The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Review

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The Dark Knight Rises Prologue Review

The fire rises. And hopefully, so does the movie's sound mix.

Yes, I have seen the prologue for The Dark Knight Rises. And much like the bank heist prologue from The Dark Knight, it is six minutes of perfect, appetite-whetting AWESOME. It perfectly shows off the mood of the movie, as well as the first real unveiling of the film's villain. And, along with the trailer, it builds the anticipation for this flick that was already at The Phantom Menace-level anticipation to a fever pitch, whilst unfortunately reminding us that there are still seven months to go until the release of the final film. (SPOILERS AHEAD) The prologue itself deals with the CIA taking custody of one Dr. Leonid Pavel (the "mad scientist" announced months ago to be played by Alon Aboutbol), a character who's heavily figured into the marketing campaign, while also attempting to gather information from henchmen on their leader, a mysterious masked muscular mercenary (M's, lol) named Bane. Eventually, while the interrogation on a plane is ongoing, Bane reveals himself, and crashes the plane with the help of his cronies. A few exchanges of dialogue establish that Bane's men are fanatically devoted to his cause (that "the fire rises" line stuck in the head), while managing to toe around the actual plot of the film, which is still a complete mystery. In addition, there was an opening that recalled Gordon's speech about Harvey Dent from the end of TDK, and a short montage of clips at the end (some from the trailer and some not), before showing a shot of all hell breaking loose in Gotham as Bane's men appear to collide in battle with the GCPD. The last shot, of Bane carrying a shard of Batman's broken cowl (as depicted in the above poster) is truly chilling, and, combined with the timeline, gives me the idea that The Dark Knight Rises plot will be something of a hybrid of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Bane's introductory storyline, Knightfall. Of all the good things I've said about this prologue, however, it has one major flaw: Tom Hardy's Bane voice is quite difficult to understand. Some sentences are easier than others, but his last lines were pretty much unintelligible. Christopher Nolan himself has stated that he's only going to make minor sound alterations to the voice, so I hope that they make it count. Still, this prologue only made me more excited. I won't apply a star rating to this one, as six minutes of footage is hard to rate.

The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20.

"When Gotham is ashes, you'll have my permission to die."

Dexter - "This is the Way the World Ends" Review, Season 6 Recap

They finally f'in did it. Only one season too late.

So, I'm back. After an extremely long hiatus due to studies, I'm home for Christmas. So, I figured I'd make up for lost time, and write a review for the season finale of Dexter, and the season in general as well. First the season 6 recap.

To be perfectly honest, this season of Dexter was not as bad as many TV critics and fans made it out to be. It had its moments, particularly in the early part of the season, where the writing was about up to par with the usual standards. By far, the series' most interesting guest character this season was Brother Sam. I'll admit that I had some worries about Mos Def's acting ability, but dammit if he wasn't pretty good. Brother Sam worked better than either Doomsday Killer as a character, if only because his positive story provided the season with some much-needed perspective on religion. Sadly, after Brother Sam was killed off midseason, the writing took a nosedive. Since I haven't reviewed any episodes since the first, I've never had time to comment on the Ghost Gellar story, but I too was inclined to believe he wasn't real by the second or third episode. Edward James Olmos was wasted in a thankless, one-note role as the overtly fanatical religious professor, while Colin Hanks surprised me as being fairly good as the unsure, doubting Travis Marshall. However, they stuck to the gimmick of Ghost Gellar for far too long, dragging it out over NINE. FREAKIN'. EPISODES. They could have easily had the reveal be in the closing moments of "Sin of Omission", the eighth episode, or even better, had done it even earlier simply by having a scene of Travis talk to himself as the camera pans out, much like the closing moments of the season one episode "Shrink Wrap", in which Dexter's brother Brian/Rudy (who also returned this season, in a nice little guest spot as Dream Brian, the physical embodiment of Dexter's Dark Passenger) was revealed to be the Ice Truck Killer. But alas, no such luck, so instead, in possibly the series' worst episode "Get Gellar", we get the reveal, which is treated as a massively dramatic twist, when in reality, it was one that pretty much EVERYONE IN THE WORLD KNEW AT THIS POINT. Gellar was merely Travis' Dark Passenger, and once Travis realized that, his character took a ridiculous 180, suddenly becoming as insane as his Ghost Gellar, a homicidal maniac hellbent on bringing out the world's end. So, in the remaining three episodes, things arguably improved a little, but the story still took on some really absurd directions. Deb being in love with Dexter?! That's not only the sickest and most twisted thing I've ever heard (I call bullshit on the "they're not related by blood" thing, they lived together in the same house for DECADES, they're siblings, blood or not), but it's also just unbelievable in terms of the direction of the character of Debra thus far. Still, the story was fun and kept me engaged, though not quite as much as previous seasons. There was also the interesting subplots of Louis the intern, who seems a little too interested in Dexter and his connection to the Ice Truck Killer. And then there is Deb's conflict with LaGuerta over her throwing Captain Matthews under the bus. And as "Talk to the Hand" ended, Travis left Dex in a pool of fire, stranded in the Atlantic Ocean, as Travis' tableaus to end the world neared completion with the solar eclipse. And with that, the review of "This is the Way the World Ends"....

I must say, most of this finale of Dexter surprised in how laid-back, assured, self-contained, and low-key it was. There was no closure on the plot of Louis, so I'm assuming that that will play a part in what will almost definitely be a very different season of Dexter as opposed to its predecessors (I'll get to why in a minute). They also remained fairly unconcerned on the subplots of Quinn and Batista, and Deb and LaGuerta, which will probably continue into next season as well. The main problem with this episode, and the season as a whole, lied in the fact that, until the very final minute, is that NONE OF IT MATTERED AT ALL TO THE OVERARCHING NARRATIVE OF THE SERIES. In season 1, Dex discovered his past, met his brother, and was established as a character. In season 2, he fully embraced his nature, began to feel for Rita and the kids, defeated a powerful adversary in Doakes, and very barely evaded capture. In 3, he attempted to make a true friend and mold a successor, while preparing himself for marriage and the arrival of a son. In 4, he faced off against his most powerful adversary ever, while attempting to reconcile his killer side with his family man side, which failed completely, resulting in Rita's death. Season 5 had him deal with loss, then channel it by helping a similar lost soul find purpose in life, and found his own in the process. Season 6, while it attempted to wedge in some overarching themes of legacy and faith, failed to leave any lasting impact, mainly because, from an emotional perspective, Dexter ends in pretty much the same place he did before, wanting to be a good father to his son while still being able to kill. Travis' defeat at the exact moment of the eclipse was quite satisfying, and involving Harrison in the plot was certainly an interesting dramatic turn. Dexter's plan to nail Travis also worked well, thinking ahead of Travis in terms of his tranquilizer needles' effects, and while the climax was not as intense as Dexter's chase to Trinity in season 4, or his showdown with Lumen against Jordan Chase in season 5, or even as he was captured by the Skinner in season 3, it was still good to see Travis finally get his comeuppace. However, this is where the episode's logic faltered. Deb told Dexter to do a last sweep of Gellar's church, right? So why, in all hell, WOULD HE TAKE TRAVIS RIGHT TO THE SPOT WHERE DEB EXPECTED HIM TO BE? It was a serious character issue for me, and almost, almost ruined the ending. But thankfully, the moment of the ending was simply too magnanimous to be screwed up, despite the somewhat lazy logic that led to it. As Dexter finally Saran wraps Travis to his table, and stabs him as he does all his victims: we see Debra walk into the church, and, at long last, we get this:

Oh, God.

