I think I now know why Matthew Broderick used a very obnoxious, distracting and nasally voice when playing Leo Bloom in the original Broadway run of The Producers. It was to keep you from hating all the obnoxious facial ticks, mugging and overacting...which has all been blown up on the big screen, minus the voice, in the movie based on the musical based on the movie The Producers.
If I had to list my favorite film comedies of all time, The Producers would be on it. Mel Brooks' 1968 film is a classic that always makes me laugh...no matter how many times I've seen it. Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder are perfect in every way and they're supported by a wonderful cast of character actors. The Broadway musical version is a good adaptation of the movie to a different medium, but I think most of its charm is based on two things...it's sweet feel of sendup towards classic musicals and the charm and talents of the original Broadway cast...or at least the hype of the charm and talents of the original Broadway cast.
The new movie version of the musical is essentially a record of what that original cast was like (with a few changes). There are two actors who have been replaced, three musical numbers that have been removed, one that's been truncated and the obligatory shot at an Oscar for Best Original Song has been added to the end credits (there's also the addition of a excerpt from song cut from the Broadway show that Mel Brooks is on record as calling stupid).
Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick spend the 2 plus hours on screen continuing to act like they need to be seen in the balcony of the St. James Theater. They also seem to spend most of their time sleepwalking through roles they've played many times before. Will Ferrell does a decent job at bringing Nazi playwright Franz Liebkin to life, but Brad Oscar (who makes a very brief cameo as a cab driver) was a thousand times better (especially singing "Have You Ever Heard The Grman Band?"). Uma Thurman is very good as Ulla, but you'll still ask why they didn't use Tony winning actress Cady Huffman. Gary Beach and Roger Bart are still amazingly hysterical as Roger De Bris and Carmen Ghia.
As directed by Susan Strohman what the film is missing most is pacing and flow. A lot of things that work on stage come off as hackneyed and cliched on film (like the couch gags during "That Face"). There also seems to be very little artistry to the film itself. Sure the sets and costumes look great, but it's really just in service of having a record of the show. Take for example Leo's big number "I Want To Be A Producer". It looks amazing on film (one of the few successful moments of the film version) with many more chorus girls to bolster it, but at the same time a few things have been taken away from it (the "racist" dialog of the African-American accountant and the recurring joke of the ugly chorus girl is cut way back). The number that comes off the best is obviously "Springtime For Hitler" which is hysterical no matter which version of this story you're watching...here we get a nice mix of the Broadway version (the "extended cut") and the original movie (we get to see audience reactions again in close up which you don't get on Broadway).
Of the missing numbers, I missed all three of them. While it was decided to cut "The King of Broadway" just to get to the "story" faster, it is too funny a song and too great a setup of Max's character to just toss away. The same goes with "Where Did We Go Right" towards the end (and that one's a short song). And "In Old Bavaria" is a great setup for Franz and his birds that also doesn't run very long. If they needed to cut songs, they should have started with "That Face" which I've always found kind of blah at best. At least on Broadway it opened Act Two...here it's just a slow spot in the middle of the film. Also, the nature of the medium has necessitated the dropping of two very funny jokes on stage (both stemming from there being an intermission).
There are a few interesting cameos worth noting...just for fun...Andrea Martin and Debra Monk are two of the little old ladies, John Barrowman plays the lead tenor in the film's biggest number, Michael McKean puts in an appearance as a prisoner at the end and Jon Lovitz does a great bit as Leo's boss.
The Producers isn't a bad movie simply because its original source material is so classic. It just could have been a lot better. Its a bittersweet disappointment at best.
Two quick shot reviews:
Monster-in-Law is a formulaic comedy that underuses the talented Jane Fonda and overuses the underwhelming J-Lo (who was really good in Out of Sight and little else). Don't bother yourself.
Bewitched is a remake of the old TV series that complicates itself too much by adding an extra layer (it's not just about a man who marries a witch, it's about a man cast as Darrin in a remake of the TV series who casts an unknown actress as Samantha who is actually a witch). Why not just remake the TV series and be done with it? And if you're going to go that extra mile why not just have Shirley MacLaine play Endora instead of her playing an actress playing Endora (said actress playing Endora could have been Shirley MacLaine). Again...don't bother.
That's it for 2005. Have a Happy New Year. We'll be back with more reviews and other crap in 2006. My list of the year's best will appear closer to February as I'm still trying to watch 25 films from the year to make up a list like I always do. Having a kid seems to have changed our movie viewing habits somewhat.
Be seeing you.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Sunday, December 25, 2005
A Christmas Change
It amazes me how through the use of the internet one can get almost anything instantly...
And so it was that I was able to watch the newest episode of Doctor Who just hours after it aired on the BBC in Britain.
I've always been a fan of this show and was excited to hear there'd be new episodes. Of course, we here in the United States are unable to watch the new episodes as no cable network has picked it up. Luckily, we'll be getting aboxed set of all 13 episodes (plus extras) of the 2005 series on Valentine's Day 2006.
Of course, this means that all the 2006 episodes won't show up on our shores until 2007. But I have every intention of purchasing the series on DVD as it arrives...but I don't have the patience to wait a year...so I'm supplementing...
Anyway...
The special Christmas episode, entitled The Christmas Invasion, is the first story to fully feature David Tennant as the Doctor (if you've seen the recent Harry Potter movie he played Barty Crouch Jr.). If Christopher Eccleston's portrayal of the Doctor was a 9 from the first episode he appeared in, Tennant's is an 11 (and he spends a good chunk of the episode unconscious).
The concept of a Christmas episode of Doctor Who is weird at best, but not unprecedented (William Hartnell, the first Doctor, had one, but it is sadly part of the missing and lost episodes). Luckily, it's not a Christmas episode in the sense of what we here get in the United States (on a special Joey blah blah blah). There are a few Christmas related decorations, but the story is mostly about change for the Doctor, Rose and the entire planet Earth as an alien race attempts an invasion.
Tennant, like Eccleston before him, is a great combination of all the previous incarnations of the character while still carving his own place. The episode is as engaging as everything from last season, sets up both the new Doctor's character and touches on a spin-off series (Torchwood), brings back other beloved supporting characters and gives them a new twist and even manages to connect the entire Doctor Who mythos to that of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in one mindboggling throwaway line that will have people trying to figure out how those two mythos fit together in any possible way.
The new season starts in March on the BBC and I am very excited.
Be seeing you.
And so it was that I was able to watch the newest episode of Doctor Who just hours after it aired on the BBC in Britain.
I've always been a fan of this show and was excited to hear there'd be new episodes. Of course, we here in the United States are unable to watch the new episodes as no cable network has picked it up. Luckily, we'll be getting aboxed set of all 13 episodes (plus extras) of the 2005 series on Valentine's Day 2006.
Of course, this means that all the 2006 episodes won't show up on our shores until 2007. But I have every intention of purchasing the series on DVD as it arrives...but I don't have the patience to wait a year...so I'm supplementing...
Anyway...
The special Christmas episode, entitled The Christmas Invasion, is the first story to fully feature David Tennant as the Doctor (if you've seen the recent Harry Potter movie he played Barty Crouch Jr.). If Christopher Eccleston's portrayal of the Doctor was a 9 from the first episode he appeared in, Tennant's is an 11 (and he spends a good chunk of the episode unconscious).
The concept of a Christmas episode of Doctor Who is weird at best, but not unprecedented (William Hartnell, the first Doctor, had one, but it is sadly part of the missing and lost episodes). Luckily, it's not a Christmas episode in the sense of what we here get in the United States (on a special Joey blah blah blah). There are a few Christmas related decorations, but the story is mostly about change for the Doctor, Rose and the entire planet Earth as an alien race attempts an invasion.
Tennant, like Eccleston before him, is a great combination of all the previous incarnations of the character while still carving his own place. The episode is as engaging as everything from last season, sets up both the new Doctor's character and touches on a spin-off series (Torchwood), brings back other beloved supporting characters and gives them a new twist and even manages to connect the entire Doctor Who mythos to that of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in one mindboggling throwaway line that will have people trying to figure out how those two mythos fit together in any possible way.
The new season starts in March on the BBC and I am very excited.
Be seeing you.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
What We're Watching...
So...now that November Sweeps are over, let's take a look at the viewing habits going on in this house...
Desperate Housewives -- Still enjoying this show, but it seems to have lost some steam. Perhaps it's because all the stories with Susan (Teri Hatcher) have become rather silly? Maybe it's because there's too much of Bree (whom I dislike immensely as a character)? Maybe it's that the Alfre Woodard story is unfolding slower than Lost? Just wish it was as fresh as it was last season.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent -- The show has been somewhat reenergized by the addition of Chris Noth...not that it needed it. Anabella Sciorra's presence is relatively negligible. Maybe they should team Noth and D'Onfrio more often?
King of the Hill -- The show's in its final season. It's been pre-empted by more sports than it deserves so far this season, but the few episodes that have aired have been just as good as always. Let's hope the Hill family and their friends get the send off they deserve.
The Simpsons -- It's funny...I can still quote old episodes and I love them dearly, but the newer episodes confuse me as I can barely remember what each one's about on second viewings. Maybe a billion years on TV is too long? Yes...I just blasphemed.
Family Guy -- Let's face it, the show's really just an endless stream of pop culture jokes and bathroom shtick...but I'm glad it's back and still find it hysterically funny.
American Dad -- This show has gotten much better since it started and seems to have found a nice stride in balancing the ridiculous and the sublime. We just need more stories involving Roger and Klaus.
Arrested Development -- As funny as it's ever been...and if you haven't heard it's pretty much coming to an end soon as FOX cut the full season order down to 13 episodes. It will be missed.
Kitchen Confidential -- While we've enjoyed this show (all 4 episodes that aired), it really wasn't given a chance. Bad FOX!
Prison Break -- We have to wait until March to get new episodes?? Can't FOX cancel some other crap that's still on (like the piece of shit wedged between The Simpsons and Family Guy) to find the right spot so we can find out what happens next? Great show that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Medium -- We regularly Tivo this show and do enjoy it when we watch it, but we tend to let episodes pile up for a week (or three) before catching up. It's good, but it's not "I have to watch it now"...and the episode that wound up essentially being a commercial for Memoirs of a Geisha was just annoying.
Bones -- While it's not original (I think we need to take off shoes and grab a friend or two to actually count the number of procedural shows on TV right now), it's a lot of fun due to the cast of characters. If it wasn't for the chemistry between David Boreanaz and Emily Deschannel (as well as the rest of the cast that includes Eric Millegan, TJ Thyne, Michaela Conlin and Jonathan Adams), it wouldn't be worth watching. I hope it survives being separated from it's perfect partner in January. That perfect partner is...
House -- It's nice to have something of a break from all the "arc" shows that seem to fill our days. Hugh Laurie still drives this vehicle as the wonderfully crochety Dr. House and the two hour block of this show and Bones works so well.
My Name is Earl -- Easily the best new sitcom in quite some time. Smart move in taking it to Thursdays to re-energize "Must See TV". Now if they'd only pair it with Scrubs instead of the dreck called The Office.
Commander in Chief -- I'm still not 100% sure what it is I like about this show beyond such an engaging cast. Maybe it's the possibility that the "political" aspects of this show are about as removed from reality as a "President" can get (insert your own jokes about the current administration here). If I want real politics, I'll turn on the ever depressing and comedic news...here's where I go for the fantasy.
Boston Legal -- What started off as a great concept on The Practice and then became its own fun series has quickly become tiresome, repetative and silly...and yet I still watch...it's just not a "gotta watch it now" show...
That 70s Show -- With Eric & Kelso gone, it's just feeling old and tired...although the bit with killing off the guy everyone assumed would become Eric's replacement was pure genius...unfortunately, his replacement is blah...thankfully the show's ending in May.
Stacked -- Not sure why I'm still watching this as FOX has cancelled so many other better sitcoms...
Lost -- I'm just glad that a show takes risks with the status quo...anyone can be "offed" at any moment...sure it's mind-numbing in it's advancement of "what's going on" (one step forward, four back), but I'm hooked for the duration.
Invasion -- Imagine a show going any slower than Lost and you're pretty much up to speed on this. It's Invasion of the Body Snatchers if it needed 24 hours to tell the entire story...and yet they manage to keep this slow boil show intriguing every step of the way (and when they give you info, they give you info).
Veronica Mars -- Hands down the BEST mystery show on TV. If you're not watching this, insert your own insult here...
Criminal Minds -- Look...CBS is airing a procedural drama...what is this number 27? Luckily, my boycott of the network kept me away from all of them...and it took Mandy Patinkin to break that...hopefully someday they'll move away from the procedure and get into the characters a bit more (is Elle really Jason's daughter??).
Law & Order -- It's not "Must See TV" anymore by any means, but I like Dennis Farina and Jesse L. Martin enough to keep watching...Sam Waterston's become too boring and predictable...we need some new "Order" here.
Joey -- It's mildly amusing at best...but being taken off the air for January and February can't be a good sign. If it goes at the end of the season, it won't be missed...
Will & Grace -- And neither will this...thankfully, it's all over in May...until the guest star studded reunion.
The Apprentice -- The latest version actually has a few contestants you could see winning...unlike the last two...I'm never sure if I'll watch the next version until it airs and then I get hooked anyway.
Night Stalker -- would probably be a better show if it had no connection whatsoever to the series it is based on; Kolchak: The Night Stalker (Just released on DVD). The one season cult hit from the 1970s was an inspiriation for The X-Files and this remake is being helmed by one of the forces behind that show (Frank Spotznitz). But quite honestly, the concept is so far removed from the original (Middle Aged, frumpy, cynical and sardonic reporter Carl Kolchak investigates things that go bump in the night) it may as well be something else. Here we have young, hot, mysterious reporter Carl Kolchak invetsigating things that go bump in the night in an effort to find who (or what) really killed his wife (a crime he was accused of). It's warmed over mush from several other and far more successful shows (none of which were Kolchak). Is anyone surprised it lasted as long as it did? (Although ABC gets a big finger for cancelling it after airing the first part of a two parter -- the one episode I didn't see -- because the three people still watching deserved better, Sci-Fi gets kudos for picking up all ten episodes for airing next summer).
Reunion -- OK...so it's gonna end at 13 episodes and we're never gonna know who killed...you know...I've seen every episode to date and I can't remember the name of the character killed...so is it really any good? It is an interesting concept (a big flashback story where each episode is one year closer to the present), but the acting's cheesy and the actual storylines are cliched and hackneyed (and we won't get into the fact that the young actors look silly playing their older selves in the present day scenes).
Smallville -- Best Season Ever.
Everwood -- Best Season Ever. Now give us more seasons on DVD Warner!!!
The Bernie Mac Show -- I still watch, but the charm and orginality has gone...as have the ratings since it's now on Firdya nights.
Malcolm in the Middle -- FOX has done wrong by this show. As funny as it has ever been (though I do miss Francis at the dude ranch stories), it probably won't last longer than this season because of the Friday time slot...very unfortunate. I hope they go out on the same high note they came in on.
Threshold -- This is the faster paced and more stand alone episode alien invasion series than Invasion. It's is also the one that's been cancelled.
Justice League Unlimited -- Waiting for Cartoon Network to air the last 8 episodes of Season 3 (or season 5 if you count the two seasons of the "limited" version of the show) is like waiting for turtles to mate. There had better be another season after this one, because they've passed on a 6th season of
Teen Titans -- which is going to end next month. The show started as an odd show and grew into a GREAT adaptation of a comic book. It will be missed.
The Batman -- Living in the shadow of the amazing animated series of the 1990s, this show is a pale imitation...but it's still Batman...so it's not completely worthless.
Battlestar Galactica -- Left us hanging in the middle of season 2 with a potential Civil War within the fleet...can't wait to see where it's going. A thousand times better than the original...if you're not watching, catch up before the rest of the season starts as everything up to that point is on DVD.
The Sopranos -- Can you believe we've got another season and a half of this show. How long has it been?? Did Family Guy have this long a wait between seasons? I'm gonna have to rewatch the whole series to date just to remember who is who.
Entourage -- A fun HBO show that makes great use of Jeremy Piven.
The Dead Zone -- While USA seems to have taken on the BBCs concept of making Christmas episodes, this show wasn't ruined by theirs. Can't wait to see how the overall story arc both mimics and diverges from Stephen King's novel...
Monk -- While I still enjoy watching it's gotten a bit monotonous and while the chance from Sharona to what's-her-face was rather seamless, the show has lost something.
24 -- Can't wait for Season 5 and all the fun logic loops we'll have to take.
Scrubs -- The best comedy on TV gets no respect, but does get new episodes (and another DVD release). Hooray.
Jake in Progress -- It'll be interesting to see how this show changes as I was surprised by it last year...I'm sure things will get mucked up entirely.
Deadwood -- I loved the first season and fell out of touch with season 2. Kind of like another HBO show. Maybe I'll try and catch up before season 3 starts...and maybe I won't.
Well...that's all for now...I'll be back, hopefully, on Christmas Day with a surprise about one more show I didn't mention.
Be seeing you.
Desperate Housewives -- Still enjoying this show, but it seems to have lost some steam. Perhaps it's because all the stories with Susan (Teri Hatcher) have become rather silly? Maybe it's because there's too much of Bree (whom I dislike immensely as a character)? Maybe it's that the Alfre Woodard story is unfolding slower than Lost? Just wish it was as fresh as it was last season.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent -- The show has been somewhat reenergized by the addition of Chris Noth...not that it needed it. Anabella Sciorra's presence is relatively negligible. Maybe they should team Noth and D'Onfrio more often?
King of the Hill -- The show's in its final season. It's been pre-empted by more sports than it deserves so far this season, but the few episodes that have aired have been just as good as always. Let's hope the Hill family and their friends get the send off they deserve.
