Tuesday, April 29, 2008

HIMYM, The Goat, first thoughts

Well, CBS has to bring back HIMYM next year now.  I've been waiting three years for the story of the Goat, so if the show is canceled before I actually get it, CBS and I will have some issues.

Not only that, but did you hear what future Ted said?  "Oh wait, Robin wasn't living here when I was 30, that must have been my 31st birthday." (or something to that effect).

Do you realize what this means?  Robin's moving in with Ted!

Now, before you get too freaked out by this, consider that it doesn't necessarily mean that they'll be back together, just living together.

Either way, interesting, and I must know more.

Don't you dare cancel this show CBS.

Until Next Time, I loved the fact that there was actually a huge, leather bound book containing the Bro Code.  Classic.

Monday, April 28, 2008

BSG Escape Velocity

It seems that a lot of people think that Friday's episode was slow, boring, and pointless.

I completely disagree.

It wasn't action packed as some episodes have been, sure, but it was necessary and plot packed.

The episode was about the new Cylons coming to terms with who and what they are.

Tory started it off last week killing Cally, and that action spurned the other two into a direction where they are coming to terms with their new understanding of why they are.

The death of Cally caused the Chief to regret his decision to leave Boomer, especially since he knows now that like Boomer he is a Cylon.  I don't think he had really accepted it until now.

Tigh was reminded of his wife dying (by his own hand).  He killed her because she had collaborated with the Cylons, but now he knows that he is a Cylon, meaning that she didn't have to die (or at least that it shouldn't have been by his hand.)

Each of them are coming to terms with their newly discovered identities, and that should lead to a change in their strategy soon.

For those who think that Six knew or recognized Tigh as a fellow Cylon in their shared scenes, I disagree.
She said to him that her brain was based on his, meaning Cylon brains were based on Human brains, and that they had figured out far more about the brain's abilities then human's had.  All of which means she thinks that he is human.  She doesn't realize that he is one of the Final Five.

Meanwhile, Baltar was pushed further towards his role as religious leader, and I do find this story line very intriguing, and can't wait to see where exactly it leads, but far more important is the reality of Invisible Six.
There is no way that Baltar (even in his diseased head) could pick himself up off of the floor like that.
Whatever the Six/Baltar being inside of the heads of Baltar and Six is, I don't think we can consider it imaginary anymore.

(I was already having a tough time doing so the moment I discovered that Six had an imaginary Baltar.)

Even more then the last Cylon, I think that is the question I want answered most.  What the frak is up with the Vision Baltar/Six.

Speaking of the Final Cylon, I think I know who it is.

Tom Zarek.

I actually have very little doubt.  Here's why.

1. He's certainly one of the most important characters not on the Last Supper photo.

2. He's the Vice President of the Fleet, but isn't really in the Roslin camp.  The Cylon's have the four we know about in important places, Tigh is Adama's right hand man, Tory is Roslin's closest confidant politically, Anders is along on the Starbuck mission, and the Chief (up until this week) was in charge of maintaining all of the ships, the humans best weapon against the Cylons.  Outside of Adama or Roslin (which would invalidate the need for Tigh or Tory) Zarek is in the most important position in the fleet, especially with Roslin dying.

3. His first name is Tom.  Seriously, that's my argument.  Think about it, what do we know about the newest four Cylons, what do they have in common?  Saul Tigh, Galen Tyrol, Samuel T. Anders, and Tory Foster.  First of all, why do we know Anders's middle initial at all?  Is it just a nod to Star Trek (after all, it could stand for Tiberius)?  Maybe, but I think it is also a clue.  Of the four we know, there are two whose last name starts with a t, one whose middle name starts with a t, and one whose first name starts with a t, I think ultimately it will be two whose first names start with a t, two whose last names start with a t, and one whose middle name starts with a t.  Not that I think they'll make a big deal of the T thing or that it has any meaning, but I do think that it is a clue pointing to Tom Zarek.  If we find out Felix's middle name starts with a t, though, I might switch to him.

Until Next Time, next weeks episode looks good, I always enjoy Leoben and Starbuck scenes.

Friday, April 25, 2008

LOST The Shape of Things to Come, first thoughts

Well, LOST is back with a (literal) bang.

Some of the things that jumped out at me, the fact that the doctor is alive still on the ship, yet dead on the Island, and that Benry Gale asked for the date in Tunisia (and made sure to clarify that he was in the correct year).

Obviously time travel is going to play a huge role in (the shape of) things (to come).

Speaking of the title, it is taken from an H.G. Wells novel.  The book is written as a history book from the future, which just seems appropriate to LOST.

Onto the other things worth mentioning in the episode, it seems to me from the end scene that Widmore ran Dharma.  He says it was his Island and would be again.  We know that Benry killed off the Dhamra people and that could be what Widmore is referring to when he says that Benry stole the Island from him.

Apparently that is what caused the war between Benry and Widmore to begin, but it has definitely been notched up after Alex was killed.

I don't think that either Benry Gale or Charles Widmore are good guys, and personally I don't trust either of them.

Benry Gale, however, says that he's going to kill Penny in retribution for Charles killing Alex, and I just can't have that.  It made me wish I could call Desmond and warn him what Benry is up to.

At the same time, Charles says that Benry stole the Island from him (which I assume to mean from Dharma) but what Benry actually did was get the Island back for it's earlier (don't want to say original, there could have been even earlier ones) inhabitants, then called the Hostiles, now known as the Others.  Not to say that the way Benry went about it was right, but I have to disagree with Widmore saying that it's his Island (is anyone else reminded of Braveheart right now?)

