May Preview

Oh, thank you! Summer has arrived. The past couple months has had a lot of scraping the barrel to find anything that I really wanted to see. We are finally moving into legit 2 (maybe 3 or 4) movie weekends.
April was probably the weakest month of the year in terms of what I did see. Evil Dead was a physical bust on my end. 42 and Oblivion were derivative (I hate using that word, but it fits). Pain & Gain was a fun distraction. Little more.
Now, it's time for some genuine popcorn fun, big time sequels, and film festival releases.

5/3

The Lock: Iron Man 3

 I hope this leads to a Full Monty situation.

Robert Downy Jr. is back with Gwyneth and Don, adding Ben Kingsley among others to the mix. I found Iron Man 2 to be a bit of a stumble, but part 3 looks to be coming off the Avengers with renewed vigor. Even if it doesn't manage the seamless balance of the original 2008 hit, it's hard not to see this as the blockbuster to beat in 2013
Odds I'll See It: 100% I literally cannot think of an alt. narrative that involves me not getting a chance to watch it.

In Consideration:

 Walking the fine line between inspired and awful makeup.

The Iceman - I know very little about this other than a cast including James Franco, Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, and David Schwimmer piques me interest. A movie treatment of the contract killer, Richard Kuklinski sound more like an Instant Queue movie to me, although I could be swayed if reviews start coming back highly in favor.
Odd I'll See It: 5%

5/10

The Lock: The Great Gatsby

 Now that's a good looking cast.

I've never read the book, so I lack that comparison to deter my interest. Honestly, I've been intrigued by this since I saw the first preview. The distinctive Baz Luhrmann production looks every bit as loud and flavorful as you'd expect and there's no way a saying no to a cast including Leonoardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan to only name a few.
Odds I'll See It: 85%

5/17

The Lock: Star Trek Into Darkness

Anyone else annoyed that it isn't called Star Trek 2?

When it comes to movies that I am legitimately, midnight showing excited for, maybe one movie has me more excite than this one. JJ Abrams has an obvious love of the original and his tight-lipped approach is a lot of fun leading up to it. Throw in a cast of essentially character actors (John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg - all of whom I love seeing in anything) with a couple legit leading types (Zoe Saldana and Chris Pine) and some new faces (Alice Eve, Benedict Cumberbatch) and I'm itching for another fix.
Odds I'll See It: 100%

5/24

The Lock: The Hangover Part III

 I repeat. NOT the Beatles. NOT Abbey Road

I love comedies above all. Even though I only liked the first then thought Part II was one of the worst sequels I've seen in a long time, I'm not going to just ignore a $200 million comedy. Won't happen. Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper each have their own charm. Zack Galifianakis is a major comedic personality that isn't my taste most of the time, but is still fun to watch. I hope that by dropping the "hangover" plot of the first 2, this can be what a comedy sequel should be: characters that we like, doing something new.
Odds I'll See It: 80%

In Consideration:

Who ever would've thought they'd make it to 6?

Fast & Furious 6 - I almost listed two locks for this week. I'm not the biggest fan of this franchise, but I think it's been well established at this point that I'll see virtually any movie that promises big action or big box office returns. I have seen the other five movies. It has been a fun evolution to watch. I can't believe this is the sixth one. Let's see. This one still has Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, and Dwayne Johnson, plus the return of Michelle Rodriguez and the addition of Jason Statham, so, yeah, this brand is pretty well established.
Odds I'll See It: 60%

I'm starting to think this is the only picture anyone has of this movie.

Before Midnight - I recently saw the first two movies of this unlikely franchise and was very impressed by them. Everything I've heard about this one from Sundance is that it's every bit as good. It is guaranteed that I will watch Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy reprise these roles. Whether it be in theaters though, is mostly dependent on how loaded the schedule is. I assume this will slowly expand so we'll see.
Odds I'll See It: 40%

Ferngully, much?

Epic - I don't see this bombing. Regardless of box office gross, my track record of seeing animated movies without the Disney logo, so I will probably wait for it to make it to video. There's a slight chance I'll see it based solely on the voice acting of Amanda Seyfried, Jason Sudeikis, and...Pitbull? Ok, nevermind.
Odds I'll See It: 2%

5/31
The Lock: None

In Consideration:

That kid is like a clone of his father.

After Earth - Hopefully, since M. Night Shyanalan didn't pen the screenplay, they won't have to force a stupid stupid twist. All I really know about it is that Will and Jaden Smith are in it and it's about a future Earth. I always like a Will Smith vehicle. I do realize this is more about dad helping to get a starring vehicle for son though. It has the look of a big enough summer movie that I'm likely to go ahead and see it simply because of that.
Odds I'll See It: 60%

I think all ads for this should disappear after 5 seconds.

Now You See Me - I thought this one was coming out a lot earlier in the year when it would've been a lock to see. It the thick of summer releases, the chances lower significantly. I like the cast of Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, and Woody Harrelson among others. The plot looks a little too "We are the 99%" which is worrisome but there also seems to be a thriller element which could be a lot of fun.
Odds I'll See It: 50%

Fact: Jumping in a lake = freedom

The Kings of Summer - Another Sundance movie I've been waiting for. One of those all-star TV supporting casts with Alison Brie, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Nick Offerman to supplement the young cast at the center of the film. It sounds like a coming-of-age indie sorta-comedy which can go either way. As it gets closer to release, I'll re-evaluate seeing it.
Odds I'll See It: 30%

When are they pulling out the Ouija board?

The East - Seriously? A fourth movie to consider this weekend? I suspect a couple of these will take some time to expand which could help the plausibility of seeing one's like The East. It's from the same director (Zal Batmanglij) as The Sound of my Voice which was a really interesting movie from last year that didn't quite live up. I get the sense this one, about an anarchist terrorist group will probably fall similarly short of its promise. Brit Marling was good in Voice, so it's nice to see her reteaming with Batmanglij. I don't see enough of Ellen Page either so that could sway me.
Odds Ill See It: 10%

Movie Reaction: Pain & Gain

Formula: "Boogie Nights - porn" ...no that's not quite right. "Bad Boys with bad guys". Nope. Still wrong...Oh! I got it "Domino + body building"

Why I Saw It: Because the trailer looked like an SNL Digital Short

Cast: Mark Wahlberg is playing the man-child character that he does best. I won't call it inspired or anything like that, but he is at his most enjoyable. I don't remember Anthony Mackie from anything before this (one look at his IMDB page tells me I have a bad memory). He's pretty funny in this. Dwayne Johnson is absolutely my favorite thing about the movie. He's so innocent, earnest, and menacing. I loved him in this. He is way funnier than I remember him being. I was impressed that I didn't think of Mr. Monk once while watching Tony Shalhoub. He's a slimy unsympathetic victim. Rebel Wilson and Ken Jeong both have limited yet effective parts getting some of the best laughs. Ed Harris and Rob Coddry are pretty generic although they have pretty small roles, so it's forgivable.

