TV Reviews for Oct 20-28

Community-Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples : B+

Maybe its because I'm in Theology right now but a lot of the jokes about Abed acting like Jesus really worked for me. I enjoyed the line about Shirley being a Pharisee because she was calling out/criticizing Abed. The line from Exodus about I am who I am or I am who you say who I am was also terrific. Almost all of the jokes regarding Abed worked, but really that was the only thing that was great in the episode. The other storylines were really weak; I didn't really care to much for Pierce and the hipsters and it sort of seemed like Joel McHale was unavailable because he had like 30 seconds of screen time total. Oh yeah, the line making fun of the critic that said I am Legend was the greatest movie ever made was also hilarious.

Community-Epidemiology: A-

I don't think this was as good as last years Modern Warfare episode (which this episode was sort of like in the sense that it’s a crazy riff on a movie genre). Aside from the sheer impracticability of the episode - most everything else on Community has been believable until this season, the episode was a lot of fun.  Chang is quickly becoming my favorite character with his weird two identities as this pathetic and desperate guy who wants in (the group) and his mean and manipulative side (from last year mostly).

30 Rock-Reaganing: B

I think its safe to say 30 Rock is back. The back end of last season was terrific and they have continued with great stuff this season as well. This was more of a quiet or uneventful episode than the last few but it still had its moments. And it had the first enjoyable Kenneth storyline in years. The stuff with Kelsey Grammar coming in and just being this sleazy, greedy guy was entertaining. And anytime Alec Baldwin can break out an impression is good - the part with him dubbing Tracy's line was similar to maybe the funniest gag 30 Rock has ever done (that being the scene where Jack and Tracy are with a therapist and Jack starts acting like he's Tracy's parents).

Outsourced-S01E02-6: C+

I watched the pilot episode of Outsourced and it really was quite terrible. Add in the fact that this worthless show is taking the spot of the funniest show on television (Parks & Recreation) and it becomes easy to hate it. The fact is that Outsourced is not a great show but its not as bad as I first thought. There are certain things that work like the characters of Gupta and Manmeat. The main character is sort of a pompous ass and his unwillingness to adapt to the place where he's at is kind of frustrating and hard to understand. My feeling is the guy is unlikable and sort of ungrateful that he has a job. The low talker woman does nothing for the show (for whatever reason they see her as comedy gold). The backstabbing overacting boss is just terrible. The racist idiot American co-worker is not that funny and the Australian woman' s weird obsessive attraction to Todd is completely unexplained. Overall the show has its moments and at times can be funny but its nowhere near as good as Community, Parks & Recreation, or 30 Rock and feels out of place on NBC. This type of stupid, crass comedy belongs on CBS in my opinion. When the show avoids the quasi-racist and low humor (like "look at that cow") and tries to address the cultural differences its kind of enjoyable.

How I Met Your Mother-Baby Talk: B+

After a bunch of mediocre to awful episodes this was a nice rebound episode. I really enjoyed the awkwardness of Barney trying to pick women up acting like a five year old. Ted being a douche of sorts was typical and at times enjoyable. The stuff with Marshall and Lily was as expected kind of boring. I've come to the conclusion that HIMYM is probably done being great (sort of like The Office last year). There still may be occasionally funny episodes but the charm of the show has worn off and its humor is excessively broad and generic.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia-Mac's Mom Burns Her House Down: C

Meh. This was Always Sunny just going through the motions and doing a filler episode. The storyline with Frank suddenly being concerned about his kids caring for them made no sense - Frank doesn't care about people so seeing him try to please people didn't work for me. The stuff with Mac's mom (who is just really, really nasty and gross looking) and Charlie's mom was equally boring. The only good lines came when the two mothers were trading racist lines but that was fleeting.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia-Who Got Dee Pregnant: B+

Kind of gross but no other show on television would even try a storyline like this. I have to admire/respect Always Sunny's willingness to do anything for humor. Dennis is enough of a sociopath and creep that the idea was believable. Seeing each of the guy's view of their memory and how inaccurate it was (like Charlie in his memory saving the waitress and Mac in his saving the day like a hero or Dennis getting the girl who he originally creeped out) was pretty good.  The cop out ending was frustrating though and not answering the question posed in the title was kind of annoying.

Dexter-First Blood: B

Every second Dexter wastes with the stories of LaGuerta, Angel, Quinn, or Deb is just ruining the show. I'm kind of curious to see what happens with the Lumen (seriously that sounds like a werewolf's name) and its interesting to see what happens when Dexter reveals himself a little bit. The emotion that Dexter showed regarding his son was also a nice touch. They really need to ramp up the action soon though - this is getting way too slow paced for a show in which I have very little vested in the characters.

Modern Family-Unplugged: B-

This is what Modern Family does better than any show on television - they are great at making above average and enjoyable half hours of comedy. Rarely is Modern Family transcendent or great but they are rarely unwatchable or awful. The Cam and Mitchell part of the episode with the super competitive pre-school admissions was flat out dumb and stupid. The episode was nothing great but it wasn't terrible either.

Modern Family-Halloween: A-

I though this was one of the better episodes of the season so far. I loved the Spiderman costume gag and for the first time in a long time the story line with Cam and Mitchell was the best of the three. The Gloria losing her accent was funny at first but got kind of boring and annoying as it got repeated again and again. The second daughter of Phil and Claire's is in my opinion the worst character on the show. She's pretentious and overly smarmy and is rarely ever funny.  I think this was the first time ever on Modern Family that something that happened on a prior episode has any effect on a future one with the story of Mitch moving to a new law firm. The unwillingness of the show to do anything that extends beyond a single episode is my biggest issue with the show. 

2010 NBA Preview/Predictions

Western Conference Champion: Los Angeles Lakers over Houston Rockets

• The West is loaded as usual with Utah, Portland, Dallas, San Antonio, LA, Houston, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, and New Orleans all probably being 40+ win teams. Even the "bad" teams in the West are fairly decent; Golden State, Sacramento, LA Clippers, and Memphis all could conceivably be playoff teams. Houston won forty games last year without Yao (who looked pretty solid yesterday with 9 and 11 in 23 minutes) and they are a young team that should continue to improve. The Lakers also improved their major weaknesses from last year (Steve Blake is an upgrade over Jordan Farmer and Matt Barnes is a poor man's Ron Artest). And they still have Kobe who is the best closer in the game.  

Eastern Conference Champion: Boston Celtics over Miami Heat

• Boston was a quarter away from winning a championship last year and added Jermaine and Shaquille O'Neal (granted both of these guys are super old) but they both should help defend against LA's bigs. Delonte West is a quality combo guard and can only help Boston. I think there are only three teams in the East that have a chance of making the finals (Boston, Miami, and Orlando). Then there are three more above average teams - Chicago, Atlanta, and Milwaukee) and then a couple mediocre teams in New York and Charlotte. The rest of the east is more or less garbage. Indiana, Cleveland, Washington, Toronto, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Detroit are horrible. 

NBA Champion: Los Angeles Lakers

• The Lakers are too good inside and have the best player in the game. Kobe had six game winners last year (while injured) and averaged 27 a game. What does a healthy Kobe drop? 

Chicago Bulls Prediction: 47-35 and Central Division winner

• Chicago should easily be over .500 considering that nearly everyone is back from last year (sans Hinrich and Miller) and the additions they made address flaws of the team. Kyle Korver should help with the outside shooting, Boozer if he stays healthy should be the inside force Chicago has needed for years, and the other guys they added (Brewer, Bogans, Watson, etc.) should add some needed depth. Also considering how bad Cleveland, Indiana, and Detroit are probably going to be this year our only real competition in the division is Milwaukee. 

Most Overrated Team: Oklahoma City Thunder

• I've seen people say OKC can win sixty games this year and have a one seed in the West. Please. Durant can only improve so much. He averaged over thirty a game last year - how much more can he score. The only other great player they have is Russel Westbrook - the rest of that team is uninspiring. Jeff Green is mediocre in every fashion of the game, Nick Collison and Nenad Kristic are not the go to big guys on a sixty win team. Don't get me wrong though OKC is not awful, they will probably win around 50 games and absolutely be a playoff team. But they do not have a chance at winning an NBA Championship. 

Most Underrated Team: Houston Rockets

• Houston was able to win forty games last year after they lost their best player, had their highest paid player continue his three year vacation, and made a big trade in the middle of the season. Kevin Martin is a dead on shooter, Aaron Brooks is a quality point guard, Shane Battier is a smart and savvy defender, Louis Scola is so underrated - the guy is a beast in the low post, and if they can get Yao to give them even ten and ten they are going to be very, very good. Houston also has a ton of depth and seems to over-perform every year. 

Predicted MVP: Kevin Durant

• Durant will win because people love the idea of a clean, humble sports star and the fact that Kobe's not going to have to go at a 100% daily for the Lakers to win and LeBron is the target of a lot of hatred (most of it unwarranted). Durant simply has to be great for OKC to do anything - thats not the case with Kobe, D-Wade, Lebron, or even Dwight Howard (who shouldn't even be in the discussion until he learns how to score without dunking). On LeBron, I can understand people might be angry/dissapointed that he didn't come to their team (or left their team) but thats his right. No one was furious when Ray Allen left Seattle, when Kevin Garnett left Minnesota, or when Steve Nash left Dallas. Cleveland doesn't own LeBron, he should be free to do what he wants with his life. I'm not a huge fan of LeBron, the player, but he does not deserve the level of hatred that he is receiving. 

TV Reviews for Oct 10-14

Community-Basic Rocket Science: B+

The whole hour on NBC with 30 Rock and Community was excellent this week. S.A.N.D.E.R.S. and the space simulator was a bit unbelievable but once you got past that, the episode was hilarious. I also didn't really get why Annie was suddenly this really disloyal character that is trying to transfer (again) - it didn't mesh with what the character has done in the past. I loved Pierce's delusional behavior on the KFC simulator and the Dean's creepiness was also great. Some of the better lines in the episode:

- "Pierce. You're talking to an Atari cartridge. Sit down."

- "Reroute to what?"

- "They thought I was doing product integration for KFC"

- "Here. Right next to the truck stop with three thumbs."

30 Rock-Live Show: A

That was a lot of fun. I loved the enthusiastic crowd and the callbacks to many of show’s earlier episodes. Jon Hamm was great in his SNL style mock commercial and the “Dr” Spaceman character was as always just terrific. The cutaway/flashback to a “young” Jack was also good stuff with the male model type guy dancing. Liz with her semi-racist jokes to Jonathan was also hilarious (as was Elaine from Seinfeld as Liz in some of the scenes). I thought the intro song by the Canadian guy on the west coast show was delivered really well and much, much better than Jenna “singing”. The Fox News segment was awesome; the caption under Tracy’s Obama – “Kenyan liar”. Kenneth like he normally is was kind of awful and I guess a complaint would be that nothing really happened but those are really minor quibbles. This was literally the most enjoyable 30 Rock in years. Some of the better lines in the episode:

- "My memory has Seinfeld money."

- “Hello, I’m “Dr” Leo Spaceman.”

- “Wow, you were very fit back then.”

- “My shirt is accidentally falling off”

- “Please take off your rings”

- “Surprise, I was totally in on it. It was expensive!”

Running Wilde - The Junior Affair: B+

"Don't you do a f*^#ing thing". The best episode of Running Wilde's run so far; it was heads and shoulders above any of the three prior episodes. There were several things that worked really well like the New York gangster gag, the Alan Alda impression, and the mix-up with the Andy Richter character. I though the Chevy Volt product integration was a bit ham handed and seemed overly contrived - I understand that they may have to use product placement but they should really try to be subtle about it. The first half of the episode was rather boring and the episode only picked up in about the last 10 minutes.

Dexter-Practically Perfect: C+

I'm fairly sure Dexter will never be as great as it was in Seasons 1 & 2 and I have come to the realization that last season was not really that great. Aside from John Lithgow's Trinity the show was tremendously boring and they waste time focusing on what their terrible supporting characters are doing. Dexter is a great show when we watch Michael C Hall - it’s a boring third-rate crime procedural when the show decides to focus on Angel or Quinn or anyone else in the office. The great issue of Season 5 is introduced at the end of the episode when a woman watches Dexter kill a guy. My guess is that Dexter is going to have to grapple with whether to kill her and try to find a way to make sure she doesn't tell anyone about what she saw. The entire scene with the nanny interview was cringe-worthy and totally unnecessary.

Modern Family-Strangers on a Treadmill: A

I though last week's Modern Family was as good as the show could get, but I was wrong. This week's episode was hilarious, enjoyable, and somewhat dramatic (which is a nice change of pace for Modern Family). It still bothers me that they never have a story go on for more than a single episode and that there are no real minor recurring characters (like a Newman in Seinfeld or a Todd Packer in the Office). I thought the story lines for each individual family were exceptional this week (with the minor exception of the whole sister's argument. I really cannot stand the older daughter.) The reaction on Jay's face when the couple are dancing and he thinks that its supposed to be a father-daughter dance was hilarious. Some of the better lines in the episode:

- "You just throw them an Obama steak and run to the golf course."

- “Slow down there, muchacho.”

