Silly Entertainment: Wipeout

I've been quite harsh toward reality television these days (and still won't be caught dead watching Jersey Shore), but Winter Wipeout has me literally lmao.

Maybe it's because of its similarity to an old favorite - the Japanese series "Ninja Warrior" (which is way better - more intense and the contestants actually train for the honor to compete).  The Wipeout commentary is campy and a weak attempt at mimicking Japanese shows of this kind (Extreme Elimination Challenge comes to mind), but people crashing and falling (in a controlled environment of course) is hilarious no matter the side chatter, and in fact tends to make the cheesy comments more entertaining than they really are.  The competitors are usually a loony loopy bunch (but with a lot of heart, maybe).  I especially enjoyed a recent episode with the guy who helped a woman avoid falling (upon her request), showing that chivalry isn't dead, not even in cut-throat game shows.  She beat him in that segment (right after and because he helped her!), but his good karma earned from being a gentleman helped him defeat her in the final round and nabbed him the grand prize.  I was totally rooting for this one - such poetic justice.

Sometimes we all need a dose of brainless fun, and watching people slip and fall IS most amusing (heck I even cracked up at myself when I slipped and fell the other day).  The show also does not take itself seriously - it knows it's corny and is making the best of it.  As such, I am cutting myself a break and making this show the one exception to my reality TV boycott.  Laughter is the best medicine after all ...

The King's Speech

Each year, I pick one or two "Oscar bait" films to watch in theaters and leave the rest for Netflix (hey, it's a tough economy - gotta skimp somewhere, and these movies just do not derive as much visual benefit from the big screen as the action/sci-fi/fantasy fares).  This year, considering its rave reviews and my eternal love for Colin Firth, the choice was obvious.

The King's Speech documents King George VI of Britain's ascension to the throne from his time as "merely" Albert, the Duke of York, through taking the audience along on his emotional journey to overcome his stutter, with the enduring support of his wife and the indispensable help of an unorthodox "doctor".  The plot itself is part history (including King Edward VIII's ascension and abdication), part standard feel-good drama (a mishap/hardship is presented at the beginning; the middle is filled with hard work, self-doubt and general emotional ups and downs that build up to ... the final hurdle, whereby the protagonist's preserverance pays off and he emerges triumphant).

This straight-forward and somewhat plain story, though, was able to deliver a powerful emotional punch, thanks to the superb cast.  Colin Firth gives a characteristically subtle (except for those fierce sporadic anger bursts) performance that sneaks up on you (I didn't realize how attached I'd become to the character until my tears started flowing out of pride as the King finished his Speech).  Geoffrey Rush captured the perfect balance of humor and gravitas in his portrayal of Lionel Logue, the man who helped the king find his voice, and the amazing Helena Bonham Carter played beautifully the woman I'd always known as the Queen Mum, successfully garnering sympathy for both her and her husband (I did not think "Bellatrix Lestrange" once during the movie, and I'd just seen HP7 twice!).

Speaking of Harry Potter (and here is the fan-girl section of this review), nice to see Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) as the critical, overbearing though somewhat prescient King George V and Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall) as Winston Churchill (though I must say, that was one character that fell a bit short for me - I did not even realize he was playing Churchill until the very end!).  Another nice surprise was seeing Mr. Colins from the 1995 "Pride and Prejudice" in a brief but funny cameo.  Finally, to end this post (and with the mention of P&P above, you know I'm a fan and that this is coming), WHOOHOO to Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth meeting again!!!  Colin Firth does indeed share a brief (but completely squee-worthy) scene with Jennifer Ehle, his once on- and off-screen love (she plays Geoffrey Rush's wife).  I was totally screaming inside - too bad out of all my P&P-loving friends, I went to see this with one who met my hushed but excited exclaimations with a big "huh?" and a look that said "stop bouncing in your seat" ...  ...no matter, that is what blogs are for : )

Daily Musing: Gossip Girl

Haven't really watched this show in ages, but checked out the last couple of episodes before it went on hiatus - totally feeling the Dan/Blair dynamic.  I used to be a big Chuck/Blair fan, but clearly they did not keep my attention.  If the writers are looking to shake things up, I might just have to start catching this again ...

