Fall 2009 TV

Yep, I am back after a very long break... I really don't have the time with my current schedule to update this site on a real regular basis, but I do want to take a minute to talk about the new fall TV shows. :-) Here are my thoughts...

LOVE
Vampire Diaries
Flashforward

These, of course are on at the same time. Thursday nights on TV are great, but that makes it hard to watch things. Networks need to learn to spread the wealth. (Though being a television scholar, I know why Thursdays are such a popular day to schedule things.) I highly recommend both of these shows, especially if you like more sci-fi, supernatural type shows.

LIKE
Three Rivers
Melrose Place
Modern Family
Cougar Town

I was surprised by how much I like the first two on this list, as I wasn't expecting to really like either one. The bottom two I seldom get to watch all of, but I think they are some of the best sitcoms to come along in a long time.

OKAY
The Forgotten
The Good Wife
Eastwick
Community
Trauma
Accidentally on Purpose

None of these are bad, though none are "appointment" TV. I am impressed how few shows have been canceled this season. Usually the schedule is littered with causalities at this point!

DISLIKE
Mercy

There may be more that belong on this list, but they did not intrigue me enough to even look at them. Mercy did pique my interest, but it is BAD. Bad acting and bad stories.

STILL CAN'T WAIT FOR
V

November 3 - can't wait. Looks great, is getting awesome reviews, and has my boy, Scott Wolf, in it! :-)

Crying Game, Killing Emmett Young and The Lake House

I am not sure anyone is really reading this anyway, but to anyone who is and has noticed the lack of posting for a while, I apologize. I started a second job and have been so busy that I just haven't had time to write. Because of this I am going to post just a few comments on some movies I have recently seen, but I will not go in-depth as it has been a while on some of them and my impressions are fading! :-)

The Crying Game: This was not a bad movie, but I was a little puzzled by all the hype, as I did not think it was anything outstanding. The "big moment" came way earlier in the film than I thought it did and was very brief. Knowing what that big moment was may have tainted the film a bit, as you find yourself paying attention to all the "tells" in the movie.

Killing Emmett Young: This is a direct-to-DVD movie, but I gave it a try, as it stars one of my favorite actors (who I think is highly underrated) - Scott Wolf. Wolf was good in the film, but some of his costars were laughably bad, most especially Khandi Alexander of CSI: Miami and NewsRadio fame. The ending was rather lacking. It felt like they just ran out of steam and decided to stop filming. It had the feel of a TV show that gets canceled before the show can wrap up its plot-line.

Farenheit 9/11: Make no bones about it: I am NOT a George Bush fan and having worked some with Al Gore's presidential campaign, I cried a bit when he "lost" the 2000 election. With that being said, I was still a bit taken aback by the out-and-out anti-Bush sentiment of this film. I have no doubt that many of the things that film-maker Moore brings up are true, but the total lack of any portrayal of the other side of the story, when the documentary was meant to feel like journalism, was unconscionably blatant.

The Lake House: I really like Sandra Bullock, so why is it that I don't care much for so many of her films? Setting aside the major time questions that arise in this film (as they do in any film dealing with time travel type topics) that bugged me throughout my viewing, the film just felt flat. The performances were pretty one-note and felt a bit phoned in. The best part of the whole movie was the cute dog that bridged time periods!

Mulholland Drive

How do you even begin to talk about David Lynch's movie Mulholland Drive? Simply put, the film is odd and downright confusing. It is nearly impossible to describe what the film is about. The simplest synopsis I can give is that it revolves around a car crash that prodcuces an amnesiaca victim who goes by the name Rita (though she does not know her real name), played by Laura Harring. Rita is befriended by a newcomer to LA, Betty (Naimo Watts) and together they attempt to unravel Rita's past. I am a fan of stories that many would define as strange, convoluted and hard to follow - shows such as the X-Files, Fringe, Alias and Lost are among some of my favorite programs of all time - but it is important that ultimately the stories come together and make sense and it is immensely helpful if the story revolves around well-devleoped characters that we come to care about. Mulholland Drive never comes together to make sense and doesn't give us characters to connect to. It feels like Lynch just gave up and decided there was no real way to explain everything and piece it all together. The result is a very dissatisfying movie.

There was much ado makde about this being Naomi Watts break-out role when this movie came out. I like Watts, but I cannot share in this enthusiasim for her role here. It feels very mechanical for most of the movie and only really picks up steam at the end, following a major plot shift (that I won't reveal here for those who still wish to see the film). Really the only positive I can say about this film is that the photography and lighting were very good. The mood is set from the get-go with dark lighting emphasizing the mystery of what is happening and surrounding the mysterious Rita. In contrast extremely bright light surrounds Watts sunny character until she begins getting close to Rita and thus shares her dark lighting.

If you like Lynch's past work (among his best known works are Lost Highway and the Twin Peaks television series) then you may get some enjoyment out of this convoluted film. If you are not a fan of Lynch's work, I would recommend staying away from this mess of a story.

The Life of David Gale

The Life of David Gale did not do a lot of business when it opened back in 2003 and quickly disappeared from theatres before I had a chance to see the film. I was disappointed by this, as the movie stars two of my favorite actors: Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet. After finally viewing the film, I feel that disappointment was justified - more people should have seen this film! Though certainly not the best film I have seen either actor in, the movie was very engrossing and the performances were very good. Kevin Spacey especially shone in his role as David, a former death-penalty protester who is convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Kate Winslet is also quite good, but I had a bit of a hard time with the fact that her character was supposed to me so well established as a journalist that David sought her out to tell his story; Winslet was all of 28 or so when the film was made and certainly does not look any older. That is a minor criticism however. The pacing of the movie is swift and keeps the viewer very engaged. The story is interesting and though I figured out the final twist fairly early on (way too many years of reading mystery novels), I'd be willing to say it would remain a surprise for most casual viewers. Even having figured it out, I found the twist be interesting. My bottom line is: this is a movie that deserves a viewing if you are a fan of mystery dramas.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a comedy set in the 1930s that follows the adventures of three escaped convicts, was the last of my weekend movies. This movie definitely fell into the category of a movie I did not anticipate liking very much. The film, however, was truly a pleasant surprise! The film is based loosely on the story The Odyssey by Homer, and I was amazed all these years after reading that book for an AP class in high school, that I recognized as many moments from the book as I did. This film would be a great addition to a class where the book is being taught - a nice lighthearted way to end a classes' study of The Odyssey.

The direction by Joel Coen is snappy and keeps the story moving along nicely. The music, though not my druthers, is surprisingly entertaining. I can understand how the soundtrack enjoyed success on the Billboard charts back in 2001. And, finally, the acting is really good all-around. I was especially impressed with George Clooney, who seemed like he might be an odd fit in a movie of this nature. Instead I found his portrayal of his character, as both a bit of a know-it-all and at the same time someone still searching for what he wants in life, to be very engaging.

This movie shined in just about every aspect. I highly recommend it!

The Insider

My second movie viewing this weekend was of the film The Insider, starring Russell Crowe and Al Pacino. The Insider, directed by Michael Mann, is the story of Jeffrey Wigand the infamous whistleblower who appeared on 60 Minutes in the early 1990s and outlined tobacco company misdeeds. The struggle to get his story told unfolds over the two and a half-plus hours of the film. Having a background in journalism and communication probably made this film even more interesting for me as a viewer. It was fascinating to see Al Pacino as the crusading journalist/producer (Lowell Bergman) trying to clear the way for Jeffrey's important story. I must admit to not being a huge Al Pacino fan, but he was terrific in this movie. Russell Crowe is also great and, in my opinion, probably should have won his Academy Award for this film rather than for Gladiator. His performance is understated, but powerful. The courage it took for Jeffrey to come forward and the price he paid for doing so (losing his family when his wife left him, etc.) is elegantly portrayed. This film should be played in modern history classes, as it is truly a magnificent representation of this small piece of our history. My one and only complaint regarding the film is its running time. It was a bit longer than it truly needed to be and some trimming would have been beneficial to keep the momentum going. Despite this minor complaint, I would highly recommend this film if you have not yet seen it.

