A Statement About WriMo (Potential Neglect, Potential Procrastination Tool)

It's that time again, folks!

At midnight last night I began my second annual odyssey into the world of National Novel Writing, and as of 1:00pm MT, I had a little over 2,000 words. Only 48,000 to go. Wa-hoo.

So I'm writing to say that my inconsistent once-a-week writing may drop off to "not at all" during the month of November, or it might shoot up to "once-every-other-day," depending on how stuck I am.

As a lovely parting gift, let me say that yesterday, in preparation for WriMo and acknowledging that I shouldn't place my concentration elsewhere for a month, I finally, finally sat down and watched Battlestar Galactica 4.5. In other words, it's all over, kids.

A couple of thoughts on the finale: I don't mind the way Kara Thrace exited the picture, but I would have liked a little more explanation for what and why she was during the last half season. Was she an angel? Probably. But for a show that spent a lot of time examining spirituality and religion, there was a shocking lack of reason for why she continued to exist, despite finding her own dead body on Earth in the season opener.

What was most jarring to me was the realization of the fact that Caprica Six, the one who started it all, was the Six shacked up with Tigh. I mean, intellectually I think I knew that at some point. But it wasn't until she and Baltar ran into one another that it really struck me: the love of his life had been pregnant with Saul Tigh's baby. Weird.

Finally, sources will confirm that I all but threw my computer when Boomer beat up Athena, shagged Helo, and stole Hera. Certain people have been warned that if a carbon copy of me shows up and he can't tell the difference, we're in serious trouble.

I'm sure there is a more intellectual and intellgent analysis that I can give at this point, but I have a novel to write. Wish me luck.

A Statement About Modern Family

Now we all know it takes a lot for me to bust out Arrested Development comparisons. Normally my statements go something like "Gawd, Arrested Development is awesome", or "that was so bad, its antonym is Arrested Development." Or something equally witty.

It started with the EW Fall TV Preview. There was something about Ed O'Neill and his new show, and something about how the show can best be represented with an equation involving Arrested. In the positive sense. (As in, this show is not -Arrested Development)

Intrigue radar tuned but heartily skeptical, I continued to keep an eye out for headlines, summaries and critical missives mentioning the show. Surely, surely it couldn't be as good as Arrested Development. Surely it was going to crash and burn after an excessively clever and overambitious pilot.

Luckily for me and the rest of the viewing public, reports of Modern Family's brilliance have not been exaggerated.

The setup is something out of a Full House nightmare-- the patriarch, played by O'Neill, is newly married to a Colombian bombshell who happens to have a ten-year-old son. His daughter, played by none other than Mrs. Dr. Jack Shepherd, is the head of a "classic" family-- working dad, stay-at-home mom, two girls and a boy. The final Pritchett is the gay son who has just returned from adopting a Vietnamese baby with his partner.

They all manage to get in the same room in each episode so far, and when they do it's glorious. It's the spouses who shine in these early days (though everyone is at the top of their game)-- the bombshell and her ridiculous (but highly articulate) accent; the gay partner who wears pink paisley shirts but also happens to have been an offensive lineman for the University of Illinois; the husband who thinks he's cool, but so painfully isn't (one of my favorite lines: "I text... 'LOL,' laugh out loud... 'OMG,' oh my God... 'WTF,' why the face?").

The characters are ripe and dimensional, the stories relatively small but spectacularly written, the humor at once subtle and joltingly funny.

Arrested Development comparisons are a little premature but not far off-- so far, I think we've found a worthy successor. Let's see how things develop.

A Statement About Titanic

And now a moment of introspection.

The Park City Library and my weekly pilgrimage have afforded me the opportunity to see a lot of movies I have been "meaning" to see. You know, the ones you put on a list to save for a rainy day, or "when there's time," or whatever.

The library's selection is not huge, but what is there is significant; indie gems, old classics, and the occasional guilty pleasure.

Which brings me to today, and Titanic's presence on the shelf.

I saw Titanic three times in the 1997-1998 year (I think all of them were in the theater). I may or may not have bought it on VHS (woo!) but I promise you I did not watch it all the way through. Titanic is not something you can half-ass. You either have to sit down and watch it or not even bother.

Then, like everyone else ever, I experienced the backlash and swore it was stupid and that I would never watch it again. This was compounded by my seeing LA Confidential, a vastly superior film, and realizing that it lost to the... er... titanic Titanic in the 1998 Oscars. And that kids, is just not cool.

Recently I was talking to "a friend" (we're still at euphemisms, people) and we decided that maybe it was time to give Titanic another shot. This time not from the rose-colored Leo DiCaprio hype-glasses, but with a more discerning, adult, decade-later kind of eye.

And I have to tell you, it doesn't hold up well.

The emotional impact of the film is still heavy, but this time with the obvious human tragedy exploited for blockbuster dollars. Kate Winslet is lovely as ever, while Leo still looks like a fetus (you don't realize what a decade can do for someone's looks until you see Leo then and Leo now. And let me state for the record, I prefer Leo now). The story doesn't hold up; a decade of romance novel reading makes even Jack and Rose's miraculous forty-eight hour love story seem contrived. And of course he has to die. Because honestly, what was going to happen to them when they got off the boat?

Which means this boils down to a "he drops into her life to change her perspective, but can't stay to see the results" set against the backdrop of the legendary sinking ship. Blah.

The fashions are genius, Kathy Bates is hysterical, and I completely forgot that Victor Garber, love of my life is in it. (I went from my Alias marathon to Titanic... we're all Victor all the time, and we don't mess around).

I was left with the knowledge that I had tried Titanic again, and the surety that I could wait another decade before my next viewing.

And now I find myself writing this with Knocked Up on in the background, just as a palate cleanser.

A Statement About Glee

If you're going to name a show Glee, it had better live up to its name.

There can be nothing downer about it; even when you tackle serious issues (Hello, teen pregnancy and homosexuality! How are you today?) you've got to do it with the snap-crackle-pop lightness that your title implies, and you've got to do something to ensure that people leave feeling, well gleeful.

So far, so good.

Glee is possibly the riskiest proposition of the new television season: a musical set in a high school, on FOX, nonetheless. But this is no tweenie High School Musical redux; this is a sharp satire with even sharper characters, who happen to sing some of the kick-assest covers in recent memory.

According to "those in the know" the portrayal of school politics is spot-on, from Jane Lynch's gutting cheerleading coach to the idealistic glee coach cum Spanish prof who is forced to pay for the club out of his own pocket.

All of the stock characters are there for political correctness-- the feisty black girl, the jock, the kid in the wheelchair, the newly un-closeted fashionista, the bitch with the well-intentioned heart of gold. In any other hands these characters could be cliche (or at worst, offensive), but they all manage to shine and bounce off of each other with sparky repertoire that is anything but boring, and man can they sing.

Mr. Schuester's (aforementioned Glee/Spanish honcho) love life is a mess; he's trapped in a marriage to his high school sweetheart, a faux-pregnant trainwreck of highly codependent proportions. His real love, neurotic guidance counselor Emma, has just accepted what is essentially a marriage-in-name-only proposal from gym teacher Ken Tanaka. Coming back from all of that Jim-and-Pam loveliness, I'm not sure how much patience I'll have if the writers make it their life mission to keep Will and Emma apart, but so far so only mildly irritating.

It certainly has a lot to live up to, especially in the long term. But for the moment, Glee is fulfilling the quick-witted, happy without being saccharine void left by the late great Arrested Development.

To quote Emma, "YAY GLEE! GLEE KIDS HOORAY!"

A Statement About Mr. & Mrs. Halpert

Confession time: I have been giddy for five months.

Ever since that silent moment in a Pennsylvania (read: Los Angeles set) hospital room when a doctor told Pam Beesley and Jim Halpert that they are pregnant, I have been waitingwaitingwaitingwaiting for The Next Step.

And next Thursday, I'm going to get it.

It's a risky proposition: Who in their right mind would marry off the will-they-or-won't-they central couple five years in to a potentially ongoing franchise? That romantic tension is supposed to carry whole seasons; the unplanned pregnancy should spur a crisis of coupledom resulting in Jim fleeing the state to seek everything he'll miss when he becomes a father, and should magically drive Pam back into the arms of her former fiancé Roy. Or something.

But the brilliant brilliance of the Jim and Pam dynamic is their complete normalcy. Even when there was drama (and there has been plenty), they reacted as normal, mature, real-life adults. There was no screaming, no yelling, no overreactive not-speaking-to-eachothers (and being 3/4 of the way through a Felicity marathon, I can tell you that those are a dime a dozen on network television).

Even this unplanned pregnancy is real: there is no discussion of "what happened?", no blame placed, merely happiness at the surprise that was going to happen eventually anyway.

There will be a lot of discussion and a lot of watching of the ratings numbers after the hour-long wedding special next week. People will debate whether or not the show has been ruined because the tension is gone. I've got news for people who think this is it: the "tension" has been gone for a long time. Ever since that fateful afternoon when Jim took his name out of the running for a corporate job in New York and rushed back to Scranton to ask Pam to go to dinner with him, this moment has been inevitable.

If the wedding was put off for artificial reasons, that would ruin things. The beauty of The Office in general and Jim and Pam in specific is that they are true to life. We all know Jim and Pam, and we all want to be Jim and Pam, and there is no earthly, real reason to keep them apart.

