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King of the Hill: Pigmalion (2003)
Excellent political and psychological undertones
Even though this wasn't one of my favorite King of the Hill episodes in the context of enjoyment, I really did appreciate the political and psychological undertones.
It is clear from the get-go that Trip Larsen is a stead-fast conservative principles following, greedy, very controlling, and abusive person. He knows that Luanne is vulnerable to his manipulation and therefore takes her under his belt.
I have always that throughout the entire show that even though Luanne isn't the smartest person, the writers of the show do a poor job of exhibiting her resilient, creative, and wise side that she can exhibit when given a little push and trying to convince herself that she is a failure. In Layman's terms, I don't think Luanne is as dumb as the people behind the show want us to believe she is.
Despite my beef about that because I think it isn't right to portray characters as their superficial qualities only, instead of being honest and expressing people's strengths and weaknesses and whether or not a person is good or bad, I do want to give credit that this episode demonstrated how Luanne was able to stand up for what was right and not allow herself to be treated submissively when she didn't consent to it.
If one is consenting to be controlled, that's okay. If one asks you to stop being demanding and they continue. Cut them out of your life!!
I don't know what psychological complex it is that Trip Larsen has where he wants to be like the family in the portrait but it's unsettling.
Matlock: The Judge (1986)
Great plot but dull conclusion
This episode is very intriguing and creative in the sense that it shows the complexity of investigating and how it requires a skilled lawyer with intelligence to execute a successful case presentation and conviction.
I find it rare that older TV shows, let alone any TV show exhibits the "no one is above the law" plot line and when it has been, it has involved more high-profile characters such as presidents or billionaires.
I found the choice to have Judge Carter being a material witness was a very wise decision. It showed how anyone when put under pressure can not stay as "cool as a cucumber". There's the guilty face and the bad temper face because of frustration and outrage upon false pretenses.
I think that what one should take away from this episode is that body language is the most important thing aside from evidence that jurors should pay most attention to when in doubt.
Lastly, I will praise the acting and inventiveness of the plot itself, however I was sorely disappointed that the conclusion of the story wasn't more invigorating. The case should've had some form of accountability or conviction in some form rather than a simple dismissal.
Hypothetically, this would've been a terrific two part episode, where there would've been charges brought against Carter, but we cannot redo an already completed show. If I was producing on the show at the time, I would've highly advised this.
Ghoulies II (1987)
Hopeful start loses touch
I absolutely adore the first Ghoulies movie along with Critters, which is why I was so hyped to give the Ghoulies sequels a shot. I tried out this movie hoping that I would love it just as much and given that I love carnival aesthetic, I thought this would keep me hooked.
However, sadly, even though the beginning of the movie has the same comedic, musical, and aesthetic flair to it as the first movie, the impacts of those effects didn't stay consistent with me throughout the movie. Uncle Ned was the only character in the movie that I consistently enjoyed and I think the decision to kill him off was a poor one.
The dialogue is creative at times throughout at interspersed moments but overall I was disappointed by the monotone dialogue throughout the movie and the emotional acting. I know this is a cheap movie and a sequel but at the same time I feel it could've had more potential given the actors.
All that being said, I feel the intentions of the characters is light-hearted and the movie is meant to be amusing, so at least there's that, and the movie itself should be respected I think as it doesn't promulgate harmful content.
The Sopranos: Pilot (1999)
Beginnings of character development
Tony Soprano's psychological profile is just at the beginning of its multi-faceted completion in episode one. Given this though, I was still able to diagnose Tony Soprano with antisocial personality disorder because yet malignant narcissism is a diagnosable condition, narcissism is solely one of Tony's personality traits.
There is supporting evidence of this because Tony has the inability to sustain genuine emotional bonds with much strength with any human unless they obey everything he says. This is the disregard for how others feel (superiority complex) and Tony only has genuine conversations with people when it benefits him.
Something I find astonishing is how Carmela is able to care about Tony if he doesn't care about her considering the amount of women he has cheated on Carmela with and even more so that Carmela is aware of this. Why wouldn't see divorce immediately? How can someone forgive infidelity? Infidelity is a conscious choice, one knows what they are doing, and the consequences of it.
It amazes me the overlap of intrigue and self-preservation during Dr. Melfi's therapy sessions as Melfi will not let her husband protect her because it seems Melfi cares more about helping Tony than the consequences of caring for someone dangerous. Why would someone feel sorry for someone whose problems they consciously brought upon themselves? If Tony's problems were caused by external influences that he was wanting to help himself fix rather than internal conscious choices that he isn't even attempting to fix despite the fact he knows is wrong, then I'd feel sorry.
In conclusion, the use of the metaphor that Tony's panic attack felt like "ginger ale in his skull" is very accurate in the context of a real panic attack. Dr Melfi's therapy is very realistic to real life situations as a combination of talk therapy and medication rather than one sole treatment always works best.
Also, can anyone else not tell my Tony's tone of voice that he does not genuinely care about others and is faking it? Does anyone else agree that Christopher would actually be a good caring person if he didn't have the overbearing threat of Tony's retaliation for not executing his orders? It seems like he slowly becomes more sycophant-like throughout the series because Tony belittles him.
King of the Hill: Pretty, Pretty Dresses (1998)
Eliminating mental health stigma
Although this episode isn't on my favorite King of the Hill episodes list because I always just my favorite episodes of TV shows by their ability to evoke powerful emotions such as if a comedy makes me laugh nonstop or if a drama makes me cry and understand someone's experience that I had never understood.
