It's the end of the month, and that means one lucky movie is entering the hall of fame. What film will join 3:10 to Yuma in the hall?
And the winner is: Jaws
Steven Spielberg's career-launching mega-hit about a great white shark terrorizing and island community and the police officer, marine biologist, and fisherman who have to find and kill it enters the hall this month. This is one of my favorite movies of all time; it's full of suspense, great characters, some scares, and just awesomeness in general. It's hard to describe just what makes this movie tick, but believe me, it is a great time. If you haven't seen it, do it right now!
And Jaws is officially inducted into the On Screen Reviews Film Hall of Fame
Alright, it's the end of the month, that means its time to induct one of this month's nominees into the TV hall of fame. What will join the Fresh Prince of Bel Air in the hall?
And the winner is: Chuck
The genre-bending story of an electronics store employee who becomes a spy is inducted this month. Chuck Bartowski is a nerdy loser. He lives with his sister and works a dead-end job. And then one day he gets an email from his old college room-mate, and he soon realizes that every major secret the government has has been downloaded onto his brain, a program called the Intersect. And from there, crazy hot CIA agent Sarah Walker and NSA hitman John Casey are assigned to protect him. And they go on all sorts of crazy missions, battle terrorists and bad guys, and Chuck gradually becomes awesome. It was hysterically funny, action-packed, smart, and just plain cool. The Intersect's back-story, coupled with the hilarious antics of the team and the heavy artillery, made it, at one point, my favorite show on TV. Did it go on too long? Oh, absolutely, but really it was just because we didn't want it to end.
And so, Chuck becomes the second inductee to the On Screen Reviews TV Hall of Fame.
And it was at this point Tobey Maguire's ego grew even bigger then NYC.
As part of my reviews of all of Raimi's Spider-Man movies before ASM hits theaters Tuesday, I bring you my take on Spider-Man 2.
In A Nutshell:
Peter Parker's life really sucks. His grades are slipping, his rent is past due, his boss is a hardass with a smoking problem and a really ugly mustache, and he can't be with the woman he loves. Oh yeah, and he's Spider-Man. All this and the arrival of Doctor Octopus on the scene are just too much for the guy, and his powers start to disappear. And to him, this is how he can quit being Spider-Man, which he's wanted to do for awhile. But, Doc Oc and Harry Osbourne kind of have a Vendetta against the guy, so that doesn't work out too well...
The Good:
Most people regard this movie as being the best of the franchise, which I can see. You've got a ton of awesome action sequences between Spidey and Doc Oc, some great special effects, fantastic performances by Tobey Maguire, Alfred Molina, and James Franco (and the writers knew what they were doing when it came to Mary Jane for once), the whole nine yards. But what most people say makes this movie what it is is that, for the first time, we are shown just how much being a superhero sucks. I mean it does. You can't help feel sorry for Spidey as a he tries, and fails, to juggle his duties with the mundane tasks of studying and paying rent. And that works really well for this movie, making it an actioner with some great character development. Don't get the wrong idea, this is by no means an Oscar-worthy character piece, but what the movie does it does well. And of course the final scene, which is kind of really awesome.
The Bad:
As good as the character study aspects of the movie were, sometimes it was almost too much. I won't lie, sometimes, the movie felt corny and just plain weird. It was weird, and you know it, if you've seen it. And in all honesty, some of the dialogue was pretty cheesy ("I should have know Osbourne wouldn't have the spine to kill you", seriously?). I actually like the first movie better (judge me hard), and were it not for the occasional weirdness and corniness, I'd have a much higher opinion of this movie.
Final Rating: 90%
So, what's your favorite superhero movie sequel? Comment below, let me know!
And as always, be sure to subscribe, check out my other posts, all that good stuff!
BOMB BA BOMB BOMBBBBB! BOMB BA BOMB BOMBBBB! BOMB BA BOMB BOMBBBBBB! Bomb bomb ba bomb.. Man, I cannot get that music out of my head.
In A Nutshell:
On the doomed planet Krypton, the scientist Jor-El sends his only son on a space ship to Earth so that his life may be spared, raised by a kind Kansas farmer and his wife, raised on good old fashioned American ideals. The boy's name is Kal-El. He will be called Clark Kent (aka Nerdy Reporter Man). But to the world, he will be known as Superman, the Man of Steel. After being raised in Smallville, Kansas, Clark journeys to the arctic, creates the Fortress of Solitude, undergoes 12 years of training under the ghost of Jor-El, and becomes the Man of Steel. He takes a job at the Daily Planet, falls for coworker Lois Lane, and battles the nefarious Lex Luthor.
The Good:
So, I have a hard time reviewing classic movies, because I can't look at them as classics to review them without a biased. I have to treat them like I would any other movie. That being said, I though this was really good. The story was awesome, albeit corny, and makes you believe in this journey and this hero (I'm not gonna say "that a man can fly" here because every critic has said that at some point, but yeah, I believed that too. Wait..), played by the ever-amazing Christopher Reeve (RIP). Seriously, Christopher Reeve's performance, both as Nerdy-Reporter-Man Clark Kent and the Man of Steel, was probably the best part of the whole movie. He owns it, and you what, I'll say it, he IS Superman (sorry Brandon Routh). I could go on about how Reeve's performance was coupled with an entertaining story with appropriate amounts of humor and danger and what not, along with other great performances by the people who played Lois and Perry and Lex (but not Jimmy Olsen. The best Jimmy Olsen is still the guy in Superman Returns whose name escapes me), but honestly, there isn't much I can really say to praise this movie that hasn't been said by film critics/scholars for the last 34 years. That's how good it is.
The Bad:
"I am Lex Luthor, the greatest criminal mastermind of the 20th century! Bwahh!" I won't lie, that is one of the corniest lines of all time. And truthfully, the movie can be pretty corny. To be fair, Superman, and DC Comics in general, have always had a tendency to be cheesy. So yeah, the dialogue, by today's standards, is a tad corny. Just don't let it take away from the quality of the movie too much. My only beefs with the movie besides the occasional corny-ness are the dated special effects (it was 1978, I get it, but it still does look kind of fake) and the whole flying around the world really fast to turn back time thing (Superman ANGRRRYYYYYYYY!).
Final Rating: 95%
So, what's your favorite Superman movie? You've got all five to choose from. Comment below, let me know!
And as always, be sure to comment, subscribe, check out my other posts, all that good stuff!
And Tobey Maguire decides it's time he goes to development hell.
Okay, so the much-anticipated reboot, "The Amazing Spider-Man" hits theaters this tuesday, so I figured it would be a good idea to review each movie of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy before then, starting with Spider-Man.
In A Nutshell:
We all know the story: Peter Parker is nerdy, glasses-wearing socially outcasted high school student in NYC. He lives with his Aunt and Uncle, his best friend is Harry Osbourne, and he's in love with a girl who's totally out of his league. And then one day, he gets bitten by a radioactive spider and finds that he now has super strength, agility, reflexes, senses, he can climb walls, and he can shoot webs out of his wrists. And then his uncle dies and it's basically Peter's fault. So, Peter dons the well-known red and blue and suit, takes the name Spider-Man, and fights crime as a vigilante. At the same time, Pa Osbourne gets himself a pretty violent, pretty evil Jekyll-Hyde disorder that leads to him becoming the Green Goblin, AKA pretty much the worst guy ever.
The Good:
I know I've said this before, but Spider-Man IS my favorite superhero, has been since I was about four. Anyway, this was a very good movie overall, with plenty of good stuff to offer.
Peter Parker is a believable character, and the origin story the movie sets up is compelling and interesting. Tobey Maguire owns this role, making the character just feel believable and relatable, which is necessary for this kind of movie. He was honestly probably the best performance in the movie, rivaled only by William Dafoe's thoroughly badass Green Goblin (and don't forget... I can't remember his name as J. Jonah Jameson "What are ya watin' for? Chinese New Year?!")
