vocedar Reviews

Ralphie May: Girth of a Nation (2006 TV Special)

This guy is hilarious. Don't miss him!

[10/10 · 7 November 2006]

I saw "Ralphie May: Girth of a Nation" a few nights ago on Comedy Central. From the very first bit I knew I had to watch the whole program. Ralphie May, who shamelessly declares himself "politically incorrect," covers all sorts of subjects--terrorism, midgets/little people, retards/mentally-challenged Americans, "politically correct" language, the Pope, Jesus, black people at the movies... He is bold, and he might even offend, but he acknowledges this very well and never becomes anything less than hilarious. Ralphie does all of this and occasionally pokes fun at himself (kind of like the title, "Girth of a Nation").

I'm a fan of guys like Lewis Black and Pablo Francisco, and I think more of those kinds of fans would also like Ralphie May.

Flame (1996)

A simple, clear story of the revolution in Zimbabwe

[8/10 · 31 October 2006]

This film involves a little narration and tells a good story. Even though it's fiction, this film really does a good job at setting up the situation of the revolution. The events are portrayed very honestly, including those parts that make the revolutionary fighters look foolish. I am impressed by the detailed perspective of the young girls' journey and struggles; and also I'm impressed at how the film has a message, but it's not shoved in our faces. I would highly recommend this film for anyone who is interested in Africa, international relations, history, politics...pretty much anyone!

P.S. This film might be hard to find...I saw it in an African film festival at my university. You might have to look for this film if you're interested, but the search is worth it!

Aída (2005–2014)

Something worth watching--very funny!

[19 December 2005]

"Aida" is the first TV show I watched after moving to Spain. Now it's my favorite. I find it very entertaining although I don't always understand the cultural jokes.

This show is centered around the Garcia household, a not-so nuclear family. Aida is the head of the household, and not always the lead role in every episode, despite her name being on it. She tries to keep the rest of her family in line, but they constantly get into trouble...Aida's unemployed brother lives in the house, and also her mother and two children. There are many adventures among them and people around the town, including Paz, Chema, Fidel and Mauricio.

You can imagine this is like a sitcom in the USA, but I think the Spanish censors are a little more relaxed. The plots are about love, relationships, family, friends, work, personal issues, etc. It should be pretty universal even if you're not a native of Aida's country. These days the show comes on Sunday nights.