Happy Halloween Bitches!

It's that time of year again. Time for discounted bags of candy on November 1st! My diet is going out the window once I buy a big bag of mini-Butterfingers for $1!

Oh yeah, and it's also time for scary movies. Every cable channel this weekend will be flooded with prime viewing for any horror flick fan. "The Exorcist", "Halloween", "Friday the 13th" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" will probably be logging many hours in living rooms across the country over the holiday and rightfully so. Those movies are classics and should be viewed as such.

But here at Really Reel Reviews we like to dive a little deeper and we like to think our readers do too. We also feel perhaps some of the R3 faithful might be looking at the blog in hopes of a holiday recommendation they maybe hadn't seen or considered watching this weekend. Well, you're in luck because I present to you Really Reel Review's first Really Spooky Halloween Movie Treat: "Phantoms"

We don't want to give too much away as we're hoping this is a recommendation not many people have seen. The cast includes Ben Affleck (how great was "The Town" by the way? It's a good thing we were away when that came out because my review would have been borderline pornographic), Peter O'Toole, Liev Schreiber and Rose McGowan. The main plot is two sisters return to their hometown in Colorado to find all the people either dead or missing. What's really original and great about this movie is it just hits you right from the beginning. I think the first dead body is found within the first five minutes.

Like we said, we don't want to give too much away so that's all we'll say (rhyme!). So if you're looking for a new thriller to get the hairs on your arm to rise this Halloween, then check out "Phantoms". If for no other reason than to keep the Benaissance of Affleck going.

Week 5 TV Power Rankings

1. (1) “Chuck” – Instead of telling you guys you should watch this every week I am just gonna start listing the guests stars so you can see they get real good ones. This week was Eric Roberts, Batista from the WWE and the tall skinny guy from “Dodgeball” and “Avatar”.
2. (3) “Community” – I thought this was the weakest of the episodes of the season. If another one like this happens soon then it could be passed by the next show on the list very soon.
3. (4) “Modern Family” – I wasn’t thrilled with the preschool storyline, nor was I thrilled with the idea of Tom Brady being hurt on Phil’s fantasy team. However, I really liked the Jay/Gloria plot and I thought it was Manny’s best episode yet, continuing a very solid sophomore season.
4. (5) “Terriers” – This show’s really good and it’s getting better. It’s got great acting, great writing and the episodes are half stand alone and half serialized. I’d highly suggest people watching this week.
5. (6) “Sons of Anarchy” – I haven’t watched this week yet because next week’s is a 90 min episode and I’ve come so far that I just wanna watch them together. So yeah, deal with that.
6. (9) “30 Rock” – After the live episode was just so-so, I thought this show continued its resurgent season. Kelsey Grammar’s guest spot might have been the funniest on any show this year too.
7. (7) “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”– I really liked this episode until the next day I was thinking about the stuff with the dog that wouldn’t die. I started to think it was something I’d seen before and then I realized I had, on this show. A few seasons ago they had an episode with a cat that couldn’t die. This realization really took some of the shine off this week’s episode.