And so I am giddy for next week. I thoroughly expect to jump up and down, and tear up, and have an hour-long freakout. I can't wait.

A Statement About the Emmys (An Attempt)

So we're trying something new this year... I'm going to watch the Emmys and comment as we go along. The commentary isn't going to be live because I'm an hour behind, but it doesn't really matter because you won't be reading this live anyway. Right?!

MINUTES BEFORE: I am already in a bad mood because I'm behind. A certain un-helpful someone on the East Coast has volunteered to tell me all of the winners as they are listed live, and I have had to issue some harsh words of rebuke.

THINGS WE ARE EXCITED FOR: Neil Patrick Harris!! Dr. Horrible!! How I Met Your Mother Best Comedy upset!! (Although, to be honest, we won't be heartbroken when the the stellar 30 Rock inevitably wins.)

THINGS WE ARE NOT EXCITED FOR: Reality competitions, Anything having to do with Two and a Half Men, the notable absence of anything having to do with Battlestar Galactica

OK...

Ready... Steady... GO!

*NPH is singing. And that white jacket? HAWT. And he wants me alone? I don't think that'll be a problem.

*What a start. Great musical number, trivial without being tedious.

*He grew up ON television. Get it?!

*He is ADORABLE. I'm sorry, but I'm going to be saying that a lot.

*Interesting format change. ALL of every category all at once? That's new... and if they pull it off, it just might work.

*Tina Fey and Jon Hamm! The combo gives hope for all geek girls everywhere.

*KRISTIN CHENOWETH?! Holy upset Batman!! I mean, for serious. Pushing Daisies, welcome to your only recognition ever. Aaaaaaaaand the Emmy is bigger than she is! And she's having some sort of nervous breakdown. And she's trolling for roles. LOVE IT.

(also, she is the smallest person in the history of the world... even in spikes, she's shorter than Tina Fey. Which is hard to do.)

*John Hodgman as commentator?! STUNNING. AND HE'S MAKING THINGS UP AS HE GOES ALONG. This might be the best innovation of the night. Oh wait... way too early so say that.

*Let the HIMYM plugging begin!! At least they deserve it. Both of those women look fantastic considering they're less than 6 months out of childbirth. Did Josh Radnor even say anything, BTW?

*Hello comedienne superteam! Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Amy Poehler! I've heard some rumors... and if NPH didn't win... IT'S JON CRYER?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I'm not commenting on this in protest. In fact I might not watch TV ever again. Except that CHARLIE SHEEN DOES NOT NEED AN EMMY. Whattheholyfrak.

*Wait for it... yep. NPH is better for having not won.

*Really Justin Timberlake? Really with the glasses? You weren't cool enough without trying mimic the geeks? And he's giving the Best Actress in a Comedy Emmy. Suddenly the show has taken a terrifying turn... AND HE'S TURNED ON BY PRESENTING THE AWARD? What to the Ever. But he has to take a moment to recover from Sarah Silverman. Ten points.

*HOLY SECOND UPSET BATMAN. Well, Toni Colette is cool enough. And so is her accent. And so is her dress. OK, so maybe I'm recovering from the Cryer win... maybe.

*AND NPH is calling him on the win. And they're being good sports. Recovery in progress.

*Leighton Meester and Blake Lively (is it just me, or is Lively channeling Princess Leia?). Plunging necklines anyone? You know, 30 Rock did get a ridiculous number of nominations... Justin Timberlake and Tina Fey for Saturday Night Live. Interesting.

*Todd Holland better win for 30 Rock- Generalissimo. Ok, The Office... OK.

*Rob Lowe made a funny! For serious? He chose Dr. Vegas over Grey's Anatomy?? Love all the men in the Comedy Actor category, but I'd love Jermaine from Flight of the Conchords. Also, I think I need to start watching The Big Bang Theory. O.K. I could have gone without Alec Baldwin win again. But he gives a gracious speech.

*Stewie's punching Brian over The Bro Code. And I am not cool enough for this sketch.

*Very smart people, still hold the big awards for the end. And at least he was honest about it... "So no clicking."

**I'm not blogging the best reality categories. Sorry.**

*I lied. Hayden Panetierre is too beautiful and too boring not to be commented on. Also, I think Stewart and Colbert's categories are here anyway. Compromise: Abbreviated commentary.

*AND PROBST NAILS IT.

*NPH wins Kick Ass Dude of the Night.

*Is Tracy Morgan drunk? Because 30 Rock seems like it is a reality show for him.

*The Amazing Race again?! Quel surprise.

*Dear Justin Timberlake, See Kevin Bacon? That's how you pull off the glasses.

*Shoreh Agdashloo is gorgeous. But is she having some sort of asthma attack? Or is that the mic?

*I don't know his name, but Best Supporting Actor in a TV movie-guy ROCKS. Make his speech short before he gets interrupted by a Congressman or rapper indeed.

*LoveloveloveloveLOVE Jennifer Love Hewitt's dress. Sorry, that was probably a bad joke, but I didn't mean it, I swear.

*Best Director TV Movie really really needed to have picked a better dress.

*OMG, the Accountants are talking-- AND DR. HORRIBLE IS ON!!!! Hotness hotness hotness. Now all we need is... NATHAN FILLION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The hottest thing EVER. Counting Jon Hamm and NPH himself. AND THE WHOLE DAMN CAST SHOWED UP. This is officially the best Emmys ever. STUNNING.

*Jessica Lange for Grey Gardens. Let's see how long it takes for her to call up Drew Barrymore. Oh, no?! Just a big lovefest. Cool beans.

*The comedy stylings of Kiefer Sutherland and Anna Torv. Ha. And OMG she's Australian. I totally forgot. And Sutherland's got the glasses too. I might start boycotting my own, they've become so cool.

*4 women accepting for Little Dorritt. Rock on.

*Variety. WOOT. Director goes to an Idol dude? THE DUDE WHO DIRECTED THE BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY VIDEO?! Three cool points.

*Colbert Report rocks. But we knew that. Hell, they all have good videos. Billy Crystal?! Hi Billy! The Daily Show wins. Obviously. You know what, though? It never EVER gets old. Why? Because they are always all 57 kinds of awesome.

*Jon Stewart is dreamy.

*Awesome acceptance opening.

*Have I mentioned I kinda like the split-screen thing? OK, good. Cuz I kinda do.

*Jimmy Fallon is kinda funny...? But not as funny as Carell seems to think. No Flight of the Conchords love, huh? Unimpressed.

*NPH, I would have your babies, but can Ricky Gervais have a go at hosting next year? He declares first off that it's the best award show in the world, and then that he doesn't like the Oscars because all the people there are better looking than him... and then goes on and on about syndication and making money off of The Office. Maybe he shouldn't host... he'd piss off waaaaay too many people while being frakking hilarious. THE DAILY SHOW WINS!! Anything involving Gervais and Stewart in the same room is OK by me.

*Jon Stewart gives NPH a shout-out! Wa-hoo!

*Battlestar Galactica shout-out in Drama montage! WOOT!

*Best Supporting Actor in a Drama... I'd love Michael Emerson or John Slattery... AND IT'S MICHAEL EMERSON!! SEMI-UPSET!! 12 kinds of awesome. And an excellent, brief, gracious speech.

*I honestly don't care about the Best Supporting Actresses. Is that bad? Cherry Jones. Cool chick.

*Nice live In Memoriam.

*Holy Vampire Hotties! Angel and Bill *sigh.*

*Michael J. Fox has the glasses, too. I guess they're getting better, then (PS- he looks awesome). Is it just me, or are the drama writing videos better than the variety writing videos?

*Finally a frakking Mad Men Emmy. I mean, honestly. Matt Weiner- you are a genius, but you are a bit of a tool.

*NPH's inconsequential intros are awe-- SIMON BAKER, WHY DID YOU JUMP ON THE GLASSES BANDWAGON?!

*Yay Glenn Close. Kind of. I wish it was Elisabeth Moss.

*Dana Delaney has the glasses, too. WTF?

*Brian Cranston's beating of Jon Hamm was just made better by his statement that he's glad Glenn Close is a woman, and by declaring himself to be a "Cinderfella."

*And Bob Newhart killed the joke, but he was intimating that he has a massive crush on our Tina, so who cares?

*30 Rock wins! Yay Tina almost making out with Newhart. "Robert, I want to work with you everyday until I put you in the ground." And she thanked Ben Silverman and then SLAMMED NBC... "for keeping us on even though we are so much more expensive than a talk show." Beautiful.

*Hi Sigourney! Golden Age of TV Drama, indeed. MAD to the MEN. Holler. Love that theme song. And Jon Hamm is dreamy, too. What is it about the Jons with no "h"?

*NPH wraps it up with his imaginary glass... he produced the show, too? Ka-ching.

OVERALL: Vast improvement on last year (not too hard to do). NPH can come back anytime he wants. Winners overall were unimpressive, but also vastly improved at least in terms of variety.

Did you have fun? I hope so. KBye.

A Statement About the First Few Days

And so, the first week in Park City has been peaceful, relaxing (believe it or not) and generally good, except for the tragic news from back home. We won't get into that, though. I'll just ask for your thoughts and prayers for the family, please.

