TV: Scrubs

STARRING: Zach Braff (Garden State), Sarah Chalke (Roseanne), Donald Faison (Clueless), John C McGinley (Identity, Office Space)
CREATOR: Bill Lawrence (Spin City, Nobody’s Watching)
PLOT: Through the eyes of John 'JD' Dorian, we get an unconventional look of how Sacred Heart Hospital deals with medicine, friendship and life.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 NBC kept hiding Scrubs for seven years and did a piss-poor job with its “out-of-order” dream sequence ‘series finale’ last May. It’s great to see this very funny comedy getting the respect it deserves on its new network, ABC. There’s some new energy this year and I’m confident they will do a great job ending the series on their own terms.
4 The show added some interns this year and they are fitting in nicely. Aziz Ansari (Human Giant, upcoming Amy Pohler show) is wonderfully weird as Ed and Eliza Coupe is a great contrast to JD as the un-emotional Denise.
4 Speaking of emotions, Scrubs manages to wear its emotions on its sleeve. Mixed with the off-beat craziness, Scrubs still provides meaningful storylines. The second episode this season dealt with death in a very real and profound way. Nice work.
4 JD’s imagination has been a little off this season. The first three or four seasons were amazing, but now, some of the wacky images seem a little forced. The recent Sesame Street edition was kind of funny, but didn’t seem to fit all that well.
4 Scrubs always has someone on the cast with bad hair. Usually its John C McGinely. He’s had some bad perms in the past. This year, the ‘winner’ is Zach Braff. Not liking the facial hair. Are they trying to make him seem older and more responsible? Is it for a movie he’s doing on the side? It’s not working for me.

RECOMMENDATION
Casual View

COMING SOON
TV reviews of 30 Rock and Damages

TV: House

STARRING: Hugh Laurie (Blackadder, Stuart Little), Lisa Edelstein (West Wing), Omar Epps (ER, Mod Squad), Robert Sean Leonard (Dead Poet’s Society, Swing Kids)
CREATOR: David Shore (Traders, Family Law, Law & Order)
PLOT: A grouchy, brilliant doctor specializes in diagnosing puzzling cases while berating his team of doctor sidekicks.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 Everything hinges on Hugh Laurie. And this man is brilliant. He’s the reason to watch every week. I thought I would get tired of his mean-spirited sarcasm but I still enjoy every caustic thing that comes out of his mouth. Laurie plays the character to perfection. I also love knowing that he has to master the American accent being British and all.
4 I find the ‘bromance’ between JD and Turk on Scrubs a little much, but the dynamic between House and Wilson on House is undeniable. The beginning of the season did a great job of showing why these polar opposites need each other. Unfortunately, House and Cuddy’s budding romance has moved this story to the backseat.
4 The show still seems a little formulaic for me. They think they’ve healed the patient with twenty minutes to go. But it all goes wrong. Then House talks to someone on staff or someone in the clinic and gets his medical epiphany so he can solve the case with only two minutes left. This is probably why I enjoyed the 'House’s Head' episode last season, where House tried to piece together the bus accident that ultimately took Cutthroat Bitches’ life.
4 The rest of the cast works well enough. The don’t get to have as much fun as Hugh Laurie. Part of that is the writing. I get a little annoyed when the team is bothered by House’s antics. They know what they signed on for. I guess that’s why I like Kal Penn’s Kutner the best because he’s just a big suck-up.
4 I hate Thirteen. Olivia Wilde is nice enough to look at but her character is so annoying. And her relationship with Foreman? Could not care less about these two. It looks so forced unlike Cameron and Chase who are only given brief cameos these days.

RECOMMENDATION
Must See (especially the crazy, bizarre cases)

COMING SOON
TV reviews of 30 Rock and Damages

Film: Oscar Nomination Predictions

Oscar nominations come out this Thursday. Every year I like to predict who will be nominated in each category (except the short films). These are not always who I want in the category but what or who will be chosen. I have also included a 'For Your Conisderation' for people and films I wish the Academy would recogonize. Some of these are more pipe-dreams than others. Some have a chance, some are way out in left field. Anyway, here's the list:

Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button / Frost/Nixon / Milk / Revolutionary Road / Slumdog Millionaire
For Your Consideration: The Dark Knight

Best Actor
Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) / Sean Penn (Milk) / Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) / Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) / Richard Jenkins (The Visitor)
For Your Consideration: James Brolin (W)

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) / Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) / Angelina Jolie (Changeling) / Meryl Streep (Doubt) / Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road)
For Your Consideration: Michelle Williams (Wendy and Lucy)

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder) / Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt) / Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) / Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) / Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)
For Your Consideration: Peter Dinklage (Prince Caspian)

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams (Doubt) / Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) / Viola Davis (Doubt) / Taraji P Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) / Kate Winslet (The Reader)
For Your Consideration: Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man)

