a rough ride we felt it necessary to pick up something else to detract our disappointment for this poorly written and poorly executed series revival; Will Arnett as GOB has at least produced a few laughs from myself in some recent episodes, but outside of that the show is still just dead air and now its just become something that I just need to complete, rather than enjoy - god I hope to put the final nail in this train wreck so and try to forget about it. If you are still not caught up with this show then I highly recommend that you just stop at the end of season 3, because this season really has absolutely nothing more to offer and will ultimately tarnish your opinion on the show as a whole.

Anime

Blue Exorcist Season 1 (Episodes 8-12)

Not really made much progress this week with Blue Exorcist, but its been pretty steady in terms of story and characters, and the more I watch the more I get the same feeling that this does feel a lot like watching Bleach - and while I do enjoy Bleach as a show more than Blue Exorcist, I'm still enjoying the ride if not all that deeply invested into the show; not much more to say really as this week it really has just been a case of more of the same and nothing really new to shine any light on the overall appeal of the show and whether or not it's ultimately something that I'd either recommend to watch or recommend to stay away from.

A Week in Netflix: w/c 29/06/15

So much to discuss this week and I've had to include a film from last week that somehow went missing from my brain when writing up last weeks edition of A Week in Netflix - given the sheer amount of films, TV etc. I've consumed this week on Netflix, the individual write ups might end up coming in a little short in terms of quantity of text, but hopefully I will still be able to get my views across on each item below effectively and provide an interesting read and insight into my weeks viewing; and a quick side note, that this week I have actually experienced the odd disruptions in streaming on Netflix, I'm hoping that these have just been the odd bugs niggling away on my PS3 and not something that will creep into my viewing experience in the future whilst streaming video through Netflix, anyway without further tangents lets get into this weeks edition starting of with Film.

FILM

What Maisie Knew *missing from last weeks edition (watched on 23/06/15)

It's probably not a good sign straight off the bat that I had managed to completely forget about this film from last weeks blog post and you won't be surprised to hear that this film did not leave a lasting impression on me, but then looking at the positive side it clearly wasn't something offensively bad as, had it such a film then I surely wouldn't have forgotten about it so bloody quickly as I have done. A story about parents that feel like their dreams and work has become derailed by parenthood - why I thought that this story is something that I thought that I could potentially relate to; given the fact I'm an inspiring filmmaker and a relatively new parent and still trying to develop an understanding and somewhat of a life routine that I can possibly be successful on both fronts; but quite honest What Maisie Knew contains 2 parents that are outright despicable in their attitude to parenthood and utter narrow-mindedness that made me want to vomit. And while I have a lot of time for the comedy of Steve Coogan; here in a straight up role he feels so out of place and awkward whenever on screen like a caged comedian desperate to get out into an open mike night comedy club. The rest of the cast and supporting cast with the exception of the little girl who plays Maisie, couldn't look more less interested with Julianne Moore giving one of her weakest performances that I can remember seeing. Not caring to really delve into the origins of this story; I'll say that the film feels like its been adapted from a by the numbers best selling novel that panders to the lowest common denominator on the emotional strings of middle-aged women and the film itself with such a bland script leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth that while is easily forgotten can't be easily forgiven; there's talent involved but this is a film that you should avoid.

3/10

Short Term 12

I might be wrong, but I got it in my head that Short Term 12 had been one of the better reviewed Indie films to come out of the festival circuit in the past year or 2 and given my expectations; whether they had been justifiable or mis-guided, I don't think that it really would have changed my overall opinion on this film that ultimately felt rather bland in all aspects. My main problem with the film is the script, now that's not to say that the script is particularly bad in-fact you could argue that the film is quite fine but here within lies the problem - the structure has so meticulously been refined to focus so much attention on emotional beats and set turning points to the length where you get the feeling the writer has spent far too much time reading 'Scriptwriting for Dummies' that they really forgot to entice us the audience and get us to care for their characters and their lives, but instead we are left with the feeling of drowning in the blandness that Short Term 12 offers up as a storyline. The film is well directed and with the exception of 1 of the supporting cast members the performances are very strong all-round, but it's not enough to save the film from being sub-par; not every Indie film that comes out the festival circuit with a great marketing campaign is unique and intriguing, some of them are just plain safe filmmaking with a steady pace like Short Term 12 that fail to stand out from the crowd. I would probably still recommend people to check out the film purely based on the performances and direction, but certainly not a film that you should rush out to see or go in with high expectations, but it reasonably passes the time well enough.