The Simpsons -- It's funny...I can still quote old episodes and I love them dearly, but the newer episodes confuse me as I can barely remember what each one's about on second viewings. Maybe a billion years on TV is too long? Yes...I just blasphemed.
Family Guy -- Let's face it, the show's really just an endless stream of pop culture jokes and bathroom shtick...but I'm glad it's back and still find it hysterically funny.
American Dad -- This show has gotten much better since it started and seems to have found a nice stride in balancing the ridiculous and the sublime. We just need more stories involving Roger and Klaus.
Arrested Development -- As funny as it's ever been...and if you haven't heard it's pretty much coming to an end soon as FOX cut the full season order down to 13 episodes. It will be missed.
Kitchen Confidential -- While we've enjoyed this show (all 4 episodes that aired), it really wasn't given a chance. Bad FOX!
Prison Break -- We have to wait until March to get new episodes?? Can't FOX cancel some other crap that's still on (like the piece of shit wedged between The Simpsons and Family Guy) to find the right spot so we can find out what happens next? Great show that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Medium -- We regularly Tivo this show and do enjoy it when we watch it, but we tend to let episodes pile up for a week (or three) before catching up. It's good, but it's not "I have to watch it now"...and the episode that wound up essentially being a commercial for Memoirs of a Geisha was just annoying.
Bones -- While it's not original (I think we need to take off shoes and grab a friend or two to actually count the number of procedural shows on TV right now), it's a lot of fun due to the cast of characters. If it wasn't for the chemistry between David Boreanaz and Emily Deschannel (as well as the rest of the cast that includes Eric Millegan, TJ Thyne, Michaela Conlin and Jonathan Adams), it wouldn't be worth watching. I hope it survives being separated from it's perfect partner in January. That perfect partner is...
House -- It's nice to have something of a break from all the "arc" shows that seem to fill our days. Hugh Laurie still drives this vehicle as the wonderfully crochety Dr. House and the two hour block of this show and Bones works so well.
My Name is Earl -- Easily the best new sitcom in quite some time. Smart move in taking it to Thursdays to re-energize "Must See TV". Now if they'd only pair it with Scrubs instead of the dreck called The Office.
Commander in Chief -- I'm still not 100% sure what it is I like about this show beyond such an engaging cast. Maybe it's the possibility that the "political" aspects of this show are about as removed from reality as a "President" can get (insert your own jokes about the current administration here). If I want real politics, I'll turn on the ever depressing and comedic news...here's where I go for the fantasy.
Boston Legal -- What started off as a great concept on The Practice and then became its own fun series has quickly become tiresome, repetative and silly...and yet I still watch...it's just not a "gotta watch it now" show...
That 70s Show -- With Eric & Kelso gone, it's just feeling old and tired...although the bit with killing off the guy everyone assumed would become Eric's replacement was pure genius...unfortunately, his replacement is blah...thankfully the show's ending in May.
Stacked -- Not sure why I'm still watching this as FOX has cancelled so many other better sitcoms...
Lost -- I'm just glad that a show takes risks with the status quo...anyone can be "offed" at any moment...sure it's mind-numbing in it's advancement of "what's going on" (one step forward, four back), but I'm hooked for the duration.
Invasion -- Imagine a show going any slower than Lost and you're pretty much up to speed on this. It's Invasion of the Body Snatchers if it needed 24 hours to tell the entire story...and yet they manage to keep this slow boil show intriguing every step of the way (and when they give you info, they give you info).
Veronica Mars -- Hands down the BEST mystery show on TV. If you're not watching this, insert your own insult here...
Criminal Minds -- Look...CBS is airing a procedural drama...what is this number 27? Luckily, my boycott of the network kept me away from all of them...and it took Mandy Patinkin to break that...hopefully someday they'll move away from the procedure and get into the characters a bit more (is Elle really Jason's daughter??).
Law & Order -- It's not "Must See TV" anymore by any means, but I like Dennis Farina and Jesse L. Martin enough to keep watching...Sam Waterston's become too boring and predictable...we need some new "Order" here.
Joey -- It's mildly amusing at best...but being taken off the air for January and February can't be a good sign. If it goes at the end of the season, it won't be missed...
Will & Grace -- And neither will this...thankfully, it's all over in May...until the guest star studded reunion.
The Apprentice -- The latest version actually has a few contestants you could see winning...unlike the last two...I'm never sure if I'll watch the next version until it airs and then I get hooked anyway.
Night Stalker -- would probably be a better show if it had no connection whatsoever to the series it is based on; Kolchak: The Night Stalker (Just released on DVD). The one season cult hit from the 1970s was an inspiriation for The X-Files and this remake is being helmed by one of the forces behind that show (Frank Spotznitz). But quite honestly, the concept is so far removed from the original (Middle Aged, frumpy, cynical and sardonic reporter Carl Kolchak investigates things that go bump in the night) it may as well be something else. Here we have young, hot, mysterious reporter Carl Kolchak invetsigating things that go bump in the night in an effort to find who (or what) really killed his wife (a crime he was accused of). It's warmed over mush from several other and far more successful shows (none of which were Kolchak). Is anyone surprised it lasted as long as it did? (Although ABC gets a big finger for cancelling it after airing the first part of a two parter -- the one episode I didn't see -- because the three people still watching deserved better, Sci-Fi gets kudos for picking up all ten episodes for airing next summer).
Reunion -- OK...so it's gonna end at 13 episodes and we're never gonna know who killed...you know...I've seen every episode to date and I can't remember the name of the character killed...so is it really any good? It is an interesting concept (a big flashback story where each episode is one year closer to the present), but the acting's cheesy and the actual storylines are cliched and hackneyed (and we won't get into the fact that the young actors look silly playing their older selves in the present day scenes).
Smallville -- Best Season Ever.
Everwood -- Best Season Ever. Now give us more seasons on DVD Warner!!!
The Bernie Mac Show -- I still watch, but the charm and orginality has gone...as have the ratings since it's now on Firdya nights.
Malcolm in the Middle -- FOX has done wrong by this show. As funny as it has ever been (though I do miss Francis at the dude ranch stories), it probably won't last longer than this season because of the Friday time slot...very unfortunate. I hope they go out on the same high note they came in on.
Threshold -- This is the faster paced and more stand alone episode alien invasion series than Invasion. It's is also the one that's been cancelled.
Justice League Unlimited -- Waiting for Cartoon Network to air the last 8 episodes of Season 3 (or season 5 if you count the two seasons of the "limited" version of the show) is like waiting for turtles to mate. There had better be another season after this one, because they've passed on a 6th season of
Teen Titans -- which is going to end next month. The show started as an odd show and grew into a GREAT adaptation of a comic book. It will be missed.
The Batman -- Living in the shadow of the amazing animated series of the 1990s, this show is a pale imitation...but it's still Batman...so it's not completely worthless.
Battlestar Galactica -- Left us hanging in the middle of season 2 with a potential Civil War within the fleet...can't wait to see where it's going. A thousand times better than the original...if you're not watching, catch up before the rest of the season starts as everything up to that point is on DVD.
The Sopranos -- Can you believe we've got another season and a half of this show. How long has it been?? Did Family Guy have this long a wait between seasons? I'm gonna have to rewatch the whole series to date just to remember who is who.
Entourage -- A fun HBO show that makes great use of Jeremy Piven.
The Dead Zone -- While USA seems to have taken on the BBCs concept of making Christmas episodes, this show wasn't ruined by theirs. Can't wait to see how the overall story arc both mimics and diverges from Stephen King's novel...
Monk -- While I still enjoy watching it's gotten a bit monotonous and while the chance from Sharona to what's-her-face was rather seamless, the show has lost something.
24 -- Can't wait for Season 5 and all the fun logic loops we'll have to take.
Scrubs -- The best comedy on TV gets no respect, but does get new episodes (and another DVD release). Hooray.
Jake in Progress -- It'll be interesting to see how this show changes as I was surprised by it last year...I'm sure things will get mucked up entirely.
Deadwood -- I loved the first season and fell out of touch with season 2. Kind of like another HBO show. Maybe I'll try and catch up before season 3 starts...and maybe I won't.
Well...that's all for now...I'll be back, hopefully, on Christmas Day with a surprise about one more show I didn't mention.
Be seeing you.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Playing Catch Up Before Vacation
Hey folks,
I was hoping to review Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in tandem with a review of the latest book. Unfortunately, I need to go back and read book 5 before reading book 6 and our copy is still in
In the meantime, the 4th film, Goblet of Fire, raises the stakes in the series to a nice level. While I still think the third film is the best in the series so far (as I still think the third book is the best in the series so far), this film does a good job at adapting all the necessary bits of this very weighty tome.
Streamlined, the story focuses on the Tri-Wizard Tornament in which Harry unwittingly becomes a contestant. He must brave three potentially deadly tasks alongside four other students (two of which come from other Wizarding schools). Meanwhile, brewing in the background is the potential return of Lord Voldemort.
The story zips along at a good pace now that all the fluff that movie goers won't care about has been excised (like Hermione and the freeing of the house elves) and the tension of the tornament helps move it all along with a sense of ugency. The acting remains top notch on all levels and the emotional depth of the outcome of the tournament hits home like a dagger because of it. The look of the film remains as amazing as the last one (which was better than the first two as it seems they were still working out the kinks in the CGI).
While I've forgotten a lot of what happens in book 5, movie 4 has gotten me in the mood to read it all again...
Over in potential Oscar country...David Cronenberg's A History of Violence may be the director's best effort yet...Well...not really...but it's definitely his best shot at winning accolades he's been looked over for before.
Based on a graphic novel, Viggo Mortensen stars as a small town family man who winds up on the evening news after he defends himself and some patrons at his diner from a couple of murderous thugs. The news coverage brings some shady mob goons to town as they are convinced that Tom (Mortensen) is actually a long lost "friend" they need to bring back into the fold. As the mystery of who these goons are unfolds, so does the mystery of Tom's past. To tell you whether Tom is hiding a secret or these men are mistaken would ruin a great film.
Cronenberg knows how to keep an audience on the edge of its seat and this film, while more of a slow boil than some of his other films, doesn't disappoint. Perfectly cast in every way (look for potential Oscar nominations for Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris and William Hurt) and expertly directed A History of Violence does not disappoint.
I never had to read any Jane Austin in any classes I ever took...but aparently it's a prerequisit if you have a vagina (am I gonna get a lot of flack for that comment or what??)...my wife is a BIG fan of hers...specifically Pride & Prejudice. She's also a BIG fan of Colin Firth (she'd pick him over me if given the chance), so naturally she's a HUGE fan of the BBC version of Pride. It was on her enthusiasm for the story that I somewhat reluctantly went to see the new big screen version not starring Colin Firth.
I was pleasantly surprised by the film. This humorous and tender love story about a woman with a crazy family who slowly (and almost reluctantly) falls in love with a handsome but cold man actually kept me interested for it's full length...at least until it was over and my wife pointed out all the film's faults when compared to both the original novel and the BBC miniseries...which we had to promptly start watching as soon as we got home...
So, while I've now become enamoured of the BBC version (well made, well acted), I've discovered that the film I thought I liked I actually hated immensely.
So...that's all for today in movie reviews...I'll be back once more before we leave with a TV roundup...my massive comic book catch up issue will wait until we're back and my annual Top 25/Worst 5 list will probably not see publication until February at the earliest (as I don't know I've seen enough films to fill out either list just yet)...
Monday, November 21, 2005
Waterlogged
Hey folks,
I know it's been a while since the last Fugue, but things have been a bit crazy. Dealing with a four and a half month old kind of takes all priority and when I do have a moment to sit and write, I tend to get distracted and move on. I've got a few Fugues pending since the beginning of October and I'm sure at some point I'll sit down and start to bang them all out and finish them...but for now you get this one...hope it suffices...
I've always been a big fan of disaster films. While the more recent ones tend to get bogged down in the special effects rather than develop character, I still enjoy them...but the repeatability factor is pretty low (unless you feel the need to have a "poke fun at Volcano or The Day After Tomorrow party). So, it was only a matter of time that the better films of the 1970s got looked at again for a modern day interpretation.
So...we're not just getting a new big screen remake of my favorite, we've also gotten a new small screen remake of The Poseidon Adventure (which also has been made into one of the funniest musicals you will probably never see...but you can buy the cast album...and all of these are derived from a novel that I've actually never read...maybe I need to correct that oversight)...
Anyway, NBC just aired last night what should have been titled Tom Clancy's Op Center: The Poseidon Adventure as this "modern" remake added some unnecessary scenes of the "rescue team", an entire subplot featuring terrorists (as they are now the cause of the ship flipping over due to an explosion and some vaguely dubious physics) and some inane reality show references (Bryan Brown essentially plays Simon Cowell). They've also changed around enough of the characters from the original to make them seem less human and more cardboard. In fact, Gene Hackman is so memorable in the original that it takes almost every male lead at various points in the film to replace him (and yes, that includes philandering father Steve Guttenberg).
In the midst of all the TV CGI (hey...they're never as good as Movie CGI), there are surprisingly a couple of well done moments that actually improve on the original. The most memorable is Belle Rosen's death (Sylvia Syms barely coming close to Shelley Winters) in which a dying widow (yeah...no Manny to make it out this time) asks Bishop Schmidt (Rutger Hauer substituting for Gene Hackman in this scene) whom she thinks is her husband to describe the park across from their apartment. It's very touching and reminds one that Hauer can actually be a great actor when he's not starring in schlock (heck...he's a great actor when he is starring in schlock).
Unfortunately, all of this adds up to a lackluster effort. So many things are gone from the original (Stella Stevens in her underwear to name one...heck...Linda Rogo doesn't even exist as a character as Mike Rogo -- Adam Bladwin -- is a Homeland Security agent now) that made it so memorable that you miss every one of them and the few lame in-jokes (C. Thomas Howell playing Doctor Ballard and Peter Weller as Captain Gallico -- the name of the original novel's author), the few bright spots and the somewhat surprising and inspired twist at the end (the unexploded bomb has to be used to blow open the other side of the hull to get out) don't make up for it.
So now we just have to wait for the big screen remake to see if justice can be done to a story that probably doesn't need it. Simply entitled Poseidon it opens May 12, 2006 and stars Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, Josh Lucas, Andre Braugher, Emmy Rossum and Kevin Dillon...and according to the IMDB none of the cahacter names are the same...so in my book it's already got a strike or two against it. But going for it is director Wolfgang Peterson who so masterfully knows how to get claustrophobia of ships on the big screen (something the TV movie is lacking).
Well...that's all for now. I hope to be back sooner rather than later with reviews of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (seen it already just wanted to incorporate it with a review of the 6th novel but I haven't even started that yet), the special edition DVDs of all the recent Batman movies, the current TV season so far and DC Comics Infinite Crisis miniseries (it's a direct sequel to their 20 year old miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths and two issues in seems like it's going to undo everything that was done then...but I'm betting in the end it won't...but so far it's a great read).
I will leave you with a quick update on Malcolm... he's almost 5 months old and he's got two little teeth sprouting through his gums. We just started him on solids three weeks ago...so far he's had rice cereal, bananas and carrots (this week's intro food as we're doing a new food every Monday). So far the most interesting aspect to this dietary change is the "output"...bananas + cereal + breast milk = greenish cement once every 24 hours...ick...
Anyway...until next time...
Be seeing you.
I know it's been a while since the last Fugue, but things have been a bit crazy. Dealing with a four and a half month old kind of takes all priority and when I do have a moment to sit and write, I tend to get distracted and move on. I've got a few Fugues pending since the beginning of October and I'm sure at some point I'll sit down and start to bang them all out and finish them...but for now you get this one...hope it suffices...
I've always been a big fan of disaster films. While the more recent ones tend to get bogged down in the special effects rather than develop character, I still enjoy them...but the repeatability factor is pretty low (unless you feel the need to have a "poke fun at Volcano or The Day After Tomorrow party). So, it was only a matter of time that the better films of the 1970s got looked at again for a modern day interpretation.
So...we're not just getting a new big screen remake of my favorite, we've also gotten a new small screen remake of The Poseidon Adventure (which also has been made into one of the funniest musicals you will probably never see...but you can buy the cast album...and all of these are derived from a novel that I've actually never read...maybe I need to correct that oversight)...
Anyway, NBC just aired last night what should have been titled Tom Clancy's Op Center: The Poseidon Adventure as this "modern" remake added some unnecessary scenes of the "rescue team", an entire subplot featuring terrorists (as they are now the cause of the ship flipping over due to an explosion and some vaguely dubious physics) and some inane reality show references (Bryan Brown essentially plays Simon Cowell). They've also changed around enough of the characters from the original to make them seem less human and more cardboard. In fact, Gene Hackman is so memorable in the original that it takes almost every male lead at various points in the film to replace him (and yes, that includes philandering father Steve Guttenberg).
In the midst of all the TV CGI (hey...they're never as good as Movie CGI), there are surprisingly a couple of well done moments that actually improve on the original. The most memorable is Belle Rosen's death (Sylvia Syms barely coming close to Shelley Winters) in which a dying widow (yeah...no Manny to make it out this time) asks Bishop Schmidt (Rutger Hauer substituting for Gene Hackman in this scene) whom she thinks is her husband to describe the park across from their apartment. It's very touching and reminds one that Hauer can actually be a great actor when he's not starring in schlock (heck...he's a great actor when he is starring in schlock).
Unfortunately, all of this adds up to a lackluster effort. So many things are gone from the original (Stella Stevens in her underwear to name one...heck...Linda Rogo doesn't even exist as a character as Mike Rogo -- Adam Bladwin -- is a Homeland Security agent now) that made it so memorable that you miss every one of them and the few lame in-jokes (C. Thomas Howell playing Doctor Ballard and Peter Weller as Captain Gallico -- the name of the original novel's author), the few bright spots and the somewhat surprising and inspired twist at the end (the unexploded bomb has to be used to blow open the other side of the hull to get out) don't make up for it.
