Film: Up in the Air

GENRE: Drama

RATING: R for language and sexual content

RUNTIME: 1 hour and 48 minutes

STARRING: George Clooney (Michael Clayton),

Vera Farmiga (The Departed), Anna Kendrick (Twilight)

DIRECTOR: Jason Reitman (Juno)

WRITERS: Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking)

Sheldon Turner (The Longest Yard)

PLOT: A man who makes his living by traveling and firing people trains a new recruit who wants to makes his job obsolete.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 I’ll say it again, George Clooney is so much fun to watch. His character, Ryan Bingham, reminded me of Aaron Eckhart’s Nick Naylor character from Thank You for Smoking except Ryan is a bit more charming than smug.

2 The commentary made on airline travel was brilliant. However, it also seemed like a constant advertisement for American Airlines and Hilton VIP clubs.

3 The film had a perfect pace. Nothing seemed too hurried or dragging. Jason Reitman has mastered the art of letting a film take you on a life-altering journey through an interesting character’s life.

4 Some great small roles for JK Simmons (Spiderman), Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) and Sam Elliot (Thank You for Smoking). I wish they had more time on the screen.

5 The film made me even happier to be married. The loneliness in Clooney’s character was far too familiar.

RECOMMENDATION: Watch it in theatre for Oscar prep

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Sherlock Holmes

Film: Avatar

Disclaimer: I did not see this film in 3D.

(My left eye sucks, Stupid 3D craze)

GENRE: Sci-Fi/Action

RATING: PG-13 for language and violence

RUNTIME: 2 hours and 42 minutes

STARRING: Sam Worthington (Terminator: Salvation),

Zoe Saldana (Star Trek), Sigourney Weaver (Aliens)

DIRECTOR: James Cameron (Titanic, Aliens)

WRITER: James Cameron (Titanic, Terminator)

PLOT: A marine inhabiting an avatar feels a connection to the natives he is supposed to be forcing to relocate.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 Talk about eye candy. This has spectacle written all over it. And it is worth every penny to see in on the big screen. The Navi and the creatures on the planet Pandora looked so real; I often forgot I was looking at CG figures. Also the muscle definition on the creatures was outstanding. The planet itself is breathtaking.

2 Though the running time is long; it is necessary. Throughout the film, I was looking for things that could be cut. Had a hard time finding things that were extraneous. Time went by pretty quickly. My bladder disagrees.

3 Giovanni Ribisi (Gone in 60 Seconds) plays a real dick. And I don’t mean a private investigator. He was so much fun to watch. Wish he had more scenes.

4 Unfortunately the antagonist played by Stephen Lang (Public Enemies) was a little too cartoonishly evil. There was no real justification for his sheer malevolence.

5 The story isn’t as bad as critics say but the environmentalism themes are a little too obvious.

RECOMMENDATION: Watch it on the big screen

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Up In the Air

Film: Invictus

GENRE: Drama/Biography

RATING: PG-13 for brief strong language

RUNTIME: 2 hours and 14 minutes

STARRING: Morgan Freeman (The Dark Knight)

Matt Damon (The Informant!)

DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino)

WRITER: Anthony Peckham (Sherlock Holmes)

PLOT: Nelson Mandela wants the national rugby team to win the World Cup to help his apartheid-torn land

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 Morgan Freeman is captivating as Nelson Mandela. Love the accent. Love the glow in his eyes. Beautifully done.

2 I thought I would be annoyed by Matt Damon’s accent. I wasn’t. His eyebrows annoyed me. Watch his first meeting with Mandela; creepy eyebrows.

3 Even for a cliché underdog sports flick, this one still works. Emotional if not predictable.

4 Clint Eastwood uses the slow motion a little too often. Slow mo on the field to hear the grunts and cracking of ribs during rugby play = good. Slow mo during a celebration in a bar with patron jumping up and down = lame.

5 The score was powerful, but the music choices were laughable and reminded me of Michael W Smith sentimentalism.

RECOMMENDATION: Rent it on DVD

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Up In the Air

Film: Fantastic Mr. Fox

STARRING: George Clooney (Ocean’s Trilogy, Men Who Stare at Goats); Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia; Mamma Mia)

DIRECTOR: Wes Anderson (Rushmore; Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic)
WRITER: Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach (The Life Aquatic)
PLOT: A fox, who is addicted to stealing chickens, angers a group of farmers who take vengeance on him and his family.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 Even though it is stop motion animation, this film is classic Wes Anderson. It has the quirky music, dialogue and character traits, the bird’s eye view shots, the colorful backstory descriptions, the faithful troupe consisting of Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray. If you like Wes Anderson films, this will not disappoint.

4 I loved how the characters acted sophisticated, yet were still animals. Mr. Fox at breakfast was hysterical. Classy until the devouring of food occurs.
4 Being a family film, there should be no foul language. Anderson simply substitutes the word ‘cuss’. It’s genius. Check out this excerpt of dialogue:

Fox: Your comments are valuable, but I'm gonna ignore your advice.
Badger: The cuss you are.
Fox: The cuss am I? Are you cussing with me?
Badger: No, you cussing with me?
Fox: Don't cussing point at me!
Badger: If you're gonna cuss, you're not gonna cuss with me, you little cuss!
Fox You're not gonna cuss with me!
[Both start snarling at each other, and then settle down]
Fox: Just buy the tree.

