As Law checks out a Jim Gaffigan show and gorges himself on bear claws, Moreno, Ammon and MovieFreak (Jack Ffffffalvvvey) hold the fort down with plenty of booze and reviews up the ol wazoo. Nobody says wazoo.
We start things off with some Super Bowl talk, then head into Google Voice where the game is to now point out where Google translates “babadick”. TM clears the air about his voicemail from last week, and PeteMC sends in an Ammon sounder.
Ammon and Moreno review the latest Americans episode, there’s some brief Banshee talk (seriously, the latest episode tho) and Jackie Boy plows through Parks and Recreation, calling it one of the best sitcoms of all time. Ammon decides that he’s sticking with The Walking Dead, while Moreno and Jackie Boy laugh and fart at him.
Before What Did You Watch This Week, we talk aboutTHIS ARTICLE in which Jar Jar Martin’s original outline for A Song of Ice and Fire is detailed.
We wrap up the show by reviewing a shit fuck ton shit of movies including Calvary, Selma, The Imitation Game, Into The Storm, Boyhood, Fury, Tammy, Into the Storm, 2001: Space Odyssey and the documentary 21 Years: Richard Linklater.
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!