Plot: I don't know how much of what happens is actually true. The movie claims the vast majority is, which is absolutely insane. This 'roided-up kidnapping plot and escalation are pretty insane. I think the main thing I have against it is that it goes a little long and drags as a result. The movie has a rotating narration that I actually really liked since it lets you know every character's motivation but doesn't stick with anyone too long to get boring or stale.

Elephant in the Room: It know how ridiculous it looks, right? Yes. It embraces how stupid it is. This is an outright comedy. Make no mistake. This is more like early Michael Bay than Tranformers Michael Bay. The best beats of the movie are the moments when people who hate it will groan the loudest, because the simple fact is, if you don't like what Bay does, this won't change any minds.

Movie Theater MVP:  The parents that thought it was a good idea to have a bunch of 10 year-olds see this unsupervised. I'm all for corrupting kids with violence and nudity early. I'm not so much for a bunch of kids yelling out in the middle of the movie. A movie theater isn't your fucking babysitter. Thanks.

To Sum Things Up: 
The whole movie is so stupid. I didn't love it, but I have to admit I laughed all the way through and I don't know the last movie I saw that had people laughing at something simply because they didn't know how else they were supposed to respond. It's not everyone's taste. That's for sure.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

Misanthrope's Guide to Losing a "Loved" One

People are the worst. Right? If you are a fellow misanthrope like me, it's tough to give a fuck about other people*. It's nothing personal. We just don't care. You can look at is as a negative, but we don't.

*You can probably lump narcissists in here too. In spirit, there's not much difference.

Unfortunately, most people aren't like us. They have "feelings" and "build bonds" with other people. For you "well adjusted" people some psychologists came of with this simple little list for what happens when you lose a loved one. I'm sure you've heard it: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Bashful, Grumpy, and Doc (or something like that). It's handy to bring up when you want to seem educated or pretend your Psychology minor meant anything. At the end of the day, it's probably bullshit. Regardless, it's actuate way more often than it should be. People are predictable in that way, I guess.

With that in mind, I thought about what happens for someone like me; the stages of loss that someone who is indifferent to everyone goes through, since we are as equally predictable a crowd as most people, only different. So, I came up my own list detailing the Misanthrope's 5 Stages of Dealing with a Loss. It is as follows:

Stage 1: Recollection
Look, you don't have time to remember ever cousin, uncle, parent, or friend you have. There's a lot of them out there. Too many, quite frankly. Whenever you find out that someone close to you has died, it stands to reason that the first thing you do is ask "who is that again?". If you don't do that, you won't know if you should even begin to care.

Stage 2: Checking
Not every death is sudden nor is it always a surprise to people. Sometimes, you have been told this person is sick or "not doing well". I know, I know. They expect you to remember this? What if you were thinking about something else at the time they were telling you about the person's turn for the worse (such as "Why won't this person shut up?" or "Why won't he leave me alone?")? That is why this next stage is important. This is when you ask in your head or out loud "Did we know this was coming?". The answer can radically change the reaction you choose.

Stage 3: Gauging
When you don't care who is who, it can be tough to respond to death appropriately. Since you don't actually care what makes one person different from another, there's isn't an automatic response you have prepared for hearing news like this. For myself, I felt about the same when I heard that Mother Theresa died as I did when bin Laden was killed. That's why this stage is important. This is when you ask "So, we're all sad about this, right?".

Stage 4: Diminishing
People die every day. That's science. And, a lot of the reason that we are misanthropes has to do with the fact that we don't like most people. Odds are, hearing that someone has died is the equivalent to one more name to cross off the list of people that mostly annoy us. That's why this next stage kicks in. Lest we forget that it isn't our death that's being reported [so it really doesn't matter], we must remind ourselves why this isn't such a big deal. Naturally, this leads to a very important thought: "Well, he was kind of an asshole." Good thing I remembered that. Time to go back to not caring.

Stage 5: Forgetting
"What were we just talking about?" No, I honestly forgot. Shit, everyone else around me is really sad. I know we were just talking about something but I don't remember what. I think it wasn't about me, thus it must've been about someone else. Probably some asshole. I think someone is about to cry or something. Oh no, maybe I can say I need to go to the bathroom then wait in there until they're better. God damn, what the hell were we just talking about? I think I was listening to most of it...Oh well. Must've not been important.

There you go. That's what goes through the head of a misanthrope. So, the next time you find yourself in a conversation with some curmudgeon who hates everyone  and they don't seem to care that grandma's dead, just remember, you have your grief cycle. He has his own. Even though it isn't exactly grief, it is a natural response  and it's also designed to minimize the attention paid to realizing how little he cares. It's for the best.

I hope you found this informative*.

*Not really, but I could never write a good conclusion. If I haven't made it clear what this is about by the end, then I'm not doing it write.

Movie Reaction: Oblivion

Formula: Wall-E + Moon

Why I Saw This: Only new nation-wide release and Tom Cruise in sci-fi generally yields good results.

Cast: This movie doesn't get made without Tom Cruise, so I'll start there. This is not his strongest outing. He's a good leading man, so that carries a lot of the movie, but he doesn't appear to be trying all that hard. Morgan Freeman, I'm afraid, is not in nearly as much of this as the previews suggest. He's Morgan Freeman as a wise black sage in this, so, what you'd expect. Andrea Riseborough, I was not familiar with before this. I found her to be the best person in this. She's rigid and damaged and they resist the urge to make her an outright villain. Olga Kurylenko plays a love interest and is more engaging than she was in, say, Quantum of Solace (although that's hardly reaching for the moon).