Best Director
Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) / David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) / Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon) / Gus Van Sant (Milk) / Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight)
For Your Consideration: Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road)

Best Original Screenplay
Woody Allen (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) / Dustin Lance Black (Milk) / Tom McCarthy (The Visitor) / Robert Siegel (The Wrestler) / Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon (Wall-E)
For Your Conisderation: Charlie Kaufman (Synecdoche, New York)

Best Adapted Screenplay
Eric Roth (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) / John Patrick Shanley (Doubt) / Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) / Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) / Jonathan & Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight)
For Your Consideration: Justin Haythe (Revolutionary Road)

Best Foreign Film
Tear This Heart Out / The Baader Meinhof Complex / The Class / Waltz With Bashir/ 3 Monkeys
For Your Consideration: Son of Ranbow

Best Documentary
Man on Wire / Pray the Devil Back to Hell / Fuel / Standard Operating Procedure / Trouble With Water
For Your Consideration: No idea

Best Animated Film
Wall-E / Kung Fu Panda / Waltz With Bashir
For Your Consideration: Horton Hears a Who

Best Song
The Wrestler (The Wrestler) / Jai Ho (Slumdog Millionaire) / I Thought I Lost You (Bolt) / Down to Earth (Wall-E)
For Your Consideration: Rock Me Sexy Jesus (Hamlet 2) & Dracula’s Lament (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) (tie)

Best Score
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button / Slumdog Millionaire / Wall-E / The Dark Knight / Australia
For Your Consideration: Indiana Jones

Best Art Direction
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button / Slumdog Millionaire / The Dark Knight / The Duchess / Australia
For Your Consideration: Wall-E

Best Cinematography
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button / Slumdog Millionaire / Australia / The Dark Knight / The Reader
For Your Consideration: Valkyrie

Best Costume
Sex & the City / Prince Caspian / The Curious Case of Benjamin Button / The Duchess / Changeling
For Your Consideration: Milk

Best Make-Up
Hellboy II / The Dark Knight / The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
For Your Consideration: The Reader

Best Editing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button / Slumdog Millionaire / Frost/Nixon / In Bruges / The Dark Knight
For Your Consideration: Cloverfield

Best Sound Editing
The Dark Knight / Iron Man / Wall-E
For Your Consideration: Cloverfield

Best Sound Mixing
The Dark Knight / Iron Man / Quantum of Solace / Slumdog Millionaire / Wall-E
For Your Consideration: Wanted

Best Visual Effects
The Dark Knight / Iron Man / Journey to the Center of the Earth
For Your Consideration: Hellboy II

So there you have it. We'll find out how close I am on Thursday, January 22 (my birthday incidently). Till then.

Film: Revolutionary Road

STARRING: Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond, The Departed); Kate Winslet
(Little Children, Finding Neverland,)
DIRECTOR: Sam Mendes (American
Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead)
WRITER: Justin Haythe (The Clearing)
PLOT: A young 1950’s couple deal with marital strife within the confines of claustrophobic suburbia.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 Kate and Leo are superb actors. The Titanic connection is cute but these actors have each come a long way from that sinking ship flick. They work incredibly well off each other. DiCaprio is compelling as Frank Wheeler, an indecisive office worker who doesn’t know how to reach his wife. Winslet is mesmerizing as April, the housewife who longs to break free from suburbia hell. April’s character could have been whiny and annoying but Winslet does a fantastic job of showing the proper amount of frustration and anger. The make-up people really should do something about her eyebrows. She sometimes looks man-ish.
4 The breakout star of Revolutionary Road is Michael Shannon (Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys II). Shannon plays John Givings, a self-proclaimed ‘certified lunatic’ who says what’s on his mind. His freedom to speak the truth exposes the real inner workings of the Wheeler family. Such an amazing performance! He outshines the already stellar cast. Give this guy an Oscar nomination!
4 To be honest, Revolutionary Road looked an awful like Mad Men. Sure, the television show takes place in the 60’s and Don Draper loves his job, but the home situations looked pretty similar. Of course, the film had two hours where Mad Men gets a couple of seasons to show the slow disintegration of a marriage. Thank goodness I love Mad Men, so watching a shortened intense variation was fine by me. Also, despite the very depressing subject matter, I enjoyed how Mendes ended the film with a tongue-in-cheek solution to surviving married life.
4 I expected a bit more in the way of cinematography. Sure Mendes’ first two films had the brilliant Conrad Hall Sr., behind the camera but Roger Deakins who did Jarhead and most of the Coen brothers films is no slouch. The beginning shots that depict Frank Wheeler trudging to work was nicely done but hardly original. I was hoping for some more eye candy with my emotional drama.
4 Thomas Newman’s score was a little too reminiscent of Road to Perdition. The mix of sorrow, drama and suspense works for Revolutionary Road but I kept thinking of Tom Hanks killing people and that can’t be good.

