Posts by Danielle Houtkooper

[rating=7.00] “eps.1.4_3xpl0its.wmv” The mystery continues as to what’s really going on in Mr.Robot this week with Elliot and co. using their resources to exploit the human condition. After the last episode’s spectacular showing, this one felt a little…well meh. However that’s not to say that the episode was bad. On the contrary; this week we […]

[rating=6.00] “Swim, Shmuley, Swim” “It may seem like three in the afternoon, but it’s five minutes until midnight.” Words that couldn’t be truer coming from Walter’s last hope at staving off the airstrikes that could begin World War three. This week’s episode was surprisingly not terrible, it seems the less they include Jack Black over acting, […]

The first trailer for Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s The Revenant is out and, the world a titter with delight. After last year’s sweeping success of  Birdman, the revered director has broken his “only every 3-4 years” work habit and found himself creating what could very well be Leonardo DiCaprio’s first Oscar winning role. Starring DiCaprio as […]

So the Emmy nominations are out, and for the most part, there are no huge surprises. Game of Thrones got all the nominations, in fact, HBO cleaned up nom wise. However, even with the big names throwing punches there was still plenty of love for the streaming networks, a trend that’s definitely headed on the […]

[rating=8.00] “eps.1.3_da3m0ns.mp4” You know those defining moments in a series? The ones that make or break the season and send everything into a tailspin? We got one of those this week on Mr. Robot. Last episode, we were stuck between a rock and a hard place with Elliot leaning towards the destruction of “the system” […]

[rating=5.00] “I’ll Never Be Batman” This week’s The Brink played into fear. Fear of losing, fear of dying, fear of finding out you’re not good enough. Entitled “I’ll Never Be Batman” The Brink reminds us that no matter what we do, we’re always at the mercy of someone else’s circumstances. Since I’m not too fond of the […]

[rating=7.00] “Eps1.2d3bug.mkv” After an exemplary showing of the initial episodes laying out the Mr. Robot world, this week’s episode was definitely on a lesser level. At least most of it was. With a few key stand out moments, and an increasingly ominous soundtrack, Robot’s consistency does not yet waver. This week the real hero of […]

[rating=5.00] “Baghdad My Ass” The continued mediocrity of The Brink has really only been saved by Tim Robbin’s character Walter. However, there’s only so far Walter’s antics can get us. After last week’s run in with military boss Raja, Jack Black’s character Alex continues to rely on Black’s signature smirks and grimaces rather than attempt a […]

[rating=7.00] “eps1.1_ones-and-zer0es.mpeg” This week’s Mr. Robot kept the mystery going. After the action packed premiere, you’d think we would get a little break for story building right? Well, that’s the thing about this show, it doesn’t really conform to what you think should happen. For the most part anyway. Though there are a few easy tropes […]

[rating=5.00] “Half-Cocked” With an episode title indicative of a show struggling to find its footing, this week’s episode of The Brink was less disappointing, but still not quite there. Is it the acting? The writing? The timing? Generally, it seems to be the lack of a sense of humor skirting the edges of the series. “Half-Cocked” […]

[rating=7.00] “Eps1.0hellofriend.mov” Mr. Robot, the latest from USA Network’s original programming, is an important piece of pop culture. Or rather, it thinks it is. The show is based around Elliot (Rami Malek), a hyper intelligent (slightly autistic?) programmer who works at the bottom level of a security software company. Like many before him, working with computers […]

[rating=5.00] “Pilot” Part of HBO’s summer programming, new series The Brink has a long road ahead of it. The premiere, though at times laugh inducing, was missing a certain satire that could carry the series out of the cancellation grey period and into an overpriced HBO box set four years from now. Loosely based on our […]

[rating=9.00] “Two Days of the Condor” I have to give it to Silicon Valley, the season two finale was a defining moment in comedic television history. One of the running themes has been the dudes’s total lack of self-respect and preservation, but in what would turn out to be the most stressful and amazing moments of […]

[rating=8.00] “Binding Arbitration” This week’s episode of Silicon Valley was one for the books. For a show with a very specific subject matter, the umbrella type comedy has the ability to transform even the smallest moment into a colossal hassle for all those involved. Comedy then ensues, because you know, dick jokes and subtler humor. Big […]

[rating=8.00] “Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television” I have to admit, the excitement I had for a new season of Community outside of network television was a heavy factor in my initial viewing of the first episodes of this season. And with good reason. The promise of a new beginning for the cult favorite would lead […]

[rating=8.00] “White Hat/Black Hat” Richard and the guys are riding on a high after successfully getting a bid for a contract with Intersite. The only thing standing in their way is a “bake off” with EndFrame, a small obstacle considering Pied Piper is so much more sophisticated and thought out than EndFrame’s platform. Unfortunately, knowing the […]

[rating=5.00] “Wedding Videography” We get a little change-up in season six’s penultimate episode. Abed is doing freelance work in Jeff’s classroom with a handheld camera, which is the conceit with which the episode itself is presented. Of course, Jeff is none too pleased with this—his idea of teaching law is drinking the secret scotch stash from […]

[rating=7.00] Picking up right where we left last week, the guys have nothing left to do but fight their way to the top. With Nucleus floundering and End Frame dominating the market, there’s going to be some choices to make and no one’s going to like it. Though we haven’t been talking about it much […]

[rating=6.00] It finally happened. The highly anticipated Community paintball episode hit Yahoo, and it was fun…ish. The start of the episode was great, a parking lot stand-off scene between Starburns and Todd set the tone for “Modern Espionage.” The two masterfully duke it out, superimposed over the sounds of Vicki’s one woman musical. It’s almost […]

[rating=7.00] “Homicide” This week, Pied Piper almost manages to pull off a victory, but in the process learns that their streaming platform is indeed in great working order. Gavin on the other hand is not so lucky. After a hilarious series of events last week, Gavin is proud to stream a UFC fight exclusively through Nucleus. […]