Review: Thundershorts – Part 2

Written by guest contributor Brian Roe

Today we’re reviewing something a little different from we normally do on the site. Thundershorts is a new site that launched this week with a dedicated YouTube channel. The premise is spelled out in the name, short episodes. This is a comedy channel so don’t expect short form mysteries or anything like that.

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American Viral: Epic Balls

American Viral has a pretty clever premise followed by lots of yelling and mugging by The State alum Michael Showalter. The Busks, a basic American sitcom family, strives to exploit their brief fling with internet fame by continually producing videos in an attempt to recapture the magic of “My Balls, My Balls” a twenty second clip of the family’s oldest son being shot in the crotch with a Nerf bazooka. Actually the whole family, especially oldest son Cory, doesn’t seem to be into the whole thing as much as fame-mad father Roger (Showalter).

Roger is flat out a pitiless asshole, running through the house while filming constantly as he keeps up a running dialogue with his viewers and harasses his family. It seems today is the three year anniversary of YouTube fame-maker “My Balls, My Balls” and Roger just can’t wait to get the family to recreate the original nut-shot even if it means permanent damage to his son’s harbles. But fate deals a different hand to Ol’ Roger and soon he’s nursing his wounded pride, and other bits, with bags of frozen peas and the comfort of 10,000 You Tube views.

This initial episode throws a lot at the viewer very quickly and loudly. And I can’t stress enough that Roger is an awful person who we in no way cheer for or give a damn about.  Maybe further episodes will give us a reason to like the guy who seems to take up the most camera time. And the idea of the show itself is pretty relevant even if it feels a bit dated at this point. I’m sure Roger Busk has a lot of dopplegangers in the real world who are more than willing to Nerf their kids’ nards for a brief chance of fame. Yay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qqTpWMNRVQ

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Gabe & Max Need Help: Being Present

Of all of the Thundershorts videos Gabe & Max Need Help held my attention the most and gave a lot of laughs. Best friends Gabe and Max seek out counseling to resolve a myriad of issues in their relationship. They find themselves working with a snarky therapist who seems to take no small amount of joy in playing the friends against each other.

The rapid fire patter between seemingly type-A, OCD Gabe (Gabe Delahaye), and self-absorbed, man-child Max (Max Silvestri), and The Therapist (Kumail Nanjiani) is constant and clever. From deciding to each create their own Netflix cues to debating if playing Xbox can be thought of as a project, each new silliness is given the proper amount of time and then replaced with something even more ridiculous. It makes for a fun, short show and by far my favorite of all the initial Thundershorts premiers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYO5k8WdeYs

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Augie Alone: Flirting

Augie Alone is a fun little vignette of the frustrations of modern communications via smart phone and emoticons. Like someone trying to decipher leetspeak, Augie tries his damnedest to follow a brief flirtation sent from “Girl From Bar”. Her use of rapid fire emoticons in seemingly arcane combinations has Augie all discombobulated and he eventually admits not having any idea what’s going on. Too bad she’ll never teach him.

This is a quick story that plays well and could certainly develop into a nicely cynical show. My only complaint is that the screen of Augie’s phone  is never shown clearly enough to allow the viewer to keep up with the interaction and the joke is often lost by the time Augie spells it out. But overall it’s funny enough.

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Like Dustin I felt like the Thundershorts premiers need a good bit of tightening up before they’re continually funny. That being said these are the first episodes and will hopefully develop as the series progresses. Give them a shot yourself.

There’s more to watch on Thundershorts.com or on their Youtube channel.

Review: Thundershorts – Part 1

Today we’re reviewing something a little different from we normally do on the site. Thundershorts is a new site that launched this week with a dedicated YouTube channel. The premise is spelled out in the name, short episodes. This is a comedy channel so don’t expect short form mysteries or anything like that. There’s a variety of cast members and reoccurring characters/settings. I’m going to take a look at three of their shorts today while Brian Roe will be looking at their other three premiere episodes.

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Teacher’s Lounge – Episode 1

As the name of the bit implies this story takes place in the teacher’s lounge of a school. The overall idea is that the teacher’s aren’t following any rules while they’re here in their sanctuary from the children. The bit opens with a gag about a dead secretary and one of the teachers unsure of who has passed away until a series of questions are answered. Strangely enough we’re not given their names, but when Jim Gaffigan arrives he receives a frame introducing his character. The same happens later when the Dean of Discipline arrives, but our two beginning teachers remain unknown.

