Simon_J_Rodgers

IMDb member since August 2012
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    IMDb Member
    11 years

Reviews

Sam Kinison: Live in Vegas
(1991)

Very poor show
I saw this title being offered on Netflix so I thought I would give it a go. The only thing which appeared to be remotely interesting about this title was that Kinison briefly mentioned new millennium celebrations, which sadly he never made it to.

The picture and sound quality is very amateurish and I think this may well have been intended for a private collection only and not to be released publicly. The tragic death of Kinison shortly afterwards, may well have prompted it to be released as an extra to the material which was available.

I haven't really seen much else of Kinison at the time of typing this comment and to be honest I was not impressed by this performance at all! He seems to shout a lot and use the F word like it is going out of fashion. Such behaviour does not constitute good comedy. I got bored after about half an hour and stopped watching it. I wanted to like it, but I really couldn't.

The humour standard was quite low, as was the entire presentation. The stage was extremely basic as well as Kinison's attire. These things all make me wonder if the show was not due for a release in its own right and maybe Kinison's premature death prompted it to be released.

It is hard to believe that Mr Kinison used to be a religious preacher! I seriously hope his other works are better than this!

Ken Jeong: First Date
(2019)

Utterly pointless and embarrassing
I can see that I am not the only person who thought this show was just diabolical. There isn't really a lot which can be said here, mainly because not much of interest was actually discussed.

I honestly thought for a man of Ken Jeong's age and experience, he could have come up with something far more mature and genuinely entertaining. Instead he just swears like it's going out of fashion, goes on about nothing and spends what seems like eternity talking about the Asian family name Ho and playing word games with it because of a similar sounding word in English with a derogatory meaning. Yes I get it! It's just not funny. Repeating it will not make it any funnier, in fact it will make it even more annoying than the first time.

If you have connections with more than one language like Ken Jeong does, you are bound to notice words similar in each one with different meanings so this isn't really that big of a joke anyway.

I couldn't help but notice how small the venue appeared to be and Mr Jeong did not even appear to have a proper stage!

I was watching this on Netflix, which carried on bringing it up to me for a while asking if I wanted to carry on watching, etc but I really did not want to. I couldn't be bothered with it after about 20 minutes or so and I think that's being overly fair!

All in all, I have never heard of Ken Jeong before and I only hope his other stuff is better than this but it shouldn't be difficult. This performance was simply shameful!

Heil Honey I'm Home!
(1990)

Tries too hard
There is quite a lot to be said about this series and I'm gonig to try to be as fair as possible.

The main basis of this show is combining two different scenarios, one being Nazi Germany and an American sitcom. Both situations are very different and therefore trying to merge them did not work in my honest opinion. Sitcoms which make light of wartime situations are not uncommon. Examples include Allo Allo, Goodnight Sweetheart and Blackadder Goes Forth were successful despite using a theme which was quite sensitive.

Heil Honey I'm home, just does not appear to have the same sort of steam. Quite frankly Hitler became so Americanised that he was quite similar to Oliver Hardy.

I can't blame the people involved for trying to think of a different comical situation which has not been used before. Quite a few Jews were involved in the making of it, so I wouldn't have thought it would have been that bad based on this.

Another interesting fact is that it was shown on a satellite channel in the UK in a time when satellite TV was not very common, therefore how many people actually saw it? What would the general reaction be if it were to be shown today?

I've only seen the first episode and I remember it being quite tedious with very little comical bite. I can't help but wonder what the other episodes were like and seeing them may help form a better opinion on the series as a whole. Considering Hitler was supposed to be plotting to kill his Jewish neighbours though doesn't fill me with much confidence that it would be good to watch (by the way, I'm not Jewish).

I can't blame them for making this programme and I think it has served as a learning curve for programme production (worth watching once for this) but it is a shame that effort was clearly put in but the results were very disastrous.

Natalia Valdebenito: El especial
(2018)

Why campaigners shouldn't do stand up comedy
This is the first time I have seen a stand up comedy show in Spanish, which is a language I cannot understand and required subtitles. The humour in my honest opinion was not all that special, however this could be down to translation issues. Having said that I am quite sure that such a project of translating comedy would not have been finalised if the end results were going to be poor.

Natalia starts the show by explaining the nature of why she choses not to have children by making light of pregnancy involved, which I think is quite bizarre, not only as Natalia is a woman herself but also the fact that she is a feminist and goes onto explain how her country has very little in regard to supporting women as stealing a mobile 'phone is considered more of an offence that hitting a woman and stating abortion should be allowed in certain situations. All of them are quite serious points however why is this in the guise of stand up comedy?

