Me being a film buff, I like to watch a lot of Web Series based on films and collectors. My favorites would have to be The Cinema Snob, The Nostalgia Critic, WetMovie1, FilmFanPete and CinemaSickness of course! But out of all of these web series, my personal favorite is a show that has only been on for a little over two years. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce you to Welcome To The Basement. A show so magnificent that it's hard to contain the joy one experiences while watching it.
The show is centered around two men, Matt Sloan and Craig Johnson. To better explain what the show is about, Here is the opening to every episode spoken by Matt: I've got a bunch of movies that I've never seen before. You don't know what they are. Every episode I'm gonna spring one on you. They might be good. They might be bad. We'll watch it and talk about it. Welcome To The Basement. The man he is speaking to is fellow co-host Craig.
The show is divided into 5 segments. The first is a Cold Opening, where the episode opens up with a film-related topic and they discuss for 1-2 minutes. The next is where they watch the film(8-10 minutes of footage of them watching the movie is then shown) followed by 6 minutes of them talking about and giving their critiques of the film. The next segment is Customer Comments where the two share comments and donations sent in by fans(I was featured in a recent episode, The Counselor). The next is my favorite, Seen It, where they talk about films that they have seen(The basis of the show is that Matt has to watch a film he has not seen). The last segment is always the saddest, The Ending. And that's the show in a nutshell. Also Craig receives a gift usually related to the film.
What makes the show so good is the overall tone and the setting. The show has a quaint and gentle tone that makes it feel like you are in a basement. The backgrounds are really fun to look at. At the opening and during Seen It, Customer Comments and the end, Behind Matt is a nice display of Vinyl Records. Behind Craig are the stairs leading to the basement and various decorations. Next to Matt on his desk is a picture of the legendary Micheal Shannon. During the time where they are watching the film they sit on The Old Leather Couch, behind them, Shelves filled with movies and music.
If I were to choose a favorite episode so far, It would have to be a tie between Megaforce and In The Name Of The King A Dungeon Siege Tale. Megaforce because it introduced the legendary Megaforce Thumb Kiss(Where you kiss your thumb and point it at someone) and In The Name Of The King because during the Seen It Segment, a viewer had asked Matt if he had seen Meet The Feebles, to which Matt Replied, "Seen it, I HATE Meet The Feebles!" Knowing me, you know that that is the worst film I have ever seen. So I have something in common with the both of them. Craig and I wrote our first film critique at the age of 12(Although mine was atrocious) and Matt I really hate Meet The Feebles.
I try to keep a tally of all of the movies on Seen It that I have seen. Let's just say that I have seen a good 23% of the films that they mention. They also do themed Seen It's such as Seen It Own It! and Seen It AT The Theater! By far the hardest I laughed at the show was The episode "Bedazzled" during Seen It where Matt was taking Jabs at Craig for not having seen any of the movies listed. When he got to the Jimmy Stewart film Harvey, This is what was exchanged. Matt: "Have you seen Harvey? Seen It!" Craig: ..... "Seen The Play".... Matt: "You gotta be F***ing kidding me!" Welcome To The Basement is such a wonderful show. So gentle, so funny, so beautiful. A lot of people claim that certain movies are like a love letter to certain genres. Django Unchained is a love letter to Spaghetti Westerns. Welcome To The Basement is a love letter to Movies. That's the reason why this is my favorite internet show of all time. Thank you. I expect to see you all at the basement.
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