An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder

Impressions before seeing it
Kevin Smith is one of the most interesting storytellers on the planet. The first Evening With Kevin Smith was basically four hours of nothing but Kev talking and telling funny stories, and it was completely fascinating. It's impressive that someone can go on and on for that long without ever being boring.

How was it?
Another four hours of talking, and once again I was not bored. I don't know how he does it. For much of it he wasn't even talking about working on his movies, he was just speaking of mundane things like watching Dora the Explorer and getting caught by his daughter while boning his wife. Yet the dude is always captivating. But I do think that his best stories are his behind the scenes tales of movie making. Maybe that's just because of my personal interest in the industry. But again, it doesn't really matter what he talks about because I'll be listening.

One improvement over the first DVD: I was kind of annoyed by the druggies who always came up to the mic and asked stuff like "Hey man, wanna come party with us after the show?" or "Let's go get high, man!". I might be sounding prudish here, but those fools are just wasting everyone's time by asking that instead of a thoughtful question that would provoke interesting answers. Furthermore, as cool as it would be to hang with a celebrity it's probably not likely that they'll oblige, either for security reasons or because they just don't know you. But yeah, there weren't any of those dudes on this DVD. I also kind of liked how the two discs/parts were separated into two different events, as opposed to cutting between several like last time.

Recommendation
If you're a Kevin Smith fan you've probably seen this already anyway, but you definitely gotta watch these DVDs because the dude is just incredibly entertaining to listen to.

Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes

Impressions before seeing it
The first two seasons of Chappelle's Show were hilarious. This was supposed to be the third season until Dave walked out, leaving Donnell and Charlie to host the sketches he left behind. I knew all this going in, and my only complaint is that I never really found Donnell funny in the previous seasons.

How was it?
Okay, there are a few things to talk about here. First I will just say that Donnell and Charlie hosting the sketches was nowhere near as funny as when Dave hosts them, because Dave does something that more closely resembles stand-up comedy as he introduces and bookends the clips. The replacement duo tries to crack a few uninspired jokes and then basically just goes, "watch this." I'm glad the sketches were still written by and starring Dave because I would not watch The Donnell and Charlie Show.

The interesting thing about the sketches though is that they seemed to foreshadow Chappelle's departure. He has the usual stuff about race controversies, but there are also a number of sketches about the success of Chappelle's Show having an effect on his life and how he doesn't want to sell out. There is some classic wacky Chappelle humour to be appreciated, but some of it also feels a little preachy or self-righteous.

Which brings me to the racism and why Dave left. It has always been my understanding that Chappelle's Show sometimes does perpetuate black stereotypes, but mainly as a kind of inside joke for the black audiences who will recognize them as such. I can't speak for other white folks, but I can say that the race jokes have never, ever been my reason for watching the show. I just like Dave Chappelle's sense of humour, especially when he's not talking about race. If there were white viewers stupid enough to buy into the stereotype jokes and use it as an educational tool to learn about black culture, then that is a very unfortunate side effect. They even had Charlie and Donnell interview some audience members about the racial stereotype sketches, and I thought some good opinions were shared. The best one was probably from a woman who said that the show shouldn't be used to educate or to make us think, only to make us laugh. I wholeheartedly agree, because Dave's most brilliant sketches from past seasons had absolutely nothing to do with race - I'm thinking of the "What if the internet were a physical place?" sketch, and the "real" versions of Hollywood movies, to name a couple. Perhaps he would not have left the show at all if he had stuck to that kind of comedy in the first place.

Recommendation
It's not as brilliant as the first two seasons but it's worth watching if you enjoyed them. Just try to ignore the racial stereotypes for Dave's sake.

This Week in Television - Dec. 14-18, 2009

Survivor: Samoa
(I'm including the big Sunday finale here even though I don't really include weekends in the TV posts.) So I said in the beginning that Russell wasn't going to win. Turns out I was right after all, but I do have to admit that as his power continued to grow and grow throughout the season, I was doubting my prediction and I thought maybe he might take it after all. But it looks like there is no consistency in juries - sometimes they respect the villains who totally backstabbed them all, and sometimes they're whiners who ultimately shun those villains. This was a whiner season. Not that I necessarily disagree with Natalie's win - she seems like a nice girl and I am happy for her, and even though Russell did play a crazy strong and dominant game, comparing his strategy to Natalie's is really just apples and oranges. Making the jury want to vote for you is part of the game, and an important one at that, and that's where Russell failed, so it is not fair to say that, as he claims, he played a perfect game. I also don't think it is fair to say that Natalie was a coattail rider. True, she didn't strategize as much as Russell, but she wasn't following him blindly either (voting Erik had nothing to do with Russell) and there have been much better examples of those players in other seasons. Russell was pissed off to the point of visible nervousness during the reunion, and it showed, but he should have realized that his downfall was getting too arrogant and not thinking about jury votes until much too late.
The next season looks like a lot of fun - I like when they bring back past Survivors. I just hope that when they categorize the "heroes" and "villains", that the people participating will rightfully fall under those titles and not just be placed there because they were the only ones willing to do another season. I would love to see them do a season made up entirely of past winners. That would be the ultimate season.

Kenny vs. Spenny
Who is a better basketball coach? Once Spenny caught a glimpse of Kenny's wheelchair team, I knew exactly how it was going to play out, and I was right. Kudos to Spenny for doing his best to fight Kenny's schemes, but he just did it wrong.

This Week in Television - Dec. 7-11, 2009

Glee
So the glee club won because one of their competitors was a group of deaf kids who couldn't sing, and because the judges were incompetent? I think I actually kind of approve of that, because I would have been outraged if they had won simply because they bested the competition. Would have seemed too kitschy. Too bad Sue got suspended, but she will come back even awesomer.

Modern Family
The problem I am starting to have with Modern Family is that I see many of the jokes coming. I knew the two sisters were going to sabotage their brother when they told him their idea to get Christmas back. I knew the scary monster face was going to pop up again in the video at the end. A punchline is no good when you already know it, folks.

Survivor: Samoa
They should've called Russell's bluff. I knew he wasn't going to play his idol, he was just trying out a way to use it without using it.

Bones
I don't watch Bones, but I did this week to see special guest star Zooey Deschanel. The reason I can never get into cop/detective shows - and this one is no exception - is that I really do not care about solving the mystery of a weekly anonymous character's murder, and all of that crap takes time away from proper character development, which is the other reason I would watch if there were enough of it. Bones and Booth are likable characters, sure, but not them or anything else about the show managed to pull me in. Maybe if Zooey's character were a regular castmember - the Benjamin Franklin quotes were annoying but she added a kind of sarcastic tone to each one to make them funny.

Fringe
That was some heavy stuff, removing pieces of Walter's brain and hiding them in the brains of others so that he wouldn't remember some dangerous info. I hope John Noble gets an Emmy someday.

Parks and Recreation
Once again, some good satire in this one: the media loves to blow things out of proportion and give false reports on something that would make an awesome story if it were true. Sounds especially like FOX news. I like the ridiculousness of their observations, such as, "Normally when two women stand so close to each other, we have to assume...lesbians." They weren't even standing that close. I am rooting for April and Andy to get together, they seem so weirdly appropriate for each other.

