Best Thing I've Read/Watched All Week...

God bless you, Rich Juzwiak.

One of the best "year end" compilations ever!

2014 Fall TV Season Preview - NEW SHOWS aka "what will clog up my DVR next" Edition

How can it already be time for the Fall TV season? Last year around this time I was excited for a lot of shows, and only ended up sticking with like two, maybe. Let's see what sticks this time around. 

My poor poor DVRs...

MONDAYS

Gotham
Fox, 8 p.m. (Sept. 22)
Holy prequel, Batman! Ben McKenzie (oh, how I love and have missed you Ben! Sorry I didn’t watch Southland!) stars as young, pre commissioner Jim Gordon, navigating a city teeming with DC Comics vigilantes and villains, including Jada Pinkett Smith as Fish Mooney, a sadistic gangster boss and nightclub owner. Also Donal Logue is in it, so you know, AWESOME.

State of Affairs
NBC, 10 p.m. (Nov. 17)
All you Katherine Heigl haters out there can suck it. I love Katherine Heigl and thinks she gets a bad rap. She plays a maverick (of course!) CIA officer turned daily briefer to the president, played by Alfre Woodard. SOLD!

TUESDAYS

NCIS: New Orleans

CBS, 9 p.m. (Sept.23)

The few times that I’ve watched NCIS has been with my father, or with Sharon & Vince Villa (surrogate parents) so basically you know that this show , despite having Mark Harmon in it, is NOT for me. What’s going to get me to tune into this new spin-off of the NCIS juggernaut? Two things – the setting of New Orleans which is almost always a good thing,  and Scott Bakula, who makes anything and everything better!

Forever
ABC, 10 p.m. (Sept. 23)
I got so excited when I first heard about this show. Then I actually read the description and became instantly disappointed.

See, back in 2008, Fox adapted one of my favorite books by Peter Hamill, into a series starring the tremendously hot Nikolaj Coster-Waldau called New Amsterdam. Of course this was way before “Game of Thrones” so nobody knew who Nikolaj was and Fox being Fox cancelled the show before the season was finished, despite it actually being great and a nice adaptation of the book. So I was jazzed that ABC was going to take a crack at it, using the actual title of Hamill’s book. Surprise! It’s not the same story…just almost exactly? The plot is about  a New York crime-scene examiner, Dr. Henry Morgan, played by Ioan Gruffudd who happens to be immortal as long as he’s submerged in water after “dying”. I don’t know you guys. I love Gruffudd though and have enjoyed most of the stuff from Matt Miller (Chuck, 666 Park Avenue).

Selfie
ABC, 8 p.m. (Sept. 30)
Plot summary: A vacuous social-media star (Karen Gillan) hires a brand consultant (John Cho) to repair her damaged insta-celebrity after a compromising video goes viral. This sounds pretty awful, but recently I’ve read articles from critics that I respect that are saying that the show is actually funny and clever. So I’m giving it a shot, although if I love it ABC is guaranteed to cancel it.

The Flash
CW, 9 p.m. (Oct. 7)
Grant Gustin stars as that speedy young super-hottie. This is another show that’s gotten great buzz and has been recommended by a bunch of people that I trust. Also, I’m a sucker for CW sci-fi/fantasy shows.

Marry Me
NBC, 9 p.m. (Oct. 14)
A sitcom starring two of my fave comedians whose cancelled shows I’m still mourning. What could be better?! Well?...the show’s description sounds fucking awful and stupid – “A welcome return to TV for two offbeat comedians, Casey Wilson (Happy Endings) and Ken Marino (Party Down), who play a lovesick couple determined to stage the perfect proposal. Expect mayhem, gay dads (Tim Meadows), and aggressive karaoke.” YIKES right? But you guys, it’s Casey Wilson and Ken Marino! These two are very smart along with being very funny; they wouldn’t be involved in something that wasn’t worth watching. Right? I’ll watch until NBC inevitably cancels it.

WEDNESDAYS

Red Band Society
Fox, 9 p.m. (Sept. 17)
This show proposes the following - What if you set a drama in the pediatric cancer ward of a hospital and focused the story on a bunch of the kids there and the shenanigans they get into, sort of like The Breakfast Club meets The Fault In Our Stars, thus combining two of my favorite teen things. The story is narrated by a young man in a coma who can hear everything going on around him which is a nice twist. It stars Octavia Spencer who is cool and I’ve missed. The commercials for this show keep showing this one kid in a wheelchair and his bald-cap is SO awful, that it may be the only thing that keeps me from enjoying this show.  

Black-ish
ABC, 9:30 p.m. (Sept. 24)
Anthony Anderson stars in this assimilation farce that asks: How do you teach your kids how to be black when they grow up in a mostly white suburb? It’s gotten really good reviews and I don’t want to do the same thing that I did last year with The Goldbergs where I started watching half-way through the season after hearing how great it was. I’ll watch at least the first couple of eps and decide.

Stalker
CBS, 10 p.m. (Oct. 1)
One of my fave show-runners Kevin Williamson, doing a crime procedural about law enforcement officers that find/fight stalkers (?) that stars Dylan McDermott and the always cool Maggie Q. I’ll give it a couple of episodes; at least to see if McDermott (or Maggie for that matter) takes his shirt off.

Kingdom
DirecTV, 9 p.m. (Oct. 8)
Description: “Nick Jonas buffs up and hopes to finally shed his Disney Channel origins in this roid-o-rama MMA drama. “ Um…Nick Jonas, who I have VERY inappropriate feelings towards, is going to be shirtless and sweaty a lot. Attention all friends with DirecTV (I’m looking at you Larry Ahrens) I am coming over to watch this. I don’t care how awful it sounds. LA LA LA I can’t hear you shirtless Nick Jonas!!!!

THURSDAYS

How to Get Away With Murder
ABC, 10 p.m. (Sept. 25)
All aboard for the next Shonda Rhimes Thursday-night-on-ABC show!!! A crime thriller, starring Viola Davis as a law professor. This has gotten rave reviews from the TCAs and up-fronts.

A to Z
NBC, 9:30 p.m. (Oct. 2)
I love Ben Feldman. LOVE him. He played Ginsberg on Mad Men and was an angel on the first couple of seasons of Drop Dead Diva (don’t ask). In this he is an internet-dating executive and Cristin Milioti (How I Met Your Mother’s mother) plays an attorney who he starts dating. I was not impressed with her on HIMYM but most folks liked her, so maybe she’ll be good on this? I don’t care. BEN FELDMAN. Remember, I called dibs on him first!