Plot: I need to come up with some new things to say about movies, because, just like I said 42 was last week, Oblivion is essentially every other movie of its ilk mashed up in a blender with no new ingredients. I'll say this. The previews don't give it all away. Then again, and twists turn familiar quickly. Overall though, my biggest issues with this had to do with the reason I can't watch most sci-fi: I get too caught up asking about the plausibility of this world rather than focusing on the commentary of the plot (of which there is little).

Elephant in the Room: This looks like a summer movie. Why is it being released in April? That's a great question. The April release is not any of this "we're getting a jump on the summer" nonsense they've been saying. It's a response to the quality of the movie. No two ways about it.

Random Irritation:
I am so tired of seeing characters from the future or alt. worlds where characters have a record collection. It's getting about as irritating as every character who is a writer using a typewriter.

To Sum Things Up:
This is not great science fiction. I get the sense that the budget doubled as soon as Tom Cruise signed on. It will be pretty quickly forgotten. There's nothing new to this movie and I certainly don't want to think too much on it for fear of poking more holes in it. Fans of sci-fi will find a fair amount to enjoy, and frankly, "lazy" is hardly the most damning thing I can say about a movie. I'd suggest anyone save their money until Iron Man 3.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

DVR Purge 4/17-4/21

So, I held off posting this until they put out the Happy Ending episodes that were delayed. Apparently, fuck that, so I gonna go do this now.

Suburgatory "Apocalypse Meow"
I'm going to talk about these episodes separately for two reasons:
1) There was little or no Noah in the second episode which was to its benefit (as always, I hate saying that about Alan Tudyk, but that character is a mess).
2) This episode had the single most laugh out loud scene of the series that I can remember with the Tessa/Dalia throw-down. That was so over the top and out of character for them both. I loved every second of it.

Suburgatory "Stray Dog"
I think this episode tried to do a little too much. The purity ball was out of place, like a devolution of Sheila's character, back to when I couldn't really stand her. They came up with some stories to fit around it, such as Malik showing up after another hiatus to have a brief (albeit entertaining) conversation about "buttering Lisa's biscuit". It also allowed for Tessa and Ryan to have some very unhygienic breakup sex. I'm not sure what any of these things hope to accomplish other than to fill the half hour.
I can't say that the Dallas/George breakup was inevitable but it certainly wasn't surprising. I pretty happy to see that experiment over. Of course, this will likely cause the show to fracture even more and attempt to service every character. World building is great, but in a half hour show, it works best to choose which characters matter, then give the leftover time to everyone else. Suburgatory has a bad habit of giving supporting players way too much focus for short stints and sidelining the leads.
I have to say, I'm disappointed how everything with Dalia player out. I was really excited a couple weeks ago because I thought they were about to explore some interesting new angles especially with Dalia, but they steered it back into "she's Tessa's enemy" territory. The scene at the end with her and George was sweet. However, I don't think the build up to it was given its due.
I haven't even gotten to Alex showing up. Frankly, too much was going on, even for a two-parter.

The Americans "Covert War"
I'm fairly the rotating chairs of who has the upper hand in Elizabeth and Phillip's relationship. At times it is interesting, but it's shifted too often. It hasn't reached egregious levels or anything. Just something I'd like to point out.
When it comes to dumb decisions made on a TV show by people who should know better, Elizabeth abducting the CIA director and not killing him certainly has a place on the list. I accept that she would abduct him with intent to kill. I cannot accept that she would be sloppy and leave him alive. She is a pro and knows this can lead to her and Phillip being discovered and captured. That's a writer's room move, not a character move. I hope the mileage they get from the domino effects are worth this suspension of disbelief. I still like the show a lot overall, but there's some things it does which is keeping it from that top tier of dramas out there that's frustrating to see.

Community "Intro to Knots"
I'm so mixed about this episode. All the pieces are there. It's a bottle episode, which doesn't bother me. Abed gets to be excited about Die Hard. Everyone gets to play familiar beats that they do very well. I guess I'm stuck with the same boring criticism of "it's just not as good". I hate that that's all I have to say, but this has always been a show that relied on some secret chemical X being added to the mix for its particular alchemy to work and it wasn't there. Malcolm McDowell was a nice addition although sort of neutered as a villain type.
-Not excited at all to see how this Chang stuff plays out.

Parks & Recreation "Article Two"
It's amazing how quickly Patton Oswalt's filibuster spread and seems to be creating more buzz for an episode of P&R than I can remember. It was pretty great. Within the episode, it is pretty muted. The episode was still quite entertaining though. They've done stories about Chris and Ron battling for April's soul before, but I like that this one played out with her having the upper-hand. Really, this episode had a lot of trope-y setups and let them play out differently than expected. Ben and Ann looking for ways to manage Leslie's constant celebrations is over the top, but it was nice that they realized they were complaining about having too good of a friend. Also, Garth outdoing Leslie without cheating was a good choice (she's not the best of everything, after all). Overall, just a good episode, as per usual.

Parks & Recreation "Jerry's Retirement"
God bless Jim O'Heir for being such a good sport. The man's barely 50 and accepts being a retiree. This was pretty much the ultimate Jerry work/life discrepancy episode and that's always a fun well to go in to. I'll admit, that "Eggs, Bacon, and Toast" song has been running through my head all day.

Hannibal "Potage"
I keep having the feeling that this show is too good to be on network TV, or at least, the style doesn't fit; that people will not know what to do with it and be turned away. I'm fully on board and I hope others are as well. I need to find more reviews of this show from people not greatly familiar with the books or movies made about the subject matter though, because everything I've read about it is battling expectations from those sources that I don't have (or remember nearly as well).

Mad Men "To Have and to Hold"
This week sort of felt like a "we didn't forget about you" episode for a lot of cast members. Joan gets a great story about the perception vs. the reality of her job and the Dawn story, while an interesting new direction in it's own right, continues with the show's history of telling us about Joan by how others see her. Arg! Christina Hendricks is so good, it's amazing that they are able to keep her in the background so much of the time.
I always want to like Harry more than I do once he gets an episode. He has legitimate beef, but handles it in all the wrong ways. I especially enjoy how much Roger belittles him.
Some scattered thoughts:
-I can't wait to see what this Bob Benson's deal is.
-It looks like we get our first Ginsberg plot next week.
-Megan's back to feeling like a drag for me. She got boring as soon as Don stopped being faithful.
-I liked Don's pitch better than Peggy's although I was amused with how on the nose he ad was for what the Heinz guys wanted. Totally missed when they said they didn't get it though.