RECOMMENDATION
Wait for the DVD
(Unless you want to prep yourself for the upcoming Oscars.)

COMING SOON
Oscar nomination picks

TV: The Golden Globes

Sorry this list a little late. Golden Globes are tomorrow! Last year was terrible with the lame press conference thanks to the writer's strike. This year, it’s back to the drunken celebrities making lighter speeches. Hope it’s fun. Again, I’m not making predictions but I do like to root for people (otherwise, why watch an awards show). Here's my picks.

Best Motion Picture – Drama
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button / Frost/Nixon / The Reader / Revolutionaty Road / Slumdog Millionaire
4 My Pick: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Motion Picture – Comedy
Burn After Reading / Happy-Go-Lucky / In Bruges / Mamma Mia! / Vicky Cristina Barcelona
4 Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Actor – Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road) / Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) / Sean Penn (Milk) / Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) / Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
4 Frank Langella

Best Actress – Drama
Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) / Angelina Jolie (Changling) / Meryl Streep (Doubt) / Kristin Scott Thomas (I’ve Loved You So Long) / Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road)
4 Meryl Streep

Best Actor – Comedy
Javier Bardem (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) / Colin Farrell (In Bruges) / James Franco (Pineapple Express) / Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) / Dustin Hoffman (Last Chance Harvey)
4 James Franco

Best Actress – Comedy
Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) / Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) / Frances McDormand (Burn After Reading) / Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!) / Emma Thompson (Last Chance Harvey)
4 Sally Hawkins

Best Supporting Actor
Tom Cruise (Tropic Thunder) / Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder) / Ralph Fiennes (The Duchess) / Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt) / Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
4 Heath Ledger

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams (Doubt) / Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) / Viola Davis (Doubt) / Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler) / Kate Winslet (The Reader)
4 Viola Davis

Best Animated Film
Bolt / Kung Fu Panda / Wall-E
4 Wall-E

Foreign Language Film
The Baader Meinhof Complex / Everlasting Moments / Gomorrah / I’ve Loved You So Long / Waltz with Bashir
4 Waltz with Bashir

Best Director
Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) / Stephen Daldry (The Reader) / Daivd Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) / Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon) / Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road)
4 David Fincher

Best Screenplay
Eric Roth (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) / Doubt (John Patrick Shanley) / Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) / David Hare (The Reader) / Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)
4 Eric Roth

Best Original Score
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button / Changeling / Defiance / Slumdog Millionaire / Frost/Nixon
4 Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Song
“Down to Earth” (Wall-E) / “Gran Torino” (Gran Torino) / “I Thought I Lost You” (Bolt) / “Once in a Lifetime” (Cadillac Records) / “The Wrestler” (The Wrestler)
4 “Down to Earth”

Best TV Series – Drama
Dexter / House / In Treatment / Mad Men / True Blood
4 Mad Men

Best TV Series – Comedy
30 Rock / Californication / Entourage / The Office / Weeds
4 The Office

Best TV Actor – Drama
Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment) / Michael C Hall (Dexter) / Jon Hamm (Mad Men) / Hugh Laurie (House) / Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors)
4 Hugh Laurie

Best TV Actress – Drama
Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters) / Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU) / January Jones (Mad Men) / Anna Paquin (True Blood) / Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)
4 January Jones

Best TV Actor – Comedy
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) / Steve Carell (The Office) / Kevin Connolly (Entouage) / David Duchovny (Californication) / Tony Shalhoub (Monk)
4 Steve Carell

Best TV Actress – Comedy
Christina Appelgate (Samantha Who?) / America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) / Tina Fey (30 Rock) / Debra Messing (The Starter Wife) / Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds)
4 Tina Fey

Best TV Supporting Actor
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) / Denis Leary (Recount) / Jeremy Piven (Entourage) / Blair Underwood (In Treatment) / Tom Wilkinson (John Adams)
4 Neil Patrick Harris

Best TV Supporting Actress
Eileen Atkins (Cranford) / Laura Dern (Recount) / Melissa Geroge (In Treatment) / Rachel Griffiths (Brothers & Sisters) / Dianne Wiest (In Treatment)
4 Laura Dern

Best TV Mini-Series
A Raisin in the Sun / Bernard and Doris / Cranford / John Adams / Recount
4 John Adams

Best TV Mini-Series Actor
Ralph Fiennes (Bernard and Doris) / Paul Giamatti (John Adams) / Kevin Spacey (Recount) / Kiefer Sutherland (24) / Tom Wilkinson (Recount)
4 Paul Giamatti

Best Mini-Series Actress
Judi Dench (Cranford) / Catherine Keener (An American Crime) / Laura Linney (John Adams) / Shirley MacLaine (Coco Chanel) / Susan Sarandon (Bernard and Doris)
4 Laura Linney

Bear in mind that those choosing the winners are from the Hollywood Foreign Press. Ninety critics. That’s it. The award show is a total crapshoot but it should be fun.

