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johncammies
Reviews
Shameless (2011)
Worth Watching
It's not bad to be honest, the reason I started watching Shameless as a kid was all the gratuitous nudity in it, and the American version has a much more attractive cast (I'm referring to the females, but I'm sure the men are better looking too), so this gives it a slight edge on the UK version, it also seems to be a little bit more explicit (another pro). However, I AM a fan of William H. Macey but he just doesn't seem like Frank to me; I know comparing it to the UK version is pointless but William didn't impress me at all in the pilot; however the rest of the cast were pretty awesome. I hope the plot deviates completely from the UK series however, and just goes in a different direction; although I would like the Maguire family to appear at some point. I'm going to give Shameless US about four or five more episodes to rope me into watching it and I suggest you do the same. Solid 7/10 for the first episode.
Cougar Town (2009)
Great show, a better title would've helped it out a little
Cougar Town is not a title that reflects this show at all; it is a title that reflects maybe episodes 1-3 at most. And to be honest the name puts a lot of people off; I've been branded 'a girl' or 'a gay' just for claiming to like this show, by people who have never seen it. The title unfortunately is killing this show.
However on to the positives. This show is hilarious, you have to give it a chance like I did; I gave it a go because Bill Lawrence and Courteney Cox have never steered me wrong; I love scrubs and I love Friends (I even liked the Scream films against my better judgement). The show is awesome it soon ditches the whole cougar aspect and becomes more of a Friendsy sort of a thing, the characters all bond together and develop in their own amusing ways giving the show a lot of charm.
The characters are all really likable by around episode 7, and the chemistry between each of them is very believable. It is a hilarious show that also has a decent plot running through it, most episodes also contain your scrubsesque moral messages too which make it slightly more meaningful and engaging.
Ignore the name; Give Cougar Town a go, it's ace!
Family Guy: It's a Trap! (2011)
That's no moon, its a pretty awesome star wars parody
I won't be jumping on the Family Guy Hate bandwagon, people have been knocking family guy for the last few years and I honestly don't know why, it has consistently provided me with easy viewing and a lot of laughs; I'm not quite sure what anyone else expects from their Family Guy episodes.
It's a Trap is pretty darn good, it begins telling you not to get your hopes up, and it is sort of right; its not quite as good as the other 2. This is because: 1) The first two were hilarious and (Blue Harvest in particular) a bit more groundbreaking. 2) Return of the Jedi wasn't as good a film as the other 2
But nonetheless it was a very good film/episode (whatever it is, i'll be referring to it as a film). I particularly enjoy how Family Guy exposes a few minor plot-holes - the inefficiency of storm trooper armour - R2D2 waiting till the last moment to give Luke his lightsabre and the list goes on, but you'll have to watch.
I also was happy to see Darth Conway Twitty make an appearance, I was also much more happy that it was as brief as it was. I also enjoyed that the Wilhelm scream featured as it does in the film! And the fact the film is called 'It's a Trap' its little 'in-jokes' like this that make me enjoy it even more; especially the tirade of abuse that goes Seth Green's way during the film.
I think it is a thoroughly well done parody of a great film, and I enjoyed that they don't overhype it for you; the film begins with Stewie saying "oh god we're doing Jedi aren't we", and the film acknowledges that it isn't going to be as good as the others, which is admirable and correct. However definitely worth a watch, and it's better than your average Family Guy episode that's for sure.
Episodes (2011)
Promising Start
I enjoyed the first episode of Episodes, you've got Stephen Mangan, Tamsin Greig and of course Matt LeBlanc, what's not to like. There's some shock value humour, some more subtle laughs and some hilarious awkward moments; everything you need for a good start to a series, I think it shows promise and I'll definitely be tuning in next week.
Now for the mildly Spoilery section:
I really like the premise of the show, that it's a classy British sitcom ruined by it's American re-makers, because this is a thing everyone has seen in the past and commented on, all the charm is lost and the casting is almost always wrong (however, though it is a bit different I do love the US version of the Office). You've also got some great characters emerging already, Merc Lapidus seems like he'll provide the blatant more slapstick humour; which I enjoyed in the first episode (if slightly cringeworthy in parts), and you have the big 3 who seem to be gelling well already; and from viewing the trailer it seems Matt and Sean's relationship will develop into something very watchable.
If you weren't as keen on the start of the Episodes series as me, I think it's definitely worth giving it a few 'Episodes' to settle in, most good comedies don't hit their stride for a few episodes or even series's so don't be too quick to judge Episodes.
P.S I think it's important for people not to try and compare this to Friends, they're both very different shows; Friends is more for everyone I feel and Episodes is a bit more niche and seems definitely more adult.
To wrap up, Episodes has made a promising start 9/10
The League (2009)
Best Series on Television
The League is incredible, whereas most series's take a while to get into this is completely the opposite. This series has you laughing right from the start, you have an incredible cast of (to me anyway) unknown actors/comedians, the only member I was familiar with was Jon Lajoie. The show has so many great moments, it features a lot of clever musical comedy throughout both series' and it is full of shocking and hilarious antics as the main characters all battle, far too seriously, for their fantasy football league trophy. One of the best things about the show, for me, is that about half of it is completely improvised, this is something I really respect and it makes it much more original than the predictable 'Gary Unmarried's of this word. I also recently discovered the cast and the director all actually play in a fantasy football league of their own; just a little fun fact. Anyway, to summarise; The League is the funniest sitcom around at the moment and if you haven't watched it yet, you're missing out 10/10, a must see!