The plot itself is cool as a whole, and lends itself to plenty of great action by way web-shooting jumps and fights with GG. And it all leads up to the bridge scene. All of us know the bridge scene in some way, shape, or form, even if you don't know it's from Spider-Man, but it is. In case you've been living under a rock, I won't spoil it, but it was easily the best scene in the entire movie, leading into the final fight between Spidey and Green Goblin. And that wasn't even the ending, which could not have been more perfect. Why? Because it has one of the greatest monologues/quotes in the history of comic book movies (the "with great power comes great responsibility" speech, in case you're ridiculously thick or something)
The Bad:
This the major complaint I've heard not only with this movie, but the trilogy as a whole: it's kind of cartoon-y. And you know what, it is. At one point in the movie, that grated on my nerves a bit. It wasn't absurdly cartoon-y, there was no ice-skates popping out people's shoes at random times or Spider-Man credit cards, if you're wondering, so you shouldn't be worried. My only problem with the movie besides that is that Mary Jane is not the best written character. Truth be told, she can easily be boiled down to the stereotypical girlfriend/damsel in distress. I don't expect every female character to Starbuck or Buffy or something, but it's still pretty obvious that the writers aren't good with female characters.
Final Rating: 91%
So have you seen the Raimi Spider-Man movies? What'd you think of them? How do you feel about the reboot? Comment below, let me know!
And as always, be sure to subscribe, check out my other posts, all that good stuff!
And CBS decides to do something good for a change.
In A Nutshell:
So, POI is about John Reese (no, not John Connor's dad), an ex-CIA agent who lives in Manhattan as a homeless bum. He's damaged, to say the very least. And then one day, presumed-dead computer genius Mr. Finch contacts him; years ago, Finch created a machine for the government that spies on everyone, at every hour of every day. It's job is to use the information to detect acts of terror before they happen. The problem? The machine sees everything, including ordinary violent crimes committed by average citizens, crimes the feds deemed "irrelevant". So, Finch,whose also got some damage, both emotional and physical, decides to stop the crimes before they happen with by using Reese and his very particular set of skills, all amid a backdrop of government conspiracy, police corruption, Mafia, and complex back-story. And we have our series.
The Good:
When I first heard about this show, I thought the same thing 90% of people thought: "oh joy, a crime drama with a twist. Because there clearly aren't enough of those." Fortunately, my friend convinced me otherwise and I gave the show a shot. I'm glad I did.
The premise itself is really cool, and makes the show almost universally appealing: it's part crime drama, part action movie, part techno thriller, part twist-fest, part conspiracy-theory-fest. In other words, part 24, part the Bourne Identity, part Enemy of the State, part LOST, part the X Files, all awesome. Just imagine that in your head.
The characters themselves are great, too; Reese is a full-on badass. Seriously, words can't describe how much ass this guy kicks. I'll break it down for you: you can ask yourself who would win in fight between this guy and Jack Bauer and not immediately disregard it as a stupid question. At the same time, Reese is a complex, compelling, and conflicted anti-hero, clearly ashamed of the things he's done but tired of feeling guilty, so he decides to atone the only way he knows how (so maybe it's part Angel, too?). Jim Caviezel plays the part perfectly, with a hushed, incredibly menacing voice and all the awesomeness you can imagine. And then you've got Finch, the intensely introverted, enigmatic computer genius, whose also clearly got some guilt issues. Some of what he's guilty over is obvious, but other aspects are still mysterious as of this season. Michael Emmerson does a great job of bringing this character to life. You've also got the two cops, Carter and Fusco, who are clearly plot catalysts, but they are kind of interesting, and they serve there purposes.
A huge part of what I like about the show is that it's cinematic. That's not a quality a lot shows on right now get to boast, and I'd expect nothing less from show creator Johnathon Nolan (Christopher Nolan's brother and one of the minds behind the Dark Knight) and producer JJ Abrams (do I even need to explain?). At it's best, POI is a action-packed thriller, full of brilliant characterization, that manages to tell a self-contained story ever week (it's on CBS, so they've gotta make the network heads think it's sort of a cop show even though it really isn't) while still generating a story-arc that lends itself to plot-twists, cliffhangers, and full on awesomeness. While we're on the subject of twists, the season ends with multiple cliffhangers, brought on by a twist that was the result of previous cliffhanger that we were still wondering about. Does that make sense? Probably not. Watch it and you'll see what I mean. Either way, the season finale was truly excellent and left the door open to a potentially amazing second season.
The Bad:
I've got no illusions about the fact that, for the most part, this show episodic. Don't get me wrong, most of these episodes are great, but what really keeps me watching are the subtle story-arcs and twists. The thing is, the show is at it's worst when it gives you a standalone story that you just don't care about. And there are one or two of those. They were plot irrelevant and they just plain bored me. There are barely any of those, don't worry, but they are there, and they are tedious. Maybe I just didn't care about what the issue was, but certain episodes were just lost on me.
Okay, so the second trailer for the upcoming remake of Total Recall has hit the web, so it's time for my take. Not to worry, this trailer would make Arnold himself say "I approve". You know, just all Austrian-ish.
New Info:
This trailer is, for the most part, is the same as the first one but better. The only major differences is that this one puts more emphasis on the identity crisis and "what is real" aspects of the movie, and I appreciated that. And it shows that the dated Matrix style action sequence in the first trailer will be limited (Thank God).
The Good:
This is a great trailer. Just how it is. It gives us the idea that action is gonna be wicked intense and constant, but at the same time the movie is going to try and engage us mentally with the mind-bending aspects. I still haven't seen the original movie (sorry), so I'm still without a point of reference. Overall, I'm really looking forward to this movie and have high hopes for it.
The Bad:
My biggest fear is that, since it comes out in August, most folks are going to either miss it or just skip it. That and the fact that the Matrix-slow-motion fight thing is going to be in the movie (seriously, get with the times) are my only beefs.
I could make the latest in my long line of SyFy channel jokes, but, I'm in a merciful mood today.
In A Nutshell:
BSG season 3 picks up four months after the end of season two. New Caprica is occupied by the Cylons, who rule with an iron fist and use Baltar as a puppet. The first episodes deal with the humans' struggle to escape NC and get back to the fleet, and the rest show the consequences of the characters actions before and during the occupation, as well as the search for an elusive blue-green marble hurdling through space called Earth.
The Good:
This was awesome. It just was. I mean, the first four episodes alone are one of the most incredible rides in the history of TV, as is quite a bit of the later episodes. At it's best, which it often was, season three was sci fi at it's very best. The characters are growing and being to put into unimaginable situation time after time, and that just resonates with you. Seriously, a lot of the season is character driven, and the show benefits because of it, not only because it was really entertaining, but it makes you give a crap out these people more then ever, which is necessary if you're going to enjoy this show, and it amps up the show's MO of showing what humanity really is. Plus, I just really liked the directions they took these characters in, because I thought it made them more interesting. We also learn a lot more about the Cylons and how they work/live, and that is intriguing, compelling, and honestly kind of mind-bending. Don't even get me started on some of these twists. Season 3 had more twists then ever before, and for someone like me who can't resist a great plot twist, that made it just damn good. And then you've got the ending of the season; I try to avoid spoilers at all costs in these reviews, but that's REALLY hard when you talk about the ending. Let me put it this way: I said in my season 2 review that that ending made me go "oh frack...". If that ending celled that reaction, then season 3's ending made me go "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!" For about three straight minutes. I'm serious, I was in shock to the point where I actually watched the end credits because I was processing what had just happened.
The Bad: Okay, I'm gonna level with you guys, this followed the same pattern as last season: starts off absolutely amazing, stays that way for the first 13 episodes, I'd say, and then it just lags for the next couple of episodes, which are all random, standalone fillers. But in this season the random standalone fillers were worse then last season. I read somewhere that the network actually made the writers do standalones to amp up the ratings; that makes this the ultimate example of two expressions: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," and "network/studio interference only leads to crap" (I should make that the 11th commandment of OSR). But, it's only like that for three episodes, and then it goes back to normal and stays awesome the rest of the season.
Final Rating: 98%
As always, be sure to comment, subscribe, check out my other posts, all that good stuff!
