Tag Archives: Netflix

The Fangirly Show: Episode #12 Fangirling About Stranger Things

Posted in The Fangirly Show, TV by

Whitney and Ellen get back at it after their summer hiatus by talking about the summer’s most bingeable show, Stranger Things.  80’s nostalgia, conspiracy theory, Winona Ryder, and a hot dad sheriff, it’s all here.  Plus, we delve into how the Netflix model is changing how we watch TV, for better or for worse.  As always, Whitney tries to embarrass Ellen in a new game, this time quizzing her on Netflix taglines.

You can listen and subscribe HERE on iTunes, (NEW!!) on Google Play, or you can go HERE to listen and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Web Bytes: Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday Trailer

Posted in TV, Web Bytes by

If you caught our last podcast, you may remember that Pee-Wee is much beloved in our family.  Speaking for my own nuclear family, we just flat out love Pee-Wee.  My brother and I would wake up early to eat cereal and watch reruns of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, it is mandatory every year that we watch  the Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas special (because it is amazing), and Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure  is a family classic that is oft-quoted (“Paging Mr. Herman.”).

This new trailer doesn’t completely have me sold, but if Netflix is giving Reubens and Co. the creative liberties to rekindle the comedic sensibilities of the Pee-Wee of yore, sign me up.

–Ellen

Sweet Streams: Derek

Posted in Sweet Streams, TV by

derekOur category of “Sweet Streams” has never been more because this show is “sweet” both in the “sweet, brah” sense and in the “awww, how sweet”.  This show has been around on Netflix for a quite a while now and I am not sure how or why I went so long without watching, but in the course of two days, I recently watched both seasons.  When I told my mom that Ricky Gervais was in a show that was very sweet, she thought I was being sarcastic, but fans of Extras and The Office may not be as shocked.

Derek follows, you guessed it, Derek, played by Gervais, and his cohorts at the senior home where he works.  Derek is a little odd, but with a heart of gold, caring most for little animals and his friends.  Chief among those friends his Hannah, the manager of the home who has a lot on her hands trying to care for the residence, but more efforts seem to go towards wrangling Derek and his friend Kev.  Her big sisterly love for Derek is the real heart of the show.

If you, like me, sometimes crave a good cry, then this is the show for you.  Even if you ar not a crier, there is no way that this show won’t tug at your heart strings.  Its main message of surrounding yourself with good people who understand what is really important in life is touching.  Give it a watch.

Derek

– Ellen

Fan Rants: Death to the Networks!!!

Posted in Fan-Rants by

THE MINDY PROJECT: Mindy (Mindy Kaling, R), Jeremy (Ed Weeks, C) and Danny (Chris Messina, L) discover a change in the office staff in the

When I initially heard that Fox had cut the cord on our Fangirly Favorite The Mindy Project, my reaction was more or less what you might expect. I sold all my earthly possessions, joined a doomsday cult, and settled in for the End of Days. But from the midst of tragedy, an unlikely hero emerged, destined to redeem us all from a Mindy-less existence. Yes, people, ya heard. Hulu will be picking up Kaling’s brain-baby and giving it new life online.

And this isn’t the first time that a streaming service has needed to step in to save a beleaguered series. Yahoo adopted Community and Netflix resurrected Arrested Development (with debatable success, but still). Not only are these sites delivering really strong, occasionally award-winning, original content to subscribers, they are salvaging the network underdogs that struggle to perform and bringing them back from the dead.

Ok, I’m not an idiot. I know that Hulu probably isn’t doing this out of altruism or some media-messiah complex. They roku-3-streaming-tv-giveawayprobably stand to make a lot of money from this deal and I have no doubt that the switch will be marketed aggressively. But the fact stands that Hulu is taking a chance on this amazing little show written by and starring one of the only non-white female leads on TV. Ever. Meanwhile, networks are giving us Boy Meets World reboots and a Full House made-for-TV-movie.

This all leads me to ask, do we really need networks? Or are the a relic that is desperately trying to recapture the magic of ten, twenty, thirty years ago? Most shows are available online anyway, and even HBO is offering a streaming service for much less than your exorbitant cable package. As a representative of a generation that watches most of it’s TV online anyway, it’s not a very hard question.