The Office
I never realized until Andy brought it up, but it is funny how the 12 gifts of Christmas are mostly birds. So Dunder Mifflin will be under new management. Interesting. But not as interesting as Phyllis and Bob Vance dressed in Santa outfits and making out with each other. lol gross.

30 Rock
It was cool to see Julianne Moore guest star, but unfortunately she didn't have much to do except for a mildly amusing Boston accent. Usually the guest stars get wackier parts. I knew Liz's zero dollar gift to Jack would be bringing Julianne Moore back.

Kenny vs. Spenny
Who can win a cock fight? I thought this episode was going to involve roosters. I should have known better.

Overall rating for this week's shows: A-

Whatever Works

Impressions before seeing it
I've seen a few Woody Allen films before and generally enjoy his work. Also I am a fan of Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood.

How was it?
The title, and the movie's premise, go back to Woody's explanation for his controversial relationship with his adopted stepdaughter: "The heart wants what it wants." Basically this is a movie about bizarre and unlikely couples - the incredibly smart but pessimistic Boris (David) and the passionate but stupid Melody (Wood); her hippie mother (Patricia Clarkson) and the two men she threesomes regularly; and Melody's father (Ed Begley Jr.), who meets a guy in a bar after finally realizing he is gay. Not to say that gay relationships are bizarre, but it was unlikely given that Melody's father had been married for so many years and then left his wife for another woman before switching teams.

But the idea is not to give the audience an exploitative sideshow of freaky couples. The point being made is that sometimes the person who makes us happiest will come out of left field, and even if it's not something that is likely to last or will probably be frowned upon, we should go with it because of that happiness. Or in other words, go with "whatever works".

The cast was solid, although at first I kind of felt that David and Wood were maybe playing it a little too strongly, like performing a play instead of a movie, but they soon settled into their roles more comfortably (or I did as the viewer), and I stopped noticing. To be honest Larry David was mostly just playing a version of himself, but that's what he always does, and he does it well.

I don't know about all of Woody's other films, but I was reminded of Annie Hall when Boris would address the camera/audience and slip in some self-referential remarks. Apparently Whatever Works was actually written back in the 70's, which would explain the similarity to Woody's earlier comedies and why he released a comedy now when he has been doing dramas lately. Yes, I am aware that the poster ironically labels it as "a new comedy".

Recommendation
In real life I think the characters in this movie would be annoying, but on screen I found them charming in spite of having some big flaws. I can't say whether anyone else would see it that way, though. The movie's message is simple and not revealed in any profound way, but I would recommend it if you have any interest in Woody Allen or Larry David.

This Week in Television - Nov. 30-Dec. 4, 2009

Heroes
It seems out of character that Claire would want a normal life so badly that she would turn her back on her family to join the carnival. It was kind of cool the way Nathan turned back into Sylar as he fell. I didn't find Nathan that likable or interesting anyway.

Glee
I don't care much for most of the characters on Glee, but Schuster's wife is my least favourite so I hope she is finally getting the axe. What kind of mattress store sells those GINORMOUS mattresses that are big enough for like 10-20 people to sleep comfortably? Lol, Sue had her tear ducts removed because she "wasn't usin' 'em". Awesome.

Survivor: Samoa
When John bought that immunity idol clue at the auction, at first I thought it was a waste, but then I realized that he was really buying the knowledge that Russell has it. Not a bad idea. It didn't help him though.

Fringe
Poor Walter. He can't be independent because it's just not in his nature anymore. Also Astrid is the most dedicated lab assistant ever.

Parks and Recreation
I love how dumb Andy is. He's not trying to win Anne back because he's persistent, but because for no reason whatsoever he thinks she still loves him. I also love Ron's growing pattern of only showing up at events for the food.

The Office
I liked the juxtaposing of Dwight trying to sabotage Jim with Michael breaking his promise to the kids. I don't know why everyone was so willing to believe Jim being sneaky though - they've worked with him for years and should know by now that he's not the type to do something like that. Michael, yes, but not Jim. The best part was Dwight doing his impressions of Kevin, Stanley, and Toby over the phone.

30 Rock
This episode had one of the most hilariously disturbing endings on 30 Rock: Liz crying out of her mouth while Frank, rocking the Liz look, kisses her on the cheek. Bizarre, but funny. Fun fact: Mel Brooks is also an EGOT winner.

Flash Forward
When Janis told Simon that the satellite photo had been taken in 1991 and then they cut to commercial, the musical cue was terrible. They might as well have had some guy yell "PLOT TWIST!" at the top of his lungs because it was just that prominent. Musical cues are usually supposed to be subtle. I wonder if Mark really shot Demetri or if they just jumped to that conclusion because it was his gun. And if Lloyd and Simon really did cause the blackout (which I don't believe they did), that doesn't mean they caused the flash forwards, so I don't see what the big deal is.

Kenny vs. Spenny
Who can get further [sexually] with the other one's mother? Niether of their mothers was a whore so it wasn't really an easy one. Spenny actually copped a lot of feels and stuff before pissing off Kenny's mom. I thought he might win because Kenny was spending most of his time making bestiality jokes about Spenny's mom.

Overall rating for this week's shows: A

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian

Impressions before seeing it
The first one was alright, the concept was fun and everything, but it didn't really need a sequel. Mostly I watched this one because Amy Adams is awesome.

How was it?
Despite being an unnecessary movie, I did have fun watching it. There are a lot of cool cameos, including three castmembers from The Office (four if you count Amy Adams's guest appearances) and Jonah Hill, who easily had the funniest scene as Brandon (pronounced Brundon) the security guard. Bonus points for including an extended cut of Jonah's scene on the DVD. But minus a lot of points for including the Jonas Brothers as cupid statues. Damn you, Disney!

Speaking of Disney, I would probably enjoy these movies more if they weren't family films. I don't have that problem with Pixar, but for this franchise it might be more appropriate to go darker, seeing as how the museum displays are historical figures and our history as humans is full of war and terrible things. Maybe I'm nitpicking, but I just thought this movie was sometimes silly in the wrong places (like the evil Pharaoh having a lisp, presumably so the kids wouldn't find him too scary), and not funny enough in others (like the Einstein bobbleheads, who weren't funny at all, and shouldn't necessarily have been able to solve the tablet riddle just because of a "smart people can do literally anything" myth that some people believe.)

But maybe I shouldn't get hung up on these things at all, because Night at the Museum is just a fun family film with no substance or message. Oh, and Amy Adams is still awesome.

Recommendation
If you enjoyed the first one, you will probably enjoy this one, because it isn't any less fun (it may be a little more fun, actually). There are some laughs but some of the humour is also simple kid's stuff.

True Romance

Impressions before seeing it
I wanted to see it because the script was written by Quentin Tarantino, but it also had an impressive cast.

How was it?
True Romance is like a chick flick for guys. It is a romance, but it's also full of action and violence (which by the laws of filmmaking, must exist in anything involving Tarantino). A lot of it also centers around drug dealers, which I would normally find kind of boring, but in this case no part of the movie was uninteresting. I wouldn't really call this movie original, but that's understandable, being that this was one of Tarantino's early scripts that he sold to make some money so that he could direct his own stuff later on. I wouldn't want to let someone else direct my best ideas either.

