The Return of Channel Awesome's Demo Reel

Visit www.curiositystream.com/ladyemily to get access to thousands of documentaries on CuriosityStream and my streaming service Nebula!
In which we re-visit Doug Walker's Demo Reel in response to its unexpected revival.
Twitter: / greatcheshire
Patreon: / ladyemilypresents
Twitch: / greatcheshire
Subscribe: kzbin.info...
Music Used:
Comfortable Mystery 4 by Kevin MacLeod
Mongolian Barbecue by Lennon Hutton
Ghost Busting by Def Lev

[@danproposkanovovski]

asmr joker boyfriend flirty

[@hidbid1]

The The The The the

[@NakedEndoskeleton]

Its Look who it is

[@connorscanlan2167]

Hi! I hate this! ❤️

[@skarut1485]

I’m glad I didn’t hallucinate that

[@Wapoose]

it's ok dude i mix up the search bar and the comment bar too

[@JennyGeistVids]

I relate to Doug Walker because everyone is dumb except for me and I don't know how to white balance a camera.

[@samiam7327]

Man, i wish i was smart.

[@Joshuaraymalan]

The sad thing is, you can hire people to do the cinematography for you. I'm certain Doug could afford a decent camera op or colorist for an episode at least.

[@FALL-LAFF-7477]

@@Joshuaraymalan but again, ego... if that man can be better to pass that project to someone else who put much effort like Twilight-tober one, then whole bits would be good if he just part of the cast or the crew a bit.

[@plantain.1739]

@@Joshuaraymalan I mean you think a guy who's worked with cameras for over a decade, and has made 3 films would know how to do that.

[@genericname2747]

I relate to Doug Walker because I love yelling about movies

[@PhoenixFireZero]

Doug Walker is a true inspiration. Not once has he allowed his utter lack of marketable talent get in the way of his attempts to market his lack of talent.

[@RoyalFusilier]

I have often considered that I'd get a lot more done as a creative by completely ditching any sense of shame. Obviously there's downsides that come with that, but as countless examples show, it can also be very profitable.

[@slipperynickels]

it's like anti-inspiration

[@covereye5731]

Was just thinking the same. Even though people don't like his direction, he doesn't learn anything from it, and wastes time and money. Doug just keeps going. Good job Doug, you made something yet again, that's the only good thing you did, but you did it.

[@fightthepowerman]

@@RoyalFusilier man watch Doug in interviews. Guy is frustratingly down to earth and well adjusted when it comes to his work. Its bad but some love it... and those who love it are numerous enough to support him and his operation. His apparent apathy towards abuse under his watch aside... I'm pretty jealous of him to be honest. I guess he proves that its better to make something bad then anything at all... and that luck is playing a huge part no matter what you do.

[@Foxrich99]

You can't say it hasn't worked out great for him though

[@JBOboe720]

To paraphrase Bo Burnham: "You can't just be a self-aware asshole, you actually have to stop being an asshole."

[@Optimegatrongodzilla]

@@deanjustdean7818 I'm not even going to bother reading all that, because you clearly have no idea what you're talking about. "He radiates creep vibes". When? Also, the problems were not about Doug Walker. They were about Mike Michaud. "His videos have no merit". That's a matter of opinion.

[@becuaseimbored3481]

​@Optimegatrongodzilla Ironic enjoyment is the only cultural relevance he has left, of course he's going to lean into it. It actually kind of adds to the tragedy in a way. And just like how acknowledging you're a bad person doesn't make you a good person; acknowledging you're a bad filmmaker doesn't make your movies any better. The "reviews" are just glorified lampshading

[@SissypheanCatboy]

@@Optimegatrongodzilla you say you're not reading it and then instantly quote it. You read it lmao, you just want to seem like you don't care.

[@SissypheanCatboy]

@@Optimegatrongodzilla Also there's this wacky thing called "basic media analysis" they teach you in high school, you should be able to look at a work and analyze aspects of it to see what message the artist was trying to get across, and thus how they would feel on the topic. The fact that, shocker, you and most other internet users suck at this, does not make it any less true.

[@dogski2822]

“You can’t just keep doing shitty things and then feel bad about yourself like that makes it okay. You need to be better.” -Bojack Horseman

[@thatcher6923]

What was it that Dan Olsen said again? "Doug wants to be a filmmaker, he wants to make art, but he can’t, because he’s a fundamentally incurious person who isn’t much interested in what other people think or feel, and all his ideas boil down to “what if Batman met Mario?”

[@jonathanlgill]

Olsen's writing can be almost Proustian sometimes.

[@jimhaverlock9784]

Olsen’s takedown of Doug Walker would have crushed the soul of anyone with an ounce of self reflection. Lucky break for Doug there.

[@evrfreez]

This quote deserves to be in every comment section relating to anything to do with Doug Walker, ever.

[@yalborap]

The thing that amazes me. The thing that stuns me, every time it comes back to this, is...Doug cannot even explore that. His ideas do not merely boil down to "what if Batman met Mario?", they *stop* at that. I'm not going to say it would be fine art, but one could at least attempt to find a *there* there. Instead, Doug stops at...I was going to say "at the same level as a bootleg t-shirt from the mall", but those are often really interestingly reflective of their society (see all the remixes of Bart Simpson), so it can't even reach *that*. It's just fuckin' sad.

[@Vesperitis]

@@yalborap You could explore "Batman meets Mario" in a genuinely interesting manner. Both are extremely versatile characters who can be slotted into just about any scenario without drastically changing their core characters. Batman has been in stories where he's transported to an idyllic, cartoony world, and there are many fanworks that portray Mario in a darker, edgier tone. Most of Doug's 'explorations' would be laughed at at the school playground.

[@TheCandystripedlegs]

"Nobody wants to see a critic talk alone in a room anymore" it's just wild to think any of the skit stuff is necessary when Jenny Nicholson, alone in her room, frequently beats out his top reviews in views by just talking...about her thoughts on films, tv, church plays.

[@MrFutago87]

And there are so many video essayists on YT now, if anything people nowadays want to see critics talk alone in a room even MORE than they did in 2007.

[@jacobwilliams1223]

Well you can understand the confusion. Jenny actually you know, offers critiques to things. Gives interesting thoughts and her perspective on the given subject and naturally knows how to make the topic engaging even with a long run time. Doug lacking anything like this, probably feels his hands are tied and skits are a substitute for actual substance.

[@genericname2747]

And nobody really complains about the fact he's a critic in a room. People don't like Nostalgia Critic because they think the skits are dumb, or his criticisms are bad. Or they just hate his personality.

[@patricktsao9630]

That's what it is - Doug lacks the power of the numbered list.

[@ironmaster6496]

Speaking about really dumb quotes, especially considering how big commentary channels are, who would have tought that people actually like to hear a person's opinion without it being interrupted by a family guy sketch every two seconds

[@LindsayEllisVids]

His personal grievance with the Fury Road review wasn't exactly subtle, huh

[@thecinematicmind]

Hi Lindsay.

[@theuncannydag]

Good to see you, Lindsay 💙

[@filmrolled]

Hope you’re doing well. We all miss you greatly. ❤

[@ZukoPrince]

What do you mean?

[@jonahfalcon1970]

Hey Lindsay, still writing books?

[@nomercyforswine]

re: your comment about Doug sitting alone in a room, grinning at nothing... I live in the Chicago suburbs and attended college downtown. For 2 years, I took the train home from Union Station three nights a week. To be completely fair: It was dark. The dude might have been on bluetooth with the love of his life, I don't know. But I'll never forget walking down Jackson Ave in the dead of a Chicago winter at 9pm on a Wednesday and seeing Doug Fucking Walker striding directly towards me, with THAT GRIN on his face. Just marching confidently down the street, both hands tucked under the straps of his backpack like a child headed off to their first day of school, smiling. At nothing. It's been almost five years. I still think about it.

[@0meAcat1]

Haunting

[@jadenbryant9283]

wait is this real oh my gosh

[@mittelz5976]

You make it sound like you sighted a cryptid.

[@jonahfalcon1970]

That was Doug Slenderman.

[@BioYuGi]

You make it sound like people can't smile unless they're actively doing something enjoyable and they can't just be happy for the sake of being happy.

[@JacksonBockus]

“When you bring me out, could you introduce me as Joker?” “…no” I thought that was actually a funny gag and was wondering why you brought it out as an example of bad Channel Awesome jokes and then they just… kept talking.

[@henrynelson9301]

And then he ruins it with basically a fucking attack helicopter joke.

[@DuelaDent52]

@@henrynelson9301 To be somewhat fair, the joke is less on trans and nonbinary people and more on the chart guy who doesn’t understand the nuances of gender identity but disingenuously chases the topic for profits so the line on the chart goes up. Still kinda cringey, but eh.