So now we just have to wait for the big screen remake to see if justice can be done to a story that probably doesn't need it. Simply entitled Poseidon it opens May 12, 2006 and stars Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, Josh Lucas, Andre Braugher, Emmy Rossum and Kevin Dillon...and according to the IMDB none of the cahacter names are the same...so in my book it's already got a strike or two against it. But going for it is director Wolfgang Peterson who so masterfully knows how to get claustrophobia of ships on the big screen (something the TV movie is lacking).
Well...that's all for now. I hope to be back sooner rather than later with reviews of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (seen it already just wanted to incorporate it with a review of the 6th novel but I haven't even started that yet), the special edition DVDs of all the recent Batman movies, the current TV season so far and DC Comics Infinite Crisis miniseries (it's a direct sequel to their 20 year old miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths and two issues in seems like it's going to undo everything that was done then...but I'm betting in the end it won't...but so far it's a great read).
I will leave you with a quick update on Malcolm... he's almost 5 months old and he's got two little teeth sprouting through his gums. We just started him on solids three weeks ago...so far he's had rice cereal, bananas and carrots (this week's intro food as we're doing a new food every Monday). So far the most interesting aspect to this dietary change is the "output"...bananas + cereal + breast milk = greenish cement once every 24 hours...ick...
Anyway...until next time...
Be seeing you.
Monday, October 24, 2005
A Quick Update...
hey folks,
While I've got some larger writings in the works (a variety of reviews), it'll be about another week before they're all finished and posted...
But for now I just wanted to give you an update on a few things in our lives.
First, Natasha is ina show that just opened in New Canaan. She's playing Edith the maid in Noel Coward's comedy Blithe Spirit. It runs through November 5 and is a wonderfully funny show with a really good cast (and some top notch production values as well). Call 966-7371 for tickets.
This coming Friday night I have a bit part in a staged reading at Westport Community Theater. Habeus Corpus is being directed by Dan Friedman (and includes a number of people much more talented than myself). Call 226-1983 for more info.
Also starting this Friday and running through November 12 is The Darien Players production of Agatha Christie's Black Coffee. It the only play she wrote that features Hercule Poirot as a character. It should be a wonderfully entertaining evening. Call 655-5414 for more info or tickets.
While it doesn't open until January 13, the Players next production is Cat on a Hot Tin Roof directed by Frank Gaffney. I've signed on to produce the show. Natasha has been cast as Sister Woman and there's a small possibility that Malcolm will be making his stage debut as well as one of the "no neck monsters" that Maggie constantly refers to (we're still discussing the pros and cons of torturing our son who would turn 7 months old during the show's run...but it would make rehearsals easier as we could just schlep him along every night).
There will be two more shows (possibly three) that I'll mention after New Year's as they get closer to opening.
Meanwhile, here at the house...
Our first contractor owes us one gutter for the back of the house and a certificate of occupancy and then we are done with them forever. Hooray!!
Our second one just had a baby boy with his wife and while it's slowed things down a little bit we're happy as can be with the results. Our kitchen is completely finished now that the backsplash has been installed...and the best part is we got what we wanted (something we wouldn't have gotten with the first guy).
Our powder room is almost finished. It just needs to be painted (which we're trying to figure out a color scheme for as there's a mish mosh of colors in the tiles and fixtures).
The office & mudroom that we carved out of the old storage space between the garage and the finished part of the basement is almost finished. There's some minor electrical work that needs to be done, some HVAC issues that need addressing (I'm convinced the guys attached the vents to the upstairs thermostat instead of the downstairs one), some patching and painting of a few walls (due to a major problem with California Closets...DON'T use them if you're ever thinking about it) and that's about it aside from moving things into the rooms and using them.
After that, there are one or two minor things we're doing that should be done before the end of the year and then we're done with any construction workers for a while (unless we decide to redo the back deck in the spring).
On the Malcolm front, he's got his 4 month checkup next week and I'm trying to keep using the infant carrier at least until then...but quite honestly he's pretty much outgrown it (at least his shoulders seem to be a bit wider than it is but he's not complaining yet). Last night I went to transport him to the car and I had to strain to lift it. They grow so fast. Awww.
Anyway...I'm still trying to get our website up and running but I've been too busy to finish my redesigns, so it will be a bit longer.
Next week, catch up reviews and such.
Be seeing you.
While I've got some larger writings in the works (a variety of reviews), it'll be about another week before they're all finished and posted...
But for now I just wanted to give you an update on a few things in our lives.
First, Natasha is ina show that just opened in New Canaan. She's playing Edith the maid in Noel Coward's comedy Blithe Spirit. It runs through November 5 and is a wonderfully funny show with a really good cast (and some top notch production values as well). Call 966-7371 for tickets.
This coming Friday night I have a bit part in a staged reading at Westport Community Theater. Habeus Corpus is being directed by Dan Friedman (and includes a number of people much more talented than myself). Call 226-1983 for more info.
Also starting this Friday and running through November 12 is The Darien Players production of Agatha Christie's Black Coffee. It the only play she wrote that features Hercule Poirot as a character. It should be a wonderfully entertaining evening. Call 655-5414 for more info or tickets.
While it doesn't open until January 13, the Players next production is Cat on a Hot Tin Roof directed by Frank Gaffney. I've signed on to produce the show. Natasha has been cast as Sister Woman and there's a small possibility that Malcolm will be making his stage debut as well as one of the "no neck monsters" that Maggie constantly refers to (we're still discussing the pros and cons of torturing our son who would turn 7 months old during the show's run...but it would make rehearsals easier as we could just schlep him along every night).
There will be two more shows (possibly three) that I'll mention after New Year's as they get closer to opening.
Meanwhile, here at the house...
Our first contractor owes us one gutter for the back of the house and a certificate of occupancy and then we are done with them forever. Hooray!!
Our second one just had a baby boy with his wife and while it's slowed things down a little bit we're happy as can be with the results. Our kitchen is completely finished now that the backsplash has been installed...and the best part is we got what we wanted (something we wouldn't have gotten with the first guy).
Our powder room is almost finished. It just needs to be painted (which we're trying to figure out a color scheme for as there's a mish mosh of colors in the tiles and fixtures).
The office & mudroom that we carved out of the old storage space between the garage and the finished part of the basement is almost finished. There's some minor electrical work that needs to be done, some HVAC issues that need addressing (I'm convinced the guys attached the vents to the upstairs thermostat instead of the downstairs one), some patching and painting of a few walls (due to a major problem with California Closets...DON'T use them if you're ever thinking about it) and that's about it aside from moving things into the rooms and using them.
After that, there are one or two minor things we're doing that should be done before the end of the year and then we're done with any construction workers for a while (unless we decide to redo the back deck in the spring).
On the Malcolm front, he's got his 4 month checkup next week and I'm trying to keep using the infant carrier at least until then...but quite honestly he's pretty much outgrown it (at least his shoulders seem to be a bit wider than it is but he's not complaining yet). Last night I went to transport him to the car and I had to strain to lift it. They grow so fast. Awww.
Anyway...I'm still trying to get our website up and running but I've been too busy to finish my redesigns, so it will be a bit longer.
Next week, catch up reviews and such.
Be seeing you.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Bonding News
So....Daniel Craig is OFFICIALLY the new James Bond ending months of silliness.
Eon and Sony are using Craig and Casino Royale to essentially "reboot" Bond (again). I'm not sure how I feel about all of this being the Bond fan that I am. On the one hand I've enjoyed the film universe of Bond (even in it's silly moments), but on the other hand it is time for some real change to bring the screen Bond even closer to the book Bond (who we haven't quite seen on the big screen yet).
I don't really know Craig as an actor, but he looks fine (even looks a bit like Hoagy Carmichael whom Fleming had described Bond as kind of looking like). The real test will be in the script. If it's anything like the book, it should be a tight and taut little thriller (although we already know for a fact that the big card game has been changed from Baccarat to Texas Hold 'Em Poker...not sure how I feel about that). And then we'll need to see where they take the entire series after Casino Royale. Will they start "from the beginning" and remake books they've already done (and make them closer to the novels only with an updated slant....which would be very interesting for the second book, Live and Let Die, as it's got some very antiquated racial stereotypes tied into a rather dated plot) or will they start adapting the Bond novels of John Gardner or Raymond Benson (which are ripe for adaptation and don't really need any moderning) or will they go back to what they had been doing of late, original stories with things stolen from Fleming's novels.
I'm very interested to see where all this goes. I think it's an exciting time to be a Bond fan.
I'll be back over the weekend with some catch up movie and TV reviews as well as a piece on what's going on in comic books these days.
Be seeing you.
Eon and Sony are using Craig and Casino Royale to essentially "reboot" Bond (again). I'm not sure how I feel about all of this being the Bond fan that I am. On the one hand I've enjoyed the film universe of Bond (even in it's silly moments), but on the other hand it is time for some real change to bring the screen Bond even closer to the book Bond (who we haven't quite seen on the big screen yet).
I don't really know Craig as an actor, but he looks fine (even looks a bit like Hoagy Carmichael whom Fleming had described Bond as kind of looking like). The real test will be in the script. If it's anything like the book, it should be a tight and taut little thriller (although we already know for a fact that the big card game has been changed from Baccarat to Texas Hold 'Em Poker...not sure how I feel about that). And then we'll need to see where they take the entire series after Casino Royale. Will they start "from the beginning" and remake books they've already done (and make them closer to the novels only with an updated slant....which would be very interesting for the second book, Live and Let Die, as it's got some very antiquated racial stereotypes tied into a rather dated plot) or will they start adapting the Bond novels of John Gardner or Raymond Benson (which are ripe for adaptation and don't really need any moderning) or will they go back to what they had been doing of late, original stories with things stolen from Fleming's novels.
I'm very interested to see where all this goes. I think it's an exciting time to be a Bond fan.
I'll be back over the weekend with some catch up movie and TV reviews as well as a piece on what's going on in comic books these days.
Be seeing you.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Various TV & Movie Reviews
Okay...it only raked in about $10 million dollars this weekend, so here goes the call for all of you who like good movies, good stories and good Sci-Fi to get off your butts and RUN to the local theater where Serenity is playing. I know I haven't seen much in theaters this year, but this was a film both my wife and I were looking forward to and were not disappointed in any way, shape or form.
Anyone who has caught any of writer-director Joss Whedon's previous work knows that this man knows how to treat his audience. Unlike larger Sci-Fi franchises that play things straight (Star Trek) or don't even bother to play at all (Star Wars), this continuation of the barely watched TV series Firefly is an amazing ride from start to finish. Maybe it's because Whedon sets up the "backstory" without any prior knowlegde of the TV series or because the series was cancelled and he had nothing left to lose, but there isn't a moment in this film that feels cliched or like warmed-over sludge. There are plenty of great character moments amid an amazing Sci-Fi epic with twists, turns and surprises galore. If only George Lucas could do stuff like this in the Star Wars universe then no one would complain.
Again...see this film even if you haven't seen the TV series (you'll want to go back and watch it after this anyway). Best one I've seen in theaters so far this year.
Meanwhile, another TV series that got a second chance (and one that's starting to look very successful) adds a new chapter with the direct to DVD "feature" Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story. While this is essentially a stringing together of three episodes, they are pretty funny (why wouldn't they be?) and the raunchy, racy framing footage (a Hollywood premiere party) help boost the show out of the realm of toned down TV and into the realm of "fuck yeah" movies (well...almost, as I said it is three episodes strung together...and they will air on Tv sometime next year as three separate episodes before appearing on DVD again in Volume 4 of this show). Fart jokes, obscure pop culture references and for the first time uncensored swearing abound.
I've been a big Geena Davis fan for quite some time, so there was no doubt in my mind about at least catching the first episode of Commander-in-Chief. I just wasn't expecting to like it as I'm kind of tired of politics at this point (the "I'm right, you're wong" attitude of every politician and TV pundit finally got the best of me...they should all burn in hell). But I actually enjoyed the pilot immensely. Not really sure why yet...I'll let you know after the first three episodes have aired and I have a better feel for it.
Another movie everyone should see is Inside Deep Throat. This documentary is about more than just the making of one of the most famous (or infamous) porn films. It's about our right to free speech, to choose our what we find "entertaining" and ultimately how the film industry (specifically the porn film industry) changed because of it all.
I'm not sure if I ever reviewed Terry Gilliam's latest film The Brothers Grimm, but it was fun. Was it great? No. But even bad Terry Gilliam (which this wasn't) is better than almost anything else in the theaters. This is an intersting film, both in story and in look, and is worth seeing if you like fantasy films that will indulge your imagination.
I also finally caught The Forgotten on cable. Surprisingly, with a cast that includes Julianne Moore and Gary Sinise and starts off as an interesting psychological drama quickly devolves into a script that was most likely rejected from the recent TV remake of The Outer Limits and then stretched to 90 minutes. It is best forgotten.
Next time, more TV reviews and other stuff.
Be seeing you.
Anyone who has caught any of writer-director Joss Whedon's previous work knows that this man knows how to treat his audience. Unlike larger Sci-Fi franchises that play things straight (Star Trek) or don't even bother to play at all (Star Wars), this continuation of the barely watched TV series Firefly is an amazing ride from start to finish. Maybe it's because Whedon sets up the "backstory" without any prior knowlegde of the TV series or because the series was cancelled and he had nothing left to lose, but there isn't a moment in this film that feels cliched or like warmed-over sludge. There are plenty of great character moments amid an amazing Sci-Fi epic with twists, turns and surprises galore. If only George Lucas could do stuff like this in the Star Wars universe then no one would complain.
Again...see this film even if you haven't seen the TV series (you'll want to go back and watch it after this anyway). Best one I've seen in theaters so far this year.
Meanwhile, another TV series that got a second chance (and one that's starting to look very successful) adds a new chapter with the direct to DVD "feature" Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story. While this is essentially a stringing together of three episodes, they are pretty funny (why wouldn't they be?) and the raunchy, racy framing footage (a Hollywood premiere party) help boost the show out of the realm of toned down TV and into the realm of "fuck yeah" movies (well...almost, as I said it is three episodes strung together...and they will air on Tv sometime next year as three separate episodes before appearing on DVD again in Volume 4 of this show). Fart jokes, obscure pop culture references and for the first time uncensored swearing abound.
I've been a big Geena Davis fan for quite some time, so there was no doubt in my mind about at least catching the first episode of Commander-in-Chief. I just wasn't expecting to like it as I'm kind of tired of politics at this point (the "I'm right, you're wong" attitude of every politician and TV pundit finally got the best of me...they should all burn in hell). But I actually enjoyed the pilot immensely. Not really sure why yet...I'll let you know after the first three episodes have aired and I have a better feel for it.
Another movie everyone should see is Inside Deep Throat. This documentary is about more than just the making of one of the most famous (or infamous) porn films. It's about our right to free speech, to choose our what we find "entertaining" and ultimately how the film industry (specifically the porn film industry) changed because of it all.
I'm not sure if I ever reviewed Terry Gilliam's latest film The Brothers Grimm, but it was fun. Was it great? No. But even bad Terry Gilliam (which this wasn't) is better than almost anything else in the theaters. This is an intersting film, both in story and in look, and is worth seeing if you like fantasy films that will indulge your imagination.
I also finally caught The Forgotten on cable. Surprisingly, with a cast that includes Julianne Moore and Gary Sinise and starts off as an interesting psychological drama quickly devolves into a script that was most likely rejected from the recent TV remake of The Outer Limits and then stretched to 90 minutes. It is best forgotten.
Next time, more TV reviews and other stuff.
Be seeing you.
Friday, September 23, 2005
The New Fall Season Week One Recap
Having already talked about FOX's Sunday night lineup, FOX's Tuesday night lineup, Prison Break, Reunion, Threshold and Head Cases, it's time to move on to stuff from this past week.
Arrested Development returns for a third season and right out of the gate reminds us why it is one of the best (if not THE best) comedies currently on TV (epsecially since no one is watching). I'm glad we got one last glimpse of Henry Winkler's character lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn before the actor moves on to his own show on CBS (only to be replaced here by Scott Baio as the new family lawyer).
Kitchen Confidential is a very good pairing for Arrested Development. Loosely based on the biographical book by chef Anthony Bourdain, this show stars Bradley Cooper (of Alias and Jack & Bobby) as a once famous chef who has hit rock bottom but is given another chance at an upscale restaurant. He puts together his crack team that includes Nicholas Brendan, John F. Daley, John Cho and Owain Yoeman. He also gets a foil in the boss' daughter (Bonnie Sommerville) who wants to run the restuarant her way (the boss is played by Frank Langella and hopefully we'll see more of him). The pilot sets everything up nicely (Daley's character is just off the boat from some mid-Western state and is the butt of everyone's jokes) and has some funny moments (scrambling to find someone's finger that got cut off). We'll see where the show goes but it's got a full season from me based on this episode alone.
My Name Is Earl is hands down the best new comedy of the season. Unfortunately it is paired with the wrong show as I find The Office to have lost any momentum it had. THis show would work perfectly with Scrubs as they both have a similar feel. Earl is Jason Lee (of Kvin Smith movies among other things) and he's a down on his luck redneck who wins $100,000 in a lottery and is immediately hit by a car. While in the hospital he discovers the concept of karma (courtesy of Carson Daly) and realizes that if he wants good things to happen to him he's going to have to do good things. He makes a list of all the bad he's done over the years and sets out to right the wrongs, starting with doing something good for a kid he picked on in school as a youngster. The show is stocked with a bunch of bizarre supporting characters including Earl's lazy brother Randy (Ethan Suplee), Randy's new girlfriend and their motel maid Catalina (Nadine Velazquez) and Earl's ex-wife and her new husband (Jamie Pressly & Eddie Steeples). If the rest of the show is as funny and, yes, touching as the pilot, we're in for a great run...as long as NBC doesn't treat the show like Scrubs.
