meltinzone Reviews

Happyish (2015– )

A 'dudes' 27 year old take on the show...

[10/10 · 19 August 2015]

It 'coitus-word' rocks! Funny, different, awesome, eloquent, reflective of life. It totally resounds with every essence of my fiber. Sublime acting, writing, production quality, sound, they're great.

I 100% get Happyish might not be up everyones 'rear-passage', but really, those people are 'rear-passages'. I can honestly say to this day I don't think another show has nailed existentialism in the delightful ways Happyish does. From the real characters to the witty quips on philosophy, life and religion, it works and provides me with great laughter. Each episode better than the last, with each individually building to a point where you can't help but laugh and laugh and laugh.

It's as though they set out to pack us like a can of sardines, every episode they stuff so many sardines in us that eventually our cans burst and you can no longer help but watch as that joyful laughter escapes. Little sardines just flopping about, helplessly , wait, are sardines little!?

Perhaps my poor recollection of how episode 5 starts =POSSIBLE BRIEF SPOILER JUST AHEAD= will give you a good inclination of the humor this shows exudes, =SPOILER="You know this man, Arthur Miller? He wrote a play, about a miserable salesman who lived a miserable life and ended up killing himself. Thanks Arthur Miller, reminding us of the tragedy, that all life ends in excrement. Worst three 'coitus-word' hours I've spent in a theater. You want tragedy, I can write you tragedy. Tragedy is easy. You don't deserve an award for reminding us of our sad and miserable existence. Tragedy is a given. Make us forget the tragedy, make us laugh at the misery, then you'll deserve an award. Ooooooooh Arthur Miller. 'Coitus-word' You Arthur Miller!"=/SPOILER=

If you're the sort of person who questions life, enjoys a little herb, or just enjoys fresh shows without the need for all the 'bull-excrement', there seems to be a pretty high chance Happyish will fit, snuggly, right up your 'rear-passage'! I'm surprised more people are unaware of the show, living in Australia, I somehow came across it on the internet and then gave it a chance, best thing I ever did. Finally there are others out there who 'get it'. So I'd implore you, give Happyish a shot if any of the above points ring true with your life essence.

Other things I've enjoyed that have a 'somewhat similar' taste include, Bored To Death, I Heart Huckabees. I'm sure there are a lot more, but they are the only two springing to mind at this point.

I eagerly look forward to future seasons!

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)

Been a Vegeterian since I watched Earthlings around 2007. Today I'm vegan.

[10/10 · 1 December 2014]

Not like a normal review, read another to find out about the film! This time it's just praise!

Excellent documentary. This will quickly become a key issue if we all talk about it and share it with others. For every person that makes any change to their diet, the better off we all are. Imagine if right now all omnivores became overnight vegetarians? That's a huge step in the right direction, what if all the vegetarians became overnight vegans? Also the only 1 star review as of December 2nd 2014 was from a new account, every other review (6 others, mine makes it 8 total reviews) was 10 stars. I personally was told about this film and was encouraged to watch it, so glad I did.

Unlike the Earthlings that was just horrible to watch all the cruelty, this documentary still makes you angry, while only a few really hard scenes to stomach or look away from for a few seconds. *Warning ducks* Give it a watch, share it and let's make a difference, *psst our generation out numbers those old dying baby boomers, so the earth is literally in our hands, not the hands of old people who don't know about the amount of power the sharing internet has!

The Culture High (2014)

The Culture High grabs a baseball bat and reminds us to really swing!

[10/10 · 19 October 2014]

Like a big brother with more knowledge and wisdom up their sleeve, we all watched his little brother, The Union, take a swing as it taught us about the absurdity of cannabis illegality. Now The Culture High feels much like a big brother stepping in and helping to show the little brother how to really swing for the fences!