Brazil

I watched quite a few movies again this weekend...boy, this time between school programs has been nice! I actually liked every movie I saw this weekend, despite a couple of them being ones I did not really think I would care for. The first movie I am writing about is one of those I did not anticipate liking much: Brazil. This 1985 film starring Jonathan Pryce and Robert De Niro, was directed by Terry Gilliam, who I know best from his work on 12 Monkeys - a truly out there film. This film, set in an alternate modern day and dealing with government bureaucracy and paranoia, was another strange trip, but I found it much more enjoyable and relatable than 12 Monkeys. The reason for this was probably two-fold: Jonathan Pryce was great in the film. In a movie where much emphasis was placed on the weird sets (retro modern America is the best way to describe them - sort of like Clockwork Orange, which I reviewed a couple weeks ago, actually), he brought real heart to his character. Even when his character, Sam, was acting "crazy' you still felt connected to Sam and wanted things to turn out okay for him. Whether they do in the end is subject to each viewers interpretation of "okay". The second reason I liked the movie as much as I did was that the commentary is very relevant to today's society, probably more so than when the film was made in 1985. The paranoia over terrorists and the extreme measures to prevent terrorist attacks in the form of denying people certain liberties was a true mirror of what we have seen in many instance in this country since 9/11. This movies was made 16 years before that ever happened!! The running commentary about bureaucracy was also entertaining and pertinent to anyone who has ever dealt with the government or any kind of large organization. This movies is very stylized, and probably not for everyone, but I do recommend it.

Lost Season Premiere

I won't write a lot about the Lost season premiere last night, as I could go on forever and I know not everyone who wants to see it has, but I just have to say it was great! It was surprisingly not as confusing as one would think given its new time travel bent. I always have issues with time travel plots (interesting, but the logic is always bit off) on shows and in the movies, but so far this is not too bad. I love that Jack shaved the ugly beard to. :-) Anyhow, two hours of new Lost made me very happy last night and I am really looking forward to the rest of the new season. Bring it on!

The Last Samurai

The final movie from my movie marathon (besides finally watching 24: Redemption, which I will simply say was okay, but did not make me want to watch the next season of 24; good thing I'd already started or they wouldn't have hooked me!), was The Last Samurai.

The Last Samurai is the story of Nathan Algren, a U.S. soldier in the 1800s who is recruited to train the Japanese in the art of modern warfare. Nathan is captured by the samurai and grows to love their traditions and the culture they protect. He then fights alongside them to protect their way of life.

What to say about this movie? It was an entertaining flick, but ultimately not very memorable. Tom Cruise as Nathan is not bad, though he is probably the main reason the film is not overly memorable, as his performance is nothing spectacular. Ken Watanabe is better as Katsumoto. You feel for him and his struggle between his allegiance to the emperor and the old ways.

The sweeping views of Japanese countryside may just be the highlight of the movie however. Breathtaking country - I was left wanting to visit.

My final verdict: if you have the opportunity to view the film, it is worth a go. There is no need to go out of your way to see the movie though, as it will be forgotten soon after you have watched it.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Another movie I saw for the first time this weekend was the 1978 version of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers staring Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams. I had never seen any of the versions of this movie: not this version, or the 1956 original, or the recent remake, Invasion; so, though I knew the basic storyline I came to the movie with no prejudgements or comparisons. The film deals with the slow invasion of the population of New York by duplicates of people. These duplicates are born from pods and are looking to take over the world, replacing those they have duplicated.

The movie felt very 1970s. This was due not only to the 70s costumes and hairstyles (always good for a laugh!), but to a different way of acting that I have noticed in 1970s movies. I am not sure how to describe the difference, but it feels like a lot of the characters in 1970s movies lack a real emotional connection to one another and the audience. I certainly felt this again in this movie. Although I would say that most of the acting was good, it lacked a spark that made it more natural... Brooke Adams, as Elizabeth, was the real weak point in the acting. She seemed especially stiff.

