Star Trek—Film. J.J. Abrams’ long-awaited revamping of the Star Trek franchise hit the marks it needed to. As an interested fan (wouldn’t go so far to call myself a Trekker—or a Trekkie), I was dreading the “cleaning house” many people expected of non-fan Abrams, but he was incredibly respectful of previous material. He (and his screenwriters) found a great way to tell a new story with elements we’ve only heard about previously and tied them into what we already know of the characters.
But the film did take a few liberties with things—but smartly gave a good reason for that (the perfect plot-twister: time travel). I’m not sure I like the Big Change made to the mythos (as it should affect many, many previously told stories), but the franchise needed a relaunch, and this made sure it was different than what came before (but still can be glossed over as it shouldn’t affect every single being’s day-to-day).
Like I mentioned in an earlier post about the film, it started out wonderfully, by making us actually care about the characters we saw on the screen. I think Star Trek has been pretty good for most of its incarnations, but it’s also been pretty sanitary and cerebral. Opening this film with an unstoppable villain and then a heroic sacrifice (by a new father no less) shook me up like little else I’ve seen Trek-wise.
It’s not a perfect movie; it may not even be a great one, but it is more worthy of the name than many other films and series in the franchise. B+
Trailer Park Boys-- I haven’t seen the Canadian TV series this movie originated from, but I think I’ll eventually seek it out. The movie’s a bit hard to describe (compounded by not remembering many details about it 7 weeks later), but I will say it was pretty funny at the time. Three lowlifes who live in a trailer park try to pull off these ridiculous heists to net them a cool couple hundred dollars (breaking into parking meters, stealing gumball machine money). It could have been handled poorly—or at least in a Will Farrell/Adam Sandler “aren’t I acting obnoxious?” way—but this movie owned the ridiculousness of it all. They weren’t busy winking at the camera because they were living it. That’s a credit in this reality show trash world we live in. B-
Up—film. Another film I have posted previously about. Simply put: it’s brilliant. Great for kids; amazing for adults. One of the best films I’ve ever seen. Beautiful, funny, tender, unexpected. A
Wonder Woman— I’m gonna be honest and say I don’t remember hardly anything about this made-for-DVD movie. I do recall it was decent—bit not mind-blowingly good. I also recall the plot working very well (Wonder Woman has been notoriously difficult for writers to write for). I will say it made me bummed out that the Joss Whedon movie that was in the works for a short time isn’t going to be made because this proved that a good story could be told for the character—and she definitely needs a good “Wonder Woman” (as opposed to any other hero[ine]) story. C+
The Wrestler-- This is one of those tricky films for me: on one hand, it’s wonderfully written, acted, and directed; on the other hand, nothing really happened. It’s one of those films I call “slice of life” pictures that seem to be just a showcase for acting, writing, or directing as opposed to a film with a definite beginning, middle, and end.
I’m not trying to knock it too much. The acting (particularly by Mickey Rourke) was exceptional, and the story and directing were very well done. I was a big WWF/E fan back in the early part of the decade and did a lot of background (off-storyline) “research”, and I know very well what happens to many wrestlers that are past their primes. This film was incredibly true-to-life in those regards—as well as in regards to the absolute torture most of those wrestlers put themselves through to entertain the audience/get a paycheck.
I just wish something would have happened. I was hoping for some sort of climax/closure. B+
Zack & Miri Make a Porno— I watched this with a lot of trepidation because I’m not quite sure what I’ll get with a Kevin Smith movie anymore. Will it be old school Smith with thought-provoking ideas littered with scatological humor or new school Smith with tasteless jokes/characters with a hint of “something bigger” we never get? With the title, you can guess which way I leaned.
But I was wrong. Sure, the first half-hour led me down to the belief that we were going to get more poop jokes than heart, but the movie transformed itself as the titular porno was being shot. Smith deserves much of the credit, but I’ll credit Seth Rogan and especially Elizabeth Banks for giving this film the heart it needed. I think this movie really showed us what both actors are capable of.
It is unfortunate that Smith still needed to push the taste line a little. Had some of the more crude jokes/scenes been taken out, this could have been a great movie for just about anyone. B
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
2009 Movie Reviews; 2nd Qtr; M-R
Marley & Me-- I read the book, and while it did get some guff for being a bit too sentimental, I didn’t think that at the time. How could a much-loved dog not be written about so fondly? Anyone who’s had a pet knows what they can mean to a person or a family. And, agree or not, you usually can’t find a better pet that gives unconditional companionship/love like a dog.
So, the movie: There was a lot of story to tell; almost too much for one film; so it felt a bit rushed at times. But the story of Marley and Me for both the book and the film was one about becoming a family, so we had to see the newlyweds picking out the first family member (Marley), then growing a little older, and moving jobs, and having kids, and just living. And Marley is “the world’s worst dog”, so we needed to see some of his antics (all of which were funny—and very well done, considering they involved animals).
About mid-way through the movie, things slowed a bit, and I saw something I hardly ever see in a movie: real parenting. TV and movies make being a parent seem like this thing where everyone is perfect (no crying babies, parents have unlimited time energy) or extremely dysfunctional (kids are wiseasses, parents either are too hard or too soft), or the family is forgotten about (where are the kids?). This one had America’s Sweetheart, Jennifer Aniston, looking like Hell with nerves frayed to their ends, at the brink of sanity/civility. That’s real life parenting little kids, people. It was the most true-to-life thing I’ve seen because I live it. I’m tired all the time, and I’m short with my family often enough to know it’s not a fluke. It’s hard being a parent—and this film showed it.
But I digress…
Anyway, we all know the story is about the time they pick up Marley to the time they had to put him in the ground, and that was as terribly depicted on screen as it was in the book; real and unvarnished. Dogs don’t live as long as people, and they had to adjust. I don’t care how cold-hearted you are; that was a tough thing to see on screen that should bring tears to your eyes.
Now for the part that has me on the fence: this film was heavily marketed for kids and was rated PG. But there were a few things that were a little older content than the elementary grade kids out there (although I know much of it would go over their heads). And the death of Marley was not a quick thing like you’d see in some movies (like say, The Lion King) that gets the plot moving; it happened at the end. It’s real life, and usually having a kid go through that in a movie before real life would be helpful, but I would expect there was more than one parent who probably had to explain things after the movie ended. I didn’t get a chance to see this with my kids, so I don’t know how they reacted (and it’s entirely possible they didn’t even see the ending considering their short attention spans).
All in all, this was a well-done, if a bit scattershot in tone, film. I have to say I was impressed by both Aniston and Owen Wilson’s work. They carried that movie yet let the story tell itself without getting in the way. B
The Mummy: Curse of the Dragon Emperor—Actually better than I expected it to be. It’s one of those “fun ride” movies that maybe not have always has realism in mind, but it was what it was supposed to be: fun and exciting. Brendan Frasier doesn’t get the respect he deserves for being able to pull this type of movie off (not many actors can), and Maria Bello is always a treat to watch (and unlike most women’s roles in this type of film, she held her own as a character). And, most importantly, not one person survived a nuclear explosion by hiding in a refrigerator. B
New in Town— I watched this with a great deal of trepidation. It’s about a ladder-climbing Miami executive who takes a management position in a small Minnesota town to whip the plant they just bought into shape (namely, change everything and lay off most of the employees). And then she meets a man… So, okay, the story is already a little familiar-sounding, and the thought that my native Minnesotans would be made fun of with their quirky personalities and accents (of which not many Minnesotans have) made me dread what I was going to see. But, you know, I smiled a few times at those quirky things like tapioca pudding and the sense of community I saw these characters had. It felt like home.
It’s not a great movie, and all respect to Renee Zellweger, the lead acting wasn’t stupendous. Zellweger did her thing, and she’s good at it; but it was the supporting characters (many of whom played by actors we’ve seen many times before in supporting roles) that stole the show. And I was pleasantly surprised to see a movie with such “good heart” to it—and not only did the film/community have it, but it’s was actually noteworthy, like it was important, and not just a little quirk the “flyover states” have that make them inferior to the coast states. B-
Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist-- This is a tough one. All the pieces were well-done, but the whole just didn’t amount to much. Michael Cera played his usual awkward character—a role he has down pat—in Nick, and Kat Dennings was very good (smart, funny) as Nora. The supporting characters (many played by familiar faces) also contributed well to the film. But there didn’t seem to be much purpose to it. I guess the best way to describe how I feel about it is: “It’s a good movie that I didn’t care about.” C+
Punisher War Zone—A movie that should have been good but wasn’t. It had a great cast (Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, and Julie Benz—some of my favorite TV actors) and the overall plot was perfect for the character, but it failed on so many levels. Stevenson managed himself fairly well, but some of the stunts/actions the film had him doing were ridiculous. The Frank Castle of the comics I’ve read would walk into a room and start firing his many guns, all with pinpoint accuracy. This film saw him take the time to move into weird positions that looked cool on screen while he dispatched his targets, often in close-up. Dominic West was horribly under-utilized. He either said, “Frak this” once he realized this film was gonna tank and decided to ham it up-- Tommy Lee Jones style (in Batman Forever)-- or he was cut off at the knees and given little more to do than laugh at the antics of his character’s brother. And Julie Benz didn’t have to be anything other than be the typical weak victim/mother that any actress could have been cast as. A complete waste of talent as it came to the actors.
The people who did get utilized well were the foley artists (who got to make many, many wet “splutch” noises that were heard when people were killed) and the people who mixed up the copious amounts of fake blood. My opinion is the studio had left over blood from some splatter movie and gave it to these producers at a discounted rate.
The film got a few things right: it was based in a big city (NYC, maybe) and most of the action took place at night (something the previous film starring Tom Jane failed in), but otherwise it was ridiculous. I imagine the tone of the film was based on Garth Ennis’ Punisher stories (I read that they were the comics Stevenson found the most interesting in his research), and that would explain it. But the thing is, Ennis writes over-the-top as a parody of violent comics. The creators of this film didn’t understand that it’s a joke. Frank putting his fist into—and almost through—a man’s face plays much better on the page than on the screen. Ennis (and his artists, most likely Steve Dillion and Darick Robertson in this case) masters of their craft, so we as readers buy into it. There’s a “shorthand” Ennis and his collaborators are afforded by readers because we know what kind of book we’re getting. The War Zone crew don’t have that relationship with us. They failed terribly.
And don’t even get me started on Micro. What a waste. D-
Religulous— I’ll say right now that I like Bill Maher. Say you will about his politics—or his beliefs—you have to admit he’s at least thoughtful with them (unlike many of our loudmouth political/religious commentators). I’ll also admit to being an atheist—although not what I’ve come to coin a “militant atheist” like Maher or author Christopher Hitchens. So I was very interested in this film.
But I kept hearing how controversial this movie was, and it really wasn’t. Maher was very thoughtful and more respectful than I think he needed to be (which was absolutely the right way to approach this film for him), but not very probing. I didn’t learn much from it, and that was very disappointing to me because I know Maher could have dug a little deeper without offending anyone.
His last monologue in the film was a work of art, though. He encapsulated much of the thoughts I know he has for religion and also explained why he has become more “aggressive” in his stance against it (and it also verbalizes how I feel about religion). That I can get behind. Watch the movie, but stay for the end; it’s worth it. B (B+ for the end)
The Rocker—Rainn Wilson playing a man-child is pretty much a no-brainer after seeing him on The Office. This movie could have used the connect-the-dots method most other movies of this type would follow, but this one had a lot of heart underneath the ridiculousness that helped it exceed expectations. Sure, Wilson’s “old man” drummer had his silly moments, but he pulled them off without ruining the tone of the movie. And I was also very impressed with Josh Gad’s work as the geeky Matt; he could have been a typical band nerd, but Gad really gave the character heart. C+
Role Models-- Another bad movie made better by the acting. First, the stellar Paul Rudd. That dude can do no wrong right now. Then Seann William Scott did his usual thing (hey—if it works, do it…). Christopher “McLovin’” Mintz-Plasse had, maybe, the toughest role (being a wimp, yet still likable). And Bobb’e J. Thompson in one of the funniest, most vulgar performances I’ve seen in a while. And let’s not forget the actress who’s quickly climbing to the top of my fave list: Elizabeth Banks. She didn’t have much to do, but what little she did was done well.
The film itself was a paint-by-numbers flick (you knew exactly where it was going), but there were enough surprises along the way to make this worthwhile. B-
So, the movie: There was a lot of story to tell; almost too much for one film; so it felt a bit rushed at times. But the story of Marley and Me for both the book and the film was one about becoming a family, so we had to see the newlyweds picking out the first family member (Marley), then growing a little older, and moving jobs, and having kids, and just living. And Marley is “the world’s worst dog”, so we needed to see some of his antics (all of which were funny—and very well done, considering they involved animals).
About mid-way through the movie, things slowed a bit, and I saw something I hardly ever see in a movie: real parenting. TV and movies make being a parent seem like this thing where everyone is perfect (no crying babies, parents have unlimited time energy) or extremely dysfunctional (kids are wiseasses, parents either are too hard or too soft), or the family is forgotten about (where are the kids?). This one had America’s Sweetheart, Jennifer Aniston, looking like Hell with nerves frayed to their ends, at the brink of sanity/civility. That’s real life parenting little kids, people. It was the most true-to-life thing I’ve seen because I live it. I’m tired all the time, and I’m short with my family often enough to know it’s not a fluke. It’s hard being a parent—and this film showed it.
But I digress…
Anyway, we all know the story is about the time they pick up Marley to the time they had to put him in the ground, and that was as terribly depicted on screen as it was in the book; real and unvarnished. Dogs don’t live as long as people, and they had to adjust. I don’t care how cold-hearted you are; that was a tough thing to see on screen that should bring tears to your eyes.
Now for the part that has me on the fence: this film was heavily marketed for kids and was rated PG. But there were a few things that were a little older content than the elementary grade kids out there (although I know much of it would go over their heads). And the death of Marley was not a quick thing like you’d see in some movies (like say, The Lion King) that gets the plot moving; it happened at the end. It’s real life, and usually having a kid go through that in a movie before real life would be helpful, but I would expect there was more than one parent who probably had to explain things after the movie ended. I didn’t get a chance to see this with my kids, so I don’t know how they reacted (and it’s entirely possible they didn’t even see the ending considering their short attention spans).
