Cinerant

How Shallow?

What does it say about me that I’m in the middle of a mini-Friday Night Lights marathon on NBC, celebrating its new Wednesday timeslot, and thusfar, this is the best night of my mini-vacation home?  Raise your hand if you think the word shallow applies.  Or if the show were a real game of Permian football, the phrase, “Mojo” would apply.  

posted by cinegod @ 5:48 PM 1 comments

TV REPORT CARD PT. 1

We’re halfway through the traditional television season and there have been some surprises and disappointments in terms of quality and ratings. Some shows that shouldn’t have died are gone (The Nine, Smith) and others that should be gone (Shark, Criminal Minds) are still here, even in older seasons. Some shows have increased in popularity and decreased in quality (yes—Grey’s Anatomy, that means you) while others toil away in obscurity because people DON’T KNOW GOOD TELEVISION WHEN IT’S ON! (You bet I’m talking about Friday Night Lights). And then there are the train wrecks that seem to fascinate us all (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.)

Nevertheless, here are the things worth noting from this television season, so far:

BREAKOUT STAR—America Ferrera, Ugly Betty She makes the show and if she doesn’t win the Golden Globe next month, I’ll be shocked.

BEST NEW CHARACTERS—Matt Saracen. Lyla Garrity, and Jason Street—Friday Night Lights; Betty—Ugly Betty; Juliet—Lost; Justin—Brothers and Sisters; Jack—30 Rock; Oliver Queen—Smallville; D’Anna Biers—Battlestar Galactica

BIGGEST, “I DON’T BUY THIS FOR A SECOND” CHARACTER—Harriet, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

BIGGEST, “I DON’T BUY THIS FOR A SECOND” STORYLINE—Izzie returning to work, Grey’s Anatomy

BIGGEST POTENTIAL SCENE STEALER—Ashley Jensen, Ugly Betty; Rosemarie DeWitt, Standoff (if her show didn’t just suck)

BIGGEST “WOULD’VE BEEN A SCENE STEALER IF THE SERIES HAD LASTED”—Simon Baker, Smith

BIGGEST UNSUNG REASON TO WATCH A TV SHOW—Jason Dohring, Veronica Mars

BEST STAR IN A BAD SERIES—Taye Diggs, Daybreak

BEST GUEST STARS—Catherine Denueve—Nip/Tuck; Thad Luckinbill—Nip/Tuck; Laurie Metcalf—Desperate Housewives; Jane Seymour—How I Met Your Mother; Everybody from Everwood who has found work on TV this season

ACTOR IN NEED OF A BETTER SHOW: Victor Garber, Justice. Apparently this experience was so bad, he’s starting to line up stage projects for the next year.

MOST IMPROVED RETURNING SERIES: The OC. Sure, nobody’s watching it, but this show has shrugged off Marissa and really gotten back into fine form. It’s close to the joy it was first season. Having Chris Pratt (Bright from Everwood) on board doesn’t hurt.

WE’VE HIT OUR STRIDE—How I Met Your Mother—This show went from promising last season to hilarious this season.

MOST IMPROVED NEW SERIES: Brothers and Sisters—every week this show keeps getting better and better

BEST PILOTS THAT DIDN’T WORK IN LATER EPISODES: Smith (cancelled after two more episodes, but now available on Itunes) and The Nine (and who knows if we’ll see the rest of its 13 episodes)

MOST “WHY IS THIS SHOW STILL ON?” AWARD—Nip/Tuck; The King of Queens

MOST SELF-IMPORTANT—Heroes; Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Justice

BEST “OH NO, YOU DID NOT JUST DO SPIT ON YOUR MAMA LIKE THAT” MOMENT—Friday Night Lights: Smash lying about needing money for steroids and then letting his church give him a freewill love offering, thinking they were helping the boy take an SAT prep course so he could get into a good college.

BEST LINES I FIND MYSELF STILL REPEATING—“Boom goes the dynamite!” Veronica Mars; “Frak”—Battlestar Galactica

THE “WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL AWARD?”—Heroes

BIGGEST SQUANDERING OF TALENT—Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock

BEST BREAKDOWN--Rachel Griffiths, Brothers and Sisters. Who know buying a lei could be so difficult?

BEST COLD OPEN/TEASER—Gilmore Girls –the answering machine message. Nothing has been funnier this season then Emily playing Lorelai’s message announcing her elopement over and over at Friday dinner. I watched it four times and couldn’t stop laughing.

