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