DVR Purge 1/24-1/29

I'm still catching up from a weekend away from a computer and also my failed effort to get all of 30 Rock watched on DVD before tomorrow night. I could already go for another TV season hiatus.

30 Rock "A Goon Deed in a Weary World"
It makes me sad that due to time of the year and all, I won't be able to properly reflect on this series leading up to the finale. I'm curious to see what the last episode has in store considering this could've worked as a pretty perfect finale.

Parks and Recreation "Women in Garbage"
Which is funnier: Ron with kids or Anne with kids? If your answer was "both in equal parts" and "I love nothing", then you are correct.

The Office "Customer Loyalty"
Wow. That last scene...This is some kind of game changer, right? I didn't think it was possible to make The Office the show that I thought the most about in a given week, but they found a way. Hopefully they don't ruin it all.

Archer "The Wind Cries Mary"
Was it possible for this not to be a let down after last week's Bob's Burgers intro.

Legit "Dreams"
Oops, I accidentally setup a series recording. I honestly didn't mean to and I'm kind of glad I got to see a second episode because it solidified that I really have no desire to see another one.

Shameless "May I Trim Your Hedges?"
What horrible things does this show have left to do? I'm honestly wondering what is left to one-up itself. Faking not only paternity, but actually having a kid. Bribing someone with a blowjob for job exchange. Down-syndrome baby "vaccination". Oh yeah, and tricking a pedophile former teaching back into her old ways. So much going on. Still looking for the exact path this season is going, but I'm happy to watch episodes like this while I wait.

House of Lies "Man-Date"
Ok, I'm enjoying the season more than the first so far. That isn't saying a lot, but it is saying something.

Californication "Dead Rock Stars"
They aren't even trying any more, are they? I suppose I could also say that as "they make this look so easy". Regardless, I'm curious to see how the season will progress.

New Girl "Cooler"
I should see this as the glorious return of True American (Clinton Edition), but instead, it is the two seasons too soon Jess and Nick kiss. I like this show best as a buddy comedy. The "will they/won't they" thing is not what I enjoy. Overall, a pretty fun episode though.

Happy Endings "The Marry Prankster"
Raise your hand if you expected the proposal to be part of a larger prank...oh, it was just me? I have to learn how to read series better. Alex was pretty awesome throughout, especially in the Keyser Söze reveal.

The Mindy Project "Harry & Sally"
I don't like saying this, but I hope that's the last of Mark Duplass. That character does not work at all for me. Something else I have a hard time saying: I hope I see more of BJ Novak. I also assume this is the last of Allison Williams? That's probably for the best. So far, that relationship has been wasted.

Cougar Town "I Should Have Known It"This show has the ability to have such unbelievable heart out of nowhere. Seriously, where did the scene between Ellie and Travis come from?



The Point of the Purge
Past Purges:
1/22-1/23
1/19-1/21
1/17-1/18
1/10-1/16
1/8-1/9
...12/22-1/7
12/17-12/21
12/16 Dexter and Homeland
12/9-12/15
12/6-12/8
12/1-12/5
11/29-11/30
11/25-11/28
11/21-11/24 (Dexter)
11/17-11/20
11/11-11/16
11/4-11/10
10/28-11/3
10/20-10/27
10/13-10/19
10/6-10/12
9/29-10/4
9/22-9/28

Movie Reaction: Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

Formula: Your Highness - the jokes

Why I Saw This: I'm not about to skip a week and I felt like a new release, not one that's been out a while. After that, it was a question of what the next showtime was. That's how I got here.


Cast: Jeremy Renner is fine in his own right. He's not very good in this but I don't blame him. I haven't seen Gemma Arterton in anything I've loved so I don't know what to think of her. Renner is a tough guy and Arterton is hot and able to kick ass. However, there is absolutely no way that I buy the kids they show at the beginning becoming those two. The actors are 15 years apart and there's know way the characters are ever half that. Famke Janssen  is the only other person of note and I generally like her. She makes me think longingly of Charlize Theron in Snow White and the Huntsman.

Plot: I was reminded a lot of The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard while I watched this. Journeyman hired guns taking in just another job and it escalates into something far bigger. There's a few differences though. For example, I don't believe for a second that H&G have been successful witch hunters for years. They are inefficient and getting their asses handed to them consistently. More important is that the mythology to it is horrendously developed. Honestly though, I can't even begin to piece apart how badly the story is to this.

Elephant in the Room: So, is it a comedy? The million dollar question. Will Ferrell's Gary Sanchez Productions were involved in this. The title alone practically screams "comedy". The full trailers for this seemed coy about the whole thing. The truth is, the joke is the concept and that's it. They played this completely straight. It was completely over the top but it never fully embraces what it is. There is violence, but not an extreme amount. There is profanity, but it feels obligatory. There is sexuality, but they try to make it tasteful. The one thing there wasn't was a single moment that even seemed designed for a laugh. I almost have think they were building a certain kind of movie then backed out at the last second and decided it could work as a straight-up action movie.

To Sum Things Up:
This is the early frontrunner for worst movie I'll see in 2013. I can't even hate-watch this because it was sloppy, lazy, and completely misguided without being gloriously so inept that it partly redeems itself. There's a way to do this kind of movie. I am absolutely certain of that. I'm not saying I know how. All I can say is that this movie isn't it. Simply put, don't see it. I can't imagine how it would be worth it.

Verdict (?): Strongly Don't Recommend

DVR Purge 1/22-1/23

A lot of goodbyes this week for a number of reasons. First, we have the only expected one: Parenthood for a season finale. The next is Ben & Kate which I'll get to in a minute. Lastly is Don't Trust the Bitch in Apt. 23 which was so abrupt that I couldn't even address it after an episode. Not a big loss there. The show was doomed as soon as they took 'bitch' out of the title. You can't do that show playing scared. It also didn't help that they were still burning off season 1 episodes. An all-around bungled handling of a series that had enough there to be something under better conditions.

Ben & Kate "Bake Off"
Truth be told, I had middling feeling about this episode. Then I heard is was effectively cancelled. That's changed this into more of an obituary. This show has been the nicest surprise of the season because I didn't really know any of the actors going in and no show had a cast the gelled as quickly as them. Nat Faxon is a refreshing kind of over the top that is so earnest at the same time.  Dakota Johnson is really good playing the awkward, caring mother of the group even though her own daughter is the only one she's older than. Lucy Punch I've seen before in limited amounts, but this was the first time material seemed to be written for her and she always nailed it. Echo Kellum I assume is going to start showing up all over the place. He's definitely a character actor, but one who could slide into just about any group. Even the kid (let me look it up...Maggie Elizabeth Jones) is a lot funnier than she should be for her age. I don't have a full opinion about her because she's, like, 7 so she has a long way to go. Regardless, the show may have suffered from being more likeable than funny, but it will be sorely missed by me at the very least.