Benry claimed that Alex was just a pawn while trying to keep her for getting shot, but it's becoming more clear to me that the Oceanic 6 (and probably everyone left on the Island) are the real pawns, being used in a battle between two sides, neither of which deserve to win.

Benry used Sayid's grief to play him quite easily, and at least now we know Sayid wasn't lying when he said he would lose his soul before he worked for Benry, quite clearly he lost everything when Nadia was killed.

Finally, how unbelievable was it that Benry can control the Smoke Monster?  Wow, that's impressive.

Until Next Time, I'm a little disappointed that it was the Freighter folk who killed Rousseau and Karl, but I guess it makes sense, they're blood thirsty maniacs, but did they just get lucky and not kill Alex or did they know that she was Benry's daughter all along?  If they did know, how in the world could they have found that out?

Thursday, April 24, 2008

LOST Returns

Tonight is the return of LOST, and apparently we'll find out exactly who it was that shot our favorite French lady and Karl.

The rumor mills also say that we'll get the return of Smokey tonight (and the creators promise that we'll learn something new about the smoke monster every time it appears, so look for that.)

My prediction is that we'll be getting a Benry Gale flash back and/or flash forward.

Every week could be the last for Claire as well (as I'm sticking to my prediction that she will not survive the season.)

Until Next Time, my first thoughts LOST post will return to its regularly scheduled Friday morning post time tomorrow!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Thoughts on the Summer Movie Schedule

While the weather outside is a bit dreary today, summer is just around the corner, and in fact the Summer Movie Season is even closer.  (The first day of summer is officially June 21st, but the Summer Movie Season begins a week from Friday (May 2nd).  So I thought we'd take a look at some of the films likely to generate some interest (including quite a few films based on former television shows).  You can click on the movie title to go to the film's IMDb page.

All dates are of course subject to change.

MAY 2ND

IRON MAN

The trailer is among the best I have ever seen and the hype for this film is high.  Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man is probably the best casting of an actor in the role of a superhero ever (although as much as I love Samuel L Jackson, I really don't see him as Nick Fury, you win some and lose some I guess).  Hopefully the Summer Season gets off to a great start.

MAY 9TH

SPEED RACER

The latest from the Wachowski brothers who of course brought us the genius of The Matrix.  When I heard about this film, I wasn't super excited (in fact I was a little disappointed.  They're following The Matrix Trilogy with a movie based on a cartoon?  On Speed Racer?  Really?)  I should admit that I wasn't a big fan of the cartoon.  However, the trailers are blowing me away, and I find myself wanting to see it despite myself.

MAY 16TH

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN

I don't know about you, but I'm pumped.  The first one was brilliant, and they did a much better job sticking to the story line of the book then most films based on beloved children's books do, and I have no doubt that the second will continue the trend.  It should be amazing as well.

MAY 22ND

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

The only way I could possibly be more excited for this movie would be if Sean Connery reprised his role as Dr. Henry Jones.  This is a no doubter, going to the midnight release showing, type of movie with a few days growth of beard and a fedora.  While I write this I'm singing the theme song.  Seriously.

MAY 29TH

SEX AND THE CITY: THE MOVIE

The first of the films this summer based on a former television show.  (Although, I guess you could also count Speed Racer if you wanted, and then there was The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles also.  Then, there was the BBC Narnia miniseries, and the Iron Man cartoon, so maybe this is the year TV invades the Movies since last year was the year of the Three-quels).  Anyway, there is, of course, a lot of interest in the return of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda.  It was a smart and entertaining television series, and I'm interested to see how it fairs on the big screen.  This might be one I miss on opening weekend, however, to be perfectly honest.

The month of May, as you can see, offers a new big blockbuster hopeful each week, so you'll have to be on your movie going toes to keep up, let's see if June is any easier on your time and wallet.

JUNE 6TH

It has the Jack Black animated film KUNG-FU PANDA and the new Adam Sandler laugher (with a long name) YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN, but I would be surprised if I check out either of these in theater.  It would take them getting amazing reviews to probably get me to spend theater money on them. 

However, I am actually interested in

MONGOL

The Kazakhstan film about the rise of Ghengis Khan nominated for Best Foreign Film at last year's Oscars (no word on whether there is a deleted scene where Ghengis Khan attacks Borat).  If you'll recall, the scene shown during the Oscars prompted my thought about wanting to see the film.  That hasn't changed.

JUNE 13TH

THE INCREDIBLE HULK

Sure, the fact that the first one got my hopes all high and then crushed them harder then the great big green guy could crush a trash can worries me a little bit, but it's starring Edward Norton.  He's the best actor of our generation.  That gives it some clout, right?  Right?  Please let that be right.  I don't think I can take the beating of a bad Hulk movie again.  Maybe I should just Netflix the dvds of the old television show.  Man that was a great show.

JUNE 20TH

If any of the movies from the previous 6 weeks were way awesome or if you missed one that everyone is telling you that you've GOT TO SEE, then this would be the week to either rewatch or catch up whichever the case may be.  I don't have extremely high hopes for the comedies releasing this week, the return of Mike Myers to the big screen in THE LOVE GURU, and a continuation of tv shows as movies in GET SMART.

JUNE 27TH

WALL-E

I felt like Cars and Ratatouille were both sub par based on Pixar's previous successes and I expect Wall-E to reassert Pixar's spot as greatest animation studio ever.  Even if it is sub par like Cars and Ratatouille, however, it'll still be better then a lot of movies.  Simply put, Pixar doesn't know how to make a bad movie, and when they're on (Finding Nemo, Incredibles, Toy Story, and more) there aren't many people who can make a better movie.