TV: Midseason Correction

I was off by a week for the CSI: return. That show is this week (Jan 15) and features the departure of Gil Grissom. Also, NBC was going to wait until the Superbowl for the next new Office but they changed their minds and are now showing new episodes this week as well.
So The Office is on Thursday (Jan 15) and features the aftermath of everyone learning about Angela and Dwight affair except Andy.
Good times.

By the way, our mainstage play Lady Windermere's Fan goes up in a couple of weeks, so there won't be as many reviews for a little while.

TV: Midseason Start Dates

The Christmas hiatus is almost over. New and returning shows are just around the corner. Here are the ones I’ll be keeping an eye out for:

Jan 6 ....Scrubs & Nip/Tuck
Jan 7 ....Damages
Jan 8 ....30 Rock & My Name is Earl & CSI:
Jan 11 ....24
Jan 12 ....How I Met Your Mother & Two and a Half Men
Jan 15 ....Smallville
Jan 16 ....Battlestar Galactica
Jan 18 ....Flight of the Conchords
Jan 19 ....House
Jan 20 ....Fringe
Jan 21 ....Lost
Jan 21 ....Lie to Me
Jan 28 ....Life on Mars
Feb 1 .....The Office
Feb 2 .....Chuck & Heroes
Feb 13 ...Dollhouse
Feb 15 ...Amazing Race
Mar 17 ...Reaper

Don’t know the status of Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money and Eli Stone. They all have more episodes, it just depends on whether ABC will air them on leave them for their DVDs. Prison Break returns sometime this spring. Same with Fox’s animation block of Simpsons, Family Guy and American Dad. Other new shows are coming in March but I’ll wait till we’re closer before I make some viewing decisions.

Film: 2009 Movie Preview

Here again is my preview of some of the films that should be hitting the theatres this new year. After some hasty research, I came up with 25 films that I consider watching in 2009. Again, my opions are based soley on trailers, plot descriptions and director/actor pedigree. Again, all dates are tentative; especially the later ones. Looking at last year, I watched 17 of the 25 listed. (Star Trek & Harry Potter moved to this year. Drillbit Taylor, Harold & Kumar 2, Speed Racer and The Love Guru all looked pretty dumb up close. Still haven’t gotten around to The Happening and Mummy 3. ) Here’s this year's list:

1.Fan Boys (Feb 6) – Maybe it’ll actually show up in a theatre this year.
2.He’s Just Not That Into You (Feb 6) – Fun romantic comedy. Looks funny.
3.Watchmen (March 6) – 300 director with another graphic novel? Hell yeah.
4.I Love You, Man (March 20) – Looking for a best man? Fitting sime I’m getting married.
5.Monsters Vs. Aliens (March 27) – I’ll give Dreamworks another shot.
6.The Soloist (April 24) – Robert Downey Jr & Jamie Foxx in Oscar-type performances.
7.Star Trek (May 8) – JJ Abrams won’t let me down.
8.Angels & Demons (May 15) – Hope this is better than Da Vinci Code.
9.The Brothers Blooom (May 15) – Fun con flick with Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody.
10.Terminator Salvation (May 22) – Christian Bale has a good track record.
11.Up (May 29) – It’s Pixar! I’d be stupid not to go see this film.
12.The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (June 12) – Denzel & Travolta in an action flick? Sure.
13.Transformers 2 (June 26) – Let’s see some more explosions.
14.Ice Age 3 (July 1) – Love me some Ice Age. Hope it’s just as good as the first one.
15.Public Enemies (July 1) – Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. Sold.
16.Harry Potter VI (July 17) – Can’t stop watching the frnachise now.
17.Funny People (July 31) – Judd Apatow flick with Seth Rogen & Adam Sandler.
18.GI Joe (Aug 7) – Hope they don’t mess with my childhood imagination.
19.Jennifer’s Body (Sept 18) – Quirky horror by the writer of Juno. I’m intrigued.
20.Shutter Island (Oct 2) – Psychological thriller directed by Martin Scorsese. I’m there.
21.Where the Wild Things Are (Oct 16) – Classis novel directed by Spike Jonze.
22.The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Nov 6) – Wes Anderson tries animation. Why not?
23.Sherlock Holmes (Nov 20) – Guy Ritchie directs Robert Downey Jr as action Holmes.
24.The Lovely Bones (Dec 11) – directed by Peter Jackson. Great cast. Sounds good.
25.Avatar (Dec 18) – A James Cameron film that's Titatnic-free. It’s about time.

Of course, I’ll update my personal viewing season to season, based on more reviews, buzz and trailers, but for now, this will have to do. I hope this year’s crop of movies are better than 2008. I can only hope.