The Funniest Movie Of the Summer "Ted" Reviewed

   Sometimes life throws a curve ball at you and there is nothing you can do about it. Originally watching "People Like Us" was the plan yesterday and later on on Sunday a review of "Magic Mike" and "Ted" was going to be released, that was the plan, but sometimes the plan needs to be scrapped and life is meant to take it's own route regardless of what you have to say about it. In this case life pointed in the direction of "Ted" and so "Ted" is what was watched. The first thing that needs to be said before this review begins is that if you are not a fan of "Family Guy" then this movie is not for you, its not like being a fan is required but it is the case that if you are a fan you'll love this movie, if you're not you will either hate this movie or have a "...meh..." reaction to this movie, that's just how it is. Now that the disclaimer is done with let's jump in and review this thing.

   If you watch the preview above then you basically get a picture about what this movie is about, it's not a deep movie to grasp, it's just a story about  a man and his bear who happened to come to life. Starting with the negative here, it needs to be said that this movie is offensive, not just a little bit offensive but very offensive, even finding a preview that did not contain a ton of offensive material was hard. This is not a children's movie, so if you are a parent and thought about taking your kids to see this, well, know what you're getting yourself into first. There are tons of curse words, tons of mature material and lines are crossed various times. If everything that was just said is a plus for you then please go watch this movie, you'll love it, if not then you're welcome, I just saved you $8-$15 depending on where you live.

   The first positive thing that needs to be said about this movie is that it was funny, like really funny, I haven't laughed that hard in ages. Seth MacFarlane knows his stuff, he wrote, directed and played Ted, the man has got a gift, a sick perverted gift, but a gift none of the less. I haven't heard a theater laugh that hard in ages, it wasn't like there was just a few of us laughing throughout the picture but it was everyone laughing every other second, if you are in need of a laugh and you love Seth's humor then this movie is the right choice for you, you'll love it from beginning to end. Some might argue that the writing is simple, as in it's not a complex existential script, but I would argue that writing a script that makes an audience laugh that much is one of the most complex things a writer can do, comedy is one of the most complex mediums for a writer, thus Seth MacFarlane deserves mad props for this movie.

   This is the first full length movie Seth MacFarlane has directed, and he did a great job. Comedies are not only hard to write but are also very hard to direct, you need to have vision in order to understand what will work and what will flop on the big screen, you need to have a deeper understanding of the picture than everyone else, a bigger perception about how the movie needs to come together in order for it to strike gold, and Seth accomplished all these things, this movie did strike gold, in its own Seth MacFarlane way. I say "Seth MacFarlane way" because it is just that, his combination of humor has no proper label to it, it's a unique mixture of genres within comedy that forms this comedic masterpiece.

   Mark Wahlberg deserves mad props for acting on something different than he generally does, you can't help but half expect him to rob a bank or have a gun fight with someone during the flick, it is his m.o. after all. Anyway, Mark was awesome, he was funny, clever and sold his role well, he did a fantastic job. Mila Kunis also did a fantastic job looking amazing as usual, but seriously she did a great job as well, it's not easy doing what these two did, doing a movie about a teddy bear and not be cheesy throughout it, that is no easy feat. Honestly the writing and acting was so good that you sort of forget that Ted is a teddy bear and just start treating him as another character in the movie, the movie is just that funny and that entertaining. Side characters also deserve a shout out here, Joel McHale and Giovanni Ribisi both were fantastic, both sold their roles well, there were other cameos that surprised and were awesome but I don't want to spoil anything.

  It needs to be said again though that this movie is not for everyone, it is vulgar, trashy, and offensive, it does resemble "Family Guy" in that Seth wrote both and his humor is unique, but the movie is more visually mature than the animated series, Seth can get away with more in the big screens than he can on network television, so be warned. For those that love Seth's work and have followed his career since it's beginning, well, you'll love this film, you'll die laughing and be thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. This was Seth's debut on the big screen and he gave us exactly what we thought he was going to give, doing a fantastic job of it, needless to say I am looking forward to his next projects to come, hopefully they will live up to this movie.

