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.

Film: G.I.Joe

STARRING: Channing Tatum (Step Up); Marlon Wayans (Scary Movie); Siennea Miller (Stardust); Ray Park (Star Wars); Dennis Quaid (Vantage Point)
DIRECTOR: Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns)
WRITERS: Stuart Beattie (Australia); David Elliot & Paul Lovett (Four Brothers)
PLOT: GI Joe take on a notorious arms dealer. We learn some backstory and lame CG explosions ensue.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
This contains spoilers.
4 Unlike Transformers, some of the GI Joe characters look like their action figures. It’s a small thing but something I appreciate. I did not like Cobra Commander’s mask, however, I guess the actor wants to show his eyes in the next film.
4 I’m getting awfully tired of CG explosions. I feel sorry for the poor pyrotechnic people who are being replaced by computers. Some of it looks realistic, but most effects look incredibly lame.
4 I’d like to see more female villains who don’t fall in love with the heroes. Cat Woman? Mystique? And now the Baroness? The romantic storyline was idiotic.
4 Here are the people I felt most sorry for while watching this film:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – After 500 Days of Summer and Brick, what is he doing in this crappy movie? I hope he’s just doing it for the paycheck, like George Clooney did for Batman and Robin. I guess indie films don’t pay the bills.
Ray Park – He’s an amazing martial artist, but with the constant mask-wearing, you’d think that his face is utterly hideous. Let Snake-Eyes remove the mask so he can breathe once in a while.
Dennis Quaid – I know he’s playing a plastic action figure but that doesn’t mean his acting has to be plastic. Actually plastic is generous. He was cardboard. He was terrible! What a black smudge on a otherwise pretty good resume.
Brendan Fraser – I know he owes Sommers for the Mummy fame, but he didn’t need to slum it. Even for three minutes.
4 Four words: ice floats you morons!

RECOMMENDATION
Avoid at all costs
(Unless you are a die-hard fan of
GI Joe, then wait for TBS)

COMING SOON
maybe Cold Souls or Paper Hearts

Film: Inglorious Basterds

STARRING: Brad Pitt (Ocean’s 11-13, Fight Club); Christoph Waltz (German films); Eli Roth (director of Hostels); Melanie Laurent (French films); Diane Kruger (National Treasures, Troy)
DIRECTOR: Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs)
WRITER: Quentin Tarantino (see above)
PLOT: A fantasy revenge film about the a group of Jewish American soldiers brutally killing Nazis in occupied France.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 After the bloodbath that was Kill Bill, I expected a lot more bloodshed in Inglorious Basterds. Not so. Sure there are some scalpings and some brutal scenes here and there but most of the film is conversational dialogue. Subtitled no less. But these conversation are so intense, my heart was beating pretty rapidly throughout film.
4 A lot of the tension is brought to us by Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa, the “Jew Hunter”. He takes his time interrogating people, so much so, that you start questioning if he knows more than he’s letting on or not. This guy is getting an Oscar nomination. Hands down. Stellar performance.
4 Tarantino does a wonderful job blending genres in his surprisingly linear script. It's a war film with action and severe consequences. It's a film noir with the perfect femme fatales. It's a spy thrillers with the perfect amount of suspense and intrigue. And the dialogue is so incredibly rich. I found it odd, however, that some of the French words spoken were then subtitled in French as well. Maybe it was meaningful.
4 Like many Tarantino films, the score is great. The soundtrack, however, was not as memorable. The David Bowie song is fine and all but not as resonant as past Tarantino song choices. Little disappointed, but not too much.
4 I was surprised to see a lot of elderly people in the audience. Maybe because it was a matinee. I thought old people would be adverse to Tarantino fare. Maybe it’s because of the war genre, maybe they were Jewish. I wonder what they thought of the picture.

RECOMMENDATION
See it in the theatre
(You’ll be on the edge of your seat)

COMING SOON
Taking Woodstock, Cold Souls or Paper Hearts
(if I can find them)

Film: District 9

STARRING: Sharlto Copely (newcomer)
DIRECTOR: Neill Blomkamp (newcomer)
WRITERS: Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell (newcomers)
PLOT: An alien race is forced to live in the slums of Johannesburg but get an ally in a by-the-book government agent.



FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 When Oscar time comes around, we better hear the name Sharlto Copely in the nominees for outstanding lead actor in a motion picture. This newcomer is amazing. He carries the movie. I’m sure being best friends with the director helped, but this guy knocks the film out of the park. Copely plays the perfect underdog hero. His reactions are relatable. He often chooses to run. He panics. He is the main reason to watch this film. Wow.
4 This film was supposedly made for 30 million dollars. That’s cheap by Hollywood standards. Sure the filming style does not look expensive but the giant ship and the constant alien presence would have quite the price-tag. But then again, the director had done loads of 3D animation for other films. I’m sure he discounted his own work to make everything look so realistic. Wow.
4 District 9 may be sci-fi based but it definitely has a great message about how we treat those from different races and social standings. Talk about walking a mile in another man’s shoes. Who would have thought a sci-fi film could be this meaningful? I also liked that the story remained simple. There’s not this huge mythology you need to know before going in. A lot of the backstory is told in documentary form, so it’s easy to follow along.
4 There are some scenes that are hard to watch. It kind of reminded me of The Fly with Jeff Goldblum. This film could stop people from biting their nails entirely. I shudder just thinking it about it. But then, again I have a thing with fingernails.
4 One of the only things that bothered me is that they switch from documentary style to regular filming without a clean break. It just seems to morph. Maybe they don’t want you to notice, but I think there should have been something more distinctive. Something Cloverfield-style maybe. But this is a minor detail.

RECOMMENDATION
See it in the theatre/ Wait for DVD
(There is some great action and visual effects)
(The shaky camera may irritate some)

COMING SOON
Inglorious Basterds

Film: (500) Days of Summer

STARRING: Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Brick, The Lookout); Zooey Deshanel (Yes Man, Elf, Surf’s Up )
DIRECTOR: Marc Webb (music videos)
WRITERS: Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber (Pink Panther 2)
PLOT: A nonlinear romantic comedy about a woman who doesn’t believe in true love and the man who falls for her.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 If you’re doing a romantic comedy, it all hinges on the chemistry of the romantic leads. (500) Days of Summer does not disappoint. I’ve enjoyed Gordon-Levitt’s work ever since his amazing turn in Brick. He plays awkward yet endearing beautifully. Deshanel is always adorable in a pixie way. They play well off each other and that makes this film a treat to watch.
4 When you look at the writers’ previous effort it must make you cringe a little. Summer, however, is incredibly well written. It perfectly captures all the ins and outs of infatuation, flirtation, and rejection. The script twists some of the usual romantic conventions while celebrating others. Nicely done.
4 Like Juno and Garden State before it, Summer makes good use of music to help tell their story. It helps that the lead characters are into The Smiths. It also helps that the director used to work on music videos. I bought the soundtrack after the movie ended. Oh, and there is a fantastic dance sequence to the Hall & Oates classic ‘You Make My Dreams.’ It’s perfection.
4 My biggest beef about this film is the unnecessary narrator. The actors do a fine job of showing their emotions on the screen; I don’t need a narrator to tell me what I already know. It’s not like the film is all cerebral and confusing. It’s a rookie mistake, but I’ll forgive them.
4 It’s only 90 minutes long! Perfect length! Take notes, Judd Apatow!

RECOMMENDATION
See it in the theatre
(Just so you can tell others about it)
(It’s hard to find but worth the time)

COMING SOON
District 9, Inglorious Basterds