Intro: The Bucket List stars Jack Nicholson as the cranky billionaire and Morgan Freeman as book-smart auto mechanic who share a room in a cancer ward at a hospital.  They decide to create a list of things to do before they die.

Previews/Commercials Captioned: No

Opinion Review: The movie does start off slowly, but picks up the pace later on, filled with laughs and wonder.  I enjoyed the chemistry between Jack and Morgan, their first film together.  Because of that chemistry, the movie is able to move along and you’ll experience highs and lows emotionally.  Worth renting. 

Special/Supplemental Features Captioned: Yes

Overall Caption Rating: 4

Overall Show Rating: 4

Total Rating: 4

Do You Recommend This Show to Others Who Depend on Captioning?  Yes

Movie Viewing Date: June 29th, 2008
Movie Title: Resolve
Network: HBOHD
Reviewed By: Mike Wilkerson - 2GuysTalking

Intro:

In the span of my Hard of Hearing-Interpreter career, I have only experienced what I have considered "interpreter hell" a very few times. The stand up comedian referring to the interpreter on stage, testing the interpreter to see how far they will go to convey information. Situations that showcase physical proximity to dangers both environmental and legitimate physical harm. They’ve all been a piece of what is the history of my Interpreting career. I have always prided myself on being able to collect the details of a line of dialogue, an overall argument - to absorb information and be able to translate that to American Sign Language in its many incarnations and provide that to my previous clients. “Resolved” - an outstanding movie on HBOHD this morning showcased the true reality if what would be Interpreter Hell, and why I have never had the opportunity to interpret competitive high school and collegiate debate.

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Movie Viewing Date: June 28th, 2008
Movie Title: 30 Days of Night
DVD
Reviewed By: Mike Wilkerson - 2GuysTalking

Intro:

If someone were to ask me if I were a horror film fan, I’d probably say “no”. In general I’m not a bloody gore for gore’s sake fan, and I think that finding a fresh “look” at vampires is something that hasn’t been done in an incredibly long time. Recently, a friend of mine had mentioned that not only were there a number of comic book movies coming out this year (all of which we’re reviewing this year on The 2GuysTalking Podcast), but that one came out last year that many people would know nothing about. “Know nothing about” a comic book movie coming out? Instantly my interest was piqued and my hunt to find this “mystery comic book film” was intitiated. Would it be yet another dude or chick dressed in spandex? A fitted latex armour suit that had gadgets, perhaps? Ah, ha, what if perhaps it could be an “anti-hero” where it’s just a guy with no super powers at all, who just does extraordinary things and understand that he’s making a difference?

Clearly I’m locked into the focus of a superhero taking the center stage in this new comic book movie that came out last year and was released earlier this year on DVD. It wasn’t a story about a modern-day hero in a red super suit, it was about a band of vampires, covered in red blood, stalking, hunting and destroying a town in northern Alaska, that experiences an annual black-out, that’ provides them with with a platter-creating “30 Days of Night.”

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Show Viewing Date: 6-28-2008
Show Title: InsideMMA
Network: HDNet
Reviewed By: Mike Wilkerson - 2GuysTalking.Com

Intro:

What is easily one of my favorite sports review programs, InsideMMA (detailing the realm of Mixed Martial Arts - check my previous posts about this show and MMA) has sadly had several weeks featuring no captioning whatsoever.  While they had added a ticker at the bottom of the screen on and off detailing the top 10 fighters in the various weight classes, and they showcase the details of fights occurring in various events since the last show - there is no captioning at all and it really is cutting the conveyor belt of information to a solid segment that appreciate and continue to be interested in the Mixed Martial Art realm.  There is, after all, a Deaf fighter working in in the current MMA play.  InsideMMA certainly has some of the most entertaining banter, characters and is a great showcase for an ever-growing machine of  athletic force that a variety of people continue to gravitate to.

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Movie Viewing Date: June 24, 2008
Movie Title: The Spiderwick Chronicles
DVD
Reviewed By: Thomas Russell

Intro:

This is a children’s movie. I must warn you that it is more “mature” than I thought with the violence and some language. The movie is based on a series of books under same name.

Previews/Commercials Captioned: No

Opinion Review:

The movie was okay with uneven acting performances by the adult actors. Maybe the adult actors hadn’t read the books and didn’t realize how popular the books are. However, the child actors were very good. I enjoyed Freddie Highmore’s dual roles as twin brothers because he made each “twin” clearly distinct in personalities and mannerisms. You would remember Freddie Highmore from “Finding Neverland” (brilliant as Barrie’s inspiration for Peter Pan) and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (perfectly casted against Johnny Depp’s neurotic character of Willy Wonka). Remember that the movie has some violent scenes when you want to watch it with your children.

