Welcome back to Monday Morning Moreno. This week I somehow managed to wrangle Kupka and MovieFreak to the BingeCast studios to discuss the third season of House of Cards and the Parks and Recreation season finale. How did I manage this? By fucking asking, that’s how.
Our discussion on House of Cards is completely spoiler filled, so just be wary of that before going in. Really liked House of Cards this season, but how much further can they push this story? We theorize where the show could be going and how long we want the show to last. If they go past season 4, I think they’re spreading themselves too thin.
Parks and Recreation will end up being in my top 10 shows of all time. I can’t think of another sitcom (that I’ve seen) that was as consistent as Parks and Rec in the characters, jokes, and story. I’m gonna miss Pawnee.
Afterwards, we talk about HBO shows that have been canceled too early, and how Showtime can’t seem to figure out when to end a goddamn show. No, sure, we want every show to be 7 goddamn seasons. Thanks Showtime.
It’s rare that a sitcom is as consistent and polished as Parks and Recreation was. For most of the show’s runtime, with the only real exception being the first season and the beginning of the second one, Parks and Rec created a diverse cast of fantastic, relatable characters who were not only individually funny but played incredibly well off of one another. While on the surface level Parks and Rec absolutely began as an Office clone, it’s pretty clear that the showrunners here took that ball and ran with it as, to me anyways, Parks and Rec is far superior. The fact that they delivered a high-quality, satisfying finale comes as no surprise. I’ll definitely miss the show but I can absolutely see this cast getting together in the future on another project, maybe even a clever sequel/spinoff. You know the era of television is officially in its golden age when a side-character on a sitcom like this gets to star in a tentpole superhero film, and absolutely kill it. Sad to see it go but happy it ended well, for those of you that have yet to watch it you’re in for a real treat.
SPOILERS THROUGHOUT
As I write this, it has officially been 15 minutes since the finale of season 3 for House of Cards ended, and I have to say it was without question the most underwhelming. Where the intrigue and mystery of Frank Underwood was front and center throughout the first two seasons, it’s clear that the writers peaked and don’t have a solid focus on what the audience watches this show for. While there is very minimal political intrigue in this one, and probably the most brutal off-screen death I’ve seen in a television show, the fact remains that House of Cards probably should have ended at season 2. The character arc was just too perfect to try and take it anywhere else, and despite the craving of seeing what Frank Underwood would be like as POTUS, it turns out that makes him pretty underwhelming and unsatisfying. I straight up HATED the focus on Frank and Claire’s relationship for the season and felt like most of the time spent here was filler. There is a certain macabre fascination with this series that keeps me coming back for more me that sort of got thrown out the window somewhere around midseason. I will be back for next season, but I have to admit that this season, overall, was just average.
I know I sounded a bit negative about House of Cards but maybe that’s just because I have become engrossed with my new toy, a shiny new PS4. I know what you’re thinking, “Jack, why didn’t you get XBOX ONE?”. I thought about both systems for about three months, not knowing which direction to go in but I came to the logical conclusion: it doesn’t fucking matter. That’s right. Console loyalty is for the weak. Exclusives are a factor but not a major one. You know how I decided? When I was at the store the other day my PS4 was the better deal overall, and after months of delaying my decision and trying to reason with myself that one is the clear better choice I dove into the PS4. Do I regret it? No. HELL no, in fact. My main priority was that I needed a console to play the new Batman game on come this summer and I have succeeded. I am amazed by the voice commands for the system, and the new sharing apps that allow you to broadcast your gameplay to others around the world. I’ve even upgraded the internal memory to a solid 2TB, making for plenty of space in the machine itself. I grabbed Dragon Age Inquisition, which I’m working my way through now (loving every minute) and my system was bundled with The Last Of Us, which I will dive into next. My gamertag on there is moviefreak4702, so friend me and let’s game on!
That’s all ladies and germs. A slow movie week as finals are rolling in but I plan on catching up for it by this time next week. Have a good week and, as always, Binge On!
