The Best* Shows
*that not enough people are watching
I'm not going to waste your time talking about stuff like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Fargo and Masters of Sex, because everyone knows about them and their brilliance is well-documented. Instead, I want to cover three shows that, according to the ratings and award-consideration, very few people are watching, but deserve just as much attention as the aforementioned group.
The Americans (FX)
The Americans is both a gripping spy thriller and engaging family drama. The show follows the Jennings, a pair of Soviet spies living near Washington DC trying to balance their job of counter-intelligence with their cover as a happy suburban American family. Very often, television shows will attempt to split their dynamic like this, with one aspect of the story that is thrilling and fun to watch (in this case, the spycraft) with the other half often becoming overly melodramatic in a way that drags down the overall quality (in this case, the family drama). This is not the case with The Americans. The scenes of the family dealing with the rebellious daughter as just as engaging as those of the spies infiltrating an American military base. The two leads (Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys) are electric, and with strong secondary players the cast knocks it out of the park. I want to give a special mention to young unknown Holly Taylor, who plays the Jennings' daughter and was the standout role in the second season.
I can't heap enough praise onto this show, and I have no trouble proclaiming the second season of The Americans the best individual season of the June 2013 through May 2014 television season. Yes, even above the seventh season of Mad Men, the first season of Masters of Sex and the final season of Breaking Bad. The show is just that good.
Orphan Black (BBC America)
A show that has rightfully blown up due to Tatiana Maslany's continued absence at the Emmy awards, Orphan Black is about a conspiracy involving a human cloning program. The plot is intriguing and the pacing is crisp, but the real draw here is Maslany. She juggles multiple roles with ease, slipping back and forth between the different clones effortlessly, very often making the audience forget that one actress plays six (plus) different characters. She is assisted by a mostly-competent cast, highlighted by Jordan Gavaris as her eclectic and hilarious foster brother. Occasionally, the show stumbles with some weak sci-fi tropes or the occasional mid-season drag, but overall package is solid and Maslany elevates it to a completely different level.
Hannibal (NBC)
Totally unexpected coming from notorious failure broadcast network NBC, Hannibal rivals many of the best basic and premium cable dramas in its production values, cinematography and directing. Hannibal follows the story of well-known fictional cannibal Hannibal Lecter (played brilliantly by Mads Mikkelsen), adapting and massively expanding on his story as found in the Thomas Harris novels. Unlike the films and books, the show begins the story long before Hannibal dons the famous facemask and even before he is incarcerated, during his time as a psychologist consultant with the FBI. He is paired with unstable profiler Will Graham (a stand-out performance from Hugh Dancy) and together they investigate especially gruesome and unique murders.
I know that sounds like a standard shitty police procedural, and while Hannibal starts out with a procedural bent, the story quickly becomes so much more than that as the relationship between Hannibal and Will begins to develop. Even when it steers back into procedural territory, the atmosphere is unparalleled, combining beautifully shot scenes with amazing prosthetic and SFX work and a haunting score. The artistry present in the show is unmatched, which is no surprise coming from creator Bryan Fuller, best known for his work on Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies. The world of Hannibal is almost dreamlike in its presentation, and thus one needs to suspend their disbelief in some of the more.... exotic kills.
The Worst* Shows
*only counting shows of which I have seen at least half a season's worth of episodes
It's not worth it to talk about shows that everyone knows is bad, but I'd like to shine the light on a few shows that people seem to hold in high regard that are in fact completely awful.
Scandal (ABC)
I don't even know where to start with Scandal. The cinematography and editing are some of the worst in television, with an extreme overuse of weird transitions that (I assume) are supposed to be imitating a camera shutter. A single or infrequent use of this technique would be fine, but it's used for nearly every scene transition and is hugely distracting. The cinematography is also frustrating, as the scenes are often composed with large objects set in the extreme foreground, partially obscuring elements of the shot (example, shooting through a 6-panel glass door to the conversation taking place inside, but taking up a quarter of the shot with the wood framing between the glass). I get it, Scandal directors, you're trying to convey a sense of voyeurism and eavesdropping, but could you possibly do it in a more amateurish and hackneyed way? Ugh.
The writing is terrible as well, relying on the most convoluted conspiracy plots ever to heighten the drama of every scene. Every single scene has to be as dramatic as possible, and it comes off as an overproduced soap opera. If you ever tried to describe the plot of a single episode to someone unfamiliar with the show, they would probably look at you like you were a crazy person.
Despite this awful, awful writing, I have to say that the acting is generally pretty good. Tony Goldwyn is great as a skeezy POTUS, and Bellamy Young does admirably as his forever-embroiled-in-drama wife. Most of the White House staff is well cast and does a competent job with the material, but on the other side of the coin is the crisis management firm, which is populated by the biggest bunch of overactors this side of a Mel Brooks film. Scott Foley is the best of the bunch, but the crap he is given doesn't allow for much to shine through. The worst of the bunch, however, is lead Kerry Washington. She is atrocious, exclusively ping-ponging between a grand total of two emotional states: devastatingly upset and confident speechifying. There is no other way to describe the complete lack of range and nuance to her performance. Every other lead actress who was snubbed should be downright offended that such garbage was rewarded with an Emmy nomination.
Once Upon A Time (ABC)
Less bad than the others on my list, mostly because it doesn't take itself too seriously, but still bad, Once Upon a Time combines a bunch of fairy tales in really lame ways to cough out the most basic and boring, but at the same time ridiculously convoluted and insane plots to fill each season. The show makes no sense, makes up its own rules as it goes along (a big no-no for the fantasy genre), writes itself out of plot holes less effectively than JK Rowling, and tries its best to tie up every bit of insanity at the end of each season. The cast sucks (aside from Robert Carlyle, who singlehandedly makes the show bearable) and the dialogue is downright painful. I said before that the show doesn't take itself too seriously, but sometimes it does and every single one of those times ends up failing miserably.
I'm going to end with an actual, real line that was spoken during a very climactic battle scene that was going to decide the fate of a bunch of major characters: “Our mother taught me one thing. Never bring your heart to a witch fight. Something you’d know if she hadn’t abandoned you.”
If I hadn't started laughing uncontrollably, my brain probably would have collapsed from stupid.
Homeland (Showtime)
If Homeland had been on season, consisting of the first 11 episodes of season 1 and the final 2 episodes of season 2, it would have gone down as an uneven but ballsy and engaging show about terrorism. Instead, we got an awful knock-off Romeo and Juliet story with some awful acting and even worse writing. Don't get me wrong, Claire Danes is a great actress and she did some amazing things with her material in season 1, but everything that followed was an awful retread of the worst parts of the first season and it made me question the entire quality of her performance.
The three biggest themes of the show seem to be family, terrorism and mental health, and yet it somehow manages to say nearly nothing about any of those things. The high production values and the slick advertising campaign and mostly good first season have tricked us all into suffering through some terrible television that tries to pass itself off as high art.
Under The Dome (CBS)
The worst show on TV, no question about it. Not only is it a terrible adaptation of an excellent and thrilling novel, it's a terrible show in its own right. The writing is reminiscent of Lost if Lost were written by high school freshman, the acting is wooden and stiff, yet overdone and hammy at the same time, the visual style is bland, the SFX are a joke, the characters change completely from one episode to another, the story picks up and drops plot points almost at random, I could go on and on. I can't believe this show gets higher ratings than anything in my "best shows" list above. What a pile of trash.
The Walking Dead (AMC)
The Walking Dead is a show I want to like, but the show tries as hard as possible to make sure I can't enjoy it. It's uneven as all hell and vacillates wildly between watchable popcorn fun and poorly written awful character-drama and never once manages to find a solid footing, even after 4 seasons. Luckily, the show has transcended the normal-badness of shows like Scandal, Homeland and Under the Dome and into hilarious badness. Watching TWD with friends and making fun of it MST3K style is highly enjoyable, and makes a unique unbearable show into something worth watching.
