Top 10 Doug Walker's Biggest Failures

Ok let me make this clear, I am a Doug Walker aka Nostalgia Critic fan. I know a lot of people hate on him and that's fine. I get it. But while he is not perfect and made mistakes I am still a fan of his. For reasons I explained elsewhere he is a personal hero for me and so far at least I have heard nothing to make me change that opinion, That doesn't mean I ignore what has been said about his troubled productions, I just don't hold it against him (that asshat in charge of CA is the real creep imho, but I digress). We all make mistakes. If you disagree with me, no problem.

Anyway I got to thinking about his flops, which after 10+ years he's had his share of, and wondered what it was that made them a failure. So since I have done articles talking about his stuff that I love, let's discuss the stuff that isn't so good. From not so bad to really, really bad. And a few of these may be more personally bad than others which are almost unanimously regarded as flops. If you like any of these, just opinion. And again I am only judging these buy the finished product not the behind the scenes troubles.

Random Thoughts-Channel Awesome (sigh)

I didn’t want to talk about this. I really, really didn’t. When it all began I tried to ignore it, since it was mostly on twitter that wasn’t hard all it meant was ignoring the people talking about it (or even blocking them). FYI if you don’t know what I am referring to well it’s all over the place so no need to rehash it here. Anyway, I tried to ignore it. Why is that? Because that site and contributors has come to mean a lot to me. I’ve talked about the how and why in other articles and will not bore everyone by repeating it. Suffice to say, I loved the glory days of ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com and without them I would not be doing this at all.

A Look at AT4W Storyline Segments

As you may know I have been a fan of AT4W for a long time now. I have discussed episodes I loved, and episodes I hated, and gone over jokes from that show I love. But a big part of the show that I haven’t discussed is the storyline segments. So, let’s go through them quickly. In my opinion the AT4W segments rise above the usual reviewer story lines, the effects are decent and the characters are realistic. Add to that Lewis’s Lovhaug’s wonderful writing and these storylines comes close to professional caliber. How do they fare broken down?

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HIS HEART IS STEEL

Ok I wont be offering long plot summaries, I’d be here all day and if you don't know the storylines than my giving you the plot breakdown wont mean much. The first storyline is the Terminator knockoff (er, homage) and the introduction of Mechakara. And compared to later stuff the storyline doesn’t hold off that well. The effects aren’t bad, aside from the makeup, but it feels a lot less professional and the seams show a lot more. There also isn’t as much plot, with very little real build up. I am biased since I didn’t experience this first run but compared to later arc’s this one isn’t bad but not the best.

Top 10 Nostalgia Critic Crossover Reviewers

So since I teased it last time, let’s discuss crossover’s. There are actually quite a few of them, some involving a guest reviewer on NC and others where NC would appear on someone else’s show. Crossover’s can be hit or miss, especially the one’s where Doug Walker did not do the primary writing. It feels like it was written by someone else. Course there were a slew of them before the NC “retired” and most of those weren’t very good.



I decided to approach this a different way, and list the best reviewers he has done crossover’s with. This was to cover a wider area and leave less off. A few rules, These are actual crossover’s not just cameo’s from other reviewers. And no anniversary movies count here, just straight up crossover’s.


#10.CR

CR was one of those reviewers that flew under my radar, and I had never heard of this until Nostalgia Critic referenced it in another video. So I watched the “Baby Doll” review and it was really good. It felt very natural and it was well done. Best pic I could find.

Happy 10th Anniversary Nostalgia Critic!

So this week marked the tenth anniversary of Nostalgia Critic. I wanted to do a tribute, but what have I not covered? I already talked about my favorite episodes (twice), my least favorite episodes, my favorite jokes, a general tribute regarding my being a loyal fan for several years, and gone over how I became that loyal fan. But I wanted to do something…..then I came up with an idea which I think made sense.



I went through the ten “season” lists of episodes and tried to pick the best episode. Not my favorite necessarily, the one episode which I thought stood out above the rest as a solid episode which can be watched again and again. Thankfully the list is different than my top 10 favorite episodes, with one notable exception. So here at the Top 10 Nostalgia Critic episodes in order of season, in my opinion anyway. Two rules, they gave to be official episodes not specials, and no crossovers. Though that’s not a bad idea for another article….