JULY 11TH

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY

From the director of Pan's Labyrinth (as well as the first Hellboy), Guillermo Del Toro, this should be as much fun and as visually stimulating as the first film was.  If he ever does get to take on a big franchise (and it is rumored that he will be doing The Hobbit!!!!!!!) watch out.  And anyway, you can tell this one will be good because of the fact that it uses a Roman Numeral 2.  Classy.

JULY 18TH

THE DARK KNIGHT

As if this film wasn't going to be hyped enough, the death of Heath Ledger along with the rumors of his unbelievable performance in this film (not to mention the fact that the darkness of this character played a role in his need for the sleeping pills he overdosed on) has taken the hype of this film to unheard of heights.  The truth is, however, this movie is a must see ignoring all of that.  The strength of the first Batman film from Christopher Nolan starring Christian Bale is reason enough to be here on opening day.  (And although there was a Batman television show, my thoughts are that this movie will bear no resemblance other then sharing character names and setting names.)

JULY 25TH

THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE

The other big summer movie based on a television show (since only this one and Sex and the City: The Movie are appearing in theaters with the original cast reprising their roles).  Rumor has it that it will be similar in tone to a Season Three type, Monster of the Week type, episode.  It will be stand alone, hoping to appeal to long time fans of the show (we prefer the term X-Phile, thank you very much) as well as attract new ones.  Hopefully it will do well in order to get us a third film in the series (don't you remember 1998's X-Files: Fight the Future?)

AUGUST 1ST

CHOKE

It deserves mention, because the last movie based on a Chuck Palahniuc novel is one of the greatest movies of all time.  Of course that one was also directed by one of the best directors working today, David Fincher.  (If you don't know what movie I'm talking about, shame on you first of all, it is Fight Club.)  This one probably won't be able to live up to it's predecessor, but I figure that it will be worth checking out.

Otherwise you can always check out the new Mummy movie, THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR.  Although I have to admit, the first two were very watchable.  I won't blame you if you wait to catch it on DVD or free on tv however.

Speaking of tv, the greatness of Will Tippin of Alias (his real name is Bradley Cooper) will be starring in the poorly named THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN and Dwight from The Office (or Rainn Wilson if you must know) in THE ROCKER

AUGUST 8TH

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

The next from the Judd Apatow factory written and starring Seth Rogen.  That's really all I needed to know.  I'm there.

AUGUST 15TH

TROPIC THUNDER

Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr (in controversial black make up) star as three movie stars who think they're making a war movie but end up in the real thing.  It has the potential to be utterly ridiculous, but the trailer makes me think that they'll pull it off.

And finally, the last big Summer Movie, and the one that I'm super excited for (partly because unlike all of the other summer films, I had no idea about this one until a couple of months ago)....

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS

Messing around with our TV theme a little bit, this animated film will be released as a feature with a television series to follow on Cartoon Network starting in October.  But let's be honest, details don't really matter.  It's Star Wars, I'll be there for the midnight release with no questions asked.  It's just who I am and there is no way to change that now.

Until Next Time, hopefully this helps you plan out your summer a little bit.  How many are you excited about and are there others that you're excited about that I didn't list?

Monday, April 21, 2008

The Ruins and Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Well, I got to see a couple films recently, so I thought I'd let you know what I thought.

THE RUINS

If you're a long time reader of the blog, you are aware that I'm not a fan of the new genre parading itself as horror.  The Saws and the Hostels and the numerous rip offs.  Last year began to see a resurgence of a more classic type of horror movie, and there were three very good ones, (Bug, The Mist, and Sunshine).  This film continues that tradition.

Sure, there is some gross blood and gore type moments, but not in the fashion of Saw.  It has a few genuinely scary jump type moments, and the pace is outstandingly frenetic.

I did have a couple of problems with the film, but those are based solely on the fact that I read the book before seeing the movie.  If you haven't read the book, I think you'll find the film truly enjoyable.

That being said, the book is amazing.  One of the best horror books in a long, long time.  (Another is Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill, don't tell, but he's the son of Stephen King).

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL

Judd Apatow strikes again.  If you loved 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Superbad, then you'll love this one.  (In fact, I think it might be the best of the bunch.)

Jason Segal (better known as Marshall on How I Met Your Mother) writes and stars in this film about a music composer who breaks up with his television star girlfriend (played by former television star Kristen Bell, better known as Veronica Mars) and does his best to get over her with no luck.

Ultimately he decides to take a vacation to Hawaii where he discovers that she is also vacationing with her new boyfriend, rock star Aldous Snow (played to perfection by Russell Brand).

Every one of the main characters (including the help desk girl played by Mila Kunis, known as Jackie on That 70's Show and the voice of Meg in Family Guy) are amazingly well written, and the actors portraying them all do a fantastic job.  They take characters that would be so easy to become caricatures and make them fully functional and fully believable (and even fully likable) people, which is rare in a romantic comedy (even in the R rated ones produced by Judd Apatow).  This means that you aren't exactly sure how it's going to end. 

You've got an idea, sure, but there are definite moments of doubt.

Plus, it is hilarious.  Highly quotable and just laugh out loud funny.  Jonah Hill (who played Seth in Superbad) is hilarious in every scene he's in as a waiter who really wants Aldous Snow to listen to his demo.  Jack McBrayer (Kenneth from 30 Rock) gives you an idea of what would happen if Kenneth from 30 Rock got married and took the honeymoon to Hawaii despite being uncomfortable with the idea of sex.  Paul Rudd (David in The 40 Year Old Virgin and Pete, Katherine Heigl's brother in law, in Knocked Up) played Chuck (or Kunu, his Hawaiian name) the nearly brain dead from pot surf instructor.  And De'Vone McDonald played Dwaine the bartender, who got the best line in the entire movie (actually probably the best two).