Lost returns for a second season and picks up exactly where last season left off...the opening of the hatch. This will be a very important season for this show because the slow and maddening pace of the "mystery" of the show may start to turn off viewers very quickly (anyone remember who killed Laura Palmer?). At least we finally find out what's in the hatch (not that it makes any sense as to what is down there and why). One question answered, fourty new ones posed. But I'm still enjoying it and look forward to seeing where it goes.
Invasion may actually turn out to be a great companion piece for Lost. First, kudos to ABC for not pulling the show altogether in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. This show about an alien invasion of a small Florida town in the wake of a hurricane really seems to be just a retelling of Invasion of the Body Snatchers as a TV series, but the strength is in the writing and the acting and there's just enough different from that classic tale for this to be something else entirely. Hopefully this show will unfold at a bit of a faster pace than others (the pilot had a very slow pace that worked in its favor, but I can't see that working for a whole season).
Head Cases becomes an entirely different show with its second episode. They've added Richard Kind to the cast as a former civil liberties lawyer who has spent time in jail for bank robbery and is now Adam Goldberg's law clerk. Chris O'Donnell also hires his own assistant and it's his former one from the big firm. With these two new characters in place the show gets a much better "wacky lawyer show" vibe than the pilot did. The problem is that there may not be enough room on TV for two "wacky lawyer shows" (Boston Legal) being the other. And the timeslot which pits this show against Lost, E-Ring, Vernoica Mars, Criminal Minds and whatever's now on The WB (thankfully not Smallville) pretty much assures this an early death (and the quickly diminishing ratings probably won't help). I'm trying to figure out how to give this one more episode without having to get a second Tivo. I may have to break out a VCR...heaven forfend.
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart -- Dear Martha...While many think you deserved to go to jail for what you did, many more think you don't deserve to have a reality show like this one. I'm not sure what you are like in real life, but the fact that you write letters after "firing" someone because they "don't fit in" is just lame and doesn't fit the concept of what should be a cut throat reality show. It was morbid curiosity that got me to watch one time. You don't have enough balls to keep me around any further. Sorry. Yours truly.
Law & Order is back for its 16th Season and I'm finding it very hard to care at this point. Don't get me wrong...I like the cast (big Dennis Farina fan), but the season premiere gave me a big case of "eh". Maybe it's because if you combine all the parts of this franchise you realize that there can't be that many "ripped from the headlines" stories we haven't already seen. I'm banishing this show from the bedroom (I'll explain that later).
Joey returns with what has to be the wackiest concept ever. If the time difference between last season's finale and this season's premiere was overnight, I want to know who the contractor who redid his entire kitchen was (did the producers think no one would notice a missing island?). This is akin to the Scheffields on The Nanny who apparently reversed their entire house's layout between the pilot and the first episode (at least they had an excuse cause pilot's are shot months before a series). Beyond that we get a new wacky friend and Gina goes to work for Bobbi...at least we'll get more Bobbi...but I don't see this show getting any better.
The Apprentice is back and I'm not sure why we're still watching. If I figure it out or stop, I'll let you know.
Criminal Minds is essentially Red Dragon: The TV Series with Mandy Patinkin in the role of Will Graham. While there's nothing new in this show about FBI profilers (even the look of the show feels like every other procedural program), the real thrust is watching Patinkin stare into the camera and quote Nietzsche while he gets into the mind of the criminals (hence the title). There are really only two reasons to keep wtahcing. The first is Patinkin as he's always worth watching. The seond is to find out how the hell they get from the end of episode one where Patinkin has a gun trained on his back by a gas station attendant (who may be a serial killer) to episode two (which from the previews seems to be about an arsonist). It gets three episodes from us for now.
So...with the advent of the DVR...my wife and I have decided that the shows we want to watch ASAP while relaxing in bed at night get priority...so when I say I've banished Law & Order from the bedroom it means it's been relegated to the Cablevision DVR in the den for viewing at some later date (for example, I've got a few episodes of Rome waiting to be watched or erased because I just don't care anymore). Late next week as almost everything will have premiered, I'll let you know what shows are where and why and you'll get a complete look at our insane viewing habits.
Be seeing you.
Arrested Development returns for a third season and right out of the gate reminds us why it is one of the best (if not THE best) comedies currently on TV (epsecially since no one is watching). I'm glad we got one last glimpse of Henry Winkler's character lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn before the actor moves on to his own show on CBS (only to be replaced here by Scott Baio as the new family lawyer).
Kitchen Confidential is a very good pairing for Arrested Development. Loosely based on the biographical book by chef Anthony Bourdain, this show stars Bradley Cooper (of Alias and Jack & Bobby) as a once famous chef who has hit rock bottom but is given another chance at an upscale restaurant. He puts together his crack team that includes Nicholas Brendan, John F. Daley, John Cho and Owain Yoeman. He also gets a foil in the boss' daughter (Bonnie Sommerville) who wants to run the restuarant her way (the boss is played by Frank Langella and hopefully we'll see more of him). The pilot sets everything up nicely (Daley's character is just off the boat from some mid-Western state and is the butt of everyone's jokes) and has some funny moments (scrambling to find someone's finger that got cut off). We'll see where the show goes but it's got a full season from me based on this episode alone.
My Name Is Earl is hands down the best new comedy of the season. Unfortunately it is paired with the wrong show as I find The Office to have lost any momentum it had. THis show would work perfectly with Scrubs as they both have a similar feel. Earl is Jason Lee (of Kvin Smith movies among other things) and he's a down on his luck redneck who wins $100,000 in a lottery and is immediately hit by a car. While in the hospital he discovers the concept of karma (courtesy of Carson Daly) and realizes that if he wants good things to happen to him he's going to have to do good things. He makes a list of all the bad he's done over the years and sets out to right the wrongs, starting with doing something good for a kid he picked on in school as a youngster. The show is stocked with a bunch of bizarre supporting characters including Earl's lazy brother Randy (Ethan Suplee), Randy's new girlfriend and their motel maid Catalina (Nadine Velazquez) and Earl's ex-wife and her new husband (Jamie Pressly & Eddie Steeples). If the rest of the show is as funny and, yes, touching as the pilot, we're in for a great run...as long as NBC doesn't treat the show like Scrubs.
Lost returns for a second season and picks up exactly where last season left off...the opening of the hatch. This will be a very important season for this show because the slow and maddening pace of the "mystery" of the show may start to turn off viewers very quickly (anyone remember who killed Laura Palmer?). At least we finally find out what's in the hatch (not that it makes any sense as to what is down there and why). One question answered, fourty new ones posed. But I'm still enjoying it and look forward to seeing where it goes.
Invasion may actually turn out to be a great companion piece for Lost. First, kudos to ABC for not pulling the show altogether in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. This show about an alien invasion of a small Florida town in the wake of a hurricane really seems to be just a retelling of Invasion of the Body Snatchers as a TV series, but the strength is in the writing and the acting and there's just enough different from that classic tale for this to be something else entirely. Hopefully this show will unfold at a bit of a faster pace than others (the pilot had a very slow pace that worked in its favor, but I can't see that working for a whole season).
Head Cases becomes an entirely different show with its second episode. They've added Richard Kind to the cast as a former civil liberties lawyer who has spent time in jail for bank robbery and is now Adam Goldberg's law clerk. Chris O'Donnell also hires his own assistant and it's his former one from the big firm. With these two new characters in place the show gets a much better "wacky lawyer show" vibe than the pilot did. The problem is that there may not be enough room on TV for two "wacky lawyer shows" (Boston Legal) being the other. And the timeslot which pits this show against Lost, E-Ring, Vernoica Mars, Criminal Minds and whatever's now on The WB (thankfully not Smallville) pretty much assures this an early death (and the quickly diminishing ratings probably won't help). I'm trying to figure out how to give this one more episode without having to get a second Tivo. I may have to break out a VCR...heaven forfend.
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart -- Dear Martha...While many think you deserved to go to jail for what you did, many more think you don't deserve to have a reality show like this one. I'm not sure what you are like in real life, but the fact that you write letters after "firing" someone because they "don't fit in" is just lame and doesn't fit the concept of what should be a cut throat reality show. It was morbid curiosity that got me to watch one time. You don't have enough balls to keep me around any further. Sorry. Yours truly.
Law & Order is back for its 16th Season and I'm finding it very hard to care at this point. Don't get me wrong...I like the cast (big Dennis Farina fan), but the season premiere gave me a big case of "eh". Maybe it's because if you combine all the parts of this franchise you realize that there can't be that many "ripped from the headlines" stories we haven't already seen. I'm banishing this show from the bedroom (I'll explain that later).
Joey returns with what has to be the wackiest concept ever. If the time difference between last season's finale and this season's premiere was overnight, I want to know who the contractor who redid his entire kitchen was (did the producers think no one would notice a missing island?). This is akin to the Scheffields on The Nanny who apparently reversed their entire house's layout between the pilot and the first episode (at least they had an excuse cause pilot's are shot months before a series). Beyond that we get a new wacky friend and Gina goes to work for Bobbi...at least we'll get more Bobbi...but I don't see this show getting any better.
The Apprentice is back and I'm not sure why we're still watching. If I figure it out or stop, I'll let you know.
Criminal Minds is essentially Red Dragon: The TV Series with Mandy Patinkin in the role of Will Graham. While there's nothing new in this show about FBI profilers (even the look of the show feels like every other procedural program), the real thrust is watching Patinkin stare into the camera and quote Nietzsche while he gets into the mind of the criminals (hence the title). There are really only two reasons to keep wtahcing. The first is Patinkin as he's always worth watching. The seond is to find out how the hell they get from the end of episode one where Patinkin has a gun trained on his back by a gas station attendant (who may be a serial killer) to episode two (which from the previews seems to be about an arsonist). It gets three episodes from us for now.
So...with the advent of the DVR...my wife and I have decided that the shows we want to watch ASAP while relaxing in bed at night get priority...so when I say I've banished Law & Order from the bedroom it means it's been relegated to the Cablevision DVR in the den for viewing at some later date (for example, I've got a few episodes of Rome waiting to be watched or erased because I just don't care anymore). Late next week as almost everything will have premiered, I'll let you know what shows are where and why and you'll get a complete look at our insane viewing habits.
Be seeing you.
Monday, September 19, 2005
The Season So Far
Okay...let's get the admission out of the way first.
I have officially ended my boycott of CBS. I'm slowly adding new shows into my viewing patterns (so don't expect me to pick up on watching anything other than stuff entering it's 1st season...and even there it's going to be very few shows that I even have an interest in). But you'll have to wait until later in this piece to read the actual review...
So...after the premiere of Prison Break, a week later we got Reunion. This show's novelty is that each episode over the course of the season represents one year in the lives of a group of friends. We get to know them through flashbacks as a present day mystery involving the death of one of them is being looked into (and no we don't know who's dead after the first episode). It's interesting, but a bit on the bland side. The concept is what gets a three episode tryout before re-evaluation.
FOX's Sunday night lineup has been infilitrated by a live sitcom entitled The War At Home. This show stars Michael Rapaport and is at best a low rent and unfunny version of Married With Children. It doesn't deserve the slot and ruins what could have been a perfect lineup (Malcolm In The Middle being moved back to Sundays would fix this). The old shows are back and both The Simpsons and American Dad seem to be showing improvement (the former seems to have found itself again and the latter seems to have found itself after a wobbly start).
FOX's Tuesday night lineup may be the perfect pairing of shows. New show Bones stars David Boreanaz and Emily Deschannel in what is essentially something of a mix between CSI and The X-Files minus the supernatural. While that may sound derivative, it is the chemistry between the leads that keeps the energy flowing...which makes it a natural pairing with House M.D. which returns for a second season. This is a wonderfully witty show that crackles mostly because of Hugh Laurie's performance, but his interaction with his co-stars helps amp things up.
Then we come to Head Cases. I'm not sure what to make of this show. It was kind of blah. The only thing right now that gives it a second episode is the appearance of Richard Kind in episode two (plus the premiere of Criminal Minds is actually on a Thursday and Vernoica Mars has an extra week before season two starts). So right now this bizarre show starring Chris O'Donnell and Adam Goldberg as crazy lawyers is getting watched on an episode by episode basis.
Which finally brings us to CBS and Threshold. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with this show until the day it aired, but the cast (Carla Gugino, Peter Dinklage, Charles S. Dutton and Brent Spiner), creators (David Goyer and Brannon Braga) and concept (special team investigating possible first contact with aliens on massive scale) intrigued me. The two hour premiere had a more interesting alien conspiracy arc than all nine seasons of The X-Files combined and I can't wait to see where this goes.
So as it stands right now on new shows:
I'm officially in for all of Prison Break and Threshold.
Reunion and Bones are on a three episode tryout.
Head Cases is hanging in for one more episode, but I don't expect anything beyond that.
The War At Home is over for me.
This week is essentially the official premiere week, so expect more reviews of new shows throughout the week. By month's end I should know exactly what I'm watching for the season.
Meanwhile, off network...
HBO's Rome bored me until the last 5 minutes of episode one and then it got really interesting...but I expect my interest to die off as it seems to have on almost every other HBO series except The Sopranos (and even that has been gone so long I don't know what I'll do when it starts up again).
The Sci-Fi Channel's Battlestar Galactica remains the best show on that channel hands down and there's only one more episode before it retires until early next year. The cool thing is that they keep imagining storylines from the classic series that just rock (the Kobol story and it seems like the next episode involves the return of the Pegasus).
And Cartoon Network has just started it's 3rd season of Justice League Unlimited (or 5th season of Justice League depending on how you want to look at it). With the last two seasons seeing major numbers of heroes joining the League, it was only a matter of time before the villains formed their own group to protect themselves. The premiere (which saw a now schizophrenic Lex Luthor being busted out of jail by Gorilla Grodd and forced to join the Legion of Doom against his will) showed promise but ultimately didn't quite deliver (Luthor being sent with Doctor Polaris and The Key to retrieve the Spear of Destiny from Blackhawk Island just didn't feel epic enough...and the hero team of Flash, Hawkgirl, Fire and the last surviving Blackhawk didn't help). The second episode (since they're airing two episodes back to back) was much better as we finally got an animated version of Hawkman (with a coherent background that makes perfect sense...unlike any of his comic counterparts right now). Hopefully we'll see him again. Two more episodes air before the show disappears until 2006. Luckily, Teen Titans kicks off it's 5th Season next week with a two parter featuring The Doom Patrol and will continue to run new episodes for at least a month.
I'll be back in a day or two with more TV reviews and maybe a movie review or two.
Be seeing you.
I have officially ended my boycott of CBS. I'm slowly adding new shows into my viewing patterns (so don't expect me to pick up on watching anything other than stuff entering it's 1st season...and even there it's going to be very few shows that I even have an interest in). But you'll have to wait until later in this piece to read the actual review...
So...after the premiere of Prison Break, a week later we got Reunion. This show's novelty is that each episode over the course of the season represents one year in the lives of a group of friends. We get to know them through flashbacks as a present day mystery involving the death of one of them is being looked into (and no we don't know who's dead after the first episode). It's interesting, but a bit on the bland side. The concept is what gets a three episode tryout before re-evaluation.
FOX's Sunday night lineup has been infilitrated by a live sitcom entitled The War At Home. This show stars Michael Rapaport and is at best a low rent and unfunny version of Married With Children. It doesn't deserve the slot and ruins what could have been a perfect lineup (Malcolm In The Middle being moved back to Sundays would fix this). The old shows are back and both The Simpsons and American Dad seem to be showing improvement (the former seems to have found itself again and the latter seems to have found itself after a wobbly start).
FOX's Tuesday night lineup may be the perfect pairing of shows. New show Bones stars David Boreanaz and Emily Deschannel in what is essentially something of a mix between CSI and The X-Files minus the supernatural. While that may sound derivative, it is the chemistry between the leads that keeps the energy flowing...which makes it a natural pairing with House M.D. which returns for a second season. This is a wonderfully witty show that crackles mostly because of Hugh Laurie's performance, but his interaction with his co-stars helps amp things up.
Then we come to Head Cases. I'm not sure what to make of this show. It was kind of blah. The only thing right now that gives it a second episode is the appearance of Richard Kind in episode two (plus the premiere of Criminal Minds is actually on a Thursday and Vernoica Mars has an extra week before season two starts). So right now this bizarre show starring Chris O'Donnell and Adam Goldberg as crazy lawyers is getting watched on an episode by episode basis.
Which finally brings us to CBS and Threshold. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with this show until the day it aired, but the cast (Carla Gugino, Peter Dinklage, Charles S. Dutton and Brent Spiner), creators (David Goyer and Brannon Braga) and concept (special team investigating possible first contact with aliens on massive scale) intrigued me. The two hour premiere had a more interesting alien conspiracy arc than all nine seasons of The X-Files combined and I can't wait to see where this goes.
So as it stands right now on new shows:
I'm officially in for all of Prison Break and Threshold.
Reunion and Bones are on a three episode tryout.
Head Cases is hanging in for one more episode, but I don't expect anything beyond that.
The War At Home is over for me.
This week is essentially the official premiere week, so expect more reviews of new shows throughout the week. By month's end I should know exactly what I'm watching for the season.
Meanwhile, off network...
HBO's Rome bored me until the last 5 minutes of episode one and then it got really interesting...but I expect my interest to die off as it seems to have on almost every other HBO series except The Sopranos (and even that has been gone so long I don't know what I'll do when it starts up again).
The Sci-Fi Channel's Battlestar Galactica remains the best show on that channel hands down and there's only one more episode before it retires until early next year. The cool thing is that they keep imagining storylines from the classic series that just rock (the Kobol story and it seems like the next episode involves the return of the Pegasus).
