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Tuesday, February 02, 2010
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010
More Cool Crowding for Jan 2010
Another show that I forgot to mention that just premiered is..
Human Target, FOX
The pilot had Tricia Helfer aka Six from BSG. The "season premiere" had brief glimpses of Gaeta and Doc Cottle from BSG (sorry, forgot the actors' names.) Call me biased because I am. When BSG alumni show up I'm interested. Nevertheless, had the BSGs not been in the first two episodes of Human Target, I'm sure I would've enjoyed them immensely. This tv show derivative of a DC Comics title stars Mark Valley as Christopher Chance - a highly specialized.. bodyguard of sorts. He is part of a 3-man security team with him being the agent, another as the grease-man, and the third as the point man. In the comics, Chance takes on the role of the people he's helping to evade death - kind of like Quantam Leaping into a chase-flick. Human Target basically is what it is: it's an over-the-top action ride with some drama and good doses of humor. The credit sequence is an animated watercolor painting type of effect backdropped with a very old-school theme song that would fit in old James Bond ripoff attempts. Yes, I meant that in a good way. This would be the antithesis of Damages: it's very light, don't need to spend too much time focusing on minute details, and there's not much to keep track of. It's popcorn stuff and a great complement to the headier stuff I have on the DVR (Fringe, LOST, Caprica).
Life Unexpected, The CW (update)
I watched the rest of the episode and it was hit and miss. This show is evidently a light drama but I wouldn't call it a dramedy. It was overly cheesey at some points exacerbated with the OG WB style music. Yet, I appreciated the cheesiness of some of the scenes and sentiments. The actress that plays Cate hammered the scene when she first "meets" Lux. In fact, she's the anchor of this show in terms of performance. Cate, aside from Lux, is the most complex character so far. Their scenes were my favorite and most emotionally engaging. Baze, the father, is ready, but definitely not there yet. Right now, he's just another typical 2K 30 year old that's still loving the rootless life of a drunkard fraternity boy. Ryan (formerly Jack on Dawson's Creek) is a foil right now - we're not sure what to make of him, if anything, at this point despite being one of the four main characters of the show. The pilot made things to easy. Foster care is taken lightly in this episode, and I'm sure it will in the whole series. But, as Lux had pointed out to her immaturely dueling bio-parents in one scene, we have to get over it. This show is about moving forward with pieces that shouldn't make it work - hence the external and internal conflicts that will steer this ship. Again, it's light. It's predictable. It's like Human Target in that it is what it is - it's a light family drama focused on characters, family dynamics, and witty banter. Hopefully, when it does delve deeper into the drama that they don't exploit the characters. Let's hope.
and more later...
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Cool Crowding
Now that the holidaze is done, that means the 2nd halves of seasons are rolling in and mid-term premieres start jumping. I'm completely BEE-HIIND, sorta.
Here's a rundown on things that have already arrived and things that are joining in on the fun soon. (In no particular order...)
Damages, Season 3, FX
Over the weekend I DVRed and watched the S2 finally. I watched the first 2 or 3 episodes of the season and waited to finish S1 before moving forward. Never did, but still didn't seem to miss much in terms of plots. Apparently, I missed a bunch of twists, turns, and shark jumping according to reviews in anticipation of S3. This will always be a tough one to stomach weekly. There are details, performances, time jumps, red herrings, and other important things that I can't NOT pay attention to, so sitting down and giving this one undisturbed attention in my "time-cramped" nights would be tough. There are a few shows that I MUST pay attention to per second. This would have to be one of them. But will it hold up? Season 3 premiered last night so I have to see what ties are going to be unraveled, withered, and utterly destroyed.
Caprica, SyFy
Never caught the official pilot that was a straight-to-DVD release that included the nudity and cursing (yes, earth version "frakking" - in both cases). Finally caught the two parter on OnDemand a couple weeks back. It officially premiered last week. It took me a few scenes to displace my BSG-ties to fully commit to this prequel, but when I did I found it pretty darn good. Except for the final scenes in the 2nd hour that, I suppose, had to be included as the big carrot on the stick, the overall experience did its job well. I am engaged with the characters and I thought Esai Morales and Eric Stoltz demonstrated the chemistry and singular ability to carry this character driven family (and societal) drama. Yes, the BSG nods beyond the obvious familial ties, like the racism, religion, and CYLONology, made me geek out.
Life Unexpected, The CW
Just for full disclosure, I have a soft spot for CW shows. Yes, I admit that the 13 year old in me does come out often. But, that's not why I hope for CW shows to hit. Because the Big 3 1/2 (CBS, ABC, FOX, and nbc) will undoubtedly control the network ratings, the CW is the one network that will consistently take risks in programming. They've hit and they've missed, but at least they try. And yes, this goes back to the WB and UPN days. They have procedurals, but they're housed in comedy or horror (Buffy, Supernatural, Reaper, Roswell). They master the nighttime soap/ guilty pleasure (targeted at the tweens, teens, and the rest of us that think that shit's funny) like Dawson's Creek, Gossip Girl and 90210. Although, ripoffs of older iconic shows isn't all the risky. And, they do family dramas with compassion and style (Gilmore Girls, early Smallville, Charmed). Now, they have a chance to hit that stride again with Life Unexpected. I've only seen the first segment of the pilot and I can see how it can work. Quirkly dialogue, potentially complex characters, real family dynamics to work out, and pretty people. I'm definitely on board until it proves stupid, lame, or insensitive or inane (re: the foster youth experience).
Chuck, nbc
I'm on board until the Kristen Kreuk arc runs out. Kristen's not much of an actress, but she'll always be Lana to me so I'll follow. Chuck's never hit with me. The colors/lighting aren't appealing. The sets looks really cheap. The humor can be hit or miss. It basically looks like a USA Network show or something that could be syndicated on late night Saturdays (like She Spies or that Pam Anderson joing, VIP or something). Nonetheless, KK's reppin' so I'm steppin. And, if it gets good, I'll keep rolling til it's not.
More later..
Thursday, December 24, 2009
TV Wonderland: FRINGE Season 1, Disc Five
{SPOILERS AHEAD}
Uh. WOW.
Two nights ago I saw the Sharks, after letting a goal score and an icing, win a face off, work it up the left board, hit the point, hit Joe Thornton streaking in the middle, he passed it back to Demers, and KILLED a one timer to the left of the net as Chicago goaltender shift to his right. All done in like 3 seconds. And my jaw dropped. But I picked it up quickly to stress out during the final minutes of the tense game.
But, when I watched the finale of Season 1, "There's More Than One of Anything", my jaw was floored and I held up both my hands with three fingers up to make that "W - O - W" thing. Yes, WOW!
Reveals! Resoutions! More mysteries! More questions!
[[[[ ONE LAST SPOILER WARNING ]]]] (some of the following refers to the last two episodes, not just the finale)
Advancement of Plot
Okay. Season finales are supposed to kill this part. FRINGE did. Massive Dynamic isn't the archetypical evil corporation. Well, not yet. Although, they are responsible with the freak happenings: William Bell, cortexiphan, etc. David Robert Jones was the real enemy behind everything in this season, but now that he has opened various windows to the other side there will be massively dynamic problems. Yes. William Bell doesn't seem to be evil and Walter believes this in his old friend. William Bell is muthaeffing Spock!
Character Development
Walter has been able to resolve some issues with the Jacksonville kids and disrupting this first go at rifting through spacial planes. Walter also has connected with Peter. And vice versa. They all had major roles in resolving this episode and season's problem: Olivia worked her skills as an agent, Peter reached out to Walter as a son, and Walter remembered - something extremely important. We also had the Observer say something. He's Walter's friend.
And, Peter Bishop died in 1985! The original Peter Bishop. The one we know and love is the doppleganger from the other side. Walter used his research to reclaim his son (Peter was a sickly boy - as we were told earlier in the season).
Olivia's abilities have expanded. This goes beyond the season finale, but during the final quarter of the series the cortexiphan in her started triggering expansive abilities. She began seeing the other side in brief episodes - maybe some sensitivity to Dr. Jones' windows. But, we find out at the end that it goes beyond visions but actual teleportation - physical teleportation. Maybe it was by invite?
