Bottom Line: This is a sweet, heartfelt web series about a woman getting through life with two “fans.” What’s a fan? Think of him as a friend whose job it is to make you feel better. While a little heavy on the sap for some, My Two Fans is a good choice if you like your comedies with a touch of saccharine.

My Two Fans is an episodic web-series following the life of an average single female woman, Kate Maxwell. Set in Los Angeles, we watch as Kate rebounds from a broken heart with the help of her two biggest fans: Franklin and Teddy.

Fans – not friends – the guys insert themselves into Kate’s life, root her on and clean up her dating disasters (all in coordinated “We love Kate” accoutrement). When it comes to Kate, there is no task too big or too small for her fans. They figuratively and literally pull her up by her bootstraps when she is down and out. Their objective is to enable Kate to find love and happiness. In essence, to become her own fan. But the question remains: if/when that day comes, will she still need them?

Details

Cast: Barret Swatek, Todd Felix, Bill Escudier, Dan McDermott, Valentina Garcia-Loste, Michael Cornacchia, Reid Scott
Website: My Two Fans

YouTube: Watch Us On YouTube
Facebook: Join Them On Facebook
Vote For It: My Two Fans

Ratings

Style 3

Pacing 3.5

Storytelling 4

Polish 3

Watchability 4

My Two Fans is a strikingly unique take on the dating procedural. Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 3.58 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: A sweet, sentimental and poignant look at love and romance. If you can get past some of the sound issues, what you will find is a heartfelt and personal look at some of the pitfalls of relationships that might actually touch something inside of you.

LUVumentary is a mockumentary web series that explores LOVE and takes an intimate look at the journey women go on to have it.

Details

Creator: Jenn Page
Website: LUVumentary

YouTube: Watch Them On YouTube

Ratings

Style 3

Shot as a documentary this series moves at a slow, deliberate pace and is meant to be watched back to back. If you do, what you will discover is one of the sweeter more heartfelt tellings of the unrequited love tale in webseries land. (Pacing 3.5)

I truly enjoyed this story. The awkward moments between Lola and Jimmy are really painful to watch, they both do a fantastic job selling the often confusing and contradictory universe of male/female relationships. Storytelling 4.5

As a lower budget production you are bound to get some hiccups, in this case the biggest distraction is the sound. Often when there is foreground noise, the dialogue gets drowned out. If you play with the volume and take the show for what it is, you may be happily surprised. (Polish 2.5)

Watchability 3.5

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: With The Angels is a surprisingly touching story of a small town girl trying to make a new life in California. I know it sounds a little hokey, but that’s almost the point. It tells the story of growing up in a simple yet powerful way.

Former Lonelygirl15 writer Mary Feuer tells the fish-out-of-water story of Taffy Simpson, a small-town Arkansas girl swimming in the freak-infested waters of Venice, California.

Details

Creator: Mary Feuer
Website: With The Angels

YouTube: Watch Them On YouTube
Twitter: Follow Them On Twitter
Facebook: Join Their Page
Vote For It: With The Angels

Ratings

Style 3

Pacing 4

With The Angels is shot in a classic webcamumentary style (as classic as a made up word can be) but it avoids the disconnect from setting that usually plagues these sorts of shows. Taffy feels like she is in a living, breathing world and as the story progresses you find yourself rooting for her more and more. (Storytelling 5)

Polish 3.5

I really like this show. Which is saying something considering how many webumentaries I pass on. What surprises me more than anything is how easy it is to keep watching. The writing is good but the real hook is the fantastic acting. It’s worth staying tuned just to see “Taffy’s” mastery of her role. (Watchability 5)

Novelty 3.5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: This is probably the most well balanced, story-driven series I’ve had the pleasure to review. Where many web series suffer from uneven presentation, writing or pacing, STBD manages to be consistently good across its entire run.