That's not to say that this movie is bad at all. It's actually really good for a story that in other hands might be mundane. QT's directorial efforts are much better films, but thanks to his scriptwriting genius, this is a decent one too.

Recommendation
I would say watch it if you are a Tarantino fan, but otherwise take it or leave it. Maybe you could still enjoy the performances from all of the familiar faces - special props to Gary Oldman, who seems to use a different voice/accent for every role.

The Brothers Solomon

Impressions before seeing it
I liked the cast and was expecting some good laughs.

How was it?
The Brothers Solomon was co-written by Will Forte, and I have to give him credit for always creating the weirdest characters - not just here, but also on SNL. John and Dean Solomon are a couple of overly optimistic man-children with no clue how anything in the real world works. Some of the humour just comes from the way they grin and smile all the time, sometimes to an excessive and almost creepy extent. There were parts that I did find hilarious, but other parts that should have or could have been funny just kind of fell flat out of weirdness, and I'm a guy who usually doesn't mind weird humour. I get that the weirdness is part of the film's concept and is a big running joke, I just think it tends to alienate the viewer and that's why this one ended up being a flop at the box office.

But again, there is a strong comedic cast: Will Forte, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, Chi Mcbride, and cameos by Jenna Fischer and Bill Hader. I just wish it had been a little less weird.

Recommendation
It's just so bizarre that I can't see many people "getting" this movie, but it is worth some laughs if your sense of humour verges on wacky.

This Week in Television - Nov. 23-27, 2009

Short week due to the American Thanksgiving on Thursday.

Heroes
Wow, Doug is a pretentious tool. I guess Sandra wanted the exact opposite of Noah. Sylar giving Angela the kiss of death made me laugh because it was so creepy. I don't think the dude with the dreadlocks necessarily has the same power that the Haitian does, because when he was done with Hiro, he hadn't forgotten anything. He still knew he had to escape and rescue someone, he was just confused about who that was. So I guess his power is... confusion?

V
The ending was cool, when they showed more ships coming. Hilarious pattern I noticed: every episode has a scene where Ryan hugs his human girlfriend and he makes an "Oh crap, I hope she doesn't find out I'm a V" face over her shoulder.

Glee
Only saw some of the episode, but I don't think I was missing much. Looked like it was mostly about Quinn's baby.

Survivor: Samoa
Clip show this week.

Kenny vs. Spenny
Who can keep a chicken coop on their head the longest? I like when they do these competitions that are really out there. This one was probably more entertaining than funny though, except when Kenny was basically doing a stand-up routine on abortion.

Overall rating for this week's shows: B

Boiler Room

Impressions before seeing it
Didn't really know anything except that I generally dislike Vin Diesel.

How was it?
For some reason I thought it was going to be a heist movie, but I'm glad it wasn't because that would have interested me a lot less. Instead it's about a bunch of pushy salesmen (i.e. con men) trying to sell stock market shares to schmucks. That alone interested me and was enough for the movie, but they had to throw in this other story about Giovanni Ribisi's character being desperate for his father's approval, which I wasn't really a fan of. I mean I can understand what it might be like having a strict parent who is hard to please, and what it would be like to want someone's respect so badly, but it just seems so...weak. I'm not saying that to love or to want love is weak, but this guy is trying so hard to do what his dad wants that it's like he's not living his own life and can't think for himself.

So that is my one gripe, but I did enjoy this movie. It was interesting (and maybe a little infuriating) watching how these guys manipulated every customer into saying yes to them. Ben Affleck appeared to give the trainees some inspiring speeches (I don't care what anyone says, he has been in some flops but he's not a bad actor) and Vin Diesel gave an adequate performance after all - most likely the best of his career.

Recommendation
Boiler Room is an enjoyable salesman movie... that's about it.

This Week in Television - Nov. 16-20, 2009

Heroes
The stuff with Tracy getting help from Claire after losing control of her abilities was kind of pointless and pretty much the same story we got last season when Elle had the same problem. So if Samuel gets stronger around others with abilities, but he was somehow unaware of this without having seen the film, then the question of why he's gathering people is still up in the air. Disappointed that Sylar left Matt's body since watching those two duke it out was awesome, but maybe it will just continue with Sylar vs. Nathan.

V
Tyler is terrible at lying to his mom and stalling for time. Whatever the V's are planning to use him for, I hope they didn't need an intelligent person, because if so they will fail miserably.

Glee
No Sue at all this week, just some crazy obsessive teenage girls and Kurt trying to convert Finn to homosexuality. In a real life situation I would say it wouldn't happen, but since Glee tends to be unrealistic I wouldn't really be that surprised if Kurt and Finn hooked up at some point, even if it's temporary.

Modern Family
This episode was saved by its guest stars, Elizabeth Banks, who is cool, and Edward Norton, who I don't think of as a character actor but he does a good British accent. I also like the role reversal in having the wife be the one who is terrible with gifts and special occasions instead of the husband. Manny's attraction to Haley just seems like a recycling of the George Michael and Mayby thing from Arrested Development, although in this case I think Manny is Haley's... half uncle?

Survivor: Samoa
I didn't like Laura anyway. I'm still not really rooting for anyone in particular though, and there's only 8 left. Kind of a forgettable season in that sense.

Fringe
Awesome, I always found the observers really fascinating. Glad we got an episode to learn more about them. So if they are observing time, it must be that they are trying to either find something or learn something. And given that they are so bizarrely inhuman, why did that one guy start to have feelings?

Parks and Recreation
The hunting trip was kind of funny, but the best part was April and Andy wasting time doing mundane stuff like playing Marco Polo and practicing spit takes. I think they might get together at some point and would actually make a good couple (albeit a slightly weird one) since they're both so lazy and unmotivated.

The Office
Dwight's Recyclops costume was awesome. Kudos to Jim for punishing Ryan, because sometimes he can really be a smug prick. The ending was great when Dwight was so disgusted with the lineup for questions that he just ended up making suggestions for more efficient lineups.

30 Rock
Frank being the greenest person at TGS: funny; Dr. Spaceman making another appearance: awesome; Kathy Geiss's lawyer being a Teddy Ruxpin doll in a suit: priceless.

Flash Forward
Even back when Olivia first got the text, I knew it wasn't from anyone that Mark told. It's gotta be someone who was involved with the blackout. I like that the majority of the episode was about Bryce, because until now I thought of him as more of a minor supporting character. However it seems too soon to be introducing the girl from his flash forward and setting them up to be situated in the same country, because it looks like the first time they meet is in the vision, which would take place (and air) in the spring.

Kenny vs. Spenny
Season 6 kicked off this week with two episodes. The first was "Who Can 69 the Longest?". I read some of the competitions online and was wondering how they were going to do this one without it being too literal - there was no disgusting oral sex involved, just harnesses keeping them attached to each other in a 69-like position. The funniest part was watching them try to move around, and having the crew decide that it was a boring competition so they tortured them to provoke surrender.
The second episode was "Who can touch the most breasts?", and within minutes the term was quickly distorted to include the breasts of men, cows, chicken, and plastic mannequins and dolls. Surprisingly, I don't think Kenny even touched any bare lady breasts and Spenny got several (They're worth 3 points!).