8. (10) “Boardwalk Empire” – I finally got the payback from Jimmy Darmody I was looking for and I was highly satisfied. This show is good, though it’s still not one I simply can’t wait to watch every week.
9. (11) “Hawaii 5-O” – Another solid episode. This show is what it is, kind of like a 6th man who gives you 10 points every night. You’re usually happy with what you get, but you’re never thinking it will make it to the starting five.
10. (8) “Jersey Shore” – Another episode of The Situation being a dick and I will be completely honest and say I can use the break from this people for a few months.
11. (12) “How I Met Your Mother” – I am going to reserve judgment on this new arc until I see where it heads. I have heard rumors though that the woman who was protesting will be a major woman in Ted’s life. Could she be the mother? I don’t know but I’m getting tired of the chicks in Ted’s life not being the mother.
12. (14) “The Office” – I thought this was a pretty good episode, not a classic but decent. I thought it was one of Meredith’s high points and I always like when Ryan’s douche-ness is allowed to come out. I wouldn’t get too worried about the new guy being a potential Michael Scott replacement though because he has his own show on FX called “Justified” (which will debut on the rankings in February). The best thing from this week has to be the potential of a Todd Packer appearance coming soon!
13. (20) “The Event” – I can admit it when I am wrong and I was wrong. This show is getting really good and I am beginning to look forward to it every week. I still don’t really care about the young guy and his girlfriend that much, but I am loving the plots about the “aliens”.
14. (13) “Cougar Town” – Some good things this week, especially when they tried to convince Ellie she was just as dumb as everyone else. Still, this show isn’t nearly what it once was and Travis is kind of starting to creep me out.
15. (15) “Raising Hope” – Wasn’t on because of baseball
16. (18) “Eastbound and Down” – Now this was more like the E&B of last season. I really liked Don Johnson as Kenny’s dad (although not as much as his appearance in the LeBron ad). I think the show should continue on this upswing as Kenny returns stateside.
17. (16) “Fringe” – Wasn’t on because of baseball
18. (17) “Family Guy” – Was a repeat
19. (19) “Glee” – Wasn’t on because of baseball
20. (23) “The League” – Another strong episode and I can’t ignore the fact it was also another episode without a NFL guest. Also, the storyline was a lot more relatable than some of the weaker early season episodes.
21. (21) “Running Wilde” – I absolutely hate it when networks show episodes out of order. This latest episode seemed more like it should have been the second episode and wasn’t very good either. I’ve said it before, but I think it’s just a matter of time until this show is scratched from the lineup.
22. (22) “Survivor” – I’m glad they switched up the tribes and hopefully this season will begin to improve. At this point though, I just can’t wait for next season with a tribe led by Boston Rob and one led by Russell.
23. (24) “Parenthood” – This show just isn’t as interesting as it used to be and the payoffs for the moral victories of the characters aren’t worth the crap they had to deal with to get there. That’s why it’s in last place.

