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malevolentmuse
Reviews
Family Guy: To Love and Die in Dixie (2001)
Family Guy's best
This is probably my favorite episode of Family Guy. When Chris witnesses a robbery and fingers the crook, the Griffins are placed into the Witness Protection Program and moved to "the DEEP south." Lois spends most of the episode playing straight man to everyone else's jokes and sight gags, but the rest of the family is kept busy. Meg becomes popular for the first time in her life when her classmates (who get regularly outwitted in school by a pig) are fascinated by the fact she's lived in the city where people watch "movin' pitchers" and use deodorant. Chris makes a friend in local kid Sam, (whose father runs a revisionist Civil War reenactment group), but isn't all he appears to be. Stewie becomes obsessed with being a banjo player (he even sings the now-classic Family Guy song "My Fat Baby Loves to Eat" while pickin' an' graining'). Peter, who fulfills a dream of acting like one of The Dukes of Hazard and yet is STILL one of the smarter people in town, spends much of the first half being attacked by a raccoon before eventually becoming sheriff simply by agreeing to sit, eat pie and drink moonshine all day with borderline alcoholic Brian as his deputy. What makes this episode so funny is while it's easy to take potshots at southern "Salt of the Earth" types, these jokes don't fall into the usual clichéd traps. They find entirely new clichés to create on their own. One of my favorite parts is the tale of Sam's grandfather who drowns face down in a shallow lake after he jumps in to save himself when he thinks he's drowning after seeing his reflection in the water (Chris, fitting in more than he should want to, admits that's why Lois makes him take showers).
Lonesome Dove (1989)
One of Television's Truly Great Achievements
A masterpiece of storytelling and film-making, Lonesome Dove took the television miniseries to new heights usually reserved for sprawling, Oscar-winning epics. Watching any of this epic's four installments makes it clear why it received a staggering 20 Emmy nominations, winning seven although it was ultimately robbed for Outstanding Miniseries by the excellent, but inferior War and Remembrance. Robert Duval's incredible performance ranks among one of the greatest ever recorded for the big or small screen (who was also robbed for an Emmy, losing to James Woods' performance in My Name Is Bill W.). Lonesome Dove rightfully takes its place next to Roots and The Civil War as one of greatest achievements in television history.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
Absolutely Brilliant
The brilliance of Borat is lost on so many because so many people are ready and waiting to be offended by something rather than take the time to look a little deeper. Yes, Borat is offensive, disgusting and outrageous, but what it also is is one of the greatest satires to ever be put on film. By creating a totally likable and outrageous character, Cohen allowed people to let their guard down and reveal their own hidden (or not so) prejudices and in doing so disarms it by proving once and for all how how stupid that kind of narrow-minded thinking really is. People ripping the film on behalf of its "victims" are completely oblivious to the fact these are the very type of racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic people the movie is trying to expose, and acts as a reminder these qualities are, even in the 21st century, alive and well, and all around us. Just because we haven't wanted to notice them doesn't mean they're not there and Borat, gross jokes and all, makes us face what we don't want to face: our own prejudices.
The Office: Gay Witch Hunt (2006)
Don't people read anymore?
This was a very interesting episode because it went back to the show's roots of exploring real life situations in an office. This type of thing happens every day in the real world and those who didn't find the episode funny clearly have never worked in an office. If they did, they would get it. If they do and still didn't get it it just means they don't pay attention to what happens in their office.
Now for the Jim's Not in Scranton complaint. What gets me about people who post on IMDb is how none of them seems to have the ability to pick up a newspaper or magazine and read. If they can't find it on the Internet they don't know about it. It was announced over the summer all of this is leading up to a merger of the two branches later in the year. That means Jim and Pam and Michael and Dwight will all be back together shortly and those who whine for Jim's return are illiterate idiots who can't be bothered to read.
Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002)
Hysterically Bad
Most movies intended to be bad are just that, bad. "Kung Pow: Enter the Fist" is so bad it's hysterical. Don't get me wrong, there are some painfully unfunny parts. However, if you go in accepting this and take the movie at face value for what it is you can enjoy it.
The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
Abysmal
When I write reviews I usually prefer to delve into what I liked or didn't like about a film, but I cannot bare to talk about this horrific piece of junk. I found myself looking at my watch every 5 minutes. Warner Bros. stole part of my life (not to mention my money) and I want them both back. The people who claim to like this movie? Either brain-dead or moles for WB trying to make the film look like less of the total bomb that it is. Remember "Bonfire of the Vanities?" That deserved Oscars compared to this.