There are some amazing gems, some truly golden moments, quotes that will go viral from the amazing slew of people interviewed in The Culture High. I found myself saying things like this several times, "Oh wow, so powerful!" "Incredibly well phrased". There was also a few times I was quite surprised by some facts put forth... and I know a lot about cannabis. Once I even made that noise, you know where you lean forward, your mouth drops open and you make a shocked little "oh!" sound.

I wanted to acknowledge some of the people that blew me away so I started typing celebrity names here, but deleted them because there are so many who are just amazing. When I say celebrities I'm also referring to the doctors, scientists, et al, that just really deliver the goods in this profound documentary. The way interviews were done, filmed and edited together actually had me at one point really holding back tears, though there were several areas different people may find themselves doing the same, because all our stories are different and we all relate to that which hits hardest, home.

Don't make the mistake of watching The Culture High and expecting it to be "legalise weed" "legalise weed" "rah rah rah" or even just smashing you in the face with a million facts about the awesome cannabis plant. Not that those elements are missing from The Culture High, more just the fact that this time around they're of greater significant substance and work together to deliver a more important message.

In the two hour runtime The Culture High aims to be much bigger than The Union and to deliver a much more profound message to us all; humanity. The "Culture" High does just that. The pace fast, the strides long, but just slow enough to wait for those uninformed, so we can all get there together.

If you see one documentary this year, make it The Culture High! After all, humanity seems to finally be coming together on this issue, be unfair to let yourself miss out.... ;)

Wish I Was Here (2014)

Beautiful heartfelt family film that will make you laugh and cry, from start to end

[10/10 · 12 July 2014]

For me, a 26yo dude, it takes a really great story based around real feelings and truth to get me truly emotionally involved. Wish I Was Here did that from the get go.

At first it's the casual laughs and uh-huh moments that have you laughing, only then to curve ball and hit you with raw emotion. As the emotion builds, one finds themselves helplessly drawn toward the characters and the deeper the film gets the more magnetized everything becomes. So the wriff-braff (see what I did :p ) of jokes to emotions to jokes to emotions works extremely well throughout the duration of the film.

I tend to have a keenly acquired sick and twisted sense of humor, so maybe some of the negative reviews are from people without that extra special comic DNA, I dunno....

Ultimately Wish I Was Here moved me to literal tears. While it had me pretty early on getting somewhat watery eyed, many times thereafter it's like the reservoir of water just builds, before at some point they just burst that wall, ever so gently, releasing a flood of tears that have been filled with joy, laughter and sadness. I'd likely say there are some very real emotions shared in this film, by all. Perhaps having been through some pretty heavy parts of life, I just 'get it' where as those without certain experiences or unable to relate, will 'just not.'

If you've enjoyed movies like In The Land of Women, It's Complicated or a vast selection of real drama films with believable story lines and real emotion, I'd definitely recommend giving Wish I Was Here your time. If it doesn't make you laugh or get watery eyed at least once each, well sometime in the future after you've experience some of life's turmoils, I hope you revisit and see the treasure you missed the first time round.

Undateable (2014–2016)

Timely, Really Funny & a Much Needed new comedy show!

[10/10 · 7 June 2014]

If you've seen the Chris D'Elia Laugh Factory videos on youtube and got a good laugh and enjoyment from them and his style, there's a pretty solid chance Undateable will be right up your alley! There's already a whole slew of threads hating on this show and I genuinely don't get it, most look like they didn't watch 10 minutes of the first episode. Perhaps in a similar way to how Brooklyn Nine-Nine got hated on straight away because some silly people don't actually want to laugh, this show seems to be getting a fair bit of that same totally unwarranted hate.

I'm not a fan of laugh tracks but with that said, Undateable is the first show I didn't really notice or care for it, quite likely I was laughing so much it was right over the top of it and I just didn't notice, after all the first two episodes are really funny. As for having a laugh track (not that it needs one), well good, I'm kind of glad in a way. There's a lot of people who aren't fortunate enough to have a wicked sense of humor and so a laugh track can help lube up the pipes for a good belly chuckle for those less fortunates. I'm hoping this show will be like TBBT or Rules of Engagement or Cheers and the laugh track will help allow the show to be enjoyed by an even wider range of people and hence turning Undateable into a super popular show that gets quite a few solid seasons.