What do you think? Hit us up at fangirlyfangirls@gmail.com, or @fangirly2, and give us what you got.

-Whitney

Sweet Streams: Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries

Posted in Sweet Streams, TV by

castThis is the time of year when I start scouring the streaming services for shows to watch.  While I admittedly tend towards re-watching my old favorites, I do sometimes give those unknowns in my “Recommendations” section a chance.  I kept seeing Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries pop up and took it for one of those Miss Marple-type shows that Masterpiece Theater was putting out in the 80’s.  While the show is a Miss Marple-type show, it is decidedly more modern.  Even though it is set in the 1920’s.

The show is a recent hit out of Australia based on a series of mystery novels by Kerry Greenwood.  Both the novels and TV show follow “lady detective” Phyrne Fisher, played by Essie Davis on the show, as she works with, and sometimes against, the Melbourne police force on, you guessed it, murder mysteries. Phyrne is a forward-thinking, glamorous, wise-cracking woman who you could dislike for how cool she is and how many men fall at her feet, but she is just so dang likable and good to the people who are close to her.  My favorite among those people is her demure, ultra-Catholic maid who often helps Phyne in matters outside those of the domestic variety and begins a sweet romance with the equally guileless but Protestant (gasp) Constable Collins.  These two are just too adorable.  In contrast, the simmering sexual tension between Phyrne and Detective Jack Robinson is equally satisfying if not quite as actualized on the show.  The characters make the show for me more than the actual cases, but the mysteries are still dealing with a lot of issues, such as homosexuality, sexual politics, and drug use that you don’t get from some of those old Masterpiece mysteries.

I know that several of our readers, like me, enjoy a good period drama and are sure to enjoy this cheeky, period murder mystery and it really is perfect for some light summer viewing with a dash of intrigue.

– Ellen

Run-On Sentence Review: Daredevil

Posted in Run-On Sentence Reviews, Sweet Streams, TV by

marvel-netflix-daredevil-trailer-860x442I spent my weekend watching all Netflix’s first collaboration with Marvel and maybe you did, too or maybe you have more of a life than I do and spent your weekend being social and getting outside, but I digress, as I usually do with these things, but if you haven’t checked out this new series I definitely think you should give this a watch because it completely redeems the character from his previous, lesser, portrayals and this is quite a departure for Marvel because it is grisly, dark, and layered, without ever having the DC and that is something I can get behind because if you like superheroes and/or Breaking Bad this just might be the show for you because it puts a troubled hero with some super powers (keen senses due to radiation, which is pretty par for the course in comic books, apparently) into the seedy underbelly of the crime world and it is fantastic with really great performances all around but especially by Charlie Cox as the titular masked vigilante and some of the most kick A fight sequences that I have seen and certainly that I have seen on TV (well, Netflix).

Verdict:  Only you can know if this could be up your alley, but if it even sort of sounds like it might, you need to check it out.

Fangirly Crush(es) of the Week: The Property Brothers

Posted in Crush of the Week, TV by

Property-Brothers-SingleHappy Halloween! To celebrate, you are getting two for the price of one today.  I have been stuck in a Netflix vortex since they recently added bundles of HGTV and Food Network shows.  My favorite?  Of course it’s those snarky twins, The Property Brothers!  A guy who can give me my dream house on a budget all while cracking wise?  What’s not to love?

Do you like Drew’s more upscale, businessman vibe?  Or maybe Jonathan’s more casual, handyman persona is more your style?  Ideally, I like the man can get his hands dirty, but with Drew’s hair.  Can I get that?

Good news is that they made a video to help you decide (if you are a fan of the show at all, you should definitely watch).

– Ellen

In with the Old: The Mighty Ducks

Posted in In with the Old, Movies, Nostalgia, Sweet Streams by

Recently, I found myself with some time on my hands and saw that all three of the Mighty Ducks films were on Netflix and thought, “Eh, why not?” I am an adult, therefore, giving me the ability to choose to spend my day watching stupid kids movies. I had a lot of thoughts while watching and thought I would share them with all of you.

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Pretty sure that this movie gave me a misconception about the 1970’s. I thought they were a very hazy time… Actually, maybe it wasn’t too much of a misconception.

