Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
We’ve reached the end of my “Vidcasts you should be watching” series. And I’m ending on one that’s by no means obscure, and that you’re probably quite familiar with. But it’s one that I insist you watch if you’ve haven’t given it a shot yet.

The last recommendation of this series is the weekly Totally Rad Show. At the end of the day, when I’m looking for something to entertain me, something to inform me, I look to TRS.

The show’s fantastic. I subscribe to a lot of vidcasts, as you’ve seen over the past week, and they’re varied in content and style. And TRS is my favorite.

It’s convinced me, more than even Ebert and Roeper/Siskel could, that reviews of anything are better when there’s more than one person involved.

Having three–often vastly differing–opinions about movies, TV shows, comics, and games is fantastic. I get to learn whether something’s worth my time. But not only that, as I’ve said over and over this week, it’s entertaining. It combines information that’s important to me with humor and finesse.

Format:
The show is incredibly well-produced. Production values, as they often are with Revision3 shows, are super high. Each show starts off with a parody/homage to a famous movie scene, and they’re always enjoyable.

And then it’s the three guys standing/sitting discussing movies, games, comics, and TV shows. It’s informal yet structured, with an eye for making a quality show. They’re interested in informing and entertaining, not just talking amongst themselves.

There’s a brief intro before the real content starts that’s usually amusing but, even if it isn’t, they move quickly into the movie they’re reviewing for the week. Easily my favorite segment, it tends to have the most heated debates.

• Dan, as a commercial director and film trivia buff, usually has some interesting insights into the look and feel of the film.
• Alex has an impressive way with words which, even if you don’t agree with him, will you laugh.
• And Jeff, well, he’s the most fun to watch when he really didn’t like something. Check out their review of Southland Tales to see him at his best. He definitely wears his emotions on his sleeve, and whether he hated a film or loved it, his feelings aren’t held back at all. Which is great to watch.

Their Games, Comics, and TV segments follow the same format, and are excellent as well.

There’s the requisite sponsorship messages and the fan email to be read, and it’s a credit to the show that even all that is fun to watch. Sometimes just for Dan’s odd take on reading copy. And you can tell that, even though they’re getting paid to say it, Dan really, really loves Netflix.

This is the main strength of the old-time radio style of advertising that Revision3 employs. Ads that the hosts don’t oversell feel like regular advertisements that you’ll either be interested in or ignore. But ads for products that the hosts are clearly excited about and interested in, well, that elevates the advertisement to recommendation. Which is great for both the sponsor and audience.

And, unlike some other shows I’ve mentioned that have annoying, obnoxious ads, by having the hosts present the ad copy to you, you’re not launched out of the show, and you’re still interested in watching.

And at the end you might even get an outtake, and those are pretty much always funny.

Summary:
I fear that you may get the wrong impression, that this is simply a review show. It’s not. It’s a comedy show that reviews things.

Right now I’m downloading three old episodes that I missed. Like, several months old. The stuff they reviewed in them is no longer topical, no longer interesting. But the hosts are interesting. They’re opinions are entertaining.

The Totally Rad Show is awesome, and you should watch it.

That is all.