Hello boys and girls! This I'm a little late...OK 19 days late, BUT, for the rest of the month and into April, I am going to cover some of the talented women reviewers out there.
Now, I have to say, women reviewers on the Internet (exclude mainstream, professional critics) are something of a rarity. That's not to say that you can't find them, you can, but it's pretty tough. For this sample size, I am sticking with the women of Channel Awesome, the company behind the Nostalgia Critic.
Punch the Way Back Machine to the summer of 2008. Doug Walker announces a contest searching for a female counterpart to review the female-centric nostalgia Walker felt he wasn't qualified to review.
Walker announced the results later that summer and it was a three-way tie between Lindsay Ellis, Kaylyn Dickinson and Krissy Diggs. The tie was broken when Ellis's "Pocahontas" review won the most votes, and thus became the official female counterpart to the Nostalgia Critic, originally known as The Dudette and later The Nostalgia Chick. Walker was still impressed with the two runners-up, and so Dickinson and Diggs were added to the site as well, making the trio the first additions to the Channel Awesome lineup and the first women reviewers as well. Dickinson took on the monicker MarzGurl and Diggs became That Chick With The Goggles; Diggs has the triple distinction of being Channel Awesome's first African-American reviewer as well. Dickinson would become CA's second anime reviewer, while Diggs would become more of a game reviewer.
Diggs would eventually leave Channel Awesome in 2011 and did not produce much content for the thatguywithglasses.com website, while Ellis and Dickinson have remained mainstays, now approaching their fifth year with CA.
The site would continue to add female reviewers over the years. In February 2010, CA added another anime reviewer, Hope Chapman, under the monicker JesuOtaku; in June, Allison Pregler took the monicker Obscurus Lupa and began reviewing z-grade cinema, and Jerrica Barton added her Joker-esque character Diamanda Hagan reviewing a wide range of films, as well as episodes of Doctor Who. In 2011, CA added Elisa Hanson as Maven of the Eventide doing vampire-related content as member of Team NChick (Ellis's own troupe of performers, now known as Chez Apocalypse).
For the next four weeks, I am going to highlight Ellis, Dickinson, Chapman, Pregler and Barton, starting tomorrow with a profile on Ellis and a review of her latest stand-alone episode (I won't review multi-part episodes in great detail) and then Thursday, I'll present 12 recommended Nostalgia Chick reviews.
Here is a brief explanation for why I haven't updated recently - college sucks, and by that, I mean my schedule the last two weeks have sucked a million. Between the long, 12-plus-page research paper I did for Opinion Writing, studying for a mid-term exam for News & Social Media class....and then spending the week after just trying to get used to my normal schedule again, all while feeling rather burned out and burning commitments in the wake.
Yeah, you could make the case I could have posted last week, but the truth is, I didn't want to. I really was burned out from the previous week's workload and only wanted to focus on my essential commitments over everything else. Now we are in the middle of spring break - my batteries are recharging and I am trying to get myself together in time to finish the rest of the semester. That's all, you may go now...
*gets up, wearing a bathrobe and drinking Sprite out of a martini glass with a lime sour ball for an olive*
What? You're still here? Don't you get the obvious pop culture reference? Go on! Go! Shoo....
It has been quite awhile since we've looked at the world of Internet entertainment and the reviewers & critics who lead the way. I'll explain more of why it took so long to update in a side post right after this one; however, in the meantime, let's check out those 12 recommended Foamy rants!
Last I did this, I felt I was being a bit too nice with the Nostalgia Critic episodes. While I do like those episodes, they do have their faults. Ergo, while these Foamy rants are some of Jonathan Ian Mathers's best work, they aren't without fault.
Before we get started, there are some ground rules to cover:
1) These rants are in no particular order.
2) What you are about to see contains harsh language, mild/partial nudity and sexually suggestive themes; therefore, these shorts are rated NSFW and viewer discretion is advised.
3) I am not an animation expert or an art student, so do not expect an expert analysis on the quality of the art; however, if I see something really cool or crappy, I'll let you know.