Alright, the season finale has arrived! That means it's time for a review of the fifth season of Felicia Day's hit web series, "The Guild"
In A Nutshell:
So, this season revolves around the RPG Guild the Knights of Good as they head to and traverse Mega--Game-O-Romo-Con, the most generic nerd convention they could portray without getting sued. Zaboo starts a seat-saving service, Tink tries to sell T-shirts, Codex inadvertently offends someone and tries to process the fact that she's attracted to Zaboo, and Vork tries to make money of off Bladezz's celebrity status (which, naturally, he's abusing), and Clara goes Steampunk.
The Good:
The Guild is one of my favorite shows on right now. I'm just gonna put that out there. And before you trolls (you know who you are) post comments like "it's a web series, not a show, stupid!" or "boo!hipster!" or "you're just in love with Felicia Day like every other nerd" (okay, fine, that last one's true) face facts, the Guild is way funnier then most stuff on TV right now anyway. The bottom line is that I had high hopes for this season, hopes that were met and exceeded. On top of the hysterically absurd, bizarre, and just plain funny dialogue and antics of the characters, we have celebrity cameo after celebrity cameo mid-season, that will make any nerd (the show's target audience) very happy. The best part of that was that they don't even name any of the celebrities, they just bring them in and the characters will say stuff like "Oh my God it's you! I love your work!" There's also something that vaguely resembles character growth (always a good thing) and so much wackiness. This was just a good time in every way.
The Bad:
You know what? I've got nothing.
Final Rating: 100%
If you still haven't seen the Guild, then we still don't know when season 6 rolls around, so you've got time to catch up.
If you have seen it, what do you think of it? What'd you think of season five? What's you favorite season? Comment below, let me know!
As always, be sure to subscribe, check out my other posts, all that good stuff!
Pope and the Beserkers make trouble for Tom out of paranoid fear, leading to a confrontation, an unconventional move, another confrontation, and another unconventional move. I'll let you guys fill in the blanks (or you can watch the episode). Meanwhile, a stranger arrives in the 2nd Mass, forcing Weaver to make a choice that will likely determine the direction of the rest of the season, and Ben and Jimmy get into some trouble while out hunting Skitters. That's right, hunting Skitters (remember what I said about Ben being a rage-driven sociopath).
The Good:
Pope and his anti-hero/villain-ness help make this a good time. We get another bit of the Red-eyed Skitter, who makes something very interesting indeed happen with Ben. The mystery of Red-Eyes is really interesting for me personally, and I'm hoping it'll be an important part of the show going forward. The episode in general does a lot of set-up for future episodes, but they make it entertaining. And now for the elephant in the room: there is a major character death in this episode, and dealing with the aftermath comprises the bulk of the story. RIP (Spoiler!) And yeah, it was emotional. Granted, it wasn't the most tragic death scene ever for me personally (I've seen so many characters I like get killed off I'm a little numb to it at this point. Damn you Joss Whedon!) but I did feel something. Fortunately, FS is the type of show where they can do a lot of emotion and it doesn't feel either corny or like it's being shoved down our throats. The bottom line about the death was that it was compelling and engaging, and made the episode what it was (in a good way).
The Bad:
Some of the emotionalism felt like a bit much when coupled with the near-complete lack of action. Beyond that no real gripes.
Instead of the title/ joke you are no doubt expecting right now, I've instead decided to voice disdain for the show's intro; they need to scrap it.
In A Nutshell:
It's grandfather paradox time!!!! Well, it's technically grandmother paradox here, because Liber8 decides to take out Kiera's grandmother in hopes that it'll zap her out of existence. So, Kiera has to meet and protect her grandma, which is pretty awkward when you get to know grandma Cameron a bit. Well, it starts out awkward, anyway.
The Good:
I was glad that they decided to go for the Terminator thing and run with it a little bit, and was even happier when the writers decided they were gonna do something different with it. I can't tell you exactly how it plays out, but I can tell you that they give us some hints about the nature of the time travel this show is using. Nothing definitive, obviously (it is only episode 5, after all), but it's implied this might be even less straightforward then time travel usually is. Alec finally does something other then be Jarvis with a face, thank goodness, as we see more of the Sadler step-clan. It's an interesting dynamic that I'm hoping the writers explore it more. And, in another thank goodness, Kiera not only gets called out on her bossy-lady-with-a-gun-ness, but she does something other then it for once. Much-needed step-up from last week.
The Bad:
Some of the emotional moments between Kiera and her grandma were... sweet, I guess would be the word, but others just felt overwhelmingly corny and forced. That's partly Kiera just being an underdeveloped, somewhat inconsistent character, and partly the writers cranking out corny dialogue (nobody's getting off scotch-free here, folks). Beyond that, the episode itself was a good time.
There's something I need to say while we're on the subject of Kiera being underdeveloped: something I've seen way to much of in genre TV shows lately is a show having these great, charismatic supporting characters/antiheroes/villains, and protagonists who just kind of flat. Grimm and Falling Skies both kind of started out that way, but the writers of both shows kind of realized that mid-first season, and corrected themselves (Grimm's writers made Nick more interesting, FS made the show more focused on the group as a whole rather then just Tom). Sadly, Continuum seems to be falling into that trend, and the writers make no signs of acknowledging their error.
Okay, so you might be disappointed I'm not reviewing Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter right now, mostly because I would have one helluva time making jokes there, but I couldn't see it, so I'm just gonna do a rental review that depicts God as looking like what I've honestly always imagined he looks like.
Just a heads up, the only other Jim Carrey thing I've seen is Yes Man (and his 33 second cameo on the Office), so if you're looking for a Carrey-comparison, you're in the wrong place.
In A Nutshell:
Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a stressed out news guy in Buffalo who's sick of getting snubbed by life. He starts blaming all his problems on the fact that God just doesn't like him (great plan there bro), and God (Morgan Freeman/Nelson Mandella) gets a bit irritated by this. So the big man upstairs gives Bruce all of his powers to do whatever he likes, the idea that being to teach Bruce that being the king of everything really sucks.
The Good:
This is basically Jim Carrey being Jim Carrey, and at best, that is hysterical. There were times when I was laughing my head off at the gags, references, and the mere absurdity of the whole thing (like when Bruce parted the red sea or made his dog use a toilet). There's not much else to explain, really. The bottom line is this is a great, pretty hilarious way to kill an hour and a half.
The Bad:
Like pretty much every Jim Carry comedy, this gets kinda depressing somewhere in the final act. That was to be expected, and they patched things up pretty nicely, but it still saddened me a bit.
Final Rating: 93%
So, what's your favorite Jim Carrey movie? Comment below, let me know!
And, as always, be sure to subscribe, check out my other posts, all that good stuff!
If TV as a medium is dying at the hands of the internet, then at least it's the Guild's fault.
In A Nutshell:
Alright, so the fourth season of the hit web series the Guild follows the continuing adventures of the RPG Guild the Knights of Good. Codex is dealing with her the aftermath of her pseudo-date with Fawkes and her comedically bad financial situation, Bladezz seeks fame, Zaboo must contend with the re-emergence of his deluded mother, and Vork battles with Tink and Clara to generate enough funds for a Guild hall.
The Good:
I think I can say I liked this given the amount of hysterical laughter the season produced. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: the biggest reason I love this show is the characters are all hysterically, awkwardly, outrageously, bizarre. Seriously, you've got all these personalities mixing with some of the funniest, best written lines I've heard, and the mere comedic value of Wil Wheaton wearing a kilt. Felicia really does know what she's doing when she writes these scripts, and I think it's safe to say that the Guild is her beautiful brain child.
The Bad:
I know I've said this before to, but I'll say it again: the show depicts nerd-life so accurately, better then the Big Bang Theory, even, almost to a fault. That's because sometimes the complete social ineptitude of these people can be a tad depressing. But don't worry, that part of the show is minimal. And granted, sometimes I was laughing harder than other times.
And for a brief, six year span in the last decade, the SyFy channel actually did in fact know what the hell they were doing.
Just a heads up, spoilers for season 1.
In A Nutshell:
So, season 2 picks up right where season 1 left off: Boomer's Cylon side was activated as she put two rounds in Adama's chest, Starbuck is on Caprica with Helo and other-Boomer, and Apollo is looking at mutiny charges. As all this goes down, the dynamic of the ship is changing, the search for Earth continues and gets some serious progress, political conspiracy occurs, and stuff gets blown up. The bottom line: (expletive removed) goes down. I actually can't talk about most of the plot too much without violating the whole no spoiler policy, which is a bit irritating.
