reviews
The Last Man on Earth: A Friggin’ Weird Show
The genius of the show is that it finds its humor by focusing on Phil/Tandy’s antics as he looks out only for himself and constantly tries to lie and deceive the only people he has in his life.
(SPOILER ALERT)
The Last Man on Earth is undeniably silly and weird. It comes from explosion-prone MacGruber himself and the duo behind The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street, and 22 Jump Street. That should be enough to let you know that The Last Man on Earth is hilariously different and sneakily witty.
The initial premise is familiar: a deadly virus sweeps the Earth and leaves one man seemingly alone in the world. It’s everything that comes after that makes this show so unexpected and hilarious, masterfully blending the hopelessness of the situation with oddball humor. Phil Miller, played by SNL goof Will Forte, travels around the country trying to find anybody and leaving a message of “Alive in Tucson” in his wake. Just as the loneliness, which he tries to ward off by making a multitude of friends out of various sports balls à la Cast Away, brings him to suicide, he sees smoke and comes across a campsite. He isn’t alone and, better yet, the person he has found is a woman. Supposed last woman on Earth Carol Pilbasian, played by Kristen Schaal who is most known for voicing Louise Belcher on Bob’s Burgers, convinces sex-deprived Phil to marry her before they can try and “repopulate” the Earth. Of course, as soon as Phil marries Carol they come across the beautiful and single Melissa, played by Mad Men’s January Jones. As if things couldn’t get worse for Phil, as soon as he convinces Carol and Melissa that he should also sleep with Melissa to multiply their chances of repopulation a fireworks display he sets off draws the attention of kind and selfless Todd (making the title of the show a bit of a misnomer). Todd and Melissa get together, and now Phil is stuck with Carol.
Phil eventually comes across Gail and Erica, played by veteran actress Mary Steenburgen and Aussie Cleopatra Coleman respectively, and it seems like Phil might be able to finally sleep with not only one but two attractive women as long as he can keep the two different groups from meeting. Of course the groups do end up running into each other, and they find out about Phil’s deceptions and he is ousted. Once Phil is able to get back in with the group, he tries to get rid of his signs to keep new people from showing up and ends up getting trapped while doing so, only to be saved by a handsome and mysterious man, also by the name of Phil Miller, this time played by Boris Kodjoe. To the original Phil’s misfortune, the new Phil is quickly accepted by the group and all of the women fawn over his good looks and the original Phil’s punishment is that he must go by his middle name to avoid any confusion with the new Phil. He is now “Tandy.” Tandy’s rivalry with Phil and his desire to get with one of the women, including Carol when Phil shows interest in her, leads to him once again getting ousted by the group. Carol, wanting to be with her husband, selflessly leaves the group to join him on the road.
The basic idea for the show originated with the duo (Phil Lord and Christopher Miller), but when Will Forte became involved it truly became his brainchild. He crafted a treatment of the concept over a weekend, and after eventually getting picked up by Fox he became (in addition to serving as co-creator and lead actor) one of the writers and served as the first season’s showrunner. As showrunner he would work a minimum of 12 hours daily, which makes it understandable that they got a new showrunner for the second season in order to keep their star from burning out. It is still very much his show though.
The genius of the show is that it finds its humor by focusing on Phil/Tandy’s antics as he looks out only for himself and constantly tries to lie and deceive the only people he has in his life, often misguidedly and getting him in further trouble. It frames it in such a way that even though Phil/Tandy is clearly an asshole and you realize he is usually in the wrong, you sympathize with him and want him to succeed. Every time he angrily exclaims, “Friggin’ Todd!” you do it with him because friggin’ selfless and unassuming and sweet Todd is the worst for showing up because of Phil/Tandy’s grandiose attempt to woo Melissa and proceeded to be nice to everyone, including Phil/Tandy, and ended up in a consenting relationship with Melissa. Phil/Tandy starts off the series lonely and wanting to be around people again, yet once that does happen he resents it for getting in the way of his sex drive. He’s a selfish idiot, but so am I for indulging myself in a hilarious show that has a clear grasp on its tone and its world where no matter how ridiculous things get, it never feels contrived.
I wholeheartedly recommend checking out this weirdly hysterical series. The jokes are funny and the performances are great, especially from Forte and Schaal, and you’ll be surprised by just how much you end up liking this show. I sure was.
AuKing Mini Projector Key Details
The Auking is a 1080p Mini Projector with built-in speakers that is compatible with Smartphones and laptops.* (Notice the asterisk) The ports are HDMI, USB, VGA, AV, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s $99.99, but you can usually catch it on sale for cheaper.
This projector is pretty popular online. There are tons of glowing reviews for it on Amazon, but I’m assuming if you’re reading this, you care about what I think. And what I think is that this projector is kinda bad.
Also, keep in mind I believe that this projector is being sold on amazon with different branding and shells, but essentially, they’re all the same projector.
These are just some I’ve found.
ALVAR 8000 Lumens Mini Portable Projector
TMY Projector 7500
Projector with WiFi, 2022 Upgrade 8500L
Mini Projector, Aokang 7500 Lumens HD Portable Projector
These all pretty much the same projector with different housing and branding
It is most certainly not for everyone, and it’s not for everyone who loves projectors. The projector has some issues with only a few positives.
Android smartphones are compatible, but only certain Androids, which they don’t tell you before purchasing.
List of Phones compatible with the projector
I’m guessing it’s “compatible” with all iPhones, but oddly enough, they don’t mention it. But I think it’s a safe bet to say that it is. Because saying the Aukling is compatible with smart devices and mac books is technically true, and it’s somewhat misleading.