#10.Batman & Robin
The first season was for obvious reasons not the strongest. Doug Walker has said many times this started as a hobby, and it kind of shows. The production values are weak and the reviews are kind of short. There were also little repetitive gags that would go away thankfully. But this episode is the best. Though it was a tough call between The Wizard and the Tom & Jerry reviews. Batman & Robin was the first review that started to feel like a true NC review, and of course it gave us a meme that continues to endure to this day.

Top 10 (All-Time) Favorite Internet Reviewers

The time has come my friends. I have wanted to do this but kept putting it off, mostly because let’s be honest my first two slots aren’t that shocking. But this is something that deserves to finally be discussed, so here we go.



Internet reviewing is a huge thing now and while I have stated before there was a time when Nostalgia Critic was all I watched, there are others I like and watch (or watched if they are no longer around). So here are my ten favorite internet reviewers, and yes there are some on here who technically have retired and do not review anymore. And yes a majority of these come from Channel Awesome, I have watched stuff on other sites including Agony Booth but never really cared enough to go back. I did like Sofie Liv, where did she go?




#10.Todd in the Shadows

This was the hardest slot to fill, several people could have fit in here. Why Todd? He seems like a nice enough guy, but man do I disagree with some of the things he says. He clearly knows about music but his tastes are very…rigid. Still it is nice to have music reviews and I enjoy some his stuff like his Madonna retrospective. I have watched his reviews more than once, though usually those are crossovers, and so it seems fitting he should get the #10 spot.

My 15 Favorite Episodes of AT4W-Reconsidered

A month or so ago I did a tribute to Nostalgia Critic and AT4W. While doing that I looked back at the previous stuff I had written, and I realized it was time to update an older article. Back in 2012 I did a sort list of my favorite episodes of AT4W. That was almost four years ago, the list only had five episodes listed! Well there have been a few episodes since then. So today I am revising and expanding my list in honor of AT4W’s 400th episode at the end of the mont.

This was originally a top 5 which I expanded into 10, but had to make 15. Hey, it’s been 400 episodes! Give me a break  



 I tried to include at least one for every year, but last year just wasn’t that great. I blame that on the AT4W movie which I think occupied his time, and to much patreon stuff. I get why he does those but those reviews are so boring (I don’t care about video games and Japanese Power Rangers!) that I usually don’t even watch them. I just couldn’t pick one from last year that I thought was excellent. And yes I saw the AT4W movie maybe if/when I get the DVD I will write a full review of it.


For now, here are my fifteen favorite episodes of Atop the Fourth Wall…..




#15.Action Comics #592 (2010)

This is one here for a special reason, I read this comic when it was first published back in 1987. And since I knew it, it was the first episode I checked. I wasn’t very familiar with Linkara yet but the episode was really good. Why John Byrne wrote the thing I will never know. Superman doing porn. Not much else to say, it’s a simple review but it was the one that made me a fan.

My Tribute-Five Years of Nostalgia Critic and AT4W

Before I even start, yes I know that NC and AT4W have been around for more than five years. It’s closer to nine,that isn’t what I am referring to.


 

I wish I could remember the exact date, but it was right about this week five years ago. I know the general time because the first new episode I watched was the Airborn review.
I suddenly lost my job and had been very depressed. Things were about a bleak as they had ever been. Then one night I stumbled onto the Nostalgia Critic. Ive mentioned it before, how I couldn’t stop watching and laughing my ass off-to the point where I had to force myself to go to bed because it was after 1 in the morning. I have been a fan ever since.

My Top 15 Favorite Nostalgia Critic Jokes

Yeah yeah, I know that dozens of people have already done this kind of list. I also know Doug Walker himself also did a list like this. And yes I also know that this is not a video show it’s a blog which takes some of the fun out of it when you have to click links. But screw it I’m doing this anyway.

I have been a long time fan of Nostalgia Critic for awhile now and still can’t get enough. I have already done a list of my favorite episodes, so today I want to go over my favorite jokes. These are gags that I can see over and over and will make me laugh even if I am not even watching the episode. It takes a lot of talent to make a joke so funny that I find myself trying not to laugh out loud because it just popped into my head at work or whatever and I don’t want people to think I’m nuts.  In fact that was how I picked my choices, by scrolling through the list of episodes and seeing what I remember.


Before I begin, I tried to find standalone clips but some of the links below are to the joke from wherever it fell in the episode. So feel free to click off after the moment I have described has passed. Unless you love that episode. Oh, and yes this is a top 15. If you read my stuff it should come as no big surprise I couldn’t narrow it down more. I also tried to have choices they were not as beaten to death with over use (the Chuck Norris meme for example) or any that Mr.Walker himself had on his own list, but there are a few exceptions.