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Sometimes I think that Disney is a little too heavy-handed in pointing out that someone is a bad boy. Beer! Loud music! Sassing cops!

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Am I too logical in thinking that this prank wouldn’t work on someone driving by? A passerby, sure, but someone driving by is going to come to a screeching halt to stop in the middle of the street and steal a purse? Maybe I’ve seen too many Russian traffic cams of truckers saving kittens.

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I’m glad that at least the closed captioning gave credit where credit was due. Also, I posit that a kids sports movie cannot exist without the snarky trash talker (see also: Ham from The Sandlot, Tanner Boyle from The Bad News Bears, etc.)

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Seriously, inquiring minds would like to know, is that a phone?

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FART JOKE!

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Gordon Bombay. Possibly the best name in film history. Also, the best shoulder pads in the biz.

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Bombay, you know how movies work, right? Of course, it had to be the Hawks.

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Pretty sure that my brother and I were incapable of going to hockey games between the years of 1993-present (?) without saying this.

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Ah, the good old days when teenage boys had to make do with issues of Sports Illustrated.

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You know it’s a 90’s movie when the menacing gang is on roller blades.

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Hans is the Yoda of this movie. So wise. So sage.

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Little baby Joshua Jackson!

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Oh, movie, I don’t need you to tell me when Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch is playing.

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Do I need to call Social Services on this 22 year old movie?

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Again, this movie is really delivering on the 90’s awesomeness. Roller blading through the mall?!

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The movie the made quacking a haunting battle cry to all 90’s kids.

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It’s so convenient that the entire team is in this one Chemistry class, despite the fact that some of them look like they are 5 years apart in age.

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Gordon, stop quacking!

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Don’t we all, Banks. Let the rich kid play, Ducks! The cake-eater has two more movies to do.

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This has to be either the weakest net ever or this puck just defied the laws of physics, right?

md22

What publication is this that has front page headlines about a Minnesota Pee-Wee hockey team?

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Haha hijinks. Even as a kid, I thought Emilio laughed weird.

md24

Yeah, go for it, Bombay. She will never be able to resist you in that Cosby sweater. What woman could?

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Does Disney have a contractual stipulation that there must be a contrived romance that nobody watching the movie will really care about and that won’t last into the sequel?

md26

Again, what is this “Hockey Publication” and where did they get these pictures of these pee-wee hockey coaches? I would really like to see a Newsroom like TV show about this paper.

md27

What kind of douchebag father isn’t going to root for his son’s team? I don’t care how rich your friends are.

md28

Aw, Banks. You took the stick out of your butt. Presh. See you in MD2!

md29

Um, Bombay, you need to win. Haven’t you seen a Disney sports movie?

md30

You just know that they were so stoked on this shot. “Aw man, this is going to look so cool.”

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I cannot believe this worked. I’m supposed to believe that these kids who are growing up on the ice have never seen someone do a scratch spin?

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Flying V! Ducks fly together!

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Bombay, you are not helping the “Coach’s Pet” taunts that he has been getting. Also, what exactly has Charlie done to elicit this confidence? Other than let you bone his mom.

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QUACK, QUACK, QUACK! Now THAT’S how you end a Disney sports movie.md35 Wah-wah, Hawks. It’s because you didn’t have a humorous yet cool chant and, most importantly, because you weren’t having fun out there.md36 Hold the phone. Bombay is leaving his lucrative law career to possibly be a minor league hockey player? At his age?

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It must really suck for Charlie that he is the only one of these kids with a present parent. She really cramps his style.

Who wants to go watch this movie on Netflix now?  Sorry if I spoiled it for you.

– Ellen

Fangirly Love Letter: The Gilmore Girls

Posted in Get with the Program, Sweet Streams by

Being a Latchkey Kid was the best. My parents both worked full time, so in the afternoons I was left to my own weird devices. It usually went as follows:

1) walk inside, dump my backpack where ever convenient (almost always constituted a fire hazard)

2) Eat until the lower half of my face was numb from exhaustion

3) Get dance-y to whatever Now That’s What I Call Music album was collecting dust in the living room stereo

4)Try on all my mom’s old bridesmaid dresses

5) Drink rootbeer out of our fancy dinner glassware and “unwind”

…All of which took about 10-15 minutes. Then it was time to dial into The Gilmore Girls. 

