Online Video Reviews

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So if you’re party is looking this sad, you might as well head on over here and check this site out… you don’t really have much to lose.

Cheers and Happy 2009 to all, and to all a good night!

Felicia Day and Kim Evey are making some big waves in the online video pond with their show the Guild. Having cleaned up with a Youtube, Yahoo, ONNetworks and SXSW awards with their first season, amassed over 9 million views and single-handedly put the niche of MMORG on the radar of every net-savvy producer out there, they’re back with season 2, just in time for Christmas.

I won’t mess you about, the second season - currently on episode 3 - is quite good, better really, than the first season.

What I particularly like is that we are starting to see a bit more about the characters. Felicia the scriptwriter understands that this what we want and so, for example, in episode 3 we get a particularly funny peak at Vork’s life. Her dialogue in this second season seems to be even more chock full of MMORG geek-speak, which left me lost once or twice, but I know that the players will eat it up. And besides, I get the gist of what she means and the rest of the script is tight and funny.

More importantly, she gets that comedy isn’t necessarily about being silly or packing your dialogue and story with non-sequitors (Seth MacFarlane Presents, the Blah Girls, Val Verde). Yes, we laugh, but we want to get closer to the characters and their sad, game-obsessed lives.

Season 2 - Episode 3: Quest Accepted!
…what the hell am I babbling on about, this ain’t a NY Times review (they spell better and have a better grasp of grammar than I do, for one). You want to take notice of the character’s use of the “4th wall” or how an indie production like this has garnered so much attention and a sweet sponsorship from MSN-Video? Go right ahead. I, personally, geek out at the production values, which I wish to god more online video producers would use as a role model, but even that is not really worth mentioning.

What absolutely has to be said is: “look, people, the show is good fun. Go watch it and be happy.”

And so, despite one or two wrinkles: Sandeep rushes through his lines/ad libs like a guy doing improv, I really hate the MSN-Video site, especially ’cause I usually can’t find the show and I can’t embed an episode here!!)... I  recommend the second season so far unreservedly.

Val Verde is a small Latin American country which produces and exports evil henchmen..you know, the guys who get offfed in all the adventure movies early on - the ones who spent several minutes shooting at the hero and then get popped by the hero’s one well-placed, over-the-shoulder shot.

In this 60Frames original show, we follow Carruthers, Ajax, Zaptop, Jax and the Uncredited Henchman (true to form, we never see his face) as they flee the attack and destruction of their evil henchmen training camp into the jungle where they soon realize that they’ve stumbled into a low-budget, humorous (for us, at least) re-make of predator.

Check out the first episode:

Written, produced and staring those dashing young comedians over at Elephant Larry, the 4 episode-show is most certainly funny but not quite ripe, in the same way that teenage boys amusing themselves by pretending to make movies are not really all that great…yes, this was a swipe at Smosh.

All snide remarks aside, the boys do a good job with what they have and despite what the Youtube cool kids say about quality not mattering for online video…which, as a viewer, I completely disagree with…it’s nice to see that the kind folks over at 60Frames do actually care about good videography, sound and post-production. Now, if they would just take some time to go over the script a little bit more…

The problem is really that, while making check-marks down the laundry list of action movie stereotypes, the story gets pretty much neglected. Hey, I’m a simple guy to please. You don’t need a 3 scene story arc that ties in all the individual character’s story arcs to make me happy…but I can’t help but feel that the show was conceived during an improv set one night, and that the guys did nothing more than create the aforementioned laundry list of action movie stereotypes and think of some way to tie it all together. Sure, it’s funny, maybe two episodes worth of it, but after that…who wants to watch anymore?

This seems to be a common symptom amongst the online videos created by stage-based comedy troupes…and one which seems to bother not just me. Only a few really troupes seem to have made the transition from stage to video elegantly: the Groundlings and Casanovas.

the Bottom Line:

3 stars out of 5. It’s a show to watch if your’re trying to kill some time at work. It is pretty funny but no where near compulsively watchable.

You never know what you’ll get when you put a bunch of stars together tell ‘m to sing about politics. Funny or Die got it right with this one about Prop. 8 in California (you know, about gay marriages).

Jack Black gets my vote as best cross-over from traditional media to “new media” and, of course, Neil “Dr. Horrible” Patrick Harris.

This is just a short heads up  to let you know that the Guild Season 2, episode 1 is out! I can’t embed it here  because it belongs exclusively to MSN video. It’s great - go watch it.

The story continues with Zabo and Codec getting kicked out out Codec’s house by Zabo’s mom….and I won’t tell you anything more except that the episode ends with the two of them leaning in for a kiss. Seriously. Go watch it and I’ll put out a real review very soon.

I first reviewed the Meatgrinder show in July. Back then they had only 3 episodes and a handful of PSA’s. The show was rough around the edges but had  certain dirty charm - if you could get past the overtly sexual puppet themes. Since then, Chris Erb, Dal Wolf and Dan Mott have put out a whopping 2 more episodes. But, hey, then again, I’ve not put out a new post in over a week so we’ll let that one slide.

The question is, have they gotten any better? And the answer is, unfortunately, no.

I really wanted to like this show. It’s indie made and it manages to have pretty decent production quality. Hell, they made their own puppet! But, at the end of the day, after watching all the episodes once again (for your gentle reader, only for you)…I have to honestly say that the show is not worth your time.

Your 14 year old brother or cousin might like it. Hell, they’ll probably find it brilliant…but, here’s the thing, if your not an adolescent, sex-starved boy, you won’t be able to sit through more than one episode.

Last time I took a few snarky shots at Dal Wolf’s acting, but hey, the guy’s better than most Youtubers (seen Hooking Up yet?) and it’s really not the acting that kills the show for me, it’s the really lame attempts at irreverent humor. Comedy is tricky genre and Chris Erb, writer director of the Meatgrinder show, clearly does not get it.

the Bottom Line:

2 out of 5 stars. This train has gone off the tracks…you don’t need to bother watching.