The Good:
Pretty much everything, to be honest, and I'm totally serious. Everything gets amped up: the action, the drama, the intensity, the acting, the whole nine yards.
The story itself kicks all sorts of ass, it is compelling beyond belief, it's hard to describe. My favorite aspect of the story is the search for Earth, and the episodes that dealt with that specifically I was literally glued to my computer screen, muttering "OhGodohGodohGod..." under my breath quite a bit. Maybe I just find the religious aspects of the story the most interesting. The militaristic and political factors here are great, too, and they play off of each other perfectly. I hate politics, I honestly do, and yet I loved and was compelled by political conspiracies going on. Another thing is that it really does feel like genuine military drama. The whole feel of it just screams navy battleship, and I thought that really helped.
The characters and acting are really enhanced this season as well. The characters just feel more real than ever. Everybody gets a chance to shine, and new layers are constantly being added to the whole crew without having anyone contradict themselves, and nobody gets sold short. Seriously, even Billy gets his fifteen minutes of fame. The acting is incredible; all of these actors completely own their parts, giving great performance time after time, especially when an episodes centers around them and they just blow you away.
I feel like I don't even need to mention this, but the way the music connects and enhances scenes is perfect.
They do another cliffhanger ending this season, and I can't say much, but when/if you watch it, there is no way you aren't gonna say "oh frack..."
The Bad:
Okay, not every episode was completely up to par with each other, and there were a few moments where I was slightly less interested then usual, but all the episodes are at least good, if not great. Beyond that, I got nothing.
A entry that needs to be made if ever there was one. Does exactly what it says on the tin, and, for the record, I'm doing both TV and movie villains, but only ones I deem "major". So here we go, the top ten performances as a major villain.
*****Spoiler Alert!*****
Spoilers for pretty much every show/movie on this list.
10. Ian McDiarmid as the Emperor/Darth Sidious (Star Wars)
At ten is none other then the emperor himself, played by Ian McDiarmid in all his glory. So, the emperor goes around killing people, corrupting bad actors, destroying democracy, and just being like the worst guy ever. So, he's evil. What makes Ian please don't make me spell his last name one more time's performance as him so awesome is that he says all the lines perfectly, he looks a worm-eaten corpse with yellow eyes, he shoots lightning out of his hands, and he just has an absurdly menacing presence about him. And he thinks that he will always win, and he pretty much always does, except when, well you know. That makes him seem ridiculously evil, and for that he is put here. The only thing that prevents him from being higher up on the list the fact that he was destroyed because he actually expected Vader to kill his own son. Seriously Sidious? Are you that thick?
9. Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter)
The dark lord returns for a top ten list. Voldemort. He's big, he's bad, he's got no nose, he kills folks for fun, and he corrupts just about everyone he meets. Fiennes does a great job in his role, says his lines with an appropriate amount of menacing-ness, and really did convince me that he didn't have a nose. Plus, he tried to kill a baby! Who does that?!
8. John Simm as The Master (Doctor Who)
The first TV guy to make the list the Moriarty to the Doctor's Sherlock Holmes. He's crazy, he murderous, and he can shoot lighting out of his hands (?). Yeah, I never really got that part. He used to be the Doctor's best friend, and then he started hearing the never ending drums inside of his head. So, when the Doctor catches up to him, the Master steal's the TARDIS and constructs an absurdly elaborate plan, the end results of which are world domination, mass destruction, time paradoxes, old man-ifying the Doctor, and a nuclear holocaust. And some other stuff, too. There's been a couple of actors to play the guy, but Simm convinces you that he is hearing the drums, that they've driven him stark raving phsyco, and that he is big and bad. And at the same time, he makes you believe that he's a tortured, conflicted soul, something not a lot of villains can pull off.
7. Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor (Smallville)
There's been more then one Luthor, but no one owns the role quite like Rosenbaum. What makes his role a bit scary is that he and Clark Kent, yeah they start out as best friends! I'm serious. And he does a great job of convincing you that he's a loyal friend and sort of good guy. But as the series progresses, Lex slowly, convincingly, and realistically devolves into a deranged sociopath who can and will kill to get what he wants, which is mostly to destroy the "alien threat", aka Clark. Some of that might be the result of getting possessed by General Zod (long story), but either way, Rosenbaum nails this role, and when he finally completes his transformation into full on supervillain, he makes you believe that this is the same guy Clark pulled out of the river ten years ago, and that this is what he's become.
6. Jeffery Dean Morgan as Azazel (Supernatural)
So, you've got Azazel. He's the demonic dictator of hell. It's his mission to create an army of kids with supernatural abilities by feeding them his blood. With them, he will free the devil from hell and wage war on earth. Azazel's played by a bunch of different actors, but the one that really got me was Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Why? Because the set up is that Sam and Dean, the heroes of the show, have just freed their father only to find that he's been possessed by the demon they've been trying to kill their whole lives! This is a good guy possessed by a bad guy! The chilling-ness of that is only enhanced by the menacing, truly demonic way the Morgan says his lines.
5. Ian McKellen as Magneto (X-Men)
Alright, time for another supervillain. Here's Magneto: Jew during the holocaust, he's been tortured, and he's a mutant who can manipulate metal with his mind. But, the world is anti-mutant, so, to avoid being persecuted again, he becomes a terrorist and goes around killing humans for mutant-rights. What makes this awesome is that McKellen is wicked charismatic. He'll make you feel sorry for him just until he's about to got waste some folks. And when Magneto wastes folks, he does with style. The bottom line is McKellen is charismatic, knows what buttons to push, makes you feel sorry for him, and he is weapon of mass destruction. That's potent combination.
4. Russel Crowe as Ben Wade (3:10 to Yuma)
What makes one of my favorite westerns ever tick is Crowe's role as thief and killer Ben Wade. I'm pretty big on charismatic villains, and this guy nails it. Seriously, the amount of charisma this guy has is almost hard to process, let alone describe. Let me put is this way: he's a killer, yet he's the smartest character in the whole movie, has all of the best lines, and you can't help feeling that he's somehow better than you. And like Magneto, when Ben Wade kills, he kills with style. You've Crowe doing all that and a perfect American accent. Just try and imagine that.
3. Andy Serkis as Gollum (Lord of the Rings)
You just kind of have to have Gollum. Picture the ultimate deranged lunatic. Now give him multiple personality disorder, a murderous obsession with a magic ring, make him 3 feet tall, crippled, and shriveled up, and have him talk strange. Now put him in scenario after scenario where he could potentially redeem himself, but he doesn't. Then make it that he was once a very good person. Now make it so the only way to kill him is by dropping him into a pit of lava. That's the Gollum in a nutshell. As far as how well this part was played, let me put it this way: the Oscar committee wanted to create a whole new category just so Serkis could win an Oscar (the character was CGI-generated, and that means he's not allowed to be nominated for best supporting actor, for some reason.)
2. Andrew Scott as Jim Morriarty (Sherlock)
Sherlock is one of the greatest shows ever, and at least part of that is because it boasts one of the greatest villains ever: Jim Morriarty. He's totally insane. He makes it his goal to not only kill Holmes, but destroy his legacy in the process. And to do that he constructs one of the most elaborate, maniacal, brilliant, and destructive plans ever. And that's after the guy kills like twenty people just to introduce himself to Holmes and Watson. Andrew Scott makes you believe that he is this deranged nutjob, and he makes the character compelling, complex, and alive to the point where almost every time he does something, you're just like "Oh God oh God oh Goddddddddddddddddddddddddd!" It's that awesome. The guy is even willing to do himself in just make sure that Sherlock has been destroyed. That's how insane he is.