If you are a comedian, do comical speeches and you will be seen as a comedian. If you are a campaigner (for anything, not just women's rights), make serious speeches and you will be seen as a campaigner. In my honest opinion, trying to do both will just leave people confused as to weather or not you are serious or joking about the points you are trying to make and will not know if you are supposed to be taken seriously.

To me, this show seem to take the approach of a speech on what feminism is and what it is not about, dispelling certain myths about it. Some very good points indeed but these should have been raised in a general protest or campaign speech, not stand up comedy! As a result, this show in my honest option misses the mark by a long way.

GradeAUnderA
(2013)

Quite funny in parts
Grade A Under A has quite a unique way of bringing his points across, many of them very valid even though they can sound a bit silly at times, in a similar style to Chris Rock. What is mainly said is silly and in a silly voice but in the whole scheme of things, it all makes perfectly logical sense. The animation is very poorly done but this actually adds to the humour and the points raised as opposed to obscuring them.

This is a series you really do have to watch in order to get the whole gist of what I am saying. Personally I believe the main weakness of the series is the bad language used. Sometimes it adds to the comical punch but overall I believe it is very highly overused, some of the later episodes use very strong language and I believe this spoils it even more.

It's a shame production has been abruptly stopped for the time being but hopefully it will be back again and hopefully with a little cleaner language.

All Round to Mrs. Brown's
(2017)

A bit of a let down
I don't quite know how to describe this, other than a spin off from the sitcom Mrs Brown's Boys. The settings and characters are the same and even though real people are brought into be interviewed, the characters stay the same, as if they are real people themselves. Sort of the opposite setting to where Jeremy Kyle had a crossover with soap characters on his show, talking to them as if they and their plots were real. Jamie Theakston and David Frost have done similar material to this.

I honestly feel it that is was nice to see the consistency between the sitcom and this title. If I am totally honest though, the sitcom was starting to wear a little thin after three series, with a concerning amount of what appeared to be recycled material, including some from the earlier live shows.

One good example of this would be a section entitled "The Cathy Brown Show", where Jennifer Gibney interviews the celebrities in the guise of her alter ego, Cathy Brown. Thankfully it was normally two as opposed to the normal three, otherwise the material would have most likely been so thin, it would have snapped! Cathy is hindered in her show by her own mother, much to her dismay, however this was a very similar situation found in The Kumars at Number 42.

A third celebrity would appear in the section regarding Dermot and Buster in the recap of their substandard guided tours business.

A good part was the "Thought For The Day" in which the two religious characters Trevor and Farther Damien would give a short discussion in a silly but humorous and non-offensive manner. I also thought the rest of the show would have been made less vulgar but was not the case. I'm not even sure where I got that thought from to be honest.

As a result of all this, the mixture of the comical settings and interaction with real celebrities and members of the public was not as interesting as it would sound. I found it very tedious in parts. I would be very interested to see if this series gets a commercial release and if so, how well would it sell?

After the last episode aired, it was announced it would be back next year. Surely if it was that good, they would want to strike while the iron was hot and make it sooner?

Asdfmovie: Asdfmovie
(2008)
Episode 1, Season 1

Quite quick and interesting.
This is quite an interesting little sketch show in a small amount of time. Some elements are quite good in the sense of total surprise and it really gives quite a lot in a small amount of time. A couple of viewings would be recommended in order to take everything in.

The animation is not perfectly detailed however it is detailed enough for the purpose in which is was intended. The black and white element actually adds a little charm to it as well, I can only presume it made production cheaper which would be a big bonus as too.

Personally I found this funny but not overly funny, which I also believe adds to the enjoyment of it. After seeing this title, you will understand what I mean.

Asdfmovie: Asdfmovie2
(2010)
Episode 2, Season 1

Better than the first
Here is another collection of humorous snippets similar to the one in the previous film. It also maintains the fast pace, taste and lack of colour which the previous title also has.

Many people would think that it would just be basically the same as the last title and not really worth watching, well this is not the case. The sketches, despite being of the same type of nature are clearly newer with a different take on them. In short this is title has had fresh effort put into it and does not relay on the previous title for merit, it truly deserves its own credit.

Beavis and Butt-Head: Beavis and Butt-head Are Dead
(1997)
Episode 41, Season 7

Quite a good finale
Okay this comment DOES contain a spoiler. If you do not wish to know what this episode is about please DO NOT READ!

