TV Meme: Day 20 - Favorite Kiss

There's one particular kiss that I rewatch a gazillion times, and that's due to the fact that it was one of the only real 'Holy Crap! They just smooched!' moments in the history of unexpected relationships that was...uh, totally, y'know, unexpected. That show Veronica Mars, which lasted three seasons, had, of course, it's title hero Veronica who investigated little mysteries here and there to make some bucks 'cuz she was good at it and pretty much a social outcast. Another character that started off as just a background dude with nothing to do but give off snide comments was Logan Echolls, a pretty rich boy who just didn't like Veronica at all.

Somehow, through the course of the first season, Veronica and Logan became united - sorta. They helped each other out of jams plenty of times, and I guess some sort of bond developed out of that. In "Weapons of Class Destruction", that messed up/mixed up relationship hits a giant crescendo as Veronica and Logan share a smooch at a hotel (after investigating a lead that ended up not really going anywhere). Something Happen's "Momentary Thing" blasts as the camera springs from one end of the hotel stairs to the other, Veronica and Logan totally going at the lip-locking like bunnies after the initial shock value wears off.

It's a great scene, awesome character progression, and one of the few instances where I was literally yelling at the screen and featured a giant grin on my face. Well done, Rob Thomas & Co. Oh, and yeah - go out and rent all three seasons of Veronica Mars, like, right now-ish.

TV Meme: Day 19 - Favorite TV Cast

The nineteenth day of the TV meme asks what my favorite TV cast is. Quite immediately, three shows hit my super fast brain waves, and I think it's no coincidence that all three of these shows were written, created, and directed by Joss Whedon [select episodes, of course - at least with the 'written' and 'directed' part]. Joss and his team of writers have the best ability at creating a fantastic ensemble program in all of the TV-verse. Three-dimensional characters inhabit the screen every second of the shows running time, and thanks to the guidance of Whedon & Co's powerful penmanship, these great characters deliver the goods week after week. The drama, the humor, the turmoil, the campy, the action - you name it, a Whedon show has it.

In programs that have a cast bigger than three main actors, some characters end up getting short-shafted. Not in a Whedon show [and no, Oz doesn't count]. His characters are so alive and so real and so freakin' amazing, it was inevitable that a show of his would get this crowned spot. But which one? Buffy? Angel? Firefly? [not Dollhouse, sadly] I love the Angel cast with two exceptions - Charles Gunn and Connor. Granted, they get better as their characters evolve and they get better storylines, but for the most part, they did break down the sheer awesomeness of the cast. But then season 5 came, and Angel featured the best cast of any show ever. However, if I'm judging this in a general way, then no, I can't (despite how much I want to) give this one to Angel. So Firefly? Way too obvious, and way too true. But then again, Buffy is far too obvious as well. Plus they've both been written about a lot...

Ah, hell. My favorite TV cast is the Buffy, the Vampire Slayer lot. Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, Oz, Cordelia, Angel, Kendra, Dawn, Faith, Andrew, Jonathan, and Spike (plus more I neglected to mention). Great, great, great chemistry and writing makes every episode - even the ones that are truly rubbish - mildly entertaining and somewhat worth it [e.g., season 2's "Bad Eggs"]. I can't think of a more perfect cast and more perfectly constructed characters. Plus, and this is a major plus, just watching these guys onscreen interacting is freakin' awesome enough - all the other stuff (the writing, the direction, the performances, yada, yada) is just groovy icing on the cake, mate.

Another great thing about this particular cast: we get the opportunity to watch these characters and actors grow up right before our eyes. We get to see Buffy Summers and by extent Sarah Michelle Geller go from a young woman uncertain about her life to being quite comfortable in her own shoes and empowered by her own choices and actions. There's Willow Rosenberg, who discovers herself from the beginning of the series all the way to its end. Xander Harris, the bumbling nerd who ends up having more stones and depth than anyone would have thought possible. The school librarian Giles who is as fallible as any human alike, despite his nearly indestructible power Buffy pictures him as.

Basically, this cast rocks. These characters rock. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, like Transformers, has "more than meets the eye."

....

[BTW, I am SOOO proud of myself for that Transformers reference!!!]