1. Heath Ledger as the Joker (The Dark Knight)
Let's face it, this could only go to Ledger. There honestly isn't much need to explain it, really. This was not only the greatest performance as a villain ever, but also one of the greatest performances in movie history period. Let me tell you something you might not know: the first of "you wanna know how I got these scars", speeches, you know, the one where he actually says "why so serious". Yeah, that was improvised. Seriously. The cameras happened to be rolling, and Ledger lost his script or something, so he created one of the most haunting monologues ever on the spot. And it was so good that Christopher Nolan edited one of the scenes to contain the second monologue. Think about that. Y. And that is just one of the many reasons (along with the pencil trick) that Heath Ledger's Joker is the greatest villainous performance of all time.
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You see Continuum writers, this is how you do episode titles.
In A Nutshell:
There is a bridge that the 2nd Mass needs to cross. Why? If they don't, Skitters have them cornered and they are collectively screwed. But, it's under the watch of Skitter Birds. So, Ben, who's is like a really messed up version of Captain America or something now, goes on a recon mission to see what can be done. At the same time, Tom begins to suspect that the Slenders did something to his mind, an idea that is confirmed by an event later in the episode that I can't discuss without spoilers.
The Good:
Plenty on the table here. They do a good job of addressing Tom's fears over what the Slenders might have done to him and what they might make him do, as well as confirming that Ben is in fact a rage-driven sociopath (I KNEW IT!). You've just got a lot of great drama period in this episode, but it all ties in to what's going on overall and none of the characters doing anything contrived for it to work, either. If anything, it shows who these guys are more and what they could do in the near future. The battle scene towards the end helped to top things off, and was just a fun to watch. And lastly, you've got a final scene/twist ending that truly makes the plot thicken.
The Bad:
My only beef was that it felt rushed. The thing is, that the show seems to feel that way a lot. I don't know what it is, but most of what happens per episode feels like it could go on longer. I'm saying the show should go The Walking Dead route, have whole episodes that are just a bunch of private conversations around a farm, but you know what I mean. Go figure. I still what they're doing, though, and I hope they stick with it.
Final Rating: 89%
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In A Nutshell:
Alright, the season premier of Falling Skies picks up 3 months after Tom's departure on the Skitter Bird in the first season finale. Weaver and Pope are leading ambushes against the alien troops regularly, and Ben, who is pushing rage-driven sociopath, has joined the resistance. During a pretty freaking epic fight, Tom walks in. He gets rushed back to the camp. Through flashbacks, we see what happened to Tom after he went with the aliens, and get hints at what they're after. We also learn that the boss-aliens, or Slenders, as fans call them, are racist cretins, and one of them is speaking through a harnessed and thoroughly creeptastic Karen.
The Good:
Quite a bit, fortunately. Season 1 was pretty awesome, so I have high hopes for this season, which were at least partially realized by this episode. Lets start with the action: it's been amped up big time. The first three minutes were this badass battle scene, which includes a gun-toting Ben and Pope being Pope. I don't remember who directed this episode, but they know how to direct the crap out of action scene. The whole feel of the show just feels more present in this episode too, which I really liked. We also saw the inside of a space ship for the first time, and it looks incredible. The director clearly knew his stuff in regards to space ships, as well (I gotta find out this guy's name). The actors all do a good job with what they're given this time around, and the drama is both present and compelling, most notably with Hal and Ben. The episodes mission was clearly to establish where the show is now and where it's going this season, and I'll say, mission accomplished.
The Bad:
Not much, don't worry. My only legit gripe with the episode was that it didn't really focus on any characters in particular, so parts felt a bit rushed. I know there was only so much they could do in 1 out of 10 episodes, so I'm not gonna hate the episode because of it. Far from it.
Final Rating: 90%
So, that's my take on the premier, what's yours? Comment below, let me know.
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I've come to the conclusion that the Continuum writers, like myself, really suck at titles.
In A Nutshell:
Scientist gets offed, Kiera and Co. investigate, yada yada, and at the same time Liber8 leader whose last name I can't really spell ends up in 2012. Meanwhile, Kellog is living the high life. It's all relevant somehow.
The Good:
I don't really know how I feel about this episode. It's kind of a mixed feelings thing, I guess. You've got some good character development for Kiera, which was needed, and they did some mythology stuff to make this all sort of relevant. Liber8's leader showing up was easily the best part of the episode; it was cool when he did, they had some nice sequences with him, and he helped give us some hints as to where the story is going, and I can see some great plot lines stemming from him. The actual core beliefs of Liber8 are starting to be explained more, and that was good and needed just to prevent them from becoming a rebels without a cause.
The Bad:
The writers were clearly trying to make the main plot of the episode tie into the overall story somehow, and they sort of did, but felt really tacked on. For the most part, this was kind of random murder of the week story. I'm not gonna freak out because they did one of those, but I really hope it doesn't become a pattern. Also, the scenes with Kellog felt a bit unneeded. It'll probably become relevant in episodes to come, but if it does not, then it means the writers not-so-cleverly filled in space for a story that wasn't meant to support and episode. There was also a lack of action that left me perplexed. A definite step-down from last week.
So, the season premier of Falling Skies is tonight, and, in case you're human and can't play ten hours of catch up in less then twelve, or you just wanna reminisce, I've got you covered.
Spoilers, obviously, but that's kinda the point of this post.
So, Aliens, no only as the Skitters, invade Earth unprovoked. First, they wipe out all electronics, then the Skitters, along with their robo-soldiers called "Mechs" take out 90% of the human population in a few days. They kidnap kids and put biomechanical harnesses onto their backs that control them so they can be used for slave labor. About a year later, the only resistance groups are state militias, such as the 2nd Mass, which the show follows.
So, Tom Mason (Noah Wyle, Donnie Darko) becomes 2nd in Command of the 2nd Mass after the state militias divides. His wife is dead, and he's got three sons: Hal, whose in the resistance with him, Ben, who got kidnapped and harnessed, and Matt, whose like 8 years old. Other group members include top dog Weaver, former pediatrician and group doctor Anne Glass, a lovable older man known as Uncle Scott, Hal's girlfriend and fellow fighter Karen, 13 year old soldier Jimmy and his dog Nemo, fighter and rider Dai, and fighter Mike Thompson, whose son is also harnessed. The team sets up shop/camp in an abandoned high school.
During a food run, Hal sees a bunch of harnessed kids, including Ben. But Weaver, being the jerk he is, says they can't get him until they get more weapons. Up until then, they hadn't even had a way to remove the harnesses without killing the kids, but then Dr. Harris, an old friend of Tom's shows up and says he has a way. And then you find out it's kinda Harris's fault that Tom's wife is dead. As for how well Tom reacted to that, I'll leave that to your imaginations.
When they get weapons from and old stash, the group runs into charismatic ex-con John Pope and his gang, which includes people who are clearly serve no purpose other than to get shot by sort of hostage Margaret (Sarah Carter, aka Jo from Supernatural) who REALLY wants to get away from Pope. She gets the chance when Pope heads out to raid the 2nd Mass and she, along with Hal and Glass, get to escape, but in the process, Karen gets nabbed by the Skitters. By the end of that story, Pope is now a prisoner of the 2nd Mass and Margaret is in the resistance.
Tom, Hal, Margaret, Dai, and Mike go to get Ben from the Skitters, but when they see Mike's son Rick, Mike winds up grabbing Rick instead and they have to leave. Tom winds up taking a Skitter as a POW, and only good things can come from that scenario. After de-harnessing Rick, it becomes obvious the harness did something to him, because he seems to want the harness back. Gee, wait to be grateful, Rick. In other shocking developments, Pope becomes the 2nd Mass's chef.
Then Pope goes and escapes during a run to get some bikes, but not before making some damn good bread for everyone.
And then another rescue mission goes through. This time all that harnessed kids, including Ben, get rescued after Hal's crazy-ass plan somehow doesn't end in death. The good news is that Ben, unlike Rick, isn't a total ingrate. But, once again, the harness clearly did something to him, seeing how former math geek Ben is now in peak physical condition. The guy does 104 push ups after getting maybe four hours of sleep and jumps rope for like 2 and a half hours, for crying out loud. Oh, and the spikes from his harness are still in his back, same with Rick.
After a run in with an all around former freedom fighter and all around bad guy who was selling kids to the Skitters in exchange for safety, Pope rejoins the group and Mike is left dead. Rick had no comment other then apparently he thinks he and Ben are actually Skitters.
