Tag Archives: the it crowd

Television

It’s been a hell-of-a-year for amazing television, and epic finales. You may have missed some of the highlights, but I’ll do my best to fill you in. Plus, you can probably find all of these shows for free on the internet anyway…shh…

Treme–Set in the New Orleans neighborhood of Treme, this show gives us a look at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina through the eyes of various characters seeking refuge through the arts (mainly music) as they all battle personal demons. The show was created by David Simon (The Wire) and the formula works just as well here. Compared to other HBO and other cable dramas, Treme packs a more subtle punch. Rather than deliver the intensity on a silver platter, Treme lets it all sink in–feel what the characters are feeling–and top it all off with some of the best music you’re likely to hear on television. (Season 1 ended recently, but there’s still plenty of time to catch up before Season 2)

Party Down–Starz? Has anyone ever watched anything on Starz that wasn’t a shitty Rob Schneider movie, or worse: Spartacus: Blood and Sand? Well, here’s a diamond in the diarrhea. Party Down has–for two seasons so far–been consistently one of the funniest and cleverest shows that I’ve seen in awhile. While the writers borrow heavily from other comedic masterpieces like Arrested Development, this show makes it work, and sparks with originality. And most of all, it will create more quotable lines than Superbad–but it won’t be played-the-fuck-out nearly as fast.

True Blood–When the show first aired, I thought it was just a chick thing; some trashy romance with supernatural beefcakes biting, licking, and proving their big balls on the playground. Oh, and I wasn’t wrong…but there’s a lot more to it than that. The atmosphere of the show is brilliant (even if the mythology is stale and childish). I literally had to watch every single episode before I even made up my mind if I liked it or not, and the truth is: I don’t really know. Season 3 has just begun and it’s already giving off a Twilight-for-grown-ups-(but not really, because you’re still watching a gay show about vampires) vibe. I feel gay watching it; you should feel gay watching it. But don’t stop watching it.

The IT Crowd–Here’s one you have to check out. Season 4 just started and it’s just as funny as ever. The IT Crowd was given to us by our friends over in the UK, and yes, it is a fairly broad-based sitcom. If I could compare it to anything over here, I would say The Big Bang Theory, although it is worlds better. The story focuses on (what else?) the 3 people who work in the I.T. department of a major company–2 “Standard Nerds” and a young ginger woman who is hired to head their department and keep them in line. Lots of laughs, lots of smart humor, and Richard Ayoade is a genius.

Hung–This is an interesting concept for a show because it centers around a ruggedly handsome, recently divorced man (Tom Jane) with a huge cock. His day job is a gym teacher at his kids’ school, and they adore him. He gets all the ass he can handle and his children don’t resent him, but he’s still unhappy. So, what’s a man to do? If your answer was: become a male escort, then you might enjoy this show even more than you thought! Does it make complete logical sense? No. But it is a wonderful story of a sensitive and ruggedly handsome man’s uphill struggle with being knee-deep in poon. Check it out.

Movies

Toy Story 3–It’s official. Toy Story is now a trilogy…and what a trilogy! I think the timing of Toy Story 2 cut back on its appreciation value. Toy Story was a smash hit because nothing like it had ever been done before. Toy Story 2 was released in 1999 when nobody gave a shit anymore, and thus, decided it was only a mediocre film. Now that 3D and computer animated films are so commonplace that studios can shit one out during an extended lunch break, the genre needs to step up its game to be appealing to everyone. Toy Story 3 was a masterpiece and a perfect way to end the series (or begin a new one). It was released at just the right time: 15 years after the first installment. This means that those who grew up with the original can get all sad and nostalgic with the finale–and that the children of those who grew up with the original can sit behind me in the theater and scream at the top of their fucking lungs. Watch Toy Story and Toy Story 2 and you’ll appreciate them a lot more…and enjoy this final chapter in the theater at a time when all those fucking kids are asleep.

Get Him to the Greek–While it’s difficult to decide if this is going to be a shitty Summer for movies, a few gems do emerge. Get Him to the Greek is by no means a “gem,” but it is a good time. If there’s any feeling I hate, it’s going to a restaurant and ordering something new that you’ve never tried before, only to find out that you hate it and now you’re out $20 and you’re still fucking hungry. If there’s another feeling I hate, it’s wasting money on a shitty movie. I try to choose wisely based on reviews, personal gut-reaction, and mood. So it was a tough decision when it came down to Grown Ups or Get Him to the Greek. But I think I made a logical and well-thought-out decision that any rational and sane person would make. Would you like a quirky spin-off to an obviously amazing Judd Apatow flick…or a PG-rated poop-joke fest filled with every actor you’ve ever tried to avoid.

Scott Pilgrim VS the World–Yeah, yeah, we know–this movie doesn’t come out for awhile, but we’re still watching it…like a hawk. If you’re a self-described nerd and you’re shying away from this Summer movie, shame on you. But still, be wary. I’ve never been disappointed by the Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz crew before, but this is an American movie, and all bets are off. If nothing else, it will be an enjoyable and unique experience–but it has several superhero/comic book bars set in the silliness category. Can it outdo Kick-Ass? If not, we’ll always have Inception.

–Alex G/