Although it was a full year late (the reveal easily could have happened in the season 5 finale "The Big One", when merely a curtain separated Deb from Lumen and Dexter as she talked to them with Chase's body over them), the reveal was everything it should have been. I may have had a few problems with the episode, but most of those are because of the season rather than the ep itself, and it did give the moment that Dexter fans have been waiting for. And now, with it behind us, season 7 will begin in a whole new light, hopefully setting up an explosive endgame for the final two seasons of the series. So, in conclusion, an mediocre episode becomes a good, not great one through a fantastic final shot. Be back in October for season 7.

"This is the Way the World Ends" - 3.5/5 stars

Posts Update (I'll Be Back).

Yeah, I went there.

Wow, it's been forever since I've typed in here. I've been distracted by my studies in recent weeks (and a lot of mindless procrastination), so I haven't been reviewing as I did before. I meant to continue to review Dexter, How I Met Your Mother, The Office, among others, and I meant to crack into reviews of The Walking Dead, Beavis and Butt-head, and South Park. Suffice it to say that I have few, if any complaints about any of these shows' quality recently. My posts from here on out will be far more sporadic, mostly on whims, whenever I feel like talking about a movie or TV show or whatever. I may review Hell On Wheels, that new AMC show premiering Sunday, but I won't really review any of the above shows for awhile, at least until their season finales, or if I come across a truly compelling episode worth discussing. So, yeah just an update if anyone actually READS this blog, it's only been around for about 5 months. So, until later, then.

Oh, and play Batman: Arkham City. It's EPIC EPICNESS.

EPICALLY AWESOME BATMAN-NESS.

Dexter - "Those Kinds of Things" Review

Dexter discovers the inconveniences of popularity. 

So, after nearly a full year without Dexter, everyone's favorite serial killer has, at long last, returned, with a few notable changes since last season's finale. For one, a year has passed since "The Big One", instead of the usual requisite weeks or months (or in the case of 4 to 5, no time at all). This allowed the writers to finally put the specter of Rita behind them, along with them also conveniently being allowed to dump Lumen in the process, as there was nary a mention of either of them in this episode, save references to Dexter's loss of wife. So what did I think of "Those Kinds of Things"? Well, for the most part, I got that usual morbid glee that came over me whenever I watched early-season episodes of Dexter. After the muddled, somewhat repetitive, and overly somber season 5, season 6 looks to be a fresh start for the series, and the premiere perfectly reflected the new mentality. Dexter appears to have been reborn in the past year, operating almost identically to how he handled his killings in season 1, from the syringes to the boat to the cover life. The only difference is one small case of personal investment: his little toddler, Harrison. After some fairly creepy foreshadowing about Harrison in season 5 (that indicated that Dex's Dark Passenger may have passed on to him through Rita's death), Dexter is absolutely sure that he wants Harrison to live a life free of his burden, but he doesn't know what he wants to give to him instead. Eventually, through looking at a Miami Catholic prep school, he comes across religion, and is (understandably) perplexed by the concept. As a man with a monster inside, who's always acted with a strictly one-track mind, religion must seem almost trivial to him, a mask to protect believers from the nitty-gritty of the world (in this case, people like him). Nevertheless, he is intrigued, and much as he attempted to discover about relationships in season 1, he attempts to glean information about God here, from asking Deb and Batista, to asking one of his victims. His main drive of the episode is the pursuit of a former high school classmate, who he believes killed his own wife. That is the weakness of the episode, as both the reunion plot and his murder strategy feel like a road already taken many times, though the payoff scene where he interrogates the killer about his beliefs was worth it. We are also introduced to the presumed seasonal antagonists, one Professor Gellar (played by Gaff himself, Edward James Olmos), and Travis Marshall (played by a very creepy Colin Hanks). We don't learn much about them here, other than that they have a penchant for very theatrical and ritualistic killings, which include replacing a poor fruit seller's intestines with snakes, as well as writing Alpha Omega on his chest, presumably as part of some twisted faith-based cult. The manner in which they're introduced is not unlike the introduction of the Salamanca cousins in season 3 of Breaking Bad, in which we learn very little about them, other than that they're very dangerous, and that they're bound to cross paths with Dexter at some point. No sign of Mos Def in this episode, though it looks like he'll appear next week. Also, Debra becomes a hero at a restaurant (where Quinn was about to propose to her, no less), and Batista's sister (and Harrison's new nanny) is hot, so hot that he acts like an overprotective father around her. LaGuerta's been promoted through blackmail to her old nemesis, Captain Matthews, and Masuka is still the best comic relief, the eternal pervert. Dream Harry also showed up a bit, including a hilarious sequence where he's egging Dexter on during a flag football game.

So, again, did I like "Those Kinds of Things"? Yes, I did, but the new antagonists better have something big planned, or this season may fall into repetition quite quickly. Luckily, Mos Def looks to shake things up next week, and things should be interesting. A welcome return to form. Welcome back, Dex.

"Those Kinds of Things" - 4/5 stars

How I Met Your Mother - "Ducky Tie" Review

What won't Barney do for a look at Lily's Pregnant Boobs?

Though I last expressed trepidations about the return of Victoria last week, I can now thankfully say that those misgivings were entirely unfounded. "Ducky Tie" was, through and through, a callback to the early days of How I Met Your Mother. It almost played like a direct sequel to "Nothing Good Happens After 2 AM" from season one, and this helped give it the feel of a classic HIMYM episode. The story of "Ducky Tie" played out in a delicate balancing act, between the funny and lighthearted Barney-Lily-Marshall story, and the deeper and heartfelt story of Ted, Robin, and Victoria. The issues between Ted and Victoria, left somewhat unexplained at the end of the aforementioned season one episode, are fully resolved here, and what be most surprising is that this appears to be the only episode in which Victoria will be, as opposed to my belief that she was back for a longer term. She gave Ted a few words of wisdom at the end, that, from Saget Ted's narration, allude to a coming change in dynamic in the group, particularly between Ted, Robin, and Barney. This could go one of two ways: either they will have a falling out, and go their separate ways for a while, or it's that Robin is, in fact, Barney's bride a little ways down the road. Then there's the previously promised Ducky Tie storyline, in which a wager is set: if Barney can do the Shinjitsu art of cooking, he gets to fondle Lily's enhanced pregnancy breasts (MOST. MATURE. BET. EVER.), and if he loses, he has to wear Marshall's ducky tie (brrr) for a year. As it turns out, Barney had been psychologically conditioning Marshall towards this bet for years, should he ever want something from him, and is an expert Shinjitsu cook. The intricacies of Barney's plan are gut-bustingly funny, and the denouement just makes it more so, and I look forward to watching Barney wear Marshall's tie for the rest of the season. Overall, though, this was both a nostalgic episode and a step forward, and continues the high quality trend that has begun early in this season.