Something to Be Desired is a web sitcom (or web series, or web video series,webcom, webisodes, or whatever imprecise descriptor you’d choose to explain us to your friends) about life after college. Created and produced in Pittsburgh, PA, we’ve been online since the summer of 2003. In that time, we’ve developed over seven hours of original content, all of which can be seen here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and entirely free.

STBD films with a local cast and crew. We shoot our web series on mini-DV (the Panasonic DVX-100A model, to be exact), edit in Final Cut Pro, and distribute on multiple platforms, including Blip TV and iTunes.

We here at STBD are torn between our hatred of corporate monoliths and our need to feed, clothe and provide shelter for ourselves, so while you may see the occasional ad or bit of merch, we’re doing all we can to avoid plugging into the system. Therefore, if you like what you see, spread the word! (We need all the help we can get…)

Details

Cast: Heather Beschizza, Laura Lee Brautigam, Josh Hansen, Ann Turiano, Shaun Hall, Lacey Fleming, Rick Hertzig, Teresa Trich, Matthew Preston, Will Guffey, Jennifer Koegler, Trent Wolfred, Erik Schark, Shaun Starke, Courtney Jenkins, Ryan Ben
Blip.tv Channel: Something To Be Desired
Website: Something To Be Desired
Support the Show: Visit The STBD Store

Subscribe

Feed: Feed
Twitter Page Something To Be Desired

Ratings

Style 3.5

Pacing 4 (Each episode covers a a lot of ground. They come in at about 10 minutes a piece but none of it is derivative. It’s one of those shows that once you start it you’ll have to see it through to the end. The character development is solid if not a bit uneven, it takes a little while to really get into the supporting cast’s head but once you’re there the series gets even better.)

A compelling, meaty story that takes a while to unravel. This is one of those series that will do you absolutely no good to watch as an one off, if you’re going to start with Something to Be Desired you need to be willing to commit yourself to at least a few episodes to get a feeling for the characters and to understand the arc. (Storytelling 4.5)

Polish 3.5

Rock solid writing, directing and acting make this an easy to enjoy series. The fact that it has been going for as long as it has deserves a nod as well. Web series typically have a short shelf life, either the writers can’t hold the story together or the talent moves on to other projects, but STBD has been on air for six seasons and still seems fresh. (Watchability 4.5)

Novelty 3.5

Overall Rating: 3.91 out of 5 stars

A man finds himself alone on his birthday, until a mysterious stranger gives him a call and changes his fate forever.

OK, I am being a little melodramatic. This is a much more light-hearted than all of that. The Objective is a story of Evan Hume who is having trouble adjusting to a new town and the adventure he goes on that leads him to find the answer to his problem.

Considering the fact that it is 100% improvised, this is a really fun film to watch. It’s straightforward, well acted and manages to throw you a curve ball or two. For a zero budget experiment, it delivers a significant amount of entertainment.

Creator’s Description

On his 25th birthday, lonely Evan Hume is summoned from his couch by an anonymous benefactor to complete a series of challenges in order to regain something lost in his past.

This short film was improvised and shot in three days in the summer of 2007, without a script, as an exercise/experiment in creating a caper film with only one on screen character and zero violence/language.

Details

Cast: Carleton Torpin
Vimeo Channel: The Objective
Website: Carleton Torpin

Ratings

Style 4

Pacing 4

It’s a pretty standard “quest” story told with enough flair to keep you interested. You’re definitely not going to find too many surprises but you really wouldn’t want to. (Storytelling 3.5)

Polish 3

Watchability 4

Novelty 3.5

Overall Rating: 3.66 out of 5 stars

It’s a story about what the world looks like after the Zombie Apocalypse, and it’s a story about a boy named Jimbo.

Really it’s a story about growing up.

Sappy enough? Well, in the realm of movies about Zombies this does err on the sentimental side. While it does have the sort of casual violence you expect from the genre, the main plot points revolve around loss, loneliness and how people deal with change.

