Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The United Stats of America


There is a certain type of glee you feel when someone you are familiar with gets a break. Being a fan of the Sklar Brothers, I was very excited to hear that they would be hosting a show on the History Channel. The United Stats of America saw their first hosting gig on television since CheapSeats ended in 2006. Spanning six episodes, United Stats features breakdowns of topics ranging from how we die to how much money we make to how advances in transportation have affected the distribution of population across the country. It was produced by the same company that made the excellent This American Life.

Overall, I enjoyed the show, but it was not without its problems. A couple of episodes, particularly the first, skimp on the stats. As a result, they are heavy on the antics. While I enjoy most of the brothers’ mannerisms and interactions, a few of the jokes in the stat-lite episodes are real groaners. That glee I felt over them getting work turned to the same feeling you get when you see a friend in a play that isn’t that great.

The strongest episodes were those that focused on cramming a huge amount of information into the hour. The twins seem to really find their comedic footing most effectively when they have narrow slices of joke time and must make up for it by lining the episode with their trademark style of witty, rapid banter. I especially enjoyed the episode about why Americans used to be the tallest country on Earth, but have since lagged behind the Netherlands.

It’s a shame that the show probably will not be renewed, based on the Sklars’ comments about their ratings. It’s practically the only show on History that is not a reality program concerning people of varying levels of hillbilly-ness. That or the fear-mongering tripe they produce on the apocalypse. Remember the good old days, when you could make fun of the History Channel for focusing too much on Hitler, a real person? Nowadays, a viewer must put up with this:


I cannot say that every other show History airs sucks. I have a(n intelligent) friend that insists some of it is quite entertaining. But the truth is, United Stats got me watching History again after a long absence. No other current show of theirs interests me enough to even tune in out of curiosity (the last time that happened was maybe a year ago when I decided to check out Swamp People).

About That Thing I Said...

There is no way I can review most things I experience. I think I'm going to aim for one post every other day, instead. (The alternative would be many short posts on a daily basis, but that does not seem conducive to my goal of improving my writing.)

Saturday, July 28, 2012

The Descendants (2011)


Make no mistake, this film takes its time, but the pace is a strength rather than a weakness. It is understated and cathartic. I did have some issues with the way the plot seemed to stall a bit at the end.

The performances of the actors form the real core. George Clooney is, as always, likable and could easily carry the movie by himself. However the most impressive performance comes from Shailene Woodley. According to my sister, this is amazing as she stars in the melodramatic The Secret Life of the American Teenager, which has brought us such lines as "Now we're in trouble, we're gonna be suspended, all because of oral sex gone bad!" Based on her acting in The Descendants, she has some real talent, so it is comforting to think that she will have more opportunities to develop her craft as a result of the film’s success. I suspect she is overjoyed to be freed from the ghetto of ABC Family. I certainly would be. She might continue her work on Secret Life, but a whole world of possibilities has opened up for her.

The Descendants won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. It was kind of cool to see Dean Pelton accept an Oscar.

This review is kind of lame. I'm aware of that. If I thought my writing was great, I would not need to write this blog. The important thing is that I'm writing something--I'm not the most disciplined writer.

4/5 stars

The Goal

My goal is to write a review of everything most things that I read, watch, listen to, or try for the first time. The idea is to improve my writing and build a body of work.

On Naming


Why the lame, barely serviceable pun as a blog title? Because everything else I could think of was taken. Brandon Reviews, for example, already exists. And I don't think we share the same taste in movies.