On a separate but somewhat related note, Taylor Momsen may be a bit crazy and immature, but girl's got a kickass voice and some awesome songs.

Oldie but Goodie: Desperate Housewives (plus a few notes on the abc roster)

It just occurred to me that out of the current shows I watch, Desperate Housewives is the longest running one for which I had loyally followed from the beginning.  Yes, remember that one glorious season when ABC launched its holy trinity (Lost-Desperate Housewives-Grey's Anatomy) which revived the alphabet network's status and shook up the preexisting hierarchy where CBS' procedurals, NBC's comedies and Fox's American Idol reigned supreme? (okay so maybe CBS's procedurals and American Idol still retain their crowns, but losing Friends and Frasier in the same season sure sent NBC on a nosedive from which it still has not fully, if at all, recovered)

In an age where society's average attention span is probably the shortest in history (guilty), it may be easy to draw a crowd with the flashy, but it's actually pretty darn difficult for a show (especially one that is not strictly episodic) to retain an audience year after year after year.  Major props to Desperate Housewives on accomplishing this feat!  Sure, its ratings are not what they used to be, but with all the alternative viewing options these days, what show's ratings are?  Relatively speaking, DHW still trumps most and is stubbornly holding off any signs of weakness.

Substantively, I have been quite satisfied with this season.  It's amazing looking back now to season 1 and realizing how much each character (and Susan's face) has changed, how far they've come (particularly Gaby - love her!).  Yet, the changes were gradual and organic - I'm buying it at least.  Shake up this season is the return of Paul Young (and if you saw last night's episode, you know his story ain't over yet).  I kind of feel bad for the guy (never liked Martha Huber much anyway), and I like his new wife (poor girl, all the twisted people in her life!) - hope they stick around the whole season and bring the theatrics.  In any case, Paul's return sort of brings the show back full circle for me, in a good way : )

I'm pretty meh about the other returners on the ABC lineup (except Modern Family):

-  Gave up on Grey's a couple of seasons ago (now I just get random updates from my mother which ends up confusing me more)

-  Never caught on to Private Practice even though I always loved Addison when she was at Seattle Grace (I think she had great chemistry with Taye Diggs thought)

-  Bristol Palin's turn on Dancing made me not even want to catch clips on Youtube (thankfully she didn't win - right? I can't be sure of anything anymore these days)

-  I'm more interested in the potential behind the scenes drama on Cougartown (i.e. what happened to Courtney Cox's marriage to the man-child?) than the actual show itself, but I wish it well because I want to see more of her friends visit

-  I still like Brothers & Sisters, but as my DVR is incapable of properly recording it (same with "V"! is this an abc thing?), I've been coping surprisingly well

-  High hopes for V, but more on that later ... once I figure out how to watch the season premiere ... (why are you not posting this online ABC?  WHY!?  *pooooosssttttt nowwww!*)

Daily Musing: Skating with the Stars

As much as I am a fan of figure skating and was glad Rebecca Budig (love her as Greenlee on All My Children) rightfully won the Golden Skates, I'm not sure whether Skating with the Stars was such a good idea.  I do appreciate the experiment though (love Johnny Weir, Tanith Belbin and of course, Dick Button).  The difference between this and Dancing with the Stars?  It takes a lot more to make skating look good and exciting! (imho of course)  It's like playing the piano versus the violin.  Even though they are both instruments that require years to master, it's much easier to learn a presentable song on the piano (dancing) with no prior knowledge (at least each key corresponds with an exact note) than the same on the violin (skating) (it takes basics and practice just to play Mary Had a Little Lamb without screeching).  So as interesting as this show has been, I'd still rather enjoy my ice-capades performed by professionals.