I Know That Voice, Rob Lowe, Gone Girl & The Mo’ F****n’ Pats
I’m no huge animation fife but I still dug the hell out of the Moreno-recommended I Know That Voice, a documentary, produced by the multi-lingual John DiMaggio (voice of Bender on Futurama, among others) centered around the world of voice actors. I loved how the flick went into how voice acting really is a performance, and in some cases a more complete one than what actors in a movie can offer. You see, it seems obvious in retrospect, but most people don’t consider the fact that voice actors need to convey a lot more emotion in their voice and inflection than normal actors due because of their physical restrictions. When you play Gears of War, you don’t take into account the fact that behind the graphics is a voice actor working hard to properly emote and convey emotions and ideas without a visual aid, and it’s that level of borderline-exhaustive explanation that make this one of the better documentaries I’ve seen in a while. You get to see and hear from voices like Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy, as well as veterans like Jim Cummings and Rob Paulsen. 9 on 10 without question, if only because of how genuinely entertaining it is to see the real people behind these famous voices.
I’m on Season 5 of Parks and Rec and I have to admit without hesitation that this show thoroughly dwarfs The Office in terms of quality. To me, The Office was a lot of fun through the first four seasons, and then it slowly died over the rest of the series. It almost seems as if the creators looked at what worked with The Office, perfected it, cut off the dead weight and overly empty emotional crap and made an overall better show with Parks and Rec. I think Rob Lowe is probably my favorite character on the show, and that’s high praise in a cast like this. His infectious positivity coupled with his dark and depressing asides to the camera is brilliantly hilarious. I would even say this show, moreso than The West Wing, has revitalized Lowe in a way not dissimilar to something that Tarantino does with his actors. So glad I stuck with this as it is quickly becoming a favorite comedy.
Yes, of course I saw Gone Girl this weekend. I know this flick is getting a solid push from the hype train, but, honestly, it just didn’t hit me the right way. I love Fincher, I loved the book and I thought the entire cast was great, the soundtrack was effective and the whole film was really well put together. However, there was something that didn’t translate well enough for me with the film. I don’t know if it comes from the fact that maybe, to me, this story loses it’s luster once you already know what’s going to happen, but I left the theater feeling sort of “meh” about the film. I honestly couldn’t tell you why, as I completely recognize how well-made this film was, especially in comparison to the source novel, but it just didn’t gel for me. 7 on 10. This is a chart from some of the major football analysts this week. I’d like to draw your attention to the Sunday night game featuring the Cincinnati Bengals and my New England Patriots. There’s nothing sweeter than a win, but it feels way better when no one thought your boys would do it. Great job to Belichick and the team for making the proper adjustments and beginning to right the ship, after Monday night’s dismal performance. I felt like this game was such a complete, statement of a win that it’s making the team look a little better than it might actually be, but I’m fine with that. A Pats ‘W’ makes for a good week, and god damn is this week looking pretty fucking fantastic.
That concludes this week’s entry, obviously ending on a high-note and looking forward to a solid week. Stay tuned this week as we’ve got a whole slew of podcasts ready to blast you in your ear holes, check out daily blogs, and of course Binge On!
Borderlands 2, Parks and Rec, The Wire, Patriots Football and
Jim Lawlapalooza Reflections (From the Outside)
Have I mentioned that Steam is, literally, the greatest thing ever done for video games? Well it is, and one of the amazing byproducts of my revitalized love of PC gaming is revisiting games that I initially may have rushed through. Case-in-point: Borderlands 2. I don’t know how, but my first play-through of this game left me wanting a lot more. I think that was probably due to the fact that, because my brothers aren’t into the games I am I was playing solely by myself. What a mistake, as multiplayer Borderlands 2 is like a completely different game. It’s incredible how high the replay value becomes once you have three other people participating in the mayhem. Again, if you’re on steam, hit me up and let’s play.
I’m happy to report I’ve officially jumped on the Parks and Rec bandwagon. I added the Swanson Pyramid of Greatness to this article because it is literally the moment in this show where I finally got it. The comedy here is solid, layered and full of good characters. I’m now on season 3 and the inclusion of Rob Lowe and Adam Scott is really enjoyable, particularly Rob Lowe, whose comedic chops are on full display here. Once again, glad I stuck it out for this one as it’s becoming a staple in the house.
For those of you keeping track at home, I’m rounding out season 2 of The Wire in prep for our upcoming commentaries. I said it on the BingeCast earlier and I’ll say it here again; give season 2 a break. David Simon went in a totally new direction and gave viewers something radically different than anything done on TV before or since, but that’s far from a bad thing. Frank Sobotka is a great character and provides a strong connection to the normal working class in Baltimore, something very important to the overall journey of the series. I’m actually looking forward to the season 2 commentaries more than season 1, call me crazy.
