So busy

I don't mean to derail the True Blood momentum - and, in fact, I have watched the next two episodes and will get to recapping them soonish - but there's some other stuff I've read and watched recently that is pretty damn good.  (And, frankly, when compared to True Blood, very damn good.)  Take a gander and let me know if you've partaken of any of these.

• Black Mirror - A satirical British science fiction anthology series from the mind of Charlie Booker, Black Mirror is a dark and twisted treat.  Each episode - and there are only a few - has a different story and a different cast, and all of them involve technology that is not that far away from us right now.  As an X-Files, Fringe and Twilight Zone fan, as well as a fan of dystopian fiction, it's like this show was made for me.  It's got a great cast too, which made it great fun to recognize people (from Sense8, Agent Carter and the U.K. version of Skins, among others).  
• Howl's Moving Castle - I read the book.  I don't think I even realized there was a book and thought it was just the acclaimed Miyazaki animated movie.  But no, it was a book first, by British author Diana Wynne Jones.  It's a lightweight YA fantasy novel about Sophie, the eldest of three sisters and, in the world of fairy tales, thus doomed to a boring and unfulfilled life.  When Sophie inadvertently pisses off the Witch of the Waste, the Witch turns her into an old woman.  Her only chance at breaking the spell is the Wizard Howl, he of the titular moving castle.  Sophie insinuates herself into Howl's household and then the adventures begin.  Howl's Moving Castle is stuffed full of fire demons, jilted lovers, fancy outfits, animated scarecrows and plain old magic.  I got sucked in against my will and now I'm just going to have to move the movie up to the top of my Netflix queue.
• Doctor Who - It wasn't as though I was actively resisting Doctor Who, I just figured that I needed a chunk of time to watch a bunch of episodes in a row to really gain appreciation for it.  Everything I have read said that the 2005 revival, with Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor, is a good place to start - that those of us new Whovians don't really need to delve into the classic episodes.  I'm almost all the way through the series (I understand that Eccleston only played the Doctor for the one series) and I'm really quite liking it.  It has some fairly scary monsters for such a silly show (the Dalek, the Empty Child zombies, the Autons).  I have a big ol' girl crush on Bille Piper, who plays the Doctor's companion, Rose.  And Eccleston does a very nice job with the Doctor: he's got some darkness to him, this incarnation.  Good fun.  I'm anxious to finish out this series and see what fan-favorite David Tennant does with it.
• The Revolution was Televised  - This non-fiction book by Alan Sepinwall covers the shows that changed television into the amazing landscape that we now know it to be.  Sepinwall discusses in detail the following shows, which include several of my all-time favorites:  Oz (which I now have to watch), The Sopranos, The Wire (which I definitely have to watch), Deadwood (love love love), The Shield, LOST, Buffy the Vampire Slayers (!!!!!!!!!), 24, Battlestar Galactica (love love love), Friday Night Lights (love), Mad Men (it's on my list) and Breaking Bad (love love love).  Those are some seriously excellent shows right there.  The Revolution was Televised is easy to read, packed with information and interview tidbits and just fascinating to any of us who love good television.  Highly recommended.
• Mr. Robot - I also watched USA's Mr. Robot which is just great.  Rami Malek, as main guy Elliott Alderson, is phenomenal as the brilliant, damaged untrustworthy narrator.  The plot moves along quickly - a hacker group, fSociety, is looking to take down the largest corporation (Evil Corp) in the world, thus fomenting chaos - but it's the character beats that are the most compelling.  Great stuff and a wonderful change of pace from USA's usual blue sky programming.

