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Fall TV: Week 1 & 2 (Spoiler Alert)


We are two weeks into the unofficial fall season and my dvr is already screaming from overload. Here are my thoughts on the shows so far.

The New Normal – I have to say that I am liking this show. It’s pretty funny and has a lot of heart. It does beat you over the head a bit with the world hates gay relationships but I still like it. Ellen Barkin and Andrew Rannells are my favorites. The show will receive a season pass from me. For those of you that were turned off by Nene Leakes (The Real Housewives of Atlanta) being on the show, she’s not on the show much so far. She is a recurring character so she won’t be seen a lot and when she is it’s only for a couple of scenes. The Voice – While no one has truly stood out to me so far this season, the show has been very entertaining. The show is about the contestants but it’s  also about the dynamic between the coaches. They have been quite hilarious and pretty much make the show. I’m in with the show this season. The blind auditions are always the best part of this show so after that maybe it won’t be as good.

X-Factor – Like I said before I didn’t watch this show last season because it just wasn’t good. While this season is better, I find my interest waning. The judges are ok. Simon Cowell is the best judge but we knew this from American Idol. Britney Spears seems very over rehearsed in these pre-taped episodes. It feels like she’s being fed lines at times. Demi Levato is a pretty good judge as well. But if I hear her tell some guy they are cute one more time, I might be done.  I will keep watching because I’m curious to see how Britney does with the live episodes. I want to see some crazy come out. Go On – I really wanted to hate this show but after watching 3 episodes of the show, I begrudgingly like it. Matthew Perry is pretty good. I feel like he is playing Chandler at times but that might just be the way Perry is. The supporting cast is great as well. While the premise of the show seems a little morbid – a man looses his wife in a car accident and has to cope with that lose by going to group therapy – it actually deals with the subject very lightheartedly and with a lot of sarcastic humor. This one gets a season pass.

Parenthood – The Bravermans are back to basically make you cry every week. So glad this show made it another season. It’s so good. Haddie is gone to college ,which just made this show exponentially better since she is the most annoying character, Jabar is still the cutest thing, There is a new kid, Max is still a little annoying and oh yeah, Kristina has breast cancer. That whooper was revealed to us in the latest episode this week and was so heart breaking. Jason Katims is so freaking amazing. He is the creator of the show and was an executive producer for one of my other favorite shows, Friday Night Lights. He is the reason I came to this show and he’s the reason I stay. It just has so much heart and the cast is so good. The season pass continues on this show.

The Mob Doctor – Potential. I don’t know. It was ok. I’m not blown away by the show. It felt a little generic like I have seen this movie and it got turned into a show. It has some great people in it though. The acting is one thing that it has going for it. One of my faves, Zach Gilford from Friday Night Lightsis in it and I just hope this show sticks for him. The ratings were pretty low on its premiere night so who knows how long the show will stick.  He needs a successful show. I’ll keep watching and see if it gets better.

Revolution – I came to this show simply because it has J.J Abrams’ (Alias, Fringe, Lost) name on it. The show is set 15 years into the future after the world goes dark. Life goes back to the days before the industrial revolution: families living in quiet cul-de-sacs, and when the sun goes down lanterns and candles are lit. On the fringes of small farming communities, danger lurks. In the midst of all this there is a young lady, whose life is changed when her father is killed because of his knowledge about the blackout. They go on a search to find her uncle who may also know something about the blackout. It started off slow, as do all of Abrams high-concept shows, but quickly picked up and drew you in answering some questions and then bringing up more questions to keep you coming back. I liked it. And it did very well in the ratings with a prime spot after The Voice. This gets a season pass from me and is worth checking out.

The Office – I was ready to give up on this show after the last 2 seasons but since this is the last season I decided that I should just stick it out. Glad I did because I laughed more in Thursday’s episode than I have in the last two seasons of the show. It was paced just right, the gags were hilarious, and the characters seemed like they had been refreshed after the debacle that was James Spader’s Robert California. That is all in great part to Greg Daniels who was the showrunner for  Office during its best seasons and has returned. Hopefully with his return, the show will get back on track.