And Cartoon Network has just started it's 3rd season of Justice League Unlimited (or 5th season of Justice League depending on how you want to look at it). With the last two seasons seeing major numbers of heroes joining the League, it was only a matter of time before the villains formed their own group to protect themselves. The premiere (which saw a now schizophrenic Lex Luthor being busted out of jail by Gorilla Grodd and forced to join the Legion of Doom against his will) showed promise but ultimately didn't quite deliver (Luthor being sent with Doctor Polaris and The Key to retrieve the Spear of Destiny from Blackhawk Island just didn't feel epic enough...and the hero team of Flash, Hawkgirl, Fire and the last surviving Blackhawk didn't help). The second episode (since they're airing two episodes back to back) was much better as we finally got an animated version of Hawkman (with a coherent background that makes perfect sense...unlike any of his comic counterparts right now). Hopefully we'll see him again. Two more episodes air before the show disappears until 2006. Luckily, Teen Titans kicks off it's 5th Season next week with a two parter featuring The Doom Patrol and will continue to run new episodes for at least a month.
I'll be back in a day or two with more TV reviews and maybe a movie review or two.
Be seeing you.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
The Clock Keeps Ticking
I've finally started on the MASSIVE project of getting all of my old writings into this blog. It's gonna come a bit at a time, so be patient...you'll be able to see all the idiotic things I've said from at least 1996 (older stuff would have to be retyped into the system...so it may be quite some time before that gets up here).
In the meantime...
The new fall TV season essentially started last night with the two hour premiere of Prison Break. On the surface this has to be the most ridiculous idea for a TV series since...well...since 24 (we're all still wondering if ANYONE goes to take a dump during the day on this show).
I always thought that a weekly series would want a premise that they could easily stretch out for at least the golden number of 100 episodes so they could enter syndication and make mega millions. The premise here is that a guy commits a crime to get thrown into prison so he can help his brother, who's on death row and whom he believes has been framed for the crime of killing the Vice President's brother, escape. Lucky for them, the newly incarcerated brother actually helped design the prison and has tattooed blueprints and clues and other helpful hints all over his body (don't worry...only he can decipher them).
Surprisingly, the creators have churned out a rather gripping drama out of this silliness. Watching Michael (Wentworth Miller) make deals with inmates, guards and those he's left on the outside is actually kind of fun to watch. I don't know if they can sustain the good writing and heightened suspense levels for 24 episodes, but I didn't think 24 could do it either and they've got a fifth season starting in January and go into syndication on A&E very soon.
If the rest of the season's new shows are like this, I'm gonna have a very full plate again.
In the meantime...
The new fall TV season essentially started last night with the two hour premiere of Prison Break. On the surface this has to be the most ridiculous idea for a TV series since...well...since 24 (we're all still wondering if ANYONE goes to take a dump during the day on this show).
I always thought that a weekly series would want a premise that they could easily stretch out for at least the golden number of 100 episodes so they could enter syndication and make mega millions. The premise here is that a guy commits a crime to get thrown into prison so he can help his brother, who's on death row and whom he believes has been framed for the crime of killing the Vice President's brother, escape. Lucky for them, the newly incarcerated brother actually helped design the prison and has tattooed blueprints and clues and other helpful hints all over his body (don't worry...only he can decipher them).
Surprisingly, the creators have churned out a rather gripping drama out of this silliness. Watching Michael (Wentworth Miller) make deals with inmates, guards and those he's left on the outside is actually kind of fun to watch. I don't know if they can sustain the good writing and heightened suspense levels for 24 episodes, but I didn't think 24 could do it either and they've got a fifth season starting in January and go into syndication on A&E very soon.
If the rest of the season's new shows are like this, I'm gonna have a very full plate again.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Thoughts on being in your 30s
Having just turned 36 yesterday and having something of a whirlwind weekend, I figured it was time to bring everyone up to speed again on what's going on around here.
We finally started work on my office last week. We were waiting to get the CO from the city inspectors, but we couldn't wait anymore (plus even though we didn't get the CO on inspection we don't have to worry about the inspector coming back...he told us what we needed to fix and said we could bring photos to him...of course, the old contractor has had a month so far to try and fix the problem and get us the CO and has yet to even bother...and he still has a few other minor things to finish...I think it's time to call a lawyer).
But back to my office...we've turned the storage area that exists between our garage and finished basement into a mud room and office. The new contractor working on it will have the whole thing done (at least all the parts he's doing) by the end of this week (there may be some minor hold ups by our HVAC guy, but this contractor's on the ball and the best part is he doesn't ask for money until the job's done ). It looks great so far and the only thing I'm worried about is that moving our garage door tracks up 7 inches out of my headspace when I come out the new door into the garage isn't going to be enough.
As for the rest of the house, well...the old contractor's got some minor things to finish and the new contractor's got a few other things as well...the last thing he's scheduled to do is paint the house, so everything else should be wrapped up before then...I expect everything to be done by the end of October the latest as there's nothing major the new guy's doing besides the office and re-enforcing out back deck.
As for Mac...he's getting bigger every day...and cuter as well. He's still in what we're referring to as "gremlin" stage...he makes plenty of bizarre sounds and we're learning which ones go with which activity (5 minutes of ritualistic grunting usually results in a very messy diaper). We've been testing to see how what Natasha eats affects him (yes...spinach dip does result in green poop). He already has some outfits that no longer fit him. He's pretty strong in both legs and arms...while he may not have much control over them it hurts if you're in his path of flailing.
I threw a surprise party for Tash's 30th Birthday with some major help from our friends John & Elyssa. I'm proud of the fact that not only was she completely surprised by the party, but I also got her to bake a cake for her own party and clean up all the dirty dishes as well (planning the party for the day between our birthdays was the stroke of genius...when she asked me what I wanted for my birthday the next day I just said "to not have to clean the kitchen"...yes I'm evil).
So...here I am...36 years old...with a wife, a child, a house that's near completion but still being worked on, an upcoming new business venture (more on that some other time when I'm ready to talk about it) and a few projects in various stages. After all I've been through in the course of my life, I don't think I've ever been happier.
Be seeing you
We finally started work on my office last week. We were waiting to get the CO from the city inspectors, but we couldn't wait anymore (plus even though we didn't get the CO on inspection we don't have to worry about the inspector coming back...he told us what we needed to fix and said we could bring photos to him...of course, the old contractor has had a month so far to try and fix the problem and get us the CO and has yet to even bother...and he still has a few other minor things to finish...I think it's time to call a lawyer).
But back to my office...we've turned the storage area that exists between our garage and finished basement into a mud room and office. The new contractor working on it will have the whole thing done (at least all the parts he's doing) by the end of this week (there may be some minor hold ups by our HVAC guy, but this contractor's on the ball and the best part is he doesn't ask for money until the job's done ). It looks great so far and the only thing I'm worried about is that moving our garage door tracks up 7 inches out of my headspace when I come out the new door into the garage isn't going to be enough.
As for the rest of the house, well...the old contractor's got some minor things to finish and the new contractor's got a few other things as well...the last thing he's scheduled to do is paint the house, so everything else should be wrapped up before then...I expect everything to be done by the end of October the latest as there's nothing major the new guy's doing besides the office and re-enforcing out back deck.
As for Mac...he's getting bigger every day...and cuter as well. He's still in what we're referring to as "gremlin" stage...he makes plenty of bizarre sounds and we're learning which ones go with which activity (5 minutes of ritualistic grunting usually results in a very messy diaper). We've been testing to see how what Natasha eats affects him (yes...spinach dip does result in green poop). He already has some outfits that no longer fit him. He's pretty strong in both legs and arms...while he may not have much control over them it hurts if you're in his path of flailing.
I threw a surprise party for Tash's 30th Birthday with some major help from our friends John & Elyssa. I'm proud of the fact that not only was she completely surprised by the party, but I also got her to bake a cake for her own party and clean up all the dirty dishes as well (planning the party for the day between our birthdays was the stroke of genius...when she asked me what I wanted for my birthday the next day I just said "to not have to clean the kitchen"...yes I'm evil).
So...here I am...36 years old...with a wife, a child, a house that's near completion but still being worked on, an upcoming new business venture (more on that some other time when I'm ready to talk about it) and a few projects in various stages. After all I've been through in the course of my life, I don't think I've ever been happier.
Be seeing you
Friday, August 05, 2005
Of Elevators and Police Boxes
So, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, as directed by Tim Burton is a much closer version of Roald Dahl's classic novel than the previous 1970's version entitled Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Is one better than the other? Not necessarily...both have their pros and cons (as to the earlier version, if they were gonna add musical numbers, beyond the Oompa Loompa songs, they should have made it a full blown musical...look for that version to eventually hit Broadway), but they are both very valid and enjoyable interpretations of the same material. Don't have much else to say about it...sorry.
Meanwhile, at the end of March over in Eglnad, the BBC started airing 13 new episodes of their classic sci-fi show Doctor Who, which hadn't been on the air as a weekly series since 1989 (there was a TV movie in 1996 that was an attempt at a new series, but it didn't work for a number of reasons). The show was such a hit that a second series has been ordered (as well as a Christmas speical to air before the second series begins next March).
Unfortunately, we here in the U.S. are stuck without new Who. No networks have picked it up as of yet (in fact, the logical network, Sci-Fi, passed completely because they can't own a stake in the show) and BBC Video are not going to release the first season on DVD here until it has had a proper airing (or until mid 2006...whichever comes first).
But...I have had a chance to catch them all (won't reveal how, but it's not hard to figure out in the 21st Century...and I look forward to eventually owning what BBC Video releases as well)...and all I can say is "wow"!
The Doctor is back and better than he's ever been. The strongest parts of the old series was the acting (by the Doctors mostly) and the writing (most of the time). It was what you were able to focus on while trying not to wince or laugh at the special effects...but 16 years of technological advances and a shift in the way people write for television have given Doctor Who a proper make over...and still allowing it to remain as true to its roots as it can be.
For those not in the know, the first episode allows everyone who's an outsider in as Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) meets The Doctor (Christopher Eccelston) and helps him stop a potential invasion of the Earth by an old enemy (no...it's not the Daleks...at least in this episode). At the end of the episode, Rose joins the last surviving Time Lord (yes...you heard right...it's a mystery that slowly gets revealed as the series progresses) on his adventures through time and space in his TARDIS. We get a good glimpse of this fun and charming man of mystery (played wonderfullyby Eccelston) mainly because we get to see everything from the point of view ofthis spunky young girl who becomes his travelling companion. It's a great start (or is that restart)...and it only gets better from there...
While the season spends all of its time on Earth or just above it in a variety of orbiting space stations, we never get tired of it hoping for the Doctor to travel to some other strange world (unless miles beneath ground in Colorado counts). And the time travel aspect extends from the end of the world five billion years in the future to a meeting with Charles Dickens.
There are lots of witty bits and plenty of bones thrown to fans of the "old" show and it's an exciting ride with lots of mystery and imagination to keep everyone on the edge of their seats waiting for what will happen next (and, surprisingly there's a lots of subtextual social commentary...which may be another reason why no American TV network has picked up this very British show). I can't wait to see what happens next season (and am interested to see how they scale back on some of the violence and destruction in the wake of the tragic terrorist bombings in London last month). But it's quite honestly the best science fiction on TV right now. (or in our case over here, not on TV).
Lastly, I want to mention a disturbing trend that seems to be happening more often on DVD in regards to TV shows. Using the syndicated versions of a show and not labelling the packaging as such is just abhorrent. I can understand and forgive a few minor cuts here and there due to the silliness of having to get new music license rights, but to just flat out use prints of shows that are missing anywhere from 2 to 8 minutes of footage is just disgusting. The biggest offenders right now are "ALF" and most of the Carsey/Warner shows ("Roseanne", "The Cosby Show"). I'm letting Disney slide on "The Muppet Show" (music rights issues coupled with confusion over US & UK versions) and Sony slide on most of their shows (every now and then an odd syndicated episode shows up...they're a sloppy half-assed company in my book anyway, so I'm actually surprised they're not doing this more). Get your acts together people...it's the 21st Century for crying out loud.
Be seeing you.
Meanwhile, at the end of March over in Eglnad, the BBC started airing 13 new episodes of their classic sci-fi show Doctor Who, which hadn't been on the air as a weekly series since 1989 (there was a TV movie in 1996 that was an attempt at a new series, but it didn't work for a number of reasons). The show was such a hit that a second series has been ordered (as well as a Christmas speical to air before the second series begins next March).
Unfortunately, we here in the U.S. are stuck without new Who. No networks have picked it up as of yet (in fact, the logical network, Sci-Fi, passed completely because they can't own a stake in the show) and BBC Video are not going to release the first season on DVD here until it has had a proper airing (or until mid 2006...whichever comes first).
But...I have had a chance to catch them all (won't reveal how, but it's not hard to figure out in the 21st Century...and I look forward to eventually owning what BBC Video releases as well)...and all I can say is "wow"!
The Doctor is back and better than he's ever been. The strongest parts of the old series was the acting (by the Doctors mostly) and the writing (most of the time). It was what you were able to focus on while trying not to wince or laugh at the special effects...but 16 years of technological advances and a shift in the way people write for television have given Doctor Who a proper make over...and still allowing it to remain as true to its roots as it can be.
For those not in the know, the first episode allows everyone who's an outsider in as Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) meets The Doctor (Christopher Eccelston) and helps him stop a potential invasion of the Earth by an old enemy (no...it's not the Daleks...at least in this episode). At the end of the episode, Rose joins the last surviving Time Lord (yes...you heard right...it's a mystery that slowly gets revealed as the series progresses) on his adventures through time and space in his TARDIS. We get a good glimpse of this fun and charming man of mystery (played wonderfullyby Eccelston) mainly because we get to see everything from the point of view ofthis spunky young girl who becomes his travelling companion. It's a great start (or is that restart)...and it only gets better from there...
While the season spends all of its time on Earth or just above it in a variety of orbiting space stations, we never get tired of it hoping for the Doctor to travel to some other strange world (unless miles beneath ground in Colorado counts). And the time travel aspect extends from the end of the world five billion years in the future to a meeting with Charles Dickens.
There are lots of witty bits and plenty of bones thrown to fans of the "old" show and it's an exciting ride with lots of mystery and imagination to keep everyone on the edge of their seats waiting for what will happen next (and, surprisingly there's a lots of subtextual social commentary...which may be another reason why no American TV network has picked up this very British show). I can't wait to see what happens next season (and am interested to see how they scale back on some of the violence and destruction in the wake of the tragic terrorist bombings in London last month). But it's quite honestly the best science fiction on TV right now. (or in our case over here, not on TV).
Lastly, I want to mention a disturbing trend that seems to be happening more often on DVD in regards to TV shows. Using the syndicated versions of a show and not labelling the packaging as such is just abhorrent. I can understand and forgive a few minor cuts here and there due to the silliness of having to get new music license rights, but to just flat out use prints of shows that are missing anywhere from 2 to 8 minutes of footage is just disgusting. The biggest offenders right now are "ALF" and most of the Carsey/Warner shows ("Roseanne", "The Cosby Show"). I'm letting Disney slide on "The Muppet Show" (music rights issues coupled with confusion over US & UK versions) and Sony slide on most of their shows (every now and then an odd syndicated episode shows up...they're a sloppy half-assed company in my book anyway, so I'm actually surprised they're not doing this more). Get your acts together people...it's the 21st Century for crying out loud.
Be seeing you.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Mini Movie Round Up
Surprisingly, Tash & I have had time to watch some movies (mostly at hom, but we did get to the theater for one by leaving Mac with his Granny for a few hours -- we figured if we didn't do it now, we'd never be able to do it)...so here's the mini round up of reviews.
In Good Company -- A surprisingly good film starring the underutilized Topher Grace, the almost always engaging Dennis Quaid and the soon-to-be-annoying-cause-she's-being-over- hyped Scarlett Johansen. The plot follows an ad exec at a sports magazine (Quaid) who is the victim of corporate buyouts and shennaigans. He winds up getting demoted and gets a younger boss (Grace) who winds up falling in love with his daughter (Johansen). The movie doesn't play like a typical Hollywood film and is well done in all areas. A genuine surprise and worth watching.
A Dirty Shame -- John Waters seems stuck in the mode of trying to top himself. Instead of making "good" films like Hairspray, he's trying to top the shocks of his classic Pink Flamingos (among others). This film is all about sex addiction. It's really funny and very raunchy, but what else would you expect from John Waters? Tracy Ullman stars as a sexually repressed woman with a sexually promiscuous daughter (played by Selma Blair who may have done her first real nude scene on camera if you consider having an enourmous prosthetic bosom as being "actually" nude). When Ullman gets hit on the head, she changes into a sex addict and discovers that not only is that what made her daughter into one, but that she's destined to help all the sex addicts of the world discover a new way of achieving orgasm. The other sex addicts she encounters are a virtual catalog of weird ways of "getting off" (one guy likes to eat garbage). The film is hysterically funny in that off kilter and off putting John Waters way. Not for prudes or anyone who can barely discuss the subject of sex.
Kinsey -- Speaking of sex...the father of modern sex education and theories gets his own biopic and is played by Liam Neeson. Like the previously reviewed film, it's not for anyone who has problems discussing sex. Unlike the previous film, this one takes its subject matter very seriously. We get a good look into what made this man tick and what made him so interested in everyone's sex lives.
Fat Albert -- I watched the original TV series a lot as a kid, but I'll be damned if I can remember any real specifics about it (beyond knowing the characters and what they did each week). And I'm always very hesitant about big screen remakes of old TV shows, especially new live versions of cartoons...but I was very pleasantly surprised by this film. The cartoon characters enter the real world from the TV when they hear the tears of a teenage girl in trouble. Once in the real world, we get comedy from these now "real" people as they try to adjust and slowly discover that the longer they stay, the harder it is to go back. The film has lots of obvious comedy in it, but all of it is honest and the film has a very simple sweetness to it that reminds us of Bill Cosby's creations and all that they stood for when they were created. Cosby makes an appearance as well in one of the more touching scenes in the film. Great fun for the whole family.