Broyles and Olivia shared a moment where Olivia rambled on about fighting through beauracracy (very Sydney-like) and Broyles asked her to hush because she essentially had him at hello.
Astrid, in the pen-ultimate episode, gave herself and the audience a solid when she said something to the effect of her not being affected by what she sees in the lab anymore - took the charred and severed jaw and said, "someone hasn't been flossing". Funny.
Empathy Level
By this point, if we don't care about what happens to our cast, then why would we watch? Everyone was on and every piece was essential to each.
Intelligence/Wit
Quirks. Nods. See tv notes below.
Charm/Initial Reaction
Initial reaction? Fuckin' WOW, dude. That's it.
Standalone Strength
Although this episode easily could've been a part 2 from the previous, this season finale rocked as a singular piece of episodic television. Set up, levity, resolution, and openings for more.
FRINGE has skyrocketed to the top of my DVR sched. Fa' sho.
NOTES From the last two eps:
The Road not Taken:
Easter eggs and other shit:
the cereal that walter likes was also in susan's cupboards
Susan's bookshelf included: arthur c. clarke: childhood's end (some sci fi thing) and some other allusions to scifi/fringe related stuff.
olivia's breaks into the house (very sydney bristow)
star trek nutjob played by Clint Howard (nice!) (obviously)
walter's explanations - in layman's terms:
combustion - he used the cereal box
pliability of space and time - deja vu - the road not taken (physically) - he used chalk and the idea of decisions and alternate decisions that take place in other realms
peter explains his music thing - father son - peter really evolving into Walter - Astrid makes not of this.
shadows: olivia walking into susan's apt.. entering, shifting over
There's More Than One of Anything:
Wizard of Oz - Sci-fi easter egg (and alter-universe nod, also)
peter had a childhood memory - important because it's usually Walter. AND, we now know why Peter doesn't remember a lot of Walter's memories.
reiden lake - reiden didn't amass much on google (a volcanic ridge on one of jupiter's moons; city in Switzerland)
shadows: walter telling peter that he had to go to other side to replace something dear to him that he lost. peter is halved by the shadows. symbolism.
Monday, December 21, 2009
TV Winter Wonderland Redux: FRINGE
TV made its impact in my life, once again, in the winter of 2003. I just finished my first semester of Grad School and I had over 5 weeks of time off to do absolutely nothing. For the most part, that's what I did. While doing so, I dusted off the complete sets of Alias Season 1 and 2 that we had in the house and decided to watch them. Numerous TV marathons after, here I am blogging about TV. I decided to take some time off this winter break to start taking a few things off my list. One of them: FRINGE.
There were a lot of reasons I wanted to like this show when it premiered in the Fall of 2008. It was a JJ Abrams joint. It's about weird science fiction. I like TV. I went maybe 4-6 episodes into the season and never loved it. In fact, it disinterested me so much that I discontinued it from my dvr. With having LOST and Battlestar Galactica, I already had enough dark/heady/serious stuff to pay attention to. (Supernatural's well done and sometimes very dark and sometimes steeped in drama, but it's balanced. Smallville's a farce. Eureka's super quirky and light. Bones is also.)
So, I scoffed a bit when I would hear people talk about FRINGE on Facebook like must-see stuff. Like it was a cult-hit worth anything. And, then it began to pick up steam towards the end of the season even from highly pretentious critics (who I often trust, pretentiousness aside). So, with the mix of the enthusiasm of friends and the support by critics that it was watchable, I decided to catch up through NetFlix.
I got through parts of Disc 2 over the past few weeks. Most of these episodes were reruns in a sense because I had seen some of them. But I didn't remember them that much meaning I didn't pay attention while watching because I was engaged. Made it to Disc 3 and some of the stories started picking up. I watched two of those episodes last night. Went onto Disc 4. Watched most of that last night and capped the 4th episode this morning. Boy, it's getting good.
Not sure where the turn happened. There are still some lulls here and there, and some Alias-ing going on. But it's solid - way more solid than Flash Forward, for instance.
Two of the major issues I had when watching it were not connecting with Olivia and not liking Walter - I thought he was hard to understand and thought his quirkiness was more annoying than interesting. Oh, and a third was not being able to see Peter (because I always see Joshua Jackson as "Pasey" from Dawson's Creek.) In fact, this is what I wrote last September:
Fringe, on the other hand, is not Eureka. And, I'm not sure what I think of it yet. Well, I do, actually. I want to like it and I'm hoping that it'll get better. As of now, there are interesting moments but also many moments when I feel disconnected (and somewhat bored). I still haven't warmed to the lead. I still see Pacey. I'm slowly understanding Walter a bit more (I think they're intentionally lessening the density of his lines).
Pretty good. I remembered. Anyway, those issues have dissipated for me. I think Olivia's the shit. They Sydney-ed her. They balanced out her stoicism and scorn with a softer side like what Sydney had in the first season of Alias. Not that I Olivia or Fringe could or should become Sydney or Alias, but the balancing of her story is needed - not because she's a woman and she needs a soft-family side. But ALL lead characters need complexity - and for her it was added when her sister and young niece became part of her life. Then, in the episode "The Ability", the larger arc of the show's mythology and Olivia's life got expanded infinitely. Although, I'm still wondering if that was her or if it was Peter. Here's a review on one of the episodes that was very Alias-ish. Spoilers beware.
Pacey, I mean Peter is growing on me, also. He's essential to the show because he's the only real human of the three leads - or at least as it is now. He also has his internal conflict to resolve with how he interacts with his father. He translates Walter for us. He supports Olivia for us. Slowly, he's also becoming more essential to solving the mysteries with his "network" of guys rather than being a younger and more common sensical version of Walter.
As for Walter, what I had pondered about his lines in fact came into fruition. He did become easier to understand both in his lines and also as a character. His quirks are still out there and sometimes still random but I enjoy them more. I'm not sure if that's just because it grew on me or if they've written them in more naturally. As it typically is, these types of quirks are easier to write once a character has settled in rather than at the beginning when they seem forced. He has become my favorite character in the show. He obviously "knows" everything. He's involved with all the "science". He is also the character that has the largest capacity to grow - and we get to see it every week. He's regaining his humanity. He's gaining some resolution. He's evolving and earning the trust and understanding from Olivia and Peter - just like we're supposed to be doing also.
Last September, I also wrote this about FRINGE:
Earlier in the [2nd] episode, Walter referred to Jules Verne. [I think] That was a nod to original science fiction when technology really was theoretical and the concepts of hard science fed the fluffiness of imagination. So, I appreciated that moment and [it revealed] what I THINK they want this show to be: and old school science fiction jaunt masked in very very heavy drama.
The science is obviously beyond "fringe" and is much more fictional. I don't see an issue with this. It's farfetched, but so are a lot of shows. It's TV. I'm not going to worry about it. What I do like a lot is the sense of adventure this show has. It's also full of suspense, mythology, and an expanding level of empathy for its characters and dynamics.
What I am very interested in, though, involves a larger arc of the series. At first, it seemed like Massive Dynamic would be the core of the mythology of the show - and it still might be. But, in a few episodes there have been a group of people/scientists that believe in metaphysical theories of folded space and time (multiple/parallel universes/planes). They follow a bible based on those theories. (SPOILER!!!!
!!!!! !!!!!! It !!!!! Was !!!! written !!!!! by !!!!!!!!! Walter.)
What it brings up is the great exploration of faith versus science - a theme in all of JJ Abrams "scifi-ish" shows (Alias - Rambaldi's science and his followers' faith, LOST - Locke's faith versus Jack's logic). I don't think faith is the absence of science and science is by far not the absence of faith. Science, in fact, is fueled by faith. Sometimes we are bogged down by the idea that true faith lives in the absence of full knowledge and since science is that method of answering questions that it must be in competition with faith. But science goes nowhere without faith - it goes nowhere without postulating far out ideas that either get proven, disproven, matched, or exceeded. Flight was a matter of faith - faith that it could truly happen and it was achieved through science. Beyond that, though, are the theories of creation and space. Do we really KNOW that we live in a galaxy formed around a SINGULAR ball of gas? And do we really KNOW that the universe is almost infinitely full of these balls of gasses? And do we really KNOW that there is an end to this universe - and if there is - do we really KNOW that there is an absence of anything beyond? We've been taught that - and yes I believe with excitement - but we have no real way of knowing. We can't beam ourselves to the end point or to Saturn or to that galaxy where they recently found a red dwarf star surrounded by a planet that's somewhat similar to Earth. We have faith that all this science is true. I know I'm not the first person to say this and if this is somehow "scientologist" that is very much unintended, but it's a fascinating idea that FRINGE explores and challenges in every episode.