4 Great voice casting. George Clooney is having a stellar year. He rocks the role or Mr.Fox. Meryl Streep, as his wife, is not too shabby either. Everyone brings their ‘A’ game to this film.

4 It did take me a little bit to get used to the tall thin legs of the characters (reminded me of Jack Skellington) but they eventually grew on me.

RECOMMENDATION
See it in the Theatre

(this is fun for all ages)

COMING SOON

Up in the Air, Sherlock Holmes

Film: The Men Who Stare at Goats

STARRING: George Clooney (Ocean’s Trilogy, Syriana); Ewan McGregor (Angels & Demons, Big Fish); Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski, Surf's Up)
DIRECTOR: Grant Heslov (newcomer)
WRITER: Peter Straughan (How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
PLOT: A reporter tags along with a former member of a military unit that uses paranormal powers in their missions.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4George Clooney is fun to watch. He’s the selling feature of this film, so that’s a good thing. He plays goofy well, much better here than in Burn After Reading. What was weird is that he turns his goofy charm off in the last thirty minutes of the movie. Too bad.
4The film starts with a caption saying the following story is more true than you think. I can imagine the unit but I can’t imagine them going out into the field. I guess this disbelief puts us in the same boat with McGregor’s reporter role.
4The word ‘Jedi’ is thrown around a lot. It kind of took me out of the scenes seeing as McGregor played Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi Knight, in the Star Wars prequels. Was this casting on purpose?
4 Some of the slapstick works, some does not. You can decide which is which.
4 I’d like to see more missions of this bizarre battalion rather than just the training montages.

RECOMMENDATION
Wait for Movie Central

COMING SOON
The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Film: Where the Wild Things Are

STARRING: Max Records (The Brothers Bloom); James Gandolfini (The Sopranos); Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under)
DIRECTOR: Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation)
WRITERS: Spike Jonze (Jackass) & David Eggers (Away We Go)
PLOT: A disobedient child travels to a world filled with wild creatures that crown him their ruler.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 Max Records deserves an Oscar nomination. He makes the movie. Without a great Max, the story doesn’t work. This newcomer brings heart to Where the Wild Things Are. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. The looks on his face speaks volumes to the audience. He never had to say a word. I was captivated.
4Spike Jonze deserves an Oscar nomination. Jonze is a friggin genius. Not only does he get everything he can out of Records, he has constructed a world that is mesmerizing. This is well-crafted art. I expect nothing less from Jonze.
4David Eggers deserves an Oscar nomination. Eggers and Jonze manage to take a minimal storyline and expand it to a fully fleshed out fairy tale. The dialogue is powerful and layered. So much is going on that is not being said. So many connections between the creatures and Max’s own psyche. Amazing work!
4 Casey Storm deserves an Oscar nomination. His costuming of the creatures is outstanding. I am so glad they didn’t resort to CG creatures. The costumes look so raw and real. Watching the fur get more matted and dirty as the film progresses adds to the texture of Where the Wild Things Are. Also, kudos to the actors who lent their voices for the creatures. Brilliant voice casting.
4 Karen O and the Kids deserve Oscar nominations. Their songs add to the richness of the film. I don’t recognize the lyrics but their energy helps sell the emotions behind key scenes in the film.

RECOMMENDATION
See it in the Theatres
(Oscar worthy stuff)

COMING SOON
A Serious Man, The Box

Film: Whip It

STARRING: Ellen Page (Juno, Hard Candy); Marcia Gay Harden (Pollock, Into the Wild); Kristen Wiig (SNL, Knocked Up); Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development)
DIRECTOR: Drew Barrymore (newcomer)
WRITER: Shauna Cross (newcomer)
PLOT: A quirky misfit flees the beauty pageant circuit for a roller derby league without her parents knowing.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 As a first time director, Drew Barrymore get a lot of out of her actresses. While you can tell that they are having a blast filming this story, they also deliver powerful, emotional moments throughout the movie. While many would make an Ellen Page comparison to Juno, I didn’t really connect them. Juno is a lot more sarcastic while Page’s role in Whip It is more vulnerable.
4Kristen Wiig steals the show. Wiig has been rocking hard on SNL lately and she has some very fun scenes in this film, but she also does some solid work as the motherly Maggie Mayhem. She’s a treat to watch.
4Some great acting aside, the story didn’t really grab me. Some great scenes here and there but overall a little cliché and predictable. I didn’t find any of it really surprising. Also the younger sister is in the opening scenes and then we don’t see or hear from her until the end. Little sloppy; and a missed opportunity to work on a sisterly bond or rivalry.
4 I was hoping for more creative cinematography. The roller derby scenes are well done but the rest is pretty standard. Maybe I was hoping for a more Garden State sensibility in the camera movement. Oh well.
4 One thing I really don’t find funny is a food fight. Never have. Never will. Nuff said.

RECOMMENDATION
Wait for DVD/TBS
(Girls=DVD, Boys=TBS)
COMING SOON
Where the Wild Things Are

Film: The Invention of Lying

STARRING: Ricky Gervais (Night at the Museum); Jennifer Garner (13 Going on 30); Rob Lowe (Thank You for Smoking)
DIRECTORS: Matthew Robinson & Ricky Gervais (newcomer)
WRITERS: Matthew Robinson & Ricky Gervais (The Office, Extras)
PLOT: In a world where only the truth is told, Mark Bellison is the first person to lie and uses it to his advantage.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 The first half of The Invention of Lying is genius. Everyone telling the truth is very funny. Coke’s truth in advertising, pre-sipped drinks and the real name of the old folks were stand-outs for me.
4 Unfortunately, the second half of the film falls short. The love story takes way too long to resolve. Things get a bit repetitious and even cliché. It’s too bad the story lost its way.
4What is interesting is not only does everyone speak the truth, they also speak everything that is going on in their mind; almost like an inner monologue. Does keeping things in your head constitute lying? The definition should have been made a bit more clear for the audience. There even seems to be a possible mistake where a waiter is attracted to Rob Lowe’s character but keeps his mouth shut. Double standard or mistake? Who knows?
4 I guess everyone wants to work with Ricky Gervais. There are some fun cameos by Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Bateman and Stephen Merchant. Hope I didn’t ruin it for you.
4 Love Gervais’ narration over the opening company credits. Great start to the film.

RECOMMENDATION
Wait for DVD
(At least the first half)

COMING SOON
Capitalism: A Love Story, Whip It

Film: Zombieland

STARRING: Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland); Woody Harrelson (No Country for Old Men); Emma Stone (Superbad); Abigail Breslin (My Sister’s Keeper)
DIRECTOR: Ruben Fleischer (newcomer)
WRITER: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick (Joe Schmo Show)
PLOT: Less than a handful of virus-survivors band together to take on the world that is overrun by zombies.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 Rule #6: Travel in a Group Talk a about a fun cast. This rag tag group of zombie killers make this film a treat to watch. Eisenberg is wonderfully awkward. Harrelson plays it cool. Stone and Breslin shine as sisterly con artists. Perfect comic timing on all counts; and great use of sarcasm.
4 Rule #32: Enjoy the Little Things Eisenberg’s character narrates the tale but also gives helpful zombie surviving tips with his list of rules. Just the way the titles appear on the screen add to the fun. It made this dark, dark comedy, kind of like Shaun of the Dead. Not bad company to be in.
4 Rule #19 Blend In I don’t want to spoil the cameo but it was fun to see this certain actor again. I love his apology. Some great scenes.
4 Rule #22: Plan Your Escape I don’t like that a couple of group members make a stupid mistake. They have survived this long, why would you want to attract the zombies’ attention to the pretty lights? Little too dumb at that point.
4 Rule #5: No Attachments The zombie are a little gross to look at. Not a big fan of watching that much spitting blood. It reminded me of the 28 Days Later zombies. Don’t know if that was the intention.

RECOMMENDATION
Wait for DVD
(Fun to watch with a group
of people making comments)

COMING SOON
Capitalism: A Love Story, Whip It

Film: The Informant!

STARRING: Matt Damon (Ocean’s 11,12,13, Bourne Trilogy); Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap, Chuck); Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men)
DIRECTOR: Steven Soderbergh (Ocean series, Erin Brockovich)
WRITER: Scott Z Burns (Bourne Ultimatum)
PLOT: A whistle-blower revels in going undercover for the government to stop price-fixing. Then the secrets come out.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 Matt Damon is fun to watch in this film. I was a little tired of everyone focusing on how much weight he gained for the role. His character’s eagerness easily outweighs his waistline. Damon has been making some smart choices lately.
4 It is cool to know that this film is based on a true story. Of course, events are embellished but still, pretty interesting.
4I don’t know why Soderbergh made the film look and sound like the seventies when the story takes place in the nineties. Maybe he was going for a madcap comedy look. I’m still not clear.
4 Fun to see Scott Bakula getting some work lately. But I was wondering why Joel McHale (The Soup, Community) was cast as a button-down FBI agent. Since there was not much humour from him, they could have gotten anyone for that role.
4 If you look in the background of some of the offices onscreen, you’ll see portraits and busts of Lincoln. Nice touch putting Honest Abe on the screen with rooms full of liars.

RECOMMENDATION
Wait for DVD
(Fun but not big screen worthy)

COMING SOON
The Invention of Lying, Capitalism: A Love Story

2009 Emmy Awards, Part III

So here’s my recap of this year’s Emmy Awards. Some of the big categories were predictable with repeat wins. The supporting actors and writer/director awards were all over the place. I bet no one had a perfect scorecard at the end of the night. Of the 17 categories I predicted, I got five right and four I really wanted to win. Terrible showing but still a pretty good awards show, despite Stephen Colbert not even presenting an award!

Highlights from the show:
4 Neil Patrick Harris opening number and hosting in general
4 The set looked simple and not overdone like MTV
4 Harris losing to Jon Cryer in style
4 Sarah Silverman keeps serious while sporting a mustache
4 Amazing Race keeps winning! NPH ‘upset’ comment is priceless.
4 Dr. Horrible returns! Yipee!
4 Conan has the best writer intro with his facebook status
4 Jimmy Fallon is very funny with his auto-tune
4 Ricky Gervais kills as a presenter. Funny stuff!
4 Nice to see Lost get something with Ben’s win

Lowlights from the show
4 Jon Cryer stealing an Emmy from others far more deserving
4 Why do guest actor/actress Fey and Timberlake make a speech
4 Do I need to see Stewie beat up Bryan again?
4 Didn’t see the mini-series or TV-movies so I’m quite bored
4 Sad that Motherlover didn’t win
4 Drama montage missing a lot of shows.
4 Wow, lots of commercials this year. No wonder it goes over.

Drama Series: Mad Men (predicted to win)
Comedy Series: 30 Rock (predicted to win)
Variety Series: Daily Show
Reality Competition: Amazing Race (predicted & wanted to win)
Lead Actor (Drama): Bryan Cranston
Lead Actress (Drama): Glenn Close (predicted & wanted to win)
Lead Actor (Comedy): Alec Baldwin
Lead Actress (Comedy): Toni Collette
Supporting Actor (Drama): Michael Emerson
Supporting Actress (Drama): Cherry Jones
Supporting Actor (Comedy): Jon Cryer
Supporting Actress (Comedy): Kristin Chenoweth (wanted to win)
Writing (Variety): Daily Show (predicted to win)
Writing (Drama): Mad Men – Meditation s in an Emergency
Writing (Comedy): 30 Rock – Reunion
Directing (Drama): ER – And in the End
Directing (Comedy): Office – Stress Relief (wanted to win)

Hope I do a lot better next year. Lost needs some love.

2009 Emmy Awards, Part II

Emmys are this weekend. I’m overjoyed to have Neil Patrick Harris hosting the festivies, especially after last year’s abysmal reality show host debacle. Last weekend they did the Creative Arts Emmys. For my five categories here’s what happened: 30 Rock beat How I Met Your Mother in Picture Editing, Coke’s Heist commercial beat out Hulu and United States of Tara won Main Titles which I’m not too sad about. I am pleased to announce that Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog won for Outstanding Special Class Media. Finally an Emmy for Joss Whedon. What I found odd about the Creative Emmy results is that there was no mention for Outstanding Music & Lyrics. Maybe 'Motherlover' will be sung this Sunday. Who knows?

Just like precvious years, here are my predictions for Sunday’s Emmys. Again, I play to win but am happy if the one ‘I want to win’ takes the statue. Also, I don’t predict mini-series but if you’re a gambler, put your money on HBO’s Little Dorritt. Here now are the fearless predictions:

Drama Series
Big Love / Breaking Bad / Damages / Dexter / House / Mad Men / Lost
4Who I think will win: Mad Men (shocked if they lose)
4Who I want to win: Breaking Bad (compelling season)
4Who I don’t want to win: Big Love (don’t watch the show)

Comedy Series
Entourage / Family Guy / Flight of the Conchords / How I Met Your Mother / The Office / 30 Rock / Weeds
4Who I think will win: 30 Rock (Critics still love this show)
4Who I want to win: The Office (Still funnier than 30 Rock)
4Who I don’t want to win: Weeds (It’s on the decline)

Variety, Music or Comedy Series
The Colbert Report / The Daily Show with Jon Stewart / Late Show with David Letterman / Real Time with Bill Maher / SNL
4Who I think will win: The Colbert Report (He went to Iraq. C’mon!)
4Who I want to win: The Colbert Report (It’s his time)
4Who I don’t want to win: Real Time with Bill Maher (Don’t like him)

Reality - Competition Program
The Amazing Race / American Idol / Dancing with the Stars / Project Runway / Top Chef
4Who I think will win: Amazing Race (Keep the streak alive!)
4Who I want to win: Amazing Race (Still rocks)
4Who I don’t want to win: American Idol (Too much of a sellout)

Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Breaking Bad Bryan Cranston as Walt White / Dexter Michael C Hall as Dexter Morgan / House Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House / In Treatment Gabriel Byrne as Paul / Mad Men Jon Hamm as Don Draper / The Mentalist Simon Baker as Patrick Jane
4Who I think will win: Jon Hamm (Won't lose to Cranston this year)
4Who I want to win: Hugh Laurie (I like his speeches)
4Who I don’t want to win: Simon Baker (Others are more deserving)

Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Brothers & Sisters Sally Field as Nora Walker / The Closer Kyra Sedjwick as Brenda Johnson / Damages Glenn Close as Patty Hewes / Law & Order: SVU Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson / Mad Men Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson / Saving Grace Holly Hunter as Grace Hanadarko
4Who I think will win: Glenn Close (She rocks Damages)
4Who I want to win: Glenn Close (I like Elisabeth Moss too)
4Who I don’t want to win: Sally Field (She's won too often)

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper / Flight of the Conchords Jermaine Clement as Jermaine / Monk Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk / The Office Steve Carell as Michael Scott / 30 Rock Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy / Two and A Half Men Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper
4Who I think will win: Jim Parsons (hilarious)
4Who I want to win: Jim Parson (Bath Gift episode is genuius)
4Who I don’t want to win: Tony Shalhoub (Please, no)

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
The New Adventures of Old Christine Julia Louise Dreyfus as Christine Campell / Samantha Who? Christina Applegate as Samantha Newly / The Sarah Silverman Program Sarah Silverman as Sarah Silverman / 30 Rock Tina Fey as Liz Lemon / United States of Tara Toni Collette as Tara Gregson / Weeds Mary Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin
4Who I think will win: Tina Fey (Still the funniest)
4Who I want to win: Tina Fey (Keep the awards coming)
4Who I don’t want to win: Julia Louise Dreyfus (No reason)

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Boston Legal William Shatner as Denny Crane / Boston Legal Christian Clemenson as Jerry Espenson / Breaking Bad Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman / Damages William Hurt as Daniel Purcell / Lost Michael Emerson as Benjamin Linus / Mad Men John Slattery as Roger Sterling

4Who I think will win: William Shatner (Voters are stupid sometimes)
4Who I want to win: Aaron Paul (He was amazing this season)
4Who I don’t want to win: Boston Legal guys (The show has run its course)

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Damages Rose Byrne as Ellen Parsons / Grey’s Anatomy Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey / Grey’s Anatomy Sandra Oh as Christina Yang / In Treatment Dianne Wiest as Dr. Gina Toll / In Treatment Hope Davis as Mia / 24 Cherry Jones as President Taylor
4Who I think will win: Dianne Wiest (She’s a seasoned actress)
4Who I want to win: Rose Byrne (Only show I watch)
4Who I don’t want to win: Don’t really care

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Entourage Kevin Dillon as Johnny Drama / How I Met Your Mother Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson / The Office Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute / 30 Rock Jack McBrayer as Kenneth Parcell / 30 Rock Tracey Morgan as Tracey Jordan / Two and a Half Men Jon Cryer as Alan Harper
4Who I think will win: Tracey Morgan (This category is wide open)
4Who I want to win: Neil Patrick Harris (He deserves it more)
4Who I don’t want to win: Jon Cryer (Too whiny)

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Pushing Daisies Kristin Chenoweth as Olive Snook / SNL Amy Poehler as Performer / SNL Kristin Wiig as Performer / 30 Rock Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney / Ugly Betty Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater / Weeds Elizabeth Perkins as Celia Hodes
4Who I think will win: Amy Poehler (Long overdue)
4Who I want to win: Kristin Wiig or Chenoweth (Both are hilarious)
4Who I don’t want to win: Vanessa Williams (Don’t like her)

Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series
The Colbert Report / Daily Show with Jon Stewart / Late Night with Conan O’Brien / Late Show with David Letterman / SNL
4Who I think will win: The Daily Show (It’s the most topical)
4Who I want to win: Colbert Report (I just want him to win more)
4Who I don’t want to win: I like all the shows this year

Writing for a Drama Series
Lost The Incident / Mad Men A Night to Remember / Mad Men Six Month Leave / Mad Men The Jet Set / Mad Men Meditations in an Emergency
4Who I think will win: The Jet Set (Some reason critics like this one)
4Who I want to win: A Night to Remember (Much better episode)
4Who I don’t want to win: The Jet Set (I think it’s the weakest one)

Writing for a Comedy Series
Flight of the Conchords Prime Minister / 30 Rock Renuion / 30 Rock Apollo, Apollo / 30 Rock Mamma Mia / 30 Rock Kidney Now!
4Who I think will win: Apollo, Apollo (Lots of nominations)
4Who I want to win: Prime Minister (Sometimes like the upset)
4Who I don’t want to win: I like all the episodes

Directing for a Drama Series
Battlestar Galactica Daybreak / Boston Legal Last Call / Damages Trust Me / ER And in the End / Mad Men The Jet Set
4Who I think will win: The Jet Set (More for Mad Men)
4Who I want to win: Daybreak (Solid season ender)
4Who I don’t want to win: Last Call (It's won enough stuff)

Directing for a Comedy Series
Entourage Tree Trippers / Flight of the Cochords The Tough Brets / The Office Stress Relief / 30 Rock Apollo, Apollo / 30 Rock Reunion / 30 Rock Generalissimo
4Who I think will win: Apollo, Apollo (They like this for some reason)
4Who I want to win: Stress Relief (For the opening sequence alone)
4Who I don’t want to win: Generalissimo (Too slap-sticky)

Let’s see how I do on Sunday. I’ll give the results shortly thereafter.

2009 Emmy Awards, Part I

It’s Emmy Time again. Doin’ the same thing I’ve done for previous years. Part I = my dream nominations. Part II = actual predictions. Part III = results and wrap up. Also, I pick five people I want to win for Creative Arts Emmy. Here are the five this year: Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog for Outstanding Special Class Media, SNL’s Motherlover for Original Music & Lyrics, Picture Editing for a Comedy Series should go to How I Met Your Mother – Naked Man for all their naked man poses alone, the filmtastic storyboard elements of Storymakers should win Outstanding Title Design (although United States of Tara’s pop-up theme is fun) and for Best Commercial, I’m going for Alec in Huluwood, the concept works for me (Sprint Nextel’s Wedding spot is pretty funny too). Here are the nominess I would have picked in some of the bigger categories:

4 My Picks for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Battlestar Galactica Edward James Olmos as William Adama / Breaking Bad Bryan Cranston as Walter White / Friday Night Lights Kyle Chandler as Eric Taylor / House Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House / Lost Josh Holloway as James ‘Sawyer’ Ford / Mad Men Jon Hamm as Don Draper
4 Actual Nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Breaking Bad Bryan Cranston as Walt White / Dexter Michael C Hall as Dexter Morgan / House Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House / In Treatment Gabriel Byrne as Paul / Mad Men Jon Hamm as Don Draper / The Mentalist Simon Baker as Patrick Jane

4 My Picks for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Battlestar Galactica Katee Sackhoff as Kara ‘Starbuck’ Thrace / Damages Glenn Close as Patty Hewes / Dexter Jennifer Carpenter as Debra Morgan / Friday Night Lights Connie Britton as Tami Taylor / Mad Men Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson / Mad Men January Jones as Betty Draper
4 Actual Nominees for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Brothers & Sisters Sally Field as Nora Walker / The Closer Kyra Sedjwick as Brenda Johnson / Damages Glenn Close as Patty Hewes / Law & Order: SVU Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson / Mad Men Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson / Saving Grace Holly Hunter as Grace Hanadarko

4 My Picks for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Big Bang Theory Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper / Chuck Zachary Levi as Chuck Bartowski / Flight of the Conchords Jermaine Clement as Jermaine / The Office John Kransinsi as Jim Halpert / Pushing Daisies Lee Pace as Ned / 30 Rock Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy
4 Actual Nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Big Bang Theory Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper / Flight of the Conchords Jermaine Clement as Jermaine / Monk Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk / The Office Steve Carell as Michael Scott / 30 Rock Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy / Two and A Half Men Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper

4 My Picks for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
How I Met Your Mother Colbie Smulders as Robin Scherbatsky / The Office Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly / Samantha Who? Chistina Applegate as Samantha Newly / Scrubs Sarah Chalke as Elliot Reed / 30 Rock Tina Fey as Liz Lemon / United States of Tara Toni Collette as Tara Gregson
4 Actual Nominees for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
The New Adventures of Old Christine Julia Louise Dreyfus as Christine Campell / Samantha Who? Christina Applegate as Samantha Newly / The Sarah Silverman Program Sarah Silverman as Sarah Silverman / 30 Rock Tina Fey as Liz Lemon / United States of Tara Toni Collette as Tara Gregson / Weeds Mary Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin

4 My Picks for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Breaking Bad Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman / Dollhouse Fran Kranz as Topher Brink / Fringe John Noble as Dr. Walter Bishop / Lost Michael Emerson as Benjamin Linus / Mad Men John Slattery as Roger Sterling / Mad Men Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campell
4 Actual Nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Boston Legal William Shatner as Denny Crane / Boston Legal Christian Clemenson as Jerry Espenson / Breaking Bad Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman / Damages William Hurt as Daniel Purcell / Lost Michael Emerson as Benjamin Linus / Mad Men John Slattery as Roger Sterling

4 My Picks for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Battlestar Galactica Grace Park as Sharon ‘Athena’ Agathorn / Battlestar Galactica Tricia Helfer as Number Six / Damages Rose Byrne as Ellen Parsons / Dexter Julie Benz as Rita Bennett/ Dollhouse Amy Acker as Dr. Claire Saunders / Mad Men Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway
4 Actual Nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Damages Rose Byrne as Ellen Parsons / Grey’s Anatomy Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey / Grey’s Anatomy Sandra Oh as Christina Yang / In Treatment Dianne Wiest as Dr. Gina Toll / In Treatment Hope Davis as Mia / 24 Cherry Jones as President Allison Taylor

4 My Picks for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Chuck Adam Baldwin as John Casey / How I Met Your Mother Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson / Pushing Daisies Chi McBride as Emerson Cod / 30 Rock Jack McBrayer as Kenneth Parcell / 30 Rock Tracey Morgan as Tracey Jordan / Two and a Half Men Angus T Jones as Jake Harper
4 Actual Nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Entourage Kevin Dillon as Johnny Drama / How I Met Your Mother Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson / The Office Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute / 30 Rock Jack McBrayer as Kenneth Parcell / 30 Rock Tracey Morgan as Tracey Jordan / Two and a Half Men Jon Cryer as Alan Harper


4 My Picks for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Big Bang Theory Kaley Cuocco as Penny / Chuck Yvonne Strahovski as Sarah Walker / Pushing Daisies Kristin Chenoweth as Olive Snook / SNL Amy Poehler as Performer / SNL Kristin Wiig as Performer / 30 Rock Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney
4 Actual Nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Pushing Daisies Kristin Chenoweth as Olive Snook / SNL Amy Poehler as Performer / SNL Kristin Wiig as Performer / 30 Rock Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney / Ugly Betty Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater / Weeds Elizabeth Perkins as Celia Hodes

4 My Picks for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Battlestar Galactica • The Oath/Blood on the Scales – A riveting mutiny with tragic results / Breaking Bad • 4 Days Out – Beautifully shot episode with loads of meth making in the desert/ Damages • Trust Me – Great season finale where nothing is what it seemed / House • Locked In – The episode is taken almost completely from a patients POV who can’t talk / Lost • 316 – The Oceanic 6 get back on the plane and await their fate / Mad Men • The Gold Violin – Betty finds out about Don, Ken had dinner at Sal’s, very dramatic episode
4 Actual Nominees for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Lost • The Incident / Mad Men • A Night to Remember / Mad Men • Six Month Leave / Mad Men • The Jet Set / Mad Men • Meditations in an Emergency

4 My Picks for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Big Bang Theory • The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis – Sheldon’s outpouring of gratitude at the end of episode is hilarious/ Chuck • Chuck Vs Tom Sawyer – The fate of the world hinges on Chuck getting to a videogame kill screen / How I Met Your Mother • Murtaugh – Barney does Ted’s list that says he’s too old for activities / The Office • Customer Survey – Jim, Dwight and Michael doing a phone manner demo is priceless / Pushing Daisies • Comfort Food – Ned and Olive working together at a bake sale is sweet fun/ 30 Rock • Believe in the Stars – Liz sees Oprah on a plane, Jenna tries to be black which Tracey tries to be a woman
4 Actual Nominees for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Flight of the Conchords • Prime Minister / 30 Rock • Renuion / 30 Rock • Apollo, Apollo / 30 Rock • Mamma Mia / 30 Rock • Kidney Now!

4 My Picks for Outstanding Drama Series
Battlestar Galactica / Breaking Bad / Damages / House / Lost / Mad Men
4 Actual Nominees for Outstanding Drama Series
Big Love / Breaking Bad / Damages / Dexter / House / Lost / Mad Men

4 My Picks for Outstanding Comedy Series
Big Bang Theory / Flight of the Conchords / How I Met Your Mother / The Office / Pushing Daisies / 30 Rock
4 Actual Nominees for Outstanding Comedy Series
Entourage / Family Guy / Flight of the Conchords / How I Met Your Mother / The Office / 30 Rock / Weeds

My predictions will be in the next blog. Stay tuned.

TV: Fall TV Preview

And away we go . . .

NEW SHOWS (HOPEFULS)
These are the shows I’ll try for a few weeks. I haven’t been able to preview all of them yet. These are merely guesses.

GLEE
Premiere: Wednesday, Sept. 9; 9:00pm on FOX
Premise: A beloved teacher revives a glee club full of loner students.
Pedigree: Created by Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck; Popular)
What looks good: The singing does sound good. Jane Lynch is pretty funny.
Why I’m worried: How far can the premise go? I know nothing about glee clubs. Also, Fox has spent too much time hyping this show. Don’t count your chickens...

COMMUNITY
Premiere: Thursday, Sept 17; 9:30pm on NBC
Premise: A lawyer with a revoked degree returns to community college
Pedigree: Created by Dan Harmon (Sarah Silverman Show; Monster House)
What looks good: Joel McHale (The Soup) is quick and sharp. Some great one-liners. Reminds me of the movie Van Wilder.
Why I’m worried: Hope I care about the characters. Chevy Chase could get annoying.

BORED TO DEATH
Premiere: Sunday, Sept 20; 9:30pm on HBO
Premise: A struggling writer reinvents himself as a private detective.
Pedigree: Stars Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore)
What looks good: Ted Danson (Cheers) and Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) also star. Those three actors alone make this show worth watching
Why I’m worried: Not enough people have heard about it, meaning low ratings may sink this comedic ship.

COUGAR TOWN
Premiere: Wednesday, Sept 23; 9:30pm on ABC
Premise: A 40-year-old divorcee tries to reenter the dating game.
Pedigree: Created by Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Spin City)
What looks good: This looks like a fun role for Courtney Cox. I trust the comedy of Bill Lawrence. Great supporting cast too.
Why I’m worried: The cougar angle has been overdone. I should note that the town in which they live have a football team called The Cougars. Maybe it will focus more on them. Doubt it though.

FLASH FORWARD
Premiere: Thursday, Sept 24; 8:00pm on ABC
Premise: Everyone blacks out and sees their future.
Pedigree: Created by David S Goyer (Batman Begins, Dark Knight writer)
What looks good: A lot of people are comparing the intensity to Lost. Great cast and interesting story.
Why I’m worried: How long can this story last? How long will it take to get to their vision of the future?

THE MIDDLE
Premiere: Wednesday, Sept 30; 8:30pm on ABC
Premise: Basically Malcom in the Middle from the mother’s point of view.
Pedigree: Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline worked on How I Met Your Mother
What looks good: I like Neil Flynn (Janitor on Scrubs).
Why I’m worried: Hoping it’s not too sappy. Or that it tries to hard to be like Malcom in the Middle.

NEW SHOWS (NO THANKS)
These are shows I’m most likely not going to watch for some reason or other. Here are some of the reasons.

Accidentally on Purpose: Jenna Elfman? No thanks.
The Beautiful Life: I storingly dislike Mischa Barton.
Brothers: Seems like a mixture of sappy and sass.
The Cleveland Show: Enough seth McFarland please.
Eastwick: The movie didn’t work for me. I doubt the show would.
The Forgotten: No more crime procedurals for me.
The Good Wife: Don’t like the cast. The plot looks boring.
Hank: Kelsey Grammer just keeps playing Frasier with different names.
Melrose Place: Didn’t watch the original. Don’t care to now.
Mercy: Looks an awful lot like Grey’s Anatomy. Pass.
Modern Family: Too many documetary style shows already.
NCIS: Los Angeles: Didn’t watch the original. Too CSI-y
Three Rivers: Looks mind-numbingly boring
Trauma: No more medical shows. House is enough for me.
Vampire Diaries: Talk about jumping on the Twilight bandwagon.

RETURNING SHOWS
These are shows I’m still watching this year. Here are the reasons.

Simpsons (21st Season): It’s still funny after all these years.
Family Guy (8th Season): Star Wars parodies alone are worth it.
Curb Your Enthusiasm (7th Season): Seinfeld is reunited. Can’t wait.
Mad Men (3rd Season): Such a well written show. Captivating.
Amazing Race (14th Season): There’s a reason it wins awards.
Dexter (4th Season): Wonder how the baby will change Dexter.
Entourage (6th Season): Sick of Eric, love the rest.
How I Met Your Mother (5th Season): NPH. Need I say more?
House (6th Season): Still formula but still worth watching.
2½ Men (7th Season): The laughs keep coming.
Big Bang Theory (3rd Season): Not just for geeks. Very funny.
SNL Thursdays (2nd Season): Love the Weekend Updates.
Parks & Recreation (2nd Season): The show is growing on me. Fast.
The Office (6th Season): Wonder how the marriage will affect the show.
Fringe (2nd Season): They introduced some pretty cool things last season.
Smallville (9th Season): Could this season finally be the end?
Dollhouse (2nd Season): Let’s see Joss earn his stay of execution.

RETURNING SHOWS (NO THANKS)
These are shows I’m tired of and therefore letting go from my schedule.

American Dad: Sunday night is just too busy for this
Heroes: I’m sick of the lazy writing. Only the first season is good.
CSI: Don’t like Laurence Fishburne.

THE FALL SCHEDULE
Here’s my geeky colour-coded fall schedule. Sunday also includes Family Guy and Entourage but they will have to be taped due to the busy-ness of the night. Sunday is the only night with conflicts. It will be nice to have a break on Tuesday this year. Of course, the schedule will change around a bunch in October with new shows, returning shows and cancelled shows messing everything up. October brings us 30 Rock, Nip/Tuck and Friday Night Lights. We’ll see where eveything slots in at that time. Till then though, here’s my TV schedule.

There you have it. My next posts will be about the Emmy Awards and the Fall/Winter Movie Preview. Stay Tuned.

TV: Summer Viewing

Summer is over. I saw some movies and wrote some reviews. You may be asking, “What about television?” Well, now it’s time to switch gears back to my addiction to the tube. Before I begin reviewing the new season, I thought I would quickly reflect on my summer television viewing. While most people use the summer break to catch up on reading and stuff, I like to catch up on television shows I may have missed, as well as revisit some quality shows, mostly to expose my new wife to exceptional television. Here’s the reviews in a nutshell:

Battlestar Galactica: Season 4
4 Didn't like Baltar’s story that much. Loved Adama’s however.
4 The mutiny two-part episode was riveting. May be best eps ever.
4 These guys know how to end a series. Classy.

Breaking Bad: Season 1 & 2
4 You won’t think Bryan Cranston = Malcom in the Middle dad again
4 Aaron Paul practically steals the whole show as Jesse Pinkman
4 Beautiful cinematography in some of the episodes.

The Big Bang Theory: Season 1 & 2
4 A lot funnier than I thought it would be. The premise actually works.
4 Jim Parsons is frickin’ hilarious. Amazing work.
4 Don’t need the love story but I can see why the producers do.

Friday Night Lights: Season 1, 2 & 3
4 I haven’t been this surprised with liking a series since West Wing
4 Season 1 & 3 are fantastic. Season 2 is terrible. Nice comeback.
4 Finally a realistic married couple on TV. Good job Taylors!

John Adams: Mini-series
4 Paul Giamatti is brilliant. So is Tom Wilkinson.
4 It’s nice to learn some history while being entertained
4 A little too much on his later life, the early is life is better.

Weeds: Season 5
4 This show is getting more and more ludicrous with each episode.
4 I have a hard time rooting for a such a terrible mother. So annoying.
4 I’m hoping the cliffhanger has them move again next season

Entourage: Season 6
4 This season is more on the entourage than Vince. Not sure about it.
4 Eric’s wishy-washiness with women is pretty annoying this season.
4 Ari and Drama’s storylines are pretty good this time out.

ReWatched Damages: Season 1 & 2
4 Great storytelling with many twists and turns to keep you guessing.

ReWatched Mad Men: Season 1 & 2
4 Such an intelligent and subtle show. Enjoying Season 3 so far.

ReWatched Dead Like Me: Season 1 & 2
4 Fun look at death, though they revisit some themes a little too often

And there you have it. That was my summer viewing. Coming very soon is my fall TV schedule as well as reviews of the some of the new shows debuting in a couple weeks. As a heads up, you might want to check out Glee. Not sure yet if it’s worth all the hype, but I’ll be giving it a chance.