Latter Days (Review)

I don't watch a lot of gay-themed films. Most seem to reiterate the same material over and over and just seem...not good. Latter Days is a huge exception to this trend. The story follows the relationship between Aaron Davis and Christian Markelli. Aaron is a Mormon missionary who is quite passionate about his religion and film. Christian is a party boy who only wants to have sex with a new guy every night. After Aaron and three other missionaries move into the apartment across from Christian, his friends bet him fifty bucks that he can’t hook up with one of them, so he instantly goes after Aaron. Naturally there are some problems that result from this, Christian starts falling in love with Aaron and the Mormons hate the homosexual community and to say anymore who just spoil the whole movie.

I’ve watched this film a couple times and there is no doubt in my mind that this one of the best films in the genre. I found the script to be very well written as it adds a new depth to the traditional ‘coming out’ story that we continually get bombarded with when studios make ‘gay’ films. In Latter Days I actually found myself caring about the characters and was truly invested in the story progression. It is such a great romance film and Steve Sandvoss and Wes Ramsey absolutely nail their performances and it doesn't hurt that they're pretty damn handsome to look at either (Steve Sandvoss in particular). The minor characters also play important roles in the development of Aaron and Christian's relationship and the actors that play them do their roles as well as expected even though I couldn't recognize anyone expect for a young Rob McElhenney (Mac from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia). Anyway, to say anymore would just be redundant. Latter Days is a film which I can easily watch again and again, and if you're open to gay themed films, I'd say it out.

A Very Sunny Christmas (Review)

It's pretty annoying that the Always Sunny Christmas special is only avilabile on dvd. We all know that the episode is probably going to air next Christmas and there's been talk of it being included on season five's dvd release. Either way, this special is very funny and a bit stronger than most of season five. The story finds Charlie and Mac trying to recapture the magic of Christmas by reminiscing about the happiest experiences of their childhood. However, they discover that their Christmases suck and they set out to recapture the Christmas spirit. Meanwhile, Dee and Dennis are bitter towards Frank for all of the crappy Christmases he's given them over the years, so they attempt to stage their own version of A Christmas Carol in the hopes of making Frank re-examine his life.

Without spoiling to much, the special manages to be full of memorable moments. The flashbacks the gang as children and how horrible their Christmases were is delightfully spiteful (Mac's flashback in particular). There are some nice cameos from recurring characters and an "interesting" tribute to the old Rankin-Bass Christmas specials. Though I've never given him praise before, I've always found Danny Devito to be hilarious as Frank and he's really the star of the show here (a particular scene involving a couch comes to mind). Despite being a bit more vulgar then the show, the episode still manages to embrace that sense of Christmas tradition and highlights the importance of friends and family(well friends anyway), no matter how retarded they are. It's a fun little episode that I might have to include on my yearly Christmas television list.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Season 5 (Review)

Sunny's fifth year was a little weaker than what's come before, although its still one of the best shows on television. This season I found myself really appreciating what the writers have been doing with the gang but I'm not laughing nearly as much as I should. The episode where Dennis explains his six step system for hooking up with and then getting rid of girls and the one where the gang deal with the recession are prime examples, though in all fairness they're the only two episodes that fell flat for me. This season had some real great outings with The Kitten Mittens episode,"The Waitress Is Getting Married," and my favorite of the season "Mac and Dennis Break Up" all of which managed to show of the excellence of the show and the chemistry between all the characters.

The cast is still sharp and my favorite is still Charlie with his general ineptitude and severe lack of any basic social skills. Sweet Dee has a nack for making strange faces and hilarious reactions to the way the gang treats her. Dennis actually manages to get some good laughs out of me, most notably his idea for the prefect action movie. While I always found Dennis to be funny, I also always found him to be the most annoying member of the gang, so I was pleasantly surprised to find myself warming up to his character. Despite my earlier nitpicking, this is still an endlessly quotable show and top notch in its ability to entertain, and I'll be watching again next season.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Season 4 (Review)

Okay, the second half of this season was the first batch of episodes I’d ever seen of this show and now that I’ve seen the complete season on dvd, I’m officially caught up on this show just in time for the 5th season which is currently airing. Sunny’s fourth season is pretty much exactly the same as all that’s come before, which is to say it’s very funny. I’ve actually kinda run out of things to say about this show. Charlie continues to steal the show and is still my favorite character with Dee as a close second and they both have plenty of great moments throughout the season. The gang still hasn't run out of social issues to make fun of or stupid things to go on ludicrous rants about.

