TV Binge & Netflix A-Z: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt [Season 2, 2016]

In true TV Binge glory is the next Netflix A-Z selection for U.  You got it! The newly released Season 2 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.  In case you missed it, I was a huge fan of the first season. You can read the review HERE.  I was literally counting down the days to when this would be available on Netflix and I started it up right when I got home from work that Friday night.  I know its already a month or something since its been out but I’ve been working on this new system of having a lot of backlog ready to be written so it gives me time to give whatever I watch a chance to sink in and think about before writing about it.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt [Season 2, 2016]

Creator: Robert Carlock & Tina Fey

Cast: Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski, Carol Kane, Sara Chase, Ki Hong Lee, Mike Carlsen, Tina Fey, Lauren Adams, Amy Sedaris

Its hard to not fall in love with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.  The characters are too lovable in their silly and outrageous way.  Its fantastic to open up the show with the same theme song that caught me in the first season.  It really shows the tone this series is aiming for.  I just absolutely love it from its hilarious characters to Netflix letting us Kimmy-fy the page which makes it all sparkly and awesome.  I’m not a pink person but Kimmy Schmidt and its characters are all just sparkly and infectiously fun! 🙂

In Season 2, we pretty much pick up from where we left off in the first one.  Titus is still dreaming about pursuing his career in singing on Broadway or something along those lines.  Kimmy is adapting to her new life in New York and the modern technology and getting over Dong who married to an older lady to not get deported.  Titus and Kimmy’s landlord, Lillian is still awkward and hilarious and this season, she’s all about saving the change in her neighborhood. While, the ex-Mrs. Voorhees goes back home to live with her parents and embrace her roots but that is a whole new life to her also, while avoiding her divorcee life of having not been split with more money and scared with the reality she will have to face if she returns to New York.  Of course, she eventually does and with Kimmy’s encouragement, tries to be independent instead of a gold digger.  While this is Kimmy growing up from her 15 year old mentality to a grown-up and her adventures, its equally about the people around her and their adventures because in a way, even if they have been living in this reality all their lives, they still each have their own delusions and live in their own fantasy and they are each growing as a person as well.  Each is as naive as Kimmy is and its funny to watch their endeavors.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt always seems to surprise us with some popular cast, just like Tina Fey who is the show creator takes on a much more involved role this season and no one delivers her content quite like she does. I’m a huge fan of Tina Fey so it was a welcome addition to see her as a psychiatrist that helps Kimmy Schmidt but also has her own issues.  At the same time, we have Lisa Kudrow that comes in as Kimmy’s mom that the season trickles with information that its building to her facing her eventually.  At the same time, we have Anna Camp drop in for a few episodes.  If you don’t know who she is, she’s in one of my favorite movies, Pitch Perfect. And there’s Jeff Goldblum who plays a Dr. Phil-esque type of guy.  Funny how he’s gone such a long way from what I remember him in Jurassic Park. Then, there’s David Cross.  While I haven’t seen a whole lot of movies that I remember him profoundly other than maybe Alvin and the Chipmunks, I know I’ve seen in other stuff that has made me laugh.

You know what? I don’t want to ruin Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and let you just have fun! If you haven’t checked it out, you should! Overall, Season 2 was a ton of fun.  The cast is still as fun and charming as always.  The comedy works (for me).  Yet, there’s still a lot of good things that we can learn from this series.  Plus, it has a ton of really great cameo roles.  Maybe some of them will return. Who knows, right? Right now, I just can’t wait for the next season, which is going to feel so long!

Have you seen Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt? 

Easy A (2010)

I have no idea how I haven’t watched this movie again in the whole 2013.  I guess I just didn’t as I was busy discovering new genres.  Attached with the fact that the past weekend in THIS post, I claimed it to be my feel good movie, you already know what to expect in the review but still, lets get on with it 🙂

Director: Will Gluck

Cast: Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley, Dan Byrd, Thomas Haden Church, Cam Gigandet, Lisa Kudrow

Olive (Emma Stone) is a normal not very popular student at school.  One day, when her extremely religious classmate, Marianne (Amanda Bynes) overhears her claiming to her best friend, Rhiannon (Aly Michalka) that she had lost her virginity with a college guy, the rumor spreads quickly.  With this, she sees that these rumors gives her a new social attention in the school that she enjoys and she ends up using these rumors to bring more attention on herself even though it came with a rather tarnished reputation.

This was the first movie I became fully aware of who Emma Stone was. Sure, I remembered her from House Bunny and realized she was in Ghost of Girlfriends Past, but this one placed her on the map in my book.  She’s funny and sarcastic and this movie is just so my type of humor.  I had a great time with it. Since then, Emma Stone has been one of my top 10 favorite actresses.  I really think she can do no wrong.  I even revisit some of her roles and I realize how she might be the shining part in a not so good movies (like for Ghost of Girlfriends Past).  Of course, the movie itself has a great tone.  It was smart, witty humor and payed tribute to great teen comedies, you know, John Hughes era.

Honestly, I love the whole cast in Easy A. After my long girl crush talk on Emma Stone, lets look at the rest of the cast.  We have in a rather smaller supporting role, Thomas Haden Church and Lisa Kudrow.  Both are very good at creating funny moments even when they are really trying to be serious.  We have the before crazy mode Amanda Bynes.  The one I do love quite a bit.  She plays a fully devoted religious girl and she was quite funny, especially her whole talks and attacks with with Emma’s character Olive.

We have some awesome young actors that I like, Gossip Girl’s Penn Badgley.  That guy slowly grew on me as I watched Gossip Girl more.  I really should finish up the last 1.5 seasons.  Penn Badgley is not a bad looking guy but what he has is a charm to him and I like the vibe he gives off in his roles.  In this one, he didn’t have a huge role since Easy A was more of a teen comedy than a romantic one so the focus wasn’t on the guys.

I really think that the cast and the characters are the life of any kind of comedy so I’m going to focus on that.

Moving along, Olive’s family is fabulous as well. I love Stanley Tucci so much, who plays Olive’s father.  The man is a genius. He breathes life into any role he is given.  Seriously, pick any role he’s done and if I’ve seen it, I’ll remember it because he’s just so awesome.  Him and Patricia Clarkson, who played his wife was such fun to watch.

So yes, did you get that this movie was fun and funny? I’m pretty sure you did. These late nights of finishing up the TESL course has ironically zapped most of my vocabulary out of my mind.  Easy A is an awesome teen comedy and one that I totally recommend.  If you haven’t seen it, check it out! I promise you’ll have fun, well, the majority of you.  Emma Stone is amazing and the movie itself just so fantastic 🙂

What do you think of Easy A? Are you a fan of Emma Stone?