How I Met Your Mother - Subway Wars: C-

Not really a whole lot to say other than this was yet another disappointing outing for How I Met Your Mother. The only thing that really stuck with me was the Bing.com advertisements all through the episode. I think HIMYM is now approaching Office levels of mediocrity.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia-Mac and Charlie: White Trash: A-

Mac and Charlie’s story line was A+ material – there wasn’t a weak moment in their half of the episode. Frank’s disgusting behavior was totally on par for his character and was also pretty solid. Dennis and Dee are really unlikable characters (more so than the rest of the cast in my opinion) and their douchey quest to prove that they are better than the rest of the gang wasn’t that funny. The elitist pool guard/worker was one of the better minor characters the show has had. Some of the better lines in the episode:

- “Membership is currently at capacity”

- “Dude, they will always be at capacity for us”

- "Send a little something sweet his way. We’ll sweeten this”

- “I bartered it fringe style with that guy over there”

- “This is a very specific sect of lower class. This is like felon class”

- “You gotta be kidding me, he’s Chinese. His English is pretty good though.”

- “I’m sorry man, he’s white trash”

TV Reviews for Oct 4-8

Modern Family-Earthquake: B+
This is probably as good as Modern Family can get - and even at its best there are several things that are kind of annoying with the show. I though the best part of the episode was Manny's interaction with Jay ("You're playing pretty fast and loose with my soul.") and Phil running around the house was also fairly entertaining. What didn't work was nearly everything with Cam and Mitchell; the show makes them do the stupidest things (like running around like crazy last year when a bird was in their house) and in this episode with the unnecessary destruction of things.

Glee-Grilled Cheesus: B-
I don't even know if I like Glee; there are certain elements of the show that are just awful and others that are fun and creative. What doesn't work: Having a pudgy grown man playing the "jock" Finn, writing Finn so in some episodes he seems mentally challenged, making Kurt overly aggressive and creepy, anything with dumb as a brick blonde cheerleader, and the over-the-top sentimentality. What does work and what makes Glee worth watching is the music, anything with Sue Sylvester, for the most part anything that the Will Schuester character does (this might be more of a result as the actor, Matthew Morrison coming across as likeable and talented). In this episode I though Puck's cover of Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young" was really quite good, the rest of the songs were decent enough, and Sue was as usual excellent. What brought the episode down was the refusal of the show to really do anything moderately controversial. They literally brought every imaginable faith into the episode to pray for the recovery of Kurt's dad (who conveniently for no apparent reason collapses and goes into a coma - but miraculously regains consciousness after Kurt learns a valuable life lesson). This religious nut's review of Glee is worth looking at, if only for humor -> http://christwire.org/2010/01/what-every-parent-should-know-about-the-tv-show-glee/

Terriers-Pilot & Fustercluck: C-
I saw the latter episode (Fustercluck) at a screening with the stars of the show and while the actors themselves were engaging and nice the show itself is so boring. Every review I have read of this show has been positive and I honestly don't know if I'm watching the same show as them. The leads are somewhat interesting, there is some humor, and a little bit of action. However the show suffers from the fact that there is no rationale for why these two poor private detectives turn down cash and risk their lives to expose a conspiracy that has nothing to do with them. Its really Scooby Doo esque - seriously just take the cash and mind your own business. The pilot episode was equally as boring as the one I saw at the screening and suffers from the same issue of there being little to no explanation of why these impoverished, unsuccessful PI's are so hell-bent on exposing a conspiracy that has nothing to do with them.

Community-The Psychology of Letting Go : B
Community is now the best comedy on Television now in my opinion (especially considering the postponement of Parks & Recreation). This was probably the weakest of Community's first three episodes, primarily because of the focus on Pierce and his wacky religion for most of the episode. Pierce is funny in small doses and as a supporting player - not so much as the focal point of an entire episode. They really didn't use Abed much (who I guess was delivering a baby during the episode -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tP0ubODOUQ) which hurt the episode but hopefully they rebound next week. Ian Duncan (John Oliver from the Daily Show) using his restraining order to control Chang's behavior was classic stuff though.

30 Rock-Let's Stay Together: B+
30 Rock ended last year on a roll with Matt Damon guest starring, Michael Sheen's hilarious Wesley character, Jack getting married, and Kenneth getting kicked out of NBC. This season hasn't been quite as great as the end of last year (or as funny as the first couple seasons) but has still been an improvement over much of last year (especially the middle of the season) which was near unwatchable. I though some of the stuff really worked like the hyping of fellow NBC comedy "Outsourced" and the grandstanding Congresswomen and Jack's diverse hires. The annoying writer characters brought down the episode and the scenes with Liz on the black talk show were more awkward than funny.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia-Mac's Big Break: B+
"I don't wanna look like some kind of jabroni." The repeated use of the name/nickname of Jabroni got funnier and funnier as Mac kept on saying it. The podcast stuff was more hit and miss - its almost a perfect fit that Dennis and Dee being idiots would try to do talk radio. Also watching the gang re-abuse their regular victims was kind of unsettling. Dennis's weird ignorant patriotic country woman voice was fairly funny. Overall, it was a solid episode but not as good as last week with the whole "implication" of going on a boat.

