Greek: Chapter One

Cast: Jacob Zachar, Clark Duke, Scott Michael Foster, Spencer Grammer, Paul James, Jake McDorman, Amber Stevens, Dilshad Vadsaria
Created by Patrick Sean Smith
Transmission season: Summer 2007
ABC Family, 10 episodes, 42 mins.

Plot: Freshman Rusty Cartwright pledges Kappa Tau, and his science nerdiness part of his sorta gets thrown upside down.

I’ve realized I’m no better than the next teenager who digs drama-filled television. By golly, my guilty pleasure is ONE TREE HILL, and here I am sucked into another soap opera-esque program, at least this time the students are college level dudes with ‘grown up’ drama. This new show is the ABC Family program GREEK, now nearing its fourth and final season early next year. The funny thing is that I avoided this show for the longest time. There would be promos on my KYLE XY sets [note: if you have not yet had the honor of experiencing KYLE XY, I would very much recommend you do so in the very immediate future], and I would hardly pay it any attention. Honestly, it looked rubbish, and I was sure I had the entire series pegged just from the trailer – twenty to thirty year olds playing young college students, plenty of ‘you slept with my boyfriend!’ storylines, and ‘awkward science nerd’ scenarios galore. I guess it was inevitable that GREEK would end up becoming my fall 2010 addiction.

GREEK: CHAPTER ONE is composed of the first ten episodes of season one, with the remaining twelve on the CHAPTER TWO DVD [which is unavailable for rent, so expect my reviews of those episodes as part of The Watcher]. In a day and a half, those ten episodes were devoured, and one of my favorite characters in the soap opera world established. More on that later. So for those like me who were a bit reluctant to take the plunge with GREEK, here’s the lowdown:

The show begins from the point of view of Rusty Cartwright (Zachar), a freshman science genius who seeks to join a fraternity, much to the irritation of his roommate Dale (Duke). He prances over to the Zeta Beta Zeta house where his sister Casey Cartwright is second in command to get some advice, and she’s understandably a tad reluctant to give it. At this point in her life, Casey has it all: good grades, a great kinship with her ZBZ sisters, and the most awesomest boyfriend of all time in the form of Evan Chambers (McDorman), so she sorta gives him some halfhearted advice and he goes off on his own to do some pledging. Rusty lands at Kappa Tau, a relaxed and party-heavy fraternity run by Casey’s ex Cappie (Foster), who still has feelings for Casey and does the occasional construction of situations to try to win her back. As a new pledge, Rusty juggles Kappa Tau, school work, and trying to lose his awkward stance with girls.

Like most shows centered towards young adult ‘coming-of-age’ stories, the strength of the show is its cast, characters, and stories. Luckily, the folks behind GREEK are full of vigor, offering fresh plotlines and three dimensional characters that are charming, interesting, and have their own personalities that are not dictated solely by plot. The sort of triangle relationship between Casey, Evan and Cappie is dynamite gold. At times, I was the rooting champion of team Casey/Cappie, but then Evan acted like a genuinely cool dude, and I was suddenly not too broken hearted if Cappie and Casey got together. The point of that example is that these characters are so well written, you’re as torn up as they are.

As the character we’re first introduced to, I can’t say I’m particularly a fan of Rusty Cartwright, although it may have more to do with the performance by Jacob Zachar. Yes, I know I said everyone in the show did stellar work, and they do; all I’m saying is that Zachar just needed to up his game a bit more. I do appreciate Rusty wasn’t your usual dweeb science nerd who knew absolutely nothing about social life and was a walking embarrassment, and I was glad he wasn’t a completely naive individual. There are just aspects of Zachar’s performance that I didn’t appreciate. In fact, the only other qualm I have about Chapter One deals with Rusty, as well. In the middle portion of these episodes, Rusty engages in a relationship with ZBZ sista Jen K. How he gets to that relationship was ill-handled, at least as far to my liking. Relationships are built on mutual attraction, whether it is physical or personality-wise. In Rusty and Jen K’s situation, there was attraction on Jens part, but from everything I saw from Rusty, he seemed more or less ‘Oh, this chick digs me? Cool. Alright, I like you, too!’ Before Jen reveals her feelings to Rusty, the science nerd is too enamored with the idea that he has a secret admirer and even wants Jen K to scram so ‘she doesn’t get the wrong idea.’ Watch the episode in context. Poor writing, poor execution. That being said, however, I did enjoy their relationship, and am frankly surprised at how far the relationship progressed in such a short amount of time. The Jen K surprise in the discs final episode was truly a surprise, and a truly disappointing loss.

Casey Cartwright, as said above, is a gal who seems to have everything together. However, similar to so many young people, when ones in a relationship for a long time with no end in sight, the future looks to be a scary place, and her contemplation and fear results in some juicy plotlines that involve Cappie. Perhaps moreso than any other character on the show, Casey’s story from the pilot to the tenth episode is the most engaging and honestly written. Well, I sorta take that back. Speaking as a quasi-Cappie type of person, Cappie’s feelings towards Casey and his sorta moodiness is very, very honestly written and beautifully acted. Anyhow, Casey also has a awesomely written trustworthy friend in the form of Ashleigh (Stevens), a gal stuck in one of those controlling relationships that she doesn’t recognize. As Casey’s arch nemesis, Rebecca Logan (Vadsaria) threatens to break her and Evan apart, and also conspires to usurp Casey at all opportunities. Although Rebecca most certainly filled the bitch quota in the beginning, cracks in her armor around Cappie is beginning to reveal a softer side that’s far more intriguing, and offers some rich storytelling opportunities for Season 1.5.

Dale Kettlewell is a boy of God, and acts as the comedy relief. Brought to life by the ever talented Clark Duke (SEX DRIVE), I wouldn’t be lying by saying that a smile forms when Dale’s onscreen. Also not to be missed is Rusty’s friend Calvin Owens (James), a dude wrestling with how to best come out of the closet with his pledge buddies. His storyline hits high points, then low points, and finishes off with a high. I still don’t have a firm grasp on his character, but I can’t necessarily say I don’t like him, either. As for Evan Chambers, Casey’s boyfriend, he can be a pompous ass at times, while also being a rather cool cat here and there.

Alright, digging the characters? If this summary sounds like bollocks, I totally blame it on the fact it’s being ghost written by someone way less cool than, um, Andy. Anyhow, the main point is that I strongly encourage a screening of GREEK. The characters are fun, as I said, and three dimensional. The scripts are top notch, jokes and dramatic moments mixed with real honest writing, making for a enjoyable forty-two minutes well spent. If, like me, you’re tiring of the fun nature of the outlandish plotlines in your favorite primetime soap operas – ONE TREE HILL, GOSSIP GIRL – then I strongly implore GREEK. It’s a breath of fresh air, and really, any Cappie-centric episode makes everything worth it.

However, new thought: since I avoided GREEK like the plague, much like I’m doing with MAKE IT OR BREAK IT, should I give that thing a chance? I mean, I tried SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER, but then it just provided proof that Lucifer is indeed real and corrupting the young. So, dilemma. Anyway, point: GREEK is awesome. Watch now. Every episode of the first three seasons are available now.



Oh, and there's a guest appearance by Charisma Carpenter! See? I save the best news for last.

Point Pleasant: The Complete Series

Point Pleasant: The Complete Series
created by & Marti Noxon
starring Elizabeth Harnois, Aubrey Dollar, Grant Show
FOX, 2005, 13 episodes, 43 mins.

**1/5 (out of ****)

Bikinis and Devils. That's how I was pretty much going to disregard this entire show after sitting through the first two episodes. They were your standard fare of girls clad in bikinis, walking around aimlessly on a beach talking about super hunky role-modely boys who just happen to reside in the town, with a supernatural aspect thrown in every once and a while when Christina suddenly becomes discontent or narrows her eyes a little more scarier than usual. The O.C. with a mix of Buffy, as it's compared to.