Jonah Hex

Jonah Hex
Starring Josh Brolin, Megan Fox, John Malkovich, Will Arnett
Written by William Farmer, Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Directed by Jimmy Hayward
Release: 18 June 2010
Warner Bros., 85 mins., Rated R

Plot: Jonah Hex vows revenge on Quentin Turnbull for murdering his family, and being recruited by the American government to stop him is just a nifty plus.

JONAH HEX is one of three things: 1) a brilliantly timed really super-duper fast action movie that just wants to be a action movie, 2) a film with so many bad scenes that a large majority of shot footage can be found on the cutting room floor, or 3) simply a missed opportunity bad-ish movie that had plenty of good ideas that weren't executed well. Ah hell, I wager it is, in fact, all three. I seriously don't know whether to commend it for its lightning-quick pacing or blast it for laziness and casting John Malkovich.

The movie wasn't screened for critics prior to release, which typically indicates that the studio has the utmost faith in the project [as if]. So is HEX as bad as they feel it is? No, not bad. Not terribly good either. What it has in its favor is most notably Josh Brolin (W.), who perfectly encapsulates Hex. Now, granted, I haven't read a single HEX comic book ever, but Brolin feels like the perfect match for this type of character. Broody, careless, (seemingly) morale-less, and just doesn't give a rats ass about anybody (well, except Megan Fox's character Lilah). Brolin perfectly brings the 'you cross me anyway I don't like, I ain't got no problem cappin' your ass' type of feel to Jonah Hex, and I sure as hell wouldn't want to tick the guy off. Whether it be the one-liners sprinkled throughout the script, the action scenes, or the cries and determined look of revenge, Josh Brolin definitely delivers the goods.

Being a revenge story, I was already pleased with the concept of the film. However, my decision on how it was executed is yet undetermined (as indicated above). As you've no doubt read by now, JONAH HEX is a very, very short movie. It officially started at 3:11 (post-trailers) and ended by 4:26 (during end credits). The film definitely feels like a comic book coming to life, what with its quick prancing from scene to scene and general depth of the script. Perhaps that was their intent, which given the WMD idea proposed in the film I very possibly would believe it, but I kinda would have much rather the filmmakers went the nitty-gritty route. There's the camp of folks who like the tone of the SPIDER-MANs and those who enjoy the Nolan BATMANs; I'm in the Nolan camp. I like my story dark, serious, and complex. That is not JONAH HEX.

In a nutshell, the script and storyline held the possibility for plenty of really engaging ideas to be explored in really cool ways, but the filmmakers just didn't seem interesting pursuing that venue...

Since I can't judge the script properly without knowing if it was made with a serious intent and was misguided or made with a comic book-y feel in mind, I'll move on to the other performances: Megan Fox surprisingly doesn't annoy. Somehow, someway, she comes off like she's giving something akin to a performance. Although, her positive regard in the film could very well be owed to her relatively short time onscreen, about 10 minutes total. She shows up to frak Jonah and then being used for bait. Whatever, she looks hot, and her career probably isn't going to sky rocket after her dismissal from TRANSFORMERS 3. In the most surprisingly appearance in the whole movie, Will Arnett (BLADES OF GLORY) shows up for a couple scenes as some form of military guy. His work is perplexing: he plays it deadly serious, complete with a more darker and stern voice, and I can't help but wonder if by casting Arnett and making him talk like that they're actually 100% saying "it's just a comic book movie". One way or another, it's great to see yah get work, Mr. Arnett.

Now as for John Malkovich, never much liked the guy; never thought he was worth all the hype, performance-wise. And he doesn't disappoint in my presumption here.

Another aspect I didn't much like is the music. Rock band Mastodon unites with the respectable Marco Beltrami (THE HURT LOCKER) to deliver the most annoyingly repetitive junk that disrupts every scene in years. Seriously, the music doesn't match the scene. It just doesn't work, and they missed a real opportunity to make something damn good. Oh well.

In summation, whether or not you like JONAH HEX depends entirely on your taste. As a comic book adaptation trying to be nothing more than a live action comic book, sure, it hits the motions and is a nice short flick to sit through. If you're like me and would have liked something serious and in-depth, you may not be in the 'OMG! I LOVZ it!!!' camp. Miraculously, I'd still recommend it. By no means, if you choose to see it theatrically, should you see it expensively; really cheap with plenty of popcorn, candy, and soda is the way to go.

