10s Movie Review - The To Do List

Director: Maggie Carey
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 104 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Bill Hader, Alia Shawkat, Sarah Steele, Johnny Simmons, Rachel Bilson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Andy Samberg, Connie Britton, Clark Gregg, Donald Glover, Nolan Gould, Scott Porter

Description: Feeling pressured to become more sexually experienced before she goes to college, Brandy (Aubrey Plaza) makes a list of things to accomplish before hitting campus in the fall.

Review: Brandy Klark is the smartest girl in class. Her room is filled with diplomas and awards and a brilliant career is in the works. She has a bunch of great friends and a wonderful summer job at a local pool. So nothing to complain about right? But there is. While Brandy knows everything about math and history, she knows absolutely nothing about sex. So it’s about time for extra lessons.

In order to brush up on her knowledge, Brandy makes a to-do list of sexual acts and then works through her male circle of acquaintances. Her sister has some tips and her mother brings along a tube of lubricant. All this has to lead to deflowering in the place where half the city lost their virginity, in a parking lor at Beaver Creek (no pun intended).

Those who find that Beaver Creek is funny, will have fun with “The To Do List”. The film is a string of lame jokes, flat jokes, predictable jokes and non-funny jokes. Someone pushes Brandy into the pool, Brandy loses her top, Brandy takes a bite of a fake turd that turns out to be a real turd, Brandy applies mayonnaise instead of sunscreen. The to think that these aren’t even the weakest jokes.
Since the characters barely impress either, all attention to the film quickly disappears. And it’s kind of questionable why all those well-known actors show up for this movie. And I find it kind of offensive that pressuring your friend into having sex before going to college, just to fit in. Or is that just me?
“The To Do List” is a comedy that pairs explicit sex talk with lame jokes and characters that remains as flat as a dime. I liked Bill Hader, but I always like Bill Hader. So, that’s a plus!

Rating: 2/ 5

Best "Community" Episodes

Even though our time at Greendale Community College is over, there is still a debate about the best episodes of “Community”. A show that is not just an innocent sit-com about the interaction between the students at Greendale, but a show that broke every TV rule. I listed what are in my opinion the best episodes of “Community”.

15. Basic Lupin Urology (Season 3, Episode 17)
The group has a biology project, with a yam as the subject. Their yam gets crushed and they try to find our who did it. Off course they do it the “Community” way and parody the crime show “Law and Order”.

14. Epidemiology (Season 2, Episode 6)
A Halloween episode, where a rabies outbreak turns the campus into a post-apocalyptic zombie movie. It’s the originality of their take on the zombie genre that makes this episode fun. Winks to films like “28 Days Later” or “Shaun of the Dead”. And to be honest, this episode is better then what “The Walking Dead” has been doing lately.

13. Digital Estate Planning (Season 3, Episode 20)
What if the study group was in an 8-bit videogame? Well, this episode flings the cast into a delightfully authentic 8-bit videogame experience via the promise of Pierce’s dad’s fortune through his last will and testament. Whoever beats the game gets the money.

12. Pillows and Blankets (Season 3, Episode 14)
“Pillows and Blankets” is one of the most creative episode in sit-com history. A simple pillow fort made by Troy and Abed turns into a war between them and their towns: Blanketsburg and Pillowtown. The episode turns into a documentary civil war style. Lines are read as old combat correspondence and historical pictures of Leonard and Abed dressed as pillow generals. And remember, this episode gave us the Changlourious Basterds and Pillow Pierce.

11. Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design (Season 2, Episode 9)
Dean Pelton is trying to bust Jeff for a phony night school credit, which only unveils a series of conspiracies, plots, and double-crosses between Jeff, Annie and the Dean. You gotta love the twists.

10. Paradigms of Human Memory (Season 2, Episode 21)
Allthough this episode has the structure of a sketch show and shows parts of previous episodes, “Community” is parodying itself here. After Chang crawled down the vent to follow Troy’s monkey (Annie’s boobs), he finds a lot of items that belong to the studygroup and bring back memories. They take a trip down memory lane, to situations and events wer never witnessed.

9. Cooperartive Caligraphy (Season 2, Episode 8)
Chaos and mistrust tear the study group apart as they try to figure out who stole Annie’s pen, causing them to miss the Greendale Puppy parade. This is a so-called bottle episode, where the entire episode is set in one location. And it’s a good one.

8. Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking (Season 2, Episode 16)
After and overdose of medication, Pierce ends up in the hospital. Here he decides to cause some psychological damage to his study buddies, because they never take him seriously. It’s Chevy Chase at his best here. The episode is from Abed’s perspective, since he is filming a documentary. It feel more intimate. And that moment where Troy meets his hero LeVar Burton. He was very clear about never to want to meet him and just wanting a picture. Because you can’t disappoint a picture Pierce!

7. Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (Season 2, Episode 14)
This episode was directed by Joe Russo, one of the people behind “Avengers: Endgame”. In this episode the study group plays a game of Dungeons and Dragons, to make one of their fellow students Neil feel better.

6. A Fistful of Paintballs & For a Few Paintballs More (Season 2, Episode 23 & 24)
They are two separate episode, but I decided to put them together, because I can’t choose which of the two is better. The first part of the two-parter season 2 finale is a parody of the film “A Fistful of Dollars”. And as the title suggest, it’s again a paintball episode. Josh Holloway has a fun guest role as a mysterious professional paintballer. It’s stupid and over-the-top, but it makes sense in the “Community” universe. The second part of the season 2 finale takes on a “Star Wars” style, where Troy and Jeff collide on who is the leader, Abed woos Annie with his Han Solo actions and the entire school fights against an ice cream company.

5. Critical Film Studies (Season 2, Episode 19)
This episode was director by Richard Ayoade from “It-Crowd”. It focuses on Abed’s obsession for film and TV series. The gang is waiting for Abed’s “Pulp Fiction” themed surprise party, but Abed invited Jeff for a one-on-one dinner, in the style of “My Dinner with Andre”. This part is maybe the most personal the show has ever felt.

4. Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas (Season 2, Episode 11)
This episode is told as a charming stop-motion story, where Abed is trying to get his way during Christmas. It’s one of “Community’s” most creative and memorable episodes an shows how much creator Dan Harmon loved his show.

3. Modern Warfare (Season 1, Episode 23)
An abandoned campus, study books spread all over the place. The first paintball-themed episode of “Community”. The episode transforms into a modern war movie, while students fight for a change for priority registration for next semester. From Troy’s “Jeff Winger, I thought you were dead”, to the lazy Terminator jokes by Abed. It all works.

2. Contemporary American Poultry (Season 1, Episode 21)
Jeff thinks of a plan to get Abed a job in the school cafeteria, so they have quicker access to the beloved chicken fingers that they always seem to run out of whenever they arrive. Abed narrates this episode, with winks to mob movies “Goodfellas” and “The Godfather”. Another way “Community” has proved to take on different forms and still keep their own identity. Unique character moments and a great homage and references to pop culture.

1. Remedial Chaos Theory (Season 3, Episode 4)
In this episode we find all seven members of the group at Troy and Abed’s apartment when they host a housewarming party. When the pizza arrives, Jeff suggests to throw a dice to decide who will get the pizza downstairs. That’s when the episode shows us several timelines, which show that different things happen depending on who is getting the pizza. The results are just as varied as hilarious. This episode is creative, stands out, is surprising and hilarious. And that’s why it’s the best episode of “Community”.

Reasons that “Community” is the Best

With this quarantine still going on, I found THE perfect TV series to binge right now. And, as of April 1st, all six season are on Netflix. “Community” is a great sitcom and I listed reasons why you should start binging it right now.

Pop culture references and mocking genre clichés
What distinguishes the sitcom is that it is not easy to pigeonhole. “Community” is filled with references to movies, TV shows and other media. And it likes to mock clichés in certain movie genres. The characters avert, subvert and pay homage to various tropes as episodes commit to certain genres. If there’s a documentary going on, the episode will be in documentary format. If the episode is a musical, the characters will be singing. The self-aware nature of the show is hilarious. I sometimes wish I could live out situations that feel like shows and movies that I love, and “Community” understands that desire as it puts its characters in those situations.

Not focusing on the romance
Almost every sitcom has a will they/ won’t they couple and eventually they do end up together. There are plenty of couples that hinted at getting together or not, but it was never the focus and it didn’t rely on who ends up with whom and who should end up together. This is very refreshing, since we already have a lot of sitcoms that do focus on the romance element of the show.

Troy and Abed
I could have just mentioned Abed, because I love him, but these two together are just magical. Troy was a high school jock before attending Greendale Community College, but since he and Abed became friends, Troy realizes just how geeky he actually is. They watch movies and TV shows together, build forts out of blankets and pillows and have their own talk show. A talk show for no one other than themselves. And don’t forget they were on the cover of Friend Weekly, a pretend magazine of their own design. Everyone needs a Troy to their Abed or vice versa. In my case, I need a Troy.

The ensemble cast
This groups is formed because they are all some sort of outsider. And to create a diverse group like this, you need a diverse cast. And that’s what we got. Comedy legend Chevy Chase and the break for Alison Brie and Donald Glover. Joel McHale is the perfect combination of a douche and nice guy and Danny Pudy is the perfect socially awkward and pop-culture referring bestie you need. And then there is Ken Jeong, who is at his crazy best, and the very uncomfortable Jim Rash as Dean Pelton. Just a quirky bunch, that make this show work as well as it does.