Moving swiftly onward to lighter topics, yay Sundance! Yay Park City! Friday afternoon and Saturday were spent in the gracious company of Lady Liberty (whose infinite patience with trips to the Post Office and weird-start-up shopping will not soon be forgotten) and her family. Aunt Joan, Uncle Dave and the kids welcomed me to Utah with open arms, basement, and date book. Considering I had expected to be more-or-less on my own out here, finding family away from family was a wonderful surprise.

Sunday was spent preparing mentally for Monday (because, as we all know, I'm still not sure why I am doing this job) and then Monday was orientation, orientation, orientation!

My for those of you who haven't been kept abreast by Facebook, you should know that my commute was interminable. Like, down some stairs and a whole 25 steps. I honestly don't know how I'm going to survive. The introduction to Sundance was lovely and educational-- a lot of information without being too much. There was even time in the afternoon to sit down with my immediate supervisor for some database going-over (wa-hoo) and general introduction to the department.

And you know what? So far, so good. Having been really unconvinced I was going to know what I am doing in this thing, the first three days have told me that I am very, very prepared. Everything in all of my other jobs (all of them) has completely prepped me for what's to come. Well... except for the chaos. But you know how there are special library patrons we just do things for because it's easier than not? Same for journalists. You know how there's always the "special one" who needs help with everything? I've already been provided with a list of those. And I get to produce my own method for keeping materials organized and under control. Huzzah, people!!!

So there we are. Park City, Week 1 update. I'm not sure things are going to stay interesting enough for constant and dedicated updates, so we're going to get back to business talking nonsense about TV shows and movies next week (don't worry, casual updates included). So... yeah. There you go.

A Statement About Another Long-Ass Day, and Arrival (finally)

It seems hard to believe that it was just yesterday that we awoke in Denver to celebrate Lady Liberty's 23rd birthday, but that's exactly what happened. We passed a perfectly pleasant morning eating brunch at a trendy restaurant called Snooze in the Ballpark neighborhood, and then wandering down to (wait for it...) The Tattered Cover book store. Try not to be shocked.

Having made the executive decision to take the "long way," we spent the early afternoon strolling through Boulder and then heading out on Route 40 through the Rockies.

I'm not sure either of us expected the route to take is directly through Rocky Mountain State Park, so the surprise was ours, but what a surprise it was. Luna behaved admirably, chugging up and up and UP, and then gliding down and down (but not "and down" again. Even settled in Park City, we're at 7,000 feet).

The drive was long and boring to be honest, with lots of straight interstate broken up only by terrifying hairpin turns. 1:00am saw us in Park City, whole and hale, and then into the hotel room of the lovely Auntie Laliberte.

I still bear the bruises of Lady Lib's merciless beating of this afternoon, when we finally came to lay claim to my apartment. To say the area is beautiful is an understatement (the Park City Golf Course is my front yard and the slopes are my back), and to say the apartment exceeds my expectations is even moreso.

Lucky Princess Brat? You bet your ass.

And so the rest of the weekend shall be spent organizing and reorganizing and spending time with the lovely "family" I suddenly have in the area.

Oh, and let's not forget, work starts on Monday.

A Statement About the Long-Ass Day

All professional attempts at regulating the travel blog-entries have been discontinued until further notice.

Where to begin? How about yesterday when we woke up in Pittsburgh, in the charming apartment of Stringbean and his Lady Love. Pennsylvania provided more than anticipated... If by "more" you take my meaning to be "more trees and more interstate." And I think you do.

The drive to Chicago was pleasant and uneventful, with a little bit of requisite city traffic as our arrival coincided inevitably with rush hour. Finding the apartment was remarkably easy thanks to the capricious Vivian and the parking stunningly acquired by that darling Lady Lib.

After parking the car in a secure lot (hooray!) and ourselves in Kylah's neighborhood watering hole, we took stock of our lives, toasted another of the many random cities we find ourselves uniting in, and La Lalib proceeded to begin embroidering right there in the pub. Classic.

Side note: We did indeed arrive late-er than expected in Chicago, as I could not pretend to be a good daughter without first stopping in South Bend ("South Bend, it sounds like dancing") at Notre Dame, calling my Dad, and taking pictures of everything in sight. And also eating a Notre Dame emblem shaped pretzel.

Kylah kindly met us at her local and then led us to her beautifully appointed studio apartment, on to Wrigley Field and a restaurant called Goose Island, where we took the advice of legal counsel and ate the beef.

As we awoke this morning, we were determined to make progress, but didn't know how much we were actually going to accomplish. After a quick stop at Whole Foods ("I don't think Skinny Bitch would approve of our Softies Donuts") and a let-down by the ever changing Vivian (losing satellite reception in Chicago? For serious?), we were on our way across the plains, and learned soon enough that Nebraska does indeed make Pennsylvania feel like a rest stop.

And speaking of rest stops, quick round-up: Ohio? Very clean and pleasant. If you must stop anywhere, let it be in Ohio. Iowa? Pleasant, but the stall-walls are very short... I don't recommend being a tall person (using "tall" liberally) and looking around when you stand up from using the facilities.

Then the fateful decision came down: On to Denver it is. So with 2 Mona-Vies each (actually I think I had 3) the hustle across the plains and into the mountains was completed, and with 2 days to spare, we find ourselves with only about 1 day's worth of driving.

Ah, the wandering in the Rockies.

Luna is now taking a well-deserved rest and relaxation (after all, that's 1,000 miles in a day) and myself and Madame are off to do the same.

A Statement About the Day 1

Road Trip Journal

Day 1, 21:13

Distance Covered (Today): 510.8 mi

Distance Covered (Total): 510.8 mi

First day of the trip was also a day of many general firsts: First time in Trumbull, first time on the Merrit Parkway, first time at a Cracker Barrell Restaurant.

The Burgh is lovely, though the 'burb of the Burgh is even lovelier (and the name much more exotic). Indeed, Zelienople is the place for all the cool kids to be on this... er... cool September evening.

Have *officially* looked to determine that the Sundance Film Festival runs 21-31 January 2010. So only 136 days left to go (thank you, Google homepage countdown).

Not much to report about scenery as PA is generally (and widely) acknowledged to be the longest, tree-iest state in the union.

More tomorrow from the Windy City (with potential Obama pilgrimage), following a brief stop in South Bend (it sounds like dancing!) for the Dads.

A Statement About the New Gig

... and then I moved to Utah.

Things just keep happening, folks, and it looks like the next few months are going to be more than a little bit hectic and challenging. It turns out that I'm working for the Sundance Film Festival, and it turns out that the format of the blog is going to change a bit.

For the next week (when I can and where possible), TheMovieGirl will chronical my trip across the country to Utah with The Lady Liberty. Then we'll start talking about the Festival, what I'm doing, my new digs, etc.

And in between I'll still talk about movies and TV sometimes. Plan? Plan!

A Statement About Burn Notice

Credit where credit is due: TheMovieDad got me hooked on a show.
Like, hook-line-and-sinkered.

One not-yet-terribly-hot-Saturday when I had shockingly little to do, there was a Burn Notice marathon on USA. While waiting for an afternoon barbecue to start, the Dad and I sat down to watch, and I am unashamed to admit that I didn't get up for the rest of the afternoon. (Indeed, I did peel myself off the couch to attend the party for an hour, before using an errant beagle as an excuse to run home again)

So this show Burn Notice. I had tried watching it on the recommendation of a certain nameless Pittsburgh Conservative, who loved it on sight. When I tried it before I knew exactly why he loved it: the wry, witty narration and bone-dry delivery of just about every line emerging from Jeffrey Donovan's incredibly handsome mouth have a certain Pittsburgh-Conservative appeal (well, not the handsome mouth part... you know that I mean).

But I wasn't grabbed. I think I was in a rush, on my way to London, and way too distracted to jump into another series.

Not so on this fateful Saturday.

Jeffrey Donovan's aforementioned handsomeness should in no way deflect from how perfect he is in the role of Michael Westen, a "burned" CIA operative who has been dumped in Miami, out of money, out of contacts, out of the loop. He sets about trying to make a living the best way he knows how, stealing secrets, running ops, intimidating local scam artists who have been fleecing his mother's friends.

Joining him are his former IRA girlfriend Fiona (whose accent changed remarkably between 1.01 and 1.02) and Sam, a former SEAL who is... er... washed up, but still infinitely helpful when not tipping off the FBI to Michael's actions.

Quite frankly, it's not exactly heavy viewing-- it's all the fun that Alias was having without being bogged down by the mythology. There is an ongoing back-story (who burned Michael, what happened, how he's going to get back in the game), but the show falls squarely between procedurals (every week there is a "client" who requires Michael's services, he assembles the team, complications ensue, etc.) and more intensive serials.

I am not even close to caught up (I think I managed to see most of season 3 that day, and have since gone back to season 1 on iTunes), but I am seriously looking forward to more of Michael and the gang. And I already can't wait for more next summer.

A Statement About the Harry Potter

Now there are two ways to review this movie: one is in comparison to the book, the other is on its own as a film, independent of anything except the films that have come before it.

Two guesses as to where Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince fails miserably as a movie. Go on, guess. I'll wait.