All in all, this was a well-done, if a bit scattershot in tone, film. I have to say I was impressed by both Aniston and Owen Wilson’s work. They carried that movie yet let the story tell itself without getting in the way. B
The Mummy: Curse of the Dragon Emperor—Actually better than I expected it to be. It’s one of those “fun ride” movies that maybe not have always has realism in mind, but it was what it was supposed to be: fun and exciting. Brendan Frasier doesn’t get the respect he deserves for being able to pull this type of movie off (not many actors can), and Maria Bello is always a treat to watch (and unlike most women’s roles in this type of film, she held her own as a character). And, most importantly, not one person survived a nuclear explosion by hiding in a refrigerator. B
New in Town— I watched this with a great deal of trepidation. It’s about a ladder-climbing Miami executive who takes a management position in a small Minnesota town to whip the plant they just bought into shape (namely, change everything and lay off most of the employees). And then she meets a man… So, okay, the story is already a little familiar-sounding, and the thought that my native Minnesotans would be made fun of with their quirky personalities and accents (of which not many Minnesotans have) made me dread what I was going to see. But, you know, I smiled a few times at those quirky things like tapioca pudding and the sense of community I saw these characters had. It felt like home.
It’s not a great movie, and all respect to Renee Zellweger, the lead acting wasn’t stupendous. Zellweger did her thing, and she’s good at it; but it was the supporting characters (many of whom played by actors we’ve seen many times before in supporting roles) that stole the show. And I was pleasantly surprised to see a movie with such “good heart” to it—and not only did the film/community have it, but it’s was actually noteworthy, like it was important, and not just a little quirk the “flyover states” have that make them inferior to the coast states. B-
Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist-- This is a tough one. All the pieces were well-done, but the whole just didn’t amount to much. Michael Cera played his usual awkward character—a role he has down pat—in Nick, and Kat Dennings was very good (smart, funny) as Nora. The supporting characters (many played by familiar faces) also contributed well to the film. But there didn’t seem to be much purpose to it. I guess the best way to describe how I feel about it is: “It’s a good movie that I didn’t care about.” C+
Punisher War Zone—A movie that should have been good but wasn’t. It had a great cast (Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, and Julie Benz—some of my favorite TV actors) and the overall plot was perfect for the character, but it failed on so many levels. Stevenson managed himself fairly well, but some of the stunts/actions the film had him doing were ridiculous. The Frank Castle of the comics I’ve read would walk into a room and start firing his many guns, all with pinpoint accuracy. This film saw him take the time to move into weird positions that looked cool on screen while he dispatched his targets, often in close-up. Dominic West was horribly under-utilized. He either said, “Frak this” once he realized this film was gonna tank and decided to ham it up-- Tommy Lee Jones style (in Batman Forever)-- or he was cut off at the knees and given little more to do than laugh at the antics of his character’s brother. And Julie Benz didn’t have to be anything other than be the typical weak victim/mother that any actress could have been cast as. A complete waste of talent as it came to the actors.
The people who did get utilized well were the foley artists (who got to make many, many wet “splutch” noises that were heard when people were killed) and the people who mixed up the copious amounts of fake blood. My opinion is the studio had left over blood from some splatter movie and gave it to these producers at a discounted rate.
The film got a few things right: it was based in a big city (NYC, maybe) and most of the action took place at night (something the previous film starring Tom Jane failed in), but otherwise it was ridiculous. I imagine the tone of the film was based on Garth Ennis’ Punisher stories (I read that they were the comics Stevenson found the most interesting in his research), and that would explain it. But the thing is, Ennis writes over-the-top as a parody of violent comics. The creators of this film didn’t understand that it’s a joke. Frank putting his fist into—and almost through—a man’s face plays much better on the page than on the screen. Ennis (and his artists, most likely Steve Dillion and Darick Robertson in this case) masters of their craft, so we as readers buy into it. There’s a “shorthand” Ennis and his collaborators are afforded by readers because we know what kind of book we’re getting. The War Zone crew don’t have that relationship with us. They failed terribly.
And don’t even get me started on Micro. What a waste. D-
Religulous— I’ll say right now that I like Bill Maher. Say you will about his politics—or his beliefs—you have to admit he’s at least thoughtful with them (unlike many of our loudmouth political/religious commentators). I’ll also admit to being an atheist—although not what I’ve come to coin a “militant atheist” like Maher or author Christopher Hitchens. So I was very interested in this film.
But I kept hearing how controversial this movie was, and it really wasn’t. Maher was very thoughtful and more respectful than I think he needed to be (which was absolutely the right way to approach this film for him), but not very probing. I didn’t learn much from it, and that was very disappointing to me because I know Maher could have dug a little deeper without offending anyone.
His last monologue in the film was a work of art, though. He encapsulated much of the thoughts I know he has for religion and also explained why he has become more “aggressive” in his stance against it (and it also verbalizes how I feel about religion). That I can get behind. Watch the movie, but stay for the end; it’s worth it. B (B+ for the end)
The Rocker—Rainn Wilson playing a man-child is pretty much a no-brainer after seeing him on The Office. This movie could have used the connect-the-dots method most other movies of this type would follow, but this one had a lot of heart underneath the ridiculousness that helped it exceed expectations. Sure, Wilson’s “old man” drummer had his silly moments, but he pulled them off without ruining the tone of the movie. And I was also very impressed with Josh Gad’s work as the geeky Matt; he could have been a typical band nerd, but Gad really gave the character heart. C+
Role Models-- Another bad movie made better by the acting. First, the stellar Paul Rudd. That dude can do no wrong right now. Then Seann William Scott did his usual thing (hey—if it works, do it…). Christopher “McLovin’” Mintz-Plasse had, maybe, the toughest role (being a wimp, yet still likable). And Bobb’e J. Thompson in one of the funniest, most vulgar performances I’ve seen in a while. And let’s not forget the actress who’s quickly climbing to the top of my fave list: Elizabeth Banks. She didn’t have much to do, but what little she did was done well.
The film itself was a paint-by-numbers flick (you knew exactly where it was going), but there were enough surprises along the way to make this worthwhile. B-
2009 Movie Reviews; 2nd Qtr A-I
Well, I'm off to a slow start this year. 21 movies from April-July. Just a little burned out on movies, I guess. But at least I got some legitimate A's this time.
Appaloosa—Well written, acted, and directed, but it felt like an Oscar-bait experiment more than a movie. It told a story, but there was never really any point to it. I know that’s terrible to say for a movie that was good in every respect, but I just didn’t “get it”. It’s not that there was anything complicated going on, I just don’t know why this story deserved the movie treatment. This is a tough grade. Technically, it earned a high B (or even a low A), but nothing grabbed me at all about it. B.
Disaster Movie-- I hate myself for borrowing (NEVER paying) these DVDs because they’re usually crap. This one was crap as well—but not as offensive to my sensibilities as I expected. By the time these films come out (and certainly by the time I get to them on DVD), the jokes are already old. Luckily, the Juno backlash didn’t happen right away, so those barbs were a bit more timely (if you even remembered Juno by that time). I was also happy to see some of my favorite MAD TV actors (Ike Berinholtz, Crista Flanagan, and Nicole Parker [I love Nicole Parker])in the film, playing numerous characters.
Mostly lame, but provided a few chuckles. D+
Earth— film. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, this film was visually stunning (no surprise as it incorporated many scenes shown on the eye candy TV miniseries Planet Earth of a few years ago) and must be seen on a big screen. I feel the same way now as I did then: it was simplistic (no “real world” tragedies—namely death—was shown), but very moving at times. I am still amazed at the shots that showed how big the planet is and then were transformed to show how small the planet is. There aren’t enough films out there that really show us the wonder of this planet. See this one. A-
Ghost Town—A “small” movie that worked well for what it was. A man with some relationship issues dies and tries to keep his wife from marrying another cad, all with the help of a dentist who can see the dead. Greg Kinnear went against his grain a little bit by playing the dead man who is not a very good person or husband, Tea Leone was great as the wife, and Ricky Gervais was perfect as the dentist. The film had some funny moments as well as some touching moments. It wasn’t great, but it’s definitely worth watching. B-
The God Who Wasn’t There—This documentary started out very interesting. It, actually, followed my line of thinking of Jesus and the Bible: the book is not literal, and Jesus may or may not have been an actual person. But the fundamental point of creating the Jesus character was as a metaphor for human existence. Jesus is actually a character like many other heroic characters in fiction. One folklorist/mythology scholar made a “test” for classic heroes, and found 22 points that many of them have in common. Jesus came in 3rd, with 19 of the 22 (behind Oedipus and Theses, I believe). Fascinating stuff. Then the doc went into the early history of Christianity (which I like finding out about; even as an atheist), and I was surprised to learn that Paul (a person I found a great affinity for in my teen years) was the only person spreading the Word of Jesus out to the masses at the time (the Gospels weren’t written until after 70 AD—40 years after Christ’s death). The funny thing about Paul—he didn’t believe (based on his writings) that Jesus actually lived on Earth. It wasn’t until later that people started believing this man was actually a God on Earth. I guess I didn’t catch that little bit of knowledge when I took an interest in him years ago. And I doubt it’s widespread knowledge in general as it defeats the purpose a little in church to have this great Christian not believe the essential “truth” of Christ: that he lived and died as a man.
There were other revelations for me, and one of the most interesting was when the documentary asked what people thought of Jesus the most. The result was people found the most meaning in a movie about Jesus’ suffering: The Passion of the Christ (or as my friend once brilliantly nicknamed it: “The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre”). Even as a person who is interested in the man (or the myth), I have never been interested in watching that movie. I find the teachings of Jesus (many of which are very great to follow, regardless of your religious beliefs) to be much more worthy of remembering than the suffering. Apparently, that’s not what sells the whole thing for Christians. Anyway, the doc tracked every instance of violence or blood in the film and then listed them out, per minute, for our knowledge. (For the record, something like the first 20 minutes were relatively blood-free, and then from minute 20 until the end, there were only six minutes that had no violent actions or blood. The doc also mentioned how director Mel Gibson had to have made conscious decisions to add some of the blood spurts because they don’t happen as the movie showed.)
So I did like this movie—up until the last ten minutes. Then I got to see that the creator had an axe to grind about his childhood (religious) school. He may have had a point; that kids are being indoctrinated to not ask tough questions about the religion that’s being spoon-fed to them. But all the fairly open-minded ideas he had presented earlier were forgotten as he asked questions of the high school principal that he knew would get a negative reaction. And then, at the very last ten seconds of the film, he went quite a bit over the top, and that killed the movie for me.
Listen, if you’re a Christian, you want no part of this movie. Faith is hard enough to justify, and having the facts presented to you like this will make it tougher (unless you subscribe to the “Devil planted doubt about Jesus centuries earlier than his birth, so no one would believe” theory that Christianity has to justify denying these “facts” as stated in the doc). But those of you who are on the fence about belief—or just would like to learn more about those beliefs and the historical significance of them—will find many things to ponder here. I did learn a lot. Obviously, the director had a point to make-- and he went about it the “right way” for nearly the whole thing—but he hurt his thesis by his antics at the end. I’ll give it a B for the most part, but it drops to a C+ with the ending.
Hulk Vs.— Two stories in one: First, we had Hulk Vs. Thor in a battle I’ve read countless times before in the comics. Secondly was Hulk vs. Wolverine, which was pretty much a retelling of Wolverine’s origin (didn’t the Wolverine film this spring take care of that?). Nothing new or exciting here except Deadpool. Now there’s a character I’d watch for 80 minutes (although I’m sure they’d make him way over the top; Deadpool is a great supporting character; probably “too much” for a lead role, though). C-
I Love You Man—film. A “chick flick” starring two guys. That, in itself, is pretty funny (c’mon, chick flicks are usually stupid—and almost always follow the precise formula of: great girl who can’t find a good man bumps into a guy and they 1. hit it off immediately OR 2. hate each other immediately—and then grow to like each other—and then get on a whirlwind, “nothing can stop us now” romance until a misunderstanding breaks them up, after which a passage of time takes place and they bump into each other/get set up by meddling friends and realize they are right for each other). That alone could have made the film work, but stars Paul Rudd and Jason Segal brought way more to this film than just that. Both actors “bring it” for every role I’ve seen them in, and they were on fire for this one. Those two made an okay movie into a good one. B
Appaloosa—Well written, acted, and directed, but it felt like an Oscar-bait experiment more than a movie. It told a story, but there was never really any point to it. I know that’s terrible to say for a movie that was good in every respect, but I just didn’t “get it”. It’s not that there was anything complicated going on, I just don’t know why this story deserved the movie treatment. This is a tough grade. Technically, it earned a high B (or even a low A), but nothing grabbed me at all about it. B.
Disaster Movie-- I hate myself for borrowing (NEVER paying) these DVDs because they’re usually crap. This one was crap as well—but not as offensive to my sensibilities as I expected. By the time these films come out (and certainly by the time I get to them on DVD), the jokes are already old. Luckily, the Juno backlash didn’t happen right away, so those barbs were a bit more timely (if you even remembered Juno by that time). I was also happy to see some of my favorite MAD TV actors (Ike Berinholtz, Crista Flanagan, and Nicole Parker [I love Nicole Parker])in the film, playing numerous characters.
Mostly lame, but provided a few chuckles. D+
Earth— film. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, this film was visually stunning (no surprise as it incorporated many scenes shown on the eye candy TV miniseries Planet Earth of a few years ago) and must be seen on a big screen. I feel the same way now as I did then: it was simplistic (no “real world” tragedies—namely death—was shown), but very moving at times. I am still amazed at the shots that showed how big the planet is and then were transformed to show how small the planet is. There aren’t enough films out there that really show us the wonder of this planet. See this one. A-
Ghost Town—A “small” movie that worked well for what it was. A man with some relationship issues dies and tries to keep his wife from marrying another cad, all with the help of a dentist who can see the dead. Greg Kinnear went against his grain a little bit by playing the dead man who is not a very good person or husband, Tea Leone was great as the wife, and Ricky Gervais was perfect as the dentist. The film had some funny moments as well as some touching moments. It wasn’t great, but it’s definitely worth watching. B-
The God Who Wasn’t There—This documentary started out very interesting. It, actually, followed my line of thinking of Jesus and the Bible: the book is not literal, and Jesus may or may not have been an actual person. But the fundamental point of creating the Jesus character was as a metaphor for human existence. Jesus is actually a character like many other heroic characters in fiction. One folklorist/mythology scholar made a “test” for classic heroes, and found 22 points that many of them have in common. Jesus came in 3rd, with 19 of the 22 (behind Oedipus and Theses, I believe). Fascinating stuff. Then the doc went into the early history of Christianity (which I like finding out about; even as an atheist), and I was surprised to learn that Paul (a person I found a great affinity for in my teen years) was the only person spreading the Word of Jesus out to the masses at the time (the Gospels weren’t written until after 70 AD—40 years after Christ’s death). The funny thing about Paul—he didn’t believe (based on his writings) that Jesus actually lived on Earth. It wasn’t until later that people started believing this man was actually a God on Earth. I guess I didn’t catch that little bit of knowledge when I took an interest in him years ago. And I doubt it’s widespread knowledge in general as it defeats the purpose a little in church to have this great Christian not believe the essential “truth” of Christ: that he lived and died as a man.