Week 4 TV Power Rankings

1. (1) “Chuck” – I thought this was probably the weakest episode of the season, but it wasn’t close to being weak enough to knock “Chuck” off the number one slot.
2. (2) “Mad Men” – The season finale wasn’t the best episode ever, but this season was probably the second best after Season 1. The day after a cable show ends always sucks because I know this won’t be back until next summer.
3. (3) “Community” – There’s been a lot of comparisons of this week’s episode to the legendary paintball episode. Those comparisons are ridiculous because the paintball episode is the best sitcom episode in the last five years besides the first “Office” Christmas party. This episode based on “Apollo 13” references was still damn good and this show has created even more distance among itself and the other comedies on the list.
4. (5) “Modern Family” – I was a little worried MF was gonna hit a sophomore slump the way “Cougar Town” has, but I have been very satisfied with this season. I thought the Phil MC storyline was great, I loved Haley saying she “invented McKenzie” and my favorite part was Mitchell thinking Cam wanted him to shave his shoulders. The bike shorts didn’t really do it for me, but I know some people enjoyed it.
5. (6) “Terriers” – After a long story arc that covered several episodes, this week’s was more of a stand alone piece. The stellar chemistry and humor between the two leads allows the show to have really dark and depressing storylines without becoming a total bummer. This was also a perfect episode for someone who’s never seen the show to sample to see if they approve.
6. (7) “Sons of Anarchy” – I’m starting to feel like I rank this show so high because of how incredible Season 2 was. Now I’m entertained by the season and am enjoying it, but it’s been a lot slower to develop than the previous two seasons. Long story short, the main character’s son was kidnapped in last season’s finale. Through six episodes they still don’t have him back and I am nervous they won’t until this season’s finale. I’m not in favor of the storyline stretching out that far, nor did I expect it to.
7. (8) “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” – Now that was the kind of Sunny episode I was looking for. This season hasn’t been great, but if they can take the momentum from this one we could be looking and a nice comeback story.
9. (9) “30 Rock” – They did the show live this week. I also feel weird watching live shows that aren’t SNL, like something’s wrong with my TV. It was good for a show that obviously was put on with a higher degree of difficulty, but I can’t say it was one of the funnier episodes they’ve ever done.
10. (10) “Boardwalk Empire” – I thought last week’s episode was the best of the season and so my expectations were high for this week’s episode. The result was I was pretty disappointed. Now it’s not a bad show or even a bad episode, but my attention span is not what it once was and I was looking for more action then build up and development, and I got the latter.
11. (13) “Hawaii 5-O” – The show is just good. I can’t believe I have stuck with it but the characters are top notch, the setting is beautiful in HD and I like the storylines.
12. (14) “How I Met Your Mother” – This episode made me remember how thankful I am to not still be living in NYC. Thank you HIMYM.
13. (11) “Cougar Town” – This ship is sinking and I am sadly going down with it after telling so many people to hop on with me. It’s just a little too real this year, when last season was more fun. Also, I never really took notice of it last year, but they drink A LOT of wine. And during the day!
14. (15) “The Office” – H – I – R – P – E – S. We can all agree that this season is gonna focus a lot on Michael and Holly ending up together, right? Also, I read this episode might have been showcasing Andy as a potential replacement for Michael and his Sex Ed class was a trial for how he’d run the office. I don’t think I’d be super thrilled or super upset with that decision.
15. (12) “Raising Hope” – I still like this show a lot, but I noticed this past week was more of an episode where I would say “That’s funny” rather than laugh. That’s not good.
16. (16) “Fringe” – This show’s having a very strong third season, but I also don’t think it’s a show you can just jump right into either. So the boat’s pretty much sailed for all of you except Matt and me.
17. (17) “Family Guy” – The NLCS was on instead.
18. (19) “Eastbound and Down” – Yeah, I don’t know. There are funny lines, but the genius of the first season was they took this douchebag guy and made him loveable. This season he’s more annoying and tough to take a lot of the time. Plus, I miss a lot of the characters they took away and am not loving the new ones. However, that’s Nash Bridges as his dad! I am excited to see where that goes.
19. (18) “Glee” – I’m starting to not even remember what these episodes are about. The storylines are just all over the place every week. There was a girl on girl scene between the two cheerleaders though, so it’s not like I am gonna stop watching.
20. (20) “The Event” – This just got a full season order, which means they will make 22 or so episodes and it won’t be cancelled (if it is at all) until after this year. This show isn’t the worst thing on TV by any stretch of the imagination. But I think they made a huge mistake advertising it as “24” and “Lost” combined. There’s really nowhere to go but down from there.
21. (24) “Running Wilde” – This show’s getting funnier, but sadly it doesn’t appear to be long for the TV world. It’s a shame, but I’ll take my 30 minutes back per week so I can spend more time on my Madden Franchise. 2012 season, Pats are 14-0, Brady has 55 TD passes and my running back is named Tiger Hawthorne. I also have a rookie WR named Sleepy Richardson who is NASTY!
22. (22) “Survivor” – I will confess I haven’t seen this episode yet. I know they mixed up the tribes and Tyrone got voted off and I can’t say I am a fan of either of those happenings.
23. (25) “The League” – Maybe the best episode of the season, still a terrible season.
24. (22) “Parenthood” – I want it to be known that I did enjoy this show’s first season. This season is just too boring and maybe a little too adult for me. I am just not enjoying watching it nearly as much and I don’t care about the plots either. That’s a bad recipe for getting enjoyment out of a TV show by the way.

