Tag Archives: Amazon

If We Controlled Your Remote… 12/15/17

Posted on December 15, 2017 by , and

Have you ever been at a loss as to what to watch? Too many shows to pick from? We’re here to give you our opinions on what we feel is worth watching. Check it out and then let us know in the comments below what you’re choosing for tonight!

Kyle’s Choice #1

Early this morning, Amazon Prime Video launched the action/comedy series Jean-Claude Van Johnson. The series stars action movie icon Jean-Claude Van Damme playing a parody of himself. Van Damme is out of shape and has been retired for a couple of years but previously worked as a highly talented international black ops agent, using his movie sets as cover while performing undercover missions as Jean-Claude Van Johnson.

After a chance meeting with ex-partner/ex-lover Vanessa (Kat Foster, The Goodwin Games, ’Til Death), JCVD decides it’s time for him to get back in the game and asks handler Jane (Phylicia Rashad, The Cosby Show) to assign him to Vanessa’s mission. So he heads to Bulgaria to help stop a group of drug runners. For his cover, JCVD is starring in an action re-imagining of Huckleberry Finn. And supporting him on the mission are Vanessa – doing recon as his on-set hair stylist – and weapons expert/tech guy Luis (Moises Arias, Hannah Montana), who’s been inserted into the production crew. However, the team soon discovers that they have stumbled upon a plot much larger and more sinister than they imagined.

This series is so entertaining – it is equal parts comedy and solid action/thriller. Much of the humor comes from the overly dramatic acting, witty dialogue, and absurd situations that arise. Jean-Claude is hilarious and does a great job of poking fun at himself. His character is so in love with himself and never misses an opportunity to mention his previous work. However, sometimes JCVD starts to believe that all of the movie magic is real and overestimates his own abilities, getting himself into trouble. Jean-Claude also plays a second character in the series, one who literally had me laughing out loud.

The show is very self-aware, making fun of the tropes you see in all of those action films of the late 80s/90s. The first season follows a serialized story, with interesting and unexpected twists and turns that keep you guessing. While the show is quite funny, it also provides some incredible action sequences. Jean-Claude proves that he’s still got it – using kicks, spins, splits, and punches to take out the bad guys.

I can’t recommend this series highly enough. It’s a really fun and exciting romp that is definitely worth checking out. The first episode is available for free to everyone, but the rest of the season requires an Amazon Prime subscription.
 
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If We Controlled Your Remote… 11/29/17

Posted on November 29, 2017 by , , and

Have you ever been at a loss as to what to watch? Too many shows to pick from? We’re here to give you our opinions on what we feel is worth watching. Check it out and then let us know in the comments below what you’re choosing for tonight!

Kyle’s Choice

Earlier this year, Amazon released the pilot for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as part of its spring pilot season. The episode got rave reviews, and the series was picked up a month later for 2 seasons. Early today, Amazon dropped the entire first season exclusively for Prime members (non-Prime members can still check out the pilot). Set in New York City in 1958, the series follows 26-year-old housewife Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan, House of Cards), whose life seems so perfect, just before it comes crashing down. Her husband Joel (Michael Zegen, Rescue Me) is a successful businessman by day and struggling comedian by night. The couple has two children – 3-year-old Ethan and a new baby girl. Midge is the portrait of a perfect housewife, maintaining the home and supporting her husband is his career and comedic aspirations. However, one night after bombing at a comedy club, Joel announces to Miriam that he’s leaving her for his secretary. Miriam drowns her sorrows in alcohol and, in her inebriated state, ends up on the stage at the comedy club. Shedding her prim and proper exterior, Miriam lets loose and instantly wins over the crowd, but her lewd behavior and crude language attracts the attention of the local authorities. However, club manager/wannabe agent Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein, Family Guy, Getting On) sees potential in Midge and wants to help her launch a stand-up career.

The series comes from Gilmore Girls creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and husband Daniel Palladino, and even though this highly-serialized series is a period comedy/drama, it shares a lot in common with the Palladinos’ previous series. It centers around a young single(ish) mother dealing with her disappointed parents – always-irritated father, mathematics professor Abe (Tony Shalhoub, Monk) and more-supportive but overprotective mother Rose (Marin Hinkle). The family’s apartment in the Upper West Side is quite stately, and they have a maid – not unlike the Gilmores’ Connecticut home. Characters are constantly breaking into rapid-fire banter, and while there aren’t any troubadours, the Palladinos have still managed to weave musical performances in throughout the episodes. Even though the series is set in New York City, it still manages to capture a small-town feeling at times.

The series is really well written, with interesting characters, witty dialogue, some great character drama and development, and some fun recurring jokes. Rachel Brosnahan is charming in the lead role, even when she’s cursing like a sailor. And the supporting cast is also a lot of fun, especially Tony Shaloub and Alex Borstein. Other actors that pop up in the first few episodes include Kevin Pollak (Angel from Hell) and Caroline Aaron (Episodes) as Joel’s parents, Luke Kirby (Rectify) as comedian Lenny Bruce, and Max Casella (Doogie Howser, M.D.) as a lawyer. I checked out the first four episodes and could have easily watched more if that had been made available. I look forward to checking out the rest of the season on Amazon!

I’ll also be watching/recording The Goldbergs, Speechless, Modern Family, American Housewife, Designated Survivor, Survivor, Riverdale, Vikings, MythBusters, and Mr. Robot.
 
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If We Controlled Your Remote… 4/20/17

Posted on April 20, 2017 by , and

Have you ever been at a loss as to what to watch? Too many shows to pick from? We’re here to give you our opinions on what we feel is worth watching. Check it out and then let us know in the comments below what you’re choosing for tonight!

