Movie Reviews

The Beginning of the End

2010-02-01T22:41:03Z

Tonight is a night that many TV fans have been waiting for. A sad night, but an exhilarating one. Tonight is the beginning of the end for LOST.

I love LOST. No really, I think that it is genius. J.J. Abrams started with a basic premise. A plane crashes on a (not-quite-right) island & the surviving passengers try to figure out where they are & how they can get back home. But it is where it went from there that got really interesting. LOST delved into the kind of serial drama that would change not only television, but the marketing of television programs.

Much of the credit must go to the crazy geniuses (Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof) who took J.J.'s pilot episode & turned the subsequent series into the television equivalent of a page turner. They decided early on that LOST had a story arc. A beginning, a middle & an end. Very rare for television. Networks don't like that kind of commitment. Either they commit to to that arc, the show tanks & they are then painted into a corner. Or they are left clamoring for more when a popular show reaches the end of its arc.

But I didn't come here to talk about networks. I came here to tell you why I love LOST & why for 5 seasons it has held the permanent top spot on my DVR Season Pass list. (Please note there are possible spoilers ahead if you have not watched through the end of season 5).

1. The Characters - LOST hooked us from the beginning with the most compelling cast of characters that television has ever seen. Layered & flawed come to mind most to describe our beloved castaways. Some of them are good. Some of them are bad. Most of them are both. And that's why we love them. We cheer for them. Cry for them. And genuinely feel for them. We want them to get off that damn island. Or do we?

2. Breaking the Mold - Again, from the beginning, LOST broke the mold. Serial dramas were all but dead on TV before LOST. And I'm not talking Grey's dramas. I'm talking the kind where you can't miss an episode. But the biggest way LOST broke the mold is that no-one (& I mean no-one) is safe. It doesn't matter if you are loved or hated, you aren't safe from the chopping block. Boone, Shannon, Charlie, Locke, Ana Lucia, Libby, Juliet, Michael, to name but a few. Cuse & Lindelof have always made it clear that they don't want any of their characters to feel safe. That just isn't the island.

3. The Mythology - You can delve as far into this one as you want; just test the waters with your baby toe, or do a giant cannonball into the deep end. LOST wrote the book on Easter Eggs. It seems that everything means something on LOST. That painting behind Widmore of the buddha & the polar bear. The airplane that Kate kept from her childhood sweetheart. The record that played when we were introduced to Desmond. The book that the Others were reading at their book club (don't you just love the idea of the Others having a book club?!?). Everything means something, & you can find a million theories on the internet as to what all of these clues mean & how they fit into the bigger LOST picture. For my money there is no-one better than Jeff "Doc" Jensen over at ew.com. The man is a genius when it comes to piecing together the different pieces of the puzzle that make up LOST. Whether it is referencing classic works by C.S. Lewis & Lewis Carroll, picking apart the apparent bible references, discussing the physics of the island, or analyzing the different music of LOST, Jensen seems to just get it all. He either has a "rain-main"-type brain or he has a huge behind-the-scenes team to do all of his research. I'm betting on the "rain-man" brain. Him & his buddy Dan Snierson also do a weekly LOST video called Totally LOST, where they ponder both the mundane & the pivotal of LOST episodes & lore. They are always funny & often have the best "guest stars" (this week being none other than the Man in Black himself).

4. Love Triangle (Square???) - LOST has been able to sustain the best love triangle on TV for 5 seasons. That of course being the Jack-Kate-Sawyer triangle. It has become a square (quadrangle maybe??) with others (Season 2 with Ana-Lucia, Seasons 3-5 with Juliet). I have never tired of this one (I know many have, but not me), it is always riveting, as the choices have changed over time. Jack, our flawed hero, or Sawyer, our (possibly) reformed con-man. I married a Jack (really bad analogy, as my hubby doesn't really have that whole moody, self-loathing thing going on, but stay with me). I dated Sawyers (okay, so I dated pale imitations of Sawyer, but work with me on this folks). So which one does Kate really want? Apparently that is a pivotal part of Season 6. Add in the fact that three years with Juliet made Sawyer into a quiet leader & frankly a whole man. (Juliet, silent sob. Cuse & Lindelof have confirmed that she is indeed dead...my theory is that Juliet is actually from the future. Take a look at the "flashback" from the Season 5 finale when her parents told a young Juliet they were divorcing. That was no 1970s childhood. But I digress.)

5. Those Cliffhangers - LOST has no doubt created some of the best cliffhangers in recent memory. The light turning on in the hatch. Mr. Friendly "We're taking the boy." Charlie warning Desmond that it wasn't Penny's boat. Jack's flashback is actually a flashforward at the end of Season 3 . Locke being the dead man in the coffin. Juliet "detonating" the H-bomb & the screen going to white as opposed to the customary black. And there are so many more. Every episode has a cliffhanger. Every episode leaves you not knowing if you can wait the full week (or eight months) 'til the next one.

I could just go on & on. This show is so chock full of goodies to absorb & ponder. I would love to know what are your favourite parts of LOST? What keeps you coming back for more?

Normally I would leave you with a preview for Season 6, but as all LOST fans know, spoilers & previews are pretty much hard to come by. I WON'T, however, post the (supposedly) leaked first 4 minutes of tonight's premiere that has been floating around the internet (trust me it isn't hard to find). We've all waited 8 months, we can wait a few hours more. So instead I'll leave you on a funny note with a few laughs from our fav characters from the five seasons of Lost. Enjoy & come back tomorrow for post-premiere round up.

Food, Inc.

2010-01-25T15:36:26Z

It's January again (wait, let me check...yep it's still January), & my movie mind starts to wander toward documentaries. It happens every year. Whether it is the exposure documentaries get this time of year with the lead up to all of the big awards shows or it is a form of movie new years resolution, I'm just drawn to documentaries at the beginning of a new year. And do I have a fabulous one for you this time.

Food, Inc.