Week 3 TV Power Rankings

1. (1) “Chuck” – Another very enjoyable episode with some main characters returning (Big Mike) and some guest stars returning as well (Stone Cold Steve Austin and Nicole Richie).
2. (2) “Mad Men” – Wow, American Tobacco just got Drapered. The only downside is Draper’s badass ad was essentially the nexus of those annoyingly self righteous anti-smoking campaigns.
3. (4) “Community” – Best comedy on TV right now, hands down. If you watched it this week and didn’t notice the Abed storyline occurring in the background, google it. Amazing what we sometimes don’t pick up on.
4. (3) “Jersey Shore” – The Situation’s at minute 14 of his 15 minutes of fame. I have a feeling Season 3 isn’t going to be something to look forward to after this season’s limp to the finish line.
5. (5) “Modern Family” – I was disappointed with the use of Nathan Lane as Pepper Saltzman. I thought there was a lot they could have done there and it was surprisingly underwhelming.
6. (7) “Terriers” – Well they got out of the huge pickle they were in. Now it’ll be interesting to see how engrossing the show will be without that specific story arc.
7. (8) “Sons of Anarchy” – Oh boy. I’ve been waiting all season long for this bubble to finally burst and I feel like it’s coming in next week’s episode.
8. (6) “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” – I don’t think this season has been one of their best. I expected a lot more from this episode and besides Charlie’s hockey wig I didn’t get much out of it.
9. (15) “30 Rock”– I haven’t thought the past few seasons of this show have been up to the standard of the first two. But these past two weeks have been classics, especially this week.
10. (16) “Boardwalk Empire” – I was too difficult on this show last week. Clearly, they were just setting up the characters in the first three episodes and now they’re taking off. I can’t wait to see what Jimmy does to the guy who cut up his prostitute girlfriend’s face.
11. (9) “Cougar Town” – Seems like a bit of a sophomore slump for this show. It’s still funny and I enjoy it, but it’s nowhere near the quality of last season. It’s also making me feel like kind of a jerk because I recommended it so highly to people.
12. (12) “Raising Hope” – I don’t really laugh out loud that frequently at this show, but I just find the way most of these characters are to be very amusing. I enjoy my weekly view into their warped world.
13. (10) “Hawaii 5-O” – Still liking this show. The only reason it continues to slip is I like other shows more.
14. (13) “How I Met Your Mother” – I thought the last episode was the best of the season so far and I liked how it set up the arc of Ted designing the building. And I also love jalapeno poppers, but with cheddar not cream cheese.
15. (12) “The Office” – Loved Michael doing a full “Law and Order” for his audition, but other than that I wasn’t head over heels for this episode and haven’t really been for this season yet either.
16. (X) “Fringe” – So I kept forgetting to put this in. I like the way they have set up this season where it’s almost two shows with one being in focus each week. I know Matt has voiced his displeasure with it previously, but I am into it and excited to see where it’s going.
17. (14) “Family Guy” – Pretty much is what it is at this point. I’m laughing, just not nearly as much as I used to.
18. (17) “Glee” – Pretty serious themes in this week’s episode. This season has been uneven to me for most of the year, but I thought their version of “What if God was One of us” was the best song they’ve done this season.
19. (18) “Eastbound and Down” – Geez, this sh*t’s getting heavy, huh? I know it’s the character and he’s supposed to act like that, but I don’t think April would put up with the way Kenny talks to Vida and her son at the carnival. If it’s just that she’s so desperate for a man to want to be a father figure to her son then that makes this really sad because we know Kenny’s fatherly inclinations are not gonna last.
20. (20) “The Event” – Ok, it pulled me back in a little bit with all the dead airplane passengers waking up at the end of this week’s episode. However, I’m aware it’s teetering on the brink of cancellation so I won’t be getting too invested.
21. (19) “Mike & Molly” – Usually the last show I watch and I don’t think that’s gonna change soon. But as I keep saying, a lot worse ways to spend 30 minutes.
22. (21) “Parenthood” – I feel like this show has just hit a comfort zone and is just plugging along. While I guess that’s kind of like real life, that’s not why I watch TV so I am not entertained.
23. (22) “Survivor” – I’d like to ask the audience since I’ve only watched Season 1 and last season of this show, is this a good season? I feel like it really isn’t at all.
24. (23) “Running Wilde” – I thought this was the best episode they’ve done yet, especially the stuff with Will Arnett being so into the cake celebrations at the office. It’s too little too late though, as I’m predicting this is the next show off the rankings.
25. (24) “The League” – So last week I complained about how it’s not relatable to guys in real fantasy leagues. This week, they responded by having a scene of graphic g@y s*x. Plus, I am not happy Rafi is leaving the league (and I assume the show), he’s had some funny moments. Way to go guys.