Gracepoint
Fox, 9 p.m. (Oct. 2)
Okay. Here we go. A big rant is coming; deep breath. THIS SHOW ALREADY EXISTED! It was called Broadchurch and it was a British show that aired on BBCAmerica last year!  DAVID TENNANT, yes, that David Tennant, STARRED IN THE ORIGINAL AND IS REPRISING THE EXACT SAME ROLE BUT WITH A HORRIBLE AMERICAN ACCENT!! And I mean HORRIBLE. This new U.S. version appears to be A SCENE FOR SCENE REMAKE WITH NO CHANGES TO THE STORY! NOT EVEN TO DIALOG! WHAT IN THE FUCK?! Millions of Americans already watched and loved the original, and KNOW HOW IT ENDS; why would Fox and the producers think that it’s okay to remake the show exactly like the original? Listen, I get why U.S. production companies like to remake shows from other countries; they have a proven entity that they know they can run with. And in many instances I find American redos to be great – The Bridge, The Killing, Homeland, In Treatment, for crissakes even Devious Maids are all remakes that I’ve loved. But the difference with these shows is that they took the concept of the original, and either put it in a different setting, or changed the story but kept the setting etc. But they definitely made it their own. Another difference is that unlike the shows I just listed, Broadchurch wasn’t some random Estonian production seen by 3 people here; it was on a major cable network and got a ton of publicity and promotion. And was on Netflix streaming! The whole idea of a to-the-letter remake is infuriating.

And yet…David Tennant, bad American accent or no, is awesome and the rest of the Gracepoint cast reads like my dream cast list – Anna Gunn, Josh Charles, Jacki Weaver (!!!) NICK NOLTE(!!!!!!) – The cast has guaranteed that I’m going to watch the whole damn thing, even though I will know what happens at every turn.

The McCarthys
CBS, 9:30 p.m. (Oct. 30)
This comedy based on actor Brian Gallivan’s  own life, is about a gay, athletically challenged son who becomes his basketball-coach dad’s assistant. It sounds truly awful. But it stars Laurie Metcalf and Jack McGee who I love, and my friend Vance, who is a gay entertainment critic, said he wanted to hate it but ended up loving the first two episodes. So I’m going to begrudgingly give it a shot.

FRIDAYS

Constantine
NBC, 10 p.m. (Oct. 24)
An adaptation of one of my favorite comics, with Matt Ryan as John Constantine. Should pair nicely with Grimm on Friday nights.

SUNDAYS

PBS stuff:

The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
PBS, 8 p.m. (Sept. 14–20)
Ken Burns’s latest, this time with a focus on Theodore, Franklin, Eleanor, et al.

Death Comes to Pemberley-  Masterpiece Classic
PBS, 9 p.m. (Oct. 26 and Nov. 2)
The BBC mini-series version of P. D. James’s murder-mystery sequel to Pride and Prejudice comes to PBS, starring Matthew Rhys as Mr. Darcy. I LOVED this book so much and I am beyond excited about this.

Worricker: Turks & Caicos – Masterpiece Contemporary
Masterpiece on PBS, 9 p.m. (Nov. 9)
Playwright David Hare writes and directs an all-star cast — Christopher Walken, Winona Ryder(!), Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes(!!), and Bill Nighy as the titular MI5 spy. Cannot wait!

Other stuff:

The Affair

Showtime, 9 p.m. (Oct.19)

Dominic West back on my tv screen. I don't care what it's about! Here - watch the trailer!

Mulaney
Fox, 9:30 p.m. (Oct. 5)
John Mulaney  is one of my favorite comedians and writers. They’ve finally given him his own Seinfeld-ian show, playing a stand-up comic with a day job writing material for a “legendary” game-show host played by Martin Short. The problem I have with this seemingly okay sounding premise, is that the commercials for this series are fucking horrible. It’s a studio-audience multi-cam show, but still seems to have a laugh track? Every scene they’ve shown with Martin Short is beyond unfunny. I am so so worried. But John Mulaney  is a great writer, and Julie Klausner is also a contributing writer for the show so it should it be amazing! And yet…those ads…so bad. John Mulaney deserves better than this.

Misc Streaming Stuff:

• The Killing's last hurrah on Netflix
• Amazon Prime's new Whit Stillman comedy. This description below should be enough to make you want to drop everything to watch it!

The Cosmopolitans: It's a Whit Stillman show set in Paris, starring Adam Brody and Chloë Sevigny (among others) as American expats who drink wine and go to parties and lament things. It's very much how you'd think, which is to say: Mannered and tiny in scope; nostalgic, almost, even though it's set in the present day; and also sharply funny and a little dreamy.

Here are some links that you might find helpful to narrow down your own Fall TV choices -

Vulture's primetime schedule list

The Wire's predictions of how fast 2014 new shows will be canceled

2012 Oscar Death Race - It's The FINAL COUNTDOWN!

di da du du, di da du doot doot...

As the last days of the Oscar Death Race wind down, I am very proud to report that as of this writing I have seen 58 of this year's 61 Academy Award nominated films. FIFTY-EIGHT!!! And I only have 2 Oscar categories left to complete.
Back in January when the nominations came out, I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to get even close to 50 movies under my belt. But in just one month's time I have been able to see 28 movies. I don't know if people should be impressed or horrified by that statistic.

As I feared, the Foreign Language Film category has been my undoing. Israel's "Footnote" is supposedly opening this weekend in Seattle so I may be able to knock off another one before Sunday's ceremony, but it's not looking good. The other foreign entry I'm missing is a Belgian film called Bullhead which I have heard neither hide nor hare about whether it will ever show up in one of the art theaters here.
Finally, the other category that I haven't completed is Animated Feature. Damn you Chico & Rita! [Ed. note - I just got an email from a friend that Chico is supposedly available on Amazon on Demand. I will be checking this out tonight.]
So technically, annoying Belgian films aside, I could possibly complete the Death Race this weekend. I don't know if it's more annoying to be one film shy or to be 30.

I'm a film buff and glorified "movie dork", so I know this endeavor sounds crazy or ridiculous to most people. But just as I felt last year, doing the race has exposed me to some great films that I possibly wouldn't have seen or given a chance otherwise.
Last year's diamond was the Australian thriller Animal Kingdom, this year I think it might be the animated short The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Sigh...It was so good you guys.

And my favorite of the 61 nominated films you ask? Hmm, that's tough. It's probably a 3-way tie between Hugo, War Horse, and Pina.

Prequel to the Oscars!

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”


When most people hear the dulcet tones of Andy Williams’ voice singing this holiday classic, visions of Christmas trees and sparkly lights come to mind. These days I almost always connect the song with the beginning of the movie awards season.
The Film Critics have announced their favorites, and SAG made their nominations last week, and now it’s the Hollywood Foreign Press’ turn.

The 2011 Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning. And with this list, I can begin finalizing and planning my strategy for the upcoming Oscar Death Race, where I will again attempt to see every single film nominated for an Academy Award. Even though the Oscar noms won't be released for another month or so, the Golden Globes usually give me an idea of what to expect for some of the major categories.
 