4/10

Sex, Lies and Videotape

I feel like that I've got a love/hate relationship when it comes to the work of director Steven Soderbergh; but usually even at his lowest I can find at least one thing interesting with all of his films that I've seen to date. With his debut film Sex, Lies and Videotape probably for me sitting pretty in-between both the good and the bad in terms of overall quality; I really liked the concept behind the story of the film that brings together a sexually repressed woman and a mysterious figure of a man with a unusual fetish. Stylistically the film is very minimalist in nature that I can appreciate, but on the other hand part of the reason that I couldn't really fully engage with Sex, Lies and Videotape is because there really wasn't enough on offer to get me totally invested with it that ultimately lead me to not really give  a shit about any of the characters or the overall story. I've got to say though that James Spader is absolutely fantastic here in the starring role opposite Andie MacDowell but because Spader is so fucking good is why when he isn't on screen the film just doesn't feel anywhere near as interesting or as enjoyable to watch. I'd certainly recommend seeking out this film on Netflix just to see Spader's performance but also to see the origins of the directional work of Steven Soderbergh, I just feel that had this film come at a later stage in Soderbergh's career the film would have been remarkably better, but what we actually get is a perfectly average film with a actor bringing his absolutely 'A' game to the table, but that's not enough to scrape away the feeling that the film can be a bit of a slog to get through at times. Personally I feel that Steven Shainberg's Secretary is the far better film, again starring the wonderful James Spader.

5/10

Swingers

While I'm not a Jon Favreau or a Doug Liman fanboy; I would say that I'm willing to give both a chance where others might not and recently paying off with Chef and Edge of Tomorrow proving to be largely enjoyable, on the surface Swingers wouldn't normally appeal to me, a U.S. Comedy about aspiring actors/comedians struggling to deal with rejections of Hollywood; where the nightlife lifestyle becomes more important in their lives compared to their dream career pathways. Starring Vince Vaughan is usually a barrier for me that I can't get behind, but here early in his career, he showcases some pretty funny traits that would go on to grow into annoyances for me personally, but here in Swingers he feels right at home with Jon Favreau's script and the counterbalance to Favreau's on screen character Mike; Vaughan finds a nice balance of irritating arrogance and supportive friendship that really ties the film together. Swingers is a Funtime with plenty of laughs, though it's not quite as clever as it thinks it is and does feel very 90s that hasn't aged badly but certainly feels of its time. If you like Vince Vaughan then you owe it to yourself to see Swingers as it's far better than the majority of his outings, it's not a film I'm likely to revisit and not up there with the likes of a Very Bad Things in terms of 90s comedies but it was for me at least a pleasant surprise.

6/10

Double Jeopardy

Can you look the other way or ignore the worst aspect of a movie and enjoy it despite those flaws? Well when the biggest problem of the film is the entire script then it's pretty bloody hard to ignore. From start to finish, literally every word and every action in Double Jeopardy is utterly unbelievable and at times hilariously bad, now I am aware of the whole 'double jeopardy' deal within the U.S. Legal system but surely the way it's represented in this film is a complete mockery? Throughout the entire runtime I couldn't shake the feeling that I had seen this film before, but I think I've come to the realisation that it's not that I've seen Double Jeopardy before it's just that I've seen enough Hollywood thrillers of the 90s with similar backstories and characters that's this is essentially just a mishmash of all of those films with the complete package of genre tropes that tick all the right boxes of a thriller, it's just that Double Jeopardy happens to be so poorly written and with a terribly cheesy ending to boot you can't help but feel cheated by the time the credits roll. Stay clear it's both predictable and proposterous