The overall joke is that Gaffigan’s character has made a wine on school grounds and called it “Whites Only” and what follows are series of jokes about white’s being better and one of the teachers being confused as to what the topic is actually about: people or wine. It’s clever for a while, but then of course the script is flipped on the straight-man and he’s pegged for a racists by the black Dean of Discipline.

The acting is rough. No one other than Gaffigan seems comfortable in the scene or really with acting. The Dean in particular hugs Gaffigan or just makes it a point to touch him a lot as if he didn’t know how to stand or what to do with his hands. Depending on your cup of tea the racist jokes or really the white supremacist jokes are pretty funny and really the only shining moment of the short even if they do go on for too long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqqW5yte5Jc

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Don’t Walk: Fear the Crosswalk – Episode 1

This episode started to reveal a pattern to me with all of the Thundershorts, that there would be one joke per episode that was a hit with me and the rest would fall flat. We meet a man talking to pigeons about his first day at a new job. Suddenly he receives a message from his new boss telling him not to be late and so he heads to work. The joke that hit came from a random character handing out flyers who mispronounces a word and then under his breath and standing a foot away corrects himself as if he were really bummed by his flub. Nothing else is done with this character, but it made me laugh.

The rest of the bit is people jay walking through a crosswalk while our main character waits and attempts to stop them. I did smirk when an old lady with a walker told the man she had places to be and rolled out into the crosswalk, but only because she look pissed off. The punchline of the episode wasn’t funny and killed the momentum of the setup. There’s not a lot to say about the acting in this one, the main character is the naïve half-wit type and for the most part he plays that role.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl3QAGq-pmw

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Timeless Season: Shea Butter

The premise of Timeless Seasons showed the most potential in my opinion. The setup is that it’s a home shopping network style of show, but it’s based in the 80s (or at least dressed that way) and on local cable access. Our three hosts are all dressed straight out of a 80s film and it works as each rocks a different style. They’re guest is local teen dance champion, though the word “retired” should be added in as a balding and sleazy looking man arrives. The bit runs too long, but the intentionally bad editing saves it. At the end there’s a very long segment of all four characters rubbing the lotion onto each other’s hands. This goes on for a long time and is actually funnier because it doesn’t end and the body language of the actors shows how uncomfortable the scene was for them.

The acting was by far the best. The special guest is spot on and helps to create the strange vibe of the bit. Each of the hosts did a wonderful job as each actor embraces a female stereotype from the 80s and runs with it. In particular I thought the host on the left did a great job of selling the jokes and the story.

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Overall the acting was the roughest part of all the shorts. There seems to be a degree of improve to the shorts which is fine, but with all improve the key is knowing when to stop and let the joke move on. They’re still working on that part here.

Well there you have it. Give the shorts a view yourself as we’ve included them below each review as available. There’s more to watch on Thundershorts.com or on their Youtube channel. Don’t forget to stop back for Brian’s reviews as he takes a look at: American Viral, Gabe & Max Need Help and Augie Alone.

Thoughts on Archer Vice Finale

I must say that Archer Vice, has been the best season up to date of the series, and last night I got a chance to see the season finale of Archer. “Title Departure and Arrivals” and like many of the Archer episode the episode was great.  The finale was a mixture of laughter’s and a heartfelt moment that mix in the humor the best way the Archer series can deliver.  The season finale resolved a lot of storylines that were kept open, and it at least guarantees that Isis will come back in the next season.  Also, Lana finally has her baby while the end result wasn’t what I’d like to see happen the writers did manage to give us a very cool moment that was both touching, but humorous a la Archer that made me turn around on the reveal.  The question now is where do the writers go from here? Either way, the series continue to deliver each seasons, and whatever they come up with for next season I will be front row and glued to my TV. OUTLAW COUNTRY!  WOOOOOOO!!!!

Review: Venture Brothers - Season 5 (DVD/Blu-Ray)

Written by Guest Contributor: Jefferey Pinkos Venture fans have good reason to rejoice. After a three-year-long self-imposed hiatus, The Venture Brothers returned to DVD/Blu-Ray this week. Without coming off all fannish and hyperbolic, all is well once again.

Beyond the obvious, this marks a return to the adventure/comedy with an entrenched pop cultural sensibility, and audiences will find the show’s creators Messrs. Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick delivering stronger and more consistent episode season. That consistency, some crude cynics may say, might come from the season’s shortened length — ten episodes in total, if you include the Halloween and Shallow Gravy specials. I say it’s a trade-off. Last season, a massive sixteen episodes, strained the efforts of the creators. It had to be split in half and prompted the hiatus and almost broke the damn show. So, ten episodes of some of the best serialized television on the air and the promise of more later within a reasonable period of time, I can deal.

