Fun T.V./movie discussion thread

[CaptainCrunch]

All right you pop culture fans. This is a three part quiz for you T.V./movie fans.

There are three things that I want to get listed

a) Jumping the shark, when did your favorite show go from awesome to ridiculously stupid. This term refers to the episode where Fonzie jumps over a shark in a pair of speedo's and a leather jacket, after that the show was never the same.

b) Nuking the fridge. The oh come on really? moment from a movie that so seperates from reality that the movie just becomes crap after that. This term refers to Indy surviving a nuclear blast by crawling into the fridge.

c) The unexplained/what happened there moment or plot point or character who's actions or fate were never ever explained.

So I'll start

Jumping the shark - Office, the marriage between Jim and Pam, took a great show and except for rare bits of genius took a lot of the bite out of the show with their cutesy interviews and bad marriage jokes

Nuked the Fridge - Spiderman 3, when Peter Parker under the influence of the alien symbiote displays his new villianous edgy persona by becoming an emo dancing machine

The unexplained. whatever happened to Chuck Cunningham Ritchies older brother who went upstars to get a basketball and was never heard from again. In fact in the final episode Mr Cunningham raises a glass and toasts his two children. Where's Chuck, is his skelatal remains still in the attic searching for his basketball?

[underGRADFlame]

Hereos

They jumped the shark in the last episode of season 1, completely awesome season up to that point then

[Da_Chief]

That 70s show, the last season when they brought in goof (Randy) to replace Eric (Donna's new mate) and Kelso (humor) really annoyed me. He was so bad.

Movie more recent had to be 2012, when Cusack gathers his family and is escaping that whole thing from start to finish is "seriously?"

[speede5]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

b) Nuking the fridge. The oh come on really? moment from a movie that so seperates from reality that the movie just becomes crap after that. This term refers to Indy surviving a nuclear blast by crawling into the fridge.

Duh, you missed the fact that the fridge was lead lined.

[Komskies]

Nuked the Fridge - In Live Free of Die Hard. A fighter jet destroys the truck that John McClane is in, then he jumps from the truck onto the wing of the jet, then somehow slides off the wing back onto the highway.

[Russic]

I have to respectfully disagree with the Office jumping the shark as i still find it incredibly funny.

Jumping the Shark: 24 - After terrorists set off a nuclear bomb in LA (season 4 or 5 I think) it got to the point where I didn't find any of the scenarios particularly intense. That was pretty much the coup de grâce of terrorist activity. I still love the show, but the coolness factor of the attacks never matched that again imo.

Nuked the Fridge: Coming up with something worse that Peter Parker emo dancing is such a difficult task. I'll go with something that always really bugged me and wrecked a great movie. (Saving Private Ryan Spoiler Alert)

In saving Private Ryan the opening scene is an old guy at a cemetery. The camera pans zooms into his eyes and we begin the flashback. We're led to believe it's Tom Hanks' character ... and why wouldn't we ... for 90% of the movie a story is told of these soldiers charging through Europe looking for Matt Damon to send him home. It isn't until Tom Hanks dies that we figure out the old guy having the flashback is Matt Damon. That's right ... the guy who is introduced to the story in the final 35 minutes had a flashback of events he wasn't a part of. Drives me insane.

The Unexplained: Alf getting captured by the agency that's going to kill him in the series finale was pretty rough.


I believe I found the article through CP - http://www.cracked.com/article_18490...v-history.html

[Finny61]

1) Jumping the Shark - Roseanne was a great tv show until the 9th season (the dream season) in which she won the lottery and everything was completely ass backwards, left viewers confused and then you find out at the end what the real ending is.

2) Nuke the Fridge - The Day After Tomorrow and Twister. Killer tornadoes that growl like lions at you while they chase you. You'd almost think weather was an animal. Terribly fake and horrible movies.

3) The Unexplained - Lost - I always wanted to know what happened to Mr Eko. I know the real reason (actor left the show) but the writers quietly put him aside.