Yes, it's getting good.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Cool Crowd: Dollhouse (Stop-Loss, The Attic)
[Spoilers included. Beware.]
Wow.
Maybe there's something about apocalyptic and surreal sets in the Dollhouse universe that get me all the time, but I thought these two episodes were the best since the "unofficial" Epitath One episode.
These two episodes answered two questions of Dollhouseverse. What happens after a a doll is done with a contract? What happens in the attic? Both also pushed forward the overarching endgame story.
In "Stop-Loss", Victor (or Anthony) reaches the end of his 5-year contract, but with ramifications. The Rossum group has another violent, militia-type arm and it instituted a hostile takeover on Victor's personal freedom - feeding on his loneliness. His run with the Dollhouse may have cured his PTSD, but it didn't give him a community. Sierra's (Priya) role was reduced to a love-interest and victim as Echo took her, the real her, into the rescue mission. It was a good display of how different the effect of the imprints have on different dolls - Echo being superhuman, superdoll utilizes them all. Victor became a better soldier. Priya was reduced to being a the unknowing victim that she was before she entered the Dollhouse. The sensory chip elements were clunky at the least and terribly lame at the most. Yes, it showed how exemplary Echo was, but it really cheapened the sum of the episode because it seemed forced. Afterwards, DeWitt gets a moment of clarity , sort of. She ices Echo! Yes! Victor, Sierra, Topher, and Boyd take on DeWitt and Eliza's two emoticons are gone! Actually, no. DeWitt sends Echo to the Attic.. along with Victor and Sierra. Boyd gets escorted out. And DeWitt emerges as a true blue Cruella DeWitt, like Topher said.
"The Attic" seemed like a natural part-2 to this mini Arc although each episode was meant to stand on their own. The tide was drastically changing in the Dollhouse. DeWitt has turned into a corporate sycophant who's hellbent on downing Echo to regain complete control of her Dollhouse. For the first time, Topher seemed to be in legitimate danger. The other subplot in this episode was the task of regenerating Ballard's brain function by imprinting him. Topher gets an assist, a hand-off if you will, from his.. assistant in figuring out a way to generate that function. Wildcat formation - they decided to try to imprint another part of his brain. Is that real? I don't know. It was interesting though. And now, we have get to guess what part of the brain was sacrificed? Well, it wasn't his anger section (medula oblongata?). I think they might have wiped his feelings for Echo.
The more epic and imprinting, pun!, story of this episode was the attic. There already is a large homage to The Matrix that this show makes with imprint technology as its essence. The attic experiences spoke even more closely to the Matrix. There's a worldwide network of all the Dollhouse attics that feed off of adrenaline and detect actives by anger. Never seeing it, I think there was a hint of The Cell also since we were inside various heads and there were many surreal images. One big reveal is that Echo's original identity pre-Dollhouse, Caroline, holds the answers to bringing down the Rossum group. The other big reveal was more exciting: DeWitt's not a corporate sycophant. In fact, she's played her part well to stay under the radar and is now becoming the leader that she once was. DeWitt sent Echo into the attic knowing that she would be able to find the answers. She brought Ballard back because they need more help. It is now the LA Dollhouse's job to bring down the larger, more evil Rossum group. Cue the final act.
Not sure why Sierra and Victor had to go the Attic, also. Did DeWitt believe they were as abnormal as Echo was? Did she think Echo needed their support? There were a lot of incomplete conversations in DeWitt's office that we're not supposed to know about. Did DeWitt play the part all the way through until she knew Echo came out of the plan alive? What was the point of Topher's assistant's reaction when she returned to the lab after her talks with DeWitt?
This was a great episode for numerous reasons: the two big reveals set up a great final run, the work dynamics between Topher, Boyd, and Dewitt were done well, the Attic imagery was extremely dark and disturbing (but meaningful), and everyone else but Eliza had to convey the deepest emotions.
But, these two episodes bring up a legitimate , yes useless, question: What could Joss Whedon have done realistically to extend this series beyond two full seasons (44 episodes)? The pimping-per-week stories grew old. The only times this series has run full throttle was during their sprints towards the end of seasons (and essentially the end of the series). Season one: Echo frees herself from the slavery of the imprint technology. Season two: Echo masters the imprint technology. There would have been the spread of the technology to the general public aka weaponry. But, how would have those bigger, cooler ideas have been broken down each week in the rent-a-doll formula? Would it have been abandoned after Season 2?
Not sure. There must have been a longer endgame, but I'm not sure the filler in between would have been good enough to give this show a longer shelf-life.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Cool Crowd: 1st week of Dec 09
Not a complete run of each show.. the shows on the rotation being:
Glee
Supernatural
Stargate Universe
V
Flash Forward
Smallville
Dollhouse
Bones
Last week, the new episodes were only available for Glee, FF, Dollhouse, SGU, and Bones.
Bones was enjoyable as always, but I'll leave it at that. I LOVE BONES. And at that.
Glee was also enjoyable. A nasty Sue. Shue finally realizing the truth. Most excited is the end of that arc. I've realized that my most enjoyable experiences with Glee are:
- the "musical" scenes of Glee - no, not just the singing, but when the singing and dancing is done OUTSIDE of the regular performances
- the drama is mainly about the kids and their families
- Sue being Sue
- and, of course, the poignant and sweet musical pieces (like when they were supporting Quinn, supporting Quinn and Finn, and during the Imagine performance with the choir from the school for the deaf.)
My least usually are the scenes that involve:
- Shue's wife
AND
- the counselor girl
I think Mercedes and Rachel have the best female voices (easy). I think Artie by far has the best male voice.
Now, onto the two surprises of the week as experienced in SGU and Flash Forward.
Both rookie shows had good pilots that allowed for a lot of fun, detailed, action packed drama in the coming story telling. Both shows have been widely uneven in cluding ensemble casts where only a few characters have shined and some weeks that may be interesting but relatively leave us viewers with mixed feelings - if not complete dissatisfaction. But, last week, both had some very interesting episodes.
Flash Forward: A561984
* Charm/Initial Reaction *
My initial reaction to this episode was.. "hold up, this is actually good. I have to pause this and watch it when I am going to pay attention." Really. There have been way too many episodes of this series so far that were ridiculously forgettable. I've been trying to be patient to wait for the payoff - hoping there was a payoff. Invasion started slowly and rolled to the end that never got resolved, but I'm glad I stuck by it. I felt like this episode, though still having faults, should've been the 4th of the season. There were SOME answers that emerged into more questions. The character I particularly care for, Dimitri, was essential. Simon became a real part of the story. The action was good. The trailers for the upcoming shows look good too. Let's hope they follow through.
* Advancement of Plot *
There was a lot of advancement in this episode. This being a serialized drama, it needed it. The characters needed it. The audience needed it. Finally, there was levity to what was going on in the world. Only a few episodes have dealt with it.
* Character Development *
There are three extremely important characters in this show so far: Mark, Dimitri, and Simcoe. Two of them moved forward while other supporting characters moved ahead also. Every episode can't say this and more FF eps have been terrible at pushing forward stories and empathy.
* Empathy Level *
I don't trust Simcoe, but I did care about him and where he was headed. Dimitri's impending death is becoming more real and yes, I care. Why? He's the only character that I really have any attachment to.
* Intelligence/Wit
This show isn't much of a witty show. Not sure if there are easter eggs or little bits that can pique a fanboy's brain. I guess, for this show, there was action and reveals that made sense. So, I guess that works.
Mark, as a lead, still doesn't emit much of a need for empathy. I don't care much for Bryce one way or the other. He's just there until they run standalones for him that get NOBODY anywhere.