There is not one show, not Veronica Mars, not Buffy The Vampire Slayer, not 30 Rock, that means more to me than TGG

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Everything I learned about the kind of woman I want to be came from this Amy Sherman Palladino brain baby. (My mom is a super close second). This mother-daughter double act was so funny, so clever, so heartwarming/ breaking that Act 1 Whitney was in perpetual awe. In fact, I can date my media mania directly back to Gilmore. Suddenly there just wasn’t enough of this show to meet my consumption needs.

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Lorelei and Rory were so classy,

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So articulate,

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So forward thinking.

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And then, seemingly out of nowhere, the ax fell.

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Gilmore Girls, a network staple and my TV spirit animal, was canceled. It was over almost as soon as it began.

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But from the ashes, a hero emerged. One who would help me to piece together the shambles of my Gilmore-less existence, all for the super-low price of $7.99.  That’s right dweebs, Netflix has the streaming rights for Gilmore Girls. Those of us who loved the show will, on October 1, have a chance to relive the magic again and again, and those of you who didn’t love the show will have a chance to pull your head out of your butt. (Sort of joking. Mostly serious).

Give it a chance guys. You will not be sorry.

–Whitney

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Fangirly Exposed: I Am a Binge-Watching Harlot and Addict

Posted in Fangirly Exposed! by

how-i-met-your-motherOn the 5th of July, I found myself faced with an entire day devoid of work, errands, and pressing social engagements.  Sure, my apartment could have used a good cleaning and a stop by the gym was in order, but I instead chose (wisely, in my opinion) to stay in my pajamas and marathon a TV show.  Seeing as how I am a glutton for not having a life, I chose a show that has long been recommended to me during the course of its run.  What followed was 8 days of watching 8 seasons of How I Met Your Mother, which after doing the math comes to 67 1/2 hours of television.   However, it is not nearly three complete days of watching TV that is shameful.  No, the shame comes from the fact that I don’t regret it at all.

My behavior while binging leaves me cringing (see what I did there?).  When I watch a show, I become literally addicted to that show and no, my use of “literally” is not hyperbole.   I read about the show online, I watch cast interviews, I shamefully read terrible fanfiction, I laugh at bloopers, I re-watch my favorite episodes, and I sound like a crazy person discussing all of these weird obsessive tendencies in a blog post. Netflix has basically become my dealer, feeding my unhealthy TV watching habits and the new autoplay feature is like having the needle in my arm, constantly feeding me my next fix.

Why can’t I be a normal person and spread this behavior out over an extended period of time?  Oh, yeah, because I am kind of a slut.  I’ll hop into bed with just about anything.  Comedy, drama, sci-fi, paranormal, anything!  The networks should just refer to me as the village bicycle, ’cause mama makes the rounds.  My passion for a show is fleeting and my binge-watching habits are the equivalent of a one-night stand, because I use ’em and abuse ’em.

Right now, sure, I am pretty obsessed with How I Met Your Mother, but next week I’ll probably be blogging about my intense obsession with something like Pretty Little Liars or Merlin.  Stay tuned because it is bound to happen, but you can bet it will be legen-, wait for it, dary!

– Ellen

The Reviews Are In: Another Take on Arrested Development Season 4

Posted in Sweet Streams, TV by

arrested-developement1Yesterday, Whitney gave her review on Arrested Development‘s 4th season. While I will always respect her opinions, no matter how wrong they may sometimes be, I felt like I needed to step in and give my opinions, as well.  Not in contradiction to her thoughts, but in addition.

I feel that it is impossible to not be somewhat disappointed by things you are excited about, especially when it comes to TV and movies.  AD was facing a huge obstacle with this girl considering that I have been waiting with bated breath for this moment for 7 years.  At first, it was just a dream, a silly fangirl’s whimsy, but when it was announced that a fourth season was actually going to happen I was more excited than Lindsay with diamond cream.  Every production photo made scream like Tobias at a fire… sale and the trailer made me weep like Gob (“Taste the happy, Michael”).

