Not Just Kid's Stuff... "The Toys That Made Us"

The Toys That Made Us (2017)

TV-14

The Story:

We were all kids once. We all liked to play. Come revisit your childhood with a walk down memory lane and learn the fascinating story about the toys we all played with and how they came to life.

This Netflix original will be an 8 part documentary series, the first 4 parts are already up and available.

They are: Star Wars; Barbie; He-Man; G.I. Joe

They are all fascinating to watch and will take you back to when you were a kid, and you'll be amazed in some cases that you even had that very toy to play with.

The designers, creators, marketers, etc. etc. etc. are all brought out to reminisce about what it took to get those toys into your hands and make your childhood the sunshine and roses that you remember.

The behind the scenes cut-throat business of toy empires are brought to light, and it's amazing what a lucrative business these toys were.

Each episode is about 45 minutes, so they all fly by fairly quickly, and no, you don't have to watch them all, but they are all totally worthwhile.

Coming in 2018, the remaining 4 episodes will be airing: Lego; Hello Kitty; Transformers; Star Trek

I'm looking forward to watching those as soon as they hit Netflix.

Final Grade: A-

The Best of 2014: The TV Shows

As 2014 draws to a close, it's time to take a look back at my favorite TV that I had the chance to view during the last 12 months.


While some of these shows might have been around for a season or two, they were all new to me, whether through finding them on cable or streaming through Netflix or Amazon.


So here's the 10 shows that rocked my world over the last year, in no real order, except for # 1.

:)

10) The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles

A Grammy special that highlighted the 50th Anniversary of the Fab Four. While I would have preferred an uncut performance from Paul and Ringo, overall, it was a night of great music and fond memories that paid respect to the band that changed the world forever.

9) Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse


Seriously?
Yes.
Barbie is one of the funniest shows going today. Well written, hilarious, and voiced by some of the most perfectly cast voice actors, this show never fails to make me laugh.

Does it help to have young daughters that enjoy this show?
Sure.
Was I secretly excited when new episodes loaded to Netflix?
You betcha!!!


: )
 

8) Melissa and Joey
Formulaic romantic comedy family sitcom that you can figure out what's going to happen long before it actually happens.

Or, it's Who's The Boss? for a whole new generation!

And that's okay, because I enjoyed that show too.

Shouldered by the great chemistry between Lawrence and Hart, the show has been a pleasant addition to the streaming library of Netflix.

Naturally, the will they or won't they relationship plays out, amazingly quicker than I expected, but you know going in that these two will wind up together.

Again, that's okay, and they don't waste extra seasons stringing the show along, audience included.

7) Good Eats

Another late arrival for me, it was added to Netflix this fall, and I've enjoyed the 25 episodes I've seen.

The problem?

Apparently host Alton Brown has been offering this show for a decade, and I've only got a small handful of episodes to watch.

Frankly, I want more!

It's education, cooking, and fun all in one quick episode. 

What could be better?

How about more Alton Brown?

6) Cutthroat Kitchen

Brown returns as a host for a reality game show where 4 chefs are given 30 minutes to make a meal, and money to spend sabotaging each other to make sure that they win while their opponents lose.

It's genius, and it's evil.

I love to see some of the things they attempt to make to eat and under some of the worst conditions you could ever imagine having to deal with in the kitchen. 

Again, just a handful of episodes on Netflix, and I'm hoping for more.

Otherwise, I may have to start hunting down the Food Network to keep up.

5) Justified

Dear Amazon-

Please stream season 4 so I can watch it before the final season begins airing in January.

Thank you.

Seriously, decided to watch this one this year on Amazon, and was immediately sucked in.

Brilliant casting, great story and characters from Elmore Leonard.

Looking forward to the final season, but will be sad to see it go.

4) The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

For the first time since Johnny Carson retired, I can watch the Tonight Show again.

Sorry, just never got the appeal of Jay Leno, so I stayed away and happily watched Letterman.

Fallon brings an energy and sense of fun to the show.

His games and skits with the guests is a breath of fresh air, and brings an extra layer to the show other than just celebrities shilling their latest movie/song or whatever.

Not bad.

Here's to at least as long of a run as Carson enjoyed!

3) Chuck

 

Add this to the list of shows that you'd think I would have watched during their course on tv, but no, it wasn't until it became available to stream on Netflix that I gave this one a whirl.

Loved it. 

I've only made it partway through the 2nd season, so I've still got time for the show to lose its appeal, but so far, so good!

 

2) Pushing Daisies

Wow, I would have really liked to see what else they had in store for this series, but alas, the writer's strike and apparently continued shuffling by the network quickly caused the demise of this show. 

Amazon had it streaming briefly this year, but has since pulled it.

I may actually spring for the complete series to be able to revisit this quirky and fun show whenever the mood strikes.

1) Psych

 

Okay, so maybe this is  cheat as I had seen Psych before this year.

However, I don't care.

This is my review blog, so I can make and change the rules as I see fit! 

:)

Psych goes out on top, a show that in my opinion, never jumped the shark.

8 seasons, and only a handful of episodes that we don't go "yes, let's watch that one again!!!" *Dual Spires, you are at the top of the list*

However, even the *worst* Psych episode was often better than the best episode of nearly any other show out there.

Well written, a superb cast and more fun packed into 43 minutes than should be legal for a television show.

Still waiting for Season 8 to be streamable, but until then, it's on my DVR and I own season 8 already. 

The final episode?

That's how tv shows like this should end.

By not ending.

Shawn and Gus are still out there, solving crimes...

We just don't get the luxury of seeing them do it.

For now....

 

 

Time to reset the clocks for next year, and see what 2015 has in store!

 

(I think I've already found my first choice!) 

 

Prelude To Pan... "The Pirate Fairy"

The Pirate Fairy (2014)

Rated G

Starring the voices of:  Mae Whitman, Christina Hendricks, Tom Hiddleston, Lucy Liu, Raven-Symone

Directed by Peggy Holmes

The Story:

Zarina (Hendricks) is the newest fairy in Pixie Hollow.  She is responsible for the dust that the fairies use.  But she yearns for so much more.  She spends her off time trying to create new colors of dust.  When one of her mistakes goes awry, she leaves, heartbroken.  A year later, she returns, with a crew of Pirates in tow and they steal the dust from Pixie Hollow.  Tinker Bell (Whitman) and her pals go after them, but due to one of Zarina's experiments, all of the fairies have different powers than they are used to.  Will they be able to adapt and get the dust back before it's too late?

Much like my review for Barbie, having daughters will expose you to many movies and shows that a dad might otherwise get through life without ever having seen.

The fun part, is when these shows are actually rather entertaining, even though as a dad you should really groan and fuss to let the girls know your displeasure with watching it again, for the umpteenth time.

The Pirate Fairy does an interesting job of beginning to close the timeline of Tinker Bell movies to Peter Pan.

This is the 5th Tinker Bell film in the franchise, and the one most closely associated with the future for Tink.  We've glimpsed a young Wendy in an earlier installment, and this movie takes the next step:

A young pirate named James (Hiddleston).

Yep, the once and future Captain Hook!

And yes, Hiddleston voices James with all the sweet sincerity like his turn as Loki in the Thor franchise.

Oh, and the crocodile also makes his appearance... and he's absolutely adorable!

Strangely, I'm looking forward to seeing where the tales of Pixie Hollow take us next.

Darn those girls.


:)

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: We own it, and I don't want to tell you how many times I've already seen it, either whole or in part. :)

Not An April Fool's Day Prank... "Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse"

This review is dedicated to all the Dads (and Moms) who have little girls who like Barbie.
 
Barbie: Life In The Dreamhouse (2012)

The Story:

Barbie lives in her Malibu dream house with her sisters Skipper, Stacie and Chelsea.  They are joined by some of Barbie's closest friends, and of course, Ken.  Filmed as a sort of reality doll show, the hijinks are often and the commentary is hilarious.

A show I never should have seen.

A show I shouldn't even know exists.

A show I definitely shouldn't be reviewing.

And yet, here I am.

:)

Sometimes when a kid watches the same show over and over and over and over and over and over an over and over and over and over...
Or at least it feels that way....

You want them to try something new.

So a flip or two through Netflix, and this show pops up as available for streaming.

There are 4 episodes, each filled with several 4-5 minute episodes for about a 20 minute run-time.

What could possibly go wrong?

Amazingly, nothing.
Or everything.

The show is FUNNY!!

Hysterically so, and one that I catch myself stopping to listen to if it's on as I'm passing through the house and the kids are watching it.

Whether it's Ken and his crazy inventions or the vain twins Raquelle and Ryan (he's absolutely hysterical), there's always something brewing in Barbie's life worth laughing over.

Genius work when they re-introduced Midge to Barbie's life. She arrives, black and white ala Pleasantville, and she is stuck in the past with her slang and actions until she receives a makeover.


Again, this rating has nothing to do with the "holiday" of April Fool's Day.

This show is flat-out fun.

Some of the episodes are available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Sadly, I'm waiting for more episodes to be uploaded!

:)

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I don't know that I'd rush out to buy it, but I'm enjoying watching them.