[@exquisitecorpse__]

@@DuelaDent52 yeah but the nuance is lost when Doug himself is also very out-of-touch and I can genuinely imagine him creating a faction of strawman twitter users who identify as 'crappy-movies' so that Doug may destroy them with facts and bad-greenscreen.

[@pitdarkangel2961]

Honestly, the 2nd part initially landed with me at the "in what fucking way?" part, where it sounds like the joke was at the expense of SNL trying to appear progressive, while being made up of people who have no idea or care about actual progressivism. And then it just turns into a bad attack helicopter joke because Doug wants to overwrite and overexplain every joke instead of having a solid punchline

[@Ratchet2431]

Someone had mentioned in another video Doug's tendency to drag out jokes to exhausting lengths.

[@B.-T.]

"Doug likes Mad Max Fury Road but everyone else who likes it, from fangirls to action fans, like it for the wrong reasons, unlike Doug, who likes it for the right reason." The right reason: "because it's just like a Road Runner cartoon" (no really that's Doug's argument in the review)

[@carlireland5049]

Is that, like, a self-deprecating joke or does he actually believe he’s superior to all other fans of the film for thinking that?

[@B.-T.]

@@carlireland5049 It's, as Emily discusses, the way Doug presents other points of view when they're brought up in his reviews.

[@normadgarmez7026]

If that's the case, then wow... I get that MMFR was distributed by WB, but Looney Tunes and that film are night and day.

[@B.-T.]

@@normadgarmez7026 His argument was "They're both stories about chases that use minimalistic yet effective storytelling" (and I'm being generous with that summation) which, sure, but it's still a super stupid comparison to make.

[@carlireland5049]

@@B.-T. the funniest part of that is that he isn’t actually the first person who observed that. Many of the fans of the film are aware that it tells a story through minimalistic visuals. So no, he’s still not exactly Mr. Big Brain here for catching on to that, and he’s kind of stupid for thinking he came up with that idea. …Alright, well, he’s kind of stupid regardless, but you get what I’m saying.

[@PlaylistGeneral]

That shot of Doug ageing rapidly as he walks is maybe the only time I've seen Doug acting as serious as the scene needs and it's hauntingly beautiful.

[@GageSanchez-dn5ou]

Has he gotten better? You be the judge.

[@benpage11]

when did this happen?

[@surpriseandterror9698]

It's because you can't mug under that amount of makeup. He's forced by mechanical reality to act.

[@ThePhantom4516]

@@GageSanchez-dn5ou no he still sucks, he just had someone actually talented direct

[@AngelFace1991]

The irony of him saying nobody wants to see a person sit down and talk about a movie when several popular youtubers are literally exactly that.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

And most do it under there own names without needing to be a 'character'

[@kiricappuchin]

Nobody wants to see *Doug Walker* sit down and talk about a movie

[@ManOutofTime913]

It's really frustrating because he's always been better when he's using his real persona, and at the point he was at. he could have transitioned into that space of doing more thoughtful and positive critique. Instead he doubled down and got even worse.

[@samb3209]

I have rewatched Big Joel’s hour-long video on Click so many times, I’m a prime example 😂

[@BeyondBaito]

@@kiricappuchin that's ironically some of his beat content

[@whilstdumping]

you know, if the "can you introduce me as joker" thing ended with "no" and then he shut the door that actually be a chuckle

[@gunsugoncu]

if only a good editor (literary and honesty video) had crossed paths with doug in like 2008...

[@andrewchalker8529]

That's probably the most consistent problem with Doug's humor. He takes the kernel of a good idea but then keeps overplaying it well beyond the punchline.

[@akiraeatsguitarpicks491]

Sometimes I forget Doug is a grown ass man and not a 17 year old with a puberty beard

[@adamtherock2008]

Not just “grown ass.” He’s freaking 41!

[@Lacmene8]

Yeah he's very teenage in his creativity in the worst way possible, actual teens usually at least have a bit of creativity behind their projects, Doug feels very cynical in his approach, like he's making reviews because he has no drive to do anything else and when he does he never steps out of his comfort zone.

[@ishotmyboss]

It's the fedora.

[@akiraeatsguitarpicks491]

@@Lacmene8 his acting feels really childishly amateur too. He does this really specific face after he tells jokes like ALL the time and I really can’t tell if it’s on purpose or if he’s genuinely like this irl too

[@thepubknight6144]

@@ishotmyboss it's like he goes out of his way to fit the Stereotypical artsy film major tone deaf beatnik that he often gets ripped for in a unironically way

[@boopington]

I failed no nostalgia critic November right at the end, dammit I just couldn't resist the allure of a new lady emily upload

[@Sorrelhas]

"I'm the Nostalgia Critic, and I remember it so you do-" *STOP WATCHING THIS BROTHER, WE MUST FIGHT THE MPLA!*

[@AKhamseh88]

This is (the only time) where being in Iran helps :D, I am watching this on December 1st!

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

Wait. It wasn't "Nonstop Nostalgia Critic November"? Then... What have I done!?

[@Eira_99]

Be doomed by your time zone!

[@tirangle4785]

You're gonna love Doug Only December

[@shawnconway6009]

Once upon a time, back in the old, old days of ThatGuyWithTheGlasses, back when Doug was still doing his thing part time, he eventually decided to make the jump to full time and quit his job. To announce this, he and like two other guys walked into the cafeteria with a boombox. Inside the cafeteria were what I assume to be coworkers, but doug walks up to the center of the room, places a boombox, and begins playing the iconic theme from 2001 A Space Odyssey aka Ric Flair's theme. He stands there for the whole time, before at the climax tearing open his shirt to reveal a t-shirt that says 'I QUIT' in big letters. During this point, they film the other people looking at him confused. And then he just... runs out laughing with his friends. I bring all this up, because this is a perfect encapsulation of Doug's style of 'comedy.' It's a reference, self aggrandizement, and everyone watching is left confused more than entertained, but he and his friends think it's hilarious. And that's basically demo reel. References, self aggrandizement, and confusion on the part of the audience, but he and his guys think it's brilliant.

[@pompe221]

You left out the part where he and his friends literally ran out of the building because security was following them after Doug's boombox stunt.

[@shawnconway6009]

@@pompe221 See, I didn't remember the security part. I only remember them running out laughing among themselves about what they had done.

[@henrynelson9301]

You left out the part where the boom box switches to the guitar climax part of Bohemian Rhapsody as he runs around and leaves the building

[@shawnconway6009]

@@henrynelson9301 See I also forgot that part. I only recall him leaving the building while giggling maniacally with his buds. I totally forgot that the music was still playing.

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

@@shawnconway6009 Wait, this actually happened!?

[@pitdarkangel2961]

It is pretty funny that The Wall review where Doug refuses to break his personal walls down and show some introspection is also the video where he ends up revealing the most about himself to the audience.

[@daniellins4114]

I think it’s the nature of that work, you can’t engage with something so personal and so emotionally raw and not leave a pice of your self in you answer to it

[@claudialomeli4048]

It really says something that even in the time of tiktok stylistic suck skits, Doug Walker still manages to produce professional work that looks worse than that.

[@DragonNexus]

There's some irony to how the original format was getting old and needed refreshing, and the thing it refreshed into is now also old hat and needs refreshing.

[@LadyLockwood92]

I think the most telling thing I've ever seen mentioned about Doug Walker was one of the Channel Awesome contributors (I forget who) did a funny voice they'd come up with and his response was 'That was great, what was that based on?' like, he doesn't understand that comedy *can* be original and not just referencing something that already exists.

[@iamaunicorn1232]

It was Allison Pregler (formerly Obscurus Lupa) and her response to Change the Chanel was also amazing and cutting.

[@origami_dream]

I heard the words, "Doug's flaw has always been..." And then i experienced a moment of timelessness, stretching on into vast eternities, as my mind splintered at the use of the phrase "Doug's flaw", singular, and all the potential ways to finish that sentence rushed in in a wave of terrible cosmic beauty, overwhelming my consciousness with terrible possibilities; leaving me adrift in a space of incomprehensible vapid pettiness. I saw a void so empty of talent that that very absence was tangible -- a hungry thing, tentacles of darkness reaching out to devour creativity and suck all warmth and light from the psychic web making up our shared experience. And then the sentence finished, and i was myself again, and went, "Yeah, i guess that's as fair a call as anything."

[@Vesperitis]

Doug's utter lack of self-awareness allowed you to tap into infinite self-awareness and you momentarily achieved Nirvana. Congratulations?

[@jackjackson3942]

Someone's been reading Dune

[@Sewblon]

That is over the line. You need specific criticism. Not just generalities.

[@origami_dream]

@@jackjackson3942 That's a new one for me, but i'll take it, thanks. Usually when i chime in with cosmic horror goofs in things i get Lovecraft or Darkest Dungeon or something (and Susanna Clarke at other times). But i'll take Herbert no problem.

[@origami_dream]

@@Sewblon Mkay.

[@Nerathul1]

This reminded me of Lindsay Ellis, formerly the Nostalgia Chick, and one of her (MANY) gripes was that she was really passionate about cinema and filmography which left her deeply alienated from the core Channel Awesome employee and producers who were really only interested in making jokes and had no knowledge or care for the art.

[@kevinalmgren8332]

The one good thing I got from channel awesome was the introduction to Lindsay Ellis, who really helped me understand the functionality of film criticism (and by extension, critical theory). That introduction to Lindsay Ellis also is what brought me into the whole world of quality KZbin content. Lindsay, wherever you are, ❤

[@luccaladinig2783]

@@kevinalmgren8332 She recently made a sort-of comeback on Nebula, just fyi.

[@BirdmanDeuce26]

Well before the fallout, the channel used to run short interviews with some of the creators, and Doug was interviewing Lindsay for one of them. He asked her why her analysis videos as the Nostalgia Chick all centered around her doing most of the talking with some occasional clips for context, as opposed to his style where he would intercut his reactions over a scene. And Lindsay had to straight up/point blank tell him that *that* was how you were supposed to critique something and have it *correctly* fall under Fair Use - something Channel Awesome was struggling with a lot at the time - and it looked like it just sailed right over Doug's head.

[@crazysmith5408]

@@kevinalmgren8332 Ok, no joke but Lindsay commented on this very video

[@dracocrusher]

@@luccaladinig2783 Unfortunately, that just means her content is locked behind a paywall. I love Lindsay's stuff, but if I have to pay real money to get access to just her channel and nothing else I'm interested in, then the new videos essentially just don't exist for me at all. Really not sure how much of a difference it even makes, either way. I'm pretty sure her harassment was mainly coming from Twitter, not KZbin? So it's like... hopefully she can make it. But there's still a lot of success her channel could find if she just came back to KZbin and uploaded some of her existing Nebula content here maybe a month after the fact or something, I think. Not sure what Nebula's contracts are like, but I feel like that would be pretty easily worth it if it's possible.

[@rabnerd28]

No, Doug's right. There is someone at Universal who personally hates him. I know this. I'm Mr. Universal himself.

[@Jimbo55151]

Mr. universal why did you kill the back to the future ride?

[@carlireland5049]

Mr. Universal please, for the love of God, stop making sequels to Jurassic Park!

[@rabnerd28]

@@carlireland5049 Chris Pratt is holding me at Gun Point. I have no other choice.

[@rabnerd28]

@@Jimbo55151 That was my father, Mr. Universal.

[@ashikjaman1940]

@@rabnerd28 Just mention gay people and while he's having a meltdown take the gun from him

[@GustavoNDias]

15:54 WHY ?? Doug wrote a perfectly working joke, but then he keeps going on and on until the last particle of humor burns in the atmosphere

[@yggdrasil2]

His "no" spawnef the most short-lived smile to ever grace my lips.

[@timothymclean]

Joke answer: Doug thinks all comedy comes from pain, so he's inflicting pain on the audience to make the joke funny. Actual answer: Doug is extraordinarily bad at judging what does or doesn't work about his stuff.

[@timothymclean]

@@bigstinkthebrapinking7511 I mean, a double subversion is a thing. It's just a thing that only really works if both subversions are interesting, and is _really_ bad if the first subversion was interesting and the second...wasn't.

[@RetepAdam]

I literally said “Oh, goddamnit” when there was more talking after the joke.

[@joelmallen7472]

This made me do the patrickbatemanlooksatabusinesscardface.jpeg

[@Smarties.]

If modern AVGN episodes are the KZbin equivalent of modern Simpsons episodes then modern Nostalgia Critic episodes are the KZbin equivalent of modern Family Guy

[@thecinematicmind]

I agree with this so much.

[@jadenbryant9283]

that is a perfect comparison

[@luigi16852]

Modern Cinemassacre is way worse, it’s no contest 😂

[@dracocrusher]

It's way too true. They even do the same thing where the major character will practically turn to the camera and give a big speech about life or something after an entire episode of meaningless noise just so they can cram in something that resembles a heartfelt moment at the very end.

[@jonahfalcon1970]

No, no. Family Guy puts in the effort of animating.

[@nickfield1569]

"Doug wants to be respected as a critic without actually doing criticism, and he wants to be respected as a filmmaker without actually going into filmmaking, and so the result is a hodge-podge of work that's not good at either task."

[@WeirdWonderful]

I think the truly startling thing is they found someone outside of the Cinema Snob and Guru Larry to make content for the channel, since they've become so tainted online by their terrible reputation, I just didn't think anyone would join up with them.

[@TheDigitalAtlas]

I still remember when everyone was defending Guru Larry during the exodus saying "he'll leave when he's done taking the piss." Naw fam, turns out he just likes it there.

[@Spike-Prime]

Wait what? Who joined up now?

[@B.-T.]

Walter has been a black hole of charisma in the Walker's employ for years now. They're probably the only people on Earth who find him funny or entertaining or engaging.

[@WeirdWonderful]

@@TheDigitalAtlas Oh no no no no, I am NOT slagging Larry off, I have always seen his remaining there as a big joke, and the dude is actually really chill.

[@WeirdWonderful]

@@Spike-Prime The Walter fellow, if I understand correctly.

[@matthewhunter1193]

Felt it would be worth mentioning that for anyone who stopped watching after the video got to the sponsorship section, please wait till the end of the credits for a surprise bonus scene.

[@gazeboist4535]

Doug done gone been got.

[@randomjunkohyeah1]

I actually would’ve missed it without this, lol

[@JadedJada]

Thank you, I was absolutely just gonna stop watching.

[@Skyehoppers]

You just single-handedly added a couple minutes to Emily's retention stats.

[@DoreenManning]

Emily, please pin this comment!

[@jackalobowaitthisnameistaken]

"He can identify as a clown!" Physical pain, I am in physical pain listening to that

[@EmilyOnTheMoon]

tbh i’d identify as clown that sounds cool asf

[@dorkydragon5055]

See digital circus once and drown in the clussy

[@jackalobowaitthisnameistaken]

@@dorkydragon5055 Not the Channel Awesome crew becoming Pomnisexual smh 😔😔😔

[@ELSTERLING]

It is frankly astonishing that Doug keeps insisting on trying to make art without ever once attempting to learn about or understand art. He's the archetypal person who wants to have written a book rather than to write a book.

[@purplehaze2358]

Wow, you're telling me that Doug Walker, a man whose entire brand is built on him poorly over-acting, ended up being poorly suited to a relatively serious exploration of loneliness in Twilightoberzone? Man, I never would have guessed. I'm so surprised. This is my surprised face.

[@thepubknight6144]

He's the pure definition of "Doesn't read the room "

[@redvelvetunderground]

@@thepubknight6144 now i'm just reminded of a story from the not so awesome google doc where doug went around joyfully giving all the channel awesome contributors hand written goodbye letters or whatever after they all found out that day he was going to be ending the nostalgia critic series and putting all their futures on the site in jeopardy, then was genuinely confused that everyone in the room wasn't as chipper as he expected them to be. the most clear cut instance of not reading a room i'd ever read

[@adamdavis1648]

@@redvelvetunderground If I reminder correctly, they were "thank you" cards for everyone's work on "To Boldly Flee", or at least that's what I heard in one of the "Revisiting The Channel Awesome Trilogy" videos.

[@ECKohns]

But it only worked because he didn’t direct it himself. Instead, it was directed by one of his friends who has way more talent and skill than he does.

[@robertwyatt3912]

@@thepubknight6144 except he does. He’s surprisingly self aware about the fact he’s shit, he just doesn’t care.

[@connorscanlan2167]

"In my mind, Doug stares at the wall with a grin on his face until he's told it's time to go ADR his Joker impression somewhere." lol Emily. Be nice. It's the holidays.

[@MyssBlewm]

I replayed that line a few times 😂

[@willytor7899]

no its not its still november

[@EmmaOnATangent]

Let's be honest. That IS being nice.

[@insertnamehere5602]

I swear, I have a memory of a gag in one of his old videos where the critic really was literally sitting there with that same grin doing absolutely nothing until being promoted to do something critic related again. I'm not sure if I'm imagining that or not.

[@EvangelionFan-ru7ri]

@@willytor7899 Holidays start with Thanksgiving here in the states.

[@melmacianmage]

I've said it for a while, but I could 100% see an arthouse film based on Doug's creative endeavors/failures. A Greek tragedy of sorts that reflects on our relationship with media, criticism, and the creation of art.

[@JacksonBockus]

I think that’s the Disaster Artist

[@melmacianmage]

@@JacksonBockus The Dougsaster Artist

[@MrStath1986]

I want to see an Ed Wood or Dolemite Is My Name-style take on Doug, honestly. Then w'd have a version of Doug that would actually be, you know, endearing and likeable.

[@MyScorpion42]

I for one am imagining a pastiche of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita

[@divingstation9538]

@Is Swampus it's a pyrrhic victory at the very best

[@TheCalComics]

I let out a truly fearful “Oh no!” at the halfway mark of the video when Emily said what she did in prep for this video. I’m thankful that she’s willing to put herself through that pain so we don’t have to.

[@kaitlin9288]

I just got to that part. Emily... why would you do this to yourself

[@Sorrelhas]

She's the Nostalgia Critic Critic, and she goes through this sh*t so you don't have to

[@kaitlin9288]

@@Sorrelhas lmao well played

[@ShaiGuyz]

She remembers it so we don’t have to

[@carlireland5049]

On the bright side, if there’s a Hell, she’s prepared for it now!

[@draculactica]

y'know if nothing else, ya gotta admire doug's absolute willingness to execute the worst idea at every turn. if nothing else, it's always fascinating. and sometimes there's just enough progress or quality to make one briefly wonder if he does in fact possess a modicum of self-awareness and artistic curiosi- *OH WAIT* walter directed this one... nvm order is restored

[@JackedThor-so]

That ending line KILLED me, lol!

[@in7446]

Doug will probably spend his whole life wealthier than you, and more known. But keep virtue signaling if it helps you cope.

[@bryceescallier7946]

@@in7446 What did the prir say to the frrf and then he had a shish

[@heinrichagrippa5681]

@@in7446 How is saying "Doug is kind of oblivious and not particularly talented" virtue signalling? There's no underlying ethical beliefs being expressed by saying that, nor any insinuation of superior morality. Exactly what virtue is being signaled? Do you actually know what that term means, or is it just something you say when you disagree with someone?

[@CrispyDragons]

@@in7446 And pretty much all of the movies that Doug makes fun of are far, far more successful than he will ever be

[@Ghost-lt4sf]

"Could get points with the progressive ppl identifying as clown" joke made me dissolve from cringing too much.

[@alejandrobolin5224]

31:51 This reminds of a section from the Not-So-Awesome document by Allison Pregler (If my memory isn't failing me) where she talks about a really weird moment where Doug, while doing his little interview show that he did for a while, just asked her about a random catchphrase that she had in her reviews, and basically wanted her to clarify him where did it come from. And she said that it was like a funny in-joke thing that she had with a friend, and that that's why she said it; and Doug just couldn't possibly fathom that the joke wasn't a reference to like a movie or a tv show or a stand-up comedian or something else from pop culture. The biggest tragedy of Doug Walker, is that he wants people to admire him because he keeps ripping off or making boneless references to people who are actually talented or worthy of admiration, but he himself is unable to come up with ANYTHING actually original.

[@blackbot7113]

I remember this as him asking who she based a funny voice on, but yeah, it was something along those lines.

[@alejandrobolin5224]

@@blackbot7113 yeah yeah, it was probably something like that, sorry, I haven't read that document in a while lol

[@alejandrobolin5224]

@@jacksonteller3973 I don't really know anything about that. I honestly don't care about her cutting Brad's cameos, she's allowed to do whatever she wants with her content. The second thing, I don't know anything about that, if that's true that's terrible, even though I hate Brad, no one deserves that if they're not guilty. And I'm sorry to tell you this dude, but comparing a youtuber just removing a guy from her videos to "revisionist history" it's pretty wild, specially since I'm pretty sure the original videos still exist somewhere.

[@MrPoeGhost]

@@jacksonteller3973 It's pretty wild, actually. Like Alejandro said, she can do whatever she wants with her content. You don't have to like it, but she doesn't have to care that you don't like it. Quit being dramatic.

[@alejandrobolin5224]

@@jacksonteller3973 "He dissagrees with me" = "He's a troll" Classic 2012 logic right there. I hate Brad bc instead of recognizing the flaws and the bad faith desitions made by CA, he kept pandering to them and even encouraged the logic of "if Logan Paul could get away with showing a dead body, we can get away by keep being terrible people" with 0 self-awareness, I don't even know who the hell Is the person you're talking about, Idk, maybe spend less time on the internet? The other stuff I already said what I think, and believe me, I won't change my opinion, nor do I see where you're coming from.

[@redvelvetunderground]

something i've thought about since the original demo reel video and his crappy version of the wall was how in his "review" he accused roger waters of being some kind of clout chasing phony for a work based on his own life experiences & self reflection for having the nerve to be introspective and vulnerable, while his self insert type character from demo reel deliberately used the life stories and tragedies of real people to milk some kind of drama and tragic backstory for his self insert. the man is such a heady mix of negative self awareness and incuriousity, it's incredible. it feels like a self own on his part that he would perceive someone making a piece of art that openly vulnerable to be some kind of clout chasing fake milking imaginary problems for attention and prestige, lol

[@iamjustkiwi]

A lot of people who are aware of their own weaknesses ,but unwilling to address them, tend to start seeing their own flaws in other people or works. It's actually super common in people early in drug rehab who start to gain a bit of clarity but are still not ready to look inwards.

[@pagodrink]

It's weird cause I remember Doug criticizing Patch Adams for changing a real life man who was a friend of Patch into a woman and love interest. Granted, the two examples aren't the same, but I don't get how he thinks using a real life woman in his fictional story in the way he did is any better then the Patch Adams movie.

[@redvelvetunderground]

@@pagodrink exploitative writing decisions for me and not for thee

[@Dana-hc3lg]

Oh wow, I somehow never made this connection. That's kind of incredible

[@Gloomdrake]

@@pagodrink Is it okay to ask for context, or do I not wanna know?

[@CrimsionVision]

The Evangelion comparisons continue to be my favorite part of the Doug Walker videos, and makes me really wanna see Lady Emily tackle the franchise if she ever wants too.

[@Hippiethecat124]

Both franchises fill me with the same feelings of overwhelming despondency, self-reflection, affirmation of the value of my life, and mild disgust.

[@let_there_be_dark]

hell yeah! She made an excellent video essay about another favorite series of mine, Berserk, so I'd be very interested to see what she has to say about Eva.

[@bluexephosfan970]

@@Hippiethecat124 oh god the fact that you're completely correct in that is somehow the most horrifying thing about this

[@Entree3000]

My hope is that she uses Doug Walker project comparisons to intro the Evangelion videos. Really make everything go full circle.

[@heinrichagrippa5681]

@@Hippiethecat124 Except of the two creators, one, despite being extremely talented, has (or at least had) a very low opinion of himself and felt worthless, yet nevertheless produced groundbreaking, meticulously well-crafted, critically acclaimed work that continues to be a powerful influence on media even decades later. A man deeply critical of himself with a strong desire to change and grow who, despite being praised for both his writing and technical achievements, used to only see flaws in himself, never thought he was good enough, and had to gradually learn self-acceptance. The other is a self-absorbed hack with an inflated ego who churns out vapid, carelessly produced, painfully mediocre, shamelessly masturbatory, fundamentally unoriginal content that contributes nothing worthwhile. A man childishly critical of everyone else who refuses to change or grow - even if he thinks he has - and despite being derided for his terrible writing and technical incompetence, refuses to see any flaws, always thinks his work is fantastic, and hasn't learned anything.

[@pretsal4955]

love the end of the month, when the KZbinrs can't procrastinate any longer, lest they break sponsorship agreements.

[@nunouno001]

There's this old video Doug made back in the day that really explains his creative mindset. It's called his top 15 Comedic influences. I would recommend watching his video to get the full context and his explanation for why he picked these entries. But for those who don't want to, here is the list: 1. Looney Tunes, mainly Daffy Duck. 2. Mystery Science Theater 3000 3. The Simpsons 4. Monthy Python 5. Lewis Black 6. Tom and Jerry/Goofy Cartoons 7. Mel Brooks 8. South Park 9. The Zucker Brothers 10. Comedy Central News, specifically Stephen Colbert 11. Rowan Atkinson, espically his performance in Blackadder 12. Bill Murray 13. Animaniacs 14. Dave Chappelle 15. Robin Williams When you examine all these influences, a lot of his comedic and creative mindsets start to make sense, at least from his perspective. This is a guy who grew up on the parody/satire movies from Mel Brooks, The Zucker Brothers, and Monty Python; which gave him the idea of recreating genres and films in order to poke fun at them. He watched a lot of slapstick cartoons that gave him the idea that all comedy comes from the expense of those in pain. He watched MST3K and he believes that comedic rifting of B Movies can substitute as actual criticism for professional films. Lewis Black and other 80s comedians gave him the idea that comedy can come from artifically inflated anger and comedic personas. Meanwhile stuff like South Park and the Simpsons gave him that dry deadpan and cynical tone that is so common across his content. All this stuff and I'm sure there's more he didn't mention explain why his content is the way it is. With all his content being recreations of other content, his characters being exaggerated live action cartoon characters, and his philosophy of comedy being rooted in pain. For Doug this is just what entertainment is because that's what he grew up with and is nostalgic for. I'm sure he's aware of other directions, but this is the stuff that inspired him, what he desires to recreate and capture in his content, and what he aspires to accomplish with his career. And I don't think that's ever going to change.

[@LordSluggo]

This really shows how surface-level his understanding is. All his "influences", even the Loony Toons, had a deep love, passion, and understanding of what they were parodying. For example, Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" had a portrayal of The Monster that was closer to the books than even the classic Universal movies.

[@GabyGeorge1996]

@@LordSluggo I hate the Animaniacs and Tiny Tunes by proxy (despite having only seen a single episode of the latter and no episodes of the former) solely because of Doug

[@darthtepes]

@@LordSluggo yes! And this film was made using original stuff from the classics, so as Spaceballs were shot on the original SW studio. That is not just paying hommage, THAT is a love letter.

[@emilystewart6175]

I think this is a really good breakdown of Doug's taste and why his humour maybe ended up that way. I think you nailed it

[@medes5597]

Doug is the only MST3K fan I've ever come across who likes the show yet doesn't seem to "get" it. He referred to it as "reviewing" b movies, which isn't what they did. He also managed to fall out with Mike Nelson from mst3k

[@qstionblomens6138]

“Recurring character Santa Christ” hit me like a freight

[@dyladino]

Seeing this video in my sub box was like seeing an elder God flying down from the sky

[@HarperNell]

Fun fact: my very well meaning mom decided to buy me a signed nostalgia critic photo one christmas quite a while after I'd stopped watching the channel. Apparently they were all on sale and according to her "never seemed to go out of stock". Those photos were for the phantom review.

[@youtubegarbage7876]

Doug is that old friend you had, who you thoght was funny and fun, and then you slowly realized that he never was either of those things...then you move within the same city and you're happy that he doesn't hang out in the same places you do anymore.

[@sampflugrath7601]

Emily's laugh begins exactly ten seconds before the video ends, which means when you get to the end you just need to press J in order to hear it all over again. And again. And again.

[@ethanisfancy]

12:20 Thank you to James Rolfe for helping the Channel Awesome team hang their camera from the ceiling

[@Nosliw837]

Don't forget to thank Gravity

[@normadgarmez7026]

🤦

[@Clemonade23BX]

The ugly cackle I just made at this comment 💀

[@carlcarlington7317]

Old nostalgia critic was cool BECAUSE it’s low budget. Because it was just some dude joking about a movie in his room. The word that comes to mind to describe the feeling I get thinking of old nostalgia critic is homely. Even the repetitive jokes gave off the vibe of a friend making an inside joke with you. Old nostalgia critic felt like a friend hanging out in your living room talking about old shity movies you used to watch, over exaggerating emotions to get a laugh out of you and making reference to those inside jokes. New nostalgia critic feels like a stranger bombing at stand up comedy, the attempt to increase production value just sorta kills the vibe

[@jeanblack1250]

Agree

[@kino_vel]

Absolutely nailed it

[@cashnelson2306]

old nostalgia critic sucked too the low budget just masked that for a lot of people

[@spookyartist1166]

I think one of the reasons why this was 10 times better than any project Doug has ever done is because you can feel the passion and love that Walter has for the twilight zone series and he tries his best replicate the directing style,I think Walter has limitless potential as a filmmaker. In my opinion he definitely knows how to use a black and white and negative space to contrast striking images.

[@henrynelson9301]

Great video, it’s just such a love letter to the work of Doug Walker

[@0meAcat1]

Iiiiii kind of liked that about this one! Hahaha

[@aliencafe]

Okay this made me actually chuckle

[@electric_whelk1653]

For anyone who doesn't know, the "right reason" for which Doug likes Fury Road is because it reminds him of Coyote and Roadrunner

[@altothealtoiest1682]

Actually shocked no one's narrowed in on "no one likes just watching someone talk about a movie anymore" which like. is comical, because they absolutely do, if you have something to say

[@inbarfink3253]

Okay but can we talk about the aboslute self-delusion\out-of-touchness of the whole "Past!Critic realizes that nobody wants to watch someone just talk about a movie anymore" bit in the 'Christmas with the Krank' review? Like, between Vlogs, the popularization of the Video Essay format, and the Just-Crosspost-Your-Podcast-On-KZbin-Trend - I'd say folks **nowadays** are probably a lot more willing to watch a person Just Talk About Movies than in 2007. Which was a much more of a sketch-comedy friendly time. And most of the sketches I see nowadays on KZbin try and be as Short as Possible. I dunno if this is just Doug dishonestly trying to frame his change in direction as 'evolving with the times' and responding to actual audience demands , rather than be honest with the fact that the only reason to lean so heavy on the skits is because *he* likes them and they make him feel more like he might actually be a Real Flimmaker. Or if he doesn't want to face the fact that, yeah, there is absolutely an audience that would watch some rando talk about a movie for an hour with no spectacle bigger than sitting in their bedroom and maybe some promotional footage - as long as that person has **something interesting to say**. Which is the one thing that Doug always lacked.

[@xSmythosx]

One of my friends and I have bonded over the mutual trauma of having grown up Channel Awesome fans who are now absolute haters, and we've talked extensively about the first Demo Reel video you made, so this was an absolute treat to get to send him on his birthday

[@kevins1426]

I think back to when I was watching Channel Awesome in the early 2010s, and if I was being honest with myself, I probably would have dropped Nostalgia Critic way earlier.

[@RariettyC]

​@@kevins1426 Same. In retrospect, I didn't even like Nostalgia Critic that much; I watched for other creators, who often went on to continue making good KZbin vids without Channel Awesome (Nostalgia Chick was always better, anyway). I mostly just kept up-to-date on Critic because that was the "unifying" thing that the fandom shared.

[@tatehildyard5332]

I know Lindsay Ellis and Kyle Kallgren of BHH hate it, but I honestly still really like most of their CA content. It still had a goody DIY charm to them but with actual affection towards what they were talking about (or at least they enjoyed talking about said things).

[@Optimegatrongodzilla]

@allegedlymothman Comment from KZbin user Chewbacca's Lover: "I never got the Doug Walker ego narrative. He makes fun of his own work all the time. He literally did reviews of all of his anniversary specials.". Comment from KZbin user Bob The Hun: "Whenever people review Doug's work, half of it is always the person talking about their issues with his personality and what they think he was thinking when he made a video, often ascribing ego without proof.". Here's Doug's response to the criticisms of the 'The Wall' episode of 'Nostalgia Critic': kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGTNY3V-oJl1rac.

[@Platitudinous9000]

"Somehow, Demo Reel returned."

[@Spike-Prime]

Demo Reel and Lady Emily form a symbiant circle. What happens to one will affect the other, you must understand this.

[@DanielSantosAnalysis]

One of my biggest takeaways from this, is how Doug doesn't even know how to take advantage of the talent around him. Walter is clearly someone with a degree of competency that Doug is unable to reach and instead of utilizing him in a way that leans into his strengths........... he has him put on Joker makeup....... I can't even handle the unintentional subtext of what that means.

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

I feel like I’d have ALOT more good will for this guy if it weren’t for the whole Change The Channel debacle. If that never happened, I’d be like “Oh, he’s trying to do Demo Real again? Cool, good for him. He’s following his muse. You know, say what you will about his stuff, he’s an icon of the internet, and you can’t help but respect the guy.”. But knowing what went on in his company, I’m like “No. This guy is kind of an asshole. I can’t really root for him in the same way I root for other old internet guys like James Rolf.”.

[@diehard7517]

The worst allegations against Doug during the controversy were in regard to his incompetence and failures to create a healthy work environment. However, Doug wasn’t aware of the abuse that was happening, which was done by the higher ups at Channel Awesome. His brother, however, was aware of some of it and chose to do nothing.

[@melvv18]

Even without that, his refusal to take criticism well, makes it hard for his content to be enjoyed. It's wild, the open resentment he shows everytime his audience rejects any of his projects.

[@diehard7517]

@@melvv18 he does have that problem, however, Walker is not totally incapable of taking criticism. He openly admitted that Demo Reel, along with some of his other projects, is crap and kinda took the blame for ChangeTheChannel controversy. He even used to have a show where tackled the mistakes he made in his videos (which also featured one of his most obnoxious and offensive characters).

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

@@diehard7517I kind of feel like since it was his company, he HAD to know at least a little about what Michaud was doing, and was definitely aware of it when it came out. I wouldn’t call him malicious, but he certainly committed crimes of negligence. My biggest problem is that he never even really apologized for anything, even now. Hell, even the main culprit: Mike Michaud is still there at Channel Awesome. He’s not the worst guy ever, but I’m still pretty turned off of Doug.

[@diehard7517]

@@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770 it's not his company, Doug is not the owner or the CEO of Channel Awesome, he wasn't even one of the founders, hence why he was unaware of what was really happening and wasn't able to give his full thoughts and properly apologize for the situation.

[@csmadisun]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who immediately saw the progression from Demo Reel to the Clipless Reviews. It's really quite shocking how, for all the effort he puts into those, the best videos he puts out are the ones where he just talks about a movie. No bits, no gags, just... a review.

[@abox7825]

As Emily said, it's becausehe titles these things as reviews but so desperately wants to do something else that the gags get in the way and foil it. But when there are no gags and he just reviews the movie, you get what you went to the video for.

[@csmadisun]

@@abox7825 I've no issue with him doing other stuff. I just wish it didn't suck! ;)

[@abox7825]

@@csmadisun amen

[@TheShanicpower]

The Doug Walker Reviews and Disneycember ones? It’s definitely his only watchable content.

[@csmadisun]

@@TheShanicpower Those are the ones. Ironic that when he drops the Critic schtick and actually reviews things normally, he becomes a much better critic.

[@JacklynBurn]

Honestly I think Dan Olson sort of summed it up in a sentence in his "The Wall" video and everything I learn about modern TGWTG/ Nostalgia Critic just reinforces it; "Doug wants to be a filmmaker, he wants to make art, but he can't, because he's a fundamentally incurious person who isn't much interested in what other people think or feel, and all his ideas boil down to 'what if Batman met Mario?'" Doug can't take criticism, and isn't willing to self-reflect, so he will forever be stuck in 2007 as the rest of the world grows without him and he becomes increasingly jaded at other people for things he has done to himself.

[@pompousproductions]

Oh my God Doug Walker is the internet’s Adam Sandler (Pre Uncut Gems) The “What the hell happened to me” song he made for Pixels is now a perfect reflection of what happened to Doug’s own content.

[@thisisawsome34253212]

@@pompousproductions Not even, because Adam Sandler's films always have a whole crew that knows how to set everything up. Doug has a self-centered approach to making videos and shows no interest in getting better at his technical craft or hiring anyone to do it for him.

[@carlireland5049]

@@thisisawsome34253212 he’s also never going to grow enough to have an Uncut Gems-style comeback

[@carlireland5049]

Honestly “stuck in 2007” is a great way to describe Doug and Channel Awesome. For all its issues KZbin has actually dramatically improved as a platform since the late 2000s, going from 5-minute sketches and rants like Walker’s videos to much longer and more in-depth video essays and even citizen journalism. The problem isn’t that Walker has grown completely talentless and plagued by scandals, but has refused to grow and become irrelevant as the rest of KZbin simply got better than him.

[@pompousproductions]

@@carlireland5049 What do you call someone who became popular, not because they were a legitimate pioneer of something, but only because they were the only one doing it? Because that's what Doug was.

[@fredsmith3117]

So here's the thing that pisses me off about doug. That scene with the 'can you introduce me as Joker?' is absolutely a perfect joke. The zoom and tilt, the crescendo that goes completely silent at the cut, Doug's expression, Doug's delivery of the little 'no', Doug immediately moving to walk out. If he had hard cut to another scene at exactly 15:53 this is an absolutely perfect gag. Probably ends up as a really common meme template. And then he KILLS it! He kills his own fucking joke, a perfectly executed gag, to whine about SJWs or whatever! He literally wrote himself out of comedic genius (or at least competence) INTO CRINGE because he couldn't just SHUT UP.

[@asteroidrules]

It's telling that the cancellation of Demo Reel was the closest Doug ever got to learning from one of his failures, and not only did it happen entirely against his will, but it's something that he's been kicking and screaming against ever since it happened. Doug is absolutely convinced that he doesn't need to reevaluate himself and change in any way, and it really shows in his filmmaking, every single video he's directed looks like it was an amateur video from 2008 because his amateur videos in 2008 were successful and thus he thinks his professional videos don't need to be any higher quality than that. He wants to move on to make newer content but he doesn't recognize that to make actual films he needs to put in more effort than you would for an online review show from 2008. It feels really ironic seeing Doug literally rant about how much better he thinks he is now than he was when he started because he's just not, he hasn't improved, he just expects to be treated like he has. I entirely blame this on you also doing an extensive video on Cinemassacre, but I can't help but compare it to AVGN, one of the details you mentioned about AVGN that made it work was the fact that "the nerd" was always obviously an exaggerated character that wasn't really reflective of James' actual opinions, and the big problem with Nostalgia Critic is that "the critic" is not that for Doug; part of why people liked Nostalgia Critic was because they thought it was an over the top character being hyperbolic about literal kids cartoons, but the modern NC videos (and also Demo Reel) have made it painfully obvious that no, Doug really is just an incredibly mean spirited person who generally fails to understand the media that he critiques but is convinced of his correctness.

[@waltonsmith7210]

The presentation was over the top, sure. I dont see how the opinions being genuine ruins it. It was just entertaining and funny and occassionally insightful. You dont have to agree with it.

[@asteroidrules]

@@waltonsmith7210 It wasn't, at first, which is why it worked at first. There's not exactly a lot of deep subtext to the Care Bears movie so a simplistic read of it isn't a problem, but the problem arises in that he makes equally shallow reads of material that actually does have complex themes and shows that he really doesn't understand film at all. His complete inability to make films competently also shows that fact.

[@vincentshaw136]

Ironically,this reminds me a lot to what he say about Adam Sandler in his Pixels cringey review.

[@tinoesroho]

Amateur video can.... even be funny, sometimes. Witness post-collapse era Cracked and its genuinely funny "The Truth About...." x mock commercials, which use the language of an infomercial to dunk on products instead. Or the "We Made X Film for $20", which is far funnier than (and much shorter) than Walker's clipless recreations could ever be.

[@eddardstark5034]

Wow, that start to the first episode is actually well done. Everyone bumping into themselves then their faces turn to color with donnie creeping in the back ground.

[@belseygell9258]

I had to rewatch that bit where Doug walks forward and ages slowly a few times in frustrated appreciation. That’s genuinely a great effect and I’m kinda mad about it.

[@chuckbatman5]

​@@belseygell9258both a great effect and actually good acting from Doug to pull it off. It's actually kind of jarring to watch because you don't expect Doug Walker to be in anything so well-produced.

[@GuillerMak37]

Is funny. When I was younger Doug’s critic videos made me see my own work in a different light and realize that I was not as good as I believed and that I had much to learn. In a way, Doug made me humble. Too bad he can’t do the same for himself.

[@Denny-Thray]

I'll actually say nice and constructive things about Doug. He IS funny sometimes. I remember there were a few gems in the early NC videos. He wants to do more... but he lacks the talent for it. Like, it's not something you can just 'learn as you go', either. James Rolfe went to film school and constantly hones his craft. I think, if Doug took a 2-4 year break, and dedicated it to learning cinematography and other skills, then he could come back and make what he wants and actually have it be good.

[@melvv18]

Or let the people that actually has the skill and talent do their thing.

[@GabyGeorge1996]

@@melvv18 you’re right. I have neither the skills or the resources to make certain things, so I commission people to make/do them (and do so better than me)

[@tatehildyard5332]

And is ensemble was fun. I liked Malcom and Tamara. Tamara in particular was always quite charming and got a out out of crappy writing.

[@betweenthepanels9145]

The return of demo reel is a sign of the apocalypse

[@Sorrelhas]

Huh, I wish

[@christheleavittman7080]

Well it returned a year and a half after the apocalypse.

[@regalia8717]

The Wall review was the seventh seal

[@Argusthecat]

It's a little late for that.

[@carlireland5049]

It took you until Doug Walker released another episode of Demo Reel to realize it’s the Apocalypse?

[@maggieallen5985]

How content creators portray their critics in their work often speaks volumes about them. I think Doug criticized M Night Shyamalan for doing that in Lady in the Water, and yet he does it himself in basically every review now.

[@BansheeNeet]

28:02 “He presents mean-spirited and one-sided strawman takes meant to attack anything Doug dislikes, but he seems to think if he includes some inspirational speech or self-aware joke towards the end, it disregards the previous content and suddenly becomes the thesis or message of the video and deflects away from whatever came before” ah, so the South Park method

[@lukebytes5366]

"But they do that for everything so it's okay" -greg

[@Pundit07]

I’d say “Modern Family Guy method” is more accurate

[@luffyduffy7817]

Doug reminds me of the theatre director who casts themselves as the main role in every show and doesnt understand why people are annoyed

[@tpspeed]

When I watched CA more actively, i always remembered Walter being a beacon of light on the channel

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

That’s definitely how the audience saw him at the time… the other creators, not as much.

[@reflexnight]

Love the ending, its sad how far Doug never grew, he started as almost innovated but got into a rut, and just never was able to escape it.

[@thecinematicmind]

Whilst also his brother Rob and Mike screwing up so bad with Channel Awesome.

[@TyroneBruinsmaFilms]

Literally waking up from a dream where Doug was doing a poorly received stage play. This is a really weird but not unwanted coincidence

[@korokonas]

Y'know, even from just what you showed, the Demo Reel segments of the Twilight Zone videos are actually just... pretty good horror filmmaking. At least from their materials and background. There were some genuinely creepy shots, such as utilizing their sucky special effects well with the Malcolm mannequin. It being a comp of different shots/photos really play into an uncanny valley look that, while may be kinda amateurish and not good in isolation, work really well with the creepy tone. The fade-in for the old age makeup was pretty unsettling as well, even if the make-up itself wasn't the best (granted it's still miles better than their usual costuming and make-up, but that's really not saying much). And all this next to what you mentioned with the variety of shots, lighting direction, etc make it the best thing I've seen come from Channel Awesome. I haven't watched Nostalgia Critic in years (only seeing their worst stuff out of context and realizing it looks the same from when I used to watch them), and know nothing about this Walter guy, but he definitely has a monumentally better understanding of filmmaking than Doug ever will.

[@MayorOfEarth79]

Someone needs to take Walter away from the Walker Brothers and send him to like, an actual film school to actually nurse his talent.

[@jadenbryant9283]

agreed I even actually liked some episodes of fanscription which Walter is a major part of and I honestly want to recommend it [almost}

[@jonahfalcon1970]

And he didn't use a green screen.

[@galacticpopcorn9981]

It’s honestly eerie that you uploaded this now, because less than a week ago I rewatched your first Demo Reel video for the first time in ages.

[@alexhijinks5170]

I rewatched it literally yesterday I thought I was dreaming when I saw the notification

[@D_Dupa]

Google the word: „coincidence” If two things occurring within more than a month of one another can still even count as one

[@galacticpopcorn9981]

You’re saying this as if I wasn’t implying it was a funny coincidence💀

[@Bobman32x]

this happened to me too. Spooky

[@Fractorification]

Thanks for addressing the Christmas with the Kranks review. That was the most self-absorbed mean spirited stuff he’d done. It was really disappointing how he got away with framing it as some inspirational moment of growth because of a tacked-on speech at the end. And his fans ate that stuff up! That’s another problem with Doug, he’s surrounded by too many yes-men by either his fans or staff that blindly agree with him or encourage his ideas. You’d think that after having 90% of your collaborators leaving the website due to lousy management he contributed to would make him self-reflect, but nope! During an interview with channel Double Toasted, he briefly addressed the Change the Channel controversy, and all he had to say was something about “we overshot ourselves with too much to handle”. It wasn’t so much him taking responsibility with the criticisms against him, but labelling it as some overwhelming work he couldn’t handle as a director, insinuating it was best that things scaled down. With all that said, his best reviews are still the clipped ones. There’s less live-action none sense to look at and there’s better constructive critiques on the work he’s giving.

[@Fractorification]

@@jacksonteller3973 agreeing with his videos and enabling are two completely different things. I agree with some of his videos, but I don’t enable his ego either when he’s just wrong. You even said so yourself, the clipped reviews are better, something that he criticized and wanted to move past framing it as a good thing, when in reality is what makes his work better.

[@Fractorification]

@@jacksonteller3973 my mistake, I meant to say that the clipless ones are worse. I got mixed up there. As for enabling, it’s just the fact that people validated his stance that the reviews with sketches are better by blindingly agreeing with his Kranks review. Even though, they’re not. The clipped reviews have always been superior.

[@victordjokic3032]

My therapist: Doug walker as rei/Lilith’s head at the end of Eva isn’t real and won’t hurt you Doug walker as rei/Lilith’s head at the end of Eva:

[@timothymclean]

17:25: In fairness to Doug, I can believe that he genuinely thinks his videos only get copyright claimed for petty personal reasons and not legitimate business or legal concerns. I don't know whether that's better or worse, but it _is_ more fair.

[@clementinedanger]

When Demo Reel came out I kind of wondered how Doug Walker productions could be better, what it would take for him to have what he wanted, and I ended up thinking he needed a competent showrunner, someone to reign in all his worst impulses and bring out his strengths (whatever those may be) and then I realized my advice would just be to have as little Doug Walker as possible. And that made me sad. Because it wouldn't be what he wanted, and his ego also wouldn't let him do it. He can't see filmmaking as a collaborate art where everyone brings their own special expertise, he wants to be an auteur. The fact that he actually has a competent showrunner on staff already is beyond tragic.

[@eeveepeasy9889]

You sound a lot more natural narrating in this video, it's definitely a surprisingly hard skill to learn and I'm impressed at how quickly you've improved!

[@najhoant]

I think Doug’s reliance on pre-existing material really comes to a head every year with his annual Disneycember, when he releases a short, straightforward review of some piece of Disney media every day in December. Prevously, he covered Disney’s big movies, then their direct to video sequels and Disney Channel original movies, but the past few years, he’s become so strapped for material that a lot of videos are about things Disney acquired and had nothing to do with making, like movies made by Fox or Blue Sky, or even old SNES video games based on Disney movies.

[@chuckbatman5]

And what's crazy is the Disneycember videos are actually some of Doug's MORE entertaining content, because they are simple short reviews that don't dilute themselves with bad skits and such. If anything they show that if he wanted to, Doug Walker could probably do BETTER just being "guy who sits in front of camera and talks about media" than he does as the Nostalgia Critic with his elaborate productions.

[@dorpth]

What bugs me about Doug's humor shows in these clips: he never grew beyond early internet nerd deconstruction humor (late 90s to 2008 (at the absolute latest)). That is, every parody gag is the absolute most basic, knee jerk, low effort, pedestrian, first draft reaction to a scene or trope. You can guess every punchline before it comes out. Who didn't immediately predict "no" to the Joker request? He also never bothers to expand on any of these easy, rote punchlines. Metropolis was reduced to complete rubble in Man of Steel, an observation and joke every single viewer made as soon as they saw the movie. Doug never expands on that most basic starting point of punchlines. Every thought or joke he comes up with is considered genius, and he never questions if it needs more work. He runs with the very first thought in his head because he never considers himself wrong. That's how The Wall video was made; he took the most immediate impression after 5 seconds of lyrical analysis and never once considered during dozens (hundreds?) of hours of production that his take was wrong. And the punchlines that aren't the most pedestrian deconstruction observations, are always, ALWAYS "and then some past characters show up to punch/murder someone". This was the punchline in every early video game web comic like Penny Arcade or Ctrl+Alt+Del. It was the punchline for every early review vlog like Angry Video Game Nerd. Doug went into the Trump presidency and COVID still clinging to 2006 internet humor. And being marginally talented still isn't that bad as long as you're not a defensive egomaniac asshole about it. I'll admit AVGN has been outdated for a while, but I still enjoy it because there was still heart and pathos to it. Doug is just cynical and condescending, which is doubly bad when you're far from the smartest person in the room.

[@roberttreacy8271]

I think Doug just got lucky when he first started out as NC. He just happened to be one of the first (if not, the first) people to review nostalgic movies on KZbin, but rather than improve, he let the success of NC go to his head.

[@thelaughingrat]

The thumbnail for this video is a work of art. Disturbing art, but art nonetheless.

[@NeptuneCactus]

The thumbnail jumpscared me when I opened my phone. Didn't even know demo reel came back. I'm incredibly ready for this video.

[@TheBingusBongus]

The other giant takeaway that I feel like we need to gather from all of this is that Walter’s easily the most talented person on Channel Awesome right now.

[@thebaker525]

Did not expect the dude who plays the Joker on nostalgia critic to be a better filmmaker than the redlettermedia guys tbh

[@DevilSurvivor69]

Is he better than them lmao 🤣? Not in my mind.

[@DuelaDent52]

What did redlettermedia do?

[@Tamacat388]

@@DuelaDent52 Theyve made like 2 feature length original narrative films.

[@pronkb000]

The panning shot of the still NC sitting in thought at the desk is honestly quite striking.

[@xTheGamingGhostx]

26:32 Doug has always done that. In the early days, he made a character called douchey mcnitpick that did this exact thing to anyone who raised any perfectly reasonable critiques of his work. He exists in this strange space where he is so fragile and thin skinned that he has to shoot down all criticism, but doesn’t have the backbone to directly challenge his detractors. So instead, he does these skits that are peak passive-aggressive. He snipes at them from the safety of a video where he has absolute control over the exchange between him and his caricature of his naysayers. It allows him to strawman them and invalidate their feedback, so that he never has to muster the courage to stand up for himself and his work or suffer the pain of learning from his mistakes. The videos also helped mobilize his personal army of sycophants, so that his white knights could defend his honor and take the hits from critics for him. I always found these videos to be disgusting displays of emotional manipulation and childishness to save the tender ego of a 40-year-old man who relentlessly shits on people who are far more talented than he is.

[@Sugarman96]

I remember those lists. It's so obnoxious to acknowledge where you fucked up, while still framing the people pointing them out as petty assholes.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Those lists were not only blatant filler [as he'd often re-use gags/clips] and nasty for the reasons you state but also showed he only half paid attention to a lot of the films he was watching as there were so many basic mistakes.

[@belseygell9258]

Guess this video is going on my mental playlist I call “Comfort video essays that dunk on Doug Walker.” (Your initial Demo Reel video was first on that list; along with your spot-on observations and analysis, you just have a lovely and soothing voice and it makes my brain happy and calm. This video was more of the same.) (I also love your Cinemassacre video for the same “voice make brain go brrrr” reasons.) Hope you’re doing well. Thank you for the wonderful video(s)! :)

[@Magearod]

I feel like I have one of these too! What's all on yours? Emily's original Demo Reel video, Dan Olson's The Wall Review, and Quinton Reviews episode on Lore Films are the ones I return to time and time again.

[@belseygell9258]

@@Magearod all of those, plus droowpy’s video on “the review must go on” and why it also sucks, and lola sebastian’s video on “the wall.”

[@Pundit07]

I know they’re not video essays, but have you guys considered Deadwing Dork’s livestream reactions to the shitty anniversary films?

[@jampersand0]

@@belseygell9258 I recommend ralphthemoviemaker's videos on Doug/Channel Awesome stuff as well. So far, I believe he's talked about Pop Quiz Hot Shot, To Boldly Flee, and Nostalgia Critic's The Wall. One of my favorite things he's done in those videos was his segment going through all the IndieGoGo rewards for PQHS.

[@sarahgent2674]

Doug is like one of those musicians who writes a silly song that blows up but they secretly hate, but instead of taking it in stride or even refusing to play it, he wrote a new song that everyone ELSE hated, and after that will spend entire concerts singing the silly song but changing the lyrics to just kind of talk about whatever is bugging him.

[@jonahfalcon1970]

You know how his version of Demo Reel was better than Doug's, in three words? Has nothing to do with camera composition, overacting, etc. No green screen.

[@SparkyUpstart]

Doug's story is honestly tragic and frustrating because when you consider how much time and resources he has at his disposal, he probably could become a decent self-taught filmmaker - but he think's he's already peaked, and it seems like any time he puts out something with a self-reflective theme it's not so much actual growth as him mugging for the camera going "See?! See?! I know what I'm about! It's the children who are wrong!" Like, this is the guy's full-time job now, right? I know people who have made quality feature-length films with less free time and money than Doug has. He really doesn't have an excuse beyond his own arrogance and it's kinda sad.

[@MayorOfEarth79]

This is going to sound brutal but I think it needs to be said. I think Nostalgia Critic is going to end when the Walker's dad dies. Both his parents were very supportive in Doug/Rob's venture (and good on them honestly) but they've pretty much help finance Doug/Rob getting the warehouse they shoot in, making the costumes, doing producer stuff. Considering how much Michaud appears to take from the brothers; I don't think they have enough viewership to make it off ad revenue and sponsorships to fund their whole operations. Once the overhead goes, I think Doug/Rob are going to continue to work themselves ragged until it's not viable anymore and that's just gonna be very sad. Cause I do think they had potential (even if they would never be good) to actually make the whole thing a successful business but it feels like Doug's incuriosity and lack of awareness is what has lead to so many of the websites failures and why it'll never be big as it once was.

[@Pundit07]

@@MayorOfEarth79 Damn, dude. I thought about it and you may be right. Sure, Nostalgia Critic may not end right away, but I honestly can’t imagine it (and Channel Awesome for that matter) still being here after another 10 years. I mean, their reputation is still damaged in the greater KZbin sphere (outside of their own circle of fanboys) because they still to this day have not had a single new producer join the site ever since their true nature was exposed.

[@AdmiralBobbery123]

15:49 Ok the line after was really bad but I can’t lie, Doug’s “no” line delivery made me laugh

[@AnimatedIdiotGuide]

If the joke ended there it would’ve been a legitimately good exchange. Instead he beats it into the ground bc the dude just can’t help himself

[@GAoftheBlackFlames]

much like the "im afraid of mario" joke it would have been good comedy if he just... stopped but it's like he write's the joke and really really really wants the audience to get the joke and explains and exposits and doubles down until you wanna die

[@antoniocarlosgoncalvesfilho]

Honestly, your maniacal laughter at the end feels like the perfect finale. Not just for the video, but for Doug Walker's career as a whole.

[@MrHendrix17]

@@jacksonteller3973Good for him, Hope he shows his talent some day :)

[@Sandreline]

You know when you see an old friend that you haven't seen in a long time, and it's clear they never moved on from high school? That's what Channel Awesome feels like, in the acting, tone, and filmmaking.

[@Polymathically]

Wow. You just made me realize that I'd forgotten that Channel Awesome existed. I can't believe that it's still going.

[@vcorkleth]

It's crazy to think that post-Demo Reel CA has lasted longer than it's golden age. It's like Zombie Simpsons.

[@Gammera2000]

I was really expecting it to have died by now. Only people left are Larry, the Nostalgia Critic cast, and Guru Larry. Now that I think about it, does anyone remember Guru Larry ever being involved in a crossover with another Channel Awesome show? I didn't even know he was connected until people started joking about him being the last man standing

[@Pundit07]

@@vcorkleth And zombie Family Guy

[@Pundit07]

@@Gammera2000 I didn’t know he was involved until CTC happened, and apparently Channel Awesome didn’t know either. In fact, wasn’t that his reason for staying on the site? Just a joke since CA never once acknowledged his existence?

[@Mobysimo]

@@Gammera2000 I think he's still there for the joke. I haven't checked though

[@lawrenceblunden428]

Finding something in a batch of belts. Truly natural screenwriting.

[@AustinPSmith96]

Any time Emily says "in case you don't know" she's talking directly to me and I appreciate that

[@sticks4632]

Hes a man who has the passion of a film maker without the discipline and selflessness the craft requires.

[@MK_ULTRA_HDTV]

I was just thinking about how long it's been since I've seen anything from Emily. This was the best possible notification to see today.

[@DragonNexus]

It's wild to me having not watched NC for 10 years seeing clips where he acts the exact same way. His acting hasn't improved or even changed in all this time. And he's still always just the same handful of characters, no matter who he's playing.

[@beabea3770]

17:41 I now imagine Emily as a stuffed puppy educating Doug Walker and this is now the most adorable headcanon I have ever come up with.

[@williamthomasberk6557]

The clipless reviews don't work because they directly undercut NC's function. So much of the NC's early methods in comedy and analysis involved him screaming at a movie -- which would often retort in turn -- as if he was actually engaging in a dialogue with the film itself. As a character and as a critic, NC needs to be an external and impartial observer. We lose that with the clipless interviews. As soon as Doug Walker takes the step of painstakingly recreating the movie and putting himself in it, he becomes the subject of his own critique. That dialogue with the film is lost and the whole thing crumbles.

[@HWJASURY]

They were kind of doomed from the start. His first critique on his first clip less review, Jurassic World was about how bad the dinosaur visuals are. All he could do was just talk about how bad they looked. Doug, as you have told plenty of directors before, show, don't tell.