The Point of the Purge
Past Purges:
4/4-4/7             4/8-4/9           4/10-4/16        

3/13-3/15         3/16-3/19        3/20-3/26        3/27-3/31         4/1-4/3

2/22-2/26         2/27                 2/28-3/3           3/4-3/7            3/8-3/12

2/5-2/8             2/9-2/11            2/12-2/18        2/19-2/20          2/21

1/17-1/18         1/19-1/21          1/22-1/23         1/24-1/29         1/30-2/4

12/16               12/17-12/21      ...12/22-1/7      1/8-1/9             1/10-1/16

11/25-11/28     11/29-11/30      12/1-12/5         12/6-12/8          12/9-12/15

10/28-11/3       11/4-11/10        11/11-11/16     11/17-11/20      11/21-11/24

9/22-9/28         9/29-10/4          10/6-10/12       10/13-10/19     10/20-10/27

DVR Purge: 4/10-4/16

How did I hit the week mark? Jesus, I need to get my life together. I'm barely keeping up with the activities I have to distract myself from what I need to be doing.

 
The Middle "Dollar Days"
-You know, I think Jack McBrayer could fit perfectly in the odd world of The Middle. I hope he is at least recurring for a while.
-My absolute favorite scene has to be everyone coming up with a word to describe Frankie. It was nice seeing the kids all uniting for something and appropriate that it would be an activity like this. Even better that Mike accidentally added "irritable".

Suburgatory "Go, Gamblers"
-Who'd've thought my favorite image of the week would be Allie Grant and Carmen Electra dancing in Lisa Shay's room?
-Not sure what my thoughts are about George and Dallas moving in together. That entire relationship has sucked some of the fun out of things.
-The plot thickens with Dalia. Really curious to see how that all plays out.

Modern Family "Flip Flop"
Another one of those episodes that happens more often than not, it seems, where every plot point felt like it was picked out of another show. I know there's only so much variety available, but the whole "character A is jealous of character B until she realizes that B is actually jealous of A" plot it overly-overly-trodded material, with hardly a new angle to be found.
-Rob Riggle is either the perfect person for a role or the most grating one. I lean toward the latter in this case.
-The fact that everything really did work out with the house took most of the humor from Mitchell's bottled rage for me.
-Nolan Gould - Modern Family stealth MVP 2013. I can't wait to see what this kid can do when not playing 8th or 9th fiddle.
-I loved Ariel Winter's delivery of "you're my ride" in the opening tag.

The Americans "Only You"
-I'm actually pretty happy to have Gregory gone. He was a goon character but an annoying wrench for the leads. I'm starting to wonder if they will or won't have Elizabeth and Phillip back together by season's end.
-I love how successfully their teasers for the next week's episode trick the viewer about what is going to happen. Stan knocking on Phillip's door saying "FBI" played perfectly out of context. Good job FX Promo department.
-Does the KGB even know they are doing this trial separation, because I'm still having a hard time seeing them approve that.

Nashville "My Heart Would Know"
They did not waste any time moving that sober councillor guy into straight-up villain mode, did they. I still can't tell if they want Rayna and Juliette to be enemies or merely indifferent.

Community "Intro to Felt Surrogacy"
This was an odd episode that reminded me a lot of the video game episode last year. It's obvious that this one was produced in a bubble. While not a highly episodic series, this episode feels like it is taking a break from whatever else is going on. It's strange but allows me to look at it on its individual merits. I didn't care as much for the conceit of how they get to the puppets. It's no fault of the show's, but I'm not as naturally excited by puppets and claymation or 8-bit game characters. I'm going to have to stew on this episode for a while. I can see it growing on me in time. Initially, I wasn't greatly enthused, although none of my distaste was driven by the new writers, which is probably a first for the season.

Parks & Recreation "Animal Control"
I've seen this episode before. Luckily, the parts from previous episodes they reused I quite liked, so I enjoyed this episode a lot.

The Office "Stairmageddon"
I want to use the word "caper" to describe parts of this episode and that can't be a good thing. I thought this was a flat-out awful episode. It's nice seeing Roseann and Paul Feig had an amusing cameo. The structure of the Jim and Pam "pre-counsilings" were nice and I'll admit that most of my irritation with that has to do with hating these 9th inning issues they are throwing at them. Beyond that: awful. The Stanley/Dwight/Clark story was stupid and overly slapstick. I don't buy it nor did I get a single laugh from it. Andy continues to be the least likable character on this show since that one annoying guy who worked with Jim in the Samford office (oh, wait). Angela and the [State] Senator played out like a bad 90s sitcom and I continue to be worried about how this Documentary will play out. I am less than inspired and they are running out of time to end this show on the high note that it deserves.

Go On "Urn-ed Run"
I'm assuming this is the series finale, both due to ratings and likelihood I'll still be watching if there is a season 2. As such, this episode summed up my feelings for the show pretty well: good enough, but not quite there. I know the characters now. I know the structure and how they rotate between the unwieldy number of actors. I know how they will handle the sad elements and how they will mix in the jokes. Franky, this is just a third tier comedy. There was growth, but not enough. It's a bummer because I really like this cast. Matthew Perry is an enjoyable shade of Chandler Bing. Laura Benanti has a good Britta vibe to her. Julie White is hands down the strongest supporting character and works really well with Perry. John Cho deserves a bigger role on a show but is comfortable in his new niche of "lead character's boss". Suzy Nakamura, Sarah Baker, Tonita Castro, Seth Morris, Tyler James Williams, Allison Miller (see what I mean about too many people?), and Bill Cobbs all got moments to shine, but not a many. I've even nearly come around on Brett Gelman's Mr. K who is a little too at there still. I wish I liked the show more. If it isn't cancelled, I'll be open to picking it back up if I start hearing better things about it.

Hannibal "Amuse-bouce"
This is better than I thought NBC dramas were allowed to be. I'm signed on for the season. It's still too early to laud it too much, but this could definitely develop into a show I'd be very disappointed to see get cancelled.

Archer "Sea Tunt: Part 2"
Is it already over? That was quick. Not the most remarkable season, but a way smarter show than people give it credit for. Can't wait for it's return in January on whatever network FX has by then.

