My feed

First Viewing Viewing Date: May 19th Via: Blu-ray Plot: In Sydney, a 19-year-old finds himself in debt to a local gangster, and desperately tries to evade them as he plans to recover the money. Rating: 7.7/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: May 18th Via: Blu-ray Plot: Two high school nerds use a computer program to literally create the perfect woman, but she turns their lives upside down. Rating: 6.2/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: May 17th Via: Stan. Plot: Three actors accept an invitation to a Mexican village to perform their onscreen bandit fighter roles, unaware that it is the real thing. Rating: 6.3/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: May 16th Via: iTunes Store Plot: The adventures of high school and junior high students on the last day of school in May 1976. Rating: 8.7/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: May 15th Via: iTunes Store Plot: In between drinking cans of VB beer and playing cards, Australian soldiers experience sporadic conflicts during the Vietnam War. Rating: 7.6/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: May 14th Via: Blu-ray Plot: A classically-trained martial artist goes to work as a mob debt collector. The job seems easy enough, until a client drags him into a situation deeper than could ever be anticipated. Rating: 5.8/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: May 13th Via: Blu-ray Plot: A secret fling between a man and his mistress leads to blackmail and murder. Rating: 7.7/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: May 11th Via: iTunes Store Plot: As his wedding day approaches, Ben heads to Miami with his soon-to-be brother-in-law James to bring down a drug dealer who's supplying the dealers of Atlanta with product. Rating: 5.3/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: May 7th Via: 4K Blu-ray Plot: A boy and his mother move to California for a new job. He struggles to fit in, as a group of karate students starts to bully him for dating a rich girl from their clique. It's up to the Japanese landlord, Miyagi, to teach him karate. Rating: 7.2/10

Viewed: Season 4B

It has been a long road, but new episodes of Rick and Morty are finally being delivered with some frequency. And the even better thing is that the quality is not declining. This new batch of five episodes is superb, delivering precisely what we desire from this show: laughs, high-concept ideas, and enjoyable non-sequiturs. It also takes the piss out of more TV show stereotypes, parodying anthology episodes and even taking a swipe at characters wanting to time travel. I'm looking forward to watching these episodes again a few hundred times.

First Viewing Viewing Date: May 7th Via: iTunes Store Plot: A fire-fighting cadet, two college professors, and a geeky but sexy government scientist work against an alien organism that has been rapidly evolving since its arrival on Earth inside a meteor. Rating: 6.4/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: May 6th Via: Amazon Prime Video Plot: Security guard Ben must prove himself to his girlfriend's brother, top police officer James. He rides along James on a 24-hour patrol of Atlanta. Rating: 6.3/10

Viewed: Seasons 1-6

Let's get this out of the way first: the first three seasons of Community are unmatched. In terms of creativity, innovation, character relationships, witty dialogue, and narrative coherence, the first three seasons are among the very best that television has ever had to offer, standing alongside the likes of Frasier and The Office. Dan Harmon hits it out of the park, knowingly skewing TV tropes and brilliantly changing up the format (including an animated Christmas episode, the masterful paintball episodes, the mockumentary filmmaking eps, and more) while never losing focus of the loveable central ensemble of characters. Thank God that the first three seasons are long, too (25 episodes, 24 episodes & 22 episodes), as it took a while to get through, and it was an absolute pleasure. I know that Chevy Chase was a bit of a pain during filming, but I loved seeing him as part of the study group, and he's usually responsible for the edgier jokes that will make the politically correct crowd lose their shit. Even the lesser episodes of the first three seasons are still worthwhile - even when it's not gut-busting, it's still mighty enjoyable. Before long, I was hooked on Community, and greatly enjoyed any opportunity to watch the next episode - it was also my go-to show during the COVID-19 lockdown, when I lived in isolation for four weeks and only left home to go to work. To say the least, it was the perfect quarantine show to binge. But... Then we get to Season 4, for which Dan Harmon was fired. The show just doesn't feel the same, as it ruins careful character arcs and narrative development, and feels like a shadow of its former self. It gets slightly more tolerable as it goes on, but it still feels like a Community wannabe, and it presented like a far more typical American sitcom. Even the satire just doesn't feel as sharp or considered. Conceptually, the fourth season isn't awful (there's even a puppet episode), but the execution is more or less disastrous. With Dan Harmon returning as showrunner for Season 5, the fourth season is subsequently referred to as the "gas-leak year," and becomes the butt of many jokes. While the opportunity for such jokes is appreciated, the fourth season is still a waste, especially since it was Chevy Chase's final season. I feel robbed of the narrative and character possibilities that Harmon could've brought to the table. C'est la vie. Seasons 5&6 are an improvement, but still lack that lightning-in-a-bottle feeling of the first three seasons. Nevertheless, the new characters do make an impact, including Jonathan Banks, and the dynamic of the study group - now the "Save Greendale" committee - are still fun, even if it's not the same. Actors also continue to depart the series, with only four of the original seven remaining for Season 6, which is hard to take. Even John Oliver and the aforementioned Jonathan Banks eventually disappear. (I must also say that the green screen effects in Season 6, Episode 10 are appalling, and wouldn't pass muster on an amateur YouTube channel.) However, Harmon sticks the landing with a knockout finale that's every bit as brilliant as expected. Without spoiling too much, Harmon continues to skewer TV tropes, especially when the ending is near. The finish line is understandably emotional, and it was really something to be able to reflect on the six-season journey I just undertook. Aside from the shonky fourth season, Community is a great, great show. I was actually introduced to the show back in 2018 when I watched the first episode, but the lack of viewing options forbade me from sticking with it, even though it was on the list and I was totally onboard with it. How ironic that the show now streams on Netflix, Stan, and Amazon Prime. Anyway, I love Community and look forward to many future rewatches.

First Viewing Viewing Date: May 1st Via: Stan. Plot: When a kingpin threatens New York City, a group of mutated turtle warriors emerge from the shadows to protect their home, aided by a curious journalist. Rating: 5.3/10