Food, Inc. is an investigation into how our food supply has changed dramatically over the last 50-60 years. As the movie says, we have experienced "more changes to our food supply in the last 50 years, than the 10,000 years previous." Producer/Director Robert Kenner was interested in finding out about where the products that stocked his local supermarket's shelves came from. What he, & co-producer Eric Schlosser, found will startle, anger, & sadden you.

The movie contends that what was once a rich, diverse market for food supply has come to be "controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment." And why did it all change? Because how we ate changed. Fast food changed how we eat & thus changed everything about our food supply. The bigger, faster, cheaper mentality gobbled up small family farms, & created a monopoly out of our food supply. McDonalds is the #1 consumer of meat & potatoes in the U.S. They are also near the top for tomatoes, lettuce, apples, & wheat. Sort of startling, but maybe not too surprising. Don't worry, we'll get to surprising.

What Food, Inc. does well is weave in stories of how our modern food supply has affected everyday people in all walks of life. The food safety advocate who also happens to be a Mom whose son died of an E. coli infection in 12 days. The chicken farmer who wouldn't cave to the demands of Tyson & build new, closed, dark chicken houses (at a cost to her of several hundred thousand dollars) all for a paltry sum of around $20,000 per year (Tyson revoked her contracts after she refused). The farmer who was helping his neighbours "save" seeds to replant the following season, & who was being sued by a giant seed conglomerate. The low-income family in Los Angeles who would eat fast food because it was often cheaper than buying vegetables at the supermarket (in a particularly heart-wrenching moment, the young daughter would like to get pears from the grocery store, but her older sister explains she could only get 2 or 3 for the amount of money she has, so she would be better off buying chips).

But all is not lost. There is the story of Joel Salatin, whose farm in Virginia is beyond organic. He stresses the importance of buying local, which he backs up with the fact that they will not ship anywhere. He wants people to go seek out farmers & co-ops in their own communities. And then there is Gary Hirshberg, founder of Stonyfield, who has helped to bring organic to the masses. And when I say masses, I mean Walmart. He says he still gets a lot of flack from his environmentalist friends about dealing with Walmart, but he figures that he doesn't want to be David, he wants to be Goliath.

Food, Inc. is not another movie warning us against "bad food." Frankly we don't really need another movie to do that. We all know what foods are "bad" for us. What we didn't know is how bad these foods are for all aspects of our life, from our economy to our environment.

This movie pretty much floored me. I was shocked by the politics; by the callous regard that these big conglomerates have for not only the consumer, but for their own employees; & by the fact that the family farm is practically a myth. It made me want to make changes any way I know how. With my wallet. With my vote. With my voice.

On DVD Now

2010-01-05T05:28:17Z

So, I told you about that whole moving across the country thing, right? How we moved from sunny Southern California to the wintry wonderland that is New England? What I failed to mention is that pretty much each member of my little family has been sick (off & on) since we moved. BEFORE Halloween. Maybe, as they say, our blood is "thin" from our pampered So Cal climate. My hubby believes that there are vastly different viruses here. Me? I just think it's one of those years. One of those years that you end up in a Michigan urgent care on Boxing Day solely because you can't think of ruining two little boys' Christmas. Suffice it to say that movies just haven't been high on the priority list right now. But we have managed to see a few new ones on DVD, & since I am using Curious George as a babysitter right now, let's get right at it.

State of Play

A remake of the 2003 British version of the same name, State of Play stars Ben Affleck, Russell Crowe, Robin Wright, Rachel McAdams & Helen Mirren. When a congressman's assistant/mistress is found dead, his life becomes increasingly complicated as the scandal turns out to be more than it seems. We follow some decent twists & turns to see how all of the pieces fit together. Truly the movie is an examination of our 24-hr news-cycle lives, & how the truth is often far down the list of importance when it comes to reporting. Who breaks the story, whether correct or not, seems to be far more important.
The movie is really engaging & kept all of us, including my movie ~~snob~~ connoisseur father, on the edge of our seats. No doubt the cast is fabulous, my only problem was with Ben Affleck. He is a decent actor, but surrounded by fantabulous actors like Russell Crowe & Helen Mirren, well he just looks a little silly. He just doesn't have the weight behind him to shine in a movie full of fantastic performances.
Definitely worth renting, but I'm curious as to whether or not the more worthwhile rent is the original British version. I'll get back to you on that.

District 9

District 9 is the story of an alien race that lands on earth over Johannesburg, South Africa. The thing is they haven't come to earth for any of the reasons that we see in traditional sci-fi movies. They basically are shipwrecked, & they can't go home. The South African government gives them a piece of land to live on (District 9), which quickly becomes a slum. Flash forward 28 years to the present day, & District 9 has become a major political & social problem, with most humans viewing the aliens as 2nd class citizens, with the racial slur Prawn becoming commonplace for the aliens. We pick up the story with our "hero" Wikus Van de Merwe, running the forced eviction of District 9 by a hug multi-national conglomerate, the aliens being relocated to "land" in the desert. Wikus' life changes drastically when he comes in contact with alien technology, & he becomes "the most valuable human on the planet."
Got that? District 9 is sci-fi, solely because it involves aliens. Which really isn't the point anyway. It is no coincidence that the movie is set in South Africa. It is really just an allegory for the social & political issues that plagued the country during the 20th century. Filmed primarily in a mock-documentary style, the interviews with "officials" giving a clue to the fate of our hero Wikus.
District 9 is a must rent. The movie had us glued to the edge of our seats. It is shocking, but at the same time genuinely fun ride. And although many people might be turned off by the whole alien aspect, know that it is completely seamless in the movie. The aliens, although CGI, do not distract, nor stand out against the human characters. Which I'm thinking was a big goal of the filmmakers (produced by none other than Peter Jackson), for us to view the aliens not as aliens at all.