"Ducky Tie" - 4.5/5 stars

The Office - "The List" Review

Robert California. Welcome to the winner's table.

So, here we are. The 8th season of NBC's hit comedy The Office. Or, as it shall be known to future generations, "The first season of the show without Steve Carell". Yes, Michael Scott is gone. And that's that. Now that that's out of the way, let's move on to the actual review.

It is unlikely that The Office will ever truly regain the heights of its earlier seasons (I'm thinking second and third), simply because it feels a bit long in the tooth at this point. We've been watching Jim, Dwight, Pam, Stanley, Phyllis, Meredith, Daryl, Creed, Angela, Kevin, Kelly, Ryan, and Oscar in action (with Andy, Erin, and Gabe joining in as the series came along) since early 2005, and let's face it, the characters are not as fresh as they once were. So, in the wake of the-actor-who-shall-remain-nameless' departure, the producers felt it was time to bring in a little new blood. And in the funny but uneven and ultimately disappointing season 7 finale "Search Committee" (I hadn't started this blog yet then, but if it had been, I would've probably given it a 3-3.5/5 star rating), they dangled Ricky Gervais (returning briefly once again as David Brent), James Spader, Catherine Tate, Will Arnett, Ray Romano, and a very odd fleeting cameo from Jim Carrey, in front of us, to see who we'd be most receptive to taking over at Dunder Mifflin Scranton. In the end, they chose Spader's Robert California (who was my favorite of the guest spots, with his domineering persona and insane "everything is sex" belief system), but not as Regional Manager. It seems that California felt the position was beneath him, so he somehow managed to talk Jo (goodbye Kathy Bates) out of her own job, and became the new CEO of Sabre. So, even with a new star thrown into the mix of our cast of characters, the manager position remained open until last night's episode. And the new manager of Dunder Mifflin is (*insert self-appointed drumroll please*) none other than Ed Helms' 'Nard Dog himself, Andy. While I was personally hoping Darryl would take over (Big Craig Robinson fan here), I also think Andy is an excellent choice, as he was given a significantly larger role last season, and they even alluded to him possibly being the manager a few times. Helms delivered in this episode, appearing flustered and truly confused in his new job, while having to attempt to reason with the occasionally bizarre California. Spader, as opposed to his guest spot last season, was a bit dialed-back here, and while this sort of dropped the comedy ball a bit, it certainly made him into a more believable character. The "winners-losers" list plot in this episode worked a bit less than the other elements, simply because it felt like a plot device created to cause headbutts between Andy and California. However, Andy's vouching for the losers side of the list was touching and a great character moment, and it highlighted some of his similarities to the former He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. This will help the show continue to transition into this new era. The mentality here almost felt like a second pilot episode for the series, in which the show attempts to reboot itself, while honoring the stories that have come before. Overall, this episode was better than I expected it to be, and it's clear that The Office could have a few years left ahead of it yet.

Oh, and Pam's pregnant, with a boy this time. Here's to hoping that the writers don't screw the kid up like they did with Cece, who, like Deangelo Vickers, is on the top of my own list of "Babies I Don't Care About"

"The List" - 4/5 stars

My Thoughts on The Roast of Charlie Sheen

Nothing can kill him, so he's already won.

Comedy Central roasted Charlie Sheen a mere hour after Two and a Half Men premiered Monday, as you must know. And how did I feel about this? In short, I LOVED it. Not only was it hilarious, with an excellent group of roasters (William Shatner! Kate Walsh! Steve-O! Some other funny dudes! IRON MIKE TYSON HIMSELF!), but as much as Sheen got tongue-lashed in the show, his final speech had me feeling like he came out on top this time. He looked quite a bit less burnt out than he has in recent months, and he spoke of how he is now happy at where he stands. Despite his rather humiliating public meltdown, I've gotta say that I was highly impressed with Monday night. I won't analyze or rate it in depth, as it's not my type of show to review, but if you haven't seen it yet, try to. You won't be disappointed.

How I Met Your Mother - "The Best Man/The Naked Truth" Review

Mosbius Designs may have failed, but these episodes succeed.

Ah, How I Met Your Mother. A show I barely knew about a year ago, until introduced to it by some college buddies, and now, it may just be my favorite sitcom of the last decade. Its sweet and honest humor, its solid logic and overarching narrative, and its very much beating heart are just a few reasons of why I so love it. And in Monday night's two-part premiere, I got what I hoped for: two more hilarious and heartfelt half-hours of time with Ted, Marshall, Lily, Robin, and of course, Barney. "The Best Man" and "The Naked Truth" succinctly represent the two sides of HIMYM's coin, the former being more toward the overarching story and emotional core of the series, while the latter plays more for laughs, while setting up the plot points for this current seventh season. I will, thus, review the two individually.

"The Best Man" opens the season with an event discussed much last season: the wedding of Punchy, Ted's high school friend, whom Ted is serving for as the best man. It is shown through the lens of Future Ted (or as I like to call him, Saget Ted or ST), as he recalls the wedding of Barney that is apparently still "a little ways down the road". Barney's future wedding is, of course, where Ted will meet his future wife, The Mother, as revealed in last season's superb premiere "Big Days". This season appears that it will drive toward Barney's wedding, with the main question now being "who is his bride?" And right now, we have two candidates, Robin and Nora. While Robin reveals in the premiere that she still has feelings for Barney, which she clearly shows after they take over the dance floor, I can't help but wonder if this is another red herring. Barney, meanwhile, decides to attempt to move forward with Nora, so it's all up in the air right now. In the end, I wouldn't be surprised if his bride is someone completely different.    Back to Punchy's wedding. Overall, it made for a funny setting, with Marshall drinking for him and Lily due to her still concealed pregnancy (as revealed in "Challenge Accepted", last season's finale), and eventually accidentally ruining Punchy's wedding, which was used as a subplot throughout the episode, that ended up feeling a tiny bit played due to its overemphasis in the plot. Ted's habit of choking up as a toaster at weddings was played well, particularly with his funny "Mosbius Designs has failed" remix, but I was a little irritated with Ted's decision to attempt to find love once again, as this has happened one too many times for me. When it happened after Stella, it was understandable, but with Zoey, their lack of chemistry and shorter relationship makes me feel like Ted shouldn't have needed to have this decision again. Zoey was the main underminer of season 6, though, so it's good to see them put this behind the show. "The Best Man" was still a wonderful episode, though, and perfectly set up the season.

As we can see, Beercules will indeed strike again. Note the ducky tie on Barney.