Mini movie review: John Carter

Mr. Mouse rolled his eyes when I said I'd watched Disney's much-maligned, money pit of a movie, John Carter: "I heard that movie was TERRIBLE."  It wasn't fantastic but I don't think it entirely deserved the thrashing it got, especially when viewed as an homage to all the space operas that have gone before.  Pluswhich, I feel like I was obligated to watch it as a Utah resident: much of the Mars scenes were shot in the crazy rock and desert terrain of southern Utah.  The river scenes, shot on location on Lake Powell, were particularly spectacular.  In no particular order, here are some random observations:

• The movie is way too long at nearly two hours.  It starts off slowly (read: I may have nearly nodded off) but picks up once John Carter gets to Mars.
• I always approve of a shirtless Taylor Kitsch.
• Lynn Collins more than holds her own as an ass-kicking Martian princess and her costumes should be held up there alongside Leia's gold bikini.
• The CGI is pretty well done, especially the Tharks and that ADORABLE dog/lizard (Woola?).
• The plotting gets muddled and the dialogue is at times incomprehensible, particularly since Kitsch tends to mumble.  With a movie like this, though, I'm not sure plot and dialogue are all that important.
• I'm trying to decide if I should read the source material.
• I think the Powers that Be did this movie a big disservice by removing the "of Mars" from the title.  John Carter of Mars gives the uninitiated a clue that "hey! this is a science fiction flick!"  Just John Carter could be about anything.

Movie review: ... Wolverine

Yes, I went to see the testosterone fest that is X-Men Origins: Wolverine on opening day, but I went for a matinee so that decreases my fangrrl status a little. Plus I'm really only a fan of the pretty actors, not the comics characters themselves. There is plenty of muscle-bound eye candy in Wolverine, which is good, because the movie itself is sort of eh.

I'm not going to rehash the plot. Blah blah origin story blah blah how little James Howlett became Logan got his adamantium skeleton blah blah fought with his half-brother Sabertooth blah blah lost his memory blah blah nice cameo by Professor Xavier to set up the continuity. Like I said, I don't read the comics so I don't know how well the movie adheres to the canon. The stunts are impressive - the helicopter and the Great Escape-esque motorcycle chase, especially - but I've started to experience a CGI-backlash, and there's a lot of CGI in this flick.

One of the best sequences of the movie is during the credits showing Wolverine and Sabertooth fighting side by side in war after war - American Civil War, WWI, WWII, Viet Nam; each scene feels authentic to its time period and, without any dialogue, you see Sabertooth regress further and further into his feral state.

The cast is another strong point. Hugh Jackman is all jacked up and ferocious and sweaty; Liev Schreiber is quite good as Logan's brother/enemy, Sabertooth, and I really enjoyed their scenes together - when they were speaking to each other, not just trying to tear each other apart. Lynn Collins (recently strangled as Dawn on True Blood) plays Kayla Silverfox, Logan's love interest, and is one of the most gorgeous women anywhere. The kid they found to play young Scott Summers (Cyclops) is pretty much a dead ringer for a teenage James Marsden.

And then there's Taylor Kitsch. Holy moly. You know, I think Taylor Kitsch might actually be a real mutant himself, and his power is charisma. I mean, that boy is just sex on a stick - it's not just his Tim Riggins character. I suspect that every woman, man, animal, vegetable and mineral who walks by him does a double take and goes, yeah, let's just do it right now. He wasn't onscreen very much (I may need a whole movie just about Gambit's origin) but when he was ... he and Hugh Jackman had great chemistry together, whether it was post-fight or bickering in Gambit's tiny single prop plane. And thank goodness he didn't attempt a Cajun accent, just toned down his Riggins drawl a bit.

An issue I have with so many of these superhero movies is that there are so many characters involved that most of them get short-shrift - the Blob was pointless; Ryan Reynolds was completely wasted in the three seconds he was on-screen as Wade Wilson (I want a whole movie just with him too!). It feels as though opportunities have been missed, and yet if the filmmakers had explored all of the characters/situations to my satisfaction, the movie would have been eight hours long. Which, if 6.5 of those hours were devoted to Wade Wilson and Remy Lebeau, would be just fine.

Wolverine, like Iron Man and The Dark Knight, walks a fine PG-13 line. There is a lot of violence - the different war scenes are short but quite intense; brother trying to kill brother; innocent old people getting killed; Logan shot point-blank in the head - not explicit and gory (like Watchmen) but definitely brutal. This PG-13 ain't your Spiderman PG-13. However, please don't misunderstand me, this first installment of the X-Men Origins franchise is not the same caliber of movie as IM and TDK. It's big and loud and noisy and cluttered and action-packed and mostly exciting, but it's not going to make anyone's best lists.