X-Files: I Want to Believe

I have to be honest. I love me some Scully & Mulder. I've seen every episode of the tv show & I own the first movie. So when this finally made it's way to the top of our Netflix queue, I was pretty stoked. I remember the reviews (they were solidly poor), but I figured these critics just didn't get X-Files. That they were being too harsh. Just a bunch of fuddy-duddies. Well, I'm here to say that the critics indeed were all right. The movie is just not that good. I found myself reading my book (on my new Kindle...soooo very cool, but I digress) during major moments of the movie, & not really missing anything.
Don't get me wrong, seeing Scully & Mulder together again on-screen was fantastic, but the lackluster story demeaned them, & the X-Files as a whole. Basically Mulder & Scully are brought back in to the FBI (she now a practicing Dr., & he still in "hiding" from the FBI) to help solve the mystery of a missing agent. The catch, a convicted-pedophile Catholic priest is having psychic visions of the missing agent & other abductions. Pretty much a paltry X-File if you ask me. A villain we never really get to know, 2 new agents we could care less about, & Skinner holding Mulder when he's cold from being outside too long (wth?!?), all add up to a movie that is barely worth our time. I really wanted to believe (I couldn't resist), but besides a lovely moment at the end of the credits that gives you hope that Scully & Mulder could be happy together, I would say don't even bother.

Have you seen any of these three movies? What did you think? Let us know in the comments section below.

A Sad Day for TV...

2009-12-09T17:12:24Z

Have you heard about this new thing called a "Fall Finale?" A lot of TV shows are touting their "Fall Finales" as some sort of big event. But don't be fooled, it's not an event. It's the networks way of trying to pass off 22 episodes (or even worse, 18) as a full season. Heroes did it. Flash Forward did it. V did it (& may not survive because of it). But today is officially a sad day because one of my favourite new shows is having their "Fall Finale" tonight. I'm talking about Glee, folks.

I'll admit it. I'm a Gleek. I love this show. It is sharp, hilarious, heartbreaking, heartwarming, & fun (just to name a few). See for yourself

The boy does that better than Beyonce herself. But the best part of that episode was when you realize that Kurt's Dad is so far beyond the stereotype that you are led to believe he is. He loves his son. For all that he is. And accepts him. It was a great TV moment.

And that's what Glee does best. Build up a stereotype, to bring it crashing down around your feet. Just when you think you have a character figured out, Glee goes & pulls one over on you. There is not a single one-dimensional character on the show. Even the guest spots have depth.

And then there's Sue Sylvester...

Possibly one of the most deliciously-evil characters on TV, but we've even seen her break down her own stereotype & show her "softer" side.

Oh & did I mention the music. It is fabulous. Current songs. Old standards. Show tunes. And apparently pretty much every musical artist out there is clamoring to get their music on Glee.

And if that's not enough there is this little actor named Matthew Morrison.

As Will Schuster; Spanish teacher, Glee club adviser, & target of many-a-crush. The Broadway-trained actor anchors the two worlds of Glee together. The students & the teachers/adults.

All of this is to say that today is a sad day because Glee's "Fall Finale" airs tonight on FOX (9pm). And then our beloved show doesn't return until April. That's right...APRIL!!! So Gleeks, here's a little sneak peek at tonight "Fall Finale." It's gonna be a long, cold, Glee-less winter .

Too Early For???

2009-12-02T04:37:39Z

A post about Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 1??? Never. Well, the movie is due for release in a little over 11 months, but we now have our first glimpse at the new movie with this shot of our beloved trio of wizards: Harry, Ron & Hermione.

So what do you think? Are you like me, trying to figure out the where/when/what of this pic?

And an even bigger scoop, issued by Director David Yates on the Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince DVD (in stores Dec 8), is that Daniel Radcliffe will appear nude in the final two films!!

"[In one scene] a horcrux [carrying a piece of Voldemort's soul] defends itself by producing nightmarish visions, and one shows Hermione (Emma Watson) and Harry embracing and kissing," he explained. "It's something intriguing and sensual for Rupert to react to, and Dan will be bare for that."

Fairly certain we won't actually see anything, but it certainly indicates that indeed the movies will continue to mature with their characters & stars.

Or is it indeed too early? Only 352 days & counting!

Holiday Movie Guide

2009-11-25T00:23:37Z

If you're anything like me, December means one thing. Big, new movie releases!!! (No? Only me?) This is the time of year that Hollywood rolls out some big blockbusters, as well as some big time Oscar contenders. Sounds like there could be something for everyone on your Holiday gift list.

Movie for your little princess:
The Princess & The Frog (Dec 11)

In the grand tradition of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, & Beauty & The Beast, Disney returns to its roots for a traditional, hand-drawn animated movie, with big musical numbers & plucky characters for comic relief. Not to mention the fact that it allows Disney to add a new princess to their insanely popular Princess line. I'm willing to forgive the fact that this movie no doubt stemmed from that unfortunate time when Disney execs felt they could go it in the animated movie biz without Pixar.

Movie for your video game addict:
Avatar (Dec 18)

So much has been mulled over about this movie. Is it a breakthrough in movie-making? Can James Cameron make us feel for an entirely cgi species (& frankly world)? Does it just downright suck? All based on three 5 minute scenes screened earlier this fall. No doubt it looks like the fantasy world that many gamers enjoy, but those big questions still linger. If it's a big fantasy blockbuster you want, then this will definitely fit the bill.

Movie for your avid reader:
The Lovely Bones (Dec 11)

Few books elicit such a response as The Lovely Bones does. People are affected by it. So when it was announced that the director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy & King Kong, one Peter Jackson, was going to be at the helm, well let's just say that the response was less than terrific. I think that people forget that not only did Jackson adapt superbly one of the greatest literary works of all time, the icing on the cake was that he won an Oscar for it. I for one am giving him (& his stellar cast) the benefit of the doubt.

Movie for your history buff:
The Young Victoria (Dec 18)

I am so glad this movie finally got a North American release date, as across the pond it was released last March. Emily Blunt is just fantastic in everything she does, & frankly I'm a great, big sucker for a period drama, so it is certainly at the the top of my list.