When I watched the first few episodes, I will admit to being slightly disappointed.  I missed having all of my Bluths together eating Skip’s Scrambles, doing chicken dances, or asking Michael for money.  The jumping timelines were also confusing and I was having difficulty figuring when everything was supposed to be taking place.

However, around episode 5, when Tobias was getting ANUSTART, I realized Hurwitz and Co. were using this fourth season to build on what always made me love AD so much: this show makes you work for the best laughs.  I have always loved that I could go back and watch the past seasons over and over and still find new jokes or small nuggets of information that I had previously missed.  It seems that with this new season, they are really catering to that quality of the show.  They are trusting that we, the stalwart fans who were smart enough to realize the brilliance of this show, are smart enough to connect the story line dots.  After a few episodes I was doing just that and being reminded anew of that brilliance, born again to much more daunting levels with this fourth season.   I was loving the reveals of everyone’s part in each other’s stories, I was noticing the recurring bits (tipping African-Americans, sexual predators, etc.), and I was getting more and more excited to re-watch all of it to catch all the things I am sure to have missed.  The only question now is:  How soon is too soon to do just that?

What did you think, “bluepies”?  Have you been disappointed?  How far have you gotten through the fourth season?  Who has your favorite plotline?  (I loved Gob, Buster, and Tobias).

– Ellen

Web Bytes: Clip from New Arrested Development

Posted in Sweet Streams, TV, Web Bytes by

o-ARRESTED-DEVELOPMENT-PREMIERE-DATE-570I think I just blue myself.  You can look forward to a forthcoming ode to Arrested Development on this blog, but I am trying to rein in my excitement and not write a million posts (instead I just post a million Facebook statuses about it).  Nothing has ever been more difficult.

To whet your appetite until my more lengthy soliloquy, check out the exclusive clip that Entertainment Weekly posted today and try and get as excited as me.  I dare you.  Unless you’re a chicken.  Coo-coo-ka-cha.

Nothing made me more happy than the “all new episodes” at the end.

– Ellen

Fangirly Exposed: Teen Wolf

Posted in Fangirly Exposed!, Sweet Streams, TV by

teen-wolf-mtvIn preparation for the forthcoming Arrested Development season (!!), I set the necessary goal of re-watching the first three seasons.  Upon finishing all of the episodes in an embarrassingly short span of time, I browsed Netflix looking for something else to put on. I am going to blame boredom for making me start watching Teen Wolf, but I have only myself to blame for watching the first two seasons in the span of two days.   Yep, that happened.  Not that me watching a lot of TV should come as shock anymore.

The “embarrassing” factor comes into play when I tell you that Teen Wolf isn’t that good.  But like most entertainment that isn’t very good, it’s a pretty fun ride and it isn’t all bad.    I would find myself guffawing at a  poorly delivered line and then a second later I would get wrapped up in a genuinely sweet moment or hit play on the next episode because I had to know what happened next.

Dylan-OBrien-teen-wolfAlso, let’s not beat around the bush, the boys on this show are adorable.  I use the words “boys” and “adorable” because they are all younger than me and I feel the need to tread lightly.  WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!  I suppose when I left that key 18-24 demographic.  But really, Stiles (played ever so endearingly by Dylan O’Brien) is the best part of the show and “awwed” every time he and his little puppy face came on screen.

If teen supernatural shows are in your wheelhouse (I’m looking at you, TVD fans), then I think that you would get hooked, too.  Check it out!  Seriously. It’s a good time.

–Ellen

Anglophiles Anonymous: Being Human

Posted in Anglophiles Anonymous, Sweet Streams, TV by

These days, there’s nothing I find more annoying than sexually driven supernatural TV shows (I’m looking at you, True Blood). They are everywhere, and although I remain an avid fan of The Vampire Diaries, I was starting to find the vampire/witch/ghost/werewolf monster-mash melodrama a bit tedious. Then I discovered that there are some shows that are so witty, so well written, and so awesome that they can transcend their spooky, sordid roots. Enter Being Human.