However, this episode still addresses a social issue, which I always appreciate a conservative network doing, and a show based in a red state doing. We get the usual Texas rhetoric from the people attending the party but because Hank has been friends with Bill all these years he gets a subjective perspective on Bill's suicidal ideation and Capgras syndrome (believing that he exists as his ex-girlfriend Lenora) rather than objective beliefs by others that everyone's situation is the same.
Everybody is entitled to believe that Bill's behavior is strange but that doesn't mean that you have to tell it to his face and deflect attention away from those who are truly trying to help him. My views about society as a whole and then those views obviously are what I want expressed in a TV episode or movie that I admire is that we should help anybody unless they have committed a crime that was voluntary (intentional) and at the same time so no remorse for it but we should if it was involuntary (unintentional) or coerced because simply put, if someone doesn't show equal consideration for your feelings (disrespect) then don't help them in return, but if they do show equal consideration for your feelings (respect) and understand that everybody has different opinions, I believe you should help them in return.
In conclusion, I'm very outspoken in my beliefs and I felt that they strongly connected to this episode. However, I want to make one thing very clear. Even though this is a best of both worlds way to think and gets you many friends, I also understand if other people don't feel that way and the last thing I would want is for somebody to feel that I'm enforcing my beliefs onto them because everyone has their right to live their own lives because humans have the ability to set up healthy boundaries unless they are intentionally causing harm by violating the law.
Another You (1991)
Stellar comedic creativity!
I cannot say enough positive things about this movie. Whether it be the comedic chemistry and timing between Pryor and Wilder or the flow of the film through cinematography, editing, scripting, and music, this movie I think is flawless.
The instrumental music interludes I feel are perfectly placed and I believe could compete for my top #1 spot for instrumental music. The dialogue is very inventive and the subplots are not cliche. The scenic elements and the interior design/architecture elements are so aesthetically pleasing to me. I know that's subjective but they provide me with a sense of comfort and satisfaction.
I thought Stir Crazy was just mediocre and I thought See No Evil, Hear No Evil was just slightly amusing and 8/10 but Another You "takes the cake" for my favorite Wilder/Pryor buddy comedy and maybe even my favorite comedy movie ever. However, I cannot make that official declaration just yet as I have not seen every buddy comedy or comedy film like this.
Cocaine Bear (2023)
Unique plot meets absurd results!
To me, the entire movie has an ambiguous meaning. Most people watching probably see the movie as a very hilarious movie about people being attacked by bears because they didn't know how to respond when confronted by that situation. On the other side of that, I believe that Elizabeth Banks, the director, made an effort to show the audience that (without directly criticizing National Park officials) how there are many National Park rangers and workers that aren't equipped with the skill set to know how to respond when any animal reacts in a peculiar manner. They probably are prepared for the most common situations but not everyone and less people would've died. I understand that they weren't aware until they were by the bear that cocaine had been dropped but still I didn't see any signs that say "BEWARE OF BEARS" or "DANGER OF BEARS, KEEP AWAY". The parks are just freely open.
Now, if we're just looking at this movie by itself. The gore is really unnecessary because it takes it to the point where it's gross, bizarre, and absurd. Nevertheless, the movie is getting a 4/10 for me because it is absolutely darkly funny but I'm not giving it anymore credit because I believe the performances and production levels were executed to the point they could be. I wouldn't hold this to as high of a standard as I am but this movie has several big name stars in it all of which have prestigious filmography before them. Jesse Tyler Ferguson was on Modern Family, Ray Liotta was in Goodfellas, and Margo Martindale was on Justified.
Microwave Massacre (1979)
Quirky low-budget horror flick
Despite all the goofs in the movie and not necessarily the best acting, I found myself drawn into the unique plot and the personalities of the characters. This may not be the same for everyone.
I don't know who could have such an insanity complex to drunkenly strangely their wife and put them in the microwave but it made for a good movie and a different storyline than most horror films if somebody in real life hasn't done that before.
My favorite parts were the production design and the batch of good-looking people in this movie.
The saw and the wife's body wasn't realistic looking at all but that's late 70s special effects for you. Whenever Donald suffocated the woman he met at the bar you could see the actress breathing when she was supposed to be dead. At the end of the day, the plot overcompensated a lot in place of all the goofs.
The Simpsons: Principal Charming (1991)
Individual character examination
This episode gives a rare closer look into one of the secondary characters of the show (Principal Skinner) by showing us his hidden traits outside of school. If kids and teens are watching this show, this episode is very valuable in teaching them how to respect their teachers for who they are because they have their job life and then their personal life which are two entirely different things.
Marge's sisters (Patty and Selma) can be appalling and despicable at several moments but we also get to see a unique side of them in this episode. It caused me to develop a love-to-hate relationship with them for the first time ever.
To me, this is not necessarily an underrated episodes because it isn't one of my favorites but it's definitely an underrated character study regarding The Simpsons as a whole but also individual character studies throughout all television shows.
Goodfellas (1990)
Superb Realism
The acting by the main three -- Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, and Joe Pesci -- is brought forward with such realism that it allows you to truly see how ruthless and evil the mafia is.
Much like in The Godfather, we get to see a retrospective that shows why people become involved in the Mafia and also the focus is much more on the killings and tense interactions between members if they let down the boss rather than showing their lives and making you feel sorry for them. That aspect is showed a little but not as much as other mafia films.
I also want to send high praise to Martin Scorsese for his phenomenal directing once again as in Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Shutter Island.
The music is timed at the exact right moment to allow for the film to seem as if it has been made in one continuous shot and therefore editing looks flawless and seamless.