Movie for your co-workers:
Up In The Air (Dec 4)

Well, if you have a good boss, then it could give you all a chuckle. If your boss is on the other end of the spectrum there could be a ton of "nudge-nudge, wink-winks." George Clooney looking handsome as ever (honestly, how old am I that I cringed at the "He's old" comment?) & Jason Reitman following up his directorial success of Juno. Not a bad combo.

Movie for your musical theatre buff:
Nine (Dec 18)

Cast. Cast. Cast. Cast. Cast. Oh, did I mention the cast? That & Chicago director Rob Marshall taking the reins. I don't even need to know the plot to reserve my ticket (BTW, the plot is basically a famous Italian director having a mid-life crisis while trying the juggle the many women in his life).

Movie for your Mom:
It's Complicated (Dec 25)

Mom (& you for that matter) will definitely enjoy the antics of Meryl Streep, Steve Martin & Alec Baldwin. My only question is why someone didn't think of this comedic-genius trio earlier?!?

Movie for your Dad:
Everybody's Fine (Dec 4)

Dad's are the often neglected, & underappreciated member of the family. They usually suffer it willingly, as Robert DeNiro does in Everybody's Fine. No doubt the movie will be a bit heartbreaking, but who better to hold your hand & pass you a kleenex to dry your eyes than your Dad?

So have I missed anyone on your list? Let me know who you're having trouble finding that perfect movie for & I'll do my best to find the one that will fit the bill!

Life Without A DVR

2009-11-18T03:41:23Z

I know. The horror. But honestly, I have a good excuse. Well, actually I have a good (well at least decent) excuse for my absence here at Urbanmoms.ca over the last month. You see my little family went from this...

to this....

A little over a month ago. We moved from a zip code that starts with 9 to one that starts with 0 (that's about as far as you can get without leaving the continent).

During all of the chaos that is moving your whole lives across a country, well lets just say that movies took a backburner. And so did TV. Which for a TV addict is saying something. In fact, we had our whole lives packed up in 5 & 1/2 hrs (a humbling experience), & with it went my beloved DVR. I knew that we would be in temp housing for about 2 weeks & I knew that we would be "sans" DVR for that time. Which was fine. With careful planning I was able to get kiddos in bed before 8pm to settle in for some live TV watching (damn live TV, what's the point in it anyway?!?). But then the real shock came when I tried to get cable installed at our new house & I was told it would be a full 11 days before they could install it. ELEVEN. DAYS. Is there one guy working for Comcast in all of New Hampshire?!?! I don't think they understand that I have two little boys who believe their mother can conjure Caillou, Elmo, Phineas & Ferb, & Backyardigans out of thin air. I also have a little thing called Wednesday, when there is officially too much good TV on. (And oh, btw, I had no home phone or internet during this wonderous 11 days).

But something amazing happened. (No I didn't stop watching TV all together. Crazy talk.) You remember my promise of the top 5 shows you are wasting your time? Well I guess I figured out that I was wasting my time on them too. We still watched movies, & got caught up on the entire first season of Fringe (fabulous), but my hubby & I talked a lot (while unpacking boxes). And the boys & I played outside a lot, while they discovered this great marvel called Fall (they are California boys after all). So my DVR is not so full anymore, which is great, because I have a totally new world to explore here. New friends to make. New restaurants to try. And, yes, new movies to see.

After all, what I really miss is this...

And this....

And this....

To my Cali family, I love you & I miss you all dearly. Even more than I missed my DVR.
(he he he)

Where the Wild Things Are

2009-11-11T02:42:06Z

On Saturday afternoon, my husband and I took both our daughters and eight other children to see Where The Wild Things Are for Girl 1's ninth birthday party.

It was a wild rumpus, indeed!

But apart from organizing ten excited children, sorting out their popcorn, candy and beverage orders and coping with the post-movie party-room madness for an hour, it was a moving and memorable afternoon. And that's because the film was, simply put, outstanding. A work of genius.

But: buyer beware. A friend of mine posted this as her facebook status on Saturday evening: "don't waste your money people. The book is way better." If you're expecting a kids' movie like any I've seen in the last ten years, you'll be shocked. This is not a scrubbed-til-it-shines Disney-fied Pollyanna story with a few adult-oriented jokes that will sail right over the kids' heads. No. Where the Wild Things Are is much more in the spirit of children's movies I remember from being a child; slightly menacing, and accurately reflecting the child's inner world, which is dominated by seemingly magical and larger-than-life forces they do not fully understand. Think the Wizard of Oz, or the Gene Wilder version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Or even the earlier Disney animated children's movies - the ones we deem "too scary" for kids today, like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Those movies reflected the reality of traditional children's literature, where the outside world is a scary place full of danger and risk.

And that's what you're going to get in Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are. But if you go back and carefully read the Maurice Sendak classic storybook, you will find that undertone of menace there, too: "...we'll eat you up, we love you so!" Not exactly a warm and cuddly sentiment, is it? And while we're on the topic, go read one of his other children's books, Outside Over There - not very warm and fuzzy, either. It's actually quite scary, frankly, in the tradition of the Brothers Grimm.

But enough about what children's literature (and by extension, children's movies) should or shouldn't be; this film is remarkable. The visual effects are stunning - and very true to the original artwork. The Wild Things themselves are incredibly lifelike - they were filmed with live actors in costumes, and the facial expressions were added in post-production using computer animation. The result is seamless and entirely believable. The actors who voice the Wild Things too are captivating. Big names like James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara and Forest Whitaker bring the brilliantly realized visuals to life with shades of vulnerability, fun, affection and abandon. If for no other reason than to admire the Wild Things, you should see this film.

But there's so much more to it than just great effects and voices. The screenplay (written by Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers, in consultation with Maurice Sendak) takes us deep into the psyche of our troubled protagonist, Max. Max is a lonely little boy with a hugely imaginative and creative bent (he makes remarkable artwork and loves to make up stories) who spends a lot of time alone. His parents are divorced, his mom works a lot and his older sister is embarking on adolescence and has little time left for him. A little lost and a lot afraid, Max bubbles over with anger and ultimately retreats within, to where the Wild Things really are...inside himself. The soundtrack is also beautiful. Using children's voices and whimsical melodies, the music transports us to another place: a world that is both alien and familiar at the same time.

True, the action does slow down somewhat mid-picture, but that didn't affect me or the kids at the birthday party, although I did notice some of the very young children in the theatre getting antsy. (On the topic of very young children - why do parents do that? The film is very clearly rated: "PG some material may not be suitable for children". Pay attention, people!)

Overall, I loved this film, and I strongly recommend it to anyone, adults and children alike, with one exception: I would suggest that children under 7 may become bored partway through, and parts of it may be frightening. But you know your own children. Girl2 is 6 and she did just fine. All ten kids I had there loved this movie. And that, for me, is endorsement enough.

New TV Season

2009-09-28T23:31:46Z

So, the new TV season is upon us. And I for one watched a ridiculous amount of TV last week to check out most of the new & returning shows. I mean, it was a silly amount of TV. At one point I contemplated watching TV in my room so that I could PVR 2 shows & watch a third. So, instead of giving you a lowdown for each night of the week, or of all of the shows (honestly, none of us have time for that), I thought I'd give you my Top Five lists for the new Fall TV Season. Some great. Some mediocre. And some just downright wastes of all of our time. So, let's get at it.

Top Five New Shows

1. Modern Family- Wed 9pm ABC

The show follows Ed O'Neill as the 50-something patriarch (married to a 30-something fiery Latina with a lovesick 11-yr old son) of two grown children with their own "unique" families. And it had me in stitches. Literally, sitting all by myself watching it & doing huge out-loud belly laughs. Every moment got funnier & funnier (the Dad of the 15 year-old girl shooting her boyfriend with a BB-gun...priceless) until the very end when you realized that this funny, little show has a great big heart, without being sappy or corny.
Best Line: Mitchell: We had initially asked one of our lesbian friends to be a surrogate, but...
Cameron: Then we figured, they're already mean enough, could you imagine one of them pregnant? No thank you.

2. Cougar Town - Wed 9:30pm ABC

Either I forgot, or I never realized it, but Courtney Cox is hysterical. I think she was overshadowed a lot on Friends. But headlining this show really works for her. Sh'se smart, funny, self-depricating....pretty much all of our fav things for a "friend" (I'm sorry I couldn't resist) to be. Plus, she is surrounded by the 2nd best new cast on tv.
Best Line: Jules (to her assistant regarding the "risque" pic on her new real estate sign): What did you do?!? This is not the photo I picked! This is from that night when we got drunk on Amaretto & played dress up!!!

3. Community - Thurs 9:30pm NBC

And this would be the best new cast on TV. Two Words. Chevy Chase. Two more words. On TV. Enough said.
Best Line: Jeff (trying to convince his college professor buddy to help him cheat on his clasess): Okay, Duncan, you did seem less into integrity the day that I convinced 12 of your peers, that when you made that u-turn on the freeway & tried to order chalupas from the emergency call box, that your only real crime was loving America.
Duncan: I do love America. I do. I love chalupas.

4. FlashForward - Thurs 8pm ABC

ABC seems to be trying really hard to fill the (ridiculously) ginormous hole that will be left when LOST finishes its sixth & final season next year (silent tear). I think that ABC might have just done it. The premise, that everyone on earth blacked-out for 2 minutes 17 seconds at the exact same instant, all (or at least most) getting a glimpse of their future 6 months down the road. Fabulous cast, with possibly the best looking couple on TV in Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) & Sonya Walger (Lost's Penny). I can hardly wait for the episode that Dominic Monaghan shows up as genius, & possible key to the mystery, Simon.
Best Line: I am going to have to go for a Best Moment here. The moment at the end of the premiere when we are looking at grainy, zoomed in footage of a Detroit Tigers baseball game, with everyone blacked-out & in the outfield bleachers is one dark figure walking around surveying the scene. Honestly it sent a shiver down my spine. Wicked scary.

5. Glee - Wed 9pm FOX

FOX's new hour-long comedy is so chock-full of goodness, I barely know where to start. The writing, the acting, the laughs, the surprisingly heart-felt moments. Not to mention some seriously amazing musical numbers (a particularly memorable rendition of Beyonce's "All the Single Ladies" comes to mind). Critics love it, which basically means it is destined to die young like the amazing Freaks & Geeks or squeak out a loyal, cult following in order to keep it on the air for at least a few years a la Arrested Development. I'm really hoping for the latter.
Best Line: Sue (cheerleading coach): You think this is hard?!? Try being water-boarded. That's hard. (Jane Lynch is GENIUS)

Top Five Returning Shows

1. Fringe - Thurs 9pm FOX

Oh how I love me some of that freaky, sci-fi, X-files creature of the week vibe, all rolled up in a Lost-type conspiracy. Soooo much fun. John Noble plays crazy (or is that like a fox?!?) "scientist" Walter Bishop, while Joshua Jackson (PACEY!!!) plays his wisecracking, yet seemingly smartest-man-alive son Peter, & Anna Torv just basically skulks around a lot as FBI agent Olivia Dunham. I know it doesn't sound like much, but did I mention that J.J. Abrams created it?

2. How I Met Your Mother - Mon 8pm CBS

The lead-off leg of CBS's comedy night Monday is still going strong in its fifth season, even with a LOST-sized mystery in who is the actual Mama (I think I am going to try to work LOST into all of this list!!)? Obviously Neil Patrick Harris has become the star of that show (even if he was robbed by Emmy voters...who are these people anyway?!?), but the cast is solid all around & the story-telling is totally inventive, with flash-backs, flash-forwards, fantasies, dreams, different points of view & I'm fairly certain there is a story about a goat that we are still waiting on. Except for the goat, it does sound a lot like LOST.