Without any further ado, let's begin:
12. "Smokin' Smokers" (2007)
A great short from six years ago about the issue of smoking and quitting smoking from the perspective of the non-smoker. It is very harsh and somewhat ignorant of what it's like to be addicted to something as powerful as tobacco, but then, Foamy really doesn't care. That's not what the short is about; it's about what non-smokers have to go through when dealing with family, friends and co-workers who make life hard on them because of their addiction struggles. A sample of the harsh reality check Foamy gives to his watchers.
11. "Fat Idols" (2009)
This one isn't quite as hate-filled, but also not nearly as focused. The object of the video was to talk about the disappearance of fat people in the media; what it becomes is a rant on people opting for tummy tucks and fat scrapes as a cop out to traditional dieting and exercise. There are two other Foamy rants that take on the Atkins diet which cover the same amount of ground as this rant and may be slightly funnier, but also more juvenile. A good rant all around, even if the initial topic was all but abandoned after the first 90 seconds.
10. "TV" (2007)
The years 2006 - 2009 were great years for Foamy rants, and this ranks up there with the best. A rant on some of the more annoying aspects of TV viewing, namely ads for all sorts of drugs & body enhancements, plus pop ads interrupting our favorite shows. While the drug commercials part of the rant is still timely, the pop ads are not as pervasive as they were six years ago, so the rant is a bit dated in that regard. Still, it works AND it might get a laugh or two out of you.
9. "Political Shifty" (2008)
Right in the heart of the McCain-Obama presidential campaign season comes this harsh, unfocused, but still watchable gem. What starts out as a rant about how politicians don't care about us (and they don't liberals and conservatives), turns into a rant about the quality of today's education and the public school system. It does come back around at the end, but what starts out as a harsh, reality-based rant turns into a pseudo-conspiracy theory with a little logical merit, but oversimplified. Still, Foamy is quite snarky, and good snark will always save the day.
8. "Restaurants" (2006)
Much more lighthearted than previous rants on this list, this one about the dining experience almost comes off as a George Carlin-esque comic set, especially the whole bit about violently lashing out at servers who come to your table singing "Happy Birthday." Also, the bit at the end about subtracting money amounts from your bill based off negative aspects of your dining experience may be painful for servers, but for the customer, I DEMAND THIS BECOME LAW! There is a sequel to this rant, aptly named "Restaurants II," but it's not as good or as charming as the original.
7. "The Star-Schmucks Mini-Series" (2003 - 2011)
Admittedly, this isn't a single rant and that these six or so episodes over the span of nine years aren't traditional rants in that Foamy is not speaking directly and exclusively to the audience. The ambiguously gay barista is to an extent a wall off which to bounce back and forth the various rant topics and jokes; otherwise known as a straight man, in comic terms (POP CULTURE REFERENCE AND IRONIC PUN COMBO). If you haven't guessed by the title and the visual cues just from the video next to this text, these are a series of rants about Starbucks and its conquering of the coffee house world. The first "Star-Schmucks" episode was a short entitled "Small, Medium, Large" in 2003, complaining about the renaming of the sizes to tall, grande & venti (not to mention the high prices and "sucky" under-taste). The last short in the series, the one shown here, entitled "Last Coffee House Stand" from 2011, is a rare example of Foamy ending his exhausting fight against Star-Schmucks with a few parting shots. A rare example in the "Neurotically Yours" series of a flowing narrative outside of the main storyline involving Foamy and Germain. A must see.
6. "Dating Advice" (2004)
This short is a bit of an acquired taste - not because of the subject material or the advice, but because of the delivery. In the early days of Neurotically Yours, Foamy the Squirrel talked a lot faster than he does these days. This was to give the impression that he was hyper, a touch insane, but at the same time, a speaker of truth and logic. If the high-pitch voice that sounds like Simon from "Alvin & The Chipmunks" got kicked in the acorns doesn't bother you, listening to it at a fast speed might turn you off. If you're still interested, this is another funny look at real life with some truth and real advice mixed in.