Up All Night – Glad this show is back. Its pretty hilarious. The whole cast is great. I like the addition of Reagan’s brother, Scott (Luka Jones; Best Friends Forever). I’m glad he got on this show because he was pretty hilarious on his last show (Boo on NBC for cancelling that). This episode set up a great arc – The Ava Show getting cancelled and Chris working with Scott – that I believe will bring out some hilarious episodes. The season pass will continue on this one.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol


Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol or Mission Impossible 4 is one of the best straight action movies I’ve seen this year. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.  It is almost the best of the series. MI3 directed by one of my favorites, J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost, Star Trek), is the best to me. This one is a very close second though.

The film directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Iron Giant) is your standard action formula film. The IMF team; Jane Carter (Paula Patton), William Brant (Jeremy Renner) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), led by Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is framed for a bombing at the Kremlin by a crazed mad man intent on the world going into nuclear war. They have to go out to investigate and clear their names while the Russian police are after them.

The action is wonderful. Crazy landscapes, death defying stunts, crazy cool gadgets, beautiful international locales make up the backdrop of the movie. The shots in Moscow, Mumbia and Dubai were especially beautiful. There is a scene shot in Dubia with Tom Cruise scaling the tallest building there that is something crazy. Cruise is one insane man. All of the stunts for the Ethan Hunt character were done by Cruise himself. He did a great job of  with those. The spy gadgets are pretty nice as well. Don’t get me wrong they are no James Bond but they were pretty nice. The vehicles in the movie were also crazy. Hotness.

The supporting cast was pretty good. I would say that this is the reason that this movie didn’t move up to number one for me. Simon Pegg (Shaun of The Dead, Hott Fuzz) and Jeremy Renner (The Town, The Hurt Locker) were good. Renner was greatly underused in this movie. If they make another movie and Cruise’s character has the same team, I would like to see them give Renner more to do. Paula Patton(Jumping The Broom, Precious) does not ruin the movie like some were thinking. She’s not the best actress but she isn’t awful. Her role in the movie is that of a supporting player and the story and action move along so quickly that you don’t really dwell on her acting. Go see this movie, It’s definitely a must if you like action movies and liked the other Mission Impossible films, just like I said in my Fall Movie Guide.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol  opens in IMAX on Friday 12/16 and everywhere 12/21

Fall Movies I Can’t Wait For


Fall is here!!! Leaves are falling, the weather is cooler, the boots and jackets have started to come out.Ok it’s been here for a while now but I’ve been so obsessed with tv lately that I forgot all about the movies that are coming this fall that I want to see.

Martha Marcy May Marlene 

Elizabeth Olsen stars as Martha, a young lady that escapes from an abusive cult led by a charismatic leader Patrick (John Hawkes;Winter’s Bone, Contagion). After being missing for sometime, she returns home and tries to assimilate back into her family. She begins to have a difficult time when she becomes haunted by the memories of her time with the cult and becomes increasingly paranoid with the belief that the cult is watching her every move. This movie looks so good. From the trailer alone it looks like the cast is great, the story is intriguing and its going to definitely be an Oscar contender.

Trailer 

Opens in limited release October 21

Continue reading Fall Movies I Can’t Wait For

FALL TV (Sorry DVR, Break Time Over)


Every year when September rolls around I always get excited.  Not just because it’s my birthday month but because fall tv returns. I LOVE FALL TELEVISION.  The networks roll out all their new shows that got picked up and old favorites return.  This fall there are over 127 new and returning shows starting Sept 13th from cable and the big 5 networks.    I will be watching all of the new ones for at least 3 or 4 episodes before I decide if they are any good and cut them off. How I’m going to manage that, I don’t know. Entertainment Weekly has a nice article with tips on  how to navigate the fall tv season so it’s gonna be all good.

This season there are many shows that I’m looking forward to, both new and returning, but I have managed to narrow down the list to 10 (5 returning and 5 new) that I think everyone should watch.

Continue reading FALL TV (Sorry DVR, Break Time Over)