Running gags
The show has some really funny running gags. Like the awwwws, by Annie and Shirley, after something sweet, emotional or heartfelt is being mentioned. Or Leonord, the oldest student at Greendale, who often gives his advice, thoughts and opinion without anyone every asking for it. And they always answer with “shut up, Leonard”. The fact that they always say the Britta is the worst and the Changuage & Deanotation. These are two nonsense words that refer to how Señor Ben Chang and Dean Greg Pelton talk. Both faculty members have the habit of inserting their own name or title into an everyday word or sentence. But also the mention of the size of Jeff’s head and how the gang hates “Glee”.

It's daring
The show is fresh and original, but it also has a lot of guts and dares to take different comedy paths as any other standard sitcom. Like the claymation Christmas episode, where all characters turned into claymation puppets telling a story in Abed’s imagination. The several semi-brutal paintball episodes, the so-called ‘bottle episode’, the zombie episode and the one with the computer game. It’s gutsy enough to take on different formats, portray not your everyday characters and think outside the box. And I love that!

The Dean
Besides Troy and Abed, there is another character that is reason enough to watch this show. Dean Craig Pelton is a very upbeat and cheerful person and LOVES his job as Dean of Greendale Community College. He spends an inordinate amount of his time trying to improve Greendale’s prestige. Dean Pelton also goes to great lengths to be accepting or indiscriminate of others. His use of extreme political correctness often inadvertently leads to him being more offensive than intended. Pelton is aware of his shortcomings and berates himself frequently for being a ‘bad Dean’. He is also known for his elaborate costumes and his hate/ love for Jeff.

Movie Reviews - Solo: A Star Wars Story

Director: Ron Howard
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 135 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover, Paul Bettany, Jon Favreau, Linda Hunt, Warwick Davis, Thandie Newton

Description: During an adventure into the criminal underworld, Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) meets his future co-pilot Chewbacca and encounters Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) years before joining the Rebellion.

Review: After Disney got the rights to “Star Wars”, it’s not sitting still. A new trilogy and a bunch of standalone films. The new trilogy is doing really well and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” was also very good. There we followed rebels trying to stop the building of the death star. Director Ron Howard took the story of a young Han Solo, probably the most popular character in the franchise.
Han Solo, one of Harrison Ford’s most memorable roles, is know as a smuggler and pilot of the Millennium Falcon, which he flies with his co-pilot Chewbacca. In “Solo: A Star Wars Story” we meet Han, before the story of “Star Wars: A New Hope”.
Han has to flee criminals and has to leave his girlfriend Qi’ra behind. He swears to return one day and get her.
“Solo: A Star Wars Story” is a so-called origin story, so we get to see how it all began for Han Solo. How he met his pal Chewbacca, how he meets Lando Calrissian and how he gets the Millennium Falcon. Alden Ehrenreich isn’t very well-known yet, but he is a good choice for the role of young Han Solo. He has to stubbornness, arrogance and charm. But he misses one thing: Ford always portrayed Solo as being ‘annoyed’ of some sort (now what?). It’s hard to explain, but I felt like he was missing it here.
Donald Glover is the best choice for the young Lando Calrissian. And it’s sad that he doesn’t get that much screen time. And Woody Harrelson doesn’t disappoint either, as always.
The story for “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is relatively thin. The references to the original films are fun, especially for nostalgia purposes. But Han Solo’s character doesn’t get enough depth.
That doesn’t mean that “Solo: A Star Wars Story” isn’t a good standalone film. It has everything you want from a good action/ adventure film. Wild chases, shoot outs and great visuals.
“Solo: A Star Wars” is probably not the film that Star Wars fans were hoping for, because a better look at one of the most beloved movie characters in film history is lacking here. As a standalone film it’s good, but within the Star Wars universe it’s not at the same level as the other films.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 122: Spider-Man: Homecoming

Director: Jon Watts
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 133 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Donald Glover, Tony Revolori, Jennifer Connelly, Angourie Rice, Logan Marshall-Green, Martin Starr, Gwyneth Paltrow

Description: Peter Parker (Tom Holland) balances his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens with his superhero alter-ego Spider-Man, and finds himself on the trail of a new menace prowling the skies of New York City.

