Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to do something I've never done before: I'm going to recommend a web series:
Generally, webisodes are poorly ill-conceived attempts by frustrated artists to capitalize on the success of YouTube. Occasionally they wind up being something stronger, but miss the mark as a result of dire over-ambition. By trying to rise above their production challenges and their running times, they skip out on the opportunities those limitations can provide. Instead of being a great web series, it winds up being cinema, television, or theater that's been squeezed into the wrong box.
By contrast, "and Boris" is an action comedy series that takes full advantage of its production limitations, using the homemade look of the series to arrive at a quirky brand of comedy that defies logic at the most perfect moments. I was introduced to the series by Christie Insley, who plays a KGB kung-fu pixie of death - an effect achieved entirely through chinsy camera work and clever editing that made me laugh something fierce!
Basically, the web series is about a washed up KGB defector who's wound up bumming through Los Angeles looking for terrorists to bring down with a gang of underfunded NSA washout-types. Most of this stuff is vaguely defined at best, and that's fine! It leaves more time to talk about jumping off the edge of the world, corn dogs, and the other secret desires of the main character.
Through heaps of cleverness and a little introspection, "and Boris" delivers a surprising amount of entertainment with no money on the table. I really like this web series!
Check it out for yourself:
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