Orange Juice in Bishop’s Garden S01E05 “Misery in McMansion” | A Webseries Review on The Watch List

A Drama Webseries

4 Swirlies

“I’m dying and you’re cheating on me?”

Last episode I was still gushing over this series like it had Hello Kitty in it, and this episode… well, I keep going back and forth.

In some ways, it is awesome. It is more dramatic than most episodes of Orange Juice In Bishop’s Garden, with blood and sex and what looks like a half-hearted attempted suicide. And while it it mostly works, I kinda feel like the impact of the accident undermines the other scenes with the two main girls, who otherwise I want to get more screen time with.

We pick up where the previous episode left off, and everything seems to be going great - but then the accident comes. And it is bloody and gross and pretty well done - it looked painful and scary. I’m yelling at the screen, call an ambulance, but the drunken teens do what all drunken teens do; they tried to fix it themselves. In fact, there wasn’t one suggestion to call an ambulance. It made me frustrated as a viewer, but that’s probably exactly what would happen in that situation. Those moments are some great writing.

Where it really lost me is while poor Maggie is bleeding into the sink, we go off and follow Sarah who feels bad because she was caught fooling around with the guy that Maggie likes. And there’s what seems to be a poor attempt at suicide - which I kinda don’t understand. Was she seriously trying to slit her wrists with a safety razor? Was she just trying to cut herself to feel better? Was she just being dramatic? I didn’t get it, and her friend didn’t seem overly concerned about it either way. And while we didn’t know what was happening with Maggy, we got a scene where Sarah hoped Maggy would forgive her.

I feel like this episode really tried to push the melodrama without really dealing with the consequences, which I suppose is part of what makes it melodrama. What I do like, is how the accident leads to the discovery, dove tailing the two plots nicely and naturally. There may be some missteps, but there’s still plenty of good storytelling.

So yeah, parts of it are great, parts are not great. It is still a really amazing, unique web series.

From YouTube Description:

The party kicks it up fierce at Yasmine’s house, sans parents and full of top shelf liquor. Maggie’s got that not-so-fresh-feeling after downing an entire decanter of creme de menthe — and when a MAJOR accident ensues, it threatens to bring down the whole house of cards. The stars finally align for Sarah and Jake… but then Maggie walks in on the “lovebirds.” Is it the final nail in the coffin of their (ex)best friendship?

French Subtitles by: http://www.univers-l.com/

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Radiance Ep.9 | A Webseries Review on The Watch List

A Science Fiction Drama Web Series

5 Swirlies

“Guys, I saw something.”

Oh no! After the discovery of yet another pair of bodies, the housemates get a clue about what they’re dealing with… and what might happen next.

A nice, tense little episode. The web series Radiance has very short episodes in a serialized format, and it is one of the few series that manages to keep the atmosphere tense in just about every one. There’s a total of 19 parts, which means we’re only at the halfway point.

From YouTube Description:

Ten friends in Los Angeles experience an unusual event together- and try to survive.
Starring:
Brian Gattas
Jade Gordon
Tom Lenk
Chad Lindsey
Alisa Mcronald
Sam Pancake
Jack Plotnick
Christos Prevezanos
Chris Shea
Doug Stockstill
and
Rachel Stolte

Written and directed by Jim Hansen

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Radiance Ep.8 | A Webseries Review on The Watch List

A Science Fiction Drama Web Series

5 Swirlies

“I wanna die on a full stomach.”

Whoa. Suddenly, a lot happens in this minute and a half episode.

More mystery. More deaths. A new character. Probably if you have been following this show, you’ve been intrigued enough to finish watch the rest on your own. If this is your first time coming across this series, this isn’t a bad entry point.

From YouTube Description:

Ten friends in Los Angeles experience an unusual event together- and try to survive.
Starring:
Brian Gattas
Jade Gordon
Tom Lenk
Chad Lindsey
Alisa Mcronald
Sam Pancake
Jack Plotnick
Christos Prevezanos
Chris Shea
Doug Stockstill
and
Rachel Stolte

Written and directed by Jim Hansen

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Orange Juice in Bishop’s Garden S01E04 “Yasmine’s House” | A Webseries Review on The Watch List

A Drama Webseries

4 Swirlies

“It’s like the Circle of Hell that Dante forgot.”

I love this webseries.

My only complaint is that some of the acting is… not great. And for all of its rough edges, everything else about it is so amazing. The storylines are original, sharp and more character than plot. I love the chemistry between the two main girls - I love that feel like outsiders even while doing everything with the same group of girls. The writing is top notch, and some of the framing and the way it is shot is really nice. Sure. there’s a couple of shots, especially covering the dialogue, where it kinda feels like the camera was just plunked down, but then there’s many shots, like the one with the girls looking at the house, that are rich with drama and emotion. The shots of the girls swimming were so natural that I started to feel creepy, like I was intruding on their privacy.

I like this episode like I liked the first one. Well, okay - almost as much. For some reason, the scenes in Bishop’s Garden don’t seem to work as well as scenes set somewhere else. I dunno why that is.