Do not for a second think that I mean it's actually worth watching, because it's not. It's an awful mess with no direction and it can't even get the special effects right. It's a goddamn zombie show with awesome make-up but still uses terrible mid-90s CGI on almost everything.
It's so bad that it is hard to articulate how bad it actually is.
Thursday, September 04, 2014
Monday, January 21, 2013
2012 Movie Recap
It's that time of year again, one of maybe 4 times where I actually update this useless blog. I'm still not sure why I continue, but meh, whatever. In any case, time for my top 10 films of 2012 (not feeling the awards post this year). I'll try to do a quick blurb describing my reasoning for each placement.
Honorable Mentions
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Looper
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Dark Knight Rises
The Avengers
Seven Psychopaths
Argo (This missed my top ten by 1 spot. Nearly flawless film from a film-making standpoint, but it was rather forgettable and was missing that extra something necessary to capture my attention)
Top Ten
10. Skyfall
A thrilling deconstruction of the new, grittier James Bond of the Daniel Craig films and a rebirth into the suave, sophisticated secret agent we all know and love. An excellent and fitting tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Bond franchise.
9. Flight
Denzel Washington owns the screen once again as an alcoholic hero pilot who deals with a disaster in the sky while battling his own demons. Washington's performance elevates a unique but sometimes uneven script into the top 10.
8. End of Watch
This movie completely blew me away. Everything comes together perfectly, from the tight direction and focused script to the fantastic performances of all members of the cast. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena are excellent, and Anna Kendrick's barely-there side character will stick in your head.
7. Life of Pi
I will be very, very disappointing if Ang Lee loses out on a best directing Oscar for this movie. One of the most beautifully shot movies ever, not just this year, and the best use of 3D to date.
6. Lawless
I honestly don't know why I loved this movie so much, but the simple story of a bunch of moon-shining brothers captured me. The cast is excellent, lead by the unexpected ranged Shia LeBeouf, even if he is outclassed by Tom Hardy and Guy Pearce. John Hillcoat is going to enter the upper echelon of great directors someday.
5. Cabin in the Woods
I'm never going to look at a horror movie the same way again after this genre-bending gore-fest. The most fun movie of the year.
4. Lincoln
Great performances, great direction, great script. This would probably be the best film of the year in a large percentage of the last decade. Unfortunately, this was one of the best years in film of the last two decades. This one also ends about 3 scenes after it should have, lessening the emotional impact of an otherwise excellent film.
3. Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino's second best film. Not much else needs to be said. If you don't like Tarantino, Django isn't going to change your mind, but for those of us that do, this one is a treat.
2. Silver Linings Playbook
This movie has gotten lots of flak from some who consider themselves "enlightened" film critics. However, I consider this a great slice-of-life story about people dealing with mental illness. It's billed as a rom-com, but is anything but, and Bradley Cooper gives the performance of a life-time.
1. Zero Dark Thirty
Best film of the year. ZDT is a visceral, tense, emotional and interesting roller-coaster, and Jessica Chastain gives an wonderful performance. Do not listen to the criticisms of anyone who hasn't seen the film, because almost all of the controversy surrounding this film is completely baseless. Katheryn Bigelow, coming off The Hurt Locker, manages to top it in every way.
I'll be doing my annual write-up of the Oscar nominations soon as well, although you may be surprised at the length of the post given my generally positive reaction this to year's batch of nominees.
Honorable Mentions
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Looper
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Dark Knight Rises
The Avengers
Seven Psychopaths
Argo (This missed my top ten by 1 spot. Nearly flawless film from a film-making standpoint, but it was rather forgettable and was missing that extra something necessary to capture my attention)
Top Ten
10. Skyfall
A thrilling deconstruction of the new, grittier James Bond of the Daniel Craig films and a rebirth into the suave, sophisticated secret agent we all know and love. An excellent and fitting tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Bond franchise.
9. Flight
Denzel Washington owns the screen once again as an alcoholic hero pilot who deals with a disaster in the sky while battling his own demons. Washington's performance elevates a unique but sometimes uneven script into the top 10.
8. End of Watch
This movie completely blew me away. Everything comes together perfectly, from the tight direction and focused script to the fantastic performances of all members of the cast. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena are excellent, and Anna Kendrick's barely-there side character will stick in your head.
7. Life of Pi
I will be very, very disappointing if Ang Lee loses out on a best directing Oscar for this movie. One of the most beautifully shot movies ever, not just this year, and the best use of 3D to date.
6. Lawless
I honestly don't know why I loved this movie so much, but the simple story of a bunch of moon-shining brothers captured me. The cast is excellent, lead by the unexpected ranged Shia LeBeouf, even if he is outclassed by Tom Hardy and Guy Pearce. John Hillcoat is going to enter the upper echelon of great directors someday.
5. Cabin in the Woods
I'm never going to look at a horror movie the same way again after this genre-bending gore-fest. The most fun movie of the year.
4. Lincoln
Great performances, great direction, great script. This would probably be the best film of the year in a large percentage of the last decade. Unfortunately, this was one of the best years in film of the last two decades. This one also ends about 3 scenes after it should have, lessening the emotional impact of an otherwise excellent film.
3. Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino's second best film. Not much else needs to be said. If you don't like Tarantino, Django isn't going to change your mind, but for those of us that do, this one is a treat.
2. Silver Linings Playbook
This movie has gotten lots of flak from some who consider themselves "enlightened" film critics. However, I consider this a great slice-of-life story about people dealing with mental illness. It's billed as a rom-com, but is anything but, and Bradley Cooper gives the performance of a life-time.
1. Zero Dark Thirty
Best film of the year. ZDT is a visceral, tense, emotional and interesting roller-coaster, and Jessica Chastain gives an wonderful performance. Do not listen to the criticisms of anyone who hasn't seen the film, because almost all of the controversy surrounding this film is completely baseless. Katheryn Bigelow, coming off The Hurt Locker, manages to top it in every way.
I'll be doing my annual write-up of the Oscar nominations soon as well, although you may be surprised at the length of the post given my generally positive reaction this to year's batch of nominees.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
My 2012 Emmy Nominations - Drama
Drama Nominations
After trying for about 20 minutes to write this post, I realize that I watch almost nothing worthy of Emmy awards except for Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and Mad Men. I do watch The Walking Dead and American Horror Story, but neither of those shows deserves Emmys for anything. That being said, I will choose winners and runner-ups for each category, but I cannot do a full nomination breakdown.
Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Christina Hendricks, "Mad Men"
Runner-Up: Lena Headey, "Game of Thrones"
Christina Hendricks took her performance to a whole new level this year, and thus deserves her Emmy. I would have chosen Lena Headey, but she's going to win an award for season 5 of Game of Thrones (if they make it that far). Maisie Williams was also in the running, although she has a strong chance of winning it in the next two years, for Seasons 3 or 4 of Game of Thrones.
Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Vincent Kartheiser, "Mad Men"
Runner-Up: Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad"
Vincent Kartheiser was brilliant on Mad Men this year and completely overshadowed everyone else on the show. Aaron Paul or Peter Dinklage will likely win the real statue, although Peter Dinklage did not have enough to do on Game of Thrones to win this year, in my opinion.
Best Actress
Winner: Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"
Runner-Up: Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"
Make-up award for last year. Also from a severe lack of worthy nominess.
Best Actor
Winner: Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Runner-Up: Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Poor Jon Hamm. Last year was his one chance to win one of these, and Kyle Chandler ended up winning for 5 seasons of underappreciation on Friday Night Lights. Bryan Cranston has a lock on this award until Breaking Bad airs its final season in 2013 (the same year Mad Men will air its final season).
Best Drama
Winner: Mad Men
Runner-Up: Game of Thrones
Like Bryan Cranston's hold over the Best Actor category, I can safely say that Mad Men will never lose Best Drama as long as it is on the air. Game of Thrones was excellent this year, but its best seasons are yet to come.