For one, the animation is fantastic. Compared to its first season, released ten years earlier, it’s night and day. Much of the aesthetic of Adult Swim fare is decidedly lo-fi. Here we get lush backdrops and amazing colors. Check the Doc Savage like jungle scenes in “Venture Libre,” or the laboratory scenes in “What Color Is Your Cleansuit?” e.g.

It continues the worldbuilding and mythmaking, and doesn’t shy away from humanizing its characters. Last year, Dean Venture, a previously underserved character, underwent a cathartic pair of events and spends this year dealing with it. Some fans found it a flat plot line; instead it takes its time. It deals with relationships in a natural progression, a daring move for a sitcom.

Like the other seasons, there is nothing in the way of extras. Of course there’s the always amazing and always insightful commentaries and some deleted scenes and extended audio tracks. Frankly, either you’re in or you’re out. If you’re in, buying this is an obvious move. If you’re not, start at the beginning (season one is streaming on Netflix) or check out what’s wrong with your life. Do you hate joy?

Now all that’s left is the waiting, as they say. Season six is underway. Who’s up for a binge watch?

Score: 4/5

Creators: Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer Distributor: Adult Swim/Cartoon Network Price: $31.97 (Blu-Ray) $24.98 (DVD) Release Date: 3/4/14

Review: Bravest Warriors – S2:E1 – Aeon Worm

Cartoon Hangover, a YouTube channel operated by Frederator Studios, has been producing some of the best free webcontent available, empowering artists to release professional grade animated shows that don't have the generic appeal to survive the bleak commercial wasteland of television. Instead, web audiences have been blessed with a wide variety of free vibrant animated programming, from 'Rocket Dog' to their recent cult hit 'Bee and Puppycat'. However, their longest running achievement is 'Bravest Warriors', imagined by 'Adventure Time' creator Pendalton Ward, a show whose popularity has leapt from YouTube to the convention floor. On October 17th, 'Bravest Warriors' made their triumphant return for Season Two, immediately picking up after the surprisingly foreboding finale in the new episode “Aeon Worm”. Beth Tezuka is mysteriously drawn to enter the grotesque worm door that leads to the See-Through Zone, accompanied by her pet, Paralyzed Horse. While warned of the danger, Beth presses onward, determined to find her father, lost in the alternate dimension.

Despite its tendency for non-sequitur, 'Bravest Warriors' has shown interest in telling actual ongoing stories in their mostly randomly generated universe, last season most apparent in Chris's interactions with his future self. While seeming to set up an enormous amount in the strange and mysterious ending to Season One, 'Aeon Worm' actually wraps up nearly all of the dangling questions in a tidy 6 ½ minutes. Most of the time this kind of storytelling is attempted it can end up feeling rushed or unsatisfying, but amazingly 'Aeon Worm' actually delivers and doing so with the most epic storytelling they've attempted so far. The obvious benefit for the creative staff is it frees them up to return to their self-contained storytelling that Season One largely consisted of, but with added twist involvement of a new character that could end up having a long-term impact on the arc.

Since the episodes are less than ten minutes long it's hard to review without getting spoilery, but suffice to say the animation and design on this episode was particularly stellar. The voice acting was also of its usual wonderful quality, with the added benefit of Victor Caroli's guest performance as Paralyzed Horse. A nod should also be given to the great composing on the episode, in places as being vaguely reminiscent of the score for Liquid Television's 'Aeon Flux'.

“Bravest Warriors” Season Two more than meets expectations with the premiere, one of their best episodes ever, and sets things up nicely for adventures to come. With fans embracing Cartoon Hangover productions and the added buzz from the 'Bee and Puppycat' Kickstarter, it's been a good year for Frederator Studios and hopefully a sign of the audience base expanding as 2014 draws near.

Score: 4/5

Creator: Pendalton Ward Writers: Breehn Burns, Jason Johnson Director: Breehn Burns Available on Cartoon Hangover’s YouTube channel

Video Game High School – Season 2: Episode 6

The season closes with a bang as VGHS bows for the year, promising after the credits that a third season is indeed on the way after a well-earned siesta. From the opening moments everything you wanted to see this year happens; Brian and Jenny kick FPS ass, Ted gets to drift, and Ki gets a full-fledged martial arts throw down. Despite the action, the real drama this Season has been in the real world, and the finale is no different with emotionally heated theatrics that will have ongoing consequences well into next year. It's all on the line for VGHS FPS as the game that could end the team's season looms on the horizon, but Jenny faces an unforeseen complication when Brian blurts out the 'L' word (Zip it 'Scott Pilgrim' fans) and she doesn't know how to respond. Not only that but the recently exonerated Law is back on the team, unpredictable and out of practice. Meanwhile, Ted finds his friendship hasn't fully healed from Brian's painful blow-out in the previous episode and channels his frustration into the illicit gambling races put on by his drift team. Ki is feeling despondent as well as her passion for her RA position begins to weaken to boredom. When a chance encounter with an eccentric champion of fighter games interrupts her day she finds herself forced to face the demon of her own spiritual lethargy.