Week 2 TV Power Rankings

FYI: "My Generation" was cancelled and thus removed from the rankings

Previous week's ranking in parentheses

1. (1) “Chuck” – I’m sorry guys, but I don’t think this one’s moving for a while
2. (3) “Mad Men” – This show is very good
3. (2) “Jersey Shore” – I’m surprised there isn’t more widespread love for Pauly D, he’s really the only character besides the Situation that I’d watch in a spinoff
4. (5) “Community” – Matt’s boy Drew Carey made a guest appearance this week, and this show has been the most consistent comedy so far
5. (4) “Modern Family” – I felt like it took a step back last week because it was pandering to the complaints all last season that we never saw Cameron and Mitchell kiss
6. (7) “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” – Those first two episodes weren’t really classic Sunny, but their buying of a boat this past week was more like the better episodes they’ve done. Dennis’ plan about the implications of being out on the open water and Mac’s reaction were great.
7. (10) “Terriers” – I think they may have gone too far with the plotline in the last episode, but it’s been an amazing start to a new series so far.
8. (8) “Sons of Anarchy” – Just so you know, don’t get used to this being down so low as these continue
9. (6) “Cougar Town” – This one falls a little bit because the second episode was more like one of those downer “Scrubs” episodes and that’s not what I look for from this show
10. (9) “Hawaii 5-O” – It’s unfair to this show that it went down one spot, but that is only because of how good “Terriers” is. I like this show a lot and as Brian knows, I don’t normally like crappy procedurals like this.
11. (14) “Raising Hope” – This is my favorite new comedy. The dad’s waiting for the mom to come have sex and how much information he was sharing with his son was hysterical. Matt and Aaron, the chick with the ukulele that Ted married on “Scrubs” was in this one with a dead tooth.
12. (15) “The Office” – Alright Office, I’m liking what I am seeing. I really liked the insight into Michael’s obsession with being a manager and Pam’s bit about becoming Office Administrator. Not top ten quality yet, but I got my eye on it.
13. (16) “How I Met Your Mother” – Still not getting a whole lot of laughs this season, but this week’s episode with Barney’s family was quite touching. And Barney trying to join the sing along was very enjoyable.
14. (11) “Family Guy” – I’m not a big fan of when the right bashes the left, or vice-versa. I just don’t care, so this week’s episode was a wasted half hour for me.
15. (19) “30 Rock” – The second episode was as close to classic “30 Rock” as it’s been in a long time. Jack’s video teachings for his son was just below the level of his commercial outtakes from season one.
16. (13) “Boardwalk Empire” – I like this show. I do. I just don’t love it. It does seem like it’s starting to pick up a bit more and I was very happy to see Omar from “The Wire” as the guy who coined the phrase “motherf*cker”.
17. (17) “Glee” – I liked the music a lot better in this Britney Spears themed episode. I’ve maintained for a while the Brittany whose on the show was the best dancer they had, but I didn’t know how hot she was until this one. It’s still not as good as last season though.
18. (18) “Eastbound and Down” – Surprisingly no movement with this show despite the return of Stevie Janowski. I do like the owner of the baseball team though. Quick question though, doesn’t his team suck? So how is a closer supposed to help turn them around?
19. (20) “Mike & Molly” – Do you have a half hour to kill? You could do far worse than this show. It’s just pleasant.
20. (12) “The Event” – This show is one part “Flashforward”, one part “V” and one part seasons 2-4 of “Prison Break”. That’s not a good thing. AT ALL.
21. (24) “Parenthood” – If Julie and I didn’t watch this together, then I’d probably stop watching it.
22. (21) “Survivor” – Goodbye Jimmy Johnson. Hello Jimmy T, why didn’t you tell me from the beginning you were a Pats season ticket holder. What do you think of the Moss deal?
23. (25) “Running Wilde” – Better. Still bad, but better.
24. (23) “The League” – This show is bad. Here’s the deal, the chemistry between the characters is good enough where they don’t have to constantly come back to them being put in ridiculous fantasy football related scenarios. It’s supposed to be about a regular fantasy league. Well first off, it’s eight teams, let’s change that right now. Instead of 2 out of towners, have 4, no big deal. Second, we’ve been playing fantasy football since we were in high school. How many NFL players have we met? If I’m not mistaken, I don’t believe it’s a new one every week. Show’s bad.

