Channel Larry (EDIT: Channel Awesome renamed to just Nostalgia Critic)

[Avaitor]

I just watched Linkara's last Marville review. Wow, those look like terrible comics, and each of his reviews were great.

[talonmalon333]

So last night, I saw Doug's video telling his thoughts on Desolation of Smaug. He seemed to find it funny how, when he went to see the movie, he realized that there are hardly any showings for it anymore. Not sure why, considering the movie has been out for a while. But that's a minor note. What I really want to address is when he had this to say, regarding the scenes of Bilbo talking to Smaug...

"You really get sick of those parts."

That usage of "you, once again, shows Doug's weak vocabulary and is bad because it makes it sound like he's trying to talk for everyone. From what I gather, he's pretty much alone on that opinion, anyway. I found the exchanges between Bilbo and Smaug to be the best parts of the film, and I know many people agree with that, essentially seeing him as what Gollum was to the previous movie. Really, Smaug was such a cool dragon in every way, maybe one of the best I've seen in any movie. I don't see how you can be bored whenever he's on the screen. From the booming voice carrying the great dialogue, to that perfect CGI that honestly looks like a practical effect while capturing the huge size of him.

Still, the important part is Doug's vocabulary.

Anyway, for some reason, I had a feeling he wouldn't like this movie very much. I really don't even know why I did. It was just this strange hunch. I still think it was much better than the first movie.

[No-Personality]

I don't know why, but I've been thinking a lot about Doug's "vocabulary" as well over only the past 4 or so months. Or, more specifically, during the NC Editorials I bothered to watch. Listening to him talk seriously, asking questions like he does, in serious mode, feels an awful lot like watching a teenager do the same thing. A lot of his sentence structures and the way he speaks feel more than a little immature and/or naive. He sounds like he's basically turning the clock back in terms of maturity. The more serious he tries to get, the more awkward he sounds and the more high school-ish.

I think he really needs his humor, to help cover a lot of this up.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I haven't disagreed this much with Doug since The Dark Knight Rises. He says that Smaug is more of a special effect than a character. Was he even listening to the dialogue? Smaug is both very clever and equally intimidating. He also gives Bilbo a lot of insight into why he hates the Dwarves so much, and particularly points out how Thorin is just using him in pursuit of his own greed. For something as cliche as a giant dragon that hordes treasure, Smaug actually has a surprising amount of character, when it probably would've just been easier to make him a big special effect and nothing more. Then again, considering that Doug couldn't even bother to remember ANY character's name outside of ones that were already in TLOTR trilogy, it's very telling of how little he pays attention to details.

Also Doug claims that the visuals are way too dark in the cave....first of all it's a cave, so it's kind of supposed to be dark, but he makes it sound like you can barely see anything, which is ridiculous. Some of the best visuals of the film (mainly how great Smaug animates) are in the cave.

[talonmalon333]

I'd say that, after Gandalf and Legolas, Smaug was the best character in this movie.

EDIT: Also, I don't get how Doug is using the exact same criticisms people used against the first movie, on this one... while claiming they were there in the first movie but weren't a problem to him. Like, how does that even work?

[LumRanmaYasha]

Haven't watched it yet, but in this week's NC Doug takes on Ghost Rider.

Also, JO is back with, wait for it, an actual anime review! When was the last time she did one of those? Like with the new NC, I haven't watched it yet, but here's the first part of her Attack on Titan review.

[Avaitor]

That was a good review. I think it's my favorite from Nicholas Cage month, but I liked each of his main reviews.

Oh, and Doug linked to this article which posted a list of the author's favorite NC reviews. It's a pretty good one, all things considered.

[No-Personality]

Doug linked to this article which posted a list of the author's favorite NC reviews. It's a pretty good one, all things considered.

Um... I had a huge problem with Doug's most recent Commercials video. The commercials made in the last few years: they're not nostalgic. Which may fall in line with his "I don't need to review nostalgic stuff anymore" but... these are commercials. You can't mix the nostalgic with that red, white, and blue pancakes commercial that nearly turned me into a homicidal maniac.

For 2 reasons, clearly.

[Avaitor]

I don't really mind that he went with more modern commercials for the new video myself, although I can see why you do. Still, I'd probably go with one of his earlier commercials videos for my list.

[Dr. Insomniac]

If a pancake commercial pisses you off that much, there might be more problems with you than the video though.

[No-Personality]

Wow! Paw made a good episode (sorry if anyone else likes his series, Music Movies, but I find him... just not good, except on his Let's Plays with Pushing Up Roses):
http://blip.tv/pawdugan/music-movies-the-wizard-of-oz-6721729

He deserves all the props I can give on a well-written episode that makes you want to keep watching, though I think I generally disagree with him. One that the music score has any real flaws (other than how hard it is to discern what the Lion is singing during "If I Were King"). And I happen to rather like the Andrews Sisters (well, what little I've heard). Two that I think the film itself is actually a little too simplistic and at times laborious. That opinion changes during scenes, I might never feel the same way about a scene from one viewing to the next, but I don't think the film is perfect. The fact that it is nostalgic means as long as it's enjoyable, that's good enough.


Also, I particularly enjoyed this Lupa b-side on An American Werewolf in London:
http://blip.tv/OLPresents/that-almost-happened-an-american-werewolf-in-london-ii-6722438

Though I mention in the comments section that she was wrong about Rick Baker working on The Howling.


New Todd "One Hit Wonderland" episode:
http://blip.tv/todds-pop-song-reviews/one-hit-wonderland-walking-in-memphis-by-marc-cohn-6723177

And... I've been thinking about this song, specifically, for well over a year now. The last 4 or 5 months, I even thought about Todd doing this specific episode. Of course, this is thanks to my doing all that 90's digging for my Top 999 Singles of the decade list but I only remembered the song thanks to Vh1's Pop-Up Videos. Which went on a bit about Cohn's winning the Grammy and then disappearing from any public attention. Yet it didn't strike me that this would be the main focus of Todd's analysis. (He also mentions the Natalie Cole duet with her father's voice song that won so much praise... I remembered that from the 90's; also thanks to Vh1.)

[Avaitor]

You know, I like the Bridge to Terabitha review, but one joke I don't get is Doug calling New Girl "filler after The Mindy Project". I know plenty of people who like New Girl, but the only people I know who watch TMP are people who are disappointed that the show isn't as funny as NG or Kaling's Office work. Not to mention that Mindy's on the bubble while New Girl is considered the highlight of the night for Fox.

[Dr. Insomniac]

I know plenty of people who like Big Bang Theory. Doesn't mean it's not Thursday filler.

[Avaitor]

Well in that case, isn't every show filler in our lives? Instead of watching The Wire or Game of Thrones or Black Mirror, we could be out living life, but nope.

[Foggle]

Well in that case, isn't every show filler in our lives? Instead of watching The Wire or Game of Thrones or Black Mirror, we could be out living life, but nope.

I mean, that's technically true. All recreational stuff could be considered life filler. But isn't this more about TV shows that some people might consider unimportant and just made to fill time? Like Cops and everything on HGTV.