This just proves I have fantastic taste

Have you all seen this list: Pajiba's "Best 20 Seasons of the Past 20 Years"? [Ed. note: technically the question mark should be inside the end quotes - I know this - but the title of the list is not in fact a question and I didn't want to confuse the hoi polloi.]

Of the twenty television series on this alphabetically listed list, I adore (and have gone on at some length about my adoration of same) numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 17 and 20. That's half of them. I have watched in some seriousness (but was never completely smitten with) numbers 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 18. And I have 5 and 15 sitting in my DVD queue. The only two shows on the list that I have no connection with whatsoever are the Larry Sanders Show (#9) and Murder One (#10) - apparently I should check these out.

I'm going to take this as yet another sign that I prefer to watch the good stuff ... and should keep writing about it.

Fall television report card update

I should probably wait to do this post until the networks completely run out of new episodes due to the Writers' strike but since they're going to run out any minute now, I figure what the heck. Way back in the beginning of September I outlined my hopes and dreams for the fall 2007 television season. In this post, a little bit later, I gave Pushing Daisies an A, Chuck a B+, Reaper a B-, Bionic Woman a C and Moonlight a D+. Now it's three months later, the end of new television episodes is looming large and I'm superthankful that I have a Blockbuster Online queue with 300+ DVDs in it.

Shows that I have long since broken up with: Reaper - even the great Ray Wise cannot overcome a boring relationship storyline that insists on pushing itself to the forefront. Moonlight - I tried one more ep recently and yup, it's still awful. Bionic Woman - Katee Sackhoff left BSG for this dreck? Her agent should be beaten. Desperate Housewives - there's not nearly enough Nathan Fillion to make me want to suffer through Susan and Gabi's bullshit.

Shows that are in the doghouse: CSI/Las Vegas - we're still (stubbornly) watching and are hoping that dreary Sarah Sidle's departure will put the spring back in their step. More Warrick! More Brass! Better crimes!

Shows that I am faithful to: Chuck - it's continuing to get better but there should be even more Adam Baldwin. Friday Night Lights - I think they made a mistake in cutting most of the football and replacing it with that stupid Landry-kills-a-guy-for-Tyra storyline; on the plus side, I can't decide if I want Coach Taylor to be my father or my husband (thanks to Anna B. for the paraphrase there). The Office - I prefer the half-hours to the full-hours and the last new episode was depressing as hell (Michael Scott getting grilled by the Dunder Mifflin lawyers about his relationship with Jan) but this show continues to be generally brilliant and so, so funny.

I heart these shows: Heroes - I know, this sophomore season limped along early on but I think Tim Kring has listened to the ranting of the fans and is (or was or will be when the strike is resolved) changing things ... the episode last week was as good as anything last season. [Note: we've had houseguests tonight so I haven't seen tonight's episode yet; recap will be up tomorrow night - sorry!]. Dexter - again, this season lagged a bit at the start but has been building steam nicely. Plus, Dexter's sister is sleeping with Wild Bill Hickok! Torchwood - a couple of the episodes were just cheesy beyond belief, even for a Dr. Who spin-off, but this is generally good sci-fi stuff, including better sex than on most American shows and what was the scariest television episode I've seen since "Home" (X-Files). Pushing Daisies - this has got to be the darling of the fall. Vivid, funny, twisted and clever, it just keeps getting better and better. I love Kristin Chenoweth!

Shows I am waiting (and waiting and waiting) for: Battlestar Galactica - I've got the recent Razor miniseries sitting in the DVR but I don't understand why the third season isn't out on DVD yet. Very frustrating. Lost - I am continuing to be hopeful here but Mr. Mouse is on the verge of giving up (he wants some answers). Plus, more Sayid/Hurley/Jin and less (much less) whiny Jack and Kate, please.

So, is the t.v. broken or what?