Again, the stakes really come from the relationships this year as Brian and Jenny's comes to a critical head, and again Johanna Braddy and Josh Blaylock do a wonderful job making their onscreen romance (married in real life) genuine and believable. Special credit goes to Braddy who again gets to delve emotionally into her character during a confrontation with her onscreen mom, securing Jenny as the most fully developed character on the show. The FPS action is tightly shot and features some of the best of Rocket Jump's signature imaginative gunplay choreography this year, punchy and creative.

Ki's action sequence is similarly fun, one of the rare non-FPS action set pieces in the show, and concludes with the start of a conflict of great promise for Season Three involving Shane Pizza's machinations. Ellary Porterfield has been one of the season's greatest standouts and her end of season set up only suggests her participation will be even more fun when the show returns.

Of course Ted's strained relationship with Brian is an important emotional focus of the episode, giving him material more serious than has been written for the character in the past. Ted, despite the wonderful efforts of Jimmy Wong and the Drift actors, has been a bit of the weak link in the writing this season as his solo stories seemed stuck in place with even his drift action in the finale feeling very similar to the challenges he's faced all year. Still, even with all of the high-octane gunfire, revelations, and betrayals the dramatic crisis of Ted and Brian's friendship is what left the fan's talking and more than anything else this episode set up the most interesting shift in dynamic for Season Three, maybe exactly what Ted needs to really evolve.

As anticipated the finale showed The Law's dramatic return to 'Field of Fire', sharing a team with his rival and ex-girlfriend. Alas, to keep the episode intimate between Brian and Jenny, his participation was funny but startlingly brief, but a bizarre scene featuring The Law regaining his powers with some 'Fruit Ninja'esque carnage was worth the season long wait. The surprise conclusion of his arc also comes off as a slight disappointment considering my hopes for his character, but with the writing staff's ability to surprise me with The Law's antics even his new direction should be a blast.

Looking over this season it's remarkable how much Rocket Jump Studios improved in all departments, taking one of the finest examples of free web media and making it more dramatically mature, technically proficient, and excellently performed. However, beyond their proficiency for making great entertainment I think 'VGHS' represents something even more.

Some media is created from a place of passion for a subject, and if the media is well made it can communicate to its audience in a way that makes them understand that passion on an emotional level even if they were uneducated or apathetic to the subject beforehand. The way 'Exit Through the Gift Shop' made me feel about street art, and 'Ratatouille' made me feel about fine food, 'Video Game High School' makes me feel the passion for video-games.

Now one might argue it isn't hard to drive someone to play video-games, but in my case I was a very casual gamer. Besides the occasional 'Smash Bros.' and 'Halo' with friends I'd play about one video-game a year, and usually only in a franchise I had a previous love for like 'Final Fantasy' and 'Mass Effect'. When I finished the first season of 'VGHS' I became inspired to develop more of a relationship with the gamer arm of geek culture, listening to Let's Players while I did my comic work and finally installing Steam on my computer and getting involved in 'Team Fortress 2' online. A lot of my affection for 'VGHS' stems from this, that Freddie Wong and crew could create something that instilled a greater appreciation for geekdom, something very valuable in a time when quite a bit of comics and film seem designed to blacken and crush my love for the mediums. That goes beyond making great media and is something I'm genuinely grateful for.

Continue?

Hell yes.