Ok, yes, it’s a show about vampire Mitchell (Aidan Turner), ghost Annie (Lenora Crichlow), and werewolf George (Russell Tovey) cohabitating and trying to navigate their respective supernatural situations. And if that were all there was to it, I would have stopped watching a long time ago. But this British import is also hilarious, sweet, and surprisingly poignant. The best example of this is probably George, who lost his job, his girlfriend, and his family after getting mauled by a werewolf while on a Scottish vacation. Here’s a clip of George going bananas.

This show has experienced quite a shake up since last season, including the arrival of three new lead characters, but I think season 5 is going to rule nonetheless. The first three seasons are available to stream on Netflix, something to keep in mind the next time you get a hankering for quality British TV. Which, of course, is always.

-Whitney

Get with the Program: Bob’s Burgers

Posted in Get with the Program, Sweet Streams, TV by

Airs: Sundays at 8:30/7:30c starting September 30th on FOX (Also available on Netflix Instant)

TV show equation:  Bob’s Burgers   =   same slighty off-kilter with a smattering sweet  comedy as Parks and Recreation   +   obvious connection to The Simpsons  in that it is also an animated show about a family of 5   x   voice talent and music stylings of Flight of the Conchords   –   New Zealand   x   Coney Island-esque setting

Premise in a Sentence:  A struggling burger restauranteur finds it difficult to manage his employees, who happen to also be his children.

Oh Bob’s Burgers,  how can I say in a mere blog post what it’s taken me two seasons to understand?  You’ve got it, mister.  I’m yours, all of me.

I had to borrow that line from a family classic because I’m having a hard time figuring out how to appropriately gush and educate at the same time.  So, what I think I am going to do is run through the Belcher clan:

1.  Bob – One of Bob’s most refreshing elements is that instead of having a crazy, bumbling dad amidst a more straight family, Bob gets to play the straight man in this brood punctuated by H. Jon Benjamin’s dry delivery.  (Don’t ask me why, but I find his voice really sexy.  Don’t look at me like that!)  Sure, he has his moments of crazy, but his best moments come when he has no choice but to laugh at how ridiculous his kids can be.

2. Linda – I can’t rave about John Roberts’ performance here enough.  With Linda, he and the writers have created this perfect mom character that is equal parts fun-loving, kooky, nagging, and invested in her family.  I swear to you, the way her/his lines are delivered will have you quoting them non-stop.  At least that’s what I have been doing.

3. Tina – Probably my favorite character.  Why?  Hmm, maybe because she writes erotic friend fiction.  Or maybe because she is mainly concerned with the location of her crush, Jimmy Jr.’s butt.  Or maybe because her budding sexuality is getting all mixed up with her nightmares, causing her to fantasize about slow dancing zombies.  You be the judge.

4. Gene – He finds music everywhere he goes, whether it be in the walls of an abandoned taffy factory, in his own farts, or in the noises his grandparents make while getting intimate in the room next door.  Also, being the middle child he is typically trying to get attention in the worst ways at the worst times.

5. Louise – Don’t let the pink bunny ears fool you, Louise is an evil genius.  Whether she is convincing an entire town that their burgers are made of human flesh, coaching Tina in kissing by making her tie a banana peel with her tongue (“A kiss is like a fight with mouths”), or trying to get out of PE by lying about doing synchronized swimming.

Please, just trust me when I tell you that if you laugh even once during the video below, then you should be watching this show.  And if you don’t then there is something wrong with you.  Alright!

– Ellen

 

Get with the Program: Parenthood

Posted in Get with the Program, TV by

Do you remember where you were when you learned Gilmore Girls hadn’t been picked up for an eighth season? I sure do. I was washing my hands in the girls’ bathroom at my high school, when I overheard two other girls talking about the cancellation as if it wasn’t the end of civilization as we knew it. Can you imagine getting that kind of news second hand? I mean, the least the CW could do would be to send me a handwritten condolence letter! But I digress. My point is, I really thought that my seven year long love affair with Lauren Graham was finally coming to an end. Even after I heard that she had been cast in a new NBC show, I was sure it could never be as hilarious and sweet and smart as my beloved GG. Luckily, I gave Parenthood a chance anyway.
Yes, my fellow cinephiles, I was served a big heaping plate of my own words. I started watching NBC’s family drama, also staring Dax Shepard and Peter Krause, with every intention of hating it. That steely resolve lasted about 30 minutes into the pilot. Thus my love of Parenthood was born.
There are so many reasons to love this show, Peter Krause being one of the biggest. I will admit to being totally bananas for his character Adam Braverman, the well-intentioned family man who has to deal with everything from unemployment to his son’s recent Aspergers diagnosis.
And even though all the characters are dealing with tough real-life situations, the show still manages to be funny and light hearted. I’ll be real with you, it’s no Gilmore Girls. What show ever could be? It is, however, one of the best family dramas on TV right now. But don’t take my word for it. The fourth season began earlier this month, but you can still catch up on the first three seasons on Netflix streaming. I give you my word as a fangirl that you will love it. Long live the Bravermans!