The good thing is that I've already seen many of the nominated films. But I am a little worried about the Foreign Film category for the Globes. Except for one Spanish film, I haven't seen any of the nominated films. Eeek. I usually lock this category up during the summer at the Seattle International Film Festival where I get to see numerous foreign films and documentaries that wouldn't normally be available in even the trendiest of hipster art-houses here in Seattle. Hopefully Oscar will take a different route with their Foreign noms.
 

George Clooney was a big winner on many a list.Looks like I'll defninitely have to see The Descendants, The Artist, and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, all of which I already had on my to-do list. I'm still unsure about the Michael Fassbender duo or A Dangerous Method and Shame. Although since the latter features full-frontal nudity from Fassy, I can guarantee I'll be seeing that one anyway.
 
Let the movie cramming begin!!!

Fall TV 2011 - Returning "Favorites"

Just in time for premieres starting this week, let's talk about returning TV shows now -

Parenthood
Returns: September 13 at 10 PM on NBC
Why I’m still watching: I love the Bravermans! They are probably my favorite TV family. And Jason Ritter is back where he belongs after leaving to be on the failed dumb show The Event.

America's Next Top Model
Returns: September 14 at 9 PM on The CW
Why I’m still watching: It's All-Stars time! Transgendered Isis, drunk Lisa, Angelea "From The Block", sweet Laura and other bitches are back for more fighting and runway stomping. I still hate Tyra Banks with every fiber of my being, but damn if she can't produce an addictive show.

The Sing-Off
Returns: September 19 at 8 PM on NBC
Why I’m still watching: Nicole Scherzinger left for The X Factor and singer Sara Barielles has joined the judges panel instead, which should be a good thing because this show already has the good fortune of having the best reality competition judging on television. They're getting a major upgrade from short end-of-the-year filler to a full-on series but I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not - we'll see. Still, an acapella show choir competition? YES!!!!

How I Met Your Mother
Returns: September 19 at 8 PM on CBS
Why I’m still watching: Marshall and Lily's baby will arrive sometime during the season which may or may not ruin things; we presumably find out more about Barney's wedding; maybe we'll finally get an answer to who the fucking mother is?!! Not likely and even though I increasingly HATE Ted, I do still love Marshall and Lily and would happily watch a show that was just about them.

Hawaii Five-0
Returns: September 19 at 10 PM on CBS
Why I’m still watching: Terry O'Quinn is joining the cast! And from the commercials, it's obvious that McGarrett will get off the hook for the governor's murder. This show is like the television equivalent of rice krispy treats. Utterly uncomplicated and nicely tasty.

Glee
Returns: September 20 at 8 PM on Fox
Why I’m still watching: I'm one of the few folks out there seemingly (especially above the age of 30) that still finds this show delightful. Sure it has its hits and misses but generally it's one of the most enjoyable parts of my tv watching week. I seriously don't understand some of the criticism it takes. Anyway, I was really sad and a little annoyed to hear that Chord Overstreet wasn't coming back; not because I was particularly enamored with Trouty Mouth, but because his leaving means that we won't get a continued love story between him and Mercedes, which would have been a brave subject for this show to tackle. But I am excited to see how the writers deal with Kurt, Finn and Rachel's senior year. And since I didn't watch The Glee Project I'm interested to see how those kids are written in as well.

Raising Hope
Returns: September 20 at 9:30 PM on Fox
Why I’m still watching: Probably my favorite new show from last year. LOVE Martha Plimpton and Garrett Dillahunt as the funniest grandparents on tv.

Modern Family
Returns: September 21 at 9 PM on ABC
Why I’m still watching: If the Parenthood peeps are my favorite family on a TV drama, the Pritchett-Dunphy clan are my faves in the Comedy category. Love.

Happy Endings
Returns: September 21 at 9:30 PM on ABC
Why I’m still watching: It felt like I was one of the few people out there who caught this mid-season replacement show this past spring. I didn't want to like it but kind of ended up loving it by the end of its run. I thought for sure that ABC would've canceled it, but instead they brought it back for a new full season. ABC is weird you guys.

Law & Order: SVU
Returns: September 21 at 10 PM on NBC
Why I’m still watching: Christopher Meloni has left :-(, Mariska Hargitay is supposedly cutting back her amount of eps, and they've added a few new detectives that aren't Munch and Ice-T. Not to mention the fact that I'm still smarting over the loss of L&O:LA and Corey Stoll's beautiful moustache. So why am I still looking forward to this show? BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY ONE LEFT DAMMIT!!! I can't live on L&O reruns alone. Sigh...

Parks & Recreation
Returns: September 22 at 8:30 PM on NBC
Why I’m still watching: The more important question is - Why aren't YOU watching this phenomenal show?! The amount of friends that I have that refuse to watch the funniest show on television really upsets me. Yes, it was weak when it first started (3 fucking years ago); it's improved to surpass any other comedy on tv in terms of laughs, timing, acting, and writing. Get with the fucking program people.
This season we will meet Tammy 1 and Ron Swanson's mother. God help us.

Grey's Anatomy
Returns: September 15 at 9 PM on ABC (Note: a lot of web sites list the premiere date as 9/22 but I trust my Tivo)
Why I’m still watching: Because. I'm invested in these dumb gits at this point. And because I still think Justin Chambers and Eric Dane and their respective characters, Dr. Alex Karev and Dr. Mark Sloan, are effin' hot. And because I still find it amusing as a Seattle resident to see the outside location shots and where they supposedly have scenes taking place - Bainbridge Island is NOT West Seattle. And because it's one of the only things left that my dad and I can have conversations about without me wanting to murder him.

CSI: New York/CSI: Original Recipe aka Las Vegas
Returns: September 22 and 23 at 9 PM on CBS
Why I’m still watching: For the past several years NY has been the only part of the franchise that I've consistently watched so I feel sort of loyal. NY is coming back for an abbreviated season, and the premiere is supposedly going to tackle/pay tribute to 9/11 which might be maudlin and annoying or could be great. Las Vegas has Ted Danson taking over the lead reins from Laurence Fishburne which might be really cool so I'm going to at least watch the first couple of eps, at least until Jorja Fox annoys me too much (which might be within the initial 10 minutes).

Gossip Girl
Returns: September 26 at 8 PM on The CW
Why I’m still watching: I love these stupid, privileged wankers. Especially now that Jenny Humphreys and Vanessa Abrams are out of the damn picture.

Hung
Returns: October 2 at 10 PM on HBO
Why I’m still watching: The continuing struggles of part-time prostitute Ray are always fun to watch. Plus supposedly this season we're getting the full frontal male nudity that we've all(?) been clamoring for.

Dexter
Returns: October 2 at 9 PM on Showtime
Why I’m still watching: I'm not going to lie, last season (5) was kind of a let down for me. It was good, but coming after the incredible 4th season it just didn't hold up. But for season 6 they've moved the show a little into the future, about a year, and I think that will shake things up in a nice way. Edward James Olmos, Mos Def and Colin Hanks will be guest starring this time around. Can't wait.

