Change Your Image
![](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjQ4MTY5NzU2M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDc5NTgwMTI@._V1_SY100_SX100_.jpg)
aljammy-11552
Reviews
Hoops (2020)
Low brow? Nah, low blow
Okay I'm well aware that low brow, dirty humour can be funny. This isn't coming from a lofty, puritan "oh sex is dirty" standpoint but rather "low brow humour is funny when done properly" standpoint, which in the case of Hoops, it absolutely isn't done properly.
Hoops has all the hallmarks of the all too common 'Rick and Morty' clone if you will. The weird cartoony art style and likeable jerk protagonists. Except our man here doesn't have any sort of personality whatsoever. He's mainly just a dick and that's literally all I can say about him as there's little to no substance.
Unfortunately most of the humour also stems from our protagonist and his nature. So most of the 'comedy' consists of talking about dicks with no context and the fact he really likes the 1991 film "little man tate" despite not seeing it all the way through. Seriously, that's it. That's ALL this shows consist of. There's no set up to the jokes, no punchlines. Just the word 'dick' and then "please now laugh". One example is from the first episode where he's asking his dad for money and after being brushed off starts hollering about how he "came out of his dick" out of nowhere. And then all they do is repeat these two jokes for the next ten episodes. Hell there's even a character where the only premise is that he can suck his own privates and that's it. In his three appearances they just repeat this joke any time he is on screen.
Honestly it feels like a thirteen year old wrote this tosh. If you want well done, satisfying low brow humour just flick on archer and watch that, don't bother with... this.
Rick and Morty: Full Meta Jackrick (2022)
Pfft
Whilst I am very critical of this episode, I'm a big enough person to say this episode DID have some clever and funny ideas, but that's it, that's where the pros end and the long LONG list of cons begin. For starters, being Meta for the sake of being meta just isn't funny or clever, most of the episode just goads that type of viewer who may want a little bit of story by just constantly being all snarky like "oh wow you actually WANT a cohesive plot, what a loser teehehe ahaha" it just comes off as smarmy and big headed. It's like one long rant, similar in vein to someone leaving twitter.
And it's a shame because the ideas could've been great, but if, and only if the writers could've just gotten off of their high horse for one second and stopped acting superior then they could've had something great (like the story train episode which managed to be meta and funny at the same time) instead you have a bunch of solitary ideas glued together with "hey guys, guys look we're being meta and stuff, aren't we clever?" Like legit look away for just a second during this episode and you will completely lose track of the plot, it is THAT bad.
1899 (2022)
Managed to jump the shark...somehow
The series started on such a strong note. An interesting premise, a colourful cast of varying and different characters each sharing the common trait of hiding a dark and terrible secret, hence them being on the boat, to escape Europe and begin again in America. And yet despite ALL of that... none of it matters whatsoever.
The first four episodes set the stage and introduce us to the characters along with some tensions between the first and second class passengers alongside forcing the crew to take sides either for or against the captain. Meanwhile some eerie things begin happening after the discovery of a lost passenger ship where all the souls aboard have simply disappeared without a trace. Not everything really links together and there are storylines running parallel but it's ramping up to something interesting
However a good 80% of the events in the first 4 episodes don't matter whatsoever as the series jumps the shark in episode 6 since the writers decided it was a good idea to have the whole thing actually be a simulation. So all the unanswered questions (and there's a tremendous amount) simply get chalked up to "it's a simulation, it doesn't matter". Like why the little girl had to die and why did all the passengers just lob themselves off the side don't mean anything and those events happened for no reason. All established character motivation goes straight out the window. They also keep up with these random mysteries even after it's been established that none of them matter anyway since 'it's just the simulation go with it'. This also get rid of the stakes since anyone who dies will simply come back once the simulation resets. And directly after they say this they try and have this heart wrenching montage of some of the main gang dying
1899 had the potential to be SO so interesting but it just simply becomes another matrix/ the American remake of life on mars which is just disappointing.
A House Divided (1913)
Simple yet rustic
It's quite impressive how much 'a house divided' manages to pack in a short quarter of an hour, including a near full blown divorce, hard graft and an entire wedding anniversary.
The basic plot is a couple erroneously assume that the other is being unfaithful due to small insignificant things and agree to 'live together separately' I.e. Living in the same house but communicating exclusively through notes and letters. (People have pointed out that a divorce would be easier however the couple seems incredibly well to do meaning a divorce would ruin their social standing so this arrangement makes more sense for the time in case you were confused)
It just so happens that this arrangement came right before their wedding anniversary meaning they must get through the entire ordeal without communicating yet leaving their societal position still in tact. Some bits happen and eventually the lawyer was being a bit of a div and they really still love each other, happily ever after the end.
The piano score is brilliantly done, capturing the mood of each scene very well. The acting is quite over the top however I personally am quite a fan of that style, being easily amused by exaggerated actions an slapstick but I can certainly see why some folks may not like it. My only wish is that is were a bit longer as the film seemed to be over by time it got to the main bit (yes I am aware it is a short however I'm just saying it had great potential to just as good, if not better had it been longer)