The Sophomore Class: Glee, Good Wife, Parenthood, Modern Family

A few quick thoughts on some shows returning for a second outing …

Glee:  picked up this show over the summer.  The second season is still fun and quirky, but is it just me, or is there a lot more (or more obvious) autotune this season than last?  Still, some highlights:  Charice (amazing, even more so judging from her acapella videos on Youtube so hoping for more in the future), Gwyneth Paltrow (fun character and surprisingly decent singer; loved her ep), Mike Chang and his abs amazing dance skillz, and last but not least, the Grill Cheesus.

The Good Wife:  the second season keeps the balance of drama and legal procedural and sees Alicia becoming even more independent through some solid stories (I especially liked the death row appeal one).  I also like the hints to Kalinda’s past (hope to see more there).  No ground-breaking television (season 1’s “Doubt” was probably the most standout of the series so far), but gripping entertainment nonetheless. 

Modern Family:  I still don’t think this is Arrested Development caliber, but it is very, very fresh and funny. The characters are eccentric but lovable, have great chemistry with one another and just are a perfect comedic fit.

Parenthood:  I like the Bravermans, so I like to be semi-up-to-date on what’s going on in fake-Berkeley, even though I may have the show playing in the background.  The dysfunction and sibling relationships are quite endearing and often amusing.  It’s just one of those shows that brings the warm and fuzzies.  Hope it doesn’t get cancelled!

New Shows Midseason Wrap-up: The Drama (The Event, No Ordinary Family)

The Event



Perhaps 24 and Lost should have used protection, because their "baby" is hard to care for ...

At the end of the fall season, I had 4 unwatched episodes of this show stored on my DVR.  I actually had to pep talk myself into finishing (something about following through and supporting the genre to hold off the infestation of reality mediocrity...).  I must say, once I get going with an episode, it’s hard not to keep watching (except when a certain blonde character appears and stares blankly through the screen), but then again, I wouldn't be able to look away from a train wreck either ... and I can’t say I miss the show now (except to lament huge potential wasted).

There are plenty characters that intrigue me – Sophia aka alien leader, Thomas aka Sophia's genius but weak (for now) son, Simon Lee aka hot alien CIA agent, basically all the “others”/aliens, Vicky the assassin with a soft spot for babies, creepy old guy pulling the strings to everything, Luke from Gilmore Girls (now confirmed alien and father to blondie), blondie’s sister … but they are not being developed fast enough, and I’m not really attached to any yet – clearly something this show did not copy (or copy successfully) from Lost.  My biggest problem with the show though, is the plot devices galore – there are too many ridiculous “how convenient” moments (okay when they hit you with it upon first viewing, but any reflection of the events (ha) after an episode just leaves me with a load of “wtfs”).  There also seems to be an inability to tie up loose ends, but I’m holding out hope this is intentional.  Again, the contrived plot may be easier to swallow if I actually cared about the characters, but since that is a big fail thus far … might I suggest killing off blondie aka new!Walt Leila to spice things up and free up time for us to discover more about the aliens? I suggest an intense confrontation with her alien father followed by a shocking demise (maybe at the hands of Vicky, she’s been itching to do this) – it’s win win - creating drama and revenge motives for certain characters while getting rid of dead weight [in the interest of full disclosure, I am indeed not a blonde].  Here’s to hoping the show returns revamped for the better (not sure how it could do worse, but you never know).

No Ordinary Family

I was really into this show in the beginning – the family is likeable, their new powers are cool, there’s an interesting villain looming in the background (closer than our heroes realize), there’s a quirky character (Katie) who often echoes what’s on my mind, there’s a good mixure of light-hearted moments and heart-warming ones … but recently my enthusiasm has been seeping for this show.  Why are these people (ironically the parents) so reckless with their powers with often little positive result to show for it? In the real world, the traffic or atm cams would have caught on to the dad’s random jumping a long time ago.  The show right now seems to be having an identity crisis between being a family drama and a superhero showdown, and it doesn’t seem to be moving forward on either end.  I believe it could do both, but it has to quit stalling!