As for all the naysayers and hate mongerers out there, ping ping pew pew ping ping, stop with all the negative vibes, man. If you genuinely didn't laugh at anything in the first or second episode, perhaps you need to call the Laugh Factory and see if you can get your laugh prescription refilled, that or you need to call the suicide hotline. It's funny (this show - not your stupid suicide) period, stop hating just because you want others to fail.

I get the whole, oh it's been done before, but I ask you this, is it a cop/crime/talent/hospital/prank/csi/elimination/reality show? What's that, No? no it's not! Oh cool, well then enjoy it and give it a chance you zombies.

A comedy like this has been needed for ages, and while there's been a lot of comedies that have tried to fill this void, a lot 'just miss' that special something, like the characters are just a little too oddly cast, or the writing isn't quite good enough or et al. Well finally Undateable nails it all! You could put it on and a family could watch it, it's not just for super young people or super old people or a fresh and funky comedy targeted at 20-somethings. It's a good all round comedy and very funny.

If you like Rules of Engagement, The Big Bang Theory, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, That '70s Show, Cheers or a range of other comedies, then I'd definitely recommend giving this a shot! I got a whole bunch of great laughs from the first few episodes and I really hope this show does well!

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014– )

Weekly awesome energy infused injection of peace and discussion!

[10/10 · 12 May 2014]

The insane level of awesome energy John Oliver feeds the viewer can almost be felt! John cuts through the bullshit and touches on real news.

There's something about this show that I really genuinely like (and I'm an Australian). Perhaps it's the way most of us would like to already live in a world that does good and makes fun of the stupid and absurd, a bit like Japan perhaps!? Well John Oliver has us covered. Each week a much needed hit of vitality and rejuvenation gets subtly unveiled, then straight up sucker punched to us.

The views on issues are sublime, as though John has been on our planet in a future time of peace, then come back to help lube us all through the hole we're already headed for, the peace hole. The energy and views on the show are just like a pick me up to make us go a tiny bit faster.

I've just watched episode 3 and that episode alone sums up the type of people, media and just the general positive peaceful way I'd like to see humanity head.

10/10 for the sole fact we need to take a look at ourselves in a mirror and thankfully John Oliver's right there, holding up the mirror for us! If you enjoyed Chasers War On Everything, Newsroom, Real Time with Bill Maher or a slew of other 'younger trend news~ish' shows, I'd say this is well worth a look!

Michael & Michael Have Issues (2009)

Just discovered this in 2014! Bloody hilarious!

[10/10 · 12 May 2014]

You stooges that got this show tin canned. Thanks. A. Lot. Say whatever, but you obviously don't have a funny bone in your body or you would have got some great laughs from this show! It was a gem that I would've loved to see blossom, but now I wont.

The 7 eps are still totally 100% worth a watch!

I reckon if Comedy Central added it to their line up today as a new show, it would be a hit. That said I do feel Comedy Central went downhill around the years this was on. Perhaps if some of their other shows had have performed better they could have given this a better chance to find it's audience. Nowadays, with the internet and all the streaming, someone needs to find a better way to get ratings.

Pity this never had a chance thanks to (I'm guessing) some Michael haters.

Hell's Miners of Potosi (2011)

Everyone, especially documentary and technology fiends, should watch this!

[10/10 · 28 April 2014]

After watching this film, it left such a strong impact I not only told everyone I knew about it for the next month, but I actually wished IMDb had a kickstarter~esque donate button. One that allows you to choose whether to pay everyone, the artist, the studio or even just a director. Currently no such thing is in place, which is sad as I'd love to help this guy make his next documentary.