But luckily, by the time episode seven rolled around, Point Pleasant was on a roll, and it hooked me.

Perhaps I'm juist suseptable to shows that are actually really, really bad and I just don't know it, because the overwhelming majority of reviews for the program ain't pretty, but I find myself nearly in love with it. Hell, I'm actually negotiating with myself whether or not I purchase a copy if I ever find it around [I believe it's since gone OOP], and if not - well, I'll just keep my Netflix copies...I kid, I kid...

Point Pleasant won't be winning any awards, nor will it be placed up on such a high mantle like Lost and (gasp) Grey's Anatomy, but for the most part, it was extremely entertaining and very well written, with some really interesting story ideas explored sufficently enough to keep one satisfied but simultaneously a little dissapointed that it wouldn't be expounded upon in another season.

A shiny day at Point Pleasant, New Jersey turns stormy when a mysterious girl is saved from the water by hunky lifeguard Jesse. Her name is Christina, who supposedly fell off a boat from a tourist trip. Unable to contact family, Christina moves into the Kramer house, a family still reeling from a tragic death of a daughter a year before. Everything’s fine and dandy until Christina realizes there are certain oddities that happen around her, oddities that seem to sprout from her. The arrival of a mysterious, blunt, suave man named Mr. Boyd, who intends to buy all of Point Pleasant, causes tension amongst all the families of the town. All these strange occurrences bring Christina closer to the truth – she is, in fact, the daughter of Satan! Can Christina keep her diabolical evil ways in check to become an instrument of good instead of evil? Or will the whole world burn at her feet?

Point Pleasent debuted in early 2005, but by the time episode eight rolled around, FOX – and its viewers – were done with the show. Thus, FOX axed it, and never aired the remaining episodes. [Of course, this was a time where Fox was cancelation-heavy with Reunion and Tru Calling axed quite quickly - though Tru through some twist of fate had a short second season] Luckily, the DVD release a few months later in October included the final four episodes (stellar as they are). Although the show concludes on a semi-cliffhanger, by its end, it feels as though a full story has been told, with this story not having a conclusive, definitive ending, but deliberately ambiguous. It mixes religion, fate, choice, hate, humanity, good and evil in a program that you’d probably expect to be kiddy fare. It asks us to question why on earth, if such a situation like this would be possible, that we deserve to live? What makes us worthwhile? Why should the daughter of Satan not destroy us? It’s fascinating enough that once the first bridge of so & so episodes are over, the rest are about as awesome of storytelling you’ve seen since the Joss Whedon Buffy & Angel days.

The series kicks off with a decent, although not-so-stellar premiere (101 “Pilot”), written by show creators Marti Noxon & John J. McLaughlin and directed by Tucker Gates (Alias). It, of course, introduces us to all the particular families that will play major roles in the story to come, as well as all the romantic entanglements between the teenagers and the possible on/off again storylines they could produce. You have the clichéd adult characters – the slutty woman who tramps around town with a equally slutty teenage daughter whose frustrated her mom never truly pays attention to her; the goodie-two-shoes Christian family with their underwear-modeling son who has a religious destiny but also a bit of intrigue as to his own mysterious past; the Kramers, some still in agony over the death of Isabelle a year ago; and the family that’s broken, with the son taking care of the father. Overall, it’s a satisfactory but not extraordinary series premiere that doesn’t exactly hook or entice viewers to tune in the following week. There are some really great moments, such as the sequence in which Christina’s waking re-lights all the electricity in town.

We’re also introduced to the shows long, dreary opening credits boasting a composition credit to a one Danny Elfman (nearly every Tim Burton movie in existence). Honestly, the opening credits do nothing for me, and after the first time watching them, I skipped them every time since. This is the type of show that would have benefited from a simple title card with some eerie music, like a cross between Supernatural (The CW) and Lost (ABC).

The premiere ranked in 11.68 million viewers when it aired January 19, 2005, which isn’t too shabby. No doubt plenty of Buffy devotees tuned in just to see what post-Buffy projects then executive producer Noxon was developing. Unfortunately, the majority of them must have scrammed, as the following week, the show dropped 49% in ratings with 5.6 million viewers.

Unfortunately, the following onslaught of episodes weren’t all that memorable, and it’s quite understandable why viewership fell. The program delved knee-deep into the world of teenage romance and hook-ups, as well as the adults’ own little problems. It did, in nearly all sense of the word, become The O.C. Beach parties, dances, adult affairs, boy-falling-for-wrong-girl scenarios – all been done before and to a much better degree. However, it is sometimes difficult to argue about it all since it works quite well in the grand scheme of things. Sure, there were undertones of supernatural menace, and Christina still pursued any lead that would tell her about her past or what the deal was with her always-gone father, but it seemed to take a back seat for the teen drama, which wasn’t nearly as intriguing as the supernatural aspects.

With Christina newly instated into the Kramer family, Judy is ecstatic she has a new sister, Meg is happy she has another daughter to care for, and Ben is just glad Meg is lighting up a little. However, he has a few problems of his own: the town woman-who-gets-around, Amber, has set her eyes on hooking up with Ben, and enlists Mr. Boyd’s help to do so, thus creating a sort of bond between these two manipulative demons. Jesse finds himself increasingly attracted to Christina, regardless of his relationship with Paula, who finds comfort in the arms of Terry, the unfortunate boy with a comatose father in bed. Terry wishes his father better, and to improve what little life that he has, so when a offer from Mr. Boyd presents itself, Terry snatches it up.

During this period of time, Christina seeks counsel with Father Tomas, a young, recently appointed minister of the nearby church. Tomas is wearisome of Christina as some surely freak accidents follow her around, including the death (er, “disappearance” is the terminology the church uses) of Father David. But during a sequence when Christina urges Father Tomas to pray with her and help her, Tomas is overcome with such a powerful feeling of love that his assumptions of her evilness is brought into question, and vows to help her battle the demon within. The dynamic between Christina and Father Tomas is interesting, although they share far too few scenes together. His storyline is brought to a abrupt, but strangely satisfying (although the method it’s done through is rather ridiculous) end.

Meanwhile, Judy’s beginning to have doubts about Christina – questioning who she is, and why all these freak occurrences happen around her. Jesse joins the paranoia wagon and discovers something about himself that is pivotal to the rest of his arc. Judy, feeling betrayed by Christina’s lies, kicks her out.

And it’s here that the show finally picks up and becomes absolutely exciting. It leaves the rather bad soap opera elements behind in favor of what its main storyline is – Good vs. Evil, and what side will Christina choose? 107 “Unraveling” has Christina and Jesse trying their damnest to leave Point Pleasant, but as Boyd says, none of the major players can leave town. Tension rises as everyone begins to understand who they are, and what particular destinies are associated with them. No one’s life is as simple as it once was before Christian showed up – they now find themselves as part of this big chess game that’s about to hit its crescendo.

(Spoilers about the series finale follow!!!)

111 “Missing” begins the three-part finale that would have been an awesome starting point for season two. Throughout Point Pleasant, people are missing (hence the intricately complex title) and all signs lead to the church (bringing up Left Behind vibes for a while – perhaps the Rapture has commenced?). Jesse is recruited by a group of religious warriors saying that it’s his destiny to destroy The Beast – kill Christina. That when he died for seven hours and was brought back to life, it was for a purpose; it was only he that would attract Christina, only he that she could let her guard down, only he who for some reason grows stronger around her, and only he that has any chance to kill her and stop the Apocalypse before all Hell breaks loose.