Legit "Fatherhood"
I didn't realize how much world-building the show has done. This was basically a reunion of the season and I realized how many characters have been introduced and well established. I think the black baby result is outright a trope at this point. Everything leading up to it sure was funny (and in a couple cases sweet) though.

Happy Endings "She Got Game Night"
I was wondering how they were going to handle Penny being married. I hoped they would find a way to integrate him or continue to make light of how he's never around. Honestly, since I assume the series is doomed, I thought they'd go through with the wedding and give Penny her happy ending (see what I did there).
Oh, and the Pinata! Still, a top 10 gag from this TV season.

Happy Endings "The Storm Before the Calm"
Penny in freak out mode is the only thing better than everyone else preparing from Penny in freak out mode. This episode had both. As the season burns off these remaining episodes, the fact that this is probably the end is really bumming me out.

Mad Men "The Collaborators"
This show is a little too dense for me to talk about, as I noted. So, again, random thoughts.
-I thought it last week when I saw him. I've confirmed it now. That IS Frederick Crane working for Peggy.
-You go Trudy! I only hope this doesn't mean we see even less of her.
-It's nice not having to worry about the Francis family.
-That Jaguar meeting was hilarious!
-More Joan soon please...I'm starting to realize just how big this cast is these days (and honestly, always has been).

How I Met Your Mother "Romeward Bound"
That was cold, Barney. Probably short sited too. I don't know what is going on with Robin and Barney at this point. Even when they shouldn't work, the writers make them work, so I can't apply any sort of reason to this. Barney is right. Ted needs to move on and worry about himself. Ted is right. Barney needs to cool it with the "old Barney" antics, because no woman is as cool as Robin has been. The moment of truth is nigh.


The Point of the Purge
Past Purges:
4/4-4/7             4/8-4/9           

3/13-3/15         3/16-3/19        3/20-3/26        3/27-3/31         4/1-4/3

2/22-2/26         2/27                 2/28-3/3           3/4-3/7            3/8-3/12

2/5-2/8             2/9-2/11            2/12-2/18        2/19-2/20          2/21

1/17-1/18         1/19-1/21          1/22-1/23         1/24-1/29         1/30-2/4

12/16               12/17-12/21      ...12/22-1/7      1/8-1/9             1/10-1/16

11/25-11/28     11/29-11/30      12/1-12/5         12/6-12/8          12/9-12/15

10/28-11/3       11/4-11/10        11/11-11/16     11/17-11/20      11/21-11/24

9/22-9/28         9/29-10/4          10/6-10/12       10/13-10/19     10/20-10/27

Movie Reaction: 42

Formula: The Express * Baseball

Why I Saw This: No chance I was going to see Scary Movie 5 and I like a good sports movie.

Cast: If there was ever any doubt about if we could have a black Superman, that's been put to rest. He's played by Chadwick Boseman and the only difference is that he's called Jackie Robinson. Because, that is exactly what Boseman is asked to play: a superhuman. In some ways, that's what's demanded by the story. In other ways, it's a pretty boring decision. He did a good job playing the character though. Nicole Beharie does a good job playing the woman behind the man. Harrison Ford is having a lot of fun playing a character, rather than a different version of himself. Everyone else is familiar version of characters from a movie about race (the redneck, the one who comes around early, the one who comes around late, the one who never comes around, the one who doesn't understand what's the big deal, etc.).

Plot: Can we please have a new slant on the sports/race story? Any new variation. That's all I'm asking for. And, I don't mean, find a new sport, because that's all this movie is: a generic sports movie about race, except this one is baseball. Look, I think it's a good story to tell and I agree that it is important to remind people how far we've come (or how far we still need to go), but putting in this same half-assed by the books effort only serves to dilute the impact of the story. At this point, I'd much rather not see the story of a saint, but of a human, which this often forgets.

Elephant in the Room: Isn't just another one of those white savior movies? It can come across as that at first. Sadly, that's inevitable in a story about race and any sort of organized sport/game/anything in America. That said, this movie deifies only Jackie and reminds us that the white guys in charge have something to gain with his success. Additionally, one touch I enjoyed that you don't tend to get in these movies is that it repeatedly reminds us that there were plenty of people (even, "shockingly", in the South that didn't have a problem with integration. In the same way that there isn't no racism today, everyone wasn't all racist back then.

To Sum Things Up:
As a fan of the sports movie sub-genre, I did like this movie. Anyone who does like sports movies will find enough in it to enjoy. As someone who has seen a lot of movies and likes to see something new and different, I was irritated by this. Much like Glory Road, The Express, and it seems like countless others, there's a certain structure that this movie follows that is so boring. So yeah, if I used two words to describe it, I'd choose 'good' and 'derivative'.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

DVR Purge 4/8-4/9

Smaller edition than normal. I thought about waiting till tomorrow so I could have tonight's shows as well, but frankly, I never underestimate my procrastination, so I best get these up when I have them instead of risking being behind.

New Girl "Bachelorette Party"
-It's no knock on Hannah Simone, but I've never much cared for Cece and this marriage plot is a forced upping of the stakes. I think she almost exclusively works well with Schmidt, so I hope it gets back to that soon.
-I audibly groaned when I realized this was one of those plots where there's an old person who stumbles into young people doing scandalous things. Even the twist where they end up bonding in the end felt extremely played out.
-They are really running with this "Winston escalates things" angle, aren't they. It's like they finally found one way to write Winston that can be funny so now that's the only way they are going to write Winston. No fault of Lamorne Morris'.
-Props to Cece for calling out the 7th grade nature of Nick and Jess' impending relationship.
-It should've been a hint about the episode when it had enough time to kill that they fit in the whole opening credits.

The Mindy Project "Santa Fe"
-I wish the Jeremy/Morgan subplot had a better payoff. Like most of the people in the office, I don't totally understand their dynamic.
-I didn't realize preacher-guy was still around. This show has some odd production/airing idiosyncrasies. I actually like this guy even though it's awkward how they try to mix them in to the rest of the show.
-Yep. The Mindy/Danny train is finally gaining some momentum. It's now moved from likely plot direction to inevitable.
-Favorite line of the night: "Apparently, I'm a trigger." Really, Danny's  entire reaction to the rehab facility was great.