When I personally found out about this episode, I was desperate to see it and there was no information about it online but I have since found that there are now details online which can be easily found.

This is the longest episode of the series and it is basically a look back at the best past parts. There isn't even any music videos in it, which is good as they often spoil the flow of the story. Quite nicely done as well. Even the TV shows featured are repeats but the way it is put together is quite original and the discussions over them are quite well put together. In my honest opinion, compilation shows like this are usually rubbish and annoying. The Simpsons had quite a few of them, but this one is well worth watching and it makes a great finale. It ends the series but it also leaves the door open for them to return, which indeed they did!

Beavis and Butt-Head: True Crime
(1993)
Episode 13, Season 3

Very funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I quite liked this episode.

All Beavis and Butthead do here is see that someone has left a cash card sticking out of an ATM machine and so they push it back in, guess the pin and withdraw a load of cash.

They are then caught on CCTV cameras and put on TV in a couple of crime appeal programmes for the public to help the police track them down. They are not real criminals though, they just messed around and got a load of cash by mistake really.

The best parts are the reenactments of the events which are totally funny because they are inaccurate.

I would really recommend this one!

Beavis and Butt-Head: Speech Therapy
(1997)
Episode 36, Season 7

Very funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now this is quite a funny episode.

After coming to school after being suspended, McVicker ends up putting them into a speech therapy class, because it turns out their own class has gone on a trip without them.

This doesn't bother Beavis and Butthead as they see a few pictures of the vocal chords and stuff presented in the class and believe they are something else and they also hear a few words which they interpret in their own sweet way.

Shame McVicker doesn't agree with this.

Very funny and definitely worth watching.

Beavis and Butt-Head: Wet Behind the Rears
(1995)
Episode 19, Season 5

Very funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beavis and Butthead have a physical education lesson and they usually avoid the showers, which I guess is understandable. The showers in my school were seldom used.

For some reason here, Mr Buzzcut is adamant that they should have a shower. He says that it is physical education which includes proper physical hygiene and if they don't hit the showers they would fail.

Well I've never heard of such a rule before. What is Mr Buzzcut's game? Is he really "one of those gym teachers that likes to sit around and watch dudes in the shower?" or does he have something up his sleeve? Eventually all becomes clear in a few minutes. Not a very long episode but it is well funny and certainly not overdone.

Music down-loaders may have noticed a spoof audio Beavis and Butthead episode which uses dialogue from various episodes. It features quite a lot from this one. It is very funny as well. It is like a totally new episode but it is really funny how they have put it all together and you should really listen to it if you ever get the chance. It is most commonly known as or "The Missing Episode", but I have also seen it as "Funny Ass S***" (with the word instead of the asterisks).

Beavis and Butt-Head: They're Coming to Take Me Away, Huh Huh
(1994)
Episode 5, Season 4

Not one of the best
Here we see Beavis and Butthead at school again and they basically meet a mental health expert woman of some kind who talks to the class about such issues and notices the boys usual ways and decides to carry out a few tests on them.

Her results are quite chocking, well to her anyway. Loyal viewers know what they are really like and so this basically does not come as any major shock to us.

The end result in inevitable. I'm not going to spoil it, although to be honest, if you haven't seen it yet, don't go making any special effort to, because it's not that good.

Beavis and Butt-Head: Beard Boys
(1994)
Episode 3, Season 5

Not one of the best
I must admit it has been a very long time since I saw this episode but I do remember this, but just not as well as I would like to.

Basically Beavis and Butthead are watching TV (as they always do) and Butthead gets the idea of them growing beards because women will like them better, like ZZ Top and all that.

After finding that they can't grow their own beards, they try cutting off their own hair and gluing it onto their faces. Of course they look pathetic.

I can't remember what happens after that, but even if I could, I wouldn't really be able to say here, but I think we can all guess what happens anyway.

If it was much good though, I would have remembered it better.

Beavis and Butt-Head: Safe House
(1994)
Episode 5, Season 5

Not too bad, not too good either
Todd comes round to Beavis and Butthead's house basically to hide from the police. Todd knows that Beavis and Butthead look up to him a lot and so he knows that they will do anything they can for him and he often uses it to his own advantage and treats them like dirt in the process.

But unfortunately for Todd, the police knock on the door and Beavis and Butthead try to defend Todd, but it does not go according to plan and they end up captured.