New Girl "Pepperwood"
I must say, I was impressed how the pogos all came together at the end. They were certainly my favorite part of the episode.
-I take that back. My favorite part was the "Don't steal my yarn" exchange. For a throw away joke, I loved how serious they played it.
-Everything with Julius Pepperwood was pretty stupid. I'm sorry. I'll forgive the zany stories if there's enough good jokes packed into them, such as Schmidt and Robbie last week. This relied way too much on humor from misunderstandings which is normally my least favorite kind.

Go On "Comeback Player of the Year"
I'm actually not at all excited to see Piper Perabo show up. Not because I dislike her, but the cast is too big to be throwing in characters like this for what I assume will be a character arc. The show is only now finding it's balance as it is.
-I do like that they seem to be looking for a new non-Ryan pairing to try every week. This round was Anne and Danny. While not my favorite story and they certainly tried too hard to force in a sad moment, I appreciate that they are trying to work through the group like that.
-Is it just me or did the flipped cars look super fake?
-TV Trope Alert: Every free spirited person has to have a secret rooftop with a view of the city.

The Mindy Project "Hooking Up Is Hard"
-I like the show more than I like the episodes. I don't think that makes sense even as I say it. Mindy's voice is wonderful though. Little touches like wanting to have vodka in a Dixie cup, recording an "in case I die" video, and her general jaded attitude make her one of my favorite characters on TV right now even though she is still developing it.
-Yay! Alison Williams is back, still with the eye patch. I'm all for having as much as possible of her, although I have to say, the resolution of her and Danny's story was...non-existent. It was the makings of an argument, then a delightful gag about the Olympics, then...it's all okay? Not sure what happened there.
-A Bossypants plug: I'll allow it.
-I'm glad that Mindy Project survived Fox's rescheduling. I've liked it enough to hope it gets a second season (as opposed to secretly hoping it would be cancelled as I feel about other shows, Up All Night last season being the first that comes to mind).

Cougar Town "Between Two Worlds"
-The writers loved the Ron Mexico name a lot more than I did. Pretending to be in AA also struck me as a much darker joke than they normally go after, especially since they already have a lot of jokes about them being drunks.
-Selflessness is a horrible super power. Just saying.
-I'm still impressed that the show hasn't missed a beat since moving networks. I honestly though TBS would be able to resist tinkering with it.

Parenthood "Because You're My Sister"
I just got caught up in time to for the season to end. I swear, if it ends now, I am going to be upset.This would be an acceptable ending though, even if it was rather abruptly wrapped up.
-As cheesy as it was, I couldn't take the smile off my face in the scene when they finalized the adoptions. Having a show that can do that is undervalued these days.

The Middle "The Friend"
 -Every time Frankie picked up that damn phone I had Swingers flashbacks. While it wasn't anywhere near as excruciating, it was painful to watch in it's own right.

-Mark it, this is the first time that a Sue story had me fully on board. I was genuinely hurt that they would take the wrestlerettes away from her and they found a way to handle it that allowed her to be as gung-ho as ever without being unfortunate.

Modern Family "Fulgencio"
-Something I've never clamored for is more of Gloria's family. When it's only her, I can pretend she's an over-the-top character, nothing more. When it's several family members, it is more like ethnic caricature.
-One episode without Cam and Mitchell being catty to one another. That's all I ask.
-The homage to the Godfather at the end was pretty amazing. A good example of the episode long setup feeling earned rather than forced: something the show used to be great at. The zebra head was a little much, but it was sort of required.


Suburgatory "Chinese Chicken"
Ugh. I like this show but I'm sort of tired of it. I don't know what it's about anymore. The characters are great. Tessa isn't too cool for Chatswin these days. George has his own crew and kind of fits in. Dallas is less of a cartoon. Ryan is shockingly mulch-faceted. Really, I like them all. What is this show though? It isn't a family comedy or a work place one. It's not quite a group of friends who hang out or one about coupling. The satire is [thankfully] limited. There's nothing holding it together beyond that they keep making them. Am I the only one who finds that odd?

Nashville "You Win Again"
I think this was the closest to heartfelt that the show has gotten. I don't get why this Juliette/Rayna feud is still going on. Juliette I get. Rayna though, they have built as way to humble and aware enough of a character to not be making peace with Juliette. There's a lot of forced conflict going on all around: Deacon/Rayna, Scarlett/Gunnar, Rayna/Teddy. I don't know why though. Maybe I'm watching this expecting a more human show and that's foolish of me. I don't understand this writing though. It seems like there is plenty of natural conflict or better angles to go with the conflict they've already developed. There's still a version of this show that could be really good. As is, I'm very nearly hate-watching it week-to-week.


The Point of the Purge
Past Purges:
1/19-1/21
1/17-1/18
1/10-1/16
1/8-1/9
...12/22-1/7
12/17-12/21
12/16 Dexter and Homeland
12/9-12/15
12/6-12/8
12/1-12/5
11/29-11/30
11/25-11/28
11/21-11/24 (Dexter)
11/17-11/20
11/11-11/16
11/4-11/10
10/28-11/3
10/20-10/27
10/13-10/19
10/6-10/12
9/29-10/4
9/22-9/28

Best MPAA Ratings of 2012

For all the time I spend on IMDB, I come across a lot of MPAA ratings, some of which are quite funny, or oddly descriptive, or distinctly abstract, or using a word I find funny, or anything in between.
Here are my favorite one's from 2012 now that is has finally come and gone.

Note: BoxOfficeMojo lists 655 movies in 2012. I'm not checking all of them. I'm sure I missed some. Feel free to let me know (because I know this is inspiring so many of you to start hunting for them^).

Past Years:
Best of 2011
Best of 2010
Best of 2009
Best of 2008
Best of 2007
Best of 2006
Best of 2005
Best of 2004
Best of 2003
Best of 2002
Best of 2001

DVR Purge 1/19-1/21

I know. I said I was dropping House of Lies. If that was the 10:30 show, not Californication so I didn't half a half-hour to burn, it would probably stay dropped. As it is, I'm watching it for now.