New record: 11 shows this week! Also, for the first time in... possibly ever... I have at least one show on every weeknight.

Overall rating for this week's shows: A+

This Week in Television - Nov. 9-13, 2009

Heroes
Man, Samuel is really working everyone. Still not sure exactly what his goal is. I'm not convinced that wanting to keep the other "special" people safe is his only priority. The Parkman vs. Sylar stuff was the highlight of the episode though, I am loving that plotline.

V
Still hate that Tyler kid. I like how Decker turned the tables on Anna, although Scott Wolf is admittedly one of the most forgettable actors out there so I wish he was being played by someone else.

Glee
I'll admit it, it was kind of sweet when they revealed that Sue has a mentally challenged sister. Kind of makes me like her more, even though I mainly like her for her hilarious evilness.

Survivor: Samoa
Damn, Russell keeps finding idols and playing them. I still think he'll get his.

Fringe
I knew it was the kid doing the mind control before they revealed it. They kept cutting to him every time someone was being forced to kill themselves. I don't think that human brains would taste like chicken but those kinds of random thoughts are why Walter Bishop is my hero.

Parks and Recreation
I liked this one. It wasn't necessarily the funniest episode, but I thought it was a cool episode idea to have everyone design a new mural for the town hall. Andy shining shoes seems like a perfect job for him somehow, I hope he keeps that one for a while.

The Office
Michael was kind of annoying in this episode, and I never find him as annoying as everyone else who watches The Office does. I guess I just wasn't really a fan of him staying in his southern gentleman character for most of the episode. The Mexican standoff at the end was awesome though.

30 Rock
I love that Liz Lemon's name on the foreign market is "Lesbian Yellow Sour Fruit".

Flash Forward
So I guess the whole debate they're getting into now is: can the future really be changed? On Lost they talked about how the universe has a way of course correcting, but does that apply on Flash Forward? I think what I'm actually most intrigued about is what they're going to do for the second season, which would take place after everyone's flash forwards come to pass (or not?). Maybe they'll all just have new flash forwards to stress about.

Overall rating for this week's shows: A

Black Dynamite

Impressions before seeing it
The trailer was hilarious, and I love the idea of not only setting a movie in a certain era, but taking it a step further and pretending it was actually filmed in that era as well.

How was it?
I don't think I've ever actually watched a whole blaxploitation film, but as long as you know enough about the genre I don't think you have to in order to enjoy Black Dynamite. First, a reminder: "parody" is defined as "a literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule." Black Dynamite is a parody because it does exactly that. Films like Epic Movie and Disaster Movie are NOT parodies, because they do not do that. Smart people know this already, but the word parody has been thrown around too much and with the exception of Black Dynamite and Walk Hard there hasn't really been a good parody movie in at least 10 years.

Anyway, this movie perfectly captures the blatant cheesiness of 70's movies. There are continuity errors, boom mikes, bad acting, cheesy dialogue, over the top action, ridiculous plot elements (my favourite being a scene where Black Dynamite and his friends talk their way through a trail of clues using obscure knowledge that no average person would ever know, and having no logical reason for using the methods in which they discover the clues), and nun-chucks (whatever happened to nun-chucks anyway? You don't see them in modern movies that much anymore). Usually when you put all of these things together it makes a god awful piece of crap, but only when it's unintentional. Obviously they are mimicking the genre here so in that case they hit the nail on the head and the combination of bad filmmaking elements just makes it lots and lots of fun. If I hadn't known about this movie and recognized a few familiar faces in it, I really would have thought it was made in the 70's. Kudos to the lead actor, Michael Jai White, for also co-writing this. I like when actors do some behind-the-camera work as well.

Recommendation
You definitely have to check this one out if you enjoy real parody and love cheesy lines. Lots of cheesy lines.

This Week in Television - Nov. 2-6, 2009

Heroes
Not sure I believe that Charlie is even still alive. I think her apology to Hiro was just a vision created by Samuel to get him on board with his plan. How many powers does this guy have, and how did he get them? LOL HE KILLED MOHINDER.

V
So this new show started up this week. It was cool, although I don't like Elizabeth Mitchell's teenage son and his friend. They're idiots and I don't care for them. The plane falling out of the sky when the ships arrived looked really cool, as did the ships themselves. And the reptile skin under the Visitor disguises. I like the idea of aliens pretending to be peaceful and helpful while secretly plotting to take over Earth. It's more interesting than just having them fly in and start blowing up major landmarks. I thought Morena Baccarin's performance was good too, she has a way of feigning pleasantness so that you can still kind of see that she is cold and robotic underneath. This show is apparently a remake of a mini-series but I have never seen it because it was almost before my time.

Survivor: Samoa
Russell wasted his idol, and in the preview for the next episode he looks scared and desperate. Sucker.

Fringe
The turning people into dust thing was cool. Nice to finally see a bit more character development with Broyles.

Parks and Recreation
Ron and Tammy were hilarious together. I thought it was an interesting take that he doesn't actually hate his wife, he only convinces himself that he does in order to resist her.

The Office
Michael dumping Pam's mom after finding out her age was typical Michael, but the best part of the episode was Dwight and Andy's polite favour war. When Dwight was offering bagels at the beginning I at first thought he had put something in them, but I suppose that's not his style.

30 Rock
I kind of hope they continue to use the robot guy in TGS sketches, just because of how stupid it would be. Did anyone else catch Liz referring to Gilbert Gottfried as "Sir Gilbert Gottfried"?

Flash Forward
Al did a brave thing by killing himself, but if I were him I wouldn't have jumped off a building. I kept thinking how hilariously ironic it would be if he ended up landing on the woman he was supposed to have killed in the future. I don't think this means everyone else's futures won't happen though, it only means they can be altered.

Overall rating for this week's shows: A

Mary and Max

Impressions before seeing it
Stumbled upon this little Australian animated flick I had never heard of. All I knew about it was the brief little synopsis, but it sounded like it could be heartwarming.

How was it?
So these two people who are kind of losers and have no friends end up randomly becoming pen pals and good friends over a long distance. It could have easily been done in live action but then it probably would have lost some charm. For one, the characters are meant to be ugly and that doesn't translate well to live action because most movies have to have good-looking actors in the lead (or so studios believe) in order to do well, so having them animated makes them cute anyway. But I think the animation is also important in giving it a unique visual style, especially given that much of it is in monotones and again that might bore some viewers if it were live action.

Early on in the film I was reminded of Amélie because of the lonely characters and all of the details about the specific things they like and don't like as well as their quirks. That means it was off to a good start because I love Amélie. It even had a narrator. But it branched off into its own movie, told mostly through letters to each other, about a growing friendship. It's one of those heartwarming friendship movies - and as I am noticing with this type of movie, the new friendship is always tested when there is some sort of fallout between them. Lost in Translation also comes to mind, especially given that we have an older man and younger girl here as well. It's not for kids though, it is kind of dark and at times depressing, and the ending is one of those things that makes you feel happy and sad at exactly the same time. By the way, the main characters are voiced by Toni Collette and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who are both awesome.