I can’t believe football is finally here. I’m so ready for this season I can’t stand it, and at 1:00pm this Sunday my ass will be planted firmly in front of a gigantic TV, hopefully with a nice brew and some great company. I’m over the moon for my boys’ roster this year, and the (surprise) announcement that Gronk is good to go for game 1. While Gronk seems to be the lynchpin for the offense in the eyes of many analysts, I try to remember that last year, with a core of rookie receivers and a decimated defense, the Pats still made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game. The consistency of this team is, at this moment, unrivaled across the league, and I’m ecstatic because of that. I’m also glad that Jimmy Garoppolo is getting the backup job this year behind Brady, as I’ve never been too impressed with Ryan Mallett’s production whatsoever. Garoppolo already looks like he understands the mechanics and timing of a football game better than Mallett ever did. I’m not saying the kid is the next Aaron Rodgers, but he looks solid and willing to learn, two traits that made Tommy Touchdown the champ he is today. I’m calling it now, AT LEAST 14-2 this season.
I wanted to take a minute to acknowledge this past weekend’s Jim Lawlapalooza. First of all, thank you gents for the call during the show, it was great to be there in spirit. Second of all, and to all my fellow BingeFans/Staff, how fucking FUN did that look/sound? I’m there next year, by hook or by crook, no doubt. Here’s hoping the boys come out to New York so we can go get drunk outside the New York Public Library and quote Ghostbusters lines. Check back later this week for our daily blogs and a new Strain commentary (which kicked major ass this week!). Binge on!
As of this writing both of my fantasy drafts this year are in the books. This, being year 2 of my fantasy football life, was a much stronger draft than last year. For instance, I took my boy Tom Brady in the first round last year. Yep, I know. As such, I had a format this year, stuck to it and was rewarded because of it. I lucked out and got first pick of the draft, had to take my boy LeSean. He was my go-to horse last year and the fact that I lucked out and grabbed him in both of my teams this year is fantastic. I am flirting with the idea of dropping Brandon LaFell and picking up Josh Gordon, just in case that suspension gets lifted at some point, but we’ll have to see what happens. Fellow Bingers, whaddayathink (looking at you, Norris)?
So this fantastic thing is happening where I want a few years for a show to blossom, then pick it up once it’s hit its stride and fall in love with it. Such is the case with Parks and Rec. I was a big fan of The Office when it was airing, up until about Season 5 where things really dipped off. I tuned in for Michael Scott’s last episode and then came back again for the series finale, but felt ultimately that show just went on too long. Having said that, Parks and Rec just looked like an unoriginal ripoff of a show that was a remake of another show.
I’m glad to say that while this show is most definitely trying to capitalize on that format it does have its own identity and style. In fact, I would say that if one were to stop watching The Office around Season 5 and then pick up Parks and Rec, you’d have a better time than hanging around to the end of The Office. Ron Swanson is a solid Dwight Schrute stand-in with some fantastic comedic timing, Aziz Ansari is perfect as a doucebag and any time Louis CK shows up in anything, no matter how terrible, it gets some respect. I’m almost finished with Season 2 and will continue watching in between episodes of another show I’m currently hooked on…
Yes, if you listened to the Binge Cast this week you know I’ve jumped back into The Wire for viewing #3. How am I feeling about this? Well, The Wire is such a dense story that I often forget how amazing it is. I fully admit I’ve never been able to get through The Sopranos. I think I tapped out somewhere at the start of Season 3 and never went back, a lot of which has to do with the fact that it couldn’t compare to The Wire. Still criminally underrated by comparison, it is really impressive how well the tone and theme of this show holds up today. To see someone tackle the failure of the American dream in such a logical, concise and unforgiving way makes this, in my estimation, the greatest TV drama ever made, even though I still would probably call Breaking Bad my favorite. Without going into details, Season 1, once again, delivered at every turn. I’ve always loved the way the series opens on the story about Snot Boogie with McNulty, and how that story compares to the rest of the season. It’s a great conversation that doesn’t wait to let you in on what’s going on, but rather challenges you as an audience member to pay attention and invest in this story. Moreno and I will have some commentaries for you soon, so keep an ear out for those, as well as our daily blogs and this week’s Strain commentary. Check out the video below for some footage of Kupka when he was younger and, as always, Binge On!
Welcome back to Monday Morning Moreno. This week I somehow managed to wrangle Kupka and MovieFreak to the BingeCast studios to discuss the third season of House of Cards and the Parks and Recreation season finale. How did I manage this? By fucking asking, that’s how.
