Thursday 15 December 2011

A very festive lead up to Christmas...

My blog is later than planned AGAIN this week, so I'm officially giving up on this whole "get it done by Tuesday" thing and it's gonna be pretty randomly timed. I have, however, managed to get in two very festive cinema trips: first "A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas" and second "New Year's Eve" (shh, I know, I know).

I have recently watched both "Harold and Kumar" 1 & 2 in preparation for this film and because I've been promising to watch it for aaages now. You gotta love the guys, especially young emo Harold in 2!! Obviously if you don't enjoy stoner comedies like "Dude Where's My Car?" then don't bother - though I think this is a level above "Dude Where's My Car", but you've gotta be prepared for a lot of drugs, a lot of naked women and a lot of immature jokes. They're sweet, endearing characters though, which I think sets this a bit above many other such films. Plus, NEIL PATRICK HARRIS cameos in all 3 and is hi-la-ri-ous! My favourite scene in 2 is where he brands a hooker :P

"A Very H & K 3D Christmas" is possibly my favourite so far, partly due to NPH's awesome appearance and the very funny take on his coming out. It's sweet, it's bright, it makes a lot out of its 3D-ness and it's kinda festive, despite the baby on coke.

I must admit I did enjoy "New Year's Eve", as I enjoyed "Valentine's Day" and "He's Just Not That Into You", because I fall for the ensemble casts and the different interlinked stories. It's no better than "VD" really (the film, not the other thing ahem...) and neither has matched the cinematic experience of "HJNTIY" which I REALLY enjoyed for a chick flick, but again, it's sweet, it's festive and it's easy to watch. ONLY WATCH IT if you like this kind of thing, it is drivel, but it does what it says on the label.

For my top 5 this week I guess I should do something like top 5 Christmas films, but lets be honest, apart from "the Grinch" and "Elf", are there that many great ones? (OMG, I do love "Elf" though). No, this week I have decided to go for something a little different to my usual "Top 5 films which..." category, I'm going for my Top 5 TV Shows, just because I can!

1. Dragonball Z

In the case of this list my number 1 is DEFINITELY my number 1! This has been my favourite programme since I was 8 or something and it hasn't changed just because it's a kid's show. It's got the fun characters, the cool drawings, the awesome battle scenes, the lol moments, the romance, it's got it all! Yes, I'll concede that some scenes are drawn out too long, but it's one of the best stories ever and Goku and Vegeta will remain two of the coolest guys to ever hit our TV screens. When it changed channels and I could no longer watch it it was a blow to my childhood and when I bought the entire box set many years later I spent one summer watching about 5 or 6 hours a day to catch up to the end. Totally worth it! This has a very special place in my heart and it always will.

2. Arrested Development

Many people presume I'm exaggerating when I say this is the funniest, best-written comedy that I've ever seen but it just is. The cast is genius and mostly relatively obscure when it was made so go casting directors! The in-jokes are amazing, the timing is perfect and it's sooooo quotable. There are few lines that aren't perfectly thought out and brilliantly funny. All hail GOB and Franklin, the best comedy duo ever!

3. Battlestar Galactica

I literally watched ALL of this last summer. It's so good. It took years of recommendations for me to get round to it and now I recommend it to anyone I can. If you like sci-fi you'll love it, if you don't you'll still love it! The first two series are so gripping! It's so action packed and it has so many brilliant characters, for a TV show the special effects are amazing, and Jamie Bamber is the love of my life (OK, slight exaggeration). Really, if it were a book I'd say you won't be able to put it down. It's moving and it's exciting and everything a TV series should be. God knows why "the Wire" is supposed to be the best thing ever, why not this?

4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Who didn't love this? Who can deny the genius of Joss Whedon (see also "Dollhouse" and "Firefly")? I spent much of my childhood settling down to this and "Angel" on a Saturday night. The stories are so good, you learn to love the characters, it can be scary and funny and it's just a complete classic. This is what all new vampire/monster shows and films wish they were but can never be. It;s the original and still the best.

This last one is really difficult. There are so many shows I love but I want to get a good range... Because I have to pick 1 I'll go for...

5. Parks and Recreation

This is so good! I love my Friday tv schedule with new "Office", "Modern Family", and "Parks and Rec". Originally set to be a spin-off of the Office US, this has, at its best moments, reached the genius of the Office and just because at the moment I think this is better I have picked this one. If you want an example of why to watch it, youtube anything Ron Swanson has ever said about meat. I love all the characters and I think Amy Poehler is one of the sweetest things ever. The fact that she's married to Will Arnett (GOB Bluth) makes her perfect. I always wonder why "Saturday Night Live", which is filled with such actors and has the Lonely Island trio, just doesn't make me laugh at all? I don't get American comedians but I get there TV fiction.

Film news: Brace yourselves people, a travesty is about to be unleashed on all cinema viewers everywhere, James Cameron - who is definitely on my list of most over-rated people EVER - is re-releasing "Titanic"!! "Why?" you ask. I have NO IDEA! Was it good the first time round? No! Is it too long? Boring? A silly story? Has it taken Leo 10 years and many great performances to make this up to me? Yes to all of these! I don't care if it's the 2nd best grossing film ever or whatever, I refuse to accept it's good and I know in my heart that I'm right.

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