3. The Big Bang Theory - Mon 9:30pm CBS

The anchor leg of CBS's comedy Monday Night is well worth waiting for. Or at least worth a slot on your PVR. They continue to mine the "4 geeks" for different material that we can all laugh at. (I'm fairly certain the "4 geeks" would have some great theories about the LOST universe.) This is the season that the show is "going there" & hooking up Leonard (our lovable nuclear physicist) with Penny (the aspiring actress/Cheesecake Factory waitress). The best part of the relationship is that the writers resist the urge to make Penny a dimwit. It would be too easy, & frankly too stereotypical. Even though Penny does not "get" 90% of the scientific geeky stuff, she is by no means a dumbo. Far from it. I'm fairly certain she's the smartest one of the whole bunch.

4. Dancing with the Stars - Mon 8-10pm, Tues 9pm ABC

I know, it goes against every fibre of my being to put a reality show as one of the top returning shows, but this year is just plain old fun. Loopy choices like Kathy Ireland (one reviewer commented that she seemed to think she was on her own late-night infomercial the entire time), Macy Gray (with her famous bleeped-out moment from the premiere), & Tom DeLay (I'm still trying to figure out why he's a celebrity, & why he's still dancing?!?). Natural choices like Mya, Aaron Carter, & Donny Osmond (all wonderful performers). My personal fav's (& I will take it presonally if one of them doesn't win) are Natalie Coughlin (11-time Olympic medalist in swimming) & Kelly Osbourne (do I really need to explain who she is?!?). Don't even try to claim that you didn't get a little teary when Kelly ran over to her father & hugged him, after her Viennese Waltz. All the while, Mom Sharon was just balling & clapping away, so proud of her daughter. An actual real moment out of a reality show....such a rarity. Too bad we couldn't get anyone from LOST on. I would love to see Michael Emerson cut a rug on DWTS!

5. Friday Night Lights - Wed 9pm DIRECTV

Okay, Okay, so it doesn't return until Oct 28. And it only airs on DIRECTV (the rest of us will have to wait until NBC starts airing it in the new year). But those are totally irrelevant. This is by far the best returning show. Everything about this show is beautiful. At this point it is just silly to have to repeat that this show is soooo not about football. The best couple on TV, the abso-smurfly underrated Kyle Chandler & Connie Britton, will probably never get the recognition that they deserve (I'm talking to you Emmy voters), but the lives & the marriage that they portray are so real, & so spot-on, & so honestly the best thing on TV. Catch up on past seasons on DVD & then wait patiently for January.... it will be worth the wait. (Oh crap, I just can't work LOST into this one...oh well...just watch it!!!)

Well, my short little review got to be crazy long (shocking), so I'm going to have to leave it for now. So what do you think? Did I miss any of your fav new or returning shows? Let me know in the comments section below & be sure to check back next week for my Top Five "Meh" New Shows & Top Five Shows you are Absolutely Wasting your Time on.

Extract

2009-09-08T15:24:30Z

My Hubby & I had one of those wonderful movie nights where we just showed up at the theatre & picked whatever movie was most appealing at the time. There wasn't a whole lot to choose from, so we finally settled (after a change of tickets) on Extract. My Hubby had heard it was funny, so that was good enough for me! I was out without the kids & my Hubby was actually with me, it could have been Elmo on the screen & I wouldn't have cared.

Director Mike Judge (Office Space, Beavis & Butthead, King of the Hill) brings us the story of a small-business owner whose life is a little less exciting than he would like it to be. Through a series of bad choices, accidents & misunderstandings, his life certainly becomes more exciting, just not in the way he was thinking. Jason Bateman stars as Joel, the owner of Reynolds Extract, & he is having one heck of a bad week. Well, just check it out below....

With Mike Judge as writer/director the movie could have gone one of two ways. Office Space genius, or Beavis & Butthead stupidity. I absolutely loved Office Space, with all of its cubicle mundanity (I'm fairly certain I just made up that word) & "pieces of flair." Mike Judge captured a teeming undercurrent amongst anyone who has ever occupied a cubicle. And then there's Beavis & Butthead. Which I just don't get. So, which way did the movie go for me?

Well, although Extract never quite acheived the hilarity of Office Space, it is still pretty darn funny. Start with Jason Bateman, whom I'm fairly certain I have had a crush on since he looked like this...

(I'm also fairly certain that I had the exact same haircut as him...but I digress.)

Bateman has pretty much perfected the art of the straight man to someone else's crazy person (played here by Ben Affleck). Even when you are smacking yourself in the forehead because of some of the boneheaded things he is doing, Bateman has a way of making you still feel for him. Kristen Wiig plays Joel's wife Susie & she is absolute genius. Every single line she delivers in Extract is hysterical, she can read a line like no one else. As usual J.K. Simmons is fabulous, as Joel's business partner who really couldn't give a hoot about the business. He walks around calling everyone who works for him "dinkus", except for his favourite who he reserves the name "boy genius" for.

The characters can sometimes fall into the realm of being charicatures, as we don't really get to "know" them well. But that is pretty much Mike Judge's m.o. We jump into a story in what seems like the middle & the end is often another beginning. It's not neat & tidy, but it sure is funny. My hubby & I laughed out loud at many scenes, partly from the insanity of it all & partly from relating to the main characters.

Pretty much what you will get from Extract is a fun movie with lots of laughs & a great cast. No big action sequences. No big tear-jerker moments. No neat & tidy bow at the end. But it is definitely worth catching the next time you're at the theatre.

