(Source: http://thatguywiththeglasses.wikia.com/wiki/Lindsay_Ellis)
In 2008, there were really no major female Internet reviewers. That's not to say there weren't any female reviewers at all - YouTube is littered with amateurs of both sexes trying to make the scene, but Ellis took that first step. Dickinson has had some modest success and is known somewhat in anime fan circles outside of the Channel Awesome fandom, while Diggs is barely remembered outside of hardcore CA fan circles. If Walker had gone with someone else to be the Nostalgia Chick, I'm not sure the character and concept would still be around or that female reviewers would be as visible as they are today, she is that important.
Here is some background that is readily available: Ellis grew up in Tennessee and after graduating high school she moved on to film school at New York University. After receiving a degree in cinema studies from NYU in 2003, she moved on to the University of Southern California to obtain her Masters degree in cinematic arts and now currently resides in Queens, NY. Needless to say that Ellis has quite the rich film background and probably makes her the most academically-qualified critic I've reviewed to date.
Her style: if Ellis was supposed to be Walker's female counterpart, he was way off the mark as the two nostalgic characters are nothing alike, well, mostly. Walker plays the Nostalgia Critic fast and loose, very much like a comedy sketch with some great introspection here and there about his subjects; while Ellis plays the Nostalgia Chick very dry - her humor is dry and witty and the episodes mostly come off as a legitimate form critical analysis with some humor here and there (some episodes more than others). Due to her dry style, she doesn't have Walker's mass appeal but she is still very enjoyable to watch all the same if you give her a few episodes to grow on you.
Analysis of her latest episode: "Disney Needs More Gay" (released Mar. 6, 2013)
http://blip.tv/nostalgia-chick/nostalgia-chick-rantasmo-disney-needs-more-gay-6545576
(Sadly, I can't embed the video in the blog for some reason, but the link should get you where you need to go.)
First, if you have strong opinions about Disney animated films and character theory, you are going to have strong feelings about this review; it is a very insightful look at Disney's role in the LGBTQ community and its positive and negative consequences. On the other hand, if you came to this review looking for straight (see what I did there?) funny, you're not getting much of that this time. With Ellis, her attempts at real humor outside of her own dry wit come off as forced and are hit and miss sometimes. This time, it's a miss what with running the same joke into the ground, through the ground, through the crust, mantle and core and out the other side in Asia somewhere.
The analysis itself is very insightful - the Disney Corporation is very friendly towards same-sex partnerships and has a strong LGBTQ fan base, while at the same pretending the LGBTQ community doesn't exist and has created several foppish, effeminate villains over the years while ending several movies with the straight romantic leads getting married or riding off into the sunset. It's an interesting paradox to consider ... if you can get past the forced attempts at humor.
And now, to close off this review, here are Six Recommended Nostalgia Chick videos:
Much like the episode I just reviewed, this one is another character analysis - this one on gender roles in animation and the role of female animated characters as foils for male characters. What separates this episode and the previous one is that the humor isn't forced and is very witty. Like the other episode, it does have a running joke, but unlike "Disney Needs More Gay," the running joke comes in about halfway in the episode and doesn't overstay its welcome. Definitely one of her best.
One of Ellis' first videos with Channel Awesome, this was back when the Nostalgia Chick was supposed to strictly look at feminine nostalgia. Unlike her later work, many of her earlier videos are more fast-paced and the jokes tended to be more observational in nature. For the most part, her humor is spot on in this video and it's a fun look into some '80s feminine nostalgia.
A break from her usual look at nostalgic movies and TV, Ellis gives a bit of a summary review of the musical Les Mierable ('cause I can't type accents). She has a great bit of comic relief in Justin "Jewario" Carmical, though that's balanced out by the extremely fast-paced review (seriously, it gets a bit tough to listen to at times). While a nice look at the musical, the ending of the review itself is what you really come to see. I won't spoil anything for you - just watch it. Also, excuse the subtitles - it seems the only user linking the full video on YouTube decided to transcribe it another language. C'est la vie.
Another early Nostalgia Chick video about the Don Bluth-animated film, Anastasia - a "what-if" story about the fictitious life and times of the last surviving Romanov. Without going into great detail, the movie is a mess and Ellis does a good job picking it apart. The only real problem with this review is getting Walker to do his terrible Russian accent while pretending to be Vladimir Lenin, Rasputin and Yakov Smirnoff. If you can get past the marginal, somewhat annoying running joke, there's actually a bit of wit to be found in this video.
Oh, look! An actual Disney movie review! Another from Ellis's early days when her humor was closer to Walker's. This review also involves part-time sidekick Antonella "Nella" Inserra in a bit about foot-binding, well, while it is funny and goes with the whole "Disney doesn't really understand other cultures" theme, it does stick out like a sore thumb. Still, complaining aside, this is another early gem worth checking out.
Finishing up this short list is a great look at Will Smith's rap career, and a rather good cross-over with "The Rap Critic" Daren Jackson. This actually a pretty good introspection into Will Smith's music career - from kid-friendly early days to the "Big Willie" years. Ellis brings her usual wit and dry humor to episode, but Jackson's more comedic foil-ish performance steals the show for me.
A brief aside, if you want to check out Jackson's rap reviews, go thatguywiththeglasses.com and check him. Personally, I'm not a big fan of rap myself outside of Will Smith and Eminem (funny how that works out), so I won't be reviewing Jackson's material, but I like him in the cross-overs he's done, so if you're in to rap or just want a little laugh, give him a viewing.
Also, before I go, I am going to try to do all the female reviewers I promised to do for all of March this week ... the key word being "try."
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