OK, maybe I won't. So here's the deal. As a film, HPATHBP (hell, even the abbreviation is long) is... fine. Just fine. It certainly has its moments of humor and action and suspense (although if you've read the books, not really) but it's long and the acting isn't always stellar (Hi Daniel Radcliffe. You're really cute, and you're trying. I get it. Try harder, k?), the special effects are great, the story is long and complicated.

Trying really hard to separate from the book for a moment, I have to say that I would be very, very dissatisfied with these films as a casual observer. In fact, I'm pretty sure I would find them pointless and superficial. There are too many things going on that I wouldn't understand, too many peripheral characters who show up for no discernable reason, and too many main characters suffering as a result of trying to stuff 700-odd pages into a very, very long (but not quite long enough) movie.

So it's just fine. No jumping up and down, no LOTR comparisons, no waxing poetic about how this is changing the face of cinema.

And now on to the rant (See? You thought the rant already occurred. Not so.) Before I start, I want to say that I get it. As readers, we all have different interpretations of what the Potterverse is supposed to look like, and there is just so much of it. Honestly, how could they possibly do it justice, nevermind live up to expectations?

But even letting go of that, there are some creative choices that continue to befuddle me even three days after screening the film. Dumbledore discovers Harry at Surbiton station in the film. Really? Does he really? Because there's a pretty frakking important point to be made about Harry's safety and the reason he has to go home to Privet Drive every summer. The whole point is that he can't just go wandering around. And you know what? When the Dursleys kick him out at the beginning of THBP (much better) book, Dumbledore shows up to lay the smackdown for putting Harry's life at risk.

Which, by the way, also sets up the electric opening sequence in The Deathly Hallows in which Harry has to be removed from the house at midnight on his 18th birthday and Hedwig... Nevermind. I can't even get in to it.

Another thing that is sticking out (significantly) is the placement of Harry during the tower scene. Not going to get all spoilery, but if you know what I'm talking about, you know what I'm talking out. Great pains are taken (and time is wasted!) at the beginning of the film to show how effective it is to disable Harry by paralyzing him with Petrificus Totalus and then covering him with the invisibility cloak. No one can see him! He can't move! How effective!

To then send Harry below in the tower sequence and give him complete free will as to whether or not to interfere kind of makes him a coward. Not to mention the complete lack of proper view of the proceedings, and the interference of Snape? Uh... how ambiguous?

No funeral. No Weasley is our king. No time to see Harry and Ginny be happy for a little while. Because we all know it doesn't last long. No reason for Fenrir Greyback to show up at all (Except, apparently, to burn down The Burrow. What. The. Frak.)

A word about the next film: They've gone and split it in two, which is vaguely comforting (more time to delve more deeply into things! Hooray!) but the question still lingers as to whether or not it's a great idea. Show me the natural pause point in TDH, and I'll write a favorable review of New Moon. Deal?

(I could get into a discussion about how Twilight-ers will use this as evidence that Twilight is "better," while they completely dismiss the fact that the reason those books translate so well into films is that there's nothing to them, but I don't want to bore you)

OK, I'm done now. Happy?

A Statement About I Could Never Be Your Woman

Once upon a time Amy Heckerling, genius director of Fast Times At Ridgemont High and Clueless, wrote and directed a movie called I Could Never Be Your Woman. Something terrible happened. And then the movie went straight to DVD. And then no one watched it, ever.

Well, except me this weekend.

It stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd (as well as a host of Clueless-related cameos) as an aging TV producer and the new star she's discovered on the set of her smash teen show. Hilarity and antics ensue as she battles the insecurities that come with aging and aging in Hollywood. Inside H-wood jokes abound (her daughter gets in a fight in school because someone made fun of her mother's show's ratings; her ex-husband is "scripting" a reality show...?). The plot is slightly less than coherent (the romance doesn't take hold enough to be the central plot, but if it's not, I don't know what is) and some of it is slightly askew (on what planet are we to believe that Jon Lovitz and Michelle Pfeiffer were ever married?), but the overall charm is undeniable.

While taking place in Beverly Hills, it is very obvious that the shooting took place in the UK, as several minor British stars pop up in the strangest places (hello, Graham Norton! And yes, that is Mackenzie Crook perfecting his Amerrrrrican accent). This adds to the overall feeling of disconnect I had throughout the film. I was enjoying it, but I wasn't involved and it felt very flat.

Absolute hands-down, hats off, etc., to Pfeiffer herself and Saoirse Ronan who plays her daughter (another random Brit in the mix). Their chemistry is palpable, and Ronan adds almost every laugh-out-loud moment in the film-- most especially her teen-pop parodies, including Britney's Not That Talented.

Conclusion? I Could Never Be Your Woman went straight to DVD due to studio and money issues, not because of quality per se. However, it probably would not have done well in the theaters, and the direct-to DVD buyers' slightly lowered expectations can only do this film good. Rent it from the library. Go on. I know a really cool one that has it in their catalog.

A Statement About the Desert Island Movies

In the previous post, I mentioned the Office watching I was doing with my grandmother, which very reasonably leads to today's post.

The other night we were watching the Fire episode, in which Ryan inadvertently causes the evacuation of the office when he burns his cheese pita. In his continuing display of Better Leadership Than Michael, Jim leads his coworkers in a rousing series of "Who Would You Do," "Desert Island," and a third game I'm not sure they actually get around to playing.

So last night at the dinner table, my grandmother initiated Desert Island Movies, which later turned into Desert Island TV series. Here are the movies:

NANKIPOO'S PICKS-
The Wizard of Oz
Gone with the Wind
African Queen
Roman Holiday
To Catch a Thief

BITSY'S PICKS-
The Incredibles
His Girl Friday
Pirates of the Caribbean at World's End
Gosford Park
Meet Me in St. Louis

It should also be known that should the Island gods allow a sixth "bonus" film, NP would pick Love, Actually.

A word about my choices (well, one choice specifically). Pirates of the Caribbean is a risky pick, not a particularly good movie, and in fact is fairly exhausting to watch. I knew there needed to be a place on my list for an epically long film (as is on NP's, see: GWTW), and the plain truth is that I could watch Pirates at World's End anytime, anywhere. I'm not proud of it, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

And now for the TV:

NANKIPOO'S PICKS-
MASH
MacGyver
Carol Burnett
Lost
The Best of Johnny Carson

BITSY'S PICKS-
Felicity
Alias
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Arrested Development
The Office (American)

Here there is a more obvious disparity between the generations, although Lost is certainly something I would have considered myself (it would be my "bonus sixth" probably, if only because it can be watched over and over without inducing boredom).

Now it's your turn! Come up with your five of each and post them (or not). It never hurts to be prepared for the Desert Island. In the immortal words of Sam Lewis, "you never know."

A Statement About Jim and Pam

In the spirit of being completely "behind" in my reviewing, writing, commenting, etc., I am now going to talk a little bit about The Office season finale. But first, a digression! Try not to act surprised.

The joy of living with one's (super cool) grandparents is that you can introduce them (or one of them) to super cool shows that they haven't seen yet, and in return you get to revisit old favorites. I highly recommend this course of action.

So we watched 30 Rock and have just moved on to Season 1 of The Office. Which brings me full circle to The Office season finale.

It is so painfully cute to watch Jim and Pam in these opening seasons, especially knowing where they end up-- and makes it that much holy-fraktasm-jump-up-and-down-able when they find out that they are pregnant at the end of Season 5. Eeek!

I think it can be argued that these two compose the most healthy, functional, and normal relationship on network television. They are madly in love, have real-life problems, and are not perfect people by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, it's been horrifyingly indicated that Jim Halpert may be turning into Michael Scott, and if he doesn't jump out of his slacker haze, Dunder Mifflin Paper will actually become his career. Not just his job.

Not that Pam wants to change him. Quite the contrary, she wants him to be happy, just as he did when he sent her off to her art program in New York at the beginning of this season. These two are not strictly driven by any specific ambition except to be together. They want to be happy, healthy, and together. Not much more you can ask for than that.

As a couple they go through everything that normal couples go through-- unwanted separation, home purchasing (one of the scariest, sweetest moments ever is when Jim buys his parents' house-- without talking to Pam first), vague threats from outside parties (hello Karen, and dude from New York!). It's not the nature of The Office to show us anything about their domestic or sex lives, yet somehow we know that they are perfectly, er, satisfied on both counts, and we don't mind only seeing their relatively circumspect office interaction.

Personally I can't wait to see what comes next for them, and wouldn't be surprised to learn that we return from the real-time summer vacation to find that they eloped during the break. In the meantime, though, I'm going to seriously enjoy starting again from the beginning, and seeing just how far these two crazy kids have come.

A Statement About UP, But Really Partly Cloudy

So UP rocks, sparkling reviews, Oscar shoo-in.

Blahdy blahdy blah blah.

I don't really think you need a post telling you all of that, since there have been thousands so far, so instead I am going to use this space to mention the less-talked about Partly Cloudy, the short that appears before UP in the theater and will undoubtedly be nominated for an Oscar of its own.

Let's just get it out of the way to start that for me, Pixar can pretty much do no wrong in all aspects, but especially especially in the short film arena. In fact, I was almost more excited to see the short than to see the feature. Not going to lie.