Great cameos for Billy Baldwin and Jason Bateman as well.

Until Next Time, fair warning, you'll want to be careful, if you have a vision in your head of Jason Segal as Marshall from How I Met Your Mother and have no desire to see the "Full Marshall."  Go in warned, Jason Segal does show off everything briefly (a few times).

Sunday, April 20, 2008

BSG The Ties That Bind, first thoughts

By now, I hope everyone has had a chance to view the episode, if not, read on at your own risk.

We'll start with the Cylon civil war, move onto Starbuck, touch on Apollo's new job, and leave the other big story line to end the post with.

So, I really thought that we were going to get Lucy Lawless back this week, but I guess it makes sense that we'll have to wait, because she knows who the final Cylon is and we have no frakkin' idea.

The second that the number 8 (not Boomer as she split ranks, interesting how different that model is, Boomer breaks ranks and Athena lives as a human even though she knows, as does everyone around her, that she's actually a Cylon) said the resurrection ship didn't make the jump I was yelling for them to jump the frak away.  It astonishes me how much the Cylons are becoming everything they claim they were trying to destroy by killing the humans.  I wonder how that's going to play out.

Starbuck's crew, for the most part, doesn't seem too excited to be on this mission.  I'm glad that Gaeta is on the mission to Earth, because I always feel like his character is best when he's out of the CDC, I want to see if he's suffering any guilt for having lied on the stand in Baltar's trial.

Starbuck is by far my favorite character, but Anders is really growing on me (and I've always enjoyed the times when they're on screen together).  It used to be when Starbuck screwed him over (usually literally) I just felt like he was an idiot for putting himself in the position.  Now, I feel really bad for him, knowing what he's got to be thinking, and knowing that he can't tell his wife, because she's already told him that if she found out he was a Cylon she'd put a bullet in his head without a second thought.  I believe her (and figure that at some point it'll actually happen, and that's not to say she won't feel bad about it afterwards, but she won't hesitate.)

So, Lee is the new Caprican representative (and the original Lee, Tom Zarek, is now the Vice President) and it appears he will do the right thing again despite the fact that it will further destroy his relationship with the President.  I love how everyone uses Apollo's sense of duty when it works to their advantage but get so pissed at him when it's used against them.  Oddly enough, Zarek, the former terrorist, is the only person who has had a fairly consistent relationship with him, one of mutual, but cautious, respect.

Finally, let's take a moment of silence for Crewman Specialist Cally Tyrol.



I'll miss her, I've always liked Cally, ever since in season one when she bit that prisoners ear off, ("That's my girl," says the Chief).

I had the feeling when she overheard them that we were in a "Smallville moment".

"Smallville Moment"- when a character discovers a life changing secret, that character will most likely die soon afterwards.  It happens often in Smallville (hence the name) as when a character finds out Clark's secret, you know their death is imminent.

In fact, that very thing happened this week on Smallville when Lex's assistent witnessed Clark in full Kal-El mode.

It was way too early for anyone else to find out about these Cylons, therefore, Cally had to go.

That being said, the writer's took the Smallville moment and kept it suspenseful.  That isn't easy to do.  If you notice, on Smallville, a character finds out Clark's secret and they're dead about 30 seconds later, the show knows they're going to die, the viewers know the characters going to die, so they don't frak around, they just kill off the character.  On this weeks BSG, the writer's found a way to keep it suspenseful, sure, you probably figured Cally was going to bite it, but when it looked like she was going to take Nicky with her, it got suspenseful.  I was freaking out, hoping Tory would talk her out of it, but wondering if Cally might just take her out the airlock with her (in fact I began to expect it, wondering if there was a spare body waiting for Tory).  It was handled extremely well.

Until Next Time, I'm not surprised, of course.  A show doesn't earn the honorific of Best Show Ever unless they handle moments like that well.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Why I Love the Interwebs

Let's travel back to a time known as the distant past.  A time when you could only get your television one way, on television.

There was no such thing as DVR,

or On Demand,

or TV on DVD,

or Online Streaming.

If you missed a show, you were screwed, plain and simple.

Let's travel back to May of 1995.

It was a Friday night.  I was in high school, about to finish my Junior year.  I was having to stay home that night to babysit my two little sisters (I don't remember where my parents went), but I wasn't too upset about the Friday night being spent at home, because it was season finale night on FOX.  It was the season finale of the second season of the show that made me realize the power of television, X-Files, and it was the series finale of the first show I ever fell in love with that no one else watched, VR-5. (There have been many since as I learned that I was one who would always love and have to mourn the "cult" shows, others to follow would be My So Called Life, Firefly, Invasion, really there's too many to mention and it's making me teary eyed.  Back to the post)

My sisters understood that they were only allowed to talk to me during commercial breaks.  It was going to be legendary.

Unfortunately, right before the two hours of season (and sadly, series) ending bliss was about to begin, the storm hit.

It was huge.  There were quite a few tornadoes, I theorize that Michael Crichton was visiting Fort Worth (maybe heading to Trinity Park for May Fest) and got the idea for Twister from this very night.

The power went out right before my shows were going to start.