The production quality is pretty solid, the world looks blasted without being overdone and the violence is pretty darn violent. What I liked most about it though was the subtlety. Without spoiling too much, the final shot of the boy after the climactic event is cinematic gold.

If you like Zombies and having your heart string tugged rather than having your heart strings tugged out by Zombies, this movie is just your speed.

Creator’s Description

A bunch of teenagers in a ghost town, full of death and desolation, where adults have turned into zombies. Among them, stands Jimbo (Brad Ashby), madly in love with Sarah Jane (Mia Wasikowska). This is the second short film (the first being Spider) funded by Qoob. Directed by Spencer Susser, who also co-wrote the script with Australian author/director David Michod, this film has been selected in major festivals across the world (among which Sundance ‘08) and won 4 prizes so far.

Details

Cast: Brad Ashby, Mia Wasikowska
Vimeo Channel: I Love Sarah Jane
Website: QOOB

Ratings

Anytime you blow up a zombie with a flaming arrow you get most of your style points. (Style 5)

Pacing 4

A surprisingly sentimental trip into the Zombieverse, not at all what you might expect out a movie driven by the undead. (Storytelling 4)

Everything from the costumes to the setting is stellar. (Polish 4.5)

Watchability 4

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Phil thinks that he is the reincarnation of Zorro, most of his co-workers don’t. One day a new worker, Jenny, comes into the office and they spark a friendship around the iconic masked swordsman.

This is a sweet and comedic take on the office romance, complete with a fight with the girl’s boyfriend and a neurotic, obsessed but generally well meaning protagonist.

If there was anything at all wrong with this it’s that I wish there was more of it. By squeezing the character concept into a short, they really had to make us know Phil was a little off of his nut right up front. This isn’t really a problem but it did make it a little harder to sympathize with him.

Overall this is a different take on the romantic comedy that adds a good deal of life to a genre that has been beaten to death.

Creator’s Description

Phil comes into work to find another typical day of ridicule. Constant bullying and a rough childhood has made him into the person he is and by using the fantasy of Zorro he escapes from his harsh reality. It isn’t until a new girl starts at his work that he needs to face his fears and use his “special skills” from within his fantasy for a real-life struggle.

Details

Creators: Grant Cooper, Cameron Dixon, Sarah Fulcher
Vimeo Channel: Phil And Jenny
Website: Unhappy Situations

Ratings

Style 3.5

It moves a little too quickly, this one might have done well with another 3 minutes tacked on. (Pacing 3)

Storytelling 4

Polish 4

Watchability 4

A great new take on the romantic comedy genre, it’s a really fun watch. (Novelty 4.5)

Overall Rating: 3.83 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Once you get past the fact that their coffee shop is very obviously a kitchen this clever, touching story of a group of emotionally damaged coffee shop employees may become one of your favorite web series of the year.

In the premiere episode, Mitch (Morgan Lee) starts his job at the Rose City Coffeehouse, where the pay is meager, the humiliation plentiful, and the customers are always wrong.

Details

Cast: Morgan Lee, Lara Kobrin, Leif Norby, Melissa Kaiser, Jessica Zodrow, Ehren Ebbage, Chris Bolton
Vimeo Channel: Wage Slaves
Website: Wage Slaves
Support the Show: Review The Show

Subscribe

RSS Feed: Feed
Facebook Page Wage Slaves

Ratings

Style 3

Pacing 4

Drama is hard with web series. Drama is really hard, so when someone makes the attempt I have to give them credit, when someone does it well it deserves a mention. Wage Slaves does it well. The story is not without its flaws, the supporting cast feels a little coarsely written and some of the jokes don’t work but the overall story arc is catchy and watching the main character develop is strangely compelling. It’s one of those shows you’ll need to get through a few episodes before it grows on you, but once it does you’ll find yourself watching the entire run. (Storytelling 4)

