Necrotongue

I had a blast with this episode. Every character brought their A-game, and surprisingly, I even enjoyed the gossip subplot. But the absolute standout this time was Professor Duncan's sadistic experiment. It was both informative and entertaining, and I didn't even need to take notes. / Lesson learned: No real experiment with volunteers can do without an anal probe.

I don't want to accuse the filmmakers of wanting to cash in on someone else's success, but if the film was called Guarding Miss Tess, the similarity would simply be too striking. After all, the only thing this has in common with Driving Miss Daisy is an elderly grumpy lady and her relationship to the man who was installed in her house. Otherwise, it’s a completely different movie. Well, having seen Miss Daisy, the plot could hardly have surprised me. It was just less convincing and lacked charisma. While Miss Daisy comes out of the comparison as an exquisitely carved piece of woodwork, this film is more of a roughly hewn log, or even a piece of plastic made to look like wood. To me it was a sort of vacuous thriller for which Nicolas Cage is perfect, but casting Shirley MacLaine was an inexcusable waste of her great acting talent. / Lesson learned: It's not a good idea to antagonize the restaurant staff before they serve you your food. It is, however, very, very courageous to antagonize the people who are looking out for your safety.

Alright, I was a bit cautious after the previous episode, not sure where the story was headed. But the second one won me over, and it looks like this is going to be my kind of thing. Even though I know how the series pans out (just like many others), I'm glued to the screen, soaking up that perfect atmosphere. I can't even fathom what would have to go down for me not to slap a five-star rating on this. / Lesson learned: If Frank Sinatra didn't like the movie, well, he'd probably be glad he didn't live to see this show.

Finally, an episode that kept me hooked! It had me entertained right from the start, even before the opening credits. It kept up the vibe throughout, and for once, I didn't keep checking how much time was left till the end. The sneezing course had me cracking up, and if it weren't for the dramatic, moral lesson moment, I'd probably be slapping a four-star rating on it. / Lesson learned: Seize the day!

The second episode seemed like it would be better than the last one, but then Señor Chang's monologue hit and annoyed the hell out of me. The humor feels a bit retarded (sorry, Abed), so I'm not having a blast just yet, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it picks up. / Lesson learned: Don't try to be empathetic just to impress others. It'll blow back on you.

Gotta admit I was way more into the pilot episode back in the day. Today, it didn't leave as great an impression, mainly because the humor wasn't hitting it out of the park. It feels like a slow start, introducing the characters and the setting. / Lesson learned: Don't push it.

The last episode of the season didn't exactly bring the laughs, even though humor made its subtler appearance. This time, it was more about the dramatic storyline. But you know what? Maybe the drama wasn't the main thing; it was all about that heartwarming humanity, and I was all about it. Also, I just gotta give a shoutout to the star of the cast — Anti gave a brilliant performance in both seasons, and I'm betting she'll keep slaying in the third. / Lesson learned: You should say goodbye with dignity.

It was a step up from the previous episode, but I'm really missing that cynical edge in Tony's personality. As usual, most of the humor came from the brilliantly written secondary characters. I'm getting an urge to take a shower, after Matt's every visit to the psychologist. The dramatic storyline was on point this time, just a smidge away from being perfect. / Lesson learned: Not every cultural event has to be cultural. 4*+

I no longer remembered the plot, so watching it again today wasn't so much a rewatch as a renewed premiere. I don’t think the passage of time has had any effect on my original rating. I’m usually into comedies nicely blended with drama, it's just that the romance in this film smacked too much of trashy romance novels, which isn’t exactly my kind of thing. The characters were well-portrayed. Given the relatively small space, they were nicely fleshed out and had depth, so I wasn't so much drawn in by the story itself but by the characters. I also loved the idea of a nursing home for writers. I imagine that meeting so many artists is something that I’d find a little overwhelming. Gemma Arterton made me add one star to my rating. / Lesson learned: The country is full of dangerous flora and fauna.

I only had a general idea of what the series was about. The first episode threw me into the vibe of the sixties, and the creators introduced me to a bunch of famous personalities, not just from the world of film. While I'm pretty sure they took inspiration from real events with some creative freedom, they nailed it right from the get-go, and I had a blast. The biggest surprise for me was Giovanni Ribisi, usually the guy representing small, repressed guys. Quite an interesting change. / Lesson learned: Don't attack cultural icons with a fork or any other utensil. Actually, don't attack them, period.