"The Naked Truth" was, in short, the perfect follow-up to "The Best Man", being a more jokey, lighthearted episode that had quite a few laugh-out-loud moments, a lot of them revolving around Marshall's YouTube persona, Beercules (who you will bow down before, BTW), as well as Martin Short's guest role as Marshall's new boss. Short was hilarious in his Short time on screen (geddit?), despite the obvious fact that the "swamp" he was standing in was on a green screen. And Liam McPoyle himself (IDK the actor's name) showed up as Marshall's former college friend, as he attempted to do the impossible, in finishing the hallowed sport, EDWARD FORTYHANDS!!!! (Seriously, when that showed up, I practically killed myself laughing). Barney also took a big step forward in character development, as he attempted to make amends with Nora, telling her of his entire bag of tricks. This somewhat felt like a rite of passage for the character, as he leaves that shallow Barney Stinson behind in favor of a more meaningful existence, culminating in him waiting at the diner for quite a number of hours. Have we seen the last of "Daddy's home?" Maybe, maybe.  However, there were a few minor shortcomings to the episode (mainly the false promise of a Lenny Kravitz cameo that never materialized), as well as a final twist that somewhat lacks in impact (though I'm interested as to what (SPOILER) Victoria's return means). The problem is, now that we know where Ted will meet the Mother, any romance he has before Barney's wedding is doomed to fail. It was the problem with Zoey, it will inevitably be the problem with Victoria's return, and with the return of the Slutty Pumpkin (who will be played by Mrs. Cruise herself, Katie Holmes, no less), it will probably resurface as well. However, this is not a knock on the episode, as these two rank among HIMYM's finest, if not its absolute greatest.

On a side note, any theories on who the Mother actually is? I've got one: Carly Whitaker. Who is that, you ask? Jerry Whitaker's (Barney's father) daughter. Lithgow himself mentioned that she was currently in college, and could conceivably be Cindy's roommate as well as at Barney's wedding, as his half-sister. Just a thought.

Anyway, my ratings for these episodes:

"The Best Man" - 5/5 stars
"The Naked Truth" - 4.5/5 stars

Two and a Half Men - "Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt" Review

Ashes and suicide attempts abound as Walden and Alan meet at last.

I must be honest: Two and a Half Men has always been among my guiltiest pleasures. A childhood favorite I used to watch with my grandparents and little brother, the show, despite its steep decline over the years as well as its rather juvenile and puerile approach to humor, will always hold a place in my heart. And I was as dismayed as anyone, in the wake of Charlie Sheen's public meltdown, when he was fired from the show. My worries increased to breaking point when I learned of Ashton Kutcher taking over the lead role, as I've never been a fan of his work. He doesn't really seemed interested in quality, and only seems to play roles that slightly deviate from Kelso on That '70s Show. However, I decided not to prematurely pass judgment on this new series dynamic, and tuned in (from the record-breaking numbers, with pretty much everyone across the country) on Monday night at 9, fresh off the excellent two premiere episodes of How I Met Your Mother (which I will be reviewing shortly), and an hour before the roast of Sheen on Comedy Central (which I will also discuss). And what did I think? Well, for about 80% of it, I despised it. It felt like half a very deliberate case of twisting the knife in Sheen by Chuck Lorre, this time through the brutal and rather unsympathetic death of Charlie Harper, and half a showcase for how the new dynamic with Kutcher as Walden Schmidt might work. And that part didn't work too well either. Walden is supposed to be a smart, brokenhearted Internet billionaire with a large wang, and yet, he comes off as much of a player as Charlie, if a lot less mean-spirited. For a guy who pines for his lost love, he sure doesn't care much about engaging in a threesome with two different girls while Alan cries himself to sleep. Also, the "big dong" gags were a little awkward, though I will admit that I chuckled when he walked into the kitchen with Berta completely naked (censored by CBS). Other than that, I laughed twice: when Rose gave her brief explanation of Charlie's (rather suspicious) death, and when Alan dropped the urn with a freezing Walden standing on the deck (only time he was actually funny). Other than that, I was completely disappointed with Lorre's rather bigheaded attempt to pile more crap on Sheen. After the roast and his multimillion settlement, he certainly looks like the winner, indeed. I will still reserve final judgment on this new incarnation of Two and a Half Men until I see the final part of the premiere, airing Monday, but this wasn't a good start at all.

"Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt" - 1.5/5 stars

TV Hiatus Recap

My favorite things from the hiatus

In the return of school, I've been keeping busy with my studies, and thus, it has been difficult to review episodes in recent weeks. The summer TV season has ended, and the fall has just begun. I'll catch up on my reviews of this week, and this will serve as my reviews for all the episodes I missed, that being Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage. First, the latter.

Too perfect an ending.

I'm not going to BS here: I was not happy with the ending of Entourage. The final episodes were plagued with an odd listlessness, and resolved storylines that should have ended a long, long time ago. Going into the finale, "The End", I'd hoped there'd be a few surprises in store, but sadly, it was just too rote. It played out exactly as I expected, and that was the most disappointing thing of all. Vince is getting married (to a girl he's known for what, 3 weeks?), and E gets back with Sloan (AGAIN). Ari reconciles with Melissa (she's named now), but we expected that too. The only really good scene was the one where Ari had a revelation while playing the opera music, and the post-credits scene basically promises we'll get a film somewhere. The finale was serviceable, but it feels long overdue, and truthfully, this show should have ended after season 5. Doug Ellin better have an awesome idea for a movie, or Entourage will be doomed to the annals of TV history.

Luckily, Curb Your Enthusiasm's ending was much better, if a little inconclusive. The final stretch of episodes, particularly "Larry vs. Michael J. Fox" were completely gut-busting, and delivered some of the best Curb we've had in years. While season 8 lacked a narrative thread, it made up for it with laugh after laugh, and for once, I really think it should get another season. The fifth, sixth, and seventh season finales all felt more appropriate to end the series than this one, and while it was the best the season had to offer, it doesn't work as the final episode. Let's get a ninth (and final) season, so Curb can go out in hilarious fashion.

And there you have it. I'll have reviews posted for this week in TV in short order, and will have a few other little posts to add too, some Blu-ray stuff, stuff like that. 

My star ratings for the endings of the two shows:

Entourage:

"Motherf*cker" - 2/5 stars

"The Big Bang" - 3/5 stars

"Second to Last" - 3.5/5 stars

"The End" - 2.5/5 stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm:

"Mister Softee" - 4.5/5 stars

"Larry vs. Michael J. Fox" - 5/5 stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm - Recap

Larry squares off with two returning guest stars in the most recent episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

I missed the last couple reviews of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage due to family, as well as complications from Hurricane Irene, so once I watched the episodes on HBO Go, I figured I would just merge the two reviews into one. Both episodes feature returning guest stars, while staying in the recent NYC setting. However, one was clearly better than the other.

As part of the season and as a standalone, "The Bi-Sexual" was probably the worst episode of the season, though I may just be biased due to my dislike of Rosie O'Donnell. One, I do not find her funny. Two, they play up her stereotype to the millionth degree (as done previously in "Denise Handicapped"). And three, the storyline that her and Larry would vie for an attractive woman's affections is just too ridiculous to get behind with all the other problems plaguing this one. The episode was only sporadically funny, with one memorable joke, and that being Leon arriving in New York. To see the sight of him having driven Larry's Prius 3000 miles across America was nothing short of hilarious, as well as his comments about the journey ("I had about 8 motherf*ckers in here"). It is then clear that he plans to sponge off Larry once again. That was funny and well-executed. Some of the baseball metaphors worked OK, but it kind of fails mainly due to the fact that this is a road much traveled, even in shows like South Park and How I Met Your Mother. It was a weak episode, but not a deal-breaker for the season as a whole.