Partly Cloudy is the story of how babies are made-- all kinds of babies-- by the clouds and carried down to Earth by storks. The pretty clouds produce pretty babies; kittens, puppies, chicks, humans, while there is one lonely, dark cloud below who creates the more-or-less undesirable babies; porcupines, sharks, rams, electric eels. And this cloud's poor stork is harried, bruised, battered, stabbed and swallowed on a regular basis. The conflict comes when our cloud produces what is obviously a baby shark, and the stork takes off in a panic to one of the friendlier clouds. A friendly cloud who has already proven itself to produce football equipment. The cloud gets upset by the abandonment, but soon recovers when his friend returns with pads and a helmet to keep him safe while he carries the shark down to its mom.

What can I say about this film? Per usual, frakking glorious. Just a little parable about how sometimes you have to do crappy things, but if you have a friend who can get you through (a loyal friend, natch) it'll be all good in the end. Teared with joy, sent a copy over to Lady Liberty to say je t'aime.

Up next? Probably a breakdown of a little film called Tranformers, which I will probably see at midnight, or at least on opening day, with a certain Transformers geek that I don't live with. And I'm not talking about my brother.

A Statement About How I Met Your Mother

Yes, again. Get over it.

So we were displeased with the finale (well not displeased... disappointed), but after many more reviews of previous shows, we (you know... me) have a couple of more things to share about what has to be the most underrated show on television.

Similar to the aforementioned Gavin & Stacy, the show has created such a strong ensemble simply because the most obvious people are not in the driver's seat.

It turns out that Alyson Hannigan is a pretty huge deal--cult actress with comic book likenesses and everything, and the woman can act. The temptation to put her front and center in anything would be strong, but is something the casting directors of HIMYM were wise to avoid. Her strength lies in being a supporting player, in maintaining the heart of the show, and in bringing the main characters down a peg or two when necessary (see: every interaction ever between Willow Rosenberg and Buffy Summers). To have put her in the role of Robin, the more-or-less main "love interest" on HIMYM would have been a colossal misuse of Hannigan's powers.

Ditto for Jason Segel, who plays Hannigan's on-screen husband Marshall. To look at him on the show, one would have no idea that he is one of the Apatow Gods of Comedy, and that he had one of the more vulgar and disturbing roles in Knocked Up. Not to mention the fact that he wrote, starred in, and did full-frontal nudity in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. His supporting role in HIMYM is in no way a reflection of his talent, and does no injustice to his ability to be a very very funny man. Instead he is allowed to create a character (a character, I suspect, who is closer to his actual personality than any of his other personas) and build it with his own specifications, without any of the pressure of having to actually carry the show.

This post would go on for far, far too long if I started discussing the merits of Neil Patrick Harris, but suffice it to say he's established a new Gold Standard for the term entertainer in the past year.

When the five leads in How I Met Your Mother sit around their favorite bar table, you know you're in for a laugh riot (or at the very least, a good giggle). It's hard to believe, too, that the people sitting around the table playing those characters are legends in the making.

A Statement About True Blood

Okie doke, so this is going to be a potential cross-over post with that other blog I'm working on, but bear with me, because my worlds are about to collide.

True Blood came out on DVD last week, and lo and behold, the best library in the state (HAPLR, shmAPLR, I say to you) instantly had it available for staff consumption. You know, because we're that good. I started watching it, as I do, and at about three-quarters of the way through, have formed what I consider to be an educated opinion.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, it's more vamps vamps vamps, this time in Louisiana, this time "outed" to society, this time drinking bottles of blood in bars the way humans drink beer. No more secret societies, just vamps looking to live as (sometimes) healthy and productive members of society. Sometimes.

Enter Bill Compton, Civil War vet-turned-vamp who comes Back Home, to his family plantation from back in the day. Enter Sookie (rhymes with cookie) Stackhouse, virgin, waitress, telepath, naive southern belle. They are surrounded by the requisite cast of characters-- Sookie's friend Tara (filling the role of the Angry Black Best Friend), Sookie's brother Jason (the Neglected Ne'er Do Well), Sam the bar owner (who is madly in love with Sookie, but sleeping with Tara to soothe his... pain) Vamps who are good (mostly just Bill) and vamps who are bad ("mainstreaming" is for losers). Are we all stocked up? Good. I'm glad we didn't miss anyone.

A word about Sookie. Over at that other blog, my partner in crime and I just had a (relatively) spirited discussion about the Heroine (let me back up: this show is based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, which fall loosely between the romance and mystery sections at your favorite bookseller). The evolution of the Romance Heroine has been marked in the past decade. Virgins are out, relatively experienced, gutsy broads (with interesting occupations!) are in. Which means that poor Sookie is way, way out.

It's intriguing to me how literally HBO and the show's creator, Alan Ball, are interpretting the romance novel cliches. I mean, I swear to God, the last ep I watched had newly de-virginized Sookie asking Bill if it's "always this way," and insisting that he tell her if she's doing something wrong. Bor-ing. Not to mention the cliches she herself has racked up: virgin because she could always here the thoughts of the boys trying to get in her pants, sexually abused as a child by her grandmother's brother, suddenly intrigued by a pale and very (literally) cold stranger who has just strolled into town.

I have often said that the Black Dagger Brotherhood books are everything Twilight should have been if they had, you know... been better. True Blood is everything Twilight would have been if they had been written by a romance novelist and not a Mormon (not that romance novelists can't be Mormons, too, but the ones who aren't don't necessarily have religious strictures to adhere to).

As a show True Blood is hard not to watch, but just because it's crackalicious doesn't make it good, too.

A Statement About the Finale Fever (Mildly Spoilery. Beware, or something)

It's that time of year kids!
Upfront time, "will our show be renewed?" time, "who is going to die on my favorite show?" time, "will I still care when this show comes back on the air in the fall of 2012?" time.

Maybe that's an exaggeration, but in the case of shows like Lost, January 2010 seems like an awfully long time away. It might not be, considering it might take that long to find all of the pieces of the Island after it was blown up by, you know, a hydrogen bomb. Poor Juliet. Poor Sawyer. Poor us, who have to wait 7 interminable months to find out what the frak just happened.

I think the couple of months worth of brain regeneration (and charts!) will help us understand that the finale actually told us more than we think on initial impact. I have a feeling a review of the Jacob-y moments in each of our characters' pasts will yield a great deal of info (that will be helpful in the next season, without a doubt). I have not yet read the good Doctor's final analysis, but his points last week were both illuminating and so mind-bending I might actually be glad to have all this time off to rest my brain. It hurts, but in a good way.

Another finale I watched the other night was How I Met Your Mother, which makes for the twelve-thousandth time I've watched Alyson Hannigan this week (future posts will discuss how awesome she is, but for now that is neither here nor there). A couple of things struck me about the finale: First of all, I had read previously that they shot the scenes for the last show back in January so that Hannigan would not have to come back from maternity leave. A lot of bloggers have talked about how distracting the pregnancies of the two female leads have been, but I have to say it was more disconcerting for me to see them less pregnant last night than the week before. Cobie Smulders had no discernable bump in January, and even Hannigan looked less pregnant than she had when she stormed out of the bar after Barney's offensive joke a couple of weeks ago (this was the reason she was absent for several weeks-- she was mad at Barney).

The other thing that really got me about this finale was how much I was waiting for progress-- a great ending to the goat story, some kind of Robin/Barney closure (or opening) and for Ted to meet at least another potential "One." When his ex-fiancée Stella appeared a couple of weeks ago, fans went nuts thinking that she, indeed, comes back into Ted's life and is the mother of his long-suffering children. Let us be clear: she is so not the mother. But the ending to that episode, as misleading as it was, would have been a better place to end the season. A big "Huh?" would have sat better than me than the benign acceptance that Ted has a new job as a Professor, and that the Mother is one of his students. Eh.

I suppose that's all for now (I mean, isn't that enough for you people??), but look! It wasn't all shiny, "this rocks" pontificating. Glorious.

A Statement About the Star Trek

And so our love/lust affair with JJ Abrams and his sexy genius brain continues well into its seventh year.

Goodness, gracious. Where to begin?

As promised, Mother's Day was spent in the Lewis/Barstow conjoined household at the cinema, where glorious Transformers trailers and buttered popcorn were enjoyed by all. Except for those who didn't eat the popcorn and those who have no desire to see Transformers. But I digress.

I don't think I need to go into the whole "it's an origin story, starting at the beginning, rebooting the whole franchise which was sorely in need of rebooting." Do I? Well, tough. I'm not going to.

JJ Abrams, henceforth known to The Move Girl as God, was not a Trekkie growing up, and was in fact a Star Wars dork, and for that we love him all the more. It made it even more palatable for Star Wars dorks like me to have no qualms about going to see a Star Trek movie. If anyone was going to make us love the Trek, it was going to be God. Yay God.

So we'll skip to what God does best... cheeky geektastic dialogue, cameos by Meghan Rotundi Blumberg/Carrie Bowman Flinkman, Greg Grunberg, that lame chick from the last season of Alias, and the dude who played Andrian Lazarey. I somehow now have simultaneous crushes on Kirk, Sulu, and of all people, Spock, who a week ago you could not have induced me to touch with a ten-foot pole.

Having gone to the cinema with three generations of people, some of whom had seen previous Trek films and some of whom hadn't, and walking out with everyone raving like lunatics about how excellent it was, is no mean feat.

Go see Star Trek. Now.