112 “Mother’s Day” is the one that truly sets everything up, and definitely has one of the most awesome endings to a episode I’ve seen in a while (be mindful that it’s more of a dramatic conclusion than a twisty, shocking cliffhanger). Ben, feeling as though he’s doing the right thing, institutionizes Meg, which pretty much rips the family apart; Judy tells Christina off, bitter at her for all the problems she’s caused since her arrival and essentially saying, “You’re not part of this family.” Christina, heartbroken, leaves – all alone (her emotional state visualized by the death of all the plants in the surrounding area); but the sudden arrival of Ann, her mom, sparks hope.

Jesse, meanwhile, prepares himself mentally for the task at hand, ready to do what must be done to his lover. Boyd, rascal that he is, finds out the truth about Ann’s presence, and by using his persuasive abilities, Ann spills the beans which breaks Christina down more than anything: Ann’s not here to help her, but to kill her. As she venomously says to her daughter, “I begged to hold you, not to care for you, but to snap your neck.” Ouch, harsh.

This is the breaking point. Christina enters the Kramers home, mentally lost and honed in on what appears to be nothing but anger and vengeance, and using her telekinetic powers, shuts and seals every door and window in the house, barricading everyone inside. “It’s a family matter,” she spats, echoing Judy’s last words to Christina when she told her to get lost.

The series concludes with “Let the War Commence” (113), which delivers and yet disappoints ever so slightly. The only disappointment comes from the big ending of the previous episode is followed up with some rather uneventful stuff. Christina, in the midst of rage and betrayal, takes the Kramers hostage, and forces them to have a nice, family meal. It’s a interesting idea – one I didn’t think would happen (I thought all hell would break loose) – and is perfectly in-tuned with Christina’s character. My only problem is that this is the opportunity for Christina to say everything that needs to be said, the obvious stuff that Judy, Ben and Jesse had been too ignorant enough to see or stupid enough to ignore. Instead, she blinds Ben so he can finally listen to his family (smart move), but I would have liked more. Bring a little bit of venom into the mix, like Willow in her awesome season six finale when she went all dark and veiny.

But let’s examine the whole three-part series finale for a moment, and it’s probably for this reason why I love the show as much as I do. Christina’s turn is a result of circumstance and the choices of the people around her; it’s based on an emotional rollercoaster; everything and everyone that she clinged onto to keep her in balance either abandoned her or tried to kill her. Boyd’s constant monologues about humanities worthlessness is completely validated to Christina. When her own mother – her last hope – admits to wanting to kill her since the day she was born, all ties to this world was severed, and she was fueled by pain.

I don't blame Christina at all. Actually, I'd probably support her. The people around her have shown her zero reason whatsoever that they should keep on living, that humanity's worth saving. No one. Zero. Zilch-o.

The real kicker of irony is that the residents of Point Pleasant basically made it happen; it was a self-fulfilling prophecy. If they hadn’t done a thing to stop it, if none of Christina’s secrets made it out in the open (or at the very least were respected by the Kramers), then quite frankly nothing would have happened. Boyd couldn’t have forced Christina to turn bad, so that argument is null; it could be said that Christina would turn no matter what because it’s her nature, but I disagree: although I think she would occasionally slip and a bit of her demony side would rear its ugly head, I wager she’d be battling her demons ‘till the very end. This religious group’s so-called proactive extermination of the Antichrist (which might piss off a few folks, because isn’t the Antichrist supposed to not only be male but from a foreign country?) resulted in the thing they tried their damnest to stop.

And what exactly happened with the knife? At one point, Meg said “God had nothing to do with them,” (referring to the people who recruited Jesse) and I thought for a fleeting moment perhaps these religious zealots were worshipers of another flock of demons who want to overthrow Satan. That would have been a nifty idea, but in the end, not so much. But this actually refers to another nice touch on the writer's part: a Oracle of sorts reveals himself to Jesse before he goes out to do the Terrible Deed, and reminds him of a worldly known virtue from the Holy Bible. It creates some nice dramatic tension, and what Jesse decides to do with this, er, 'revelation' sorta sucks and it's really his fault that the show ends the way it does.

As I might have mentioned before, the series concludes in such a way that it's a sorta cliffhanger but final enough to be satisfactory. I would have enjoyed a second season, no doubt (especially reading Noxon's short remark on Scifi411), but with what we're given here (a glimpse of the awesomeness that could have been), I'm pleased. The main overall story arc of season one wrapped up nicely. It leaves you with questions, it leaves you with answers, and it leaves you with adrenaline (you can't help it - it's the battle for humanity, man!) Though, I wouldn't have minded if Christina killed Judy after her final remark.. I mean, Judy had no right to say that; a large portion of fault concerning Christina's turn rests on her shoulders, but her being the self-centered bitch she is, she probably doesn't realize.

(End series finale spoilers)

Obviously, the show has its problems. One such problem story-wise that I had was the Kramers’ willingness to adopt Christina almost within 48 hours of knowing the girl. Granted, it can be argued that Christina had a powerful influence on her decision, as unaware of it as she was; or that it was Ben’s wish to make his family right again after Isabelle’s death that he was so receptive to the notion. I understand for story purposes that it was necessary, but the fact that everything was put together within a single episode is a little far-fetched, and I would have appreciated a tad more depth to accompany the situation. It’s a little distracting, but not enough to ruin overall enjoyment. I also despised the use of the number “666”; I’ve never been more ticked off of its involvement in a show since Digimon used the number as the time when Myotisman turned into a hulking Godzilla beast. Of course, the number applies more here to Point Pleasant than Digimon, and it’s etched in Satanic mythology, but I feel that’s one element that could have been excluded. Again, these are all simple nitpicks, and can easily be overlooked because the good outweighs the bad.

As the lead character and daughter of Satan, Elisabeth Harnois (One Tree Hill) has a lot resting on her shoulders. Luckily, for the most part, she’s able to pull it off effectively. Harnois can balance the darkness inside her as well as her sweet, innocent, sometimes clueless side well enough to adequately depict Christina’s transformation throughout the series. The first batch of episodes is perfect for Harnois to show off her beauty and innocence, as she’s pretty much bikini-clad and has fallen deeply in love with her savior of a man. But once strange accidents happen around her whenever she’s feeling a tad, er, angry – she easily slips into dazed & confusedville. Though, sometimes it’s simply laughable when she squints her eyes to give the audience the cue that something bad’s going to happen; it reminds me of the early days of Charmed. As she turns from the sweet child of blissful ignorance and begins to understand who she is and what she can do, what that means, and the danger that surrounds her – it’s quite awesome and convincingly pulled off by this relatively unknown actress.

To say that Grant Show steals the…uhum, show is an understatement. There’s such a diabolical glee to his performance that one can’t help but fall in love with this guy. I’ve never seen Show in any other program, but I will quite actively pursue his other works, now – ‘cuz, the guy is simply that damn good. He plays evil mastermind perfectly, and on top of that, he has one helluva warped sense of humor that appeals to you. Grant’s Mr. Boyd tells you how it is, no bullshit, and it’s admirable. Plus he has that whole charismatic presence thing about him. The first few episodes, Show is given free rein to be as bastardy as possible – maybe even out bastarding John Glover’s Lionel Luthor on Smallville. But then, as the plot thickens, we get to see his darker, calculating side, his eviler half – cold and careless as ice. And boy does he scare the shit out of me; I wouldn’t want to cross this guy, let alone make him pissed. The great thing about this character is that he is also given a sorta back story of his own, as a little bit about his past and the woman he loved is revealed, which equals in importance to the current situation at the present. Simply put, if for no other reason, Grant Show is the reason to watch Point Pleasant. There’s just something so…delightful about his earnest, fun performance that makes working for Hell seem nifty.