Even while they are in prison, Todd is still acting his usual way. I guess some people just never learn. Once again, my friends, we have a very basic plot which has been wonderfully overdone, with some funny bits in it but nothing too overly special.

Beavis and Butt-Head: Beaverly Butt-billies
(1994)
Episode 14, Season 5

Not too bad
After getting some divine inspiration, the duo decide to go and dig for oil. I wonder whey they got the inspiration from? Could the title of this episode give you a clue?

Surly enough after doing enough digging, Beavis finds something hard with his spade and hits it a few times really hard and it looks like they have struck oil, or have they? After collecting some in a large metal bin, they go round selling their oil but end up with no luck. It's even worse when a couple of workmen come to sort out their problem.

Quite a funny episode really, one worth remembering.

Beavis and Butt-Head: Take a Number
(1994)
Episode 13, Season 5

Not too bad
Beavis and Butthead finally get to go to a concert, that should keep them entertained and not resorting to bad behaviour for a bit shouldn't it? The only problem is they find that they need the toilet and there is a massive queue and only one porter cabin! How cheap is that? They practically spend most of the day just waiting and they try and think of things to do and say to help pass the time, which can be quite entertaining.

The real fun is what happens when it is finally their turn to use the toilet, or should I say Beavis's.

Not a bad episode at all, but not one that I remember too well and that is probably because other episodes are better.

Beavis and Butt-Head: Temporary Insanity
(1994)
Episode 8, Season 5

Quite good
After stopping the school bus, Beavis and Butthead find themselves doing temp work in an office. Butthead was put on the 'phones and Beavis was put on word processing, or typing up letters.

As you can very well expect, they totally mess it all up, but it's really funny how they do try and stuff. Especially when a man called Sam approaches Beavis to ask him to redo his letter, in the calmest politest way possible.

This is another episode which is quite funny and it really does improvise a great deal on the very minor plot.

Certainly worth watching by all means.

Beavis and Butt-Head: Plastic Surgin'
(1994)
Episode 12, Season 5

Not too bad
Beavis and Butthead see something on TV about body part enlargements and Butthead gets the idea of them both having "weiner" implants, in order to make themselves more appealing to women.

This episode is quite interesting as they make a few slight mistakes, firstly have they even gone to the right place? This episode is also quite funny by the way they go about things and try to explain to the doctor why they are seeking implants and answering the questions.

Like I said it is worth watching, although I personally found the ending a little strange.

Not one of the best but worth seeing all the same.

Planes
(2013)

Very very poor
I went to see this film today with my son because he wanted to see it. I have to say that I was quite disappointed. He said he liked it but the way he was sitting in the cinema seemed to say otherwise.

I have not seen the Cars films so I had no idea what to expect. The film logo for both films is similar so I was expecting some sort of connection. Other comments basically confirm this to be true, some even say it is a rip off.

Again I can't comment on this, but if it is true, it's really all a spin off from other stories like The Ugly Duckling. An inferior plane dreams of being one of the best and many other planes (but not all) laugh at him, some however give him support. This carries on, the plane gets better and better and then he DOES become the one of the best. Basically like many stories of this nature, the main character basically goes from zero to hero over time. Such an idea has been used countless times.

I expected so much more from Disney as they have produced countless classic films and programmes. Well I guess we can allow them the occasional flop with their success rate, can't we?

I noticed that many Disney films tend to have humorous lines here and there or humorous sarcasm, but they were absent in this film. After watching the first half an hour, it was clear that this was going to be a poor film. I looked at the clock on my mobile and sighed to myself that there was another hour left.

Quite often, I find myself falling asleep during anything which bores me and this happened then. I was dozing on and off, however I saw more than enough to see how poor all this was. I did not fall asleep during Lés Miserables, The Lone Ranger (2013 version), Despicable Me 2 or The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (the original Swedish version). I saw all these films at the cinema and did not fall asleep. All these films were longer than Planes. Coincidence? No, they were all just better films!

That's saying something when The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo got me perplexed until about halfway through before I actually understood what was going on. Planes is a family film (well aimed towards children more) with a very simplistic plot, great animation and even the voice of John Cleese, but it just wasn't enough!

It's all such a shame. I hope if there is a sequel planned that they take comments like this on board (I'm not the only one complaining here) and make it much much better. Well let's face it, they couldn't make it much worse.

I'm glad my son liked it, but it wasn't something I would have gone for and if it was, I would have been very disappointed.