Fall TV Schedule 2011 - NEW SHOWS

The brand new TV season is upon us and even though we no longer have to wade through the summer months without new programming, Fall Television is still just as exciting for this TV enthusiast as it was when I was a teenager.

In sort of chronological, premier date order, here are some of the new shows starting in the next several weeks that are on my radar:
Ringer
Premieres: September 13 at 9 PM on The CW
Who’s in it?: Sarah Michelle Geller, Kristoffer Polaha, Ioan Gruffudd, Nestor Carbonell
What’s the story? Sarah Michelle Gellar is back on my TV and it is about damn time! She's playing twin sisters, one a recovering addict stripper, and one a rich bitch with a secret. The rich one seemingly dies and the drug addict takes over her life because she’s hiding from the mob or something. Anyway, this reminds me a lot of this cheesy romance novel from the 80s that I LOVED by Judith Krantz. Plus I love Gellar and am intrigued to see her pull off “stripper”.

Up All Night
Premieres: September 14 at 10 PM on NBC
Who’s in it? Christina Applegate, Will Arnett, Maya Rudolph
What’s the story? Christina Applegate and Will Arnett play new parents coping with all of the typical baby shit (literally and figuratively). Maya Rudolph is Applegate's boss who doesn't understand why her employee can't be the party girl she was before having a kid. I fiercely love all 3 of the leads but I am so worried about the success of this show. It’s already been retooled and reshot TWICE. Eek. But I can’t understand how something featuring some of the funniest people on Earth can’t be fucking hilarious. It’s got to be good, right? But then the commercials are horrendous. Sigh…I don’t know what to think. I had the same worries about Parks & Recreation and that turned out alright. But on the other hand, I was right to trust my instincts on how bad Running Wilde was last season. Ok, now I’m starting to sound like a crazy person so I’ll stop now.

The Secret Circle
Premieres: September 15 at 9 PM on The CW
Who’s in it?: Britt Robertson, Thomas Dekker, Gale Harold, Phoebe Tonkin, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Shelly Hennig, Louis Hunter, Ashley Crow, Natasha Henstridge
What’s the story? Based on a book series by teen lit author L.J. Smith, about witches and a new generation of powerful young teens who seemed cursed or destined to follow in their parents footsteps. I don't know. Of all of the new shows that intrigue me, this is the one that I care about the least. I'll record the premier but I don't know past that.

2 Broke Girls
Premieres: September 19 at 8:30 PM on CBS
Who’s in it?: Beth Behrs, Kat Dennings
What’s the story? The whole rich girl/poor girl trying to deal with each other as co-workers and roommates storyline. I don’t know, it’s gotten good reviews from a bunch of people whose opinion I trust. Plus I like Kat Dennings.

The Playboy Club
Premieres: September 19 at 10 PM on NBC
Who’s in it?: Eddie Cibrian, Amber Heard, Laura Benanti, David Krumholtz, Naturi Naughton, Leah Renee, Jenna Dewan, Wes Ramsey
What’s the story? The show takes place in the mid-late 60s during the Club’s heyday. I believe this show focuses on the L.A. club with Cibrian playing the lead as the club manager. From the commercials there looks to be a lot of shady mob-like dealings etc. happening and bunnies being evil. I love Eddie Cibrian to a fault as I’ve mentioned several times before. So I’m on board automatically with any new project he has on tv. I just don’t know if The Playboy Club will be able to survive Eddie’s “show killer” mojo.

New Girl
Premieres: September 20 at 9 PM on Fox
Who’s in it?: Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Damon Wayans Jr(?), Hannah Simone
What’s the story? Deschanel’s character Jess finds her boyfriend cheating on her and ends up being roommates with 3 guys who are going to show her how to get a new man despite being retardedly quirky, or something. I don’t know, I find Zooey charming and likable but the promos for this show make me homicidal. And I still don’t understand the deal with Damon Wayans Jr.; is he on this dumb show or is he still on Happy Endings which ABC renewed for next season? It’s annoying that they feel that they can just replace one “black guy” with another and think that we won’t notice? **eyeroll**

Revenge
Premieres: September 21 at 10 PM on ABC
Who’s in it?: Emily VanCamp, Madeleine Stowe, Gabriel Mann, Henry Czerny, Ashley Madekwe, Nick Wechsler, Josh Bowman, Christa B. Allen, Connor Paolo
What’s the story? Oy Emily VanCamp. I only rarely like her. This time around she’s been cast as a manipulative young woman out to get revenge on the snooty Hamptonites who used her father as a scandal scapegoat and maybe caused his death? and ruined her life. The previews seem crazy! In a really wonderful way. And I love Madeleine Stowe so I’ll definitely set a season pass for this one and see how it goes.

Charlie's Angels
Premieres: September 22 at 8 PM on ABC
Who’s in it?: Annie Ilonzeh, Minka Kelly, Rachael Taylor, Ramon Rodriguez
What’s the story? If you have to ask this question then you are not my friend and need to stop reading this blog. It’s Charlie’s FUCKING Angels! Once upon a time there were 3 beautiful girls who went to the police academy, and they were all assigned very “hazardous” duties. But mysterious, super wealthy philanthropist Charlie Townsend “took them away from all of that” and now they work for him as private investigators – he gives them orders, Bosley keeps them in check, they kick ass and take names and have lovely hair. The end. I’m beyond excited about this reboot of one of my all-time favorite television shows. I love Minka Kelly, who is obviously playing the Kelly Garrett role, and the idea of having the first Black Angel in the “Sabrina” role is very exciting. If I’d had that on my tv screen in 1978 who knows what I could’ve become. The third angel is being played by that annoying blond that played Dr. Lucy Fields on Gray’s Anatomy who I hated, but I’m hoping she grows on me with this role. Either way – it’s Charlie’s Angels! It doesn’t matter who’s in it – I’m watching it.

Person of Interest
Premieres: September 22 at 9 PM on CBS
Who’s in it?: Jim Caviezel, Micahel Emerson, Taraji P. Henson
What’s the story? Umm, I’ve read the plot description of this show several times and I still don’t think I fully understand it. Ben from Lost is a guy who gets Social Security numbers of people who may end up committing or being the victims of crime? And my boyfriend Jim Caviezel is anti-government dude who helps him out? But only reluctantly? And is on the run from the government for something else? I don’t know. Did I mention how in love I am with Jim Caviezel and his weird voice and dreamy eyeballs?

Prime Suspect
Premieres: September 22 at 10 PM on NBC
Who’s in it?: Maria Bello, Kirk Acevedo, Aidan Quinn, Joe Nieves, Brian O'Byrne, Dmaon Gupton, Tim Griffin, Peter Gerety
What’s the story? Peter Berg (who can do no wrong in my book) is behind this US remake of the legendary BBC series that starred Helen Mirren. Bello steps into the tough female cop lead role, dealing with misogynistic colleagues who think she slept her way to the top and bosses who don't respect her. I was a huge fan of the original show, and I have high hopes for this one.

