Netflix

A Rave Review of Master of None

/ Katie Man / 1 Comment

Master-of-None-Poster

You’ve done it again, Netflix! Thanks for another great comedy. I’ll add Master of None to one of my favourite comedies of the year (a list which includes Orange is the New Black, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, three other Netflix originals.) Someone high up in the comedy department at Netflix is hiring the right people then giving them the freedom to dream up and create auteur works of TV. In this instance, Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang have created a moody but funny 10 episode comedy: Master of None.  Continue reading →

Females are strong as hell: early thoughts on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

/ Katie Man / Leave a comment
unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt

Ellie Kemper as Kimmy Schmidt

6 of 13 episodes watched for review

In scene one, episode one of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Kimmy Schmidt is rescued from an underground bunker. For 15 years, Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne brainwashed Kimmy and four other women into believing the world above ground had been destroyed on judgment day. When Kimmy emerges from the bunker, she is ecstatic. “It’s all still here!”

Ellie Kemper, as Kimmy Schmidt, radiates happiness. She hops and skips, pulls faces, and gobbles candy, and when she’s down she trudges and drags her body through whatever situation she’s in. Kemper is an excellent physical comedian and gracefully enacts not just Kimmy’s exuberant joy, but her deep-rooted anger. Kimmy’s escape from the bunker is where the plot begins, but Kimmy’s escape from her personal trauma is the driving force, and the root of the comedy in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.  Continue reading →

BritFlix: British Television on Netflix to Accompany Your Tea and Crumpets

/ goldenageguest / 2 Comments

by Rob Ross

I love British television. Being weened as a child on Faulty Towers and Are You Being Served? has left me predisposed to favour the humour of our once imperial overlords. Nowadays, itʼs not so much the antics of John Cleese that have me returning to the annals of BBC as it is the distinctly un-North American approach to violence and sexuality (aka: less of the former, more of the latter). Lucky for us in Canuckia, Netflix is a trove of British programs and mini-series. While Peep Show and Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace arenʼt available (to my fist-shaking chagrin), there is still good many shows from which to choose. Let the secret Union Jacks of your hearts merrily flap in the flatulent winds of this beans-for-breakfast culture.

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Stuff to watch on Netflix this summer

/ Katie Man / Leave a comment

Hot hot daySometimes it’s too darn hot to do stuff outside. On those occasions, there’s Netflix. Here are five of my recommendations if you find yourself ready and willing to plow through a season or two of TV this summer. All of these shows are available on Netflix Canada.

Justified

1. Justified
Availability: seasons 1 & 2 of 4
Type of show: Drama
Mood you should be in: Cheering for the good guy

Justified is a story about Federal Marshall Raylan Givens (played by Timothy Olyphant) and all the crooks and baddies that he has to chase and put away. It’s a fun, fast paced show with interesting characters, complex relationships and a lot (A LOT) of shooting. It is such fun summer watching because the plot is complicated enough to be interesting and light enough to not get to worked up about it. How does Raylan shoot so many people and get away with it? It’s all part of the fun of the show.

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Man Gobsmacked by GOB’s man

/ Katie Man / 2 Comments

This was originally going to be a blog entry declaring that the best episodes of Season 4 of Arrested Development were the ones that featured GOB Bluth, namely “Colony Collapse” and “A New Attitude.” While I still feel that these episodes are great and hilarious (and plan to tell you why I liked these episodes so much), I don’t feel confident in declaring them the best episodes of the season. Here’s why: upon re-watching these two episodes in preparation for writing this entry, I realized that I hadn’t really seen the season. Yes, I watched it (in a week-long binge) but I didn’t really remember which episodes were good and bad. In my memory, the whole season was all a long string of jokes and repetition, leaving me with the impression that the season wasn’t so great. I frequently smiled, but I didn’t laugh out loud. It was a slog. Or a bog. Or something else that kinda makes a pun with “GOB” as a I was trying to think of a witty title for this article. (ie. “GOB a jewel in the bog”)

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Email Roundtable #17 – Smorgasbord

/ kwoloszyn / 1 Comment

This week I thought we’d attempt to discuss three questions that have been on my mind recently.

1.) What are your thoughts on the way Netflix rolled out the first 13 episodes of House of Cards, releasing them all at the same time? Do you think things like this will become the norm? 

netflix

Jane: I remember when first hearing about House of Cards, I thought the idea was kind of strange. I guess it makes sense though. Television seems so immediately available now, be it through streaming, PVR or downloading.

Katie: It’s what the people want, right? Getting a new show all at once must be like the first time Charles Dickens published a book all at one time. “Awesome! I don’t have to wait!!!!”

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