* Standalone Strength *
Yes, it could stand alone. This series has had some good standalones. I don't think that is where this series struggles. It's connecting the weekly goings-on with the bigger picture and vice versa. Two main arcs: the Hong Kong story and Simcoe. I guess the running theme between the two stories are the impending guilt over situations that we assume aren't or will not be intentional.
Stargate Universe: Justice
* Charm/Initial Reaction *
Like FF, I had the same initial reaction a few minutes into the episode. Finally, something worth paying attention to. There have been some good episodes - or almost-good episodes here and there since the pilot. There have been the "how will we survive on this dying ship" episodes. There were the "let's deal with our shit through the [super lame] communication stones" episodes. There have been the bigger action episodes. Most seemed a little canned. Yes, character has been explored, but not effectively. In "Justice" there was a murder mystery. There was an increased tension on control over the ship. There were NO communication stones.
* Advancement of Plot *
Though there may have been explorations of characters, they haven't always been enmeshed in the larger story. This series relies on that larger story. This isn't about the Enterprise that explores worlds - this is about survival and how the peopleon board are reacting.
This episode's power struggle came to a powerful "end" that will have major ramifictaions in future episodes. What will happen now?
* Character Development *
What will happen now? Rush will have to survive. What will happen when he returns.
Camille is stepping up. Not sure I liked the female - male dynamic.
* Empathy Level *
Who did I care for? People, I suppose. Eli's always my favorite on the show. Chloe, not so much. Scott, not much either. The other soldier, I forgot his name, the hothead is becoming more interesting I believe. Corporal what's his face also got much more interesting after what happened.
* Intelligence/Wit
Tough to find wit in this show. Some nods to fans come in cameos (I assume. Never really been into the Stargate franchise.) The reveal about the "murder-mystery" didn't do much for me. Who else would it have been? The fight, though, was very interesting. At least lines are being drawn.
* Standalone Strength *
I suppose all of these episodes are meant for more singular episodic arcs wrapped in this general idea of survival on a wayward ship. This though, being a much better episode than others, stood out.
Overall, TWO great surprises as first half-of season finales. Flash Forward's previews looked awesome. Hopefully those just cover the first 3 or 4 episodes meaning they won't put one great scene in each episode and drag out the story. They need to go all-in. SGU can handle lowered expectations on SyFy. Flash Forward's only got a 1 season guarantee. They better step up.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Bringing back the Ranksgivings.
Back in 2006 when I decided to blog about television, I concocted a ranking system for all the hour-long dramas I watched each week. Since then, I decided to remove the ranking system because some shows that ranked "lower" seemed to be getting short changed. What did it really matter? I'm the only one reading this.
What matters though is that after reading over some of my older reviews, I've found that my viewing focus (and skill) was much more keen before. That's due, a lot, to being on a laptop or in the middle of a Words with Friends battle on the ipod while I watch the show. I think renewing this structure will help me be a more active viewer. I do want to get back to writing, so this is a good way to bring it back.
In my Wes Mantooth voice: "I hate you STRUCTURE..... but DAMN do I respect you."
the categories:
* Advancement of Plot *
(How well the show pushes forth the ongoing stories whether long term or short term. This doesn’t count for episode-contained plots. See Standalone Strength)
* Character Development *
(How well the show adds depth, complexity, and reasoning behind its characters.)
* Empathy Level *
(How well the show made me connect to the characters.)
* Intelligence/Wit
(I wasn’t sure how to operationalize humor since it isn’t necessarily a high point of focus for all of the shows. Instead, I felt that all writing has a level of complexity and wit to it without it necessarily being laugh-out-loud funny.)
* Charm/Initial Reaction *
(This is the original ranking system of initial enjoyment pre-BCS.)
* Standalone Strength *
(This is a tricky category because some shows are obviously built as serials. With that, I still believe each show, as in every chapter in a book, should be written within a compact, digestible arc. I believe that every episode should have all the elements of plot: introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion. In the end, this category is asking, “Can I enjoy this episode by itself?”)
and I'm removing this one
- Long Term Bias
(This acknowledges that I’m already bought in to many of my must-see shows. Therefore, I’ve subtracted a point from each of these shows that qualify for long-term bias. Yet, I must contend that long-term bias can also mean that I’m harder on some episodes if I feel it’s under-par of past episodes.)
I won't be comparing the shows against each other. So, naturally, this won't be a ranking system. Instead, it will be a viewing and reviewing guideline. Hence, the need for a "Long Term Bias" category is unneeded.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Movies. Yes, I'm still alive. Yes, still no one is reading.
I've had the opportunity to dive into some movies I've been wanting to see the past couple of weeks. Here we go:
Away We Go
Jim from The Office. Maya from SNL. You'd expect hilarity. No. I forgot that this was a Sam Mendes movie. Not that that's a bad thing, of course. This film experience was a good example of studio's mis-marketing. It was advertised as a quirky comedy, but it was much more of drama with hints of humor.
The film is a mix of a romantic dramedy, buddy pic, and road movie. It took me a few scenes to get into it, but once I finished I felt compelled to go back to some scenes and review the subtle or not so subtle landmarks the characters experienced.
Why I liked it? I'm not sure. I like slower movies and liked the characters enough at the end to care during its most poignant moment.
Drag Me to Hell
I was all up on this movie to see Sam Raimi do his thing even though I wasn't really into his thing before Spider-Man. No, it's not because of Spider-Man, but I knew he had a visual style that I wanted to check out. Horror? Yes. Comedy? Yes. Drag Me to Hell? I should've seen it in the movie theater. Why? Because there were shrieks, ewws, and yucks that would've been fun to experience with a crowd. Did I like it? Yes. I don't think there was much depth, but I didn't expect any. I didn't want to think to much and the movie didn't ask me to. There were scares, gross moments, chuckles due to the outrageousness of the "horror" scenes. I was entertained.
The Wrestler
I had the highest hope for this film being a wrestling fan all of my life and the fact that this covered the grittier side of the industry with respect. I've never seen any of Aronofsky's other movies although I've intended to. I thought the story was simple - the characters more complex. Although, Randy the Ram was by far the most complex. Bill Simmons either made or echoed a solid comment that Randy the Ram's story, a once hyper successful 80s wrestler (it's first national heyday) mimicked Mickey Rourke's career. There was early and vast success that deteriorated within missed opportunities and the damage of drug abuse. Marisa Tomei did a great job portraying Cassidy but we've seen that character before. They worked well together, I thought. Overall, it was done well, entertaining, tragically sad, and appreciative of the workers (the indie and somewhat successful wrestlers it featured in the film).
I was mildly disappointed in, what I feel, was the spoon-fed symbolism. One being the comparison of the wrestler's life with the stripper's life: selling of your body, performing under a different name so much that it becomes who you are to the people that are your "fans", the dead-ended nature of the industry once you're not at optimal physical condition. I also thought the scene where Randy's first going out to man the deli counter didn't need the sound track that came along with it. If you've seen it, you'll know what I was talking about. Fatal flaws? Not at all. I just feel that indies beg for more subtlety.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Cool Crowd: Smallville Season 8 - Final Thoughts
Smallville Season 8
Looking over what I've written about this series over the past year and a half, I was ready to send this longtime fave upstate to the farm – like straight up into Smallville, nowhere. I stopped watching this show weekly at some point in the season when DVR conflicts and the GSW hoops games forced me to make some decisions. This one was going to be a late summer catch-up on NetFlix (maybe the one time of year that I make back my wasted dues from other parts of the year). I can't say that the decision signaled my personal preferences though since Supernatural was another member of the cut-midseason list for me, but that show was easily one of my top-3 favorite shows last season. Well, that decision was made slightly easier, as well, for the fact that I didn't have CW in HD, so I figured if I was going to DVR a show I might as well keep tabs on the visually prettier ones and I'd catch Supernatural and Smallville on standard DVD about this time of the year. Instead, I'm catching up to both through Blu-Ray. I'm anxious to watch Supernatural on time. Smallville on the other hand looks pretty much like the Supernatural hand except with less expectations. I think Smallville redeemed itself for the most part by the end of Season 8. Was it as compelling, personally, as it had been in the past? No. There are still fatal flaws inherent to the new Smallville that I've come to terms with, but there are fun parts to latch onto as well.
