Where Is The Island

Striking Gold on The Wire

2012-01-07T06:53:00.003-05:00

The Wire is one of the best shows I've ever seen, yet finding the time to make it through the entire series is problematic. Sure, the quality is top-notch, but viewing options are limited - you'll never find it in Netflix or Redbox - and it's not exactly family-friendly fare. That being said, I've finally started rolling on season 3, and I couldn't be happier.

What makes this show so great? The producers pull no punches - everything isn't black and white, there aren't always happy endings, and both sides of the aisle feature captivating, three-dimensional characters. The show is one of the first shows I recommend to anyone looking for a new drama, but precious few take me up on it. It's a little harder to swallow, but it's well worth it!

Looking Back at Mann, Mohicans

2011-12-18T18:29:00.003-05:00

Looking for some entertainment last night, I stumbled across Last of the Mohicans in Netflix's streaming catalog. Hard to believe it's been twenty years since Michael Mann's first real success, one that helped him move on to Heat, Ali, and all the rest. Hard to believe we were still early on in Daniel Day-Lewis's career as well!

Needless to say, the movie holds up almost two decades later. Of the acclaimed frontier pics of that era, it easily trumps Kevin Costner's bloated Dances With Wolves, thanks to a tighter narrative, a more compelling lead, and what might be one of cinema's finest scores.

As for Mann, what can I say? I look back and think of him as a defining director of the past twenty years, yet, when I look at his bio, I'm stunned by how few films he's made, especially the fact that he's made only a handful of truly memorable ones. Does that diminish his greatness? Honestly, I'm not sure, but, for that one night, I was reminded of all he can be.

Hell on Wheels, Round Two

2011-11-21T20:47:00.002-05:00

At least once every television season, I latch onto a new program before it even airs. Some combination of clever commercials and critical buzz - positive or negative - convinces me to become invested in one of these programs, and nothing seems able to dissuade me. This year's "winner" happens to be Hell on Wheels.

Set shortly after the conclusion of the Civil War, Hell on Wheels follows a former Confederate soldier on his quest for vengeance out on the frontier. It stars a cast of barely-known actors - Anson Mount, Colm Meaney, and Common - but it's hooked me nonetheless. I'm not sure where it's going, and I'm not sure it will be able to maintain what little momentum it seems to have. That being said, so far, I'm in, and that qualifies as a good start...

Is This The Hangover for Women?!

2011-11-20T07:56:00.003-05:00

Somewhere along the way, I was either told that Bridesmaids was like The Hangover for women, or I came to believe it. My wife & I danced around renting this film for a number of months, and, last night, we finally pulled the trigger. And?! Well, it's not The Hangover.

Does Bridesmaids have some funny moments?! Yes! Melissa McCarthy is hilarious and very much deserving the Best Supporting Actress buzz she's receiving. Beyond that? The film is overly long - how many comedies clock in at 2+ hours? - and, halfway through, it turns overly serious. Producers - it's a comedy, so act like it!

Finding Glee in the dog days

2011-09-10T13:11:00.004-04:00

To say that summer television this year has been disappointing an understatement. Since Game of Thrones went off the air a few months back, things have been crawling. We've taken to trolling Netflix for something - anything! - to keep our interest! Thankfully, we found Glee!

While it might not be the finest show on television - although the show's hearty Gleeks would no doubt disagree - it's very entertaining, and it makes you look at music in a different way. (Try turning on the radio without imaging the Glee kids singing each song.) Nevertheless, the most bizarre thing is that I like precious few of the individual characters, yet I still like the show! Go figure!

Flying through HIMYM!

2010-08-15T06:53:00.004-04:00

It was eight short months ago that I decided to give How I Met Your Mother a try, as I received the first season on DVD as a Christmas present. August is now upon us, I've mowed through all four seasons thus far, and I'm left waiting another month - are you serious?! - for the fifth season to make its way to DVD! How can this be?!

The show is not the most riotously funny show I've seen - that honor goes to Arrested Development - and it's not in the same league as Cheers or Seinfeld - but it certainly stacks up favorably next to almost all sitcoms from the past decade. Neil Patrick Harris is obviously the main attraction, but the rest of the cast has a Friends-esque dynamic, with different pairings producing strong results each week.

