Web Wednesday.

This is going to be a hard one. Today's subject is an acquired taste. He is very specific in his comedic presentation. So much so that if you are not into that small niche, than he will do nothing for you. In fact, I as a fan, sometimes find myself rolling my eyes. And yet I can't help but like him. He has a great eye for material and knows his character. Phelous is good at what he does but you may not like it anyway.

Phelous, whose given name is Phelan Porteous, was invited to join ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com after only one video. In the summer of 2008 Phelous released "Mac and Me" a review of the movie of the same title. It wasn't until Mike Michaud made him a trial member of the site that Phelous released more reviews. Before this he had made and released a few flash animated videos.

In an odd turn Phelous only has one show. It is officially untitled and just resides under the name Phelous at TGWTG.com The series is a review show that focuses on Horror Movies. These movies can be from the past or more recent. There are very few restrictions.

Here is where things get odd. Phelous has only one series listed on TGWTG.com but this isn't exactly true. If you look at his page on TGWTG.com you will see shows that are not reviews. Among them is the long running Mortal Komedy series. This show is a parody of the Mortal Kombat franchise. I don't really care for it. Also among the 'main' series are his animated shorts and other skits.

Phelous has also ventured into Video Game reviews. These reviews are usually about Resident Evil or Silent Hill series. Both of which have had mediocre movie adaptations which he has reviewed. More recently Phelous has ventured into the world of "Let's Play". He has done an 8 part Let's Play of the Interactive DVD movie Tender Loving Care. Let's not forget to mention the usual Vlogs, Cross Overs, and Commentaries.

Art from Xprinceofdorknessx.

All of that aside what you really need to know is what makes Phelous unique. For starters Phelous had a running gag in which he died at the end of his earlier reviews only to reappear the next week completely fine. That has since fallen to the wayside. Something that hasn't is Phelous's use of "Meta" humor. That is to say very self-referential comedy. He does this to the point of actually using the term "meta" on a regular basis.

When you take that and add his very dry delivery you get something that is not as accessible as the normal Internet Review show. This doesn't normally bother me but there are times, as I said before, when I find it over bearing. What actually gets to me is that while Phelous is very dry he is also a horrible over actor. His sarcastic take on things is so over the top that it can take you completely out of the show. This isn't enough to make me stop watching, mainly because he does it on purpose, but it might be too much for some people.

On a side note I should mention that Phelous is dating Obscurus Lupa, who I spoke about some time ago.  When the two of them get together they produce something that I just can't get behind. These two are great on their own but when they come together things just get stupid.

Art by Andrew Dickman.

In summary Phelous is funny, smart, confidant, sure of his character, good at what he does, and a prolific worker. Unfortunately he is also very dry, a horrible over actor, and to be perfectly honest lacks a sense of when he should pull back. Which means that the pros outweigh the cons. That is the text book definition of an acquired taste. I can't outright recommend his work but if you are willing to go in with an open mind than by all means take a few hours and dive into his body of work.You may just like what he does. I do.

Wiki
TGWTG.com
Blip.tv
Official Site