Also, a few housekeeping notes:
Yay, Lady Liberty! We salute your blogging prowess.
And if you have a burning desire to read what I think about trashy romance novels, go here. If you don't, then don't.
I know I was supposed to write something critical, but since I didn't, just wait until next time! When we will inevitably talk about how awesome the Lost finale was... *sigh*...

A Statement About the Tone

OK, so way baaaaaack in the day, I wrote a post about how I had gone all negative, and I was sorry, and I was going to be more positive. It turns out I went extreme in the other direction-- it seems from the look of the most recent posts that I <3 everything.

Ha.

So I'm going to come back later this week, and will have something critical to say about... something. Time to flex the "actually, I didn't like this" muscle.

Also, Mother's Day in the Barstow/Lewis household (yes, it is ONE household these days) means STAR TREK. Because that's what happens when you give birth to geeks (or, as young Sam would have me say, a geek and a nerd). Anyway, since there could not possibly be ANYTHING wrong with that movie (to be discussed next week) I have to come up with something critical. Fast.

A Statement About the Gilmores

OK, so maybe I'm having some sort of johnny-come-lately WB experience, but in addition to the now decade old (!!) seasons of the Buffster, I also find myself watching the slightly younger, but no-less WB-in-its-heyday fantasmagorical Gilmore Girls. Having caught (and enjoyed) several individual episodes over the years, it is no surprise to find it, in its entirety, wholly enjoyable. What's even cooler, though, is that I have been watching it with my grandmother. NP's cool factor has been discussed over the years as being exponentially higher than most grandmothers, but this takes the cake.

I have to confess to having not seen any of Season 1 and only selected parts of Season 2 (including the "what the frak?" shocking finale), but Season 3 has been stellar. While totally unrealistic, the relationship between Rory and Lorelai is snap-crackle-pop effortless... For those not familiar with the story, 16-year-old Lorelai got pregnant back in the day, refused to marry the babydaddy, and now here we are, 17 years later, while her remarkably well-adjusted offspring (Rory) is preparing to go off to Harvard. Offsetting the mother-daughter dynamic is another mother-daughter pairing, the distinctly uncomfortable relationship between Lorelai and her own mother, Emily, and the often times icy interplay between Lorelai and her father.

Adding comic relief are the members of the small hamlet where Rory and Lorelai live-- town oddities, weirdos, and eccentrics that do nothing if not keep things interesting. And the relationship between Lorelai and Luke, the grouchy owner of the local diner where mom and daughter eat four meals a day, features some of the best chemistry (and unconsumated oompf) seen on TV in a long time. Like, a really, really long time.

The Gilmore Girls is 21st century comfort food-- smiles, stars and butterfly family relations... only not... but served with a lightness that makes you know that everything will be ok. No matter what. Now that's something I think we can all get behind.

A Statement About Buffy

I waited as long as I could, but I am pleased to report that I finally caved and started watching the inimitable Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

To be honest, I tried to resist for quite a while; traumatic high school memories kept me from admitting what appeared to others to be incontrovertible.  I am geek enough, dork enough, and ass-kicking-girl-loving enough to be as obsessed with Buffy as the rest.  

Of course it's ridiculous.  A sixteen year old petite blond charged with saving the world from vampires.  Naturally, her job as slayer is rather hard to hide, and she has just been kicked out of her school in LA when the show begins (she burned down the gym... you know, because there were vampires inside).  And it just so happens that her mother relocates them to Sunnydale, one of the most supernaturally active places in th country, if not the world.

It's all terribly convenient, so just get over it.  You're not watching for intrigue and surprising plot twists, you're watching for snappy dialogue, evolved characters, and David Boreanaz in all of his pre-Bones glory.  There's a larger mythology in the grand scheme of things to add originality of the Scooby Doo gang of characters, but I haven't yet gotten far enough with it to speak on it intellgently.

"Scooby Doo?" you ask.

"Scooby Doo," I nod sagely.

Buffy is like watching Scooby Doo with Daphne in charge.  She's got a Fred (some combination of her Watcher, Giles, and uber-hottie Angel), she's got a Shaggy (hapless Xander) and a Velma (pre-HIMYM Allyson Hannigan in full geektastic mode).  

Anyway, obviously it's not on TV anymore, but if you're not vampire/supernatural saturated from, you know, the entire pop-culture market, check it out on DVD.  I haven't made my final diagnosis yet, but the Buffster (as she is known in elite circles) may land next to Sydney Bristow amongst my favorite heroines.

A Statement About Arrested Development

OK, yeah... So that didn't work very well. We might have to put the critic internship on hold, well... for a bit.

Onward.

So Arrested Development. I know have listed the top Arrested Development moments in the past, but I don't think I have ever extolled the virtues of this late, great television show. At least, not in writing in this forum.

Let me start by saying that it might be the best comedy ever put on television.

I know, I know, controversial. Let me also say that I recognize MASH and Seinfeld as accomplishments in forwarding the medium, I recognize that they were mainstream darlings who extended and bettered the national discourse on just about everything.

It can be argued, though, that Arrested Development's power as a show was never hindered by self-importance and significance; the show went off the air with nary a whimper in the winter of 2006 and almost no one noticed. Until the rabid fans began converting the Ignorant into the Faithful, at which point Arrested Development turned into everyone's favorite cult show, and the standard by which acquaintances are judged against friends (Sample: you're at a party, and you say to someone "And that's why you don't use a one armed person to scare people." A blank stare indicates that this person should remain a mere acquaintance. The people who start jumping up and down and blathering about J. Walter Weatherman should be considered friends for life.) Those who know the difference between light and heavy treason receive permanent invitations to all family events.

Viewers were rewarded for their faithfulness with ongoing inside jokes, continuing themes, and genius casting stunts (see: Justine Bateman as real-life brother Justin's potential love interest. The ep is entitled "Family Ties." Seriously). The layers of comedy are so brilliant it's scary, and so subtle that one viewing is not sufficient to get all of the sight-gags, double-entendres, and innuendos.

Rumors have abounded in the past year that an Arrested Development movie is imminent; that everyone but Michael Cera has signed on, and that the writing has begun. Some might be scared at the prospect of their favorite TV show being turned into a film. Questions of faithfulness to the show itself, the quality of the film, the expression of the characters are perfectly reasonable, but not when it comes to AD. The actors are so dedicated, the writers so particular, that most of them said they were glad when it ended, that they would rather have gone out in the blaze of glory than run the show into the ground.

What does that mean for the movie? With everyone signing up, it can only mean it's going to be the best thing ever.

Seriously.

A Statement About the Critiques

Lady Liberty, in all of her "I know what's good for you, even when you don't" wisdom, has kindly (?) signed me up for an online movie critic internship.

"What does that mean?" you ask, confused.
"I have no idea," I reply, resigned.

But it looks like a cool thing. They send me assignments and I do them, and if they like me, really like me, something magical will happen.

So I'll start writing posts for that, and then transferring them here... So if you see a post with a repeat subject, or a really random exercise, that's why.

May the Force be with us.

A Statement About Valkyrie

OK, so this one time I was watching Quantum of Solace, and a preview of Valkyrie came on, reminding me that that movie existed, and that maybe I should talk about it.

I saw this film in London, and in the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I was invited to see it with a friend.  Otherwise, I probably would not have been bothered about it one way or the other.  It seems to me that there is only one character that Tom Cruise plays, and he has only done it really well twice; once in A Few Good Men, and once in Jerry Maguire.  Valkyrie adds another character to his roster, but I am not entirely sure how hard it is to play A Determined Man Willing To Die For His Cause.  Fine, whatever.

Which, coincidentally, is exactly how I feel about this movie.  It was fine.  A fine script, fine casting, fine special effects, fine story.  Fine fine fine fine fine.

Here's the problem:  Movies about historical events are tricky.  Not only are you telling a story that people already know the ending to, but you run the risk of losing credibility if the portrayal is even slightly off.  Valkyrie is anything but "slightly off."  Hence the incredible pointlessness of the film.

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard someone say "Titanic?  What's the point?  The boat sinks, right?"  Yes, the boat sinks.  But the suspense and interest of the story comes from how it sinks, and which of the characters (who we have had a bit of a chance to get to know) survive.  Not all of them do, you know.  Anyway, Valkyrie suffers from the opposite problem.  It's about an assassination attempt on Hitler that you know doesn't work.  Not only that, but if you're even remotely familiar with the Holocaust, you know that there was no way those who planned the assassination would survive the night, much less the war.  So here we are watching a movie for which we already know the outcome, watching characters whom we know are going to die.  Great.

While doing press for the film, Eddie Izzard, one of the many, many recognizable actors in the background (in fact, one of the few who was not also in the background of Pirates of the Caribbean... talk about distracting), mentioned the fact that this was a good film to be made for the morale of the German people.  Now, instead of there being only films about those complicit with the Nazis, there is one that shines as a beacon proclaiming that not all Germans cooperated, and not all of them stood by while evil took over.  An excellent point.  Finally a film that highlights that there was a resistance, no matter how brutally it was squashed.

If only the story made for a better film.

And yes, we're pink now.  Get over it.

A Statement About Chuck

As loyal readers know, Alias is one of my favorite shows.  Duh.  And until JJ and Jennifer get together to make a movie (which would really only work if Jack Bristow came back from the dead... We miss you Jack!), we'll have to settle for the intrigue of Lost, the angst of Mad Men, and the characterizations of How I Met Your Mother to get us through the night.