My sister's got scared, I was mainly angry.  (You wouldn't like me when I'm angry... sorry couldn't resist, I'm getting excited for the new Incredible Hulk movie despite myself.  They can't screw it up that badly again, can they?  Can they?)  Okay, I'm not going to lie, I was a little scared too, but I'd been through tornadoes before, I figured we'd make it through this one as well.

I got us into the hallway, closed off all of the doors to the bedrooms with those scary (at times like this) windows and pulled a big mattress off of the bed to lay on for comfort and under if it got necessary.  I had flashlights and probably told some stories.  (I often told stories to my sisters, they were my first readers I guess).

Needless to say, we survived, but I never did get to see how VR-5 ended.

Not only that, but I didn't know what was going on in X-Files till the summer was almost over and they finally replayed the episode.  (Do you remember when reruns actually were worth something?  You missed an episode?  Don't worry, they'll rerun it.  But they never reran VR-5, because they cancelled it.)

I bring this up because last night there was a large storm (my sisters each have husbands to keep them from getting scared now) and although my power stayed on most of the time (I lost it for a short period) my satellite didn't have as easy a time.  And when my satellite was working, the tv shows were preempting the shows I wanted to watch with news on where various tornadoes had been spotted.  (If Crichton was in town last night, perhaps we can expect a sequel).

However, this time, there were many ways to keep this from being a problem.

This morning I went to NBC.com and watched My Name Is Earl, 30 Rock, and The Office (still have Scrubs to go) and went to ABC.com and watched the season finale of Eli Stone (which was awesome, I now have it in a virtual tie with Life for third on Josh's Choice for Best New Show of the Season Award).

Thank goodness for technology.

Until Next Time, speaking of The X-Files, Netflix and I are working together to allow me to rewatch the entire series in preparation for the upcoming feature release.  I get 4 discs at a time (I know, I'm addicted to dvds), and I was scheduled to receive the first four discs of season 1 yesterday.  Well, I received three of them.  Guess which one I didn't get.  That's right, disc 1.  You're killing me Netflix, you're killing me.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

LOST less Thursday Four, first thoughts

Next week......

LOST returns!

6 new episodes await us this season, only two less then we were originally promised this season.  (Those two episodes will be made up somewhere over the last two seasons.)

For the next month, we will get a new LOST each week.  Four straight new episodes.

Then, May 22nd, we will be LOST less once again.

But on May 29th, there will be a two hour Season Finale.

And there is nothing better then two hour LOST.

Other news on the LOST front, the show will be in a new time slot, the slot currently housed by Eli Stone.  9:00pm CST (10:00pm everywhere else), following Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy.  (Don't worry, you don't have to watch those shows, that's what Smallville on CW and the NBC comedies are for, they'll lead you right up to LOST.)

Until Next Time, the title for the upcoming X-Files movie is, X-Files: I Want To Believe.  I call it, X-Files: I Want To See It Now, or X-Files: Scully's Still Hot (Josh Man Alternative Title).

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Eli Stone: Waiting For That Day, first thoughts

So, last night I watched the Sunday episode of Eli Stone (if you missed it, ABC ran the latest episode of Eli Stone on Sunday after Desperate Housewives, you can check it out at ABC.com) and despite being confused right off of the bat by Nathon Fillion being on my screen (having somehow missed that he was on Desperate Housewives, I love you Nathon, but I can't watch that show, even for you) I quickly got things figured out and was ready for a big episode of #4 on the list of Josh's Choice for Best New Show of the Season, Eli Stone.

When Eli gave Maggie the gift and Maggie told Eli that Scott (her fiance) was moving to San Fran, I immediately knew that he was the guy in the station wagon from Eli's vision.  That made me think of last Thursday's episode when Eli saw himself with Maggie in the ten year from now future.  He wondered what would happen to her and her fiance.  Now we know, he was supposed to die in that earthquake on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Eli, of course, stopped that from happening, which begs the question, does that mean that he has changed his own future with Maggie?  I think that it does.

If I were writing the show, I would have a vision of Maggie and Scott together in the future that invalidates his vision of himself and Maggie in the future.  He would then realize that by saving Scott's life he changed his and Maggie's future.  He would then come to realize that he wanted that future that he saw.  That he wanted to be with Maggie and have a child with her.  And that he would have to make it happen himself if he wanted it.

Tomorrow is the Season Finale and hopefully not the Series Finale.  We don't know about the shows future as of yet.  There is obviously so much more that this show has to offer and hopefully it will return.

Until Next Time, tomorrow is LOST less Thursday #4 and it brings good news.  Not only is it the last Thursday without LOST until May 22nd, but also we have gotten word that we will be getting one more hour of LOST this season then we originally thought.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

4th Annual Josh's Choice For the Best New Choice of the Season Award

It's that time of year again, time to award the coveted Josh's Choice for Best New Show of the Season Award, the 2007-2008 edition.

In preparation, lets go over the past winners.

2006-2007  Friday Night Lights

2005-2006  Invasion

2004-2005  LOST

This season was especially difficult to narrow down to the five finalists.  There were a lot of great new shows this season.  Here are some that I really liked, but that didn't make the Final Five (don't sue me BSG, didn't mean to steal your Cylon bit, totally a coincidence, I swear).  In alphabetical order

Bionic Woman (if only because Katee Sackoff, aka Starbuck on BSG, gave the best performance of anyone on any show this season)

Dirty, Sexy, Money (funny and smart, any other year this probably would have made the top five)

Life is Wild (I'm really sad to see this one go, it got better every week, and this type of show is so rare on television these days and I really think there is a place for it.)