I never actually thought I'd catch up to the live show, but it's almost finally upon us. Of course, now I've got to find something else to pass the summer nights. Now, about that Rubicon show...

Summer television is Justified

2010-06-12T08:15:00.003-04:00

Just when I thought I had nothing left to watch during the summer, along comes Justified, which has miraculously become one of my favorite programs. I gave it a chance in the spring on a lark, mainly due to the presence of Deadwood star Timothy Olyphant, and I haven't been disappointed.

The story of a US Marshall forced to come back home to Kentucky when his on-the-job actions start generating too much negative heat, Justified is a nice mix of serialized drama, encapsulated stories, and irreverent humor. It doesn't have anywhere near the complexity of my all-time favorite show, Lost, but it fills a need, not unlike what Burn Notice has done for us in recent years. It works, it's reliable, and it's damn good entertainment!

Will anything take their place?

2010-05-30T19:21:00.002-04:00

What happens when a number of your favorite shows leave the airwaves at the same time? What is a man to do? Lost and 24 have both ended their runs - as have Heroes and FlashForward, but who's counting? - and it's time to turn our attention to what's going to fill the void.

Nothing will "replace" Lost, and, quite frankly, it's foolish to pretend that anything will. The show is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, and, in keeping with that notion, I don't expect to see anything like it again. 24, on the other hand, may have been ahead of its time and a groundbreaking achievement, but that was more than five years ago, and it's been showing signs of wear since the fifth season.

Next fall, Survivor will be all that remains of my once-dominant trio of programs. Other contenders, long waiting in the wings, will need to step forward - Friday Night Lights, The Office, or Chuck, for example. Will they be the same? Unlikely, but maybe something new fills the void. I can only hope...

Don't forget the early years

2010-05-30T07:38:00.000-04:00

It's not uncommon for a show to overstay its welcome. Even critical and pop-culture favorites like Friends managed to hang on too long, as ratings and, ultimately, finances cause networks to do peculiar things. 24 was no different, but we kept coming back, always hopeful that it would recapture some of its old magic.

The show was a tricky one, because it never truly spiraled off into the abyss. Every season brought with it hope & promise, and each year had its own run of strong episodes. Each one's final grade was determined, however, by its ability to sustain whatever momentum it built up early on, by its willingness to steer clear of the tried & true, and by its ability to minimize those cringe-worthy moments.

Well, season 8 had its moments, but too many of them involved the show veering steadily off the rails. Does it make me love the show any less? Does it make me forget what this show once was? Certainly not, but its time had come. I'll choose to remember those great early seasons, and I'll still look forward to one final journey in the years to come...

Gone too soon... or not

2010-04-03T20:15:00.001-04:00

FlashForward began the season as one of television's most promising shows, but some behind-the-scenes struggles and an extended network absence surely killed what chance it may have had. That being said, it returned from its forced hiatus rather well, but is it too late? I'm not talking about a second season - I'm talking about finishing the first season! One can only hope...

A Hero til the end

2010-02-14T09:32:00.001-05:00

I thought I was done with this routine a year ago when Prison Break finally ended. I have a tough time giving up on shows I've become invested in, even when I recognize that they're shells of their former self. Such has been the case with Heroes, a show that has been veering off course for four of its five seasons. It's never matched the creative success of its first season, and, while millions of other viewers have jumped ship, I have not. Is there hope for me? Of course. The fifth season just wrapped, and, while it could certainly be built upon for a sixth season, it's a pretty good place to end the run. However, considering the network it's on, I won't hold my breath...

Starting a new show... five years later

2009-12-27T07:27:00.000-05:00

Once you've managed to mow through most of the fall television season, not to mention a fourth pass through some seasons of the medium's finest hour (Lost), it's time for something new. With little to go on save the recommendation of an old roommate, I decided to take the plunge and turn on How I Met Your Mother. Granted, I had never seen an episode, but the jolly one placed it under the Christmas tree this year. Three episodes in, I must admit that I'm pretty pleased! Sure, the show at times appears to be little more than a showcase for Neil Patrick Harris, but, so far, I'm in!

Are there Men Who Stare at Goats?