However, after three seasons of this, it seems that the crew has decided to mix things up a little and it mostly works out for the better. Some of the episodes are parodies of others shows, Sex in the City, Extreme Home Makeover, and America’s Next Top Model (along with other competitive reality shows) are lampooned with great gusto here with the extreme home makeover episode probably being my favorite of the season. Other episodes change the basic format like the bizarre mystery of who pooped in the bed, the flat but admirable period piece episode, and of course the hilarious fan favorite musical finale “The Nightman Cometh”. The show’s still wonderful and even the weakest episode can’t go five minutes without something funny happening. Season five is airing right now and I’m glad that I’ve caught up.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Season 3 (Review)

The third season is really just more of the same and considering that the last two seasons were pure brilliance, that's actually a pretty damn good thing. The main characters still manage to make me laugh out loud by trying to one-up each others, taking advantage of innocent people, and just being all around douchebags. The continuity is even stronger this time as supporting characters from the past become more prominent like the tranny from season one, Rickety Cricket (my personal favorite), and the McPoyle family. The McPoyles in particular get a lot of screen time this season which is unfortunate as I don't really find them to be that funny.

The cast continue to play off each other wonderfully. Charlie continues to be the standout character, but this season sees Dee (Kate Olsen) really step into the spotlight with some truly hilarious comedic moments. The area she seems to excel in most is her reactions to either the gangs actions or their constant belittling of her life. The episodes still covers a range of topics like abandoned babies, handicaps, and sexual predators. It's all handled very well and it's all very funny, but my favorite episode this season is the finale, where the gang find themselves in a dance marathon with ownership of Paddy's Pub at stake . The episode is a joy as it has the cast at the best and it features my favorite line of the season spoken by Charlie ("I'm about to show you the white hot cream of an 8-year-old boy."). The show is still crass, insensitive and funny as hell, I want more.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Season 2 (Review)

The second season is just as good, if not better than the first. Still showcasing that brand of cynical comedy that I love so much. The most notable thing about the second season is the addition of Danny DeVito as the father of Dennis and Dee. I was worried that he wouldn't quite work in this show as he is a completely unnecessary addition, apparently suggested by the FX network to get a famous name in to gain viewers. Luckily, my concerns were put to rest as DeVito fits right in with the gang, playing Frank as a crazy, shallow douche just like his children and their friends.

The other change is that there's an extra bit of continuity thrown in this time around. This usually entails the gang getting into trouble for something at the end of an episode and later on they'll deal with the consequences and other stuff along those lines. The show is still covering a variety of topics in dickhead ways and there really aren't any bad episodes in this run. "Mac Bangs Dennis' Mom" is one of my favorites, it's all enjoyable stuff. This seasons a tad longer than the first which is wonderful because its incredibly funny.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Season 1 (Review)

I finally go around to watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia last year while it was in it's fourth season and I fell in love with it after watching only 2 episodes. Since then I've gotten around to watching the earlier seasons on dvd and I found them to be just as hilarious. The show's about four friends who run a failing bar in Philadelphia and frequently get themselves in crazy schemes that usually involve some kind of controversial topic, like abortion, molestation or religion and of course they handle these situations in the most dickheaded ways possible.

Where the show shines is in its strong writing and characterization. Somehow the show is able to take a bunch of selfish, petty, vindictive people and make them somewhat likable. My personal favorite is Charlie which great because he seems to slightly dominate the storylines. The actor, Charlie Day, is hilarious and he knows how to use his short stature and scrappy look to his advantage as the more pathetic and desperate of the characters. His hopeless crush on The Waitress who works at the coffee shop across the street is used frequently and its one of my favorite recurring bits. The other characters all have their own personalities and share a sense of humor and real chemistry that make the show entertaining regardless of the topic and as long as they keep things funny I'll keep watching.