3/10

ANIME

Blue Exorcist

The show seems to get off to a slowish start and initially I wasn't sure exactly sure what to make of it all after the first couple of episodes, but have stuck with it through the week and managed to catch and good chunk of the first half of the season on Netflix and I'm pretty sure that the show is growing on me with each passing episode. I think if you like demonology and the anime Bleach then Blue Exorcist is certainly a show worth giving a shot, it seems rather light in its tone with the comedy playing a huge part in the overall feel in the series and that is something that I think will start to get used to, though if it could offer something a little darker or explore the realms of demonology into greater depths I'd certainly appreciate it more. Visually it's got style and the comedy has been pretty consistent so I'm eager to stick with the show and see how it all plays out but at this moment in time I'd say the show is mildly entertaining without being great.

TV

Arrested Development Season 1 (Episodes 21&22) Complete

To say first off that I've watched so much of this show this week - I'll probably keep my thoughts pretty brief and run down comparisons between the seasons; I'd like to think that I can summarise in greater depth after completing all 4 seasons, but as for these last couple of episodes of season 1 I'll just say that they delivered the laughs just as well as everything that came before in this season. For me this season of Arrested Development is a masterpiece in comedy with such a great ensemble cast where everyone single family member brings comedy gold to the table, that it's so hard to have to pick a favourite character, if for some reason you still haven't seen this show and you enjoy comedy then you really need to get started on this show.

10/10

Arrested Development Season 2 Complete

It was always going to be difficult to keep up to the standard of comedy writing of season 1 which I believe to up there with some of the best ever comedy in U.S. TV of all time, but season 2 gives it a bloody good crack of the whip and it's certainly got the highlights that can hold its own with the quality of season 1; with Michael hiding his father in the attic, Buster's hook hand and Tobias attempts to join the Blue Man Group providing some of the seasons best moments, but the show just can't keep hitting Home Runs one after the other, that's not to say that the show ever gets a strike but more like finding second base far to often to be able to achieve the same success as that first season but nevertheless if like me you loved season 1 then you really do have to tune into season 2 because its GREAT!

8/10

Arrested Development Season 3 Complete

Unfortunately the decline in the quality of the show continues into season 3; this time we have to endure complete dead spots in the show with sections including a televised mock trial of the Bluth Company and a themed area known as 'Wee Britian' that just goes to prove 'you never go full retard' - the writers were clearly swinging for new heights to push the boundaries to keep the show fresh, but they completely miss the ball here. On the plus side though everything outside of these low points of the season are still pretty strong providing a good few laugh out loud moments and the show manages to close really strongly that ultimately it's a positive experience but just feels a little short in terms of quality compared to season 2, but it's still got all our favourite family members delivering the comedy we've grown to love and til this point I've probably found Tobias to be the most consistent it terms of timing with the comedy and Maeby arguably becoming more and more less important as the show comes to a close on its initial run here; it certainly felt like a fitting ending and I would have been happy had there never been a season 4 in all honesty. Still this is a recommendation for Season 3, but just be aware that it's not all wonderful in the Bluth families escapades with a few low points but it all comes to fruition in the end with a Big Bang finale that delivers that comedic knock out punch.

7/10

Arrested Development Season 4 (Episodes 1-2)

Going into season 4 straight away without the wait that obviously occurred during the shows initial run, I was aware that the revival hadn't been completed loved upon its return, it's seems that the show had decided to change up its format of storytelling by giving a slightly longer runtime and dedicating sole attention to a single family member for each episode, now it's still early into the show to fully form an opinion on whether or not it was a wise move to bring Arrested Development back after so many years, but at this point I can't remember laughing out loud or even being amused by these first 2 episodes - it feels dead on arrival and if things don't improve soon I worry that this season might actually tarnish my overall opinion on a show that looking at the first 3 season as a collective as being one of the best comedies to come out of American Television, some shows are obviously and criminally cancelled far to early but I've got a sneaking suspicion that maybe Arrested Development isn't one of those shows; might this have been a show that might have been better left alone? Time will tell.