Score: 4/5

Directors: Matthew Arnold & Freddie Wong

Writers: Matthew Arnold, Will Campos & Brian Firenzi

Watch Here

Video Game High School - Season 2: Episode 5

Happy Holidays (quite literally plural) from VGHS!  This week the campus celebrated L33tmas, a student created holiday to combat Dean Calhoun's grinchyness that combines every imaginable annual celebration into one giant Frankenholiday. Of course the holidays take a toll on stress levels, and the already frazzled Brian D. finds himself pushed to the emotional brink. Meanwhile, everyone's favorite Power Rangers-esque cybernetic television personality Shot Bot finds himself facing decommissioning by the network due to low ratings and is forced to go full-on Johnny Five; on a mission to sniff out a scoop that will save his career. And scoops there are to be had at VGHS, where The Law fights alone to recover his reputation and dignity from the douchey machinations of Shane Pizza. With only one episode left this year the season arc reveals itself to have been The Law's and his gradual sub-plot path to redemption. Episode Five marks the most Law dense episode yet, setting up a Law heavy finale that finally puts him back in FPS competition. A lot of the fun this from the episode is derived from this half, from the wonderfully inspired strangeness of the Shot Bot centric cold open to The Law's new obsession with his graphically displayed milky white thigh muscles. In addition to the fun this section also does a good job setting up the finale dramatically, giving him stakes in the events of the next episode that the main cast currently lack. In retrospect the writers did a fine job compiling The Law's goofy sub-plot antics into the narrative spine of the Season and making the end of his journey back into the game that much more fun to anticipate.

Brian's story, that comprises the other half of the episode, finds his level of stress endurance finally broken, leading to a blowout that puts his friendships in jeopardy. As demonstrated frequently this season, the cast and crew have a real ability at contrasting their goofy comedy with surprisingly effective drama. While not too largely different Brian's trials from Episode Two, his climactic blowout actually carries some sting, and it's subtly implied that all isn't entirely forgiven with one of his friends heading into the finale.

As usual, a lot of the fun of 'VGHS' is derived from the level of detail applied to the world and L33tmas gave the set and costume designers a playground to run around in. If one didn't already feel inspired to give the episodes multiple viewings, this one certainly makes it a necessity to catch all of the inspired work put into the hybrid holiday background gags.

It's bittersweet moving into the final episode of the year, premiering this Friday, but it was recently revealed that in the timeline of the show Season One was Brian's first week at school, and Season Two is only the first half of his first year. This means that there is definitely a planned Season Three on the way, but also that the fine creators at Rocket Jump have many more stories they want to tell in the VGHS world. That as fun and creative as this season has been, it's only a drop in a big 8-Bit pool of ideas waiting to happen. That my friends, is the best L33tmas gift we could wish for.

Score: 4/5

Directors: Matthew Arnold & Freddie Wong

Writers: Matthew Arnold, Will Campos & Brian Firenzi

Watch it here!

Video Game High School - Season 2: Episide 4

After a first half exploring new territory, we begin the first episode of the second half of 'VGHS' Season Two with a welcome return to old favorites. FPS action is back, with the most run-and-gun action content since the pilot. We also see the return of two furry friends from Season One, Brian's cat Cheeto and The Law's fake mustache. Let's get to it shall we? Brian D. and Jenny Matrix have begun their covert relationship in earnest, scheduling closet dates between training. However, while Jenny seems comfortable, the pressure of their mutual risk is affecting Brian's ability in-game. Meanwhile, tired of being the perpetual n00b amongst his peers Ted Wong risks his life, sanity, and wetting himself by taking on the ultimate drift trial: being locked inside a banned Japanese arcade drift game until he can beat it. Ki finds herself challenged by her own strict RA rule system when Brian's cat Cheeto comes to crash in the dorm, a violation of her own code that unleashes a roiling anarchy amongst her fellow dormmates and the trollish wrath of Shane Pizza.

After two episodes of training it was nice to get back to actual FPS action, and the episode contains some great choreography that again transforms geeky anxious Brian into a frag snagging badass. While these scenes have yet to recapture the stakes and excitement of Season One's battles with The Law, the Rocket Jump crew display their strong command of low-budget action filmmaking, milking their paltry million to deliver more bullet spitting thrills then the recent 'Die Hard's could muster with ninety-two. Brian's stress-related in-game impotence storyline felt a little more predictable than usual, but the wonderfully unpredictable conclusion to his problem was signature moment of 'VGHS' brilliance.

Per usual this season, Ki's plotline shines brightest as she is faced again with a challenge of her authority vs. her friends. While not a very complex adventure, Ellary Porterfield gives all of Ki's rollercoaster of emotions the herky-jerky craziness it needed to be fun. While I've been really wanting Ted to breakout and really have a sense of destiny, his story fell a little short again, not quite the showcase of stunt driving it seemed set to be. That said, the bully car plot was a surprising and funny touch, and an appropriate answer to Ted's childlike spirit.