I know: the heading just above reads "... a recap blog for ... t.v." Seems a misnomer seeing how there's been no television show even mentioned in thirteen posts. Has this turned into a literary blog with randomly-sprinkled movie reviews and recipes? Fear not, loyal reader - I promise I will not stray too far from my chosen path. It's just that it's been summer and the t.v. viewing has been for crap.

But rejoice! For the new fall season is nearly upon us and I have assembled my list of shows that [may] bear watching:

• Chuck - NBC, Tuesdays Mondays at 9 p.m. (Eastern), starts 9/24
• Heroes - NBC, Mondays at 9 p.m., starts 9/24
• Reaper - CW, Tuesdays at 9 p.m., starts 9/25
• The Office - NBC, Thursdays at 9 p.m., starts 9/27
• Moonlight - CBS, Fridays at 9 p.m., starts 9/28
• Desperate Housewives - ABC, Sundays at 9 p.m., starts 9/30
• Pushing Daisies - ABC, Wednesdays at 8 p.m., starts 10/3
• Friday Night Lights - NBC, Fridays at 10 p.m., starts 10/5
• Lost - ABC, Wednesdays, who the hell knows when it starts

My mom will be horrified having read that list - too much t.v.! Truly, she's right. Pluswhich, there is no earthly way that I could possibly recap ALL those shows: I'm only human (and, until the Mouses win Powerball, I gotta keep my day job). I am going to pick up my recaps of Heroes and Lost for sure, and Mr. Mouse wants me to add FNL to the recap list. Of the others, I plan on recording DH and fast-forwarding through everything that is not Nathan Fillion; watching The Office is a rule in my house; and my gut tells me I probably won't get through more than one or two episodes of Chuck - Adam Baldwin notwithstanding -and Reaper.

That leaves Pushing Daisies and Moonlight as the possible new shows I'm going to want to watch, and despite the Jason Dohring factor I'm not holding out much hope for the one about the vampire detective in L.A. Been there, done that and own all five seasons. (They keep saying that it's nothing like Angel but you have to admit the comparison is unavoidable.)

So, what shows are you looking forward to?

Let's Talk Football

More specifically, let's talk about my concern for the future of one of the better new television shows from last season, Friday Night Lights. There was considerable worry about the fate of this little show at season's end last year but NBC stepped up and decided to bring it back for another season. Yay! FNL is one of the few regular network shows both Mr. Mouse and I can agree on.

Earlier this week, however, the producers of FNL let it be known that some changes are being made for season 2. There will be less football, for one, and more sex! babies! adultery! murder! These revisions are mostly to draw in more female viewers, ages 35-49.

Um, hello? Hi - I'd like to introduce myself as exactly your target audience. Yes, well, if I wanted all that stuff, I would watch Desperate Housewives or Grey's Anatomy. But, you see, I don't want that stuff, so I watch Friday Night Lights. I want to see Coach yelling at his boys to find their potential. I want to see his boys struggling in the wake of their championship last year. I want to see high school kids figuring out how to juggle dating, homework, family and sports in a largely believable manner - but with really pretty people and great dialogue. I actually wished there had been MORE football scenes last season - they were exciting and really well-done. I want to see Matt, Smash, Tim and Jason getting drunk and bonding on the field late at night. I definitely do not want to see Dillon, TX 90210 or The OC: Panther Style.

And I absolutely positively do not want to watch Rosie O'Donnell as a girls' soccer coach who butts heads with Coach because she's sick of football getting all the money and attention. This show does not need stunt casting, and it definitely doesn't need her. My stomach hurts just thinking about it.

P.S. And while I'm ranting about the ruination of my favorite t.v. shows, let me say this: I'm one episode shy of finishing Battlestar Galactica Season 2.5, and this half-season has been by far the weakest of the one and nearly two-halves I've seen. With the exception of Downloaded (2.18) and maybe The Captain's Hand (2.17), it's just not been as amazing as I've come to expect. Of course, this still means that it's better than pretty much everything else out there right now, so I guess they're still ahead of the curve. A main annoyance: I just don't buy the Apollo/Dualla relationship. Logan and Parker have more chemistry.