On a recon mission, Tom, Hal, and Weaver see a totally different kind of alien that appear to be the Skitters bosses. Weaver nearly has a mental breakdown, Hal does not take it well when he sees a harnessed Karen, and Glass rather unceremoniously discovers that the harnesses actually slowly turn humans into Skitters, which is quite the buzzkill for Tom when he finds out.
In the two-part season finale, Weaver leads a mission to take out the Skitters tower in Boston, while Tom has to defend the camp from the oncoming Mechs using Pope's bullets made of Mech metal. How do the Mechs know where the camp is? Rick sells them out thinking he'll be re-harnessed, but no cigar. Fortunately, the kid realizes that he is human and the tough guys do cry after being ripped off. Uncle Scott, meanwhile, starts using radio frequencies to mess up the Mechs and Skitters, which communicate over radio-frequencies, but the signal hurts Ben like hell. Long story short, he was at the early stages of transformation when he was de-harnessed. Once again, the ultimate buzzkill.
Anyway, after fighting back the Mechs, Tom goes into town to find Weaver on his way back from the attack. They launch a bazooka at the Skitter tower, which leads to a nice explosion. But, on the way back to camp, a ship lands right in front of them. A commander alien for which we do not yet have a name and a harnessed Karen tell Tom that they didn't expect this level of resistance and that he'd better come with them or they will go after Ben. Tom knows they're telling the truth, and gets on the ship, leaving Weaver with his jaw on the ground.
So, that is the first season in semi-detail. If that sounds cool to you, check out the second season premier tonight on TNT.
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Okay, awhile back I posted my list for the top 5 sci fi show seasons, and I did have a first season or two on there. That eventually got me thinking about what the best first seasons have been for any show in the genre. A first season is very important, too; it provides a base for the show and an average to which you can compare later seasons, i.e., you compare a later season to the first to see how good it is. But, almost every first season has faults. Or does it? With that in mind, I've decided to make this list.
No spoilers, don't worry.
Oh, and a little note, I have not seen the first season of Heroes, and no one season wonders, i.e., no Firefly. Love that show to death, but I've decided not to put it on a list for once.
5. Falling Skies
At fifth is the first season of TNT's hit drama Falling Skies, which centers around a resistance group fighting aliens roughly a year after an unprovoked invasion of Earth wiped out 90% of the human population. The 2nd Mass, most notably Tom Mason (Noah Wyle), is a ragtag group of survivors trying to retake their home while dealing with grief, loss, and emotional drama, especially as Tom tries to keep his sons safe, which is hard to do when one of them was kidnapped by the aliens, which are called "Skitters", if you're wondering. Action, drama, mystery, and some pretty cool characters all help to drive the season and the show in general and add up to something pretty darn awesome. The second season actually premiers tomorrow night, and after season 1, I have high hopes.
4. The X Files
Nothing less then The X Files itself takes fourth. Skeptical FBI Agent Dana Scully is assigned to monitor believer Agent Fox Mulder at the X Files, the FBI's unsolved cases involving strange phenomena. The season's main storyline is about a government conspiracy involving aliens, the same aliens the kidnapped Mulder's sister as a child, as well as filler monster of the week episodes. Conspiracy, extreme possibility, and Mulder-Scully dynamic helped to make this show what it was: awesome. The alien myth-arc was always the most compelling part of the show, but most of the fillers are cool in their own right. You've got all that and the single greatest pilot episode of all time. If I have yet to make it clear, this season rocked. The fact that it isn't in first means there must be good stuff ahead.
3. Battlestar Galactica
First, I should establish that I'm not talking about the miniseries, I'm talking about the actual first season. The season follows the 50,000 surviving humans as they flee their homes on the 12 Colonies of Humanity after the Cylons, robots created by humans that have since rebelled and evolved, nuke the crap out of the place. Heading the fleet is the Battlestar Galactica, under Commander Bill Adama, which provided protection from attacking Cylons and contains most of the main characters. The humans are looking for Earth, the fabled 13th colony of humanity. Long story short, it's really good. It does just about everything, too: gun fights, space battles, mental and emotional tension, political thrills, spiritual debates, and richness of character. And were it not for one episode that was kind of a clunker, I would have it higher up.
2. Lost
A plane from Australia to LA goes down and lands on an uncharted island in the South Pacific. As the 48 passengers struggle to survive the hostile environment, stuff starts going down. Let me put is this way: there are polar bears on the island, and that's the least weird thing. Premise? Check. Interesting, compelling characters with backstories? Check. Intriguing, overarching mystery that makes you want more? Check. Plot twists that destroy, confirm, and alter all of your views on reality all at once? Check. The only reason I didn't put this at number 1 is that the first season of LOST technically wasn't sci fi. I mean there are sci fi elements in a lot of places, and the I know the show makes rather blunt use of those elements in later seasons, but at this point, most of those could be glossed over by genre-haters. And if you're thinking that means this shouldn't be on the list at all, like I said, elements and and knowledge of what they do in later seasons. And this is my list. Mine.
1. The Walking Dead
The best first season for a sci fi show can go to none other than the Walking Dead. You know the drill: Deputy Rick Grimes is shot and goes into a coma. He wakes up in the midst of the zombie apocalypse. He struggles to survive as he searches for his wife and son, whom he's convinced are still alive somewhere. For those of you who don't know the show and think it's about zombies, it's not. It's about people. It uses the zombies and the post-apocalypse in general to show just what people become, which is in some cases, more human, when they're tested. So basically the show's actually got a lot of heart. That and blood, guts, and zombies getting plugged in the head. So yeah, we've got action, gore, characters that somehow feel even more human than us, and of course an awesome story arc that allows the episodes to flow into each other perfectly. The bottom line is that the first season of The Walking Dead truly deserves to be number one.
Okay, that's my list, but what's yours? Comment below, let me know! As always, be sure to subscribe, check out my other posts, all that good stuff!
It is time. For me, it was only a matter of time before this fandom sucked me. Now it has, and I'm very glad. That's right, I'm reviewing the first season of LOST, arguably the biggest cult series of all time.
The first season of LOST aired from 2004-2005 and was comprised of 25 total episodes. It was on ABC and is the only thing that gives the network any credibility.
No spoilers, don't worry.
In A Nutshell:
An Oceanic flight from Australia to LA crashes on a strange, uncharted island in the south pacific. The 48 survivors struggle to survive while dealing with other... strange entities, shall we say? There would always be one or more main plots on the island in an episode, while flashbacks would develope a specific character by showing their backstory, revealing their secrets, and other what-have-you's. Believe it or not, the first couple of episodes were primarily standalone stories. Yes, you read that correctly. About eight episodes in, however, stuff really starts going down and a more serialized format is used. Also at the same time, an episode would often contribute something to the show's overall mythology and thereby further asking the question of what the hell is actually going on.
The Good:
Quite a bit of good stuff is on the table here, friends. The show's very first scene starts off with you thinking "wait what?" and then gets very intense as establishes what just happened.
The plot of the season itself is, well, awesome. It's intriguing, compelling, all that good stuff. The standalone stories do a good of providing set up for what's happening, and the flashbacks do a great job of developing the characters and spilling their dirty secrets. Believe me, everyone on this island has some skeletons in their closets. Most messed up back story goes to Boone. Not necessarily the best one, that's probably Locke's, but Boone's really got me.
The characters themselves feel, act, and talk like actual human beings (always a good thing) and really help to drive the show. Simply put: richness of character is in abundance.
As for the mythology and overarching mysteries, where do I begin? Granted, I had some of the answers going into this, but I still get shocked. At their best, the mythos and twists are going to make you switch from scratching your head to dropping your jaw in an instant. Let me put it this way: imagine having all of your views on reality set on fire, brought back from the dead from the ashes, perform plastic surgery on, and beaten half to death! Can you imagine that? Good, now you've got a very rough, very vague understanding of what certain moments of this show did to my head. That's the best I can do to describe it.
I can't actually give hints as to just what does this, as that would violate the no spoilers agreement above, but I can tell you that some of the moments are implications that get you thinking, and others are statements/events that you didn't see coming. And sometimes they serve as metaphors for humanity, ideal, and other stuff I can't even begin to describe.