Week 1 TV Power Rankings

1. "Chuck" – A very enjoyable return to these characters with a good amount of laughs and action
2. "Jersey Shore" – Starting to get a little annoyed with a fight being advertised for the episode and then it doesn’t start until 10:57 and all the good stuff is the following week
3. "Mad Men" – I realize most of you don’t watch this, but it was a REALLY good episode and Jon Hamm was better than he was in “The Town”
4. "Modern Family" – “I don’t think I’d be a very inspiring disabled person”, “That was my Vietnam, and I was in Vietnam” and “Angela Lansbury was the Grand Marshall. Good time she wrote.” made this my #1 comedy of the week
5. "Community" – This is the funniest show you’re not watching and Betty White’s guest role this week was surprisingly understated.
6. “Cougar Town” – They play a movie game where you describe the plot of combining two movies with before and after titles. For example, Brian and I were playing and emailed each other almost the exact same clues for “Knocked Up in the Air” on Friday.
7. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” – Good to see they tied up that whole Dennis being married thing in one week
8. “Sons of Anarchy” – Just so you know, don’t get used to this being down so low as these continue
9. “Hawaii 5-O” – Shocked at how much I enjoyed this. Will I continue to watch it on a weekly basis is the real question?
10. “Terriers” – Another solid episode from this show with one of the better, “Wait, what the hell was that?” endings I’ve seen in a long time. There’s still plenty of time to get into this show.
11. “Family Guy” – It wasn’t close to the funniest episodes they’ve ever done and the only really funny thing was the running joke about Quagmire’s date. The murder mystery aspect was really well done though and it was an entertaining and enjoyable way to start the season.
12. “The Event” – Am I intrigued? My goodness yes. Do I want “The Event” to be more than the plane disappearing? Yes. Do I think that’s what “The Event” was? Yes.
13. “Boardwalk Empire” – This show is amazingly written, wonderfully acted and beautifully shot. However, when I watch it I get the feeling I am only watching it because I’ve read how great it is and I don’t wanna miss out. Of course that could quickly change too.
14. “Raising Hope” – If you liked “My Name is Earl” you’ll like this. I liked “Earl” and they grill hamburgers on shopping carts turned sideways, so I’m in.
15. “The Office” – I think it’s so low because I’m still disappointed with the non-Wedding episodes of last season. There’s a lot of potential with Dwight owning the building though. Creed’s Twitter rant was good too, but I didn’t like the Luke stuff. I also don’t like Erin dating my old roommate from NYC Gabe.
16. “How I Met Your Mother” – We’re supposed to be getting answers and it still feels like we’re just getting dicked around. Long shot prediction: That’s Barney and Robin’s wedding that Ted is the best man for.
17. “Glee” – I like this show when I know the songs, the last two songs were ones I had never heard so I fast forwarded through them. I did like the Lady Gaga song in the ladies room and when Finn told Rachel he had to convince the rest of the Glee Club to not give her a Code Red.
18. “Eastbound and Down” – I think the next episodes are going to be funnier, at least I hope so. This one was just too much set up for me to rank it higher, but I do think him playing on the Mexican team has lots of potential. I also always enjoy Kenny just randomly flipping people off.
19. “30 Rock” – Matt Damon was funny, but there’s so much stuff that is just ugh, like the Tracy and Kenneth stuff.
20. “Mike & Molly” – an enjoyable 30 minutes, and will also be the first thing erased from my DVR if it gets too full
21. “Survivor” – I’m not sure I like ANY of these people except Jimmy Johnson. And JJ’s whole strategy of saying no one’s gonna give me a million dollars is genius.
22. “My Generation” – There’s potential for a good show here with characters that could be likeable and interesting. I have no hope this show will realize this potential and spent most of the hour just feeling bad for Todd from “Wedding Crashers”
23. “The League” – Are we sure we just didn’t get overly excited about a show about fantasy football here?
24. “Parenthood” – Boring, boring week. Though I read this week’s is supposed to be really good
25. “Running Wilde” – Not giving up hope here yet, not expecting much of a turnaround either though

Hey Remember Us!

So we have been away for a while and I can't say when we'll definitely return to active blogging and podcasting, but I hope it's soon.

With that being said, I have started writing weekly television power rankings for my friends and thought I should share them with the masses of 3R fans who are clamoring for any content we can provide for them.

I am gonna put up all four right now so you can go back and see where my thought process has gone. I have to believe you're interested in things like that or my self esteem is just going to go in a nose dive and I don't have your weekly calls to the podcast to bring me back up.

Hope everyone's doing well and enjoy the rankings!