WORST REVAMPING OF TITLE CREDITS—Veronica Mars; Grey’s Anatomy

BEST EPISODE—“Bang” Desperate Housewives; “Mistakes Were Made Pt. 1 & 2” Brothers and Sisters; “Torn” Battlestar Galactica

Now bring on the musical episode of Scrubs, the return of Lost, and 24

posted by cinegod @ 11:34 AM 1 comments

Holiday Traditions

Tonight is the annual airing of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", and though "Ugly Betty" is reairing one of its strongest episodes, you never encourage someone not to watch this Christmas classic. I had a roommate in college who loved this more than he did the "1812 Overture" or sleeping in. (Sometimes his love for the "1812 Overture" prevented my sleeping in, but--BYGONES.) It was his big Christmas tradition to watch "Rudolph" and it gave him an excuse to act like a child at Christmas all over again. It was a die-hard tradition for him.

That got me thinking about my live free or die hard traditions at Christmas. I don't mean the--we're going to this family's for Christmas lunch and then we're going to go see your aunt, etc. I meant the fun, random ones. After my paternal grandparents died and we quit trying to get that side of the family together on Christmas Eve, my parents, brother and I did get in the habit of going to the mall on Christmas Eve, laughing at last minute shoppers scurrying around. We'd then go see a movie, though not always together. (I specifically remember hanging out in the theater lobby for over an hour with my mom and brother while my dad's movie--"Bugsy"--just kept going on and on. Even the theater employees felt sorry for us, because it was obvious we were bored. I think they gave us free popcorn since our little movie was short and to the point. Dad's had to lay the groundwork for the Beatty-Bening marriage and family. Of course, his was going to be longer.) But at some point, that tradition got dropped. (It might be because of the bad taste in movies my parents have--and their lack of understanding in my good taste. Apparently, a couple of years ago we hit a real low point when they took me to see "Cheaper by the Dozen" while I was home and I laughed so loud at Ashton Kutcher's bad acting that people in the theater turned around and looked.) The last couple of years, I've taken videos home that I really think they'd like that they never would've rented. (They really liked "In America" and were moderately amused by "Napoleon Dynamite".) Unfortunately, I just can't think of anything this year that I think they need to see.

So I need a new Christmas tradition. The more superficial, the better. (I mean, this is me we're talking about here, right?)

Any ideas?

posted by cinegod @ 8:43 AM 0 comments

"Pursue" This

Sometimes, there are movies that are not perfect, but effect you in such a deep and profound way that you are blind to the narrative's shortcomings. The remake of "Father of the Bride" was probably the first movie like that for me. I loved it, was moved by it, and really didn't care about its shortcomings. I thought Steve Martin was hilarious, Diane Keaton demonstrated incredible wisdom, and Kimberly Williams--now Kimberly Williams-Paisley--was charming and fetching.

"The Pursuit of Happyness", while a better film than "Bride", is very similar. It's got a couple of tonal problems, a rash of coincidences that don't make sense at all, plus two chase sequences that seem from a different film. Nevertheless, I challenge anyone to see this movie and not feel inspired.

The movie's a simple story of Chris Gardner, who gets into a competitive (non-salaried) internship at Dean Whitter. Gardner wants to be a stockbroker so that he can make enough money to support his son. Despite suggestions to turn his son over to child services, or let him live with his mother, Gardner refuses to abandon his young son. So, they are forced to live in homeless shelters, spend nights on subway trains, and live a miserable existence, all the while, trying to pursue excellence and get to the top of his internship class. There's never any doubt how the movie's going to end. I mean, it's a big Hollywood movie with Will Smith. They don't make these movies to be downers.

Despite the ending you can see coming a mile away, the movie feels fresh and--dare I say it--necessary. Part of what separates "Happyness" from other "follow your dream" inspiration tales like "The Rookie", "Shine", or "A Beautiful Mind" is that unlike those other movies, Gardner's dream is 100% unselfish. The film argues that he's not trying to become successful for himself. Instead, he's trying to become successful to provide for his son--all so he can be an outstanding father.

One of the mantras I've heard over the last year is "think about what the audience needs". What stories are out there that an audience needs to see and hear? The only other story this year that I think an audience could have possibly needed more was "United 93." And even that is up for debate. Here is a film about an African-American male who refuses to abandon his son. No matter how overwhelming the odds stack up against him, he refuses to consider any alternative that divorces him from his child--even if only for one night. This depiction of African-American fathers runs so contrary to the stories and images we are being presented with in relation to the state of the African-American nuclear family, that you cannot help but be moved by them.

It might not be the best movie of the year, but it's guaranteed to leave you feeling happy.

posted by cinegod @ 2:27 PM 0 comments