Special/Supplemental Features Captioned: Yes

Overall Caption Rating: 5

Overall Show Rating: 4

Total Rating: 4

Do You Recommend This Show to Others Who Depend on Captioning? Yes

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Show Viewing Date: June 24, 2008
Show Title: I Survived a Japanese Game Show!
Network: ABC
Reviewed By: Thomas Russell

Intro: The concept of reality show “I Survived a Japanses Game Show!” is simple - ten American contestants must vie for $250,000 prize by participating in Japanese game shows that are infamous for bizarre and crazy challenges. The twist is the contestants do not know what will happen next.

Previews/Commercials Captioned: Partially

Opinion Review:

The contestants arrived in L.A. only to be whisked off to Japan right away. The next day, they were given a tour at the famous Toho Studios, but they were thrown into the hottest game show in Japan called “Majide”. The 10 contestants were split into 2 teams and the losing team had to select 2 members for the elimination round. After seeing the preview, I can see that the show works in a “Survivor” style where the losing team must select a member to leave for good, but with an elimination round between the 2 members and the loser of that round goes home for good.

Special/Supplemental Features Captioned: Partially

Overall Caption Rating: 4

Overall Show Rating: 3

Total Rating: 3

Do You Recommend This Show to Others Who Depend on Captioning? Yes

Show Viewing Date: June 24, 2008
Show Title: Wipeout
Network ABC
Reviewed By: Thomas Russell

Intro:

Wipeout is America’s answer to Japan’s wildly popular reality TV show “Most Extreme Challenges” (commonly known as MXC). MXC can be seen on Spike TV channel but the scheduling for MXC is inconsistent, so I can’t even tell you when that will be on.

Previews/Commercials Captioned: Partially

Opinion Review:

Wipeout is different than MXC, but the concept remains same - extremely hard obstacles to get through with often hilarious outcomes at the participants’ expense. The commentary by the announcers are in similiar vein with MXC’s commentary track, making fun of how the participants failed. I laughed through some of the show but the pacing is uneven - MXC is condensed into 30 minutes here in USA (normally 1 hour long in Japan) while Wipeout is one hour long. I saw previews of upcoming episodes and the obstacles clearly have been tweaked to pick up the pacing and humor factor.

Overall Caption Rating: 4

Overall Show Rating: 3

Total Rating: 3

Do You Recommend This Show to Others Who Depend on Captioning? Yes

Show Viewing Date: 6-24-2008
Show Title: 30 Days: Same-Sex Parenting
Network: FXHD
Reviewed By: Mike Wilkerson - 2GuysTalking.Com

Intro:

I can remember the first time I met a gay peerson, a young man named Vince, when I was 19 in college. Vince was flamboyant, out, having a great time with his life and learning all he could about sign language in an effort to “understand them” - those mysterious, sometimes-outcasted members of society - those that use sign language ie Deaf & Hard of Hearing people. Something that I believe most people don’t know anything about, is what is an inordinate amount of gay males that are participating in society as sign language interpreters. That little nugget has provided me with a mountain of experience in regard to gay and lesbian issues that I’ve really come to appreciate. While the ratio of gay male interpreters isn’t the subject of this episode of this week’s “30 Days”, it is an important facet at the heart of what this episode is about - Same-Sex Parenting. This week, we experience a devout married, former-adoptee Morman mother, Katie, as she move in with Tom & Dennis, a gay couple of who are the adoptive parents of 4 young boys.

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Show Viewing Date: 6-23-2008
Show Title: 30 Days: Animal Rights
Network: FXHD
Reviewed By: Mike Wilkerson - 2GuysTalking.Com

Intro:

I can remember the first time I heard the words “Animal Rights.” I was watching a news report on the evening news with my Dad and Bonus Mom in their home in the outskirts of Milwaukee Wisconsin, and on came one of the local news anchors talking about how someone had “thrown red paint on people wearing furs in Beverly Hills to protest how animals are treated.” Having never “treated an animal badly” I had no idea really why they had a problem with the fur. The people that could afford the fur, bought it, because they could afford it, and that was pretty much the end of it. As time wore on, and I became more socially conscious as a teenager, I began to understand their argument as the fires of “human rights” became the topic of one of the many papers I write in high school - but Animal Rights ? I just never got on board. Whether it was from the political leanings I experienced in my home or just the general nature of “a dog being something more than a pet” - an animal rights activist I was not.

This week on 30 Days, Morgan Spurlock once again steps aside as another human guinea pig is put in place and the show jumps even deeper into the hot end of the socially political pool by taking a blue collar life-long game hunter from the friendly confines of North Carolina and having him live for 30 long and arduous days - with an Animal Rights family.

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I admit it, I think Middleman is going to be a guilty pleasure. It’s silly; just downright silly, but it’s fun. Tonight’s episode (The Accidental Occidental Conception–yeah, you might need a dictionary to figure out how this ties into tonight’s episode) was more of the same. Read the rest of this entry »