5. "Forum Bore 'Em" (2008)
While other Foamy rants have some form of comedy, harsh truth or unfocused delivery that tends to damage the message (sometimes intentionally), this short is spot on. Anyone who spends a lot of time on news websites and YouTube will know that every gripe and every point in this rant is spot on. Internet forums and message boards have become festering sewers of intolerance and hatred - proof that we can't have nice things. Preach on animated squirrel, preach on.
4. "Game Trade-Ins" (2009)
For every gamer ever, this is gospel. At some point in our lives, we've had to deal with the game store (by now, Gamestop, since all other alternatives are either owned or have been driven out of business by Gamestop) and their rip-off game-buying policies. Buy a game at full price, return it as soon as the next day, and all of a sudden you're only getting back a third (AT BEST) of what you originally paid. I'm not going to deviate in to the topic since Foamy already covered it all, but needless to say, the squirrel gets it right. A must see.
3. "Gay Marriage" (2012)
If there ever was a clear case to be made for same-sex marriage - this is it. There is a lot of good cases made here about same-sex marriage, and the harsh, almost combative way Foamy sets to task in this one gives the argument conviction. I'm not here to advocate for one point of view or another - if you're for same-sex marriage, you'll love this short; if you're for traditional marriage, you will hate it, BUT you will find some points that will be hard to argue, such as the percentage of people not getting marriage and the percentage getting divorced - if marriage is so sacred, how come it's becoming less popular with straight folks every generation? Just something to think about, and the animated angry squirrel gives you plenty to ponder in this rant.
2. "Achievements" (2008)
Yeah, while I have not now or have ever owned a PlayStation 3 or XBox 360, I am well-aware of the pointlessness that are achievements and achievement farming. Achievements are indeed the utter garbage of today's gaming - digital awards and accolades that don't really exist and are only there to make you feel special when you're anything but. The whole conspiracy theory at the end takes away the seriousness of the message, but that's fine since the topic wasn't anything serious to begin with. The added bit with the funny achievement pop-ups weaves the laughs through the monologue.
1. "Drugs In Your Head" (2005)
If I had a guess, I'd say that the majority of people who read my commentary and watch these shorts tend to skew liberal and may or may not be in favor of legalizing marijuana. I should qualify this short by calling it a bit dated, around eight years old, and given today's more open view of legalizing pot as opposed to a mere few years ago. Having said that, this short is more about people and their inability these days to deal with real life and their emotions without the use of a controlled substance, both the illegal and legal kind. The message comes off harsh, but the point is still driven home - if we expect children to be drug-free and deal with real life, then parents have to set the example.
Well, I hope you enjoyed these shorts and if you want to see more, just check out Mathers's YouTube channel, jimathers, or his website, illwillpress.com. Because of the backlog of posts, I will try to update every day between now and Saturday, but I make no promises. Check back soon for a little side post as to what's happened the past two weeks or so and where we go from here.
(Author's Note: I know this post is late. I was going to post Thursday night, but my video card burned out on me and I couldn't replace the card until Saturday and I've been busy with my work at The Daily Cougar. Instead of doing two different posts - one about newgrounds.com and the other about Neurotically Yours, I am just going to combine the posts into one and go from there.)
Newgrounds.com - the name strikes nostalgia in anyone into anything Flash - be it animation or games. Created by Tom Fulp as a Neo Geo newsletter in 1991 and hit the web in the late-'90s as two sites: New Ground Remix and New Ground Atomix. The sites were originally used as means to host Fulp's pet projects during the early days of the Internet, and soon gained a cult following. A year later Fulp combined the two sites in to one, renamed the combined website Newgrounds, and started hosting new content based on a relatively new style of animation - Flash. As the 2000s rolled along, Newgrounds only got bigger as flash artists from all over the web used the site to show off their talents, and among the rather amateurish animation came artists of exceptional quality. One of them debuted on Newgrounds in January 2003.
His name: Johnathan Ian Mathers; the series: Neurotically Yours.
(Author's Note: the video above contains vulgar language, hand gestures, and is of a controversial nature. Viewer discretion is advised.)