Shameless "The American Dream"
-Poor Debbie. She's way too good a person to have to be stuck in a Gallagher's life. It was heartbreaking while cathartic to see her kick the shit out of Frank.
-I must say, things didn't go as badly as I expected for Fiona running the club for the night. As soon as they mentioned the mob, I smelled a season arch. Thankfully, I was wrong. The damage done to her and Lip's relationship is enough. Adding in a financial burden would be excessive.
-It says a lot about the show that after all the bad things Frank has done (does Butterface ring a bell?), calling child services on his kids really is the most damning thing of all.
-How does Lip not get his ass kicked more often? There better be some comeuppance with the North-side kids on its way.
-When's Carl going to get another focus episode.

House of Lies "When Dinosaurs Ruled the World"
I'll admit, I got a lot of chuckles out of Doug's love/hate relationship with Vegas. There's a lot of potential in that setting so I hope as much of the season as possible is spent there. The less Jeannie and Marty love connection I see the better though. I'm not against liking this show, but it has to work its way out of a hole from season 1.

Californication "Quitters"
I'm not a fan of the small world aspect of Karen working for the wife of Hank's rock opera offer, but there's potential that it could lead to something like the season 4 dynamic which is still probably my favorite season. I'm also glad to see Stu still hanging around. So far the season has earned all of it's TV-MA rating in the dialogue. I hope that doesn't mean they're cleaning up their act.


How I Met Your Mother "Ring Up"
Well, there goes another lead for who the mother could be. I'll admit, up till last week's revelation that the mother is in the wedding band, I really thought Barney's half-sister was an angle. I'm increasingly curious how they handle the mother's introduction if there really is going to be a ninth season.



The Point of the Purge
Past Purges:
1/17-1/18
1/10-1/16
1/8-1/9
...12/22-1/7
12/17-12/21
12/16 Dexter and Homeland
12/9-12/15
12/6-12/8
12/1-12/5
11/29-11/30
11/25-11/28
11/21-11/24 (Dexter)
11/17-11/20
11/11-11/16
11/4-11/10
10/28-11/3
10/20-10/27
10/13-10/19
10/6-10/12
9/29-10/4
9/22-9/28

Movie Reaction: The Last Stand

Formula: High Noon + Savages

Why I Saw This*: It was a light week for new offerings. My Christmas binging has left fewer options. I'm always looking for a movie that is better than it has any right to be and this has the perfect making of that since it looked pretty awful.

*A new category I'm trying out, since I have a lot of different motivations for the movies I see and I think that admitting my reasoning going in will help to explain the tone of my reaction.

Cast: Arnold Schwartzenegger is a known quantity and it isn't one that gets better with age (a sad truth of action movie stars). The question here is "Is there enough left?", to which I would say, "sure." This is a little more team oriented than I remember in the past, meaning he didn't have to do quite as much. Still, he is still imposing enough to sell his character. Johnny Knoxville knows the characters he plays and does it well. I've had a soft-spot for him ever since being surprised by The Ringer being better than expected. Luis Guzman, Jamie Alexander, Rodriguo Santoro, and QB1, Zach Gilford round out the good guys fulfilling their archetypal character roles. Forest Whitaker is in this, playing the same role he would've played 10 years ago, proving that his Academy Award winning turn a few years back was more of a fluke than a sign he was breaking out of character actor territory. He's, not surprisingly, better than his material in this.

Plot: I imagine the pitch for this was "A small town sheriff stops a drug cartel's army" and Arnold was already signed on. To say that all the dialogue was wooden is accurate. The characters had the minimal level of development required. The story of how the escaped druglord finds himself driving through the small Arizona town is extraordinarily contrived. Look at the movie poster though. Does it looking like it is promising anything more in those categories? The only thing a reasonable person should be asking about it is "how's the action?". To that, I say it is ably done and makes as many excuses as it can to feature car chases, gun fights, and fisticuffs with enough cheap humor to not be taken too seriously. If you just accept that these action sequences are happening, they are pretty good.

Elephant in the Room: I saw the Expendables. Do I need to see this? It's true that this movie and Bullet to the Head come off as Iron Man to The Expendables' The Avengers, splitting up the cast and thinking that since it worked as a group, it can work as individuals. While that isn't a perfect analogy, I'd say that if you like the "turn your mind off" quality of The Expendables, this has all of that as well.

Movie Theater MVP: I wish I could ever enjoy a movie as much as the old man in the row in front of mine. He could not contain his excitement in the gun fights and was howling in his seat at some of Knoxville's physical comedy. I'm not being patronizing here. I would love to enjoy a movie that much.

To Sum Things Up:
I find myself saying this a lot, but this movie is exactly what you'd expect. A lot of people will turn their noses to it, which is fine. If I didn't see movies every week, I'd never get around to seeing it. There is a value in this movie for some people. You know who you are. This is vintage Schwartzenegger and I'd rate it higher than some of his pre-Governator works like Collateral Damage. It's not one of those hidden January gems, nor is it a shined turd.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

DVR Purge: 1/17-1/18

I almost watched the Fringe finally tonight. I'm a season and a half behind though, and considering how lost I get from missing one commercial break, I decided it was for the best if I caught up on the DVDs sometime instead.

30 Rock "Florida"
Oh no! TGS with Tracy Jordan is being cancelled! What does that mean for the rest of the show? Oh yeah, we're going down the home stretch. I'm kind of sad I didn't go into the season with a checklist of all the things that needed to happen before the end: Liz gets married, Liz gets a kid, Jack becomes CEO, TGS ends. These all seemed logical to happen. I think I didn't believe it was possible to handle the end as well as 30 Rock has this season. Except for the election two-parter, every episode has had a larger agenda with an end game in sight. I'm pretty much saying this every week at this point, but I am sure going to miss 30 Rock.


Parks and Recreation "Two Parties"
There is not a more perfect comedy on TV right now. Every thing about the the bachelor parites was fittingly epic from Newt Gingrich to Entertainment 720's Roy Hibbert to the trip to Lucas Oil Stadium. The character touches like Jerry's ice cream cone were great to. The bachelorette party was not as grand and the scam burial ground story was a little stupid, but that gave us April digging with a penis hat and an Abe Lincoln striptease, so it still comes out great.

The Office "Suit Warehouse"
-I completely forgot what had happened to little Dwight and assumed he'd been covertly written off (which I was sad about because I like Clark Duke). It's nice to have someone come back for a change.
-Not a lot to love about this episode. It relied pretty heavily on the physical humor between the espresso machine the basketball goal. Remember when the biggest laugh of an episode could be generated from a little wordplay or mugging to the camera? It seems like so long ago.