The story itself was a bit slow paced for today's audiences, but the story is still interesting and especially unique for when it was conceived. M. Night Shyamalan owes this film and it predecessor a debt for the concept of his movie The Happening; though I am not sure the film-makers would claim that association (if you have not seen The Happening - don't, it is awful!).

What struck me most about Invasion of the Body Snatchers was its pro-woman attitude. Having just concluded an in-depth study of women in film this was something that I could not help but notice, and I applaud the film for the respect it shows women. A woman is the co-main character, a woman figures out what is going on, the two main women are professionals (one even working in a very traditional male field, as a scientist) and a woman is the sole "survior" at the end of the film. This falls in line with what I discovered in my recent study: the 1970s were the best decade by far for the positive portrayal of women on the movie screen.

Overall, despite some issues that may be attributed greatly to the passage of time and changing of styles, this was an interesting movie and worth a viewing.

Marley & Me

So I had quite the movie marathon over the three-day MLK weekend! Let's see if I can keep them all straight... I'll start with the current theatrical release I saw on Friday night: Marley & Me. Warning: if you don't already know how this movie ends and don't want to know STOP READING prior to the last paragraph!!

I thought Marley & Me was a cute movie. I am a sucker for dog movies though, so my opinion is a bit partial! The dog was by far the highlight of the movie. For those of us who have dogs, there are lots of "yep, my dog does that and it really is hysterical" moments. The scene where Owen Wilson's character takes Marley home the first day was almost an exact re-enactment of me taking my dog Bailey home from the Humane Society our first day... By the end of the ride home the dog is in the lap and the true "owner" has been established. It is these moments that give this movie its heart. With that said, the story has no real momentum - you are simply watching a family go through the years and grow. Not the most compelling plot...and there were times when I found myself wishing "something" would happen.

As indicated earlier, the many dogs who played Marley were amazing. I wish the same could be said about their human counterparts. Owen Wilson is fine as John, playing a typical Owen-Wilson-character. Though I was a big fan of Friends, I must admit that I have never fallen in love with Jennifer Aniston as a movie actress and this film did not change that. She is merely adequate in her role. Eric Dane, as John's friend and colleague, plays a version of his Grey's Anatomy character. The only standouts were Alan Arkin as John's boss - his dry humor was spot-on - and a young Nathan Gamble, who plays the oldest son around the age of 10 and interjects real emotion into his role and his interactions with the aging Marley.

Which brings me to the end of the movie. The last half hour or so is what makes this movie special and absolutely heartbreaking at the same time. As we see Marley truly begin to age, get sick and eventually pass on we are reminded of how precious our time with our furry companions are. I have honestly never cried so much in a movie in my life. Memories of dogs past and thoughts of the inevitable with my pup Bailey haunted me well past the lights going up in the theatre. Although painful to watch, the ending was beautifully done and really paid tribute to all beloved family dogs and the real Marley especially. I am sure he is looking down from above and wagging his tail.

Clockwork Orange

I watched Clockwork Orange for the first time the other day, having felt guilty for years that as a former film major and avowed movie buff I have never seen this classic movie. All I can really say, is what a bunch of hype! The first half of the movie I felt as if I was watching some kind of snuff film. The second half, though still not really involving, at least felt like it had a story and something to say. I can only assume that it is the second half of the film and its message regarding government control that raised this film to classic status. If the film has reached this status based merely on the first half with its shocking images of violence and sex - usually hand-in-hand - then that is truly a sad commentary on our society!

I also felt like the acting in the movie was not all that great. Emotions seemed to be conveyed mostly by yelling. This struck me more than once during the film and made me cringe as much as any of the violent scenes.

Overall, despite its iconic status, Clockwork Orange is not a movie I would recommend.

Introduction

I spend a good chunk of my time watching movies and TV shows as research for school, as well as a means of entertainment. With this much media viewing, I have decided I might as well share my thoughts on what I've watched. Thus, the birth of this blog! Check back for reviews of videos, movies, television shows and general entertainment observations.