Taking into account the poor critical response and box office results, a JONAH HEX 2 on the horizon is very much with the doubtful, which is both sad and good simultaneously. The good news is that this film has sparked my interest in the comic series, and I will be making a trip to my nearest bookstore to read through some JONAH HEX graphic novels. So in that regard, good for you Legendary Pictures! And Brolin - you still rock, dude.

TV Meme: Day 18 - Favorite Title Sequence

It's the eighteenth day of the TV meme, and I'm faced with perhaps one of the toughest topics yet: favorite title sequence. Quite honestly, there are so many that I love. My first instant thought was Angel, which I thought features such a beautiful title sequence that perfectly encapsulates the core message of the show while also kicking major ass. Plus, it's one of the few long-running programs that actually give a damn about changing their title card with new footage. But then I walked out to look at my TV on DVD collection, and immediately became overwhelmed with warm fuzzies. Then my choice became three shows, and now I've made the sacrifice to one show WITH a honorable mention at the bottom.

SUPERNATURAL, created by Erick Kripke (and a show I plan on writing more about, and will have a editorial about it in a few days or so mainly pertaining to seasons 4 & 5 of the program), features a title card that is both simple and entirely complicated in its own right. Therefore, I'll go through the motions with each subsequent season:


Season 1 was simple. The SUPERNATURAL logo goes all sporadic - not unlike lightning - and then sticks to the middle but still fazes in-between coherency. Very simplistic, but effective. But then again, that was basically the show's first season: not too heavy, fairly light with plenty of humor and the majority of episodes being stand alones. A precursor of big things to come, a very rudimentary season 1 title is sorta necessary.



Season 2 still sends chills up and down my spine every single time it pops up per episode. The sudden rush of fire - probably a reference to the main baddie Azazel - is beautiful to look at, but with most things dealing with the show, the elements that scare me the most are the freakishly outworldly and undoubtedly evil sounds that emanate through the fire. It's like the flames of Hell itself was captured on film, and the demons were locked in its fire pushing through the screen to come out. Hauntingly beautiful, the season 2 title card is but a foreshadowing of the scarier and darker nature the show would take.


Season 3's title card was basically the big bucks spent. It nicely mirrors the main theme of the season: war. At the end of season 2, hundreds of demons got a free ride out of Hell and are now terrorizing humanity. So, basically, it's us versus them. War. The black smoke (with purple and red touches) represents the demons, but at the same time it could also work as a mushroom cloud after a fierce atomic battle...or something. Basically, it's the most visually pleasing, gorgeous, and all around awesome of the title sequences (though my favorite will always remain season 2).


Season 4's title card may not look like much or be much, which is partially true, but it DOES foreshadow/hint/depict one of the big elements of season 4: the introduction of Angels. Before the rather season 1-looking title card, quick, erratic and rather alarming flaps of bird wings slice through or vision before bringing us the SUPERNATURAL title in blood red.


Season 5 is a bit surprising, but perhaps more menacing than meets the eye. This title card simply depicts a drop of blood hitting (presumably) water and spreading inside. Really, it's the least pizazz-looking title card displayed yet, but it's frightening message is clear: blood will be spilled, and it can possibly be anyone at anytime. My least 'oooo, awwwe' of the title cards, it nevertheless is quite effective.

I love the SUPERNATURAL title cards quite simply because they so effectively mirror the main theme of each season, and look friggin' cool doing it.

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Now, for the honorable mention that I nearly completely forgot. There was this little show on ABC I didn't follow until the end of its second season, and the very fact that I watched it at all is a testament to how utterly brilliant it was from beginning to end (it being a show about lawyers), called BOSTON LEGAL, created by David E. Kelly (ALLY MCBEAL). I can't think of a title card that is so damn fun. Similar to people's love for the TRUE BLOOD title sequence, I sit through it every time with a giant freakin' grin on my face. Whoever first conceived of this concept is a bonafied genius. Thanks to my super special dial-up, I don't really wanna go through the hassle of slowly surfing through YouTube to find a video of it, so please look it up at your leisure (or better yet, watch the show). Awesome, hip, dance-able, hilarious, smart, and simply cool - yeah, the BOSTON LEGAL title card is the perfect episode set-up.

TV Meme: Day 17 - Favorite Mini-Series

Bad me, I'm posting the Day 17 TV meme a day late. Oh well, I have good reasons! I went over to Mankato University today to send in my application and transcripts, so here's hoping that they'll accept me and everything will go smoothly, and in about two months, I'm hitting college big-league style! Of course, that also means more constrictions on the net, but I prefer not to think about that right now. Anyhow, the topic of the day is favorite mini-series.

Truth be told, I haven't watched many mini-series. Like, three, I think. [BTW, doesn't the 2 1/2 hour "Pilot" of the 2004 Battlestar Galactica count as a mini-series?] So out of that large category to select of, I'd say my favorite is the 2000 Sci-Fi Channel adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune. One of my favorite memories of going to the movies as a child was walking into the Har Mar Mall movie theater as the previews were playing, and the first sight I see (near the end of the Dune trailer) is a shot of this giant worm-like thingy with colossal teeth charging up into the air [straight at the camera] and about to devour a spacecraft or something. It was awesome.

Despite my utter jaw-dropping wowness to the trailer, I didn't end up seeing it until last year. And it's pretty tight. Widely imaginative, extremely engaging, tight scripting, the awesomeness of William Hurt, and a decent SPFX budget all make this epic pretty freakin' epic. The story has action and political intrigue and revenge - all really great elements that are perfectly put together in a thrilling narrative. Now I'm not about to go read the actual book the movie's based on, or rent David Lynch's 1980's Dune (which I heard was pretty bad), but I like the miniseries enough to make it a definite recommend.

RUNNER-UP: It was either ABC or NBC many years back, but they aired a 4-or something-part miniseries called The 10th Kingdom that was pretty damn awesome. It's still available at most retail outlets for about $12.99 (or, of course, Netflix), and for anyone who is interested in the meshing of reality and fantasy complimented by campy humor, you'll most definitely get a kick out of this program.

Shameless Promotion: 'Gamera' on DVD!

I love monster movies - kaiju eiga and super sentai - and if there was enough updates on giant monster flicks I haven't a doubt I'd be writing a blog about said topic. In fact, in less than a month I'm planning (money permit me) to hit up G-FEST in Chicago on the second week of July. Recognize the name Godzilla? If the answer is yes, G-FEST is a yearly convention dedicated to celebrating Godzilla, monster movies, and other miscellaneous beings of unnatural size and power that (typically) wreck havoc [or save] Japan. Like Gamera, a giant flying turtle created by Daiei in 1965 to cash in on the success of Toho's Godzilla, in a nutshell. Anyway, back on topic.

It's 2010, and the last 'big' giant monster release on DVD was back in 2008 when Classic Media was completing their Toho Master releases with Terror of Mechagodzilla and All Monsters Attack. So imagine my utter happiness with the news earlier this year that Shout! Factory - a company more widely known for taking up the mantle of releasing Mystery Science Theater box sets every four months - picked up the license for the first seven Showa Gamera series (1965-1980)! If you can't imagine, my mind was basically as follows: "OMG! OMG! YES! YES! YES! SUPER DUPER COOLZIE OMG!!!"

See, the Showa Gamera films have had a tough market as of late. When Alpha Video and Retromedia Entertainment were still big public domain labels a few years back, it seemed like everyone and their mother were releasing crappy $1 copies of the Gamera films. Alpha Video releases Gammera, the Invincible [aka Giant Monster Gamera], War of the Monsters [aka Gamera vs. Barugon], Destroy All Planets [aka Gamera vs. Viras], and Attack of the Monsters [aka Gamera vs. Guiron]. Retromedia released Destroy All Planets, Attack of the Monsters, Gamera vs. Monster X [aka Gamera vs. Jiger] and Return of the Giant Monsters [aka Gamera vs. Gyaos]. To summarize the quality of these discs in one word: "shitty." Scratches, hairs, grain, washed out colors, distorted audio - it was far, far from flattering, but alas, I was content because it was Gamera on DVD.

So major happiness that now a legit studio is releasing a legitimately gorgeous-looking and bonus feature-full DVD of the original series. Last month, Shout! Factory began their set with Giant Monster Gamera (pictured right), and I can honestly say that this disc is a valued prize in my collection. The picture is frakken' gorgeous. Sure, there are times where it's the darkness of the scene nearly makes features indistinguishable (e.g., I mostly mean the scene where a civilian sees the 'flying saucer' at nighttime), but the rest of the picture is so pristine in quality I'm not gonna remotely bitch about it. The fact Shout! went through the hurdle of releasing this at all makes them A+ blokes in my book, but they went a step further and recruited kaiju eiga expert August Ragone (author of Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters) to voice a audio commentary [a feature of any DVD I cherish] and also translate Japanese behind-the-scenes materials. Shout!, I love you guys.

The Gamera franchise may not be particularly the best series to introduce giant monster films to a wider audience (unless you have children 13 and under who would cherish a giant flying turtle saving the galaxy), but there is a certain admirable quality about the whole saga that forces me to recommend regardless. It may not be a goldmine of beautiful miniature scenery or special visual effects, but it's unmistakable that the creators behind the project were at least enjoying their time and having a blast producing a giant monster flick. That quality shows in the final production. At the very least, Gamera, the Giant Monster is a good way to showcase the then to the now (1995's Gamera, the Guardian of the Universe).

My giddyness factor is also now at a all-time high with the fact in less than a month, Shout! will be releasing their second Gamera title, Gamera vs. Barugon! Arguably the best of the original series, Gamera vs. Barugon will be gorgeous to look at no doubt, and more bonus material will be included as planned. This time Gamera fights another monster (a first for the fresh series) who has the ability to freeze things with its tongue. Basically, it's just a really cool movie, and Gamera looks totally badass in this one.

And then on 21 September, Shout! will go the double feature route and release Gamera vs. Gyaos/Gamera vs. Viras and Gamera vs. Guiron/Gamera vs. Jiger. I'm honestly sick to death of both Viras and Guiron, so I'm not particularly looking forward to them, but pristine prints of Gyaos and Jiger most definitely catch my attention.

The purpose of this post is basically to broaden readers knowledge of giant monster movies, and (hopefully) someone will look at this blog, be intrigued, and buy (or rent) the DVD. If sales figures remain strong, who knows what other monster series could be licensed in the future? And perhaps Shout! will come out with some mega box set to house the 5 discs in down the road? All I can say is that I support Shout! Factory and applaud them on their efforts with these releases, and I implore any curious consumer to check out this monster series (and Godzilla, for that matter). For more information on Gamera and these releases, I also implore you check out fellow Minnesotan Kyle's WTF-Film for updates as they emerge. Thank you for this time.

Shameless plug completed!

TV Meme: Day 16 - Guilty Pleasure Program

It's the sixteenth day of the meme, and although I'm not losing juice in the writing of this meme, I am however losing my interest in writing movie reviews. I'm really feeling like I just want to write one of three things, depending on the title: "OMG! It waz 'da SHITZ!!!", "it was pretty good", or "it was not so good." Anyway, the topic of the day is my guilty pleasure show.

Not so sure if it's my worst guilty pleasure, but definitely one of my top ones is watching The CW's One Tree Hill (on DVD; I haven't had the luxury of catching it on air). It hits the guilty pleasure mark because I really won't admit to my watching it to most blokes. I'll probably just pronounce it rubbish and hope to switch topics - but the truth is: One Tree Hill is addicting in its badness and goodness.

I'm not gonna lie and say that the attractive leading ladies weren't a major factor in my choosing to watch the series. Sophia Bush (of The Hitcher remake fame) is absolutely stunningly gorgeous. It's a freakin' sin and a sure sign that Chad Michael Murray is suffering from some severe psychological disorder to cheat on the gal after marrying her (six months in, I believe). I mean, c'mon, Sophia is a beautiful woman and puts up with your White Man Ghetto look, you should be begging her every night not to leave you, dude.

And then there's Bethany Joy Galeotti who plays the popular cheerleader girl who marries Nathan (Chad Michael Murray's half-brother in the show) and ends up knocked up. Gents, even as a 21 year old mum, this gal is smoking hot. Gorgeous, intelligent, and sassy - oh, the male actors on this show are lucky bastards.

Aside of the attractive leading ladies, One Tree Hill also boasts some stellar dumb soap opera plots. But the real kicker is I love 'em. I love watching how it all unfolds (even the super duper ridiculous Evil Nanny storyline from season 6), and the atrocious dialogue that gets thrown around. Crazy storylines notwithstanding, I also really dug Lucas Scott's arc of becoming a successful writer to having writer's block, then to having his freshman novel picked up for a live action adaptation. It's sorta what I want to happen in my life, if I ever just stop blogging and write something down...

Basically, it doesn't get more crazy than One Tree Hill. Betrayals, serial killer family members, psycho (ex)boyfriends, crazy nannies, grandma sleeping with a young dude, a man torn between two really beautiful women (although I'm not really a Peyton fan). If you're not too sure you want to make the plunge into starting the show at the beginning, I'd recommend starting at season 5. Trust me, you don't need any background info. There's a time skip 4 years into the future between seasons, so it's sorta like a brand spankin' new Pilot. Enjoy.

TV Meme: Day 15 - Favorite Female Character

It's the fifteenth day of the TV meme, and the topic of the day is: favorite female character. This was sort of a toughie because, truthfully, there aren't too many female characters that I strongly like. I was thinking Buffy Summers or Willow Rosenberg from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, or perhaps Cordelia Chase from both Buffy and Angel. But then last night I was surfing through my DVD collection because I was sorta unsure of what to watch, and came across the three-season DVD set of Veronica Mars. For those who aren't familiar with the show, it was a UPN production for two seasons and then moved to The CW when that channel 23/29 merger happened about four years back.


Veronica Mars, the title hero, was a 17-year old gal who had some pretty sucky last few years of high school. She had the popular boyfriend and hung out with his friends and were BFFs with his sister, Lily. Then Lily died, and that changed everything. She also got drugged one night and had her virginity floating around town somewhere. Her mom left town when her dad - the Sheriff - started losing favor to the townsfolk. So she lost her friends, her family, her virginity, and she's just a mess.

And yet even after all that shit Veronica is a fine, grounded, and highly intelligent individual who doesn't take any bullshit from her peers and is quite the awesome person in her own damn right. On a role model for young girls level, Veronica takes the cake. She is the boss, and she doesn't even need Chosen One powers or anything like that. A great thing about Veronica is that she is 100% her own person - which is a nice testament to the writers. Of course she has her love interests - Duncan, Logan, Piz - but they don't become her, if y'know what I mean. Her entire arc isn't about who she will or won't hook up with.

Her sassy attitude, her self-assured individuality, and her drive to live life even in really shitty circumstances - plus her awesome one-liners - makes Veronica Mars one of my favorite female characters evah.

Doctor Who - The Lodger

Written by: Gareth Roberts
Directed by: Catherine Morshead

Plot: When the TARDIS dematerializes (with Amy inside) leaving The Doctor stranded on Earth, he becomes the new flatmate of Craig, a bloke who's biggest worry in life is romancing his friend Sophie.

A thankfully simple plot where even the villain of the week isn't of utmost importance, the episode is all about Matt Smith and James Corden (as Craig) showing off their fantastic comical and dramatic skills as actors. That alone has made this one of my favorite episode in weeks [my apologies, but the whole Sillurian story was simply not executed to its highest potential]. I honestly can't count how many times I had a ginormous grin on my face or restrained a high-pitched laugh [I was in the library]. Judging by the preview last week for "The Lodger", I instantly guessed it would be a waste of time. Instead it just happened to be one of my favorites of the season.

Watching The Doctor interact with humanity and go through the motions of a typical day in the life was great. Listening to him comment about us is even better. The highlights of the episode were particularly the most human: The Doctor falling out of the shower and reaching up to the sink to find his sonic screwdriver which is nestled right next to the toothbrushes and using said toothbrush to fight evil; The Doctor engaging in playing football and ending up being (as predicted) rather extraordinary at it; and The Doctor talking with Sophie about her life.

Corden as Craig was great. He played the stereotypical male who has a best female friend and is head-over-shoes in love with her, but can't possibly say a damn thing about it because it might ruin their friendship and he's scared shitless. Craig is entirely empathetic and also entirely hilarious to watch as his disapproving mannerisms become increasingly apparent as The Doctor shows off his awesome football skills, and ends up extremely jealous of him. It sorta turns into a who's better? match for a few scenes. For a bloke who isn't given too much time onscreen (I was actually quite surprised by the amount of running time allocated to The Doctor, since these eleventh episodes are usually Doctor-lite), Craig definitely will make a positive lasting impression as a love-sick roomie for The Doctor, and I actually wouldn't mind if he somehow found his way on the TARDIS for a one-off adventure.

Speaking of adventure, the Villain of the Week wasn't particularly memorable, but that wasn't exactly the point of the episode. "The Lodger" is about The Doctor and Craig and allowing these two actors do their thing. The Villain is just extra gravy fun. And it is. The shots of the miscellaneous forms it takes on top of the stairway was genuinely creepy, as was how it was constantly doused in darkness. Turns out what it ultimately wants was quite simple. Although for all the build-up, I wouldn't have minded something a little more menacing.

Oh! And Matt Smith is, of course, at his top form. A lot of The Doctor these past few weeks has been his unique mannerisms and speech, and not enough of The Doctor being, well, The Doctor. This episode gives us the opportunity to explore this eleventh incarnation more since the premiere. By the time I write a review for the finale, I'll have reiterated Matt Smith's awesomeness, I'll just leave it as a single sentence in Series 6 for each review: "Matt Smith was 'da bomb again." Make things simpler, no?

Another endearing quality of "The Lodger", and furthermore this season, has been the increase of great one-liners and self-aware dialogue. Multiple times The Doctor remarks on doing his "thing", as in his ability to come up with a plan rather quickly but first the "thing" needs to happen. Same thing happens in this episode concerning the title of 'The Doctor', which was quite funny. All in all, from a writing standpoint, the dialogues have all been stellar this season. In reference to the scripts, there's highs and lows, but overall, the positives far outweigh the negatives. So, bravo!

COMING UP: Somehow, someway, the first of the two-part series finale is upon us, and it sees The Doctor, Amy, and River Song battling some Big Bads from The Doctors past and (possibly) future. The 'fairy tale' mentioned by River in "Flesh and Stone", the Pandorica, seems to be quite real and housing some big villain of enormous importance. On one hand, I'm very sad that the series is coming to a end after waiting so long for it to start. But on the other - I'm so friggin' excited!!!

TV Meme: Day 14 - Favorite Male Character

Still surviving the Meme in its fourteenth day, and the topic is: favorite male character. This was a bit of a conundrum. There's so damn many to choose from. My initial, rather obvious choice would be Jack Bauer on 24, played to utter perfection by Keifer Sutherland (of The Lost Boys fame). However, Rachel's already got that pretty well written already, so why bother repeating her brilliant write-up? So I've gone with my number two choice (although it was NEARLY Malcom Reynolds from Firefly).

Angel. Or Angelus, if one were to refer to his original, soulless vampire self. Angel is the vampire with a soul, cursed by gypsies after killing the wrong gal. His reign of terror - which was plentiful - came to a screeching end. This beast that defiled, murdered, and drove people insane felt every act of evil he committed, and he was repulsed by it. The soul made him feel every ounce of pain, and the conditions of the curse ensured that Angelus would never be happy again, or the beast would be set free once again (something the soulful Angel could never allow). Angelus, the mighty demon that stalked the night and murdered innocent girls without a second thought, become a whimpering, burdened, sorrowful shell.

Until he met her.

In 1996, Angel met Buffy Summers in Sunnydale, and she changed his life forever. A new path presented itself to him, and he took it. He chose the life of protector, of a guardian, of a...'hero.' He would spend eternity or the rest of his existence seeking redemption for his sins, and he would never give up. Angel vowed to fight evil at the end of a sword.

Angel is my favorite male character because he is the ultimate hero. Hell, one of the ultimate characters ever written. The fight against evil was never more amazing than with Angel - the evil of the outside world and the evil from within himself he always fought, second after second of every day. On more than one occasion, the fight cost him and his friends dearly. But he continues to fight. No matter the blow. Everyone he knows and love could die right in front of him, and the world would be ending and everything would be a lost cause, but Angel would still pick up his sword, axe, arrow, weapony-thingy and fight until he can't possibly fight anymore.

He's my favorite character because he has no right to be. He doesn't ask for it, he doesn't need it. He's perfectly content with saving the day and being righteous and just sulking back into the shadows again. Angel is the vampire equivalent of the Dark Knight. Angel is the biggest, baddest-assest vampire and don't nobody mess 'wit' 'em! ...Seriously, watch the show. Writing this post has now made me uber eager to rewatch all five seasons.