Archer "Fugue and Riffs"
The Bob's Burgers intro was fucking brilliant. It reminded me that I need to get caught up on that show too. The rest of the episode was pretty standard for Archer, which has always been a show that I'm more than happy to watch, but I've never built me night around it.

Legit "Pilot"
I can't say I'll stay on board with this show. There's two many other shows on right now and, more importantly, the pilot didn't seem all that distinct. I've heard Jim Jefferies' story before that he based the pilot on and it didn't seem like a lot was added to it. If I was in a more giving mood and if Jefferies jumped out at me a little more, I'd at least give this another episode. As is, maybe I'll see what it's like in season 2.


The Point of the Purge
Past Purges:
1/10-1/16
1/8-1/9
...12/22-1/7
12/17-12/21
12/16 Dexter and Homeland
12/9-12/15
12/6-12/8
12/1-12/5
11/29-11/30
11/25-11/28
11/21-11/24 (Dexter)
11/17-11/20
11/11-11/16
11/4-11/10
10/28-11/3
10/20-10/27
10/13-10/19
10/6-10/12
9/29-10/4
9/22-9/28

DVR Purge: 1/10-1/16

Shit, I'm officially at break point. Some shows have got to start ending soon. I learned a valuable lesson about letting shows the recordings stack up on my DVR. Getting caught up was brutal. As brutal as sitting for 5 hours straight in a heated apartment, on a cushioned seat, eating snacks and watching TV could be.

30 Rock "Game Over"
This season is coming together so nicely. Everyone is being given his or her due. Kailey, Dr. Spacemen, Hank Hooper, Lenny Wosniak, and Devon Banks are all here, some for goodbyes, others to catty on to the end. I like how Tracy goes full circleby dealing with his own Tracy Morgan. Liz also seems finally ready to adopt a kid, which I always thought would be the end game to that. This series is setting up for a beautifully.

The Big Bang Theory "The Bakersfield Expedition"
On one hand, the girls arguingin about Thor's hammer was pretty funny. On the other hand, everything at the comic book store is completely mean-spirited and short-sighted considering that all the girls have been to the comic book store several times and that outdoor set is one of the laziest I've seen in a long time, especially for the highest rated sitcom on TV.

The Office "Lice"
Is there anyone on the show who doesn't seem exhausted? It is limping to the finish like and I don't know of any storylines that are going in direction I support.

Shameless "El Gran Canon"
I'm very happy to have Shameless back. Honestly, I'm holding off on a lot of judgment because this week was about catching up and setting up for the rest of the season. I do get the feeling that the Frank stories sound a lot funnier in the writers room than when they are actually produced.

Californication "The Unforgiven"
Ok, the show is really tired of itself and the plots are following a pretty predictable pattern. I get that. But, I watch it for tasteless jokes, nudity, and David Duchovny, so, I don't mind.

Happy Endings "Kickball 2: The Kickening"
The kickball theme was really fun. I was really happy to see the Jane vs. everyone else match was not the climax and that Jane totally turned on her team to be with her friends.

Don't Trust the Bitch in Apt. 23 "Mean Girls..."
Wiat, is this another burn-off from season 1? Did I really do all this catching up (even though I said I was done) to still see leftover shows. I guess since I'm so convinced that it's getting the axe at season's end, so I'll carry on till then.
-Is it weird that I want the pervert in the window to actually be more of a pervert? I continue to wonder what this show would look like on pay cable.
-It's a crying shame that Liza Lapira wasn't continued as a series regular.

How I Met Your Mother "Band or DJ?"
Ugh. I hate that I still get a little sucked in by the fact that it looks like they are really going to introduce the mother at the end of the season (also, I'm always happy to see Rachel Bilson). I'm setting myself up for failure. Right? Oh, and are we really circling the "Ted loves Robin" story again? Really?!

Ben & Kate "Girl Problems"
Oh good, Brittany Snow is back. Yay! I liked BJ repeatedly insisting that she had a life outside of the show. It's a funny little meta-gag. The rest of the episode was more 'miss' than 'hit'.

New Girl "A Father's Love"
What the hell? Schmidt and Robby are an amazing team! Those two playing off each other was marvelous. Nick and his dad, while interesting as an origin story didn't do much for me.

Happy Endings "The X Factor"
Mark-Paul Gosselaar alert! Penny hanging out with her boyfriend's (Andrew's?) friends was absolutely hilarious. It reminded me of Elaine hanging out with the bizarro-Jerry and company, except with an added layer of meta. It was brilliant!

Go On "Gooooaaaallll Doll!"
-Another show with in-episode commentary. This is an odd theme this week. It's all pretty funny.
-This episode is getting so much better. The 9pm timeslot is getting so good.

The Mindy Project "Bunk Bed"
Most of the show is still figuring itself out still, but in the meantime, they should just stuff the episodes with Mindy talking to teens, tween, or little kids. That is one of my favorite things.

Don't Trust the Bitch in Apt. 23 "Dating Games..."
Yet another show with meta-referencing: This time about June and Mark not getting together yet. Has it been this ever-preset all along in so many shows and I'm just noticing now? Otherwise, a forgettable episode (Need proof? I've already forgotten a lot of it).

Cougar Town "I Need to Know"
 A mustache growing competition is always funny. Fact. It's nice that the show doesn't feel at all different on the new network.

Parenthood "One Step Forward, Two Steps Back"
Yeah, I've picked up another show. Thankfully, the season's almost over, so it's not adding to my schedule much. I must say, there is no show on TV that I am as willing to let manipulate me. I found myself cheering for a vending machine. I don't even know how they did that.

The Middle "One Kid at a Time"
I really liked the structuring of the episode. The ending with Brick was a cop-out though. That's kind of what this show is though: they write toward something, then give up at the end.

Modern Family "Party Crasher"
There we go! That is the show I once found great. Cam and Mitchell aren't just sniping each other.Phil is part cartoon, part-sincerely playing a reasonable dad. Gloria is getting jokes from playing big and still having a heartfelt talk with Manny. For that matter, Gloria and Jay actually act like a couple and not a rich man and trophy wife. The Luke and Lilly feud continues...Seriously, this is the best episode since the season premiere, maybe even further back.

