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kevin-1010
Reviews
School of Chocolate (2021)
Enjoyable not to watch weekly eliminations!
Other reviews are more thorough. I'll simply say that both my wife and I enjoyed this series a lot for three main reasons. First, we'd never watched such a show, and had no idea you could do so much artistic and creative work with chocolate! That alone made the show enjoyable. Second, unlike nearly every other competion show, the participants are NOT eliminated each week. That was a HUGE plus. It's annoying to watch Top Chef type or talent competition shows, start to get to know the contestants and their interactions, and then have them eliminated. They all stayed through the end. Loved that! And finally, without the brutal weekly eliminations, the show actually reflects its title. It was a school that taught the contestants new techniques and artistry, so it wasn't like watching Survival; Chef Amaury actually cared about each of the eight students' progress and growth. It was a much more satisfying show to watch for all of these reasons.
The Grinder (2015)
Hilarious clever sitcom
Most TV sitcoms are boring and inane. If you agree, then you might love The Grinder. Why this was canceled after one year, I have no idea. It was my favorite show the only season it was on.
Sons of Liberty (2015)
Apparently the Historical Fiction Channel didn't find the real American Revolution interesting enough
I can't list all the mistakes, inaccuracies, conjured-up events, and key omissions in this mini-series. First, I don't know what they all are. My wife found a web site that lists dozens that they found (in the first episode alone), and I finally stopped her in disgust before she was ready to move on to episode 2. And secondly, to list them would require me to mark the entire review as a spoiler.
Frankly, this whole mini-series is a spoiler: it spoils our nation's history at perhaps the most interesting period: the decade leading up to our declaration of independence from England. But apparently the founding fathers didn't have enough of a sense of the dramatic and didn't forge our country in a way that suited the so-called History Channel, which I think should now be required to rename itself the Historical Fiction Channel.
I recommend you not waste 6 hours of your time watching this mini-series, which is somewhat engaging, but strays so much from what really happened that it will leave you with many unnecessary wrong impressions of what happened, how it happened, and when it happened. The 2008 mini- series "John Adams" was better, although with many of its own mistakes as well. At least that show was much better written, directed, and acted.
Yet, in fairness, "John Adams" lacked the excitement of this one, such as Samuel Adams' Jason Bourne/James Bond-like opening roof-jumping chase sequence. I wondered if he was going to morph into Matt Damon or Daniel Craig. I expected a hot babe in a BMW convertible to whiz by at the last minute and see Sam Adams leap from the roof into the passenger seat to escape the Redcoats. Although that didn't happen, this kind of ridiculous scene set the tone for the next 5-3/4 hours.
Honestly, when it comes to the American Revolution, I just don't understand why everyone associated with the production wouldn't be driven to get every detail right. It's your country, people! There were more than enough interesting things that happened during the years leading up to 1776 to fill up a 60-hour mini-series, let alone a 6-hour one. And they don't need to be "fixed!" The way they happened was just fine.
Anyone who has studied that period at all knows how much turmoil there was, and not just between England and the colonies. There was just as much conflict here between those favoring resistance and ultimately independence, and those who remained loyal to England. Public opinion differed widely between the 13 colonies and among the citizens of each colony. That deserves to be explored more.
I think History Channel made a big mistake by trying to make a hip version of history instead of an accurate one. I would have been much happier if they'd taken the slice of space/time that they did and made it accurate, and then layered successive seasons of mini-series that took different perspectives. For example, this one focused on Boston, and I certainly have no issue with that choice as a start. But I think it would be fascinating to see the same period portrayed (accurately, of course) in future shows from the perspectives of Philadelphia, Virginia, Maryland, New York, London!, and certainly of the deep south, which we never seem to hear anything about, other than that they were generally fine with the way things were and didn't want the boat rocked (the slaves might have had a different view of that!). An epic project like that could generate interest we haven't seen since "Roots" back in the 70s.
Oh well. The show kept us watching for all six hours (thankfully shorter due to the DVR), so I guess the producers succeeded in sucking us in. I just wish I could recommend it to others, but I can't.
Seinfeld: The Soup Nazi (1995)
One of the best sitcom episodes in TV's history
"Seinfeld" was one of best TV sitcom series ever produced, and "The Soup Nazi" was probably the best episode of "Seinfeld." Go out of your way to see it! Seriously! Check IMDb to see when it airs, and see it! You won't be disappointed. I've seen it half a dozen times, and each time I enjoy it more.
The Soup Nazi has become one of most memorable TV guest characters of all time. A few years after the episode first aired, we were on vacation and went to a "strip mall" sushi bar. This gruff sushi chef/owner was behind the counter making sushi and occasionally arguing/swearing at/insulting his lone waitress. A customer called and all we heard at our end was an irritated "Very busy...2-3 hours...No" A lone diner at the end of the sushi counter looked his way and asked "Excuse me, do you have uni?" No answer. The diner glanced our way as if to ask "Was my question audible? Is this guy just ignoring me?" So he asks the question again. This time the sushi chef/owner hardly looks up, continues working awhile, and then says "No, too expensive." Then he mutters under his breath "Stupid question!" From that day forward, although he never exactly said "No sushi for you! Next!", he has always been fondly remembered by us as "The Sushi Nazi."