Mathers originally started his cartoon about a Goth girl and her pet squirrel as a comic book, but by 2003, he started to transform his creation into a webtoon series. Over 10 years later, Mathers's creation is still going strong, complete with his own website, illwillpress.com, as well as hosting his work on Newgrounds and, as of 2009, YouTube.
The original concept behind Neurotically Yours followed the antics of the aforementioned Goth girl, Germaine as she deals with everyday life, with her hyperactive pet squirrel Foamy providing occasional commentary. As the series transitioned to the web, the starring roles switched, as Foamy became an instant hit with fans as Germaine slid into the role of eye candy/comic foil for the vulgar, cult-leading squirrel.
As Foamy's popularity grew, his voice was slowed (though still high-pitched) and his movements became less erratic, letting his eye expressions and hand gestures (obscene and not) tell more of a story. Then came Foamy's rants. The video above is a prime example of a Foamy rant, though it's not one of the originals. Never long rants, but all the same potent with striking social commentaries ranging from the silly to the controversial, these rants became a thing of legend on Newgrounds and launched the series into Internet stardom.
Later this week I'll post more examples of Mathers's work, but only the Foamy rants as this blog focuses on reviewers and critics, and Foamy's rants can be considered a critique on society and Foamy the Squirrel himself can arguably claim the title of the Internet's first comedic critic.
Look for My 12 Recommended Foamy Rants later this week. You'll find examples of Foamy rants in the video bar on the main page.
After a a bit of a delay, here are the 12 Nostalgia Critic episodes I recommend checking out (formerly My 12 Favorite Nostalgia Critic Episodes). These aren't ranked, but are set in chronological order.A reminder - all of these episodes have strong language in them, so viewer discretion is advised. I will preface this list by saying I'm listing anything that would require any extensive prior viewing, as this list is for anyone looking to get into the show for the first time. Let's get on with the review!
12. "Batman & Robin"
For anyone growing up in the '90s, the "Batman" movies were some of the best action movies out there, or at least half of them were. The quality of the movies just got worse with each sequel, and this movie was the campy bottom of the barrel. If you love watching someone pretend to absolutely lose their mind over a bad movie, this review is for you.
11. "Tom and Jerry: the Movie"
Having turned 30 last week, I am probably one of the last generations to grow up with easy access to classic cartoons. Having grown up in the infancy of cable and niche programming, these new stations needed content and old cartoons like Tom and Jerry filled a programming need until newer, more hip programming came along. The '90s saw a need to try to bring classic cartoons to the hip new generation with movies like Space Jam, and this abomination. More of Doug Walker's own opinion and less scripted material in this episode makes it really shine.
10. "FernGully (w/the Nostalgia Chick)"
Another bad trope of the '90s involved really pretentious and preachy environmental films aimed at children, and FernGully: The Last Rainforest, while not the worst of these films, still rates up there. This review marks the first crossover with the Critic female counterpart, the Nostalgia Chick, portrayed by Lindsay Ellis. I'll get more in to her character and concept next month, though you don't need to watch any of her reviews to get any set-up for this episode. The two play well off of each other and the comedy is rather high (faux fight scene, aside).
9. "The Good Son"
While not the first review to come to mind when talking about the Critic's best reviews, this one certainly is under-appreciated. The writing has a unique premise - what if the guy who usually screams and whines about everything finally loses his voice and has to conduct the whole review in silence. While it sounds like a recipe for disaster, Walker actually pulls it off quite well with clever writing and very effective facial expressions. It also helps that the subject material takes itself so seriously, it was absurd before Walker even touched it. For creativity alone this deserves a watch.
8. "The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog"
Literally the next episode after "The Good Son," Walker reverted back to the traditional Critic comedic formula, but executes that formula well; one of his best performances. What makes this episode unique is that he compares and contrasts the title Sonic character series with another show featuring the same character that ran simultaneously. It ends with a very thoughtful, if comically-played, analysis of the difference between a story with little effort versus a story with real effort.