First, the MEH.
The set: Maybe the worst part of the Season 8 was the Birds of Preyification of the Smallville set. It was always nice to see real skies, real roads, real places in Smallville: the farm, the main street, the school, the vast areas of “Smallville, KS”, and Vancouver aka Metropolis. Now, the sets are small, clausterphobic, completely phony, and defined by fog machines. It's all indoors and it is conspicuosly distracting to the overall flow of watching the show. We all need some time to settle into our episodes and it is basically difficult to do when the sets are just so “cheap”. Metropolis, by the way, feels like Gotham City. It's dark, ominous, jagged. I'll get to this later.
The music: Mark Snow, the same composer that scored the X-Files, used to score Smallville. Not anymore. He had some distinct sounds that I miss. Aside from his style, the grand narrative and the aforementioned dankness of Metropolis is painted with different music. It is very “superhero-ish” with grand brasses. And basically, it's annoying. The stories before were more about relationships and the music had a nice balance of delicate and stark, but I rarely remember them overpowering any scenes. Now, like most movies, Smallville is overscored.
The kryptonification: I'll preface these comments with the recognition that shows have to evolve – especially one-hour dramas that go one for more than five seasons. With that said, Smallville started to lose its soul – the focus on a town that happened to have the kid that would eventually become Superman – when it began to rely heavily on the kryptonian mythology and bigger picture. If that's the course needed, so be it. They shouldn't sacrifice human connections. I feel like the characters are pawns in the creators' desire to serialize the show.
With all that said, I kinda don't remember the good stuff. But there was some progress by the end of Season 8.
Primarily, once the show was mostly purged of the strings from Lana and Lex backstories the rest of the story began to mature. Yes, we know that Clark is a man of Metropolis, now. He is now dealing with grown man shit and at some point he is going to become Superman. I assume that is the endgame of this show come the end of Season 9 or 10 (if it gets there). As much as I love Kristin Kreuk, Lana was a one-dimensional character that really didn't offer much else outside of being Clark's “soulmate”. She was also the high school sweetheart and first love. We all knew from the beginning that they wouldn't last. And, like any person, the first love lost can be the spark to letting go of the past and moving on towards the future. Season 8 freed Clark from this major anchor to the past. Lex, like Lana, was pivotal to the essence of this show. The friendship that turned into the legendary rivalry was a major piece of this show, but even though Lex still stirs up trouble to this day in the comics, there wasn't much more that they could do no matter how talented Michael Rosenbaum is. Similarly, Clark is freed completely from his man vs man conflict against Lex and is forced to deal with himself and his “destiny”.
While the disposal of Doomsday seemed anticlimactic, the digression of the Davis Bloome character was gut wrenching to his final decision to cement his legacy in Smallville lore. That decision created a surprise that was tragic and extremely sad both to us viewers and the characters themselves. That pivotal scene laid wonderful groundwork for Season 9 and Clark's continued journey.
And that is where I am today. It took a while, but Smallville has seemed to finally move out of its parents house, spent sometime listless on friends' couches, and has landed on its feet in a modest apartment. Hopefully, if done properly, Season 9 will continue a solid adventure and development of characters to tie up nicely in Season 10 – ugly, styrofoamed sets aside.
Monday, August 03, 2009
More.. Downtime, vacation, no cable = Catching up on Movies (500 Days of Summer)
500 Days of Summer
A few weeks ago, my gf sent me a couple of trailers to watch. Sometime around then, Anton tweeted about a movie that he was gushing about. Then a day or two afterwards I saw the trailer for 500 Days of Summer on TV and said to myself, "I hella want to watch that movie." I texted my gf to google the title. Came to find out that 500 Days was one of the trailers she sent over.
Was it fate? No, just coincidence and me not being attentive to her linkages as much as a good bf should be. But, 500 Days covers a little bit about that - fate versus coincidence - not bf's being completely attuned to gf's links on IM windows.
The point of this longwinded intro to my reflection on the movie is that it piqued my interest as well as those of people whose film tastes I respect. So, naturally, it jumped ahead on my personal movie queue.
Watched it last night. Wow.
Not sure how to say this movie was just plainly easy to love but.. it was just plainly easy to love. The topic, a relationship and impending break-up, is easy to resonate with. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Tom) and Zooey Deschanel (Summer) were a pleasure to watch individually and together. The supporting cast added a lot, also.
There was a lot more to love with the crafting of the film.
The music was well chosen. The visuals were interesting and well executed. They didn't detract from the narrative but really did compliment it. The dialogue was fresh for a topic done so regularly. The pacing was great, the devices to adjust the narrative (the time changes) were wonderful.
What will stand out are the short visual/film tangents/devices/tricks/gimmicks in the film. I left thinking that the filmmaker must have had a great time putting this film together. When we were driving back, my gf checked the imdb of the film and found out that the director, , had his experience mostly in music videos. And it made sense, but good sense. Sometimes music video directors can't make the jump to full feature (like short story writers making the jump to a novel). He did, though.
It's the type of film that offers a duality of emotions for would-be creators. On one end, it is inspiring. Writers and creators can attach to the story and leave energized by the topic's simplicity and it's commonality. I'm thinking, "dude, I can totally write a story like this." On the other hand, the film and writing were very intimidating. With it's immense creativity in how to retell a already-told story and expertly fused spectrum of emotions (happiness, sadness, fear, pain) it illuminates as an unreachable goal: "God, I can't write anything this true, this funny, this real, this new. Why try?"
What a film. So fun. So interesting. It gets on that very limited list of "buy when it first comes out on DVD."
***
Random tangent: It's funny that Tom's interested in architecture and in the sanctity of true love and soulmates because in How I Met Your Mother, Ted Moseby, Architect, is also one of the true love and soulmate ilk.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
More.. Downtime, vacation, no cable = Catching up on Movies (Revolutionary Road, Slumdog Millionaire)
Revolutionary Road
When I received Revolutionary Road in the mail from netflix, I was excited. But I didn't watch it immediately. Instead, I waited for a perfect time when I knew I'd be focused, in the right frame of mind, and capable of ingesting the perceived heaviness of the film. So, at about exactly 1 week ago (12:30 AM, Monday) I lied down, turned off the lights, and slipped this DVD into the player. What I planned was to watch it for a few scenes then, typically, fall asleep some part in and just play the rest of it the next day.
Didn't happen. Watched the whole thing. It set the week in motion: sleep deprived nights and sluggishness at the office.
But it was worth it.
Revolutionary Road is about marriage and it's about the suburbs and it's about the 1950s. It's about conformity and revolution - in various definitions. It's also not a story that's easily digestible or, ironically, cookie cutter. It's a drama and it's an intense, maddening, saddening, and tragic drama.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet star as a young suburban couple that together choose that life isn't what they want it to be and decide to move themselves and their children to Paris in search of exciting fulfillment. They both do wonderful jobs portraying complex individuals within their complex environments.
Sam Mendes directs the film and equally does a fabulous job of setting the tone of the material. The choice for the color palette, bland - natural pastels, made a statement. If the film wanted to explore conformity, then the colors made sure we knew it. I loved seeing the blandness of the houses and the wardrobe of the cast blend into each other. The characters were melding into their environment - literally.
At the end of the movie, I think it's easy to feel a multitude of motions - negative emotions - about what transpired. There's anger. There's fear. There's grave sadness. But I don't think, in this sense, we're meant to judge any of the characters for their actions or motivations. Instead, we ARE meant to lament - not so much on culture of the times but the recurring sense of disappointment in lives unfulfilled.
Revolutionary Road isn't just the street name of our lead couple. It's the conflict of it's to definitions: either to revolt or to run in circles like a record (as their last name "Wheeler" refers to). It's an exploration of how to do both in terribly unhealthy ways. And it's done so well.
*** I'll post a more cynically humorous take on this film and the cast in the next few days. ***
Slumdog Millionaire
I just finished watching Slumdog Millionaire a few hours ago. As most of my reflections on movies/pop culture/whatnot are meant to written from gut reaction, my initial response to the film was: "It was good. But..."