[corporatejay]

The Unexplained - Lost - I always wanted to know what happened to Mr Eko. I know the real reason (actor left the show) but the writers quietly put him aside.

He was killed by the black smoke.

[Locke]

I thought Kumar blowing his brains out on House was just weirdly hilarious, but in some ways it might constitute a 'Jumping the Shark' moment.

Lead lined Fridge? The entire film 'Deep Blue Sea.' They had these genetically engineered Sharks that were supposedly as big as a decently sized Freightliner, however they're sneaking up on people in hip deep water in 3 foot wide hallways. WTF was up with that? Or the part where a shark jumps out of the water, eats Samuel L Jackson, and retreats back into the water without ever landing, all done to special effects that wouldnt have cut the mustard in the 60s. That whole movie was one unreal crapfest from start to finish.

You know what other movie was an unreal crapfest from start to finish? Spiderman 3.

[endeavor]

Originally Posted by Komskies

Nuked the Fridge - In Live Free of Die Hard. A fighter jet destroys the truck that John McClane is in, then he jumps from the truck onto the wing of the jet, then somehow slides off the wing back onto the highway.

Uhhhh... it's freaking John McClane

[Hack&Lube]

The Office - jumped the shark when the Americans decided to do their own series and cast Steve Carell in the lead role. I love Carell, god bless him, but Carell is totally unsuited for the characterization of the boss. Michael is all cute and pathetically lovable in his ignorance and awkward mistakes and his own self-doubt when things got bad. David Brent was a cheesy slimeball who didn't realize what an idiot he was and never let up because he was forever awesome in his own mind.

The unexplained - Regarding Kumar's suicide on house - I have no idea what to characterize that as. It has had no real impact on the series, it was just something that happened and the writers did a terribly bad job of writing themselves out of the hole and it was never explained. The real jumping the shark is Cameron's awkward exit from the show...then again, the show is improving without her. That would be as if Fonzie jumped the shark and then the sheer ego boost he got from that somehow made the show better instead of worse.

[Machiavelli]

a) Heroes: all seasons after the first. Lame-o
b) Wanted: became ridiculous like 10 minutes in
c) Don't know

[Temporary_User]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

The Office - jumped the shark when the Americans decided to do their own series and cast Steve Carell in the lead role. I love Carell, god bless him, but Carell is totally unsuited for the characterization of the boss. Michael is all cute and pathetically lovable in his ignorance and awkward mistakes and his own self-doubt when things got bad. David Brent was a cheesy slimeball who didn't realize what an idiot he was and never let up because he was forever awesome in his own mind.

Disagree. I tried watching the British version in the past and just couldn't do any more than a few episodes.
The only thing wrong with Steve Carrell as the boss is how everyone seems to think "That's what she said" came from him and the show.

[CaptainCrunch]

Ok some more for me

1) Star Trek Voyager - the introduction of 7 of 9 is the moment when that show went from kinda lame to full blow stupid. Beyond the fact that Jerri Ryan was a terrible actress who if you covered her face looked good in a tight body suit, they bought her onboard as a direct wank moment to lonely nerds everywhere.

2) The return of the Jedi - Up to the intro of the Ewoks it was a fairly tight movie, then the Ewoks using rocks and spears defeated what is basically a mechanized infantry division with heavily armored troops. I can see the Imperial Scientists now "Yes Lord Vader, this armor will stop high velocity shrapnel and some blaster bolts"

Vader - "How about knives and rocks?"