7. "The Top 11 Nostalgic Mind F---s"
This episode came right after Sonic and two episodes after The Good Son, setting up a nice trio of videos in February 2009. One of the staples of the Nostalgia Critic is his "Top 11" lists. This list looks at some of the most bizarre moments in games and animation. The strange subject material aside, Walker provides some great analysis while maintaining a light and surreal tone. This episode should come with a warning for first-time viewers: keep your volume a little low - this episode can get loud at times.
6. "North"
Fast forward to June 2009 and what we have here is a universal fan favorite - the "North" review. By any standard, the movie "North" was horrendous; a movie critics Siskel and Ebert panned venomously. This is s movie directed by Rob Reiner, the cast filled to the brim with stars, and yet, is filled with terrible jokes, offensive ethnic stereotypes and one of the most poorly written movies I've ever seen, personally. Oh, and the Critic's review is quite entertaining, much in the vein of the "Batman and Robin" review.
5. "Top 11 F--- Ups"
From September 2009, this is another great "Top 11" list and is exactly what you think it is - a list of Walker's worst mistakes, whether it's an editing mistake, a writing mistake or otherwise. Walker introduces another fan favorite character, the obnoxious nit-picker, Douchey McNitpick, to ridicule the Critic through each item on the list and it's great to see Walker have a sense of humor about his mistakes.
4. "Battlefield Earth"
While I could continue to list some really great reviews from 2009, which might have been the best year for the Critic, I would be remiss not to list some of the best reviews from this decade. Feb. 2, 2010, Walker released the 100th episode of the Nostalgia Critic, complete with great cameos from Bhargav Dronamraju (as Ma-Ti from "Captain Planet") and Noah Antwiler (lampooning Terl, the over-the-top villain in "Battlefield Earth" portrayed poorly by John Travolta). A movie based off a book by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, "Battlefield Earth" is universally considered one of the worst movies of all time. Walker has a ton of fun comically ripping this movie apart, and the scenes with Antwiler playing off Walker are brilliant.
3. "The Room"
Debuted in July 2010, this review was a special request by a fan. Walker bent his own rules for reviewing this material by looking at a film past his cut-off date to be considered nostalgic. This review has a ton of laughs, a ton of hilarious cameos, and the movie itself, also regarded universally as one of the worst of all time, is a ton of laughs despite itself. The movie is so terrible, many viewers consider it hilarious, so the combination of the Critic and the cameos make it arguably his best review. This review also sparked some controversy, as Wiseau Films, the production company that made the film, pressed Walker with legal action to pull his review. Walker did so and responded with a biting satire of the whole affair. With help from intense fan pressure, Wisaeu Films backed off and the review was restore to Walker's website in December of the same year.
2. "Nostalgia Critic Musical Review: Moulin Rouge"
Released in November 2011, this review is arguably the best Nostalgia Critic episode. Even Walker himself listed this episode #1 in his "Top 11 Nostalgia Critic Episodes" review in a Sept. 25 video. It's hard not to see why - excellent writing - not just the dialogue, but also the musical numbers. There are a ton of cameo appearances in this episode, including Brent Black, a.k.a. Brentalfloss, a talented video game parody musician (yes, that exists). The video is well-shot and parodies the source material expertly. In fact, this video did its job too well, as it was after the filming of this video that Walker decided there was nowhere else he could go with the Nostalgia Critic and began writing the character's retirement, which would come to fruition less than a year later.
1. "The Grinch"
Arguably the last great Nostalgia Critic review, this episode debuted a month after "Moulin Rouge" and definitely deserves bonus points over the other possible final choice because of its originality. In keeping with the spirit of Dr. Seuss, Walker wrote the entire dialogue for the episode in rhyme. The result is actually very true to the spirit of the original "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and his rhyming, while it stumbles a bit at points, is perfectly on key.