Suburgatory "Junior Secratary's Day"
I like this show but the consistency has been awful. I want to say Tessa doped up and paranoid was entertaining enough to forgive the episode as a whole, however, everything else was outright lame: Sheila's paranoia, Fred's hiding in 1950's alien attire, Dalia's worries, George's sneaking around. All of it was too, I suppose "broad" would be the word.

Nashville "I'm Sorry for You, My Friend"
I like that Rayna and Juliette are crossing paths more often. I figure if I'm going to be watching a guilty pleasure show like this, I'd like it to have the plots I care about. Now, what are the chances Teddy, Avery, Glenn, Peggy, and Dominic all die in a bus crash before the opening credits next week? Oh, and all those people I don't bother looking the names up of.


The Point of the Purge
Past Purges:
1/8-1/9
...12/22-1/7
12/17-12/21
12/16 Dexter and Homeland
12/9-12/15
12/6-12/8
12/1-12/5
11/29-11/30
11/25-11/28
11/21-11/24 (Dexter)
11/17-11/20
11/11-11/16
11/4-11/10
10/28-11/3
10/20-10/27
10/13-10/19
10/6-10/12
9/29-10/4
9/22-9/28

Movie Reaction: Gangster Squad

Formula: The Untouchables in Los Angeles

Cast: You almost have to wonder how they got everyone on board for this. I don't want to say this movie followed a formula, but this'll sum it up"

• Sean Penn - Terry Benedict
• Josh Brolin - Danny Ocean
• Ryan Gosling - Rusty Ryan
• Emma Stone - Tess Ocean
• Giovanni Ribisi - Livingston Dell
• Nick Nolte - Reuben Tishkoff
• Robert Patrick -  Saul Bloom
• Michael Peña - Linus Caldwell

Ok, it's not a perfect match on all accounts and I left out Anthony Mackie since it's a much more violent movie and he doesn't fit the bill for the rest of the Ocean's crew (and no, I'm not going to call him an amalgam of Bernie Mac and Don Cheadle). Regardless of the movie itself, this is one hell of a solid cast full of people all capable of being the lead.


Plot: Much like Lawless, this is another movie somewhat ruined by Contemporary American Poultry. I like the gangster genre though and with the aforementioned cast I can't completely fault it. It suffers from being a little predictable and hopelessly cliched (everything explodes, bad guys can hit any side of a barn, etc.) and there's more than a few times when it thinks it is so cool (typically involving fire).

Elephant in the Room: Didn't they have to reshoot some of it after the Cinemark shootings? Apparently, having a gun fight in a movie theater is not a good idea now. I haven't looked up what changed exactly, but I doubt it would've resulted in a different final product. Personally, I think it would be cool of them to include the alternate version on the DVD. Somehow, I don't think that's going to happen though.

To Sum Things Up:
I've been pretty dismissive so far but that's for a reason. This is a genre movie that doesn't aim for anything new. I can't imagine anyone leaving the theater with that on a top ten list. That doesn't mean it isn't a fun, escapist 2-hours with people you like seeing on the screen, action that is entertaining, and enough quips to keep it from getting too serious. I predict a two disk set of this and Lawless on sale for $9.99 at Target in no fewer than five years.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

Golden Globe Predictions

As little as I care about the Golden Globes (I almost forgot that it was tonight), I can't get myself to completely ignore it, and given then depths of TV and Movies I go into in this blog, it would seem wrong for me not to weigh in on some predictions.
The only thing I am certain of is the winner will be the audience since two of TV's funniest women (it's a three-way time with them and Ellen), Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will be hosting.

Movies

Film - Drama
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty
*Maybe Lincoln, but it's a Hollywood (pro-Argo) Foreign (anti-Lincoln) Press who picks this.

Film - Comedy or Musical
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Misérables
Moonrise Kingdom
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Silver Linings Playbook
*They love their musicals.

Lead Actor - Drama
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln as Abraham Lincoln
Richard Gere – Arbitrage as Robert Miller
John Hawkes – The Sessions as Mark O'Brien
Joaquin Phoenix – The Master as Freddie Quell
Denzel Washington – Flight as William "Whip" Whitaker
*As a rule, I always pick Day-Lewis, no matter the role.

Lead Actress - Drama
Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty as Maya
Marion Cotillard – Rust and Bone as Stéphanie
Helen Mirren – Hitchcock as Alma Reville
Naomi Watts – The Impossible as Maria Bennett
Rachel Weisz – The Deep Blue Sea as Hester Collyer
*I think there's a real good chance Watts walks away with this though.

Lead Actor - Comedy or Musical
Jack Black – Bernie as Bernie Tiede
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook as Pat Solitano
Hugh Jackman – Les Misérables as Jean Valjean
Ewan McGregor – Salmon Fishing in the Yemen as Alfred "Fred" Jones
Bill Murray – Hyde Park on Hudson as Franklin D. Roosevelt
*I assume Les Mis is going to dominate.

Lead Actress - Comedy or Musical
Emily Blunt – Salmon Fishing in the Yemen as Harriet Chetwode-Talbot
Judi Dench – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as Evelyn Greenslade
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook as Tiffany Maxwell
Maggie Smith – Quartet as Jean Horton
Meryl Streep – Hope Springs as Kay Soames
*They like shiny, pretty, new things. How else do you explain Blunt's nomination in a movie with very mixed reviews?

Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin – Argo as Lester Siegel
Leonardo DiCaprio – Django Unchained as Calvin J. Candie
Phillip Seymour Hoffman – The Master as Lancaster Dodd
Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln as Thaddeus Stevens
Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained as Dr. King Schultz
*It's the Oscars that don't like Leo, not the Globes. If nothing else, pencil him in for The Great Gatsby next year.

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams – The Master as Peggy Dodd
Sally Field – Lincoln as Mary Todd Lincoln
Anne Hathaway – Les Misérables as Fantine
Helen Hunt – The Sessions as Cheryl Cohen Greene
Nicole Kidman – The Paperboy as Charlotte Bless
*She sings. She's pretty. She dies. What more could they want?

Director
Ben Affleck – Argo
Kathryn Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty
Ang Lee – Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg – Lincoln
Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained   
*Still scratching my head about some of these Oscar snubs. Regardless, Tarantino seems due some awards.

Screenplay
Chris Terrio – Argo
Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained
Tony Kushner – Lincoln
David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
Mark Boal – Zero Dark Thirty
*This is a complete toss-up.

Original Score
Dario Marianelli – Anna Karenina
Alexandre Desplat – Argo
Mychael Danna – Life of Pi
John Williams – Lincoln
Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek & Reinhold Heil – Cloud Atlas
*When in doubt, go with John Williams.