2009-11-08T07:41:00.000-05:00

I went into The Men Who Stare at Goats flabbergasted that I was watching a movie that was even partially based on a true story. Did the military actually believe that it could create "psychic soldiers," men who could kill things with their mind?! It made for an entertaining premise, and, while George Clooney was up to the challenge, the material was uneven. It was one of those films that suffered from an excess of quality scenes, one whose best material was splattered all across the previews. It wasn't bad, per se, but it had a lot of room for improvement...

We will be victorious!

2009-11-02T17:38:00.000-05:00

I'm old enough to remember the original V miniseries, but young enough to think it was actually pretty cool. Come on - lizards disguised as humans, infiltrating our people with the goal of exterminating us all?! What a great premise! Did I mention that it was headlined by The Beastmaster himself, Marc Singer, and eventual Highlander II: The Quickening "star" Michael Ironside. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited for the arrival of the new V series. Reviews be damned - although they're actually somewhat favorable - I'd ready to go. Don't let me down!

Harp on this!

2009-07-01T16:44:00.001-04:00

It's been a pretty long month since the official 2009-2010 television season ended. People can talk all they want about how television must now be programmed year-round, but I say those people haven't taken a look at network television lineups this summer. Sure, cable trots out some of its best & brightest every summer, but, generally speaking, the best shows still air in the traditional September-May timeframe. (Some of the very best actually air solely in the January-May timeframe, but I digress.) We just finished a much-delayed Desperate Housewives season finale, so, for us, the season is now finally at an end. Thank God for Netflix, or summer would be a dark place indeed!

Will this show ever die?!

2009-05-02T15:52:00.000-04:00

I've stuck with Prison Break for the entirety of its run, although I must admit that, at various points, I've debated running for the hills. The show has been implausible from the start, but it has tended towards the ridiculous at times. Nevertheless, I've been true to the show. However, make no mistake - I am clearly looking forward to the end. By my count, I've made it through all but the show's final two episodes ever, and I feel I have to see this through to the end. I have absolutely no expectations, and I honestly think the overwhelming sense I will feel is one of relief. Burning through the three most recent episodes in the last 24 hours has reminded me how much I once liked this show, but also how much I look forward to its end. It's been a fun ride, but it's bound to wrap up sometime. Thankfully, that time is now only two weeks away!

Enough to save my show?

2009-04-30T10:29:00.001-04:00

It's a little too early to say whether or not Chuck will survive until next season, but, if it doesn't, that was a hell of a way to end the series! (It's also a hell of a way to set up next season, but we'll leave that for the suits at NBC to determine.) The show has never been one of my can't-miss programs, but I find myself eager to find it on the DVR each week. That's gotta mean something, right? Plus, with a couple of my shows at the end of their runs and another handful likely held back until next January, I can use every show I can get!

No more Friday nights...

2009-04-11T15:19:00.000-04:00

I must say that I will miss Friday Night Lights now that it has officially ended its season. (Well, on NBC, since it ended its DirecTV season some months ago!) After last season's dip, I did not expect the creative bounce back we saw this year - fitting sendoffs for some favorite characters, a worthy end to the football season, and an interesting new direction for next year. This show is firmly entrenched in my top five, and I will happily tune in when it returns next year - on whatever station and at whatever time that might be!

Terminate this show

2009-04-06T19:31:00.000-04:00

For the past month, as I've mowed through the backlog on my DVR, a couple series have managed to... linger. Kings, NBC's big-budget epic, sits there helplessly, likely to be deleted as soon as the show is canceled. (It's not a question of "if," but "when"...) But Terminator, which I've stuck with from the beginning, is finally wearing on me. The show is sputtering in the ratings, and has been since before it was moved to the graveyard that is Friday night. The end is near, yet the series feels so far from a satisfying conclusion. With Christian Bale's big screen reboot coming this summer, it feels even less relevant. My only question is whether or not I'll be there to wish the show well on its way out the door...

Is it really almost over?!

2009-02-21T15:51:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that there are only four episodes of Battlestar Gallactica remaining! It seems odd that the series is really coming to a close, considering (a) the strength of this final season and (b) how much remains to be resolved. How can the show really fit everything into four remaining episodes? Regardless, I've enjoyed the ride, and, while it's never good to see a beloved show ride off into the sunset, I hope it walks away with its head held high.