  Hope everyone had a fantastic week and that this weekend might be a safe and fun one for you. Be sure to enjoy your summer as much as possible, relax, have fun, but above all spend it with those you love.

 Love from your humble blogger, 

From Toddlers to Young Adults: 5 Fun Shows

     Some have come to us recently and made the critique that we never review or talk about shows that are designed for a younger audience and that we should make a post reviewing some so that our younger readers might get some content as well. Therefore the challenge was set and this post had to be made, this post is built a little differently in that the age groups per show will vary, for the most part the shows are directed towards teens, early and late, but there is one show I couldn't help but talk about first, it's a show geared from toddlers all the way to 4-5 year old if not even older, thus let us begin.

   Yo Gabba Gabba

   There are many ways to describe this show, weird, confusing, bizarre or as it is most commonly known, crack for babies. For some reason babies love this show, but not only babies but children of a variation of ages loves this show, DJ Lance Rock the host of this show has actually been invited to concerts put on by older audiences, so even some adults love the show, it makes no sense....or at least it did until I watched the show and loved it as well. I was visiting some friends recently and they have a two year old who is obsessed with this show, they informed me that she has loved the show since she was younger, so this wasn't a fad but a legit love, which is different with kids, specially now-a-days where people grow bored of things so easily. Anyway, give "Yo Gabba Gabba" a chance and you'll come to love it, it'll be strange, but seeing your kid happy will affect you into liking the show as well, maybe that's the X factor.

     Level Up

    This is the next step up on our show evolution. "Level Up" is this generation's "Power Rangers", just by looking at the synopsis of the shows placed side by side you'll notice the similarities. The show is obviously for this generation in that it's referring to "gamers" and the "internet", hitting on two of the strongest interests of everyone who is getting older in today's generation. The show is silly and cheesy, it doesn't have anything too violent and no cursing is involved in the production of this picture, so it is a good old live-action TV show about High School students saving the world from monsters, "Power Rangers" much?

     The Neighbors (ABC)

   This show has not come out yet, so this might be weird in that you're thinking we should be reviewing shows that are already out, well I cheat, this is a preview of a decent looking show that will be coming out on ABC this fall. The show follows a family who is basically your normal human family but who have neighbors who are aliens. Yes, this is the plot of many children's alien movies and thus this show fit this list for best upcoming show geared towards a younger audience. The true reason behind talking about this show is this show's director Chris Koch (Modern Family, Scrubs, My Name is Earl) and the writer Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love, Tangled, Cars 2), both of which are brilliant and have not disappointed before, so keep a close eye on this show, it looks like it's going to be a good one.

     Regular Show

    When you reach your early teens you are introduced to the glorious world of Cartoon Network, from the older shows they have to the newer ones, Cartoon Network will become a go to channel for sure. Besides the infatuation you'll begin to have with "Adult Swim" which will consume part of your life even in your college undergrad years, there are shows within Cartoon Network that are obviously not your normal "teen shows", "Regular Show" is one of these shows. There really isn't any description I could give to summarize this show, it's a tale of two best friends getting in trouble in the world, that's the best anyone can do really. The downside to this show is that most episodes are hit or miss, so be ready for that, the ducklings episode is the best one in my humble opinion, but anyway, check it out.

   Adventure Time

    It boggles my mind how some people think this show is a kids show, this is by far one of the most bizarre yet entertaining shows on TV, but it does host a plethora of adult material throughout the show, it's well hidden mind you but if you are familiar with the references then it all comes together and this show takes on a new light. The best description for this show is that this is the "Yo Gabba Gabba" for young adults, it's the weird show that everyone loves without really knowing why they love it but still loving every second of it. This is most definitely a hate it or love it show though, there is no middle ground, I'm sure that there is an exception out there but I've never heard someone say "oh I kind of like that show", its always been either love or hate directed at the show, anyway, you should give it a shot and decide for yourselves.

   And there you have it, 4 awesome shows you can watch and 1 you can look forward to. On Friday I'll be reviewing "People Like Us", but check back with us on Sunday where you'll find the review of "Ted" and "Magic Mike", it's only fair to do them both at once.

 Love from your humble blogger,