There was a lot to like. I thought the cast was great. Those children in the film were great! (It was also saddening to know that these kids really weren't "acting" through these experiences. Sure, the script is fictional as well as their character's names and experiences, but they ARE/were slumdogs.) I rarely enjoy child actors, but the ones in this movie, ESPECIALLY the one who played the young Jamal, were a pleasure to watch. Overall, I liked the rawness of the inexperienced actors.
The visuals were great. Danny Boyle definitely had some fun in stylizing the movie. In particular, I appreciated the introduction to the slums - the kids running away from the cops through their slums. It introduced us quickly to Jamal and Salim while also showing us the reality of the slums.
I also enjoyed the homage to Bollywood. I related it to a player in a basketball game. Said player could shoot 2 of 15 and look like a donkey until s/he hits the game winning 3 at the buzzer. We can easily forget the rest of the game and just remember the satisfying end. Not that this film was shooting 2 of 15 earlier in the game.
What I wished were stronger are parts that mainly revolve around the story. While not being wholly original with a premise isn't a crime, some elements that can be taken as hokey are hard to stomach completely when the subject matter of the film isn't light. I thought there was an imbalance of the happy ending and coincidental life experiences of Jamal that weaved into a complete and coherent story and the severely tragic elements of organized crime, child prostitution, religious hatred, and deathly poverty *just to name a few.) Jamal was hyper heroic. That could be great to some. Others would like more depth to the archetypes. (Me, I mean.)
Overall, the visuals and performances make this film worthy of purchasing and rewatching.
(And more Freida Pinto would have been appreciated. Instead, she was Darth Mauled: She was part of the marketing blitz after the film made earned some early buzz but only was shown in about 10 minutes worth of scene time.)
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Downtime, vacation, no cable = Catching up on Movies
Public Enemies
Ever since I saw the trailer for this, I’ve been interested. Add Depp, Mann, and Bale to the mix and I’m piqued. The trailer also had this period piece done to the backdrop of modern music. The mood was different.
Watching the movie presented a different tone from the trailer. Not sure what I was thinking – how can organized crime be considered lightly or particularly in chic style and not be farcical? The movie was not farcical. It was deliberate and a bit stoic – although that’s not necessarily bad. Whatever it was, coming in with expectations of one sort of mood definitely skewed the experience especially early on.
The cast did a wonderful job of portraying intensity in subtlety and occasional ferocity. I appreciated the normalcy that the look of the movie presented. It wasn’t dark or typical of 30’s gangster set like it could’ve been crafted on movie set or in CGI. It was, in fact, filmed in the Midwest where the story was set. It was in the Midwest where John Dillinger and his criminal associates established themselves.
Depp plays John Dillinger a bank robber gangster that gained notoriety with his exploits. Bale plays Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent that led the investigation and hunt of Dillinger. The movie easily could’ve have focused on the man vs man conflict since both actors are quite capable of handling the duties. The movie could’ve done a lot of things. As I’ve read from reviews, this movies was based on a non-fictional account of that era of gangster crime and it makes sense that there are numerous subplots that are interpreted.
Since I normally attach most to character development, I didn’t think the movie picked up until the middle when the charm of John Dillinger stood out and his notoriety made sense. Earlier in the film, it was established that Dillinger thrived in the safety that he created by hiding in plain sight; hiding with the people. He could only do that if they wanted to protect him and the shine of his appeal emerged, at least to me, only at this midpoint.
After that, the movie picked up. I appreciated understatements that make statements. As stated by critics, Johnny Depp’s rendering of a notorious gangster as a normal man – a romantic and loyal man – without the sharply and overplayed tongue was very appreciated.
Overall, I thought the movie had hits and misses. I liked the performances, the story, the type of storytelling, and other items. I also hoped for more standout dialogue and earlier connection to the character (and between the characters). It’s been fun to think about the movie afterwards.
[SPOILER ALERT: If you don’t know John Dillinger’s story or haven’t watched the movie and want to: don’t read this part.]
*
*
*
It’s well noted that Dillinger was killed after watching the Clark Gable gangster movie “Manhattan Melodrama”. I just did research on it and this is what I found. Gable’s character, Blackie, was a highly principled and loyal man. Yes, he was a criminal and committed terrible acts, but the nobility of his character was pitted in his loyalty to his childhood friend, Jim, who was the district attorney. Dillinger, in Public Enemies, was depicted as such.
Earlier in the movie, Babyface Nelson, a Dillinger associate who was a loose canon and is more of the typical gangster movie ilk, died a very violent and bigger death. Interesting that, before he died in a car chase and gunfight, Nelson was doing his “James Cagney” impersonation at a bar. James Cagney was known for playing such roles.
Coincidental? Surely not. I like it. I like the subtleties.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Walletcry/Brainsmile: Comics - Incognito by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Aside from Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s run on Astonishing X-men, I don’t usually write ABOUT a specific comic book run. I’ve written about comics a lot, but not about specific series and their greatness or weakness. This go around, I have something to write about.
A few weeks ago, I picked up the “Incognito” special print that combined issues one and two. Incognito, the project from the creators of “Criminal” – Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, is just fantastic. I’ve picked up books that were fun reads, excellent reads, epic reads, but never felt particularly inspired to let go and utterly enjoy it.
I’m nearing the end of issue 4 and feel remorse like I haven’t with the prior issues. Why? The reprint was bought weeks back and I didn’t know what I was getting into. Once getting into it, though, I knew that I wanted to pick up issue 3 – and I knew it would be in the store. I bought issue 4 at the same time. So, while reading issue 3, I knew the end meant an immediate jump into issue 4. But now? Issue 5 releases on July 15th. I’ll be done with issue 4 by the end of the night. Two weeks. I have to wait two weeks to continue the story.
The story is about a reformed, by force for the most part, of a former superpowered bad guy named Zack Overkill. He now has a desk job while his powers are suppressed by government (SOS specific) drugs. He has basically been relocated like Witness Protection – but in this sense, he’s simultaneously being kept secret from his former bad guy bosses and also being held down so not to cause anymore trouble.
Imagine super powers with the wonderful void of integrity being wiped away for the life of a mundane desk monkey. That is wear Zack Overkill’s life is at the beginning of Incognito. That’s what he is – incognito. A super villain – incognito – but not only by virtue of an alter ego but due to the conflicting systems of the government led super friends and the splinter cell baddie group led by the Black Death. He’s caught in the middle because he really has no sides.
At some point, he learns of a way to suppress the suppressive gub’ment cheese to regenerate his powers. Then, as the only way to use the powers and stay under the government’s radar, he fights common thuggery. He doesn’t like the victims. He doesn’t empathize with the common criminals. He’s just a loner asshole that happens to be doing the superhero thing because it’s the only way he can be himself. Talk about incognito.
Eventually, the web he’s woven gets more complicated and he gets into further trouble with numerous amounts of people. And the fun never ends. Ed Brubaker writes an unflinching anti-hero and a story that’s full of mood and dark humor. Sean Phillips illustrates the mood and the pace magnificently. The colors, the shades, the progression of panels – all work and excel!
$3.50’s steep for a funny book, but Incognito is worth it. Since it’s on Marvel’s ICON imprint, there are no ads so it the story just flows. Besides, 51 cents for a gem is a steal compared to paying for the regular fare at $2.99 and reading another mini-story of a “6-issue arc”. Incognito works both as a serial and a monthly romp. Each issue has story worthy of a singular publish but also seamlessly moves the larger plot forward.
Go for it. Wait for those other stories for the trades. Don’t let me hog all this fun.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Damages: Season 1
Damages, the show on FX starring Glenn Close, is what you would call a tour de force.
When it came out in 2008, I paid it no attention. I’m not particularly drawn to Glenn Close and haven’t seen anything of hers that I can particularly recall as interesting to me. I also don’t follow most legal dramas. Apparently, the first season of the show was some high level shit as not-so-ineloquently described by SFGate/Chronicle’s Tim Goodman. When season two came around, he pleaded for his favorite readers to give it a chance, I followed suit.
I am so glad I did.
Damages is far more than a regular drama and universally evolved beyond a legal procedural. In fact, the impact of the show lies heavily in its character development and serial narrative. There are twists, turns, and red herrings a plenty in the show. Left right at the end of episode quarters and at the end of episodes leaving you begging for more, the twists deliver and make a whole deal of sense. But, as in any quirk or convention, twists don’t matter if we don’t care about the characters. And in Damages, we really, really do.
Interestingly, I was watching the return of BSG when I tested out Damages. The “Final Episodes” of BSG employed two storytelling devices frequently: flashbacks and twists. Yes, BSG’s highly intensive and complicated story always employed both, but not as often as they did in the final episodes to fully unravel the complete story. Because of this, when I started watching the first few episodes of season two of Damages I felt a gut-instinct that the show had some elements of BSG in it.
Those elements were: the twists, the deeper complicated flashback story, the multitude of levels of ulterior motives, multi-faceted motivations of the characters, and the willingness of the creators to not keep their characters locked in a box of conventions aka anything goes.
So, with that, I decided to Netflix Season One. It took me a few months to finally settle in and watch it, but surely it did deliver. And don’t call me Shirley.
The elements that I noticed remain throughout Damages – and despite not paying attention to each second as I would BSG – the impact of the larger plot twists and exposures were fully felt. The main conflict of Season One is between Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), a highly driven, successful, and brash class action attorney and Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) a corporate billionaire who is being sued by his former employees for insider trading. The story is pushed along, though, by the freshly optimistic young attorney Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne).
But, there’s more. There are quite a few murders that have happened in present time, and the main story is told from a flashback point of view. We basically know there is some crazy shit going on, and we’re watching to see how it unravels.
I think all the characters eventually get their do – and our portrayed well. The leads, Close, Danson, and Byrne are wonderful in portraying particularly non-linear characters. They all go through a major process, as characters, as the season-long narratives slowly gain more clarity. There are numerous twists, as stated numerous times, along the way. There are also great inter-personal drama plotlines to keep each episode compacted into digestible pieces.
Now, onto Season Two.. whenever the DVDs come out.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
The Cool Crowd: Nearing Season's Finale
Dying proof? What the hell's wrong with me. I post a beginning - a middle - and just an end? Bus life. Change in DVR habits. Change in life. No excuse. Maybe TV's just bored me. No. I think I just have a bit more of a life now. Okay. Onto the Cool Crowd.
Official goodbyes:
Heroes
Oh how the strong have weakened and how the wayward have completely lost existence. Heroes was never a perfect show. I didn't love it in it's first half of the premiere (and only good) season. It picked up tremendously in the second half. The second season was hated more than I thought it deserved. Season 3 started out blasting and the shots proved to be blanks.
I'm tired of complaining and lamenting about this show. What. A. Waste.
Eli Stone
This bubble show got burst - and before it finished, it already started to fizzle. Nothing else to say. I'll buy the first season in the future when it's on sale for $10 and enjoy it. I'll just forget most of Season 2.
BSG
They had a plan. And the magnum opus of a plan has been completed. I think this baby needs it's own special treatment. I love BSG. I miss BSG for the virtue that there will be no more new stories.
Flight of the Conchords
How's this for a terrible second season... (I couldn't say that outloud until now.. it hurt too much) I have 2 or 3 episodes left on my DVR and have found no real motivation to watch them.
NOW... onto the ongoings and more general happiness.
LOST
Time travel? Oh no. Time travel? OH. no. Time travel? OH HELL NO.
With that said, the narrative qualities of LOST still persist. The play on flashbacks makes sense now - now that they Losties are back on the island and are having to deal with the years they were off the island since they left. Plus, there are flashbacks for the Losties that stayed on the island and lived on the the island before the ones that left came back. Confused? You should be! I don't think LOST is meant to make sense - hence LOST. If it doesn't make sense for the charaters - it shouldn't be clear to us, as the viewers.
What LOST always has done well is depict complex characters with complex pasts and complex paths towards resolution. How the will be resolved we can't really tell. But, I think LOST fans, like myself, scoff at the non-fans' disbelief in our belief. It's similar to wrestling. We know it's preposterous. We know it's ridiculous. But we care, and that's all that matters.
And that is.. ALL that matters. Despite an unevenness of screen time and plot time, we are hanging on to the lives of our Losties because the writers have developed great stories to tell. The quality of the stories have ebbed an flowed this season, but it's okay. LOST is still quality fare that I get excited to watch each week.
Bones
Bones is what we expect it to be. (Thanks Denny Green!) It's a quick procedural with twists and turns and an all too quickly resolved mystery. But that's not why I watch the show. Like LOST, I watch this show for the characters - more than the plot or overall narrative. But, they have interesting narratives his season:
Hodgins and Angela have had to deal with their break up.
The whole team had to heal from Zack's transgression. Hodgins more so.
Bones has been trying to learn more about humanity.
Booth is a willing teacher and best friend.
Sweets has been trying to keep everything together.
The new squint per episode crew have been trying to establish themselves in the lab and in the very strange work environment at the Jeffersonian.
Of course, the relationship between Bones and Booth drive this show - fitting since many of their most poignant conversations happen in Booth's SUV as they drive around to different locations to track down the mystery in the bones.
Some shows have been bogged down with some subplots (the main plots of the mysteries), but the humor and heart of the show remain the strengths and the most consistent elements of the show.
I love it. The season finale next week will be OFF the HOOK.
*** More later...
Friday, May 08, 2009
REVIEW: X-Men Origins: Wolverine
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Ever since the bad taste of X-Men 3: The Last Stand left in my mouth, I’ve become relatively indifferent to most movie renditions of my beloved comic book characters. In fact, I didn’t even blink an eye when Wolverine began to gain more steam in its completion. I didn’t even know it was close to being finished until the pirated version sans SFX hit the interwebs.
Why the ambivalence? Well, as stated, X-Men 3: The Last Stand left me very very dissatisfied. Similarly, Spider-man 3 left me wanting much much more. Even on the small screen, the badly written foibles of Heroes and Smallville have left me more gravely displeased than even apathetically disinterested. Heroes has been taken off the DVR list – PERMANENTLY. Smallville has its priority on said list by Bones. Basically, the world of comic books in live action hasn’t left me fully satisfied in a long time.
The Dark Knight was obviously an irresistible success creatively and performance wise. The Watchmen was alright for the most part, but it’s not even right to compare. I think The Dark Knight, Watchmen, and other comic book-based films transcend the genre; not only due to their darkness, but also to the weight of their aspirations. Actually, come to think of it, I would place Hellboy 2 in that category. There was more put into Hellboy 2 than there was in other action-movie-based-on-comic-book-characters.
So, what of Wolverine?
Although my interest in the movie developed just a week or two before it premiered, I began to gain some interest as it approached. Nothing about it that I saw through trailers told me that I should expect any more than the typical fare, but the core X-men nerd in me couldn’t really compete with logic. I was excited. I wanted to be entertained – and I wanted it done well.
That is the rub.
Wolverine as a character in funny books has evolved drastically from my knowledge. I feel like he came in as a ass-kicker that asked no questions. And we loved him for it. It wasn’t until the 1980s that his backstory became more apparent. It wasn’t until the late 1980s when Wolverine really began to expand to a fully-fleshed out character. Nowadays, comic book characters are incomplete without their origins – hence the big run of origin stories in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Now back to the movie.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine combined various aspects of Logan’s origin story (from the comic books and the X-Men movies) – but focused mainly on the Weapon X storyline – the one in which he gained his adamantium skeleton and lost his memory. The movie also focused on Logan’s inner turmoil of dealing with the animal inside of him. Overall, the unveiling of his origin wasn’t all that bad.
The was entertaining for the most part. I think it picked up tremendously after Logan agreed to the Weapon X process. After that point, the revenge story became clearer and the delivery of the movie became more digestible.
I did have to talk to myself at some point in the beginning of the movie to remind myself of what it truly was. Because of some shooting angles and devices that I can only think of describing as “cheesy” that were accompanied by some similarly cheesy scoring, I thought I was watching another highly marketed Marvel-based B-flick. At first it bothered me. Then, I let it settle in that this movie wasn’t made for anything else but to be a bit of B-movie: bad guy, large anti-hero, a chick for romance, and a plaid shirt and physically laborious work for said anti-hero.