Original Song
"For You" (Keith Urban and Michael McDevitt) – Act of Valor
"Not Running Anymore" (Jon Bon Jovi) – Stand Up Guys
"Safe & Sound" (Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars) – The Hunger Games
"Skyfall" (Adele and Paul Epworth) – Skyfall
"Suddenly" (Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil and Herbert Kretzmer)– Les Misérables
*Everyone loves Adele. I've learned to accept this.

Animated Feature
Brave
Frankenweenie
Hotel Transylvania
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph
*When in doubt, pick Pixar.

Foreign Language Film
Amour
A Royal Affair
The Intouchables
Rust and Bone
Kon-Tiki
*My understanding is that this is the only category where they is a wrong answer.

TV

Series - Drama
Breaking Bad
Boardwalk Empire
Downton Abbey
Homeland
The Newsroom
*I tend to assume HBO + Aaron Sorkin + New Series is a formula designed for the Golden Globes.

Series - Comedy or Musical
The Big Bang Theory
Episodes
Girls
Modern Family
Smash
*Perhaps I'm too optimistic but maybe they will pick intelligently.

Lead Actor - Drama
Steve Buscemi – Boardwalk Empire as Nucky Thompson
Bryan Cranston – Breaking Bad as Walter White
Jeff Daniels – The Newsroom as Will McAvoy
Jon Hamm – Mad Men as Don Draper
Damian Lewis – Homeland as Nicholas Brody
*See "Series - Drama" reasoning.

Lead Actress - Drama
Connie Britton – Nashville as Rayna Jaymes
Glenn Close – Damages as Patty Hewes
Claire Danes – Homeland as Carrie Mathison
Michelle Dockery – Downton Abbey as Lady Mary Josephine Crawley
Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife as Alicia Florrick
*I don't think they've tired of her yet. Also, if Britton wins for Nashville and was never nominated for FNL, I don't even have to work to discredit the HFPA.

Lead Actor - Comedy or Musical
Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock as Jack Donaghy
Don Cheadle – House of Lies as Marty Kaan
Louis C.K. – Louie as Louie
Matt LeBlanc – Episodes as Matt LeBlanc
Jim Parsons – The Big Bang Theory as Sheldon Cooper
*Movie star on TV. Personally, I'm shocked they even know who Louis C.K. is.

Lead Actress - Comedy or Musical
Zooey Deschanel – New Girl as Jessica "Jess" Day
Lena Dunham – Girls as Hannah Horvath
Tina Fey – 30 Rock as Liz Lemon
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep as Vice President Selina Meyer
Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation as Leslie Knope
 *Look, it's just plain mean to not award a host and Poehler needs a damn trophy from someone by now. This is getting ridiculous.

Lead Actor - Mini-Series/TV MovieKevin Costner – Hatfields & McCoys as Devil Anse Hatfield
Benedict Cumberbatch – Sherlock as Sherlock Holmes
Woody Harrelson – Game Change as Steve Schmidt
Toby Jones – The Girl as Alfred Hitchcock
Clive Owen – Hemingway & Gellhorn as Ernest Hemingway
*Movie star on TV. Record-breaking TV.

Lead Actress - Mini-Series/TV Movie
Nicole Kidman – Hemingway & Gellhorn as Martha Gellhorn
Jessica Lange – American Horror Story: Asylum as Sister Jude/Judy Martin
Sienna Miller – The Girl as Tippi Hedren
Julianne Moore – Game Change as Sarah Palin
Sigourney Weaver – Political Animals as Elaine Barrish
*Movie star on TV playing a punchline "doppelganger" of a cohost.

Supporting Actor
Max Greenfield – New Girl as Schmidt
Ed Harris – Game Change as John McCain
Danny Huston – Magic City as Ben "The Butcher" Diamond
Mandy Patinkin – Homeland as Saul Berenson
Eric Stonestreet – Modern Family as Cameron Tucker
*How do you choose from this field? I guess I like Patinkin because I like Patinkin and the Emmys looked over him.

Supporting Actress
Hayden Panettiere – Nashville as Juliette Barnes
Archie Panjabi – The Good Wife as Kalinda Sharma
Sarah Paulson – Game Change as Nicolle Wallace
Maggie Smith – Downton Abbey as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham
Sofía Vergara – Modern Family as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett
*It's ridiculous to think that Panettiere could win, or be nominated, or by called a supporting character. I'm not about to pick against ridiculous when talking about the Globes though.

Miniseries/TV Movie
Game Change
The Girl
The Hour
Hatfields & McCoys
Political Animals
*The Emmys liked Game Change, so I figure the Globes will like Hatfileds & McCoys to be different.

Movie Reaction: Zero Dark Thirty

Formula: The Hurt Locker + hide n' seek

Cast: This is basically Jessica Chastain's movie even though there are some good chunks of time where she is largely forgotten. I can see why  people are calling the Oscars a two-horse race between her and Jennifer Lawrence, although Lawrence has the much flashier performance. Almost everything Chastain does in this movie is very subtle which make her few outbursts very rewarding. I think I'm finally on her bandwagon. As for the rest of the cast, it's another one of those ensembles that I've been seeing a lot of and am glad to. Jason Clarke is the sort of mentor to Chastain and plays the world-weary analyst well. Kyle Chandler, James Gandolfini, and some other guys play upper-management in the CIA which they do convincingly. Mark Duplass is in yet another movie in 2012. Where does he find the time? Joel Edgerton and Chriss Pratt are the main two special forces guys we meet who take down Osama bin Laden (oops, Spoiler Alert). There's a ton of other people, but I'd have to look up their names, so I'll stop here.

Plot: So, on September 11, 2001, there was this terrorist attack orchestrated by a radical fundamentalist named Osama bin Laden (sound familiar?). The story of the movie is the considerably reduced story of catching and killing bin Laden. It hits the expected beats of Chastain joins the CIA, experiences some set backs, goes with her gut, then kills the bad guy (in short, it's not much different from a Bond movie in that way). The pacing though, is very deliberate and it never feels like they are adding plot simply to spice things up. The sequence at the end, when they kill Osama is wonderfully tense and starkly honest (which made the lady sitting next to me very uncomfortable). The one thing I didn't fully get was the disparity between Chastain's certainty that Osama was where she thought and the lack of certainty from everyone else. In two hours, I was pretty convinced. They had years to be convinced. I know that there had to have been thousands of false leads on Osama, but the movie really only follows the one. Without an assumed level of historical context going in, everyone else's doubt comes off as servicing the plot more than anything.