The remainder of the cast do their jobs just fine. Aubrey Dollar as Judy is beautiful and a rather fine actress, and it's unfortuante she's given such dodgy material to work with. By that I mean crappy dialog and illogical choices. Adam Bush (Warren from Buffy seasons 5 & 6) guest stars in four or five episodes as Mr. Boyd's assistant, and for the most part, he's doesn't have much to do other than stand around and give Boyd puppy-eyes. Homoerotic innuendos, anyone? Dina Meyer (SAW IV) doesn't bring anything new to the table as the Julie Cooper character of Point Pleasant, while her daughter Paula played by Cameron Richardson (Open Water 2) reminds me of Anna Faris in that I can't stop concentrating on her lips instead of what she's saying. Richard Burgi (24) plays Ben Kramer, but looks more like a guy recovering from steroid abuse. I would compare his acting ability to John Cena. Samuel Page (Jesse) is little more than the hunky lifeguard, every once and a while infusing his character with a sufficent amount of emotion to make us care. Luckily for Page, his character has a interesting enough story that we'll stick through watching this guy.

The show has its moments of fantastic writing and 'Holy crap, I can't believe sentences like this made it past FOX out of the cringe-worthy factor of 'em all'. It's apparent that Noxon has her hand in the scripts, since there's some brilliant Whedon-like humor. Such examples are Holly's (Mr. Boyd's dead/not dead girlfriend from some good decades ago) reaction to see the Antichrist: "Fluffy!", as well as Christina's reaction to getting stabbed: "I had such a crush on you" and subsequent response to a particular character's death: "I guess he lost his 'get out of death free' card." Really, it's funnier when you watch it. In another way the show's similar to The O.C. is that it has some pretty witty cultural references (not to the like of Adam Brody's awesome Seth Cohen, but a good amount nonetheless). Something that drags the show down a few pecks is how stereotypical the characters come across in the early episodes; a 10-year old with a two-month experience to television could anticipate the next sentence these overly-dramatic teenagers would say. But hey, it's a minor scribble when compared to the overall scheme of things, which is...

Good vs. Evil – a classic, resonating theme that’s been explored for centuries. What better way to pursue this timeless battle than through the choice of a single person? And how much sweet could it be that that person who makes the choice is none other than the daughter of Satan? We're constantly battling our demons within ourselves, and if anything, this show is a nice form of therapy.

As you can tell, I dug the show. I enjoyed what it was trying to accomplish and what type of story it told. Obviously, this holding religious implications and concepts that might offend some uber-devoted mates, this show isn't for anyone. If you love supernatural phenomenon or followed any of Marti Noxon's work, give the show a try. At the very least, you'll be entertained by the second disc. As far as the first disc is concerned, call up a few of your buddies, make some popcorn, and have a nice MS3K type riff on the soapy elements - it'll make everything more bearable. Check out Point Pleasant. Rent it before you buy it, though.

American Teen, Fired Up

American Teen
starring Hannah Bailey, Colin Clemens, Geoff Haase, Megan Krizmanich, Mitch Reinholt, Jake Tusing, Ali Wikalinska,
directed by Nanette Burstein
2008, 95 mins., Rated PG-13

***1/2 (out of ****)

American Teen was recieving quite the positive reviews when it was hitting film festivals, and that coupled with the subject matter peaked my interest. Unfortunately, the Powers That Be thought that the flick wasn't worth releasing theatrically (same thing happened with Bill Mahr's Religulous - had to wait for DVD), so the only way non gray-haired Academy members could get their hands on it would be for the eventual DVD release. And of course, the distributor had to complicate matters by making it a TARGET exclusive. I, however, using my brilliant intellect, devised a plan to use the ever-faithful Netflix to get a copy! And indeed, my search did not fail me - a copy of American Teen was readily avaliable to send! A quick add to my #1 spot, the DVD arrived two days later, and boy was it worth the wait - in fact, my only gripe with the entire movie is that I wish it ran a little longer, like Curious Case of Benjamin Button length.

The documentary follows five high school seniors in Indiana - and these kids follow high school stereotypes to the T (I think that's the correct expression; if not, you get the point...I hope). There's the socially awkward nerd Colin, who wants to connect with people and feel involved when he doesn't contradictorally want to be left alone; Hannah, the artistic girl who does "her own thing" regardless of what anyone else thinks, and has a difficult decision ahead of her; Geoff, the big-time basketball player who needs to do brilliantly to impress college scouts for a scholarship, 'cuz his family don't have any money to send him anywhere else; and finally, Megan, the Queen Bitch who says "like" to many times and is trying to follow her familys path by attending Notre Dame. From the beginning of the year to graduation, the documentary showcases the full, unedited truth of high school! Dun, dun, dun...

The sad thing is is that I, and I'm sure everyone else, knew or knows people exactly like them. As for me, I would probably be labeled the Geeky kid, but I have never been anywhere near as socially inept as Colin. Although he seems to have dropped the barrier a bit since the film's release (I'm getting this amazing insight from watching the special features - he seems more relaxed), I felt a little sorry for the kid here and there. But then suddenly, he does or says something around someone so not cool that I'm just smacking my own head in frustration. And the funny part is, the dude got to snog, like two girls in the movie! There's hope for me yet...

Anyway, there's times when I'm watching this truly captivating documentary and I think everything's all performed, because what transpires onscreen correlates with teen dramadies to a scary degree. It's amazing that even throughout all these decades, things change, but a very vast majority of things remain ever-so-suckily the same. I think Molly Ringwold said something similar to this insightful statement in a bonus feature documentary...in which case, she stole it from me...

The worst part of the documentary is that the people who come out not looking all that great aren't the kids themselves, but the parents. Geoff's parents are far too harsh and demanding, while Megan's parents attempt to use reverse psychology (I can't believe that they mean what they say, it simply doesn't sound right) to say they actually don't care if Megan gets into Note Dame, as long as she's happy, blah, blah, blah; and we all - including her - know it's bull. Hannah's grandparents or what have you [and her father] actually come off as decent people who genuinelly want the best for their little girl. Strangely enough, they're the only ones who seem the most honest and real.

American Teen is a really cool documentary, and easily recommendable for all viewers. Chances are you'll relate to it more than you'd think, and probably like it more because of that. The entire flick is captivating, and it's literally amazing you're watching this real-life, TV-like soap opera evolve before your eyes. Once the film's over, if you're like me, you'll be heading straight to the bonus material to find out more. It features a short 'what are you up to now', but nothing too stellar.

Fired Up!
starring Eric Christian Olsen, Nicholas D'Agosto, Sarah Roemer
written by Freedom Jones
directed by Will Gluck
2009, 90 mins., Rated PG-13

*** (out of ****)

I admit my incentive to see Fired Up! was Ms. Sarah Roemer, who heated up the screen opposite Shia LaBeouf in Disturbia two years ago. But - well, much to my surprise, it ended up being a pretty funny movie that was well worth my hard-earned dollars. And just because all the commercials are showing the cheerleading aspect of the flick, I assure you, the movie's not all about cheerleading. It's not Bring It On; in fact, the movie even takes the step to show Bring It On outside as a "cheer event" (which elicits a nice laugh as all the cheerleaders recite every line). This movie is about two players having fun, and, of course, learning a little something about themselves. So, you may ask, if the movie is such a cliché , why bother with it? The very simple answer is: I haven't had this much fun watching a movie in a while. Well, at least since Sex Drive.

Nick (Olsen) and Shawn (D'Agosto) have pretty much had their way with the entire female student body at school, so they set their sights to cheerleading camp. Carly (Roemer), the resident cheerleading captain, isn't all that happy to have the two sausages on the team, but she's surprised to find that the two actually help improve morale and techniques. Of course, it's all for show - well, at least for Nick: he just wants to shag and get out, but Shawn's beginning to actually get into everything, and (spoiler) falls for Carly. And not in a "I must shag you" type of way, but in a "I have butterflies in my stomach" way. Problem: Carly has a powerful older boyfriend who wants to see these guys kicked out, and this could stand in the way of a Shawn and Carly pairing. Shit will hit the proverbial fan before this intense conflict is resolved.