There were other revelations for me, and one of the most interesting was when the documentary asked what people thought of Jesus the most. The result was people found the most meaning in a movie about Jesus’ suffering: The Passion of the Christ (or as my friend once brilliantly nicknamed it: “The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre”). Even as a person who is interested in the man (or the myth), I have never been interested in watching that movie. I find the teachings of Jesus (many of which are very great to follow, regardless of your religious beliefs) to be much more worthy of remembering than the suffering. Apparently, that’s not what sells the whole thing for Christians. Anyway, the doc tracked every instance of violence or blood in the film and then listed them out, per minute, for our knowledge. (For the record, something like the first 20 minutes were relatively blood-free, and then from minute 20 until the end, there were only six minutes that had no violent actions or blood. The doc also mentioned how director Mel Gibson had to have made conscious decisions to add some of the blood spurts because they don’t happen as the movie showed.)
So I did like this movie—up until the last ten minutes. Then I got to see that the creator had an axe to grind about his childhood (religious) school. He may have had a point; that kids are being indoctrinated to not ask tough questions about the religion that’s being spoon-fed to them. But all the fairly open-minded ideas he had presented earlier were forgotten as he asked questions of the high school principal that he knew would get a negative reaction. And then, at the very last ten seconds of the film, he went quite a bit over the top, and that killed the movie for me.
Listen, if you’re a Christian, you want no part of this movie. Faith is hard enough to justify, and having the facts presented to you like this will make it tougher (unless you subscribe to the “Devil planted doubt about Jesus centuries earlier than his birth, so no one would believe” theory that Christianity has to justify denying these “facts” as stated in the doc). But those of you who are on the fence about belief—or just would like to learn more about those beliefs and the historical significance of them—will find many things to ponder here. I did learn a lot. Obviously, the director had a point to make-- and he went about it the “right way” for nearly the whole thing—but he hurt his thesis by his antics at the end. I’ll give it a B for the most part, but it drops to a C+ with the ending.
Hulk Vs.— Two stories in one: First, we had Hulk Vs. Thor in a battle I’ve read countless times before in the comics. Secondly was Hulk vs. Wolverine, which was pretty much a retelling of Wolverine’s origin (didn’t the Wolverine film this spring take care of that?). Nothing new or exciting here except Deadpool. Now there’s a character I’d watch for 80 minutes (although I’m sure they’d make him way over the top; Deadpool is a great supporting character; probably “too much” for a lead role, though). C-
I Love You Man—film. A “chick flick” starring two guys. That, in itself, is pretty funny (c’mon, chick flicks are usually stupid—and almost always follow the precise formula of: great girl who can’t find a good man bumps into a guy and they 1. hit it off immediately OR 2. hate each other immediately—and then grow to like each other—and then get on a whirlwind, “nothing can stop us now” romance until a misunderstanding breaks them up, after which a passage of time takes place and they bump into each other/get set up by meddling friends and realize they are right for each other). That alone could have made the film work, but stars Paul Rudd and Jason Segal brought way more to this film than just that. Both actors “bring it” for every role I’ve seen them in, and they were on fire for this one. Those two made an okay movie into a good one. B
Premieres and Notables; July 13-19, 2009
Monday, 7/13
Anthony Bourain: No Reservations; Travel. 9 pm. 5th Season Premiere.
Here Come the Newlyweds (ABC; 9:02 pm CST). Season Finale
Tuesday, 7/14
Miami Social; Bravo. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Because Real Housewives wasn't enough...
Wednesday, 7/15
Leverage; TNT. 8 pm. 2nd Season Premiere.
Ah-- this show belongs in the summer. Just slightly tongue-in-cheek; not overly dramatic. Not great, but a lot of fun.
Dark Blue; TNT. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Dylan McDermott leads a small team of undercover cops in this Jerry Bruckheimer-created series. I like McDermott, but I have a feeling this show won't be a hit.
Michael & Michael Have Issues; Comedy Central. 9:30 pm. Series Premiere.
First, they brought us the sketch comedy The State; then they brought us the more linear Stella. Now Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter combine the two in this comedy about the behind the scenes of a sketch show.
It's bound to be juvenile, but it should also end up being funny-- and that's something Comedy Central shows have been missing lately.
Thursday, 7/16
Raising Sextuplets (WE; 9 pm). Season Finale.
Didn't this show just premiere a couple of weeks ago?
Friday, 7/17
The Chopping Block (NBC; 7 pm). Season Finale.
Catch It Keep It; Science. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Contestants in this game build things to catch valuable items.
Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand-Up; Starz. 10 pm. Season Premiere.
Saturday, 7/18
Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics; Food Network. 12:30 pm. Season Premiere.
The Bill Engvall Show; TBS. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
How is it even possible this turd keeps getting renewed?
Dirty Sexy Money; ABC. 9 pm. Return.
And ABC begins the end of this series. It started out okay last year but just seemed to spin its wheels this year before it got cancelled.
Sunday, 7/19
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead; BBC America. 7 pm. Movie.
The end of David Tennant's run as The Doctor begins here.
Most Popular; WE. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Host Graham Norton gives ten G's to the contestant the audience likes best in this popularity contest.
And I also want to point out that Nick at Night (Nickelodeon) is airing reruns of Malcolm in the Middle at 7 and 7:30 pm every weeknight. I forgot how funny and insane that show was in its early years until I started watching it with my kids.
Anthony Bourain: No Reservations; Travel. 9 pm. 5th Season Premiere.
Here Come the Newlyweds (ABC; 9:02 pm CST). Season Finale
Tuesday, 7/14
Miami Social; Bravo. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Because Real Housewives wasn't enough...
Wednesday, 7/15
Leverage; TNT. 8 pm. 2nd Season Premiere.
Ah-- this show belongs in the summer. Just slightly tongue-in-cheek; not overly dramatic. Not great, but a lot of fun.
Dark Blue; TNT. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Dylan McDermott leads a small team of undercover cops in this Jerry Bruckheimer-created series. I like McDermott, but I have a feeling this show won't be a hit.
Michael & Michael Have Issues; Comedy Central. 9:30 pm. Series Premiere.
First, they brought us the sketch comedy The State; then they brought us the more linear Stella. Now Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter combine the two in this comedy about the behind the scenes of a sketch show.
It's bound to be juvenile, but it should also end up being funny-- and that's something Comedy Central shows have been missing lately.
Thursday, 7/16
Raising Sextuplets (WE; 9 pm). Season Finale.
Didn't this show just premiere a couple of weeks ago?
Friday, 7/17
The Chopping Block (NBC; 7 pm). Season Finale.
Catch It Keep It; Science. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Contestants in this game build things to catch valuable items.
Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand-Up; Starz. 10 pm. Season Premiere.
Saturday, 7/18
Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics; Food Network. 12:30 pm. Season Premiere.
The Bill Engvall Show; TBS. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
How is it even possible this turd keeps getting renewed?
Dirty Sexy Money; ABC. 9 pm. Return.
And ABC begins the end of this series. It started out okay last year but just seemed to spin its wheels this year before it got cancelled.
Sunday, 7/19
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead; BBC America. 7 pm. Movie.
The end of David Tennant's run as The Doctor begins here.
Most Popular; WE. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Host Graham Norton gives ten G's to the contestant the audience likes best in this popularity contest.
And I also want to point out that Nick at Night (Nickelodeon) is airing reruns of Malcolm in the Middle at 7 and 7:30 pm every weeknight. I forgot how funny and insane that show was in its early years until I started watching it with my kids.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Olivia Munn + French Maid Outfit + Chocolate Pudding
= just about what you'd expect. (If you like hot, scantily-clad chicks rolling in, well, anything...)
But throw in Kevin Pereira, and it's lunacy.
It's a bit long, but it's entertaining enough.
But throw in Kevin Pereira, and it's lunacy.
It's a bit long, but it's entertaining enough.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
I'm not sure it works that way.
I wonder what would have happened to her dad if she had just given her boyfriend a handjob...
Monday, July 06, 2009
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Premieres and Notables; July 6-12, 2009
Monday, 7/6
Alanis Morssette begins a seven-episode arc as Nancy's new doctor. And it sounds as if Uncle Andy continues his streak of nailing the guest stars this season instead of Silas...
And Shane is going to get revenge on the teacher who stole his pot. In my opinion, Shane has the potential to be the scariest of all the characters-- and we've seen some scary characters on this show.
Tuesday, 7/7
10 Things I Hate About You; ABC Family. 7 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Remake of the 1999 movie. Doesn't sound interesting at all-- but it does star Aliens in America's fantastic Lindsey Shaw, so I'll be tuning in for the first ep at least.
Great American Road Trip; NBC. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
Families compete in challenges while crossing the country.
Warehouse 13; SyFy. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Well, Sci Fi officially changes to SyFy today, and this show is the first new one under the new network name (a name I am a bit more comfortable with. I don't like what the change could mean, but I also understand the need to open up possibilities for shows like Battlestar Galactica, which we all know could have done better if it wasn't "saddled" with the the science fiction tag, which, let's face it, has been damaged quite a bit by shit the Sci Fi Channel threw out there. I mean, have you tried watching any of their made-for-TV-movies? I struggled to watch Alien Apocalypse. It was painful. And it freakin' starred Bruce Campbell. That dude can usually raise the bar of any turd he's in, but I couldn't get past the first 45 minutes.)
Aaaaanyway---
Warehouse 13 is a show in a low budget comedy sort of vein with two Secret Service Agents (one played by the fun to watch Eddie McClintock) who explore the supernatural. It's supposed to have some humorous "Easter Egg" stuff. The premiere is a little weak, but I've heard it has the potential to get better.
Wednesday, 7/8
Time Team America; PBS. 7 pm (check local listings). Series Premiere.
Here's what Entertainment Weekly had to say: "Why are a bunch of archaeologists racing against the clock to excavate a site on Roanoke Island? Based on many viewings of Raiders of the Lost Arc, I'd blame the Nazis."
Ghost Hunters International; SyFy. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
And, of course, the "Science Fiction" name can't get ruined by airing this garbage with the name change...
Top Chef Masters (Bravo; 9 pm) has a special guest judge tonight: Neil Patrick Harris. Awesome. Wait for it Legendary.
[Speaking of legendary, NPH's well-received turn as host of the Tonys has put his name on the short list to host the Emmy's this year. I would actually tune in for a change.]
Reno 911 (Comedy Central; 9:30) Season Finale.
This thing was still airing? Good grief-- I stopped watching two months ago and thought they only had a handful of episodes left...
Thursday, 7/9
Big Brother; CBS. 7 pm. Season Premiere.
My guilty pleasure of TV. The only reality competition show I still watch.
I don't even like it that much-- but it draws me in every season just as I'm about to drop it.
Twelve new houseguests move in tonight-- along with a 13th, whom we're told is someone we know. Howie? Danielle? Evel Dick (how he spells it)? Maybe that dumbass former Illinois governor who tried to leave the country to be on I'm a Celebrity...?
Oh, and the houseguests will be divided into high schoolish cliques right off the bat: Popular, athletes, and brains, which I'm sure will last all of two weeks before the houseguests foil yet another stupid-ass plan by CBS to "shake up the house".
In the Motherhood (ABC; 7:30). Series Finale.
That one was still airing, too?
Friday, 7/10
The Assistants; The N. 7:30 pm. Series Premiere.
From TV Guide: "An inspiring director makes a sacrifice for her art-- taking an assistant job with a loco film producer."
Eureka; SyFy. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
I've heard good things... Worth checking out.
Saturday, 7/11
Keyshawn Johnson: Tackling Design; A&E. 11 am. Series Premiere.
Former NFL wide receiver Johnson allows the cameras to follow his new career: as an interior designer.
Harper's Island (CBS; 8 pm). Series Finale.
This show was still on, too?
My God! Talk about burn-off summers...
Eli Stone (ABC; 9 pm). Series Finale.
And I've said it before, and I'll say it again: hat's off to ABC for burning off these episodes of good shows that didn't get a renewal (first Pushing Daisies, now Eli Stone, and, starting next week, Dirty Sexy Money).
Sunday, 7/12
Drop Dead Diva; Lifetime. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Man, I can't even come up with anything. So I'll steal from TV Guide again: "The Horror! A shallow size 2 model narrowly escapes death-- only to enter her own personal hell when her soul is transported to the body of a brainy size 14 lawyer."
Entourage; HBO. 9:30. 6th Season Premiere.
I've seen the promos, and I haven't caught up with the past two episodes, but it looks like this week's Z Rock (IFC; 10 pm) guest stars the WWE's Chris Jericho, who I found to be one of the most charismatic (and talented) pro wrestlers during my few year span as a fan. Worth checking out; dude's pretty funny.
Alanis Morssette begins a seven-episode arc as Nancy's new doctor. And it sounds as if Uncle Andy continues his streak of nailing the guest stars this season instead of Silas...
And Shane is going to get revenge on the teacher who stole his pot. In my opinion, Shane has the potential to be the scariest of all the characters-- and we've seen some scary characters on this show.
Tuesday, 7/7
10 Things I Hate About You; ABC Family. 7 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Remake of the 1999 movie. Doesn't sound interesting at all-- but it does star Aliens in America's fantastic Lindsey Shaw, so I'll be tuning in for the first ep at least.
Great American Road Trip; NBC. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
Families compete in challenges while crossing the country.
Warehouse 13; SyFy. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Well, Sci Fi officially changes to SyFy today, and this show is the first new one under the new network name (a name I am a bit more comfortable with. I don't like what the change could mean, but I also understand the need to open up possibilities for shows like Battlestar Galactica, which we all know could have done better if it wasn't "saddled" with the the science fiction tag, which, let's face it, has been damaged quite a bit by shit the Sci Fi Channel threw out there. I mean, have you tried watching any of their made-for-TV-movies? I struggled to watch Alien Apocalypse. It was painful. And it freakin' starred Bruce Campbell. That dude can usually raise the bar of any turd he's in, but I couldn't get past the first 45 minutes.)