New Shows Midseason Wrap-up: The Action (Nikita, Undercovers)

Nikita 
Maybe it’s because I got to see the cast at Comic Con (good times, still need to upload my videos), or that I, and every other girl in my age range, once harbored a crush on Devon Sawa back in the day and so it’s nice to see him make a badass comeback (ditto Landon Carter Shane West, though not as badass), or maybe it’s just because I love seeing women kicking butt, but Nikita has undoubtedly become my favorite new show of the season, and it just keeps on getting better (imo, and fingers crossed CW does not mess with it too much). The show doesn’t take itself TOO seriously and has no problems racking up the body count, but it does try to explore the various complicated relationships amongst its characters and the personal and moral dilemmas they face.

Maggie Q plays a fittingly cold and jaded ex-assassin – this is not Nikita as we’ve seen her before, but I don’t think she’s suppose to be, given her new history. I’ve never been too impressed with Maggie Q’s dramatic acting before, but I think she is doing a great job here as someone who's lost everything and is fixated on revenge (but with morale boundaries of course), and she even manages to sprinkle in some pretty funny/snarky moments every once in a while. We all know she can own the action scenes (checkout the midseason finale if you are not yet a believer). She also has great chemistry with Shane West’s Michael (team-Mikita!), and it’ll be interesting to see how their conflicted/hunter-prey relationship develops and to find out more about their sure-to-be-messy history. In the meantime, I’m all for the Nikita/Owen (Sawa) alliance to bring down Division. I’m not really keen on romance between these two, given the history, but I’d love if they could bond (and in Nikita’s case, forgive) and become great friends.

The central “couple” of the show to me though, is actually Nikita and Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca) – I just love their mentor-protégé and all-out girl power dynamic, and I don’t think I’d ever want this to change (probably the main reason of many that I just cannot in any way support a romantic Michael/Alex relationship). With all the betrayal that we’ve seen and that is sure to come on this show, I want to see Nikita/Alex be the one consistent and loyal pairing.

I think the show has a lot of material to delve into upon its return. I’d especially like to see some of the side characters more fleshed out. Xander Berkeley (Percy; loved him on 24!) makes a great villain, but I honestly didn’t think he was bad enough until he snapped a certain likeable genius’ neck in cold blood in one of the more recent episodes. In retrospect, I can appreciate his malevolence being revealed in this manner (after all, it was only after witnessing this that Alex realized how wicked he really is). I’m also curious how witnessing his somewhat-mentor getting offed in such a matter will affect Birkhoff (Aaron Stanford, Pyro from X-men) going forward. I still need more from Amanda to be as afraid of her as the show wants us to be (so far Melinda Clarke is doing all the work with very little support from the writing). Also wonder what Robbie (grown up Alfalfa from Little Rascals – shocking but true) is up to – hope he makes a comeback. Basically, cannot wait till the show is back. Looking forward to Alex being out and about and dealing with/moving on from Thom (so sad I really liked him, but Y&R fans – look out for JT/Colleen reunion!).

Suspension of Disbelief:  Division not having internal cameras … really?  Even some cheap ones from radioshack would have worked!

Undercovers

R.I.P. This was cute and not entirely believable, but enjoyable spy-fare nevertheless. Not exactly what one might expect of JJ Abrams, though the last few episodes alluded to a grander conspiracy and story-arc. Sadly the set-up took too long, and we will probably never figure out the payoff. Still, I had fun while it lasted, and I give mad props to Boris Kodjoe for all his language skills. All the main characters were charming and likeable (or just likeable in the case of Shaw). At least I didn’t let myself get too attached to this one ...

*   *   *   *   *
Every once in a while, I'll catch Hawaii Five-O, which is apparently the highest rated new show this season (happy for Daniel Dae Kim aka Jin from Lost), and Chase. Solid, but I rarely get into procedural-type shows. On that note, wrapping up the post with this final thought: I really miss Lost ... : )