This good this is gonna sound like overkill, I know, but another thing was the use of music on this show could not be more perfect and really contributes to making certain moments what they are.
Obviously, there was a cliffhanger ending to the season, always a welcomed move.
The Bad:
To be totally honest, I got nothing. Okay fine, I've one gripe. One. And it's little. There are one or two moments early on in the show where I just thought "okay, can we get on with the plot already". Those were rare moments, I promise, and it's totally the result of going into something that starts off fairly procedural but you expect to instantly become the ultimate serial just because of it's reputation. But those don't usually happen, I promise. Other than that, no gripes.
Final Rating: 99%
So, have you seen the first season of LOST? Have you seen any of it? What did you think of it? Comment below, let me know. Or just leave a comment. That would be great too.
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So, for those of you who don't know, IGN, which considers itself the utmost authority on absolutely everything, ranked BSG #1 on their list of the top 50 sci fi shows of all time. Think about it.
Just a heads up, I'm reviewing this under the assumption that you've seen the miniseries, so there are spoilers if you haven't.
BSG season 1 aired in 2005 on the SyFy channel back when they knew what the hell they were doing.
In A Nutshell:
Picking up right after the miniseries, this season follows the last surviving humans, headed by President Laura Roslin and protected by Commander Bill Adama of the Battlestar Galactica, as they flee the deadly Cylons who have overrun the 12 Colonies of Humanity and try to find a safe haven, specifically Earth, the fabled 13th colony. A lot goes down. So basically, they're fleeing the Cylons while dealing with other issues, including political conspiracy and terrorism, dwindling resources, and character issues. The characters include, in addition to Adama and Roslin, Gaius Baltar, a genius scientist who by mistake caused the Cylon invasion, and who has a computer chip in his head that causes him to see, hear, and feel Cylon Number 6 everywhere (oh and he's also a lecherous scumbag), Captain Lee Adama, call sign Apollo, Commander Adama's son who has some loyalty and anger issues, Lieutenant Kara Thrace, call sign Starbuck, the best shot in or out of the cockpit who is also reckless and cocky, Lt. Karl Agathon, call sign Helo, whose stranded on Cylon occupied Caprica, Col. Tigh, who has a problem with the booze, and Lt. Sharon Boulaurie, call sign Boomer, who is a Cylon but doesn't it. In case you didn't get it, the show goes out if it's way to have flawed characters, all of whom had an episode centered around them at one point or another.
The Good:
This is awesome. It is. It really is. It's intense, action-packed, and often gritty. Lets start with the action: there's lots of it. There are quite a few epic space battles with pretty awesome special effects, plus Cylons have been known to get shot or blown up. And when the show lacks action, it makes up for it in phycological intensity that will make anyone go "oh my God oh my God oh my God." Those are some driving forces behind the show. And then you've got the show's serialized format (woo!). There are overarching mysteries going, and while a lot of the time a conflict will be resolved by the end of the episode, it will create a new plot point to be dealt with in another episode while expanding the show's very compelling mythology. You've also got the characters, who feel like, oh you know, real people with real problems and flaws. And I do mean flaws. These are layered characters who are basically good people but with serious flaws. Take Gaius, for example: he's a genius, he's funny, charismatic, an okay guy, but he's also an two-timing scumbag who might be insane. So yeah, the characters are really good. You have all that adding up to a very compelling overall story that manages to be character driven, action driven, politically driven, and spiritually driven all at the same time. The bottom line: it's an intelligent, intense thrill ride that you won't want to stop watching. Oh, and cliffhanger ending! Hooray!
The Bad:
You'd think after all that praise I wouldn't have any gripes about the season. But I do. It's just one episode that I wasn't too big on: "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down", it's where you meet Col. Tigh's previously absent, equally alcoholic wife. You could tell it was meant to be a comedy relief episode to lighten the mood a bit amidst the intensity. I usually have no problem with that, heck I like just because it gives me some room to breath, but the problem was it wasn't funny. Ellen Tigh is really just an annoying character. I'll grant, parts of the episode were okay, but for the most part, I can't say I was too fond of it. But parts of that one episode are my only beef with the season. Other than that it was awesome.
I could probably do noteworthy episodes but I won't because I'd be doing all of them save for the one I mentioned in "the bad". Plus, the season was only 13 episodes anyway, so it's seems a bit unnecessary.
Final Rating: 97%
So, have you seen season 1 of BSG, or any of it at all, and what did you think of it? Comment below, let me know!
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Insert witty time travel joke here (I'm in a lazy mood today).
In A Nutshell:
Alright, so this time out, Kiera and Carlos are investigating murder victims with holes bored into the back of their skulls, and, you guessed it, they're connected to Liber8! At the same time, Kiera is forced to form an unlikely alliance with Liber8 member Kellog over reasons I cannot reveal at the moment, and we learn more about Alec's stepdad, who has some funky sociopolitical views that seem to have something to do with Kiera's future.
The Good:
Overall, this was probably better then last week. On the surface, this seems to be a murder of the week type deal, but there's more going on here for the show's mythology and overall story than you'd think, and I really liked that. Truth be told, it's actually what I was expecting the show to be like. When you think about it, this was primarily an episode for setting the show up even more. That's what the last two have more or less done, and I feel like they'll do more set up for another episode or two, and then get more into the overarching story. I just hope it's not like A Tale of Two Cities, which took about 250 pages to get started on the book's actual plot. Plus, some good action scenes and a few funny fish out of water moments to round things out a bit.
The Bad:
It's the same gripe as last week, really, in that it still feels like Alec is just the tech support guy, and he's supposed to be a character with a lot of mystery around him, so it's a bit frustrating when he's just pressing buttons and making somewhat funny jokes for most of his 14 minutes of screen time. Granted, he did more this episode and we learn more about his family, so it wasn't as bad as last week where he literally only did the previously mentioned things. Another thing is that some of Kiera's dialogue comes off as a bit corny, and the excuse of "people talk differently in the future" is only going to last the writers so long.
Final Rating: 89%
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Alright, I just finished my final exams, so I as of now, I'm on vacation!!!! Woo!!!!
So, first on the docket is my review of the third season of the hit web comedy series The Guild!
In A Nutshell:
Picking up right after season two ends, season three follows the continuing adventures of the RPG Guild the Knights of Good, who are trying to buy a new expansion pack for the game, but in the process run afoul of rival Guild the Axis of Anarchy, headed by Wil Wheaton, who make it their mission to destroy the KOG both in the game and out. After season's events, Vork makes Codex Guild Leader after the realizes he's bad person and sets out to find out why, Tink is mad at Vork for deleting her character, Clara has marital issues, Codex is more exasperated then usual, and Zaboo is dating that Halo girl Riley, who has, uh, odd relationship policies, shall we say. And, amazingly enough, this season managed to be better than seasons 1 or 2, which I didn't think could be done.
The Good:
Just about everything, really. The show is still hilarious, the characters are still outrageous to the point that you love yet hate them at the same time, and it's more then a little bit addicting. The characters are actually even growing a little bit as people, or at least attempting to, which is something most TV sitcoms can't even pull off. Plus, like always, there are plenty of moments that are so ridiculous and absurd that it's impossible to not laugh for three straight minutes.
The Bad:
There are still moments where you can't help but think, "these people have no lives. it's kinda depressing..." but there are that many. There weren't many in the first two seasons, either, but there's even less here. Other than that I got nothing.
If you haven't seen the Guild, look it up on YouTube, you will not regret it.
Final Rating: 98%
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Alright, Warehouse 13 returns for a 20-episode 4th season next month, and my own complete boredom has driven me to write this list before it's actually appropriate. Whatever. I like the show, and it's basically the only thing the SyFy channel has going for it these days, and thus this list was written.
Spoilers for episodes indicated by *
10. Claudia
Does this need explaining? Artie's past catches up to him when Claudia, whose brother Artie may/may not have let die, tracks him down and kidnapps him. This was Claudia's, probably my character on the show (computer nerd-Lois Lane), first episode, which is what makes it really memorable, and it sets things up for really the rest of the season and a lot of the rest of the show. At the time, it seemed like a standalone that shook things up by being the first non- "artifact of the week", but looking back, it was crucial and just kind of awesome.