A quick note on the Nostalgia Critic in 2012: As last year was supposed to be the farewell tour for the Critic, most of the reviews certainly felt that way - not so much delivering a final collection of great performances as much as rushed performances. None of the 2012 reviews are particularly bad, they just feel as if Walker was trying to quickly get the months over with until his final review, "Scooby-Doo (the live-action movie)" in August. If I had to recommend any review from last year as worth seeing, definitely take a look at his Patch Adams review - it's very insightful about the real Hunter "Patch" Adams and how the movie gloriously botched telling his story.
Well, that's all for my look at the Nostalgia Critic. Check back Thursday night as I take a look at one of the Internet's original well-springs of user-generated content - newgrounds.com, followed Friday by a look at a product of Newgrounds that still thrives today - Neurotically Yours.
Finally, here's the review I'm building up to: this is my review of Nostalgia Critic episode 223 "The Odd Life of Timothy Green."
(Author's Note: this video contains coarse language. Viewer discretion is advised.)
This episode marks the first Nostalgia Critic episode in nearly six months, dating back to Aug. 14. That episode, no. 222 "Scooby-Doo," essentially "killed off" the character, though it's actually non-canon; the canon ending of the Critic occurred during the Channel Awesome movie, "To Boldly Flee." Walker ended the Critic's 200-plus episode run, feeling the character had peaked, he grown tired of the character and wanted to try new ideas. After a couple of those new ideas did not pan out, Walker decided to bring the Critic back, starting with the special, "The Review Must Go On," the title taken from the Critic's musical number in the hit episode, episode 189 "Moulin Rouge," which in and of itself is take off of Queen's "The Show Must Go On." So popular was the song that Critic's new theme song is a remix of "The Review Must Go On." Now, with that background out of the way, on with the review.
We start with something new for Nostalgia Critic reviews - an opening title sequence. Older episodes (which I have provided examples of in the Video Box and in my last two entries) always started straight to the Critic's opening catchphrase. For the return of the series, there's a new opening sequence featuring a montage of moments from past Critic episodes and some good effects work. I actually like it; it gives a feeling of "things just got real."
Another change is in the selection of movie. Walker had a rule for Nostalgia Critic episodes that he wouldn't review anything that wasn't at least 10 years old. He made exceptions for this, such as his 100th episode reviewing "Battlefield: Earth," and the Critic's review of "The Room." As revealed in the special, "The Review Must Go On," Walker has tossed out the old rule, saying that he wouldn't review anything in currently theaters and that wanting to see anything again after a month certainly qualifies as nostalgia.
***SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT***
After the catchphrase we getting a brief synopsis of the movie and then ... a really flat joke. Yeah, I don't get why he went with the "cat-killingly bad" joke either. Follow that up with a really flat and forced reaction and it's not a very good beginning to a comeback.
The second joke, a skit at around 3:00 comes off a bitbetter. Rachel Tietz does a good job playing off Walker as the teacherA lot of us know that friend from school (maybe evencurrently in school) who tried to use some sort of "loophole" answer, trying to B.S. our way into getting credit for wrong answer, so I can relate, though the end to the skit is it a bit weird and seems more like a tie to the movie than the skit, which comes off as odd in context. Plus notice the hat Walker's wearing - it'll make a second appearance in this episode.
The third big joke comes at 4:57 and it's the return of the ? Cap from the previous skit, as worn by Malcolm Ray. This skit is actually the best one so far. The actor does a great job of overacting for comedic effect and the writing's pretty funny, ending much better this time around with a "walking away" sting made popular in Looney Tunes cartoons.
The next big joke comes in at 7:16 involvingwhat I call a"sight joke," a list of "Horrible Pieces of Human S---." Walker employes a lot of sight jokes, which are jokes that usually come with a visual representation of the joke to help drive it home. TV uses this kind of joke occasionally, movies rarely, but it sees a lot of use on the Internet, where editing software allows textual edits in videos. As for the joke itself, I would have included the whole cast plus the director and producer of this schlocky movie, but that's just me.