Cougar Town "Don't Fade on Me"
It always amazes me how distinctive the Bill Lawrence beats are. Maybe it was because it was Ken Jenkins in a doctor's office, but I swear I heard a Zach Braff voice-over when we found out he'd forgotten he'd just had a physical.

Cougar Town "Have Love, Will Travel"
This was like the Hawaii vacation on a smaller budget. In fact, I get the feeling that the writers really wanted a vacation episode, then realized there was no extra money and decided to film outside.


The Point of the Purge
Past Purges:
4/4-4/7             

3/13-3/15         3/16-3/19        3/20-3/26        3/27-3/31         4/1-4/3

2/22-2/26         2/27                 2/28-3/3           3/4-3/7            3/8-3/12

2/5-2/8             2/9-2/11            2/12-2/18        2/19-2/20          2/21

1/17-1/18         1/19-1/21          1/22-1/23         1/24-1/29         1/30-2/4

12/16               12/17-12/21      ...12/22-1/7      1/8-1/9             1/10-1/16

11/25-11/28     11/29-11/30      12/1-12/5         12/6-12/8          12/9-12/15

10/28-11/3       11/4-11/10        11/11-11/16     11/17-11/20      11/21-11/24

9/22-9/28         9/29-10/4          10/6-10/12       10/13-10/19     10/20-10/27

DVR Purge 4/4-4/7

A lot of good episodes in the last few days. Sundays still reign supreme over the week though.

Community "Herstory of Dance"
I won't pretend that this is Community at its best. Even before the writers' room turnover, that was rare. This still comes off as Community fan-fiction (which, let's be fair, it kind of is). I did like this episode. And, unlike the rest of the season, my only issues were preexisting to the series.
Issue 1: Abed being too aware that he is in a TV show does not tend to work. I'm immediately reminded of the premiere of season 2 when he kept trying to up the stakes and it felt forced. The two dates-hijinks were equally flat. In terms of the coat-check girl, she was a little too perfectly created for him, and not in an endearing way. If she comes back, I won't complain. If that's the last we see of her, I may complain though.
Issue 2: I just accepted Britta and Troy. I'm still not sure how well they work dating (I doubt Harmon could've pulled that off either), but I accept this status quo. So, why are they worrying so much about Jeff and Britta? If this is a move to a love triangle, then all I can say is "please, god No!". If it is just deepening their friendship, I don't understand why they've been so heavy on that.

The Big Bang Theory "The Tenure Turbulence"
At some point, you either pick at everything about the show or you just shut up and laugh. I generally fall into the former camp because I think a comedy can be smart, well-written, and funny, but sometimes, I'm fine just letting the jokes wash over me, as was the case with this episode. It's a story-structure we've (i.e I've) seen a hundred times and we still had alcoholic Raj and sociopath Sheldon, but I think there were enough individual touches to make it an enjoyable experience. Sheldon's handshake and gift were delightfully dense and I loved how Wolowitz worked to drive the madness rather than feel insecure for not having a PhD.

Parks and Recreation "Partridge"
It feels wrong when there is strangeness in a town that isn't Pawnee (or Eagleton). I'm not sure how I felt about the entire town being mean to Ben and is it just me or did his sister come off as terribly bland? Medicated Ben is hilarious though and I kept waiting for this to turn into Ben's counter to Leslie's speech in "Flu Season".
-Did I miss the part when Chirs and Ann started dating but not really? I'm super confused by this plot. I don't have a problem with it, per se, but it has come together really strangely.
-I had to stop and pause for a moment before writing anything about the Ron b-story. It's absurd that this show can have Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Pratt for essentially a throwaway story. That is so much onscreen talent the show has. I don't know what my point is. I just wanted to reflect on that.

The Office "Promos"
I never thought I'd have to use the phrase "falling at the weight of its own ambition" about the Office (generally, I have that reserved for How I Met Your Mother). But, here I am, in the home stretch, trying not to say it, but feeling the need to more and more. Had they ended the show without ever getting to the documentary, I know I would've been fine with that. Building to the finale this way is really making me nervous though. There is no reason to think they can't pull it together and make a great last episode or two, but I don't know. The logistics of what this film crew has been able to catch and how long they've been doing it makes this awful tough to swallow.

New Girl "First Date"
As perfectly as they are handling this Jess/Nick slow coupling, it is starting to test my patience. Go through with it or don't, please. I loved the return of the Fancyman and it really makes me want to go back and watch those episodes.

Go On "Fast Breakup"
This was a bit of a series shakeup. Lauren abruptly calls off her marriage. The Carrie/Ryan coupling hits and then, I think, ends (not to mention Carrie reappearing out of nowhere). From here, I'm watching with the assumption that this show will not be returning. I hope the writers were considering this as well.

The Mindy Project "Pretty Man"
A little course correction going on this week with Danny single again and some obvious bonding with Mindy. Sadly, I don't think enough of a new perspective was found in the Pretty Man story, although I did like Mindy being prepared for a confrontation at the store that never happened. I think they are finally doing a better job mixing Mindy's personal life (and friends) with her work life.

Archer "Sea Tunt: Part I"
There's the Bob's Burgers reunion I've been waiting for since the season premiere.

Hannibal "Aperitif"
This might be the most pretentious pilot title I've seen. The series looks fun and it's a light commitment as numerous shows will be wrapping up in the next few weeks. One thing I cannot ignore is that I was having trouble following what Hannibal was saying sometimes. That is not the most comfortable accent.

Legit - IMDB didn't have the title again.
This is hardly a groundbreaking show, but it is doing so many refreshing things. The entire gay bar scene confronts the whole misunderstanding in the bathroom head on when most shows would have ended on the beat when Steve yelling in the stall. Instead, I think Steve even says "of course that's what he'd expect". I do think think a viewer's response to this episode is entirely dependant on the answer to the question "can rape be funny?". If yes, then the car ride fell apart hilariously, as did the read through at the end. If no, this was tasteless, start to finish. Personally, I'm digging the show.

Mad Men "The Doorway"
Most shows can be pretty fully examined in these couple sentence reactions. It would be foolish to assume that could be done here. So, a few from the gut is all I can offer:
-I love Peggy in her new job.
-The haircuts are getting fun.
-First Annie Edison, then Rory Gilmore and Alex Mack, and now Lindsay Wier. It's like they are determined to track my life in celebrity crushes. If Winnie Cooper shows up next season, I'll have that theory confirmed.