A Gifted Man
Premieres: September 23 at 8 PM on CBS
Who’s in it?: Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Ehle, Margo Martindale, Pablo Schreiber
What’s the story? I’ll be tuning into this show for the first couple of eps because of the cast. I LOVE Patrick Wilson and want to have a million of his babies and hope that he finds a way to sing in at least one episode. I also love Margo Martindale. But the plot of this drama seems DUMB. Wilson plays a brain surgeon who was an asshole but then starts helping out the less fortunate when he starts seeing visions of his dead ex-wife? Iiiiiiiii don’t know about this one.

Pan Am
Premieres: September 25 at 10 PM on ABC
Who’s in it?: Christina Ricci, Kelli Garner, Karine Vanasse, Margot Robbie, Mike Vogel, Michael Mosley
What’s the story? High off the success of Mad Men, shows like The Playboy Club and this series about Pan Am stewardesses are trying to capitalize on the new popularity of “The 1960s”. Confession – I love the stylized look of the old-fashioned flight attendants. It’s all so “Catch Me If You Can”. But this show also kind of looks dumb.

Terra Nova
Premieres: September 26, at 8 PM on Fox
Who’s in it?: Jason O'Mara, Shelley Conn, Landon Liboiron, Allison Miller, Naomi Scott, Alana Mansour
What’s the story? Fox and their relentless promotion of this damn show wore me down. I was staunchly NOT going to watch this show that seemed like an Avatar rip-off, complete with actors in it from that stupid film. But then I saw started paying attention to some of the 14,000 commercials that kept running for it and I became intrigued. And I do like Jason O’Mara and his arms. So anyway, sometime in the future, our planet is dying, so a handful of people get sent back in time to an era with dinosaurs. But I don’t know how this is supposed to save present-day Earth? Whatever, I’ll give it 2 episodes to get me.

Hart of Dixie
Premieres: September 26 at 9 PM on The CW
Who’s in it?: Rachel Bilson, Jamie King, Wilson Bethel, Cress Williams, McKaley Miller, Scott Porter
What’s the story? Remember that stupid movie with Michael J. Fox called “Doc Hollywood”? Well in this tv version Bilson’s character is named Zoe Hart is a cardio-thoracic surgeon (yes, Dr. Hart is a heart doctor) who loses out on a dream internship and has to move down south (Dixie, get it?) to take a job as a general practitioner and deal with Southerners who can't relate to her big city ways. Um, I don’t know why I’m interested in this show at all except that I like Rachel Bilson and want to see her succeed in something other than commercial for ice cream bars.

Suburgatory
Premieres: September 28 at 8:30 PM on ABC
Who’s in it?: Jeremy Sisto, Jane Levy, Carly Chaikin, Allie Grant, Alan Tudyk, Cheryl Hines, Rex Lee
What’s the story? Jeremy Sisto stars as an over-protective single father who freaks out that his only daughter might be having sex, so he moves them out of the dangerous New York City and into the suburbs where he's hot property and she's immediately picked on by mean girls. I love the hell out of Jeremy Sisto and am intrigued by the idea of him in a comedy.

Homeland
Premieres: October 2 at 10 PM on Showtime
Who’s in it?: Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Damian Lewis, Morena Baccarin
What’s the story? A thriller involving an American POW who had been held captive for most of a decade in I think what’s supposed to be Afghanistan or Iraq and has now returned home. Danes plays a CIA officer who suspects that he's working for the other side. I used to loathe Claire Danes, but I’m slowly admiring her acting in the last few projects she’s done. And I love Mandy and Damian so I’m on bored for the whole season of this show. A perfect follow-up after Dexter.

Mad Fashion
Premieres: October 4 at 10 PM on Bravo
Who’s in it?: Chris March
What’s the story? Chris March of Project Runway fame has his own show that features the CA RAYYYZEEE designs he does for the rich and famous. He's expanding beyond Sonja Morgan which is awesome in my book. And seriously I just love this teddy bear and am interested to seeing how he is as a boss.

American Horror Story
Premieres: October 5 on FX
Who’s in it?: Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott, Shelby Young, Frances Conroy Alexandra Breckenridge, Denis O'Hare, Jessica Lange
What’s the story? From Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck (Nip/Tuck and Glee) a show about a family that moves into a haunted house. The plot sounds so stupid but I’ve never not liked a show from these two guys, and the commercials are great. AND look at the cast

2011 Emmy Nominations - Who got robbed? Where did they get it right?

Sorry I've been away so long; too busy with work and catching up on the hundred of hours of TV recorded on my Tivo to be able to take time to blog.
I was too busy earlier this week laughing my ass off at the Emmy promo video with Joel McHale and Melissa McCarthy to remember that the nominations were coming out on Thursday, so this commentary is a little late, but I don't care.
Below are the 2011 Emmy nominations with my comments:

BEST DRAMA SERIES
Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Mad Men

Eh, we're off to a fairly good start. It's nice to see a nom for Game of Thrones. And one could only expect FNL to get one because they're in their final season. The Good Wife and Mad Men also had critically and audience acclaimed seasons. My problems here? As much as I love Dexter, last season wasn't that great (I mean seriously it was hard to top the superlative season 4) and I f'in hate Boardwalk Empire. Justify should have totally taken one of these places in the list!

BEST COMEDY SERIES
Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office
30 Rock
Parks and Recreation

Woohoo! Parks and Recreation got nominated! I know some are up in arms about Community not getting a nod, but seriously that show isn't as funny as y'all think it is. I'm fine with these nominations full stop. If only Parks & Rec would win.

BEST DRAMA ACTOR
Timothy Olyphant, Justified
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House

Hugh Laurie? Again? For this pitiful, lame, past season of House? No, just no. I've never even seen this damn show but I know Laurie doesn't deserve a nomination this year.

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Kathy Bates, Harry's Law
Mariska Hargitay, SVU
Mirelle Enos, The Killing
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

No Kyra Sedgwick this year for The Closer? harumph. No Katey Sagal for Sons of Anarchy? As much as I love Mariska Hargitay (and will never tire of the joy of saying her name aloud), giving her a nomination every year is becoming rote and unnecessary.

BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly
Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope
Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation

Not one single problem with these nominations. Well, I still think Nurse Jackie is a drama NOT a comedy, but I definitely think Falco deserves recognition for her work as Jackie. Amy or Martha FTW please!

BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Steve Carell, The Office
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Louie C.K., Louie

The nominating committee really did a great job with the lead comedy acting categories because I also love these noms. Especially the one for Louie C.K.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY
Chris Colfer, Glee
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Ed O’Neill, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

Unlike a lot of people, I'm still just as much in love with Modern Family and its cast as I was the first season, so I was really pleased with season all four of the guys from this gem get a nom. I hate the fucking "Men" show, but Cryer getting a nomination is probably well deserved. And I even though I do not understand why everyone loves Chris Colfer so much, his nomination in this category is also expected. BUT I think that Nick Offerman deserved a nomination for his Ron Swanson from Parks & Rec.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Walton Goggins, Justified
John Slattery, Mad Men
Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age

This category is all about Dinklage and Goggins for me. Love them both, and hope it's a tie so that they both get a statuette.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY
Jane Lynch, Glee
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock

Fawking Betty White does not deserve a damn nomination for that decidedly UNFUNNY crap show. Betty White as a person is awesome but this blind love for her where she just gets accolades handed to her has to stop. Merritt Wever should've been nominated for Nurse Jackie instead! I'm fine with the other noms. When was the last time you saw a SNL cast member get a nomination though? That's the power of Bridesmaids for ya'.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Margo Martindale, Justified
Michelle Forbes, The Killing
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men

The two Good Wife nods, and my fave Margo Martindale are deserving nominations. The other 3? Hendricks is fine I guess, although this past season of Mad Men didn't give her much to work with. But Forbes and Macdonald? Their characters are easily the most annoying parts of their respective shows. If Martindale doesn't win this I will be PISSED.

OUTSTANDING MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Cinema Verite
Downton Abbey
The Kennedys
Mildred Pierce
The Pillars of the Earth
Too Big to Fail

Yay for Downton Abbey! Boo for The Kennedys! All of the others are fine.

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS, MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Diane Lane, Cinema Verite
Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Taraji P. Henson, Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story
Jean Marsh, Upstairs Downstairs

Um, is this "Taken" thing a Lifetime movie? Because the title certainly sounds like it. For some reason I'm surprised about McGovern's nomination here. Not that she wasn't great in Downton, just that I kind of thought of her as more supporting than lead. But who would want to go against  Dame Maggie in the supporting category?!
                   
OUTSTANDING ACTOR, MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Edgar Ramirez, Carlos
Greg Kinnear, The Kennedys
Barry Pepper, The Kennedys
Idris Elba, Luther
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
William Hurt, Too Big to Fail

No problems here I guess, except, didn't Carlos come out a million years ago? And didn't Ramirez win the Golden Globe and the SAG for this role? So how the hell is he eligible? CONFUSED.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS, MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce
Melissa Leo, Mildred Pierce
Mare Winningham, Mildred Pierce
Eileen Atkins, Upstairs Downstairs

Just go ahead and give the Emmy to Maggie Smith now. Eileen Atkins was also awesome. Feisty old English grandmas FTW!

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR, MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Tom Wilkinson, The Kennedys
Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
Brian F. O'Byrne, Mildred Pierce
Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
James Woods, Too Big to Fail

ZzzzzZzzz predictable. Don't care at all about any of these people.

BEST VARIETY SERIES
The Colbert Report
Conan
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Real Time with Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live

Again, predictable but it's nice to see Conan get a nod and not Jay.

OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM
Hoarders

Antiques Roadshow
Deadliest Catch
Mythbusters
Undercover Boss
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List

Go Antiques, go Antiques! No seriously, these all seem like deserving contenders.

OUTSTANDING REALITY COMPETITION
The Amazing Race
American Idol
So You Think You Can Dance
Top Chef

SYTYCD got a nomination finally for something other than choreography!

OUTSTANDING HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race
Ryan Seacrest, American Idol
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars
Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance
Jeff Probst, Survivor

My beloved Cat Deeley FINALLY got a nomination! So ecstatic that the Emmy voters finally pulled their heads out of their asses. If Probst or Seacrest wins again I will be really fucking annoyed.

OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SPECIAL
Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On
Carrie Fisher in Wishful Drinking
The Kennedy Center Honors
Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden
The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway

I surprisingly have seen all of the nominees this year. And I think except for the Kennedy Center they were all produced by HBO? Anyway, I'd like to see Carrie or Paul take it.

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Episodes, "Episode 107"
Louie, "Poker/Divorce"
Modern Family, "Caught in the Act"
The Office, "Good-bye Michael"
30 Rock, "Reaganing"

Good choices for Episodes, Modern Family, and Louie. But there were much funnier episodes this season for the Office and 30 Rock. And what about Parks and Recreation?!

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Friday Night Lights, "Always"
Game of Thrones, "Baelor"
The Killing, "Pilot"
Mad Men, "The Suitcase"
Mad Men, "Blowing Smoke"

It always bugs me when a show gets more than one nomination in the writing categories. I feel like they should limit it to one each. I don't know why I don't feel the same way for the acting categories, but I don't. I could think of at least 7 episodes of Justified that could've and should've been nominated.

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES
The Colbert Report
Conan
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Saturday Night Live

No surprises in these nominations, but I would love to see someone other than The Daily Show writers win for once.

I have to say, I am pretty darn excited for September to roll around to see who wins. And Jane Lynch is hosting so that should be awesome.

Dissecting SIFF 2011 - Part 2

Continuing on with reviews and thoughts about this year's SIFF:

Young Goethe In Love  Germany - I didn't know much about Goethe before seeing this film. I knew he was a writer sometime in like the 18th century? and that his name is used by super prententious people to make others feel lame. After seeing this gorgeously shot period piece about the life and times of young Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, I still can't say I know much about him, but boy did I enjoy the 2 hours of getting to know him a little. This film is so lush; a great romance told very sweetly with humor and pathos. Alexander Fehling who plays are hero Goethe is spectacular. I would consider buying this film if/when it gets released digitally.

Saigon Electric  Vietnam - This movie might be the standout of this year's festival for me. I had SO MUCH FUN watching this tale of disenfranchised youth in modern-day Saigon who are struggling to keep their dreams and hopes alive. It combines hip-hop dance battles and romance with a touching and sometimes sad story of poverty, alienation, loss, and loneliness. It was fresh and vibrant. After the screening I got to hang out with the American director Stephane Gauger (who is of Vietnamese descent) and he was great. This wonderful film is making the rounds of the festivals now, but it's scheduled for a wider release in the fall. See it if you can!!

The Names of Love   France - Gosh, French films can be wacky. But also so much fun. This comedic love story with a political bent was both. Sara Forestier plays Baya, a very promiscuous young political activist of mixed Algerian-French descent who is so far on the left she has made it her mission to seduce conservatives in order to convert them to her politics (see? French wackiness!). Her magic fails to work on our protagonist Arthur (played with great aplomb by Jacques Gamblin), a middle-aged Libertarian bird-flu expert she meets. The son of a French father and a Jewish mother, Arthur is, like Baya, an “outsider” in the increasingly intolerant France of Nicolas Sarkozy. Forestier and Gamblin are perfect in their roles in this intelligent and fun satire.