One can only hope they're kidding

2008-11-20T15:42:00.000-05:00

My wife & I have been watching Grey's Anatomy from the beginning, although it's never been my favorite show. I tend to find most of the women insufferable - especially the lead trio - and consider the men to be the show's redeeming quality. The show sunk to new lows recently when it started trotting out the Denny-returns-as-a-ghost garbage, a blatant attempt to revisit a long-buried romance from two seasons ago! When is enough enough? The man died and, regardless of how cool a character he may or may not have been - I'm in the latter camp - his run ended, meaning the show - and his fans - need to let it go. Drift off into the fantastical one too many times and you run the risk of producing a modern day Ally McBeal, inspired one minute and forgotten the next.

Gut-check time...

2008-11-10T20:13:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, a television show comes out of nowhere and surprises you. I admit that I've been a fan of Prison Break from the start, including its increasingly implausible plot twists, and I'm happy to say that my faith was recently rewarded. Watching William Fichtner's Mahone calming pushing hired gun Wyatt - who had previously murdered Mahone's young son - into the water with a cinder block cuffed to his arms was brilliant. Totally warranted, totally worth it, and not even a semblance of a copout from a show I have at times worried about... Kudos, Mahone, and kudos to you as well, Prison Break!

Journeyman, take 2

2008-10-12T07:04:00.000-04:00

I can sense it already - I'm about to get sucked into a show that I know will get canceled very, very soon. This happens to me with some degree of regularity, the most recent examples being Daybreak and Journeyman. The thing is, I know these shows are not long for this earth when I start watching them, yet I'm swept in nonetheless. This season's contestant is Life on Mars, a show about a New York cops who finds himself - via some means or other - "stuck" in 1973. He exists there -he has a job, he owns a car, etc. - so it's not a case of traveling through time. Intriguing premise, solid premiere, but I wonder how sustainable the concept it. After all, will this have an ongoing mystery, or will it morph into a standard cop show., albeit with an unusual fish-out-of-water element? Alas, we may never know...

The long wait is officially over

2008-09-06T07:51:00.000-04:00

The time period from late May until early September can be a rather long one, especially for someone who watches as much television as I do. I have about a dozen or shows that I follow somewhat religiously, but I don't bother flicking through the stations during a typical evening. As such, summer becomes a wasteland of TV nothingness, saving for a little-known addiction to old Law & Order episodes. Finally, summer is at an end, which means school is back in session, the weather is getting cooler, and network TV is back in session! With the return of Prison Break this past week, the fall season is now back in swing. Over the next few weeks, regular programming will return to the air, and not a moment too soon. Order is restored.

Thunder, rumbling in the distance...

2008-08-15T19:44:00.000-04:00

Tropic Thunder entered this summer with a lot of hype, and, as its release date neared, solid reviews poured in as well. Praise was heaped upon Robert Downey Jr. and a not-so-secret "cameo" by Tom Cruise. So, is it worth the hype? Eh... The film is decent, but hardly memorable. I won't bash it and say it's unworthy, but it's not as memorable as Stiller's ten-year-old hit There's Something About Mary. Downey is good, but his role isn't the classic it is portrayed as. Cruise, however, is hilarious, including some gut-busting dance numbers. Those along might be worth admittance, but, then again, can a YouTube appearance be far behind?

Have we seen this one before?

2008-08-01T21:48:00.000-04:00

I'm not oblivious when it comes to movie reviews. In fact, I tend to peruse a great many of them, just to get a feel for the general consensus about a film - in addition to a little competitive snooping. That being said, I went into Doomsday with fairly realistic expectations. I heard that it was a knockoff of everything from The Road Warrior to Waterworld. Granted, I happened to like both of those movies, each more so than the average film buff. I gave Doomsday a try, and, while I wouldn't say that I regret it, don't look for a recommendation any time soon. Neat premise - a country is isolated after a plague outbreak, left to die over a period of 25+ years. Alas, the plague resurfaces outside of the quarantined area, just as life is spotted inside the quarantined area. How did they survive? Do they have a cure? Send in a crack team of military & scientist types to find a cure and bring it back. Well, at least I thought it sounded good. Alas, somewhere along the way, things got a little lost...

Attack of the killer... vegetation?!