The Princess Diaries 2 -- This sequel is everything a sequel shouldn't be. Where the first one was somewhat charming and cute, this one is annoying and predictable. If you're gonna have a scene on film these days where Julie Andrews actually sings, a hip-hop duet with Raven Simone is not the way to go and it pretty much sums up this film.
Fantastic Four -- Ignore every critic you may have read so far (especially Ebert & Roeper...Ebert hasn't been the same since Siskle died and Roeper's just a man with an asshole). Not every comic book character is supposed to be a brooding vigilante or a mixed up and confused teen or an allegory for hatred and prejudice. Some comic book characters were created just to be fun. And that's what this movie is. Is it perfect? Not at all. I could sit and talk about the pacing (it does slow down in a few spots) or the changes they made to Doctor Doom (I don't have as many problems as the rest of the geeks...and feel they'll fix the problems, which aren't that bad, in the sequel) or even comment on the casting (Jessica Alba's not my idea of Sue Storm...but she does better than almost any female in a comic book film made in the last decade much to my surprise). The film is fun and if you don't enjoy watching this, you're either too narrow-minded of a geek to really be allowed to be a geek or you don't know what fun is. I can't wait for a fully loaded DVD special edition (after all every film gets one whether it deserves it or not) and I look forward to seeing where they take the characters for a sequel. No...it's not as good as the Spider-Man or X-Men movies, but it's better than all the other Marvel Comics based films.
Well...that's all for today...we'll be back again soon with more Malcolm updates (like how does one deal with a child that essentially poops himself to sleep...grunts and groans for five minutes and then makes a sound that you know is bad and then just drifts off...do you wake him to change him or wait until he wakes himself...dilemmas, dilemmas) and maybe a few other surprises.
Be seeing you.
In Good Company -- A surprisingly good film starring the underutilized Topher Grace, the almost always engaging Dennis Quaid and the soon-to-be-annoying-cause-she's-being-over- hyped Scarlett Johansen. The plot follows an ad exec at a sports magazine (Quaid) who is the victim of corporate buyouts and shennaigans. He winds up getting demoted and gets a younger boss (Grace) who winds up falling in love with his daughter (Johansen). The movie doesn't play like a typical Hollywood film and is well done in all areas. A genuine surprise and worth watching.
A Dirty Shame -- John Waters seems stuck in the mode of trying to top himself. Instead of making "good" films like Hairspray, he's trying to top the shocks of his classic Pink Flamingos (among others). This film is all about sex addiction. It's really funny and very raunchy, but what else would you expect from John Waters? Tracy Ullman stars as a sexually repressed woman with a sexually promiscuous daughter (played by Selma Blair who may have done her first real nude scene on camera if you consider having an enourmous prosthetic bosom as being "actually" nude). When Ullman gets hit on the head, she changes into a sex addict and discovers that not only is that what made her daughter into one, but that she's destined to help all the sex addicts of the world discover a new way of achieving orgasm. The other sex addicts she encounters are a virtual catalog of weird ways of "getting off" (one guy likes to eat garbage). The film is hysterically funny in that off kilter and off putting John Waters way. Not for prudes or anyone who can barely discuss the subject of sex.
Kinsey -- Speaking of sex...the father of modern sex education and theories gets his own biopic and is played by Liam Neeson. Like the previously reviewed film, it's not for anyone who has problems discussing sex. Unlike the previous film, this one takes its subject matter very seriously. We get a good look into what made this man tick and what made him so interested in everyone's sex lives.
Fat Albert -- I watched the original TV series a lot as a kid, but I'll be damned if I can remember any real specifics about it (beyond knowing the characters and what they did each week). And I'm always very hesitant about big screen remakes of old TV shows, especially new live versions of cartoons...but I was very pleasantly surprised by this film. The cartoon characters enter the real world from the TV when they hear the tears of a teenage girl in trouble. Once in the real world, we get comedy from these now "real" people as they try to adjust and slowly discover that the longer they stay, the harder it is to go back. The film has lots of obvious comedy in it, but all of it is honest and the film has a very simple sweetness to it that reminds us of Bill Cosby's creations and all that they stood for when they were created. Cosby makes an appearance as well in one of the more touching scenes in the film. Great fun for the whole family.
The Princess Diaries 2 -- This sequel is everything a sequel shouldn't be. Where the first one was somewhat charming and cute, this one is annoying and predictable. If you're gonna have a scene on film these days where Julie Andrews actually sings, a hip-hop duet with Raven Simone is not the way to go and it pretty much sums up this film.
Fantastic Four -- Ignore every critic you may have read so far (especially Ebert & Roeper...Ebert hasn't been the same since Siskle died and Roeper's just a man with an asshole). Not every comic book character is supposed to be a brooding vigilante or a mixed up and confused teen or an allegory for hatred and prejudice. Some comic book characters were created just to be fun. And that's what this movie is. Is it perfect? Not at all. I could sit and talk about the pacing (it does slow down in a few spots) or the changes they made to Doctor Doom (I don't have as many problems as the rest of the geeks...and feel they'll fix the problems, which aren't that bad, in the sequel) or even comment on the casting (Jessica Alba's not my idea of Sue Storm...but she does better than almost any female in a comic book film made in the last decade much to my surprise). The film is fun and if you don't enjoy watching this, you're either too narrow-minded of a geek to really be allowed to be a geek or you don't know what fun is. I can't wait for a fully loaded DVD special edition (after all every film gets one whether it deserves it or not) and I look forward to seeing where they take the characters for a sequel. No...it's not as good as the Spider-Man or X-Men movies, but it's better than all the other Marvel Comics based films.
Well...that's all for today...we'll be back again soon with more Malcolm updates (like how does one deal with a child that essentially poops himself to sleep...grunts and groans for five minutes and then makes a sound that you know is bad and then just drifts off...do you wake him to change him or wait until he wakes himself...dilemmas, dilemmas) and maybe a few other surprises.
Be seeing you.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Adjusting to life with Malcolm
So the sounds my son makes are eerily similar at times to those of Gizmo the Mogwai from the movie Gremlins. Is this normal? I have no idea. There's cooing and whimpering and occassional crying (with even less occassional screaming)...and yet he's so damn cute to look at (sure...I'm being somewhat biased).
He also seems to have an innate sense of comic timing. He knows that it's funnier to only poop a little and force a diaper change, then as soon as he's freshly changed let the rest go and force a second diaper change (or sometimes he pees instead...holding it back for that second diaper change in a row...and he seems to have some amazing aim as it tends to shoot all the way up his back).
He's about two and a half weeks old now and we all seem to be slowly putting together some sort of routine. We're all pretty much asleep by 10:30 these days, but we're up again around 2 or 2:30 for a feeding. Then we're up again between 5 and 6 for another feeding before "starting the day" proper at 9 or 9:30. Our days consist of feeding Malcolm, changing Malcolm, catching up on laundry (mostly Malcolm's as he goes through more outfit changes than a runway model does in one show).
We've done a few outings so far (aside from pediatric appointments). A trip to look for a new minifridge resulted in my wandering the store while Tash fed the baby in the backseat of the car. Two lunch trips to a local diner (mostly so the wait staff could "oooh" and "aahh" after months of seeing us pregnant) went rather smoothly (only one diaper change).
More later as things change.
He also seems to have an innate sense of comic timing. He knows that it's funnier to only poop a little and force a diaper change, then as soon as he's freshly changed let the rest go and force a second diaper change (or sometimes he pees instead...holding it back for that second diaper change in a row...and he seems to have some amazing aim as it tends to shoot all the way up his back).
He's about two and a half weeks old now and we all seem to be slowly putting together some sort of routine. We're all pretty much asleep by 10:30 these days, but we're up again around 2 or 2:30 for a feeding. Then we're up again between 5 and 6 for another feeding before "starting the day" proper at 9 or 9:30. Our days consist of feeding Malcolm, changing Malcolm, catching up on laundry (mostly Malcolm's as he goes through more outfit changes than a runway model does in one show).
We've done a few outings so far (aside from pediatric appointments). A trip to look for a new minifridge resulted in my wandering the store while Tash fed the baby in the backseat of the car. Two lunch trips to a local diner (mostly so the wait staff could "oooh" and "aahh" after months of seeing us pregnant) went rather smoothly (only one diaper change).
More later as things change.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
The Longest Night & Day Ever
So the night of Friday July 1 into the morning of Saturday July 2 has officially become the longest night of my life...and that's gotta be saying something coming from someone who's had an aneurysm and spent five days in a Critical Care Unit.
The concept of breast feeding is a bit beyond me as a guy...and all the books one reads before the birth mention it as being the most natural thing to do...but watching my wife bravely attempt this was not fun and far from natural...in fact, it was a bit worse than dealing with her birthing pains as every time he failed to latch on brought on another bout of hysterics about how she's a failure as a woman.
Obviously, in my mind, this is not the case...and thank G-d for my in-laws being here. While I was able to send my brother-in-law to the drugstore to pick up some perscriptions, my sister-in-law took over as our lactation consultant and helped me calm Natasha down and remind her that any number of factors could be contributing to the problem at hand...especially since Malcolm had latched on immediately upon being handed to her our first night at the hospital. We got through round one of the "fight to feed Malcolm" with lots of love and support and just a bit of formula from a bottle (let's face it, his health comes first and if any of the Milk Nazis have a problem...well...they can go pump themselves).
Round two was rougher as everyone else was asleep by then (so we thought...my niece was apparently giving my sister-in-law her own problems). But we got through it the same way. Round three was even easier. By morning, Natasha had had some sleep, the baby had had enough food and everything was better.
Malcolm's first appointment with the pediatrician went well...he put on some weight since leaving the hospital (he was 8 lbs. 5 oz. at birth and went down to 7 lbs. 10 oz. upon discharge...this morning he was 7 lbs. 14 oz.) and thankfully, the pediatrician helped put Natasha even more a ease with our predicament ( her breasts are engorged, so Malcolm is essentially trying to suck from a 15 pound Brunswick bowling ball). Luckily we had some over the phone advice from an old friend of the Spickler family who is trained in all knowledge of this stuff...so once we were back from the doctor, my sister-in-law basically set up a "Booby Boot Camp" in the bedroom where we'd alternate Natasha putting hot towels and ice packs on her breasts in between pumpings and feeding attempts. We'd calm the baby down with 10cc of formula via a syringe and then make another feeding attempt via breast, feed him whatever came out of the pumps and then top him off with formula...this has been an all day affair and I'm beginning to think we could actually go into mass production if necessary (and just to give you an idea of how surreal this got, at once point, my sister-in-law was changing hot wash cloths every two minutes on my wife's breasts while my wife's got the electric pump on her, this with my niece slung on her back trying to look at what's going on and I'm syringe feeding my son while he sucked on my left pinkie...it was quite a sight).
We got some milk from Tash and it seemed like the engorgement was starting to subside, but the next morning Malcolm still wasn't latching the way he had in the hospital. I went back into panic mode about us starving our son and my brother-in-law took me out of the house while my sister-in-law went back to work on the two problems (apparently there was a repeat of the odd sights and I'm pretty sure my sister-in-law has seen more of my wife's breasts than I have of late). While we were gone, Malcolm did latch on and nurse briefly...we were called to bring home an orthodontic nipple so we could feed him the breastmilk without causing nipple confusion (and this brought back my fears of starving him, even though no one said anything to the effect that he wasn't eating...my mind just seemed to jump to that).
Armed with something labelled a Nuk, we got home and I discovered the baby was fine. He had eaten somewhat and we fed him some more using the new nipple to give him some expressed milk. So now we had the bizarre routine down to a science with dis-engorging my wife and feeding the baby now somewhat under control, we had to rest up for the next day's festivities...Malcolm's bris.
Be seeing you.
The concept of breast feeding is a bit beyond me as a guy...and all the books one reads before the birth mention it as being the most natural thing to do...but watching my wife bravely attempt this was not fun and far from natural...in fact, it was a bit worse than dealing with her birthing pains as every time he failed to latch on brought on another bout of hysterics about how she's a failure as a woman.
Obviously, in my mind, this is not the case...and thank G-d for my in-laws being here. While I was able to send my brother-in-law to the drugstore to pick up some perscriptions, my sister-in-law took over as our lactation consultant and helped me calm Natasha down and remind her that any number of factors could be contributing to the problem at hand...especially since Malcolm had latched on immediately upon being handed to her our first night at the hospital. We got through round one of the "fight to feed Malcolm" with lots of love and support and just a bit of formula from a bottle (let's face it, his health comes first and if any of the Milk Nazis have a problem...well...they can go pump themselves).
Round two was rougher as everyone else was asleep by then (so we thought...my niece was apparently giving my sister-in-law her own problems). But we got through it the same way. Round three was even easier. By morning, Natasha had had some sleep, the baby had had enough food and everything was better.
Malcolm's first appointment with the pediatrician went well...he put on some weight since leaving the hospital (he was 8 lbs. 5 oz. at birth and went down to 7 lbs. 10 oz. upon discharge...this morning he was 7 lbs. 14 oz.) and thankfully, the pediatrician helped put Natasha even more a ease with our predicament ( her breasts are engorged, so Malcolm is essentially trying to suck from a 15 pound Brunswick bowling ball). Luckily we had some over the phone advice from an old friend of the Spickler family who is trained in all knowledge of this stuff...so once we were back from the doctor, my sister-in-law basically set up a "Booby Boot Camp" in the bedroom where we'd alternate Natasha putting hot towels and ice packs on her breasts in between pumpings and feeding attempts. We'd calm the baby down with 10cc of formula via a syringe and then make another feeding attempt via breast, feed him whatever came out of the pumps and then top him off with formula...this has been an all day affair and I'm beginning to think we could actually go into mass production if necessary (and just to give you an idea of how surreal this got, at once point, my sister-in-law was changing hot wash cloths every two minutes on my wife's breasts while my wife's got the electric pump on her, this with my niece slung on her back trying to look at what's going on and I'm syringe feeding my son while he sucked on my left pinkie...it was quite a sight).
We got some milk from Tash and it seemed like the engorgement was starting to subside, but the next morning Malcolm still wasn't latching the way he had in the hospital. I went back into panic mode about us starving our son and my brother-in-law took me out of the house while my sister-in-law went back to work on the two problems (apparently there was a repeat of the odd sights and I'm pretty sure my sister-in-law has seen more of my wife's breasts than I have of late). While we were gone, Malcolm did latch on and nurse briefly...we were called to bring home an orthodontic nipple so we could feed him the breastmilk without causing nipple confusion (and this brought back my fears of starving him, even though no one said anything to the effect that he wasn't eating...my mind just seemed to jump to that).
Armed with something labelled a Nuk, we got home and I discovered the baby was fine. He had eaten somewhat and we fed him some more using the new nipple to give him some expressed milk. So now we had the bizarre routine down to a science with dis-engorging my wife and feeding the baby now somewhat under control, we had to rest up for the next day's festivities...Malcolm's bris.
Be seeing you.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Malcolm's First Days
So I did my best to sleep at home, but that didn't work out so well. I got some sleep, but I missed my wife and son. So the next morning it was back to the hospital nice and early.
When I got there, Natasha was up but still in bed. We were both kind of groggy but I was ready for a day of getting to know my son better.
Having been through an abdominal surgery similar to a C-section's (according to my doctor when I had my aneurysm), I was worried about Tash pushing herself too hard during the day...but she got up and showered and dressed and readied herself for visitors and a day with Malcolm. She looked great for someone who had just been cut open, but she was happy (and while I knew she was pushing herself and it would catch up with her, I kept a bit quiet).
The nurses brought in Malcolm and we spent some quality family time together. I did notice that he looked a bit yellow, but Tash felt it was just the lighting. We had many visitors over the course of the day and it wore all of us out. By night time, the nurse even noticed he looked a bit yellow and mentioned it to the doctors. Yes, it turned out he was a bit jaundiced, but we both knew that this was a common and easily fixable problem (we had seen other family members and friends deal with the issue). So the next few days, he stayed in the nursery except for feeding times (and we now had to supplement his feeding with a bit of formula administered by syringe).
All this time, all I wanted was to bring my wife and son home so we could get started on our new life together. When that day finally came on Friday, we couldn't get discharged fast enough.
The first weekend at home was just plain bizarre. It was great having Natasha's family with us because they were really helpful. Particularly when it came to breast feeding. While Malcolm had no real issues latching on while in the hospital, once we got him home it was a different story. My wife's breasts became engorged and for the little guy it was like trying to latch onto a bowling ball. The farce that ensued to alleviate the problem was just too funny for words (my wife sitting in bed with my sister-in-law standing over her changing out hot compresses on her breasts every minute for twenty minutes, while my niece is slung on my sister-in-law's back, with myself holding Malcolm with my pinky in his mouth to suck on, all the while my mother-in-law is watching and my brother-in-law and nephew are just outside the door trying to avoid years of therapy even thinking about what's going on inside...you had to be there).
Monday brought a bris and about 70 people to fill our house. Thankfully, the majority of the renovation work that would be used by our guests was done and ready to be used by people. The bris itself was crazy and uneventful according to most people and that Malcolm was very calm during the procedure/ceremony. Of course, most people weren't present in Malcolm's room prior to the start of the ceremony to hear his screaming while the mohel did all the "prep" work...what he did downstairs in front of everyone was mostly for show...I'm surprised Tash & I got through that part in one piece...by the time everything was over, Malcolm had no problem's latching on regardless of engorgement (I guess trauma will do that to you).
By Tuesday, it was just Tash, myself and Malcolm left to deal with each other, a house that still isn't quite finished and an ever growing pile of "Thank You" notes to find the energy to deal with.
Be seeing you.
When I got there, Natasha was up but still in bed. We were both kind of groggy but I was ready for a day of getting to know my son better.