Aaaaanyway---
Warehouse 13 is a show in a low budget comedy sort of vein with two Secret Service Agents (one played by the fun to watch Eddie McClintock) who explore the supernatural. It's supposed to have some humorous "Easter Egg" stuff. The premiere is a little weak, but I've heard it has the potential to get better.
Wednesday, 7/8
Time Team America; PBS. 7 pm (check local listings). Series Premiere.
Here's what Entertainment Weekly had to say: "Why are a bunch of archaeologists racing against the clock to excavate a site on Roanoke Island? Based on many viewings of Raiders of the Lost Arc, I'd blame the Nazis."
Ghost Hunters International; SyFy. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
And, of course, the "Science Fiction" name can't get ruined by airing this garbage with the name change...
Top Chef Masters (Bravo; 9 pm) has a special guest judge tonight: Neil Patrick Harris. Awesome. Wait for it Legendary.
[Speaking of legendary, NPH's well-received turn as host of the Tonys has put his name on the short list to host the Emmy's this year. I would actually tune in for a change.]
Reno 911 (Comedy Central; 9:30) Season Finale.
This thing was still airing? Good grief-- I stopped watching two months ago and thought they only had a handful of episodes left...
Thursday, 7/9
Big Brother; CBS. 7 pm. Season Premiere.
My guilty pleasure of TV. The only reality competition show I still watch.
I don't even like it that much-- but it draws me in every season just as I'm about to drop it.
Twelve new houseguests move in tonight-- along with a 13th, whom we're told is someone we know. Howie? Danielle? Evel Dick (how he spells it)? Maybe that dumbass former Illinois governor who tried to leave the country to be on I'm a Celebrity...?
Oh, and the houseguests will be divided into high schoolish cliques right off the bat: Popular, athletes, and brains, which I'm sure will last all of two weeks before the houseguests foil yet another stupid-ass plan by CBS to "shake up the house".
In the Motherhood (ABC; 7:30). Series Finale.
That one was still airing, too?
Friday, 7/10
The Assistants; The N. 7:30 pm. Series Premiere.
From TV Guide: "An inspiring director makes a sacrifice for her art-- taking an assistant job with a loco film producer."
Eureka; SyFy. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
I've heard good things... Worth checking out.
Saturday, 7/11
Keyshawn Johnson: Tackling Design; A&E. 11 am. Series Premiere.
Former NFL wide receiver Johnson allows the cameras to follow his new career: as an interior designer.
Harper's Island (CBS; 8 pm). Series Finale.
This show was still on, too?
My God! Talk about burn-off summers...
Eli Stone (ABC; 9 pm). Series Finale.
And I've said it before, and I'll say it again: hat's off to ABC for burning off these episodes of good shows that didn't get a renewal (first Pushing Daisies, now Eli Stone, and, starting next week, Dirty Sexy Money).
Sunday, 7/12
Drop Dead Diva; Lifetime. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Man, I can't even come up with anything. So I'll steal from TV Guide again: "The Horror! A shallow size 2 model narrowly escapes death-- only to enter her own personal hell when her soul is transported to the body of a brainy size 14 lawyer."
Entourage; HBO. 9:30. 6th Season Premiere.
I've seen the promos, and I haven't caught up with the past two episodes, but it looks like this week's Z Rock (IFC; 10 pm) guest stars the WWE's Chris Jericho, who I found to be one of the most charismatic (and talented) pro wrestlers during my few year span as a fan. Worth checking out; dude's pretty funny.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Friday, July 03, 2009
It's the thought that counts
Hey-- at least he picked it out himself.
Oh-- I should mention this dude knocked up his teenage girlfriend and are living together in virtual poverty.
Oh-- and he also blew $500 for a Playstation 3 on himself not too long ago.
Oh-- I should mention this dude knocked up his teenage girlfriend and are living together in virtual poverty.
Oh-- and he also blew $500 for a Playstation 3 on himself not too long ago.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
UoA: "TV Commercial"
I read about this and had to check it out. Weeds' Uncle Andy has created his own university.
Check it out at universityofandy.com. Or, keep watching this blog because I'm enrolled and taking courses now and will share the lectures with you.
Check it out at universityofandy.com. Or, keep watching this blog because I'm enrolled and taking courses now and will share the lectures with you.
Premieres and Notables: June 29- July 5, 2009
Sorry I'm late. What can I say? It was nice to be away from a computer for 9 days (minus quick Google-mapping).
Besides, it's 4th of July Week-- nothing really notable is happening.
But here's what we've got this week:
Monday, 6/29
Dance Your Ass Off; Oxygen. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Twelve large people join a dance competition to... dance their asses off.
Yeah, sorry I didn't get to this one in time for you to watch.
(Shhhh-- it's on Oxygen, so it probably repeats a dozen times before next Monday's new ep...)
Tuesday, 6/30
NOVA scienceNOW; PBS. 8 pm CST (check local listings). Season Premiere.
A look at every singer's friend: the Auto-Tune program.
Tiny and Taya; BET. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
"Other halfs" of rappers T.I. and Lil' Wayne get their own reality show.
Wow. Not sorry I don't get BET...
Wednesday, 7/1
Monsters Inside Me; Animal Planet. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Real cases of parasites invading human bodies.
Thursday, 7/2
From 5 am to 10 pm, USA is airing a Burn Notice marathon. I've been diligently recording the series but haven't watched yet. I hear it's good fun. Worth checking out.
Sunday, 7/5
Ruby; Style. 7 pm. 2nd Season Premiere.
Ruby's already dropped 100 pounds, but she still feels like continuing.
Besides, it's 4th of July Week-- nothing really notable is happening.
But here's what we've got this week:
Monday, 6/29
Dance Your Ass Off; Oxygen. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Twelve large people join a dance competition to... dance their asses off.
Yeah, sorry I didn't get to this one in time for you to watch.
(Shhhh-- it's on Oxygen, so it probably repeats a dozen times before next Monday's new ep...)
Tuesday, 6/30
NOVA scienceNOW; PBS. 8 pm CST (check local listings). Season Premiere.
A look at every singer's friend: the Auto-Tune program.
Tiny and Taya; BET. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
"Other halfs" of rappers T.I. and Lil' Wayne get their own reality show.
Wow. Not sorry I don't get BET...
Wednesday, 7/1
Monsters Inside Me; Animal Planet. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Real cases of parasites invading human bodies.
Thursday, 7/2
From 5 am to 10 pm, USA is airing a Burn Notice marathon. I've been diligently recording the series but haven't watched yet. I hear it's good fun. Worth checking out.
Sunday, 7/5
Ruby; Style. 7 pm. 2nd Season Premiere.
Ruby's already dropped 100 pounds, but she still feels like continuing.
THE WIRE: McNulty Tells Bunk Why He Respects Him
Classic. Drunk-ass McNulty gets advice from drunk-ass Bunk-- and then completely bursts his bubble. Only two friends like them could get away with saying this stuff.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
2008-2009 TV Top Ten #10 (actually #1)
10. (The best is, indeed, last. Sorry about the length.)
The Wire: Simply put, the best television show I’ve ever seen-- and if you’ve been paying attention, you know I watch A LOT of TV, so I am pretty equipped to make that statement mean something. You also know I don’t resort to hyperbole much, so you know I mean it when I say: This is the best television show I’ve ever seen.
Created by former journalist David Simon and former homicide detective and schoolteacher Ed Burns, The Wire explores urban city America in the creators’ hometown of Baltimore. More specifically, the streets of East Baltimore. Using characters who are drug dealers, police, dock workers, addicts, school teachers, politicians, lawyers, newspapermen, and just regular people, the show explores the greater questions about our society and how we are failing it.
Simon explained that each season was meticulously planned out as a “novel”, with each episode being a single chapter of that novel. It may sound pretentious to describe it that way, but it’s very accurate. Each season told a story. There were no cliffhangers. The first couple of episodes set the scene for the season, the middle episodes furthered the plots, and the last two or three episodes contained the climax, with the last episode usually having the aftermath of the season’s events. Each season finale contained a montage with snippets showing what most of the primary and secondary characters were up to; a true ending to that story.
The first season introduces us to the series and focuses on the drug war. It’s not a new statement to say the War on Drugs is a complete failure, but by showing the struggles between police and drug dealers on the East Baltimore streets, we got a very human picture of the toll this farce has taken. Cops are hamstrung by the legalities of convoluted lawsuits that have changed the nature of the work, and the increasingly business-minded “drug lords” are able to stay one step ahead of them because of it. The Major Crimes Unit is formed to deal with the increasing threat of the drug trade, but the unit is composed of the dregs of the police force; the people the department wants to “lose”. They have become pariahs amongst their own people simply because they have always put the job—or honor-- first. The unit is expected to fail, even though they have some of the best police in the city on it.
The second season moves to the docks of Baltimore Harbor, which are quickly becoming less relevant to the city and the country as a whole. East European women brought to America via a cargo container to become paid escorts die on their trip, and the Major Crimes Unit gets put on that case as it’s expected to be a dog. Meanwhile, the drug trade heats up on the streets.
The third season deals with reform through a number of storylines. First, an honest and noble police major on his way to retirement and constantly berated by his superiors in front of his peers for not lowering his crime numbers takes a different approach to the drug problem: what if he secretly stopped cracking down on drug crime and corralled the drug trade into an “open market” of empty lots? It’s a brilliant idea, and the series takes a very close look at the ramifications of that idea. The next major storyline follows a young city councilman who wants to better the city and decides to become a crusader for major change. But he learns he has to play the game to be successful; it’s a catch-22: he can’t create change without working the system that makes change nearly impossible. The third main reform storyline follows a drug lord’s attempts to funnel his drug money into a more legitimate enterprise, real estate, in the hopes of getting even more money.
The fourth season takes a critical look at the school system through the stories of four at-risk boys from the streets. The school system is broken. Teachers and administrators, facing an ever-worsening budget, have been forced to no longer teach the kids general information, but teach the kids to be successful for the test that determines how much government funding they’ll get. One rookie teacher is learning the hard way that he can’t actually teach—and he also can’t seem to make a difference to his kids. On the other side of the fence, the kids from the streets are expected to work the drug trade to make good money and take care of their families—or just because they have no other alternatives in life. They have no incentive to learn at school because they all expect to be dead within a few years. Meanwhile, the police force can’t figure out why the homicide victim rate has gone down. They know the murders are still happening because the drugs are still out on the streets; they just can’t find the bodies.
Finally, the fifth season asks the question: if we know things are bad, why can’t we make the changes needed to better society? The focus is on the media, which is supposed to shine a light on the problems in society, by specifically following the struggles of the Baltimore Sun newspaper, which has been greatly weakened due to corporate greed, lazy writing, and reduced readership. Also, the police force is experiencing the effects of massive budget cuts—which hurt the efforts to reign in the drug traffic. And the city is experiencing a shortfall of money due to pumping so much of it into the schools; now the police department can’t react to the rash of murders that popped up. But not everyone is willing to settle for “there’s nothing that can be done”; they take actions to make their own and others’ lives better. A newspaper editor still demands the truth in an increasingly hostile corporate structure and is one of the last remaining voices of integrity in his newsroom. A drug renegade seeks revenge for a death and takes on an entire gang, one person at a time. A former addict tries his hand at recovery—and self-forgiveness. A detective forces an increased police budget by committing a terribly unethical act. A mayor fights the system to make the city better. And the whole series comes racing to a very satisfying (and yes: the best I’ve ever seen) series finale.
This is a very challenging series. It demands that viewers pay attention. It took two-and-a-half seasons for me to start putting all the pieces of the puzzle together; to “get” the storytelling method. This show takes a very real-world approach to how it tells its stories. Characters are not reintroduced every episode, events are not recounted step-by-step. You have to work out the relationships yourself. But telling the story like that also gives a massive payoff. You can see how one bad choice by a police officer can affect his career—and then you can trace how that single choice damages others’ lives. There are reverberations that go through the dozens upon dozens (and that’s literal) of characters.
The show also deals with heroes and villains in different ways. One of the best cops on the show makes terrible moral decisions—and constantly sabotages his career. And the worst drug dealers are often shown to be human; they are just doing the only thing they know. There were a number of dealers I really liked and was devastated when they were killed. And speaking of killing: you’d expect a police show like this to have lots of gunfights as that’s what we’re used to seeing in TV and movies. But because this show deals with those things in a real-world fashion, we see that gun fights are short—usually not even a fight at all. The drug dealers who get on the wrong side of a rival gang are usually sneaked up on, and get a “pop-pop” to the back of the head. These men/boys know that to start a street-wide gunfight is a losing proposition (and often involves immediate police action), so it’s quick and dirty—and done.
Every aspect of this show is nearly flawless. The writing is outstanding. I was flabbergasted to learn that there were more than one or two writers; that there was a whole team of very accomplished authors working on the scripts. Every episode feels like one part of a larger story, and there is a “flow” from episode to episode that teams of writers usually can’t accomplish.
The directing is extremely skillful. With the vast number of characters on the show, every scene is perfectly timed to fit exactly how it needs to in relation to the story. There are very few “wasted” scenes because each second is so precious that they couldn’t afford to have any weak moments. And even the more humorous scenes (some of which I’ve posted in this blog) fulfill a purpose, whether it is to ease tension or give us a glimpse into the larger aspects of the characters.
Finally, the acting. Magnificent. There were amazing things happening there. The show is about the city-- the characters are just ways to humanize the story—so every actor had the more-difficult-than-usual task of getting us to care about their characters. Even with all that, and with the fact that there were, easily, one hundred “important” characters (imdb.com lists 324 cast members) in these 60 episodes, I cared. I cared very deeply about many of them. Weeks after I watched the last episode, I still have tears well up in my eyes when I think about some of them. The writing and directing played a key part, but the actors playing those characters made these characters very much human. I doubt I’ll forget about any of them; they felt that real to me.
And a final thought on the acting: while there are a number of great, accomplished (or well on their way to becoming accomplished) actors in these roles, I found it very interesting that a large number of the minor characters were played by non-traditional actors. Most surprising to me was that the Deacon (a church-going man who is working at a grassroots level to better the community) was played by Melvin Williams, who was one of the largest drug lords of Baltimore of decades ago. He was arrested (by co-creator/producer Ed Burns when he was a cop, and the journalist who covered the arrest was creator/writer/producer David Simon), convicted, got rehabilitated as he did his time, and became a part of this show when he helped the producers learn about how the drug trade really works. And they cast him as a very inspirational role model for the community on the show because that’s the role he has tried to take in his life since his jail stint.
Another non-traditional acting choice was made in Felicia “Snoop” Pearson. I just finished her autobiography Grace After Midnight, and I learned that this woman, who died twice when she was born (she was a crack-baby) and grew up as a girl who liked doing boy things better (which involved working the Baltimore street corner drug trade), ended up in jail, got rehabilitated, tried getting legitimate jobs (that were ultimately taken from her when they learned of her felonious past) and then ended up back on the streets, was saved because of this show. She had tried so hard to be the best worker at the intensive-labor jobs she got out of jail, but was still thrown out when she admitted her past and ultimately had to go back to the corners because she had nowhere else to work. She was at a club when Michael K. Williams, who played the vigilante Omar on the show, spotted her and told her to go down to the set the next morning and get some camera tests taken. Snoop did as he instructed, earned $150 for the camera tests (which she noted wasn’t as much as she made in the same time while her dealers were working the streets) and was asked to come back. She did, and ended up with a fairly substantial role as a drug enforcer named Snoop (she was pleasantly surprised they used her actual street name in the series) in the last seasons of the show. It took a while, but she eventually gave up the drug trade (which she still worked while filming the show) and has acted in a number of films since. It’s an amazing story and shows the credibility the show was trying to achieve by taking real people from the real streets to fill out their cast.
And the show thrived very much on its credibility. Baltimore politicians and leaders may have claimed the show was making the streets look worse than they are, but the people who live on those streets often point to the show as saying it’s as real as it gets. David Simon said on a DVD extra that he was gratified when he heard that the HBO subscribers in Baltimore were a much higher percentage than in other cities in similar economic circumstances. He knew if people who had trouble paying their bills subscribed to HBO just to watch his TV show, then he must be telling the story correctly; that his show was giving those people a voice. Watching The Wire Sunday nights at viewing parties when the new episodes aired became a popular event for many B-More natives.
I could probably write ten times more than I have in this already long post about The Wire, and it would deserve every word. And, of course, I cannot even begin to do justice to the series by any of the words I write. This is a rare series that has helped me redefine my definition of what television is capable of. It is simply amazing. Do what you can to see this. Rent the DVDs at a video store (or maybe NetFlix), borrow them from the library or a friend, catch them on HBO OnDemand (and hopefully someday on repeats on the network), watch the sales (Best Buy has HBO-centric sales 2-3 times a year) and buy them yourself. Do what it takes to attain the episodes and give yourself completely over to that world that is just outside your window, yet one you probably never saw before.
The Wire: Simply put, the best television show I’ve ever seen-- and if you’ve been paying attention, you know I watch A LOT of TV, so I am pretty equipped to make that statement mean something. You also know I don’t resort to hyperbole much, so you know I mean it when I say: This is the best television show I’ve ever seen.
Created by former journalist David Simon and former homicide detective and schoolteacher Ed Burns, The Wire explores urban city America in the creators’ hometown of Baltimore. More specifically, the streets of East Baltimore. Using characters who are drug dealers, police, dock workers, addicts, school teachers, politicians, lawyers, newspapermen, and just regular people, the show explores the greater questions about our society and how we are failing it.
Simon explained that each season was meticulously planned out as a “novel”, with each episode being a single chapter of that novel. It may sound pretentious to describe it that way, but it’s very accurate. Each season told a story. There were no cliffhangers. The first couple of episodes set the scene for the season, the middle episodes furthered the plots, and the last two or three episodes contained the climax, with the last episode usually having the aftermath of the season’s events. Each season finale contained a montage with snippets showing what most of the primary and secondary characters were up to; a true ending to that story.
The first season introduces us to the series and focuses on the drug war. It’s not a new statement to say the War on Drugs is a complete failure, but by showing the struggles between police and drug dealers on the East Baltimore streets, we got a very human picture of the toll this farce has taken. Cops are hamstrung by the legalities of convoluted lawsuits that have changed the nature of the work, and the increasingly business-minded “drug lords” are able to stay one step ahead of them because of it. The Major Crimes Unit is formed to deal with the increasing threat of the drug trade, but the unit is composed of the dregs of the police force; the people the department wants to “lose”. They have become pariahs amongst their own people simply because they have always put the job—or honor-- first. The unit is expected to fail, even though they have some of the best police in the city on it.
The second season moves to the docks of Baltimore Harbor, which are quickly becoming less relevant to the city and the country as a whole. East European women brought to America via a cargo container to become paid escorts die on their trip, and the Major Crimes Unit gets put on that case as it’s expected to be a dog. Meanwhile, the drug trade heats up on the streets.
The third season deals with reform through a number of storylines. First, an honest and noble police major on his way to retirement and constantly berated by his superiors in front of his peers for not lowering his crime numbers takes a different approach to the drug problem: what if he secretly stopped cracking down on drug crime and corralled the drug trade into an “open market” of empty lots? It’s a brilliant idea, and the series takes a very close look at the ramifications of that idea. The next major storyline follows a young city councilman who wants to better the city and decides to become a crusader for major change. But he learns he has to play the game to be successful; it’s a catch-22: he can’t create change without working the system that makes change nearly impossible. The third main reform storyline follows a drug lord’s attempts to funnel his drug money into a more legitimate enterprise, real estate, in the hopes of getting even more money.
The fourth season takes a critical look at the school system through the stories of four at-risk boys from the streets. The school system is broken. Teachers and administrators, facing an ever-worsening budget, have been forced to no longer teach the kids general information, but teach the kids to be successful for the test that determines how much government funding they’ll get. One rookie teacher is learning the hard way that he can’t actually teach—and he also can’t seem to make a difference to his kids. On the other side of the fence, the kids from the streets are expected to work the drug trade to make good money and take care of their families—or just because they have no other alternatives in life. They have no incentive to learn at school because they all expect to be dead within a few years. Meanwhile, the police force can’t figure out why the homicide victim rate has gone down. They know the murders are still happening because the drugs are still out on the streets; they just can’t find the bodies.
Finally, the fifth season asks the question: if we know things are bad, why can’t we make the changes needed to better society? The focus is on the media, which is supposed to shine a light on the problems in society, by specifically following the struggles of the Baltimore Sun newspaper, which has been greatly weakened due to corporate greed, lazy writing, and reduced readership. Also, the police force is experiencing the effects of massive budget cuts—which hurt the efforts to reign in the drug traffic. And the city is experiencing a shortfall of money due to pumping so much of it into the schools; now the police department can’t react to the rash of murders that popped up. But not everyone is willing to settle for “there’s nothing that can be done”; they take actions to make their own and others’ lives better. A newspaper editor still demands the truth in an increasingly hostile corporate structure and is one of the last remaining voices of integrity in his newsroom. A drug renegade seeks revenge for a death and takes on an entire gang, one person at a time. A former addict tries his hand at recovery—and self-forgiveness. A detective forces an increased police budget by committing a terribly unethical act. A mayor fights the system to make the city better. And the whole series comes racing to a very satisfying (and yes: the best I’ve ever seen) series finale.
This is a very challenging series. It demands that viewers pay attention. It took two-and-a-half seasons for me to start putting all the pieces of the puzzle together; to “get” the storytelling method. This show takes a very real-world approach to how it tells its stories. Characters are not reintroduced every episode, events are not recounted step-by-step. You have to work out the relationships yourself. But telling the story like that also gives a massive payoff. You can see how one bad choice by a police officer can affect his career—and then you can trace how that single choice damages others’ lives. There are reverberations that go through the dozens upon dozens (and that’s literal) of characters.
The show also deals with heroes and villains in different ways. One of the best cops on the show makes terrible moral decisions—and constantly sabotages his career. And the worst drug dealers are often shown to be human; they are just doing the only thing they know. There were a number of dealers I really liked and was devastated when they were killed. And speaking of killing: you’d expect a police show like this to have lots of gunfights as that’s what we’re used to seeing in TV and movies. But because this show deals with those things in a real-world fashion, we see that gun fights are short—usually not even a fight at all. The drug dealers who get on the wrong side of a rival gang are usually sneaked up on, and get a “pop-pop” to the back of the head. These men/boys know that to start a street-wide gunfight is a losing proposition (and often involves immediate police action), so it’s quick and dirty—and done.
Every aspect of this show is nearly flawless. The writing is outstanding. I was flabbergasted to learn that there were more than one or two writers; that there was a whole team of very accomplished authors working on the scripts. Every episode feels like one part of a larger story, and there is a “flow” from episode to episode that teams of writers usually can’t accomplish.
The directing is extremely skillful. With the vast number of characters on the show, every scene is perfectly timed to fit exactly how it needs to in relation to the story. There are very few “wasted” scenes because each second is so precious that they couldn’t afford to have any weak moments. And even the more humorous scenes (some of which I’ve posted in this blog) fulfill a purpose, whether it is to ease tension or give us a glimpse into the larger aspects of the characters.
Finally, the acting. Magnificent. There were amazing things happening there. The show is about the city-- the characters are just ways to humanize the story—so every actor had the more-difficult-than-usual task of getting us to care about their characters. Even with all that, and with the fact that there were, easily, one hundred “important” characters (imdb.com lists 324 cast members) in these 60 episodes, I cared. I cared very deeply about many of them. Weeks after I watched the last episode, I still have tears well up in my eyes when I think about some of them. The writing and directing played a key part, but the actors playing those characters made these characters very much human. I doubt I’ll forget about any of them; they felt that real to me.
And a final thought on the acting: while there are a number of great, accomplished (or well on their way to becoming accomplished) actors in these roles, I found it very interesting that a large number of the minor characters were played by non-traditional actors. Most surprising to me was that the Deacon (a church-going man who is working at a grassroots level to better the community) was played by Melvin Williams, who was one of the largest drug lords of Baltimore of decades ago. He was arrested (by co-creator/producer Ed Burns when he was a cop, and the journalist who covered the arrest was creator/writer/producer David Simon), convicted, got rehabilitated as he did his time, and became a part of this show when he helped the producers learn about how the drug trade really works. And they cast him as a very inspirational role model for the community on the show because that’s the role he has tried to take in his life since his jail stint.
Another non-traditional acting choice was made in Felicia “Snoop” Pearson. I just finished her autobiography Grace After Midnight, and I learned that this woman, who died twice when she was born (she was a crack-baby) and grew up as a girl who liked doing boy things better (which involved working the Baltimore street corner drug trade), ended up in jail, got rehabilitated, tried getting legitimate jobs (that were ultimately taken from her when they learned of her felonious past) and then ended up back on the streets, was saved because of this show. She had tried so hard to be the best worker at the intensive-labor jobs she got out of jail, but was still thrown out when she admitted her past and ultimately had to go back to the corners because she had nowhere else to work. She was at a club when Michael K. Williams, who played the vigilante Omar on the show, spotted her and told her to go down to the set the next morning and get some camera tests taken. Snoop did as he instructed, earned $150 for the camera tests (which she noted wasn’t as much as she made in the same time while her dealers were working the streets) and was asked to come back. She did, and ended up with a fairly substantial role as a drug enforcer named Snoop (she was pleasantly surprised they used her actual street name in the series) in the last seasons of the show. It took a while, but she eventually gave up the drug trade (which she still worked while filming the show) and has acted in a number of films since. It’s an amazing story and shows the credibility the show was trying to achieve by taking real people from the real streets to fill out their cast.
And the show thrived very much on its credibility. Baltimore politicians and leaders may have claimed the show was making the streets look worse than they are, but the people who live on those streets often point to the show as saying it’s as real as it gets. David Simon said on a DVD extra that he was gratified when he heard that the HBO subscribers in Baltimore were a much higher percentage than in other cities in similar economic circumstances. He knew if people who had trouble paying their bills subscribed to HBO just to watch his TV show, then he must be telling the story correctly; that his show was giving those people a voice. Watching The Wire Sunday nights at viewing parties when the new episodes aired became a popular event for many B-More natives.
I could probably write ten times more than I have in this already long post about The Wire, and it would deserve every word. And, of course, I cannot even begin to do justice to the series by any of the words I write. This is a rare series that has helped me redefine my definition of what television is capable of. It is simply amazing. Do what you can to see this. Rent the DVDs at a video store (or maybe NetFlix), borrow them from the library or a friend, catch them on HBO OnDemand (and hopefully someday on repeats on the network), watch the sales (Best Buy has HBO-centric sales 2-3 times a year) and buy them yourself. Do what it takes to attain the episodes and give yourself completely over to that world that is just outside your window, yet one you probably never saw before.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
2008-2009 TV Top Ten #9
[Note: I am saving the best for last. #9 below was the last one I wrote up when I did these.]
9. Hmm. The last one is a bit tricky. There are a number of shows deserving of the “honor”. The Big Bang Theory is probably the best of the rest on my list. Prison Break had flashes of the brilliance I saw in season one again this year. Big Love had some great acting, even as I grew bored with the storyline. Chocolate News had some great bits; it reminded me very much of The Chappelle Show at times. Everybody Hates Chris went out on a high note; the show never got the credit it deserved throughout its run. Gary Unmarried seemed to get better every episode (much like The Big Bang Theory did last year). Mythbusters is so entertaining; you forget you’re also learning quite a bit. 30 Days and This American Life both gave very “ground level” looks at life. Real Sports continues to be able to make me laugh and cry in the same 60 minutes. Real Time is still able to put many of my beliefs into words. Worst Week had a fantastic actor in Kyle Bornheimer; I hope he shows up elsewhere. Phineas & Ferb didn’t have many new episodes, but the ones they had were very inspired; they really built on the groundwork of their first episodes.
But I’m going to go with the most recent show I really got into: Z Rock. I think it’s hilarious and is very close to the feel that early episodes of Entourage had.
If you haven’t read my other posts mentioning the show, I’ll give you a recap of the premise. Wait-- maybe I’ll just let the lyrics of the opening song the band plays every episode explain:
“We’re a Brooklyn band.
It's rock 'n roll we live.
But to pay our rent,
We have to play for kids.”
That, in a nutshell, is what the show is about. These three guys (two of which are brothers) try to play as the hard rock band Z2O but can’t land a gig that pays well enough. So they start playing at kids’ parties (birthdays, etc) as The Z Brothers. The boys aren’t that bright, so they always end up screwing something up. And their manager, Dina, is no genius, either.
The show is cartoonish at times, but that’s part of the charm. Paulie, lead singer and guitar player is an eternal optimist—even though he has no reason to be considering the state of his band and his life. His brother David, the bass player, is the resident stud, who went from nailing groupies to nailing moms. Joey, the drummer, has a girlfriend who is chomping at the bit to get married and whenever the band gets a break, she’s got out the wedding magazines, driving Joey crazy with ideas. Dina is a new manager and has one client: Z2O/Z Brothers. She’ll do anything for the band— whether it’s begging for money from her aunt or even having sex with the loathsome John Popper.
And, somehow, the show lands some pretty funny guest-stars who play versions of themselves. First is Joan Rivers, who is Dina’s aunt and lends her and the band money—and always expects a repayment. John Popper was in a few episodes being a music mogul who is just out for a few bucks—and will screw anyone to make them. Dee Snyder is Paulie’s Yoda; he shows up when Paulie needs advice. And the best guest star was Dave Navarro, who acted like a total dick (making an indecent proposal to Joey’s fiance and berating a little girl who didn’t act well enough to his liking in a music video).
It’s great fun. Check out the 2nd season, airing now on IFC.
9. Hmm. The last one is a bit tricky. There are a number of shows deserving of the “honor”. The Big Bang Theory is probably the best of the rest on my list. Prison Break had flashes of the brilliance I saw in season one again this year. Big Love had some great acting, even as I grew bored with the storyline. Chocolate News had some great bits; it reminded me very much of The Chappelle Show at times. Everybody Hates Chris went out on a high note; the show never got the credit it deserved throughout its run. Gary Unmarried seemed to get better every episode (much like The Big Bang Theory did last year). Mythbusters is so entertaining; you forget you’re also learning quite a bit. 30 Days and This American Life both gave very “ground level” looks at life. Real Sports continues to be able to make me laugh and cry in the same 60 minutes. Real Time is still able to put many of my beliefs into words. Worst Week had a fantastic actor in Kyle Bornheimer; I hope he shows up elsewhere. Phineas & Ferb didn’t have many new episodes, but the ones they had were very inspired; they really built on the groundwork of their first episodes.
But I’m going to go with the most recent show I really got into: Z Rock. I think it’s hilarious and is very close to the feel that early episodes of Entourage had.
If you haven’t read my other posts mentioning the show, I’ll give you a recap of the premise. Wait-- maybe I’ll just let the lyrics of the opening song the band plays every episode explain:
“We’re a Brooklyn band.
It's rock 'n roll we live.
But to pay our rent,
We have to play for kids.”
That, in a nutshell, is what the show is about. These three guys (two of which are brothers) try to play as the hard rock band Z2O but can’t land a gig that pays well enough. So they start playing at kids’ parties (birthdays, etc) as The Z Brothers. The boys aren’t that bright, so they always end up screwing something up. And their manager, Dina, is no genius, either.
The show is cartoonish at times, but that’s part of the charm. Paulie, lead singer and guitar player is an eternal optimist—even though he has no reason to be considering the state of his band and his life. His brother David, the bass player, is the resident stud, who went from nailing groupies to nailing moms. Joey, the drummer, has a girlfriend who is chomping at the bit to get married and whenever the band gets a break, she’s got out the wedding magazines, driving Joey crazy with ideas. Dina is a new manager and has one client: Z2O/Z Brothers. She’ll do anything for the band— whether it’s begging for money from her aunt or even having sex with the loathsome John Popper.
And, somehow, the show lands some pretty funny guest-stars who play versions of themselves. First is Joan Rivers, who is Dina’s aunt and lends her and the band money—and always expects a repayment. John Popper was in a few episodes being a music mogul who is just out for a few bucks—and will screw anyone to make them. Dee Snyder is Paulie’s Yoda; he shows up when Paulie needs advice. And the best guest star was Dave Navarro, who acted like a total dick (making an indecent proposal to Joey’s fiance and berating a little girl who didn’t act well enough to his liking in a music video).
It’s great fun. Check out the 2nd season, airing now on IFC.
Friday, June 26, 2009
2008-2009 TV Top Ten #8
8. Battlestar Galactica— This would have been the best television I watched this year had I not seen The Wire. This was a reimaging of the old show from the 1970s, but it really only kept the names and some visual designs of the original series. This show was made to stand on its own, and it did. It also explored topics rarely found on a television show. Topics like religion, terrorism, morals—and, maybe the most rare of all: what makes humans human.
The show is in the science fiction genre, but it was one of the most grounded and human shows I’ve ever seen. Take away the ships and the Cylons, and you’ve got a show with none of the sci fi elements we’re used to. At its heart, it’s a “journey” show. Machines humans created rebelled and disappeared. Then they returned and nearly wiped out the human race. There are roughly 50,000 humans left, and they are on the run. Running from their Cylon creations—and running toward their destiny, a planet called Earth. Along the way, they come across the Cylons again and again; sometimes they fight, sometimes they try to work together. During all that, we see some of the human characters get more vicious and some of the Cylons get more compassionate.
The acting and directing was superb; the writing was well done as well.
But I’ll admit while I was impressed by the technical aspects and underlying philosophy of the show, I never did fall in love with it. I was very much involved with it—and I usually went as soon as I could right to the next set of DVDs (I watched the first season in July, and then Seasons 2, 2.5, 3, and 4.0 from November and January before I settled in and watched Season 4.5 as it aired), but I never became a rabid fan. I’m not sure why-- other than I didn't watch the majority of the episodes "with" other people (as it aired) because this is excellent television.
As a side note—and because it’s the only season I watched as it aired; during the timeframe I’m supposedly critiquing—I was a bit disappointed in Season 4.5. I felt the revelation of the Fifth Cylon was a letdown, and I was also disappointed by what I felt was left on the table by the time the finale ended. There was a mythology to the show that it seemed to relish (at least the Sci Fi Channel did in its advertising) that didn’t have much answered by the end. Had the season tied off some of the ends and gone into a little more real backstory the last few episodes, I would have enjoyed the finale more. But taking a step back, after my disappointment was shelved; I can say the series finale was fantastic. It was unexpected and also very emotionally satisfying. Without saying much more that could ruin it, I can honestly say the show ended perfectly for the story it was telling.
Even though I had a few negative things to say, this series is excellent and exceptional in almost every way. I was probably a little too close to it (even though I hadn't been watching the entire run, I was reading the dozens of articles and reviews about it), and that's why I was never 100% satisfied.
But 98% satisfied is light-years ahead of most shows...
The show is in the science fiction genre, but it was one of the most grounded and human shows I’ve ever seen. Take away the ships and the Cylons, and you’ve got a show with none of the sci fi elements we’re used to. At its heart, it’s a “journey” show. Machines humans created rebelled and disappeared. Then they returned and nearly wiped out the human race. There are roughly 50,000 humans left, and they are on the run. Running from their Cylon creations—and running toward their destiny, a planet called Earth. Along the way, they come across the Cylons again and again; sometimes they fight, sometimes they try to work together. During all that, we see some of the human characters get more vicious and some of the Cylons get more compassionate.
The acting and directing was superb; the writing was well done as well.
But I’ll admit while I was impressed by the technical aspects and underlying philosophy of the show, I never did fall in love with it. I was very much involved with it—and I usually went as soon as I could right to the next set of DVDs (I watched the first season in July, and then Seasons 2, 2.5, 3, and 4.0 from November and January before I settled in and watched Season 4.5 as it aired), but I never became a rabid fan. I’m not sure why-- other than I didn't watch the majority of the episodes "with" other people (as it aired) because this is excellent television.
As a side note—and because it’s the only season I watched as it aired; during the timeframe I’m supposedly critiquing—I was a bit disappointed in Season 4.5. I felt the revelation of the Fifth Cylon was a letdown, and I was also disappointed by what I felt was left on the table by the time the finale ended. There was a mythology to the show that it seemed to relish (at least the Sci Fi Channel did in its advertising) that didn’t have much answered by the end. Had the season tied off some of the ends and gone into a little more real backstory the last few episodes, I would have enjoyed the finale more. But taking a step back, after my disappointment was shelved; I can say the series finale was fantastic. It was unexpected and also very emotionally satisfying. Without saying much more that could ruin it, I can honestly say the show ended perfectly for the story it was telling.
Even though I had a few negative things to say, this series is excellent and exceptional in almost every way. I was probably a little too close to it (even though I hadn't been watching the entire run, I was reading the dozens of articles and reviews about it), and that's why I was never 100% satisfied.
But 98% satisfied is light-years ahead of most shows...
Thursday, June 25, 2009
2008-2009 TV Top Ten #7
7. Summer Heights High—a mockumentary set at an Australian high school that follows the lives of three people. The first is Mr. G, the egocentric, flamboyant drama teacher that takes every opportunity he can to further his career by making the musical he wrote and is directing the centerpiece of the curriculum. The second is J’amie, a spoiled junior who is at the school on what she calls an “exchange program”; she’s basically “slumming” at a public school instead of the private schools she has otherwise attended her whole life. The third is Jonas, a Polynesian 8th grader with both apathy for and hostility against school and only one desire: to break-dance in the common area.
Just on the surface, this is a funny show. Mr. G. is completely clueless about the world around him because it means nothing to him unless it relates directly to him. He had the gall to write the year’s musical based on the recent drug-related death of a student, and it didn’t occur to him that the student’s family may be upset about that. He also has no concept that the school cannot afford the massive budget he requires to pull off the performance.
J’amie is at the school to run it herself. She immediately identified the popular girls and became their leader. She’s all about being the center of attention, and she’s not above putting others down to do it.
Jonas is a very hostile young man who resorts to profanity (he frequently says, “Fuck you, Miss/Sir” as a way to show his displeasure) or juvenile behavior (his teacher’s request to “put his balls” on the floor prompted him to sit on the floor instead of just putting away the balls he was juggling). Jonas knows his behavior is wrong and will usually do as directed once a punishment rears its head, but he fights civility as much as possible up to that point.
If you don’t remember what I wrote about the show before, there’s also something very different about it: the three main characters are played by the same actor, series creator Chris Lilley. This isn’t a Saturday Night Live-type deal; he fully gets into the characters, and it is not done at all in a jokey manner. The humor does not come from the fact that a man was playing a teenage girl; the humor was from the writing and the plots. It was amazing to see him act in completely different ways, depending on the character he was portraying—and he was spot-on for all three. They each must have presented different challenges, but a grown man convincingly playing a high school girl is remarkable. He presented a girl’s mannerisms and way of speaking in a very uncanny manner.
This ranks up there with some of the best television I've ever seen. Check it out.
Just on the surface, this is a funny show. Mr. G. is completely clueless about the world around him because it means nothing to him unless it relates directly to him. He had the gall to write the year’s musical based on the recent drug-related death of a student, and it didn’t occur to him that the student’s family may be upset about that. He also has no concept that the school cannot afford the massive budget he requires to pull off the performance.
J’amie is at the school to run it herself. She immediately identified the popular girls and became their leader. She’s all about being the center of attention, and she’s not above putting others down to do it.
Jonas is a very hostile young man who resorts to profanity (he frequently says, “Fuck you, Miss/Sir” as a way to show his displeasure) or juvenile behavior (his teacher’s request to “put his balls” on the floor prompted him to sit on the floor instead of just putting away the balls he was juggling). Jonas knows his behavior is wrong and will usually do as directed once a punishment rears its head, but he fights civility as much as possible up to that point.
If you don’t remember what I wrote about the show before, there’s also something very different about it: the three main characters are played by the same actor, series creator Chris Lilley. This isn’t a Saturday Night Live-type deal; he fully gets into the characters, and it is not done at all in a jokey manner. The humor does not come from the fact that a man was playing a teenage girl; the humor was from the writing and the plots. It was amazing to see him act in completely different ways, depending on the character he was portraying—and he was spot-on for all three. They each must have presented different challenges, but a grown man convincingly playing a high school girl is remarkable. He presented a girl’s mannerisms and way of speaking in a very uncanny manner.
This ranks up there with some of the best television I've ever seen. Check it out.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
2008-2009 TV Top Ten #5 & 6
5. & 6. Chelsea Lately and The Soup-- I watched Talk Soup with Aisha Tyler but I stopped at some point for some reason. And because E! has become a network for jackass reality shows and insipid entertainment reporting, I‘ve stayed away from it to the point where I don’t pay any attention to anything that may not be moronic. But I stumbled onto The Soup last June and fell in love with it, and I lucked upon Chelsea Lately not long after.
Reality TV has gone from decent early seasons of The Real World, The Osbournes, Survivor and Amazing Race to pure shit like The Cougar and Keeping up With the Kardassians. Shows used to start out well and then go downhill, but now nearly all start out as crap and stay there.
With all that being said, I am the absolute right person to watch The Soup and Chelsea Lately. Even though they’re on an otherwise useless network, they somehow are able to make fun of the crap on the rest of the network—or what the rest of the network reports on.
On The Soup, we get funny clips made all the more funny by host Joel McHale. McHale (and his writing staff) come up with brilliant lines—some getting very pointed—to describe the stupidity we are about to see (or just saw). Sometimes the show moves into the surreal, but McHale holds it all together very well. He’s also pretty fearless; if the joke involves him dressing up in a ridiculous costume or calling out a celebrity for stupid behavior, he’ll do it. The show itself has become a bit of a continuing story; clips or lines said in one episode may rear their heads again later to continue another clip or joke. Regular viewers will see a sort of progression in a few jokes.
Chelsea Lately is a bit less structured around reality shows and more toward the people we’re being told are “hot” now, whether they’re actors, musicians, or any other idiot the entertainment news is focusing on. Being a late night show, it can get a little raw—and that’s perfect for the absolute stupidity the show comments on every night. Chelsea Handler has an honesty about her that is refreshing in the “entertainment news” business. If she thinks someone or something is stupid, she says it. No ass-kissing there. And it helps that she is very funny.
Reality TV has gone from decent early seasons of The Real World, The Osbournes, Survivor and Amazing Race to pure shit like The Cougar and Keeping up With the Kardassians. Shows used to start out well and then go downhill, but now nearly all start out as crap and stay there.
With all that being said, I am the absolute right person to watch The Soup and Chelsea Lately. Even though they’re on an otherwise useless network, they somehow are able to make fun of the crap on the rest of the network—or what the rest of the network reports on.
On The Soup, we get funny clips made all the more funny by host Joel McHale. McHale (and his writing staff) come up with brilliant lines—some getting very pointed—to describe the stupidity we are about to see (or just saw). Sometimes the show moves into the surreal, but McHale holds it all together very well. He’s also pretty fearless; if the joke involves him dressing up in a ridiculous costume or calling out a celebrity for stupid behavior, he’ll do it. The show itself has become a bit of a continuing story; clips or lines said in one episode may rear their heads again later to continue another clip or joke. Regular viewers will see a sort of progression in a few jokes.
Chelsea Lately is a bit less structured around reality shows and more toward the people we’re being told are “hot” now, whether they’re actors, musicians, or any other idiot the entertainment news is focusing on. Being a late night show, it can get a little raw—and that’s perfect for the absolute stupidity the show comments on every night. Chelsea Handler has an honesty about her that is refreshing in the “entertainment news” business. If she thinks someone or something is stupid, she says it. No ass-kissing there. And it helps that she is very funny.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
2008-2009 TV Top Ten #4
3. How I Met Your Mother— I’ve talked this show up as long as I’ve done this blog, so it really shouldn’t be a surprise this show continues to be a Top Ten show for me. There is no network show I can think of that surprises me as much as this one does on a weekly basis. The cast continues to grow in talent every year, and situations allow them to mix it up a little (such as when they “wrote out” Alyson Hannigan for a few episodes while she had her baby) and not affect the dynamic of the show. And the show still introduces a Seinfeld-ian number of made-up words/definitions, all while telling very poignant tales.
There is also even more of a feeling of “destiny” for the show this year. The premise was and still is: a man in 2030 is telling his children how he met their mother. So the story is often told within the context of what happens next. You may think he could be able to get to the end of the story within the time it took to tell 4 seasons worth of stories, but the show has also always been about the choices one makes, and how they can affect your life. “Future Ted” (who we never see) is telling his children about the events that led to the meeting of their mother; how this relationship or that breakup or the other job got him to the place that had him intersect with his wife’s life. This fourth season was especially working to prove that point because Future Ted made a few mentions about how doing A and then B and avoiding C got him to the end point D.
I don’t believe in destiny or fate or any of that, but I know very well how a single choice can put you on a path you didn’t expect. I could, literally, tell my own kids about how I met their mother, and just the night I did meet her involved about three choices I normally wouldn’t have made that put me in the same place she was that night.
What I find especially interesting or different about the show from others is that Future Ted also includes the wisdom one has from being able to see the big picture that one can’t see while in the moment. Shows that tell the stories in the present don’t have that omniscience to them because we don’t have the comfort of knowing what happened next until it happens to the characters. But in this show, say when Ted has his heart broken, he can say (after years have passed) that it was okay and that things just didn’t work out; in fact, they worked out even better. The creators say Future Ted is an unreliable narrator, but the fact is that the hindsight, even if it’s not exactly 20/20, brings a special element to the show. There’s a maturity that everyone gains over time that really puts a fun spin on things.
So the show continues to grow and get better. And a syndication deal with Lifetime pretty much assured a fifth season (they required 110 episodes, and there have been only 88 so far), so the series could play out this season, secure it would be back in the fall. Of course, next season may be touch-and-go like the first few have been, but I think the show could end very well next year—and they are even closer to the mother, if the year’s season finale is any indication. And because they’ve already filmed the scene with the mother and the kids together, no matter what happens, they should be able to wrap the show up well by giving us the revelation they’ve promised: that we really will know how he met their mother.
There is also even more of a feeling of “destiny” for the show this year. The premise was and still is: a man in 2030 is telling his children how he met their mother. So the story is often told within the context of what happens next. You may think he could be able to get to the end of the story within the time it took to tell 4 seasons worth of stories, but the show has also always been about the choices one makes, and how they can affect your life. “Future Ted” (who we never see) is telling his children about the events that led to the meeting of their mother; how this relationship or that breakup or the other job got him to the place that had him intersect with his wife’s life. This fourth season was especially working to prove that point because Future Ted made a few mentions about how doing A and then B and avoiding C got him to the end point D.
I don’t believe in destiny or fate or any of that, but I know very well how a single choice can put you on a path you didn’t expect. I could, literally, tell my own kids about how I met their mother, and just the night I did meet her involved about three choices I normally wouldn’t have made that put me in the same place she was that night.
What I find especially interesting or different about the show from others is that Future Ted also includes the wisdom one has from being able to see the big picture that one can’t see while in the moment. Shows that tell the stories in the present don’t have that omniscience to them because we don’t have the comfort of knowing what happened next until it happens to the characters. But in this show, say when Ted has his heart broken, he can say (after years have passed) that it was okay and that things just didn’t work out; in fact, they worked out even better. The creators say Future Ted is an unreliable narrator, but the fact is that the hindsight, even if it’s not exactly 20/20, brings a special element to the show. There’s a maturity that everyone gains over time that really puts a fun spin on things.
So the show continues to grow and get better. And a syndication deal with Lifetime pretty much assured a fifth season (they required 110 episodes, and there have been only 88 so far), so the series could play out this season, secure it would be back in the fall. Of course, next season may be touch-and-go like the first few have been, but I think the show could end very well next year—and they are even closer to the mother, if the year’s season finale is any indication. And because they’ve already filmed the scene with the mother and the kids together, no matter what happens, they should be able to wrap the show up well by giving us the revelation they’ve promised: that we really will know how he met their mother.
Monday, June 22, 2009
2008-2009 TV Top Ten #3
3. Doctor Who (Season One)-- The Doctor has been around for decades in various incarnations, but I had next to no knowledge of the concept or the character. I guess it goes something like this: The Timelords travel through time and space and work to keep the timeline as it should be when things go awry. When a Timelord dies, he is “regenerated” in a different form (a very inspired way to allow for different actors to play what is essentially the same character). Sometime before this latest incarnation, there was a war between the Timelords and the Daleks, and The Doctor ended up destroying both the Daleks as well as his own people, the Timelords, in his last-ditch attempt to end the hostilities. The regenerated Doctor is the newest incarnation in this series.
The Doctor this series/season was played by Christopher Eccleston, and he was brilliant. Playing The Doctor is a difficult role, I would imagine. He’s seen everything and can do practically anything—and he is thousands of years old, so he should be an unflappable, “one-step-above-human” force. But he’s not. Eccleston plays The Doctor as very confident and extremely competent—but he lives with a tremendous sense of guilt for killing his own kind to destroy the Daleks. So once in a while, we see him doubting himself. That could be a true, internal, reaction to his loss—or it could be a way to get his human companions to come up with a plan. Because along with that sadness he carries, he seems to have a great joy for watching humans develop.
One of my favorite lines ever on television was uttered by the good Doctor when he mentions something fairly typical about human life, and his companion Rose said something like, “That happens all the time.” And The Doctor responds with, “Yeah! Isn’t it cool?” Right there, the whole series came into focus for me. Sometimes that’s all it takes for me: a single line or scene, and I immediately become hooked. And what’s really cool about those moments are that they are usually the small ones that do it. The joy Eccleston brought to that line was wonderful; the thing he commented on was mundane (so mundane, I can't even remember what it was), but taking a step back and putting the event into perspective, I had to agree that is was cool that those things can happen, even if it happens “all the time”.
Speaking of humans, that brings us to Rose Tyler, a teenager The Doctor saved and took a liking to enough that he invites her along for the trip. Rose is the one who brings humanity to the adventures. The Doctor is compassionate enough, but he is still pretty emotionally scarred from the Time War, and she reminds him that all life is worth preserving. Rose is a character you can instantly fall in love with—and it helps that she was played by the beautiful Billie Piper; an actress talented enough to be strong, vulnerable, gutsy, fearful and any other emotion the stories threw at her.
The two lead actors make an incredible team, and this season of the series has become one of my favorite seasons of television ever. There was a very good range of stories, from the (literal) end of the Earth, to a trip to 19th Century England, to an alien invasion in the present time, the World War II bombing of England, the distant future where television rules humanity’s lives, as well as to a very emotional trip where Rose witnesses her father’s death (she was just an infant at the time it first happened). Like all good science fiction, these stories that couldn’t happen now are able to be great metaphors for what we are experiencing in society. And like all great science fiction, we are entertained while the social commentary is buried within the plots. And like all excellent television, the acting, writing, directing, and effects all come together and become a result that is much more than the sum of all its parts.
The Doctor this series/season was played by Christopher Eccleston, and he was brilliant. Playing The Doctor is a difficult role, I would imagine. He’s seen everything and can do practically anything—and he is thousands of years old, so he should be an unflappable, “one-step-above-human” force. But he’s not. Eccleston plays The Doctor as very confident and extremely competent—but he lives with a tremendous sense of guilt for killing his own kind to destroy the Daleks. So once in a while, we see him doubting himself. That could be a true, internal, reaction to his loss—or it could be a way to get his human companions to come up with a plan. Because along with that sadness he carries, he seems to have a great joy for watching humans develop.
One of my favorite lines ever on television was uttered by the good Doctor when he mentions something fairly typical about human life, and his companion Rose said something like, “That happens all the time.” And The Doctor responds with, “Yeah! Isn’t it cool?” Right there, the whole series came into focus for me. Sometimes that’s all it takes for me: a single line or scene, and I immediately become hooked. And what’s really cool about those moments are that they are usually the small ones that do it. The joy Eccleston brought to that line was wonderful; the thing he commented on was mundane (so mundane, I can't even remember what it was), but taking a step back and putting the event into perspective, I had to agree that is was cool that those things can happen, even if it happens “all the time”.
Speaking of humans, that brings us to Rose Tyler, a teenager The Doctor saved and took a liking to enough that he invites her along for the trip. Rose is the one who brings humanity to the adventures. The Doctor is compassionate enough, but he is still pretty emotionally scarred from the Time War, and she reminds him that all life is worth preserving. Rose is a character you can instantly fall in love with—and it helps that she was played by the beautiful Billie Piper; an actress talented enough to be strong, vulnerable, gutsy, fearful and any other emotion the stories threw at her.
The two lead actors make an incredible team, and this season of the series has become one of my favorite seasons of television ever. There was a very good range of stories, from the (literal) end of the Earth, to a trip to 19th Century England, to an alien invasion in the present time, the World War II bombing of England, the distant future where television rules humanity’s lives, as well as to a very emotional trip where Rose witnesses her father’s death (she was just an infant at the time it first happened). Like all good science fiction, these stories that couldn’t happen now are able to be great metaphors for what we are experiencing in society. And like all great science fiction, we are entertained while the social commentary is buried within the plots. And like all excellent television, the acting, writing, directing, and effects all come together and become a result that is much more than the sum of all its parts.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
2008-2009 TV Top Ten #1 & 2
Here we go, in no particular order.
And you may say it's unfair to include shows not "new" from June 2008-May-2009, but they need a shout-out. I saw some fantastic TV these past 12 months. New or not, they deserve recognition.
And I do apologize if I get off-track on these little write-ups. I had a lot to say and not much time. Just know that each of these ten shows are worth searching for.
1 & 2. These two shows kind of slipped into my DVR scheduler on a lark—and I ended up loving them. First is The Middleman, the show ABC Family aired and then decided to go in a different direction (mainly continuing to base shows around teenage girls). The Middleman (that’s his name—no other was given) is a secret agent-type that deals with unexplainable phenomena such as aliens and ghosts and other Men in Black/X-Files stuff. His mission is to stop whatever evil is going down and cover it up, so no one figures out what’s really happening.
But he’s not always successful on hiding his mission. Enter Wendy Watson, who The Middleman saved from a giant monster that threatened her life at her temp job. T.M. liked her abilities enough to make her a member of the Middlemen, and the two formed a partnership and, together, they solved the cases and saved the world he used to do alone.
What was fun about The Middleman was that the budget was pretty low, so they had to be extra-creative with the effects—and what they ultimately showed on camera. Some of the things looked a bit cheap, but they managed to have charm. Also, the humor was great on the show. And it was fun to see Wendy’s roommate Lacey fall for The Middleman—even though he is all about the job. There were a number of very sweet moments as he tried to let her down easy.
Boo to ABC Family for letting this show go.
The second show in this part is Lawrence of America. I don’t even know how I ended up watching it (it aired on the Travel Channel; not one I usually watch), but I’m glad I did. The premise is very simple: Englishman Lawrence Beldon-Smythe travels to various parts of America to discover the culture of the people. He learned about State Fairs, car racing, Civil War re-enactments, country music, winter Olympic athletes, and many other things in his travels—and each episode was funnier than the last.
You might wonder why a travel show would be interesting to someone with very limited time to watch all sorts of other television, and the answer is: because Beldon-Smythe tried a different approach to his storytelling. Instead of doing the much more standard (and overdone) approach of aiming a camera at something and shooting—or getting involved in the situations-- he acted as if everything he was seeing was incredibly foreign to him. Sure, America has its quirks that other countries don’t understand, but Beldon-Smythe pretended he was discovering a lost jungle tribe. It was all complemented by his choice of attire: beige khaki pants, a neutral-colored shirt—and the pocketed tan vest that every television war correspondent has to wear.
Lawrence always had his tongue in his cheek, but he never put down his subjects. Usually, he was the one getting into the silly situations when he attempted something he had been watching. My favorite episode was when he visited Nashville, and he met a country singer he developed a huge crush on. He couldn’t make his move, so he “lost her”. And then he decided to do what many country singers do when they lose a love: write a country song. It was good stuff—and very funny.
In fact, here’s a little part from a blog post about the episode he wrote:
So, this is the blog I’ve been dreading to write because this episode, filmed in Nashville, Tennessee, shows me at my most vulnerable, and possibly unprofessional. The global correspondent’s code of ethics makes it quite clear a reporter of my stature should never get romantically involved with a subject being investigated. No, I’m sorry, I just re-read the sacred cocktail napkin, and it says one should never let the audience know you’re romantically involved with a subject. Even though Rebecca Lynn Howard and I were never actually romantically involved, I still feel I let my truth guard down. I’ll admit, I was caught under her spell of loveliness. Her beautiful hair, her adorably southern accent, her tempting bosom all distracted me. Mostly the tempting bosom … but her hair was nice.
It doesn’t look like the show is coming back, and that’s a real shame. I may have to find some clips and post them. It’s been close to a year since I last watched it, but writing this bit about it has me missing the show all over again.
And you may say it's unfair to include shows not "new" from June 2008-May-2009, but they need a shout-out. I saw some fantastic TV these past 12 months. New or not, they deserve recognition.
And I do apologize if I get off-track on these little write-ups. I had a lot to say and not much time. Just know that each of these ten shows are worth searching for.
1 & 2. These two shows kind of slipped into my DVR scheduler on a lark—and I ended up loving them. First is The Middleman, the show ABC Family aired and then decided to go in a different direction (mainly continuing to base shows around teenage girls). The Middleman (that’s his name—no other was given) is a secret agent-type that deals with unexplainable phenomena such as aliens and ghosts and other Men in Black/X-Files stuff. His mission is to stop whatever evil is going down and cover it up, so no one figures out what’s really happening.
But he’s not always successful on hiding his mission. Enter Wendy Watson, who The Middleman saved from a giant monster that threatened her life at her temp job. T.M. liked her abilities enough to make her a member of the Middlemen, and the two formed a partnership and, together, they solved the cases and saved the world he used to do alone.
What was fun about The Middleman was that the budget was pretty low, so they had to be extra-creative with the effects—and what they ultimately showed on camera. Some of the things looked a bit cheap, but they managed to have charm. Also, the humor was great on the show. And it was fun to see Wendy’s roommate Lacey fall for The Middleman—even though he is all about the job. There were a number of very sweet moments as he tried to let her down easy.
Boo to ABC Family for letting this show go.
The second show in this part is Lawrence of America. I don’t even know how I ended up watching it (it aired on the Travel Channel; not one I usually watch), but I’m glad I did. The premise is very simple: Englishman Lawrence Beldon-Smythe travels to various parts of America to discover the culture of the people. He learned about State Fairs, car racing, Civil War re-enactments, country music, winter Olympic athletes, and many other things in his travels—and each episode was funnier than the last.
You might wonder why a travel show would be interesting to someone with very limited time to watch all sorts of other television, and the answer is: because Beldon-Smythe tried a different approach to his storytelling. Instead of doing the much more standard (and overdone) approach of aiming a camera at something and shooting—or getting involved in the situations-- he acted as if everything he was seeing was incredibly foreign to him. Sure, America has its quirks that other countries don’t understand, but Beldon-Smythe pretended he was discovering a lost jungle tribe. It was all complemented by his choice of attire: beige khaki pants, a neutral-colored shirt—and the pocketed tan vest that every television war correspondent has to wear.
Lawrence always had his tongue in his cheek, but he never put down his subjects. Usually, he was the one getting into the silly situations when he attempted something he had been watching. My favorite episode was when he visited Nashville, and he met a country singer he developed a huge crush on. He couldn’t make his move, so he “lost her”. And then he decided to do what many country singers do when they lose a love: write a country song. It was good stuff—and very funny.
In fact, here’s a little part from a blog post about the episode he wrote:
So, this is the blog I’ve been dreading to write because this episode, filmed in Nashville, Tennessee, shows me at my most vulnerable, and possibly unprofessional. The global correspondent’s code of ethics makes it quite clear a reporter of my stature should never get romantically involved with a subject being investigated. No, I’m sorry, I just re-read the sacred cocktail napkin, and it says one should never let the audience know you’re romantically involved with a subject. Even though Rebecca Lynn Howard and I were never actually romantically involved, I still feel I let my truth guard down. I’ll admit, I was caught under her spell of loveliness. Her beautiful hair, her adorably southern accent, her tempting bosom all distracted me. Mostly the tempting bosom … but her hair was nice.
It doesn’t look like the show is coming back, and that’s a real shame. I may have to find some clips and post them. It’s been close to a year since I last watched it, but writing this bit about it has me missing the show all over again.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
2008-2009 TV teameck Awards
Yes, this is mostly tongue-in-cheek...
Best show I know you’re not watching—even though you should be: Phineas & Ferb.
Hottest mom: Allison (Sarah Marshall) on Gary Unmarried.
Show that needed to end, and did: Tie: Prison Break and Mad TV.
Funniest show: Summer Heights High.
Best written comedy: How I Met Your Mother.
Best written drama: The Wire.
Biggest disappointment: The Mole.
Show I just cannot seem to stop watching—even though it goes against everything I believe about “good TV”: Big Brother.
I miss Bob Costas…: Inside the NFL (moved to Showtime and changed the “cast”) and Costas Now (“cancelled” when Costas went to another network).
Biggest surprise: Ties: How much I liked Lawrence of America and Summer Heights High.
Show I’ll probably miss the most: The Middleman (F-You, ABC Family).
Show I’m kicking myself for getting late to the party to (just started watching last summer): Tie: The Soup and Chelsea Lately.
Best show I can’t describe: This American Life.
Reason to be pissed at my cable company (Charter) for not airing IFC: Z Rock (which I’m lucky enough to catch OnDemand).
Show I’m embarrassed to watch—but do because my kids like watching it with me: Wipeout.
Show I watched only because of a stunningly beautiful contestant: I Survived a Japanese Game Show (Meaghan Cooper). Sure, the pics of her on imbd.com are stunning, but I liked the natural beauty displayed on the show.
Dumbest show that I couldn’t stop laughing at: Reality Bites Back.
Most improved (since their pilots): Tie: Chocolate News and Gary Unmarried.
What the Hell happened to this once great show?: Tie:
Desperate Housewives (great beginning to the season—and then shot downhill quickly),
Ugly Betty (recycling storylines after just three seasons),
Inside the NFL (they tried hard, but Costas, Marino, Collinsworth, and Carter made that show what it was on HBO),
Moral Orel (one of the least “artistic” of the adult swim shows went “arty” in its last season—and lost the wonderful satire it used to have),
Venture Brothers (I understand the desire to expand the universe of characters, but Hank and Dean are the souls of that show; where’d they go?),
Reno 911 (stopped being funny a while ago, but I couldn’t even finish the season this year)
Robot Chicken (what? run out of jokes or something?)
South Park (what the Hell happened? This used to be the best satire on television.)
The Mole (I don’t know what went wrong, but this season did not work),
Weeds (too many changes that didn’t work this year).
Show that knew it made some bad choices—and called itself out on them: My Name Is Earl.
Best Series Finales: Prison Break, Battlestar Galactica, and The Wire.
“Bad” show that had me roaring with laughter: Eastbound & Down.
Voice I’ll miss most next year: Harry Kalas (of NFL Films; the narrator of the clips used on Inside the NFL). He had the amazing ability to express countless emotions with just the sound and tone of his voice. He will be missed.
Show that made “going green” look so much fun that I got tired of all the ultra-happy, beautiful people frolicking in their “greenness”: Alter Eco.
Underrated family comedies: Tie: Everybody Hates Chris and King of the Hill. (Both of which aren’t coming back next year— I say “Boo!” to their respective networks.)
Moving up the list of my favorite comedies quickly: The Big Bang Theory.
Best premise: Z Rock (rock band has to become a “kiddie band” to pay the bills).
Best opening music (I just couldn’t get out of my head): Z Rock and Summer Heights High.
Best closing music (I just couldn’t get out of my head): The Wire.
Best actor in a comedy: Chris Lilley on Summer Heights High.
Best actor in a drama: Tie: Christopher Eccleston in Doctor Who and anyone in The Wire.
Shows I have recorded/on DVD but NEED to get to soon to still consider myself a lover of great TV: Tie: Friday Night Lights, Rescue Me, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Lost.
Best show I know you’re not watching—even though you should be: Phineas & Ferb.
Hottest mom: Allison (Sarah Marshall) on Gary Unmarried.
Show that needed to end, and did: Tie: Prison Break and Mad TV.
Funniest show: Summer Heights High.
Best written comedy: How I Met Your Mother.
Best written drama: The Wire.
Biggest disappointment: The Mole.
Show I just cannot seem to stop watching—even though it goes against everything I believe about “good TV”: Big Brother.
I miss Bob Costas…: Inside the NFL (moved to Showtime and changed the “cast”) and Costas Now (“cancelled” when Costas went to another network).
Biggest surprise: Ties: How much I liked Lawrence of America and Summer Heights High.
Show I’ll probably miss the most: The Middleman (F-You, ABC Family).
Show I’m kicking myself for getting late to the party to (just started watching last summer): Tie: The Soup and Chelsea Lately.
Best show I can’t describe: This American Life.
Reason to be pissed at my cable company (Charter) for not airing IFC: Z Rock (which I’m lucky enough to catch OnDemand).
Show I’m embarrassed to watch—but do because my kids like watching it with me: Wipeout.
Show I watched only because of a stunningly beautiful contestant: I Survived a Japanese Game Show (Meaghan Cooper). Sure, the pics of her on imbd.com are stunning, but I liked the natural beauty displayed on the show.
Dumbest show that I couldn’t stop laughing at: Reality Bites Back.
Most improved (since their pilots): Tie: Chocolate News and Gary Unmarried.
What the Hell happened to this once great show?: Tie:
Desperate Housewives (great beginning to the season—and then shot downhill quickly),
Ugly Betty (recycling storylines after just three seasons),
Inside the NFL (they tried hard, but Costas, Marino, Collinsworth, and Carter made that show what it was on HBO),
Moral Orel (one of the least “artistic” of the adult swim shows went “arty” in its last season—and lost the wonderful satire it used to have),
Venture Brothers (I understand the desire to expand the universe of characters, but Hank and Dean are the souls of that show; where’d they go?),
Reno 911 (stopped being funny a while ago, but I couldn’t even finish the season this year)
Robot Chicken (what? run out of jokes or something?)
South Park (what the Hell happened? This used to be the best satire on television.)
The Mole (I don’t know what went wrong, but this season did not work),
Weeds (too many changes that didn’t work this year).
Show that knew it made some bad choices—and called itself out on them: My Name Is Earl.
Best Series Finales: Prison Break, Battlestar Galactica, and The Wire.
“Bad” show that had me roaring with laughter: Eastbound & Down.
Voice I’ll miss most next year: Harry Kalas (of NFL Films; the narrator of the clips used on Inside the NFL). He had the amazing ability to express countless emotions with just the sound and tone of his voice. He will be missed.
Show that made “going green” look so much fun that I got tired of all the ultra-happy, beautiful people frolicking in their “greenness”: Alter Eco.
Underrated family comedies: Tie: Everybody Hates Chris and King of the Hill. (Both of which aren’t coming back next year— I say “Boo!” to their respective networks.)
Moving up the list of my favorite comedies quickly: The Big Bang Theory.
Best premise: Z Rock (rock band has to become a “kiddie band” to pay the bills).
Best opening music (I just couldn’t get out of my head): Z Rock and Summer Heights High.
Best closing music (I just couldn’t get out of my head): The Wire.
Best actor in a comedy: Chris Lilley on Summer Heights High.
Best actor in a drama: Tie: Christopher Eccleston in Doctor Who and anyone in The Wire.
Shows I have recorded/on DVD but NEED to get to soon to still consider myself a lover of great TV: Tie: Friday Night Lights, Rescue Me, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Lost.
Premieres and Notables; June 22-28, 2009
Thanks to blogger.com for allowing me to hold postings a week, so this shows up while I'm on vacation-- and yet close to my normal day to post these things. And thanks also to TV Guide for having yet another double week issue that gives me their weak-ass second week of listings (due to printing the issue so far in advance) and screwing me out of yet another issue of my subscription. But at least I have some listings.
(Sorry-- Entertainment Weekly actually likes to put out issues most weeks, so I don't have the issue I need for this post. Typically, I get the more interesting shows from that source. Maybe I'll catch up when I get back from vay-cay.)
Monday, 6/22
The Secret Life of an American Teenager; ABC Family. 7 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.
Sorry, but I'm still pissed Middleman's not coming back...
Make It or Break It; ABC Family. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
And in the spot that should have been Middleman's, this new scripted series about the world of teen gymnastics.
Tuesday, 6/23
America's Got Talent; NBC. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Oh super; I thought I'd have to go a week without hearing about another stupid-ass reality contest. Bonus: it airs tomorrow too.
The Cleaner; A&E. 9 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.
Guest-starring Whoopi Goldberg.
Wednesday, 6/24
The Philanthropist; NBC. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Unlike The Cleaner the The Closer, this series actually spells out what this person is in the title. Rome's James Purefoy stars as a man who risks his life and his money for others.
Too bad it's on NBC. It's doomed to bomb.
Thursday, 6/25
Penn & Teller: Bullshit!; Showtime. 9 pm. Season Premiere.
Where else but teameck's entertainment are you going to see the full name of this series typed out? Yeah-- I'm reader-friendly.
The bullshit subject this week: orgasms.
Sunday, 6/28
Hung; HBO. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Not about a person who tried hanging himself...
And not about a jury...
Nope, this Thomas Jane-starring show is about a high school coach who takes up a side-job as a male escort because he carries a big stick.
Or as Elliot on Scrubs would say, "He's a big schwing-schwang."
[I'm talking about his penis, people...]
(Sorry-- Entertainment Weekly actually likes to put out issues most weeks, so I don't have the issue I need for this post. Typically, I get the more interesting shows from that source. Maybe I'll catch up when I get back from vay-cay.)
Monday, 6/22
The Secret Life of an American Teenager; ABC Family. 7 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.
Sorry, but I'm still pissed Middleman's not coming back...
Make It or Break It; ABC Family. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
And in the spot that should have been Middleman's, this new scripted series about the world of teen gymnastics.
Tuesday, 6/23
America's Got Talent; NBC. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Oh super; I thought I'd have to go a week without hearing about another stupid-ass reality contest. Bonus: it airs tomorrow too.
The Cleaner; A&E. 9 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.
Guest-starring Whoopi Goldberg.
Wednesday, 6/24
The Philanthropist; NBC. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Unlike The Cleaner the The Closer, this series actually spells out what this person is in the title. Rome's James Purefoy stars as a man who risks his life and his money for others.
Too bad it's on NBC. It's doomed to bomb.
Thursday, 6/25
Penn & Teller: Bullshit!; Showtime. 9 pm. Season Premiere.
Where else but teameck's entertainment are you going to see the full name of this series typed out? Yeah-- I'm reader-friendly.
The bullshit subject this week: orgasms.
Sunday, 6/28
Hung; HBO. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Not about a person who tried hanging himself...
And not about a jury...
Nope, this Thomas Jane-starring show is about a high school coach who takes up a side-job as a male escort because he carries a big stick.
Or as Elliot on Scrubs would say, "He's a big schwing-schwang."
[I'm talking about his penis, people...]
THE WIRE: Carver Uses a Different Approach
The Wire's Carver is tired of chasing kids in the alleys. He decides to demand the perp show himself. Classic.
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