Perhaps the best part about this film is how bare-bones it was. Personally, having grown up in Australia and seeing the huge mines we have, I assumed that mining had advanced and technology helps us compared to the old pit mines. While this may be somewhat true in the Western world, this documentary invites us into a bare-bones mine. Here we are told and shown a story of how the Minecraft game is real life for these miners in Potosi.

Where Iron Lung is still part of life and the fact people, real people doing it tough with families to feed, can actually die, just so I can sit here on my pc or smart devices and type this review. Well straight away it 'grounds the viewer' into the fact not everything is run by machines. People are still working really hard. Being taken aboard the directors vision and having the opportunity to view these miners' lives, well it instantly made me much more appreciative of the devices I have and the lifestyle I lead.

Very few documentaries I've seen are this good, and for me it might be the fact it wasn't filmed by unrealistic people too cautious to get their hands dirty. For me this is the kind of journalism I wish was more prominent in our world. Had it had a massive budget and huge team, I doubt it would be as good.

Honestly, give it a chance, if for nothing else, just to understand and respect the people that risk their lives while mining for us, so we can have nice things. I applaud this documentary and hope you make another!

Ip Man: The Final Fight (2013)

Am still in tears. Some people simply don't 'get it/kung-fu'

[10/10 · 20 July 2013]

This movie had me in tears. I hate people who cry in movies. Something about KungFu and Wing Chun and this man, what do I say. Kung-Fu lives in everybody, this movie, wow. I clapped at the end, though I was the only one sitting in the room, at a monitor and desk all by myself, i still clapped.

10/10.

Too moved to say anything else atm.... other than I've watched the other three, so maybe it has had a larger effect on me. Wow. We should all strive to be like Ip Man.. truly, what a spirit he was. :..(

Not many things have me in tears like this, but this movie, really something special...

Cuckoo (II) (2012– )

Awesome Fresh Comedy that the Whole Family could Enjoy!

[25 October 2012]

What a truly funny, really funny, show! Where to start? Well if you're a fan of Andy Samberg (That's My Boy, Hot Rod) then there's a pretty good chance this'll quickly become your favorite new comedy! Even if you have no idea who he or any of the other cast are, well I'd still be willing to bet you'll get at least one, really good, laugh out loud moment per episode.

I'm a 24yo dude who really enjoys a good laugh. Therefore I have no doubt that others around my age (or older/younger - who also have a mellow outlook on life) will also be able to relate to this show on soooo many levels. Hell, even my folks find it funny. The difference between them and myself, I burst out in uncontrollable laughter throughout entire episodes of Cuckoo, whereas they being parents (and probably relating their/my relationship and their/my views), well let's just say I've still heard a few good chuckles escape their bodies ;)

The cast are awesome, particularly the on-screen chemistry from the two leading men. Add to that the fact you can root for both characters, and at the same time! Well what more can one want from this funny and amazingly written gem? I've got to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how well Cuckoo addresses modern families and relationships through comedy. We've come a long way from the classic stigmata of working man, stay at home wife and kids, etc. Well, Cuckoo gives us a pleasant look at one type of modern family environment and relationships, that many either have experienced (first or second hand) or will very likely experience themselves at some point in their journey of life across this modern yet ever changing world.

Before you judge it, give it an episode, or two or many :) Just remember what comedies are for, unwinding and having a laugh at other people and their predicaments. I personally find having experienced something like Cuckoo first hand only adds to the show/scenario and makes it even funnier. I'm sure many will relate to it on many different levels.

My idea of comedy? Well here's some other funny TV shows I enjoy/ed; South Park, Crank Yankers, Bored To Death, Chuck, Fonejacker, That '70s Show, Wilfred, Robot Chicken, Workaholics, IT Crowd, Family Guy, Futurama, Boston Legal, WKUK, Beavis and Butthead (new season) -- there's a ton more but that's a pretty diverse list of shows that have all, at one point or another, had me (quite literally) in tears laughing.

