Delayed Reaction: It Could Happen to You

The Pitch: I read this story about a cop who split his lottery winnings with a waitress he made a promise to. Let's build an entire movie around that.

What Took Me So Long: I'm a little Cage-y about Nic and not very Fond-a Bridget.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) I laughed at how similar the development of this is to Safety Not Guaranteed. It's about a famous incident in which a cop promised half his earnings if he won the lottery to his waitress in lieu of a tip, then the officer goes on to win and split his earnings with her. That's one big coincidence and the movie decided to veer into that by making this a fable and adding coincidence after coincidence. When watched as a fable, Nic Cage and Bridget Fonda do a solid job of playing the nicest people on Earth. Rosie Perez and Stanley Tucci ham it up as the evil exes. Wendell Pierce is delightful as the sounding board best friend.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: There isn't much subtlety to it at all. Cage is the best person in the world. Fonda becomes the next best person in the world by knowing him. Perez and Tucci are monsters. Nothing has much shading to it. The intent is to make you feel good about humanity again, and it's a solid effort in that regard.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

DVR Purge: 10/16-10/19

So far, this Fall feels much more spread out than in years past. I have something every night [potentially] and only Tuesday is killer, as it's been for a while now.

Past Purges 

A to Z "C Is for Curiouser & Curiouser"
This week took a big step toward sustainability, giving someone other than Andrew and Zelda something to do. I was a huge fan of Lenora Crichlow in Back in the Game (RIP) so it's good to see her already back on TV. She doesn't have "chemistry" with Henry Zebrowski, but they can function well as the combative sidekicks. Ben Falcone as Howard is nearly softening Christina Kirk as Big Bird enough to work and Parvest Cheena and Hong Chau are fun as the IT duo. This is almost looking like a TV show cast. This week's dating milestone is cyber-stalking and it played out predictably.

Parenthood "A Potpourri of Freaks"
A lot of moving parts. Joel and Julia try to manage their awful daughter while leaving some hope for a reunion. Max likes a girl and Adam's smile at hearing this was the sweetest moment on TV this week. Crosby is being driven insane by who appears to be the only client they have at the Luncheonette. Hank has a shockingly easy time resolving Sandy's issues with Sarah. The heartstrings moment was Kristina convincing Zeek to start working on his recovery. After last week's tear-jerking, a simpler episode like this is for the best.

Girl Meets World "Girl Meets Flaws"
This might be the wrong takeaway from the episode, but Girl Meets World found black people this week. That's a bit reductive. Still, I couldn't help but notice that when Billy Ross is introduced into the class out of nowhere, the extras around the room got more diverse as well. I guess that having the only black student be the antagonist looks bad. Or, maybe I'm reading too much into this. We could really use a week off from the over-sentimental episodes. It is what Michael Jacobs does best. This is getting to be a bit much though. And, had you asked me for a list of characters from Boy Meets World who I'd expect to have a recurring status on Girl Meets World, Harley Kiener wouldn't've made my first 20. It's been effective though. He's been funny enough and I appreciate that they explained how he happened to end up at the same school as Corey despite being in a completely different state.

Brooklyn Nine Nine "Halloween II"
I can't think of a bad episode yet this season. They really committed to the absurd complexity of Peralta's and even more so Holt's plans. The sad thing is that Holt's plan isn't much more absurd than something from Now You See Me, only Brooklyn Nine Nine is playing it as a joke. It's fitting that Peralta got the team's help last year and Holt did this year.

The Walking Dead "Strangers"
Is it sad that as soon as Father Gabriel showed up I got very worried for Bob? We're way out of the days of "there can only be one" for black actors in the show. The one in, one out principle still applies comically often though. To be fair, Bob isn't dead yet. He could be saved. An entire missing leg is a tough thing to work around, especially cut as high as that was. Father Gabriel will be a fun addition. His sins certainly seem to be tied to cowardice, but it's hard seeing the group being too callous to a man of the cloth.
Did I mis-hear something or at the beginning of the episode, did Abraham tell Rosita "Right there is why we're waiting for our moment." Was that just about convincing everyone to join them to Washington, or is something bad to come?

