TV Reviews: Monday

Monday nights are also pretty busy. Stopped watching Two and Half Men a couple episodes in this year, I was curious about Ashton Kutcher but found he didn’t really add much to the show. I’ll miss Jake’s lines the most.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
8pm (CBS) Comedy (More Barney, Less Ted)
1 Love the Canadian references (Vancouver & Smithers)
2 Glad they brought back the Slap Bet
3 Some sad endings on some of the episodes

TERRA NOVA
8pm (FOX) Action-Drama (Jurassic Park/Lost - lite)
1 Great production value and acting by Jason O’Mara
2 Jury is still out on the mythology aspect of the show
3 First season ends in December; hope it ends well

BORED TO DEATH
8pm (HBO) Comedy (Incompetent detectives solve cases)
1 Bromance at its best. Funny when all three are together.
2 Zach Galinianakis and Ted Danson make the show.
3 Love the coordinated outfits, funny and stylish

HOUSE
9pm (FOX) Drama (Mean doctor saves the day in last five minutes)
1 Kind of enjoying the season without Cuddy there.
2 Not a big fan of Charlyne Yi (Paper Hearts) character
3 Hoping for another groundbreaking episode soon

HAWAII FIVE-O
10pm (CBS) Action-Drama (Cops in Hawaii with cool soundtrack)
1 Still love the chemistry between Steve and Dano
2 Did not like the Kono storyline that started the season
3 Love the additions of Terry O’Quinn and Masi Oka (Heroes)

TV Reviews: Sunday

Now that November sweeps are almost done, I thought I should take stock in the shows I’ve been following this television season. Sunday nights are pretty busy. It seems most of the cable channels want to put all their cool dramas on this night. Some great viewing but a lot of different stories to follow. I finally stopped watching Family Guy. Their spousal abuse episode went too far and Ryan Reynolds was just too weird in the following episode. I don’t have time for their poor writing anymore. Here’s what I am watching.

THE WALKING DEAD
7pm (AMC) Drama (suspenseful zombie apocalypse)
1 Great cliffhangers at the end of every episode.
2 Each character is so wonderfully complex.
3 The insides of a zombie is rather disgusting.

THE AMAZING RACE
8pm (CBS) Reality Show (only reality show I watch)
1 Rooting for the snowboarders. They look like they’re having fun.
2 The old folks are fun to watch too. They don’t bicker like others.
3 Loved the rabbit steeple chase. So cute.

THE SIMPSONS
8pm (FOX) Animated (still funny if you gave it a chance)
1 Still topical with jabs at video games, foodies and education.
2 Surprised they did a parody of Dexter.
3 Bart beating Lisa at a science fair seems repetitive.

BOARDWALK EMPIRE
8pm (HBO) Drama (The Sopranos in the 1920s)
1 Steve Buscemi is still amazing to watch as Nucky
2 Love seeing Margaret adapting to her situation
3 Some great surprising moments this season

DEXTER
9pm (Showtime) Drama (serial killer as the hero)
1 Some pretty disturbing (yet clever) murders this season
2 Bad guy not comparable to John Lithgow’s Trinity killer
3 Don’t like Deb in her new role, hope she gets demoted

HOMELAND
10pm (Showtime) Drama (Like Rubicon only more answers)
1 It’s a slow burn but is worth every second so far
2 Love the actors involved, especially Mandy Patinkin
3 Last episode revealed a lot of answers. Yipee.

HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA
10:30pm (HBO) Drama (Learn the T-shirt graphic business)
1 Love seeing the rise and fall of the Crisp brand name
2 They don’t seem to have much for Lake Bell to do
3 A lot more unnecessary sex this season for some reason

Film: Tower Heist

GENRE: Action Comedy
RATING: PG-13 for language
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 44 minutes
STARRING: Ben Stiller (Night at the Museum, Meet the Parents) Eddie Murphy (Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hours, Bowfinger)
DIRECTOR: Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, X-Men 3)
WRITERS: Ted Griffin (Ocean’s Eleven, Matchstick Men) Jeff Nathanson (Rush Hour 3, Catch Me If You Can)
PLOT: Workers at a hotel find out that they have been swindled by the investor living in their penthouse so they try to rob him and get their money back.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 The first two thirds of the movie were fun. Despite some overly-predictable set-ups, it had all the makings of a energy-driven heist film. Once they got into the apartment, my suspension of disbelief was pushed out the window (and dangled from scaffolding).
2 I’m usually not a Ben Stiller fan but he did very well in this film and didn’t do his usual freakout shtick as much. Eddie Murphy was back in fine form; it reminded me of his early career (Trading Spaces, Beverly Hilly Cop). I’d like to see Murphy continue to do fun stuff like this. It was a shame he wasn’t used more in the film.
3 Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) stole the show as a Jamaican maid. Wish she could have spent more time with Murphy on screen. Matthew Broderick also did well as a pathetic sad-sack. He’s definitely not cool like Ferris Beuller anymore.
4 What a waste of Zeljko Ivanek (Damages, The Event). He’s in the opening credits but only in a one minute scene.
5 My elevator can only hold 2500lbs.

RECOMMENDATION: Wait for the DVD
UPCOMING REVIEW: The Muppets

Film: The Ides of March

GENRE: Drama
RATING: R for strong language
RUNTIME: 1 hours and 41 minutes
STARRING: Ryan Gosling (Crazy Stupid Love, Fracture)
George Clooney (Michael Clayton, Up in the Air)
DIRECTOR: George Clooney (Good Night & Good Luck)
WRITERS: Clooney & Grant Heslov (Good Night & Good Luck)
PLOT: A political consultant finds himself in dirty politics trying to help an idealistic governor trying to run for president. Scandal ensues.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 I often get Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt) and Paul Giamatti (Sideways) mixed up. It’s nice to see them in the same film. They both give great performances. Of course, Gosling and Clooney also bring some awesome acting to the screen. Great all around.
2 Clooney and Heslov wrote a captivating script. It moves along like a Sorkin-inspired West Wing episode. The twists work well, the dialogue is fresh and the plot is nicely paced.
3 I wish there were some more creative shots in this film. There are a couple like the conversation in front of the giant flag but Good Night and Good Luck had much more artistic cinematography.
4 I guess Clooney is assuming that the average moviegoer knows what The Ides of March refer to. It’s the prediction of Julius Caesar’s assassination in case you’re wondering too.
5 Love the poster. Looks cool and interesting.

RECOMMENDATION: See it on DVD
UPCOMING REVIEWS: In Time