I am all for low budget productions, and honestly I like this show a lot but you can really, really tell that its being shot out of a kitchen. I wish that somewhere in the pilot they would have explained why that is, or told us it was a quaint bed and breakfast place that sold coffee or something. Without that, I found myself spending far too much time looking at kitchen fixtures and wondering why no one else seemed to notice how weird that was. (Polish 3)

It runs a little on the long side with episodes typically breaking the ten minute mark, but the upside is that you get to see a plot fully develop. What I like about this show as compared to shorter web series is that it doesn’t feel as clipped. It gives you room to start to feel something for the characters and get inside their head a little. (Watchability 3.5)

Novelty 3

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

This is a story about age, family and lose. A son and his father find their roles suddenly reversed. I thoroughly enjoyed this short film written by Nikos and Constantin Pilavios.

It’s a simple story beautifully told and while it is in Greek it’s subtitled for all of us with only one language under our belts.

Creator’s Description

Father and son are sitting on a bench. Suddenly a sparrow lands across them.

Details

Creators: Nikos Pilavios, Constantin Pilavios
Vimeo Channel: What Is That?
Website: Movie Teller

Ratings

Style 4

Pacing 3.5

For a story that comes in at under 6 minutes they manage to make their point brilliantly. (Storytelling 5)

Polish 4

It’s deliberately slow paced and rather sentimental, if you were looking for something more upbeat then you might want to take a pass on this one. (Watchability 4)

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line: Although I would have loved if the film makers had spent more time with each of the people highlighted in these videos, it doesn’t take away from the fact that this is a clever, fun and strangely sentimental web project. I only wish others would take time to understand culture in such a creative way.

GOLD is a comedy series about Professional Role Playing Gamers, written and produced for the web.

The World Goblins & Gold Role Playing Game Championship is only a few short weeks away. The perennial second-place American team has undergone an upheaval: their longtime team leader, Jonathan Drake, has suffered a tragic gaming-related accident. Maverick player and loose cannon Richard Wright takes the reigns and tries to wrestle his new team into shape before the competition, while despondent Jonathan battles his personal demons. Meanwhile, the World Champion British team, led by the crafty Oliver Crane and sultry Martha Thistlethwait, prepare for the Championship by enlisting a gaming legend as their new coach.

As the two factions battle internal and external strife, another threat rears its head: despite a fervent European following, in the U.S., Goblins & Gold is on the decline. Fewer and fewer players are picking up the dice in pursuit of this proud but aging sport, opting instead for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games and the seductive simplicity of console gaming.

Can Richard whip his new team into shape in time for the championships? Will Crane’s Britons continue to dominate? And, if G&G loses its audience, will it all even matter in the end?

Join us for the web series that dares to ask the question, “Can you take the hits?”

Details

Cast: Rick Robinson,David Nett,Nathan Mobley,James Paul,Xavier,Gary Karp,Robert Brewer,Alan Loayza,Shannon Nelson,Jeremy Guskin,Shannon Ivey,Angela Schnaible,Chuck Raucci,Frederick Snyder,Jessica Pennington,Justin Waggle,Sasha Harris,James Ellis Lane,Brett Nichols,Jeanette Scherrer,Andrew R. Deutsch,JoAnna Senatore,Michael Miranda,Torrance Jordan
Blip.tv Channel: GOLD: The Series
Website: GOLD: The Series
Support the Show: Make A Donation

Subscribe

RSS Feed: Feed
iTunes Feed: GOLD: The Series

Ratings

It feels like a television sitcom without too many stylistic flourishes thrown in to distract from the overall story (Style 2.5)

Pacing 4

Good characterization, solid directing and a storyline that takes you along for a ride. Of course there are a few bits of overacting in there but not enough to detract from a stellar overall performance. (Storytelling 4.5)

Polish 4.5

At about ten minutes per episode it’s long enough to introduce a story arc without being so long that you have a hard time getting through it. (Watchability 4)

It’s a story about a group of table top RPG players that actually tugs at your heart strings. I don’t know how they did it, but I am happy that they did. (Novelty 4.5)

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars