STARRING: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Irfan Khan, Anil KapoorDIRECTOR: Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Millions, 28 Days Later) WRITER: Simon Beaufoy (Full Monty, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day)PLOT: Jamal, a boy from the slums is accused of cheated on Who Wants the be a Millionaire. Flashbacks of his life show how he got the answers and we see his real reason for being on the show.FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 This is the ultimate underdog story, but not in a cheesy sports movie way. Because of the hardships experienced, the love lost, the family torn and the unwavering desire for a better life, the audience is rooting for Jamal from beginning to end. Sometimes even vocally. This is an inspirational tale that shows that love is greater than money. It was truly uplifting.4The characters and the actors who played them pull you into the movie almost immediately. Ayush Mahesh Khedekar as the youngest Jamal is so endearing, you almost want to take him home with you. The child acting, in particular, is nothing short of superb. It probably helped that I didn’t recognize a single actor in the cast; as I found I was easily able to lose myself in their rich performances.
4 The cinematography and editing was captivating. Danny Boyle finds beauty everywhere, even in the slums of India. He also makes great use of the dutch angle (camera tilted almost 45 degrees), especially in a scene where Jamal gives a beggar child a large donation. Slumdog Millionaire is visually stimulating.4 The driving soundtrack kept my heart pounding. Great song/music choices. One of the opening songs used for a chase sequence was so Trainspotting that I had a big smile on my face the whole time. 4 Even the subtitles were well done! They had color behind them and could be found in different places on the screen. I’m tired of the plain yellow subtitles at the bottom and testing my peripheral vision.RECOMMENDATION See it in the Theatre (this has Oscar written all over it!)COMING SOON Film review of Milk
STARRING: Jonny Lee Miller (Smith, Hackers), Victor Garber (Alias, Justice), Natasha Henstridge (Species, Commander in Chief), Julie Gonazlo (Veronica Mars) CREATORS: Greg Berlanti (Everwood, Brothers & Sisters, Dirty Sexy Money) & Marc Guggenheim (Law & Order) PLOT: Eli Stone is a lawyer who keeps having visions from God that sometimes include musical numbers. Some of the lawyers are starting to believe. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 4Another show with a great cast. Miller is wonderful as Eli mixing continuous surprise and stellar lawyer skills. The supporting cast is equally strong.4 I love a good underdog story now and then. Every episode makes you want to root for Eli and the meaningful cases he brings in.4 The first season faltered with Eli believing his visions were more a brain aneurysm than visions from God. This season, he has embraced the images and things are going much better on the show. 4 I love Victor Garber. His skepticism in the first season was pitch-perfect and his sudden belief this season is endearing. I still find it strange to see him sing and dance though (even though he started off as a Broadway actor).4 I wish the visions were a little more spectacular. I guess the budget doesn’t allow for it. Some of the digital effects look very digital. RECOMMENDATION Schedule It (unfortunately, it’s also getting cancelled soon) COMING SOON TV review of How I Met Your Mother
STARRING: Daniel Craig (Casino Royale), Judi Dench (5 Bond films), Mathieu Amalric (Munich, some French films) DIRECTOR: Marc Forster (Kite Runner, Finding Neverland) WRITERS: Paul Haggis (Casino Royale, Crash), Neal Purvis & Robert Wade (Casino Royale, Die Another Day)PLOT: M wants info on a new organization but 007 keeps killing people while avenging the death of Vesper (from Casino Royale).FIVE OBSERVATIONS
*DISCLAIMER: I did watch Casino Royale the same night as Quantum of Solace so the judgments may seem more harsh due to the inevitable comparisons.4 Daniel Craig is still the man. I like Connery’s better but Craig is doing an amazing job as James Bond. He has some great lines, some great facial expressions and some great action moments. Great all around. I also enjoyed his scenes with M. 4 I was not a fan of the action sequences in this Bond film. It’s all Jason Bourne-style which doesn’t work well for 007. I like to know where Bond is jumping, how far away the villain is, what are the obstacles. There are too many close-ups. Casino Royale was much better. I did like the scaffolding/pulley sequence near the beginning of the film. That one rocked!4 You could tell this film was directed by Marc Forster. The studio made a bad choice. Bad MGM. Forster tried to get all artsy with action scenes paralleled with operas and horse races. I like artsy, but not in a James Bond film.4 The villain was not villainous enough. Whatever happened to supervillains like Goldfinger? Also this Bond film didn’t have a torture scene. Bond needs to get tortured. Slow-moving laser, dipped in something, rope swing to the balls. Something! 4 This seems minor but I hated the fonts that were used to introduce each locale. It was a like a little kid making a poster using twenty different styles of writing. Put the location in one of the corners and leave it at that. I was offended as a video editor.RECOMMENDATION Wait for Movie Central (unless of course you’re a die-hard Bond fan)COMING SOON Film review of Slumdog Millionaire
STARRING: Peter Krause (Sports Night, Six Feet Under), Donald Sutherland (JFK, Time to Kill), William Baldwin (Forgetting Sarah Marshall),CREATOR: Craig Wright (Six Feet Under, Brothers & Sisters)
PLOT: Nick George becomes the lawyer for the filthy rich Darling family while trying to keep his home life together and solving his father’s murder. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 4This show has an amazing cast. Even though it’s fun to watch heavy-hitters like Sutherland and Krause, I am more captivated by the lesser-known actors Seth Gabel, Natalie Zea and Glenn Fitzgerald. These three ‘siblings’ get to exhibit the most outrageous behavior. It is very fun to watch.
4 There are some nice twists and turns with the storytelling. The end of each episode usually has some sort of reveal of who is working for whom. It has a very Dynasty feel to it with a bit more edge.4 Nick’s indecisiveness between his wife Lisa (Zoe McLellan) and Karen Darling is starting to get annoying. Make a decision already! 4 The addition of Lucy Liu and full cast member Blair Underwood has been good for the show. They needed more villainous people. I do miss Samaire Armstrong (The OC), although they didn’t give her much to work with last season4 With the large cast and the many twists, it is a little too much to fit in an hour long show. They should focus on two or three stories at a time instead of six or so.
RECOMMENDATION Casual View (unfortunately, it’s probably getting cancelled soon) COMING SOON TV reviews of Eli Stone, How I Met Your Mother
Movie review of Quantum of Solace
You might have noticed this year that I have not seen as many movies as I have in the past. Part of this is because of my blissful relationship but another greater part is the fact that many movies have sucked this year. There haven't been many films that have had me standing in long lines on opening nights. Sure there was Dark Knight and Wall-E, but not much else. This is why I am looking forward to the Christmas movie season, where the Oscar-bait films live and thrive. Here are the top movies that I am eagerly anticipating.4The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Dec 25)David Fincher & Brad Pitt. Awesome. They rocked Seven and Fight Club, bring on a third. I'm even hearing Oscar potential. Let's see how Fincher handles love stories. Pray it doesn't drag.4Slumdog Millionaire (Nov 12)Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) does an endearing underdog story. If you've seen Millions (and I think you should) this one looks like a great companion film. I could be wrong.4Frost/Nixon (Dec 5)Loved the play. Can't wait for the movie. I'm hearing all kinds of Oscar buzz. Looking forward to seeing the chemistry between Frank Langella and Michael Sheen.4Yes Man (Dec 19)Jim Carrey is at his best when he has a great premise to work with. Look at Liar, Liar and Bruce Almighty. In this film, he can't say no. Neither can I.4The Spirit (Dec 25)At first, I thought this was the sequel to Sin City but then found that it just shot in the same style by Frank Miller. I'm game for another graphic novel turned film. Looks ultra-cool and visually awesome.4Valkyrie (Dec 26)I don't care about Tom Cruise's personal life, I think he's a pretty good actor. I don't know why people are laughing at his performance. The thriller aspect looks compelling enough.4Revolutionary Road (Dec 26)DiCaprio and Winslet together again. It looks like a movie in the same time period vein as Mad Men. It's also directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Jarhead), so it'll be great and well shot.4Seven Pounds (Dec 19)Will Smith reunites with his Pursuit of Happyness director for this drama. Don't know what the seven pounds refers to but it looks Pay It Forward-ish. I'm intrigued.4Doubt (Dec 12)The play is supossed to be amazing. So putting Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman together on screen seems like a win-win situation. There's Oscar buzz.4Quantum of Solace (Nov 14)Liked Casino Royale. I'm liking Daniel Craig as Bond (still like Connery better). I know the reviews are mixed but I'm game for another round of action. 4Milk (Nov 26)Not a big Sean Penn fan. The trailer is pulling me in though. It seems well put together even though I find Gus Van Sant a little hit and miss. I'll probably give it a try.So that's what I'll be watching this winter. Hopefully some of these will make it into my year end top 10. Hopefully, I'll be able to find the time to watch them all.
STARRING: Steve Carell (Daily Show, Get Smart), John Krasinski (Leatherheads), Jenna Fischer (Blades of Glory) Rainn Wilson (Six Feet Under)CREATORS: Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant (Extras, BBC’s The Office), Greg Daniels (King of the Hill, Simpsons, SNL)PLOT: Awkwardness abounds in the cubicle offices of a paper supply company. The show is shot documentary-style.FIVE OBSERVATIONS 4What’s most amazing about this show is the fact that they still are able to get loads of laughs from relatable office experiences. The phone call practice between Jim and Dwight that happened a couple of weeks ago (directed by creator Stephen Merchant no less) was some of the best comedy I’ve seen and heard in a long time. Keep these masterful scenes coming!
4 Absolutely loved the Michael Scott-in-love storyline this season. Holly was the perfect girl for him. It just made the breakup in the truck (with Darryl driving) all the more awkward and sad. 4 Separating Jim and Pam made their relationship more realistic but it’s nice to have them back together again. 4 I’ve been half and half on the Dwight-Anglea-Andy love triangle. Dwight is getting some great stuff but Angela is coming off almost too mean. I’m starting to feel sorry for Andy and his utter cluelessness.4 I’ve been missing some of the supporting characters this season. Kevin had way more one-liners last year. Him and Kelly have the best talking head segments. More please.
RECOMMENDATION MUST SEE (We quote it at work the next day) COMING SOON TV reviews of Dirty Sexy Money, How I Met Your Mother Movie review of Quantum of Solace & Winter Movie Preview
Starting in January, we see the long-awaited return of some great television shows. Here is the run down so far.4 Damages - Season 2 (January 7)(This is on the States FX channel, so Canadians can either
download or wait until Showcase decides to air them.)4 24 - Season 7 (January 11)(They start off with their 2day/4hour premeire again. And
don't forget about the 24 TV movie Redemption 11/23)4 Battlestar Galactica - Season 4.2 (January 16)(These are the final episodes of the series. I'll catch up with
Battlestar after these epsiodes air; view the complete season.)4 Lost - Season 5 (January 21)(I've got a few more people addicted to the show since last
season. Unfortunately, my play's dress rehearsal is this night.)
4 Dollhouse - Series Premiere (February 13)(My most anticipated new show of the season. Joss Whedon is back.
Need I say more? It's move to Friday may be a good thing afterall.) No word yet on the return dates for Scrubs (Season 8) or Reaper (Season 2). As for current shows I'm watching. My Own Worst Enemy has been cancelled (thank goodness). Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money and Prison Break are all on the bubble. I hope the networks keep these ones around. Even though Prison Break has been better this year, I can easily let that one go, but Daisies and Money need to stick around. C'mon ABC, give them more time.
STARRING: Christian Slater (Heathers, True Romance), Alfre Woodard (Desperate Housewives), Mike O’Malley (Yes Dear) CREATORS: Jason Smilovic (Kidnapped, Bionic Woman)
PLOT: By day, Henry is an average guy who goes to work and has a wife and kids. By night, Henry becomes Edward the spy. They never knew the other existed. Until now! (Yeah, it’s a Jekyll & Hyde thing.)FIVE OBSERVATIONS 4 They have made this show so much more confusing than it needs to be. The producers insist on giving almost everyone in Henry’s life a double personality. Should have just stuck with one, maybe two. 4 Way too much focus on sex. Yes, we get the fact that Edward now has access to Henry’s wife and no one’s the wiser. Is it cheating? Should we be concerned that Angie enjoys what Edward/Henry does to her at night. Who cares? Get with the spy stuff. 4 Four episodes in an they are still trying to prove to the powers-that-be that Henry/Edward isn’t broken. This is going nowhere fast. It’s a lot more interesting when clueless Henry appears and has to get out of tough jams. It should be like Chuck but way more intense. It isn't.
4 Christian Slater is only so-so in the lead role. He pulls the good/bad stuff off okay but I don’t find his character at all engaging. 4 The only character I enjoy watching is Mike O’Malley as Raymond/Tom. It’s a far departure from his bland Yes Dear role. He looks like he’s having fun even though he’s playing a frustrated agent who has to babysit Slater’s character.
RECOMMENDATION Pretty much Avoid At All Costs.
(As I was writing this, I heard that NBC just cancelled the series. So. . . yeah.) COMING SOON TV reviews of Dirty Sexy Money, The Office. Movie review of Quantum of Solace
STARRING: Milo Ventimiglia (Gilmore Girls), Masi Oka (Scrubs), Adrian Pasdar (Judging Amy), Greg Grunberg (Alias), Hayden Panettiere (Guiding Light)CREATOR: Tim Kring (Crossing Jordan)
PLOT: Ordinary people are developing incredible abilities such as stopping time, flying, reading minds, being indestructible. Havoc ensues.FIVE OBSERVATIONS 4The first season was pretty good. The second season was terrible. This third season is mediocre so far. I’m being far more generous than the writers at Entertainment Weekly. 4 The cast is ginormous. There are about 13 main characters to keep track of, a dozen or so supporting characters (almost all with special abilities too) and they’re still introducing more heroes and villains to the mix. With such a large cast, we hardly get to invest in any of the characters. (Puppetmaster we hardly knew thee.) 4 Suresh is the most infuriating character on series television (even more than Peter Petrelli talking out of the side of his mouth). Suresh’s narration is grating to listen to. Suresh is often working for the bad guys and doesn’t realize it. Suresh is supposed to be this genius scientist who pulls the whole show together, but he has become the anchor that drags the show down. Kill this character please! 4 This show makes me appreciate Lost all the more. Heroes goes for quick fixes no matter how convoluted or unearned. Lost rewards those who stick around. Heroes overuses time travel to confuse the audience while Lost uses it flashbacks/flashforwards to illuminate and pull in its viewers. The characters on Lost are consistent from episode one to present. Watch the pilot of Heroes, Mama Petrelli as a mastermind of good/evil? I call bullshit on that one; there is absolutely no hint of her powerful position.
4 One of the episodes I liked this season was the pairing of HRG & Sylar to foil the bank job. A silly premise but fun to watch. It was like a buddy-cop show. But alas, Sylar was back to the brig at the end of the episode. Or is he out now? Or was that in the future? Or in the past? I really don’t know anymore. RECOMMENDATION Casual View (becoming Avoid at all Costs if it doesn’t change its tune soon) COMING SOON TV reviews of The Office, Entourage, My Own Worst Enemy (waiting for the fifth episode)
STARRING: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Irfan Khan, Anil Kapoor
