An unsuccessful single woman (Wiig) finds her life upturned when her best friend (Rudolph) gets engaged to a wealthy man and begins hanging out with a different crowd. Extreme shenanigans ensue. Bridesmaids is, in a word, hilarious. In a year that is ripe with R-rated comedies, this one is the funniest and the one that has the most staying power (stuck around in theaters for a very long time). It also brought the world around to the genius of Kristin Wiig who has somehow been virtually ignored over the last decade despite her incredible and versatile work.
In Home Viewing Recommendation: Make no mistake, Bridesmaids is well deserving of its R-rating so if that brand of humor is not for you, stay away. Otherwise, check it out if you somehow missed it in theaters.
Modern Family: Season 2 (2010) - Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Ed O'Neill
According to the Emmys, this is the funniest show on television and if there was no such thing as Parks and Recreation, that would be correct. (I'm a little bitter about the P&R snubs.) Still, Modern Family is the rare sitcom that manages to make itself appealing on almost every level: families and singles, young and old, traditional TV fans and those who prefer more wit, everyone watches this show. That's what made Friends work for a long time and what made The Office so special. It isn't quite to that level yet but it rarely misfires and while I think it's ridiculous that Julie Bowen won an Emmy for her work (she's the worst part in my book), the cast is top notch.
IHVR: I don't have the passion for Modern Family that I do Parks and Rec but seriously, this show is laugh-out-loud funny every single week.
Raising Hope: Season 1 (2010) - Lucas Neff, Martha Plimpton, Garrett Dillahunt
True story: at the beginning of the last pilot season, Raising Hope was the last show I watched from week 1. That includes ho-hum procedurals like Detroit 187 and Blue Bloods, neither of which made it into my rest-of-the-year rotation. But Hope hooked me from the first episode (GREAT pilot which is very rare) and it only got stronger throughout the year. Modern Family is a better show but if you pressed me and forced me to choose, I'd probably say Hope is more entertaining. Also, I dream of a world where Garrett Dillahunt has either an Emmy or an Oscar and Hope is the best chance of realizing that dream.
IHVR: If you enjoyed the previous work of Greg Garcia (My Name Is Earl and Yes, Dear) or any of the non-laughed tracked sitcoms on TV these days, Raising Hope is definitely worth catching up on.
New to Blu Pick of the Week
During WWII, a woman (Kidman) who lives with her two sick children becomes convinced that her home is haunted. No, The Others isn't what I'd call a GREAT film but of all the Sixth Sense knock-offs that came along in the half decade after that film changed the world, this is my pick for the best. It is genuinely spooky and the twist is quite solid.
Also New to Blu
Dumbo (1941) - Sterling Holloway, Edward Brophy, James Baskett (The Disney classic that I kind of hate)
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) - Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal (The Hepburn classic I've never seen)
Scary Movie 2 and 3 (2001, 2003) - Various Wayans Brothers (The Wayans "classics" that make me want to jab a screwdriver in my own eye)
Also New
Castle: Season 3 (2010) - Nathan Fillion, Susan Sullivan (I don't know why I don't watch this show but I don't. If it showed up on Netflix Instant, I'm convinced I'd be caught up in a week.)
The Mentalist: Season 3 (2010) - Simon Baker, Robin Tunney
Hawaii Five-0: Season 1 (2010) - Kyle O'Loughlin, Scott Caan
The Kennedys (2011) - Greg Kinnear, Katie Holmes, Barry Pepper
Body of Proof: Season 1 (2011) - Dana Delaney, Jeri Ryan
Mike and Molly: Season 1 (2010) - Melissa McCarthy, Billy Gardell
Happy Endings: Season 1 (2011) - Elisha Cuthbert, Damon Wayans, Jr.
Law and Order Los Angeles: Complete Series (2010) - Alfred Molina, Skeet Ulrich
oohh! I had no idea The Others came out on Blu Ray!!
ReplyDeleteI've always enjoyed that movie; very solid.
ReplyDelete