Kyle’s Choice

Last week, Superstore took a week off, but tonight it returns for the first of the final three weeks of the season. In the last episode, Glenn brought all of his past and present foster kids to the store to take a family photo for wife Jerusha. Cheyenne offered to watch toddler Bobbie Sue but almost immediately lost sight of her. So Garrett and Dina helped build a baby trap out of a plastic container and a toilet plunger, with some black licorice for bait, and shockingly, it worked! Meanwhile, Mateo tricked some of the kids into doing his work for him, while he used them as a sounding board to deal with his breakup blues. And when Jonah made a connection with 25-year-old Kristen, Glenn asked Amy to take the fall as he tried to break them up.

This show has such a great ensemble of characters. No matter how they are paired up each week, there’s always so much chemistry and so many laughs. That said, I’m a little nervous about tonight’s episode, as it marks the return of Cheyenne’s fiancé, Bo, who was easily my least favorite part of the first season. I’m hoping that somehow having a new baby has mellowed him out a bit. I’m also interested to see how the whole Jonah and Amy “will they or won’t they” plays out in these final three episodes of the season… Will they build to some kind of cliffhanger in the season finale?

On tonight’s episode, “Spring Cleaning,” a “spring cleaning” day is initiated by Glenn, and Amy and Garrett snoop into abandoned photos during the cleanup. Also, Jonah tries to gain Glenn’s approval, and Cheyenne’s fiancé begins working at the store to make fast cash for their wedding.

See what Amy and Garrett find in the pictures tonight on NBC at 8/7c.

I’ll also be watching/recording The Catch, The Amazing Race, Powerless, The Blacklist, MasterChef: Junior, and Kicking & Screaming.
 
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If We Controlled Your Remote… 12/16/16

Posted on December 16, 2016 by , and

Have you ever been at a loss as to what to watch? Too many shows to pick from? We’re here to give you our opinions on what we feel is worth watching. Check it out and then let us know in the comments below what you’re choosing for tonight!

Jenny’s Choice

Last week on Hawaii Five-0, a teenager was undergoing hypnosis therapy after being diagnosed with PTSD, only for him to tell his therapist he’d witnessed a murder. At first he was worried that he’d been the one to commit it, but after investigating and getting him under hypnosis a couple more times, come to find out it was his mother who did the killing. One night, after she’d been drinking and fighting with his father, she took the boy and planned to go stay at a hotel. Unfortunately, she ran into the victim, a teenage girl, and scared about the consequences, she killed her by bashing her head in with a rock and then buried her. Her son got out of the car to find her in time to witness it. Man, that had to have been a shock to learn his mother had done that and he’d witnessed it! The kid’s father didn’t know either, poor guy. But at least that meant the kid still had his dad. Elsewhere, Danny’s sister was in Hawaii on a work conference, and Danny realized she was close – too close – to a guy she worked with. He convinced her that cheating wasn’t going to be good for her and that he was always there for her, no matter how far apart they lived. It was sweet, and I loved seeing Missy Peregrym, even though I don’t like her hair as much that short!)

Tonight’s episode should be outstanding. My heart broke for Chin when his niece, Sara, had to go live with her grandparents in Mexico after he’d really begun feeling like a father to her. He was worried that they were involved in the same dealings their son Gabriel had been, but nothing turned up with his investigation, so he had no choice but to let her go. Fortunately, that story line is being revisited tonight, and I’m hoping he (& we) get a much more positive outcome this go round!

On tonight’s episode, “Ka’ili aku (Snatchback),” Five-0 races to Mexico where Chin puts his life on the line after his niece Sara is kidnapped. Duane “Dog” Chapman returns as himself and George Takei returns as Chin’s Uncle Choi.

See if Chin and the rest of Five-0 can rescue Sara and bring her back to Hawaii where she belongs tonight on CBS at 9/8c.

I’ll also be watching/DVRing Hell’s Kitchen, Last Man Standing, & MacGyver.
 
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If We Controlled Your Remote… 10/14/16

Posted on October 14, 2016 by and

Have you ever been at a loss as to what to watch? Too many shows to pick from? We’re here to give you our opinions on what we feel is worth watching. Check it out and then let us know in the comments below what you’re choosing for tonight!

Kyle’s Choice

David E. Kelley has written and created many legal shows for the broadcast networks over the decades (Harry’s Law, Boston Legal, The Practice, Ally McBeal, and L.A. Law). And even my favorite show of his, Picket Fences, had a large legal component. Now the prolific television producer is heading into the no-limits realm of streaming with his latest legal drama Goliath. The series follows disgraced lawyer turned ambulance chaser Billy McBride (Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo), who finds himself with the unique opportunity to both redeem himself and get revenge on the firm that fired him when one of its biggest clients becomes the target of a wrongful death suit. Billy assembles a ragtag team to research the case, but they quickly uncover a much larger, deadly conspiracy. The amazing cast also includes William Hurt (Humans), Maria Bello (Touch, Prime Suspect), Olivia Thirlby (Good Vibes), Molly Parker (House of Cards), Tania Raymonde (Switched at Birth, Lost), Sarah Wynter (American Odyssey), Damon Gupton (Bates Motel, Prime Suspect), Dwight Yoakam (Under the Dome), and Harold Perrineau (Lost).

I have been a big fan of David E. Kelley’s work over the years. His shows always provide interesting, quirky characters, smart dialogue, and thought-provoking drama with a dash of humor. The entire 8-episode season of Goliah is available to Amazon Prime subscribers today, but the first episode is also available to anyone with an Amazon account. I’m looking forward to checking out this new series.

Catch all 8 episodes now on Amazon!

I’ll also be watching/recording MacGyver, The Exorcist, Wolf Creek, Z Nation, Van Helsing, and Quarry.
 
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