Joe Rogan Live

I've been following Colin Moriarity around the internet as he has recently left his gig at "Kinda Funny" after a fallout from a silly twitter joke.  Colin's appeared on Rubin Report, which I found intriguing, but even more so, the Joe Rogan Experience.  I've been listening to podcasts since their inception, but have stuck primarily to video game ones, it's all changing now.  My horizons seem to be expanding and I'm really enjoying the complexity of the topics discussed on Rubin and Rogan.  I'M GETTING OLD!  (It's about time).  Anyways, what I really like about Rogan is his relaxed approach to interviews, he seems so calm, intelligent, and unbiased.  He's not a yes man, but doesn't put people down.  So I decided to put on one of his stand-up acts to get a little more insight into the man behind the podcast.  Talk about disappointing.  Sex jokes galore, nothing fresh here.  I get it, sex sells, and perhaps Rogan was trying to do whatever he could to gain popularity/traction in Hollywood, but it wasn't the Joe Rogan I've come to appreciate on the experience.  As he's aged, as have I, so I'll take the elder Rogan over young Joe any time. He's settled down, like I have, and as long as his maturity stays where it is, I'll be a fan of the Joe Rogan experience.  As for this special though?  Pass.

50/50

It took some guts to make a comedy about cancer, a subject often not joked about.  I've never had cancer, but I'd have to guess it's actually much worse than the film portrays, but that's okay, the movie is supposed to make us laugh.  Seth Rogen plays Seth Rogen again and Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a fine job as our cancer patient with a 50/50 chance of living (as the title would suggest).  The supporting cast filled out nicely despite some of the predictability of their roles. The shitty girlfriend who's eventually replaced with a much more suitable love interest, and the over-bearing mother.  I also appreciated the dad with Alzheimer's, a subject they didn't make a joke of, but I found it one of the more touching relationships in the movie.  There were quite a few laughs throughout, it's good. Recommend.

The Santa Clarita Diet

I've really slowed in all media consumption since the new Zelda came out, but I did find 10 half hours to get through this over the course of 4-6 weeks.  I didn't really like it but wanted to see it through.  Tim Olyphant shines and the awkward neighbor kid make the show enjoyable, but I've never been a huge Drew Barrymore fan outside of her movies with Adam Sandler.  It's raunchy, gross, and ends poorly assuming there's a second season.  With the reviews it's been getting, this series could be more dead than Drew's character.  Pass.

Ultimate Beastmaster

My son Cole and I were eagerly awaiting this to premier on Netflix and while I was a little underwhelmed after the first episode, the show definitely grew on me and the cast of international hosts really took this show to new heights.  A lot of it sub-titled, it still had a lot of character.  I can think of a number of improvements they could make, but for a first season, the show was entertaining and a sign of things to come.  In the end I think American Ninja Warrior does it better, but this is a nice supplement.  The lack of commercials really makes shows like this so much more enjoyable.  I think this is Netflix's first "reality" show, and while I'm not a fan of the genre typically, I'm eagerly awaiting season 2.  The best thing to come out of this show was finding something my son and I could sit down and watch on our own schedule.  Recommend.

Kong Skull Island

The rare theatrical release, typically I wait for home video, but this was an exception, and on opening night nonetheless!  I wasn't waiting for this movie by any means, there was just little else playing for "date night" with my wife.

Kong Skull Island was great!  I didn't have high expectations, but the cast looked good and the reviews were fairly positive.  I really enjoyed it, some great character choices and it wasn't overly predictable.    Ultimately it's a big action/adventure movie, which is what you want right?  Not like that Godzilla movie a couple years ago.  I wasn't a fan.  Anyway, recommend.

The Story of Rocket League

Note: This is a late addition, I watched it shortly after it premiered in November 2016.

Rocket League took the world by storm.  After a failed first attempt, the developers of the highly acclaimed game new they just needed a little more time and polish to make this breakout hit.   No Clip documented Psyonix's story on it's development, however not as the game was being made. The documentary is Danny O'Dwyer and No Clips first, and it succeeds.   If you like the game, I'm sure there's something you'll like about this.  Recommend.

You can watch both parts here.

Doom Resurrected

Doom is a classic game, one that shaped the entire first person shooter genre.  Doom 1 and 2 are highly regarded, but Doom 3 fell off track ID software tried to take the game in a slightly different direction.  Doom 4, or "Call of Doom" as it was called in inner circles was scrapped altogether.  So how did Doom 2016, come to be the fan favorite that it is?  This documentary explores all that and more.  I really enjoyed No Clips documentaries on Netflix and if you like games, you likely will too. Recommend.

You can watch all 3 parts here.

The 40 Year Old Virgin

I was reluctant to put this movie on here in fear my kids will one day find this blog and say "I can't believe you watched this" ... but the truth is, this movie is less raunchy than countless other TV shows and movies.  Steve Carrell's character (SPOILER ALERT) actually waits to get married in this movie when it's all said and done.  Anyway, it was pretty funny, gotta admit.  I need to look up more Jud Apatow movies as I seem to enjoy everything he does.  Recommend.