There are those who would argue that Chuck is a worthy successor to our beloved spy series; they would say that the mythology is as dense, the mysterious organizations are as threatening, the supporting characters are as engaging.

And to an extent, they would be right.

I have been skeptical about Chuck from the beginning, and started watching after Mr. Ausiello declared it the best comedy on television (for the record, he is wrong).  Anyway, there are things to love about this show, the characters being  one of them.  Chuck himself, the lovable Nerd Herd team leader who has had all of the United States government intelligence downloaded into his head (before the super terminal itself was destroyed, rendering him the only source of archived US intelligence... just go with it, people!), is infinitely relateable for the post Office Space generation; after having been kicked out of Stanford (long story), he has spent the better part of his twenties languishing in the Best Buy-esque Buy More, trying to figure out what next to do with his life.  His best friend is Morgan, the extreme loser-geek for whom Buy More is probably the last stop, but whose sense of humor, loyalty and cluelessness render him one of the best sidekicks since Marshall Flinkman.  Add in Chuck's beautiful and supportive sister Ellie and her exclamation spouting fiance Captain Awesome, (not to mention the rest of the Buy More staff), and you've got more likeable characters than exist on any other show on TV.

So what is there to be skeptical about?  Well, accepted plot absurdities aside, something is just not gelling on this show.  The ironically weak link is the whole CIA, undercover, Chuck-in-mortal-danger... plot.  In order to excuse the insanely hot CIA agent who has to watch him at all times, the cover is, naturally, that the two are in a romantic relationship.  Which is complicated by their actual feelings for each other and her professionalism... blah blah blah.  Except that there is very little chemistry between Chuck and his handler, Sarah (no Syd and Vaughn "Oh, you have a girlfriend?" moments here, kids!).  This is made more painfully evident by the sparkling chemistry between the actors playing Chuck and his sister Ellie... which is distracting to say the least.

As an action-comedy, Chuck succeeds as neither.  The action is neither hardcore nor particularly convincing, and the only funny characters are given very little screen time in their Buy More locale.  The comedy is clever, but again, not overwhelming.

Chuck is worth watching, but not worth watching with any sort of devotion.  Come for the Alias references, stay for the bright spots between plot points.

A Statement About Watchmen

Ah, the comic-book hero.  So noble.  So resilient.  So indefatigably honorable.  

Ha.

There is much to be said about Watchmen, and as previously promised, we will discuss it today based on its merits as a film, trying as hard as we can not to delve into what we know about the graphic novel.

To start, it's a very long film.  Obviously that's something to be aware of as you go in, but two hours and forty minutes with a good fifteen minutes of previews at the front (Star Trek!  Transformers! Terminator!) means you're sitting in your seat for close to three hours, and that can be difficult when one accounts for things like large sodas.  

Logically it makes sense for the film to be that long-- a comic arriving in 12 installments over the course of a year would require a lot of time to tell the whole story in one sitting, especially if the story has as much depth and scope as Watchmen does.

OK, fine.  So we accept the length. We accept, even, the idea that because we have not read the graphic novel the finer nuances of the film (an admittedly obsessive adaptation) might be lost on us.  Fine fine fine.  Let's watch the damn thing, already.

Watchmen is a striking film.  Visually it is stunning, and I imagine those lucky enough to live near an IMAX had an even better experience with this.  It is most striking, though, is the message relayed, a message The Dark Knight hit upon, but that Watchmen spells out explicitly: sometimes doing a bad thing is necessary to save people.  As the line in the film goes "Sometimes you need to kill millions to save billions."  Or something like that.

In this political climate, that message gave me a vaguely sinking feeling.  Like, is George W. Bush sitting at home in Crawford going, "See!  Even the dudes in the comic book understand that I will be vindicated by history!"

From what I have read, Watchmen is a seminal work of literature, beloved for its subversion and controversial matter, for spitting in the face of traditional comic story-telling.  As a film, it is a fairly average representation of comic (film) story-telling with a story that is bigger than could possibly be told on a traditional cinematic setting.  And in this era of Hope and Yes We Can and movement away from the past eight years, I'm not sure the film has found it's appropriate moment for cultural impact.

A (Very Delayed) Statement About the Oscars

So, with the full acknowledgement that this is over a week late, let us now discuss our thoughts on the Oscars in bullet point form:

*Hugh Jackman was wonderful.  Was he daring?  No.  Was he original?  No.  Was he exciting?  Hells yes.  It was clear that Jackman was respected and admired by everyone in the room (how many people have gotten standing ovations for the opening number?  Seriously.), and, unlike our dear friend Jon Stewart, he managed to be funny without terrifying the masses with the idea of a politically off-color joke.  The tribute to musicals might have been choppy and over the top, but that is no fault of Jackman's (Hello, Baz Luhrmann.  Have you ever met a musical number you couldn't make even more cheesetastic?).  Overall, he gets an A++ for style, class, and charisma.  Would like to see some fresh blood in next year, but he'll always be welcomed back.

*Am supremely embarrassed by the lack of short film knowledge exhibited in my picks and fully welcome my forced retirement as a result.

*Shocked shocked shocked by Sean Penn (even though I did call him as a long shot), but really thought Mickey Rourke would take it.  In retrospect he does lack the class that the Academy looks for in its winners, and that actually may have set him back in the dead-heat with Penn for the Best Actor trophy.

*I have officially decided that anyone who says Heath Ledger only won because he is dead has no idea what they are talking about, and they have clearly not seen The Dark Knight.  I'll say this one more time, and one more time only:  He would have won anyway, and to suggest otherwise is just about the biggest insult I can think of.  Not because it's a lack of respect for the dead, but because it's a lack of respect for a truly standout performance.

*How much do we love Anne Hathaway?  SO MUCH.

*How much do we love the past winners presenting the new winner?  Eh.  It was a cool idea, but it took a lot of time, and when the ceremony is in re-vamp mode after having been diagnosed as too long for the past decade, this is not the way to ensure a shorter running time.

Well, I guess that does it for now.  Coming up soon: Chuck (Why we like it even if we still remain skeptical), Rachel Getting Married, Why there might be a Blog Blackout (it's great procrastination when I don't want to write my novel!), and, just for shiggles, I'll review Watchmen before I've read the novel.  You know, to give it a fair shot as a film of it's own accord.

*How excited are you?  SO EXCITED.

A Statement About Lost, In Which There Might Be Much Rambling

So, here's the thing:  Every week after all of my favorite shows have aired, I get out The Book (well, the online version), and read the recaps of my favorite shows from the critical perspective, looking for things I missed, seeing if the things I didn't were as relevent as I thought.  Sometimes this is an insignificant action (I don't usually need someone to tell me how hard I laughed at 30 Rock), but sometimes this is a necessary occurrence, because I am genuinely not sure what I just saw.

And thusly begins our discussion about Lost.

When people say they gave up on Lost, I completely see why (in fact, the producers see why), but in the past few seasons the rewards for the faithful have been plentiful, and the non-stop "ohmygodwhatthefrak?" for this season has been stimulating and exciting.  While the endgame is most certainly not clear, the progress being made in the bigger picture is definitely something to write home about.

When I'm done watching an episode and still processing, I make sure and read Doc Jensen, and watch his podcasts, because it's the man's job to have too much time on his hands when it comes to things like Lost.  He talks about philosophers and quantum theories, and literary connections that might be stretching too far, but that are there nonetheless.  Doc's analysis is so intense that you almost hope he's wrong about everything, because if it takes that much effort to appreciate the show, then I'm in serious danger of never "getting" it.  I don't know about you, but I'm just not motivated enough to read Ulysses in order to understand why Ben lied to Jack in the most recent episode.

Which brings me to the point of this whole rambling post (don't say I didn't warn you!).  The thing is, I think television has the potential to be the Next Great Art Form, with Lost leading the charge in quality and vision (Battlestar, we love you, too).  Think of Lost like a really great book:  you can watch it superficially, love the characters, their interactions, and the way everything links together.  You can watch it on a mildly involved level, noting the things that come from educated intellect (Charlotte Stokes Lewis... C.S. Lewis! Holy crap!).  Or, you can watch it on a "examine-every-moment-for-every-possible-bit-of meaning" kind of level.  Whatever works.  As long as the payoff is good enough to meet all of these levels of involvement, it doesn't matter what you get out of it or how you get it, as long as you leave feeling satisfied.

Another thing to keep in mind on the over-analysis side, though.  I have a dear friend who studied English and who is an extremely talented writer.  So talented, that she once wrote a short story that a teacher wanted to share with his class and offer up for critique.  In the middle of the lesson, the teacher started talking about the brilliant symbolism in the character's jacket, and the fact that she kept it on, like a security blanket, like armor against the outside world. 

My friend said the character was wearing a jacket because the story was set in winter.  Get it?

And so, the rambling ends with this very principle in mind: is there really that much symbolism?  And is everyone involved in every aspect of the show really keyed in that much to what they are doing (acting nuances, set designers, cinematographers, etc.)?  Are they reading Doc Jensen and thinking to themselves "Damn, this dude is pretty smart!  And that theory is a great idea, let's do that!"?  Or are they really, really that good?

I'm hoping for something in the middle.