Scientist - "Hmmmm we're a galaxy that uses particle beams and can freeze lasers to make swords, who uses rocks and knives. Plus it'll cost extra"

Vader - "Good point"

3) Married with Children - Seven (Shane Sweet) Peggy's cousins (played by Bobcat Goldthwait and Linda Blair) drop off their six-year-old son and leave him behind for the Bundys to take care of. He appeared on the seventh season of Married in a handful of episodes, then disappeared without any explanation other than a quick mention by the D'Arcys that he appeared in their house and won't leave. They claim they want to rename him, and possibly begin taking care of him, but that's the last time he is referred to. He was an extremely unpopular character with the fans.[16][17][18][19] However, in season eight, in the episode "Kelly Knows Something," Kelly is studying for a trivia show. As she learns new information, you visually see her forgetting other things. One thing that "pops out of her head" is an image of Seven. There is a scene where a carton of milk is held up at the Bundys' breakfast table and a picture of Seven is shown on the carton under the heading "Missing" but the Bundys don't seem to notice, or care.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Temporary_User

Disagree. I tried watching the British version in the past and just couldn't do any more than a few episodes.
The only thing wrong with Steve Carrell as the boss is how everyone seems to think "That's what she said" came from him and the show.

They are different forms of comedy. The British Office is a show that is designed to make you cringe and hide behind your couch out of social awkwardness and embarassement at what you are seeing. The American office is more of a sappy American sitcom to me with jokes and wierd characters that are over-exaggerated are far too obvious and not really funny.

The British version is just much more realistic and sort of a depressing-funny show as well because all those people could be real. I guess that wouldn't fly on US TV.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

They are different forms of comedy. The British Office is a show that is designed to make you cringe and hide behind your couch out of social awkwardness and embarassement at what you are seeing. The American office is more of a sappy American sitcom to me with jokes and wierd characters that are over-exaggerated are far too obvious and not really funny.

The British version is just much more realistic and sort of a depressing-funny show as well because all those people could be real. I guess that wouldn't fly on US TV.

One thing that I've said is handled in an outstanding manner on the U.S. office is the pov where you feel like your sitting in that office, and when they're good they make things so uncomfortable.

The fight between Michael and the new regional manager that caused Michael to quit made you feel physically uncomfortable at Michael's immaturity. The time that Michael visited his former boss who he greatly admired and they ended up in the hot tub while discussing new business ideas was really well handled and just weird.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Ok some more for me

1) Star Trek Voyager - the introduction of 7 of 9 is the moment when that show went from kinda lame to full blow stupid. Beyond the fact that Jerri Ryan was a terrible actress who if you covered her face looked good in a tight body suit, they bought her onboard as a direct wank moment to lonely nerds everywhere.

Star Trek of any kind jumped the shark the moment they started putting female characters into those bunny suits to supposedly attract fans. TNG markedly improved the instant Captain Jellico ordered Troi to get in a damn uniform and she stayed in it until the end. Of course they had to go and do it again in Voyager and Enterprise (even worse - it thought all great sci-fi had to include neon-lit mixed-sex underwear decontamination rubbing scenes).

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

One thing that I've said is handled in an outstanding manner on the U.S. office is the pov where you feel like your sitting in that office, and when they're good they make things so uncomfortable.

The fight between Michael and the new regional manager that caused Michael to quit made you feel physically uncomfortable at Michael's immaturity. The time that Michael visited his former boss who he greatly admired and they ended up in the hot tub while discussing new business ideas was really well handled and just weird.

I don't like how Michael is basically just a teenager in a grown man's body. It doesn't really feel awkward to me as when David Brent does something because he's just a grown man who is an slimeball/idiot...and all the characters being too wierd-cutesy as part of the base comedy doesn't work for me. They just pop up to add in wierd interviews to say strange things like Creed appearing to insert some reference to drugs and the 60s or Stanley appearing to give his Stanley face.

That kind of show is much more suited to a zany comedy that knows it's being partly surreal like 30 Rock than the mockumentary style.

[GreenLantern]

The Simspons.

Like 6 years ago.

[CaptainCrunch]

I had forgotten that Jellico moment. That was one of my favorite episodes. Not only were their 5 lights, but Jellico actually acted like a fleet captain, unlike that sissy diplomat Picard.