Salvation Boulevard   USA - This hilarious satire focuses on the evangelical movement in United States, and the hypocrisy and deceit that's often found in these religious cultures. Starring Pierce Brosnan as the pastoral leader of the Church of the Third Millenium, one of those new mega-churches with thousands of loyal followers including Carl (Greg Kinnear), an ex-Dead head pot dealer who "found the light" and a new wife and step-daughter through the church. Hijinks ensue when Brosnan's Pastor Dan accidentally shoots a philosophical rival of his and tries to put the blame on Carl. Good performances by all.

Amador  Spain - Amazing work by Magaly Solier as the lead character Marcela, a pregnant and panicked home care aide to the aging Amador. Really well paced and acted by everyone.

Love Crime  France - All About Eve meets Double Indemnity set in the high-powered competitive advertising world. So good. Kristin Scott Thomas kicks all sorts of ass (as usual) playing the powerful and rich advertising president Christine; I guess she's just exclusively doing French films now? It's disconcerting sometimes to not hear her speaking in English. Newcomer Ludivine Sagnier brings the main character of Isabelle to life and infuses her with so many different traits and personalities you don't know whether to love, hate, pity, or laugh at her. Excellent thriller.

Service Entrance  France - See what I mean about the amount of French films I saw this year? I LOVED this movie. A delightful upstairs/downstairs comedy of manners set in 1960s Paris. It should be rentable soon if you can't find it a your local art-house theater.

Killing Bono U.K. - Fun fun fun. A comedy based on Neil McCormick's true memoir about his time as a young man srtuggling to be a rockstar in late 70s Dublin. His band Yeah! Yeah! (later re-named Shook Up!), sadly, came to naught, while his rivals in The Hype changed their name to U2, and, well, the rest is history. Starring the immensely likeable Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian from The Chronicles of Narnia) as McCormick, the film depicts his constantly frustrated hopes while rubbing salt in their wounds by painting their bitter rival Bono as—annoyingly—a pretty decent guy.

Romeos  Germany - One of my top films from this year's festival. Set in Cologne, Germany, it tells the story of young transgendered man named Lukas, who is at a new university and reconnecting with an old friend of his from home when he was a "she". Lukas is also making new friends like Fabio, a gay lothario who seems so comfortable in his skin and his identity, that's like catnip to Lukas. Tensions arise as Lukas falls in love with Fabio and has to decide if and how much to reveal about his gender past. I can't tell you how moving this film was. I hope it can eventually get a wide enough distribution that a lot of people can see it.

Dissecting SIFF 2011 - Part 1

I'm really late with these posts. By like almost 2 weeks. In fact, I had every intention of posting same-day reviews of each film that I saw during the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), but obviously I was too lazy for that.

This year I saw 21 movies during the 3 week long festival. And unlike previous years, I didn't have to cram these viewings into weekends where I force myself to see 4 movies in one day. Because I was out on FMLA recovering from surgery, I had a lot of free time on my hands. And sitting in a movie theater was easy to do and didn't require a lot of exertion that would bust my stitches open.
Anyway, this was an interesting SIFF for me because I didn't see many films from Spain. I usually end up seeing at least 4 Spanish films (I guess I like them?) but this year I only saw two. In fact, this was the first SIFF where I ended up seeing more American films than foreign films. A definite first. And I saw a lot of comedies which I usually avoid at SIFF.
Here's the first rundown of what I saw this year. I'm throwing it out randomly but also sort of in viewing date order.

First, I'll lump together the documentaries that I saw, all produced from the United States:

Page One: Documentarian Andrew Rossi set up his cameras for one year inside the New York Times’ newsroom, with unprecedented access and insight into the paper’s operations. The doc show not only how new media is impacting the Times, but also how the paper reports on its own industry’s demise is a frank way. Everyone in the theater with me LOVED this film but I kind of didn't feeel that it was that great. Maybe I was just in a bad mood.

The Interrupters: From the guy that did Hoop Dreams, this doc told the story of inner city and gang violence in Chicago; focusing on three kids who are trying to make a difference. I won't lie, I cried like a baby in parts of this. Really well done, but you have to be in a certain mood to enjoy it I think.

Being Elmo: I saw this documentary on the last day of the festival, at the last minute, literally deciding to go 10 minutes before the show started because I happen to be driving by the theater it was showing in on my way home from dinner. I had purposely avoided the other showings that the film had had because I really really really hate Elmo. But you know what? I'm sort of in love with Kevin Clash, Elmo's famed "Muppeteer". The movie is an in-depth portrait of Clash and how he came to be one of  the most famous puppeteers of all time. Charming.

• High Road U.S. - Matt Walsh is one of my favorite comedians. And I really wish he had acted in this film that he acted and directed. I really enjoyed the story and a lot of the performances, but there were part of it where it was really obvious that the dialogue was entirely improvised. Someone like Rob Riggle or Ed Helms is going to kill it, but other actors made some of the scenes really drag. Newcomer Zach Woods was kind of awesome as the 16 yr old kid that is one of the centers of the film.
• Womb Germany - Oh boy. This movie was so messed up. I mean it was well crafted; but such a mind-fuck. Starring an entirely British cast, including Eva Green (Casino Royale) and Matt Smith (Dr. Who), if there was any SIFF film this year that I definitely would NOT see again it would be this one. Again, it was well acted and beautifully shot, but boy is the story creepy.
• Crying Out Canada (Quebec) - This was the first of two films I saw at SIFF out of Quebec, and dang, it's right what they say about the Quebecquois being radically different from the rest of Canada. This is a film about MEN, and men's EMOTIONS, and it is dark. So dark. It's about 3 generations of men who are struggling with various problems, including the protagonist Jo (dad, the middle generation) who is newly widowed and not handling it well, resulting in him committing a series of petty crimes that his adult son and his father try and cover up for him. I really liked the performances of the actors that played the son (Patrick Hivon) and the grampa (Jean Lapointe) and elements of the story are good, but I just couldn't get past how bleak everything was; and I think it was supposed to be a comedy?
• Beginners U.S. - This was probably the most high profile of the movies I saw this year at SIFF. And this is one of the first to have a major distributor and already be out in theaters. See this film if/when it comes to your town. I loved it. It stars Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer as a father (Hal) and son (Oliver) dealing with death, illness, and love. The story is told through two intertwining stories: in the present day, Oliver meets Anna, an alluring French actress who captivates him and gives him a way to heal from the recent and devastating loss of  father, which has happened soon after losing his mother to cancer. As Oliver grows closer to Anna, he is still hung up on the deep emotions that erupted when, at age 75, shortly after the death of his wife, Oliver’s dad Hal came out of the closet. The second story we see in flashback as Hal, disregarding his advanced years and a diagnosis of terminal cancer, gleefully embraces his senior bon vivant lifestyle; hitting the clubs, buying a new wardrobe, and, dating a man half his age. Throughout the film, these two narratives subtly illuminate each other, as Oliver strives to learn from his father’s profound lessons on hope, courage, and love. Did I forget to mention that there's also an adorable dog in the movie? A couple of other things - Christopher Plummer is still just as charming and great looking at age 82 as he's ever been. I didn't think it was possible for Goran Visnjic to be unattractive, but he is in this film as Hal's boyfriend. Also, coincidentally Visnjic and Plummer are both going to be in the upcoming US version of The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo which I'm very excited about. Finally, Ewan McGregor and director Mike Mills were at the SIFF screening of Beginners that I went to. McGregor is hot in person y'all.
• Natural Selection U.S. - This was a funny and entertaining movie, even if it didn't resonate with me that much or surprise me in any way. It stars comedian Rachael Harris as a Linda, a Christian housewife who is struggling to get pregnant who after her husband suffers a stroke, finds out about a secret adult son that her husband fathered. He asks her to track down his this son, a mullet-haired, drug-addled, escape convict named Raymond. The movie turns into a wacky road movie as Linda and Raymond travel back to grant Abe’s final wish. They form a bizarre relationship that changes them both dramatically. Natural Selection took the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at this year’s SXSW. And Matt O'Leary as Raymond was kind of a revelation.
• Jucy Australia -  Oh god, I loved this movie. Director Louise Alton tells a warm-hearted story set in Brisbane about BFFs Jackie and Lucy, (played by newcomers Cindy Nelson and Francesca Gasteen, real-life best friends who created the characters together), aka Jucy. The friendship is chronicled set against a story about them auditioning and putting on a production of Jane Eyre with their local community theater. You guys, this movie is like "AbFab" meets "Muriel's Wedding" for the new millenium. So charming and relatable and fun. I really hope it gets a wide distribution because everyone should get a chance to see it.