Shameless "Survival of the Fittest"
I think that was about as beautiful a season finale as that show could do. I thought there were a few too many easy fixes though. Lip getting into MIT with a full ride is laughable. I get that he's smart, but let's put ourselves in the real world and aim a little lower (perhaps invent a fictitious Chicago Tech or something). Fi's problem and solution to getting hired on full time was utterly pointless. It was introduced and resolved in a very short period. I don't think anyone would've complained if Fi was just informed that she'd earned the job (I know I was a temp. to hire at my job. It can't be that unheard of). There's a lot a questions mixed with a lot of resolutions, but truly a great overall end to what has been a strong season. Until next January.

House of Lies "Til Death Do Us Part"
Goodbye House of Lies. I wish I liked you more. If I was going to give this a final assessment, I'd say that it tried to do too much. I am pretty lost and confused by how everything played out. There was so much that this episode had to cover and as a result, nothing got its due. Jeannie comes of like the lovesick school girl Marty accuses her of being. I don't fully comprehend what Clyde's issue is beyond playing second fiddle to Jeannie. Clyde basically never has had a chance to demonstrate his value to the team, so frankly, I get why Marty doesn't care that he's leaving. Frankly, as always, my biggest issue is that I don't care.

Californication "I'll Lay My Monsters Down"
I'm happy to see Marcy and Runkle back together. Beyond that, I'm pretty tired of the rest of it. It's more tired than it is fun these days. When the comedy is in the shock, it has to keep one-upping itself and that's getting harder to do successfully. Goodbye Faith. I guess I won't see Maggie Grace until Taken 3...bleh.


The Point of the Purge
Past Purges:
3/13-3/15         3/16-3/19        3/20-3/26        3/27-3/31         4/1-4/3

2/22-2/26         2/27                 2/28-3/3           3/4-3/7            3/8-3/12

2/5-2/8             2/9-2/11            2/12-2/18        2/19-2/20          2/21

1/17-1/18         1/19-1/21          1/22-1/23         1/24-1/29         1/30-2/4

12/16               12/17-12/21      ...12/22-1/7      1/8-1/9             1/10-1/16

11/25-11/28     11/29-11/30      12/1-12/5         12/6-12/8          12/9-12/15

10/28-11/3       11/4-11/10        11/11-11/16     11/17-11/20      11/21-11/24

9/22-9/28         9/29-10/4          10/6-10/12       10/13-10/19     10/20-10/27

Movie Reaction: Evil Dead

Formula: The Evil Dead - camp

Why I Saw It: Slim picking for releases and I wanted to compare it to the original.

Cast: I don't know a lot of the people going in. Jane Levy is awesome and it was nice to see her in a non-Suburgatory role. She fully committed to this. I like Jessica Lucas from Cloverfield, but this wasn't a very meaty role for her. As seen in the picture above, she has her moments. Honestly, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, and Elizabeth Blackmore are all new to me. They played scared campers as well as anyone though.

Plot: It's really the same plot as the original movie, only this one is straight horror, devoid of any camp. It is certainly violent as all hell. You know, it's funny. Since seeing Cabin in the Woods, it's almost tough to see something like this and not laugh at the wrong moment. I think this movie gets it right though. Remove the irony and it becomes effective.

Elephant in the Room: You don't have a lot to say about the end, I notice. Yeah, I'll be honest. I broke my life-long streak and had to walk out after about an hour. I didn't want to, but I'm not kidding when I say this movie is violent, gleefully so. I almost passed out (probably some lack of sleep and hangover issues were at play as well, I think). I've never been much for the horror-porn, which this isn't quite, but be warned, this is not for the faint. At least, not if you are going to see it in theaters.

To Sum Things Up:
I liked this. I really did. I hate that I couldn't get though it, because I think this is some of the best, authentic slasher fun I've seen in a while. If that's not a genre you generally like, don't see this.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

DVR Purge 4/1-4/3

I'm really not sure what to make of a lot of what I saw the past couple days. The American's upped the stakes, Cougar Town evoked Scrubs, and Suburgatory had one of it's weirdest episodes.

 
The Mindy Project "My Cool Christian Boyfriend"
Look, I'm running out of ways to say it. The shows never works for me as a whole, but I like Mindy's voice so much that I always come away liking what I saw. This week is no exception. As someone raised Catholic, I could really appreciate Danny's abhorrence of the progressive Lutheran service. "Cool Christians" are a group ripe for some jokes (mean-spirited or otherwise). I loved that the resolution to the whole prison story was that Morgan actually does know what he is talking about sometimes.

Cougar Town "The Criminal Mind"
What if Cougar Town was done in the style of Scrubs? It's a cheap way to get some character epiphanies without working too hard, but it is a style that works really well, at least for me, as a viewer. Honestly, now I really want to watch some Scrubs.

The Middle "The Bachelor"
That has to be the sweetest use of Brick in some time. I was wondering why they had him so clearly sitting with Frankie as she watched the finale. I did rather hate how torn up she was over it. It was more sad than it was funny. I'm glad that Axl's relationship woes weren't solved by the standard "he is totally wrong and the girl is perfect" resolution that too many lazy TV show writers go to. Lastly, it's about time that Sue gets to win something. By that, I don't mean to complain that the show took too long to make this happen. They have been patient and methodical about Sue's constant setbacks, which allowed this to feel extremely triumphant despite being such small stakes. That it happened with Mike fully invested and in a perfectly "Sue" way made it all the better. And, was that the girl from The Guild that she was playing against?

Suburgatory "Decemberfold"
What just happened? I have never been so confused and intrigued by this show. The show has a history of not maintaining momentum, but it episode, specifically relating to Dalia setup layers of questions that I want answers too (Is she a lesbian? Does she have a crush on Daddy Altman? What is all this buddy-buddy stuff with Tessa for? How will Lisa fit into all this? Why is Jenna turned on by hearing that she goes to Brown?). As I said, I'm intrigued. The show is either about to really disappoint me or it's about to get into some casual-viewer isolating batshit crazy territory that I couldn't be happier with.

