Going Medieval on You!

Imagine a world without electricity, in which you can only bathe once a week, and must fight to the death if challenged.

Courtesy of nerdfighters.ning.com

Doesn’t sound exciting? Add magic, witches, and dragons to the mixture and you have the show Merlin now streaming via Netflix's Instant Play. 

Merlin takes place in the middle ages, and is adapted from "Arthurian Legends" that have been circulating for hundreds of years.

 “Merlin” focuses on the young adult lives of Arthur and Merlin and their relationship. In the show, Merlin is Arthur’s servant and devotes his life to keeping Arthur safe. Merlin has the gift of “magic” but can only use it secretly because King Uther (Arthur’s father) outlawed the use of magic. King Uther will put anyone that uses magic to death, so Merlin often worries about getting caught, but still uses his powers to “save the day”.

I normally avoid fantasy shows because they are often unrealistic and corny, but “Merlin” was fairly interesting. The characters in this television series were well developed and added an element to the show’s content. I also enjoyed the plot of “Merlin”. There were new challenges and characters in every show, in addition to many “exciting” moments.

Although I mostly appreciated “Merlin” a majority of the show was rather predictable and some of themes were over used.

*Spoiler* Merlin ALWAYS saves the day, and no one extremely important ever dies...

That being said, overall “Merlin” was worth watching for its fascinating interpretation on “King Arthur” Folklore.  The show is well developed and not a complete “train wreck” like some other fantasy programming out there.

Courtesy of  brainaudit.com

If you enjoy a little magic, or simply want to escape from your daily chaos to a time much worse than ours, this is the show for you.

It's Worth It

You will not need your "Cash Back" if you decide to watch this movie. I was reluctant to watch it at first, but it captivated my attention after only a few minutes.

Monday is the the most treacherous day of the week, so I wanted to watch a comedy about the workplace to lighten my mood. I noticed "Cash Back" a few months ago while browsing through Netflix but was disinterested. The plot description portrayed this movie as bizarre, and the cover of the movie lead me to believe that all this movie would be about was sex. Just what I want to watch on a gloomy Monday, a movie about bizarre sex?

Definitely!

This movie was both intriguing and hilarious at the same time (which is a rare combination). It is about a young boy in art school, that develops insomnia after he breaks up with the "love of his life". Since he can't sleep, he decides to get a job at the local super market in order to pass time.The protagonist (Ben) himself isn't particularly funny, but the characters he meets through his job are what brings the movie to life.

One thing about this film I was enchanted with were the visual effects. What I failed to mention earlier, is that while Ben had insomnia he discovered that he could stop time (this factor originally was unappealing to me). After watching this movie I realize he could only theoretically stop time, not actually stop time (this movie was not a science fiction flick). Some of the special effects used while time was theoretically stopped were pretty amazing. This movie was very artistic and visually appealing.

Warning: this film contains some sexually explicit material, but it is not raunchy or uncomfortable. Ben was fascinated with the female form so this movie explains how his fascination developed and why he likes to paint women naked. In addition to Ben's obsession with nudity there are two scenes that contain strippers, along with some male "chauvinistic pig" comments. Although a few parts made me flinch, I thought that most of this content was done tastefully and think all of it added to the film's lure.

I recommend this movie to those who think beyond the spectrum of what is ordinary, but also enjoy a good laugh. Those who are not artistic may not appreciate this film, but I think everyone may enjoy it's hilariousness.