So take from all that what you will, even if it helps just one other give Cuckoo a chance, then it has done its job! Happy laughing :p

Good Vibes (I) (2011)

Funniest animated show in a long time! Comedy Central or Adult Swim pick it UP!

[10/10 · 13 October 2012]

Good Vibes is the funniest 'new/fresh' animated show that's ever been made, period. If you haven't at least watched the first episode, well I guarantee you'll get at least one moment where you spit your meal or beverage across the room in an uplifting chuckle-roar. And seriously, who doesn't like a good chuckle-roar, hahaha. Now think, when's the last time one of those long-running animated shows truly made you laugh like that? Can't remember, don't worry, me neither ;)

Everyone I meet that seems like they need a good laugh, well I tell them about this funny unheard of animated show called Good Vibes. You know, only funny huge names like Adam Brody (Smiley Face, The Other Guys) and Danny McBride (Your Highness, Eastbound & Down) chose to star in it because they could see the animated scene needed something this fresh and cleverly written.

Coming here and seeing the low rating and lack of reviews, well hell. I actually wrote a review way back in April with the title: "Haven't laughed so hard at a first episode since Good Vibes!" for the show Betty White's Off Their Rockers. I then went on to say something about laughing as hard or as much since seeing Good Vibes. I mean think of it like this, if writing a review for another show makes you think back to the last time you laughed so long and hard, well that must mean the show you're thinking back to left quite a funny impression. In this case that show I was thinking back to was Good Vibes, therefore one could say it's pretty damn funny from that aspect alone.

With the plethora of new shows all starting up, I decided to try the new animated show Brickleberry, hoping for one tenth of the laughter that Good Vibes brought me, but nope. So I guess the question becomes, if MTV is stupid enough to drop a TRULY HILARIOUS GEM like Good Vibes, not realizing it could/will go on to be the next Family Guy or South Park, well Comedy Central and Adult Swim, Where you at!? If you pick Good Vibes up, do you know how loyal those fans would become to your brand? I'd buy a whole bunch of merchandise just because you kept a great show alive long enough and brought it to an audience that truly appreciate awesome humor. In turn, bringing a show like this to your already amazing network/s, well I'm sure fans of the network would be so amazed at the level of humor and writing in Good Vibes that even they'd buy some merch, just to say thanks for bringing them something so profoundly funny. The one thing I'd ask is you leave it alone, don't change anything, anything. Everything as it was made the show great, adding or changing writers/styles/characters/etc before fans of your network got to see it as it was will kill any chance of a third season. By all means, in season 3, make it even more awesome, just give it a single season on your network to run as it was and watch what happens ;)

I'm a 24yo dude with a wicked sense of humor, for instance, my elbow isn't my 'funny bone', that name's reserved for something else...right ;p Therefore one would be right in assuming you'll enjoy Good Vibes providing you fall into at least one of these categories: 1) are a chilled person 2) enjoy laughing till your belly hurts 3) aren't a pretentious politically correct douche who thinks you're 'above/better than' dick and fart jokes 4) can laugh at yourself 5) like to part-ay!

As all those other long running shows can become kind of stale from time to time, well at least give the first episode of Good Vibes a go, it brings a whole new shi-BANG back to animation. Plus, you'll be glad you did. ;)

My idea of comedy? Well here's some other funny TV shows I enjoy/ed; South Park, Crank Yankers, Bored To Death, Chuck, Fonejacker, That '70s Show, Wilfred, Robot Chicken, Workaholics, IT Crowd, Family Guy, Futurama, Boston Legal, Beavis and Butthead (new season) -- there's a ton more but that's a pretty diverse list of shows that have all, at one point or another, had me (quite literally) in tears laughing.

Hope that helps some of you in deciding whether or not to give it a go. :)

High School (I) (2010)

Man, this was FUNNY as, WHAT!?'s with the hate/rs?