After trying for about 20 minutes to write this post, I realize that I watch almost nothing worthy of Emmy awards except for Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and Mad Men. I do watch The Walking Dead and American Horror Story, but neither of those shows deserves Emmys for anything. That being said, I will choose winners and runner-ups for each category, but I cannot do a full nomination breakdown.
Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Christina Hendricks, "Mad Men"
Runner-Up: Lena Headey, "Game of Thrones"
Christina Hendricks took her performance to a whole new level this year, and thus deserves her Emmy. I would have chosen Lena Headey, but she's going to win an award for season 5 of Game of Thrones (if they make it that far). Maisie Williams was also in the running, although she has a strong chance of winning it in the next two years, for Seasons 3 or 4 of Game of Thrones.
Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Vincent Kartheiser, "Mad Men"
Runner-Up: Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad"
Vincent Kartheiser was brilliant on Mad Men this year and completely overshadowed everyone else on the show. Aaron Paul or Peter Dinklage will likely win the real statue, although Peter Dinklage did not have enough to do on Game of Thrones to win this year, in my opinion.
Best Actress
Winner: Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"
Runner-Up: Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"
Make-up award for last year. Also from a severe lack of worthy nominess.
Best Actor
Winner: Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Runner-Up: Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Poor Jon Hamm. Last year was his one chance to win one of these, and Kyle Chandler ended up winning for 5 seasons of underappreciation on Friday Night Lights. Bryan Cranston has a lock on this award until Breaking Bad airs its final season in 2013 (the same year Mad Men will air its final season).
Best Drama
Winner: Mad Men
Runner-Up: Game of Thrones
Like Bryan Cranston's hold over the Best Actor category, I can safely say that Mad Men will never lose Best Drama as long as it is on the air. Game of Thrones was excellent this year, but its best seasons are yet to come.
My 2012 Emmy Nominations - Comedy
In years past I have made a list of my own Emmy nominations as a counter to the official lists, which are generally announced in August and awarded in September. With the end of the 2011-12 season eligibility recently passing, I decided to make my list of Emmy nominations before my thinking becomes tainted by the official nominations. This post will handle the comedy nominations, and the following post will handle the drama nominations. Winners are in italics. (Note: I forgot that Curb Your Enthusiasm aired during the Emmy qualifying period, so I am revising these accordingly).
Comedy Nominations
Best Supporting Actress
Gillian Jacobs, "Community"
Allison Brie, "Community"
Cobie Smulders, "How I Met Your Mother"
Melissa Rauch, "The Big Bang Theory"
Rashida Jones, "Parks and Recreation"
Cobie Smulders absolutely killed it this year on How I Met Your Mother. Gillian Jacobs would be my second choice. Despite my occasional hatred towards The Big Bang Theory, Melissa Rauch (and the women in general) is the best thing about the show. I can almost guarantee that none of my nominations will actually get nominated (except possibly Rauch).
Best Supporting Actor
Nick Offerman, "Parks and Recreation"
Danny Pudi, "Community"
Rob Lowe, "Parks and Recreation"
Garret Dillahunt, "Raising Hope"
Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother"
NPH was downright robbed last year, so this is partially a make-up win, but well-deserved for his performance this season. My second choice would be Nick Offerman, who, under normal circumstances, I would like to win every year. I will be satisfied with the Emmy committee if any of these 5 end up taking home the trophy, even though I know it's going to go to someone from Modern Family (which is completely undeserving this year).
Best Actress
Martha Plimpton, "Raising Hope"
Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"
Zoey Deschanel, "The New Girl"
Julia-Louis Dreyfuss, "Veep"
Kaley Cuoco, "The Big Bang Theory"
This isn't even a contest. Amy Poehler should have won last year, and she was even better this year. A very, very distant second would be Martha Plimpton (who should really be in the supporting actress category).
Best Actor
Joel McHale, "Community"
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
David Duchovny, "Californication"
Josh Radnor, "How I Met Your Mother"
Curb had it's best season ever, and Larry David's performance is quite possibly one of the best comedy performances of all time. David Duchovny would by my second choice.
Best Comedy
"Community"
"How I Met Your Mother"
"Parks and Recreation"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"
"Raising Hope"
Parks and Recreation is the best comedy currently on television, and no one will ever convince me otherwise. However, I can almost guarantee Modern Family is going to win for the third season in a row, because the Emmy voters have trouble judging individual seasons on their own merits, and MF was bad this year. Curb comes in a very, very close second.
Comedy Nominations
Best Supporting Actress
Gillian Jacobs, "Community"
Allison Brie, "Community"
Cobie Smulders, "How I Met Your Mother"
Melissa Rauch, "The Big Bang Theory"
Rashida Jones, "Parks and Recreation"
Cobie Smulders absolutely killed it this year on How I Met Your Mother. Gillian Jacobs would be my second choice. Despite my occasional hatred towards The Big Bang Theory, Melissa Rauch (and the women in general) is the best thing about the show. I can almost guarantee that none of my nominations will actually get nominated (except possibly Rauch).
Best Supporting Actor
Nick Offerman, "Parks and Recreation"
Danny Pudi, "Community"
Rob Lowe, "Parks and Recreation"
Garret Dillahunt, "Raising Hope"
Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother"
NPH was downright robbed last year, so this is partially a make-up win, but well-deserved for his performance this season. My second choice would be Nick Offerman, who, under normal circumstances, I would like to win every year. I will be satisfied with the Emmy committee if any of these 5 end up taking home the trophy, even though I know it's going to go to someone from Modern Family (which is completely undeserving this year).
Best Actress
Martha Plimpton, "Raising Hope"
Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"
Zoey Deschanel, "The New Girl"
Julia-Louis Dreyfuss, "Veep"
Kaley Cuoco, "The Big Bang Theory"
This isn't even a contest. Amy Poehler should have won last year, and she was even better this year. A very, very distant second would be Martha Plimpton (who should really be in the supporting actress category).
Best Actor
Joel McHale, "Community"
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
David Duchovny, "Californication"
Josh Radnor, "How I Met Your Mother"
Curb had it's best season ever, and Larry David's performance is quite possibly one of the best comedy performances of all time. David Duchovny would by my second choice.
Best Comedy
"Community"
"How I Met Your Mother"
"Parks and Recreation"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"
"Raising Hope"
Parks and Recreation is the best comedy currently on television, and no one will ever convince me otherwise. However, I can almost guarantee Modern Family is going to win for the third season in a row, because the Emmy voters have trouble judging individual seasons on their own merits, and MF was bad this year. Curb comes in a very, very close second.
Monday, January 02, 2012
The Too-Soon* 2011 Movie Awards!
*I will fully admit that while I saw a lot of movies this year, I did not see as many of the "Oscar-worthy" films as I would have liked (The Tree of Life, Shame, The Artist, The Descendants, Hugo, The Ides of March). Without those films, this list is pretty pointless, but whatever.
Anyway, here are my awards for the year, following a similar format as last year:
Stinker of the Year (winner in italics)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (seriously, I love this series, but this movie was a train wreck)
The Thing
Best Comic/Children's Book Adaptation
Thor
Captain America: The First Avenger
X-Men: First Class
Mindless Fun Award
Fast Five
Scream 4
Real Steel
Best Actor
Daniel Craig - "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Michael Fassbender - "X-Men: First Class" (Based on what I've head, I have a feeling he would be in here for A Dangerous Method or Shame anyway if I had seen them)
Brad Pitt - "Moneyball"
Ryan Gosling - "Drive"
Joseph Gordon Levitt - "50/50"
Best Actress
Carrie Mulligan - "Drive"
Kate Winslet - "Contagion"
Rooney Mara - "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"
Anne Heche - "Cedar Rapids"
Kristen Wiig - "Bridesmaids"
Best Score/Original Music
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Cliff Martinez - "Contagion"
Cliff Martinez - "Drive"
Michael Giacchino - "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol"
Cristophe Beck - "The Muppets"
Best Director
Nicolas Winding Refn - "Drive"
David Fincher - "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"
Steven Soderbergh - "Contagion"
Bennett Miller - "Moneyball"
Woody Allen - "Midnight in Paris"
Top 10 Movies of the Year (in order)
1. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
2. Drive
3. Midnight in Paris
4. Moneyball
5. 50/50
6. Cedar Rapids
7. X-Men: First Class
8. The Muppets
9. Red State
10. Contagion
Anyway, here are my awards for the year, following a similar format as last year:
Stinker of the Year (winner in italics)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (seriously, I love this series, but this movie was a train wreck)
The Thing
Best Comic/Children's Book Adaptation
Thor
Captain America: The First Avenger
X-Men: First Class
Mindless Fun Award
Fast Five
Scream 4
Real Steel
Best Actor
Daniel Craig - "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Michael Fassbender - "X-Men: First Class" (Based on what I've head, I have a feeling he would be in here for A Dangerous Method or Shame anyway if I had seen them)
Brad Pitt - "Moneyball"
Ryan Gosling - "Drive"
Joseph Gordon Levitt - "50/50"
Best Actress
Carrie Mulligan - "Drive"
Kate Winslet - "Contagion"
Rooney Mara - "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"
Anne Heche - "Cedar Rapids"
Kristen Wiig - "Bridesmaids"
Best Score/Original Music
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Cliff Martinez - "Contagion"
Cliff Martinez - "Drive"
Michael Giacchino - "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol"
Cristophe Beck - "The Muppets"
Best Director
Nicolas Winding Refn - "Drive"
David Fincher - "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"
Steven Soderbergh - "Contagion"
Bennett Miller - "Moneyball"
Woody Allen - "Midnight in Paris"
Top 10 Movies of the Year (in order)
1. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
2. Drive
3. Midnight in Paris
4. Moneyball
5. 50/50
6. Cedar Rapids
7. X-Men: First Class
8. The Muppets
9. Red State
10. Contagion
Thursday, July 14, 2011
My Rant on Why The Emmy Nominations Have Become a F***ing Joke, Part 1
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/arts/television/2011-emmy-award-nominees.html?_r=1
The Emmy nominations came out today, and I don't think I have ever been more disappointed in the slough of shows, actors and actresses slated for the awards show this year.
A DISCLAIMER: Now, this year was fairly lacking for television, with heavy hitters like Lost, 24 and Battlestar Galactica ending their runs, and Breaking Bad missing the cut off for inclusion by 2 months, but still. This group of nominees is pure ass.
Going award by award (comedies first), let's take a look at these abominations of nominations (rhymes are awesome!):
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy
I'm mostly okay with this one, although Jane Krakowski getting nominated at all makes me want to barf. I really like 30 Rock, but she is easily the worst part about it and I cringe every time she is on screen. And not in a good way, like with vintage The Office, but in a "get the fuck off the screen you annoying bitch" kind of way. She should have been replaced by Phyllis Sommerville or Cynthia Nixon from "The Big C", Cobie Smulders from "How I Met Your Mother" or by Alison Brie from "Community". Otherwise I'm generally okay with this list. It's really too bad Curb Your Enthusiasm didn't have an eligible season. Suzie Essman would run away with this award.
My Nominees (winner in CAPS)
Phyllis Sommerville, "The Big C"
SOFIA VERGARA, "Modern Family"
Julie Bowen, "Modern Family"
Alison Brie, "Community"
Cynthia Nixon, "The Big C"
Kaley Cuoco, "The Big Bang Theory" (she is seriously the only watchable thing about that show)
Sofia Vergara is one of the many amazing things about Modern Family. Second choice would be Phyllis Sommerville.
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy
I hate this list. Every single one of those Modern Family nominees deserved it, but I still hate the 4 of the 6 nominees are from the same show. Two and a Half Men needs to burn in hell, so I hope Jon Cryer breaks something before the ceremony, and Chris Colfer's mouth shouldn't be allowed on television (also, I'm ultra-biased against Glee this year because it was a steaming pile of poop compared to the first season). This year was mother-fucking LOADED with awesome supporting roles for male actors in comedies, and they still nominate 4 guys from the same show? Bullshit! I can't even write a real sentence, so here's a list of extremely deserving people who got snubbed: Dani Pudi and Donald Glover (Community), Oliver Platt (The Big C), Aziz Ansari, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe,RON MOTHERFUCKING SWANSON Nick Offerman and Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation), Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother), Garret Dillahunt (Raising Hope). The more I look at it, the more I hate it. Once again, too bad for no CYE. Bob Einstein as Marty Funkhouser would sneak in over Stonestreet.
My Nominees:
Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"
Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family"
NICK OFFERMAN, "Parks and Recreation"
Oliver Platt, "The Big C"
Adam Scott, "Parks and Recreation"
Donald Glover, "Community"
but really, ANY of these guys deserve to win. That is just how f'ing loaded this category is this year. And they still nominated Jon fucking Cryer. Ty Burrell is my second choice and I hope he wins the real thing.
Best Actress in a Comedy
This one is hard for me, because I don't generally watch a lot of female-led comedies, and, to be honest, I don't think I'd change a damn thing in this category. All of the nominees are deserving, except maybe Melissa McCarthy, but that's just because I loathe Chuck Lorre and everything he does. Melissa McCarthy is generally a good actress and, while I haven't subjected myself to an episode of Mike & Molly, I imagine she performs well in it.
Winner: AMY POEHLER, "Parks and Recreation"
Laura Linney is clearly the best here, but her role is barely comedic at all. Amy Poehler made Leslie Knope so unique and hilarious. For those who don't believe me, watch the season 3 episode "The Flu". You will cry laughing.
Best Actor in a Comedy
I don't like this list either. Not because the majority of these guys are undeserving (Steve Carell and Rainn Wilson were the only good things about The Office this year, but the season as a whole was so damn bad that I feel like it doesn't deserve anything), but there are more deserving people, like Joel McHale (Community) and Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother).
My Nominees:
Louis C.K., "Louie"
Joel McHale, "Community"
Josh Radnor, "How I Met Your Mother"
ALEC BALDWIN, "30 Rock"
Steve Carrell, "The Office"
Rainn Wilson, "The Office" (he deserves to be in the lead category)
I realize he has won this like 4 times in a row, but he's just that damn funny, and this category is rather weak. My second choice would be Josh Radnor.
Best Comedy
This category is an abortion. This is easily the worst of them all. The Office, Big Bang Theory and Glee were travesties last season. At least with the other categories, you could make cases for individual performances in poor programs (except Jon Cryer), but there is no excuse for those three shows making it in. I could understand if it was a garbage year and the committee was just picking old favorites, but this year had a great lineup of comedies. I am appalled. Simply appalled.
My Nominations:
"The Big C"
"Community"
"How I Met Your Mother"
"Modern Family"
"PARKS AND RECREATION"
"Raising Hope"
Parks and Recreation's 3rd season may go down as one of the best comedy seasons of anything ever. Every episode was pure comedic gold. My second choice would be... nothing. I enjoyed each of these shows, but P&R completely killed it every single week. 1-2 more consistent seasons and it will legitimately enter the conversation when discussing Best Comedies of All Time with the likes of Arrested Development and Seinfeld.
So, you can see how terrible the nominations are. I'll get to the dramas in a day or two, because those offend me less. The drama field was a barren wasteland, so I can't fault a lot of the choices, although a few irk me. But we'll get to that later.
The Emmy nominations came out today, and I don't think I have ever been more disappointed in the slough of shows, actors and actresses slated for the awards show this year.
A DISCLAIMER: Now, this year was fairly lacking for television, with heavy hitters like Lost, 24 and Battlestar Galactica ending their runs, and Breaking Bad missing the cut off for inclusion by 2 months, but still. This group of nominees is pure ass.
Going award by award (comedies first), let's take a look at these abominations of nominations (rhymes are awesome!):
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy
I'm mostly okay with this one, although Jane Krakowski getting nominated at all makes me want to barf. I really like 30 Rock, but she is easily the worst part about it and I cringe every time she is on screen. And not in a good way, like with vintage The Office, but in a "get the fuck off the screen you annoying bitch" kind of way. She should have been replaced by Phyllis Sommerville or Cynthia Nixon from "The Big C", Cobie Smulders from "How I Met Your Mother" or by Alison Brie from "Community". Otherwise I'm generally okay with this list. It's really too bad Curb Your Enthusiasm didn't have an eligible season. Suzie Essman would run away with this award.
My Nominees (winner in CAPS)
Phyllis Sommerville, "The Big C"
SOFIA VERGARA, "Modern Family"
Julie Bowen, "Modern Family"
Alison Brie, "Community"
Cynthia Nixon, "The Big C"
Kaley Cuoco, "The Big Bang Theory" (she is seriously the only watchable thing about that show)
Sofia Vergara is one of the many amazing things about Modern Family. Second choice would be Phyllis Sommerville.
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy
I hate this list. Every single one of those Modern Family nominees deserved it, but I still hate the 4 of the 6 nominees are from the same show. Two and a Half Men needs to burn in hell, so I hope Jon Cryer breaks something before the ceremony, and Chris Colfer's mouth shouldn't be allowed on television (also, I'm ultra-biased against Glee this year because it was a steaming pile of poop compared to the first season). This year was mother-fucking LOADED with awesome supporting roles for male actors in comedies, and they still nominate 4 guys from the same show? Bullshit! I can't even write a real sentence, so here's a list of extremely deserving people who got snubbed: Dani Pudi and Donald Glover (Community), Oliver Platt (The Big C), Aziz Ansari, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe,
My Nominees:
Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"
Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family"
NICK OFFERMAN, "Parks and Recreation"
Oliver Platt, "The Big C"
Adam Scott, "Parks and Recreation"
Donald Glover, "Community"
but really, ANY of these guys deserve to win. That is just how f'ing loaded this category is this year. And they still nominated Jon fucking Cryer. Ty Burrell is my second choice and I hope he wins the real thing.
Best Actress in a Comedy
This one is hard for me, because I don't generally watch a lot of female-led comedies, and, to be honest, I don't think I'd change a damn thing in this category. All of the nominees are deserving, except maybe Melissa McCarthy, but that's just because I loathe Chuck Lorre and everything he does. Melissa McCarthy is generally a good actress and, while I haven't subjected myself to an episode of Mike & Molly, I imagine she performs well in it.
Winner: AMY POEHLER, "Parks and Recreation"
Laura Linney is clearly the best here, but her role is barely comedic at all. Amy Poehler made Leslie Knope so unique and hilarious. For those who don't believe me, watch the season 3 episode "The Flu". You will cry laughing.
Best Actor in a Comedy
I don't like this list either. Not because the majority of these guys are undeserving (Steve Carell and Rainn Wilson were the only good things about The Office this year, but the season as a whole was so damn bad that I feel like it doesn't deserve anything), but there are more deserving people, like Joel McHale (Community) and Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother).
My Nominees:
Louis C.K., "Louie"
Joel McHale, "Community"
Josh Radnor, "How I Met Your Mother"
ALEC BALDWIN, "30 Rock"
Steve Carrell, "The Office"
Rainn Wilson, "The Office" (he deserves to be in the lead category)
I realize he has won this like 4 times in a row, but he's just that damn funny, and this category is rather weak. My second choice would be Josh Radnor.
Best Comedy
This category is an abortion. This is easily the worst of them all. The Office, Big Bang Theory and Glee were travesties last season. At least with the other categories, you could make cases for individual performances in poor programs (except Jon Cryer), but there is no excuse for those three shows making it in. I could understand if it was a garbage year and the committee was just picking old favorites, but this year had a great lineup of comedies. I am appalled. Simply appalled.
My Nominations:
"The Big C"
"Community"
"How I Met Your Mother"
"Modern Family"
"PARKS AND RECREATION"
"Raising Hope"
Parks and Recreation's 3rd season may go down as one of the best comedy seasons of anything ever. Every episode was pure comedic gold. My second choice would be... nothing. I enjoyed each of these shows, but P&R completely killed it every single week. 1-2 more consistent seasons and it will legitimately enter the conversation when discussing Best Comedies of All Time with the likes of Arrested Development and Seinfeld.
So, you can see how terrible the nominations are. I'll get to the dramas in a day or two, because those offend me less. The drama field was a barren wasteland, so I can't fault a lot of the choices, although a few irk me. But we'll get to that later.
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Why "How I Met Your Mother" is the Best* Comedy on Television
*by "best", I mean my favorite. "Arrested Development" still holds that crown.
Recently, my girlfriend and I finished rewatching all of the aired episodes of "How I Met Your Mother" (henceforth referred to as HIMYM, because How I Met Your Mother is annoying as shit to type), which is currently about to wrap up its sixth season, which also happens to be its sixth quality season. Before I go on, let me put that into perspective. "The Office," one of the most highly regarded shows on the air, is currently in its seventh season, and it has been 3+ years since a quality one. So, there.
HIMYM revolves around the lives of five friends who live in New York City. The show starts with Ted Mosby (2030 version is voiced by Bob Saget, present time version is played by Josh Radnor) telling a story to his children in the year 2030 about how he met their mother. The story begins when two central characters, Marshall (Jason Segel) and Lily (Alyson Hannigan) (college sweethearts who have been together for 9 years) get engaged. Marshall's college/current roommate and best friend, Ted, decides that he wants to find "the one" and settle down when he hears of Marshall and Lily's engagement. It is at this point that he sees a girl (Robin, played by Cobie Smulders) from across the bar (McLaren's, one of the central locales of the show) and falls quickly for her. The very first episode ends with a twist, however, when it is revealed by 2030-Ted that this is the day he met "Aunt Robin", one of his best friends and an honorary aunt to his kids. Right off the bat you know that Robin isn't The One.
A small aside: This is where most people decide what kind of show this is going to be for them. In my discussions around town and the internet, I have discovered that most people decided that their primary concern was going to be The Mother, and her ultimate identity. This is a mistake. This first episode is meant to give the audience the groundwork for the eventual (and still yet to happen) reveal of the mother, but at the same time let them know that The Mother isn't the most important thing in the show. Even from the very first episode, the audience is supposed to know that the show is about Ted, and how his journey through his late-20s and early-30s allows him to grow into the person he needs to be and arrive at the point in time when he meets The Mother. People seem to have a hard time understanding this, which is one reason I hear a lot of hate for this show because it "takes too long to go anywhere." Readers, keep this in mind if you ever decide to start watching. Anyway...
The first season deals with Ted's newfound obsession with getting married and gives the audience some insight into this group of friends. When the show starts, Marshall, a kid from St. Cloud, Minnesota, is a law student at NYU, studying to become an environmental lawyer, because his dream is to work for the NRDC (National Resource Defense Council). His fiancée, Lily, is a kindergarten teacher who went to college to be an artist, but was never able to realize her dream. Ted is a mid-level architect at a New York architecture firm who wants nothing more than to design a skyscraper in the NYC skyline. Robin is a local TV news reporter working for Metro News 1 (the lowest rated metro news channel) with dreams of hosting a cable news show. The 5th member of the group is Barney (played spectacularly by Neil Patrick Harris), a suit-wearing, scotch-drinking, cigar-smoking playboy whose only initial goal in life is to make money, have fun and get laid. Now that you have the groundwork for the characters...
I am going to try to stay away from specific plot points in order to keep from spoiling new viewers, but I may spoil a thing or two here and there in order to get my point across. HIMYM is an absolutely phenomenal show for several reasons. First, it is the most relatable show on television. Second, it is marketed as a generic sitcom (which turns off as many viewers as it brings in), but it is very, very far from a generic sitcom. Third, the portrayal of these five friends and how they mature and change as they grow older is spot on. Fourth, it is absolutely hilarious, but can still handle hard subjects and heavy material without feeling heavy handed. Starting with #4, here is some more detail.
#4 - It is absolutely hilarious, but can still handle hard subjects and heavy material without feeling heavy handed.
It's a comedy. It's supposed to be funny. You're supposed to laugh. But what really makes this show amazing in the pure-comedy category is that it is a perfect balance of many different styles of comedy. It has lots of accessible sitcom-style humor, lots of referential in-jokes and call-backs without going too over the top (while I adore the shit out of "Community," it is definitely guilty of this), lots of character-based humor, some physical comedy, lots of clever pop-culture references and throwbacks, and plenty of what I like to call "slow burn" humor (jokes that are seeded early and teased out until exploding into hilarious moments). At the same time, the show deals with a lot of heavy material. Some examples include: several divorces, cheating, family deaths, abandonment issues, unknown paternity, marriage, depression, unemployment, debt, fate vs. choice. HIMYM doesn't handle these subjects like a normal sitcom, either through some heavy-handed moral message (ala Saved by the Bell) or an inappropriate and distasteful amount of humor (ala Two and A Half Men), but instead manages to balance the issue with an appropriate level of humor. The death of a character's father, for example, is handled with almost zero direct humor, while a mini-storyline about credit-card debt is loaded with direct comedy. Balance is the essence of everything on HIMYM.
#3 - The portrayal of these five friends and how they mature and change as they grow older is spot on.
Every single person on HIMYM has changed drastically since their introduction in the very first episode, yet every person still feels true to the characters we met in that first episode. Granted, there have been some minor hiccups along the way, primarily in regards to the first couple of seasons, but I give the writers/creators a free pass for this due to the show's fate being in a constant state of flux (HIMYM was a last-second renewal for its first 3 seasons, leading to a lot of rushed storylines). Once the show settled into some comfortable ratings and earned itself a near indefinite lifespan from CBS, the continuity really cemented itself. Anyway. Every character on the show has dealt with some sort of life-altering event during the course of the show, both internal and external, yet none of the situations has felt forced. The growth of the characters feels completely natural. I credit this both to the writing staff, and to the cast. This cast is phenomenal. There isn't a single actor I would want replaced with someone else. As a testament to that, even though I don't particularly care for Lily and occasionally think she's a bad person, I wouldn't ever call her inconsistent, poorly written or a bad character, and I sure as hell wouldn't want anyone other than Alyson Hannigan playing her. This is why the show gets better on repeated viewings. Much of the character humor is lost on the audience in the first season, simply because you haven't gotten to know them yet. When you go back and watch it again, the original stuff you laughed at is just as funny as the first time, and now you have additional character-based humor to laugh at. It just gets better and better.
#2 - It is marketed as a generic sitcom (which turns off as many viewers as it brings in), but it is very, very far from a generic sitcom.
I went over most of this in #4, but here are some additional thoughts. CBS's marketing would lead one to believe that HIMYM is in the same category as the rest of CBS's cranially cadaverous lineup of 2.5 Men, The Big Bang Theory, Mike and Molly and $#!% My Dad Says. It is absolutely not. Just watch it and you'll see what I mean. I will warn you, the first season feels very sitcom-y, but the show quickly grows out of that. Just trust me and give it a chance. Without further ado, the most important reason the show is the best:
#1 - It is the most relatable show on television.
I didn't really drink in college. I have been single for a grand total of fourteen months since I was 16. I don't really go to bars. I don't womanize. I'm not married. I'm in no rush to get married. I have no desire to have kids now (and am slowly losing the desire to have them at all). I don't live in NYC. One would think that I would have absolutely nothing in common with these characters yet, somehow, I relate with these characters more than any other in any form of media. Sometimes, I feel like I am Ted, or Marshall, or even Robin at times. The stories that are told, the decisions that the characters make and the themes that are explored are universal. Every Single Person Who watches this show will find at least one character to whom they relate exceptionally well (and have friends who basically are the other characters). On top of this, phrases and sayings from this show will enter your every-day vocabulary, simply because so many of the things those phrases and sayings are based on have happened to every single one of us at some point. A few examples include The Chain/Circle/Pyramid of Screaming, Graduation Goggles (my personal favorite), The Reacher & The Settler, The Hot/Crazy Scale, The Cheerleader Effect and Revertigo. If you can't already figure it out and want to know what these mean, watch the show. They will all make perfect sense and give you a new way to describe the situations you get yourself into.
I could go into waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more detail about how amazing this show is, but I can't without spoiling the shit out of it. Hey, another reason it's so awesome. It's a comedy where the viewers actually care about the storyline and would be pissed if something were spoiled for them (HIMYM is full of cliff-hangers and plot twists. How many comedies can say that?).
Everyone needs to watch this show. And if by some crazy miracle you watch the show and don't find it at all relatable, then I may question your humanity. You heard it here first. If you don't relate in some way to HIMYM, you are a reptoid.
Recently, my girlfriend and I finished rewatching all of the aired episodes of "How I Met Your Mother" (henceforth referred to as HIMYM, because How I Met Your Mother is annoying as shit to type), which is currently about to wrap up its sixth season, which also happens to be its sixth quality season. Before I go on, let me put that into perspective. "The Office," one of the most highly regarded shows on the air, is currently in its seventh season, and it has been 3+ years since a quality one. So, there.
HIMYM revolves around the lives of five friends who live in New York City. The show starts with Ted Mosby (2030 version is voiced by Bob Saget, present time version is played by Josh Radnor) telling a story to his children in the year 2030 about how he met their mother. The story begins when two central characters, Marshall (Jason Segel) and Lily (Alyson Hannigan) (college sweethearts who have been together for 9 years) get engaged. Marshall's college/current roommate and best friend, Ted, decides that he wants to find "the one" and settle down when he hears of Marshall and Lily's engagement. It is at this point that he sees a girl (Robin, played by Cobie Smulders) from across the bar (McLaren's, one of the central locales of the show) and falls quickly for her. The very first episode ends with a twist, however, when it is revealed by 2030-Ted that this is the day he met "Aunt Robin", one of his best friends and an honorary aunt to his kids. Right off the bat you know that Robin isn't The One.
A small aside: This is where most people decide what kind of show this is going to be for them. In my discussions around town and the internet, I have discovered that most people decided that their primary concern was going to be The Mother, and her ultimate identity. This is a mistake. This first episode is meant to give the audience the groundwork for the eventual (and still yet to happen) reveal of the mother, but at the same time let them know that The Mother isn't the most important thing in the show. Even from the very first episode, the audience is supposed to know that the show is about Ted, and how his journey through his late-20s and early-30s allows him to grow into the person he needs to be and arrive at the point in time when he meets The Mother. People seem to have a hard time understanding this, which is one reason I hear a lot of hate for this show because it "takes too long to go anywhere." Readers, keep this in mind if you ever decide to start watching. Anyway...
The first season deals with Ted's newfound obsession with getting married and gives the audience some insight into this group of friends. When the show starts, Marshall, a kid from St. Cloud, Minnesota, is a law student at NYU, studying to become an environmental lawyer, because his dream is to work for the NRDC (National Resource Defense Council). His fiancée, Lily, is a kindergarten teacher who went to college to be an artist, but was never able to realize her dream. Ted is a mid-level architect at a New York architecture firm who wants nothing more than to design a skyscraper in the NYC skyline. Robin is a local TV news reporter working for Metro News 1 (the lowest rated metro news channel) with dreams of hosting a cable news show. The 5th member of the group is Barney (played spectacularly by Neil Patrick Harris), a suit-wearing, scotch-drinking, cigar-smoking playboy whose only initial goal in life is to make money, have fun and get laid. Now that you have the groundwork for the characters...
I am going to try to stay away from specific plot points in order to keep from spoiling new viewers, but I may spoil a thing or two here and there in order to get my point across. HIMYM is an absolutely phenomenal show for several reasons. First, it is the most relatable show on television. Second, it is marketed as a generic sitcom (which turns off as many viewers as it brings in), but it is very, very far from a generic sitcom. Third, the portrayal of these five friends and how they mature and change as they grow older is spot on. Fourth, it is absolutely hilarious, but can still handle hard subjects and heavy material without feeling heavy handed. Starting with #4, here is some more detail.
#4 - It is absolutely hilarious, but can still handle hard subjects and heavy material without feeling heavy handed.
It's a comedy. It's supposed to be funny. You're supposed to laugh. But what really makes this show amazing in the pure-comedy category is that it is a perfect balance of many different styles of comedy. It has lots of accessible sitcom-style humor, lots of referential in-jokes and call-backs without going too over the top (while I adore the shit out of "Community," it is definitely guilty of this), lots of character-based humor, some physical comedy, lots of clever pop-culture references and throwbacks, and plenty of what I like to call "slow burn" humor (jokes that are seeded early and teased out until exploding into hilarious moments). At the same time, the show deals with a lot of heavy material. Some examples include: several divorces, cheating, family deaths, abandonment issues, unknown paternity, marriage, depression, unemployment, debt, fate vs. choice. HIMYM doesn't handle these subjects like a normal sitcom, either through some heavy-handed moral message (ala Saved by the Bell) or an inappropriate and distasteful amount of humor (ala Two and A Half Men), but instead manages to balance the issue with an appropriate level of humor. The death of a character's father, for example, is handled with almost zero direct humor, while a mini-storyline about credit-card debt is loaded with direct comedy. Balance is the essence of everything on HIMYM.
#3 - The portrayal of these five friends and how they mature and change as they grow older is spot on.
Every single person on HIMYM has changed drastically since their introduction in the very first episode, yet every person still feels true to the characters we met in that first episode. Granted, there have been some minor hiccups along the way, primarily in regards to the first couple of seasons, but I give the writers/creators a free pass for this due to the show's fate being in a constant state of flux (HIMYM was a last-second renewal for its first 3 seasons, leading to a lot of rushed storylines). Once the show settled into some comfortable ratings and earned itself a near indefinite lifespan from CBS, the continuity really cemented itself. Anyway. Every character on the show has dealt with some sort of life-altering event during the course of the show, both internal and external, yet none of the situations has felt forced. The growth of the characters feels completely natural. I credit this both to the writing staff, and to the cast. This cast is phenomenal. There isn't a single actor I would want replaced with someone else. As a testament to that, even though I don't particularly care for Lily and occasionally think she's a bad person, I wouldn't ever call her inconsistent, poorly written or a bad character, and I sure as hell wouldn't want anyone other than Alyson Hannigan playing her. This is why the show gets better on repeated viewings. Much of the character humor is lost on the audience in the first season, simply because you haven't gotten to know them yet. When you go back and watch it again, the original stuff you laughed at is just as funny as the first time, and now you have additional character-based humor to laugh at. It just gets better and better.
#2 - It is marketed as a generic sitcom (which turns off as many viewers as it brings in), but it is very, very far from a generic sitcom.
I went over most of this in #4, but here are some additional thoughts. CBS's marketing would lead one to believe that HIMYM is in the same category as the rest of CBS's cranially cadaverous lineup of 2.5 Men, The Big Bang Theory, Mike and Molly and $#!% My Dad Says. It is absolutely not. Just watch it and you'll see what I mean. I will warn you, the first season feels very sitcom-y, but the show quickly grows out of that. Just trust me and give it a chance. Without further ado, the most important reason the show is the best:
#1 - It is the most relatable show on television.
I didn't really drink in college. I have been single for a grand total of fourteen months since I was 16. I don't really go to bars. I don't womanize. I'm not married. I'm in no rush to get married. I have no desire to have kids now (and am slowly losing the desire to have them at all). I don't live in NYC. One would think that I would have absolutely nothing in common with these characters yet, somehow, I relate with these characters more than any other in any form of media. Sometimes, I feel like I am Ted, or Marshall, or even Robin at times. The stories that are told, the decisions that the characters make and the themes that are explored are universal. Every Single Person Who watches this show will find at least one character to whom they relate exceptionally well (and have friends who basically are the other characters). On top of this, phrases and sayings from this show will enter your every-day vocabulary, simply because so many of the things those phrases and sayings are based on have happened to every single one of us at some point. A few examples include The Chain/Circle/Pyramid of Screaming, Graduation Goggles (my personal favorite), The Reacher & The Settler, The Hot/Crazy Scale, The Cheerleader Effect and Revertigo. If you can't already figure it out and want to know what these mean, watch the show. They will all make perfect sense and give you a new way to describe the situations you get yourself into.
I could go into waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more detail about how amazing this show is, but I can't without spoiling the shit out of it. Hey, another reason it's so awesome. It's a comedy where the viewers actually care about the storyline and would be pissed if something were spoiled for them (HIMYM is full of cliff-hangers and plot twists. How many comedies can say that?).
Everyone needs to watch this show. And if by some crazy miracle you watch the show and don't find it at all relatable, then I may question your humanity. You heard it here first. If you don't relate in some way to HIMYM, you are a reptoid.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
A Minor Crisis of Self
This past week, after stumbling upon a friend's blog, I realized something about myself.
I am no longer an intellectual person.
For the first four years of college, I loved to learn. I mean yeah, it was homework and tests and that sucked, but I adored just gobbling up knowledge in both of my majors and anywhere else I could find it. I wanted to know more and more and didn't want to stop learning more. I wanted to talk about everything I learned, discuss it and argue about it until I turned blue in the face. In my fifth year, my motivation to learn started getting edged out by my hatred of tests and homework, and by the end I just wanted to be done. However, I promised myself that I would start reading for recreation again, something I stopped doing somewhere between my sophomore and junior years due to just being too goddamn busy, because I knew it was one way I could force myself to do something that stimulated my brain. There were so many classic novels that I want to read (Ender's Game, 1984, Brave New World, to name a few) and I knew I would have time once I graduated.
It never happened. Once I graduated, I was so burned out from reading for classes (my last two semesters were brutal in the mindless reading category) that I never picked up another book. I feared that this would last forever. Luckily for me, a new opportunity presented itself. I found myself in a new job that required a lot of travel, including flying all over the damn country. Finally, I decided, I would have time with which I couldn't do anything but read. I bought a stack of books, made a list of more to buy, and got really excited about the prospect of doing something intelligent again.
Guess what happened. Go on, guess. I made it through a grand total of TWO books before I started bringing my DS with on my flights. Fucking TWO. And one of them barely even counts (The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons. While entertaining and very educational, I can't exactly say that learning about the history of the NBA expanded my intellectual base). If anyone's curious, the other was Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie, which was definitely stimulating. And sitting in my stack, untouched, a veritable treasure trove of modern classics (Blood Meridian, Infinite Jest, Gravity's Rainbow, several books by Haruki Murakami, etc). When I realized this, I become disgusted with myself, only to realize further that my entire self has become rather shallow.
My personal life (not counting spending time with my lovely girlfriend) basically consists of watching television shows (hence why a future post is going to be an in-depth analysis of How I Met Your Mother. Brace yourselves), surfing the internet, and playing video games. When did I revert to a 14 year old version of myself? What the hell happened?