Thankfully, "Car Periscope" was a near-classic, rife with some hilarious stuff. The whole idea of the car periscope invention was priceless, and Larry and Jeff gleefully using it in the car may have been their best scene since reading Mondo Freaks in "The Freak Book". It also featured some good jokes about a man's integrity being based on the attractiveness of his wife, but that joke kind of fizzled in the latter half of the episode. However, the old man with dementia and the mysterious "one-armed man" were near perfect, with some racial epithets and a senior being knocked to the ground culminating in it appearing like Larry was spontaneously attacking the elderly. The main criticism could be argued was that the Wanda Sykes/personal trainer plot never really went nowhere, in the end only leading to another racist joke. However, don't let this detract you, as it still was one of the season's better episodes overall. Two left, with at least one including a guest spot by Michael J. Fox.

"The Bi-Sexual" - 2.5/5 stars
"Car Periscope" - 4/5 stars

Entourage - "Whiz Kid" Review

IN THE NAME OF SOLIDARITY, DRINK YOUR VINEGAR

It wasn't exactly a shock what the subject matter of this week's Entourage was, due to the shockwave nature of last week's ending. Nevertheless, the execution of this was better than I expected, though a few bits and pieces of "Whiz Kid" are tantalizingly lacking, particularly in regards to Ari. So, most of the episode dealt with the fallout from Carl Ertz's shocking suicide. They actually managed to make the aftermath both dramatic, as Turtle was traumatized from the sight of Carl's brains, and funny, when Scott was overly enthusiastic and undeterred to find out what actual brains looked like, no matter the morbidity of the situation. Vince and Turtle's presence at the scene, due to the cocaine, requires Vince to submit to a drug test, which worries him because he broke his sobriety (weed) to prove to himself that he wasn't an addict. They later confirm that it's still in his system, so Vince turns to none other than longtime ex-addict Billy Walsh for help. Have I mentioned yet how great it has been to have Rhys Coiro back full-time on the show? His presence recalls some of Entourage's greatest days, and combining with Scott Caan (who is now arguably the funniest character), they have somewhat revived the show's laugh factor. Anyway, Walsh's solution to Vince's problem may have been the most hilarious joke ever on the show, if weren't taken so seriously. And that joke was a fake penis, filled with clean urine so Vince would pass, worn over his real one. LOLOLOLOLOLOL. Just had to get that out. One thing this episode did really well is touch on why exactly Vince had been so different from E since leaving rehab, and that was because he felt like E was less his friend or manager, and more like a nag who was holding him back and questioning his every action. So, E didn't tell Vince what to do or not do, until he saw the fake, which made him zoom into overdrive. And at the end, we discover that Vince had used it anyway. This episode seemed to return Entourage to Vince's pre-drug days, and it seems like the second half of the season will focus exclusively on the end. As I said above, my pet peeve was Ari, who kinda just ran in circles, attempting to piss off his wife and losing Dana's trust in the process, made both women furious at him. I speculated last week whether Ari would end up with Dana. This episode made it clear that that WILL NOT happen, so it's looking like Mrs. Ari or bust. And she's nowhere near forgiving him, though I did like her referencing how he always walked out on her in counseling. Still, this episode didn't take any steps toward the end, but we don't quite know what those steps are yet, so only time will tell. A good-not-great episode, about on par with "Out With a Bang". Halfway through this season, only 4 left now.

"Whiz Kid" - 3.5/5 stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm - "The Hero" Review

The Man in the Cape + David Brent = SHITSHOW

Curb Your Enthusiasm this week portrayed Larry's arrival and life in New York, and unsurprisingly, it's pretty much the exact same life he had in LA, with all the random minutiae and bullshit with all the random people. And yet, the new setting breathes a little fresh air into a TV series that didn't really need any, but is welcome nonetheless. The absence of most of the supporting cast in the new setting, including Funkhouser, Lewis, and Leon, allows an episode with near-exclusive focus on the show's two main characters, Larry and Jeff. The plane sequence was mildly amusing at first, but quickly turned hilarious when Larry "saved" the stewardess from a drunken airline patron and was applauded emphatically by the people aboard, much like when he argued with Funkhouser in "Palestinian Chicken", and even managed to score a woman out of the deal, though Susie noticed his oversized shoelaces and assumed that was definitely the cause. This led to a funny dinner scene where Susie first split up the couples most likely to undermine him, and then blew the whole thing intentionally when Larry started having a fit. In addition, Larry displayed his penchant to grab his food when he sees it, offending the waiter, who later blew a deal Jeff had with Ricky Gervais (who I'll get to in a minute), as well as his decision to bring bread to a dinner party instead of wine. Due to the depleted supporting cast, much of the episode had him clashing with Susie, and it reached a head when they argued over the aisle seat in Gervais' play, leading to Jeff losing him. As for Gervais himself, he was funnier in action than in words (like that stupid scarf he was wearing), but kind of disappointed me, despite his character's somewhat douche-y nature and his ability to screw Larry out of money and a woman. That led to the conclusion, which may have been just as perfect as the ending to "Vow of Silence", when Larry, seeing Gervais and the woman being mugged, decided to actually be the hero, and used the rock-hard bread that he brought to the dinner party earlier to beat the guy into submission. I laughed hardest at this, and it sealed it as a good, if not classic, episode. In other news, Leon returns next week, and appears to follow Larry to NY to (surprise, surprise) mooch off him again.

"The Hero" - 4/5 stars

Summer 2011 Movie Season Retrospective

The First Year of the Superhero. Oh, and these guys above.

August is now very nearly upon us, and with it comes the end of this summer's movie season. Sure, this upcoming month has a few films that could be considered "tentpoles", but the best of this season is behind us. And as I said in the above caption, this, in forthcoming years, will probably be considered the first of two Years of the Superhero. And these superheroes are where I will begin the retrospective, before moving on to the guys in the picture above.

Son, my mission to you is to forever kill the terminally rude.

Way back in May, Thor kicked off the season, and it was arguably the best offering by Marvel Studios since 2008's Iron Man. A fun, action-packed film with plenty of epic scope due to the deft hand of director Kenneth Branagh, as well as a strong performance by perfectly cast Chris Hemsworth, it was a worthy beginning, if a little uneven due to some dull Earth scenes and a rather unfocused job from Natalie Portman.

The X-Men are fully dedicated to protecting humanity from the hippies.

Though the aforementioned Thor was a good superhero film, the next one is the one that would go on to be the best one of the year, and that was X-Men: First Class. Featuring an ensemble cast that included James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, and even a glorious cameo from Hugh Jackman, the film benefited from the ambition to weave the story into history, and explained many of the "cause" that led to the "effect" in the earlier X-films. One of the best films of the year in general, and easily the best superhero flick.

Killin' Nazis. And setting up some good ol' Avenging.

I'll abstain from commenting on DC's only offering, Green Lantern, as I chose to stay away, but as most people, I have not heard good things. I also reviewed Captain America: The First Avenger just last week, so I won't comment on that either, but suffice it to say that Cap is third on the superhero list for the year (though not by much). Now, on to all the non-superhero blockbusters. I should note here that I will not comment on Fast Five, Cars 2, or Kung Fu Panda 2. 

Do we really need anymore? Seriously, it's like the Terminator all over again.