A Statement About Generalissimo

On 6 February when I finally sat down to watch the 30 Rock episode entitled "Generalissmo," I became immediately aware of an indisputable fact: That was the funniest half hour of television I have seen all year.

Now, before you smart-asses start talking about how we're only 6 weeks into 2009, by "year" I mean "television year," which of course started in September and ends in 2 months. Got it?

Let us start with the brilliantly used guest stars-- Salma Hayek as Jack Donaghy's girlfriend (as well as his mother's nurse) is absolutely divine. In this episode, Jack is trying to impress his amour's grandmother, who dislikes him because of his close physical resemblence to El Generalissimo, the bad guy on her favorite telenovela (played by... Alec Baldwin. Amazing).

This plot beautifully parallels Liz Lemon and her quest for love with Dr. Andrew Baird, the new guy in the building (Mad Men's Jon Hamm... has there ever been a more geektastic couple assembled on television?), for whom Liz has rather immoderate feelings, whose mail she opens, and who she drags out into the street to look for her missing dog. Liz Lemon, of course, has never, ever had a dog.

For the record: Don Draper, as much as we love you, you have nothing on Andrew Baird. Sorry, cowboy.

The whole thing culminates with Alec Baldwin's dual personalities confronting each other over the death of a ridiculous telenovela character, Liz accidentally roofie-ing darling Dr. Baird, the man who lives in the basement with the nails delivering her dog back to her, and something about complimenting all of the Latin babies in New York on television.

Even Simon liked it, and that's saying something.

A Statement About Gav, Stace, and Why Everyone Should Get BBC America

Hiya Everyone!

I was supposed to write through the Next Big Event in Book 2 of the trilogy, but it's late and, per usual, I have been procrastinating by watching my new TV obsession, Gavin & Stacey.

Rumo(u)r has it they are bringing a version over to the States, and if they do it right, it will be a sight to see.  Gavin & Stacey follows the story of an average boy and an average girl who fall in love over the phone at work (he does something with computers in Essex, she does something with accounts in Wales... it really doesn't matter).  In the pilot they meet, followed swiftly by I Love Yous, Engagement, Wedding, and Living Happily (?) Ever After.  Simple enough, right?

Alas, behind the simplicity is the genius.  Gavin & Stacey was created by James Cordon and Ruth Jones, who do not play Gavin and Stacey.  Instead, they play his and hers friends, respectively, leading a shockingly hilarious cast of secondary characters (his parents, her widowed mother, her uncle, as well as various friends scattered about).  As Vanessa ("Ness"), Ruth Jones is easily the highlight of the show, often dispatching wisdom based on life experiences (she is ageless, seems to have been married at least three times, had an affair with the former Deputy Prime Minister, been a producer for the BBC, and now works at the ticket counter at an amusement park...), while Smithy ("Smiffy") is a bumbling oaf of a man who is absurdly possessive of Gavin, and who lives his life to try every beer in existence.

Like How I Met Your Mother, which uses Allison Hannigan and Neil Patrick Harris (indeed, the better-known cast members) in supporting roles, the use of the show's creators and writers as non-titular characters is perfect-- it gives them the perspective to move away from the simplicity of the plot and delve deeply into hilarious character study.

I could easily go on for days about this show and how fantastically developed each of the characters is (except, ironically, for Gavin and Stacey themselves... they aren't one dimensional, but they are definitely the least interesting of the lot).  I won't go on and on and on, though.  I'll just say, get thee to BBC America.  

Or come over and we'll watch it on iTunes when I get home.

A Statement About My Oscar Picks

Here they are, people! Look alive!

BEST PICTURE

Slumdog Millionaire

I'm tired of hearing about it, and when it wins we can stop talking about it. Right?!

LONGSHOT: Milk

BEST ACTOR

Mickey Rourke

Oscar loves a comeback. Plus, who doesn't want to hear his speech?

LONGSHOT: Sean Penn

BEST ACTRESS

Kate Winslet

This could get seriously dicey, since she hasn't won any awards for this film that aren't in the supporting category, but they'll give it to her because it's about damn time.

LONGSHOT: Anne Hathaway

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Heath Ledger

Look, every single other man in this category has the ability to be nominated again. The Academy is too sentimental and the performance is too good for him to be overlooked.

LONGSHOT: Robert Downey Jr.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penelope Cruz

I forgot how insanely insane she is in this movie until I rewatched the clips recently. Genius.

LONGSHOT: Amy Adams

BEST DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle

We can stop talking about it!!

LONGSHOT: Stephen Daldry

BEST ANIMATED PICTURE
Wall-E

If you don't agree, we stop being friends.

LONGSHOT: None.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Wall-E

I'm picking the longshot here, kids.

PROBABLE WIN: Milk

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Slumdog Millionaire

Whatever.

LONGSHOT: Frost/Nixon

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

Auf Der Strecke (On the Line)

Swiss. And dark. Can't go wrong.

LONGSHOT: New Boy (I met the filmmaker... cool chick)

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Presto

Because that bunny is the cutest thing I have ever seen.

LONGSHOT: This Way Up

Well, that's it! Tune in next time for why everyone ever should watch Gavin & Stacey, why Lost might be the best argument for television as art, and why 30 Rock is still the best comedy on TV.

A Statement About WALL-E

There has been much said about the wonder that is the Disney/Pixar masterpiece, WALL-E, and I am pleased to report that nothing you have read has been exaggeration.  Like The Incredibles before it, WALL-E will win the Best Animated Feature Oscar, and was perfectly qualified to be a Best Picture contender. 

To start, it is a visual feast, from the rusty, dirty Earth that WALL-E inhabits, to the chrome and bleached shininess of the spaceship he eventually stumbles upon.  Yes, the film is a blatant attack on consumerism (see: WALL-E finding a diamond ring in a box... he keeps the box and trashes the ring), gluttony, and the waste that had pervaded our culture over the past several decades.  The humans in the story are hilariously dis-abled, unable to even stand without assistance.  They are carted around on portable beds, and none of them even realize there is a swimming pool on their spaceship until the video screens are forcibly removed from the front of their faces.

What I like about WALL-E, though, is that it might be the best love story I have seen in the past year.  Isolated and alone on his planet, one day WALL-E encounters EVE, a robot sent from the human ship to seek organic and sustaining life on Earth, life WALL-E himself only discovered shortly before her arrival.  Theirs is obviously a chaste love, this is Disney after all, and they are robots, but the depth of feeling they have is remarkable.  After finding WALL-E's plant, EVE shuts down to protect the specimen, and when she is called back to the ship, WALL-E follows her on a journey through space, to be with her and to make sure she is okay.

Likewise, when WALL-E is seriously injured in the film's climactic sequence, EVE rushes him back to Earth, replacing his damaged parts, willing him to live.  In the end, it is the physical spark generated by their "kiss" that makes him remember his true love.

It is thoroughly endearing, too, that the characters very rarely speak to each other-- he calls her E-VA, while her main vocabulary consists of her mission, her "directive."

If you haven't seen it already, watch it watch it watch it.  A while back we had a discussion about what is a "good" movie, and how that can be different from your "favorite" movie.  The Incredibles remains my favorite Disney/Pixar film, but it is indisputable that WALL-E is the best.

PPS- (a statement)

Let us all applaud Lady Liberty, who not only posted  the other night, but also finished the first draft of her first feature-length screenplay.

Yay, her!

A Statement About the Oscar Nominees

OK, you've already seen them by now, blah blah blah, I'm not going to take up space by re-listing them.  Go here to see them if you haven't already.  

I just have a couple of thoughts:

First of all, I am extremely nervous about Kate Winslet's chances here.  Yes, she has been winning everything under the sun, especially for her role in The Reader, but the problem is that everything she has won for The Reader has been in the supporting category.  The fact that she did not receive a Best Supporting Actress nom for The Reader, but rather a Best Actress, might be extremely detrimental to her cause.  The Academy can be very picky about things like this.  If it's a supporting role, it's a supporting role, no ifs, ands or buts.  I'm not sure a dual nomination would have helped her any (lots and lots of vote splitting), but the fact is, she got the wrong nomination for the right film.

If anyone is going to upset her, let there be no mistake, it will NOT be Meryl Streep, but Anne Hathaway.

Second of all, it is an absolute and utter travesty that The Dark Knight did not get nominated.  I'm not saying that because it's, you know, my new favorite movie, but rather because it was one of the best films of the year.  It seems that all of the tremendous strides that were made with the recognition of LOTR have been obliterated by the lack of recognition for The Dark Knight.  What was it the man said?  "The Dark Knight was to super-hero films what The Godfather was to gangster films."  Or something like that.

As to the "overrated" Heath Ledger performance, the Academy can be sentimental, but logical about these kinds of things.  This was a talented actor who probably should have won a time or two before, but now will never have the opportunity to even be nominated again.  The other actors in his category were great, but they will all go on to give great performances in the future.  If there is one lock in the competition, it is Heath Ledger.

Anyone who picks anything but Wall-E for Best Animated Feature needs to have their head examined, but more on that later.

I suppose that's all for now.  Full picks to follow in a few weeks.  And anyone in possession of a DVR on Oscar night will be my hero forever... I'm still going to be à Londres for The Big Show.

(PS- Anyone who needs the Short Film pics for an Oscar pool, ask me in another week)