It has no built-in features to make it compatible with other devices, just an HDMI input. This, combined with poor image and audio quality, means you’d be better off saving your money and buying something a little more expensive.
AuKing Mini Projector Full Break Down
The Auking has an HDMI port, which means it’s compatible with any device that can output through HDMI. But unfortunately, it doesn’t have any ports or software that would intrinsically allow smartphones to project video.
To get your iPhone or Android phone to connect to the projector, you have to do it through HDMI. So, you’ll need a USB-C to HDMI adapter for android and Mac Book or a lightning port to HDMI if you’re using an iPhone. The instructions also recommend a wireless dongle so you can connect your laptop or smart device via BlueTooth (more on that later)
Now here’s the thing, the projector only comes with a regular HDMI cord, so you would have to buy the other cords separately. They don’t mention that before you buy it, so it feels very misleading. Regarding the wireless adapter they recommend, you must connect to it via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, most streaming services have copyright features that won’t allow you to stream content via BlueTooth.
You could connect a chrome cast, Apple TV, or a Roku and mirror or cast your phone to that, but if you don’t have those devices on hand, you’re out of luck.
This means the easiest way to use this device would be with your windows laptop unless you have one of the cords they recommend.
But how does it perform once you get it set up and running? It’s ok.
We have to set our expectations for this price range. The project shows saturated color palettes well but struggles with darker colors.
Darker scenes come out looking grainy and blurry.
While brighter colors look ok.
But all things considered, the video quality will be worse than whatever you have connected to the HDMI. To its credit, however, the projector is bright enough to watch it outside with minimal light pollution.
The audio can be pretty loud, but loud doesn’t necessarily mean good. It does sound like it comes from out of a tin can, but it’s clear enough to hear what’s going on in a movie, so you don’t have to only rely on headphones.
Despite its small size, the Auking’s fans can be pretty loud when it’s on. (Imagine starting up your first-gen PS4 and trying to play Cyberpunk).
This projector isn’t for everyone. I wouldn’t recommend it to most people. However, if you’re a person who wants a bigger screen, you can buy a cheap 22′ monitor and connect you your phone or laptop to it, and the image quality would be better.
Verdict
In most cases, I suggest you save money and get something more expensive, like the ANKER Nebula capsule.
If you find yourself in a situation where you need a projector immediately, this will be ok. For instance, a backyard BBQ where it’s more about the people you’re around than what you’re watching or a party where you want to keep the kids distracted while the adults use the TV (shame on you).
Other than that, it’s worth saving your money.
FAQ
How do I connect my phone to my mini AuKing projector?
Through USB-C to HDMI cord or lighting to HDMI cord
Does AuKing projector support Bluetooth?
Rest in peace, watermelon.
The latest episodes in ‘Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid’ were very interesting to watch.
One was definitely a fanservice episode, and heck, even the producers know that! Episode 7’s title contains the phrase ‘The Fanservice Episode, Obviously’, so that cracked me up.
Episode 7 focuses on the elements of anime that will appeal to any nerd out there. By that, of course I mean bathing suits and comic conventions! Cue the beach episode!
Tohru and company decide to go swimming for the day. Kanna’s adorable as always, while Lucoa doesn’t realize just how sexual she is toward a small boy.
Like, really? You think wearing a very sexy swimsuit in front of a lot of kids on a beach is okay? And why do you insist on torturing Shouta with your breasts? It’s obvious that he’s tempted, but stop trying to seduce small children.
Of course, they’re dragons, so hilarious antics ensue. Tohru and Kanna get carried away in a swimming race, making water splash up everywhere. Also, a crab and watermelon are murdered. RIP.
However, one aspect that I thought was a nice touch was the backstory we got for Tohru. It wasn’t much, but Tohru and Kobayashi have a deep and meaningful conversation about their family’s lives, as well as how humans and dragons are different from one another. Fanservice episodes usually focus on that alone, but fortunately that’s not the case here.
The second half of Episode 7 focuses on Comiket. Tohru and Kobayashi help Takiya run a booth, and we learn that Fafnir is also participating by attempting to sell powerful curses. Wow, didn’t see thaaaaat coming at all.
Tohru notices otherworldly creatures in their true forms at Comiket, as they reveal that this is a great way to show their true forms. With Kobayashi’s permission, Tohru exposes her wings and tail, appearing to others as if she’s cosplaying as, well, a dragon maid.
Episode 7 was very nice because there were many heartfelt and adorable moments.
Meanwhile, Episode 8 FINALLY introduced the dragon that I keep on mentioning in my reviews. Her name’s Elma, a dragon who is a rival of Tohru’s. Elma accuses Tohru of disrupting the human’s ways and tries to force her to return to the dragon world. This doesn’t succeed, however, as Tohru sends her to an open field and leaves her there.
Unable to get back home, Elma stays in the human world and begins working at Kobayashi’s company. Kobayashi teaches Elma how to use computers and technology so that she can keep her job. Of course, this prompts Tohru to become jealous, smelling the scent of another dragon off Kobayashi like a dog does with a human. I won’t reveal how the episode ends, but it ends in a positive manner for Tohru.
Overall, I really loved these two episodes because they made me feel warm and fuzzy. They appealed to the emotional senses through a heartfelt conversation between Kobayashi and Tohru. Elma is also an innocent sweetheart who only wants to bring harmony to the human and dragon worlds. And I can’t wait to see more of her in the upcoming episodes.
I feel like in these two episodes alone, we learned so much about Tohru and her feelings for Kobayashi. She really wants to understand the human world and will do anything to stay with Kobayashi.
I’ll up my rating to a 4.7. These episodes were both fun, and we finally got the new dragon! Bless.
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