Modern Family "The Future Dunphys"
The 90s NBC comedy DNA has never been more apparent (hyperbole, but you get my point). I feel like I've seen this exact plot before with the Dunphys (it feels like Fraiser so much). The thing is, I got a kick out of it. Normally, it seems like I hate all the deliberate staging and timing involved to make this show "work" (god knows I complain about it enough). Truth is, I like it when it's well done and I thought this episode was pretty great about it. Everything from the future and past Dunphys to the dueling phone calls was classic multi-cam hijinks but so well done that I didn't care.
It also can't hurt to point out how much I liked the Tucker-Pritchett story and how little of it relied on Cam and Mitchell bickering. This was another great episode of them banding together (in this case, bound by how much they are failing to teach Lily her heritage). I got a major kick out of Mitchell continually saying the absolute wrong thing to her. By the time we reach them kicking themselves out of the restaurant, I was positively giddy with all the out-of-context miscommunications.
It's a rare week that the Jay story is the weak one. I didn't have a problem with anything they did with Jay and Manny this week, it just didn't make an impression when compared to the rest of the episode.

Nashville "I Saw the Light"
I don't think full examinations of episodes of Nashville will ever suit me, so let's go with random thoughts.
-So, that's how they plan to get Avery back in the mix...as a roadie. Interesting.
-I'm sorry, but when Rayna's daughters sang the sound check, I wanted to see a few people irritated by their entitlement.
-Speaking of their song, I don't follow much music, especially country. Have there been times before their song that they've used existing, more recent songs. I know there was some Johnny Cash, but that's older and was recognized for being Cash.
-Two episodes in a row of Juliette being stable. That's all I ask. Based on next week's preview though, it looks like uber-bitch Juliette is back.
-With Gunnar and Scarlett dating now, I'm officially bored with them. Please, please, please let this story get moving again and not immediately go to the inevitable jealous-Gunnar story that I know is coming (probably next week at the rate this show goes).
-When will they figure out that absolutely no one cares about the political stories? So far, all it's been is a waste of Robert Wisdom, Powers Boothe, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.

The Americans "Safe House"
Is it just me or are they forcing it? I get the sense that this started with the decision to kill Amador and worked back from there. If nothing else, the fight that led to him getting stabbed was ridiculous. Why does he pull a knife out? Why doesn't Phillip start playing a character at that point and try to stop him? That just seemed to escalate way too fast. I'm also having trouble with Stan turning this into a personal vendetta. My understanding is that Stan is new to the department and he just met Amador when he started. Even if they became fast-friends, I don't see this level of passion behind Stan's manhunt. If it was a passion for the job itself then he'd've started off being part of the unofficial retaliation scheme. Stan selling the hell out of that hunting speech made the whole episode incredibly worth my time though, quibbles and confusion aside.



The Point of the Purge
Past Purges:
3/13-3/15         3/16-3/19        3/20-3/26        3/27-3/31         

2/22-2/26         2/27                 2/28-3/3           3/4-3/7            3/8-3/12

2/5-2/8             2/9-2/11            2/12-2/18        2/19-2/20          2/21

1/17-1/18         1/19-1/21          1/22-1/23         1/24-1/29         1/30-2/4

12/16               12/17-12/21      ...12/22-1/7      1/8-1/9             1/10-1/16

11/25-11/28     11/29-11/30      12/1-12/5         12/6-12/8          12/9-12/15

10/28-11/3       11/4-11/10        11/11-11/16     11/17-11/20      11/21-11/24

9/22-9/28         9/29-10/4          10/6-10/12       10/13-10/19     10/20-10/27

April Movie List

March has past and proven that I need to be more careful about the odds I give movies as one that I considered an absolute lock, Admission, has come and gone without me seeing it (although I blame March Madness as much as anything). Now it's time for April and a whole new batch of movies is on its way.
From the look of it, this will be a disappointing month with all the studios waiting for May to release anything big and impressive. There's a couple potential gems. Largely, however, I'm unimpressed.

4/5

The Lock: Evil Dead

I think this effectively sums up the difference

What is it: A remake of the of Bruce Campbell/Sam Rami classic (I can call it that, right?). It's looks like they've made some tweaks but it's basically some kids go to a cabin in the woods and awake some evil spirits. Mayhem and violence ensue.
Why: Sure, it's a remake that I don't think anyone was begging for, but the premise is generic enough to be revisited and I even if I only knew that Jane Levy is in it I would call it a strong cast.
Odds I'll See It: 80%

In Consideration:
Jurassic Park [3D] - I think we've all seen the original and I'm generally annoyed by 3D re-releases. I was too young to appreciate seeing Jurassic Park in theaters though, so I'd be excited  to see it again on the big screen. The only deterrent is that it's a one night only event and I am quite lazy.
Odds I'll See It: 40%

4/12

The Lock: 42

 I don't understand why they rotated this

What is it: A biopic telling the story of Jackie Robinson, you know, the guy who changed baseball.
Why: It has potential to be really good just because the actual story is pretty interesting. In all honestly though, I'm nearing my fill on integration and/or retro sports stories.
Odds I'll See It: 65%

In Consideration:
Oblivion - Tell me if you've heard this one. Sci-fi movie. Tom Cruise saves the world or something. That's actually a sub-genre I like a lot, but the fact the it's a mid-April release instead of a summer one forces me to wonder "What's wrong with it?".
Odd I'll See It: 60%

4/19

The Lock: None

In Consideration:
The Lords of Salem - Rob Zombie horror flicks are not generally my taste. I've heard ok things about this, but it's only being considered if one of the previous weeks movies comes back with horrendous reviews. Otherwise, this will be a catchup week.
Odds I'll See It: 5%

4/26

The Lock: Pain & Gain

 

I think the word "ridiculous" will be used a lot when talking about this

What is it: A Michael Bay movie about some body builders pulling a heist, based on actual events, staring Dwayne Johnson, Mark Wahlberg, and some other guys.
Why: Look. Michael Bay knows how to stage action. He gets credit for little else, which is fair, but the man has an eye for that one thing. I think he also is fine when he is able to keep things lighter and funnier. In short, based on the trailer alone, I think he is in his element with this movie.
Off I'll See It: 75%

In Consideration:
Mud - This is one of those Sundance movies that I noted to be on the lookout for. I hear Matthew MaConaughey continues his run of respectable roles and the fugitive on the run story has me curious.
Odds I'll See It: 15%