-Whitney

Fangirly Exposed! : Bad Slasher Movies

Posted in Fangirly Exposed!, Movies by

We’ve all got cinematic skeletons in our closet. You know, the movies and TV shows that you desperately hope your friends and family don’t come across in the Recently Watched section of your Netflix account. My dirty little secret just happens to be… slasher movies.

I’m not even talking about the socially acceptable flicks that fall under this category, like the Scream movies, or Nightmare on Elm Street, or even Halloween and its many sequels. I’m talking about the nasty, gory, plot-less, mindless trash that your weird 30-year-old-cousin-who-still-listens-to-Creed wouldn’t watch. I recently stumbled across a revolting little gem called Shadow, in which four strangers are tortured by an inexplicably shirtless sadist in the middle of the Albanian wilderness. I watched all of that garbage. Twice.

Part of the reason I continue to feed my sick addiction is that, if you sift through the refuse long enough, you will stumble across a few that are surprisingly good. Not Oscar fodder or anything, but better than you would expect. My personal favorite is Behind the Mask: the Rise of Leslie Vernon. It’s pretty meta, so if that’s not your flavor then you might want to take a pass, but if you like self-referential horror movies then this one is totally worth your time.

There! I said it. I gotta admit, it feels good to come clean. Now excuse me, I gotta go watch some co-eds get sliced open by a psycho. A gore junkie’s work is never done.

-Whitney

Anglophiles Anonymous: Spaced

Posted in Anglophiles Anonymous, Sweet Streams, TV by

For our inaugural post, we decided we needed to write about something very dear to us.  Something that is an essential for fangirls and fanboys, for that matter.  It is for this reason that I am going to try and convince you to watch Spaced (available on Netflix Instant).

Spaced is written by and starring Simon Pegg (Mission Impossible: Ghost Prots, Shaun of the Dead) and Jessica Hynes née Stevenson (Son of Rambow) and directed by Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead).  Now, in my opinion, all of that should be enough to convince you, but I’ll keep going.

The show centers on Tim (Pegg) and Daisy (Stevenson), two aspiring artists, comic book and writer, respectively, who lie about being a couple to get an apartment.  The initial premise becomes less important as we follow them and their friends on their crazy exploits.  The “crazy” comes less from what they are doing and more from what happens when this group does them, as is evident in the following clip where Tim and his friend Mike (the awesome Nick Frost) explain “male telepathy” and what happens when Tim and Daisy are set upon by a group of ruffians:

The best thing I can equate Spaced to for us American audiences is Community (six seasons and a movie!).  Both shows aren’t afraid of genre-bending here and there, they both find time to focus on the relationships amidst the chaos, and both are aware that we as a society use our shared experiences of movies, TV shows, etc. to communicate.  Take, for example, this clip from the premiere of series 2 that aired the summer after Star Wars: The Phantom Menace came out:

When I sat down to write this post, I was struggling to find a way to sway you readers into watching.  The reality that I had to face is that not everyone is going to love Spaced as much as I do.  Should they?  Yes. But can I make them?  No.  It’s a quirky little show that makes obscure references.  But it is for these reasons that I love it.  There is a moment near the end of the series that references the obscurest of my favorite movies.  I’m talking about Bugsy Malone.  This movie is so far off people’s radars that when I meet someone who has seen it, we become instant friends.  That’s how I know Spaced and I have formed an unbreakable bond and I think that if you watch, you too can find your Bugsy Malone reference.  .

– by Ellen