Meanwhile, shades of the finale start to appear, as The Law's aimbot cheating is revealed to actually be a frame orchestrated by RTS douche Shane Pizza. Originally the revelation in the premiere of The Law as a cheat struck me as mildly disappointing, since I preferred the idea of him as being an unhinged FPS god instead of a total fraud; instead this uncovered conspiracy both sets up Shane's position as a nemesis for the finale as well as the inevitable Second Coming of The Law. Let's just hope it means plenty more fake mustaches.

While not my favorite episode this season, Episode Four has plenty of what I love about 'VGHS'. , Cats riding RC cars, John Woo-esque arial gunplay, Drift King's giant quill pen. Even when things feel a little too familiar the creativity on display in inspiring and still surprises in the best ways. Just count me as excited to see how this all turns out in the end.

Score: 3/5

Directors: Matthew Arnold & Freddie Wong

Writers: Matthew Arnold, Will Campos & Brian Firenzi

Watch It Here!

Video Game High School - Season 2: Episode 3

It's Parents Day at VGHS, and as expected nobody is having an easy time of it. Jenny finds herself unwillingly drafted to give an introductory speech for her cold emotionally unsupportive mother's 'Parent of the Year' award, Ki finds herself having to make a case for her continued enrollment to her bureaucratic father, and Ted...well, Ted's situation made me laugh harder than any other moment in the show's run. Meanwhile, The Law finds himself immersed in Ki's new video game based on Brian D's  trials from season one, which leads to catharsis, perhaps for the wrong reasons. Episode Three marks the halfway point for Season Two and delivers up the best developed character study of the show's run. It's a common tool in the screenwriter playbook to use parents as a way of easily delivering exposition and 'ah-ha' moments about a lead character, but the use of the trope here is more sensitive than you'd think. Ki's dad is the cliché you'd expect; bow-tie, academic, Von Trapp structure, but he shares a genuine paternal chemistry with Ki's Porterfield and is given space to be more than a cartoon. Also, since we've already met Ted and Brian's parents they get to play support staff to the main story, preventing the episode from becoming too top-heavy with character screen time.

In a first for the show, the main plot is given to Jenny, who finds herself emotionally tested by the seemingly simple task of writing about her mother. Johanna Braddy gets to play with some of the more emotionally heavy material 'VGHS' has attempted and sells it wonderfully, the show finding a natural point to push Jenny and Brian's relationship to a head. It was a risky but necessary choice to play Jenny and Mary's harsh bond straight, one which I almost thought the team was going to bungle with an unearned happy ending, but at the last-minute a wise knife-twist is delivered proving a trust in the characters by the writers that's authentic and refreshing. I can say for the first time this season that I'm actually interested in Mary Matrix's role, if only for how Jenny's relationship with her will pan out in the end.

Meanwhile, Gollum-like laundry pile dweller The Law hijacks a copy of Ki's pixelated playable adaptation of Season One and finds himself in the virtual shoes of the kid he harassed an entire semester; The Law is getting bullied by himself. It's a clever way to deliver a turning point for our demoralized nemesis, but his revelation isn't quite what one might expect leaving us again with the great motivating question of 'what is The Law going to do next?'.

For the third episode in a row 'VGHS' keeps shedding the webby feel of Season One for more narrative quality and character depth. While so far lacking the overarching structure that the previous season benefited from, it's a real joy to watch the show trust it's characters enough to let them take the weight of the second season, rather than tacking them to an anted up repetition of the former. Having crossed the threshold into the final stretch we'll no doubt start to see the beginnings of the big challenges facing Brian D. and crew in the finale, but for now it's satisfying to see Rocket Jump's ambition for more than just bigger action pay off.

Watch The Episode Here!

Play Ki's Video Game Here!

Review: Nickelodeon’s TMNT - Season 1 - Booyakasha!!

Well as you all know I am obsessed with TMNT. I even have a tat of the turtles. Yep, I am that crazy over these mutants. With TMNT wrapping up its first season August 8th, I thought I would reflect on my affection for this cartoon. Also, I will be typing this entire review with two fingers and a thumb in honor of them. Maybe my review will be bias but talking to several people under the age of 10, I know this cartoon is good. I thought I would run down the general basis of the show and then give you guys some episodes that are must watches.

The turtles had two main villains during this first season; the Kraang and Shredder. We open the cartoon with the turtles celebrating their birthday and every year Splinter tells them of how they came to life. Splinter bought the turtles at the pet shop and followed a strange man down the street. This strange man was selling ooze. Splinter gets spotted by the dudes and tries to fight off the men. They all end up falling into the ooze and mutated into what they are today.

After the party, the gang begs Splinter for a chance to go above surface. He finally lets the Turtles and that is where this story begins. We get introduced to tons of characters. One of my favorites is Karai, Shedder’s daughter. She is complex and with how the finale ended will have a huge part in the ongoing series.

The show is a little gross, which for me, hits on the adults watching this show. You really can’t have mutated turtles and it not be gross in some ways. I like how Nick doesn’t shy away from showing us the disgusting parts. Like when a giant salamander sucks down one of the Kraang’s brains. Totally rad.

Must watch episodes:

“Never Say Xever” I like this episode for the simple fact that there are pizza dumplings. It makes me crave this delicious treat and wonder if any restaurant serves these.

“TCRI” This episode is probably my favorite. It was sad though. Leatherhead, who was given the ooze due to experiments by the Kraang, helps the Turtles to break into the Kraang’s headquarters. The episode revolves around opening Dimension X. It is so unfortunate how this story ends but just shows how this cartoon hits every nerve in your body. Mikey is really the star of this episode and is most likely everyone’s fav character. Plus Mikey is the one who befriends Leatherhead against all odds. He really is so sweet in this series. “Like a ninja do.” (which will make more sense after you watch this episode)

"Cockroach Terminator" We get to see a different side of Raphael in this episode; a frightened ninja whose biggest fear is cockroaches. It is so hilarious to see Raph so scared and Mikey making fun of him instead of the other way around. I love their relationship in this series. It is definitely a family dynamic. Plus the Cockroach is nasty. It even grossed me out…but of course that only means it was totally bodacious at the same time.

“Baxter’s Gambit” I always love when the villains and heroes must team up to fight an even bigger threat. The turtles must team up with Fishface and Dogpound in order to be released from Baxter Stockman’s House of Fun Death Trap. The visuals in this episode are so awesome. It could have been a set for a Saw movie. I also think it is a funny episode because the Turtles, Fishface, and Dogpound never give Baxter any credit for anything. They call him a different name every single time they refer to him. This episode is so entertaining visually but also shows the didactic relationship between heroes and villains. It is cool to see how they can work together.

“Showdown Part 1 &2” Clearly the last two episodes of these seasons have to be good in order to keep the audience coming back and these episodes were dynamite! The Turtles must stop the Kraang once and for all in opening the portal to Dimension X. They must save the world and April gets kidnapped, her father is being brainwashed, and Karai is here to whoop some butt. If that isn’t enough for you Splinter and Shedder showdown: enough said.

I could go on but I think the whole series is brilliant and with the second and third seasons in line I hope the perfection continues. Next season already has some pretty big surprises lined up; including Casey Jones coming into the show, Raph’s baby turtle turning into the giant Slash being voiced by Corey Feldman ,the original voices of the 80s TMNT show will make voice appearances, and I am assuming so many more mutated beings. The only downfall is I don’t quite understand why the show waited so long in-between episodes. And when I mean long I mean months. I guess kids these days just don’t care about consistent episodes.

The show just has such different elements of fighting crime and a funny dialogue. It is everything the Turtle fans could have hoped for. The animation is sweet and each character has their own habits that you will get used to. Not to mention the theme song is particularly awesome and somewhat based off the theme song from the first Turtles TV show. So go watch the damn show and hold on tight to your sai.

Score: 5/5

Channel: Nickelodeon

Broadcast Day: Saturday

Season 2 Begins in September

Review: High School USA! – Ep. 3: Adderall

I definitely enjoyed the first two episodes of this series, but the third episode was kind of a disappointment. It was evident from the pilot that Blackstein was the weakest character and so why they decided to give him his own episode so soon is beyond me. Frankly he needed more time, much like Cassandra, to be developed before they attempted to have held the audience’s attention. “Adderall” deals with several things and in a way tries to tackle too many subjects at once. It’s about pre-college exams basically and it opens with a joke about taking the SAT’s, the PSAT’s and the Rehearsal PSAT’s. From there Blackstein discovers that he hasn’t done anything in high school to pad his college application and instead of studying he’s basically going to fail. The captain of the Gay Club takes notice of him and invites him to join thinking he’s gay. Blackstein’s pumped because he thinks this is his way into college, but he’s not gay in the least bit.

The Adderall comes into play as Amber has been taking them all her life and Marsh talks her into giving Blackstein one so that he can focus on being gay. It works for a while, but he runs out and starts looking at boobs again. He asks Amber for more, but she won’t share them because she’s low and needs them for studying. Her little brother hears the conversation and what comes as no surprise, is the fact that he’s on them as well. He offers to sell Blackstein his and in the process Blackstein gets arrested.