Elephant in the Room: Isn't actual CIA stuff pretty boring? Ten year manhunt for bin Laden. The movie has several time jumps. The big clues are getting a phone number and satellite surveillance. The Osama compound isn't a fortress. It's just a couple families. None of this is very sexy by itself, which makes the direction all the more impressive (how Bigelow didn't get nominated even has me questioning if the Academy is sexist, plain stupid, or both). Because the manhunt was so big and took so long, the movie is asked to compress a lot of information. For the movie to work, there is a lot of assuming you already know the story, which I think will make it hard to hold up ten or twenty years from now. Or, maybe I'm wrong. Only time will tell.

To Sum Things Up:
I certainly found this film to be better than The Hurt Locker (a movie that I never understood the adoration for) in almost every way. I honestly don't think that the true story was interesting enough for a movie, but given that, Kathryn Bigelow did one hell of a job. Jessica Chastain is as good as advertised and the supporting cast isn't far behind. I recommend this to anyone, with the caveat that anyone squeamish about a little torture or unglamorous shootings might want to sit this one out.

Random Thought: I really do feel bad for actors of Middle-Eastern descent. They still do only get to play terrorists in movies. It's unfortunate.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

DVR Purge 1/8-1/9

It's amazing how quickly the DVR fills up. Why did I find yet another show to pick up (Parenthood)? I'm probably not done either. Good chance I'm picking up one or two mid-season shows.Maybe I'll have a social life in the summer.

Ben & Kate "B-squad"
And so began a fairly disappointing return to Tuesday comedies. Bee squad pretty well describes my rating of the episode. It was nice to see David Hornsby and Jane Seymour and it was equally nice to see a rare pairing of BJ and Tommy. The biggest laughs for me came from "little Tommy" and the BJ's  fake newscast.

Happy Endings "Ordinary Extraordinary Love"
I'm really disappointed that the montage of Max visiting all the gay scenes, didn't include showing the "Sitcom Gays" bar.
Maybe it's the two episodes this week, but I'm struck by how well the pairing off, A, B, and C story structure works for this show. It helps keep every episode fresh.

Go On "Win At All Costas"
Ryan being a secret idiot was a good gag. Mr. K playing wife was not. I guess that's how this show works. You take the good with the bad.

New Girl "Cabin"
Drunk characters are always good for a cheap laugh. Still, scattering them throughout the episode made me realize how much better at it Jake Johnson is although puking in the fireplace was pretty funny. The whole cabin story was contrived though. Jess and the gun and hitting the power line and all that required way too much pixie-Deschanel for my taste.
What I outright hated was the Schmidt and Winston story. Had it stopped at ribs and soul food, I'd accept it as a weak story. Taking it to buying crack was insulting to my intelligence and any character development of Schmidt. Even he isn't that stupid. This was a big miss.

The Mindy Project "Mindy's Brother"
Despite my thoughts of this week's New Girl this was the low point of my Tuesday, sadly. Essentially no part of this episode worked for me. Eventually this show will work into a groove right? There's still a sense of too many moving parts going on.

The Middle "Life Skills"
-I just binged Parenthood. Now, when I see Brick, I keep seeing how I wish Max would acting. Brick is the most autistic non-autistic character on TV. It's nice to see someone who can logically be anti-social.
-Dave Foley is either really pathetic these days. Either that, or he is good at playing pathetic.
-As ridiculous as it was, I got a real kick out of Axl putting together the presentation.

Modern Family "New Year's Eve"
-I never thought I'd legitimately say this, but the strongest story was by far the one with all the kids. Recreating the laundry scene from the pilot was pretty inspired. The Lily gags were funnier than I expected. Most of all, I love the abrupt coming of age of Luke.
-Cam and Mitchell accepting their aging in the gay community is retread territory but a welcome angle over them doing nothing by bickering.
-Billy Dee was an odd bit of stunt casting and "Nude Years Eve" was a lot of effort for what got a muted punchline.

Suburgatory "Black Thai"
-Really, a Savages reference? That was odd.
-If Tessa wasn't the Narrator, would she be the lead? I don't think she would be and that's a shame because I still think she is the strongest character.
-The Shay stories have been getting away with a staggering amount of racial humor. I never thought they'd successfully build a story with them that I'd actually care about.

Nashville "Be Careful of the Stones You Throw"
Why do I still watch this? I don't know. They sure burned through a lot a story in the return episode. I've already accepted that I'll see this through till the end of the season, but I wish my neuroses could let me drop it now.


The Point of the Purge
Past Purges:
...12/22-1/7
12/17-12/21
12/16 Dexter and Homeland
12/9-12/15
12/6-12/8
12/1-12/5
11/29-11/30
11/25-11/28
11/21-11/24 (Dexter)
11/17-11/20
11/11-11/16
11/4-11/10
10/28-11/3
10/20-10/27
10/13-10/19
10/6-10/12
9/29-10/4
9/22-9/28

Movie Reaction: Jack Reacher

Formula: A Few Good Men + Rambo

Cast: Tom Cruise is obviously having fun. I wouldn't be surprised he powered through getting this movie made through sheer force of will. It has that kind of feel. Everyone is pretty awful in this, but by design, if that makes any sense. Vets like Robert Duvall and Richard Jenkins are living it up as best they can. Familiar faces like Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo are dropping their accents and collecting a paycheck. The rest of them are either looking pretty (Alexia Fast) or intense (Jai Courtney) as needed.

Plot: This movie is incredibly dated. The investigation at the center is reminiscent to a Tom Clancy movie from the 90s or maybe earlier. There is a twist exactly when you expect one. Someone will launch into a contrived speech the moment you say to yourself "he's not about to launch a speech, is he?". The fight scenes play out exactly as you think they will. Even the few funny parts are like they are giving you permission to laugh like you are on some sort of morphine drip for laughs. And you know what? That's fine. I think the word for this movie is pulp. It's like the man equivalent of making a movie out of a harlequin romance novel. I can't say if that is how the book reads, but it's certainly how the movie plays.

Elephant in the Room: Isn't Jack Reacher supposed to be a towering brute? Apparently, Tom Cruise is not who anyone imagined to play that character. I actually think he works. In the movie, he is smart and cunning, a master investigator. To cast a John Cena looking guy to play him would be too much. Also, I just don't see how this movie gets made or has the kind of release this one did without his name attached to it (Imagine Alex Cross without Tyler Perry fans supporting it).