Though it was the highest grossing film of the year at one time, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides continues the decline of the franchise. Everybody, including first-time franchise director Rob Marshall, felt like they were going through the motions, and the script felt generally uninspired. Only some of Johnny Depp's antics managed to give the film life, and Ian McShane's Blackbeard paled in comparison to Geoffrey Rush's Barbossa, while Penélope Cruz, despite all her sex appeal, was a nothing character. One of the weaker films of this year, save for one film doomed to be at the bottom.

Spock in robot form, but he might be from the mirror universe.

 Dark of the Moon was a mixed bag, leaning toward bad, but it's the worst movie I saw this year. Already reviewed it, so not going to again.

This was scarier than the freakin' Exorcist.

I made my (somewhat childhood boner gushing) views on the final Harry Potter installment last month, so I won't do so again. But it was AWESOME, and may be the first film in the series to mount the Oscar hill. As for Cowboys & Aliens, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and the earlier Hangover 2, all enjoyable, but flawed in execution, particularly the recycled comedy. Summer 2011 was an fairly good summer year, chock full of movies worth seeing, but it looks like a dwarf compared to the summer to come, which has some potential Oscar masterpieces hidden in the rough. One in particular, unsurprisingly, has me MASSIVELY PUMPED:

You know what it is.

Goodbye summer 2011, and GET HERE ALREADY, summer 2012.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review

Seriously a near-jump the shark moment.

I'll start with this: I've never been a fan of the Planet of the Apes series, from the outdated and somewhat overrated original films as well as Tim Burton's crappy remake, mainly for one reason: I could not get over apes talking, wearing clothes, and carrying firearms. It was just too damn ludicrous, and was never organically explained. Surprisingly, this film fixes most of my complaints, with no fancy clothing, firearms, and just the right amount of talking (four simple words by only one ape). Rupert Wyatt, along with his screenwriters Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa, clearly had a vision going into this film, and they have actually managed a successful, well-made, and entertaining reboot. It's got some flaws with human characterization, and the plot drags a little in the middle, but overall, a pleasing effort. Forget James Franco, Andy Serkis is the real star of this film. Just like when he stole the show in the LOTR trilogy and the King Kong remake, his CGI mo-cap Caesar is simply incredible. The character (and yes, he's more than just an ape) feels alive, real, and sympathetic. His journey is an emotional and physically hardening one, and his evolution in the leader of the ape revolution feels very realistic. The effects as a whole are amazing, with some of the best CGI many have ever seen. One ape, though, bugged me a little bit:

Didn't quite buy the circus orangutan who was fluent in signs.

As for the rest of the non-simian characters, they're a real mixed bag. I've never been a fan of James Franco's collective body of work. His role in the Spider-Man trilogy was underwritten and overly dramatic, and he just came off as annoying and cocky, and he was sort of funny as a stoner drug dealer in Pineapple Express. Last year, I saw the first role of his that I really liked, in Danny Boyle's hard but wonderful 127 Hours. It proved that, given the right material, Franco can succeed quite well as an actor, earning his Oscar nod. However, in Rise, he once again feels underutilized, as scientist Will Rodman is basically a point for other characters to bounce off of and react. Frieda Pinto (coincidentally, also a Boyle alum, from Slumdog Millionaire) is even more criminally underwritten, not given much more to do than stand around and look hot. John Lithgow, who I've been a fan of since his dark turn on Dexter, gets a few bright spots as Rodman's Alzheimer's-afflicted dad, but doesn't get that much screen time. Brian Cox of X2 and Draco Malfoy himself, Tom Felton, appear as dickheads father and son Landon, and really all they do is act like dicks. Not exactly a smart career move by Felton, moving from being one prick in Harry Potter to another in this, kind of screwing himself into typecasting. That's pretty much all I have to say about the cast. The film also contains a number of nice little winks and in-jokes to Apes fans, such as an sighting of the late Charlton Heston on a TV screen in one of his old movies, as well as the immortal "damn dirty ape" line, spoken by none other than Felton's Dickhead Dodge. Overall, though, an entertaining film, and maybe I'll be able to reevaluate the original series now from a new perspective. To give you a gauge of how much I liked it, I'll say I might check out the inevitable sequel, but my expectations will be little more than modest.

Oh, and the title sucks, doesn't it? Simply Rise of the Apes was WAY better.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - 3.5/5 stars

Falling Skies Season Finale Review

Annnnnnnd........ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER!!!!!

So, after only an eight-week run (two hour premiere, six one-offs, two hour finale), the first of at least two seasons of Falling Skies has now come to an end, with a finale that was........not quite brilliant. Great moments, for sure, but not quite up to par with the last few preceding episodes. It had some rather glaring weaknesses, such as the continued mental instability of Weaver. At the end of "What Hides Beneath", I felt like they had wrapped up his story for the time being, yet they inexplicably brought it back in this episode, and let it take up a good portion of "Mutiny", the first hour of the finale. Couple that with too much focus on "Lt. Danner", a previously unseen character thrust into the spotlight as an overly loyal soldier to the clearly destabilizing Weaver, and the first hour of the finale was uneven and spotty at best, possibly the worst episode of the season. Also, hearing Porter was killed off but not seeing it onscreen was a little bit of a shortchange for the character, and most of the episode was spent retreading previously covered ground. Thankfully, the second half of the finale, "Eight Hours", was a far superior effort, if also a little inconsistent. It started off with a bang, with Scott being attacked by Rick on skitter-steroids, followed by Rick fleeing in an attempt to rejoin the skitters, with Tom in pursuit. Rick finally learned the hard truth about the skitters after revealing the secrets of the 2nd Mass, which led to mechs attacking the school. Thankfully, Scott and Ben had managed to discover a signal that set off pain in Ben, as well as completely bamboozling the mechs, allowing the 2nd Mass to win the day. We also saw the long-hinted romance between Tom and Anne come to fruition, and kudos to the writers for making it happen at a realistic pace. However, the finest moments of the finale came toward the end, after Pope gives Tom a rocket launcher and he finds Weaver in the crashed truck. The rocket damaging the alien ship was a surprisingly good bit of CG for a TV show, and was immensely satisfying to watch after seeing that tower hover over the series for the entire season. Then came the final minutes of the season, where a harnessed Karen spoke for the alien leaders, apparently willing to negotiate after being impressed by the level of resistance from the humans. The moment where Tom enters the ship, despite Weaver's protests, to save Ben was also a surprisingly poignant moment for this series, which has been more like B-movie sci-fi, a la Independence Day or War of the Worlds, to this point. The cliffhanger felt less like those and more like exec Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, only with a darker edge. I wasn't entirely pleased with the lack of closure, as it will now be almost be an entire year until the next episode airs, but it definitely was an intriguing way to go. Falling Skies returns Summer 2012, and despite my reservations with this show, it still feels like there is great potential under its surface.

"Mutiny" - 3/5 stars
"Eight Hours" - 4/5 stars

Entourage - "One Last Shot" Review

The two true main characters are both in a rather strange place.