The Lone Ranger
(2013)

Totally exceeded my expectations
I saw this film at a preview showing on 4th August 2013 and I had never really bothered with the Lone Ranger in the past at all. As a result, I did not know a great deal about the programmes and films which were made in the past. Therefore I went to see this film with a total open unbiased mind. Despite this, it was clear to see that this film benefited from special effects which were just not possible back in the days of previous adaptations.

As a rule I don't tend to like films which centre on flashbacks but this film uses these to good effect. I also don't really like films where events are deliberately left out of chronological order however again this film does that a little (not too much, but a little) and again this does not cause any difficulties with the flow of the film.

I was also a little wary of watching a film which was 149 minutes long (just under two and a half hours) as there would most likely be some "filler" in to stretch it out. Again there was very little. I was also surprised at the issues which were raised with regards to parental advisory. Some are very well justified but some are barely noticeable. This is definitely not a family film. I would say it would be suitable for teen children onwards. I'm glad my seven year old son didn't come with me to see this as some parts may have played on his mind afterwards.

The acting was very well done and there are some character twists towards the end which I was not expecting. The special effects as I mentioned were certainly special (and it was only a 2D showing) and each scene keeps the viewer watching and interested. I sometimes have trouble keeping awake during long films but not this time! This film really did keep me going, which is saying a great deal! Each scene got more intense than the previous one, with the all massive finale towards the end. I thought the use of the William Tell Overture during the final scene would have been banal and old fashioned due to overuse in the past but I was wrong! It would be very safe and fair to say that nothing you may have seen before will prepare you for this film, it would have to be seen to be believed.

There were some interesting moral issues such as the Lone Ranger himself breaking away from the law to try to provide justice himself, he then refused his new legal honour afterwards because it conflicted with his new beliefs. It also shows how despite his arguments with Tonto, they were still good friends. There is proof that quite often, some people are not exactly as you may expect them to be.

All in all, the film totally exceeded my expectations and it really went to show me what a good film is made of.

Beavis and Butt-Head: To the Rescue
(1995)
Episode 27, Season 5

Very funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beavis and Butthead are sitting in their favourite park and they are generally talking about how much their life sucks because nothing cool ever happens, when suddenly a private two seater plane crashes and the pilot is feared dead or badly hurt.

Beavis and Butthead just cannot believe their "luck" at being the first people on the scene and in their attempts to try and get a camera to film stuff relating to the incident they accidentally attract help and then they are heralded as heroes.

The real funny part is when they are asked to take part in a re-enactment for TV! Now this is a quality episode and no mistake.

Beavis and Butt-Head: Screamers
(1995)
Episode 31, Season 5

Very funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This episode is really easy to follow. Basically Beavis and Butthead are watching a horror film and they see a couple of women screaming. that's basically it. They then develop a strange taste for screaming. They go outside to scream and they go wondering around their neighbourhood screaming and they annoy a few people in the process, however this doesn't seem to bother them.

Eventually the police get involved and after a brief word with the pair, it seems that it has all been resolved. That is of course until they pick up the telephone.

Wonderfully done episode with a good few laughs to be had. Well worth a good few minutes of anybody's time.

Beavis and Butt-Head: Follow Me
(1997)
Episode 16, Season 7

Very funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here we have another simple storyline but the laughs are well more than enough to cover this little detail up totally. Here we see Beavis is really annoying Butthead by repeating everything he says and Butthead is getting really annoyed and tries a few stunts to get him to stop, even though it does mean putting his own life at risk. Mind you, if you're Beavis and Butthead, you're probably too stupid to understand the full impact of what you're doing with your life anyway.

Having said that Butthead did give Beavis a telling off, complaining that he nearly got him killed doing that, so maybe he does care about his life after all, if no-one else's.

I really liked this episode, it was very funny and it had nothing that wasn't required.

Beavis and Butt-Head: A Very Special Episode
(1997)
Episode 6, Season 7

Not one of the best
Here we see Beavis and Butthead trying to get to Las Vegas of all places, but they never get there because they are too busy caring for a sick bird that they find. Beavis is just about to eat it before Mr Stevenson comes along and intervenes to get the bird seen and vetted.

The vet has a look and gives the boys advice on how to handle it. They follow the steps and everything looks fine, or is it? This episode has its moments, although it quite clearly isn't the best one. Due to the nature of how the boys "want" to treat this bird it is not an episode you may want children to watch, although no actual cruelty is carried out.

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