This makes sense when we reflect back at what Wolverine really means to the X-verse. He’s not meant to be the tormented hero that Batman is even though he is tormented. He’s not meant to be a social icon in his world like Superman. He’s not meant to be conflicted between his superhero and alter-ego personas like Spider-man. Wolverine is meant to kick ass. He is a human canon-ball just like Colossus turned him into. Yes, he has a backstory and is a full character, but that is not why Wolverine is loved. He is loved for the “SNIKT” of his blade. He is loved for the eternal beatdown that the next “Bub” was going to take.
And, so, the writers and director provided the world a Wolverine movie. We saw his powers used extensively in the movie, as they should have been. Healing factor? Check. Numerous Checks. Keen scent? Check. Numerous Checks. Super strength? Check. Numerous Checks. Adamantium blade-led destruction? Check. A million-times Check!
So, did Wolverine deliver? Let me review. I thought Deadpool.. I mean Wade Wilson could’ve been expanded more. I thought the Sabretooth fights.. I mean the Victor Creed fights became mundane. The SFX left me wanting more – or maybe less. The scoring was weird. I’m not sure if there was an intentional nod to the 80s style action movies since a bulk of the movie was set in the 80s. If there was, I can see why I thought it was very B-movie-ish. If not, the scoring left me dissatisfied. As well, a problem that torments most of our contemporary Hollywood offering (OVER-scoring) was present in this movie. There was also some pretty obvious symbolism after the first Sabre.. err.. Victor Creed and Logan fight at the bar. When Logan ended up on the train tracks and Victor was villainesque in his soliloquy about how Logan’s inner-animal had to be freed – and he had to choose what side he was on. I guess we love Wolverine because he straddles both sides of the tracks. Get it?
Final thoughts? Not sure. If it’s on HBO in HD, I’d obviously watch it again. Would I buy it? No. If it wasn’t Wolverine – and say Ghost Rider, Daredevil, or Elektra (ahem, Mark Steven Johnson, ahem) for example – would it have kept my attention? Not sure. Daredevil done well is a compelling film character. Elektra and Ghost Rider – probably not so much. But they all fail in comparison to the general bad-ass-ness of Wolverine.
And, I guess, at the end of the day, this is what should settle the score: Did Wolverine do what he’s best at doing? Pretty much.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
The Cool Crowd: The January Buzz
It's sad how disconnected I've been from blogging about television since, if nothing else, I wrote about television.
Nonetheless, here I am. And here are the subsequent thoughts.
BSG
Earth was a wasteland. We're on our last run for this epic show. What did they do? They came out BLASTING! The reveals in the season premiere were generally massive although the final one (which named the final Cylon) was disappointing. I actually finished the episode late at night - gripped to the narrative - and felt depressed for what happened. Not sure what it is with this show - deaths are common, but they know how to take your faves out and make sure it sticks.. and hurts.
The 2nd episode I enjoyed also although it was nowhere near the octane level of the premiere episode. I appreciated seeing the unraveling of the whole fleet and the citizenry. It was another depressing episode, but felt like it was setting us up for increasingly intense moments as we follow the show with its guns-blazing towards the resolution.
I don't necessarily like to make predictions, but I think Admiral Adama is going to die and Apollo will return to the military and become the new Admiral in the post-resolution BSG world. It's too easy. I guess it won't happen.
Lost
I like Daniel Farraday. There's something about his character that's noble and totally shady at the same time. I like that he's a demure nerd with immense power due to his mastery of quantum physics. Time travel or parallel worlds do exist in the quantum physics theoretical world. But, I'm hoping that this time-traveling story does.. ehem.. get lost.
I don't mind being confused. I don't mind the story being convoluted. I never watched this show because of the bigger picture although it was interesting. I loved this show because of their work on the characters no matter how expository it was. The narrative of the show continually grinds slower and slower as we are expose to more, and it's generally okay just as long as our dedication to the Losties is respected.
But, at some point, the madness needs to stop and all the silliness of the "Jughead" episode of.. "you told me to give you this to make sure you know I'm not effing around about this crazy time travel stuff".. NEEDS TO STOP! It's freaking lame. I don't like time travel stories because of stupid shit like that. They can handle the idea delicately and not succumb to its potential for idiocy.
Still. Seeing how all of this shakes down is worth the price of admission until they screw themselves too much with trying to hammer out what we should know about time travel.
Flight of the Conchords
The first two episodes of the season were generally weak, in my opinion. The songs didn't stand out too much and the bits seemed a bit forced. And, like someone said to me, the high production value of the show now sort of takes away the lofi charm of season 1.
With that said, I really enjoyed episode 3 much more than the first two. I mean, each episode has smaller gems (and I think that's why this show rocks) but the third episode just hit with more in the span of the episode. I can see why Bret and Jemaine are frustrated with the idea of making more episodes. Season 1 had a slew of already-created musical material. The songs this season seem to be trying too hard. Maybe they are being forced to expand the genres they are satirizing. If they are, I understand the need for expansion but they've showed that their chops are in 70s and 80s style songs with occasional gems in other genres. Let's hope that pressure isn't really happening.
Scrubs
I'm so glad Scrubs is back and telling good stories. Because I came in to the show in Season 5 and the slapstick was running high, I wasn't sure how a return to the S1 and S2 storytelling would vibe for me. This season, moreso than the abbreviated and disorganized (thanks NBC)Season 7, is really really good. I'm glad the rejoining of JD and Elliot wasn't a big deal (and Bill Lawrence designed it to be like that.. "no Rachel and Ross" treatment because he wanted to move on.) The first 2 episodes of the season showed the range of this show. The first episode was high octane comedy. The second was still deliciously funny but was much more of a somber episode - real emotions and real sentimentality. I haven't erased either from my DVR yet. I can come back to those two episodes multiple times.
Thank you, ABC for giving this show an opportunity to close out its characters properly. I can't believe NBC would rather make shows like Knight Rider and My Own Worst Enemy rather than stick to some loyalty of a genuinely good show. Ratings might not be great, but you can't tell me those other two wastes of time (and marketing efforts) are did more for the network.
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.... and now.. some new shows and other stuff...
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True Blood
Not a new show, but I did give it another go on New Year's Eve when they ran a marathon. I can definitely see why others are enthralled by the show and I'm interested in watching what else may come. But, I still don't love the show, and I think the quirks of it.. mostly revolving around supernatural beings (vampires, mind-reading, werewolves, etc.) doesn't do enough for me. The story is generally fun and enticing. The characters are expanding. It'll be put back on the DVR list when it returns, but it's unlikely I'll run to each new episode.. unlike I'm doing with...
Damages
Wow. I have no following of Glenn Close and no real commitment to law dramas, but this show does something for me. It's multi-layered obviously. The performances are good. None are over the top but all carry weight. William Hurt is a joy to watch.
Not sure why, but there's something of a BSG vibe that I get with this show - each character is untrustworthy yet are balanced with some ambitions of nobility. The drama and narrative is intense, but is smooth. BSG is usually very powerful and hyper-intense, but there is still some butter to the burnt toast. I think Damages has that silkiness.
Or I may be totally off in my comparison, but there's just a level of interest that each episode has created that the end always comes too soon.
Now.. all I need is FX to broadcast in HD - or at least, more widely.
The Tudors
Not sure what it's been, but when I originally found no interest in this show, I now am connected to the characters. I don't think this show is too complicated or utterly anything special. It seems to follow an easy series archetype (especially for a lot of cable shows) that explores immorality, dishonesty, corruption, and sex. This time though, they're parading around in the garb of its era.
I akin the series to what the stories would be like if Commodus, in Gladiator, had his own show. Maybe with Henry the VIII being a bit less creepy (but equally impetuous, whiny, and sleazy). Every character has an ulterior motive - and at the point where I am in Season 1 (DVDs) - all are scheming towards the downfall of each other except, interestingly, Henry VIII. Yes, he's trying to get a divorce, but he's otherwise open about it. Everyone else is playing double-agent of sorts.
I see this as more of a soap opera that's dressed up in period clothes and somehow has more "relevance" because it's on Showtime. Nonetheless, it's fun to watch.
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..... so otherwise........
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Ain't much changed since November.
