friholio Reviews

Crazy Right (2018)

Tragedy and regret

[10/10 · 21 August 2019]

Crazy Right is an intense fever dream that leads you through what remains of one man's sanity. After a tragic incident, he finds neither answers nor happiness at the bottom of a bottle but keeps trying for good measure. Patrick Green and Lindsae Klein latch onto your emotions and don't let go as they lead you through the murky landscape of memory, regret, and pain. Confounding, compelling, and hard to forget.

The Competition (2018)

Amusing rom-com romp

[8/10 · 11 August 2018]

It was fun to see Thora Birch and Chris Klein back in action in this Portland-based rom-com. Birch's smart, self-assured acting style is a nice complement to Klein's natural good-guy vibe. The sight gag where Lauren trips and drops out frame just after meeting Calvin, leaving her umbrella suspended in mid-air, is a fun piece of camera work and helps to set the light, goofy tone of the film. The PIG Theory (Point of Infidelity and Guilt) is cynical and clearly rooted in more than just numbers, so Calvin has his work cut out for him when tasked by Gena to intervene in Lauren's career path. Their chemistry is immediate, they soon strike a bargain, and shenanigans ensue. Some of the supporting characters add real spark and depth, including a radiant Claire Coffee as Lauren's long-suffering and protective sister Gena, Kelsey Tucker as amusingly harried have-it-all career mom Sharon, and the scene-stealing David Blue as Jacob. The central contest of the film is pretty mean-spirited, but of course you know Calvin and Lauren will learn some important life lessons and things will work out for them in the end. You can't boil everything down to a scientific formula.

GameSpot TV (1998–2022)

One of the funniest shows on TV

[9/10 · 8 January 2007]

Video game reviews aside, the witty banter between the hosts Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb makes this show well worth watching. The humor manages to be both intelligent and low-brow at the same time, and often mocks X-Play's own core demographic. The reviews are often interspersed with sketches involving recurring characters (Drunk Link!), totally inappropriate animations and puppetry, or even movie parodies (Saw). It's a welcome relief from the increasing number of G4 shows that are clearly trying to appeal to the baser instincts of lonely 14-year-old boys. These people know what they're doing and they do it well. Give it a try!