Marley

Bob Marley. A man and a legend who preached peace, love, and harmony above everything. Quoted as saying that his life isn't important unless he helps other people. An incredible man with a musical talent everyone could see and feel even when he was young.

Marley is a testament to his life. It takes us from his birth, through his life, and finally to his death and legacy. Being a documentary this could have easily fallen into a trap of only having "talking heads" on the screen, never turning to the man this film was about, but thankfully it didn't. Kevin Macdonald made this movie the way I think Bob would have wanted it. Leaving it open to public opinion. Should Bob do this concert? Should he skip it? He didn't care. He just wanted to play his music

Filled with music and incredible archive footage of Bob Marley himself, this movie has everything. A glorious life story to tell, fantastic music, and smart editing make this a documentary you can't miss!

Starting where he was born we get to see how Bob grew up. The groups he was a part of growing up and the music he created with those groups. I didn't know all the music he created when he was younger and that he started with Ska. The group he was a part of started out by copying white groups of similar sounds and then put a Jamaican twist usually with ska in the background. It was just great seeing him grow.

And learning all the influence he had all over the world. His country was in political turmoil so he went to London to keep trying his luck at playing his music all over the world. The people of Jamaica asked him to come back and perform. And he did just that! His style, Reggae, is one genre of music that can unify everyone. It's incredible and it's shown throughout the movie.

One of my favorite parts of this movie was the archive footage. I obviously had never seen Bob Marley live before. I hadn't even seen footage of him live, even though I know now that I could have found it pretty easily. He was a great performer and the spliced in footage is proof of that. A man who died too young due to a lack of medical checkups and staff on tour, his legacy lives on in his music and now in this documentary

If you love his music and what he stood for, even if you just like his music and don't know everything he accomplished see this movie. It's a documentary you must see!

8/10

NBC Thursday

This Thursday's NBC lineup was absolutely stellar. Community's Law and Order episode, 30 Rock live again, and Parks & Recreation's debate! Just outstanding.

First up: Community.
Looking past the awesome names of episodes, Community had simply one of its' absolute best episodes of all time. Just incredible.

Following the pattern of a Law & Order episode, we are first presented with a crime: murder of a yam. And then we get to watch as the group tries to solve the crime. Replete (one of my favorite words) with many references to shows and movies other than Law & Order, this episode left me rolling on the floor with laughter.

Troy and Abed were the police officers, Shirley was the all-knowing "DA," Jeff was the lawyer with Annie, and Britta...well. She made pictures look western! AKA turned on the sepia tone on her computer. That was genius writing. The whole story of the murder of a yam and the twists were all great. It makes me so happy to see it getting back to its roots!

Next: 30 Rock
The first time 30 Rock did a live show it was one of the funniest episodes of the season. And I think this year will be the same.

Following the premise that TGS, the show within a show for those who don't watch it, will no longer be a live television show is great! We get a rant from my favorite character: Kenneth. He tells the cast and crew why live TV is the best thing in the world and we get flashbacks, which were hilarious. Some included people in blackface and others involved a spoof of The Honeymooners proving that Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey have some of the best comedic timing in the business.

In the flashbacks and cut scenes we get a slew of cameos from old SNL stars to movie stars to stars from other TV shows. The likes of Fred Armisan, Amy Poehler, Donald Glover, Jon Hamm, and many many more. They do two shows in a row. One for the east coast and one for the west coast. The small differences are subtle, but enjoyable. It is definitely worth watching both of them. You can catch new things and see the differences. It's great!

Lastly: Parks and Recreation
A show that had slow beginnings. Yes, season one was very slow for me, but picked up towards the end. Then once it found its voice it blossomed into one of the funniest shows on TV.

This episode proved that yet again. Leslie had her debate and it was awesome. Seemingly always the underdog she stayed that way for most of the episode. And stupid Bobby Newport was supposedly winning. The cast was perfect as always, each of them fitting their on screen personalities to the T.

And we get some great Aziz Ansari moments as Tom Haverford. My absolute favorite character on the show. Probably tied with Ron Swanson, played by Nick Offerman. Tom always seems to be happy and goofy and just doing his own thing. It's just a lot of fun to watch. And the things he says speak for themselves. If you want more from Aziz, you can get it on the American Express commercials. The best one is with him buying a kayak. He's just hilarious!

If I ever do any work in TV I would want to write for NBC. Any of their comedies on Thursday night. They're all great even though The Office has become less funny than it used to be. But Community, 30 Rock, Park & Rec have all become my favorite shows. Giving me lots of new quotes each week and many many other hilarious situations. The just make me wish my life was a TV show, much like Abed on Community.