Perhaps the reason I dug this film so much is the simple concept that - as the commentators at the IMDB boards suggest - I went into it not expecting anything resembling decency, so when I actually laugh here and there, I'm under the impression it was good. I'm not about to rule that out, but it's a week later [since I saw the flick], and I still think about moments in the film that elicited a laugh, so I can firmly say that I deny that assertion [well, at least on my end; maybe you think it's a big pile of dog poopey ain retrospect]. The fact is, it's funny, and one helluva good time.

There's plenty of jokes, and keep in mind, these are jokes that actually work. Semi-Pro this is not! [c'mon, that comedy didn't have one frakkin' funny bone in its spineless body!] To watch these guys transform from womanizers to actually getting into this whole cheerleading business - well, it's a blast. And Nick's constant attempts to nail the head coaches' wife is truly priceless, and all pays off in a big way towards it's inevitable but nonetheless enjoyable conclusion.

A funny running gag is how many times they can create new words to substitute male and female genitalia. Typically, I'd get annoyed when some joke like this comes up because I don't understand why films can't come right out and say the damn words, but it's so bloody amusing to listen to these variations, it's instantly forgiven. If I could happen to remember half of them, they would be stuck in my vocabulary. And finally, I just want to give a shout-out to one of the songs in the movie, which kept repeating: "Stop being a dick!" [this was after when Nick and Shawn were "found out", and they're on their way home in shame]. It's so dumb it's funny. Of course, some of this humor may appeal only to idiot adolescents such as myself...

If Fired Up! is a sign of how 2009's comedy slate is going to be, then count me mildly excited. Sure, it's not fantastic, and it definitely adheres to the 'by-the-book' syndrome nearly all comedies in the galaxy are prone to following, but it acknowledges what it is and has as much fun with it as possible - and that's admirable.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Season 1

STARRING Molly Ringwald, Shailene Woodley, Kenny Baumann, Daren Kagasoff, Francia Raisa, Megan Park, India Eisley, Greg Finley II, Renee Olstead, Camille Winbush, Jorge Pallo, Mark Derwin
CREATED BY Brenda Hamptom
11 episodes, 43 mins., 3 Discs

*1/2 (out of ****)

When I added this show to my Netflix Queue, all I knew was that it had quite the following and a plethora of positive reviews. Hardly a single negative thing about it, and if there was, it usually was related to the dialogue being Juno-esque (which I don't see, but I digress). Premiering on the ABC Family summer 2008, The Secret Life of the American Teenager was a ratings extravaganza (not like Lost numbers, but it beat its own Kyle XY as the channel’s highest ratings yet; in fact, it even defeated The CW’S premiere of their “re-imagined” 90210!), and that, in part, is due to the show’s ability to appeal to pretty much an all-age audience. Created by the ‘mastermind’ behind 7th Heaven [the WB’s landmark series that lasted eleven seasons too long], Secret Life attempts to address and tackle teen topics – mostly in the realm of sexuality – in a dramatic, corny, yet educational and lesson-learning way.

I actually may not be the best person to watch, much less review this show. I’m the type of bloke who enjoys their show to be dark, gritty and realistic. Now, obviously the topic of teen pregnancy is far more real than a genetically engineered superhuman or a young adult becoming the Devil’s bounty hunter, but they were grounded and written in a form of realism that created the illusion that this was all possible. Secret Life exists in a heightened reality where students and adults alike speak in a novel-like fashion with perfect sentence structure and the occasional word that I’m sure not even the actors know what the frak it means. If people thought there was one false note in Juno, then Secret Life must take place in some alternate reality.

Ultimately, Secret Life is a good show. Its family friendly, it raises questions that ignorant teens can contemplate, and attempts to tell a real story – just not realistically-ish. I just wish the show was created by someone else than Hamptom who wanted to make this into a Hallmark/Lifetime series, and that virtually every ‘actor’ was recast; that’s not too harsh, is it? If you don’t mind the corniness factor, and how they completely blew a potentially great show, then Secret Life of the American Teenager is right up your ally.


Amy Juergens (Woodley) is the quiet, reserved fifteen-year old band geek who you wouldn’t even think would entertain the idea of sex, much less have yet. And yet that she did, with the resident school sleezbag Ricky Underwood (Kagasoff), having a one-night stand at band camp. [attempting to withhold American Pie jokes] Returning home, she tries out a store bought pregnancy test, and her worst fears are confirmed – her eggo is preggo. She confides to her friends about her predicament, which they in turn violate the whole friendship-equals-trust rule and end up telling a bunch of people. In between hitting on girls and sleeping with them, Ricky catches word that Amy’s pregnant with his child, and after some contemplation, he wants some part of the decision-making process. After a while, the parents find out and after a lot of ‘You can’t be serious!’, they help her with this ordeal. Meanwhile, Amy has also started this relationship with the good-spirited Ben, who after one date realizes that he loves her, and upon finding out that she’s pregnant, proposes to her. Talk about going fast.

Other students of the school pretty much have the same problems. Grace, the kind-hearted Christian virgin, is being manipulated by Ricky, of whom she is developing a crush on. Adrian seeks to find her real father. And speaking about fathers, Amy’s parents take a break to re-evaluate their marriage. Madison is also finding out that she has feelings of Ricky [that boy’s pretty much got all the girls whipped], but wants to stay loyal to Amy. And finally, Henry and Alice, who have been dating practically since the beginning of their friendship, wonder if there’s still any sparkage left in the relationship. It feels like there’s more, but I guess not. Essentially, it’s a big web of sex, cheating, complications, secrets, and a overabundance of religion and moral questions.


There are a few passable actors in the cast, thank God. The most convincing performer would be Jorge Pallo as Marc Molina, the school guidance counselor. He’s one of the few who can deliver his lines whilst sounding convincing, and puts a bit of emotion into his performance. In fact, Marc Molina is, in retrospect, probably my favorite character from the show, as he’s very straight-to-earth, very real, and very relatable; I woulda been one happy dude if my high school’s guidance counselor was anywhere near that cool. As Amy’s father George, Mark Derwin (currently playing advisor to President Taylor in 24’s seventh season) does a respectable job, but occasionally is too over-the-top with his performance, emulating a Jim Carrey-esque cartoon character. And lastly is Francia Raisa as Adrian Lee. Francia has created a real character; whereas pretty much everyone else feels directed by script, minus any sort of personality, Francia makes Adrian – who could easily have been a one-dimensional hated character – vulnerable and relatable; or at the very least, you give a damn about her. Without question, she is the best actor in the cast, capable of experiencing a variety of emotions and getting out sympathy out of it, despite the fact that she is, at times, a manipulative evil biatch.

As Amy, Shailene Woodley (who was evidently on The O.C., but I can’t recall what character) does an admirable job, but I find her sorta of annoying. Now as a character, I find Amy overall to be weak. She seems almost forced into certain things without making her own decisions or evaluations. And despite the pregnancy, which I reckon would make her grow up a bit; she remains rather immature and sorta whiney. But of course, that’s just my view of things. Her boyfriend, Ben, played by Kenny Bauman, has this freaky Edward Cullen-Twilight vibe; if the script didn’t have our main female lead think Ben’s act was “cute” and/or “sweet”, she would – if she’s retained any form of sanity – get a restraining order because Ben’s too clingy and a borderline stalker-in-training. I’m serious, his behavior is strange, and not in a “cute supportive boyfriend” way.

One thing Daren Kagasoff does well is use his voice to manipulate the girls into doing what he wants. Overall, I wasn’t all that impressed with the bloke, but I did find his ability to sway these characters – and make it believable – surprising. But that doesn't mean the guy can deliver the majority of his dialogue remotely well; there are some truly cringe-worthy moments. But he was successful in making me not give two hand shakes of a crap about his character; his subplot involving his father is supposed to elicit sympathy from the viewer, and I just found myself not giving a shit. Worst performance without debate is India Eisley as Amy's sister Ashley; that girl is dreadful, her voice akin to nails on a chalkboard. She sounds sad and depressed at all times, even when she's supposed to deliver comedic lines (which, admittably, there are a few). In summation, she's annoying. The Hannah Montana-wannabe Grace (Park) is actually quite good, once you can get past the obvious Disney inspiration.

Concerning the Grace character, there's something that's more related to the mediocre writing I feel compelled to bring up: in one of the early episodes (S01E04, "Caught"), Grace defends herself against two jackasses who are quite ready to threaten her life and her virginity, and her parents response to this action is dissapointment! For most of the episode, I'm thinking to myself, Alright, so you want your daughter to get beat up and raped? That's the Christian way? By episodes end, they reveal that they were really not happy that Grace was rescued by Ricky, who she said she'd stay away from. Now, perhaps they deleted the scene, but wouldn't any normal set of parents in the entire universe say kudos to their child for saving their knecks? She threatened them, she didn't blasted kill 'em! And additionally, they were threatning her, and she gets scolded for that? Alright, my little rant's over with.

The critics, the cast – well, pretty much everybody – find this to be a realistic depiction of high school life, even going so far as to say the dialogue is about as real as you’re gonna get on TV. Hate to say it [actually, nah, I don’t], but, like I said above, Diablo Cody’s wise-cracking Juno script is far more real with teen speak than this program will ever hope to be. No one talks like this – zilch. And I know I may be nit-picking far too much, but there are two things that bug the hell out of me: why does everyone have to refer to people they already know with their full names? “Hey, Amy Juergens is having a baby,” or “That Adrian Lee is gonna have her ass kicked!” It’s a similar ridiculous trait that still survives around Smallville: everyone knows who Lionel Luthor is, but instead of simplifying it to Lionel, they say the whole name. Why? I don’t get it. Also, whenever someone references Amy’s “condition”, it’s almost always “having a baby.” Is saying “she’s pregnant” too difficult? They say the word “pregnant” only a few times throughout the eleven episodes, but I’m quite sure you could fill an entire 43-minute episode with a character saying the line “…is having a baby.” It’s stupid and annoying, and I feel stupid for bringing it up, but it annoys the hell out of me. There’s no more hell in me left to complain about that. Ugh.

As a wonderful bonus feature, ABC Family was kind enough to include a 6-minute, fullframe “On the Set”-type feature with all the cast and crew congratulating each other and talking about how wonderful of a show this is; the normal hype stuff. I may not like the show all that much, but for a program that gets high ratings and (mostly) critical praise, you would think they’d try to put a little effort into the release. A few commentaries would have been appreciated, especially on the pilot (that’s nearly mandatory). Hell, there’s not even a promotional sneak peak of Season 2 (well, technically season 1.2 or something). Dissapointing, to say the least.

Well, there's my glowing opinion about the show. Not everyone feels this way, of course (some do - with an even better review!), but that's the beauty of blogs, no? Despite everything I've said about the show, I still recommend people give it a check. I've heard girls at my school say how Juno changed their life in some ways, so perhaps this show - no matter its many, many, many, many flaws - can do the same. I guess, when it comes right down to it, this just isn't how I woulda done it, and I'm still waiting for that show that comes along which deals with this topic truthfully and realistically (and not to mention characters to bloody relate to).

Kyle XY: The Complete Second Season - Revelations

STARRING Matt Dallas, Marguerite MacIntyre, Bruce Thomas, April Matson, Jean-Luc Bilodeau, Chris Olivero, Kirsten Prout, Jaimie Alexander
CREATED BY Eric Bress & J. Mackye Gruber
23 episodes, 43 mins., 6 Discs

**** (out of ****)

Premiering on the ABC Family channel summer 2006, I was one of those people who made the mistake of not watching the freshman season of Kyle XY. Beside the not-having-cable factor, the show itself looked dumb (this was judging from the cover, nearly always depicting Kyle lifting up his shirt mid-way to reveal his lack of a bellybutton), and being on ABC Family – a channel I’m not a fan of being they do nothing but air the Devil’s program 7th Heaven repeatedly – sort of made me iffy. However, I was nonetheless intrigued enough to add the first season to my Netflix Que. And then, on a sunny mid-August morning, I received two of three discs, and by day’s end, I had watched all the episodes available to me. Turns out, Kyle XY is a freakin’ fantastic show! A perfect blend of family/teen drama and science fiction/superhero elements, only helped with some seriously grand dialogue (mind you, it’s not Joss Whedon, but no one can do Whedon except Whedon).

With only 10 episodes, the show took full advantage of what they had and crafted such rich, three-dimensional, relatable characters that everything that happens to them you genuinely give a damn about. And best of all, this isn’t some Brenda Hamptom-esque program with long, loving monologues or supposed “hip” teen dialogue. Nay, this is its own, breathing entity, corniness-free.

Season one began with Kyle waking up in the forest in his birthday suit, not a clue as to who he is. He’s brought to a detention center where he’s treated by psychologist Nicole Traiger. Nicole takes a liking to him, and brings work home with her until they can find a proper place to put him. There, Kyle interacts with the family: Nicole’s husband Steven, her teens Lori and Josh. He also makes an impression with the girl-next-door Amanda. To the amazement of everyone, Kyle displays intellect far beyond normal capacity: insane ability to memorize everything; learns misc. languages, etc., etc. Oh, and he also is lacking a bellybutton. The Traigers end up growing quite the liking to Kyle, and adopt him as part of the family. However, they might be over their heads as the disappearance of a renowned scientist is connected to Kyle, as well as a student from the 1980’s named Adam Baylin who has a striking resemblance to our title star. The freshman season was all about “Who am I?”, and by the finales end, Kyle comes face to face with someone who can answer these questions.

This season answers the who? and what? about Kyle immediately, and then a whole bunch of new questions and storylines are introduced – and to the show’s credit, most are answered satisfyingly! Similar to Lost, this show is serialized, with each episode holding a clue or some new nugget of information relating to Kyle and, this season, a new character by the name of Jessi. Picking up a while after season’s one finale – with Kyle leaving the Traigers under the pretense of finding his biological parents, he meets up with the mysterious Adam Baylin (the individual who looks exactly like him) –Kyle’s Obi-Wan to his Luke, providing the answers to his questions when possible. Additionally, Tom Foss, an ex-CIA agent-turned-Zzyzx-employee-turned-traitor-to-Zzyzx-by-saving-Kyle, assists Baylin and Kyle. Turns out that Kyle isn’t your typical human boy: he was gestated in a tube for 16 years based off Baylin’s genes in a underground facility called Zzyzx, his mind ever expanding and capable of abilities that seem superhuman (enhanced vision & sound, movement of polarities in objects, amazing cognitive aptitude, heightened reflexes, amazing exact drawing skills, etc.).

Home sick, Kyle returns to the Traigers where he keeps his origins and abilities as secret as possible, under the supervision of the lurking Foss. This creates tension amongst the Traiger house as Kyle’s deception of the truth and constant leavings (due to training sessions with Foss) not only unnerve them, but make them suspicious. Unfortunately, a company by the name of Madacorp has other plans for Kyle. Situations really heat up with the arrival of Jessi (Alexander), another experiment of Zzyzx taken by Madacorp to aid in their master plan against Kyle. So, Kyle has to do quite the balancing act – keep his stories straight with the Traigers, make sure no one gets hurt in the process, stop Madacorp, find out who exactly this strange girl Jessi is, find some equilibrium with him and his crush Amanda, and most importantly, continue to hone in on his abilities. As you can see, it’s a rather filled season, and mix in the teen and family drama, its episode-to-episode awesomeness!

With 23 episodes and plenty of stories to tell, all them are truly phenomenal and with the exception of one episode (2-08: “What’s the Frequency, Kyle?”), none of them feel like filler. Maybe if I was forced to watch and wait week after week, some would seem subpar (remind me to also thank the Lords of Kobol for season box sets), but as it stands, I find each episode contributes to the over-arching storyline, and if not that, at least with the development of our principle leads.

There are undoubtedly some faults, such as poor acting or dropped storylines or something of that nature, but I’ve become too engrossed in the program to really give a damn, honestly. It’s nearly infallible in my eyes. Except, maybe, when Kyle performs a stunt that’s just too impossible for my narrow-minded brain, or occasionally how Jessi behaves. With the character of Amanda, however, who is about as innocent of a teen as you’ll get without being a full-blown God-loving person, you’re forced to suspend disbelief because there’s times where she acts completely out of nature with how a everyday girl would act. For example, when Kyle and Jessi are on their own in the woods looking for answers, Kyle phones Amanda, and instead of Amanda being overcome with the urge to bitch-slap her boyfriend when he returns, helps him. In a world of Jerry Springer, I’m pretty sure there would be a bit of cussing going on over the phone. However, looking at the season as a whole, it’s pretty much perfect, and easily allows me to gloss over any errors.

To spice up the situation in Kyle’s life is Jessi, played by the wonderful Jaime Alexander. Escaping from the Zzyzx lab, Jessi enters the world alone, curious, and, similar to Kyle, naked. Unfortunately, Madacorp got to her first, and programmed her (again, relating the two subjects as computers) to believe she was the sister of Emily, a Madacorp employee. Under this identity of “Jessi”, she attends Kyle’s school and is carefully integrated into Kyle’s life. Jessi, of course, is more than meets the eye, and has quite the history with a one Adam Baylin.

It’s difficult to choose favorites amongst the array of fantastic episodes, but there are particular ones that do deserve nods. First and foremost is actually a series of episodes, 2-10 to 2-14. Combined, they’re some of the most gripping television I’ve watched lately. I honestly stayed up the entire night to watch how this storyline reached its resolution. There is some true expertly written dialogue, character interaction, and some fantastic action sequences and heart-stopping climaxes. Several times, I had no friggin’ idea how Kyle was going to get out of a particular mess, and the Apocalypse was the only thing that could deter me from finding out. So, in summation, those were some bloody brilliant episodes.

Another one that I liked was 2-20: “Primary Colors”, in which Kyle’s brain is out of whack due to too much stress placed on his smarty-pants brain. Everyone needs his help, and Kyle being Kyle, he tries to assist, but it comes at a toll. I’m not so sure why it’s a topper on my list, but it was interesting watching Kyle sort of going all haywire. Jessi taking up the mantle of helping people was rather amusing, specifically her way of “teaching” Biology to Josh. The second-to-the-last episode, 2-22: “…Hello”, hits my top spot mainly due to its final minutes, with Kyle performing an amazing act, and a little bit of history surrounding Jessi is revealed. I know some prefer this to be the season finale over 2-23: “I’ve Had the Time of My Life”, but I enjoyed that one more. (What can I say? I’m a sucker for prom episodes)

The scripts are full of self-referential dialogue and geeky references that would make Josh Schwartz (creator of The O.C.) and Whedon (you know who he is) proud. Something that the writers can pat themselves on the back for is their ability to craft credible, realistic and naturalistic dialogue that doesn't in any way feel forced (or perhaps this is more due to the actor's ability to deliver them that way?). Without somehow contradicting myself through my bad writing skills, I'm just gonna say this show's writing department all deserve huge, fat paychecks for their incredible work here.

Aside from the writing, something that surprised the hell out of me when I first watched season one was the performances from these actors. Cartoony, Hallmark Channel actors these are not! I first want to touch on the parents, Nicole and Steven. Sure, they do hand out the obligatory Words of Wisdom, but it’s in a realistic fashion instead of the sweet, music-swells heart-to-heart that’s prevalent on basically any and all parent/child based programs. They’re written and acted in such a way that I don’t mind these sequences all that much (though they are plentiful, which becomes only mildly obnoxious occasionally). I could spend quite a bit of time discussing the parents, but it all boils down to the fact that they are portrayed as intelligent figures, and actually become integral to the plot and our characters.

Matt Dallas is excellent, as always; maintaining his wide eyed expressions, his innocent smile and constant interest in the world around him. Simply put, Dallas inhabits Kyle XY completely. As Jessi, Jaime Alexander is awesome. I may not exactly like how she chose to deliver certain lines and play a scene, but I can’t deny that however she does something, she does it well and when necessary, a bit kick-assishly (new word, I invented; if used, must pay me royalties). I do like how her storyline progressed through the episodes, and how Kyle and Jessi felt their connection but had no idea how to proceed. Not weakly written or acted, I just sorta don’t care for her character, honestly. However, Jessi does have a bit to do during its final episodes, but her storyline is also sort of redundant enough to roll one’s eyes.

The actors have also grown up since the freshman season. Most notable is Jean-Luc as teenager Josh. His character is put through the ringer this season, and was thus forced to grow up and mature at a quicker rate than if he didn’t meet a certain someone (not Kyle). Not only does his character mature, but Jean-Luc has really grown as a actor – he can deliver the funny, no doubt, but he also has the ability to convincingly convey sadness, anger, and fear, amongst other emotions. April Matson as Lori also gets more to do, and that’s fantastic as she really is a fine actress who can play pretty much anything. All around, I have nothing negative to say about the acting. I loved ‘em all.

Another great thing about this DVD release – it’s loaded with bonus material! Five of the six discs include two commentary tracks, and thank the Lords of Kobol they aren’t a world of suckyness. Actually, the commentaries are quite informative and extremely interesting to listen to. The writers even bring up dropped storylines, and that’s always fun to hear of. The only drawback: the episodes on the first two and a half discs with commentaries reference the remainder of the season as “Season 3”, so it’s a small annoyance, but no real biggie. However, there is an annoyance in the form of a 7-minute previous feature titled “Facing the Future”, which is a promotional tool for the remaining episodes; in a complete season box set, it’s sort of useless. Next up is “Livin’ with the X’s”, a 10-minute “day-in-the-life” of Matt Dallas and Jaime Alexander. Not entirely thrilling, but I sure as hell would love to live in Dallas’ house – that place was gargantuan. Last but not least, there’s 27 deleted scenes spread throughout five of the six discs, and they range from ‘Ooo, nifty’ to ‘eh, whatev.’ However, there is an Alternate Ending to the mid-season finale, “Leap of Faith”, which would change the dynamic of the Jessi/Kyle relationship – and not for the better, in my opinion.

In conclusion, I’m sure Kyle XY doesn’t float many people’s boat – after all, there’s plenty of not-so-appealing teen angst – but it’s so well crafted that it’s a shame it doesn’t receive the recognition it deserves. Working on not only a teen level, but as a sci-fi show and/or a superhero origin story, it creates a nice equilibrium that all parties who watch the program will find something to enjoy. It’s smarter than plenty of shows (i.e., Smallville), and with an extremely talented cast and a brilliant crew of writers, Kyle XY is definitely worth your time.

Twilight

Twilight
STARRING Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed, Peter Facinelli, Cam Gigandet, Taylor Lautner, Elizabeth Reaser, Sara Clarke
WRITTEN BY Melissa Rosenberg
DIRECTED BY Catherine Hardwicke

*** (out of ****)

I’m flabbergasted I gave this movie three stars, and I’m even more surprised that the movie deserves it. First and foremost, I must say I am not a fan of the TWILIGHT saga; I have read the first two books, skipped the third, and read a detailed synopsis of the fourth (out of curiosity – can’t start a series without wanting to know the conclusion). It was a interesting story, but Stephenie Meyer’s writing really separated me from it: the constant ‘he was so beautiful I felt my eyes lock upon his mighty…mightiness’ or her constant stupidity which comes out of her blinded, insane ‘love’ for Edward – these little things drove me insane. The family dynamic of Bella and Charlie, and the Cullens family – those things kept me interested more so than Bella and Edward’s love (and it’s not because I’m an insensitive dude; I enjoy the occasional romance flick – particularly the 2003 British comedy Love Actually and this year’s Definitely, Maybe). But enough about the book, the movie adaptation is upon us, and holy-potatoes, Batman (!), I enjoyed it.

PLOT
Teenager Bella Swan (Stewart) leaves her sunny home in Phoenix and moves in with her father Charlie in the rain-filled town of Forks, Washington. Her mother is going on a road trip with her new husband, so Bella elected to get out of the way. At Forks, Bella is the newest sensation: everyone knows about her, and everyone wants to be her friend. Expect one particular dude – the handsome, yet mysterious and reserved Edward Cullen (Pattinson), who appears quite repelled by her mere presence. After a near car crash save by Edward in which he displays superhuman strength, Bella is intrigued by this strange character, and trys to find the truth to who he is. Turns out, Edward is a 109 year-old vampire, and has been 17 for "a while." And the apparent revulsion towards her was actually a internal struggle on his part trying not to kill her because he's so infatuated with her. The two end up striking a relationship because they love each other so, but Bella must confront the dangers of being involved with a vampire (even under the protection of the Cullens, his foster family) while also keeping the whole 'my-boyfriend-is-a-vampire' bombshell from Charlie. Things go fairly not good when a skilled hunter catches Bella's scent, and it ignites a frenzy inside him that he can't control - he must find Bella and take her blood for himself!

REVIEW
Whatever grievances I have with the story, I confess that TWILIGHT works. It successfully blends the romance, the violence, the threats of bad vampires, and the relationships of all the cast members into a nice, well-paced flick. I have one complaint, which considering I thought I would have 50, that's pretty good.

Direction under Catherine Hardwicke (THIRTEEN) is simply splendid. Honestly, the thing that most peaked my interest in seeing TWILIGHT was how they filmed it, and judging from the trailers, it looked rather not-good. Somehow, what I've seen on screen looks terrific, and when the script doesn't deliver the goods, Hardwicke (and the actors) do. Filmed mostly with camera jitters a la BOURNE (though it also reminded me of Frank Darabont's THE MIST, with small zooms every once and a while). One particular shot that made me go 'Woah' is when Edward takes Bella, who is holding onto him Yoda-style, up to the highest point of a tree and they look upon the town and forest; that was nifty. Hardwicke films it gritty, accomplishing a atmosphere of reality that something like this needed. While on the topic of direction, I admit: the editing was excellent. The 2 hour running time flew by, and everything transpired in a well-paced manner.



One aspect the movie lacks (and to an extent, the books did as well) is why Bella is so in love with Edward. Yes, I get that he is so indescribably beautiful, insanely swift and caring, and has this whole charismatic thing going on, but I’ve never truly understood why Bella loves him. Take away him being the pinnacle of gorgeous, and you have a guy who wants to kill you but is trying his damnest to resist (which is admirable and might excite some girls), quite reserved unless he’s spilling his guts about how much you fascinate him (a little weird, but flattering), and this dude also has snuck into your bedroom for a few months to watch you sleep (a world of creepy). Does any of that cry, ‘Oh, Edward! You’re the guy for me!’? I understand Edward’s fascination and infatuation towards Bella, but there’s really nothing I can tell that would peak a girl’s interest (again, aside from the ‘hotness’ factor). In fact, if this wasn’t a heightened romance story, any sane girl would be calling the authorities on this creepy guy who not only stalks but wants to kill you. When NEW MOON comes out, I would love for an explanation of why Bella’s with him to be addressed, but bloody hell, I know it won’t.

However, Stewart and Pattinson’s chemistry is undeniable, that I admit. Their scenes together are filled with intensity; they both brought their passion and attraction to the front, and helped elevate potentially bland scenes (eg, the prom, the meadow scene) and escalated them into some damn fine sequences between two people in love (despite how implausible it may be).

Stewart recently sat down and talked to Entertainment Weekly, discussing the project and how she and Rob approached their performances, and she has ended up delivering not only one of my favorite quotes in a while, but something that sums up their abilities well:

"We were like, 'We're going to play this real' and the studio was like, 'But it's fun. Lighten up!''' says Stewart, who launches into an imaginary rant at the studio suits: ''You knew what you were getting when you hired actors who aren't Disney kids! We're actually going to consider the characters, and not just smile on our marks, and hope we're in focus."

Within the giant cast, there are a few standouts, but everyone is mostly regulated to a few scenes or less, so one can't really adequately comment. First and foremost is Jacob Black (Lautner, TV's My Own Worst Enemy), who once you get past his annoying Predator-like hair, is pretty good as Bella's friend and future love-triange flair (huh, that rhymed). Black plays a more prominent role in the upcoming installments, so let's how he gets a haircut and more scenes to be interesting. The best supporting actor performance is Billy Burke (FRACTURE) as Charlie - this guy was able to convey his love for Bella, while simultaneously keeping the awkward factor when around her, because he's unsure of his ability of being a father and/or what to do. Additionally, the two sequences he has with Pattinson are fantastic, from the loading of the shotgun to accepting Edward, Burke delivers the goods.

Members of the Cullen family have hardly any screentime to develop, but these are my general impressions: Dr. Carlisle Cullen, played by Peter Facinelli, freaks me the hell out when I look at him, though I think it's because of his slicked-back hair; Nikki Reed as Rosalie was annoying in every scene she was in; Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) appeared constipated; Ashley Greene as Alice Cullen is beautiful and underused; Elizabeth Reaser as Esme is your standard beautiful, concerned and caring mom; and Kellan Lutz has nothing to do but look like a wannabe gangsta basketball player.

Cam Gigandent (NEVER BACK DOWN) comes off as nothing more then another pretty chest for the girl's too go ga-ga over, and never strikes any fear into any scene he's in; hell, when he's beating up Bella, there's no menace to it at all. Also, the aging whilst beautiful Sara Clarke, who 24 fans will recognize as the sidious Nina Myers from seasons 1-3, plays Bella's mother. Given two telephone conversation scenes, and two non-phone scene, Clarke hardly gets her duo, but she comes off as a caring mom and not a secret agent, so there's a plus.

The score by Carter Burwell was superb! Thankfully, the complete score will be avaliable 09 December. Initially, the composition reminded me of Alan Silvestri - and that's a compliment. Burwell creates a wonderful sense of menace when necessary, and during intense sequences, a listen to the tracks alone will pump your blood. It's not James Newton Howard or Hans Zimmer level of awesomeness, but I loved it. Next time you watch TWILIGHT (admit it people, you'll be seeing it again), pay attention to the score.

Overall, TWILIGHT wasn't nearly as horrible as I anticipated, and I'm happy for that, because it's a damn good, well-executed flick. It may seem like I have a few harsh things to say about it, but that doesn't mean I don't like it.

Summit Entertainment has just snabbed the rights for the remaining three books, and currently scribe Melissa Rosenberg is hard at work penning the screenplay for NEW MOON, which Summit announced they're starting production on (er, actively putting into production). If they can expound the relationship between Bella and Edward, and hopefully alter some bad bits from the next book (from what I remember, there are some just stupid developments in it), then I'll be one of the people in line in 2010.