At the end of last season, both Ari and Vince were at rock bottom, separated from their beloved and a serious drug problem involved. Now, three episodes later, they're not quite as bad, but they're still in a dark, depressing, and weird place. The main thing that jumps out at me about this episode is the darkly ironic double meaning of the title. "One Last Shot", indeed, in the form of returning character film producer Carl Ertz. I vaguely remember him and Vince talking about the movie Danger Beach in season 5, until he revealed he was jerking him around just to secure Emile Hirsch from Adam Davies. So, Kim Coates returns as Ertz, and asks Vince for a second chance, only to flip out on him, clearly high off his ass. Ertz serves as a dark foil for what Vince could have been had he continued down the path of drugs, and his ending is frighteningly shocking, tearing down the barrier of how far Entourage will go. In other news, Turtle's tequila business is ending, as it appears Alex and Carlos screwed him in the end. Ah, well, Turtle's a good guy at heart, he'll bounce back. As for Drama and his Bananas, Andrew Dice Clay demands more money, forcing Phil to fire him and replace him with a really bad impersonation of Dice by Jamie Kennedy, serving as a nice satire of Hollywood damage control. E and Scott were basically there to bounce off Drama and Clay this week, but Ari is where the story gets potentially interesting. After a failed date with a young woman, he ends up hooking up with old flame Dana Gordon, making me wonder, for the first time, who Ari will end up with in the end. It is true that the separation ripped the heart out of every Entourage fan, but maybe Dana's ultimately a better fit for him, knowing full well who he is and accepting that. This was a refreshing episode, even if Ertz's bloody end was way dark, and was the best episode of the season so far. With 5 episodes to go, things on Entourage are looking truly interesting for the first time in years.

"One Last Shot" - 4/5 stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm - "Vow of Silence" Review

He's not coming, Lewis. Confirmation rescinded. 

So, at long last. It ultimately took them half the season to give us a reason why Larry would go to New York. And in "Vow of Silence", it all unfolded in classic LD fashion, in yet another strong outing for Curb Your Enthusiasm. This was a landmark episode for the series, as it represented two major shifts, one seasonal, one forever. The forever, is, sadly, the death of Oscar, may he be remembered for his encounter with Wandering Bear, as well as for taking a nice munch on Larry's penis. RIP Oscar, you will be missed. Now, on to the rest of the review. As it turns out, Larry's journey to NYC is merely out of spite, brought on by desperately attempting to avoid doing charity work with his former Seinfeld director, portrayed by returning guest star Michael McKean, who may be remembered for his role in "The Bat Mitzvah" from season 6, where he told everyone Larry shoved a gerbil up his ass. In other news, Jeff and Susie will remain in the cast despite the move, as they were going to NY anyway because of Sammie's acceptance to Julliard. What I'm wondering is if this means we've seen the last of Leon. The last few episodes proved that this show can still be extremely funny without him (something they hadn't tried in 3 seasons), but JB Smoove is always wanted back. More screen time from Richard Lewis, as well as fun references to Pinkberry and the vow of silence jokes proves that the social assassin theme is still in full swing. Larry will be in New York now for the remainder of the season, where he will encounter, among others, Ricky Gervais and Michael J. Fox. This looks to be one of the show's best runs yet.

"Vow of Silence" - 4.5/5 stars

Falling Skies- "Sanctuary" / "What Hides Beneath" Review

MORE MECHS MORE MECHS

After the airing of "Sanctuary, Part 1" a few weeks back, due to the simultaneous airing of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage on HBO, I began to fall behind on Falling Skies. However, I'm going to begin catching up now, and will watch the season finale after it airs, and am now ready to review the two-part episode "Sanctuary". And it was definitely a successful two-part storyline, more so than the season premiere (mainly because this was crafted as a two-parter, and the first two episodes were different stories spliced together). This should have been the first two-part episode. Anyways, in Part 1, the sudden appearance of one of the leaders of the 7th Mass, Terry Clayton, led to the kids departing from the adults in an attempt to prevent them from being captured, so as soon as Ben returned, he was gone again. It's still not entirely clear whether Ben is OK, as he remembers his identity unlike Rick, but seems to be very halfhearted about being back, and the skitters continue to have a profound effect on their former hosts. However, the first big twists of the story came out the end of Part 1, when it was revealed that Clayton, in fact, was handing kids over to the skitters, in an attempt to make peace with them, and saw the 2nd Mass as a veritable gold mine. This, in turn, was followed by the return of Pope, who was forced to supply Clayton the location in order for his life. Then came Part 2, which brought with it some of the most action of the series thus far, along with some real stakes not quite present until this point. Once Mike discovered that Clayton was planning to trade the kids, he managed to get everyone out, at the cost of his life, thus killing off the first character we actually care about (as opposed to the doctor, who was a jackass). Pope's escape was welcome, as was him siding with Hal to fight against Clayton's men. Tom's plan to lead Clayton's men back to the eponymous sanctuary was well-thought out, only to be overwhelmed by Weaver's forces. Clayton's character ended up becoming a tragic figure, a symbol of how far humanity could fall in a harsh world. Pope being back can only be a good thing, while Mike's funeral was a strong capper to the episode, especially in regards to Rick's words to Ben. There's definitely still more to the skitters and those harnessed kids than meets the eye, and with the end of the season fast approaching, it's good to know that more Falling Skies is on its way next year.


"Sanctuary, Part 1" - 4/5 stars
"Sanctuary, Part 2" - 4.5/5 stars

The Masons make a shocking new discovery.

 I decided, after watching "What Hides Beneath", that I would combine it with the review for "Sanctuary", leaving the review for the season finale standalone. "What Hides Beneath", in contrast to the sprawling nature of "Sanctuary" that let everyone get a little time in onscreen, was a episode centering on one of the shows most mysterious characters: Weaver. Will Patton is a great actor who should really be given his due here, as he goes from hopeful and confident to an emotional wreck with believable skill. We finally learn Weaver's origins in the war, and boy, are they dark. His reveal that he lost his wife and one daughter, then killed his second daughter while trying to remove her harness, was a dark path that this show had been unwilling to take thus far, and, coupled with Weaver's new motivation, made him a far more compelling character. Another interesting tidbit was Rick's assertion that the skitters "love" him and Ben, and will return to save them, showing where Rick's loyalties still lie and making Ben question his own. Karen finally returned as well, predictably harnessed, but from previews, it looks like she will have a pivotal role in the season finale. Other stuff includes Pope befriending Matt, and his find that by using skitter-modified bullets, mechs can be beaten, perfect for their counterstrike plan looming in the finale. However, by far, the best things about these episodes were both skitter-centric, and may be directly tied to each other. One is the fact that the skitters were discovered, through an autopsy by Anne, to have been beings mutated into skitters by harnesses, which may or may not be caused by the second new discovery, as Tom and Hal discovered in the second picture above. And that is that the skitters are actually henchmen to a completely different race of aliens. They look nothing like the Xenomorph-like skitters, being more like a hybrid of the heads of the aliens from Independence Day, merged with the head color and body structure of the Kaminoans from the Star Wars prequels. These aliens may have been the ones who harnessed the skitters, and the same thing may eventually happen to kids like Ben and Rick. And as Rick takes off during Pope's demonstration during the finale, Ben follows him. And on this note the set-up for the finale ends. All in all, a darker, quiet but compelling episode that perfectly sets up the events for the finale. I will have a review up for that tomorrow.