[9/10 · 27 September 2012]

Seriously, this was an AWESOME and a really fun and funny movie! A great film, even right from the very second the movie studio company names came on screen. Funny throughout and it was a decent length, not like some of these new comedies/films that just make it past an hour, this makes it the full hog!

From a 24 yo guy (with a wicked sense of humour) that watched this un-stoned for the first time, well it was funny as f^ck! Can't wait to blaze up for the second watch!

As to all the hate/res, WHAT!? the hell man!? I see many haters hating, but not reviewing, as there's really nothing that bad you can say about this film. You could almost go as far to call this masterpiece a great 'family' movie... I mean is there not enough quotable jokes and analogies in here for you all? Was the fine acting, by all, BUT WOW was Adrien Brody SOOOOOOOO good, not enough? This movie made me search more with him in it, as well as a bunch of the other actors/crew!

In my opinion this will become a cult CLASSIC stoner film! But saying that, I understand these 'new-age-hipster' stoners think it's not cool to just have fun and relax, hence why they don't find movies like Smiley Face funny (if you haven't watched Smiley Face high, you haven't seen it). I know as a community of potheads we are changing the 'cheech-chong-hippie' image to something more 'suit-like' and 'get-it-legal' type image, but I beg of you all, let us not forget that weed shouldn't be taken so seriously as to not allow ourselves to unwind and laugh at pointless nonsensical feats of 'wisdom'... at least from time to time. I get the 'legal' stance, hell, I'm actively doing something to make it legal, but it doesn't mean we should wear these hats 24/7/365, that in itself couldn't be healthy. Just remember to unplug and laugh once in a while... :)

I highly recommend you all give it a chance, I'm sure there's so much going on in it, that by the end, you'll feel you could just rewind (if we all still did that) and start it from the beginning, all over again.

To cast and crew, WOW, thanks for making a rare 'modern' stoner classic. Adrien Brody, that performance deserved an Oscar! I'd love to see a sequel. But regardless, it's right up there, probably higher than some of the best of them - think How High type funny, quiet possibly funnier.

Hope this helps some of you!

Betty White's Off Their Rockers (2012–2017)

Haven't laughed so hard at a first episode since Good Vibes!

[9/10 · 26 April 2012]

As a 24 year old guy with an awesome sense of humour, well Betty White has always appealed to me, at least since seeing her wicked sense of humour in various marketing campaigns as well as other bits and pieces. I was half expecting the show to be about old people "off their rockers" and to my delight it's about old people pranking the more youthful, though it appears no one is too old to be pranked. The best part, at least so far, it doesn't appear the people being pranked are actually actors in on the joke.

I've watched the first episode and haven't laughed as hard or as much at a show since seeing the first episode of Good Vibes quite a few months back. While it may not be everyones cup of tea, well those with a true funnybone, those equipped with having viewed many hours of comedy TV shows and movies, from all genres, under their belts, well to say the least, you should get quite a laugh, at least from the first episode of Betty White's Off Their Rockers.

Having only watched the first episode so far, I can't accurately say whether it'll continue being as funny, but man, to those wanting something 'fresh' (even if some jokes are borrowed) then give this a go. If you don't laugh at least once during the first episode, then perhaps it's time to think about checking out of Hotel Earth... ;)

My idea of comedy? Well here's some other funny TV shows I enjoy/ed; Good Vibes, South Park, Crank Yankers, Bored To Death, Chuck, Fonejacker, That '70s Show, Wilfred, Robot Chicken, Workaholics, IT Crowd, Family Guy, Futurama, Boston Legal, Beavis and Butthead (new season) -- there's a ton more but that's a pretty diverse list of shows that have all, at one point or another, had me (quite literally) in tears laughing.

So take from this what you will, just don't go by the bogus reviews trolls/haters will be sure to leave.