Reaper (if there was a stronger female presence on the show earlier, it would have definitely made the top five)

The Sarah Connor Chronicles (I just really love Terminator, and the fact that Summer Glau is in it doesn't hurt at all)

Normally I wouldn't mention any runners up, but like I said this was a strong season, and each of the above shows did deserve some mention.  Now, counting down to the winner, because life is so much more fun that way....

5. Pushing Daisies

Makes the cut despite a ridiculous episode in the batch.  The other episodes were strong enough to make up for it.  It had heart and quirky humor, two things Josh Man loves in his tv.  It took a concept that was genius, but that it looked like it would be difficult to sustain, and then was able to sustain it.  Towards the end of the strike shortened season it really began to hit its stride.

4. Eli Stone

The season isn't fully over for this show yet, but I feel confident in placing it here on the strength of the episodes thus far.  It hasn't hit a note wrong all season (and I'm not just talking about the occasional music numbers).  It is a very smart show that makes you think and it has some of the best supporting characters on tv.  Every week it has the potential to come off preachy, and yet every week it finds the exact right balance.  It makes you laugh and if it doesn't make you tear up just a little you're probably a Cylon.

3. Life

And I thought that the cop show was a tired genre.  This show matches great characters with interesting weekly mysteries but adds in a mystery story that is sustained throughout the season.  Sure it was done just as well (or even better) in Veronica Mars, but these are different characters and our stories are more serious then the ones Veronica tackled weekly in Neptune.  Plus the overall mystery is brilliant.  The main character was a detective who was charged and convicted for murdering another cop.  He served twelve years in prison until he was cleared by DNA.  He won a huge settlement from the LA police department but decided to return as a Detective for them anyway, partly so he could investigate who it was that framed him.  All episodes are available on NBC.com and Hulu.com.  Check them out and get into this show for next season.

2. Chuck

Alias for the nerd crowd is what I called this in my review of the pilot.  It stayed at a high level the entire season and Adam Baldwin is brilliant as Casey.  This show has potential to be great for a long, long time.  Plus, Cake does the intro music and they are my favorite band.

and the winner of Josh's Choice for the Best New Show of the Season is....

JOURNEYMAN

Of course, the show that wins won't be returning, and that's a shame.  This show was incredibly well done.  It had the potential to just be a Quantum Leap redo, but it was so much more.  I really wish that this show had found an audience as I love anything related to time travel and I liked where this show appeared to be headed.

Congratulations to NBC for its strong showing this season, although I am upset that they canceled Journeyman.  If only this award could convince them to change their mind.

Until Next Time, let me know what your choice was for the best new show of the season.

Monday, April 14, 2008

BSG Six of One, first thoughts

Another great episode, and the final season is off to a tremendous start.

A couple of things that I thought really interesting in this episode was the fact that Baltar saw imaginary Baltar this time instead of imaginary 6.

I now have no doubt that the Baltar (usually in Caprica's head) and the Caprica 6 (usually in Baltar's head) are more then imaginary, they are a real manifestation of something.  Obviously this seemed the case when we found out Caprica 6 had Baltar in his head, because it just seemed to great a coincidence, but now that the Baltar from her head has appeared in his as well, I can't find any other explanation.

Furthermore, I think that the 6 in Baltar's head and the Baltar in 6's head are actually the same thing, usually representing itself as Baltar to 6 and as 6 to Baltar.  Why?  Not sure yet.

The other thing that I found fascinating was the Cylon split.  Everytime we find out more about the Final 5 it is very interesting.  I wonder why the Cylons aren't supposed to even think about the Final 5.  And even more importantly, why they can ignore that programming and think about them anyway.

In my opinion, this is going to lead to the unboxing of Deanna (Lucy Lawless) by the new 6.  After all, she's the only one why knows who the Final 5 are.

Until Next Time, I also enjoyed that the Admiral decided to have faith in Starbuck, but the highlight line of the episode was no doubt when the President called him "Admiral Atheist".  Classic.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

The Office Returns Tonight!

Dunder Mifllin Scranton is back in The Office starting tonight, to get you ready, here are a few links.

EW.com gives their thoughts on Jim's Best Pranks.

They also have an interview with John Kransinski (better known as Jim) that has this awesome moment where John imagines what his life would be like if he became an English teacher instead of an actor (which at one point looked like the life John would lead).

"I go by Mr. K. I'm teaching English at a prep school in rural Connecticut. In my class, homework is not homework, it's preparation for the next day. I love teaching books that have been pigeonholed as ''epics,'' and my big thing is discovering for yourself why you like them. I'd have a lot of stuff written in some cryptic way on the whiteboard where you can't understand it until we start talking about the book. I'd throw desk supplies off bridges... I've gone out on several dates with the bio teacher. Her name is Sarah, and she's just a really great girl. I'm more gregarious than she is; she brings me into the underground indie-world stuff and I bring her sonnets. It's weird because the kids are talking about this new show called The Office and they're like, 'You guys are so much like Pam and Jim!' and I'm like, 'I don't have a TV. Sorry, I'm not into pop culture stuff.'"

Classic.

Here's a story from Zap2it that includes a clip from tonight's episode!

Until Next Time, 30 Rock returns as well tonight.  At least TV is giving us good shows in this merciless LOST break.

LOST less Thursday Three, first thoughts

Well, we're getting closer to the return of LOST.  Last week I talked a little bit about the article by Doc Jensen, on page 2 of that article he matched my feeling about the ineffectiveness of the "cliffhanger" moment, the death of Karl and Rousseau.

Both of us agree that Rousseau, Karl, and Alex probably aren't important enough to hold the ending moment of a LOST episode (even if that one isn't the last episode for five weeks).