"What Hides Beneath" - 4.5/5 stars

The Amazing Spider-Man - First Look

NO MORE TOBEY MAGUIRE!!!!

I thought I'd continue on from my Man of Steel preview yesterday with another superhero reboot that we know a little more about: The Amazing Spider-Man. This one caught a few by surprise when it was announced in January 2010, as everyone was expecting more news from the supposedly upcoming Spider-Man 4. However, it was announced that Sam Raimi had pulled out, followed shortly thereafter by Tobey Maguire. Word has it that Raimi felt he couldn't make the May 2011 release date (which was eventually given to Thor), so Sony decided to start the series all over again with a new team. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Zodiac scribe James Vanderbilt (along with rewrite work from regular Spidey writer Alvin Sargent and Harry Potter regular Steve Kloves) would pen the film, and that relative newcomer Marc Webb (Webb, geddit?!) would direct. Webb's only previous feature film effort, (500) Days of Summer, was a fun and unconventional indie romantic comedy-drama, so I was intrigued to see how he would approach the webslinger as opposed to comedy-horror aficionado Raimi. Later, in July 2010, Andrew Garfield was announced to be the new Peter Parker/Spider-Man, with Emma Stone joining as new/old love interest Gwen Stacy and Rhys Ifans joining as villain Dr. Curt Connors/Lizard (one of my only regrets of the original series was that Dylan Baker never got to see his Lizard realized onscreen, despite patiently playing Connors). And a few weeks ago around Comic-Con, the first teaser trailer appeared. We got our first looks at Martin Sheen's Uncle Ben and Sally Field's Aunt May, as well as Stone and Ifans (non-Lizard), before we got a brief, FPS-style glimpse of Spider-Man in action. The trailer definitely piqued my interest, as it promises a grittier and more contemporary take on the lore than Raimi's goofy, comic-booky world was, and it increased my interest in the picture, set to arrive next summer, a few scant weeks before The Dark Knight Rises. It went from being a little-to-no interest film to a near-must-see, and with Sony greenlighting a sequel with a Summer 2014 release date today, nearly a year before its release, they must be confident in its quality. Only time will tell.

Lookin' good n' gritty.

The Amazing Spider-Man hits July 3, 2012.

Man of Steel - First Look

The Last Son of Krypton looks ready to kick some serious ass.

So earlier today, Warner Bros. issued a press release confirming the cast of Zack Snyder's upcoming reboot of the Superman franchise, Man of Steel, and with it came the first image of new Superman Henry Cavill decked out in costume for the first time. With this, I figured now was as good a time as any to speculate on how this film will turn out. After the sequel to Bryan Singer's Superman Returns ceased development in favor of a reboot in Summer 2008, Christopher Nolan (thank GOD) and David S. Goyer were brought in as producer and writer, respectively, in early 2010 to relaunch the franchise, around the same time that Nolan began earnest script work on The Dark Knight Rises. From there, Zack Snyder was hired last October, casting began the following month, and finally, Cavill was unveiled as the seventh live-action incarnation of the character in January. Over the last six months, the rest of the cast was filled out, and while I'm happy with some, I'm rather skeptical about others. For one, I love the casting of both the Kents and Superman's biological parents. Kevin Costner is a perfect choice for Jonathan Kent, while Russell Crowe is ideal to succeed Marlon Brando as Jor-El. I'm not familiar with much of Michael Shannon's work, but I could envision him as Zod, while I don't know a thing about Antje Traue, Christopher Meloni, or Harry Lennix. Laurence Fishburne is bold casting as Perry White, and I could see it working, but I'm just not sure about Amy Adams as Lois Lane. She's a little too much older than Cavill (37 vs. 28), doesn't match the iconic features of the character, and she reeks a bit too much as stunt casting. That said, I'll reserve judgment until I see the film. Above all, I love Cavill in the lead role. He's got just the look for Superman, as seen in the photo above, and as for the costume, it's definitely a lot cooler than the Brandon Routh costume (AWESOME CAPE). Snyder has mostly been an inconsistent filmmaker with a very distinct style, but with Nolan's guiding hand, I think he could make it work. I think we'll get a grittier, action-packed take on the character that will stand in sharp contrast to Singer's film, and will differentiate itself enough from the Christopher Reeve films of old to stand on its own two feet. It's opening six months later than originally planned, a full seven years after the release of Returns, and that should be enough time for the film to be judged on its own merits. It's opening in what appears to be yet another superhero-packed year (alongside Thor 2 and Iron Man 3), but it being more original than the others should give it an edge.

Man of Steel opens June 14, 2013.

Movies- The Death of Original Ideas

REALLY? WITH ALIENS?!!!

Last week, I happened to catch the trailer for Peter Berg's Battleship, supposedly based on the board game (which I enjoyed as a kid) of the same name, and let me tell you, it looked completely and utterly terrible. It looked like some weird and pointless amalgamation of a naval war film and either Transformers or Battle: Los Angeles, and Liam Neeson being in it aside (he's becoming more and more of a paycheck actor these days anyway- remember Unknown and Clash of the Titans from not too long ago??), it looks the latest crapfest infesting the summer box offices. The film industry, a business just beginning 100 years ago, has now been heavily mined of any original idea still lingering on the surface, and while there's endless source material to draw from, the fact that we've now arrived at movies based on board games and toys shows that the industry's original ideas days are numbered. Of all the films I've seen in the last five years or so, the only one that I could really argue for being original is Christopher Nolan's Inception, and even that owed strands of its DNA to films that came before, such as The Matrix. Other than that, we've had an endless deluge of comic book movies (WAY TOO MANY SUPERHERO FILMS), previous film franchise sequels, reboots, remakes, or re-imaginings (coming out this month alone is a reboot of Planet of the Apes, another sequel in the completely pointless Final Destination series, another sequel to Spy Kids that Robert Rodriguez has basically forced upon us, and a remake of Conan the Barbarian). In addition, we're getting re-imaginings or reboots of classic fairy tale works of film and literature that no one is exactly clamoring for, such as last year's Alice in Wonderland (which grossed over a billion worldwide, showing that people just don't care), or Sam Raimi's Wizard of Oz "preboot" Oz, The Great and Powerful, and hell, there are TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT films in development based off of Snow White. Another clear sign that original ideas in film is dying is the top-grossing success of James Cameron's Avatar. With many critics hailing it as a "masterpiece" when many of its ideas were directly ripped from other films, as well as it grossing nearly $3 billion, shows that even unoriginality can pass for the opposite these days. However, there are a few projects that show at least a little hope on the horizon, such as Ridley Scott's upcoming Prometheus (which I will surely be reviewing when it comes out next June), as well as Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained (or well, really anything that guy comes out with is eccentric and original). Prometheus is an especially interesting concept, as it started out as an Alien prequel (which, despite my criticisms of lacking in originality, I would admittedly be excited about due to Scott's participation), but then apparently evolved into something "more" of deeper meaning. As much as we forge ahead through boring and pointless studio pics like Battleship or Final Destination 5, there will hopefully always be a Prometheus or Inception there to remind us what true imaginative filmmaking is all about.

This one image is about all I have to hope for

Battleship (ugh) opens May 18.
Prometheus (image above) opens June 8.