Music Reviews October 2010

Bruno Mars, Doo Wops and Hooligans (2010)
7.75 out of 10; Best individual songs are "Grenade", "Just The Way You Are", "Runaway Baby", "Talking To The Moon", and "Liquor Store Blues". Bruno Mars who blew up this summer with his featured appearances on "Nothin On You" and "Billionaire" has a fairly solid debut album. The single largest weakness is the length of the album (its barely over 40 minutes). Bruno Mars is tremendously gifted and makes music that is smooth and enjoyable to listen to (but not very deep).

Arcade Fire, The Suburbs (2010)
9 out of 10; Best individual songs are "The Suburbs", "Modern Man", and "Rococo". Almost all of the songs on the album are enjoyable (with the exception of the awful "Month of May")

Maroon 5, Hands All Over (2010)
5 out of 10; Best individual songs are "Misery" and "Give a Little More". A complete disappointment - it seems that Maroon 5 just gets worse with each new album. The album is not offensively bad - its just kind of boring and has no flavor or appeal.

Brandon Flowers, Flamingo (2010)
8.50 out of 10; Best individual songs are "Only The Young", "Hard Enough", "Was It Something I Said?", and "Crossfire". Really similar to The Killer's Day & Age and the good songs are pretty good and unlike Day & Age there are obvious filler songs. There is probably 7 or 8 great songs on the album and then another six more songs that are kind of bland.

Fall 2010 Film Reviews III

The Town (2010): A

The Town might be the most satisfying film I have seen in a long, long time. The purpose of watching a film is to be entertained and challenged - some movies are too much entertainment and others try too hard to be revolutionary (and end up just being mediocre). The Town is exactly what a I want from a movie; it is gripping and exciting, believable, and never boring.

The Town is set in a specific part of Boston that is known for turning out robbers in the same way that Texas turns out football players. Ben Affleck plays the leader of a group of poor, blue-collar thieves who hit up banks and armored trucks. Affleck is solid as the main protagonist but who really shines is Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) who plays a dangerous and loose-hinged member of the group. Jon Hamm (Mad Men) is also really enjoyable as a semi-dirty FBI Officer. Even Blake Lively from Gossip Girl is decent (which is a little bit unexpected) as a trashy, drug-addicted, young single mother.

There are numerous chase scenes, gun fights, escapes, and robbery scenes in the film that are a lot of fun to watch. For the most part the film is fairly believable and there are only a couple real weaknesses or faults. The romance between Affleck's character and one of their victims is somewhat unbelievable and the concept of a thief going in for "one final heist" is way overplayed now. It seems that every movie that depicts a robber shows a guy who just wants to get out of the game.

The Town combines the excitement of an action film, has some dark humor, and is at times moving. The Town probably isn't going to win any Academy Awards or anything, maybe because it is not a particularly ambitious film (The film is not that unique and tells a story that has been told many times before). However, there is never a second of the film that is boring or uneventful. The Town is not a stupid movie that has a lot of action and explosions (like say Transformers), is not a movie that is overly simplistic and has a clear good guy and bad guy (like Avatar), and The Town is not a movie so complicated that it can't be understood and enjoyed. The Town is absolutely enjoyable, at times funny, and always gripping - what more can you ask for in a film?

Fall 2010 Film Reviews II

The Social Network (2010): A-
The acting and writing are just terrific in The Social Network. The dialogue in the film is really sharp and the film moves quickly. Obviously there is not a whole lot of action (but no one goes in expecting that). Each of the three main leads were outstanding; Andrew Garfield is mesmerizing as Eduardo (a co-founder of Facebook) who gets forced out of the company. Garfield's character really was the only sympathetic character in the film . Justin Timberlake was also surprisingly decent as a cocky young technology entrepreneur and Jesse Eisenberg was excellent and as Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg came across as completely unlikable and aloof - he seemed to have little loyalty and barely any social skills. Rashida Jones (The Office & Parks and Recreation) was also in the film for about two minutes and was as expected awful. The wealthy twins were also really solid. The rest of the cast wasn't impressive or terrible, they were just there. The Social Network is not particularly "fun" to watch, but is an excellent dramatic film. Compared to some of David Fincher's other films, The Social Network moves much faster and has less (basically none) violence. The film is very dark and grey (in color onscreen not in tone) and almost all of the scenes take place indoors and at night.