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'sOZ 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.
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 SylviaEarle'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 NormanBates 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.
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.
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.
