My Top 11 Nostalgia Critic Episodes
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| Oh, NC, I less than three you. <3 |
I received some
seriously horrible news a few weeks ago that I’m still trying to absorb and
accept. After four years of cracking me up, making me think, and inspiring me to make Redbox runs, The
Nostalgia Critic, one of my favourite web personalities/series of all time, is
over.
I am so.
Fucking. SAD!
When I heard
the news I actually cried (don’t judge me.) Other than the Jokerblogs, I’ve
never really been one for internet sensations. But NC grabbed me early and held
onto me til the end. For those of you who don’t know (shame!), The Nostalgia Critic is a series which reviews movies, TV
shows, and even commercials from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. It’s cleverly
written and absolutely hilarious, even early on when it was just Doug Walker
(who plays the Critic) doing the reviews on Youtube as a hobby. I have to say,
this show is exceptional. Like many people with favourite TV shows, NC was a
rare comfort during some rough patches in my life, something I could rely on to
lift my spirits. Even during the hardest times, I was guaranteed a laugh on a
weekly basis.
Ladies and gentlemen,
the aesthetic paragraph break.
What really kept me hooked on this
series, though, is the fact that it made me look back on old movies of my past
with a fresh eye, and it really put me into the habit of thinking during movies, rather than simply experiencing them as a way to kill a couple of hours. Movies,
books, TV shows, and other forms of fiction have always been a huge part of my
life (in case you couldn’t tell), and it was beneficial to me as a writer to
really well and truly break that fourth wall and dig into the minds of the
writers, producers, directors, actors, and sociology of movies. Watching NC
really got me routinely asking questions as I watched a movie: Why did they go
with this storyline? Was that line natural to the character or just something
the director threw in? How was it influenced by the culture of the era in which
it was created? Really opening my eyes and seeing the Movie Matrix, rather than
just taking a film for what it was, improved my ability to create sensible,
smooth(ish) plotlines, deeper, non-stereotypical characters, and stop myself
from cutting corners or being lazy with my own writing projects. I remember sifting
through the first half of my Demetrius and Chloe project a few months ago and
finding a “Big-Lipped Alligator Moment” that I truly believed I wouldn’t have
cut out if I hadn’t watched NC rip moments like that apart in movies. I know it
sounds really weird crediting a web series with bettering my writing about as
much as my college career did, but…hey, it’s true. Beneath the jokes and the
sometimes (though rarely) heavy-handed schtik beats the heart of an
intellectual lover of fiction, and it shows in the series’ writing. And a passionate
person is as great a teacher as someone with a degree.
And I am talking way too much about how NC personally
affected my life.
Come on, Dee, this is a blog, not a
diary, get your head in the game!
Anyway, regardless of my own
creative hard on for the series, I strongly suggest that people who haven’t
seen it should give it a shot. I suppose it’s not for everyone (my old roommate
hated it. But he also liked Batman and
Robin, so…), but it’s a show worth checking out, even if it’s just to point
at the screen, laugh, and say, “Hey, I remember that movie!”
Doug Walker already posted his
personal favourite Top 11 on the website, and as an homage to the show that
influenced me and entertained me for so long, I wanted to make a Top 11 list of
my own favourites. So, without further ado/fangirl preaching, here are my Top
11 Favourite Nostalgia Critic Episodes.
Why Top 11? Because NC likes to go
one step beyond, and thoroughly expects his fans to do the same!
I am going to point out that there’s
going to be a lot of grouping together (or “cheating” as some may call it) on
this list, and to that I say…deal with it. There are three Nostalgic Commercial
episodes, and they’re hilarious. Doug Walker is 6 years older than me, so I don’t
remember quite a few of the commercials he mentions, but the ones I do remember
I really appreciated. This is on the list mainly because the Commercial
episodes spawned some of the funniest jokes in the series to me. And also, at
the end of the first one, he parodies Poor
Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas.
If I ever met Doug Walker, no matter what the setting, I would have to give him
a bone-crushing hug for that alone. That aside, the Commercial episodes were
just plain fun to watch. It was like sitting in the living room with a close
friend, enjoying a lazy day in front of the TV and being snarky.
And, of course, I have to say it…FUCKING BUBBLES!
10. Moulin
Rouge
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| ...ugh. |
I love this review because I have
always hated this movie for the
reasons NC illustrates. I know I’m going to be crucified for this, but I can’t
fucking stand this movie. This review is great because of the effort that’s put
into it. When I’ve shown this episode to NC newcomers in the past, they have a
hard time getting past all of the shtik. They don’t know who the people in the
cameos are, which is why I think they lose interest. But for me, it’s a ton of
fun to watch NC spread his wings a little and write songs. Plus it’s a ton of
fun to watch the character of NC interact with others. I also like how at the
end, NC still despises this movie, and Lindsay and Brentalfloss admit its
faults, but love it anyway. No one I know acknowledges Moulin Rouge as a great movie, or a good movie, or even a decent
movie. They love it either because of or despite its glaring faults. Anyway, this review cracks me up and NC really
shines in it.
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| ...AAAAHHHHH!!! |
Okay, this
one is all personal. As far as NC episodes go, this one is pretty basic,
although he’s at a convention and I love that this review ran on the joke that the
movie was so bad it forced him into existential crisis. But the real reason I love
this review? He was at Animarathon. In BG. At our Student Union. Friends of
mine waved at the camera. And my friend Tommy got punched in the face.
I am still kicking myself for not going to
Animarathon that year.
…Woops…did I just use a real name
and not a pseudonym on my blog? Eh, I’m sure Tommy won’t mind. He got punched
in the face by the fucking Nostalgia Critic. I’m pretty sure he can die happy
no matter what now.
8. The
Cell
This review
is different for me because it was one of the very rare times that NC and I weren’t
on the same page. I love this movie.
And though I definitely acknowledge its glaring plot holes and, er, “liberties”
taken in regards to a person’s subconscious/reality in general, I don’t really
find it be a pretentious movie, and definitely not exploitive. I understand how
people can see it that way, though. I’ve never seen The Cell as particularly reaching to be artistic and deep and edgy.
I just kind of looked at it as visually letting loose. And though watching it
made me a little sad, I still laughed. A lot. Especially with the “Be Disturbed”
button. Though now I can’t watch the movie without thinking, ‘Oh, dear GOD, Vince Vaughn, close your
fucking lips already!’
7. Ferngully
Ferngully was the review that really cemented my love for this series.
It also introduced me to Nostalgia Chick, whom I love. It was also the birth of
the Big-lipped Alligator Moment, which I’ve mentioned in this blog before.
Also, I absolutely adore their facial
expressions. That’s how I imagine I look when I’m watching a truly horrible movie.
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| hate.....haaaaate....HAAAAAAAAAAATE!!! |
Yep, here
it is…the infamous NC review of Batman
and Robin. This is probably the most well-known and oft-quoted review of
this series. There’s good reason for this. First and foremost, this movie is
one of the worst ever created. I hated it even when I was a child. Every one of
NC’s jokes is absolutely spot on. I adore this review, as do most NC fans.
Watch it. Love it. But for the love of God, can we please stop screaming “A BAT CREDIT CARD?!” Yes, it’s funny, but we
seriously need to leave it to the expert. In fact, the only reason this review
isn’t in the Top 5 is because of that damn joke being so overdone.
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| Sorry, Jack...Heath wins. |
This was NC’s
first Old vs New installment, which I love. And though I strongly disagree
with a lot of points NC makes in this
one, I absolutely love, love, love, LOVE listening
to him talk about these two films. I love them both, obviously The Dark Knight has my heart, but I love
hearing them discussed.
I’m going
to have to seriously bite my tongue (er, or fingers…I’m typing…) because from
the moment I saw this episode of NC, I’ve wanted to do some sort of video
response to it, reviewing the two the way I see it in an NC homage of some
sort. Obviously, I haven’t gotten around to it…but just watching this again
makes me itch to discuss them. Must…not…debate…!
4. Signs
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| Uhhh...wrist penis....nose rape...? |
This one
comes up right near the end of the series, and I adore it. This is another one of those movies that I hated when it
came out and couldn’t understand why everybody else loved it. When I watched
this review, I released a mental breath I had apparently been holding since the
damn movie came to theatres. I’m not alone! I’m not the only person who fucking
hates this movie! And the review itself is so funny it’s ridiculous. I actually
sent it to a friend of mine who is terrified of aliens because of this movie,
and she loved it. We still randomly text “DUKO!” (wood) to each other.
I know I mentioned one of these
already, but the rest of them are amazing, too. The Old vs New Installment is
one of my favourite things NC ever did, and I really wish he had done more,
especially with all of these ridiculous remakes (just saw a preview for RED
FUCKING DAWN). I just love hearing NC just kind of go on about movies. When I’m
craving intellectual film talk and nobody’s around, I almost always head to his
10 Commandments/Prince of Egypt episode or his Manhunter/Red Dragon episode.
They’re not focused on jokes quite as much, but they definitely still have wit
and funny moments. But really what gets me about them is the mind behind them. He
talks film in intellectual terms, but without sounding like a pretentious ass
hat (sorry, film major friends, but…yeah.) Check them out, thank me later.
2. IT
I fucking adore this episode. Adore it. The jokes, the Stephen King drinking
game, the jabs at the ridiculous plotline, the way it’s edited, I just love it.
It’s a movie that didn’t scare me in the least, but scared everyone around me.
Grown adults I know are still afraid
of it. This review nails why I find it the least frightening thing I’ve ever
seen, and how I felt when he ended up being a giant spider. And this review is
just damn fun to watch. One of the most genuinely entertaining things NC has
ever done.
And I am
game whenever anyone wants to play the Stephen King Drinking Game. Any time.
1. Top
11 Lists
(the link is for Dumbasses in Distress, one of my favies, but there are a ton more)
(the link is for Dumbasses in Distress, one of my favies, but there are a ton more)
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| http://marobot.deviantart.com/ |
Yeah, I know, I’m sorry, it’s a
cheat, but if I didn’t group the Top 11s together, they’d make up the majority
of the list. I just love NC’s Top 11 lists. They’re just fucking awesome. You
can tell he put a ton of thought into them, the jokes are fantastic, and I can’t
ever watch one without going “HA! I TOTALLY REMEMBER THAT!”
Biggest
mindfucks, best clichés, most awesome movie themes, best Batman the Animated
Series episodes (oh, yes, that’s a favourite)…there’s a list for practically
everything, and they’re all amazing. These, in my opinion, are where NC really
hits an incredible stride. They aren’t the regular format, so I suggest you
check out others on this list as well, but don’t skip the Top 11s. Ever!
Well,
there you have it. (Some of) my favourite episodes from one of the best web
series I’ve come across. I’m going to miss the Nostalgia Critic, a lot, but honestly, I can’t wait to see
what Doug Walker does in the future. He is an immensely talented individual,
and I’m sure he won’t disappoint. Cheers to the Nostalgia Critic. It was a
great run!
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