None of the jokes hit in this episode and while I could appreciate the effort of all of them there were just too many subjects to deal with. College prep, college, studying, Adderall, being gay and taking drugs basically sums up the episode. If you hated that last sentence imagine watching a ten minute episode in which all of them are crammed within the plot. It’s to the point that you almost miss the jokes. I watched it a second time and picked up a few I missed, but it didn’t make it any better for me.

With the obvious flaw of Blackstein’s character exposed (the flaw being that he’s just a really poorly constructed stereotype unable to support the story) it also made me wonder about Cassandra’s character. She was an asset in the first two episodes and delivered some great jokes, but in this episode she was completely gimmicky and served no purpose other than a failed attempt at laughter. I hope that they don’t spotlight her in the next episode because I imagine the results will be about the same. The show’s success was the fact that episodes focused on two characters and that Marsh was the constant. It worked, but the fact that they broke from it so soon is troubling.

I’m hoping this is just a one-off bad episode because things that were weak in the previous two were better in this episode. The voice acting (with the exception of the guest characters) was better and flowed naturally. The art style is still very strong and the backgrounds felt alive with random characters just there to populate the scene. It wasn’t terrible, but it definitely wasn’t as good.

Score: 3/5

Writer/Creator: Dino Stamatopoulos

Airs on Fox, Sunday Nights or stream it on Hulu

Video Game High School - Season 2: Episode Two

Out of both seasons, Episode Two of 'VGHS' Season Two may be the most complete single episode Rocket Jump Studios has ever produced. It's actually quite remarkable how much is fit into the zippy 30 minutes, establishing direction, expanding the world, and delivering their signature special-effects laden action. Oh, and of course there is the Return of the Law. As expected, life gets tougher for Brian D., now training in the high stakes world of competitive FPS, which doesn't just mean keyboard time but also a strict diet and exercise regimen. If that wasn't bad enough, The Law's public disgrace has revoked the program that gave Brian his scholarship, leaving him no other option than to perform work-study as a janitor. What once was no time for love has now also become no time for food or sleep either. Ted still finds himself struggling in drift class but is given a chance to prove himself by raiding soda for the team fridge in a 'Metal Gear Solid' themed ninja mission. However, his plan is thwarted by The Duchess, leader of a ruffian gang of Kart racers that are the arch-rivals of the Drifters, leading to a virtual confrontation. Free from Rhythm Gaming, Ki finds herself adrift, unable to break into her desired RTS class, and is by chance tapped to replace Ted as the RA for her floor. With her proper sensibilities and obsessive-compulsive personality it seems like a good fit until she finds herself the target of The Law's wrath.

The great potential of 'VGHS' was the opportunity to define a world built around the various flavors of video game genre, exploring and parodying game culture in specific and creative fashion. Staying close to their central theme, Season One rarely strayed far from the world of FPS, with only occasional nods to other genres. With Season Two's expanded scale and budget, the goal is clearly to stretch the world's legs out, and Episode Two gives us both a peek into VGHS's RTS class and a climactic live-action battle in an asphalt Mario Kart game. While it's not clear if The Duchess and her Kart racers will play a larger role later in the season, Ki's antagonist Shane Pizza (“The name's not dumb.”) and his snobby prep school RTS class are a welcome new shade of the student body and one that I look forward to spending more time with.

Meanwhile, The Law has returned, and despite his seemingly confident persona in front of the Courts, the Big Bad has self-imploded. It turns out his supernatural powers of intimidation and evil from Season One go both ways as he devolves into a malicious childish mess of burrito juice and failure. Brian Firenze is a human special-effect but is incredibly matched by Ellary Porterfield's Ki, who is quickly becoming the breakout star of Season Two. While clearly The Law's renaissance is coming, for now it's enough to bask in the glory of his new lows.

Rocket Jump Studios is known for their live-action visualization of game tropes from their long running YouTube channel and the experience is put to good use during the Kart Racing, including some nice sound design and cleverly mashed theme music. There's a certain kinetic quality to the comedy that actually feels reminiscent of 'Spaced', filling the runtime with strange and memorable color like The Law's internal perception of a world against him and Brian's food deprived in-game hallucination. While Brian and Ted's stories are predictably familiar, this energetic creativity gives even the most transparent tropes style and surprise.

'VGHS' steps it up for the second episode, delivering big developed entertainment. With the pacing and streamlined storytelling everything feels more assured, perhaps a sign that Rocket Jump is starting to get more confident as storytellers. And maybe maturity is a strange word to apply to something containing this many fart noises, but it does mean that an already great product is getting even better. Game on folks.

Score: 4/5

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