So where do we begin?

My Top 12 Favorite Nostalgia Critic Episodes--Reconsidered

I have made no secret of how much I love the NC. I stumbled onto him at a VERY low point and he gave me some much needed laughter. I came into these reviews by accident, as I stumbled on his cliche list on YouTube. It got me interested so I wanted to see more and more. That night I was up past 1:00 in the morning, I just couldn’t stop. It is hard to get me to laugh, but his videos had me laughing my a** off!  For the longest time all I watched was Nostalgia Critic, I had no interest in anyone else. That was until a little film called Suburban Knights came along. That was when I officially became a fan of the site and went thru and learned about all the reviewers. Since then I a loyal fan, watching the old episodes while enjoying his newer stuff.





Back in July 2012 I did a list of my top 10 favorite NC episodes. But since that time he has done a LOT more episodes. And I have had second thoughts about some of my choices after re-watching the older stuff. I am also adding a few rules. I have to like the whole review, sketch(es) and all. And no Top 11 or Old vs. New. Those are great but deserve their own category. So here now is my reconsidered list for my TOP 10 NOSTALGIA CRITIC'S!






Wait, there are to many choices. Ah the heck with it....TOP 12 FAVORITE NOSTALGIA CRITICS!!






#12.Pearl Harbor


I am putting this high because to be honest this may not be his best review ever. Doug Walker had admited he was not as clear on certain points as he should have been. However, I love the sketch in this one. There was just something about the Michael Bay stuff which I couldn't get enough of! Maybe because this was the first so it felt different, I don't know but I loved this review.

Random Thoughts-To Boldly Flee:One Year Later

Doing something a little different, I had some thoughts I wanted to share and will be doing this off the cuff so to speak. This article is directed to fans of TGWTG, so if you aren't then you may find this article confusing.

It was a year ago (give or take a week or two) that To Boldly Flee ended and we were all left in shock. No more Nostalgia Critic??????? I knew it was coming but that didn't lessen the impact. I mean, wow! Nostalgia Critic had come into my life at a very low point and become a very important routine. The laughs I got from watching were genuine and real, and I couldn't imagine not having him around.

However, we know now that even Doug Walker himself couldn't imagine having him around and the critic was back six months later. True, the character has changed a bit but it's still funny and I still enjoy it. But it raises the question, how does his return affect the ending to To Bodlly Flee? Is it still as strong now that the critic is back?

Let's talk about the amazing 4th anniversary movie for a second. It was a space story and considering the time and budget, done very well. All the characters, and there were a lot, got their big moment and the story makes sense. Yeah it could have used a little trimming here and there. They should have dropped the Prick character entriely and they never did resolve the SUCKA story line. All the acting was decent and yes the references got annoying but overall they were used in a context that made sense. For instance Lupa didn't just rip off the line from Alien for no reason, it made perfect sense in the context of the scene. But the plot hole stuff was done well and had a satisfying payoff.  The final space battle was awesome, including Linkara's appearance in Comicron One which I loved!

Top 5 Least Favorite Episodes of AT4W

I love AT4W. After The Nostalgia Critic, Linkara is my favorite internet personality. I look forward to every new episode and watch his old stuff all the time. Just about a year ago I revealed my favorite episodes. So today I wanted to talk about the other side of the coin, five episodes I just do not like.

#5.The Live Shows

This is kind of a cheat, but I am not a huge fan of the live shows he posts. It isn't the same show and the annoying audience members make it worst. It is probably lots of fun to see the show live, but watching it later fails for me. Now of course he has done a few by now and I liked some more than others. The one thing I do like is the Q&A he does after the show, that is worth tuning in for.

#4.Freak Force #1

Linkara had a story line where he disapeared, and was missing for a month. In the meantime he had others host his show. And these three episodes sucked. It pains me to admit it, but the first one Liz hosted was only ok. I know it's not her fault, it wasn't the worst and I love Iron Liz. But the episode was only ok. The one with Harvey Finevoice was only so-so. The worst was this one, with 90's kid. I love 90's Kid as much as anyone, but no way he can carry a whole review. In fact the end feels lile it gave up. Nice try but these episodes, especially this one, are total fails.