Review: Spider-Man has always been one of the most popular superheroes. Iron Man got more popular because of the movies and Robert Downey Jr. The two work together in “Spider-Man: Homecoming”.
Spider-Man has had his ups and downs. “Spider-Man 3” couldn’t keep up with the two previous movies. The reboot films did okay, but weren’t as amazing as the title let us believe. Sony and Marvel had to come up with something new to give the popular webslinger the movie he deserves. The result: Spider-Man is part of the shared universe of Marvel. In “Spider-Man: Homecoming” there are many moments were they show us that. Teen Peter Parker is constantly reminded of his adult colleagues. It’s all sounds like a big marketing trick, but it’s all relevant. Peter struggles with the inner conflict of being the little fish in a small pond.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was shortly seen in “Captain America: Civil War”. And that guest appearance is the starting point for “Spider-Man: Homecoming”. In a world where superheroes are common, Peter Parker thinks it’s an honor to work with the team of Avengers. But after an experience like that, it’s hard for Peter to pick up his old life. Especially when Tony Starks tells him that he might receive a call, but Peter never does. Spider-Man is in the Marvel universe, but he is not yet an Avenger.
This is the sixth Spider-Man film in fifteen years, so it isn’t good enough to let the superhero just do his tricks and fight a random villain. Marvel is clever enough and uses a lot of variation. The origin story, of how Peter Parker became Spider-Man, is left behind. And it’s not Spidey just swinging from huge buildings, he goes further than that.
What keeps it all together? Tom Holland! Where predecessors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were about 10 years to old for the role, the young British actor is perfect to play Peter Parker. His enthusiasm is a breath of fresh air. And his great comedic timing make you almost forget that he is also very capable of performing in more dramatic scenes. Even opposite of veterans like Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Keaton.
Peter Parker still has to prove himself as an Avenger, but this version of Spider-Man promises a very bright future.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 140: The Martian

Director: Ridley Scott

Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction

Runtime: 142 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mackenzie Davis, Donald Glover, Nick Mohammed, Chen Shu, Eddy Ko, Enzo Cilenti, Jonathan Aris, Gruffudd Glyn, Naomi Scott, Geoffrey Thomas

Description: A limo driver's blind date sparks a tale of love, betrayal, friendship, and grace centered around two working-class New York City couples.

Review: Director Ridley Scott, known for his movies “Alien” and “Blade Runner”, is no stranger to science fiction. “The Martian”, based on the book by Andy Weir, is the perfect story for Scott. It’s a heroic story, has a great cast with big names and a big budget.

With a science fiction movie, there is always a scientific side to it. Hence the word science. At first it looks like it’s going to be a drama, when astronaut Mark Watney is left for dead on Mars after a big storm. When Watney wakes up he has to stay alive with the supplies that are left. It could have gone to fear, sadness and complaining. The fact that it might be the end for him on Mars, makes sure that Watney does everything to avoid that fate. With science. With his botanic background he manages to grow potatoes on a planet where nothing grows. And he is very inventive in ways to stay alive. This strength makes sure Watney doesn’t lose hope and becomes a real hero.

The scientific element can also be less accesable, but “The Martian” manages to use a clever way to explain it to us. Watney keeps a videolog, where he explains what he does and why. He never seems lonely and this makes this film anything but boring. On earth, where they eventually find our Watney is still alive, they discuss the issue in a way the viewer can understand and without any extreme sentiment. Towards the end it does get a bit more dramatic, but that’s understandable.

One thing I didn’t expect to get was humor. “The Martian” is very funny at times and makes this movie a lot lighter than I eventually thought. And Matt Damon is amazing in his role. I really loved his performance, it can easily be called one of his best. I also loved Jessica Chastain, as always.

“The Martian” is a fresh take on science fiction, a movie that was even better than I thought it would be. One of the best of 2015.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 101: Magic Mike XXL

Director: Gregory Jacobs

Genre: Comedy/ Drama

Runtime: 115 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Elizabeth Banks, Amber Heard, Donald Glover, Andie MacDowell

Description: Three years after Mike (Channing Tatum) bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, he and the remaining Kings of Tampa hit the road to Myrtle Beach to put on one last blow-out performance.

Review: Channing Tatum broke through as the lead in a dance movie called “Step Up”and returned to his ‘roots’ in “Magic Mike”. This Steven Soderbergh directed movie was loosely based on Tatum’s past as a stripper. The movie was a hit and fans were really excited about a sequel. This time without Matthew McConaughey and director Soderbergh, but some extra women in the cast and more sexy dance movies and six-packs.

Like the character that Donald Glover plays says in the movie: “All we got to do is ask them what they want”. And that is “Magic Mike XXL”. We get more naked body parts and lap dances. The ‘Kings of Tampa” have to practice for their last performance, where Mike returns after being absent for three years. During their road trip they get in trouble a couple of times and they meet some colorful people along the way. Like Rome, played by Jada Pinkett-Smith, the owner of a club. She actually outplays all the guys in the film.

There isn’t as much humor in this film as the first. The story on the other hand, has become more important. This takes the pace out of the movie, it drags a bit. And that final dance act should be the highlight of the film. For many people it probably is, but I hated it. Male strippers should look masculine, but for me it’s a big turn off.

For the fans of the first movie, they get what they want: more half naked men and more sexy moves. But for the people who want a bit more, like humor and pace, it’s a letdown. The movie was saved by the women, pretty strange when it’s about stripper men.

Rating: 2/ 5