8:31 - yet another sight joke, this time involving a legal pad with some "crazy" scribbling on it. A good lead in to the joke and the joke itself earns a little giggle, but more because it's tied in with the "Looney Tunes" theme. In past retrospective videos and conventions, Walker has admitted the Nostalgia Critic character borrows heavily from the cartoon character, Daffy Duck, so many of his videos will involve jokes and gags that borrow from Looney Tunes. Sometimes they work, and sometimes not. It was used more effectively here than earlier, though the joke loses some freshness since we just had a sight joke about 75 seconds prior.
9:47 - the Critic describes this movie in a nutshell. One thing I've always liked about Nostalgia Critic reviews is that between the gags, running jokes and memes, there is actually thoughtful analysis to be had.
10:49 - this is the best gag in the review at this point, and one of the better Nostalgia Critic skits I've seen in a long time, along with a nice visual gag at the end. Well-timed, well-written and well-edited to match the expressions of the character from the movie, the only thing missing is Walker crying at the end. That kind of humiliation would make any man cry.
12:50 - "Let's play 'politicians'." Some times, the best joke is the one the movie makes for you. All you need is some clever editing and BAM - a joke is made. Finish the joke off with classic Nostalgia Critic rage and scene.
14:20 - we break for a commercial and go into a Saturday Night Light mock commercial skit with Tietz and Ray. We start outwith the use of schadenfreude, pleasure from the misfortune of others, and the actors do a great job with their expression; it's just the joke that's written awkwardly. However, that's all set up for the big joke of the episode - Chia Child. Whoever invented Chia Pet belongs in the "Dumbest, Commercially-Successful Ideas" Hall of Fame, right along side the Pet Rock and Star Trek V. A funny bit that segues right into the actual commercial break.
17:58 - back from commercial and now we have some clever editing and some overacting that actually got a chuckle out of me. I wish I had a magical pencil that shines with divine power.
18:34 - a creepy joke followed by the return of the sight joke from 7:16. There's nothing wrong with reusing jokes as long as you don't overdo it, unless, that is, you mean for it to be a running joke (which can still be annoying if executed badly). Right after that, the creepy factor is ratcheted up by plugging some audio from James Cameron's "Titanic," and a great example of how take a bit of dialogue and turn it into something disturbing by changing the context. I face-palmed as I laughed the first time I saw and heard this joke.
By the way, this movie,this atrocity of cinema. If I didn't have this review to keep my mind occupied, I wouldn't mind seeing every print of this film burned and every digital copy erased from existence. Even with this review, this movie is still painful to watch. Whoever wrote this dreck needs to be smacked with produce, preferably oranges.
What? Orange-u glad I didn't say cement blocks?
28:35 - We start a classic, two-minute long Nostalgia Critic rant full of screaming and cursing that for some comes off as whining, but for others like me, it's that feeling of schadenfreude that gets a kick out of watching this guy lose his mind (or pretends to). He ends the rant with a thoughtful counterpoint, leads into the catchphrase and that's a wrap.
How was the Nostalgia Critic comeback show?
Well, the average fan rating on the host website is over 4.8 out of 5. Granted, I didn't go over every joke, and there were smaller nuggets of jokes and sarcasm. Does it deserve the high score?
Not really, no.
The jokes come quickly and often enough, though, with an abundance of jokes, some are bound to come off as flat. The skits with Ray and Tietz come off fairly well and add a nice change of scenery with some acting that might actually be better than Walker's. The problem lies more in the source material.
There's bad and then there's BAD. This movie is so bad, it's not even funny-bad - something so painstakingly horrible that you actually find humor in just how badly the cast and crew screwed the pooch. A movie so bad, I didn't even know it existed and I'm sure very few people I know knew existed either, and that's part of why this review falls a bit flat for me. Bouncing jokes off of something that's just too bad to find to find the humor within just leaves you wanting to laugh, but you just can't. Still, I can't fault Walker's writing (mostly); the Chia Child skit did leave me laughing. Is it so close to a full "5 out of 5" rating? No, but it's still good and deserves a watch
Final Rating: 4 Chia Children out 5
Come back later tonight as I list My Favorite 12 Nostalgia Critic episodes in part four of The Review Goes On.