Oscar Death Race 2011 - One week left

As mentioned previously, I'm participating in an Oscar Death Race to see if I can watch all 56 Academy Award nominated films for 2011.
I started out with a good base of 21 of the 56 movies under my belt, and I've slowly made my way to my current tally of 42 movies. I never expected to complete all 56, and even though I expect to knock out a few more in the coming days, I know I won't make it, but it's been really fun getting this close to the goal.
127 Hours*

Alice in Wonderland
Animal Kingdom
Another Year
Barney's Version
Biutiful
Black Swan*
Blue Valentine
The Confession
Country Strong
The Crush
Day & Night
Dogtooth
Exit Through the Gift Shop
The Fighter*
GasLand
God of Love
The Gruffalo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I
Hereafter
How To Train Your Dragon
I Am Love
The Illusionist
In A Better World
Incendies
Inception*
Inside Job
Iron Man 2
The Kids Are All Right*
Killing In The Name
The King's Speech*
Let's Pollute
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, a Journey Diary
Na Wewe
Outside The Law
Poster Girl
Rabbit Hole
Restrepo
Salt
The Social Network*
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
Tangled
The Tempest
The Town
Toy Story 3*
TRON Legacy
True Grit*
Unstoppable
The Warriors of Qiugang
Waste Land
The Way Back
Winter's Bone*
Wish 143
Wolfman

2011 Oscars - Nominations, Death Races, and Opinions

It's one of my favorite times of the year! The 2011 Academy Awards nominations were announced this morning. Considering how whack-ass the noms were for the Golden Globes this year, I was worried that we were going to have some awful choices for Oscar nominations, but that didn't come to pass and for the most part I am very pleased.
A lot of the categories are sort of no-brainers for me (just give Christian Bale and Aaron Sorkin their Oscars now), but the category I'm the most excited and torn about is Best Supporting Actress. How am I supposed to choose between Melissa Leo and Amy Adams's performances in The Fighter, much less having the awesome Hailee Steinfeld in the mix to complicate things.

Sarah Bunting at TomatoNation is also doing her annual Oscar Death Race, and this year I'm going to participate. Every year I try (and usually succeed) to see every film nominated for Best Picture, and as I suspected yesterday, I've already seen all of the Best Pic noms for 2011. Woo hoo!
So I was definitely feeling the need to up my game a bit, and this year's Death Race with its 56 movies nominated in 24 categories is right up my alley. Will I succeed in seeing all 56 films? Probably not. Wolfman is after all one of them. But I'm going to try my damndest. As of day one I've already seen 21 out of the 56 movies, and completed 10 of the 24 categories.


Wish me luck! Or better yet, join me in the fun.

2010 Year-End Musings

As I started to gather my thoughts around the 2010 year’s end, I looked back on blog posts that I made back in the beginning of January and am startled at the similarities to what I’m feeling/thinking currently.

Let’s see – I was complaining about how shitty a year 2009 had been (2010 has proven to be even more tumultuous); I was sick (I still am); dealing with old and/or infirm pets (still); and as I enter what will be the third year in my “new” house, I still haven’t adjusted or settled into it.
So were there any highlights in 2010? Well, maybe a few.

My top 5 Music Moments:

• The dominance of Ray LaMontagne in my life; especially his song "Let It Be Me"
• Songs from Glee – I couldn’t get enough of them. They made me love a Katy Perry song for crissakes!
• Rediscovering the Little River Band after finding an old greatest hits cd buried in the trunk of my car. Move over Journey, LRB is my new karaoke go-to band.
• Succumbing to Lady Gaga fever after resisting for two years
• After decades of singing it in the shower and to myself in the mirror, finally performing “Where Is It Written?” from Yentl for a live audience in November 2010.

Top 2010 Movie Moments:

Never Let Me Go – quietly devastating

Inception - Clever and captivating

Brotherhood – harshly beautiful

Hipsters – amazing snapshot of 1950’s Russia

Black Swan – seriously and gloriously f*cked up


Top 2010 TV:

• The WINTER OLYMPICS! And I actually got to go to Vancouver, albeit by my sad and lonely self, to see a couple of skiing events.
• The SYTYCD All-Stars season which brought Pasha, Allison, Ade, Mark, and Neil back into my life.
• New series – Modern Family, Justified, The Choir, Sherlock Holmes, Huge

Top 2010 Reading:

1. The Hunger Games trilogy came into my life
2. I got a Kindle!
3. The continued awesomeness of Melissa De La Cruz's young-adult vampire books the Blue Bloods series. It kicks all sorts of Twilight ass.
4. Lest you think I only read YA lit, I also enjoyed Pulitzer and National Book Award winners Tinkers, Great House, and The Imperfectionists

In 2010 I also participated with thousands of others in attempting to complete a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I didn’t make it, but it was a great experience nonetheless.

For the past 3 years I’ve said that the coming the year couldn’t possibly be worse than the one that I just lived through, and then that year has tried its best to prove me wrong. I truly hope that 2011, a year filled with mystical and powerful numerological importance, will be the year of healing and happiness.

Happy New Year everyone!