Recommendation
If you watch it, be prepared for the possibility of smiling, crying, or both at the same time. Should be enjoyable for most, because who doesn't like movies about characters becoming friends?

This Week in Television - Oct. 26-30, 2009

Heroes
I'm not sure I really have anything to say about this week's episode of Heroes. Sororities and fraternities bore me. Tracy Strauss bores me. Samuel Sullivan perplexes me.

Survivor: Samoa
That puzzle looked hard, man. All the pieces, I think, were exactly the same and you had to find a pattern and put them in just the right way... Surprised anyone even got it. It makes me mad that everyone who doesn't trust Russell gets voted off.

Parks and Recreation
This week's episode was very enjoyable. Halloween episodes of TV shows do tend to be fun though. I like how there wasn't really anyone wearing a creative costume, it kind of feels more realistic that way. The "straight guy" costume being the exact same clothes Mark wears was hilarious.

The Office
Michael being a Dick in a Box guy for Halloween makes so much sense given that some of his previous costumes were listed in an earlier season as being "Janet Jackson's boob, Monica Lewinsky (twice), and OJ". Also found the gag about pretending to hang himself to teach kids about suicide to be really funny, and Daryl not knowing what anyone's costume was. Pam and Andy making sales calls was also a fun team to see.

30 Rock
Oh man, so many amazing jokes in this episode! The two dead "celebrities" barely qualifying as real celebrities; Tracy promising to eat a bowl of cherries and some ghost meat in the Pac-Man guy's honour; Jimmy Fallon's self-deprecating jokes about his show; random southerners being played by Jack McBrayer in costume so that they all look like Kenneth... Best episode of the season so far - although, yes, it's only episode three.

Flash Forward
This was a good one. I liked the tension when they met at Mark and Olivia's house and everyone realized Mr. Simcoe was the dude from her flash forward. Dominic Monaghan's character is interesting and I hope we see him more. I don't think it has been addressed that Simcoe looked upset about something in his flash forward before Olivia called to him.

Overall rating for this week's shows: A

This Week in Television - Oct. 19-23, 2009

Heroes
It would've been faster for Peter to teleport that kid back to the hospital to help Hiro, which is what I was thinking they would do, but apparently that never occurred to him. On the other hand it never occurred to me for Peter to take the kid's power and catch a flight back. I don't think Hiro will get to save Charlie because then she would probably have to become a series regular and Jayma Mays is busy on Glee. I did hear she was going to guest star though so I think we'll see her next week.

Glee
I don't buy that girls wouldn't like Puck for being a jerk. High school girls especially love good-looking jerks. Sue's tacky red zoot suit was great.

Survivor: Samoa
You know, it's really suspicious how they always only have one challenge in episodes where there is too much drama to allow time for a second challenge. And no, I don't think they make that decision AFTER the drama happens, because Russell passed out at the challenge, which was for reward and then both tribes were going to tribal council with no immunity, so there was no second challenge planned before they started. I'm on to you, fake television!

Parks and Recreation
Cool to see Aziz's buddy from Human Giant making a guest appearance, but otherwise this episode wasn't really that special. But hey, at least they finally got the pit filled in.

The Office
Probably one of the weakest episodes of the season so far. Most of it was just Pam reacting to Michael hooking up with her mom. Although I did like that her initial reaction was to run screaming from the room like an 8 year-old.

30 Rock
Always a great episode when Will Arnett guest stars. I hope the epic battle between Banks and Donaghy never ends.

Flash Forward
Okay, so there was no mention whatsoever of Dominic Monaghan or his mysterious phonecall from the end of the last episode. I kind of liked the courtroom stuff though. I guess there's always going to be people questioning the validity of the flash forwards. I wonder if Janis is dead and they were showing her flash forward for irony's sake and to show that it's not going to come true, or to remind us that it still is. She was shot in the stomach I think, not the chest, so she may survive.

Overall rating for this week's shows: B (Okay, so I'll keep the rating after all. Some weeks aren't as good as others.)

The IT Crowd - Season 3

Impressions before seeing it
Very much enjoyed the first two seasons. I bought the season 3 DVD without having seen it.

How was it?
As I said the last two times, brilliant DVD menus. I also like how the video games they parody get more advanced with each season: they started with Commodore/Coleco type games on the season 1 disc, then it was Super Nintendo games, and for this one they used internet games. If they do another season they might have to move into 3D stuff. It's amazing how some of them even kind of act out entire episodes if you sit and watch them.

But how is the show itself holding up after three seasons? Well, I think I would have to say that season 3 is my favourite season. All 6 episodes were very solid and had some top notch storylines, weaved together in an almost Seinfeld-like way so that they collide and affect each other by the end of the episode. I love that Denholm was able to make a cameo by appearing in Hell, deceitfully looking like Heaven except for the fact that Hitler is present. I also related to the episode where Moss and Roy use a website that teaches nerds to pretend they know what they're talking about when conversing about sports so as to look good in front of the "manly" guys. I would be in the same boat as them, no clue. And I believe that if the internet could be manifested into a physical object, it would look like a little black box with a blinking red light on top. But the best moment by far: Moss getting knocked out and then playing the Windows startup sound when he opens his eyes. Genius.

Recommendation
Still one of the best nerd shows out there, and if you liked the first two seasons you gotta keep going, it gets better.

Where the WIld Things Are

Impressions before seeing it
I don't remember at all what the original book was like. It's probably been like 15 years or something since I last read it. But I remembered its existence and what the monsters in the pictures looked like, and that drawing style translated quite well to the big screen. Also it's directed by Spike Jonze and that dude has made a few movies I really like.

How was it?
You know what, for a movie adapted from a children's book it didn't even feel like a children's movie. I mean the main character is a kid, yes, and the story is from his point of view, and probably does one of the best jobs I've seen of capturing what it's like to be a kid at play, but I still stand by my original statement.

To me it looks like something that would probably bore the pants off an 8 year-old. While there are certainly some fun scenes, there are just as many where the monsters stand around talking, and while I myself had no problem with that, I know it's not something kids want to see. But then this movie can also be dark and even violent at times, so I suppose it wasn't intended for the young.

Which brings me to my main point: Where the Wild Things Are is actually kind of deep. Max has a bit of a fallout with his family so he escapes to the land of monsters, where the characters and events that take place there draw striking parallels to the characters and events that took place in his own land at the beginning of the movie. As I watched I was actually trying to figure out which monsters represented which people in Max's life, and I think I got a few of them. At one point we even see a giant dog that is the same breed as Max's. I think all of the resemblances prove the monsters to be in Max's imagination, although it isn't officially confirmed in the movie.

And then on top of that we have Max playing king of the monsters. Everything is good at first until he realizes what it's like to be a leader. The monsters criticize him, accuse him of playing favourites, keeping secrets, making bad decisions, etc. Oops, while he was playing he accidentally found out how hard it was to be a grownup! But he needed that lesson. Max is a kid with a big imagination, and at first it seemed like no one understood him because they were too old, but maybe it's that he didn't understand them because he was too young. I don't think I'm doing it justice but if you think about these things while you watch, you'll come to see how this movie is too smart for children. And kudos to that kid for carrying literally every damned scene of the movie, great performance for a child actor!