Top 5 Favorite TGWTG Videos

have done articles on Nostalgia Critic and AT4W, but today I wanted to talk about my favorite videos period. These are videos are good because the quality just shines through. Everything from the writing to the acting to the comedy and/or drama. I can watch them literally a million times. No I am not exlcluding NC or Linkara from this list. I am excluding the anniversary specials, those belong to a whole other category!





#5.The Review Must Go On


I am putting this high because it just came out this week, but oh my god is this an amazing video! Not just because it signals the return of the Nostalgia Critic either. This video is just fantastic, the mood, the music, it even has genuine laughs. The end was beautiful, even hating Demo Reel I still felt sad when the characters vanished. Doug Walker hit every note I think he had to hit. It's a shame Demo Reel did not work but I like what they did, connecting it to NC. It means that the Scooby review, TBF, and every episode of Demo Reel make up a major Nostalgia Critic story arc, and I love it! Cannot wait to see what two weeks brings.

Top 10 Least Favorite Nostalgia Critic Episodes

With Demo Reel coming next week and Nostalgia Critic officially done, I thought I would take an opportunity to list my least favorite episodes. Not every episode can be a classic, and either because it was boring, or not funny, or I just disagree with the comments these are ten reviews that I don't really like.



#10.Animanics

I know what you're thinking, "How can I possible hate that? It was awesome, getting to meet all the creators and people who worked on the show". One problem, I never ever watched the show and couldn't care less about it. Not saying this was bad, at all, but it does no interest me and remains the one episode I have not sat through.


#9.Top 11 Batman TAS Episodes

Same reason as the previous, I did not watch the show. I will admit that this episode was more interesting, it made want to check out an episode or two, but all in all this one was still boring for me and not a favorite.

Top 5 Favorite Episodes of "AT4W"

With all the deserved attention the Nostalgia Critic hasbeen getting recently I thought I would take a minute to talk about my otherfavorite show on the site. Now that critic is ending, I guess that makes thisshow my favorite now.

When I first discovered the site it was Nostalgia Critic and nothing else. It was after watching Suburban Knights I finally decided to checkout the other talents I had been short changing. Film Brain's Bad MovieBeatdown, Obscura Lupa Presents, and so on and so on. I hated myself for neglecting the others on the site for so long. Then I discovered Linkara, andreally hated myself. A comic book reviewer? Awesome! Part of the reason it tookso long is because AT4W didn't really scream "comic books" to me, butwhatever. It didn't take long for Linkara to be my second favorite personalityon the site; he makes his show enjoyable and fun to watch. So what are my five favorites?Well, glad you asked!  By the way, after I had checked all of these producers out I re-watched Suburban Knights and enjoyed it even more. I should really do an article on that someday.

#5. Ewoks #9

This is the reason why I have put off making this list. Itseemed weird to talk about this one knowing in real life Linkara (or Lewis) andLiz are not a couple anymore. But I decided that doesn't change the content ofthis, and of course they are still friends. So know that I have discussedthings that are none of my business, let me tell you why I like this review.Linkara and Liz are adorable; they had such good chemistry and really playedoff each other. Liz especially is great in this (being much more comfortablethan she had been in the previous one she did). The fight scene in the middleis one of my favorites, short and sweet. Liz was my favorite character on theshow while she was on it, and shines in this review. It's also one of myfavorite title cards.

Random Thoughts-The Nostalgia Critic

This was written months ago, just posting it here because I never did
So I had some thoughts to share and I hope you will indulge me. As everyone is no doubt aware, Doug Walker has ended the Nostalgia Critic. I have mixed feelings about this. I hope this is not a mistake for him. I really mean that sicnerely, I am not threatening to leave the site and never come back or anything. But I have not liked everything he has done. Ask That Guy is very hit or miss, his improv stuff is not very funny, and lots of his sketches fall flat. I respect his need to move on, but I would have kept the character going just in a limited fashion. Maybe once a month, for example, until I had tried some new things and seen what the audience is. This is a review site, and I think that is what most expect from here not a sketch comedy. I say all this because I love Channel Awesome and hope it goes on for a long time. There is a more than good chance I will love whatever he does, but he is taking a risk which may be why he did it. To spice things up a bit, I can see how it could get boring playing the same character every week for over four years. I respect that, and just hope he finds success.