Having been through an abdominal surgery similar to a C-section's (according to my doctor when I had my aneurysm), I was worried about Tash pushing herself too hard during the day...but she got up and showered and dressed and readied herself for visitors and a day with Malcolm. She looked great for someone who had just been cut open, but she was happy (and while I knew she was pushing herself and it would catch up with her, I kept a bit quiet).
The nurses brought in Malcolm and we spent some quality family time together. I did notice that he looked a bit yellow, but Tash felt it was just the lighting. We had many visitors over the course of the day and it wore all of us out. By night time, the nurse even noticed he looked a bit yellow and mentioned it to the doctors. Yes, it turned out he was a bit jaundiced, but we both knew that this was a common and easily fixable problem (we had seen other family members and friends deal with the issue). So the next few days, he stayed in the nursery except for feeding times (and we now had to supplement his feeding with a bit of formula administered by syringe).
All this time, all I wanted was to bring my wife and son home so we could get started on our new life together. When that day finally came on Friday, we couldn't get discharged fast enough.
The first weekend at home was just plain bizarre. It was great having Natasha's family with us because they were really helpful. Particularly when it came to breast feeding. While Malcolm had no real issues latching on while in the hospital, once we got him home it was a different story. My wife's breasts became engorged and for the little guy it was like trying to latch onto a bowling ball. The farce that ensued to alleviate the problem was just too funny for words (my wife sitting in bed with my sister-in-law standing over her changing out hot compresses on her breasts every minute for twenty minutes, while my niece is slung on my sister-in-law's back, with myself holding Malcolm with my pinky in his mouth to suck on, all the while my mother-in-law is watching and my brother-in-law and nephew are just outside the door trying to avoid years of therapy even thinking about what's going on inside...you had to be there).
Monday brought a bris and about 70 people to fill our house. Thankfully, the majority of the renovation work that would be used by our guests was done and ready to be used by people. The bris itself was crazy and uneventful according to most people and that Malcolm was very calm during the procedure/ceremony. Of course, most people weren't present in Malcolm's room prior to the start of the ceremony to hear his screaming while the mohel did all the "prep" work...what he did downstairs in front of everyone was mostly for show...I'm surprised Tash & I got through that part in one piece...by the time everything was over, Malcolm had no problem's latching on regardless of engorgement (I guess trauma will do that to you).
By Tuesday, it was just Tash, myself and Malcolm left to deal with each other, a house that still isn't quite finished and an ever growing pile of "Thank You" notes to find the energy to deal with.
Be seeing you.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Malcolm's Birth: A Daddy's Thoughts
So the big day had finally arrived...and nothing actually happened.
We had scheduled an inducement four days earlier than Natasha's due date (June 19) for a variety of reasons (her Doctor was going on vacation, back pain, family arrivals) and we assumed that we'd be coming home with a baby...but no one told us that the inducement may not work. It didn't. Tash had a stubborn cervix...or maybe Malcolm just wasn't ready to come out...so we decided we'd just leave it all be and go home (our other options were a second attempt which probably wouldn't have done anything either or a C-section) and wait it out...
So nothing happened while Tash's doctor was away on vacation. We were scheduled for a second inducement for when the doctor returned which would be a week past the due date...so since nothing happened, we went in on Sunday June 26 to try again...and we were told that we would not be going home pregnant.
Tash was made comfortable (the labor rooms at Stamford Hospital are almost like hotel rooms) and given a dose of Cervadil to get her cervix to dilate and efface. By morning she was 1 cm and 50% effaced. Then they started her on Pitosin to get her contractions going. From 9 am until about 1 pm I watched my wife go from being relatively normal to being in excruciating pain.
All I was able to do was be with her and talk to her and make sure she was "distracted" (whatever that means) and not sound like a cliche or a Bill Cosby comedy routine waiting to be slapped silly. The last two hours were the worst, but Tash pulled through. Once she was 100% effaced and 3cm they gave her an epidural.
With all the advances in medicine, I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to ease the pain if possible...and I certainly don't understand why they don't start this sooner than they did...it was amazing watching the montior register her contractions and have my wife smiling as if nothing was happening.
And then we discovered that Malcolm was just not moving down the canal. He couldn't fit or wouldn't move...so the doctor decided her needed to be taken out via C-Section. While Tash was fine with this and I had come to grips with the possibility during the extra week of waiting, all of my nightmares from the last nine months were starting to boil in my head.
You see, aside from a minor cold and ear infection that Tash had problems getting rid of, this was a pretty boring pregnancy...of course, that's a good thing, but as someone who's been dealt a few tragedies in life and survived, I'm always on the lookout for the other shoe to drop...life doesn't grant you that much ease without something coming round the bend to knock you off your feet...and now that I'm extremely happy, there's that part of me that thinks something bad's gonna happen at some point to rebalance the scales...so my nightmares since the start of the pregnancy have all centered around me being alone at the end of it (of course these were all alternated with odd dreams of Malcolm coming out talking full sentances and my having to prevent the government from taking him for experiments...yes I've seen too many movies)...
So when we made the decision to have the C-Section I was extremely worried...sure...it's a relatively "routine" procedure and there was no emergency situation to make the doctor have to rush through it...but it's still major surgery...and as someone who's had their abdomen cut open, I knew what Tash was in for by way of recovery...
Being in the opreating room was weird for me. I sat on a stool near Tash's head...and that was all I saw as everything else was screened off from the two of us. I had my digital still camera to capture the family once we were given Malcolm but had second thoughts about taking a picture of my wife in such an odd condition. I'd be holding the baby while she's on display from the arm pits up??? That's not a fun sight, but we decided to do it anyway (it's not a bad picture...just an odd one...I don't wuite understand the reasons some people videotape births...I can't imagine watching one on DVD at a later date...especially after Tash, who agreed with me about not taping it, had forced me to watch nine months of episodes of "A Baby Story" on TLC.
We got something of a play by play from the doctor and the anasthesiologist as to what was happening and we were told that it may be a minute or two after the baby was out before we heard him...but soon enough (about 20 minutes in) we heard him and a few minutes later I was holding my son for the first time.
I've always been afraid of handling small things. I'm a big guy and I'm clumsy and here I am now holding this tiny little thing who seems just as unsure of his surroundings as I am. I held him close for Natasha to see. We took a few pictures and then the nurse took him and me from the OR and we went upstairs. On the way we picked up both grandmothers and one grandfather who had been patiently waiting in the labor room and we all went up to the maternity ward while Natasha was being put back together.
As we stood outside the nursery window watching the nurses take Malcolm out of the incubator they had put him in to transport, he grabbed on to lip of the opening and wouldn't let go. And he started crying. The nurse had to pry his fingers away...it was a very surreal, funny and sad sight. We watched them clean him up more and give him a battery of tests. I left my mother-in-law (henceforth known as Ba Ba) to keep an eye on him while my parents and I went to get all our stuff we had left in the labor room (plus I desperately wanted to change out of the scrubs I was wearing...they were a size too small for me and breathing through the mask kept fogging up my glasses).
By the time everything was moved upstairs, Natasha had been moved to recovery...so I checked on her. She was sleepy, but doing just fine. I spent an hour or two checking on my wife and son (separated by a few floors). Once they finally moved her into a room, they brought Malcolm into us and she fed him...apparently he's a breast man just like his dad. We spent about an hour with a few family visitors and then I left my wife and son for the night to get a good night's sleep at home (at least we all thought I'd get a better night's sleep at home than I would have at the hospital)...
Tomorrow...Malcolm's first full day in the world.
Be seeing you.
We had scheduled an inducement four days earlier than Natasha's due date (June 19) for a variety of reasons (her Doctor was going on vacation, back pain, family arrivals) and we assumed that we'd be coming home with a baby...but no one told us that the inducement may not work. It didn't. Tash had a stubborn cervix...or maybe Malcolm just wasn't ready to come out...so we decided we'd just leave it all be and go home (our other options were a second attempt which probably wouldn't have done anything either or a C-section) and wait it out...
So nothing happened while Tash's doctor was away on vacation. We were scheduled for a second inducement for when the doctor returned which would be a week past the due date...so since nothing happened, we went in on Sunday June 26 to try again...and we were told that we would not be going home pregnant.
Tash was made comfortable (the labor rooms at Stamford Hospital are almost like hotel rooms) and given a dose of Cervadil to get her cervix to dilate and efface. By morning she was 1 cm and 50% effaced. Then they started her on Pitosin to get her contractions going. From 9 am until about 1 pm I watched my wife go from being relatively normal to being in excruciating pain.
All I was able to do was be with her and talk to her and make sure she was "distracted" (whatever that means) and not sound like a cliche or a Bill Cosby comedy routine waiting to be slapped silly. The last two hours were the worst, but Tash pulled through. Once she was 100% effaced and 3cm they gave her an epidural.
With all the advances in medicine, I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to ease the pain if possible...and I certainly don't understand why they don't start this sooner than they did...it was amazing watching the montior register her contractions and have my wife smiling as if nothing was happening.
And then we discovered that Malcolm was just not moving down the canal. He couldn't fit or wouldn't move...so the doctor decided her needed to be taken out via C-Section. While Tash was fine with this and I had come to grips with the possibility during the extra week of waiting, all of my nightmares from the last nine months were starting to boil in my head.
You see, aside from a minor cold and ear infection that Tash had problems getting rid of, this was a pretty boring pregnancy...of course, that's a good thing, but as someone who's been dealt a few tragedies in life and survived, I'm always on the lookout for the other shoe to drop...life doesn't grant you that much ease without something coming round the bend to knock you off your feet...and now that I'm extremely happy, there's that part of me that thinks something bad's gonna happen at some point to rebalance the scales...so my nightmares since the start of the pregnancy have all centered around me being alone at the end of it (of course these were all alternated with odd dreams of Malcolm coming out talking full sentances and my having to prevent the government from taking him for experiments...yes I've seen too many movies)...
So when we made the decision to have the C-Section I was extremely worried...sure...it's a relatively "routine" procedure and there was no emergency situation to make the doctor have to rush through it...but it's still major surgery...and as someone who's had their abdomen cut open, I knew what Tash was in for by way of recovery...
Being in the opreating room was weird for me. I sat on a stool near Tash's head...and that was all I saw as everything else was screened off from the two of us. I had my digital still camera to capture the family once we were given Malcolm but had second thoughts about taking a picture of my wife in such an odd condition. I'd be holding the baby while she's on display from the arm pits up??? That's not a fun sight, but we decided to do it anyway (it's not a bad picture...just an odd one...I don't wuite understand the reasons some people videotape births...I can't imagine watching one on DVD at a later date...especially after Tash, who agreed with me about not taping it, had forced me to watch nine months of episodes of "A Baby Story" on TLC.
We got something of a play by play from the doctor and the anasthesiologist as to what was happening and we were told that it may be a minute or two after the baby was out before we heard him...but soon enough (about 20 minutes in) we heard him and a few minutes later I was holding my son for the first time.
I've always been afraid of handling small things. I'm a big guy and I'm clumsy and here I am now holding this tiny little thing who seems just as unsure of his surroundings as I am. I held him close for Natasha to see. We took a few pictures and then the nurse took him and me from the OR and we went upstairs. On the way we picked up both grandmothers and one grandfather who had been patiently waiting in the labor room and we all went up to the maternity ward while Natasha was being put back together.
As we stood outside the nursery window watching the nurses take Malcolm out of the incubator they had put him in to transport, he grabbed on to lip of the opening and wouldn't let go. And he started crying. The nurse had to pry his fingers away...it was a very surreal, funny and sad sight. We watched them clean him up more and give him a battery of tests. I left my mother-in-law (henceforth known as Ba Ba) to keep an eye on him while my parents and I went to get all our stuff we had left in the labor room (plus I desperately wanted to change out of the scrubs I was wearing...they were a size too small for me and breathing through the mask kept fogging up my glasses).
By the time everything was moved upstairs, Natasha had been moved to recovery...so I checked on her. She was sleepy, but doing just fine. I spent an hour or two checking on my wife and son (separated by a few floors). Once they finally moved her into a room, they brought Malcolm into us and she fed him...apparently he's a breast man just like his dad. We spent about an hour with a few family visitors and then I left my wife and son for the night to get a good night's sleep at home (at least we all thought I'd get a better night's sleep at home than I would have at the hospital)...
Tomorrow...Malcolm's first full day in the world.
Be seeing you.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Begins Again
I was originally hoping to write a big long piece about Batman Begins by incorporating my thoughts on various incarnations of the character in various media outlets...
But with everything being as crazy as it is, I'm lucky I actually got to see the film at all...so you'll get a somewhat truncated piece.
DC Comics has been having a tough time for almost a decade in bringing (or bringing back) their characters to the silver screen. After director Joel Schmacher and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman put a nail in Batman's coffin with 1997's ridiculous campfest Batman & Robin, we've gotten pretty much nothing on the big screen from the company (aside from Catwoman and Constantine...but I'll get to those in a moment). Even a slew of potential directors and writers such as Tim Burton, Kevin Smith, J.J. Abrams and Brett Ratner couldn't get the man of steel to fly again.
While the comic books kept churning out decent stories and TV kept things moving nicely (with various animated shows like Teen Titans or Justice League and the small screen hit Smallville), we got a decent adaptation of a cult book (Hellblazer became Constantine) and a feeble attempt at connecting something to the Batman mythos that smelled mostly of warmed over kitty litter and a quick grab for cash (yes...Catwoman was very wrong-headed...yet in an interesting, car crash kind of way).
But finally we get what is not only the best Batman to hit the big screen, but what could easily replace the first Superman as the best comic book based movie ever. It's also the best movie so far this year (which isn't saying much) and could even be one of the best films of the decade so far which is saying a lot).
I never thought that showing what I consider to be "the boring years" of Bruce Wayne's life (the period between the death of his parents and his first appearance as Batman) where he trains to become the hero he is would be exciting...but director Christopher Nolan and screenwriter David Goyer have constructed a well thought out and highly exciting story that really gets under the masks of both Bruce Wayne and Batman...and they manage the right balance of hero to villain (or villains) that the previous films (which had their ups and downs) couldn't find.
You all know the basic story of bruce Wayne watching his parents murdered and yadda yadda yadda he eventually dons a bat suit and fights crime...but here we get a much deeper examination of the hows and whys he comes to be. And it all involves a well blended melange of comic book based characters, events and situations from the past 60+ years of Batman comic stories. Everyone has a moment and with maybe two exceptions has a basis in the lore that's been built up on the printed page.
We get a plethora of villains each with different agendas and amounts of screentime, but none feels under used or over exposed. From mob boss Carmine Falcone, to Ra's Al Ghul, to the Scarecrow, to corrupt cop Flass, to crooked businessman William Earl everyone serves a purpose and no one misses a beat.
One the side of good, we get everyone we expect...Batman, Bruce Wayne, Alfred, Jim Gordon, Lucious Fox and newcomer D.A. Rachel Dawes (who could be the film's one weak link...but she's nowhere near the weak link of Vicki Vale in Tim Burton's 1989 film and any "annoyances" of her characters will be quickly forgotten and forgiven).
Everything about this film is top notch. The acting, the writing, the camera work (well...most of it...some early fight scenes are a bit too tight and hard to follow because of the camera and editing). Even the msuic is great as I was afarid I'd really miss Danny Elfman's operatically dark score, but this one works well (there were times I expected the score to segue into it). Any CGI that was used is not at all distracting. Unlike the planetscapes in Star Wars which look cool, but fake, Gotham City looks alive and real in every shot (even the ones that are obviously models...which was nice to see again in addition to some CGI).
The film effortlessly moves through its two hour and twenty one minute running time and will keep you on the edge of your seat. By the end, which leaves a good number of unknown Arkham Asylum escapees running loose, you'll be wanting more. Let's hope they get to it sooner rather than later.
And let's hope that next summer's new Superman movie continues the trend of putting DC Comics back on the good side of the silver screen where it belongs (but this one's gonna be hard to top).
That's all for now.
Be seeing you.
But with everything being as crazy as it is, I'm lucky I actually got to see the film at all...so you'll get a somewhat truncated piece.
DC Comics has been having a tough time for almost a decade in bringing (or bringing back) their characters to the silver screen. After director Joel Schmacher and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman put a nail in Batman's coffin with 1997's ridiculous campfest Batman & Robin, we've gotten pretty much nothing on the big screen from the company (aside from Catwoman and Constantine...but I'll get to those in a moment). Even a slew of potential directors and writers such as Tim Burton, Kevin Smith, J.J. Abrams and Brett Ratner couldn't get the man of steel to fly again.
While the comic books kept churning out decent stories and TV kept things moving nicely (with various animated shows like Teen Titans or Justice League and the small screen hit Smallville), we got a decent adaptation of a cult book (Hellblazer became Constantine) and a feeble attempt at connecting something to the Batman mythos that smelled mostly of warmed over kitty litter and a quick grab for cash (yes...Catwoman was very wrong-headed...yet in an interesting, car crash kind of way).
But finally we get what is not only the best Batman to hit the big screen, but what could easily replace the first Superman as the best comic book based movie ever. It's also the best movie so far this year (which isn't saying much) and could even be one of the best films of the decade so far which is saying a lot).
I never thought that showing what I consider to be "the boring years" of Bruce Wayne's life (the period between the death of his parents and his first appearance as Batman) where he trains to become the hero he is would be exciting...but director Christopher Nolan and screenwriter David Goyer have constructed a well thought out and highly exciting story that really gets under the masks of both Bruce Wayne and Batman...and they manage the right balance of hero to villain (or villains) that the previous films (which had their ups and downs) couldn't find.