Recommendation
I loved it without knowing (i.e. remembering) the original story, but I have no idea what someone else's take might be. As much as I enjoyed it I could also see someone hating it for being... slow and dramatic, perhaps. Or not true to the book, if that is the case. But I found it fun and thought-provoking in any case.

Zombieland

Impressions before seeing it
First off, let me state that I'm not really a zombie fan. Probably because I'm not really a horror fan either. That being said, a trailer with zombies being slaughtered in an amusement park had me convinced that this could be nothing but fun.

How was it?
Another awesome opening credits sequence: people running from zombies in slow motion as they bump and nudge the actual letters in the credits into jumbles. We also get "active" titles throughout the film as our main character lists his rules for killing/surviving zombies. But, okay, the biggest attraction here is all of the funny and wild ways our characters kill the zombies (so much so that they have a "zombie kill of the week" mention a couple of times). So of course it is highly entertaining and there are some good jokes and an awesome cameo by Bill Murray. My only problem was Jesse Eisenberg. I'm probably just nitpicking, but even though this guy has starred in some great movies he has always bothered me because the way he talks makes him sound pretentious. All the time. If you made a movie where all of his characters met each other I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them. I'm not saying he's a bad actor, but I do think his range is limited and I probably would have liked this movie just a little more if they'd had someone else starring and narrating.

Recommendation
Watch it if you love zombies, or violence, or violent zombies, or violence against zombies.

Unknown

Impressions before seeing it
I didn't know much about this movie, which was good, but I had an impression that it would have that mysterious Saw thing going on. Plus I found it in a bargain bin for four dollars. Score!

How was it?
Yes, it was like Saw, at least for the first bit anyway. A bunch of guys waking up in a warehouse with no memory, that kind of thing. I love that kind of concept, strangers working together to figure out their identities and how to escape their predicament, so for me it was incredibly fascinating and satisfying. My problem, though, is that there were too many plot twists at the end (don't worry, I'm not going to say what they were). I think there were about three, and the first two were fine with me, but then the final one seemed excessive and put there just so that the filmmakers could say "Haha, gotcha one more time, wasn't that fun?" No, it wasn't, I want the first 80 minutes of the movie back.

Recommendation
I think it's definitely watchable for fans of stuff like Saw and Cube, because it is totally that type of movie, and quite enjoyable even if you're not a fan of the ending.

This Week in Television - Oct. 12-16, 2009

Heroes
What a weird coincidence, Ernie Hudson guest stars on Heroes as a cop who meets invincible Sylar, right after I just watched The Crow, where Ernie plays a cop who meets an invincible dude. So it looks like the deaf lady can use sound as a weapon now? That's much cooler than just seeing sound. I still don't get this carnival stuff though and why they're so obsessed with having a complete "family". P.S. Told you Gretchen was hot for Claire.

Glee
Another solid episode heavily featuring Sue Sylvester. I loved the use of "O Fortuna" as Sue and Will struggle for control of Glee Club, because I always thought it was the most epic-sounding battle song ever composed. Also like that they performed "Keep Holding On", as it is one of my favourite Avril Lavigne songs.

Survivor: Samoa
Ugh, sea slug guts.

Fringe
Wow, you really gotta give this show credit for coming up with the coolest/weirdest/creepiest concepts every single episode. A sleep doctor secretly addicted to stealing and experiencing other people's dreams, rendering the victims exhausted so that they suffer delusions and commit murder-suicides? Genius.

Parks and Recreation
Fred Armisen is good at playing foreigners. I liked that little montage of him explaining all of the things you go to jail for in his country.

The Office
The best part was Oscar telling the cameras that without Jim and Pam, the sane/insane ratio in the office is severely off balance. So true.

30 Rock
Yay, 30 Rock is back! Not the strongest debut but still a good episode. I liked the jokes about everyone forgetting who Josh is since he hasn't been around much in the last two seasons.

Flash Forward
Not much really happened in this episode except for Dominic Monaghan's crazy appearance at the end. This show likes to be somewhat average for about 40 minutes and then spring a surprise cliffhanger ending during the last two.

Modern Family
Not as good as last week's episode. I saw several of the biggest gags coming before they happened, and the storyline seemed like textbook family sitcom stuff: eccentric relative coming to visit, daughter has a boyfriend the parents don't like, blah blah blah.

Overall rating for this week's shows: B+ (That's right, I went below A.)

The Royal Tenenbaums

Impressions before seeing it
I had already seen this movie, but only once and about 8 years ago. I remember not finding it that funny but really liking it as a drama, but that's about it so this was almost like watching it for the first time again.

How was it?
Well, I didn't find it that funny but I really liked it as a drama. Some things never change, eh?

I mean Tenenbaums does have its funny moments, but I found the humour to be very dry and subtle rather than laugh out loud and ridiculous like it sometimes is in other Wes Anderson films. I personally prefer the latter type of humour so this one didn't really appeal to me as a comedy. But that's okay.

When this movie first came out and I saw the trailers, I remember thinking "Wow, what an awesome cast!". It is indeed an all-star cast of talented actors, and that is one major draw, but even better are the characters they portray. After watching this I'm only just realizing that Anderson writes some of the most quirky, interesting, and likable characters in cinema today. I loved the opening that introduced the three Tenenbaum children by showing us all of their childhood hobbies and interests that made them who they are as adults, as well as their family life and their father's relationship with them. A good setup because the rest of the film is about Royal (the father) trying to get back into their lives and their reactions to that, as well as Richie Tenenbaum's love for his adopted sister Margot. That may even sound like a boring premise to anyone who has never seen the movie, and it could be if it were written and directed by someone else, but it's Anderson's unique characters and directing style that make it fascinating. I watched The Royal Tenenbaums a few days ago and the more I think back on it, the more I seem to like it in hindsight, but that being said it may still be my least favourite Wes Anderson film, which is not an insult at all because I love all five of them (Life Aquatic being my favourite seeing as how it is one of the greatest movies ever made in my personal opinion).

Recommendation
I understand it may not be for everyone, and I have heard some people on the internet refer to it as "pretentious crap" and other things to that effect, but anyone who enjoys Wes Anderson's style should make a point to see all of his movies.

The Crow

Impressions before seeing it
All I knew beforehand was that it's a cult classic and the lead actor died near the end of production. Creepy, considering it's about his character being murdered and coming back to life.

How was it?
Well, the first thing I noticed off the bat was that unique 80's/early 90's cheesiness that we don't get in movies anymore. I don't know if there's really a way to describe it, but if you've seen enough movies from that era then you know what I mean. But hey, after about 10 or 20 minutes I started to forget about that. Once undead Eric Draven starts to paint his face to resemble Sting (the pro wrestler, not the pop star), the movie gets a lot more interesting. This is a revenge movie, really, only the scorned has the added power of invincibility. You would think that might make things too easy for him, but then the movie wouldn't have an exciting climax.

Why is this movie such a cult classic? I don't know. I mean I ultimately enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. Really all it is is an invincible guy in facepaint hunting down the dudes who killed him. Is it cool and fun? Sure. But is it moving and groundbreaking? Maybe at the time it was. Today, not really. But again it does have that creepiness from knowing in the back of your mind that the guy died while filming it (literally, it was a prop gun gone wrong) and maybe that's some of the appeal, somehow.

Recommendation
You might enjoy it if you like dark revenge movies, or slasher films because if it was filmed from the victims' points of view it would totally be a horror movie with one of those stalker killers chasing everyone.

This Week in Television - Oct. 5-9, 2009

Heroes
I found this episode to be a bit...dull. I even predicted Sylar popping out of the dirt at the end. But really, not much happened. Nathan turned back into Sylar, Tracy decided not to be a whore, Bennet decided to go back to doing what he's been doing all along anyway, and Hiro told his sister he was dying. Yawn.

Glee
I actually really liked this episode and for once I have no complaints. Easily the best episode so far. The best scene was Sue writing in her journal, funny stuff, and the ending was awesome because Sue being co-manager of Glee Club means more of her in future episodes. For a villain, I don't even hate her in the slightest. Maybe because I don't care about the fate of the Glee Club. It's the least appealing part of the show for me.

Survivor: Samoa
I still don't have anyone to root for yet. Someone has yet to step up and start being cool. I don't think they should have voted off Yasmin. Yes, she does nothing around camp, but she's helpful in challenges, and if you vote her off she still does nothing around camp but your team sucks more at challenges without her. Smart thinking, guys.

Fringe
Hey, we finally got to see Olivia Dunham's meeting with William Bell! And she finally caught Flancis and gave him some lead injections! And Walter finally sort of almost had a love interest! And Dunham screwed up a little and let the enemies resurrect their leader! This episode was so good that all of these sentences have to end with exclamation points!

Community
I've never seen this show before but I watched it this week while waiting for Parks and Recreation. I have to admit I found it bland. It wasn't terrible, it wasn't awesome, it was just very average in my opinion. A lot of the jokes were almost funny but not quite. It felt realistic in the sense that it was the kind of jokes you might hear real people make rather than witty comedy writers. Yes, that is an insult and a compliment at the same time. That's kind of like what watching Community was like.

Parks and Recreation
I just realized that so far this season there hasn't been any talk at all about trying to turn the pit into a park. But I'm okay with that, it's still a funny and enjoyable show, and I loved the idea for this episode about everyone playing a game where they try to find the biggest dirt on each other. I found it really funny when Tom approaches Ron at the end of his performance and says "Duke Silver! I'm a big fan!" and Ron veeeery slowly looks up at him. Other than it being a really cheesy night job I don't even see why that would be considered a "skeleton in the closet", but that's the joke I suppose. I also thought it was hilarious that the congressman on TV reportedly had sex with a prostitute on the way there and back from his apology press conference for having affairs. That's real politics for ya.

The Office
So, the big wedding episode... Jim and Pam were cute, and it had some funny moments. The beginning was the best, when everyone in the office started barfing except Creed, who casually watched while eating some spaghetti. That is a classic scene right there. Also enjoyed Kevin's kleenex box shoes, Andy tearing his scrotum, Dwight pretending to give Michael his hotel room, and Michael hooking up with Pam's mom, of all people. For a little while I almost thought he was going to get with Pam's grandma though, which would have been even funnier.

Flash Forward
I don't believe Demetri's fiancee. I mean I do believe her, but I don't think it was him she saw in her flash forward. She saw him from a distance, first of all, but I think it was just someone else's wedding. He's probably still going to die, but the "maybe you were just sleeping" explanation from previous episodes brings up an interesting point: maybe some people were sleeping and what they saw were actually just dreams, not visions of the future. That would explain why that one guy's daughter was proven dead even though he saw her alive. Unless someone is just covering it up... P.S. I have no idea what dead crows mean.

Modern Family
I had never seen this show either, but unlike Community I enjoyed this one. I am a fan of the mockumentary format and I didn't know this show had talking heads, so that helped me jump on board, but also it was funny and the characters were entertaining too. I like the running gag (at least I hope it continues to run) that the one family has a second daughter we never see because she is literally always upstairs in her room. Also nice to see Ed O'Neil working again after disappearing for about 10 years. The last time I saw him was a guest spot on 8 Simple Rules.

Wow, 9 shows this week! I don't think I've watched that much TV in years.

Overall rating for this week's shows: A- (Maybe I should lose the rating thing, it's generally going to be high since I tend to only watch shows I like.)

Away We Go

Impressions before seeing it
I'd heard some good things here and there, and I like indie romances. Fairly high expectations.

How was it?
This movie was really funny thanks to a number of wacky supporting characters and comedic actors, including John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph in the lead roles. But it also has those dramatic indie moments, which the actors also handle quite well.

But really this movie is a family study. Our pregnant couple, Burt and Verona, travel the continent to visit friends and relatives to see if their families would provide a suitable and supporting environment for their child to grow up near. One family is derogatory and the parents make fun of their kids; one family is made up of hardcore hippies who love their children too much; and one family (in Canada!) is actually quite loving and the kids are well-behaved, although they're adopted because the couple can't conceive. It's almost like Goldilocks trying out the three bowls of porridge.

I also found the sideplot interesting about how Verona refuses to marry Burt even though they agree they are soulmates. "I don't see the point", she says. I can sort of understand that view, because if you want to get down to it, the only real difference between a married couple and a common law couple are a piece of paper and some rings. The important thing is that they make each other happy, and they do. I think the scene at the end where they lie on the trampoline was meant to be their unofficial marriage ceremony anyway. They ask each other a series of "Do you promise to...?" questions answered with "I do's", so it's obviously symolizing marriage vows. They did the important part of the ceremony. The paper and the rings aren't really important, they only prove that you did the important part, which is the promise of unconditional love.

Recommendation
I would say this is an important film for anyone looking to someday get married and/or start a family. Also it's just funny and the characters are likeable, so you could watch it for that, too.

This Week in Television - Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 2009

Heroes
You would think that a guy whose power was the ability to manipulate ink could better insert himself into a newspaper photograph so that he didn't look BLATANTLY PHOTOSHOPPED. I'm not sure if it was just poorly done or if they did it that way to make him stand out in the photo for the viewer's sake, but I think the latter was unnecessary so they could have done a better job. In reality, a person in a photo with completely different brightness/contrast than the rest of the photo is clearly shopped and Peter would have noticed that. And what's the deal with the deaf woman? Okay, so she can see sound as colour and that's nice for a deaf person and all, but how is it in any way useful in the grand scheme of the show? I'm stumped on that one. P.S. Gretchen totally wants Claire. I think she made the roommate kill herself to get in on that.

Glee
Not enough Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) in this episode, but her one line still managed to be the funniest part. Luckily Kristin Chenoweth was an excellent choice for a guest star and actually made it a decent episode.

Survivor: Samoa
Not sure I like them combining reward and immunity challenges into one all the time now. Ben was dumb and deserved to go home.

Fringe
Man, I'm loving this season of Fringe so far. Was the ending implying that Walter is going to destroy the world?

Parks and Recreation
April was funny in this episode. Probably the least effort anyone's ever put into a beauty pagent. Once again I also like the satire in this episode commenting on chauvinism and how hot girls always get farther than smart girls because of it. Tom's pimp strategy of giving girls his house key was also funny.

The Office
I liked this episode, it was interesting seeing Jim and Michael work together, butting heads and then cooperating, and the nice scene at the end where they didn't have to bare their unpopular decision alone. When Jim had to make his unfortunate announcement, I thought Michael was going to step in and show him up by saying something to fix the situation, but he only made it worse so I liked that I wasn't able to predict that.

Flash Forward
I have one complaint about this show: Too much belittling of audience memory. They must have shown Olivia's damn vision at least five times during the episode (not even counting the recap at the beginning), always the same shots and camera angles and everything. Really, guys, did your market research tell you that the majority of your viewers were burnouts and junkies with 5 minute memories? I mean if you want to show each vision like once an episode, fine, but we don't need to keep seeing them again in such a short timeframe. They weren't complex enough to warrant that. But all of that aside, I am finding Flash Forward very interesting so far. I hope they continue to explore that strange mystery man and why D. Gibbons was talking to him during the blackout.

Overall rating for this week's shows: A

This Week in Television - Sept. 21-25, 2009

Heroes
Heroes has been somewhat declining since its first season, but I have still been watching and the season 4 premiere was actually a lot better than I was expecting. Although the segments with Claire going to college were bland, luckily the rest of the episode made up for it. I think the writers are aware that season one was their best season, and so they have cleverly attempted to replicate their golden era by having the characters go back into hiding and try not to use their powers in public (or at all). The guy with the tattoo power should make for an interesting villain, and while I wasn't really a fan of the "turning Sylar into Nathan" plotline, I think they handled it better here. Still disappointed that they killed off Elle last season though.

Glee
Now I remember why I like Glee: football players dancing to Beyoncé in the middle of a game! Oh, wait, I didn't like that part so much. I pretty much just watch the show for Jane Lynch's character Sue Sylvester now, which is a name I find funny for some reason. The rest of the show is too much teen soap opera mixed with after school special about having self esteem. For example, this episode featured a woman who is lying to her husband about being pregnant trying to scam a pregnant cheerleader who is lying about her baby's daddy into giving her the baby so her husband won't know she's lying about the pregnancy. Sounds like a soap to me. And it seems that every episode is about someone being ashamed of themselves and then learning not to be. I have nothing against the message, but does it have to be in every episode?

Survivor: Samoa
I don't understand how Russell has so much power. He's aggressively conning everyone and there are those who don't even trust him, yet he ends up deciding all the votes. The worst part is that he's getting rid of the smart ones who don't trust him in order to make himself even more powerful. And he pre-emptively found the immunity idol before anyone knew about it. I still don't think he's going to win though.

Fringe
That was a little creepy when that monster thing was gnawing on Peter and Olivia. Olivia should have noticed there was something wrong with Flancis though. He was noticeably monotonous and distant. At least "Hank Scudder" was in this episode!

Parks and Recreation
Ron Swanson is also a funny sounding name. Especially when you're using it to try and threaten a police officer like Leslie was. Not as good an episode as last week, but not bad.

The Office
I wonder where they're headed with the whole Jim and Michael as co-managers thing. I say this because at the beginning of the series, Jim stated that he didn't want a promotion because it would turn his job into a career and he didn't want to make a career out of selling paper. I guess he's doing it to support his new family. Also Dwight and Toby make for a funny team. But then Dwight and anyone usually makes for a funny team. Kudos to Michael in this episode for trying to sneak into a classified meeting on the bottom of a cheese cart, but not until the end of the meeting, thereby learning nothing.

Flash Forward
ABC is clearly trying to produce a new mystery/sci-fi show to replace Lost when it ends, but they may have made a good choice. It just started so it needs a little more time to develop, but I think Flash Forward has potential. Just like Lost's future visions, they create suspense rather than ruin it, because while we see what happens, the mystery is in how and why it happens. And of course the best part of all was the ending: why was there someone up and walking around while the rest of the world was blacked out?!

Overall rating for this week's shows: A-

61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

I only saw the first half of the awards ceremony because I had to work, but here are some quick thoughts:

Neil Patrick Harris has a great singing voice. Opening number wasn't bad. The supporting comedy actresses all wearing silly glasses was cool, although Vanessa Williams kind of looked like a prude for not participating. I also love the announcer making up random funny facts about each winner. Made the show more entertaining and laid back. I think I kind of like the idea of separating the awards into genres as well. That way you get a better idea of which categories are coming in the next few minutes, rather than in previous years when they are in a random order and you have to sit and wait in case the one you're looking forward to is coming up.

Winners I am happy for:
*Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
*Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies) - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
*Michael Emerson (Lost) - Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
*Tina Fey (SNL)- Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
*30 Rock - Outstanding Comedy Series
*South Park - Outstanding Animated Program (Finally, The Simpsons hasn't deserved it in years!)
*Pushing Daisies - Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series
*Pushing Daisies - Outstanding Costumes for a Series
*Pushing Daisies - Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic)
*30 Rock - Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series
*30 Rock - Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
*The Office - Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
*Heroes - Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series
*30 Rock - Outstanding Picture Editing for a Comedy Series
*The Dharma Initiative (Lost) - Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media - Fiction
*Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog - Outstanding Special Class - Short Format Live Action Entertainment Programs

Winners who should be defecated on repeatedly:
*Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) - Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Really, guys? ANYONE else in that category deserved it more than Jon. He shouldn't even have been nominated.)
*Justin Timberlake (SNL)- Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (I don't find Timberlake funny, nor do I find him a good actor. Why does he have TWO Emmys?)

500 Days of Summer

Impressions before seeing it
Indie romances are so much better than mainstream ones. Plus this one has Zooey Deschanel.

How was it?
This movie made me smile. A lot. In fact I was probably smiling for most of the duration of the film. I think the best way for a movie to charm me is to do something cool and stylish with the way it is filmed. I love the titles counting down the 500 days and helping the audience keep track of where we are chronologically, as the scenes are not linear. I love the use of splitscreen for things like showing the difference between Tom's expectations and reality. I love the classy and somewhat vintage style of the characters and the movies they watch. And these are just on a technical and superficial level.

To dig a little deeper, I guess I shouldn't have called it a "romance", because the film states at the beginning that it is "not a love story", and really it's not. It's about figuring out the meaning of relationships. Where is the line between dating and friendship? How does it change things if you choose to define (or at least put a label on) a relationship? Why is it so much fun to yell out "PENIS!" in public? All of these questions and more are not answered in this film, but it will get you thinking about them. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who has come a long way from Tommy in 3rd Rock From the Sun, and Zooey Deschanel have wonderful chemistry and play it perfectly. I think it's just sitting on the friends/dating line so that even we are as confused about where they stand as Tom is. But who is to blame for that uncertainty? Is it Tom, who idealizes love and thinks this girl is his soulmate, or Summer, who doesn't want anything serious even though they spend as much time together as a serious couple? The problem is that, while they make great friends, they're not compatible lovers because they each wanted something different from the other. Maybe the message of the film, then, is that dating your best friend doesn't always work out, because as the unusually smart little girl tells Tom, "Just because she likes the same weird crap as you doesn't mean you're soulmates."

Recommendation
Tired of boring old mainstream love stories that blatantly try to make you cry? Give this one a viewing!