This is especially jarring to me because, generally, the rest of my life is rather great. I love my girlfriend, I have a great job that is going to offer me a lot of opportunity in the future, I have finally gotten myself healthy physically (losing more than 80 lbs in the last year) and I am about to move out of the shithole that is Columbia Heights. My life is generally good, but it's missing something. It is missing the intellectual challenge I received nearly every day while in college. It is missing the passionate arguments about politics, business, ethics, hell, even life. I always hoped that I could rely on my friends for this stimulation once I graduated, only to realize that the vast majority of my friendships have become shallow voids or have faded into nothing. I can count the number of truly close friends that I have on one hand, and I'm lucky if I get to see them twice a month. I just plain don't have any motivation to improve myself intellectually, simply because I don't have to.
I'm not even really sure what I want to do about any of this, or what I even can do about any of it. I need to do something different, whether that be meeting some new people I can spar with, or trying to reconnect with some old friends, just something. I can't keep going on the way I am, because it is inevitably going to drive me insane. We'll see what happens.
I am no longer an intellectual person.
For the first four years of college, I loved to learn. I mean yeah, it was homework and tests and that sucked, but I adored just gobbling up knowledge in both of my majors and anywhere else I could find it. I wanted to know more and more and didn't want to stop learning more. I wanted to talk about everything I learned, discuss it and argue about it until I turned blue in the face. In my fifth year, my motivation to learn started getting edged out by my hatred of tests and homework, and by the end I just wanted to be done. However, I promised myself that I would start reading for recreation again, something I stopped doing somewhere between my sophomore and junior years due to just being too goddamn busy, because I knew it was one way I could force myself to do something that stimulated my brain. There were so many classic novels that I want to read (Ender's Game, 1984, Brave New World, to name a few) and I knew I would have time once I graduated.
It never happened. Once I graduated, I was so burned out from reading for classes (my last two semesters were brutal in the mindless reading category) that I never picked up another book. I feared that this would last forever. Luckily for me, a new opportunity presented itself. I found myself in a new job that required a lot of travel, including flying all over the damn country. Finally, I decided, I would have time with which I couldn't do anything but read. I bought a stack of books, made a list of more to buy, and got really excited about the prospect of doing something intelligent again.
Guess what happened. Go on, guess. I made it through a grand total of TWO books before I started bringing my DS with on my flights. Fucking TWO. And one of them barely even counts (The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons. While entertaining and very educational, I can't exactly say that learning about the history of the NBA expanded my intellectual base). If anyone's curious, the other was Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie, which was definitely stimulating. And sitting in my stack, untouched, a veritable treasure trove of modern classics (Blood Meridian, Infinite Jest, Gravity's Rainbow, several books by Haruki Murakami, etc). When I realized this, I become disgusted with myself, only to realize further that my entire self has become rather shallow.
My personal life (not counting spending time with my lovely girlfriend) basically consists of watching television shows (hence why a future post is going to be an in-depth analysis of How I Met Your Mother. Brace yourselves), surfing the internet, and playing video games. When did I revert to a 14 year old version of myself? What the hell happened?
This is especially jarring to me because, generally, the rest of my life is rather great. I love my girlfriend, I have a great job that is going to offer me a lot of opportunity in the future, I have finally gotten myself healthy physically (losing more than 80 lbs in the last year) and I am about to move out of the shithole that is Columbia Heights. My life is generally good, but it's missing something. It is missing the intellectual challenge I received nearly every day while in college. It is missing the passionate arguments about politics, business, ethics, hell, even life. I always hoped that I could rely on my friends for this stimulation once I graduated, only to realize that the vast majority of my friendships have become shallow voids or have faded into nothing. I can count the number of truly close friends that I have on one hand, and I'm lucky if I get to see them twice a month. I just plain don't have any motivation to improve myself intellectually, simply because I don't have to.
I'm not even really sure what I want to do about any of this, or what I even can do about any of it. I need to do something different, whether that be meeting some new people I can spar with, or trying to reconnect with some old friends, just something. I can't keep going on the way I am, because it is inevitably going to drive me insane. We'll see what happens.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
2010 Movies Awards
It's that time of year again! I feel as though I saw a much better and larger selection of films this year, but I still missed some of the potential Oscar contenders.
Without further adieu, here are my totally made up movie awards for 2010 (winners of each category in italics):
Stinker of the Year
Iron Man 2
Get Him to The Greek
Dumbest but Funnest
Machete
The A-Team
Piranha 3-D
Predators
Best Oscar Bait
127 Hours
The King's Speech
Shutter Island
The Kids Are All Right
The Ghost Writer
Best Comic/Children's Book Adaptation
Kick Ass
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Best Actor
Jesse Eisenberg - "The Social Network"
Jeremy Renner - "The Town"
Colin Firth - "The King's Speech"
Leonardo Dicaprio - "Inception"
Jeff Bridges - "True Grit"
Best Actress
Hailee Stienfeld - "True Grit"
Natalie Portman - "Black Swan"
Anne Hathaway - "Love and Other Drugs"
Annette Bening - "The Kids Are All Right"
Rebecca Hall - "The Town"
Best Score/Music
Carter Burwell - "True Grit"
Clint Mansell - "Black Swan"
Hans Zimmer - "Inception"
Trent Reznor and Atticus Rose - "The Social Network"
Jeff Beck - "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World"
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky - "Black Swan"
David Fincher - "The Social Network"
Christopher Nolan - "Inception"
Ben Affleck - "The Town"
Lee Unkrich - "Toy Story 3"
Top 10 Movies of the Year (In order)
1. The Social Network
2. Black Swan
3. Toy Story 3
4. Inception
5. The Town
6. The King's Speech
7. Piranha 3-D
8. True Grit
9. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
10. Love and Other Drugs
Movies that I missed that likely have shots at the top 10: Buried, The Fighter, Winter's Bone, Restrepo, Rabbit Hole, Blue Valentine, Biutiful, Let Me In.
Without further adieu, here are my totally made up movie awards for 2010 (winners of each category in italics):
Stinker of the Year
Iron Man 2
Get Him to The Greek
Dumbest but Funnest
Machete
The A-Team
Piranha 3-D
Predators
Best Oscar Bait
127 Hours
The King's Speech
Shutter Island
The Kids Are All Right
The Ghost Writer
Best Comic/Children's Book Adaptation
Kick Ass
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Best Actor
Jesse Eisenberg - "The Social Network"
Jeremy Renner - "The Town"
Colin Firth - "The King's Speech"
Leonardo Dicaprio - "Inception"
Jeff Bridges - "True Grit"
Best Actress
Hailee Stienfeld - "True Grit"
Natalie Portman - "Black Swan"
Anne Hathaway - "Love and Other Drugs"
Annette Bening - "The Kids Are All Right"
Rebecca Hall - "The Town"
Best Score/Music
Carter Burwell - "True Grit"
Clint Mansell - "Black Swan"
Hans Zimmer - "Inception"
Trent Reznor and Atticus Rose - "The Social Network"
Jeff Beck - "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World"
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky - "Black Swan"
David Fincher - "The Social Network"
Christopher Nolan - "Inception"
Ben Affleck - "The Town"
Lee Unkrich - "Toy Story 3"
Top 10 Movies of the Year (In order)
1. The Social Network
2. Black Swan
3. Toy Story 3
4. Inception
5. The Town
6. The King's Speech
7. Piranha 3-D
8. True Grit
9. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
10. Love and Other Drugs
Movies that I missed that likely have shots at the top 10: Buried, The Fighter, Winter's Bone, Restrepo, Rabbit Hole, Blue Valentine, Biutiful, Let Me In.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
More Movie Reviews!
Being done with school and having a job with no consistent schedule to speak of, I've been able to go and see quite a few summer movies. I figure I'd rate 'em here, and I'd like to get back into reviewing recently viewed movies during the fall and winter.
The A-Team: 7.5/10
Toy Story 3: 9.5/10
Inception: 9.5/10
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: 8.5/10
Piranha 3-D: 8/10
The A-Team: 7.5/10
Toy Story 3: 9.5/10
Inception: 9.5/10
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: 8.5/10
Piranha 3-D: 8/10
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