I’d like to come back to the acting for a second. I shouldn’t just leave a blanket statement like my earlier one lie, because the truth is that the two main girls (at least the two I think of as the main girls) are actually quite good. There’s four seasons of this show, which is an amazing accomplishment right there. I’m eager to watch each episode, but I’m also excited to see how the cast and crew improve during all those episodes!

Thanks to Otessa Ghadar for making such a wonderful show!

From YouTube Description:

While the parents are away, the kids will play. Yasmine’s parental units go out of town and a party ensues at her ridiculously fancy house, complete with Olympic-size pool and some stealing of beer from her college-guy-neighbors… *Plus* things are looking up for Sarah & Jake…

French Subtitles by: http://www.univers-l.com/

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Out With Dad S02E02 ”Asking Out Alicia” | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Family Drama Web Series

4 Swirlies

“I have to puke. Hold my bag. Watch my board!”

Every now and then we like to have one of the creators behind a series do a sort of guest review of their own show. Actually, we only did it once before, with Tyranny, but I thought it worked out nicely. I asked the creator of Our With Dad, Jason Leaver, if he’d like to do one for the first episode of his second season. He said no. But he did agree to do it for his second episode! And we’re glad he did, because there’s a lot of interesting behind the scenes stuff in here…

The Watch List asked me to post a review of my own episode two weeks ago. A filmmaker reviewing his own work? An interesting concept! I declined however, because felt it would be too presumptuous of myself for 2×01 “Out with Dad”. It’s a different for 2×02 “Asking Out Alicia”, with this one I can sit back and enjoy just like any other audience member. This was true when we were filming and while I was editing. So ya, I can review this episode.

First a bit of background, this one was written after production began for season two. I’d already filmed scenes with Laura Jabalee, which you’ll see later. Often when working with actors I find I’m inspired to write more for them; this was no exception. Plus, I wanted to write more scenes for Corey Lof – this guy is hilarious. I’ve come to know Corey and Kate very well, and I know they understand comedy.

However, our three leads were faced with a challenge: our location.

We filmed this episode entirely in front of The 519 Community Centre on Church Street, who allowed us to use their facility to stand in as our high school. Church Street is the centre of LGBT life, vibrance and pride in Toronto. It’s the friendliest street. There is a fantastic energy. There also happens to be a lot of traffic with heavy trucks! There must have been a construction site nearby. Each time one of those trucks drove by we had to stop recording. It was LOUD. The actors quickly caught on to what audio level was acceptable. Instinctively they would pause their performance when a truck approached, when they got the nod from me they’d continue with the scene. What astounds me is their performances never suffered. They kept their energy up, they stayed in the moment. This is especially remarkable for Corey, whose character is the driving force of this episode. In comedy timing is everything. Yet some how his timing was unaffected! The pauses and restarts by the cast were no challenge for me as the editor to work with. Which reminds me, I was sitting on a train editing this episode, laughing out loud most of the time. I hope my fellow passengers didn’t mind!

You also have to pay attention to “Alicia’s pack of girlfriends”, played by Shailene Garnett, Carolyn Nettleton and Lizzie Stuart-Morris. I love them in every frame they’re on screen, they’re hilarious! I never offered them any direction, which I probably shouldn’t admit… but I didn’t need to! Each of them took it upon themselves to have a different reaction to the conversation unfolding before them. Watch for more of them in Out With Dad.

Next up, is the Adrian Ellis’s score. He went with a highly percussive, almost jungle-inspired track, as if saying Kenny is “on the hunt”. The first draft of the score suggested a 1970’s swagger. It fun, but given that our characters were born in the 90’s, it didn’t fit right. In the version you hear, all Adrian did was modify his bass track making it feel a little more modern – it kind of has a reggae vibe to it. I pushed him to have fun with the score. He included some hilarious hits to certain story beats, my favourite: the ding as the metaphorical light bulb turns on for Kenny at 3:05, and the way the music practically says “ooooh…” as Rose learns Alicia asked about her at 2:46.

I had fun making this episode, I can sit back as part of the audience and I enjoy what the cast and composer give us. I’m sure you will too!

P.S. I love the music! Thanks, Jason!

From Blip.tv Description:

Kenny finally finds the courage to ask out Alicia Van Harren, well, eventually.

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Tyranny Ep.13 “Y2K” | A Webseries Review on The Watch List

A Sci-Fi Web Series

4 Swirlies

“The love of money is the root of all tyranny.”

This is one of those episodes that leaves you with a real sense of… huh.

Huh. It’s not exactly a cliffhanger, but it did leave me wondering what would happen next. There’s a weird effect at the end, but we know that the world doesn’t end, cause we have seen scenes from the future. It’s a sweet episode, that feels like we’re taking a breather before the fit hits the shan.

From YouTube Description:

Episode 13 of Tyranny the Web Series:
“Y2K”
As the clock ticks down to the end of the millennium, Daniel realizes he must know for certain whether Isabelle can accept not only his eccentric view on life, but his possible hallucinations.