Both of us aren't buying the mystery of "unseen assailants".

Doc Jensen says, "I think LOST wants us to be debating if those are Others lurking in the bushes or freighter mercenaries.  But I never read it as an open question;"

I'm right there with ya, Doc, keep on preaching...

"I'm just assuming it is the freighter creeps."

Ye..., wait, what?  Did you just say you assumed it was the freighter folk?  Um, no, dude  (to borrow an honorific often bestowed by our friend Hurley) obviously it was the Others.

I wrote after the episode that I thought it was the Others, none of you disagreed, although some of you did comment that you were sure the evil Benry Gale was behind it as well.

Sure, the episode showed us the mercenaries, and at the end the helicopter was gone on mysterious business, you could argue that it was Frank taking the mercenaries to the Island, but why would they kill Karl and Rousseau?

That doesn't make any sense to me.  They're there to capture Benry Gale, that much we know, but why would they kill someone else?

If they were under orders to just kill anyone they came across, why didn't they kill Alex?  She would have been just as easy to hit as the other two with her.

No, it seems pretty obvious to me that Karl and Rousseau were intended targets.

Who would want them dead?

It wouldn't be the freighter folk, they just care about Benry.  Benry, himself, on the other hand, has wanted Karl out of the way pretty much the entire time they've both been on the show.

Remember what happens to pregnant women on the Island?  Do you think Benry Gale likes the idea that his "daughter" is cavorting with a teenage boy?

And then there's the fact that they've been a little estranged lately and part of that is the emergence of Alex's long lost mother.  Maybe if she loses her to "freighter folk" she'll go to her "father" to be consoled.

It seems clear to me that the only person to gain from this is Benry Gale, and we know that he can contact the Others somehow as he communicated his desires to Harper back in The Other Woman.

Sorry, Doc, got to disagree with you on this one.

Anyone else agree with Doc Jensen and his EW.com approved belief?

Until Next Time, there's only two more weeks until LOST returns.

Monday, April 7, 2008

BSG He That Believeth In Me, first thoughts

What a great start to the last season of Television's Greatest Show.  And those that are leery of such an honorific, know that I was just as leery of it myself until I watched it and realized that it is the only honorific with which to describe this show.

Recently the thought about what is the most Religiously Themed television show on right now has been raised.

Obviously the new show on ABC, Eli Stone, would have to be considered.

The show it follows (duh, people, LOST, stay with me here) has lots of religious themes (often pointed out by yours truly every Friday following a new episode).

Last Thursday was the return of My Name Is Earl, and the show has always had an underlying idea of religion, but it became more blatant last week with one of the finest episodes the show has ever had.  (Paris Hilton notwithstanding.  She was horrible, even playing herself.  It wasn't funny and was completely unnecessary, making me even more impressed with the Britney Spears performance a few weeks ago on HIMYM.)

But I think that the actual answer to the question is none other then BSG itself, and the premiere episode looked like it will continue that into the fourth season.

Dr. Baltar (the best and most complicated "bad guy" in television history) is now the messenger for the One True God amongst the religious pluralist human survivors and their gods of Kobal.  As I've rewatched the earlier seasons recently I've come to the conclusion that the 6 in Baltar's head and the Baltar in 6's head are some manifestation of God, or Angels of God as imaginary 6 said earlier in the Series.

That being said, I don't think that the Cylons have a good handle on what it is that God is or wants, as often Baltar and Caprica 6 are at odds not only with the survivors, but with the Cylons as well, following a separate path all together.  They get points for recognizing that Zeus, Hera, Apollo, et al. are mythical and that there is only one true God, but they're understanding of that God (and actions because of it) are very Old Testament (with the understanding that the God of the Hebrew Bible is actually misunderstood, so there really isn't an Old Testament and New Testament God, they are the same, and the characteristics of God are consistent in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, but that is a post for another time, and probably my other blog).

How odd would it be if Baltar gives the Cylons a New Testament understanding?

Meanwhile, Starbuck has returned from the dead (wow, resurrection, what do you know) setting up an interesting quandary, who are we going to side with, President Roslin or Starbuck?

The scrolls tell us that a dying leader (President Roslin) will lead humanity to safe haven (Earth) but not live to see it (Moses, see why this show is the most Religiously Themed yet?).  Her belief is that the reappearance of Starbuck is somehow a Cylon trick.

The fact that Apollo saw Starbuck's ship explode and that the Chief has shown that Starbuck's Viper is not actually the one she left in but a completely new version seem to back the President.

It's Starbuck, though, and Leobin (I know he's a Cylon, but still, he seemed to know what he was talking about) said that Starbuck had an important destiny in regards to Earth.  Starbuck also has pictures and remembers Saturn, although she has no idea that the planet was called Saturn and seeing that no one else has been to Earth, no one else has an idea that seeing Saturn means Starbuck was likely actually at Earth.

I personally think that Starbuck has been to Earth and that the fleet does need to follow her.

That being said, I can't agree with her decision to try and make the President listen to her.  I don't think Laura Roslin will respond very well to a gun in her face.

I can't wait to see what happens next.

Until Next Time, I think that it was funny who sponsored the episode when it was shown early online.  The episode was brought to us by Intel Inside and Iron Man.  The Intel commercials were about computers becoming alive and Iron Man is about a robot looking thing that kicks butt, both of which totally reminded my of Cylons.  I wonder if that was intentional or not.

Friday, April 4, 2008

LOST less Thursday Two, first thoughts

Well, it seems like it has been the thing to do to grade or rank the first eight episodes of the season.

Doc Jensen of EW.com did it.

Zap2it's LOST blogger did it (in two parts).

So today, I thought I would give my ranking and grades for the season thus far.

#8.  Eggtown.

Among one of the worst episodes in LOST history in my opinion.  Not even the Aaron Reveal could save it.  Pointless pretty much throughout, On Island and Off.  Better then Stranger in a Strange Land, the Dr. Jack Tatoo episode, but that's about it.  Even the Nicki and Paulo episode was better then this one.

F-

#7. Ji Yeon

It was pretty good, and got some good discussion going.  Unlike some people, I didn't hate the one character flash back, one character flash forward, but it wasn't as strong an episode as it could have been.  Also it didn't give us complete closure on the Oceanic 6 as promised.

B-

#6. Confirmed Dead

While much better at introducing new characters then in the past, I'm never a big fan of flashbacks from large numbers of characters, especially when those flashbacks don't involve each other.

B-

#5. The Other Woman

They're all pretty good from here on out.  I liked this episode, and feel that it will be important to the overall story, and I liked getting the rest of the story on Juliet's time as an Other.  Plus it had the season's best line,

Dr. Jack: You had a therapist?
Juliet: It's stressful being an Other Jack.

A-

#4. Meet Kevin Johnson

The Michael story line has always fascinated me (even if others don't like him as much) and I'm glad to have him back.  I was hoping for more Walt, but the way they worked it out made sense.  Since it was the ending episode before the unintended break, I had hoped for a little more of a intense note to end on, but I recognize this was not an intended break.

A-

#3. The Beginning of the End

Hurley is always great, add to that that this was the return to the show after nine months and I can't complain about it at all.  Plus, Charlie was back.

A

#2. The Economist

Pretty much a brilliant episode all around.  It provided the best surprise of the season so far, that Sayid is working for Benry Gale in the future, and it had amazing act breaks.  (Seriously, I would use this episode in a class teaching how to write a dramatic episode for a television show.)

A

#1. The Constant

Simply put, BEST EPISODE EVER.  It was perfect in every way.  Is there anywhere else this episode would go on my list?  That was rhetorical, but the answer is no if you're wondering.

A+

Until Next Time, there are other things in Doc Jensen's article worth talking about, but we've got plenty of time, so go ahead and give me your thoughts on the eps so far (grade or rank or both) if you so desire.

All Along the Watchtower, People Get Ready for the Return of TV's Greatest Show

It's hard to feel too upset about no LOST last night when we're getting blessed with the return of Television's Greatest Show Tonight, Battlestar Galactica.

Here are the big questions heading into Season 4...

Who is the Final Cylon?

What is up with the return of Starbuck? Is she back from the dead? Did she not really die to begin with? Is she a Cylon?

Why did the four most recent Cylon's hear All Along The Watchtower?  (Is Bob Dylan a Cylon? There is a
similarity in the names, Dylan-Cylon, something to think about.  Just kidding, but weird nonetheless.)

Will they find Earth?

Why does Caprica 6 have a Baltar in her head and why does Dr. Baltar have a 6 in his head?

What is the importance of Hera?  And now that we know the Chief is a Cylon, is there something important about Nicky also or is only Hera important since she was the first Half Cylon/Half Human?

How did President Roslin's cancer come back and will it be cured or will the prophecy (think Moses, leading them to the promise land but not actually reaching it) finally be realized?

We are mere hours from finding out.

Until Next Time, tomorrow I will give you my first thoughts on the return of Television's Greatest Show.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Big News From NBC

NBC released their entire 2008-2009 season about a month before the Upfronts (when Networks generally present their Fall Schedule).  Instead of waiting a month and only giving us the Fall schedule, they gave us well into the Summer of '09.

The big news of their presentation?

You guessed it (or maybe didn't, I can't really tell as I'm writing this far before any of you actually get to read it) it is the official return of last season's winner for Josh's Choice for Best New Show of the Season, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS is back!  Although it won't be airing on NBC until next February, it will be airing on DirecTV starting in October.  I will therefore be going to the houses of friends or family with DirecTV starting in October to be watching my Dillon Panthers.  Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose.

The other big news is the announcement of a spin-off of The Office.  It will premiere after the Super Bowl.

That's all we know about it so far.  No word on other details as of yet.

It will either be awesome, or it will be the worst spinoff since Joey.

Speaking of NBC, tonight is the return of My Name Is Earl with an hour long episode guest starring Paris Hilton.  She has some work to do to live up to the guest spots of George Michael and Britney Spears in recent episodes on rival ABC.  This has been a rather weak season for the show that excelled in its first two seasons.  Hopefully the break due to the strike will have inspired this show back to its former heights.  (Having Earl out of jail certainly won't hurt.)

Until Next Time, look for my second LOST less post tomorrow where I might bring up some of the questions posted by Doc Jensen in his latest EW article.  Also, tomorrow is the return of the greatest show on television (possibly ever), Battlestar Galactica.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

HIMYM, more thoughts

So, I just wanted to comment on the genius ending, I'm a little surprised that they hadn't done it before, but it was a brilliant ode to the greatness that was Doogie Howser, MD having Barney (Neil Patrick Harris, formally known as Doogie Howser, MD) finish the episode by writing in his blog.  The background of the computer screen was a deep blue and the music playing was the theme from Doogie Howser, MD.  Hilarious ending to yet another great episode which gives us more mythology set up begging the question, who is it that was sabotaging Barney's relationships?  Man, I love this show and hope that it will return next season.

Until Next Time, three days until the return of Battlestar Galactica.