9. Beyond Our Control
It's like the writers thought "what if we actually explored that weird town the warehouse is in". I'm glad they did. Basically, an artifact on the loose in Univille and is making marines, gladiators, and mad scientists materialize, and it could have something to do with a B-movie marathon. Oh, and guess what, the whole town thinks Pete and Myka work for the IRS. I guess it was a particularly good "artifact of the week" and was way too much fun not to have.
8. MacPherson
The WH13 team track down MacPherson and bring him in in the season 1 finale. Not surprisingly, things go horribly wrong and some serious stuff goes down. Plus, cliffhanger ending! Woo! To me personally, this was the first indication of the heights the show would reach in seasons 2 and 3, while delivering an entertaining story and at the same time building up to the events that would drive season 2. Excellent.
7. Where and When
Time travel. That's all that needs to be said. Pete and Myka use HG's time machine to ID an artifact from 1961 about to resurface. The catch? The time machine is all Quantum Leap-ish and puts the duo into Jack and Rebecca's bodies in the 60's. Gimmicky? Oh yeah, totally. But a good gimmick it was.
6. The 40th Floor*
The WH13 team finally gets an edge on Walter Sykes after they capture his attack dog Sally Stuckowski, who Steve and Mrs. Frederick (1st name Irene?) interrogate. At the same time, Myka and a couple of regents get trapped in a building Sykes is using an artifact to destroy, and have to get out in one piece. This was a great way to build on the season's story arc and set up for the rest of the season, while telling a pretty kick-ass standalone. It just captured what I like about the show. Plus, the introduction of the Tesla grenade, tons of mythos, and an awesome twist ending.
5. Vendetta*
Artie's past with the NSA finally catches up with him as friends of the team are being killed by artifacts. At the same time, HG resurfaces, claiming to be rehabilitated and wanting to come back to the warehouse. Not surprisingly, Artie doesn't trust her, but Myka seems to. Another midseason episode that sets things up for the remainder of the season, but is awesome on it's own, too.
4. Breakdown
So, Artie has to have lunch with some regents to prove that they need to pursue MacPhearson, assuring them that his team is top notch. At the same time, Claudia accidently causes the Warehouse to go into self-destruct mode, and she, Pete, and Myka have thirty chaos-filled minutes to stop the big boom. I guess the whole controlled-chaos thing in this one just really appeals to me. That and some cool artifact stuff really made this one.
3. Buried/Reset
The warhouse is dying, and Pete, Myka, and HG haul ass to Egypt, specifically Warehouse 2, to find a cure. This leads into the climactic finale in which HG's true agenda comes to light. You literally just started letting yourself think she was good, too. Epic, dramatic, and just plain awesome, the season two finale just adds up to enormous awesomeness and gives you answers about the show's best villain, and one of my personal favorite TV villains.
2. Emily Lake/Stand
Sykes, you son of a gun. The two part third season finale saw Sykes iniating his revenge against the Warehouse team, specifically the regents, which I can't talk about without ruining the whole thing. The bottom line, it was epic. It was intense. It was dramatic. It gave us answers. And it left us with questions that won't be answered for another month. It also gave us some pretty heavy drama by way of major character deaths (granted, we're still not really sure who's going STAY dead) something the show had never done before, but believe me, they did it well. Plus, the best cliffhanger so far and the introduction of the Tesla shotgun.
1. Time Will Tell
This barely edged out Stand for the number one spot, but I just had to give it to this one. So, right after the season 1 finale, Artie uses the Pheonix to come back from the dead, MacPhearson brings someone else back from the bronze section with him, and Claudia, who the team still thinks is a traitor, is trying to make sure Joshua is still alive. What really makes this episode great is the introduction of HG Wells, one of the show's best characters and the best aspect of it's mythology, who basically sets up the next two, possibly three seasons in less then 45 mintutes. And you've got the Esher Vault, my personal favorite section of the Warehouse. Add in a story that is just flat out awesome, and you've got my number one episode of Warehouse 13.
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That's right, it's finally coming: a sequel to Anchorman. The promo hit the web earlier this week and by now you've probably seen it/heard of it, but I had to talk about this. No plot is actually revealed, it's just the four main characters from the first movie saying strange comedic stuff wearing '70s clothes. This has apparently been burning in development hell for years now, and I don't know when it comes out, but it probably not anytime soon with Will Ferrel and Steve Carrel both busy with other movies. I've got high hopes for the sequel, but I won't be expecting something to top Ricky Bobby (can anything top that?). Whether or not Christina Applegate will be in it is unknown presently. Whatever the case is, I'm looking forward to this movie. Stay classy, internet.
This basically represents the riskiest move in the history of TV: Star Trek alum Ron Moore rebooting a failed series on a then failing basic cable network. But it payed off oh so much.
I should probably clarify first that I have not seen the original series, so if you're looking for a comparison between the two, you're out of luck.
In A Nutshell:
So what is BSG ? How about war in space. Not enough? How about a military/naval drama, political thriller, and spiritual discusion all at once. Still confused? Okay, I'll be more specific; The Cylons are robots created by humans, who live on the 12 Colonies of Humanity. They rebeled and a war was fought. After a 40 year armistice, the Cylons, some of which now look like humans rather than walking chrome toasters, launch a surprise attack and nuke the crap out of all twelve worlds. And the Cylons have hacked into the defense grid and can disable humanity's entire computer network. The good news is that the Battlestar Galactica doesn't have networked computers and is therefore immune from the tech-attack. But the bad news is that Galactica, headed by Commander Bill Adama, now has a war to fight while helping to find the 50,000 remaining humans a new home.
The Good:
The miniseries, which I viewed as an uniterrupted 3 hour movie, does a great job of setting up for the four season-spanning series that followed, the premise of which is that the surviving humans are on the run from the Cylons and trying to find Earth, the fabled 13th colony of humanity. Just the premise kicks ass as a metaphor for the post-9/11 world. Now, it's starts off a bit slow, but that was actually a good thing because it built up the tension and intensity in a way that when the guns start firing, you're just like, "oh, God...". After that, there are a few freaking epic space battles. Added into the equation are perfectly written, compelling, believable characters with flawed relationships with eachother that add to the show's drama and tension. Plus, one or two comic relief scenes that just made me laugh like hell and perfect execution of music. And it even feels like a real battleship with people who actually act like they're in the military, that's how well the naval aspect is done. To top it all off, you've got a dense, compelling mythology that's just well-written. You see this was when the SyFy channel actually knew what they were doing.
The Bad:
To be totally honest, I've got nothing. As miniseries go, this was great, and as set-ups for a TV show go, this is better than most pilot episodes. My only legit beef was I feel like there could of been more space battles, but that's probably what the rest of the show was for.
Final Rating: 98%
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So, apparently Showcase writers are contractually obliged to work the theme of their shows into episode titles, hence every episode of the 1st season of a time travel show having the word time in their titles.
In A Nutshell:
Kiera's cover gets blown and Carlos has to arrest her while Liber8 are looking for a power source for another time jump. So, she has to break out and stop it. Or does she?
The Good:
The episode boasts plenty of solid action scenes/gun fights, something I think the show is pretty big on. Ideally, it'll be set up like in action movie in TV show form, which, so far, seems to be the case.
At this point, Kiera's future-tech is getting tons of usage, and I gotta say it's pretty darn cool. Even the look of it when it's in use is awesome. They set up a potential long term plot element to return in the near future (serialization! woo!) that might just bite everyone in the butt. On top of all that, the writers are showing that Kiera is a bit conflicted between what she wants and what she has to do, as well as establishing her priorities and developing her as a character.
The Bad:
My major gripe with the show at this point is that they're basically using Alec as plot catalyst. He's supposed to be the character that provides the show with some more overarching mystery, but here he was just JARVIS (Iron Man's computer-voice friend) with a face. Some of Kiera's emotional moments felt a bit forced, too, but it wasn't that bad.
Final Rating: 86%
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