You all know the basic story of bruce Wayne watching his parents murdered and yadda yadda yadda he eventually dons a bat suit and fights crime...but here we get a much deeper examination of the hows and whys he comes to be. And it all involves a well blended melange of comic book based characters, events and situations from the past 60+ years of Batman comic stories. Everyone has a moment and with maybe two exceptions has a basis in the lore that's been built up on the printed page.
We get a plethora of villains each with different agendas and amounts of screentime, but none feels under used or over exposed. From mob boss Carmine Falcone, to Ra's Al Ghul, to the Scarecrow, to corrupt cop Flass, to crooked businessman William Earl everyone serves a purpose and no one misses a beat.
One the side of good, we get everyone we expect...Batman, Bruce Wayne, Alfred, Jim Gordon, Lucious Fox and newcomer D.A. Rachel Dawes (who could be the film's one weak link...but she's nowhere near the weak link of Vicki Vale in Tim Burton's 1989 film and any "annoyances" of her characters will be quickly forgotten and forgiven).
Everything about this film is top notch. The acting, the writing, the camera work (well...most of it...some early fight scenes are a bit too tight and hard to follow because of the camera and editing). Even the msuic is great as I was afarid I'd really miss Danny Elfman's operatically dark score, but this one works well (there were times I expected the score to segue into it). Any CGI that was used is not at all distracting. Unlike the planetscapes in Star Wars which look cool, but fake, Gotham City looks alive and real in every shot (even the ones that are obviously models...which was nice to see again in addition to some CGI).
The film effortlessly moves through its two hour and twenty one minute running time and will keep you on the edge of your seat. By the end, which leaves a good number of unknown Arkham Asylum escapees running loose, you'll be wanting more. Let's hope they get to it sooner rather than later.
And let's hope that next summer's new Superman movie continues the trend of putting DC Comics back on the good side of the silver screen where it belongs (but this one's gonna be hard to top).
That's all for now.
Be seeing you.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Some Light Reading While We Wait...
With my in-laws scheduled to arrive sometime tomorrow and my brother-in-law and his family due a week from today and the baby due...well...whenever he damn well feels like it (though we are thinking potential inducement two days early to solve a number of problems...Tash's doctor will still be here, her whole family will have arrived and we'll have seen Batman Begins...so everyone'll be happy), I figured today I'd catch up on a few things I've been holding back for a while...mostly about comic books (so those of you with no interest -- which means most of you -- can skip around and come back another day).
When I was in my comic book reading hey day (and I know some of you out there are going "wasn't that yesetrday") back in high school...I was mostly a DC Comics fan. Sure there were a few heroes I loved over at Marvel (Captain America & Doctor Strange) and I was reading a lot of Marvel Comics (almost everything except for the X-Men books and the Spider-Man books), I read EVERYTHING that DC published and I do mean EVERYTHING (except Legion of Super-Heroes).
In the mid80s, comics were fun and nowhere was that sense of fun more prevalent than DC. In the middle of their gigantic company changing crossover known as Crisis On Infinite Earths we still had time to smile and relax with goofy heroes like Blue Devil, Blue Beetle and Ambush Bug. Heck, even Batman had a sense of humor and a goofy side-kick to boot.
After the Crisis was over and the entire DC Universe restarted from the beginning of time things got a bit darker...for some characters...but stayed relatively cheery for others. And it's pretty much been that way up until August of 2004. Last summer, DC published a new crisis story...one called Identity Crisis and the DC Universe hasn't been the same since...it's gotten much much darker...and there's another crisis on the horizon...and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Normally I wait for the trade paperbacks to colect stories like Identity Crisis but I was watching each issue get reprinted 4 or 5 times over an eight month period and finally on a day when I needed instant gratification broke down and bought the 7 issue series (well...some of it...the last round of reprints were done at a rate of 2 issues per week...so it did take a month to read). Since then I've learned there will be a collection in October...but Dan Didio, the VP over at DC, recently went on record as saying that if people are wiating for the trades they're not doing their job right...which is creating exciting, well told stories that get people back to reading the individual issues.
When it comes to reading a story, it's not necessarily about instant gratfication...it's about a fun journey. The premise that DC was hyping dealt with someone trying to harm the loved ones of the various super-heroes...in the end it wound up being about much more than that.
The story starts off with the brutal murder of Sue Dibney. She is the wife of Ralph Dibney who is better known as Elongated Man (he's a guy who can stretch body parts...the geek in me would like to explain how his powers differ from those of Plastic Man or Mister Fantastic, but I won't). The thing about this B string (some would say D string) super-hero is that his stretching power isn't what makes him interesting...he's a detective as well...on par with Sherlock Holmes (when he's written well) and his wife is part of that equation. Ralph and Sue are the Nick and Nora Charles of the super-hero set and while many said that the pointless death of a minor supporting character related to a low level hero is no cause for hyping a book, I'd disagree. DC killed off half of a team that was all about fun and set in motion a chain of events that still haven't ended.
Sue's death brought a secret to the surface that the Justice League had been hiding for years. You see, one night when Sue was up in the JLA Watchtower, the goofball villain (weren't they all goofball villains in the Silver Age) known as Doctor Light snuck on board and tried to rape her. He was stopped when the League walked in on the attempted rape. But by the time he had been subdued, he had discovered the one weakness every hero has...loved ones...it would just be a matter of time and energy to deduce the real identities of everyone in the JLA and get at them through their families. So, to put a stop to it right then and there...the seven members present (Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Hawkman, Atom, Flash and Zatanna) made a decision by majority vote to have Zatanna use her magic to essentially give Doctor Light a lobotomy turning him from a deadly psychopath into the goofball we all loved.
And they didn't stop at Doctor Light...but Ralph is pretty well convinced that Light is behind the death of his wife...so as the secret of the mind wipes come to light and the villains regroup to protect each other, we get slowly led away from the "real" story of who killed Sue to something much more darker. By the end when we discover who did it, it no longer matters. The proverbial "cat" is out of the bag and you're left wondering "where do these guys go next".
Well..."next" turned out to be a one shot called Countdown to Infinite Crisis where we find Blue Beetle investigating a number of odd circumstances that lead him to discover one big bad secret that is currently rattling the entire DC Universe. Unfortunately, Ted Kord doesn't survive the issue once he confronts the man who used to be his friend. It's a very brutal and sad death for someone who was a fun read for many years. Hopefully, someone will take up the mantle of Blue Beetle (I'd like to say that no one stays dead in comics and for the most part it's true...but he was shot in the head at point blank range and his body was then cremated...theoretically characters don't get much deader than that).
Once the Countdown started, DC opened the flood-gates. Four mini-series are currently running in the lead-up to whatever this Infinite Crisis is going to be.
The OMAC Project picks up the trail where Blue Beetle's investigation left off as Booster Gold, Wonder Woman and Batman try to find Ted and discover that one of Bruce Wayne's inventions has fallen into the wrong hands and what this thing was invented for is a bit of a doozy that will put Batman at odds with all his other super friends (but when is he not at odds with them).
Day of Vengeance finds the Spectre, no longer tied to a human host, and Eclipso, with a new human host in Jean Loring, (ex-wife of The Atom and killer of Sue Dibney) teaming up to obliterate all magic from the world. trying to stop them is an odd team of Ragman, Enchantress, Blue Devil, Nightshade and Detective Chimp (don't ask). Captain Marvel and the wizard Shazam seem to fit into this somehow as well.
Villains United follows a group known as The Secret Six (made up of some C list villains) trying to stop the rest of the villains from uniting as The Society where Lex Luthor is running the show with help from Doctor Psycho, Talia al Ghul, Black Adam and a few others. Why are the villains all joining up? For protection in case the heroes decide to perform more magical lobotomies.
The Rann-Thanagar War tracks all of DC's alien species in the middle of a battle that a few of the "off world" heroes get involved in (Hawkman, Adam Strange, a few of the Green Lanterns).
How will all of this tie into what's coming? I have no idea...but apparently once the Infinite Crisis starts all of the monthly books will be jumping ahead by one year so you will see the ramifications of the event before you actually know how it ends.
With all of this stuff going on and the excitement of this summer's Batman Begins, next summer's Superman Returns and the current seasons of Teen Titans and Justice League Unlimited (which has an over arcing plot that seems somehwat similar to some of the stuff going on in the comics) it's an exciting time to be a DC fan.
Now...over in the Marvel Universe, things aren't as exciting. With Marvel, there's almost no need to breakdown and not wait for a trade collection as they tend to run late on issues and wind up publishing the collection the same week the final issue comes out. They've got a major company wide crossover happening called House of M which I'll get into another time. Today I want to talk about my disappointment with what they've allowed to be done to one of my favorite characters...Doctor Strange.
I've been a big fan of the writing of J. Michael Straczynski for a while now and have tried to get to everything he's written. Babylon 5 and all of its off-shoots are amazing works of science fiction. His original comic book works Midnight Nation and Rising Stars were also amazing reads. His run on The Amazing Spider-Man actually made he a fan of the character after so many years (I even had no problem with his recent controversial storyline in which it was revealed that Gwen Stacy had a brief affair with Norman Osbourne and sired two children before she died at his hands). So I was excited beyond belief that my favorite writer would be tackling my favorite character with an updated retelling of his origin.
The six issue mini-series entitled Strange starts off okay. The first issue is actually a really good set-up for who Stephen Strange is before his accident. The problems start in the second issue where JMS changes the circumstances of the accident. You see, one of the things I've loved about Strange is that before his accident he was this pompous jerk and it was his own ego that caused his downfall when a drunk driving accident takes away the use of this brilliant surgeon's hands. JMS has Strange hit a tree while skiing. Ummm...okay...not a good sign...but I figured maybe he'd recover...
By the time issue three rolls around and we start to see that JMS has essentially stolen the plot of The Matrix to reinvent Doctor Strange I gave up all hope. This is not the Stephen Strange I know and love...it's a bad clone of the Neo I know and HATE.
Luckily, in recent interviews JMS has stated that the fate and future of Doctor Strange rests in someone else's hands as he's too busy with other things. This is a good thing in my opinion.
Well...I've talked enough about comic books for one day. I'll be back soon with a look at Batman (and some friends) before he Begins...unless of course, Malcolm arrives sooner than we expect...
We'll keep you posted
Be seeing you
When I was in my comic book reading hey day (and I know some of you out there are going "wasn't that yesetrday") back in high school...I was mostly a DC Comics fan. Sure there were a few heroes I loved over at Marvel (Captain America & Doctor Strange) and I was reading a lot of Marvel Comics (almost everything except for the X-Men books and the Spider-Man books), I read EVERYTHING that DC published and I do mean EVERYTHING (except Legion of Super-Heroes).
In the mid80s, comics were fun and nowhere was that sense of fun more prevalent than DC. In the middle of their gigantic company changing crossover known as Crisis On Infinite Earths we still had time to smile and relax with goofy heroes like Blue Devil, Blue Beetle and Ambush Bug. Heck, even Batman had a sense of humor and a goofy side-kick to boot.
After the Crisis was over and the entire DC Universe restarted from the beginning of time things got a bit darker...for some characters...but stayed relatively cheery for others. And it's pretty much been that way up until August of 2004. Last summer, DC published a new crisis story...one called Identity Crisis and the DC Universe hasn't been the same since...it's gotten much much darker...and there's another crisis on the horizon...and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Normally I wait for the trade paperbacks to colect stories like Identity Crisis but I was watching each issue get reprinted 4 or 5 times over an eight month period and finally on a day when I needed instant gratification broke down and bought the 7 issue series (well...some of it...the last round of reprints were done at a rate of 2 issues per week...so it did take a month to read). Since then I've learned there will be a collection in October...but Dan Didio, the VP over at DC, recently went on record as saying that if people are wiating for the trades they're not doing their job right...which is creating exciting, well told stories that get people back to reading the individual issues.
When it comes to reading a story, it's not necessarily about instant gratfication...it's about a fun journey. The premise that DC was hyping dealt with someone trying to harm the loved ones of the various super-heroes...in the end it wound up being about much more than that.
The story starts off with the brutal murder of Sue Dibney. She is the wife of Ralph Dibney who is better known as Elongated Man (he's a guy who can stretch body parts...the geek in me would like to explain how his powers differ from those of Plastic Man or Mister Fantastic, but I won't). The thing about this B string (some would say D string) super-hero is that his stretching power isn't what makes him interesting...he's a detective as well...on par with Sherlock Holmes (when he's written well) and his wife is part of that equation. Ralph and Sue are the Nick and Nora Charles of the super-hero set and while many said that the pointless death of a minor supporting character related to a low level hero is no cause for hyping a book, I'd disagree. DC killed off half of a team that was all about fun and set in motion a chain of events that still haven't ended.
Sue's death brought a secret to the surface that the Justice League had been hiding for years. You see, one night when Sue was up in the JLA Watchtower, the goofball villain (weren't they all goofball villains in the Silver Age) known as Doctor Light snuck on board and tried to rape her. He was stopped when the League walked in on the attempted rape. But by the time he had been subdued, he had discovered the one weakness every hero has...loved ones...it would just be a matter of time and energy to deduce the real identities of everyone in the JLA and get at them through their families. So, to put a stop to it right then and there...the seven members present (Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Hawkman, Atom, Flash and Zatanna) made a decision by majority vote to have Zatanna use her magic to essentially give Doctor Light a lobotomy turning him from a deadly psychopath into the goofball we all loved.
And they didn't stop at Doctor Light...but Ralph is pretty well convinced that Light is behind the death of his wife...so as the secret of the mind wipes come to light and the villains regroup to protect each other, we get slowly led away from the "real" story of who killed Sue to something much more darker. By the end when we discover who did it, it no longer matters. The proverbial "cat" is out of the bag and you're left wondering "where do these guys go next".
Well..."next" turned out to be a one shot called Countdown to Infinite Crisis where we find Blue Beetle investigating a number of odd circumstances that lead him to discover one big bad secret that is currently rattling the entire DC Universe. Unfortunately, Ted Kord doesn't survive the issue once he confronts the man who used to be his friend. It's a very brutal and sad death for someone who was a fun read for many years. Hopefully, someone will take up the mantle of Blue Beetle (I'd like to say that no one stays dead in comics and for the most part it's true...but he was shot in the head at point blank range and his body was then cremated...theoretically characters don't get much deader than that).
Once the Countdown started, DC opened the flood-gates. Four mini-series are currently running in the lead-up to whatever this Infinite Crisis is going to be.
The OMAC Project picks up the trail where Blue Beetle's investigation left off as Booster Gold, Wonder Woman and Batman try to find Ted and discover that one of Bruce Wayne's inventions has fallen into the wrong hands and what this thing was invented for is a bit of a doozy that will put Batman at odds with all his other super friends (but when is he not at odds with them).
Day of Vengeance finds the Spectre, no longer tied to a human host, and Eclipso, with a new human host in Jean Loring, (ex-wife of The Atom and killer of Sue Dibney) teaming up to obliterate all magic from the world. trying to stop them is an odd team of Ragman, Enchantress, Blue Devil, Nightshade and Detective Chimp (don't ask). Captain Marvel and the wizard Shazam seem to fit into this somehow as well.
Villains United follows a group known as The Secret Six (made up of some C list villains) trying to stop the rest of the villains from uniting as The Society where Lex Luthor is running the show with help from Doctor Psycho, Talia al Ghul, Black Adam and a few others. Why are the villains all joining up? For protection in case the heroes decide to perform more magical lobotomies.
The Rann-Thanagar War tracks all of DC's alien species in the middle of a battle that a few of the "off world" heroes get involved in (Hawkman, Adam Strange, a few of the Green Lanterns).
How will all of this tie into what's coming? I have no idea...but apparently once the Infinite Crisis starts all of the monthly books will be jumping ahead by one year so you will see the ramifications of the event before you actually know how it ends.
With all of this stuff going on and the excitement of this summer's Batman Begins, next summer's Superman Returns and the current seasons of Teen Titans and Justice League Unlimited (which has an over arcing plot that seems somehwat similar to some of the stuff going on in the comics) it's an exciting time to be a DC fan.
Now...over in the Marvel Universe, things aren't as exciting. With Marvel, there's almost no need to breakdown and not wait for a trade collection as they tend to run late on issues and wind up publishing the collection the same week the final issue comes out. They've got a major company wide crossover happening called House of M which I'll get into another time. Today I want to talk about my disappointment with what they've allowed to be done to one of my favorite characters...Doctor Strange.
I've been a big fan of the writing of J. Michael Straczynski for a while now and have tried to get to everything he's written. Babylon 5 and all of its off-shoots are amazing works of science fiction. His original comic book works Midnight Nation and Rising Stars were also amazing reads. His run on The Amazing Spider-Man actually made he a fan of the character after so many years (I even had no problem with his recent controversial storyline in which it was revealed that Gwen Stacy had a brief affair with Norman Osbourne and sired two children before she died at his hands). So I was excited beyond belief that my favorite writer would be tackling my favorite character with an updated retelling of his origin.
The six issue mini-series entitled Strange starts off okay. The first issue is actually a really good set-up for who Stephen Strange is before his accident. The problems start in the second issue where JMS changes the circumstances of the accident. You see, one of the things I've loved about Strange is that before his accident he was this pompous jerk and it was his own ego that caused his downfall when a drunk driving accident takes away the use of this brilliant surgeon's hands. JMS has Strange hit a tree while skiing. Ummm...okay...not a good sign...but I figured maybe he'd recover...
By the time issue three rolls around and we start to see that JMS has essentially stolen the plot of The Matrix to reinvent Doctor Strange I gave up all hope. This is not the Stephen Strange I know and love...it's a bad clone of the Neo I know and HATE.
Luckily, in recent interviews JMS has stated that the fate and future of Doctor Strange rests in someone else's hands as he's too busy with other things. This is a good thing in my opinion.
Well...I've talked enough about comic books for one day. I'll be back soon with a look at Batman (and some friends) before he Begins...unless of course, Malcolm arrives sooner than we expect...
We'll keep you posted
Be seeing you
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