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Casual S02E04 “Fragments” | A Web Series Review on the Watch List

A Romance Drama Web Series

5 Swirlies

Casual 2.4: Fragments from Altermotion Pictures on Vimeo.

“It doesn’t work. Whatever you’re running away from comes back.”

Another great episode – with lots of back and forthing in time.

I’ve gushed over this show so many times. Let me just say – everything is at the same high quality as ever. We get to see a bit more into the main characters’ work lives, and get teases of the things that I assume caused them to break up. Lot’s of great lines and moments in this episode, again – as always.

There’s two more episodes left in Chapter Two. I hoping that the cliffhangery ending of this episode drives us to the end of the series and some answers about why they’re no longer together, and whether they’ll try again. I also noticed that season 3 of Casual has just been released! Go guys go! I’ll keep posting and hopefully catch up to you in four weeks or so.

From Vimeo Description:

Casual Episode 2.4: Fragments
Starring Lauren Marini & Brian Thomas Smith
Guest Starring Mary Jo Deschanel
Featuring Regina Saldivar, Victoria Brianne Ramirez and Jon Lewis
facebook.com/​casualseries

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Night of the Zombie King Ep.5 “Thoughts of Darkness” | A Web Series Review on the Watch List

A Drama Web Series

3 Swirlies

“Back then, it was the last time that I felt like I was good, you know?”

Okay then.

If I could split up my review, I’d give the first half of this episode of Night of the Zombie King a 1 and the second half a five.

I don’t get it. How can one scene make me want to just skip posting it, and the next scene make me want to sing its praises from the hilltops? When it is the real world, drama stuff it is at once cheesy and artificial. When it is the game stuff… the series soars. Is it just the music that gets me? Maybe, but I don’t think so.

When it comes to the real world stuff, I keep wanting someone to shrug and say, “We were kids. Now we’re adults. Let’s deal with some adult stuff.” I got nothing against adults playing games, I do have a problem with adults obsessing over some poor choices they made in high school and crying because they wanted to recapture the magic of sleep overs.

And when it comes to the game play stuff, I’m surprised and delighted, despite the fact that I’m struggling with myself not to turn it off. It grabs me, it drags me back in to the fiction, it makes me like it. It works, it feels more real than the drama scenes. But then, you couldn’t really have a show that was just a group of people playing the game? You have to have the game resonate with what’s going on the actual lives of the characters. That’s where the game play adds a strong dramatic value.

From Blip Description:

Jaz pursues Hicks, trying to coax him back into the game. Hicks explains his difficulty in coming to terms with the past, and they stumble upon a plan to salvage the adventure. Featuring music from Bellavista – www.thevue.com/bellavista

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Vampire Mob S01E05 “You Can’t Choose Your Family” | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Vampire Hitman Comedy Web Series

3 Swirlies

“I’m selling all my sunglasses online. I won’t even tell you how many pairs have.”

Living with his mother-in-law is about as bad as Don thought it was going to be. And it turned out that his “business” isn’t as recession proof as he had hoped.

From YouTube Description:

Closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired.

Episode Five - “You can’t choose your family” Starring: John Colella, Reamy Hall, Marcia Wallace, Chris Mulkey.

Support Season Two! http://www.VampireMob.com

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Vampire Zombie Werewolf Ep.9 “Meta-Morphosis” | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Comedy Horror Web Series

3 Swirlies

“Half vampire, half werewolf and one third zombie?”

There’s a really cool special effect at the end of this final episode, I honestly have no idea how they did that.

There’s a few really funny jokes in this episode, especially with the Vampires justifying their existence to the producer. My favourtie parts of this series was the producer dealing with the blood thirsty vampires, especially finding out his buddy was a vampire.

Where this series didn’t connect with me was all the stuff about web series. I can’t even really say why, except that I felt like it was out of place with everything else that was going on, and it was only kind of a MacGuffin to get the plot in gear… but the story never really evolved beyond it, like a typical MacGuffin. I never cared if they came up with a web series concept, but I did care if the producer got eaten by the vampires. On the same thought, I didn’t care if he got eaten by Tad and Bunny, because then the story would be over, and also the producer did very little to avoid being eaten by Tad and Bunny, while with the vampires it felt like a very present danger that he was struggling to avoid.

But KATR Productions did make it look and sound nice - a very slick and well produced project. I haven’t gone back and watched their previous effort yet, Life From the Inside, which is spoken about very highly from web series fans.

If someone from KATR Productions is reading this, we’d love it if you could leave a comment talking a little about “the head shot” and how you achieved it, or maybe just a hint about what your next series might be?

From YouTube Description:

Teeth are bared, hackles rise, and everything comes to a head. The thrilling conclusion of Vampire Zombie Werewolf Season 1.

Watch the Entire series! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXiK_2JhBxw&feature=li…

Watch Vampire Zombie Werewolf at http://www.vampirezombiewerewolf.com/

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