The Book/Movie Conundrum: The Time Traveler's Wife

2009-08-17T20:56:03Z

You know what I mean. Book or movie? Which comes first? Everyone has their own idea. I tend to think that I actually enjoy a movie better if I haven't read the book first. Probably something to do with the idea that nothing on the big screen can live up to what we picture in our minds when we read a book. And, obviously, everyone has their own distinct visual interpretation of a book. I always pictured Robert Langdon (of The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons) looking like Liam Neeson, and frankly nothing like Tom Hanks who portrayed the character on screen. Did it cloud my opinion of those movies due to the picture in my head? Probably, & that is my overall argument for seeing a movie first. It doesn't have to live up to the book (which on most occasions is vastly superior). But of course the flip side to that is that you may ruin your ability to create the characters/story in your mind, if they have already been dictated to you by a movie. Pick your poison, I guess.

But if there is one hard & fast rule of movies adapted from books, it is that once you start the book you don't see the movie until you finish it. Which is precisely the rule that I broke last Friday when I went to see The Time Traveler's Wife.

Okay, so here's my case. A girlfriend of mine was heading out to dinner & a movie & extended me an invite to join her. My hubby was home, I didn't need a babysitter & I could have used a girls night badly. One problem. I'm about 150 pages into the book, The Time Traveler's Wife. So, do I miss out on a girls night, not to break a literary rule, or do I say "what the heck" & go? Well obviously I went, & I'm fairly glad I did, as I confirmed my theory that I should see the movie before I read the book.

The Time Traveler's Wife is the story of Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana), a man who, since he was 5 years old, travels through time to big moments & places in his life. He meets Clare Abshire (Rachel McAdams) when she is 6 & he is 36, but when a 20 year old Clare runs into her present-day 28 year old contemporary Henry, he doesn't know her, yet she has known him most of her life. Honestly, the time travel can be sort of mind-numbing at times as you find yourself falling into thoughts of the chicken before the egg. Several times I actually had to remind myself to watch the movie & stop trying to figure out the physics of all of it.

Beyond the time travel, The Time Traveler's Wife is a fairly standard love story. They meet, they fall in love, they marry, they try to have kids, they have problems, they have joys, they have tragedies. The thing that sets it apart is that very early on we learn from Henry that you can't change things. Whatever happened, happened (shout out to LOST fans!!). So, when mid-way through the movie the main characters (& us, as the audience) are startled with a glimpse of the future, you are waiting, with that tidbit in the back of your mind, for the inevitable.

The movie is beautiful. From the first scene you know you are in for a visual treat. Lighting, sets, exteriors, even the actors...all gorgeous. But unfortunately for me beauty could only carry the film so far. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie, but the one thing that should have clicked (I mean absolutely needed to click) was the two main characters, Clare & Henry. Unfortunately the chemistry was only ever just okay between McAdams & Bana. I'm not quite sure why, they are two of the most beautiful people in the world, but you never quite buy this is the timeless love portrayed in the book (even the 150 pages that I have read). Their chemistry is not even in the same league as the chemistry that McAdams had with Ryan Gosling in The Notebook.

Which is precisely why I am glad that I saw the movie first (or at least sort of first). I'm fairly certain that the chemistry problem that was a minor-ish problem for me, would have been a major-ish problem, had I read the book. I could enjoy the movie on its own merits, & come home to finish the book & enjoy the full, fleshed-out story on the page.

So, if you'll excuse me, I have to get going. I have a couple hundred pages waiting for me.

Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince

2009-07-17T18:01:35Z

So, first off I have to apologize for my extended absence. We have been on "vacation" for over a month; back visiting family, 2 weddings, a 65th anniversary party, & just an overall lack of movie watching!! But I am back home & couldn't miss opening night of the newest Harry Potter movie. As an aside, it was really nice of the people at Warner Bros. to release the movie to coincide with my hubby's 40th birthday. What a great present for me him! But enough about me, you want to know about the movie.

Well, for those of you who haven't read the books (or it has just been so darn long since the last movie that your brain can't possibly remember that far back....don't worry that's me too), we pick up weeks after we left our fav ~~boy~~ man wizard, Harry, with a literal & figurative cloud over his head because of Voldemort's return. The Death Eaters are wreaking havoc on both the wizarding & muggle worlds, but, worst of all, teenage hormones are in full swing. Yes, Hogwarts is a veritable Animal House. Okay so I exaggerate just a wee bit, but there is no doubt that this is the overall theme of the movie. Our main characters are sixteen, & they are dealing with some average, everday, teenage problems. Oh ya, & death plots, soul-splitting, & memory-retrieval. Like I said average, everyday, teenage problems.

I should tell you that Half-Blood Prince was my favourite of all of the books. I found it to be a breath of fresh air after the "whiny", "self-doubt" of Order of The Phoenix. I loved that the characters came into their own as far as self-esteem & confidence. I also found it to be the funniest book, with many laugh-out-loud moments. The movie captured all of these aspects superbly. I loved that Harry, Ron & Hermione laughed so often, their different senses of humour really showing through. And really, when it comes to awkward teenage romance, there is a veritable treasure trove of laughable occasions that the movie was able mine.

In previous Harry Potter movies our main trio of actors (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, & Emma Watson) have often been overshadowed by their absolutely outstanding supporting cast. It is hard not to be overshadowed when that cast includes Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Maggie Smith & Julie Walters. But in this movie the acting by our main three was superb, a step above anything they have done previously. I don't know if it is a comfort level with returning director David Yates, or maybe even an increase in acting experience by all three, but they were all solid. I've always felt these three supplied a few cringeworthy acting moments in previous Harry Potter installments, but there were not only none in this movie, all actually excelled in their roles. The big standout though for me was Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley. Bonnie plays Ginny with such confidence, just as the character is written, & even better just as I pictured her.

Okay, so here's the thing. The movie is good. It just felt like a bit of a placeholder to me. As a stand-alone movie it is well done, but it has been pared down so much from the book that it feels like everyone is just biding their time to get to the last movie (or two movies as it is now). The last time I read Half-Blood Prince was over two years ago, so much of the intracacy of the story has faded for me, but there were some things that just stood out as glaring omitions. Particularly, much of the story building up to the reveal of the Half-Blood Prince is eliminated. It makes for a slightly less than climactic climax. Also, the Tom Riddle (aka Voldemort) backstory is painfully reduced, which means missing out on much of Riddle's mother's story as well as Dumbledore's search for the horcruxes. It was almost like they just had touchpoints they wanted to fulfill for the movie. Introduce horcruxes. Check. Build foundation for Ron/Hermione & Harry/Ginny relationships. Check. Establish Snape's (apparent) role in the good/evil struggle. Check. Unfortunately, when you boil the movie down that's pretty much all you get. As a stand-alone movie it was solid. Good acting, visually stunning, fast enough pace. But if you go in comparing it to the book & expect it to be as rich on film as it is on the page, you will no doubt be disappointed.

Regardless, when you see it (it really isn't an if...you just should see it) enjoy the last shot in the movie of our beloved trio, as it is the last shot we will see of them as Hogwarts students. They really are growing up, but lucky for us we have two more chances to enjoy them on the big screen. 2010 & 2011 can't come soon enough.

As a little aside, Half Blood Prince is rated PG (the previous two were rated PG-13 in the US), and although the movie continues the trend of each installment getting darker, it is nowhere near as scary as the last movie, so it may be appropriate for some children under 10.

Official NEW MOON Trailer

2009-06-01T06:03:53Z

Apparently this is big (I mean BIG) news that the first official trailer was unveiled at last night's MTV Movie Awards. Check it out.

I will have to admit that I have not read the books or seen the first movie, so I am a little bit lost here. And I'm fairly certain I will take a huge amount of flack for this (& I may eat my own words if I ever get around to reading the series), but all I could think was "seriously?!?" It looks like something straight off of The CW. And why is Robert Pattinson gray??? I get he's a vampire, but gray? Slightly less than attractive. Also, overact much??? The whole thing just looks like a cross between Interview with a Vampire & a V.C. Andrews novel.

So what do you think? Am I way off base here? Or are you as underwhelmed by that trailer as I was?

Toy Story 3 Teaser

2009-05-29T21:48:12Z

So, the long awaited teaser trailer for Toy Story 3 is here....

I have to admit that I had to smile when I saw this. It's just that these guys are such a part of our lives. We watch the movies. We quote the characters ("YOU ARE A TOY!!!"). We tuck them in at night with our little ones (for us it's Woody, Buzz, Bullseye, "baby-Buzz" & sometimes even Zurg & the little green alien). It will be so wonderful to welcome them back for a new adventure. And even though the teaser tells us zilch about the plot (rumour has it that the toys are sent off to a day care center when Andy goes to college), it doesn't seem to matter at all. Just to hear Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, John Ratzenburger, Wallace Shawn, & all of the other wonderful voice talents, well that's enough for me. For now.

Angels & Demons

2009-05-19T16:56:06Z

A movie! In the Theatre! That alone is worth two enthusiastic thumbs up. At this point it really doesn't even matter what is up on the screen, it is just such a feat that I'm actually out at the theatre. But you guys didn't come here for just that. You want to know what I think about the movie. Okay...

Angels & Demons. It certainly has quite the pedigree. The book is the best-selling prequel to Dan Brown's mega-sensation The Da Vinci Code. We now get the prequel (in sequel form on the big screen) in theatres brought to us by the same people who brought us The Da Vinci Code. Director Ron Howard. Star Tom Hanks. And a stellar cast of character actors (Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgard, Armin Mueller-Stahl).

I really wanted to love it. I just didn't. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, I just never felt that it quite delivered in the mystery & thrills department. I was never on the edge of my seat. I don't bite my nails, but if I am on the edge of my seat in a movie at least a few of my fingernails are gone by the end. Let's just say all of my nails are intact. I think what it comes down to is book-to-movie translation let down (I really need a better term for that). You know what I mean. You read a book & picture it in your mind. Invariably what comes out on the movie screen cannot live up to your imagination. There are very few that I can think of that go against this trend (eg. Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Princess Bride, Silence of The Lambs). So for those of you out there who are looking for this to live up to the book, well, it just won't. I think the problem is that Dan Brown's writing/storytelling is very cerebral, & that doesn't seem to translate well to the screen. And I'm not buying that it is Ron Howard's fault either. That man had me on the edge of my seat (nails bitten to the quick) with Apollo 13. And we all knew that it had a "happy" ending. It is just hard to put the inner workings of someone's brain on film without it getting really weird (see Being John Malkovich) or really expositional (the main complaint about The Da Vinci Code movie).

So, what didn't work for me with this movie?

The main character, Robert Langdon (Hanks), didn't seem to use his "expertise" all that much. It just sort of felt like he was following pointing statues & arrows, not that he was an expert in hidden messages of symbols. Also, they majorly underutilized the fabulous actress Ayelet Zurer (playing scientist Vittoria Vetra). She ended up just being the one on the receiving end of a lot of info. Her role is massively reduced, but I'm fairly certain that is because they changed this from a prequel to a sequel.

But there was plenty that did work. The setting. Rome. I pretty much want to get on a plane right now. Howard uses what he can (or what he was allowed to use as the Roman Catholic Church would not let him use any of their churches in filming) to paint a beautiful picture of the bustling city. What is also amazing is how seamless the on-site & the soundstage scenes were. The set designers deserve major props for their work. The movie is also much more fast paced than The Da Vinci Code & much of the exposition is integrated more seamlessly into the movie via the use of television reporters. My least favorite part of the book (a literal "leap" of faith) has been dispatched in the movie, which made me enjoy the ending much more.

Two of us seeing the movie had read the book, & the other two had not. My hubby & friend (who had not read the book) both enjoyed the movie immensely, whereas my friend's hubby & I were a little less enthusiastic. So, if you haven't read the book, go & enjoy the ride. If you have read the book, lower your expectations just a little bit & the ride will certainly be almost as enjoyable.

So, have you seen Angels & Demons? What did you think of the movie? Are you hesitant to see movies that you have loved as books? What is your favorite movie based on a book? Let us know about your thoughts in the comments section below.