To Sum Things Up:
I can't say I liked this movie. It's more accurate to say that I understand it. There is a pretty specific market for this one (I'd be shocked if the median age for this is less than 40). I know if I brought any of my friends to see it, we would spend the whole time laughing at how uninteresting it is. At the same time, I could see watching it with my dad and him thinking it was an OK action movie. I can't really recommend it for anyone simply because it is too unremarkable to assume anyone would feel strongly about it. That doesn't mean it's bad though.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

DVR Purge ...12/22-1/7

It's good to have some new TV again. I've had a good time catching up Girls and Parenthood (a show I now love) in the mean time, so it's always great to recharge and pile some more obsessions on.

The Big Bang Theory "The Egg Salad Equivalency"
Why did they jump the gun on bringing this back on so quickly. I didn't even realize this was on my DVR until Saturday.

Happy Endings "Fowl Play/Date"
One of those great self-contained episodes. This could've been placed at any point in the season. Everything was completely over-the-top but totally worked because there were enough good jokes to make it work. While not my favorite episode ever, it pretty well puts on display everything that I like to get out of the show.


The Point of the Purge
Past Purges:
12/17-12/21
12/16 Dexter and Homeland
12/9-12/15
12/6-12/8
12/1-12/5
11/29-11/30
11/25-11/28
11/21-11/24 (Dexter)
11/17-11/20
11/11-11/16
11/4-11/10
10/28-11/3
10/20-10/27
10/13-10/19
10/6-10/12
9/29-10/4
9/22-9/28

Movie Reaction: The Impossible

Formula: 2012, but real

Cast: Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor are two actors who's abilities I've never questioned and their skill is on full display. Both have powerful, heartbreaking moments that reminded me how great they are. What really impressed me were the three sons. All three of the young actors (Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, and Oaklee Pendergast, by the way) blew me away at moments. They had a great amount of poise and were treated as individual parts, not a collective.

Plot: The story of a family torn apart by the 2004 tsunami that hit Southeast Asia (remember that? I kind of didn't, truth be told). Most of the movie follows the mother, played by Watts, and the oldest son, played by Holland, as they try to survive and reunite following the Tsunami. It's harrowing and authentic playing it as real as it can. There are a few moments of contrivances that reminded me too much of Serendipity, but I think they were mostly earned, and frankly, by the end, I just wanted a happy ending however they had to.

Elephant in the Room: Isn't this a depressing subject matter? Absolutely. This movie is not for the feint of heart. I can't remember the last time I was this physically uncomfortable in a theater. There are moments that absolutely devastated me and others that brought me to tears. It's that kind of movie.

To Sum Things Up:
The thing I kept hearing about this movie is "this is a great movie that I never want to see again." That is my sentiment exactly. I really like this movie. The Tsunami sequence is as intense as anything I've seen in the last year. Pretty much any time someone cried I nearly did as well. I think it is best to be experienced in theaters since it does have a few immersive moments, but I also understand why most people wouldn't want to see it in that setting. I recommend it although you should know what you are getting into. I nearly backed out and saw Jack Reacher instead because I was already bummed out going in. Glad I didn't back out.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

My Next 5 TV Shows of 2012

I gave you my top ten the other day and you can check those out here. Since I made a full list, I figured I'd take a look at a few other shows that either surprised or disappointed me this year.

My Next 5 Favorite Shows of 2012 (in no particular order)

Dexter
Fav. Ep. "Are You...?"
A real return to quality after a comically bad sixth season. This year started strong, meandered in the middle, then came through with a big last episode. I'm legitimately excited for the final season although I've excepted what Dexter isn't as well as all the things it is.

Game of Thrones
Fav. Ep. "Blackwater"
I came in late to this show and binged this season in about a week. I am constantly impressed by how epic the scale of the production of this show is. It's hard to believe this show is actually on the air. The second season was a little uneven and it was at times hard to see how all the things going on connected, but my understanding is that that's as much a problem of the text as anything. I can't wait to hear what is in store for season three.

New Girl
Fav. Ep. "Fancyman Part 1"
It's so nice to see a show figure itself out. 2012 saw this show transform from a manic pixie dream girl dominated vehicle for Zooey Deschanel into an outright ensemble, harnessing the comedic chops of Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, and even at times Lamorne Morris while recalibrating Deschanel into a real, human character.

Shameless
Fav. Ep. "Hurricane Monica"
I'm not sure why this is called a comedy so often considering the strongest elements are the dramatic ones, namely the phenomenal Emmy Rossum. Really, the entire cast of Gallagher children is an embarrassment of talent, each one managing to wow me a few times throughout the season.

The Walking Dead
Fav. Ep. "Better Angels"
Since leaving the farm (a phrase I could see as a sister to "jumping the shark", meaning "the change that moves a show to the next level") the show has gotten much better. I don't think the issues with the farm were fixed as much as ignored for what it does right (killing zombies and action in general). While I've never understood the fervor a lot of people have for the show, it is a fun alternative while waiting for new Mad Men or Breaking Bad to come back.

A Few Other Shows That Surprised Me (in a good way)

Ben & Kate - This show came in with fully-formed chemistry in the cast and is still trying to figure out what to do with them. I fear we won't be seeing a second season of this which is a shame because I'd like to see where it could go.

Go On - What started as The Matthew Perry show is finally settling in and figuring out what to do with the unwieldy cast size. This certainly looks to be the best of NBC's next generation of comedies.


Wilfred - This show continues to delve into darker places, relying less of Jason Ganz playing on the human-dressed-as-a-dog conceit. I fully expected the second season to fall off the map, but it got even more engaging than before.

A Few Shows That Disappointed Me

Modern Family - In truth, I don't know what I was expecting. After a first season that looks increasingly like a fluke, it has continued in its downward trajectory relying increasingly on sight gags, convolutions, and sacrificing character growth to get laughs.

The Office - After a weak as ever end to the season in May, the return of Greg Daniels and promise of this being the final season has been massively underwhelming even if it is better than it has been the past could years.

Up All Night - So many people that I like are involved in this show. There were glimmers of improvement even with a complete overhaul going into season two. It still couldn't get better ratings and with the news that it's switching to a multi-cam comedy in the Spring, I simply can't continue with it. If it turns out to improve greatly with the switch and has a long run, I'll happily revisit it, but I doubt that will happen and am getting off this sinking ship.