Mulaney "Halloween"
I'm really trying to be patient with this since I like so many of the individual parts (casting, not characters). I'm hoping by some miracle that it comes together sooner than later. The best version of this show is one that I'd be happy to watch.
UPDATE: After writing this, I discovered that FOX announced it is reducing the episode order for Mulaney from 16 to 13. They just wrapped shooting episode 13. That means FOX has essentially halted production. I assume that means Mulaney is dead, so it's not likely that I'll continue watching.

Movie Reaction: Fury

Formula: Saving Private Ryan ^ Inglourious Basterds

Why I Saw It: I like Brad Pitt and war movies.

Cast: I like whenever I feel like the producers got their first choice for each of the roles. Collectively, there isn't a ton of star power, but it's a good mix of familiar faces, less familiar ones, and people who regularly make the most of any role. Brad Pitt isn't a far cry from his last Nazi killin' role. He's more tortured by his actions though. Shia LaBeouf plays against expectations as a deeply religious soldier who has come to terms with what he must do in wat. Logan Lerman is a trained clerical officer who finds himself a member of this unit. He's the new guy and the film traces his transformation from meek to hardened. Michael Pena is consistently one of my favorite actors to show up in anything. He doesn't have much to do in this but he does it well. Jon Bernthal is a bit of a loose cannon and certainly the most frustrating character. That is by design. Some people internalize what the war has done to them. He doesn't.

Plot: It's the tail end of WWII and Lerman finds himself part of a tank unit in a region of Germany that still has a lot of fighting going on. The Germans are ready to lose, but in the mean time, they are trying every desperation move they can, recruiting women, children, and anyone else they can to fight. The movie isn't focused on the macro story. It's just about this tank unit as they move through assorted strategic points. There's plenty of fighting and explosions, so fans of that won't be disappointed. The audience is very much playing catch up through Lerman learning the ways, and I think it's the speed of his transformation that's my biggest complaint. The movie takes place over a couple days at most and Lerman goes from weeping at the thought of killing someone to plowing Nazi down in droves. It's very quick.I was impressed by how lived in the whole movie was. Every camp looked haphazzardly put together and nothing was clean. Apparently, all of Germany is perpetually overcast and it just finished raining. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but that's the version they settled on.

Elephant in the Room: Boys will be boys. Look, no one is a saint in warfare. People are killing each other and no one speaking another language can be trusted. David Ayer is not trying to cover any of that up. He's taken the heroics out of most of this. There is one sequence though that I can only describe as a little bit rapey that was the hardest part to watch. After taking control of a German town, Pitt and Lerman (and eventually the others) find themselves in the house of a couple German women. Nothing bad exactly happens. It's all very tense. Needlessly tense. Pitt's character knows German. He could've easily set the women at ease by saying more. They are technically "the enemy" and the point is to show how we lose civility in times like this. But, boy is it uncomfortable to watch.

To Sum Things Up:
War is hell. However much you need to be reminded of that will determine your enjoyment of this. For some people, seeing Saving Private Ryan means you don't ever need to see this. I'm not in that group. It's a good World War 2 movie. The performances are solid. The fights are shot well and look pretty authentic. It has a couple points where it drags and Ayer definitely revels in the violence (i.e. it's a bit excessive). The end result is something that fans of the genre will certainly enjoy.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Meet the Robinsons

The Pitch: An orphan with a penchant for inventing travels to the future and meets the perfect family: his own. 

What Took Me So Long: This is one people have been telling me for years is a hidden gem (as much as any Disney movie that makes $97 million in the box office can be hidden).

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Disney knows how to tug at the heartstrings. It's a simple enough formula (Orphan + Family / Time) and they know how to use it. Anyone can figure out almost immediately that the Robinsons are Lewis' family from the future (in fact, as soon as I heard Laurie Metcalfe's voice, I assumed about 2/3s of the plot). That doesn't ruin anything though. You can't ruin beats like the Robinsons being happy to adopt Lewis or Lewis opting to not see his mom. It's a movie with a lot of heart. A good sense of humor too.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: I thought it was a little stupid that the villain was a hat. I guess it would've been nice to not predict so much of the plot. That's all pretty nit-picky though. This is a delightful movie from that period in Disney Animation that I normally forget about.

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend

DVR Purge: 10/9/10/15

The seasons are starting to take shape: some for the better (Blackish), some for the worse (Selfie). I'm pleased to announce a new old show to the mix in Arrow after accidentally binging and catching up on it this weekend.

Past Purges 

A to Z "B is for Big Glory"
I sure hope the show gets a full 26 episode order or else this naming convention is going to look awful foolish. Zelda and Andrew are still functioning as Tom and Summer clones from (500) Days of Summer so some differentiating there would be nice. As long as both of them stay this charming though, it's hard to see me dropping this. Oh, and there's no way he remembers her from a concert that long ago.

Parenthood "The Waiting Room"
The Parenthood team knows that the cast is always up for a good hospital scene, so there's a lot of worrying and fretting about Zeek's surgery this week. It's familiar but well done. I for one was never worried about if he'd make it, so I wasn't too concerned. What did concern me was the building up of Julia's new boyfriend. Perhaps it's just a case of building him up to look like actual competition for Joel. With their patience so far in this story, I'm beginning to wonder if the series is even going to end up with Julia and Joel together. I sure hope they are.

Girl Meets World "Girl Meets the Forgotten"
I imagine the casting of an episode of Girl Meets World begins with "Who is available that was in Boy Meets World?". That's the only way to explain Harley Keiner showing up as the janitor. Just hearing him call Corey 'baboon' was enough to call this episode a success. I also laughed out loud at the cut to Lucas and Farkle during the elective presentations. Something about Lucas' thousand yard stare and Farkle curled up on the desk worked just right.

Saturday Night Live "Bill Hader/Hozier"
This is the best way to bring back an SNL alum. Bill Hader was incredibly prolific in his time on SNL. He had many recurring sketches. He's only been gone for a season. That means he comes with a cache of successful sketch ideas that are still relatively fresh in the audience's mind. The returns of Herb Welch, puppeteer Anthony Coleman, and especially Stefon were fantastic and would've been enough for me. To add to that though, it had two fantastic recorded sketches in The Group Hopper (a pitch perfect distillation of the current Young Adult movie adaptation craze) and Help Fund (challenging the notion that 39 cents a day could be enough to help African villagers). There were some duds, but aren't there always? This was still the strongest episode of the season so far.

Brooklyn Nine Nine "Jimmy Jab Games"
Yes, this is incredibly similar to "Office Olympics" from The Office (Guess who wrote that episode). I don't care much though, because funny trumps everything. Had it been a bad episode, I'd've cared more. Besides, Peralta and Santiago were downright adorable together. Elsewhere, Jeffords being trapped in the middle of Holt and Wuntch's rivalry was excellent. I particularly enjoyed everyone insulting how Jeffords was choosing to sit.

Mulaney "The Doula"
Oh god, this is so like Seinfeld that it hurts. Anyone who tries calling something like It's Always Sunny a Seinfeld ripoff, please watch this. So far, there's a delicate imbalance of dialogue that sounds like the characters are reciting a stand up routine, Martin Short acting silly, and broad physical comedy that isn't sitting well with me. I'm giving this at least one more episode.

The Walking Dead "No Sanctuary"
That was a short stint in Terminus. Given the normal Walking Dead style, I assumed we'd be getting at least half a season there, learning about the characters and trying to understand their warped worldview. That was not in the cards though. Carol came along and took the whole place down in rather spectacular badass fashion. I'm a little confused about the logistics of how this place that was so well organized, as introduced at the end of last season, got so easily taken down but I'll accept it because it was cool.

The Big Bang Theory "The Focus Attenuation"
The episode won me over with the discussion about the correct verb tense to use in the time travelling discussion. All the distractions were the exact sort of conversation that the guys would waste their time on and really was what the show was like before all the girls showed up. That said, I kept waiting for the moment when they actually did come up with an idea, which never happened. This would've been a perfect time to mention the app they made several seasons back which solved math questions, but that would've gotten in the way of the jokes they were trying to tell, something The Big Bang Theory can't have. The women in Vegas was much more of a time filler. The writers had the plan for the guys so...let's have the girls go to Vegas, but not actual Vegas. A sound stage Vegas with a bedroom suite set. It was an excuse, not a story, which I can forgive.

Gotham "Arkham"
I'm really having a hard time finding anything to say about this show and I'm not sure why. Is it odd that I come away from this episode having trouble recalling anything that the two leads did? Jim is angry with Barbara for her lesbian past, then chooses his job over her. I honestly don't recall anything happening with Harvey. No, this episode was one for the decay of Gotham. Cobblepot is working his way up the criminal ladder rather shrewdly. I would've thought he'd be well enough known to have been recognized by now, but I figure that will happen soon enough. Fish selects a new employee. I'm not sure for what position, but I'm reasonably sure she made the right choice. Sidenote: Did anyone else find it funny how hard they worked around showing the girl kissing Fish?

Scorpion "Shorthanded"
Was this Vegas night on CBS?
Regardless, I needed this episode of Scorpion. The first couple weeks have been about special government task force stuff, which is all good and well, but it's the stuff on the private side that allows for the team building. They specifically refer to the government aid being a safety net. I am a little disappointed that they still had to get government aid at the end. Until then, it was all about using the characters' specific strengths to accomplish the mission in a way the show hadn't done before. It was especially fun to see Toby in Vegas, home to all his vices. Simply put, this was a fun episode of a show that is quickly finding its voice, even if it isn't priority viewing.

Selfie "A Little Yelp from My Friends"
I can't tell if I'm not supposed to find Eliza this annoying or if it's all part of a "long con" which will make me appreciate her change by the end of the season. Right now though, there's no two ways about it. She's insufferable. The show hasn't figured out how to make her narcissism funny yet and I wonder if they can. Is there another show out there that puts the audience in the head of someone like this? Jenna Maroney is the nearest example I can come up with and she works because she's a supporting character. There's a chance that we are still meant to be at rock bottom and Emily Kapnek is about to give her the Dalia treatment. Who knows? Oh, and that opening music has to change.

Agents of SHIELD "Face My Enemy"
A low stakes episode that was all about bonding. Coulson and May get to do a mission together where they don't feel like administrators and do feel like spies. May gets to do a lot of fighting (never a bad thing). The rest of the gang have beers and reminisce. That's good in and of itself and even better when coupled with Fitz's internal debate about getting involved. I'm not sure that this imaginary Simmons thing won't wear on me. For now it's been very effective.

New Girl "Landline"
As stupid as it was, I could've listened to them marvel at the analog phone for the whole episode ("Whats the rope attached to it?" "It's like the movies."), even though, yes, they are all old enough to remember phones like that. The episode had plenty of other good gags like the sexy CPR board and Coach messing with Vice Principal Day's presentation.

The Mindy Project "The Devil Wears Lands' End"
I dislike stories based on misunderstandings, especially ones that could be easily fixed with about a line of dialogue. Luckily, The Mindy Project is consistently packed with enough jokes and great lines ("The bride was older than me and weighed more than me. Did you notice that?") that I still really enjoyed the episode. There's much worse things to be than a comedy that I only like because it makes me laugh.

Arrow "Sara"
So here's the story. I watched the first season over the summer because I reached critical mass of people saying "you should watch it"and I've wanted to add something CW into my rotation. The second season made it to Netflix recently. I quickly discovered why people were raving about that season and finished in about two days. The CW aren't dicks about posting episodes, so I could easily find the season 3 premiere. All of the sudden, I'm caught up on this show, Wednesdays aren't all that busy, and I want to know what happens next. So, now it's in my DVR.
Specific to this episode, there's a lot of fallout over Sara's death. Expressing emotions is not the biggest strength of the cast as a whole, but they handle it as well as could be hoped. The countdown has begun for how long before Brandon Routh is revealed to be a bad guy or ally or someone who is in a fight scene. I can't wait to see Thea being a badass in the coming weeks. That'll be fun.

Modern Family "Marco Polo"
What is going on with Modern Family this season? It has been a show I'm happy to watch each week. They found a way to have fun with Mitchell being bad luck while still having Cam realize that he wanted him there. Jay and Manny got to have a great talk at the end where Manny got to be a kid for a change. The eponymous  Marco Polo game was a sweet moment for Phil and the family. After five seasons, any audience is used to the beats of a show, so Modern Family won't make me laugh as much as it once did (although Lilly criticizing all the gifts was great). As long as they get the heart of the show right though, I'll happily continue on with it.

Blackish "Crazy Mom"
Another good episode. Dre chasing the "cupcake dad" high went predictably and entertainingly sour. Determining that Rainbow actually likes the "mom stuff" felt like a bit of a cop out. My big takeaway from the episode was actually a throwaway joke at the end. When Dre suggests roleplay and says "You be Harriet Tubman. I'll be Frederick Douglas", Tracee Ellis Ross' reaction is great. Something about it was so honest, it made me believe that was a riff by Anderson and that was the first time she'd heard the joke. It felt like a genuine moment.

Delayed Reaction: Made of Honor

The Pitch: Looking back, I think there was a directive to put as many people from Greys Anatomy in wedding movies as possible.

What Took Me So Long: If I was to break down the numbers, I'm sure they'd show that I've seem about as many Romantic Comedies as I have any kind of movie. They are simple movies that are enjoyable enough (not greatly, not minimally, just enough).

Why I Saw It: Would it be hard to believe that True Detective renewed my interest in Michelle Monaghan? Because that played a pretty big part. I like Patrick Dempsey as well as I can for someone I'm ambivalent about. Like all good RomComs it keeps up with the tradition of filling the supporting cast with reliable funny people to mask the comic limitations of the leads. That means, we get Whitney Cummings, who I still like despite not enjoying her TV show(s), Busy Philipps, who I always like, and Chris Messaina, who I didn't know in 2008 but like now.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: That title kept me away for a long time. Unless I'm completely oblivious about something, the title attempts clever wordplay without any follow-through. Like almost all RomComs, the beats are all familiar, yet I doubt anyone is watching this not prepared for it to be at least a little derivative.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

Movie Reaction: The Judge

Formula: Any movie about a person coming back home to a small town + Any courtroom drama

The rest of the movie is as pretentious as this picture, so you know.

Why I Saw It: I showed up to the movie theater and it was the next movie showing.

Cast: This is clearly a vehicle meant for Robert Downey Jr. to shine and to a lesser extent for Robert Duvall. Beyond the fact that he is a producer, I have no idea what Downey is doing here. He's way too good for this yet he chose to do it. He's playing a cocky high-powered lawyer who realizes that he has a heart of gold. Duvall is Downey's dad: a judge on trial for murder. D'Onofrio is the older brother who was cut short of his potential due to an accident. Jeremy Strong goes "full retard" as the younger brother. Vera Farmiga is the conveniently single old flame who still lives in town. Dax Shepard is fun as Duvall's first lawyer, who is completely in over his head. Don't worry, none of them do anything you wouldn't expect.

Plot: Downey's mother dies. He comes back to the small Indiana town* that he grew up in for the funeral. We quickly and repeatedly learn that Downey doesn't get along with his father due to something he did when he was younger. Duvall gets arrested for a murder that he probably committed. Downey takes his defense, and I don't want to bore you with the rest. If you've ever seen a courtroom drama or a movie about a big city guy coming back to the small town he grew up in then you know exactly what happens.

*I understand that you film where the tax breaks are but the town in that movie couldn't be more New England is if they tried. Why do we have to call this Indiana?

Elephant in the Room: At least the direction is good though, right? Look, for all the movies I see, I still have a pretty limited film vocabulary and eye for things. Even still, this direction was ridiculous and obvious. The week before filming began, I can only assume the director read a book called How to Make Every Shot Look Cool. I'm not supposed to notice how hard the director is trying. Everything was either shot from the other side of a window, or titled , or changes the focus from something close to something far away, or some other trick. Too much.

To Sum Things Up: 
I can only imagine that Robert Downey Jr. assumed this would get him an Oscar. That's not happening, by the way. This as Oscar bait-y as it gets, but there's nothing special about it to make it anything other than a checklist of everything someone thinks a good movie needs. Like, literally, I don't know how Downey does this movie after playing that character in Tropic Thunder. I really disliked this movie. It rubbed me wrong in every imaginable way. 

Verdict (?): Strongly Don't Recommend

Movie Reaction: Gone Girl

Formula: Zodiac * Side Effects

Why I Saw It: Great director and cast. Possible awards player. Guaranteed box office hit. It has all the reasons I see things in theaters covered.

Cast: It's hard to see anyone other than Ben Affleck playing the lead role. He has that put upon handsome guy thing down and when the beats of the story shift, he's ready for it. Rosamund Pike is a force and it's hard to believe it's taken her this long to shine in a major role. Between The Leftovers and this, I'm officially in love with Carrie Coon. This is the most comfortable I've ever seen Tyler Perry and I'd be happy to see this version of him in more movies. Neil Patrick Harris is nice and creepy. Kim Dickens ads some shading to an otherwise generic lead investigator. Patrick Fugit has one of those characters who doesn't really need to be there, but I'm still glad he's in the movie. Very strong cast.

Plot: The mystery is part of the fun, so I'm not about spoilers here. The movie is sold as a mystery about a man who's wife goes missing and he is the primary suspect. That's more like act one. Pike as the wife gets plenty more to do beyond acting out diary entries and the movie becomes less about the mystery (because there is none by the mid-point) and more about how it all plays out. The shift in the story is a little jarring if you aren't prepared for it, although that's part of the fun.

Elephant in the Room: If it's not a mystery, then what is it? I'd lean toward calling it a dark comedy. I know I was chuckling through most of the third act but I was also clearly the person in the theater who was laughing the most. Most of the comedy has to do with irony, not punchlines. There's still plenty of dark, Zodiac-like imagery and it is very tense at times. There's a mix of tones.

To Sum Things Up:
I'm really not sure how this will play for people looking for What Lies Beneath. It's not that movie. Not by the end. The performances are top notch. David Fincher's direction is superb. The story takes you for a ride. I have no complaints.

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend

DVR Purge: 10/2-10/8

So, I'm gone for six days and that's enough to completely overload me with shows on my DVR. It has taken two days just to get everything watched. This will not be a very detailed purge I'm sorry to say. Here it goes...

Past Purges 

Girl Meets World "Girl Meets World: Of Terror"
I'm not sure what it is about Halloween that lends itself to anthologies, but this was a solid collection of stories. I especially enjoyed Auggie's as a twist on the classic "monster under the bed" fear.
-So, Lucas and Farkle are friends to the extent that they go trick r' treating with each other? That friendship is a strange one and almost interests me more than Riley and Maya.

Bad Judge "Pilot"
I missed the part where she was 'bad'. She's a good person who cares too much. Maybe she shouldn't be having sex in her chambers and she drinks a bit, but that's not so bad. I like Kate Walsh but the pilot is a toothless followthrough of the show's title.

A to Z "Pilot"
Cristin Milioti and Ben Feldman are going to carry me through on this one. This is staggeringly similar  to (500) Days of Summer. That's not bad or anything. I just would've thought that if it was going to be this much of a rip-off that Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber would get "inspired by" credits.

Parenthood "Happy Birthday, Zeek"
The shenanigans at the school are distracting and harmless. Sarah eventually nailed her response to Amber's pregnancy. Zeek came to his senses by the end. Joel and Julia are going to be frustrating until the finale. So much of the episode relied on everyone yelling over each other. Still, it's incredible how well they go from hating each other to loving each other. Few shows pull it off as well.

Saturday Night Live "Sarah Silverman/Maroon 5"
Based on how she stumbled over lines and relied on the cue cards, I can see why Silverman didn't last long as a featured player. It was an ok episode and Adam Levine didn't force himself into as many sketches as I expected.

Brooklyn Nine Nine "Chocolate Milk"
I'm kind of tired of vasectomy plots in sitcoms in general. This had enough laughs to make it still funny though.

Mulaney "Pilot"
Good god, John Mulaney can't talk to other people! That was so uncomfortable. He's funny and there's some interesting jokes in the pilot but he has a lot of polishing needed to his performance. I was ready to give this an entire season based on the talent involved. After seeing the pilot, I'll give it a few episodes before dropping it is a possibility.


The Big Bang Theory "The Hook-up Reverberation"
It's good to see they finally brought Raj's girlfriend back. Did anybody else feel cheated by all that talk of investing in the comic book store resulting in nothing? That had potential to be very funny in future episodes.

Gotham "The Balloonman"
This episode didn't try so hard to be "cute". It featured more of Bruce than I needed. Beyond that, solid. The balloonman idea was an interesting one and McKenzie and Logue keep playing up their archetypes.

Scorpion "A Cyclone"
They are pushing the cheese factor pretty early. These first episodes are all about making it clear what the purpose is of everyone on the team and they continue to do that.

Selfie "Un-tag My Heart"
I would love to see the version of this show that doesn't end with Eliza and Henry together. It's good to see they aren't pushing it too hard in that she's seeing other guy[s]. Eliza was far less annoying this time around and Henry proved to be more flawed than a know-it-all. The trick to the show will be about how it side-steps the premise and becomes its own show. The second episode was a good shift.

New Girl "Micro"
I'm all for having more classic Winston and CeCe messarounds. I'm losing track of how many episodes they've done about Jess dating a guy who turns out to be a mess. Still funny though.

Agents of SHIELD "Making Friends and Influencing People"
Simmons is back and that's all that matters. Fitz is starting to function again. Skye is becoming a real agent. Ward isn't getting thrown back into the group too quickly. The direction so far has been good.

The Mindy Project "I Slipped"
They got way more material out of Mindy and Danny's incident than I expected. I'm officially done caring about Jeremy until they get him and Peter out of this feud. Way to go having Morgan furthering himself professionally. That was pleasant and unexpected.

The Middle "Major Anxiety"
Absolutely wonderful episode. Frankie and Mike in the car, worrying about Brick. Sue and Axl bonding over their anxieties on the roof. Both were excellent scenes full of a lot of heart and weren't even ruined when it all devolved into zaniness.

Modern Family "The Cold"
I could not be more pleased with the start of this season. Another great episode. I can't point to a single weak part of the episode, partly because I don't care to. All the kids continue to be the stealth stars of the show.

Black-ish "The Nod"
My favorite episode yet. It still has the strongest voice of all the new comedies this season. It was also nice to break up the twins as individual entities.

Delayed Reaction: Parental Guidance

The Pitch: Parents these days. They're too soft on there kids. Oh, and I like baseball.

What Took Me So Long: Is it possible for a movie to be a more toothless version of Little Fockers?

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Billy Crystal is one of those likable guys in Hollywood, who you are glad to see settle into whatever age he is. I don't know if he was ever "hip" so a PG movie, in which he's the grandfather is a good fit. That it includes his well-documented love of baseball is even more fitting. I enjoy latter-day Bette Midler because she isn't always trying so hard. We know who she is. We know what she does. The audience can immediately fill in the blanks to her back story, and she can play the character honestly instead of big. I'm always happy to see Marisa Tomei in more than a bit part (and this is where I mention how great she look for someone pushing 50. My Cousin Vinny was 20 years ago and she looks virtually the same).

Why I Wish I Hadn't: Because if there's one thing I want to see as much as parents and kids not understanding each other, it's parents and grandparents not understanding each other. It's a completely amiable movie, but it feel like it was written by a grandparent that just learned how to use Final Draft. The modern references involve the conjugation of 'Tweet' and Tony Hawk, so it isn't exactly fresh. There's a certain contempt for modern parenting methods that I do share, but there isn't any original commentary about it. It's not a family film. It's a kids movie aimed to appease parents or grandparents. It's a weird mix.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend