The Watcher: 04/29/11 - 05/12/11

CHUCK S04E22 - "Chuck Vs. Agent X" (02 May 2011) - No words. Just thanks. And I say that on behalf of males everywhere. We need more scenes like this. Alright, moving on: the big revelation is that Alexi Volkoff is Agent X, and although I'm not a huge fan of this development, it admittedly does lend itself to some interesting character and story bits leading into the season finale. Next to the gorgeousness that is Yvonne Strahovski, we were treated to a hilarious scene of Casey falling in love with the old woman who was going full on Helen Mirren/RED on Ray Wise and his comical baddies. Bullets after bullets, it's easy to see how Casey dug the woman. Again, the revelation of Alexi ain't a huge love of mine, but it pits father against daughter for the finale, and I'm cool with that. Score: 8.9/10


CHUCK S04E23 - "Chuck Vs. the Last Details" (09 May 2011) - A fun episode that gets major points from me thanks to the multiple geek references. For one, and most obvious, are the two STAR WARS lines said by Morgan and Casey, in addition to the actual Imperial March theme being used! Blimey, that must've cost them a pretty penny or two. Another element of awesomeness: the visual homage to TERMINATOR 2, with Linda Hamilton working out in her cell. All these geek-favors made me happy. Morgan was the real star of this episode, infiltrating a little gang meet and acting like a big bad Italian boss and having to fake dying and all, but the 'cliffhanger' of Sarah being killed by Vivian - eh, coulda done better. Score: 8.5/10

FRINGE S03E21 - "The Last Sam Weiss" (29 April 2011) - The world is ripping itself apart, Peter is acting weird, apparently being momentarily confused about what Side he's on, Sam Weiss is just one of many Sam Weisses (the name comes down from generation to generation), and in the end, Peter steps into the Doomsday machine as the only way to stop this feud...and gets sent to the future. Not entirely in love with that last development - maybe because I watch too many shows with time and space being a typical story beat - but I'm excited to see where this leads. Score: 8.5/10

FRINGE S03E22 - "The Day We Died" (6 May 2011) - And thus this explosive season of FRINGE concludes with a new direction to head towards in season four. It was one hell of a great finale, full of great dialogue and absolutely stellar (award worthy, even) performances from Joshua Jackson and John Noble (playing dual roles, mind you!). Any negatives I have to say stem from my wish that time travel didn't have to factor into the narrative. In some instances, like in season two when time travel was used, in a way, I don't mind, but I would have preferred to have the events of the here and now be solved by people of the here and now. I don't wan to see what the future could be and have someone do their damnest to change it - I'll leave that to the TERMINATOR franchise. Still, that little preference aside, "The Day We Died" was phenomenal. The most extraordinary scene was Peter's one-on-one conversation with Walternate, and this lead us to the 'Holy shit!' moment of Walternate shooting Olivia in the head. Cruel, unforgiving, and absolutely shocking, it was a marvelously written, directed, acted, and edited scene. The final, mysterious scene with the Observers definitely lends itself to the shows greatest WTF? moment: the group discussing Peter's disappearance, as no one remembers him anymore after he has 'served his purpose'. A world of what? There absolutely needs to be more to this story, and I can't wait to see how it evolves. The look at the possible future here was great - Olivia being able to master her powers (hopefully a nod to a future storyline), Olivia and Peter being husband and wife, and Olivia's niece joining Fringe Division. The writers clearly have no limit of imagination. With the two universes supposedly working together to clean up the decaying spaces between them, season four promises to be something special. Score: 9.6/10 | Season Score: 9.3/10

JUSTIFIED S02E13 - "Bloody Harlan" (04 May 2011) - Seems like just the other day when this show began its second season, and lookie here, we've reached the end! Blimey. "Bloody Harlan" is brilliantly the opposite of "Bulletville" - it doesn't boast some stellar gunfights this time around, instead focusing more on consequences and the eruption of a boiling point. that's been building the last couple episodes In a way, the finale ended the only way it could have...although you wouldn't hear me complaining if Dickie was killed; hell, that would give me a good ol' smile. Despite the title, "Bloody Harlan" is actually quite subtle. Take the ending scene as the best example, with Loretta being talked out of taking Mags' life, and the concluding conversation between Mags and Raylan - it's the anticlimax, but most importantly, it's the brilliant end because it stays true to what makes JUSTIFIED so completely unique in the field of cop dramas: the scene is entirely, 100% character driven. It's not about the tying up loose plot ends, it's just about Raylan and Mags, and Mags' reaction to losing (nearly) everything. Everything with Loretta, Mags, Dickie, Raylan, Boyd, and Harlan are damn near perfect - although I'm still at a complete loss as to what we're supposed to get about Boyd's character progression this year - and I can't wait to see the story continue. Winona is pregnant (congrats, Raylan), and it looks like the whole getting-out-of-town thing that's been tossed around (at least) the last four episodes will see either a great leap forward or a giant step back. Either way, do I seriously have to wait another whole damn year for the next season? C'mon, guys! Score: 9.7/10 | Season Score: 8.6/10

NIKITA S01E20 - "Glass Houses" (28 April 2011) - Notice how everyone who figures out Alex's secret ends up dead? Interesting. Still don't get what Alex 'sees' in Nate - seems kinda like a douche, and very bland, one dimensionaly. Meh. Score: 8.1/10

NIKITA S01E21 - "Betrayals" (5 May 2011) - Alex is in trouble, Michael is in trouble, and Nikita is gonna be in some serious shit. As expected from a penultimate episode, lines are crossed, and everything is coming to a head. Most awesomely, Percy, for the first time in the series, displays his cunning, clever, and manipulative side to utter perfection; major kudos goes out to Xander Berkley for a spectacular performance. And then there's the final reveal that it was Nikita that pulled the trigger killing Alex's father. Ooooo! Score: 9.0/10

SMALLVILLE S10E19 - "Dominion" (29 April 2011) - Not entirely sure if this is a story that needed to be told before the 'epic' series finale, but "Dominion" was nonetheless a fun ride. You got Clark and Oliver trapped in the Phantom Zone, facing off 300-style with swords and armor, and a scruffy Zod all ready to see Clark be very much dead. Good times to be a farm boy from Kansas. "Dominion" is noteworthy mostly cos of being Justin Hartly's directorial debut, and aside from far too many slow motion shots that don't remotely invoke the same awesome style of the film its imitating, his direction is mostly competent and entirely within the realm of SMALLVILLE standards. The set design, costume, and added lens flares definitely assist in making the Phantom Zone look the best its ever been, and complimented by Callum Blue's stellar Zod, ya definitely get the sense it ain't a prime destination spot. In regards to the continuing romance of Lois and Clark, I'm getting a tad tired of the whole 'I just wanted to protect you' thing Clark has going on - something he really should let go, considering that's been his prime excuse the last ten seasons [see: nearly every scene with Lana Lang]. Overall, still a good, entertaining episode. Score: 8.9/10

SMALLVILLE S10E20 - "Prophecy" (06 May 2011) - Toy Man and his secret organization of baddies in a dark room; Oliver meeting up with Kara, bridging light and dark in a selfish attempt to rid himself of the Omega symbol; Lois gaining Clark's powers for a day, and not really doing much with the gift from Jor-El. "Prophecy" is the type of episode that held within itself a good premise, but ultimately, the delivery was just a bit too sloppy. Score: 8.6/10

STARGATE UNIVERSE S02E19 - "Blockade" (02 May 2011) - Of course, just when the show was really becoming good and I feel that those 41 minutes watching a episode weren't wasted, the series must be canceled. Too bad the writers couldn't get their game on earlier, because "Blockade" was another great installment to the sophomore season, although I still ain't no fan of the drones. Those pesky drones, that more or less feel like a lousy plot contrivance at this point - delaying the bigger storyline of finding proof of intelligent design - actually end up being rather threatening and well done here. A tense story that nicely serves has character beats and surprisingly a bit of tension. Score: 9.5/10

STARGATE UNIVERSE S02E20 - "Gauntlet" (09 May 2011) - I plan on saying a few words about this series in another post, so I won't go into too much detail here other than to say I thought this worked as a fitting series finale, although I know it wasn't planned as such. I can't say enough how happy I am the writers didn't leave the series off at a ridiculous life-in-jeopardy 'cliffhanger' like the season one finale was. Having all the characters, minus Eli, in stasis for two years to pass over the drones - great, sweet, fitting material. And the final five minutes, with the decision of who will stay behind is deliberated and Eli choosing to be the odd man out - that was great material. For anyone who have had the luxury of watching BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, Eli's face in the second to final shot, caped above, is eerily reminiscent to Xander in the season three episode "The Zeppo" - it has that really weird quality to it, the sorta 'I'm OK with dying' or to quote Xander, 'I like the quiet'. It's a perfect, ambiguous final shot of our main character. SG-U's second season has been a lot of hit-and-miss, with some genuinely good episodes making their way throughout the season, but also boggled down by some truly mind-numbingly, hair-tearing bad ones. I'm over the moon "Gauntlet" concludes the series at a good point, leaving the story unfinished enough for any fan fiction writer to fill in the blanks or to allow the viewer to make up their own mind what happens to them. Do they ever reach their destination? Does Eli die? Looking back at all 20 episodes of season two, my one big regret is that Destiny's mission wasn't the center point of the narrative. Its mission was revealed - to find a sign of intelligent design, so to speak - but there were no great clues to the over-arcing narrative. Still, it was a fun and frustrating ride, and it is admittedly unfortunate to see this journey end. Score: 9.6/10 | Season Score: 7.1/10

SUPERNATURAL S06E19 - "Mommy Dearest" (29 April 2011) - And like that, the Mother of All plot concludes. I kinda sorta was hoping that she would be a greater threat, and wouldn't go out so easily. I mean, for Christ's sake, she's the sodding Mother of All! And she...died? Overall, it was a decent episode, full of motive explanations, a reveal of another season-long Big Bad, the return of a plotline, and generally great performances and writing. The only downside is that this Mega Bitch, the Mother of All, was made to sound like she was going to cause some major havoc, but in the end, she didn't honestly do much at all. So, big build up, not quite successful in its climax. "Mommy Dearest" concludes one element of the multiple thread season six and propels us towards the three-partish season finale. Score: 8.9/10

Thor

Thor

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings, Idris Elba, Ray Stevenson
Written by Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, Don Payne, J. Michael Stracynski (story), Mark Protosevich (story)
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Release: 06 May 2011
Marvel Studios, 114 mins., Rated PG-13

Plot: God of Thunder Thor is a bit of a cocky ass, and is thus exiled to Earth by Daddy Odin to teach him a lesson in humility and generally being less ass-y.

The Man Who Would Be King

To be a King, one must be wise, one must not be rash and run hammer-first into battle without thinking of repercussions or the greater picture. In the realm of Asgard, Thor, Son of Odin, is unable to think clearly, allowing his cocky and stubborn nature take the better of him. Next to some stunning visuals thanks to director Kenneth Branagh, Thor is a remarkable film in that it dedicates itself solely to character and character development. I do have a small qualm about this area that I will mention in due course, but to summarize, the script is a beauty: a full two hours dedicated to watching the evolution of a arrogant child transform into a mighty and understanding hero. The end doesn't present us with a fully formed hero, a man who has all the answers and is ready to be King - he's frank to Odin, that he still has much to learn, but he's heading in the right direction. It's the script that is the real prize here, but I would be remiss without saying that everyone involved in the production didn't give their A games. More on that later.

I absolutely loved watching Thor's transformation, but my only gripe is this: I would have liked his development of character to stem from something larger than attraction to Portman's Jane. I want to see Thor experience the world(s) differently, to see the error of his ways and the consequences of his actions (although we do get a glimpse of this as Loki plays with Thor's feelings as Thor is in custody of S.H.I.E.L.D). Instead, it seems to boil down to Jane, seeing her pretty face when he comes to Earth, and overall being one of a handful of humans he interacts with (positively). Take The Day the Earth Stood Still remake - Klatu chooses to spare humanity because of our capacity to love, basically. Alright, get that; to an alien, that's probably something big. But with Thor, it's something a little more specific: a full change of character. That man is a total hot head, and aside from his interactions with the Portman Gang, his time on earth doesn't really lend itself to any great change.

That said, I do acknowledge the important scene where Loki misinforms Thor about the going ons back at Asgard. It's here that Thor feels completely drained - his father is (supposedly) dead, he's been permanently exiled, and his hammer is not within his reach, as if mocking him. He hits a pretty low point here, and it definitely is (obviously) instrumental in his growth, but - and I may be unreasonable here - I would like more. And I know that's difficult to accomplish in a two hour movie that requires special effects, action scenes, comedy, family drama, and giving nods to a larger universe outside this standalone story.

Speaking about the Man Who Would Be King, I present to you Loki. If you're on the fence about seeing Thor, see it for Loki. I love this damn manipulative brother. Cleverly written and acted, it's a beautiful character to watch.

Muscles Don't Make the Actor

Luckily, that ain't the case here. Sure, Chris Hemsworth - who I know nothing of other than playing Daddy Kirk in the J.J. Abrams prequel/sequel 2009 Star Trek - has both the muscles and acting chops to sell the character of Thor to audiences. This is a really impressive performance. In the beginning, Hemsworth rocks the arrogant Prince who welcomes a fight over thought; as he's exiled to Earth, he brings the comedy as Thor acclimates to this new environment; and by the end, the character's growth and selfless resolve is nicely played. Hemsworth rocked. Equally excelling in the rocking department, Tom Hiddleston. There cannot possibly be a lack of great things to say about this man. I love the movie, and I love Thor, but Loki is the true reason to see this flick, and he steals every scene, no doubt about it.

Hemsworth and Hiddleston are surrounded by a stellar cast of characters. Natalie Portman plays Jane, the woman who is influential in Thor's transformation; Stellan Skarsgard provides the laughs as his role is rather subdued, same with the wonderful Kat Dennings; the awesome Anthony Hopkins rules as King Odin, and I most definitely would not want to piss that man off; Idris Elba is Heimdall, the bloke in charge of the portal to the various realms, and is both funny and mighty - a man of few words, he makes 'em count. Absolutely nothing to complain about here.

Thor seems Shakespeare-y, hire a Shakespeare-y guy!

When the suits at Marvel were thinking about who to hire for the job of director, I'm curious if they chose Branagh over the similarities of this property and the director/writer's lovefest with the Bard. It does seem to be a match made in heaven. Family drama and betrayals has never been more engrossing...

Love for the actors aside, there are two shinning instruments that make this movie excel: director Kenneth Branagh and all five screenwriters. The screenwriters faced an impossible task and they beat it (more on that below), and Branagh directed a movie that has its own specific style that completely works for the film. Think the old Adam West Batman TV series, whenever the villains were on the camera was usually tilted in some manner - well, in addition to fancy camera movements, Branagh's vision favors the titled camera style, and it works quite well. The visual style of a movie is something I take a rather grand interest in - hence my love for all things Christopher Nolan [look at Dark Knight and tell me that's not a visually gorgeous movie] - and Thor does not disappoint. Next to being a fun film, just admiring the framing and all the elements onscreen alone is worth a watch...and rewatch.

Prelude to The Avengers

Since 2008's Iron Man, Marvel has been quite giddy - and fans likewise - to include cameos, mentions, visual ques, or post-credit scenes that play a part in the larger world of The Avengers. Basically, planting the seeds for the mega-budgeted film written and directed by the God of Filmmakers, Joss Whedon. Nick Fury and Captain America's shield have already been seen in Iron Man and a deleted opening scene in The Incredible Hulk, and Thor gives us our first view of Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), a unnamed mention of Bruce Banner, and a hint at The Avenger's plot in the post-credit sequence. Thankfully, none of these tie-ins remotely zap you out of the film, which is rather cool. Everything stays integral to the plot, and all the scenes with Agent Carulson and S.H.I.E.L.D was both hilarious and awesome.

Hammer Me This

Thor is a great production, a real triumph over at Marvel Studios that everyone involved should be quite happy with their product. The story of Thor is a good one, but also a difficult one to visualize: how does one meld the world of Asgard, with so many fantastical elements, into our world, very practical and messy? Turns out the solution is to have extremely talented writers craft a clever story and screenplay and hire a director in love with the material and just so happens to have some experience in family dramas. Go figure. Thor is one of those rare instances where everything works together seamlessly, and the movie becomes one hell of a fun ride from beginning to end. The editing is precise and to the point, lending itself to rewatches that aren't at all tiresome; Chris embodies the God of Thunder, both in physicality and personality; the action scenes are well choreographed and loads of fun; Thor's friends and teammates were hilarious and full of kickass; and of course, Branagh's spectacular visual style all make this film work. And last but not least, Tom Hiddleston as Loki. I don't think I've been more impressed from a performance since Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight. I know, big words, but after the three times I've seen this movie, there is not one imperfect note in Hiddleston's performance, not one moment where Hiddleston didn't completely rule as Loki. No, Loki doesn't rival The Joker, but is in the same league of awesomeness, I daresay.

By this point, there are at least 10,000 reviews of Thor circulating the net, but if my viewpoint holds any water, the next two movies in the Marvel line-up have a lot to live up to now.

Rating: 9/10 = Lightning strikes with a spectacular film that perfectly mixes myth and reality boasting a visual style and great cast that makes it the best of Marvel's films.

Tuesday Cap - Vol. 23

Title: Pleasantville

Notes: I watched Pleasantville for the first time early last year, and was immediately glued to the screen. Two days later I bought the DVD. Written and directed by Gary Ross, the movie follows Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon as they're transported to Tobey's ideal family environment: 1950s television, where everything is nice, perfect, and full of "gee golly!"'s. While Maguire gets into his element, Witherspoon isn't a fan, and brings her worldly experiences into this black & white town. As the film progresses, color is introduced into Pleasantville - and this being something strange and foreign, those who begin to colorize are ostracized by the community - brought on by individual desires, accomplishments, emotions, etc. There are few times where I feel like hitting the air in a 'Boo ya!' type of way, but when Maguire stands up for his 'mother' and experiences growth of character, it's a damn awesome moment. Pleasantville means quite a few things, and will undoubtedly leave an impression on the viewer - whether it be, 'gee, really Burt, we gotta sit through 'tis thang? So been deir done dat' or 'Oh, blimey, that was rather clever'. Either way, watch the flick if you haven't, it's quite good.

Discuss: General thoughts on Gary Ross' Pleasantville. Themes, performances, cinematography, editing - have at it.

The Watcher: Doctor Who Series 6, Episode 2

Transmission date: 30 April 2011 (BBC One/BBC America)

Plot: Team TARDIS face The Silence, a foe that has been living on earth for centuries and appear impossible to beat.

Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Alex Kingston. Guest starring Mark Shepphard. Written by Steven Moffat. Directed by Toby Haynes.

So the Grand Moffat leaves us with the cliffhanger of what happened when Amy pulled the trigger at the little girl in the space outfit. Did she kill the girl and save The Doctor in the process and possibly creating a paradox? Did nada happen? Did the little girl get pissed and go crazy? What the frak happened?

Well, nada happened. Amy shot but missed, piercing the helmet right above the little girl's head. The Doctor, River, Amy, Canton and (a unfazed from his mini-cliffhanger) Rory run from the girl in a spacesuit and the narrative jumps ahead three months later. In those three months, Team TARDIS are seemingly enemies of the United States, being tracked down by Canton.

This is the first instance of wah? Ultimately, this particular 'twist' or jump in the narrative does not get addressed again nor find any sort of resolve. Later on, after The Doctor has (thankfully) shaved his beard and broken out (in a sense) of the 'perfect prison', he chats with President Nixon rather cavalierly, making the whole Canton-chasing-River/Amy/Rory subplot confusing and a bit unnecessary. Hopefully, like many of the subplots and hints in "The Impossible Astronaut" and "Day of the Moon", will be brought up again throughout the series.

Subplots aside, "Day of the Moon" is The Doctor confronting The Silence, coming face to face with them for the first time after hearing plenty of ominous tellings in "The Eleventh Hour" and "Vampires of Venice", as well as a odd female-like voice chanting that whole 'Silence Will Fall' schpeel in "The Pandorica Opens". Speaking of which, now that we know who and what The Silence are in a general sense, the whole 'Silence Will Fall' voice seems a bit out of place with how they normally speak, and really, what type of catchphrase is 'Silence Will Fall'? Taken literally, it's basically prophesying them losing than descending on its victims. Eh, nevermind. So, The Silence needed a spacesuit for this girl, this impossibly strong little girl, so they used post-hypnotic suggestion for scientists to create a spacesuit (and 'make' the choice to go to the moon) to keep the little girl alive. Why does she need it to stay alive? If, as the ending suggests, she isn't exactly human, yet The Doctor interacts with nearly all environments just fine, I find it puzzling they need to do so for her.

As for this little girl, all the stuff at the orphanage and Amy was extremely well shot. There is the complete randomness of the cyber-eyepatched woman who said 'I think she's just dreaming' through a (imagined?) door slot as Amy investigates. Who is she? When is she? How did Amy see her? Why did Amy see her? Why at that orphanage? What exactly is going on? Besides that, the orphanage sequence also accomplishes two things: the first, it's friggin' freaky. Another masterful accomplishment of directing and editing, the framing and pacing was just exquisite, making the entire scene full of suspense. Secondly, the photo of Amelia Pond with the little girl. The plot thickens. So the natural questions arise: is the little girl the daughter of Amy and The Doctor's? Or River and The Doctor's (cos River got momentarily sick, too)? Is she a lost Galifreyian? What is the history of the little girl and Amy? What does this have to do with anything? Is this how Amy will bring about The Silence, as they say? Again, lots of questions, and this subplot I am quite intrigued to see played out. This being Moffat, it's a given that, similar to River, nothing is gonna just be simple and spelled out. Things are gonna get complicated.

From here on out there's lots of The Doctor putting his master plan of stopping the Silence into motion, which is difficult for a enemy you can't completely remember. There's a lot of funny moments with Richard Nixon, primarily involving him dealing with The Doctor's many problems he makes for himself (see first screencap - The Doctor biting handcuffs at NASA). Relationships also see some development, as the Amy/Doctor 'romance' (?) is reintroduced with Rory uncertain of Amy's true feelings; the pregnancy seems to be false, but The Doctor's computer later is unable to identify exactly what's up with her. This all leads us to the thirty minute mark, when The Doctor's plan to stop The Silence comes into fruition, the flirting reaches hilarious heights, and the emotion and scariness of relationships and the alien beings come to a crazy head as The Doctor and River fight their enemy in a quasi-TARDIS like counsel. Before having a love fest about the fight, here's a snippet of Doctor dialogue concerning River's weaponry skills:

The Doctor: ‘And unlike me, she really doesn’t mind shooting people. I shouldn’t like that, kinda do a bit’

The Doctor: ‘Yes. Right. Sorry. As I was saying, my naughty friend here is going to kill the first three of you to attack, plus him behind’

And then Doctor Who gives us one of the most jaw-dropping, OMG that is soooo AWESOME! battle scenes since its 2004 re-emergence. Since writing about its awesomeness won't do it justice, I'm going to try and accomplish this by caps.

Better yet, watch the scene on YouTube. But you get the general notion: lots of explosions, flirting back and forth between The Doctor and River, and lots and lots of gorgeous visuals. More on this below in regards to worshiping Toby Haynes. Now, after giving us one of the greatest battle scenes ever - with a hilarious diss on The Doctor's sonic - Team TARDIS 'defeats' The Silence and run off. More confusion regarding Amy's pregnant/non-pregnant state, which is most definitely interesting. Rory is understandably concerned about who Amy is truly and love with, and I'm still battling whether or not I'm all that keen on this subplot resurrecting itself again after Series 5, but I'll stick with it because I'm interested. And Amy is a strong character, so if some sort of romantic entanglement does happen between them, I won't be all 'grr' about it. Still, loads of relationship drama in this show.

The Doctor brings River back to her futuristic prison, and the whole River-and-Doctor-romance is quite confirmed from an passionate and supremely awkward kiss. Passionate on River's end but awkward on The Doctor's, who has never kissed her before. At least we can tell he's starting to dig her. And it's here where I find problems with River's many hints at her future. This time, she's all worrisome that the day will come very soon when The Doctor will not recognize her, and it might kill her. Alright, gotcha, Silence in the Library. However, there's still plenty that needs to happen before River goes to the library. At the very least, she sees The Doctor once more, so he can give her the sonic that will 'save' her life. This needs to be addressed better. Can't wait for the day when the fans can construct a full Doctor/River timeline and have everything match accordingly. That will be a happy day.

One note about the snogging scene: I adored Matt Smith's performance. Kingston was fantastic, as well, but Matt's physical and apparent awkwardness about what just happened is a series high point. Hilarious, sorta sad, and always fun to watch, Matt Smith proved one again he owns this role.

So, in the end, with Amy maybe/maybe not pregnant, The Silence still out there, the little girl regenerating in a New York alley, and The Doctor wanting to just go on a simple, fun adventure instead of investigating (possibly out of character?), there's a ton of story that still needs to be explored, and it is a understatement to say that Moffat has planted the seeds that will make up the rest of Series 6 and (maybe?) 7, what with all the elements that needs to be resolved. Looking forward to seeing Moffat's grand vision realized. Still, I have some reserves...

I'm all for ambiguous endings and leaving plot points open ended, but I do ask for these episodes to have a sense of 'completeness'. As in, "The Impossible Astronaut" and "Day of the Moon" tell a complete-like story, and I personally feel they fail to do so. "The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang" are perfect examples of a story with plenty of unanswered questions but yet feel perfectly complete. These two episodes have the feel of set-up all over them, and although I do love 'em loads and will watch 'em affectionately for years to come, the execution could have been better.

One thing is most definitely for sure: Toby Haynes needs to direct every episode of Doctor Who. The man did wonders with the Series 5 two-part series finale, and now has utterly amazed me with the two-part series premiere. The scene that specifically made me watch with my mouth open and fall in love with his style is the fight with the Silence, where Haynes completely goes cinematic. To make a comparison, the lens flares and shaky camera movement was very reminiscent of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009). Coupled with the beautiful score by Murray Gold, that scene is nothing short of spectacular. Hell, both episodes are spectacularly shot and edited together. The helicopter shots, the brilliant use of editing, the loads of hilarious visual gags brought to life by Haynes, and, as another example, gorgeous cinematography and lighting during the River/Doctor smooch in the end. Since Series 5 this show has a new visual style that I am in absolute love with, and this series premiere is a perfect example of how excellently its realized.

Overall, "Day of the Moon" is a fine episode, but at the end of the day, I still would have liked more. Not necessarily answers, just more of a complete feel where we watched a full story unfold. Sure, it was The Doctor against the Silence at the most basic level, but with the loads of subplots tacked on, that simple underlying story thread easily becomes overshadowed. Nonetheless, it was one hell of an enjoyable hour, with Moffat's trademark witty dialogue and a testament to the technical achievements of the Doctor Who team. Also a marvelous example of the still very much necessary use of prosthetics and in-camera special effects.

Next week is episode three already. Blimey, these episodes are gonna fly by, and I'll have to wait another two months for more. I shall dedicate myself to enjoying 'em as much as I can. Till then, cheers!

Grade: B

Andy's Friday Five: 1990

The blogging community is made up of some rather brilliant people. Currently, there's this thing called "A Life in Movies" where bloggers pick their favorite movies of each year of their existence. Pretty cool idea. Then let's take Fletch, who also does this equally brilliant thing where he makes a post for each year - e.g., '[2003] in film'. Well, in an attempt to get back into the groove of things blogging-wise and not become stale, and also cos these two ideas are pretty interesting, I'm going to try my hand at ranking the top five favorite movies of each year of my ancient age of 20. Let's do this thing!

1990

So, my first year on earth and what movies do I end up liking this year? Mostly horror films. And one really, really, really enjoyably bad film. No wonder I ended up so weird. Overall, not a whole lot to love in 1990, but I still have plenty to see and catch up on (see below). Also, a final note, if you haven't had the pleasure of seeing any of the films listed in my top five, do so pronto, dudes and lady dudes. You will not regret it.

Films I Really Ought to See
Dances with Wolves
Pretty Woman
The Hunt for Red October
GoodFellas
Misery
The Guyver
Darkman

Andy's Favorite Five of 1990

5. Troll 2

It was only very recently that I had the pleasure of watching the universally heralded "worst movie ever made", and although I can think of films that are very much worse, boring, and intolerable, Troll 2 is most definitely the funnest and most unique "worst movie ever made." Read the review linked above to get a clearer idea of what Troll 2 is, but I beg you, by the Powers That Be, please, please see this brilliant, hilariously inept film. Make a party out of it. I watched the flick on Netflix Streaming, and was laughing loud enough that my roommate wanted in on the commotion. He loved it, I loved it, there's no reason why you shouldn't love it. I applaud the filmmakers because they clearly believed in their script and tried their damnest to make a good film; the sucky thing is, the script and actors were rubbish, and the film ends up being a huge, garbled mess as a result. But it's so damn fun and amusing, to the point you can't turn away. I'm proud to say I was born the year Troll 2 was made.

4. Home Alone

Really, what needs to be said about this? I love the whole movie, don't get me wrong, but c'mon, we know where the awesomeness of Home Alone resides: the final 20 minutes when Kevin screws with the Wet Bandits. It's difficult to come up with twenty minutes that match the insane quantity of fun Home Alone and Home Alone 2 offer. Watching Harry and Marv suffer Kevin's traps that would make Jigsaw happy is 80% of the reason I love these flicks so much...hopefully that doesn't make me sadistic. Anywhoozles, I don't discount how awesome Macaulay Culkin is in the role of Kevin McCallister - I can't imagine anyone else in the role (although it is sorta humorous to envision Haley Joel Osment as Kevin). Whether it be Christmas or just some random day in some random week, Home Alone is always loads of fun and never fails to make me happy. Word. Marv getting the nail up his foot - priceless.

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

I remember being utterly mesmerized by the turtles in this live-action adaptation. For all intents and purposes, there they were - Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo in the flesh! It was as if a film crew were invited to chronicle the Ninja Turtles' origin and rise to greatness in New York City. Of course, as the years went on, I sorta realized that wasn't so much the case, but that doesn't lessen the exquisitely crafted suits for the characters. To this day I am still amazed by how brilliantly they pulled off the whole enterprise. May not seem like a big deal, really, but as a wee little lad, this was nothing short of magic. Suits aside, the film adaptation still has some great qualities - staying true to the source material, some very nicely choreographed and filmed fight scenes, a finely written script, and, most importantly, highly enjoyable thus necessitating a few dozen rewatches. And yes, I'll defend the sequels, too. But give me a bit of time, I need to rewatch them. It's been a while.

2. Predator 2

One of the rare instances in this universe where the sequel of a damn good movie is just as damn good as the original. I'm not going to do a compare/contrast here, but I find Predator 2 just as riveting, inventive, and frightening as the Schwarzenegger vehicle. Danny Glover may not be my favorite actor in the universe, but hell if I wasn't glued into his chase with the Predator (especially when the Predator crashes into a apartment to address his severed arm), or freaked the hell out by the Predator slicing off the Jamaican voodoo guys head. And how can one discredit a movie that did a tremendous fan service by giving a Alien nod in the climax? There's lots of love in Predator 2, and most remarkably, it stays true in style and tone to the original.

1. Tremors

Like, OMGodtz, this is like, the awesomest movie evahz! Like totally! Not even lyin'! When I think of awesome Creature Features, I instantaneously think of this gorgeous thing. On the opposite side of that spectrum I give you Roger Corman's Carnosaur, but we'll talk about that in a different year...1993 (coincidence? I think not!). So what's the big dealio about Tremors? For me, personally, there ain't one wrong note in this flick's body. The writing is solid, with loads of funny one-liners and perfect Creature Featury-y dialogue; some super cool creature designs and effects; the sheer awesomeness that is Kevin Bacon in the first role I ever saw him in; the greatness of Burt; the last five minutes; and the overall enjoyment factor unmatched by the other flicks on this list are just a few reasons why Tremors is freakin' awesome. I still dig the sequels, even those two damn direct-to-DVD ones (although I hated the series), and can't wait to see the franchise continued. Tremors is absolutely one of those rare movies one can throw into the player at any given time and still fall completely in love with every second of it even if it's your 553rd time seeing it. And whenever the Syfy channel plays something worthy here and there, such as Tremors, I end up watching it all the way through. Beautiful awesomeness.

Stop by next time for 1991!

The Watcher: 04/15/11 - 04/28/11

Sorry folks, but these are going to be short this week. I'm tired after writing a few bazillion papers, and I still have two more to go, but I finally had a bit of free time to catch up on some titles. Everything will be back to normal next week. So, here we go!

S04E21 - "Chuck Vs. the Wedding Planner" (18 April 2011) - It was fun to watch Chuck and Sarah get duped by the wedding planner, and it was especially fun - albeit idiotic - having the CIA go batshit crazy to apprehend the woman who they believe is one of the world's most wanted criminals, thanks to Chuck's brilliance, of course. Seeing Sarah and her father reunited and pulling off another con of theirs was particularly heartwarming, but I was sad to see that he didn't stay for the wedding, let alone dinner; although this was not unexpected. Next week look's like all this hype about Agent X will be coming to a head, and it's apparently someone we know. Score: 8.0/10

FRINGE S03E19 - "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide" (15 April 2011) - The creativity and daringness of the FRINGE team is unmatched in television right now. This episode is absolutely nutters and brilliant simultaneously. Spock didn't want a onscreen role, so his performance is regulated to voice acting, and in order to accommodate the actor's wish, the FRINGE writers/producers came up with something utterly brilliant that entirely lives up to the title of this episode: FRINGE goes the animation route. Completely, entirely unexpected. My mouth dropped. I was in awe. I couldn't believe they did that, and I was loving it. That said, from a creative standpoint, major props and bravo! But in line with the story, taking place in Olivia's mind, I gotta wonder the significance or the logic of this tactic. All this pales in comparison though, to the fact that now Olivia is mentally free, she's not afraid anymore, and she has her Peter [who gets props for 'seeing' her now, after all that stuff about the Other Olivia earlier this season]. So for character growth and a daringness unprecedented, Broyles high as a kite, and for making me laugh out loud well past the commercial break (see screencap above), FRINGE gets a Score: 9.7/10

S03E20 - "6:02 AM EST" (22 April 2011) - The Apocalypse is coming, baby. Or rather, Walternate wants Our World destroyed, and he's willing to sacrifice Peter to do so. "6:02 AM EST" did a great job establishing that these two worlds are tearing each other apart, and that some really shitty things are going to have to go down in order to re-establish balance. I really liked the Other Olivia springing into action to do what she felt is right, regardless of her son. Overall, a great set-up for a three-part season finale full of brilliance, thrills, and promises one hell of a ride for the rest of the year. Score: 8.9/10

S02E11 - "Full Commitment" (20 April 2011) - At this point, honestly don't remember much other than Art not being a fan of Raylan and Helen getting shot. "Full Commitment" is, if anything, the anchor from Act II to Act III of this season. Oh, and I remember the Raylan/Duffy scene. That was pretty nice, and I hope Duffy shows up again in the future. Also hope Gerry leaves and never comes back - although that's just pure optimism on my part. He's too stupid to not write back into the series. Score: 9.0/10

S02E12 - "Reckoning" (27 April 2011) - Raylan pissed. Can't get any better than that! I loved everything in the last act with Raylan and Dickie, but my favorite part of this episode is that Arlo badgers Raylan about how he thinks Raylan doesn't feel anything about his Aunt's death, that he just doesn't give a shit; in reality, Raylan is full of rage and ready to rid the world of Dickie - but ends up going the route of the law, that will appear to kick him in the ass in next week's season finale (sadness; another season over). As for the other elements of "Reckoning" - who is this freaky old lady that seems to posses so much power? Connected to the Bennett's? And, this is most interesting to me, twelve episodes in and I still have no idea what the hell is going on with Boyd. Halfway through the season, there was a interview with Graham Yost who said season two was really about second chances for both Raylan and Boyd. Looks like Boyd is doing everything he once did, but being a little bit more intelligent about executing his plots. Simultaneously, I'm torn - I like ambiguity in characters, and perhaps I'm frustrated with Boyd because I have been successfully invested in his story. Whatever the hell happens. JUSTIFIED has been renewed for a season three, and the finale promises to be crazy. There does still appear to be some plotlines that have been dropped and I hope pick up or continue into the following season. Score: 9.5/10

S01E18 - "Into the Dark" (14 April 2011) - Don't particularly care about Owen, or the Owen/Nikita/Michael love triangle, but ti was interesting to see everything with Amanda and Alex; that was some riveting television. And for the first time...Maggie Q looked super hot. Overall, a decent episode, but the Amanda/Alex jest was the most thrilling. Score: 8.1/10

S01E19 - "Girl's Best Friend" (21 April 2011) - I was sorta hoping the opening dream wasn't a dream, because it would be so awesome to have Alex's boytoy Nathan be working with Jaden to kill Alex. But alas, didn't happen. Good stuff between Alex and Jaden. Freaky TWILIGHT guy was a terrorist (he dies). I'm a little bothered that Michael is able to double task both operations so smoothly from within Division without making coworkers a little suspicious. Score: 9.2/10

S10E17 - "Kent" (15 April 2011) - Clark makes a change in Alternate Jonathan Kent's life. That makes him feel good. Tess looked hot. Alternate Clark wants Tess. Tess may or may not want Clark. Tess looked hot. Clark coming back from the Alternate World was far too easy. Add some drama, people. Score: 8.2/10

S10E18 - "Booster" (22 April 2011) - Frankly a little tired of beings from the future coming in and informing Clark of his destiny. Season 8 had the Legion of Superheroes come and hype Clark up it's not wonder he may have an inflated ego; earlier this season Braniac spoiled the surprises in store for Clark by bringing him three years into the future. Entities from the future really need to freakin' stop being in SMALLVILLE. The only nice change of pace with "Booster" is that it's Clark who changes Booster, showing that as long as you have a strong heart (and maybe some powers), you can be a hero, too! Sorry if it seems I'm being too hard on this ep, but I just don't see the need for it. Otherwise, Blue Beetle was awesome...despite one hell of a bad actor. And Lois was hot. Score: 8.5/10

S02E17 - "Common Descent" (18 April 2011) - Super interesting episode with a super interesting idea. It's super interesting! The Other Destiny's crewmembers travel back in time to a distant planet, live there, and future generations end up meeting our crew in the here and now. Awesome. Very clever. Now let's just see what use, other than bringing supplies onboard Destiny, this storyline gives the series with only thee episodes left. Score: 9.7/10

S02E18 - "Epilogue" (25 April 2011) - Very fun episode, and actually quite funny with the baby birthing montage. But gotta say - Eli and some random Asian chick? Barnes? What? And here I was hoping Chloe would come to her senses and marry Eli and Scott would be ripped to pieces by some CLOVERFIELD-esque monster. A man could dream. Sorta funny that the Destiny crew arrives at the planet a day before it rips itself apart. Of course. As for T.J. and her disease, on one side I like that they're adding another layer to her awesome character, but c'mon, everyone dies. She still has three or so years left. For all she knows, she'll be killed by a bullet in a week or so. She's in space, man. Weird, dangerous stuff happens all the time. A good episode, and it was great seeing footage of what happened to the Other Crew. Hope this storyline gains greater importance as we close this series. Score: 9.4/10

S06E17 - "My Heart Will Go On" (15 April 2011) - Balthazar supposedly changing fate because he hated the Celine Dion TITANIC song. Brilliant! I like the idea of the Fates still being around, and that they are pissed off royally at Sam and Dean for averting the Apocalypse as was originally scheduled. That's just fun, groovy stuff. Thank God the Winchesters have God on their side, cos they've died the last two years alone a good 50+ times, I'd estimate. Score: 8.1/10

S06E18 - "Frontierland" (22 April 2011) - Review next time. Haven't had a chance to watch this one, yet.

The Watcher: Doctor Who Series 6, Episode 1

With DOCTOR WHO, a show I hold more dear than any other, I will be doing specific episode editions of The Watcher for this series. Hopefully the visuals and writings will entice readers to check out the series, and I will be a happy blogger for making one new fan of DOCTOR WHO. And now, with the first new episode since Christmas, the series returns with its 32nd (or sixth) series!

Transmission date: 23 April 2011 (BBC One/BBC America)

Plot: The Doctor, Amy, Rory and River Song receive blue envelopes that bring them to the Oval Office in 1969 as the U.S. faces a extraterrestrial crisis.

Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill. Guest starring Mark Sheppard., Alex Kingston Written by Steven Moffat. Directed by Toby Haynes.

I cannot put into words how utterly ecstatic I am DOCTOR WHO is back, baby! Unfortunately, because Moffat is both evil and brilliant at the same time, we'll only have seven episodes transmitted from now to the end of June, with a two month break where the final six will resume in mid-September. Not in love with the idea, but if the cliffhanger of episode seven, titled as of this post "A Good Man Goes to War", is as good as Moffat is hyping it up to be, then all will be totally worth it. Alright, now let's talk about "The Impossible Astronaut"! Also, worth noting, this is going to be spoiler heavy, as I'm writing this with the understanding one has already watched the episode and is ready to talk about its awesomeness. Alright, then...

The episode begins fast and furiously, with the first major jaw-dropping shock and stroke of brilliance hitting us six minutes in. Can I just say, holy freaking crap? More on that in a second. Alright, timeline-wise, two months have passed since the married couple Amy and Rory, living comfortably in their own house (!), have last seen The Doctor, who has been a bit of a mischief as of late, it seems [loved The Doctor in the movie waving!]. Amy and Rory receive two blue envelopes with a time, date and location, as does River Song in her maximum security prison from the future. The three come together in Utah, [also loved The Doctor and River syncing their TARDIS diaries] and that's where shit hits the fan.

Mind you, all of this happens in a span of three minutes. With a episode only 43 minutes [as opposed to the series 5 premiere "The Eleventh Hour" clocking in a 1:01], I would actually quite encourage padding the opening with a few more scenes. No matter, it still works.

Moffat treats us with a surprise reminiscent of the WTF? conclusion of "The Stolen Earth", but we're lucky in regards that we don't have to wait a week to see the exciting conclusion. A astronaut appears in the middle of the water, and The Doctor instructs his friends to stay where they are and not to interfere under any circumstances, and walks over to meet his doom. The astronaut fires at The Doctor with a green blast [made me think of the spell Avada Kedavra], and as he begins the regeneration process, is blasted again, dead. All 1103 years of the Time Lord known as The Doctor...killed by a freaky astronaut thingy.

Wait? 1103? Last time Amy and Rory saw him he was 908 (see: "Flesh and Stone")! Well, that's where the gorgeous, brilliant twist comes in. Amy, Rory and River were summoned to that location, date and time, as was someone else, the #1 person The Doctor trusted - himself, the 908 version of him. The four are reunited in a grill and the rest of the story stems from there. The companions make the decision not to tell The Doctor of what happened to him - well, future him - and beg him to continue the mission Future Doctor began: 1969. And this leads them to two powerful forces that may or may not be connected.

However, before I continue, here's some musings: now, the 1103-year old Doctor is still the Eleventh incarnation, which I understand for purposes that they can't exactly cast some random dude to be a future Doctor. Not to mention the fact the Eleventh Doctor died, as in permanently, therefore with the end of Smith it would be the end of WHO. So, obviously, Moffat is going to have to stop that from ever happening. He's no stranger to paradoxes (multiple instances in Series 5), so he should be able to make all the timey wimey stuff work.

The 908 year-old Doctor, along with his Companions, board the TARDIS. The Doctor knows something is up with them, that they're withholding something from him, and it ticks the Time Lord off a bit, but he puts his trust - and his life - in their hands. It's a great moment where The Doctor trusts his Companions completely, or more accurately, Amy. The jury is still out on River, and deservedly so. In the final minutes of "The Big Bang", she tells him that when next they meet, everything will change. Here's hoping episode two, "Day of the Moon", sees this foreshadowing fulfilled.

"I’m up here being clever, and there’s no one standing around looking impressed! What is the point in having you all?!"

Enter 1969. Classic DOCTOR WHO - the perfect mix of comedy, drama, and the scary, all in one beautiful package.

The TARDIS materializes in the Oval Office, and this time with a new trick! Or, at least, new to this series: cloaking ability! The Doctor steps out of the TARDIS, sneaks up to Canton Delaware III (Sheppard) talking to President Nixon about these strange phone calls the President receives - the voice of a scared little girl. Nixon turns around, sees The Doctor, and gets rammed to the ground [ 'River! Turn her blue again!'].

He's able to persuade them to let him figure out what's going out, discover the source (he says five minutes; takes longer), and then (eventually) bring them there. But first, Amy is feeling a little sick (and later, River does), which may or may not be after effects from seeing a member of The Silence (from before, at the picnic before The Doctor died). So she goes to the bathroom and runs into something quite unexpected...

The Silence. Finally we're introduced to The Silence. First introduced in "The Eleventh Hour" as a prophecy to The Doctor by Prisoner Zero (and, may I ask, why on earth would Prisoner Zero, who has been hiding out on Earth for a year at that time, know a single thing about the Pandorica?), the Silence has echoed its way throughout Series 5, culminating in the destruction of the TARDIS in "The Pandorica Opens" for reasons unexplained (thus far). I gotta say, not what I expected. Yes, absolutely, The Silence are friggin' frightening creatures, not only by design but also execution. The chilling scene in the bathroom is a testament to their creepiness and power. However, for something called The Silence, I did expect them to be...well, silent. Guess that's what I get for taking things a little too literally.

The Silence in the bathroom sequence was awesome - especially the super cool Dr. Manhattan-like implosion of the poor bathroom lady. It is also revealed they power to make people forget they saw them. As the episode progressed, we also saw the TARDIS-in-work that was the central problem in the Series 5 episode, "The Lodger." I love how all these little elements are connected! Makes me giddy, like Moffat has one big, master plan. I still am interested to see what they want with The Doctor, why they are so interested in him, what did all the ominous "Silence Will Fall" statements made by fellow aliens in the last series really mean other than sounding all freaky like, what do they want with their own TARDIS, were they the alien party who landed at Amy's house (as seen in "The Pandorica Opens"), and who was the rather freaky male/female/hybrid voice that said "Silence Will Fall" (also in "The Pandorica Opens") if The Silence speaks all shallowy? A lot of questions, and I don't expect all of them to be answered, but The Silence has successfully intrigued me, freaked me out, and I can't wait to see how big of villains they become for our dear Doctor. Oh, and are they tied to the other storyline with the astronaut and the missing girl?

And yes, I want me a Silence (Silent?) action figure. Pronto.

So The Silence reveals itself to Amy, tells her to tell The Doctor what he must never know and all that jazz - they really have some sort of interest in our dear Doctor. But, of course, as soon as she leaves she forgets what the hell she needs to say. Meanwhile, The Doctor figures out where the phone call originated, and voilia! The adventure begins. I also loved The Doctor's invite to Canton Delaware: "Canton, on no account follow me in this box and close the door behind you!" Finally, The Doctor gets that no matter how many times he says 'don't follow me', the people close to him will do just that.

More freakiness, drama, and funny. The Doctor messes around with spacegear, River tells Rory of her greatest fear - the day The Doctor will look at her and not have a clue as to who she is [although that is a long friggin' way off; their relationship is still quite knew and hasn't even been realized yet, so the event that she speaks of, 'The Forest of the Dead', is still years and years away; at least it technically should be] - and the spaceman from the opening six minutes reappears, and Amy takes fate into her own hands.

She fires the guns. The Doctor yells in slow-mo-like "NOOOooooo!", and cut to credits. Ugh!

Why, or why, couldn't the episode be longer? Why?

Ah! Wait, missing one last thing: this really important thing Amy feels compelled to tell The Doctor: well, she's pregnant (and not by me...bollocks). Truth be told, sort of expected, but also, sorta doesn't make sense. Now, I will be frank, I know what I'm about to say in regards to logistics in a science fiction show about a 908-year old aliens popping in and out of time and space is sorta dumb, but it irks me. Rory Williams, the human Rory, died last series in "Cold Blood." The Rory Williams of "The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang" is an Autons, created by the Alliance of the Doctor's foes. I also understand that when all is said and done, the Auton Rory Williams retains the same memories of the human Rory and acts very human, he's not, and should not have the ability to knock Amy up. It's also a little sad to think that Rory never 'got' his girl - he died before he could marry her. What Amy married is a substitute that isn't Rory. Again, I know I'm over-thinking it, but I thought it worth bringing up. Cos I need a life. Yep.

The script by Moffat is, as expected, brilliant, full of time travel and humorous lines and dramatic turns, but feels very incomplete (even in a part one of a two parter kind of way). Toby Haynes continues to show off his cool visual style as director, showcasing the beauty of Utah in the opening minutes [see: the funeral shot; wow]. Having directed the last three episodes, Haynes is proving himself as a powerful direction with a true cinematic style, and is no doubt instrumental in the epic quality the series boasts.

And with that, "The Impossible Astronaut" concludes and another week-long wait is placed before me to suffer through. I am excited as Hell with what Series 6 promises. Last year was fun and wonder and excitement, this year looks same with the fun, but edgier and darker, and I'm all for that. As Moffat said in a interview recently, I believe it was something akin to, "Who is The Doctor?" So this year we'll see The Doctor pushed to his limits, it seems, as he faces off against The Silence and, perhaps, himself.

Overall, "The Impossible Astronaut" definitely felt like the first half of a two-parter. It went by far too quickly. I expect (or rather, hope) "Day of the Moon" will be longer and include more material to make this story shine. Or, maybe, this is just one part of a larger season-long arc? Whatever. I'm in love. I'm ecstatic. DOCTOR WHO is back, and it looks like it's going to be a great ride!

Grade: B+

Final Note: I probably won't write reviews this long for each and every episode; I'm just really giddy right now. Cheers!

Sorry

Sorry I've neglected my blogging duties - I feel pretty sucky about that. Unfortunately, finals are gearing up here at Mankato University, and that's consuming my time. I have the following to accomplish:

• Suffer through Macbeth and write a final paper analyzing one of the following four plays: Titus Andronicus, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth.
• Read loads and loads of pages for Philosophy of Religion including the jargon-full musings of David Hume, another section loaded with jargon called "The Will to Believe", and some other material from Kant. All in all, about 120 pages of stuff I need to somehow understand to end up with a good ol' C in class.
  
• Rewrite and rewrite and a little bit more rewrite on my short story, "Halfway Out of the Darkness". Need to make sure I keep my ego in check while I tear apart my story and rebuild it line by line. Very time consuming.
  

I know that doesn't seem like much, but it's a lot in one week's time. I hope to (at least) update with a new edition of The Watcher and a MMAM, cos music is awesome. But school is concluding soon, so I will be back to Writey Blog Man in no time! And what does that entail? Me fully dedicating myself to my Fantastic Dinosaurs of the Movies! project as well as diving right into the 50 Movies I Should See.

And one last thing as I wrap this up. Tomorrow is going to be the aweomest day of the year. Why is that, Mr. Time Lord, sir? Well, tomorrow just so happens to be the day DOCTOR WHO PREMIERS!!!! I'm only a little itcy bitcy tiny excited for this event, and expect a Watcher Special dedicated solely to the premiere episode, "The Impossible Astronaut."

Thanks for reading, ladies and gents, and for being patience. The Time Lord shall return, and stress free!

MMAM - Vol. 33

A bit of a departure from normal songs included here, I honestly can't help the inclusion of "His Cheeseburger." It's been ringing in my head all day. It demanded to be posted, and I was forced to oblige. I hope everyone listens to it - the song is awesome, hilarious, and dare I say it, romantic (!). I love this series, I love this song. And this man loves his cheeseburger.

Scream 4

Scream 4

Starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Anthony Anderson, Adam Brody, Mary McDonnell, Marley Shelton, Nico Tortorella, Marielle Jaffe, Kristen Bell, Anna Paquin, Lucy Hale, Shanae Grimes, Aimee Teegarden, Brittany Robertson
Written by Kevin Williamson
Directed by Wes Craven
Release: 15 April 2011
Dimension Films, 110 mins., Rated R

Plot: Sidney returns to Woodsboro and is met by Ghostface, intent on creating its own horror movie.

As a fan of the franchise, I may be a little biased in this review. Also as a fan of the franchise, I really, really wanted this movie to succeed, to be something great and compliment the trilogy in a really spectacular way. So earlier today I walked into the theater for a SCREAM movie (at a age where I could actually comprehend the story; saw SCREAM 3 at 10 in the theater), giddy as can possibly be, and had to restrain myself from going super crazy fanboy when the Dimension logo came up. I was in a theater, watching SCREAM, with an audience, and a gorgeous digital screen. Nothing could be awesomer.

Unless Karen Gillan was my date. [Look her up]

So, now, two hours after I experienced the fourth film of the SCREAM franchise, what do I think? Director Wes Craven and writer/producer Kevin Williamson have crafted one hell of a fantastic movie that appeals to all generations of horror fans, is both clever and scary, and most awesomely, is a story damn well worth telling. This isn’t a sequel to make more money, this isn’t a mindless, zombie-like, HALLOWEEN 5-type sequel. Nah, Williamson has something to say about the horror genre of today, the reboot vs. original debate and the countless unnecessary sequels, and makes a thrilling story to compliment it. I was also very happy that the principle cast become entangled with the killer narrative without feeling forced, a real worry of mine.

SCREAM 4 opens with huge amounts of meta. Hell, this entire movie is like a horror movie version of COMMUNITY. There’s meta all over the place, but none more so than the opening ten minute metaverse. Initially, I wasn’t a huge fan of the double psych out, feeling more akin to one of those dream-within-a-dream cheap tricks of horror films (see any NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET sequel), but upon retrospect, I’m digging it (OhmygodKristenBellisAwesome!). In addition to the meta, we have the new rules of this generation: basically, all the roles of before are subject to change and pretty much anything can happen (a la SCREAM 3, where in the end of a trilogy all bets are off). The movie and characters make a case that SCREAM 4 can be considered both a sequel and reboot, and thus the ‘rules’ or lack thereof reflect so [virgins can die! Sidney could die! Bloodbath needs to happen at the anti-party! Noooo!]. But I’m not going to go into the rules and so forth of SCREAM 4, instead I’m gonna concentrate on the thread that keeps me interested in this series:

Sidney Presscott.

This is a character that has gone through Hell through three movies and five psychos intent on killing her. She has grown up from the reserved and sad virginal teenager to a woman who has confidance, who battles her demons and is one hell of an woman. So with SCREAM 3 ending on a beautiful note of Sidney not afraid anymore, where could SCREAM 4 go? Well, Sidney doesn’t have too much of a character progression in this installment, instead it’s a display of what she learned through her experiences, of facing that which hides behind a mask.

I think my favorite thing about this movie is actually something quite small (in the context of the movie), but quite big for fans of the series. When Sidney has her first encounter with the killer here, she doesn’t run from it like she has done before. In the first movie, it was her first experience, she was scared. In the second film, she initially ran for it, all in survival mode, but then fought back. And in the third she had enough of the running and she fought back against the killer in the climax. Here, we have the fruition of her character arc. Sidney jumps right into action – punching, kicking, slamming the killer. Of course she still feels fear, but she’s stronger than that now. She overcomes it and confronts her assailant. Another example, later on in the end Sidney formulates a rather clever plan even under pressure. Her plan eventually makes her fall out of the house, but instead of running, instead of waiting for backup or having the slightest bit of hesitancy, Sidney runs back into that house and straight for the killer. Like I said, in the context of the movie this is a small thing, but to see all four films and become deeply invested in Sidney Prescott, her actions here are monumental and entirely worthy of cheering and applauding. Sidney is done being the victim, and she faces danger head on, doesn’t run from it.

She is the ultimate Final Girl, someone all others should aspire to and/or be compared to.

What’s more, I was stunned by how much Sidney gets her ass handed to her, especially in the climax. Sure, she dishes out some kickass herself, but this is the first time in the franchise Sidney is getting truly battered and bruised. It is a brutal last twenty minutes, and at several points I entertained the notion that Kevin Williamson will pull the ultimate twist and have this be Sidney’s final hour. She is definitely put through the ringer here. Riveting, outstanding material.

As for the actors, there are all unbelievably on their A game. I only say ‘unbelievably’ because I was dreading the casting of Hayden Panettiere and Emma Roberts. In the TV show HEROES, Hayden was unbearably obnoxious, and I wasn’t at all impressed by her work, and Roberts just didn’t seem to fit in this world. But lo and behold, every single one of these actors were fantastic. I would love to say more about Roberts in particular, but that would be spoiling some really juicy material she gets to work with. Let’s just say she impresses, and Hayden was just as good. The newbies were all fantastic, and nicely fit into the SCREAM universe despite the diverse styles of the 90’s and now [you wouldn’t commonly see Rory Culkin’s frightening hair in 96, I wager]. The original actors, Campbell, Cox and Arquette are all great. Campbell is marvelous as the hero, Cox gets some decent material to work with, and Arquette for the first time in the series isn’t entirely annoying and cartoony – he was almost like a real person! All around stellar performances from everyone involved, and that added to the mystery of who the killer was – which honestly befuddled me until the reveal.

And the killings, what horror fans are most interested in. I will say for the first time I felt like Ghostface was a true, unstoppable force. Maybe it was the actor, or maybe it was the freakin' huge knife and the brutality of the knifing, but Ghostface was terrifying. I'd be scared shitless if I saw this guy around me. And the deaths are rather straightforward, as they normally are in SCREAM movies, with a whole bunch of knife use, but they are gruesome and definitely will make horror fans happy. By gruesome, do take note I'm not saying Craven went SAW on us - I think it's the mixture of sound effects and pretty decent makeup work with the wounds that made 'em gruesome. Also worth mentioning, and I doubt this is much of a spoiler, but Anthony Anderson rocks his death scene. I love you, man.

Looking toward the future of the franchise, I confess I am puzzled as to what ground Williamson and Craven can cover. According to multiple interviews, most notably FANGORIA, Craven admits Williamson approached the Weinsteins and he with the idea of a new trilogy, with the general concept of parts five and six mapped out. Personally, four just feels right; I love the number four. But if Williamson can conceive of two more stories that tie to Sidney without feeling far too forced, than I say full steam ahead, guys! Obviously I love these movies, and this installment proves that Williamson and Craven are still on their game, so if a five and six are greenlit and move forward, these two have earned my trust, and you better believe I’ll be there opening day.

SCREAM 4 is an success through and through. It pokes fun at its own art, it’s very meta, it’s clever, intelligently written and has great bouts of humor, it’s intense, it’s brutal, it’s bloody, the original cast and the newbies mesh well together never disrupting the equilibrium, and most importantly, it’s a good movie. I can’t applaud Kevin Williamson enough for coming up with a great script and a story worth telling, and for Wes Craven for proving that horror movies can still be suspenseful without obnoxious quick cuts and loads of gore. SCREAM 4 is exactly what the horror climate needs right now…but let’s hope it doesn’t inspire a few dozen similar flicks (a la this generation’s URBAN LEGENDS, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, etc.).

Ever your fan.

Notes

* STAB 5 has time travel!
* Is it just me or did the principal cast look better now than they did fifteen years ago?
* Did I miss something, or is this scene not in the finished product?
* Seeing as how the videotaping-the-kills thing was rather prominent in the trailers, I was expecting it to be more important in the overall narrative.
* As the reveal of the killer is happening, I realized my geektastic experience was almost coming to an end, and it saddened me. A part of me really didn't want this movie to end...
* I really, really, really want a STAB poster now.
* Speaking of STAB, I loved that footage from the original STAB, shown in SCREAM 2, is present and accounted for here, too. Although, it would be cool to see Ghostface time traveling in STAB 5.
* There's so much more to say about SCREAM 4, but I'll leave it at this. However, happy to discuss material, what with me being in love with this flick and all...
* Screw it, bring on SCREAM 5 and 6 nowish!

Rating: 9/10 = One hell of a ride from start to finish, a sequel that should not be missed by fans or newbies alike