When Yahoo picked up Community, it seemed fitting that this weird little show would land in the most unlikely and random place. I hadn’t heard of Yahoo’s free video service, but I thought it was a smart marketing decision to pick up Community and boost Yahoo Screen’s numbers with one of sitcom television’s most outspoken and loyal fan bases.
Now the show’s 6th season (a milestone I honestly never thought the show would reach) is here. The first two episodes premiered today with new episodes made available each Tuesday. All of which are available on a free app from a site that gave me my first email address almost two decades ago. Continue reading →
Yesterday NBC released a trailer for Season 5 of Community
It’s no secret that Community has had its fair share of struggles and controversy in the past. It’s never had impressive ratings (or average ratings for that matter,) there have been issues with cast members (notably Chevy Chase,) it lost its showrunner and creator at the end of the third season, and all of these issues culminated in a disappointing season 4. In fact, disappointing doesn’t really describe it well enough. So one can’t really be blamed for looking forward to Season five of Community with more than a bit of apprehension. Continue reading →
Pilots are interesting beasts in the television world. They’re used to convince a studio to shell out more money for more episodes. In order to do that, a pilot needs to succeed on several more fronts of storytelling than any other single episode. A pilot needs to introduce the major characters of a series in an engaging, often standalone, story that will leave the audience clamoring for more.
Furthermore, a good pilot needs to rely on a strong cast to build a rapport in a short period of time. Writers working on pilots also have to gauge possible long-term onscreen relationships completely blind of actors’ chemistry. Because of these factors, I live by one steadfast television-viewing rule:
Never judge a show by its pilot.
But some series have such strong pilot episodes that you can and should judge them on the pilots. And so, here I have compiled a list of some of my favorite pilot episodes. They aren’t necessarily my favorite shows ever, and they aren’t exactly the best episodes of said shows. These episodes are just the most engaging series-starters that I’ve seen. They also introduce the characters and story arcs in a highly satisfying way.
You can click the episode titles in the list to buy them digitally on Amazon.
Everything about this movie feels phoned in. Sinbad is fun but it really feels like large swathes of the script is just "have Sinbad improv exasperation" instead of trying anything interesting. Every narrative beat is painfully obvious, even for a kid-friendly Disney movie.
Really liked this sci-fi pirate tale. Animation is gorgeous and the set pieces are really mesmerizing. The story is a bit predictable at times but that's a small complain.
Freaks owes a big debt to Firestarter but it's at least more original outside of its homage than Stranger Things was/is (and I like Stranger Things a lot).Very wise to deliver the world building through the perspective of Chloe. Good storytelling and impressive effects work.
Very cool low budget atmosphere piece. It's all tone and mood and it's done to good effect. Set design, cinematography, locations, makeup and costuming all work together to make some really striking visuals.
Thorough documentary that shares the African American perspective on the horror genre and charts the involvement of African Americans in the genre itself. Excellent panel for the talking heads. The documentary covers its subject from a place of love and handles it with the necessary care and importance.Enjoyed it.
Blown away by Jim Cummings' performance. The nuances to the character and the raw grief and emotional crisis of the story is so well-realized that I'm nearly at a loss for words. This is a movie that lives in a state of chaotic empathy and brings you into its world in such an immersive way that it's almost overwhelming.Spectacular movie.