2008-07-19T08:38:00.000-04:00

I've seen some suspect horror movies in my day - we did, after all, spend excessive amounts of time in college debating the merits of Carnosaur - but The Ruins might be a new low. A journey to ancient Mayan ruins produces a chilling encounter with killer... vegetation?! Yes, that's right - the malevolent force in The Ruins is a twisting mess of overgrown vines. The horror! I thank my lucky stars for 90-minute run times and the ability to watch DVDs on 2x or 4x speed.

Redefining what it means to be "Best Picture"

2008-07-05T16:02:00.000-04:00

Some are calling Wall-E the best Pixar film ever and a dark horse candidate for Best Picture at next year's Oscars. Were they watching the same film I was? Visually, I would not think to question anything about the movie, as it is truly top-notch. As far as the story goes, however, I must say that it lags behind a number of prior efforts, most notably Toy Story. The movie tries to club its audience over the head with its environmental message, and the pacing can drag at points. Is the film entertaining? Certainly, and I am happy to have viewed it. I will not, however, urge others to run to the theater to see it as soon as possible. Only one film this year has brought out that kind of reaction in me, and, oddly enough, it was Iron Man. Maybe The Dark Knight can give me a second option...

Where does the time go...

2008-06-25T15:41:00.001-04:00

Summer being what it is, television tends to become a little less relevant. Spare me the sob stories about the great options cable gives us these days! Summer is here, which means top-notch programs like Lost, Survivor, and 24 are not. What's a guy to do? I usually use this time to catch up on the films I may have missed throughout the year, but, last night, I found myself reaching back to my college days for The Rock. For those who don't know, this is around the time when someone had the clever idea to make Nicholas Cage into an action here. Face/Off, Con Air and The Rock all hit theaters within the span of a couple years, but this rollicking little break-into-Alcatraz number might be my personal favorite. Does this mean I buy Cage as an action star? Not necessarily, but the film moves along at a brisk pace, its from an era before Michael Bay fell too much in love with himself, and it heralds from a time when films were produced by Simpson and Bruckheimer. With the former's passing, the latter now rules film and television. Oh, where does the time go?

That was some marketing campaign!

2008-06-21T19:33:00.001-04:00

Before the film had even started, I already had my headline: "Cloverfield is more marketing campaign than movie." In case the name doesn't sound familiar, this was the J.J. Abrams effort that featured grainy footage of New York under siege. By what? Unknown. Buzz built around the film's trailer, which showed precious little, and the film opened with a boffo weekend this past January. A few months later, I finally was able to squeeze this film in, and, much to my surprise, it's actually a very entertaining movie!

The best of our lifetime?!

2008-06-20T17:52:00.000-04:00

Entertainment Weekly recently released its list of the best / most influential television shows of the past 25 years. Topping the list was The Simpsons, which struck me as a bit of a surprise. (Considering its fawning critics, I was not surprised that The Sopranos ended up #2 on the list.) Personal favorites like Survivor (never fully appreciated), Lost, and Friends also cracked the top ten, but the most intriguing item up there had to be The X-Files, a show that whose presence is only occasionally invoked when discussing today's television landscape. Was it groundbreaking? Sure. Did I enjoy it? Usually, although no one seems to care for the way the series sputtered to its conclusion. Then again, some would argue that shows like Lost would not even be possible without The X-Files. Maybe so, in which case a tip of the hat is definitely in order...

Is that why it's called Special Edition?

2008-06-18T05:16:00.000-04:00

Watching Aliens: Special Edition for the first time, I cannot say that I saw anything that added substance to the final film. Aside from Bill Paxton (aka Hudson) having a legitimate beef with director James Cameron for cutting so many of his lines, I didn't see much of interest. Most bizarre was an extended sequence on the planet's surface with Newt and her family before the aliens even move in. Interesting, maybe, but not ultimately that exciting, and it makes the movie look rather dated. As for Paxton, despite the decreased screen time, he should be grateful that the final version trims the majority of his most inane chatter. Thankfully, he gets to keep the classics. "That's it, man. Game over. Game over."

Or should it be when is the island?!

2008-06-15T09:07:00.001-04:00

Nothing can top the mind-bending finale of Lost's 2006-2007 season, but I won't hold that against Lost, which delivered a whopper to close the 2008 season. Where did the island go? Did it move in space, or did it move in time?! Let's just say that seven months is a long time to wait for such an answer...