Now that I have said that, I want to share one last time how much appreciation I have for this character. I said before, I stumbled on to him in a low point in my life. His videos made me laugh, and if you know me you know I don't laugh easily. But his videos did, and laugh my a** off. When I first found the site I couldn't stop watching, I literally had to force myself to stop and go to bed because it after 1:00 in the morning. It kills me I became a fan so late, just March of last year,  I feel like I missed out on something special. But at least I had a year of good times, waiting anxiously every Tuesday night for a new video. Thank goodness for Suburban Knights, which inspired me to check out the rest of the site.His show also introduced me to things I had not had exposure to, before him I had no idea who Tommy Wisseau of Don Bluth was. He made me relieved I missed other things, thank goodness I never saw Felix the Cat, that awful Titanic movie, or Milk Money. And he also helped me understand why some things did not work, like Free Willy or The Flinstones movie. He was also fair, not every movie he reviewed was awful and he talked about stuff he loved often too.

I already did a list of my top ten favorite Nostalgia Critic episodes. Indepndance Day is my favorite just because it was the first review I saw, and I laughed and laughed. I loved pretty much every review, from Star Trek Month to the holiday specials. There were only three times I didn't like his review. He was way to hard on Full House, and even harder on You Can't Do That on Television. The Masters of the Universe review was ruined by his endless "he-man is gay" jokes. But those were the only times I did not find him funny, that's pretty good. His stuff was always great. Then you have the reucrring bits, "Of course!" My favorite? Fucking Bubbles!! and anything with Casper. And WHAT ABOUT BOOMER???
In a way it's not accurate to call his stuff reviews, he even kind of refers to this in TBF. He really just yells at movies he doesn't like and makes fun of it. But there's nothing wrong with that if done well, and he did it well. My favorite memory of him is watching a review before a job interview. Not sure what review, but it was a funny one and I went into the interview feeling good from laughing. I got that job, and I wonder if that was in some small part to The Nostalgia Critic for putting me in such a good place,

Before I go I wanted to talk a second about To Boldly Flee. I was worried when I heard this would be Sci Fi, and man was I impressed. They pretty much exceeded my expectations. I already left a very long (ok, to long) comment on part 8 so I will spare you my full analysis. I liked what they did, it was a very well done film. It was a very emotional send off to the character. So Nostalgia Critic is now a wormhole space? For some reason, I find that hard to accept. Not sure why. The sci fi parodies and jokes were good and I like how the silly costumes were only used to serve the story.

At least I have consolation in re-runs, over 220 episodes I can watch and enjoy again and again. I would have loved to see that show continue forever, but as the cliche says all good things must come to an end. So I thank Doug Walker for making things better when they were bad, for giving something new and fresh to look forward to every Tuesday, and wish him nothing but success in the future.

Thanks for indulging me, and now I ask what is your memories of The Nostalgia Critic?

My Top 10 Favorite Nostalgia Critic Episodes

It’s hard to believe for me, but it’s only been a little over a year that I discovered TGWTG. It has always bothered me that I came in late; it took me forever to play catch up trying to learn about the reviewers and the videos. Some I love (Film Brain, Nostalgia Chick). Some I like but hate what they review (Phelous, Lupa, and Cinema Snob). Some I just have no interest in what they review (Gamers mostly). And a few I just hate (Blockbuster Buster). Of all of them two I absolutely love. First is Linkara, who I may talk about in another article about AT4W, and the other of course is The Nostalgia Criticl

I came into these reviews by accident, as I stumbled on his cliché list in on YouTube. It got me interested so I wanted to see more. One night I was up past 1:00 in the morning, I just couldn’t stop. It is hard to get me to laugh, but his videos had me laughing my a** off!  For the longest time all I watched was Nostalgia Critic, I had no interest in anyone else. That was until a little film called Suburban Knights came along. That was when I officially became a fan of the site and went thru and learned about all the reviewers.

Anyway, I am getting off topic. Today as we approach the 4th anniversary of that site I thought I would talk about my ten favorite Nostalgia Critic episodes. The one’s I love and could watch a million times.

I realize this would be easier if I had video clips, but if you either have not seen an episode or maybe have forgotten, then you can always check it out again.

#10.Top 11 Cereal Mascots.

I always know when I see a “top 11” that the episode isn’t going to be very funny. They never are which is cool. Sometimes informative can be just as fun. This is on here because I just enjoyed the history lessons he gives for each mascot. It’s not that funny but it is so interesting that it doesn’t need to be.

#9. HOME ALONE III

This review was really good, because the movie was really horrible. This was before he felt the need to yell at everything, so he was able to convey the craziness in a less spastic way. The best part of this review was his riff on John Hughes. The bit about what Hughes was on when he wrote the script was really funny.